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| 2. |
- Beam, Christopher R., et al.
(författare)
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Estimating Likelihood of Dementia in the Absence of Diagnostic Data : A Latent Dementia Index in 10 Genetically Informed Studies
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - : IOS Press. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 90:3, s. 1187-1201
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Epidemiological research on dementia is hampered by differences across studies in how dementia is classified, especially where clinical diagnoses of dementia may not be available. OBJECTIVE: We apply structural equation modeling to estimate dementia likelihood across heterogeneous samples within a multi-study consortium and use the twin design of the sample to validate the results. METHODS: Using 10 twin studies, we implement a latent variable approach that aligns different tests available in each study to assess cognitive, memory, and functional ability. The model separates general cognitive ability from components indicative of dementia. We examine the validity of this continuous latent dementia index (LDI). We then identify cut-off points along the LDI distributions in each study and align them across studies to distinguish individuals with and without probable dementia. Finally, we validate the LDI by determining its heritability and estimating genetic and environmental correlations between the LDI and clinically diagnosed dementia where available. RESULTS: Results indicate that coordinated estimation of LDI across 10 studies has validity against clinically diagnosed dementia. The LDI can be fit to heterogeneous sets of memory, other cognitive, and functional ability variables to extract a score reflective of likelihood of dementia that can be interpreted similarly across studies despite diverse study designs and sampling characteristics. Finally, the same genetic sources of variance strongly contribute to both the LDI and clinical diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This latent dementia indicator approach may serve as a model for other research consortia confronted with similar data integration challenges.
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| 3. |
- Luczak, S. E., et al.
(författare)
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Remember this : Age moderation of genetic and environmental contributions to verbal episodic memory from midlife through late adulthood
- 2023
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Ingår i: Intelligence. - : Elsevier. - 0160-2896 .- 1873-7935. ; 99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well documented that memory is heritable and that older adults tend to have poorer memory performance than younger adults. However, whether the magnitudes of genetic and environmental contributions to late-life verbal episodic memory ability differ from those at earlier ages remains unresolved. Twins from 12 studies participating in the Interplay of Genes and Environment in Multiple Studies (IGEMS) consortium constituted the analytic sample. Verbal episodic memory was assessed with immediate word list recall (N = 35,204 individuals; 21,792 twin pairs) and prose recall (N = 3805 individuals; 2028 twin pairs), with scores harmonized across studies. Average test performance was lower in successively older age groups for both measures. Twin models found significant age moderation for both measures, with total inter-individual variance increasing significantly with age, although it was not possible definitively to attribute the increase specifically to either genetic or environmental sources. Pooled results across all 12 studies were compared to results where we successively dropped each study (leave-one-out) to assure results were not due to an outlier. We conclude the models indicated an overall increase in variance for verbal episodic memory that was driven by a combination of increases in the genetic and nonshared environmental parameters that were not independently statistically significant. In contrast to reported results for other cognitive domains, differences in environmental exposures are comparatively important for verbal episodic memory, especially word list learning.
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| 4. |
- Al-Hazmi, Hussein E., et al.
(författare)
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Polysaccharide nanocomposites in wastewater treatment : A review
- 2024
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 347
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In modern times, wastewater treatment is vital due to increased water contamination arising from pollutants such as nutrients, pathogens, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical residues. Polysaccharides (PSAs) are natural, renewable, and non-toxic biopolymers used in wastewater treatment in the field of gas separation, liquid filtration, adsorption processes, pervaporation, and proton exchange membranes. Since addition of nanoparticles to PSAs improves their sustainability and strength, nanocomposite PSAs has gained significant attention for wastewater treatment in the past decade. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of PSA-based nanocomposites used for efficient wastewater treatment, focusing on adsorption, photocatalysis, and membrane-based methods. It also discusses potential future applications, challenges, and opportunities in adsorption, filtration, and photocatalysis. Recently, PSAs have shown promise as adsorbents in biological-based systems, effectively removing heavy metals that could hinder microbial activity. Cellulose-mediated adsorbents have successfully removed various pollutants from wastewater, including heavy metals, dyes, oil, organic solvents, pesticides, and pharmaceutical residues. Thus, PSA nanocomposites would support biological processes in wastewater treatment plants. A major concern is the discharge of antibiotic wastes from pharmaceutical industries, posing significant environmental and health risks. PSA-mediated bio-adsorbents, like clay polymeric nanocomposite hydrogel beads, efficiently remove antibiotics from wastewater, ensuring water quality and ecosystem balance. The successful use of PSA-mediated bio-adsorbents in wastewater treatment depends on ongoing research to optimize their application and evaluate their potential environmental impacts. Implementing these eco-friendly adsorbents on a large scale holds great promise in significantly reducing water pollution, safeguarding ecosystems, and protecting human health.
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| 5. |
- Allwood, Carl Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Constraints on the usability of computers in developing countries
- 2002
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Ingår i: WWDU 2002 - Work With Display Units, World Wide Work, Proceedings of the 6th International Scientific Conference on Work With Display Units. ; , s. 49-52
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A frame of reference is presented intended to capture conditions that influence the usability of information technologies, primarily computers, in a society. The frame of reference includes four components that influence one another: 1. External physical conditions, 2. Economic resources (including other technological resources), 3. Social actors and their interests, and 4. the Understanding, conceptions etc, held by different actors. The influence of these components on the usability of computers is elaborated in the context of developing countries.
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