...Epigenetics What is epigenetics? Epigenetics refers to external modifications to DNA that turns genes "on" or "off". The DNA sequence is not changed, these modifications just affect how the genes are read. Epigenetic regulation involves the modification of DNA and the proteins associated with DNA, which results in changes to the conformation of DNA without a change in its sequence. In some cases, epigenetic modifications are stable and passed down to future generations, but in others cases they are dynamic and change in response to environmental stimuli. Two common molecular mechanisms that regulate epigenetics are DNA methylation and histone modifications. Epigenetic processes are essential for development and differentiation, but they...
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...The field of epigenetics allows us to get a better understanding of the effects of stress and how it can have a prolonged impact on gene activity. Many studies(N.A Hazel et al., 2005, V.J. Felitti 2002, Franklin et al., 2010) carried out on humans and animals have shown that even early life stress can lead to epigenetic changes which can affect us in adulthood. These changes can make us more susceptible to many neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular disorders. In a study carried out by Nätt et al., 2015 the epigenetic mechanisms caused by high stress levels were studied in children. They measured the levels of cortisol in children’s hair (assuming that stress levels were correlated with cortisol levels), according to this the children were divided into high and low stress groups....
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...Epigenetics is the study of chemical changes that alter the genome and lead to a resultant change in expression of the genes. These changes may result in detrimental effects, especially in an individual's early life, when most organs are developing. Epigenesist brings such changes in development because it will lead to expression of undesired proteins from the genome which the core requirement for phenotypic expression (Mitchell et al., 2013). After the process, the genomes formed will be different from the usual ones hence a different protein will be expressed by the affected cell; and this may be an adverse effect. The epigenetics video shows how various chemical modifications occur to the genome, interacting specifically with DNA, and the...
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...Epigenetics: What is it and how does it influence human health? 1.1 Introduction The classic approach to genetics cannot explain such things like the dissimilarity of phenotypes in a population or why monozygotic twins have different phenotypes. Epigenetics is used to describe how changes like this happen (Esteller, 2008). The word epigenetics originates from the Greek word epi which means over, above or outer and it describes processes above genetics, which refers to above the order of base-pair nucleotides in the DNA making the genes (Mc Ewen, 2015). Epigenetics can be defined as genetic operations that make phenotypic changes without changing the base pair nucleotide sequence (Gilbert and Epel, 2009). These changes repeat during many...
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...unit of genetic material in life on Earth; however, Genetic information is stored within the chemical structure of the DNA ,the two backbones, which form double helix , a chain of four chemicals which called bases , and they are running along the backbones , as well as base pairs which are Bridges between bases that located on opposite backbones , The four bases are indicated by the letters A, T, C and G, and their order form a genetic "code" , A,T,C,G can be called triads or codons ,they carry a specific code or message that cells can understand ,and each code or message tells the cell to make for examples black hair, or make green eyes or help a person to grow tall or shorter, however ,DNA molecules are able to make copies of themselves during cell division or when the cell reproduces, usually the DNA molecules contains two identical molecules that were produced from one single parent molecule. When fertilizing an egg cell with a sperm cell, the sperm gives DNA to the fertilized egg and the egg has its DNA already , as we know...
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...Instructor Benjamin Atkins Epigenetics -vs- Nature -vs- Nurture The nature vs nurture debate is still ongoing, and within this debate, the world of science and psychology are faced with two new questions. Today we find some researchers asking; "Is development predetermined at birth, by hereditary factors, or do experience and other environ -mental factors affect it?", and "Can the two work together in shaping human development and behavior?" Developmental psychologists still attempt to find the answers to these questions in order to discover the sources of growth in children's cognitive, language, and social skills. Most developmental psychologists believe that nature and nurture combine to influence biological factors playing a stronger role in some aspects, such as physical development, and environmental factors playing a stronger role in others, such as moral development. They are also beginning to acknowledge the role of a variable combination of both inborn factors and social experiences when explaining children's behavior. Scientists and Psychologists have a name for such an occurrence; epigenetics/epigenesis. In this essay, I will be presenting to my audience information on this highly, and sometimes heated debate, as well as the reasons as to why the belief of this dual influence called epigenetics is becoming more fact than theory. For as long as there has been life, and those who question life, there has always been the one question...
