Showing papers by "University of Turku published in 2019"
TL;DR: A comprehensive review of the gamification research is provided and a comprehensive discussion is provided on future agenda for the growing vein of literature on gamification and gameful systems within the information system science field.
729 citations
TL;DR: The ideas presented here highlight the need to consider all sources of bias and to justify the methods used to interpret count data in dietary metabarcoding studies, and indicate that using relative read abundance information often provides a more accurate view of population‐level diet even with moderate recovery biases incorporated.
Abstract: Advances in DNA sequencing technology have revolutionized the field of molecular analysis of trophic interactions, and it is now possible to recover counts of food DNA sequences from a wide range of dietary samples. But what do these counts mean? To obtain an accurate estimate of a consumer's diet should we work strictly with data sets summarizing frequency of occurrence of different food taxa, or is it possible to use relative number of sequences? Both approaches are applied to obtain semi‐quantitative diet summaries, but occurrence data are often promoted as a more conservative and reliable option due to taxa‐specific biases in recovery of sequences. We explore representative dietary metabarcoding data sets and point out that diet summaries based on occurrence data often overestimate the importance of food consumed in small quantities (potentially including low‐level contaminants) and are sensitive to the count threshold used to define an occurrence. Our simulations indicate that using relative read abundance (RRA) information often provides a more accurate view of population‐level diet even with moderate recovery biases incorporated; however, RRA summaries are sensitive to recovery biases impacting common diet taxa. Both approaches are more accurate when the mean number of food taxa in samples is small. The ideas presented here highlight the need to consider all sources of bias and to justify the methods used to interpret count data in dietary metabarcoding studies. We encourage researchers to continue addressing methodological challenges and acknowledge unanswered questions to help spur future investigations in this rapidly developing area of research.
375 citations
TL;DR: Periodontitis is an infection-driven inflammatory disease in which the composition of biofilms plays a significant role and characteristically results in irreversible loss of attachment and alveolar bone.
Abstract: Periodontitis is an infection-driven inflammatory disease in which the composition of biofilms plays a significant role. Dental plaque accumulation at the gingival margin initiates an inflammatory response that, in turn, causes microbial alterations and may lead to drastic consequences in the periodontium of susceptible individuals. Chronic inflammation affects the gingiva and can proceed to periodontitis, which characteristically results in irreversible loss of attachment and alveolar bone. Periodontitis appears typically in adult-aged populations, but young individuals can also experience it and its harmful outcome. Advanced disease is the major cause of tooth loss in adults. In addition, periodontitis is associated with many chronic diseases and conditions affecting general health.
326 citations
Nicole M. Warrington1, Robin N Beaumont2, Momoko Horikoshi3, Felix R. Day4 +242 more•Institutions (79)
TL;DR: An expanded GWAS of birth weight and subsequent analysis using structural equation modeling and Mendelian randomization decomposes maternal and fetal genetic contributions and causal links between birth weight, blood pressure and glycemic traits.
Abstract: Birth weight variation is influenced by fetal and maternal genetic and non-genetic factors, and has been reproducibly associated with future cardio-metabolic health outcomes. In expanded genome-wide association analyses of own birth weight (n = 321,223) and offspring birth weight (n = 230,069 mothers), we identified 190 independent association signals (129 of which are novel). We used structural equation modeling to decompose the contributions of direct fetal and indirect maternal genetic effects, then applied Mendelian randomization to illuminate causal pathways. For example, both indirect maternal and direct fetal genetic effects drive the observational relationship between lower birth weight and higher later blood pressure: maternal blood pressure-raising alleles reduce offspring birth weight, but only direct fetal effects of these alleles, once inherited, increase later offspring blood pressure. Using maternal birth weight-lowering genotypes to proxy for an adverse intrauterine environment provided no evidence that it causally raises offspring blood pressure, indicating that the inverse birth weight-blood pressure association is attributable to genetic effects, and not to intrauterine programming.
323 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the relevant fields of research, summarize important open problems, and lay out a roadmap for future progress can be found in this article, which is an initiative taken within the framework of the European Action on 'Black holes, Gravitational waves and Fundamental Physics'.
