strip

We investigate how the complexity of Euclidean TSP for point sets $P$ inside the strip $(-\infty,+\infty)\times [0,\delta]$ depends on the strip width $\delta$. We obtain two main results. First, for the case where the points have distinct integer $x$-coordinates, we prove that a shortest bitonic tour (which can be computed in $O(n\log^2 n)$ time using an existing algorithm) is guaranteed to be a shortest tour overall when $\delta\leq 2\sqrt{2}$, a bound which is best possible. Second, we present an algorithm that is fixed-parameter tractable with respect to $\delta$. More precisely, our algorithm has running time $2^{O(\sqrt{\delta})} n^2$ for sparse point sets, where each $1\times\delta$ rectangle inside the strip contains $O(1)$ points. For random point sets, where the points are chosen uniformly at random from the rectangle~$[0,n]\times [0,\delta]$, it has an expected running time of $2^{O(\sqrt{\delta})} n^2 + O(n^3)$

МЕХАНІЗМ ФІНАНСОВОГО КОНТРОЛЮ ЗА РОЗПОДІЛОМ БЮДЖЕТНИХ КОШТІВ ЗАЛЕЖНО ВІД РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ НАУКОВОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ЗАКЛАДУ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ

The article proposes a mechanism for financial control over the allocation of budget funds, depending on the results of the scientific activity of a higher education institution (HEI) and its structure, which includes: the purpose and objectives of the mechanism; objects and entities of the mechanism; the basic principles on which the mechanism is based; types of ensuring the implementation of the mechanism; impact levers and tools for implementing the mechanism; methodological approaches to the evaluation of the results of scientific activity; measures of financial control over the allocation of budgetary funds. The concept of «mechanism of financial control over the allocation of budgetary resources depending on the results of scientific activity of a higher education institution» is introduced, which proposes to understand the system of measures and methods of influence of state financial control on the activity of higher education institutions in order to increase the efficiency of spending of budgetary funds by deciding on financing. HEI based on the results of scientific research. It is stated that the main directions of ensuring the functioning of the mechanism of financial control over the allocation of budget funds, depending on the results of scientific activity of the institution of higher education are: legal, regulatory and information. The main levers of influence on the functioning of the proposed mechanism have been systematized: licensing of a specialty, which will be used for the preparation of applicants for higher education; accreditation of educational programs in specialties; state certification of HEI depending on the results of scientific activity; allocation of budgetary funds depending on the results of the state certification of the HEI. The instruments of implementation of the mechanism of financial control over the allocation of budget funds, depending on the results of the scientific activity of the HEI include: financial control; state financial audit; IT audit. The mechanism of carrying out an IT audit of the results of the scientific activity of HEI is proposed by searching for information on the results of the scientific activity of employees and comparing it with the information of the HEI, submitted in the application for state certification in the part of carrying out scientific (scientific and technical) activity.Запропоновано механізм фінансового контролю за розподілом бюджетних коштів залежно від результатів наукової діяльності закладу вищої освіти (ЗВО) і його структуру, яка включає: мету і завдання механізму; об’єкти і суб’єкти механізму; основні принцип, на яких ґрунтується механізм; види забезпечення реалізації механізму; важелі впливу та інструменти реалізації механізму; методичні підходи до оцінювання результатів наукової діяльності; заходи фінансового контролю за розподілом бюджетних коштів. Введено поняття «механізм фінансового контролю за розподілом бюджетних коштів залежно від результатів наукової діяльності закладу вищої освіти», під яким пропонуємо розуміти систему заходів і методів впливу державного фінансового контролю на діяльність закладів вищої освіти з метою підвищення ефективності витрачання бюджетних коштів шляхом ухвалення рішення про фінансування ЗВО на основі результатів проведених наукових досліджень. Зазначено, що основними напрямами забезпечення функціонування механізму фінансового контролю за розподілом бюджетних коштів залежно від результатів наукової діяльності закладу вищої освіти є: правовий, нормативний та інформаційний. Систематизовано основні важелі впливу на функціонування запропонованого механізму: ліцензування спеціальності, за якою буде проводитись підготовка здобувачів вищої освіти; акредитація освітніх програм за спеціальностями; державна атестація ЗВО залежно від результатів наукової діяльності; розподіл бюджетних коштів залежно від результатів державної атестації ЗВО. До інструментів реалізації механізму фінансового контролю за розподілом бюджетних коштів залежно від результатів наукової діяльності ЗВО віднесено: фінансовий контроль; державний фінансовий аудит; ІТ-аудит. Запропоновано механізм проведення ІТ-аудиту результатів наукової діяльності ЗВО шляхом пошуку інформації про результати наукової діяльності працівників та її порівняння з інформацією ЗВО, поданою у заявці на проходження державної атестації в частині провадження ним наукової (науково-технічної) діяльності

