Female freshwater crayfish adjust egg and clutch size in relation to multiple male traits

PubMed Central

Galeotti, Paolo; Rubolini, Diego; Fea, Gianluca; Ghia, Daniela; Nardi, Pietro A; Gherardi, Francesca; Fasola, Mauro

2006-01-01

Females may invest more in reproduction if they acquire mates of high phenotypic quality, because offspring sired by preferred partners may be fitter than offspring sired by non-preferred ones. In this study, we tested the differential maternal allocation hypothesis in the freshwater crayfish, Austropotamobius italicus, by means of a pairing experiment aimed at evaluating the effects of specific male traits (body size, chelae size and chelae asymmetry) on female primary reproductive effort. Our results showed that females laid larger but fewer eggs for relatively small-sized, large-clawed males, and smaller but more numerous eggs for relatively large-sized, small-clawed males. Chelae asymmetry had no effects on female reproductive investment. While the ultimate consequences of this pattern of female allocation remain unclear, females were nevertheless able to adjust their primary reproductive effort in relation to mate characteristics in a species where inter-male competition and sexual coercion may mask or obscure their sexual preferences. In addition, our results suggest that female allocation may differentially affect male characters, thus promoting a trade-off between the expression of different male traits. PMID:16600888

Effects of anxiety on caloric intake and satiety-related brain activation in women and men

PubMed Central

Mestre, Zoe L.; Melhorn, Susan J.; Askren, Mary K.; Tyagi, Vidhi; Gatenby, J. Christopher; Young, Liza L.; Mehta, Sonya; Webb, Mary; Grabowski, Thomas J.; Schur, Ellen A.

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE To test the relationship of anxiety to caloric intake and food cue perception in women and men. METHODS Fifty-five twins (26 complete, 3 incomplete pairs; 51% women) underwent 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans (before and after a standardized meal) and then ate at an ad libitum buffet to objectively assess food intake. State and trait anxiety were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. During the fMRI scans, participants viewed blocks of fattening and non-fattening food images, and non-food objects. RESULTS In women, higher trait anxiety was associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) (r=0.40, P=0.010). Trait anxiety was positively associated with kilocalories consumed at the buffet (r=0.53, P=0.005) and percent kilocalories consumed from fat (r=0.30, P=0.006), adjusted for BMI. In within-pair models, which control for shared familial and genetic factors, higher trait anxiety remained associated with kilocalories consumed at the buffet (ρ=0.66, P=0.014), but not with BMI. In men, higher state anxiety was related to macronutrient choices, but not to total caloric intake or BMI. FMRI results revealed that women with high trait anxiety did not suppress activation by fattening food cues across brain regions associated with satiety perception after eating a standardized meal (mean difference low anxiety: −15.4, P<0.001; high anxiety: −1.53, P=0.82, adjusted for BMI). CONCLUSIONS In women, trait anxiety may promote excess caloric consumption through altered perception of high-calorie environmental food cues, placing women with genetic predispositions toward weight gain at risk of obesity. PMID:26867073

Meta-analysis of quantitative pleiotropic traits for next-generation sequencing with multivariate functional linear models

PubMed Central

Chiu, Chi-yang; Jung, Jeesun; Chen, Wei; Weeks, Daniel E; Ren, Haobo; Boehnke, Michael; Amos, Christopher I; Liu, Aiyi; Mills, James L; Ting Lee, Mei-ling; Xiong, Momiao; Fan, Ruzong

2017-01-01

To analyze next-generation sequencing data, multivariate functional linear models are developed for a meta-analysis of multiple studies to connect genetic variant data to multiple quantitative traits adjusting for covariates. The goal is to take the advantage of both meta-analysis and pleiotropic analysis in order to improve power and to carry out a unified association analysis of multiple studies and multiple traits of complex disorders. Three types of approximate F -distributions based on Pillai–Bartlett trace, Hotelling–Lawley trace, and Wilks's Lambda are introduced to test for association between multiple quantitative traits and multiple genetic variants. Simulation analysis is performed to evaluate false-positive rates and power of the proposed tests. The proposed methods are applied to analyze lipid traits in eight European cohorts. It is shown that it is more advantageous to perform multivariate analysis than univariate analysis in general, and it is more advantageous to perform meta-analysis of multiple studies instead of analyzing the individual studies separately. The proposed models require individual observations. The value of the current paper can be seen at least for two reasons: (a) the proposed methods can be applied to studies that have individual genotype data; (b) the proposed methods can be used as a criterion for future work that uses summary statistics to build test statistics to meta-analyze the data. PMID:28000696

Meta-analysis of quantitative pleiotropic traits for next-generation sequencing with multivariate functional linear models.

PubMed

Chiu, Chi-Yang; Jung, Jeesun; Chen, Wei; Weeks, Daniel E; Ren, Haobo; Boehnke, Michael; Amos, Christopher I; Liu, Aiyi; Mills, James L; Ting Lee, Mei-Ling; Xiong, Momiao; Fan, Ruzong

2017-02-01

To analyze next-generation sequencing data, multivariate functional linear models are developed for a meta-analysis of multiple studies to connect genetic variant data to multiple quantitative traits adjusting for covariates. The goal is to take the advantage of both meta-analysis and pleiotropic analysis in order to improve power and to carry out a unified association analysis of multiple studies and multiple traits of complex disorders. Three types of approximate F -distributions based on Pillai-Bartlett trace, Hotelling-Lawley trace, and Wilks's Lambda are introduced to test for association between multiple quantitative traits and multiple genetic variants. Simulation analysis is performed to evaluate false-positive rates and power of the proposed tests. The proposed methods are applied to analyze lipid traits in eight European cohorts. It is shown that it is more advantageous to perform multivariate analysis than univariate analysis in general, and it is more advantageous to perform meta-analysis of multiple studies instead of analyzing the individual studies separately. The proposed models require individual observations. The value of the current paper can be seen at least for two reasons: (a) the proposed methods can be applied to studies that have individual genotype data; (b) the proposed methods can be used as a criterion for future work that uses summary statistics to build test statistics to meta-analyze the data.

Nonparametric evaluation of quantitative traits in population-based association studies when the genetic model is unknown.

PubMed

Konietschke, Frank; Libiger, Ondrej; Hothorn, Ludwig A

2012-01-01

Statistical association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype and a quantitative trait in genome-wide association studies is usually assessed using a linear regression model, or, in the case of non-normally distributed trait values, using the Kruskal-Wallis test. While linear regression models assume an additive mode of inheritance via equi-distant genotype scores, Kruskal-Wallis test merely tests global differences in trait values associated with the three genotype groups. Both approaches thus exhibit suboptimal power when the underlying inheritance mode is dominant or recessive. Furthermore, these tests do not perform well in the common situations when only a few trait values are available in a rare genotype category (disbalance), or when the values associated with the three genotype categories exhibit unequal variance (variance heterogeneity). We propose a maximum test based on Marcus-type multiple contrast test for relative effect sizes. This test allows model-specific testing of either dominant, additive or recessive mode of inheritance, and it is robust against variance heterogeneity. We show how to obtain mode-specific simultaneous confidence intervals for the relative effect sizes to aid in interpreting the biological relevance of the results. Further, we discuss the use of a related all-pairwise comparisons contrast test with range preserving confidence intervals as an alternative to Kruskal-Wallis heterogeneity test. We applied the proposed maximum test to the Bogalusa Heart Study dataset, and gained a remarkable increase in the power to detect association, particularly for rare genotypes. Our simulation study also demonstrated that the proposed non-parametric tests control family-wise error rate in the presence of non-normality and variance heterogeneity contrary to the standard parametric approaches. We provide a publicly available R library nparcomp that can be used to estimate simultaneous confidence intervals or compatible multiplicity-adjusted p-values associated with the proposed maximum test.

The influence of depression on personality traits in patients with fibromyalgia: a case-control study.

PubMed

Santos, Daniela M; Lage, Laís V; Jabur, Eleonora K; Kaziyama, Helena H S; Iosifescu, Dan V; De Lucia, Mara Cristina S; Fráguas, Renério

2017-01-01

We developed this study to investigate the association of fibromyalgia with personality traits, controlling for depression and other potential confounders. We assessed personality traits using the Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in 78 female patients with fibromyalgia and in a control group of 78 subjects without fibromyalgia. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to assess depression and anxiety diagnoses. To investigate the association between fibromyalgia and the Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory we performed unadjusted and adjusted analyses of covariance, using the TCI score as dependent variable and adjusting the model for depression, anxiety and for clinical and socio-demographic variables. We used a backward selection method to choose the final model. In the unadjusted analysis, fibromyalgia was associated with all personality traits, except persistency. After adjusting for depression and anxiety, patients with fibromyalgia presented decreased novelty seeking compared to controls; the differences in other personality traits were no longer significant. Novelty seeking was also correlated with the length of history of fibromyalgia and pain intensity. Decreased novelty seeking may be a personality trait associated with fibromyalgia. Depression and anxiety should be considered potential confounders in the evaluation of personality traits in this population.

Contributions of Parent-Adolescent Negative Emotionality, Adolescent Conflict, and Adoption Status to Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Bibiana D.; Rueter, Martha A.

2011-01-01

Although most adopted children are well adjusted, research has consistently found that adopted adolescents are at an increased risk for externalizing behaviors. The present investigation tested a model whereby parent-adolescent negative emotionality traits, adolescent conflict, and adoption status contribute to adolescent externalizing behaviors.…

Baseline Levels, and Changes Over Time in Body Mass Index and Fasting Insulin, and Their Relationship to Change in Metabolic Trait Clustering

PubMed Central

Sullivan, Lisa M.; Fox, Caroline S.; Wilson, Peter W.F.; Nathan, David M.; Vasan, Ramachandran S.; D'Agostino, Ralph B.; Meigs, James B.

2014-01-01

Abstract Background: Multiple abnormal metabolic traits are found together or “cluster” within individuals more often than is predicted by chance. The individual and combined role of adiposity and insulin resistance (IR) on metabolic trait clustering is uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that change in trait clustering is a function of both baseline level and change in these measures. Methods: In 2616 nondiabetic Framingham Offspring Study participants, body mass index (BMI) and fasting insulin were related to a within-person 7-year change in a trait score of 0–4 Adult Treatment Panel III metabolic syndrome traits (hypertension, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hyperglycemia). Results: At baseline assessment, mean trait score was 1.4 traits, and 7-year mean (SEM) change in trait score was +0.25 (0.02) traits, P<0.0001. In models with BMI predictors only, for every quintile difference in baseline BMI, the 7-year trait score increase was 0.14 traits, and for every quintile increase in BMI during 7-year follow-up, the trait score increased by 0.3 traits. Baseline level and change in fasting insulin were similarly related to trait score change. In models adjusted for age–sex–baseline cluster score, 7-year change in trait score was significantly related to both a 1-quintile difference in baseline BMI (0.07 traits) and fasting insulin (0.18 traits), and to both a 1-quintile 7-year increase in BMI (0.21 traits) and fasting insulin (0.18 traits). Conclusions: Change in metabolic trait clustering was significantly associated with baseline levels and changes in both BMI and fasting insulin, highlighting the importance of both obesity and IR in the clustering of metabolic traits. PMID:25007010

Does personality predict mortality? Results from the GAZEL French prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Nabi, Hermann; Kivimäki, Mika; Zins, Marie; Elovainio, Marko; Consoli, Silla M; Cordier, Sylvaine; Ducimetière, Pierre; Goldberg, Marcel; Singh-Manoux, Archana

2008-04-01

Majority of studies on personality and physical health have focused on one or two isolated personality traits. We aim to test the independent association of 10 personality traits, from three major conceptual models, with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the French GAZEL cohort. A total of 14,445 participants, aged 39-54 in 1993, completed the personality questionnaires composed of the Bortner Type-A scale, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (for total, neurotic and reactive hostility) and the Grossarth-Maticek-Eysenck Personality Stress Inventory that assesses six personality types [cancer-prone, coronary heart disease (CHD)-prone, ambivalent, healthy, rational, anti-social]. The association between personality traits and mortality, during a mean follow-up of 12.7 years, was assessed using the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) in Cox regression. In models adjusted for age, sex, marital status and education, all-cause and cause-specific mortality were predicted by 'total hostility', its 'neurotic hostility' component as well as by 'CHD-prone', 'ambivalent' 'antisocial', and 'healthy' personality types. After mutually adjusting personality traits for each other, only high 'neurotic hostility' remained a robust predictor of excess mortality from all causes [RII = 2.62; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.68-4.09] and external causes (RII = 3.24; 95% CI = 1.03-10.18). 'CHD-prone' (RII = 2.23; 95% CI = 0.72-6.95) and 'anti-social' (RII = 2.13; 95% CI 0.61-6.58) personality types were associated with cardiovascular mortality and with mortality from external causes, respectively, but CIs were wider. Adjustment for potential behavioural mediators had only a modest effect on these associations. Neurotic hostility, CHD-prone personality and anti-social personality were all predictive of mortality outcomes. Further research is required to determine the precise mechanisms that contribute to these associations.

Decreased Symptoms of Depression After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Potential Moderating Effects of Religiosity, Spirituality, Trait Mindfulness, Sex, and Age

PubMed Central

Smoski, Moria J.; Suarez, Edward C.; Brantley, Jeffrey G.; Ekblad, Andrew G.; Lynch, Thomas R.; Wolever, Ruth Quillian

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a secular meditation training program that reduces depressive symptoms. Little is known, however, about the degree to which a participant's spiritual and religious background, or other demographic characteristics associated with risk for depression, may affect the effectiveness of MBSR. Therefore, this study tested whether individual differences in religiosity, spirituality, motivation for spiritual growth, trait mindfulness, sex, and age affect MBSR effectiveness. Methods: As part of an open trial, multiple regression was used to analyze variation in depressive symptom outcomes among 322 adults who enrolled in an 8-week, community-based MBSR program. Results: As hypothesized, depressive symptom severity decreased significantly in the full study sample (d=0.57; p<0.01). After adjustment for baseline symptom severity, moderation analyses revealed no significant differences in the change in depressive symptoms following MBSR as a function of spirituality, religiosity, trait mindfulness, or demographic variables. Paired t tests found consistent, statistically significant (p<0.01) reductions in depressive symptoms across all subgroups by religious affiliation, intention for spiritual growth, sex, and baseline symptom severity. After adjustment for baseline symptom scores, age, sex, and religious affiliation, a significant proportion of variance in post-MBSR depressive symptoms was uniquely explained by changes in both spirituality (β=−0.15; p=0.006) and mindfulness (β=−0.17; p<0.001). Conclusions: These findings suggest that MBSR, a secular meditation training program, is associated with improved depressive symptoms regardless of affiliation with a religion, sense of spirituality, trait level of mindfulness before MBSR training, sex, or age. Increases in both mindfulness and daily spiritual experiences uniquely explained improvement in depressive symptoms. PMID:25695903

Effects of parent drug use and personality on toddler adjustment.

PubMed

Brook, J S; Whiteman, M; Shapiro, J; Cohen, P

1996-03-01

The interrelation between parental drug use and parental personality and the effects on 18-month-old children's adjustment were examined. Data on the parents were available at four points in time: Time 1 at mean age 6.1 years, Time 2 at mean age 13.7 years, Time 3 at mean age 16.4 years, and at Time 4 at mean age 22.2 years. Data on their toddlers at 18 months of age were also available. Structured interviews were used to assess personality and drug use and the toddlers' adjustment. Time 3 parental personality traits were related to Time 4 personality traits, which in turn were related to toddler adjustment. The influence of parental alcohol involvement (Time 3) on toddler adjustment was mediated by parental personality (Times 3 and 4) and parental alcohol problems (Time 4). Interactive effects demonstrated that protective parental personality traits (nondrug conducive) enhanced the effects of low parental drug use, resulting in the highest amounts of toddler adjustment. There are significant pathways between parental personality and drug use and toddler adjustment. Parental protective factors enhance the effect of parental low drug use on toddler adjustment.

Phenotypic and genetic relationships of feed efficiency with growth performance, ultrasound, and carcass merit traits in Angus and Charolais steers.

PubMed

Mao, F; Chen, L; Vinsky, M; Okine, E; Wang, Z; Basarab, J; Crews, D H; Li, C

2013-05-01

Feed efficiency is of particular importance to the beef industry, as feed costs represent the single largest variable cost in beef production systems. Selection for more efficient cattle will lead to reduction of feed related costs, but should not have adverse impacts on quality of the carcass. In this study, we evaluated phenotypic and genetic correlations of residual feed intake (RFI), RFI adjusted for end-of-test ultrasound backfat thickness (RFIf), and RFI adjusted for ultrasound backfat thickness and LM area (RFIfr) with growth, ultrasound, and carcass merit traits in an Angus population of 551 steers and in a Charolais population of 417 steers. In the Angus steer population, the phenotypic and genetic correlation of RFI with carcass merit traits including HCW, carcass backfat, carcass LM area, lean meat yield, and carcass marbling were not significant or weak with correlations coefficients ranging from -0.0007 ± 0.05 to 0.18 ± 0.21. In the Charolais steer population, the phenotypic and genetic correlations of RFI with the carcass merit traits were also weak, with correlation coefficients ranging from -0.07 ± 0.06 to 0.19 ± 0.18, except for the genetic correlation with carcass average backfat, which was moderate with a magnitude of 0.42 ± 0.29. Inclusion of ultrasound backfat thickness in the model to predict the expected daily DMI for maintenance explained on average an additional 0.5% variation of DMI in the Angus steers and 2.3% variation of DMI in the Charolais steer population. Inclusion of both the ultrasound backfat and LM area in the model explained only 0.7% additional variance in DMI in the Angus steer population and only 0.6% in the Charolais steer population on top of the RFIf model. We concluded that RFIf adjusted for ultrasound backfat at the end of the test will lead to decreases of both the phenotypic and genetic correlations with carcass backfat and marbling score to a greater extent for late-maturing beef breeds such as Charolais than for early-maturing beef breeds such as Angus. However, further inclusion of ultrasound LM area on top of the final ultrasound backfat in the model of calculating RFI had little effect in reducing the correlations of RFI with the carcass merit traits.

Testing a model of codependency for college students in Taiwan based on Bowen's concept of differentiation.

PubMed

Chang, Shih-Hua

2018-04-01

The purpose of this study was to test a model of codependency based on Bowen's concept of differentiation for college students in Taiwan. The relations between family-of-origin dysfunction, differentiation of self, codependency traits and related symptoms including low self-esteem, relationship distress and psychological adjustment problems were examined. Data were collected from 567 college students from 2 large, urban universities in northern Taiwan. Results indicated a significantly negative relationship between levels of codependency and self-differentiation and that self-differentiation partially mediated the relationship between family-of-origin dysfunction and codependency. The implications of these findings for counselling Taiwanese college students who experience codependency traits and related symptoms as well as suggestions for future research are discussed. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

The role of dispositional traits in accounting for country and ethnic group differences on adjustment.

PubMed

Matsumoto, David; Nakagawa, Sanae; Estrada, Aaron

2009-02-01

Country and ethnic group differences on adjustment have been demonstrated numerous times, and the source of these differences has been typically interpreted as cultural. We report two studies in which country (Study 1) and ethnic group (Study 2) differences on depression, anxiety, optimism versus pessimism, well-being, and self-esteem are mediated by dispositional traits. These findings provide an alternative explanation for previously reported country and ethnic group differences on these variables and encourage researchers to consider multiple sources, including traits, in their models and studies.

Personality predictors of dimensions of psychosocial adjustment after surgery.

PubMed

Weinryb, R M; Gustavsson, J P; Barber, J P

1997-01-01

Although many studies have examined the relationship between personality factors and adjustment after surgery, most of them have had very short follow-up periods. The present prospective study examines whether preoperative psychodynamic assessment of personality traits enhances prediction of various areas of psychosocial adjustment assessed at least 1 year after surgery. In 53 patients undergoing pelvic pouch surgery for ulcerative colitis, we examined the relationship between personality traits measured before surgery, and postoperative psychosocial adjustment assessed at a median of 17 months postoperatively, controlling for the effect of surgical functional outcome. Personality traits were assessed with the Karolinska Psychodynamic Profile (KAPP). Surgical functional outcome scales and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS) were used. Problems with sexual satisfaction, perfectionistic body ideals, lack of alexithymia, and poor frustration tolerance predicted poor postoperative adjustment in various areas, beyond what was predicted by surgical functional outcome alone. Moreover, moderate preoperative levels of alexithymia were beneficial to postoperative adjustment in the area of psychological distress. The findings suggest that the preoperative assessment of the patient's long-term sexual functioning and satisfaction, the importance attached to his or her appearance, level of alexithymia, and general capacity to tolerate frustration and set-backs in life, might alert both the surgeon and the patient to potential risk factors for poor postsurgical adjustment.

Examination of the Relationship among Different Dimensions of Trait Anxiety, Demographic Variables, and Self-Reported School Adjustment in Elementary and Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witteborg, Kristin M.; Lowe, Patricia A.; Lee, Steven W.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship among different dimensions of trait anxiety (social concerns, physiological anxiety, and worry/oversensitivity), demographic variables (age and gender), and school adjustment (attitude to school and attitude to teachers) in children and adolescents. The study participants,…

Attachment security, personality, and adjustment of elementary school children.

PubMed

Goldner, Limor; Scharf, Miri

2013-01-01

Children's development is assumed to be closely related to their attachment security and their personality. The authors' aim was to examine the joint contribution of attachment security and personality traits to children's adjustment by examining diverse children's outcomes (emotional symptoms, social functioning, and behavioral problems) and using various perspectives (children, parents, and teachers). The sample comprised 247 8-12-year-old children from low socioeconomic status neighborhoods. Personality and attachment contribute to the different domains of adjustment. In cases of moderation, attachment security moderates the implications of personality traits on children's adjustment. The findings highlight the contribution of positive personality tendencies in playing down the difficulties of insecurely attached children.

Relationship of early-life stress and resilience to military adjustment in a young adulthood population.

PubMed

Choi, Kang; Im, Hyoungjune; Kim, Joohan; Choi, Kwang H; Jon, Duk-In; Hong, Hyunju; Hong, Narei; Lee, Eunjung; Seok, Jeong-Ho

2013-11-01

Early-life stress (ELS) may mediate adjustment problems while resilience may protect individuals against adjustment problems during military service. We investigated the relationship of ELS and resilience with adjustment problem factor scores in the Korea Military Personality Test (KMPT) in candidates for the military service. Four hundred and sixty-one candidates participated in this study. Vulnerability traits for military adjustment, ELS, and resilience were assessed using the KMPT, the Korean Early-Life Abuse Experience Questionnaire, and the Resilience Quotient Test, respectively. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analyses. The final model of the multiple linear regression analyses explained 30.2 % of the total variances of the sum of the adjustment problem factor scores of the KMPT. Neglect and exposure to domestic violence had a positive association with the total adjustment problem factor scores of the KMPT, but emotion control, impulse control, and optimism factor scores as well as education and occupational status were inversely associated with the total military adjustment problem score. ELS and resilience are important modulating factors in adjusting to military service. We suggest that neglect and exposure to domestic violence during early life may increase problem with adjustment, but capacity to control emotion and impulse as well as optimistic attitude may play protective roles in adjustment to military life. The screening procedures for ELS and the development of psychological interventions may be helpful for young adults to adjust to military service.

Cancer and life-history traits: lessons from host-parasite interactions.

PubMed

Ujvari, Beata; Beckmann, Christa; Biro, Peter A; Arnal, Audrey; Tasiemski, Aurelie; Massol, Francois; Salzet, Michel; Mery, Frederic; Boidin-Wichlacz, Celine; Misse, Dorothee; Renaud, Francois; Vittecoq, Marion; Tissot, Tazzio; Roche, Benjamin; Poulin, Robert; Thomas, Frederic

2016-04-01

Despite important differences between infectious diseases and cancers, tumour development (neoplasia) can nonetheless be closely compared to infectious disease because of the similarity of their effects on the body. On this basis, we predict that many of the life-history (LH) responses observed in the context of host-parasite interactions should also be relevant in the context of cancer. Parasites are thought to affect LH traits of their hosts because of strong selective pressures like direct and indirect mortality effects favouring, for example, early maturation and reproduction. Cancer can similarly also affect LH traits by imposing direct costs and/or indirectly by triggering plastic adjustments and evolutionary responses. Here, we discuss how and why a LH focus is a potentially productive but under-exploited research direction for cancer research, by focusing our attention on similarities between infectious disease and cancer with respect to their effects on LH traits and their evolution. We raise the possibility that LH adjustments can occur in response to cancer via maternal/paternal effects and that these changes can be heritable to (adaptively) modify the LH traits of their offspring. We conclude that LH adjustments can potentially influence the transgenerational persistence of inherited oncogenic mutations in populations.

Systematic, genome-wide, sex-specific linkage of cardiovascular traits in French Canadians.

PubMed

Seda, Ondrej; Tremblay, Johanne; Gaudet, Daniel; Brunelle, Pierre-Luc; Gurau, Alexandru; Merlo, Ettore; Pilote, Louise; Orlov, Sergei N; Boulva, Francis; Petrovich, Milan; Kotchen, Theodore A; Cowley, Allen W; Hamet, Pavel

2008-04-01

The sexual dimorphism of cardiovascular traits, as well as susceptibility to a variety of related diseases, has long been recognized, yet their sex-specific genomic determinants are largely unknown. We systematically assessed the sex-specific heritability and linkage of 539 hemodynamic, metabolic, anthropometric, and humoral traits in 120 French-Canadian families from the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. We performed multipoint linkage analysis using microsatellite markers followed by peak-wide linkage scan based on Affymetrix Human Mapping 50K Array Xba240 single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes in 3 settings, including the entire sample and then separately in men and women. Nearly one half of the traits were age and sex independent, one quarter were both age and sex dependent, and one eighth were exclusively age or sex dependent. Sex-specific phenotypes are most frequent in heart rate and blood pressure categories, whereas sex- and age-independent determinants are predominant among humoral and biochemical parameters. Twenty sex-specific loci passing multiple testing criteria were corroborated by 2-point single nucleotide polymorphism linkage. Several resting systolic blood pressure measurements showed significant genotype-by-sex interaction, eg, male-specific locus at chromosome 12 (male-female logarithm of odds difference: 4.16; interaction P=0.0002), which was undetectable in the entire population, even after adjustment for sex. Detailed interrogation of this locus revealed a 220-kb block overlapping parts of TAO-kinase 3 and SUDS3 genes. In summary, a large number of complex cardiovascular traits display significant sexual dimorphism, for which we have demonstrated genomic determinants at the haplotype level. Many of these would have been missed in a traditional, sex-adjusted setting.

Smoothing of the bivariate LOD score for non-normal quantitative traits.

PubMed

Buil, Alfonso; Dyer, Thomas D; Almasy, Laura; Blangero, John

2005-12-30

Variance component analysis provides an efficient method for performing linkage analysis for quantitative traits. However, type I error of variance components-based likelihood ratio testing may be affected when phenotypic data are non-normally distributed (especially with high values of kurtosis). This results in inflated LOD scores when the normality assumption does not hold. Even though different solutions have been proposed to deal with this problem with univariate phenotypes, little work has been done in the multivariate case. We present an empirical approach to adjust the inflated LOD scores obtained from a bivariate phenotype that violates the assumption of normality. Using the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism data available for the Genetic Analysis Workshop 14, we show how bivariate linkage analysis with leptokurtotic traits gives an inflated type I error. We perform a novel correction that achieves acceptable levels of type I error.

Gene-Based Association Analysis for Censored Traits Via Fixed Effect Functional Regressions.

PubMed

Fan, Ruzong; Wang, Yifan; Yan, Qi; Ding, Ying; Weeks, Daniel E; Lu, Zhaohui; Ren, Haobo; Cook, Richard J; Xiong, Momiao; Swaroop, Anand; Chew, Emily Y; Chen, Wei

2016-02-01

Genetic studies of survival outcomes have been proposed and conducted recently, but statistical methods for identifying genetic variants that affect disease progression are rarely developed. Motivated by our ongoing real studies, here we develop Cox proportional hazard models using functional regression (FR) to perform gene-based association analysis of survival traits while adjusting for covariates. The proposed Cox models are fixed effect models where the genetic effects of multiple genetic variants are assumed to be fixed. We introduce likelihood ratio test (LRT) statistics to test for associations between the survival traits and multiple genetic variants in a genetic region. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed Cox RF LRT statistics have well-controlled type I error rates. To evaluate power, we compare the Cox FR LRT with the previously developed burden test (BT) in a Cox model and sequence kernel association test (SKAT), which is based on mixed effect Cox models. The Cox FR LRT statistics have higher power than or similar power as Cox SKAT LRT except when 50%/50% causal variants had negative/positive effects and all causal variants are rare. In addition, the Cox FR LRT statistics have higher power than Cox BT LRT. The models and related test statistics can be useful in the whole genome and whole exome association studies. An age-related macular degeneration dataset was analyzed as an example. © 2016 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Gene-based Association Analysis for Censored Traits Via Fixed Effect Functional Regressions

PubMed Central

Fan, Ruzong; Wang, Yifan; Yan, Qi; Ding, Ying; Weeks, Daniel E.; Lu, Zhaohui; Ren, Haobo; Cook, Richard J; Xiong, Momiao; Swaroop, Anand; Chew, Emily Y.; Chen, Wei

2015-01-01

Summary Genetic studies of survival outcomes have been proposed and conducted recently, but statistical methods for identifying genetic variants that affect disease progression are rarely developed. Motivated by our ongoing real studies, we develop here Cox proportional hazard models using functional regression (FR) to perform gene-based association analysis of survival traits while adjusting for covariates. The proposed Cox models are fixed effect models where the genetic effects of multiple genetic variants are assumed to be fixed. We introduce likelihood ratio test (LRT) statistics to test for associations between the survival traits and multiple genetic variants in a genetic region. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed Cox RF LRT statistics have well-controlled type I error rates. To evaluate power, we compare the Cox FR LRT with the previously developed burden test (BT) in a Cox model and sequence kernel association test (SKAT) which is based on mixed effect Cox models. The Cox FR LRT statistics have higher power than or similar power as Cox SKAT LRT except when 50%/50% causal variants had negative/positive effects and all causal variants are rare. In addition, the Cox FR LRT statistics have higher power than Cox BT LRT. The models and related test statistics can be useful in the whole genome and whole exome association studies. An age-related macular degeneration dataset was analyzed as an example. PMID:26782979

Behavioral Adjustment Moderates the Link Between Neuroticism and Biological Health Risk: A U.S.-Japan Comparison Study.

PubMed

Kitayama, Shinobu; Park, Jiyoung; Miyamoto, Yuri; Date, Heiwa; Boylan, Jennifer Morozink; Markus, Hazel R; Karasawa, Mayumi; Kawakami, Norito; Coe, Christopher L; Love, Gayle D; Ryff, Carol D

2018-06-01

Neuroticism, a broad personality trait linked to negative emotions, is consistently linked to ill health when self-report is used to assess health. However, when health risk is assessed with biomarkers, the evidence is inconsistent. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the association between neuroticism and biological health risk is moderated by behavioral adjustment, a propensity to flexibly adjust behaviors to environmental contingencies. Using a U.S.-Japan cross-cultural survey, we found that neuroticism was linked to lower biological health risk for those who are high, but not low, in behavioral adjustment. Importantly, Japanese were higher in behavioral adjustment than European Americans, and as predicted by this cultural difference, neuroticism was linked to lower biological health risk for Japanese but not for European Americans. Finally, consistent with prior evidence, neuroticism was associated with worse self-reported health regardless of behavioral adjustment or culture. Discussion focused on the significance of identifying sociocultural correlates of biological health.

Depressive Symptoms and Their Interactions With Emotions and Personality Traits Over Time: Interaction Networks in a Psychiatric Clinic.

PubMed

Semino, Laura N; Marksteiner, Josef; Brauchle, Gernot; Danay, Erik

2017-04-13

Associations between depression, personality traits, and emotions are complex and reciprocal. The aim of this study is to explore these interactions in dynamical networks and in a linear way over time depending on the severity of depression. Participants included 110 patients with depressive symptoms (DSM-5 criteria) who were recruited between October 2015 and February 2016 during their inpatient stay in a general psychiatric hospital in Hall in Tyrol, Austria. The patients filled out the Beck Depression Inventory-II, a German emotional competence questionnaire (Emotionale Kompetenz Fragebogen), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the German versions of the Big Five Inventory-short form and State-Trait-Anxiety-Depression Inventory regarding symptoms, emotions, and personality during their inpatient stay and at a 3-month follow-up by mail. Network and regression analyses were performed to explore interactions both in a linear and a dynamical way at baseline and 3 months later. Regression analyses showed that emotions and personality traits gain importance for the prediction of depressive symptoms with decreasing symptomatology at follow-up (personality: baseline, adjusted R2 = 0.24, P < .001; follow-up, adjusted R2 = 0.65, P < .001). Network analyses additionally showed that the interaction network of depression, emotions, and personality traits is significantly denser and more interconnected (network comparison test: P = .03) at follow-up than at baseline, meaning that with decreased symptoms interconnections get stronger. During depression, personality traits and emotions are walled off and not strongly interconnected with depressive symptoms in networks. With decreasing depressive symptomatology, interfusing of these areas begins and interconnections become stronger. This finding has practical implications for interventions in an acute depressive state and with decreased symptoms. The network approach offers a new perspective on interactions and is a way to make the complexity of these interactions more tangible. © Copyright 2017 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Does personality predict mortality? Results from the GAZEL French prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Nabi, Hermann; Kivimäki, Mika; Zins, Marie; Elovainio, Marko; Consoli, Silla M.; Cordier, Sylvaine; Ducimetière, Pierre; Goldberg, Marcel; Singh-Manoux, Archana

2008-01-01

Background Majority of studies on personality and physical health have focused on one or two isolated personality traits. We aim to test the independent association of 10 personality traits, from three major conceptual models, with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the French GAZEL cohort. Methods A total of 14,445 participants, aged 39–54 in 1993, completed the personality questionnaires composed of the Bortner Type-A scale, the Buss-Durkee-Hostility-Inventory (for total, neurotic and reactive hostility), and the Grossarth-Maticek-Eysenck-Personality- Stress-Inventory that assesses six personality types (cancer-prone, coronary heart disease (CHD)-prone, ambivalent, healthy, rational, anti-social). The association between personality traits and mortality, during a mean follow-up of 12.7 years, was assessed using the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) in Cox regression. Results In models adjusted for age, sex, marital status and education, all-cause and causespecific mortality were predicted by “total hostility”, its “neurotic hostility” component as well as by “CHD-prone”, “ambivalent” “antisocial”, and “healthy” personality types. After mutually adjusting personality traits for each other, only high “neurotic hostility” remained a robust predictor of excess mortality from all causes (RII=2.62; 95% CI=1.68–4.09) and external causes (RII=3.24; 95% CI=1.03–10.18). “CHD-prone” (RII=2.23; 95% CI=0.72– 6.95) and “anti-social” (RII=2.13; 95% CI 0.61–6.58) personality types were associated with cardiovascular mortality and with mortality from external causes, respectively, but confidence intervals were wider. Adjustment for potential behavioural mediators had only a modest effect on these associations. Conclusions Neurotic hostility, CHD-prone personality and antisocial personality were all predictive of mortality outcomes. Further research is required to determine the precise mechanisms that contribute to these associations. PMID:18263645

Adjustment to acquired vision loss in adults presenting for visual disability certification.

PubMed

Nakade, Aditya; Rohatgi, Jolly; Bhatia, Manjeet S; Dhaliwal, Upreet

2017-03-01

Rehabilitation of the visually disabled depends on how they adjust to loss; understanding contributing factors may help in effective rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to assess adjustment to acquired vision loss in adults. This observational study, conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology at a tertiary-level teaching hospital, included thirty persons (25-65 years) with <6/60 in the better eye, and vision loss since ≥6-months. Age, gender, rural/urban residence, education, current occupation, binocular distance vision, adjustment (Acceptance and Self-Worth Adjustment Scale), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale), social support (Duke Social Support and Stress Scale), and personality (10-item Personality Inventory scale) was recorded. To determine their effect on adjustment, Student's t-test was used for categorical variables, Pearson's correlation for age, and Spearman's correlation for depression, personality trait and social support and stress. Of 30 persons recruited, 24 were men (80%); 24 lived in urban areas (80%); 9 were employed (30%); and 14 (46.6%) had studied < Class 3. Adjustment was low (range: 33%-60%; mean: 43.6 ± 5.73). Reported support was low (median: 27.2; interquartile range [IQR]: 18.1-36.3); reported stress was low (median: 0.09; IQR: 0-18.1). Predominant personality traits (max score 14) were "Agreeableness" (average 12.0 ± 1.68) and "Conscientiousness" (average 11.3 ± 2.12). Emotional stability (average 9.2 ± 2.53) was less prominent. Depression score ranged from 17 to 50 (average 31.6 ± 6.01). The factors studied did not influence adjustment. Although adjustment did not vary with factors studied, all patients were depressed. Since perceived support and emotional stability was low, attention could be directed to support networks. Training patients in handling emotions, and training family members to respond to emotional needs of persons with visual disability, might contribute to reducing stress and depression.

Associating mapping of stigma characteristics using the USDA rice core collection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A mini-core from the USDA rice core collection was phenotyped for nine traits of stigma and spikelet and genotyped with 109 DNA markers. Marker-trait association mapping was used to identify the regions associated with the nine traits. Resulting associations were adjusted using false discovery rate ...

When does female multiple mating evolve to adjust inbreeding? Effects of inbreeding depression, direct costs, mating constraints, and polyandry as a threshold trait

PubMed Central

Duthie, A. Bradley; Bocedi, Greta; Reid, Jane M.

2016-01-01

Polyandry is often hypothesized to evolve to allow females to adjust the degree to which they inbreed. Multiple factors might affect such evolution, including inbreeding depression, direct costs, constraints on male availability, and the nature of polyandry as a threshold trait. Complex models are required to evaluate when evolution of polyandry to adjust inbreeding is predicted to arise. We used a genetically explicit individual‐based model to track the joint evolution of inbreeding strategy and polyandry defined as a polygenic threshold trait. Evolution of polyandry to avoid inbreeding only occurred given strong inbreeding depression, low direct costs, and severe restrictions on initial versus additional male availability. Evolution of polyandry to prefer inbreeding only occurred given zero inbreeding depression and direct costs, and given similarly severe restrictions on male availability. However, due to its threshold nature, phenotypic polyandry was frequently expressed even when strongly selected against and hence maladaptive. Further, the degree to which females adjusted inbreeding through polyandry was typically very small, and often reflected constraints on male availability rather than adaptive reproductive strategy. Evolution of polyandry solely to adjust inbreeding might consequently be highly restricted in nature, and such evolution cannot necessarily be directly inferred from observed magnitudes of inbreeding adjustment. PMID:27464756

Age differences in personality traits from 10 to 65: Big Five domains and facets in a large cross-sectional sample.

PubMed

Soto, Christopher J; John, Oliver P; Gosling, Samuel D; Potter, Jeff

2011-02-01

Hypotheses about mean-level age differences in the Big Five personality domains, as well as 10 more specific facet traits within those domains, were tested in a very large cross-sectional sample (N = 1,267,218) of children, adolescents, and adults (ages 10-65) assessed over the World Wide Web. The results supported several conclusions. First, late childhood and adolescence were key periods. Across these years, age trends for some traits (a) were especially pronounced, (b) were in a direction different from the corresponding adult trends, or (c) first indicated the presence of gender differences. Second, there were some negative trends in psychosocial maturity from late childhood into adolescence, whereas adult trends were overwhelmingly in the direction of greater maturity and adjustment. Third, the related but distinguishable facet traits within each broad Big Five domain often showed distinct age trends, highlighting the importance of facet-level research for understanding life span age differences in personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Characterization of biological types of cattle (Cycle IV): carcass traits and longissimus palatability.

PubMed

Wheeler, T L; Cundiff, L V; Koch, R M; Crouse, J D

1996-05-01

Carcass and longissimus thoracis palatability traits from 888 steers obtained from mating Hereford and Angus cows to Hereford or Angus (HA), Charolais (Ch), Gelbvieh (Gb), Pinzgauer (Pz), Shorthorn (Sh), Galloway (Gw), Longhorn (Lh), Nellore (Ne), Piedmontese (Pm), and Salers (Sa) sires were compared. Data were adjusted to constant age (426 d), carcass weight (324 kg), fat thickness (1.2 cm), fat trim percentage (23%), and marbling (small00) end points. At a constant age of 426 d, carcasses from Ch steers were heaviest (P < .05) and Gw and Lh carcasses were lightest (P < .05). Adjusted fat thickness was greatest (P < .05) on carcasses from HA and least (P < .05) on carcasses from Ch, Gb, Lh, and Pm steers. USDA numerical yield grades were lowest (P < .05) for carcasses from Pm and highest (P < .05) for carcasses from HA, Ne, and Sh steers. Marbling scores were highest (P < .05) for carcasses from HA, Pz, and Sh and lowest (P < .05) for carcasses from Ch, Ne, and Pm steers. Longissimus thoracis from Pz had a lower (P < .05) shear force than that from all other breeds except HA, Gb, and Pm. Longissimus thoracis of carcasses from Ne steers was least (P < .05) tender. Adjustment of traits to various end points resulted in some changes in sire breed differences depending on the end point and the trait being considered but had little effect on palatability traits. Carcasses from Pm-sired steers provided the most desirable combination of carcass and longissimus palatability traits.

Evolutionary stasis and lability in thermal physiology in a group of tropical lizards.

PubMed

Muñoz, Martha M; Stimola, Maureen A; Algar, Adam C; Conover, Asa; Rodriguez, Anthony J; Landestoy, Miguel A; Bakken, George S; Losos, Jonathan B

2014-03-07

Understanding how quickly physiological traits evolve is a topic of great interest, particularly in the context of how organisms can adapt in response to climate warming. Adjustment to novel thermal habitats may occur either through behavioural adjustments, physiological adaptation or both. Here, we test whether rates of evolution differ among physiological traits in the cybotoids, a clade of tropical Anolis lizards distributed in markedly different thermal environments on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. We find that cold tolerance evolves considerably faster than heat tolerance, a difference that results because behavioural thermoregulation more effectively shields these organisms from selection on upper than lower temperature tolerances. Specifically, because lizards in very different environments behaviourally thermoregulate during the day to similar body temperatures, divergent selection on body temperature and heat tolerance is precluded, whereas night-time temperatures can only be partially buffered by behaviour, thereby exposing organisms to selection on cold tolerance. We discuss how exposure to selection on physiology influences divergence among tropical organisms and its implications for adaptive evolutionary response to climate warming.

Evolutionary stasis and lability in thermal physiology in a group of tropical lizards

PubMed Central

Muñoz, Martha M.; Stimola, Maureen A.; Algar, Adam C.; Conover, Asa; Rodriguez, Anthony J.; Landestoy, Miguel A.; Bakken, George S.; Losos, Jonathan B.

2014-01-01

Understanding how quickly physiological traits evolve is a topic of great interest, particularly in the context of how organisms can adapt in response to climate warming. Adjustment to novel thermal habitats may occur either through behavioural adjustments, physiological adaptation or both. Here, we test whether rates of evolution differ among physiological traits in the cybotoids, a clade of tropical Anolis lizards distributed in markedly different thermal environments on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. We find that cold tolerance evolves considerably faster than heat tolerance, a difference that results because behavioural thermoregulation more effectively shields these organisms from selection on upper than lower temperature tolerances. Specifically, because lizards in very different environments behaviourally thermoregulate during the day to similar body temperatures, divergent selection on body temperature and heat tolerance is precluded, whereas night-time temperatures can only be partially buffered by behaviour, thereby exposing organisms to selection on cold tolerance. We discuss how exposure to selection on physiology influences divergence among tropical organisms and its implications for adaptive evolutionary response to climate warming. PMID:24430845

Pregnant women with the sickle cell trait are not at increased risk for developing preeclampsia.

PubMed

Stamilio, David M; Sehdev, Harish M; Macones, George A

2003-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether having the sickle cell trait is independently associated with preeclampsia. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 1998 pregnant patients who either did or did not have the sickle cell trait. All patients were screened for the sickle trait using the "Sickledex" test. Data on neonatal and maternal outcome, including preeclampsia, and potential confounding variables were abstracted from medical records. Unadjusted, stratified, and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify interactions, and confounding between multiple variables and the association between sickle cell trait and preeclampsia. With an anticipated 6.5% rate of preeclampsia, and alpha = 0.05, this cohort study has 80% power to detect a relative risk (RR) of 2.3 for preeclampsia. Univariate analysis revealed that the two cohorts were similar with regard to primiparity, maternal age, chronic diseases, birth weight, and gestational age at delivery, but the sickle cell trait cohort was more likely to have gestational diabetes and had a higher mean body mass index (BMI). In the univariate analysis, the sickle cell trait cohort was not at increased risk for preeclampsia [unadjusted RR = 0.5, 95% CI (0.2-1.6)]. After controlling for potential confounding variables with logistic regression analysis, sickle trait was not independently associated with preeclampsia [adjusted RR = 0.5, 95% CI (0.2- 1.6)]. In contrast to prior work, these data suggest that the sickle cell trait is not an independent risk factor for preeclampsia or postpartum complications. In fact, the data are more consistent with the sickle trait being protective for developing preeclampsia.

Gene Level Meta-Analysis of Quantitative Traits by Functional Linear Models.

PubMed

Fan, Ruzong; Wang, Yifan; Boehnke, Michael; Chen, Wei; Li, Yun; Ren, Haobo; Lobach, Iryna; Xiong, Momiao

2015-08-01

Meta-analysis of genetic data must account for differences among studies including study designs, markers genotyped, and covariates. The effects of genetic variants may differ from population to population, i.e., heterogeneity. Thus, meta-analysis of combining data of multiple studies is difficult. Novel statistical methods for meta-analysis are needed. In this article, functional linear models are developed for meta-analyses that connect genetic data to quantitative traits, adjusting for covariates. The models can be used to analyze rare variants, common variants, or a combination of the two. Both likelihood-ratio test (LRT) and F-distributed statistics are introduced to test association between quantitative traits and multiple variants in one genetic region. Extensive simulations are performed to evaluate empirical type I error rates and power performance of the proposed tests. The proposed LRT and F-distributed statistics control the type I error very well and have higher power than the existing methods of the meta-analysis sequence kernel association test (MetaSKAT). We analyze four blood lipid levels in data from a meta-analysis of eight European studies. The proposed methods detect more significant associations than MetaSKAT and the P-values of the proposed LRT and F-distributed statistics are usually much smaller than those of MetaSKAT. The functional linear models and related test statistics can be useful in whole-genome and whole-exome association studies. Copyright © 2015 by the Genetics Society of America.

Association among stress, personality traits, and sleep bruxism in children.

PubMed

Serra-Negra, Junia M; Paiva, Saul M; Flores-Mendoza, Carmen E; Ramos-Jorge, Maria L; Pordeus, Isabela A

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the association among stress levels, personality traits, and sleep bruxism in children. A population-based case control study (proportion=1:2) was conducted involving 120 7- to 11-year-olds with sleep bruxism and 240 children without sleep bruxism. The sample was randomly selected from schools in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The following instruments were used for data collection: questionnaire administered to parents; child stress scale; and neuroticism and responsibility scales of the big five questionnaire for children. Psychological tests were administered and evaluated by psychologists. Sleep bruxism was diagnosed from parents' reports. The chi-square test, as well as binary and multivariate logistic regression, was applied for statistical analysis. In the adjusted logistic model, children with a high level of stress, due to psychological reactions (odds ratio=1.8; confidence interval=1.1-2.9) and a high sense of responsibility (OR=1.6; CI=1.0-2.5) vs those with low levels of these psychological traits, presented a nearly 2-fold greater chance of exhibiting the habit of sleep bruxism. High levels of stress and responsibility are key factors in the development of sleep bruxism among children.

Sickle Cell Trait, Rhabdomyolysis, and Mortality among U.S. Army Soldiers

PubMed Central

Nelson, D. Alan; Deuster, Patricia A.; Carter, Robert; Hill, Owen T.; Wolcott, Vickee L.; Kurina, Lianne M.

2016-01-01

Background Studies have suggested that sickle cell trait elevates the risks of exertional rhabdomyolysis and death. We conducted a study of sickle cell trait in relation to these outcomes, controlling for known risk factors for exertional rhabdomyolysis, in a large population of active persons who had undergone laboratory tests for hemoglobin AS (HbAS) and who were subject to exertional-injury precautions. Methods We used Cox proportional-hazards models to test whether the risks of exertional rhabdomyolysis and death varied according to sickle cell trait status among 47,944 black soldiers who had undergone testing for HbAS and who were on active duty in the U.S. Army between January 2011 and December 2014. We used the Stanford Military Data Repository, which contains comprehensive medical and administrative data on all active-duty soldiers. Results There was no significant difference in the risk of death among soldiers with sickle cell trait, as compared with those without the trait (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46 to 2.13; P = 0.97), but the trait was associated with a significantly higher adjusted risk of exertional rhabdomyolysis (hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.12 to 2.12; P = 0.008). This effect was similar in magnitude to that associated with tobacco use, as compared with no use (hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.23 to 1.94; P<0.001), and to that associated with having a body-mass index (BMI; the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of 30.0 or more, as compared with a BMI of less than 25.0 (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.86; P = 0.03). The effect was less than that associated with recent use of a statin, as compared with no use (hazard ratio, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.51 to 5.55; P = 0.001), or an antipsychotic agent (hazard ratio, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.34 to 6.82; P = 0.008). Conclusions Sickle cell trait was not associated with a higher risk of death than absence of the trait, but it was associated with a significantly higher risk of exertional rhabdomyolysis. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.) PMID:27518662

Mapping the natural variation in whole bone stiffness and strength across skeletal sites.

PubMed

Schlecht, Stephen H; Bigelow, Erin M R; Jepsen, Karl J

2014-10-01

Traits of the skeletal system are coordinately adjusted to establish mechanical homeostasis in response to genetic and environmental factors. Prior work demonstrated that this 'complex adaptive' process is not perfect, revealing a two-fold difference in whole bone stiffness of the tibia across a population. Robustness (specifically, total cross-sectional area relative to length) varies widely across skeletal sites and between sexes. However, it is unknown whether the natural variation in whole bone stiffness and strength also varies across skeletal sites and between men and women. We tested the hypotheses that: 1) all major long bones of the appendicular skeleton demonstrate inherent, systemic constraints in the degree to which morphological and compositional traits can be adjusted for a given robustness; and 2) these traits covary in a predictable manner independent of body size and robustness. We assessed the functional relationships among robustness, cortical area (Ct.Ar), cortical tissue mineral density (Ct.TMD), and bone strength index (BSI) across the long bones of the upper and lower limbs of 115 adult men and women. All bones showed a significant (p<0.001) positive regression between BSI and robustness after adjusting for body size, with slender bones being 1.7-2.3 times less stiff and strong in men and 1.3-2.8 times less stiff and strong in women compared to robust bones. Our findings are the first to document the natural inter-individual variation in whole bone stiffness and strength that exist within populations and that is predictable based on skeletal robustness for all major long bones. Documenting and further understanding this natural variation in strength may be critical for differentially diagnosing and treating skeletal fragility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping the natural variation in whole bone stiffness and strength across skeletal sites

PubMed Central

Schlecht, Stephen H.; Bigelow, Erin M.R.; Jepsen, Karl J.

2016-01-01

Traits of the skeletal system are coordinately adjusted to establish mechanical homeostasis in response to genetic and environmental factors. Prior work demonstrated that this `complex adaptive' process is not perfect, revealing a two-fold difference in whole bone stiffness of the tibia across a population. Robustness (specifically, total cross-sectional area relative to length) varies widely across skeletal sites and between sexes. However, it is unknown whether the natural variation in whole bone stiffness and strength also varies across skeletal sites and between men and women. We tested the hypotheses that: 1) all major long bones of the appendicular skeleton demonstrate inherent, systemic constraints in the degree to which morphological and compositional traits can be adjusted for a given robustness; and 2) these traits covary in a predictable manner independent of body size and robustness. We assessed the functional relationships among robustness, cortical area (Ct.Ar), cortical tissue mineral density (Ct.TMD), and bone strength index (BSI) across the long bones of the upper and lower limbs of 115 adult men and women. All bones showed a significant (p < 0.001) positive regression between BSI and robustness after adjusting for body size, with slender bones being 1.7–2.3 times less stiff and strong in men and 1.3–2.8 times less stiff and strong in women compared to robust bones. Our findings are the first to document the natural inter-individual variation in whole bone stiffness and strength that exist within populations and that is predictable based on skeletal robustness for all major long bones. Documenting and further understanding this natural variation in strength may be critical for differentially diagnosing and treating skeletal fragility. PMID:24999223

Increased genomic prediction accuracy in wheat breeding through spatial adjustment of field trial data.

PubMed

Lado, Bettina; Matus, Ivan; Rodríguez, Alejandra; Inostroza, Luis; Poland, Jesse; Belzile, François; del Pozo, Alejandro; Quincke, Martín; Castro, Marina; von Zitzewitz, Jarislav

2013-12-09

In crop breeding, the interest of predicting the performance of candidate cultivars in the field has increased due to recent advances in molecular breeding technologies. However, the complexity of the wheat genome presents some challenges for applying new technologies in molecular marker identification with next-generation sequencing. We applied genotyping-by-sequencing, a recently developed method to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms, in the genomes of 384 wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes that were field tested under three different water regimes in Mediterranean climatic conditions: rain-fed only, mild water stress, and fully irrigated. We identified 102,324 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in these genotypes, and the phenotypic data were used to train and test genomic selection models intended to predict yield, thousand-kernel weight, number of kernels per spike, and heading date. Phenotypic data showed marked spatial variation. Therefore, different models were tested to correct the trends observed in the field. A mixed-model using moving-means as a covariate was found to best fit the data. When we applied the genomic selection models, the accuracy of predicted traits increased with spatial adjustment. Multiple genomic selection models were tested, and a Gaussian kernel model was determined to give the highest accuracy. The best predictions between environments were obtained when data from different years were used to train the model. Our results confirm that genotyping-by-sequencing is an effective tool to obtain genome-wide information for crops with complex genomes, that these data are efficient for predicting traits, and that correction of spatial variation is a crucial ingredient to increase prediction accuracy in genomic selection models.

Naturally occurring circadian rhythm and sleep duration are related to executive functions in early adulthood.

PubMed

Kuula, Liisa; Pesonen, Anu-Katriina; Heinonen, Kati; Kajantie, Eero; Eriksson, Johan Gunnar; Andersson, Sture; Lano, Aulikki; Lahti, Jari; Wolke, Dieter; Räikkönen, Katri

2018-02-01

Experimental sleep deprivation studies suggest that insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment associates with poorer executive function. It is not known whether this association translates to naturally occurring sleep patterns. A total of 512 of full-term-born members of the Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study [mean age = 25.3, standard deviation (SD) = 0.65] (44.3% men) wore actigraphs to define sleep duration, its irregularity and circadian rhythm (sleep mid-point) during a 1-week period (mean 6.9 nights, SD = 1.7). Performance-based executive function was assessed with the Trail-Making Test, Conners' Continuous Performance Test and Stroop. The self-rated adult version of Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function was used to assess trait-like executive function. We found that performance-based and self-reported trait-like executive function correlated only modestly (all correlations ≤0.17). Shorter sleep duration associated with more commission errors. Later circadian rhythm associated with poorer trait-like executive function, as indicated by the Brief Metacognitive Index and the Behavior Regulation Index. Those belonging to the group with the most irregular sleep duration performed slower than others in the Trail-Making Test Part A. All associations were adjusted for sex, age, socioeconomic status and body mass index. In conclusion, naturally occurring insufficient sleep and later circadian rhythm showed modest associations with poorer executive function. Shorter habitual sleep duration was associated with lower scores of performance-based tests of executive function, and later circadian rhythm was associated mainly with poorer trait-like executive function characteristics. Our findings suggest additionally that sleep duration and circadian rhythm associate with different domains of executive function, and there are no additive effects between the two. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

Short communication: Effects of pregnancy on milk yield, composition traits, and coagulation properties of Holstein cows.

PubMed

Penasa, M; De Marchi, M; Cassandro, M

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pregnancy stage on milk yield, composition traits, and milk coagulation properties in Italian Holstein cattle. The data set included 25,729 records from 3,995 first-parity cows calving between August 2010 and August 2013 in 167 herds. The traits analyzed were milk yield (kg/d), fat (%), protein (%), casein (%), and lactose (%) contents, pH, somatic cell score, rennet coagulation time (min), and curd firmness (mm). To better understand the effect of gestation on the aforementioned traits, each record was assigned to one of the following classes of pregnancy stage: (1) nonpregnant, (2) pregnant from 1 to 120d, (3) pregnant from 121 to 210d, and (4) pregnant from 211 to 310d. Gestation stage significantly influenced all studied traits with the exception of somatic cell score. Milk production decreased and milk quality improved from the fourth month of pregnancy onward. For all traits, nonpregnant cows performed very similarly to cows in the first period of gestation. Rennet coagulation time and curd firmness were influenced by pregnancy stage, especially in the last weeks of gestation when milk had better coagulation characteristics; this information should be accounted for to adjust test-day records in genetic evaluation of milk coagulation properties. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide copy number variation analysis identified deletions in SFMBT1 associated with fasting plasma glucose in a Han Chinese population.

PubMed

Chung, Ren-Hua; Chiu, Yen-Feng; Hung, Yi-Jen; Lee, Wen-Jane; Wu, Kwan-Dun; Chen, Hui-Ling; Lin, Ming-Wei; Chen, Yii-Der I; Quertermous, Thomas; Hsiung, Chao A

2017-08-08

Fasting glucose and fasting insulin are glycemic traits closely related to diabetes, and understanding the role of genetic factors in these traits can help reveal the etiology of type 2 diabetes. Although single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in several candidate genes have been found to be associated with fasting glucose and fasting insulin, copy number variations (CNVs), which have been reported to be associated with several complex traits, have not been reported for association with these two traits. We aimed to identify CNVs associated with fasting glucose and fasting insulin. We conducted a genome-wide CNV association analysis for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting plasma insulin (FPI) using a family-based genome-wide association study sample from a Han Chinese population in Taiwan. A family-based CNV association test was developed in this study to identify common CNVs (i.e., CNVs with frequencies ≥ 5%), and a generalized estimating equation approach was used to test the associations between the traits and counts of global rare CNVs (i.e., CNVs with frequencies <5%). We found a significant genome-wide association for common deletions with a frequency of 5.2% in the Scm-like with four mbt domains 1 (SFMBT1) gene with FPG (association p-value = 2×10 -4 and an adjusted p-value = 0.0478 for multiple testing). No significant association was observed between global rare CNVs and FPG or FPI. The deletions in 20 individuals with DNA samples available were successfully validated using PCR-based amplification. The association of the deletions in SFMBT1 with FPG was further evaluated using an independent population-based replication sample obtained from the Taiwan Biobank. An association p-value of 0.065, which was close to the significance level of 0.05, for FPG was obtained by testing 9 individuals with CNVs in the SFMBT1 gene region and 11,692 individuals with normal copies in the replication cohort. Previous studies have found that SNPs in SFMBT1 are associated with blood pressure and serum urate concentration, suggesting that SFMBT1 may have functional implications in some metabolic-related traits.

Examining the Correlation between Objective Injury Parameters, Personality Traits, and Adjustment Measures among Burn Victims

PubMed Central

Weissman, Oren; Domniz, Noam; Petashnick, Yoel R.; Gilboa, Dalia; Raviv, Tal; Barzilai, Liran; Farber, Nimrod; Harats, Moti; Winkler, Eyal; Haik, Josef

2015-01-01

Background: Burn victims experience immense physical and mental hardship during their process of rehabilitation and regaining functionality. We examined different objective burn-related factors as well as psychological ones, in the form of personality traits that may affect the rehabilitation process and its outcome. Objective: To assess the influence and correlation of specific personality traits and objective injury-related parameters on the adjustment of burn victims post-injury. Methods: Sixty-two male patients admitted to our burn unit due to burn injuries were compared with 36 healthy male individuals by use of questionnaires to assess each group’s psychological adjustment parameters. Multivariate and hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to identify differences between the groups. Results: A significant negative correlation was found between the objective burn injury severity (e.g., total body surface area and burn depth) and the adjustment of burn victims (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, Table 3). Moreover, patients more severely injured tend to be more neurotic (p < 0.001), and less extroverted and agreeable (p < 0.01, Table 4). Conclusion: Extroverted burn victims tend to adjust better to their post-injury life while the neurotic patients tend to have difficulties adjusting. This finding may suggest new tools for early identification of maladjustment-prone patients and therefore provide them with better psychological support in a more dedicated manner. PMID:25874193

When does female multiple mating evolve to adjust inbreeding? Effects of inbreeding depression, direct costs, mating constraints, and polyandry as a threshold trait.

