The OMPs (outer membrane proteins) of Gram-negative bacteria have to be translocated through the periplasmic space before reaching their final destination. The aqueous environment of the periplasmic space and high permeability of the outer membrane engender such a translocation process inevitably challenging. In Escherichia coli, although SurA, Skp and DegP have been identified to function in translocating OMPs across the periplasm, their precise roles and their relationship remain to be elucidated. In the present paper, by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer and single-molecule detection, we have studied the interaction between the OMP OmpC and these periplasmic quality control factors. The results of the present study reveal that the binding rate of OmpC to SurA or Skp is much faster than that to DegP, which may lead to sequential interaction between OMPs and different quality control factors. Such a kinetic partitioning mechanism for the chaperone-substrate interaction may be essential for the quality control of the biogenesis of OMPs.

In electricalpower generation there are many problems that may be solved through the application ofimage analysis. The presence of non ore gangue materials mixed with coal can have an impact on the combustion efficiency and emissions ofpower plants. Also known as tailings, often these materials are a hazardous byproduct of mining. Differentiation between coal and gangue is desirable for fuel quality control and yield analysis. This research aims to develop a digital imaging and image analysis techniquefor this purpose. Material samples are analysed through a process of image acquisition and digital processing. Differentiation is found possible between varieties of bituminous coal and associated gangue and stone materials using intensity values and a range ofsurface texture properties.

The present study reports on a family with two members affected by Danon disease but having different phenotypes. The clinical manifestations of Danon disease include cardiomyopathy, skeletal myopathy and different degrees of intellectual disability that varies greatly among patients. The present case study reports on two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother, with Danon disease from an affected pedigree, presenting with distinctly different phenotypes. The sister was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at the age of 26 years with an unfavorable outcome, while her younger brother presented with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a relatively stable state. The two probands shared the same mutation, c.974delTinsAA in exon 8, in the lysosomal-associated membrane protein-2 gene. Of note, the two patients had a pre-excitation pattern in the electrocardiogram on initial presentation and later developed atrial fibrillation (AF), which markedly aggravated heart failure. To the best of our knowledge, AF has not been widely reported in patients with Danon disease. The development of AF may have a prognostic value under these circumstances.

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