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...TMA 02 DSE212 Dina EL-Aridi Option B ‘All features of our psychological life ... have as their biological bases the activity of neuronal systems in the brain’ (p.259). Does this mean that psychological life can be reduced to neuronal activity? Illustrate your answer with examples from Chapter 4, ‘Biological psychology’, from Book 1, mapping psychology The case study of Phineas Gage referred as being within the subject of Biological Psychology. As we human beings are a “biological species”, we need to be able to understand our biological make-up, to further study the Physiological field, only once we can fully understand the different part of our bodies, including the brain can we then apply Psychological research methods to study & develop understanding . Science constantly evolves to study and gain understanding, which then can lead to data interpretation methods like Psychological .The Theorist Crick,-: His belief and scientific approach called “Reductionism” (Mapping Psychology, Pg 230) Suggests that “Potentially all psychological events and experiences can fully and only explained in terms of the activity within the components of the brain”. Other Scientists do however argue that there should be a much broader view taken, and other views et should be considered.(Bolton and Hill, 1996, Stevens, 1996: Toates, 2001) These other theorists, and studies are suggested (Mapping Psychology, Pg 230) as having equally possible explanations of how our brains components...
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...America, 3 Ben May Department for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America Summary: Recent cancer studies emphasize that genetic and heritable epigenetic changes drive the evolutionary rate of cancer progression and drug resistance. We discuss the ways in which nonheritable aspects of cellular variability may significantly increase evolutionary rate. Nonheritable variability arises by stochastic fluctuations in cells and by physiological responses of cells to the environment. New approaches to drug design may be required to control nonheritable variability and the evolution of resistance to chemotherapy. Cancer progression is a series of evolutionary changes. Those changes include enhanced cellular proliferation, reduced cellular death by abrogating normal apoptotic mechanisms, greater invasiveness by increased expression of proteases, and improved colonizing ability to achieve metastasis [1]. In response to drug treatment, cancer cells often evolve resistance and continue to spread. Each evolutionary step typically proceeds by acquisition of genetic or heritable epigenetic changes in cells. When does the novel genetic change arise in an evolutionary step? By the current view, rare genetic variants arise before widespread phenotypic change. The idea is that a novel phenotype always comes from a novel genotype [2,3]. For example, rare resistant genetic variants may exist before drug treatment [4]. The drug selects those rare resistant...
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...Nicole Berz A37447965 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a highly prevalent, neurobiological disorder which generally has an early onset of symptoms (Biederman, 2005). Children of both genders are affected and symptoms often persist into adolescence and adulthood. It often includes varying degrees of age-inappropriate behaviors such as impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity (Barkley, 2002). These behavior traits must be prominent enough to cause impairment in the individual’s functioning. ADHD is considered a developmentally relative deficit. This means that diagnosable ADHD cases are often the extreme cases of normal traits, or result from an abnormal delay in normal traits. Evidence exists that the disorder runs in families, and it is assumed to be heritable (Biederman, 2005). Polanczyk, Silva de Lima, Horta, Biederman, & Rohde (2007) point out that this disorder has become a major public health concern because of its prevalence, early onset, and the serious financial burden for both families and society, that is often associated with it. Common predicaments with ADHD include overdiagnosis, stimulant medications as treatment, and the issue regarding worldwide prevalence, namely, whether or not it is more common in the United States. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been studied extensively, often with controversial findings, which implies that much more research is necessary. ADHD appears quite diverse over varying cases...
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...another person. Management takes place through considerate and interpreting conveyance (client’s feelings toward clinician) and counter transference (clinician’s feelings toward the client) Ego Psychology Its Strength and Application to Personality and Behaviour The ego is the biologically based “decision-making branch” of the brain that works by assisting us adapt and have coherence, identity, and organization. Kids have in-born independent potentials free from conflict when newborn has “goodness of fit” with an “average expectable environment”. Insentient ego fortifications ward off apprehension to defend self from harm as well as unwanted instincts. Ego growth is “epigenetic” and consecutive; shaped by culture and social environment. Ego strengths develop through determination of disasters at each stage of life throughout the lifespan Object Relations Its Strength and Application to Personality and Behaviour Humans have elementary as well as reflective needs to be associated or attached to others (known as “objects”).We internalize and take in associations through...