PubMed

Duthie, A Bradley; Bocedi, Greta; Reid, Jane M

2016-09-01

Polyandry is often hypothesized to evolve to allow females to adjust the degree to which they inbreed. Multiple factors might affect such evolution, including inbreeding depression, direct costs, constraints on male availability, and the nature of polyandry as a threshold trait. Complex models are required to evaluate when evolution of polyandry to adjust inbreeding is predicted to arise. We used a genetically explicit individual-based model to track the joint evolution of inbreeding strategy and polyandry defined as a polygenic threshold trait. Evolution of polyandry to avoid inbreeding only occurred given strong inbreeding depression, low direct costs, and severe restrictions on initial versus additional male availability. Evolution of polyandry to prefer inbreeding only occurred given zero inbreeding depression and direct costs, and given similarly severe restrictions on male availability. However, due to its threshold nature, phenotypic polyandry was frequently expressed even when strongly selected against and hence maladaptive. Further, the degree to which females adjusted inbreeding through polyandry was typically very small, and often reflected constraints on male availability rather than adaptive reproductive strategy. Evolution of polyandry solely to adjust inbreeding might consequently be highly restricted in nature, and such evolution cannot necessarily be directly inferred from observed magnitudes of inbreeding adjustment. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.

MACROD2 gene associated with autistic-like traits in a general population sample.

PubMed

Jones, Rachel M; Cadby, Gemma; Blangero, John; Abraham, Lawrence J; Whitehouse, Andrew J O; Moses, Eric K

2014-12-01

There is now substantial evidence that autistic-like traits in the general population lie on a continuum, with clinical autism spectrum disorders (ASD) representing the extreme end of this distribution. In this study, we sought to evaluate five independently identified genetic associations with ASD with autistic-like traits in the general population. In the study cohort, clinical phenotype and genomewide association genotype data were obtained from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. The outcome measure used was the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), a quantitative measure of autistic-like traits of individuals in the cohort. Total AQ scores were calculated for each individual, as well as scores for three subscales. Five candidate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations with ASD, reported in previously published genomewide association studies, were selected using a nominal cutoff value of P less than 1.0×10. We tested whether these five SNPs were associated with total AQ and the subscales, after adjustment for possible confounders. SNP rs4141463 located in the macro domain containing 2 (MACROD2) gene was significantly associated with the Communication/Mindreading subscale. No other SNP was significantly associated with total AQ or the subscales. The MACROD2 gene is a strong positional candidate risk factor for autistic-like traits in the general population.

Anger Proneness, Gender, and the Risk of Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Kucharska-Newton, Anna M.; Williams, Janice E.; Chang, Patricia P.; Stearns, Sally C.; Sueta, Carla A.; Blecker, Saul B.; Mosley, Thomas H.

2014-01-01

Background Evidence concerning the association of anger-proneness with incidence of heart failure is lacking. Methods Anger proneness was ascertained among 13,171 black and white participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study cohort using the Spielberger Trait Anger Scale. Incident heart failure events, defined as occurrence of ICD-9-CM code 428.x, were ascertained from participants’ medical records during follow-up 1990–2010. Relative hazard of heart failure across categories of trait anger was estimated from Cox proportional hazard models. Results Study participants (mean age 56.9 (SD 5.7) years) experienced 1,985 incident HF events during 18.5 (SD 4.9) years of follow-up. Incidence of HF was greater among those with high, as compared to those with low or moderate trait anger, with higher incidence observed for men as compared to women. The relative hazard of incident HF was modestly high among those with high trait anger, as compared to those with low or moderate trait anger (age-adjusted HR for men=1.44 (95% CI 1.23, 1.69). Adjustment for comorbidities and depressive symptoms attenuated the estimated age-adjusted relative hazard in men to 1.26 (95% CI 1.00, 1.60). Conclusion Assessment of anger proneness may be necessary in successful prevention and clinical management of heart failure, especially in men. PMID:25284390

Genetic and environmental variation in methane emissions of sheep at pasture.

PubMed

Robinson, D L; Goopy, J P; Hegarty, R S; Oddy, V H; Thompson, A N; Toovey, A F; Macleay, C A; Briegal, J R; Woodgate, R T; Donaldson, A J; Vercoe, P E

2014-10-01

A total of 2,600 methane (CH4) and 1,847 CO2 measurements of sheep housed for 1 h in portable accumulation chambers (PAC) were recorded at 5 sites from the Australian Sheep CRC Information Nucleus, which was set up to test leading young industry sires for an extensive range of current and novel production traits. The final validated dataset had 2,455 methane records from 2,279 animals, which were the progeny of 187 sires and 1,653 dams with 7,690 animals in the pedigree file. The protocol involved rounding up animals from pasture into a holding paddock before the first measurement on each day and then measuring in groups of up to 16 sheep over the course of the day. Methane emissions declined linearly (with different slopes for each site) with time since the sheep were drafted into the holding area. After log transformation, estimated repeatability (rpt) and heritability (h(2)) of liveweight-adjusted CH4 emissions averaged 25% and 11.7%, respectively, for a single 1-h measurement. Sire × site interactions were small and nonsignificant. Correlations between EBV for methane emissions and Sheep Genetics Australia EBV for production traits were used as approximations to genetic correlations. Apart from small positive correlations with weaning and yearling weights (r = 0.21-0.25, P < 0.05), there were no significant relationships between production trait and methane EBV (calculated from a model adjusting for liveweight by fitting separate slopes for each site). To improve accuracy, future protocols should use the mean of 2 (rpt = 39%, h(2) = 18.6%) or 3 (rpt = 48%, h(2) = 23.2%) PAC measurements. Repeat tests under different pasture conditions and time of year should also be considered, as well as protocols measuring animals directly off pasture instead of rounding them up in the morning. Reducing the time in the PAC from 1 h to 40 min would have a relatively small effect on overall accuracy and partly offset the additional time needed for more tests per animal. Field testing in PAC has the potential to provide accurate comparisons of animal and site methane emissions, with potentially lower cost/increased accuracy compared to alternatives such as SF6 tracers or open path lasers. If similar results are obtained from tests with different protocols/seasonal conditions, use of PAC measurements in a multitrait selection index with production traits could potentially reduce methane emissions from Australian sheep for the same production level.

Infant muscle tone and childhood autistic traits: A longitudinal study in the general population.

PubMed

Serdarevic, Fadila; Ghassabian, Akhgar; van Batenburg-Eddes, Tamara; White, Tonya; Blanken, Laura M E; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Verhulst, Frank C; Tiemeier, Henning

2017-05-01

In a longitudinal population-based study of 2,905 children, we investigated if infants' neuromotor development was associated with autistic traits in childhood. Overall motor development and muscle tone were examined by trained research assistants with an adapted version of Touwen's Neurodevelopmental Examination between ages 2 and 5 months. Tone was assessed in several positions and items were scored as normal, low, or high tone. Parents rated their children's autistic traits with the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Pervasive Developmental Problems (PDP) subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist at 6 years. We defined clinical PDP if scores were >98th percentile of the norm population. Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was clinically confirmed in 30 children. We observed a modest association between overall neuromotor development in infants and autistic traits. Low muscle tone in infancy predicted autistic traits measured by SRS (adjusted beta = 0.05, 95% CI for B: 0.00-0.02, P = 0.01), and PDP (adjusted beta = 0.08, 95% CI for B: 0.04-0.10, P < 0.001). Similar results emerged for the association of low muscle tone and clinical PDP (adjusted OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.08-1.72, P = 0.01) at age 6 years. Results remained unchanged if adjusted for child intelligence. There was no association between high muscle tone and SRS or PDP. Exclusion of children with ASD diagnosis did not change the association. This large study showed a prospective association of infant muscle tone with autistic traits in childhood. Our findings suggest that early detection of low muscle tone might be a gateway to improve early diagnosis of ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 757-768. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Genetic perturbations that impair functional trait interactions lead to reduced bone strength and increased fragility in mice

PubMed Central

Smith, Lauren M.; Bigelow, Erin M.R.; Nolan, Bonnie T.; Faillace, Meghan E.; Nadeau, Joseph H.; Jepsen, Karl J.

2014-01-01

Functional adaptation may complicate the choice of phenotype used in genetic studies that seek to identify genes contributing to fracture susceptibility. Often, genetic variants affecting one trait are compensated by coordinated changes in other traits. Bone fracture is a prototypic example because mechanical function of long bones (stiffness and strength) depends on how the system coordinately adjusts the amount (cortical area) and quality (tissue-mineral density, TMD) of bone tissue to mechanically offset the natural variation in bone robustness (total area/length). We propose that efforts aimed at identifying genes regulating fracture resistance will benefit from better understanding how functional adaptation contributes to the genotype-phenotype relationship. We analyzed the femurs of C57BL/6J – ChrA/J/NaJ Chromosome Substitution Strains (CSSs) to systemically interrogate the mouse genome for chromosomes harboring genes that regulate mechanical function. These CSSs (CSS-i, i = the substituted chromosome) showed changes in mechanical function on the order of -26.6 to 11.5% relative to the B6 reference strain after adjusting for body size. Seven substitutions showed altered robustness, cortical area, or TMD, but no effect on mechanical function (CSS-4, 5, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19); six substitutions showed altered robustness, cortical area, or TMD, and reduced mechanical function (CSS-1, 2, 6, 10, 12, 15); and one substitution also showed reduced mechanical function but exhibited no significant changes in the three physical traits analyzed in this study (CSS-3). A key feature that distinguished CSSs that maintained function from those with reduced function was whether the system adjusted cortical area and TMD to the levels needed to compensate for the natural variation in bone robustness. These results provide a novel biomechanical mechanism linking genotype with phenotype, indicating that genes control function not only by regulating individual traits, but also by regulating how the system coordinately adjusts multiple traits to establish function. PMID:25003813

Functional linear models for association analysis of quantitative traits.

PubMed

Fan, Ruzong; Wang, Yifan; Mills, James L; Wilson, Alexander F; Bailey-Wilson, Joan E; Xiong, Momiao

2013-11-01

Functional linear models are developed in this paper for testing associations between quantitative traits and genetic variants, which can be rare variants or common variants or the combination of the two. By treating multiple genetic variants of an individual in a human population as a realization of a stochastic process, the genome of an individual in a chromosome region is a continuum of sequence data rather than discrete observations. The genome of an individual is viewed as a stochastic function that contains both linkage and linkage disequilibrium (LD) information of the genetic markers. By using techniques of functional data analysis, both fixed and mixed effect functional linear models are built to test the association between quantitative traits and genetic variants adjusting for covariates. After extensive simulation analysis, it is shown that the F-distributed tests of the proposed fixed effect functional linear models have higher power than that of sequence kernel association test (SKAT) and its optimal unified test (SKAT-O) for three scenarios in most cases: (1) the causal variants are all rare, (2) the causal variants are both rare and common, and (3) the causal variants are common. The superior performance of the fixed effect functional linear models is most likely due to its optimal utilization of both genetic linkage and LD information of multiple genetic variants in a genome and similarity among different individuals, while SKAT and SKAT-O only model the similarities and pairwise LD but do not model linkage and higher order LD information sufficiently. In addition, the proposed fixed effect models generate accurate type I error rates in simulation studies. We also show that the functional kernel score tests of the proposed mixed effect functional linear models are preferable in candidate gene analysis and small sample problems. The methods are applied to analyze three biochemical traits in data from the Trinity Students Study. © 2013 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Genetic Variants Associated With Quantitative Glucose Homeostasis Traits Translate to Type 2 Diabetes in Mexican Americans: The GUARDIAN (Genetics Underlying Diabetes in Hispanics) Consortium.

PubMed

Palmer, Nicholette D; Goodarzi, Mark O; Langefeld, Carl D; Wang, Nan; Guo, Xiuqing; Taylor, Kent D; Fingerlin, Tasha E; Norris, Jill M; Buchanan, Thomas A; Xiang, Anny H; Haritunians, Talin; Ziegler, Julie T; Williams, Adrienne H; Stefanovski, Darko; Cui, Jinrui; Mackay, Adrienne W; Henkin, Leora F; Bergman, Richard N; Gao, Xiaoyi; Gauderman, James; Varma, Rohit; Hanis, Craig L; Cox, Nancy J; Highland, Heather M; Below, Jennifer E; Williams, Amy L; Burtt, Noel P; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A; Huerta-Chagoya, Alicia; Gonzalez-Villalpando, Clicerio; Orozco, Lorena; Haiman, Christopher A; Tsai, Michael Y; Johnson, W Craig; Yao, Jie; Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura; Pankow, James; Snively, Beverly; Jackson, Rebecca D; Liu, Simin; Nadler, Jerry L; Kandeel, Fouad; Chen, Yii-Der I; Bowden, Donald W; Rich, Stephen S; Raffel, Leslie J; Rotter, Jerome I; Watanabe, Richard M; Wagenknecht, Lynne E

2015-05-01

Insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, insulin clearance, and glucose effectiveness exhibit strong genetic components, although few studies have examined their genetic architecture or influence on type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. We hypothesized that loci affecting variation in these quantitative traits influence T2D. We completed a multicohort genome-wide association study to search for loci influencing T2D-related quantitative traits in 4,176 Mexican Americans. Quantitative traits were measured by the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (four cohorts) or euglycemic clamp (three cohorts), and random-effects models were used to test the association between loci and quantitative traits, adjusting for age, sex, and admixture proportions (Discovery). Analysis revealed a significant (P < 5.00 × 10(-8)) association at 11q14.3 (MTNR1B) with acute insulin response. Loci with P < 0.0001 among the quantitative traits were examined for translation to T2D risk in 6,463 T2D case and 9,232 control subjects of Mexican ancestry (Translation). Nonparametric meta-analysis of the Discovery and Translation cohorts identified significant associations at 6p24 (SLC35B3/TFAP2A) with glucose effectiveness/T2D, 11p15 (KCNQ1) with disposition index/T2D, and 6p22 (CDKAL1) and 11q14 (MTNR1B) with acute insulin response/T2D. These results suggest that T2D and insulin secretion and sensitivity have both shared and distinct genetic factors, potentially delineating genomic components of these quantitative traits that drive the risk for T2D. © 2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.

Association of genetic predisposition to obesity with type 2 diabetes risk in Han Chinese individuals.

PubMed

Zhu, Jingwen; Zong, Geng; Lu, Ling; Gan, Wei; Ji, Linong; Hu, Renming; Ye, Xingwang; Sun, Liang; Loos, Ruth J F; Li, Huaixing; Lin, Xu

2014-09-01

Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but little is known about the contribution of BMI-associated loci to type 2 diabetes risk in East Asian populations. In this study, 30 known BMI-associated variants and a genetic risk score (GRS) calculated by summing the BMI-increasing alleles of these variants were tested for associations with type 2 diabetes and related glycaemic traits in 1,873 cases of type 2 diabetes and 1,839 controls in Han Chinese individuals. Logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to determine the association with type 2 diabetes risk or related glycaemic traits, respectively, under an additive model with or without adjustment for BMI. The GRS was significantly associated with increased BMI (β [SE] 0.070 [0.016]; p = 1.33 × 0(-5)) in the overall population. Each additional BMI-increasing allele in the GRS increased type 2 diabetes risk by 1.029-fold (95% CI 1.008, 1.050; p = 0.0056) without adjustment for BMI, and the association was slightly attenuated after adjustment for BMI (OR 1.022; 95% CI 1.002, 1.043; p = 0.035). In non-diabetic controls, the GRS was also associated with HOMA of beta cell function (HOMA-B) with adjustment for BMI (β [SE] -0.876 [0.345]; p = 0.011). Notably, the association of GRS with type 2 diabetes was abolished after adjusting for HOMA-B (OR 1.012; 95% CI 0.986, 1.039; p = 0.380). Our results suggested that genetic predisposition to obesity leads to increased risk of type 2 diabetes, independent of BMI and partly through impaired beta cell function.

Evolutionary and plastic responses of freshwater invertebrates to climate change: realized patterns and future potential.

PubMed

Stoks, Robby; Geerts, Aurora N; De Meester, Luc

2014-01-01

We integrated the evidence for evolutionary and plastic trait changes in situ in response to climate change in freshwater invertebrates (aquatic insects and zooplankton). The synthesis on the trait changes in response to the expected reductions in hydroperiod and increases in salinity indicated little evidence for adaptive, plastic, and genetic trait changes and for local adaptation. With respect to responses to temperature, there are many studies on temporal trait changes in phenology and body size in the wild that are believed to be driven by temperature increases, but there is a general lack of rigorous demonstration whether these trait changes are genetically based, adaptive, and causally driven by climate change. Current proof for genetic trait changes under climate change in freshwater invertebrates stems from a limited set of common garden experiments replicated in time. Experimental thermal evolution experiments and common garden warming experiments associated with space-for-time substitutions along latitudinal gradients indicate that besides genetic changes, also phenotypic plasticity and evolution of plasticity are likely to contribute to the observed phenotypic changes under climate change in aquatic invertebrates. Apart from plastic and genetic thermal adjustments, also genetic photoperiod adjustments are widespread and may even dominate the observed phenological shifts.

Phylogenetic Factor Analysis.

PubMed

Tolkoff, Max R; Alfaro, Michael E; Baele, Guy; Lemey, Philippe; Suchard, Marc A

2018-05-01

Phylogenetic comparative methods explore the relationships between quantitative traits adjusting for shared evolutionary history. This adjustment often occurs through a Brownian diffusion process along the branches of the phylogeny that generates model residuals or the traits themselves. For high-dimensional traits, inferring all pair-wise correlations within the multivariate diffusion is limiting. To circumvent this problem, we propose phylogenetic factor analysis (PFA) that assumes a small unknown number of independent evolutionary factors arise along the phylogeny and these factors generate clusters of dependent traits. Set in a Bayesian framework, PFA provides measures of uncertainty on the factor number and groupings, combines both continuous and discrete traits, integrates over missing measurements and incorporates phylogenetic uncertainty with the help of molecular sequences. We develop Gibbs samplers based on dynamic programming to estimate the PFA posterior distribution, over 3-fold faster than for multivariate diffusion and a further order-of-magnitude more efficiently in the presence of latent traits. We further propose a novel marginal likelihood estimator for previously impractical models with discrete data and find that PFA also provides a better fit than multivariate diffusion in evolutionary questions in columbine flower development, placental reproduction transitions and triggerfish fin morphometry.

Do personality traits assessed on medical school admission predict exit performance? A UK-wide longitudinal cohort study.

PubMed

MacKenzie, R K; Dowell, J; Ayansina, D; Cleland, J A

2017-05-01

Traditional methods of assessing personality traits in medical school selection have been heavily criticised. To address this at the point of selection, "non-cognitive" tests were included in the UK Clinical Aptitude Test, the most widely-used aptitude test in UK medical education (UKCAT: http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/ ). We examined the predictive validity of these non-cognitive traits with performance during and on exit from medical school. We sampled all students graduating in 2013 from the 30 UKCAT consortium medical schools. Analysis included: candidate demographics, UKCAT non-cognitive scores, medical school performance data-the Educational Performance Measure (EPM) and national exit situational judgement test (SJT) outcomes. We examined the relationships between these variables and SJT and EPM scores. Multilevel modelling was used to assess the relationships adjusting for confounders. The 3343 students who had taken the UKCAT non-cognitive tests and had both EPM and SJT data were entered into the analysis. There were four types of non-cognitive test: (1) libertariancommunitarian, (2) NACE-narcissism, aloofness, confidence and empathy, (3) MEARS-self-esteem, optimism, control, self-discipline, emotional-nondefensiveness (END) and faking, (4) an abridged version of 1 and 2 combined. Multilevel regression showed that, after correcting for demographic factors, END predicted SJT and EPM decile. Aloofness and empathy in NACE were predictive of SJT score. This is the first large-scale study examining the relationship between performance on non-cognitive selection tests and medical school exit assessments. The predictive validity of these tests was limited, and the relationships revealed do not fit neatly with theoretical expectations. This study does not support their use in selection.

Quantitative trait loci for energy balance traits in an advanced intercross line derived from mice divergently selected for heat loss

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Merlyn K.; Thorn, Stephanie R.; Valdar, William; Pomp, Daniel

2014-01-01

Obesity in human populations, currently a serious health concern, is considered to be the consequence of an energy imbalance in which more energy in calories is consumed than is expended. We used interval mapping techniques to investigate the genetic basis of a number of energy balance traits in an F11 advanced intercross population of mice created from an original intercross of lines selected for increased and decreased heat loss. We uncovered a total of 137 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for these traits at 41 unique sites on 18 of the 20 chromosomes in the mouse genome, with X-linked QTLs being most prevalent. Two QTLs were found for the selection target of heat loss, one on distal chromosome 1 and another on proximal chromosome 2. The number of QTLs affecting the various traits generally was consistent with previous estimates of heritabilities in the same population, with the most found for two bone mineral traits and the least for feed intake and several body composition traits. QTLs were generally additive in their effects, and some, especially those affecting the body weight traits, were sex-specific. Pleiotropy was extensive within trait groups (body weights, adiposity and organ weight traits, bone traits) and especially between body composition traits adjusted and not adjusted for body weight at sacrifice. Nine QTLs were found for one or more of the adiposity traits, five of which appeared to be unique. The confidence intervals among all QTLs averaged 13.3 Mb, much smaller than usually observed in an F2 cross, and in some cases this allowed us to make reasonable inferences about candidate genes underlying these QTLs. This study combined QTL mapping with genetic parameter analysis in a large segregating population, and has advanced our understanding of the genetic architecture of complex traits related to obesity. PMID:24918027

Logistic analysis of shovel and Carabelli's tooth traits in a Caucasoid population.

PubMed

Hsu, J W; Tsai, P; Liu, K; Ferguson, D

1997-09-19

Caucasoid populations differ from Mongoloids by having a high prevalence of Carabelli's trait and a low prevalence of shovel trait. This study was conducted to investigate the association between the shovel and the Carabelli's traits in a Caucasoid population. The research design sought a Caucasoid population at Milwaukee of Wisconsin in United States. The Caucasoid group selected for study was the European descendant. The effects of sex and age on Carabelli's trait were controlled in this investigation, as was the association between tooth size and Carabelli's trait. Results show that males were more likely to have Carabelli's trait expressed on teeth than females. The buccolingual diameter of Carabelli's trait teeth was larger than that of teeth without the trait. After adjusting for sex, age, and tooth size, the existence of the shovel trait decreased the likelihood of having Carabelli's trait which shows an significant effect.

The chromosome 3q25 genomic region is associated with measures of adiposity in newborns in a multi-ethnic genome-wide association study.

PubMed

Urbanek, Margrit; Hayes, M Geoffrey; Armstrong, Loren L; Morrison, Jean; Lowe, Lynn P; Badon, Sylvia E; Scheftner, Doug; Pluzhnikov, Anna; Levine, David; Laurie, Cathy C; McHugh, Caitlin; Ackerman, Christine M; Mirel, Daniel B; Doheny, Kimberly F; Guo, Cong; Scholtens, Denise M; Dyer, Alan R; Metzger, Boyd E; Reddy, Timothy E; Cox, Nancy J; Lowe, William L

2013-09-01

Newborns characterized as large and small for gestational age are at risk for increased mortality and morbidity during the first year of life as well as for obesity and dysglycemia as children and adults. The intrauterine environment and fetal genes contribute to the fetal size at birth. To define the genetic architecture underlying the newborn size, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 4281 newborns in four ethnic groups from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Study. We tested for association with newborn anthropometric traits (birth length, head circumference, birth weight, percent fat mass and sum of skinfolds) and newborn metabolic traits (cord glucose and C-peptide) under three models. Model 1 adjusted for field center, ancestry, neonatal gender, gestational age at delivery, parity, maternal age at oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); Model 2 adjusted for Model 1 covariates, maternal body mass index (BMI) at OGTT, maternal height at OGTT, maternal mean arterial pressure at OGTT, maternal smoking and drinking; Model 3 adjusted for Model 2 covariates, maternal glucose and C-peptide at OGTT. Strong evidence for association was observed with measures of newborn adiposity (sum of skinfolds model 3 Z-score 7.356, P = 1.90×10⁻¹³, and to a lesser degree fat mass and birth weight) and a region on Chr3q25.31 mapping between CCNL and LEKR1. These findings were replicated in an independent cohort of 2296 newborns. This region has previously been shown to be associated with birth weight in Europeans. The current study suggests that association of this locus with birth weight is secondary to an effect on fat as opposed to lean body mass.

Depression, anxiety and adjustment in renal replacement therapy: a quality of life assessment.

PubMed

Zimmermann, P R; Poli de Figueiredo, C E; Fonseca, N A

2001-11-01

To measure the quality of life (QOL) of patients on RRT with regard to depression, anxiety, and adjustment to illness. The study was conducted between 1996 and 1998 at a teaching hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The study population included 125 patients (transplant n = 64, hemodialysis n = 42 and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis [CAPD] n = 19). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS) were used for patient assessment. Results were analyzed using the Kruskall-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and ANOVA tests. Depression scores were higher for hemodialysis patients compared with transplant patients (H = 15.22; p < 0.005). CAPD patients had intermediate scores (no statistical difference). As far as anxiety was concerned, no statistical difference was observed when the groups were compared. In terms of adjustment to illness, hemodialysis patients were significantly less well adjusted than transplant patients (H = 23.34; p < 0.001). Patients on CAPD had intermediate scores, with no significant difference compared with the other two groups. The overall quality of life of transplant patients is higher than that of hemodialysis patients.

The Role of Adiposity in Cardiometabolic Traits: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis

PubMed Central

Ploner, Alexander; Fischer, Krista; Horikoshi, Momoko; Sarin, Antti-Pekka; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Ladenvall, Claes; Kals, Mart; Kuningas, Maris; Draisma, Harmen H. M.; Ried, Janina S.; van Zuydam, Natalie R.; Huikari, Ville; Mangino, Massimo; Sonestedt, Emily; Benyamin, Beben; Nelson, Christopher P.; Rivera, Natalia V.; Kristiansson, Kati; Shen, Huei-yi; Havulinna, Aki S.; Dehghan, Abbas; Donnelly, Louise A.; Kaakinen, Marika; Nuotio, Marja-Liisa; Robertson, Neil; de Bruijn, Renée F. A. G.; Ikram, M. Arfan; Amin, Najaf; Balmforth, Anthony J.; Braund, Peter S.; Doney, Alexander S. F.; Döring, Angela; Elliott, Paul; Esko, Tõnu; Franco, Oscar H.; Gretarsdottir, Solveig; Hartikainen, Anna-Liisa; Heikkilä, Kauko; Herzig, Karl-Heinz; Holm, Hilma; Hottenga, Jouke Jan; Hyppönen, Elina; Illig, Thomas; Isaacs, Aaron; Isomaa, Bo; Karssen, Lennart C.; Kettunen, Johannes; Koenig, Wolfgang; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Laatikainen, Tiina; Laitinen, Jaana; Lindgren, Cecilia; Lyssenko, Valeriya; Läärä, Esa; Rayner, Nigel W.; Männistö, Satu; Pouta, Anneli; Rathmann, Wolfgang; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Ruokonen, Aimo; Savolainen, Markku J.; Sijbrands, Eric J. G.; Small, Kerrin S.; Smit, Jan H.; Steinthorsdottir, Valgerdur; Syvänen, Ann-Christine; Taanila, Anja; Tobin, Martin D.; Uitterlinden, Andre G.; Willems, Sara M.; Willemsen, Gonneke; Witteman, Jacqueline; Perola, Markus; Evans, Alun; Ferrières, Jean; Virtamo, Jarmo; Kee, Frank; Tregouet, David-Alexandre; Arveiler, Dominique; Amouyel, Philippe; Ferrario, Marco M.; Brambilla, Paolo; Hall, Alistair S.; Heath, Andrew C.; Madden, Pamela A. F.; Martin, Nicholas G.; Montgomery, Grant W.; Whitfield, John B.; Jula, Antti; Knekt, Paul; Oostra, Ben; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.; Davey Smith, George; Kaprio, Jaakko; Samani, Nilesh J.; Gieger, Christian; Peters, Annette; Wichmann, H.-Erich; Boomsma, Dorret I.; de Geus, Eco J. C.; Tuomi, TiinaMaija; Power, Chris; Hammond, Christopher J.; Spector, Tim D.; Lind, Lars; Orho-Melander, Marju; Palmer, Colin Neil Alexander; Morris, Andrew D.; Groop, Leif; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Salomaa, Veikko; Vartiainen, Erkki; Hofman, Albert; Ripatti, Samuli; Metspalu, Andres; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Stefansson, Kari; Pedersen, Nancy L.; McCarthy, Mark I.; Ingelsson, Erik; Prokopenko, Inga

2013-01-01

Background The association between adiposity and cardiometabolic traits is well known from epidemiological studies. Whilst the causal relationship is clear for some of these traits, for others it is not. We aimed to determine whether adiposity is causally related to various cardiometabolic traits using the Mendelian randomization approach. Methods and Findings We used the adiposity-associated variant rs9939609 at the FTO locus as an instrumental variable (IV) for body mass index (BMI) in a Mendelian randomization design. Thirty-six population-based studies of individuals of European descent contributed to the analyses. Age- and sex-adjusted regression models were fitted to test for association between (i) rs9939609 and BMI (n = 198,502), (ii) rs9939609 and 24 traits, and (iii) BMI and 24 traits. The causal effect of BMI on the outcome measures was quantified by IV estimators. The estimators were compared to the BMI–trait associations derived from the same individuals. In the IV analysis, we demonstrated novel evidence for a causal relationship between adiposity and incident heart failure (hazard ratio, 1.19 per BMI-unit increase; 95% CI, 1.03–1.39) and replicated earlier reports of a causal association with type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, and hypertension (odds ratio for IV estimator, 1.1–1.4; all p<0.05). For quantitative traits, our results provide novel evidence for a causal effect of adiposity on the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase and confirm previous reports of a causal effect of adiposity on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, 2-h post-load glucose from the oral glucose tolerance test, C-reactive protein, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (all p<0.05). The estimated causal effects were in agreement with traditional observational measures in all instances except for type 2 diabetes, where the causal estimate was larger than the observational estimate (p = 0.001). Conclusions We provide novel evidence for a causal relationship between adiposity and heart failure as well as between adiposity and increased liver enzymes. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:23824655

Logistic analysis of the effects of shovel trait on Carabelli's trait in a Mongoloid population.

PubMed

Tsai, P L; Hsu, J W; Lin, L M; Liu, K M

1996-08-01

Mongoloid populations differ from Caucasoids by having a high prevalence of shovel trait and a low prevalence of Carabelli's trait. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the shovel trait on Carabelli's trait in a Mongoloid population. The research design sought a population that resides in an isolated area and exhibits low admixture with neighboring populations. The Mongoloid group selected for study was the Bunun tribe of aborigines who inhabit an alpine area in Taiwan. The effects of sex and age on Carabelli's trait were controlled in this investigation, as was the association between tooth size and Carabelli's trait. Results show that males were more likely to have Carabelli's trait expressed on teeth than females. The buccolingual diameter of Carabelli's trait teeth was larger than that of teeth without the trait. After adjusting for sex, age, and tooth size, the existence of the shovel trait increased the likelihood of having Carabelli's trait by a factor of three, an effect that is significant.

Associations of anger, anxiety, and depressive symptoms with carotid arterial wall thickness: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Ohira, Tetsuya; Diez Roux, Ana V; Polak, Joseph F; Homma, Shunichi; Iso, Hiroyasu; Wasserman, Bruce A

2012-06-01

Carotid arterial wall thickness, measured as intima-media thickness (IMT), is an early subclinical indicator of cardiovascular disease. Few studies have investigated the association of psychological factors with IMT across multiple ethnic groups and by sex. We included 6561 men and women (2541 whites, 1790 African Americans, 1436 Hispanics, and 794 Chinese) aged 45 to 84 years who took part in the first examination of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Associations of trait anger, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms with mean values of common carotid artery (CCA) and internal carotid artery (ICA) IMTs were investigated using multivariable regression and logistic models. In age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-adjusted analyses, the trait anger score was positively associated with CCA and ICA IMTs (mean differences per 1-standard deviation increment of trait anger score were 0.014 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 0.003-0.025, p = .01] and 0.054 [95% CI = 0.017-0.090, p = .004] for CCA and ICA IMTs, respectively). Anger was also associated with the presence of carotid plaque (age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-adjusted odds ratio per 1-standard deviation increase in trait anger = 1.27 [95% CI = 1.06-1.52]). The associations of the anger score with thicker IMT were attenuated after adjustment for covariates but remained statistically significant. Associations were stronger in men than in women and in whites than in other race/ethnic groups, but heterogeneity was only marginally statistically significant by race/ethnicity. There was no association of depressive symptoms or trait anxiety with IMT. Only one of the three measures examined was associated with IMT, and the patterns seemed to be heterogeneous across race/ethnic groups.

Increased Genomic Prediction Accuracy in Wheat Breeding Through Spatial Adjustment of Field Trial Data

PubMed Central

Lado, Bettina; Matus, Ivan; Rodríguez, Alejandra; Inostroza, Luis; Poland, Jesse; Belzile, François; del Pozo, Alejandro; Quincke, Martín; Castro, Marina; von Zitzewitz, Jarislav

2013-01-01

In crop breeding, the interest of predicting the performance of candidate cultivars in the field has increased due to recent advances in molecular breeding technologies. However, the complexity of the wheat genome presents some challenges for applying new technologies in molecular marker identification with next-generation sequencing. We applied genotyping-by-sequencing, a recently developed method to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms, in the genomes of 384 wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes that were field tested under three different water regimes in Mediterranean climatic conditions: rain-fed only, mild water stress, and fully irrigated. We identified 102,324 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in these genotypes, and the phenotypic data were used to train and test genomic selection models intended to predict yield, thousand-kernel weight, number of kernels per spike, and heading date. Phenotypic data showed marked spatial variation. Therefore, different models were tested to correct the trends observed in the field. A mixed-model using moving-means as a covariate was found to best fit the data. When we applied the genomic selection models, the accuracy of predicted traits increased with spatial adjustment. Multiple genomic selection models were tested, and a Gaussian kernel model was determined to give the highest accuracy. The best predictions between environments were obtained when data from different years were used to train the model. Our results confirm that genotyping-by-sequencing is an effective tool to obtain genome-wide information for crops with complex genomes, that these data are efficient for predicting traits, and that correction of spatial variation is a crucial ingredient to increase prediction accuracy in genomic selection models. PMID:24082033

Pronounced within-individual plasticity in sperm morphometry across social environments.

PubMed

Immler, Simone; Pryke, Sarah R; Birkhead, Tim R; Griffith, Simon C

2010-06-01

Sperm morphometry (i.e., size and shape) and function are important determinants of male reproductive success and are thought to be under stabilizing selection. However, recent studies suggest that sperm morphometry can be a phenotypically plastic trait, which can be adjusted to varying conditions. We tested whether different behavioral strategies in aggression between aggressive red and nonaggressive black males of the color polymorphic Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) can influence sperm morphometry. We show pronounced within-individual phenotypic plasticity in sperm morphometry of male Gouldian finches in three different social environments. Both red and black males placed in intermediate to high competitive environments (high frequency of red males) increased the relative length of their sperm midpiece. By contrast, red males placed in low to intermediate competitive environments (higher frequency of black males) increased the length of the sperm flagellum. Significant changes in stress and sex steroid hormone levels (in response to the competitive environment) appear to influence sperm traits in red but not in black males, suggesting that changes in hormonal levels are not solely responsible for the observed changes in sperm morphometry. These findings imply that males can adjust sperm morphometry across social environments.

Optimism and pessimism are related to different components of the stress response in healthy older people.

PubMed

Puig-Perez, Sara; Villada, Carolina; Pulopulos, Matias M; Almela, Mercedes; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Salvador, Alicia

2015-11-01

Some personality traits have key importance for health because they can affect the maintenance and evolution of different disorders with a high prevalence in older people, including stress pathologies and diseases. In this study we investigated how two relevant personality traits, optimism and pessimism, affect the psychophysiological response of 72 healthy participants (55 to 76 years old) exposed to either a psychosocial stress task (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) or a control task; salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR) and situational appraisal were measured. Our results showed that optimism was related to faster cortisol recovery after exposure to stress. Pessimism was not related to the physiological stress response, but it was associated with the perception of the stress task as more difficult. Thus, higher optimism was associated with better physiological adjustment to a stressful situation, while higher pessimism was associated with worse psychological adjustment to stress. These results highlight different patterns of relationships, with optimism playing a more important role in the physiological component of the stress response, and pessimism having a greater effect on situational appraisal. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contribution of Large Region Joint Associations to Complex Traits Genetics

PubMed Central

Paré, Guillaume; Asma, Senay; Deng, Wei Q.

2015-01-01

A polygenic model of inheritance, whereby hundreds or thousands of weakly associated variants contribute to a trait’s heritability, has been proposed to underlie the genetic architecture of complex traits. However, relatively few genetic variants have been positively identified so far and they collectively explain only a small fraction of the predicted heritability. We hypothesized that joint association of multiple weakly associated variants over large chromosomal regions contributes to complex traits variance. Confirmation of such regional associations can help identify new loci and lead to a better understanding of known ones. To test this hypothesis, we first characterized the ability of commonly used genetic association models to identify large region joint associations. Through theoretical derivation and simulation, we showed that multivariate linear models where multiple SNPs are included as independent predictors have the most favorable association profile. Based on these results, we tested for large region association with height in 3,740 European participants from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) study. Adjusting for SNPs with known association with height, we demonstrated clustering of weak associations (p = 2x10-4) in regions extending up to 433.0 Kb from known height loci. The contribution of regional associations to phenotypic variance was estimated at 0.172 (95% CI 0.063-0.279; p < 0.001), which compared favorably to 0.129 explained by known height variants. Conversely, we showed that suggestively associated regions are enriched for known height loci. To extend our findings to other traits, we also tested BMI, HDLc and CRP for large region associations, with consistent results for CRP. Our results demonstrate the presence of large region joint associations and suggest these can be used to pinpoint weakly associated SNPs. PMID:25856144

DNA sequence polymorphisms within the bovine guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gs subunit alpha (Gsα)-encoding (GNAS) genomic imprinting domain are associated with performance traits.

PubMed

Sikora, Klaudia M; Magee, David A; Berkowicz, Erik W; Berry, Donagh P; Howard, Dawn J; Mullen, Michael P; Evans, Ross D; Machugh, David E; Spillane, Charles

2011-01-07

Genes which are epigenetically regulated via genomic imprinting can be potential targets for artificial selection during animal breeding. Indeed, imprinted loci have been shown to underlie some important quantitative traits in domestic mammals, most notably muscle mass and fat deposition. In this candidate gene study, we have identified novel associations between six validated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning a 97.6 kb region within the bovine guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gs subunit alpha gene (GNAS) domain on bovine chromosome 13 and genetic merit for a range of performance traits in 848 progeny-tested Holstein-Friesian sires. The mammalian GNAS domain consists of a number of reciprocally-imprinted, alternatively-spliced genes which can play a major role in growth, development and disease in mice and humans. Based on the current annotation of the bovine GNAS domain, four of the SNPs analysed (rs43101491, rs43101493, rs43101485 and rs43101486) were located upstream of the GNAS gene, while one SNP (rs41694646) was located in the second intron of the GNAS gene. The final SNP (rs41694656) was located in the first exon of transcripts encoding the putative bovine neuroendocrine-specific protein NESP55, resulting in an aspartic acid-to-asparagine amino acid substitution at amino acid position 192. SNP genotype-phenotype association analyses indicate that the single intronic GNAS SNP (rs41694646) is associated (P ≤ 0.05) with a range of performance traits including milk yield, milk protein yield, the content of fat and protein in milk, culled cow carcass weight and progeny carcass conformation, measures of animal body size, direct calving difficulty (i.e. difficulty in calving due to the size of the calf) and gestation length. Association (P ≤ 0.01) with direct calving difficulty (i.e. due to calf size) and maternal calving difficulty (i.e. due to the maternal pelvic width size) was also observed at the rs43101491 SNP. Following adjustment for multiple-testing, significant association (q ≤ 0.05) remained between the rs41694646 SNP and four traits (animal stature, body depth, direct calving difficulty and milk yield) only. Notably, the single SNP in the bovine NESP55 gene (rs41694656) was associated (P ≤ 0.01) with somatic cell count--an often-cited indicator of resistance to mastitis and overall health status of the mammary system--and previous studies have demonstrated that the chromosomal region to where the GNAS domain maps underlies an important quantitative trait locus for this trait. This association, however, was not significant after adjustment for multiple testing. The three remaining SNPs assayed were not associated with any of the performance traits analysed in this study. Analysis of all pairwise linkage disequilibrium (r2) values suggests that most allele substitution effects for the assayed SNPs observed are independent. Finally, the polymorphic coding SNP in the putative bovine NESP55 gene was used to test the imprinting status of this gene across a range of foetal bovine tissues. Previous studies in other mammalian species have shown that DNA sequence variation within the imprinted GNAS gene cluster contributes to several physiological and metabolic disorders, including obesity in humans and mice. Similarly, the results presented here indicate an important role for the imprinted GNAS cluster in underlying complex performance traits in cattle such as animal growth, calving, fertility and health. These findings suggest that GNAS domain-associated polymorphisms may serve as important genetic markers for future livestock breeding programs and support previous studies that candidate imprinted loci may act as molecular targets for the genetic improvement of agricultural populations. In addition, we present new evidence that the bovine NESP55 gene is epigenetically regulated as a maternally expressed imprinted gene in placental and intestinal tissues from 8-10 week old bovine foetuses.

DNA sequence polymorphisms within the bovine guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gs subunit alpha (Gsα)-encoding (GNAS) genomic imprinting domain are associated with performance traits

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Genes which are epigenetically regulated via genomic imprinting can be potential targets for artificial selection during animal breeding. Indeed, imprinted loci have been shown to underlie some important quantitative traits in domestic mammals, most notably muscle mass and fat deposition. In this candidate gene study, we have identified novel associations between six validated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning a 97.6 kb region within the bovine guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gs subunit alpha gene (GNAS) domain on bovine chromosome 13 and genetic merit for a range of performance traits in 848 progeny-tested Holstein-Friesian sires. The mammalian GNAS domain consists of a number of reciprocally-imprinted, alternatively-spliced genes which can play a major role in growth, development and disease in mice and humans. Based on the current annotation of the bovine GNAS domain, four of the SNPs analysed (rs43101491, rs43101493, rs43101485 and rs43101486) were located upstream of the GNAS gene, while one SNP (rs41694646) was located in the second intron of the GNAS gene. The final SNP (rs41694656) was located in the first exon of transcripts encoding the putative bovine neuroendocrine-specific protein NESP55, resulting in an aspartic acid-to-asparagine amino acid substitution at amino acid position 192. Results SNP genotype-phenotype association analyses indicate that the single intronic GNAS SNP (rs41694646) is associated (P ≤ 0.05) with a range of performance traits including milk yield, milk protein yield, the content of fat and protein in milk, culled cow carcass weight and progeny carcass conformation, measures of animal body size, direct calving difficulty (i.e. difficulty in calving due to the size of the calf) and gestation length. Association (P ≤ 0.01) with direct calving difficulty (i.e. due to calf size) and maternal calving difficulty (i.e. due to the maternal pelvic width size) was also observed at the rs43101491 SNP. Following adjustment for multiple-testing, significant association (q ≤ 0.05) remained between the rs41694646 SNP and four traits (animal stature, body depth, direct calving difficulty and milk yield) only. Notably, the single SNP in the bovine NESP55 gene (rs41694656) was associated (P ≤ 0.01) with somatic cell count--an often-cited indicator of resistance to mastitis and overall health status of the mammary system--and previous studies have demonstrated that the chromosomal region to where the GNAS domain maps underlies an important quantitative trait locus for this trait. This association, however, was not significant after adjustment for multiple testing. The three remaining SNPs assayed were not associated with any of the performance traits analysed in this study. Analysis of all pairwise linkage disequilibrium (r2) values suggests that most allele substitution effects for the assayed SNPs observed are independent. Finally, the polymorphic coding SNP in the putative bovine NESP55 gene was used to test the imprinting status of this gene across a range of foetal bovine tissues. Conclusions Previous studies in other mammalian species have shown that DNA sequence variation within the imprinted GNAS gene cluster contributes to several physiological and metabolic disorders, including obesity in humans and mice. Similarly, the results presented here indicate an important role for the imprinted GNAS cluster in underlying complex performance traits in cattle such as animal growth, calving, fertility and health. These findings suggest that GNAS domain-associated polymorphisms may serve as important genetic markers for future livestock breeding programs and support previous studies that candidate imprinted loci may act as molecular targets for the genetic improvement of agricultural populations. In addition, we present new evidence that the bovine NESP55 gene is epigenetically regulated as a maternally expressed imprinted gene in placental and intestinal tissues from 8-10 week old bovine foetuses. PMID:21214909

Evolutionary and plastic responses of freshwater invertebrates to climate change: realized patterns and future potential

PubMed Central

Stoks, Robby; Geerts, Aurora N; De Meester, Luc

2014-01-01

We integrated the evidence for evolutionary and plastic trait changes in situ in response to climate change in freshwater invertebrates (aquatic insects and zooplankton). The synthesis on the trait changes in response to the expected reductions in hydroperiod and increases in salinity indicated little evidence for adaptive, plastic, and genetic trait changes and for local adaptation. With respect to responses to temperature, there are many studies on temporal trait changes in phenology and body size in the wild that are believed to be driven by temperature increases, but there is a general lack of rigorous demonstration whether these trait changes are genetically based, adaptive, and causally driven by climate change. Current proof for genetic trait changes under climate change in freshwater invertebrates stems from a limited set of common garden experiments replicated in time. Experimental thermal evolution experiments and common garden warming experiments associated with space-for-time substitutions along latitudinal gradients indicate that besides genetic changes, also phenotypic plasticity and evolution of plasticity are likely to contribute to the observed phenotypic changes under climate change in aquatic invertebrates. Apart from plastic and genetic thermal adjustments, also genetic photoperiod adjustments are widespread and may even dominate the observed phenological shifts. PMID:24454547

Analysis of Non-Genetic Factors Influencing Reproductive Traits of Japanese Black Heifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiaji, A.; Oikawa, T.

2018-02-01

This study aimed was to identify non-genetic factors strongly associated with reproductive traits on Japanese Black heifer. Artificial insemination and calving records were analyzed to investigate non-genetic effect on reproductive performances. A total of 2220 records of heifer raised between 2005 and 2016 were utilized in this study. Studied traits were first service non return rate to 56 days (NRR), first service pregnancy rate (FPR), days from first to successful insemination (FSI), number of services per conception (NSC), age at first calving (AFC), and gestation length (GL). Test of significance for effects in the statistical model was performed using GLM procedure of SAS 9.3. The yearling trend was plotted on the adjusted mean of parameters, by the least square mean procedure. Means of NRR, FPR, FSI, NSC, AFC and GL were 72%, 53%, 52.71 days, 1.76, 760.71 days and 288.26 days, respectively. The effect of farm was significant (P<0.001) for FSI, AFC, and GL. The effects of age of heifer at first insemination was significant (P<0.001) for AFC. Month of insemination and sex of calf were significant (P<0.001) for GL. Compared with average value of reproductive traits, NSC and GL were generally within standard values for Japanese Black cattle, while AFC was slightly earlier. The result indicated that different management of farms strongly influenced reproductive traits of Japanese Black heifer.

Genetic Association of Waist-to-Hip Ratio With Cardiometabolic Traits, Type 2 Diabetes, and Coronary Heart Disease.

PubMed

Emdin, Connor A; Khera, Amit V; Natarajan, Pradeep; Klarin, Derek; Zekavat, Seyedeh M; Hsiao, Allan J; Kathiresan, Sekar

2017-02-14

In observational studies, abdominal adiposity has been associated with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD). Whether these associations represent causal relationships remains uncertain. To test the association of a polygenic risk score for waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) adjusted for body mass index (BMI), a measure of abdominal adiposity, with type 2 diabetes and CHD through the potential intermediates of blood lipids, blood pressure, and glycemic phenotypes. A polygenic risk score for WHR adjusted for BMI, a measure of genetic predisposition to abdominal adiposity, was constructed with 48 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. The association of this score with cardiometabolic traits, type 2 diabetes, and CHD was tested in a mendelian randomization analysis that combined case-control and cross-sectional data sets. Estimates for cardiometabolic traits were based on a combined data set consisting of summary results from 4 genome-wide association studies conducted from 2007 to 2015, including up to 322 154 participants, as well as individual-level, cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank collected from 2007-2011, including 111 986 individuals. Estimates for type 2 diabetes and CHD were derived from summary statistics of 2 separate genome-wide association studies conducted from 2007 to 2015 and including 149 821 individuals and 184 305 individuals, respectively, combined with individual-level data from the UK Biobank. Genetic predisposition to increased WHR adjusted for BMI. Type 2 diabetes and CHD. Among 111 986 individuals in the UK Biobank, the mean age was 57 (SD, 8) years, 58 845 participants (52.5%) were women, and mean WHR was 0.875. Analysis of summary-level genome-wide association study results and individual-level UK Biobank data demonstrated that a 1-SD increase in WHR adjusted for BMI mediated by the polygenic risk score was associated with 27-mg/dL higher triglyceride levels, 4.1-mg/dL higher 2-hour glucose levels, and 2.1-mm Hg higher systolic blood pressure (each P < .001). A 1-SD genetic increase in WHR adjusted for BMI was also associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.57-2.00]; absolute risk increase per 1000 participant-years, 6.0 [95% CI, CI, 4.4-7.8]; number of participants with type 2 diabetes outcome, 40 530) and CHD (odds ratio, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.32-1.62]; absolute risk increase per 1000 participant-years, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.3-2.4]; number of participants with CHD outcome, 66 440). A genetic predisposition to higher waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. These results provide evidence supportive of a causal association between abdominal adiposity and these outcomes.

Coping with early stage breast cancer: examining the influence of personality traits and interpersonal closeness.

PubMed

Saita, Emanuela; Acquati, Chiara; Kayser, Karen

2015-01-01

The study examines the influence of personality traits and close relationships on the coping style of women with breast cancer. A sample of 72 Italian patients receiving treatment for early stage breast cancer was recruited. Participants completed questionnaires measuring personality traits (Interpersonal Adaptation Questionnaire), interpersonal closeness (Inclusion of the Other in the Self Scale), and adjustment to cancer (Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale). We hypothesized that diverse personality traits and degrees of closeness contribute to determine the coping styles shown by participants. Multiple regression analyses were conducted for each of the five coping styles (Helplessness/Hopelessness, Anxious Preoccupation, Avoidance, Fatalism, and Fighting Spirit) using personality traits and interpersonal closeness variables (Strength of Support Relations, and Number of Support Relations) as predictors. Women who rated high on assertiveness and social anxiety were more likely to utilize active coping strategies (Fighting Spirit). Perceived strength of relationships was predictive of using an active coping style while the number of supportive relationships did not correlate with any of the coping styles. Implications for assessment of breast cancer patients at risk for negative adaptation to the illness and the development of psychosocial interventions are discussed.

Genetic value of herd life adjusted for milk production.

PubMed

Allaire, F R; Gibson, J P

1992-05-01

Cow herd life adjusted for lactational milk production was investigated as a genetic trait in the breeding objective. Under a simple model, the relative economic weight of milk to adjusted herd life on a per genetic standard deviation basis was equal to CVY/dCVL where CVY and CVL are the genetic coefficients of variation of milk production and adjusted herd life, respectively, and d is the depreciation per year per cow divided by the total fixed costs per year per cow. The relative economic value of milk to adjusted herd life at the prices and parameters for North America was about 3.2. An increase of 100-kg milk was equivalent to 2.2 mo of adjusted herd life. Three to 7% lower economic gain is expected when only improved milk production is sought compared with a breeding objective that included both production and adjusted herd life for relative value changed +/- 20%. A favorable economic gain to cost ratio probably exists for herd life used as a genetic trait to supplement milk in the breeding objective. Cow survival records are inexpensive, and herd life evaluations from such records may not extend the generation interval when such an evaluation is used in bull sire selection.

Multivariate Qst–Fst Comparisons: A Neutrality Test for the Evolution of the G Matrix in Structured Populations

PubMed Central

Martin, Guillaume; Chapuis, Elodie; Goudet, Jérôme

2008-01-01

Neutrality tests in quantitative genetics provide a statistical framework for the detection of selection on polygenic traits in wild populations. However, the existing method based on comparisons of divergence at neutral markers and quantitative traits (Qst–Fst) suffers from several limitations that hinder a clear interpretation of the results with typical empirical designs. In this article, we propose a multivariate extension of this neutrality test based on empirical estimates of the among-populations (D) and within-populations (G) covariance matrices by MANOVA. A simple pattern is expected under neutrality: D = 2Fst/(1 − Fst)G, so that neutrality implies both proportionality of the two matrices and a specific value of the proportionality coefficient. This pattern is tested using Flury's framework for matrix comparison [common principal-component (CPC) analysis], a well-known tool in G matrix evolution studies. We show the importance of using a Bartlett adjustment of the test for the small sample sizes typically found in empirical studies. We propose a dual test: (i) that the proportionality coefficient is not different from its neutral expectation [2Fst/(1 − Fst)] and (ii) that the MANOVA estimates of mean square matrices between and among populations are proportional. These two tests combined provide a more stringent test for neutrality than the classic Qst–Fst comparison and avoid several statistical problems. Extensive simulations of realistic empirical designs suggest that these tests correctly detect the expected pattern under neutrality and have enough power to efficiently detect mild to strong selection (homogeneous, heterogeneous, or mixed) when it is occurring on a set of traits. This method also provides a rigorous and quantitative framework for disentangling the effects of different selection regimes and of drift on the evolution of the G matrix. We discuss practical requirements for the proper application of our test in empirical studies and potential extensions. PMID:18245845

Are coping styles consistent in the teleost fish Sparus aurata through sexual maturation and sex reversal?

PubMed

Castanheira, Maria Filipa; Martínez Páramo, Sonia; Figueiredo, F; Cerqueira, Marco; Millot, Sandie; Oliveira, Catarina C V; Martins, Catarina I M; Conceição, Luís E C

2016-10-01

Individual differences in behaviour and physiological responses to stress are associated with evolutionary adaptive variation and thus raw material for evolution. In farmed animals, the interest in consistent trait associations, i.e. coping styles, has increased dramatically over the last years. However, one of limitations of the available knowledge, regarding the temporal consistency, is that it refers always to short-term consistency (usually few weeks). The present study used an escape response during a net restraining test, previously shown to be an indicative of coping styles in seabream, to investigate long-term consistency of coping styles both over time and during different life history stages. Results showed both short-term (14 days) consistency and long-term (8 months) consistency of escape response. However, we did not found consistency in the same behaviour after sexual maturation when the restraining test was repeated 16, 22 and 23 months after the first test was performed. In conclusion, this study showed consistent behaviour traits in seabream when juveniles, and a loss of this behavioural traits when adults. Therefore, these results underline that adding a life story approach to data interpretation as an essential step forward towards coping styles foreground. Furthermore, a fine-tuning of aquaculture rearing strategies to adapt to different coping strategies may need to be adjusted differently at early stages of development and adults to improve the welfare of farmed fish.

Zebrafish take their cue from temperature but not photoperiod for the seasonal plasticity of thermal performance.

PubMed

Condon, Catriona H; Chenoweth, Stephen F; Wilson, Robbie S

2010-11-01

Organisms adjust to seasonal variability in the environment by responding to cues that indicate environmental change. As most studies of seasonal phenotypic plasticity test only the effect of a single environmental cue, how animals may integrate information from multiple cues to fine-tune plastic responses remains largely unknown. We examined the interaction between correlated (seasonally matching) and conflicting (seasonally opposite) temperature and photoperiod cues on the acclimation of performance traits in male zebrafish, Danio rerio. We acclimated fish for 8 weeks and then tested the change in thermal dependence of maximum burst swimming and feeding rate between 8 and 38°C. We predicted that correlated environmental cues should induce a greater acclimation response than uncorrelated cues. However, we found that only temperature was important for the seasonal acclimation of performance traits in zebrafish. Thermal acclimation shifted the thermal performance curve of both traits. For maximum burst swimming, performance increased for each group near the acclimation temperature and reduced in environments that were far from their acclimation temperature. The feeding rate of cold-acclimated zebrafish was reduced across the test temperature range compared with that of warm-acclimated fish. Our study is the first that has found no effect of the covariation between temperature and photoperiod acclimation cues on locomotor performance in fishes. Our results support the intuitive idea that photoperiod may be a less important seasonal cue for animals living at lower latitudes.

Does personality in small rodents vary depending on population density?

PubMed

Korpela, Katri; Sundell, Janne; Ylönen, Hannu

2011-01-01

Personality means an individual's unique way of behaving and reacting to the environment. It is a stable and heritable trait, which is expressed consistently in different situations. The aim of our study was to develop novel tests to depict the personality structure of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, and to determine if the phase of the population cycle, i.e. population density, affects personality. We focused on some central aspects of bank vole behaviour: mobility, risk taking, exploratory behaviour, dominance, and aggressive behaviour towards pups. These behaviours were chosen because they directly affect bank vole survival or fitness or are classified as important factors of personality in other species. In total, 192 males from different populations went through four behavioural tests, in which 20 variables were measured. The tests were repeated after 3 weeks, which verified that all traits were stable, i.e. repeatable between trials. Three personality compounds emerged, named extroversion, novelty seeking and infanticide. Extroversion included dominance and mobility, while novelty seeking consisted of risk taking and exploration. Infanticide encompassed all indices measuring harmful behaviour towards pups. Mobility and dominance were connected, possibly because both seem to depend on condition. Time spent in captivity increased extroversion, which may be explained by good food, stable conditions and acclimation to strong social cues. Novelty seeking was connected to repeatability which could mean that novelty avoiding individuals adjust their behaviour to match new environments. Population density affected the infanticide trait but not novelty seeking or extroversion.

The Mediating Roles of Coping and Adjustment in the Relationship between Personality and Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perera, Harsha N.; McIlveen, Peter; Oliver, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Background: Existing literature has documented relationships between personality traits and academic achievement as well as some of the mechanisms underlying these links. However, the pathways by which personality traits are associated with achievement during stressful educational circumstances require further investigation. Aims: This study…

Genetic and Phenotypic Parameter Estimates for Feed Intake and Other Traits in Growing Beef Cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Intake and feed efficiency were moderately heritable; however, residual feed intake was more heritable than intake and feed efficiency. Adjusting residual feed intake and feed efficiency for carcass fatness had little effect on heritability and correlations with remaining traits. Flight speed was ...

