A recurrent mutation in MED12 leading to R961W causes Opitz-Kaveggia syndrome

Opitz-Kaveggia syndrome (also known as FG syndrome) is an X-linked disorder characterized by mental retardation, relative macrocephaly, hypotonia and constipation. We report here that the original family for whom the condition is named and five other families have a recurrent mutation (2881C>T, leading to R961W) in MED12 (also called TRAP230 or HOPA), a gene located at Xq13 that functions as a thyroid receptor-associated protein in the Mediator complex.     

A QTL for rice grain width and weight encodes a previously unknown RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase

Grain weight is one of the most important components of grain yield and is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs) derived from natural variations in crops. However, the molecular roles of QTLs in the regulation of grain weight have not been fully elucidated. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of GW2, a new QTL that controls rice grain width and weight. Our data show that GW2 encodes a previously unknown RING-type protein with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, which is known to function in the degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Loss of GW2 function increased cell numbers, resulting in a larger (wider) spikelet hull, and it accelerated the grain milk filling rate, resulting in enhanced grain width, weight and yield. Our results suggest that GW2 negatively regulates cell division by targeting its substrate(s) to proteasomes for regulated proteolysis. The functional characterization of GW2 provides insight into the mechanism of seed development and is a potential tool for improving grain yield in crops.     

An Adaptive Identification and Control Scheme Using Radial Basis Function Networks

1.INTaODUCTIONThemultilayerfeedforwardneuralnetworks(MFNN)hasbeenwidelyappliedinmanyfieldssuchaspatternrecognition,nonlinearoptimization,systemidentificationandcontrol.Thesimpleback-propagation(BP)learningalgorithmisusuallyadoptedtoupdateitsweights.TheBPalgorithm,however,suffersdrawbacksofslowconvergenceandunpredictablesolutionsduringlearning.Althoughmailyapproachessuchasvariablestepsize,conjugategradient,pseudo-Newtonmethods[4]andothermethods[3,10],havebeendevelopedtoovercometheproble…     

GROUP-BUYING ONLINE AUCTION AND OPTIMAL INVENTORY POLICY IN UNCERTAIN MARKET

In this paper we consider a group-buying online auction (GBA) model for a monopolistic manufacturer selling novel products in the uncertain market. Firstly, we introduce the bidder's dominant strategy, after which we optimize the GBA price curve and the production volume together. Finally, we compare the GBA with the traditional posted pricing mechanism and find that the GBA is highly probable to be advantageous over the posted pricing mechanism in some appropriate market environments.     

STABILITY CRITERIA FOR A CLASS OF UNCERTAINSYSTEMS WITH TIME—DELAY

Some stability criteria are obtained for a class of uncertain systems with time-delay usingLyapunov functional and analytic techniques. It is easy to check the criteria by making use of theboundedness of the uncertainties.     

A Sensitivity-Based Heuristic Search for Constrained Optimization in Complex Systems

1.INTRODUCTIONThealgorithmforconstrainedoptimizationincomplexsystemscanbedividedintotwoclasses:exactandheuristicmethods.Theexactmethods,whicharepartlysummarizedbyTitanetal.[1],havecomputationalrequiremeatsthatgrowexponentiajlywiththesizeoftheproblem.AlthoughheuristicmethodshavemodestcomputationalrequirementsandareeasytoAnplemellt,theyaregenerallyforredundancyallocation[2-4].2.S~EMENTOFProBLEM2.1NotationN:nUmberofcomponents;M:numberofconstraints;Rs:systemreliability;Rj:thereliabili…     

Analysis of Reliability for 3-State DeviceNetwork with Link-Capacities

1.INTRODUCTION2-statesystemreliabilityoftenassumesthatthesystemisrepresentedbyaprobabilisticgraphG=(V,E),withasetV~{yi,v2,'',}ofvenicesandasetE~{el,e2,'',}ofedges(orlinks,branches)containedinit.Thesystemisfunctioningifthereexistsapathfromtheinputnodetotheoutputnode.Thusthereliabilityisconsideredwithamatterofconnectivityonlyandthereliabilityanalysishasbeenprimarilyconcernedwiththeenumerationofpathesorcutsinthereferences[1-4].Butinmanyphysicalsystemsuchaspowertransmissionsystems,oilorwat…     

Research on Insurance Pricing

1.INTRODUCTIONInsurancepricingisaneternalthemeinthestudyofinsurance.Whenwedesignainsuranceproduct,wemusttogiveapricefortheproductinordertoselltheproductininsurancemarkets.Whatiscalledinsurancepricingisactuallytomakeinsurancepremiumofinsuranceproduct.Reasonablepricingofinsuranceproductisofutmostimportancefortheexistenceanddevelopmentofinsurancecompany.Ifpremiumismadetoohigh-priced,althoughinsurancecompanycanobtainhighprofitofunderweightingadcanheightencapacityofinsurancecompanyinpaymentofd…