scholarly journals The Impact of Evolutionary Driving Forces on Human Complex Diseases: A Population Genetics Approach

Scientifica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr T. M. Saeb ◽  
Dhekra Al-Naqeb
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Complex Diseases ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Historical Origin ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Human Complex

Investigating the molecular evolution of human genome has paved the way to understand genetic adaptation of humans to the environmental changes and corresponding complex diseases. In this review, we discussed the historical origin of genetic diversity among human populations, the evolutionary driving forces that can affect genetic diversity among populations, and the effects of human movement into new environments and gene flow on population genetic diversity. Furthermore, we presented the role of natural selection on genetic diversity and complex diseases. Then we reviewed the disadvantageous consequences of historical selection events in modern time and their relation to the development of complex diseases. In addition, we discussed the effect of consanguinity on the incidence of complex diseases in human populations. Finally, we presented the latest information about the role of ancient genes acquired from interbreeding with ancient hominids in the development of complex diseases.

scholarly journals The Impact of Human Genetic Polymorphisms on Rotavirus Susceptibility, Epidemiology, and Vaccine Take

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumit Sharma ◽  
Marie Hagbom ◽  
Lennart Svensson ◽  
Johan Nordgren
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Immune Response ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Blood Group Antigens ◽  
Receptor Ligand ◽  
The Impact

Innate resistance to viral infections can be attributed to mutations in genes involved in the immune response, or to the receptor/ligand. A remarkable example of the latter is the recently described Mendelian trait resistance to clinically important and globally predominating genotypes of rotavirus, the most common agent of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in children worldwide. This resistance appears to be rotavirus genotype-dependent and is mainly mediated by histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs), which function as a receptor or attachment factors on gut epithelial surfaces. HBGA synthesis is mediated by fucosyltransferases and glycosyltransferases under the genetic control of the FUT2 (secretor), FUT3 (Lewis), and ABO (H) genes on chromosome 19. Significant genotypic and phenotypic diversity of HBGA expression exists between different human populations. This genetic diversity has an effect on genotype-specific susceptibility, molecular epidemiology, and vaccine take. Here, we will discuss studies on genetic susceptibility to rotavirus infection and place them in the context of population susceptibility, rotavirus epidemiology, vaccine take, and public health impact.

scholarly journals The effect of human mobility and control measures on the COVID-19 epidemic in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz U.G. Kraemer ◽  
Chia-Hung Yang ◽  
Bernardo Gutierrez ◽  
Chieh-Hsi Wu ◽  
Brennan Klein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Mobility ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Travel History ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
State Interventions ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has expanded rapidly throughout China. Major behavioral, clinical, and state interventions are underway currently to mitigate the epidemic and prevent the persistence of the virus in human populations in China and worldwide. It remains unclear how these unprecedented interventions, including travel restrictions, have affected COVID-19 spread in China. We use real-time mobility data from Wuhan and detailed case data including travel history to elucidate the role of case importation on transmission in cities across China and ascertain the impact of control measures. Early on, the spatial distribution of COVID-19 cases in China was well explained by human mobility data. Following the implementation of control measures, this correlation dropped and growth rates became negative in most locations, although shifts in the demographics of reported cases are still indicative of local chains of transmission outside Wuhan. This study shows that the drastic control measures implemented in China have substantially mitigated the spread of COVID-19.

scholarly journals The environmental control of urban planning in the Syrian desert cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 05008
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mahdy Alsous
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Harsh Environment ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Planning Concepts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
Traditional Communities

Analysis the changes on the city’s image of the traditional desert communities and the principles of urban planning in their cities as a result of technical and environmental changes which achieved in the modern era. It was concluded, that It was necessary to research and emphasize the concept of urban sustainability in overcoming the development problems in these cities by maximizing and activating the role of desert cities, revealing their development potentials and the best way to exploit them. It was concluded defining planning principles for desert cities adapted to the harsh environment, by examining the impact of the environmental content on the planning concepts of the Syrian desert cities (Palmyra city as an example), defining principles and criteria for environmental control in the planning of these cities and evaluating the existing planning of the traditional communities in the Syrian desert and the degree of its interaction with the surrounding environment.

