Identification of key gene networks controlling organic acid and sugar metabolism during watermelon fruit development by integrating metabolic phenotypes and gene expression profiles

The organoleptic qualities of watermelon fruit are defined by the sugar and organic acid contents,which undergo considerable variations during development and maturation.The molecular mechanisms underlying these variations remain unclear.In this study,we used transcriptome profiles to investigate the coexpression patterns of gene networks associated with sugar and organic acid metabolism.We identified 3 gene networks/modules containing 2443 genes highly correlated with sugars and organic acids.Within these modules,based on intramodular significance and Reverse Transcription Quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR),we identified 7 genes involved in the metabolism of sugars and organic acids.Among these genes,Cla97C01G000640,Cla97C05G087120 and Cla97C01G018840(r^(2)=0.83 with glucose content)were identified as sugar transporters(SWEET,EDR6 and STP)and Cla97C03G064990(r^(2)=0.92 with sucrose content)was identified as a sucrose synthase from information available for other crops.Similarly,Cla97C07G128420,Cla97C03G068240 and Cla97C01G008870,having strong correlations with malic(r^(2)=0.75)and citric acid(r^(2)=0.85),were annotated as malate and citrate transporters(ALMT7,CS,and ICDH).The expression profiles of these 7 genes in diverse watermelon genotypes revealed consistent patterns of expression variation in various types of watermelon.These findings add significantly to our existing knowledge of sugar and organic acid metabolism in watermelon.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of brain function reorganization in cerebral stroke patients after constraint-induced movement therapy

In this study, stroke patients received constraint-induced movement therapy for 3 weeks. Before and after constraint-induced movement therapy, the flexibility of their upper limbs on the affected side was assessed using the Wolf motor function test, and daily use of their affected limbs was assessed using the movement activities log, and cerebral functional reorganization was assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The Wolf motor function test score and the movement activities log quantity and quality scores were significantly increased, while action performance time in the Wolf motor function test was significantly decreased after constraint-induced movement therapy. By functional magnetic resonance imaging examination, only scattered activation points were visible on the affected side before therapy. In contrast, the volume of the activated area was increased after therapy. The activation volume in the sensorimotor area was significantly different before and after therapy, and the activation area increased and appeared adjusted. In addition to the activated area around the lesions being decreased, there were also some new activated areas, including the supplementary movement area, premotor area and the ipsilateral sensorimotor area. Our findings indicate that constraint-induced movement therapy significantly improves the movement ability and daily use of the affected upper limbs in stroke patients and promotes cerebral functional reorganization.

Chinese Stroke Association guidelines for clinical management of cerebrovascular disorders:executive summary and 2019 update of clinical management of stroke rehabilitation

Stroke is the third leading cause of long-term disability.Effective stroke rehabilitation should be provided to patients with a moderate or severe stroke so as to achieve functional recovery.Also,stroke rehabilitation is moving towards more intense therapy models that incorporate technologies such as robotics and computer games.Evidence-based guidelines are useful for promoting the best possible clinical practices.This guideline summarises the modes of stroke rehabilitation in China-three-stage rehabilitation network,rehabilitation of stroke dysfunction,training for activities of daily living,stroke complications and rehabilitation care.The aim of this guideline was to provide a synopsis of best clinical practices in the stroke rehabilitation of adult patients in China.

Distributed Beamforming for Energy-Harvesting Relaying in Vehicular Networks

Recently,battery capacity and charging speed have been the bottlenecks of mobile communication networks.Energy harvesting(EH)relaying has become a promising solution for green 5th generation mobile communication with the advancement of wireless power transfer technology.In this paper,we investigate EH relaying in vehicular networks and adopt distributed beamforming(DB)to enhance the reliability and capacity of EH relaying.To be more specific,we propose a DB solution based on the joint optimization of power-splitting(PS)factors.For amplify-and-forward relaying,to transform the optimization problem into a quasi-convex one,we apply the semidefinite relaxation(SDR)method so that we can effectively attain the global optimal solution,while the suboptimal DB solution with distributed optimal PS factor which only requires local channel state information is also proposed.For decode-and-forward relaying,to get the optimal PS factors,we set a signal-to-noise ratio threshold at the relays,which can reduce the system error rate caused by the poor transmission link.Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed DB-based EH relaying scheme in vehicular networks.