Ornamenting Fingernails and Roads: Beautification and the Embodiment of Authenticity in Post-War Eastern Sri Lanka

In post-conflict Sri Lanka, communal tensions continue to be negotiated, contested, and remade. Color codes virtually every aspect of daily life in salient local idioms. Scholars rarely focus on the lived visual semiotics of local, everyday exchanges from how women ornament their nails to how communities beautify their open—and sometimes contested—spaces. I draw on my ethnographic data from Eastern Sri Lanka and explore ‘color’ as negotiated through personal and public ornaments and notions of beauty with a material culture focus. I argue for a broad view of ‘public,’ which includes often marginalized and feminized public modalities. This view also explores how beauty and ornament are salient technologies of community and cultural authenticity that build on histories of ethnic imaginaries

Unique Cost Dynamics Elucidate the Role of Frameshifting Errors in Promoting Translational Robustness

There is now considerable evidence supporting the view that codon usage is frequently under selection for translational accuracy. There are, however, multiple forms of inaccuracy (missense, premature termination, and frameshifting errors) and pinpointing a particular error process behind apparently adaptive mRNA anatomy is rarely straightforward. Understanding differences in the fitness costs associated with different types of translational error can help us devise critical tests that can implicate one error process to the exclusion of others. To this end, we present a model that captures distinct features of frameshifting cost and apply this to 641 prokaryotic genomes. We demonstrate that, although it is commonly assumed that the ribosome encounters an off-frame stop codon soon after the frameshift and costs of mis-elongation are therefore limited, genomes with high GC content typically incur much larger per-error costs. We go on to derive the prediction, unique to frameshifting errors, that differences in translational robustness between the 5′ and 3′ ends of genes should be less pronounced in genomes with higher GC content. This prediction we show to be correct. Surprisingly, this does not mean that GC-rich organisms necessarily carry a greater fitness burden as a consequence of accidental frameshifting. Indeed, increased per-error costs are often more than counterbalanced by lower predicted error rates owing to more diverse anticodon repertoires in GC-rich genomes. We therefore propose that selection on tRNA repertoires may operate to reduce frameshifting errors

Trends in utilization and costs of BRCA testing among women aged 18–64 years in the United States, 2003–2014

Purpose We examined 12-year trends in BRCA testing rates and costs in the context of clinical guidelines, national policies, and other factors. Methods We estimated trends in BRCA testing rates and costs from 2003 to 2014 for women aged 18–64 years using private claims data and publicly reported revenues from the primary BRCA testing provider. Results The percentage of women with zero out-of-pocket payments for BRCA testing increased during 2013–2014, after 7 years of general decline, coinciding with a clarification of Affordable Care Act coverage of BRCA genetic testing. Beginning in 2007, family history accounted for an increasing proportion of women with BRCA tests compared with personal history, coinciding with BRCA testing guidelines for primary care settings and direct-to-consumer advertising campaigns. During 2013–2014, BRCA testing rates based on claims grew at a faster rate than revenues, following 3 years of similar growth, consistent with increased marketplace competition. In 2013, BRCA testing rates based on claims increased 57%, compared with 11% average annual increases over the preceding 3 years, coinciding with celebrity publicity. Conclusion The observed trends in BRCA testing rates and costs are consistent with possible effects of several factors, including the Affordable Care Act, clinical guidelines and celebrity publicity

The Emergence of Translational Epidemiology: From Scientific Discovery to Population Health Impact

