Linkage Studies Research Articles

Riding the waves: A study of return spillovers and inter-sector linkages in US equity markets during the COVID-19 pandemic

In times of crisis, stock markets experience a significant increase in return volatility, which leads to spillovers across equity sectors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the asymmetric spillovers across ten U.S. equity sectors, representing different industries. Daily prices of sector indices were collected from 02 January 2018 to 22 October 2021 for the analysis. In addition, the study applied Diebold and Yilmaz's (2012) dynamic spillover methodology, along with the static and rolling windows phenomena, to examine the daily returns spillovers across sector indices. The results indicate that 82 % of volatility forecast error variance in U.S sector indices is due to the spillover effect. Moreover, both industrials and financials exhibit the highest gross spillovers to other sectors, while they also receive the highest spillovers from other sectors. Furthermore, the oil and gas sector and utilities sector receive the highest net returns spillovers. These empirical findings provide crucial information regarding the interdependence of U.S. sector indices during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is relevant for investors and practitioners.

Electrochemical immunosensors for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid based on 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane modified electrodes

A novel electrochemical immunosensor prepared by direct coating of small molecular hapten on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is reported for the detection of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). The glassy carbon electrodes were activated by electrochemical method and then were further treated with 3-aminoprpyltriethoxysilane (APS) to functionalize the GCE surface with amino groups for covalent linkage to small molecular hapten of 2,4-D with carboxyl groups. The electrodes were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The principle of this immunoassay is based on an indirect competitive immunoassay. Analytes of 2,4-D and hapten of 2,4-D immobilized on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) compete for 2,4-D antibodies labeled by horseradish peroxidase (HRP-anti-2,4-D). After complete immunoreaction, the GCE attached HRP-anti-2,4-D tracers was transferred to a substrate solution containing hydroquinone (QH2) and hydrogen peroxide for square wave voltammetry (SWV) detection. Determination conditions were optimized. The SWV anodic peak current decreased linearly with the increase of 2,4-D concentration over the range from 0.10 to 15.0 mg/L 2,4-D with a detection limit of 0.01mg/L. The performance of this electrochemical immunoassay was successfully evaluated with river water spiked with 2,4-D, indicating that this convenient, rapid, and sensitive technique offers great prospect for the monitoring of trace 2,4-D in environment.

Participant characteristics and reasons for non-consent to health information linkage for research: experiences from the ATHENA COVID-19 study

BackgroundThe linkage of primary care, hospital and other health registry data is a global goal, and a consent-based approach is often used. Understanding the attitudes of why participants take part is important, yet little is known about reasons for non-participation. The ATHENA COVID-19 feasibility study investigated: 1) health outcomes of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Queensland, Australia through primary care health data linkage using consent, and 2) created a cohort of patients willing to be re-contacted in future to participate in clinical trials. This report describes the characteristics of participants declining to participate and reasons for non-consent.MethodsPatients diagnosed with COVID-19 from January 1st, 2020, to December 31st, 2020, were invited to consent to having their primary healthcare data extracted from their GP into a Queensland Health database and linked to other data sets for ethically approved research. Patients were also asked to consent to future recontact for participation in clinical trials. Outcome measures were proportions of patients consenting to data extraction, permission to recontact, and reason for consent decline.ResultsNine hundred and ninety-five participants were approached and 842(85%) reached a consent decision. 581(69%), 615(73%) and 629(75%) consented to data extraction, recontact, or both, respectively. Mean (range) age of consenters and non-consenters were 50.6(22-77) and 46.1(22-77) years, respectively. Adjusting for age, gender and remoteness, older participants were more likely to consent than younger (aOR 1.02, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.03). The least socio-economically disadvantaged were more likely to consent than the most disadvantaged (aOR 2.20, 95% 1.33 to 3.64). There was no difference in consent proportions regarding gender or living in more remote regions. The main reasons for non-consent were ‘not interested in research’ (37%), ‘concerns about privacy’ (15%), ‘not registered with a GP’ (8%) and ‘too busy/no time’ (7%). ‘No reason’ was given in 20%.ConclusionYounger participants and the more socio-economically deprived are more likely to non-consent to primary care data linkage. Lack of patient interest in research, time required to participate and privacy concerns, were the most common reasons cited for non-consent. Future health care data linkage studies addressing these issues may prove helpful.

