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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest malignant tumors that are harmful to human health. Increasing evidence has underscored the critical role of the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks among various human cancers. However, the complexity and behavior characteristics of the ceRNA network in HCC were still unclear. In this study, we aimed to clarify a phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-related ceRNA regulatory network and identify potential prognostic markers associated with HCC. The expression profiles of three RNAs (long non-coding RNAs [lncRNAs], microRNAs [miRNAs], and mRNAs) were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The DLEU2L-hsa-miR-100-5p/ hsa-miR-99a-5p-TAOK1 ceRNA network related to the prognosis of HCC was obtained by performing bioinformatics analysis. Importantly, we identified the DLEU2L/TAOK1 axis in the ceRNA by using correlation analysis, and it appeared to become a clinical prognostic model by Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, methylation analyses suggested that the abnormal upregulation of the DLEU2L/TAOK1 axis likely resulted from hypomethylation, and immune infiltration analysis showed that the DLEU2L/TAOK1 axis may have an impact on the changes in the tumor immune microenvironment and the development of HCC. In summary, the current study constructing a ceRNA-based DLEU2L/TAOK1 axis might be a novel important prognostic factor associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC., Graphical Abstract, Shi et al. provide evidence that a ceRNA-based DLEU2L/TAOK1 axis has an impact on changes in the tumor immune microenvironment and might be a novel important prognostic factor associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.

Lung cancer is the world’s highest morbidity and mortality of malignant tumors, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) as a major subtype. The competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulative network provides opportunities to understand the relationships among different molecules, as well as the regulative mechanisms among them in order to investigate the whole transcriptome landscape in cancer pathology. We designed this work to explore the role of a key oncogene, MYC, in the pathogenesis of LUAD, and this study aims to identify important long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-microRNA (miRNA)- transcription factor (TF) interactions in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using a bioinformatics analysis. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, containing mRNA expression data of NSCLC, was used to determine the deferentially expressed genes (DEGs), and the ceRNA network was composed of WT1-AS, miR-206, and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) bashing on the MYC expression level. The Kaplan–Meier univariate survival analysis showed that these components may be closely related prognostic biomarkers and will become new ideas for NSCLC treatment. Moreover, the high expression of WT1-AS and NAMPT and low expression of miR-206 were associated with a shortened survival in NSCLC patients, which provided a survival advantage. In summary, the current study constructing a ceRNA-based WT1-AS/miR-206/NAMPT axis might be a novel important prognostic factor associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of LUAD.

With the constraint of maximum light-concentrating efficiency, we designed a condenser for a 70 kW high-flux solar simulator. The mathematical models of the optical condenser unit and system were established to determine the condenser shape parameters.The Monte Carlo ray-tracing method was applied to compute the the light-concentrating efficiency for the condenser. It is shown that the truncation angle is the major parameter to influence the light-concentrating efficiency.When the truncation angle is 60 degrees, the condenser aberration is balanced by the truncation loss to reach the maximum light-concentrating efficiency.

An ionic liquid, 2-Pyrrolidonium hydrogen sulfate (IL, [Hnhp]HSO4) together with a rectification column, was applied in continuous preparation of n-butyl acetate (n-BuAc) from n-butanol (n-BuOH) and acetic acid (HAc). [Hnhp]HSO4 was used as a catalyst which showed good activity for the esterification. Optimum conditions were as follows: base fluid n(HAc):n(n-BuOH): n(IL) =6:1:0.3 in reactor at 120 °C, feedstock n(n-BuOH):n(HAc) =1.05:1 by feeding to the reactorat 20 mL·h-1, aqueous reflux 18 mL·h-1 by feeding to the upper segment of the column and reflux ratio 1. During 48 hours of continuous reaction time, n-BuAc content ranged from 97 % to 85 % in the ester phase from overhead liquid-liquid separator and the reactive distillation system could maintain a good balance.

The early Tertiary Sanerlin uranium deposit is located near the southwestern margin of the Chaling–Yongxing pull-apart basin defined by the Chaling–Yongxing and Chenxian–Linwu sinistral strike-slip faults in southern China. The uranium ores are hosted in 15 breccia-vein bodies, which are separately located in the cores of three secondary anticlines of the Upper Permian Dangchong Formation. Individual breccia-vein bodies are composed of fragments of silicified shale and sandstone from the Dangchong Formation, and quartz veinlets as cements. These fragments, together with quartz veins, form a mosaic texture. Hydrothermal pitchblende is the only commercial uranium mineral, mainly occurring as disseminated grains within quartz veins or coating fragments. Other metallic minerals include molybdenite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and red microcrystalline hematite. Fluid inclusions in quartz veins have homogenization temperatures ranging from 150 to 280 °C, and calculated salinity values between 5.6 and 13.4 wt% NaCl equivalent. Stable isotope analyses show that the mineralizing fluid was characterized by δ18O values of –2.2 to +2.6‰ and δDH2O values of –134 to –110‰. These analytical data demonstrate that hydrothermal fluids were mainly derived from formation waters (brines) of the Chaling–Yongxing basin. Fluid overpressuring was caused by an abnormal geothermal gradient and impermeable shales in the deposit area. The geometry, texture, and structure of the breccia-vein system, along with the fluid pressure estimates, suggest that hydraulic fracturing generated the mineralized breccia-vein system. Pitchblende and associated minerals were deposited when gaseous phases were released abruptly from the ore fluids due to the hydraulic fracturing.

The NNE-trending Hunan-Jiangxi strike-slip fault system (HJSFS) of southern China comprises three NNE-trending primary faults (the Anhua-Chengbu fault, the Chalin-Chenxian fault, and the Ganjiang fault) with associated NE- and NW-trending secondary faults. A series of linear Bouguer gravity lows coincide with these NNE-trending faults and their associated secondary ones. En echelon basins and ranges occurring at fairly regular intervals of 20–40 km are strictly situated along the NE- and NNE-trending faults and within their releasing and restraining bends or stepovers, respectively. Several large streams, in general, follow the strike-slip faults. These features demonstrate a close relationship between the modern landforms and the HJSFS. Sub-linear seismically active zones and hot springs are also distributed along or adjacent to the faults, indicating this strike slip fault system is still active. The spatial and temporal relationships between the strike-slip faults and Mesozoic granitic rocks suggest that these faults acted as the loci for magmatic activity at that time. The deformed fold axes, together with the structural framework of the HJSFS itself, indicate a clockwise sub-vertical rotation of large-scale blocks restricted by the primary strike-slip faults. A variety of structural evidence suggests that the HJSFS experienced three deformation stages, i.e. transpression, transtension and compression. On the basis of offsets of pre-Late Triassic lithofacies, Mesozoic granites, and the Late Silurian suture zone between the Yangtze and Cathaysia Blocks, the total sinistral displacement of the HJSFS is estimated to be 50–60 km. The HJSFS is comparable to the Tan-Lu fault with respect to the fault geometry and evolution history. However, the HJSFS has a different structural style, displacement and earthquake intensities from those of the central segment of the Tan-Lu fault, resulting from the differences in crustal structures of the North China Block and South China Block.

South China is the most important uranium producer in the country. Much of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic geology of this area was dominated by NNE-trending intracontinental strike-slip faulting that resulted from oblique subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate underneath the eastern China continent. This strike-slip fault system was characterized by transpression in the early-mid Jurassic and by transtension from the latest Jurassic through Cretaceous to early Tertiary. Most uranium ore deposits in South China are strictly fault-hosted and associated with mid-late Mesozoic granitic intrusions and volcanic rocks, which formed under transpression and transtension regimes, respectively. Various data demonstrate that the NNE-trending strike-slip faults have played critical roles in the formation and distribution of hydrothermal uranium deposits. Extensive geochronological studies show that a majority of uranium deposits in South China formed during the time period of 140—40 Ma with peak ages between 87—48 Ma, coinciding well with the time interval of transtension. However, hydrothermal uranium deposits are not uniformly distributed along individual strike-slip fault. The most important ore-hosting segments are pull-apart stepovers, splay structures, extensional strike-slip duplexes, releasing bends and fault intersections. This non-uniform distribution of ore occurrences in individual fault zone reflects localization of hydrothermal fluids within those segments that were highly dilational and thus extremely permeable. The unique geometric patterns and structural styles of strike-slip faults may have facilitated mixing of deeply derived and near-surface fluids, as evidenced by stable isotopic data from many uranium deposits in South China. The identification of fault segments favorable for uranium mineralization in South China is important for understanding the genesis of hydrothermal ore deposits within continental strike-slip faults, and therefore has great implications for exploration strategies.