An alternative approach to generalized complementarity

An interaction viewpoint is defined for looking at natural systems. This viewpoint is seen to be connected with quantum mechanical uncertainty and measurement theory. A connection is then shown between quantum mechanical uncertainty and the workability of Grunbaüm's “infinity machines”. Finally the workability of infinity machines is related to Elsasser's “generalized complementarity”. The net result is to show that generalized complementarity is not distinct from complementarity in atomic physics but has its roots in the same place, i.e. quantum mechanical measurement theory. A model system which permits some quantification of these notions is presented.     

Trees of trees: an approach to comparing multiple alternative phylogenies

Phylogenetic analysis very commonly produces several alternative trees for a given fixed set of taxa. For example, different sets of orthologous genes may be analyzed, or the analysis may sample from a distribution of probable trees. This article describes an approach to comparing and visualizing multiple alternative phylogenies via the idea of a "tree of trees" or "meta-tree." A meta-tree clusters phylogenies with similar topologies together in the same way that a phylogeny clusters species with similar DNA sequences. Leaf nodes on a meta-tree correspond to the original set of phylogenies given by some analysis, whereas interior nodes correspond to certain consensus topologies. The construction of meta-trees is motivated by analogy with construction of a most parsimonious tree for DNA data, but instead of using DNA letters, in a meta-tree the characters are partitions or splits of the set of taxa. An efficient algorithm for meta-tree construction is described that makes use of a known relationship between the majority consensus and parsimony in terms of gain and loss of splits. To illustrate these ideas meta-trees are constructed for two datasets: a set of gene trees for species of yeast and trees from a bootstrap analysis of a set of gene trees in ray-finned fish. A software tool for constructing meta-trees and comparing alternative phylogenies is available online, and the source code can be obtained from the author.     

An improved probability mapping approach to assess genome mosaicism

Background

Maximum likelihood and posterior probability mapping are useful visualization techniques that are used to ascertain the mosaic nature of prokaryotic genomes. However, posterior probabilities, especially when calculated for four-taxon cases, tend to overestimate the support for tree topologies. Furthermore, because of poor taxon sampling four-taxon analyses suffer from sensitivity to the long branch attraction artifact. Here we extend the probability mapping approach by improving taxon sampling of the analyzed datasets, and by using bootstrap support values, a more conservative tool to assess reliability.

Results

Quartets of orthologous proteins were complemented with homologs from selected reference genomes. The mapping of bootstrap support values from these extended datasets gives results similar to the original maximum likelihood and posterior probability mapping. The more conservative nature of the plotted support values allows to focus further analyses on those protein families that strongly disagree with the majority or plurality of genes present in the analyzed genomes.

Conclusion

Posterior probability is a non-conservative measure for support, and posterior probability mapping only provides a quick estimation of phylogenetic information content of four genomes. This approach can be utilized as a pre-screen to select genes that might have been horizontally transferred. Better taxon sampling combined with subtree analyses prevents the inconsistencies associated with four-taxon analyses, but retains the power of visual representation. Nevertheless, a case-by-case inspection of individual multi-taxon phylogenies remains necessary to differentiate unrecognized paralogy and shared phylogenetic reconstruction artifacts from horizontal gene transfer events.

     

An alternative to radiation hybrid mapping for large-scale genome analysis in barley

The presence of a monosomic gametocidal chromosome (GC) in a barley chromosome addition line of common wheat generates structural aberrations in the barley chromosome as well as in the wheat chromosomes of gametes lacking the GC. A collection of structurally aberrant barley chromosomes is analogous to a panel of radiation hybrid (RH) mapping and is valuable for high-throughput physical mapping. We developed 90 common wheat lines (GC lines) containing aberrant barley 7H chromosomes induced by a gametocidal chromosome, 2C. DNAs isolated from these GC lines provided a panel of 7H chromosomal fragments in a wheat genetic background, comparable with RH mapping panels in mammals. We used this 7H GC panel and the methodology for RH mapping to physically map PCR-based barley markers, SSRs and AFLPs, onto chromosome 7H, relying on polymorphism between the 7H chromosome and the wheat genome. We call this method GC mapping. This study describes a novel adaptation and combination of methods of inducing chromosomal rearrangements to produce physical maps of markers. The advantages of the presented method are similar to RH mapping in that non-polymorphic markers can be used and the mapping panels can be relatively easily obtained. In addition, mapping results are cumulative when using the same mapping set with new markers. The GC lines will be available from the National Bioresources Project-KOMUGI (). Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

An algorithmic approach to multiple complete digest mapping.