Trait Anger But Not Anxiety Predicts Incident Type 2 Diabetes: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

PubMed Central

Abraham, Sherley; Shah, Nina G.; Roux, Ana Diez; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Seeman, Teresa; Szklo, Moyses; Schreiner, Pamela J.; Golden, Sherita Hill

2015-01-01

Objective Prior studies have shown a bidirectional association between depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, the prospective associations of anger and anxiety with T2DM have not been established. We hypothesized that trait anger and anxiety would predict incident T2DM, independently of depressive symptoms. Research Design and Methods In the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), we prospectively examined the association of trait anger and trait anxiety (assessed via the Spielberger Trait Anger and Anxiety Scales, respectively) with incident T2DM over 11.4 years in 5,598 White, Black, Hispanic, and Chinese participants (53.2% women, mean age 61.6 years) at baseline without prevalent T2DM or cardiovascular disease. We used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate the hazard ratios (HR) of incident T2DM by previously defined anger category (low, moderate, high), and anxiety quartile, as there were no previously defined categories. Results High total trait anger was associated with incident T2DM (HR 1.50; 95% CI 1.08–2.07) relative to low total trait anger. The association was attenuated following adjustment for waist circumference (HR 1.32; 95% CI 0.94–1.86). Higher anger reaction was also associated with incident T2DM (HR=1.07; 95% CI 1.03–1.11) that remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders/explanatory factors. In contrast, trait anxiety did not predict incident T2DM. Conclusions High total trait anger and anger reaction are potential modifiable risk factors for T2DM. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms of the anger-diabetes relationship and to develop preventive interventions. PMID:26142567

Trait anger but not anxiety predicts incident type 2 diabetes: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

PubMed

Abraham, Sherley; Shah, Nina G; Diez Roux, Ana; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Seeman, Teresa; Szklo, Moyses; Schreiner, Pamela J; Golden, Sherita Hill

2015-10-01

Prior studies have shown a bidirectional association between depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, the prospective associations of anger and anxiety with T2DM have not been established. We hypothesized that trait anger and anxiety would predict incident T2DM, independently of depressive symptoms. In the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), we prospectively examined the association of trait anger and trait anxiety (assessed via the Spielberger Trait Anger and Anxiety Scales, respectively) with incident T2DM over 11.4 years in 5598 White, Black, Hispanic, and Chinese participants (53.2% women, mean age 61.6 years) at baseline without prevalent T2DM or cardiovascular disease. We used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate the hazard ratios (HR) of incident T2DM by previously defined anger category (low, moderate, high), and anxiety quartile, as there were no previously defined categories. High total trait anger was associated with incident T2DM (HR 1.50; 95% CI 1.08-2.07) relative to low total trait anger. The association was attenuated following adjustment for waist circumference (HR 1.32; 95% CI 0.94-1.86). Higher anger reaction was also associated with incident T2DM (HR=1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.11) that remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders/explanatory factors. In contrast, trait anxiety did not predict incident T2DM. High total trait anger and anger reaction are potential modifiable risk factors for T2DM. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms of the anger-diabetes relationship and to develop preventive interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sickle cell trait and development of microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Bleyer, Anthony J; Reddy, Sri V; Sujata, Leon; Russell, Gregory B; Akinnifesi, Damilola; Bleyer, Anthony J; Hire, Donald; Shihabi, Zak; Knovich, Mary Ann; Daeihagh, Pirouz; Calles, Jorge; Freedman, Barry I

2010-06-01

Many African Americans (AA) have both sickle cell trait (SCT) and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to determine whether individuals with diabetes mellitus and SCT have higher rates of microvascular complications relative to those without SCT. This was a retrospective study comparing albuminuria, estimated GFR (eGFR), and microvascular complications in AA with diabetes on the basis of presence of SCT. The study included 821 outpatients who underwent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing, and presence of SCT was determined using the HbA1c assay. Medical record review and telephone interviews were performed for AA participants. Data were obtained on 376 AA patients (110 with SCT, 245 with neither SCT nor hemoglobin C trait, and 21 with hemoglobin C trait) and 445 European Americans. The mean eGFR and urinary protein excretion were similar between the three AA subgroups. Analysis revealed that 36.3% of AA nontrait and 22.7% of AA SCT participants had retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, or end-stage kidney disease (P = 0.01). After adjustment for diabetes duration, age, insulin use, and gender, differences in the prevalence of microvascular complications were not observed. SCT does not increase the risk of microvascular complications in AA with diabetes mellitus.

Sickle Cell Trait and Development of Microvascular Complications in Diabetes Mellitus

PubMed Central

Bleyer, Anthony J.; Reddy, Sri V.; Sujata, Leon; Russell, Gregory B.; Akinnifesi, Damilola; Hire, Donald; Shihabi, Zak; Knovich, Mary Ann; Daeihagh, Pirouz; Calles, Jorge; Freedman, Barry I.

2010-01-01

Background and objectives: Many African Americans (AA) have both sickle cell trait (SCT) and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to determine whether individuals with diabetes mellitus and SCT have higher rates of microvascular complications relative to those without SCT. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: This was a retrospective study comparing albuminuria, estimated GFR (eGFR), and microvascular complications in AA with diabetes on the basis of presence of SCT. The study included 821 outpatients who underwent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing, and presence of SCT was determined using the HbA1c assay. Medical record review and telephone interviews were performed for AA participants. Results: Data were obtained on 376 AA patients (110 with SCT, 245 with neither SCT nor hemoglobin C trait, and 21 with hemoglobin C trait) and 445 European Americans. The mean eGFR and urinary protein excretion were similar between the three AA subgroups. Analysis revealed that 36.3% of AA nontrait and 22.7% of AA SCT participants had retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, or end-stage kidney disease (P = 0.01). After adjustment for diabetes duration, age, insulin use, and gender, differences in the prevalence of microvascular complications were not observed. Conclusions: SCT does not increase the risk of microvascular complications in AA with diabetes mellitus. PMID:20299376

Optimism on quality of life in Portuguese chronic patients: moderator/mediator?

PubMed

Vilhena, Estela; Pais-Ribeiro, José; Silva, Isabel; Pedro, Luísa; Meneses, Rute F; Cardoso, Helena; Silva, António Martins da; Mendonça, Denisa

2014-07-01

optimism is an important variable that has consistently been shown to affect adjustment to quality of life in chronic diseases. This study aims to clarify if dispositional optimism exerts a moderating or a mediating influence on the personality traits-quality of life association, in Portuguese chronic patients. multiple regression models were used to test the moderation and mediation effects of dispositional optimism in quality of life. A sample of 729 patients was recruited in Portugal's main hospitals and completed self-reported questionnaires assessing socio-demographic and clinical variables, personality, dispositional optimism, quality of life (QoL) and subjective well-being (SWB). the results of the regression models showed that dispositional optimism did not moderate the relationships between personality traits and quality of life. After controlling for gender, age, education level and severity of disease perception, the effects of personality traits on QoL and in SWB were mediated by dispositional optimism (partially and completely), except for the links between neuroticism/openness to experience and physical health. dispositional optimism is more likely to play a mediating, rather than a moderating role in personality traits-quality of life pathway in Portuguese chronic patients, suggesting that "the expectation that good things will happen" contributes to a better quality of life and subjective well-being.

Comprehensive Analysis of Established Dyslipidemia-Associated Loci in the Diabetes Prevention Program

PubMed Central

Varga, Tibor V.; Winters, Alexandra H.; Jablonski, Kathleen A.; Horton, Edward S.; Khare-Ranade, Prajakta; Knowler, William C.; Marcovina, Santica M.; Renström, Frida; Watson, Karol E.; Goldberg, Ronald; Florez, José C.

2016-01-01

Background We assessed whether 234 established dyslipidemia-associated loci modify the effects of metformin treatment and lifestyle intervention (vs. placebo control) on lipid and lipid sub-fraction levels in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) randomized controlled trial. Methods and Results We tested gene-treatment interactions in relation to baseline adjusted follow-up blood lipid concentrations (high and low density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C, LDL-C], total cholesterol, triglycerides) and lipoprotein sub-fraction particle concentrations and size in 2,993 participants with pre-diabetes. Of the previously reported SNP associations, 32.5% replicated at P<0.05 with baseline lipid traits. Trait-specific genetic risk scores (GRS) were robustly associated (3×10−4>P>1.1×10−16) with their respective baseline traits for all but two traits. Lifestyle modified the effect of the GRS for large HDL particle numbers, such that each risk allele of the GRSHDL-large was associated with lower concentrations of large HDL particles at follow-up in the lifestyle arm (β=−0.11 μmol/l per GRS risk allele; 95%CI −0.188, −0.033; P=5×10−3; Pinteraction=1×10−3 for lifestyle vs. placebo), but not in the metformin or placebo arms (P>0.05). In the lifestyle arm, participants with high genetic risk had more favorable or similar trait levels at 1-yr compared to participants at lower genetic risk at baseline for 17 of the 20 traits. Conclusions Improvements in large HDL particle concentrations conferred by lifestyle may be diminished by genetic factors. Lifestyle intervention, however, was successful in offsetting unfavorable genetic loading for most lipid traits. PMID:27784733

Does Post-operative Psychotherapy Contribute to Improved Comorbidities in Bariatric Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder Traits and Bulimia Tendencies? A Prospective Study.

PubMed

Gallé, Francesca; Maida, Pietro; Cirella, Assunta; Giuliano, Elena; Belfiore, Patrizia; Liguori, Giorgio

2017-07-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and eating disorders may affect the outcomes of bariatric surgery. This study was aimed to evaluate the influence of a post-operative dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) intervention on weight loss and comorbidities in a sample of comorbid obese Italian patients with BPD traits and bulimia tendencies who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB). One hundred fifty-four LRYGB or LAGB patients showing BPD and bulimia traits and type II diabetes, hypertension, and/or sleep apnea (OSAS) voluntarily adhered to DBT (n = 72) or treatment as usual (n = 82) for 12 months after surgery. Total weight loss (%TWL) and remission/improvement of comorbidities were considered as outcomes. Differences between treatment groups and between LRYGB and LAGB subgroups were evaluated through Student's t test for TWL and chi-square test for comorbidities. DBT was more effective than treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing weight loss (p < .001). Reduction of comorbidities was higher in patients treated with DBT, as for diabetes (p = .68), hypertension (p = .02), and OSAS (p = .03). LRYGB outcomes seem to be significantly better than those of LAGB, mainly in TAU group. Our findings confirm the effectiveness of DBT in enhancing post-bariatric weight loss and reduction of comorbidities in patients showing BPD traits and bulimia tendencies. Further in-depth investigations and a longer follow-up are needed to strengthen these results.

Hormonal, behavioral, and life-history traits exhibit correlated shifts in relation to population establishment in a novel environment.

PubMed

Atwell, Jonathan W; Cardoso, Gonçalo C; Whittaker, Danielle J; Price, Trevor D; Ketterson, Ellen D

2014-12-01

Climate change, habitat alteration, range expansions, and biological invasions are all predicted to require rapid shifts in multiple traits including behavior and life history, both for initial population establishment and subsequent adaptation. Hormonal mechanisms likely play a key role in facilitating or constraining plastic and genetic responses for suites of traits, but few studies have evaluated their role in shaping contemporary adaptation or diversification. We examined multiple phenotypic adjustments and associated hormonal changes following a recent (early 1980s) colonization event, in which a temperate-breeding songbird, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), became established in the Mediterranean climate of San Diego, California. The milder climate has led to an extended breeding season and year-round residency, and we document shifts in multiple sexually selected behaviors and plumage traits. Testosterone titers in San Diego were elevated for longer but with a lower peak value compared to a nearby native-range population, and correlations between testosterone and related traits were similar within and among populations. A common garden study indicated that changes in testosterone likely represent plastic responses to the less seasonal environment of the city, providing the context against which subsequent genetic changes in morphology likely occurred. We argue that correlated shifts in multiple traits, organized by underlying physiology, may be a generally important element of many successful adjustments to changing environments.

Cross-cultural adjustment to the United States: the role of contextualized extraversion change

PubMed Central

Liu, Mengqiao; Huang, Jason L.

2015-01-01

Personality traits can predict how well-sojourners and expatriates adjust to new cultures, but the adjustment process remains largely unexamined. Based on recent findings that reveal personality traits predict as well as respond to life events and experiences, this research focuses on within-person change in contextualized extraversion and its predictive validity for cross-cultural adjustment in international students who newly arrived in US colleges. We proposed that the initial level as well as the rate of change in school extraversion (i.e., contextualized extraversion that reflects behavioral tendency in school settings) will predict cross-cultural adjustment, withdrawal cognitions, and school satisfaction. Latent growth modeling of three-wave longitudinal surveys of 215 new international students (54% female, Mage = 24 years) revealed that the initial level of school extraversion significantly predicted cross-cultural adjustment, (lower) withdrawal cognitions, and satisfaction, while the rate of change (increase) in school extraversion predicted cross-cultural adjustment and (lower) withdrawal cognitions. We further modeled global extraversion and cross-cultural motivation as antecedents and explored within-person change in school extraversion as a proximal factor that affects adjustment outcomes. The findings highlight the malleability of contextualized personality, and more importantly, the importance of understanding within-person change in contextualized personality in a cross-cultural adjustment context. The study points to more research that explicate the process of personality change in other contexts. PMID:26579033

Cross-cultural adjustment to the United States: the role of contextualized extraversion change.

PubMed

Liu, Mengqiao; Huang, Jason L

2015-01-01

Personality traits can predict how well-sojourners and expatriates adjust to new cultures, but the adjustment process remains largely unexamined. Based on recent findings that reveal personality traits predict as well as respond to life events and experiences, this research focuses on within-person change in contextualized extraversion and its predictive validity for cross-cultural adjustment in international students who newly arrived in US colleges. We proposed that the initial level as well as the rate of change in school extraversion (i.e., contextualized extraversion that reflects behavioral tendency in school settings) will predict cross-cultural adjustment, withdrawal cognitions, and school satisfaction. Latent growth modeling of three-wave longitudinal surveys of 215 new international students (54% female, M age = 24 years) revealed that the initial level of school extraversion significantly predicted cross-cultural adjustment, (lower) withdrawal cognitions, and satisfaction, while the rate of change (increase) in school extraversion predicted cross-cultural adjustment and (lower) withdrawal cognitions. We further modeled global extraversion and cross-cultural motivation as antecedents and explored within-person change in school extraversion as a proximal factor that affects adjustment outcomes. The findings highlight the malleability of contextualized personality, and more importantly, the importance of understanding within-person change in contextualized personality in a cross-cultural adjustment context. The study points to more research that explicate the process of personality change in other contexts.

Network-based Analysis of Genome Wide Association Data Provides Novel Candidate Genes for Lipid and Lipoprotein Traits*

PubMed Central

Sharma, Amitabh; Gulbahce, Natali; Pevzner, Samuel J.; Menche, Jörg; Ladenvall, Claes; Folkersen, Lasse; Eriksson, Per; Orho-Melander, Marju; Barabási, Albert-László

2013-01-01

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) identify susceptibility loci for complex traits, but do not identify particular genes of interest. Integration of functional and network information may help in overcoming this limitation and identifying new susceptibility loci. Using GWAS and comorbidity data, we present a network-based approach to predict candidate genes for lipid and lipoprotein traits. We apply a prediction pipeline incorporating interactome, co-expression, and comorbidity data to Global Lipids Genetics Consortium (GLGC) GWAS for four traits of interest, identifying phenotypically coherent modules. These modules provide insights regarding gene involvement in complex phenotypes with multiple susceptibility alleles and low effect sizes. To experimentally test our predictions, we selected four candidate genes and genotyped representative SNPs in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cardiovascular Cohort. We found significant associations with LDL-C and total-cholesterol levels for a synonymous SNP (rs234706) in the cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) gene (p = 1 × 10−5 and adjusted-p = 0.013, respectively). Further, liver samples taken from 206 patients revealed that patients with the minor allele of rs234706 had significant dysregulation of CBS (p = 0.04). Despite the known biological role of CBS in lipid metabolism, SNPs within the locus have not yet been identified in GWAS of lipoprotein traits. Thus, the GWAS-based Comorbidity Module (GCM) approach identifies candidate genes missed by GWAS studies, serving as a broadly applicable tool for the investigation of other complex disease phenotypes. PMID:23882023

Learning from the mistakes of others: How female elk (Cervus elaphus) adjust behaviour with age to avoid hunters

PubMed Central

Ciuti, Simone; Boyce, Mark S.

2017-01-01

In animal behaviour, there is a dichotomy between innate behaviours (e.g., temperament or personality traits) versus those behaviours shaped by learning. Innate personality traits are supposedly less evident in animals when confounded by learning acquired with experience through time. Learning might play a key role in the development and adoption of successful anti-predator strategies, and the related adaptation has the potential to make animals that are more experienced less vulnerable to predation. We carried out a study in a system involving a large herbivorous mammal, female elk, Cervus elaphus, and their primary predator, i.e., human hunters. Using fine-scale satellite telemetry relocations, we tested whether differences in behaviour depending on age were due solely to selection pressure imposed by human hunters, meaning that females that were more cautious were more likely to survive and become older. Or whether learning also was involved, meaning that females adjusted their behaviour as they aged. Our results indicated that both human selection and learning contributed to the adoption of more cautious behavioural strategies in older females. Whereas human selection of behavioural traits has been shown in our previous research, we here provide evidence of additive learning processes being responsible for shaping the behaviour of individuals in this population. Female elk are indeed almost invulnerable to human hunters when older than 9–10 y.o., confirming that experience contributes to their survival. Female elk monitored in our study showed individually changing behaviours and clear adaptation as they aged, such as reduced movement rates (decreased likelihood of encountering human hunters), and increased use of secure areas (forest and steeper terrain), especially when close to roads. We also found that elk adjusted behaviours depending on the type of threat (bow and arrow vs. rifle hunters). This fine-tuning by elk to avoid hunters, rather than just becoming more cautious during the hunting season, highlights the behavioural plasticity of this species. Selection on behavioural traits and/or behavioural shifts via learning are an important but often-ignored consequence of human exploitation of wild animals. Such information is a critical component of the effects of human exploitation of wildlife populations with implications for improving their management and conservation. PMID:28614406

Learning from the mistakes of others: How female elk (Cervus elaphus) adjust behaviour with age to avoid hunters.

PubMed

Thurfjell, Henrik; Ciuti, Simone; Boyce, Mark S

2017-01-01

In animal behaviour, there is a dichotomy between innate behaviours (e.g., temperament or personality traits) versus those behaviours shaped by learning. Innate personality traits are supposedly less evident in animals when confounded by learning acquired with experience through time. Learning might play a key role in the development and adoption of successful anti-predator strategies, and the related adaptation has the potential to make animals that are more experienced less vulnerable to predation. We carried out a study in a system involving a large herbivorous mammal, female elk, Cervus elaphus, and their primary predator, i.e., human hunters. Using fine-scale satellite telemetry relocations, we tested whether differences in behaviour depending on age were due solely to selection pressure imposed by human hunters, meaning that females that were more cautious were more likely to survive and become older. Or whether learning also was involved, meaning that females adjusted their behaviour as they aged. Our results indicated that both human selection and learning contributed to the adoption of more cautious behavioural strategies in older females. Whereas human selection of behavioural traits has been shown in our previous research, we here provide evidence of additive learning processes being responsible for shaping the behaviour of individuals in this population. Female elk are indeed almost invulnerable to human hunters when older than 9-10 y.o., confirming that experience contributes to their survival. Female elk monitored in our study showed individually changing behaviours and clear adaptation as they aged, such as reduced movement rates (decreased likelihood of encountering human hunters), and increased use of secure areas (forest and steeper terrain), especially when close to roads. We also found that elk adjusted behaviours depending on the type of threat (bow and arrow vs. rifle hunters). This fine-tuning by elk to avoid hunters, rather than just becoming more cautious during the hunting season, highlights the behavioural plasticity of this species. Selection on behavioural traits and/or behavioural shifts via learning are an important but often-ignored consequence of human exploitation of wild animals. Such information is a critical component of the effects of human exploitation of wildlife populations with implications for improving their management and conservation.

Adiponectin Levels and Longitudinal Changes in Metabolic Syndrome: The Healthy Twin Study.

PubMed

Song, Yun-Mi; Lee, Kayoung; Sung, Joohon

2015-09-01

We investigated the association of plasma adiponectin levels with longitudinal changes in metabolic syndrome and the metabolic syndrome-related traits [insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)], as well as their genetic and environmental correlations. A total of 1030 Koreans (380 men and 650 women; 44.0 ± 12.7 years old) without diabetes of the Healthy Twin Study visited at baseline (2005-2010) and returned for a follow-up examination 3.7 ± 1.2 years later. Baseline plasma adiponectin, metabolic syndrome components [waist circumference (WC), glucose, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TGs)] and metabolic syndrome-related traits were measured at baseline and follow-up. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, caloric intake, education level, body mass index (BMI), family history of diabetes, and changes in BMI, 1 standard deviation increment in baseline adiponectin levels was associated with 38-63% lower odds of incident and persistent metabolic syndrome. After additionally adjusting for the baseline levels of each trait, baseline adiponectin levels were inversely associated with WC, blood pressure, insulin, HOMA-IR, and TGs values at follow-up. After adjusting for age, sex, and baseline values of each trait or sum of metabolic syndrome components, baseline adiponectin levels exhibited significantly inverse genetic and environmental correlations with insulin, HOMA-IR, and HDL-C values and the sum of metabolic syndrome components at follow-up. High adiponectin levels reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and having persistent metabolic syndrome and increase of metabolic syndrome-related traits over time. These associations may be explained by pleiotropic genetic mechanisms.

Dimensions and Correlates of Mothers' Divorce Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurdek, Lawrence A.; Blisk, Darlene

1983-01-01

Surveyed 25 divorced mothers and their children to study divorce experiences and predictors of adjustment. Results showed mothers' positive adjustment was related to nontraditional sex role attitudes as well as personality traits including social maturity. Parental conflict and mothers' stress influenced children's social and psychological…

Genotype by environment interaction for growth due to altitude in United States Angus cattle.

PubMed

Williams, J L; Bertrand, J K; Misztal, I; Łukaszewicz, M

2012-07-01

The objectives of this study were to determine if sires perform consistently across altitude and to quantify the genetic relationship between growth and survival at differing altitudes. Data from the American Angus Association included weaning weight (WW) adjusted to 205 (n = 77,771) and yearling weight adjusted to 365 (n = 39,450) d of age from 77,771 purebred Angus cattle born in Colorado between 1972 and 2007. Postweaning gain (PWG) was calculated by subtracting adjusted WW from adjusted yearling weight. Altitude was assigned to each record based upon the zip code of each herd in the database. Records for WW and PWG were each split into 2 traits measured at low and high altitude, with the records from medium altitude removed from the data due to inconsistencies between growth performance and apparent culling rate. A binary trait, survival (SV), was defined to account for censored records at yearling for each altitude. It was assumed that, at high altitude, individuals missing a yearling weight either died or required relocation to a lower altitude predominantly due to brisket disease, a condition common at high altitude. Model 1 considered each WW and PWG measured at 2 altitudes as separate traits. Model 2 treated PWG and SV measured as separate traits due to altitude. Models included the effects of weaning contemporary group, age of dam, animal additive genetic effects, and residual. Maternal genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects were included for WW. Heritability estimates for WW in Model 1 were 0.28 and 0.26 and for PWG were 0.26 and 0.19 with greater values in low altitude. Genetic correlations between growth traits measured at different altitude were moderate in magnitude: 0.74 for WW and 0.76 for PWG and indicate possibility of reranking of sires across altitude. Maternal genetic correlation between WW at varying altitude of 0.75 also indicates these may be different traits. In Model 2, heritabilities were 0.14 and 0.27 for PWG and 0.36 and 0.47 for SV. Genetic correlation between PWG measured at low and high altitude was 0.68. Favorable genetic correlations were estimated between SV and PWG within and between altitudes, suggesting that calves with genetics for increased growth from weaning to yearling also have increased genetic potential for SV. Genetic evaluations of PWG in different altitudes should consider preselection of the data, by using a censoring trait, like survivability to yearling.

Tethered lives: A couple-based perspective on the consequences of parenthood for time use, occupation, and wages.

PubMed

Killewald, Alexandra; García-Manglano, Javier

2016-11-01

Prior research on parenthood effects has typically used single-sex models and estimated average effects. By contrast, we estimate population-level variability in partners' changes in housework hours, paid work hours, occupation traits, and wages after becoming parents, and we explore whether one partner's adjustment offsets or supplements the other's. We find tradeoffs between spouses on paid work adjustments to parenthood, but complementarity in adjustments to housework hours, occupation traits, and wages. The effect of parenthood on wives' behaviors is larger and more variable than on husbands' behaviors in every domain. The modest variation between husbands in work responses to parenthood explains little of the variation in the motherhood penalty, while variation in wives' own behaviors plays a larger role. We refer to this pattern as tethered autonomy: variation across American couples in work responses to parenthood is shaped primarily by variation in wives' adjustments, while husbands' work acts largely as a fixed point. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The association of personality traits and coping styles according to stress level

PubMed Central

Afshar, Hamid; Roohafza, Hamid Reza; Keshteli, Ammar Hassanzadeh; Mazaheri, Mina; Feizi, Awat; Adibi, Peyman

2015-01-01

Background: Some personality traits and coping styles could be as risk factors in stressful situations. This study aimed to investigate the association of personality traits and coping styles according to the stress level. Meterials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in 2011. A total of 4628 individuals over 20 years were selected by random sampling from nonacademic employees that working in 50 different centers across Isfahan province. Data were collected using 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Big Five Personality Inventory Short Form and coping strategies scale, and individuals were divided into high and low-stress groups in term of GHQ-12. To analyze the data, a binary logistic regression analysis was conducted. Results: Mean age of participants was 36.3 ± 7.91 years and 56.26% (2604) of them were female. Neuroticism with adjusting covariates of demographic characteristics and the rest of personality traits was a risk factor for stress level with odds ratios (OR) OR:1.24; but other personality traits were protective. Also, active coping styles were protective factors for OR of stress level with adjusting covariates of demographic characteristics and the rest of coping styles, and positive reinterpretation and growth was the most effective of coping style with OR:0.84. Conclusion: Some personality traits are associated with passive copings and cause high-stress level. So, it could be concluded that improve and strengthen effective coping strategies in individual with maladaptive traits should be considered as a crucial component of prevention and control programs of stress. PMID:26109990

Examining the Relationship between Autistic Traits and College Adjustment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trevisan, Dominic; Birmingham, Elina

2016-01-01

We examined the relationship between characteristics associated with autism spectrum disorder and college adjustment in a sample of neurotypical college students. Using the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, we found that higher levels of autism spectrum disorder characteristics were…

Earning and Learning: Role Congruence, State/Trait Factors and Adjustment to University Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Vivien; Broadbridge, Adelina; Karatzias, Athanasios

2006-01-01

Background: Undertaking term-time employment is increasingly commonplace for university students. Much research suggests that combining "earning and learning" may be detrimental to university life, generating role conflicts, increasing stress and reducing academic success, participation and overall adjustment to university. Potential…

Work-Family Balance and Psychosocial Adjustment of Married International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulgan, Gökçe; Çiftçi, Ayse

2018-01-01

The authors investigated how work-family balance mediated the relationship between personality traits, gender roles, social support, and psychosocial adjustment. Data were collected from 243 married international graduate students (MIGSs) studying in the United States. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that personality traits…

Intraspecific Variation in Wood Anatomical, Hydraulic, and Foliar Traits in Ten European Beech Provenances Differing in Growth Yield

PubMed Central

Hajek, Peter; Kurjak, Daniel; von Wühlisch, Georg; Delzon, Sylvain; Schuldt, Bernhard

2016-01-01

In angiosperms, many studies have described the inter-specific variability of hydraulic-related traits and little is known at the intra-specific level. This information is however mandatory to assess the adaptive capacities of tree populations in the context of increasing drought frequency and severity. Ten 20-year old European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances representing the entire distribution range throughout Europe and differing significantly in aboveground biomass increment (ABI) by a factor of up to four were investigated for branch wood anatomical, hydraulic, and foliar traits in a provenance trial located in Northern Europe. We quantified to which extend xylem hydraulic and leaf traits are under genetic control and tested whether the xylem hydraulic properties (hydraulic efficiency and safety) trades off with yield and wood anatomical and leaf traits. Our results showed that only three out of 22 investigated ecophysiological traits showed significant genetic differentiations between provenances, namely vessel density (VD), the xylem pressure causing 88% loss of hydraulic conductance and mean leaf size. Depending of the ecophysiological traits measured, genetic differentiation between populations explained 0–14% of total phenotypic variation, while intra-population variability was higher than inter-population variability. Most wood anatomical traits and some foliar traits were additionally related to the climate of provenance origin. The lumen to sapwood area ratio, vessel diameter, theoretical specific conductivity and theoretical leaf-specific conductivity as well as the C:N-ratio increased with climatic aridity at the place of origin while the carbon isotope signature (δ13C) decreased. Contrary to our assumption, none of the wood anatomical traits were related to embolism resistance but were strong determinants of hydraulic efficiency. Although ABI was associated with both VD and δ13C, both hydraulic efficiency and embolism resistance were unrelated, disproving the assumed trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety. European beech seems to compensate increasing water stress with growing size mainly by adjusting vessel number and not vessel diameter. In conclusion, European beech has a high potential capacity to cope with climate change due to the high degree of intra-population genetic variability. PMID:27379112

Intraspecific Variation in Wood Anatomical, Hydraulic, and Foliar Traits in Ten European Beech Provenances Differing in Growth Yield.

PubMed

Hajek, Peter; Kurjak, Daniel; von Wühlisch, Georg; Delzon, Sylvain; Schuldt, Bernhard

2016-01-01

In angiosperms, many studies have described the inter-specific variability of hydraulic-related traits and little is known at the intra-specific level. This information is however mandatory to assess the adaptive capacities of tree populations in the context of increasing drought frequency and severity. Ten 20-year old European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances representing the entire distribution range throughout Europe and differing significantly in aboveground biomass increment (ABI) by a factor of up to four were investigated for branch wood anatomical, hydraulic, and foliar traits in a provenance trial located in Northern Europe. We quantified to which extend xylem hydraulic and leaf traits are under genetic control and tested whether the xylem hydraulic properties (hydraulic efficiency and safety) trades off with yield and wood anatomical and leaf traits. Our results showed that only three out of 22 investigated ecophysiological traits showed significant genetic differentiations between provenances, namely vessel density (VD), the xylem pressure causing 88% loss of hydraulic conductance and mean leaf size. Depending of the ecophysiological traits measured, genetic differentiation between populations explained 0-14% of total phenotypic variation, while intra-population variability was higher than inter-population variability. Most wood anatomical traits and some foliar traits were additionally related to the climate of provenance origin. The lumen to sapwood area ratio, vessel diameter, theoretical specific conductivity and theoretical leaf-specific conductivity as well as the C:N-ratio increased with climatic aridity at the place of origin while the carbon isotope signature (δ(13)C) decreased. Contrary to our assumption, none of the wood anatomical traits were related to embolism resistance but were strong determinants of hydraulic efficiency. Although ABI was associated with both VD and δ(13)C, both hydraulic efficiency and embolism resistance were unrelated, disproving the assumed trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety. European beech seems to compensate increasing water stress with growing size mainly by adjusting vessel number and not vessel diameter. In conclusion, European beech has a high potential capacity to cope with climate change due to the high degree of intra-population genetic variability.

Relations between big five traits and fundamental motives.

PubMed

Olson, Kenneth R; Weber, Dale A

2004-12-01

Relations were examined between configurations of Big Five Traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience) and 16 fundamental motives (Social Contact, Curiosity, Honor, Power, Order, Idealism, Independence, Status, Vengeance, Romance, Family, Activity, Saving, Acceptance, Eating, Tranquility) in 138 university students (93 women, 45 men; M age= 20.3 yr., SD=4.5). Big Five traits were measured with the NEO-PI-R and motives were measured with the Reiss Profile of Fundamental Goals and Motivation Sensitivities. The traits were significantly related with all the motives (adjusted R2=.06 to .43) except Physical Activity. Four motives were related with only one trait and nine configurations of two or more traits were correlated with the remaining 11 motives. Total motive scores across all participants, an index of the strength of overall motivation, were positively correlated with Extraversion and Neuroticism and negatively with Agreeableness.

Early-life origins of schizotypal traits in adulthood.

PubMed

Lahti, Jari; Raïkkönen, Katri; Sovio, Ulla; Miettunen, Jouko; Hartikainen, Anna-Liisa; Pouta, Anneli; Taanila, Anja; Joukamaa, Matti; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Veijola, Juha

2009-08-01

Although schizotypal traits, such as anhedonia and aberrant perceptions, may increase the risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, little is known about early-life characteristics that predict more pronounced schizotypal traits. To examine whether birth size or several other early-life factors that have been previously linked with schizophrenia predict schizotypal traits in adulthood. Participants of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study (n = 4976) completed a questionnaire on positive and negative schizotypal traits at the age of 31 years. Lower placental weight, lower birth weight and smaller head circumference at 12 months predicted elevated positive schizotypal traits in women after adjusting for several confounders (P<0.02). Moreover, higher gestational age, lower childhood family socioeconomic status, undesirability of pregnancy, winter/autumn birth, higher birth order and maternal smoking during pregnancy predicted some augmented schizotypal traits in women, some in men and some in both genders. The results point to similarities in the aetiology of schitzotypal traits and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Effect of IGF1, GH, and PIT1 markers on the genetic parameters of growth and reproduction traits in Canchim cattle.

PubMed

Grossi, Daniela do Amaral; Buzanskas, Marcos Eli; Grupioni, Natalia Vinhal; de Paz, Claudia Cristina Paro; Regitano, Luciana Correia de Almeida; de Alencar, Maurício Mello; Schenkel, Flávio Schramm; Munari, Danísio Prado

2015-01-01

The availability of dense genomic information has increased genome-wide association studies for the bovine species; however research to assess the effect of single genes on production traits is still important to elucidate the genes functions. On this study the association of IGF1, GH, and PIT1 markers with growth and reproductive traits (birth weight, weaning weight, weight at 12 and 18 months of age, preweaning average daily weight gain, age and weight at first calving, and scrotal circumference at 12 and 18 months of age) were assessed by means of the variance component approach. The phenotypes were adjusted and then analyzed under two animal models, one which considered the polygenic and genotype (IGF1, GH or PIT1 markers) effects (Model 1), and the other which considers only the polygenic effect (Model 2). When the likelihood ratio test and the Bonferroni correction was applied at 5 % significance level, the genetic markers for the IGF1, GH, and PIT1 genes did not influence significantly the traits (p > 0.002). However, evidence of association of IGF1 with birth weight (p = 0.06) and GH with weight at first calving (p = 0.03) and with weight at 12 months of age (p = 0.08) was observed. In conclusion we could not confirm the associations between IGF1, GH, and PIT1 and growth traits that were previously reported in Canchim cattle, and no association was observed between these genes and reproductive traits. Future studies involving functional markers of IGF1, GH and PIT1 genes may help to clarify the role of these genes in growth and reproductive processes.

Interaction of FTO and physical activity level on adiposity in African-American and European-American adults: the ARIC study.

PubMed

Demerath, Ellen W; Lutsey, Pam L; Monda, Keri L; Linda Kao, Wen Hong; Bressler, Jan; Pankow, James S; North, Kari E; Folsom, Aaron R

2011-09-01

Physical inactivity accentuates the association of variants in the FTO locus with obesity-related traits but evidence is largely lacking in non-European populations. Here we tested the hypothesis that physical activity (PA) modifies the association of the FTO single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609 with adiposity traits in 2,656 African Americans (AA) (1,626 women and 1,030 men) and 9,867 European Americans (EA) (5,286 women and 4,581 men) aged 45-66 years in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Individuals in the lowest quintile of the sport activity index of the Baecke questionnaire were categorized as low PA. Baseline BMI, waist circumference (WC), and skinfold measures were dependent variables in regression models testing the additive effect of the SNP, low PA, and their interaction, adjusting for age, alcohol use, cigarette use, educational attainment, and percent European ancestry in AA adults, stratified by sex and race/ethnicity. rs9939609 was associated with adiposity in all groups other than AA women. The SNP × PA interaction was significant in AA men (P ≤ 0.002 for all traits) and EA men (P ≤ 0.04 for all traits). For each additional copy of the A (risk) allele, WC in AA men was higher in those with low PA (β(lowPA): 5.1 cm, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.6-7.5) than high PA (β(highPA): 0.7 cm, 95% CI: -0.4 to 1.9); P (interaction) = 0.002). The interaction effect was not observed in EA or AA women. FTO SNP × PA interactions on adiposity were observed for AA as well as EA men. Differences by sex require further examination.

Temperament and character traits associated with the use of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and hallucinogens: evidence from a large Brazilian web survey.

PubMed

Schneider, Ricardo; Ottoni, Gustavo L; de Carvalho, Hudson W; Elisabetsky, Elaine; Lara, Diogo R

2015-01-01

To evaluate how personality traits are associated with occasional use, abuse, and dependence of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and hallucinogens in a large availability sample of adults via online questionnaires. The sample consisted of 8,646 individuals (24.7% men and 75.3% women) who completed an anonymous web survey. Involvement with drugs and temperament/character traits were assessed through the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and the Temperament and Character Inventory - Revised (TCI-R), respectively. Interactions among variables were analyzed using MANOVA with Bonferroni adjustment. Novelty seeking was the trait most associated with increased involvement with alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine. There was a significant association between harm avoidance and benzodiazepine use. Persistence was lower in cannabis-, benzodiazepine-, and cocaine-dependent subjects, as well as in hallucinogen abusers. Self-directedness was reduced in dependents of all drug classes. No strong relationships were found between other temperament or character dimensions and the severity of drug use. Novelty seeking was associated with increased involvement with all drugs studied in this sample, although to a lesser extent with benzodiazepines and hallucinogens. The temperament and character profile for benzodiazepine use was different from that of other drugs due to the relationship with higher harm avoidance and self-transcendence and lower self-directedness.

Work overcommitment: Is it a trait or a state?

PubMed

du Prel, Jean-Baptist; Runeson-Broberg, Roma; Westerholm, Peter; Alfredsson, Lars; Fahlén, Göran; Knutsson, Anders; Nordin, Maria; Peter, Richard

2018-01-01

Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) is a well-tested work-related stress model with three components, the two extrinsic components "efforts" and "rewards" and the one intrinsic component "overcommitment". While an imbalance between "efforts" and "rewards" leads to strain reactions, "work-related overcommitment" (OC) has been described as a personal characteristic with a set of attitudes, behaviours, and emotions reflecting excessive striving combined with a strong desire for approval. However, the question whether OC is a personality trait or a response pattern sensitive to changes in the work context (state) is still open. 2940 Swedish industrial employees were included in this longitudinal analysis of the WOLF-Norrland data over 5 years. A change of OC index or its subscales were regressed against a change of freedom of choice at work, extra work, and ERI adjusted for age, sex, and education. While OC was insensitive to changes in freedom of choice at work and extra work, it was clearly associated with changes of work-related stress over time. Three of four OC subscales exhibited statistically significant associations with ERI. For the first time, we studied fundamental characteristics of OC as an independent personality variable (trait) or an outcome variable subject to changes in the work environment (state). The association between external ERI and OC over time supports our hypothesis of OC being a state. Further investigations are needed to establish OC as a trait or a state.

Legume species differ in the responses of their functional traits to plant diversity.

PubMed

Roscher, Christiane; Schmid, Bernhard; Buchmann, Nina; Weigelt, Alexandra; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef

2011-02-01

Plants can respond to environmental impacts by variation in functional traits, thereby increasing their performance relative to neighbors. We hypothesized that trait adjustment should also occur in response to influences of the biotic environment, in particular different plant diversity of the community. We used 12 legume species as a model and assessed their variation in morphological, physiological, life-history and performance traits in experimental grasslands of different plant species (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60) and functional group (1-4) numbers. Mean trait values and their variation in response to plant diversity varied among legume species and from trait to trait. The tall-growing Onobrychis viciifolia showed little trait variation in response to increasing plant diversity, whereas the species with shorter statures responded in apparently adaptive ways. The formation of longer shoots with elongated internodes, increased biomass allocation to supporting tissue at the cost of leaf mass, reduced branching, higher specific leaf areas and lower foliar δ(13)C values indicated increasing efforts for light acquisition in more diverse communities. Although leaf nitrogen concentrations and shoot biomass:nitrogen ratios were not affected by increasing plant diversity, foliar δ(15)N values of most legumes decreased and the application of the (15)N natural abundance method suggested that they became more reliant on symbiotic N(2) fixation. Some species formed fewer inflorescences and delayed flowering with increasing community diversity. The observed variation in functional traits generally indicated strategies of legumes to optimize light and nutrient capturing, but they were largely species-dependent and only partly attributable to increasing canopy height and community biomass with increasing plant diversity. Thus, the analysis of individual plant species and their adjustment to growth conditions in communities of increasing plant diversity is essential to get a deeper insight into the mechanisms behind biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships.

Factors of Social Adjustment to School: Child's Personality, Family and Pre-School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zupancic, Maja; Kavcic, Tina

2011-01-01

The role of child's characteristics (gender, cognitive ability, mother-perceived personality traits), family environment (maternal education, self-reported parenting practices) and pre-school experience (at least three years vs. no experience) in social adjustment to school, reflected through teacher reports on social competence and internalising…

Plasticity Regulators Modulate Specific Root Traits in Discrete Nitrogen Environments

PubMed Central

Gifford, Miriam L.; Banta, Joshua A.; Katari, Manpreet S.; Hulsmans, Jo; Chen, Lisa; Ristova, Daniela; Tranchina, Daniel; Purugganan, Michael D.; Coruzzi, Gloria M.; Birnbaum, Kenneth D.

2013-01-01

Plant development is remarkably plastic but how precisely can the plant customize its form to specific environments? When the plant adjusts its development to different environments, related traits can change in a coordinated fashion, such that two traits co-vary across many genotypes. Alternatively, traits can vary independently, such that a change in one trait has little predictive value for the change in a second trait. To characterize such “tunability” in developmental plasticity, we carried out a detailed phenotypic characterization of complex root traits among 96 accessions of the model Arabidopsis thaliana in two nitrogen environments. The results revealed a surprising level of independence in the control of traits to environment – a highly tunable form of plasticity. We mapped genetic architecture of plasticity using genome-wide association studies and further used gene expression analysis to narrow down gene candidates in mapped regions. Mutants in genes implicated by association and expression analysis showed precise defects in the predicted traits in the predicted environment, corroborating the independent control of plasticity traits. The overall results suggest that there is a pool of genetic variability in plants that controls traits in specific environments, with opportunity to tune crop plants to a given environment. PMID:24039603

On the validity of self-report assessment of cognitive abilities: Attentional control scale associations with cognitive performance, emotional adjustment, and personality.

PubMed

Williams, Paula G; Rau, Holly K; Suchy, Yana; Thorgusen, Sommer R; Smith, Timothy W

2017-05-01

Individual differences in attentional control involve the ability to voluntarily direct, shift, and sustain attention. In studies of the role of attentional control in emotional adjustment, social relationships, and vulnerability to the effects of stress, self-report questionnaires are commonly used to measure this construct. Yet, convincing evidence of the association between self-report scales and actual cognitive performance has not been demonstrated. Across 2 independent samples, we examined associations between self-reported attentional control (Attentional Control Scale; ACS), self-reported emotional adjustment, Five-Factor Model personality traits (NEO Personality Inventory-Revised) and performance measures of attentional control. Study 1 examined behavioral performance on the Attention Network Test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002) and the Modified Switching Task (MST; Suchy & Kosson, 2006) in a large sample (n = 315) of healthy young adults. Study 2 (n = 78) examined behavioral performance on standardized neuropsychological tests of attention, including Conner's Continuous Performance Test-II and subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales, Third Edition (WAIS-III; Psychological Corporation, 1997) and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS; Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001). Results indicated that the ACS was largely unrelated to behavioral performance measures of attentional control but was significantly associated with emotional adjustment, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. These findings suggest that although self-reported attentional control may be a useful construct, researchers using the ACS should exercise caution in interpreting it as a proxy for actual cognitive ability or performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Protégés' Personality Traits, Expectations, the Quality of the Mentoring Relationship and Adjustment: A Big Five Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldner, Limor

2016-01-01

Background: Community-based mentoring interventions can benefit high-risk youth. However, meta-analyses suggest that these benefits may be conditioned by protégés' personality. Objectives: Associations between protégés' personality traits and mentoring expectations, the quality of the mentoring relationship, the perceived mentoring contribution,…

Assessing Perceived Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents: New Validity Evidence of Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedrosa, Ignacio; Suárez-Álvarez, Javier; Lozano, Luis M.; Muñiz, José; García-Cueto, Eduardo

2014-01-01

Adolescence is a critical period of life during which significant psychosocial adjustment occurs and in which emotional intelligence plays an essential role. This article provides validity evidence for the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) scores based on an item response theory (IRT) approach. A sample of 2,693 Spanish adolescents (M = 16.52…

Estimating rice yield related traits and quantitative trait loci analysis under different nitrogen treatments using a simple tower-based field phenotyping system with modified single-lens reflex cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naito, Hiroki; Ogawa, Satoshi; Valencia, Milton Orlando; Mohri, Hiroki; Urano, Yutaka; Hosoi, Fumiki; Shimizu, Yo; Chavez, Alba Lucia; Ishitani, Manabu; Selvaraj, Michael Gomez; Omasa, Kenji

2017-03-01

Application of field based high-throughput phenotyping (FB-HTP) methods for monitoring plant performance in real field conditions has a high potential to accelerate the breeding process. In this paper, we discuss the use of a simple tower based remote sensing platform using modified single-lens reflex cameras for phenotyping yield traits in rice under different nitrogen (N) treatments over three years. This tower based phenotyping platform has the advantages of simplicity, ease and stability in terms of introduction, maintenance and continual operation under field conditions. Out of six phenological stages of rice analyzed, the flowering stage was the most useful in the estimation of yield performance under field conditions. We found a high correlation between several vegetation indices (simple ratio (SR), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), transformed vegetation index (TVI), corrected transformed vegetation index (CTVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) and modified soil-adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI)) and multiple yield traits (panicle number, grain weight and shoot biomass) across a three trials. Among all of the indices studied, SR exhibited the best performance in regards to the estimation of grain weight (R2 = 0.80). Under our tower-based field phenotyping system (TBFPS), we identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) for yield related traits using a mapping population of chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) and a single nucleotide polymorphism data set. Our findings suggest the TBFPS can be useful for the estimation of yield performance during early crop development. This can be a major opportunity for rice breeders whom desire high throughput phenotypic selection for yield performance traits.

A four-culture study of self-enhancement and adjustment using the social relations model: do alternative conceptualizations and indices make a difference?

PubMed

Church, A Timothy; Katigbak, Marcia S; Mazuera Arias, Rina; Rincon, Brigida Carolina; Vargas-Flores, José de Jesús; Ibáñez-Reyes, Joselina; Wang, Lei; Alvarez, Juan M; Wang, Congcong; Ortiz, Fernando A

2014-06-01

In the self-enhancement literature, 2 major controversies remain--whether self-enhancement is a cultural universal and whether it is healthy or maladaptive. Use of the social relations model (SRM; Kenny, 1994) might facilitate resolution of these controversies. We applied the SRM with a round-robin design in both friend and family contexts in 4 diverse cultures: the United States (n = 399), Mexico (n = 413), Venezuela (n = 290), and China (n = 222). Results obtained with social comparison, self-insight, and SRM conceptualizations and indices of self-enhancement were compared for both agentic traits (i.e., egoistic bias) and communal traits (i.e., moralistic bias). Conclusions regarding cultural differences in the prevalence of self-enhancement vs. self-effacement tendencies, and the relationship between self-enhancement and adjustment, varied depending on the index of self-enhancement used. For example, consistent with cultural psychology perspectives, Chinese showed a greater tendency to self-efface than self-enhance using social comparison and self-insight indices, particularly on communal traits in the friend context. However, no cultural differences were observed when perceiver and target effects were controlled using the SRM indices. In all cultures, self-enhancement indices were moderately consistent across friend and family contexts, suggesting traitlike tendencies. To a similar extent in all 4 cultures, self-enhancement tendencies, as measured by the SRM indices, were moderately related to self-rated adjustment, but unrelated, or less so, to observer-rated adjustment.

Effect of Box-Cox transformation on power of Haseman-Elston and maximum-likelihood variance components tests to detect quantitative trait Loci.

PubMed

Etzel, C J; Shete, S; Beasley, T M; Fernandez, J R; Allison, D B; Amos, C I

2003-01-01

Non-normality of the phenotypic distribution can affect power to detect quantitative trait loci in sib pair studies. Previously, we observed that Winsorizing the sib pair phenotypes increased the power of quantitative trait locus (QTL) detection for both Haseman-Elston (HE) least-squares tests [Hum Hered 2002;53:59-67] and maximum likelihood-based variance components (MLVC) analysis [Behav Genet (in press)]. Winsorizing the phenotypes led to a slight increase in type 1 error in H-E tests and a slight decrease in type I error for MLVC analysis. Herein, we considered transforming the sib pair phenotypes using the Box-Cox family of transformations. Data were simulated for normal and non-normal (skewed and kurtic) distributions. Phenotypic values were replaced by Box-Cox transformed values. Twenty thousand replications were performed for three H-E tests of linkage and the likelihood ratio test (LRT), the Wald test and other robust versions based on the MLVC method. We calculated the relative nominal inflation rate as the ratio of observed empirical type 1 error divided by the set alpha level (5, 1 and 0.1% alpha levels). MLVC tests applied to non-normal data had inflated type I errors (rate ratio greater than 1.0), which were controlled best by Box-Cox transformation and to a lesser degree by Winsorizing. For example, for non-transformed, skewed phenotypes (derived from a chi2 distribution with 2 degrees of freedom), the rates of empirical type 1 error with respect to set alpha level=0.01 were 0.80, 4.35 and 7.33 for the original H-E test, LRT and Wald test, respectively. For the same alpha level=0.01, these rates were 1.12, 3.095 and 4.088 after Winsorizing and 0.723, 1.195 and 1.905 after Box-Cox transformation. Winsorizing reduced inflated error rates for the leptokurtic distribution (derived from a Laplace distribution with mean 0 and variance 8). Further, power (adjusted for empirical type 1 error) at the 0.01 alpha level ranged from 4.7 to 17.3% across all tests using the non-transformed, skewed phenotypes, from 7.5 to 20.1% after Winsorizing and from 12.6 to 33.2% after Box-Cox transformation. Likewise, power (adjusted for empirical type 1 error) using leptokurtic phenotypes at the 0.01 alpha level ranged from 4.4 to 12.5% across all tests with no transformation, from 7 to 19.2% after Winsorizing and from 4.5 to 13.8% after Box-Cox transformation. Thus the Box-Cox transformation apparently provided the best type 1 error control and maximal power among the procedures we considered for analyzing a non-normal, skewed distribution (chi2) while Winzorizing worked best for the non-normal, kurtic distribution (Laplace). We repeated the same simulations using a larger sample size (200 sib pairs) and found similar results. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Allocation, morphology, physiology, architecture: the multiple facets of plant above- and below-ground responses to resource stress.

PubMed

Freschet, Grégoire T; Violle, Cyrille; Bourget, Malo Y; Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael; Fort, Florian

2018-06-01

Plants respond to resource stress by changing multiple aspects of their biomass allocation, morphology, physiology and architecture. To date, we lack an integrated view of the relative importance of these plastic responses in alleviating resource stress and of the consistency/variability of these responses among species. We subjected nine species (legumes, forbs and graminoids) to nitrogen and/or light shortages and measured 11 above-ground and below-ground trait adjustments critical in the alleviation of these stresses (plus several underlying traits). Nine traits out of 11 showed adjustments that improved plants' potential capacity to acquire the limiting resource at a given time. Above ground, aspects of plasticity in allocation, morphology, physiology and architecture all appeared important in improving light capture, whereas below ground, plasticity in allocation and physiology were most critical to improving nitrogen acquisition. Six traits out of 11 showed substantial heterogeneity in species plasticity, with little structuration of these differences within trait covariation syndromes. Such comprehensive assessment of the complex nature of phenotypic responses of plants to multiple stress factors, and the comparison of plant responses across multiple species, makes a clear case for the high (but largely overlooked) diversity of potential plastic responses of plants, and for the need to explore the potential rules structuring them. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Childhood Maltreatment as Predictor of Pathological Personality Traits Using PSY-5 in an Adult Psychiatric Sample.

PubMed

Choi, Ji Young; Park, Soo Hyun

2018-02-01

Extant literature indicates that childhood maltreatment is significantly associated with personality disorders. With the recent call for a more dimensional approach to understanding personality and pathological personality traits, the aim of the present study was to examine whether the experience of childhood maltreatment is associated with pathological personality traits as measured by the Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5). We analyzed data from 557 adult psychiatric patients with diverse psychiatric diagnoses, including mood disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and anxiety disorders. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the degree to which childhood maltreatment explained the five trait dimensions after controlling for demographic variables, presence of psychotic symptoms, and degree of depressive symptoms. Childhood maltreatment significantly predicted all of the five trait dimensions of the PSY-5. This suggests that childhood maltreatment may negatively affect the development of an adaptive adjustment system, thereby potentially contributing to the emergence of pathological personality traits.

The contribution of migrant breeds to the genetic gain of beef traits of German Vorderwald and Hinterwald cattle.

PubMed

Hartwig, S; Wellmann, R; Hamann, H; Bennewitz, J

2014-12-01

During the past decades, migrant contributions have accumulated in many local breeds. Cross-breeding was carried out to mitigate the risk of inbreeding depression and to improve the performance of local breeds. However, breeding activities for local breeds were not as intensive and target oriented as for popular high-yielding breeds. Therefore, even if performance improved, the gap between the performance of local and popular breeds increased for many traits. Furthermore, the genetic originality of local breeds declined due to the increasing contributions of migrant breeds. This study examined the importance of migrant breed influences for the realization of breeding progress of beef traits of German Vorderwald and Hinterwald cattle. The results show that there is a high amount of migrant contributions and their effects on performance are substantial for most traits. The effect of the French cattle breed Montbéliard (p-value 0.014) on daily gain of Vorderwald bulls at test station was positive. The effects of Vorderwald ancestors (p-value for daily gain 0.007 and p-value for net gain 0.004) were positive for both traits under consideration in the population of Hinterwald cattle. Additionally, the effect of remaining breeds (p-value 0.030) on net gain of Hinterwald cattle in the field was also positive. The estimated effect of Fleckvieh ancestors on net gain of Hinterwald cattle was even larger but not significant. Breeding values adjusted for the effects of the migrant breeds showed little genetic trend. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Respiration Traits as Novel Markers for Plant Robustness Under the Threat of Climate Change: A Protocol for Validation.

PubMed

Arnholdt-Schmitt, Birgit

2017-01-01

Respiration traits allow calculating temperature-dependent carbon use efficiency and prediction of growth rates. This protocol aims (1) to enable validation of respiration traits as non-DNA biomarkers for breeding on robust plants in support of sustainable and healthy plant production; (2) to provide an efficient, novel way to identify and predict functionality of DNA-based markers (genes, polymorphisms, edited genes, transgenes, genomes, and hologenomes), and (3) to directly help farmers select robust material appropriate for a specified region. The protocol is based on applying isothermal calorespirometry and consists of four steps: plant tissue preparation, calorespirometry measurements, data processing, and final validation through massive field-based data.The methodology can serve selection and improvement for a wide range of crops. Several of them are currently being tested in the author's lab. Among them are important cereals, such as wheat, barley, and rye, and diverse vegetables. However, it is critical that the protocol for measuring respiration traits be well adjusted to the plant species by considering deep knowledge on the specific physiology and functional cell biology behind the final target trait for production. Here, Daucus carota L. is chosen as an advanced example to demonstrate critical species-specific steps for protocol development. Carrot is an important global vegetable that is grown worldwide and in all climate regions (moderate, subtropical, and tropical). Recently, this species is also used in my lab as a model for studies on alternative oxidase (AOX) gene diversity and evolutionary dynamics in interaction with endophytes.

Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C)-A New Measure of Children's Personality Traits.

PubMed

Maćkiewicz, Marta; Cieciuch, Jan

2016-01-01

In order to adjust personality measurements to children's developmental level, we constructed the Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C). To validate the measure, we conducted a study with a total group of 1028 children aged between 7 and 13 years old. Structural validity was established through Exploratory Structural Equation Model (ESEM). Criterion validity was confirmed with a multitrait-multimethod analysis for which we introduced the children's self-assessment scores from the Big Five Questionnaire for Children. Despite some problems with reliability, one can conclude that the PPTQ-C can be a valid instrument for measuring personality traits, particularly in a group of young children (aged ~7-10 years).

An independent association of prenatal depression with wheezing and anxiety with rhinitis in infancy.

