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Background & aims: Mental disorders are today the major diagnosis behind newly granted disability pensions (DP) in the Western world. Yet, studies of risk factors for DP due to mental diagnoses are scarce, are often based on small or selective samples, and have a cross-sectional design, or short follow-up. Moreover, previous studies of this topic, based on unrelated individuals, have not been able to account for familial confounding (i.e., genetic and shared environmental factors), which is an issue that can be handled by investigating a population-based twin cohort. The aims were to study risk factors for DP (in general, and due to mental diagnoses), and to consider whether familial confounding explained any associations found. The following kinds of risk factors were investigated: socio-demographic (Study I & II), work- (Study III), and health-related (Study IV). Further, sex differences in relation to occurrence of DP and socio-demographic factors were considered (Study I & II). Methods: Prospective cohort studies were conducted, using twins identified in the Swedish Twin Registry (STR) (N=55 875; 51% women). To the twin cohort, information of DP, including diagnoses, and other background factors was linked from national registries. Survey data on self-rated health (SRH), health behaviours, etc. were also available in the STR. Logistic regression or Cox proportional hazards regression models were conducted for the whole cohort and for discordant twin pairs. Results: The average annual prevalence of DP from 1992 to 2007 was 10%. The incidence rate of DP for the period 1993 to 2008 was 1.4%. There were significant sex differences in both occurrence of DP and in the socio-demographic risk factors for prevalent and future DP (Study I & II). Female sex, and older age (≥45) were found to be associated with risk of prevalent or future DP, irrespective of extent and diagnosis (Study I & II). Low educational level (≤12 years), being unmarried, and living outside the capital Stockholm were associated with increased risk of prevalent or future DP in general, independent of familial confounding (Study I & II). High educational level (≥12 years), being unmarried, living in Gothenburg & Malmö region, not being self-employed and having high SES were associated with risk of DP due to mental diagnoses, independent of familial confounding. Each one unit increase in job demands, and working in 'health care & social work' or 'service & military work', were found to increase the risk of DP due to mental diagnoses, while each one unit increase in job control decreased the risk of such DP, independent of familial confounding and other background factors (Study III). Poor or moderate SRH, under- or overweight, former use of tobacco products, and abstention from alcohol increased the risk of DP due to mental diagnoses, independent of familial confounding and other background factors (Study IV). Conclusions: The socio-demographic risk factors of future DP, and the influence of familial confounding on the associations, tended to vary between DP in general, and DP due to mental diagnoses. Some work- and health-related factors, e.g., job control and SRH, seem to be strong direct (i.e. being independent from familial confounding) predictors of future DP due to mental diagnoses. However, indications exist that some associations between risk factors, e.g., social support and leisure-time physical activity, and DP due to mental diagnoses may be influenced by familial factors.

Twin studies have revealed political ideology to be partially heritable. Neurological research has shown that ideological differences are reflected in brain structure and response, suggesting a direct genotype-phenotype link. Social and informational environments, however, also demonstrably affect brain structure and response. This leads to a "chicken-and-egg" question: do genes produce brains with ideological predispositions, causing the preferential absorption of consonant information and thereby forming an ideology, or do social and informational environments do most of the heavy lifting, with genetic evidence the spurious artifact of outdated methodology? Or are both inextricably intertwined contributors? This article investigates the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to ideological development using a role-play experiment investigating the development of opinions on a novel political issue. The results support the view that the process is bidirectional, suggesting that, like most traits, political ideology is produced by the complex interplay of genetic and (social/informational) environmental influences.

The African Union (AU) has embarked on a substantial twin policy project in the fields of peace/security and democracy. However, at least until very recent implementation of both the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the complementary African Governance Architecture (AGA) has been fairly slow. In this article two factors are discussed that might help to shed some light on what could be named a difficult "implementation environment" for APSA and AGA: First, the inability or unwillingness of AU member states to provide stable and substantial finance and, second, resistance to the reform agenda by some member states. After a discussion of the high levels of donor dependence as well as failure of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) to implement AGA compliance mechanisms, more recent developments – the African Union looking for alternative sources of finance and reforming its governance – are assessed to gauge the Union's chances to overcome financial dependence and member states' resistance. In the end it is argued, that there is reason for some cautious optimism that the African Union Commission, but also a sufficient number of member states are getting serious about establishing control over the continental reform process and the twin APSA/AGA agenda.