Multiple Complete Digest (MCD) mapping is a method of determining the locations of restriction sites along a target DNA molecule. The resulting restriction map has many potential applications in DNA sequencing and genetics. In this work, we present a heuristic algorithm for fragment identification, a key step in the process of constructing an MCD map. Given measurements of the restriction fragment sizes from one or more complete digestions of each clone in a clone library covering the molecule to be mapped, the algorithm identifies groups of restriction fragments on different clones that correspond to the same region of the target DNA. Once these groups are correctly determined the desired map can be constructed by solving a system of simple linear inequalities. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm on real data provided by the Genome Center at the University of Washington.     

An alternative mathematical approach to the analysis of photosynthetic oxygen evolutiont

Whereas a linear four-step mechanism around a closed path has been used to interpret the kinetic behavior of oxygen evolution in higher plant photosynthesis, a straightforward successive difference analysis of published and original data shows that a more dynamical interpretation overcomes many of the inadequacies of simple kinetic models.     

An intronic signal for alternative splicing in the human genome

An important level at which the expression of programmed cell death (PCD) genes is regulated is alternative splicing. Our previous work identified an intronic splicing regulatory element in caspase-2 (casp-2) gene. This 100-nucleotide intronic element, In100, consists of an upstream region containing a decoy 3' splice site and a downstream region containing binding sites for splicing repressor PTB. Based on the signal of In100 element in casp-2, we have detected the In100-like sequences as a family of sequence elements associated with alternative splicing in the human genome by using computational and experimental approaches. A survey of human genome reveals the presence of more than four thousand In100-like elements in 2757 genes. These In100-like elements tend to locate more frequent in intronic regions than exonic regions. EST analyses indicate that the presence of In100-like elements correlates with the skipping of their immediate upstream exons, with 526 genes showing exon skipping in such a manner. In addition, In100-like elements are found in several human caspase genes near exons encoding the caspase active domain. RT-PCR experiments show that these caspase genes indeed undergo alternative splicing in a pattern predicted to affect their functional activity. Together, these results suggest that the In100-like elements represent a family of intronic signals for alternative splicing in the human genome.     

An alternative approach to evaluating the intraspecific genetic variability of parasites

Analysis of DNA polymorphisms provides important information for the molecular characterization of parasite strains and clones. Because we still know little about the genomes of parasites, such analysis has to rely on methods applicable to any eukaryotic genome, such as DNA fingerprinting with multilocal minisatellite probes and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based random amplified polymorphic DNA technique (RAPD). However, DNA fingerprinting is cumbersome and needs large amounts of parasite DNA, and RAPD can exhibit low reproducibility and spurious bands, both of which appear to be related to the low stringency of the PCR procedure. Riva Oliveira, Andréa Macedo, Egler Chiari and Sérgio Pena here evaluate the applicability to parasites of a technique described two years ago called simple sequence repeat-anchored PCR amplification (SSR-PCR), in which a single primer is needed [the (CA)(8)RY primer] and highstringency conditions are applied.     

An alternative approach to 32P radiation protection: source shielding.

32P is the most widely used isotope in molecular biology laboratories and a high-energy beta-emitter. Local doses are often underestimated and plexiglass shielding converts some energy into penetrating gamma radiation. We describe a series of equipment that reduces local doses and gamma radiation more efficiently than traditional equipment and at the same time facilitates the handling of the isotopes.     

Flexible manufacturing systems evaluation: An alternative approach

The purpose of this article is to integrate the von Neumann-Morgenstern theory of utility functions and the mean-variance approach of portfolio analysis within the computational framework of selecting a production technology to replace an existing one. A stochastic, static one-period problem is formulated, and a measure that takes into account both the capital costs of implementing the new technology and the random monetary value of its output is identified to solve the problem. The properties of this measure are discussed particularly with reference to the optimal selection decision. An example is described to illustrate the methodology.     

