Comparing Basal Area Diameter Distributions Estimated by Tree Species and for the Entire Stock in a Mixed Stand

Summary

Species selectivity of mixed-lineage leukemia/trithorax and HCF proteolytic maturation pathways.

Site-specific proteolytic processing plays important roles in the regulation of cellular activities. The histone modification activity of the human trithorax group mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) protein and the cell cycle regulatory activity of the cell proliferation factor herpes simplex virus host cell factor 1 (HCF-1) are stimulated by cleavage of precursors that generates stable heterodimeric complexes. MLL is processed by a protease called taspase 1, whereas the precise mechanisms of HCF-1 maturation are unclear, although they are known to depend on a series of sequence repeats called HCF-1(PRO) repeats. We demonstrate here that the Drosophila homologs of MLL and HCF-1, called Trithorax and dHCF, are both cleaved by Drosophila taspase 1. Although highly related, the human and Drosophila taspase 1 proteins display cognate species specificity. Thus, human taspase 1 preferentially cleaves MLL and Drosophila taspase 1 preferentially cleaves Trithorax, consistent with coevolution of taspase 1 and MLL/Trithorax proteins. HCF proteins display even greater species-specific divergence in processing: whereas dHCF is cleaved by the Drosophila taspase 1, human and mouse HCF-1 maturation is taspase 1 independent. Instead, human and Xenopus HCF-1PRO repeats are cleaved in vitro by a human proteolytic activity with novel properties. Thus, from insects to humans, HCF proteins have conserved proteolytic maturation but evolved different mechanisms.

Detection of new cross-reacting carcinoembryonic antigen(s) on cultured tumor cells by mixed hemadsorption assay.

Antisera highly specific for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) from New Zealand White rabbits and a goat reacted strongly in antibody binding tests with cultured tumor cell lines, irrespective of the ability of the cell lines to produce CEA. The most reactive were colon carcinoma and melanoma cell lines, the former known to produce CEA and the latter not associated with CEA production. The reactivity was not diminished by absorption with perchloric acid extracts of normal lung or spleen, whereas absoprtion with purified CEA preparations abolished the reactivity. Quantitative absorption studies indicated that reactivity against CEA-producing cell lines could be totally removed by absorption with other CEA-producing lines but not with melanoma cell lines. Reactivity against melanoma cell lines could be completely removed by colon carcinoma cells as well as by melanoma cells. Antisera raised against purified CEA, after absorption with extracts of normal lung, still contained two populations of antibodies, one that binds a newly described antigen cross-reacting with CEA which is present on melanoma cells.

Improving Offender Programming, Data Download, Iowa Department of Corrections, June 2012

In 2008, the Iowa Department of Corrections embarked on a comprehensive audit of all institutional andcommunity corrections offender programs that receive corrections funding. The audit focused on the degree towhich each program adheres to evidence-based practices principles (what works best). The audit areas are listedbelow along with some examples of the questions asked about each program:

Spin-glass behaviour in mixed metal oxides with a rutile-type structure

We report here on the magnetic properties of compounds of composition Fe1−xCrxSbO4 and Fe1−xGaxSbO4. The introduction of paramagnetic Cr3+ and diamagnetic Ga3+ into the rutile‐related iron antimonate lattice does not destroy the antisite atomic ordering which exists in iron antimonate of composition FeSbO4. The initial slope of the Curie temperature dependence on x is similar in both series, indicating that Fe3+‐Cr3+ interactions are very small. The magnetic susceptibility measurements recorded from the compounds of composition Fe1−xCrxSbO4, x<0.4, and Fe0.9Ga0.1SbO4 show them to behave as spin glasses at low temperatures. The inhibition of compounds of the type Fe1−xCrxSbO4, x>0.4, and Fe1−xGaxSbO4, x>0.1 to undergo a spin‐glass transition above 4.2 K is associated with a dilution effect.

Development of LRFD Procedures for Bridge Pile Foundations in Iowa: Volume II: Field Testing of Steel Piles in Clay, Sand, and Mixed Soils and Data Analysis, September 2011

In response to the mandate on Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) implementations by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on all new bridge projects initiated after October 1, 2007, the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) sponsored these research projects to develop regional LRFD recommendations. The LRFD development was performed using the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Pile Load Test database (PILOT). To increase the data points for LRFD development, develop LRFD recommendations for dynamic methods, and validate the results ofLRFD calibration, 10 full-scale field tests on the most commonly used steel H-piles (e.g., HP 10 x 42) were conducted throughout Iowa. Detailed in situ soil investigations were carried out, push-in pressure cells were installed, and laboratory soil tests were performed. Pile responses during driving, at the end of driving (EOD), and at re-strikes were monitored using the Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA), following with the CAse Pile Wave Analysis Program (CAPWAP) analysis. The hammer blow counts were recorded for Wave Equation Analysis Program (WEAP) and dynamic formulas. Static load tests (SLTs) were performed and the pile capacities were determined based on the Davisson’s criteria. The extensive experimental research studies generated important data for analytical and computational investigations. The SLT measured loaddisplacements were compared with the simulated results obtained using a model of the TZPILE program and using the modified borehole shear test method. Two analytical pile setup quantification methods, in terms of soil properties, were developed and validated. A new calibration procedure was developed to incorporate pile setup into LRFD.

