Improving Recommendations by the Clustering of Tag Neighbours

Rong Pan,Guandong Xu,Bin Fu,Peter Dolog,Zhihai Wang,Martin Leginus 한국정보기술융합학회 2012 JoC Vol.3 No.1

Identification of flutter derivatives of bridge decks using stochastic search technique

Ai-Rong Chen,Fu-You Xu,Ru-Jin Ma 한국풍공학회 2006 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.9 No.6

A more applicable optimization model for extracting flutter derivatives of bridge decks is presented, which is suitable for time-varying weights for fitting errors and different lengths of vertical bending and torsional free vibration data. A stochastic search technique for searching the optimal solution of optimization problem is developed, which is more convenient in understanding and programming than the alternate iteration technique, and testified to be a valid and efficient method using two numerical examples. On the basis of the section model test of Sutong Bridge deck, the flutter derivatives are extracted by the stochastic search technique, and compared with the identification results using the modified least-square method. The Empirical Mode Decomposition method is employed to eliminate noise, trends and zero excursion of the collected free vibration data of vertical bending and torsional motion, by which the identification precision of flutter derivatives is improved.

Molecular Biology and Omics : Cloning and Characterization of a Novel α-Amylase from a Fecal Microbial Metagenome

( Bo Xu ),( Fu Ya Yang ),( Cai Yun Xiong ),( Jun Jun Li ),( Xiang Hua Tang ),( Jun Pei Zhou ),( Zhen Rong Xie ),( Jun Mei Ding ),( Yun Juan Yang ),( Zun Xi Huang ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.4

To isolate novel and useful microbial enzymes from uncultured gastrointestinal microorganisms, a fecal microbial metagenomic library of the pygmy loris was constructed. The library was screened for amylolytic activity, and 8 of 50,000 recombinant clones showed amylolytic activity. Subcloning and sequence analysis of a positive clone led to the identification a novel gene (amyPL) coding for α-amylase. AmyPL was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and the purified AmyPL was enzymatically characterized. This study is the first to report the molecular and biochemical characterization of a novel α-amylase from a gastrointestinal metagenomic library.

The effects of paeoniflorin injection on soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid-1 (sTREM-1) levels in severe septic rats

Xiao-Rong Liu,Jie Xu,Yi-Min Wang,Ming-Suo Ji,Fu-Shan Liu 대한생리학회-대한약리학회 2016 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.20 No.6

Paeoniflorin (PAE) is the most abundant compound in Xuebijing injection widely used to treat sepsis. We aimed to investigate effect of PAE on expression of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in a rat model of sepsis. Wistar rats were divided into Normal, Model, and PAE groups (n=20 each). Endotoxin was administrated at 5 mg/ml/kg in Model and PAE rats to establish rat sepsis model. 1 h after endotoxin administration, PAE was administrated at 4 ml/kg in PAE group once per day for 3 days. Routine blood tests and biochemical indexes were assessed, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase-MB (CKMB). The plasma sTREM-1 level was measured using quantitative ELISA. At the end of experiment, the small intestine, liver, kidney and lung were subjected to pathological examinations. A rat model of sepsis-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) was established successfully with endotoxin administration (5 mg/ml/kg), evidenced by histo-pathological examinations, routine blood tests and biochemical indexes: platelet count decreased and white blood cell count increased (p<0.05), CK-MB and AST increased (p<0.05). PAE treatment significantly reduced the plasma levels of AST, CK-MB, and sTREM-1, compared to Model group (p<0.05). Meanwhile, sepsis-induced damages in the liver, lung, stomach and intestinal mucosa were also markedly ameliorated by PAE treatment. PAE demonstrated a significantly protective effect in a rat model of sepsis by decreasing plasma sTREM-1 level, reducing inflammation, preventing MODS and protecting organ functions.

Identification of flutter derivatives of bridge decks using stochastic search technique

Chen, Ai-Rong,Xu, Fu-You,Ma, Ru-Jin Techno-Press 2006 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.9 No.6

A more applicable optimization model for extracting flutter derivatives of bridge decks is presented, which is suitable for time-varying weights for fitting errors and different lengths of vertical bending and torsional free vibration data. A stochastic search technique for searching the optimal solution of optimization problem is developed, which is more convenient in understanding and programming than the alternate iteration technique, and testified to be a valid and efficient method using two numerical examples. On the basis of the section model test of Sutong Bridge deck, the flutter derivatives are extracted by the stochastic search technique, and compared with the identification results using the modified least-square method. The Empirical Mode Decomposition method is employed to eliminate noise, trends and zero excursion of the collected free vibration data of vertical bending and torsional motion, by which the identification precision of flutter derivatives is improved.

