Short Interspersed Element (SINE) Depletion and Long Interspersed Element (LINE) Abundance Are Not Features Universally Required for Imprinting

Genomic imprinting is a form of gene dosage regulation in which a gene is expressed from only one of the alleles, in a manner dependent on the parent of origin. The mechanisms governing imprinted gene expression have been investigated in detail and have greatly contributed to our understanding of genome regulation in general. Both DNA sequence features, such as CpG islands, and epigenetic features, such as DNA methylation and non-coding RNAs, play important roles in achieving imprinted expression. However, the relative importance of these factors varies depending on the locus in question. Defining the minimal features that are absolutely required for imprinting would help us to understand how imprinting has evolved mechanistically. Imprinted retrogenes are a subset of imprinted loci that are relatively simple in their genomic organisation, being distinct from large imprinting clusters, and have the potential to be used as tools to address this question. Here, we compare the repeat element content of imprinted retrogene loci with non-imprinted controls that have a similar locus organisation. We observe no significant differences that are conserved between mouse and human, suggesting that the paucity of SINEs and relative abundance of LINEs at imprinted loci reported by others is not a sequence feature universally required for imprinting

Transcript- and tissue-specific imprinting of a tumour suppressor gene

The Bladder Cancer-Associated Protein gene (BLCAP; previously BC10) is a tumour suppressor that limits cell proliferation and stimulates apoptosis. BLCAP protein or message are downregulated or absent in a variety of human cancers. In mouse and human, the first intron of Blcap/BLCAP contains the distinct Neuronatin (Nnat/NNAT) gene. Nnat is an imprinted gene that is exclusively expressed from the paternally inherited allele. Previous studies found no evidence for imprinting of Blcap in mouse or human. Here we show that Blcap is imprinted in mouse and human brain, but not in other mouse tissues. Moreover, Blcap produces multiple distinct transcripts that exhibit reciprocal allele-specific expression in both mouse and human. We propose that the tissue-specific imprinting of Blcap is due to the particularly high transcriptional activity of Nnat in brain, as has been suggested previously for the similarly organized and imprinted murine Commd1/U2af1-rs1 locus. For Commd1/U2af1-rs1, we show that it too produces distinct transcript variants with reciprocal allele-specific expression. The imprinted expression of BLCAP and its interplay with NNAT at the transcriptional level may be relevant to human carcinogenesis

Trust considerations on attitudes towards online purchasing: The moderating effect of privacy and security concerns

The research examines the relationships between three common trust considerations (vendor, Internet and third parties) and attitudes towards online purchasing. The study incorporates privacy and security concerns as a moderating variable and finds that these relationships vary depending on the level of concerns a consumer has when purchasing online. The study suggests that "fears" surrounding the Internet as a place to do business still hinder the use of it for e-commerce purposes, but that the presence of a reputable agent might in some manner mitigate this risk. In the context of business to consumer relationships trust in the vendor is important for the consumer to accept any risk associated with a transaction. Theoretical implications for online customer behavior theory are also discussed.Privacy and security Trust Online purchasing behavior

Park Design Informed by Stated Preference Choice: Integrating User Perspectives into the Development of an Off-Road Vehicle Park in Michigan

At a time when many public park and recreational programs are required by local governments to be financially self-sustaining, it is critical for planners to design a new development with the end-user in mind. Feasibility studies often either do not examine user preferences or use Likert-type surveys to investigate features in isolation without evaluating trade-offs from financial and finite space limitations. This study used stated preference choice method (SPCM) to inform the initial design of an off-road vehicle (ORV) park. The park was developed near Detroit, Michigan, a metropolitan area with many registered ORVs, but few places to legally use them. The SPCM examined trade-offs among desired features and helped planners ensure publicly funded investments resulted in a successful park. Researchers mailed a survey with choice sets to 3935 registered ORV users and 2083 completed surveys were retuned (53%). Additional survey items also allowed researchers to create preference models for specific segments of users (i.e., serious ORV enthusiasts/casual users; residents/visitors; or users of different ORV types). The findings informed the design of the park by revealing preferences for segments, allowing planners to design the park for specific markets. The park’s initial success suggests a study in the design stage of development offers utility, though park managers have noticed unanticipated user segments that influence preferences for park features. The findings based on segments also suggest planners should be cautious when designing to an average user. Implications of this study are helpful to planners of any capital-intensive land-use project, especially in the public sector

Park Design Informed by Stated Preference Choice: Integrating User Perspectives into the Development of an Off-Road Vehicle Park in Michigan

At a time when many public park and recreational programs are required by local governments to be financially self-sustaining, it is critical for planners to design a new development with the end-user in mind. Feasibility studies often either do not examine user preferences or use Likert-type surveys to investigate features in isolation without evaluating trade-offs from financial and finite space limitations. This study used stated preference choice method (SPCM) to inform the initial design of an off-road vehicle (ORV) park. The park was developed near Detroit, Michigan, a metropolitan area with many registered ORVs, but few places to legally use them. The SPCM examined trade-offs among desired features and helped planners ensure publicly funded investments resulted in a successful park. Researchers mailed a survey with choice sets to 3935 registered ORV users and 2083 completed surveys were retuned (53%). Additional survey items also allowed researchers to create preference models for specific segments of users (i.e., serious ORV enthusiasts/casual users; residents/visitors; or users of different ORV types). The findings informed the design of the park by revealing preferences for segments, allowing planners to design the park for specific markets. The park’s initial success suggests a study in the design stage of development offers utility, though park managers have noticed unanticipated user segments that influence preferences for park features. The findings based on segments also suggest planners should be cautious when designing to an average user. Implications of this study are helpful to planners of any capital-intensive land-use project, especially in the public sector