Hercules finances research infrastructure

In 2007 the Flemish government created a structural funding channel to support investment in research infrastructure: Hercules. On 15 October 2008 the Hercules Foundation approved a first list of investment proposals. In this article specific features of this first call are examined

Hercules financiert onderzoeksinfrastructuur

In 2007 stelde de Vlaamse regering een structureel financieringskanaal in voor onderzoeksinfrastructuur: Hercules. Op 15 oktober 2008 keurde de Herculesstichting een eerste lijst van geselecteerde investeringsvoorstellen goed. In dit artikel wordt een grondige analyse gemaakt van een aantal kenmerken van de eerste oproep

Onderzoek à la Bolognaise

Naar aanleiding van de Bolognaconferentie in Leuven / Louvain-la-Neuve (april 2009) wordt een update gemaakt van de impact die het Bolognaproces heeft gehad op het onderzoek (meer doctorale onderzoekers, internationale mobiliteit van onderzoekers, hervormingen van de derde cyclus - doctoral schools)

A genome-wide search for epigenetically regulated genes in zebra finch using MethylCap-seq and RNA-seq

Learning and memory formation are known to require dynamic CpG (de)methylation and gene expression changes. Here, we aimed at establishing a genome-wide DNA methylation map of the zebra finch genome, a model organism in neuroscience, as well as identifying putatively epigenetically regulated genes. RNA-and MethylCap-seq experiments were performed on two zebra finch cell lines in presence or absence of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine induced demethylation. First, the MethylCap-seq methodology was validated in zebra finch by comparison with RRBS-generated data. To assess the influence of (variable) methylation on gene expression, RNA-seq experiments were performed as well. Comparison of RNA-seq and MethylCap-seq results showed that at least 357 of the 3,457 AZA-upregulated genes are putatively regulated by methylation in the promoter region, for which a pathway analysis showed remarkable enrichment for neurological networks. A subset of genes was validated using Exon Arrays, quantitative RT-PCR and CpG pyrosequencing on bisulfite-treated samples. To our knowledge, this study provides the first genome-wide DNA methylation map of the zebra finch genome as well as a comprehensive set of genes of which transcription is under putative methylation control

Het strategisch speerpuntenbeleid onderzoek van de UGent

Het streven naar excellentie door zwaartepuntvorming en prioriteitsstelling en het stimuleren van interdisciplinariteit zijn de buzzwords van zowat elke institutionele onderzoeksstrategie. Op menig conferentie worden ze naar voor geschoven als de ingrediënten voor het behoud of het bereiken van een internationale toppositie op het vlak van onderzoek, opleiding en innovatie. In deze case study wordt geschetst hoe de Universiteit Gent de kwantitatieve en kwalitatieve groei van haar onderzoek via een gerichte sturing wil waarborgen

A Multi-Objective Approach for Robust Airline Scheduling

We present a memetic approach for multi-objective improvement of robustness influencing features (called robustness objectives) in airline schedules. Improvement of the objectives is obtained by making minor incremental changes to the flight schedule- by retiming the flights- and the aircraft rotations, subject to a fixed fleet assignment. Approximations of the Pareto optimal front are obtained by applying a multi-meme memetic algorithm. We investigate biased meme selection to encourage exploration of the boundaries of the search space and compare it with random meme selection. An external population of high quality solutions is maintained using the adaptive grid archiving algorithm. The presented approach is applied to investigate simultaneous improvement of reliability and flexibility in real world schedules from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Experimental results show that the approach enables us to obtain schedules with significant improvements for the considered objectives. A large scale simulation study was undertaken to quantify the influence of the robustness objectives on the operational performance of the schedules. Rigorous sensitivity analysis of the results shows that the influence of the schedule reliability is dominant and that increased schedule flexibility could improve the operational performance

DNA Methylation Regulates Transcription Factor-Specific Neurodevelopmental but Not Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expression Dynamics in Zebra Finch Telencephalon

Song learning in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) is a prototypical example of a complex learned behavior, yet knowledge of the underlying molecular processes is limited. Therefore, we characterized transcriptomic (RNA-sequencing) and epigenomic (RRBS, reduced representation bisulfite sequencing; immunofluorescence) dynamics in matched zebra finch telencephalon samples of both sexes from 1 day post hatching (1 dph) to adulthood, spanning the critical period for song learning (20 and 65 dph). We identified extensive transcriptional neurodevelopmental changes during postnatal telencephalon development. DNA methylation was very low, yet increased over time, particularly in song control nuclei. Only a small fraction of the massive differential expression in the developing zebra finch telencephalon could be explained by differential CpG and CpH DNA methylation. However, a strong association between DNA methylation and age-dependent gene expression was found for various transcription factors (i.e., OTX2, AR, and FOS) involved in neurodevelopment. Incomplete dosage compensation, independent of DNA methylation, was found to be largely responsible for sexually dimorphic gene expression, with dosage compensation increasing throughout life. In conclusion, our results indicate that DNA methylation regulates neurodevelopmental gene expression dynamics through steering transcription factor activity, but does not explain sexually dimorphic gene expression patterns in zebra finch telencephalon