Looking closely at borders in South-East Asia reveals the existence of adjacent townships of different nations that develop across the border with varying degrees of parallelism. Such cross-border twin cities act as production, trade, logistics and border nodes, shaping cross-border value chains and concentrating economic activities, industries, resources, labour forces, knowledge and infrastructure in geographical spaces connected by multimodal transport networks. Literature assessing the development of cross-border twin cities generally reveals cross-cutting socioeconomic benefits for the border zones, indicating strong potential for sustainable and inclusive development. This study hence attempts to build a theoretical framework of cross-border twin cities. Cross-border twin cities are defined as two urban centres that: (i) are closely located across an international border; (ii) are accessible through transport and information networks and urban amenities; (iii) are subject to the structural reconfiguration of the border economies, economies of scales and a common integration into cross-border value chains; (iv) facilitate the development of complementary industries through key policies shaping industries and promoting trade and investment; and (v) collaborate at several levels in policies and projects. Both hardware dimensions and software dimensions are considered to capture the complexity and the various policy implications of the phenomena. Three case studies of existing cities located across the Thai-Myanmar and Thai-Lao PDR borders additionally validate and verify the consistency of the framework with people's first-hand experience and real-life situations. Qualitative studies based on academic, governmental and corporate literature reveal the existence of cross-border twin cities along the Thai-neighbour borders. Although multimodal transport and logistics networks and attractive economic policies effectively have increased trade and industrial activities, urban infrastructure and cooperation between neighbouring cities generally remain insufficient to tap the full potential of these cross-border twin cities. Before concluding, the study derives policy recommendations for the practical policy framework fostering cross-border twin cities in South-East Asia.

Penelitian ini berusaha menjawab apa perlu sebuah kajian MNCs-INGOs yang terkonsolidasi? sejauh mana studi hubungan internasional menyediakan dasar bagi suatu kajian MNCs-INGOs yang terkonsolidasi ? Sejauhmana suatu kajian MNCs-INGOs yang terkonsolidasi perlu dikembangkan setelah ini? Dengan menggunakan metode library research dengan analisis data kualitatif ditemukan bahwa pengembangan suatu kajian MNCs-INGOs yang terkonsolidasi dalam studi hubungan internasional tidak hanya mendesak untuk diketengahkan tetapi lebih jauh juga sangat mungkin dilakukan. Sementara urgensi bagi konsolidasi keduanya disediakan oleh kebutuhan-kebutuhan baru transasionalisasi sector privat yang kian massif, visibilitasnya sebagai sebuah kajian yang mandiri dalam studi hubungan internasional secara prospektif disediakan oleh pertautannya yang erat dengan diskursus internasionalisme dalam studi hubungan internasional. Akan tetapi, alih-alih berhenti sebatas kajian atas dinamika internasionalisme, kajian MNCs-INGOs yang terkonsolidasi lebih jauh menyedikan ruang bagi penyelidikan komprehensif atas transformasi dan permutasinya yang kian privat dewasa ini. Oleh karena itu, tidak cukup dikembangkan sebatas studi tentang dinamika internasionalisme baru dalam kaitan dua actor internasional privatnya yang paling sentral yakni MNCs dan INGOs; kajian MNCs-INGOs yang terkonsolidasi diharapkan juga menyediakan dasar lebih lanjut bagi eksplorasi prinsip-prinsip dan strategi-strategi dasar tatakelonya yang melintas batas selama ini

This paper studies the impact of the state-dependent risk of a government default on the correlation of the scal balance and current account. We use a small open economy model where nonlinear risk premia arise endogenously when the government operates close to its scal limit, i.e. the maximum capacity of a country to repay its debt. The presence of the possible sovereign default leads to dynamics of sovereign debt which cause taxes to rise and increase the dispersion of resulting tax levels. In line with data for industrialized countries household saving increases at high debt-to-GDP levels and the correlation of the scal balance and current account decreases. We calibrate the model to Greece and simulate the debt crisis as a result of negative TFP shocks and nd that the model dynamics t to the data.

This article outlines the growth and character of media and communication studies in the UK. It sets out the history and development of the field, and explains its twin origins in both humanities and social sciences contexts. The article also presents some descriptive data about the scale and nature of teaching and research in the field in UK higher education, and explains the evolution of relevant subject associations. The public, political and professional reception of and response to the field are described, and the continuing debates about its value and salience examined.

