The utilization of neural nets in populating an object-oriented database

Existing NASA supported scientific data bases are usually developed, managed and populated in a tedious, error prone and self-limiting way in terms of what can be described in a relational Data Base Management System (DBMS). The next generation Earth remote sensing platforms (i.e., Earth Observation System, (EOS), will be capable of generating data at a rate of over 300 Mbs per second from a suite of instruments designed for different applications. What is needed is an innovative approach that creates object-oriented databases that segment, characterize, catalog and are manageable in a domain-specific context and whose contents are available interactively and in near-real-time to the user community. Described here is work in progress that utilizes an artificial neural net approach to characterize satellite imagery of undefined objects into high-level data objects. The characterized data is then dynamically allocated to an object-oriented data base where it can be reviewed and assessed by a user. The definition, development, and evolution of the overall data system model are steps in the creation of an application-driven knowledge-based scientific information system

Pif1 Helicase Lengthens Some Okazaki Fragment Flaps Necessitating Dna2 Nuclease/Helicase Action in the Two-nuclease Processing Pathway

We have developed a system to reconstitute all of the proposed steps of Okazaki fragment processing using purified yeast proteins and model substrates. DNA polymerase δ was shown to extend an upstream fragment to displace a downstream fragment into a flap. In most cases, the flap was removed by flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1), in a reaction required to remove initiator RNA in vivo. The nick left after flap removal could be sealed by DNA ligase I to complete fragment joining. An alternative pathway involving FEN1 and the nuclease/helicase Dna2 has been proposed for flaps that become long enough to bind replication protein A (RPA). RPA binding can inhibit FEN1, but Dna2 can shorten RPA-bound flaps so that RPA dissociates. Recent reconstitution results indicated that Pif1 helicase, a known component of fragment processing, accelerated flap displacement, allowing the inhibitory action of RPA. In results presented here, Pif1 promoted DNA polymerase δ to displace strands that achieve a length to bind RPA, but also to be Dna2 substrates. Significantly, RPA binding to long flaps inhibited the formation of the final ligation products in the reconstituted system without Dna2. However, Dna2 reversed that inhibition to restore efficient ligation. These results suggest that the two-nuclease pathway is employed in cells to process long flap intermediates promoted by Pif1

EC71-1512 Guide for Control of Insects on Dairy Cattle

Extension Circular 71-1512 is a guide for controlling insects on dairy cattle

Robert E. Lee and John Campbell (letter of recommendation for William Mynn Thornton)

This letter of recommendation for William Mynn Thornton (son of Colonel John T. Thornton) was written by both John Campbell and Robert E. Lee

Auto Sequencer: A DNA Sequence Alignment and Assembly Tool

The process of determining the exact order of nucleotides in DNA is a crucial component of a wide varietyof research applications known as DNA sequencing. Over the last fifty years, several DNA sequencingtechnologies have been well characterized through their nature and the kind of output they provide. Evenwith significant advances in DNA sequencing technology, sequencing and assembly of large pieces ofDNA remains a complex task. It requires sequencing small reads of DNA at a time, and performing DNAsequence assembly to merge the individual pieces into a single contiguous sequence. DNA sequenceassembly, albeit tedious and time consuming, is a process in which short DNA sequence fragments aremerged into longer fragments in the attempt to reconstruct the original DNA sequence. This is usuallyachieved by manually identifying sequence overlaps between two reads before aligning them intoone contiguous sequence. Then, with the aid of online tools or software, this contiguous sequence istranslated into protein sequence. While this process may only take a few minutes, the complexity ofsequence translation and assembly can be driven by two major challenges: finding the most reasonableoverlap in sequences that may contain repeats or low quality regions, and outputting both nucleotideand protein sequence in an easy to use, comprehensive output. To facilitate this process, we introducean all-in-one tool: Auto Sequencer. This user-friendly tool can combine and translate raw DNA sequencefiles by finding the most reasonable overlap between them displaying outputs in flexible formats

Xwnt-5A: a maternal Wnt that affects morphogenetic movements after overexpression in embryos of Xenopus laevis

To contribute to an understanding of the roles and mechanisms of action of Wnts in early vertebrate development, we have characterized the normal expression of Xenopus laevis Wnt-5A, and investigated the consequences of misexpression of this putative signalling factor. Xwnt-5A transcripts are expressed throughout development, and are enriched in both the anterior and posterior regions of embryos at late stages of development, where they are found primarily in ectoderm, with lower levels of expression in mesoderm. Overexpression of Xwnt-5A in Xenopus embryos leads to complex malformations distinct from those achieved by ectopic expression of Xwnts −1, −3A, or −8. This phenotype is unlikely to result from Xwnt-5A acting as an inducing agent, as overexpression of Xwnt-5A does not rescue dorsal structures in UV-irradiated embryos, does not induce mesoderm in blastula caps, and Xwnt-5A does not alter the endogenous patterns of expression of goosecoid, Xbra, or Xwnt-8. To pursue whether Xwnt-5A has the capacity to affect morphogenetic movements, we investigated whether overexpression of Xwnt-5A alters the normal elongation of blastula cap explants induced by activin. Intriguingly, Xwnt-5A blocks the elongation of blastula caps in response to activin, without blocking the differentiation of either dorsal or ventral mesoderm within these explants. The data are consistent with Xwnt-5A having the potential activity of modifying the morphogenetic movements of tissues

EC71-1528 Cattle Grub Control in Nebraska

Extension Circular 71-1528 is about cattle grubs. Cattle grubs are immature or larval stages of warble flies