116 research outputs found
Detection of recurrent copy number alterations in the genome: taking among-subject heterogeneity seriously
Se adjunta un fichero pdf con los datos de investigación titulado "Supplementary Material for \Detection of Recurrent Copy
Number Alterations in the Genome: taking among-subject
heterogeneity seriously"Background: Alterations in the number of copies of genomic DNA that are common or recurrent
among diseased individuals are likely to contain disease-critical genes. Unfortunately, defining
common or recurrent copy number alteration (CNA) regions remains a challenge. Moreover, the
heterogeneous nature of many diseases requires that we search for common or recurrent CNA
regions that affect only some subsets of the samples (without knowledge of the regions and subsets
affected), but this is neglected by most methods.
Results: We have developed two methods to define recurrent CNA regions from aCGH data.
Our methods are unique and qualitatively different from existing approaches: they detect regions
over both the complete set of arrays and alterations that are common only to some subsets of the
samples (i.e., alterations that might characterize previously unknown groups); they use probabilities
of alteration as input and return probabilities of being a common region, thus allowing researchers
to modify thresholds as needed; the two parameters of the methods have an immediate,
straightforward, biological interpretation. Using data from previous studies, we show that we can
detect patterns that other methods miss and that researchers can modify, as needed, thresholds of
immediate interpretability and develop custom statistics to answer specific research questions.
Conclusion: These methods represent a qualitative advance in the location of recurrent CNA
regions, highlight the relevance of population heterogeneity for definitions of recurrence, and can
facilitate the clustering of samples with respect to patterns of CNA. Ultimately, the methods
developed can become important tools in the search for genomic regions harboring disease-critical
genesFunding provided by Fundación de Investigación Médica Mutua
Madrileña. Publication charges covered by projects CONSOLIDER:
CSD2007-00050 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and by
RTIC COMBIOMED RD07/0067/0014 of the Spanish Health Ministr
Carbon dioxide reduction in the building life cycle: a critical review
The construction industry is known to be a major contributor to environmental pressures due to its high energy consumption and carbon dioxide generation. The growing amount of carbon dioxide emissions over buildings’ life cycles has prompted academics and professionals to initiate various studies relating to this problem. Researchers have been exploring carbon dioxide reduction methods for each phase of the building life cycle – from planning and design, materials production, materials distribution and construction process, maintenance and renovation, deconstruction and disposal, to the material reuse and recycle phase. This paper aims to present the state of the art in carbon dioxide reduction studies relating to the construction industry. Studies of carbon dioxide reduction throughout the building life cycle are reviewed and discussed, including those relating to green building design, innovative low carbon dioxide materials, green construction methods, energy efficiency schemes, life cycle energy analysis, construction waste management, reuse and recycling of materials and the cradle-to-cradle concept. The review provides building practitioners and researchers with a better understanding of carbon dioxide reduction potential and approaches worldwide. Opportunities for carbon dioxide reduction can thereby be maximised over the building life cycle by creating environmentally benign designs and using low carbon dioxide materials
Climate simulations for 1880-2003 with GISS modelE
We carry out climate simulations for 1880-2003 with GISS modelE driven by ten
measured or estimated climate forcings. An ensemble of climate model runs is
carried out for each forcing acting individually and for all forcing mechanisms
acting together. We compare side-by-side simulated climate change for each
forcing, all forcings, observations, unforced variability among model ensemble
members, and, if available, observed variability. Discrepancies between
observations and simulations with all forcings are due to model deficiencies,
inaccurate or incomplete forcings, and imperfect observations. Although there
are notable discrepancies between model and observations, the fidelity is
sufficient to encourage use of the model for simulations of future climate
change. By using a fixed well-documented model and accurately defining the
1880-2003 forcings, we aim to provide a benchmark against which the effect of
improvements in the model, climate forcings, and observations can be tested.
Principal model deficiencies include unrealistically weak tropical El Nino-like
variability and a poor distribution of sea ice, with too much sea ice in the
Northern Hemisphere and too little in the Southern Hemisphere. The greatest
uncertainties in the forcings are the temporal and spatial variations of
anthropogenic aerosols and their indirect effects on clouds.Comment: 44 pages; 19 figures; Final text accepted by Climate Dynamic
Man and the Last Great Wilderness: Human Impact on the Deep Sea
The deep sea, the largest ecosystem on Earth and one of the least studied, harbours high biodiversity and provides a wealth of resources. Although humans have used the oceans for millennia, technological developments now allow exploitation of fisheries resources, hydrocarbons and minerals below 2000 m depth. The remoteness of the deep seafloor has promoted the disposal of residues and litter. Ocean acidification and climate change now bring a new dimension of global effects. Thus the challenges facing the deep sea are large and accelerating, providing a new imperative for the science community, industry and national and international organizations to work together to develop successful exploitation management and conservation of the deep-sea ecosystem. This paper provides scientific expert judgement and a semi-quantitative analysis of past, present and future impacts of human-related activities on global deep-sea habitats within three categories: disposal, exploitation and climate change. The analysis is the result of a Census of Marine Life – SYNDEEP workshop (September 2008). A detailed review of known impacts and their effects is provided. The analysis shows how, in recent decades, the most significant anthropogenic activities that affect the deep sea have evolved from mainly disposal (past) to exploitation (present). We predict that from now and into the future, increases in atmospheric CO2 and facets and consequences of climate change will have the most impact on deep-sea habitats and their fauna. Synergies between different anthropogenic pressures and associated effects are discussed, indicating that most synergies are related to increased atmospheric CO2 and climate change effects. We identify deep-sea ecosystems we believe are at higher risk from human impacts in the near future: benthic communities on sedimentary upper slopes, cold-water corals, canyon benthic communities and seamount pelagic and benthic communities. We finalise this review with a short discussion on protection and management methods
Beyond equilibrium climate sensitivity
ISSN:1752-0908ISSN:1752-089
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