The effects of paeoniflorin injection on soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid-1 (sTREM-1) levels in severe septic rats

Liu, Xiao-Rong,Xu, Jie,Wang, Yi-Min,Ji, Ming-Suo,Liu, Fu-Shan The Korean Society of Pharmacology 2016 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.20 No.6

Paeoniflorin (PAE) is the most abundant compound in Xuebijing injection widely used to treat sepsis. We aimed to investigate effect of PAE on expression of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in a rat model of sepsis. Wistar rats were divided into Normal, Model, and PAE groups (n=20 each). Endotoxin was administrated at 5 mg/ml/kg in Model and PAE rats to establish rat sepsis model. 1 h after endotoxin administration, PAE was administrated at 4 ml/kg in PAE group once per day for 3 days. Routine blood tests and biochemical indexes were assessed, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB). The plasma sTREM-1 level was measured using quantitative ELISA. At the end of experiment, the small intestine, liver, kidney and lung were subjected to pathological examinations. A rat model of sepsis-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) was established successfully with endotoxin administration (5 mg/ml/kg), evidenced by histo-pathological examinations, routine blood tests and biochemical indexes: platelet count decreased and white blood cell count increased (p<0.05), CK-MB and AST increased (p<0.05). PAE treatment significantly reduced the plasma levels of AST, CK-MB, and sTREM-1, compared to Model group (p<0.05). Meanwhile, sepsis-induced damages in the liver, lung, stomach and intestinal mucosa were also markedly ameliorated by PAE treatment. PAE demonstrated a significantly protective effect in a rat model of sepsis by decreasing plasma sTREM-1 level, reducing inflammation, preventing MODS and protecting organ functions.

Biocatalysis and Fermentation Technology : Thermostable Sites and Catalytic Characterization of Xylanase XYNB of Aspergillus niger SCTCC 400264

( Xin Ran Li ),( Hui Xu ),( Jie Xie ),( Qiao Fu Yi ),( Wei Li ),( Dai Rong Qiao ),( Yi Cao ),( Yu Cao ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.4

In order to improve the expression of heat-resistant xylanase XYNB from Aspergillus niger SCTCC 400264, XynB has been cloned into Pichia pastoris secretary vector pPIC9K. The XynB production of recombinant P. pastoris was four times that of E. coli, and the Vmax and specific activity of XynB reached 2,547.7 umol/mg and 4,757 U/mg, respectively. XynB still had 74% residual enzyme activity after 30 min of heat treatment at 80°C. From the van der Waals force analysis of XYNB (ACN89393 and AAS67299), there is one more oxygen radical in AAS67299 in their catalytic site, indicating that the local cavity is much more free, and it is more optimal for substrate binding, affinity reaction, and proton transfer, etc, and e ventually i ncreasing enzyme activity. The H-bonds analysis of XYNB indicated that there are two more H-bonds in the 33rd Ser of XYNB (AAS67299) than in the 33rd Ala(ACN89393 ), and two H-bonds between Ser70 and Asp67.

Association of CAST Gene Polymorphisms with Carcass and Meat Quality Traits in Chinese Commercial Cattle Herds

Li, Jiao,Zhang, Lu-Pei,Gan, Qian-Fu,Li, Jun-Ya,Gao, Hui-Jiang,Yuan, Zheng-Rong,Gao, Xue,Chen, Jin-Bao,Xu, Shang-Zhong Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.11

Calpastatin (CAST), an endogenous inhibitor of the calpains, plays an important role in post-mortem tenderization of meat. The objectives of this study were to investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the bovine CAST gene and association with carcass and meat quality traits. A total of 212 cattle from commercial herds were tested in this study including 2 pure introduced breeds, 4 cross populations, and 3 pure Chinese native breeds. Five SNPs were identified at position 2959 (A/G), 2870 (G/A), 3088 (C/T), 3029 (G/A) and 2857 (C/T) in the CAST gene (GenBank Accession No. AF159246). Allele frequencies of SNP2959 and SNP2870 were 0.701 (A) and 0.462 (A), respectively. A general linear model was used to evaluate the associations between the two markers and 7 traits. The results showed that both SNP2959 and SNP2870 were significantly (p<0.01) associated with the Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), while they had no significant association with the other 6 traits in the whole population. However, in Chinese native pure breeds, only SNP2870 had significant association with WBSF (p<0.05). The simultaneous analysis of two-marker genotype effects indicated animals containing the A/G haplotype (A for SNP2959 and G for SNP2870) tended to have lower shear force than those containing the G/A haplotype, and, especially, animals homozygous for the A/G haplotype had approximately 2 kg lower shear force than those homozygous for the G/A haplotype (p<0.01). These results suggested that both markers may be effective for the marker-assisted selection of meat quality traits in Chinese commercial herds, especially SNP2870 which can be used for Chinese native cattle.

Histological Validation of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance T1 Mapping for Assessing the Evolution of Myocardial Injury in Myocardial Infarction: An Experimental Study

Zhang Lu,Yang Zhi-gang,Xu Huayan,Yang Meng-xi,Xu Rong,Chen Lin,Sun Ran,Miao Tianyu,Zhao Jichun,Zhou Xiaoyue,Fu Chuan,Guo Yingkun 대한영상의학회 2020 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.21 No.12

Objective: To determine whether T1 mapping could monitor the dynamic changes of injury in myocardial infarction (MI) and be histologically validated. Materials and Methods: In 22 pigs, MI was induced by ligating the left anterior descending artery and they underwent serial cardiovascular magnetic resonance examinations with modified Look-Locker inversion T1 mapping and extracellular volume (ECV) computation in acute (within 24 hours, n = 22), subacute (7 days, n = 13), and chronic (3 months, n = 7) phases of MI. Masson’s trichrome staining was performed for histological ECV calculation. Myocardial native T1 and ECV were obtained by region of interest measurement in infarcted, peri-infarct, and remote myocardium. Results: Native T1 and ECV in peri-infarct myocardium differed from remote myocardium in acute (1181 ± 62 ms vs. 1113 ± 64 ms, p = 0.002; 24 ± 4% vs. 19 ± 4%, p = 0.031) and subacute phases (1264 ± 41 ms vs. 1171 ± 56 ms, p < 0.001; 27 ± 4% vs. 22 ± 2%, p = 0.009) but not in chronic phase (1157 ± 57 ms vs. 1120 ± 54 ms, p = 0.934; 23 ± 2% vs. 20 ± 1%, p = 0.109). From acute to chronic MI, infarcted native T1 peaked in subacute phase (1275 ± 63 ms vs. 1637 ± 123 ms vs. 1471 ± 98 ms, p < 0.001), while ECV progressively increased with time (35 ± 7% vs. 46 ± 6% vs. 52 ± 4%, p < 0.001). Native T1 correlated well with histological findings (R2 = 0.65 to 0.89, all p < 0.001) so did ECV (R2 = 0.73 to 0.94, all p < 0.001). Conclusion: T1 mapping allows the quantitative assessment of injury in MI and the noninvasive monitoring of tissue injury evolution, which correlates well with histological findings.

Comparison of Grain Quality Traits between Japonica Rice Cultivars from Korea and Yunnan Province of China

Yu, Teng-Qiong,Jiang, Wenzhu,Ham, Tae-Ho,Chu, Sang-Ho,Lestari, Puji,Lee, Jeong-Heui,Kim, Myeong-Ki,Xu, Fu-Rong,Han, Longzhi,Dai, Lu-Yuan,Koh, Hee-Jong The Korean Society of Crop Science 2008 Journal of crop science and biotechnology Vol.11 No.2

Improving eating quality is one of the most important objectives in japonica rice breeding programs in Yunnan Province of China. Eating quality and its relevant traits of nine Korean and 11 Yunnan rice cultivars were comparatively analyzed in this study. The grain shape of most Yunnan japonica rice cultivars have a relatively slender shape and are slightly larger than Korean rice cultivars. Palatability value of cooked rice of Yunnan rice cultivars was significantly lower, while the protein content of Yunnan rice cultivars was significantly higher than that of Korean cultivars. Peak viscosity and breakdown viscosity of the Yunnan rice cultivars were significantly lower, while setback viscosity of the Yunnan rice cultivars was significantly higher than in Korean rice cultivars. Palatability value of cooked rice was negatively correlated with protein content and setback viscosity but positively correlated with peak viscosity, breakdown viscosity, and cool paste viscosity. Through multiple linear regression analysis, an equation for estimating palatability value(PV) of cooked rice based on quality traits was generated as dependent only upon protein content(PC), PV=139.024-(10.865$\times$PC) with an $R^2$ value of 0.822. The results suggest that reducing protein contents should be the major target in improving eating quality of Yunnan japonica rice cultivars through integrated approaches of both cultivar development and appropriate cultural practices. Genetic similarities among cultivars based on DNA markers which had been identified as associated with grain quality seemed not to be directly related to PV.