Genetic determinants of hepatic steatosis in man

Science.gov (United States)

Hooper, Amanda J.; Adams, Leon A.; Burnett, John R.

2011-01-01

Hepatic steatosis is one of the most common liver disorders in the general population. The main cause of hepatic steatosis is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), representing the hepatic component of the metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by type 2 diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Insulin resistance and excess adiposity are considered to play key roles in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Although the risk factors for NAFLD are well established, the genetic basis of hepatic steatosis is largely unknown. Here we review recent progress on genomic variants and their association with hepatic steatosis and discuss the potential impact of these genetic studies on clinical practice. Identifying the genetic determinants of hepatic steatosis will lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis and progression of NAFLD. PMID:21245030

[Application of Multiple Genetic Markers in a Case of Determination of Half Sibling].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xue; Shi, Mei-sen; Yuan, Li; Lu, Di

2016-02-01

A case of half sibling was determined with multiple genetic markers, which could be potentially applied for determination of half sibling relationship from same father. Half sibling relationship was detected by 39 autosomal STR genetic markers, 23 Y-chromosomal STR genetic markers and 12 X -chromosomal STR genetic markers among ZHAO -1, ZHAO -2, ZHAO -3, ZHAO -4, and ZHAO-5. According to autosomal STR, Y-STR and X-STR genotyping results, it was determined that ZHAO-4 (alleged half sibling) was unrelated with ZHAO-1 and ZHAO-2; however, ZHAO-3 (alleged half sibling), ZHAO-5 (alleged half sibling) shared same genetic profile with ZHAO-1, and ZHAO-2 from same father. It is reliable to use multiple genetic markers and family gene reconstruction to determine half sibling relationship from same father, but it is difficult to determination by calculating half sibling index with ITO and discriminant functions.

Onboard Determination of Vehicle Glide Capability for Shuttle Abort Flight Managment (SAFM)

Science.gov (United States)

Straube, Timothy; Jackson, Mark; Fill, Thomas; Nemeth, Scott

2002-01-01

When one or more main engines fail during ascent, the flight crew of the Space Shuttle must make several critical decisions and accurately perform a series of abort procedures. One of the most important decisions for many aborts is the selection ofa landing site. Several factors influence the ability to reach a landing site, including the spacecraft point of atmospheric entry, the energy state at atmospheric entry, the vehicle glide capability from that energy state, and whether one or more suitable landing sites are within the glide capability. Energy assessment is further complicated by the fact that phugoid oscillations in total energy influence glide capability. Once the glide capability is known, the crew must select the "best" site option based upon glide capability and landing site conditions and facilities. Since most of these factors cannot currently be assessed by the crew in flight, extensive planning is required prior to each mission to script a variety of procedures based upon spacecraft velocity at the point of engine failure (or failures). The results of this preflight planning are expressed in tables and diagrams on mission-specific cockpit checklists. Crew checklist procedures involve leafing through several pages of instructions and navigating a decision tree for site selection and flight procedures - all during a time critical abort situation. With the advent of the Cockpit Avionics Upgrade (CAU), the Shuttle will have increased on-board computational power to help alleviate crew workload during aborts and provide valuable situational awareness during nominal operations. One application baselined for the CAU computers is Shuttle Abort Flight Management (SAFM), whose requirements have been designed and prototyped. The SAFM application includes powered and glided flight algorithms. This paper describes the glided flight algorithm which is dispatched by SAFM to determine the vehicle glide capability and make recommendations to the crew for site

78 FR 55294 - Certain Wireless Devices With 3G Capabilities and Components Thereof Commission Determination To...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-10

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-800] Certain Wireless Devices With 3G Capabilities and Components Thereof Commission Determination To Review the Final Initial Determination Finding... importation of certain wireless devices with 3G capabilities and components thereof by reason of infringement...

Genetic Essentialism: On the Deceptive Determinism of DNA

OpenAIRE

Dar-Nimrod, Ilan; Heine, Steven J.

2011-01-01

This paper introduces the notion of genetic essentialist biases: cognitive biases associated with essentialist thinking that are elicited when people encounter arguments that genes are relevant for a behavior, condition, or social group. Learning about genetic attributions for various human conditions leads to a particular set of thoughts regarding those conditions: they are more likely to be perceived as a) immutable and determined, b) having a specific etiology, c) homogeneous and discrete,...

Young Adults' Belief in Genetic Determinism, and Knowledge and Attitudes towards Modern Genetics and Genomics: The PUGGS Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Carver, Rebecca Bruu; Castéra, Jérémy; Gericke, Niklas; Evangelista, Neima Alice Menezes; El-Hani, Charbel N

2017-01-01

In this paper we present the development and validation a comprehensive questionnaire to assess college students' knowledge about modern genetics and genomics, their belief in genetic determinism, and their attitudes towards applications of modern genetics and genomic-based technologies. Written in everyday language with minimal jargon, the Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) questionnaire is intended for use in research on science education and public understanding of science, as a means to investigate relationships between knowledge, determinism and attitudes about modern genetics, which are to date little understood. We developed a set of core ideas and initial items from reviewing the scientific literature on genetics and previous studies on public and student knowledge and attitudes about genetics. Seventeen international experts from different fields (e.g., genetics, education, philosophy of science) reviewed the initial items and their feedback was used to revise the questionnaire. We validated the questionnaire in two pilot tests with samples of university freshmen students. The final questionnaire contains 45 items, including both multiple choice and Likert scale response formats. Cronbach alpha showed good reliability for each section of the questionnaire. In conclusion, the PUGGS questionnaire is a reliable tool for investigating public understanding and attitudes towards modern genetics and genomic-based technologies.

Young Adults’ Belief in Genetic Determinism, and Knowledge and Attitudes towards Modern Genetics and Genomics: The PUGGS Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Carver, Rebecca Bruu; Castéra, Jérémy; Gericke, Niklas; Evangelista, Neima Alice Menezes

2017-01-01

In this paper we present the development and validation a comprehensive questionnaire to assess college students’ knowledge about modern genetics and genomics, their belief in genetic determinism, and their attitudes towards applications of modern genetics and genomic-based technologies. Written in everyday language with minimal jargon, the Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) questionnaire is intended for use in research on science education and public understanding of science, as a means to investigate relationships between knowledge, determinism and attitudes about modern genetics, which are to date little understood. We developed a set of core ideas and initial items from reviewing the scientific literature on genetics and previous studies on public and student knowledge and attitudes about genetics. Seventeen international experts from different fields (e.g., genetics, education, philosophy of science) reviewed the initial items and their feedback was used to revise the questionnaire. We validated the questionnaire in two pilot tests with samples of university freshmen students. The final questionnaire contains 45 items, including both multiple choice and Likert scale response formats. Cronbach alpha showed good reliability for each section of the questionnaire. In conclusion, the PUGGS questionnaire is a reliable tool for investigating public understanding and attitudes towards modern genetics and genomic-based technologies. PMID:28114357

A simulation study of mutations in the genetic regulatory hierarchy for butterfly eyespot focus determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcus, Jeffrey M; Evans, Travis M

2008-09-01

The color patterns on the wings of butterflies have been an important model system in evolutionary developmental biology. A recent computational model tested genetic regulatory hierarchies hypothesized to underlie the formation of butterfly eyespot foci [Evans, T.M., Marcus, J.M., 2006. A simulation study of the genetic regulatory hierarchy for butterfly eyespot focus determination. Evol. Dev. 8, 273-283]. The computational model demonstrated that one proposed hierarchy was incapable of reproducing the known patterns of gene expression associated with eyespot focus determination in wild-type butterflies, but that two slightly modified alternative hierarchies were capable of reproducing all of the known gene expressions patterns. Here we extend the computational models previously implemented in Delphi 2.0 to two mutants derived from the squinting bush brown butterfly (Bicyclus anynana). These two mutants, comet and Cyclops, have aberrantly shaped eyespot foci that are produced by different mechanisms. The comet mutation appears to produce a modified interaction between the wing margin and the eyespot focus that results in a series of comet-shaped eyespot foci. The Cyclops mutation causes the failure of wing vein formation between two adjacent wing-cells and the fusion of two adjacent eyespot foci to form a single large elongated focus in their place. The computational approach to modeling pattern formation in these mutants allows us to make predictions about patterns of gene expression, which are largely unstudied in butterfly mutants. It also suggests a critical experiment that will allow us to distinguish between two hypothesized genetic regulatory hierarchies that may underlie all butterfly eyespot foci.

77 FR 26788 - Certain Wireless Devices With 3G Capabilities and Components Thereof Determination Not To Review...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-07

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-800] Certain Wireless Devices With 3G Capabilities and Components Thereof Determination Not To Review Initial Determination To Amend the Notice of... importation of certain wireless devices with 3G capabilities and components thereof by reason of infringement...

Molecular and Genetic Determinants of Glioma Cell Invasion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenta Masui

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A diffusely invasive nature is a major obstacle in treating a malignant brain tumor, “diffuse glioma”, which prevents neurooncologists from surgically removing the tumor cells even in combination with chemotherapy and radiation. Recently updated classification of diffuse gliomas based on distinct genetic and epigenetic features has culminated in a multilayered diagnostic approach to combine histologic phenotypes and molecular genotypes in an integrated diagnosis. However, it is still a work in progress to decipher how the genetic aberrations contribute to the aggressive nature of gliomas including their highly invasive capacity. Here we depict a set of recent discoveries involving molecular genetic determinants of the infiltrating nature of glioma cells, especially focusing on genetic mutations in receptor tyrosine kinase pathways and metabolic reprogramming downstream of common cancer mutations. The specific biology of glioma cell invasion provides an opportunity to explore the genotype-phenotype correlation in cancer and develop novel glioma-specific therapeutic strategies for this devastating disease.

Genetically determined patozoospermia. Literature review and research results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. E. Bragina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Genetic factors (chromosomal aberrations and point mutations are the cause of infertility in 10–15 % of men with impaired fertility. Homogeneous structural and functional defects in the sperm or the total terato-, asthenozoospermia – rare cases of genetically determined male infertility, are autosomal recessive diseases. Currently, described 4 types of «syndromic» spermopatology. 1. Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD in men with total asthenozoospermia. Affects axoneme structures (microtubules, dynein arms, radial spokes. It identified more than 20 chromosomal loci responsible for the development of the PCD. 2. Dysplasia of the fibrous sheath of sperm tail in men with asthenozoospermia. The shortened and thickened sperm tail observed with disorganization of vertical columns and cross ribs of the fibrous sheath. Candidate genes – genes family ACAP. 3. Globozoospermia in men with teratozoospermia characterized by the presence of sperm with round heads, primary lack of acrosome and disorganization middle part of the flagellum. Found mutations or deletions of genes SPATA16, PICK1 and DPY19L2. 4. Syndrome decapitated spermatozoa in men with teratozoospermia (microcephaly. Abnormalities in the spermiogenesis development of connecting part jf the tail and proximal (morphologically normal centrioles.In 2012–2014 years we have studied the ultrastructure of 2267 semen samples of men with impaired fertility. Globozoospermia revealed in 7 patients, dysplasia of the fibrous sheath – 13, decapitated sperm – in one. PCD was revealed in 4 patients (lack of axoneme dynein arms was found in 1 patient, absence of axoneme radial spokes – in 3 patients.The problem of genetically determined patozoospermya must be taken into account when the assisted reproductive technologies practises. There are few cases of successful assisted reproductive technologies with sperm of these patients. We don»t know the etiological factors of syndromic spermopatologe, so

From Genetics to Genetic Algorithms

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

artificial genetic system) string feature or ... called the genotype whereas it is called a structure in artificial genetic ... assigned a fitness value based on the cost function. Better ..... way it has produced complex, intelligent living organisms capable of ...

Genetic determinants of pathogenesis by feline infectious peritonitis virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Meredith A

2011-10-15

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal, immune-augmented, and progressive viral disease of cats associated with feline coronavirus (FCoV). Viral genetic determinants specifically associated with FIPV pathogenesis have not yet been discovered. Viral gene signatures in the spike, non-structural protein 3c, and membrane of the coronavirus genome have been shown to often correlate with disease manifestation. An "in vivo mutation transition hypothesis" is widely accepted and postulates that de novo virus mutation occurs in vivo giving rise to virulence. The existence of "distinct circulating avirulent and virulent strains" is an alternative hypothesis of viral pathogenesis. It may be possible that viral dynamics from both hypotheses are at play in the occurrence of FIP. Epidemiologic data suggests that the genetic background of the cat contributes to the manifestation of FIP. Further studies exploring both viral and host genetic determinants of disease in FIP offer specific opportunities for the management of this disease. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

75 FR 8299 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Determination of Regulated Status of Alfalfa Genetically...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-24

...] Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Determination of Regulated Status of Alfalfa Genetically... making a determination on the status of the Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International alfalfa... status of the Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International alfalfa lines designated as events J101...

Genetic determinants of financial risk taking.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhnen, Camelia M; Chiao, Joan Y

2009-01-01

Individuals vary in their willingness to take financial risks. Here we show that variants of two genes that regulate dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission and have been previously linked to emotional behavior, anxiety and addiction (5-HTTLPR and DRD4) are significant determinants of risk taking in investment decisions. We find that the 5-HTTLPR s/s allele carriers take 28% less risk than those carrying the s/l or l/l alleles of the gene. DRD4 7-repeat allele carriers take 25% more risk than individuals without the 7-repeat allele. These findings contribute to the emerging literature on the genetic determinants of economic behavior.

The Greater Sekhukhune-CAPABILITY outreach project.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregersen, Nerine; Lampret, Julie; Lane, Tony; Christianson, Arnold

2013-07-01

The Greater Sekhukhune-CAPABILITY Outreach Project was undertaken in a rural district in Limpopo, South Africa, as part of the European Union-funded CAPABILITY programme to investigate approaches for capacity building for the translation of genetic knowledge into care and prevention of congenital disorders. Based on previous experience of a clinical genetic outreach programme in Limpopo, it aimed to initiate a district clinical genetic service in Greater Sekhukhune to gain knowledge and experience to assist in the implementation and development of medical genetic services in South Africa. Implementing the service in Greater Sekhukhune was impeded by a developing staff shortage in the province and pressure on the health service from the existing HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics. This situation underscores the need for health needs assessment for developing services for the care and prevention of congenital disorders in middle- and low-income countries. However, these impediments stimulated the pioneering of innovate ways to offer medical genetic services in these circumstances, including tele-teaching of nurses and doctors, using cellular phones to enhance clinical care and adapting and assessing the clinical utility of a laboratory test, QF-PCR, for use in the local circumstances.

Genetic determinants of heart failure: facts and numbers.

Science.gov (United States)

Czepluch, Frauke S; Wollnik, Bernd; Hasenfuß, Gerd

2018-06-01

The relevance of gene mutations leading to heart diseases and hence heart failure has become evident. The risk for and the course of heart failure depends on genomic variants and mutations underlying the so-called genetic predisposition. Genetic contribution to heart failure is highly heterogenous and complex. For any patient with a likely inherited heart failure syndrome, genetic counselling is recommended and important. In the last few years, novel sequencing technologies (named next-generation sequencing - NGS) have dramatically improved the availability of molecular testing, the efficiency of genetic analyses, and moreover reduced the cost for genetic testing. Due to this development, genetic testing has become increasingly accessible and NGS-based sequencing is now applied in clinical routine diagnostics. One of the most common reasons of heart failure are cardiomyopathies such as the dilated or the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Nearly 100 disease-associated genes have been identified for cardiomyopathies. The knowledge of a pathogenic mutation can be used for genetic counselling, risk and prognosis determination, therapy guidance and hence for a more effective treatment. Besides, family cascade screening for a known familial, pathogenic mutation can lead to an early diagnosis in affected individuals. At that timepoint, a preventative intervention could be used to avoid or delay disease onset or delay disease progression. Understanding the cellular basis of genetic heart failure syndromes in more detail may provide new insights into the molecular biology of physiological and impaired cardiac (cell) function. As our understanding of the molecular and genetic pathophysiology of heart failure will increase, this might help to identify novel therapeutic targets and may lead to the development of new and specific treatment options in patients with heart failure. © 2018 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European

Determination of interrill soil erodibility coefficient based on Fuzzy and Fuzzy-Genetic Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Habib Palizvan Zand

2017-02-01

independent variables for development fuzzy and fuzzy- genetic models. For this reason their linguistic variables were defined and fuzzy models rules were written by Mamdani's fuzzy inference method. Then, the outputs of model defuzzified by centroid method. Once again, generation of membership functions and fuzzy rules base as well as optimization of fuzzy rule bases was performed by genetic algorithm, and the fuzzy functions were determined by optimized weight of membership functions and fuzzy rules. Results Discussion: Interrill erodibility parameters (Ki of the examined soils calculated at 3 rainfall rates using are listed in Table 2. The values ranged from 1.03 to 71.79 × 105 kg s m-4, depending on the soil and rainfall intensity. Results showed that the effect of rainfall intensity on Ki turned to be insignificant. This implies that Ki was independent of rainfall intensities. Results showed that the Triangular and Trapezoidal membership functions are better than the other membership functions for linguistic variables which used in this study. The values of R2, RMSE (Root mean square error and GMER (Geometric mean error ratio and GSDER (Geometric standard deviation of error ratio were 0.63, 592755, 1.31 and 1.38 for the fuzzy model, and, 0.70, 441942, 1.10 and 1.044 for the fuzzy- genetic model, respectively. Higher R2 and lower RMSE of the fuzzy – genetic model shows higher accuracy and efficiency of the fuzzy-genetic model. The GSDER criteria shows better matching of the fuzzy- genetic model estimated values with measured values. The GMER criteria shows lower over-estimation of the fuzzy- genetic model than fuzzy model. Conclusion: Fuzzy and fuzzy-genetic models which were designed with two input variables namely aggregates fractal dimensions and soil sand content, capable to predict of interrill erodibility coefficient of soils with reasonable accuracy. So using of these models for predicting of interrill erodibility is recommended.Optimization of fuzzy rule bases

Organisational learning capabilities as determinants of social innovation: An empirical study in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Urban

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Orientation: A critical reading of the human resource management (HRM literature finds limited contributions to understanding the organisational determinants of social enterprises and how these may contribute to higher levels of social innovativeness. Although innovation is a key theme in organisational research it has been acknowledged that the field needs more theory-based examinations of different types of innovativeness. Research purpose: To determine how different organisational capabilities are related to social innovation. Motivation for the study: Many social enterprises in developing countries do not have the requisite capabilities to efficiently manage all their programmes, which presents a major threat to organisational sustainability. Research design, approach and method: The empirical analysis is a cross-sectional study based on primary survey data. Hypotheses are tested using correlational and regression analysis. Main findings: The results show that the organisational learning capabilities of knowledge conversion, risk management, organisational dialogue and participative decision-making all have a significant and positive relationship with social innovation. Practical/managerial implications: Managers and practitioners can leverage the different organisational learning capabilities to improve social innovations in their social enterprises. Contribution/value-add: The study is one of the first in an African market context to empirically investigate social enterprises in terms of social innovation and organisational learning perspectives.

76 FR 5780 - Determination of Regulated Status of Alfalfa Genetically Engineered for Tolerance to the...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-02

...] Determination of Regulated Status of Alfalfa Genetically Engineered for Tolerance to the Herbicide Glyphosate... decision and determination on the petition regarding the regulated status of alfalfa genetically engineered... regulated status of alfalfa genetically engineered for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate based on an...

Genetic Determinism in the Genetics Curriculum: An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Mendelian and Weldonian Emphases

Science.gov (United States)

Jamieson, Annie; Radick, Gregory

2017-01-01

Twenty-first-century biology rejects genetic determinism, yet an exaggerated view of the power of genes in the making of bodies and minds remains a problem. What accounts for such tenacity? This article reports an exploratory study suggesting that the common reliance on Mendelian examples and concepts at the start of teaching in basic genetics is…

Structural Capability of an Organization toward Innovation Capability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Momeni, Mostafa

2016-01-01

The scholars in the field of strategic management have developed two major approaches for attainment of competitive advantage: an approach based on environmental opportunities, and another one based on internal capabilities of an organization. Some investigations in the last two decades have...... indicated that the advantages relying on the internal capabilities of organizations may determine the competitive position of organizations better than environmental opportunities do. Characteristics of firms shows that one of the most internal capabilities that lead the organizations to the strongest...... competitive advantage in the organizations is the innovation capability. The innovation capability is associated with other organizational capabilities, and many organizations have focused on the need to identify innovation capabilities.This research focuses on recognition of the structural aspect...

A case study: application of statistical process control tool for determining process capability and sigma level.

Science.gov (United States)

Chopra, Vikram; Bairagi, Mukesh; Trivedi, P; Nagar, Mona

2012-01-01

Statistical process control is the application of statistical methods to the measurement and analysis of variation process. Various regulatory authorities such as Validation Guidance for Industry (2011), International Conference on Harmonisation ICH Q10 (2009), the Health Canada guidelines (2009), Health Science Authority, Singapore: Guidance for Product Quality Review (2008), and International Organization for Standardization ISO-9000:2005 provide regulatory support for the application of statistical process control for better process control and understanding. In this study risk assessments, normal probability distributions, control charts, and capability charts are employed for selection of critical quality attributes, determination of normal probability distribution, statistical stability, and capability of production processes, respectively. The objective of this study is to determine tablet production process quality in the form of sigma process capability. By interpreting data and graph trends, forecasting of critical quality attributes, sigma process capability, and stability of process were studied. The overall study contributes to an assessment of process at the sigma level with respect to out-of-specification attributes produced. Finally, the study will point to an area where the application of quality improvement and quality risk assessment principles for achievement of six sigma-capable processes is possible. Statistical process control is the most advantageous tool for determination of the quality of any production process. This tool is new for the pharmaceutical tablet production process. In the case of pharmaceutical tablet production processes, the quality control parameters act as quality assessment parameters. Application of risk assessment provides selection of critical quality attributes among quality control parameters. Sequential application of normality distributions, control charts, and capability analyses provides a valid statistical

Genetic determinants of glycated hemoglobin levels in the Greenlandic Inuit population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Appel, Emil V R; Moltke, Ida; Jørgensen, Marit E

2018-01-01

We previously showed that a common genetic variant leads to a remarkably increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the small and historically isolated Greenlandic population. Motivated by this, we aimed at discovering novel genetic determinants for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and at estimating...

Aging and DNA repair capability. [Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tice, R R

1977-01-01

A review of the literature on DNA repair processes in relation to aging is presented under the following headings: DNA repair processes; age-related occurrence of unrepaired DNA lesions; DNA repair capability as a function of age; tissue-specific DNA repair capability; acceleration of the aging process by exposure to DNA damaging agents; human genetic syndromes; and longevity and DNA repair processes. (HLW)

Strong population genetic structure and larval dispersal capability of the burrowing ghost shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis)

Science.gov (United States)

The burrowing ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, is a vital member of the estuarine benthic community. Dense populations of shrimp are found in the major estuaries of Washington and Oregon. Our study determines the genetic structure of shrimp populations in order to gain ...

Genetic variants determining survival and fertility in an adverse African environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koopman, Jacob J E; Pijpe, Jeroen; Böhringer, Stefan

2016-01-01

Human survival probability and fertility decline strongly with age. These life history traits have been shaped by evolution. However, research has failed to uncover a consistent genetic determination of variation in survival and fertility. As an explanation, such genetic determinants have been...... selected in adverse environments, in which humans have lived during most of their history, but are almost exclusively studied in populations in modern affluent environments. Here, we present a large-scale candidate gene association study in a rural African population living in an adverse environment...

Beliefs in genetic determinism and attitudes towards psychiatric genetic research: psychometric scale properties, construct associations, demographic correlates, and cross-cultural comparisons.

Science.gov (United States)

Voracek, Martin; Swami, Viren; Loibl, Lisa Mariella; Furnham, Adrian

2007-12-01

Using two new scales, this study examined beliefs in genetic determinism and attitudes towards psychiatric genetic research in student samples from Austria, Malaysia, Romania, and the United Kingdom. For both constructs, effects of culture were detectable, whereas those related to key demographics were either small and inconsistent across samples (political orientation and religiosity) or zero (sex and age). Judged from factorial dimensionality and internal consistency, the psychometric properties of both scales were satisfactory. Belief in genetic determinism had lower prevalence and corresponded only modestly to positive attitudes towards psychiatric genetic research which had higher prevalence. The correlations of both constructs with a preference of inequality among social groups (social dominance orientation) were modest and inconsistent across samples. Both scales appear appropriate for cross-cultural applications, in particular for research into lay theories and public perceptions regarding genetic vs environmental effects on human behavior, mental disorders, and behavioral and psychiatric genetic research related to these.

Expectation and futurity: The remarkable success of genetic determinism.

Science.gov (United States)

Esposito, Maurizio

2017-04-01

Genetic determinism is nowadays largely questioned and widely criticized. However, if we look at the history of biology in the last one hundred years, we realize that genetic determinism has always been controversial. Why, then, did it acquire such relevance in the past despite facing longstanding criticism? Through the analysis of some of the ambitious expectations of future scientific applications, this article explores the possibility that part of the historical success of genetic determinism lies in the powerful rhetorical strategies that have connected the germinal matter with alluring bio-technological visions. Indeed, in drawing on the recent perspectives of "expectation studies" in science and technology, it will be shown that there has been an interesting historical relationship between reductionist notions of the gene as a hereditary unit, coded information or functional DNA segment, and startling prophecies of what controlling such an entity might achieve. It will also be suggested that the well-known promissory nature of genomics is far older than the emergence of biotechnology in the 1970s. At least from the time of the bio-utopias predicted by J.B.S. Haldane and J. S. Huxley, the gene has often been surrounded by what I call the "rhetoric of futurity": a promissory rhetoric that, despite momentous changes in the life sciences throughout the 20th century, has remained relatively consistent over time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic Determinism in the Genetics Curriculum. An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Mendelian and Weldonian Emphases

Science.gov (United States)

Jamieson, Annie; Radick, Gregory

2017-12-01

Twenty-first-century biology rejects genetic determinism, yet an exaggerated view of the power of genes in the making of bodies and minds remains a problem. What accounts for such tenacity? This article reports an exploratory study suggesting that the common reliance on Mendelian examples and concepts at the start of teaching in basic genetics is an eliminable source of support for determinism. Undergraduate students who attended a standard `Mendelian approach' university course in introductory genetics on average showed no change in their determinist views about genes. By contrast, students who attended an alternative course which, inspired by the work of a critic of early Mendelism, W. F. R. Weldon (1860-1906), replaced an emphasis on Mendel's peas with an emphasis on developmental contexts and their role in bringing about phenotypic variability, were less determinist about genes by the end of teaching. Improvements in both the new Weldonian curriculum and the study design are in view for the future.

Genetic determinants of P wave duration and PR segment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verweij, Niek; Mateo Leach, Irene; van den Boogaard, Malou; van Veldhuisen, Dirk J.; Christoffels, Vincent M.; Hillege, Hans L.; van Gilst, Wiek H.; Barnett, Phil; de Boer, Rudolf A.; van der Harst, Pim

2014-01-01

The PR interval on the ECG reflects atrial depolarization and atrioventricular nodal delay which can be partially differentiated by P wave duration and PR segment, respectively. Genome-wide association studies have identified several genetic loci for PR interval, but it remains to be determined

Genetic determinism of oil acidity among some DELI oil palm ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Genetic determinism of oil acidity among some DELI oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) progenies. Benoit Constant Likeng-Li-Ngue, Joseph Martin Bell, Georges Franck Ngando-Ebongue, Godswill Ntsefong Ntsomboh, Hermine Bille Ngalle ...

Genetic Determinism and the Innate-Acquired Distinction in Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

This article illustrates in which sense genetic determinism is still part of the contemporary interactionist consensus in medicine. Three dimensions of this consensus are discussed: kinds of causes, a continuum of traits ranging from monogenetic diseases to car accidents, and different kinds of determination due to different norms of reaction. On this basis, this article explicates in which sense the interactionist consensus presupposes the innate–acquired distinction. After a descriptive Part 1, Part 2 reviews why the innate–acquired distinction is under attack in contemporary philosophy of biology. Three arguments are then presented to provide a limited and pragmatic defense of the distinction: an epistemic, a conceptual, and a historical argument. If interpreted in a certain manner, and if the pragmatic goals of prevention and treatment (ideally specifying what medicine and health care is all about) are taken into account, then the innate–acquired distinction can be a useful epistemic tool. It can help, first, to understand that genetic determination does not mean fatalism, and, second, to maintain a system of checks and balances in the continuing nature–nurture debates. PMID:20234831

Application of genetic algorithm in radio ecological models parameter determination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pantelic, G. [Institute of Occupatioanl Health and Radiological Protection ' Dr Dragomir Karajovic' , Belgrade (Serbia)

2006-07-01

The method of genetic algorithms was used to determine the biological half-life of 137 Cs in cow milk after the accident in Chernobyl. Methodologically genetic algorithms are based on the fact that natural processes tend to optimize themselves and therefore this method should be more efficient in providing optimal solutions in the modeling of radio ecological and environmental events. The calculated biological half-life of 137 Cs in milk is (32 {+-} 3) days and transfer coefficient from grass to milk is (0.019 {+-} 0.005). (authors)

Application of genetic algorithm in radio ecological models parameter determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pantelic, G.

2006-01-01

The method of genetic algorithms was used to determine the biological half-life of 137 Cs in cow milk after the accident in Chernobyl. Methodologically genetic algorithms are based on the fact that natural processes tend to optimize themselves and therefore this method should be more efficient in providing optimal solutions in the modeling of radio ecological and environmental events. The calculated biological half-life of 137 Cs in milk is (32 ± 3) days and transfer coefficient from grass to milk is (0.019 ± 0.005). (authors)

Genetic determinants of facial clefting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jugessur, Astanand; Shi, Min; Gjessing, Håkon Kristian

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Facial clefts are common birth defects with a strong genetic component. To identify fetal genetic risk factors for clefting, 1536 SNPs in 357 candidate genes were genotyped in two population-based samples from Scandinavia (Norway: 562 case-parent and 592 control-parent triads; Denmark...

76 FR 37767 - Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Corn Genetically...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-28

... genetically modified organisms but did not provide any specific disagreement with APHIS' analysis. Commenters... certain genetically engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of data submitted... pests. Such genetically engineered organisms and products are considered ``regulated articles.'' The...

Teachers' Conceptions About the Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviour: A Survey in 23 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Castéra, Jérémy; Clément, Pierre

2014-02-01

This work analyses the answers to a questionnaire from 8,285 in-service and pre-service teachers from 23 countries, elaborated by the Biohead-Citizen research project, to investigate teachers' conceptions related to the genetic determinism of human behaviour. A principal components analysis is used to assess the main trends in all the interviewed teachers' conceptions. This illustrates that innatism is present in two distinct ways: in relation to individuals (e.g. genetic determinism to justify intellectual likeness between individuals such as twins) or in relation to groups of humans (e.g. genetic determinism to justify gender differences or the superiority of some human ethnic groups). A between-factor analysis discriminates between countries, showing very significant differences. There is more innatism among teachers' conceptions in African countries and Lebanon than in European countries, Brazil and Australia. Among the other controlled parameters, only two are significantly independent of the country: the level of training and the level of knowledge of biology. A co-inertia analysis shows a strong correlation between non-citizen attitudes towards and innatist conceptions of genetic determinism regarding human groups. We discuss these findings and their implications for education.

Determination of Innovation Capability of Organizations: Qualitative Meta Synthesis and Delphi Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Momeni, Mostafa; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Kafash, Mahdi Haghighi

2015-01-01

. The innovation capability is associated with other organizational capabilities. So, many organizations have focused on the need to identify innovation capabilities and resources or strengths in relation to external opportunities and threats according to inside-out view because innovation capability has...... capability in the organizations and this paper includes an expert based validation in three rounds of the Delphi method. This research proposed a direct relationship between Innovation Capability and three main capabilities that is called Structural Capability, Personnel Capability and Operational Capability...

Genetic determinants of leucocyte telomere length in children: a neglected and challenging field.

Science.gov (United States)

Stathopoulou, Maria G; Petrelis, Alexandros M; Buxton, Jessica L; Froguel, Philippe; Blakemore, Alexandra I F; Visvikis-Siest, Sophie

2015-03-01

Telomere length is associated with a large range of human diseases. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified genetic variants that are associated with leucocyte telomere length (LTL). However, these studies are limited to adult populations. Nevertheless, childhood is a crucial period for the determination of LTL, and the assessment of age-specific genetic determinants, although neglected, could be of great importance. Our aim was to provide insights and preliminary results on genetic determinants of LTL in children. Healthy children (n = 322, age range = 6.75-17 years) with available GWAS data (Illumina Human CNV370-Duo array) were included. The LTL was measured using multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Linear regression models adjusted for age, gender, parental age at child's birth, and body mass index were used to test the associations of LTL with polymorphisms identified in adult GWAS and to perform a discovery-only GWAS. The previously GWAS-identified variants in adults were not associated with LTL in our paediatric sample. This lack of association was not due to possible interactions with age or gene × gene interactions. Furthermore, a discovery-only GWAS approach demonstrated six novel variants that reached the level of suggestive association (P ≤ 5 × 10(-5)) and explain a high percentage of children's LTL. The study of genetic determinants of LTL in children may identify novel variants not previously identified in adults. Studies in large-scale children populations are needed for the confirmation of these results, possibly through a childhood consortium that could better handle the methodological challenges of LTL genetic epidemiology field. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

76 FR 81527 - Certain Wireless Devices with 3G Capabilities and Components Thereof; Determination Not to Review...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-28

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-800] Certain Wireless Devices with 3G Capabilities and Components Thereof; Determination Not to Review Initial Determination Granting Motion for... importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of certain wireless devices with 3G...

Genetically determined angiotensin converting enzyme level and myocardial tolerance to ischemia

OpenAIRE

Messadi, Erij; Vincent, Marie-Pascale; Griol-Charhbili, Violaine; Mandet, Chantal; Colucci, Juliana; Krege, John H.; Bruneval, Patrick; Bouby, Nadine; Smithies, Oliver; Alhenc-Gelas, François; Richer, Christine

2010-01-01

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE; kininase II) levels in humans are genetically determined. ACE levels have been linked to risk of myocardial infarction, but the association has been inconsistent, and the causality underlying it remains undocumented. We tested the hypothesis that genetic variation in ACE levels influences myocardial tolerance to ischemia. We studied ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice bearing 1 (ACE1c), 2 (ACE2c, wild type), or 3 (ACE3c) functional copies of the ACE gene ...

A better coefficient of determination for genetic profile analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sang Hong; Goddard, Michael E; Wray, Naomi R; Visscher, Peter M

2012-04-01

Genome-wide association studies have facilitated the construction of risk predictors for disease from multiple Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers. The ability of such "genetic profiles" to predict outcome is usually quantified in an independent data set. Coefficients of determination (R(2) ) have been a useful measure to quantify the goodness-of-fit of the genetic profile. Various pseudo-R(2) measures for binary responses have been proposed. However, there is no standard or consensus measure because the concept of residual variance is not easily defined on the observed probability scale. Unlike other nongenetic predictors such as environmental exposure, there is prior information on genetic predictors because for most traits there are estimates of the proportion of variation in risk in the population due to all genetic factors, the heritability. It is this useful ability to benchmark that makes the choice of a measure of goodness-of-fit in genetic profiling different from that of nongenetic predictors. In this study, we use a liability threshold model to establish the relationship between the observed probability scale and underlying liability scale in measuring R(2) for binary responses. We show that currently used R(2) measures are difficult to interpret, biased by ascertainment, and not comparable to heritability. We suggest a novel and globally standard measure of R(2) that is interpretable on the liability scale. Furthermore, even when using ascertained case-control studies that are typical in human disease studies, we can obtain an R(2) measure on the liability scale that can be compared directly to heritability. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

75 FR 20560 - Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Corn Genetically...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-20

...] Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Corn Genetically Engineered for... are advising the public of our determination that a corn line developed by Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc... Biotechnology, Inc., in its petition for a determination of nonregulated status, our analysis of other...

Determination of nonlinear genetic architecture using compressed sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Chiu Man; Hsu, Stephen D H

2015-01-01

One of the fundamental problems of modern genomics is to extract the genetic architecture of a complex trait from a data set of individual genotypes and trait values. Establishing this important connection between genotype and phenotype is complicated by the large number of candidate genes, the potentially large number of causal loci, and the likely presence of some nonlinear interactions between different genes. Compressed Sensing methods obtain solutions to under-constrained systems of linear equations. These methods can be applied to the problem of determining the best model relating genotype to phenotype, and generally deliver better performance than simply regressing the phenotype against each genetic variant, one at a time. We introduce a Compressed Sensing method that can reconstruct nonlinear genetic models (i.e., including epistasis, or gene-gene interactions) from phenotype-genotype (GWAS) data. Our method uses L1-penalized regression applied to nonlinear functions of the sensing matrix. The computational and data resource requirements for our method are similar to those necessary for reconstruction of linear genetic models (or identification of gene-trait associations), assuming a condition of generalized sparsity, which limits the total number of gene-gene interactions. An example of a sparse nonlinear model is one in which a typical locus interacts with several or even many others, but only a small subset of all possible interactions exist. It seems plausible that most genetic architectures fall in this category. We give theoretical arguments suggesting that the method is nearly optimal in performance, and demonstrate its effectiveness on broad classes of nonlinear genetic models using simulated human genomes and the small amount of currently available real data. A phase transition (i.e., dramatic and qualitative change) in the behavior of the algorithm indicates when sufficient data is available for its successful application. Our results indicate

An Analysis of the Twenty-Nine Capabilities of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Love, John

1998-01-01

... (Special Operations Capable) (MEU (SOC) to determine their relative validity. The methodology utilizes a multiple criteria decision-making model to determine the relative validity of each MEU (SOC) capability...

Genetic determinants of common epilepsies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2014-01-01

and insufficient power. We aimed to identify risk loci through meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies for all epilepsy and the two largest clinical subtypes (genetic generalised epilepsy and focal epilepsy). METHODS: We combined genome-wide association data from 12 cohorts of individuals with epilepsy...... not previously implicated in epilepsy and provides further evidence about the genetic architecture of these disorders, with the ultimate aim of assisting in disease classification and prognosis. The data suggest that specific loci can act pleiotropically raising risk for epilepsy broadly, or can have effects...... and controls from population-based datasets. Controls were ethnically matched with cases. We phenotyped individuals with epilepsy into categories of genetic generalised epilepsy, focal epilepsy, or unclassified epilepsy. After standardised filtering for quality control and imputation to account for different...

75 FR 1585 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Determination of Regulated Status of Alfalfa Genetically...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-12

...] Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Determination of Regulated Status of Alfalfa Genetically... and Forage Genetics International alfalfa lines designated as events J101 and J163 as regulated... International (FGI) alfalfa events J101 and J163 were no longer considered regulated articles under the...

76 FR 78232 - Monsanto Co.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Soybean Genetically Engineered To Have a...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-16

... peer review of safety tests, and health effects of genetically modified organisms and glyphosate. APHIS...] Monsanto Co.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Soybean Genetically Engineered To Have a Modified... that there is reason to believe are plant pests. Such genetically engineered organisms and products are...

Capabilities and Incapabilities of the Capabilities Approach to Health Justice.

Science.gov (United States)

Selgelid, Michael J

2016-01-01

This first part of this article critiques Sridhar Venkatapuram's conception of health as a capability. It argues that Venkatapuram relies on the problematic concept of dignity, implies that those who are unhealthy lack lives worthy of dignity (which seems politically incorrect), sets a low bar for health, appeals to metaphysically problematic thresholds, fails to draw clear connections between appealed-to capabilities and health, and downplays the importance/relevance of health functioning. It concludes by questioning whether justice entitlements should pertain to the capability for health versus health achievements, challenging Venkatapuram's claims about the strength of health entitlements, and demonstrating that the capabilities approach is unnecessary to address social determinants of health. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Intelligent DNA-based molecular diagnostics using linked genetic markers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pathak, D.K.; Perlin, M.W.; Hoffman, E.P.

1994-12-31

This paper describes a knowledge-based system for molecular diagnostics, and its application to fully automated diagnosis of X-linked genetic disorders. Molecular diagnostic information is used in clinical practice for determining genetic risks, such as carrier determination and prenatal diagnosis. Initially, blood samples are obtained from related individuals, and PCR amplification is performed. Linkage-based molecular diagnosis then entails three data analysis steps. First, for every individual, the alleles (i.e., DNA composition) are determined at specified chromosomal locations. Second, the flow of genetic material among the individuals is established. Third, the probability that a given individual is either a carrier of the disease or affected by the disease is determined. The current practice is to perform each of these three steps manually, which is costly, time consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone. As such, the knowledge-intensive data analysis and interpretation supersede the actual experimentation effort as the major bottleneck in molecular diagnostics. By examining the human problem solving for the task, we have designed and implemented a prototype knowledge-based system capable of fully automating linkage-based molecular diagnostics in X-linked genetic disorders, including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Our system uses knowledge-based interpretation of gel electrophoresis images to determine individual DNA marker labels, a constraint satisfaction search for consistent genetic flow among individuals, and a blackboard-style problem solver for risk assessment. We describe the system`s successful diagnosis of DMD carrier and affected individuals from raw clinical data.

78 FR 13302 - Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status of Corn Genetically Engineered...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-27

...] Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status of Corn Genetically Engineered for... are advising the public of our determination that a corn line developed by the Syngenta Biotechnology... evaluation of data submitted by Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., in its petition for a determination of...

Genetic Determinants of Thrombin Generation and Their Relation to Venous Thrombosis: Results from the GAIT-2 Project

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Fernandez, Laura; Ziyatdinov, Andrey; Carrasco, Marina; Millon, Juan Antonio; Martinez-Perez, Angel; Vilalta, Noelia; Brunel, Helena; Font, Montserrat; Hamsten, Anders; Souto, Juan Carlos; Soria, José Manuel

2016-01-01

Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common disease where known genetic risk factors explain only a small portion of the genetic variance. Then, the analysis of intermediate phenotypes, such as thrombin generation assay, can be used to identify novel genetic risk factors that contribute to VTE. Objectives To investigate the genetic basis of distinct quantitative phenotypes of thrombin generation and its relationship to the risk of VTE. Patients/Methods Lag time, thrombin peak and endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) were measured in the families of the Genetic Analysis of Idiopathic Thrombophilia 2 (GAIT-2) Project. This sample consisted of 935 individuals in 35 extended families selected through a proband with idiopathic thrombophilia. We performed also genome wide association studies (GWAS) with thrombin generation phenotypes. Results The results showed that 67% of the variation in the risk of VTE is attributable to genetic factors. The heritabilities of lag time, thrombin peak and ETP were 49%, 54% and 52%, respectively. More importantly, we demonstrated also the existence of positive genetic correlations between thrombin peak or ETP and the risk of VTE. Moreover, the major genetic determinant of thrombin generation was the F2 gene. However, other suggestive signals were observed. Conclusions The thrombin generation phenotypes are strongly genetically determined. The thrombin peak and ETP are significantly genetically correlated with the risk of VTE. In addition, F2 was identified as a major determinant of thrombin generation. We reported suggestive signals that might increase our knowledge to explain the variability of this important phenotype. Validation and functional studies are required to confirm GWAS results. PMID:26784699

75 FR 32356 - Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Genetically...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-08

...] Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Genetically Engineered High... advising the public of our determination that a soybean line developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International... engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of data submitted by Pioneer Hi-Bred...

Pelvic incidence variation among individuals: functional influence versus genetic determinism.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong-Fang; Zhao, Chang-Qing

2018-03-20

Pelvic incidence has become one of the most important sagittal parameters in spinal surgery. Despite its great importance, pelvic incidence can vary from 33° to 85° in the normal population. The reasons for this great variability in pelvic incidence remain unexplored. The objective of this article is to present some possible interpretations for the great variability in pelvic incidence under both normal and pathological conditions and to further understand the determinants of pelvic incidence from the perspective of the functional requirements for bipedalism and genetic backgrounds via a literature review. We postulate that both pelvic incidence and pelvic morphology may be genetically predetermined, and a great variability in pelvic incidence may already exist even before birth. This great variability may also serve as a further reminder that the sagittal profile, bipedal locomotion mode, and genetic background of every individual are unique and specific, and clinicians should avoid making universally applying broad generalizations of pelvic incidence. Although PI is an important parameter and there are many theories behind its variability, we still do not have clear mechanistic answers.

Common Genetic Determinants of Intraocular Pressure and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Koolwijk, Leonieke M. E.; Ramdas, Wishal D.; Ikram, M. Kamran; Jansonius, Nomdo M.; Pasutto, Francesca; Hysi, Pirro G.; Macgregor, Stuart; Janssen, Sarah F.; Hewitt, Alex W.; Viswanathan, Ananth C.; ten Brink, Jacoline B.; Hosseini, S. Mohsen; Amin, Najaf; Despriet, Dominiek D. G.; Willemse-Assink, Jacqueline J. M.; Kramer, Rogier; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Struchalin, Maksim; Aulchenko, Yurii S.; Weisschuh, Nicole; Zenkel, Matthias; Mardin, Christian Y.; Gramer, Eugen; Welge-Luessen, Ulrich; Montgomery, Grant W.; Carbonaro, Francis; Young, Terri L.; Bellenguez, Celine; McGuffin, Peter; Foster, Paul J.; Topouzis, Fotis; Mitchell, Paul; Wang, Jie Jin; Wong, Tien Y.; Czudowska, Monika A.; Hofman, Albert; Uitterlinden, Andre G.; Wolfs, Roger C. W.; de Jong, Paulus T. V. M.; Oostra, Ben A.; Paterson, Andrew D.; Mackey, David A.; Bergen, Arthur A. B.; Reis, Andre; Hammond, Christopher J.; Vingerling, Johannes R.; Lemij, Hans G.; Klaver, Caroline C. W.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.

2012-01-01

Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a highly heritable risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma and is the only target for current glaucoma therapy. The genetic factors which determine IOP are largely unknown. We performed a genome-wide association study for IOP in 11,972 participants from 4

Multivariate analysis and determination of the best indirect selection criteria to genetic improvement the biological nitrogen fixation ability in common bean genotypes (Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Golparvar Reza Ahmad

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In order to determine the best indirect selection criteria for genetic improvement of biological nitrogen fixation, sixty four common bean genotypes were cultivated in two randomized complete block design. Genotypes were inoculated with bacteria Rhizobium legominosarum biovar Phaseoli isolate L-109 only in one of the experiments. The second experiment was considered as check for the first. Correlation analysis showed positive and highly significant correlation of majority of the traits with percent of nitrogen fixation. Step-wise regression designated that traits percent of total nitrogen of shoot, number of nodule per plant and biological yield accounted for 92.3 percent of variation exist in percent of nitrogen fixation. Path analysis indicated that these traits have direct and positive effect on percent of nitrogen fixation. Hence, these traits are promising indirect selection criteria for genetic improvement of nitrogen fixation capability in common bean genotypes especially in early generations.

Genetic compatibility determines endophyte-grass combinations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kari Saikkonen

Full Text Available Even highly mutually beneficial microbial-plant interactions, such as mycorrhizal- and rhizobial-plant exchanges, involve selfishness, cheating and power-struggles between the partners, which depending on prevailing selective pressures, lead to a continuum of interactions from antagonistic to mutualistic. Using manipulated grass-endophyte combinations in a five year common garden experiment, we show that grass genotypes and genetic mismatches constrain genetic combinations between the vertically (via host seeds transmitted endophytes and the out-crossing host, thereby reducing infections in established grass populations. Infections were lost in both grass tillers and seedlings in F(1 and F(2 generations, respectively. Experimental plants were collected as seeds from two different environments, i.e., meadows and nearby riverbanks. Endophyte-related benefits to the host included an increased number of inflorescences, but only in meadow plants and not until the last growing season of the experiment. Our results illustrate the importance of genetic host specificity and trans-generational maternal effects on the genetic structure of a host population, which act as destabilizing forces in endophyte-grass symbioses. We propose that (1 genetic mismatches may act as a buffering mechanism against highly competitive endophyte-grass genotype combinations threatening the biodiversity of grassland communities and (2 these mismatches should be acknowledged, particularly in breeding programmes aimed at harnessing systemic and heritable endophytes to improve the agriculturally valuable characteristics of cultivars.

Determinants of consumer attitudes and purchase intentions with regard to genetically modifed foods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bredahl, Lone

2001-01-01

of the technology. Purchase decisions with regard to the two product examples were almost exclusively determined by attitudes towards purchasing the products. These were, in turn, significantly influenced by the overall attitude towards genetic modification in food production through their effects on beliefs held...... which was carried out in Denmark, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom to investigate the formation of consumer attitudes towards genetic modification in food production and of purchase decisions with regard to genetically modified yoghurt and beer. Altogether, 2031 consumers were interviewed...... consumers. Across countries, the attitude towards genetic modification in food production was deeply embedded in more general attitudes held by the consumers, in particular attitude towards nature and attitude towards technology. These general attitudes were found to influence perceived risks and benefits...

Determination of genetic relatedness from low-coverage human genome sequences using pedigree simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Michael D; Jay, Flora; Castellano, Sergi; Slatkin, Montgomery

2017-08-01

We develop and evaluate methods for inferring relatedness among individuals from low-coverage DNA sequences of their genomes, with particular emphasis on sequences obtained from fossil remains. We suggest the major factors complicating the determination of relatedness among ancient individuals are sequencing depth, the number of overlapping sites, the sequencing error rate and the presence of contamination from present-day genetic sources. We develop a theoretical model that facilitates the exploration of these factors and their relative effects, via measurement of pairwise genetic distances, without calling genotypes, and determine the power to infer relatedness under various scenarios of varying sequencing depth, present-day contamination and sequencing error. The model is validated by a simulation study as well as the analysis of aligned sequences from present-day human genomes. We then apply the method to the recently published genome sequences of ancient Europeans, developing a statistical treatment to determine confidence in assigned relatedness that is, in some cases, more precise than previously reported. As the majority of ancient specimens are from animals, this method would be applicable to investigate kinship in nonhuman remains. The developed software grups (Genetic Relatedness Using Pedigree Simulations) is implemented in Python and freely available. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of French and Estonian Students' Conceptions in Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviours

Science.gov (United States)

Castera, Jeremy; Sarapuu, Tago; Clement, Pierre

2013-01-01

Innatism is the belief that most of the human personality can be determined by genes. This ideology is dangerous, especially when it claims to be scientific. The present study investigates conceptions of 1060 students from Estonia and France related to genetic determinism of some human behaviours. Factors taken into account included students'…

76 FR 63278 - Bayer CropScience LP; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Cotton Genetically Engineered for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-12

... part 340, ``Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering... regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. Our determination is based... things, the introduction (importation, interstate movement, or release into the environment) of organisms...

Methods and Tools for the Analysis, Verification and Synthesis of Genetic Logic Circuits,

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baig, Hasan

2017-01-01

. This usually requires simulating the mathematical models of these genetic circuits and perceive whether or not the circuit behaves appropriately. Furthermore, synthetic biology utilizes the concepts from electronic design automation (EDA) of abstraction and automated construction to generate genetic circuits...... that the proposed approach is effective to determine the variation in the behavior of genetic circuits when the circuit’s parameters are changed. In addition, the thesis also attempts to propose a synthesis and technology mapping tool, called GeneTech, for genetic circuits. It allows users to construct a genetic...... important design characteristics. This thesis also introduces an automated approach to analyze the behavior of genetic logic circuits from the simulation data. With this capability, the boolean logic of complex genetic circuits can be analyzed and/or verified automatically. It is also shown in this thesis...

Mapping determinants of gene expression plasticity by genetical genomics in C. elegans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Li

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Recent genetical genomics studies have provided intimate views on gene regulatory networks. Gene expression variations between genetically different individuals have been mapped to the causal regulatory regions, termed expression quantitative trait loci. Whether the environment-induced plastic response of gene expression also shows heritable difference has not yet been studied. Here we show that differential expression induced by temperatures of 16 degrees C and 24 degrees C has a strong genetic component in Caenorhabditis elegans recombinant inbred strains derived from a cross between strains CB4856 (Hawaii and N2 (Bristol. No less than 59% of 308 trans-acting genes showed a significant eQTL-by-environment interaction, here termed plasticity quantitative trait loci. In contrast, only 8% of an estimated 188 cis-acting genes showed such interaction. This indicates that heritable differences in plastic responses of gene expression are largely regulated in trans. This regulation is spread over many different regulators. However, for one group of trans-genes we found prominent evidence for a common master regulator: a transband of 66 coregulated genes appeared at 24 degrees C. Our results suggest widespread genetic variation of differential expression responses to environmental impacts and demonstrate the potential of genetical genomics for mapping the molecular determinants of phenotypic plasticity.