Financial planning for retirement: the role of income

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1419-1440
Author(s):  
Milagros Vivel-Búa ◽  
Lucía Rey-Ares ◽  
Rubén Lado-Sestayo ◽  
Sara Fernández-López
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Retirement Savings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Future Income ◽  
Wealth Inequalities ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the driving forces of both the decision to participate in individual pension plans and the amount of money allocated to such plans. Moreover, this paper evaluates the potential role that income plays, which has not previously been considered in depth in the financial literature.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of the Spanish population over the period 2008–2015, this paper estimates probit and tobit models, using 165,791 observations. The driving forces of private retirement savings comprise demographic, financial and socio-economic characteristics.FindingsThis paper confirms the impact of socio-demographic and economic variables on participation and monetary contributions to pension plans. It also confirms that income plays a non-negligible role. Moreover, empirical evidence reveals that the effect of gender is related to the income stratum to which the individual belongs.Originality/valueRetirement planning plays a key role in retirees’ future income and several countries have emphasised the importance of private individual savings to supplement the minimum provided by public pension schemes. The previous literature has concluded that those who plan their retirement end their working lives with three times the wealth of non-planners. Consequently, analysis of whether people are saving enough for their retirement can contribute to avoiding future wealth inequalities among retirees. Spain is one of the countries with the greatest inequality in income distribution, so this issue is of even greater interest.

Virtual currency schemes – the future of financial services

foresight ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicja Mikołajewicz-Woźniak ◽  
Anna Scheibe
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Virtual Currency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Growth ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to determine the future role of virtual currencies. This paper indicates their pros and cons as alternatives to “real” money and explains their appearance as the reflection of the present trends. It also presents the possible scenarios of their development. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the former foresight research results and literature review. It highlights the main trends in contemporary economy and their impact on financial services. The Bitcoin case is the starting point for the virtual currencies’ market analysis and construction of possible market changes scenarios. Findings – Virtual currency schemes are the reflection of present trends. They are just ahead of our times but may become a common means of payment, changing the way of providing financial services, eliminating intermediaries and marginalizing the role of financial institutions. Research limitations/implications – The multiplicity of virtual currencies and ceaseless introduction of innovations impede the presentation of the complete market picture. The lack of reliable statistical data makes the estimation of the market growth difficult. Practical implications – This paper indicates influence of technology development, virtualization and networking on payment systems’ functioning. Social implications – This paper shows the impact of environmental changes on consumers’ acceptance of virtual currencies. Originality/value – The virtual currency as a payment system is quite new and still a marginalized phenomenon. Nevertheless, the pace of virtual currency market growth after its recent introduction and appearance of Bitcoin successors seems to be the signs of future changes in financial service sector.

scholarly journals Cultural Innovations Influence Patterns of Genetic Diversity in Northwestern Amazonia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Arias ◽  
Roland Schröder ◽  
Alexander Hübner ◽  
Guillermo Barreto ◽  
Mark Stoneking ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Native American ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Population History ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Trade Networks ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTHuman populations often exhibit contrasting patterns of genetic diversity in the mtDNA and the non-recombining portion of the Y-chromosome (NRY), which reflect sex-specific cultural behaviors and population histories. Here, we sequenced 2.3 Mb of the NRY from 284 individuals representing more than 30 Native-American groups from Northwestern Amazonia (NWA) and compared these data to previously generated mtDNA genomes from the same groups, to investigate the impact of cultural practices on genetic diversity and gain new insights about NWA population history. Relevant cultural practices in NWA include postmarital residential rules and linguistic-exogamy, a marital practice in which men are required to marry women speaking a different language.We identified 2,969 SNPs in the NRY sequences; only 925 SNPs were previously described. The NRY and mtDNA data showed that males and females experienced different demographic histories: the female effective population size has been larger than that of males through time, and both markers show an increase in lineage diversification beginning ~5,000 years ago, with a male-specific expansion occurring ~3,500 years ago. These dates are too recent to be associated with agriculture, therefore we propose that they reflect technological innovations and the expansion of regional trade networks documented in the archaeological evidence. Furthermore, our study provides evidence of the impact of postmarital residence rules and linguistic exogamy on genetic diversity patterns. Finally, we highlight the importance of analyzing high-resolution mtDNA and NRY sequences to reconstruct demographic history, since this can differ considerably between males and females.

scholarly journals Assessment of Oil Spillage Impact on Vegetation in South-Western Niger Delta, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 31-45
Author(s):  
Umar Wakil Adamu ◽  
Emmanuel Yeboah ◽  
Isaac Sarfo ◽  
Edward Kweku Nunoo ◽  
Clement Kwang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Niger Delta ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Geospatial Techniques ◽  
Dense Vegetation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Oil Spillage ◽  
The Impact

The present study assesses the impact of oil spillage in the Southwestern Niger Delta of Nigeria over the past fifty (50) years. It further sought to find out the driving forces and implications of oil spillage on vegetation, livelihoods and other key parameters. The study employed geospatial techniques and a secondary source of data to achieve the objectives set out in this study. The Global Moran I statistical tool was used to determine the spatial autocorrelation based on feature locations and attribute values. We observed built-up areas, bare land, and less dense vegetation had an overall increment of 1975.98 km2, 1370 km2 and 23805 km2, respectively. Dense vegetation had declension of 22058.33 km2 over the past five decades. Findings depict a declining trend in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, attributed to oil spillage as the key contributory factor. Occasioned by anthropogenic activities, the driving forces were traced to attacks on oil pipelines during conflicts and illegal means of creating leakages to siphon crude oil for sale. To achieve sustainability in oil spill management in the Delta, the study recommends further research to ascertain the cost of losses incurred apply geospatial techniques to monitor and predict environmental changes that inform decisions of key actors.

