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The current study aims to investigate the anticancer effects of zapotin flavone in human gastric carcinoma cells. MTT assay was performed to determine the cytotoxicity effects of zapotin against the gastric cancer cells (SNU-1) and normal gastric cells (GES-1). SNU-1 cell morphology was analyzed through phase-contrast microscopy. Apoptosis was identified through DAPI staining assay and quantified through annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining. The effects on cell migration and invasion were carried out through transwell assay. Apoptosis and m-TOR/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway related proteins were analysed through western blotting. Proliferation rate of gastric cancer SNU-1 cell line declined with enhanced zapotin concentrations in comparison to normal GES-1 cells. Substantial morphological changes after zapotin exposure, including nuclear condensation and membrane rupture was observed. Further, increasing number of apoptotic cells, suppression of both cell migration and invasion was observed with increased zapotin concentrations. Finally, western blotting indicated significant blocking of m-TOR/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. We conclude that zapotin can act as a potential drug against the gastric cancer.

Aim This study aimed to investigate the current situation of the spiritual health of maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) patients in China and analyse the influencing factors. Methods A total of 418 patients who underwent maintenance haemodialysis in three grade A tertiary hospitals were selected. The influencing factors were evaluated with demographic questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy‐Spiritual Well‐Being (FACIT‐Sp‐12), Family APGAR Index, Herth Hope Index (HHI) and Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS). Results Spiritual health was positively correlated with the HHI, Family APGAR and AIS scores. Nationality, HHI score, Family APGAR score and AIS score were independent influencing factors of spiritual health. MHD patients had a moderate level of spiritual health. Nationality, hope, family function and acceptance of illness were significant predictors of spiritual health. Patients who have higher hope levels, better family functioning and better illness acceptance may maintain better spiritual health.

In this study, the stabilization problem for Schrödinger equation with distributed input time delay is considered. The main idea of solving the stabilization problem is transformation. The original time delay system is firstly transformed into the undelayed system, and then the feedback control law which can stabilize the undelayed system is found. Finally, we prove that the feedback control law can also exponentially stabilize the time delay system.

In this paper, we are concerned with rapid stabilisation of an Euler--Bernoulli beam with internal delayed control. Herein we introduce a new approach of the feedback control design from the system equivalence point of view. The design approach can be divided into several steps. First, we construct a target system of the desired stability. Second, we select a suitable integral transform that transforms the present system to the target system. In this procedure, one can get a corresponding feedback control. Third, we find a transform that transforms the target system to the present system, which provides the equivalence of both systems. Finally, we prove that the two transforms are bounded linear operators in an appropriate Hilbert space.

Purpose: Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) may be involved in the occurrence and progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present study, we used serum-starved A549 cells emulating tumor under a nutrient depletion stress in the microenvironment. Patients and methods: We first detected the expression level of miR-224 between tumor tissues and the adjacent normal tissues. We analyzed the expression levels of miR-224 and its predicted target phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in starved A549 cells. Following transfection with miR-224 mimic or inhibitor in starved A549 cells, MTT assay, Annexin V FITC/PI staining, and LC-3 immunofluorence staining were performed to investigate the roles of miR-224 on proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy. Next, the expression of apoptosis-related protein Bax and Bcl-2, autophagy-related proteins LC3, PI3K signaling, and target PTEN were measured using qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. The direct interaction between miR-224 and PTEN was validated with a dual luciferase assay. Results: We found that the expression level of miR-224 in tumor tissues was significantly higher when compared with the adjacent normal tissues. We discovered a reciprocal expression pattern between miR-224 and PTEN in starved A549 cells, and transfection with miR-224 mimic led to down-regulation of PTEN. A dual luciferase assay further confirmed the direct interaction between miR-224 and 3ʹUTR of PTEN. Transfection with miR-224 mimic in starved A549 cells resulted in enhanced cell proliferation, reduced apoptosis, and autophagy, accompanied by increased expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, decreased expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax, and autophagy-related protein LC3. Activation of PI3K was observed in miR-224 mimic transfected cells. The reverse effects by the miR-224 inhibitor in all experiments were observed. Conclusion: Taken together, we proved that miR-224 might play essential roles in cellular functions of nutrient-depleted A549 cells possibly through regulating the target PTEN and downstream signal PI3K, suggesting the potential of miR-224 to be a therapeutic target for NSCLC therapy.

