Complex Dynamics Analysis for a Cournot-Bertrand Mixed Game Model with Delayed Bounded Rationality

A Cournot-Bertrand mixed duopoly game model is constructed. The existence and local stable region of the Nash equilibria point are investigated. Complex dynamic properties such as bifurcation and route to chaos are analyzed using parameter basin plots. The strange attractors are also studied when the system is in chaotic states. Furthermore, considering the memory of the market, a delayed Cournot-Bertrand mixed model is considered and the results show that the delayed system has the same Nash equilibrium and has a higher chance of reaching steady states or cycles than the model without delay. So making full use of the historical data can improve the system’s stability

TACE with Ar-He Cryosurgery Combined Minimal Invasive Technique for the Treatment of Primary NSCLC in 139 Cases

Background and objective TACE, Ar-He target cryosurgery and radioactive seeds implantation are the mainly micro-invasive methods in the treatment of lung cancer. This article summarizes the survival quality after treatment, the clinical efficiency and survival period, and analyzes the advantages and shortcomings of each methods so as to evaluate the clinical effect of non-small cell lung cancer with multiple minimally invasive treatment. Methods All the 139 cases were nonsmall cell lung cancer patients confirmed by pathology and with follow up from July 2006 to July 2009 retrospectively, and all of them lost operative chance by comprehensive evaluation. Different combination of multiple minimally invasive treatments were selected according to the blood supply, size and location of the lesion. Among the 139 cases, 102 cases of primary and 37 cases of metastasis to mediastinum, lung and chest wall, 71 cases of abundant blood supply used the combination of superselective target artery chemotherapy, Ar-He target cryoablation and radiochemotherapy with seeds implantation; 48 cases of poor blood supply use single Ar-He target cryoablation; 20 cases of poor blood supply use the combination of Ar-He target cryoablation and radiochemotheraoy with seeds implantation. And then the pre- and post-treatment KPS score, imaging data and the result of follow up were analyzed. Results The KPS score increased 20.01 meanly after the treatment. Follow up 3 years, 44 cases of CR, 87 cases of PR, 3 cases of NC and 5 cases of PD, and the efficiency was 94.2%. Ninety-nine cases of 1 year survival (71.2%), 43 cases of 2 years survival (30.2%), 4 cases with over 3 years survival and the median survival was 19 months. Average survival was (16±1.5)months. There was no severe complications, such as spinal cord injury, vessel and pericardial aspiration. Conclusion Minimally invasive technique is a highly successful, micro-invasive and effective method with mild complications. To non-small cell lung cancer, we can improve the middle and long term clinical effect by using the different combination of multiple minimally invasive treatments according to the patient's condition

The Edinburgh human metabolic network reconstruction and its functional analysis

A better understanding of human metabolism and its relationship with diseases is an important task in human systems biology studies. In this paper, we present a high-quality human metabolic network manually reconstructed by integrating genome annotation information from different databases and metabolic reaction information from literature. The network contains nearly 3000 metabolic reactions, which were reorganized into about 70 human-specific metabolic pathways according to their functional relationships. By analysis of the functional connectivity of the metabolites in the network, the bow-tie structure, which was found previously by structure analysis, is reconfirmed. Furthermore, the distribution of the disease related genes in the network suggests that the IN (substrates) subset of the bow-tie structure has more flexibility than other parts

Determination of key enzymes for threonine synthesis through in vitro metabolic pathway analysis

Figure S1. The pathway flux (J) in the in vitro system when one enzyme concentration was increased. (A) The pathway flux when purified ThrA was added to the crude enzyme extract. (B) The pathway flux when purified Asd was added to the crude enzyme extract. (C) The pathway flux when purified ThrB was added to the crude enzyme extract. (D) The pathway flux when purified ThrC was added to the crude enzyme extract

Case report: Sex-specific characteristics of epilepsy phenotypes associated with Xp22.31 deletion: A case report and review

Deletion in the Xp22.31 region is increasingly suggested to be involved in the etiology of epilepsy. Little is known regarding the genomic and clinical delineations of X-linked epilepsy in the Chinese population or the sex-stratified difference in epilepsy characteristics associated with deletions in the Xp22.31 region. In this study, we reported two siblings with a 1.69 Mb maternally inherited microdeletion at Xp22.31 involving the genes VCX3A, HDHD1, STS, VCX, VCX2, and PNPLA4 presenting with easily controlled focal epilepsy and language delay with mild ichthyosis in a Chinese family with a traceable 4-generation history of skin ichthyosis. Both brain magnetic resonance imaging results were normal, while EEG revealed epileptic abnormalities. We further performed an exhaustive literature search, documenting 25 patients with epilepsy with gene defects in Xp22.31, and summarized the epilepsy heterogeneities between sexes. Males harboring the Xp22.31 deletion mainly manifested with child-onset, easily controlled focal epilepsy accompanied by X-linked ichthyosis; the deletions were mostly X-linked recessive, with copy number variants (CNVs) in the classic region of deletion (863.38 kb–2 Mb). In contrast, epilepsy in females tended to be earlier-onset, and relatively refractory, with pathogenic CNV sizes varying over a larger range (859 kb–56.36 Mb); the alterations were infrequently inherited and almost combined with additional CNVs. A candidate region encompassing STS, HDHD1, and MIR4767 was the likely pathogenic epilepsy-associated region. This study filled in the knowledge gap regarding the genomic and clinical delineations of X-linked recessive epilepsy in the Chinese population and extends the understanding of the sex-specific characteristics of Xp22.31 deletion in regard to epilepsy

