Category Archives: Transhuman News

Age (Dordr). 2006 Dec; 28(4): 313332.

1College of Nursing, Okinawa Prefectural University, 1-24-1 Yogi, Naha City, Okinawa Japan 902-0076

2Pacific Health Research Institute, 846 South Hotel Street, Suite 301, Honolulu, HI 96813 USA

3Departments of Geriatric Medicine and Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1356 Lusitana Street, 7F, Honolulu, HI 96813 USA

4School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 74 New Montgomery Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105 USA

52200 Post Street, C433, San Francisco, CA 94143-1640 USA

6Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan

Received 2006 Jun 6; Revised 2006 Sep 30; Accepted 2006 Oct 1.

Centenarians represent a rare phenotype appearing in roughly 1020 per 100,000 persons in most industrialized countries but as high as 4050 per 100,000 persons in Okinawa, Japan. Siblings of centenarians in Okinawa have been found to have cumulative survival advantages such that female centenarian siblings have a 2.58-fold likelihood and male siblings a 5.43-fold likelihood (versus their birth cohorts) of reaching the age of 90years. This is indicative of a strong familial component to longevity. Centenarians may live such extraordinarily long lives in large part due to genetic variations that either affect the rate of aging and/or have genes that result in decreased susceptibility to age-associated diseases. Some of the most promising candidate genes appear to be those involved in regulatory pathways such as insulin signaling, immunoinflammatory response, stress resistance or cardiovascular function. Although gene variants with large beneficial effects have been suggested to exist, only APOE, an important regulator of lipoproteins has been consistently associated with a longer human lifespan across numerous populations. As longevity is a very complex trait, several issues challenge our ability to identify its genetic influences, such as control for environmental confounders across time, the lack of precise phenotypes of aging and longevity, statistical power, study design and availability of appropriate study populations. Genetic studies on the Okinawan population suggest that Okinawans are a genetically distinct group that has several characteristics of a founder population, including less genetic diversity, and clustering of specific gene variants, some of which may be related to longevity. Further work on this population and other genetic isolates would be of significant interest to the genetics of human longevity.

Key words: longevity, genetics, centenarians, Okinawa, longevity genes

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Genetic determinants of exceptional human longevity ...

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Increasingly, companies are able to incorporate performance technology and forecasting matrices into human resources (HR) planning. Larger companies tend to favor quantitative methods in their HR strategies, while smaller companies can more effectively use qualitative methods and managerial discretion. Everything from a company's mission statement to its use of enterprise resource technology can contribute to optimizing the productivity and longevity of its workforce.

The scope of HR planning tools has grown significantly since the last several decades of the 20th century. Much of this has to do with computing technology that has enabled firms to collect data, information and feedback; provide support; and create new incentives for performance. There are entire companies and new products devoted to improving job analysis and personnel development.

One example of a popular project management tool is SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The SWOT technique was developed by Albert Humphrey in the 1960s to help businesses use all forms of capital, including human labor, within a deliberately self-aware framework. The idea is to emphasize positives and work to reduce exposure to weaknesses, constantly encouraging growth. Similar techniques have followed in the footsteps of SWOT, leading to several competing projects and even organizational theories of development.

There are several pillars of successful HR planning, each of which has its own tools and techniques. Companies must be able to find and hire talented employees. Corporate cultures need to be cultivated in ways that encourage productivity and reduce unwanted turnover. Training and development programs should be in place, formally or otherwise, to improve workplace efficiencies. Anything that encourages the growth of output per labor dollar can be pursued.

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What tools do companies use in human resources planning?