Low-Dose Radiation Cataract and Genetic Determinants of Radiosensitivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kleiman, Norman Jay [Columbia University

2013-11-30

The lens of the eye is one of the most radiosensitive tissues in the body. Ocular ionizing radiation exposure results in characteristic, dose related, progressive lens changes leading to cataract formation. While initial, early stages of lens opacification may not cause visual disability, the severity of such changes progressively increases with dose until vision is impaired and cataract extraction surgery may be required. Because of the transparency of the eye, radiation induced lens changes can easily be followed non-invasively over time. Thus, the lens provides a unique model system in which to study the effects of low dose ionizing radiation exposure in a complex, highly organized tissue. Despite this observation, considerable uncertainties remain surrounding the relationship between dose and risk of developing radiation cataract. For example, a growing number of human epidemiological findings suggest significant risk among various groups of occupationally and accidentally exposed individuals and confidence intervals that include zero dose. Nevertheless, questions remain concerning the relationship between lens opacities, visual disability, clinical cataract, threshold dose and/or the role of genetics in determining radiosensitivity. Experimentally, the response of the rodent eye to radiation is quite similar to that in humans and thus animal studies are well suited to examine the relationship between radiation exposure, genetic determinants of radiosensitivity and cataractogenesis. The current work has expanded our knowledge of the low-dose effects of X-irradiation or high-LET heavy ion exposure on timing and progression of radiation cataract and has provided new information on the genetic, molecular, biochemical and cell biological features which contribute to this pathology. Furthermore, findings have indicated that single and/or multiple haploinsufficiency for various genes involved in DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint control, such as Atm, Brca1 or Rad9

Inherited determinants of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis phenotypes: a genetic association study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleynen, Isabelle; Boucher, Gabrielle; Jostins, Luke; Schumm, L Philip; Zeissig, Sebastian; Ahmad, Tariq; Andersen, Vibeke; Andrews, Jane M; Annese, Vito; Brand, Stephan; Brant, Steven R; Cho, Judy H; Daly, Mark J; Dubinsky, Marla; Duerr, Richard H; Ferguson, Lynnette R; Franke, Andre; Gearry, Richard B; Goyette, Philippe; Hakonarson, Hakon; Halfvarson, Jonas; Hov, Johannes R; Huang, Hailang; Kennedy, Nicholas A; Kupcinskas, Limas; Lawrance, Ian C; Lee, James C; Satsangi, Jack; Schreiber, Stephan; Théâtre, Emilie; van der Meulen-de Jong, Andrea E; Weersma, Rinse K; Wilson, David C; Parkes, Miles; Vermeire, Severine; Rioux, John D; Mansfield, John; Silverberg, Mark S; Radford-Smith, Graham; McGovern, Dermot P B; Barrett, Jeffrey C; Lees, Charlie W

2016-01-09

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease; treatment strategies have historically been determined by this binary categorisation. Genetic studies have identified 163 susceptibility loci for inflammatory bowel disease, mostly shared between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. We undertook the largest genotype association study, to date, in widely used clinical subphenotypes of inflammatory bowel disease with the goal of further understanding the biological relations between diseases. This study included patients from 49 centres in 16 countries in Europe, North America, and Australasia. We applied the Montreal classification system of inflammatory bowel disease subphenotypes to 34,819 patients (19,713 with Crohn's disease, 14,683 with ulcerative colitis) genotyped on the Immunochip array. We tested for genotype-phenotype associations across 156,154 genetic variants. We generated genetic risk scores by combining information from all known inflammatory bowel disease associations to summarise the total load of genetic risk for a particular phenotype. We used these risk scores to test the hypothesis that colonic Crohn's disease, ileal Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis are all genetically distinct from each other, and to attempt to identify patients with a mismatch between clinical diagnosis and genetic risk profile. After quality control, the primary analysis included 29,838 patients (16,902 with Crohn's disease, 12,597 with ulcerative colitis). Three loci (NOD2, MHC, and MST1 3p21) were associated with subphenotypes of inflammatory bowel disease, mainly disease location (essentially fixed over time; median follow-up of 10·5 years). Little or no genetic association with disease behaviour (which changed dramatically over time) remained after conditioning on disease location and age at onset. The genetic risk score representing all known risk alleles for inflammatory bowel disease showed strong association with

Genetically Determined MBL Deficiency Is Associated with Protection against Chronic Cardiomyopathy in Chagas Disease.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Rosa Luz

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Chagas disease (CD is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, whose sugar moieties are recognized by mannan binding lectin (MBL, a soluble pattern-recognition molecule that activates the lectin pathway of complement. MBL levels and protein activity are affected by polymorphisms in the MBL2 gene. We sequenced the MBL2 promoter and exon 1 in 196 chronic CD patients and 202 controls. The MBL2*C allele, which causes MBL deficiency, was associated with protection against CD (P = 0.007, OR = 0.32. Compared with controls, genotypes with this allele were completely absent in patients with the cardiac form of the disease (P = 0.003. Furthermore, cardiac patients with genotypes causing MBL deficiency presented less heart damage (P = 0.003, OR = 0.23, compared with cardiac patients having the XA haplotype causing low MBL levels, but fully capable of activating complement (P = 0.005, OR = 7.07. Among the patients, those with alleles causing MBL deficiency presented lower levels of cytokines and chemokines possibly implicated in symptom development (IL9, p = 0.013; PDGFB, p = 0.036 and RANTES, p = 0.031. These findings suggest a protective effect of genetically determined MBL deficiency against the development and progression of chronic CD cardiomyopathy.

Genetic Determinism vs. Phenotypic Plasticity in Protist Morphology

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mulot, M.; Marcisz, K.; Grandgirard, L.; Lara, E.; Kosakyan, Anush; Robroek, B. J. M.; Lamentowicz, M.; Payne, R. J.; Mitchell, E.A.D.

2017-01-01

Roč. 64, č. 6 (2017), s. 729-739 ISSN 1066-5234 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Body size * protozoa * soil moisture * testate amoebae * water table depth Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Genetics and heredity (medical genetics to be 3) Impact factor: 2.692, year: 2016

Genetically Determined Height and Coronary Artery Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nelson, Christopher P.; Hamby, Stephen E.; Saleheen, Danish; Hopewell, Jenna C.; Zeng, Lingyao; Assimes, Themistocles L.; Kanoni, Stavroula; Willenborg, Christina; Burgess, Stephen; Amouyel, Phillipe; Anand, Sonia; Blankenberg, Stefan; Boehm, Bernhard O.; Clarke, Robert J.; Collins, Rory; Dedoussis, George; Farrall, Martin; Franks, Paul W.; Groop, Leif; Hall, Alistair S.; Hamsten, Anders; Hengstenberg, Christian; Hovingh, G. Kees; Ingelsson, Erik; Kathiresan, Sekar; Kee, Frank; König, Inke R.; Kooner, Jaspal; Lehtimäki, Terho; März, Winifred; McPherson, Ruth; Metspalu, Andres; Nieminen, Markku S.; O'Donnell, Christopher J.; Palmer, Colin N. A.; Peters, Annette; Perola, Markus; Reilly, Muredach P.; Ripatti, Samuli; Roberts, Robert; Salomaa, Veikko; Shah, Svati H.; Schreiber, Stefan; Siegbahn, Agneta; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Veronesi, Giovani; Wareham, Nicholas; Willer, Cristen J.; Zalloua, Pierre A.; Erdmann, Jeanette

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND The nature and underlying mechanisms of an inverse association between adult height and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) are unclear. METHODS We used a genetic approach to investigate the association between height and CAD, using 180 height-associated genetic variants. We tested

Exploration of genetically determined resistance against hepatitis C infection in high-risk injecting drug users.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugden, P B; Cameron, B; Luciani, F; Lloyd, A R

2014-08-01

Genetic resistance to specific infections is well recognized. In hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, genetic polymorphisms in IL-28B and the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and their HLA class I ligands have been shown to affect clearance of the virus following infection. There are limited data regarding resistance to established HCV infection. Reliable quantification of repeated exposure in high-risk populations, such as injecting drug users (IDU), is a key limitation of previous studies of resistance. Behavioural data and DNA from IDU (n = 210) in the Hepatitis C Incidence and Transmission Study in prisons (HITS-p) cohort were genotyped for polymorphisms in: IL-28B, peptidyl-prolyl isomerase A (PPIA), HLA-C and KIR2. To quantify risk, a composite risk index based on factors predictive of incident HCV infection was derived. Logistic regression analysis revealed the risk index was strongly associated with incident HCV infection (P C1, or their combination. A framework for the investigation of genetic determinants of resistance to HCV infection has been developed. Several candidate gene associations were investigated and excluded. Further investigation of genetic determinants of resistance to HCV infection is warranted. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic determinants of LDL, lipoprotein(a), triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and HDL: concordance and discordance with cardiovascular disease risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordestgaard, Børge G; Tybjærg-Hansen, Anne

2011-01-01

To evaluate whether new and known genetic determinants of plasma levels of LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and HDL cholesterol associate with the risk of cardiovascular disease expected from the effect on lipoprotein levels. Concordance or discordance...... of such genetic determinants with cardiovascular disease risk will either favor or disfavor that these lipoproteins are causally related to cardiovascular disease....

Genetics of human body size and shape: pleiotropic and independent genetic determinants of adiposity.

Science.gov (United States)

Livshits, G; Yakovenko, K; Ginsburg, E; Kobyliansky, E

1998-01-01

The present study utilized pedigree data from three ethnically different populations of Kirghizstan, Turkmenia and Chuvasha. Principal component analysis was performed on a matrix of genetic correlations between 22 measures of adiposity, including skinfolds, circumferences and indices. Findings are summarized as follows: (1) All three genetic matrices were not positive definite and the first four factors retained even after exclusion RG > or = 1.0, explained from 88% to 97% of the total additive genetic variation in the 22 trials studied. This clearly emphasizes the massive involvement of pleiotropic gene effects in the variability of adiposity traits. (2) Despite the quite natural differences in pairwise correlations between the adiposity traits in the three ethnically different samples under study, factor analysis revealed a common basic pattern of covariability for the adiposity traits. In each of the three samples, four genetic factors were retained, namely, the amount of subcutaneous fat, the total body obesity, the pattern of distribution of subcutaneous fat and the central adiposity distribution. (3) Genetic correlations between the retained four factors were virtually non-existent, suggesting that several independent genetic sources may be governing the variation of adiposity traits. (4) Variance decomposition analysis on the obtained genetic factors leaves no doubt regarding the substantial familial and (most probably genetic) effects on variation of each factor in each studied population. The similarity of results in the three different samples indicates that the findings may be deemed valid and reliable descriptions of the genetic variation and covariation pattern of adiposity traits in the human species.

Ecological and genetic determinants of plasmid distribution in Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Medaney, Frances; Ellis, Richard J; Raymond, Ben

2016-11-01

Bacterial plasmids are important carriers of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes. Nevertheless, little is known of the determinants of plasmid distribution in bacterial populations. Here the factors affecting the diversity and distribution of the large plasmids of Escherichia coli were explored in cattle grazing on semi-natural grassland, a set of populations with low frequencies of antibiotic resistance genes. Critically, the population genetic structure of bacterial hosts was chararacterized. This revealed structured E. coli populations with high diversity between sites and individuals but low diversity within cattle hosts. Plasmid profiles, however, varied considerably within the same E. coli genotype. Both ecological and genetic factors affected plasmid distribution: plasmid profiles were affected by site, E. coli diversity, E. coli genotype and the presence of other large plasmids. Notably 3/26 E. coli serotypes accounted for half the observed plasmid-free isolates indicating that within species variation can substantially affect carriage of the major conjugative plasmids. The observed population structure suggest that most of the opportunities for within species plasmid transfer occur between different individuals of the same genotype and support recent experimental work indicating that plasmid-host coevolution, and epistatic interactions on fitness costs are likely to be important in determining occupancy. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic sex determination in Astatotilapia calliptera, a prototype species for the Lake Malawi cichlid radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Erin N.; Cline, Maggie E.; Moore, Emily C.; Roberts, Natalie B.; Roberts, Reade B.

2017-06-01

East African cichlids display extensive variation in sex determination systems. The species Astatotilapia calliptera is one of the few cichlids that reside both in Lake Malawi and in surrounding waterways. A. calliptera is of interest in evolutionary studies as a putative immediate outgroup species for the Lake Malawi species flock and possibly as a prototype ancestor-like species for the radiation. Here, we use linkage mapping to test association of sex in A. calliptera with loci that have been previously associated with genetic sex determination in East African cichlid species. We identify a male heterogametic XY system segregating at linkage group (LG) 7 in an A. calliptera line that originated from Lake Malawi, at a locus previously shown to act as an XY sex determination system in multiple species of Lake Malawi cichlids. Significant association of genetic markers and sex produce a broad genetic interval of approximately 26 megabases (Mb) using the Nile tilapia genome to orient markers; however, we note that the marker with the strongest association with sex is near a gene that acts as a master sex determiner in other fish species. We demonstrate that alleles of the marker are perfectly associated with sex in Metriaclima mbenjii, a species from the rock-dwelling clade of Lake Malawi. While we do not rule out the possibility of other sex determination loci in A. calliptera, this study provides a foundation for fine mapping of the cichlid sex determination gene on LG7 and evolutionary context regarding the origin and persistence of the LG7 XY across diverse, rapidly evolving lineages.

Determinants of Marketing Performance: Innovation, Market Capabilities and Marketing Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naili Farida

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This research aim to analyze causality influence between innovations, market capability, social modal, entrepreneurs oriented into marketing performance. Organizational innovations is a basic focus on Total  Quality Management. Innovation has a role to technological development and competitive economy environment. The sample technique used is Purpusive sampling amount 58 respondent owner of Batik Small Medium Enterprise known as UKM.  Small businesses have small medium or medium can grow and develop so that it is able to increase its product and sustainability efforts on the creative industry. The technique analysis used is Parsial Least Square (PLS, this result shows entrepreneur orientation doesn’t influence into market capability and social modal, innovation has positive influence and significance into market capability and marketing performance. This results shows innovation has important role in advantaging market capability while influencing to increase marketing performance of Small Medium Enterprise known as UKM. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh kausalitas antara inovasi, kemampuan pasar, modal sosial, pengusaha berorientasi ke kinerja pemasaran. Inovasi organisasi adalah dasar TQM. Inovasi mempunyai peran pentinga dalam pengembangan teknologi dan lingkungan yang penuh persaingan. Teknik sampel yang digunakan adalah Purposive Sampling jumlah 58 pemilik responden dari Batik Kecil Menengah dikenal sebagai UKM. UKM dapat tumbuh dan berkembang melalui industri kreatif. Teknik analisis yang digunakan adalah Parsial Least Square (PLS, hasil ini menunjukkan orientasi entrepreneur tidak mempengaruhi ke kemampuan pasar dan modal sosial, inovasi berpengaruh positif dan signifikan dalam kemampuan pasar dan kinerja pemasaran. Hal ini menyebabkan menunjukkan inovasi memiliki peran penting dalam advantaging kemampuan pasar sementara yang mempengaruhi untuk meningkatkan kinerja pemasaran Kecil Menengah dikenal sebagai UKM.

78 FR 37201 - Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status of Maize Genetically...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-20

...] Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status of Maize Genetically Engineered... Hi-Bred International Inc., designated as maize event DP-[Oslash][Oslash]4114-3, which has been... by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., in its petition for a determination of nonregulated status...

Genetic and Nongenetic Determinants of Cell Growth Variation Assessed by High-Throughput Microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Ziv, Naomi; Siegal, Mark L.; Gresham, David

2013-01-01

In microbial populations, growth initiation and proliferation rates are major components of fitness and therefore likely targets of selection. We used a high-throughput microscopy assay, which enables simultaneous analysis of tens of thousands of microcolonies, to determine the sources and extent of growth rate variation in the budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in different glucose environments. We find that cell growth rates are regulated by the extracellular concentration of glucose as proposed by Monod (1949), but that significant heterogeneity in growth rates is observed among genetically identical individuals within an environment. Yeast strains isolated from different geographic locations and habitats differ in their growth rate responses to different glucose concentrations. Inheritance patterns suggest that the genetic determinants of growth rates in different glucose concentrations are distinct. In addition, we identified genotypes that differ in the extent of variation in growth rate within an environment despite nearly identical mean growth rates, providing evidence that alleles controlling phenotypic variability segregate in yeast populations. We find that the time to reinitiation of growth (lag) is negatively correlated with growth rate, yet this relationship is strain-dependent. Between environments, the respirative activity of individual cells negatively correlates with glucose abundance and growth rate, but within an environment respirative activity and growth rate show a positive correlation, which we propose reflects differences in protein expression capacity. Our study quantifies the sources of genetic and nongenetic variation in cell growth rates in different glucose environments with unprecedented precision, facilitating their molecular genetic dissection. PMID:23938868

Determinism and Underdetermination in Genetics: Implications for Students' Engagement in Argumentation and Epistemic Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Jiménez-Aleixandre, María Pilar

2014-02-01

In the last two decades science studies and science education research have shifted from an interest in products (of science or of learning), to an interest in processes and practices. The focus of this paper is on students' engagement in epistemic practices (Kelly in Teaching scientific inquiry: Recommendations for research and implementation. Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, pp 99-117, 2008), or on their practical epistemologies (Wickman in Sci Educ 88(3):325-344, 2004). In order to support these practices in genetics classrooms we need to take into account domain-specific features of the epistemology of genetics, in particular issues about determinism and underdetermination. I suggest that certain difficulties may be related to the specific nature of causality in genetics, and in particular to the correspondence between a given set of factors and a range of potential effects, rather than a single one. The paper seeks to bring together recent developments in the epistemology of biology and of genetics, on the one hand, with science education approaches about epistemic practices, on the other. The implications of these perspectives for current challenges in learning genetics are examined, focusing on students' engagement in epistemic practices, as argumentation, understood as using evidence to evaluate knowledge claims. Engaging in argumentation in genetics classrooms is intertwined with practices such as using genetics models to build explanations, or framing genetics issues in their social context. These challenges are illustrated with studies making part of our research program in the USC.

Genetic determination of mortality rate in Danish dairy cows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maia, Rafael Pimentel; Ask, Birgitte; Madsen, Per

2014-01-01

: a sire random component with pedigree representing the sire genetic effects and a herd-year-season component. Moreover, the level of heterozygosity and the sire breed proportions were included in the models as covariates in order to account for potential non-additive genetic effects due to the massive...... introduction of genetic material from other populations. The correlations between the sire components for death rate and slaughter rate were negative and small for the 3 populations, suggesting the existence of specific genetic mechanisms for each culling reason and common concurrent genetic mechanisms...

Determining Optimal Replacement Policy with an Availability Constraint via Genetic Algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengliang Zong

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We develop a model and a genetic algorithm for determining an optimal replacement policy for power equipment subject to Poisson shocks. If the time interval of two consecutive shocks is less than a threshold value, the failed equipment can be repaired. We assume that the operating time after repair is stochastically nonincreasing and the repair time is exponentially distributed with a geometric increasing mean. Our objective is to minimize the expected average cost under an availability requirement. Based on this average cost function, we propose the genetic algorithm to locate the optimal replacement policy N to minimize the average cost rate. The results show that the GA is effective and efficient in finding the optimal solutions. The availability of equipment has significance effect on the optimal replacement policy. Many practical systems fit the model developed in this paper.

Genetic polymorphism of vitamin D receptor determines its metabolism and efficiency

OpenAIRE

O.A. Yakovleva; O.M. Nikolova; I.A. Doroshkevych; N.V. Shcherbeniuk

2017-01-01

The review represents the results of researches of vitamin D receptor characteristics and its genetic polymorphism, which is variable in different populations, and also depends on age and gender. This polymorphism determines the association of vitamin D different concentration with the probability of bronchial asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease development, and therefore the different efficacy of drug correction of vitamin D deficiency. However, the scientific data are contradict...

Genetic determinants of eating disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slof-Op 't Landt, Margarita Cornelia Theodora

2011-01-01

In this thesis, a series of studies on different aspects of the genetics of eating disorders is presented. The heritability of disordered eating behavior and attitudes in relation with body mass index (BMI) was evaluated in a large adolescent twin-family sample ascertained through the Netherlands

Genetic determinants of serum vitamin B12 and their relation to body mass index

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Allin, Kristine H.; Friedrich, Nele; Pietzner, Maik

2017-01-01

for associations between (1) serum vitamin B12 levels and body mass index (BMI), (2) genetic variants and serum vitamin B12 levels, and (3) genetic variants and BMI. The effect of a genetically determined decrease in serum vitamin B12 on BMI was estimated by instrumental variable regression. Decreased serum......Lower serum vitamin B12 levels have been related to adverse metabolic health profiles, including adiposity. We used a Mendelian randomization design to test whether this relation might be causal. We included two Danish population-based studies (ntotal = 9311). Linear regression was used to test...... vitamin B12 associated with increased BMI (P vitamin B12 associated variants associated strongly with serum vitamin B12 (P vitamin B12...

Sex-specific genetic determinants for arterial stiffness in Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Decano, Julius L; Pasion, Khristine A; Black, Nicole; Giordano, Nicholas J; Herrera, Victoria L; Ruiz-Opazo, Nelson

2016-01-11

Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients including myocardial infarction, fatal stroke, cerebral micro-bleeds which predicts cerebral hemorrhage in hypertensive patients, as well as progression to hypertension in non-hypertensive subjects. The association between arterial stiffness and various cardiovascular outcomes (coronary heart disease, stroke) remains after adjusting for age, sex, blood pressure, body mass index and other known predictors of cardiovascular disease, suggesting that arterial stiffness, measured via carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, has a better predictive value than each of these factors. Recent evidence shows that arterial stiffening precedes the onset of high blood pressure; however their molecular genetic relationship (s) and sex-specific determinants remain uncertain. We investigated whether distinct or shared genetic determinants might underlie susceptibility to arterial stiffening in male and female Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Thus, we performed a genome-wide scan for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting arterial stiffness in six-week old F2 (Dahl S x R)-intercross male and female rats characterized for abdominal aortic pulse wave velocity and aortic strain by high-resolution ultrasonography. We detected five highly significant QTLs affecting aortic stiffness: two interacting QTLs (AS-m1 on chromosome 4 and AS-m2 on chromosome16, LOD 8.8) in males and two distinct interacting QTLs (AS-f1 on chromosome 9 and AS-f2 on chromosome11, LOD 8.9) in females affecting pulse wave velocity. One QTL (AS-1 on chromosome 3, LOD 4.3) was found to influence aortic strain in a sex-independent manner. None of these arterial stiffness QTLs co-localized with previously reported blood pressure QTLs detected in equivalent genetic intercrosses. These data reveal sex-specific genetic determinants for aortic pulse wave velocity and suggest distinct polygenic susceptibility for arterial stiffness and

Genome-Wide Association Study of the Genetic Determinants of Emphysema Distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Boueiz, Adel; Lutz, Sharon M; Cho, Michael H; Hersh, Craig P; Bowler, Russell P; Washko, George R; Halper-Stromberg, Eitan; Bakke, Per; Gulsvik, Amund; Laird, Nan M; Beaty, Terri H; Coxson, Harvey O; Crapo, James D; Silverman, Edwin K; Castaldi, Peter J; DeMeo, Dawn L

2017-03-15

Emphysema has considerable variability in the severity and distribution of parenchymal destruction throughout the lungs. Upper lobe-predominant emphysema has emerged as an important predictor of response to lung volume reduction surgery. Yet, aside from alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, the genetic determinants of emphysema distribution remain largely unknown. To identify the genetic influences of emphysema distribution in non-alpha-1 antitrypsin-deficient smokers. A total of 11,532 subjects with complete genotype and computed tomography densitometry data in the COPDGene (Genetic Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD]; non-Hispanic white and African American), ECLIPSE (Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints), and GenKOLS (Genetics of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) studies were analyzed. Two computed tomography scan emphysema distribution measures (difference between upper-third and lower-third emphysema; ratio of upper-third to lower-third emphysema) were tested for genetic associations in all study subjects. Separate analyses in each study population were followed by a fixed effect metaanalysis. Single-nucleotide polymorphism-, gene-, and pathway-based approaches were used. In silico functional evaluation was also performed. We identified five loci associated with emphysema distribution at genome-wide significance. These loci included two previously reported associations with COPD susceptibility (4q31 near HHIP and 15q25 near CHRNA5) and three new associations near SOWAHB, TRAPPC9, and KIAA1462. Gene set analysis and in silico functional evaluation revealed pathways and cell types that may potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of emphysema distribution. This multicohort genome-wide association study identified new genomic loci associated with differential emphysematous destruction throughout the lungs. These findings may point to new biologic pathways on which to expand diagnostic and therapeutic

Maxillary canine displacement and genetically determined predisposition to disturbed development of the dentition.

Science.gov (United States)

Stahl, Franka; Grabowski, Rosemarie

2003-05-01

The relationship between maxillary canine displacement and the simultaneous occurrence of "genetically determined predisposition to disturbed development of the dentition" as defined by Hoffmeister was investigated in 675 patients. Panoramic radiographs taken of each patient during the first and the second mixed dentition periods were evaluated. Canine inclination and the distance between the tip of the canine and a line connecting the cusps of the molars were computed in five different age groups according to Dausch-Neumann. Statistical analysis revealed 34 patients with "potential canine displacement", who exhibited further symptoms of "genetically determined predisposition to disturbed development of the dentition" significantly more frequently than the total group. The symptoms concerned were agenesia, displaced tooth buds, rotated or tilted incisors, aplasia and microdontia of lateral incisors. Careful follow-ups in patients with a predisposition to disturbed dental development enables risks to be anticipated and canine displacement to be detected at an early stage.

Integrating a Genetic Algorithm Into a Knowledge-Based System for Ordering Complex Design Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, James L.; McCulley, Collin M.; Bloebaum, Christina L.

1996-01-01

The design cycle associated with large engineering systems requires an initial decomposition of the complex system into design processes which are coupled through the transference of output data. Some of these design processes may be grouped into iterative subcycles. In analyzing or optimizing such a coupled system, it is essential to be able to determine the best ordering of the processes within these subcycles to reduce design cycle time and cost. Many decomposition approaches assume the capability is available to determine what design processes and couplings exist and what order of execution will be imposed during the design cycle. Unfortunately, this is often a complex problem and beyond the capabilities of a human design manager. A new feature, a genetic algorithm, has been added to DeMAID (Design Manager's Aid for Intelligent Decomposition) to allow the design manager to rapidly examine many different combinations of ordering processes in an iterative subcycle and to optimize the ordering based on cost, time, and iteration requirements. Two sample test cases are presented to show the effects of optimizing the ordering with a genetic algorithm.

Variation in Recombination Rate and Its Genetic Determinism in Sheep Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Petit, Morgane; Astruc, Jean-Michel; Sarry, Julien; Drouilhet, Laurence; Fabre, Stéphane; Moreno, Carole R; Servin, Bertrand

2017-10-01

Recombination is a complex biological process that results from a cascade of multiple events during meiosis. Understanding the genetic determinism of recombination can help to understand if and how these events are interacting. To tackle this question, we studied the patterns of recombination in sheep, using multiple approaches and data sets. We constructed male recombination maps in a dairy breed from the south of France (the Lacaune breed) at a fine scale by combining meiotic recombination rates from a large pedigree genotyped with a 50K SNP array and historical recombination rates from a sample of unrelated individuals genotyped with a 600K SNP array. This analysis revealed recombination patterns in sheep similar to other mammals but also genome regions that have likely been affected by directional and diversifying selection. We estimated the average recombination rate of Lacaune sheep at 1.5 cM/Mb, identified ∼50,000 crossover hotspots on the genome, and found a high correlation between historical and meiotic recombination rate estimates. A genome-wide association study revealed two major loci affecting interindividual variation in recombination rate in Lacaune, including the RNF212 and HEI10 genes and possibly two other loci of smaller effects including the KCNJ15 and FSHR genes. The comparison of these new results to those obtained previously in a distantly related population of domestic sheep (the Soay) revealed that Soay and Lacaune males have a very similar distribution of recombination along the genome. The two data sets were thus combined to create more precise male meiotic recombination maps in Sheep. However, despite their similar recombination maps, Soay and Lacaune males were found to exhibit different heritabilities and QTL effects for interindividual variation in genome-wide recombination rates. This highlights the robustness of recombination patterns to underlying variation in their genetic determinism. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society

Aortic root dimensions are predominantly determined by genetic factors: a classical twin study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Celeng, Csilla; Kolossvary, Marton; Kovacs, Attila; Molnar, Andrea Agnes; Szilveszter, Balint; Karolyi, Mihaly; Jermendy, Adam L.; Karady, Julia; Merkely, Bela; Maurovich-Horvat, Pal; Horvath, Tamas; Tarnoki, Adam D.; Tarnoki, David L.; Voros, Szilard; Jermendy, Gyoergy

2017-01-01

Previous studies using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) observed moderate heritability of aortic root dimensions. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) might provide more accurate heritability estimates. Our primary aim was to assess the heritability of the aortic root with CTA. Our secondary aim was to derive TTE-based heritability and compare this with the CTA-based results. In the BUDAPEST-GLOBAL study 198 twin subjects (118 monozygotic, 80 dizygotic; age 56.1 ± 9.4 years; 126 female) underwent CTA and TTE. We assessed the diameter of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), annulus, sinus of Valsalva, sinotubular junction and ascending aorta. Heritability was assessed using ACDE model (A additive genetic, C common environmental, D dominant genetic, E unique environmental factors). Based on CTA, additive genetic effects were dominant (LVOT: A = 0.67, E = 0.33; annulus: A = 0.76, E = 0.24; sinus of Valsalva: A = 0.83, E = 0.17; sinotubular junction: A = 0.82, E = 0.18; ascending aorta: A = 0.75, E = 0.25). TTE-derived measurements showed moderate to no genetic influence (LVOT: A = 0.38, E = 0.62; annulus: C = 0.47, E = 0.53; sinus of Valsalva: C = 0.63, E = 0.37; sinotubular junction: C = 0.45, E = 0.55; ascending aorta: A = 0.67, E = 0.33). CTA-based assessment suggests that aortic root dimensions are predominantly determined by genetic factors. TTE-based measurements showed moderate to no genetic influence. The choice of measurement method has substantial impact on heritability estimates. (orig.)

Aortic root dimensions are predominantly determined by genetic factors: a classical twin study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Celeng, Csilla; Kolossvary, Marton; Kovacs, Attila; Molnar, Andrea Agnes; Szilveszter, Balint; Karolyi, Mihaly; Jermendy, Adam L.; Karady, Julia; Merkely, Bela; Maurovich-Horvat, Pal [Semmelweis University, MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Budapest (Hungary); Horvath, Tamas [Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Hydrodynamic Systems, Budapest (Hungary); Tarnoki, Adam D.; Tarnoki, David L. [Semmelweis University, Department of Radiology and Oncotherapy, Budapest (Hungary); Voros, Szilard [Global Genomics Group, Atlanta, GA (United States); Jermendy, Gyoergy [Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital, Medical Department, Budapest (Hungary)

2017-06-15

Previous studies using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) observed moderate heritability of aortic root dimensions. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) might provide more accurate heritability estimates. Our primary aim was to assess the heritability of the aortic root with CTA. Our secondary aim was to derive TTE-based heritability and compare this with the CTA-based results. In the BUDAPEST-GLOBAL study 198 twin subjects (118 monozygotic, 80 dizygotic; age 56.1 ± 9.4 years; 126 female) underwent CTA and TTE. We assessed the diameter of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), annulus, sinus of Valsalva, sinotubular junction and ascending aorta. Heritability was assessed using ACDE model (A additive genetic, C common environmental, D dominant genetic, E unique environmental factors). Based on CTA, additive genetic effects were dominant (LVOT: A = 0.67, E = 0.33; annulus: A = 0.76, E = 0.24; sinus of Valsalva: A = 0.83, E = 0.17; sinotubular junction: A = 0.82, E = 0.18; ascending aorta: A = 0.75, E = 0.25). TTE-derived measurements showed moderate to no genetic influence (LVOT: A = 0.38, E = 0.62; annulus: C = 0.47, E = 0.53; sinus of Valsalva: C = 0.63, E = 0.37; sinotubular junction: C = 0.45, E = 0.55; ascending aorta: A = 0.67, E = 0.33). CTA-based assessment suggests that aortic root dimensions are predominantly determined by genetic factors. TTE-based measurements showed moderate to no genetic influence. The choice of measurement method has substantial impact on heritability estimates. (orig.)

Determining Optimal Replacement Policy with an Availability Constraint via Genetic Algorithms

OpenAIRE

Zong, Shengliang; Chai, Guorong; Su, Yana

2017-01-01

We develop a model and a genetic algorithm for determining an optimal replacement policy for power equipment subject to Poisson shocks. If the time interval of two consecutive shocks is less than a threshold value, the failed equipment can be repaired. We assume that the operating time after repair is stochastically nonincreasing and the repair time is exponentially distributed with a geometric increasing mean. Our objective is to minimize the expected average cost under an availability requi...

Environmental enrichment imparts disease-modifying and transgenerational effects on genetically-determined epilepsy and anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Dezsi, Gabi; Ozturk, Ezgi; Salzberg, Michael R; Morris, Margaret; O'Brien, Terence J; Jones, Nigel C

2016-09-01

The absence epilepsies are presumed to be caused by genetic factors, but the influence of environmental exposures on epilepsy development and severity, and whether this influence is transmitted to subsequent generations, is not well known. We assessed the effects of environmental enrichment on epilepsy and anxiety outcomes in multiple generations of GAERS - a genetic rat model of absence epilepsy that manifests comorbid elevated anxiety-like behaviour. GAERS were exposed to environmental enrichment or standard housing beginning either prior to, or after epilepsy onset, and underwent EEG recordings and anxiety testing. Then, we exposed male GAERS to early enrichment or standard housing and generated F1 progeny, which also underwent EEG recordings. Hippocampal CRH mRNA expression and DNA methylation were assessed using RT-PCR and pyrosequencing, respectively. Early environmental enrichment delayed the onset of epilepsy in GAERS, and resulted in fewer seizures in adulthood, compared with standard housed GAERS. Enrichment also reduced the frequency of seizures when initiated in adulthood. Anxiety levels were reduced by enrichment, and these anti-epileptogenic and anxiolytic effects were heritable into the next generation. We also found reduced expression of CRH mRNA in GAERS exposed to enrichment, but this was not due to changes in DNA methylation. Environmental enrichment produces disease-modifying effects on genetically determined absence epilepsy and anxiety, and these beneficial effects are transferable to the subsequent generation. Reduced CRH expression was associated with these phenotypic improvements. Environmental stimulation holds promise as a naturalistic therapy for genetically determined epilepsy which may benefit subsequent generations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic determinants of LDL, lipoprotein(a), triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and HDL: concordance and discordance with cardiovascular disease risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordestgaard, Børge G; Tybjærg-Hansen, Anne

2011-01-01

To evaluate whether new and known genetic determinants of plasma levels of LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and HDL cholesterol associate with the risk of cardiovascular disease expected from the effect on lipoprotein levels. Concordance or discordance of such gene......To evaluate whether new and known genetic determinants of plasma levels of LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and HDL cholesterol associate with the risk of cardiovascular disease expected from the effect on lipoprotein levels. Concordance or discordance...

A putative causal relationship between genetically determined female body shape and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Polimanti, Renato; Amstadter, Ananda B; Stein, Murray B; Almli, Lynn M; Baker, Dewleen G; Bierut, Laura J; Bradley, Bekh; Farrer, Lindsay A; Johnson, Eric O; King, Anthony; Kranzler, Henry R; Maihofer, Adam X; Rice, John P; Roberts, Andrea L; Saccone, Nancy L; Zhao, Hongyu; Liberzon, Israel; Ressler, Kerry J; Nievergelt, Caroline M; Koenen, Karestan C; Gelernter, Joel

2017-11-27

The nature and underlying mechanisms of the observed increased vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women are unclear. We investigated the genetic overlap of PTSD with anthropometric traits and reproductive behaviors and functions in women. The analysis was conducted using female-specific summary statistics from large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a cohort of 3577 European American women (966 PTSD cases and 2611 trauma-exposed controls). We applied a high-resolution polygenic score approach and Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate genetic correlations and causal relationships. We observed an inverse association of PTSD with genetically determined anthropometric traits related to body shape, independent of body mass index (BMI). The top association was related to BMI-adjusted waist circumference (WC adj ; R = -0.079, P body shape and PTSD, which could be mediated by evolutionary mechanisms involved in human sexual behaviors.

Application of genetic algorithms for determination biological half-life of 137 Cs in milk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pantelic, G.

1998-01-01

Genetic algorithm an optimization method involving natural selection mechanisms, was used to determine biological half-life of sup 1 sup 3 sup 7 Cs in the milk, after the Chernobyl accident, based on a two compartment linear system model. Genetic algorithms operate on populations of strings. Reproduction, crossover and mutation are applied to successive string population to create new string population. A model parameter estimation is performed by minimizing square differences between fitting function and experimental data. The calculated biological half-life of sup 1 sup 3 sup 7 Cs in milk is (32(+(-) days (author)

Breast cancer: determining the genetic profile from ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy specimens obtained during the diagnostic workups.

Science.gov (United States)

López Ruiz, J A; Zabalza Estévez, I; Mieza Arana, J A

2016-01-01

To evaluate the possibility of determining the genetic profile of primary malignant tumors of the breast from specimens obtained by ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsies during the diagnostic imaging workup. This is a retrospective study in 13 consecutive patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer by B-mode ultrasound-guided 12 G core needle biopsy. After clinical indication, the pathologist decided whether the paraffin block specimens seemed suitable (on the basis of tumor size, validity of the sample, and percentage of tumor cells) before sending them for genetic analysis with the MammaPrint® platform. The size of the tumors on ultrasound ranged from 0.6cm to 5cm. In 11 patients the preserved specimen was considered valid and suitable for use in determining the genetic profile. In 1 patient (with a 1cm tumor) the pathologist decided that it was necessary to repeat the core biopsy to obtain additional samples. In 1 patient (with a 5cm tumor) the specimen was not considered valid by the genetic laboratory. The percentage of tumor cells in the samples ranged from 60% to 70%. In 11/13 cases (84.62%) it was possible to do the genetic analysis on the previously diagnosed samples. In most cases, regardless of tumor size, it is possible to obtain the genetic profile from tissue specimens obtained with ultrasound-guided 12 G core biopsy preserved in paraffin blocks. Copyright © 2015 SERAM. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

[Nodulation competitiveness of nodule bacteria: Genetic control and adaptive significance].

Science.gov (United States)

Onishchuk, O P; Vorobyov, N I; Provorov, N A

2017-01-01

The most recent data on the system of cmp (competitiveness) genes that determine the nodulation competitiveness of rhizobial strains, i.e., the ability to compete for nodule formation in leguminous plants, is analyzed. Three genetic approaches for the construction of economically valuable strains of rhizobia are proposed: the amplification of positive regulators of competitiveness, the inactivation of the negative regulators of this trait, and the introduction of efficient competitiveness factors into strains capable of active nitrogen fixation.

Integrating genetic and toxicogenomic information for determining underlying susceptibility to developmental disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Joshua F; Port, Jesse A; Yu, Xiaozhong; Faustman, Elaine M

2010-10-01

To understand the complex etiology of developmental disorders, an understanding of both genetic and environmental risk factors is needed. Human and rodent genetic studies have identified a multitude of gene candidates for specific developmental disorders such as neural tube defects (NTDs). With the emergence of toxicogenomic-based assessments, scientists now also have the ability to compare and understand the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously across strain, time, and exposure in developmental models. Using a systems-based approach in which we are able to evaluate information from various parts and levels of the developing organism, we propose a framework for integrating genetic information with toxicogenomic-based studies to better understand gene-environmental interactions critical for developmental disorders. This approach has allowed us to characterize candidate genes in the context of variables critical for determining susceptibility such as strain, time, and exposure. Using a combination of toxicogenomic studies and complementary bioinformatic tools, we characterize NTD candidate genes during normal development by function (gene ontology), linked phenotype (disease outcome), location, and expression (temporally and strain-dependent). In addition, we show how environmental exposures (cadmium, methylmercury) can influence expression of these genes in a strain-dependent manner. Using NTDs as an example of developmental disorder, we show how simple integration of genetic information from previous studies into the standard microarray design can enhance analysis of gene-environment interactions to better define environmental exposure-disease pathways in sensitive and resistant mouse strains. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Determination of the replacement cooling tower capability at the ETRR-2 research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Din El-Morshdy, S.

2004-01-01

The ETRR-2 replacement cooling tower capability has been evaluated by the thermal acceptance test performed in June 2003. All instruments used were calibrated prior to the test. The measured data are collected at regular intervals in accordance with the acceptance test code for water cooling towers of the cooling tower institute recommendations. Both the characteristic curve and the performance curve methods were used to evaluate the tower capability. The test results yield a tower capability of about 105% and so the tower is thermally accepted. (orig.)

An Assessment of the Capability of ICT Education in Bicol University Polangui Campus, Polangui, Albay, Philippines: A Determinant to its Sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernardita B Riñon

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The 21st Century poses an urgent need for the integration of ICT in classroom instruction. Education is a lifelong process therefore access to information anytime, anywhere is imperative. We need literates to meet the challenges of illiteracy and poverty and bring about the cost reduction of education,   improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching (wikieducator,n.d.. This paper intends to present the results of an assessment on the capability of ICT education where its sustainability largely depends upon it. Specifically, it aimed to determine the profile of the facilities, faculty readiness in ICT literacy, related researches, budgetary allocation for facilities and linkages with non-government and government agencies likewise the level of capability of ICT education was assessed. Findings revealed that the school has the capability to sustain ICT education. In this study, the researchers arrived at the conclusion that capable and sustainable ICT education would produce ICT literates individuals who would meet the challenges of digital world. Keywords:ICT,Capability,Sustainability, New Literacy, Teachers’ Readiness

Effect of genetic polymorphisms on development of gout.

Science.gov (United States)

Urano, Wako; Taniguchi, Atsuo; Inoue, Eisuke; Sekita, Chieko; Ichikawa, Naomi; Koseki, Yumi; Kamatani, Naoyuki; Yamanaka, Hisashi

2013-08-01

To validate the association between genetic polymorphisms and gout in Japanese patients, and to investigate the cumulative effects of multiple genetic factors on the development of gout. Subjects were 153 Japanese male patients with gout and 532 male controls. The genotypes of 11 polymorphisms in the 10 genes that have been indicated to be associated with serum uric acid levels or gout were determined. The cumulative effects of the genetic polymorphisms were investigated using a weighted genotype risk score (wGRS) based on the number of risk alleles and the OR for gout. A model to discriminate between patients with gout and controls was constructed by incorporating the wGRS and clinical factors. C statistics method was applied to evaluate the capability of the model to discriminate gout patients from controls. Seven polymorphisms were shown to be associated with gout. The mean wGRS was significantly higher in patients with gout (15.2 ± 2.01) compared to controls (13.4 ± 2.10; p gout. A prediction model for gout that incorporates genetic and clinical factors may be useful for identifying individuals who are at risk of gout.

Genetic Engineering Workshop Report, 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, J; Slezak, T

2010-11-03

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Bioinformatics group has recently taken on a role in DTRA's Transformation Medical Technologies (TMT) program. The high-level goal of TMT is to accelerate the development of broad-spectrum countermeasures. To achieve this goal, there is a need to assess the genetic engineering (GE) approaches, potential application as well as detection and mitigation strategies. LLNL was tasked to coordinate a workshop to determine the scope of investments that DTRA should make to stay current with the rapid advances in genetic engineering technologies, so that accidental or malicious uses of GE technologies could be adequately detected and characterized. Attachment A is an earlier report produced by LLNL for TMT that provides some relevant background on Genetic Engineering detection. A workshop was held on September 23-24, 2010 in Springfield, Virginia. It was attended by a total of 55 people (see Attachment B). Twenty four (44%) of the attendees were academic researchers involved in GE or bioinformatics technology, 6 (11%) were from DTRA or the TMT program management, 7 (13%) were current TMT performers (including Jonathan Allen and Tom Slezak of LLNL who hosted the workshop), 11 (20%) were from other Federal agencies, and 7 (13%) were from industries that are involved in genetic engineering. Several attendees could be placed in multiple categories. There were 26 attendees (47%) who were from out of the DC area and received travel assistance through Invitational Travel Orders (ITOs). We note that this workshop could not have been as successful without the ability to invite experts from outside of the Beltway region. This workshop was an unclassified discussion of the science behind current genetic engineering capabilities. US citizenship was not required for attendance. While this may have limited some discussions concerning risk, we felt that it was more important for this first workshop to focus on the scientific state of

Genetic determinants of HDL metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Ossoli, A; Gomaraschi, M; Franceschini, G; Calabresi, L

2014-01-01

Plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) comprise a highly heterogeneous family of lipoprotein particles, with subclasses that can be separated and identified according to density, size, surface charge as well as shape and protein composition. There is evidence that these subclasses may differ in their functional properties. The individual plasma HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) level is generally taken as a snapshot of the steady-state concentration of all circulating HDL subclasses together, but this is insufficient to capture the structural and functional variation in HDL particles. HDL are continuously remodeled and metabolized in plasma and interstitial fluids, through the interaction with a large number of factors, including structural proteins, membrane transporters, enzymes, transfer proteins and receptors. Genetic variation in these factors can lead to essential changes in plasma HDL levels, and to remarkable changes in HDL particle density, size, surface charge, shape, and composition in lipids and apolipoproteins. This review discusses the impact of rare mutations and common variants in genes encoding factors involved in HDL remodeling and metabolism on plasma HDL-C levels and particle distribution. The study of the effects of human genetic variation in major players in HDL metabolism provides important clues on how individual factors modulate the formation, maturation, remodeling and catabolism of HDL.

Performance Analysis of Combined Methods of Genetic Algorithm and K-Means Clustering in Determining the Value of Centroid

Science.gov (United States)

Adya Zizwan, Putra; Zarlis, Muhammad; Budhiarti Nababan, Erna

2017-12-01

The determination of Centroid on K-Means Algorithm directly affects the quality of the clustering results. Determination of centroid by using random numbers has many weaknesses. The GenClust algorithm that combines the use of Genetic Algorithms and K-Means uses a genetic algorithm to determine the centroid of each cluster. The use of the GenClust algorithm uses 50% chromosomes obtained through deterministic calculations and 50% is obtained from the generation of random numbers. This study will modify the use of the GenClust algorithm in which the chromosomes used are 100% obtained through deterministic calculations. The results of this study resulted in performance comparisons expressed in Mean Square Error influenced by centroid determination on K-Means method by using GenClust method, modified GenClust method and also classic K-Means.

Origin of a function by tandem gene duplication limits the evolutionary capability of its sister copy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasselmann, Martin; Lechner, Sarah; Schulte, Christina; Beye, Martin

2010-07-27

The most remarkable outcome of a gene duplication event is the evolution of a novel function. Little information exists on how the rise of a novel function affects the evolution of its paralogous sister gene copy, however. We studied the evolution of the feminizer (fem) gene from which the gene complementary sex determiner (csd) recently derived by tandem duplication within the honey bee (Apis) lineage. Previous studies showed that fem retained its sex determination function, whereas the rise of csd established a new primary signal of sex determination. We observed a specific reduction of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution ratios in Apis to non-Apis fem. We found a contrasting pattern at two other genetically linked genes, suggesting that hitchhiking effects to csd, the locus under balancing selection, is not the cause of this evolutionary pattern. We also excluded higher synonymous substitution rates by relative rate testing. These results imply that stronger purifying selection is operating at the fem gene in the presence of csd. We propose that csd's new function interferes with the function of Fem protein, resulting in molecular constraints and limited evolvability of fem in the Apis lineage. Elevated silent nucleotide polymorphism in fem relative to the genome-wide average suggests that genetic linkage to the csd gene maintained more nucleotide variation in today's population. Our findings provide evidence that csd functionally and genetically interferes with fem, suggesting that a newly evolved gene and its functions can limit the evolutionary capability of other genes in the genome.

Learning Intelligent Genetic Algorithms Using Japanese Nonograms

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Jinn-Tsong; Chou, Ping-Yi; Fang, Jia-Cen

2012-01-01

An intelligent genetic algorithm (IGA) is proposed to solve Japanese nonograms and is used as a method in a university course to learn evolutionary algorithms. The IGA combines the global exploration capabilities of a canonical genetic algorithm (CGA) with effective condensed encoding, improved fitness function, and modified crossover and…

Genetic determinants of cardiometabolic risk: a proposed model for phenotype association and interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackett, Piers R; Sanghera, Dharambir K

2013-01-01

This review provides a translational and unifying summary of metabolic syndrome genetics and highlights evidence that genetic studies are starting to unravel and untangle origins of the complex and challenging cluster of disease phenotypes. The associated genes effectively express in the brain, liver, kidney, arterial endothelium, adipocytes, myocytes, and β cells. Progression of syndrome traits has been associated with ectopic lipid accumulation in the arterial wall, visceral adipocytes, myocytes, and liver. Thus, it follows that the genetics of dyslipidemia, obesity, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are central in triggering progression of the syndrome to overt expression of disease traits and have become a key focus of interest for early detection and for designing prevention and treatments. To support the "birds' eye view" approach, we provide a road-map depicting commonality and interrelationships between the traits and their genetic and environmental determinants based on known risk factors, metabolic pathways, pharmacologic targets, treatment responses, gene networks, pleiotropy, and association with circadian rhythm. Although only a small portion of the known heritability is accounted for and there is insufficient support for clinical application of gene-based prediction models, there is direction and encouraging progress in a rapidly moving field that is beginning to show clinical relevance. Copyright © 2013 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geometry and gravity influences on strength capability

Science.gov (United States)

Poliner, Jeffrey; Wilmington, Robert P.; Klute, Glenn K.

1994-01-01

Strength, defined as the capability of an individual to produce an external force, is one of the most important determining characteristics of human performance. Knowledge of strength capabilities of a group of individuals can be applied to designing equipment and workplaces, planning procedures and tasks, and training individuals. In the manned space program, with the high risk and cost associated with spaceflight, information pertaining to human performance is important to ensuring mission success and safety. Knowledge of individual's strength capabilities in weightlessness is of interest within many areas of NASA, including workplace design, tool development, and mission planning. The weightless environment of space places the human body in a completely different context. Astronauts perform a variety of manual tasks while in orbit. Their ability to perform these tasks is partly determined by their strength capability as demanded by that particular task. Thus, an important step in task planning, development, and evaluation is to determine the ability of the humans performing it. This can be accomplished by utilizing quantitative techniques to develop a database of human strength capabilities in weightlessness. Furthermore, if strength characteristics are known, equipment and tools can be built to optimize the operators' performance. This study examined strength in performing a simple task, specifically, using a tool to apply a torque to a fixture.

The 5-HT2A receptor binding pattern in the human brain is strongly genetically determined

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pinborg, Lars H; Arfan, Haroon; Haugbol, Steven

2007-01-01

With the appropriate radiolabeled tracers, positron emission tomography (PET) enables in vivo human brain imaging of markers for neurotransmission, including neurotransmitter synthesis, receptors, and transporters. Whereas structural imaging studies have provided compelling evidence that the human...... brain anatomy is largely genetically determined, it is currently unknown to what degree neuromodulatory markers are subjected to genetic and environmental influence. Changes in serotonin 2A (5-HT(2A)) receptors have been reported to occur in various neuropsychiatric disorders and an association between...

Dynamical patterning modules: physico-genetic determinants of morphological development and evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, Stuart A; Bhat, Ramray

2008-01-01

The shapes and forms of multicellular organisms arise by the generation of new cell states and types and changes in the numbers and rearrangements of the various kinds of cells. While morphogenesis and pattern formation in all animal species are widely recognized to be mediated by the gene products of an evolutionarily conserved 'developmental-genetic toolkit', the link between these molecular players and the physics underlying these processes has been generally ignored. This paper introduces the concept of 'dynamical patterning modules' (DPMs), units consisting of one or more products of the 'toolkit' genes that mobilize physical processes characteristic of chemically and mechanically excitable meso- to macroscopic systems such as cell aggregates: cohesion, viscoelasticity, diffusion, spatiotemporal heterogeneity based on lateral inhibition and multistable and oscillatory dynamics. We suggest that ancient toolkit gene products, most predating the emergence of multicellularity, assumed novel morphogenetic functions due to change in the scale and context inherent to multicellularity. We show that DPMs, acting individually and in concert with each other, constitute a 'pattern language' capable of generating all metazoan body plans and organ forms. The physical dimension of developmental causation implies that multicellular forms during the explosive radiation of animal body plans in the middle Cambrian, approximately 530 million years ago, could have explored an extensive morphospace without concomitant genotypic change or selection for adaptation. The morphologically plastic body plans and organ forms generated by DPMs, and their ontogenetic trajectories, would subsequently have been stabilized and consolidated by natural selection and genetic drift. This perspective also solves the apparent 'molecular homology-analogy paradox', whereby widely divergent modern animal types utilize the same molecular toolkit during development by proposing, in contrast to the Neo

Genetic determination of high productivity in experimental hybrid combinations of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

М. О. Корнєєва

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Creation of experimental sugar beet hybrid combinations of high sugar yield values and defining gene­tic determination of their heterotic effect. Methods. Diallel crossing and topcrossing, genetic analysis of quantitative traits. Results. The authors have studied the frequency of occurrence of sugar beet heterotic hybrid combinations for «sugar yield» trait created on the basis of two pollinator lines to be genetically valuable for productivity elements, CMS lines and single-cross sterile hybrids with the use of diallel and topcrossing system of controlled hybridization. The share of parental components’ effect and their interaction in CMS hybrids variability for productivity was determined. Expediency of heterotic forecasting based on high combining ability lines was substabtiated. Promising high-yielding sugar beet combinations were selected that exceeded the group standard by 4.1–16.3%. Conclusions. The theory of genetic balance by M. V. Turbin was confirmed. Such hybrids as [CMS 5OT 4]MGP 1 (116.3%, [CMS 1OT 2]MGP 1 (112.5% and [CMS 3OT 5]MGP 1 (113.2% were recognized as the best for their productivity, MGP 1 and MGP 2 lines – as the best for their combining ability.

Genetic determinants of hair and eye colours in the Scottish and Danish populations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mengel-From, Jonas; Wong, Terence H; Morling, Niels

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Eye and hair colour is highly variable in the European population, and is largely genetically determined. Both linkage and association studies have previously been used to identify candidate genes underlying this variation. Many of the genes found were previously known as underlying...... mutant mouse phenotypes or human genetic disease, but others, previously unsuspected as pigmentation genes, have also been discovered. RESULTS: We assayed the hair of a population of individuals of Scottish origin using tristimulus colorimetry, in order to produce a quantitative measure of hair colour....... Cluster analysis of this data defined two groups, with overlapping borders, which corresponded to visually assessed dark versus red/light hair colour. The Danish population was assigned into categorical hair colour groups. Both cohorts were also assessed for eye colour. DNA from the Scottish group...