Association between exposure to heavy metals in atmospheric particulate matter and sleep quality: A nationwide data linkage study

BackgroundRecent studies have demonstrated that long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with poor sleep quality. However, no studies have linked PM constituents, particularly heavy metals, to sleep quality. ObjectiveThis study investigated the association between exposure to heavy metals in PM and sleep quality. MethodsWe obtained nationwide data from the Korean Community Health Survey conducted in 2018 among adults aged 19–80 years. Sleep quality was evaluated using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Poor sleep quality was defined as PSQI ≥5. One-year and three-month average concentrations of heavy metals (lead, manganese, cadmium, and aluminum) in PM with diameter ≤10 μm were obtained from nationwide air quality monitoring data and linked to the survey data based on individual district-level residential addresses. Logistic regression analyses were performed after adjusting for age, gender, education level, marital status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, history of hypertension, and history of diabetes mellitus. ResultsOf 32,050 participants, 17,082 (53.3%) reported poor sleep quality. Increases in log-transformed one-year average lead (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.08−1.20), manganese (1.31; 1.25−1.37), cadmium (1.03; 1.00−1.05), and aluminum concentrations (1.17; 1.10−1.25) were associated with poor sleep quality. Increases in log-transformed three-month average manganese (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.09−1.17) and aluminum concentrations (1.28; 1.21−1.35) were associated with poor sleep quality. ConclusionWe showed for the first time that exposure to airborne lead, manganese, cadmium, and aluminum were associated with poor sleep quality. This study may be limited by self-reported sleep quality and district-level exposure data.

Studying military and Veteran health using a life-course approach: Lessons learned from a Canadian record linkage study

LAY SUMMARY The Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study (CFCAMS) is an example of a study that uses the life-course approach to research. This article provides an overview of CFCAMS challenges and solutions. Institutional challenges arise from the different mandates of the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada. These challenges were addressed by collaboration with Statistics Canada. Data-driven challenges were addressed by data linkage in a secure environment at Statistics Canada. Budget-based challenges could be addressed only for topics that aligned with funded priorities. Human-resource-related challenges include recruitment and retention of experienced personnel, and addressing these challenges is an ongoing issue. These interconnected challenges can leave gaps that result in unrealized stakeholder expectations. Policy-relevant research must incorporate these expectations. Understanding the roles and structures required to generate life-course research can lead to increased influence on policy and practice.

University- Creative Industry Linkages in Art and Design Higher Education: Insights From Indonesia and Taiwan

This article presents a study of the university-industry linkages in art and design higher education, focusing on the collaborative efforts between universities and the creative sector in Indonesia and Taiwan. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews and literature reviews were conducted. An automated content analysis of seven semi-structured interviews with lecturers, designers, and the government stressed the importance of university and industry linkages. This study found that despite the prevalent practice of industrial cooperation with universities in the Indonesian higher education system, challenges persist in effectively connecting graduates with employment opportunities in the creative industry sectors. In response, the Indonesian government and universities have implemented policies to support collaboration programs to address these challenges. Conversely, Taiwan has recognized the potential of its creative industry assets to create a promising market and has placed significant value on the benefits derived from industry-university collaboration. Consequently, Taiwan has proactively developed its creative industries, receiving substantial encouragement and support from the local government.

Chromosome-level genome assemblies of two littorinid marine snails indicate genetic basis of intertidal adaptation and ancient karyotype evolved from bilaterian ancestors.

Living in the intertidal environment, littorinid snails are excellent models for understanding genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation to harsh fluctuating environments. Furthermore, the karyotypes of littorinid snails, with the same chromosome number as the presumed bilaterian ancestor, make them valuable for investigating karyotype evolution from the bilaterian ancestor to mollusks. Here, we generated high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assemblies for 2 littorinid marine snails, Littorina brevicula (927.94 Mb) and Littoraria sinensis (882.51 Mb), with contig N50 of 3.43 Mb and 2.31 Mb, respectively. Comparative genomic analyses identified 92 expanded gene families and 85 positively selected genes as potential candidates possibly associated with intertidal adaptation in the littorinid lineage, which were functionally enriched in stimulus responses, innate immunity, and apoptosis process regulation and might be involved in cellular homeostasis maintenance in stressful intertidal environments. Genome macrosynteny analyses indicated that 4 fissions and 4 fusions led to the evolution from the 17 presumed bilaterian ancestral chromosomes to the 17 littorinid chromosomes, implying that the littorinid snails have a highly conserved karyotype with the bilaterian ancestor. Based on the most parsimonious reconstruction of the common ancestral karyotype of scallops and littorinid snails, 3 chromosomal fissions and 1 chromosomal fusion from the bilaterian ancient linkage groups were shared by the bivalve scallop and gastropoda littorinid snails, indicating that the chromosome-scale ancient gene linkages were generally preserved in the mollusk genomes for over 500 million years. The highly conserved karyotype makes the littorinid snail genomes valuable resources for understanding early bilaterian evolution and biology.

