71 research outputs found

    Is there an impact of Foreign Direct Investments on gender equality? A study of female employment in Latin America and the Caribbean

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    Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a part of the globalization process, a process increasing all over the world. These investments affect people, both in the home economy and the host economy. People in the host economy are, due to several aspects, affected in different ways. One of those aspects is gender. Gender inequality in the world is well known, women have less political, economic and social power than men, and they are further down in the social hierarchy. All these factors have an impact on how women are affected by development such as globalization in general and also FDI more specifically. Earlier research regarding FDI is almost gender blind, some studies exist but not to a broad extent. Since men and women have different positions in society the impact of FDI can be assumed to be different. In order to include a gender perspective we examine whether FDI has an impact on women’s situation and on gender equality, and in that case whether the impact is positive or negative. We perform fixed effect estimation on a sample of 24 Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries during the time period 1990-2013 in order to study the relationship between FDI and female labour force participation (FLFP). We also study the impact of FDI on the composition of the labour force. The regressions show some signs of FDI having an impact on gender equality, but the results are not robust and there is a need for further research within this subject

    The African Growth and Opportunity Act - Effects on export diversification and female labour in the apparel sectors

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    In 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act was signed into law in the United States, and is at present set to last until 2015. The act aimed at helping the Sub-Saharan African countries develop “through trade, not aid”. This essay studies the effect of the act on diversification of goods exported from these African countries to the United States. By analysing trade data for the period 1997-2012 this essay examines whether there is a basis for an extension of the act. The focus is both on an aggregated level and on the female dominated apparel sectors. The apparel sectors are studied specifically in order to see if the act has any effect on sectors that is important for empowering women. The results from the empiric analyses show that AGOA do not show any effect on diversifying the exported goods on the aggregated level, but for the apparel sectors there is a positive effect. Thereby, based on this study there is a basis for an extension of the act – at least for the apparel sectors

