@article{2990, abstract = {Plant growth is marked by its adaptability to continuous changes in environment. A regulated, differential distribution of auxin underlies many adaptation processes including organogenesis, meristem patterning and tropisms. In executing its multiple roles, auxin displays some characteristics of both a hormone and a morphogen. Studies on auxin transport, as well as tracing the intracellular movement of its molecular components, have suggested a possible scenario to explain how growth plasticity is conferred at the cellular and molecular level. The plant perceives stimuli and changes the subcellular position of auxin-transport components accordingly. These changes modulate auxin fluxes, and the newly established auxin distribution triggers the corresponding developmental response.}, author = {Friml, Jirí}, journal = {Current Opinion in Plant Biology}, number = {1}, pages = {7 -- 12}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Auxin transport - Shaping the plant}}, doi = {10.1016/S1369526602000031}, volume = {6}, year = {2003}, } @article{2992, abstract = {Plants have many polarized cell types, but relatively little is known about the mechanisms that establish polarity. The orc mutant was identified originally by defects in root patterning, and positional cloning revealed that the affected gene encodes STEROL METHYLTRANSFERASE1, which is required for the appropriate synthesis and composition of major membrane sterols. smt1orc mutants displayed several conspicuous cell polarity defects. Columella root cap cells revealed perturbed polar positioning of different organelles, and in the smt1orc root epidermis, polar initiation of root hairs was more randomized. Polar auxin transport and expression of the auxin reporter DR5-β-glucuronidase were aberrant in smt1orc. Patterning defects in smt1orc resembled those observed in mutants of the PIN gene family of putative auxin efflux transporters. Consistently, the membrane localization of the PIN1 and PIN3 proteins was disturbed in smt1orc, whereas polar positioning of the influx carrier AUX1 appeared normal. Our results suggest that balanced sterol composition is a major requirement for cell polarity and auxin efflux in Arabidopsis.}, author = {Willemsen, Viola and Jirí Friml and Grebe, Markus and Van Den Toorn, Albert and Palme, Klaus and Scheres, Ben}, journal = {Plant Cell}, number = {3}, pages = {612 -- 625}, publisher = {American Society of Plant Biologists}, title = {{Cell polarity and PIN protein positioning in Arabidopsis require STEROL METHYLTRANSFERASE1 function}}, doi = {10.1105/tpc.008433}, volume = {15}, year = {2003}, } @article{2996, abstract = {Plants, compared to animals, exhibit an amazing adaptability and plasticity in their development. This is largely dependent on the ability of plants to form new organs, such as lateral roots, leaves, and flowers during postembryonic development. Organ primordia develop from founder cell populations into organs by coordinated cell division and differentiation. Here, we show that organ formation in Arabidopsis involves dynamic gradients of the signaling molecule auxin with maxima at the primordia tips. These gradients are mediated by cellular efflux requiring asymmetrically localized PIN proteins, which represent a functionally redundant network for auxin distribution in both aerial and underground organs. PIN1 polar localization undergoes a dynamic rearrangement, which correlates with establishment of auxin gradients and primordium development. Our results suggest that PIN-dependent, local auxin gradients represent a common module for formation of all plant organs, regardless of their mature morphology or developmental origin. }, author = {Eva Benková and Michniewicz, Marta and Sauer, Michael and Teichmann, Thomas and Seifertová, Daniela and Jürgens, Gerd and Jirí Friml}, journal = {Cell}, number = {5}, pages = {591 -- 602}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Local, efflux-dependent auxin gradients as a common module for plant organ formation}}, doi = {10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00924-3}, volume = {115}, year = {2003}, } @article{2995, abstract = {Axis formation occurs in plants, as in animals, during early embryogenesis. However, the underlying mechanism is not known. Here we show that the first manifestation of the apical-basal axis in plants, the asymmetric division of the zygote, produces a basal cell that transports and an apical cell that responds to the signalling molecule auxin. This apical-basal auxin activity gradient triggers the specification of apical embryo structures and is actively maintained by a novel component of auxin efflux, PIN7, which is located apically in the basal cell. Later, the developmentally regulated reversal of PIN7 and onset of PIN1 polar localization reorganize the auxin gradient for specification of the basal root pole. An analysis of pin quadruple mutants identifies PIN-dependent transport as an essential part of the mechanism for embryo axis formation. Our results indicate how the establishment of cell polarity, polar auxin efflux and local auxin response result in apical-basal axis formation of the embryo, and thus determine the axiality of the adult plant. }, author = {Jirí Friml and Vieten, Anne and Sauer, Michael and Weijers, Dolf and Schwarz, Heinz and Hamann, Thorsten and Offringa, Remko and Jürgens, Gerd}, journal = {Nature}, number = {6963}, pages = {147 -- 153}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Efflux dependent auxin gradients establish the apical basal axis of Arabidopsis}}, doi = {10.1038/nature02085}, volume = {426}, year = {2003}, } @article{2994, abstract = {The regular arrangement of leaves around a plant's stem, called phyllotaxis, has for centuries attracted the attention of philosophers, mathematicians and natural scientists; however, to date, studies of phyllotaxis have been largely theoretical. Leaves and flowers are formed from the shoot apical meristem, triggered by the plant hormone auxin. Auxin is transported through plant tissues by specific cellular influx and efflux carrier proteins. Here we show that proteins involved in auxin transport regulate phyllotaxis. Our data indicate that auxin is transported upwards into the meristem through the epidermis and the outermost meristem cell layer. Existing leaf primordia act as sinks, redistributing auxin and creating its heterogeneous distribution in the meristem. Auxin accumulation occurs only at certain minimal distances from existing primordia, defining the position of future primordia. This model for phyllotaxis accounts for its reiterative nature, as well as its regularity and stability.}, author = {Reinhardt, Didier and Pesce, Eva-Rachele and Stieger, Pia and Mandel, Therese and Baltensperger, Kurt and Bennett, Malcolm and Traas, Jan and Jirí Friml and Kuhlemeier, Cris}, journal = {Nature}, number = {6964}, pages = {255 -- 260}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Regulation of phyllotaxis by polar auxin transport}}, doi = {10.1038/nature02081}, volume = {426}, year = {2003}, } @article{2993, abstract = {Plant biology is currently experiencing a growing demand for easy and reliable mRNA and protein localisation techniques. Here, we present novel whole mount in situ hybridisation and immunolocalisation protocols, suitable to localise mRNAs and proteins in Arabidopsis seedlings. We demonstrate that these methods can be used in different organs of Arabidopsis seedlings as well as in other plant species. In order to achieve better reproducibility and higher throughput, we modified these protocols for automation to be performed by a liquid handling robot. In addition, we show that other procedures such as reporter enzyme assays and tissue clearing can be similarly automated. We present examples of application of our protocols including mRNA localisation and proteins and epitope tag (co)localisations which demonstrate that these methods provide reliable and versatile tools for expression, localisation and anatomical studies in plants.