5,239 research outputs found
Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height
No full textMost common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits(1), but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait(2,3). The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P<0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways
AIC880904 Supplemental material - Supplemental material for Post-surgical opioid stewardship programs across Australia and New Zealand: Current situation and future directions
No full textSupplemental material, AIC880904 Supplemental material for Post-surgical opioid stewardship programs across Australia and New Zealand: Current situation and future directions by Megan L Allen, Kate Leslie, Anna V Parker, Charles C Kim, Sally L Brooks, Sabine Braat, Stephan A Schug and David A Story in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care</p
The construction of Karen Karnak: The multi-author-function
No full textThis thesis is situated within the comparatively recent developments of Web 2.0 and the emergence of interactive WikiMedia, and explores the mode of authorship within a Read/Write culture compared to that of a Read/Only tradition. The hypothesis of this study is that the role of the audience has become merged with the author, and as such, represents new functions and attributes, distinct from a more conventional concept of authorship, in which the roles of audience and author are more separate. Read/Write and participatory culture, as defined by this study, is focused on collaboration, and includes the influences of D.I.Y. culture, Open-Source practices and the production of text by multiple authors. Multi-authorship presents a re-thinking of several concepts which support the notion of the individual author, since the focus of multi-authorship is not on attribution and ownership of a finished text, but on the continued malleability of a text. Modes of multi-authorship, demonstrated in the use of the pseudonyms Alan Smithee and Karen Eliot, represent declarative authors whose names signify multiple origins, whilst concurrently indicating a distinct body of work. The function of these names form an important context to this study, since primary research involves the construction of an experimental mode of multi-authorship utilising WikiMedia technology and the interaction of thirty nine participants, who are invited to create a body of work under the collective pseudonym Karen Karnak. The data generated by this experiment is analysed using aspects of Michel Foucault's author-function to identify and determine power structures inherent in the WikiMedia context. The interplay of power structures, including concepts such as identity, ownership and the body of work, affect the resulting mode of authorship and contribute to the construction of Karen Karnak, suggesting further areas of research into the emerging multi-author
Seabed foraging by Antarctic krill: Implications for stock assessment, bentho-pelagic coupling, and the vertical transfer of iron
No full textA compilation of more than 30 studies shows that adult Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) may frequent benthic habitats year-round, in shelf as well as oceanic waters and throughout their circumpolar range. Net and acoustic data from the Scotia Sea show that in summer 2-20% of the population reside at depths between 200 and 2000 m, and that large aggregations can form above the seabed. Local differences in the vertical distribution of krill indicate that reduced feeding success in surface waters, either due to predator encounter or food shortage, might initiate such deep migrations and results in benthic feeding. Fatty acid and microscopic analyses of stomach content confirm two different foraging habitats for Antarctic krill: the upper ocean, where fresh phytoplankton is the main food source, and deeper water or the seabed, where detritus and copepods are consumed. Krill caught in upper waters retain signals of benthic feeding, suggesting frequent and dynamic exchange between surface and seabed. Krill contained up to 260 nmol iron per stomach when returning from seabed feeding. About 5% of this iron is labile, i.e., potentially available to phytoplankton. Due to their large biomass, frequent benthic feeding, and acidic digestion of particulate iron, krill might facilitate an input of new iron to Southern Ocean surface waters. Deep migrations and foraging at the seabed are significant parts of krill ecology, and the vertical fluxes involved in this behavior are important for the coupling of benthic and pelagic food webs and their elemental repositories
India's National Innovation System: Key elements and corporate perspectives
No full textIn recent years India has emerged as a major destination for corporate research and development (R&D), especially for multinational corporations. India's domestic institutions like Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) have set prestigious milestones of international standards. Not surprisingly, at Governmental levels a number of international cooperation agreements in the field of science and technology have been signed with India. After years of self-imposed seclusion, principally motivated by post-colonial India's insistence on the development of indigenous technology, India finally seems to have joined the global mainstream of innovation. India is in the process of emerging as a major R&D hub for both large and medium-sized multinational companies in various industries. This development is mainly owing to the availability of skilled labor produced in world-class elite institutions. Cost advantages, e.g. in the form of low wages are still present but receding due to substantial wage hikes often ranging between 15 and 25% per annum. The striking finding is however about market-driven factors. Of late, India's market potential, in the meantime ranked as 3rd largest worldwide by the Global Competitiveness Report 2007-08, has emerged as a crucial driver. Rising income levels of India's billion-plus population are creating unique market opportunities for firms, both domestic and foreign. In India the Government has historically played a major and in most cases a singularly positive role in the formation of its innovation system. India, ever since its independence from British rule, has invested much time, resources and efforts in creating a knowledge society and building institutions of research and higher institutions. Despite explosive population growth literacy rate in India grew from 18.3% in 1950-51 to 64.8% in 2001 thanks to concerted Government efforts; female literacy rose from a mere 8.9% to 53.7% in the same period. Moreover the quality of education in India is generally ranked as very good. According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2007-08 the quality of mathematics and science education in India is ranked as 11th best in the world, much ahead of 29th placed Japan, 36th placed Germany, 45th placed United States and 46th placed United Kingdom. Nevertheless, India is faced with major challenges related to infrastructure and bureaucratic hurdles. The quality of education, notwithstanding such excellent rankings as stated above, in many institutions does not reach the standards required for (cutting-edge) R&D efforts. Moreover, a booming economy is leading to shortage of qualified and experienced skilled labor - which result in inflationary wage growth and high attrition rates, which generally lay in a double-digit range. With the Government maintaining a pro-active role many of these problems may however be expected to get resolved to a manageable extent. In its Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) the Government has announced massive investments in infrastructure and education sectors to enhance both the quantity and the quality. Industrial firms in India have recognized their chances and are investing heavily in R&D capacities. India is also a beneficiary of global mobility and exchange of talents, technology and resources as much as the world, especially the developed Western countries, have profited from India's export of brain power. In sum all these developments raise hopes for a further improvement in the conditions of Indi's National Innovation System. --National Innovation System,India,Offshoring,Globalization,Research and Development
Principle 11: Collaboration Over Competition: Enacting Academic Method Writing Through Collaborative Authorship
No full textCollaboration over competition is an important Gentle Academic prin- ciple, fostering innovation, knowledge sharing, and interdisciplinary discoveries. This chapter explores this principle through an innovative methodological approach: collaborative authorship as a form of academic method writing. By engaging schol- ars who are actively involved in various types of collaboration to co-author relevant sections, this chapter not only critically discusses but also embodies the principles of collaborative academic partnerships. Drawing on both existing literature and the authors’ lived experiences, the chapter examines six key areas of academic collabo- ration: intra-departmental, cross-disciplinary, university-industry, university-to- university, international, and intergenerational partnerships. For each type, the authors analyse the practicalities, challenges, and effective strategies, providing theoretical and practical perspectives. The chapter addresses issues that can hinder or facilitate collaboration, such as tenure processes, intellectual property concerns, and the role of digital platforms and physical spaces in fostering collaboration. This chapter will also explore strategies and policy implications for motivating academ- ics to engage in collaborative work.Kelly-Ann Allen, Rico Alokuzay, Salim Al Maqbali, Nouf Alsaadi, Christopher Boyle, Bonnie Bozorg, Ashleigh Collier, Victor Counted, Shari Dudda, Jessica Hofmann, Shannon G. Kuschel, Sandra Ofei-Ferri, Amanda-Lee Pitzer, Tom Porta, Natalie Vannini, Alexa von Hagen, and Pauline Winkle
Classroom Mathematical Practices And Gesturing
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to illustrate a methodological approach for empirically investigating the function of gesturing in the collective development of knowledge. We extend the earlier work of Stephan and Rasmussen [Stephan, M., & Rasmussen, C. (2002). Classroom mathematical practices in differential equations. Journal of Mathematical Behavior 21, 459-490] who analyzed classroom discourse and symbolizing to document the emergence of six classroom mathematical practices over the course of 22 days of instruction on first-order differential equations. We complement and extend this previous analysis by re-examining the same data for gesturing and coordinate this analysis with the evolution of the classroom mathematical practices as they developed in this particular community of learners. Our illustration of the methodology we developed suggests that (1) gestures and argumentation can function as a unit that supports the establishment of one or more taken-as-shared ideas, and (2) that a gesture/argumentation pair that develops while establishing one practice can change function to support the establishment of ideas embedded in other classroom mathematical practices. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Untersuchung von hadronischen Higgszerfällen mit CLIC bei 350 GeV & Szintillatorstudien für ein hochgranulares Kalorimeter
No full textThis work analyzes Monte Carlo events from the Compact Linear Collider to assess the uncertainties of Higgs hadronic decays. After a multivariate event selection, a likelihood fit is performed on the flavor estimation of the decays, to evaluate the sensitivity of the couplings of the Higgs to b and c quarks, as well as gluons. Secondarily, the quality of the segmentation of sub-surface laser-engraved plastic scintillators is investigated for a possible use in future particle calorimeters.Diese Arbeit untersucht Monte Carlo Ereignisse des Compact Linear Colliders zur Analyse von hadronischen Higgs-Zerfällen. Higgs Kandidaten werden durch eine multivariate Methode ausgewählt. Um die Messgenauigkeit der Higgs-Kopplungen an b- und c-Quarks sowie Gluonen zu messen, wird die Art der Zerfälle mithilfe eines Likelihood-Fits bestimmt. Außerdem wird die Qualität der Szintillatorsegmentierung durch Laserinnengravur als eine Option zur Nutzung an zukünftigen Teilchenkalorimetern festgestellt
A Response to Sollereder and Allen
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. the final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordIn this brief response to the papers of Sollereder and Allen in this issue, Southgate considers the state of the debate on evolutionary theodicy, and specifically the source of the disvalues in creation. He responds to Allen’s Augustinian suggestions by reference to a recent article on Augustine and theodicy by Stan Rosenberg. He ends by reflecting on the journey in his own thinking in relation to suffering
Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 3, no. 1
No full textA publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: 1. “Creole Saga”: The Gambia’s Liberated African Community in the 19th Century: The Stories of J. A. B. Horton, G. C. Nicol, J. R. Maxwell, and J. D. Richards by Asi Florence Mahoney. Introduction by Gabriel Leonard Allen. 2. The Contribution of Daniel William Alexander to the Birth and Growth of Eastern Orthodoxy in East Africa. 3. Biographies by Stephan Hayes and Louise Pirouet. Introduction by Fr. Evangelos Thiani. 4. Recent Print and Digital Resources Related to Christianity in Africa
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