The MrCYP52 Cytochrome P450 Monoxygenase Gene of Metarhizium robertsii Is Important for Utilizing Insect Epicuticular Hydrocarbons

Fungal pathogens of plants and insects infect their hosts by direct penetration of the cuticle. Plant and insect cuticles are covered by a hydrocarbon-rich waxy outer layer that represents the first barrier against infection. However, the fungal genes that underlie insect waxy layer degradation have received little attention. Here we characterize the single cytochrome P450 monoxygenase family 52 (MrCYP52) gene of the insect pathogen Metarhizium robertsii, and demonstrate that it encodes an enzyme required for efficient utilization of host hydrocarbons. Expressing a green florescent protein gene under control of the MrCYP52 promoter confirmed that MrCYP52 is up regulated on insect cuticle as well as by artificial media containing decane (C10), extracted cuticle hydrocarbons, and to a lesser extent long chain alkanes. Disrupting MrCYP52 resulted in reduced growth on epicuticular hydrocarbons and delayed developmental processes on insect cuticle, including germination and production of appressoria (infection structures). Extraction of alkanes from cuticle prevented induction of MrCYP52 and reduced growth. Insect bioassays against caterpillars (Galleria mellonella) confirmed that disruption of MrCYP52 significantly reduces virulence. However, MrCYP52 was dispensable for normal germination and appressorial formation in vitro when the fungus was supplied with nitrogenous nutrients. We conclude therefore that MrCYP52 mediates degradation of epicuticular hydrocarbons and these are an important nutrient source, but not a source of chemical signals that trigger infection processes

Optimal Control Problems for Set-Valued Quasivariational Inequalities with Applications

In this paper we investigate the optimal control problem for set-valued quasivariational inequality with unilateral constraints. Under suitable conditions, we prove that the solution to the current optimal control problem converges to a solution to old control problems. By way of application, we utilize our results presented in the paper to study the optimal control associated with boundary value problems which is described by frictional contact problems and a stationary heat transfer problem with unilateral constraints

An <i>ε</i>-Approximate Approach for Solving Variable-Order Fractional Differential Equations

As a mathematical tool, variable-order (VO) fractional calculus (FC) was developed rapidly in the engineering field due to it better describing the anomalous diffusion problems in engineering; thus, the research of the solutions of VO fractional differential equations (FDEs) has become a hot topic for the FC community. In this paper, we propose an effective numerical method, named as the ε-approximate approach, based on the least squares theory and the idea of residuals, for the solutions of VO-FDEs and VO fractional integro-differential equations (VO-FIDEs). First, the VO-FDEs and VO-FIDEs are considered to be analyzed in appropriate Sobolev spaces H2n[0,1] and the corresponding orthonormal bases are constructed based on scale functions. Then, the space H2,02[0,1] is chosen which is just suitable for one of the models the authors want to solve to demonstrate the algorithm. Next, the numerical scheme is given, and the stability and convergence are discussed. Finally, four examples with different characteristics are shown, which reflect the accuracy, effectiveness, and wide application of the algorithm

Analysis of book documents' table of content based on clustering

Table of contents (TOC) recognition has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. After reviewing the merits and drawbacks of the existing TOC recognition methods, we have observed that book documents are multi-page documents with intrinsic local format consistency. Based on this finding we introduce an automatic TOC analysis method through clustering. This method first detects the decorative elements in TOC pages. Then it learns a layout model used in the TOC pages through clustering. Finally, it generates TOC entries and extracts their hierarchical structure under the guidance of the model. More specifically, broken lines are taken into account in the method. Experimental results show that this method achieves high accuracy and efficiency. In addition, this method has been successfully applied in a commercial E-book production software package. ? 2009 IEEE.EI

