Wallace Gene Expression and Its Discontents

The Social Production of Chronic Disease
1. Auflage 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4419-1482-8
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 227 Seiten

Gene Expression and its Discontents examines a class of probability models describing how epigenetic context affects gene expression and organismal development, using the asymptotic limit theorems of information theory in a highly formal manner. Taking classic results on spontaneous symmetry breaking abducted from statistical physics in groupoid, rather than group, circumstances, the work suggests that epigenetic information sources act as analogs to a tunable catalyst, directing development into different characteristic pathways according to the structure of external signals. The results have significant implications for epigenetic epidemiology, in particular for understanding how environmental stressors, in a large sense, can induce a broad spectrum of developmental disorders in humans. The authors then apply the perspective to a number of chronic diseases broadly associated with obesity, using data at different scales of observation.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wallace, Rodrick

Wallace, Deborah

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Contents;6
2;1 Introduction;9
2.1;1.1 T o w ard new to ols;9
2.2;1.2 Epigenetic epidemiology;10
2.3;1.3 Ecosystem resilience;14
2.4;1.4 A rst surv ey of the ob esit y pandemic in the US;23
3;2 Models of development;35
3.1;2.1 The spinglass model;35
3.2;2.2 Shifting perspective: cognition as an information source;38
4;3 Groupoid symmetries;44
4.1;3.1 The first level;45
4.2;3.2 The second level;45
4.3;3.3 Spontaneous symmetry breaking;47
4.4;3.4 A biological example;48
5;4 Epigenetic catalysis;51
5.1;4.1 The basic idea;51
5.2;4.2 Rate Distortion dynamics;53
5.3;4.3 More topology;56
5.4;4.4 Inherited epigenetic memory;57
5.5;4.5 Multiple processes;58
5.6;4.6 `Coevolutionary' developmen t;59
5.7;4.7 Multiple models;61
5.8;4.8 Epigenetic focus;62
6;5 Developmental disorders;64
6.1;5.1 Net work information theory;64
6.2;5.2 Em b edding ecosystems as information sources;65
6.3;5.3 Ecosystems farm organismal development;66
6.4;5.4 A simple probability argument;69
6.5;5.5 Developmental shadows;70
6.6;5.6 Epigenetic programming of artificial systems for b i o t e c h n o l o g y;71
7;6 An interim perspective;73
8;7 The obesity pandemic in the US;76
8.1;7.1 Introduction;76
8.2;7.2 Stress and the HPA axis;77
8.3;7.3 HPA axis cognition;78
8.4;7.4 Interacting information sources;78
8.5;7.5 The simplest HPA axis model;80
8.6;7.6 Obesity as a developmen al disorder;84
8.7;7.7 Recent trajectories of structured stress in the US;85
8.8;7.8 Confron ting the obesity epidemic;92
9;8 Coronary heart disease in the US;101
9.1;8.1 Introduction;101
9.2;8.2 Cognition, immune cognition, and culture;104
9.3;8.3 Punctuated in terp enetration: adapting to pathogenic h i e r a r c h y;107
9.4;8.4 Implications for intervention;109
10;9 Cancer: a developmental perspective;112
10.1;9.1 Introduction;112
10.2;9.2 Context;113
10.3;9.3 Mutator dynamics;116
10.4;9.4 Implications and speculations;118
11;10 Autoimmune disorders;121
11.1;10.1 Introduction;121
11.2;10.2 Nonorthogonal eigenmodes of immune cognition;124
11.3;10.3 Circadian and other cycles;127
11.4;10.4 The retina of the immune response;130
11.5;10.5 Circadian-hormonal cycle synergism.;132
11.6;10.6 The cognitiv e HP A axis;133
11.7;10.7 Phase transitions of in teracting information systems;135
11.8;10.8 Autoimm une disease;136
11.9;10.9 An application to asthma;138
11.10;10.10 Images of pathogenic social hierarchy;139
12;11 Demoralization and obesity in Upper Manhattan;143
12.1;11.1 Introduction;143
12.2;11.2 Methods;144
12.3;11.3 Data Analysis;147
12.4;11.4 Modeling demoralization and chronic stress;148
12.5;11.5 Results;149
12.6;11.6 Discussion;154
12.7;11.7 Conclusion;157
12.8;11.8 Chapter App endix;158
13;12 Death at an early age: AIDS and related mortality in N e w Y o r k C i t y;161
13.1;12.1 Introduction;161
13.2;12.2 Data and analysis;164
13.3;12.3 Results;165
13.4;12.4 Discussion;171
13.5;12.5 Acknowledgment;178
13.6;12.6 Chapter Appendix;178
14;13 Final thoughts;181
15;14 Mathematical appendix;183
15.1;14.1 The Shannon Co ding Theorem;183
15.2;14.2 The `tuning theorem';185
15.3;14.3 The Shannon-McMillan Theorem;187
15.4;14.4 The Rate Distortion Theorem;190
15.5;14.5 Group oids;193
15.6;14.6 Morse Theory;196
15.7;14.7 Generalized Onsager Theory;198
16;15 References;201