Relationship between rice farming and polygenic scores potentially linked to agriculture in China

Following domestication in the lower Yangtze River valley 9400 years ago, rice farming spread throughout China and changed lifestyle patterns among Neolithic populations. Here, we report evidence that the advent of rice domestication and cultivation may have shaped humans not only culturally but also genetically. Leveraging recent findings from molecular genetics, we construct a number of polygenic scores (PGSs) of behavioural traits and examine their associations with rice cultivation based on a sample of 4101 individuals recently collected from mainland China. A total of nine polygenic traits and genotypes are investigated in this study, including PGSs of height, body mass index, depression, time discounting, reproduction, educational attainment, risk preference, ADH1B rs1229984 and ALDH2 rs671. Two-stage least-squares estimates of the county-level percentage of cultivated land devoted to paddy rice on the PGS of age at first birth ( b = −0.029, p = 0.021) and ALDH2 rs671 ( b = 0.182, p < 0.001) are both statistically significant and robust to a wide range of potential confounds and alternative explanations. These findings imply that rice farming may influence human evolution in relatively recent human history.

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Visual Arts, Representations and Interventions in Contemporary China

10.5117/9789462982239 ◽

2018 ◽

Keyword(s):

Urban Space ◽

Visual Arts ◽

Cultural Production ◽

Mainland China ◽

Social Changes ◽

Power Structures ◽

Cultural Activism ◽

Political Issues ◽

Wide Range ◽

The City

This edited volume provides a multifaceted investigation of the dynamic interrelations between visual arts and urbanization in contemporary Mainland China with a focus on unseen representations and urban interventions brought about by the transformations of the urban space and the various problems associated with it. Through a wide range of illuminating case studies, the authors demonstrate how innovative artistic and creative practices initiated by various stakeholders not only raise critical awareness on socio-political issues of Chinese urbanization but also actively reshape the urban living spaces. The formation of new collaborations, agencies, aesthetics and cultural production sites facilitate diverse forms of cultural activism as they challenge the dominant ways of interpreting social changes and encourage civic participation in the production of alternative meanings in and of the city. Their significance lies in their potential to question current values and power structures as well as to foster new subjectivities for disparate individuals and social groups.

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Exploring the Association Between the “Big Five” Personality Traits and Fatal Opioid Overdose: County-Level Empirical Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.24939 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zhasmina Tacheva ◽

Anton Ivanov

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Big Five ◽

Psychological Factors ◽

The United States ◽

Community Level ◽

Opioid Overdose ◽

County Level ◽

Psychological Traits ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Relationship

BACKGROUND Opioid-related deaths constitute a problem of pandemic proportions in the United States, with no clear solution in sight. Although addressing addiction—the heart of this problem—ought to remain a priority for health practitioners, examining the community-level psychological factors with a known impact on health behaviors may provide valuable insights for attenuating this health crisis by curbing risky behaviors before they evolve into addiction. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study is twofold: to demonstrate the relationship between community-level psychological traits and fatal opioid overdose both theoretically and empirically, and to provide a blueprint for using social media data to glean these psychological factors in a real-time, reliable, and scalable manner. METHODS We collected annual panel data from Twitter for 2891 counties in the United States between 2014-2016 and used a novel data mining technique to obtain average county-level “Big Five” psychological trait scores. We then performed interval regression, using a control function to alleviate omitted variable bias, to empirically test the relationship between county-level psychological traits and the prevalence of fatal opioid overdoses in each county. RESULTS After controlling for a wide range of community-level biopsychosocial factors related to health outcomes, we found that three of the operationalizations of the five psychological traits examined at the community level in the study were significantly associated with fatal opioid overdoses: extraversion (β=.308, P<.001), neuroticism (β=.248, P<.001), and conscientiousness (β=.229, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Analyzing the psychological characteristics of a community can be a valuable tool in the local, state, and national fight against the opioid pandemic. Health providers and community health organizations can benefit from this research by evaluating the psychological profile of the communities they serve and assessing the projected risk of fatal opioid overdose based on the relationships our study predict when making decisions for the allocation of overdose-reversal medication and other vital resources.