Abstract: The grand challenges of contemporary fundamental physics-dark matter, dark energy, vacuum energy, inflation and early universe cosmology, singularities and the hierarchy problem-all involve gravity as a key component. And of all gravitational phenomena, black holes stand out in their elegant simplicity, while harbouring some of the most remarkable predictions of General Relativity: event horizons, singularities and ergoregions. The hitherto invisible landscape of the gravitational Universe is being unveiled before our eyes: the historical direct detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration marks the dawn of a new era of scientific exploration. Gravitational-wave astronomy will allow us to test models of black hole formation, growth and evolution, as well as models of gravitational-wave generation and propagation. It will provide evidence for event horizons and ergoregions, test the theory of General Relativity itself, and may reveal the existence of new fundamental fields. The synthesis of these results has the potential to radically reshape our understanding of the cosmos and of the laws of Nature. The purpose of this work is to present a concise, yet comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the relevant fields of research, summarize important open problems, and lay out a roadmap for future progress. This write-up is an initiative taken within the framework of the European Action on 'Black holes, Gravitational waves and Fundamental Physics'. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd.
314 citations
Erasmus University Rotterdam1, University of Southampton2, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust3, University of Porto4, Sorbonne5, Paris Descartes University6, University of Crete7, Maastricht University8, University of Southern California9, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens10, University Medical Center Groningen11, Université de Sherbrooke12, Norwegian Institute of Public Health13, University of Bologna14, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine15, University of California, Davis16, Harvard University17, University of Illinois at Chicago18, University of Valencia19, National Institutes of Health20, University of Turku21, University of Bristol22, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ23, Jagiellonian University Medical College24, Åbo Akademi University25, Harokopio University26, Public Health Research Institute27, University of Copenhagen28, University of Southern Denmark29, La Trobe University30, University of Helsinki31, University of Turin32, Radboud University Nijmegen33, University of Trieste34, University of Bergen35, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich36, Slovak Medical University37, Utrecht University38, Pompeu Fabra University39
TL;DR: In this meta-analysis of pooled individual participant data from 25 cohort studies, the risk for adverse maternal and infant outcomes varied by gestational weight gain and across the range of prepregnancy weights, however, the optimal gestations weight gain ranges had limited predictive value for the outcomes assessed.
Abstract: Importance Both low and high gestational weight gain have been associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes, but optimal gestational weight gain remains uncertain and not well defined for all prepregnancy weight ranges. Objectives To examine the association of ranges of gestational weight gain with risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes and estimate optimal gestational weight gain ranges across prepregnancy body mass index categories. Design, Setting, and Participants Individual participant-level meta-analysis using data from 196 670 participants within 25 cohort studies from Europe and North America (main study sample). Optimal gestational weight gain ranges were estimated for each prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) category by selecting the range of gestational weight gain that was associated with lower risk for any adverse outcome. Individual participant-level data from 3505 participants within 4 separate hospital-based cohorts were used as a validation sample. Data were collected between 1989 and 2015. The final date of follow-up was December 2015. Exposures Gestational weight gain. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome termedany adverse outcomewas defined as the presence of 1 or more of the following outcomes: preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery, preterm birth, and small or large size for gestational age at birth. Results Of the 196 670 women (median age, 30.0 years [quartile 1 and 3, 27.0 and 33.0 years] and 40 937 were white) included in the main sample, 7809 (4.0%) were categorized at baseline as underweight (BMI Conclusions and Relevance In this meta-analysis of pooled individual participant data from 25 cohort studies, the risk for adverse maternal and infant outcomes varied by gestational weight gain and across the range of prepregnancy weights. The estimates of optimal gestational weight gain may inform prenatal counseling; however, the optimal gestational weight gain ranges had limited predictive value for the outcomes assessed.
286 citations
TL;DR: This study investigates the relationships between the user interactions with gamification features and intrinsic need satisfaction in Xiaomi and Huawei online gamified communities that represent two large technology product-related online brand communities in China through a survey-based study and implies that gamification can have a substantially positive effect on intrinsic need satisfied for services users.
268 citations
Erasmus University Medical Center1, University of Porto2, University of Western Australia3, Stockholm County Council4, Paris Descartes University5, Maastricht University6, French Institute of Health and Medical Research7, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens8, University Medical Center Groningen9, University of Valencia10, University of Southampton11, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine12, Université de Sherbrooke13, Norwegian Institute of Public Health14, University of Bologna15, University of Crete16, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust17, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich18, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine19, University of California20, Harvard University21, University of Illinois at Chicago22, National Institutes of Health23, Wageningen University and Research Centre24, University of Turku25, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ26, Jagiellonian University Medical College27, Åbo Akademi University28, Harokopio University29, University College Dublin30, University of Calgary31, Boston Children's Hospital32, University of Copenhagen33, University College Cork34, VU University Medical Center35, University of Helsinki36, University of Turin37, Radboud University Nijmegen38, University of Trieste39, University of Bergen40, Slovak Medical University41, Utrecht University42, Pompeu Fabra University43, Bradford Royal Infirmary44, University of Bristol45
TL;DR: In this paper, the separate and combined associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain with the risks of pregnancy complications and their population impact were assessed.
