Thirty years have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and while most former and current communist states have integrated themselves into the global economy, North Korea is still largely, and fiercely, resistant to it. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with millions living without electricity and suffering from malnutrition. It is also one of the most repressive regimes in contemporary times, with hundreds of thousands imprisoned and tortured without probable cause, compelled to perform forced labor in a vast network of concentration camps. Typically, widespread destitution and oppression inspire liberal reforms or democratic revolutions, but neither have happened in North Korea. This raises the question of how the regime has maintained internal control so effectively for so long. One explanation for its survival is the pervasive security apparatus, but mass surveillance and state-sanctioned violence cannot be the exclusive explanations. One of the key ways cultures maintain stability without coercion is religion, which can be defined as a belief system adhered to by a community and supported through behaviors that result in a desired psychological state. This article argues that the ruling-Kim dynasty’s personality cult functions as a state religion that regulates the daily lives of North Koreans and contributes to the regime’s survival. Using Émile Durkheim’s religious framework and Clifford Geertz’s thick description I will examine propaganda works, social institutions, and defector testimonies to understand and explain the efficacy of the myths and rituals of the state.

The neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF), also known as repressor element -1 (RE1) silencing transcription factor (REST), is known to act as a transcriptional repressor of neuron-specific genes in nuclei of non- neuronal cells. REST binds a DNA sequence known as neuron- restrictive silencer elements (NRSEs/RE1s) and recruits co -repressors to carry out silencing chromatin modifications. Recent REST ChIP-seq publications have shown that REST binding is not limited to the canonical RE1 sequence, but binds multiple variations of it across the genome. This study focuses on determining REST's capacity to act as a repressor based on the binding site's degree of correspondence to the canonical RE1 motif. I show that the RE1 right half site acts as a REST- recruiting repressive element. I have also begun studying differential recruitment of REST protein and its cofactors between human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and hESC- derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) on a genome-wide scale using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massive parallel sequencing of DNA tags (ChIP-seq). I also present preliminary data suggesting that REST may have a second function as a post-transcriptional activator. Increased luciferase expression is observed when reporter constructs were cotransfected with high levels of REST in mouse Neuro2A (N2A) cells. I show that this concentration dependent function of REST is due to the cell's limited capacity to transport and/or retain REST in the nucleus, where it acts as a repressor. With increasing concentrations of REST, a large fraction remains in the cytoplasm, where REST may bind and stabilize the luciferase transcript and/or enhance its translation

MicroRNAs are small (̃22 nt) noncoding RNAs which function is to regulate mRNA levels in multicellular organisms. Several host-derived miRNAs have been shown to play an important role during viral infections by regulating the expression of genes encoding key immune mediators. We sought to investigate the ability of miRNA to regulate the intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) innate immune response. Using siRNA we downregulated the expression of the 2 key microRNA processing enzymes Drosha and Dicer-1 in HCT116 and HT29 and then infected with Sendai virus, Rotavirus, or stimulated the cells with the synthetic dsRNA mimic polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)). We observed that Drosha-silenced, but not Dicer-silenced cells, induced a significant increase in IFN-[Beta] expression and secretion, and also up-regulated the expression of ISG -15, which caused reduced viral load in infected cells. The cells showed also an increased expression of inflammatory cytokines TNF-[alpha] and IL-6. These responses were not due to changes in levels of phosphorylated IRF3 or phosphorylated I[kappa]B[alpha]. Top candidate miRNAs endogenous to IECs and predicted to target IFN-[Beta], TNF-[alpha], and IL-6 were found