}, author = {Jirí Friml and Eva Benková and Mayer, Ulrike and Palme, Klaus and Muster, Gerhard}, journal = {Plant Journal}, number = {1}, pages = {115 -- 124}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, title = {{Automated whole mount localisation techniques for plant seedlings}}, doi = {10.1046/j.1365-313X.2003.01705.x}, volume = {34}, year = {2003}, } @article{3151, abstract = {Biosynthesis of most peptide hormones and neuropeptides requires proteolytic excision of the active peptide from inactive proprotein precursors, an activity carried out by subtilisin-like proprotein convertases (SPCs) in constitutive or regulated secretory pathways. The Drosophila amontillado (amon) gene encodes a homolog of the mammalian PC2 protein, an SPC that functions in the regulated secretory pathway in neuroendocrine tissues. We have identified amon mutants by isolating ethylmethanesulfonate (EMS)-induced lethal and visible mutations that define two complementation groups in the amon interval at 97D1 of the third chromosome. DNA sequencing identified the amon complementation group and the DNA sequence change for each of the nine amon alleles isolated. amon mutants display partial embryonic lethality, are defective in larval growth, and arrest during the first to second instar larval molt. Mutant larvae can be rescued by heat-shock-induced expression of the amon protein. Rescued larvae arrest at the subsequent larval molt, suggesting that amon is also required for the second to third instar larval molt. Our data indicate that the amon proprotein convertase is required during embryogenesis and larval development in Drosophila and support the hypothesis that AMON acts to proteolytically process peptide hormones that regulate hatching, larval growth, and larval ecdysis.}, author = {Rayburn, Lowell Y and Gooding, Holly C and Choksi, Semil P and Maloney, Dhea and Kidd, Ambrose R and Daria Siekhaus and Bender, Michael}, journal = {Genetics}, number = {1}, pages = {227 -- 237}, publisher = {Genetics Society of America}, title = {{Amontillado, the Drosophila homolog of the prohormone processing protease PC2, is required during embryogenesis and early larval development}}, volume = {163}, year = {2003}, } @article{3150, abstract = {Tripartite G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent one of the largest groups of signal transducers, transmitting signals from hormones, neuropeptides, odorants, food and light. Ligand-bound receptors catalyse GDP/GTP exchange on the G-protein α-subunit (Gα), leading to α-GTP separation from the βγ subunits and pathway activation. Activating mutations in the receptors or G proteins underlie many human diseases, including some cancers, dwarfism and premature puberty. Regulators of G-protein signalling (RGS proteins) are known to modulate the level and duration of ligand-induced signalling by accelerating the intrinsic GTPase activity of the Gα subunit, and thus reformation of the inactive GDP-bound Gα. Here we find that even in the absence of receptor, mutation of the RGS family member Sst2 (refs 6-9) permits spontaneous activation of the G-protein-coupled mating pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at levels normally seen only in the presence of ligand. Our work demonstrates the occurence of spontaneous tripartite G-protein signalling in vivo and identifies a requirement for RGS proteins in preventing such receptor-independent activation.}, author = {Daria Siekhaus and Drubin, David G}, journal = {Nature Cell Biology}, number = {3}, pages = {231 -- 235}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Spontaneous receptor-independent heterotrimeric G-protein signalling in an RGS mutant}}, doi = {10.1038/ncb941}, volume = {5}, year = {2003}, } @article{3209, abstract = {We show that the fixed alphabet shortest common supersequence (SCS) and the fixed alphabet longest common subsequence (LCS) problems parameterized in the number of strings are W[1]-hard. Unless W[1]=FPT, this rules out the existence of algorithms with time complexity of O(f(k)nα) for those problems. Here n is the size of the problem instance, α is constant, k is the number of strings and f is any function of k. The fixed alphabet version of the LCS problem is of particular interest considering the importance of sequence comparison (e.g. multiple sequence alignment) in the fixed length alphabet world of DNA and protein sequences.}, author = {Krzysztof Pietrzak}, journal = {Journal of Computer and System Sciences}, number = {4}, pages = {757 -- 771}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{On the parameterized complexity of the fixed alphabet shortest common supersequence and longest common subsequence problems}}, doi = {10.1016/S0022-0000(03)00078-3}, volume = {67}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3210, abstract = {Luby and Rackoff showed how to construct a (super-)pseudo-random permutation {0,1}2n→ {0,1}2n from some number r of pseudo-random functions {0,1}n → {0,1}n. Their construction, motivated by DES, consists of a cascade of r Feistel permutations. A Feistel permutation 1for a pseudo-random function f is defined as (L, R) → (R,L ⊕ f (R)), where L and R are the left and right part of the input and ⊕ denotes bitwise XOR or, in this paper, any other group operation on {0,1}n. The only non-trivial step of the security proof consists of proving that the cascade of r Feistel permutations with independent uniform random functions {0,1}n → {0,1}n, denoted Ψ2nr is indistinguishable from a uniform random permutation {0,1}2n → {0,1}2n by any computationally unbounded adaptive distinguisher making at most O(2cn) combined chosen plaintext/ciphertext queries for any c < α, where a is a security parameter. Luby and Rackoff proved α = 1/2 for r = 4. A natural problem, proposed by Pieprzyk is to improve on α for larger r. The best known result, α = 3/4 for r = 6, is due to Patarin. In this paper we prove a = 1 -O(1/r), i.e., the trivial upper bound α = 1 can be approached. The proof uses some new techniques that can be of independent interest. }, author = {Maurer, Ueli M and Krzysztof Pietrzak}, pages = {544 -- 561}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{The security of many round Luby Rackoff pseudo random permutations}}, doi = {10.1007/3-540-39200-9_34}, volume = {2656}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3425, author = {Bollenbach, Mark Tobias and Strother, T. and Bauer, Wolfgang}, pages = {277 -- 288}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{3D supernova collapse calculations}}, doi = {10.1007/978-1-4020-2705-5_21}, volume = {166}, year = {2003}, } @inbook{3458, author = {Peter Jonas and Unsicker, Klaus}, booktitle = {Lehrbuch Vorklinik}, editor = {Schmidt, R. F.}, pages = {3 -- 26}, publisher = {Deutscher Ärzte Verlag}, title = {{Molekulare und zelluläre Grundlagen des Nervensystems.