Capitalizing on capabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Ulrich, Dave; Smallwood, Norm

2004-06-01

By making the most of organizational capabilities--employees' collective skills and fields of expertise--you can dramatically improve your company's market value. Although there is no magic list of proficiencies that every organization needs in order to succeed, the authors identify 11 intangible assets that well-managed companies tend to have: talent, speed, shared mind-set and coherent brand identity, accountability, collaboration, learning, leadership, customer connectivity, strategic unity, innovation, and efficiency. Such companies typically excel in only three of these capabilities while maintaining industry parity in the other areas. Organizations that fall below the norm in any of the 11 are likely candidates for dysfunction and competitive disadvantage. So you can determine how your company fares in these categories (or others, if the generic list doesn't suit your needs), the authors explain how to conduct a "capabilities audit," describing in particular the experiences and findings of two companies that recently performed such audits. In addition to highlighting which intangible assets are most important given the organization's history and strategy, this exercise will gauge how well your company delivers on its capabilities and will guide you in developing an action plan for improvement. A capabilities audit can work for an entire organization, a business unit, or a region--indeed, for any part of a company that has a strategy to generate financial or customer-related results. It enables executives to assess overall company strengths and weaknesses, senior leaders to define strategy, midlevel managers to execute strategy, and frontline leaders to achieve tactical results. In short, it helps turn intangible assets into concrete strengths.

Population stochasticity, random determination of handedness, and the genetic basis of antisymmetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamimura, Yoshitaka

2011-12-07

Conspicuous lateral asymmetries of organisms are classified into two major categories: antisymmetry (AS), characterized by almost equal frequencies of dextral and sinistral morphs, and directional asymmetry (DA), in which one morph dominates. I compared and characterized two types of genes, both with existing examples, in their roles in the evolutionary transitions between AS and DA for the first time. Handedness genes (HGs) determine the chirality in a strict sense, while randomization genes (RGs) randomize the chirality. A theory predicts that, in an AS population maintained by HGs under negative frequency-dependent selection, RGs harness fluctuation of the morph frequencies as their driving force and thus increase their frequency until half of the population flips the phenotype. These predictions were confirmed by simulations. Consequently, RGs mask the genetic effects of HGs, which provides a possible explanation for the apparent lack of a genetic basis for AS in empirical AS studies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic Determinants of Cardio-Metabolic Risk: A Proposed Model for Phenotype Association and Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Blackett, Piers R; Sanghera, Dharambir K

2012-01-01

This review provides a translational and unifying summary of metabolic syndrome genetics and highlights evidence that genetic studies are starting to unravel and untangle origins of the complex and challenging cluster of disease phenotypes. The associated genes effectively express in the brain, liver, kidney, arterial endothelium, adipocytes, myocytes and β cells. Progression of syndrome traits has been associated with ectopic lipid accumulation in the arterial wall, visceral adipocytes, myocytes, and liver. Thus it follows that the genetics of dyslipidemia, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) disease are central in triggering progression of the syndrome to overt expression of disease traits, and have become a key focus of interest for early detection and for designing prevention and treatments. To support the “birds’ eye view” approach we provide a road-map depicting commonality and interrelationships between the traits and their genetic and environmental determinants based on known risk factors, metabolic pathways, pharmacological targets, treatment responses, gene networks, pleiotropy, and association with circadian rhythm. Although only a small portion of the known heritability is accounted for and there is insufficient support for clinical application of gene-based prediction models, there is direction and encouraging progress in a rapidly moving field that is beginning to show clinical relevance. PMID:23351585

Teachers' Conceptions about the Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviour: A Survey in 23 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Castéra, Jérémy; Clément, Pierre

2014-01-01

This work analyses the answers to a questionnaire from 8,285 in-service and pre-service teachers from 23 countries, elaborated by the Biohead-Citizen research project, to investigate teachers' conceptions related to the genetic determinism of human behaviour. A principal components analysis is used to assess the main trends in all the interviewed…

Genetic Determinants of High-Level Oxacillin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Pardos de la Gandara, Maria; Borges, Vitor; Chung, Marilyn; Milheiriço, Catarina; Gomes, João Paulo; de Lencastre, Herminia; Tomasz, Alexander

2018-06-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains carry either a mecA - or a mecC -mediated mechanism of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, and the phenotypic expression of resistance shows extensive strain-to-strain variation. In recent communications, we identified the genetic determinants associated with the stringent stress response that play a major role in the antibiotic resistant phenotype of the historically earliest "archaic" clone of MRSA and in the mecC -carrying MRSA strain LGA251. Here, we sought to test whether or not the same genetic determinants also contribute to the resistant phenotype of highly and homogeneously resistant (H*R) derivatives of a major contemporary MRSA clone, USA300. We found that the resistance phenotype was linked to six genes ( fruB , gmk , hpt , purB , prsA , and relA ), which were most frequently targeted among the analyzed 20 H*R strains (one mutation per clone in 19 of the 20 H*R strains). Besides the strong parallels with our previous findings (five of the six genes matched), all but one of the repeatedly targeted genes were found to be linked to guanine metabolism, pointing to the key role that this pathway plays in defining the level of antibiotic resistance independent of the clonal type of MRSA. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Genetic parameters of methane emissions determined using portable accumulation chambers in lambs and ewes grazing pasture and genetic correlations with emissions determined in respiration chambers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jonker, A; Hickey, S M; Rowe, S J; Janssen, P H; Shackell, G; Elmes, S; Bain, W E; Wing, J; Greer, G J; Bryson, B; MacLean, S; Dodds, K G; Pinares-Patiño, C S; Young, E A; Knowler, K; Pickering, N K; McEwan, J C

2018-05-07

Methane (CH4) emission traits were previously found to be heritable and repeatable in sheep fed alfalfa pellets in respiration chambers (RC). More rapid screening methods are, however, required to increase genetic progress and to provide a cost effective method to the farming industry for maintaining the generation of breeding values in the future. The objective of the current study was to determine CH4 and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions using several one-hour portable accumulation chamber (PAC) measurements from lambs and again as ewes, while grazing ryegrass based pasture. Many animals with PAC measurements were also measured in RC while fed alfalfa pellets at 2.0 × maintenance metabolizable energy requirements (MEm). Heritability estimates from mixed models for CH4 and CO2 production (g/d) were 0.19 and 0.16, respectively, when measured using PAC with lambs; 0.20 and 0.27, respectively, when measured using PAC with ewes; and 0.23 and 0.34, respectively, when measured using RC with lambs. For measured gas traits, repeatabilities of measurements collected 14 days apart ranged from 0.33 to 0.55 for PAC (combined lambs and ewes) and were greater at 0.65 to 0.76 for the same traits measured using RC. Genetic correlations (rg) between PAC in lambs and ewes were 0.99 for CH4, 0.93 for CH4+CO2 and 0.85 for CH4/(CH4+CO2), suggesting CH4 emissions in lambs and ewes are the same trait. Genetic correlations between PAC and RC measurements were lower, at 0.62 to 0.67 for CH4 and 0.41 to 0.42 for CH4+CO2, likely reflecting different environmental conditions associated with the protocols used with the two measurement methods. The CH4/(CH4+CO2) ratio was the most similar genetic trait measured using PAC (both lambs and ewes, 63 and 66% selection efficiency, respectively) compared with CH4 yield (g/kg DMI) measured using RC. These results suggest that PAC measurements have considerable value as a rapid low cost method to estimate breeding values for CH4 emissions in sheep.

Patterns of DNA methylation in development, division of labor and hybridization in an ant with genetic caste determination.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris R Smith

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is a common regulator of gene expression, including acting as a regulator of developmental events and behavioral changes in adults. Using the unique system of genetic caste determination in Pogonomyrmex barbatus, we were able to document changes in DNA methylation during development, and also across both ancient and contemporary hybridization events. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Sodium bisulfite sequencing demonstrated in vivo methylation of symmetric CG dinucleotides in P. barbatus. We also found methylation of non-CpG sequences. This validated two bioinformatics methods for predicting gene methylation, the bias in observed to expected ratio of CpG dinucleotides and the density of CpG/TpG single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP. Frequencies of genomic DNA methylation were determined for different developmental stages and castes using ms-AFLP assays. The genetic caste determination system (GCD is probably the product of an ancestral hybridization event between P. barbatus and P. rugosus. Two lineages obligately co-occur within a GCD population, and queens are derived from intra-lineage matings whereas workers are produced from inter-lineage matings. Relative DNA methylation levels of queens and workers from GCD lineages (contemporary hybrids were not significantly different until adulthood. Virgin queens had significantly higher relative levels of DNA methylation compared to workers. Worker DNA methylation did not vary among developmental stages within each lineage, but was significantly different between the currently hybridizing lineages. Finally, workers of the two genetic caste determination lineages had half as many methylated cytosines as workers from the putative parental species, which have environmental caste determination. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that DNA methylation may be a conserved regulatory mechanism moderating division of labor in both bees and ants. Current and historic

Genetic determinants of statin intolerance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pollex Rebecca L

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Statin-related skeletal muscle disorders range from benign myalgias – such as non-specific muscle aches or joint pains without elevated serum creatinine kinase (CK concentration – to true myositis with >10-fold elevation of serum CK, to rhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuria. The genetic basis of statin-related muscle disorders is largely unknown. Because mutations in the COQ2 gene are associated with severe inherited myopathy, we hypothesized that common, mild genetic variation in COQ2 would be associated with inter-individual variation in statin intolerance. We studied 133 subjects who developed myopathy on statin monotherapy and 158 matched controls who tolerated statins without incident or complaint. Results COQ2 genotypes, based on two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP1 and SNP2 and a 2-SNP haplotype, all showed significant associations with statin intolerance. Specifically, the odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals for increased risk of statin intolerance among homozygotes for the rare alleles were 2.42 (0.99 to 5.89, 2.33 (1.13 to 4.81 and 2.58 (1.26 to 5.28 for SNP1 and SNP2 genotypes, and the 2-SNP haplotype, respectively. Conclusion These preliminary pharmacogenetic results, if confirmed, are consistent with the idea that statin intolerance which is manifested primarily through muscle symptoms is associated with genomic variation in COQ2 and thus perhaps with the CoQ10 pathway.

Investments by NASA to build planetary protection capability

Science.gov (United States)

Buxbaum, Karen; Conley, Catharine; Lin, Ying; Hayati, Samad

NASA continues to invest in capabilities that will enable or enhance planetary protection planning and implementation for future missions. These investments are critical to the Mars Exploration Program and will be increasingly important as missions are planned for exploration of the outer planets and their icy moons. Since the last COSPAR Congress, there has been an opportunity to respond to the advice of NRC-PREVCOM and the analysis of the MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group. This stimulated research into such things as expanded bioburden reduction options, modern molecular assays and genetic inventory capability, and approaches to understand or avoid recontamination of spacecraft parts and samples. Within NASA, a portfolio of PP research efforts has been supported through the NASA Office of Planetary Protection, the Mars Technology Program, and the Mars Program Office. The investment strategy focuses on technology investments designed to enable future missions and reduce their costs. In this presentation we will provide an update on research and development supported by NASA to enhance planetary protection capability. Copyright 2008 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.

Embryonic aneuploidy does not differ among genetic ancestry according to continental origin as determined by ancestry informative markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Franasiak, Jason M; Olcha, Meir; Shastri, Shefali; Molinaro, Thomas A; Congdon, Haley; Treff, Nathan R; Scott, Richard T

2016-10-01

Is embryonic aneuploidy, as determined by comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS), related to genetic ancestry, as determined by ancestry informative markers (AIMs)? In this study, when determining continental ancestry utilizing AIMs, genetic ancestry does not have an impact on embryonic aneuploidy. Aneuploidy is one of the best-characterized barriers to ART success and little information exists regarding ethnicity and whole chromosome aneuploidy in IVF. Classifying continental ancestry utilizing genetic profiles from a selected group of single nucleotide polymorphisms, termed AIMs, can determine ancestral origin with more accuracy than self-reported data. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing their first cycle of IVF with CCS at a single center from 2008 to 2014. There were 2328 patients identified whom had undergone IVF/CCS and AIM genotyping. All patients underwent IVF/ICSI and CCS after trophectoderm biopsy. Patients' serum was genotyped using 32 custom AIMs to identify continental origin. Admixture proportions were determined using Bayesian clustering algorithms. Patients were assigned to the population (European, African, East Asian or Central/South Asian) corresponding to their greatest admixture proportion. The mean number of embryos tested was 5.3 (range = 1-40) and the mode was 1. Patients' ethnic classifications revealed European (n = 1698), African (n = 103), East Asian (n = 206) or Central/South Asian (n = 321). When controlling for age and BMI, aneuploidy rate did not differ by genetic ancestry (P = 0.28). The study type (retrospective) and the ability to classify patients by continental rather than sub-continental origin as well as the predominantly European patient mix may impact generalizability. Post hoc power calculation revealed power to detect a 16.8% difference in embryonic aneuploidy between the two smallest sample size groups. These data do not support differences in embryonic aneuploidy among various genetic

CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL-CAPABLE RPA THREATS AND NATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATIONS

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-07

housing, the other drones disperse throughout the neighborhood and settle out of sight near doors and walkways. They transition into ‘ sleep mode...strain genes . This new virus proved capable of spreading from one host to another and had more infectious properties than the original virus.12...bloodstream. Nanobots are either entirely constructed of DNA proteins, which are genetically programmed to perform specific functions, or they can be made

Scientific discovery using genetic programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keijzer, Maarten

2001-01-01

programming paradigm. The induction of mathematical expressions based on data is called symbolic regression. In this work, genetic programming is extended to not just fit the data i.e., get the numbers right, but also to get the dimensions right. For this units of measurement are used. The main contribution......Genetic Programming is capable of automatically inducing symbolic computer programs on the basis of a set of examples or their performance in a simulation. Mathematical expressions are a well-defined subset of symbolic computer programs and are also suitable for optimization using the genetic...... in this work can be summarized as: The symbolic expressions produced by genetic programming can be made suitable for analysis and interpretation by using units of measurements to guide or restrict the search. To achieve this, the following has been accomplished: A standard genetic programming system...

Influence of violent video gaming on determinants of the acquired capability for suicide.

Science.gov (United States)

Teismann, Tobias; Förtsch, Eva-Maria A D; Baumgart, Patrick; Het, Serkan; Michalak, Johannes

2014-01-30

The interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior proposes that fearlessness of death and physical pain insensitivity is a necessary requisite for self-inflicted lethal self-harm. Repeated experiences with painful and provocative events are supposed to cause an incremental increase in acquired capability. The present study examined whether playing a first-person shooter-game in contrast to a first-person racing game increases pain tolerance, a dimension of the acquired capability construct, and risk-taking behavior, a risk factor for developing acquired capability. N=81 male participants were randomly assigned to either play an action-shooter or a racing game before engaging in a game on risk-taking behavior and performing a cold pressor task (CPT). Participants exhibited higher pain tolerance after playing an action shooter game than after playing a racing game. Furthermore, playing an action shooter was generally associated with heightened risk-taking behavior. Group-differences were not attributable to the effects of the different types of games on self-reported mood and arousal. Overall these results indicate that action-shooter gaming alters pain tolerance and risk-taking behavior. Therefore, it may well be that long-term consumption of violent video games increases a person's capability to enact lethal self-harm. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Relation between chloroguanide bioactivation to cycloguanil and the genetically determined metabolism of mephenytoin in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Funck-Brentano, C; Bosco, O; Jacqz-Aigrain, E; Keundjian, A; Jaillon, P

1992-05-01

It has been suggested recently that the bioactivation of chloroguanide hydrochloride (proguanil) to its active antimalarial metabolite cycloguanil cosegregates with the genetically determined polymorphism of mephenytoin hydroxylation. We determined the chloroguanide to cycloguanil ratio in urine after oral administration of a single dose of 200 mg proguanil either alone or together with 100 mg racemic mephenytoin or 40 mg dextromethorphan in a randomized crossover study performed in 24 healthy subjects. The mephenytoin hydroxylation index was also determined after administration of 100 mg racemic mephenytoin either alone or together with 200 mg proguanil. Two subjects were poor metabolizers and one subject was an intermediate metabolizer of mephenytoin. These three subjects had chloroguanide to cycloguanil ratios of more than 50. The 21 subjects with the extensive metabolizer phenotype for mephenytoin hydroxylation had chloroguanide to cycloguanil ratios of less than 10. The chloroguanide to cycloguanil ratio was not significantly altered by mephenytoin or dextromethorphan coadministration. The trend toward a correlation between chloroguanide/cycloguanil ratio and log mephenytoin hydroxylation index did not reach statistical significance. Inclusion of the dextromethorphan metabolic ratio into the model did not improve the relationship. These findings confirm that the bioactivation of chloroguanide to cycloguanil cosegregates with the genetically determined activity of the CYP2C family. However, the chloroguanide to cycloguanil ratio and the mephenytoin hydroxylation index do not similarly reflect the variable activity of CYP2C.

Determinants of Marketing Performance: Innovation, Market Capabilities and Marketing Performance

OpenAIRE

Naili Farida

2016-01-01

This research aim to analyze causality influence between innovations, market capability, social modal, entrepreneurs oriented into marketing performance. Organizational innovations is a basic focus on Total  Quality Management. Innovation has a role to technological development and competitive economy environment. The sample technique used is Purpusive sampling amount 58 respondent owner of Batik Small Medium Enterprise known as UKM.  Small businesses have small medium or medium can grow and ...

Adults' perceptions of genetic counseling and genetic testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Houfek, Julia Fisco; Soltis-Vaughan, Brigette S; Atwood, Jan R; Reiser, Gwendolyn M; Schaefer, G Bradley

2015-02-01

This study described the perceptions of genetic counseling and testing of adults (N = 116) attending a genetic education program. Understanding perceptions of genetic counseling, including the importance of counseling topics, will contribute to patient-focused care as clinical genetic applications for common, complex disorders evolve. Participants completed a survey addressing: the importance of genetic counseling topics, benefits and negative effects of genetic testing, and sharing test results. Topics addressing practical information about genetic conditions were rated most important; topics involving conceptual genetic/genomic principles were rated least important. The most frequently identified benefit and negative effect of testing were prevention/early detection/treatment and psychological distress. Participants perceived that they were more likely to share test results with first-degree than other relatives. Findings suggest providing patients with practical information about genetic testing and genetic contributions to disease, while also determining whether their self-care abilities would be enhanced by teaching genetic/genomic principles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-Genetic Determinants of Mosquito Competence for Malaria Parasites

Science.gov (United States)

Lefèvre, Thierry; Vantaux, Amélie; Dabiré, Kounbobr R.; Mouline, Karine; Cohuet, Anna

2013-01-01

Understanding how mosquito vectors and malaria parasites interact is of fundamental interest, and it also offers novel perspectives for disease control. Both the genetic and environmental contexts are known to affect the ability of mosquitoes to support malaria development and transmission, i.e., vector competence. Although the role of environment has long been recognized, much work has focused on host and parasite genetic effects. However, the last few years have seen a surge of studies revealing a great diversity of ways in which non-genetic factors can interfere with mosquito-Plasmodium interactions. Here, we review the current evidence for such environmentally mediated effects, including ambient temperature, mosquito diet, microbial gut flora, and infection history, and we identify additional factors previously overlooked in mosquito-Plasmodium interactions. We also discuss epidemiological implications, and the evolutionary consequences for vector immunity and parasite transmission strategies. Finally, we propose directions for further research and argue that an improved knowledge of non-genetic influences on mosquito-Plasmodium interactions could aid in implementing conventional malaria control measures and contribute to the design of novel strategies. PMID:23818841

Non-genetic determinants of mosquito competence for malaria parasites.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thierry Lefèvre

Full Text Available Understanding how mosquito vectors and malaria parasites interact is of fundamental interest, and it also offers novel perspectives for disease control. Both the genetic and environmental contexts are known to affect the ability of mosquitoes to support malaria development and transmission, i.e., vector competence. Although the role of environment has long been recognized, much work has focused on host and parasite genetic effects. However, the last few years have seen a surge of studies revealing a great diversity of ways in which non-genetic factors can interfere with mosquito-Plasmodium interactions. Here, we review the current evidence for such environmentally mediated effects, including ambient temperature, mosquito diet, microbial gut flora, and infection history, and we identify additional factors previously overlooked in mosquito-Plasmodium interactions. We also discuss epidemiological implications, and the evolutionary consequences for vector immunity and parasite transmission strategies. Finally, we propose directions for further research and argue that an improved knowledge of non-genetic influences on mosquito-Plasmodium interactions could aid in implementing conventional malaria control measures and contribute to the design of novel strategies.

Breast cancer genetic counseling among Dutch patients from Turkish and Moroccan descent: participation determinants and perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Baars, J E; van Dulmen, A M; Velthuizen, M E; van Riel, E; Ausems, M G E M

2017-04-01

Lower participation rates in cancer genetic counseling are observed among different ethnic minorities. The goal of our study is to gain insight into determinants of Turkish and Moroccan patients' participation in breast cancer genetic counseling and DNA testing, from the point of view of healthcare professionals and patients. Questionnaire-based telephone interviews about awareness, perceptions, and reasons for (non-) participation in cancer genetic counseling were conducted with 78 Dutch breast cancer patients from Turkish and Moroccan descent. The interviews were held in Arabic, Berber, Turkish, or Dutch by bilingual research assistants. Additionally, 14 breast cancer patients participated in one of two focus group meetings, and two focus groups were held with 11 healthcare professionals. SPSS and QSR Nvivo were used to examine the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Half of the total group of patients (N = 78) and 79% of patients eligible for genetic counseling and testing (N = 33) were aware of the possibility of genetic counseling. The most important determinants for nonparticipation in genetic counseling were experienced difficulties in patient-doctor communication, cultural factors (e.g., social norms), limited health literacy, limited knowledge of the family cancer history, and anxiety about cancer. Religious beliefs and knowing personal and family members' breast cancer risks were motives to obtain genetic counseling. Despite the fact that our study showed that Moroccan and Turkish women reported several personal motives to obtain genetic counseling and testing (GCT), patients and healthcare professionals experience significant language and health literacy difficulties, which make it harder to fully access health care such as genetic counseling and testing.

GENETIC DETERMINATIONS OF MENTALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. V. Osadcha

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The article is devoted to clarifying the role of physicality and psycho-physical characteristics of a person as a preconditions of the mentality forming. It is conducted a retrospective analysis of discourse on the mentality, the history of the concept, its temporal characteristics and collective conditioning. The concept of mentality has been widely studied in various fields of socio-humanities such as: history, psychology, and even marginal context of scientific discourses, including the esoteric. This study attempted to analyse the mentality phenomenon through the prism of the concept of experience. Methodology. The concept of experience was acquired by essential justification through the representatives of the phenomenological approach - the late Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Bernhard Valdenfels. On the other hand the concept of mentality as a form of collective unconscious experience was entered to the scientific vocabulary by the representatives of the French historical science - M. Bloch, L. Febvre, J. Le Goff and others. At the intersection of these two methods, historical and phenomenological, the genetic method has been established – as a history of coverage and experience of internalization. Thanks to the application of genetic method the transition of phenomenon into the concept was examined. Novelty. The problem of change dynamics of mental phenomenon, in particular psycho-physical nature of a person, which has been only mentioned in F. Braudel works but has not received the adequate theoretical coverage, is analysed. To explain the practices of physicality and causality of this factor the action component of the cultural the overview of developments of such authors as V. Rozin (2005, M. Epstein (2005, N. Brunov (2003, A. Soares, M. Farhangmehr, A. Shoham (2007, D. Vaskul, F. Vannini Hospital (2012 was committed. Conclusions. The transition to paradoxical behaviour that is oriented on sign, and not on signalling

Genetic algorithm approach to thin film optical parameters determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jurecka, S.; Jureckova, M.; Muellerova, J.

2003-01-01

Optical parameters of thin film are important for several optical and optoelectronic applications. In this work the genetic algorithm proposed to solve optical parameters of thin film values. The experimental reflectance is modelled by the Forouhi - Bloomer dispersion relations. The refractive index, the extinction coefficient and the film thickness are the unknown parameters in this model. Genetic algorithm use probabilistic examination of promissing areas of the parameter space. It creates a population of solutions based on the reflectance model and then operates on the population to evolve the best solution by using selection, crossover and mutation operators on the population individuals. The implementation of genetic algorithm method and the experimental results are described too (Authors)

Analytical Chemistry Core Capability Assessment - Preliminary Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barr, Mary E.; Farish, Thomas J.

2012-01-01

The concept of 'core capability' can be nebulous one. Even at a fairly specific level, where core capability equals maintaining essential services, it is highly dependent upon the perspective of the requestor. Samples are submitted to analytical services because the requesters do not have the capability to conduct adequate analyses themselves. Some requests are for general chemical information in support of R and D, process control, or process improvement. Many analyses, however, are part of a product certification package and must comply with higher-level customer quality assurance requirements. So which services are essential to that customer - just those for product certification? Does the customer also (indirectly) need services that support process control and improvement? And what is the timeframe? Capability is often expressed in terms of the currently utilized procedures, and most programmatic customers can only plan a few years out, at best. But should core capability consider the long term where new technologies, aging facilities, and personnel replacements must be considered? These questions, and a multitude of others, explain why attempts to gain long-term consensus on the definition of core capability have consistently failed. This preliminary report will not try to define core capability for any specific program or set of programs. Instead, it will try to address the underlying concerns that drive the desire to determine core capability. Essentially, programmatic customers want to be able to call upon analytical chemistry services to provide all the assays they need, and they don't want to pay for analytical chemistry services they don't currently use (or use infrequently). This report will focus on explaining how the current analytical capabilities and methods evolved to serve a variety of needs with a focus on why some analytes have multiple analytical techniques, and what determines the infrastructure for these analyses. This information will be

Genetic polymorphism of vitamin D receptor determines its metabolism and efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.A. Yakovleva

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The review represents the results of researches of vitamin D receptor characteristics and its genetic polymorphism, which is variable in different populations, and also depends on age and gender. This polymorphism determines the association of vitamin D different concentration with the probability of bronchial asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease development, and therefore the different efficacy of drug correction of vitamin D deficiency. However, the scientific data are contradictory, the molecular mechanisms of connection between vitamin D and bronchial tonus or allergic reactions remain unclear, which emphasizes the importance of studies to clarify the role of vitamin D in inflammatory, immune disorders in bronchial obstructive syndrome.

Genetically Determined Insulin Resistance is Characterized by Down-Regulation of Mitochondrial Oxidative Metabolism in Human Skeletal Muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Jonas M; Skov, Vibe; Wojtaszewski, Jørgen

2010-01-01

Transcriptional profiling of skeletal muscle from patients with type 2 diabetes and high-risk individuals have demonstrated a co-ordinated down-regulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) genes, suggesting a link between insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, whether...... mitochondrial dysfunction is a cause or consequence of insulin resistance remains to be clarified. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial oxidative metabolism was down-regulated in skeletal muscle of patients with genetically determined insulin resistance. Skeletal muscle biopsies.......02), and complex V (ATP5B; p=0.005). Our data demonstrate that genetically determined insulin resistance is associated with a co-ordinated down-regulation of OxPhos components both at the transcriptional and translational level. These findings suggest that an impaired biological response to insulin in skeletal...

Breast cancer genetic counseling among Dutch patients from Turkish and Moroccan descent: participation determinants, and perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals.

OpenAIRE

Baars, J.E.; Dulmen, S. van; Veldhuizen, M.E. van; Riel, E. van; Ausems, M.G.E.M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Lower participation rates in cancer genetic counseling are observed among different ethnic minorities. The goal of our study is to gain insight into determinants of Turkish and Moroccan patients’ participation in breast cancer genetic counseling and DNA testing, from the point of view of healthcare professionals and patients. Questionnaire-based telephone interviews about awareness, perceptions, and reasons for (non-) participation in cancer genetic counseling were conducted with 78 ...

Breast cancer genetic counseling among Dutch patients from Turkish and Moroccan descent : participation determinants and perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baars, J E; van Dulmen, A M; Velthuizen, M E; van Riel, E; Ausems, M G E M

2017-01-01

Lower participation rates in cancer genetic counseling are observed among different ethnic minorities. The goal of our study is to gain insight into determinants of Turkish and Moroccan patients' participation in breast cancer genetic counseling and DNA testing, from the point of view of healthcare

Breast cancer genetic counseling among Dutch patients from Turkish and Moroccan descent: participation determinants, and perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baars, J.E.; Dulmen, S. van; Veldhuizen, M.E. van; Riel, E. van; Ausems, M.G.E.M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Lower participation rates in cancer genetic counseling are observed among different ethnic minorities. The goal of our study is to gain insight into determinants of Turkish and Moroccan patients’ participation in breast cancer genetic counseling and DNA testing, from the point of view of

Determining causes of genetic isolation in a large carnivore (Ursus americanus population to direct contemporary conservation measures.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnès Pelletier

Full Text Available The processes leading to genetic isolation influence a population's local extinction risk, and should thus be identified before conservation actions are implemented. Natural or human-induced circumstances can result in historical or contemporary barriers to gene flow and/or demographic bottlenecks. Distinguishing between these hypotheses can be achieved by comparing genetic diversity and differentiation in isolated vs. continuous neighboring populations. In Ontario, American black bears (Ursus americanus are continuously distributed, genetically diverse, and exhibit an isolation-by-distance structuring pattern, except on the Bruce Peninsula (BP. To identify the processes that led to the genetic isolation of BP black bears, we modelled various levels of historical and contemporary migration and population size reductions using forward simulations. We compared simulation results with empirical genetic indices from Ontario black bear populations under different levels of geographic isolation, and conducted additional simulations to determine if translocations could help achieve genetic restoration. From a genetic standpoint, conservation concerns for BP black bears are warranted because our results show that: i a recent demographic bottleneck associated with recently reduced migration best explains the low genetic diversity on the BP; and ii under sustained isolation, BP black bears could lose between 70% and 80% of their rare alleles within 100 years. Although restoring migration corridors would be the most effective method to enhance long-term genetic diversity and prevent inbreeding, it is unrealistic to expect connectivity to be re-established. Current levels of genetic diversity could be maintained by successfully translocating 10 bears onto the peninsula every 5 years. Such regular translocations may be more practical than landscape restoration, because areas connecting the peninsula to nearby mainland black bear populations have been

Measured dose to ovaries and testes from Hodgkin's fields and determination of genetically significant dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niroomand-Rad, A.; Cumberlin, R.

1993-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the genetically significant dose from therapeutic radiation exposure with Hodgkin's fields by estimating the doses to ovaries and testes. Phantom measurements were performed to verify estimated doses to ovaries and testes from Hodgkin's fields. Thermoluminescent LiF dosimeters (TLD-100) of 1 x 3 x 3 mm 3 dimensions were embedded in phantoms and exposed to standard mantle and paraaortic fields using Co-60, 4 MV, 6 MV, and 10 MV photon beams. The results show that measured doses to ovaries and testes are about two to five times higher than the corresponding graphically estimated doses for Co-60 and 4 MVX photon beams as depicted in ICRP publication 44. In addition, the measured doses to ovaries and testes are about 30% to 65% lower for 10 MV photon beams than for their corresponding Co-60 photon beams. The genetically significant dose from Hodgkin's treatment (less than 0.01 mSv) adds about 4% to the genetically significant dose contribution to medical procedures and adds less than 1% to the genetically significant dose from all sources. Therefore, the consequence to society is considered to be very small. The consequences for the individual patient are, likewise, small. 28 refs., 3 figs., 5 tabs

The European Prader-Willi Syndrome Clinical Research Database: An Aid in the Investigation of a Rare Genetically Determined Neurodevelopmental Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, A.; Whittington, J.; Cohen, O.; Curfs, L.; Delahaye, F.; Dudley, O.; Horsthemke, B.; Lindgren, A. -C.; Nourissier, C.; Sharma, N.; Vogels, A.

2009-01-01

Background: Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetically determined neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex phenotype that changes with age. The rarity of the syndrome and the need to control for different variables such as genetic sub-type, age and gender limits clinical studies of sufficient size in any one country. A clinical research…

Provincial logistics capability and economic development in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mashoko, L

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The study involves the determination of Provincial Logistics Capability for South African provinces. Provincial Logistic Capability (PLC) is the effectiveness and efficiency of a province in facilitating logistics activities both within the province...

GENETIC VARIABILITY OF SUGARCANE-ASSOCIATED DIAZOTROPHIC BACTERIA CAPABLE OF INORGANIC PHOSPHATE SOLUBILIZING

OpenAIRE

Lira-Cadete, Luana; Barbosa de Farias, Andreza Raquel; de Souza Ramos, Andresa Priscila; da Costa, Diogo Paes; Freire, Fernando Jose; Kuklinsky-Sobral, Julia

2013-01-01

The sugarcane is a culture of great importance for the Brazilian agriculture. Every year this culture consumes great amounts of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers. However, the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria can reduce the use of the chemical fertilizers, contributing to the economy and the environment conservation. So, the goal of this study was to select sugarcane-associated diazotrophic bacteria able to solubilize inorganic phosphate and to evaluate the genetic diversity of these b...

Global search in photoelectron diffraction structure determination using genetic algorithms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viana, M L [Departamento de Fisica, Icex, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil); Muino, R Diez [Donostia International Physics Center DIPC, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Soares, E A [Departamento de Fisica, Icex, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil); Hove, M A Van [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China); Carvalho, V E de [Departamento de Fisica, Icex, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

2007-11-07

Photoelectron diffraction (PED) is an experimental technique widely used to perform structural determinations of solid surfaces. Similarly to low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), structural determination by PED requires a fitting procedure between the experimental intensities and theoretical results obtained through simulations. Multiple scattering has been shown to be an effective approach for making such simulations. The quality of the fit can be quantified through the so-called R-factor. Therefore, the fitting procedure is, indeed, an R-factor minimization problem. However, the topography of the R-factor as a function of the structural and non-structural surface parameters to be determined is complex, and the task of finding the global minimum becomes tough, particularly for complex structures in which many parameters have to be adjusted. In this work we investigate the applicability of the genetic algorithm (GA) global optimization method to this problem. The GA is based on the evolution of species, and makes use of concepts such as crossover, elitism and mutation to perform the search. We show results of its application in the structural determination of three different systems: the Cu(111) surface through the use of energy-scanned experimental curves; the Ag(110)-c(2 x 2)-Sb system, in which a theory-theory fit was performed; and the Ag(111) surface for which angle-scanned experimental curves were used. We conclude that the GA is a highly efficient method to search for global minima in the optimization of the parameters that best fit the experimental photoelectron diffraction intensities to the theoretical ones.

Genetic determinants of mate recognition in Brachionus manjavacas (Rotifera).

Science.gov (United States)

Snell, Terry W; Shearer, Tonya L; Smith, Hilary A; Kubanek, Julia; Gribble, Kristin E; Welch, David B Mark

2009-09-09

Mate choice is of central importance to most animals, influencing population structure, speciation, and ultimately the survival of a species. Mating behavior of male brachionid rotifers is triggered by the product of a chemosensory gene, a glycoprotein on the body surface of females called the mate recognition pheromone. The mate recognition pheromone has been biochemically characterized, but little was known about the gene(s). We describe the isolation and characterization of the mate recognition pheromone gene through protein purification, N-terminal amino acid sequence determination, identification of the mate recognition pheromone gene from a cDNA library, sequencing, and RNAi knockdown to confirm the functional role of the mate recognition pheromone gene in rotifer mating. A 29 kD protein capable of eliciting rotifer male circling was isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Two transcript types containing the N-terminal sequence were identified in a cDNA library; further characterization by screening a genomic library and by polymerase chain reaction revealed two genes belonging to each type. Each gene begins with a signal peptide region followed by nearly perfect repeats of an 87 to 92 codon motif with no codons between repeats and the final motif prematurely terminated by the stop codon. The two Type A genes contain four and seven repeats and the two Type B genes contain three and five repeats, respectively. Only the Type B gene with three repeats encodes a peptide with a molecular weight of 29 kD. Each repeat of the Type B gene products contains three asparagines as potential sites for N-glycosylation; there are no asparagines in the Type A genes. RNAi with Type A double-stranded RNA did not result in less circling than in the phosphate-buffered saline control, but transfection with Type B double-stranded RNA significantly reduced male circling by 17%. The very low divergence between repeat units, even at synonymous positions, suggests that the

Genetic architecture of sex determination in fish: Applications to sex ratio control in aquaculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulino eMartínez

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Controlling the sex ratio is essential in finfish farming. A balanced sex ratio is usually good for broodstock management, since it enables to develop appropriate breeding schemes. However, in some species the production of monosex populations is desirable because the existence of sexual dimorphism, primarily in growth or first time of sexual maturation, but also in color or shape, can render one sex more valuable. The knowledge of the genetic architecture of sex determination (SD is convenient for controlling sex ratio and for the implementation of breeding programs. Unlike mammals and birds, which show highly conserved master genes that control a conserved genetic network responsible for gonad differentiation (GD, a huge diversity of SD mechanisms has been reported in fish. Despite theory predictions, more than one gene is in many cases involved in fish SD and genetic differences have been observed in the GD network. Environmental factors also play a relevant role and epigenetic mechanisms are becoming increasingly recognized for the establishment and maintenance of the GD pathways. Although major genetic factors are frequently involved in fish SD, these observations strongly suggest that SD in this group resembles a complex trait. Accordingly, the application of quantitative genetics combined with genomic tools is desirable to address its study and in fact, when applied, it has frequently demonstrated a multigene trait interacting with environmental factors in model and cultured fish species. This scenario has notable implications for aquaculture and, depending upon the species, from chromosome manipulation or environmental control techniques up to classical selection or marker assisted selection programs, are being applied. In this review, we selected four relevant species or fish groups to illustrate this diversity and hence the technologies that can be used by the industry for the control of sex ratio: turbot and European sea bass, two

Descriptors of server capabilities in China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adeyemi, Oluseyi; Slepniov, Dmitrij; Wæhrens, Brian Vejrum

are relevant to determine subsidiary roles and as an indication of the capabilities required. These descriptors are identified through extensive literature review and validated by case studies of two Danish multinational companies subsidiaries operating in China. They provided the empirical basis......China with the huge market potential it possesses is an important issue for subsidiaries of western multinational companies. The objective of this paper is therefore to strengthen researchers’ and practitioners’ perspectives on what are the descriptors of server capabilities. The descriptors...

Identification of genetic determinants of the sexual dimorphism in CNS autoimmunity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Bearoff

Full Text Available Multiple sclerosis (MS is a debilitating chronic inflammatory disease of the nervous system that affects approximately 2.3 million individuals worldwide, with higher prevalence in females, and a strong genetic component. While over 200 MS susceptibility loci have been identified in GWAS, the underlying mechanisms whereby they contribute to disease susceptibility remains ill-defined. Forward genetics approaches using conventional laboratory mouse strains are useful in identifying and functionally dissecting genes controlling disease-relevant phenotypes, but are hindered by the limited genetic diversity represented in such strains. To address this, we have combined the powerful chromosome substitution (consomic strain approach with the genetic diversity of a wild-derived inbred mouse strain. Using experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE, a mouse model of MS, we evaluated genetic control of disease course among a panel of 26 consomic strains of mice inheriting chromosomes from the wild-derived PWD strain on the C57BL/6J background, which models the genetic diversity seen in human populations. Nineteen linkages on 18 chromosomes were found to harbor loci controlling EAE. Of these 19 linkages, six were male-specific, four were female-specific, and nine were non-sex-specific, consistent with a differential genetic control of disease course between males and females. An MS-GWAS candidate-driven bioinformatic analysis using orthologous genes linked to EAE course identified sex-specific and non-sex-specific gene networks underlying disease pathogenesis. An analysis of sex hormone regulation of genes within these networks identified several key molecules, prominently including the MAP kinase family, known hormone-dependent regulators of sex differences in EAE course. Importantly, our results provide the framework by which consomic mouse strains with overall genome-wide genetic diversity, approximating that seen in humans, can be used as a rapid and

Adaptive sensor fusion using genetic algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzgerald, D.S.; Adams, D.G.

1994-01-01

Past attempts at sensor fusion have used some form of Boolean logic to combine the sensor information. As an alteniative, an adaptive ''fuzzy'' sensor fusion technique is described in this paper. This technique exploits the robust capabilities of fuzzy logic in the decision process as well as the optimization features of the genetic algorithm. This paper presents a brief background on fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms and how they are used in an online implementation of adaptive sensor fusion

Sex determination of Pohnpei Micronesian kingfishers using morphological and molecular genetic techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Kesler, Dylan C.; Lopes, I.F.; Haig, Susan M.

2006-01-01

Conservation-oriented studies of Micronesian Kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus) have been hindered by a lack of basic natural history information, despite the status of the Guam subspecies (T. c. cinnamominus) as one of the most endangered species in the world. We used tissue samples and morphometric measures from museum specimens and wild-captured Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers (T. c. reichenbachii) to develop methods for sex determination. We present a modified molecular protocol and a discriminant function that yields the probability that a particular individual is male or female. Our results revealed that females were significantly larger than males, and the discriminant function correctly predicted sex in 73% (30/41) of the individuals. The sex of 86% (18/21) of individuals was correctly assigned when a moderate reliability threshold was set. Sex determination using molecular genetic techniques was more reliable than methods based on morphology. Our results will facilitate recovery efforts for the critically endangered Guam Micronesian Kingfisher and provide a basis for sex determination in the 11 other endangered congeners in the Pacific Basin.

Functional capability of piping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terao, D.; Rodabaugh, E.C.

1992-11-01

General Design Criterion I of Appendix A to Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations requires, in part, that structures, systems, and components important to safety be designed to withstand the effects of earthquakes without a loss of capability to perform their safety function. ne function of a piping system is to convey fluids from one location to another. The functional capability of a piping system might be lost if, for example, the cross-sectional flow area of the pipe were deformed to such an extent that the required flow through the pipe would be restricted. The objective of this report is to examine the present rules in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, and potential changes to these rules, to determine if they are adequate for ensuring the functional capability of safety-related piping systems in nuclear power plants

Genetic diversity in natural populations of Jacaranda decurrens Cham. determined using RAPD and AFLP markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bianca W. Bertoni

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Jacaranda decurrens (Bignoniaceae is an endemic species of the Cerrado with validated antitumoral activity. The genetic diversity of six populations of J. decurrens located in the State of São Paulo was determined in this study by using molecular markers for randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP. Following optimization of the amplification reaction, 10 selected primers generated 78 reproducible RAPD fragments that were mostly (69.2% polymorphic. Two hundred and five reproducible AFLP fragments were generated by using four selected primer combinations; 46.3% of these fragments were polymorphic, indicating a considerable level of genetic diversity. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA using these two groups of markers indicated that variability was strongly structured amongst populations. The unweighted pair group method with arithmatic mean (UPGMA and Pearson's correlation coefficient (RAPD -0.16, p = 0.2082; AFLP 0.37, p = 0.1006 between genetic matrices and geographic distances suggested that the population structure followed an island model in which a single population of infinite size gave rise to the current populations of J. decurrens, independently of their spatial position. The results of this study indicate that RAPD and AFLP markers were similarly efficient in measuring the genetic variability amongst natural populations of J. decurrens. These data may be useful for developing strategies for the preservation of this medicinal species in the Cerrado.

Enhanced Monte-Carlo-Linked Depletion Capabilities in MCNPX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fensin, Michael L.; Hendricks, John S.; Anghaie, Samim

2006-01-01

As advanced reactor concepts challenge the accuracy of current modeling technologies, a higher-fidelity depletion calculation is necessary to model time-dependent core reactivity properly for accurate cycle length and safety margin determinations. The recent integration of CINDER90 into the MCNPX Monte Carlo radiation transport code provides a completely self-contained Monte-Carlo-linked depletion capability. Two advances have been made in the latest MCNPX capability based on problems observed in pre-released versions: continuous energy collision density tracking and proper fission yield selection. Pre-released versions of the MCNPX depletion code calculated the reaction rates for (n,2n), (n,3n), (n,p), (n,a), and (n,?) by matching the MCNPX steady-state 63-group flux with 63-group cross sections inherent in the CINDER90 library and then collapsing to one-group collision densities for the depletion calculation. This procedure led to inaccuracies due to the miscalculation of the reaction rates resulting from the collapsed multi-group approach. The current version of MCNPX eliminates this problem by using collapsed one-group collision densities generated from continuous energy reaction rates determined during the MCNPX steady-state calculation. MCNPX also now explicitly determines the proper fission yield to be used by the CINDER90 code for the depletion calculation. The CINDER90 code offers a thermal, fast, and high-energy fission yield for each fissile isotope contained in the CINDER90 data file. MCNPX determines which fission yield to use for a specified problem by calculating the integral fission rate for the defined energy boundaries (thermal, fast, and high energy), determining which energy range contains the majority of fissions, and then selecting the appropriate fission yield for the energy range containing the majority of fissions. The MCNPX depletion capability enables complete, relatively easy-to-use depletion calculations in a single Monte Carlo code

Non-Genetic Determinants of Mosquito Competence for Malaria Parasites

OpenAIRE

Lef?vre, Thierry; Vantaux, Am?lie; Dabir?, Kounbobr R.; Mouline, Karine; Cohuet, Anna

2013-01-01

Understanding how mosquito vectors and malaria parasites interact is of fundamental interest, and it also offers novel perspectives for disease control. Both the genetic and environmental contexts are known to affect the ability of mosquitoes to support malaria development and transmission, i.e., vector competence. Although the role of environment has long been recognized, much work has focused on host and parasite genetic effects. However, the last few years have seen a surge of studies reve...

The Development of Mature Capabilities for Understanding and Valuing Technology through School Project Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Schallies, Michael; Wellensiek, Anneliese; Lembens, Anja

This paper describes a German project that developed students' capabilities for understanding and valuing biotechnology and genetic engineering, focusing on practical fieldwork with schools by an interdisciplinary team. The paper identifies the characteristics of individual and structural preconditions and their development during active project…

Targeted Next-generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics Pipeline to Evaluate Genetic Determinants of Constitutional Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Dilliott, Allison A; Farhan, Sali M K; Ghani, Mahdi; Sato, Christine; Liang, Eric; Zhang, Ming; McIntyre, Adam D; Cao, Henian; Racacho, Lemuel; Robinson, John F; Strong, Michael J; Masellis, Mario; Bulman, Dennis E; Rogaeva, Ekaterina; Lang, Anthony; Tartaglia, Carmela; Finger, Elizabeth; Zinman, Lorne; Turnbull, John; Freedman, Morris; Swartz, Rick; Black, Sandra E; Hegele, Robert A

2018-04-04

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is quickly revolutionizing how research into the genetic determinants of constitutional disease is performed. The technique is highly efficient with millions of sequencing reads being produced in a short time span and at relatively low cost. Specifically, targeted NGS is able to focus investigations to genomic regions of particular interest based on the disease of study. Not only does this further reduce costs and increase the speed of the process, but it lessens the computational burden that often accompanies NGS. Although targeted NGS is restricted to certain regions of the genome, preventing identification of potential novel loci of interest, it can be an excellent technique when faced with a phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous disease, for which there are previously known genetic associations. Because of the complex nature of the sequencing technique, it is important to closely adhere to protocols and methodologies in order to achieve sequencing reads of high coverage and quality. Further, once sequencing reads are obtained, a sophisticated bioinformatics workflow is utilized to accurately map reads to a reference genome, to call variants, and to ensure the variants pass quality metrics. Variants must also be annotated and curated based on their clinical significance, which can be standardized by applying the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Pathogenicity Guidelines. The methods presented herein will display the steps involved in generating and analyzing NGS data from a targeted sequencing panel, using the ONDRISeq neurodegenerative disease panel as a model, to identify variants that may be of clinical significance.

Genetic determinants and stroke in children with sickle cell disease,

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela O.W. Rodrigues

Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To verify genetic determinants associated with stroke in children with sickle cell disease (SCD. Methods: Prospective cohort with 110 children submitted to neonatal screening by the Neonatal Screening Program, between 1998 and 2007, with SCD diagnosis, followed at a regional reference public service for hemoglobinopathies. The analyzed variables were type of hemoglobinopathy, gender, coexistence with alpha thalassemia (α-thal, haplotypes of the beta globin chain cluster, and stroke. The final analysis was conducted with 66 children with sickle cell anemia (SCA, using the chi-squared test in the program SPSS® version 14.0. Results: Among children with SCD, 60% had SCA. The prevalence of coexistence with α-thal was 30.3% and the Bantu haplotype (CAR was identified in 89.2%. The incidence of stroke was significantly higher in those with SCA (27.3% vs. 2.3%; p = 0.001 and males (24.1% vs. 9.6%; p = 0.044. The presence of α-thal (p = 0.196, the CAR haplotype (p = 0.543, and socioeconomic factors were not statistically significant in association with the occurrence of stroke. Conclusion: There is a high incidence of stroke in male children and in children with SCA. Coexistence with α-thal and haplotypes of the beta globin chain cluster did not show any significant association with stroke. The heterogeneity between previously evaluated populations, the non-reproducibility between studies, and the need to identify factors associated with stroke in patients with SCA indicate the necessity of conducting further research to demonstrate the relevance of genetic factors in stroke related to SCD.

Negligence and the communication of neonatal genetic information to parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Fay, Michael

2012-01-01

It is inevitable that neonatal genetic information will be communicated to parents and a potential for psychiatric injury exists where the communication is negligent. An important question in this regard is whether a health-care provider may owe a duty of care to parents when communicating accurate genetic information, or whether the courts might treat it as merely the receipt of distressing news, which hitherto attracts no liability in English Tort Law. The important role of genetic counselling in this context will likely be determinative in deciding whether communicating accurate genetic information is actionable because it arguably distinguishes the parent-physician relationship from that of messenger-recipient. If communication is accepted as being something more than the receipt of distressing news and is capable of causing 'shock', then parents will need to establish themselves as either primary or secondary victims if claims are to be reconciled with the Alcock paradigm. Claims by parents as secondary victims will be unlikely to succeed because the neonate does not fulfil the role of primary victim, although parents may be owed a duty as elevated primary victims as a result of the lack of an immediate victim. Elevating claimants to primary victim status is not without criticism and may serve to further complicate a difficult area of tort law. Alternatively, it may be open to parents to demonstrate that a duty exists subsequent to an assumption of responsibility, as the provision of genetic counselling during and after neonatal screening is indicative of health-care providers assuming responsibility for the parents' mental health. If parents are able to establish that a duty of care exists, then success of their claims will be determined by reference to breach and causation. The potential difficulties and solutions, particularly with regard to causation, are also briefly considered. It is suggested that breach will likely be determined by reference to a

Global change and genetic diversity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kremer, Antoine

2000-01-01

Are there grounds for concern as to the impact of global change on the future of European forests? This question is approached from the genetic angle, considering the modifications produced by climate change on the diversity and adaptive potential of forest species. In the absence of experimental data, the answers are derived from a set of arguments based on knowledge of evolutionary mechanisms involved in genetic diversity, the post-glacial history of European forests and lessons drawn from recent introductions of foreign wood species. These arguments entail less pessimistic conclusions than those generally reached for consequences attributed to global change. Even if major changes in composition could occur, past events show that genetic erosion capable of challenging the adaptive potential of species is unlikely. (author)

Technical Performance Capability of Fourier Transform Profilometry for Quantitative Waste Volume Determination under Hanford Waste Tank Condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monts, D.L.; Jang, P.R.; Long, Z.; Norton, O.P.; Okhuysen, W.P.; Su, Y.; Waggoner, Ch.A.

2009-01-01

The Hanford Site is currently in the process of an extensive effort to empty and close its radioactive single-shell and double-shell waste storage tanks. Before this can be accomplished, it is necessary to know how much residual material is left in a given waste tank and the chemical makeup of the residue. The Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET) at Mississippi State University is currently developing a quantitative in-tank inspection system based on Fourier Transform Profilometry (FTP). FTP is a non-contact, 3-D shape measurement technique. By projecting a fringe pattern onto a target surface and observing its deformation due to surface irregularities from a different view angle, FTP is capable of determining the height (depth) distribution (and hence volume distribution) of the target surface, thus reproducing the profile of the target accurately under a wide variety of conditions. Hence FTP has the potential to be utilized for quantitative determination of residual wastes within Hanford waste tanks. We report the results of a technical feasibility study to document the accuracy and precision of quantitative volume determination using the Fourier transform profilometry technique under simulated Hanford waste tank conditions. (authors)

Genetic determinism of bone and mineral metabolism in meat-type chickens: A QTL mapping study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mignon-Grasteau, Sandrine; Chantry-Darmon, Céline; Boscher, Marie-Yvonne; Sellier, Nadine; Chabault-Dhuit, Marie; Le Bihan-Duval, Elisabeth; Narcy, Agnès

2016-12-01

Skeletal integrity in meat-type chickens is affected by many factors including rapid growth rate, nutrition and genetics. To investigate the genetic basis of bone and mineral metabolism, a QTL detection study was conducted in an intercross between two lines of meat-type chickens divergently selected for their high (D +) or low (D -) digestive efficiency. Tibia size (length, diameter, volume) and ash content were determined at 3 weeks of age as well as phosphorus (P) retention and plasma concentration. Heritability of these traits and their genetic correlations with digestive efficiency were estimated. A QTL mapping study was performed using 3379 SNP markers. Tibia size, weight, ash content and breaking strength were highly heritable (0.42 to 0.61). Relative tibia diameter and volume as well as P retention were strongly and positively genetically correlated with digestive efficiency (0.57 to 0.80). A total of 35 QTL were identified (9 for tibia weight, 13 for tibia size, 5 for bone strength, 5 for bone mineralization, 2 for plasma P concentration and 1 for P retention). Six QTL were genome-wide significant, and 3 QTL for tibia relative volume, weight and ash weight on chromosome 6 were fixed, the positive allele coming from the D-line. For two QTL for ash content on chromosome 18 and relative tibia length on chromosome 26, the confidence intervals were small enough to identify potential candidate genes. These findings support the evidence of multiple genetic loci controlling bone and mineral metabolism. The identification of candidate genes may provide new perspectives in the understanding of bone regulation, even beyond avian species.

