Germline variants and mosaic chromosomal alterations affect COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity.

Vaccine immunogenicity is influenced by the vaccinee's genetic background. Here, we perform a genome-wide association study of vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers and T cell immune responses in 1,559 mRNA-1273 and 537 BNT162b2 vaccinees of Japanese ancestry. SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody titers are associated with the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus, and T cell responses are associated with MHC.

Prevalence and disease risks for male and female sex chromosome trisomies: a registry-based phenome-wide association study in 1.5 million participants of MVP, FinnGen, and UK Biobank.

Sex chromosome trisomies (SCT) are the most common whole chromosome aneuploidy in humans. Yet, our understanding of the prevalence and associated health outcomes is largely driven by observational studies of clinically diagnosed cases, resulting in a disproportionate focus on 47,XXY and associated hypogonadism. We analyzed microarray intensity data of sex chromosomes for 1.

Deep learning-based prediction of one-year mortality in Finland is an accurate but unfair aging marker.

Short-term mortality risk, which is indicative of individual frailty, serves as a marker for aging. Previous age clocks focused on predicting either chronological age or longer-term mortality. Aging clocks predicting short-term mortality are lacking and their algorithmic fairness remains unexamined.

Temperature-Gradient Solution Deposition Amends Unfavorable Band Structure of Sb(S,Se) Film for Highly Efficient Solar Cells.

Band structure of a semiconducting film critically determines the charge separation and transport efficiency. In antimony selenosulfide (Sb(S,Se)) solar cells, the hydrothermal method has achieved control of band gap width of Sb(S,Se) thin film through tuning the atomic ratio of S/Se, resulting in an efficiency breakthrough towards 10 %. However, the obtained band structure exhibits an unfavorable gradient distribution in terms of carrier transport, which seriously impedes the device efficiency improvement.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of kidney cancer identifies 63 susceptibility regions.

Here, in a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study meta-analysis of kidney cancer (29,020 cases and 835,670 controls), we identified 63 susceptibility regions (50 novel) containing 108 independent risk loci. In analyses stratified by subtype, 52 regions (78 loci) were associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and 6 regions (7 loci) with papillary RCC. Notably, we report a variant common in African ancestry individuals ( rs7629500 ) in the 3' untranslated region of VHL, nearly tripling clear cell RCC risk (odds ratio 2.

Effect of Energy-driven Molecular Precursor Decomposition on the Crystal Orientation of Antimony Selenide Film and Solar Cell Efficiency.

Antimony selenide (SbSe) consists of 1D (SbSe) ribbons, along which the carriers exhibit high transport efficiency. By adjusting the deposition parameters of vacuum-deposited methods, such as evaporation temperature, chamber pressure, and vapor concentration, it is possible to grow the (SbSe) ribbons vertically or highly inclined towards the substrate, resulting in films with [hk1] orientation. However, the specific mechanisms by which these deposition parameters affect the orientation of thin films require a deeper understanding.

Evidence from Finland and Sweden on the relationship between early-life diseases and lifetime childlessness in men and women.

The percentage of people without children over their lifetime is approximately 25% in men and 20% in women. Individual diseases have been linked to childlessness, mostly in women, yet we lack a comprehensive picture of the effect of early-life diseases on lifetime childlessness. We examined all individuals born in 1956-1968 (men) and 1956-1973 (women) in Finland (n = 1,035,928) and Sweden (n = 1,509,092) to the completion of their reproductive lifespan in 2018.

Risk factors for severe respiratory syncytial virus infection during the first year of life: development and validation of a clinical prediction model.

Background: Novel immunisation methods against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are emerging, but knowledge of risk factors for severe RSV disease is insufficient for optimal targeting of interventions against them. Our aims were to identify predictors for RSV hospital admission from registry-based data and to develop and validate a clinical prediction model to guide RSV immunoprophylaxis for infants younger than 1 year.

Methods: In this model development and validation study, we studied all infants born in Finland between June 1, 1997, and May 31, 2020, and in Sweden between June 1, 2006, and May 31, 2020, along with the data for their parents and siblings.

KCl Treatment of CdS Electron-Transporting Layer for Improved Performance of Sb(S,Se) Solar Cells.

Antimony sulfoselenide (Sb(S,Se)) is a promising light absorption material because of its high photoabsorption coefficient, appropriate band gap, superior stability, and abundant elemental storage. As an emerging solar material, hydrothermal deposition of Sb(S,Se) solar cells has enabled a 10% efficiency threshold, where cadmium sulfide (CdS) is applied as an electron transport layer (ETL). The high-efficiency Sb(S,Se) solar cells largely employ CdS as the ETL.

A Post-GWAS Functional Analysis Confirming Effects of Three BTA13 Genes , , and on Dairy Cattle Reproduction.

In our previous GWAS of Chinese and Nordic dairy cattle, genes , and locating on BTA 13 were suggested as candidate genes for reproduction. In this study, validation of these associations was performed in an independent population with records of nine reproductive traits. More importantly, functions of these genes in the reproductive process were verified by employing the expression data of ovarian follicles.

Genomic Prediction Using Bayesian Regression Models With Global-Local Prior.

Bayesian regression models are widely used in genomic prediction for various species. By introducing the global parameter τ, which can shrink marker effects to zero, and the local parameter λ , which can allow markers with large effects to escape from the shrinkage, we developed two novel Bayesian models, named BayesHP and BayesHE. The BayesHP model uses Horseshoe+ prior, whereas the BayesHE model assumes local parameter λ , after a half-t distribution with an unknown degree of freedom.

Genotype-by-environment interaction in Holstein heifer fertility traits using single-step genomic reaction norm models.

Background: The effect of heat stress on livestock production is a worldwide issue. Animal performance is influenced by exposure to harsh environmental conditions potentially causing genotype-by-environment interactions (G × E), especially in highproducing animals. In this context, the main objectives of this study were to (1) detect the time periods in which heifer fertility traits are more sensitive to the exposure to high environmental temperature and/or humidity, (2) investigate G × E due to heat stress in heifer fertility traits, and, (3) identify genomic regions associated with heifer fertility and heat tolerance in Holstein cattle.

Genetic Parameters and Genome-Wide Association Studies of Eight Longevity Traits Representing Either Full or Partial Lifespan in Chinese Holsteins.

Due to the complexity of longevity trait in dairy cattle, two groups of trait definitions are widely used to measure longevity, either covering the full lifespan or representing only a part of it to achieve an early selection. Usually, only one group of longevity definition is used in breeding program for one population, and genetic studies on the comparisons of two groups of trait definitions are scarce. Based on the data of eight traits well representing the both groups of trait definitions, the current study investigated genetic parameters and genetic architectures of longevity in Holsteins.

Genomic analyses and biological validation of candidate genes for rectal temperature as an indicator of heat stress in Holstein cattle.

Heat stress is a major cause of welfare issues and economic losses to the worldwide dairy cattle industry. Genetic selection for heat tolerance has a great potential to positively affect the dairy industry, as the gains are permanent and cumulative over generations. Rectal temperature (RT) is hypothesized to be a good indicator trait of heat tolerance.