258 citations
Leibniz Association1, University College Cork2, University of Montpellier3, University of Leeds4, University of Antwerp5, Swedish Museum of Natural History6, Spanish National Research Council7, University of Seville8, University of Texas at Austin9, Centre national de la recherche scientifique10, University of Extremadura11, Cornell University12, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich13, University of Hyogo14, University of Turku15, University of Potsdam16, Norwegian University of Science and Technology17, University of Gloucestershire18, Estonian University of Life Sciences19, Lund University20, Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil21, University of Ottawa22, University of Granada23, University of Paris24, University of Zurich25, Museum für Naturkunde26, University of Georgia27, American Museum of Natural History28, Tokyo Metropolitan University29, University of Wyoming30, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research31, Imperial College London32, University of Cambridge33, Life Sciences Institute34, University of Helsinki35, University of Oxford36, Université Paris-Saclay37, Iowa State University38, Auburn University39, University of California, Berkeley40, Technical University of Berlin41
TL;DR: A meta-analysis focussing on birds suggests that global warming has not systematically affected morphological traits, but has advanced phenological traits and indicates that the evolutionary load imposed by incomplete adaptive responses to ongoing climate change may already be threatening the persistence of species.
Abstract: Biological responses to climate change have been widely documented across taxa and regions, but it remains unclear whether species are maintaining a good match between phenotype and environment, i.e. whether observed trait changes are adaptive. Here we reviewed 10,090 abstracts and extracted data from 71 studies reported in 58 relevant publications, to assess quantitatively whether phenotypic trait changes associated with climate change are adaptive in animals. A meta-analysis focussing on birds, the taxon best represented in our dataset, suggests that global warming has not systematically affected morphological traits, but has advanced phenological traits. We demonstrate that these advances are adaptive for some species, but imperfect as evidenced by the observed consistent selection for earlier timing. Application of a theoretical model indicates that the evolutionary load imposed by incomplete adaptive responses to ongoing climate change may already be threatening the persistence of species.
255 citations
Erasmus University Medical Center1, Medical University of Warsaw2, University of Valencia3, University of Porto4, Stockholm County Council5, Paris Descartes University6, Sorbonne7, Maastricht University8, University of Southern California9, University of Crete10, French Institute of Health and Medical Research11, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens12, University Medical Center Groningen13, University of Southampton14, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine15, Norwegian Institute of Public Health16, Karolinska Institutet17, University of Bologna18, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust19, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich20, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine21, University of California, Davis22, University of Illinois at Chicago23, University of Western Australia24, National Institutes of Health25, University College Cork26, University of Bristol27, University of Turku28, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ29, Jagiellonian University Medical College30, Åbo Akademi University31, Harokopio University32, University College Dublin33, University of Calgary34, Public Health Research Institute35, University of Southern Denmark36, University of Copenhagen37, La Trobe University38, Harvard University39, University of Helsinki40, University of Turin41, University of Trieste42, University of Bergen43, Slovak Medical University44, Boston Children's Hospital45, Utrecht University46, Pompeu Fabra University47, Bradford Royal Infirmary48
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of data from 162,129 mothers and children from 37 pregnancy and birth cohort studies from Europe, North-America and Australia, using multilevel binary logistic regression models with a random intercept at cohort level adjusted for maternal socio-demographic and life style related characteristics.
Abstract: Background:
Maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain may have persistent effects on offspring fat development. However, it remains unclear whether these risks differ by severity of obesity, and whether these effects are restricted to the extremes of maternal body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain. We aimed to assess the separate and combined associations of maternal BMI and gestational weight gain with the risk of overweight/obesity throughout childhood, and their population impact.