}}, volume = {B}, year = {2003}, } @article{3536, abstract = {Genetic engineering of the mouse brain allows investigators to address novel hypotheses in vivo. Because of the paucity of information on the network patterns of the mouse hippocampus, we investigated the electrical patterns in the behaving animal using multisite silicon probes and wire tetrodes. Theta (6-9 Hz) and gamma (40-100 Hz) oscillations were present during exploration and rapid eye movement sleep. Gamma power and theta power were comodulated and gamma power varied as a function of the theta cycle. Pyramidal cells and putative interneurons were phase-locked to theta oscillations. During immobility, consummatory behaviors and slow-wave sleep, sharp waves were present in cornu ammonis region CA1 of the hippocampus stratum radiatum associated with 140-200-Hz “ripples” in the pyramidal cell layer and population burst of CA1 neurons. In the hilus, large-amplitude “dentate spikes” occurred in association with increased discharge of hilar neurons. The amplitude of field patterns was larger in the mouse than in the rat, likely reflecting the higher neuron density in a smaller brain. We suggest that the main hippocampal network patterns are mediated by similar pathways and mechanisms in mouse and rat. }, author = {Buzsáki, György and Buhl, Derek L and Harris, Kenneth D and Jozsef Csicsvari and Czéh, Boldizsár and Morozov, Alexei}, journal = {Neuroscience}, number = {1}, pages = {201 -- 211}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Hippocampal network patterns of activity in the mouse}}, doi = {10.1016/S0306-4522(02)00669-3}, volume = {116}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3556, abstract = {We define the Morse-Smale complex of a Morse function over a 3-manifold as the overlay of the descending and as- cending manifolds of all critical points. In the generic case, its 3-dimensional cells are shaped like crystals and are sepa- rated by quadrangular faces. In this paper, we give a combi- natorial algorithm for constructing such complexes for piece- wise linear data.}, author = {Herbert Edelsbrunner and Harer, John and Natarajan, Vijay and Pascucci, Valerio}, pages = {361 -- 370}, publisher = {ACM}, title = {{Morse-Smale complexes for piecewise linear 3-manifolds}}, doi = {10.1145/777792.777846}, year = {2003}, } @inbook{3573, abstract = {Given a finite point set in R, the surface reconstruction problem asks for a surface that passes through many but not necessarily all points. We describe an unambigu- ous definition of such a surface in geometric and topological terms, and sketch a fast algorithm for constructing it. Our solution overcomes past limitations to special point distributions and heuristic design decisions.}, author = {Herbert Edelsbrunner}, booktitle = {Discrete & Computational Geometry}, pages = {379 -- 404}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{Surface reconstruction by wrapping finite sets in space}}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-55566-4_17}, year = {2003}, } @article{3584, abstract = {We develop fast algorithms for computing the linking number of a simplicial complex within a filtration.We give experimental results in applying our work toward the detection of non-trivial tangling in biomolecules, modeled as alpha complexes.}, author = {Edelsbrunner, Herbert and Zomorodian, Afra}, journal = {Homology, Homotopy and Applications}, number = {2}, pages = {19 -- 37}, publisher = {International Press}, title = {{Computing linking numbers of a filtration}}, volume = {5}, year = {2003}, } @article{3620, abstract = {Stable hybrid zones in which ecologically divergent taxa give rise to a range of recombinants are natural laboratories in which the genetic basis of adaptation and reproductive isolation can be unraveled. One such hybrid zone is formed by the fire-bellied toads Bombina bombina and B. variegata (Anura: Discoglossidae). Adaptations to permanent and ephemeral breeding habitats, respectively, have shaped numerous phenotypic differences between the taxa. All of these are, in principle, candidates for a genetic dissection via QTL mapping. We present here a linkage map of 28 codominant and 10 dominant markers in the Bombina genome. In an F2 cross, markers that were mainly microsatellites, SSCPs or allozymes were mapped to 20 linkage groups. Among the 40 isolated CA microsatellites, we noted a preponderance of compound and frequently interleaved CA-TA repeats as well as a striking polarity at the 5′ end of the repeats.}, author = {Nürnberger, Beate and Hofman, Sebastian and Förg-Brey, Bqruni and Praetzel, Gabriele and Maclean, Alan W and Szymura, Jacek M and Abbott, Catherine M and Nicholas Barton}, journal = {Heredity}, number = {2}, pages = {136 -- 142}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{A linkage map for the hybridising toads Bombina bombina and B. variegata (Anura: Discoglossidae)}}, doi = {10.1038/sj.hdy.6800291}, volume = {91}, year = {2003}, } @article{3619, abstract = {What is the chance that some part of a stretch of genome will survive? In a population of constant size, and with no selection, the probability of survival of some part of a stretch of map length y<1 approaches View the MathML source for View the MathML source. Thus, the whole genome is certain to be lost, but the rate of loss is extremely slow. This solution extends to give the whole distribution of surviving block sizes as a function of time. We show that the expected number of blocks at time t is 1+yt and give expressions for the moments of the number of blocks and the total amount of genome that survives for a given time. The solution is based on a branching process and assumes complete interference between crossovers, so that each descendant carries only a single block of ancestral material. We consider cases where most individuals carry multiple blocks, either because there are multiple crossovers in a long genetic map, or because enough time has passed that most individuals in the population are related to each other. For species such as ours, which have a long genetic map, the genome of any individual which leaves descendants (∼80% of the population for a Poisson offspring number with mean two) is likely to persist for an extremely long time, in the form of a few short blocks of genome.}, author = {Baird, Stuart J and Nicholas Barton and Etheridge, Alison M}, journal = {Theoretical Population Biology}, number = {4}, pages = {451 -- 471}, publisher = {Academic Press}, title = {{The distribution of surviving blocks of an ancestral genome}}, doi = {10.1016/S0040-5809(03)00098-4}, volume = {64}, year = {2003}, } @article{3618, abstract = {There are several analyses in evolutionary ecology which assume that a family of offspring has come from only two parents. Here, we present a simple test for detecting when a batch involves two or more subfamilies. It is based on the fact that the mixing of families generates associations amongst unlinked marker loci. We also present simulations illustrating the power of our method for varying numbers of loci, alleles per locus and genotyped individuals.}, author = {Vines, Timothy H and Nicholas Barton}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, number = {7}, pages = {1999 -- 2002}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, title = {{A new approach to detecting mixed families}}, doi = {10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01867.x}, volume = {12}, year = {2003}, } @article{3752, abstract = {We use the lac operon in Escherichia coli as a prototype system to illustrate the current state, applicability, and limitations of modeling the dynamics of cellular networks. We integrate three different levels of description (molecular, cellular, and that of cell population) into a single model, which seems to capture many experimental aspects of the system.}, author = {Vilar,Jose M and Calin Guet and Leibler, Stanislas}, journal = {Journal of Cell Biology}, number = {3}, pages = {471 -- 476}, publisher = {Rockefeller University Press}, title = {{Modeling network dynamics: the lac operon, a case study}}, doi = {10.1083/jcb.200301125}, volume = {161}, year = {2003}, } @article{3797, author = {Bauer, Wolfgang and Kleine Berkenbusch, Marco and Bollenbach, Mark Tobias}, journal = {Revista Mexicana De Fisica}, number = {4}, pages = {1 -- 6}, publisher = {Sociedad Mexicana de Física}, title = {{Breaking atomic nuclei into little pieces: evidence for a phase transition}}, volume = {49}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3897, abstract = {Many verification, planning, and control problems can be modeled as games played on state-transition graphs by one or two players whose conflicting goals are to form a path in the graph. The focus here is on simple stochastic parity games, that is, two-player games with turn-based probabilistic transitions and omega-regular objectives formalized as parity (Rabin chain) winning conditions. An efficient translation from simple stochastic parity games to nonstochastic parity games is given. As many algorithms are known for solving the latter, the translation yields efficient algorithms for computing the states of a simple stochastic parity game from which a player can win with probability 1. An important special case of simple stochastic parity games are the Markov decision processes with Buchi objectives. For this special case a first provably subquadratic algorithm is given for computing the states from which the single player has a strategy to achieve a Buchi objective with probability 1. For game graphs with m edges the algorithm works in time O(mrootm). Interestingly, a similar technique sheds light on the question of the computational complexity of solving simple Buchi games and yields the first provably subquadratic algorithm, with a running time of O(n(2)/log n) for game graphs with n vertices and O(n) edges.