The Biomed Experts site has a nice email notification of new papers which have been authored by my earlier co-authors – which is great! by focusing more on Continue reading Hot of the press
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accessed 01.12.2025
SQLite and a graphical ER diagrammer for OS X
I am looking for some time for a MS-Acess like graphical interface addressing my large SQLite databases. Having tried out now more than dozen different packages, I found only one that fills my needs and even that only by 80% – RazorSQL.
Writing complex SQL queries is possible hwith an “autocomplete” function Continue reading SQLite and a graphical ER diagrammer for OS X
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accessed 01.12.2025
Tired of the hygiene hypothesis
A new Thorax review finds
The hypotheses have arisen from a desire to explain epidemiological differences, and those such as the “hygiene” hypothesis had a seemingly corroboratory immunological explanation. However, they have not taken us to the point where we can proudly announce a primary preventive strategy.
I agree with the last statement but have severe doubts on any “immunological explanation” Continue reading Tired of the hygiene hypothesis
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Fake it till you make it
Wikepedia defines
“Fake it till you make it” (also called “act as if”) is a common catchphrase Continue reading Fake it till you make it
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Two new bioinformatics services
The first one is Anno-J, an excellent way to show your own annotation track that has some benefits compared to Ensembl or the Genome Browser.
The second one Continue reading Two new bioinformatics services
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The art of a clean Mac OS X desktop
I spent considerable time this week as my MBA showed major quirks – the finder’s trashcan did not respond, clicking on the finder in the dock suddenly opened a second icon, while the finder crashed frequently. Running harddisk maintenance, correcting access rights, deleting several plists, experimenting with safe mode, even deleting PRAM and NVRAM – nothing helped until Continue reading The art of a clean Mac OS X desktop
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accessed 01.12.2025
Tobe, Welt und springe
Bach cantatas are at a nice page of cs.ualberta.ca incuding my favorite BWV 227
Trotz dem alten Drachen,
Trotz des Todes Rachen,
Trotz der Furcht darzu!
Tobe, Welt, und springe,
Ich steh hier und singe
In gar sichrer Ruh.
Gottes Macht hält mich in acht;
Erd und Abgrund muss verstummen,
Ob sie noch so brummen.
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How to speed up online banking with a billing “tweed”
It would be nice to have billing details somewhere online while just typing in some Amadeus like 6 digit code to move the data into the online banking page. This not so much a security issue as such a billing tweed should vanish after 4 weeks Continue reading How to speed up online banking with a billing “tweed”
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accessed 01.12.2025
Unscientific World
A review of “Unscientific America” on p 678 in Science Magazine 7 Aug 2009 finds
According to Mooney and Kirshenbaum, atheistic scientists such as Richard Dawkins and P. Z. Myers [who runs the immensely popular science blog Pharyngula] drive people away from science by forcing them to choose between the facts and their faith.
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Sponsor me too, please
evo-devo-dis
I am curently working on a new lecture series on that topic – having a gut feeling that the evolutionary history will explain how and why we get diseases. Some German magazines (“Fehlkonstruktion Mensch” DER SPIEGEL 40/2009) even write about that topic quoting a forthcoming book of Ganten / Deichmann / Spahl). I will rely, however, mostly on Continue reading evo-devo-dis
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accessed 01.12.2025
Wiesn 2009
All scientists are currently at the Wiesn… (not to mention all the alternatives in Bavaria: Gillamos, Barthelmarkt, Volksfest Straubing, Karpfhammer Fest, … Continue reading Wiesn 2009
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accessed 01.12.2025
Collegium logicum
was die Welt zusammen hält… Continue reading Collegium logicum
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Sei doch in sich selbst vergnügt
Reading what FAZ’ Frank Schirrmacher writes in his new book about loosing control over his brain “Mein Kopf kommt nicht mehr mit” (“My head lost me”) Continue reading Sei doch in sich selbst vergnügt
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accessed 01.12.2025
Lets not call it “gene-environment-interaction” anymore
(reminescence)
Gene-environment-interaction is a large bubble in complex disease research area with a label that is itself questionable. Genes do not interact with the environment (or only indirectly); the environment does not interact with genes (situations like epigenetic modification or induction of mutations are at least not meant here).
What is being meant by “gene-environment-interaction”, could be described as “genetically conditioned environmental influence” (GCEI) but not as GxE interaction… BTW is there any online list of GCEIs?
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accessed 01.12.2025