Overweight and obesity has increased in Sweden and worldwide in recent decades. Lifestyle and environmental changes, genetic susceptibility and interactions between these factors are believed to be important. A theoretical framework often referred to, as the fetal origins hypothesis has been extensively debated over the last 15 years. According to this controversial hypothesis, overweight and other components of the metabolic syndrome - such as high blood pressure - might be long-term consequences of impaired fetal growth. The overall objectives of the studies were to investigate the epidemiology of body mass index and overweight among young men in Sweden and to explore relationships between growth in fetal life on the one hand and overweight and systolic blood pressure in young adulthood on the other. Specific aims were to: 1) study time trends and socio- economic differences in body mass index and overweight among young men over the last decades; 2) study the occurrence of overweight among male international adoptees; and, 3) test the fetal origins hypothesis by analyzing relationships between aspects of fetal growth and overweight, and also between fetal growth and systolic blood pressure among singletons and twins in young adulthood. This thesis is based on nationwide data sets created by record linkages between the Medical Birth Register, the Military Service Conscription Register and several other national registers. The twin studies include additional information collected by a mailed questionnaire. The prevalence of overweight among 18-year-old men increased two-fold over a 25-year period. The results show large socio-economic differentials in overweight, with higher prevalence among young men from loweducated families. Socio- economic differentials did not change over time. The prevalence of overweight was 2-3 times higher among young men adopted from Latin America in early childhood than among non-adopted individuals of the same ages. By contrast, the risk of overweight was not higher among adoptees from the Indian subcontinent or the Far East than among non-adopted individuals. The results show a positive relationship between gestational-age-adjusted birthweight and overweight at 18 years of age among singletons. Clearly, this finding does not support the fetal origins hypothesis. However, the hypothesis was further tested in a population-based twin study. A weak positive association was uncovered for the within-pair effects of birthweight on body mass index at the age of 18 among monozygotic twin pairs. The twin brother with the highest birthweight had a slightly higher risk of overweight at age 18 than his co-twin. No between-pairs effect of birthweight on body mass index was observed for monozygotic pairs of twins. And no relationships were observed among dizygotic twin pairs. Neither of these findings supports the fetal origins hypothesis. When studying fetal growth and systolic blood pressure among singletons, a clear inverse association was found between gestational-age-adjusted birthweight and systolic blood pressure at 18 years of age. That there was an independent inverse association between gestational age per se and systolic blood pressure is a novel finding. For monozygotic twins the results show an inverse between-pairs effect of birthweight on systolic blood pressure at age 18. There was an inverse within-pair effect of birthweight on systolic blood pressure among monozygotic twins, although the effect was not significant. No relationships were found among dizygotic twins. Although the results of the singleton study are in accordance with the fetal origins hypothesis, the twin study does not provide substantial support. In sum, the results show a strong increase in overweight over the last decades among young men, and also demonstrate large socio-economic differentials in overweight. Large and unexplained differences in over-weight among international adoptees compared with non-adopted young men were found. The studies addressing the fetal origins hypothesis showed mixed results with clear support for an inverse association between birthweight and blood pressure in the singleton study, weak support in the twin study, and no clear-cut support in either of the two other studies.

This paper analyses the possibility of the twin deficits hypothesis existing in the context of Bangladesh. The novelty of this paper lies in its approach to link and check the validity of the twin deficits hypothesis in light of the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis and the Feldstein-Horioka puzzle based on annual time-series data stemming from 1990 to 2017. Fully-Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) estimator, Vector Error-Correction Modeling and Granger causality estimating techniques are applied to provide statistical evidence regarding the nature of the simultaneity of the twin deficits. The corresponding results, although refuting the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis in the country, suggest in favour of rejection of the twin deficits hypothesis as perceived from a negative unidirectional reverse causality running from current account deficit to Bangladesh's fiscal shortfalls. Thus, our results impose key challenges and policy implications for the government to take into consideration with respect to simultaneous reduction in these two macroeconomic deficits.