Presynaptic BK channel localization is dependent on the hierarchical organization of alpha-catulin and dystrobrevin and fine-tuned by CaV2 calcium channels

BACKGROUND: Large conductance, calcium-activated BK channels regulate many important physiological processes, including smooth muscle excitation, hormone release and synaptic transmission. The biological roles of these channels hinge on their unique ability to respond synergistically to both voltage and cytosolic calcium elevations. Because calcium influx is meticulously regulated both spatially and temporally, the localization of BK channels near calcium channels is critical for their proper function. However, the mechanism underlying BK channel localization near calcium channels is not fully understood. RESULTS: We show here that in C. elegans the localization of SLO-1/BK channels to presynaptic terminals, where UNC-2/CaV2 calcium channels regulate neurotransmitter release, is controlled by the hierarchical organization of CTN-1/alpha-catulin and DYB-1/dystrobrevin, two proteins that interact with cortical cytoskeletal proteins. CTN-1 organizes a macromolecular SLO-1 channel complex at presynaptic terminals by direct physical interaction. DYB-1 contributes to the maintenance or stabilization of the complex at presynaptic terminals by interacting with CTN-1. We also show that SLO-1 channels are functionally coupled with UNC-2 calcium channels, and that normal localization of SLO-1 to presynaptic terminals requires UNC-2. In the absence of UNC-2, SLO-1 clusters lose the localization specificity, thus accumulating inside and outside of presynaptic terminals. Moreover, CTN-1 is also similarly localized in unc-2 mutants, consistent with the direct interaction between CTN-1 and SLO-1. However, localization of UNC-2 at the presynaptic terminals is not dependent on either CTN-1 or SLO-1. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that the absence of UNC-2 indirectly influences SLO-1 localization via the reorganization of cytoskeletal proteins. CONCLUSION: CTN-1 and DYB-1, which interact with cortical cytoskeletal proteins, are required for the presynaptic punctate localization of SLO-1 in a hierarchical manner. In addition, UNC-2 calcium channels indirectly control the fidelity of SLO-1 puncta localization at presynaptic terminals. We suggest that the absence of UNC-2 leads to the reorganization of the cytoskeletal structure that includes CTN-1, which in turn influences SLO-1 puncta localization

CoPub update: CoPub 5.0 a text mining system to answer biological questions

In this article, we present CoPub 5.0, a publicly available text mining system, which uses Medline abstracts to calculate robust statistics for keyword co-occurrences. CoPub was initially developed for the analysis of microarray data, but we broadened the scope by implementing new technology and new thesauri. In CoPub 5.0, we integrated existing CoPub technology with new features, and provided a new advanced interface, which can be used to answer a variety of biological questions. CoPub 5.0 allows searching for keywords of interest and its relations to curated thesauri and provides highlighting and sorting mechanisms, using its statistics, to retrieve the most important abstracts in which the terms co-occur. It also provides a way to search for indirect relations between genes, drugs, pathways and diseases, following an ABC principle, in which A and C have no direct connection but are connected via shared B intermediates. With CoPub 5.0, it is possible to create, annotate and analyze networks using the layout and highlight options of Cytoscape web, allowing for literature based systems biology. Finally, operations of the CoPub 5.0 Web service enable to implement the CoPub technology in bioinformatics workflows. CoPub 5.0 can be accessed through the CoPub portal http://www.copub.org

Distinct neuropeptide-receptor modules regulate a sex-specific behavioral response to a pheromone

Dioecious species are a hallmark of the animal kingdom, with opposing sexes responding differently to identical sensory cues. Here, we study the response of C. elegans to the small-molecule pheromone, ascr#8, which elicits opposing behavioral valences in each sex. We identify a novel neuropeptide-neuropeptide receptor (NP/NPR) module that is active in males, but not in hermaphrodites. Using a novel paradigm of neuropeptide rescue that we established, we leverage bacterial expression of individual peptides to rescue the sex-specific response to ascr#8. Concurrent biochemical studies confirmed individual FLP-3 peptides differentially activate two divergent receptors, NPR-10 and FRPR-16. Interestingly, the two of the peptides that rescued behavior in our feeding paradigm are related through a conserved threonine, suggesting that a specific NP/NPR combination sets a male state, driving the correct behavioral valence of the ascr#8 response. Receptor expression within pre-motor neurons reveals novel coordination of male-specific and core locomotory circuitries

