| 1. |
- Davies, G., et al.
(författare)
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Study of 300,486 individuals identifies 148 independent genetic loci influencing general cognitive function
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- General cognitive function is a prominent and relatively stable human trait that is associated with many important life outcomes. We combine cognitive and genetic data from the CHARGE and COGENT consortia, and UK Biobank (total N = 300,486; age 16-102) and find 148 genome-wide significant independent loci (P < 5 × 10-8) associated with general cognitive function. Within the novel genetic loci are variants associated with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, physical and psychiatric illnesses, and brain structure. Gene-based analyses find 709 genes associated with general cognitive function. Expression levels across the cortex are associated with general cognitive function. Using polygenic scores, up to 4.3% of variance in general cognitive function is predicted in independent samples. We detect significant genetic overlap between general cognitive function, reaction time, and many health variables including eyesight, hypertension, and longevity. In conclusion we identify novel genetic loci and pathways contributing to the heritability of general cognitive function.
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| 2. |
- Islar, Mine, et al.
(författare)
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Diverse values of nature for sustainability
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 620, s. 813-823
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being1,2, addressing the global biodiversity crisis3 still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever4. Notwithstanding agreements to incorporate nature’s values into actions, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)5 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals6, predominant environmental and development policies still prioritize a subset of values, particularly those linked to markets, and ignore other ways people relate to and benefit from nature7. Arguably, a ‘values crisis’ underpins the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change8, pandemic emergence9 and socio-environmental injustices10. On the basis of more than 50,000 scientific publications, policy documents and Indigenous and local knowledge sources, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed knowledge on nature’s diverse values and valuation methods to gain insights into their role in policymaking and fuller integration into decisions7,11. Applying this evidence, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation and address barriers to uptake, ultimately leveraging transformative changes towards more just (that is, fair treatment of people and nature, including inter- and intragenerational equity) and sustainable futures.
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| 3. |
- Haryanti, M. A., et al.
(författare)
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The Development of Generic Competency Portfolio for Malaysian TVET-Construction Graduates
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Technical Education and Training. - 2229-8932. ; 12:3, s. 143-153
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Construction graduates are currently in high demand by contractors in all types of construction work. The diversity of employment opportunities for construction management graduates, increase the need in having a portfolio for skills to work efficiently and effectively with other professions in the industry. Consequently, there are numerous TVET institutes that potentially produce local workforce as highly skilled workers in the construction industry. However, it is believed that, there is a persisting lack of generic competency among the construction graduates and an absence of strategic framework for Malaysian construction graduates. Therefore, this research investigates generic competencies required by construction graduates in the management scopes from the perspectives of the construction practitioners. Drawing on a construction graduates generic competencies and roles, and tasks framework, a structured questionnaire survey was used to elicit data from construction practitioners in the industry. The data was analyzed using Rasch Measurement Model with PCA, item and person reliability and item measure analysis. Result from this research indicates that industries require graduates to perform more on analytical and critical thinking in the project management phase. Moreover, in the construction management phase, it has been found that industries expect construction graduates to perform more on teamwork competency. Furthermore, this research identified that site management phase request more on problem-solving and teamwork competency from construction graduates. Therefore, it is believe that these research findings will be useful in assisting the universities and industries to improve the generic competency amongst construction students by providing valuable insight and expanding current knowledge-base of those elements and variables required by industries.
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| 4. |
- Amin, S. N., et al.
(författare)
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Alternative Forms of Resistance: Afghan Women Negotiating for Change
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of International Women's Studies. - 1539-8706. ; 21:6, s. 357-375
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper we examine how Afghan women resist, strategize and negotiate family and societal constraints to take advantage of the expanding education and employment opportunities in the post-Taliban era. We focus on how these women exercise agency and what resources they mobilize to maximize their opportunities in the face of potential constraints. We argue that to understand women's agency and changing gendered power relations in the family, it is crucial to examine every day individual behaviors that deviate from prescribed dominant gender behavior and infuse altered meanings to dominant gendering discourses. Our research highlights that gendered power is partial, interrupted by situated emotions and relationships. Afghan women employ a range of resistance methods to overcome constraints placed in their way, and we discuss them through three thematic frameworks of resistance in acts of submission, sacrifice and situated agreement, resistance in acts of open defiance, and resistance in acts of negotiation. The analyses is based on in-depth interviews with 64 women from 40 households in Kabul, and illustrate the significance of the family as a site in which gendered power and subordination are disrupted, fragmented, negotiated, and interdependent, challenging assumptions of the family as a site of monolithic oppressive power against women. © 2020. Journal of International Women's Studies. All Rights Reserved.
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| 5. |
- Hagg, S, et al.
(författare)
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Short telomere length is associated with impaired cognitive performance in European ancestry cohorts
- 2017
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Ingår i: Translational psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2158-3188. ; 7:4, s. e1100-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The association between telomere length (TL) dynamics on cognitive performance over the life-course is not well understood. This study meta-analyses observational and causal associations between TL and six cognitive traits, with stratifications on APOE genotype, in a Mendelian Randomization (MR) framework. Twelve European cohorts (N=17 052; mean age=59.2±8.8 years) provided results for associations between qPCR-measured TL (T/S-ratio scale) and general cognitive function, mini-mental state exam (MMSE), processing speed by digit symbol substitution test (DSST), visuospatial functioning, memory and executive functioning (STROOP). In addition, a genetic risk score (GRS) for TL including seven known genetic variants for TL was calculated, and used in associations with cognitive traits as outcomes in all cohorts. Observational analyses showed that longer telomeres were associated with better scores on DSST (β=0.051 per s.d.-increase of TL; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.024, 0.077; P=0.0002), and MMSE (β=0.025; 95% CI: 0.002, 0.047; P=0.03), and faster STROOP (β=−0.053; 95% CI: −0.087, −0.018; P=0.003). Effects for DSST were stronger in APOE ɛ4 non-carriers (β=0.081; 95% CI: 0.045, 0.117; P=1.0 × 10−5), whereas carriers performed better in STROOP (β=−0.074; 95% CI: −0.140, −0.009; P=0.03). Causal associations were found for STROOP only (β=−0.598 per s.d.-increase of TL; 95% CI: −1.125, −0.072; P=0.026), with a larger effect in ɛ4-carriers (β=−0.699; 95% CI: −1.330, −0.069; P=0.03). Two-sample replication analyses using CHARGE summary statistics showed causal effects between TL and general cognitive function and DSST, but not with STROOP. In conclusion, we suggest causal effects from longer TL on better cognitive performance, where APOE ɛ4-carriers might be at differential risk.
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