PubMed

Cheng, Tuck Seng; Chen, Helen; Lee, Theresa; Teoh, Oon Hoe; Shek, Lynette P; Lee, Bee Wah; Chee, Cornelia; Godfrey, Keith M; Gluckman, Peter D; Kwek, Kenneth; Saw, Seang Mei; Chong, Yap-Seng; Meaney, Michael; Broekman, Birit F P; Chay, Oh Moh; Van Bever, Hugo; Goh, Anne

2015-12-01

Different maternal psychological states during pregnancy have been associated with wheeze-rhinitis-eczema symptoms in children. However, previous studies were limited and it was unclear whether the type of prenatal psychological state was associated with a particular symptom. We examined the association of maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy with wheeze-rhinitis-eczema symptoms in infancy. In a longitudinal birth cohort (GUSTO) of 1152 mother-child pairs, wheeze-rhinitis-eczema symptoms in the infants during the first year of life were collected by parental report. Maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed at 26 weeks of gestation using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Logistic regression analyses were performed with adjustment for potential confounders. An increased risk of wheezing was found in infants of pregnant women with probable depression (EPDS ≥ 15) [odds ratio (OR) = 1.85 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-3.12)], and an increased risk of rhinitis was associated with maternal anxiety [STAI state ≥ 41: OR = 1.42 (95% CI 1.04-1.93); STAI trait ≥ 43: OR = 1.38 (95% CI 1.01-1.88)]. After adjusting for known risk factors for the development of allergic disease, these associations remained significant [EPDS ≥ 15: adjusted OR = 2.09 (95% CI 1.05-4.19); STAI state ≥ 41: adjusted OR = 1.82 (95% CI 1.17-2.82); STAI trait ≥ 43: adjusted OR = 1.70 (95% CI 1.10-2.61)]. However, maternal psychological states were not associated with infantile eczema. This study suggests that there may be an independent effect of prenatal depression on wheezing and anxiety on rhinitis in infancy. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

PubMed

Shungin, Dmitry; Winkler, Thomas W; Croteau-Chonka, Damien C; Ferreira, Teresa; Locke, Adam E; Mägi, Reedik; Strawbridge, Rona J; Pers, Tune H; Fischer, Krista; Justice, Anne E; Workalemahu, Tsegaselassie; Wu, Joseph M W; Buchkovich, Martin L; Heard-Costa, Nancy L; Roman, Tamara S; Drong, Alexander W; Song, Ci; Gustafsson, Stefan; Day, Felix R; Esko, Tonu; Fall, Tove; Kutalik, Zoltán; Luan, Jian'an; Randall, Joshua C; Scherag, André; Vedantam, Sailaja; Wood, Andrew R; Chen, Jin; Fehrmann, Rudolf; Karjalainen, Juha; Kahali, Bratati; Liu, Ching-Ti; Schmidt, Ellen M; Absher, Devin; Amin, Najaf; Anderson, Denise; Beekman, Marian; Bragg-Gresham, Jennifer L; Buyske, Steven; Demirkan, Ayse; Ehret, Georg B; Feitosa, Mary F; Goel, Anuj; Jackson, Anne U; Johnson, Toby; Kleber, Marcus E; Kristiansson, Kati; Mangino, Massimo; Leach, Irene Mateo; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Palmer, Cameron D; Pasko, Dorota; Pechlivanis, Sonali; Peters, Marjolein J; Prokopenko, Inga; Stančáková, Alena; Sung, Yun Ju; Tanaka, Toshiko; Teumer, Alexander; Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Jana V; Yengo, Loïc; Zhang, Weihua; Albrecht, Eva; Ärnlöv, Johan; Arscott, Gillian M; Bandinelli, Stefania; Barrett, Amy; Bellis, Claire; Bennett, Amanda J; Berne, Christian; Blüher, Matthias; Böhringer, Stefan; Bonnet, Fabrice; Böttcher, Yvonne; Bruinenberg, Marcel; Carba, Delia B; Caspersen, Ida H; Clarke, Robert; Daw, E Warwick; Deelen, Joris; Deelman, Ewa; Delgado, Graciela; Doney, Alex Sf; Eklund, Niina; Erdos, Michael R; Estrada, Karol; Eury, Elodie; Friedrich, Nele; Garcia, Melissa E; Giedraitis, Vilmantas; Gigante, Bruna; Go, Alan S; Golay, Alain; Grallert, Harald; Grammer, Tanja B; Gräßler, Jürgen; Grewal, Jagvir; Groves, Christopher J; Haller, Toomas; Hallmans, Goran; Hartman, Catharina A; Hassinen, Maija; Hayward, Caroline; Heikkilä, Kauko; Herzig, Karl-Heinz; Helmer, Quinta; Hillege, Hans L; Holmen, Oddgeir; Hunt, Steven C; Isaacs, Aaron; Ittermann, Till; James, Alan L; Johansson, Ingegerd; Juliusdottir, Thorhildur; Kalafati, Ioanna-Panagiota; Kinnunen, Leena; Koenig, Wolfgang; Kooner, Ishminder K; Kratzer, Wolfgang; Lamina, Claudia; Leander, Karin; Lee, Nanette R; Lichtner, Peter; Lind, Lars; Lindström, Jaana; Lobbens, Stéphane; Lorentzon, Mattias; Mach, François; Magnusson, Patrik Ke; Mahajan, Anubha; McArdle, Wendy L; Menni, Cristina; Merger, Sigrun; Mihailov, Evelin; Milani, Lili; Mills, Rebecca; Moayyeri, Alireza; Monda, Keri L; Mooijaart, Simon P; Mühleisen, Thomas W; Mulas, Antonella; Müller, Gabriele; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Nagaraja, Ramaiah; Nalls, Michael A; Narisu, Narisu; Glorioso, Nicola; Nolte, Ilja M; Olden, Matthias; Rayner, Nigel W; Renstrom, Frida; Ried, Janina S; Robertson, Neil R; Rose, Lynda M; Sanna, Serena; Scharnagl, Hubert; Scholtens, Salome; Sennblad, Bengt; Seufferlein, Thomas; Sitlani, Colleen M; Smith, Albert Vernon; Stirrups, Kathleen; Stringham, Heather M; Sundström, Johan; Swertz, Morris A; Swift, Amy J; Syvänen, Ann-Christine; Tayo, Bamidele O; Thorand, Barbara; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Tomaschitz, Andreas; Troffa, Chiara; van Oort, Floor Va; Verweij, Niek; Vonk, Judith M; Waite, Lindsay L; Wennauer, Roman; Wilsgaard, Tom; Wojczynski, Mary K; Wong, Andrew; Zhang, Qunyuan; Zhao, Jing Hua; Brennan, Eoin P; Choi, Murim; Eriksson, Per; Folkersen, Lasse; Franco-Cereceda, Anders; Gharavi, Ali G; Hedman, Åsa K; Hivert, Marie-France; Huang, Jinyan; Kanoni, Stavroula; Karpe, Fredrik; Keildson, Sarah; Kiryluk, Krzysztof; Liang, Liming; Lifton, Richard P; Ma, Baoshan; McKnight, Amy J; McPherson, Ruth; Metspalu, Andres; Min, Josine L; Moffatt, Miriam F; Montgomery, Grant W; Murabito, Joanne M; Nicholson, George; Nyholt, Dale R; Olsson, Christian; Perry, John Rb; Reinmaa, Eva; Salem, Rany M; Sandholm, Niina; Schadt, Eric E; Scott, Robert A; Stolk, Lisette; Vallejo, Edgar E; Westra, Harm-Jan; Zondervan, Krina T; Amouyel, Philippe; Arveiler, Dominique; Bakker, Stephan Jl; Beilby, John; Bergman, Richard N; Blangero, John; Brown, Morris J; Burnier, Michel; Campbell, Harry; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Chines, Peter S; Claudi-Boehm, Simone; Collins, Francis S; Crawford, Dana C; Danesh, John; de Faire, Ulf; de Geus, Eco Jc; Dörr, Marcus; Erbel, Raimund; Eriksson, Johan G; Farrall, Martin; Ferrannini, Ele; Ferrières, Jean; Forouhi, Nita G; Forrester, Terrence; Franco, Oscar H; Gansevoort, Ron T; Gieger, Christian; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Haiman, Christopher A; Harris, Tamara B; Hattersley, Andrew T; Heliövaara, Markku; Hicks, Andrew A; Hingorani, Aroon D; Hoffmann, Wolfgang; Hofman, Albert; Homuth, Georg; Humphries, Steve E; Hyppönen, Elina; Illig, Thomas; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Johansen, Berit; Jousilahti, Pekka; Jula, Antti M; Kaprio, Jaakko; Kee, Frank; Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, Sirkka M; Kooner, Jaspal S; Kooperberg, Charles; Kovacs, Peter; Kraja, Aldi T; Kumari, Meena; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Kuusisto, Johanna; Lakka, Timo A; Langenberg, Claudia; Le Marchand, Loic; Lehtimäki, Terho; Lyssenko, Valeriya; Männistö, Satu; Marette, André; Matise, Tara C; McKenzie, Colin A; McKnight, Barbara; Musk, Arthur W; Möhlenkamp, Stefan; Morris, Andrew D; Nelis, Mari; Ohlsson, Claes; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Ong, Ken K; Palmer, Lyle J; Penninx, Brenda W; Peters, Annette; Pramstaller, Peter P; Raitakari, Olli T; Rankinen, Tuomo; Rao, D C; Rice, Treva K; Ridker, Paul M; Ritchie, Marylyn D; Rudan, Igor; Salomaa, Veikko; Samani, Nilesh J; Saramies, Jouko; Sarzynski, Mark A; Schwarz, Peter Eh; Shuldiner, Alan R; Staessen, Jan A; Steinthorsdottir, Valgerdur; Stolk, Ronald P; Strauch, Konstantin; Tönjes, Anke; Tremblay, Angelo; Tremoli, Elena; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Völker, Uwe; Vollenweider, Peter; Wilson, James F; Witteman, Jacqueline C; Adair, Linda S; Bochud, Murielle; Boehm, Bernhard O; Bornstein, Stefan R; Bouchard, Claude; Cauchi, Stéphane; Caulfield, Mark J; Chambers, John C; Chasman, Daniel I; Cooper, Richard S; Dedoussis, George; Ferrucci, Luigi; Froguel, Philippe; Grabe, Hans-Jörgen; Hamsten, Anders; Hui, Jennie; Hveem, Kristian; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Kivimaki, Mika; Kuh, Diana; Laakso, Markku; Liu, Yongmei; März, Winfried; Munroe, Patricia B; Njølstad, Inger; Oostra, Ben A; Palmer, Colin Na; Pedersen, Nancy L; Perola, Markus; Pérusse, Louis; Peters, Ulrike; Power, Chris; Quertermous, Thomas; Rauramaa, Rainer; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Saaristo, Timo E; Saleheen, Danish; Sinisalo, Juha; Slagboom, P Eline; Snieder, Harold; Spector, Tim D; Stefansson, Kari; Stumvoll, Michael; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Uitterlinden, André G; Uusitupa, Matti; van der Harst, Pim; Veronesi, Giovanni; Walker, Mark; Wareham, Nicholas J; Watkins, Hugh; Wichmann, H-Erich; Abecasis, Goncalo R; Assimes, Themistocles L; Berndt, Sonja I; Boehnke, Michael; Borecki, Ingrid B; Deloukas, Panos; Franke, Lude; Frayling, Timothy M; Groop, Leif C; Hunter, David J; Kaplan, Robert C; O'Connell, Jeffrey R; Qi, Lu; Schlessinger, David; Strachan, David P; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Willer, Cristen J; Visscher, Peter M; Yang, Jian; Hirschhorn, Joel N; Zillikens, M Carola; McCarthy, Mark I; Speliotes, Elizabeth K; North, Kari E; Fox, Caroline S; Barroso, Inês; Franks, Paul W; Ingelsson, Erik; Heid, Iris M; Loos, Ruth Jf; Cupples, L Adrienne; Morris, Andrew P; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Mohlke, Karen L

2015-02-12

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms.

Intimate partner violence and anxiety disorders in pregnancy: the importance of vocational training of the nursing staff in facing them1

PubMed Central

Fonseca-Machado, Mariana de Oliveira; Monteiro, Juliana Cristina dos Santos; Haas, Vanderlei José; Abrão, Ana Cristina Freitas de Vilhena; Gomes-Sponholz, Flávia

2015-01-01

Objective: to identify the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, trait and state anxiety, and intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Method: observational, cross-sectional study developed with 358 pregnant women. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - Civilian Version was used, as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and an adapted version of the instrument used in the World Health Organization Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence. Results: after adjusting to the multiple logistic regression model, intimate partner violence, occurred during pregnancy, was associated with the indication of posttraumatic stress disorder. The adjusted multiple linear regression models showed that the victims of violence, in the current pregnancy, had higher symptom scores of trait and state anxiety than non-victims. Conclusion: recognizing the intimate partner violence as a clinically relevant and identifiable risk factor for the occurrence of anxiety disorders during pregnancy can be a first step in the prevention thereof. PMID:26487135

Anticipatory flexibility: larval population density in moths determines male investment in antennae, wings and testes.

PubMed

Johnson, Tamara L; Symonds, Matthew R E; Elgar, Mark A

2017-11-15

Developmental plasticity provides individuals with a distinct advantage when the reproductive environment changes dramatically. Variation in population density, in particular, can have profound effects on male reproductive success. Females may be easier to locate in dense populations, but there may be a greater risk of sperm competition. Thus, males should invest in traits that enhance fertilization success over traits that enhance mate location. Conversely, males in less dense populations should invest more in structures that will facilitate mate location. In Lepidoptera, this may result in the development of larger antennae to increase the likelihood of detecting female sex pheromones, and larger wings to fly more efficiently. We explored the effects of larval density on adult morphology in the gum-leaf skeletonizer moth, Uraba lugens , by manipulating both the number of larvae and the size of the rearing container. This experimental arrangement allowed us to reveal the cues used by larvae to assess whether absolute number or density influences adult responses. Male investment in testes size depended on the number of individuals, while male investment in wings and antennae depended upon larval density. By contrast, the size of female antennae and wings were influenced by an interaction of larval number and container size. This study demonstrates that male larvae are sensitive to cues that may reveal adult population density, and adjust investment in traits associated with fertilization success and mate detection accordingly. © 2017 The Author(s).

Study of Personal and Social Adjustment Ability of the Disabled Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryabova, Natalia Vladimirovna; Parfyonova, Tatyana Aleksandrovna

2015-01-01

The article presents the results of experimental work aimed at studying personal and social adjustment of a child with disabilities. Analysis of domestic and foreign psychological and educational literature allowed us to determine the key concept of the study, namely "social and personal orientation", as a trait of a human's personality,…

Personality and the Leading Behavioral Contributors of Mortality

PubMed Central

Turiano, Nicholas A.; Chapman, Benjamin P.; Gruenewald, Tara L.; Mroczek, Daniel K.

2014-01-01

Objective Personality traits predict both health behaviors and mortality risk across the life course. However, there are few investigations that have examined these effects in a single study. Thus, there are limitations in assessing if health behaviors explain why personality predicts health and longevity. Method Utilizing 14-year mortality data from a national sample of over 6,000 adults from the Midlife in the United States Study, we tested whether alcohol use, smoking behavior, and waist circumference mediated the personality–mortality association. Results After adjusting for demographic variables, higher levels of Conscientiousness predicted a 13% reduction in mortality risk over the follow-up. Structural equation models provided evidence that heavy drinking, smoking, and greater waist circumference significantly mediated the Conscientiousness–mortality association by 42%. Conclusion The current study provided empirical support for the health-behavior model of personality— Conscientiousness influences the behaviors persons engage in and these behaviors affect the likelihood of poor health outcomes. Findings highlight the usefulness of assessing mediation in a structural equation modeling framework when testing proportional hazards. In addition, the current findings add to the growing literature that personality traits can be used to identify those at risk for engaging in behaviors that deteriorate health and shorten the life span. PMID:24364374

Students perceived stress in academic programs: consequences for its management.

PubMed

Neveu, D; Doron, J; Visier, L; Boiché, J; Trouillet, R; Dujols, P; Ninot, G

2012-08-01

Academic stress contributes to the deterioration of the students' quality of life. Psychological determinants involved in the stress process, trait anxiety and coping, have been neglected when assessing the role of academic programs in stress. This study aimed at determining whether academic programs are associated with a high level of perceived stress above and beyond potential personal and environmental risk factors, as well as coping strategies. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2009 among third-year medical (total n=170, participants 88%), dental (n=63, 94%), psychology (n=331, 61%) and sports sciences (n=312, 55%) students in Montpellier (France). The stress level experienced during the last 2months, trait anxiety and coping strategies were appraised. Substance use, psychological care, and stress triggers were also collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Compared with medicine and after adjusting for gender and age, only the sports program was associated with a lower perceived stress risk: adjusted odds ratio: 0.54 [95% Confidence interval: 0.30; 0.99]. Substantial reductions in perceived stress risks were observed in science students after additional adjustments for non-academic stress triggers, substance use, psychological care (adjusted odds ratio: 0.20 [95% Confidence interval: 0.09; 0.41]), and also for trait anxiety and coping strategies (adjusted odds ratio: 0.23 [95% Confidence interval: 0.10; 0.54]). Compared with medicine and after these additional adjustments, psychology had a significantly lower perceived stress risk (0.34 [0.18; 0.64]; 0.40 [0.19; 0.86], respectively), dentistry had a similar risk (0.82 [0.35; 1.91]; 0.53 [0.20; 1.43], respectively). Sports and psychology programs had a lower perceived stress risk compared with medicine. Personal and environmental risk factors and coping strategies modified the association between academic program and perceived stress. Developing efficient coping strategies in students and improving academic environment could contribute to prevent the potential deleterious consequences of stress. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Multiscale assemblage of an ectomycorrhizal fungal community: the influence of host functional traits and soil properties in a 10-ha miombo forest.

PubMed

Bauman, David; Raspé, Olivier; Meerts, Pierre; Degreef, Jérôme; Ilunga Muledi, Jonathan; Drouet, Thomas

2016-10-01

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are highly diversified and dominant in a number of forest ecosystems. Nevertheless, their scales of spatial distribution and the underlying ecological processes remain poorly understood. Although most EMF are considered to be generalists regarding host identity, a preference toward functional strategies of host trees has never been tested. Here, the EMF community was characterised by DNA sequencing in a 10-ha tropical dry season forest-referred to as miombo-an understudied ecosystem from a mycorrhizal perspective. We used 36 soil parameters and 21 host functional traits (FTs) as candidate explanatory variables in spatial constrained ordinations for explaining the EMF community assemblage. Results highlighted that the community variability was explained by host FTs related to the 'leaf economics spectrum' (adjusted R(2) = 11%; SLA, leaf area, foliar Mg content), and by soil parameters (adjusted R(2) = 17%), notably total forms of micronutrients or correlated available elements (Al, N, K, P). Both FTs and soil generated patterns in the community at scales ranging from 75 to 375 m. Our results indicate that soil is more important than previously thought for EMF in miombo woodlands, and show that FTs of host species can be better predictors of symbiont distribution than taxonomical identity. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Personality traits and abnormal glucose regulation in middle-aged Swedish men and women.

PubMed

Eriksson, Anna-Karin; Gustavsson, J Petter; Hilding, Agneta; Granath, Fredrik; Ekbom, Anders; Ostenson, Claes-Göran

2012-01-01

To examine associations between personality and abnormal glucose regulation. This cross-sectional study comprised 2152 men and 3143 women (43-66 years). Oral glucose tolerance test identified 316 men and 213 women with previously unknown impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), IFG+IGT, or type 2 diabetes. Personality traits antagonism (low agreeableness), impulsivity (low conscientiousness), hedonic capacity (high extraversion), negative affectivity (high neuroticism) and alexithymia (low openness) were measured by a self-report inventory. Based on distribution of scores, responses were divided into "low" (<1 SD), "middle" (±1 SD) and "high" (>1 SD). Middle groups were considered reference groups. Prevalence odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. In men, OR for low antagonism was 0.3 (CI 0.2-0.6) (age- and multi-adjusted models) while in women, neither high nor low antagonism was associated to abnormal glucose regulation. Men and women with high hedonic capacity had ORs 0.5 (0.3-0.9) and 0.6 (0.4-1.0), respectively (age- and multi-adjusted models). The other scales illustrated no significant associations. No elevated risk of abnormal glucose regulation was observed for deviating scores on personality scales. Instead, reduced risks were indicated in men with low antagonism, and in men and women with high hedonic capacity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metabolites as novel biomarkers for childhood obesity-related traits in Mexican-American children.

PubMed

Farook, V S; Reddivari, L; Chittoor, G; Puppala, S; Arya, R; Fowler, S P; Hunt, K J; Curran, J E; Comuzzie, A G; Lehman, D M; Jenkinson, C P; Lynch, J L; DeFronzo, R A; Blangero, J; Hale, D E; Duggirala, R; Vanamala, J

2015-08-01

Although newer approaches have identified several metabolites associated with obesity, there is paucity of such information in paediatric populations, especially among Mexican-Americans (MAs) who are at high risk of obesity. Therefore, we performed a global serum metabolite screening in MA children to identify biomarkers of childhood obesity. We selected 15 normal-weight, 13 overweight and 14 obese MA children (6-17 years) and performed global serum metabolite screening using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadruple orthogonal acceleration time of flight tandem micro mass spectrometer. Metabolite values were analysed to assess mean differences among groups using one-way analysis of variance, to test for linear trend across groups and to examine Pearson's correlations between them and seven cardiometabolic traits (CMTs): body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. We identified 14 metabolites exhibiting differences between groups as well as linear trend across groups with nominal statistical significance. After adjustment for multiple testing, mean differences and linear trends across groups remained significant (P < 5.9 × 10(-5) ) for L-thyronine, bradykinin and naringenin. Of the examined metabolite-CMT trait pairs, all metabolites except for 2-methylbutyroylcarnitine were nominally associated with two or more CMTs, some exhibiting significance even after accounting for multiple testing (P < 3.6 × 10(-3) ). To our knowledge, this study - albeit pilot in nature - is the first study to identify these metabolites as novel biomarkers of childhood obesity and its correlates. These findings signify the need for future systematic investigations of metabolic pathways underlying childhood obesity. © 2014 World Obesity.

Contrasting Hydraulic Architectures of Scots Pine and Sessile Oak at Their Southernmost Distribution Limits

PubMed Central

Martínez-Sancho, Elisabet; Dorado-Liñán, Isabel; Hacke, Uwe G.; Seidel, Hannes; Menzel, Annette

2017-01-01

Many temperate European tree species have their southernmost distribution limits in the Mediterranean Basin. The projected climatic conditions, particularly an increase in dryness, might induce an altitudinal and latitudinal retreat at their southernmost distribution limit. Therefore, characterizing the morphological and physiological variability of temperate tree species under dry conditions is essential to understand species’ responses to expected climate change. In this study, we compared branch-level hydraulic traits of four Scots pine and four sessile oak natural stands located at the western and central Mediterranean Basin to assess their adjustment to water limiting conditions. Hydraulic traits such as xylem- and leaf-specific maximum hydraulic conductivity (KS-MAX and KL-MAX), leaf-to-xylem area ratio (AL:AX) and functional xylem fraction (FX) were measured in July 2015 during a long and exceptionally dry summer. Additionally, xylem-specific native hydraulic conductivity (KS-N) and native percentage of loss of hydraulic conductivity (PLC) were measured for Scots pine. Interspecific differences in these hydraulic traits as well as intraspecific variability between sites were assessed. The influence of annual, summer and growing season site climatic aridity (P/PET) on intraspecific variability was investigated. Sessile oak displayed higher values of KS-MAX, KL-MAX, AL:AX but a smaller percentage of FX than Scots pines. Scots pine did not vary in any of the measured hydraulic traits across the sites, and PLC values were low for all sites, even during one of the warmest summers in the region. In contrast, sessile oak showed significant differences in KS-MAX, KL-MAX, and FX across sites, which were significantly related to site aridity. The striking similarity in the hydraulic traits across Scots pine sites suggests that no adjustment in hydraulic architecture was needed, likely as a consequence of a drought-avoidance strategy. In contrast, sessile oak displayed adjustments in the hydraulic architecture along an aridity gradient, pointing to a drought-tolerance strategy. PMID:28473841

Genetic parameters of Visual Image Analysis primal cut carcass traits of commercial prime beef slaughter animals.

PubMed

Moore, K L; Mrode, R; Coffey, M P

2017-10-01

Visual Image analysis (VIA) of carcass traits provides the opportunity to estimate carcass primal cut yields on large numbers of slaughter animals. This allows carcases to be better differentiated and farmers to be paid based on the primal cut yields. It also creates more accurate genetic selection due to high volumes of data which enables breeders to breed cattle that better meet the abattoir specifications and market requirements. In order to implement genetic evaluations for VIA primal cut yields, genetic parameters must first be estimated and that was the aim of this study. Slaughter records from the UK prime slaughter population for VIA carcass traits was available from two processing plants. After edits, there were 17 765 VIA carcass records for six primal cut traits, carcass weight as well as the EUROP conformation and fat class grades. Heritability estimates after traits were adjusted for age ranged from 0.32 (0.03) for EUROP fat to 0.46 (0.03) for VIA Topside primal cut yield. Adjusting the VIA primal cut yields for carcass weight reduced the heritability estimates, with estimates of primal cut yields ranging from 0.23 (0.03) for Fillet to 0.29 (0.03) for Knuckle. Genetic correlations between VIA primal cut yields adjusted for carcass weight were very strong, ranging from 0.40 (0.06) between Fillet and Striploin to 0.92 (0.02) between Topside and Silverside. EUROP conformation was also positively correlated with the VIA primal cuts with genetic correlation estimates ranging from 0.59 to 0.84, whereas EUROP fat was estimated to have moderate negative correlations with primal cut yields, estimates ranged from -0.11 to -0.46. Based on these genetic parameter estimates, genetic evaluation of VIA primal cut yields can be undertaken to allow the UK beef industry to select carcases that better meet abattoir specification and market requirements.

Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C)—A New Measure of Children's Personality Traits

PubMed Central

Maćkiewicz, Marta; Cieciuch, Jan

2016-01-01

In order to adjust personality measurements to children's developmental level, we constructed the Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C). To validate the measure, we conducted a study with a total group of 1028 children aged between 7 and 13 years old. Structural validity was established through Exploratory Structural Equation Model (ESEM). Criterion validity was confirmed with a multitrait-multimethod analysis for which we introduced the children's self-assessment scores from the Big Five Questionnaire for Children. Despite some problems with reliability, one can conclude that the PPTQ-C can be a valid instrument for measuring personality traits, particularly in a group of young children (aged ~7–10 years). PMID:27252661

Gene × dietary pattern interactions in obesity: analysis of up to 68 317 adults of European ancestry.

PubMed

Nettleton, Jennifer A; Follis, Jack L; Ngwa, Julius S; Smith, Caren E; Ahmad, Shafqat; Tanaka, Toshiko; Wojczynski, Mary K; Voortman, Trudy; Lemaitre, Rozenn N; Kristiansson, Kati; Nuotio, Marja-Liisa; Houston, Denise K; Perälä, Mia-Maria; Qi, Qibin; Sonestedt, Emily; Manichaikul, Ani; Kanoni, Stavroula; Ganna, Andrea; Mikkilä, Vera; North, Kari E; Siscovick, David S; Harald, Kennet; Mckeown, Nicola M; Johansson, Ingegerd; Rissanen, Harri; Liu, Yongmei; Lahti, Jari; Hu, Frank B; Bandinelli, Stefania; Rukh, Gull; Rich, Stephen; Booij, Lisanne; Dmitriou, Maria; Ax, Erika; Raitakari, Olli; Mukamal, Kenneth; Männistö, Satu; Hallmans, Göran; Jula, Antti; Ericson, Ulrika; Jacobs, David R; Van Rooij, Frank J A; Deloukas, Panos; Sjögren, Per; Kähönen, Mika; Djousse, Luc; Perola, Markus; Barroso, Inês; Hofman, Albert; Stirrups, Kathleen; Viikari, Jorma; Uitterlinden, André G; Kalafati, Ioanna P; Franco, Oscar H; Mozaffarian, Dariush; Salomaa, Veikko; Borecki, Ingrid B; Knekt, Paul; Kritchevsky, Stephen B; Eriksson, Johan G; Dedoussis, George V; Qi, Lu; Ferrucci, Luigi; Orho-Melander, Marju; Zillikens, M Carola; Ingelsson, Erik; Lehtimäki, Terho; Renström, Frida; Cupples, L Adrienne; Loos, Ruth J F; Franks, Paul W

2015-08-15

Obesity is highly heritable. Genetic variants showing robust associations with obesity traits have been identified through genome-wide association studies. We investigated whether a composite score representing healthy diet modifies associations of these variants with obesity traits. Totally, 32 body mass index (BMI)- and 14 waist-hip ratio (WHR)-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped, and genetic risk scores (GRS) were calculated in 18 cohorts of European ancestry (n = 68 317). Diet score was calculated based on self-reported intakes of whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds (favorable) and red/processed meats, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages and fried potatoes (unfavorable). Multivariable adjusted, linear regression within each cohort followed by inverse variance-weighted, fixed-effects meta-analysis was used to characterize: (a) associations of each GRS with BMI and BMI-adjusted WHR and (b) diet score modification of genetic associations with BMI and BMI-adjusted WHR. Nominally significant interactions (P = 0.006-0.04) were observed between the diet score and WHR-GRS (but not BMI-GRS), two WHR loci (GRB14 rs10195252; LYPLAL1 rs4846567) and two BMI loci (LRRN6C rs10968576; MTIF3 rs4771122), for the respective BMI-adjusted WHR or BMI outcomes. Although the magnitudes of these select interactions were small, our data indicated that associations between genetic predisposition and obesity traits were stronger with a healthier diet. Our findings generate interesting hypotheses; however, experimental and functional studies are needed to determine their clinical relevance. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Gene × dietary pattern interactions in obesity: analysis of up to 68 317 adults of European ancestry

PubMed Central

Nettleton, Jennifer A.; Follis, Jack L.; Ngwa, Julius S.; Smith, Caren E.; Ahmad, Shafqat; Tanaka, Toshiko; Wojczynski, Mary K.; Voortman, Trudy; Lemaitre, Rozenn N.; Kristiansson, Kati; Nuotio, Marja-Liisa; Houston, Denise K.; Perälä, Mia-Maria; Qi, Qibin; Sonestedt, Emily; Manichaikul, Ani; Kanoni, Stavroula; Ganna, Andrea; Mikkilä, Vera; North, Kari E.; Siscovick, David S.; Harald, Kennet; Mckeown, Nicola M.; Johansson, Ingegerd; Rissanen, Harri; Liu, Yongmei; Lahti, Jari; Hu, Frank B.; Bandinelli, Stefania; Rukh, Gull; Rich, Stephen; Booij, Lisanne; Dmitriou, Maria; Ax, Erika; Raitakari, Olli; Mukamal, Kenneth; Männistö, Satu; Hallmans, Göran; Jula, Antti; Ericson, Ulrika; Jacobs,, David R.; Van Rooij, Frank J. A.; Deloukas, Panos; Sjögren, Per; Kähönen, Mika; Djousse, Luc; Perola, Markus; Barroso, Inês; Hofman, Albert; Stirrups, Kathleen; Viikari, Jorma; Uitterlinden, André G.; Kalafati, Ioanna P.; Franco, Oscar H.; Mozaffarian, Dariush; Salomaa, Veikko; Borecki, Ingrid B.; Knekt, Paul; Kritchevsky, Stephen B.; Eriksson, Johan G.; Dedoussis, George V.; Qi, Lu; Ferrucci, Luigi; Orho-Melander, Marju; Zillikens, M. Carola; Ingelsson, Erik; Lehtimäki, Terho; Renström, Frida; Cupples, L. Adrienne; Loos, Ruth J. F.; Franks, Paul W.

2015-01-01

Abstract Obesity is highly heritable. Genetic variants showing robust associations with obesity traits have been identified through genome-wide association studies. We investigated whether a composite score representing healthy diet modifies associations of these variants with obesity traits. Totally, 32 body mass index (BMI)- and 14 waist–hip ratio (WHR)-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped, and genetic risk scores (GRS) were calculated in 18 cohorts of European ancestry (n = 68 317). Diet score was calculated based on self-reported intakes of whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds (favorable) and red/processed meats, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages and fried potatoes (unfavorable). Multivariable adjusted, linear regression within each cohort followed by inverse variance-weighted, fixed-effects meta-analysis was used to characterize: (a) associations of each GRS with BMI and BMI-adjusted WHR and (b) diet score modification of genetic associations with BMI and BMI-adjusted WHR. Nominally significant interactions (P = 0.006–0.04) were observed between the diet score and WHR-GRS (but not BMI-GRS), two WHR loci (GRB14 rs10195252; LYPLAL1 rs4846567) and two BMI loci (LRRN6C rs10968576; MTIF3 rs4771122), for the respective BMI-adjusted WHR or BMI outcomes. Although the magnitudes of these select interactions were small, our data indicated that associations between genetic predisposition and obesity traits were stronger with a healthier diet. Our findings generate interesting hypotheses; however, experimental and functional studies are needed to determine their clinical relevance. PMID:25994509

Mapping osmotic adjustment in an advanced back-cross inbred population of rice.

PubMed

Robin, S; Pathan, M S; Courtois, B; Lafitte, R; Carandang, S; Lanceras, S; Amante, M; Nguyen, H T; Li, Z

2003-11-01

Osmotic adjustment is one of several characters putatively associated with drought tolerance in rice. Indica cultivars are known to have a greater capacity for osmotic adjustment than japonica cultivars. We developed an advanced back-cross population using an indica donor, IR62266-42-6-2, to introgress osmotic adjustment into an elite japonica cultivar, IR60080-46A. One hundred and fifty BC(3)F(3) families were genotyped using microsatellites and RFLP markers, and a few candidate genes. We evaluated osmotic adjustment in these lines under greenhouse conditions using the re-hydration technique. Using the composite interval mapping technique, we detected 14 QTLs located on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10 that together explained 58% of the phenotypic variability. Most, but not all, of the alleles with positive effects came from the donor parent. On chromosome 8, two QTLs were associated in repulsion. The QTL locations were in good agreement with previous studies on this trait on rice and in other cereals. Some BC(3)F(3) lines carried the favorable alleles at the two markers flanking up to four QTLs. Intercrossing these lines followed by marker-aided selection in their progenies will be necessary to recover lines with levels of osmotic adjustment equal to the donor parent. The advanced back-cross strategy appeared to be an appropriate method to accelerate the process of introgressing interesting traits into elite material.

Big 5 Personality Traits and Interleukin-6: Evidence for “Healthy Neuroticism” in a U.S. Population Sample

PubMed Central

Turiano, Nicholas A.; Mroczek, Daniel K.; Moynihan, Jan; Chapman, Benjamin P.

2012-01-01

The current study investigated if the Big 5 personality traits predicted interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in a national sample over the course of 5 years. In addition, interactions among the Big 5 were tested to provide a more accurate understanding of how personality traits may influence an inflammatory biomarker. Data included 1,054 participants in the Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) biomarkers subproject. The Big 5 personality traits were assessed in 2005-06 as part of the main MIDUS survey. Medication use, comorbid conditions, smoking behavior, alcohol use, body mass index, and serum levels of IL-6 were assessed in 2005-2009 as part of the biomarkers subproject. Linear regression analyses examined personality associations with IL-6. A significant Conscientiousness*Neuroticism interaction revealed that those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism had lower circulating IL-6 levels than people with all other configurations of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Adjustment for health behaviors diminished the magnitude of this association but did not eliminate it, suggesting that lower comorbid conditions and obesity may partly explain the lower inflammation of those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Our findings suggest, consistent with prior speculation, that average to higher levels of Neuroticism can in some cases be associated with health benefits—in this case when it is accompanied by high Conscientiousness. Using personality to identify those at risk may lead to greater personalization in the prevention and remediation of chronic inflammation. PMID:23123863

Big 5 personality traits and interleukin-6: evidence for "healthy Neuroticism" in a US population sample.

PubMed

Turiano, Nicholas A; Mroczek, Daniel K; Moynihan, Jan; Chapman, Benjamin P

2013-02-01

The current study investigated if the Big 5 personality traits predicted interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in a national sample over the course of 5years. In addition, interactions among the Big 5 were tested to provide a more accurate understanding of how personality traits may influence an inflammatory biomarker. Data included 1054 participants in the Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) biomarkers subproject. The Big 5 personality traits were assessed in 2005-2006 as part of the main MIDUS survey. Medication use, comorbid conditions, smoking behavior, alcohol use, body mass index, and serum levels of IL-6 were assessed in 2005-2009 as part of the biomarkers subproject. Linear regression analyses examined personality associations with IL-6. A significant Conscientiousness*Neuroticism interaction revealed that those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism had lower circulating IL-6 levels than people with all other configurations of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Adjustment for health behaviors diminished the magnitude of this association but did not eliminate it, suggesting that lower comorbid conditions and obesity may partly explain the lower inflammation of those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Our findings suggest, consistent with prior speculation, that average to higher levels of Neuroticism can in some cases be associated with health benefits - in this case when it is accompanied by high Conscientiousness. Using personality to identify those at risk may lead to greater personalization in the prevention and remediation of chronic inflammation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maternal impulse control disability and developmental disorder traits are risk factors for child maltreatment.

PubMed

Tachibana, Yoshiyuki; Takehara, Kenji; Kakee, Naoko; Mikami, Masashi; Inoue, Eisuke; Mori, Rintaro; Ota, Erika; Koizumi, Tomoe; Okuyama, Makiko; Kubo, Takahiko

2017-11-14

Previous work has suggested that maternal developmental disorder traits related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are significantly associated with child maltreatment. However, there may be other important maternal characteristics that contribute to child maltreatment. We hypothesized that maternal impulse control disability may also affect child maltreatment in addition to maternal developmental disorder traits. We aimed to test this hypothesis via a cohort study performed in Tokyo (n = 1,260). Linear regression analyses using the Behavioural Inhibition/Behavioural Activation Scales, the self-administered short version of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Autism Society Japan Rating Scale, the short form of the Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale, and the Child Maltreatment Scale, revealed that excessive inhibition of behaviour and affect, which is impulse control disability, is significantly associated with child maltreatment (b = 0.031, p = 0.018) in addition to maternal developmental disorder traits (ASD: b = 0.052, p = 0.004; ADHD: b = 0.178, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses revealed that ASD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.083, p = 0.014) and high behavioural inhibition (AOR = 1.068, p = 0.016) were significantly associated with moderate child maltreatment, while ADHD was associated (AOR = 1.034, p = 0.022) with severe child maltreatment. These maternal characteristics may inform the best means for prevention and management of child maltreatment cases.

Variation in tibial functionality and fracture susceptibility among healthy, young adults arises from the acquisition of biologically distinct sets of traits.

PubMed

Jepsen, Karl J; Evans, Rachel; Negus, Charles H; Gagnier, Joel J; Centi, Amanda; Erlich, Tomer; Hadid, Amir; Yanovich, Ran; Moran, Daniel S

2013-06-01

Physiological systems like bone respond to many genetic and environmental factors by adjusting traits in a highly coordinated, compensatory manner to establish organ-level function. To be mechanically functional, a bone should be sufficiently stiff and strong to support physiological loads. Factors impairing this process are expected to compromise strength and increase fracture risk. We tested the hypotheses that individuals with reduced stiffness relative to body size will show an increased risk of fracturing and that reduced strength arises from the acquisition of biologically distinct sets of traits (ie, different combinations of morphological and tissue-level mechanical properties). We assessed tibial functionality retrospectively for 336 young adult women and men engaged in military training, and calculated robustness (total area/bone length), cortical area (Ct.Ar), and tissue-mineral density (TMD). These three traits explained 69% to 72% of the variation in tibial stiffness (p < 0.0001). Having reduced stiffness relative to body size (body weight × bone length) was associated with odds ratios of 1.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-4.3) and 7.0 (95% CI, 2.0-25.1) for women and men, respectively, for developing a stress fracture based on radiography and scintigraphy. K-means cluster analysis was used to segregate men and women into subgroups based on robustness, Ct.Ar, and TMD adjusted for body size. Stiffness varied 37% to 42% among the clusters (p < 0.0001, ANOVA). For men, 78% of stress fracture cases segregated to three clusters (p < 0.03, chi-square). Clusters showing reduced function exhibited either slender tibias with the expected Ct.Ar and TMD relative to body size and robustness (ie, well-adapted bones) or robust tibias with reduced residuals for Ct.Ar or TMD relative to body size and robustness (ie, poorly adapted bones). Thus, we show there are multiple biomechanical and thus biological pathways leading to reduced function and increased fracture risk. Our results have important implications for developing personalized preventative diagnostics and treatments. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Changes in anxiety following a randomized control trial of a theatre-based intervention for youth with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Corbett, Blythe A; Blain, Scott D; Ioannou, Sara; Balser, Maddie

2017-04-01

Increased anxiety and stress are frequently found in children with autism spectrum disorder and are associated with social challenges. Recently, we reported changes in social competence following peer-mediated, theatre-based intervention. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the intervention on reducing anxiety and stress. Participants included 30 youth with autism spectrum disorder (8-14 years old) randomly assigned to the experimental (17) or waitlist control (13) group. Pretest adjusted, between-group differences were analyzed for state-anxiety, trait-anxiety, play-based cortisol, and diurnal cortisol. Pearson correlations were conducted between anxiety, cortisol, and group play. Significant pretest-adjusted between-group differences at posttest were observed on trait-anxiety (F(1, 27) = 9.16, p = 0.005) but not state-anxiety (F(1, 27) = 0.03, p = 0.86), showing lower trait-anxiety in the experimental group. There were no between-group differences on cortisol. There was a significant negative correlation between group play and trait-anxiety (r = -0.362, p = 0.05). Playground cortisol correlated with group play, for the experimental group (r = 0.55, p = 0.03). The theatre-based, peer-mediated intervention not only contributes to improvement in social competence in youth with autism spectrum disorder but also contributes to reductions in trait-anxiety associated with more social interaction with peers. Results suggest that some degree of physiological arousal is essential for social interaction.

Changes in anxiety following a randomized control trial of a theatre-based intervention for youth with autism spectrum disorder

PubMed Central

Corbett, Blythe A.; Blain, Scott D.; Ioannou, Sara; Balser, Maddie

2017-01-01

Increased anxiety and stress are frequently found in children with autism spectrum disorder and are associated with social challenges. Recently, we reported changes in social competence following peer-mediated, theatre-based intervention. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the intervention on reducing anxiety and stress. Participants included 30 youth with autism spectrum disorder (8–14years old) randomly assigned to the experimental (17) or waitlist control (13) group. Pretest adjusted, between-group differences were analyzed for state-anxiety, trait-anxiety, play-based cortisol, and diurnal cortisol. Pearson correlations were conducted between anxiety, cortisol, and group play. Significant pretest-adjusted between-group differences at posttest were observed on trait-anxiety (F(1, 27) = 9.16, p=0.005) but not state-anxiety (F(1, 27)=0.03, p=0.86), showing lower trait-anxiety in the experimental group. There were no between-group differences on cortisol. There was a significant negative correlation between group play and trait-anxiety (r=−0.362, p=0.05). Playground cortisol correlated with group play, for the experimental group (r=0.55, p=0.03). The theatre-based, peer-mediated intervention not only contributes to improvement in social competence in youth with autism spectrum disorder but also contributes to reductions in trait-anxiety associated with more social interaction with peers. Results suggest that some degree of physiological arousal is essential for social interaction. PMID:27154909

Independent Evolution of Leaf and Root Traits within and among Temperate Grassland Plant Communities

PubMed Central

Kembel, Steven W.; Cahill, James F.

2011-01-01

In this study, we used data from temperate grassland plant communities in Alberta, Canada to test two longstanding hypotheses in ecology: 1) that there has been correlated evolution of the leaves and roots of plants due to selection for an integrated whole-plant resource uptake strategy, and 2) that trait diversity in ecological communities is generated by adaptations to the conditions in different habitats. We tested the first hypothesis using phylogenetic comparative methods to test for evidence of correlated evolution of suites of leaf and root functional traits in these grasslands. There were consistent evolutionary correlations among traits related to plant resource uptake strategies within leaf tissues, and within root tissues. In contrast, there were inconsistent correlations between the traits of leaves and the traits of roots, suggesting different evolutionary pressures on the above and belowground components of plant morphology. To test the second hypothesis, we evaluated the relative importance of two components of trait diversity: within-community variation (species trait values relative to co-occurring species; α traits) and among-community variation (the average trait value in communities where species occur; β traits). Trait diversity was mostly explained by variation among co-occurring species, not among-communities. Additionally, there was a phylogenetic signal in the within-community trait values of species relative to co-occurring taxa, but not in their habitat associations or among-community trait variation. These results suggest that sorting of pre-existing trait variation into local communities can explain the leaf and root trait diversity in these grasslands. PMID:21687704

Joint analysis of binary and quantitative traits with data sharing and outcome-dependent sampling.

PubMed

Zheng, Gang; Wu, Colin O; Kwak, Minjung; Jiang, Wenhua; Joo, Jungnam; Lima, Joao A C

2012-04-01

We study the analysis of a joint association between a genetic marker with both binary (case-control) and quantitative (continuous) traits, where the quantitative trait values are only available for the cases due to data sharing and outcome-dependent sampling. Data sharing becomes common in genetic association studies, and the outcome-dependent sampling is the consequence of data sharing, under which a phenotype of interest is not measured for some subgroup. The trend test (or Pearson's test) and F-test are often, respectively, used to analyze the binary and quantitative traits. Because of the outcome-dependent sampling, the usual F-test can be applied using the subgroup with the observed quantitative traits. We propose a modified F-test by also incorporating the genotype frequencies of the subgroup whose traits are not observed. Further, a combination of this modified F-test and Pearson's test is proposed by Fisher's combination of their P-values as a joint analysis. Because of the correlation of the two analyses, we propose to use a Gamma (scaled chi-squared) distribution to fit the asymptotic null distribution for the joint analysis. The proposed modified F-test and the joint analysis can also be applied to test single trait association (either binary or quantitative trait). Through simulations, we identify the situations under which the proposed tests are more powerful than the existing ones. Application to a real dataset of rheumatoid arthritis is presented. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Generalized functional linear models for gene-based case-control association studies.

PubMed

Fan, Ruzong; Wang, Yifan; Mills, James L; Carter, Tonia C; Lobach, Iryna; Wilson, Alexander F; Bailey-Wilson, Joan E; Weeks, Daniel E; Xiong, Momiao

2014-11-01

By using functional data analysis techniques, we developed generalized functional linear models for testing association between a dichotomous trait and multiple genetic variants in a genetic region while adjusting for covariates. Both fixed and mixed effect models are developed and compared. Extensive simulations show that Rao's efficient score tests of the fixed effect models are very conservative since they generate lower type I errors than nominal levels, and global tests of the mixed effect models generate accurate type I errors. Furthermore, we found that the Rao's efficient score test statistics of the fixed effect models have higher power than the sequence kernel association test (SKAT) and its optimal unified version (SKAT-O) in most cases when the causal variants are both rare and common. When the causal variants are all rare (i.e., minor allele frequencies less than 0.03), the Rao's efficient score test statistics and the global tests have similar or slightly lower power than SKAT and SKAT-O. In practice, it is not known whether rare variants or common variants in a gene region are disease related. All we can assume is that a combination of rare and common variants influences disease susceptibility. Thus, the improved performance of our models when the causal variants are both rare and common shows that the proposed models can be very useful in dissecting complex traits. We compare the performance of our methods with SKAT and SKAT-O on real neural tube defects and Hirschsprung's disease datasets. The Rao's efficient score test statistics and the global tests are more sensitive than SKAT and SKAT-O in the real data analysis. Our methods can be used in either gene-disease genome-wide/exome-wide association studies or candidate gene analyses. © 2014 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Generalized Functional Linear Models for Gene-based Case-Control Association Studies

PubMed Central

Mills, James L.; Carter, Tonia C.; Lobach, Iryna; Wilson, Alexander F.; Bailey-Wilson, Joan E.; Weeks, Daniel E.; Xiong, Momiao

2014-01-01

By using functional data analysis techniques, we developed generalized functional linear models for testing association between a dichotomous trait and multiple genetic variants in a genetic region while adjusting for covariates. Both fixed and mixed effect models are developed and compared. Extensive simulations show that Rao's efficient score tests of the fixed effect models are very conservative since they generate lower type I errors than nominal levels, and global tests of the mixed effect models generate accurate type I errors. Furthermore, we found that the Rao's efficient score test statistics of the fixed effect models have higher power than the sequence kernel association test (SKAT) and its optimal unified version (SKAT-O) in most cases when the causal variants are both rare and common. When the causal variants are all rare (i.e., minor allele frequencies less than 0.03), the Rao's efficient score test statistics and the global tests have similar or slightly lower power than SKAT and SKAT-O. In practice, it is not known whether rare variants or common variants in a gene are disease-related. All we can assume is that a combination of rare and common variants influences disease susceptibility. Thus, the improved performance of our models when the causal variants are both rare and common shows that the proposed models can be very useful in dissecting complex traits. We compare the performance of our methods with SKAT and SKAT-O on real neural tube defects and Hirschsprung's disease data sets. The Rao's efficient score test statistics and the global tests are more sensitive than SKAT and SKAT-O in the real data analysis. Our methods can be used in either gene-disease genome-wide/exome-wide association studies or candidate gene analyses. PMID:25203683

Amygdala reactivity to fearful faces correlates positively with impulsive aggression.

PubMed

da Cunha-Bang, Sofi; Fisher, Patrick M; Hjordt, Liv V; Holst, Klaus; Knudsen, Gitte M

2018-01-07

Facial expressions robustly activate the amygdala, a brain structure playing a critical role in aggression. Whereas previous studies suggest that amygdala reactivity is related to various measures of impulsive aggression, we here estimate a composite measure of impulsive aggression and evaluate whether it is associated with amygdala reactivity to angry and fearful faces. We estimated amygdala reactivity with functional magnetic resonance imaging in 47 men with varying degree of aggressive traits (19 incarcerated violent offenders and 28 healthy controls). We modeled a composite "impulsive aggression" trait construct (LV agg ) using a linear structural equation model, with a single latent variable capturing the shared correlation between five self-report measures of trait aggression, anger and impulsivity. We tested for associations between amygdala reactivity and the LV agg , adjusting for age and group. The LV agg was significantly positively associated with amygdala reactivity to fearful (p = 0.001), but not angry faces (p = 0.9). We found no group difference in amygdala reactivity to fearful or angry faces. The findings suggest that that amygdala reactivity to fearful faces is represented by a composite index of impulsive aggression and provide evidence that impulsive aggression is associated with amygdala reactivity in response to submissive cues, i.e., fearful faces.

Leukocyte telomere length and personality: associations with the Big Five and Type D personality traits.

PubMed

Schoormans, D; Verhoeven, J E; Denollet, J; van de Poll-Franse, L; Penninx, B W J H

2018-04-01

Backgrounds Accelerated cellular ageing, which can be examined by telomere length (TL), may be an overarching mechanism underlying the association between personality and adverse health outcomes. This 6-year longitudinal study examined the relation between personality and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) across time among adults with a wide age-range. Data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety were used and included patients with a depression and/or anxiety disorder and healthy controls. Overall, 2936 persons (18-65 years, 66% female) had data on LTL at baseline and 1883 persons had LTL at 6-year follow-up. The Big Five personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and Type D personality were assessed. Neuroticism was negatively (B = -2.11, p = 0.03) and agreeableness was positively (B = 3.84, p = 0.03) related to LTL measured across two time points, which became just non-significant after adjusting for somatic health, lifestyle factors, and recent life stress (B = -1.99, p = 0.06; and B = 3.01, p = 0.10). Type D personality was negatively (B = -50.16, p < 0.01) related to LTL across two time points, which still remained statistically significant after full adjustment (B = -47.37, p = 0.01). Associations did not differ by age, gender, and current psychiatric status. The Big Five traits high neuroticism and low agreeableness, and Type D personality were associated with shorter LTL measured across a 6-year period. Associations with the Big Five traits became non-significant after controlling for somatic health, lifestyle factors, and recent life stress, yet similar trends were observed. Type D personality remained independently associated with shorter LTL after full adjustment.

Genetic and environmental relationships between change in weight and insulin resistance: the Healthy Twin Study.

PubMed

Song, Yun-Mi; Lee, Kayoung; Sung, Joohon

2014-06-01

We aimed to investigate the association between weight change from 20 years of age and insulin resistance (IR), and genetic and environmental relationships between these traits. In 594 Korean twins and family members (209 men, 385 women, 44.0 ± 10.8 years old), the percentage of weight change was calculated using self-reported body weight at 20 years of age and currently measured bodyweight. IR traits were assessed using fasting plasma glucose and insulin, the homeostasis model assessment of IR index (HOMA-IR), and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI). Linear mixed analysis was applied after adjusting for household, body mass index (BMI) at the age of 20 years, age, sex, alcohol, smoking, physical activity, and caloric intake. Heritabilities and genetic and environmental correlations were estimated after adjusting for covariates. In 55 monozygotic twin pairs discordant for HOMA-IR level by >0.3, a conditional logistic regression analysis was conducted regarding weight change. Increases in glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR and a decrease in QUICKI were associated with a higher percentage of weight change (p < .05). Estimated heritabilities for IR traits were 0.401-0.606 (p < .001). In cross-trait relationships, environmental correlations were -0.43-0.42 (p < .05 for all IR), while genetic correlations were -0.27-0.27 (p < .05 for QUICKI, insulin, and HOMA-IR). In 55 pairs of monozygotic twins, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for having a higher level of HOMA-IR was 1.10 (1.03-1.17) with 1% increase in weight change since 20 years old, after adjusting for lifestyle-related factors. In conclusion, both genetic and environmental influences played significant roles in the positive association between weight change from 20 years of age and IR.

Association between site-specific bone mineral density and glucose homeostasis and anthropometric traits in healthy men and women.

PubMed

Kim, Se-Min; Cui, Jinrui; Rhyu, Jane; Guo, Xiuqing; Chen, Yii-Der I; Hsueh, Willa A; Rotter, Jerome I; Goodarzi, Mark O

2018-06-01

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of fracture despite normal or increased bone mineral density (BMD). Studies on the relationship of glucose homeostasis with BMD phenotypes have been inconclusive because distinguishing the roles of insulin resistance and hyperglycaemia in bone remodelling is challenging. In this study, we sought to define the relationship of site-specific BMD with glucose homeostasis traits and anthropometric traits. In a cross-sectional study, we examined 787 subjects from the Mexican-American Coronary Artery Disease (MACAD) cohort who had undergone euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamps, oral glucose tolerance testing and dual X-ray absorptiometry. Glucose homeostasis traits included insulinogenic index (IGI30), insulin sensitivity (M value), insulin clearance (MCRI), fasting insulin, fasting glucose and 2-hour glucose. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association of glucose homeostasis and anthropometric traits with site-specific BMD. Two-hour glucose was negatively associated with arm BMD in women, which remained significant in multivariate analysis (β = -.15, P = .0015). Positive correlations between fasting insulin and BMD at weight-bearing sites, including pelvis (β = .22, P < .0001) and legs (β = .17, P = .001) in women and pelvis (β = .33, P < .0001) in men, lost significance after multivariate adjustment. Lean mass exhibited strong independent positive associations with BMD at multiple sites in both sexes. Our findings suggest that (i) anabolic effects of insulin might work via mechanical loading from lean mass; (ii) a direct negative effect of increasing glucose might be more prominent at cortical-bone-rich sites in women; and (iii) lean mass is a strong positive predictor of bone mass. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Brief report: Trait emotional intelligence, peer nominations, and scholastic achievement in adolescence.

PubMed

Mancini, Giacomo; Andrei, Federica; Mazzoni, Elvis; Biolcati, Roberta; Baldaro, Bruno; Trombini, Elena

2017-08-01

Current research on trait EI in adolescents suggests that the construct impacts on several important domains of youths' psychological functioning, including school adjustment and achievement. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of trait EI and of its subcomponents, on adolescent's academic achievement. Data were collected from 321 Italian adolescents (162 female; Mage = 15.5, SD = 1.86; aged 13-18 years) recruited from secondary schools. The effects of perceived and actual peer nominations, gender, personality dimensions, and non-verbal cognitive abilities were also controlled. Results highlight that trait EI as assessed by means of the TEIQue impacts Italian but not math's grades, while trait EI's factors predicted both academic subjects, with significant contributions of Self-Control and Sociability. Limitations and implications are discussed. Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative studies on growth traits of Sanga and Friesian-Sanga crossbred calves raised on natural pasture on the Accra Plains of Ghana.

PubMed

Sottie, E T; Darfour-Oduro, K A; Okantah, S A

2009-03-01

Data collected from 1993 to 2006 at the Animal Research Institute of Ghana was used to compare the performance of Sanga and Friesian-Sanga crossbred calves on natural pasture. Performance traits analyzed were birth weight (BWT), weaning weight adjusted to 210 days (WW7), preweaning average daily gain to 210 days (ADG 1), weight at 12 months adjusted to 365 days (W12), weight at 18 months adjusted to 540 days (W18) and postweaning average daily gain (ADG 2, from weaning to 540 days). Effects in the model describing these traits were breed, season, sex and first-order interactions between these effects. With the exception of heavier birth weight of Friesian-Sanga crossbred calves (19.98 kg vs. 19.18 kg), body weights of Sangas at weaning, 12 months and 18 months exceeded those of the Friesian-Sanga crossbred calves by 3.76 kg, 35.06 kg and 46.24 kg respectively. The Sangas were also superior in preweaning average daily gain (0.35 kg/day vs. 0.26 kg/day) and postweaning average daily gain (0.28 kg/day vs. 0.21 kg/day). There was a tendency of increasing weight difference between the two breeds with advancing age. It was suggested that improved nutrition such as supplementary feeding would be necessary for crossbreds to express their potential for growth.

ADHD and autistic traits, family function, parenting style, and social adjustment for Internet addiction among children and adolescents in Taiwan: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Chen, Yi-Lung; Chen, Sue-Huei; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2015-04-01

This longitudinal study investigated the prevalence, predictors, and related factors for Internet addiction among elementary and junior high school students in Taiwan. A convenient sample of grades 3, 5, and 8 students (n = 1153) was recruited from six elementary and one junior high schools. They were assessed during the beginning and the end of the spring semester of 2013. Internet addiction was examined by the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS). Other factors were screened using the Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) for autistic trait, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for parenting, the Family APGAR for family support, the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents for social function, and the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, version IV scale (SNAP-IV) for ADHD symptoms. The prevalence of Internet addiction decreased from 11.4% to 10.6%. Male, low family support, poor social adjustment, and high ADHD-related symptoms were related to Internet addiction. However, there was an inverse relationship between autistic traits and Internet addiction. Further, its predictivity could be accounted by poor academic performance, male, and protective parenting style. Internet addiction is not uncommon among youths in Taiwan. The predictors identified in this study could be the specific measures for the development of a prevention program for Internet addiction in the youth population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When should we expect microbial phenotypic traits to predict microbial abundances?

PubMed

Fox, Jeremy W

2012-01-01

Species' phenotypic traits may predict their relative abundances. Intuitively, this is because locally abundant species have traits making them well-adapted to local abiotic and biotic conditions, while locally rare species are not as well-adapted. But this intuition may not be valid. If competing species vary in how well-adapted they are to local conditions, why doesn't the best-adapted species simply exclude the others entirely? But conversely, if species exhibit niche differences that allow them to coexist, then by definition there is no single best adapted species. Rather, demographic rates depend on species' relative abundances, so that phenotypic traits conferring high adaptedness do not necessarily confer high abundance. I illustrate these points using a simple theoretical model incorporating adjustable levels of "adaptedness" and "niche differences." Even very small niche differences can weaken or even reverse the expected correlation between adaptive traits and abundance. Conversely, adaptive traits confer high abundance when niche differences are very strong. Future work should be directed toward understanding the link between phenotypic traits and frequency-dependence of demographic rates.

Pathological jealousy: romantic relationship characteristics, emotional and personality aspects, and social adjustment.

PubMed

Costa, Andrea Lorenada; Sophia, Eglacy C; Sanches, Cíntia; Tavares, Hermano; Zilberman, Monica L

2015-03-15

The aim of this study was to identify romantic relationship characteristics, emotional and personality aspects and social adjustment in subjects with pathological jealousy (PJ) and to compare them to control group. The participants, 32 individuals with PJ and 31 healthy volunteers completed measures of jealousy intensity, attachment type, love and relationship styles, personality, impulsivity, aggressiveness and social adjustment. Socio-demographic profiles were also obtained. Participants with PJ were significantly older than the control group, but no other important socio-demographic differences were observed. Participants with PJ were significantly more jealous and were predominately categorized with anxious-ambivalent attachment type, and Mania love style. They presented with elevated novelty seeking and harm avoidance, low self-directedness and cooperativeness, high levels of impulsivity and trait anxiety, and poor social adjustment. Multivariate analysis showed that jealousy intensity and trait anxiety were the variables that best distinguished participants with PJ from the control group. This study was limited by the cross-sectional design and relatively small sample size. PJ presents a particular pattern of attachment, love style, and personality structure, and deserves further attention as a specific potential disorder of the romantic bonding. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic variation of drought tolerance in Pinus pinaster at three hierarchical levels: a comparison of induced osmotic stress and field testing.

PubMed

Gaspar, Maria João; Velasco, Tania; Feito, Isabel; Alía, Ricardo; Majada, Juan

2013-01-01

Understanding the survival capacity of forest trees to periods of severe water stress could improve knowledge of the adaptive potential of different species under future climatic scenarios. In long lived organisms, like forest trees, the combination of induced osmotic stress treatments and field testing can elucidate the role of drought tolerance during the early stages of establishment, the most critical in the life of the species. We performed a Polyethylene glycol-osmotic induced stress experiment and evaluated two common garden experiments (xeric and mesic sites) to test for survival and growth of a wide range clonal collection of Maritime pine. This study demonstrates the importance of additive vs non additive effects for drought tolerance traits in Pinus pinaster, and shows differences in parameters determining the adaptive trajectories of populations and family and clones within populations. The results show that osmotic adjustment plays an important role in population variation, while biomass allocation and hydric content greatly influence survival at population level. Survival in the induced osmotic stress experiment presented significant correlations with survival in the xeric site, and height growth at the mesic site, at population level, indicating constraints of adaptation for those traits, while at the within population level no significant correlation existed. These results demonstrate that population differentiation and within population genetic variation for drought tolerance follow different patterns.

Genetic Variation of Drought Tolerance in Pinus pinaster at Three Hierarchical Levels: A Comparison of Induced Osmotic Stress and Field Testing

PubMed Central

Gaspar, Maria João; Velasco, Tania; Feito, Isabel; Alía, Ricardo; Majada, Juan

2013-01-01

Understanding the survival capacity of forest trees to periods of severe water stress could improve knowledge of the adaptive potential of different species under future climatic scenarios. In long lived organisms, like forest trees, the combination of induced osmotic stress treatments and field testing can elucidate the role of drought tolerance during the early stages of establishment, the most critical in the life of the species. We performed a Polyethylene glycol-osmotic induced stress experiment and evaluated two common garden experiments (xeric and mesic sites) to test for survival and growth of a wide range clonal collection of Maritime pine. This study demonstrates the importance of additive vs non additive effects for drought tolerance traits in Pinus pinaster, and shows differences in parameters determining the adaptive trajectories of populations and family and clones within populations. The results show that osmotic adjustment plays an important role in population variation, while biomass allocation and hydric content greatly influence survival at population level. Survival in the induced osmotic stress experiment presented significant correlations with survival in the xeric site, and height growth at the mesic site, at population level, indicating constraints of adaptation for those traits, while at the within population level no significant correlation existed. These results demonstrate that population differentiation and within population genetic variation for drought tolerance follow different patterns. PMID:24223885

Coping and emotional adjustment following traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Anson, Katie; Ponsford, Jennie

2006-01-01

To examine the association between coping style and emotional adjustment following traumatic brain injury. Thirty three individuals who had sustained a traumatic brain injury (mean duration of posttraumatic amnesia = 32 days) between 1(1/2) months and almost 7 years previously. Coping Scale for Adults, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, and the Sickness Impact Profile. Approximately 50% of the sample reported clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression. Coping characterized by avoidance, worry, wishful thinking, self-blame, and using drugs and alcohol was associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and psychosocial dysfunction and lower levels of self-esteem. Coping characterized by actively working on the problem and using humor and enjoyable activities to manage stress was associated with higher self-esteem. Lower premorbid intelligence (measured via the National Adult Reading Test) and greater self-awareness (measured via the Self-Awareness of Deficits Interview) were associated with an increased rate of maladaptive coping. The strong association between the style of coping used to manage stress and emotional adjustment suggests the possibility that emotional adjustment might be improved by the facilitation of more adaptive coping styles. It is also possible that improving emotional adjustment may increase adaptive coping. The development and evaluation of interventions aimed at facilitating adaptive coping and decreasing emotional distress represent important and potentially fruitful contributions to enhancing long-term outcome following brain injury.

