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Background Pitayas are currently attracting considerable interest as a fruit with many health benefits. However, the lack of natural light after November in Hainan, China, severely restricts the production of pitaya in winter. To further explore the molecular mechanisms regulating flowering in pitaya, we used de novo RNA sequencing-based transcriptomic analysis for four stages of pitaya subjected to light induction. Results We assembled 68113 unigenes in total, comprising 29782 unigenes with functional annotations in the NR database, 20716 annotations in SwissProt, 18088 annotations in KOG, and 11059 annotations in KEGG. Comparison between different samples revealed different numbers of significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A number of DEGs involved in energy metabolism-related processes and plant hormones were detected. Moreover, we discovered many CONSTANS-LIKE, FLOWERING LOCUS T and other DEGs involved in direct regulation of flowering, along with CDF and TCP, which function as typical transcription factor genes in the flowering process. At the transcriptomic level, we confirmed 13 DEGs with different functions in the time-course response to light-induced flowering by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR analysis. Conclusions These DEGs may include some key genes that control the floral-induction network, increasing our understanding of the molecular mechanism of floral regulation in pitaya. These findings will also aid the development of biotechnologies aimed at creating a variant of pitaya that is less sensitive to light conditions and blooms throughout the year.

With the rapid development of information technology, information overload has become an important challenge of Internet. In order to alleviate the growing contradiction between users and massive data, the researchers proposed the concept of the cross-harmonic recommender system. By analyzing characteristic of datasets, recommendation algorithms and method for weight calculation, we introduced a fast and general engine for large-scale data processing and implemented the cross-harmonic recommender system based on Spark, aiming at improving accuracy, diversity and efficiency of the recommender system.

BACKGROUND Conflict still remains as to the benefit of angioembolization (AE) for non-operative therapy (NOT) of blunt hepatic trauma (BHT). The aim of this study was to determine whether AE could result in lower failure rates in hemodynamically stable BHT patients with high failure risk factors for NOT, and to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of AE for NOT of BHT. MATERIAL AND METHODS Medical records of all BHT patients from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2015 at a large trauma center were collected and analyzed. Failure of NOT (FNOT) occurred if hepatic surgery was performed after attempted NOT. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with FNOT. Hepatobiliary complications related to hepatic trauma during follow-up were reviewed. RESULTS No significant difference in FNOT for the no angiographic embolization (NO-AE) group versus angiographic embolization (AE) group was found in hepatic trauma of grades I, II, and V. However, decrease in FNOT was significant with AE performed for hepatic trauma of grades III to IV. Risk factors for FNOT included grade III to IV injuries and contrast blush on CT. Follow-up data of six months also showed that the incidence of hepatobiliary complications in the NO-AE group was higher than the AE group. CONCLUSIONS Hemodynamically stable BHT patients with grade III to IV injuries, contrast blush on initial CT, and/or decreasing hemoglobin levels can be candidates for selective AE during NOT course.

Pancreatic injury after blunt abdominal trauma is always associated with a high morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a grading-therapeutic strategy and to highlight various challenges in the management of blunt pancreatic injury.All cases of pancreatic injury after blunt abdominal trauma from January 1, 2008, to December 30, 2012, were retrospectively reviewed, and the clinical data were collected.Ninety-five patients formed the group, out of which 76 (80.0%) undertook operative management, 19 (20.0%) undertook non-operative management; 18 underwent ERCP for pancreatic duct evaluation, with 7 (38.9%) undergoing nasopancreatic drain placement and 4 (22.2%) transpapillary pancreatic duct stent placement. Operation was performed for patients according to pancreatic injury grading and results of intra-operative selective pancreatography. Twenty-three (30.3%) developed various pancreatic-related complications.Grading-therapeutic strategy for blunt pancreatic injury based on condition of the pancreatic duct could be performed safely and effectively. It not only expanded the scope of non-operative management, but also preserved the normal pancreatic tissue.

Abernethy malformation is a rare anomaly with partial or complete congenital absence of the portal vein and subsequent development of extrahepatic portocaval shunts. We present the case of a 28-year-old woman who was incidentally diagnosed with type II Abernethy malformation and multiple aneurysms during an investigation for nonspecific abdominal pain and fever. The patient had been diagnosed with Caroli's disease at the age of 10 and liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension a few years before. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported with all such congenital anomalies associated together. Ultrasound, computed tomography, including three-dimensional reconstruction, and magnetic resonance imaging were performed which revealed a side-to-side shunt between the extrahepatic portal vein and the inferior vena cava, multiple aneurismal cystic dilation of the spleen artery and left renal artery, and extensive intrahepatic bile duct cysitic dilation with calculus formation. Etiology, clinical significance and management strategies with regard to these abnormalities are discussed.

Three available robust reliability indexes include the robust reliability index based on interval analysis,the robust reliability index based on expansion function,and the robust reliability index based on infinite norm.The characteristics of these indexes are discussed in detail,and the advantage and disadvantage of them are demonstrated.To solve the existing problem,a general robust reliability index is set up,which may be applied to linear system and nonlinear system including various uncertainty convexes.In process of solving the proposed index,the multiple size parameters of many various uncertainty convexes are transform into the single size of a general uncertainty convex which includes all of the basic variables,then the lower limit of the single size,which makes the general convex overlap with failure set,is taken as the robust reliability index ?.The proposed index shows the safety degree of linear system and nonlinear system definitely in the current conditions.η1 shows that the system failure is possible in the current uncertainty condition of basic variables.η1 shows that the system failure is impossible in the current uncertainty condition of basic variables,and that the system is in critical condition of safety and possible failure when the size parameter of the current uncertainty convex is multiplied by η.And the solving of the robust reliability index η is transformed into an optimization problem,which can be solved by the simulated method.Finally,the results of illustrations show the rationality and wide applicability of the presented method.