scholarly journals Genetics and Not Shared Environment Explains Familial Resemblance in Adult Metabolomics Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-155
Author(s):  
René Pool ◽  
Fiona A. Hagenbeek ◽  
Anne M. Hendriks ◽  
Jenny van Dongen ◽  
Gonneke Willemsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Biological Tissues ◽  
Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Shared Environment ◽  
Familial Resemblance ◽  
Environmental Variance ◽  
Metabolomics Data ◽  
Significant Heritability

AbstractMetabolites are small molecules involved in cellular metabolism where they act as reaction substrates or products. The term ‘metabolomics’ refers to the comprehensive study of these molecules. The concentrations of metabolites in biological tissues are under genetic control, but this is limited by environmental factors such as diet. In adult mono- and dizygotic twin pairs, we estimated the contribution of genetic and shared environmental influences on metabolite levels by structural equation modeling and tested whether the familial resemblance for metabolite levels is mainly explained by genetic or by environmental factors that are shared by family members. Metabolites were measured across three platforms: two based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance techniques and one employing mass spectrometry. These three platforms comprised 237 single metabolic traits of several chemical classes. For the three platforms, metabolites were assessed in 1407, 1037 and 1116 twin pairs, respectively. We carried out power calculations to establish what percentage of shared environmental variance could be detected given these sample sizes. Our study did not find evidence for a systematic contribution of shared environment, defined as the influence of growing up together in the same household, on metabolites assessed in adulthood. Significant heritability was observed for nearly all 237 metabolites; significant contribution of the shared environment was limited to 6 metabolites. The top quartile of the heritability distribution was populated by 5 of the 11 investigated chemical classes. In this quartile, metabolites of the class lipoprotein were significantly overrepresented, whereas metabolites of classes glycerophospholipids and glycerolipids were significantly underrepresented.

Crying Without a Cause and Being Easily Upset in Two-Year-Olds: Heritability and Predictive Power of Behavioral Problems

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 393-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Groen-Blokhuis ◽  
Christel M. Middeldorp ◽  
Catharina E. M. van Beijsterveldt ◽  
Dorret I. Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Heritability Estimate ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Attention Problems ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Shared Environment ◽  
Maternal Characteristics

In order to estimate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on ‘crying without a cause’ and ‘being easily upset’ in 2-year-old children, a large twin study was carried out. Prospective data were available for ~18,000 2-year-old twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register. A bivariate genetic analysis was performed using structural equation modeling in the Mx software package. The influence of maternal personality characteristics and demographic and lifestyle factors was tested to identify specific risk factors that may underlie the shared environment of twins. Furthermore, it was tested whether crying without a cause and being easily upset were predictive of later internalizing, externalizing and attention problems. Crying without a cause yielded a heritability estimate of 60% in boys and girls. For easily upset, the heritability was estimated at 43% in boys and 31% in girls. The variance explained by shared environment varied between 35% and 63%. The correlation between crying without a cause and easily upset (r = .36) was explained both by genetic and shared environmental factors. Birth cohort, gestational age, socioeconomic status, parental age, parental smoking behavior and alcohol use during pregnancy did not explain the shared environmental component. Neuroticism of the mother explained a small proportion of the additive genetic, but not of the shared environmental effects for easily upset. Crying without a cause and being easily upset at age 2 were predictive of internalizing, externalizing and attention problems at age 7, with effect sizes of .28–.42. A large influence of shared environmental factors on crying without a cause and easily upset was detected. Although these effects could be specific to these items, we could not explain them by personality characteristics of the mother or by demographic and lifestyle factors, and we recognize that these effects may reflect other maternal characteristics. A substantial influence of genetic factors was found for the two items, which are predictive of later behavioral problems.

scholarly journals Genetic and Environmental Influences on Disability Pension Due To Mental Diagnoses: Limited Importance of Major Depression, Generalized Anxiety, and Chronic Fatigue

