Gene Everywhere

Talya Boerner thought she had everything figured out. But on New Year's Day 2011, without making a list of pros and cons or giving the idea any real consideration, she invites her ninety-year-old father-in-law to visit. He needs a temporary place to stay. She needs something. Something permanent she can't quite name. From the moment Gene steps into her kitchen, clutching a crumpled paper bag filled with medication and grieving the loss of his independence, nothing unfolds as she expects.With the generational wisdom of Tuesdays with Morrie and the poignancy found in A Man Called Ove, this story is for every adult who wakes in mid-life to discover an unrecognizable reflection in the mirror along with aging parents who need caregiving. A human and humorous life lesson with a heartwarming reminder that an ordinary old man can have an extraordinary impact on those around him.

World-renowned genius, Gene Yuss, foiled his last great mission. Really? Yes, from his scared-to-death fear of going under the earth into Evil's Headquarters of Demons. Will the nation call him a quitter? No. Does Gene empower himself, take his best friend Ben under the earth, and find the unbelievable? Studying with God and getting answers, Gene wonders if he can convince his generation he calls the Supernaturally Empowered Genius Generation that they are all geniuses-single and group miracle-makers that can accomplish above all they ask or think. And will he, God's choice, really be the savior of the twenty-first century? What happens? Will Gene and Ben be joined in more monumental missions?

The integration of biology, genomics, and health has opened the possibility of applying genomics technology to nutrition. In 2001, scientists associated with the Human Genome Project announced the successful mapping of the reference sequence of the human genome. Since then, a body of information has emerged. Genomics and related areas of research have contributed greatly to efforts to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying diet-disease relationships. Integration and application of genetic and genomics technology into nutrition research is, therefore, needed to develop nutrition research programs that are aimed at the prevention and control of chronic disease through genomics-based nutritional interventions. Of interest is the integration of relevant computational methods into nutritional genomics research; the enhancement of tools applicable to systems biology; and the effective dissemination of genomics-derived information to scientists, policy makers, and the interested public. To address these issues, a workshop was held on June 1 and 2, 2006. The workshop included presentations that were structured around three focus sessions: human genetic variation, epigenetics, and systems biology. A fourth session presented discussions on the implications of nutrigenomics for the future of nutrition science research. Numerous themes emerged from the workshop presentations. First, nutrigenomics is a complex field because it addresses issues related to multigenetic traits that can be modified by a number of nutritional and other environmental factors. Such complexity presents a challenge to the field; and the ensuing research opportunities will require cooperative work among scientific disciplines and across government, academic, and industrial centers, as well as adequate funding, to be realized. Additionally, the ability to stretch the limits of conventional research methodologies afforded by new genetic and genomic applications at the level of the individual opens the door to a wealth of potential benefits to areas such as disease prevention and wellness, bearing in mind the necessity of ethical safeguards. This potential, however, must be wisely exploited to avoid the pitfalls of overpromising research results and prematurely setting unrealistic expectations for beneficial outcomes. Finally, careful and rigorous research must be employed to optimize outcomes and assure acceptance by the scientific community. In summary, nutrition science is uniquely poised to serve as the crossroads for many disciplines and, using genomics tools, can bring this knowledge together to better understand and address diet-related chronic diseases and molecular responses to dietary factors.

Sharp, thoughtful and mysterious, How the World Began is a powerful story about an outsider in a close-knit, devastated community. Susan, a science teacher from Manhattan, starts work in a small rural Kansas town that's been ripped apart by a tornado. When one of her pupils - the damaged, articulate Micah - takes offence at an off-the-cuff remark about how life on Earth began, Susan is thrown into an ethical firestorm about science and faith that leads to her fearing for her safety. Casting light on the tension between religion and secular liberalism, How the World Began explores the debate between creationism and evolution, and how this is taught in schools. With hints of American classics like Inherit the Wind and The Catcher in the Rye, the play traces the inexorable, fatalistic momentum from a single casual act into an all-encompassing dispute. A dispute which then threatens the very foundations of a community still reeling from a colossal disaster. In addition to its relevant and complex themes, the play is also about human psychology and what drives people to extreme ideological positions in times of duress. With writing which is provocative, moving and intelligent, Catherine Trieschmann asks important questions alongside in-depth character studies. This shrewd and compassionate drama is astute, perceptive and controversial.

Science need not be dull and bogged down by jargon, as Richard Dawkins proves in this entertaining look at evolution. The themes he takes up are the concepts of altruistic and selfish behaviour; the genetical definition of selfish interest; the evolution of aggressive behaviour; kinshiptheory; sex ratio theory; reciprocal altruism; deceit; and the natural selection of sex differences. 'Should be read, can be read by almost anyone. It describes with great skill a new face of the theory of evolution.' W.D. Hamilton, Science

The field of high-throughput genetic experimentation is evolving rapidly, with the advent of new technologies and new venues for data mining. Bayesian methods play a role central to the future of data and knowledge integration in the field of Bioinformatics. This book is devoted exclusively to Bayesian methods of analysis for applications to high-throughput gene expression data, exploring the relevant methods that are changing Bioinformatics. Case studies, illustrating Bayesian analyses of public gene expression data, provide the backdrop for students to develop analytical skills, while the more experienced readers will find the review of advanced methods challenging and attainable. This book: Introduces the fundamentals in Bayesian methods of analysis for applications to high-throughput gene expression data. Provides an extensive review of Bayesian analysis and advanced topics for Bioinformatics, including examples that extensively detail the necessary applications. Accompanied by website featuring datasets, exercises and solutions. Bayesian Analysis of Gene Expression Data offers a unique introduction to both Bayesian analysis and gene expression, aimed at graduate students in Statistics, Biomedical Engineers, Computer Scientists, Biostatisticians, Statistical Geneticists, Computational Biologists, applied Mathematicians and Medical consultants working in genomics. Bioinformatics researchers from many fields will find much value in this book.

Despite technological advances, an alarming number of people in the world go hungry. Even more chilling is the fact that in the future that number will likely increase. In this book, Kristin Dawkins discusses the international policies that are shaping this future, including those that govern the genetic engineering of plants. Dawkins shows how a diversified gene pool is crucial to food production - and how corporate control of the gene pool threatens our collective security. Behind these issues lies the specter of globalization - transnational corporations freely exploiting the resources and consumers of the world while political power shifts to remote international institutions strictly dedicated to commerce. Dawkins challenges those in power to develop global systems of political discourse in the public interest and shows how each one of us can make a difference.