Development of a Framework for Genetic Algorithms

OpenAIRE

Wååg, Håkan

2009-01-01

Genetic algorithms is a method of optimization that can be used tosolve many different kinds of problems. This thesis focuses ondeveloping a framework for genetic algorithms that is capable ofsolving at least the two problems explored in the work. Otherproblems are supported by allowing user-made extensions.The purpose of this thesis is to explore the possibilities of geneticalgorithms for optimization problems and artificial intelligenceapplications.To test the framework two applications are...

Current limiting capability of diffused resistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shedd, W.; Cappelli, J.

1979-01-01

An experimental evaluation of the current limiting capability of dielectrically isolated diffused resistors at transient ionizing dose rates up to 6*10 12 rads(Si)/sec is presented. Existing theoretical predictions of the transient response of diffused resistors are summarized and compared to the experimentally measured values. The test resistors used allow the effects of sheet resistance and geometry on the transient response to be determined. The experimental results show that typical dielectrically isolated diffused resistors maintain adequate current limiting capability for use in radiation hardened integrated circuits

Integrated genetic analysis microsystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagally, Eric T; Mathies, Richard A

2004-01-01

With the completion of the Human Genome Project and the ongoing DNA sequencing of the genomes of other animals, bacteria, plants and others, a wealth of new information about the genetic composition of organisms has become available. However, as the demand for sequence information grows, so does the workload required both to generate this sequence and to use it for targeted genetic analysis. Microfabricated genetic analysis systems are well poised to assist in the collection and use of these data through increased analysis speed, lower analysis cost and higher parallelism leading to increased assay throughput. In addition, such integrated microsystems may point the way to targeted genetic experiments on single cells and in other areas that are otherwise very difficult. Concomitant with these advantages, such systems, when fully integrated, should be capable of forming portable systems for high-speed in situ analyses, enabling a new standard in disciplines such as clinical chemistry, forensics, biowarfare detection and epidemiology. This review will discuss the various technologies available for genetic analysis on the microscale, and efforts to integrate them to form fully functional robust analysis devices. (topical review)

Insights into genetic and epigenetic determinants with impact on vitamin D signaling and cancer association studies: The case of thyroid cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregoire B Morand

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Vitamin D is a key regulator of calcium metabolism and has been implicated as a cancer preventive agent. However, clinical studies have revealed conflicting results on its cancer preventive properties, attributed in part to multiple metabolic and regulatory factors susceptible to affect individual responses to exogenous vitamin D. Vitamin D is obtained from dietary sources and sun exposure, which depends on numerous parameters such as skin type, latitude, and lifestyle factors. Focusing on thyroid cancer, we document that genetic and epigenetic determinants can greatly impact individual response to vitamin D and may outweigh the classical clinical correlative studies that focus on sun exposure/dietary intake factors. In particular, genetic determinants innate to host intrinsic metabolic pathways such as highly polymorphic cytochromes P450s responsible for the metabolic activation of vitamin D are expressed in many organs, including the thyroid gland and can impact vitamin D interaction with its nuclear receptor (VDR in thyroid tissue. Moreover, downstream regulatory pathways in vitamin D signalling as well as VDR are also subject to wide genetic variability among human populations as shown by genome-wide studies. These genetic variations in multiple components of vitamin D pathways are critical determinants for the re-valuation of the potential preventive and anticancer properties of vitamin D in thyroid cancer.

Impact of Personnel Capabilities on Organizational Innovation Capability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Momeni, Mostafa

2016-01-01

in this rapidly changing world. This research focuses on definition of the personnel aspect of innovation capability, and proposes a conceptual model based on the scientific articles of academic literature on organisations innovation capability. This paper includes an expert based validation in three rounds...... of the Delphi method. And for the purpose of a better appreciation of the relationship dominating the factors of the model, it has distributed the questionnaire to Iranian companies in the Food industry. This research proposed a direct relationship between Innovation Capability and the Personnel Capability...

The social and economic origins of genetic determinism: a case history of the American Eugenics Movement, 1900-1940 and its lessons for today.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, G E

1997-01-01

Eugenics, the attempt to improve the genetic quality of the human species by 'better breeding', developed as a worldwide movement between 1900 and 1940. It was particularly prominent in the United States, Britain and Germany, and in those countries was based on the then-new science of Mendelian genetics. Eugenicists developed research programs to determine the degree in which traits such as Huntington's chorea, blindness, deafness, mental retardation (feeblemindedness), intelligence, alcoholism, schizophrenia, manic depression, rebelliousness, nomadism, prostitution and feeble inhibition were genetically determined. Eugenicists were also active in the political arena, lobbying in the United States for immigration restriction and compulsory sterilization laws for those deemed genetically unfit; in Britain they lobbied for incarceration of genetically unfit and in Germany for sterilization and eventually euthanasia. In all these countries one of the major arguments was that of efficiency: that it was inefficient to allow genetic defects to be multiplied and then have to try and deal with the consequences of state care for the offspring. National socialists called genetically defective individuals 'useless eaters' and argued for sterilization or euthanasia on economic grounds. Similar arguments appeared in the United States and Britain as well. At the present time (1997) much research and publicity is being given to claims about a genetic basis for all the same behaviors (alcoholism, manic depression, etc.), again in an economic context--care for people with such diseases is costing too much. There is an important lesson to learn from the past: genetic arguments are put forward to mask the true--social and economic--causes of human behavioral defects.

Conservation of Sex-Linked Markers among Conspecific Populations of a Viviparous Skink, Niveoscincus ocellatus, Exhibiting Genetic and Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination

Science.gov (United States)

Burridge, Christopher P; Ezaz, Tariq; Wapstra, Erik

2018-01-01

Abstract Sex determination systems are exceptionally diverse and have undergone multiple and independent evolutionary transitions among species, particularly reptiles. However, the mechanisms underlying these transitions have not been established. Here, we tested for differences in sex-linked markers in the only known reptile that is polymorphic for sex determination system, the spotted snow skink, Niveoscincus ocellatus, to quantify the genomic differences that have accompanied this transition. In a highland population, sex is determined genetically, whereas in a lowland population, offspring sex ratio is influenced by temperature. We found a similar number of sex-linked loci in each population, including shared loci, with genotypes consistent with male heterogamety (XY). However, population-specific linkage disequilibrium suggests greater differentiation of sex chromosomes in the highland population. Our results suggest that transitions between sex determination systems can be facilitated by subtle genetic differences. PMID:29659810

Capability Paternalism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claassen, R.J.G.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/269266224

A capability approach prescribes paternalist government actions to the extent that it requires the promotion of specific functionings, instead of the corresponding capabilities. Capability theorists have argued that their theories do not have much of these paternalist implications, since promoting

A Simulation Study of Mutations in the Genetic Regulatory Hierarchy for Butterfly Eyespot Focus Determination

OpenAIRE

Marcus, Jeffrey M.; Evans, Travis M.

2008-01-01

The color patterns on the wings of butterflies have been an important model system in evolutionary developmental biology. A recent computational model tested genetic regulatory hierarchies hypothesized to underlie the formation of butterfly eyespot foci (Evans and Marcus, 2006). The computational model demonstrated that one proposed hierarchy was incapable of reproducing the known patterns of gene expression associated with eyespot focus determination in wild-type butterflies, but that two sl...

Genetic determinants of mate recognition in Brachionus manjavacas (Rotifera

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kubanek Julia

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mate choice is of central importance to most animals, influencing population structure, speciation, and ultimately the survival of a species. Mating behavior of male brachionid rotifers is triggered by the product of a chemosensory gene, a glycoprotein on the body surface of females called the mate recognition pheromone. The mate recognition pheromone has been biochemically characterized, but little was known about the gene(s. We describe the isolation and characterization of the mate recognition pheromone gene through protein purification, N-terminal amino acid sequence determination, identification of the mate recognition pheromone gene from a cDNA library, sequencing, and RNAi knockdown to confirm the functional role of the mate recognition pheromone gene in rotifer mating. Results A 29 kD protein capable of eliciting rotifer male circling was isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Two transcript types containing the N-terminal sequence were identified in a cDNA library; further characterization by screening a genomic library and by polymerase chain reaction revealed two genes belonging to each type. Each gene begins with a signal peptide region followed by nearly perfect repeats of an 87 to 92 codon motif with no codons between repeats and the final motif prematurely terminated by the stop codon. The two Type A genes contain four and seven repeats and the two Type B genes contain three and five repeats, respectively. Only the Type B gene with three repeats encodes a peptide with a molecular weight of 29 kD. Each repeat of the Type B gene products contains three asparagines as potential sites for N-glycosylation; there are no asparagines in the Type A genes. RNAi with Type A double-stranded RNA did not result in less circling than in the phosphate-buffered saline control, but transfection with Type B double-stranded RNA significantly reduced male circling by 17%. The very low divergence between repeat units

WFPC2 Science Capability Report

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, David I.

2001-01-01

In the following pages, a brief outline of the salient science features of Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) that impact the proposal writing process and conceptual planning of observations is presented. At the time of writing, WFPC2, while having been better defined than in the past, is far from being at the stage where science and engineering details are well enough known that concrete observational/operational sequences can be plannned with assurance. Conceptual issues are another matter. The thrust of the Science Capability Report at this time is to outline the known performance parameters and capabilities of WFPC2, filling in with specifications when necessary to hold a place for these items as they become known. Also, primary scientific and operational differences between WFPC 1 and 2 are discussed section-by-section, along with issues that remain to be determined and idiosyncrasies when known. Clearly the determination of the latter awaits some form of testing, most likely thermal/vacuum testing. All data in this report should be viewed with a jaundiced eye at this time.

Genetic and environmental determinants of the susceptibility of Amerindian derived populations for having hypertriglyceridemia

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A.; Tusie-Luna, Teresa; Pajukanta, Päivi

2014-01-01

Here, we discuss potential explanations for the higher prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia in populations with an Amerindian background. Although environmental factors are the triggers, the search for the ethnic related factors that explains the increased susceptibility of the Amerindians is a promising area for research. The study of the genetics of hypertriglyceridemia in Hispanic populations faces several challenges. Ethnicity could be a major confounding variable to prove genetic associations. Despite that, the study of hypertriglyceridemia in Hispanics has resulted in significant contributions. Two GWAS reports have exclusively included Mexican mestizos. Fifty percent of the associations reported in Caucasians could be generalized to the Mexicans, but in many cases the Mexican lead SNP was different than that reported in Europeans. Both reports included new associations with apo B or triglycerides concentrations. The frequency of susceptibility alleles in Mexicans is higher than that found in Europeans for several of the genes with the greatest effect on triglycerides levels. An example is the SNP rs964184 in APOA5. The same trend was observed for ANGPTL3 and TIMD4 variants. In summary, we postulate that the study of the genetic determinants of hypertriglyceridemia in Amerindian populations which have major changes in their lifestyle, may prove to be a great resource to identify new genes and pathways associated with hypertriglyceridemia. PMID:24768220

Genetic determinants and stroke in children with sickle cell disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Daniela O W; Ribeiro, Luiz C; Sudário, Lysla C; Teixeira, Maria T B; Martins, Marina L; Pittella, Anuska M O L; Junior, Irtis de O Fernandes

To verify genetic determinants associated with stroke in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Prospective cohort with 110 children submitted to neonatal screening by the Neonatal Screening Program, between 1998 and 2007, with SCD diagnosis, followed at a regional reference public service for hemoglobinopathies. The analyzed variables were type of hemoglobinopathy, gender, coexistence with alpha thalassemia (α-thal), haplotypes of the beta globin chain cluster, and stroke. The final analysis was conducted with 66 children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), using the chi-squared test in the program SPSS ® version 14.0. Among children with SCD, 60% had SCA. The prevalence of coexistence with α-thal was 30.3% and the Bantu haplotype (CAR) was identified in 89.2%. The incidence of stroke was significantly higher in those with SCA (27.3% vs. 2.3%; p=0.001) and males (24.1% vs. 9.6%; p=0.044). The presence of α-thal (p=0.196), the CAR haplotype (p=0.543), and socioeconomic factors were not statistically significant in association with the occurrence of stroke. There is a high incidence of stroke in male children and in children with SCA. Coexistence with α-thal and haplotypes of the beta globin chain cluster did not show any significant association with stroke. The heterogeneity between previously evaluated populations, the non-reproducibility between studies, and the need to identify factors associated with stroke in patients with SCA indicate the necessity of conducting further research to demonstrate the relevance of genetic factors in stroke related to SCD. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Integrated analysis of genetic data with R

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Jing

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Genetic data are now widely available. There is, however, an apparent lack of concerted effort to produce software systems for statistical analysis of genetic data compared with other fields of statistics. It is often a tremendous task for end-users to tailor them for particular data, especially when genetic data are analysed in conjunction with a large number of covariates. Here, R http://www.r-project.org, a free, flexible and platform-independent environment for statistical modelling and graphics is explored as an integrated system for genetic data analysis. An overview of some packages currently available for analysis of genetic data is given. This is followed by examples of package development and practical applications. With clear advantages in data management, graphics, statistical analysis, programming, internet capability and use of available codes, it is a feasible, although challenging, task to develop it into an integrated platform for genetic analysis; this will require the joint efforts of many researchers.

Analyzing the determinants of the voting behavior using a genetic algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos Vizcaíno-González

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Using data about votes emitted by funds in meetings held by United States banks from 2003 to 2013, we apply a genetic algorithm to a set of financial variables in order to detect the determinants of the vote direction. Our findings indicate that there are three main explanatory factors: the market value of the firm, the shareholder activism measured as the total number of funds voting, and the temporal context, which reflects the influence of recent critical events affecting the banking industry, including bankruptcies, reputational failures, and mergers and acquisitions. As a result, considering that voting behavior has been empirically linked to reputational harms, these findings can be considered as a useful insight about the keys that should be taken into account in order to achieve an effective reputational risk management strategy.

Increasing the reach of forensic genetics with massively parallel sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Budowle, Bruce; Schmedes, Sarah E; Wendt, Frank R

2017-09-01

The field of forensic genetics has made great strides in the analysis of biological evidence related to criminal and civil matters. More so, the discipline has set a standard of performance and quality in the forensic sciences. The advent of massively parallel sequencing will allow the field to expand its capabilities substantially. This review describes the salient features of massively parallel sequencing and how it can impact forensic genetics. The features of this technology offer increased number and types of genetic markers that can be analyzed, higher throughput of samples, and the capability of targeting different organisms, all by one unifying methodology. While there are many applications, three are described where massively parallel sequencing will have immediate impact: molecular autopsy, microbial forensics and differentiation of monozygotic twins. The intent of this review is to expose the forensic science community to the potential enhancements that have or are soon to arrive and demonstrate the continued expansion the field of forensic genetics and its service in the investigation of legal matters.

Resistance to hepatitis C virus: potential genetic and immunological determinants.

Science.gov (United States)

Mina, Michael M; Luciani, Fabio; Cameron, Barbara; Bull, Rowena A; Beard, Michael R; Booth, David; Lloyd, Andrew R

2015-04-01

Studies of individuals who were highly exposed but seronegative (HESN) for HIV infection led to the discovery that homozygosity for the Δ32 deletion mutation in the CCR5 gene prevents viral entry into target cells, and is associated with resistance to infection. Additionally, evidence for protective immunity has been noted in some HESN groups, such as sex workers in The Gambia. Population studies of individuals at high risk for hepatitis C virus infection suggest that an HESN phenotype exists. The body of evidence, which suggests that protective immunity allows clearance of hepatitis C virus without seroconversion is growing. Furthermore, proof-of-principle evidence from in-vitro studies shows that genetic polymorphisms can confer resistance to establishment of infection. This Review discusses the possibility that genetic mutations confer resistance against hepatitis C virus, and also explores evidence for protective immunity, including via genetically programmed variations in host responses. The data generally strengthens the notion that investigations of naturally arising polymorphisms within the hepatitis C virus interactome, and genetic association studies of well characterised HESN individuals, could identify potential targets for vaccine design and inform novel therapies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic Engineering and Human Mental Ecology: Interlocking Effects and Educational Considerations

OpenAIRE

Affifi, Ramsey

2017-01-01

This paper describes some likely semiotic consequences of genetic engineering on what Gregory Bateson has called ?the mental ecology? (1979) of future humans, consequences that are less often raised in discussions surrounding the safety of GMOs (genetically modified organisms). The effects are as follows: an increased 1) habituation to the presence of GMOs in the environment, 2) normalization of empirically false assumptions grounding genetic reductionism, 3) acceptance that humans are capabl...

Sex determination

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The sex-determining system differs considerably among organisms. Even among insect species, the genetic system for sex-determination is highly diversified. In Drosophila melanogaster, somatic sexual differentiation is regulated by a well characterized genetic hierarchy X : A > Sxl > tra/tra2 > dsx and fru. This cascade ...

Age-Based Differences in the Genetic Determinants of Glycemic Control: A Case of FOXO3 Variations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Sun

Full Text Available Glucose homeostasis is a trait of healthy ageing and is crucial to the elderly, but less consideration has been given to the age composition in most studies involving genetics and hyperglycemia.Seven variants in FOXO3 were genotyped in three cohorts (n = 2037; LLI, MI_S and MI_N; mean age: 92.5 ± 3.6, 45.9 ± 8.2 and 46.8 ± 10.3, respectively to compare the contribution of FOXO3 to fasting hyperglycemia (FH between long-lived individuals (LLI, aged over 90 years and middle-aged subjects (aged from 35-65 years.A different genetic predisposition of FOXO3 alleles to FH was observed between LLI and both of two middle-aged cohorts. In the LLI cohort, the longevity beneficial alleles of three variants with the haplotype "AGGC" in block 1 were significantly protective to FH, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C and HOMA-IR. Notably, combining multifactor dimensionality reduction and logistic regression, we identified a significant 3-factor interaction model (rs2802288, rs2802292 and moderate physical activity associated with lower FH risk. However, not all of the findings were replicated in the two middle-aged cohorts.Our data provides a novel insight into the inconsistent genetic determinants between middle-aged and LLI subjects. FOXO3 might act as a shared genetic predisposition to hyperglycemia and lifespan.

Age-Based Differences in the Genetic Determinants of Glycemic Control: A Case of FOXO3 Variations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Liang; Hu, Caiyou; Qian, Yu; Zheng, Chenguang; Liang, Qinghua; Lv, Zeping; Huang, Zezhi; Qi, Keyan; Huang, Jin; Zhou, Qin; Yang, Ze

2015-01-01

Glucose homeostasis is a trait of healthy ageing and is crucial to the elderly, but less consideration has been given to the age composition in most studies involving genetics and hyperglycemia. Seven variants in FOXO3 were genotyped in three cohorts (n = 2037; LLI, MI_S and MI_N; mean age: 92.5 ± 3.6, 45.9 ± 8.2 and 46.8 ± 10.3, respectively) to compare the contribution of FOXO3 to fasting hyperglycemia (FH) between long-lived individuals (LLI, aged over 90 years) and middle-aged subjects (aged from 35-65 years). A different genetic predisposition of FOXO3 alleles to FH was observed between LLI and both of two middle-aged cohorts. In the LLI cohort, the longevity beneficial alleles of three variants with the haplotype "AGGC" in block 1 were significantly protective to FH, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C and HOMA-IR. Notably, combining multifactor dimensionality reduction and logistic regression, we identified a significant 3-factor interaction model (rs2802288, rs2802292 and moderate physical activity) associated with lower FH risk. However, not all of the findings were replicated in the two middle-aged cohorts. Our data provides a novel insight into the inconsistent genetic determinants between middle-aged and LLI subjects. FOXO3 might act as a shared genetic predisposition to hyperglycemia and lifespan.

Identification of the UBP1 locus as a critical blood pressure determinant using a combination of mouse and human genetics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koutnikova, Hana; Laakso, Markku; Lu, Lu

2009-01-01

complementarities of mouse and human genetic approaches, identifies the UBP1 locus as a critical blood pressure determinant. UBP1 plays a role in cholesterol and steroid metabolism via the transcriptional activation of CYP11A, the rate-limiting enzyme in pregnenolone and aldosterone biosynthesis. We suggest......Hypertension is a major health problem of largely unknown genetic origins. To identify new genes responsible for hypertension, genetic analysis of recombinant inbred strains of mice followed by human association studies might prove powerful and was exploited in our current study. Using a set of 27...... recombinant BXD strains of mice we identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for blood pressure (BP) on distal chromosome 9. The association analysis of markers encompassing the syntenic region on human chromosome 3 gave in an additive genetic model the strongest association for rs17030583 C/T and rs2291897...

Genetic Counseling Supervisors' Self-Efficacy for Select Clinical Supervision Competencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Finley, Sabra Ledare; Veach, Pat McCarthy; MacFarlane, Ian M; LeRoy, Bonnie S; Callanan, Nancy

2016-04-01

Supervision is a primary instructional vehicle for genetic counseling student clinical training. Approximately two-thirds of genetic counselors report teaching and education roles, which include supervisory roles. Recently, Eubanks Higgins and colleagues published the first comprehensive list of empirically-derived genetic counseling supervisor competencies. Studies have yet to evaluate whether supervisors possess these competencies and whether their competencies differ as a function of experience. This study investigated three research questions: (1) What are genetic counselor supervisors' perceptions of their capabilities (self-efficacy) for a select group of supervisor competencies?, (2) Are there differences in self-efficacy as a function of their supervision experience or their genetic counseling experience, and 3) What training methods do they use and prefer to develop supervision skills? One-hundred thirty-one genetic counselor supervisors completed an anonymous online survey assessing demographics, self-efficacy (self-perceived capability) for 12 goal setting and 16 feedback competencies (Scale: 0-100), competencies that are personally challenging, and supervision training experiences and preferences (open-ended). A MANOVA revealed significant positive effects of supervision experience but not genetic counseling experience on participants' self-efficacy. Although mean self-efficacy ratings were high (>83.7), participant comments revealed several challenging competencies (e.g., incorporating student's report of feedback from previous supervisors into goal setting, and providing feedback about student behavior rather than personal traits). Commonly preferred supervision training methods included consultation with colleagues, peer discussion, and workshops/seminars.

Dynamic capabilities, Marketing Capability and Organizational Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Roseli Wünsch Takahashi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The goal of the study is to investigate the influence of dynamic capabilities on organizational performance and the role of marketing capabilities as a mediator in this relationship in the context of private HEIs in Brazil. As a research method we carried out a survey with 316 IES and data analysis was operationalized with the technique of structural equation modeling. The results indicate that the dynamic capabilities have influence on organizational performance only when mediated by marketing ability. The marketing capability has an important role in the survival, growth and renewal on educational services offerings for HEIs in private sector, and consequently in organizational performance. It is also demonstrated that mediated relationship is more intense for HEI with up to 3,000 students and other organizational profile variables such as amount of courses, the constitution, the type of institution and type of education do not significantly alter the results.

Parameter determination for quantitative PIXE analysis using genetic algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aspiazu, J.; Belmont-Moreno, E.

1996-01-01

For biological and environmental samples, PIXE technique is in particular advantage for elemental analysis, but the quantitative analysis implies accomplishing complex calculations that require the knowledge of more than a dozen parameters. Using a genetic algorithm, the authors give here an account of the procedure to obtain the best values for the parameters necessary to fit the efficiency for a X-ray detector. The values for some variables involved in quantitative PIXE analysis, were manipulated in a similar way as the genetic information is treated in a biological process. The authors carried out the algorithm until they reproduce, within the confidence interval, the elemental concentrations corresponding to a reference material

The evolution of environmental and genetic sex determination in fluctuating environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dooren, Tom J M; Leimar, Olof

2003-12-01

Twenty years ago, Bulmer and Bull suggested that disruptive selection, produced by environmental fluctuations, can result in an evolutionary transition from environmental sex determination (ESD) to genetic sex determination (GSD). We investigated the feasibility of such a process, using mutation-limited adaptive dynamics and individual-based computer simulations. Our model describes the evolution of a reaction norm for sex determination in a metapopulation setting with partial migration and variation in an environmental variable both within and between local patches. The reaction norm represents the probability of becoming a female as a function of environmental state and was modeled as a sigmoid function with two parameters, one giving the location (i.e., the value of the environmental variable for which an individual has equal chance of becoming either sex) and the other giving the slope of the reaction norm for that environment. The slope can be interpreted as being set by the level of developmental noise in morph determination, with less noise giving a steeper slope and a more switchlike reaction norm. We found convergence stable reaction norms with intermediate to large amounts of developmental noise for conditions characterized by low migration rates, small differential competitive advantages between the sexes over environments, and little variation between individual environments within patches compared to variation between patches. We also considered reaction norms with the slope parameter constrained to a high value, corresponding to little developmental noise. For these we found evolutionary branching in the location parameter and a transition from ESD toward GSD, analogous to the original analysis by Bulmer and Bull. Further evolutionary change, including dominance evolution, produced a polymorphism acting as a GSD system with heterogamety. Our results point to the role of developmental noise in the evolution of sex determination.

Genetic Determinants of Macrovascular Complications and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Yazdanpanah (Mojgan)

2006-01-01

textabstractEvidence is accumulating that there is a genetic predisposition for the development of vascular complications of type 2 diabetes. There is a large variation in the risk and onset of complication in patients, which may partly be explained by genetic susceptibility. Most likely

Selfish genetic elements, genetic conflict, and evolutionary innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Werren, John H

2011-06-28

Genomes are vulnerable to selfish genetic elements (SGEs), which enhance their own transmission relative to the rest of an individual's genome but are neutral or harmful to the individual as a whole. As a result, genetic conflict occurs between SGEs and other genetic elements in the genome. There is growing evidence that SGEs, and the resulting genetic conflict, are an important motor for evolutionary change and innovation. In this review, the kinds of SGEs and their evolutionary consequences are described, including how these elements shape basic biological features, such as genome structure and gene regulation, evolution of new genes, origin of new species, and mechanisms of sex determination and development. The dynamics of SGEs are also considered, including possible "evolutionary functions" of SGEs.

Bacterial Population Genetics in a Forensic Context

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Velsko, S P

2009-11-02

This report addresses the recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) call for a Phase I study to (1) assess gaps in the forensically relevant knowledge about the population genetics of eight bacterial agents of concern, (2) formulate a technical roadmap to address those gaps, and (3) identify new bioinformatics tools that would be necessary to analyze and interpret population genetic data in a forensic context. The eight organisms that were studied are B. anthracis, Y. pestis, F. tularensis, Brucella spp., E. coli O157/H7, Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and C. botulinum. Our study focused on the use of bacterial population genetics by forensic investigators to test hypotheses about the possible provenance of an agent that was used in a crime or act of terrorism. Just as human population genetics underpins the calculations of match probabilities for human DNA evidence, bacterial population genetics determines the level of support that microbial DNA evidence provides for or against certain well-defined hypotheses about the origins of an infecting strain. Our key findings are: (1) Bacterial population genetics is critical for answering certain types of questions in a probabilistic manner, akin (but not identical) to 'match probabilities' in DNA forensics. (2) A basic theoretical framework for calculating likelihood ratios or posterior probabilities for forensic hypotheses based on microbial genetic comparisons has been formulated. This 'inference-on-networks' framework has deep but simple connections to the population genetics of mtDNA and Y-STRs in human DNA forensics. (3) The 'phylogeographic' approach to identifying microbial sources is not an adequate basis for understanding bacterial population genetics in a forensic context, and has limited utility, even for generating 'leads' with respect to strain origin. (4) A collection of genotyped isolates obtained opportunistically from international locations

Sandia Laboratories technical capabilities. Auxiliary capabilities: environmental health information science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-09-01

Sandia Laboratories is an engineering laboratory in which research, development, testing, and evaluation capabilities are integrated by program management for the generation of advanced designs. In fulfilling its primary responsibility to ERDA, Sandia Laboratories has acquired extensive research and development capabilities. The purpose of this series of documents is to catalog the many technical capabilities of the Laboratories. After the listing of capabilities, supporting information is provided in the form of highlights, which show applications. This document deals with auxiliary capabilities, in particular, environmental health and information science. (11 figures, 1 table) (RWR)

Genetic determinants of hepatic steatosis in man

OpenAIRE

Hooper, Amanda J.; Adams, Leon A.; Burnett, John R.

2011-01-01

Hepatic steatosis is one of the most common liver disorders in the general population. The main cause of hepatic steatosis is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), representing the hepatic component of the metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by type 2 diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Insulin resistance and excess adiposity are considered to play key roles in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Although the risk factors for NAFLD are well established, the genetic basis of hepatic steatos...

Hybrid of Genetic Programming with PBIL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldas, Gustavo Henrique Flores; Schirru, Roberto

2005-01-01

Genetic programming and PBIL (Population-Based Incremental Learning) are evolutionary algorithms that have found applications in several fields of application. The Genetic Programming searches a solution allowing that the individuals of a population modify, mainly, its structures. The PBIL, on the other hand, works with individuals of fixed structure and is particularly successful in finding numerical solutions. There are problems where the simultaneous adjustment of the structure and numerical constants in a solution is essential. The Symbolic Regression is an example where both the form and the constants of a mathematical expression must be found. Although the traditional Genetic Programming is capable to solve this problem by itself, it is interesting to explore a cooperation with the PBIL, allowing each algorithm to do only that they do best: the Genetic Programming tries to find a structure while the PBIL adjust the constants that will be enclosed in the structure. In this work, the benchmark 'the sextic polynomial regression problem' is used to compare some traditional techniques of Genetic Programming with the proposed Hybrid of Genetic Programming with PBIL. The results are presented and discussed. (author)

Strategies for MCMC computation in quantitative genetics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Waagepetersen, Rasmus; Ibanez, Noelia; Sorensen, Daniel

2006-01-01

Given observations of a trait and a pedigree for a group of animals, the basic model in quantitative genetics is a linear mixed model with genetic random effects. The correlation matrix of the genetic random effects is determined by the pedigree and is typically very highdimensional but with a sp......Given observations of a trait and a pedigree for a group of animals, the basic model in quantitative genetics is a linear mixed model with genetic random effects. The correlation matrix of the genetic random effects is determined by the pedigree and is typically very highdimensional...

Possible genetic damage from diagnostic x irradiation. A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Withrow, T.J.; Andersen, F.A.; Yao, K.T.S.; Stratmeyer, M.E.

1980-08-01

Although it is known that x irradiation is capable of producing mutations and chromosomal abnormalities in experimental systems, there is little or no direct evidence of such phenomena in humans. This report reviews some human genetic diseases and chromosomal abnormalities as well as the evidence for x-ray induced mutations and chromosomal abnormalities in experimental systems. The examination of these areas reveals that spontaneous chromosomal abnormalities and genetic diseases are associated with the same type of DNA damage that x irradiation produces in experimental systems. Therefore, it is concluded that genetic radiation damage in humans may mainfest itself as an increase in the spontaneous genetic diseases rather than as any unique disease

The use of ISSR markers for species determination and a genetic study of the invasive lionfish in Guanahacabibes, Cuba

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Labastida

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The red lionfish (Pterois volitans and devil fire-fish (Pterois miles are invasive species that pose a threat to the biodiversity and stability of coral reefs in the Western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Species identification of lionfish is uncertain in some parts of Cuba, and research has mainly been focused on their biology and ecology. The principal aim of this study was to determine highly polymorphic markers (Inter Simple Sequence Repeat, ISSR that could be used in research on lionfish population genetics in addition to confirming the presence of Pterois species in the Guanahacabibes National Park. The genetic profile or "fingerprint" of individuals collected in Mexico, formally identified as P. volitans, was compared with the genetic profile of specimens from Cuba. There were very few "diagnostic bands" and a high number of "common bands", demonstrating that the same species exists in both countries. Furthermore, Nei's genetic distance and the unrooted tree do not show significant differences between both localities. In light of these results, we can confirm the presence of P. volitans in the Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba. This study demonstrates the functionality of ISSR as a molecular tool for species identification and their application for genetic population studies of this invasive fish species.

Population genetics of traditionally managed maize : farming practice as a determinant of genetic structure and identity of maize landraces in Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heerwaarden, van J.

2007-01-01

A large amount of crop genetic diversity is being maintained in farmers' fields worldwide. The population genetics of traditionally managed landraces is therefore of interest to the conservation of genetic resources. The growing trend towards agricultural modernization and the prospect of

Prevalence of genetic determinants and phenotypic resistance to ciprofloxacin in Campylobacter jejuni from lithuania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aksomaitiene, Jurgita; Ramonaite, Sigita; Olsen, John E.

2018-01-01

Recently, the number of reports on isolation of ciprofloxacin resistant Campylobacter jejuni has increased worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin and its genetic determinants among C. jejuni isolated from humans (n = 100), poultry products (n...... = 96) and wild birds (n = 96) in Lithuania. 91.4% of the C. jejuni isolates were phenotypically resistant to ciprofloxacin. DNA sequence analyses of the gyrA gene from 292 isolates revealed that a change in amino acid sequence, Thr86Ile, was the main substition conferring resistance to ciprofloxacin...... forty-five C. jejuni isolates showed one or more silent mutations, and 32.4% of examined isolates possessed six silent mutations. In addition to the ciprofloxacin resistant isolates harboring only Thr86Ile point mutation (110 isolates), the current study identified resistant isolates (n = 101) harboring...

Early Determinants of Obesity: Genetic, Epigenetic, and In Utero Influences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyung E. Rhee

2012-01-01

Full Text Available There is an emerging body of work indicating that genes, epigenetics, and the in utero environment can impact whether or not a child is obese. While certain genes have been identified that increase one’s risk for becoming obese, other factors such as excess gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes mellitus, and smoking can also influence this risk. Understanding these influences can help to inform which behaviors and exposures should be targeted if we are to decrease the prevalence of obesity. By helping parents and young children change certain behaviors and exposures during critical time periods, we may be able to alter or modify one’s genetic predisposition. However, further research is needed to determine which efforts are effective at decreasing the incidence of obesity and to develop new methods of prevention. In this paper, we will discuss how genes, epigenetics, and in utero influences affect the development of obesity. We will then discuss current efforts to alter these influences and suggest future directions for this work.

The Genetics of Asymmetry: Whole Exome Sequencing in a Consanguineous Turkish Family with an Overrepresentation of Left-Handedness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Ocklenburg

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Handedness is the most pronounced behavioral asymmetry in humans. Genome-wide association studies have largely failed to identify genetic loci associated with phenotypic variance in handedness, supporting the idea that the trait is determined by a multitude of small, possibly interacting genetic and non-genetic influences. However, these studies typically are not capable of detecting influences of rare mutations on handedness. Here, we used whole exome sequencing in a Turkish family with history of consanguinity and overrepresentation of left-handedness and performed quantitative trait analysis with handedness lateralization quotient as a phenotype. While rare variants on different loci showed significant association with the phenotype, none was functionally relevant for handedness. This finding was further confirmed by gene ontology group analysis. Taken together, our results add further evidence to the suggestion that there is no major gene or mutation that causes left-handedness.

First Attempt of Orbit Determination of SLR Satellites and Space Debris Using Genetic Algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Deleflie, F.; Coulot, D.; Descosta, R.; Fernier, A.; Richard, P.

2013-08-01

We present an orbit determination method based on genetic algorithms. Contrary to usual estimation methods mainly based on least-squares methods, these algorithms do not require any a priori knowledge of the initial state vector to be estimated. These algorithms can be applied when a new satellite is launched or for uncatalogued objects that appear in images obtained from robotic telescopes such as the TAROT ones. We show in this paper preliminary results obtained from an SLR satellite, for which tracking data acquired by the ILRS network enable to build accurate orbital arcs at a few centimeter level, which can be used as a reference orbit ; in this case, the basic observations are made up of time series of ranges, obtained from various tracking stations. We show as well the results obtained from the observations acquired by the two TAROT telescopes on the Telecom-2D satellite operated by CNES ; in that case, the observations are made up of time series of azimuths and elevations, seen from the two TAROT telescopes. The method is carried out in several steps: (i) an analytical propagation of the equations of motion, (ii) an estimation kernel based on genetic algorithms, which follows the usual steps of such approaches: initialization and evolution of a selected population, so as to determine the best parameters. Each parameter to be estimated, namely each initial keplerian element, has to be searched among an interval that is preliminary chosen. The algorithm is supposed to converge towards an optimum over a reasonable computational time.

Genetic analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koornneef, M.; Alonso-Blanco, C.; Stam, P.

2006-01-01

The Mendelian analysis of genetic variation, available as induced mutants or as natural variation, requires a number of steps that are described in this chapter. These include the determination of the number of genes involved in the observed trait's variation, the determination of dominance

Dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities: The case of the ‘Innovation Clinic’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fred Strønen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this explorative study, we investigate the relationship between dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities. Dynamic capabilities are at the core of strategic management in terms of how firms can ensure adaptation to changing environments over time. Our paper follows two paths of argumentation. First, we review and discuss some major contributions to the theories on ordinary capabilities, dynamic capabilities, and innovation capabilities. We seek to identify different understandings of the concepts in question, in order to clarify the distinctions and relationships between dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities. Second, we present a case study of the ’Innovation Clinic’ at a major university hospital, including four innovation projects. We use this case study to explore and discuss how dynamic capabilities can be extended, as well as to what extent innovation capabilities can be said to be dynamic. In our conclusion, we discuss the conditions for nurturing ‘dynamic innovation capabilities’ in organizations.

Establishment of a quantitative ELISA capable of determining peptide - MHC class I interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sylvester-Hvid, C; Kristensen, N; Blicher, T

2002-01-01

dependent manner. Here, we exploit the availability of these molecules to generate a quantitative ELISA-based assay capable of measuring the affinity of the interaction between peptide and MHC-I. This assay is simple and sensitive, and one can easily envisage that the necessary reagents, standards...

Capability ethics

OpenAIRE

Robeyns, Ingrid

2012-01-01

textabstractThe capability approach is one of the most recent additions to the landscape of normative theories in ethics and political philosophy. Yet in its present stage of development, the capability approach is not a full-blown normative theory, in contrast to utilitarianism, deontological theories, virtue ethics, or pragmatism. As I will argue in this chapter, at present the core of the capability approach is an account of value, which together with some other (more minor) normative comm...

Determination of genetic variability of traditional varieties of Brazilian rice using microsatellite markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio Brondani

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The rice (Oryza sativa breeding program of the Rice and Bean research center of the Brazilian agricultural company Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa is well established and provides new cultivars every year to attend the demand for improved high yielding varieties with tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the elite genitors used to compose new populations for selection are closely related, contributing to the yield plateau reached in the last 20 years. To overcome this limit, it is necessary to broaden the genetic basis of the cultivars using diverse germplasm such as wild relatives or traditional varieties, with the latter being more practical because they are more easily crossed with elite germplasm to accelerate the recovery of modern plant types in the breeding lines. The objective of our study was to characterize the allelic diversity of 192 traditional varieties of Brazilian rice using 12 simple sequence repeat (SSR or microsatellite markers. The germplasm was divided into 39 groups by common name similarity. A total of 176 alleles were detected, 30 of which (from 23 accessions were exclusive. The number of alleles per marker ranged from 6 to 22, with an average of 14.6 alleles per locus. We identified 16 accessions as a mixture of pure lines or heterozygous plants. Dendrogram analysis identified six clusters of identical accessions with different common names and just one cluster with identical accessions with the same common name, indicating that SSR markers are fundamental to determining the genetic relationship between landraces. A subset of 24 landraces, representatives of the 13 similarity groups plus the 11 accessions not grouped, was the most variable set of genotypes analyzed. These accessions can be used as genitors to increase the genetic variability available to rice breeding programs.

Relevance of genetically determined host factors to the prognosis of meningococcal disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Domingo, P; Muñiz-Diaz, E; Baraldès, M A; Arilla, M; Barquet, N; Pericas, R; Juárez, C; Madoz, P; Vázquez, G

2004-08-01

To assess the relevance of genetically determined host factors for the prognosis of meningococcal disease, Fc gamma receptor IIA (FcgammaRIIA), the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) gene promoter region, and plasminogen-activator-inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene polymorphisms were studied in 145 patients with meningococcal disease and in 290 healthy controls matched by sex. Distribution of FcgammaRIIA, TNF-alpha, and PAI-1 alleles was not significantly different between patients and controls. Patients with the FcgammaRIIA-R/R 131 allotype scored > or =1 point in the Barcelona prognostic system more frequently than patients with other allotypes (odds ratio, 18.6; 95% confidence interval, 7.1-49.0, PFc gamma receptor IIA polymorphism was associated with markers of disease severity, but TNF-alpha and PAI-1 polymorphisms were not.

Variation in human recombination rates and its genetic determinants.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adi Fledel-Alon

Full Text Available Despite the fundamental role of crossing-over in the pairing and segregation of chromosomes during human meiosis, the rates and placements of events vary markedly among individuals. Characterizing this variation and identifying its determinants are essential steps in our understanding of the human recombination process and its evolution.Using three large sets of European-American pedigrees, we examined variation in five recombination phenotypes that capture distinct aspects of crossing-over patterns. We found that the mean recombination rate in males and females and the historical hotspot usage are significantly heritable and are uncorrelated with one another. We then conducted a genome-wide association study in order to identify loci that influence them. We replicated associations of RNF212 with the mean rate in males and in females as well as the association of Inversion 17q21.31 with the female mean rate. We also replicated the association of PRDM9 with historical hotspot usage, finding that it explains most of the genetic variance in this phenotype. In addition, we identified a set of new candidate regions for further validation.These findings suggest that variation at broad and fine scales is largely separable and that, beyond three known loci, there is no evidence for common variation with large effects on recombination phenotypes.

Genetic and environmental interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strong, L.C.

1977-01-01

Cancer may result from a multistage process occurring over a long period of time. Presumably, initial and progressive stages of carcinogenesis may be modified by both genetic and environmental factors. Theoretically, genetic factors may alter susceptibility to the carcinogenic effects of an environmental agent at the initial exposure due to variation in metabolism of the carcinogen or variation in specific target cell response to the active carcinogen, or during the latent phase due to numerous factors that might increase the probability of tumor expression, including growth-promoting factors or immunodeficiency states. Observed genetic and environmental interactions in carcinogenesis include an association between genetically determined inducibility of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase and smoking-related cancers, familial susceptibility to certain environmental carcinogens, an association between hereditary disorders of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, and enhancement of tissue-specific, dominantly inherited tumor predisposition by radiation. Multiple primary tumors occur frequently in genetically predisposed individuals. Specific markers for susceptibility must be sought in order that high-risk individuals be identified and appropriate measures taken for early cancer detection or prevention. Study of the nature of the genetically determined susceptibility and interactions with environmental agents may be revealing in the understanding of carcinogenesis in general

Health and justice: the capability to be healthy.

OpenAIRE

Venkatapuram, Sridhar

2009-01-01

This is an inter-disciplinary argument for a moral entitlement to a capability to be healthy. Motivated by the goal to make a human right to health intelligible and justifiable, the thesis extends the capability approach, advocated by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, to the theory and practice of the human health sciences. Moral claims related to human health are considered at the level of ethical theory, or a level of abstraction where principles of social justice that determine the purpos...

Turnover of amyloid precursor protein family members determines their nuclear signaling capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Gersbacher, Manuel T; Goodger, Zoë V; Trutzel, Annette; Bundschuh, Diana; Nitsch, Roger M; Konietzko, Uwe

2013-01-01

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) as well as its homologues, APP-like protein 1 and 2 (APLP1 and APLP2), are cleaved by α-, β-, and γ-secretases, resulting in the release of their intracellular domains (ICDs). We have shown that the APP intracellular domain (AICD) is transported to the nucleus by Fe65 where they jointly bind the histone acetyltransferase Tip60 and localize to spherical nuclear complexes (AFT complexes), which are thought to be sites of transcription. We have now analyzed the subcellular localization and turnover of the APP family members. Similarly to AICD, the ICD of APLP2 localizes to spherical nuclear complexes together with Fe65 and Tip60. In contrast, the ICD of APLP1, despite binding to Fe65, does not translocate to the nucleus. In addition, APLP1 predominantly localizes to the plasma membrane, whereas APP and APLP2 are detected in vesicular structures. APLP1 also demonstrates a much slower turnover of the full-length protein compared to APP and APLP2. We further show that the ICDs of all APP family members are degraded by the proteasome and that the N-terminal amino acids of ICDs determine ICD degradation rate. Together, our results suggest that different nuclear signaling capabilities of APP family members are due to different rates of full-length protein processing and ICD proteasomal degradation. Our results provide evidence in support of a common nuclear signaling function for APP and APLP2 that is absent in APLP1, but suggest that APLP1 has a regulatory role in the nuclear translocation of APP family ICDs due to the sequestration of Fe65.

Gossiping Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Martin; Frey, Davide; Guerraoui, Rachid

Gossip-based protocols are now acknowledged as a sound basis to implement collaborative high-bandwidth content dissemination: content location is disseminated through gossip, the actual contents being subsequently pulled. In this paper, we present HEAP, HEterogeneity Aware gossip Protocol, where...... nodes dynamically adjust their contribution to gossip dissemination according to their capabilities. Using a continuous, itself gossip-based, approximation of relative capabilities, HEAP dynamically leverages the most capable nodes by (a) increasing their fanouts (while decreasing by the same proportion...... declare a high capability in order to augment their perceived quality without contributing accordingly. We evaluate HEAP in the context of a video streaming application on a 236 PlanetLab nodes testbed. Our results shows that HEAP improves the quality of the streaming by 25% over a standard gossip...

Mapping Determinants of Gene Expression Plasticity by Genetical Genomics in C. elegans

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Y.; Alda Alvarez, O.; Gutteling, E.W.; Tijsterman, M.; Fu, J.; Riksen, J.A.G.; Hazendonk, E.; Prins, J.C.P.; Plasterk, R.H.A.; Jansen, R.C.; Breitling, R.; Kammenga, J.E.

2006-01-01

Recent genetical genomics studies have provided intimate views on gene regulatory networks. Gene expression variations between genetically different individuals have been mapped to the causal regulatory regions, termed expression quantitative trait loci. Whether the environment-induced plastic

Mapping determinants of gene expression plasticity by genetical genomics in C. elegans.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Y.; Alvarez, O.A.; Gutteling, E.W.; Tijsterman, M.; Fu, J.; Riksen, J.A.; Hazendonk, M.G.A.; Prins, P.; Plasterk, R.H.A.; Jansen, R.C.; Breitling, R.; Kammenga, J.E.

2006-01-01

Recent genetical genomics studies have provided intimate views on gene regulatory networks. Gene expression variations between genetically different individuals have been mapped to the causal regulatory regions, termed expression quantitative trait loci. Whether the environment-induced plastic

Design of reproducible polarized and non-polarized edge filters using genetic algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ejigu, Efrem Kebede; Lacquet, B M

2010-01-01

Recent advancement in optical fibre communications technology is partly due to the advancement of optical thin film technology. The advancement of optical thin film technology includes the development of new and existing optical filter design methods. The genetic algorithm is one of the new design methods that show promising results in designing a number of complicated design specifications. It is the finding of this study that the genetic algorithm design method, through its optimization capability, can give more reliable and reproducible designs of any specifications. The design method in this study optimizes the thickness of each layer to get to the best possible solution. Its capability and unavoidable limitations in designing polarized and non-polarized edge filters from absorptive and dispersive materials is well demonstrated. It is also demonstrated that polarized and non-polarized designs from the genetic algorithm are reproducible with great success. This research has accomplished the great task of formulating a computer program using the genetic algorithm in a Matlab environment for the design of a reproducible polarized and non-polarized filters of any sort from any kind of materials

Binomial Test Method for Determining Probability of Detection Capability for Fracture Critical Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Generazio, Edward R.

2011-01-01

The capability of an inspection system is established by applications of various methodologies to determine the probability of detection (POD). One accepted metric of an adequate inspection system is that for a minimum flaw size and all greater flaw sizes, there is 0.90 probability of detection with 95% confidence (90/95 POD). Directed design of experiments for probability of detection (DOEPOD) has been developed to provide an efficient and accurate methodology that yields estimates of POD and confidence bounds for both Hit-Miss or signal amplitude testing, where signal amplitudes are reduced to Hit-Miss by using a signal threshold Directed DOEPOD uses a nonparametric approach for the analysis or inspection data that does require any assumptions about the particular functional form of a POD function. The DOEPOD procedure identifies, for a given sample set whether or not the minimum requirement of 0.90 probability of detection with 95% confidence is demonstrated for a minimum flaw size and for all greater flaw sizes (90/95 POD). The DOEPOD procedures are sequentially executed in order to minimize the number of samples needed to demonstrate that there is a 90/95 POD lower confidence bound at a given flaw size and that the POD is monotonic for flaw sizes exceeding that 90/95 POD flaw size. The conservativeness of the DOEPOD methodology results is discussed. Validated guidelines for binomial estimation of POD for fracture critical inspection are established.

Behavior genetics: Bees as model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nates Parra, Guiomar

2011-01-01

The honeybee Apis mellifera (Apidae) is a model widely used in behavior because of its elaborate social life requiring coordinate actions among the members of the society. Within a colony, division of labor, the performance of tasks by different individuals, follows genetically determined physiological changes that go along with aging. Modern advances in tools of molecular biology and genomics, as well as the sequentiation of A. mellifera genome, have enabled a better understanding of honeybee behavior, in particular social behavior. Numerous studies show that aspects of worker behavior are genetically determined, including defensive, hygienic, reproductive and foraging behavior. For example, genetic diversity is associated with specialization to collect water, nectar and pollen. Also, control of worker reproduction is associated with genetic differences. In this paper, I review the methods and the main results from the study of the genetic and genomic basis of some behaviors in bees.

Defining Medical Capabilities for Exploration Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Hailey, M.; Antonsen, E.; Blue, R.; Reyes, D.; Mulcahy, R.; Kerstman, E.; Bayuse, T.

2018-01-01

Exploration-class missions to the moon, Mars and beyond will require a significant change in medical capability from today's low earth orbit centric paradigm. Significant increases in autonomy will be required due to differences in duration, distance and orbital mechanics. Aerospace medicine and systems engineering teams are working together within ExMC to meet these challenges. Identifying exploration medical system needs requires accounting for planned and unplanned medical care as defined in the concept of operations. In 2017, the ExMC Clinicians group identified medical capabilities to feed into the Systems Engineering process, including: determining what and how to address planned and preventive medical care; defining an Accepted Medical Condition List (AMCL) of conditions that may occur and a subset of those that can be treated effectively within the exploration environment; and listing the medical capabilities needed to treat those conditions in the AMCL. This presentation will discuss the team's approach to addressing these issues, as well as how the outputs of the clinical process impact the systems engineering effort.

Assessment of cold neutron radiography capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, T.E. Jr.; Roberts, J.A.

1998-01-01

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The authors goals were to demonstrate and assess cold neutron radiography techniques at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), Manual Lujan Neutron Scattering Center (Lujan Center), and to investigate potential applications of the capability. The authors have obtained images using film and an amorphous silicon detector. In addition, a new technique they have developed allows neutron radiographs to be made using only a narrow range of neutron energies. Employing this approach and the Bragg cut-off phenomena in certain materials, they have demonstrated material discrimination in radiography. They also demonstrated the imaging of cracks in a sample of a fire-set case that was supplied by Sandia National Laboratory, and they investigated whether the capability could be used to determine the extent of coking in jet engine nozzles. The LANSCE neutron radiography capability appears to have applications in the DOE stockpile maintenance and science-based stockpile stewardship (SBSS) programs, and in industry

Rights, goals, and capabilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hees, M.V.B.P.M

This article analyses the relationship between rights and capabilities in order to get a better grasp of the kind of consequentialism that the capability theory represents. Capability rights have been defined as rights that have a capability as their object (rights to capabilities). Such a

Feto-maternal haemorrhage associated with genetic amniocentesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tabor, A; Bang, J; Nørgaard-Pedersen, B

1987-01-01

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were determined before and after genetic amniocentesis (n = 283) or ultrasound scan (n = 268) in a group of women participating in a randomized trial of genetic amniocentesis. Increases in AFP levels were seen significantly more often after amniocente......Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were determined before and after genetic amniocentesis (n = 283) or ultrasound scan (n = 268) in a group of women participating in a randomized trial of genetic amniocentesis. Increases in AFP levels were seen significantly more often after...

Determining resistance to mastitis in a bovine subject comprises detecting the presence or absence of a genetic marker that is linked to a trait indicative of mastitis resistance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2007-01-01

The invention relates to a method for determining mastitis resistance in bovine subjects, wherein mastitis resistance comprise resistance to both sub-clinical and clinical mastitis. In particular, the method of the invention involves identification of genetic markers and/or Quantitative Trait Locus...... (QTL) for the determination of mastitis resistance in a bovine subject. The determination of mastitis resistance involves resolution of the specific microsatellite status. Furthermore, the invention relates to a diagnostic kit for detection of genetic marker(s) associated with mastitis resistance....... The method and kit of the present invention can be applied for selection of bovine subjects for breeding purposes. Thus, the invention provides a method of genetically selecting bovine subjects with mastitis resistance, thereby yielding cows less prone to mastitis...