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jurgita Narusyte ◽  
Annina Ropponen ◽  
Kristina Alexanderson ◽  
Pia Svedberg
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Disability Pension ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Environmental Variance ◽  
Genetic Contributions

Background:Previous research indicates that liability to disability pension (DP) due to mental diagnoses is moderately influenced by genetic factors. This study investigates whether genetic contributions to the liability to DP due to mood and neurotic diagnoses overlap with the genetic influences on major depression (MD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or chronic fatigue (CF).Method:A prospective cohort study including 9,985 female twins born in Sweden 1933–1958. The presence of MD, GAD, and CF was assessed by computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted in 1998–2002. Data on DP due to mood and neurotic diagnoses were obtained from nationwide registers for the years 1998–2010. Common genetic and environmental influences on the phenotypes were estimated by applying structural equation modeling.Results:The prevalence of MD/GAD was 30%, CF 8%, and DP due to mood and neurotic diagnoses 3% in 2010. Genetic effects on MD/GAD explained 31% of the total genetic variation in DP, whereas genetic contributions in common with CF were small and not significant. The majority of the total non-shared environmental variance in DP (85%) was explained by the factors that were unique to DP.Conclusions:Large proportions of genetic and non-shared environmental influences in DP due to mood and neurotic diagnoses were not explained by the contributions from MD/GAD or CF. The results suggest that the process leading to DP is complex and influenced by factors other than those related to the disorder underlying DP.

scholarly journals Indirect drivers of plant diversity-productivity relationship in semiarid sandy grasslands

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1277-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. A. Zuo ◽  
J. M. H. Knops ◽  
X. Y. Zhao ◽  
H. L. Zhao ◽  
T. H. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Wet Meadow ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Sandy Grasslands

Abstract. Although patterns between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity have been much studied, a consistent relationship has not yet emerged. Differing patterns between plant diversity and productivity have been observed in response to spatial variability of environmental factors and vegetation composition. In this study, we measured vegetation cover, plant diversity, productivity, soil properties and site characteristics along an environmental gradient (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, fixed dune, dry meadow, wet meadow and flood plain grasslands) of natural sandy grasslands in semiarid areas of northern China. We used multivariate analysis to examine the relationships between environmental factors, vegetation composition, plant diversity and productivity. We found a positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity. Vegetation composition aggregated by the ordination technique of non-metric multidimensional scaling had also a significantly positive correlation with plant diversity and productivity. Environmental gradients in relation to soil and topography affected the distribution patterns of vegetation composition, species diversity and productivity. However, environmental gradients were a better determinant of vegetation composition and productivity than of plant diversity. Structural equation modeling suggested that environmental factors determine vegetation composition, which in turn independently drives both plant diversity and productivity. Thus, the positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is indirectly driven by vegetation composition, which is determined by environmental gradients in soil and topography.

Effect of Environmental Factors on Knowledge Sharing in Construction Organization

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katun M. Idris ◽  
Kherun N. Ali ◽  
Godwin U. Aliagha ◽  
Ali Keyvanfar
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Managerial Leadership ◽  
Leadership Strategy ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
Strategy Planning ◽  
Construction Organization

The processes of environmental factors are milieu-focus, which  can influence the knowledge sharing in construction organization. This study examines the possible effect of environmental factors in respect to managerial leadership, strategy/planning and culture on the relationship to the knowledge sharing.  The study was carried out on project managers in construction organizations in Nigeria using a stratified random sample of 323 of  different designations. A hypothesized model of knowledge sharing, and environmental factors was tested using structural equation modeling approach, and a proposed model was therefore developed. All the factor loadings were significant, leading to a prudent model achievement. The study serves as a guide to the construction managers for sharing knowledge in the construction organization. The finding indicated that environmental factors demonstrated significant influence on knowledge sharing. 