Methods and Findings:
We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of data from 162,129 mothers and children from 37 pregnancy and birth cohort studies from Europe, North-America and Australia. We assessed the individual and combined associations of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain, both in clinical categories and across their full ranges with the risks of overweight/obesity in early- (2.0-5.0 years), mid- (5.0-10.0 years) and late childhood (10.0-18.0 years), using multilevel binary logistic regression models with a random intercept at cohort level adjusted for maternal socio-demographic and life style related characteristics. We observed that a higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain both in clinical categories and across their full ranges were associated with higher risks of childhood overweight/obesity, with the strongest effects in late childhood (Odds Ratios (OR) for overweight/obesity in early-, mid- and late childhood, respectively: 1.66 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.56, 1.78), OR 1.91 (95% CI: 1.85, 1.98), and OR 2.28 (95% CI: 2.08, 2.50) for maternal overweight, OR 2.43 (95% CI: 2.24, 2.64), OR 3.12 (95% CI: 2.98, 3.27), and OR 4.47 (95% CI: 3.99, 5.23) for maternal obesity, and OR 1.39 (95% CI: 1.30, 1.49), OR 1.55 (95% CI: 1.49, 1.60), and 1.72 (95% CI: 1.56, 1.91) for excessive gestational weight gain. The proportions of childhood overweight/obesity prevalence attributable to maternal overweight, maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain ranged from 10.2 to 21.6%. Relative to the effect of maternal BMI, excessive gestational weight gain only slightly increased the risk of childhood overweight/obesity within each clinical BMI category (P-values for interactions of maternal BMI with gestational weight gain: p=0.038, p<0.001 and p=0.637, in early-, mid- and late childhood, respectively). Limitations of this study include the self-report of maternal BMI and gestational weight gain for some of the cohorts, and the potential of residual confounding. Also, as this study only included participants from Europe, North-America and Australia, results need to be interpreted with caution with respect to other populations.
Conclusions:
In this study, higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain were associated with an increased risk of childhood overweight/obesity, with the strongest effects at later ages. The additional effect of gestational weight gain in women who are overweight or obese before pregnancy is small. Given the large population impact, future intervention trials aiming to reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity should focus on maternal weight status before pregnancy, in addition to weight gain during pregnancy.
248 citations
02 Aug 2019
TL;DR: This systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the global incidence of frailty and prefrailty among community-dwelling adults 60 years or older.
Abstract: Importance Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome of significant public health importance, yet there is limited understanding of the risk of frailty development at a population level. Objective To estimate the global incidence of frailty and prefrailty among community-dwelling adults 60 years or older. Data Sources MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, and AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine Database) were searched from inception to January 2019 without language restrictions using combinations of the keywordsfrailty,older adults, andincidence. The reference lists of eligible studies were hand searched. Study Selection In the systematic review, 2 authors undertook the search, article screening, and study selection. Cohort studies that reported or had sufficient data to compute incidence of frailty or prefrailty among community-dwelling adults 60 years or older at baseline were eligible. Data Extraction and Synthesis The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using The Joanna Briggs Institute’s Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence and Incidence Studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects (DerSimonian and Laird) model. Main Outcomes and Measures Incidence of frailty (defined as new cases of frailty among robust or prefrail individuals) and incidence of prefrailty (defined as new cases of prefrailty among robust individuals), both over a specified duration. Results Of 15 176 retrieved references, 46 observational studies involving 120 805 nonfrail (robust or prefrail) participants from 28 countries were included in this systematic review. Among the nonfrail individuals who survived a median follow-up of 3.0 (range, 1.0-11.7) years, 13.6% (13 678 of 100 313) became frail, with the pooled incidence rate being 43.4 (95% CI, 37.3-50.4;I2 = 98.5%) cases per 1000 person-years. The incidence of frailty was significantly higher in prefrail individuals than robust individuals (pooled incidence rates, 62.7 [95% CI, 49.2-79.8;I2 = 97.8%] vs 12.0 [95% CI, 8.2-17.5;I2 = 94.9%] cases per 1000 person-years, respectively;Pfor difference Conclusions and Relevance Results of this study suggest that community-dwelling older adults are prone to developing frailty. Increased awareness of the factors that confer high risk of frailty in this population subgroup is vital to inform the design of interventions to prevent frailty and to minimize its consequences.
TL;DR: How integrins, key receptors that mediate cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix, are endocytosed and recycled to the cell surface to modulate cell and tissue behaviour is discussed.
Abstract: Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix is fundamental to metazoan multicellularity and is accomplished primarily through the integrin family of cell-surface receptors. Integrins are internalized and enter the endocytic-exocytic pathway before being recycled back to the plasma membrane. The trafficking of this extensive protein family is regulated in multiple context-dependent ways to modulate integrin function in the cell. Here, we discuss recent advances in understanding the mechanisms and cellular roles of integrin endocytic trafficking.
TL;DR: The third CAFA challenge, CAFA3, that featured an expanded analysis over the previous CAFA rounds, both in terms of volume of data analyzed and the types of analysis performed, concluded that while predictions of the molecular function and biological process annotations have slightly improved over time, those of the cellular component have not.
