Computer Law Institute

Materials from the Computer Law Institute held by UK/CLE in May 1999

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

(Table 1) Summary of biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic datum levels for ODP Leg 127/128 sites

This paper summarizes the biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic results from the recovery of holes drilled during Legs 127 and 128 in the Sea of Japan. Siliceous microfossils (i.e., diatoms, radiolarians, silicoflagellates, and ebridians) were most useful as biostratigraphic datum markers in the upper part of the section (Pliocene-Pleistocene), as was the magnetostratigraphy. Time series of other biostratigraphic, climatostratigraphic, and lithostratigraphic markers indicate that a high-resolution picture of the late Pliocene-Pleistocene oceanographic and climatic history of the Sea of Japan is possible. These data include coiling direction changes in Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, oxygen isotopes, percent opal, and alternating dark/light rhythms. Although the magnetostratigraphy was somewhat ambiguous in corroborating age determinations in the older part of the sections, calcareous microfossils and foraminifers indicate that some of the holes penetrated as far back in time as the early Miocene. These data provide a new time frame for theories on the age of formation and early history of the Sea of Japan

Vulnerabilities, Threats and Gaps in Food Biosecurity

The food production system throughout the European Union, which includes farm production, harvesting, transport, processing, storage, marketing and consumption, is vast, complex and open. The high volume of trade in fresh vegetables and fruits contributes to the vulnerability to contamination, whether by accident or intent. Outbreak investigation is critical to understanding the sources of contamination and the steps required to minimize it. The fact that much of the trade in these commodities is international makes it critical that mediation efforts and cooperative research cross national barriers, just as the pathogens do. Enhancing the biosecurity of food production requires assessment of the following: how is the food production system currently organized, in what ways might it be vulnerable to contamination, either accidental or deliberate, what are the primary factors that would allow discrimination between deliberate vs. accidental outbreaks, how can the epidemiological and surveillance systems in Europe be strengthened to shorten outbreak response and mediation times, how can implicated fresh produce be traced to its source, and what forensically valid subtyping method(s) is/are available for detection and discrimination of associated foodborne pathogens