Evolving hard problems: Generating human genetics datasets with a complex etiology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Himmelstein Daniel S

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A goal of human genetics is to discover genetic factors that influence individuals' susceptibility to common diseases. Most common diseases are thought to result from the joint failure of two or more interacting components instead of single component failures. This greatly complicates both the task of selecting informative genetic variants and the task of modeling interactions between them. We and others have previously developed algorithms to detect and model the relationships between these genetic factors and disease. Previously these methods have been evaluated with datasets simulated according to pre-defined genetic models. Results Here we develop and evaluate a model free evolution strategy to generate datasets which display a complex relationship between individual genotype and disease susceptibility. We show that this model free approach is capable of generating a diverse array of datasets with distinct gene-disease relationships for an arbitrary interaction order and sample size. We specifically generate eight-hundred Pareto fronts; one for each independent run of our algorithm. In each run the predictiveness of single genetic variation and pairs of genetic variants have been minimized, while the predictiveness of third, fourth, or fifth-order combinations is maximized. Two hundred runs of the algorithm are further dedicated to creating datasets with predictive four or five order interactions and minimized lower-level effects. Conclusions This method and the resulting datasets will allow the capabilities of novel methods to be tested without pre-specified genetic models. This allows researchers to evaluate which methods will succeed on human genetics problems where the model is not known in advance. We further make freely available to the community the entire Pareto-optimal front of datasets from each run so that novel methods may be rigorously evaluated. These 76,600 datasets are available from http://discovery.dartmouth.edu/model_free_data/.

[Ethical challenges of genetic manipulation and research with animals].

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez Yunta, Eduardo

2012-01-01

Research with animals presents ethical questions both for being used as models of human diseases and for being a prerequisite for trials in humans, as in the introduction of genetic modifications. Some of these questions refer to the fact that, as models, they do not fully represent the human condition; that conducting toxicity tests causes great harm to animals; that their nature is altered by genetic modifications and that introducing genetically modified organisms is a risk. The use of animals in research for the benefit of humans imposes the moral responsibility to respect them, not making them suffer unnecessarily, since they are living beings capable of feeling.

Timing Analysis of Genetic Logic Circuits using D-VASim

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baig, Hasan; Madsen, Jan

and propagation delay analysis of single as well as cascaded geneticlogic circuits can be performed. D-VASim allows user to change the circuit parameters during runtime simulation to observe its effectson circuit’s timing behavior. The results obtained from D-VASim can be used not only to characterize the timing...... delay analysis may play a very significant role in the designing of genetic logic circuits. In thisdemonstration, we present the capability of D-VASim (Dynamic Virtual Analyzer and Simulator) to perform the timing and propagationdelay analysis of genetic logic circuits. Using D-VASim, the timing...... behavior of geneticlogic circuits but also to analyze the timing constraints of cascaded genetic logic circuits....

Genetic determinants of heat resistance in Escherichia coli

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan eMercer

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Escherichia coli AW1.7 is a heat resistant food isolate and the occurrence of pathogenic strains with comparable heat resistance may pose a risk to food safety. To identify the genetic determinants of heat resistance, 29 strains of E. coli that differed in their of heat resistance were analyzed by comparative genomics. Strains were classified as highly heat resistant strains, exhibiting a D60-value of more than 6 min; moderately heat resistant strains, exhibiting a D60-value of more than 1 min; or as heat sensitive. A ~14 kb genomic island containing 16 predicted open reading frames encoding putative heat shock proteins and proteases was identified only in highly heat resistant strains. The genomic island was termed the locus of heat resistance (LHR. This putative operon is flanked by mobile elements and possesses >99% sequence identity to genomic islands contributing to heat resistance in Cronobacter sakazakii and Klebsiella pneumoniae. An additional 41 LHR sequences with >87% sequence identity were identified in 11 different species of β- and γ-proteobacteria. Cloning of the full length LHR conferred high heat resistance to the heat sensitive E. coli AW1.7ΔpHR1 and DH5α. The presence of the LHR correlates perfectly to heat resistance in several species of Enterobacteriaceae and occurs at a frequency of 2% of all E. coli genomes, including pathogenic strains. This study suggests the LHR has been laterally exchanged among the β- and γ-proteobacteria and is a reliable indicator of high heat resistance in E. coli.

The genetics of radiation-induced osteosarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosemann, M.; Kuosaite, V.; Nathrath, M.; Atkinson, M.J.

2002-01-01

Individual genetic variation can influence susceptibility to the carcinogenic effects of many environmental carcinogens. In radiation-exposed populations those individuals with a greater genetically determined susceptibility would be at greater risk of developing cancer. To include this modification of risk into radiation protection schemes it is necessary to identify the genes responsible for determining individual sensitivity. Alpha-particle-induced osteosarcoma in the mouse has been adopted as a model of human radiation carcinogenesis, and genome-wide screens have been conducted for allelic imbalance and genetic linkage. These studies have revealed a series of genes involved in determining the sensitivity to radiogenic osteosarcoma formation. (author)

Ultimate capabilities of soft x-ray optics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinogradov, A.V.; Zorev, N.N.; Kozhevnikov, I.V.

1988-01-01

Nonimaging soft X-ray optics is examined. The ultimate capabilities of a number of X-ray optical components designed for concentration and collimation of radiation from point sources are determined. The applications of X-ray optics are discussed together with the properties of materials in the X-ray range

Capability ethics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.A.M. Robeyns (Ingrid)

2012-01-01

textabstractThe capability approach is one of the most recent additions to the landscape of normative theories in ethics and political philosophy. Yet in its present stage of development, the capability approach is not a full-blown normative theory, in contrast to utilitarianism, deontological

YouGenMap: a web platform for dynamic multi-comparative mapping and visualization of genetic maps

Science.gov (United States)

Keith Batesole; Kokulapalan Wimalanathan; Lin Liu; Fan Zhang; Craig S. Echt; Chun Liang

2014-01-01

Comparative genetic maps are used in examination of genome organization, detection of conserved gene order, and exploration of marker order variations. YouGenMap is an open-source web tool that offers dynamic comparative mapping capability of users' own genetic mapping between 2 or more map sets. Users' genetic map data and optional gene annotations are...

Dynamic Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grünbaum, Niels Nolsøe; Stenger, Marianne

2013-01-01

The findings reveal a positive relationship between dynamic capabilities and innovation performance in the case enterprises, as we would expect. It was, however, not possible to establish a positive relationship between innovation performance and profitability. Nor was there any positive...... relationship between dynamic capabilities and profitability....

Genetic diversity in a crop metapopulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heerwaarden, van J.; Eeuwijk, van F.A.; Ross-Ibarra, J.

2010-01-01

The need to protect crop genetic resources has sparked a growing interest in the genetic diversity maintained in traditional farming systems worldwide. Although traditional seed management has been proposed as an important determinant of genetic diversity and structure in crops, no models exist that

A Comparison of Telephone Genetic Counseling and In-Person Genetic Counseling from the Genetic Counselor's Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgess, Kelly R; Carmany, Erin P; Trepanier, Angela M

2016-02-01

Growing demand for and limited geographic access to genetic counseling services is increasing the need for alternative service delivery models (SDM) like telephone genetic counseling (TGC). Little research has been done on genetic counselors' perspectives of the practice of TGC. We created an anonymous online survey to assess whether telephone genetic counselors believed the tasks identified in the ABGC (American Board of Genetic Counseling) Practice Analysis were performed similarly or differently in TGC compared to in person genetic counseling (IPGC). If there were differences noted, we sought to determine the nature of the differences and if additional training might be needed to address them. Eighty eight genetic counselors with experience in TGC completed some or all of the survey. Respondents identified differences in 13 (14.8%) of the 88 tasks studied. The tasks identified as most different in TGC were: "establishing rapport through verbal and nonverbal interactions" (60.2%; 50/83 respondents identified the task as different), "recognizing factors affecting the counseling interaction" (47.8%; 32/67), "assessing client/family emotions, support, etc." (40.1%; 27/66) and "educating clients about basic genetic concepts" (35.6%; 26/73). A slight majority (53.8%; 35/65) felt additional training was needed to communicate information without visual aids and more effectively perform psychosocial assessments. In summary, although a majority of genetic counseling tasks are performed similarly between TGC and IPGC, TGC counselors recognize that specific training in the TGC model may be needed to address the key differences.

Genetic Determinants of P Wave Duration and PR Segment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verweij, Niek; Mateo Leach, Irene; van den Boogaard, Malou; van Veldhuisen, Dirk J.; Christoffels, Vincent M.; Hillege, Hans L.; van Gilst, Wiek H.; Barnett, Phil; de Boer, Rudolf A.; van der Harst, Pim

Background-The PR interval on the ECG reflects atrial depolarization and atrioventricular nodal delay which can be partially differentiated by P wave duration and PR segment, respectively. Genome-wide association studies have identified several genetic loci for PR interval, but it remains to be

Drosophila as a model for the study of sex determination in anopheline and aedine mosquitoes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pannuti, A.; Kocacitak, T.; Lucchesi, J.C.

2000-01-01

Sterile insect technique control strategies consist of releasing laboratory produced male insects that have been sterilised by irradiation. These strategies require the production of massive quantities of males. Population-replacement strategies rely on the genetically engineered interruption of that portion of the malaria parasite's life cycle that occurs in the mosquito. This could be achieved by the inundative introduction of transformed males or the more limited introduction of males carrying an infective agent capable of driving a parasite-inhibiting transgene into the vector population. Once again, the release of genetically engineered males would require genetic systems for their mass production. Mass production of males can be accomplished most effectively through genetic sexing techniques. Genetic sexing can be achieved by identifying the key steps in the genetic regulation of sex differentiation and by modifying one or more of these steps so that their execution would result in sex-specific lethality. As the necessary and seminal first step towards this goal, we set out to identify and isolate a gene whose primary transcript is processed differently in males and females of Anopheles gambiae Giles. A survey of sex determination among insects reveals a vast array of different mechanisms. Our understanding of these mechanisms consists only of information derived from classical cytological and genetic studies. Using the knowledge derived from the study of Drosophila, it has been possible to discern a fundamental pattern in the sex determining mechanisms of many diverse insect species (Noethiger and Steinmann-Zwicky 1985). The challenge now, is to determine if there has been an evolutionary conservation of the genes responsible for the fundamental pattern, i.e., if the molecular mechanisms that underlie sex determination in Drosophila are the same in other insects of interest or if in these insects, the apparent fundamental pattern is achieved by completely

Genetical genomic determinants of alcohol consumption in rats and humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mangion Jonathan

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We have used a genetical genomic approach, in conjunction with phenotypic analysis of alcohol consumption, to identify candidate genes that predispose to varying levels of alcohol intake by HXB/BXH recombinant inbred rat strains. In addition, in two populations of humans, we assessed genetic polymorphisms associated with alcohol consumption using a custom genotyping array for 1,350 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs. Our goal was to ascertain whether our approach, which relies on statistical and informatics techniques, and non-human animal models of alcohol drinking behavior, could inform interpretation of genetic association studies with human populations. Results In the HXB/BXH recombinant inbred (RI rats, correlation analysis of brain gene expression levels with alcohol consumption in a two-bottle choice paradigm, and filtering based on behavioral and gene expression quantitative trait locus (QTL analyses, generated a list of candidate genes. A literature-based, functional analysis of the interactions of the products of these candidate genes defined pathways linked to presynaptic GABA release, activation of dopamine neurons, and postsynaptic GABA receptor trafficking, in brain regions including the hypothalamus, ventral tegmentum and amygdala. The analysis also implicated energy metabolism and caloric intake control as potential influences on alcohol consumption by the recombinant inbred rats. In the human populations, polymorphisms in genes associated with GABA synthesis and GABA receptors, as well as genes related to dopaminergic transmission, were associated with alcohol consumption. Conclusion Our results emphasize the importance of the signaling pathways identified using the non-human animal models, rather than single gene products, in identifying factors responsible for complex traits such as alcohol consumption. The results suggest cross-species similarities in pathways that influence predisposition to consume

Can small wildlife conservancies maintain genetically stable populations of large mammals? Evidence for increased genetic drift in geographically restricted populations of Cape buffalo in East Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heller, R; Okello, J B A; Siegismund, H

2010-01-01

populations, the level of genetic differentiation found here is comparable to that among pan-African populations. Overall, correlations between conservancy area and indices of genetic diversity suggest buffalo populations inhabiting small parks are showing signs of genetic erosion, stressing the need for more......The Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) is one of the dominant and most widespread herbivores in sub-Saharan Africa. High levels of genetic diversity and exceptionally low levels of population differentiation have been found in the Cape buffalo compared to other African savannah ungulates...... active management of such populations. Our findings raise concerns about the future of other African savannah ungulates with lower population sizes and inferior dispersal capabilities compared with the buffalo....

Genetics of traffic assignment models for strategic transport planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bliemer, M.C.J.; Raadsen, M.P.H.; Brederode, L.J.N.; Bell, M.G.H.; Wismans, Luc Johannes Josephus; Smith, M.J.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a review and classification of traffic assignment models for strategic transport planning purposes by using concepts analogous to genetics in biology. Traffic assignment models share the same theoretical framework (DNA), but differ in capability (genes). We argue that all traffic

Erythrocyte phosphofructokinase in rat strains with genetically determined differences in 2,3-diphosphoglycerate levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, N A; Tanaka, K R

1981-02-01

We have studied the erythrocyte enzyme phosphofructokinase (PFK) from two strains of Long-Evans rats with genetically determined differences in erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) levels. The DPG difference is due to two alleles at one locus. With one probable exception, the genotype at this locus is always associated with the hemoglobin (Hb) electrophoretic phenotype, due to a polymorphism at the III beta-globin locus. The enzyme PFK has been implicated in the DPG difference because glycolytic intermediate levels suggest that this enzyme has a higher in vivo activity in High-DPG strain rats, although the total PFK activity does not differ. We report here that partially purified erythrocyte PFK from Low-DPG strain cells is inhibited significantly more at physiological levels of DPG (P less than 0.01) than PFK from High-DPG strain erythrocytes. Citrate and adenosine triphosphate also inhibit the Low-DPG enzyme more than the High-DPG enzyme. Therefore, a structurally different PFK, with a greater sensitivity to inhibitors, may explain the lower DPG and ATP levels observed in Low-DPG strain animals. These data support a two-locus (Hb and PFK) hypothesis and provide a gene marker to study the underlying genetic and physiologic relationships of these loci.

Capabilities for Strategic Adaptation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Distel, Andreas Philipp

This dissertation explores capabilities that enable firms to strategically adapt to environmental changes and preserve competitiveness over time – often referred to as dynamic capabilities. While dynamic capabilities being a popular research domain, too little is known about what these capabiliti...

Health communication, genetic determinism, and perceived control: the roles of beliefs about susceptibility and severity versus disease essentialism.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrott, Roxanne; Kahl, Mary L; Ndiaye, Khadidiatou; Traeder, Tara

2012-08-01

This research examined the lay public's beliefs about genes and health that might be labeled deterministic. The goals of this research were to sort through the divergent and contested meanings of genetic determinism in an effort to suggest directions for public health genomic communication. A survey conducted in community-based settings of 717 participants included 267 who self-reported race as African American and 450 who self-reported race as Caucasian American. The survey results revealed that the structure of genetic determinism included 2 belief sets. One set aligned with perceived threat, encompassing susceptibility and severity beliefs linked to genes and health. The other set represents beliefs about biological essentialism linked to the role of genes for health. These concepts were found to be modestly positively related. Threat beliefs predicted perceived control over genes. Public health efforts to communicate about genes and health should consider effects of these messages for (a) perceived threat relating to susceptibility and severity and (b) perceptions of disease essentialism. Perceived threat may enhance motivation to act in health protective ways, whereas disease essentialist beliefs may contribute to a loss of motivation associated with control over health.

Individual Differences in Scotopic Visual Acuity and Contrast Sensitivity: Genetic and Non-Genetic Influences.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex J Bartholomew

Full Text Available Despite the large amount of variation found in the night (scotopic vision capabilities of healthy volunteers, little effort has been made to characterize this variation and factors, genetic and non-genetic, that influence it. In the largest population of healthy observers measured for scotopic visual acuity (VA and contrast sensitivity (CS to date, we quantified the effect of a range of variables on visual performance. We found that young volunteers with excellent photopic vision exhibit great variation in their scotopic VA and CS, and this variation is reliable from one testing session to the next. We additionally identified that factors such as Circadian preference, iris color, astigmatism, depression, sex and education have no significant impact on scotopic visual function. We confirmed previous work showing that the amount of time spent on the vision test influences performance and that laser eye surgery results in worse scotopic vision. We also showed a significant effect of intelligence and photopic visual performance on scotopic VA and CS, but all of these variables collectively explain <30% of the variation in scotopic vision. The wide variation seen in young healthy volunteers with excellent photopic vision, the high test-retest agreement, and the vast majority of the variation in scotopic vision remaining unexplained by obvious non-genetic factors suggests a strong genetic component. Our preliminary genome-wide association study (GWAS of 106 participants ruled out any common genetic variants of very large effect and paves the way for future, larger genetic studies of scotopic vision.

Determination of lubricating capabilities with a mechanical test device; Ermittlung des Verschleissschutzverhaltens mit der MPH-Apparatur

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krause, D.; Feldmann, D.G.; Schmidt, J. [Technische Univ. Hamburg-Harburg (Germany). Inst. fuer Produktentwicklung und Konstruktionstechnik; Padgurskas, J. [Lithuanian Univ. of Agriculture (Lithuania)

2006-02-15

This paper describes a friction and wear test in a newly developed test machine, which was developed at the TU Hamburg-Harburg to investigate the lubricating capability of hydraulic fluids. The aim of the development of the new test procedure is a better representation of the tribological contacts and effects in fluid power machinery. The investigation of the lubrication capabilities of hydraulic fluids using a line contact showed, that a distinction between different fluids regarding their lubrication capabilities can be made, using friction-, wear- and erosion tests (galling). The high reproducibility of the boundary conditions during different tests was achieved by steady design modifications of the test rig and the development of a computer program for fully-automatic control of the test procedure. The developed test machine fulfils the requirements of a simple test procedure and simple shape test specimen, which could be produced from principally every type of material and production machines, existing in every company that produce fluid power components. (orig.)

Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities in traffic accident information management: a qualitative approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadi, Maryam; Valinejadi, Ali; Goodarzi, Afshin; Safari, Ameneh; Hemmat, Morteza; Majdabadi, Hesamedin Askari; Mohammadi, Ali

2017-06-01

Traffic accidents are one of the more important national and international issues, and their consequences are important for the political, economical, and social level in a country. Management of traffic accident information requires information systems with analytical and accessibility capabilities to spatial and descriptive data. The aim of this study was to determine the capabilities of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in management of traffic accident information. This qualitative cross-sectional study was performed in 2016. In the first step, GIS capabilities were identified via literature retrieved from the Internet and based on the included criteria. Review of the literature was performed until data saturation was reached; a form was used to extract the capabilities. In the second step, study population were hospital managers, police, emergency, statisticians, and IT experts in trauma, emergency and police centers. Sampling was purposive. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on the first step data; validity and reliability were determined by content validity and Cronbach's alpha of 75%. Data was analyzed using the decision Delphi technique. GIS capabilities were identified in ten categories and 64 sub-categories. Import and process of spatial and descriptive data and so, analysis of this data were the most important capabilities of GIS in traffic accident information management. Storing and retrieving of descriptive and spatial data, providing statistical analysis in table, chart and zoning format, management of bad structure issues, determining the cost effectiveness of the decisions and prioritizing their implementation were the most important capabilities of GIS which can be efficient in the management of traffic accident information.

Genetic Stratification in Myeloid Diseases: From Risk Assessment to Clinical Decision Support Tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yishai Ofran

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Genetic aberrations have become a dominant factor in the stratification of myeloid malignancies. Cytogenetic and a few mutation studies are the backbone of risk assessment models of myeloid malignancies which are a major consideration in clinical decisions, especially patient assignment for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Progress in our understanding of the genetic basis of the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies and the growing capabilities of mass sequencing may add new roles for the clinical usage of genetic data. A few recently identified mutations recognized to be associated with specific diseases or clinical scenarios may soon become part of the diagnostic criteria of such conditions. Mutational studies may also advance our capabilities for a more efficient patient selection process, assigning the most effective therapy at the best timing for each patient. The clinical utility of genetic data is anticipated to advance further with the adoption of deep sequencing and next-generation sequencing techniques. We herein suggest some future potential applications of sequential genetic data to identify pending deteriorations at time points which are the best for aggressive interventions such as allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Genetics is moving from being mostly a prognostic factor to becoming a multitasking decision support tool for hematologists. Physicians must pay attention to advances in molecular hematology as it will soon be accessible and influential for most of our patients.

Macromolecular structure determination in the post-genome era

CERN Document Server

Kuhn, P

2001-01-01

Recent advances in genetics, molecular biology and crystallographic instrumentation and methodology have led to a revolution in the field of Structural Molecular Biology (SMB). These combined advances have paved the way to a more complete and detailed understanding of the biological macromolecules that make up an organism, both in terms of their individual functions and also the interactions between them. In this paper we describe a large-scale, genomic approach to the three-dimensional structure determination of macromolecules and their complexes, using high-throughput methodology to streamline all aspects of the process. This task requires the development of automated high-intensity synchrotron beam lines for X-ray diffraction data collection from single crystal samples. Furthermore, these beam lines must be operated within a sophisticated software and hardware environment, which is capable of delivering a completely automated structure determination pipeline. The SMB resource at SSRL is developing a system...

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: frequency of genetic subtypes and guidelines for genetic testing.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Murphy, Sinead M

2012-07-01

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of diseases with approximately 45 different causative genes described. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of different genes in a large cohort of patients with CMT and devise guidelines for genetic testing in practice.

Genetic determinism and evolutionary reconstruction of a host jump in a plant virus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vassilakos, Nikon; Simon, Vincent; Tzima, Aliki

2016-01-01

In spite of their widespread occurrence, only few host jumps by plant viruses have been evidenced and the molecular bases of even fewer have been determined. A combination of three independent approaches, 1) experimental evolution followed by reverse genetics analysis, 2) positive selection...... analysis, and 3) locus-by-locus analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) allowed reconstructing the Potato virus Y (PVY; genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) jump to pepper (Capsicum annuum), probably from other solanaceous plants. Synthetic chimeras between infectious cDNA clones of two PVY isolates...... independently and conferred adaptation to C. annuum. In addition to increasing our knowledge of host jumps in plant viruses, this study illustrates also the efficiency of locus-by-locus AMOVA and combined approaches to identify adaptive mutations in the genome of RNA viruses....

Developmental and genetic determinants of leadership role occupancy among women.

Science.gov (United States)

Arvey, Richard D; Zhang, Zhen; Avolio, Bruce J; Krueger, Robert F

2007-05-01

The genetic and developmental influences on leadership role occupancy were investigated using a sample of 178 fraternal and 214 identical female twins. Two general developmental factors were identified, one involving formal work experiences and the other a family experiences factor hypothesized to influence whether women move into positions of leadership in organizations. Results indicated that 32% of the variance in leadership role occupancy was associated with heritability. The 2 developmental factors also showed significant correlations with leadership role occupancy. However, after genetic factors were partialed out, only the work experience factor was significantly related to leadership role occupancy. Results are discussed in terms of prior life events and experiences that may trigger leadership development and the limitations of this study. 2007 APA, all rights reserved

Genetic GIScience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacquez, Geoffrey; Sabel, Clive E; Shi, Chen

2015-01-01

The exposome, defined as the totality of an individual's exposures over the life course, is a seminal concept in the environmental health sciences. Although inherently geographic, the exposome as yet is unfamiliar to many geographers. This article proposes a place-based synthesis, genetic...... geographic information science (genetic GIScience), that is founded on the exposome, genome+, and behavome. It provides an improved understanding of human health in relation to biology (the genome+), environmental exposures (the exposome), and their social, societal, and behavioral determinants (the behavome......). Genetic GIScience poses three key needs: first, a mathematical foundation for emergent theory; second, process-based models that bridge biological and geographic scales; third, biologically plausible estimates of space?time disease lags. Compartmental models are a possible solution; this article develops...

Genetic diversity of Streptococcus suis isolates as determined by comparative genome hybridization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thi Hoa

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen that causes infections in young piglets. S. suis is a heterogeneous species. Thirty-three different capsular serotypes have been described, that differ in virulence between as well as within serotypes. Results In this study, the correlation between gene content, serotype, phenotype and virulence among 55 S. suis strains was studied using Comparative Genome Hybridization (CGH. Clustering of CGH data divided S. suis isolates into two clusters, A and B. Cluster A isolates could be discriminated from cluster B isolates based on the protein expression of extracellular factor (EF. Cluster A contained serotype 1 and 2 isolates that were correlated with virulence. Cluster B mainly contained serotype 7 and 9 isolates. Genetic similarity was observed between serotype 7 and serotype 2 isolates that do not express muramidase released protein (MRP and EF (MRP-EF-, suggesting these isolates originated from a common founder. Profiles of 25 putative virulence-associated genes of S. suis were determined among the 55 isolates. Presence of all 25 genes was shown for cluster A isolates, whereas cluster B isolates lacked one or more putative virulence genes. Divergence of S. suis isolates was further studied based on the presence of 39 regions of difference. Conservation of genes was evaluated by the definition of a core genome that contained 78% of all ORFs in P1/7. Conclusions In conclusion, we show that CGH is a valuable method to study distribution of genes or gene clusters among isolates in detail, yielding information on genetic similarity, and virulence traits of S. suis isolates.

STRATEGIC PLANNING AS A SUPPORTING TOOL TO DETERMINE MILITARY CAPABILITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DAVID VILLACIS PAZOS

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Planning by scenarios, also called prospective, is of great value in high turbulent and volatile environments, as is today, because it permits to visualize the future from a spectrum of possibilities. That visualization is strategic information that provides a competitive edge and facilitates the identification of possible threats in each scenario and in front of those threats determines the required capacities needed. Therefore, prospective planning is an indispensable tool for decision making and determining military capacities. The scenario spectrum could consider an infinite number; however, for a strategic analysis it is basic to visualize at least three options: an optimist, a pessimist, and a tendency. To determine the military capacities, it is a required minimum to consider the traditional and non-traditional threats, as well as “foreseeable” and “feasible” capacities. The present article provides a global vision of prospective planning and its relationship with determining military capacities.

Ensuring US National Aeronautics Test Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Timothy J.

2010-01-01

process; and the reductions in wind tunnel testing requirements within the largest consumer of ATP wind tunnel test time, the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). Retirement of the Space Shuttle Program and recent perturbations of NASA's Constellation Program will exacerbate this downward trend. Therefore it is crucial that ATP periodically revisit and determine which of its test capabilities are strategically important, which qualify as low-risk redundancies that could be put in an inactive status or closed, and address the challenges associated with both sustainment and improvements to the test capabilities that must remain active. This presentation will provide an overview of the ATP vision, mission, and goals as well as the challenges and opportunities the program is facing both today and in the future. We will discuss the strategy ATP is taking over the next five years to address the National aeronautics test capability challenges and what the program will do to capitalize on its opportunities to ensure a ready, robust and relevant portfolio of National aeronautics test capabilities.

The Decision Support System (DSS) Application to Determination of Diabetes Mellitus Patient Menu Using a Genetic Algorithm Method

Science.gov (United States)

Zuliyana, Nia; Suseno, Jatmiko Endro; Adi, Kusworo

2018-02-01

Composition of foods containing sugar in people with Diabetes Mellitus should be balanced, so an app is required for facilitate the public and nutritionists in determining the appropriate food menu with calorie requirement of diabetes patient. This research will be recommended to determination of food variation for using Genetic Algorithm. The data used is nutrient content of food obtained from Tabel Komposisi Pangan Indonesia (TKPI). The requirement of caloric value the patient can be used the PERKENI 2015 method. Then the data is processed to determine the best food menu consisting of energy (E), carbohydrate (K), fat (L) and protein (P) requirements. The system is comparised with variation of Genetic Algorithm parameters is the total of chromosomes, Probability of Crossover (Pc) and Probability of Mutation (Pm). Maximum value of the probability generation of crossover and probability of mutation will be the more variations of food that will come out. For example, patient with gender is women aged 61 years old, height 160 cm, weight 55 kg, will be resulted number of calories: (E=1621.4, K=243.21, P=60.80, L=45.04), with the gene=4, chromosomes=3, generation=3, Pc=0.2, and Pm=0.2. The result obtained is the three varians: E=1607.25, K=198.877, P=95.385, L=47.508), (E=1633.25, K=196.677, P=85.885, L=55.758), (E=1630.90, K=177.455, P=85.245, L=64.335).

Capability-based computer systems

CERN Document Server

Levy, Henry M

2014-01-01

Capability-Based Computer Systems focuses on computer programs and their capabilities. The text first elaborates capability- and object-based system concepts, including capability-based systems, object-based approach, and summary. The book then describes early descriptor architectures and explains the Burroughs B5000, Rice University Computer, and Basic Language Machine. The text also focuses on early capability architectures. Dennis and Van Horn's Supervisor; CAL-TSS System; MIT PDP-1 Timesharing System; and Chicago Magic Number Machine are discussed. The book then describes Plessey System 25

Technological innovation capability in Malaysian-owned resource-based manufacturing companies: Early findings

Science.gov (United States)

Razali, Nur Fhathyhah; Mohd Suradi, Nur Riza; Ahmad Shahabuddin, Faridatul Azna; Ismail, Wan Rosmanira; Abidin, Norkisme Zainal; Ahmad, Nor Amalina; Mustafa, Zainol

2013-04-01

This study aims to identify the determinants of technological innovation capability of Malaysian-owned companies in the resources-based manufacturing, to identify the relationship between technological innovation capability (TIC) and technological innovation performance (TIP) for the resource-based manufacturing. Furthermore, this study also aims to identify innovation capability factors that need more emphasis and improvements from the respective authority. The scope of the study covers four industries which are petrochemical industries, pharmaceutical industries, palm oil-based industries and food processing industries which are located in the state of Selangor. Descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and performance capability analysis were used in this study. It was found that, technological innovation capabilities (TIC) for companies in the resource-based manufacturing are moderate. Factors such as policies capability, human resources capability and facilities capability have a positive relationship with the performance of technological innovation (TIP). These findings will help the government in making decisions and better implementation of policies to strengthen the competitiveness of the company, particularly in resource-based manufacturing.

Applicability of genetic algorithms to parameter estimation of economic models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Ševela

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The paper concentrates on capability of genetic algorithms for parameter estimation of non-linear economic models. In the paper we test the ability of genetic algorithms to estimate of parameters of demand function for durable goods and simultaneously search for parameters of genetic algorithm that lead to maximum effectiveness of the computation algorithm. The genetic algorithms connect deterministic iterative computation methods with stochastic methods. In the genteic aůgorithm approach each possible solution is represented by one individual, those life and lifes of all generations of individuals run under a few parameter of genetic algorithm. Our simulations resulted in optimal mutation rate of 15% of all bits in chromosomes, optimal elitism rate 20%. We can not set the optimal extend of generation, because it proves positive correlation with effectiveness of genetic algorithm in all range under research, but its impact is degreasing. The used genetic algorithm was sensitive to mutation rate at most, than to extend of generation. The sensitivity to elitism rate is not so strong.

Genetic determinants of circulating sphingolipid concentrations in European populations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew A Hicks

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Sphingolipids have essential roles as structural components of cell membranes and in cell signalling, and disruption of their metabolism causes several diseases, with diverse neurological, psychiatric, and metabolic consequences. Increasingly, variants within a few of the genes that encode enzymes involved in sphingolipid metabolism are being associated with complex disease phenotypes. Direct experimental evidence supports a role of specific sphingolipid species in several common complex chronic disease processes including atherosclerotic plaque formation, myocardial infarction (MI, cardiomyopathy, pancreatic beta-cell failure, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, sphingolipids represent novel and important intermediate phenotypes for genetic analysis, yet little is known about the major genetic variants that influence their circulating levels in the general population. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS between 318,237 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs and levels of circulating sphingomyelin (SM, dihydrosphingomyelin (Dih-SM, ceramide (Cer, and glucosylceramide (GluCer single lipid species (33 traits; and 43 matched metabolite ratios measured in 4,400 subjects from five diverse European populations. Associated variants (32 in five genomic regions were identified with genome-wide significant corrected p-values ranging down to 9.08x10(-66. The strongest associations were observed in or near 7 genes functionally involved in ceramide biosynthesis and trafficking: SPTLC3, LASS4, SGPP1, ATP10D, and FADS1-3. Variants in 3 loci (ATP10D, FADS3, and SPTLC3 associate with MI in a series of three German MI studies. An additional 70 variants across 23 candidate genes involved in sphingolipid-metabolizing pathways also demonstrate association (p = 10(-4 or less. Circulating concentrations of several key components in sphingolipid metabolism are thus under strong genetic control, and variants in these loci can be

Mobile Test Capabilities

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Electrical Power Mobile Test capabilities are utilized to conduct electrical power quality testing on aircraft and helicopters. This capability allows that the...

Multi-user cognitive radio network resource allocation based on the adaptive niche immune genetic algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zu Yun-Xiao; Zhou Jie

2012-01-01

Multi-user cognitive radio network resource allocation based on the adaptive niche immune genetic algorithm is proposed, and a fitness function is provided. Simulations are conducted using the adaptive niche immune genetic algorithm, the simulated annealing algorithm, the quantum genetic algorithm and the simple genetic algorithm, respectively. The results show that the adaptive niche immune genetic algorithm performs better than the other three algorithms in terms of the multi-user cognitive radio network resource allocation, and has quick convergence speed and strong global searching capability, which effectively reduces the system power consumption and bit error rate. (geophysics, astronomy, and astrophysics)

Methodological issues of genetic association studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Simundic, Ana-Maria

2010-12-01

Genetic association studies explore the association between genetic polymorphisms and a certain trait, disease or predisposition to disease. It has long been acknowledged that many genetic association studies fail to replicate their initial positive findings. This raises concern about the methodological quality of these reports. Case-control genetic association studies often suffer from various methodological flaws in study design and data analysis, and are often reported poorly. Flawed methodology and poor reporting leads to distorted results and incorrect conclusions. Many journals have adopted guidelines for reporting genetic association studies. In this review, some major methodological determinants of genetic association studies will be discussed.

Patterns of DNA Methylation in Development, Division of Labor and Hybridization in an Ant with Genetic Caste Determination

OpenAIRE

Smith, Chris R.; Mutti, Navdeep S.; Jasper, W. Cameron; Naidu, Agni; Smith, Christopher D.; Gadau, Jürgen

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is a common regulator of gene expression, including acting as a regulator of developmental events and behavioral changes in adults. Using the unique system of genetic caste determination in Pogonomyrmex barbatus, we were able to document changes in DNA methylation during development, and also across both ancient and contemporary hybridization events. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Sodium bisulfite sequencing demonstrated in vivo methylation of symmetric CG dinucle...

Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities in traffic accident information management: a qualitative approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadi, Maryam; Valinejadi, Ali; Goodarzi, Afshin; Safari, Ameneh; Hemmat, Morteza; Majdabadi, Hesamedin Askari; Mohammadi, Ali

2017-01-01

Background Traffic accidents are one of the more important national and international issues, and their consequences are important for the political, economical, and social level in a country. Management of traffic accident information requires information systems with analytical and accessibility capabilities to spatial and descriptive data. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the capabilities of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in management of traffic accident information. Methods This qualitative cross-sectional study was performed in 2016. In the first step, GIS capabilities were identified via literature retrieved from the Internet and based on the included criteria. Review of the literature was performed until data saturation was reached; a form was used to extract the capabilities. In the second step, study population were hospital managers, police, emergency, statisticians, and IT experts in trauma, emergency and police centers. Sampling was purposive. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on the first step data; validity and reliability were determined by content validity and Cronbach’s alpha of 75%. Data was analyzed using the decision Delphi technique. Results GIS capabilities were identified in ten categories and 64 sub-categories. Import and process of spatial and descriptive data and so, analysis of this data were the most important capabilities of GIS in traffic accident information management. Conclusion Storing and retrieving of descriptive and spatial data, providing statistical analysis in table, chart and zoning format, management of bad structure issues, determining the cost effectiveness of the decisions and prioritizing their implementation were the most important capabilities of GIS which can be efficient in the management of traffic accident information. PMID:28848627

Workers make the queens in melipona bees: identification of geraniol as a caste determining compound from labial glands of nurse bees.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarau, Stefan; van Veen, Johan W; Twele, Robert; Reichle, Christian; Gonzales, Eduardo Herrera; Aguilar, Ingrid; Francke, Wittko; Ayasse, Manfred

2010-06-01

Reproductive division of labor in advanced eusocial honey bees and stingless bees is based on the ability of totipotent female larvae to develop into either workers or queens. In nearly all species, caste is determined by larval nutrition. However, the mechanism that triggers queen development in Melipona bees is still unresolved. Several hypotheses have been proposed, ranging from the proximate (a genetic determination of caste development) to the ultimate (a model in which larvae have complete control over their own caste fate). Here, we showed that the addition of geraniol, the main compound in labial gland secretions of nurse workers, to the larval food significantly increases the number of larvae that develop into queens. Interestingly, the proportion of queens in treated brood exactly matched the value (25%) predicted by the two-locus, two-allele model of genetic queen determination, in which only females that are heterozygous at both loci are capable of developing into queens. We conclude that labial gland secretions, added to the food of some cells by nurse bees, trigger queen development, provided that the larvae are genetically predisposed towards this developmental pathway. In Melipona beecheii, geraniol acts as a primer pheromone representing the first caste determination substance identified to date.

Building Service Provider Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandl, Kristin; Jaura, Manya; Ørberg Jensen, Peter D.

2015-01-01

In this paper we study whether and how the interaction between clients and the service providers contributes to the development of capabilities in service provider firms. In situations where such a contribution occurs, we analyze how different types of activities in the production process...... process. We find that clients influence the development of human capital capabilities and management capabilities in reciprocally produced services. While in sequential produced services clients influence the development of organizational capital capabilities and management capital capabilities....... of the services, such as sequential or reciprocal task activities, influence the development of different types of capabilities. We study five cases of offshore-outsourced knowledge-intensive business services that are distinguished according to their reciprocal or sequential task activities in their production...

Genetics of nonsyndromic obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yung Seng

2013-12-01

Common obesity is widely regarded as a complex, multifactorial trait influenced by the 'obesogenic' environment, sedentary behavior, and genetic susceptibility contributed by common and rare genetic variants. This review describes the recent advances in understanding the role of genetics in obesity. New susceptibility loci and genetic variants are being uncovered, but the collective effect is relatively small and could not explain most of the BMI heritability. Yet-to-be identified common and rare variants, epistasis, and heritable epigenetic changes may account for part of the 'missing heritability'. Evidence is emerging about the role of epigenetics in determining obesity susceptibility, mediating developmental plasticity, which confers obesity risk from early life experiences. Genetic prediction scores derived from selected genetic variants, and also differential DNA methylation levels and methylation scores, have been shown to correlate with measures of obesity and response to weight loss intervention. Genetic variants, which confer susceptibility to obesity-related morbidities like nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, were also discovered recently. We can expect discovery of more rare genetic variants with the advent of whole exome and genome sequencing, and also greater understanding of epigenetic mechanisms by which environment influences genetic expression and which mediate the gene-environment interaction.

Difficulties in Genetics Problem Solving.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolman, Richard R.

1982-01-01

Examined problem-solving strategies of 30 high school students as they solved genetics problems. Proposes a new sequence of teaching genetics based on results: meiosis, sex chromosomes, sex determination, sex-linked traits, monohybrid and dihybrid crosses (humans), codominance (humans), and Mendel's pea experiments. (JN)

Genetic improvement of vegetables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaramillo Vasquez, J.G.

2001-01-01

Some genetic bases of the improvement of vegetables are given. The objectives of the genetic improvement and the fundamental stages of this process are done. The sources of genetic variation are indicated and they are related the reproduction systems of the main horticultural species. It is analyzed the concept of genetic inheritance like base to determine the procedures more appropriate of improvement. The approaches are discussed, has more than enough phenotypic value, genetic action and genotypic variance; Equally the heredability concepts and value of improvement. The conventional methods of improvement are described, like they are: the introduction of species or varieties, the selection, the pure line, the pedigree method, the selection for families, the recurrent selection, the selection for unique seed, the haploids method, the selection for heterosis and the synthetic varieties

Determination of genetic variability of Asian rice (Oryza sativa L ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PRECIOUS

2009-11-02

Nov 2, 2009 ... diversity and relationship among thirty-five Asian cultivars of rice including 19 aromatic, 13 non- ... are promising and effective tools for measuring genetic .... efficients were employed by using Simqual sub-program in similarity.

Determinants of genetic structure in a nonequilibrium metapopulation of the plant Silene latifolia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter D Fields

Full Text Available Population genetic differentiation will be influenced by the demographic history of populations, opportunities for migration among neighboring demes and founder effects associated with repeated extinction and recolonization. In natural populations, these factors are expected to interact with each other and their magnitudes will vary depending on the spatial distribution and age structure of local demes. Although each of these effects has been individually identified as important in structuring genetic variance, their relative magnitude is seldom estimated in nature. We conducted a population genetic analysis in a metapopulation of the angiosperm, Silene latifolia, from which we had more than 20 years of data on the spatial distribution, demographic history, and extinction and colonization of demes. We used hierarchical Bayesian methods to disentangle which features of the populations contributed to among population variation in allele frequencies, including the magnitude and direction of their effects. We show that population age, long-term size and degree of connectivity all combine to affect the distribution of genetic variance; small, recently-founded, isolated populations contributed most to increase FST in the metapopulation. However, the effects of population size and population age are best understood as being modulated through the effects of connectivity to other extant populations, i.e. FST diminishes as populations age, but at a rate that depends how isolated the population is. These spatial and temporal correlates of population structure give insight into how migration, founder effect and within-deme genetic drift have combined to enhance and restrict genetic divergence in a natural metapopulation.

Epigenetics and genetic determinism Epigenética e determinismo genético

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hernán A. Burbano

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This paper posits that the gene-centered viewpoint of the organism (gene-centrism is not enough to explain biological complexity. Organisms are not completely determined by their genomes; rather, living beings can be seen as interpreters or intentional systems. Epigenetics is the framework that allows the avoidance of gene-centrism and permits the emergence of a more holistic standpoint where determination and novelty can coexist, as shown with examples taken from developmental biology and macromolecules folding. In summary, as P. Medawar and J. Medawar wrote: "Genetics proposes; epigenetics disposes."O presente trabalho afirma que a visão geneticista do organismo (genecentrismo não é suficiente para explicar a complexidade biológica. Os organismos não são completamente determinados por seus genomas; ou melhor, os seres vivos podem ser vistos como intérpretes ou sistemas intencionais. A epigenética é o arcabouço que ajuda a evitar o genecentrismo e permite a emergência de uma posição mais holística, em que determinismo e inovação podem coexistir, conforme demonstrado a partir de exemplos retirados da biologia do desenvolvimento e da estrutura das macromoléculas. Em resumo, como P. Medawar e J. Medawar escreveram: "A genética propõe e a epigenética dispõe".

Genetic variants are major determinants of CSF antibody levels in multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Goris, An; Pauwels, Ine; Gustavsen, Marte W; van Son, Brechtje; Hilven, Kelly; Bos, Steffan D; Celius, Elisabeth Gulowsen; Berg-Hansen, Pål; Aarseth, Jan; Myhr, Kjell-Morten; D'Alfonso, Sandra; Barizzone, Nadia; Leone, Maurizio A; Martinelli Boneschi, Filippo; Sorosina, Melissa; Liberatore, Giuseppe; Kockum, Ingrid; Olsson, Tomas; Hillert, Jan; Alfredsson, Lars; Bedri, Sahl Khalid; Hemmer, Bernhard; Buck, Dorothea; Berthele, Achim; Knier, Benjamin; Biberacher, Viola; van Pesch, Vincent; Sindic, Christian; Bang Oturai, Annette; Søndergaard, Helle Bach; Sellebjerg, Finn; Jensen, Poul Erik H; Comabella, Manuel; Montalban, Xavier; Pérez-Boza, Jennifer; Malhotra, Sunny; Lechner-Scott, Jeannette; Broadley, Simon; Slee, Mark; Taylor, Bruce; Kermode, Allan G; Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; Sawcer, Stephen J; Andreassen, Bettina Kullle; Dubois, Bénédicte; Harbo, Hanne F

2015-03-01

as female gender, age at onset and severity. This is the largest study population so far investigated for the genetic influence on antibody levels in the cerebrospinal fluid in multiple sclerosis, including 6950 patients. We confirm that genetic factors underlie these antibody levels and identify both the major histocompatibility complex and immunoglobulin heavy chain region as major determinants. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Genetic variants are major determinants of CSF antibody levels in multiple sclerosis

Science.gov (United States)

Pauwels, Ine; Gustavsen, Marte W.; van Son, Brechtje; Hilven, Kelly; Bos, Steffan D.; Celius, Elisabeth Gulowsen; Berg-Hansen, Pål; Aarseth, Jan; Myhr, Kjell-Morten; D’Alfonso, Sandra; Barizzone, Nadia; Leone, Maurizio A.; Martinelli Boneschi, Filippo; Sorosina, Melissa; Liberatore, Giuseppe; Kockum, Ingrid; Olsson, Tomas; Hillert, Jan; Alfredsson, Lars; Bedri, Sahl Khalid; Hemmer, Bernhard; Buck, Dorothea; Berthele, Achim; Knier, Benjamin; Biberacher, Viola; van Pesch, Vincent; Sindic, Christian; Bang Oturai, Annette; Søndergaard, Helle Bach; Sellebjerg, Finn; Jensen, Poul Erik H.; Comabella, Manuel; Montalban, Xavier; Pérez-Boza, Jennifer; Malhotra, Sunny; Lechner-Scott, Jeannette; Broadley, Simon; Slee, Mark; Taylor, Bruce; Kermode, Allan G.; Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; Sawcer, Stephen J.; Andreassen, Bettina Kullle; Dubois, Bénédicte; Harbo, Hanne F.

2015-01-01

as female gender, age at onset and severity. This is the largest study population so far investigated for the genetic influence on antibody levels in the cerebrospinal fluid in multiple sclerosis, including 6950 patients. We confirm that genetic factors underlie these antibody levels and identify both the major histocompatibility complex and immunoglobulin heavy chain region as major determinants. PMID:25616667

Genetic algorithm-based wavelength selection in multicomponent spectrophotometric determination by PLS: Application on sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim mixture in bovine milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Givianrad Hadi Mohammad

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX and trimethoprim (TMP mixtures in bovine milk by spectrophotometric method is a difficult problem in analytical chemistry, due to spectral interferences. By means of multivariate calibration methods, such as partial least square (PLS regression, it is possible to obtain a model adjusted to the concentration values of the mixtures used in the calibration range. Genetic algorithm (GA is a suitable method for selecting wavelengths for PLS calibration of mixtures with almost identical spectra without loss of prediction capacity using the spectrophotometric method. In this study, the calibration model based on absorption spectra in the 200-400 nm range for 25 different mixtures of SMX and TMP Calibration matrices were formed form samples containing 0.25-20 and 0.3-21 μg mL-1 for SMX and TMP, at pH=10, respectively. The root mean squared error of deviation (RMSED for SMX and TMP with PLS and genetic algorithm partial least square (GAPLS were 0.242, 0.066 μgmL-1 and 0.074, 0.027 μg mL-1, respectively. This procedure was allowed the simultaneous determination of SMX and TMP in synthetic and real samples and good reliability of the determination was proved.

What are the key organisational capabilities that facilitate research use in public health policy?

Science.gov (United States)

Huckel Schneider, Carmen; Campbell, Danielle; Milat, Andrew; Haynes, Abby; Quinn, Emma

2014-11-28

Literature about research use suggests that certain characteristics or capabilities may make policy agencies more evidence attuned. This study sought to determine policy makers' perceptions of a suite of organisational capabilities identified from the literature as potentially facilitating research uptake in policy decision making. A literature scan identified eight key organisational capabilities that support research use in policy making. To determine whether these capabilities were relevant, practical and applicable in real world policy settings, nine Australian health policy makers were consulted in September 2011. We used an open-ended questionnaire asking what facilitates the use of research in policy and program decision making, followed by specific questions rating the proposed capabilities. Interviews were transcribed and the content analysed. There was general agreement that the capabilities identified from the literature were relevant to real world contexts. However, interviewees varied in whether they could provide examples of experiences with the capabilities, how essential they considered the different capabilities to be and how difficult they considered the capabilities were to achieve. Efforts to improve the use of research in policy decision making are likely to benefit from targeting multiple organisational capabilities, including staff skills and competence, tools such as templates and checklists to aid evidence use and leadership support for the use of research in policy development. However, such efforts should be guided by an understanding of how policy agencies use evidence and how they view their roles, and external factors such as resource constraints and availability of appropriate research.

Genetic determinants of reutericyclin biosynthesis in Lactobacillus reuteri.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Xiaoxi B; Lohans, Christopher T; Duar, Rebbeca; Zheng, Jinshui; Vederas, John C; Walter, Jens; Gänzle, Michael

2015-03-01

Reutericyclin is a unique antimicrobial tetramic acid produced by some strains of Lactobacillus reuteri. This study aimed to identify the genetic determinants of reutericyclin biosynthesis. Comparisons of the genomes of reutericyclin-producing L. reuteri strains with those of non-reutericyclin-producing strains identified a genomic island of 14 open reading frames (ORFs) including genes coding for a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), a polyketide synthase (PKS), homologues of PhlA, PhlB, and PhlC, and putative transport and regulatory proteins. The protein encoded by rtcN is composed of a condensation domain, an adenylation domain likely specific for d-leucine, and a thiolation domain. rtcK codes for a PKS that is composed of a ketosynthase domain, an acyl-carrier protein domain, and a thioesterase domain. The products of rtcA, rtcB, and rtcC are homologous to the diacetylphloroglucinol-biosynthetic proteins PhlABC and may acetylate the tetramic acid moiety produced by RtcN and RtcK, forming reutericyclin. Deletion of rtcN or rtcABC in L. reuteri TMW1.656 abrogated reutericyclin production but did not affect resistance to reutericyclin. Genes coding for transport and regulatory proteins could be deleted only in the reutericyclin-negative L. reuteri strain TMW1.656ΔrtcN, and these deletions eliminated reutericyclin resistance. The genomic analyses suggest that the reutericyclin genomic island was horizontally acquired from an unknown source during a unique event. The combination of PhlABC homologues with both an NRPS and a PKS has also been identified in the lactic acid bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus plantarum, suggesting that the genes in these organisms and those in L. reuteri share an evolutionary origin. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Capabilities and diagnostics of the Sandia Pelletron-raster system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckalew, W.H.; Lockwood, G.J.; Luker, S.M.; Ruggles, L.E.; Wyant, F.J.

1984-07-01

The radiation capabilities of the PELLETRON Electron Beam Accelerator have been expanded to include a controllable, variable dimension, beam diffusion option. This rastered beam option has been studied in detail. Beam characteristics have been determined as a function of incident electron beam energy, current, and deflection system parameters. The beam diagnostics required to define any given diffuse beam pattern are accurate and predictable. Recently, utility of this added PELLETRON capability was demonstrated by simulating the effects of complex nuclear reactor accident electron environments on electrical insulation materials similar to those used in nuclear power plants

the place of organisational capabilities in strategy formulation

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global Journal

other things, that organization do periodic organizational capability audit in order to be always proactive enough to meet its ... can put an organization at risk of becoming obsolete. .... organisation's strategic planning framework. The ... All the variables in the model are .... pattern of decision in a company that determines.

Are Adolescents with ADHD Interested in Genetic Testing for Nicotine Addiction Susceptibility?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linda J. Herbert

2010-04-01

Full Text Available It has been well-established that some adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD are at increased risk for cigarette smoking. Current research on the genetic basis of this association could ultimately translate into genetic tests capable of identifying smoking-prone adolescents with ADHD. In this study we examined 81 ADHD affected adolescents’ (age 13–21 interest in genetic testing for nicotine addiction susceptibility. Fifty-seven percent of adolescents indicated a fair amount of interest or more in testing. Most adolescents indicated that the personal information revealed from testing would be either useful (29% or interesting (37%. Implications for genetically-informed smoking prevention and cessation interventions in high risk adolescents with ADHD are discussed.

Genetic Determinism of Primary Early-Onset Osteoarthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Aury-Landas, Juliette; Marcelli, Christian; Leclercq, Sylvain; Boumédiene, Karim; Baugé, Catherine

2016-01-01

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease worldwide. A minority of cases correspond to familial presentation characterized by early-onset forms which are genetically heterogeneous. This review brings a new point of view on the molecular basis of OA by focusing on gene mutations causing early-onset OA (EO-OA). Recently, thanks to whole-exome sequencing, a gain-of-function mutation in the TNFRSF11B gene was identified in two distant family members with EO-OA, opening new therapeutic perspectives for OA. Indeed, unraveling the molecular basis of rare Mendelian OA forms will improve our understanding of molecular processes involved in OA pathogenesis and will contribute to better patient diagnosis, management, and therapy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FMEF/experimental capabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgess, C.A.; Dronen, V.R.