Abstract: The Critical Assessment of Functional Annotation (CAFA) is an ongoing, global, community-driven effort to evaluate and improve the computational annotation of protein function. Here, we report on the results of the third CAFA challenge, CAFA3, that featured an expanded analysis over the previous CAFA rounds, both in terms of volume of data analyzed and the types of analysis performed. In a novel and major new development, computational predictions and assessment goals drove some of the experimental assays, resulting in new functional annotations for more than 1000 genes. Specifically, we performed experimental whole-genome mutation screening in Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aureginosa genomes, which provided us with genome-wide experimental data for genes associated with biofilm formation and motility. We further performed targeted assays on selected genes in Drosophila melanogaster, which we suspected of being involved in long-term memory. We conclude that while predictions of the molecular function and biological process annotations have slightly improved over time, those of the cellular component have not. Term-centric prediction of experimental annotations remains equally challenging; although the performance of the top methods is significantly better than the expectations set by baseline methods in C. albicans and D. melanogaster, it leaves considerable room and need for improvement. Finally, we report that the CAFA community now involves a broad range of participants with expertise in bioinformatics, biological experimentation, biocuration, and bio-ontologies, working together to improve functional annotation, computational function prediction, and our ability to manage big data in the era of large experimental screens.
University of Canberra1, University of Stuttgart2, University of California, Irvine3, Apple Inc.4, Northwestern University5, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven6, Stanford University7, University College Dublin8, Harvard University9, University of Pennsylvania10, Yale University11, Ohio State University12, University of Turku13, Aarhus University14, Dublin City University15, University of British Columbia16
TL;DR: Social science on “deliberative democracy” offers reasons for optimism about citizens' capacity to avoid polarization and manipulation and to make sound decisions and empirical evidence shows that the gap can be closed.
Abstract: Citizens can avoid polarization and make sound decisions That there are more opportunities than ever for citizens to express their views may be, counterintuitively, a problem facing democracy—the sheer quantitative overabundance overloads policymakers and citizens, making it difficult to detect the signal amid the noise. This overload has been accompanied by marked decline in civility and argumentative complexity. Uncivil behavior by elites and pathological mass communication reinforce each other. How do we break this vicious cycle? Asking elites to behave better is futile so long as there is a public ripe to be polarized and exploited by demagogues and media manipulators. Thus, any response has to involve ordinary citizens; but are they up to the task? Social science on “deliberative democracy” offers reasons for optimism about citizens' capacity to avoid polarization and manipulation and to make sound decisions. The real world of democratic politics is currently far from the deliberative ideal, but empirical evidence shows that the gap can be closed.
TL;DR: A trans-ancestry genome-wide association study of serum urate levels identifies 183 loci that improve the prediction of gout in an independent cohort of 334,880 individuals, and implicates the kidney and liver as key target organs and prioritize potential causal genes.
Abstract: Elevated serum urate levels cause gout and correlate with cardiometabolic diseases via poorly understood mechanisms. We performed a trans-ancestry genome-wide association study of serum urate in 457,690 individuals, identifying 183 loci (147 previously unknown) that improve the prediction of gout in an independent cohort of 334,880 individuals. Serum urate showed significant genetic correlations with many cardiometabolic traits, with genetic causality analyses supporting a substantial role for pleiotropy. Enrichment analysis, fine-mapping of urate-associated loci and colocalization with gene expression in 47 tissues implicated the kidney and liver as the main target organs and prioritized potentially causal genes and variants, including the transcriptional master regulators in the liver and kidney, HNF1A and HNF4A. Experimental validation showed that HNF4A transactivated the promoter of ABCG2, encoding a major urate transporter, in kidney cells, and that HNF4A p.Thr139Ile is a functional variant. Transcriptional coregulation within and across organs may be a general mechanism underlying the observed pleiotropy between urate and cardiometabolic traits.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented precision results on cosmic-ray electrons in the energy range from 0.5 to 1.4, based on 28.1×106 electrons collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station.
Abstract: Precision results on cosmic-ray electrons are presented in the energy range from 0.5 GeV to 1.4 TeV based on 28.1×106 electrons collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station. In the entire energy range the electron and positron spectra have distinctly different magnitudes and energy dependences. The electron flux exhibits a significant excess starting from 42.1-5.2+5.4 GeV compared to the lower energy trends, but the nature of this excess is different from the positron flux excess above 25.2±1.8 GeV. Contrary to the positron flux, which has an exponential energy cutoff of 810-180+310 GeV, at the 5σ level the electron flux does not have an energy cutoff below 1.9 TeV. In the entire energy range the electron flux is well described by the sum of two power law components. The different behavior of the cosmic-ray electrons and positrons measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is clear evidence that most high energy electrons originate from different sources than high energy positrons.
