SSGAC Risk Tolerance: GWAS and MTAG Polygenic Scores (Ver 1.0)

Introduction. Karlsson Linnér et al.1 conducted genome-wide association analyses of general risk tolerance (n = 975,353), adventurousness and risky behaviors in the driving, drinking, smoking and sexual domains. In separate hold-out cohorts, they analyzed the predictive power of polygenic scores derived from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) estimates. Due to data access restrictions, it is not possible to release summary statistics for more than 10,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Therefore, researchers with access to the individual-level genotype data cannot reproduce the polygenic scores that were used in the paper from publicly available summary statistics (https://www.thessgac.org/data). As a partial remedy, we are releasing the polygenic scores that were used in the paper’s prediction analyses in the Add Health and UKB-siblings cohorts to researchers (but due to the restrictions, we cannot release the underlying SNP-level weights themselves)

Human hypocretin and melanin-concentrating hormone levels are linked to emotion and social interaction.

The neurochemical changes underlying human emotions and social behaviour are largely unknown. Here we report on the changes in the levels of two hypothalamic neuropeptides, hypocretin-1 and melanin-concentrating hormone, measured in the human amygdala. We show that hypocretin-1 levels are maximal during positive emotion, social interaction and anger, behaviours that induce cataplexy in human narcoleptics. In contrast, melanin-concentrating hormone levels are minimal during social interaction, but are increased after eating. Both peptides are at minimal levels during periods of postoperative pain despite high levels of arousal. Melanin-concentrating hormone levels increase at sleep onset, consistent with a role in sleep induction, whereas hypocretin-1 levels increase at wake onset, consistent with a role in wake induction. Levels of these two peptides in humans are not simply linked to arousal, but rather to specific emotions and state transitions. Other arousal systems may be similarly emotionally specialized

Are Bigger Brains Smarter? Evidence From a Large-Scale Preregistered Study

A positive relationship between brain volume and intelligence has been suspected since the 19th century, and empirical studies seem to support this hypothesis. However, this claim is controversial because of concerns about publication bias and the lack of systematic control for critical confounding factors (e.g., height, population structure). We conducted a preregistered study of the relationship between brain volume and cognitive performance using a new sample of adults from the United Kingdom that is about 70% larger than the combined samples of all previous investigations on this subject (N = 13,608). Our analyses systematically controlled for sex, age, height, socioeconomic status, and population structure, and our analyses were free of publication bias. We found a robust association between total brain volume and fluid intelligence (r =.19), which is consistent with previous findings in the literature after controlling for measurement quality of intelligence in our data. We also found a positive relationship between total brain volume and educational attainment (r =.12). These relationships were mainly driven by gray matter (rather than white matter or fluid volume), and effect sizes were similar for both sexes and across age groups

Reporäntans påverkan på svenska branschindex

Examensarbetets titel: Reporäntans påverkan på svenska branschindex Seminariedatum: 2015-01-15 Ämne/kurs: FEKH89 Examensarbete i finansiering på kandidatnivå, 15 HP Författare: Richard Eek, Martin Klarin, Christofer Karlsson Handledare: Erling Green Fem nyckelord: Reporänta, onormal avkastning, händelsestudie, branschindex, ränteförändring. Syfte: Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att utreda marknadseffektiviteten samt vilken inverkan en justering av reporäntan har på olika branschindex på den svenska aktiemarknaden. Metod: Vi har genomfört en kvantitativ studie och genom en händelsestudie undersökt den onormala avkastningen för 8 olika branschindex på Nasdaq Stockholm. Teoretiska perspektiv: Uppsatsen utgår från tidigare forskning om hur en ränteförändring påverkar aktiemarknaden. Vi har utgått från studier som har gjorts på den svenska och amerikanska aktiemarknaden. Empiri: Vi har valt ut 8 olika branschindex på Nasdaq Stockholm. De indexen vi har valt ger ett bra urval av olika delar av aktiemarknaden. Indexen är Oil & gas, Basic materials, Industrials, Consumer goods, Consumer service, Health care, Technology och Financials. Resultat: Våra resultat visar att marknaden är inte är effektiv. Marknaden prisar inte in en ränteförändring direkt, utan det finns tecken både på att det sker en fördröjd reaktion från marknaden och att marknaden prisar in ränteförändringen redan innan den har skett. Vi har även sett att det förekommer skillnader i den kumulativa avkastningen mellan olika branschindex

How to share a quantum secret

We investigate the concept of quantum secret sharing. In a ((k,n)) threshold scheme, a secret quantum state is divided into n shares such that any k of those shares can be used to reconstruct the secret, but any set of k-1 or fewer shares contains absolutely no information about the secret. We show that the only constraint on the existence of threshold schemes comes from the quantum "no-cloning theorem", which requires that n < 2k, and, in all such cases, we give an efficient construction of a ((k,n)) threshold scheme. We also explore similarities and differences between quantum secret sharing schemes and quantum error-correcting codes. One remarkable difference is that, while most existing quantum codes encode pure states as pure states, quantum secret sharing schemes must use mixed states in some cases. For example, if k <= n < 2k-1 then any ((k,n)) threshold scheme must distribute information that is globally in a mixed state.Comment: 5 pages, REVTeX, submitted to PR

Genotoxicity and inflammatory potential of stainless steel welding fume particles: an in vitro study on standard vs Cr(VI)-reduced flux-cored wires and the role of released metals.