Deciphering the adjustment between environment and life history in annuals: lessons from a geographically-explicit approach in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Manzano-Piedras, Esperanza; Marcer, Arnald; Alonso-Blanco, Carlos; Picó, F Xavier

2014-01-01

The role that different life-history traits may have in the process of adaptation caused by divergent selection can be assessed by using extensive collections of geographically-explicit populations. This is because adaptive phenotypic variation shifts gradually across space as a result of the geographic patterns of variation in environmental selective pressures. Hence, large-scale experiments are needed to identify relevant adaptive life-history traits as well as their relationships with putative selective agents. We conducted a field experiment with 279 geo-referenced accessions of the annual plant Arabidopsis thaliana collected across a native region of its distribution range, the Iberian Peninsula. We quantified variation in life-history traits throughout the entire life cycle. We built a geographic information system to generate an environmental data set encompassing climate, vegetation and soil data. We analysed the spatial autocorrelation patterns of environmental variables and life-history traits, as well as the relationship between environmental and phenotypic data. Almost all environmental variables were significantly spatially autocorrelated. By contrast, only two life-history traits, seed weight and flowering time, exhibited significant spatial autocorrelation. Flowering time, and to a lower extent seed weight, were the life-history traits with the highest significant correlation coefficients with environmental factors, in particular with annual mean temperature. In general, individual fitness was higher for accessions with more vigorous seed germination, higher recruitment and later flowering times. Variation in flowering time mediated by temperature appears to be the main life-history trait by which A. thaliana adjusts its life history to the varying Iberian environmental conditions. The use of extensive geographically-explicit data sets obtained from field experiments represents a powerful approach to unravel adaptive patterns of variation. In a context of current global warming, geographically-explicit approaches, evaluating the match between organisms and the environments where they live, may contribute to better assess and predict the consequences of global warming.

Identifying and exploiting trait-relevant tissues with multiple functional annotations in genome-wide association studies

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shujun

2018-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified many disease associated loci, the majority of which have unknown biological functions. Understanding the mechanism underlying trait associations requires identifying trait-relevant tissues and investigating associations in a trait-specific fashion. Here, we extend the widely used linear mixed model to incorporate multiple SNP functional annotations from omics studies with GWAS summary statistics to facilitate the identification of trait-relevant tissues, with which to further construct powerful association tests. Specifically, we rely on a generalized estimating equation based algorithm for parameter inference, a mixture modeling framework for trait-tissue relevance classification, and a weighted sequence kernel association test constructed based on the identified trait-relevant tissues for powerful association analysis. We refer to our analytic procedure as the Scalable Multiple Annotation integration for trait-Relevant Tissue identification and usage (SMART). With extensive simulations, we show how our method can make use of multiple complementary annotations to improve the accuracy for identifying trait-relevant tissues. In addition, our procedure allows us to make use of the inferred trait-relevant tissues, for the first time, to construct more powerful SNP set tests. We apply our method for an in-depth analysis of 43 traits from 28 GWASs using tissue-specific annotations in 105 tissues derived from ENCODE and Roadmap. Our results reveal new trait-tissue relevance, pinpoint important annotations that are informative of trait-tissue relationship, and illustrate how we can use the inferred trait-relevant tissues to construct more powerful association tests in the Wellcome trust case control consortium study. PMID:29377896

Multiple-Line Inference of Selection on Quantitative Traits

PubMed Central

Riedel, Nico; Khatri, Bhavin S.; Lässig, Michael; Berg, Johannes

2015-01-01

Trait differences between species may be attributable to natural selection. However, quantifying the strength of evidence for selection acting on a particular trait is a difficult task. Here we develop a population genetics test for selection acting on a quantitative trait that is based on multiple-line crosses. We show that using multiple lines increases both the power and the scope of selection inferences. First, a test based on three or more lines detects selection with strongly increased statistical significance, and we show explicitly how the sensitivity of the test depends on the number of lines. Second, a multiple-line test can distinguish between different lineage-specific selection scenarios. Our analytical results are complemented by extensive numerical simulations. We then apply the multiple-line test to QTL data on floral character traits in plant species of the Mimulus genus and on photoperiodic traits in different maize strains, where we find a signature of lineage-specific selection not seen in two-line tests. PMID:26139839

Genome-wide Association Study to Identify Quantitative Trait Loci for Meat and Carcass Quality Traits in Berkshire

PubMed Central

Iqbal, Asif; Kim, You-Sam; Kang, Jun-Mo; Lee, Yun-Mi; Rai, Rajani; Jung, Jong-Hyun; Oh, Dong-Yup; Nam, Ki-Chang; Lee, Hak-Kyo; Kim, Jong-Joo

2015-01-01

Meat and carcass quality attributes are of crucial importance influencing consumer preference and profitability in the pork industry. A set of 400 Berkshire pigs were collected from Dasan breeding farm, Namwon, Chonbuk province, Korea that were born between 2012 and 2013. To perform genome wide association studies (GWAS), eleven meat and carcass quality traits were considered, including carcass weight, backfat thickness, pH value after 24 hours (pH24), Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage lightness in meat color (CIE L), redness in meat color (CIE a), yellowness in meat color (CIE b), filtering, drip loss, heat loss, shear force and marbling score. All of the 400 animals were genotyped with the Porcine 62K SNP BeadChips (Illumina Inc., USA). A SAS general linear model procedure (SAS version 9.2) was used to pre-adjust the animal phenotypes before GWAS with sire and sex effects as fixed effects and slaughter age as a covariate. After fitting the fixed and covariate factors in the model, the residuals of the phenotype regressed on additive effects of each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) under a linear regression model (PLINK version 1.07). The significant SNPs after permutation testing at a chromosome-wise level were subjected to stepwise regression analysis to determine the best set of SNP markers. A total of 55 significant (p<0.05) SNPs or quantitative trait loci (QTL) were detected on various chromosomes. The QTLs explained from 5.06% to 8.28% of the total phenotypic variation of the traits. Some QTLs with pleiotropic effect were also identified. A pair of significant QTL for pH24 was also found to affect both CIE L and drip loss percentage. The significant QTL after characterization of the functional candidate genes on the QTL or around the QTL region may be effectively and efficiently used in marker assisted selection to achieve enhanced genetic improvement of the trait considered. PMID:26580276

Personality traits in patients with cluster headache: a comparison with migraine patients.

PubMed

Muñoz, I; Hernández, M S; Santos, S; Jurado, C; Ruiz, L; Toribio, E; Sotelo, E M; Guerrero, A L; Molina, V; Uribe, F; Cuadrado, M L

2016-01-01

Cluster headache (CH) has been associated with certain personality traits and lifestyle features, but there are few studies assessing personality profiles in CH. We aimed to analyze personality traits in patients with CH, and to compare them with those found in migraine. We included all consecutive patients with CH attending 5 outpatient offices between January and December 2013. Personality traits were evaluated using the Salamanca screening test, a validated inventory assessing 11 personality traits grouped in 3 clusters. We analyzed the test results in this population, and compared them with those of a migraine population previously assessed with the same test. Eighty patients with CH (75 men, 5 women; mean age, 43.2 ± 9.9 years) were recruited. The reference population consisted of 164 migraine patients (30 men, 134 women; mean age 36.4 ± 12.7 years). In CH patients, the most frequent personality traits were anancastic (52.5 %), anxious (47.5 %), histrionic (45 %), schizoid (42.5 %), impulsive (32.5 %) and paranoid (30 %). When compared to migraine patients, paranoid (p < 0.001; χ2 test), and schizoid traits (p = 0.007; χ2 test) were significantly more prevalent in CH patients. In logistic regression analysis the paranoid trait was significantly associated with CH (p = 0.001; OR: 3.27, 95 % CI [1.66-6.43]). According to the Salamanca screening test, personality traits included in cluster A (odd or eccentric disorders) are more prevalent in CH patients than in a population of migraineurs. Larger studies are needed to determine whether certain personality traits are related to CH.

Prevalence, association, and sexual dimorphism of Carabelli's molar and shovel incisor traits amongst Jordanian population.

PubMed

Khraisat, A; Taha, Sahar T; Jung, R E; Hattar, S; Smadi, L; Al-Omari, I K; Jarbawi, M

2007-09-01

The correlation between dental morphological traits can be used as an indicator to show major ethnic differences. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of Carabelli's molar and shovel incisor traits and tested their association and sexual dimorphism in Jordanian population. Three hundred subjects of school children at their 10th grade and of 15.5-year as an average age were involved. Alginate impressions for the maxillary arch were taken, poured, and casts were then trimmed. The selected accurate casts were of 132 male- and 155 female-students. The examined morphologic traits were Carabelli's trait on the maxillary first and second molars and shovel-shaped incisors. The relationship between different traits was investigated by Nonparametric Correlation analysis and Independent Sample t test was used to test sexual dimorphism in trait expression. The prevalence of Carabelli's trait in maxillary first molar and shovel trait in maxillary central incisor was relatively high (65.0 % and 53.0 %, respectively). The prevalence of Carabelli's trait on maxillary second molars was 3.8 %. Nonparametric Correlations revealed a strongest positive correlation between Carabelli's trait on maxillary first molar and shovel trait in males (P = 0.005). Significant sexual dimorphism was only found in the prevalence of Carabelli's trait on maxillary first molar (P = 0.013) and shovel trait (P = 0.038). The Jordanian Population had comparatively high prevalence of Carabelli's molar and shovel incisor traits. There was a positive association between Carabelli's trait on maxillary first molar and shovel trait in males. Sexual dimorphism was evident in Carabelli's trait on maxillary first molar and shovel trait.

Adjusting to climate: acclimation, adaptation, and developmental plasticity in physiological traits of a tropical rainforest lizard.

PubMed

Llewelyn, John; Macdonald, Stewart L; Moritz, Craig; Martins, Felipe; Hatcher, Amberlee; Phillips, Ben L

2018-01-09

The impact of climate change may be felt most keenly by tropical ectotherms. In these taxa, it is argued, thermal specialisation means a given shift in temperature will have a larger effect on fitness. For species with limited dispersal ability, the impact of climate change depends on the capacity for their climate-relevant traits to shift. Such shifts can occur through genetic adaptation, various forms of plasticity, or a combination of these processes. Here we assess the extent and causes of shifts in seven physiological traits in a tropical lizard, the rainforest sunskink (Lampropholis coggeri). Two populations were sampled that differ from each other in both climate and physiological traits. We compared trait values in each animal soon after field collection versus following acclimation to laboratory conditions. We also compared trait values between populations in: (1) recently field-collected animals, (2) the same animals following laboratory acclimation, and (3) the laboratory-reared offspring of these animals. Our results reveal high trait lability, driven primarily by acclimation and local adaptation. By contrast, developmental plasticity, resulting from incubation temperature, had little-to-no effect on most traits. These results suggest that, while specialised, tropical ectotherms may be capable of rapid shifts in climate-relevant traits. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Predictive value of callous-unemotional traits in a large community sample.

PubMed

Moran, Paul; Rowe, Richard; Flach, Clare; Briskman, Jacqueline; Ford, Tamsin; Maughan, Barbara; Scott, Stephen; Goodman, Robert

2009-11-01

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in children and adolescents are increasingly recognized as a distinctive dimension of prognostic importance in clinical samples. Nevertheless, comparatively little is known about the longitudinal effects of these personality traits on the mental health of young people from the general population. Using a large representative sample of children and adolescents living in Great Britain, we set out to examine the effects of CU traits on a range of mental health outcomes measured 3 years after the initial assessment. Parents were interviewed to determine the presence of CU traits in a representative sample of 7,636 children and adolescents. The parents also completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a broad measure of childhood psychopathology. Three years later, parents repeated the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. At 3-year follow-up, CU traits were associated with conduct, hyperactivity, emotional, and total symptom scores. After adjusting for the effects of all covariates, including baseline symptom score, CU traits remained robustly associated with the overall levels of conduct problems and emotional problems and with total psychiatric difficulties at 3-year follow-up. Callous-unemotional traits are independently associated with future psychiatric difficulties in children and adolescents. An assessment of CU traits adds small but significant improvements to the prediction of future psychopathology.

The Exploitive Mating Strategy of the Dark Triad Traits: Tests of Rape-Enabling Attitudes.

PubMed

Jonason, Peter K; Girgis, Mary; Milne-Home, Josephine

2017-04-01

The Dark Triad traits have been repeatedly labeled as facilitating an exploitive mating strategy. However, various researchers have repeatedly conflated short-term mating or casual sex with an exploitive mating strategy. In this study using Mechanical Turk participants (N = 252; 142 men, 110 women), we provided a better test of just how sexually exploitive those high on the Dark Triad traits might be by examining how the traits related to rape-enabling attitudes. We examined how each trait may facilitate rape, whether these associations were robust to partialing the variance associated with the Big Five traits and similar in men and women, and showed that one reason why men may be more likely to rape than women is they are characterized by the Dark Triad traits more than women are. In so doing, we test the confluence model of rape that asserts that personality traits similar to the Dark Triad traits act as one pathway to rape.

Insights Into Aspects Behind Internet-Related Disorders in Adolescents: The Interplay of Personality and Symptoms of Adjustment Disorders.

PubMed

Müller, Kai W; Wölfling, Klaus; Beutel, Manfred E; Stark, Birgit; Quiring, Oliver; Aufenanger, Stefan; Schemer, Christian; Weber, Mathias; Reinecke, Leonard

2018-02-01

Problematic Internet use (PIU) that has recently been referred to as Internet-related disorder is a growing health concern. Yet, it is unclear why some adolescents are developing problematic use, whereas others sustain control. Based on previous research, we hypothesize that personality traits (low conscientiousness and high neuroticism) act as predispositions for PIU. We further hypothesize that PIU can be understood as a maladaptive reaction toward critical life events and that these maladaptive reactions are exacerbated by dysfunctional personality traits. The study investigates the prevalence of distinct subtypes of PIU among a sample of adolescents (n = 1,489; 10-17 years). Personality traits (Big Five Inventory-10 [BFI-10]), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale 4 [PSS-4]), and their relations to PIU (Scale for the Assessment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction [AICA-S]) were examined. As novel research questions, associations between PIU and adjustment disorders (Adjustment Disorder-New Module [ADNM]-6) and the mediating role of personality were investigated. The prevalence of PIU was 2.5%; girls (3.0%) were more often affected than boys (1.9%). Social networking sites in girls and online games in boys were most often associated with PIU. Low conscientiousness and high neuroticism generally predicted PIU. Significantly more adolescents with PIU (70%) reported critical life events compared with those without PIU (42%). PIU was related to heightened stress and higher adjustment disorder symptoms. These associations were exacerbated by conscientiousness and neuroticism. Although the overall prevalence for PIU is in line with previous studies, it appeared unexpectedly that girls were affected more often than boys. Adjustment disorders and stress showed strong associations with PIU. This bears implications for adapting etiopathological assumptions and early intervention strategies. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute stress in residents during emergency care: a study of personal and situational factors.

PubMed

Dias, Roger Daglius; Scalabrini Neto, Augusto

2017-05-01

Providing care for simulated emergency patients may induce considerable acute stress in physicians. However, the acute stress provoked in a real-life emergency room (ER) is not well known. Our aim was to assess acute stress responses in residents during real emergency care and investigate the related personal and situational factors. A cross-sectional observational study was carried out at an emergency department of a tertiary teaching hospital. All second-year internal medicine residents were invited to voluntarily participate in this study. Acute stress markers were assessed at baseline (T1), before residents started their ER shift, and immediately after an emergency situation (T2), using heart rate, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure, salivary α-amylase activity, salivary interleukin-1 β, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-s and STAI-t). Twenty-four residents were assessed during 40 emergency situations. All stress markers presented a statistically significant increase between T1 and T2. IL-1 β presented the highest percent increase (141.0%, p < .001), followed by AA (99.0%, p = .002), HR (81.0%, p < .001), DBP (8.0%, p < .001), and SBP (3.0%, p < .001). In the multivariable analysis, time of residency had a negative correlation with HR during the emergency (adjusted R-square = .168; F = 8.69; p = .006), SBP response (adjusted R-square = .210; F = 6.19; p = .005) and DBP response (adjusted R-square = .293; F = 9.09; p = .001). Trait anxiety (STAI-t) was positively correlated with STAI-s (adjusted R-square = .326; F = 19.9; p < .001), and number of procedures performed during emergency care had a positive association with HR response (adjusted R-square = .241; F = 5.02; p = .005). In the present study, emergency care provoked substantial acute stress in residents. Resident experience, trait anxiety, and number of emergency procedures were independently associated with acute stress response.

Personality traits and the risk for Parkinson disease: a prospective study.

PubMed

Sieurin, Johanna; Gustavsson, Petter; Weibull, Caroline Elise; Feldman, Adina Leiah; Petzinger, Giselle Maria; Gatz, Margaret; Pedersen, Nancy Lee; Wirdefeldt, Karin

2016-02-01

In this study, we explored the association between the personality traits, neuroticism and introversion, and risk of Parkinson disease (PD). A population-based cohort study was conducted using questionnaire data from the Swedish Twin Registry for twins born 1926-1958 (n > 29,000). Personality traits were assessed in 1973 by a short form of Eysenck's Personality Inventory. The cohort was followed from 1974 to 2012 through Swedish patient and cause of death registers for PD ascertainment. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate subsequent risk of PD, adjusting for attained age, sex and smoking. A mediation analysis was performed to further explore the role of smoking in the relationship between personality trait and PD. Confounding by familial factors was explored using a within-pair analysis. During a mean follow-up time of 36.8 years, 197 incident PD cases were identified. Both neuroticism and introversion were associated with an increased risk of PD after adjustment. Smoking was a significant mediator in the relationship between personality traits and PD that partly accounted for the effect of introversion, whereas it acted as a suppressor for the effect of neuroticism on PD risk. In the within-pair analyses, associations for neuroticism and introversion were attenuated. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that neuroticism is associated with an increased risk of PD that is in part suppressed by smoking. There was a weak association between introversion and PD and this effect was at least partly mediated through smoking. The observed effects may partly be explained by familial factors shared by twins.

The influence of hypoxia on the thermal sensitivity of skin colouration in the bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps.

PubMed

de Velasco, Jesus Barraza; Tattersall, Glenn J

2008-09-01

One physiological mechanism used by reptiles to remain within thermal optima is their ability to reversibly alter skin colour, imparting changes in overall reflectance, and influencing the rate of heat gain from incident radiation. The ability to lighten or darken their skin is caused by the movement of pigment within the dermal chromatophore cells. Additionally, lizards, as ectotherms, significantly lower their preferred body temperatures when experiencing stressors such as hypoxia. This decrease in preferred temperature has been proposed to be the result of a downward adjustment of the thermal set-point, the temperature around which the body temperature is typically defended. We tested the hypothesis that lightening of the skin in lizards would be modified by hypoxia in a manner consistent with the known reduction in preferred temperatures. Skin colouration values of the dorsal skin of bearded dragons were analysed at three different levels of oxygen (20.8, 9.9 and 4.9 kPa) and at temperatures spanning the preferred temperature range (30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 C). Hypoxic lizards lightened their skin at lower ambient temperatures more than normoxic ones, and in an oxygen-dependent fashion. The orchestrated adjustment of skin reflectance suggests that this physiological trait is being regulated at a new and lower set-point. Evidence from this study demonstrates that skin colouration plays a role in body temperature regulation and that the reduction in temperature set-point so prevalent in hypoxia is also manifested in this physiological trait.

Effects of energy expenditure gene polymorphisms on obesity-related traits in obese children.

PubMed

Csernus, Katalin; Pauler, Gábor; Erhardt, Éva; Lányi, Éva; Molnár, Dénes

2015-01-01

To assess the frequencies of common polymorphisms of genes associated with energy expenditure among Hungarian obese children and investigate their influences on obesity-related traits and metabolic complications of common childhood obesity. In a total of 528 obese children (age 13.2±2.6 years) an oral glucose tolerance test and determination of fasting serum lipid levels were carried out, blood pressure and resting energy expenditure were measured and the children were genotyped for the following gene polymorphisms: Trp64Arg of β3-adrenoreceptor (ADRB3), -3826 A/G of uncoupling protein (UCP)-1, exon 8 45 bp del/ins and -866 G/A of UCP-2, -55 C/T of UCP-3, and Pro12Ala of peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor gamma-2. Carriers of the ADRB3 Arg64 allele had a significantly higher relative body weight and relative body mass index compared with non-carriers. The UCP-2 exon 8 del/ins polymorphism was associated with higher degree of obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipideamia and lower adjusted metabolic rate. Children with UCP-3 -55 T/T genotype had a significantly lower adjusted metabolic rate than the C allele carriers. We found evidence for associations between common polymorphisms of the ADRB3, the UCP-2 and UCP-3 genes and basic metabolic rate as well as level and metabolic consequences of common obesity among Hungarian school-aged children. Copyright © 2014 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Probing the big five in adolescence: personality and adjustment during a developmental transition.

PubMed

Graziano, W G; Ward, D

1992-06-01

The present study probed the links among Big Five personality differences, self-reported personality differences, and adjustment to school among young adolescents. We used a multimethod converging analysis, with three sources of data: (a) adolescent self-report on standardized personality inventories; (b) classroom teacher trait ratings and evaluations of adjustment; and (c) school guidance counselor evaluations of adjustment. Evaluations of adolescent adjustment were systematically related to Big Five personality differences, as assessed by both classroom teachers' and school counselors' ratings. For classroom teachers, adjustment was closely related to evaluations on the Big Five dimension of Conscientiousness. Adolescent self-report on several standardized measures was not related to adult evaluation of school adjustment. We suggest that the five-factor model may be a useful tool for probing adjustment during the transition to adolescence.

Effects of Autistic Traits on Social and School Adjustment in Children and Adolescents: The Moderating Roles of Age and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Mei-Ni; Tseng, Wan-Ling; Huang, Hui-Yi; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2013-01-01

This study examined the associations between children's and adolescents' autistic-like social deficits and school and social adjustment as well as the moderating roles of age and gender in these associations. The sample consisted of 1321 students (48.7% boys) in Grade 1 to Grade 8 from northern Taiwan. Children's and adolescents' autistic-like…

Predictive Modelling of Operative Performance by Means of Personality Traits - Implications for Selection of Personnel

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-02

Inc., Hillsdale. Matsumoto , D., & LeRoux, J. (2003). Measuring the psychological engine of intercultural adjustment: The Intercultural Adjustment...Report 3. DATES COVERED (From – To) 12 September 2007 - 12-Sep-09 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Cognitive and Personality Determinants of Cultural ...training since long form corner stones for effective military operations. 15. SUBJECT TERMS EOARD, Psychology , Cognition 16

Personality and Performance in Specific Neurocognitive Domains Among Older Persons.

PubMed

Chapman, Benjamin P; Benedict, Ralph H; Lin, Feng; Roy, Shumita; Federoff, Howard J; Mapstone, Mark

2017-08-01

Certain Big 5 personality dimensions have been repeatedly linked to global measures of cognitive function and outcome categories. We examined whether the Big 5 or their specific components showed differential evidence of associations with specific neurocognitive domains. Participants were 179 older adults (70+) from a broader study on cognitive aging. The NEO-Five Factor Inventory and a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests were used. Adjusted for age, gender, and years of education, probability values, Bayes Factors, and measures effect size from linear models suggested strong evidence for associations between better delayed recall memory and higher Conscientiousness (principally the facets of Goal-Striving and Dependability) and Openness (specifically the Intellectual Interest component). Better executive function and attention showed moderate to strong evidence of associations with lower Neuroticism (especially the Self-conscious Vulnerability facet) and higher Conscientiousness (mostly the Dependability facet). Better language functioning was linked to higher Openness (specifically, the Intellectual Interests facet). Worse visual-spatial function was strongly associated with higher Neuroticism. Different tests of neurocognitive functioning show varying degrees of evidence for associations with different personality traits. Better understanding of the patterning of neurocognitive-personality linkages may facilitate grasp of underlying mechanisms and/or refine understanding of co-occurring clinical presentation of personality traits and specific cognitive deficits. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Development of Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) Tools to Promote Adjustment During Reintegration Following Deployment

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently...Study 1, was to measure the associations between state and trait anger and biases in anger-related attention and interpretation. This aim was...participants with high trait anger scores have participated in the study at TAU. A mirror study via collaboration with Bristol University using the

A Rigorous Test of the Fit of the Circumplex Model to Big Five Personality Data: Theoretical and Methodological Issues and Two Large Sample Empirical Tests.

PubMed

DeGeest, David Scott; Schmidt, Frank

2015-01-01

Our objective was to apply the rigorous test developed by Browne (1992) to determine whether the circumplex model fits Big Five personality data. This test has yet to be applied to personality data. Another objective was to determine whether blended items explained correlations among the Big Five traits. We used two working adult samples, the Eugene-Springfield Community Sample and the Professional Worker Career Experience Survey. Fit to the circumplex was tested via Browne's (1992) procedure. Circumplexes were graphed to identify items with loadings on multiple traits (blended items), and to determine whether removing these items changed five-factor model (FFM) trait intercorrelations. In both samples, the circumplex structure fit the FFM traits well. Each sample had items with dual-factor loadings (8 items in the first sample, 21 in the second). Removing blended items had little effect on construct-level intercorrelations among FFM traits. We conclude that rigorous tests show that the fit of personality data to the circumplex model is good. This finding means the circumplex model is competitive with the factor model in understanding the organization of personality traits. The circumplex structure also provides a theoretically and empirically sound rationale for evaluating intercorrelations among FFM traits. Even after eliminating blended items, FFM personality traits remained correlated.

Hydraulic adjustment of Scots pine across Europe.

PubMed

Martínez-Vilalta, J; Cochard, H; Mencuccini, M; Sterck, F; Herrero, A; Korhonen, J F J; Llorens, P; Nikinmaa, E; Nolè, A; Poyatos, R; Ripullone, F; Sass-Klaassen, U; Zweifel, R

2009-10-01

* The variability of branch-level hydraulic properties was assessed across 12 Scots pine populations covering a wide range of environmental conditions, including some of the southernmost populations of the species. The aims were to relate this variability to differences in climate, and to study the potential tradeoffs between traits. * Traits measured included wood density, radial growth, xylem anatomy, sapwood- and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity (K(S) and K(L)), vulnerability to embolism, leaf-to-sapwood area ratio (A(L) : A(S)), needle carbon isotope discrimination (Delta13C) and nitrogen content, and specific leaf area. * Between-population variability was high for most of the hydraulic traits studied, but it was directly associated with climate dryness (defined as a combination of atmospheric moisture demand and availability) only for A(L) : A(S), K(L) and Delta13C. Shoot radial growth and A(L) : A(S) declined with stand development, which is consistent with a strategy to avoid exceedingly low water potentials as tree size increases. In addition, we did not find evidence at the intraspecific level of some associations between hydraulic traits that have been commonly reported across species. * The adjustment of Scots pine's hydraulic system to local climatic conditions occurred primarily through modifications of A(L) : A(S) and direct stomatal control, whereas intraspecific variation in vulnerability to embolism and leaf physiology appears to be limited.

Morningness-eveningness questionnaire score and metabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Osonoi, Yusuke; Mita, Tomoya; Osonoi, Takeshi; Saito, Miyoko; Tamasawa, Atsuko; Nakayama, Shiho; Someya, Yuki; Ishida, Hidenori; Kanazawa, Akio; Gosho, Masahiko; Fujitani, Yoshio; Watada, Hirotaka

2014-11-01

"Morningness" and "Eveningness" represent lifestyle patterns including sleep-wake patterns. Although previous studies described a relationship between the morningness-eveningness trait and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the mechanism underlying this association remains unknown. The study participants comprised 725 Japanese T2DM outpatients free of history of cardiovascular diseases. Various lifestyles were analyzed using self-reported questionnaires, including morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ). The relationships between morningness-eveningness trait and various biochemical parameters were investigated by linear regression analysis and logistic regression analysis. We classified the study patients into three groups, morning type (n=117), neither type (n=424) and evening type (n=184). Subjects of the evening type had high levels of alanine aminotransferase, triglyceride, fasting blood glucose and HbA1c and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level in a model adjusted for age and gender. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that the evening type was associated with high HbA1c and estimated glomerular filtration rate even after adjustment for other lifestyle factors known to affect metabolic control. The results suggest that T2DM patients with eveningness trait are under inadequate metabolic control independent of other lifestyle factors. Thus, the evening trait of T2DM patients represents an important target for intervention to ensure appropriate metabolic function.

Plasticity in leaf-level water relations of tropical rainforest trees in response to experimental drought.

PubMed

Binks, Oliver; Meir, Patrick; Rowland, Lucy; da Costa, Antonio Carlos Lola; Vasconcelos, Steel Silva; de Oliveira, Alex Antonio Ribeiro; Ferreira, Leandro; Christoffersen, Bradley; Nardini, Andrea; Mencuccini, Maurizio

2016-07-01

The tropics are predicted to become warmer and drier, and understanding the sensitivity of tree species to drought is important for characterizing the risk to forests of climate change. This study makes use of a long-term drought experiment in the Amazon rainforest to evaluate the role of leaf-level water relations, leaf anatomy and their plasticity in response to drought in six tree genera. The variables (osmotic potential at full turgor, turgor loss point, capacitance, elastic modulus, relative water content and saturated water content) were compared between seasons and between plots (control and through-fall exclusion) enabling a comparison between short- and long-term plasticity in traits. Leaf anatomical traits were correlated with water relation parameters to determine whether water relations differed among tissues. The key findings were: osmotic adjustment occurred in response to the long-term drought treatment; species resistant to drought stress showed less osmotic adjustment than drought-sensitive species; and water relation traits were correlated with tissue properties, especially the thickness of the abaxial epidermis and the spongy mesophyll. These findings demonstrate that cell-level water relation traits can acclimate to long-term water stress, and highlight the limitations of extrapolating the results of short-term studies to temporal scales associated with climate change. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

A bio-cultural approach to the study of food choice: The contribution of taste genetics, population and culture.

PubMed

Risso, Davide S; Giuliani, Cristina; Antinucci, Marco; Morini, Gabriella; Garagnani, Paolo; Tofanelli, Sergio; Luiselli, Donata

2017-07-01

The study of food choice, one of the most complex human traits, requires an integrated approach that takes into account environmental, socio-cultural and biological diversity. We recruited 183 volunteers from four geo-linguistic groups and highly diversified in terms of both genetic background and food habits from whom we collected genotypes and phenotypes tightly linked to taste perception. We confirmed previous genetic associations, in particular with stevioside perception, and noted significant differences in food consumption: in particular, broccoli, mustard and beer consumption scores were significantly higher (Adjusted P = 0.02, Adjusted P < 0.0001 and Adjusted P = 0.01, respectively) in North Europeans, when compared to the other groups. Licorice and Parmesan cheese showed lower consumption and liking scores in the Sri Lankan group (Adjusted P = 0.001 and Adjusted P < 0.001, respectively). We also highlighted how rs860170 (TAS2R16) strongly differentiated populations and was associated to salicin bitterness perception. Identifying genetic variants on chemosensory receptors that vary across populations and show associations with taste perception and food habits represents a step towards a better comprehension of this complex trait, aimed at improving the individual health status. This is the first study that concurrently explores the contribution of genetics, population diversity and cultural aspects in taste perception and food consumption. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Is Variability in Mate Choice Similar for Intelligence and Personality Traits? Testing a Hypothesis about the Evolutionary Genetics of Personality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Emily A.; Shackelford, Todd K.; Buss, David M.

2012-01-01

This study tests the hypothesis presented by Penke, Denissen, and Miller (2007a) that condition-dependent traits, including intelligence, attractiveness, and health, are universally and uniformly preferred as characteristics in a mate relative to traits that are less indicative of condition, including personality traits. We analyzed…

Differential gene expression in the endometrium reveals cytoskeletal and immunological genes in lactating dairy cows genetically divergent for fertility traits.

PubMed

Moran, Bruce; Butler, Stephen T; Moore, Stephen G; MacHugh, David E; Creevey, Christopher J

2017-02-01

Profitable milk production in dairy cows requires good reproductive performance. Calving interval is a trait used to measure reproductive efficiency. Herein we used a novel lactating Holstein cow model of fertility that displayed genetic and phenotypic divergence in calving interval, a trait used to define reproductive performance using a national breeding index in Ireland. Cows had similar genetic merit for milk production traits, but either very good genetic merit for fertility (Fert+; n=7) or very poor genetic merit for fertility (Fert-; n=6). We tested the hypothesis that Fert+ cows would have a corresponding detectable difference in endometrial gene expression compared with the Fert- cows. To do this, we sequenced the transcriptome of endometrial biopsies collected on Day 7 of the oestrous cycle (non-pregnant). This is an important stage for uterine remodelling and initiation of histotroph secretion. Significant differential expression (false discovery rate-adjusted P<0.1) of 403 genes between Fert+ and Fert- cows was found. A novel network-based functional analysis highlighted 123 genes from three physiologically relevant networks of the endometrium: (1) actin and cytoskeletal components; (2) immune function; and (3) ion transportation. In particular, our results indicate an overall downregulation of inflammation-related genes and an upregulation of multiple ion transporters and gated-voltage channels and cytoskeletal genes in Fert+ cows. These three topics, which are discussed in terms of the uterus and in the context of fertility, provide molecular evidence for an association between gene expression in the uterine environment and genetic merit for fertility in dairy cows.

Coping mediates the influence of personality on life satisfaction in patients with rheumatic diseases.

PubMed

Vollmann, Manja; Pukrop, Jörg; Salewski, Christel

2016-04-01

A rheumatic disease can severely impair a person's quality of life. The degree of impairment, however, is not closely related to objective indicators of disease severity. This study investigated the influence and the interplay of core psychological factors, i.e., personality and coping, on life satisfaction in patients with rheumatic diseases. Particularly, it was tested whether coping mediates the effects of personality on life satisfaction. In a cross-sectional design, 158 patients diagnosed with a rheumatic disease completed questionnaires assessing the Big 5 personality traits (BFI-10), several disease-related coping strategies (EFK) and life satisfaction (HSWBS). Data were analyzed using a complex multiple mediation analysis with the Big 5 personality traits as predictors, coping strategies as mediators and life satisfaction as outcome. All personality traits and seven of the nine coping strategies were associated with life satisfaction (rs > |0.16|, ps ≤ 0.05). The mediation analysis revealed that personality traits had no direct, but rather indirect effects on life satisfaction through coping. Neuroticism had a negative indirect effect on life satisfaction through less active problem solving and more depressive coping (indirect effects > -0.03, ps < 0.05). Extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness had positive indirect effects on life satisfaction through more active problem solving, less depressive coping and/or a more active search for social support (indirect effects > 0.06, ps < 0.05). Personality and coping play a role in adjustment to rheumatic diseases. The interplay of these variables should be considered in psychological interventions for patients with rheumatic diseases.

Humor and Anxiety: Effects on Class Test Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townsend, Michael A. R.; Mahoney, Peggy

The roles of humor and anxiety in test performance were investigated. Measures of trait anxiety, state anxiety and achievement were obtained on a sample of undergraduate students; the A-Trait and A-State scales of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used. Half of the students received additional humorous items in the achievement test. The…

Additive Genetic Effects on Circulating Periostin Contribute to the Heritability of Bone Microstructure.

PubMed

Bonnet, N; Biver, E; Durosier, C; Chevalley, T; Rizzoli, R; Ferrari, S

2015-07-01

Genetic factors account for 60-80% of the areal bone mineral density (aBMD) variance, whereas the heritability of bone microstructure is not clearly established. aBMD and microstructure are under the control of osteocytes, which regulate bone formation through the expression of molecules such as sclerostin (SOST) and periostin (POSTN). We hypothesized that additive genetic effects contribute to serum levels of SOST and POSTN and thereby to the individual variance of bone microstructure. In a retrospective analysis of 432 subjects from the Geneva Retiree Cohort age 64.9 ± 1.4 years and 96 of their offspring age 37.9 ± 5.7 years, we measured serum SOST (sSOST) and serum POSTN (sPOSTN), distal radius and tibia microstructure, hip and lumbar spine aBMD, and bone turnover markers, Heritability (h(2), %) was calculated as twice the slope of the regression (β) between parents and offspring. cPOSTN levels were significantly higher in men than women and in offspring than parents. h(2) values for bone microstructural traits ranged from 22-64% depending on the envelope (trabecular [Tb] or cortical [Ct]) and skeletal site (radius or tibia), whereas h(2) for sPOSTN and sSOST was 50% and 40%, respectively. sPOSTN was positively associated with Tb bone volume on total volume and Ct thickness, and negatively with Ct porosity. The associations for Ct parameters remain significant after adjustment for propetide of type-I procollagen, cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen, femoral neck aBMD, sex or age. After adjustment of bone traits for sPOSTN, h(2) values decreased for several Tb and Ct bone parameters, but not for aBMD. In contrast, adjusting for sSOST did not alter h(2) values for bone traits. Additive genetic effects account for a substantial proportion of the individual variance of bone microstructure, sPOSTN, and sSOST. sPOSTN is largely inherited as a sex-related trait and carries an important contribution to the heritability of bone microstructure, indicating that these traits are at least partly determined by common genetic effects.

Personality Traits and Comorbidity in Adults With ADHD.

PubMed

Instanes, Johanne Telnes; Haavik, Jan; Halmøy, Anne

2016-10-01

To assess personality traits using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a group of 63 previously diagnosed ADHD patients and 68 population controls and investigate the impact of common comorbid psychiatric disorders on these personality measures. Psychiatric comorbidity was assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus and personality traits by the TCI. The patient group had significantly higher scores on the TCI dimensions Harm avoidance and Novelty seeking compared with the control group. However, when adjusting for comorbid anxiety and depressive disorder, the ADHD group no longer showed higher Harm avoidance than the control group. The difference in Novelty seeking between the patient and control groups was correlated with lifetime diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). It is important to take comorbid psychiatric disorders into account while investigating personality traits in ADHD. © The Author(s) 2013.

The study of personality in renal transplant patients: possible predictor of an adequate social adaptation?

PubMed

Pistorio, M L; Veroux, M; Corona, D; Sinagra, N; Giaquinta, A; Zerbo, D; Giacchi, F; Gagliano, M; Tallarita, T; Veroux, P; De Pasquale, C

2013-09-01

This study explored the personality characteristic traits within a sample of renal transplant patients, seeking to obtain predictive index for likely clinical impacts. The personality study was performed using the Structured Clinical Interview Axis II Personality Disorders for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, text revision in 60 recipients of kidney transplantations from deceased donors. The personality trait that prevailed in the female gender was borderline, while in the male gender it appeared to be predominantly obsessive-compulsive personality trait. The personality study proved to be a good index to predict effects on the level of social adjustment. In this way, patients who have shown pathologic personality traits can be identified early to provide adequate psychologic-psychiatric support and follow-up. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do Personality Traits Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Abuse and Migraine? An Exploration of the Relationships in Young Adults Using the Add Health Dataset.

PubMed

Karmakar, Monita; Elhai, Jon D; Amialchuk, Aliaksandr A; Tietjen, Gretchen E

2018-02-01

Personality traits (especially neuroticism) and childhood maltreatment have been independently related to many negative health outcomes later in life, including migraine. Studies have also shown the association between childhood maltreatment and maladaptive personality traits. The mediating role of personality traits on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression, psychological distress, and alcohol dependence has been extensively studied. However, this type of mediation has not been studied in the case of the development of migraine. This study investigated (1) the main effects of childhood abuse on personality traits, and of personality traits on migraine, and (2) the mediating role of neuroticism, on the relationship between childhood abuse and migraine in young adults. We analyzed retrospective, cross-sectional data from 13,493 adults aged 24-32 years in Wave 4 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health ("Add Health") data set. Participants were queried regarding maltreatment (emotional, physical, and sexual) during childhood, current Big Five personality traits (using mini International Personality Item Pool), current depression (using Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale), perceived stress (Using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale), and diagnosis of migraine by a health care provider. Linear and logistic regressions were used to assess the main effects of childhood maltreatment on the five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and the main effect of the personality traits on self-reported provider diagnosis of migraine. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine the mediating role of neuroticism on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and migraine. Linear regression models showed that childhood abuse independently predicted increased neuroticism (β = 0.338, SE=±0.05, P < .001), and increased openness to experiences (β = 0.341, SE = ±0.06, P < .001) after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, current depression, and perceived stress. Logistic regression to examine the main effect of personality traits on migraine revealed that only neuroticism had a significant effect (OR = 1.07, 95%CI = 1.04-1.10) after controlling for childhood abuse, socio-demographic characteristics, current depression, and perceived stress. Our regression analyses showed that neuroticism, but not openness to experience, was a potential mediator for the relationship between childhood abuse and migraine. SEM confirmed significant mediation of the relationship between childhood abuse and migraine through neurotic personality traits (goodness of fit indices: CFI = 0.992, TLI = 0.979, RMSEA = 0.025), unadjusted for socio-demographic variables, depression, and stress. In addition to the indirect effect (β = 0.039, P < .01) of childhood abuse on migraine through neuroticism, there was also a significant direct effect (β = 0.143, P < .01) of childhood abuse on migraine. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables, other personality types, depression, and stress, both the direct effect (β = 0.127; P < .01) of childhood abuse on migraine and the indirect effect (β = 0.09; P < .01) of childhood abuse on migraine through neuroticism were attenuated, but remained significant. Childhood abuse is associated with personality and migraine. An estimated 21% of the total effect of childhood abuse on migraine could be explained by mediation through neuroticism in the unadjusted model. In the fully adjusted model, an estimated 8.7% of the total effect could be explained by mediation, although, self-reported data limit the ability to draw firm conclusions. © 2017 American Headache Society.

Can traits predict individual growth performance? A test in a hyperdiverse tropical forest.

PubMed

Poorter, Lourens; Castilho, Carolina V; Schietti, Juliana; Oliveira, Rafael S; Costa, Flávia R C

2018-07-01

The functional trait approach has, as a central tenet, that plant traits are functional and shape individual performance, but this has rarely been tested in the field. Here, we tested the individual-based trait approach in a hyperdiverse Amazonian tropical rainforest and evaluated intraspecific variation in trait values, plant strategies at the individual level, and whether traits are functional and predict individual performance. We evaluated > 1300 tree saplings belonging to > 383 species, measured 25 traits related to growth and defense, and evaluated the effects of environmental conditions, plant size, and traits on stem growth. A total of 44% of the trait variation was observed within species, indicating a strong potential for acclimation. Individuals showed two strategy spectra, related to tissue toughness and organ size vs leaf display. In this nutrient- and light-limited forest, traits measured at the individual level were surprisingly poor predictors of individual growth performance because of convergence of traits and growth rates. Functional trait approaches based on individuals or species are conceptually fundamentally different: the species-based approach focuses on the potential and the individual-based approach on the realized traits and growth rates. Counterintuitively, the individual approach leads to a poor prediction of individual performance, although it provides a more realistic view on community dynamics. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Personality traits and virtual reality performance.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Rachel; Schäfer, Juliane; Hoffmann, Henry; Vitz, Martina; Oertli, Daniel; Hahnloser, Dieter

2013-01-01

Surgeons' personalities have been described as different from those of the general population, but this was based on small descriptive studies limited by the choice of evaluation instrument. Furthermore, although the importance of the human factor in team performance has been recognized, the effect of personality traits on technical performance is unknown. This study aimed to compare surgical residents' personality traits with those of the general population and to evaluate whether an association exists between their personality traits and technical performance using a virtual reality (VR) laparoscopy simulator. In this study, 95 participants (54 residents with basic, 29 with intermediate laparoscopic experience, and 12 students) underwent personality assessment using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and performed five VR tasks of the Lap Mentor™ basic tasks module. The residents' personality traits were compared with those of the general population, and the association between VR performance and personality traits was investigated. Surgical residents showed personality traits different from those of the general population, demonstrating lower neuroticism, higher extraversion and conscientiousness, and male residents showed greater openness. In the multivariable analysis, adjusted for gender and surgical experience, none of the personality traits was found to be an independent predictor of technical performance. Surgical residents present distinct personality traits that differ from those of the general population. These traits were not found to be associated with technical performance in a virtual environment. The traits may, however, play an important role in team performance, which in turn is highly relevant for optimal surgical performance.

The effect of flower position on variation and covariation in floral traits in a wild hermaphrodite plant

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Floral traits within plants can vary with flower position or flowering time. Within an inflorescence, sexual allocation of early produced basal flowers is often female-biased while later produced distal flowers are male-biased. Such temporal adjustment of floral resource has been considered one of the potential advantages of modularity (regarding a flower as a module) in hermaphrodites. However, flowers are under constraints of independent evolution of a given trait. To understand flower diversification within inflorescences, here we examine variation and covariation in floral traits within racemes at the individual and the maternal family level respectively in an alpine herb Aconitum gymnandrum (Ranunculaceae). Results We found that floral traits varied significantly with flower position and among families, and position effects were family-specific. Most of the variance of floral traits was among individuals rather than among flowers within individuals or among families. Significant phenotypic correlations between traits were not affected by position, indicating trait integration under shared developmental regulation. In contrast, positive family-mean correlations in floral traits declined gradually from basal to distal flowers (nine significant correlations among floral traits in basal flowers and only three in distal flowers), showing position-specificity. Therefore, the pattern and magnitude of genetic correlations decreased with flower position. Conclusions This finding on covariation pattern in floral reproductive structures within racemes has not been revealed before, providing insights into temporal variation and position effects in floral traits within plants and the potential advantages of modularity in hermaphrodites. PMID:20482889

The effect of flower position on variation and covariation in floral traits in a wild hermaphrodite plant.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhi-Gang; Du, Guo-Zhen; Huang, Shuang-Quan

2010-05-20

Floral traits within plants can vary with flower position or flowering time. Within an inflorescence, sexual allocation of early produced basal flowers is often female-biased while later produced distal flowers are male-biased. Such temporal adjustment of floral resource has been considered one of the potential advantages of modularity (regarding a flower as a module) in hermaphrodites. However, flowers are under constraints of independent evolution of a given trait. To understand flower diversification within inflorescences, here we examine variation and covariation in floral traits within racemes at the individual and the maternal family level respectively in an alpine herb Aconitum gymnandrum (Ranunculaceae). We found that floral traits varied significantly with flower position and among families, and position effects were family-specific. Most of the variance of floral traits was among individuals rather than among flowers within individuals or among families. Significant phenotypic correlations between traits were not affected by position, indicating trait integration under shared developmental regulation. In contrast, positive family-mean correlations in floral traits declined gradually from basal to distal flowers (nine significant correlations among floral traits in basal flowers and only three in distal flowers), showing position-specificity. Therefore, the pattern and magnitude of genetic correlations decreased with flower position. This finding on covariation pattern in floral reproductive structures within racemes has not been revealed before, providing insights into temporal variation and position effects in floral traits within plants and the potential advantages of modularity in hermaphrodites.

Phenotypic plasticity in clutch size regulation among populations of a potential invasive fruit fly from environments that vary in host heterogeneity and isolation.

PubMed

Aluja, M; Birke, A; Díaz-Fleischer, F; Rull, J

2018-05-21

Phenotypic plasticity is thought to evolve in response to environmental unpredictability and can shield genotypes from selection. However, selection can also act on plastic traits. Egg-laying behaviour, including clutch size regulation, is a plastic behavioural trait among tephritid fruit flies. We compared plasticity in clutch size regulation among females of Anastrepha ludens populations stemming from environments that differed in the degree of predictability in egg-laying opportunities. Clutch size regulation in response to hosts of different sizes was compared among flies from (a) a wild, highly isolated population, (b) a wild population that switches seasonally from a small wild host fruit that varies greatly in abundance to an abundant large-sized commercial host, and (c) a laboratory population. Flies from all three populations adjusted clutch number and size according to host size. However, flies from the heterogeneous wild environment were more plastic in adjusting clutch size than flies from agricultural settings that also laid fewer eggs; yet both populations were more plastic in adjusting clutch size in line with host size when compared with laboratory females. When wild and orchard females encountered the largest host, clutch size was extremely variable and egg regulation did not follow the same trend. Heterogeneity in host availability in space and time appears to be as important as seasonal variation in host size in maintaining plastic clutch size regulation behaviour. In stable environments, there was a clear reduction in the plasticity of these traits.

Leveraging contemporary species introductions to test phylogenetic hypotheses of trait evolution.

PubMed

Lu-Irving, Patricia; Marx, Hannah E; Dlugosch, Katrina M

2018-05-10

Plant trait evolution is a topic of interest across disciplines and scales. Phylogenetic studies are powerful for generating hypotheses about the mechanisms that have shaped plant traits and their evolution. Introduced plants are a rich source of data on contemporary trait evolution. Introductions could provide especially useful tests of a variety of evolutionary hypotheses because the environments selecting on evolving traits are still present. We review phylogenetic and contemporary studies of trait evolution and identify areas of overlap and areas for further integration. Emerging tools which can promote integration include broadly focused repositories of trait data, and comparative models of trait evolution that consider both intra and interspecific variation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adjusting data to body size: a comparison of methods as applied to quantitative trait loci analysis of musculoskeletal phenotypes.

PubMed

Lang, Dean H; Sharkey, Neil A; Lionikas, Arimantas; Mack, Holly A; Larsson, Lars; Vogler, George P; Vandenbergh, David J; Blizard, David A; Stout, Joseph T; Stitt, Joseph P; McClearn, Gerald E

2005-05-01

The aim of this study was to compare three methods of adjusting skeletal data for body size and examine their use in QTL analyses. It was found that dividing skeletal phenotypes by body mass index induced erroneous QTL results. The preferred method of body size adjustment was multiple regression. Many skeletal studies have reported strong correlations between phenotypes for muscle, bone, and body size, and these correlations add to the difficulty in identifying genetic influence on skeletal traits that are not mediated through overall body size. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) identified for skeletal phenotypes often map to the same chromosome regions as QTLs for body size. The actions of a QTL identified as influencing BMD could therefore be mediated through the generalized actions of growth on body size or muscle mass. Three methods of adjusting skeletal phenotypes to body size were performed on morphologic, structural, and compositional measurements of the femur and tibia in 200-day-old C57BL/6J x DBA/2 (BXD) second generation (F(2)) mice (n = 400). A common method of removing the size effect has been through the use of ratios. This technique and two alternative techniques using simple and multiple regression were performed on muscle and skeletal data before QTL analyses, and the differences in QTL results were examined. The use of ratios to remove the size effect was shown to increase the size effect by inducing spurious correlations, thereby leading to inaccurate QTL results. Adjustments for body size using multiple regression eliminated these problems. Multiple regression should be used to remove the variance of co-factors related to skeletal phenotypes to allow for the study of genetic influence independent of correlated phenotypes. However, to better understand the genetic influence, adjusted and unadjusted skeletal QTL results should be compared. Additional insight can be gained by observing the difference in LOD score between the adjusted and nonadjusted phenotypes. Identifying QTLs that exert their effects on skeletal phenotypes through body size-related pathways as well as those having a more direct and independent influence on bone are equally important in deciphering the complex physiologic pathways responsible for the maintenance of bone health.

Association analysis of multiple traits by an approach of combining P values.

PubMed

Chen, Lili; Wang, Yong; Zhou, Yajing

2018-03-01

Increasing evidence shows that one variant can affect multiple traits, which is a widespread phenomenon in complex diseases. Joint analysis of multiple traits can increase statistical power of association analysis and uncover the underlying genetic mechanism. Although there are many statistical methods to analyse multiple traits, most of these methods are usually suitable for detecting common variants associated with multiple traits. However, because of low minor allele frequency of rare variant, these methods are not optimal for rare variant association analysis. In this paper, we extend an adaptive combination of P values method (termed ADA) for single trait to test association between multiple traits and rare variants in the given region. For a given region, we use reverse regression model to test each rare variant associated with multiple traits and obtain the P value of single-variant test. Further, we take the weighted combination of these P values as the test statistic. Extensive simulation studies show that our approach is more powerful than several other comparison methods in most cases and is robust to the inclusion of a high proportion of neutral variants and the different directions of effects of causal variants.

Determining the Mechanical Properties of Lattice Block Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilmoth, Nathan

2013-01-01

Lattice block structures and shape memory alloys possess several traits ideal for solving intriguing new engineering problems in industries such as aerospace, military, and transportation. Recent testing at the NASA Glenn Research Center has investigated the material properties of lattice block structures cast from a conventional aerospace titanium alloy as well as lattice block structures cast from nickel-titanium shape memory alloy. The lattice block structures for both materials were sectioned into smaller subelements for tension and compression testing. The results from the cast conventional titanium material showed that the expected mechanical properties were maintained. The shape memory alloy material was found to be extremely brittle from the casting process and only compression testing was completed. Future shape memory alloy lattice block structures will utilize an adjusted material composition that will provide a better quality casting. The testing effort resulted in baseline mechanical property data from the conventional titanium material for comparison to shape memory alloy materials once suitable castings are available.

The effects of growth hormone deficiency and growth hormone replacement therapy on intellectual ability, personality and adjustment in children.

PubMed

Puga González, B; Ferrández Longás, A; Oyarzábal, M; Nosas, R

2010-06-01

Traditionally, it has been assumed that intellectual development in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is distributed between ranges of a normal population based on the observation that it does not differ substantially from that of children of the same age. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated this assumption. This Spanish Collaborative study was prospectively planned with two main purposes: to study a possible influence of GHD on intelligence quotient (IQ), personality traits and adaptative capacity and to study the evolution of these parameters during substitution therapy with growth hormone (GH). Although the overall intellectual ability of children with GHD is comparable to that of a normal reference population, some areas such the motor-component scale (evaluated by McCarthy test) and performance IQ (evaluated by WISC-R) were below the mean at the beginning of the study, showing significant improvement during therapy. Emotional adjustment (normal at study start) also improved significantly during treatment. Females showed better adjustment capacity before and during GH therapy. Longer studies with an increased number of cases are needed to confirm these effects of GHD and its treatment in children.

The neural correlates of trait resilience when anticipating and recovering from threat

PubMed Central

Waugh, Christian E.; Wager, Tor D.; Fredrickson, Barbara L.; Noll, Doug C.; Taylor, Stephan F.

2008-01-01

A facet of emotional resilience critical for adapting to adversity is flexible use of emotional resources. We hypothesized that in threatening situations, this emotional flexibility enables resilient people to use emotional resources during appropriately emotional events, and conserve emotional resources during innocuous events. We tested this hypothesis using functional magnetic resonance imaging in a repeated recovery from threat task with low- and high-trait resilient individuals (LowR and HighR, respectively, as measured by ER89). In an event-related design, 13 HighR and 13 LowR participants viewed ‘threat’ cues, which signaled either an aversive or neutral picture with equal probabilities, or ‘nonthreat’ cues, which signaled a neutral picture. Results show that when under threat, LowR individuals exhibited prolonged activation in the anterior insula to both the aversive and neutral pictures, whereas HighR individuals exhibited insula activation only to the aversive pictures. These data provide neural evidence that in threatening situations, resilient people flexibly and appropriately adjust the level of emotional resources needed to meet the demands of the situation. PMID:19015078

Look at me, I'm happy and creative: The effect of impression management on behavior in social presence.

PubMed

Uziel, Liad

2010-12-01

The present research tested competing approaches to individual differences in impression management (as measured with social desirability scales) and their implication for behavior in social contexts. A defensiveness approach argues that impression management is a source of defensive self-presentation, which causes performance impairment in public social settings. The competing adjustment approach argues that impression management measures friendliness and self-control, which should bring about performance facilitation in public social settings. To decide between these approaches, two experiments utilized a social facilitation paradigm, whereby task performance was compared between an alone and a public condition. The results supported the predictions of the adjustment approach. Across different tasks, a high impression management score was associated with performance facilitation in social presence, expressed in greater creativity, positive implicit affect, and high self-control. The results reveal previously unnoticed constructive effects of impression management, supporting the reframing of the trait as reflecting interpersonally oriented self-control.

Personality traits in childhood and adolescent headache.

PubMed

Lanzi, G; Zambrino, C A; Ferrari-Ginevra, O; Termine, C; D'Arrigo, S; Vercelli, P; De Silvestri, A; Guglielmino, C R

2001-02-01

We evaluate personality traits, anxiety and depression in a population of paediatric and adolescent patients, correlating personality characteristics with headache and sociodemographic variables. The clinical features of headache include specific personality traits. We report a clinical study of 57 patients (age 8-18 years), divided up as follows: 12 migraine with aura, 29 migraine without aura and 16 tension-type headache. One of Cattel's tests was administered to every patient; the Children's Depression Inventory test was administered to 53 patients and the Test Anxiety Inventory test to 43 subjects. The scores obtained by every patient in each test were correlated with the characteristics of headache and with sociodemographic data. We found that patients affected by idiopathic headache share some personality traits, mainly emotional rigidity and tendency to repress anger and aggression. These traits do not seem to be correlated with sociodemographic data and the duration of headache: we considered these as characteristic of migrainous patients.

A test for selection employing quantitative trait locus and mutation accumulation data.

PubMed

Rice, Daniel P; Townsend, Jeffrey P

2012-04-01

Evolutionary biologists attribute much of the phenotypic diversity observed in nature to the action of natural selection. However, for many phenotypic traits, especially quantitative phenotypic traits, it has been challenging to test for the historical action of selection. An important challenge for biologists studying quantitative traits, therefore, is to distinguish between traits that have evolved under the influence of strong selection and those that have evolved neutrally. Most existing tests for selection employ molecular data, but selection also leaves a mark on the genetic architecture underlying a trait. In particular, the distribution of quantitative trait locus (QTL) effect sizes and the distribution of mutational effects together provide information regarding the history of selection. Despite the increasing availability of QTL and mutation accumulation data, such data have not yet been effectively exploited for this purpose. We present a model of the evolution of QTL and employ it to formulate a test for historical selection. To provide a baseline for neutral evolution of the trait, we estimate the distribution of mutational effects from mutation accumulation experiments. We then apply a maximum-likelihood-based method of inference to estimate the range of selection strengths under which such a distribution of mutations could generate the observed QTL. Our test thus represents the first integration of population genetic theory and QTL data to measure the historical influence of selection.

Leaf anatomy of two reciprocally non-monophyletic mountain plants (Heliosperma spp.): does heritable adaptation to divergent growing sites accompany the onset of speciation?

PubMed

Bertel, Clara; Schönswetter, Peter; Frajman, Božo; Holzinger, Andreas; Neuner, Gilbert

2017-05-01

Evolution is driven by natural selection, favouring individuals adapted in phenotypic traits to the environmental conditions at their growing site. To shed light on ecological and (epi-) genetically based differentiation between Heliosperma pusillum and Heliosperma veselskyi, two reciprocally non-monophyletic, but morphologically and ecologically divergent species from the south-eastern Alps, we studied various leaf anatomical traits and investigated chloroplast ultrastructure in leaves of the two species grown either in their natural habitat or in a common garden. The alpine H. pusillum occurs in open, wet rock habitats, whereas its close relative H. veselskyi is restricted to dry, shady habitats below overhanging rocks in the montane belt. H. pusillum exhibited higher thickness of leaves and palisade layers as adjustments and/or adaptations to higher irradiance and a higher stomatal area index reflecting better water availability. Traits were adjusted plastically, but differed between species grown in a common garden, suggesting that the differentiation between the two species is not solely based on phenotypic plasticity but also has a genetic basis. Our study thus supports the hypothesis that differentiation between the highly interfertile species is likely driven by natural selection.

Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA) Gene and Personality Traits from Late Adolescence through Early Adulthood: A Latent Variable Investigation

PubMed Central

Xu, Man K.; Gaysina, Darya; Tsonaka, Roula; Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Croudace, Tim J.; Barnett, Jennifer H.; Houwing-Duistermaat, Jeanine; Richards, Marcus; Jones, Peter B.

2017-01-01

Very few molecular genetic studies of personality traits have used longitudinal phenotypic data, therefore molecular basis for developmental change and stability of personality remains to be explored. We examined the role of the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) on extraversion and neuroticism from adolescence to adulthood, using modern latent variable methods. A sample of 1,160 male and 1,180 female participants with complete genotyping data was drawn from a British national birth cohort, the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD). The predictor variable was based on a latent variable representing genetic variations of the MAOA gene measured by three SNPs (rs3788862, rs5906957, and rs979606). Latent phenotype variables were constructed using psychometric methods to represent cross-sectional and longitudinal phenotypes of extraversion and neuroticism measured at ages 16 and 26. In males, the MAOA genetic latent variable (AAG) was associated with lower extraversion score at age 16 (β = −0.167; CI: −0.289, −0.045; p = 0.007, FDRp = 0.042), as well as greater increase in extraversion score from 16 to 26 years (β = 0.197; CI: 0.067, 0.328; p = 0.003, FDRp = 0.036). No genetic association was found for neuroticism after adjustment for multiple testing. Although, we did not find statistically significant associations after multiple testing correction in females, this result needs to be interpreted with caution due to issues related to x-inactivation in females. The latent variable method is an effective way of modeling phenotype- and genetic-based variances and may therefore improve the methodology of molecular genetic studies of complex psychological traits. PMID:29075213

Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA) Gene and Personality Traits from Late Adolescence through Early Adulthood: A Latent Variable Investigation.

