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Background Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in the oncogenesis and metastasis of multiple human cancers. Nonetheless, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the oncogenic role of lncRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains to be clarified. Methods The expression of GK intronic transcript 1 (GK‐IT1) was analyzed using ESCC RNA‐seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Quantitative real‐time PCR was used to measure the expression of GK‐IT1 in ESCC clinical samples and cells. The correlation between GK‐IT1 expression and clinicopathological variables was examined using chi‐squared tests. Kaplan–Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were employed to generate the survival curve and assess the prognostic value of GK‐IT1. Functional experiments were utilized to explore the role of GK‐IT1 in promoting cell migration, invasion, proliferation, and suppressing apoptosis and autophagy in ESCC. To understand the mechanism, an RNA pulldown assay, RNA immunoprecipitation, agarose gel electrophoresis, immunofluorescence, and co‐immunoprecipitation assays were used. Results In this study we identified an unreported lncRNA, termed GK‐IT1 that was aberrantly overexpressed in ESCC tissues and cells. GK‐IT1 was closely associated with advanced clinical stage, and it was an independent prognostic indicator of ESCC. Functional assays verified that GK‐IT1 significantly promoted ESCC proliferation, invasion, and migration, and suppressed ESCC apoptosis and autophagy. Furthermore, tumorigenesis experiments in nude mice indicated that GK‐IT1 promoted ESCC tumor growth and metastasis. Mechanistically, GK‐IT1 competitively bound to mitogen‐activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) to prevent the interaction between dual specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) and MAPK1, thereby controlling the phosphorylation of MAPK1 and promoting ESCC progression. Conclusion Our study revealed that GK‐IT1 competed with DUSP6 to attenuate the interaction between DUSP6 and MAPK1, leading to activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway, thereby promoting progression of ESCC. Our research indicated that GK‐IT1 served as a novel potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of ESCC. In this study, we showed that lncRNA GK‐IT1 promotes migration and growth, and inhibits apoptosis of ESCC cells both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistic investigations further revealed that lncRNA GK‐IT1 could competitively bind to MAPK1 to prevent the interaction between DUSP6 and MAPK1, facilitating activation of ERK/MAPK pathway and ultimately promoting progression of ESCC.

Our knowledge about gall wasps associated with the diverse East Asian oaks, Castanopsis and Cyclobalanopsis , is limited due to the lack of extensive field studies. Here, we describe twelve new oak gall wasp species, Dryocosmus cannoni Schwéger & Tang, Dryocosmus caputgrusi Tang & Schwéger, Dryocosmus crinitus Schwéger & Tang, Dryocosmus harrisonae Melika & Tang, Dryocosmus hearni Melika &Tang, Dryocosmus hualieni Schwéger & Tang, Dryocosmus konradi Tang & Melika, Dryocosmus liyingi Melika & Tang, Dryocosmus moriius Tang & Melika, Dryocosmus quadripetiolus Schwéger & Tang, Dryocosmus salicinai Schwéger & Tang, and Dryocosmus taitungensis Tang & Melika, from Taiwan and mainland China. Seven newly described species induce galls on Quercus subgenus Cyclobalanopsis and five on other Fagaceae genus, Castanopsis . All of the new species concepts are supported by morphological and molecular data. We provide descriptions, diagnoses, host associations for the new species and an illustrated identification key to Eastern Palaearctic Dryocosmus species. We represent natural language phenotypes in a semantic format supported by biomedical ontologies to increase the accessibility of morphological data.

Four new species of oak gallwasps of the genus Dryocosmus: D. pentagonalis, D. triangularis, D. carlesiae, and D. testisimilis are described from Taiwan. They induce galls on one species of Castanopsis and one species of Lithocarpus (Fagaceae). Data on the diagnosis, distribution, and biology of the four new species is given. A key for Dryocosmus species identification of Taiwan is provided. Final comments discuss the polyphyletic nature of the Dryocosmus genus, emphasizing the urgent need for its revision.

Adults of alveolar Echinococcus species with different uterine structures were collected from Vulpes corsac in the Hulunbeier Pasture of Northeastern China in 2001. They were Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 (type No. 3, similar to E. m. multilocularis), with vaselike uterus; Echinococcus cf. sibiricensisRausch et Schiller, 1954 (type No. 1), with pyriform uterus; and Echinococcus sp. (type No. 2) with spherical uterus at segment top. The metacestode development in rodents also differed among those 3 parasites. In the case of E. multilocularis (type No. 3), many germinal cells grew on the inner surface of early cysts, most of which metastasized into host tissue to form brood vesicles or from the germinal cell layer on the inner surface of the vesicle wall. Cells also had an appearance of proliferating by means of alveolar buds from alveolar tissue that developed outward to form new alveolar foci. In Echinococcus cf. sibiricensis (type No. 1), the formation of alveolar vesicles was due to the metastasizing of germinal tissue into host tissue; protoscoleces grew in the center of alveolar vesicles. In type No. 2 (Echinococcus sp.), the formation of the alveolar vesicle was by multiplication of germinal cell layers on the inner surface of alveolar cysts; protoscoleces grew from the germinal cell layer and mesh in the vesicles. On the basis of uterine structure and on differences in development of metacestodes in experimental rodents, we propose that the 3 types of Echinococcus represent 3 independent species: E. multilocularis, Echinococcus sibiricensis, and Echinococcus sp. (type No. 2—as yet under study).