University of Copenhagen1, Russian Academy of Sciences2, University of Lisbon3, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics4, University of Bern5, Technical University of Denmark6, University of Chicago7, Chinese Academy of Sciences8, Leiden University9, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute10, University of Cambridge11, University of Greenland12, American Museum of Natural History13, National Institutes of Health14, University of Helsinki15, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign16, University of Gothenburg17, University of Turku18, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute19, University of California, Berkeley20, Southern Methodist University21
TL;DR: Analysis of 34 newly recovered ancient genomes from northeastern Siberia reveal at least three major migration events in the late Pleistocene population history of the region, including an initial peopling by a previously unknown Palaeolithic population of ‘Ancient North Siberians’ and a Holocene migration of other East Asian-related peoples, which generated the mosaic genetic make-up of contemporary peoples.
Abstract: Northeastern Siberia has been inhabited by humans for more than 40,000 years but its deep population history remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the late Pleistocene population history of northeastern Siberia through analyses of 34 newly recovered ancient genomes that date to between 31,000 and 600 years ago. We document complex population dynamics during this period, including at least three major migration events: an initial peopling by a previously unknown Palaeolithic population of ‘Ancient North Siberians’ who are distantly related to early West Eurasian hunter-gatherers; the arrival of East Asian-related peoples, which gave rise to ‘Ancient Palaeo-Siberians’ who are closely related to contemporary communities from far-northeastern Siberia (such as the Koryaks), as well as Native Americans; and a Holocene migration of other East Asian-related peoples, who we name ‘Neo-Siberians’, and from whom many contemporary Siberians are descended. Each of these population expansions largely replaced the earlier inhabitants, and ultimately generated the mosaic genetic make-up of contemporary peoples who inhabit a vast area across northern Eurasia and the Americas. Analyses of 34 ancient genomes from northeastern Siberia, dating to between 31,000 and 600 years ago, reveal at least three major migration events in the late Pleistocene population history of the region.
Leiden University1, Max Planck Society2, California Pacific Medical Center3, Johns Hopkins University4, VU University Amsterdam5, Delft University of Technology6, University of Southern Denmark7, Washington University in St. Louis8, University of Washington9, Erasmus University Rotterdam10, University of Haifa11, Yeshiva University12, University of Michigan13, Boston University14, Newcastle University15, University of Kiel16, Mount Sinai Hospital17, Council on Education for Public Health18, University of Copenhagen19, University of Montpellier20, University of Paris21, University of Iceland22, National Institutes of Health23, University of Amsterdam24, Bar-Ilan University25, Harvard University26, Zhejiang University27, University of Pittsburgh28, Oregon Health & Science University29, Kaiser Permanente30, University of Turku31, University of California, Los Angeles32, University of Bristol33, University of Oxford34, Peking University35, Duke University36, Broad Institute37
TL;DR: A case–control design based on phenotype definitions of individuals surviving at or beyond the age corresponding to the 90th and 99th survival percentile, and two additional loci located in the APOE locus and near GPR78 are reported, revealing a role for tissue-specific expression of multiple genes in longevity.
Abstract: Human longevity is heritable, but genome-wide association (GWA) studies have had limited success. Here, we perform two meta-analyses of GWA studies of a rigorous longevity phenotype definition including 11,262/3484 cases surviving at or beyond the age corresponding to the 90th/99th survival percentile, respectively, and 25,483 controls whose age at death or at last contact was at or below the age corresponding to the 60th survival percentile. Consistent with previous reports, rs429358 (apolipoprotein E (ApoE) e4) is associated with lower odds of surviving to the 90th and 99th percentile age, while rs7412 (ApoE e2) shows the opposite. Moreover, rs7676745, located near GPR78, associates with lower odds of surviving to the 90th percentile age. Gene-level association analysis reveals a role for tissue-specific expression of multiple genes in longevity. Finally, genetic correlation of the longevity GWA results with that of several disease-related phenotypes points to a shared genetic architecture between health and longevity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make engagement a key priority in marketing and service research, spurring a rapidly increasing body of literature on this topic, which is referred to as engagement engagement.
Abstract: Considerable managerial and academic interest has made engagement a key priority in marketing and service research, spurring a rapidly increasing body of literature on this topic. Academic research...
TL;DR: The purpose of this study is to analyse the core characteristics of the swarming drones and measure the public awareness levels with respect to these swarms, which demonstrate that the swarms of drones are fundamental future agenda and will be adopted with the passage of time.