A primer-based approach to genome walking

A genome walking strategy based on annealing and ligation of single-stranded DNA primers to 3′ overhangs following restriction endonuclease digestion was developed. A set of primers contains 4 nucleotides at the 3′ end that are complementary to overhangs formed by restriction endonucleasesApaI;PstI;SacI andSphI. Following ligation, 5′ end overhangs are formed on the DNA, which serves as sites for the adaptor primers and nested primers for PCR amplification in combination with the gene-specific primers. This strategy was verified by the amplification of up to 4 kb of a potato leafroll virus full-length infectious clone. The procedure could be adopted to target any upstream and downstream regions flanking known sequences within the plant genome.     

An eigenvalue ratio approach to inferring population structure from whole genome sequencing data

Inference of population structure from genetic data plays an important role in population and medical genetics studies. With the advancement and decreasing cost of sequencing technology, the increasingly available whole genome sequencing data provide much richer information about the underlying population structure. The traditional method originally developed for array-based genotype data for computing and selecting top principal components (PCs) that capture population structure may not perform well on sequencing data for two reasons. First, the number of genetic variants p is much larger than the sample size n in sequencing data such that the sample-to-marker ratio $n/p$ is nearly zero, violating the assumption of the Tracy-Widom test used in their method. Second, their method might not be able to handle the linkage disequilibrium well in sequencing data. To resolve those two practical issues, we propose a new method called ERStruct to determine the number of top informative PCs based on sequencing data. More specifically, we propose to use the ratio of consecutive eigenvalues as a more robust test statistic, and then we approximate its null distribution using modern random matrix theory. Both simulation studies and applications to two public data sets from the HapMap 3 and the 1000 Genomes Projects demonstrate the empirical performance of our ERStruct method.     

An alternative theoretical approach to escape decision-making: the role of visual cues

Escape enables prey to avoid an approaching predator. The escape decision-making process has traditionally been interpreted using theoretical models that consider ultimate explanations based on the cost/benefit paradigm. Ultimate approaches, however, suffer from inseparable extra-assumptions due to an inability to accurately parameterize the model's variables and their interactive relationships. In this study, we propose a mathematical model that uses intensity of predator-mediated visual stimuli as a basic cue for the escape response. We consider looming stimuli (i.e. expanding retinal image of the moving predator) as a cue to flight initiation distance (FID; distance at which escape begins) of incubating Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We then examine the relationship between FID, vegetation cover and directness of predator trajectory, and fit the resultant model to experimental data. As predicted by the model, vegetation concealment and directness of predator trajectory interact, with FID decreasing with increased concealment during a direct approach toward prey, but not during a tangential approach. Thus, we show that a simple proximate expectation, which involves only visual processing of a moving predator, may explain interactive effects of environmental and predator-induced variables on an escape response. We assume that our proximate approach, which offers a plausible and parsimonious explanation for variation in FID, may serve as an evolutionary background for traditional, ultimate explanations and should be incorporated into interpretation of escape behavior.     

A comparative genome approach to marker ordering

MOTIVATION: Genome maps are fundamental to the study of an organism and essential in the process of genome sequencing which in turn provides the ultimate map of the genome. The increased number of genomes being sequenced offers new opportunities for the mapping of closely related organisms. We propose here an algorithmic formalization of a genome comparison approach to marker ordering. RESULTS: In order to integrate a comparative mapping approach in the algorithmic process of map construction and selection, we propose to extend the usual statistical model describing the experimental data, here radiation hybrids (RH) data, in a statistical framework that models additionally the evolutionary relationships between a proposed map and a reference map: an existing map of the corresponding orthologous genes or markers in a closely related organism. This has concretely the effect of exploiting, in the process of map selection, the information of marker adjacencies in the related genome when the information provided by the experimental data is not conclusive for the purpose of ordering. In order to compute efficiently the map, we proceed to a reduction of the maximum likelihood estimation to the Traveling Salesman Problem. Experiments on simulated RH datasets as well as on a real RH dataset from the canine RH project show that maps produced using the likelihood defined by the new model are significantly better than maps built using the traditional RH model. AVAILABILITY: The comparative mapping approach is available in the last version of de Givry,S. et al. [(2004) Bioinformatics, 21, 1703-1704, www.inra.fr/mia/T/CarthaGene], a free (the LKH part is free for academic use only) mapping software in C++, including LKH (Helsgaun,K. (2000) Eur. J. Oper. Res., 126, 106-130, www.dat.ruc.dk/keld/research/LKH) for maximum likelihood computation.