}, author = {Krishnendu Chatterjee and Jurdziński, Marcin and Thomas Henzinger}, pages = {100 -- 113}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{Simple stochastic parity games}}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-540-45220-1_11}, volume = {2803}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3898, abstract = {We study the problem of determining stack boundedness and the exact maximum stack size for three classes of interrupt-driven programs. Interrupt-driven programs axe used in many real-time applications that require responsive interrupt handling. In order to ensure responsiveness, programmers often enable interrupt processing in the body of lower-priority interrupt handlers. In such programs a programming error can allow interrupt handlers to be interrupted in cyclic fashion to lead to an unbounded stack, causing the system to crash. For a restricted class of interrupt-driven programs, we show that there is a polynomial-time procedure to check stack boundedness, while determining the exact maximum stack size is PSPACE-complete. For a larger class of programs, the two problems are both PSPACE-complete, and for the largest class of programs we consider, the two problems are PSPACE-hard and can be solved in exponential time.}, author = {Krishnendu Chatterjee and Ma, Di and Majumdar, Ritankar S and Zhao, Tian and Thomas Henzinger and Palsberg, Jens}, pages = {109 -- 126}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{Stack size analysis for interrupt-driven programs}}, doi = {10.1007/3-540-44898-5_7}, volume = {2694}, year = {2003}, } @article{3993, abstract = {We present algorithms for constructing a hierarchy of increasingly coarse Morse-Smale complexes that decompose a piecewise linear 2-manifold. While these complexes are defined only in the smooth category, we extend the construction to the piecewise linearcategory by ensuring structural integrity and simulating differentiability. We then simplify Morse-Smale complexes by canceling pairs of critical points in order of increasing persistence.}, author = {Herbert Edelsbrunner and Harer, John and Zomorodian, Afra}, journal = {Discrete & Computational Geometry}, number = {1}, pages = {87 -- 107}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{Hierarchical Morse-Smale complexes for piecewise linear 2-manifolds}}, doi = {10.1007/s00454-003-2926-5}, volume = {30}, year = {2003}, } @article{3994, abstract = {The body defined by a finite collection of disks is a subset of the plane bounded by a tangent continuous curve, which we call the skin. We give analytic formulas for the area, the perimeter, the area derivative, and the perimeter derivative of the body. Given the filtrations of the Delaunay triangulation and the Voronoi diagram of the disks, all formulas can be evaluated in time proportional to the number of disks.}, author = {Cheng, Ho-Lun and Herbert Edelsbrunner}, journal = {Computational Geometry: Theory and Applications}, number = {2}, pages = {173 -- 192}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Area, perimeter and derivatives of a skin curve}}, doi = {10.1016/S0925-7721(02)00124-4}, volume = {26}, year = {2003}, } @misc{3139, abstract = {Significant advances have been made during the past few years in our understanding of how the spinal monosynaptic reflex develops. Transcription factors in the Neurogenin, Runt, ETS, and LIM families control sequential steps of the specification of various subtypes of dorsal root ganglia sensory neurons. The initiation of muscle spindle differentiation requires neuregulin 1, derived from Ia afferent sensory neurons, and signaling through ErbB receptors in intrafusal muscle fibers. Several retrograde signals from the periphery are important for the establishment of late connectivity in the reflex circuit. Finally, neurotrophin 3 released from muscle spindles regulates the strength of sensory-motor connections within the spinal cord postnatally.}, author = {Chen, Hsiao Huei and Simon Hippenmeyer and Arber, Silvia and Frank, Eric}, booktitle = {Current Opinion in Neurobiology}, number = {1}, pages = {96 -- 102}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Development of the monosynaptic stretch reflex circuit}}, doi = {10.1016/S0959-4388(03)00006-0}, volume = {13}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3171, abstract = {Reconstructing a 3-D scene from more than one camera is a classical problem in computer vision. One of the major sources of difficulty is the fact that not all scene elements are visible from all cameras. In the last few years, two promising approaches have been developed 11,12 that formulate the scene reconstruction problem in terms of energy minimization, and minimize the energy using graph cuts. These energy minimization approaches treat the input images symmetrically, handle visibility constraints correctly, and allow spatial smoothness to be enforced. However, these algorithm propose different problem formulations, and handle a limited class of smoothness terms. One algorithm 11 uses a problem formulation that is restricted to two-camera stereo, and imposes smoothness between a pair of cameras. The other algorithm 12 can handle an arbitrary number of cameras, but imposes smoothness only with respect to a single camera. In this paper we give a more general energy minimization formulation for the problem, which allows a larger class of spatial smoothness constraints. We show that our formulation includes both of the previous approaches as special cases, as well as permitting new energy functions. Experimental results on real data with ground truth are also included. }, author = {Vladimir Kolmogorov and Zabih, Ramin and Gortler, Steven}, pages = {501 -- 516}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{Generalized multi camera scene reconstruction using graph cuts}}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-540-45063-4_32}, volume = {2683}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3174, abstract = {We address visual correspondence problems without assuming that scene points have similar intensities in different views. This situation is common, usually due to non-lambertian scenes or to differences between cameras. We use maximization of mutual information, a powerful technique for registering images that requires no a priori model of the relationship between scene intensities in different views. However, it has proven difficult to use mutual information to compute dense visual correspondence. Comparing fixed-size windows via mutual information suffers from the well-known problems of fixed windows, namely poor performance at discontinuities and in low-texture regions. In this paper, we show how to compute visual correspondence using mutual information without suffering from these problems. Using 'a simple approximation, mutual information can be incorporated into the standard energy minimization framework used in early vision. The energy can then be efficiently minimized using graph cuts, which preserve discontinuities and handle low-texture regions. The resulting algorithm combines the accurate disparity maps that come from graph cuts with the tolerance for intensity changes that comes from mutual information.