The paper demonstrates the first attempt in Russian political studies to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the "twin city" movement as a form of cross-border cooperation in the Baltic region. This phenomenon emerged as a result of a global tendency towards more active involvement of municipal units in international cooperation, on the one hand, and aspirations of frontier cities and towns in the Baltic region to solve common problems together, on the other hand. This work is based on a comparative analysis method and a case study methodology. The authors consider four examples (city pairs): Tornio Haparanda, Valga Valka, Narva Ivangorod and Imatra Svetogorsk.The article specifies the terminological framework used in this field of research. The authors analyse achievements and failures of this type of international inter-municipal cooperation and emphasise that for twin cities it served not only as a means of survival in the difficult situation of the 1990s, but also as an experimental ground for new forms of crossborder cooperation.The authors arrive at the conclusion that this model proves to be promising for further development of integration processes in the Baltic region. This practice can be applied by Russian municipal, regional and federal authorities in promotion of cross-border cooperation not only in the Baltic region, but also in other regions of the country. Thus, influenced by the successful experience of Baltic frontier cities and towns, the Russian city of Nikel and the Norwegian city of Kirkenes decided to adopt this model for further development of their cooperation.

Many studies have shown that political efficacy, interest in politics, and political knowledge are strongly related to political participation. In most analyses, these variables are described as having a causal effect on participation. In this paper, we examine the extent to which the relationship between political attitudes and participation is confounded by familial factors. By using the discordant twin design, which relates within-pair differences in political attitudes to within-pair differences in political participation, we are able to examine the relationship net of confounding factors rooted in genes and the early rearing environment. Using four samples of monozygotic twins from the United States, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark, we find that the relationship between political attitudes and political participation is confounded to a large extent. This study makes an important contribution to the literature on political attitudes and political participation given the longstanding idea that attitudes cause political participation. Our findings also have practical implications for those interested in elevating levels of political participation. In addition, they have important implications for how scholars theorize about, model, and examine political participation in the future.

Background: Obesity and physical inactivity are major global public health concerns, both of which increase the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Regulation of glucose homeostasis involves cross-talk between the central nervous system, peripheral tissues, and gut microbiota, and is affected by genetics. Systemic cross-talk between brain, gut, and peripheral tissues in glucose homeostasis: effects of exercise training (CROSSYS) aims to gain new systems-level understanding of the central metabolism in human body, and how exercise training affects this cross-talk. Methods: CROSSYS is an exercise training intervention, in which participants are monozygotic twins from pairs discordant for body mass index (BMI) and within a pair at least the other is overweight. Twins are recruited from three population-based longitudinal Finnish twin studies, including twins born in 1983–1987, 1975–1979, and 1945–1958. The participants undergo 6-month-long exercise intervention period, exercising four times a week (including endurance, strength, and high-intensity training). Before and after the exercise intervention, comprehensive measurements are performed in Turku PET Centre, Turku, Finland. The measurements include: two positron emission tomography studies (insulin-stimulated whole-body and tissue-specific glucose uptake and neuroinflammation), magnetic resonance imaging (brain morphology and function, quantification of body fat masses and organ volumes), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (quantification of fat within heart, pancreas, liver and tibialis anterior muscle), echocardiography, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue biopsies, a neuropsychological test battery as well as biosamples from blood, urine and stool. The participants also perform a maximal exercise capacity test and tests of muscular strength. Discussion:This study addresses the major public health problems related to modern lifestyle, obesity, and physical inactivity. An eminent strength of this project is the possibility to study monozygotic twin pairs that share the genome at the sequence level but are discordant for BMI that is a risk factor for metabolic impairments such as insulin resistance. Thus, this exercise training intervention elucidates the effects of obesity on metabolism and whether regular exercise training is able to reverse obesity-related impairments in metabolism in the absence of the confounding effects of genetic factors. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03730610. Prospectively registered 5 November 2018. ; The study is financially supported by the Academy of Finland (JCH decision 317332, KHP decisions 272376, 314383, 266286, and LL decision 295741), the Finnish Cultural Foundation (JCH, MAH, KHP), the Diabetes Research Foundation of Finland (JCH, MAH), the Juho Vainio Foundation (MAH), Novo Nordisk Foundation (KHP, NNF17OC0027232, NNF10OC1013354), Helsinki University Hospital (KHP), Government Research Funds (KHP), Finnish Medical Foundation (KHP), Gyllenberg Foundation (KHP), Sigrid Juselius Foundation (KHP), and University of Helsinki (KHP). ; Peer reviewed