Induced Positive Affect Reduces the Magnitude of the Startle Response and Prepulse Inhibition

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Juan C. Ruiz-Salas ◽  
Luis G. De la Casa
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Prepulse Inhibition ◽  
Startle Response ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Adult Humans ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Startling Stimulus

Abstract. The startle response is a reflex that represents a form of adaptation to environmental changes potentially relevant to survival. Startle magnitude can change depending on a number of factors such as the affective state of the organism during the presentation of the startle-inducing stimulus, or the so-called Prepulse Inhibition (PPI) that occurs when the startling stimulus (or Pulse) is preceded by a low-intensity stimulus (or Prepulse). This paper describes an experiment designed to analyze the impact of an induced positive affect on the magnitude of the startle response and PPI in adult humans. Specifically, each participant received alternating exposures to a picture of a face of a loved person (positive affect condition) or to a picture of a face of an unknown person (control condition) while the startle response and PPI were recorded. The results showed a decrease in both the magnitude of the startle response and percent PPI on the positive affect trials when compared with the control trials. These results are interpreted from psychophysiological and psychological perspectives considering the role of emotions in adaptive behavior.

Image, brand relationships and customer value

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laszlo Sajtos ◽  
Henning Kreis ◽  
Roderick Brodie
Keyword(s):  
Customer Value ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Classification Schemes ◽  
Employee Trust ◽  
Service Brands ◽  
Advertising Spending ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – While service brands are conceptualised as being both the company’s presented brand and the customer’s relationship experience, most research to date has supported the central role of the latter over the former in creating customer value and developing loyalty. Studies supporting the central role of relationship experience have relied on classification schemes that have been developed around the role of employees. In contrast, the purpose of this paper is to propose and test the effect of two new moderators, namely advertising spending- and labour-intensity (LI), in predicting the impact of company image and employee trust. Design/methodology/approach – Four contexts (banking, internet provider, insurance and hairdressing) were selected based on their advertising spending- and LI, and a multi-group structural equation modelling technique was employed to test for differences between contexts. Findings – Company image and employee trust were found to have a significant impact on customer value and loyalty perceptions, with considerable differences in patterns across the chosen contexts. This study has confirmed that differences in advertising spending intensity can explain discrepancies in the relative influence of customer value and loyalty drivers across multiple service industries. Originality/value – The findings of this study shed new light on the results of previous studies that relied solely on classification schemes and which supported the primary importance of employee-customer interactions for service brands. Ultimately, this research can help managers better understand the driving forces of their business.

scholarly journals The Role of Internal Control System in Activating Corporate Governance (Field Study in National Audit Chamber)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 398
Author(s):  
SherienMamounSayedAhmed Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Control System ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
National Audit ◽  
Internal Control System ◽  
The Impact

The study investigated the role of internal control system in activating governance principle.The problem of the study if there are relationship between internal control and corporate governance. The study aimed to: Determine the mechanisms of internal control and how to benefit from them in activating the principles of governance. The study seeks to establish the relationship between internal control and corporate governance in the corporation on Sudan.The importance of the study lies in how to implement governance as system and not just knowing governance as concept, and role of internal control in activating the principle of corporate governance. The study adopted inductive approach, descriptive analytical approach, and historical approach. The questionnaire used to collect data from The National Audit champers. To achieve the goals of the study, the following hypotheses were tested:First hypothesis: There are relationship with statistical significance exists between financial control and activating governance's principle.Second hypothesis: There are relationship with statistical significance exists between management control and activating governance's principle. The study found several results, among which is that; Setting a good accounting system that is appropriate with the facility environment contribute in activating governance's principles. Checking the accuracy of information in the financial statements contribute in activating governance's principles.The study recommended several recommendations, among which is that; The use of specialized centers concerned with governance issues, and the task of preparing training programs to consolidate the goals and achievements of governance.The application of the principles of governance should take into account the impact of environmental changes that are undergoing rapid and continuous changes in all economic, political and social aspects.

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