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Genome-Wide Heritability Estimates for Family Life Course Complexity

Demography ◽

10.1215/00703370-9373608 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zachary Van Winkle ◽

Dalton Conley

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Family Life ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Age At First Birth ◽

Genetic Contribution ◽

Sequence Complexity ◽

Wide Range ◽

Family Trajectories

Abstract Sequence analysis is an established method used to study the complexity of family life courses. Although individual and societal characteristics have been linked with the complexity of family trajectories, social scientists have neglected the potential role of genetic factors in explaining variation in family transitions and events across the life course. We estimate the genetic contribution to sequence complexity and a wide range of family demographic behaviors using genomic relatedness–based, restricted maximum likelihood models with data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study. This innovative methodological approach allows us to provide the first estimates of the heritability of composite life course outcomes—that is, sequence complexity. We demonstrate that a number of family demographic indicators (e.g., the age at first birth and first marriage) are heritable and provide evidence that composite metrics can be influenced by genetic factors. For example, our results show that 11% of the total variation in the complexity of differentiated family sequences is attributable to genetic influences. Moreover, we test whether this genetic contribution varies by social environment as indexed by birth cohort over a period of rapid changes in family norms during the twentieth century. Interestingly, we find evidence that the complexity of fertility and differentiated family trajectories decreased across cohorts, but we find no evidence that the heritability of the complexity of partnership trajectories changed across cohorts. Therefore, our results do not substantiate claims that lower normative constraints on family demographic behavior increase the role of genes.

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Polygenic Scores for Cognitive Abilities and their Association with Different Aspects of General Intelligence – a Deep Phenotyping Approach

10.1101/2020.06.03.131318 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Erhan Genç ◽

Caroline Schlüter ◽

Christoph Fraenz ◽

Larissa Arning ◽

Huu Phuc Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Large Scale ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Life Outcomes ◽

Short Term ◽

Polygenic Scores ◽

Wide Range ◽

Dna Variants ◽

Trait Prediction ◽

Deep Phenotyping

AbstractIntelligence is a highly polygenic trait and GWAS have identified thousands of DNA variants contributing with small effects. Polygenic scores (PGS) can aggregate those effects for trait prediction in independent samples. As large-scale light-phenotyping GWAS operationalized intelligence as performance in rather superficial tests, the question arises which intelligence facets are actually captured. We used deep-phenotyping to investigate the molecular determinantes of individual differences in cognitive ability. We therefore studied the association between PGS of educational attainment (EA-PGS) and intelligence (IQ-PGS) with a wide range of intelligence facets in a sample of 320 healthy adults. EA-PGS and IQ-PGS had the highest incremental R2s for general (3.25%; 1.78%), verbal (2.55%; 2.39%) and numerical intelligence (2.79%; 1.54%) and the weakest for non-verbal intelligence (0.50%; 0.19%) and short-term memory (0.34%; 0.22%). These results indicate that PGS derived from light-phenotyping GWAS do not reflect different facets of intelligence equally well, and thus should not be interpreted as genetic indicators of intelligence per se. The findings refine our understanding of how PGS are related to other traits or life outcomes.

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Sonchus oleraceus (common sowthistle).

10.1079/cpc.50584.20210100271 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julissa Rojas-Sandoval ◽

Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez ◽

A. I. Popay

Keyword(s):

Sand Dunes ◽

Cultivated Land ◽

Construction Sites ◽

Burned Areas ◽

Sonchus Oleraceus ◽

The Earth ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Disturbed Areas ◽

Wide Range ◽

Winter Crops

Abstract S. oleraceus is a common seed crop contaminant and has been carried either deliberately or accidentally by humans to almost every corner of the earth, where it invades mainly open and disturbed areas. It grows in a wide variety of environments on a wide range of substrates - roadsides, cultivated land, gardens, construction sites, sand dunes, logged or burned areas, on walls, mountain slopes, and near water. Once introduced to a new area the plants spread quickly because they grow and flower quickly and produce copious wind- and bird-dispersed seeds that germinate quickly in large numbers. They invade many cropped areas, especially among vegetable and winter crops. They are almost perfect 'designer weeds'. Additionally, this species has small light seeds which are easily dispersed by wind and water.

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Thriving in the New Normal

Trends and Developments for the Future of Language Education in Higher Education - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7226-9.ch013 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 253-271

Author(s):

Li Li ◽

Gareth Richard Morris

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Professional Development ◽

Mainland China ◽

Language Education ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Working Environment ◽

New Normal ◽

Wide Range ◽

The World ◽

Professional Development Needs

Language education in higher education has been significantly impacted by COVID-19, and this has placed significant pressure on practitioners around the world irrespective of their respective experience prior to the pandemic. Teachers are now expected to deliver classes utilising new mediums whilst learning how to use different technologies. This can place a significant strain on individuals, institutions, and education sectors as everyone is expected to become proficient in a new normal working environment. In light of this, this chapter considers the in-service professional development needs and experiences of 88 language teachers at a Sino foreign university in Mainland China. The aim is that the insights provided here will help education providers better understand the challenges that their staff may be facing and consider ways in which teacher learning can be addressed. This chapter should be of interest to educators, managers, leaders, and policymakers in a wide range of international settings.