In silico and in vitro models reveal the molecular mechanisms of hypocontractility caused by TPM1 M8R.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an inherited disorder often leading to severe heart failure. Linkage studies in affected families have revealed hundreds of different mutations that can cause DCM, with most occurring in genes associated with the cardiac sarcomere. We have developed an investigational pipeline for discovering mechanistic genotype-phenotype relationships in DCM and here apply it to the DCM-linked tropomyosin mutation TPM1 M8R. Atomistic simulations predict that M8R increases flexibility of the tropomyosin chain and enhances affinity for the blocked or inactive state of tropomyosin on actin. Applying these molecular effects to a Markov model of the cardiac thin filament reproduced the shifts in Ca2+sensitivity, maximum force, and a qualitative drop in cooperativity that were observed in an in vitro system containing TPM1 M8R. The model was then used to simulate the impact of M8R expression on twitch contractions of intact cardiac muscle, predicting that M8R would reduce peak force and duration of contraction in a dose-dependent manner. To evaluate this prediction, TPM1 M8R was expressed via adenovirus in human engineered heart tissues and isometric twitch force was observed. The mutant tissues manifested depressed contractility and twitch duration that agreed in detail with model predictions. Additional exploratory simulations suggest that M8R-mediated alterations in tropomyosin-actin interactions contribute more potently than tropomyosin chain stiffness to cardiac twitch dysfunction, and presumably to the ultimate manifestation of DCM. This study is an example of the growing potential for successful in silico prediction of mutation pathogenicity for inherited cardiac muscle disorders.

Inheritance and linkage study in soybean (Glycine max L. Merill)

Inheritance and linkage study in soybean (Glycine max L. Merill)

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prescription drug use and costs in British Columbia: a retrospective interrupted time series study

ObjectivesTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prescription drug use and costs.DesignInterrupted time series analysis of comprehensive administrative health data linkages in British Columbia, Canada, from 1 January...

Analysis of Trade and Technology Linkages through Value-Added Content in India’s Exports to SASEC Countries

Analysis of Trade and Technology Linkages through Value-Added Content in India’s Exports to SASEC Countries

MA'AT analysis of the O-glycosidic linkages of oligosaccharides using nonconventional NMR J-couplings: MA'AT and MD models of phi.

MA'AT analysis (Meredith et al., J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2022, 62, 3135-3141) is a new NMR-based method to treat ensembles of redundant NMR spin-coupling constants (J-couplings) to obtain experiment-based probability distributions of molecular torsion angles in solution. Work reported to date on modeling the conformations of O-glycosidic linkages of oligosaccharides using three conventional J-coupling constraints (2 J COC, 3 J COCH, 3 J COCC) has shown that the method gives mean torsion angles and circular standard deviations (CSDs) for psi in very good agreement with those obtained by MD simulation. On the other hand, CSDs for phi determined by MA'AT analysis have consistently been much larger than those determined by MD, calling into question either the reliability of MA'AT analysis or MD to accurately predict this behavior. Prior work has shown that this discrepancy does not stem from the limitations of DFT-based J-coupling equation parameterization where secondary conformational dependencies can introduce uncertainties. The present work re-visits this problem by incorporating a new nonconventional J-coupling constraint into MA'AT analyses of phi, namely, a geminal (two-bond) 2 J CCH J-value that exhibits a strong primary dependence on phi. The latter property pertains explicitly to linkages contributed by GlcNAc pyranosyl rings and pyranosyl rings devoid of substituents at C2 (i.e., deoxy residues) where known secondary contributions to 2 J CCH magnitude caused by C-O bond rotation involving the coupled carbon are negligible or absent. The results show that when 2 J CCH values are added to the analysis, phi CSDs reduce considerably, bringing them into better alignment with those obtained by MD simulation. The cause of the discrepancy when only three conventional J-couplings are used to treat phi appears to be associated with the two-bond 2 J COC, which has properties that make it less effective than the non-conventional 2 J CCH as a discriminator of different conformational models of phi.

A combination of joint linkage and genome-wide association study reveals putative candidate genes associated with resistance to northern corn leaf blight in tropical maize.

Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), caused by Setosphaeria turcica, is a major fungal disease affecting maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. Utilizing host plant resistance to mitigate yield losses associated with NCLB can serve as a cost-effective strategy. In this study, we conducted a high-resolution genome-wide association study (GWAS) in an association mapping panel and linkage mapping with three doubled haploid (DH) and three F3 populations of tropical maize. These populations were phenotyped for NCLB resistance across six hotspot environments in Kenya. Across environments and genotypes, NCLB scores ranged from 2.12 to 5.17 (on a scale of 1-9). NCLB disease severity scores exhibited significant genotypic variance and moderate-to-high heritability. From the six biparental populations, 23 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified, each explaining between 2.7% and 15.8% of the observed phenotypic variance. Collectively, the detected QTLs explained 34.28%, 51.37%, 41.12%, 12.46%, 12.11%, and 14.66% of the total phenotypic variance in DH populations 1, 2, and 3 and F3 populations 4, 5, and 6, respectively. GWAS, using 337,110 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), identified 15 marker-trait associations and several putative candidate genes linked to NCLB resistance in maize. Joint linkage association mapping (JLAM) identified 37 QTLs for NCLB resistance. Using linkage mapping, JLAM, and GWAS, several QTLs were identified within the genomic region spanning 4 to 15 Mbp on chromosome 2. This genomic region represents a promising target for enhancing NCLB resistance via marker-assisted breeding. Genome-wide predictions revealed moderate correlations with mean values of 0.45, 0.44, 0.55, and 0.42 for within GWAS panel, DH pop1, DH pop2, and DH pop3, respectively. Prediction by incorporating marker-by-environment interactions did not show much improvement. Overall, our findings indicate that NCLB resistance is quantitative in nature and is controlled by few major-effect and many minor-effect QTLs. We conclude that genomic regions consistently detected across mapping approaches and populations should be prioritized for improving NCLB resistance, while genome-wide prediction results can help incorporate both major- and minor-effect genes. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms driving maize resistance to NCLB.

Psychiatric admissions in young people after expiration of criminal justice supervision in Australia: a retrospective data linkage study

BackgroundMental health services are available for young people involved with the criminal justice system. However, they have unmet mental health needs after the expiration of criminal justice supervision.ObjectiveTo determine the...

Improving our understanding of the social determinants of mental health: a data linkage study of mental health records and the 2011 UK census

ObjectivesTo address the lack of individual-level socioeconomic information in electronic healthcare records, we linked the 2011 census of England and Wales to patient records from a large mental healthcare provider....

Privacy-preserving record linkage across disparate institutions and datasets to enable a learning health system: The national COVID cohort collaborative (N3C) experience.

Research driven by real-world clinical data is increasingly vital to enabling learning health systems, but integrating such data from across disparate health systems is challenging. As part of the NCATS National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), the N3C Data Enclave was established as a centralized repository of deidentified and harmonized COVID-19 patient data from institutions across the US. However, making this data most useful for research requires linking it with information such as mortality data, images, and viral variants. The objective of this project was to establish privacy-preserving record linkage (PPRL) methods to ensure that patient-level EHR data remains secure and private when governance-approved linkages with other datasets occur. Separate agreements and approval processes govern N3C data contribution and data access. The Linkage Honest Broker (LHB), an independent neutral party (the Regenstrief Institute), ensures data linkages are robust and secure by adding an extra layer of separation between protected health information and clinical data. The LHB's PPRL methods (including algorithms, processes, and governance) match patient records using "deidentified tokens," which are hashed combinations of identifier fields that define a match across data repositories without using patients' clear-text identifiers. These methods enable three linkage functions: Deduplication, Linking Multiple Datasets, and Cohort Discovery. To date, two external repositories have been cross-linked. As of March 1, 2023, 43 sites have signed the LHB Agreement; 35 sites have sent tokens generated for 9 528 998 patients. In this initial cohort, the LHB identified 135 037 matches and 68 596 duplicates. This large-scale linkage study using deidentified datasets of varying characteristics established secure methods for protecting the privacy of N3C patient data when linked for research purposes. This technology has potential for use with registries for other diseases and conditions.

Low-carbon Energy Transition from the Lens of Feminist Theories

Climate change mitigation pledges require decarbonization of the economy and the creation of a carbon-neutral society. Men and women contribute differently to climate change and have different roles in low-carbon energy transition. Gender roles influence career choices, abilities to invest in low-carbon solutions, power of decision-making, dissimilar mobility and energy consumption demands, and different values and consumption profiles, shaping the individual carbon footprint and behavior. A feminist methodology in gender- just low-carbon energy transformation goes beyond the introduction of certain gender-equal redistribution measures and aims to deal with the core roots of the different unequal practices in all fields of society life. It seeks to rebalance prevailing power arrangements, centering the most marginalized individuals and groups. There are various frameworks developed for the analysis of linkages between climate change and women following the feminist theory, like gender impact assessment (GIA); gender equality training (GET) model, and so on. The paper applies the feminist theory approach to the analysis of low-carbon energy transitions. The main purpose of using a feminist lens in this study is to enable the discovery of how people interact within energy systems and to offer solutions to confront and eradicate oppressive structures for just low-carbon energy transition in the EU.

