Research and Application of 3D Simulation Technology for Water Resources Digital Twin Platform

The physical simulation software and digital twin technology play a very important role in building a digital twin platform for water resources, which provides the necessary support to realize digital mapping and intelligent simulation of water resources production and operation. In order to promote the coordinated and efficient operation of different types of water modeling and the intelligence of watershed and water project governance processes, this project will carry out the research and application of process architecture and core technologies for water 3D simulation. The results of this project will provide the theoretical basis and technical support for the development of digital twin technology in the field of water resources in China and contribute to the development of water resources in China

The neurological and non-neurological roles of the primary microcephaly-associated protein ASPM

Primary microcephaly (MCPH), is a neurological disorder characterized by small brain size that results in numerous developmental problems, including intellectual disability, motor and speech delays, and seizures. Hitherto, over 30 MCPH causing genes ( MCPHs ) have been identified. Among these MCPHs , MCPH5 , which encodes abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated protein (ASPM), is the most frequently mutated gene. ASPM regulates mitotic events, cell proliferation, replication stress response, DNA repair, and tumorigenesis. Moreover, using a data mining approach, we have confirmed that high levels of expression of ASPM correlate with poor prognosis in several types of tumors. Here, we summarize the neurological and non-neurological functions of ASPM and provide insight into its implications for the diagnosis and treatment of MCPH and cancer

Cytokinesis and cancer: polo loves ROCK'n' Rho(A)

Cytokinesis is the last step of the M (mitosis) phase, yet it is crucial for the faithful division of one cell into two. Cytokinesis failure is often associated with cancer. Cytokinesis can be morphologically divided into four steps: cleavage furrow initiation, cleavage furrow ingression, midbody formation and abscission. Molecular studies have revealed that RhoA as well as its regulators and effectors are important players to ensure a successful cytokinesis. At the same time, Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is an important kinase that can target many substrates and carry out different functions during mitosis, including cytokinesis. Recent studies are beginning to unveil a closer tie between Plk1 and RhoA networks. More specifically, Plk1 phosphorylates the centralspindlin complex Cyk4 and MKLP1/CHO1, thus recruiting RhoA guanine nucleotide-exchange factor (GEF) Ect2 through its phosphopeptide-binding BRCT domains. Ect2 itself can be phosphorylated by Plk1 in vitro. Plk1 can also phosphorylate another GEF MyoGEF to regulate RhoA activity. Once activated, RhoA-GTP will activate downstream effectors, including ROCK1 and ROCK2. ROCK2 is among the proteins that associate with Plk1 Polo-binding domain (PBD) in a large proteomic screen, and Plk1 can phosphorylate ROCK2 in vitro. We review current understandings of the interplay between Plk1, RhoA proteins and other proteins (e.g., NudC, MKLP2, PRC1, CEP55) involved in cytokinesis, with particular emphasis of its clinical implications in cancer

Modelling systems with a mixture of I (d) and I (0) variables using the fractionally co-integrated VAR model

We propose a filtration technique for making inference in systems with I (0) and I (d) variables using the fractionally co-integrated vector autoregressive (FCVAR) model with long memory in the co-integrating residuals. Superior predictions for the I (0) variable are demonstrated using simulations

A novel cluster HAR-type model for forecasting realized volatility

This paper proposes a cluster HAR-type model that adopts the hierarchical clustering technique to form the cascade of heterogeneous volatility components. In contrast to the conventional HAR-type models, the proposed cluster models are based on the relevant lagged volatilities selected by the cluster group Lasso. Our simulation evidence suggests that the cluster group Lasso dominates other alternatives in terms of variable screening and that the cluster HAR serves as the top performer in forecasting the future realized volatility. The forecasting superiority of the cluster models are also demonstrated in an empirical application where the highest forecasting accuracy tends to be achieved by separating the jumps from the continuous sample path volatility process

The development of a competency assessment standard for general practitioners in China

This paper describes the development of a competency assessment standard for General Practitioners in Shenzhen, China. The standard is to be used for developing and delivering the training curriculum for General Practitioners and to enable rigorous assessment of the mastery of the standards by GP trainees. The requirement for the training of General Practitioners in China is mandated by government policy requires an international standard curriculum to meet the needs of patients and the community. A modified Delphi process was employed to arrive at a curriculum consensus. An expert panel and 14 expert working groups derived from the expert panel were established to review and evaluate national and international competency standards for General Practice and develop a set of standards, through a modified Delphi methodology. Forty three experts were involved in the project. The project resulted in a detailed curriculum statement. The curriculum was then used in 2017 and 2018 where pilot examinations of GP trainees (n = 298 and n = 315, respectively) were conducted to assess the trainee's competencies against the Standards. The examination included two modules, a written test (Module A) and a practical test (Module B). The success rate for participants was relatively low with the majority not successfully completing the assessments. The assessments will be further refined in subsequent work. The project achieved its goal of developing a rigorously evaluated standard to support clinical practice and the training and assessment of GPs. © Copyright © 2020 Rao, Lai, Wu, Li, Xu, Browning and Thomas

The neurological and non-neurological roles of the primary microcephaly-associated protein ASPM

Primary microcephaly (MCPH), is a neurological disorder characterized by small brain size that results in numerous developmental problems, including intellectual disability, motor and speech delays, and seizures. Hitherto, over 30 MCPH causing genes (MCPHs) have been identified. Among these MCPHs, MCPH5, which encodes abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated protein (ASPM), is the most frequently mutated gene. ASPM regulates mitotic events, cell proliferation, replication stress response, DNA repair, and tumorigenesis. Moreover, using a data mining approach, we have confirmed that high levels of expression of ASPM correlate with poor prognosis in several types of tumors. Here, we summarize the neurological and non-neurological functions of ASPM and provide insight into its implications for the diagnosis and treatment of MCPH and cancer

Efficient production of human acidic fibroblast growth factor in pea (Pisum sativum L.) plants by agroinfection of germinated seeds

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>For efficient and large scale production of recombinant proteins in plants transient expression by agroinfection has a number of advantages over stable transformation. Simple manipulation, rapid analysis and high expression efficiency are possible. In pea, Pisum sativum, a Virus Induced Gene Silencing System using the pea early browning virus has been converted into an efficient agroinfection system by converting the two RNA genomes of the virus into binary expression vectors for Agrobacterium transformation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By vacuum infiltration (0.08 Mpa, 1 min) of germinating pea seeds with 2-3 cm roots with <it>Agrobacteria </it>carrying the binary vectors, expression of the gene for Green Fluorescent Protein as marker and the gene for the human acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) was obtained in 80% of the infiltrated developing seedlings. Maximal production of the recombinant proteins was achieved 12-15 days after infiltration.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Compared to the leaf injection method vacuum infiltration of germinated seeds is highly efficient allowing large scale production of plants transiently expressing recombinant proteins. The production cycle of plants for harvesting the recombinant protein was shortened from 30 days for leaf injection to 15 days by applying vacuum infiltration. The synthesized aFGF was purified by heparin-affinity chromatography and its mitogenic activity on NIH 3T3 cells confirmed to be similar to a commercial product.</p