Ongoing research in east and south east Asia has revealed many undescribed species of the inquiline cynipid genus Saphonecrus, suggesting that the phylogenetic relationships within this group are even more complicated than previously thought. Results of the Bayesian reconstruction of the Synergus complex of species are presented based on analysis of a segment of nuclear 28S D2 and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene sequences. The genus Saphonecrus appears to be a polyphyletic group with very distinct lineages. One lineage is associated with Synophrus in the Western Palaearctic on section Cerris oaks. Another involves the type species of Saphonecrus, S. connatus (Hartig), and represents a distinct and probably early-diverging lineage with a Palaearctic distribution on white oaks. The third main lineage is predominantly Asian, and associated with oak-related Fagaceae including Lithocarpus, Quercus subgenus Cyclobalanopsis and Quercus section Cerris. This third lineage shows large diversity, and also includes the genus Ufo and the European lineage of S. undulatus Mayr and S. haimi Mayr. The Palaearctic species of the genus Synergus are recovered as a distinct unit, but its sister group relationship remains unresolved. Most of the new taxa are presented here as molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), with formal descriptions in progress.

Schistosomiasis continues to be a significant public health threat in the world. In the area of parasitic diseases, it is widely considered second only to malaria as a global health problem, with an incalculable drain on the economic resources of countries where it is endemic. Schistosoma japonicum is widespread in eastern and southeastern Asia, where the amphibious snail, Oncomelania hupensis, is the intermediate host. In the present study, we found that infection of O. hupensis with the mature eggs of another trematode, Exorchis sp., inhibited development of S. japonicum mother sporocysts in O. hupensis. Exorchis sp. commonly infects the edible fish Parasilurus asotus in China, but it is harmless to humans. This discovery provides an opportunity for possible biological control of S. japonicum infection and transmission. Additionally, it has the potential to substantially reduce the impact of the global S. japonicum that is independent of antihelminthic use. The mechanisms used by Exorchis sp. to inhibit infection by S. japonicum in the snail require further investigation.

The explosion of Internet usage and the huge funding initiatives in electronic banking have drawn the attention of researchers towards Internet banking. In the past, the conventional focus of Internet banking research has been on technological development, but this is now shifting to user-focused research. Although millions of dollars have been spent on building Internet banking systems, reports have shown that potential users may not use the systems in spite of their availability. This points out the need for research to identify the factors that determine acceptance of Internet banking by the users. According to the technology acceptance model (TAM), perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness constructs are believed to be fundamental in determining the acceptance and use of various IT. These beliefs may however not fully explain the user's behavior toward newly emerging IT, such as Internet banking. Using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as a theoretical framework, this study introduces \"perceived credibility\" as a new factor that reflects the user's security and privacy concerns in the acceptance of Internet banking. It also examines the effect of computer self-efficacy on the intention to use Internet banking. Based on a sample of 123 users from a telephone interview, the results strongly support the extended TAM in predicting the intention of users to adopt Internet banking. It also demonstrates the significant effect of computer self-efficacy on behavioral intention through perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived credibility.

A thermodynamic analysis of the carbothermic reduction of high-phosphorus oolitic iron ore（HPOIO） was conducted by the Fact Sage thermochemical software. The effects of temperature, C/O ratio, additive types, and dosages both on the reduction of fluorapatite and the formation of liquid slag were studied. The results show that the minimum thermodynamic reduction temperature of fluorapatite by carbon decreases to about 850°C, which is mainly ascribed to the presence of SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe. The reduction rate of fluorapatite increases and the amount of liquid slag decreases with the rise of C/O ratio. The reduction of fluorapatite is hindered by the addition of CaO and Na2CO3, thereby allowing the selective reduction of iron oxides upon controlled C/O ratio. The thermodynamic results obtain in the present work are in good agreement with the experimental results available in the literatures.

Web learning is considerably different from traditional ways of learning; learners must adjust to new learning strategies and patterns in order to adapt to a different learning environment. This article focuses on developing a typology of web-based learning styles. The research subjects are students in the Cyber University at the National Sun Yat-San University in Taiwan. Based on the literature review and field observation, we collected and analyzed the students' learning records from the system log files. Six measures were used to perform cluster analyses: the number of attendances; the number of postings; the number of discussions; reading duration; pages read; and percentage of scheduled progress achieved. The results revealed four different learning styles, viz.: aggressive knowledge-seekers; active participants; silent cultivators; and heavy sleepers. The analyses demonstrated that academic achievement, and the decision to discontinue schooling, differed among the cluster groups. Implications for learning, assessment, and teaching are also discussed.

A thermodynamic analysis of the carbothermic reduction of high-phosphorus oolitic iron ore（HPOIO） was conducted by the Fact Sage thermochemical software. The effects of temperature, C/O ratio, additive types, and dosages both on the reduction of fluorapatite and the formation of liquid slag were studied. The results show that the minimum thermodynamic reduction temperature of fluorapatite by carbon decreases to about 850°C, which is mainly ascribed to the presence of SiO_2, Al_2O_3, and Fe. The reduction rate of fluorapatite increases and the amount of liquid slag decreases with the rise of C/O ratio. The reduction of fluorapatite is hindered by the addition of CaO and Na_2CO_3, thereby allowing the selective reduction of iron oxides upon controlled C/O ratio. The thermodynamic results obtain in the present work are in good agreement with the experimental results available in the literatures.