More bears, less bears: Inuit and scientific perceptions of polar bear populations on the west coast of Hudson Bay

Les perceptions des Inuit et des scientifiques au sujet des populations d’ours polaires se basent sur différentes épistémologies et différents modes de relation et d’interaction avec les ours polaires. Dans de nombreuses communautés, les quotas de chasse à l’ours ont mené à des conflits à la fois internes et externes. Les Inuit du Nunavut constatent que davantage d’ours polaires se trouvent à proximité de leurs communautés. Les scientifiques soutiennent que la plus grande fréquence des rencontres entre ours et humains est due au rapide changement environnemental qui provoque une diminution, plutôt qu’une augmentation, du nombre des ours. Ces perceptions opposées aboutissent en confrontations lorsqu’il s’agit de la chasse et de la protection des ours. Dans les communautés, des conflits éthiques, sociaux et économiques sont apparus depuis la promulgation du système des quotas à cause de vues divergentes concernant l’attribution des quotas, la chasse sportive et les fins morales d’une telle attention portée aux ours polaires. L’une de ces communautés est Arviat, située sur la côte ouest de la baie d’Hudson. Les gens d’Arviat se sentent particulièrement vulnérables à la présence toute proche des ours polaires tout au long de l’année. Le fait d’inclure des femmes dans la chasse et l’investissement financier que représente une chasse à l’ours provoquent des discussions et des sentiments mitigés chaque année au moment de l’ouverture de la saison de chasse. Bien que la situation à Arviat soit d’une certaine manière unique, elle peut servir d’exemple aux questions et problèmes que doivent affronter les Inuit à travers tout l’Arctique canadien au moment où, de plus en plus, ils ont affaire à des ours polaires sur le pas de leur porte.Inuit and scientific perceptions of polar bear populations are grounded in different epistemologies, relationships and interactions with polar bears. In many communities, the presence of polar bear hunting quotas has led to both external and internal conflicts. Inuit throughout Nunavut are seeing more polar bears in close proximity to their communities. Scientists argue that the increase in bear-human encounters is due to rapid environmental change, leading to a decrease, rather than an increase, in polar bear numbers. These opposing perceptions result in confrontation regarding the hunting and protection of bears. Within communities, ethical, social and economic conflicts arise with regard to the enactment of the quota system due to differing views on the allocation of the quota, the existence of a sport hunt, and the morality of such an intense focus on polar bears. One such community is Arviat, on the west coast of Hudson Bay. The people of Arviat feel particularly vulnerable to the year-round presence of polar bears in and near their community. The inclusion of women in the hunt and the cost of undertaking a bear hunt, lead to discussion and mixed feelings about the open hunting season each year. While the situation in Arviat is in some ways unique, it also serves as an example of the questions and concerns facing Inuit across the Canadian Arctic as they increasingly have to deal with polar bears on their doorstep

Making Sense of Contaminants: A Case Study of Arviat, Nunavut

Inuit and scientists are increasingly aware of the presence of contaminants in the Arctic food web and of the threat these contaminants pose to human and environmental health and well-being. The varied ways that Inuit think about and react to contaminants in the foods they eat are explored in a case study of one Inuit community: Arviat, on the northwest coast of Hudson Bay. Reactions to contaminants are mixed. While Inuit are informed of scientific findings through a variety of media, they also have their own explanations for the changes that are taking place in the animals on which they rely. This study juxtaposes global cause and effect, as understood by the scientific community, and the local causes and effects of contamination as understood by Inuit. The Inuit of Arviat are incorporating contaminants research into their hunting practice and earning money by collecting tissue samples and hosting southern researchers. This typical Nunavut community demonstrates the heterogeneity of understanding that exists and the ways in which local people are turning something very negative to their advantage.Les Inuits et les scientifiques sont de plus en plus conscients de la présence de contaminants dans le réseau alimentaire de l’Arctique ainsi que des risques que posent ces contaminants à l’égard de la santé et du bien-être de l’être humain et de l’environnement. Les Inuits ont des réactions et des réflexions variées quant à la présence de contaminants dans la nourriture et celles-ci ont fait l’objet d’une étude de cas portant sur la collectivité inuite d’Arviat, sur la côte nord-ouest de la baie d’Hudson. Les réactions vis-à-vis des contaminants sont partagées. Bien que les Inuits soient au courant des constatations scientifiques grâce à divers médias, ils ont également leurs propres explications pour justifier les changements qui se produisent chez les animaux dont ils dépendent. Cette étude juxtapose les causes et les effets à l’échelle planétaire, tels que les scientifiques les comprennent, de même que les causes et les effets de la contamination à l’échelle locale, tels que les Inuits les comprennent. Les Inuits d’Arviat intègrent la recherche sur les contaminants à leur pratique de la chasse et gagnent de l’argent en prélevant des échantillons de tissus et en accueillent les chercheurs du sud. Cette collectivité typique du Nunavut atteste de la compréhension hétérogène qui existe et de la manière dont les gens de la région tirent des avantages d’une situation très négative