PubMed

Xu, Man K; Gaysina, Darya; Tsonaka, Roula; Morin, Alexandre J S; Croudace, Tim J; Barnett, Jennifer H; Houwing-Duistermaat, Jeanine; Richards, Marcus; Jones, Peter B

2017-01-01

Very few molecular genetic studies of personality traits have used longitudinal phenotypic data, therefore molecular basis for developmental change and stability of personality remains to be explored. We examined the role of the monoamine oxidase A gene ( MAOA ) on extraversion and neuroticism from adolescence to adulthood, using modern latent variable methods. A sample of 1,160 male and 1,180 female participants with complete genotyping data was drawn from a British national birth cohort, the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD). The predictor variable was based on a latent variable representing genetic variations of the MAOA gene measured by three SNPs (rs3788862, rs5906957, and rs979606). Latent phenotype variables were constructed using psychometric methods to represent cross-sectional and longitudinal phenotypes of extraversion and neuroticism measured at ages 16 and 26. In males, the MAOA genetic latent variable (AAG) was associated with lower extraversion score at age 16 (β = -0.167; CI: -0.289, -0.045; p = 0.007, FDRp = 0.042), as well as greater increase in extraversion score from 16 to 26 years (β = 0.197; CI: 0.067, 0.328; p = 0.003, FDRp = 0.036). No genetic association was found for neuroticism after adjustment for multiple testing. Although, we did not find statistically significant associations after multiple testing correction in females, this result needs to be interpreted with caution due to issues related to x-inactivation in females. The latent variable method is an effective way of modeling phenotype- and genetic-based variances and may therefore improve the methodology of molecular genetic studies of complex psychological traits.

[Genetic-statistical analysis of environmental and genetic influences on the outcome of the juvenile and breeding performance tests for behaviour traits in Hovawart dogs].

PubMed

Boenigk, Katharina; Hamann, Henning; Distl, Ottmar

2006-01-01

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the importance of genetic and environmental sources of variation for results of behaviour tests recorded at juvenile and breeding performance tests in the Hovawart dog. For these analyses behaviour test results of 1882 (juvenile evaluation), respectively 929 dogs (breeding performance test) born in 1995 to 2000 had been used. Variance component estimation was performed for the traits appearance, play instinct, hunting affinity, group of people, shoot, acoustical and optical influences and temperament using multivariate linear animal models and Residual Maximum Likelihood (REML). The models included test-year-season, sex, litter size, age and inbreeding coefficient of the animal as fixed effects. Additive genetic effects of the animal, permanent environmental effect of the litter and the effect of the kennel were considered as random factors. The sex of the dog was significant for appearance, play instinct, hunting affinity, acoustical and optical influences of juvenile evaluation and for the traits temperament, play instinct, hunting affinity, acoustical and one of the optical influences of breeding performance test. The age of the dog at test significantly influenced the traits play instinct, hunting affinity and acoustical influences of juvenile evaluation and optical influences and hunting affinity of breeding performance test. All traits with exception of hunting affinity and group of people were significantly affected by the test-year-season. The inbreeding coefficient was significant for appearance of juvenile evaluation and play affinity of breeding performance test. The effect litter size did not influence any of the traits significantly. The estimated heritabilities for the behaviour traits of juvenile and breeding performance test ranged from h2 = 0.01 to h2 = 0.13, respectively h2 = 0.01 to h2 = 0.14, with standard errors of up to 0.03. The additive genetic correlations between most of the traits were moderately to highly positive (r(g) = 0.20 to r(g) = 1.0, respectively r(g) = 0.29 to r(g) = 1.0). Negative additive genetic correlations were only found for a few traits of juvenile (r(g) = -0.02 to r(g) = -0.58) and breeding performance test (r(g) = -0.28 to r(g) = -0.83). Progress in breeding for the behaviour traits investigated here may only be meaningful when information from all relatives is used in an animal model instead of selection based on the phenotype of the single animal.

Predictors of psychological distress after diagnosis in breast cancer patients and patients with benign breast problems.

PubMed

Ando, Noriko; Iwamitsu, Yumi; Kuranami, Masaru; Okazaki, Shigemi; Nakatani, Yuki; Yamamoto, Kenji; Watanabe, Masahiko; Miyaoka, Hitoshi

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine how age and psychological characteristics assessed prior to diagnosis could predict psychological distress in outpatients immediately after disclosure of their diagnosis. This is a longitudinal and prospective study, and participants were breast cancer patients and patients with benign breast problems (BBP). Patients were asked to complete questionnaires to determine levels of the following: trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), negative emotional suppression (Courtauld Emotional Control Scale), life stress events (Life Experiences Survey), and psychological distress (Profile of Mood Status) prior to diagnosis. They were asked to complete a questionnaire measuring psychological distress after being told their diagnosis. We analyzed a total of 38 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 95 women diagnosed with a BBP. A two-way analysis of variance (prior to, after diagnosis × cancer, benign) showed that psychological distress after diagnosis among breast cancer patients was significantly higher than in patients with a BBP. The multiple regression model accounted for a significant amount of variance in the breast cancer group (model adjusted R(2) = 0.545, p < 0.001), and only trait anxiety was statistically significant (β = 0.778, p < 0.001). In the BBP group, the multiple regression analysis yielded a significant result (model adjusted R(2) = 0.462, p < 0.001), with trait anxiety and negative life changes as statistically significant factors (β = 0.449 and 0.324 respectively; p < 0.01). In both groups, trait anxiety assessed prior to diagnosis was the significant predictor of psychological distress after diagnosis, and might have prospects as a screening method for psychologically vulnerable women. Copyright © 2011 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fast-growing Acer rubrum differs from slow-growing Quercus alba in leaf, xylem and hydraulic trait coordination responses to simulated acid rain.

PubMed

Medeiros, Juliana S; Tomeo, Nicholas J; Hewins, Charlotte R; Rosenthal, David M

2016-08-01

We investigated the effects of historic soil chemistry changes associated with acid rain, i.e., reduced soil pH and a shift from nitrogen (N)- to phosphorus (P)-limitation, on the coordination of leaf water demand and xylem hydraulic supply traits in two co-occurring temperate tree species differing in growth rate. Using a full-factorial design (N × P × pH), we measured leaf nutrient content, water relations, leaf-level and canopy-level gas exchange, total biomass and allocation, as well as stem xylem anatomy and hydraulic function for greenhouse-grown saplings of fast-growing Acer rubrum (L.) and slow-growing Quercus alba (L.). We used principle component analysis to characterize trait coordination. We found that N-limitation, but not P-limitation, had a significant impact on plant water relations and hydraulic coordination of both species. Fast-growing A. rubrum made hydraulic adjustments in response to N-limitation, but trait coordination was variable within treatments and did not fully compensate for changing allocation across N-availability. For slow-growing Q. alba, N-limitation engendered more strict coordination of leaf and xylem traits, resulting in similar leaf water content and hydraulic function across all treatments. Finally, low pH reduced the propensity of both species to adjust leaf water relations and xylem anatomical traits in response to nutrient manipulations. Our data suggest that a shift from N- to P-limitation has had a negative impact on the water relations and hydraulic function of A. rubrum to a greater extent than for Q. alba We suggest that current expansion of A. rubrum populations could be tempered by acidic N-deposition, which may restrict it to more mesic microsites. The disruption of hydraulic acclimation and coordination at low pH is emphasized as an interesting area of future study. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The effect of a third party observer and trait anxiety on neuropsychological performance: the Attentional Control Theory (ACT) perspective.

PubMed

Rezaei, Fatemeh; Hosseini Ramaghani, Nasrin Alsadat; Fazio, Rachel L

2017-04-01

Studies have reported that the presence of a third party observer (TPO) during neuropsychological assessments negatively affects the test performance of the examinee. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a TPO and trait anxiety on neuropsychological performance according to Attentional Control Theory (ACT). A sample of college students was recruited (n = 318) and then 80 participants were selected to represent the high and low trait anxiety groups. Participants of each of group were randomly assigned to either the NTPO (non-TPO) or TPO conditions. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait measure (STAI-T), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST-64), Stroop test, and Rating Scale for Mental Effort (RSME) were administered to both groups. To analyze the data, univariate ANOVAs were conducted. The results indicated that under the conditions without a TPO the group with high trait anxiety had poorer processing efficiency, but under the conditions with a TPO they had poorer processing efficiency and poorer performance effectiveness than the group with low trait anxiety. In addition, the group with low trait anxiety showed poorer processing efficiency in the TPO compared to non-TPO condition. These findings provide support for the hypotheses of ACT regarding the relation between observer presence and poorer performance on neuropsychological tests, with individuals with higher trait anxiety showing greater negative effects. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Type I error rates of rare single nucleotide variants are inflated in tests of association with non-normally distributed traits using simple linear regression methods.

PubMed

Schwantes-An, Tae-Hwi; Sung, Heejong; Sabourin, Jeremy A; Justice, Cristina M; Sorant, Alexa J M; Wilson, Alexander F

2016-01-01

In this study, the effects of (a) the minor allele frequency of the single nucleotide variant (SNV), (b) the degree of departure from normality of the trait, and (c) the position of the SNVs on type I error rates were investigated in the Genetic Analysis Workshop (GAW) 19 whole exome sequence data. To test the distribution of the type I error rate, 5 simulated traits were considered: standard normal and gamma distributed traits; 2 transformed versions of the gamma trait (log 10 and rank-based inverse normal transformations); and trait Q1 provided by GAW 19. Each trait was tested with 313,340 SNVs. Tests of association were performed with simple linear regression and average type I error rates were determined for minor allele frequency classes. Rare SNVs (minor allele frequency < 0.05) showed inflated type I error rates for non-normally distributed traits that increased as the minor allele frequency decreased. The inflation of average type I error rates increased as the significance threshold decreased. Normally distributed traits did not show inflated type I error rates with respect to the minor allele frequency for rare SNVs. There was no consistent effect of transformation on the uniformity of the distribution of the location of SNVs with a type I error.

Selection of UAS Personnel (SUPer) Phase I Report: Identification of Critical Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics and Recommendations for Test Battery Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-20

also considered, it was excluded because the SMEs felt it did not measure any personality traits not covered by current Navy tests (Navy Computer...Adaptive Personality Scales [NCAPS] or the Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory [NATFI] 5 ). Descriptions of the tests and their subtests are... personality trait tests (e.g., NAFTI, SDI+, and NCAPS) to reduce fakeability and increase reliability. 4. Of the tests considered here, the MTT

Variation in PPARG is associated with longitudinal change in insulin resistance in Mexican Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Black, Mary Helen; Wu, Jun; Takayanagi, Miwa; Wang, Nan; Taylor, Kent D; Haritunians, Talin; Trigo, Enrique; Lawrence, Jean M; Watanabe, Richard M; Buchanan, Thomas A; Xiang, Anny H

2015-03-01

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) is a susceptibility locus for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although cross-sectional associations have been reported, primarily for Pro12Ala, few longitudinal studies in nondiabetic populations have been conducted. This study aimed to examine whether and to what extent variation in PPARG is associated with longitudinal changes in anthropometric and metabolic traits in Mexican Americans at risk for T2DM. Subjects were participants of BetaGene, a family-based study of obesity, insulin resistance, and β-cell function, who completed a baseline and follow-up study visit (n = 378; mean followup, 4.6 ± 1.5 y). Phenotypes included body fat assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; insulin sensitivity (SI), acute insulin response, and β-cell function (disposition index; DI) were estimated from iv glucose tolerance tests with Minimal Model analysis. Eighteen tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) capturing variation in a 156-kb region surrounding PPARG were tested for association with changes in longitudinal traits. P-values were Bonferroni-corrected for multiple testing. Six SNPs (rs2972164, rs11128598, rs17793951, rs1151996, rs1175541, rs3856806) were significantly associated with rate of change in SI after adjustment for age, sex, and body fat percentage, but not with changes in adiposity. rs17793951 also had a significant effect on change in DI over time. Association between rs1175541 and change in SI varied by changes in adiposity such that only carriers of the minor allele who reduced body fat over followup improved SI. rs1306470 (captured Pro12Ala, r(2) = 0.9) was not associated with rates of change in any traits and its effects were not modified by changes in adiposity. Variation in PPARG, but not Pro12Ala, contributes to declining SI and concomitant deterioration in β-cell function in Mexican Americans at risk for T2DM.

Body macronutrient composition is predicted by lipid and not protein content of the diet.

PubMed

Moatt, Joshua P; Hambly, Catherine; Heap, Elizabeth; Kramer, Anna; Moon, Fiona; Speakman, John R; Walling, Craig A

2017-12-01

Diet is an important determinant of fitness-related traits including growth, reproduction, and survival. Recent work has suggested that variation in protein:lipid ratio and particularly the amount of protein in the diet is a key nutritional parameter. However, the traits that mediate the link between dietary macronutrient ratio and fitness-related traits are less well understood. An obvious candidate is body composition, given its well-known link to health. Here, we investigate the relationship between dietary and body macronutrient composition using a first-generation laboratory population of a freshwater fish, the three-spine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ). Carbohydrate is relatively unimportant in the diet of predatory fish, facilitating the exploration of how dietary protein-to-lipid ratio affects their relative deposition in the body. We find a significant effect of lipid intake, rather than protein, on body protein:lipid ratio. Importantly, this was not a result of absorbing macronutrients in relation to their relative abundance in the diet, as the carcass protein:lipid ratios differed from those of the diets, with ratios usually lower in the body than in the diet. This indicates that individuals can moderate their utilization, or uptake, of ingested macronutrients to reach a target balance within the body. We found no effect of diet on swimming endurance, activity, or testes size. However, there was an effect of weight on testes size, with larger males having larger testes. Our results provide evidence for the adjustment of body protein:lipid ratio away from that of the diet. As dietary lipid intake was the key determinant of body composition, we suggest this occurs via metabolism of excess protein, which conflicts with the predictions of the protein leverage hypothesis. These results could imply that the conversion and excretion of protein is one of the causes of the survival costs associated with high-protein diets.

Multiple trait genetic evaluation of clinical mastitis in three dairy cattle breeds.

PubMed

Govignon-Gion, A; Dassonneville, R; Baloche, G; Ducrocq, V

2016-04-01

In 2010, a routine genetic evaluation on occurrence of clinical mastitis in three main dairy cattle breeds-- Montbéliarde (MO), Normande (NO) and Holstein (HO)--was implemented in France. Records were clinical mastitis events reported by farmers to milk recording technicians and the analyzed trait was the binary variable describing the occurrence of a mastitis case within the first 150 days of the first three lactations. Genetic parameters of clinical mastitis were estimated for the three breeds. Low heritability estimates were found: between 2% and 4% depending on the breed. Despite its low heritability, the trait exhibits genetic variation so efficient genetic improvement is possible. Genetic correlations with other traits were estimated, showing large correlations (often>0.50, in absolute value) between clinical mastitis and somatic cell score (SCS), longevity and some udder traits. Correlation with milk yield was moderate and unfavorable (ρ=0.26 to 0.30). High milking speed was genetically associated with less mastitis in MO (ρ=-0.14) but with more mastitis in HO (ρ=0.18). A two-step approach was implemented for routine evaluation: first, a univariate evaluation based on a linear animal model with permanent environment effect led to pre-adjusted records (defined as records corrected for all non-genetic effects) and associated weights. These data were then combined with similar pre-adjusted records for others traits in a multiple trait BLUP animal model. The combined breeding values for clinical mastitis obtained are the official (published) ones. Mastitis estimated breeding values (EBV) were then combined with SCSs EBV into an udder health index, which receives a weight of 14.5% to 18.5% in the French total merit index (ISU) of the three breeds. Interbull genetic correlations for mastitis occurrence were very high (ρ=0.94) with Nordic countries, where much stricter recording systems exist reflecting a satisfactory quality of phenotypes as reported by the farmers. They were lower (around 0.80) with countries supplying SCS as a proxy for the international evaluation on clinical mastitis.

Association between personality traits and future choice of specialisation among Swedish doctors: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Bexelius, Tomas S; Olsson, Caroline; Järnbert-Pettersson, Hans; Parmskog, Malin; Ponzer, Sari; Dahlin, Marie

2016-08-01

Medical students' choice of their future specialty is influenced by several factors, including working conditions and type of patient relations. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the choice of specialty and personality traits. This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of 399 alumni from Karolinska Institutet Medical School who were assumed to undergo specialty training at the time of the survey in 2013. The Big Five Inventory was used to assess the personality traits extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience. Medical specialties were categorised as primary care, psychiatry, internal medicine and surgical and hospital service specialties. Adjustments were made for demographic factors and the method of selection for medical school admission. The response rate was 72% (n=289, of which 262 were in training to become specialists). Among these, surgeons scored lower in agreeableness than physicians in primary care, internal medicine and hospital services. Psychiatrists and hospital service physicians showed lower conscientiousness compared with surgeons. We found distinctive differences in personality traits between medical specialties even after adjusting for other potential explanatory variables. Since there are differences between specialties, for example, surgeons and psychiatrists, this supports previous findings that personality may affect medical students' specialty choice also in a Swedish setting. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Personality, attrition and weight loss in treatment seeking women with obesity.

PubMed

Dalle Grave, R; Calugi, S; Compare, A; El Ghoch, M; Petroni, M L; Colombari, S; Minniti, A; Marchesini, G

2015-10-01

Studies on small samples or in single units applying specific treatment programmes found an association between some personality traits and attrition and weight loss in individuals treated for obesity. We aimed to investigate whether pre-treatment personality traits were associated with weight loss outcomes in the general population of women with obesity. Attrition and weight loss outcomes after 12 months were measured in 634 women with obesity (mean age, 48; body mass index (BMI), 37.8 kg m(-2)) seeking treatment at eight Italian medical centres, applying different medical/cognitive behavioural programmes. Personality traits were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), eating disorder features with the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ). Within the 12-month observation period, 32.3% of cases were lost to follow-up. After adjustment for demographic confounders and the severity of eating disorders, no TCI personality traits were significantly associated with attrition, while low scores of the novelty seeking temperament scale remained significantly associated with weight loss ≥ 10% (odds ratio, 0.983; 95% confidence interval, 0.975-0.992). Additional adjustment for education and job did not change the results. We conclude that personality does not systematically influence attrition in women with obesity enrolled into weight loss programmes in the community, whereas an association is maintained between novelty seeking and weight loss outcome. Studies adapting obesity interventions on the basis of individual novelty seeking scores might be warranted to maximize the results on body weight. © 2015 World Obesity.

A critical issue in model-based inference for studying trait-based community assembly and a solution.

PubMed

Ter Braak, Cajo J F; Peres-Neto, Pedro; Dray, Stéphane

2017-01-01

Statistical testing of trait-environment association from data is a challenge as there is no common unit of observation: the trait is observed on species, the environment on sites and the mediating abundance on species-site combinations. A number of correlation-based methods, such as the community weighted trait means method (CWM), the fourth-corner correlation method and the multivariate method RLQ, have been proposed to estimate such trait-environment associations. In these methods, valid statistical testing proceeds by performing two separate resampling tests, one site-based and the other species-based and by assessing significance by the largest of the two p -values (the p max test). Recently, regression-based methods using generalized linear models (GLM) have been proposed as a promising alternative with statistical inference via site-based resampling. We investigated the performance of this new approach along with approaches that mimicked the p max test using GLM instead of fourth-corner. By simulation using models with additional random variation in the species response to the environment, the site-based resampling tests using GLM are shown to have severely inflated type I error, of up to 90%, when the nominal level is set as 5%. In addition, predictive modelling of such data using site-based cross-validation very often identified trait-environment interactions that had no predictive value. The problem that we identify is not an "omitted variable bias" problem as it occurs even when the additional random variation is independent of the observed trait and environment data. Instead, it is a problem of ignoring a random effect. In the same simulations, the GLM-based p max test controlled the type I error in all models proposed so far in this context, but still gave slightly inflated error in more complex models that included both missing (but important) traits and missing (but important) environmental variables. For screening the importance of single trait-environment combinations, the fourth-corner test is shown to give almost the same results as the GLM-based tests in far less computing time.

Structural adjustments in resprouting trees drive differences in post-fire transpiration.

PubMed

Nolan, Rachael H; Mitchell, Patrick J; Bradstock, Ross A; Lane, Patrick N J

2014-02-01

Following disturbance many woody species are capable of resprouting new foliage, resulting in a reduced leaf-to-sapwood area ratio and altered canopy structure. We hypothesized that such changes would promote adjustments in leaf physiology, resulting in higher rates of transpiration per unit leaf area, consistent with the mechanistic framework proposed by Whitehead et al. (Whitehead D, Jarvis PG, Waring RH (1984) Stomatal conductance, transpiration and resistance to water uptake in a Pinus sylvestris spacing experiment. Can J For Res 14:692-700). We tested this in Eucalyptus obliqua L'Hér following a wildfire by comparing trees with unburnt canopies with trees that had been subject to 100% canopy scorch and were recovering their leaf area via resprouting. In resprouting trees, foliage was distributed along the trunk and on lateral branches, resulting in shorter hydraulic path lengths. We evaluated measurements of whole-tree transpiration and structural and physiological traits expected to drive any changes in transpiration. We used these structural and physiological measurements to parameterize the Whitehead et al. equation, and found that the expected ratio of transpiration per unit leaf area between resprouting and unburnt trees was 3.41. This is similar to the observed ratio of transpiration per unit leaf area, measured from sapflow observations, which was 2.89 (i.e., resprouting trees had 188% higher transpiration per unit leaf area). Foliage at low heights (<2 m) was found to be significantly different to foliage in the tree crown (14-18 m) in a number of traits, including higher specific leaf area, midday leaf water potential and higher rates of stomatal conductance and photosynthesis. We conclude that these post-fire adjustments in resprouting trees help to drive increased stomatal conductance and hydraulic efficiency, promoting the rapid return of tree-scale transpiration towards pre-disturbance levels. These transient patterns in canopy transpiration have important implications for modelling stand-level water fluxes in forests capable of resprouting, which is frequently done on the basis of the leaf area index.

a Comparison Between Chemically Dependent Mothers and Drug-Free Mothers: Lifestyle during the Perinatal Period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uskokovic, Lila Milica

This study compared maternal lifestyle variables pertinent to the perinatal period in groups of chemically dependent mothers and drug-free mothers. Twenty-nine cocaine -abusing mothers were compared to 29 drug-free mothers carefully matched on age, race, education, and primipara versus multipara status. The drug history of each chemically dependent woman was explicitly documented. The chemically dependent group was subdivided into two groups, mothers who abused cocaine and those who abused cocaine with concomitant opiate use. Each of these two subgroups was compared to its respective matched drug-free control group. Finally, a comparison was made between the two drug subgroups. All subjects were interviewed within 48 hours after delivery using the following measures: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (A-State), Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale, The Self-Esteem Scale, Maternal Adjustment and Maternal Attitude Questionnaire, The Neonatal Perception Inventory, The Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview Life Events Scale, Maternal Social Support Index, and Short Marital Adjustment Test. A t-test analysis revealed significant differences (p <.05) between the total experimental group and its matched control group on state anxiety, depression, self-esteem, maternal adjustment and attitudes, and life events. An analysis of covariance indicated that life events was the only significant variable when the influence of all other variables was removed. Comparisons made between each drug subgroup and its respective matched control group showed similar results, except that those who abused opiates with cocaine did not differ from their controls on depression and maternal adjustment and attitudes. No significant differences were obtained in the drug subgroup comparisons. These results identify increased life events and specific negative affect states that clinical intervention programs should address to assure the best possible outcome for chemically dependent mothers and their infants.

Stability of the guinea pigs personality - cognition - linkage over time.

PubMed

Brust, Vera; Guenther, Anja

2017-01-01

In human psychological research, personality traits as well as cognitive traits are usually validated for both, their stability over time and contexts. While stability over time gives an estimate on how genetically fixated a trait can be, correlations across traits have the power to reveal linkages or trade - offs. In animals, these validations have widely been done for personality but not for cognitive traits. We tested guinea pigs in four consecutive discrimination tasks using four unique pairs of objects with two objects of the same form but different size in each pair. The same animals were tested twice each for three personality traits, i.e. boldness, aggression and sociopositive behaviour. The animals did not learn to "always choose the larger item" in the cognitive task but learned to discriminate the two objects of each stimulus pair anew, so that we did test for learning speed in four slightly different task setups. Performance over the four tasks was significantly repeatable as well as all tested personality traits. A stable linkage over time was found between sociopositive behaviour and learning performance, probably indicating an ecological relevance for a correlation between these two traits. Still, not all traits seem to be connected amongst each other, as in our case boldness and aggression are both not linked to individual learning performance. Future studies will hopefully further investigate the repeatability of various cognitive traits in several species and thus lead to a better understanding of the interdependence of personality and cognition. This will help to unravel which suites of traits facilitate individual life histories and hence improve our understanding of the emergence and maintenance of individual differences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Sickle Cell Trait in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon.

PubMed

El Ariss, Abdel Badih; Younes, Mohamad; Matar, Jad; Berjaoui, Zeina

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, gender differences, and time trends of Sickle Cell Trait in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, as well as to highlight the importance of screening for Sickle Cell Trait carriers in this population. Another objective was to describe a new screening technique for Sickle Cell Trait carriers. This was a retrospective cohort study carried out at a private laboratory in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon between 2002 and 2014. The sickling test was carried out for each patient using two methods: the classical "sodium metabisulfite sickling test", and the new "sickling test method" used in the private lab. As a confirmatory test, hemoglobin electrophoresis was run on a random sample of 223 cases which were found to be positive using the two sickling tests. A total of 899 cases were found to be positive for the sickle cell trait out of 184,105 subjects screened during the 12-year period, prevalence = 0.49% (95% CI: 0.46 - 0.52). Among the total sample, females were found to have higher prevalence, where no time trend over the studied period was noted. The haemoglobin electrophoresis method confirmed the results of this new sickling test technique among the random sample of the 223 cases. We found that the prevalence of sickle cell trait is lower as compared to other Arab countries, higher in females, with no significant time trend. The sickle cell test was found to be an accurate, simple and cheap test that could be easily added as a requirement for the pre-marital testing to screen for Sickle Cell Trait carriers.

Evaluative judgments are based on evaluative information: Evidence against meaning change in evaluative context effects.

PubMed

Kaplan, M F

1975-07-01

Trait adjectives commonly employed in person perception studies have both evaluative and denotative meanings. Evaluative ratings of single traits shift with variations in the context of other traits ascribed to the stimulus person; the extent to which denotative changes underlie these evaluative context effects has been a theoretical controversy. In the first experiment, it was shown that context effects on quantitative ratings of denotation can be largely accounted for by evaluative halo effects. In the second experiment, increasing the denotative relatedness of context traits to the test trait didnot increase the effect of the context. Only the evaluative meaning of the context affected evaluation of the rated test trait. These studies suggest that the denotative relationship between a test adjective and its context has little influence on context effects in person perception, and that denotative meaning changes do not mediate context effects. Instead, evaluative judgments appear to be based on evaluative meaning.

A trait-based test for habitat filtering: Convex hull volume

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cornwell, W.K.; Schwilk, D.W.; Ackerly, D.D.

2006-01-01

Community assembly theory suggests that two processes affect the distribution of trait values within communities: competition and habitat filtering. Within a local community, competition leads to ecological differentiation of coexisting species, while habitat filtering reduces the spread of trait values, reflecting shared ecological tolerances. Many statistical tests for the effects of competition exist in the literature, but measures of habitat filtering are less well-developed. Here, we present convex hull volume, a construct from computational geometry, which provides an n-dimensional measure of the volume of trait space occupied by species in a community. Combined with ecological null models, this measure offers a useful test for habitat filtering. We use convex hull volume and a null model to analyze California woody-plant trait and community data. Our results show that observed plant communities occupy less trait space than expected from random assembly, a result consistent with habitat filtering. ?? 2006 by the Ecological Society of America.

Haplotype Structure of the ENPP1 Gene and Nominal Association of the K121Q Missense Single Nucleotide Polymorphism With Glycemic Traits in the Framingham Heart Study

PubMed Central

Stolerman, Elliot S.; Manning, Alisa K.; McAteer, Jarred B.; Dupuis, Josée; Fox, Caroline S.; Cupples, L. Adrienne; Meigs, James B.; Florez, Jose C.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE—A recent meta-analysis demonstrated a nominal association of the ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) K→Q missense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position 121 with type 2 diabetes. We set out to confirm the association of ENPP1 K121Q with hyperglycemia, expand this association to insulin resistance traits, and determine whether the association stems from K121Q or another variant in linkage disequilibrium with it. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We characterized the haplotype structure of ENPP1 and selected 39 tag SNPs that captured 96% of common variation in the region (minor allele frequency ≥5%) with an r2 value ≥0.80. We genotyped the SNPs in 2,511 Framingham Heart Study participants and used age- and sex-adjusted linear mixed effects (LME) models to test for association with quantitative metabolic traits. We also examined whether interaction between K121Q and BMI affected glycemic trait levels. RESULTS—The Q allele of K121Q (rs1044498) was associated with increased fasting plasma glucose (FPG), A1C, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR; all P = 0.01–0.006). Two noncoding SNPs (rs7775386 and rs7773477) demonstrated similar associations, but LME models indicated that their effects were not independent from K121Q. We found no association of K121Q with obesity, but interaction models suggested that the effect of the Q allele on FPG and HOMA-IR was stronger in those with a higher BMI (P = 0.008 and 0.01 for interaction, respectively). CONCLUSIONS—The Q allele of ENPP1 K121Q is associated with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in whites. We found an adiposity-SNP interaction, with a stronger association of K121Q with diabetes-related quantitative traits in people with a higher BMI. PMID:18426862

Association of Personality Traits with Elder Self-Neglect in a Community Dwelling Population

PubMed Central

Dong, XinQi; Simon, Melissa; Wilson, Robert; Beck, Todd; McKinell, Kelly; Evans, Denis

2010-01-01

Objective Elder self-neglect is an important public health issue. However, little is known about the association between personality traits and risk of elder self-neglect among community-dwelling populations. The objectives of this study are: 1) to examine the association of personality traits with elder self-neglect and 2) to examine the association of personality traits with elder self-neglect severity. Methods Population-based study conducted from 1993–2005 of community-dwelling older adults (N=9,056) participating in the Chicago Health Aging Project (CHAP). Subsets of the CHAP participants (N=1,820) were identified for suspected self-neglect by social services agency, which assessed the severity. Personality traits assessed included neuroticism, extraversion, rigidity and information processing. Logistic and linear regressions were used to assess these associations. Results In the bivariate analyses, personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, information processing, and rigidity) were significantly associated with increased risk of elder self-neglect. However, after adjusting for potential confounders, the above associations were no longer statistically significant. In addition, personality traits were not associated with increased risk of greater self-neglect severity. Furthermore, interaction term analyses of personality traits with health and psychosocial factors were not statistically significant with elder self-neglect outcomes. Conclusion Neuroticism, extraversion, rigidity and information processing were not associated with significantly increased risk of elder self-neglect after consideration of potential confounders. PMID:21788924

Consequences of hydraulic trait coordination and their associated uncertainties for tropical forest function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christoffersen, B. O.; Xu, C.; Koven, C.; Fisher, R.; Knox, R. G.; Kueppers, L. M.; Chambers, J. Q.; McDowell, N.

2017-12-01

Recent syntheses of variation in woody plant traits have emphasized how hydraulic traits - those related to the acquisition, transport and retention of water across roots, stems and leaves - are coordinated along a limited set of dimensions or sequence of responses (Reich 2014, Bartlett et al. 2016). However, in many hydraulic trait-trait relationships, there is considerable residual variation, despite the fact that many bivariate relationships are statistically significant. In other instances, such as the relationship between root-stem-leaf vulnerability to embolism, data are so limited that testing the trait coordination hypothesis is not yet possible. The impacts on plant hydraulic function of competing hypotheses regarding trait coordination (or the lack thereof) and residual trait variation have not yet been comprehensively tested and thus remain unknown. We addressed this knowledge gap with a parameter sensitivity analysis using a plant hydraulics model in which all parameters are biologically-interpretable and measurable plant hydraulic traits, as embedded within a size- and demographically-structured ecosystem model, the `Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator' (FATES). We focused on tropical forests, where co-existing species have been observed to possess large variability in their hydraulic traits. Assembling 10 distinct datasets of hydraulic traits of stomata, leaves, stems, and roots, we determined the best-fit theoretical distribution for each trait and quantified interspecific (between-species) trait-trait coordination in tropical forests as a rank correlation matrix. We imputed missing correlations with values based on competing hypotheses of trait coordination, such as coordinated shifts in embolism vulnerability from roots to shoots (the hydraulic fuse hypothesis). Based on the Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test and our correlation matrix, we generated thousands of parameter sets for an ensemble of hydraulics model simulations at a tropical forest site in central Amazonia. We explore the sensitivity of simulated leaf water potential and stem sap flux in the context of hypotheses of trait-trait coordination and their associated uncertainties.

Association of obesity risk SNPs in PCSK1 with insulin sensitivity and proinsulin conversion.

PubMed

Heni, Martin; Haupt, Axel; Schäfer, Silke A; Ketterer, Caroline; Thamer, Claus; Machicao, Fausto; Stefan, Norbert; Staiger, Harald; Häring, Hans-Ulrich; Fritsche, Andreas

2010-06-09

Prohormone convertase 1 is involved in maturation of peptides. Rare mutations in gene PCSK1, encoding this enzyme, cause childhood obesity and abnormal glucose homeostasis with elevated proinsulin concentrations. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within this gene, rs6232 and rs6235, are associated with obesity. We studied whether these SNPs influence the prediabetic traits insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction, or glucose intolerance. We genotyped 1498 German subjects for SNPs rs6232 and rs6235 within PCSK1. The subjects were metabolically characterized by oral glucose tolerance test with glucose, insulin, proinsulin, and C-peptide measurements. A subgroup of 512 subjects underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. The minor allele frequencies were 25.8% for SNP rs6235 and 6.0% for rs6232. After adjustment for sex and age, we found no association of SNPs rs6235 and rs6232 with BMI or other weight-related traits (all p >or= 0.07). Both minor alleles, adjusted for sex, age, BMI and insulin sensitivity were associated with elevated AUCproinsulin and AUCproinsulin/AUCinsulin (rs6235: p(additive) model or= 0.08). The minor allele of SNP rs6232 was additionally associated with 15% higher OGTT-derived and 19% higher clamp-derived insulin sensitivity (pdom

Association of obesity risk SNPs in PCSK1 with insulin sensitivity and proinsulin conversion

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Prohormone convertase 1 is involved in maturation of peptides. Rare mutations in gene PCSK1, encoding this enzyme, cause childhood obesity and abnormal glucose homeostasis with elevated proinsulin concentrations. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within this gene, rs6232 and rs6235, are associated with obesity. We studied whether these SNPs influence the prediabetic traits insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, or glucose intolerance. Methods We genotyped 1498 German subjects for SNPs rs6232 and rs6235 within PCSK1. The subjects were metabolically characterized by oral glucose tolerance test with glucose, insulin, proinsulin, and C-peptide measurements. A subgroup of 512 subjects underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Results The minor allele frequencies were 25.8% for SNP rs6235 and 6.0% for rs6232. After adjustment for sex and age, we found no association of SNPs rs6235 and rs6232 with BMI or other weight-related traits (all p ≥ 0.07). Both minor alleles, adjusted for sex, age, BMI and insulin sensitivity were associated with elevated AUCproinsulin and AUCproinsulin/AUCinsulin (rs6235: padditive model ≤ 0.009, effect sizes 8/8%, rs6232: pdominant model ≤ 0.01, effect sizes 10/21%). Insulin secretion was not affected by the variants (different secretion parameters, all p ≥ 0.08). The minor allele of SNP rs6232 was additionally associated with 15% higher OGTT-derived and 19% higher clamp-derived insulin sensitivity (pdom ≤ 0.0047), 4.5% lower HOMAIR (pdom = 0.02) and 3.5% lower 120-min glucose (pdom = 0.0003) independently of BMI and proinsulin conversion. SNP rs6235 was not associated with parameters of glucose metabolism. Conclusions Like rare mutations in PCSK1, the more common variants tested determine glucose-stimulated proinsulin conversion, but not insulin secretion. In addition, rs6232, encoding the amino acid exchange N221D, influences insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. PMID:20534142

Genome-wide association analysis of metabolic traits in a birth cohort from a founder population.

PubMed

Sabatti, Chiara; Service, Susan K; Hartikainen, Anna-Liisa; Pouta, Anneli; Ripatti, Samuli; Brodsky, Jae; Jones, Chris G; Zaitlen, Noah A; Varilo, Teppo; Kaakinen, Marika; Sovio, Ulla; Ruokonen, Aimo; Laitinen, Jaana; Jakkula, Eveliina; Coin, Lachlan; Hoggart, Clive; Collins, Andrew; Turunen, Hannu; Gabriel, Stacey; Elliot, Paul; McCarthy, Mark I; Daly, Mark J; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Freimer, Nelson B; Peltonen, Leena

2009-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of longitudinal birth cohorts enable joint investigation of environmental and genetic influences on complex traits. We report GWAS results for nine quantitative metabolic traits (triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, body mass index, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure) in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966), drawn from the most genetically isolated Finnish regions. We replicate most previously reported associations for these traits and identify nine new associations, several of which highlight genes with metabolic functions: high-density lipoprotein with NR1H3 (LXRA), low-density lipoprotein with AR and FADS1-FADS2, glucose with MTNR1B, and insulin with PANK1. Two of these new associations emerged after adjustment of results for body mass index. Gene-environment interaction analyses suggested additional associations, which will require validation in larger samples. The currently identified loci, together with quantified environmental exposures, explain little of the trait variation in NFBC1966. The association observed between low-density lipoprotein and an infrequent variant in AR suggests the potential of such a cohort for identifying associations with both common, low-impact and rarer, high-impact quantitative trait loci.

Inferring relationships between clinical mastitis, productivity and fertility: a recursive model application including genetics, farm associated herd management, and cow-specific antibiotic treatments.

PubMed

Rehbein, Pia; Brügemann, Kerstin; Yin, Tong; V Borstel, U König; Wu, Xiao-Lin; König, Sven

2013-10-01

A dataset of test-day records, fertility traits, and one health trait including 1275 Brown Swiss cows kept in 46 small-scale organic farms was used to infer relationships among these traits based on recursive Gaussian-threshold models. Test-day records included milk yield (MY), protein percentage (PROT-%), fat percentage (FAT-%), somatic cell score (SCS), the ratio of FAT-% to PROT-% (FPR), lactose percentage (LAC-%), and milk urea nitrogen (MUN). Female fertility traits were defined as the interval from calving to first insemination (CTFS) and success of a first insemination (SFI), and the health trait was clinical mastitis (CM). First, a tri-trait model was used which postulated the recursive effect of a test-day observation in the early period of lactation on liability to CM (LCM), and further the recursive effect of LCM on the following test-day observation. For CM and female fertility traits, a bi-trait recursive Gaussian-threshold model was employed to estimate the effects from CM to CTFS and from CM on SFI. The recursive effects from CTFS and SFI onto CM were not relevant, because CM was recorded prior to the measurements for CTFS and SFI. Results show that the posterior heritability for LCM was 0.05, and for all other traits, heritability estimates were in reasonable ranges, each with a small posterior SD. Lowest heritability estimates were obtained for female reproduction traits, i.e. h(2)=0.02 for SFI, and h(2)≈0 for CTFS. Posterior estimates of genetic correlations between LCM and production traits (MY and MUN), and between LCM and somatic cell score (SCS), were large and positive (0.56-0.68). Results confirm the genetic antagonism between MY and LCM, and the suitability of SCS as an indicator trait for CM. Structural equation coefficients describe the impact of one trait on a second trait on the phenotypic pathway. Higher values for FAT-% and FPR were associated with a higher LCM. The rate of change in FAT-% and in FPR in the ongoing lactation with respect to the previous LCM was close to zero. Estimated recursive effects between SCS and CM were positive, implying strong phenotypic impacts between both traits. Structural equation coefficients explained a detrimental impact of CM on female fertility traits CTFS and SFI. The cow-specific CM treatment had no significant impact on performance traits in the ongoing lactation. For most treatments, beta-lactam-antibiotics were used, but test-day SCS and production traits after the beta-lactam-treatment were comparable to those after other antibiotic as well as homeopathic treatments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The relationship between the FFM personality traits, state psychopathology, and sexual compulsivity in a sample of male college students.

PubMed

Pinto, Joana; Carvalho, Joana; Nobre, Pedro J

2013-07-01

Several studies have advocated a relationship between psychopathological features and sexual compulsivity. Such relationship is often found among individuals seeking help for out of control sexual behavior, suggesting that the association between psychological adjustment and sexual compulsivity may have a significant clinical value. However, a more complete approach to the topic of sexual compulsivity would also include the analysis of nonclinical samples as healthy individuals may be at risk of developing some features of hypersexuality in the future. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between stable traits of personality, state psychopathology, and sexual compulsivity in a sample of male college students. Furthermore, the potential mediating role of state psychopathology in the relationship between personality traits and sexual compulsivity was tested. Participants completed the following measures: the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory-22. The sample included 152 male college students recruited in a Portuguese university using nonrandom methods. The measures were completed individually and anonymously. Findings on state psychopathology suggested that psychoticism may be one of the key dimensions associated with sexual compulsivity in male students. The personality traits of Neuroticism and Agreeableness were also significant predictors of sexual compulsivity. Findings on the mediating effects suggested that state psychopathology mediated the relationship between Neuroticism and sexual compulsivity but not between Agreeableness and sexual compulsivity. A psychopathological path (encompassing Neuroticism and state psychopathology) and a behavioral path (encompassing Agreeableness features) may be involved in sexual compulsivity as reported by a nonclinical sample of male students. © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Individual Traits, Personal Values, and Conflict Resolution in an Isolated, Confined, Extreme Environment.

PubMed

Corneliussen, Jesper G; Leon, Gloria R; Kjærgaard, Anders; Fink, Birgit A; Venables, Noah C

2017-06-01

The study of personality traits, personal values, and the emergence of conflicts within groups performing in an isolated, confined, and extreme environment (ICE) may provide insights helpful for the composition and support of space crews for long duration missions. Studied pre/post and over the 2-yr period of the investigation were 10 Danish military personnel deployed to stations in Greenland on a 26-mo staggered rotation. Subjects completed the NEO PI-R, Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, and Portrait Values Questionnaire, and participated in structured interviews. During deployment, questionnaires were completed biweekly and a cognitive function test once a month. Personality findings indicated a generally well-adjusted group, above average in positive personality traits [Conscientiousness T-score = 59.4 (11.41); Agreeableness T-score = 54.4 (9.36)] and boldness. Personal values of benevolence and self-direction were highly rated. The decision when to "pick sides" and intervene during disagreements between group members was viewed as an important component of conflict resolution. There were no changes in positive/negative affect or cognitive function over the annual light/dark cycle. The personal values of group members appear highly compatible for living in a small group ICE environment for an extended period. Disagreements between group members impact the functioning of the entire group, particularly in regard to decisions whether to support one of the individuals or let the argument run its course. Extended training in strategies for conflict resolution are needed in planning for future long duration missions to avoid fault lines forming within the group.Corneliussen JG, Leon GR, Kjærgaard A, Fink BA, Venables NC. Individual traits, personal values, and conflict resolution in an isolated, confined, extreme environment. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(6):535-543.

A Fast Multiple-Kernel Method With Applications to Detect Gene-Environment Interaction.

PubMed

Marceau, Rachel; Lu, Wenbin; Holloway, Shannon; Sale, Michèle M; Worrall, Bradford B; Williams, Stephen R; Hsu, Fang-Chi; Tzeng, Jung-Ying

2015-09-01

Kernel machine (KM) models are a powerful tool for exploring associations between sets of genetic variants and complex traits. Although most KM methods use a single kernel function to assess the marginal effect of a variable set, KM analyses involving multiple kernels have become increasingly popular. Multikernel analysis allows researchers to study more complex problems, such as assessing gene-gene or gene-environment interactions, incorporating variance-component based methods for population substructure into rare-variant association testing, and assessing the conditional effects of a variable set adjusting for other variable sets. The KM framework is robust, powerful, and provides efficient dimension reduction for multifactor analyses, but requires the estimation of high dimensional nuisance parameters. Traditional estimation techniques, including regularization and the "expectation-maximization (EM)" algorithm, have a large computational cost and are not scalable to large sample sizes needed for rare variant analysis. Therefore, under the context of gene-environment interaction, we propose a computationally efficient and statistically rigorous "fastKM" algorithm for multikernel analysis that is based on a low-rank approximation to the nuisance effect kernel matrices. Our algorithm is applicable to various trait types (e.g., continuous, binary, and survival traits) and can be implemented using any existing single-kernel analysis software. Through extensive simulation studies, we show that our algorithm has similar performance to an EM-based KM approach for quantitative traits while running much faster. We also apply our method to the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention (VISP) clinical trial, examining gene-by-vitamin effects on recurrent stroke risk and gene-by-age effects on change in homocysteine level. © 2015 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Does plasticity in plant physiological traits explain the rapid increase in water use efficiency? An ecohydrological modeling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mastrotheodoros, Theodoros; Fatichi, Simone; Pappas, Christoforos; Molnar, Peter; Burlando, Paolo

2016-04-01

The rise of atmospheric CO2 concentration is expected to stimulate plant productivity by enhancing photosynthesis and reducing stomatal conductance and thus increasing plant water use efficiency (WUE) worldwide. An analysis of eddy covariance flux tower data from 21 forested ecosystems across the north hemisphere detected an unexpectedly large increase in WUE (Keenan et al, 2013), which was six times larger than the increase found by most previous studies based on controlled experiments (e.g., FACE), leaf-scale analyses, and numerical modelling. This increase could be solely attributed to the increase in atmospheric CO2 since other confounding factors were ruled out. Here, we investigate the potential contribution of plant plasticity, reflected in the temporal adjustment of major plant physiological traits, on changes in WUE using the ecohydrological model Tethys and Chloris (T&C). We hypothesize that the increase in WUE can be attributed to small variations in plant physiological traits, undetectable through observations, eventually triggered by the atmospheric CO2 increase. Data from the 21 sites in the above mentioned study are used to force the model. Simulation results with and without plasticity in the physiological traits (i.e., model parameters in our numerical experiments) are compared with the observed trends in WUE. We test several plant adaptation strategies in being effective in explaining the observed increase in WUE using a multifactorial numerical experiment in which we perturb in a systematic way selected plant parameters. Keenan, T. F., Hollinger, D. Y., Bohrer, G., Dragoni, D., Munger, J. W., Schmid, H. P., and Richardson, A. D. (2013). Increase in forest water-use efficiency as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations rise. Nature, 499(7458), 324-7.

Estimating False Discovery Proportion Under Arbitrary Covariance Dependence*

PubMed Central

Fan, Jianqing; Han, Xu; Gu, Weijie

2012-01-01

Multiple hypothesis testing is a fundamental problem in high dimensional inference, with wide applications in many scientific fields. In genome-wide association studies, tens of thousands of tests are performed simultaneously to find if any SNPs are associated with some traits and those tests are correlated. When test statistics are correlated, false discovery control becomes very challenging under arbitrary dependence. In the current paper, we propose a novel method based on principal factor approximation, which successfully subtracts the common dependence and weakens significantly the correlation structure, to deal with an arbitrary dependence structure. We derive an approximate expression for false discovery proportion (FDP) in large scale multiple testing when a common threshold is used and provide a consistent estimate of realized FDP. This result has important applications in controlling FDR and FDP. Our estimate of realized FDP compares favorably with Efron (2007)’s approach, as demonstrated in the simulated examples. Our approach is further illustrated by some real data applications. We also propose a dependence-adjusted procedure, which is more powerful than the fixed threshold procedure. PMID:24729644

Social inequalities and correlates of psychotropic drug use among young adults: a population-based questionnaire study

PubMed Central

Chau, Nearkasen; Baumann, Michèle; Falissard, Bruno; Choquet, Marie

2008-01-01

Background Use of psychotropic drugs is widespread in Europe, and is markedly more common in France than elsewhere. Young adults often fare less well than adolescents on health indicators (injury, homicide, and substance use). This population-based study assessed disparities in psychotropic drug use among people aged 18–29 from different socio-occupational groups and determined whether they were mediated by educational level, health status, income, health-related behaviours, family support, personality traits, or disability. Methods A total of 1,257 people aged 18–29, randomly selected in north-eastern France completed a post-mailed questionnaire covering sex, date of birth, height, weight, educational level, occupation, smoking habit, alcohol abuse, income, health-status, diseases, reported disabilities, self-reported personality traits, family support, and frequent psychotropic medication for tiredness, nervousness/anxiety or insomnia. The data were analyzed using the adjusted odds ratios (ORa) computed with logistic models. Results Use of psychotropic drugs was common (33.2%). Compared with upper/intermediate professionals, markedly high odds ratios adjusted for sex were found for manual workers (2.57, 95% CI 1.02–6.44), employees (2.58, 1.11–5.98), farmers/craftsmen/tradesmen (4.97, 1.13–21.8), students (2.40, 1.06–5.40), and housewives (3.82, 1.39–10.5). Adjusting for all the confounders considered reduced the estimates to a pronounced degree for manual workers (adjusted OR 1.49, non-significant) but only slightly for the other socio-occupational groups. The odds ratio for unemployed people did not reach statistical significance. The significant confounders were: sex, not-good health status, musculoskeletal disorders and other diseases, being worried, nervous or sad, and lack of family support (adjusted odds ratios between 1.60 and 2.50). Conclusion There were marked disparities among young adults from different socio-occupational groups. Sex, health status, musculoskeletal diseases, family support, and personality traits were related to use of psychotropic drugs. These factors mediated the higher risk strongly among manual workers and slightly among the other groups. PMID:18205942

Preweaning growth traits for Senepol, Hereford, and reciprocal crossbred calves and feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of steers.

PubMed

Chase, C C; Olson, T A; Hammond, A C; Menchaca, M A; West, R L; Johnson, D D; Butts, W T

1998-12-01

We conducted a multiyear study in two phases to determine preweaning performance traits of Senepol (S x S), Hereford (H x H), and reciprocal (S x H and H x S) F1 crossbred calves and feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of steers. In Phase I, from 1985 to 1989, data from S x S (n = 194), H x H (n = 383), and S x H (n = 120) calves were used. Numbers of S x S cows were increased during Phase I so that data from H x S (n = 74) calves could be included in Phase II (1990 to 1992) in addition to S x S (n = 118), H x H (n = 130), and S x H (n = 56) calves. Also during Phase II, feedlot performance and carcass characteristics were determined for S x S (n = 30), H x H (n = 26), H x S (n = 36), and S x H (n = 26) steers. In Phase I, S x S calves had heavier (P < .01) birth weights and heavier (P < .01) 205-d adjusted weaning weights than H x H calves. Birth weights of S x H calves were heavier (P < .01) than the mean of the purebred calves, but 205-d adjusted weaning weights did not differ (P > .10). In phase II, direct heterosis was 3.5% for birth weight (P < .05) and 5.1% for 205-d adjusted weaning weight (P < .01). Senepol maternal breed effects were 1.9 kg for birth weight (P < .10) and 37.9 kg for 205-d adjusted weaning weight (P < .01). Levels of direct heterosis, Senepol maternal breed effects, and Hereford direct breed effects were significant for most feedlot performance traits of steer calves that were fed to a common end point. Breeds did not differ (P > .10) for USDA yield and quality grades, and direct heterosis was not significant for Warner-Bratzler shear force. These results demonstrate significant levels of heterosis in preweaning performance between S x S and H x H calves and in feedlot performance of steers. Levels of heterosis were smaller and nonsignificant for most carcass traits including meat tenderness, which did not differ between S x S and H x H steers in this study.

Personality traits and career choices among physicians in Finland: employment sector, clinical patient contact, specialty and change of specialty.

PubMed

Mullola, Sari; Hakulinen, Christian; Presseau, Justin; Gimeno Ruiz de Porras, David; Jokela, Markus; Hintsa, Taina; Elovainio, Marko

2018-03-27

Personality influences an individual's adaptation to a specific job or organization. Little is known about personality trait differences between medical career and specialty choices after graduating from medical school when actually practicing different medical specialties. Moreover, whether personality traits contribute to important career choices such as choosing to work in the private or public sector or with clinical patient contact, as well as change of specialty, have remained largely unexplored. In a nationally representative sample of Finnish physicians (N = 2837) we examined how personality traits are associated with medical career choices after graduating from medical school, in terms of employment sector, patient contact, medical specialty and change of specialty. Personality was assessed using the shortened version of the Big Five Inventory (S-BFI). An analysis of covariance with posthoc tests for pairwise comparisons was conducted, adjusted for gender and age with confounders (employment sector, clinical patient contact and medical specialty). Higher openness was associated with working in the private sector, specializing in psychiatry, changing specialty and not practicing with patients. Lower openness was associated with a high amount of patient contact and specializing in general practice as well as ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology. Higher conscientiousness was associated with a high amount of patient contact and specializing in surgery and other internal medicine specialties. Lower conscientiousness was associated with specializing in psychiatry and hospital service specialties. Higher agreeableness was associated with working in the private sector and specializing in general practice and occupational health. Lower agreeableness and neuroticism were associated with specializing in surgery. Higher extraversion was associated with specializing in pediatrics and change of specialty. Lower extraversion was associated with not practicing with patients. The results showed distinctive personality traits to be associated with physicians' career and specialty choices after medical school independent of known confounding factors. Openness was the most consistent personality trait associated with physicians' career choices in terms of employment sector, amount of clinical patient contact, specialty choice and change of specialty. Personality-conscious medical career counseling and career guidance during and after medical education might enhance the person-job fit among physicians.

Glucocorticoid Receptor Related Genes: Genotype And Brain Gene Expression Relationships To Suicide And Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Pantazatos, Spiro P.; Huang, Yung-yu; Rosoklija, Gorazd B.; Dwork, Andrew J.; Burke, Ainsley; Arango, Victoria; Oquendo, Maria A.; Mann, J. John

2016-01-01

Introduction We tested the relationship between genotype, gene expression and suicidal behavior and MDD in live subjects and postmortem samples for three genes, associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, suicidal behavior and major depressive disorder (MDD); FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5), Spindle and kinetochore-associated protein 2 (SKA2) and Glucocorticoid Receptor (NR3C1). Materials and Methods Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes were tested for association with suicidal behavior and MDD in a live (N=277) and a postmortem sample (N=209). RNA-seq was used to examine gene and isoform-level brain expression postmortem (Brodmann Area 9) (N=59). Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) relationships were examined using a public database (UK Brain Expression Consortium). Results We identified a haplotype within the FKBP5 gene, present in 47% of the live subjects, that was associated with increased risk of suicide attempt (OR=1.58, t=6.03, p=0.014). Six SNPs on this gene, three SNPs on SKA2 and one near NR3C1 showed before-adjustment association with attempted suicide, and two SNPs of SKA2 with suicide death, but none stayed significant after adjustment for multiple testing. Only the SKA2 SNPs were related to expression in the prefrontal cortex. One NR3C1 transcript had lower expression in suicide relative to non-suicide sudden death cases (b=-0.48, SE=0.12, t=-4.02, adjusted p=0.004). Conclusion We have identified an association of FKBP5 haplotype with risk of suicide attempt and found an association between suicide and altered NR3C1 gene expression in the prefrontal cortex. Our findings further implicate hypothalamic pituitary axis dysfunction in suicidal behavior. PMID:27030168

GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR-RELATED GENES: GENOTYPE AND BRAIN GENE EXPRESSION RELATIONSHIPS TO SUICIDE AND MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER.

PubMed

Yin, Honglei; Galfalvy, Hanga; Pantazatos, Spiro P; Huang, Yung-Yu; Rosoklija, Gorazd B; Dwork, Andrew J; Burke, Ainsley; Arango, Victoria; Oquendo, Maria A; Mann, J John

2016-06-01

We tested the relationship between genotype, gene expression and suicidal behavior and major depressive disorder (MDD) in live subjects and postmortem samples for three genes, associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, suicidal behavior, and MDD; FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5), Spindle and kinetochore-associated protein 2 (SKA2), and Glucocorticoid Receptor (NR3C1). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes were tested for association with suicidal behavior and MDD in a live (N = 277) and a postmortem sample (N = 209). RNA-seq was used to examine gene and isoform-level brain expression postmortem (Brodmann Area 9; N = 59). Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) relationships were examined using a public database (UK Brain Expression Consortium). We identified a haplotype within the FKBP5 gene, present in 47% of the live subjects, which was associated with increased risk of suicide attempt (OR = 1.58, t = 6.03, P = .014). Six SNPs on this gene, three SNPs on SKA2, and one near NR3C1 showed before-adjustment association with attempted suicide, and two SNPs of SKA2 with suicide death, but none stayed significant after adjustment for multiple testing. Only the SKA2 SNPs were related to expression in the prefrontal cortex (pFCTX). One NR3C1 transcript had lower expression in suicide relative to nonsuicide sudden death cases (b = -0.48, SE = 0.12, t = -4.02, adjusted P = .004). We have identified an association of FKBP5 haplotype with risk of suicide attempt and found an association between suicide and altered NR3C1 gene expression in the pFCTX. Our findings further implicate hypothalamic pituitary axis dysfunction in suicidal behavior. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Makeup of the genetic correlation between milk production traits using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism information.

PubMed

van Binsbergen, R; Veerkamp, R F; Calus, M P L

2012-04-01

The correlated responses between traits may differ depending on the makeup of genetic covariances, and may differ from the predictions of polygenic covariances. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the makeup of the genetic covariances between the well-studied traits: milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, and their percentages in more detail. Phenotypic records of 1,737 heifers of research farms in 4 different countries were used after homogenizing and adjusting for management effects. All cows had a genotype for 37,590 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). A bayesian stochastic search variable selection model was used to estimate the SNP effects for each trait. About 0.5 to 1.0% of the SNP had a significant effect on 1 or more traits; however, the SNP without a significant effect explained most of the genetic variances and covariances of the traits. Single nucleotide polymorphism correlations differed from the polygenic correlations, but only 10 regions were found with an effect on multiple traits; in 1 of these regions the DGAT1 gene was previously reported with an effect on multiple traits. This region explained up to 41% of the variances of 4 traits and explained a major part of the correlation between fat yield and fat percentage and contributes to asymmetry in correlated response between fat yield and fat percentage. Overall, for the traits in this study, the infinitesimal model is expected to be sufficient for the estimation of the variances and covariances. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Robust Semi-Parametric Test for Detecting Trait-Dependent Diversification.

PubMed

Rabosky, Daniel L; Huang, Huateng

2016-03-01

Rates of species diversification vary widely across the tree of life and there is considerable interest in identifying organismal traits that correlate with rates of speciation and extinction. However, it has been challenging to develop methodological frameworks for testing hypotheses about trait-dependent diversification that are robust to phylogenetic pseudoreplication and to directionally biased rates of character change. We describe a semi-parametric test for trait-dependent diversification that explicitly requires replicated associations between character states and diversification rates to detect effects. To use the method, diversification rates are reconstructed across a phylogenetic tree with no consideration of character states. A test statistic is then computed to measure the association between species-level traits and the corresponding diversification rate estimates at the tips of the tree. The empirical value of the test statistic is compared to a null distribution that is generated by structured permutations of evolutionary rates across the phylogeny. The test is applicable to binary discrete characters as well as continuous-valued traits and can accommodate extremely sparse sampling of character states at the tips of the tree. We apply the test to several empirical data sets and demonstrate that the method has acceptable Type I error rates. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gene- and pathway-based association tests for multiple traits with GWAS summary statistics.

PubMed

Kwak, Il-Youp; Pan, Wei

2017-01-01

To identify novel genetic variants associated with complex traits and to shed new insights on underlying biology, in addition to the most popular single SNP-single trait association analysis, it would be useful to explore multiple correlated (intermediate) traits at the gene- or pathway-level by mining existing single GWAS or meta-analyzed GWAS data. For this purpose, we present an adaptive gene-based test and a pathway-based test for association analysis of multiple traits with GWAS summary statistics. The proposed tests are adaptive at both the SNP- and trait-levels; that is, they account for possibly varying association patterns (e.g. signal sparsity levels) across SNPs and traits, thus maintaining high power across a wide range of situations. Furthermore, the proposed methods are general: they can be applied to mixed types of traits, and to Z-statistics or P-values as summary statistics obtained from either a single GWAS or a meta-analysis of multiple GWAS. Our numerical studies with simulated and real data demonstrated the promising performance of the proposed methods. The methods are implemented in R package aSPU, freely and publicly available at: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/aSPU/ CONTACT: weip@biostat.umn.eduSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Within-species patterns challenge our understanding of the causes and consequences of trait variation with implications for trait-based models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderegg, L. D.; Berner, L. T.; Badgley, G.; Hillerislambers, J.; Law, B. E.