Bmi-1 dependence distinguishes neural stem cell self-renewal from progenitor proliferation

Stem cells persist throughout life by self-renewing in numerous tissues including the central(1) and peripheral(2) nervous systems. This raises the issue of whether there is a conserved mechanism to effect self-renewing divisions. Deficiency in the polycomb family transcriptional repressor Bmi-1 leads to progressive postnatal growth retardation and neurological defects(3). Here we show that Bmi-1 is required for the self-renewal of stem cells in the peripheral and central nervous systems but not for their survival or differentiation. The reduced self-renewal of Bmi-1-deficient neural stem cells leads to their postnatal depletion. In the absence of Bmi-1, the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor gene p16(Ink4a) is upregulated in neural stem cells, reducing the rate of proliferation. p16(Ink4a) deficiency partially reverses the self-renewal defect in Bmi-1(-/-) neural stem cells. This conserved requirement for Bmi-1 to promote self-renewal and to repress p16(Ink4a) expression suggests that a common mechanism regulates the self-renewal and postnatal persistence of diverse types of stem cell. Restricted neural progenitors from the gut and forebrain proliferate normally in the absence of Bmi-1. Thus, Bmi-1 dependence distinguishes stem cell self-renewal from restricted progenitor proliferation in these tissues.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62726/1/nature02060.pd

RegPredict: an integrated system for regulon inference in prokaryotes by comparative genomics approach

RegPredict web server is designed to provide comparative genomics tools for reconstruction and analysis of microbial regulons using comparative genomics approach. The server allows the user to rapidly generate reference sets of regulons and regulatory motif profiles in a group of prokaryotic genomes. The new concept of a cluster of co-regulated orthologous operons allows the user to distribute the analysis of large regulons and to perform the comparative analysis of multiple clusters independently. Two major workflows currently implemented in RegPredict are: (i) regulon reconstruction for a known regulatory motif and (ii) ab initio inference of a novel regulon using several scenarios for the generation of starting gene sets. RegPredict provides a comprehensive collection of manually curated positional weight matrices of regulatory motifs. It is based on genomic sequences, ortholog and operon predictions from the MicrobesOnline. An interactive web interface of RegPredict integrates and presents diverse genomic and functional information about the candidate regulon members from several web resources. RegPredict is freely accessible at http://regpredict.lbl.gov

Financial crises and the attainment of the SDGs: an adjusted multidimensional poverty approach

This paper analyses the impact of financial crises on the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty. To do so, we develop an adjusted Multidimensional Poverty Framework (MPF) that includes 15 indicators that span across key poverty aspects related to income, basic needs, health, education and the environment. We then use an econometric model that allows us to examine the impact of financial crises on these indicators in 150 countries over the period 1980–2015. Our analysis produces new estimates on the impact of financial crises on poverty’s multiple social, economic and environmental aspects and equally important captures dynamic linkages between these aspects. Thus, we offer a better understanding of the potential impact of current debt dynamics on Multidimensional Poverty and demonstrate the need to move beyond the boundaries of SDG1, if we are to meet the target of eradicating poverty. Our results indicate that the current financial distress experienced by many low-income countries may reverse the progress that has been made hitherto in reducing poverty. We find that financial crises are associated with an approximately 10% increase of extreme poor in low-income countries. The impact is even stronger in some other poverty aspects. For instance, crises are associated with an average decrease of government spending in education by 17.72% in low-income countries. The dynamic linkages between most of the Multidimensional Poverty indicators, warn of a negative domino effect on a number of SDGs related to poverty, if there is a financial crisis shock. To pre-empt such a domino effect, the specific SDG target 17.4 on attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies plays a key role and requires urgent attention by the international community

ВПЛИВ ФІНАНСОВОЇ КРИЗИ В УКРАЇНІ 2014—2015 РОКІВ НА РІВЕНЬ ФІНАНСОВОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ БАНКІВ

