Genetic loci influencing kidney function and chronic kidney disease

Using genome-wide association, we identify common variants at 2p12-p13, 6q26, 17q23 and 19q13 associated with serum creatinine, a marker of kidney function (P = 10 10 to 10 15). Of these, rs10206899 (near NAT8, 2p12-p13) and rs4805834 (near SLC7A9, 19q13) were also associated with chronic kidney disease (P = 5.0 × 10 5 and P = 3.6 × 10 4, respectively). Our findings provide insight into metabolic, solute and drug-transport pathways underlying susceptibility to chronic kidney disease

Sophia and the Johannine Jesus

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D93619 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Can niche-based distribution models outperform spatial interpolation?

Distribution modelling relates sparse data on species occurrence or abundance to environmental information to predict the population of a species at any point in space. Recently, the importance of spatial autocorrelation in distributions has been recognized. Spatial autocorrelation can be categorized as exogenous (stemming from autocorrelation in the underlying variables) or endogenous (stemming from activities of the organism itself, such as dispersal). Typically, one asks whether spatial models explain additional variability (endogenous) in comparison to a fully specified habitat model. We turned this question around and asked: can habitat models explain additional variation when spatial structure is accounted for in a fully specified spatially explicit model? The aim was to find out to what degree habitat models may be inadvertently capturing spatial structure rather than true explanatory mechanisms

Body masses and measurements of birds from southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Five hundred and eigh body masses of 74 forest birds, and measurements of wing, tail, tarsus and beak of 14 poorly known species mist-netted at two sites in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Paraná State, southern Brazil, are presented