2017-12-01

Functional traits could facilitate ecological prediction by provide scale-free tools for modeling ecosystem function. Yet much of their utility lies in three key assumptions: 1) that global patterns of trait covariation are the result of universal trade-offs independent of taxonomic scale, so empirical trait-trait relationships can be used to constrain vegetation models 2) that traits respond predictably to environmental gradients and can therefore be reliably quantified to parameterize models and 3) that well sampled traits influence productivity. We use an extensive dataset of within-species leaf trait variation in North American conifers combined with global leaf trait datasets to test these assumptions. We examine traits central to the `leaf economics spectrum', and quantify patterns of trait variation at multiple taxonomic scales. We also test whether site environment explains geographic trait variation within conifers, and ask whether foliar traits explain geographic variation in relative growth rates. We find that most leaf traits vary primarily between rather than within species globally, but that a large fraction of within-PFT trait variation is within-species. We also find that some leaf economics spectrum relationships differ in sign within versus between species, particularly the relationship between leaf lifespan and LMA. In conifers, we find weak and inconsistent relationships between site environment and leaf traits, making it difficult capture within-species leaf trait variation for regional model parameterization. Finally, we find limited relationships between tree relative growth rate and any foliar trait other than leaf lifespan, with leaf traits jointly explaining 42% of within-species growth variation but environmental factors explaining 77% of variation. We suggest that additional traits, particularly whole plant allometry/allocation traits may be better than leaf traits for improving vegetation model performance at smaller taxonomic and spatial scales.

Prevalence of Sickle Cell Trait in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon

PubMed Central

El Ariss, Abdel Badih; Younes, Mohamad; Matar, Jad; Berjaoui, Zeina

2016-01-01

Objective The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, gender differences, and time trends of Sickle Cell Trait in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, as well as to highlight the importance of screening for Sickle Cell Trait carriers in this population. Another objective was to describe a new screening technique for Sickle Cell Trait carriers. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study carried out at a private laboratory in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon between 2002 and 2014. The sickling test was carried out for each patient using two methods: the classical “sodium metabisulfite sickling test”, and the new “sickling test method” used in the private lab. As a confirmatory test, hemoglobin electrophoresis was run on a random sample of 223 cases which were found to be positive using the two sickling tests. Results A total of 899 cases were found to be positive for the sickle cell trait out of 184,105 subjects screened during the 12-year period, prevalence = 0.49% (95% CI: 0.46 – 0.52). Among the total sample, females were found to have higher prevalence, where no time trend over the studied period was noted. The haemoglobin electrophoresis method confirmed the results of this new sickling test technique among the random sample of the 223 cases. Conclusion We found that the prevalence of sickle cell trait is lower as compared to other Arab countries, higher in females, with no significant time trend. The sickle cell test was found to be an accurate, simple and cheap test that could be easily added as a requirement for the pre-marital testing to screen for Sickle Cell Trait carriers. PMID:26977274

Composite Interval Mapping Based on Lattice Design for Error Control May Increase Power of Quantitative Trait Locus Detection.

PubMed

He, Jianbo; Li, Jijie; Huang, Zhongwen; Zhao, Tuanjie; Xing, Guangnan; Gai, Junyi; Guan, Rongzhan

2015-01-01

Experimental error control is very important in quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. Although numerous statistical methods have been developed for QTL mapping, a QTL detection model based on an appropriate experimental design that emphasizes error control has not been developed. Lattice design is very suitable for experiments with large sample sizes, which is usually required for accurate mapping of quantitative traits. However, the lack of a QTL mapping method based on lattice design dictates that the arithmetic mean or adjusted mean of each line of observations in the lattice design had to be used as a response variable, resulting in low QTL detection power. As an improvement, we developed a QTL mapping method termed composite interval mapping based on lattice design (CIMLD). In the lattice design, experimental errors are decomposed into random errors and block-within-replication errors. Four levels of block-within-replication errors were simulated to show the power of QTL detection under different error controls. The simulation results showed that the arithmetic mean method, which is equivalent to a method under random complete block design (RCBD), was very sensitive to the size of the block variance and with the increase of block variance, the power of QTL detection decreased from 51.3% to 9.4%. In contrast to the RCBD method, the power of CIMLD and the adjusted mean method did not change for different block variances. The CIMLD method showed 1.2- to 7.6-fold higher power of QTL detection than the arithmetic or adjusted mean methods. Our proposed method was applied to real soybean (Glycine max) data as an example and 10 QTLs for biomass were identified that explained 65.87% of the phenotypic variation, while only three and two QTLs were identified by arithmetic and adjusted mean methods, respectively.

Volitional personality trait change: Can people choose to change their personality traits?

PubMed

Hudson, Nathan W; Fraley, R Chris

2015-09-01

Previous research has found that most people want to change their personality traits. But can people actually change their personalities just because they want to? To answer this question, we conducted 2, 16-week intensive longitudinal randomized experiments. Across both studies, people who expressed goals to increase with respect to any Big Five personality trait at Time 1 tended to experience actual increases in their self-reports of that trait-as well as trait-relevant daily behavior-over the subsequent 16 weeks. Furthermore, we tested 2 randomized interventions designed to help participants attain desired trait changes. Although 1 of the interventions was inefficacious, a second intervention that trained participants to generate implementation intentions catalyzed their ability to attain trait changes. We also tested several theoretical processes through which volitional changes might occur. These studies suggest that people may be able to change their self-reported personality traits through volitional means, and represent a first step toward understanding the processes that enable people to do so. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Trait mindfulness helps shield decision-making from translating into health-risk behavior.

PubMed

Black, David S; Sussman, Steve; Johnson, C Anderson; Milam, Joel

2012-12-01

The cognitive tendency toward mindfulness may influence the enactment of health and risk behaviors by its bringing increased attention to and awareness of decision-making processes underlying behavior. The present study examined the moderating effect of trait mindfulness on associations between intentions to smoke (ITS)/smoking refusal self-efficacy (SRSE) and smoking frequency. Self-reports from Chinese adolescents (N = 5,287; mean age = 16.2 years, standard deviation = .7; 48.8% female) were collected in 24 schools. Smoking frequency was regressed on latent factor interactions Mindful Attention Awareness Scale*ITS and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale*SRSE, adjusting for school clustering effects and covariates. Both interaction terms were significant in cross-sectional analyses and showed that high ITS predicted higher smoking frequency among those low, relative to high, in trait mindfulness, whereas low SRSE predicted higher smoking frequency among those low, relative to high, in trait mindfulness. Findings suggest trait mindfulness possibly shields against decision-making processes that place adolescents at risk for smoking. Copyright © 2012 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Wives of pathological gamblers: personality traits, depressive symptoms and social adjustment.

PubMed

Mazzoleni, Maria Helena B; Gorenstein, Clarice; Fuentes, Daniel; Tavares, Hermano

2009-12-01

Wives of pathological gamblers tend to endure long marriages despite financial and emotional burden. Difficulties in social adjustment, personality psychopathology, and comorbidity with psychiatric disorders are pointed as reasons for remaining on such overwhelming relationships. The goal was to examine the social adjustment, personality and negative emotionality of wives of pathological gamblers. The sample consisted of 25 wives of pathological gamblers, mean age 40.6, SD = 9.1 from a Gambling Outpatient Unit and at GAM-ANON, and 25 wives of non-gamblers, mean age 40.8, SD = 9.1, who answered advertisements placed at the Universidade de São Paulo hospital and medical school complex. They were selected in order to approximately match demographic characteristics of the wives of pathological gamblers. Subjects were assessed by the Social Adjustment Scale, Temperament and Character Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Three variables remained in the final Multiple Logistic Regression model, wives of pathological gamblers presented greater dissatisfaction with their marital bond, and higher scores on Reward Dependence and Persistence temperament factors. Both, Wives of pathological gamblers and wives of non-gamblers presented well-structured character factors excluding personality disorders. This personality profile may explain wives of pathological gamblers emotional resilience and their marriage longevity. Co-dependence and other labels previously used to describe them may work as a double edged sword, legitimating wives of pathological gamblers problems, while stigmatizing them as inapt and needy.

Evidence of correlated evolution and adaptive differentiation of stem and leaf functional traits in the herbaceous genus, Helianthus.

PubMed

Pilote, Alex J; Donovan, Lisa A

2016-12-01

Patterns of plant stem traits are expected to align with a "fast-slow" plant economic spectrum across taxa. Although broad patterns support such tradeoffs in field studies, tests of hypothesized correlated trait evolution and adaptive differentiation are more robust when taxa relatedness and environment are taken into consideration. Here we test for correlated evolution of stem and leaf traits and their adaptive differentiation across environments in the herbaceous genus, Helianthus. Stem and leaf traits of 14 species of Helianthus (28 populations) were assessed in a common garden greenhouse study. Phylogenetically independent contrasts were used to test for evidence of correlated evolution of stem hydraulic and biomechanical properties, correlated evolution of stem and leaf traits, and adaptive differentiation associated with source habitat environments. Among stem traits, there was evidence for correlated evolution of some hydraulic and biomechanical properties, supporting an expected tradeoff between stem theoretical hydraulic efficiency and resistance to bending stress. Population differentiation for suites of stem and leaf traits was found to be consistent with a "fast-slow" resource-use axis for traits related to water transport and use. Associations of population traits with source habitat characteristics supported repeated evolution of a resource-acquisitive "drought-escape" strategy in arid environments. This study provides evidence of correlated evolution of stem and leaf traits consistent with the fast-slow spectrum of trait combinations related to water transport and use along the stem-to-leaf pathway. Correlations of traits with source habitat characteristics further indicate that the correlated evolution is associated, at least in part, with adaptive differentiation of Helianthus populations among native habitats differing in climate. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Stereotype Threat, Test Anxiety, and Mathematics Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tempel, Tobias; Neumann, Roland

2014-01-01

We investigated the combined effects of stereotype threat and trait test anxiety on mathematics test performance. Stereotype threat and test anxiety interacted with each other in affecting performance. Trait test anxiety predicted performance only in a diagnostic condition that prevented stereotype threat by stereotype denial. A state measure of…

Role of Osmotic Adjustment in Plant Productivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gebre, G.M.

2001-01-11

Successful implementation of short rotation woody crops requires that the selected species and clones be productive, drought tolerant, and pest resistant. Since water is one of the major limiting factors in poplar (Populus sp.) growth, there is little debate for the need of drought tolerant clones, except on the wettest of sites (e.g., lower Columbia River delta). Whether drought tolerance is compatible with productivity remains a debatable issue. Among the many mechanisms of drought tolerance, dehydration postponement involves the maintenance of high leaf water potential due to, for example, an adequate root system. This trait is compatible with productivity, butmore » requires available soil moisture. When the plant leaf water potential and soil water content decline, the plant must be able to survive drought through dehydration tolerance mechanisms, such as low osmotic potential or osmotic adjustment. Osmotic adjustment and low osmotic potential are considered compatible with growth and yield because they aid in the maintenance of leaf turgor. However, it has been shown that turgor alone does not regulate cell expansion or stomatal conductance and, therefore, the role of osmotic adjustment is debated. Despite this finding, osmotic adjustment has been correlated with grain yield in agronomic crop species, and gene markers responsible for osmotic adjustment are being investigated to improve drought tolerance in productive progenies. Although osmotic adjustment and low osmotic potentials have been investigated in several forest tree species, few studies have investigated the relationship between osmotic adjustment and growth. Most of these studies have been limited to greenhouse or container-grown plants. Osmotic adjustment and rapid growth have been specifically associated in Populus and black spruce (Picea mariuna (Mill.) B.S.P.) progenies. We tested whether these relationships held under field conditions using several poplar clones. In a study of two hybrid poplar clones (P. trichocurpa Torr. & Gray x P: deltoides Bartr., TD and P. deltoides x P. nigra L., DN), we determined the TD clone, which was more productive during the first three years, had slightly lower osmotic potential than the DN clone, and also indicated a small osmotic adjustment compared with the DN hybrid. However, the productivity differences were negligible by the fifth growing season. In a separate study with several P. deltoides clones, we did not observe a consistent relationship between growth and osmotic adjustment. Some clones that had low osmotic potential and osmotic adjustment were as productive as another clone that had high osmotic potential. The least productive clone also had low osmotic potential and osmotic adjustment. The absence of a correlation may have been partly due to the fact that all clones were capable of osmotic adjustment and had low osmotic potential. In a study involving an inbred three-generation TD F{sub 2} pedigree (family 331), we did not observe a correlation between relative growth rate and osmotic potential or osmotic adjustment. However, when clones that exhibited osmotic adjustment were analyzed, there was a negative correlation between growth and osmotic potential, indicating clones with lower osmotic potential were more productive. This was observed only in clones that were exposed to drought. Although the absolute osmotic potential varied by growing environment, the relative ranking among progenies remains generally the same, suggesting that osmotic potential is genetically controlled. We have identified a quantitative trait locus for osmotic potential in another three-generation TD F{sub 2} pedigree (family 822). Unlike the many studies in agricultural crops, most of the forest tree studies were not based on plants exposed to severe stress to determine the role of osmotic adjustment. Future studies should consider using clones that are known to be productive but have contrasting osmotic adjustment capability as well as clones with contrasting growth and osmotic adjustment.« less

Heritability, linkage, and genetic associations of exercise treadmill test responses.

PubMed

Ingelsson, Erik; Larson, Martin G; Vasan, Ramachandran S; O'Donnell, Christopher J; Yin, Xiaoyan; Hirschhorn, Joel N; Newton-Cheh, Christopher; Drake, Jared A; Musone, Stacey L; Heard-Costa, Nancy L; Benjamin, Emelia J; Levy, Daniel; Atwood, Larry D; Wang, Thomas J; Kathiresan, Sekar

2007-06-12

The blood pressure (BP) and heart rate responses to exercise treadmill testing predict incidence of cardiovascular disease, but the genetic determinants of hemodynamic and chronotropic responses to exercise are largely unknown. We assessed systolic BP, diastolic BP, and heart rate during the second stage of the Bruce protocol and at the third minute of recovery in 2982 Framingham Offspring participants (mean age 43 years; 53% women). With use of residuals from multivariable models adjusted for clinical correlates of exercise treadmill testing responses, we estimated the heritability (variance-components methods), genetic linkage (multipoint quantitative trait analyses), and association with 235 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 14 candidate genes selected a priori from neurohormonal pathways for their potential role in exercise treadmill testing responses. Heritability estimates for heart rate during exercise and during recovery were 0.32 and 0.34, respectively. Heritability estimates for BP variables during exercise were 0.25 and 0.26 (systolic and diastolic BP) and during recovery, 0.16 and 0.13 (systolic and diastolic BP), respectively. Suggestive linkage was found for systolic BP during recovery from exercise (locus 1q43-44, log-of-the-odds score 2.59) and diastolic BP during recovery from exercise (locus 4p15.3, log-of-the-odds score 2.37). Among 235 single-nucleotide polymorphisms tested for association with exercise treadmill testing responses, the minimum nominal probability value was 0.003, which was nonsignificant after adjustment for multiple testing. Hemodynamic and chronotropic responses to exercise are heritable and demonstrate suggestive linkage to select loci. Genetic mapping with newer approaches such as genome-wide association may yield novel insights into the physiological responses to exercise.

Are Optimism and Cynical Hostility Associated with Smoking Cessation in Older Women?

PubMed

Progovac, Ana M; Chang, Yue-Fang; Chang, Chung-Chou H; Matthews, Karen A; Donohue, Julie M; Scheier, Michael F; Habermann, Elizabeth B; Kuller, Lewis H; Goveas, Joseph S; Chapman, Benjamin P; Duberstein, Paul R; Messina, Catherine R; Weaver, Kathryn E; Saquib, Nazmus; Wallace, Robert B; Kaplan, Robert C; Calhoun, Darren; Smith, J Carson; Tindle, Hilary A

2017-08-01

Optimism and cynical hostility independently predict morbidity and mortality in Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants and are associated with current smoking. However, their association with smoking cessation in older women is unknown. The purpose of this study is to test whether optimism (positive future expectations) or cynical hostility (mistrust of others) predicts smoking cessation in older women. Self-reported smoking status was assessed at years 1, 3, and 6 after study entry for WHI baseline smokers who were not missing optimism or cynical hostility scores (n = 10,242). Questionnaires at study entry assessed optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised) and cynical hostility (Cook-Medley, cynical hostility subscale). Generalized linear mixed models adjusted for sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, and medical and psychosocial characteristics including depressive symptoms. After full covariate adjustment, optimism was not related to smoking cessation. Each 1-point increase in baseline cynical hostility score was associated with 5% lower odds of cessation over 6 years (OR = 0.95, CI = 0.92-0.98, p = 0.0017). In aging postmenopausal women, greater cynical hostility predicts lower smoking cessation over time. Future studies should examine whether individuals with this trait may benefit from more intensive cessation resources or whether attempting to mitigate cynical hostility itself may aid smoking cessation.

Detection of genetic variants affecting cattle behaviour and their impact on milk production: a genome-wide association study.

PubMed

Friedrich, Juliane; Brand, Bodo; Ponsuksili, Siriluck; Graunke, Katharina L; Langbein, Jan; Knaust, Jacqueline; Kühn, Christa; Schwerin, Manfred

2016-02-01

Behaviour traits of cattle have been reported to affect important production traits, such as meat quality and milk performance as well as reproduction and health. Genetic predisposition is, together with environmental stimuli, undoubtedly involved in the development of behaviour phenotypes. Underlying molecular mechanisms affecting behaviour in general and behaviour and productions traits in particular still have to be studied in detail. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide association study in an F2 Charolais × German Holstein cross-breed population to identify genetic variants that affect behaviour-related traits assessed in an open-field and novel-object test and analysed their putative impact on milk performance. Of 37,201 tested single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), four showed a genome-wide and 37 a chromosome-wide significant association with behaviour traits assessed in both tests. Nine of the SNPs that were associated with behaviour traits likewise showed a nominal significant association with milk performance traits. On chromosomes 14 and 29, six SNPs were identified to be associated with exploratory behaviour and inactivity during the novel-object test as well as with milk yield traits. Least squares means for behaviour and milk performance traits for these SNPs revealed that genotypes associated with higher inactivity and less exploratory behaviour promote higher milk yields. Whether these results are due to molecular mechanisms simultaneously affecting behaviour and milk performance or due to a behaviour predisposition, which causes indirect effects on milk performance by influencing individual reactivity, needs further investigation. © 2015 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Origins of the stuttering stereotype: stereotype formation through anchoring-adjustment.

PubMed

MacKinnon, Sean P; Hall, Shera; Macintyre, Peter D

2007-01-01

The stereotype of people who stutter is predominantly negative, holding that stutterers are excessively nervous, anxious, and reserved. The anchoring-adjustment hypothesis suggests that the stereotype of stuttering arises from a process of first anchoring the stereotype in personal feelings during times of normal speech disfluency, and then adjusting based on a rapid heuristic judgment. The current research sought to test this hypothesis, elaborating on previous research by [White, P. A., & Collins, S. R. (1984). Stereotype formation by inference: A possible explanation for the "stutterer" stereotype. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 27, 567-570]. Participants provided ratings of a hypothetical typical person who stutters, a person suffering from normal speech disfluency and a typical male on a 25-item semantic differential scale. Results showed a stereotype of people who stutter similar to that found in previous research. The pattern of results is consistent with the anchoring-adjustment hypothesis. Ratings of a male stutterer are very similar to a male experiencing temporary disfluency, both of which differ from ratings of a typical male. As expected, ratings of a stutterer show a small but statistically significant adjustment on several traits that makes the stereotype of stutterers less negative and less emotionally extreme than the temporarily disfluent male. Based on the results of this research, it appears that stereotype formation is a result of generalization and adjustment from personal experience during normal speech disfluency. The reader will be able to: (1) explain how the negative stereotype of people who stutter arises; (2) discuss the negative implications of stereotypes in the lives of people who stutter; and (3) summarize why the stereotype of people who stutter is so consistent and resistant to change.

The Bright and Dark Side Correlates of Creativity: Demographic, Ability, Personality Traits and Personality Disorders Associated with Divergent Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furnham, Adrian

2015-01-01

This research examined the personality trait and personality disorder correlates of creative potential, as assessed by a divergent thinking (DT) test. Over 4,000 adult managers attending an assessment center completed a battery of tests including a "bright side," normal personality trait measures (NEO Personality Inventory-Revised, or…

Attachment orientations and psychological adjustment of parents of children with cancer: A matched-group comparison.

PubMed

Cusinato, Maria; Calvo, Vincenzo; Bisogno, Gianni; Viscardi, Elisabetta; Pillon, Marta; Opocher, Enrico; Basso, Giuseppe; Montanaro, Maria

2017-01-01

To investigate the impact of childhood cancer on parents' adult attachment, social support, marital adjustment, anxiety, and depression. 30 parents of children with childhood cancer and 30 matched controls completed the following questionnaires: Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised, Dyadic Adjustment Scale-4, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - form Y, and Beck Depression Inventory. Parents of children with childhood cancer had a significantly lower dyadic adjustment than controls, and higher levels of insecure-avoidant attachment, state anxiety, and depression. It is important for health-care personnel to take into account these parents' propensity to show increased levels of avoidant attachment during children's treatment to foster effective communication and supportive relationships between clinicians, pediatric patients, and parents.

Dogmatism and Happiness

PubMed Central

MALMIR, Maryam; KHANAHMADI, Mohammad; FARHUD, Dariush

2017-01-01

Background: Happiness is a drive and constructive force of life. A person feels wellbeing under different effective factors. Religious dogmatism that has an influence on the entire world is one of the depreciatory factors of happiness or wellbeing. The current study decided to analyze the relation between dogmatism and wellbeing, and according to a model, answer the following question: how does religious dogmatism decrease wellbeing? Methods: This study is a correlation research. Population of study includes all people with 30–50 yr old who live in Tehran, Iran, in 2015. Among all, 180 subjects were selected as in access sample. The Oxford happiness questionnaire and Rokeach dogmatism scale were used. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation test. Results: There is a significant negative correlation between dogmatism and happiness (α=0.05). Conclusion: Dogmatism is one of the factors that have a negative effect on wellbeing. Religious dogmatism is the most dangerous factor against wellbeing. Dogmatic individuals have an inflexible cognitive system that emerges as a stable personality trait and decreases their adjustment with environment. Affective well-being and cognitive wellbeing are affected by individual adjustment. Therefore, in dogmatic individuals with low adjustment, the decrease of affective well-being and cognitive wellbeing is inevitable. This process will result in decrease of happiness and increase of aggression. PMID:28435818

Differences in sensitivity to parenting depending on child temperament: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Slagt, Meike; Dubas, Judith Semon; Deković, Maja; van Aken, Marcel A G

2016-10-01

Several models of individual differences in environmental sensitivity postulate increased sensitivity of some individuals to either stressful (diathesis-stress), supportive (vantage sensitivity), or both environments (differential susceptibility). In this meta-analysis we examine whether children vary in sensitivity to parenting depending on their temperament, and if so, which model can best be used to describe this sensitivity pattern. We tested whether associations between negative parenting and negative or positive child adjustment as well as between positive parenting and positive or negative child adjustment would be stronger among children higher on putative sensitivity markers (difficult temperament, negative emotionality, surgency, and effortful control). Longitudinal studies with children up to 18 years (k = 105 samples from 84 studies, Nmean = 6,153) that reported on a parenting-by-temperament interaction predicting child adjustment were included. We found 235 independent effect sizes for associations between parenting and child adjustment. Results showed that children with a more difficult temperament (compared with those with a more easy temperament) were more vulnerable to negative parenting, but also profited more from positive parenting, supporting the differential susceptibility model. Differences in susceptibility were expressed in externalizing and internalizing problems and in social and cognitive competence. Support for differential susceptibility for negative emotionality was, however, only present when this trait was assessed during infancy. Surgency and effortful control did not consistently moderate associations between parenting and child adjustment, providing little support for differential susceptibility, diathesis-stress, or vantage sensitivity models. Finally, parenting-by-temperament interactions were more pronounced when parenting was assessed using observations compared to questionnaires. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationships between sickle cell trait, malaria, and educational outcomes in Tanzania.

PubMed

Croke, Kevin; Ishengoma, Deus S; Francis, Filbert; Makani, Julie; Kamugisha, Mathias L; Lusingu, John; Lemnge, Martha; Larreguy, Horacio; Fink, Günther; Mmbando, Bruno P

2017-08-15

Sickle Cell Trait (SCT) has been shown to be protective against malaria. A growing literature suggests that malaria exposure can reduce educational attainment. This study assessed the relationship and interactions between malaria, SCT and educational attainment in north-eastern Tanzania. Seven hundred sixty seven children were selected from a list of individuals screened for SCT. Febrile illness and malaria incidence were monitored from January 2006 to December 2013 by community health workers. Education outcomes were extracted from the Korogwe Health and Demographic Surveillance system in 2015. The primary independent variables were malaria and SCT. The association between SCT and the number of fever and malaria episodes from 2006 to 2013 was analyzed. Main outcomes of interest were school enrolment and educational attainment in 2015. SCT was not associated with school enrolment (adjusted OR 1.42, 95% CI [0.593,3.412]) or highest grade attained (adjusted grade difference 0.0597, 95% CI [-0.567, 0.686]). SCT was associated with a 29% reduction in malaria incidence (adjusted IRR 0.71, 95% CI [0.526, 0.959]) but not with fever incidence (adjusted IRR 0.905, 95% CI [0.709-1.154]). In subgroup analysis of individuals with SCT, malaria exposure was associated with reduced school enrollment (adjusted OR 0.431, 95% CI [0.212, 0.877]). SCT appears to reduce incidence of malaria. Overall, children with SCT do not appear to attend more years of school; however children who get malaria despite SCT appear to have lower levels of enrolment in education than their peers.

A Simple Test Identifies Selection on Complex Traits.

PubMed

Beissinger, Tim; Kruppa, Jochen; Cavero, David; Ha, Ngoc-Thuy; Erbe, Malena; Simianer, Henner

2018-05-01

Important traits in agricultural, natural, and human populations are increasingly being shown to be under the control of many genes that individually contribute only a small proportion of genetic variation. However, the majority of modern tools in quantitative and population genetics, including genome-wide association studies and selection-mapping protocols, are designed to identify individual genes with large effects. We have developed an approach to identify traits that have been under selection and are controlled by large numbers of loci. In contrast to existing methods, our technique uses additive-effects estimates from all available markers, and relates these estimates to allele-frequency change over time. Using this information, we generate a composite statistic, denoted [Formula: see text] which can be used to test for significant evidence of selection on a trait. Our test requires pre- and postselection genotypic data but only a single time point with phenotypic information. Simulations demonstrate that [Formula: see text] is powerful for identifying selection, particularly in situations where the trait being tested is controlled by many genes, which is precisely the scenario where classical approaches for selection mapping are least powerful. We apply this test to breeding populations of maize and chickens, where we demonstrate the successful identification of selection on traits that are documented to have been under selection. Copyright © 2018 Beissinger et al.

Do pre- and post-copulatory sexually selected traits covary in large herbivores?

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In most species, males compete to gain both matings (via pre-copulatory competition) and fertilizations (via post-copulatory competition) to maximize their reproductive success. However, the quantity of resources devoted to sexual traits is finite, and so males are predicted to balance their investment between pre- and post-copulatory expenditure depending on the expected pay-offs that should vary according to mating tactics. In Artiodactyla species, males can invest in weapons such as horns or antlers to increase their mating gains or in testes mass/sperm dimensions to increase their fertilization efficiency. Moreover, it has been suggested that in these species, males with territory defence mating tactic might preferentially increase their investment in post-copulatory traits to increase their fertilization efficiency whereas males with female defence mating tactic might increase their investment in pre-copulatory sexually selected traits to prevent other males from copulating with females. In this study, we thus test the prediction that male’s weapon length (pre-copulatory trait) covaries negatively with relative testes size and/or sperm dimensions (post-copulatory traits) across Artiodactyla using a phylogenetically controlled framework. Results Surprisingly no association between weapon length and testes mass is found but a negative association between weapon length and sperm length is evidenced. In addition, neither pre- nor post-copulatory traits were found to be affected by male mating tactics. Conclusions We propose several hypotheses that could explain why male ungulates may not balance their reproductive investment between pre- and post-copulatory traits. PMID:24716470

Associations Between Adiposity and Metabolic Syndrome Over Time: The Healthy Twin Study.

PubMed

Song, Yun-Mi; Sung, Joohon; Lee, Kayoung

2017-04-01

We evaluated the association between changes in adiposity traits including anthropometric and fat mass indicators and changes in metabolic syndrome traits including metabolic syndrome clustering and individual components over time. We also assessed the shared genetic and environmental correlations between the two traits. Participants were 284 South Korean twin individuals and 279 nontwin family members had complete data for changes in adiposity traits and metabolic syndrome traits of the Healthy Twin study. Mixed linear model and bivariate variance-component analysis were applied. Over a period of 3.1 ± 0.6 years of study, changes in adiposity traits [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, total fat mass, and fat mass to lean mass ratio] had significant associations with changes in metabolic syndrome clustering [high blood pressure, high serum glucose, high triglycerides (TG), and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol] after adjusting for intra-familial and sibling correlations, age, sex, baseline metabolic syndrome clustering, and socioeconomic factors and health behaviors at follow-up. Change in BMI associated significantly with changes in individual metabolic syndrome components compared to other adiposity traits. Change in metabolic syndrome component TG was a better predictor of changes in adiposity traits compared to changes in other metabolic components. These associations were explained by significant environmental correlations but not by genetic correlations. Changes in anthropometric and fat mass indicators were positively associated with changes in metabolic syndrome clustering and those associations appeared to be regulated by environmental influences.

Personality Traits Are Associated with Academic Achievement in Medical School: A Nationally Representative Study.

PubMed

Sobowale, Kunmi; Ham, Sandra A; Curlin, Farr A; Yoon, John D

2018-06-01

This nationally representative study sought to identify personality traits that are associated with academic achievement in medical school. Third-year medical students, who completed an initial questionnaire in January 2011, were mailed a second questionnaire several months later during their fourth year. Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and burnout, the authors used multivariate logistic regressions to determine whether Big Five personality traits were associated with receiving honors/highest grade in clinical clerkships, failing a course or rotation, and being selected for the Alpha Omega Alpha or Gold Humanism Honor Society. The adjusted response rates for the two surveys were 61 (n = 564/919) and 84% (n = 474/564). The personality trait conscientiousness predicted obtaining honors/highest grade in all clinical clerkships. In contrast, students high in neuroticism were less likely to do well in most specialties. Students with higher conscientiousness were more likely to be inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, while students high in openness or agreeableness traits were more likely to be inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Burnout was not associated with any clinical performance measures. This study suggests the importance of personality traits, particularly conscientiousness, in predicting success during the clinical years of medical school. Medical educators should consider a nuanced examination of personality traits and other non-cognitive factors, particularly for psychiatry.

Time scale matters: genetic analysis does not support adaptation-by-time as the mechanism for adaptive seasonal declines in kokanee reproductive life span

PubMed Central

Morbey, Yolanda E; Jensen, Evelyn L; Russello, Michael A

2014-01-01

Seasonal declines of fitness-related traits are often attributed to environmental effects or individual-level decisions about reproductive timing and effort, but genetic variation may also play a role. In populations of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), seasonal declines in reproductive life span have been attributed to adaptation-by-time, in which divergent selection for different traits occurs among reproductively isolated temporal components of a population. We evaluated this hypothesis in kokanee (freshwater obligate Oncorhynchus nerka) by testing for temporal genetic structure in neutral and circadian-linked loci. We detected no genetic differences in presumably neutral loci among kokanee with different arrival and maturation dates within a spawning season. Similarly, we detected no temporal genetic structure in OtsClock1b, Omy1009uw, or OmyFbxw11, candidate loci associated with circadian function. The genetic evidence from this study and others indicates a lack of support for adaptation-by-time as an important evolutionary mechanism underlying seasonal declines in reproductive life span and a need for greater consideration of other mechanisms such as time-dependent, adaptive adjustment of reproductive effort. PMID:25478160

Genome-wide meta-analysis of 241,258 adults accounting for smoking behaviour identifies novel loci for obesity traits.

PubMed

Justice, Anne E; Winkler, Thomas W; Feitosa, Mary F; Graff, Misa; Fisher, Virginia A; Young, Kristin; Barata, Llilda; Deng, Xuan; Czajkowski, Jacek; Hadley, David; Ngwa, Julius S; Ahluwalia, Tarunveer S; Chu, Audrey Y; Heard-Costa, Nancy L; Lim, Elise; Perez, Jeremiah; Eicher, John D; Kutalik, Zoltán; Xue, Luting; Mahajan, Anubha; Renström, Frida; Wu, Joseph; Qi, Qibin; Ahmad, Shafqat; Alfred, Tamuno; Amin, Najaf; Bielak, Lawrence F; Bonnefond, Amelie; Bragg, Jennifer; Cadby, Gemma; Chittani, Martina; Coggeshall, Scott; Corre, Tanguy; Direk, Nese; Eriksson, Joel; Fischer, Krista; Gorski, Mathias; Neergaard Harder, Marie; Horikoshi, Momoko; Huang, Tao; Huffman, Jennifer E; Jackson, Anne U; Justesen, Johanne Marie; Kanoni, Stavroula; Kinnunen, Leena; Kleber, Marcus E; Komulainen, Pirjo; Kumari, Meena; Lim, Unhee; Luan, Jian'an; Lyytikäinen, Leo-Pekka; Mangino, Massimo; Manichaikul, Ani; Marten, Jonathan; Middelberg, Rita P S; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Navarro, Pau; Pérusse, Louis; Pervjakova, Natalia; Sarti, Cinzia; Smith, Albert Vernon; Smith, Jennifer A; Stančáková, Alena; Strawbridge, Rona J; Stringham, Heather M; Sung, Yun Ju; Tanaka, Toshiko; Teumer, Alexander; Trompet, Stella; van der Laan, Sander W; van der Most, Peter J; Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Jana V; Vedantam, Sailaja L; Verweij, Niek; Vink, Jacqueline M; Vitart, Veronique; Wu, Ying; Yengo, Loic; Zhang, Weihua; Hua Zhao, Jing; Zimmermann, Martina E; Zubair, Niha; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Adair, Linda S; Afaq, Saima; Afzal, Uzma; Bakker, Stephan J L; Bartz, Traci M; Beilby, John; Bergman, Richard N; Bergmann, Sven; Biffar, Reiner; Blangero, John; Boerwinkle, Eric; Bonnycastle, Lori L; Bottinger, Erwin; Braga, Daniele; Buckley, Brendan M; Buyske, Steve; Campbell, Harry; Chambers, John C; Collins, Francis S; Curran, Joanne E; de Borst, Gert J; de Craen, Anton J M; de Geus, Eco J C; Dedoussis, George; Delgado, Graciela E; den Ruijter, Hester M; Eiriksdottir, Gudny; Eriksson, Anna L; Esko, Tõnu; Faul, Jessica D; Ford, Ian; Forrester, Terrence; Gertow, Karl; Gigante, Bruna; Glorioso, Nicola; Gong, Jian; Grallert, Harald; Grammer, Tanja B; Grarup, Niels; Haitjema, Saskia; Hallmans, Göran; Hamsten, Anders; Hansen, Torben; Harris, Tamara B; Hartman, Catharina A; Hassinen, Maija; Hastie, Nicholas D; Heath, Andrew C; Hernandez, Dena; Hindorff, Lucia; Hocking, Lynne J; Hollensted, Mette; Holmen, Oddgeir L; Homuth, Georg; Jan Hottenga, Jouke; Huang, Jie; Hung, Joseph; Hutri-Kähönen, Nina; Ingelsson, Erik; James, Alan L; Jansson, John-Olov; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Jhun, Min A; Jørgensen, Marit E; Juonala, Markus; Kähönen, Mika; Karlsson, Magnus; Koistinen, Heikki A; Kolcic, Ivana; Kolovou, Genovefa; Kooperberg, Charles; Krämer, Bernhard K; Kuusisto, Johanna; Kvaløy, Kirsti; Lakka, Timo A; Langenberg, Claudia; Launer, Lenore J; Leander, Karin; Lee, Nanette R; Lind, Lars; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Linneberg, Allan; Lobbens, Stephane; Loh, Marie; Lorentzon, Mattias; Luben, Robert; Lubke, Gitta; Ludolph-Donislawski, Anja; Lupoli, Sara; Madden, Pamela A F; Männikkö, Reija; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Martin, Nicholas G; McKenzie, Colin A; McKnight, Barbara; Mellström, Dan; Menni, Cristina; Montgomery, Grant W; Musk, Aw Bill; Narisu, Narisu; Nauck, Matthias; Nolte, Ilja M; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Olden, Matthias; Ong, Ken K; Padmanabhan, Sandosh; Peyser, Patricia A; Pisinger, Charlotta; Porteous, David J; Raitakari, Olli T; Rankinen, Tuomo; Rao, D C; Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura J; Rawal, Rajesh; Rice, Treva; Ridker, Paul M; Rose, Lynda M; Bien, Stephanie A; Rudan, Igor; Sanna, Serena; Sarzynski, Mark A; Sattar, Naveed; Savonen, Kai; Schlessinger, David; Scholtens, Salome; Schurmann, Claudia; Scott, Robert A; Sennblad, Bengt; Siemelink, Marten A; Silbernagel, Günther; Slagboom, P Eline; Snieder, Harold; Staessen, Jan A; Stott, David J; Swertz, Morris A; Swift, Amy J; Taylor, Kent D; Tayo, Bamidele O; Thorand, Barbara; Thuillier, Dorothee; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Uitterlinden, Andre G; Vandenput, Liesbeth; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Völzke, Henry; Vonk, Judith M; Waeber, Gérard; Waldenberger, Melanie; Westendorp, R G J; Wild, Sarah; Willemsen, Gonneke; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H R; Wong, Andrew; Wright, Alan F; Zhao, Wei; Zillikens, M Carola; Baldassarre, Damiano; Balkau, Beverley; Bandinelli, Stefania; Böger, Carsten A; Boomsma, Dorret I; Bouchard, Claude; Bruinenberg, Marcel; Chasman, Daniel I; Chen, Yii-DerIda; Chines, Peter S; Cooper, Richard S; Cucca, Francesco; Cusi, Daniele; Faire, Ulf de; Ferrucci, Luigi; Franks, Paul W; Froguel, Philippe; Gordon-Larsen, Penny; Grabe, Hans-Jörgen; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Haiman, Christopher A; Hayward, Caroline; Hveem, Kristian; Johnson, Andrew D; Wouter Jukema, J; Kardia, Sharon L R; Kivimaki, Mika; Kooner, Jaspal S; Kuh, Diana; Laakso, Markku; Lehtimäki, Terho; Marchand, Loic Le; März, Winfried; McCarthy, Mark I; Metspalu, Andres; Morris, Andrew P; Ohlsson, Claes; Palmer, Lyle J; Pasterkamp, Gerard; Pedersen, Oluf; Peters, Annette; Peters, Ulrike; Polasek, Ozren; Psaty, Bruce M; Qi, Lu; Rauramaa, Rainer; Smith, Blair H; Sørensen, Thorkild I A; Strauch, Konstantin; Tiemeier, Henning; Tremoli, Elena; van der Harst, Pim; Vestergaard, Henrik; Vollenweider, Peter; Wareham, Nicholas J; Weir, David R; Whitfield, John B; Wilson, James F; Tyrrell, Jessica; Frayling, Timothy M; Barroso, Inês; Boehnke, Michael; Deloukas, Panagiotis; Fox, Caroline S; Hirschhorn, Joel N; Hunter, David J; Spector, Tim D; Strachan, David P; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Heid, Iris M; Mohlke, Karen L; Marchini, Jonathan; Loos, Ruth J F; Kilpeläinen, Tuomas O; Liu, Ching-Ti; Borecki, Ingrid B; North, Kari E; Cupples, L Adrienne

2017-04-26

Few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) account for environmental exposures, like smoking, potentially impacting the overall trait variance when investigating the genetic contribution to obesity-related traits. Here, we use GWAS data from 51,080 current smokers and 190,178 nonsmokers (87% European descent) to identify loci influencing BMI and central adiposity, measured as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio both adjusted for BMI. We identify 23 novel genetic loci, and 9 loci with convincing evidence of gene-smoking interaction (GxSMK) on obesity-related traits. We show consistent direction of effect for all identified loci and significance for 18 novel and for 5 interaction loci in an independent study sample. These loci highlight novel biological functions, including response to oxidative stress, addictive behaviour, and regulatory functions emphasizing the importance of accounting for environment in genetic analyses. Our results suggest that tobacco smoking may alter the genetic susceptibility to overall adiposity and body fat distribution.

Heritability of hair whorl position on the forehead in Konik horses.

PubMed

Górecka, A; Słoniewski, K; Golonka, M; Jaworski, Z; Jezierski, T

2006-12-01

There are studies on the relationship between the position and shape of hair whorls on bovine forehead and phenotypic traits. According to anecdotal beliefs by horse users and handlers, temperamental traits may be related to the position of hair whorls in horses. No previous research on the mechanisms of inheritance of hair whorls has been performed, so the aim of the present study was to determine the heritability of the position of the hair whorl on the forehead of Konik horses. The horses (n = 362) were classified into five groups based on the whorl position on forehead with respect to the top and bottom eye lines. The estimated heritability of hair whorl position was 0.753 (SE = 0.056). Heritability adjusted for the discontinuity of the trait was 0.836. The results show that hair whorl position in Konik Polski horses is highly heritable. The possible relationship between position of hair whorls on the forehead and other morphological traits needs further research and should be interpreted with caution.

The complex interplay of sex allocation and sexual selection.

PubMed

Booksmythe, Isobel; Schwanz, Lisa E; Kokko, Hanna

2013-03-01

It is well recognized that sex allocation strategies can be influenced by sexual selection, when females adjust offspring sex ratios in response to their mates' attractiveness. Yet the reciprocal influence of strategic sex allocation on processes of sexual selection has only recently been revealed. Recent theoretical work demonstrates that sex allocation weakens selection for female preferences, leading to the decline of male traits. However, these results have been derived assuming that females have perfect knowledge of mate attractiveness and precise control over cost-free allocation. Relaxing these assumptions highlights the importance of another feedback: that adaptive sex allocation must become difficult to maintain as traits and preferences decline. When sex allocation strategies erode not only traits and preferences but also their own selective advantage, predictions can no longer be expressed as a simple linear correlation between ornament exaggeration and adaptive sex allocation. Instead, strongest sex ratio biases may be found at intermediate trait levels. © 2012 The Author(s). Evolution© 2012 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Genome-wide meta-analysis of 241,258 adults accounting for smoking behaviour identifies novel loci for obesity traits

PubMed Central

Justice, Anne E.; Winkler, Thomas W.; Feitosa, Mary F.; Graff, Misa; Fisher, Virginia A.; Young, Kristin; Barata, Llilda; Deng, Xuan; Czajkowski, Jacek; Hadley, David; Ngwa, Julius S.; Ahluwalia, Tarunveer S.; Chu, Audrey Y.; Heard-Costa, Nancy L.; Lim, Elise; Perez, Jeremiah; Eicher, John D.; Kutalik, Zoltán; Xue, Luting; Mahajan, Anubha; Renström, Frida; Wu, Joseph; Qi, Qibin; Ahmad, Shafqat; Alfred, Tamuno; Amin, Najaf; Bielak, Lawrence F.; Bonnefond, Amelie; Bragg, Jennifer; Cadby, Gemma; Chittani, Martina; Coggeshall, Scott; Corre, Tanguy; Direk, Nese; Eriksson, Joel; Fischer, Krista; Gorski, Mathias; Neergaard Harder, Marie; Horikoshi, Momoko; Huang, Tao; Huffman, Jennifer E.; Jackson, Anne U.; Justesen, Johanne Marie; Kanoni, Stavroula; Kinnunen, Leena; Kleber, Marcus E.; Komulainen, Pirjo; Kumari, Meena; Lim, Unhee; Luan, Jian'an; Lyytikäinen, Leo-Pekka; Mangino, Massimo; Manichaikul, Ani; Marten, Jonathan; Middelberg, Rita P. S.; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Navarro, Pau; Pérusse, Louis; Pervjakova, Natalia; Sarti, Cinzia; Smith, Albert Vernon; Smith, Jennifer A.; Stančáková, Alena; Strawbridge, Rona J.; Stringham, Heather M.; Sung, Yun Ju; Tanaka, Toshiko; Teumer, Alexander; Trompet, Stella; van der Laan, Sander W.; van der Most, Peter J.; Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Jana V.; Vedantam, Sailaja L.; Verweij, Niek; Vink, Jacqueline M.; Vitart, Veronique; Wu, Ying; Yengo, Loic; Zhang, Weihua; Hua Zhao, Jing; Zimmermann, Martina E.; Zubair, Niha; Abecasis, Gonçalo R.; Adair, Linda S.; Afaq, Saima; Afzal, Uzma; Bakker, Stephan J. L.; Bartz, Traci M.; Beilby, John; Bergman, Richard N.; Bergmann, Sven; Biffar, Reiner; Blangero, John; Boerwinkle, Eric; Bonnycastle, Lori L.; Bottinger, Erwin; Braga, Daniele; Buckley, Brendan M.; Buyske, Steve; Campbell, Harry; Chambers, John C.; Collins, Francis S.; Curran, Joanne E.; de Borst, Gert J.; de Craen, Anton J. M.; de Geus, Eco J. C.; Dedoussis, George; Delgado, Graciela E.; den Ruijter, Hester M.; Eiriksdottir, Gudny; Eriksson, Anna L.; Esko, Tõnu; Faul, Jessica D.; Ford, Ian; Forrester, Terrence; Gertow, Karl; Gigante, Bruna; Glorioso, Nicola; Gong, Jian; Grallert, Harald; Grammer, Tanja B.; Grarup, Niels; Haitjema, Saskia; Hallmans, Göran; Hamsten, Anders; Hansen, Torben; Harris, Tamara B.; Hartman, Catharina A.; Hassinen, Maija; Hastie, Nicholas D.; Heath, Andrew C.; Hernandez, Dena; Hindorff, Lucia; Hocking, Lynne J.; Hollensted, Mette; Holmen, Oddgeir L.; Homuth, Georg; Jan Hottenga, Jouke; Huang, Jie; Hung, Joseph; Hutri-Kähönen, Nina; Ingelsson, Erik; James, Alan L.; Jansson, John-Olov; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Jhun, Min A.; Jørgensen, Marit E.; Juonala, Markus; Kähönen, Mika; Karlsson, Magnus; Koistinen, Heikki A.; Kolcic, Ivana; Kolovou, Genovefa; Kooperberg, Charles; Krämer, Bernhard K.; Kuusisto, Johanna; Kvaløy, Kirsti; Lakka, Timo A.; Langenberg, Claudia; Launer, Lenore J.; Leander, Karin; Lee, Nanette R.; Lind, Lars; Lindgren, Cecilia M.; Linneberg, Allan; Lobbens, Stephane; Loh, Marie; Lorentzon, Mattias; Luben, Robert; Lubke, Gitta; Ludolph-Donislawski, Anja; Lupoli, Sara; Madden, Pamela A. F.; Männikkö, Reija; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Martin, Nicholas G.; McKenzie, Colin A.; McKnight, Barbara; Mellström, Dan; Menni, Cristina; Montgomery, Grant W.; Musk, AW (Bill); Narisu, Narisu; Nauck, Matthias; Nolte, Ilja M.; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.; Olden, Matthias; Ong, Ken K.; Padmanabhan, Sandosh; Peyser, Patricia A.; Pisinger, Charlotta; Porteous, David J.; Raitakari, Olli T.; Rankinen, Tuomo; Rao, D. C.; Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura J.; Rawal, Rajesh; Rice, Treva; Ridker, Paul M.; Rose, Lynda M.; Bien, Stephanie A.; Rudan, Igor; Sanna, Serena; Sarzynski, Mark A.; Sattar, Naveed; Savonen, Kai; Schlessinger, David; Scholtens, Salome; Schurmann, Claudia; Scott, Robert A.; Sennblad, Bengt; Siemelink, Marten A.; Silbernagel, Günther; Slagboom, P Eline; Snieder, Harold; Staessen, Jan A.; Stott, David J.; Swertz, Morris A.; Swift, Amy J.; Taylor, Kent D.; Tayo, Bamidele O.; Thorand, Barbara; Thuillier, Dorothee; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Uitterlinden, Andre G.; Vandenput, Liesbeth; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Völzke, Henry; Vonk, Judith M.; Waeber, Gérard; Waldenberger, Melanie; Westendorp, R. G. J.; Wild, Sarah; Willemsen, Gonneke; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H. R.; Wong, Andrew; Wright, Alan F.; Zhao, Wei; Zillikens, M Carola; Baldassarre, Damiano; Balkau, Beverley; Bandinelli, Stefania; Böger, Carsten A.; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Bouchard, Claude; Bruinenberg, Marcel; Chasman, Daniel I.; Chen, Yii-DerIda; Chines, Peter S.; Cooper, Richard S.; Cucca, Francesco; Cusi, Daniele; Faire, Ulf de; Ferrucci, Luigi; Franks, Paul W.; Froguel, Philippe; Gordon-Larsen, Penny; Grabe, Hans- Jörgen; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Haiman, Christopher A.; Hayward, Caroline; Hveem, Kristian; Johnson, Andrew D.; Wouter Jukema, J; Kardia, Sharon L. R.; Kivimaki, Mika; Kooner, Jaspal S.; Kuh, Diana; Laakso, Markku; Lehtimäki, Terho; Marchand, Loic Le; März, Winfried; McCarthy, Mark I.; Metspalu, Andres; Morris, Andrew P.; Ohlsson, Claes; Palmer, Lyle J.; Pasterkamp, Gerard; Pedersen, Oluf; Peters, Annette; Peters, Ulrike; Polasek, Ozren; Psaty, Bruce M.; Qi, Lu; Rauramaa, Rainer; Smith, Blair H.; Sørensen, Thorkild I. A.; Strauch, Konstantin; Tiemeier, Henning; Tremoli, Elena; van der Harst, Pim; Vestergaard, Henrik; Vollenweider, Peter; Wareham, Nicholas J.; Weir, David R.; Whitfield, John B.; Wilson, James F.; Tyrrell, Jessica; Frayling, Timothy M.; Barroso, Inês; Boehnke, Michael; Deloukas, Panagiotis; Fox, Caroline S.; Hirschhorn, Joel N.; Hunter, David J.; Spector, Tim D.; Strachan, David P.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Heid, Iris M.; Mohlke, Karen L.; Marchini, Jonathan; Loos, Ruth J. F.; Kilpeläinen, Tuomas O.; Liu, Ching-Ti; Borecki, Ingrid B.; North, Kari E.; Cupples, L Adrienne

2017-01-01

Few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) account for environmental exposures, like smoking, potentially impacting the overall trait variance when investigating the genetic contribution to obesity-related traits. Here, we use GWAS data from 51,080 current smokers and 190,178 nonsmokers (87% European descent) to identify loci influencing BMI and central adiposity, measured as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio both adjusted for BMI. We identify 23 novel genetic loci, and 9 loci with convincing evidence of gene-smoking interaction (GxSMK) on obesity-related traits. We show consistent direction of effect for all identified loci and significance for 18 novel and for 5 interaction loci in an independent study sample. These loci highlight novel biological functions, including response to oxidative stress, addictive behaviour, and regulatory functions emphasizing the importance of accounting for environment in genetic analyses. Our results suggest that tobacco smoking may alter the genetic susceptibility to overall adiposity and body fat distribution. PMID:28443625

Latent Trait Theory in the Affective Domain--Applications of the Rasch Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Allen R.; Riegel, N. Blyth

The Rasch model of test theory is described in general terms, compared with latent trait theory, and shown to have interesting applications for the measurement of affective as well as cognitive traits. Three assumption of the Rasch model are stated to support the conclusion that calibration of the items and tests is independent of the examinee…

Distributions of Mutational Effects and the Estimation of Directional Selection in Divergent Lineages of Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Park, Briton; Rutter, Matthew T; Fenster, Charles B; Symonds, V Vaughan; Ungerer, Mark C; Townsend, Jeffrey P

2017-08-01

Mutations are crucial to evolution, providing the ultimate source of variation on which natural selection acts. Due to their key role, the distribution of mutational effects on quantitative traits is a key component to any inference regarding historical selection on phenotypic traits. In this paper, we expand on a previously developed test for selection that could be conducted assuming a Gaussian mutation effect distribution by developing approaches to also incorporate any of a family of heavy-tailed Laplace distributions of mutational effects. We apply the test to detect directional natural selection on five traits along the divergence of Columbia and Landsberg lineages of Arabidopsis thaliana , constituting the first test for natural selection in any organism using quantitative trait locus and mutation accumulation data to quantify the intensity of directional selection on a phenotypic trait. We demonstrate that the results of the test for selection can depend on the mutation effect distribution specified. Using the distributions exhibiting the best fit to mutation accumulation data, we infer that natural directional selection caused divergence in the rosette diameter and trichome density traits of the Columbia and Landsberg lineages. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

Evaluation of Morpho-Physiological Traits Adjustment of Prosopis tamarugo Under Long-Term Groundwater Depletion in the Hyper-Arid Atacama Desert

PubMed Central

Garrido, Marco; Silva, Herman; Franck, Nicolás; Arenas, Jorge; Acevedo, Edmundo

2018-01-01

Water extraction from the underground aquifers of the Pampa del Tamarugal (Atacama Desert, Chile) reduced the growing area of Prosopis tamarugo, a strict phreatic species endemic to northern Chile. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of various architectural and morpho-physiological traits adjustment of P. tamarugo subjected to three groundwater depletion intervals (GWDr): <1 m (control), 1–4 m and 6–9 m. The traits were evaluated at three levels, plant [height, trunk cross-section area, leaf fraction (fGCC), and crown size], organ [length of internodes, leaf mass per unit area (LMA), leaflet mass and area], and tissue level [wood density (WD), leaf 13C, 18O isotope composition (δ), and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE)]. In addition, soil water content (VWC) to 1.3 m soil depth, pre-dawn and midday water potential difference (ΔΨ), and stomatal conductance (gs) were evaluated. At the deeper GWDr, P. tamarugo experienced significant growth restriction and reduced fGCC, the remaining canopy had a significantly higher LMA associated with smaller leaflets. No differences in internode length and WD were observed. Values for δ13C and δ18O indicated that as GWDr increased, iWUE increased as a result of partial stomata closure with no significant effect on net assimilation over time. The morpho-physiological changes experienced by P. tamarugo allowed it to acclimate and survive in a condition of groundwater depletion, keeping a functional but diminished canopy. These adjustments allowed maintenance of a relatively high gs; ΔΨ was not different among GWDrs despite smaller VWC at greater GWDr. Although current conservation initiatives of this species are promising, forest deterioration is expected continue as groundwater depth increases. PMID:29686691

Evaluation of Morpho-Physiological Traits Adjustment of Prosopis tamarugo Under Long-Term Groundwater Depletion in the Hyper-Arid Atacama Desert.

PubMed

Garrido, Marco; Silva, Herman; Franck, Nicolás; Arenas, Jorge; Acevedo, Edmundo

2018-01-01

Water extraction from the underground aquifers of the Pampa del Tamarugal (Atacama Desert, Chile) reduced the growing area of Prosopis tamarugo , a strict phreatic species endemic to northern Chile. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of various architectural and morpho-physiological traits adjustment of P. tamarugo subjected to three groundwater depletion intervals (GWDr): <1 m (control), 1-4 m and 6-9 m. The traits were evaluated at three levels, plant [height, trunk cross-section area, leaf fraction ( f GCC), and crown size], organ [length of internodes, leaf mass per unit area (LMA), leaflet mass and area], and tissue level [wood density (WD), leaf 13 C, 18 O isotope composition (δ), and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE)]. In addition, soil water content (VWC) to 1.3 m soil depth, pre-dawn and midday water potential difference (ΔΨ), and stomatal conductance (g s ) were evaluated. At the deeper GWDr, P. tamarugo experienced significant growth restriction and reduced f GCC, the remaining canopy had a significantly higher LMA associated with smaller leaflets. No differences in internode length and WD were observed. Values for δ 13 C and δ 18 O indicated that as GWDr increased, iWUE increased as a result of partial stomata closure with no significant effect on net assimilation over time. The morpho-physiological changes experienced by P. tamarugo allowed it to acclimate and survive in a condition of groundwater depletion, keeping a functional but diminished canopy. These adjustments allowed maintenance of a relatively high g s ; ΔΨ was not different among GWDrs despite smaller VWC at greater GWDr. Although current conservation initiatives of this species are promising, forest deterioration is expected continue as groundwater depth increases.

Risk profiles of personality traits for suicidality among mood disorder patients and community controls.

PubMed

Su, M-H; Chen, H-C; Lu, M-L; Feng, J; Chen, I-M; Wu, C-S; Chang, S-W; Kuo, P-H

2018-01-01

To examine the associations between personality traits and suicidal ideation (SI) and attempt (SA) in mood disorder patients and community controls. We recruited 365 bipolar, 296 major depressive disorder patients, and 315 community controls to assess their lifetime suicidality. Participants filled out self-reported personality questionnaires to collect data of personality traits, including novelty seeking (NS), harm avoidance (HA), extraversion (E), and neuroticism (N). We used logistic regression models adjusted for diagnoses to analyze combinational effects of personality traits on the risk of suicide. Additionally, radar charts display personality profiles for suicidal behaviours by groups. All personality traits were associated with the risk of suicidality with various effect size, except for E that showed protective effect. High N or HA had prominent and independent risk effects on SI and SA. Combinations of high N and low E, or high HA and NS were the risk personality profiles for suicidality. Higher N scores further distinguished SA from SI in mood disorder patients. Introvert personality traits showed independent risk effects on suicidality regardless of diagnosis status. Among high-risk individuals with suicidal thoughts, higher neuroticism tendency is further associated with increased risk of suicide attempt. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of the effect of lavender and bitter orange on anxiety in postmenopausal women: A triple-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

Farshbaf-Khalili, Azizeh; Kamalifard, Mahin; Namadian, Mahsa

2018-05-01

This trial compared the effects of lavender and bitter orange on anxiety in postmenopausal women. This trial was conducted in 2015. Eligible postmenopausal women were allocated into one of two intervention groups or a control group (n = 52 per group) in a 1:1:1 ratio using a randomized block design. Intervention groups received 500 mg capsules containing only bitter orange or lavender flower powder, and the control group received 500 mg capsules containing starch. The Spielberger's State -Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used before and eight weeks after starting the intervention. Data analyses were based on intention to treat. A one-way ANOVA showed no significant difference in mean state anxiety (P = 0.254) and trait anxiety (p = 0.972) score among the three groups before the intervention. The general linear model, adjusted for baseline state and trait anxiety scores and confounding factors, showed significant differences among the groups in the mean state anxiety (P = 0.010) and trait anxiety (p = 0.041) score after eight weeks of treatment. Bitter orange significantly reduced the mean state-anxiety scores compared with the control group [Adjusted Mean Difference (aMD): -1.99 (95% Confidence Interval, -3.64 to -0.34)]. Lavender significantly reduced the mean state-anxiety scores compared with the control group as well [aMD: -2.45 (95% CI -4.13 to -0.77)] and Bitter orange significantly reduced the mean trait-anxiety scores compared with the control group [aMD: -1.76 (95% CI -3.45 to -0.06)]. Lavender significantly reduced the mean trait-anxiety scores compared with the control group as well [aMD: -2.05 (95% CI -3.76 to -0.33)]. There was no significant difference between bitter orange and lavender groups after intervention in the mean trait-anxiety (p = 0.731) or state-anxiety (p = 0.578) scores. The positive effect of bitter orange and lavender on anxiety in postmenopausal women suggests that they can be used to decrease anxiety in such women. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetics of serum carotenoid concentrations and their correlation with obesity-related traits in Mexican American children.

