University of Oxford

About: University of Oxford is a education organization based out in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 99713 authors who have published 258108 publications receiving 12972806 citations. The organization is also known as: Oxford University & Oxon..

Classical, quantum and total correlations

Abstract: We discuss the problem of separating consistently the total correlations in a bipartite quantum state into a quantum and a purely classical part. A measure of classical correlations is proposed and its properties are explored.

Fast folding and comparison of RNA secondary structures

Abstract: Computer codes for computation and comparison of RNA secondary structures, the Vienna RNA package, are presented, that are based on dynamic programming algorithms and aim at predictions of structures with minimum free energies as well as at computations of the equilibrium partition functions and base pairing probabilities. An efficient heuristic for the inverse folding problem of RNA is introduced. In addition we present compact and efficient programs for the comparison of RNA secondary structures based on tree editing and alignment. All computer codes are written in ANSI C. They include implementations of modified algorithms on parallel computers with distributed memory. Performance analysis carried out on an Intel Hypercube shows that parallel computing becomes gradually more and more efficient the longer the sequences are.

The effect of malaria control on Plasmodium falciparum in Africa between 2000 and 2015

Abstract: Since the year 2000, a concerted campaign against malaria has led to unprecedented levels of intervention coverage across sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the effect of this control effort is vital to inform future control planning. However, the effect of malaria interventions across the varied epidemiological settings of Africa remains poorly understood owing to the absence of reliable surveillance data and the simplistic approaches underlying current disease estimates. Here we link a large database of malaria field surveys with detailed reconstructions of changing intervention coverage to directly evaluate trends from 2000 to 2015, and quantify the attributable effect of malaria disease control efforts. We found that Plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence in endemic Africa halved and the incidence of clinical disease fell by 40% between 2000 and 2015. We estimate that interventions have averted 663 (542-753 credible interval) million clinical cases since 2000. Insecticide-treated nets, the most widespread intervention, were by far the largest contributor (68% of cases averted). Although still below target levels, current malaria interventions have substantially reduced malaria disease incidence across the continent. Increasing access to these interventions, and maintaining their effectiveness in the face of insecticide and drug resistance, should form a cornerstone of post-2015 control strategies.

The incidence of thyroid disorders in the community: a twenty-year follow-up of the Whickham Survey

Abstract: Summary BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The original Whlckham Survey documented the prevalence of thyroid disorders in a randomly selected sample of 2779 adults which matched the population of Great Britain in age, sex and social class. The aim of the twenty-year follow-up survey was to determine the Incidence and natural history of thyroid disease in this cohort. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS Subjects were traced at follow-up via the Electoral Register, General Practice registers, Gateshead Family Health Services Authority register and Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Eight hundred and twenty-five subjects (30% of the sample) had died and, In addition to death certificates, two-thirds had Information from either hospital/General Practitioner notes or post-mortem reports to document morbidity prior to death. Of the 1877 known survivors, 96% participated in the follow-up study and 91 % were tested for clinical, biochemical and Immunological evidence of thyroid dysfunction. RESULTS Outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality were determined for over 97% of the original sample. The mean Incidence (with 95% confidence Intervals) of spontaneous hypothyroidism in women was 3.5/1000 survivors/year (2.8-4.5) rising to 4.1/1000 survivors/year (3.3-5.0) for all causes of hypothyroidism and in men was 0.6/1000 survivors/year (0.3-1.2). The mean incidence of hyperthyroidism In women was 0.8/1000 survivors/year (0.5.1.4) and was negligible in men. Similar incidence rates were calculated for the deceased subjects. An estimate of the probability of the development of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism at a particular time, i.e. the hazard rate, showed an Increase with age In hypothyroidism but no age relation in hyperthyroidism. The frequency of goitre decreased with age with 10% of women and 2% of men having a goitre at follow-up, as compared to 23% and 5% in the same subjects respectively at the first survey. The presence of a goitre at either survey was not associated with any clinical or biochemical evidence of thyroid dysfunction. In women, an association was found between the development of a goitre and thyroid-antibody status at follow-up, but not initially. The risk of having developed hypothyroidism at follow-up was examined with respect to risk factors Identified at first survey. The odds ratios (with 95% confidence Intervals) of developing hypothyroidism with (a) raised serum TSH alone were 8 (3-20) for women and 44 (19-104) for men; (b) positive anti-thyroid antibodies alone were 8 (5-15) for women and 25 (10-63) for men; (c) both raised serum TSH and positive anti-thyroid antibodies were 38 (22-65) for women and 173 (81-370) for men. A loglt model Indicated that Increasing values of serum TSH above 2mU/l at first survey Increased the probability of developing hypothyroidism which was further Increased in the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies. Neither a positive family history of any form of thyroid disease nor parity of women at first survey was associated with Increased risk of developing hypothyroidism. Fasting cholesterol and triglyceride levels at first survey when corrected for age showed no association with the development of hypothyroidism In women. CONCLUSIONS This historical cohort study has provided Incidence data for thyroid disease over a twenty-year period for a representative cross-sectional sample of the population, and has allowed the determination of the importance of prognostic risk factors for thyroid disease Identified twenty years earlier.

New cell lines from mouse epiblast share defining features with human embryonic stem cells

Abstract: The application of human embryonic stem (ES) cells in medicine and biology has an inherent reliance on understanding the starting cell population. Human ES cells differ from mouse ES cells and the specific embryonic origin of both cell types is unclear. Previous work suggested that mouse ES cells could only be obtained from the embryo before implantation in the uterus. Here we show that cell lines can be derived from the epiblast, a tissue of the post-implantation embryo that generates the embryo proper. These cells, which we refer to as EpiSCs (post-implantation epiblast-derived stem cells), express transcription factors known to regulate pluripotency, maintain their genomic integrity, and robustly differentiate into the major somatic cell types as well as primordial germ cells. The EpiSC lines are distinct from mouse ES cells in their epigenetic state and the signals controlling their differentiation. Furthermore, EpiSC and human ES cells share patterns of gene expression and signalling responses that normally function in the epiblast. These results show that epiblast cells can be maintained as stable cell lines and interrogated to understand how pluripotent cells generate distinct fates during early development.