C. elegans ORFeome version 1.1: experimental verification of the genome annotation and resource for proteome-scale protein expression

To verify the genome annotation and to create a resource to functionally characterize the proteome, we attempted to Gateway-clone all predicted protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs), or the 'ORFeome,' of Caenorhabditis elegans. We successfully cloned approximately 12,000 ORFs (ORFeome 1.1), of which roughly 4,000 correspond to genes that are untouched by any cDNA or expressed-sequence tag (EST). More than 50% of predicted genes needed corrections in their intron-exon structures. Notably, approximately 11,000 C. elegans proteins can now be expressed under many conditions and characterized using various high-throughput strategies, including large-scale interactome mapping. We suggest that similar ORFeome projects will be valuable for other organisms, including humans.     

工作流引擎在继电保护管理系统中的应用

继电保护管理系统中关键业务的应用开发离不开工作流技术的支持。针对于此,通过对系统的实际开发需求的分析,在传统的关系数据库的基础上,提出了一个适用于关键业务开发的基于关系数据库的轻量级工作流引擎的框架结构。深入讨论了采用关系数据库来设计工作流引擎的原因,并详细地给出了相关的设计原理以及具体的表示和实现方法。其原型已经应用到实际的继电保护管理系统中。实践证明,利用此工作流引擎可以显著地缩短业务的开发周期。     

Cortical control of a prosthetic arm for self-feeding

Arm movement is well represented in populations of neurons recorded from the motor cortex. Cortical activity patterns have been used in the new field of brain-machine interfaces to show how cursors on computer displays can be moved in two- and three-dimensional space. Although the ability to move a cursor can be useful in its own right, this technology could be applied to restore arm and hand function for amputees and paralysed persons. However, the use of cortical signals to control a multi-jointed prosthetic device for direct real-time interaction with the physical environment ('embodiment') has not been demonstrated. Here we describe a system that permits embodied prosthetic control; we show how monkeys (Macaca mulatta) use their motor cortical activity to control a mechanized arm replica in a self-feeding task. In addition to the three dimensions of movement, the subjects' cortical signals also proportionally controlled a gripper on the end of the arm. Owing to the physical interaction between the monkey, the robotic arm and objects in the workspace, this new task presented a higher level of difficulty than previous virtual (cursor-control) experiments. Apart from an example of simple one-dimensional control, previous experiments have lacked physical interaction even in cases where a robotic arm or hand was included in the control loop, because the subjects did not use it to interact with physical objects-an interaction that cannot be fully simulated. This demonstration of multi-degree-of-freedom embodied prosthetic control paves the way towards the development of dexterous prosthetic devices that could ultimately achieve arm and hand function at a near-natural level.     

Structural genomics: beyond the human genome project.

With access to whole genome sequences for various organisms and imminent completion of the Human Genome Project, the entire process of discovery in molecular and cellular biology is poised to change. Massively parallel measurement strategies promise to revolutionize how we study and ultimately understand the complex biochemical circuitry responsible for controlling normal development, physiologic homeostasis and disease processes. This information explosion is also providing the foundation for an important new initiative in structural biology. We are about to embark on a program of high-throughput X-ray crystallography aimed at developing a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of normal and abnormal human and microbial physiology at the molecular level. We present the rationale for creation of a structural genomics initiative, recount the efforts of ongoing structural genomics pilot studies, and detail the lofty goals, technical challenges and pitfalls facing structural biologists.