Recent emphasis on translational research (TR) is highlighting the role of epidemiology in translating scientific discoveries into population health impact. The authors present applications of epidemiology in TR through 4 phases designated T1–T4, illustrated by examples from human genomics. In T1, epidemiology explores the role of a basic scientific discovery (e.g., a disease risk factor or biomarker) in developing a “candidate application” for use in practice (e.g., a test used to guide interventions). In T2, epidemiology can help to evaluate the efficacy of a candidate application by using observational studies and randomized controlled trials. In T3, epidemiology can help to assess facilitators and barriers for uptake and implementation of candidate applications in practice. In T4, epidemiology can help to assess the impact of using candidate applications on population health outcomes. Epidemiology also has a leading role in knowledge synthesis, especially using quantitative methods (e.g., meta-analysis). To explore the emergence of TR in epidemiology, the authors compared articles published in selected issues of the Journal in 1999 and 2009. The proportion of articles identified as translational doubled from 16% (11/69) in 1999 to 33% (22/66) in 2009 (P = 0.02). Epidemiology is increasingly recognized as an important component of TR. By quantifying and integrating knowledge across disciplines, epidemiology provides crucial methods and tools for TR

Personal genome testing: Test characteristics to clarify the discourse on ethical, legal and societal issues

Background: As genetics technology proceeds, practices of genetic testing have become more heterogeneous: many different types of tests are finding their way to the public in different settings and for a variety of purposes. This diversification is relevant to the discourse on ethical, legal and societal issues (ELSI) surrounding genetic testing, which must evolve to encompass these differences. One important development is the rise of personal genome testing on the basis of genetic profiling: the testing of multiple genetic variants simultaneously for the prediction of common multifactorial diseases. Currently, an increasing number of companies are offering personal genome tests directly to consumers and are spurring ELSI-discussions, which stand in need of clarification. This paper presents a systematic approach to the ELSI-evaluation of personal genome testing for multifactorial diseases along the lines of its test characteristics. Discussion: This paper addresses four test characteristics of personal genome testing: its being a non-targeted type of testing, its high analytical validity, low clinical validity and problematic clinical utility. These characteristics raise their own specific ELSI, for example: non-targeted genetic profiling poses serious problems for information provision and informed consent. Questions about the quantity and quality of the necessary information, as well as about moral responsibilities with regard to the provision of information are therefore becoming central themes within ELSI-discussions of personal genome testing. Further, the current low level of clinical validity of genetic profiles raises questions concerning societal risks and regulatory requirements, whereas simultaneously it causes traditional ELSI-issues of clinical genetics, such as psychological and health risks, discrimination, and stigmatization, to lose part of their relevance. Also, classic notions of clinical utility are challenged by the newer notion of 'personal utility.' Summary: Consideration of test characteristics is essential to any valuable discourse on the ELSI of personal genome testing for multifactorial diseases. Four key characteristics of the test - targeted/non-targeted testing, analytical validity, clinical validity and clinical utility - together determine the applicability and the relevance of ELSI to specific tests. The paper identifies and discusses four areas of interest for the ELSI-debate on personal genome testing: informational problems, risks, regulatory issues, and the notion of personal utility

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La médiatisation de l'homosexualité dans l'espace public africain. Analyse du magazine <i>Jeune Afrique</i>

L’homosexualité est une orientation sexuelle présente en Afrique avant la colonisation. Malgré les politiques mises en œuvre pour le respect des droits de l’Homme, elle demeure problématique sur tout le continent. Certains pays adoptent des lois pour protéger ces personnes, mais la répression est quasi apparente, obligeant les homosexuels à vivre cachés. En effet, plus de la moitié des pays africains condamnent les homosexuels. L’homosexualité suscite dès lors : alarmes, discussions, diagnostics et mise en œuvre de mesures ; des éléments pouvant faire d’elle un « problème public ». Parallèlement, cette orientation émerge dans l’espace public entraînant sa mise à l’agenda politique et médiatique. Plusieurs entrepreneurs de causes prennent position en médiatisant leurs opinions. À partir de la notion de « problème public », ce travail analyse le traitement médiatique de l’homosexualité dans l’espace public africain. Nous avons cherché à éclaircir cette question en étudiant de près le magazine Jeune Afrique (2000-2021) afin de comprendre les enjeux d’une telle médiatisation

Residential Buildings: [Delta Cove, 2973 W. Swain Road]

Delta Cove, Peaceful Living, 2973 W. Swain Road, Stockton, CA 95209, (209) 478-0252https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/postcards/2743/thumbnail.jp