Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height

Most common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits, but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait. The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P < 0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways.

A comparative study of barriers to mentoring student and new teachers

IN ENGLISH: Mentoring is widely believed to be beneficial to mentors and mentees in the teacher education context. However, mentoring as a tool for strengthening professional knowledge is not without barriers hindering its effectiveness. This paper explores common barriers in mentoring, drawing on studies conducted in Croatia, Ireland, and Scotland which have been re-analyzed for this paper. The two studies conducted in Scotland used a mixed-methods approach, the Croatian study was conducted using a quantitative approach, while the Irish research employed a qualitative strategy. Data from the four published studies were re-analyzed and integrated using a qualitative thematic approach with three groups of themes emerging as the most common barriers to mentoring in teacher education. These groups of themes are: interests, values and motives; power, status and position; and information and communication. The study explores these themes and concludes with the implications for stakeholders, including school management, universities, and student teachers. --------------- IN CROATIAN: U kontekstu obrazovanja učitelja mentorstvo se općenito smatra korisnim i za mentore i za učitelje početnike. Međutim, mentorstvo kao alat za jačanje profesionalnog znanja nije bez prepreka koje ometaju njegovu učinkovitost. Ovaj rad istražuje uobičajene prepreke u mentorstvu oslanjajući se na studije provedene u Hrvatskoj, Irskoj i Škotskoj. Dvije studije provedene u Škotskoj koristile su pristup mješovitih metoda, hrvatsko istraživanje provedeno je kvantitativnim pristupom, dok je irsko istraživanje koristilo kvalitativnu strategiju. Podaci iz četiri objavljena istraživanja ponovno su analizirani i integrirani korištenjem kvalitativnog tematskog pristupa s tri skupine tema koje su se pojavile kao najčešće prepreke mentorstvu u obrazovanju učitelja. Ove grupe tema su: interesi, vrijednosti i motivi, zatim moć, status i položaj te informacije i komunikacija. Studija ispituje ove teme i donosi implikacije za dionike uključujući vodstvo škola, sveučilišta i buduće nastavnike

Social, emotional and intercultural competencies: : a literature review with a particular focus on the school staff

Framed by the EU-project Hand in Hand focusing on Social, Emotional and Intercultural (SEI) competencies among students and school staff the paper discusses implementation and professional competencies based on a literature review. Five themes were identified: 1) Intercultural/transcultural competency is not often referred to in the same research as social-emotional learning, though socio-emotional aspects appear to be `in the core ', 2) it is crucial to be aware of agency among school staff in a SEI-implementation, 3) successful implementation is about more than the activities in the specific program, it is rather about elements in synergy and professional learning over time, 4) the subtle balance between adaptation and fidelity might best be addressed in an adaptive curriculum emphasizing active ingredients, and 5) this is a field with many intervention studies, but it is urgent to consider if the psychometric measures are sufficiently sensitive to catch the subtle changes related to SEI-competencies

Age differences in personality across the adult life span: Parallels in five cultures

McCrae R ., Costa PT, de Lima MP, et al. Age differences in personality across the adult life span: Parallels in five cultures. Developmental Psychology. 1999;35(2):466-477

The validity and structure of culture-level personality scores: Data from ratings of young adolescents

We examined properties of culture-level personality traits in ratings of targets (N=5,109) ages 12 to 17 in 24 cultures. Aggregate scores were generalizable across gender, age, and relationship groups and showed convergence with culture-level scores from previous studies of self-reports and observer ratings of adults, but they were unrelated to national character stereotypes. Trait profiles also showed cross-study agreement within most cultures, 8 of which had not previously been studied. Multidimensional scaling showed that Western and non-Western cultures clustered along a dimension related to Extraversion. A culture-level factor analysis replicated earlier findings of a broad Extraversion factor but generally resembled the factor structure found in individuals. Continued analysis of aggregate personality scores is warranted