Fissionable consensus: Scandinavia and the US quest for atomic energy control, 1946-1950

Between 1946 and 1950 the UN worked on a plan for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. The plan would put strong limitations to and control over independent states abilities to develop nuclear energy and weapons. This plan gained support from many western states. Olav Njøstad raises the question of why they supported the plan, by using the Scandinavian countries as examples

In search of superiority: US nuclear policy in the Cold War

What role did the strategic nuclear weapons have in US policy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War? This study argues that even though US nuclear policy was defensive in nature - its chief objective being to deter Soviet aggression - it nevertheless represented a deliberate and almost permanent quest for strategic superiority. More than anything, this paradoxical situation resulted from two factors: the steady growth in Soviet strategic capabilities, and the firm belief among US decisionmakers that, given the "delicacy" of the balance of terror, even marginal advantages were crucial for maintaining the peace

Cuba-krisen 1962

Cuba-krisen i oktober 1962 vil med sannsynlighet bli stående som den mest dramatiske enkeltstående hendelse under den kalde krigen, i hvert fall om vi bruker faren for en kjernefysisk storkrig mellom Øst og Vest som målestokk. De tretten dagene i Oktober 1962 rommet på sett og vis hele den kalde krigens konfliktstoff i fortettet form. Det er derfor ingen tilfeldighet at Cuba-krisen fortsatt er gjenstand for stor oppmerksomhet blant forskere med interesse for utenriks-politiske og militær-strategiske spørsmål. Denne studien redegjør for det vell av ny viten som i de siste år er fremkommet fra amerikanske, russiske og kubanske kilder om Cuba-krisens bakgrunn, forløp og løsning. Bildet som avtegner seg er at krisen var farligere enn det i ettertid har vært populært å tro. Samtidig var de to statslederne mer kompromissvillige og den politiske og militære beslutningsprosessen på begge sider preget av større rasjonalitet enn mange etterpåkloke kritikere har hevdet

Genome-wide association study of placental weight identifies distinct and shared genetic influences between placental and fetal growth

A well-functioning placenta is essential for fetal and maternal health throughout pregnancy. Using placental weight as a proxy for placental growth, we report genome-wide association analyses in the fetal (n = 65,405), maternal (n = 61,228) and paternal (n = 52,392) genomes, yielding 40 independent association signals. Twenty-six signals are classified as fetal, four maternal and three fetal and maternal. A maternal parent-of-origin effect is seen near KCNQ1. Genetic correlation and colocalization analyses reveal overlap with birth weight genetics, but 12 loci are classified as predominantly or only affecting placental weight, with connections to placental development and morphology, and transport of antibodies and amino acids. Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that fetal genetically mediated higher placental weight is causally associated with preeclampsia risk and shorter gestational duration. Moreover, these analyses support the role of fetal insulin in regulating placental weight, providing a key link between fetal and placental growth

Within-sibship genome-wide association analyses decrease bias in estimates of direct genetic effects

Estimates from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of unrelated individuals capture effects of inherited variation (direct effects), demography (population stratification, assortative mating) and relatives (indirect genetic effects). Family-based GWAS designs can control for demographic and indirect genetic effects, but large-scale family datasets have been lacking. We combined data from 178,086 siblings from 19 cohorts to generate population (between-family) and within-sibship (within-family) GWAS estimates for 25 phenotypes. Within-sibship GWAS estimates were smaller than population estimates for height, educational attainment, age at first birth, number of children, cognitive ability, depressive symptoms and smoking. Some differences were observed in downstream SNP heritability, genetic correlations and Mendelian randomization analyses. For example, the within-sibship genetic correlation between educational attainment and body mass index attenuated towards zero. In contrast, analyses of most molecular phenotypes (for example, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) were generally consistent. We also found within-sibship evidence of polygenic adaptation on taller height. Here, we illustrate the importance of family-based GWAS data for phenotypes influenced by demographic and indirect genetic effects