Transient Activation of Meox1 Is an Early Component of the Gene Regulatory Network Downstream of Hoxa2

Hox genes encode transcription factors that regulate morphogenesis in all animals with bilateral symmetry. Although Hox genes have been extensively studied, their molecular function is not clear in vertebrates, and only a limited number of genes regulated by Hox transcription factors have been identified. Hoxa2 is required for correct development of the second branchial arch, its major domain of expression. We now show that Meox1 is genetically downstream from Hoxa2 and is a direct target. Meox1 expression is downregulated in the second arch of Hoxa2 mouse mutant embryos. In chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), Hoxa2 binds to the Meox1 proximal promoter. Two highly conserved binding sites contained in this sequence are required for Hoxa2-dependent activation of the Meox1 promoter. Remarkably, in the absence of Meox1 and its close homolog Meox2, the second branchial arch develops abnormally and two of the three skeletal elements patterned by Hoxa2 are malformed. Finally, we show that Meox1 can specifically bind the DNA sequences recognized by Hoxa2 on its functional target genes. These results provide new insight into the Hoxa2 regulatory network that controls branchial arch identity.BBSRC grant: (BB/E017355/1); Manchester Academic Health Science Centre; Manchester NIHR Biomedical Research Centre; FCT grant: (PTDC/BIA-BCM/71619/2006); Centro de Biologia do Desenvolvimento grant: (POCTI-ISFL-4-664)

Information support of problems of electric power systems control

Розглянуто особливості створення систем інформаційного забезпечення в електроенергетиці. Проведено аналіз вимог ENTSO-E, що стосуються моніторингу режимних параметрів. Досліджено проблему моніторингу низькочастотних коливань режимних параметрів при об’єднанні енергосистем на паралельну роботу. Визначені часові та ієрархічні обмеження задач керування. Представлено систему збору та обробки інформації, що реєструється комплексами «Регіна-Ч» на об’єктах ОЕС України. Наведені приклади реалізації.Features of information support systems creation in power engineering are considered. The analysis of requirements ENTSO-E, concerning monitoring of operating parameters is carried out. It is investigated a problem of monitoring of low-frequency oscillation of operating parameters at association of power systems for parallel operation. Time and hierarchical limitations of control problems are defined. System of gathering and processing of the information registered on objects of Ukrainian IPS by complexes "Regina-F" are presented. Examples are resulted.Рассмотрены особенности создания систем информационного обеспечения в электроэнергетике. Проведен анализ требований ENTSO-E, касающихся мониторинга режимных параметров. Исследовано проблему мониторинга низкочастотных колебаний режимных параметров при объединении энергосистем на параллельную работу. Определены временные и иерархические ограничения задач управления. Представлено систему сбора и обработки информации регистрируемой комплексами «Регина-Ч» на объектах ОЭС Украины. Приведены примеры

Contradictory phylogenetic signals in the laurasiatheria anomaly zone

G.M.H. was funded by a UCD Ad Astra Fellowship. C.L. was funded by a UCD Ad Astra studentship. L.R. was funded by an SFI Centre for Research Training in Genomics Data Science grant (18/CRT/6214). L.M.D. was supported in part by NSF awards 1838273 and 2032063. E.C.T. and T.L. were funded by an SFI Frontiers for the Future Programme grant (19/FFP/6790).Relationships among laurasiatherian clades represent one of the most highly disputed topics in mammalian phylogeny. In this study, we attempt to disentangle laurasiatherian interordinal relationships using two independent genome-level approaches: (1) quantifying retrotransposon presence/absence patterns, and (2) comparisons of exon datasets at the levels of nucleotides and amino acids. The two approaches revealed contradictory phylogenetic signals, possibly due to a high level of ancestral incomplete lineage sorting. The positions of Eulipotyphla and Chiroptera as the first and second earliest divergences were consistent across the approaches. However, the phylogenetic relationships of Perissodactyla, Cetartiodactyla, and Ferae, were contradictory. While retrotransposon insertion analyses suggest a clade with Cetartiodactyla and Ferae, the exon dataset favoured Cetartiodactyla and Perissodactyla. Future analyses of hitherto unsampled laurasiatherian lineages and synergistic analyses of retrotransposon insertions, exon and conserved intron/intergenic sequences might unravel the conflicting patterns of relationships in this major mammalian clade.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

On the concentration of large deviations for fat tailed distributions, with application to financial data

