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

Secularity in the Singapore habitus: an investigation of the genealogy of secularity in Singapore from 1819 to 1990

This thesis investigates the genealogy of secularity in modern-day Singapore from 1819 to 1990. It argues that existing paradigms tend to approach secularity from either societal or institutional perspectives, thus reducing the meaning of secularity to either state-religion relations or the public role of religions. Thus, this thesis studies the interactions between institutional and societal perspectives of religion to reveal a more complex and case-specific study of secularity in Singapore, focusing on state-religion relations and the societal status of religion from the perspectives of Christians, Muslims, and state actors. This thesis uses Michel Foucault’s genealogy as methodology and Norbert Elias’ concept of the habitus as analytical framework to capture how tensions between religious and state actors produce secularity dispositions in the national habitus of Singapore. In gist, the habitus is a product of history and interactions between groups in society that produces instincts or dispositions that the society operates upon. The habitus as a framework presents viable tools to analyse interactions between state and religious actors, and intersections between religious and national identities. In its investigation, this thesis identifies significant historical sequences that contributed to the production of secularity principles and structures in the present-day habitus in Singapore. At these junctures, there are corresponding shifts and continuities in the society’s secularity dispositions brought about by contestations between state and religious actors on the shape of secularity in the national habitus. This thesis hopes that it has challenged the existing theories and models of state-religion relations by presenting the habitus as a useful framework for studying the specificities of secularity in different societies

Crowd Shyness

"In crown shyness, trees grow with distinct space between their crowns to avoid spreading pests, to avoid damaging their own fragile tips and to leave room for their peers. They make small, individual sacrifices for collective health. These natural processes are analogous to societies making adaptations rooted in mutual care: “crowd shyness” as a form of conscious citizenship. Guided by a vision of collective care, artist Germaine Koh has been working alongside Belkin staff to workshop a comprehensive approach to public interaction." -- Publisher's website

Josée Dubeau : Contour

"In 2008, AXENÉO7 invited her [Josée Dubeau] to participate in its Guest Regional Artist program, designed to support and pay tribute to an artist in the Outaouais region for their contribution to contemporary visual art. It is thus with enthusiasm that we are publishing the first publication devoted entirely to Josée Dubeau. Initiated through the presentation of Dédoublement (2008) at AXENÉO7, Contour covers a singular aspect of her work between 2005 and 2010: spatial explorations using wood sticks. For this publication, we invited François Chalifour and Germaine Koh to reflect upon the work of Josée Dubeau. We have chosen to publish the authors’ texts in their original language and to translate their main ideas in the following foreword." -- Publisher's website

Practice Ground : Jean-Marie Delavalle, Adrian Gollner, Byron Kim, Ken Lum, Denyse Thomasos

The authors examine work by five artists engaged in reworking the Minimalist devices of abstraction and corporeity, incorporating a political edge. Brief biographical notes. 5 bibl. ref

Jennifer Stillwell : Bale // Shinobu Akimoto : The House Rabbit Society Project Series / Backyard

Papararo considers the humour involved in Stillwell’s installation / performance “Bale” which consists of the artist breaking down an interior decor and rolling it up into a carpet. Koh delineates how Akimoto’s work questions notions of authority and the production of knowledge. Includes an artist’s project curated by Peñaloza: a series of photographs, mostly portraits, by L. Kannakko. Biographical notes