PhysBinder : improving the prediction of transcription factor binding sites by flexible inclusion of biophysical properties

The most important mechanism in the regulation of transcription is the binding of a transcription factor (TF) to a DNA sequence called the TF binding site (TFBS). Most binding sites are short and degenerate, which makes predictions based on their primary sequence alone somewhat unreliable. We present a new web tool that implements a flexible and extensible algorithm for predicting TFBS. The algorithm makes use of both direct (the sequence) and several indirect readout features of protein-DNA complexes (biophysical properties such as bendability or the solvent-excluded surface of the DNA). This algorithm significantly outperforms state-of-the-art approaches for in silico identification of TFBS. Users can submit FASTA sequences for analysis in the PhysBinder integrative algorithm and choose from >60 different TF-binding models. The results of this analysis can be used to plan and steer wet-lab experiments. The PhysBinder web tool is freely available at http://bioit.dmbr.ugent.be/physbinder/index.php

Paragangliomas and paraganglioma syndromes

Paragangliomas are rare tumors of neural crest origin. They are benign in the majority of cases and are characterized by a strong vascularisation

FROM TRADITIONAL TO INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES FOR INERTIAL BODY MOTION CAPTURE

Inertial motion capture (mocap) is a widespread technology for capturing human motion outside the lab, e.g. for applications in sports, ergonomics, rehabilitation and personal fitness. Even though mature systems are commercially available, inertial mocap is still a subject of research due to a number of limitations: besides measurement errors and sparsity, also simplified body models and calibration routines, soft tissue artefacts and varying body shapes lead to limited precision and robustness compared to optical gold standard systems. The goal of the research group wearHEALTH at the TU Kaiserslautern is to tackle these challenges by bringing together ideas and approaches from different disciplines including biomechanics, sensor fusion, computer vision and (optimal control) simulation. In this talk, we will present an overview of our approaches and applications, starting from the more traditional ones

Many Facets of Strangeness Nuclear Physics with Stored Antiprotons

Stored antiprotons beams in the GeV range represent a unparalleled factory for hyperon-antihyperon pairs. Their outstanding large production probability in antiproton collisions will open the floodgates for a series of new studies of strange hadronic systems with unprecedented precision. The behavior of hyperons and -- for the first time -- of antihyperons in nuclear systems can be studied under well controlled conditions. The exclusive production of $\Lambda\bar{\Lambda}$ and $\Sigma^-\bar{\Lambda}$ pairs in antiproton-nucleus interactions probe the neutron and proton distribution in the nuclear periphery and will help to sample the neutron skin. For the first time, high resolution $\gamma$-spectroscopy of doubly strange nuclei will be performed, thus complementing measurements of ground state decays of double hypernuclei with mesons beams at J-PARC or possible decays of particle unstable hypernuclei in heavy ion reactions. High resolution spectroscopy of multistrange $\Xi$-atoms are feasible and even the production of $\Omega^-$-atoms will be within reach. The latter might open the door to the $|s|$=3 world in strangeness nuclear physics, by the study of the hadronic $\Omega^-$-nucleus interaction and the very first measurement of a spectroscopic quadrupole moment of a baryon which will be a benchmark test for our understanding of hadron structure.Comment: Proceddings of HYP201

Le développement durable dans la gouvernance de projets fédéraux au Canada: application à un projet de véhicule lunaire électrique

La contribution importante des humains au dérèglement du climat mondial est reconnue.Le développement durable est alors devenu un impératif pour bon nombre de gouvernements. Au Canada, le gouvernement fédéral a mis en œuvre une approche coordonnée de développement durable. Un projet potentiel émanant de l’Agence spatiale canadienne envisage la construction d’un véhicule lunaire électrique avec des retombées pour l’accélération de l’innovation vers le transport électrique terrestre. L’Agence spatiale a participé à un processus de feuille de route technologique sur les véhicules électriques, a financé l’élaboration d’un répertoire de ressources en mobilité électrique et elle continue de jouer un rôle important dans un groupe interministériel informel qui étudie les collaborations possibles pour mener à bien le projet en question. Ce nouveau mode de gestion de projets est accompagné par la nécessité de s’ouvrir à des formules novatrices de gouvernance. L’analyse des partenariats actuels et potentiels en vue du projet de véhicule lunaire, ainsi que du contexte fédéral de développement durable, surtout en ce qui a trait aux sciences et à la technologie, révèle que le projet est bien placé pour contribuer au cheminement vers cette nouvelle gouvernance

Antihyperon potentials in nuclei via exclusive antiproton-nucleus reactions

The exclusive production of hyperon-antihyperon pairs close to their production threshold in antiproton - nucleus collisions offers a unique and hitherto unexplored opportunity to elucidate the behaviour of antihyperons in nuclei. For the first time we analyse these reactions in a microscopic transport model using the the Gie\ss en Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model. The calculation take the delicate interplay between the strong absorption of antihyperons, their rescattering and refraction at the nuclear surface as well as the Fermi motion of the struck nucleon into account. We find a substantial sensitivity of transverse momentum correlations of coincident $\Lambda\overline{\Lambda}$-pairs to the assumed depth of the $\overline{\Lambda}$-potential. Because of the high cross section for this process and the simplicity of the experimental method our results are highly relevant for future activities at the international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR)