The Earning Losses of Smokers

Using within-family variation from twins and siblings, I find that smokers earn approximately 16% less than nonsmokers. Possible explanations for this earning difference are addiction-related productivity declines and earning reductions from higher health insurance costs. To investigate further, I use variation in the provision of employer-supplied health insurance (ESHI) to examine the mechanism of whether the addiction or insurance component has a larger influence on earnings. While I generally observe a larger earning penalty for smokers with ESHI than smokers without ESHI, the earning difference is statistically indistinguishable from zero.

Among family variation in survival and gene expression uncovers adaptive genetic variation in a threatened fish

Variation in among-family transcriptional responses to different environmental conditions can help to identify adaptive genetic variation, even prior to a selective event. Coupling differential gene expression with formal survival analyses allows for the disentanglement of treatment effects, required for understanding how individuals plastically respond to environmental stressors, from the adaptive genetic variation responsible for among-family variation in survival and gene expression. We applied this experimental design to investigate responses to an emerging conservation issue, thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, in a threatened population of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Thiamine is an essential vitamin that is increasingly limited in many ecosystems. In Lake Champlain, Atlantic salmon cannot acquire thiamine in sufficient quantities to support natural reproduction; fertilized eggs must be reared in hatcheries and treated with supplemental thiamine. We evaluated transcriptional responses (RNA-seq) to thiamine treatment across families and found 3,616 genes differentially expressed between control (no supplemental thiamine) and treatment individuals. Fewer genes changed expression additively (i.e., equally among families) than non-additively (i.e., family-by-treatment effects) in response to thiamine. Differentially expressed genes were related to known physiological effects of thiamine deficiency, including oxidative stress, cardiovascular irregularities, and neurological abnormalities. We also identified 1,446 putatively adaptive genes that were strongly associated with among-family survival in the absence of thiamine treatment, many of which related to neurogenesis and visual perception. Our results highlight the utility of coupling RNA-seq with formal survival analyses to identify candidate genes that underlie the among-family variation in survival required for an adaptive response to natural selection.

Variation in Bantu copula constructions

This chapter provides an overview of variation in Bantu non-verbal predication and copula constructions. These constructions exhibit a wide range of fine-grained micro-variation against a backdrop of broad typological similarity across the Bantu family. Variation is seen in the function of copulas, in their morphosyntactic properties, and with respect to the elements with which they combine. A key feature of Bantu copula constructions is the presence of several morphologically distinct copulas in many languages, often with different interpretations and restricted distribution. After surveying copulas found in Bantu, the chapter focuses on five languages—Mongo, Rangi, Digo, Swahili, and Cuwabo—and shows differences in complementation for the different copula forms, with tighter restrictions on locative, existential, and possessive interpretations across the sample, as compared to identificational and attributive interpretations. The data presented in the chapter are relevant for theoretical studies of copulas and the study of language change and language contact.

Age at Arrival and Assimilation During the Age of Mass Migration

We estimate the effect of age at arrival for immigrant outcomes with a new dataset of arrivals linked to the 1940 U.S. Census. Using within-family variation, we find that arriving at an older age, or having more childhood exposure to the European environment, led to a more negative wage gap relative to the native born. Infant arrivals had a positive wage gap relative to natives, in contrast to a negative gap for teenage arrivals. Therefore, a key determinant of immigrant outcomes during the Age of Mass Migration was the country of residence during critical periods of childhood development.

Variabilitas Genetik Plasma Nutfah Kelapa Sawit Asal Angola dan Seleksi Genotipe Berbasis Famili dan Individu untuk Pembentukan Breeding Population Baru

<p class="Default">Development a new oil palm variety is determined by the availablity of oil palm genetic materials. The genetic variability could be resulted from both intra and inter family variation. Angola oil palm germplasm is a new oil palm material which were collected from natural habitat in Angola, Africa by Indonesian oil palm qonsortium. The objective of this research were to identify genotypes which carrying any specific characters as well as genotypes-based selection of families and individuals for the formation of a new breeding population. The research were conducted at Kebun Percobaan Sitiung, West Sumatra from January until Desember 2016. The result showed that the genetic variability within and among families are relatively high. There are some genotypes and families selected. The selected genotypes could be used for formation a new breeding population.</p><p>ABSTRAK</p><p>Keberhasilan pengembangan varietas unggul kelapa sawit untuk program intensifikasi ditentukan oleh ketersedian material genetik dan variabilitas genetiknya yang luas. Variasi genetik pada plasma nutfah dapat berasal dari variasi antar individu dalam famili dan variasi antar famili. Karakterisasi plasma nutfah kelapa sawit asal Angola bertujuan untuk mengkarakterisasi plasma nutfah kelapa sawit asal Angola, mengidentifikasi genotype-genotipe yang memiliki karakter spesifik, serta seleksi genotype berbasis family dan individu untuk pembentukan breeding populations baru. Penelitian dilakukan di Kebun Percobaan Sitiung, Sumatera Barat pada bulan Januari sampai Desember 2016. Semua individu pada semua famili di populasi dura dan tenera/pisifera digunakan sebagai bahan penelitian. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa plasma nutfah kelapa sawit asal Angola memiliki variabilitas genetik yang luas. Penelitian ini berhasil mengidentifikasi genotipe-genotipe yang memiliki karakter spesifik dan famili-famili terseleksi. Genotipe-genotipe tersebut dapat digunakan untuk merakit populasi baru untuk pemuliaan kelapa sawit tipe baru.</p>