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...University of Phoenix Nutritional Needs Nutrition is the major intrauterine environmental factor that alters expression of the fetal genome and may have lifelong consequences. This phenomenon, termed “fetal programming,” has led to the recent theory of “fetal origins of adult disease.” Namely, alterations in fetal nutrition and endocrine status may result in developmental adaptations that permanently change the structure, physiology, and metabolism of the offspring, thereby predisposing individuals to metabolic, endocrine, and cardiovascular diseases in adult life. Animal studies show that both maternal undernutrition and over nutrition reduce placental-fetal blood flows and stunt fetal growth. Impaired placental syntheses of nitric oxide (a major vasodilator and angiogenesis factor) and polyamines (key regulators of DNA and protein synthesis) may provide a unified explanation for intrauterine growth retardation in response to the 2 extremes of nutritional problems with the same pregnancy outcome. There is growing evidence that maternal nutritional status can alter the epigenetic state (stable alterations of gene expression through DNA methylation and histone modifications) of the fetal genome. This may provide a molecular mechanism for the impact of maternal nutrition on both fetal programming and genomic imprinting. Promoting optimal nutrition will not only ensure optimal fetal development, but will also reduce the risk of chronic diseases in adults. Maternal nutrition plays...
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...Barack Obama, Joan of Arc, and Marilyn Monroe shared similar paths of life span development. Each one began to walk at approximately age one, began to talk sentences at about age four, as young children they played with toys while imagination worked wonders, and as young adults they would pack these toys up because they were no longer needed. As life goes on every human will experience almost the same developmental patterns from conception until death (Guest, 2011). Life-span perspective is the perspective that human development lasts all though out life. It views development as multicultural, multidirectional, multidisciplinary, plastic and contextual. In this perspective once a human hits their early 20’s, they have not completed development. In fact there are many developmental points in a human’s life after young adult hood that will last until death. This explains how human development is life-long (Guest, 2011). Multicultural can be defined as development that is affected by a person’s culture. Although people are affected by their culture 24 hours a day, they rarely notice. Culture is very pervasive, and we are all influenced by one another (Berger, 2008). Multidirectional can be defined as developmental change that will occur in every direction. These include predicted transformations as well as the unexpected ones. One aspect of this perspective is that the direction of human change...
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...Centenarians: The Biological, Sociological and Psychological Secrets to Human Longevity Amanda S. Primm Missouri State University Fall 2014 Abstract There is increasing interest from a multidisciplinary perspective in the study of centenarians, or individuals who live up to and beyond the age of 100. It is possible that these individuals are merely born to an excellent gene pool, or that they have superior coping skills that make it easier to deal with the stresses of life, thus prolonging their healthy status, or that the key to living a century and beyond resides very simply in healthy living, which includes regular exercise, and avoiding the detrimental effects of smoking, alcohol, and foods that contribute to...
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...UN General Assembly passed a historic resolution. It invited member countries to measure the happiness of their people and to use this to help guide their public policies. The first WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT was published in 2012. The need is a rising worldwide demand that policy framing must be closer to issues that really matters to people as perceived from their lives. The reports look for differences and trends in the equality or inequality with which happiness is distributed within and among countries and regions. The essence of traditional virtue ethics is that happiness is achieved by harnessing the will and the passions to live the right kind of life. A desirable level of happiness means feeling mildly to moderately positive usually, with occasional negative emotions in appropriate situations. Promoting a healthy start in life is vital, and there is ample evidence to indicate that early intervention programs have an important protective or preventive effect. Also, individuals who are happier tend to have better social relations. Well-being is also related to having less gossip and more meaningful conversations. The questions to use must be chosen according to end use purpose since they are of critical importance for measuring subjective wellbeing. The contextual impact of preceding questions must be also taken care of. The analysis of subjective well-being data requires a relatively large sample size and should use micro-data analysis. Also the, enumeration should be spread...
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...new and easier methods of communicating with their stakeholders. Any evaluation of communication techniques should include information about where we have been on the technological time line, where we are now, and the future of communication techniques. There was a time, not so long ago, that land line telephones were the norm and pagers were the ‘techy’ devices that all business people must have. Pagers sent an alarm to the device as an alert that someone was trying to call. Imagine the frustration of being in your car and suddenly having an emergency ‘page’. There were no cell phones during the time of the pager, so the only option was to seek out a pay phone. That scenario sounds archaic today. Shortly afterwards, we had an amazing revolution in technology with the cellular telephone. Business people could finally communicate with peers and customers, no matter where they were located. Naturally, the internet and the abundance of information that it provides, is among the greatest advances of our lifetimes. But, technology is still evolving and the future promises to hold many more time saving marvels as technology evolves all around us. We must be prepared and ready to adapt to the changes that are coming our way. Business and management practices also evolve to keep up with the technological advances. The Importance of Managerial Ethics in Business Communications Managerial ethics are crucial to the success of an organization. Effective and ethical communications...
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