CNV-association meta-analysis in 191,161 European adults reveals new loci associated with anthropometric traits

Funding Information: This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank Resource. This research has been conducted using the Danish National Biobank resource. The authors are grateful to the Raine Study participants and their families, and to the Raine Study research staff for cohort co-ordination and data collection. QIMR is grateful to the twins and their families for their generous participation in these studies. We would like to thank staff at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research: Anjali Henders, Dixie Statham, Lisa Bowdler, Ann Eldridge, and Marlene Grace for sample collection, processing and genotyping, Scott Gordon, Brian McEvoy, Belinda Cornes and Beben Benyamin for data QC and preparation, and David Smyth and Harry Beeby for IT support. HBCS Acknowledgements: We thank all study participants as well as everybody involved in the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Helsinki Birth Cohort Study has been supported by grants from the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Diabetes Research Society, Folkhälsan Research Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Finska Läkaresällskapet, Juho Vainio Foundation, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, University of Helsinki, Ministry of Education, Ahokas Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation. Finrisk study is grateful for the THL DNA laboratory for its skillful work to produce the DNA samples used in this study and thanks the Sanger Institute and FIMM genotyping facilities for genotyping the samples. We thank the MOLGENIS team and Genomics Coordination Center of the University Medical Center Groningen for software development and data management, in particular Marieke Bijlsma and Edith Adriaanse. This work was supported by the Leenards Foundation (to Z.K.), the Swiss National Science Foundation (31003A_169929 to Z.K., Sinergia grant CRSII33-133044 to AR), Simons Foundation (SFARI274424 to AR) and SystemsX.ch (51RTP0_151019 to Z.K.). A.R.W., H.Y. and T.M.F. are supported by the European Research Council grant: 323195:SZ-245. M.A.T., M.N.W. and An.M. are supported by the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Award (WT097835MF). For full funding information of all participating cohorts see Supplementary Note 2. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s).There are few examples of robust associations between rare copy number variants (CNVs) and complex continuous human traits. Here we present a large-scale CNV association meta-analysis on anthropometric traits in up to 191,161 adult samples from 26 cohorts. The study reveals five CNV associations at 1q21.1, 3q29, 7q11.23, 11p14.2, and 18q21.32 and confirms two known loci at 16p11.2 and 22q11.21, implicating at least one anthropometric trait. The discovered CNVs are recurrent and rare (0.01-0.2%), with large effects on height (> 2.4 cm), weight ( 5 kg), and body mass index (BMI) (> 3.5 kg/m(2)). Burden analysis shows a 0.41 cm decrease in height, a 0.003 increase in waist-to-hip ratio and increase in BMI by 0.14 kg/m2 for each Mb of total deletion burden (P = 2.5 x 10(-10), 6.0 x 10(-5), and 2.9 x 10(-3)). Our study provides evidence that the same genes (e.g., MC4R, FIBIN, and FMO5) harbor both common and rare variants affecting body size and that anthropometric traits share genetic loci with developmental and psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Genome-wide meta-analysis of 241,258 adults accounting for smoking behaviour identifies novel loci for obesity traits

Few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) account for environmental exposures, like smoking, potentially impacting the overall trait variance when investigating the genetic contribution to obesity-related traits. Here, we use GWAS data from 51,080 current smokers and 190,178 nonsmokers (87% European descent) to identify loci influencing BMI and central adiposity, measured as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio both adjusted for BMI. We identify 23 novel genetic loci, and 9 loci with convincing evidence of gene-smoking interaction (GxSMK) on obesity-related traits. We show consistent direction of effect for all identified loci and significance for 18 novel and for 5 interaction loci in an independent study sample. These loci highlight novel biological functions, including response to oxidative stress, addictive behaviour, and regulatory functions emphasizing the importance of accounting for environment in genetic analyses. Our results suggest that tobacco smoking may alter the genetic susceptibility to overall adiposity and body fat distribution.Peer reviewe

Maternal and fetal genetic effects on birth weight and their relevance to cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Birth weight variation is influenced by fetal and maternal genetic and non-genetic factors, and has been reproducibly associated with future cardio-metabolic health outcomes. In expanded genome-wide association analyses of own birth weight (n = 321,223) and offspring birth weight (n = 230,069 mothers), we identified 190 independent association signals (129 of which are novel). We used structural equation modeling to decompose the contributions of direct fetal and indirect maternal genetic effects, then applied Mendelian randomization to illuminate causal pathways. For example, both indirect maternal and direct fetal genetic effects drive the observational relationship between lower birth weight and higher later blood pressure: maternal blood pressure-raising alleles reduce offspring birth weight, but only direct fetal effects of these alleles, once inherited, increase later offspring blood pressure. Using maternal birth weight-lowering genotypes to proxy for an adverse intrauterine environment provided no evidence that it causally raises offspring blood pressure, indicating that the inverse birth weight-blood pressure association is attributable to genetic effects, and not to intrauterine programming.The Fenland Study is funded by the Medical Research Council (MC_U106179471) and Wellcome Trust

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery