Does better education mitigate risky health behavior? A mendelian randomization study

Education and risky health behaviors are strongly negatively correlated. Education may affect health behaviors by enabling healthier choices through higher disposable income, increasing information about the harmful effects of risky health behaviors, or altering time preferences. Alternatively, the observed negative correlation may stem from reverse causality or unobserved confounders. Based on the data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study linked to register-based information on educational attainment and family background, this paper identifies the causal effect of education on risky health behaviors. To examine causal effects, we used a genetic score as an instrument for years of education. We found that individuals with higher education allocated more attention to healthy habits. In terms of health behaviors, highly educated people were less likely to smoke. Some model specifications also indicated that the highly educated consumed more fruit and vegetables, but the results were imprecise in this regard. No causal effect was found between education and abusive drinking. In brief, inferences based on genetic instruments showed that higher education leads to better choices in some but not all dimensions of health behaviors

The serum copper/zinc ratio in childhood and educational attainment: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Micronutrients are potentially important determinants of adult outcomes such as educational attainment. Copper and zinc have known effects on several medical conditions and cognitive development. Elevated copper and depressed zinc is a common trace metal imbalance. METHODS: We estimate the correlation between the copper/zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) in childhood (year 1980) and educational attainment in adulthood (year 2010). We use the Young Finns Study (YFS) combined with the Finnish Linked Employer-Employee Data (FLEED). The regression models account for confounders such as other biomarkers and parental observables. RESULTS: We report a sizeable, negative correlation between Cu/Zn and educational attainment as measured by education in years, grades as well as the likelihood of completing university education. For example, a one standard deviation increase in Cu/Zn decreases the probability of university education by ∼4%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are consistent with a Cu/Zn effect influencing cognitive functioning early in life. Future research should explore more deeply the precise mechanisms by which Cu/Zn affects educational attainment

Creatine and entrepreneurship

Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid which supplies energy to body cells and enhances physical performance. Using the Young Finns Study combined with the Finnish Linked employer-employee data we show that quantities of creatine measured in 1980 prior to labour market entry affect entrepreneurial success as measured by capital income accumulation over the period 1993–2010 (in particular for females). However, we do not find evidence that creatine affects the propensity to become an entrepreneur. Our study contributes to the emerging literature on biomarkers and entrepreneurship

Evolution of the longitudinal and azimuthal structure of the near-side jet peak in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

In two-particle angular correlation measurements, jets give rise to a near-side peak, formed by particles associated to a higher-p(T) trigger particle. Measurements of these correlations as a function of pseudorapidity (Delta eta) and azimuthal (Delta phi) differences are used to extract the centrality and p(T) dependence of the shape of the near-side peak in the p(T) range 1 <p(T) <8 GeV/c in Pb-Pb and pp collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV. A combined fit of the near-side peak and long-range correlations is applied to the data and the peak shape is quantified by the variance of the distributions. While the width of the peak in the Delta phi direction is almost independent of centrality, a significant broadening in the Delta eta direction is found from peripheral to central collisions. This feature is prominent for the low-p(T) region and vanishes above 4 GeV/c. The widths measured in peripheral collisions are equal to those in pp collisions in the Delta phi direction and above 3 GeV/c in the Delta eta direction. Furthermore, for the 10% most central collisions and 1 <p(T, assoc) <2 GeV/c, 1 <p(T,trig) <3 GeV/c, a departure from a Gaussian shape is found: a depletion develops around the center of the peak. The results are compared to A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) model simulation as well as other theoretical calculations indicating that the broadening and the development of the depletion are connected to the strength of radial and longitudinal flow.Peer reviewe

W and Z boson production in p-Pb collisions at TeV root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

The W and Z boson production was measured via the muonic decay channel in proton-lead collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider with the ALICE detector. The measurement covers backward (4.46 10 GeV/c are determined. The results are compared to theoretical calculations both with and without including the nuclear modification of the parton distribution functions. The W-boson production is also studied as a function of the collision centrality: the cross section of muons from W-boson decays is found to scale with the average number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions within uncertainties.Peer reviewe

Measurement of electrons from beauty-hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV and Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV

The production of beauty hadrons was measured via semi-leptonic decays at mid-rapidity with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the transverse momentum interval 1 <PT <8 GeV/c in minimum-bias p-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 5.02 TeV and in 1.3 <PT <8 GeV/c in the 20% most central Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV. The pp reference spectra at root s = 5.02 TeV and root s = 2.76 TeV, needed for the calculation of the nuclear modification factors RpPb and R-PbPb, were obtained by a pQCD-driven scaling of the cross section of electrons from beauty-hadron decays measured at root s = 7 TeV. In the PT interval 3 <PT <8 GeV/c, a suppression of the yield of electrons from beauty-hadron decays is observed in Pb-Pb compared to pp collisions. Towards lower PT, the R-PbPb values increase with large systematic uncertainties. The R-ppb is consistent with unity within systematic uncertainties and is well described by theoretical calculations that include cold nuclear matter effects in p-Pb collisions. The measured R-pPb and these calculations indicate that cold nuclear matter effects are small at high transverse momentum also in Pb-Pb collisions. Therefore, the observed reduction of R-PbPb below unity at high PT may be ascribed to an effect of the hot and dense medium formed in Pb-Pb collisions.Peer reviewe

J/psi production and nuclear effects in p-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV

Peer reviewe

Production of pi(0) and eta mesons up to high transverse momentum in pp collisions at 2.76 TeV

Correction: DOI:10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-5144-7The invariant differential cross sections for inclusive pi(0) and eta mesons at midrapidity were measured in pp collisions at root s = 2.76 TeV for transverse momenta 0.4 <pT <40 GeV/c and 0.6 <pT <20 GeV/c, respectively, using the ALICE detector. This large range in pT was achieved by combining various analysis techniques and different triggers involving the electromagnetic calorimeter (EMCal). In particular, a newsingle-cluster, shower-shape based method was developed for the identification of high-pT neutral pions, which exploits that the showers originating from their decay photons overlap in the EMCal. Above 4 GeV/c, the measured cross sections are found to exhibit a similar power-law behavior with an exponent of about 6.3. Next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations differ from the measured cross sections by about 30% for the pi(0), and between 30-50% for the. meson, while generator-level simulations with PYTHIA 8.2 describe the data to better than 10-30%, except at pT <1 GeV/c. The new data can therefore be used to further improve the theoretical description of pi(0) and eta meson production.Peer reviewe

Insight into particle production mechanisms via angular correlations of identified particles in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

This article has an erratum: Doi: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-019-7398-8Two-particle angular correlations were measured in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV for pions, kaons, protons, and lambdas, for all particle/anti-particle combinations in the pair. Data for mesons exhibit an expected peak dominated by effects associated with mini-jets and are well reproduced by general purpose Monte Carlo generators. However, for baryon-baryon and anti-baryon-anti-baryon pairs, where both particles have the same baryon number, a near-side anti-correlation structure is observed instead of a peak. This effect is interpreted in the context of baryon production mechanisms in the fragmentation process. It currently presents a challenge to Monte Carlo models and its origin remains an open question.Peer reviewe

K*(892)(0) and phi(1020)meson production at high transverse momentum in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at root sNN=2.76 TeV

The production of K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) mesons in proton-proton (pp) and lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at root sNN = 2.76 TeV has been analyzed using a high luminosity data sample accumulated in 2011 with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Transverse momentum (p(T)) spectra have been measured for K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) mesons via their hadronic decay channels for p(T) up to 20 GeV/c. The measurements in pp collisions have been compared to model calculations and used to determine the nuclear modification factor and particle ratios. The K*(892)(0)/K ratio exhibits significant reduction from pp to central Pb-Pb collisions, consistent with the suppression of the K*( 892)(0) yield at low pT due to rescattering of its decay products in the hadronic phase. In central Pb-Pb collisions the pT dependent phi(1020)/p and K*(892)0/p ratios show an enhancement over pp collisions for pT approximate to 3 GeV/c, consistent with previous observations of strong radial flow. At high pT, particle ratios in Pb-Pb collisions are similar to those measured in pp collisions. In central Pb-Pb collisions, the production of K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) mesons is suppressed for p(T) > 8 GeV/c. This suppression is similar to that of charged pions, kaons, and protons, indicating that the suppression does not depend on particle mass or flavor in the light quark sector.Peer reviewe