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Beyond rice farming: Evidence from central Korea reveals wide resource utilization in the Songgukri culture during the late-Holocene

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/0959683616683259 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (8) ◽

pp. 1092-1102 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Seungki Kwak ◽

Gyeongtaek Kim ◽

Gyoung-Ah Lee

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Integrative Approach ◽

Rice Farming ◽

Isotopic Data ◽

Wide Range ◽

Popular View ◽

Primary Means ◽

Rice Yields ◽

Economic Foundation ◽

Prehistoric Subsistence

This study investigates prehistoric subsistence of the middle Bronze (Mumun) period in the central part of the Korean Peninsula during the late-Holocene. Rice farming has often been regarded as a harbinger of complex society with an economic foundation based on rice yields. We test this common hypothesis on intensive rice farming as a primary means of subsistence and political economy through an integrative approach with archaeobotanical and isotopic data. We focus on the sites from the Songgukri culture (2900–2400 cal. BP) which are scattered along the middle and lower reaches of the Geum River. Our study indicates settlers along the Geum River utilized a wide range of crops and wild animals, a picture far removed from the popular view of a rice-dominated diet in the Songgukri culture.

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Enhancing understandings of social determinants of health in China: Linkage and analysis of a national multilevel population health surveillance with routinely collected mortality records for 98 058 people in 31 provinces of mainland China

10.21203/rs.2.18425/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Yunning Liu ◽

Thomas Astell-Burt ◽

Xiaoqi Feng ◽

Fan Mao ◽

Ruiming Liang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Social Determinants Of Health ◽

Population Health ◽

Social Determinants ◽

Communicable Disease ◽

Mainland China ◽

Health Surveillance ◽

Determinants Of Health ◽

County Level ◽

Injury Mortality

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to enhance capability in research on social determinants of health in China by linking and analyzing routinely-collected death records over 5 years with national population health surveillance.Methods: Linkage of 98 058 participants in the 2010 China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance (CCDRFS) to records in the national death surveillance data from 2011 to 2015 was conducted through a matching program involving identification numbers, name, gender and residential address, followed by a structured checking process. Multilevel regressions were used to investigate five-year odds of all-cause, non-communicable disease (NCD), infectious disease and injury mortality in relation to person- and county-level factors.Results: A total of 3,365 deaths were observed in the linked mortality and population health surveillance. Cross-checks and comparisons with national mortality distributions provided assurance that the linkage was reasonable. Geographic variation in mortality was observed via age and gender adjusted median odds ratios for all-cause mortality (>1.30), infectious disease (>2.01), NCD (>1.24) and injury (>1.12). Increased odds of all-cause and all three cause-specific mortality outcomes were higher with age and among men. Low educational attainment was a predictor of all-cause, NCD and injury mortality. Longer mean years of education at the county-level was only associated with lower injury mortality. Divorcees had a higher odd of all-cause and NCD mortality than singletons. Rurality was a predictor of all-cause and NCD mortality.Conclusion: The results of this study provide utility for future investigations of social determinants of health and mortality using linked data in China.

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Rapid identification of the invasive fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) using species-specific primers in multiplex PCR

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-73786-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cheng-Lung Tsai ◽

I.-Hsuan Chu ◽

Ming-Hsun Chou ◽

Theeraphap Chareonviriyaphap ◽

Ming-Yao Chiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spodoptera Frugiperda ◽

Egg Production ◽

Mainland China ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

The United States ◽

Rapid Identification ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Specific Primers ◽

Wide Range ◽

Species Specific

Abstract The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), is a major pest native to the Americas. A recent invasion of FAWs from Africa eastward to South Asia, the Indochina Peninsula, and mainland China has received much attention due to the considerable economic losses in agriculture. FAWs can rapidly colonise a new area, likely due to the wide range of host plants, good flying capability, and high egg production. Therefore, a convenient, quick, and accurate tool for FAW identification is urgently required to establish a FAW invasion management strategy. In this study, FAW-specific primers were designed to recognise FAWs on the basis of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1). The results revealed the accurate FAW recognition of the three congeneric species and eight common corn lepidopteran pests, especially at their larval stage. Furthermore, species-specific primers have confirmed their efficacy by using 69 FAW specimens from Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States, with a 96% success rate, excluding 3 decayed specimens. By using the simple, reliable, and convenient FAW-specific primers, a pest management programme can be developed not only to reduce sequencing costs and experimental time from 2 days to 4 h, but eradicate the FAW as soon as it enters a new area.

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