Biotic and abiotic factors affecting Atlantic ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) spatiotemporal activity at an important shorebird nesting site in Virginia.

Atlantic ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata) are predators of beach-nesting shorebird nests and chicks on the United States' Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Ghost crabs may also disturb birds, altering foraging, habitat use, or nest and brood attendance patterns. Shorebird conservation strategies often involve predator and disturbance management to improve reproductive success, but efforts rarely target ghost crabs.

Locally optimized non-local means denoising for low-dose X-ray backscatter imagery.

While recent years have seen considerable progress in image denoising, the leading techniques have been developed for digital photographs or other images that can have very different characteristics than those encountered in X-ray applications. In particular here we examine X-ray backscatter (XBS) images collected by airport security systems, where images are piecewise smooth and edge information is typically more correlated with objects while texture is dominated by statistical noise in the detected signal. In this paper, we show how multiple estimates for a denoised XBS image can be combined using a variational approach, giving a solution that enhances edge contrast by trading off gradient penalties against data fidelity terms.

Evaluating segmentation error without ground truth.

The automatic delineation of the boundaries of organs and other anatomical structures is a key component of many medical image processing systems. In this paper we present a generic learning approach based on a novel space of segmentation features, which can be trained to predict the overlap error and Dice coefficient of an arbitrary organ segmentation without knowing the ground truth delineation. We show the regressor to be much stronger a predictor of these error metrics than the responses of probabilistic boosting classifiers trained on the segmentation boundary.

Controlled positioning of nanoparticles on graphene by noninvasive AFM lithography.

Atomic force microscopy is shown to be an excellent lithographic technique to directly deposit nanoparticles on graphene by capillary transport without any previous functionalization of neither the nanoparticles nor the graphene surface while preserving its integrity and conductivity properties. Moreover this technique allows for (sub)micrometric control on the positioning thanks to a new three-step protocol that has been designed with this aim. With this methodology the exact target coordinates are registered by scanning the tip over the predetermined area previous to its coating with the ink and deposition.

The insulin-like growth factor mutation database (IGFmdb).

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II), and insulin are evolutionarily conserved hormonal regulators of eukaryotic growth and development. Through interactions with their cognate receptors, all three molecules can influence cellular growth, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and survival, as well as metabolic processes. As such, perturbations in signaling by IGFs and insulin are a well-documented cause of altered growth, development and survival during both embryonic and post-natal life.

Understanding the mechanism of insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptor activation by IGF-II.

Background: Insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) promotes cell proliferation and survival and plays an important role in normal fetal development and placental function. IGF-II binds both the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) and insulin receptor isoform A (IR-A) with high affinity. Interestingly both IGF-II and the IR-A are often upregulated in cancer and IGF-II acts via both receptors to promote cancer proliferation.

The piecewise smooth Mumford-Shah functional on an arbitrary graph.

The Mumford-Shah functional has had a major impact on a variety of image analysis problems, including image segmentation and filtering, and, despite being introduced over two decades ago, it is still in widespread use. Present day optimization of the Mumford-Shah functional is predominated by active contour methods. Until recently, these formulations necessitated optimization of the contour by evolving via gradient descent, which is known for its overdependence on initialization and the tendency to produce undesirable local minima.

A novel approach to identify two distinct receptor binding surfaces of insulin-like growth factor II.

Very little is known about the residues important for the interaction of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) with the type 1 IGF receptor (IGF-1R) and the insulin receptor (IR). Insulin, to which IGF-II is homologous, is proposed to cross-link opposite halves of the IR dimer through two receptor binding surfaces, site 1 and site 2. In the present study we have analyzed the contribution of IGF-II residues equivalent to insulin's two binding surfaces toward the interaction of IGF-II with the IGF-1R and IR.

Organ segmentation with level sets using local shape and appearance priors.

Organ segmentation is a challenging problem on which recent progress has been made by incorporation of local image statistics that model the heterogeneity of structures outside of an organ of interest. However, most of these methods rely on landmark based segmentation, which has certain drawbacks. We propose to perform organ segmentation with a novel level set algorithm that incorporates local statistics via a highly efficient point tracking mechanism.

Localized priors for the precise segmentation of individual vertebras from CT volume data.

We present algorithms for the automatic and precise segmentation of individual vertebras in CT Volume data. When a local surface evolution method such as the level set is applied to such a complex structure, global shape priors will not be sufficient to avoid the leakage and local minima problems, particularly if precise object boundary is desired. We propose a prior knowledge base that contains localized priors--a group of high-level features whose detection will augment the surface model and be the key to success.

Alanine scanning of a putative receptor binding surface of insulin-like growth factor-I.

