Age at first birth in women is genetically associated with increased risk of schizophrenia

Prof. Paunio on PGC:n jäsenPrevious studies have shown an increased risk for mental health problems in children born to both younger and older parents compared to children of average-aged parents. We previously used a novel design to reveal a latent mechanism of genetic association between schizophrenia and age at first birth in women (AFB). Here, we use independent data from the UK Biobank (N = 38,892) to replicate the finding of an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women, and to estimate the genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in women stratified into younger and older groups. We find evidence for an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women (P-value = 1.12E-05), and we show genetic heterogeneity between younger and older AFB groups (P-value = 3.45E-03). The genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in the younger AFB group is -0.16 (SE = 0.04) while that between schizophrenia and AFB in the older AFB group is 0.14 (SE = 0.08). Our results suggest that early, and perhaps also late, age at first birth in women is associated with increased genetic risk for schizophrenia in the UK Biobank sample. These findings contribute new insights into factors contributing to the complex bio-social risk architecture underpinning the association between parental age and offspring mental health.Peer reviewe

WE‐E‐201C‐09: Intravascular Imaging with Storage Phosphor Detector

Purpose: To develop and test an intravascular positron imaging system based on a storage phosphor (SP) detector for imaging vulnerable plaques of human coronary arteries. Materials and methods: The positron‐emitting radiotracer F18‐FDG accumulates in vulnerable arterial plaques with inflamed overlying cap; thus vulnerable plaques could be imaged by an intravascular positron detector located at the end of a cardiac catheter. An experimental intravascular imaging detector was constructed as a SP tube with 55 mm length, 2 mm diameter, and 0.28 mm wall thickness. A light diffuser with 0.9 mm diameter and 55 mm length is inserted into the SP tube to erase signal accumulated in the SP during fluoroscopic guidance of catheter insertion. The light diffuser was connected to a 0.38 W laser source through a 2 m long optical fiber. A heart phantom with 300 cm3 volume, and 3.2 mm diameter coronary arteries with plaques was fabricated. 0.5 μCi/cm3 FDG solution filled the heart and coronary arteries, with a range of activities in the plaques. The detector was inserted in a coronary artery and the plaques were imaged for 2 min. The detector was extracted and read out in 2 min using a SP reader. Results: The light diffuser erased the fluoroscopic x‐ray signal of the SP to background levels. Vulnerable plaques with area activities of 1.2 nCi/mm2 and higher were visualized. This activity is a factor of 10 lower than that expected in human vulnerable plaques. The detector can image the internal surface of 50 mm long vessels with 0.6 mm FWHM spatial resolution in a single measurement. The detector is flexible, easy to handle, and provides virtually real time imaging. Conclusion: The intravascular detector provides sensitivity, spatial resolution, flexibility, and imaging times that are well suited for clinical imaging of vulnerable plaques of human coronary artery

Low Elevation Transmission Measurements at EOPACE Part I: Molecular and Aerosol Effects

An analysis is presented showing the effects of molecules and aerosols on atmospheric transmission data obtained during the Electro-Optical Propagation Assessment in Coastal Environments (EOPACE) campaign carried out in San Diego during March and April, 1996. Mid wave infrared transmission was measured over San Diego Bay along a 14.9 km path and a 7.0 km path at heights less than 4 meters above the water. Simultaneous meteorological measurements were obtained from two buoys placed at the mid-points of each path. An aerosol spectrometer was used to measure the aerosol size distribution over each transmission path. Data were analyzed with MODTRAN and Mie theory. The conclusion of this and the next two papers is that low altitude infrared transmission is a complex phenomenon whose mean value may be controlled either by molecular absorption, aerosol scattering, or refractive focusing, and whose fluctuating value is controlled by scintillation. ©2005 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Antichains: alternative algorithms for LTL satisfiability and model-checking

The linear temporal logic (LTL) was introduced by Pnueli as a logic to express properties over the computations of reactive systems. Since this seminal work, there have been a large number of papers that have studied deductive systems and algorithmic methods to reason about the correctness of reactive programs with regard to LTL properties. In this paper, we propose new efficient algorithms for LTL satisfiability and model-checking. Our algorithms do not construct nondeterministic automata from LTL formulas but work directly with alternating automata using efficient exploration techniques based on antichains. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.SCOPUS: cp.kinfo:eu-repo/semantics/published14th International Conference onTools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems, TACAS2008"; Budapest; Hungary; 29 March 2008 through 6 April 2008