}, author = {Kim, Junhwan and Vladimir Kolmogorov and Zabih, Ramin}, pages = {1033 -- 1040}, publisher = {IEEE}, title = {{Visual correspondence using energy minimization and mutual information}}, doi = {10.1109/ICCV.2003.1238463}, volume = {2}, year = {2003}, } @inproceedings{3170, abstract = {Geodesic active contours and graph cuts are two standard image segmentation techniques. We introduce a new segmentation method combining some of their benefits. Our main intuition is that any cut on a graph embedded in some continuous space can be interpreted as a contour (in 2D) or a surface (in 3D). We show how to build a grid graph and set its edge weights so that the cost of cuts is arbitrarily close to the length (area) of the corresponding contours (surfaces) for any anisotropic Riemannian metric. There are two interesting consequences of this technical result. First, graph cut algorithms can be used to find globally minimum geodesic contours (minimal surfaces in 3D) under arbitrary Riemannian metric for a given set of boundary conditions. Second, we show how to minimize metrication artifacts in existing graph-cut based methods in vision. Theoretically speaking, our work provides an interesting link between several branches of mathematics -differential geometry, integral geometry, and combinatorial optimization. The main technical problem is solved using Cauchy-Crofton formula from integral geometry.}, author = {Boykov, Yuri and Vladimir Kolmogorov}, pages = {26 -- 33}, publisher = {IEEE}, title = {{Computing geodesics and minimal surfaces via graph cuts}}, doi = {10.1109/ICCV.2003.1238310}, volume = {1}, year = {2003}, } @article{3526, abstract = {Neurons can produce action potentials with high temporal precision(1). A fundamental issue is whether, and how, this capability is used in information processing. According to the `cell assembly' hypothesis, transient synchrony of anatomically distributed groups of neurons underlies processing of both external sensory input and internal cognitive mechanisms(2-4). Accordingly, neuron populations should be arranged into groups whose synchrony exceeds that predicted by common modulation by sensory input. Here we find that the spike times of hippocampal pyramidal cells can be predicted more accurately by using the spike times of simultaneously recorded neurons in addition to the animals location in space. This improvement remained when the spatial prediction was refined with a spatially dependent theta phase modulation(5-8). The time window in which spike times are best predicted from simultaneous peer activity is 10-30 ms, suggesting that cell assemblies are synchronized at this timescale. Because this temporal window matches the membrane time constant of pyramidal neurons(9), the period of the hippocampal gamma oscillation(10) and the time window for synaptic plasticity(11), we propose that cooperative activity at this timescale is optimal for information transmission and storage in cortical circuits.}, author = {Harris, Kenneth D and Jozsef Csicsvari and Hirase, Hajima and Dragoi, George and Buzsáki, György}, journal = {Nature}, number = {6948}, pages = {552 -- 556}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Organization of cell assemblies in the hippocampus}}, doi = {0.1038/nature01834}, volume = {424}, year = {2003}, } @article{3529, abstract = {Parallel recording of neuronal activity in the behaving animal is a prerequisite for our understanding of neuronal representation and storage of information. Here we describe the development of micro-machined silicon microelectrode arrays for unit and local field recordings. The two-dimensional probes with 96 or 64 recording sites provided high-density recording of unit and field activity with minimal tissue displacement or damage. The on-chip active circuit eliminated movement and other artifacts and greatly reduced the weight of the headgear. The precise geometry of the recording tips allowed for the estimation of the spatial location of the recorded neurons and for high-resolution estimation of extracellular current source density. Action potentials could be simultaneously recorded from the soma and dendrites of the same neurons. Silicon technology is a promising approach for high-density, high-resolution sampling of neuronal activity in both basic research and prosthetic devices.}, author = {Jozsef Csicsvari and Henze, Darrell A and Jamieson, Brian G and Harris, Kenneth D and Sirota, Anton M and Bartho, Peter and Wise, Kensall D and Buzsáki, György}, journal = {Journal of Neurophysiology}, number = {2}, pages = {1314 -- 1323}, publisher = {American Physiological Society}, title = {{Massively parallel recording of unit and local field potentials with silicon-based electrodes}}, doi = {10.1152/jn.00116.2003}, volume = {90}, year = {2003}, } @article{3528, abstract = {Gamma frequency oscillations (30-100 Hz) have been suggested to underlie various cognitive and motor functions. Here, we examine the generation of gamma oscillation currents in the hippocampus, using two-dimensional, 96-site silicon probes. Two gamma generators were identified, one in the dentate gyrus and another in the CA3-CA1 regions. The coupling strength between the two oscillators varied during both theta and nontheta states. Both pyramidal cells and interneurons were phase-locked to gamma waves. Anatomical connectivity, rather than physical distance, determined the coupling strength of the oscillating neurons. CA3 pyramidal neurons discharged CA3 and CA1 interneurons at latencies indicative of monosynaptic connections. Intrahippocampal gamma oscillation emerges in the CA3 recurrent system, which entrains the CA1 region via its interneurons.}, author = {Jozsef Csicsvari and Jamieson, Brian G and Wise, Kensall D and Buzsáki, György}, journal = {Neuron}, number = {2}, pages = {311 -- 322}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Mechanisms of gamma oscillations in the hippocampus of the behaving rat}}, doi = {10.1016/S0896-6273(02)01169-8}, volume = {37}, year = {2003}, } @article{3543, abstract = {Both neocortical and hippocampal networks organize the firing patterns of their neurons by prominent oscillations during sleep, but the functional role of these rhythms is not well understood. Here, we show a robust correlation of neuronal discharges between the somatosensory cortex and hippocampus on both slow and fine time scales in the mouse and rat. Neuronal bursts in deep cortical layers, associated with sleep spindles and delta waves/slow rhythm, effectively triggered hippocampal discharges related to fast (ripple) oscillations. We hypothesize that oscillation-mediated temporal links coordinate specific information transfer between neocortical and hippocampal cell assemblies. Such a neocortical-hippocampal interplay may be important for memory consolidation.}, author = {Sirota, Anton M and Jozsef Csicsvari and Buhl, Derek L and Buzsáki, György}, journal = {PNAS}, number = {4}, pages = {2065 -- 2069}, publisher = {National Academy of Sciences}, title = {{Communication between neocortex and hippocampus during sleep in rodents}}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.0437938100}, volume = {100}, year = {2003}, } @article{3593, abstract = {Temporal logics such as Computation Tree Logic (CTL) and Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) have become popular for specifying temporal properties over a wide variety of planning and verification problems. In this paper we work towards building a generalized framework for automated reasoning based on temporal logics. We present a powerful extension of CTL with first-order quantification over the set of reachable states for reasoning about extremal properties of weighted labeled transition systems in general. The proposed logic, which we call Weighted Quantified Computation Tree Logic (WQCTL), captures the essential elements common to the domain of planning and verification problems and can thereby be used as an effective specification language in both domains. We show that in spite of the rich, expressive power of the logic, we are able to evaluate WQCTL formulas in time polynomial in the size of the state space times the length of the formula. Wepresent experimental results on the WQCTL verifier.