Expression breadth and expression abundance behave differently in correlations with evolutionary rates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One of the main objectives of the molecular evolution and evolutionary systems biology field is to reveal the underlying principles that dictate protein evolutionary rates. Several studies argue that expression abundance is the most critical component in determining the rate of evolution, especially in unicellular organisms. However, the expression breadth also needs to be considered for multicellular organisms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present paper, we analyzed the relationship between the two expression variables and rates using two different genome-scale expression datasets, microarrays and ESTs. A significant positive correlation between the expression abundance (EA) and expression breadth (EB) was revealed by Kendall's rank correlation tests. A novel random shuffling approach was applied for EA and EB to compare the correlation coefficients obtained from real data sets to those estimated based on random chance. A novel method called a Fixed Group Analysis (FGA) was designed and applied to investigate the correlations between expression variables and rates when one of the two expression variables was evenly fixed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In conclusion, all of these analyses and tests consistently showed that the breadth rather than the abundance of gene expression is tightly linked with the evolutionary rate in multicellular organisms.</p

A Laser-Based Vision System for Weld Quality Inspection

Welding is a very complex process in which the final weld quality can be affected by many process parameters. In order to inspect the weld quality and detect the presence of various weld defects, different methods and systems are studied and developed. In this paper, a laser-based vision system is developed for non-destructive weld quality inspection. The vision sensor is designed based on the principle of laser triangulation. By processing the images acquired from the vision sensor, the geometrical features of the weld can be obtained. Through the visual analysis of the acquired 3D profiles of the weld, the presences as well as the positions and sizes of the weld defects can be accurately identified and therefore, the non-destructive weld quality inspection can be achieved

Conservation in first introns is positively associated with the number of exons within genes and the presence of regulatory epigenetic signals

Genomes of higher eukaryotes have surprisingly long first introns and in some cases, the first introns have been shown to have higher conservation relative to other introns. However, the functional relevance of conserved regions in the first introns is poorly understood. Leveraging the recent ENCODE data, here we assess potential regulatory roles of conserved regions in the first intron of human genes. We first show that relative to other downstream introns, the first introns are enriched for blocks of highly conserved sequences. We also found that the first introns are enriched for several chromatin marks indicative of active regulatory regions and this enrichment of regulatory marks is correlated with enrichment of conserved blocks in the first intron; the enrichments of conservation and regulatory marks in first intron are not entirely explained by a general, albeit variable, bias for certain marks toward the 5’ end of introns. Interestingly, conservation as well as proportions of active regulatory chromatin marks in the first intron of a gene correlates positively with the numbers of exons in the gene but the correlation is significantly weakened in second introns and negligible beyond the second intron. The first intron conservation is also positively correlated with the gene’s expression level in several human tissues. Finally, a gene-wise analysis shows significant enrichments of active chromatin marks in conserved regions of first introns, relative to the conserved regions in other introns of the same gene. Taken together, our analyses strongly suggest that first introns are enriched for active transcriptional regulatory signals under purifying selection.https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-15-52

Atypical iliac vein compression in patients with symptomatic May–Thurner syndrome

PURPOSEWe aimed to investigate the incidence, etiology, treatment, and clinical course of atypical iliac vein compressions (AIVCs) among patients with May–Thurner syndrome (MTS).METHODSA total of 173 patients who presented with MTS were retrospectively analyzed at a single center. Computed tomographic venography (CTV) was used to diagnose MTS. An AIVC was defined as the compression of the left common iliac vein (LCIV) by structures other than the right common iliac artery (RCIA) or the compression of other venous structures in the pelvic cavity instead of the LCIV. The patients with AIVC were categorized into the LCIV compression group (category A) and non-LCIV compression group (category B).RESULTSTen patients with AIVC were identified (5.8%; male/female, 5/5), five in category A and five in category B. The median age of patients was 76 years (range, 51–94 years), and the median follow-up duration was 388 days (range, 12–4694 days). In category A, the LCIVs were compressed by the left common iliac artery (LCIA) (n=2), uterine leiomyoma (n=1), LCIA aneurysm (n=1), and RCIA aneurysm (n=1). In category B, the right common iliac veins were compressed by the RCIA (n=4) and L5 osteophyte (n=1). Endovascular treatment, including balloon angioplasty and stent placement, was performed in six patients, three from each group. Three patients underwent conservative treatment due to their advanced age and comorbidities. Endovascular aneurysm repair was performed in one patient with RCIA aneurysm. Follow-up images were available for six patients, and all of them had patent venous flow.CONCLUSIONThe AIVC had an incidence of 5.8% (10/173) among symptomatic MTS patients and wide spectrum of etiologies. Pathogenesis-tailored endovascular treatments are safe and effective

Coupling characteristics of surface modes in truncated two-dimensional photonic crystals

