Client service capability matching

In order to tailor web-content to the requirements of a device, it is necessary to access information about the attributes of both the device and the web content Profiles containing such information from heterogeneous sources may use many different terms to represent the same concept (eg Resolution/Screen_Res/Res). This can present problems for applications which try to interpret the semantics of these terms In this thesis, we present an architecture which, when given profiles describing a device and web service, can identify terms that are present in an ontology of recognised terms in the domain of device capabilities and web service requirements The architecture can semi-automatically identify unknown terms by combining the results of several schemamatching applications. The ontology can be expanded based on end-user’s interaction with the semi-automatic matchers and thus over time the application’s ontology will grow to include previously unknown terms

Prenatal exposure to maternal smoking and offspring DNA methylation across the lifecourse: Findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

© The Author 2014. Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been found to influence newborn DNA methylation in genes involved in fundamental developmental processes. It is pertinent to understand the degree to which the offspring methylomeis sensitive to the intensity and duration of prenatal smoking. An investigation of the persistence of offspring methylation associated with maternal smoking and the relative roles of the intrauterine and postnatal environment is alsowarranted. In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we investigated associations between prenatal exposure to maternal smoking and offspring DNA methylation at multiple time points in approximately 800 mother-offspring pairs. In cord blood, methylation at 15 CpG sites in seven gene regions (AHRR, MYO1G, GFI1, CYP1A1, CNTNAP2, KLF13 and ATP9A) was associated with maternal smoking, and a dose-dependent response was observed in relation to smoking duration and intensity. Longitudinal analysis of blood DNA methylation in serial samples at birth, age 7 and 17 years demonstrated that some CpG sites showed reversibility of methylation (GFI1, KLF13 and ATP9A), whereas others showed persistently perturbed patterns (AHRR, MYO1G, CYP1A1 and CNTNAP2). Of those showing persistence, we explored the effect of postnatal smoke exposure and found that the major contribution to altered methylation was attributed to a critical window of in utero exposure. A comparison of paternal and maternal smoking and offspring methylation showed consistently stronger maternal associations, providing further evidence for causal intrauterine mechanisms. These findings emphasize the sensitivity of the methylome to maternal smoking during early development and the long-term impact of such exposure