The assignment game: core bounds for mixed-pair coalitions

In the assignment game framework, we try to identify those assignment matrices in which no entry can be increased without changing the coreof the game. These games will be called buyer¿seller exact games and satisfy the condition that each mixed¿pair coalition attains the corresponding matrix entry in the core of the game. For a given assignment game, a unique buyerseller exact assignment game with the same core is proved to exist. In order to identify this matrix and to provide a characterization of those assignment games which are buyer¿seller exact in terms of the assignment matrix, attainable upper and lower core bounds for the mixed¿pair coalitions are found. As a consequence, an open question posed in Quint (1991) regarding a canonical representation of a ¿45o¿lattice¿ by means of the core of an assignment game can now be answered

New Violence Risk Assessment Aids Parole and Offender Programming Decisions, Data Download, Department of Corrections

In recent years, the Department of Corrections has made major strides in assessing offenders’ risk to reoffend, particularly in measuring changes in that risk over time. Earlier this year, the DOC worked with the Board of Parole to develop a risk assessment that focuses on assessing offenders’ risk to commit violent crimes.

Metabolic effects of a mixed and a high-carbohydrate low-fat diet in man, measured over 24 h in a respiration chamber.

1. The relation between dietary carbohydrate: lipid ratio and the fuel mixture oxidized during 24 h was investigated in eleven healthy volunteers (six females, and five males) in a respiration chamber. Values of the fuel mixture oxidized were estimated by continuous indirect calorimetry and urinary nitrogen measurements. 2. The subjects, were first given a mixed diet for 7 d and spent the last 24 h of the 7 d period in a respiration chamber for continuous gas-exchange measurement. The fuels oxidized during 2.5 h or moderate exercise were also measured in the respiration chamber. After an interval of 2 weeks from the end of the mixed-diet period, the same subjects were given an isoenergetic high-carbohydrate low-fat diet for 7 d, and the same experimental regimen was repeated. 3. Dietary composition markedly influenced the fuel mixture oxidized during 24 h and this effect was still present 12 h after the last meal in the postabsorptive state. However, the diets had no influence on the substrates oxidized above resting levels during exercise. With both diets, the 24 h energy balance was slightly negative and the energy deficit was covered by lipid oxidation. 4. With the high-carbohydrate low-fat diet, the energy expenditure during sleep was found to be higher than that with the mixed diet. 5. It is concluded that: (a) the composition of the diet did not influence the fuel mixture utilized for moderate exercise, (b) the energy deficit calculated for a 24 h period was compensated by lipid oxidation irrespective of the carbohydrate content of the diet, (c) energy expenditure during sleep was found to be higher with the high-carbohydrate low-fat diet than with the mixed diet.

Mixed mating in androdioecious Mercurialis annua inferred using progeny arrays and diploid-acting microsatellite loci in a hexaploid background.

Background and Aims The frequency at which males can be maintained with hermaphrodites in androdioecious populations is predicted to depend on the selfing rate, because self-fertilization by hermaphrodites reduces prospective siring opportunities for males. In particular, high selfing rates by hermaphrodites are expected to exclude males from a population. Here, the first estimates are provided of the mating system from two wild hexaploid populations of the androdioecious European wind-pollinated plant M. annua with contrasting male frequencies.Methods Four diploid microsatellite loci were used to genotype 19-20 progeny arrays from two populations of M. annua, one with males and one without. Mating-system parameters were estimated using the program MLTR.Key Results Both populations had similar, intermediate outcrossing rates (t(m) = 0.64 and 0.52 for the population with and without males, respectively). The population without males showed a lower level of correlated paternity and biparental inbreeding and higher allelic richness and gene diversity than the population with males.Conclusions The results demonstrate the utility of new diploid microsatellite loci for mating system analysis in a hexaploid plant. It would appear that androdioecious M. annua has a mixed-mating system in the wild, an uncommon finding for wind-pollinated species. This study sets a foundation for future research to assess the relative importance of the sexual system, plant-density variation and stochastic processes for the regulation of male frequencies in M. annua over space and time.

A bio-inspired agent-based programming environment for pervasive platforms

Abstract in English : Ubiquitous Computing is the emerging trend in computing systems. Based on this observation this thesis proposes an analysis of the hardware and environmental constraints that rule pervasive platforms. These constraints have a strong impact on the programming of such platforms. Therefore solutions are proposed to facilitate this programming both at the platform and node levels. The first contribution presented in this document proposes a combination of agentoriented programming with the principles of bio-inspiration (Phylogenesys, Ontogenesys and Epigenesys) to program pervasive platforms such as the PERvasive computing framework for modeling comPLEX virtually Unbounded Systems platform. The second contribution proposes a method to program efficiently parallelizable applications on each computing node of this platform. Résumé en Français : Basée sur le constat que les calculs ubiquitaires vont devenir le paradigme de programmation dans les années à venir, cette thèse propose une analyse des contraintes matérielles et environnementale auxquelles sont soumises les plateformes pervasives. Ces contraintes ayant un impact fort sur la programmation des plateformes. Des solutions sont donc proposées pour faciliter cette programmation tant au niveau de l'ensemble des noeuds qu'au niveau de chacun des noeuds de la plateforme. La première contribution présentée dans ce document propose d'utiliser une alliance de programmation orientée agent avec les grands principes de la bio-inspiration (Phylogénèse, Ontogénèse et Épigénèse). Ceci pour répondres aux contraintes de programmation de plateformes pervasives comme la plateforme PERvasive computing framework for modeling comPLEX virtually Unbounded Systems . La seconde contribution propose quant à elle une méthode permettant de programmer efficacement des applications parallélisable sur chaque noeud de calcul de la plateforme

Probe-specific mixed-model approach to detect copy number differences using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA)

Background: MLPA method is a potentially useful semi-quantitative method to detect copy number alterations in targeted regions. In this paper, we propose a method for the normalization procedure based on a non-linear mixed-model, as well as a new approach for determining the statistical significance of altered probes based on linear mixed-model. This method establishes a threshold by using different tolerance intervals that accommodates the specific random error variability observed in each test sample.Results: Through simulation studies we have shown that our proposed method outperforms two existing methods that are based on simple threshold rules or iterative regression. We have illustrated the method using a controlled MLPA assay in which targeted regions are variable in copy number in individuals suffering from different disorders such as Prader-Willi, DiGeorge or Autism showing the best performace.Conclusion: Using the proposed mixed-model, we are able to determine thresholds to decide whether a region is altered. These threholds are specific for each individual, incorporating experimental variability, resulting in improved sensitivity and specificity as the examples with real data have revealed.

La programmmation foetale de la dysfonction vasculaire pulmonaire chez la souris : rôle des mécanismes épigénétiques = Fetal programming of pulmonary vascular dysfunction in mice : role of epigenetic mechanisms

Rapport de synthèseDes événements pathologiques survenant pendant la période foetale prédisposent la descendance aux maladies cardiovasculaires systémiques. Il existe peu de connaissances au sujet de la circulation pulmonaire et encore moins quant aux mécanismes sous-jacents. La sous-alimentation maternelle pendant la grossesse peut représenter un modèle d'investigation de ces mécanismes, parce que chez l'animal et l'homme elle est associée à une dysfonction vasculaire systémique chez la progéniture. Chez le rat, la diète restrictive pendant la grossesse induit une augmentation du stress oxydatif dans le placenta. Les dérivés de l'oxygène sont connus pour induire des altérations épigénétiques et peuvent traverser la barrière placentaire. Nous avons dès lors spéculé que chez la souris la diète restrictive pendant la grossesse induit une dysfonction vasculaire pulmonaire chez sa progéniture qui serait liée à un mécanisme épigénétique.Pour tester cette hypothèse, nous avons examiné la fonction vasculaire pulmonaire et la méthylation de l'ADN pulmonaire à la fin de 2 semaines d'exposition à l'hypoxie chez la progéniture de souris soumises à une diète restrictive pendant la grossesse et des souris contrôles. Nous avons trouvé que la vasodilatation endothélium-dépendante de l'artère pulmonaire in vitro était défectueuse, et que l'hypertension pulmonaire et l'hypertrophie ventriculaire droite induites par l'hypoxie in vivo étaient exagérées chez la progéniture de souris soumises à une diète restrictive pendant la grossesse. Cette dysfonction vasculaire pulmonaire était associée avec une altération de la méthylation de l'ADN pulmonaire. L'administration d'inhibiteurs de la déacétylase des histones, le Butyrate et la Trichostatine-A à la progéniture de souris soumises à une diète restrictive pendant la grossesse a normalisé la méthylation de l'ADN et la fonction vasculaire pulmonaire. Finalement, l'administration du nitroxyde Tempol aux mères durant la diète restrictive pendant la grossesse a prévenu la dysfonction vasculaire et la dysméthylation chez la progéniture.Ces découvertes démontrent que chez la souris la sous-alimentation pendant la gestation induit une dysfonction vasculaire chez la progéniture qui est causée par un mécanisme épigénétique. Il est possible qu'un mécanisme similaire soit impliqué dans la programmation foetale de la dysfonction vasculaire chez les humains.

A Mixed-method Social Networks Study Design for Research on Transnational Families

This paper advocates the adoption of a mixed-methods research design to describe and analyze ego-centered social networks in transnational family research. Drawing on the experience of the Social Networks Influences on Family Formation project (2004-2005), I show how the combined use of network generators and semistructured interviews (N = 116) produces unique data on family configurations and their impact on life course choices. A mixed-methods network approach presents specific advantages for research on children in transnational families. On the one hand, quantitative analyses are crucial for reconstructing and measuring the potential and actual relational support available to children in a context where kin interactions may be hindered by temporary and prolonged periods of separation. On the other hand, qualitative analyses can address strategies and practices employed by families to maintain relationships across international borders and geographic distance, as well as the implications of those strategies for children's well-being.