United States Department of Agriculture1, University of Szeged2, University of Turku3, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki4, Technische Universität München5, Hanyang University6, Jagiellonian University7, Moscow State University8, MeteoSwiss9, Universidad Nacional del Sur10, Macquarie University11, Natural Resources Defense Council12, United States Environmental Protection Agency13
TL;DR: The findings reveal that the ongoing increase in temperature extremes (Tmin and Tmax) might already be contributing to extended seasonal duration and increased pollen load for multiple aeroallergenic pollen taxa in diverse locations across the northern hemisphere.
TL;DR: An overview of adenosine metabolism is provided and the need for a more careful evaluation of the entire purinome in emerging cancer therapies is pointed out.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the concept of renewable energy is problematic and should be abandoned in favor of more unambiguous conceptualization and discuss alternative conceptualizations and present a model of categorizing energy production according to carbon content and combustion.
University of Helsinki1, University College London2, French Institute of Health and Medical Research3, University of Turku4, Karolinska Institutet5, Mid Sweden University6, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health7, University of Social Sciences and Humanities8, Queen's University Belfast9, Stockholm University10, Umeå University11, University of Oulu12, University of Skövde13, Turku University Hospital14, University of Eastern Finland15, Uppsala University16, University of Texas at Austin17, University of Bristol18
TL;DR: In analyses that addressed bias due to reverse causation, physical inactivity was not associated with all-cause dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, although an indication of excess dementia risk was observed in a subgroup of physically inactive individuals who developed cardiometabolic disease.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE To examine whether physical inactivity is a risk factor for dementia, with attention to the role of cardiometabolic disease in this association and reverse causation bias that arises from ...
TL;DR: This review covers recent results from multidisciplinary research on sainfoin (Onobrychis Mill.) and provides an overview of current developments with several other tanniniferous forages.
Abstract: Condensed tannins (CTs) account for up to 20% of the dry matter in forage legumes used as ruminant feeds. Beneficial animal responses to CTs have included improved growth, milk and wool production, fertility, and reduced methane emissions and ammonia volatilization from dung or urine. Most important is the ability of such forages to combat the effects of gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes. Inconsistent animal responses to CTs were initially attributed to concentration in the diet, but recent research has highlighted the importance of their molecular structures, as well as concentration, and also the composition of the diet containing the CTs. The importance of CT structural traits cannot be underestimated. Interdisciplinary research is the key to unraveling the relationships between CT traits and bioactivities and will enable future on-farm exploitation of these natural plant compounds. Research is also needed to provide plant breeders with guidelines and screening tools to optimize CT traits, in both the forage and the whole diet. In addition, improvements are needed in the competitiveness and agronomic traits of CT-containing legumes and our understanding of options for their inclusion in ruminant diets. Farmers need varieties that are competitive in mixed swards and have predictable bioactivities. This review covers recent results from multidisciplinary research on sainfoin (Onobrychis Mill. spp.) and provides an overview of current developments with several other tanniniferous forages. Tannin chemistry is now being linked with agronomy, plant breeding, animal nutrition, and parasitology. The past decade has yielded considerable progress but also generated more questions — an enviable consequence of new knowledge!
01 Jul 2019-International Journal of Human-computer Studies \/ International Journal of Man-machine Studies
TL;DR: Gamification studies would benefit from a wider use of theories to account for the complexity of human behavior, a more thorough exploration of the many opportunities coming from the world of games, and an ethical reflection on the use of game design elements in serious domains.
Abstract: Gamification is now a well-established technique in Human-Computer Interaction. However, research on gamification still faces a variety of empirical and theoretical challenges. Firstly, studies of gamified systems typically focus narrowly on understanding individuals. short-term interactions with the system, ignoring more difficult to measure outcomes. Secondly, academic research on gamification has been slow to improve the techniques through which gamified applications are designed. Third, current gamification research lacks a critical lens capable of exploring unintended consequences of designs. The 14 articles published in this special issue face these challenges with great methodological rigor. We summarize them by identifying three main themes: the determination to improve the quality and usefulness of theory in the field of gamification, the improvements in design practice, and the adoption of a critical gaze to uncover side-effects of gamification designs. We conclude by providing an overview of the questions that we feel must be addressed by future work in gamification. Gamification studies would benefit from a wider use of theories to account for the complexity of human behavior, a more thorough exploration of the many opportunities coming from the world of games, and an ethical reflection on the use of game design elements in serious domains.
TL;DR: The purpose of this manuscript was to narratively review topics of interest such as taxonomy, cross‐reactivity, prevalence, clinical relevance, PFS, and HRQoL with regard to birch pollen allergy from a European perspective.
