Auxin regulates SCFTIR1-dependent degradation of AUX/IAA proteins

The plant hormone auxin is central in many aspects of plant development. Previous studies have implicated the ubiquitin-ligase SCFTIR1 and the AUX/IAA proteins in auxin response. Dominant mutations in several AUX/IAA genes confer pleiotropic auxin-related phenotypes, whereas recessive mutations affecting the function of SCFTIR1 decrease auxin response. Here we show that SCFTIR1 is required for AUX/IAA degradation. We demonstrate that SCFTIR1 interacts with AXR2/IAA7 and AXR3/IAA17, and that domain II of these proteins is necessary and sufficient for this interaction. Further, auxin stimulates binding of SCFTIR1 to the AUX/IAA proteins, and their degradation. Because domain II is conserved in nearly all AUX/IAA proteins in Arabidopsis, we propose that auxin promotes the degradation of this large family of transcriptional regulators, leading to diverse downstream effects

Analysis and acoustooptical measurements of bulk and surface acoustic wave fields

The development of multielement ultrasonic transducers having full field amplitude and phase control is discussed. In addition, the measurement of the surface particle displacement caused by an idealized impulse load on the surface, the three dimensional mapping of acoustic fields using optical scanning techniques, and the measurement of two dimensional stress distributions using embedded optical fiber sensors are addressed

Tele-operated high speed anthropomorphic dextrous hands with object shape and texture identification

This paper reports on the development of two number of robotic hands have been developed which focus on tele-operated high speed anthropomorphic dextrous robotic hands. The aim of developing these hands was to achieve a system that seamlessly interfaced between humans and robots. To provide sensory feedback, to a remote operator tactile sensors were developed to be mounted on the robotic hands. Two systems were developed, the first, being a skin sensor capable of shape reconstruction placed on the palm of the hand to feed back the shape of objects grasped and the second is a highly sensitive tactile array for surface texture identification

SQCD: A Geometric Apercu

We take new algebraic and geometric perspectives on the old subject of SQCD. We count chiral gauge invariant operators using generating functions, or Hilbert series, derived from the plethystic programme and the Molien-Weyl formula. Using the character expansion technique, we also see how the global symmetries are encoded in the generating functions. Equipped with these methods and techniques of algorithmic algebraic geometry, we obtain the character expansions for theories with arbitrary numbers of colours and flavours. Moreover, computational algebraic geometry allows us to systematically study the classical vacuum moduli space of SQCD and investigate such structures as its irreducible components, degree and syzygies. We find the vacuum manifolds of SQCD to be affine Calabi-Yau cones over weighted projective varieties.Comment: 49 pages, 1 figur

James J. Kaput (1942–2005) imagineer and futurologist of mathematics education

Jim Kaput lived a full life in mathematics education and we have many reasons to be grateful to him, not only for his vision of the use of technology in mathematics, but also for his fundamental humanity. This paper considers the origins of his ‘big ideas’ as he lived through the most amazing innovations in technology that have changed our lives more in a generation than in many centuries before. His vision continues as is exemplified by the collected papers in this tribute to his life and work

Guide to writing a biographical analysis

The maturing of a profession begins with recognizing the contributions of pioneers who have laid the theoretical foundation on which the profession is based. In recent years, the accounting profession has begun documenting the contributions of accountants who have played a major role in developing generally accepted accounting principles. These writings on the contributions of noted accountants have been helpful in understanding the personal behavior of the individual accountants and the economic forces that influenced their decisions. However, methods used to analyze the individuals being researched have varied greatly and to some extent have not been as complete as might be hoped. Reasons for this wide range of form and style are varied, but to a large degree have resulted from a lack of knowledge regarding the organizing and writing of a biographical analysis. This is to be expected because the study of accounting history is, for the most part, in its initial stages of development. The objectives of this paper are to give guidance on how to select an accountant to analyze and how to organize the research effort

Globular Structures of a Helix-Coil Copolymer: Self-Consistent Treatment

A self-consistent field theory was developed in the grand-canonical ensemble formulation to study transitions in a helix-coil multiblock globule. Helical and coil parts are treated as stiff rods and self-avoiding walks of variable lengths correspondingly. The resulting field-theory takes, in addition to the conventional Zimm-Bragg (B.H. Zimm, I.K. Bragg, J. Chem. Phys. 31, 526 (1959)) parameters, also three-dimensional interaction terms into account. The appropriate differential equations which determine the self-consistent fields were solved numerically with finite element method. Three different phase states are found: open chain, amorphous globule and nematic liquid-crystalline (LC) globule. The LC-globule formation is driven by the interplay between the hydrophobic helical segments attraction and the anisotropic globule surface energy of an entropic nature. The full phase diagram of the helix-coil copolymer was calculated and thoroughly discussed. The suggested theory shows a clear interplay between secondary and tertiary structures in globular homopolypeptides.Comment: 26 pages, 30 figures, corrected some typo

Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 parsecs: The Northern Sample I

We have embarked on a project, under the aegis of the Nearby Stars (NStars)/ Space Interferometry Mission Preparatory Science Program to obtain spectra, spectral types, and, where feasible, basic physical parameters for the 3600 dwarf and giant stars earlier than M0 within 40 parsecs of the sun. In this paper we report on the results of this project for the first 664 stars in the northern hemisphere. These results include precise, homogeneous spectral types, basic physical parameters (including the effective temperature, surface gravity and the overall metallicity, [M/H]) and measures of the chromospheric activity of our program stars. Observed and derived data presented in this paper are also available on the project's website at http://stellar.phys.appstate.edu/

Fundamental parameters of Cepheids. V. Additional photometry and radial velocity for southern Cepheids

I present photometric and radial velocity data for Galactic Cepheids, most of them being in the southern hemisphere. There are 1250 Geneva 7-color photometric measurements for 62 Cepheids, the average uncertainty per measurement is better than 0.01 mag. A total of 832 velocity measurements have been obtained with the CORAVEL radial velocity spectrograph for 46 Cepheids. The average accuracy of the radial velocity data is 0.38 km/s. There are 33 stars with both photometry and radial velocity data. I discuss the possible binarity or period change that these new data reveal. I also present reddenings for all Cepheids with photometry. The data are available electronically.Comment: To appear in ApJS. Data available electronically at ftp://cfa-ftp.harvard.edu/pub/dbersier

Inequivalent contact structures on Boothby-Wang 5-manifolds

We consider contact structures on simply-connected 5-manifolds which arise as circle bundles over simply-connected symplectic 4-manifolds and show that invariants from contact homology are related to the divisibility of the canonical class of the symplectic structure. As an application we find new examples of inequivalent contact structures in the same equivalence class of almost contact structures with non-zero first Chern class.Comment: 27 pages; to appear in Math. Zeitschrif