982 research outputs found
Fetal programming and epigenetics
No full textAccumulating evidence suggests that the intrauterine environment can have an impact on long-term offspring health, so-called ‘fetal programming’. A number of environmental stressors have been studied in humans including maternal nutrition, smoking, substance misuse and mental illness. Although various biological mechanisms are likely to underpin fetal programming effects, there has been a particular focus on epigenetic modifications as potential mediators of observed associations between early environmental exposures and later health outcomes. In this review, we give an overview of evidence supporting a role for epigenetics in fetal programming, highlighting key human and animal studies. We also discuss challenges for research in this area, along with recommendations for future work, and potential therapeutic applications
Fast identification of biological pathways associated with a quantitative trait using group lasso with overlaps.
No full textWhere causal SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) tend to accumulate within biological pathways, the incorporation of prior pathways information into a statistical model is expected to increase the power to detect true associations in a genetic association study. Most existing pathways-based methods rely on marginal SNP statistics and do not fully exploit the dependence patterns among SNPs within pathways.We use a sparse regression model, with SNPs grouped into pathways, to identify causal pathways associated with a quantitative trait. Notable features of our "pathways group lasso with adaptive weights" (P-GLAW) algorithm include the incorporation of all pathways in a single regression model, an adaptive pathway weighting procedure that accounts for factors biasing pathway selection, and the use of a bootstrap sampling procedure for the ranking of important pathways. P-GLAW takes account of the presence of overlapping pathways and uses a novel combination of techniques to optimise model estimation, making it fast to run, even on whole genome datasets.In a comparison study with an alternative pathways method based on univariate SNP statistics, our method demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of important pathways, showing the greatest relative gains in performance where marginal SNP effect sizes are small
Estimation of a significance threshold for epigenome-wide association studies.
No full textEpigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) are designed to characterise population-level epigenetic differences across the genome and link them to disease. Most commonly, they assess DNA-methylation status at cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) sites, using platforms such as the Illumina 450k array that profile a subset of CpGs genome wide. An important challenge in the context of EWAS is determining a significance threshold for declaring a CpG site as differentially methylated, taking multiple testing into account. We used a permutation method to estimate a significance threshold specifically for the 450k array and a simulation extrapolation approach to estimate a genome-wide threshold. These methods were applied to five different EWAS datasets derived from a variety of populations and tissue types. We obtained an estimate of α=2.4×10-7 for the 450k array, and a genome-wide estimate of α=3.6×10-8. We further demonstrate the importance of these results by showing that previously recommended sample sizes for EWAS should be adjusted upwards, requiring samples between ∼10% and ∼20% larger in order to maintain type-1 errors at the desired level
Boston University Jazz Lab Band, March 1, 1987
No full textThis is the concert program of the Boston University Jazz Lab Band performance on Sunday, March 1, 1987 at 8:00 p.m., at the Concert Hall, 855 Commonwealth Avenue. Works performed were Mira, Mira by Matt Harris, Doodlin' by Horace Silver, arraned by John LaBarbera, Body and Soul by John Green, arranged by Marty Paich, Louisiana by J. C. Johnson, arranged by Rob McConnell, Snake Charmer by John Zimmerman, Untitled by Tiger Okoshi, 1984 by George Shutack, After the Rain by Sammy Nestico, and Nica's Dream by Horace Silver, arranged by Bob Lynch. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund
Natural hazard risk report for Washington County, Oregon, including the cities of Banks, Beaverton, Cornelius, Durham, Forest Grove, Gaston, Hillsboro, King City, North Plains, Sherwood, Tigard, and Tualatin
No full textby Matt C. Williams and William J. Burns.This archived document is maintained by the State Library of Oregon as part of the Oregon Documents Depository Program. It is for informational purposes and may not be suitable for legal purposes.Includes bibliographical references (pages 46-49).Mode of access: Internet from the Oregon Government Publications Collection.Text in English
Catholic Comments Podcast.
No full textMatt Holland discusses the Omaha DePorres Club. The DePorres club worked for civil rights and for the end of segregation in Omaha in the 1940s.
Holland is the author of the book, Ahead of Their Time: The Story of the Omaha DePorres Club
The XMM-Newton long look of NGC 1365: uncovering of the obscured X-ray source
No full textWe present an analysis of the extreme obscuration variability observed during an XMM–Newton 5-d continuous monitoring of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) in NGC 1365. The source was in a reflection-dominated state in the first ∼1.5 d, then a strong increase in the 7–10 keV emission was observed in ∼10 h, followed by a symmetric decrease. The spectral analysis of the different states clearly shows that this variation is due to an uncovering of the X-ray source. From this observation, we estimate a size of the X-ray source DS < 1013 cm, a distance of the obscuring clouds R∼ 1016 cm and a density n∼ 1011 cm−3. These values suggest that the X-ray absorption/reflection originates from the broad-line region clouds. This is also supported by the resolved width of the iron narrow Kα emission line, consistent with the width of the broad Hβ line
No. 617 Stuart Ruckman
No full textTranscript (12, 40 pages) of two interviews by Matt Driscoll with Stuart Ruckman on April 9, 2010, and July 7, 2011Ruckman (b. 1966) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Stuart shares how his family, particularly his father, played a significant role in introducing him to the outdoors. Some of his initial explorations included a hike to the top of Mount Olympus when he was five years old, backpacking trips in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains, and a successful summit attempt on the Grand Teton when he was twelve. Stuart discovered technical rock climbing due to the influence of his older brother Bret, five years Stuart\u27s senior. Bret learned under Dennis Turville, a well-respected Salt Lake climbing instructor. Stuart shares his observations on the Salt Lake climbing community of the late 1970s and 1980s, noting the intimacy of the community, while also pointing out the significant influence of a handful of climbers, including Merrill Bitter, Les Ellison, and Brian Smoot. He briefly describes the proliferation of new-route development in the Wasatch during his first decade in climbing. In collaboration with his brother Bret, Stuart published comprehensive guidebooks on climbing in the Wasatch Mountains. Stuart\u27s contributions as a first-ascensionist and co-author of Rock Climbing the Wasatch Range attest to his lasting impact on Utah climbing. Interview is part of the Outdoor Recreation History Project. Interviewer: Matt Driscol
- …