Investigating the adoption of social media in the construction industry: empirical evidence from project teams in China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guofeng Ma ◽  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Jianyao Jia
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Content Type

PurposeA lack of reliable and effective communication tools poses major barriers impeding the performance of construction projects consisting of diverse participants. Although some construction project teams (CPTs) begin to apply social media (SM) as an available approach for project management the entire mechanism of SM adoption in this specific context remains understudied. Therefore, this study aims to adopt a CPT's lens to investigate the critical antecedents and associated effects underlying SM adoption in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) theory, a conceptual model was proposed and tested by empirical data collected from 159 CPTs in China. Structural equation modeling technique was employed for data analysis.FindingsThe results demonstrate that all the five extracted TOE-based antecedents including two technological factors (i.e. compatibility and expected cost), one organizational factor (i.e. top management support) and two environmental factors (i.e. project partner collaboration and project fit) are crucial to the adoption of SM in CPTs. Besides, SM acceptance is found to mediate the relationships between organizational and environmental factors and SM use. Moreover, SM use significantly predicts the communication effectiveness of CPTs.Research limitations/implicationsA questionnaire study based on cross-sectional data from China may only unveil the logic of SM adoption in the context of Chinese construction industry within a shorter time interval. It is recommended that future research could develop longitudinal studies among various construction practitioners in different countries to further specify and generalize the current findings.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comprehensive understanding of SM adoption in the construction industry by exploring the preadoption antecedents and postadoption effects from the perspective of project teams. The empirical findings advance the current web-based project management literature and afford new insights for construction practitioners into better managing SM application to reap its full capabilities in projects.

Child and Family Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Responses Following a Traumatic Medical Event: The Role of Medical Team Support

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1063-1073
Author(s):  
Yaara Sadeh ◽  
Rachel Dekel ◽  
Amichai Brezner ◽  
Jana Landa ◽  
Tamar Silberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Medical Team ◽  
Pediatric Injury

Abstract Objectives This study examined the contribution of pretrauma psychosocial factors (child emotional functioning, family resources, family functioning, and social support) and environmental factors (mother’s posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTSSs], medical team support [MTS]) to PTSSs of injured or seriously ill children within a pediatric rehabilitation setting. It was hypothesized that psychosocial variables would be strongly associated with child’s PTSS; that mother’s PTSS and MTS would mediate the association between psychosocial factors and child’s PTSS; that mother’s report on child’s PTSS would mediate the association between mother’s PTSS and child’s PTSS. Methods Participants were 196 children hospitalized following an injury/illness and assessed M = 47.7 days postevent. Children completed measures of PTSS, mothers completed measures of their own PTSS, child’s PTSS, and pretrauma psychosocial factors. Family’s therapist completed a MTS measure. Structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the study hypotheses. Results Pretrauma family structure and resources were associated with child’s self-reported PTSS; each pretrauma variable and mother’s report of child’s PTSS was significantly associated. Although mother’s PTSS was not directly associated with child’s PTSS, this relationship was mediated by mother’s report of child’s PTSS. MTS mediated the relationship between pretrauma social support and mother’s PTSS. Conclusion This study further explicates the utility of a biopsychosocial framework in predicting childhood PTSS. Findings confirm the role of pretrauma factors and environmental factors at the peritrauma period in the development of PTSS following a pediatric injury/illness. Mother’s PTSS and MTS may be appropriate targets for prevention and early intervention.

scholarly journals How Does Low Socioeconomic Status Increase Blood Lead Levelsin KoreanChildren?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunjung Kim ◽  
Ho-jang Kwon ◽  
Mina Ha ◽  
Ji-Ae Lim ◽  
Myung Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Blood Lead ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Korean Children ◽  
Low Socioeconomic