1981-01-01

The Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF), under construction at the Hanford site north of Richland, Washington, will be one of the most modern facilities offering irradiated fuels and materials examination capabilities and fuel fabrication development technologies. Scheduled for completion in 1984, the FMEF will provide examination capability for fuel assemblies, fuel pins and test pins irradiated in the FFTF. Various functions of the FMEF are described, with emphasis on experimental data-gathering capabilities in the facility's Nondestructive and Destructive examination cell complex

Piezoelectric Sensor for Determination of Genetically Modified Soybean Roundup Readyâ in Samples not Amplified by PCR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanna Radecka

2007-08-01

Full Text Available The chemically modified piezoelectrodes were utilized to develop relativelycheap and easy to use biosensor for determination of genetically modified Roundup Readysoybean (RR soybean. The biosensor relies on the immobilization onto goldpiezoelectrodes of the 21-mer single stranded oligonucleotide (probes related to5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS gene, which is an active componentof an insert integrated into RR soybean genome. The hybridization reaction between theprobe and the target complementary sequence in solution was monitored. The system wasoptimized using synthetic oligonucleotides, which were applied for EPSPS gene detectionin DNA samples extracted from animal feed containing 30% RR soybean amplified by thePCR and nonamplified by PCR. The detection limit for genomic DNA was in the range of4.7·105 numbers of genom copies contained EPSPS gene in the QCM cell. The propertiessuch as sensitivity and selectivity of piezoelectric senor presented here indicated that it could be applied for the direct determination of genetically modified RR soybean in the samples non-amplified by PCR.

GENETIC ASPECTS OF SPORTS PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatma Ebru KOKU

2015-03-01

Full Text Available As participation in both amateur and professional sports increases, so does the importance of sports performance and the factors influencing it. Determinants of success in sports can be classified as training, genetic, epigenetic, dietary, motivational, equipment and other environmental factors. The effect of genetics on sports performance and skill has been examined for many years. Autosomal genes, mitochondrial DNA and various genes located in the Y chromosome have all been associated with sports performance. It is not possible to link physical performance to a single genetic polymorphism. Genes that have been most extensively studied in their relation to performance include ACE, ACTN3, ADRA2A, ADRB2, PPARA, PPARGC1A, AMPD1, HIF1A, NOS3, BDKRB2, VEGFR2 and VEGFA. For the time being, genetic screening tests may be useful in determining the weaknesses and strengths of a sportsperson, but not in predicting athletic success.

Solving fuzzy shortest path problem by genetic algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Syarif, A.; Muludi, K.; Adrian, R.; Gen, M.

2018-03-01

Shortest Path Problem (SPP) is known as one of well-studied fields in the area Operations Research and Mathematical Optimization. It has been applied for many engineering and management designs. The objective is usually to determine path(s) in the network with minimum total cost or traveling time. In the past, the cost value for each arc was usually assigned or estimated as a deteministic value. For some specific real world applications, however, it is often difficult to determine the cost value properly. One way of handling such uncertainty in decision making is by introducing fuzzy approach. With this situation, it will become difficult to solve the problem optimally. This paper presents the investigations on the application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) to a new SPP model in which the cost values are represented as Triangular Fuzzy Number (TFN). We adopts the concept of ranking fuzzy numbers to determine how good the solutions. Here, by giving his/her degree value, the decision maker can determine the range of objective value. This would be very valuable for decision support system in the real world applications.Simulation experiments were carried out by modifying several test problems with 10-25 nodes. It is noted that the proposed approach is capable attaining a good solution with different degree of optimism for the tested problems.

On Gene Concepts and Teaching Genetics: Episodes from Classical Genetics

Science.gov (United States)

Burian, Richard M.

2013-02-01

This paper addresses the teaching of advanced high school courses or undergraduate courses for non-biology majors about genetics or history of genetics. It will probably be difficult to take the approach described here in a high school science course, although the general approach could help improve such courses. It would be ideal for a college course in history of genetics or a course designed to teach non-science majors how science works or the rudiments of the genetics in a way that will help them as citizens. The approach aims to teach the processes of discovery, correction, and validation by utilizing illustrative episodes from the history of genetics. The episodes are treated in way that should foster understanding of basic questions about genes, the sorts of techniques used to answer questions about the constitution and structure of genes, how they function, and what they determine, and some of the major biological disagreements that arose in dealing with these questions. The material covered here could be connected to social and political issues raised by genetics, but these connections are not surveyed here. As it is, to cover this much territory, the article is limited to four major episodes from Mendel's paper to the beginning of World War II. A sequel will deal with the molecularization of genetics and with molecular gene concepts through the Human Genome Project.

Genetic Risk for Alcoholic Chronic Pancreatitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flair José Carrilho

2011-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years many studies have examined the genetic predisposition to pancreatic diseases. Pancreatic disease of an alcoholic etiology was determined to be a multi-factorial disease, where environmental factors interact with the genetic profile of the individual. In this review we discuss the main results from studies examining the frequency of genetic mutations in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis.

Study of gamma detection capabilities of the REWARD mobile spectroscopic system

Science.gov (United States)

Balbuena, J. P.; Baptista, M.; Barros, S.; Dambacher, M.; Disch, C.; Fiederle, M.; Kuehn, S.; Parzefall, U.

2017-07-01

REWARD is a novel mobile spectroscopic radiation detector system for Homeland Security applications. The system integrates gamma and neutron detection equipped with wireless communication. A comprehensive simulation study on its gamma detection capabilities in different radioactive scenarios is presented in this work. The gamma detection unit consists of a precise energy resolution system based on two stacked (Cd,Zn)Te sensors working in coincidence sum mode. The volume of each of these CZT sensors is 1 cm3. The investigated energy windows used to determine the detection capabilities of the detector correspond to the gamma emissions from 137Cs and 60Co radioactive sources (662 keV and 1173/1333 keV respectively). Monte Carlo and Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulations are combined to determine its sensing capabilities for different radiation sources and estimate the limits of detection of the sensing unit as a function of source activity for several shielding materials.

Macromolecular structure determination in the post-genome era

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhn, P.; Soltis, S.M.

2001-01-01

Recent advances in genetics, molecular biology and crystallographic instrumentation and methodology have led to a revolution in the field of Structural Molecular Biology (SMB). These combined advances have paved the way to a more complete and detailed understanding of the biological macromolecules that make up an organism, both in terms of their individual functions and also the interactions between them. In this paper we describe a large-scale, genomic approach to the three-dimensional structure determination of macromolecules and their complexes, using high-throughput methodology to streamline all aspects of the process. This task requires the development of automated high-intensity synchrotron beam lines for X-ray diffraction data collection from single crystal samples. Furthermore, these beam lines must be operated within a sophisticated software and hardware environment, which is capable of delivering a completely automated structure determination pipeline. The SMB resource at SSRL is developing a system for the structure determination steps of this process, starting with the initial characterization of the frozen sample, followed by data collection, data reduction, phase determination, and model building. This paper focuses on the data collection elements of this high-throughput system

Genetic and pharmacological modifications of thrombin formation in apolipoprotein e-deficient mice determine atherosclerosis severity and atherothrombosis onset in a neutrophil-dependent manner

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borissoff, Julian I.; Otten, Jeroen J. T.; Heeneman, Sylvia; Leenders, Peter; van Oerle, René; Soehnlein, Oliver; Loubele, Sarah T. B. G.; Hamulyák, Karly; Hackeng, Tilman M.; Daemen, Mat J. A. P.; Degen, Jay L.; Weiler, Hartmut; Esmon, Charles T.; van Ryn, Joanne; Biessen, Erik A. L.; Spronk, Henri M. H.; ten Cate, Hugo

2013-01-01

Variations in the blood coagulation activity, determined genetically or by medication, may alter atherosclerotic plaque progression, by influencing pleiotropic effects of coagulation proteases. Published experimental studies have yielded contradictory findings on the role of hypercoagulability in

Recent developments in computer modeling add ecological realism to landscape genetics

Science.gov (United States)

Background / Question / Methods A factor limiting the rate of progress in landscape genetics has been the shortage of spatial models capable of linking life history attributes such as dispersal behavior to complex dynamic landscape features. The recent development of new models...

A yeast screening system for simultaneously monitoring multiple genetic endpoints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixon, M.L.; Mortimer, R.K.

1986-01-01

Mutation, recombination, and mitochondrial deficiencies have been proposed to have roles in the carcinogenic process. The authors describe a diploid strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of detecting this wide spectrum of genetic changes. The markers used for monitoring these events have been especially well characterized genetically. Ultraviolet light was chosen as a model carcinogenic agent to test this system. In addition to highly significant increases in the frequencies of each genetic change, increases in the absolute numbers of each change indicated induction and not selective survival. The relative amounts of each type of genetic change varied with dose. The wide spectrum of endpoints monitored in the XD83 yeast system may allow the detection of certain carcinogens and other genetically toxic agents which have escaped detection in more limited systems. Since only one strain is required to simultaneously monitor these genetic changes, this assay system should facilitate comparisons of the induced changes and be more efficient than using multiple strains to monitor the same endpoints. (Auth.)

Evaluation of agricultural ecological environment in determining the capable areas: A case study of city of Esfahan, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sedigheh Kiani Salmi

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The nature of different activities in production, agriculture as well as distribution and consumption section, called as expansionist activities, largely influence the ability of the land. Production of consumable material, which is required for increasing population in various areas, and their attractions make it possible to earn more profit and it causes a significant pressure on soil and water resources and can threaten environmental pollution and human food security. A self-interested attitude on land resources has led to run short-term programs without considering the ecological capability of the land. These mentioned problems are, significantly intensified particularly in arid and semi-arid areas with severe limitations of water and soil quality and quantity. Therefore, land allocation based on ecological capability and self-purification indexes, used for land use planning, is an appropriate response to meet the deficiencies noted. This paper studies the agricultural capable lands based on land capability. The proposed study uses GIS software capabilities with application of the environmental ability evaluation model, as a holistic approach, to make sustainable development research in the region. The results indicate that suitable lands for agriculture in the whole area in different classes are widespread and with regards to dependency of more than 90 percent of people to agricultural activities, serious attention of authorities is required for providing the appropriate baseline and avoiding land use change to develop this activity.

Developing Alliance Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heimeriks, Koen H.; Duysters, Geert; Vanhaverbeke, Wim

This paper assesses the differential performance effects of learning mechanisms on the development of alliance capabilities. Prior research has suggested that different capability levels could be identified in which specific intra-firm learning mechanisms are used to enhance a firm's alliance...

Evaluation of Kalman filters and genetic algorithms for delayed-neutron nondestructive assay data analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aumeier, S.E.; Forsmann, J.H.

1998-01-01

The ability to nondestructively determine the presence and quantity of fissile/fertile nuclei in various matrices is important in several areas of nuclear applications, including international and domestic safeguards, radioactive waste characterization, and nuclear facility operations. An analysis was performed to determine the feasibility of identifying the masses of individual fissionable isotopes from a cumulative delayed-neutron signal resulting form the neutron irradiation of several uranium and plutonium isotopes. The feasibility of two separate data-processing techniques was studied: Kalman filtering and genetic algorithms. The basis of each technique is reviewed, and the structure of the algorithms as applied to the delayed-neutron analysis problem is presented. The results of parametric studies performed using several variants of the algorithms are presented. The effect of including additional constraining information such as additional measurements and known relative isotopic concentration is discussed. The parametric studies were conducted using simulated delayed-neutron data representative of the cumulative delayed-neutron response following irradiation of a sample containing 238 U, 235 U, 239 Pu, and 240 Pu. The results show that by processing delayed-neutron data representative of two significantly different fissile/fertile fission ratios, both Kalman filters and genetic algorithms are capable of yielding reasonably accurate estimates of the mass of individual isotopes contained in a given assay sample

Strategies for MCMC computation in quantitative genetics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Waagepetersen, Rasmus; Ibánez, N.; Sorensen, Daniel

2006-01-01

Given observations of a trait and a pedigree for a group of animals, the basic model in quantitative genetics is a linear mixed model with genetic random effects. The correlation matrix of the genetic random effects is determined by the pedigree and is typically very highdimensional but with a sp...

Determination of Critical Conditions for Puncturing Almonds Using Coupled Response Surface Methodology and Genetic Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmood Mahmoodi-Eshkaftaki

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the effect of seed moisture content, probe diameter and loading velocity (puncture conditions on some mechanical properties of almond kernel and peeled almond kernel is considered to model a relationship between the puncture conditions and rupture energy. Furthermore, distribution of the mechanical properties is determined. The main objective is to determine the critical values of mechanical properties significant for peeling machines. The response surface methodology was used to find the relationship between the input parameters and the output responses, and the fitness function was applied to measure the optimal values using the genetic algorithm. Two-parameter Weibull function was used to describe the distribution of mechanical properties. Based on the Weibull parameter values, i.e. shape parameter (β and scale parameter (η calculated for each property, the mechanical distribution variations were completely described and it was confirmed that the mechanical properties are rule governed, which makes the Weibull function suitable for estimating their distributions. The energy model estimated using response surface methodology shows that the mechanical properties relate exponentially to the moisture, and polynomially to the loading velocity and probe diameter, which enabled successful estimation of the rupture energy (R²=0.94. The genetic algorithm calculated the critical values of seed moisture, probe diameter, and loading velocity to be 18.11 % on dry mass basis, 0.79 mm, and 0.15 mm/min, respectively, and optimum rupture energy of 1.97·10-³ J. These conditions were used for comparison with new samples, where the rupture energy was experimentally measured to be 2.68 and 2.21·10-³ J for kernel and peeled kernel, respectively, which was nearly in agreement with our model results.

Methods for determining the genetic affinity of microorganisms and viruses

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, George E. (Inventor); Willson, III, Richard C. (Inventor); Zhang, Zhengdong (Inventor)

2012-01-01

Selecting which sub-sequences in a database of nucleic acid such as 16S rRNA are highly characteristic of particular groupings of bacteria, microorganisms, fungi, etc. on a substantially phylogenetic tree. Also applicable to viruses comprising viral genomic RNA or DNA. A catalogue of highly characteristic sequences identified by this method is assembled to establish the genetic identity of an unknown organism. The characteristic sequences are used to design nucleic acid hybridization probes that include the characteristic sequence or its complement, or are derived from one or more characteristic sequences. A plurality of these characteristic sequences is used in hybridization to determine the phylogenetic tree position of the organism(s) in a sample. Those target organisms represented in the original sequence database and sufficient characteristic sequences can identify to the species or subspecies level. Oligonucleotide arrays of many probes are especially preferred. A hybridization signal can comprise fluorescence, chemiluminescence, or isotopic labeling, etc.; or sequences in a sample can be detected by direct means, e.g. mass spectrometry. The method's characteristic sequences can also be used to design specific PCR primers. The method uniquely identifies the phylogenetic affinity of an unknown organism without requiring prior knowledge of what is present in the sample. Even if the organism has not been previously encountered, the method still provides useful information about which phylogenetic tree bifurcation nodes encompass the organism.

Defining genes using "blueprint" versus "instruction" metaphors: effects for genetic determinism, response efficacy, and perceived control.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrott, Roxanne; Smith, Rachel A

2014-01-01

Evidence supports mixed attributions aligned with personal and/or clinical control and gene expression for health in this era of genomic science and health care. We consider variance in these attributions and possible relationships to individual mind sets associated with essentialist beliefs that genes determine health versus threat beliefs that genes increase susceptibility for disease and severity linked to gene-environment interactions. Further, we contribute to theory and empirical research to evaluate the use of metaphors to define genes. Participants (N = 324) read a message that varied the introduction by providing a definition of genes that used either an "instruction" metaphor or a "blueprint" metaphor. The "instruction" metaphor compared to the "blueprint" metaphor promoted stronger threat perceptions, which aligned with both belief in the response efficacy of genetic research for health and perceived behavioral control linked to genes and health. The "blueprint" metaphor compared to the "instruction" metaphor promoted stronger essentialist beliefs, which aligned with more intense positive regard for the efficacy of genetic research and human health. Implications for health communicators include societal effects aligned with stigma and discrimination that such findings portend.

Advances in the Application of Genetics in Marine Turtle Biology and Conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa M. Komoroske

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Marine turtles migrate across long distances, exhibit complex life histories, and occupy habitats that are difficult to observe. These factors present substantial challenges to understanding fundamental aspects of their biology or assessing human impacts, many of which are important for the effective conservation of these threatened and endangered species. The early development and application of genetic tools made important contributions to understanding marine turtle population and evolutionary biology, such as providing evidence of regional natal homing by breeding adults, establishing connectivity between rookeries and foraging habitats, and determining phylogeography and broad scale stock structure for most marine turtle species. Recent innovations in molecular technologies, statistical methods, and creative application of genetic tools have significantly built upon this knowledge to address key questions in marine turtle biology and conservation management. Here, we evaluate the latest major advances and potential of marine turtle genetic applications, including improved resolution and large-scale syntheses of population structure, connectivity and phylogeography, estimation of key demographic rates such as age to maturity and operational or breeding sex ratios, insight into reproductive strategies and behavior, and assessment of differential human impacts among populations. We then discuss remaining challenges and emerging capabilities, such as rapid, multiplexed genotyping, and investigation of the genomic underpinnings of adaptive variation afforded by high-throughput sequencing technologies.

Reproductive Endocrinologists' Utilization of Genetic Counselors for Oncofertility and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) Treatment of BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetsch, Allison L; Wicklund, Catherine; Clayman, Marla L; Woodruff, Teresa K

2016-06-01

Genetic counselors believe fertility preservation and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) discussions to be a part of their role when counseling BRCA1/2 mutation-positive patients. This study is the first to explore reproductive endocrinologists' (REI) practices and attitudes regarding involvement of genetic counselors in the care of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers seeking fertility preservation and PGD. A survey was mailed to 1000 REIs from Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (SREI), an American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) affiliate group. A 14.5 % response rate was achieved; data was analyzed using SPSS software. The majority of participating REIs were found to recommend genetic counseling to cancer patients considering fertility preservation (82 %) and consult with a genetic counselor regarding PGD for hereditary cancer syndromes (92 %). Additionally, REIs consult genetic counselors regarding PGD patient counseling (88 %), genetic testing (78 %), and general genetics questions (66 %). Two areas genetic counselors may further aid REIs are: elicitation of family history, which is useful to determine fertility preservation and PGD intervention timing (32 % of REIs utilize a cancer family history to determine intervention timing); and, interpretation of variants of uncertain significance (VOUS) as cancer panel genetic testing becomes more common (36 % of REIs are unfamiliar with VOUS). Given our findings, the Oncofertility Consortium® created an online resource for genetic counselors focused on fertility preservation education and communication strategies.

Reproductive Endocrinologists’ Utilization of Genetic Counselors for Oncofertility and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) Treatment of BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers

Science.gov (United States)

Goetsch, Allison L.; Wicklund, Catherine; Clayman, Marla L.; Woodruff, Teresa K.

2016-01-01

Genetic counselors believe fertility preservation and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) discussions to be a part of their role when counseling BRCA1/2 mutation-positive patients. This study is the first to explore reproductive endocrinologists’ (REI) practices and attitudes regarding involvement of genetic counselors in the care of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers seeking fertility preservation and PGD. A survey was mailed to 1000 REIs from Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (SREI), an American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) affiliate group. A 14.5 % response rate was achieved; data was analyzed using SPSS software. The majority of participating REIs were found to recommend genetic counseling to cancer patients considering fertility preservation (82 %) and consult with a genetic counselor regarding PGD for hereditary cancer syndromes (92 %). Additionally, REIs consult genetic counselors regarding PGD patient counseling (88 %), genetic testing (78 %), and general genetics questions (66 %). Two areas genetic counselors may further aid REIs are: elicitation of family history, which is useful to determine fertility preservation and PGD intervention timing (32 % of REIs utilize a cancer family history to determine intervention timing); and, interpretation of variants of uncertain significance (VOUS) as cancer panel genetic testing becomes more common (36 % of REIs are unfamiliar with VOUS). Given our findings, the Oncofertility Consortium® created an online resource for genetic counselors focused on fertility preservation education and communication strategies. PMID:26567039

Genetic interactions between the chromosome axis-associated protein Hop1 and homologous recombination determinants in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Simon David; Jarosinska, Olga Dorota; Lorenz, Alexander

2018-03-17

Hop1 is a component of the meiosis-specific chromosome axis and belongs to the evolutionarily conserved family of HORMA domain proteins. Hop1 and its orthologs in higher eukaryotes are a major factor in promoting double-strand DNA break formation and inter-homolog recombination. In budding yeast and mammals, they are also involved in a meiotic checkpoint kinase cascade monitoring the completion of double-strand DNA break repair. We used the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which lacks a canonical synaptonemal complex to test whether Hop1 has a role beyond supporting the generation of double-strand DNA breaks and facilitating inter-homolog recombination events. We determined how mutants of homologous recombination factors genetically interact with hop1, studied the role(s) of the HORMA domain of Hop1, and characterized a bio-informatically predicted interactor of Hop1, Aho1 (SPAC688.03c). Our observations indicate that in fission yeast, Hop1 does require its HORMA domain to support wild-type levels of meiotic recombination and localization to meiotic chromatin. Furthermore, we show that hop1∆ only weakly interacts genetically with mutants of homologous recombination factors, and in fission yeast likely has no major role beyond break formation and promoting inter-homolog events. We speculate that after the evolutionary loss of the synaptonemal complex, Hop1 likely has become less important for modulating recombination outcome during meiosis in fission yeast, and that this led to a concurrent rewiring of genetic pathways controlling meiotic recombination.

Genetic determination of the radioprotective effect of cysteamine on γ-irradiated Bacillus subtilis cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalinin, V.L.; Oskolkova, O.B.; Stepanova, I.M.

1979-01-01

A study was made of a lethal effect of 60 Co-γ-rays on Bacillus subtilis cells: a wild type strain and recombination-deficient mutants rec A, rec B, rec D, rec F, rec K, rec L and rec O exposed in the absence and in the presence of cysteamine (H -2 M). It was established that the protective efficiency of cysteamine for repair- and recombination-deficient mutants is significantly lower than that for the wild type (DMF 2.2-3.0). The most deficient in sensitivity to the protective action of cysteamine are rec B mutants (DMF 0.8-1.2). These data suggest that in B. subtilis, like in E. coli, the radioprotective effect of cysteamine is genetically determined and depends on the activity of repair systems

Model-based problem solving through symbolic regression via pareto genetic programming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vladislavleva, E.

2008-01-01

Pareto genetic programming methodology is extended by additional generic model selection and generation strategies that (1) drive the modeling engine to creation of models of reduced non-linearity and increased generalization capabilities, and (2) improve the effectiveness of the search for robust

Genetic determination of human facial morphology: links between cleft-lips and normal variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Boehringer, Stefan; van der Lijn, Fedde; Liu, Fan; Günther, Manuel; Sinigerova, Stella; Nowak, Stefanie; Ludwig, Kerstin U; Herberz, Ruth; Klein, Stefan; Hofman, Albert; Uitterlinden, Andre G; Niessen, Wiro J; Breteler, Monique M B; van der Lugt, Aad; Würtz, Rolf P; Nöthen, Markus M; Horsthemke, Bernhard; Wieczorek, Dagmar; Mangold, Elisabeth; Kayser, Manfred

2011-11-01

Recent genome-wide association studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P), and other previous studies showed distinctly differing facial distance measurements when comparing unaffected relatives of NSCL/P patients with normal controls. Here, we test the hypothesis that genetic loci involved in NSCL/P also influence normal variation in facial morphology. We tested 11 SNPs from 10 genomic regions previously showing replicated evidence of association with NSCL/P for association with normal variation of nose width and bizygomatic distance in two cohorts from Germany (N=529) and the Netherlands (N=2497). The two most significant associations found were between nose width and SNP rs1258763 near the GREM1 gene in the German cohort (P=6 × 10(-4)), and between bizygomatic distance and SNP rs987525 at 8q24.21 near the CCDC26 gene (P=0.017) in the Dutch sample. A genetic prediction model explained 2% of phenotype variation in nose width in the German and 0.5% of bizygomatic distance variation in the Dutch cohort. Although preliminary, our data provide a first link between genetic loci involved in a pathological facial trait such as NSCL/P and variation of normal facial morphology. Moreover, we present a first approach for understanding the genetic basis of human facial appearance, a highly intriguing trait with implications on clinical practice, clinical genetics, forensic intelligence, social interactions and personal identity.

Establishment of a quantitative ELISA capable of determining peptide - MHC class I interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sylvester-Hvid, C; Kristensen, N; Blicher, T

2002-01-01

dependent manner. Here, we exploit the availability of these molecules to generate a quantitative ELISA-based assay capable of measuring the affinity of the interaction between peptide and MHC-I. This assay is simple and sensitive, and one can easily envisage that the necessary reagents, standards......Many different assays for measuring peptide-MHC interactions have been suggested over the years. Yet, there is no generally accepted standard method available. We have recently generated preoxidized recombinant MHC class I molecules (MHC-I) which can be purified to homogeneity under denaturing...

Determination of point of maximum likelihood in failure domain using genetic algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obadage, A.S.; Harnpornchai, N.

2006-01-01

The point of maximum likelihood in a failure domain yields the highest value of the probability density function in the failure domain. The maximum-likelihood point thus represents the worst combination of random variables that contribute in the failure event. In this work Genetic Algorithms (GAs) with an adaptive penalty scheme have been proposed as a tool for the determination of the maximum likelihood point. The utilization of only numerical values in the GAs operation makes the algorithms applicable to cases of non-linear and implicit single and multiple limit state function(s). The algorithmic simplicity readily extends its application to higher dimensional problems. When combined with Monte Carlo Simulation, the proposed methodology will reduce the computational complexity and at the same time will enhance the possibility in rare-event analysis under limited computational resources. Since, there is no approximation done in the procedure, the solution obtained is considered accurate. Consequently, GAs can be used as a tool for increasing the computational efficiency in the element and system reliability analyses

Using recurrence plot for determinism analysis of EEG recordings in genetic absence epilepsy rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Gaoxiang; Li, Xiaoli; Dang, Chuangyin; Richards, Douglas A

2008-08-01

Understanding the transition of brain activity towards an absence seizure is a challenging task. In this paper, we use recurrence quantification analysis to indicate the deterministic dynamics of EEG series at the seizure-free, pre-seizure and seizure states in genetic absence epilepsy rats. The determinism measure, DET, based on recurrence plot, was applied to analyse these three EEG datasets, each dataset containing 300 single-channel EEG epochs of 5-s duration. Then, statistical analysis of the DET values in each dataset was carried out to determine whether their distributions over the three groups were significantly different. Furthermore, a surrogate technique was applied to calculate the significance level of determinism measures in EEG recordings. The mean (+/-SD) DET of EEG was 0.177+/-0.045 in pre-seizure intervals. The DET values of pre-seizure EEG data are significantly higher than those of seizure-free intervals, 0.123+/-0.023, (Pdeterminism in EEG epochs was present in 25 of 300 (8.3%), 181 of 300 (60.3%) and 289 of 300 (96.3%) in seizure-free, pre-seizure and seizure intervals, respectively. Results provide some first indications that EEG epochs during pre-seizure intervals exhibit a higher degree of determinism than seizure-free EEG epochs, but lower than those in seizure EEG epochs in absence epilepsy. The proposed methods have the potential of detecting the transition between normal brain activity and the absence seizure state, thus opening up the possibility of intervention, whether electrical or pharmacological, to prevent the oncoming seizure.

Rodent Habitat on ISS: Advances in Capability for Determining Spaceflight Effects on Mammalian Physiology

Science.gov (United States)

Globus, R. K.; Choi, S.; Gong, C.; Leveson-Gower, D.; Ronca, A.; Taylor, E.; Beegle, J.

2016-01-01

Rodent research is a valuable essential tool for advancing biomedical discoveries in life sciences on Earth and in space. The National Research Counsel's Decadal survey (1) emphasized the importance of expanding NASAs life sciences research to perform long duration, rodent experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). To accomplish this objective, new flight hardware, operations, and science capabilities were developed at NASA ARC to support commercial and government-sponsored research. The flight phases of two separate spaceflight missions (Rodent Research-1 and Rodent Research-2) have been completed and new capabilities are in development. The first flight experiments carrying 20 mice were launched on Sept 21, 2014 in an unmanned Dragon Capsule, SpaceX4; Rodent Research-1 was dedicated to achieving both NASA validation and CASIS science objectives, while Rodent Reesearch-2 extended the period on orbit to 60 days. Groundbased control groups (housed in flight hardware or standard cages) were maintained in environmental chambers at Kennedy Space Center. Crewmembers previously trained in animal handling transferred mice from the Transporter into Habitats under simultaneous veterinary supervision by video streaming and were deemed healthy. Health and behavior of all mice on the ISS was monitored by video feed on a daily basis, and post-flight quantitative analyses of behavior were performed. The 10 mice from RR-1 Validation (16wk old, female C57Bl6/J) ambulated freely and actively throughout the Habitat, relying heavily on their forelimbs for locomotion. The first on-orbit dissections of mice were performed successfully, and high quality RNA (RIN values>9) and liver enzyme activities were obtained, validating the quality of sample recovery. Post-flight sample analysis revealed that body weights of FLT animals did not differ from ground controls (GC) housed in the same hardware, or vivarium controls (VIV) housed in standard cages. Organ weights analyzed post

Genetic consequences of the Chernobyl accident for Belarus republic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazjuk, G.; Nikolaev, D.; Novikova, I.; Satow, Yukio

1998-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that a great number of residents in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine were exposed to radiation due to radioactive nuclides ejected from the Chernobyl reactor, which increased genetic load, manifested in particular, as chromosome aberrations. The increase was registered for unstable and stable, chromatid and chromosome types of aberrations. Proceeding from the findings that the number of dicentric and ring chromosomes (which are the main indicator of radiation mutagenesis at chromosome level) was increasing simultaneously with the increase of other aberrations which are common for chemical mutagenesis and from the fact that actual mutation incidences exceeded the calculated figures for the doses obtained, one can not exclude the possibility that chromosome aberrations found in the population affected by the Chernobyl disaster are caused not only by ionizing radiation but also by various mutagens, and the doses based on physical dosimetry could be underestimated. It is quite obvious that the level of chromosome aberrations can be used as a biological indicator of harmful mutagenic effects on the organism. However, the method is not yet capable of (or only partially suited for) detecting the actual genetic risk even in the cases when aberrations are found in gametes, not in peripheral blood lymphocytes as usually done. The study of the dynamics of genetic losses, as spontaneous abortions and perinatal death due to inherited anomalies, and the study of the dynamics of malformed children births are probably the most reliable methods to determine genetic risk due to any mutagenic factor affecting the population, including ionizing radiation. This is related to the fact that there are a great sequence of events (gamete selection, preimplantation and embryonal death) occurring between gamete mutations (to say nothing about a somatic one) and births of children with congenital diseases. It is nearly impossible to count them and this leads to

Genetic consequences of the Chernobyl accident for Belarus republic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lazjuk, G.; Nikolaev, D.; Novikova, I. [Belarus Institute for Hereditary Diseases, Minsk (Belarus); Satow, Yukio

1998-03-01

Numerous studies have shown that a great number of residents in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine were exposed to radiation due to radioactive nuclides ejected from the Chernobyl reactor, which increased genetic load, manifested in particular, as chromosome aberrations. The increase was registered for unstable and stable, chromatid and chromosome types of aberrations. Proceeding from the findings that the number of dicentric and ring chromosomes (which are the main indicator of radiation mutagenesis at chromosome level) was increasing simultaneously with the increase of other aberrations which are common for chemical mutagenesis and from the fact that actual mutation incidences exceeded the calculated figures for the doses obtained, one can not exclude the possibility that chromosome aberrations found in the population affected by the Chernobyl disaster are caused not only by ionizing radiation but also by various mutagens, and the doses based on physical dosimetry could be underestimated. It is quite obvious that the level of chromosome aberrations can be used as a biological indicator of harmful mutagenic effects on the organism. However, the method is not yet capable of (or only partially suited for) detecting the actual genetic risk even in the cases when aberrations are found in gametes, not in peripheral blood lymphocytes as usually done. The study of the dynamics of genetic losses, as spontaneous abortions and perinatal death due to inherited anomalies, and the study of the dynamics of malformed children births are probably the most reliable methods to determine genetic risk due to any mutagenic factor affecting the population, including ionizing radiation. This is related to the fact that there are a great sequence of events (gamete selection, preimplantation and embryonal death) occurring between gamete mutations (to say nothing about a somatic one) and births of children with congenital diseases. It is nearly impossible to count them and this leads to

Determination of epigenetic inheritance, genetic inheritance, and estimation of genome DNA methylation in a full-sib family of Cupressus sempervirens L.

Science.gov (United States)

Avramidou, Evangelia V; Doulis, Andreas G; Aravanopoulos, Filippos A

2015-05-15

Genetic inheritance and epigenetic inheritance are significant determinants of plant evolution, adaptation and plasticity. We studied inheritance of restriction site polymorphisms by the f-AFLP method and epigenetic DNA cytosine methylation inheritance by the f-MSAP technique. The study involved parents and 190 progeny of a Cupressus sempervirens L. full-sib family. Results from AFLP genetic data revealed that 71.8% of the fragments studied are under Mendelian genetic control, whereas faithful Mendelian inheritance for the MSAP fragments was low (4.29%). Further, MSAP fragment analysis showed that total methylation presented a mean of 28.2%, which was higher than the midparent value, while maternal inheritance was higher (5.65%) than paternal (3.01%). Interestingly de novo methylation in the progeny was high (19.65%) compared to parental methylation. Genetic and epigenetic distances for parents and offspring were not correlated (R(2)=0.0005). Furthermore, we studied correlation of total relative methylation and CG methylation with growth (height, diameter). We found CG/CNG methylation (N: A, C, T) to be positively correlated with height and diameter, while total relative methylation and CG methylation were positively correlated with height. Results are discussed in light of further research needed and of their potential application in breeding. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determining the source and genetic fingerprint of natural gases using noble gas geochemistry: a northern Appalachian Basin case study

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Andrew G.; Darrah, Thomas H.; Poreda, Robert J.

2012-01-01

Silurian and Devonian natural gas reservoirs present within New York state represent an example of unconventional gas accumulations within the northern Appalachian Basin. These unconventional energy resources, previously thought to be noneconomically viable, have come into play following advances in drilling (i.e., horizontal drilling) and extraction (i.e., hydraulic fracturing) capabilities. Therefore, efforts to understand these and other domestic and global natural gas reserves have recently increased. The suspicion of fugitive mass migration issues within current Appalachian production fields has catalyzed the need to develop a greater understanding of the genetic grouping (source) and migrational history of natural gases in this area. We introduce new noble gas data in the context of published hydrocarbon carbon (C1,C2+) (13C) data to explore the genesis of thermogenic gases in the Appalachian Basin. This study includes natural gases from two distinct genetic groups: group 1, Upper Devonian (Marcellus shale and Canadaway Group) gases generated in situ, characterized by early mature (13C[C1  C2][13C113C2]: –9), isotopically light methane, with low (4He) (average, 1  103 cc/cc) elevated 4He/40Ar and 21Ne/40Ar (where the asterisk denotes excess radiogenic or nucleogenic production beyond the atmospheric ratio), and a variable, atmospherically (air-saturated–water) derived noble gas component; and group 2, a migratory natural gas that emanated from Lower Ordovician source rocks (i.e., most likely, Middle Ordovician Trenton or Black River group) that is currently hosted primarily in Lower Silurian sands (i.e., Medina or Clinton group) characterized by isotopically heavy, mature methane (13C[C1 – C2] [13C113C2]: 3), with high (4He) (average, 1.85  103 cc/cc) 4He/40Ar and 21Ne/40Ar near crustal production levels and elevated crustal noble gas content (enriched 4He,21Ne, 40Ar). Because the release of each crustal noble gas (i.e., He, Ne, Ar

The major genetic determinants of HIV-1 control affect HLA class I peptide presentation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pereyra, Florencia; Jia, Xiaoming; McLaren, Paul J.; Telenti, Amalio; de Bakker, Paul I. W.; Walker, Bruce D.; Ripke, Stephan; Brumme, Chanson J.; Pulit, Sara L.; Carrington, Mary; Kadie, Carl M.; Carlson, Jonathan M.; Heckerman, David; Graham, Robert R.; Plenge, Robert M.; Deeks, Steven G.; Gianniny, Lauren; Crawford, Gabriel; Sullivan, Jordan; Gonzalez, Elena; Davies, Leela; Camargo, Amy; Moore, Jamie M.; Beattie, Nicole; Gupta, Supriya; Crenshaw, Andrew; Burtt, Noël P.; Guiducci, Candace; Gupta, Namrata; Gao, Xiaojiang; Qi, Ying; Yuki, Yuko; Piechocka-Trocha, Alicja; Cutrell, Emily; Rosenberg, Rachel; Moss, Kristin L.; Lemay, Paul; O'Leary, Jessica; Schaefer, Todd; Verma, Pranshu; Toth, Ildiko; Block, Brian; Baker, Brett; Rothchild, Alissa; Lian, Jeffrey; Proudfoot, Jacqueline; Alvino, Donna Marie L.; Vine, Seanna; Addo, Marylyn M.; Allen, Todd M.; Altfeld, Marcus; Henn, Matthew R.; Le Gall, Sylvie; Streeck, Hendrik; Haas, David W.; Kuritzkes, Daniel R.; Robbins, Gregory K.; Shafer, Robert W.; Gulick, Roy M.; Shikuma, Cecilia M.; Haubrich, Richard; Riddler, Sharon; Sax, Paul E.; Daar, Eric S.; Ribaudo, Heather J.; Agan, Brian; Agarwal, Shanu; Ahern, Richard L.; Allen, Brady L.; Altidor, Sherly; Altschuler, Eric L.; Ambardar, Sujata; Anastos, Kathryn; Anderson, Ben; Anderson, Val; Andrady, Ushan; Antoniskis, Diana; Bangsberg, David; Barbaro, Daniel; Barrie, William; Bartczak, J.; Barton, Simon; Basden, Patricia; Basgoz, Nesli; Bazner, Suzane; Bellos, Nicholaos C.; Benson, Anne M.; Berger, Judith; Bernard, Nicole F.; Bernard, Annette M.; Birch, Christopher; Bodner, Stanley J.; Bolan, Robert K.; Boudreaux, Emilie T.; Bradley, Meg; Braun, James F.; Brndjar, Jon E.; Brown, Stephen J.; Brown, Katherine; Brown, Sheldon T.; Burack, Jedidiah; Bush, Larry M.; Cafaro, Virginia; Campbell, Omobolaji; Campbell, John; Carlson, Robert H.; Carmichael, J. Kevin; Casey, Kathleen K.; Cavacuiti, Chris; Celestin, Gregory; Chambers, Steven T.; Chez, Nancy; Chirch, Lisa M.; Cimoch, Paul J.; Cohen, Daniel; Cohn, Lillian E.; Conway, Brian; Cooper, David A.; Cornelson, Brian; Cox, David T.; Cristofano, Michael V.; Cuchural, George; Czartoski, Julie L.; Dahman, Joseph M.; Daly, Jennifer S.; Davis, Benjamin T.; Davis, Kristine; Davod, Sheila M.; DeJesus, Edwin; Dietz, Craig A.; Dunham, Eleanor; Dunn, Michael E.; Ellerin, Todd B.; Eron, Joseph J.; Fangman, John J. W.; Farel, Claire E.; Ferlazzo, Helen; Fidler, Sarah; Fleenor-Ford, Anita; Frankel, Renee; Freedberg, Kenneth A.; French, Neel K.; Fuchs, Jonathan D.; Fuller, Jon D.; Gaberman, Jonna; Gallant, Joel E.; Gandhi, Rajesh T.; Garcia, Efrain; Garmon, Donald; Gathe, Joseph C.; Gaultier, Cyril R.; Gebre, Wondwoosen; Gilman, Frank D.; Gilson, Ian; Goepfert, Paul A.; Gottlieb, Michael S.; Goulston, Claudia; Groger, Richard K.; Gurley, T. Douglas; Haber, Stuart; Hardwicke, Robin; Hardy, W. David; Harrigan, P. Richard; Hawkins, Trevor N.; Heath, Sonya; Hecht, Frederick M.; Henry, W. Keith; Hladek, Melissa; Hoffman, Robert P.; Horton, James M.; Hsu, Ricky K.; Huhn, Gregory D.; Hunt, Peter; Hupert, Mark J.; Illeman, Mark L.; Jaeger, Hans; Jellinger, Robert M.; John, Mina; Johnson, Jennifer A.; Johnson, Kristin L.; Johnson, Heather; Johnson, Kay; Joly, Jennifer; Jordan, Wilbert C.; Kauffman, Carol A.; Khanlou, Homayoon; Killian, Robert K.; Kim, Arthur Y.; Kim, David D.; Kinder, Clifford A.; Kirchner, Jeffrey T.; Kogelman, Laura; Kojic, Erna Milunka; Korthuis, P. Todd; Kurisu, Wayne; Kwon, Douglas S.; LaMar, Melissa; Lampiris, Harry; Lanzafame, Massimiliano; Lederman, Michael M.; Lee, David M.; Lee, Jean M. L.; Lee, Marah J.; Lee, Edward T. Y.; Lemoine, Janice; Levy, Jay A.; Llibre, Josep M.; Liguori, Michael A.; Little, Susan J.; Liu, Anne Y.; Lopez, Alvaro J.; Loutfy, Mono R.; Loy, Dawn; Mohammed, Debbie Y.; Man, Alan; Mansour, Michael K.; Marconi, Vincent C.; Markowitz, Martin; Marques, Rui; Martin, Jeffrey N.; Martin, Harold L.; Mayer, Kenneth Hugh; McElrath, M. Juliana; McGhee, Theresa A.; McGovern, Barbara H.; McGowan, Katherine; McIntyre, Dawn; Mcleod, Gavin X.; Menezes, Prema; Mesa, Greg; Metroka, Craig E.; Meyer-Olson, Dirk; Miller, Andy O.; Montgomery, Kate; Mounzer, Karam C.; Nagami, Ellen H.; Nagin, Iris; Nahass, Ronald G.; Nelson, Margret O.; Nielsen, Craig; Norene, David L.; O'Connor, David H.; Ojikutu, Bisola O.; Okulicz, Jason; Oladehin, Olakunle O.; Oldfield, Edward C.; Olender, Susan A.; Ostrowski, Mario; Owen, William F.; Pae, Eunice; Parsonnet, Jeffrey; Pavlatos, Andrew M.; Perlmutter, Aaron M.; Pierce, Michael N.; Pincus, Jonathan M.; Pisani, Leandro; Price, Lawrence Jay; Proia, Laurie; Prokesch, Richard C.; Pujet, Heather Calderon; Ramgopal, Moti; Rathod, Almas; Rausch, Michael; Ravishankar, J.; Rhame, Frank S.; Richards, Constance Shamuyarira; Richman, Douglas D.; Rodes, Berta; Rodriguez, Milagros; Rose, Richard C.; Rosenberg, Eric S.; Rosenthal, Daniel; Ross, Polly E.; Rubin, David S.; Rumbaugh, Elease; Saenz, Luis; Salvaggio, Michelle R.; Sanchez, William C.; Sanjana, Veeraf M.; Santiago, Steven; Schmidt, Wolfgang; Schuitemaker, Hanneke; Sestak, Philip M.; Shalit, Peter; Shay, William; Shirvani, Vivian N.; Silebi, Vanessa I.; Sizemore, James M.; Skolnik, Paul R.; Sokol-Anderson, Marcia; Sosman, James M.; Stabile, Paul; Stapleton, Jack T.; Starrett, Sheree; Stein, Francine; Stellbrink, Hans-Jurgen; Sterman, F. Lisa; Stone, Valerie E.; Stone, David R.; Tambussi, Giuseppe; Taplitz, Randy A.; Tedaldi, Ellen M.; Theisen, William; Torres, Richard; Tosiello, Lorraine; Tremblay, Cecile; Tribble, Marc A.; Trinh, Phuong D.; Tsao, Alice; Ueda, Peggy; Vaccaro, Anthony; Valadas, Emilia; Vanig, Thanes J.; Vecino, Isabel; Vega, Vilma M.; Veikley, Wenoah; Wade, Barbara H.; Walworth, Charles; Wanidworanun, Chingchai; Ward, Douglas J.; Warner, Daniel A.; Weber, Robert D.; Webster, Duncan; Weis, Steve; Wheeler, David A.; White, David J.; Wilkins, Ed; Winston, Alan; Wlodaver, Clifford G.; van't Wout, Angelique; Wright, David P.; Yang, Otto O.; Yurdin, David L.; Zabukovic, Brandon W.; Zachary, Kimon C.; Zeeman, Beth; Zhao, Meng

2010-01-01

Infectious and inflammatory diseases have repeatedly shown strong genetic associations within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); however, the basis for these associations remains elusive. To define host genetic effects on the outcome of a chronic viral infection, we performed genome-wide

Transforming organizational capabilities in strategizing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Claus; Friis, Ole Uhrskov; Koch, Christian

2014-01-01

Offshored and networked enterprises are becoming an important if not leading organizational form and this development seriously challenges their organizational capabilities. More specifically, over the last years, SMEs have commenced entering these kinds of arrangements. As the organizational...... capabilities of SMEs are limited at the outset, even more emphasis is needed regarding the issues of developing relevant organizational capabilities. This paper aims at investigating how capabilities evolve during an offshoring process of more than 5 years in two Danish SMEs, i.e. not only short- but long......-term evolvements within the companies. We develop our framework of understanding organizational capabilities drawing on dynamic capability, relational capability and strategy as practice concepts, appreciating the performative aspects of developing new routines. Our two cases are taken from one author’s Ph...

Genetic determinants of serum testosterone concentrations in men.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claes Ohlsson

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Testosterone concentrations in men are associated with cardiovascular morbidity, osteoporosis, and mortality and are affected by age, smoking, and obesity. Because of serum testosterone's high heritability, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association data in 8,938 men from seven cohorts and followed up the genome-wide significant findings in one in silico (n = 871 and two de novo replication cohorts (n = 4,620 to identify genetic loci significantly associated with serum testosterone concentration in men. All these loci were also associated with low serum testosterone concentration defined as <300 ng/dl. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms at the sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG locus (17p13-p12 were identified as independently associated with serum testosterone concentration (rs12150660, p = 1.2×10(-41 and rs6258, p = 2.3×10(-22. Subjects with ≥ 3 risk alleles of these variants had 6.5-fold higher risk of having low serum testosterone than subjects with no risk allele. The rs5934505 polymorphism near FAM9B on the X chromosome was also associated with testosterone concentrations (p = 5.6×10(-16. The rs6258 polymorphism in exon 4 of SHBG affected SHBG's affinity for binding testosterone and the measured free testosterone fraction (p<0.01. Genetic variants in the SHBG locus and on the X chromosome are associated with a substantial variation in testosterone concentrations and increased risk of low testosterone. rs6258 is the first reported SHBG polymorphism, which affects testosterone binding to SHBG and the free testosterone fraction and could therefore influence the calculation of free testosterone using law-of-mass-action equation.

Genetic specificity of face recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Shakeshaft, Nicholas G; Plomin, Robert

2015-10-13

Specific cognitive abilities in diverse domains are typically found to be highly heritable and substantially correlated with general cognitive ability (g), both phenotypically and genetically. Recent twin studies have found the ability to memorize and recognize faces to be an exception, being similarly heritable but phenotypically substantially uncorrelated both with g and with general object recognition. However, the genetic relationships between face recognition and other abilities (the extent to which they share a common genetic etiology) cannot be determined from phenotypic associations. In this, to our knowledge, first study of the genetic associations between face recognition and other domains, 2,000 18- and 19-year-old United Kingdom twins completed tests assessing their face recognition, object recognition, and general cognitive abilities. Results confirmed the substantial heritability of face recognition (61%), and multivariate genetic analyses found that most of this genetic influence is unique and not shared with other cognitive abilities.

Assessment of genetic diversity among sugarcane cultivars using ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Genetic diversity based on the characterization of genetic makeup, using molecular markers is of utmost importance for breeders in crop improvement programme. A total of 26 microsatellite primers were used to determine the genetic diversity among 40 sugarcane genotypes including their parents. The polymerase chain ...

Simulating natural selection in landscape genetics

Science.gov (United States)

E. L. Landguth; S. A. Cushman; N. Johnson

2012-01-01

Linking landscape effects to key evolutionary processes through individual organism movement and natural selection is essential to provide a foundation for evolutionary landscape genetics. Of particular importance is determining how spatially- explicit, individual-based models differ from classic population genetics and evolutionary ecology models based on ideal...

Determinants of Virulence and In Vitro Development Colocalize on a Genetic Map of Setosphaeria turcica.

Science.gov (United States)

Mideros, Santiago X; Chung, Chia-Lin; Wiesner-Hanks, Tyr; Poland, Jesse A; Wu, Dongliang; Fialko, Ariel A; Turgeon, B Gillian; Nelson, Rebecca J

2018-02-01

Generating effective and stable strategies for resistance breeding requires an understanding of the genetics of host-pathogen interactions and the implications for pathogen dynamics and evolution. Setosphaeria turcica causes northern leaf blight (NLB), an important disease of maize for which major resistance genes have been deployed. Little is known about the evolutionary dynamics of avirulence (AVR) genes in S. turcica. To test the hypothesis that there is a genetic association between avirulence and in vitro development traits, we (i) created a genetic map of S. turcica, (ii) located candidate AVRHt1 and AVRHt2 regions, and (iii) identified genetic regions associated with several in vitro development traits. A cross was generated between a race 1 and a race 23N strain, and 221 progeny were isolated. Genotyping by sequencing was used to score 2,078 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers. A genetic map spanning 1,981 centimorgans was constructed, consisting of 21 linkage groups. Genetic mapping extended prior evidence for the location and identity of the AVRHt1 gene and identified a region of interest for AVRHt2. The genetic location of AVRHt2 colocalized with loci influencing radial growth and mycelial abundance. Our data suggest a trade-off between virulence on Ht1 and Ht2 and the pathogen's vegetative growth rate. In addition, in-depth analysis of the genotypic data suggests the presence of significant duplication in the genome of S. turcica.

Determining resistance to mastitis in a bovine subject involves detecting presence or absence of genetic marker associated with trait indicative of mastitis resistance of the bovine subject and/or off-spring from it

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2010-01-01

NOVELTY - Determining (m1) resistance to mastitis in a bovine subject, involves detecting in a sample from the bovine subject the presence or absence of at least one genetic marker that is associated with at least one trait indicative of mastitis resistance of the bovine subject and/or off......-spring from it, where the genetic marker is located on the bovine chromosome BTA11 in the region flanked by and including the zeta-chain associated protein 70kD (ZAP70) and CD8B genes, where the presence or absence of the genetic marker is indicative of mastitis resistance. USE - For determining resistance...... to mastitis in a bovine subject for determining mastitis resistance in a bovine subject; for detecting the presence or absence in a bovine subject of at least one genetic marker associated with resistance to mastitis; and for estimating breeding value in respect of susceptibility to mastitis in a bovine...

A business analytics capability framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ranko Cosic

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Business analytics (BA capabilities can potentially provide value and lead to better organisational performance. This paper develops a holistic, theoretically-grounded and practically relevant business analytics capability framework (BACF that specifies, defines and ranks the capabilities that constitute an organisational BA initiative. The BACF was developed in two phases. First, an a priori conceptual framework was developed based on the Resource-Based View theory of the firm and a thematic content analysis of the BA literature. Second, the conceptual framework was further developed and refined using a three round Delphi study involving 16 BA experts. Changes from the Delphi study resulted in a refined and confirmed framework including detailed capability definitions, together with a ranking of the capabilities based on importance. The BACF will help academic researchers and industry practitioners to better understand the capabilities that constitute an organisational BA initiative and their relative importance. In future work, the capabilities in the BACF will be operationalised to measure their as-is status, thus enabling organisations to identify key areas of strength and weakness and prioritise future capability improvement efforts.

Sensor Alerting Capability

Science.gov (United States)

Henriksson, Jakob; Bermudez, Luis; Satapathy, Goutam

2013-04-01

There is a large amount of sensor data generated today by various sensors, from in-situ buoys to mobile underwater gliders. Providing sensor data to the users through standardized services, language and data model is the promise of OGC's Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) initiative. As the amount of data grows it is becoming difficult for data providers, planners and managers to ensure reliability of data and services and to monitor critical data changes. Intelligent Automation Inc. (IAI) is developing a net-centric alerting capability to address these issues. The capability is built on Sensor Observation Services (SOSs), which is used to collect and monitor sensor data. The alerts can be configured at the service level and at the sensor data level. For example it can alert for irregular data delivery events or a geo-temporal statistic of sensor data crossing a preset threshold. The capability provides multiple delivery mechanisms and protocols, including traditional techniques such as email and RSS. With this capability decision makers can monitor their assets and data streams, correct failures or be alerted about a coming phenomena.

Behavioral versus genetic determination of lipoproteins andidentical twins discordant for exercise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Paul T.; Blanche, Patricia J.; Krauss, Ronald M.

2004-06-01

Lipoprotein and weight differences between vigorously active and sedentary MZ twins are used to: (1) estimate the effects of training while controlling for genotype; (2) estimate genetic concordance in the presence of divergent lifestyles.

Tolerance analysis in manufacturing using process capability ratio with measurement uncertainty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahshid, Rasoul; Mansourvar, Zahra; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

2017-01-01

. In this paper, a new statistical analysis was applied to manufactured products to assess achieved tolerances when the process is known while using capability ratio and expanded uncertainty. The analysis has benefits for process planning, determining actual precision limits, process optimization, troubleshoot......Tolerance analysis provides valuable information regarding performance of manufacturing process. It allows determining the maximum possible variation of a quality feature in production. Previous researches have focused on application of tolerance analysis to the design of mechanical assemblies...... malfunctioning existing part. The capability measure is based on a number of measurements performed on part’s quality variable. Since the ratio relies on measurements, elimination of any possible error has notable negative impact on results. Therefore, measurement uncertainty was used in combination with process...

