BACKGROUND The variance explained by genetic variants as identified in (genome-wide) genetic association studies is typically small compared to family-based heritability estimates. Explanations of this 'missing heritability' have been mainly genetic, such as genetic heterogeneity and complex (epi-)genetic mechanisms. METHODOLOGY We used comprehensive simulation studies to show that three phen...

UNLABELLED Although genetic association studies often test multiple, related phenotypes, few formal multivariate tests of association are available. We describe a test of association that can be efficiently applied to large population-based designs. AVAILABILITY A C++ implementation can be obtained from the authors.

In many applications, covariates possess a grouping structure that can be incorporated into the analysis to select important groups as well as important members of those groups. One important example arises in genetic association studies, where genes may have several variants capable of contributing to disease. An ideal penalized regression approach would select variables by balancing both the ...

The use of genetically isolated populations can empower next-generation association studies. In this review, we discuss the advantages of this approach and review study design and analytical considerations of genetic association studies focusing on isolates. We cite successful examples of using population isolates in association studies and outline potential ways forward.

The obesity epidemic is attributable to dietary and behavioral trends acting on a person's genetic makeup to determine body mass and susceptibility to obesity-related disease. Common forms of obesity have a strong hereditary component, yet genetic pathways that contribute to obesity have not yet been elucidated. Many genetic association studies have been reported, but few have been successfully...

This essay examines the ideological dimension of translation studies in present-day China, which can be viewed as an indicator of any discernible change in ideological fluctuations of translation. Based on an overview of translation studies in present-day China, this essay argues that the most urgent problem is the domestic climate for the social, cultural, political, and institutional sub-syst...