Chromosomal aberrations in pediatric patients with moderate/severe developmental delay/intellectual disability with abundant phenotypic heterogeneities: A single-center study

Background: This study aimed to examine the clinical usefulness of chromosome microarray (CMA) for selective implementation in patients with unexplained moderate or severe developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID) and/or combined with different dysphonic features in the Han Chinese population. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data on 122 pediatric patients with unexplained isolated moderate/severe DD/ID with or without autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, dystonia, and congenital abnormalities from a single-center neurorehabilitation clinic in southern China. Results: A total of 46 probands (37.7%) had abnormal CMA results among the 122 study patients. With the exclusion of aneuploidies, uniparental disomies, and multiple homozygotes, 37 patients harbored 39 pathogenic copy number variations (pCNVs) (median [interquartile range] size: 3.57 [1.6 to 7.1] Mb; 33 deletions and 6 duplications), enriched in chromosomes 5, 7, 15, 17, and 22, with a markedly high prevalence of Angelman/Prader-Willi syndrome (24.3% [nine of 37]). Three rare deletions in the regions 5q33.2q34, 17p13.2, and 13q33.2 were reported, with specific delineation of clinical phenotypes. The frequencies of pCNVs were 18%, 33.3%, 38.89%, 41.67%, and 100% for patients with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 study phenotypes, respectively; patients with more concomitant abnormalities in the heart, brain, craniofacial region, and/or other organs had a higher CMA diagnostic yield and pCNV prevalence (P \u3c 0.05). Conclusions: Clinical application of CMA as a first-tier test among patients with moderate/severe DD/ID combined with congenital structural anomalies improved diagnostic yields and the quality of clinical management in this series of patients

SynTReN: a generator of synthetic gene expression data for design and analysis of structure learning algorithms

BACKGROUND: The development of algorithms to infer the structure of gene regulatory networks based on expression data is an important subject in bioinformatics research. Validation of these algorithms requires benchmark data sets for which the underlying network is known. Since experimental data sets of the appropriate size and design are usually not available, there is a clear need to generate well-characterized synthetic data sets that allow thorough testing of learning algorithms in a fast and reproducible manner. RESULTS: In this paper we describe a network generator that creates synthetic transcriptional regulatory networks and produces simulated gene expression data that approximates experimental data. Network topologies are generated by selecting subnetworks from previously described regulatory networks. Interaction kinetics are modeled by equations based on Michaelis-Menten and Hill kinetics. Our results show that the statistical properties of these topologies more closely approximate those of genuine biological networks than do those of different types of random graph models. Several user-definable parameters adjust the complexity of the resulting data set with respect to the structure learning algorithms. CONCLUSION: This network generation technique offers a valid alternative to existing methods. The topological characteristics of the generated networks more closely resemble the characteristics of real transcriptional networks. Simulation of the network scales well to large networks. The generator models different types of biological interactions and produces biologically plausible synthetic gene expression data

Elucidating the impact of in vitro cultivation on Nicotiana tabacum metabolism through combined in silico modeling and multiomics analysis

The systematical characterization and understanding of the metabolic behaviors are the basis of the efficient plant metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Genome-scale metabolic networks (GSMNs) are indispensable tools for the comprehensive characterization of overall metabolic profile. Here we first constructed a GSMN of tobacco, which is one of the most widely used plant chassis, and then combined the tobacco GSMN and multiomics analysis to systematically elucidate the impact of in-vitro cultivation on the tobacco metabolic network. In-vitro cultivation is a widely used technique for plant cultivation, not only in the field of basic research but also for the rapid propagation of valuable horticultural and pharmaceutical plants. However, the systemic effects of in-vitro cultivation on overall plant metabolism could easily be overlooked and are still poorly understood. We found that in-vitro tobacco showed slower growth, less biomass and suppressed photosynthesis than soil-grown tobacco. Many changes of metabolites and metabolic pathways between in-vitro and soil-grown tobacco plants were identified, which notably revealed a significant increase of the amino acids content under in-vitro condition. The in silico investigation showed that in-vitro tobacco downregulated photosynthesis and primary carbon metabolism, while significantly upregulated the GS/GOGAT cycle, as well as producing more energy and less NADH/NADPH to acclimate in-vitro growth demands. Altogether, the combination of experimental and in silico analyses offers an unprecedented view of tobacco metabolism, with valuable insights into the impact of in-vitro cultivation, enabling more efficient utilization of in-vitro techniques for plant propagation and metabolic engineering

BioDiVinE: A Framework for Parallel Analysis of Biological Models

In this paper a novel tool BioDiVinEfor parallel analysis of biological models is presented. The tool allows analysis of biological models specified in terms of a set of chemical reactions. Chemical reactions are transformed into a system of multi-affine differential equations. BioDiVinE employs techniques for finite discrete abstraction of the continuous state space. At that level, parallel analysis algorithms based on model checking are provided. In the paper, the key tool features are described and their application is demonstrated by means of a case study