Polysaccharide degradation by hydrolytic enzymes glycoside hydrolases (GHs) is well known. More recently, polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs, also known as lytic PMOs or LPMOs) were found to oxidatively degrade various polysaccharides via a copper-dependent hydroxylation. PMOs were previously thought to be either GHs or carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs), and have been re-classified in carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZY) database as auxiliary activity (AA) families. These enzymes include cellulose-active fungal PMOs (AA9, formerly GH61), chitin- and cellulose-active bacterial PMOs (AA10, formerly CBM33), and chitin-active fungal PMOs (AA11). These PMOs significantly boost the activity of GHs under industrially relevant conditions, and thus have great potential in the biomass-based biofuel industry. PMOs that act on starch are the latest PMOs discovered (AA13), which has expanded our perspectives in PMOs studies and starch degradation. Starch-active PMOs have many common structural features and biochemical properties of the PMO superfamily, yet differ from other PMO families in several important aspects. These differences likely correlate, at least in part, to the differences in primary and higher order structures of starch and cellulose, and chitin. In this review we will discuss the discovery, structural features, biochemical and biophysical properties, and possible biological functions of starch-active PMOs, as well as their potential application in the biofuel, food, and other starch-based industries. Important questions regarding various aspects of starch-active PMOs and possible economical driving force for their future studies will also be highlighted.

A large-scale application of the "stacked modeling" approach for chromatin state discovery previously provides a single "universal" chromatin state annotation of the human genome based jointly on data from many cell and tissue types. Here, we produce an analogous chromatin state annotation for mouse based on 901 datasets assaying 14 chromatin marks in 26 cell or tissue types. To characterize each chromatin state, we relate the states to external annotations and compare them to analogously defined human states. We expect the universal chromatin state annotation for mouse to be a useful resource for studying this key model organism's genome.

This is a continuation of our earlier paper (Tao and Vu, http://arxiv.org/abs/0908.1982v4[math.PR] , 2010) on the universality of the eigenvalues of Wigner random matrices. The main new results of this paper are an extension of the results in Tao and Vu ( http://arxiv.org/abs/0908.1982v4[math.PR] , 2010) from the bulk of the spectrum up to the edge. In particular, we prove a variant of the universality results of Soshnikov (Commun Math Phys 207(3):697–733, 1999) for the largest eigenvalues, assuming moment conditions rather than symmetry conditions. The main new technical observation is that there is a significant bias in the Cauchy interlacing law near the edge of the spectrum which allows one to continue ensuring the delocalization of eigenvectors.

In Diálogos entre Darwin y Dios (Dialogues between Darwin and God), renowned Mexican director, performance artist, and activist Jesusa Rodríguez steps on stage to engage with the archetypal Western figures. Performed in Spanish, with instances of code-switching and English supertitles, Rodríguez’s Dialogues serves to satirize and critique preserved and perpetuatedglobal icons. With aesthetic forms inspiredby Mexican cabaret—including the use of comedy, song, dance, and improvisation—Rodríguez covers a wide range of U.S. history and politics. The performance closed the second day of events at Global Flashpoints: Transnational Performance and Politics, a conference held from October 6th to 12th, 2011, and organized by the UCLA Center for Performance Studies and Center for the Study of Women.

This article, part of a longer study of the history of mining in Vietnam, argues that the Nông Văn Vân uprising (1833–1835) in the northern uplands of Vietnam brings into relief the importance of mining in the Vietnamese economy of the nineteenth century. It also highlights the consequences of Emperor Minh Mệnh’s dual agenda of extracting more tax revenues from mining operations and expanding the reach of the state by replacing hereditary tribal chieftains with imperial bureaucrats. While the uprising was quelled, the imperial agenda could not be fully realized in the face of local opposition and declining revenue from mining. The uprising reflected the multiethnic nature of border society, composed as it was of Vietnamese, local minority populations, and a significant number of Chinese mine owners, workers, and providers of goods and services to the mining towns. In ordinary times, the border was regularly flouted as kinship relations, trading networks, and ethnic affinity transcended allegiance to either the Qing or the Nguyễn in this borderland. Although the uprising was formally contained within the Vietnamese territory, rebels were able to seek refuge and recruit new adherents in China. And while the Nguyễn court was eventually able to subdue the rebels, its centralizing policies and attempts at extracting more revenues from mining were ultimately unsuccessful in the face of reemerging local and transborder forces. Keywords: Vietnam mining, Chinese miners, Tày, Zhuang, Nông Văn Vân uprising, border crossings, Sino-Vietnamese border