In this paper, we describe a linear boundary non-collocated feedback controller to stabilize a string system with variable coefficients and investigate the exponential stability of the closed-loop system. We show that the system associates with a C0 semigroup. Through the asymptotic analysis technique, we get the asymptotic values of all eigenvalues of the system operator A. Furthermore, we prove that there is a sequence of generalized eigenvectors of A that forms a Riesz basis with parentheses for the energy state space. Hence, the system satisfies the spectrum determined growth assumption. Finally, we show that the system is exponentially stable with suitable choice of the feedback gains.

In this paper, we deal with a reaction-diffusion system with time delays arising from a three-species predator-prey model under the homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, and study the asymptotic behavior of solutions.

Irregular Conduct Theory in American Patent Law requires the patent applicant to fulfill the obligation of good faith and disclosure in the course of patent application, otherwise bear the serious consequence with invalid patent or can't be carried out. It aims at improving the quality of patent application and ensuring public interests. Because there is no single standard of constitutive requirements of irregular conduct at present, the court took shape when suitable to apply this theory and explained in pluralism. For many years, irregular conduct theory plays a positive role in encouraging applicants to fulfill the obligation of good faith. But with the expansion of this theory, its drawback displays gradually. First, the result is often contrary to the original intention of irregular conduct theory; Second, it has reduced the quality of patent application and increased the cost of patent inspection to a certain extent; Third, it has reduced the predictability of the law; Fourth, the passive legal consequence extends to the innocent. So, it is necessary to improve this theory.

Since 1990s, under trend of the economic globalization and integration of regional economics, the trans-corporation is in order to pursue global management strategy, strengthen its competition advantage and strategic position in the international market, have raised a large-scale, far-reaching Mergers and Acquisition (M&A) tide in the world, cross-border M&A becomes the main form of trans-corporation's foreign direct investment. However, Cross-border M&G is challenging the supervision of the government of host country while realizing the economic benefits for the trans-corporation, and form Interactive games in Cross-border M&G investment and the supervision of the government of host country. This text mainly introduces experience in Cross-border M&A Regulation of western developed country such as U.S.A., through comparing its similarities and differences, received some beneficial experience. The purpose is for impelling Chinese Government to seek a kind of regulation system, which can protect normal Cross-border M&A, safeguard the vigor of the market competition, and can prevent the forming of market monopolization effectively. While utilizing the foreign capitals, guarantee economy and even country's security.

In order to minimize tax burden, multinational corporations often transfer profits between each other. It is one of the ways of international tax avoidance, which reduces the tax burden of multinational corporations at the expense of relevant countries' tax revenues. Tax authorities would adjust transfer pricing of associated enterprises to safeguard the national tax revenues. This causes the international double taxation which in turn increases the tax burden of multinational corporations. This issue must be resolved properly; otherwise it would surely have a negative impact on the international economic exchanges. The paper defines relevant concepts, such as associated enterprises and transfer pricing, analyses the arm's length principle, which is the core principle of transfer pricing system, interprets the cause of international double taxation connected with the adjustment of transfer pricing by case. Then, we propose two problem-solving modes, that is, negotiation mechanism and arbitration mechanism, and make the evaluation.

Logistics outsourcing, as a new logistics mode, plays an important role in focusing resources on core business, and also reduces logistics costs and improves customer satisfaction. Therefore, more and more SMEs pay close attention to logistics outsourcing. However, when the enterprise selected the logistics outsourcing, there are also many risks. The success of logistics outsourcing depends largely on whether an enterprise can effectively prevent these risks. This paper studies a large number of books, periodicals, network resources, combines the reality, has analyzed the major causes of logistics outsourcing risk, and put them into two categories: the risk of implementation of logistics outsourcing and the risk of management of logistics outsourcing, then put forward the corresponding risk prevention strategies. This classification will help SMEs better understand the causes of logistics outsourcing risk and corresponding prevention strategies.

For the purpose of dynamic simulation and control, a dynamic modelling study of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack using autoregressive with exogenous input (ARX) identification algorithm is reported firstly. And then, to meet the voltage demand of DC type loads, a model predictive control (MPC) based on the ARX model is developed and used to control the output voltage of the SOFC. Simulation results demonstrate the potential of the established ARX model for application to the control of the SOFC, while the excellence of the MPC controller for voltage control of the SOFC is proved.

In this paper, we study the qualitative analysis of a reaction–diffusion system. The local stability of the trivial steady state, as well as the blow-up behavior of the solution are obtained.