}, author = {Krishnendu Chatterjee and Dasgupta, Pallab and Chakrabarti, Partha P}, journal = {Journal of Automated Reasoning}, number = {2}, pages = {205 -- 232}, publisher = {Springer}, title = {{A branching time temporal framework for quantitative reasoning}}, doi = {10.1023/A:1023217515688}, volume = {30}, year = {2003}, } @phdthesis{3678, author = {Christoph Lampert}, booktitle = {Bonner Mathematische Schriften}, pages = {1 -- 165}, publisher = {Universität Bonn, Fachbibliothek Mathematik}, title = {{The Neumann operator in strictly pseudoconvex domains with weighted Bergman metric }}, volume = {356}, year = {2003}, } @article{3725, abstract = {The combination of high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging and single-molecule force-spectroscopy was employed to unfold single bacteriorhodopsins (BR) from native purple membrane patches at various physiologically relevant temperatures. The unfolding spectra reveal detailed insight into the stability of individual structural elements of BR against mechanical unfolding. Intermittent states in the unfolding process are associated with the stepwise unfolding of alpha-helices, whereas other states are associated with the unfolding of polypeptide loops connecting the alpha-helices. It was found that the unfolding forces of the secondary structures considerably decreased upon increasing the temperature from 8 to 52°C. Associated with this effect, the probability of individual unfolding pathways of BR was significantly influenced by the temperature. At lower temperatures, transmembrane alpha-helices and extracellular polypeptide loops exhibited sufficient stability to individually establish potential barriers against unfolding, whereas they predominantly unfolded collectively at elevated temperatures. This suggests that increasing the temperature decreases the mechanical stability of secondary structural elements and changes molecular interactions between secondary structures, thereby forcing them to act as grouped structures.}, author = {Harald Janovjak and Kessler, Max and Oesterhelt, Dieter and Gaub, Hermann and Mueller, Daniel J}, journal = {EMBO Journal}, number = {19}, pages = {5220 -- 5229}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, title = {{Unfolding pathways of native bacteriorhodopsin depend on temperature}}, doi = {10.1093/emboj/cdg509}, volume = {22}, year = {2003}, } @article{3804, abstract = {Kv3 channels are thought to be essential for the fast-spiking (FS) phenotype in GABAergic interneurons, but how these channels confer the ability to generate action potentials (APs) at high frequency is unknown. To address this question, we developed a fast dynamic-clamp system (approximately 50 kHz) that allowed us to add a Kv3 model conductance to CA1 oriens alveus (OA) interneurons in hippocampal slices. Selective pharmacological block of Kv3 channels by 0.3 mm 4-aminopyridine or 1 mm tetraethylammonium ions led to a marked broadening of APs during trains of short stimuli and a reduction in AP frequency during 1 sec stimuli. The addition of artificial Kv3 conductance restored the original AP pattern. Subtraction of Kv3 conductance by dynamic clamp mimicked the effects of the blockers. Application of artificial Kv3 conductance also led to FS in OA interneurons after complete K+ channel block and even induced FS in hippocampal pyramidal neurons in the absence of blockers. Adding artificial Kv3 conductance with altered deactivation kinetics revealed a nonmonotonic relationship between mean AP frequency and deactivation rate, with a maximum slightly above the original value. Insertion of artificial Kv3 conductance with either lowered activation threshold or inactivation also led to a reduction in the mean AP frequency. However, the mechanisms were distinct. Shifting the activation threshold induced adaptation, whereas adding inactivation caused frequency-dependent AP broadening. In conclusion, Kv3 channels are necessary for the FS phenotype of OA interneurons, and several of their gating properties appear to be optimized for high-frequency repetitive activity.}, author = {Lien, Cheng-Chang and Peter Jonas}, journal = {Journal of Neuroscience}, number = {6}, pages = {2058 -- 68}, publisher = {Society for Neuroscience}, title = {{Kv3 potassium conductance is necessary and kinetically optimized for high-frequency action potential generation in hippocampal interneurons}}, volume = {23}, year = {2003}, } @article{3806, abstract = {To probe exocytosis at a cortical glutamatergic synapse, we made capacitance measurements in whole-cell recorded hippocampal mossy fiber terminals. Evaluation of different methods by using a morphology-based equivalent electrical model revealed that quantitative capacitance measurements are possible in this presynaptic structure. Voltage pulses leading to presynaptic Ca2+ inflow evoked large capacitance signals that showed saturation with increasing pulse duration. The mean peak capacitance increase was 100 fF, corresponding to a pool of approximately 1,400 releasable vesicles. Thus hippocampal mossy fiber synapses have a vesicular "maxipool." Large pool size and rapid vesicle recycling may underlie the uniquely large extent of activity-dependent plasticity in this synapse.}, author = {Hallermann, Stefan and Pawlu, Christian and Peter Jonas and Heckmann, Manfred}, journal = {PNAS}, number = {15}, pages = {8975 -- 80}, publisher = {National Academy of Sciences}, title = {{A large pool of releasable vesicles in a cortical glutamatergic synapse}}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1432836100}, volume = {100}, year = {2003}, } @article{3921, abstract = {Unlike most social insects, many Cardiocondyla ant species have two male morphs: wingless (ergatoid) males, who remain in the natal nest, and winged males who disperse but, strangely, before leaving may also mate within the nest. Whereas ergatoid males are highly intolerant of each other and fight among themselves, they tend to tolerate their winged counterparts. This is despite the fact that these winged males, like ergatoid males, represent mating competition. Why should ergatoid males tolerate their winged rivals? We developed a mathematical model to address this question. Our model focuses on a number of factors likely toinfluence whether ergatoid males are tolerant of winged males: ergatoid male–winged male relatedness, number of virgin queens, number of winged males, and the number of ejaculates a winged male has (winged males are sperm limited, whereas ergatoid males have lifelong spermatogenesis). Surprisingly, we found that increasing the number of virgin queens favors a kill strategy, whereas an increase in the other factors favors a let-live strategy; these predictions appear true for C. obscurior and for a number of other Cardiocondyla species. Two further aspects, unequal insemination success and multiple mating in queens, were also incorporated into the model and predictions made about their effects on toleration of winged males. The model is applicable more generally in species that have dimorphic males, such as some other ants, bees, and fig wasps.