Characterizing Gene Expressions Based on Their Temporal Observations

Temporal gene expression data are of particular interest to researchers as they contain rich information in characterization of gene function and have been widely used in biomedical studies. However, extracting information and identifying efficient treatment effects without loss of temporal information are still in problem. In this paper, we propose a method of classifying temporal gene expression curves in which individual expression trajectory is modeled as longitudinal data with changeable variance and covariance structure. The method, mainly based on generalized mixed model, is illustrated by a dense temporal gene expression data in bacteria. We aimed at evaluating gene effects and treatments. The power and time points of measurements are also characterized via the longitudinal mixed model. The results indicated that the proposed methodology is promising for the analysis of temporal gene expression data, and that it could be generally applicable to other high-throughput temporal gene expression analyses

The Application Research of Inverse Finite Element Method for Frame Deformation Estimation

A frame deformation estimation algorithm is investigated for the purpose of real-time control and health monitoring of flexible lightweight aerospace structures. The inverse finite element method (iFEM) for beam deformation estimation was recently proposed by Gherlone and his collaborators. The methodology uses a least squares principle involving section strains of Timoshenko theory for stretching, torsion, bending, and transverse shearing. The proposed methodology is based on stain-displacement relations only, without invoking force equilibrium. Thus, the displacement fields can be reconstructed without the knowledge of structural mode shapes, material properties, and applied loading. In this paper, the number of the locations where the section strains are evaluated in the iFEM is discussed firstly, and the algorithm is subsequently investigated through a simple supplied beam and an experimental aluminum wing-like frame model in the loading case of end-node force. The estimation results from the iFEM are compared with reference displacements from optical measurement and computational analysis, and the accuracy of the algorithm estimation is quantified by the root-mean-square error and percentage difference error

Preparation and biological application of antibodies against leucoanthocyanidin reductase and anthocyanidin reductase from grape berry

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) endow wine with the flavor of bitterness and astringency. Both leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LAR) and anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) are two key enzymes of PA biosynthesis in grape berries, but the previous studies on these enzymes only focused on the transcriptional expression of these genes. Here, the full-length cDNAs of VvLAR1, VvLAR2 and VvANR, respectively, were cloned from wine grape berries and were then introduced into the pGEX-4T-1 expression vectors, which were highly expressed in Escherichia coli DH5α cells with the induction of the isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG). The purified fusion proteins were used as the antigens to immunize rabbits, separately. The obtained antiserums were further purified to obtain the immunoglobulin G (Ig G) fractions, which were demonstrated to be capable of specifically immuno-recognizing the VvLAR1, VvLAR2 and VvANR from the crude protein extracts from grape berries with weight masses of approximately 43 kD. The analyses of translational expression of these enzyme genes during berry development and immunohistochemical localization of these proteins, by using the obtained antibodies, showed that a high amount of VvLAR1, VvLAR2 or VvANR was present at the pre-veraison stage and these enzyme proteins were all localized on the outer layer of the berry skin and the vascular bundle, as well as in the inner layer of the seed coat. This work provides an important basis for further studies on PA biosynthesis in grape berries.

Deletion of heat shock protein 60 in adult mouse cardiomyocytes perturbs mitochondrial protein homeostasis and causes heart failure.

To maintain healthy mitochondrial enzyme content and function, mitochondria possess a complex protein quality control system, which is composed of different endogenous sets of chaperones and proteases. Heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) is one of these mitochondrial molecular chaperones and has been proposed to play a pivotal role in the regulation of protein folding and the prevention of protein aggregation. However, the physiological function of HSP60 in mammalian tissues is not fully understood. Here we generated an inducible cardiac-specific HSP60 knockout mouse model, and demonstrated that HSP60 deletion in adult mouse hearts altered mitochondrial complex activity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and ROS production, and eventually led to dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and lethality. Proteomic analysis was performed in purified control and mutant mitochondria before mutant hearts developed obvious cardiac abnormalities, and revealed a list of mitochondrial-localized proteins that rely on HSP60 (HSP60-dependent) for correctly folding in mitochondria. We also utilized an in vitro system to assess the effects of HSP60 deletion on mitochondrial protein import and protein stability after import, and found that both HSP60-dependent and HSP60-independent mitochondrial proteins could be normally imported in mutant mitochondria. However, the former underwent degradation in mutant mitochondria after import, suggesting that the protein exhibited low stability in mutant mitochondria. Interestingly, the degradation could be almost fully rescued by a non-specific LONP1 and proteasome inhibitor, MG132, in mutant mitochondria. Therefore, our results demonstrated that HSP60 plays an essential role in maintaining normal cardiac morphology and function by regulating mitochondrial protein homeostasis and mitochondrial function

Comparative study of gait parameters of patients undergoing distal femoral resections with non-operated and healthy limbs: a meta-analysis study

IntroductionGait analysis is one of the most important components of functional outcome evaluation in patients with lower-extremity tumors. Disparities between operated limbs when compared with non-operated limbs and healthy populations based on gait parameters have rarely been studied. In the present study, we attempted to analyze the gait difference and its impacts on daily life.MethodsThe gait parameters of distal femoral tumor-resected patients were collected from PubMed, CNKI, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and Google Scholar till September 30, 2022, by strictly following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Differences between gait parameters in the operated and non-operated limbs or healthy limbs of distal femoral tumor patients were analyzed based on stance phase, swing phase, cadence, and velocity. The fixed-effects and random-effects models were used to conduct a meta-analysis.ResultsSix studies were included according to the selection criteria. There were 224 patients in total in these studies. Standard mean differences were calculated for all of our outcomes. Our results showed that there was a minimal difference in the standard mean difference of gait parameters between operated and non-operated limbs and healthy limbs.ConclusionDistal femoral tumor resections have been associated with deficient muscle function and strength and impaired gait parameters. Minimal differences in the gait parameters highlighted the advantage of distal femoral resection when replaced with a prosthesis

Long-distance quantum communication with "polarization" maximally entangled states

We propose a scheme for long-distance quantum communication where the elementary entanglement is generated through two-photon interference and quantum swapping is performed through one-photon interference. Local "polarization" maximally entangled states of atomic ensembles are generated by absorbing a single photon from on-demand single-photon sources. This scheme is robust against phase fluctuations in the quantum channels, moreover speeds up long-distance high-fidelity entanglement generation rate.Comment: 5 pages 5 figure

The effects of potato mud on the dough and the quality of bread

In order to increase the utilization rate of potato and enrich the type of staple bread, five different varieties of potato samples were selected and steamed into potato mud, which was added to bread flour in 30% proportions to make bread. The influences of the potato mud paste on the rheology and fermentation properties of mixed dough were investigated by a Brabender Farinograph, Extensograph and Chopin F4 Rheofermentometer. The effects of adding potato mud paste on the quality of bread were explored by sensory evaluation and instrumental analysis. The results showed that, in comparison with control samples, the addition of potato mud weakened the dough gluten and decreased processing performance slightly, whereas the dough remained the good gas holding capacity and gas production capacity. The fermentation performances of dough kept same level. After adding potato mud, the bread volume became larger. The instrumental analysis shows that the brightness of the bread slices increased and the volume of coarse stomata were improved after the additions of potato variety No.3, No.4 and No.5,. Furthermore,, potato variety No.5 showed superior processing quality and obtained higher sensory evaluation scores which is considered to be suitable for making potato-mixed bread