| 1. |
- Koenig, Julian, et al.
(author)
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Cortical thickness and resting-state cardiac function across the lifespan : A cross-sectional pooled mega-analysis
- 2021
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In: Psychophysiology. - : Wiley. - 0048-5772 .- 1469-8986 .- 1540-5958. ; 58:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding the association between autonomic nervous system [ANS] function and brain morphology across the lifespan provides important insights into neurovisceral mechanisms underlying health and disease. Resting-state ANS activity, indexed by measures of heart rate [HR] and its variability [HRV] has been associated with brain morphology, particularly cortical thickness [CT]. While findings have been mixed regarding the anatomical distribution and direction of the associations, these inconsistencies may be due to sex and age differences in HR/HRV and CT. Previous studies have been limited by small sample sizes, which impede the assessment of sex differences and aging effects on the association between ANS function and CT. To overcome these limitations, 20 groups worldwide contributed data collected under similar protocols of CT assessment and HR/HRV recording to be pooled in a mega-analysis (N = 1,218 (50.5% female), mean age 36.7 years (range: 12–87)). Findings suggest a decline in HRV as well as CT with increasing age. CT, particularly in the orbitofrontal cortex, explained additional variance in HRV, beyond the effects of aging. This pattern of results may suggest that the decline in HRV with increasing age is related to a decline in orbitofrontal CT. These effects were independent of sex and specific to HRV; with no significant association between CT and HR. Greater CT across the adult lifespan may be vital for the maintenance of healthy cardiac regulation via the ANS—or greater cardiac vagal activity as indirectly reflected in HRV may slow brain atrophy. Findings reveal an important association between CT and cardiac parasympathetic activity with implications for healthy aging and longevity that should be studied further in longitudinal research.
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| 2. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(author)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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In: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Qi, Qibin, et al.
(author)
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FTO genetic variants, dietary intake and body mass index : insights from 177 330 individuals
- 2014
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In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 23:25, s. 6961-6972
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- FTO is the strongest known genetic susceptibility locus for obesity. Experimental studies in animals suggest the potential roles of FTO in regulating food intake. The interactive relation among FTO variants, dietary intake and body mass index (BMI) is complex and results from previous often small-scale studies in humans are highly inconsistent. We performed large-scale analyses based on data from 177 330 adults (154 439 Whites, 5776 African Americans and 17 115 Asians) from 40 studies to examine: (i) the association between the FTO-rs9939609 variant (or a proxy single-nucleotide polymorphism) and total energy and macronutrient intake and (ii) the interaction between the FTO variant and dietary intake on BMI. The minor allele (A-allele) of the FTO-rs9939609 variant was associated with higher BMI in Whites (effect per allele = 0.34 [0.31, 0.37] kg/m(2), P = 1.9 × 10(-105)), and all participants (0.30 [0.30, 0.35] kg/m(2), P = 3.6 × 10(-107)). The BMI-increasing allele of the FTO variant showed a significant association with higher dietary protein intake (effect per allele = 0.08 [0.06, 0.10] %, P = 2.4 × 10(-16)), and relative weak associations with lower total energy intake (-6.4 [-10.1, -2.6] kcal/day, P = 0.001) and lower dietary carbohydrate intake (-0.07 [-0.11, -0.02] %, P = 0.004). The associations with protein (P = 7.5 × 10(-9)) and total energy (P = 0.002) were attenuated but remained significant after adjustment for BMI. We did not find significant interactions between the FTO variant and dietary intake of total energy, protein, carbohydrate or fat on BMI. Our findings suggest a positive association between the BMI-increasing allele of FTO variant and higher dietary protein intake and offer insight into potential link between FTO, dietary protein intake and adiposity.
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| 5. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
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PHENIX detector overview
- 2003
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In: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - 0167-5087. ; 499:2-3, s. 469-479
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The PHENIX detector is designed to perform a broad study of A-A, p-A, and p-p collisions to investigate nuclear matter under extreme conditions. A wide variety of probes, sensitive to all timescales, are used to study systematic variations with species and energy as well as to measure the spin structure of the nucleon. Designing for the needs of the heavy-ion and polarized-proton programs has produced a detector with unparalleled capabilities. PHENIX measures electron and muon pairs, photons, and hadrons with excellent energy and momentum resolution. The detector consists of a large number of subsystems that are discussed in other papers in this volume. The overall design parameters of the detector are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Kim, Jongho, et al.
(author)
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Remarkable conductivity enhancement in P-doped polythiophenes via rational engineering of polymer-dopant interactions
- 2023
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In: Materials Today Advances. - : Elsevier BV. - 2590-0498. ; 18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Molecular doping is an effective approach to tune the charge density and optimize electrical performance of conjugated polymers. However, the introduction of dopants, on the other hand, may disturb the polymer microstructure and disrupt the charge transport path, often leading to a decrease of charge carrier mobility and deterioration of electrical conductivity of the doped films. Here we show that dopant-induced disorder can be overcome by rational engineering of polymer-dopant interactions, resulting in remarkable enhancement of electrical conductivity. Benchmark poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and its analogous random polymers of 3-hexylthiophene and thiophene P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] were synthesized and doped by 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ). Remarkably, random P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] was doped to a far superior electrical conductivity, that in the case of x ≥ 0.24, the conductivity of P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] is over 100 times higher than that of the doped P3HT, despite both P3HT and P[(3HT)1-x-stat-(T)x] exhibit comparable charge carrier mobility in their pristine state and in spite of their practically identical redox properties. This result can be traced back to the formation of π-stacked polymer-dopant-polymer co-crystals exhibiting extremely short packing distances of 3.13–3.15 Å. The mechanism behind these performances is based on a new role played by the dopant molecules that we name “bridging-gluing”. The results are coherently verified by the combination of optical absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, density functional theory calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations.