Annotated bibliography of Brownsville history / George Gause -- The Coahuiltecan legacy of South Texas / Roberto M. Salmon and Juanita Elizondo Garza -- Cihuacoatl is alive and well in Brownsville / George K. Green -- The Valley's first settlers / told by San Juanita Vela de Lozano to Peter Gawenda -- The watermaidens / told by 'Jefe' in the Market Square barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- The Indian maidens / told by Felipe Lozano recorded by Peter Gawenda -- Brownsville's Santanderino strain / Milo Kearney -- Steamboats on the Lower Rio Grande in the 19th century / Robert B. Vezzetti -- The man-eaters / told by Felipe Lozano in his barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- The black cat / told by Josefa Vela de Lozano, recorded by Peter Gawenda -- The three-master / told by John Garreu on Padre Island, written down by Peter Gawenda -- El perro negro / told by Felipe Lozano in his barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- Desertion on the Rio Grande / Jere C. Light -- The bells of Brownsville / Henry G. Krause, Jr. -- The Espiritu Santo grant / Ruby A. Woolridge -- When the Navy was stationed at Fort Brown / Bruce Aiken -- The Twin Cities: a historical synthesis of the socio-economic interdependence of the Brownsville-Matamoros border community / Antonio N. Zavaleta -- The bagpiper / told by Felipe Lozano in his barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- The devil's rock / told by Father Dan Laning at a first communion in Mission, Texas, in May 1960, written down by Peter Gawenda -- La curandera / told by Felipe Lozano in his barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- The black mare / told by John Garreau on Padre Island, written down by Peter Gawenda -- Brownsville, model city of Texas in 1879 / contributed by Peter Gawenda -- Brownsville's public schools one century ago (1875-1905) / Peter Gawenda -- The 1891 Rio Grande Railroad robbery / Ruby A. Woolridge -- A brick-throwing ghost / a newspaper story of 1879, noted by Peter Gawenda -- El pasto de la almas / told by Felipe Lozano in his barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- La abuela / told by Felipe Lozano in his barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- The man with the shovel / told by "Jefe" in the Market Square barbershop, written down by Peter Gawenda -- The Brownsville Raid: a historical assessment / Wally Pierce -- Temple Beth-El, 1931-1981 / Harriet Denise Joseph -- What ever happened to the good old days? / Robert S. Lewis -- The family history of Senator Hector Uribe: a study in Mexican-American heritage / Karen E. LeFevre. ; https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/regionalhist/1000/thumbnail.jpg

Many studies have shown that political efficacy, interest in politics, and political knowledge are strongly related to political participation. In most analyses, these variables are described as having a causal effect on participation. In this paper, we examine the extent to which the relationship between political attitudes and participation is confounded by familial factors. By using the discordant twin design, which relates within-pair differences in political attitudes to within-pair differences in political participation, we are able to examine the relationship net of confounding factors rooted in genes and the early rearing environment. Using four samples of monozygotic twins from the United States, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark, we find that the relationship between political attitudes and political participation is confounded to a large extent. This study makes an important contribution to the literature on political attitudes and political participation given the longstanding idea that attitudes cause political participation. Our findings also have practical implications for those interested in elevating levels of political participation. In addition, they have important implications for how scholars theorize about, model, and examine political participation in the future.

Despite considerable research, effective and safe treatments for human pain disorders remain elusive. Understanding the biology of different human pain conditions and researching effective treatments continue to be dominated by animal models, some of which are of limited value. British and European legislation demands that non-animal approaches should be considered before embarking on research using experimental animals. Recent scientific and technical developments, particularly in human neuroimaging, offer the potential to replace some animal procedures in the study of human pain. A group of pain research experts from academia and industry met with the aim of exploring creatively the tools, strategies and challenges of replacing some animal experiments in pain research with ethically conducted studies of human patients and healthy volunteers, in combination with in vitro methods. This report considers how a range of neuroimaging techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography and positron emission tomography, singly and combined, can address human pain conditions. In addition, microdialysis in human subjects; genome-wide association research, twin studies and other epidemiological approaches; and in vitro cell and tissue research, are examined for their replacement potential in combination with neuroimaging. Recommendations highlight further opportunities to advance the replacement of animal studies with robust methods of relevance to understanding and treating human pain.