}, author = {Anderson, Carl and Cremer, Sylvia and Heinze, Jürgen}, journal = {Behavioral Ecology}, number = {1}, pages = {54 -- 62}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{Live and let die: Why fighter males of the ant Cardiocondyla kill each other but tolerate their winged rivals}}, doi = {10.1093/beheco/14.1.54}, volume = {14}, year = {2003}, } @article{3922, abstract = {Dispersal is advantageous, but, at the same time, it implies high costs and risks. Due to these counteracting selection pressures, many species evolved dispersal polymorphisms, which, in ants, are typically restricted to the female sex (queens). Male polymorphism is presently only known from a few genera, such as Cardiocondyla, in which winged dispersing males coexist with wingless fighter males that mate exclusively inside their maternal nests. We studied the developmental mechanisms underlying these alternative male morphs and found that, first, male dimorphism is not genetically determined, but is induced by environmental conditions (decreasing temperature and density). Second, male morph is not yet fixed at the egg stage, but it differentiates during larval development. This flexible developmental pattern of male morphs allows Cardiocondyla ant colonies to react quickly to changes in their environment. Under good conditions, they invest exclusively in philopatric wingless males. But, when environmental conditions turn bad, colonies start to produce winged dispersal males, even though these males require a many times higher investment by the colony than their much smaller wingless counterparts. Cardiocondyla ants share this potential of optimal resource allocation with other colonial animals and some seed dimorphic plants.}, author = {Cremer, Sylvia and Heinze, Jürgen}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {3}, pages = {219 -- 223}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Stress grows wings: Environmental induction of winged dispersal males in Cardiocondyla ants}}, doi = {10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00012-5}, volume = {13}, year = {2003}, } @article{3917, abstract = {Male dimorphism is not genetically determined, but is induced by environmental conditions particularly decreasing temperature and density.}, author = {Cremer, Sylvia and Heinze, Jürgen}, journal = {Blick in die Wissenschaft}, number = {15}, pages = {32 -- 36}, publisher = {Schnell und Steiner}, title = {{Zwischen Hochzeitsflug und Brudermord: reproduktive Taktiken bei Ameisenmännchen}}, volume = {12}, year = {2003}, } @phdthesis{4416, abstract = {Methods for the formal specification and verification of systems are indispensible for the development of complex yet correct systems. In formal verification, the designer describes the system in a modeling language with a well-defined semantics, and this system description is analyzed against a set of correctness requirements. Model checking is an algorithmic technique to check that a system description indeed satisfies correctness requirements given as logical specifications. While successful in hardware verification, the potential for model checking for software and embedded systems has not yet been realized. This is because traditional model checking focuses on systems modeled as finite state-transition graphs. While a natural model for hardware (especially synchronous hardware), state-transition graphs often do not capture software and embedded systems at an appropriate level of granularity. This dissertation considers two orthogonal extensions to finite state-transition graphs making model checking techniques applicable to both a wider class of systems and a wider class of properties. The first direction is an extension to infinite-state structures finitely represented using constraints and operations on constraints. Infinite state arises when we wish to model variables with unbounded range (e.g., integers), or data structures, or real time. We provide a uniform framework of symbolic region algebras to study model checking of infinite-state systems. We also provide sufficient language-independent termination conditions for symbolic model checking algorithms on infinite state systems. The second direction supplements verification with game theoretic reasoning. Games are natural models for interactions between components. We study game theoretic behavior with winning conditions given by temporal logic objectives both in the deterministic and in the probabilistic context. For deterministic games, we provide an extremal model characterization of fixpoint algorithms that link solutions of verification problems to solutions for games. For probabilistic games we study fixpoint characterization of winning probabilities for games with omega-regular winning objectives, and construct (epsilon-)optimal winning strategies.}, author = {Majumdar, Ritankar}, pages = {1 -- 201}, publisher = {University of California, Berkeley}, title = {{Symbolic algorithms for verification and control}}, year = {2003}, } @phdthesis{4425, abstract = {Giotto provides a time-triggered programmer’s model for the implementation of embedded control systems with hard real-time constraints. Giotto’s precise semantics and predictabil- ity make it suitable for safety-critical applications. Giotto is based around the idea that time-triggered task invocation together with time-triggered mode switching can form a useful programming model for real-time systems. To substantiate this claim, we describe the use of Giotto to refactor the software of a small, autonomous helicopter. The ease with which Giotto expresses the existing software provides evidence that Giotto is an appropriate programming language for control systems. Since Giotto is a real-time programming language, ensuring that Giotto programs meet their deadlines is crucial. To study precedence-constrained Giotto scheduling, we first examine single-mode, single-processor scheduling. We extend to an infinite, periodic setting the classical problem of meeting deadlines for a set of tasks with release times, deadlines, precedence constraints, and preemption. We then develop an algorithm for scheduling Giotto programs on a single processor by representing Giotto programs as instances of the extended scheduling problem. Next, we study multi-mode, single-processor Giotto scheduling. This problem is different from classical scheduling problems, since in our precedence-constrained approach, the deadlines of tasks may vary depending on the mode switching behavior of the program. We present conditional scheduling models which capture this varying-deadline behavior. We develop polynomial-time algorithms for some conditional scheduling models, and prove oth- ers to be computationally hard. We show how to represent multi-mode Giotto programs as instances of the model, resulting in an algorithm for scheduling multi-mode Giotto programs on a single processor. Finally, we show that the problem of scheduling Giotto programs for multiple net- worked processors is strongly NP-hard.}, author = {Horowitz, Benjamin}, pages = {1 -- 237}, publisher = {University of California, Berkeley}, title = {{Giotto: A time-triggered language for embedded programming}}, year = {2003}, } @article{576, abstract = {We study the free expansion of a pancake-shaped Bose-condensed gas, which is initially trapped under harmonic confinement and containing a vortex at its centre. In the case of a radial expansion holding the axial confinement fixed we consider various models for the interactions, depending on the thickness of the condensate relative to the value of the scattering length. We are thus able to evaluate different scattering regimes ranging from quasi-three-dimensional (Q3D) to strictly two-dimensional (2D). We find that as the system goes from Q3D to 2D the expansion rate of the condensate increases whereas that of the vortex core decreases. In the Q3D scattering regime we also examine a fully free expansion in 3D and find oscillatory behaviour for the vortex core radius: an initial fast expansion of the vortex core is followed by a slowing down. Such a nonuniform expansion rate of the vortex core implies that the timing of its observation should be chosen appropriately.