Abstract: Birch and other related trees of the families Betulaceae and Fagaceae (alder, hazel, oak, hornbeam, chestnut, and beech) constitute the birch homologous group. This grouping is primarily based on the extensive IgE cross-reactivity of allergen homologs to the major birch allergen Bet v 1. Birch pollen is the most dominant tree pollen in Northern and Central Europe and is a major cause of allergic rhinitis and, possibly, asthma symptoms. Over the last few decades, levels of birch pollen have risen and the period of exposure has increased due to climate changes. Subsequently, the prevalence of birch pollen sensitization has also increased. The cross-reactivity and sequential pollen seasons within the birch homologous group create a prolonged symptomatic allergy period beyond birch pollen alone. Furthermore, many plant food allergens contain homologs to Bet v 1, meaning that the majority of patients with birch pollen allergy suffer from secondary pollen food syndrome (PFS). As a result, the negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients allergic to birch pollen is significant. The purpose of this manuscript was to narratively review topics of interest such as taxonomy, cross-reactivity, prevalence, clinical relevance, PFS, and HRQoL with regard to birch pollen allergy from a European perspective.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the evolution in time of the GRB emission across 17 orders of magnitude in energy, from 5 × 10-6 to 1012 electronvolts, and found that the broadband spectral energy distribution is double-peaked, with the teraelectronvolt emission constituting a distinct spectral component with power comparable to the synchrotron component.
Abstract: Long-duration γ-ray bursts (GRBs) originate from ultra-relativistic jets launched from the collapsing cores of dying massive stars. They are characterized by an initial phase of bright and highly variable radiation in the kiloelectronvolt-to-megaelectronvolt band, which is probably produced within the jet and lasts from milliseconds to minutes, known as the prompt emission1,2. Subsequently, the interaction of the jet with the surrounding medium generates shock waves that are responsible for the afterglow emission, which lasts from days to months and occurs over a broad energy range from the radio to the gigaelectronvolt bands1-6. The afterglow emission is generally well explained as synchrotron radiation emitted by electrons accelerated by the external shock7-9. Recently, intense long-lasting emission between 0.2 and 1 teraelectronvolts was observed from GRB 190114C10,11. Here we report multi-frequency observations of GRB 190114C, and study the evolution in time of the GRB emission across 17 orders of magnitude in energy, from 5 × 10-6 to 1012 electronvolts. We find that the broadband spectral energy distribution is double-peaked, with the teraelectronvolt emission constituting a distinct spectral component with power comparable to the synchrotron component. This component is associated with the afterglow and is satisfactorily explained by inverse Compton up-scattering of synchrotron photons by high-energy electrons. We find that the conditions required to account for the observed teraelectronvolt component are typical for GRBs, supporting the possibility that inverse Compton emission is commonly produced in GRBs.
Broad Institute1, Aalto University2, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich3, Novartis4, Harvard University5, University of Helsinki6, National Institutes of Health7, University of Tampere8, University of Turku9, Turku University Hospital10, University of Tartu11, Tartu University Hospital12, Petrozavodsk State University13
TL;DR: Integration of longitudinal gut metagenomic datasets from children in Finland, Estonia and Russian Karelia reveals high strain-level diversity, which consequently impacts the functional capabilities of the early life microbiome.
Abstract: The human gut microbiome matures towards the adult composition during the first years of life and is implicated in early immune development. Here, we investigate the effects of microbial genomic diversity on gut microbiome development using integrated early childhood data sets collected in the DIABIMMUNE study in Finland, Estonia and Russian Karelia. We show that gut microbial diversity is associated with household location and linear growth of children. Single nucleotide polymorphism- and metagenomic assembly-based strain tracking revealed large and highly dynamic microbial pangenomes, especially in the genus Bacteroides, in which we identified evidence of variability deriving from Bacteroides-targeting bacteriophages. Our analyses revealed functional consequences of strain diversity; only 10% of Finnish infants harboured Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, a subspecies specialized in human milk metabolism, whereas Russian infants commonly maintained a probiotic Bifidobacterium bifidum strain in infancy. Groups of bacteria contributing to diverse, characterized metabolic pathways converged to highly subject-specific configurations over the first two years of life. This longitudinal study extends the current view of early gut microbial community assembly based on strain-level genomic variation. Integration of longitudinal gut metagenomic datasets from children in Finland, Estonia and Russian Karelia reveals high strain-level diversity, which consequently impacts the functional capabilities of the early life microbiome.
TL;DR: The evidence indicates that FGF21 is a local and systemic messenger of mtDNA stress in mice and humans with mitochondrial disease, and drives weight loss and glucose preference, and modifies metabolism and respiratory chain deficiency in a specific hippocampal brain region.