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| 7. |
- Lundervold, Astri J, et al.
(author)
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Attention Deficits in Children With Combined Autism and ADHD: A CPT Study.
- 2016
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In: Journal of Attention Disorders. - : SAGE Publications. - 1087-0547 .- 1557-1246. ; 20:7, s. 599-609
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To investigate characteristics of attention in children with the combination of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. Method: Four groups of 8- to 10-year-old children were compared on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-Second Edition (CCPT-II): (a) ASD + ADHD (n = 11), (b) ASD only (n = 9), (c) ADHD only (n = 38), and (d) no diagnosis (n = 134). Results: There was an overall effect of group on the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) index and measures of hit reaction time, accuracy, response style, variability, and consistency. The ASD + ADHD group, much like the ADHD only group, had a more risky response style, a higher variability, and a lower consistency than the ASD only group. The impact of intellectual function on CCPT-II performance was considerable in children within the ASD subgroups. Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of including measures of attention and intellectual function when assessing children with the combination of ASD and ADHD.
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| 8. |
- Lundervold, Astri. J., et al.
(author)
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Intellectual function in children with teacher reported language problems.
- 2008
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley. - 0036-5564 .- 1467-9450. ; 49:2, s. 187-193
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We predicted that teacher reported language problems are associated with low IQ, even when gender and behavior-emotional disorders are controlled for. All subjects were participants in a population based study. In stage 1, teachers completed a questionnaire containing four items pertaining to language function. A case-control sample (n= 294) was assessed using WISC-III and Kiddie-SADS-PL. A child was defined with "language problems" (LP) if s/he obtained a score indicating severe problems on at least one item. Teacher reported LP was found in 9.9% of the population sample and 20.7% of the case-control sample, with a three-fold higher risk for boys than girls. The LP group obtained significantly lower scores on all WISC-III factors compared with the non-LP group. The differences were not accounted for by the presence of behavioral-emotional disorders. When primary school teachers report LP, further assessment of the child's cognitive function is warranted.
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| 9. |
- Lundervold, Astri J, et al.
(author)
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Teacher reports of hypoactivity symptoms reflect slow cognitive processing speed in primary school children.
- 2011
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In: European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1018-8827 .- 1435-165X. ; 20:3, s. 121-126
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The mediating effect of cognitive processing speed on the ability of a primary school child to achieve his/her full potential of intellectual functioning emphasizes the importance of methods to detect “slow” children. Primary school teachers may be the first to have concerns about inattentive pupils who show symptoms of hypoactivity, but may find the symptoms difficult to interpret. In the present study we ask if a primary school teacher’s report of hypoactivity symptoms can be explained by the child’s performance on tests of processing speed. The 255 children included in the present study were part of the first wave of the Bergen Child Study, in which teachers completed a questionnaire including two hypoactivity items from the Five to Fifteen (FTF) questionnaire. Processing speed was measured by the Processing Speed Index (PSI) from the WISC-III, 1–2 years after the teacher rating. Teachers reported “certainly true” on at least one FTF item of hypoactivity for 11.8% of the children. These children obtained lower scores on the PSI than the remaining children in the sample. The PSI accounted for a considerable proportion of the variance of teacher reports on the FTF item “difficulty getting started on a task/activity”. The risk of a PSI score below 85 was increased in children with teacher-reported hypoactivity symptoms. The results indicate that teacher reports of hypoactivity symptoms reflect slow cognitive processing speed and should be followed up by a psychometric examination. Still, future studies are needed to improve detection and treatment of children with slow processing speed.
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| 10. |
- Solé Navais, Pol, et al.
(author)
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Genetic effects on the timing of parturition and links to fetal birth weight.
- 2023
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In: Nature genetics. - 1546-1718. ; 55:4, s. 559-567
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The timing of parturition is crucial for neonatal survival and infant health. Yet, its genetic basis remains largely unresolved. We present a maternal genome-wide meta-analysis of gestational duration (n=195,555), identifying 22 associated loci (24 independent variants) and an enrichment in genes differentially expressed during labor. A meta-analysis of preterm delivery (18,797 cases, 260,246 controls) revealed six associated loci and large genetic similarities with gestational duration. Analysis of the parental transmitted and nontransmitted alleles (n=136,833) shows that 15 of the gestational duration genetic variants act through the maternal genome, whereas 7 act both through the maternal and fetal genomes and 2 act only via the fetal genome. Finally, the maternal effects on gestational duration show signs of antagonistic pleiotropy with the fetal effects on birth weight: maternal alleles that increase gestational duration have negative fetal effects on birth weight. The present study provides insights into the genetic effects on the timing of parturition and the complex maternal-fetal relationship between gestational duration and birth weight.
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