Metabonomic analysis of the therapeutic effect of Zhibai Dihuang Pill in treatment of streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Zhibai Dihuang Pill (ZDP) is one of ancient traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), which is usually used for the treatment of kidney deficiency for thousands of years in China. Aim of the study: Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) usually operate in vivo through multi-components, multi-ways and multi-targets. However, the molecular mechanisms of TCMs remain unclear. In the present work, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomic analysis was used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Zhibai Dihuang Pill (ZDP) on diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats induced by streptozotocin and to address the underlying molecular mechanism. Materials and methods: Male rats were divided into three groups: control, DN and ZDP-treated DN (ZDP-DN), respectively. Based on H-1 NMR spectra of sera, urine and kidney extracts from the rats, principle component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify different metabolic profiles. Kidney portions and serum and urine samples were also subjected to histopathological or biochemical examination. Results: PCA scores plots demonstrate that the cluster of DN rats is separated from that of control rats, while some of ZDP-DN rats are located close to control rats, indicating that metabolic profiles of these ZDP-DN rats are restored toward those of control rats. Our results illustrate that ZDP treatment could lower the levels of lipids and 3-hydrobutyrate, and raise the level of lactate in sera of DN rats. Moreover, ZDP treatment could also reduce the levels of glucose, 3-hydrobutyrate and lactate, enhance the level of betaine in kidney tissues. Conclusion: Our study indicates that ZDP treatment can ameliorate DN symptoms by intervening in some dominating metabolic pathways, such as inhibiting glucose and lipid metabolism, enhancing methylamine metabolism. Our work may be of benefit to both evaluation of the therapeutic effect of TCM and elucidation of the underlying molecular mechanism. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.National Natural Science Foundation of China [81100598, 91129713, 31170717, 31000335]; Program of Shanghai Subject Chief Scientist [09XD1405100

A Literature Review and Result Interpretation of the System Identification of Arch Dams Using Seismic Monitoring Data

The system identification of concrete dams using seismic monitoring data can reveal the practical dynamic properties of structures during earthquakes and provide valuable information for the analysis of structural seismic response, finite element model calibration, and the assessment of postearthquake structural damage. In this investigation, seismic monitoring data of the Pacoima arch dam were used to identify the structural modal parameters. The identified modal parameters of the Pacoima arch dam, derived in different previous studies that used forced vibration tests (FVT), numerical calculation, and seismic monitoring, were compared. Meanwhile, different modal identification results using the input-output (IO) methods and the output-only (OO) identification methods as well as the linear time-varying (LTV) modal identification method were adopted to compare the modal identification results. Taking into account the different excitation, seismic input, and modal identification methods, the reasons for the differences among these identification results were analyzed, and some existing problems in the current modal identification of concrete dams are pointed out. These analysis results provide valuable guidance regarding the selection of appropriate identification methods and the evaluation of the system identification results for practical engineering applications

Metadata Extraction System for Chinese Books

Extracting metadata from academic papers has attracted much attention from researchers in past years. But how to extract metadata automatically from books is still seldom discussed. In this paper, we address this task on Chinese books and present a system to extract metadata from the title page of a book. This system consists of three components: metadata segmentation, metadata labeling, and post-processing. Different strategies are adopted in the system to identify different metadata types, and a variety of information sources, including geometric layout, linguistic, semantic content and header-footer, are used to accommodate the wide range of metadata layouts. Experimental results on real-world data have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed system.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000343450700147&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Computer Science, Artificial IntelligenceEngineering, Electrical &amp; ElectronicEICPCI-S(ISTP)

A Literature Review and Result Interpretation of the System Identification of Arch Dams Using Seismic Monitoring Data

The system identification of concrete dams using seismic monitoring data can reveal the practical dynamic properties of structures during earthquakes and provide valuable information for the analysis of structural seismic response, finite element model calibration, and the assessment of postearthquake structural damage. In this investigation, seismic monitoring data of the Pacoima arch dam were used to identify the structural modal parameters. The identified modal parameters of the Pacoima arch dam, derived in different previous studies that used forced vibration tests (FVT), numerical calculation, and seismic monitoring, were compared. Meanwhile, different modal identification results using the input-output (IO) methods and the output-only (OO) identification methods as well as the linear time-varying (LTV) modal identification method were adopted to compare the modal identification results. Taking into account the different excitation, seismic input, and modal identification methods, the reasons for the differences among these identification results were analyzed, and some existing problems in the current modal identification of concrete dams are pointed out. These analysis results provide valuable guidance regarding the selection of appropriate identification methods and the evaluation of the system identification results for practical engineering applications