Trends in Isolated Mitral Valve Repair or Replacement Surgery in Australia: A Statewide Cohort Linkage Study

Global trends in mitral valve surgery (MVSx) suggest increasing repair compared with replacement, especially in the United States and European countries. The relative use, and outcomes of, MV repair and replacement in Australia are unknown. New South Wales residents who underwent isolated MVSx between 2001 and 2017 were identified from the Admitted-Patient-Data-Collection database. Mortality outcomes were tracked to 31 Dec 2018 and adjusted based on age, sex, urgency of operation, and comorbidity status. The study cohort comprised 5,693 patients: 2020 (35%) underwent repair (MVr), 1,656 (29%) underwent mechanical replacement (mech.MVR), and 2017 (35%) underwent bioprosthetic replacement (bio.MVR). Respective median ages [interquartile range] were 67 yo [59-75 yo], 64 yo [55-71 yo], and 75 yo [68-80 yo] (p<0.001 across groups). Between 2001 and 2017, total MVSx increased steadily with population growth. Whereas the relative use of MVr remained static (34% to 38%), that for bio.MVR (22% to 50%) and mech.MVR (45% to 13%) changed significantly. MVr had the best outcome with 1.2% in-hospital, 2.5% 1-year, and 21.6% total cumulative mortality during a median follow-up of 6.5 years. Compared to MVr, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for mech.MVR and bio.MVR for long-term mortality were 1.41 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.24-1.61) and 1.73 (95% CI=1.53-1.95), respectively. Heart failure and sepsis were the main cardiovascular and noncardiovascular causes of death in all groups. In this statewide Australian cohort examined over 17 years, MVr is potentially underutilised despite having superior outcomes to MVR. Access to quality dataset which provides the indication for MVSx and quantitative clinical factors is critical to further improve MVr coverage and outcome MVSx.

Are the estimated needs for mental health care among adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds met equally in Sweden? A longitudinal survey-registry linkage study

Evidence of inequality in the utilisation of mental health care (MHC) by adolescents in Nordic countries is mixed. This study aims to investigate if there are socioeconomic differences in the utilisation of MHC, while accounting for adolescents’ mental health status. We analysed a cohort of 3517 adolescents, followed from 7 to 9th grade (ages 13–16), to examine the association between parental socioeconomic position (SEP: education and disposable income), adolescents’ estimated needs, and the utilisation of MHC (defined as visits to secondary psychiatric care or receipt of psychotropic medication). Logistic and negative binomial regression models, with mental health status as moderator, were used to predict utilisation during each grade. Lower SEP predicted higher odds of utilising MHC in adolescents with no/mild symptoms (e.g., odds ratio, OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.04–1.72, lower vs highest education), but not in those with moderate-to-severe symptoms (estimates close to one and non-significant). This pattern was largely explained by treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder/autism spectrum disorders (ADHD/ASD) in boys. For girls with severe symptoms, lower SEP predicted reduced odds of utilising MHC for other mental disorders (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.25–0.92, lower education), and fewer outpatient visits when in contact with such care, although non-significant (incidence rate ratio, IRR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.25–1.05, lowest vs highest income). Our findings suggest a more equitable use of MHC for treating ADHD/ASD, but not other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, particularly among girls.

Socio-economic status and access to fluoridated water in Queensland: an ecological data linkage study.

To investigate the relationship between access to fluoridated drinking water and area-level socio-economic status in Queensland. Ecological, geospatial data linkage study. Queensland, by statistical area level 2 (SA2), 2021. Proportion of SA2s and of residents with access to fluoridated drinking water (natural or supplemented); relationship at SA2 level between access to fluoridated water and socio-economic status (Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, IRSAD; Index of Economic Resources, IER). In 2021, an estimated 4 050 168 people (79.4% of the population) and 397 SA2 regions (72.7%) in Queensland had access to fluoridated water. Access was concentrated in the southeastern corner of the state. After adjusting for SA2 population, log area, and population density, the likelihood of access to fluoridated drinking water almost doubled for each 100-rank increase in IRSAD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59-2.36) or IER (aOR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.50-2.11). The 2012 decision to devolve responsibility for water fluoridation decisions and funding from the Queensland government to local councils means that residents in lower socio-economic areas are less likely to have access to fluoridated water than those in more advantaged areas, exacerbating their already greater risk of dental disease. Queensland water fluoridation policy should be revised so that all residents can benefit from this evidence-based public health intervention for reducing the prevalence of dental caries.