309 research outputs found
A mathematical framework for examining whether a minimum number of chiasmata is required per metacentric chromosome or chromosome arm in human
No full textAbstractWe introduce a piecewise linear regression called “hockey stick regression” to model the relationship between genetic and physical lengths of chromosomes in a genome. This piecewise linear regression is an extension of the two-parameter linear regression we proposed earlier [W. Li and J. Freudenberg, Two-parameter characterization of chromosome-scale recombination rate, Genome Res., 19 (2009) 2300–2307]. We use this, as well as the one-piece regression with a fixed y-intercept, to compare the two competing hypotheses concerning the minimum number of required chiasmata for meiosis: minimum one chiasma per chromosome (PC) and per chromosome arm (PA). Using statistical model selection and testing, we show that for human genome data, one-piece PC (PC1) is often in a statistical tie with two-piece PA model (PA2). If an upper bound for the segmentation point in two-piece regression is imposed, PC is usually the preferred model. This indicates that a presence of more than one chiasmata is rather caused by the relationship between chromosome size and chiasma formation than by cytogenetic constraints
At What Cost: Modern Capitalism and the Future of Health (Preface)
No full textFreedom of choice lies at the heart of American society. Every day, individuals decide what to eat, which doctors to see, who to connect with online, and where to educate their children. Yet, many Americans don\u27t realize that these choices are illusory at best. By the start of the 21st century, every major industrial sector in the global economy was controlled by no more than five transnational corporations, and in about a third of these sectors, a single company accounted for more than 40 percent of global sales. The available options in food, healthcare, education, transportation, and even online presence are largely constructed by corporations, whose sweeping influence have made them the public face and executive agents of 21st-century capitalism.At What Cost confronts how globalization, financial speculation, monopolies, and control of science and technology have enhanced the ability of corporations and their allies to overwhelm influences of government, family, community, and faith. As corporations manipulate demand through skillful marketing and veto the choices that undermine their bottom line, free consumer choice has all but disappeared, and with it, the personal protections guarding our collective health. At What Cost argues that the world created by 21st-century capitalism is simply not fit to solve our most serious public health problems, from climate change to opioid addiction. However, author and public health expert Nicholas Freudenberg also shows that though the road is steep, human and planetary well-being constitute a powerful mobilizing idea for a new social movement, one that will restore the power of individual voice to our democracy.With impeccably detailed research and an eye towards a better future, At What Cost arms ordinary citizens, activists, and health professionals with an understanding of how we\u27ve arrived at the precipice, and what we can do to ensure a healthier collective future
AUFTRAGSTAKTIK JA INNERE FÜHRUNG
No full textAuftragstaktik (referred to also as “mission command” or “mission-type tactics”) and Innere Führung (“leadership culture in camouflage”) are the leadership principles that determine the leadership culture of the Bundeswehr and the self-determination of its soldiers. With this study, the author aims to disclose the main idea of the two concepts and their interrelations. The comprehensive research carried out by the author reveals that the fundamental principles of Auftragstaktik based on previous wartime situations are deeply intertwined in Innere Führung, a considerably more recent leadership philosophy. The author also addresses the topics related to the existence of armed forces in a democratic society and citizens in military uniforms at the service of democracy. The numerous historical sources, dating mainly from the 20th century, used by the author help clarify the essence of the contemporary discussion of Auftragstaktik
Cannabinoid receptor type 2 gene is associated with human osteoporosis