Large deviations for fat tailed distributions, i.e. those that decay slower than exponential, are not only relatively likely, but they also occur in a rather peculiar way where a finite fraction of the whole sample deviation is concentrated on a single variable. The regime of large deviations is separated from the regime of typical fluctuations by a phase transition where the symmetry between the points in the sample is spontaneously broken. For stochastic processes with a fat tailed microscopic noise, this implies that while typical realizations are well described by a diffusion process with continuous sample paths, large deviation paths are typically discontinuous. For eigenvalues of random matrices with fat tailed distributed elements, a large deviation where the trace of the matrix is anomalously large concentrates on just a single eigenvalue, whereas in the thin tailed world the large deviation affects the whole distribution. These results find a natural application to finance. Since the price dynamics of financial stocks is characterized by fat tailed increments, large fluctuations of stock prices are expected to be realized by discrete jumps. Interestingly, we find that large excursions of prices are more likely realized by continuous drifts rather than by discontinuous jumps. Indeed, auto-correlations suppress the concentration of large deviations. Financial covariance matrices also exhibit an anomalously large eigenvalue, the market mode, as compared to the prediction of random matrix theory. We show that this is explained by a large deviation with excess covariance rather than by one with excess volatility.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figure

Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic rays and Gamma Astronomy

The paper is a script of a lecture given at the ISAPP-Baikal summer school in 2018. The lecture gives an overview of the Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic rays and Gamma Astronomy (TAIGA) facility including historical introduction, description of existing and future setups, and outreach and open data activities.Comment: Lectures given at the ISAPP-Baikal Summer School 2018: Exploring the Universe through multiple messengers, 12-21 July 2018, Bol'shie Koty, Russi

Geospatial data analysis in Russia’s geoweb

The chapter examines the role of geospatial data in Russia’s online ecosystem. Facilitated by the rise of geographic information systems and user-generated content, the distribution of geospatial data has blurred the line between physical spaces and their virtual representations. The chapter discusses different sources of these data available for Digital Russian Studies (e.g., social data and crowdsourced databases) together with the novel techniques for extracting geolocation from various data formats (e.g., textual documents and images). It also scrutinizes different ways of using these data, varying from mapping the spatial distribution of social and political phenomena to investigating the use of geotag data for cultural practices’ digitization to exploring the use of geoweb for narrating individual and collective identities online

Selective area epitaxy of gallium phosphide-based nanostructures on microsphere lithography-patterned Si wafers for visible light optoelectronics

In this study, we present the selective area plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxial growth of GaP-based nanoheterostructures (nanostubs), incorporating direct bandgap GaAsP or GaPN segments, on patterned SiO2/ Si(001) wafers. A microsphere optical lithography and anisotropic Si wet-etching techniques were employed for wafer-scale surface patterning through SiO2 growth mask, allowing to obtain either planar or pyramidal pit nucleation site morphologies. X-ray diffraction reciprocal space mapping and Raman microspectroscopy studies confirm compositional homogeneity of the nanostub arrays. The dilute nitride nanostubs display the narrowest and most intense visible red photoluminescence response at room temperature, which is an order of magnitude higher compared to the GaAsP ones. The formation of the nitrogen sub-band in GaPN alloy was confirmed in the framework of density functional theory, providing insights for interpreting the experimental results. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach for fabricating the ordered arrays of nanoscale visible light emitters on silicon

Identification of clusters of investors from their real trading activity in a financial market

We use statistically validated networks, a recently introduced method to validate links in a bipartite system, to identify clusters of investors trading in a financial market. Specifically, we investigate a special database allowing to track the trading activity of individual investors of the stock Nokia. We find that many statistically detected clusters of investors show a very high degree of synchronization in the time when they decide to trade and in the trading action taken. We investigate the composition of these clusters and we find that several of them show an over-expression of specific categories of investors.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure

The learning styles neuromyth:when the same term means different things to different teachers

Alexia Barrable - ORCID: 0000-0002-5352-8330 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5352-8330Although learning styles (LS) have been recognised as a neuromyth, they remain a virtual truism within education. A point of concern is that the term LS has been used within theories that describe them using completely different notions and categorisations. This is the first empirical study to investigate education professionals’ conceptualisation, as well as means of identifying and implementing LS in their classroom. A sample of 123 education professionals were administered a questionnaire consisting both closed- and open-ended questions. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis. LS were found to be mainly conceptualised within the Visual-Auditory-(Reading)-Kinaesthetic (VAK/VARK) framework, as well as Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Moreover, a lot of education professionals confused theories of learning (e.g., behavioural or cognitive theories) with LS. In terms of identifying LS, educators reported using a variety of methods, spanning from observation and everyday contact to the use of tests. The ways LS were implemented in the classroom were numerous, comprising various teaching aids, participatory techniques and motor activities. Overall, we argue that the extended use of the term LS gives the illusion of a consensus amongst educators, when a closer examination reveals that the term LS is conceptualised, identified and implemented idiosyncratically by different individuals. This study aims to be of use to pre-service and in-service teacher educators in their effort to debunk the neuromyth of LS and replace it with evidence-based practices.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-020-00485-236pubpub