Welders are daily exposed to various levels of welding fumes containing several metals. This exposure can lead to an increased risk for different health effects which serves as a driving force to develop new methods that generate less toxic fumes. The aim of this study was to explore the role of released metals for welding particle-induced toxicity and to test the hypothesis that a reduction of Cr(VI) in welding fumes results in less toxicity by comparing the welding fume particles of optimized Cr(VI)-reduced flux-cored wires (FCWs) to standard FCWs. The welding particles were thoroughly characterized, and toxicity (cell viability, DNA damage and inflammation) was assessed following exposure to welding particles as well as their released metal fraction using cultured human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC-3kt, 5-100 µg/mL) and human monocyte-derived macrophages (THP-1, 10-50 µg/mL). The results showed that all Cr was released as Cr(VI) for welding particles generated using standard FCWs whereas only minor levels (\u3c 3% of total Cr) were released from the newly developed FCWs. Furthermore, the new FCWs were considerably less cytotoxic and did not cause any DNA damage in the doses tested. For the standard FCWs, the Cr(VI) released in cell media seemed to explain a large part of the cytotoxicity and DNA damage. In contrast, all particles caused rather similar inflammatory effects suggesting different underlying mechanisms. Taken together, this study suggests a potential benefit of substituting standard FCWs with Cr(VI)-reduced wires to achieve less toxic welding fumes and thus reduced risks for welders

Retrospective Analysis of Serotype Switching of Vibrio cholerae O1 in a Cholera Endemic Region Shows It Is a Non-random Process.

Genomic data generated from clinical Vibrio cholerae O1 isolates collected over a five year period in an area of Kolkata, India with seasonal cholera outbreaks allowed a detailed genetic analysis of serotype switching that occurred from Ogawa to Inaba and back to Ogawa. The change from Ogawa to Inaba resulted from mutational disruption of the methyltransferase encoded by the wbeT gene. Re-emergence of the Ogawa serotype was found to result either from expansion of an already existing Ogawa clade or reversion of the mutation in an Inaba clade. Our data suggests that such transitions are not random events but rather driven by as yet unidentified selection mechanisms based on differences in the structure of the O1 antigen or in the serotype-determining wbeT gene

Dissecting structure-function of 3-O-sulfated heparin and engineered heparan sulfates

Heparan sulfate (HS) polysaccharides are master regulators of diverse biological processes via sulfated motifs that can recruit specific proteins. 3-O-sulfation of HS/heparin is crucial for anticoagulant activity, but despite emerging evidence for roles in many other functions, a lack of tools for deciphering structure-function relationships has hampered advances. Here, we describe an approach integrating synthesis of 3-O-sulfated standards, comprehensive HS disaccharide profiling, and cell engineering to address this deficiency. Its application revealed previously unseen differences in 3-O-sulfated profiles of clinical heparins and 3-O-sulfotransferase (HS3ST)–specific variations in cell surface HS profiles. The latter correlated with functional differences in anticoagulant activity and binding to platelet factor 4 (PF4), which underlies heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, a known side effect of heparin. Unexpectedly, cells expressing the HS3ST4 isoenzyme generated HS with potent anticoagulant activity but weak PF4 binding. The data provide new insights into 3-O-sulfate structure-function and demonstrate proof of concept for tailored cell-based synthesis of next-generation heparins

Nanocomposites and polyethylene blends: two potentially synergistic strategies for HVDC insulation materials with ultra-low electrical conductivity

Among the various requirements that high voltage direct current (HVDC) insulation materials need to satisfy, sufficiently low electrical conductivity is one of the most important. The leading commercial HVDC insulation material is currently an exceptionally clean cross-linked low-density polyethylene (XLPE). Previous studies have reported that the DC-conductivity of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) can be markedly reduced either by including a fraction of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or by adding a small amount of a well dispersed, semiconducting nanofiller such as Al2O3 coated with a silane. This study demonstrates that by combining these two strategies a synergistic effect can be achieved, resulting in an insulation material with an ultra-low electrical conductivity. The addition of both HDPE and C8–Al2O3 nanoparticles to LDPE resulted in ultra-insulating nanocomposites with a conductivity around 500 times lower than of the neat LDPE at an electric field of 32 kV/mm and 60–90 \ub0C. The new nanocomposite is thus a promising material regarding the electrical conductivity and it can be further optimized since the polyethylene blend and the nanoparticles can be improved independently