Genetic diversity among farmer-preferred cassava landraces in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Understanding of genetic diversity among a breeding population is an important requirement for crop improvement as it allows for the selection of diverse parental combinations and formation of heterotic pools for genetic gain. This study was carried out to determine genetic diversity within and among 51 farmer-preferred ...

Distinguishing Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy/Dysplasia-Associated Mutations From Background Genetic Noise

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kapplinger, Jamie D.; Landstrom, Andrew P.; Salisbury, Benjamin A.; Callis, Thomas E.; Pollevick, Guido D.; Tester, David J.; Cox, Moniek G. P. J.; Bhuiyan, Zahir; Bikker, Hennie; Wiesfeld, Ans C. P.; Hauer, Richard N. W.; van Tintelen, J. Peter; Jongbloed, Jan D. H.; Calkins, Hugh; Judge, Daniel P.; Wilde, Arthur A. M.; Ackerman, Michael J.

2011-01-01

Objectives The aims of this study were to determine the spectrum and prevalence of "background genetic noise" in the arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC) genetic test and to determine genetic associations that can guide the interpretation of a positive test result.

Genetic determinants of UV-susceptibility in non-melanoma skin cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marleen M Welsh

Full Text Available A milieu of cytokines and signaling molecules are involved in the induction of UV-induced immune suppression and thus the etiology of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC. Targeting the UV-induced immunosuppression pathway, and using a large population based study of NMSC, we have investigated the risk associated with functional variants in 10 genes (IL10, IL4, IL4R, TNF, TNFR2, HTR2A, HRH2, IL12B, PTGS2, and HAL. The most prominent single genetic effect was observed for IL10. There was increasing risk for both basal cell carcinoma (BCC and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC with increasing number of variant IL10 haplotypes (BCC: p(trend = 0.0048; SCC: p(trend = 0.031. Having two IL10 GC haplotypes was associated with increased odds ratios of BCC and SCC (OR(BCC = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-1.9; OR(SCC = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.9, and these associations were largely confined to women (OR(BCC = 2.2, 95% CI 1.4-3.4; SCC: OR(SCC = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0. To examine how combinations of these variants contribute to risk of BCC and SCC, we used multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR and classification and regression trees (CART. Results from both of these methods found that in men, a combination of skin type, burns, IL10, IL4R, and possibly TNFR2 were important in both BCC and SCC. In women, skin type, burns, and IL10 were the most critical risk factors in SCC, with risk of BCC involving these same factors plus genetic variants in HTR2A, IL12B and IL4R. These data suggest differential genetic susceptibility to UV-induced immune suppression and skin cancer risk by gender.

Genetical genomic determinants of alcohol consumption in rats and humans

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tabakoff, B.; Saba, L.; Printz, M.; Flodman, P.; Hodgkinson, C.; Goldman, D.; Koob, G.; Richardson, H.N.; Kechris, K.; Bell, R.L.; Hübner, N.; Heinig, M.; Pravenec, Michal; Mangion, J.; Legault, L.; Dongier, M.; Conigrave, K.M.; Whitfield, J.B.; Saunders, J.; Grant, B.; Hoffman, P.L.

2009-01-01

Roč. 7, - (2009), s. 70-70 ISSN 1741-7007 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 1M0520 Grant - others:Howard Hughes Medical Institute(US) 55005624 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : alcohol consumption * rat * gene expression profiles Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 5.636, year: 2009

Contribution of conservation genetics in assessing neotropical freshwater fish biodiversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NM. Piorski

Full Text Available Human activities have a considerable impact on hydrographic systems and fish fauna. The present review on conservation genetics of neotropical freshwater fish reveals that DNA analyses have been promoting increased knowledge on the genetic structure of fish species and their response to environmental changes. This knowledge is fundamental to the management of wild fish populations and the establishment of Evolutionary Significant Units capable of conserving genetic integrity. While population structuring can occur even in long-distance migratory fish, isolated populations can show reduced genetic variation and be at greater risk of extinction. Phylogeography and phylogeny have been powerful tools in understanding the evolution of fish populations, species and communities in distinct neotropic environments. Captive fish can be used to introduce new individuals and genes into the wild and their benefits and disadvantages can be monitored through genetic analysis. Understanding how fish biodiversity in neotropical freshwaters is generated and maintained is highly important, as these habitats are transformed by human development and fish communities are increasingly exploited as food sources to sustain a growing human population.

Determination of Selection Method in Genetic Algorithm for Land Suitability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irfianti Asti Dwi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Genetic Algoirthm is one alternative solution in the field of modeling optimization, automatic programming and machine learning. The purpose of the study was to compare some type of selection methods in Genetic Algorithm for land suitability. Contribution of this research applies the best method to develop region based horticultural commodities. This testing is done by comparing the three methods on the method of selection, the Roulette Wheel, Tournament Selection and Stochastic Universal Sampling. Parameters of the locations used in the test scenarios include Temperature = 27°C, Rainfall = 1200 mm, hummidity = 30%, Cluster fruit = 4, Crossover Probabiitiy (Pc = 0.6, Mutation Probabilty (Pm = 0.2 and Epoch = 10. The second test epoch incluides location parameters consist of Temperature = 30°C, Rainfall = 2000 mm, Humidity = 35%, Cluster fruit = 5, Crossover Probability (Pc = 0.7, Mutation Probability (Pm = 0.3 and Epoch 10. The conclusion of this study shows that the Roulette Wheel is the best method because it produces more stable and fitness value than the other two methods.

Intertidal population genetic dynamics at a microgeographic seascape scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Zi-Min

2013-06-01

The intertidal community is among the most physically harsh niches on earth, with highly heterogeneous environmental and biological factors that impose strong habitat selection on population abundance, genetic connectivity and ecological adaptation of organisms in nature. However, most genetic studies to date have concentrated on the influence of basin-wide or regional marine environments (e.g. habitat discontinuities, oceanic currents and fronts, and geographic barriers) on spatiotemporal distribution and composition of intertidal invertebrates having planktonic stages or long-distance dispersal capability. Little is known about sessile marine organisms (e.g. seaweeds) in the context of topographic tidal gradients and reproductive traits at the microgeographic scale. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Krueger-Hadfield et al. () implemented an elaborate sampling strategy with red seaweed (Chondrus crispus) from a 90-m transect stand near Roscoff and comprehensively detected genome-scale genetic differentiation and biases in ploidy level. This study not only revealed that tidal height resulted in genetic differentiation between high- and low-shore stands and restricted the genetic exchange within the high-shore habitat, but also demonstrated that intergametophytic nonrandom fertilization in C. crispus can cause significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Such new genetic insights highlight the importance of microgeographic genetic dynamics and life history characteristics for better understanding the evolutionary processes of speciation and diversification of intertidal marine organisms. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetics of regular exercise and sedentary behaviors.

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de Geus, Eco J C; Bartels, Meike; Kaprio, Jaakko; Lightfoot, J Timothy; Thomis, Martine

2014-08-01

Studies on the determinants of physical activity have traditionally focused on social factors and environmental barriers, but recent research has shown the additional importance of biological factors, including genetic variation. Here we review the major tenets of this research to arrive at three major conclusions: First, individual differences in physical activity traits are significantly influenced by genetic factors, but genetic contribution varies strongly over age, with heritability of leisure time exercise behavior ranging from 27% to 84% and heritability of sedentary behaviors ranging from 9% to 48%. Second, candidate gene approaches based on animal or human QTLs or on biological relevance (e.g., dopaminergic or cannabinoid activity in the brain, or exercise performance influencing muscle physiology) have not yet yielded the necessary evidence to specify the genetic mechanisms underlying the heritability of physical activity traits. Third, there is significant genetic modulation of the beneficial effects of daily physical activity patterns on strength and endurance improvements and on health-related parameters like body mass index. Further increases in our understanding of the genetic determinants of sedentary and exercise behaviors as well as the genetic modulation of their effects on fitness and health will be key to meaningful future intervention on these behaviors.

Determining the Status of Organizational Agility Capabilities in complementary and convertor Agricultural Industries using the Fuzzy Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Manufacturing industries of agricultural products, which constitute a considerable part of different countries’ economies, are seeking new profitable opportunities by increasing competition at the international level. Organizational agility is new method and philosophy of production that seeks to react effectively to the variable and unpredictable environment and to utilize the changes as chances for organizational progress and profitability. In this regard, the present research aims to survey the capabilities of organizational agility in complementary and convertor agricultural industries. For this purpose, based on organizational agility literature, four variables- responsiveness, competency, flexibility, and quickness- were examined as the agility capabilities. The research method was descriptive, and the statistical population included 142 managers of Agricultural industries in East Azarbaijan Province during the year 2012. The study sample was calculated 117 using simple random sampling technique. For data collection, the questionnaire was designed by some scholars. The data was analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and fuzzy set theory. The results showed that the complementary and the convertor agricultural industries of the province have obtained scores higher than the average for the capabilities of responsiveness, flexibility, and quickness but a lower one for the capability of the competency. With regard to the fact that compiling the strategic vision, technological ability, and introducing the new products are among the main components of achieving competency, it is suggested that managers of this sector should, in order to reinforce competency in agricultural industries, pay special attention to compiling the strategic vision, making use of information technology, and using the new opportunities of the market to introduce the new products.

Informing future NRT satellite distribution capabilities: Lessons learned from NASA's Land Atmosphere NRT capability for EOS (LANCE)

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, D.; Murphy, K. J.; Michael, K.

2013-12-01

NASA's Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (Earth Observing System) (LANCE) provides data and imagery from Terra, Aqua and Aura satellites in less than 3 hours from satellite observation, to meet the needs of the near real-time (NRT) applications community. This article describes the architecture of the LANCE and outlines the modifications made to achieve the 3-hour latency requirement with a view to informing future NRT satellite distribution capabilities. It also describes how latency is determined. LANCE is a distributed system that builds on the existing EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) capabilities. To achieve the NRT latency requirement, many components of the EOS satellite operations, ground and science processing systems have been made more efficient without compromising the quality of science data processing. The EOS Data and Operations System (EDOS) processes the NRT stream with higher priority than the science data stream in order to minimize latency. In addition to expediting transfer times, the key difference between the NRT Level 0 products and those for standard science processing is the data used to determine the precise location and tilt of the satellite. Standard products use definitive geo-location (attitude and ephemeris) data provided daily, whereas NRT products use predicted geo-location provided by the instrument Global Positioning System (GPS) or approximation of navigational data (depending on platform). Level 0 data are processed in to higher-level products at designated Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPS). The processes used by LANCE have been streamlined and adapted to work with datasets as soon as they are downlinked from satellites or transmitted from ground stations. Level 2 products that require ancillary data have modified production rules to relax the requirements for ancillary data so reducing processing times. Looking to the future, experience gained from LANCE can provide valuable lessons on

Personalized Genetic Testing and Norovirus Susceptibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie Prystajecky

2014-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The availability of direct-to-consumer personalized genetic testing has enabled the public to access and interpret their own genetic information. Various genetic traits can be determined including resistance to norovirus through a nonsense mutation (G428A in the FUT2 gene. Although this trait is believed to confer resistance to the most dominant norovirus genotype (GII.4, the spectrum of resistance to other norovirus strains is unknown. The present report describes a cluster of symptomatic norovirus GI.6 infection in a family identified to have norovirus resistance through personalized genetic testing.

Dispersal ability and habitat requirements determine landscape-level genetic patterns in desert aquatic insects.

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Phillipsen, Ivan C; Kirk, Emily H; Bogan, Michael T; Mims, Meryl C; Olden, Julian D; Lytle, David A

2015-01-01

Species occupying the same geographic range can exhibit remarkably different population structures across the landscape, ranging from highly diversified to panmictic. Given limitations on collecting population-level data for large numbers of species, ecologists seek to identify proximate organismal traits-such as dispersal ability, habitat preference and life history-that are strong predictors of realized population structure. We examined how dispersal ability and habitat structure affect the regional balance of gene flow and genetic drift within three aquatic insects that represent the range of dispersal abilities and habitat requirements observed in desert stream insect communities. For each species, we tested for linear relationships between genetic distances and geographic distances using Euclidean and landscape-based metrics of resistance. We found that the moderate-disperser Mesocapnia arizonensis (Plecoptera: Capniidae) has a strong isolation-by-distance pattern, suggesting migration-drift equilibrium. By contrast, population structure in the flightless Abedus herberti (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae) is influenced by genetic drift, while gene flow is the dominant force in the strong-flying Boreonectes aequinoctialis (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). The best-fitting landscape model for M. arizonensis was based on Euclidean distance. Analyses also identified a strong spatial scale-dependence, where landscape genetic methods only performed well for species that were intermediate in dispersal ability. Our results highlight the fact that when either gene flow or genetic drift dominates in shaping population structure, no detectable relationship between genetic and geographic distances is expected at certain spatial scales. This study provides insight into how gene flow and drift interact at the regional scale for these insects as well as the organisms that share similar habitats and dispersal abilities. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Resource-Based Capability on Development Knowledge Management Capabilities of Coastal Community

Science.gov (United States)

Teniwut, Roberto M. K.; Hasyim, Cawalinya L.; Teniwut, Wellem A.

2017-10-01

Building sustainable knowledge management capabilities in the coastal area might face a whole new challenge since there are many intangible factors involved from openness on new knowledge, access and ability to use the latest technology to the various local wisdom that still in place. The aimed of this study was to identify and analyze the resource-based condition of coastal community in this area to have an empirical condition of tangible and intangible infrastructure on developing knowledge management capability coastal community in Southeast Maluku, Indonesia. We used qualitative and quantitative analysis by depth interview and questionnaire for collecting the data with multiple linear regression as our analysis method. The result provided the information on current state of resource-based capability of a coastal community in this Southeast Maluku to build a sustainability model of knowledge management capabilities especially on utilization marine and fisheries resources. The implication of this study can provide an empirical information for government, NGO and research institution to dictate on how they conducted their policy and program on developing coastal community region.

Mapping public policy on genetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Weisfeld, N E

2002-06-01

The mapping of the human genome and related advances in genetics are stimulating the development of public policies on genetics. Certain notions that currently prevail in public policy development overall--including the importance of protecting privacy of information, an interest in cost-effectiveness, and the power of the anecdote--will help determine the future of public policy on genetics. Information areas affected include discrimination by insurers and employers, confidentiality, genetic databanks, genetic testing in law enforcement, and court-ordered genetic testing in civil cases. Service issues address clinical standards, insurance benefits, allocation of resources, and screening of populations at risk. Supply issues encompass funding of research and clinical positions. Likely government actions include, among others: (1) Requiring individual consent for the disclosure of personal information, except when such consent would impose inordinate costs; (2) licensing genetic databases; (3) allowing courts to use personal information in cases where a refusal to use such information would offend the public; (4) mandating health insurers to pay for cost-effective genetic services; (5) funding pharmaceutical research to develop tailored products to prevent or treat diseases; and (6) funding training programs.

An Airborne Conflict Resolution Approach Using a Genetic Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Mondoloni, Stephane; Conway, Sheila

2001-01-01

An airborne conflict resolution approach is presented that is capable of providing flight plans forecast to be conflict-free with both area and traffic hazards. This approach is capable of meeting constraints on the flight plan such as required times of arrival (RTA) at a fix. The conflict resolution algorithm is based upon a genetic algorithm, and can thus seek conflict-free flight plans meeting broader flight planning objectives such as minimum time, fuel or total cost. The method has been applied to conflicts occurring 6 to 25 minutes in the future in climb, cruise and descent phases of flight. The conflict resolution approach separates the detection, trajectory generation and flight rules function from the resolution algorithm. The method is capable of supporting pilot-constructed resolutions, cooperative and non-cooperative maneuvers, and also providing conflict resolution on trajectories forecast by an onboard FMC.

Genetic Determinism of Sensitivity to Corynespora cassiicola Exudates in Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis).

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Dinh Minh; Clément-Demange, André; Déon, Marine; Garcia, Dominique; Le Guen, Vincent; Clément-Vidal, Anne; Soumahoro, Mouman; Masson, Aurélien; Label, Philippe; Le, Mau Tuy; Pujade-Renaud, Valérie

2016-01-01

An indirect phenotyping method was developed in order to estimate the susceptibility of rubber tree clonal varieties to Corynespora Leaf Fall (CLF) disease caused by the ascomycete Corynespora cassiicola. This method consists in quantifying the impact of fungal exudates on detached leaves by measuring the induced electrolyte leakage (EL%). The tested exudates were either crude culture filtrates from diverse C. cassiicola isolates or the purified cassiicolin (Cas1), a small secreted effector protein produced by the aggressive isolate CCP. The test was found to be quantitative, with the EL% response proportional to toxin concentration. For eight clones tested with two aggressive isolates, the EL% response to the filtrates positively correlated to the response induced by conidial inoculation. The toxicity test applied to 18 clones using 13 toxinic treatments evidenced an important variability among clones and treatments, with a significant additional clone x treatment interaction effect. A genetic linkage map was built using 306 microsatellite markers, from the F1 population of the PB260 x RRIM600 family. Phenotyping of the population for sensitivity to the purified Cas1 effector and to culture filtrates from seven C. cassiicola isolates revealed a polygenic determinism, with six QTL detected on five chromosomes and percentages of explained phenotypic variance varying from 11 to 17%. Two common QTL were identified for the CCP filtrate and the purified cassiicolin, suggesting that Cas1 may be the main effector of CCP filtrate toxicity. The CCP filtrate clearly contrasted with all other filtrates. The toxicity test based on Electrolyte Leakage Measurement offers the opportunity to assess the sensitivity of rubber genotypes to C. cassiicola exudates or purified effectors for genetic investigations and early selection, without risk of spreading the fungus in plantations. However, the power of this test for predicting field susceptibility of rubber clones to CLF will have

Campus Capability Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Arsenlis, T. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bailey, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bergman, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Brase, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Brenner, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Camara, L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Carlton, H. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Cheng, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Chrzanowski, P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Colson, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); East, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Farrell, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Ferranti, L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Gursahani, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Hansen, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Helms, L. L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Hernandez, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Jeffries, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Larson, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Lu, K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); McNabb, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Mercer, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Skeate, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Sueksdorf, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Zucca, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Le, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Ancria, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Scott, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Leininger, L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Gagliardi, F. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Gash, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Bronson, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Chung, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Hobson, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Meeker, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Sanchez, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Zagar, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Quivey, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Sommer, S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Atherton, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-06-06

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Campus Capability Plan for 2018-2028. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is one of three national laboratories that are part of the National Nuclear Security Administration. LLNL provides critical expertise to strengthen U.S. security through development and application of world-class science and technology that: Ensures the safety, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; Promotes international nuclear safety and nonproliferation; Reduces global danger from weapons of mass destruction; Supports U.S. leadership in science and technology. Essential to the execution and continued advancement of these mission areas are responsive infrastructure capabilities. This report showcases each LLNL capability area and describes the mission, science, and technology efforts enabled by LLNL infrastructure, as well as future infrastructure plans.

Flexible integration of path-planning capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Stobie, Iain C.; Tambe, Milind; Rosenbloom, Paul S.

1993-05-01

Robots pursuing complex goals must plan paths according to several criteria of quality, including shortness, safety, speed and planning time. Many sources and kinds of knowledge, such as maps, procedures and perception, may be available or required. Both the quality criteria and sources of knowledge may vary widely over time, and in general they will interact. One approach to address this problem is to express all criteria and goals numerically in a single weighted graph, and then to search this graph to determine a path. Since this is problematic with symbolic or uncertain data and interacting criteria, we propose that what is needed instead is an integration of many kinds of planning capabilities. We describe a hybrid approach to integration, based on experiments with building simulated mobile robots using Soar, an integrated problem-solving and learning system. For flexibility, we have implemented a combination of internal planning, reactive capabilities and specialized tools. We illustrate how these components can complement each other's limitations and produce plans which integrate geometric and task knowledge.

Organizational Context and Capabilities for Integrating Care: A Framework for Improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenna M. Evans

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Interventions aimed at integrating care have become widespread in healthcare; however, there is significant variability in their success. Differences in organizational contexts and associated capabilities may be responsible for some of this variability. Purpose: This study develops and validates a conceptual framework of organizational capabilities for integrating care, identifies which of these capabilities may be most important, and explores the mechanisms by which they influence integrated care efforts.  Methods: The Context and Capabilities for Integrating Care (CCIC Framework was developed through a literature review, and revised and validated through interviews with leaders and care providers engaged in integrated care networks in Ontario, Canada. Interviews involved open-ended questions and graphic elicitation. Quantitative content analysis was used to summarize the data.  Results: The CCIC Framework consists of eighteen organizational factors in three categories: Basic Structures, People and Values, and Key Processes. The three most important capabilities shaping the capacity of organizations to implement integrated care interventions include Leadership Approach, Clinician Engagement and Leadership, and Readiness for Change. The majority of hypothesized relationships among organizational capabilities involved Readiness for Change and Partnering, emphasizing the complexity, interrelatedness and importance of these two factors to integrated care efforts.  Conclusions: Organizational leaders can use the framework to determine readiness to integrate care, develop targeted change management strategies, and select appropriate partners with overlapping or complementary profiles on key capabilities. Researchers may use the results to test and refine the proposed framework, with a focus on the hypothesized relationships among organizational capabilities and between organizational capabilities and performance outcomes.

Organizational Context and Capabilities for Integrating Care: A Framework for Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Grudniewicz, Agnes; Baker, G. Ross; Wodchis, Walter P.

2016-01-01

Background: Interventions aimed at integrating care have become widespread in healthcare; however, there is significant variability in their success. Differences in organizational contexts and associated capabilities may be responsible for some of this variability. Purpose: This study develops and validates a conceptual framework of organizational capabilities for integrating care, identifies which of these capabilities may be most important, and explores the mechanisms by which they influence integrated care efforts. Methods: The Context and Capabilities for Integrating Care (CCIC) Framework was developed through a literature review, and revised and validated through interviews with leaders and care providers engaged in integrated care networks in Ontario, Canada. Interviews involved open-ended questions and graphic elicitation. Quantitative content analysis was used to summarize the data. Results: The CCIC Framework consists of eighteen organizational factors in three categories: Basic Structures, People and Values, and Key Processes. The three most important capabilities shaping the capacity of organizations to implement integrated care interventions include Leadership Approach, Clinician Engagement and Leadership, and Readiness for Change. The majority of hypothesized relationships among organizational capabilities involved Readiness for Change and Partnering, emphasizing the complexity, interrelatedness and importance of these two factors to integrated care efforts. Conclusions: Organizational leaders can use the framework to determine readiness to integrate care, develop targeted change management strategies, and select appropriate partners with overlapping or complementary profiles on key capabilities. Researchers may use the results to test and refine the proposed framework, with a focus on the hypothesized relationships among organizational capabilities and between organizational capabilities and performance outcomes. PMID:28413366

Genetically determined ancestry is more informative than self-reported race in HIV-infected and -exposed children

Science.gov (United States)

Spector, Stephen A.; Brummel, Sean S.; Nievergelt, Caroline M.; Maihofer, Adam X.; Singh, Kumud K.; Purswani, Murli U.; Williams, Paige L.; Hazra, Rohan; Van Dyke, Russell; Seage, George R.

2016-01-01

Abstract The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS), the largest ongoing longitudinal study of perinatal HIV-infected (PHIV) and HIV-exposed, uninfected (PHEU) children in the United States, comprises the Surveillance Monitoring of Antiretroviral Therapy [ART] Toxicities (SMARTT) Study in PHEU children and the Adolescent Master Protocol (AMP) that includes PHIV and PHEU children ≥7 years. Although race/ethnicity is often used to assess health outcomes, this approach remains controversial and may fail to accurately reflect the backgrounds of ancestry-diverse populations as represented in the PHACS participants. In this study, we compared genetically determined ancestry (GDA) and self-reported race/ethnicity (SRR) in the PHACS cohort. GDA was estimated using a highly discriminative panel of 41 single nucleotide polymorphisms and compared to SRR. Because SRR was similar between the PHIV and PHEU, and between the AMP and SMARTT cohorts, data for all unique 1958 participants were combined. According to SRR, 63% of study participants identified as Black/African-American, 27% White, and 34% Hispanic. Using the highest percentage of ancestry/ethnicity to identify GDA, 9.5% of subjects were placed in the incorrect superpopulation based on SRR. When ≥50% or ≥75% GDA of a given superpopulation was required, 12% and 25%, respectively, of subjects were placed in the incorrect superpopulation based on SRR, and the percent of subjects classified as multiracial increased. Of 126 participants with unidentified SRR, 71% were genetically identified as Eurasian. GDA provides a more robust assessment of race/ethnicity when compared to self-report, and study participants with unidentified SRR could be assigned GDA using genetic markers. In addition, identification of continental ancestry removes the taxonomic identification of race as a variable when identifying risk for clinical outcomes. PMID:27603370

Verification of consumers' experiences and perceptions of genetic discrimination and its impact on utilization of genetic testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow-Stewart, Kristine; Taylor, Sandra D; Treloar, Susan A; Stranger, Mark; Otlowski, Margaret

2009-03-01

To undertake a systematic process of verification of consumer accounts of alleged genetic discrimination. Verification of incidents reported in life insurance and other contexts that met the criteria of genetic discrimination, and the impact of fear of such treatment, was determined, with consent, through interview, document analysis and where appropriate, direct contact with the third party involved. The process comprised obtaining evidence that the alleged incident was accurately reported and determining whether the decision or action seemed to be justifiable and/or ethical. Reported incidents of genetic discrimination were verified in life insurance access, underwriting and coercion (9), applications for worker's compensation (1) and early release from prison (1) and in two cases of fear of discrimination impacting on access to genetic testing. Relevant conditions were inherited cancer susceptibility (8), Huntington disease (3), hereditary hemochromatosis (1), and polycystic kidney disease (1). In two cases, the reversal of an adverse underwriting decision to standard rate after intervention with insurers by genetics health professionals was verified. The mismatch between consumer and third party accounts in three life insurance incidents involved miscommunication or lack of information provision by financial advisers. These first cases of verified genetic discrimination make it essential for policies and guidelines to be developed and implemented to ensure appropriate use of genetic test results in insurance underwriting, to promote education and training in the financial industry, and to provide support for consumers and health professionals undertaking challenges of adverse decisions.

Vertebrate sex-determining genes play musical chairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Qiaowei; Anderson, Jennifer; Bertho, Sylvain; Herpin, Amaury; Wilson, Catherine; Postlethwait, John H; Schartl, Manfred; Guiguen, Yann

2016-01-01

Sexual reproduction is one of the most highly conserved processes in evolution. However, the genetic and cellular mechanisms making the decision of whether the undifferentiated gonad of animal embryos develops either towards male or female are manifold and quite diverse. In vertebrates, sex-determining mechanisms range from environmental to simple or complex genetic mechanisms and different mechanisms have evolved repeatedly and independently. In species with simple genetic sex-determination, master sex-determining genes lying on sex chromosomes drive the gonadal differentiation process by switching on a developmental program, which ultimately leads to testicular or ovarian differentiation. So far, very few sex-determining genes have been identified in vertebrates and apart from mammals and birds, these genes are apparently not conserved over a larger number of related orders, families, genera, or even species. To fill this knowledge gap and to better explore genetic sex-determination, we propose a strategy (RAD-Sex) that makes use of next-generation sequencing technology to identify genetic markers that define sex-specific segments of the male or female genome. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. All rights reserved.

Understanding the impact of genetic testing for inherited retinal dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Combs, Ryan; McAllister, Marion; Payne, Katherine; Lowndes, Jo; Devery, Sophie; Webster, Andrew R; Downes, Susan M; Moore, Anthony T; Ramsden, Simon; Black, Graeme; Hall, Georgina

2013-11-01

The capability of genetic technologies is expanding rapidly in the field of inherited eye disease. New genetic testing approaches will deliver a step change in the ability to diagnose and extend the possibility of targeted treatments. However, evidence is lacking about the benefits of genetic testing to support service planning. Here, we report qualitative data about retinal dystrophy families' experiences of genetic testing in United Kingdom. The data were part of a wider study examining genetic eye service provision. Twenty interviewees from families in which a causative mutation had been identified by a genetic eye clinic were recruited to the study. Fourteen interviewees had chosen to have a genetic test and five had not; one was uncertain. In-depth telephone interviews were conducted allowing a thorough exploration of interviewees' views and experiences of the benefits of genetic counselling and testing. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Both affected and unaffected interviewees expressed mainly positive views about genetic testing, highlighting benefits such as diagnostic confirmation, risk information, and better preparation for the future. Negative consequences included the burden of knowledge, moral dilemmas around reproduction, and potential impact on insurance. The offer of genetic testing was often taken up, but was felt unnecessary in some cases. Interviewees in the study reported many benefits, suggesting genetic testing should be available to this patient group. The benefits and risks identified will inform future evaluation of models of service delivery. This research was part of a wider study exploring experiences of families with retinal dystrophy.

Genetic Diversity of the Black Mangrove Avicennia germinans (L. Stearn in Northwestern Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivia Millán-Aguilar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Mangrove forests of Mexico have been threatened by the effects of anthropogenic activities during the last decades, mostly related to aquaculture, agriculture, livestock and urban development. Genetic diversity and fine-scale genetic structure of two generations of the black mangrove Avicennia germinans (L. Stearn were investigated in perturbed and preserved sites from three lagoon systems in Sinaloa, Mexico. Genetic diversity and overall genetic structure were similar between perturbed and preserved sites. However, lower levels of fine-scale spatial genetic structure were observed in two of the younger (sapling generations. We attribute this to differences in local dynamics of each lagoon system, their status of conservation and levels of fragmentation. Also, low connectivity and the effects of disturbance could restrict the movement of pollinators and seed dispersal capabilities, resulting in low levels of genetic diversity and signs of inbreeding. Perturbed populations of A. germinans may play an important role in in situ conservation of this complex ecosystem.

Development of students learning capabilities and professional capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ringtved, Ulla Lunde; Wahl, Christian; Belle, Gianna

This paper describes the work-in-progress on a project that aims todevelop a tool that via learning analytic methods enable studentsto enhance, document and assess the development of their learningcapabilities and professional capabilities in consequence of theirself-initiated study activities...... during their bachelor educations. Thetool aims at enhancing the development of students’ capabilities toself-initiate, self-regulate and self-assess their study activities.The tool uses the concept of collective intelligence as source formotivation and inspiration in self-initiating study activities...... as wellas self-assessing them. The tool is based on a heutagogical approachto support reflection on learning potential in these activities. Thisenhances the educational use of students self-initiated learningactivities by bringing visibility and evidence to them, and therebybringing value to the assessment...

Turtle Hearing Capability Based on ABR Signal assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raja Bidin Raja Hassan

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Sea turtles have existed for millions of years. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN has reported that the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata is classified as critically endangered. Turtle excluder device (TED deployment on shrimpnet fisheries is needed for turtle conservation.TED using sound technique is challenge method in fisheries development.The knowledge on turtle hearing capability is limited. The auditory brainstem response (ABR assessment is method to determine turtle hearing capability. Turtle hearing assessment is basis to design TED. The objective of this paper is to determine turtle hearing cability by analyze its ABR spectral.The subject is Hawksbill turtle with number 2 turtles ie: 3 and 2 years. The measurement was taken at Pusat Pengurusan Penyu (Turtle Management Centre Padang Kemunting Masjid Tanah Melaka Malaysia. The results shows that turtle 3 years have peak power frequencies 50.78, 101.6, 152.3, 304.7, 355.5, 457, and 507.8Hz respectively whereas the spectral amplitude is ranging 0.03-32.44% spectral. Turtle 2 years has peak power at 457Hz in whole stimulus frequencies while the spectral amplitude is ranging 0.01-2.5% spectral.

Genetic, nongenetic and epigenetic risk determinants in developmental programming of type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vaag, Allan; Brøns, Charlotte; Gillberg, Linn

2014-01-01

Low birthweight (LBW) individuals and offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) exhibit increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and associated cardiometabolic traits in adulthood, which for both groups may be mediated by adverse events and developmental changes in fetal...... factors. Indeed, it has been shown that genetic changes influencing risk of diabetes may also be associated with reduced fetal growth as a result of reduced insulin secretion and/or action. Similarly, increased risk of T2D among offspring could be explained by T2D susceptibility genes shared between...... life. T2D is a multifactorial disease occurring as a result of complicated interplay between genetic and both prenatal and postnatal nongenetic factors, and it remains unknown to what extent the increased risk of T2D associated with LBW or GDM in the mother may be due to, or confounded by, genetic...

Accumulative capabilities of essential nutrient elements in organs of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Monsonia burkeana is widely used as herbal tea in South Africa. However, the accumulative capabilities (ACs) of its organs for essential nutrient elements are not documented. A study was conducted to determine the ACs for nutrient elements in fruit, leaf, stem and root of M. burkeana. Ten plants per plot, with three ...

Proteomic studies related to genetic determinants of variability in protein concentrations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Horvatovich, Peter; Franke, Lude; Bischoff, Rainer

2014-01-01

Genetic variation has multiple effects on the proteome. It may influence the expression level of proteins, modify their sequences through single nucleotide polymorphisms, the occurrence of allelic variants, or alternative splicing (ASP) events. This perspective paper summarizes the major effects of

76 FR 8707 - Syngenta Seeds, Inc.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Corn Genetically Engineered To...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-15

... Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests or Which There... genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is reason to believe are plant pests. Such...

Capabilities, innovation, and overall performance in Brazilian export firms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Ednilson de Oliveira Cabral

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This article extends the current research on innovation by investigating the relationship between innovative capabilities and export firms’ overall performance. From the perspectives of the resource-based view (RBV and dynamic capability, we examine the differential and interactive effects of exploration and exploitation capabilities in product innovation for external markets and overall performance (direct and mediated by a new product. In addition, we test the moderating effect of market dynamism and the controlling effect of firm size on these relationships. Hence, the main contribution of this article is developing and empirically testing an original model, by combining these constructs that address new relationships, in an emerging country. This model was tested with data from 498 Brazilian export firms, distributed throughout all Brazilian manufacturing sectors, by firm size, and in states. The analysis was made with application of the structural equation modeling (SEM. As a result, we found support for the assumptions that exploitation capabilities influence product innovation and overall performance, whereas exploration capabilities and their interaction to exploitation capabilities influence overall performance, but not product innovation. Additionally, the relationship between exploitation capabilities and overall performance is mediated by product innovation. Unlike hypothesized, market dynamism does not moderate the relationship between product innovation and overall performance. Furthermore, firm size works as a controlling variable in the relationships analyzed. Regarding the implications for theory, this study contributes to grasp that exploitation capabilities influences a firm’s overall performance, both directly and indirectly (via product innovation, and highlights the various direct and mediatory effects of innovation on overall performance. These insights show the importance of considering the role of mediating and

Optimizing Support Vector Machine Parameters with Genetic Algorithm for Credit Risk Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Manurung, Jonson; Mawengkang, Herman; Zamzami, Elviawaty

2017-12-01

Support vector machine (SVM) is a popular classification method known to have strong generalization capabilities. SVM can solve the problem of classification and linear regression or nonlinear kernel which can be a learning algorithm for the ability of classification and regression. However, SVM also has a weakness that is difficult to determine the optimal parameter value. SVM calculates the best linear separator on the input feature space according to the training data. To classify data which are non-linearly separable, SVM uses kernel tricks to transform the data into a linearly separable data on a higher dimension feature space. The kernel trick using various kinds of kernel functions, such as : linear kernel, polynomial, radial base function (RBF) and sigmoid. Each function has parameters which affect the accuracy of SVM classification. To solve the problem genetic algorithms are proposed to be applied as the optimal parameter value search algorithm thus increasing the best classification accuracy on SVM. Data taken from UCI repository of machine learning database: Australian Credit Approval. The results show that the combination of SVM and genetic algorithms is effective in improving classification accuracy. Genetic algorithms has been shown to be effective in systematically finding optimal kernel parameters for SVM, instead of randomly selected kernel parameters. The best accuracy for data has been upgraded from kernel Linear: 85.12%, polynomial: 81.76%, RBF: 77.22% Sigmoid: 78.70%. However, for bigger data sizes, this method is not practical because it takes a lot of time.

The evolution of alliance capabilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heimeriks, K.H.; Duysters, G.M.; Vanhaverbeke, W.P.M.

2004-01-01

This paper assesses the effectiveness and differential performance effects of learning mechanisms on the evolution of alliance capabilities. Relying on the concept of capability lifecycles, prior research has suggested that different capability levels could be identified in which different

The History of Patenting Genetic Material.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherkow, Jacob S; Greely, Henry T

2015-01-01

The US Supreme Court's recent decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. declared, for the first time, that isolated human genes cannot be patented. Many have wondered how genes were ever the subjects of patents. The answer lies in a nuanced understanding of both legal and scientific history. Since the early twentieth century, "products of nature" were not eligible to be patented unless they were "isolated and purified" from their surrounding environment. As molecular biology advanced, and the capability to isolate genes both physically and by sequence came to fruition, researchers (and patent offices) began to apply patent-law logic to genes themselves. These patents, along with other biological patents, generated substantial social and political criticism. Myriad Genetics, a company with patents on BRCA1 and BRCA2, two genes critical to assessing early-onset breast and ovarian cancer risk, and with a particularly controversial business approach, became the antagonist in an ultimately successful campaign to overturn gene patents in court. Despite Myriad's defeat, some questions concerning the rights to monopolize genetic information remain. The history leading to that defeat may be relevant to these future issues.

Genetic determinants of hyaloid and retinal vasculature in zebrafish

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyde David R

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The retinal vasculature is a capillary network of blood vessels that nourishes the inner retina of most mammals. Developmental abnormalities or microvascular complications in the retinal vasculature result in severe human eye diseases that lead to blindness. To exploit the advantages of zebrafish for genetic, developmental and pharmacological studies of retinal vasculature, we characterised the intraocular vasculature in zebrafish. Results We show a detailed morphological and developmental analysis of the retinal blood supply in zebrafish. Similar to the transient hyaloid vasculature in mammalian embryos, vessels are first found attached to the zebrafish lens at 2.5 days post fertilisation. These vessels progressively lose contact with the lens and by 30 days post fertilisation adhere to the inner limiting membrane of the juvenile retina. Ultrastructure analysis shows these vessels to exhibit distinctive hallmarks of mammalian retinal vasculature. For example, smooth muscle actin-expressing pericytes are ensheathed by the basal lamina of the blood vessel, and vesicle vacuolar organelles (VVO, subcellular mediators of vessel-retinal nourishment, are present. Finally, we identify 9 genes with cell membrane, extracellular matrix and unknown identity that are necessary for zebrafish hyaloid and retinal vasculature development. Conclusion Zebrafish have a retinal blood supply with a characteristic developmental and adult morphology. Abnormalities of these intraocular vessels are easily observed, enabling application of genetic and chemical approaches in zebrafish to identify molecular regulators of hyaloid and retinal vasculature in development and disease.

Global to local genetic diversity indicators of evolutionary potential in tree species within and outside forests

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graudal, Lars; Aravanopoulos, Filippos; Bennadji, Zohra

2014-01-01

-monitoring schemes. Here, we provide a review and an assessment of the different attempts made to provide such indicators for tree genetic diversity from the global level down to the level of the management unit. So far, no generally accepted indicators have been provided as international standards, nor tested...... for their possible use in practice. We suggest that indicators for monitoring genetic diversity and dynamics should be based on ecological and demographic surrogates of adaptive diversity as well as genetic markers capable of identifying genetic erosion and gene flow. A comparison of past and present genecological...... distributions (patterns of genetic variation of key adaptive traits in the ecological space) of selected species is a realistic way of assessing the trend of intra-specific variation, and thus provides a state indicator of tree genetic diversity also able to reflect possible pressures threatening genetic...

A Parallel Approach To Optimum Actuator Selection With a Genetic Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, James L.

2000-01-01

Recent discoveries in smart technologies have created a variety of aerodynamic actuators which have great potential to enable entirely new approaches to aerospace vehicle flight control. For a revolutionary concept such as a seamless aircraft with no moving control surfaces, there is a large set of candidate locations for placing actuators, resulting in a substantially larger number of combinations to examine in order to find an optimum placement satisfying the mission requirements. The placement of actuators on a wing determines the control effectiveness of the airplane. One approach to placement Maximizes the moments about the pitch, roll, and yaw axes, while minimizing the coupling. Genetic algorithms have been instrumental in achieving good solutions to discrete optimization problems, such as the actuator placement problem. As a proof of concept, a genetic has been developed to find the minimum number of actuators required to provide uncoupled pitch, roll, and yaw control for a simplified, untapered, unswept wing model. To find the optimum placement by searching all possible combinations would require 1,100 hours. Formulating the problem and as a multi-objective problem and modifying it to take advantage of the parallel processing capabilities of a multi-processor computer, reduces the optimization time to 22 hours.

Determination of the hydrocarbon-degrading metabolic capabilities of tropical bacterial isolates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marquez-Rocha, F.J.; Olmos-Soto, J. [Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada, San Diego, CA (United States). Departamento de Biotecnologia Marina; Rosano-Hernandez, M.A.; Muriel-Garcia, M. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, CD Carmen Camp (Mexico). Zona Marina/Tecnologia Ambiental

2005-01-01

Of more than 20 bacteria isolated from a tropical soil using minimal medium supplemented with hydrocarbons, 11 grew well on diesel as sole carbon source, and another 11 grew in the presence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Ten isolates were identified phenotypically as Pseudomonas sp. and eight as Bacillus sp. Gene sequences representing the catabolic genes (alkM, todM, ndoM, and xylM) and 16S rRNA gene sequences characteristic for Pseudomona and Bacillus were amplified by PCR, using DNA recovered from the supernatant of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil suspensions. Based on their rapid growth characteristics in the presence of hydrocarbons and the formation of PCR products for the catabolic genes alkM and ndoM six isolates were selected for biodegradation assays. After 30 days a mixed culture of two isolates achieved close to 70% hydrocarbon removal and apparent mineralization of 16% of the hydrocarbons present in the soil. Biodegradation rates varied from 275 to 387 mg hydrocarbon kg{sup -1} day{sup -1}. Several bacterial isolates obtained in this study have catabolic capabilities for the biodegradation of alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons including PAHs. (author)

Genetic and pharmacological modifications of thrombin formation in apolipoprotein e-deficient mice determine atherosclerosis severity and atherothrombosis onset in a neutrophil-dependent manner.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julian I Borissoff

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Variations in the blood coagulation activity, determined genetically or by medication, may alter atherosclerotic plaque progression, by influencing pleiotropic effects of coagulation proteases. Published experimental studies have yielded contradictory findings on the role of hypercoagulability in atherogenesis. We therefore sought to address this matter by extensively investigating the in vivo significance of genetic alterations and pharmacologic inhibition of thrombin formation for the onset and progression of atherosclerosis, and plaque phenotype determination. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We generated transgenic atherosclerosis-prone mice with diminished coagulant or hypercoagulable phenotype and employed two distinct models of atherosclerosis. Gene-targeted 50% reduction in prothrombin (FII(-/WT:ApoE(-/- was remarkably effective in limiting disease compared to control ApoE(-/- mice, associated with significant qualitative benefits, including diminished leukocyte infiltration, altered collagen and vascular smooth muscle cell content. Genetically-imposed hypercoagulability in TM(Pro/Pro:ApoE(-/- mice resulted in severe atherosclerosis, plaque vulnerability and spontaneous atherothrombosis. Hypercoagulability was associated with a pronounced neutrophilia, neutrophil hyper-reactivity, markedly increased oxidative stress, neutrophil intraplaque infiltration and apoptosis. Administration of either the synthetic specific thrombin inhibitor Dabigatran etexilate, or recombinant activated protein C (APC, counteracted the pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic phenotype of pro-thrombotic TM(Pro/Pro:ApoE(-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We provide new evidence highlighting the importance of neutrophils in the coagulation-inflammation interplay during atherogenesis. Our findings reveal that thrombin-mediated proteolysis is an unexpectedly powerful determinant of atherosclerosis in multiple distinct settings. These studies suggest that

Evaluation of physical conditional capabilities in athletes with physical motors limitations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indira de las Mercedes Saínz-Reyes

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This research was carried out in the province of Holguin with the disabled athletes competing in T53 mode event 100 m levels. It was determined as a scientific problem: How to evaluate the conditional physical capabilities in athletes with physical motor limitations in athletics? and as objective: To adapt functional tests to evaluate the conditional physical capabilities in athletes with physical motor limitations in athletics. A selection of functional test was carried out applying then some methodological modifications in order to make them easier for disabled athletes in wheelchairs. Theoretical and empirical levels methods as well as consensus techniques were used. The research has an adequate scientific rigor since a methodologies theoretical foundation on conditional physical capabilities and their evaluation by functional testing. Through the nominal group it could be determined the feasibility of the proposal, since the consulted experts came to the consensus that the chosen and modified functional tests can be applied to disabled athletes in wheelchairs, and recognized that through them it can be checked the training level of these athletes and the influence of the physical exercise in their organism.

skeleSim: an extensible, general framework for population genetic simulation in R

Science.gov (United States)

Parobek, Christian M.; Archer, Frederick I.; DePrenger-Levin, Michelle E.; Hoban, Sean M.; Liggins, Libby; Strand, Allan E.

2016-01-01

Simulations are a key tool in molecular ecology for inference and forecasting, as well as for evaluating new methods. Due to growing computational power and a diversity of software with different capabilities, simulations are becoming increasingly powerful and useful. However, the widespread use of simulations by geneticists and ecologists is hindered by difficulties in understanding these softwares’ complex capabilities, composing code and input files, a daunting bioinformatics barrier, and a steep conceptual learning curve. skeleSim (an R package) guides users in choosing appropriate simulations, setting parameters, calculating genetic summary statistics, and organizing data output, in a reproducible pipeline within the R environment. skeleSim is designed to be an extensible framework that can ‘wrap’ around any simulation software (inside or outside the R environment) and be extended to calculate and graph any genetic summary statistics. Currently, skeleSim implements coalescent and forward-time models available in the fastsimcoal2 and rmetasim simulation engines to produce null distributions for multiple population genetic statistics and marker types, under a variety of demographic conditions. skeleSim is intended to make simulations easier while still allowing full model complexity to ensure that simulations play a fundamental role in molecular ecology investigations. skeleSim can also serve as a teaching tool: demonstrating the outcomes of stochastic population genetic processes; teaching general concepts of simulations; and providing an introduction to the R environment with a user-friendly graphical user interface (using shiny). PMID:27736016

Microsatellite markers to determine population genetic structure in the golden anchovy, Coilia dussumieri.

Science.gov (United States)

Kathirvelpandian, A; Gopalakrishnan, A; Lakra, W S; Krishna, Gopal; Sharma, Rupam; Musammilu, K K; Basheer, V S; Jena, J K

2014-06-01

Coilia dussumieri (Valenciennes, 1848) commonly called as golden anchovy, constitutes a considerable fishery in the northern part of both the west and east coasts of India. Despite its clear-cut geographic isolation, the species is treated as a unit stock for fishery management purposes. We evaluated 32 microsatellite primer pairs from three closely related species (resource species) belonging to the family Engraulidae through cross-species amplification in C. dussumieri. Successful cross-priming was obtained with 10 loci, which were sequenced for confirmation of repeats. Loci were tested for delineating the genetic stock structure of four populations of C. dussumieri from both the coasts of India. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 8 to 18, with a mean of 12.3. Results of pairwise F ST indicated genetic stock structuring between the east and west coast populations of India and also validated the utilization of identified microsatellite markers in population genetic structure analysis.

Brandishing Cyberattack Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Advertising cyberwar capabilities may be helpful. It may back up a deterrence strategy. It might dissuade other states from conventional mischief or...to enable the attack.5 Many of the instruments of the attack remain with the target system, nestled in its log files, or even in the malware itself...debat- able. Even if demonstrated, what worked yesterday may not work today. But difficult does not mean impossible. Advertising cyberwar capabilities

The genetics of Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertram, Lars; Tanzi, Rudolph E

2012-01-01

Genetic factors play a major role in determining a person's risk to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD). Rare mutations transmitted in a Mendelian fashion within affected families, for example, APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2, cause AD. In the absence of mutations in these genes, disease risk is largely determined by common polymorphisms that, in concert with each other and nongenetic risk factors, modestly impact risk for AD (e.g., the ε4-allele in APOE). Recent genome-wide screening approaches have revealed several additional AD susceptibility loci and more are likely to be discovered over the coming years. In this chapter, we review the current state of AD genetics research with a particular focus on loci that now can be considered established disease genes. In addition to reviewing the potential pathogenic relevance of these genes, we provide an outlook into the future of AD genetics research based on recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic contributions to human brain morphology and intelligence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hulshoff Pol, HE; Schnack, HG; Posthuma, D

2006-01-01

Variation in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume of the adult human brain is primarily genetically determined. Moreover, total brain volume is positively correlated with general intelligence, and both share a common genetic origin. However, although genetic effects on morphology...... of specific GM areas in the brain have been studied, the heritability of focal WM is unknown. Similarly, it is unresolved whether there is a common genetic origin of focal GM and WM structures with intelligence. We explored the genetic influence on focal GM and WM densities in magnetic resonance brain images...

Meeting review. Uncovering the genetic basis of adaptive change: on the intersection of landscape genomics and theoretical population genetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Joost, Stéphane; Vuilleumier, Séverine; Jensen, Jeffrey D; Schoville, Sean; Leempoel, Kevin; Stucki, Sylvie; Widmer, Ivo; Melodelima, Christelle; Rolland, Jonathan; Manel, Stéphanie

2013-07-01

A workshop recently held at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland) was dedicated to understanding the genetic basis of adaptive change, taking stock of the different approaches developed in theoretical population genetics and landscape genomics and bringing together knowledge accumulated in both research fields. Indeed, an important challenge in theoretical population genetics is to incorporate effects of demographic history and population structure. But important design problems (e.g. focus on populations as units, focus on hard selective sweeps, no hypothesis-based framework in the design of the statistical tests) reduce their capability of detecting adaptive genetic variation. In parallel, landscape genomics offers a solution to several of these problems and provides a number of advantages (e.g. fast computation, landscape heterogeneity integration). But the approach makes several implicit assumptions that should be carefully considered (e.g. selection has had enough time to create a functional relationship between the allele distribution and the environmental variable, or this functional relationship is assumed to be constant). To address the respective strengths and weaknesses mentioned above, the workshop brought together a panel of experts from both disciplines to present their work and discuss the relevance of combining these approaches, possibly resulting in a joint software solution in the future.

KSC Technical Capabilities Website

Science.gov (United States)

Nufer, Brian; Bursian, Henry; Brown, Laurette L.

2010-01-01

This document is the website pages that review the technical capabilities that the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has for partnership opportunities. The purpose of this information is to make prospective customers aware of the capabilities and provide an opportunity to form relationships with the experts at KSC. The technical capabilities fall into these areas: (1) Ground Operations and Processing Services, (2) Design and Analysis Solutions, (3) Command and Control Systems / Services, (4) Materials and Processes, (5) Research and Technology Development and (6) Laboratories, Shops and Test Facilities.

Organizational Economics of Capability and Heterogeneity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Argyres, Nicholas S.; Felin, Teppo; Foss, Nicolai Juul

2012-01-01

For decades, the literatures on firm capabilities and organizational economics have been at odds with each other, specifically relative to explaining organizational boundaries and heterogeneity. We briefly trace the history of the relationship between the capabilities literature and organizational...... economics, and we point to the dominance of a “capabilities first” logic in this relationship. We argue that capabilities considerations are inherently intertwined with questions about organizational boundaries and internal organization, and we use this point to respond to the prevalent capabilities first...... logic. We offer an integrative research agenda that focuses first on the governance of capabilities and then on the capability of governance....

Common genetic determinants of intraocular pressure and primary open-angle glaucoma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonieke M E van Koolwijk

Full Text Available Intraocular pressure (IOP is a highly heritable risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma and is the only target for current glaucoma therapy. The genetic factors which determine IOP are largely unknown. We performed a genome-wide association study for IOP in 11,972 participants from 4 independent population-based studies in The Netherlands. We replicated our findings in 7,482 participants from 4 additional cohorts from the UK, Australia, Canada, and the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium 2/Blue Mountains Eye Study. IOP was significantly associated with rs11656696, located in GAS7 at 17p13.1 (p=1.4×10(-8, and with rs7555523, located in TMCO1 at 1q24.1 (p=1.6×10(-8. In a meta-analysis of 4 case-control studies (total N = 1,432 glaucoma cases, both variants also showed evidence for association with glaucoma (p=2.4×10(-2 for rs11656696 and p=9.1×10(-4 for rs7555523. GAS7 and TMCO1 are highly expressed in the ciliary body and trabecular meshwork as well as in the lamina cribrosa, optic nerve, and retina. Both genes functionally interact with known glaucoma disease genes. These data suggest that we have identified two clinically relevant genes involved in IOP regulation.

AMOVA-based clustering of population genetic data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meirmans, P.G.

2012-01-01

Determining the genetic structure of populations is becoming an increasingly important aspect of genetic studies. One of the most frequently used methods is the calculation of F-statistics using an Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA). However, this has the drawback that the population hierarchy

Journal of Genetics | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Thirteen quantitative traits and eight nuclear microsatellite loci were examined in individuals from two biogeographic provinces of Argentina to determine the number and composition of genetically distinguishable groups of individuals and explore possible spatial patterns of the phenotypic and genetic variability. Means of ...