}, author = {Onur Hosten and Vignolo, Patrizia and Minguzzi, Anna and Tanatar, Bilal and Tosi, Mario P}, journal = {Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics}, number = {12}, pages = {2455 -- 2463}, publisher = {IOP Publishing Ltd.}, title = {{Free expansion of two-dimensional condensates with a vortex}}, doi = {10.1088/0953-4075/36/12/306}, volume = {36}, year = {2003}, } @article{6156, abstract = {Social and solitary feeding in natural Caenorhabditis elegans isolates are associated with two alleles of the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) NPR-1: social feeders contain NPR-1 215F, whereas solitary feeders contain NPR-1 215V. Here we identify FMRFamide-related neuropeptides (FaRPs) encoded by the flp-18 and flp-21 genes as NPR-1 ligands and show that these peptides can differentially activate the NPR-1 215F and NPR-1 215V receptors. Multicopy overexpression of flp-21 transformed wild social animals into solitary feeders. Conversely, a flp-21 deletion partially phenocopied the npr-1(null) phenotype, which is consistent with NPR-1 activation by FLP-21 in vivo but also implicates other ligands for NPR-1. Phylogenetic studies indicate that the dominant npr-1 215V allele likely arose from an ancestral npr-1 215F gene in C. elegans. Our data suggest a model in which solitary feeding evolved in an ancestral social strain of C. elegans by a gain-of-function mutation that modified the response of NPR-1 to FLP-18 and FLP-21 ligands.}, author = {Rogers, Candida and Reale, Vincenzina and Kim, Kyuhyung and Chatwin, Heather and Li, Chris and Evans, Peter and de Bono, Mario}, issn = {1097-6256}, journal = {Nature Neuroscience}, number = {11}, pages = {1178--1185}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Inhibition of Caenorhabditis elegans social feeding by FMRFamide-related peptide activation of NPR-1}}, doi = {10.1038/nn1140}, volume = {6}, year = {2003}, } @article{6157, abstract = {In many animal species individuals aggregate to live in groups. A range of experimental approaches in different animals, including studies of social feeding in nematodes, maternal behavior in rats and sheep, and pair-bonding in voles, are providing insights into the neural bases for these behaviors. These studies are delineating multiple neural circuits and gene networks in the brain that interact in ways that are as yet poorly understood to coordinate social behavior.}, author = {de Bono, Mario}, issn = {0022-3034}, journal = {Journal of Neurobiology}, number = {1}, pages = {78--92}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Molecular approaches to aggregation behavior and social attachment}}, doi = {10.1002/neu.10162}, volume = {54}, year = {2003}, } @article{847, abstract = {The accumulation of genome-wide information on single nucleotide polymorphisms in humans provides an unprecedented opportunity to detect the evolutionary forces responsible for heterogeneity of the level of genetic variability across loci. Previous studies have shown that history of recombination events has produced long haplotype blocks in the human genome, which contribute to this heterogeneity. Other factors, however, such as natural selection or the heterogeneity of mutation rates across loci, may also lead to heterogeneity of genetic variability. We compared synonymous and non-synonymous variability within human genes with their divergence from murine orthologs. We separately analyzed the non-synonymous variants predicted to damage protein structure or function and the variants predicted to be functionally benign. The predictions were based on comparative sequence analysis and, in some cases, on the analysis of protein structure. A strong correlation between non-synonymous, benign variability and non-synonymous human-mouse divergence suggests that selection played an important role in shaping the pattern of variability in coding regions of human genes. However, the lack of correlation between deleterious variability and evolutionary divergence shows that a substantial proportion of the observed non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms reduces fitness and never reaches fixation. Evolutionary and medical implications of the impact of selection on human polymorphisms are discussed.}, author = {Sunyaev, Shamil R and Fyodor Kondrashov and Bork, Peer and Ramensky, Vasily}, journal = {Human Molecular Genetics}, number = {24}, pages = {3325 -- 3330}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{Impact of selection, mutation rate and genetic drift on human genetic variation}}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddg359}, volume = {12}, year = {2003}, } @article{876, abstract = {Alternative splicing is thought to be a major source of functional diversity in animal proteins. We analyzed the evolutionary conservation of proteins encoded by alternatively spliced genes and predicted the ancestral state for 73 cases of alternative splicing (25 insertions and 48 deletions). The amino acid sequences of most of the inserts in proteins produced by alternative splicing are as conserved as the surrounding sequences. Thus, alternative splicing often creates novel isoforms by the insertion of new, functional protein sequences that probably originated from noncoding sequences of introns.}, author = {Fyodor Kondrashov and Koonin, Eugene V}, journal = {Trends in Genetics}, number = {3}, pages = {115 -- 119}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Evolution of alternative splicing: Deletions, insertions and origin of functional parts of proteins from intron sequences}}, doi = {10.1016/S0168-9525(02)00029-X}, volume = {19}, year = {2003}, } @article{9495, abstract = {RNA interference is a conserved process in which double-stranded RNA is processed into 21–25 nucleotide siRNAs that trigger posttranscriptional gene silencing. In addition, plants display a phenomenon termed RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in which DNA with sequence identity to silenced RNA is de novo methylated at its cytosine residues. This methylation is not only at canonical CpG sites but also at cytosines in CpNpG and asymmetric sequence contexts. In this report, we study the role of the DRM and CMT3 DNA methyltransferase genes in the initiation and maintenance of RdDM. Neither drm nor cmt3 mutants affected the maintenance of preestablished RNA-directed CpG methylation. However, drm mutants showed a nearly complete loss of asymmetric methylation and a partial loss of CpNpG methylation. The remaining asymmetric and CpNpG methylation was dependent on the activity of CMT3, showing that DRM and CMT3 act redundantly to maintain non-CpG methylation. These DNA methyltransferases appear to act downstream of siRNAs, since drm1 drm2 cmt3 triple mutants show a lack of non-CpG methylation but elevated levels of siRNAs. Finally, we demonstrate that DRM activity is required for the initial establishment of RdDM in all sequence contexts including CpG, CpNpG, and asymmetric sites.}, author = {Cao, Xiaofeng and Aufsatz, Werner and Zilberman, Daniel and Mette, M.Florian and Huang, Michael S. and Matzke, Marjori and Jacobsen, Steven E.}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {24}, pages = {2212--2217}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Role of the DRM and CMT3 methyltransferases in RNA-directed DNA methylation}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2003.11.052}, volume = {13}, year = {2003}, } @article{8519, author = {Kaloshin, Vadim}, issn = {0020-9910}, journal = {Inventiones mathematicae}, keywords = {General Mathematics}, number = {3}, pages = {451--512}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{The existential Hilbert 16-th problem and an estimate for cyclicity of elementary polycycles}}, doi = {10.1007/s00222-002-0244-9}, volume = {151}, year = {2003}, }