Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Numerical studies of the nuclear hyperfine interactions in manganese dichloride tetrahydrate

The nuclear magnetic resonance of oriented nuclei (NMRON) is a useful technique for the study of magnetic solids, and is especially important for investigating very dilute systems. The work in this thesis complements experimental NMRON studies of ⁵⁴Mn-MnCl₂.4H₂O by the nuclear orientation group at the University of British Columbia. The manganese nucleus experiences a hyperfine interaction which is due primarily to a magnetic (Zeeman) interaction, but which also has a small contribution due to the interaction between the electric quadrupole moment eQ of the nucleus and the electric field gradient eq arising from the surrounding ionic charges in the lattice. The latter interaction can be treated as a perturbation on the Zeeman interaction and results in shifts in the nuclear spin energy levels, so that there are 21 resonant frequencies for spin 1. The electric field gradient is calculated by treating these ions as point charges, and a computer program to do this calculation is developed. The result of this lattice sum, eq , has to be multiplied by the Sternheimer anti-shielding factor which takes into account the amplifying effect due to the distortion by the field gradient of the electrons on the atom of interest: this factor is known for the manganese ion. As a check, the case of ⁵⁵Mn in MnF₂ is investigated because the value of |e²qQ| has been derived from experiment and an independent calculation. The results for e²qQ/h are: experiment - 11.7±0.03 MHz; previous calculation - 8.8 MHz; our calculation - 8.5±0.4 MHz. [the rest of the abstract can be found in the attached PDF file]Science, Faculty ofPhysics and Astronomy, Department ofGraduat

The Effects of Marital Conflict and Marital Disruption on Depressive Affect: A Comparison Between Women In and Out of Poverty

We examine the independent and interactive effects of marital conflict and marital disruption on women's depressive affect and how these effects vary by family's poverty status. Copyright (c) 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association.

In Vivo Models of Mechanical Loading

The skeleton fulfils its mechanical functions through structural organization and material properties of individual bones. It is stated that both cortical and trabecular morphology and mass can be (re)modelled in response to changes in mechanical strains engendered by load-bearing. To address this, animal models that enable the application of specific loads to individual bones have been developed. These are useful in defining how loading modulates (re)modeling and allow examination of the mechanisms that coordinate these events. This chapter describes how to apply mechanical loading to murine bones through points of articulation, which allows changes in endosteal, periosteal as well as trabecular bone to be revealed at multiple hierarchies, by a host of methodologies, including double fluorochrome labeling and computed tomography