Metrology Measurement Capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. Glen E. Gronniger

2007-10-02

This document contains descriptions of Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (FM&T) Metrology capabilities, traceability flow charts, and the measurement uncertainty of each measurement capability. Metrology provides NIST traceable precision measurements or equipment calibration for a wide variety of parameters, ranges, and state-of-the-art uncertainties. Metrology laboratories conform to the requirements of the Department of Energy Development and Production Manual Chapter 13.2, ANSI/ISO/IEC ANSI/ISO/IEC 17025:2005, and ANSI/NCSL Z540-1. FM&T Metrology laboratories are accredited by NVLAP for the parameters, ranges, and uncertainties listed in the specific scope of accreditation under NVLAP Lab code 200108-0. See the Internet at http://ts.nist.gov/Standards/scopes/2001080.pdf. These parameters are summarized. The Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (FM&T) Metrology Department has developed measurement technology and calibration capability in four major fields of measurement: (1) Mechanical; (2) Environmental, Gas, Liquid; (3) Electrical (DC, AC, RF/Microwave); and (4) Optical and Radiation. Metrology Engineering provides the expertise to develop measurement capabilities for virtually any type of measurement in the fields listed above. A strong audit function has been developed to provide a means to evaluate the calibration programs of our suppliers and internal calibration organizations. Evaluation includes measurement audits and technical surveys.

Capable design or designing capabilities? An exploration of service design as an emerging organizational capability in Telenor – Martinkenaite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ieva Martinkenaite

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This empirical paper examines a process, starting with the managerial decision to make service design an organizational capability, and follows it as it unfolds over time within one organization. Service design has become an established business practice of how firms create new products and services to promote differentiation in an increasingly uncertain business landscape. Implicit in the literature on service design are assumptions about strategic implications of adopting the prescribed innovation methods and tools. However, little is known about how service design evolves into an organizational capability enabling firms to transform their existing businesses and sustain competitiveness. Through a longitudinal, exploratory case study of service design practices in one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, we explicate mechanisms through which service design evolves into an organizational capability by exploring the research question: what are the mechanisms through which service design develops into an organizational capability? Our study reveals the effect of an initial introduction of service design tools, identification of boundaryspanning actors and co-alignment of dedicated resources between internal functions, as well as through co-creation with customers. Over time, these activities lead to the adoption of service design practices, and subsequently these practices spark incremental learning throughout the organization, alter managerial decisions and influence multiple paths for the development of new capabilities. Reporting on this process, we are able to describe how service design practices were disseminated and institutionalized within the organization we observed. This study thus contributes by informing how service design can evolve into an organizational capability, as well as by bridging the emerging literature on service design and design thinking with established strategy theory. Further research will have to

Space Logistics: Launch Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Furnas, Randall B.

1989-01-01

The current maximum launch capability for the United States are shown. The predicted Earth-to-orbit requirements for the United States are presented. Contrasting the two indicates the strong National need for a major increase in Earth-to-orbit lift capability. Approximate weights for planned payloads are shown. NASA is studying the following options to meet the need for a new heavy-lift capability by mid to late 1990's: (1) Shuttle-C for near term (include growth versions); and (2) the Advanced Lauching System (ALS) for the long term. The current baseline two-engine Shuttle-C has a 15 x 82 ft payload bay and an expected lift capability of 82,000 lb to Low Earth Orbit. Several options are being considered which have expanded diameter payload bays. A three-engine Shuttle-C with an expected lift of 145,000 lb to LEO is being evaluated as well. The Advanced Launch System (ALS) is a potential joint development between the Air Force and NASA. This program is focused toward long-term launch requirements, specifically beyond the year 2000. The basic approach is to develop a family of vehicles with the same high reliability as the Shuttle system, yet offering a much greater lift capability at a greatly reduced cost (per pound of payload). The ALS unmanned family of vehicles will provide a low end lift capability equivalent to Titan IV, and a high end lift capability greater than the Soviet Energia if requirements for such a high-end vehicle are defined.In conclusion, the planning of the next generation space telescope should not be constrained to the current launch vehicles. New vehicle designs will be driven by the needs of anticipated heavy users.

The Capability to Hold Property

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claassen, Rutger

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the question of whether a capability theory of justice (such as that of Martha Nussbaum) should accept a basic “capability to hold property.” Answering this question is vital for bridging the gap between abstract capability theories of justice and their institutional

Genetic transfer in Desulfovibrio desulfuricans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapp, B.J.; Wall, J.D.

1987-01-01

An apparently defective bacteriophage capable of mediating transduction has been identified in culture filtrates of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (American Type Culture Collection 27774). Phage-mediated intraspecies transfer of antibiotic resistance markers occurs with a frequency of 10 -4 to 10 -6 per recipient cell. The vector contains linear fragments of double-strained DNA of about 13.5 kilobase pairs, which appear to be random pieces of bacterial DNA. As yet, neither induction nor plaque formation has been observed. To the authors' knowledge, a system of genetic exchange has not been described before for a member of the sulfate-reducing bacteria

Microsatellite variability in the entomopathogenic fungus Paeciolomyces fumosoroseus: genetic diversity and population structure

Science.gov (United States)

The hyphomycete Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Pfr) is a geographically widespread fungus capable of infecting various insect hosts. The fungus has been used for the biological control of several important insect pests of agriculture. However knowledge of the fungus’ genetic diversity and population str...

Conceptualizing innovation capabilities: A contingency perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tor Helge Aas

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Empirical research has confirmed that a positive relationship exists between the implementation of innovation activities and the future performance of organizations. Firms utilize resources and capabilities to develop innovations in the form of new products, services or processes. Some firms prove to be better at reproducing innovation success than others, and the capacity to do so is referred to as innovation capability. However, the term innovation capability is ambiguously treated in extant literature. There are several different definitions of the concept and the distinction between innovation capabilities and other types of capabilities, such as dynamic capabilities, is neither explicitly stated, nor is the relationship between the concept and other resource- and capability-based concepts within strategy theory established. Although innovation is increasingly identified as crucial for a firm’s sustainable competitiveness in contemporary volatile and complex markets, the strategy-innovation link is underdeveloped in extant research. To overcome this challenge this paper raises the following research question: What type of innovation capabilities are required to innovate successfully? Due to the status of the extant research, we chose a conceptual research design to answer our research question and the paper contributes with a conceptual framework to discuss what innovation capabilities firms need to reproduce innovation success. Based on careful examination of current literature on innovation capability specifically, and the strategy-innovation link in general, we suggest that innovation capability must be viewed along two dimensions – innovation novelty and market characteristics. This framework enables the identification of four different contexts for innovation capabilities in a two-bytwo matrix. We discuss the types of innovation capabilities necessary within the four different contexts. This novel framework contributes to the

Identifying novel genes for atherosclerosis through mouse-human comparative genetics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, XS; Ishimori, N; Korstanje, R; Rollins, J; Paigen, B

Susceptibility to atherosclerosis is determined by both environmental and genetic factors. Its genetic determinants have been studied by use of quantitative- trait - locus ( QTL) analysis. So far, 21 atherosclerosis QTLs have been identified in the mouse: 7 in a high- fat - diet model only, 9 in a

The genetic covariance between life cycle stages separated by metamorphosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguirre, J David; Blows, Mark W; Marshall, Dustin J

2014-08-07

Metamorphosis is common in animals, yet the genetic associations between life cycle stages are poorly understood. Given the radical changes that occur at metamorphosis, selection may differ before and after metamorphosis, and the extent that genetic associations between pre- and post-metamorphic traits constrain evolutionary change is a subject of considerable interest. In some instances, metamorphosis may allow the genetic decoupling of life cycle stages, whereas in others, metamorphosis could allow complementary responses to selection across the life cycle. Using a diallel breeding design, we measured viability at four ontogenetic stages (embryo, larval, juvenile and adult viability), in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis and examined the orientation of additive genetic variation with respect to the metamorphic boundary. We found support for one eigenvector of G: (gobsmax ), which contrasted larval viability against embryo viability and juvenile viability. Target matrix rotation confirmed that while gobsmax shows genetic associations can extend beyond metamorphosis, there is still considerable scope for decoupled phenotypic evolution. Therefore, although genetic associations across metamorphosis could limit that range of phenotypes that are attainable, traits on either side of the metamorphic boundary are capable of some independent evolutionary change in response to the divergent conditions encountered during each life cycle stage. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Artificial intelligence for Space Station automation: Crew safety, productivity, autonomy, augmented capability

Science.gov (United States)

Firschein, O.; Georgeff, M. P.; Park, W.; Cheeseman, P. C.; Geldberg, J.

1986-01-01

Artificial intelligence (AI) R&D projects for the successful and efficient operation of the Space Station are described. The book explores the most advanced AI-based technologies, reviews the results of concept design studies to determine required AI capabilities, details demonstrations that would indicate the existence of these capabilities, and develops an R&D plan leading to such demonstrations. Particular attention is given to teleoperation and robotics, sensors, expert systems, computers, planning, and man-machine interface.

Non-genetic factors affecting growth performance and carcass ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bekezela

There is a paucity of information on non-genetic ... herds. These data were obtained from the Integrated Recording and Genetic Information Systems .... performance is determined by muscle fibre characteristics (Larzul et al., 1997), which are ...

Developing Collaborative Product Development Capabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahnke, Volker; Tran, Yen

2012-01-01

innovation strategies’. Our analyses suggest that developing such collaboration capabilities benefits from the search for complementary practices, the combination of learning styles, and the development of weak and strong ties. Results also underscore the crucial importance of co-evolution of multi......Collaborative product development capabilities support a company’s product innovation activities. In the context of the fast fashion sector, this paper examines the development of the product development capabilities (PDC) that align product development capabilities in a dual innovation context......, one, slow paced, where the firm is well established and the other, fast paced, which represents a new competitive arena in which the company competes. To understand the process associated with collaborative capability development, we studied three Scandinavian fashion companies pursuing ‘dual...

The genetic effects of radio-activity in man and other organisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parry, J.M.

1979-01-01

The changes that occur in the chromosomal information and which give rise to observable genetic effects stem from the induction by radiation of a number of lesions within the DNA. The relative frequencies of single and double strand breaks induced in DNA is dependent upon the type of radiation exposure given. Radiation sensitivity of a variety of different species of bacteria irradiated with gamma rays in air are given. The effect of dose rate upon radiation induced genetic damage indicates that at low dose rates the cells are capable of handling or repairing a higher proportion of the radiation induced DNA lesions before they undergo the events leading to chromosome and chromatid aberration. The radiation quality, expressed in terms of LET (linear energy transfer) also influence the induction of genetic damage. (U.K.)

THEORY OF REASONED ACTION FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CAPABILITIES: A BEHAVIORAL APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janaina Siegler

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The importance of interaction between Operations Management (OM and Human Behavior has been recently re-addressed. This paper introduced the Reasoned Action Theory suggested by Froehle and Roth (2004 to analyze Operational Capabilities exploring the suitability of this model in the context of OM. It also seeks to discuss the behavioral aspects of operational capabilities from the perspective of organizational routines. This theory was operationalized using Fishbein and Ajzen (F/A behavioral model and a multi-case strategy was employed to analyze the Continuous Improvement (CI capability. The results posit that the model explains partially the CI behavior in an operational context and some contingency variables might influence the general relationsamong the variables involved in the F/A model. Thus intention might not be the determinant variable of behavior in this context.

Genetic risks from radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, P.B.

Two widely-recognized committees, UNSCEAR and BEIR, have reevaluated their estimates of genetic risks from radiation. Their estimates for gene mutations are based on two different approaches, one being the doubling-dose approach and the other being a new direct approach based on an empirical determination of the amount of dominant induced damage in the skeletons of mice in the first generation following irradiation. The estimates made by these committees are in reasonably good agreement and suggest that the genetic risks from present exposures resultng from nuclear power production are small. There is room for much improvement in the reliability of the risk estimates. The relatively new approach of measuring the amount of induced damage to the mouse skeleton shows great promise of improving knowledge about how changes in the mutation frequency affect the incidence of genetic disorders. Such findings may have considerable influence on genetic risk estimates for radiation and on the development of risk estimates for other less-well-understood environmental mutagens. (author)

A novel structure-aware sparse learning algorithm for brain imaging genetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Lei; Jingwen, Yan; Kim, Sungeun; Risacher, Shannon L; Huang, Heng; Inlow, Mark; Moore, Jason H; Saykin, Andrew J; Shen, Li

2014-01-01

Brain imaging genetics is an emergent research field where the association between genetic variations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and neuroimaging quantitative traits (QTs) is evaluated. Sparse canonical correlation analysis (SCCA) is a bi-multivariate analysis method that has the potential to reveal complex multi-SNP-multi-QT associations. Most existing SCCA algorithms are designed using the soft threshold strategy, which assumes that the features in the data are independent from each other. This independence assumption usually does not hold in imaging genetic data, and thus inevitably limits the capability of yielding optimal solutions. We propose a novel structure-aware SCCA (denoted as S2CCA) algorithm to not only eliminate the independence assumption for the input data, but also incorporate group-like structure in the model. Empirical comparison with a widely used SCCA implementation, on both simulated and real imaging genetic data, demonstrated that S2CCA could yield improved prediction performance and biologically meaningful findings.

Dynamic Capabilities and Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilden, Ralf; Gudergan, Siegfried P.; Nielsen, Bo Bernhard

2013-01-01

are contingent on the competitive intensity faced by firms. Our findings demonstrate the performance effects of internal alignment between organizational structure and dynamic capabilities, as well as the external fit of dynamic capabilities with competitive intensity. We outline the advantages of PLS...

A orientação homossexual e as investigações acerca da existência de componentes biológicos e genéticos determinantes; The homosexual orientation and investigations about the existence of components biological and genetics determinants

OpenAIRE

Alves, Everton Fernando; Tsuneto, Luiza Tamie

2013-01-01

The male and female homosexual orientation has substantial prevalence in humans and can be explained by determinants of various levels: biological, genetic, psychological, social and cultural. However, the biological and genetic evidence have been the main hypotheses tested in scientific research in the world. This article aims to review research studies about the existence of genetic and biological evidence that determine homosexual orientation. Was conducted a review of ...

Determination of edge plasma parameters by a genetic algorithm analysis of spectral line shapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marandet, Y.; Genesio, P.; Godbert-Mouret, L.; Koubiti, M.; Stamm, R. [Universite de Provence (PIIM), Centre de Saint-Jerome, 13 - Marseille (France); Capes, H.; Guirlet, R. [Association Euratom-CEA Cadarache, 13 - Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France). Dept. de Recherches sur la Fusion Controlee

2003-07-01

Comparing an experimental and a theoretical line shape can be achieved by a genetic algorithm (GA) based on an analogy to the mechanisms of natural selection. Such an algorithm is able to deal with complex non-linear models, and can avoid local minima. We have used this optimization tool in the context of edge plasma spectroscopy, for a determination of the temperatures and fractions of the various populations of neutral deuterium emitting the D{sub {alpha}} line in 2 configurations of Tore-Supra: ergodic divertor and toroidal pumped limiter. Using the GA fit, the neutral emitters are separated into up to 4 populations which can be identified as resulting from molecular dissociation reactions, charge exchange, or reflection. In all the edge plasmas studied, a significant fraction of neutrals emit in the line wings, leading to neutrals with a temperature up to a few hundreds eV if a Gaussian line shape is assumed. This conclusion could be modified if the line wing exhibits a non Gaussian behavior.

Determination of edge plasma parameters by a genetic algorithm analysis of spectral line shapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marandet, Y.; Genesio, P.; Godbert-Mouret, L.; Koubiti, M.; Stamm, R.; Capes, H.; Guirlet, R.

2003-01-01

Comparing an experimental and a theoretical line shape can be achieved by a genetic algorithm (GA) based on an analogy to the mechanisms of natural selection. Such an algorithm is able to deal with complex non-linear models, and can avoid local minima. We have used this optimization tool in the context of edge plasma spectroscopy, for a determination of the temperatures and fractions of the various populations of neutral deuterium emitting the D α line in 2 configurations of Tore-Supra: ergodic divertor and toroidal pumped limiter. Using the GA fit, the neutral emitters are separated into up to 4 populations which can be identified as resulting from molecular dissociation reactions, charge exchange, or reflection. In all the edge plasmas studied, a significant fraction of neutrals emit in the line wings, leading to neutrals with a temperature up to a few hundreds eV if a Gaussian line shape is assumed. This conclusion could be modified if the line wing exhibits a non Gaussian behavior

A Hybrid Neural Network-Genetic Algorithm Technique for Aircraft Engine Performance Diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Takahisa; Simon, Donald L.

2001-01-01

In this paper, a model-based diagnostic method, which utilizes Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms, is investigated. Neural networks are applied to estimate the engine internal health, and Genetic Algorithms are applied for sensor bias detection and estimation. This hybrid approach takes advantage of the nonlinear estimation capability provided by neural networks while improving the robustness to measurement uncertainty through the application of Genetic Algorithms. The hybrid diagnostic technique also has the ability to rank multiple potential solutions for a given set of anomalous sensor measurements in order to reduce false alarms and missed detections. The performance of the hybrid diagnostic technique is evaluated through some case studies derived from a turbofan engine simulation. The results show this approach is promising for reliable diagnostics of aircraft engines.

Genetics of ischemic stroke: future clinical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Michael M

2006-11-01

Ischemic stroke has long been thought to have a genetic component that is independent of conventional vascular risk factors. It has been estimated that over one half of stroke risk is determined by inherited genes. However, until recently, strong evidence of genetic influence on ischemic stroke has been subject to criticism because the risk factors for stroke are also inherited and because previous studies suffered from limitations imposed by this highly heterogeneous neurological disorder. Recent advances in molecular genetics have led to the identification of specific genetic loci that impart susceptibility to ischemic stroke. We review the studies of these genes and discuss the future potential applications of genetic markers on the management of ischemic stroke patients.

Marketing Capability in Strategy Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ritter, Thomas; Distel, Andreas Philipp

Following the call for a demand-side perspective of strategic management (e.g., Priem et al., 2012), a firm’s marketing capability, i.e. its ability to interact with down-stream stakeholders, becomes a pivotal element in explaining a firm’s competitiveness. While marketing capability is recognized...... in the strategic management literature as an important driver of firm performance, our review of 86 articles reveals a lack of a generally accepted definition of marketing capability, a lack of a common conceptualization as well as differences in the measurement of marketing capability. In order to build a common...... ground for advancing marketing capability research and thus supporting the demand-side perspective in strategic management, we develop an integrative framework to explain the differences and propose a research agenda for developing the field....

Genetic effects of low-level irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, P.B.

1980-01-01

Recent estimates of the genetic effects of radiation by two widely recognized committees (BEIR III and UNSCEAR 1977) are based to a large extent on data collected in mice using either the specific-locus method or the approach of empirically determining the nature and extent of radiation-induced genetic damage to the skeleton. Both committees made use of doubling-dose and direct methods of estimating genetic hazard. Their estimates can be applied to assessments of risk resulting from medical irradiation in terms both of risk to the population at large and to the individual

Quantitative determination of casein genetic variants in goat milk: Application in Girgentana dairy goat breed.

Science.gov (United States)

Montalbano, Maria; Segreto, Roberta; Di Gerlando, Rosalia; Mastrangelo, Salvatore; Sardina, Maria Teresa

2016-02-01

The study was conducted to develop a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method to quantify casein genetic variants (αs2-, β-, and κ-casein) in milk of homozygous individuals of Girgentana goat breed. For calibration experiments, pure genetic variants were extracted from individual milk samples of animals with known genotypes. The described HPLC approach was precise, accurate and highly suitable for quantification of goat casein genetic variants of homozygous individuals. The amount of each casein per allele was: αs2-casein A = 2.9 ± 0.8 g/L and F = 1.8 ± 0.4 g/L; β-casein C = 3.0 ± 0.8 g/L and C1 = 2.0 ± 0.7 g/L and κ-casein A = 1.6 ± 0.3 g/L and B = 1.1 ± 0.2 g/L. A good correlation was found between the quantities of αs2-casein genetic variants A and F, and β-casein C and C1 with other previously described method. The main important result was obtained for κ-casein because, till now, no data were available on quantification of single genetic variants for this protein. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Demographic histories, isolation and social factors as determinants of the genetic structure of Alpine linguistic groups.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Coia

Full Text Available Great European mountain ranges have acted as barriers to gene flow for resident populations since prehistory and have offered a place for the settlement of small, and sometimes culturally diverse, communities. Therefore, the human groups that have settled in these areas are worth exploring as an important potential source of diversity in the genetic structure of European populations. In this study, we present new high resolution data concerning Y chromosomal variation in three distinct Alpine ethno-linguistic groups, Italian, Ladin and German. Combining unpublished and literature data on Y chromosome and mitochondrial variation, we were able to detect different genetic patterns. In fact, within and among population diversity values observed vary across linguistic groups, with German and Italian speakers at the two extremes, and seem to reflect their different demographic histories. Using simulations we inferred that the joint effect of continued genetic isolation and reduced founding group size may explain the apportionment of genetic diversity observed in all groups. Extending the analysis to other continental populations, we observed that the genetic differentiation of Ladins and German speakers from Europeans is comparable or even greater to that observed for well known outliers like Sardinian and Basques. Finally, we found that in south Tyroleans, the social practice of Geschlossener Hof, a hereditary norm which might have favored male dispersal, coincides with a significant intra-group diversity for mtDNA but not for Y chromosome, a genetic pattern which is opposite to those expected among patrilocal populations. Together with previous evidence regarding the possible effects of "local ethnicity" on the genetic structure of German speakers that have settled in the eastern Italian Alps, this finding suggests that taking socio-cultural factors into account together with geographical variables and linguistic diversity may help unveil some yet

Demographic histories, isolation and social factors as determinants of the genetic structure of Alpine linguistic groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Coia, Valentina; Capocasa, Marco; Anagnostou, Paolo; Pascali, Vincenzo; Scarnicci, Francesca; Boschi, Ilaria; Battaggia, Cinzia; Crivellaro, Federica; Ferri, Gianmarco; Alù, Milena; Brisighelli, Francesca; Busby, George B J; Capelli, Cristian; Maixner, Frank; Cipollini, Giovanna; Viazzo, Pier Paolo; Zink, Albert; Destro Bisol, Giovanni

2013-01-01

Great European mountain ranges have acted as barriers to gene flow for resident populations since prehistory and have offered a place for the settlement of small, and sometimes culturally diverse, communities. Therefore, the human groups that have settled in these areas are worth exploring as an important potential source of diversity in the genetic structure of European populations. In this study, we present new high resolution data concerning Y chromosomal variation in three distinct Alpine ethno-linguistic groups, Italian, Ladin and German. Combining unpublished and literature data on Y chromosome and mitochondrial variation, we were able to detect different genetic patterns. In fact, within and among population diversity values observed vary across linguistic groups, with German and Italian speakers at the two extremes, and seem to reflect their different demographic histories. Using simulations we inferred that the joint effect of continued genetic isolation and reduced founding group size may explain the apportionment of genetic diversity observed in all groups. Extending the analysis to other continental populations, we observed that the genetic differentiation of Ladins and German speakers from Europeans is comparable or even greater to that observed for well known outliers like Sardinian and Basques. Finally, we found that in south Tyroleans, the social practice of Geschlossener Hof, a hereditary norm which might have favored male dispersal, coincides with a significant intra-group diversity for mtDNA but not for Y chromosome, a genetic pattern which is opposite to those expected among patrilocal populations. Together with previous evidence regarding the possible effects of "local ethnicity" on the genetic structure of German speakers that have settled in the eastern Italian Alps, this finding suggests that taking socio-cultural factors into account together with geographical variables and linguistic diversity may help unveil some yet to be understood

Optimal Allocation of Power-Electronic Interfaced Wind Turbines Using a Genetic Algorithm - Monte Carlo Hybrid Optimization Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Peiyuan; Siano, Pierluigi; Chen, Zhe

2010-01-01

determined by the wind resource and geographic conditions, the location of wind turbines in a power system network may significantly affect the distribution of power flow, power losses, etc. Furthermore, modern WTs with power-electronic interface have the capability of controlling reactive power output...... limit requirements. The method combines the Genetic Algorithm (GA), gradient-based constrained nonlinear optimization algorithm and sequential Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The GA searches for the optimal locations and capacities of WTs. The gradient-based optimization finds the optimal power factor...... setting of WTs. The sequential MCS takes into account the stochastic behaviour of wind power generation and load. The proposed hybrid optimization method is demonstrated on an 11 kV 69-bus distribution system....

The Impact of IT Capability on Employee Capability, Customer Value, Customer Satisfaction, and Business Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Ho-Chang

2009-01-01

This study empirically examines the impact of IT capability on firms' performance and evaluates whether firms' IT capabilities play a role in improving employee capability, customer value, customer satisfaction, and ultimately business performance. The results were based on comparing the business performance of the IT leader companies with that of…

Improving Roadside Unit Deployment in Vehicular Networks by Exploiting Genetic Algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Fogue

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Vehicular networks make use of the Roadside Units (RSUs to enhance the communication capabilities of the vehicles in order to forward control messages and/or to provide Internet access to vehicles, drivers and passengers. Unfortunately, within vehicular networks, the wireless signal propagation is mostly affected by buildings and other obstacles (e.g., urban fixtures, in particular when considering the IEEE 802.11p standard. Therefore, a crowded RSU deployment may be required to ensure vehicular communications within urban environments. Furthermore, some applications, notably those applications related to safety, require a fast and reliable warning data transmission to the emergency services and traffic authorities. However, communication is not always possible in vehicular environments due to the lack of connectivity even employing multiple hops. To overcome the signal propagation problem and delayed warning notification time issues, an effective, smart, cost-effective and all-purpose RSU deployment policy should be put into place. In this paper, we propose the genetic algorithm for roadside unit deployment (GARSUD system, which uses a genetic algorithm that is capable of automatically providing an RSU deployment suitable for any given road map layout. Our simulation results show that GARSUD is able to reduce the warning notification time (the time required to inform emergency authorities in traffic danger situations and to improve vehicular communication capabilities within different density scenarios and complexity layouts.

The Major Genetic Determinants of HIV-1 Control Affect HLA Class I Peptide Presentation

OpenAIRE

Pereyra, Florencia; Jia, Xiaoming; McLaren, Paul J.; Telenti, Amalio; de Bakker, Paul I.W.; Walker, Bruce D.; Jia, Xiaoming; McLaren, Paul J.; Ripke, Stephan; Brumme, Chanson J.; Pulit, Sara L.; Telenti, Amalio; Carrington, Mary; Kadie, Carl M.; Carlson, Jonathan M.

2010-01-01

Infectious and inflammatory diseases have repeatedly shown strong genetic associations within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); however, the basis for these associations remains elusive. To define host genetic effects on the outcome of a chronic viral infection, we performed genome-wide association analysis in a multiethnic cohort of HIV-1 controllers and progressors, and we analyzed the effects of individual amino acids within the classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins. W...

Amartya Sen's Capability Approach and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Melanie

2005-01-01

The human capabilities approach developed by the economist Amartya Sen links development, quality of life and freedom. This article explores the key ideas in the capability approach of: capability, functioning, agency, human diversity and public participation in generating valued capabilities. It then considers how these ideas relate specifically…

[Sporulation or competence development? A genetic regulatory network model of cell-fate determination in Bacillus subtilis].

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zhenghui; Zhou, Yuling; Zhang, Xiaozhou; Zhang, Guimin

2015-11-01

Bacillus subtilis is a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) strain that has been widely used in industries including fodder, food, and biological control. In addition, B. subtilis expression system also plays a significant role in the production of industrial enzymes. However, its application is limited by its low sporulation frequency and transformation efficiency. Immense studies have been done on interpreting the molecular mechanisms of sporulation and competence development, whereas only few of them were focused on improving sporulation frequency and transformation efficiency of B. subtilis by genetic modification. The main challenge is that sporulation and competence development, as the two major developmental events in the stationary phase of B. subtilis, are regulated by the complicated intracellular genetic regulatory systems. In addition, mutual regulatory mechanisms also exist in these two developmental events. With the development of genetic and metabolic engineering, constructing genetic regulatory networks is currently one of the most attractive research fields, together with the genetic information of cell growth, metabolism, and development, to guide the industrial application. In this review, the mechanisms of sporulation and competence development of B. subtilis, their interactions, and the genetic regulation of cell growth were interpreted. In addition, the roles of these regulatory networks in guiding basic and applied research of B. subtilis and its related species were discussed.

Capabilities for innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Peter; Nielsen, Rene Nesgaard; Bamberger, Simon Grandjean

2012-01-01

is a survey that collected information from 601 firms belonging to the private urban sector in Denmark. The survey was carried out in late 2010. Keywords: dynamic capabilities/innovation/globalization/employee/employer cooperation/Nordic model Acknowledgment: The GOPA study was financed by grant 20080053113......Technological developments combined with increasing levels of competition related to the ongoing globalization imply that firms find themselves in dynamic, changing environments that call for dynamic capabilities. This challenges the internal human and organizational resources of firms in general...

Genetic Determinants for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Related Metabolic Traits in Mexican Women

Science.gov (United States)

Huerta-Chagoya, Alicia; Vázquez-Cárdenas, Paola; Moreno-Macías, Hortensia; Tapia-Maruri, Leonardo; Rodríguez-Guillén, Rosario; López-Vite, Erika; García-Escalante, Guadalupe; Escobedo-Aguirre, Fernando; Parra-Covarrubias, Adalberto; Cordero-Brieño, Roberto; Manzo-Carrillo, Lizette; Zacarías-Castillo, Rogelio; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos; Tusié-Luna, Teresa

2015-01-01

Epidemiological and physiological similarities among Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) suggest that both diseases, share a common genetic background. T2D risk variants have been associated to GDM susceptibility. However, the genetic architecture of GDM is not yet completely understood. We analyzed 176 SNPs for 115 loci previously associated to T2D, GDM and body mass index (BMI), as well as a set of 118 Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs), in 750 pregnant Mexican women. Association with GDM was found for two of the most frequently replicated T2D loci: a TCF7L2 haplotype (CTTC: rs7901695, rs4506565, rs7903146, rs12243326; P=2.16x10-06; OR=2.95) and a KCNQ1 haplotype (TTT: rs2237892, rs163184, rs2237897; P=1.98x10-05; OR=0.55). In addition, we found two loci associated to glycemic traits: CENTD2 (60’ OGTT glycemia: rs1552224, P=0.03727) and MTNR1B (HOMA B: rs1387153, P=0.05358). Remarkably, a major susceptibility SLC16A11 locus for T2D in Mexicans was not shown to play a role in GDM risk. The fact that two of the main T2D associated loci also contribute to the risk of developing GDM in Mexicans, confirm that both diseases share a common genetic background. However, lack of association with a Native American contribution T2D risk haplotype, SLC16A11, suggests that other genetic mechanisms may be in play for GDM. PMID:25973943

Genetic determinants for gestational diabetes mellitus and related metabolic traits in Mexican women.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alicia Huerta-Chagoya

Full Text Available Epidemiological and physiological similarities among Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D suggest that both diseases, share a common genetic background. T2D risk variants have been associated to GDM susceptibility. However, the genetic architecture of GDM is not yet completely understood. We analyzed 176 SNPs for 115 loci previously associated to T2D, GDM and body mass index (BMI, as well as a set of 118 Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs, in 750 pregnant Mexican women. Association with GDM was found for two of the most frequently replicated T2D loci: a TCF7L2 haplotype (CTTC: rs7901695, rs4506565, rs7903146, rs12243326; P=2.16 x 10(-06; OR=2.95 and a KCNQ1 haplotype (TTT: rs2237892, rs163184, rs2237897; P=1.98 x 10(-05; OR=0.55. In addition, we found two loci associated to glycemic traits: CENTD2 (60' OGTT glycemia: rs1552224, P=0.03727 and MTNR1B (HOMA B: rs1387153, P=0.05358. Remarkably, a major susceptibility SLC16A11 locus for T2D in Mexicans was not shown to play a role in GDM risk. The fact that two of the main T2D associated loci also contribute to the risk of developing GDM in Mexicans, confirm that both diseases share a common genetic background. However, lack of association with a Native American contribution T2D risk haplotype, SLC16A11, suggests that other genetic mechanisms may be in play for GDM.

Behavioral genetics in Polish print news media between 2000 and 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Domaradzki, Jan

2016-12-23

The aim of this paper is to describe how Polish print news media frame relations between genetics and human behaviors and what images of behavioral genetics dominate in press discourse. A content and frame analysis of 72 print news articles about behavioral genetics published between 2000 and 2014 in four major Polish weekly magazines: "Polityka", "Wprost", "Newsweek" and "Przekrój" was conducted. Twenty one different behaviors were mentioned in the sample and six major analytic frames were identified: essentialist, materialistic, deterministic, probabilistic, optimistic and pessimistic. The most common was the tendency to describe human behaviors in terms of genetic essentialism, reductionism and determinism, as almost one half of the articles was focused solely on genetic determinants of human behaviors and lacked any reference to polygenetic and/or environmental conditioning. Although most of the articles were balanced in tone, benefits were stressed more often than potential risks. Stories that confirmed existence of genetic determinants of human behavior were favored over those that did not. One third of the articles stressed the social or ethical consequences of the development of behavioral genetics. The complex and abstract character of genetic knowledge results in a simplistic portrayal of behavioral genetics in the press, which may lead to a misunderstood interpretation of the complicated interplay between behavior, genetics and environment by the public. Consequently, print news media contribute to geneticization of behaviors. It is important to improve the quality of science reporting on behavioral genetics and to educate researchers how to communicate with the media more effectively.

Physical and cognitive capability in mid-adulthood as determinants of retirement and extended working life in a British cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Stafford, Mai; Cooper, Rachel; Cadar, Dorina; Carr, Ewan; Murray, Emily; Richards, Marcus; Stansfeld, Stephen; Zaninotto, Paola; Head, Jenny; Kuh, Diana

2017-01-01

Objective Policy in many industrialized countries increasingly emphasizes extended working life. We examined associations between physical and cognitive capability in mid-adulthood and work in late adulthood. Methods Using self-reported physical limitations and performance-based physical and cognitive capability at age 53, assessed by trained nurses from the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development, we examined prospective associations with extended working (captured by age at and reason for retirement from main occupation, bridge employment in paid work after retirement from the main occupation, and voluntary work participation) up to age 68 among >2000 men and women. Results Number of reported physical limitations at age 53 was associated with higher likelihood of retiring for negative reasons and lower likelihood of participating in bridge employment, adjusted for occupational class, education, partner's employment, work disability at age 53, and gender. Better performance on physical and cognitive tests was associated with greater likelihood of participating in bridge or voluntary work. Cognitive capability in the top 10% compared with the middle 80% of the distribution was associated with an odds ratio of bridge employment of 1.71 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.21-2.42]. Conclusions The possibility for an extending working life is less likely to be realized by those with poorer midlife physical or cognitive capability, independently of education, and social class. Interventions to promote capability, starting in mid-adulthood or earlier, could have long-term consequences for extending working.

[Algorithm of toxigenic genetically altered Vibrio cholerae El Tor biovar strain identification].

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnova, N I; Agafonov, D A; Zadnova, S P; Cherkasov, A V; Kutyrev, V V

2014-01-01

Development of an algorithm of genetically altered Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor strai identification that ensures determination of serogroup, serovar and biovar of the studied isolate based on pheno- and genotypic properties, detection of genetically altered cholera El Tor causative agents, their differentiation by epidemic potential as well as evaluation of variability of key pathogenicity genes. Complex analysis of 28 natural V. cholerae strains was carried out by using traditional microbiological methods, PCR and fragmentary sequencing. An algorithm of toxigenic genetically altered V. cholerae biovar El Tor strain identification was developed that includes 4 stages: determination of serogroup, serovar and biovar based on phenotypic properties, confirmation of serogroup and biovar based on molecular-genetic properties determination of strains as genetically altered, differentiation of genetically altered strains by their epidemic potential and detection of ctxB and tcpA key pathogenicity gene polymorphism. The algorithm is based on the use of traditional microbiological methods, PCR and sequencing of gene fragments. The use of the developed algorithm will increase the effectiveness of detection of genetically altered variants of the cholera El Tor causative agent, their differentiation by epidemic potential and will ensure establishment of polymorphism of genes that code key pathogenicity factors for determination of origins of the strains and possible routes of introduction of the infection.

Genetic variations and evolutionary relationships among radishes ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

vera 1

To determine the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among red radishes, 37 accessions ... determined that plant height, fresh leaf weight, and root ... Flower-shaped. Red .... according to Levan's karyotype classification standards.

76 FR 80869 - Monsanto Co.; Determination of Nonregulated Status of Corn Genetically Engineered for Drought...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-27

... and products altered or produced through genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is... in 7 CFR part 340, ``Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests or Which There Is Reason to Believe Are Plant Pests,'' regulate, among other...

A haploid genetic screen identifies the G1/S regulatory machinery as a determinant of Wee1 inhibitor sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Heijink, Anne Margriet; Blomen, Vincent A; Bisteau, Xavier; Degener, Fabian; Matsushita, Felipe Yu; Kaldis, Philipp; Foijer, Floris; van Vugt, Marcel A T M

2015-12-08

The Wee1 cell cycle checkpoint kinase prevents premature mitotic entry by inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinases. Chemical inhibitors of Wee1 are currently being tested clinically as targeted anticancer drugs. Wee1 inhibition is thought to be preferentially cytotoxic in p53-defective cancer cells. However, TP53 mutant cancers do not respond consistently to Wee1 inhibitor treatment, indicating the existence of genetic determinants of Wee1 inhibitor sensitivity other than TP53 status. To optimally facilitate patient selection for Wee1 inhibition and uncover potential resistance mechanisms, identification of these currently unknown genes is necessary. The aim of this study was therefore to identify gene mutations that determine Wee1 inhibitor sensitivity. We performed a genome-wide unbiased functional genetic screen in TP53 mutant near-haploid KBM-7 cells using gene-trap insertional mutagenesis. Insertion site mapping of cells that survived long-term Wee1 inhibition revealed enrichment of G1/S regulatory genes, including SKP2, CUL1, and CDK2. Stable depletion of SKP2, CUL1, or CDK2 or chemical Cdk2 inhibition rescued the γ-H2AX induction and abrogation of G2 phase as induced by Wee1 inhibition in breast and ovarian cancer cell lines. Remarkably, live cell imaging showed that depletion of SKP2, CUL1, or CDK2 did not rescue the Wee1 inhibition-induced karyokinesis and cytokinesis defects. These data indicate that the activity of the DNA replication machinery, beyond TP53 mutation status, determines Wee1 inhibitor sensitivity, and could serve as a selection criterion for Wee1-inhibitor eligible patients. Conversely, loss of the identified S-phase genes could serve as a mechanism of acquired resistance, which goes along with development of severe genomic instability.

Journal of Genetics | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Quasar Saleem Padiath B. Jagadeeshwara Rao · More Details Fulltext PDF. pp 121-123 Commentary on J. Genet. Classic. Sex determining signal in Drosophila melanogaster · Anuranjan Anand · More Details Fulltext PDF. pp 125-162 J. Genet. Classic. The Distribution of Sex-Factors in the X-Chromosome of Drosophila ...

Telematics Options and Capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodge, Cabell [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-05

This presentation describes the data tracking and analytical capabilities of telematics devices. Federal fleet managers can use the systems to keep their drivers safe, maintain a fuel efficient fleet, ease their reporting burden, and save money. The presentation includes an example of how much these capabilities can save fleets.

Capability Handbook- offline metrology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Islam, Aminul; Marhöfer, David Maximilian; Tosello, Guido

This offline metrological capability handbook has been made in relation to HiMicro Task 3.3. The purpose of this document is to assess the metrological capability of the HiMicro partners and to gather the information of all available metrological instruments in the one single document. It provides...

Genetic, clinical and pharmacological determinants of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blom, M T; van Hoeijen, D A; Bardai, A

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major public health problem. Recognising the complexity of the underlying causes of OHCA in the community, we aimed to establish the clinical, pharmacological, environmental and genetic factors and their interactions that may cause OHCA. ME......-reviewed journals and presented at relevant scientific symposia....

Consumer preferences relative to the price and network capability of small urban vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burns, L.D.

1979-09-01

Preferences of consumers for small urban vehicle concepts differing only with respect to their hypothetical purchase prices and network capabilities (i.e., whether they are capable of operating on expressways, major arterials, or local streets) are analyzed using statistical techniques based on psychological scaling theories. Results from these analyses indicate that a vast majority of consumers are not readily willing to give up the accessibility provided by conventional automobiles. More specifically, over the range of hypothetical prices considered here, network capability dominates as a determinant of preferences for vehicle concepts. Also, the ability to operate vehicles on expressways is of utmost importance to consumers.

Complete genome sequence of hypervirulent and outbreak-associated Acinetobacter baumannii strain LAC-4: epidemiology, resistance genetic determinants and potential virulence factors

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Hong-Yu; Kuang, Shan N.; He, Xinyi; Molgora, Brenda M.; Ewing, Peter J.; Deng, Zixin; Osby, Melanie; Chen, Wangxue; Xu, H. Howard

2015-01-01

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important human pathogen due to its multi-drug resistance. In this study, the genome of an ST10 outbreak A. baumannii isolate LAC-4 was completely sequenced to better understand its epidemiology, antibiotic resistance genetic determinants and potential virulence factors. Compared with 20 other complete genomes of A. baumannii, LAC-4 genome harbors at least 12 copies of five distinct insertion sequences. It contains 12 and 14 copies of two novel IS elements, ISAba25 and ISAba26, respectively. Additionally, three novel composite transposons were identified: Tn6250, Tn6251 and Tn6252, two of which contain resistance genes. The antibiotic resistance genetic determinants on the LAC-4 genome correlate well with observed antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Moreover, twelve genomic islands (GI) were identified in LAC-4 genome. Among them, the 33.4-kb GI12 contains a large number of genes which constitute the K (capsule) locus. LAC-4 harbors several unique putative virulence factor loci. Furthermore, LAC-4 and all 19 other outbreak isolates were found to harbor a heme oxygenase gene (hemO)-containing gene cluster. The sequencing of the first complete genome of an ST10 A. baumannii clinical strain should accelerate our understanding of the epidemiology, mechanisms of resistance and virulence of A. baumannii. PMID:25728466

Graphical Visualization of Human Exploration Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Erica M.; Williams-Byrd, Julie; Arney, Dale C.; Simon, Matthew A.; Williams, Phillip A.; Barsoum, Christopher; Cowan, Tyler; Larman, Kevin T.; Hay, Jason; Burg, Alex

2016-01-01

NASA's pioneering space strategy will require advanced capabilities to expand the boundaries of human exploration on the Journey to Mars (J2M). The Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) architecture serves as a framework to identify critical capabilities that need to be developed and tested in order to enable a range of human exploration destinations and missions. Agency-wide System Maturation Teams (SMT) are responsible for the maturation of these critical exploration capabilities and help formulate, guide and resolve performance gaps associated with the EMC-identified capabilities. Systems Capability Organization Reporting Engine boards (SCOREboards) were developed to integrate the SMT data sets into cohesive human exploration capability stories that can be used to promote dialog and communicate NASA's exploration investments. Each SCOREboard provides a graphical visualization of SMT capability development needs that enable exploration missions, and presents a comprehensive overview of data that outlines a roadmap of system maturation needs critical for the J2M. SCOREboards are generated by a computer program that extracts data from a main repository, sorts the data based on a tiered data reduction structure, and then plots the data according to specified user inputs. The ability to sort and plot varying data categories provides the flexibility to present specific SCOREboard capability roadmaps based on customer requests. This paper presents the development of the SCOREboard computer program and shows multiple complementary, yet different datasets through a unified format designed to facilitate comparison between datasets. Example SCOREboard capability roadmaps are presented followed by a discussion of how the roadmaps are used to: 1) communicate capability developments and readiness of systems for future missions, and 2) influence the definition of NASA's human exploration investment portfolio through capability-driven processes. The paper concludes with a description

The Capability Approach

OpenAIRE

Robeyns, Ingrid

2011-01-01

textabstract In its most general description, the capability approach is a flexible and multi-purpose normative framework, rather than a precise theory of well-being, freedom or justice. At its core are two normative claims: first, the claim that the freedom to achieve well-being is of primary moral importance, and second, that freedom to achieve well-being is to be understood in terms of people’s capabilities, that is, their real opportunities to do and be what they have reason to value. Thi...

Sandia QIS Capabilities.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muller, Richard P. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-07-01

Sandia National Laboratories has developed a broad set of capabilities in quantum information science (QIS), including elements of quantum computing, quantum communications, and quantum sensing. The Sandia QIS program is built atop unique DOE investments at the laboratories, including the MESA microelectronics fabrication facility, the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) facilities (joint with LANL), the Ion Beam Laboratory, and ASC High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities. Sandia has invested $75 M of LDRD funding over 12 years to develop unique, differentiating capabilities that leverage these DOE infrastructure investments.

76 FR 63279 - Monsanto Co.; Determination of Nonregulated Status for Soybean Genetically Engineered for Insect...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-12

... and products altered or produced through genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is... regulations in 7 CFR part 340, ``Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are Plant Pests or Which There Is Reason to Believe Are Plant Pests,'' regulate, among other...

EpiGeNet: A Graph Database of Interdependencies Between Genetic and Epigenetic Events in Colorectal Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Balaur, Irina; Saqi, Mansoor; Barat, Ana; Lysenko, Artem; Mazein, Alexander; Rawlings, Christopher J; Ruskin, Heather J; Auffray, Charles

2017-10-01

The development of colorectal cancer (CRC)-the third most common cancer type-has been associated with deregulations of cellular mechanisms stimulated by both genetic and epigenetic events. StatEpigen is a manually curated and annotated database, containing information on interdependencies between genetic and epigenetic signals, and specialized currently for CRC research. Although StatEpigen provides a well-developed graphical user interface for information retrieval, advanced queries involving associations between multiple concepts can benefit from more detailed graph representation of the integrated data. This can be achieved by using a graph database (NoSQL) approach. Data were extracted from StatEpigen and imported to our newly developed EpiGeNet, a graph database for storage and querying of conditional relationships between molecular (genetic and epigenetic) events observed at different stages of colorectal oncogenesis. We illustrate the enhanced capability of EpiGeNet for exploration of different queries related to colorectal tumor progression; specifically, we demonstrate the query process for (i) stage-specific molecular events, (ii) most frequently observed genetic and epigenetic interdependencies in colon adenoma, and (iii) paths connecting key genes reported in CRC and associated events. The EpiGeNet framework offers improved capability for management and visualization of data on molecular events specific to CRC initiation and progression.

Genetic and environmental determinants of violence risk in psychotic disorders: a multivariate quantitative genetic study of 1.8 million Swedish twins and siblings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sariaslan, A; Larsson, H; Fazel, S

2016-09-01

Patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders (for example, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) have elevated risks of committing violent acts, particularly if they are comorbid with substance misuse. Despite recent insights from quantitative and molecular genetic studies demonstrating considerable pleiotropy in the genetic architecture of these phenotypes, there is currently a lack of large-scale studies that have specifically examined the aetiological links between psychotic disorders and violence. Using a sample of all Swedish individuals born between 1958 and 1989 (n=3 332 101), we identified a total of 923 259 twin-sibling pairs. Patients were identified using the National Patient Register using validated algorithms based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 8-10. Univariate quantitative genetic models revealed that all phenotypes (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance misuse, and violent crime) were highly heritable (h(2)=53-71%). Multivariate models further revealed that schizophrenia was a stronger predictor of violence (r=0.32; 95% confidence interval: 0.30-0.33) than bipolar disorder (r=0.23; 0.21-0.25), and large proportions (51-67%) of these phenotypic correlations were explained by genetic factors shared between each disorder, substance misuse, and violence. Importantly, we found that genetic influences that were unrelated to substance misuse explained approximately a fifth (21%; 20-22%) of the correlation with violent criminality in bipolar disorder but none of the same correlation in schizophrenia (Pbipolar disordergenetically similar phenotypes as the latter sources may include aetiologically important clues. Clinically, these findings underline the importance of assessing risk of different phenotypes together and integrating interventions for psychiatric disorders, substance misuse, and violence.

A Study on the Impact of Marketing Capability, Operations Capability, Environmental Capability and Diversification Strategy on the Performance of Hotel Industry in the UK

OpenAIRE

ZHANG, YUBO

2009-01-01

Hotel industry has been an increasingly significant service industry across the whole world. The performance measurement method is crucial for hotels’ operations. This study examines the impacts of marketing capability, operations capability, environmental capability and diversification strategy on the business performance of hotel industry in the UK. Based on the financial archival data in the database and information obtained in the firm websites from 2004 to 2007, the investigation is carr...

Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Otitis Media in an Indigenous Filipino Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos-Cortez, Regie Lyn P; Reyes-Quintos, Ma Rina T; Tantoco, Ma Leah C; Abbe, Izoduwa; Llanes, Erasmo Gonzalo D V; Ajami, Nadim J; Hutchinson, Diane S; Petrosino, Joseph F; Padilla, Carmencita D; Villarta, Romeo L; Gloria-Cruz, Teresa Luisa; Chan, Abner L; Cutiongco-de la Paz, Eva Maria; Chiong, Charlotte M; Leal, Suzanne M; Abes, Generoso T

2016-11-01

To identify genetic and environmental risk factors for otitis media in an indigenous Filipino population. Cross-sectional study. Indigenous Filipino community. Clinical history and information on breastfeeding, tobacco smoke exposure, and swimming were obtained from community members. Heads of households were interviewed for family history and personal beliefs on ear health. Height and weight were measured. Otoscopic findings were described for the presence and character of perforation or discharge. An A2ML1 duplication variant that confers otitis media susceptibility was Sanger sequenced in all DNA samples. Co-occurrence of middle ear bacteria detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing was determined according to A2ML1 genotype and social cluster. The indigenous Filipino population has a ~50% prevalence of otitis media. Young age was associated with otitis media (4 age strata; P = .004); however, age was nonsignificant as a bistratal or continuous variable. There was no association between otitis media and sex, body mass index, breastfeeding, tobacco exposure, or deep swimming. In multivariate analyses, A2ML1 genotype is the strongest predictor of otitis media, with an odds ratio of 3.7 (95% confidence interval: 1.3-10.8; P = .005). When otitis media diagnoses were plotted across ages, otitis media was observed within the first year of life, and chronic otitis media persisted up to adulthood, particularly in A2ML1-variant carriers. Among indigenous Filipinos, A2ML1 genotype is the primary risk factor for otitis media and main determinant of disease progression, although age, the middle ear microbiome, and social clusters might modulate the effect of the A2ML1 genotype. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

The capability concept – On how to define and describe capability in relation to risk, vulnerability and resilience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindbom, Hanna; Tehler, Henrik; Eriksson, Kerstin; Aven, Terje

2015-01-01

Capabilities-based planning and capability assessment are high on the agendas of several countries and organisations as part of their risk management and emergency preparedness. Despite this, few definitions of capability exist, and they are not easily related to concepts such as risk, vulnerability and resilience. The aim of the present study was thus to broaden the scientific basis of the risk field to also include the concept of capability. The proposed definition is based on a recently developed risk framework, and we define capability as the uncertainty about and the severity of the consequences of an activity given the occurrence of the initiating event and the performed task. We provide examples of how the response capability for a fictive scenario can be described using this definition, and illustrate how our definition can be used to analyse capability assessments prepared according to the Swedish crisis management system. We have analysed the content of 25 capability assessments produced in 2011 by stakeholders on local, regional and national level. It was concluded that none addressed uncertainty to any appreciable extent, and only a third described capability in terms of consequences and task, making it difficult to relate these capability assessments to risk assessments. - Highlights: • Few definitions of capability relate to definitions of risk, vulnerability and resilience. • We relate capability to risk, vulnerability and resilience. • We define capability using the components uncertainty, consequences, event and task

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor: Physics issues, capabilities and physics program plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wesley, J.C.

1997-01-01

Present status and understanding of the principal plasma-performance determining physics issues that affect the physics design and operational capabilities of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [ITER EDA Agreement and Protocol 2 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1994)] are presented. Emphasis is placed on the five major physics-basis issues emdash energy confinement, beta limit, density limit, impurity dilution and radiation loss, and the feasibility of obtaining partial-detached divertor operation emdash that directly affect projections of ITER fusion power and burn duration performance. A summary of these projections is presented and the effect of uncertainties in the physics-basis issues is examined. ITER capabilities for experimental flexibility and plasma-performance optimization are also described, and how these capabilities may enter into the ITER physics program plan is discussed. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Genetic fidelity in micropropagated plantlets of Ochreinauclea ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2009-07-06

Jul 6, 2009 ... show the genetic similarity among the 22 plants (21 micropropagated plants and 1 donor mother plant). In the present study, ..... Determination of genetic stability in long-term micropropagated shoots of Pinus thunbergii Parl. using. RAPD markers. Plant Cell Rep. 18: 193-197. Guo WL, Gong L, Ding ZF, ...

Application of Hybrid Genetic Algorithm Routine in Optimizing Food and Bioengineering Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaya Shankar Tumuluru

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Optimization is a crucial step in the analysis of experimental results. Deterministic methods only converge on local optimums and require exponentially more time as dimensionality increases. Stochastic algorithms are capable of efficiently searching the domain space; however convergence is not guaranteed. This article demonstrates the novelty of the hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA, which combines both stochastic and deterministic routines for improved optimization results. The new hybrid genetic algorithm developed is applied to the Ackley benchmark function as well as case studies in food, biofuel, and biotechnology processes. For each case study, the hybrid genetic algorithm found a better optimum candidate than reported by the sources. In the case of food processing, the hybrid genetic algorithm improved the anthocyanin yield by 6.44%. Optimization of bio-oil production using HGA resulted in a 5.06% higher yield. In the enzyme production process, HGA predicted a 0.39% higher xylanase yield. Hybridization of the genetic algorithm with a deterministic algorithm resulted in an improved optimum compared to statistical methods.

Efficient recovery of uranium using genetically improved microalgae; Recuperacion eficaz de uranio utilizando microalgas geneticamente mejoradas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)