It has been determined that commercial banks operate in a complex operational environment, which is due to the influence of a number of factors of political, social, economic, which are largely unpredictable and destructive. It is substantiated that external key parameters through which the influence on the process of providing financial security of banks is mediated. The relationship between the size of the rate of mandatory reserve requirements and the level of financial security of the bank is researched. The analysis of the state of assets, liabilities and equity capital by groups of banks during 2012—2016. The role of the central bank in regulating the activities of banks in order to ensure their financial security has been determined. The expediency of imposing sanctions on carrying out of any financial operations of banks with Russian capital in favor of parent structures was substantiated. The key problems that restrain the process of providing financial security of banks in terms of their functional components (capital-resource security, credit-investment, currency and safe level of incomes and expenditures) are determined. The methodical approach to the rating of banks estimation on the level of their financial security is offered on the basis of the analysis of indicators The stimulator / disintegrators of the analyzed banks is based on the rating rating of the bank according to the level of its financial security on the basis of comparison of j-th KB with the «standard» — the bank which The best results for each indicator are the maximum values for stimulators and the minimum for disinfectants. The rating is defined as the arithmetic mean of standardized indicators summed up in the matrix of key indicators. The necessity of grouping the analyzed banks according to their financial security level has been proved. Using the method of grouping of research objects is substantiated as an instrument for streamlining the analyzed banks. It is determined empirically, taking into account qualitative, non-formalized characteristics of four groups of banks for the p vnem their financial security (with a high level of financial security, sufficient, low and critical).Визначено, що комерційні банки функціонують у складному операційному середовищі, а це зумовлено впливом низки факторів політичних, соціальних, економічних, що здебільшого є малопрогнозованими і деструктивними. Обґрунтовано зовнішні ключові параметри, через які опосередковується вплив на процес забезпечення фінансової безпеки банків. Досліджено взаємозв’язок між розміром ставки нормативів обов’язкового резервування і рівнем фінансової безпеки банку. Проаналізовано стан активів, зобов’язань і власного капіталу за групами банків упродовж 2012—2016 рр.. Визначено роль центрального банку в регулюванні діяльності банків щодо забезпечення їхньої фінансової безпеки. Обґрунтовано доцільність запровадження НБУ санкцій на проведення будь-яких фінансових операцій банків із російським капіталом на користь материнських структур. Визначено ключові проблеми, які стримують процес забезпечення фінансової безпеки банків у розрізі і функціональних складових (капітало-ресурсної безпеки, кредитно-інвестиційної, валютної та безпечного рівня доходів і витрат. Запропоновано методичний підхід до рейтингової оцінки банків за рівнем їхньої фінансової безпеки на основі аналізу показників-стимуляторів / дестимуляторів аналізованих банків. Обґрунтовано проведення рейтингової оцінки банку за рівнем його фінансової безпеки на основі порівняння j-го КБ з «еталоном» — банком, який має найкращі результати щодо кожного показника — максимальні значення для стимуляторів і мінімальні — для дестимуляторів. Рейтинг визначено як середнє арифметичне стандартизованих показників, зведених у матрицю ключових показників. Доведено необхідність групування аналізованих банків за рівнем їхньої фінансової безпеки. Обґрунтовано використання методу групування об’єктів дослідження як інструменту упорядкування аналізованих банків. Визначено емпіричним шляхом з обліком якісних, неформалізованих характеристик чотири групи банків за рівнем їхньої фінансової безпеки (з високим рівнем фінансової безпеки, достатнім, низьким і критичним)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging-targeted Prostate Biopsy Compared with Systematic Prostate Biopsy in Biopsy-naïve Patients with Suspected Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND: It remains uncertain whether transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided systematic biopsies can be omitted and rely solely on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging–targeted biopsies (MRI-TBx) in biopsy-naïve men suspected of prostate cancer (PCa). OBJECTIVE: To compare PCa detection in biopsy-naïve men between systematic biopsy and MRI-TBx. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a Dutch teaching hospital. Consecutive patients with suspected PCa, no history of biopsy, and no clinical suspicion of metastasis underwent both TRUS-guided systematic biopsies and MRI-TBx by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-ultrasound fusion, including sham biopsies in case of negative mpMRI. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Clinically significant PCa (csPCa), defined as group ≥2 on the International Society of Urological Pathology grading, was detected. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The overall prevalence of csPCa, irrespective of biopsy technique, was 37.4% (132/353) in our population. MRI-TBx were performed in 263/353 (74.5%) patients with suspicious mpMRI (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System [PI-RADS] ≥3). The detection rates for csPCa were 39.5% for MRI-TBx and 42.9% for systematic biopsies. The added values, defined as the additional percentages of patients with csPCa detected by adding one biopsy technique, were 8.7% for the systematic biopsies and 5.3% for MRI-TBx. In patients with nonsuspicious mpMRI, five cases (6%) of csPCa were found by systematic biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: This study in biopsy-naïve patients suspected for PCa showed that systematic biopsies have added value to MRI-TBx alone in patients with mpMRI PI-RADS >2. PATIENT SUMMARY: We studied magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided prostate biopsy for diagnosing prostate cancer and compared it with the standard method of prostate biopsy. Standard systematic biopsies cannot be omitted in patients with suspicious MRI, as they add to the detection of significant prostate cancer