On 1 February, 1994 the Republic of Austria concluded the Accession Treaty and on 1 January, 1995 became a full member of the European Union. Membership obliged Austrians to ‘provide’ the Community with appropriate personnel to take up different posts in various EU authorities, as well as in the European Parliament. The most important issue was to alter particular statutory regulations and the Austrian Constitution to adjust to the new situation.The paper aims at presenting the Austrian solutions in this matter in the context of European Union law, with particular emphasis on regulations which are uncommon or specific to the Republic of Austria. The matter of interest is the constitutional practice of EU member states and the reader’s perspective is taken into account. The latter approach not only evaluates the Austrian solutions in the context of the electoral law to the European Parliament contained in the Election Code, but could also suggest some ideas in regard to prospective amendments. The authors would, in particular, like to pay attention to two issues: the lowering of the voting age, and the single constituency electoral system. The Austrian solutions might be valuable to refer to in the countries where a system of correspondence voting is just being introduced. These resolutions are particularly interesting taking into consideration prospective, possible amendments to the electoral laws of the EU member states.Republika Austrii, 1 lutego 1994 r. podpisała traktat akcesyjny i z dniem 1 stycznia 1995 r. stała się pełnoprawnym członkiem Unii Europejskiej. Członkostwo zobowiązało Austriaków do “dostarczenia” Wspólnocie odpowiednich osób do objęcia różnych stanowisk w różnych unijnych organach. Nie inaczej było także w przypadku Parlamentu Europejskiego. Ważnym aspektem stało się dostosowanie poszczególnych norm ustawowych i własnej konstytucji do nowych rozwiązań. Celem niniejszego opracowania jest właśnie przedstawianie austriackich rozwiązań w tym temacie na tle rozwiązań europejskich, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem unormowań rzadko spotykanych lub wręcz odrębności sytemu Republiki Austrii. Rzecz wydaje się być interesująca zarówno z punktu widzenia praktyki ustrojowej państw członkowskich Unii Europejskiej, jak i z punktu widzenia czytelnika. To drugie podejście pozwoli na ocenę austriackich rozwiązań na tle niedawno wprowadzonej ordynacji wyborczej do PE zawartej w Kodeksie Wyborczym, ale również może podsunąć pewne pomysły, co do przyszłych nowelizacji. Autorzy zwrócili szczególną uwagę na dwa rozwiązania: obniżenie cenzusu wieku czynnego prawa wyborczego oraz jednookręgowy system wyborczy. Austriackie doświadczenia mogą być również pomocne państwom, które wprowadzają możliwość głosowania korespondencyjnego. Są to propozycje szczególnie interesujące z punktu widzenia przyszłych, możliwych nowelizacji systemów wyborczych państw członkowskich

Successful treatment of type I endoleak of common iliac artery with balloon expandable stent (Palmaz XL stent) during endovascular aneurysm repair

Type 1 endoleak of common iliac artery (type Ib endoleak) should be treated during endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). An 86-year-old female was diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysm measuring 6.6 cm in diameter and right internal iliac artery aneurysm measuring 4.0 cm in diameter. She underwent EVAR after right internal iliac artery embolization. There was type Ib endoleak, which was repaired by balloon-expandable stent, Palmaz XL stent (Cordis). We report successful treatment of type Ib endoleak with Palmaz XL stent, which may be considered as an alternative option for type Ib endoleak after EVAR

Microarray Screening for Genes Involved in Oligodendrocyte Differentiation in the Zebrafish CNS

Within the vertebrate nervous system, myelination is required for the normal function of neurons by facilitating the rapid conduction of action potentials along axons. Oligodendrocytes are glial cells which myelinate axons in the central nervous system. Disruption of myelination and remyelination failure can cause human diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Despite the importance of myelination, the molecular basis of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination are still poorly understood. To understand the molecular mechanisms which regulate oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination, novel genes were identified using a microarray analysis. The analysis used oligodendrocyte lineage cells isolated from transgenic zebrafish expressing fluorescent proteins in the oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Seven genes not previously known to be involved in oligodendrocyte differentiation were identified, and their expression during oligodendrocyte development was validated

A Newly Identified Insertion Mutation in the Thyroid Hormone Receptor-β Gene in a Korean Family with Generalized Thyroid Hormone Resistance

Thyroid hormone resistance syndrome (RTH) is a rare disorder and is characterized by elevated levels of circulating free thyroid hormones, inappropriate secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and reduced peripheral tissue response to thyroid hormone. 90% of RTH subjects, when studied at the level of the gene, have been found to harbor mutations in the thyroid hormone receptor-β (THRB) gene. These affected individuals have been shown to possess a variety of missense mutations, resulting from changes in a single nucleotide in the THRB gene that corresponds to amino acid alternation. However, insertion or deletion mutations in the THRB gene sequence are quite rare, and have been observed in only a very few cases. In this study, we describe two such cases, in which two members of the same family were determined to harbor an insertion mutation in exon 10, and had also been diagnosed with generalized RTH. This insertion mutation, specifically the insertion of a cytosine at nucleotide 1358 of the THRB gene, is, to the best of our knowledge, the first such mutation reported among RTH patients in Korea

Pseudoaneurysm of the popliteal artery mimicking tumorous condition

Diagnosing pseudoaneurysms of the popliteal artery is usually straightforward in physical examinations and imaging findings. However, when a pseudoaneurysm shows a soft tissue mass with adjacent osseous change, it can mimic a bone tumor or a soft tissue sarcoma. We present a case of a 65-year-old man who had a pseudoaneurysm of the popliteal artery showing soft tissue mass and insinuating into the intramedullary cavity of the tibia. This presented case emphasizes the importance of considering pseudoaneurysms in the differential diagnosis of an apparent soft tissue mass with pressure erosion in adjacent bone