Current evidence supports a binding model in which the insulin molecule contains two binding surfaces, site 1 and site 2, which contact the two halves of the insulin receptor. The interaction of these two surfaces with the insulin receptor results in a high affinity cross-linking of the two receptor alpha subunits and leads to receptor activation. Evidence suggests that insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) may activate the IGF-I receptor in a similar mode.

A novel binding site for the human insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II)/mannose 6-phosphate receptor on IGF-II.

The mammalian insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II/cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (IGF2R) binds IGF-II with high affinity. By targeting IGF-II to lysosomal degradation, it plays a role in the maintenance of correct IGF-II levels in the circulation and in target tissues. Loss of IGF2R function is associated with tumor progression; therefore, the IGF2R is often referred to as a tumor suppressor.

Computerized measurement of facial expression of emotions in schizophrenia.

Deficits in the ability to express emotions characterize several neuropsychiatric disorders and are a hallmark of schizophrenia, and there is need for a method of quantifying expression, which is currently done by clinical ratings. This paper presents the development and validation of a computational framework for quantifying emotional expression differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Each face is modeled as a combination of elastic regions, and expression changes are modeled as a deformation between a neutral face and an expressive face.

Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase increases intracellular calcium levels via a phospholipase C-protein kinase C pathway in SK-N-BE neuroblastoma cells.

The superoxide dismutase isoenzymes (SOD) play a key role in scavenging, O*2- radicals. In contrast with previous studies, recent data have shown that human neuroblastoma cells are able to export the cytosolic Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), thus suggesting a paracrine role exerted by this enzyme in the nervous system. To evaluate whether SOD1 could activate intracellular signalling pathways, the functional interaction between SOD1 and human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE cells was investigated.

Linear spatial integration for single-trial detection in encephalography.

Conventional analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) often relies on averaging over multiple trials to extract statistically relevant differences between two or more experimental conditions. In this article we demonstrate single-trial detection by linearly integrating information over multiple spatially distributed sensors within a predefined time window. We report an average, single-trial discrimination performance of Az approximately 0.

Zinc transport and metallothionein secretion in the intestinal human cell line Caco-2.

Caco-2, a human cell line, displays several biochemical and morphological characteristics of differentiated enterocytes. Among these is the ability to transport zinc from the apical to the basal compartment. This process was enhanced following exposure by the apical compartment to increasing concentrations of the metal.

Evidence that thyroglobulin has an associated protein kinase activity correlated with the presence of an adenosine triphosphate binding site.

19S Thyroglobulin (Tg), a dimeric glycoprotein with an M(r) of 660,000, was extracted from rat, bovine, and human (goitrous) thyroid tissues, as well as from culture medium of FRTL5 rat thyroid cells. Subjected to rigorous purification procedures, all Tg preparations showed a protein kinase activity that is able to phosphorylate serine residues in vitro. Further characterization of this enzymatic activity revealed that Tg has the specificities of a protein kinase A when Kemptide was used as specific substrate and after analysis of cAMP-stimulated phosphotransferase activity in all Tg preparations tested.

Two abnormal thyroglobulin-like polypeptides are produced from Afrikander cattle congenital goiter mRNA.

In vitro translation of the mRNA from the congenital goiter tissue of Afrikander cattle directs the synthesis of two (Mr congruent to 250,000 and congruent to 75,000, respectively) abnormal thyroglobulin-like polypeptides. Common features of these polypeptides are the following: 1) both are immunoprecipitated by purified, anti-thyroglobulin antibody; 2) the signal sequence is present on their nascent polypeptide chains, and 3) their synthesis is apparently directed by the same high molecular weight mRNA. However, the goiter thyroglobulin mRNA shows, by Northern blot analysis, a slightly reduced size (congruent to 30 S) as compared to the mRNA from normal, bovine, thyroid tissue (33 S).

Construction of recombinant plasmids containing rat thyroglobulin mRNA sequences.

Two plasmids containing rat thyroglobulin cDNA sequences have been constructed and characterized. A plasmid with a 500-bp insert (pRT6) was isolated and identified as thyroglobulin-specific on the basis of the tissue specificity of the inserted sequence and of its ability to retain thyroglobulin mRNA on a nitrocellulose filter. The cDNA insert in pRT6 was subsequently used to screen a rat thyroid cDNA library constructed with large cDNA.

The segregation into microsomal vesicles and core-glycosylation in vitro of a 300-kDa rat thyroglobulin subunit.

Translation of rat thyroid mRNA in a cell-free protein synthesis system derived from rabbit reticulocytes results in synthesis of a 300-kDa thyroglobulin polypeptide [C.G. Alvino et al.

Circular molecules of heterogeneous size from mitochondrial fractions of the petite-negative yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Size and shape of mitochondrial DNA molecules of Schizosaccharomyces pombe were analyzed by electron microscopy. Besides numerous linear molecules, circular molecules ranging from 0.83 micron to 12.