Inferring gene regulatory networks by an order independent algorithm using incomplete data sets

Analyzing incomplete data for inferring the structure of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a challenging task in bioinformatic. Bayesian network can be successfully used in this field. k-nearest neighbor, singular value decomposition (SVD)-based and multiple imputation by chained equations are three fundamental imputation methods to deal with missing values. Path consistency (PC) algorithm based on conditional mutual information (PCA–CMI) is a famous algorithm for inferring GRNs. This algorithm needs the data set to be complete. However, the problem is that PCA–CMI is not a stable algorithm and when applied on permuted gene orders, different networks are obtained. We propose an order independent algorithm, PCA–CMI–OI, for inferring GRNs. After imputation of missing data, the performances of PCA–CMI and PCA–CMI–OI are compared. Results show that networks constructed from data imputed by the SVD-based method and PCA–CMI–OI algorithm outperform other imputation methods and PCA–CMI. An undirected or partially directed network is resulted by PC-based algorithms. Mutual information test (MIT) score, which can deal with discrete data, is one of the famous methods for directing the edges of resulted networks. We also propose a new score, ConMIT, which is appropriate for analyzing continuous data. Results shows that the precision of directing the edges of skeleton is improved by applying the ConMIT score.     

The Mental Health of Adolescent Girls with Depressed Mothers: The Mediating Role of the Perception of Parental Styles

Maternal depression, its effects on mothers’ interactions with their children, and the different mechanisms of emotional and psychological disorders’ transaction to children have been surveyed for the last few decades of research. The aim of this research was to find the mediating role of the perception of parental styles between the maternal depression symptoms and the mental health of their daughters. The participants included 284 mothers and their daughters from 8 different schools chosen randomly. Mothers completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II and examined using differential diagnosis interview based on DSM-V while adolescents completed the Parenting Style Questionnaire and Symptom Check List 90-R. The results showed the mediating role of the perception of authoritative and authoritarian styles of parenting (p?≥?0.0001). Also, depression symptoms in mothers could predict the perception of parental styles. Additionally, the perception of authoritative and authoritarian parenting could predict the mental health of adolescents.