No full textOsteoporosis is one of the most common degenerative diseases. It is characterized by reduced bone mineral density (BMD) with an increased risk for bone fractures. There is a substantial genetic contribution to BMD, although the genetic factors involved in the pathogenesis of human osteoporosis are largely unknown. Mice with a targeted deletion of either the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (Cnr1) or type 2 (Cnr2) gene show an alteration of bone mass, and pharmacological modification of both receptors can regulate osteoclast activity and BMD. We therefore analyzed both genes in a systematic genetic association study in a human sample of postmenopausal osteoporosis patients and matched female controls. We found a significant association of single polymorphisms (P = 0.0014) and haplotypes (P = 0.0001) encompassing the CNR2 gene on human chromosome 1p36, whereas we found no convincing association for CNR1. These results demonstrate a role for the peripherally expressed CB2 receptor in the etiology of osteoporosis and provide an interesting novel therapeutical target for this severe and common disease
Multisegmented hybrid-polymers based on oligo-amino acids : synthesis and secondary structure in solution and the solid state
No full textMutisegmente Hybrid-Polymere wurden auf Basis von Einzel- oder Oligo-Aminosäuren synthetisiert und auf ihre Kristallisations- und Sekundärstruktureigenschaften untersucht. Zunächst wurden einzelne Aminosäuren als Defekte in PE-ähnliche Mittelsegmente eingebettet und das Kristallisationsverhalten der Alkylketten analysiert. XRD- und DSC- Untersuchungen ergaben eine PE-ähnliche Kristallisation für Polymere mit polaren Seitengruppen. Anschließend wurden OBnGlun und OBnAspn-Elemente mit Wiederholungseinheiten von n=3 und n=10 in die PE-ähnlichen Mittelsegmenten eingebracht und die Sekundärstrukturbildung innerhalb der Oligo-Aminosäuren untersucht. Die Stabilisierung des β-Faltblatts wurde im festen Zustand und in HFIP-Lösung mit zunehmendem Molekulargewicht und steigender Temperatur durch FTIR- und CD-Spektroskopie nachgewiesen. Außerdem wurde die ROP von konformationsbeschränkten NCA-Monomeren (Aib, ACHC) mit Amin-, Aminosäuremethylester- und bivalenten Azo-Initiatoren untersucht.Multisegmented hybrid-polymers were synthesized on basis of single- or oligo-amino acids and investigated in view of their crystallization and secondary structure formation. First, single-amino acids were embedded in polyethylene-type middle segments as defects and the crystallization behavior of the alkyl chains was investigated. XRD- and DSC-investigation revealed polyethylene like crystallization for polymers with polar side chains. Subsequently, OBnGlun- and OBnAspn-elements with repetitive units of n=3 and n=10 were embedded in the PE-type middle segments, which allowed the investigation of varying secondary structure formation within the oligo-amino acids. Stabilization of the β-sheet conformation in the solid state and in HFIP-solution with increasing molecular weight and temperature was observed by FTIR- and CD-spectroscopy. Moreover, ROP of constrained NCA-monomers (Aib, ACHC) was studied with amine-, amino acid-methyl ester- and bivalent azo-initiators
Comparison of Rates and Patterns of Meiotic Recombination between Humans and Chimpanzees
No full textStabilization over power-constrained parallel Gaussian channels
No full textThis technical note is concerned with state-feedback stabilization of multi-input systems over parallel Gaussian channels subject to a total power constraint. Both continuous-time and discrete-time systems are treated under the framework of H2 control, and necessary/sufficient conditions for stabilizability are established in terms of inequalities involving unstable plant poles, transmitted power, and noise variances. These results are further used to clarify the relationship between channel capacity and stabilizability. Compared to single-input systems, a range of technical issues arise. In particular, in the multi-input case, the optimal controller has a separation structure, and the lower bound on channel capacity for some discrete-time systems is unachievable by linear time-invariant (LTI) encoders/decoder
The Capitalist Diet: Energy-dense and Profitable
No full textFirst paragraphs:
The Neoliberal Diet: Healthy Profits, Unhealthy People analyzes how global diets have changed in recent decades, what caused these changes, and who loses and gains by the transformation. Author Gerardo Otero is a professor of international studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, and the author of several previous books on the global food system. In the book, Otero describes how the global diet that emerged at the turn of the 21st century has contributed to worldwide increases in overweight and obesity and how neoliberalism, the variant of capitalism that evolved in this period, promotes obesogenic diets.
Neoliberalism posits that markets are best equipped to solve all problems and that by deregulating, privatizing, and emphasizing individual responsibility, governments can unleash capitalist economies for growth (Harvey, 2007). Harvey describes neoliberalism as the corporate capitalist class’s political response to the threats to their control that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s. . .
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