    Den svenska varmblodiga hÀstens avelsmÄl

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    As the quality of internationally competing horses is increasing, a debate concerning the breeding goal of the Swedish Warmblood horse has arisen. Some people claim that the breeding goal should be divided into two separate goals in the future; one for show jumping horses and another one for dressage horses. At the same time others claim that since the largest group of people using the Swedish Warmblood horse today is amateur riders, the needs of these riders should be taken into a larger consideration in the breeding program. The largest emphasis in this matter is on the horses' temperament. The objective of the study was to investigate what the majority of the Swedish horse people think about a variety of questions concerning today's breeding goal of the Swedish Warmblood horse. The questions regarded how future changes of the breeding goal should look like, what conformation qualities that are wanted and what the best height of the horse is considered to be. The questionnaire also had as an objective to determine what temperament features that are wanted by different categories of horse people, and if different views, what differences were. To analyze if separate breeding goal is necessary to meet high demands of progeny in the future, a study of genetic trends was conducted. In the study the best quarter out of all evaluated horses for each year, was used for visualizing the genetic trends of the best horses in the traits show jumping, dressage and conformation. The opinions of the horse-related people in Sweden, regarding the future breeding objective of the Swedish Warmblood horse were investigated in a questionnaire. The study included 1183 randomly chosen persons within the four groups: trainers, riders, breeders and riding school head coaches. The response frequency of the questionnaire was 50 %. The study of genetic trends was conducted on BLUP- values and grades from the Riding Horse Quality Event (RHQE), for horses evaluated in the years 1974-2005. The results of the analyses of genetic trends indicated that there are good possibilities to specialize horses to a specific trait, within the multi-purpose breeding goal of today. In the questionnaire only 21 % out of all participants wanted separate breeding goals of the Swedish Warmblood horse in the future. Many of Swedish horse people, i.e. 41 % of all participants, think that the consideration of temperament in the genetic evaluation of today is inadequate. The request for a better consideration of temperament was high in all groups of horse people, especially among dressage riders. The ideal height of a Swedish Warmblood horse was 166,7 cm, with only a difference of less than 2,5 cm in average height between different groups of horse people. The results of this study show that the breeding goal for the Swedish Warmblood horse should remain as a multi-purpose goal. It is not of current interest to further separate the breeding goal for different disciplines more than the present specialization. In the future it is proposed that horse evaluations should include temperament and hoof quality to a lager extent. The best alternative would probably be to include temperament tests to a larger extent into the station- and field tests of young horses and stallions.I takt med hĂ„rdare internationell konkurrens inom ridsporten, har en debatt angĂ„ende avelsmĂ„let för Svenska Varmblodiga HĂ€sten, Ă€ven kallad halvblodshĂ€sten, startats upp. En del anser att dagens avelsmĂ„l bör delas upp i tvĂ„ nya, separata mĂ„l; ett för hopphĂ€star och ett annat för dressyrhĂ€star. Samtidigt anser andra att man istĂ€llet bör se mer till fritidsryttarens behov i avelsarbetet, huvudsakligen med betoning pĂ„ hĂ€stens temperament. Syftet med arbetet var att undersöka var majoriteten av svenskt hĂ€stfolk stĂ„r i frĂ„gan om separata avelsmĂ„l i framtiden. Dessutom undersöktes vilka temperamentsegenskaper och storlek pĂ„ varmblodshĂ€star som Ă€r önskvĂ€rda bland olika kategorier av hĂ€stfolk. Eventuellt skulle man kunna pĂ„visa vilka skillnader som finns beroende pĂ„ personers utövningsnivĂ„. För att analysera om separata avelsmĂ„l Ă€r nödvĂ€ndigt genomfördes Ă€ven en analys av genetiska trender pĂ„ den bĂ€sta fjĂ€rdedelen av alla hĂ€star för varje Ă„r i egenskaperna hoppförmĂ„ga, gĂ„ngarter och exteriör. HĂ€stnĂ€ringens stĂ€llningstaganden i frĂ„gor om dagens avelsvĂ€rdering undersöktes i en enkĂ€tstudie. Det var 1183 st. deltagare i studien vilka valdes ut genom ett slumpurval inom kategorierna trĂ€nare, ryttare, uppfödare och ridskolechefer. Svarsfrekvensen var 50 %. Analysen av genetiska trender genomfördes pĂ„ befintliga BLUP-vĂ€rden och kvalitetsbedömningsbetyg frĂ„n hĂ€star testade under Ă„ren 1974-2005. Analysen av genetiska trender visade att det finns goda möjligheter att specialisera hĂ€star till en specifik gren, i det redan befintliga ”multipurpose” mĂ„let för den Svenska varmblodiga ridhĂ€sten. EnkĂ€tundersökningen visade att endast 21 % av samtliga enkĂ€tdeltagare vill ha separata avelsmĂ„l för rasen i framtiden. En stor andel av hĂ€stnĂ€ringen, 41 % av samtliga enkĂ€tdeltagare, anser att dagens hĂ€nsyn till temperament i avelsvĂ€rderingen Ă€r otillrĂ€cklig. Önskan om en större hĂ€nsyn till temperament var ungefĂ€r lika stor för alla kategorier inom hĂ€stnĂ€ringen, men speciellt stor var den hos dressyrryttarna. Uppfattningen om vilka temperament som Ă€r önskvĂ€rda respektive inte önskvĂ€rda hos hĂ€sten var lika oberoende av utövningsnivĂ„ eller gren. De viktigaste egenskaperna var en samarbetsvillig hĂ€st som Ă€r lyhörd och ”cool”, medan spĂ€nda och nervösa hĂ€star och hĂ€star med aggressivt temperament inte var önskvĂ€rda. Den idealiska mankhöjden för den Svenska varmblodiga hĂ€sten Ă€r enligt enkĂ€tdeltagarna 167 cm i medeltal. Skillnaden i önskad mankhöjd mellan olika utövningsgrupper var som mest knappt 2,5 cm. EnkĂ€tresultaten visade Ă€ven att bra hovar Ă€r den absolut viktigaste exteriöra kvalitĂ©n, följt av bra benkvalitet och benstĂ€llningar, som bör beaktas i avelsarbetet. Med hĂ€nsyn till resultaten i detta arbete bör Svenska Varmblodiga HĂ€sten behĂ„lla dagens avelsmĂ„l. Separata grenspecifika avelsmĂ„l utöver dagens specialisering Ă€r inte aktuellt. DĂ€remot bör avelsvĂ€rderingen i framtiden inkludera temperamentsegenskaper och hovkvalitet i större utstrĂ€ckning. Förslagsvis bör man prova nĂ„gon form av temperamentstester i samband med unghĂ€stbedömningar och bruksprov

    The educational gradient in dental caries experience in Northern- Norway: a cross-sectional study from the seventh survey of the TromsĂž study

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    Background Although, studies from Norway indicate a reduction in dental caries experience, in Northern-Norway this non-communicable oral condition is still prevalent. There is conflicting evidence of presence of social inequalities in dental caries in an adult population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess an association between educational level and dental caries experience in adults in urban TromsĂž municipality, Northern-Norway, using The World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) framework of health determinants. Methods Data from 3752 participants having recorded dental caries status and educational level in the seventh survey of the TromsĂž Study: TromsĂž7 were included. Dental status was examined clinically as decayed-, missing-, filled-teeth (DMFT score). For statistical analyses DMFT score was grouped into lower (DMFT<19) and higher (DMFT≄20). Educational level was obtained from a questionnaire and categorized as primary/partly secondary education, upper secondary education, tertiary education, short and tertiary education, long. Data on social and intermediary determinants was also self-reported. Univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were applied. Result This study included 1939 (52%) women and the mean age of the participants was 57.11. The mean DMFT score was 18.03. The odds of having higher DMFT score followed a gradient based on educational level. Participants who reported lower than secondary education had 2.06 -fold increased odds of having higher DMFT score than those with tertiary education, long (OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.50–2.83). Those with upper secondary education had 60% higher odds of having higher DMFT score (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.21–2.11), and those with tertiary education, short had 66% higher odds of having higher DMFT score (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.24–2.22). Conclusion The current cross-sectional study suggested an educational gradient in dental caries experience in an adult population of Northern- Norway. Further studies validating our results and investigating mechanisms of educational inequalities in oral health are warranted