Although studies have shown that a low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with high blood lead levels (BLLs) in children, the mechanism underlying this observation is not well known. To determine how SES influences BLLs via environmental factors in Korean children, we conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of 4744 children aged 5–13 years. Questionnaires on sociodemographic information, environmental factors, and food consumption were administered to the children’s parents. BLLs in the study subjects were measured.The complete set of hypothesized associations was assessed using regression analysis and structural equation modeling. SES was associated with high BLLs. The total effects of nutritional factors, lead in the air and total length of nearby roads, and agriculture on BLLs were −0.062 (p < 0.001), 0.068 (p = 0.005), and 0.038 (p = 0.035), respectively. The direct effects of playing outdoors and SES on BLLs were 0.113 (p < 0.001) and −0.111 (p < 0.001), respectively. Although playing outdoors had a greater direct effect on BLLs than did SES, the total effect of SES (standardized β = −0.132, p < 0.001) was greater than that of other sources owing to indirect effects (β = −0.020, p = 0.004). A low SES was a major risk factor for elevated BLLs via environmental factors.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Adiponectin, Leptin, and BMI Among Adolescents in Taiwan: A Multivariate Twin/Sibling Analysis

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 495-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pi-Hua Liu ◽  
Yi-Der Jiang ◽  
Wei J. Chen ◽  
Ching-Chung Chang ◽  
Tso-Ching Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Shared Environment ◽  
Latent Factor ◽  
Sibling Pairs ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Genes And Environment ◽  
Intraclass Correlations ◽  
Mz Twins

AbstractCirculating levels of leptin and adiponectin are closely associated with obesity. However, it is not known whether there are common shared genes or environment exerting influences on the levels of leptin, adiponectin, and BMI. We aimed to assess the relative contribution of genes and environment to adiponectin, leptin, and BMI individually as well as simultaneously to the three measures. Our subjects included a total of 228 twin/sibling pairs aged 12 to 18 (130 monozygotic twins, 68 dizygotic twins and 30 sibling pairs) were recruited from the middle schools. Multivariate analyses were applied to twin/sibling data using structural equation modeling. The results showed that intraclass correlations for adiponectin, leptin and BMI were higher in the MZ twins than those in the DZ/SP group. The relative contribution of genes to adiponectin (39%) was comparable to those of shared environment (40%). In contrast, leptin and BMI were influenced mostly by genes (74% and 89%, respectively). The multivariate genetic analyses showed that a latent factor underlying the three measures was identified, with BMI being equivalent to this latent factor. The BMI-dependent genetic factor explains only 15% and 34% of variation of adiponectin and leptin, respectively. These data indicate a differential contribution of genetic factors for the variation of adiponectin, leptin and BMI. More importantly, only a small portion of the genetic influences on adiponectin and leptin was attributed to BMI. Our findings provided more insight into the complex regulation of adiponectin and leptin in obesity.

scholarly journals The Moderation Effect of External Environment Turbulence in Tourism Sector: Comparative Analysis of Pakistan & Thailand

2018 ◽  
pp. 672-684
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Business Innovation ◽  
Tourism Sector

Tourism sector in Pakistan is facing a situation of severe crisis, plagued by poor management, lack of infrastructure, weak and ineffective policy and implementation. The looming cloud of terrorism has further diminished the role the sector could play in the country and the region’s development. Recent military operations against terrorist elements and the inauguration of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are being hailed as a new phase, bringing more opportunities for business. However, it may also bring new challenges to the existing industry as well. The Thailand tourism industry faced similar kind of situation but it sailed out. The current research paper examined the moderating effect of external environmental factors and relationship of Customer Relationship Management Effectiveness (CRMe) with business performance and business innovation. A sample of 382 respondents was selected. The respondents belonged to Tourism sector in Pakistan and Thailand. The responses were tested and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling in AMOS. It was observed that Technological Turbulence, Market Turbulence and Competitive Intensity significantly moderate the relation of CRMe with business innovation and business performance. This study is significant as it highlights the importance of external environmental factors for business performance and innovation Vis a Vis the effectiveness of an organization’s CRM capability. Results of this study hold significant implications for policy makers and stake holders.

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