    Genetic analysis of clinical findings at health examinations of young Swedish warmblood riding horses

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    BACKGROUND: Soundness is important for welfare and utility of the riding horse. Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common causes of interruption in training and of culling. Despite great importance, heritability of a majority of health traits in horses has previously not been estimated. The objective was to perform genetic analyses of medical and orthopaedic health traits in young riding horses, including estimates of heritability and genetic correlations between health traits, and to reveal possibilities for genetic evaluation of stallions for progeny health. RESULTS: The heritability of health traits was estimated using records from 8,238 Swedish warmblood riding horses examined as 4–5 year olds at the Riding Horse Quality Test in 1983–2005. The analyses were performed using multi-trait linear mixed animal models. The heritabilities of palpatory orthopaedic health (PALP), including effusion, swelling, heat, soreness and stiffness/atrophy, and hoof examination results (HOOF), of hoof shape and hoof wall quality, were 0.12 and 0.10, respectively. The genetic variation in these traits resulted in distinct health differences between progeny groups of stallions. The highest heritability among clinical signs of PALP was found for synovial effusions at 0.14. For systemic locations, joint related findings had the highest heritability; 0.13. The heritabilities of medical health and locomotion examination results were low, 0.02 and 0.04, respectively. A genetic improvement of health status has occurred over time but accounts only partly for the decrease in clinical findings of health during the studied period. CONCLUSIONS: The genetic variation found in PALP and HOOF implies distinct differences between progeny groups. Thus, there are possibilities for improvement of these traits in the population through selection. The weak and non-significant correlation between PALP and HOOF suggests that both traits need to be selected for in practical breeding to improve both traits. Some genetic improvements over time have already been achieved, possibly due to regular stallion health inspections and an indirect selection for lifetime performance. For further improvements stallion breeding values for health may be introduced, based on RHQT examinations, complementary to present breeding values for performance

    Impaired phosphate transport in SLC34A2 variants in patients with pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis

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    Background: Variants in SLC34A2 encoding the sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein 2b (NaPi-IIb) cause the rare lung disease pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM). PAM is characterised by the deposition of calcium-phosphate concretions in the alveoli usually progressing over time. No effective treatment is available. So far, 30 allelic variants in patients have been reported but only a few have been functionally characterised. This study aimed to determine the impact of selected SLC34A2 variants on transporter expression and phosphate uptake in cellular studies. Methods: Two nonsense variants (c.910A > T and c.1456C > T), one frameshift (c.1328delT), and one in-frame deletion (c.1402_1404delACC) previously reported in patients with PAM were selected for investigation. Wild-type and mutant c-Myc-tagged human NaPi-IIb constructs were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The transport function was investigated with a 32Pi uptake assay. NaPi-IIb protein expression and localisation were determined with immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results: Oocytes injected with the wild-type human NaPi-IIb construct had significant 32Pi transport compared to water-injected oocytes. In addition, the protein had a molecular weight as expected for the glycosylated form, and it was readily detectable in the oocyte membrane. Although the protein from the Thr468del construct was synthesised and expressed in the oocyte membrane, phosphate transport was similar to non-injected control oocytes. All other mutants were non-functional and not expressed in the membrane, consistent with the expected impact of the truncations caused by premature stop codons. Conclusions: Of four analysed SLC34A2 variants, only the Thr468del showed similar protein expression as the wild-type cotransporter in the oocyte membrane. All mutant transporters were non-functional, supporting that dysfunction of NaPi-IIb underlies the pathology of PAM

    Mutational processes molding the genomes of 21 breast cancers

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    All cancers carry somatic mutations. The patterns of mutation in cancer genomes reflect the DNA damage and repair processes to which cancer cells and their precursors have been exposed. To explore these mechanisms further, we generated catalogs of somatic mutation from 21 breast cancers and applied mathematical methods to extract mutational signatures of the underlying processes. Multiple distinct single- and double-nucleotide substitution signatures were discernible. Cancers with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations exhibited a characteristic combination of substitution mutation signatures and a distinctive profile of deletions. Complex relationships between somatic mutation prevalence and transcription were detected. A remarkable phenomenon of localized hypermutation, termed "kataegis," was observed. Regions of kataegis differed between cancers but usually colocalized with somatic rearrangements. Base substitutions in these regions were almost exclusively of cytosine at TpC dinucleotides. The mechanisms underlying most of these mutational signatures are unknown. However, a role for the APOBEC family of cytidine deaminases is proposed

    Mutational processes molding the genomes of 21 breast cancers

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    All cancers carry somatic mutations. The patterns of mutation in cancer genomes reflect the DNA damage and repair processes to which cancer cells and their precursors have been exposed. To explore these mechanisms further, we generated catalogs of somatic mutation from 21 breast cancers and applied mathematical methods to extract mutational signatures of the underlying processes. Multiple distinct single- and double-nucleotide substitution signatures were discernible. Cancers with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations exhibited a characteristic combination of substitution mutation signatures and a distinctive profile of deletions. Complex relationships between somatic mutation prevalence and transcription were detected. A remarkable phenomenon of localized hypermutation, termed “kataegis,” was observed. Regions of kataegis differed between cancers but usually colocalized with somatic rearrangements. Base substitutions in these regions were almost exclusively of cytosine at TpC dinucleotides. The mechanisms underlying most of these mutational signatures are unknown. However, a role for the APOBEC family of cytidine deaminases is proposed

    Genomic Relationships, Novel Loci, and Pleiotropic Mechanisms across Eight Psychiatric Disorders

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    Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders transcend diagnostic boundaries, suggesting substantial pleiotropy of contributing loci. However, the nature and mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects remain unclear. We performed analyses of 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls from genome-wide studies of anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome. Genetic correlation analyses revealed a meaningful structure within the eight disorders, identifying three groups of inter-related disorders. Meta-analysis across these eight disorders detected 109 loci associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, including 23 loci with pleiotropic effects on four or more disorders and 11 loci with antagonistic effects on multiple disorders. The pleiotropic loci are located within genes that show heightened expression in the brain throughout the lifespan, beginning prenatally in the second trimester, and play prominent roles in neurodevelopmental processes. These findings have important implications for psychiatric nosology, drug development, and risk prediction.Peer reviewe

    Interaction Testing and Polygenic Risk Scoring to Estimate the Association of Common Genetic Variants with Treatment Resistance in Schizophrenia

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    Importance: About 20% to 30% of people with schizophrenia have psychotic symptoms that do not respond adequately to first-line antipsychotic treatment. This clinical presentation, chronic and highly disabling, is known as treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). The causes of treatment resistance and their relationships with causes underlying schizophrenia are largely unknown. Adequately powered genetic studies of TRS are scarce because of the difficulty in collecting data from well-characterized TRS cohorts. Objective: To examine the genetic architecture of TRS through the reassessment of genetic data from schizophrenia studies and its validation in carefully ascertained clinical samples. Design, Setting, and Participants: Two case-control genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of schizophrenia were performed in which the case samples were defined as individuals with TRS (n = 10501) and individuals with non-TRS (n = 20325). The differences in effect sizes for allelic associations were then determined between both studies, the reasoning being such differences reflect treatment resistance instead of schizophrenia. Genotype data were retrieved from the CLOZUK and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) schizophrenia studies. The output was validated using polygenic risk score (PRS) profiling of 2 independent schizophrenia cohorts with TRS and non-TRS: a prevalence sample with 817 individuals (Cardiff Cognition in Schizophrenia [CardiffCOGS]) and an incidence sample with 563 individuals (Genetics Workstream of the Schizophrenia Treatment Resistance and Therapeutic Advances [STRATA-G]). Main Outcomes and Measures: GWAS of treatment resistance in schizophrenia. The results of the GWAS were compared with complex polygenic traits through a genetic correlation approach and were used for PRS analysis on the independent validation cohorts using the same TRS definition. Results: The study included a total of 85490 participants (48635 [56.9%] male) in its GWAS stage and 1380 participants (859 [62.2%] male) in its PRS validation stage. Treatment resistance in schizophrenia emerged as a polygenic trait with detectable heritability (1% to 4%), and several traits related to intelligence and cognition were found to be genetically correlated with it (genetic correlation, 0.41-0.69). PRS analysis in the CardiffCOGS prevalence sample showed a positive association between TRS and a history of taking clozapine (r2 = 2.03%; P =.001), which was replicated in the STRATA-G incidence sample (r2 = 1.09%; P =.04). Conclusions and Relevance: In this GWAS, common genetic variants were differentially associated with TRS, and these associations may have been obscured through the amalgamation of large GWAS samples in previous studies of broadly defined schizophrenia. Findings of this study suggest the validity of meta-analytic approaches for studies on patient outcomes, including treatment resistance
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