PubMed

Farook, Vidya S; Reddivari, Lavanya; Mummidi, Srinivas; Puppala, Sobha; Arya, Rector; Lopez-Alvarenga, Juan Carlos; Fowler, Sharon P; Chittoor, Geetha; Resendez, Roy G; Kumar, Birunda Mohan; Comuzzie, Anthony G; Curran, Joanne E; Lehman, Donna M; Jenkinson, Christopher P; Lynch, Jane L; DeFronzo, Ralph A; Blangero, John; Hale, Daniel E; Duggirala, Ravindranath; Vanamala, Jairam Kp

2017-07-01

Background: Dietary intake of phytonutrients present in fruits and vegetables, such as carotenoids, is associated with a lower risk of obesity and related traits, but the impact of genetic variation on these associations is poorly understood, especially in children. Objective: We estimated common genetic influences on serum carotenoid concentrations and obesity-related traits in Mexican American (MA) children. Design: Obesity-related data were obtained from 670 nondiabetic MA children, aged 6-17 y. Serum α- and β-carotenoid concentrations were measured in ∼570 (α-carotene in 565 and β-carotene in 572) of these children with the use of an ultraperformance liquid chromatography-photodiode array. We determined heritabilities for both carotenoids and examined their genetic relation with 10 obesity-related traits [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, fat mass (FM), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin and glucose, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance] by using family data and a variance components approach. For these analyses, carotenoid values were inverse normalized, and all traits were adjusted for significant covariate effects of age and sex. Results: Carotenoid concentrations were highly heritable and significant [α-carotene: heritability ( h 2 ) = 0.81, P = 6.7 × 10 -11 ; β-carotene: h 2 = 0.90, P = 3.5 × 10 -15 ]. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, we found significant ( P ≤ 0.05) negative phenotypic correlations between carotenoid concentrations and the following traits: BMI, WC, FM, and triglycerides (range: α-carotene = -0.19 to -0.12; β-carotene = -0.24 to -0.13) and positive correlations with HDL cholesterol (α-carotene = 0.17; β-carotene = 0.24). However, when the phenotypic correlations were partitioned into genetic and environmental correlations, we found marginally significant ( P = 0.051) genetic correlations only between β-carotene and BMI (-0.27), WC (-0.30), and HDL cholesterol (0.31) after accounting for multiple comparisons. None of the environmental correlations were significant. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that the serum carotenoid concentrations were under strong additive genetic influences based on variance components analyses, and that the common genetic factors may influence β-carotene and obesity and lipid traits in MA children. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Biased Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Donald Ross

This paper is concerned with the accusations made by such groups as the Association of Black Psychologists in their call for a moratorium on testing, that standardized tests are biased. A biased test measures one trait in one group of people but a different trait in a second group. Evidence about the amount of bias in tests is thin. Bias must be…

Estimation of genetic parameters and response to selection for a continuous trait subject to culling before testing.

PubMed

Arnason, T; Albertsdóttir, E; Fikse, W F; Eriksson, S; Sigurdsson, A

2012-02-01

The consequences of assuming a zero environmental covariance between a binary trait 'test-status' and a continuous trait on the estimates of genetic parameters by restricted maximum likelihood and Gibbs sampling and on response from genetic selection when the true environmental covariance deviates from zero were studied. Data were simulated for two traits (one that culling was based on and a continuous trait) using the following true parameters, on the underlying scale: h² = 0.4; r(A) = 0.5; r(E) = 0.5, 0.0 or -0.5. The selection on the continuous trait was applied to five subsequent generations where 25 sires and 500 dams produced 1500 offspring per generation. Mass selection was applied in the analysis of the effect on estimation of genetic parameters. Estimated breeding values were used in the study of the effect of genetic selection on response and accuracy. The culling frequency was either 0.5 or 0.8 within each generation. Each of 10 replicates included 7500 records on 'test-status' and 9600 animals in the pedigree file. Results from bivariate analysis showed unbiased estimates of variance components and genetic parameters when true r(E) = 0.0. For r(E) = 0.5, variance components (13-19% bias) and especially (50-80%) were underestimated for the continuous trait, while heritability estimates were unbiased. For r(E) = -0.5, heritability estimates of test-status were unbiased, while genetic variance and heritability of the continuous trait together with were overestimated (25-50%). The bias was larger for the higher culling frequency. Culling always reduced genetic progress from selection, but the genetic progress was found to be robust to the use of wrong parameter values of the true environmental correlation between test-status and the continuous trait. Use of a bivariate linear-linear model reduced bias in genetic evaluations, when data were subject to culling. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Sperm competition, sperm numbers and sperm quality in muroid rodents.

PubMed

Gómez Montoto, Laura; Magaña, Concepción; Tourmente, Maximiliano; Martín-Coello, Juan; Crespo, Cristina; Luque-Larena, Juan José; Gomendio, Montserrat; Roldan, Eduardo R S

2011-03-25

Sperm competition favors increases in relative testes mass and production efficiency, and changes in sperm phenotype that result in faster swimming speeds. However, little is known about its effects on traits that contribute to determine the quality of a whole ejaculate (i.e., proportion of motile, viable, morphologically normal and acrosome intact sperm) and that are key determinants of fertilization success. Two competing hypotheses lead to alternative predictions: (a) sperm quantity and quality traits co-evolve under sperm competition because they play complementary roles in determining ejaculate's competitive ability, or (b) energetic constraints force trade-offs between traits depending on their relevance in providing a competitive advantage. We examined relationships between sperm competition levels, sperm quantity, and traits that determine ejaculate quality, in a comparative study of 18 rodent species using phylogenetically controlled analyses. Total sperm numbers were positively correlated to proportions of normal sperm, acrosome integrity and motile sperm; the latter three were also significantly related among themselves, suggesting no trade-offs between traits. In addition, testes mass corrected for body mass (i.e., relative testes mass), showed a strong association with sperm numbers, and positive significant associations with all sperm traits that determine ejaculate quality with the exception of live sperm. An "overall sperm quality" parameter obtained by principal component analysis (which explained 85% of the variance) was more strongly associated with relative testes mass than any individual quality trait. Overall sperm quality was as strongly associated with relative testes mass as sperm numbers. Thus, sperm quality traits improve under sperm competition in an integrated manner suggesting that a combination of all traits is what makes ejaculates more competitive. In evolutionary terms this implies that a complex network of genetic and developmental pathways underlying processes of sperm formation, maturation, transport in the female reproductive tract, and preparation for fertilization must all evolve in concert.

Gratitude influences sleep through the mechanism of pre-sleep cognitions.

PubMed

Wood, Alex M; Joseph, Stephen; Lloyd, Joanna; Atkins, Samuel

2009-01-01

To test whether individual differences in gratitude are related to sleep after controlling for neuroticism and other traits. To test whether pre-sleep cognitions are the mechanism underlying this relationship. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted with a large (186 males, 215 females) community sample (ages=18-68 years, mean=24.89, S.D.=9.02), including 161 people (40%) scoring above 5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, indicating clinically impaired sleep. Measures included gratitude, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), self-statement test of pre-sleep cognitions, the Mini-IPIP scales of Big Five personality traits, and the Social Desirability Scale. Gratitude predicted greater subjective sleep quality and sleep duration, and less sleep latency and daytime dysfunction. The relationship between gratitude and each of the sleep variables was mediated by more positive pre-sleep cognitions and less negative pre-sleep cognitions. All of the results were independent of the effect of the Big Five personality traits (including neuroticism) and social desirability. This is the first study to show that a positive trait is related to good sleep quality above the effect of other personality traits, and to test whether pre-sleep cognitions are the mechanism underlying the relationship between any personality trait and sleep. The study is also the first to show that trait gratitude is related to sleep and to explain why this occurs, suggesting future directions for research, and novel clinical implications.

Genetics Home Reference: prostate cancer

MedlinePlus

... prostate cancer Genetic Testing Registry: Prostate cancer aggressiveness quantitative trait locus on chromosome 19 Genetic Testing Registry: ... OMIM (25 links) PROSTATE CANCER PROSTATE CANCER AGGRESSIVENESS QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCUS ON CHROMOSOME 19 PROSTATE CANCER ANTIGEN ...

Testing for association with multiple traits in generalized estimation equations, with application to neuroimaging data.

PubMed

Zhang, Yiwei; Xu, Zhiyuan; Shen, Xiaotong; Pan, Wei

2014-08-01

There is an increasing need to develop and apply powerful statistical tests to detect multiple traits-single locus associations, as arising from neuroimaging genetics and other studies. For example, in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), in addition to genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), thousands of neuroimaging and neuropsychological phenotypes as intermediate phenotypes for Alzheimer's disease, have been collected. Although some classic methods like MANOVA and newly proposed methods may be applied, they have their own limitations. For example, MANOVA cannot be applied to binary and other discrete traits. In addition, the relationships among these methods are not well understood. Importantly, since these tests are not data adaptive, depending on the unknown association patterns among multiple traits and between multiple traits and a locus, these tests may or may not be powerful. In this paper we propose a class of data-adaptive weights and the corresponding weighted tests in the general framework of generalized estimation equations (GEE). A highly adaptive test is proposed to select the most powerful one from this class of the weighted tests so that it can maintain high power across a wide range of situations. Our proposed tests are applicable to various types of traits with or without covariates. Importantly, we also analytically show relationships among some existing and our proposed tests, indicating that many existing tests are special cases of our proposed tests. Extensive simulation studies were conducted to compare and contrast the power properties of various existing and our new methods. Finally, we applied the methods to an ADNI dataset to illustrate the performance of the methods. We conclude with the recommendation for the use of the GEE-based Score test and our proposed adaptive test for their high and complementary performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coexisting oak species, including rear-edge populations, buffer climate stress through xylem adjustments.

PubMed

Granda, E; Alla, A Q; Laskurain, N A; Loidi, J; Sánchez-Lorenzo, A; Camarero, J J

2018-02-01

The ability of trees to cope with climate change is a pivotal feature of forest ecosystems, especially for rear-edge populations facing warm and dry conditions. To evaluate current and future forests threats, a multi-proxy focus on the growth, anatomical and physiological responses to climate change is needed. We examined the long-term xylem adjustments to climate variability of the temperate Quercus robur L. at its rear edge and the sub-Mediterranean Quercus pyrenaica Willd. Both species coexist at a mesic (ME, humid and warmer) and a xeric (XE, dry and cooler) site in northern Spain, the latter experiencing increasing temperatures in recent decades. We compared xylem traits at each site and assessed their trends, relationships and responses to climate (1960-2008). Traits included basal area increment, earlywood vessel hydraulic diameter, density and theoretical-specific hydraulic conductivity together with latewood oxygen (δ18O) stable isotopes and δ13C-derived water-use efficiency (iWUE). Quercus robur showed the highest growth at ME, likely through enhanced cambial activity. Quercus pyrenaica had higher iWUE at XE compared with ME, but limited plasticity of anatomical xylem traits was found for the two oak species. Similar physiological performance was found for both species. The iWUE augmented in recent years especially at XE, likely explained by stomatal closure given the increasing δ18O signal in response to drier and sunnier growing seasons. Overall, traits were more correlated at XE than at ME. The iWUE improvements were linked to higher growth up to a threshold (~85 μmol mol-1) after which reduced growth was found at XE. Our results are consistent with Q. pyrenaica and Q. robur coexisting at the central and dry edge of the climatic species distribution, respectively, showing similar responses to buffer warmer conditions. In fact, the observed adjustments found for Q. robur point towards growth stability of similar rear-edge oak populations under warmer climate conditions. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Mendelian randomisation analysis provides no evidence for a relationship between adult height and testicular cancer risk.

PubMed

Levy, M; Hall, D; Sud, A; Law, P; Litchfield, K; Dudakia, D; Haugen, T B; Karlsson, R; Reid, A; Huddart, R A; Grotmol, T; Wiklund, F; Houlston, R S; Turnbull, C

2017-09-01

Observational studies have suggested anthropometric traits, particularly increased height are associated with an elevated risk of testicular cancer (testicular germ cell tumour). However, there is an inconsistency between study findings, suggesting the possibility of the influence of confounding factors. To examine the association between anthropometric traits and testicular germ cell tumour using an unbiased approach, we performed a Mendelian randomisation study. We used genotype data from genome wide association studies of testicular germ cell tumour totalling 5518 cases and 19,055 controls. Externally weighted polygenic risk scores were created and used to evaluate associations with testicular germ cell tumour risk per one standard deviation (s.d) increase in genetically-defined adult height, adult BMI, adult waist hip ratio adjusted for BMI (WHRadjBMI), adult hip circumference adjusted for BMI (HIPadjBMI), adult waist circumference adjusted for BMI (WCadjBMI), birth weight (BW) and childhood obesity. Mendelian randomisation analysis did not demonstrate an association between any anthropometric trait and testicular germ cell tumour risk. In particular, despite good power, there was no global evidence for association between height and testicular germ cell tumour. However, three SNPs for adult height individually showed association with testicular germ cell tumour (rs4624820: OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.41-1.55, p = 2.7 × 10 -57 ; rs12228415: OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.11-1.22, p = 3.1 × 10 -10 ; rs7568069: OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.07-1.18, p = 1.1 × 10 -6 ). This Mendelian randomisation analysis, based on the largest testicular germ cell tumour genome wide association dataset to date, does not support a causal etiological association between anthropometric traits and testicular germ cell tumour aetiology. Our findings are more compatible with confounding by shared environmental factors, possibly related to prenatal growth with exposure to these risk factors occurring in utero. © 2017 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.

Test Anxiety: A State or Trait Concept?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedl, John J., Jr.

The purpose of this experiment was to relate two bodies of research on anxiety: test anxiety, or anxiety proneness specific to the testing situation, and trait-state anxiety. The author hypothesized that state anxiety--anxiety not tied to any particular situation but aroused in "any" situation--should be highly related to test anxiety during a…

A Note on Stochastic Ordering of the Latent Trait Using the Sum of Polytomous Item Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Ark, L. Andries; Bergsma, Wicher P.

2010-01-01

In contrast to dichotomous item response theory (IRT) models, most well-known polytomous IRT models do not imply stochastic ordering of the latent trait by the total test score (SOL). This has been thought to make the ordering of respondents on the latent trait using the total test score questionable and throws doubt on the justifiability of using…

Trait valence and the better-than-average effect.

PubMed

Gold, Ron S; Brown, Mark G

2011-12-01

People tend to regard themselves as having superior personality traits compared to their average peer. To test whether this "better-than-average effect" varies with trait valence, participants (N = 154 students) rated both themselves and the average student on traits constituting either positive or negative poles of five trait dimensions. In each case, the better-than-average effect was found, but trait valence had no effect. Results were discussed in terms of Kahneman and Tversky's prospect theory.

Cognitive and affective mechanisms linking trait mindfulness to craving among individuals in addiction recovery.

PubMed

Garland, Eric L; Roberts-Lewis, Amelia; Kelley, Karen; Tronnier, Christine; Hanley, Adam

2014-04-01

The present study aimed to identify affective, cognitive, and conative mediators of the relation between trait mindfulness and craving in data culled from an urban sample of 165 persons (in abstinence verified by urinalysis) entering into residential treatment for substance use disorders between 2010 and 2012. Multivariate path analysis adjusting for age, gender, education level, employment status, and substance use frequency indicated that the association between the total trait mindfulness score on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and alcohol/drug craving was statistically mediated by negative affect (measured by the PANAS, beta = -.13) and cognitive reappraisal (measured by the CERQ, beta = -.08), but not by readiness to change (measured by the URICA, beta = -.001). Implications for mindfulness-oriented treatment of persons with substance use disorders are discussed. The study's limitations are noted.

Analysis of genetic effects of nuclear-cytoplasmic interaction on quantitative traits: genetic model for diploid plants.

PubMed

Han, Lide; Yang, Jian; Zhu, Jun

2007-06-01

A genetic model was proposed for simultaneously analyzing genetic effects of nuclear, cytoplasm, and nuclear-cytoplasmic interaction (NCI) as well as their genotype by environment (GE) interaction for quantitative traits of diploid plants. In the model, the NCI effects were further partitioned into additive and dominance nuclear-cytoplasmic interaction components. Mixed linear model approaches were used for statistical analysis. On the basis of diallel cross designs, Monte Carlo simulations showed that the genetic model was robust for estimating variance components under several situations without specific effects. Random genetic effects were predicted by an adjusted unbiased prediction (AUP) method. Data on four quantitative traits (boll number, lint percentage, fiber length, and micronaire) in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were analyzed as a worked example to show the effectiveness of the model.

Filling gaps in large ecological databases: consequences for the study of global-scale plant functional trait patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrodt, Franziska; Shan, Hanhuai; Fazayeli, Farideh; Karpatne, Anuj; Kattge, Jens; Banerjee, Arindam; Reichstein, Markus; Reich, Peter

2013-04-01

With the advent of remotely sensed data and coordinated efforts to create global databases, the ecological community has progressively become more data-intensive. However, in contrast to other disciplines, statistical ways of handling these large data sets, especially the gaps which are inherent to them, are lacking. Widely used theoretical approaches, for example model averaging based on Akaike's information criterion (AIC), are sensitive to missing values. Yet, the most common way of handling sparse matrices - the deletion of cases with missing data (complete case analysis) - is known to severely reduce statistical power as well as inducing biased parameter estimates. In order to address these issues, we present novel approaches to gap filling in large ecological data sets using matrix factorization techniques. Factorization based matrix completion was developed in a recommender system context and has since been widely used to impute missing data in fields outside the ecological community. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of probabilistic matrix factorization techniques for imputing missing data in ecological matrices using two imputation techniques. Hierarchical Probabilistic Matrix Factorization (HPMF) effectively incorporates hierarchical phylogenetic information (phylogenetic group, family, genus, species and individual plant) into the trait imputation. Advanced Hierarchical Probabilistic Matrix Factorization (aHPMF) on the other hand includes climate and soil information into the matrix factorization by regressing the environmental variables against residuals of the HPMF. One unique opportunity opened up by aHPMF is out-of-sample prediction, where traits can be predicted for specific species at locations different to those sampled in the past. This has potentially far-reaching consequences for the study of global-scale plant functional trait patterns. We test the accuracy and effectiveness of HPMF and aHPMF in filling sparse matrices, using the TRY database of plant functional traits (http://www.try-db.org). TRY is one of the largest global compilations of plant trait databases (750 traits of 1 million plants), encompassing data on morphological, anatomical, biochemical, phenological and physiological features of plants. However, despite of unprecedented coverage, the TRY database is still very sparse, severely limiting joint trait analyses. Plant traits are the key to understanding how plants as primary producers adjust to changes in environmental conditions and in turn influence them. Forming the basis for Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs), plant traits are also fundamental in global change studies for predicting future ecosystem changes. It is thus imperative that missing data is imputed in as accurate and precise a way as possible. In this study, we show the advantages and disadvantages of applying probabilistic matrix factorization techniques in incorporating hierarchical and environmental information for the prediction of missing plant traits as compared to conventional imputation techniques such as the complete case and mean approaches. We will discuss the implications of using gap-filled data for global-scale studies of plant functional trait - environment relationship as opposed to the above-mentioned conventional techniques, using examples of out-of-sample predictions of foliar Nitrogen across several species' ranges and biomes.

The value of cows in reference populations for genomic selection of new functional traits.

PubMed

Buch, L H; Kargo, M; Berg, P; Lassen, J; Sørensen, A C

2012-06-01

Today, almost all reference populations consist of progeny tested bulls. However, older progeny tested bulls do not have reliable estimated breeding values (EBV) for new traits. Thus, to be able to select for these new traits, it is necessary to build a reference population. We used a deterministic prediction model to test the hypothesis that the value of cows in reference populations depends on the availability of phenotypic records. To test the hypothesis, we investigated different strategies of building a reference population for a new functional trait over a 10-year period. The trait was either recorded on a large scale (30 000 cows per year) or on a small scale (2000 cows per year). For large-scale recording, we compared four scenarios where the reference population consisted of 30 sires; 30 sires and 170 test bulls; 30 sires and 2000 cows; or 30 sires, 2000 cows and 170 test bulls in the first year with measurements of the new functional trait. In addition to varying the make-up of the reference population, we also varied the heritability of the trait (h2 = 0.05 v. 0.15). The results showed that a reference population of test bulls, cows and sires results in the highest accuracy of the direct genomic values (DGV) for a new functional trait, regardless of its heritability. For small-scale recording, we compared two scenarios where the reference population consisted of the 2000 cows with phenotypic records or the 30 sires of these cows in the first year with measurements of the new functional trait. The results showed that a reference population of cows results in the highest accuracy of the DGV whether the heritability is 0.05 or 0.15, because variation is lost when phenotypic data on cows are summarized in EBV of their sires. The main conclusions from this study are: (i) the fewer phenotypic records, the larger effect of including cows in the reference population; (ii) for small-scale recording, the accuracy of the DGV will continue to increase for several years, whereas the increases in the accuracy of the DGV quickly decrease with large-scale recording; (iii) it is possible to achieve accuracies of the DGV that enable selection for new functional traits recorded on a large scale within 3 years from commencement of recording; and (iv) a higher heritability benefits a reference population of cows more than a reference population of bulls.

Issues Affecting Cross-Cultural Adaptation of International Graduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartshorne, Richard; Baucom, Jennifer

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the adjustment problems encountered by international graduate students enrolled in American universities. Issues of interest included motives for attending graduate school, factors involved in facilitating and constraining the graduate school experience, personality traits that contribute to…

kruX: matrix-based non-parametric eQTL discovery.

PubMed

Qi, Jianlong; Asl, Hassan Foroughi; Björkegren, Johan; Michoel, Tom

2014-01-14

The Kruskal-Wallis test is a popular non-parametric statistical test for identifying expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) from genome-wide data due to its robustness against variations in the underlying genetic model and expression trait distribution, but testing billions of marker-trait combinations one-by-one can become computationally prohibitive. We developed kruX, an algorithm implemented in Matlab, Python and R that uses matrix multiplications to simultaneously calculate the Kruskal-Wallis test statistic for several millions of marker-trait combinations at once. KruX is more than ten thousand times faster than computing associations one-by-one on a typical human dataset. We used kruX and a dataset of more than 500k SNPs and 20k expression traits measured in 102 human blood samples to compare eQTLs detected by the Kruskal-Wallis test to eQTLs detected by the parametric ANOVA and linear model methods. We found that the Kruskal-Wallis test is more robust against data outliers and heterogeneous genotype group sizes and detects a higher proportion of non-linear associations, but is more conservative for calling additive linear associations. kruX enables the use of robust non-parametric methods for massive eQTL mapping without the need for a high-performance computing infrastructure and is freely available from http://krux.googlecode.com.

Reaction norm of fertility traits adjusted for protein and fat production level across lactations in Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Menendez-Buxadera, A; Carabaño, M J; Gonzalez-Recio, O; Cue, R I; Ugarte, E; Alenda, R

2013-07-01

A total of 304,001 artificial insemination outcomes in up to 7 lactations from 142,389 Holstein cows, daughters of 5,349 sires and 101,433 dams, calving between January 1995 and December 2007 in 1,347 herds were studied by a reaction norm model. The (co)variance components for days to first service (DFS), days open, nonreturn rate in the first service (NRFS), and number of services per conception were estimated by 6 models: 3 Legendre polynomial degrees for the genetic effects and adjustment or not for the level of fat plus protein (FP) production recorded at day closest to DFS. For all traits and type of FP adjustment, a second degree polynomial showed the best fit. The use of the adjusted FP model did not increase the level of genetic (co)variance components except for DFS. The heritability for each of the traits was low in general (0.03-0.10) and increased from the first to fourth calving; nevertheless, very important variability was found for the estimated breeding value (EBV) of the sires. The genetic correlations (rg) were close to unity between adjacent calvings, but decreased for most distant parities, ranging from rg=0.36 (for DFS) to rg=0.63 (for NRFS), confirming the existence of heterogeneous genetic (co)variance components and EBV across lactations. The results of the eigen decomposition of rg shows that the first eigenvalue explained between 82 to 92% and the second between 8 to 14% of the genetic variance for all traits; therefore, a deformation of the overall mean trajectory for reproductive performance across the trajectory of the different calving could be expected if selection favored these eigenfunctions. The results of EBV for the 50 best sires showed a substantial reranking and variation in the shape of response across lactations. The more important aspect to highlight, however, is the difference between the EBV of the same sires in different calvings, a characteristic known as plasticity, which is particularly important for DFS and NRFS. This component of fertility adds another dimension to selection for fertility that can be used to change the negative genetic progress of reproductive performance presented in this population of Holstein cows. The use of a reaction norm model should allow producers to obtain more robust cows for maintenance of fertility levels along the whole productive life of the cows. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parameter-based stochastic simulation of selection and breeding for multiple traits

Treesearch

Jennifer Myszewski; Thomas Byram; Floyd Bridgwater

2006-01-01

To increase the adaptability and economic value of plantations, tree improvement professionals often manage multiple traits in their breeding programs. When these traits are unfavorably correlated, breeders must weigh the economic importance of each trait and select for a desirable aggregate phenotype. Stochastic simulation allows breeders to test the effects of...

Violent media exposure, aggression and CU traits in adolescence: Testing the selection and socialization hypotheses.

PubMed

Rydell, Ann-Margret

2016-10-01

We investigated the role of exposure to violent action for later aggression and for later callous-unemotional traits in a sample of Swedish adolescents (N = 77-85), testing the selection and socialization hypotheses. Adolescents reported on violent delinquency and on callous-unemotional (CU) traits at age 15, on their media habits at age 16 and on reactive and proactive aggression and CU traits at age 18. The socialization hypothesis was supported with regard to aggression, that is, violent delinquency did not affect consumption of violent action, but controlling for violent delinquency, consumption of violent action added to proactive aggression and, marginally, to reactive aggression. The selection hypothesis was supported with regard to CU traits, that is, high levels of CU traits predicted frequent consumption of violent action, but consumption of violent action did not affect later levels of CU traits. Frequent violent media use was associated with later aggression. The associations between CU traits and violent media need further study. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do Standardized Tests Penalize Deep-Thinking, Creative, or Conscientious Students?: Some Personality Correlates of Graduate Record Examinations Test Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Donald E.; Kaufman, James C.

2004-01-01

The objective of the study reported here was to explore the relationship of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test scores to selected personality traits--conscientiousness, rationality, ingenuity, quickness, creativity, and depth. A sample of 342 GRE test takers completed short personality inventory scales for each trait. Analyses…

Multiple sclerosis is associated with high trait anger: a case-control study.

PubMed

Benito-León, Julián; Labiano-Fontcuberta, Andrés; Mitchell, Alex J; Moreno-García, Sara; Martínez-Martín, Pablo

2014-05-15

In recent years there has been a focus on health-related quality of life in multiple sclerosis (MS) and in particular the importance of non-motor problems such as fatigue, pain, depression, anxiety, and cognitive disorders. However, little attention has been focused on other negative emotions, such as anger. Our purpose was to evaluate whether trait anger (a predisposition to experience frequent and intense episodes of anger over time) is different between persons with and without MS after controlling for depression, anxiety, and other socio-demographic variables. 157 consecutive MS patients were enrolled in the study and compared to eighty age, gender, and education-matched healthy controls. Participants were administered affective trait measures (Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory) and the trait anger measure (the Spanish adapted version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 [STAXI-2]). MS patients had significantly higher scores on anger intensity (state anger) and trait anger than did controls. They also had a trend to experience direct anger toward other persons or objects in the environment (higher anger expression-out score) and to hold in or suppress angry feelings (higher anger expression-in score). However, in a regression analysis that adjusted for different demographic and clinical variables, we found that diagnosis category (MS patient vs. control) was associated with none of the highest quartiles of STAXI-2 scores, except for the Trait Anger scale (odds ratios between 2.35 and 3.50). The present study provides further evidence that MS is independently associated with high trait anger. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trait anxiety levels before and after antidepressant treatment: a 3-wave cohort study.

PubMed

Nabi, Hermann; Virtanen, Marianna; Singh-Manoux, Archana; Hagger-Johnson, Gareth; Pentti, Jaana; Kivimäki, Mika; Vahtera, Jussi

2013-06-01

The aim of this study was to examine change in "trait anxiety" levels assessed repeatedly before and after antidepressant treatment in a large cohort of men and women. A total of 18,732 participants of the Finnish Public Sector Study with no initial record of depression or self-reported doctor diagnosis of depression completed the short form of the Spielberger Trait-Anxiety Inventory in 2000-2002 (T1), 2004-2005 (T2), and 2008-2009 (T3). We used prescription data from the nationwide Drug Prescription Register to identify antidepressant treatment between T1 and T2 (n = 710). Both men (β = 0.435, P < 0.001) and women (β = 0.300, P < 0.001) who received antidepressant treatment had higher trait anxiety levels at T1. Mixed models analyses of repeated measures showed a small but statistically significant decrease in trait anxiety scores for the overall sample of men (β = 0.023, P = 0.033) and women (β = 0.011, P = 0.031) between T1 and T3. The interaction term between time and antidepressant treatment status suggested a greater decrease in trait anxiety levels among men receiving antidepressant treatment, with an adjusted excess decrease in mean trait anxiety scores of 0.163 (P = 0.012) between T1 and T3. We found some evidence suggesting that this is also the case in women, although the evidence in our data was less consistent for women. This large-scale study provides evidence suggesting that antidepressant treatment is associated with a reduction in trait anxiety levels, particularly in men.

Control for Population Structure and Relatedness for Binary Traits in Genetic Association Studies via Logistic Mixed Models

PubMed Central

Chen, Han; Wang, Chaolong; Conomos, Matthew P.; Stilp, Adrienne M.; Li, Zilin; Sofer, Tamar; Szpiro, Adam A.; Chen, Wei; Brehm, John M.; Celedón, Juan C.; Redline, Susan; Papanicolaou, George J.; Thornton, Timothy A.; Laurie, Cathy C.; Rice, Kenneth; Lin, Xihong

2016-01-01

Linear mixed models (LMMs) are widely used in genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to account for population structure and relatedness, for both continuous and binary traits. Motivated by the failure of LMMs to control type I errors in a GWAS of asthma, a binary trait, we show that LMMs are generally inappropriate for analyzing binary traits when population stratification leads to violation of the LMM’s constant-residual variance assumption. To overcome this problem, we develop a computationally efficient logistic mixed model approach for genome-wide analysis of binary traits, the generalized linear mixed model association test (GMMAT). This approach fits a logistic mixed model once per GWAS and performs score tests under the null hypothesis of no association between a binary trait and individual genetic variants. We show in simulation studies and real data analysis that GMMAT effectively controls for population structure and relatedness when analyzing binary traits in a wide variety of study designs. PMID:27018471

How do working-memory-related demand, reasoning ability and aversive reinforcement modulate conflict monitoring?

PubMed Central

Leue, Anja; Weber, Bernd; Beauducel, André

2014-01-01

Conflict monitoring is a process of stimulus evaluation and a pre-requisite for subsequent recruitment of cognitive control and behavioral adaptations. This study investigated how experimentally manipulated working-memory-related cognitive demand and aversive reinforcement modulate individual differences of conflict monitoring intensity and behavioral adjustments. Individual differences were assessed by means of an anxiety-related trait dimension (trait-BIS) and by means of reasoning abilities—a core determinant of intelligence. Moreover, we investigated the special role of verbal reasoning ability and figural reasoning ability for the modulation of the conflict monitoring intensity. Ninety participants performed a go/nogo task with four conditions each comprising a combination of low vs. high working-memory-related cognitive demand and low vs. high aversive reinforcement. No effect of aversive reinforcement was observed for the N2 amplitude. The fronto-central nogo N2 amplitude was more pronounced for high demand vs. low demand suggesting that cognitive demand served as an aversive costly event. Higher total reasoning abilities were associated with more intense conflict monitoring and shorter response times with increasing aversive reinforcement (defined as verbal error-feedback vs. monetary loss). Individuals with higher trait-BIS scores demonstrated a more intense conflict monitoring even in conditions with low aversive reinforcement and also a more cautious responding (i.e., response times slowing) with increasing aversive reinforcement indicating a focus on negative feedback prevention. The findings provide evidence for the conflict monitoring theory and suggest that working-memory-related demand overrules the impact of aversive reinforcement on conflict monitoring intensity. Reasoning abilities and anxiety-related traits go along with an intensification of conflict monitoring but differences in the flexibility of behavioral adjustment. PMID:24782739

Bayesian inference for unidirectional misclassification of a binary response trait.

PubMed

Xia, Michelle; Gustafson, Paul

2018-03-15

When assessing association between a binary trait and some covariates, the binary response may be subject to unidirectional misclassification. Unidirectional misclassification can occur when revealing a particular level of the trait is associated with a type of cost, such as a social desirability or financial cost. The feasibility of addressing misclassification is commonly obscured by model identification issues. The current paper attempts to study the efficacy of inference when the binary response variable is subject to unidirectional misclassification. From a theoretical perspective, we demonstrate that the key model parameters possess identifiability, except for the case with a single binary covariate. From a practical standpoint, the logistic model with quantitative covariates can be weakly identified, in the sense that the Fisher information matrix may be near singular. This can make learning some parameters difficult under certain parameter settings, even with quite large samples. In other cases, the stronger identification enables the model to provide more effective adjustment for unidirectional misclassification. An extension to the Poisson approximation of the binomial model reveals the identifiability of the Poisson and zero-inflated Poisson models. For fully identified models, the proposed method adjusts for misclassification based on learning from data. For binary models where there is difficulty in identification, the method is useful for sensitivity analyses on the potential impact from unidirectional misclassification. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Statistical Approach for Testing Cross-Phenotype Effects of Rare Variants

PubMed Central

Broadaway, K. Alaine; Cutler, David J.; Duncan, Richard; Moore, Jacob L.; Ware, Erin B.; Jhun, Min A.; Bielak, Lawrence F.; Zhao, Wei; Smith, Jennifer A.; Peyser, Patricia A.; Kardia, Sharon L.R.; Ghosh, Debashis; Epstein, Michael P.

2016-01-01

Increasing empirical evidence suggests that many genetic variants influence multiple distinct phenotypes. When cross-phenotype effects exist, multivariate association methods that consider pleiotropy are often more powerful than univariate methods that model each phenotype separately. Although several statistical approaches exist for testing cross-phenotype effects for common variants, there is a lack of similar tests for gene-based analysis of rare variants. In order to fill this important gap, we introduce a statistical method for cross-phenotype analysis of rare variants using a nonparametric distance-covariance approach that compares similarity in multivariate phenotypes to similarity in rare-variant genotypes across a gene. The approach can accommodate both binary and continuous phenotypes and further can adjust for covariates. Our approach yields a closed-form test whose significance can be evaluated analytically, thereby improving computational efficiency and permitting application on a genome-wide scale. We use simulated data to demonstrate that our method, which we refer to as the Gene Association with Multiple Traits (GAMuT) test, provides increased power over competing approaches. We also illustrate our approach using exome-chip data from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy. PMID:26942286

Genetic analyses of linear profiling data on 3-year-old Swedish Warmblood horses.

PubMed

Viklund, Å; Eriksson, S

2018-02-01

A linear profiling protocol was introduced in 2013 at tests for 3-year-old Swedish Warmblood horses. In this protocol, traits are subjectively described on a nine-point linear scale from one biological extreme to the other. This complements the traditional scoring where horses are evaluated in relation to the breeding objective. This study aimed to investigate the suitability of the linear information for genetic evaluation. Data on 22 conformation traits, 17 movement traits, 14 jumping traits and one temperament trait from 3,410 horses tested between 2013 and 2016 were analysed using an animal model. For conformation traits, the heritabilities ranged from 0.10 for description of hock joint from behind to 0.52 for shape of the neck. For movement traits, the highest heritability (0.54) was estimated for elasticity in trot and the lowest (0.08) for energy in walk. The heritabilities for jumping traits ranged from 0.05 for the ability to focus on the assignment to 0.57 for scope. Genetic correlations between linear traits and corresponding traditionally scored traits were strong (-0.37 to in many cases <-0.9). The results show that the linear information is suitable for genetic evaluation and can be a useful tool for breeders. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Methods for meta-analysis of multiple traits using GWAS summary statistics.

PubMed

Ray, Debashree; Boehnke, Michael

2018-03-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for complex diseases have focused primarily on single-trait analyses for disease status and disease-related quantitative traits. For example, GWAS on risk factors for coronary artery disease analyze genetic associations of plasma lipids such as total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides (TGs) separately. However, traits are often correlated and a joint analysis may yield increased statistical power for association over multiple univariate analyses. Recently several multivariate methods have been proposed that require individual-level data. Here, we develop metaUSAT (where USAT is unified score-based association test), a novel unified association test of a single genetic variant with multiple traits that uses only summary statistics from existing GWAS. Although the existing methods either perform well when most correlated traits are affected by the genetic variant in the same direction or are powerful when only a few of the correlated traits are associated, metaUSAT is designed to be robust to the association structure of correlated traits. metaUSAT does not require individual-level data and can test genetic associations of categorical and/or continuous traits. One can also use metaUSAT to analyze a single trait over multiple studies, appropriately accounting for overlapping samples, if any. metaUSAT provides an approximate asymptotic P-value for association and is computationally efficient for implementation at a genome-wide level. Simulation experiments show that metaUSAT maintains proper type-I error at low error levels. It has similar and sometimes greater power to detect association across a wide array of scenarios compared to existing methods, which are usually powerful for some specific association scenarios only. When applied to plasma lipids summary data from the METSIM and the T2D-GENES studies, metaUSAT detected genome-wide significant loci beyond the ones identified by univariate analyses. Evidence from larger studies suggest that the variants additionally detected by our test are, indeed, associated with lipid levels in humans. In summary, metaUSAT can provide novel insights into the genetic architecture of a common disease or traits. © 2017 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Direct multitrait selection realizes the highest genetic response for ratio traits.

PubMed

Zetouni, L; Henryon, M; Kargo, M; Lassen, J

2017-05-01

For a number of traits the phenotype considered to be the goal trait is a combination of 2 or more traits, like methane (CH) emission (CH/kg of milk). Direct selection on CH4 emission defined as a ratio is problematic, because it is uncertain whether the improvement comes from an improvement in milk yield, a decrease in CH emission or both. The goal was to test different strategies on selecting for 2 antagonistic traits- improving milk yield while decreasing methane emissions. The hypothesis was that to maximize genetic gain for a ratio trait, the best approach is to select directly for the component traits rather than using a ratio trait or a trait where 1 trait is corrected for the other as the selection criteria. Stochastic simulation was used to mimic a dairy cattle population. Three scenarios were tested, which differed in selection criteria but all selecting for increased milk yield: 1) selection based on a multitrait approach using the correlation structure between the 2 traits, 2) the ratio of methane to milk and 3) gross methane phenotypically corrected for milk. Four correlation sets were tested in all scenarios, to access robustness of the results. An average genetic gain of 66 kg of milk per yr was obtained in all scenarios, but scenario 1 had the best response for decreased methane emissions, with a genetic gain of 24.8 l/yr, while scenarios 2 and 3 had genetic gains of 27.1 and 27.3 kg/yr. The results found were persistent across correlation sets. These results confirm the hypothesis that to obtain the highest genetic gain a multitrait selection is a better approach than selecting for the ratio directly. The results are exemplified for a methane and milk scenario but can be generalized to other situations where combined traits need to be improved.

Building phenotype networks to improve QTL detection: a comparative analysis of fatty acid and fat traits in pigs.

PubMed

Yang, B; Navarro, N; Noguera, J L; Muñoz, M; Guo, T F; Yang, K X; Ma, J W; Folch, J M; Huang, L S; Pérez-Enciso, M

2011-10-01

Models in QTL mapping can be improved by considering all potential variables, i.e. we can use remaining traits other than the trait under study as potential predictors. QTL mapping is often conducted by correcting for a few fixed effects or covariates (e.g. sex, age), although many traits with potential causal relationships between them are recorded. In this work, we evaluate by simulation several procedures to identify optimum models in QTL scans: forward selection, undirected dependency graph and QTL-directed dependency graph (QDG). The latter, QDG, performed better in terms of power and false discovery rate and was applied to fatty acid (FA) composition and fat deposition traits in two pig F2 crosses from China and Spain. Compared with the typical QTL mapping, QDG approach revealed several new QTL. To the contrary, several FA QTL on chromosome 4 (e.g. Palmitic, C16:0; Stearic, C18:0) detected by typical mapping vanished after adjusting for phenotypic covariates in QDG mapping. This suggests that the QTL detected in typical mapping could be indirect. When a QTL is supported by both approaches, there is an increased confidence that the QTL have a primary effect on the corresponding trait. An example is a QTL for C16:1 on chromosome 8. In conclusion, mapping QTL based on causal phenotypic networks can increase power and help to make more biologically sound hypothesis on the genetic architecture of complex traits. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Metabolic syndrome and self-reported history of kidney stones: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) 1988-1994.

PubMed

West, Bradford; Luke, Amy; Durazo-Arvizu, Ramon A; Cao, Guichan; Shoham, David; Kramer, Holly

2008-05-01

Metabolic syndrome affects approximately 25% of the American population. Components of metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, were associated with kidney stone disease, but no published large-scale study examined the association between metabolic syndrome and history of kidney stones. Cross-sectional analysis. The American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute statement on metabolic syndrome was used to define metabolic syndrome. A national probability sample of the US population National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey aged 20 years and older. Metabolic syndrome as defined by the American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Self-reported history of kidney stones. Of all adults older than 20 years, 4.7% reported a history of kidney stones. The prevalence of self-reported history of kidney stones increased with the number of metabolic syndrome traits from 3% with 0 traits to 7.5% with 3 traits to 9.8% with 5 traits. After adjustment for age and other covariates, the presence of 2 or more traits significantly increased the odds of self-reported kidney stone disease. The presence of 4 or more traits was associated with an approximate 2-fold increase in odds of self-reported kidney stone disease. Cross-sectional design, absence of dietary data. Metabolic syndrome traits are associated with a self-reported history of kidney stones. This association should be verified in prospective studies.

[Analytic methods for seed models with genotype x environment interactions].

PubMed

Zhu, J

1996-01-01

Genetic models with genotype effect (G) and genotype x environment interaction effect (GE) are proposed for analyzing generation means of seed quantitative traits in crops. The total genetic effect (G) is partitioned into seed direct genetic effect (G0), cytoplasm genetic of effect (C), and maternal plant genetic effect (Gm). Seed direct genetic effect (G0) can be further partitioned into direct additive (A) and direct dominance (D) genetic components. Maternal genetic effect (Gm) can also be partitioned into maternal additive (Am) and maternal dominance (Dm) genetic components. The total genotype x environment interaction effect (GE) can also be partitioned into direct genetic by environment interaction effect (G0E), cytoplasm genetic by environment interaction effect (CE), and maternal genetic by environment interaction effect (GmE). G0E can be partitioned into direct additive by environment interaction (AE) and direct dominance by environment interaction (DE) genetic components. GmE can also be partitioned into maternal additive by environment interaction (AmE) and maternal dominance by environment interaction (DmE) genetic components. Partitions of genetic components are listed for parent, F1, F2 and backcrosses. A set of parents, their reciprocal F1 and F2 seeds is applicable for efficient analysis of seed quantitative traits. MINQUE(0/1) method can be used for estimating variance and covariance components. Unbiased estimation for covariance components between two traits can also be obtained by the MINQUE(0/1) method. Random genetic effects in seed models are predictable by the Adjusted Unbiased Prediction (AUP) approach with MINQUE(0/1) method. The jackknife procedure is suggested for estimation of sampling variances of estimated variance and covariance components and of predicted genetic effects, which can be further used in a t-test for parameter. Unbiasedness and efficiency for estimating variance components and predicting genetic effects are tested by Monte Carlo simulations.

Processing efficiency theory in children: working memory as a mediator between trait anxiety and academic performance.

PubMed

Owens, Matthew; Stevenson, Jim; Norgate, Roger; Hadwin, Julie A

2008-10-01

Working memory skills are positively associated with academic performance. In contrast, high levels of trait anxiety are linked with educational underachievement. Based on Eysenck and Calvo's (1992) processing efficiency theory (PET), the present study investigated whether associations between anxiety and educational achievement were mediated via poor working memory performance. Fifty children aged 11-12 years completed verbal (backwards digit span; tapping the phonological store/central executive) and spatial (Corsi blocks; tapping the visuospatial sketchpad/central executive) working memory tasks. Trait anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Academic performance was assessed using school administered tests of reasoning (Cognitive Abilities Test) and attainment (Standard Assessment Tests). The results showed that the association between trait anxiety and academic performance was significantly mediated by verbal working memory for three of the six academic performance measures (math, quantitative and non-verbal reasoning). Spatial working memory did not significantly mediate the relationship between trait anxiety and academic performance. On average verbal working memory accounted for 51% of the association between trait anxiety and academic performance, while spatial working memory only accounted for 9%. The findings indicate that PET is a useful framework to assess the impact of children's anxiety on educational achievement.

Genetic gain and economic values of selection strategies including semen traits in three- and four-way crossbreeding systems for swine production.

PubMed

González-Peña, D; Knox, R V; MacNeil, M D; Rodriguez-Zas, S L

2015-03-01

Four semen traits: volume (VOL), concentration (CON), progressive motility of spermatozoa (MOT), and abnormal spermatozoa (ABN) provide complementary information on boar fertility. Assessment of the impact of selection for semen traits is hindered by limited information on economic parameters. Objectives of this study were to estimate economic values for semen traits and to evaluate the genetic gain when these traits are incorporated into traditional selection strategies in a 3-tier system of swine production. Three-way (maternal nucleus lines A and B and paternal nucleus line C) and 4-way (additional paternal nucleus line D) crossbreeding schemes were compared. A novel population structure that accommodated selection for semen traits was developed. Three selection strategies were simulated. Selection Strategy I (baseline) encompassed selection for maternal traits: number of pigs born alive (NBA), litter birth weight (LBW), adjusted 21-d litter weight (A21), and number of pigs at 21 d (N21); and paternal traits: number of days to 113.5 kg (D113), backfat (BF), ADG, feed efficiency (FE), and carcass lean % (LEAN). Selection Strategy II included Strategy I and the number of usable semen doses per collection (DOSES), a function of the 4 semen traits. Selection Strategy III included Strategy I and the 4 semen traits individually. The estimated economic values of VOL, CON, MOT, ABN, and DOSES for 7 to 1 collections/wk ranged from $0.21 to $1.44/mL, $0.12 to $0.83/10 spermatozoa/mm, $0.61 to $12.66/%, -$0.53 to -$10.88/%, and $2.01 to $41.43/%, respectively. The decrease in the relative economic values of semen traits and DOSES with higher number of collections per wk was sharper between 1 and 2.33 collections/wk than between 2.33 and 7 collections/wk. The higher economic value of MOT and ABN relative to VOL and CON could be linked to the genetic variances and covariances of these traits. Average genetic gains for the maternal traits were comparable across strategies. Genetic gains for paternal traits, excluding semen traits, were greater in selection Strategy I than Strategies III and II. Genetic gains for paternal and maternal traits were greater in the 4- and 3-way schemes, respectively. The selection strategy including the 4 semen traits is recommended because this approach enables genetic gains for these traits without compromising the genetic gains for maternal traits and with minimal losses in genetic gains for paternal traits.

Heavy episodic drinking is a trait-state: a cautionary note.

PubMed

Mushquash, Aislin R; Sherry, Simon B; Mackinnon, Sean P; Mushquash, Christopher J; Stewart, Sherry H

2014-01-01

Heavy episodic (binge) drinking is common in and problematic for undergraduates. Researchers often assume that an individual's heavy episodic drinking is stable and trait-like. However, this fails to consider fluctuating, state-like variation in heavy episodic drinking. This study proposes and tests a novel conceptualization of heavy episodic drinking as a trait-state wherein the contribution of both trait-like stability and state-like fluctuations are quantified. It was hypothesized that heavy episodic drinking is a trait-state such that individuals have trait-like tendencies to engage in heavy episodic drinking, and state-like differences in the expression of this tendency over time. A sample of 114 first-year undergraduates from a Canadian university completed self-report measures of heavy episodic drinking at 3 time points across 130 days. Hypotheses were tested with repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), test-retest correlations, and generalizability theory analyses. A substantial proportion of the variance in heavy episodic drinking is attributable to trait-like stability, with a smaller proportion attributable to state-like fluctuations. The heavy episodic drinker seems characterized by a stable, trait-like tendency to drink in a risky manner, and this trait-like tendency seems to fluctuate in degree of expression over time. Findings complement research suggesting that people have trait-like predispositions that increase their risk for heavy episodic drinking. However, despite this stable tendency to drink heavily, the frequency of heavy episodic drinking appears to be at least partly sporadic or situation dependent. These findings serve as a caution to alcohol researchers and clinicians who often assume that a single assessment of heavy episodic drinking captures a person's usual drinking behavior.

Heritability and genetic correlations of personality traits in a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris).

PubMed

Petelle, M B; Martin, J G A; Blumstein, D T

2015-10-01

Describing and quantifying animal personality is now an integral part of behavioural studies because individually distinctive behaviours have ecological and evolutionary consequences. Yet, to fully understand how personality traits may respond to selection, one must understand the underlying heritability and genetic correlations between traits. Previous studies have reported a moderate degree of heritability of personality traits, but few of these studies have either been conducted in the wild or estimated the genetic correlations between personality traits. Estimating the additive genetic variance and covariance in the wild is crucial to understand the evolutionary potential of behavioural traits. Enhanced environmental variation could reduce heritability and genetic correlations, thus leading to different evolutionary predictions. We estimated the additive genetic variance and covariance of docility in the trap, sociability (mirror image stimulation), and exploration and activity in two different contexts (open-field and mirror image simulation experiments) in a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). We estimated both heritability of behaviours and of personality traits and found nonzero additive genetic variance in these traits. We also found nonzero maternal, permanent environment and year effects. Finally, we found four phenotypic correlations between traits, and one positive genetic correlation between activity in the open-field test and sociability. We also found permanent environment correlations between activity in both tests and docility and exploration in the MIS test. This is one of a handful of studies to adopt a quantitative genetic approach to explain variation in personality traits in the wild and, thus, provides important insights into the potential variance available for selection. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Turning science on robust cattle into improved genetic selection decisions.

PubMed

Amer, P R

2012-04-01

More robust cattle have the potential to increase farm profitability, improve animal welfare, reduce the contribution of ruminant livestock to greenhouse gas emissions and decrease the risk of food shortages in the face of increased variability in the farm environment. Breeding is a powerful tool for changing the robustness of cattle; however, insufficient recording of breeding goal traits and selection of animals at younger ages tend to favour genetic change in productivity traits relative to robustness traits. This paper has extended a previously proposed theory of artificial evolution to demonstrate, using deterministic simulation, how choice of breeding scheme design can be used as a tool to manipulate the direction of genetic progress, whereas the breeding goal remains focussed on the factors motivating individual farm decision makers. Particular focus was placed on the transition from progeny testing or mass selection to genomic selection breeding strategies. Transition to genomic selection from a breeding strategy where candidates are selected before records from progeny being available was shown to be highly likely to favour genetic progress in robustness traits relative to productivity traits. This was shown even with modest numbers of animals available for training and when heritability for robustness traits was only slightly lower than that for productivity traits. When transitioning from progeny testing to a genomic selection strategy without progeny testing, it was shown that there is a significant risk that robustness traits could become less influential in selection relative to productivity traits. Augmentations of training populations using genotyped cows and support for industry-wide improvements in phenotypic recording of robustness traits were put forward as investment opportunities for stakeholders wishing to facilitate the application of science on robust cattle into improved genetic selection schemes.

Indian Culture and Industrialization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigart, Robert J.

Since factories were developed by and for Western culture, those on American Indian reservations need to be adjusted to a nonwestern social and cultural milieu. Among Indian cultural traits which differ from Western culture are independence, nature of authority, attitude toward property and nature, competition, rewards system, and sense of time.…

Schaefer Behavior Inventory. Teacher's Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefer, Earl S.; And Others

This 15-item teacher rating scale measures three behavior traits: task orientation (how a child attends to and stays with classroom activities), extraversion (how readily a child interacts with other people), and hostility (how a child responds to some of the adjustments and conflict problems encountered in group activities). The scale is based…

The genesis of breast cancer is a two-step phenomenon. II. Dissociation of two biomarkers in cancer patients from a low risk area of Japan.

PubMed

Kodama, M; Kodama, T; Murakami, M; Kobayashi, S; Akita, T; Nakamura, Y

1992-01-01

The association of dual steroidal disorders with breast cancer, as proposed on the basis of a case-control study in a high risk area of Japan, was tested for its validity in breast cancer patients from a low risk area of Japan. A state of glucocorticoid excess, the first hormonal trait of a breast cancer patient, was assessed using a urinary steroid parameter (a reduction of the androsterone to tetrahydrocortisol ratio by definition), and/or using a physical parameter (an elevation of the waist to hip circumference ratio by definition). Inclination to ovulation failure, the second hormonal trait, was tested using another urinary steroid parameter (a specified disorder of progestin metabolism by definition), and/or a demographic parameter (a reduction in the number of live births by definition). Results obtained are as follows: 1) premenopausal breast cancer patients from a low risk area were found to have the second trait but not the first trait, as tested using 2 parameters for each trait. 2) Postmenopausal cancer patients from a low risk area as well as pre- and post-menopausal cancer patients from a high risk area had both the 2 hormonal traits. 3) There was no discrepancy of results between any 2 test systems with the identification of 2 hormonal traits in 4 cancer patient groups. The significance of the dissociation of 2 hormonal traits, as observed in premenopausal cancer patients from a low risk area, is discussed in favor of the two-step carcinogenesis theory. Possible interaction of heredity and environment in the genesis of breast cancer is also taken into consideration.

Correlational selection on personality and social plasticity: morphology and social context determine behavioural effects on mating success.

PubMed

Montiglio, Pierre-Olivier; Wey, Tina W; Chang, Ann T; Fogarty, Sean; Sih, Andrew

2017-03-01

Despite a central line of research aimed at quantifying relationships between mating success and sexually dimorphic traits (e.g., ornaments), individual variation in sexually selected traits often explains only a modest portion of the variation in mating success. Another line of research suggests that a significant portion of the variation in mating success observed in animal populations could be explained by correlational selection, where the fitness advantage of a given trait depends on other components of an individual's phenotype and/or its environment. We tested the hypothesis that interactions between multiple traits within an individual (phenotype dependence) or between an individual's phenotype and its social environment (context dependence) can select for individual differences in behaviour (i.e., personality) and social plasticity. To quantify the importance of phenotype- and context-dependent selection on mating success, we repeatedly measured the behaviour, social environment and mating success of about 300 male stream water striders, Aquarius remigis. Rather than explaining individual differences in long-term mating success, we instead quantified how the combination of a male's phenotype interacted with the immediate social context to explain variation in hour-by-hour mating decisions. We suggest that this analysis captures more of the mechanisms leading to differences in mating success. Males differed consistently in activity, aggressiveness and social plasticity. The mating advantage of these behavioural traits depended on male morphology and varied with the number of rival males in the pool, suggesting mechanisms selecting for consistent differences in behaviour and social plasticity. Accounting for phenotype and context dependence improved the amount of variation in male mating success we explained statistically by 30-274%. Our analysis of the determinants of male mating success provides important insights into the evolutionary forces that shape phenotypic variation. In particular, our results suggest that sexual selection is likely to favour individual differences in behaviour, social plasticity (i.e., individuals adjusting their behaviour), niche preference (i.e., individuals dispersing to particular social conditions) or social niche construction (i.e., individuals modifying the social environment). The true effect of sexual traits can only be understood in interaction with the individual's phenotype and environment. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2016 British Ecological Society.

Different responses of functional traits and diversity of stream macroinvertebrates to environmental and spatial factors in the Xishuangbanna watershed of the upper Mekong River Basin, China.

PubMed

Ding, Ning; Yang, Weifang; Zhou, Yunlei; González-Bergonzoni, Ivan; Zhang, Jie; Chen, Kai; Vidal, Nicolas; Jeppesen, Erik; Liu, Zhengwen; Wang, Beixin

2017-01-01

Functional traits and diversity indices have provided new insights into community responses to stressors. Most traits of aquatic organisms have frequently been tested for predictability and geographical stability in response to environmental variables, but such tests of functional diversity indices are rare. We sampled macroinvertebrates at 18 reference sites (RS) and 35 disturbed sites (DS) from headwater streams in the upper Mekong River Basin, Xishuangbanna (XSBN), China. We selected 29 qualitative categories of eight traits and then calculated five functional diversity indices, namely functional richness (FRic), functional evenness (FEve), functional dispersion (FDis), functional divergence (FDiv) and Rao's Quadratic Entropy (RaoQ), and two trait diversity indices, namely trait richness (TR) and trait diversity (TD). We used combination of RLQ and fourth-corner to examine the response of traits and functional diversity to the disturbance and environmental variables. We used variance partitioning to explore the relative role of environmental variables and spatial factors in constraining trait composition and functional diversity. We found that the relative frequency of ten trait categories, and the values of TD, TR, FRic and FDis in RS were significantly different (p<0.05) from DS. In addition, the seven traits (except for "habit") demonstrated a predictable response of trait patterns along the integrative environmental gradients. Environmental variables significantly contributed to most of the traits, functional diversity and trait diversity. However, spatial variables were mainly significant in shaping ecological traits, FRic and FEve. Our results confirm the dominant role of environmental variables in the determination of community trait composition and functional diversity, and substantiate the contribution of spatial vectors in explaining the variance of functional traits and diversity. We conclude that the traits "Refuge", "External protection", "Respiration" and "Body shape", and diversity indices FDis, TD, and TR are promising indicators of stream conditions at XSBN. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of trait anxiety on cognitive test performance in adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Ruf, Barbara M; Bessette, Katie L; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Stevens, Michael C

2017-06-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety are frequently comorbid disorders associated with different types of abnormal performance on neuropsychological tests. Although some studies have shown that comorbid anxiety alters ADHD test performance, results inconsistently show both improvements and worsening of different abilities, with failures to replicate across different anxiety disorders. Alternatively, trait anxiety may reflect a more stable influence on ADHD test performance than various diagnosable anxiety disorders. To better understand the possible enhancing or deleterious effects of anxiety on ADHD cognitive impairments, this study examined the effect of individual differences in trait anxiety measured by the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) on a battery of computerized, rapid-performance tests measuring attention and impulsivity-related performance in 98 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) Combined-Subtype ADHD adolescents and 123 healthy controls. It was hypothesized that trait anxiety would attenuate response inhibition and attention deficits in ADHD. ADHD-diagnosed adolescents with higher trait anxiety performed better on indices of sustained attention, reaction time, and motor variability, and had altered overall test-performance strategy, while response inhibition was affected in both ADHD and non-ADHD. This study provides the first evidence that pathological levels of anxiety are not needed to see differences in ADHD neuropsychological test performance. Instead, mildly elevated trait anxiety confers a protective influence by reducing the degree of impairment seen in ADHD. These findings suggest that better performing ADHD adolescents might have optimized levels of cortical arousal, and raise new questions about how best to identify the neurobiological substrates responsible for the beneficial effects.

Ontogeny of the morphology-performance axis in an amphibious fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus).

PubMed

Styga, Joseph M; Houslay, Thomas M; Wilson, Alastair J; Earley, Ryan L

2017-12-01

Establishing links between morphology and performance is important for understanding the functional, ecological, and evolutionary implications of morphological diversity. Relationships between morphology and performance are expected to be age dependent if, at different points during ontogeny, animals must perform in different capacities to achieve high fitness returns. Few studies have examined how the relationship between form and function changes across ontogeny. Here, we assess this relationship in the amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) fish, a species that is both capable of and reliant on "tail-flip jumping" for terrestrial locomotion. Tail-flip jumping entails an individual transferring its weight to the caudal region of the body, launching itself from the substrate to navigate to new aquatic or semi-aquatic habitats. By combining repeated trials of jumping performance in 237 individuals from distinct age classes with a clearing and staining procedure to visualize bones in the caudal region, we test the hypotheses that as age increases (i) average jumping performance (body lengths jumped) will increase, (ii) the amount of variation for each trait will change, and (iii) the patterns of covariation/correlation among traits, which tell us about the integration of form with function, will also change. We find a significant increase in size-adjusted jumping performance with age, and modification to the correlation structure among traits across ontogeny. However, we also find that significant links between form and function evident in young animals disappear at later ontogenetic stages. Our study suggests that different functional mechanisms may be associated with high performance at different stages of development. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pregravid BMI is associated with dietary restraint and psychosocial factors during pregnancy1

PubMed Central

Laraia, Barbara A.; Dole, Nancy; Siega-Riz, Anna Maria; London, Emily

2009-01-01

The objective was to investigate the association of pregravid weight status, dietary restraint and psychosocial factors during pregnancy. We used data from the Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition study, that recruited 2,006 women at prenatal clinics before 20 weeks’ gestation who were >16 years and English speaking. Institute of Medicine BMI cutpoints of underweight (<19.8), normal weight (19.8–26.0), overweight (>26.0–29.0), obese (>29.0–34.9) and an additional category morbidly obese (≥ 35.0), were used to categorize weight status. Eight psychosocial measures and dietary restraint were assessed with regard to BMI; perceived stress, trait anxiety, depression symptoms, and internal locus of control (LOC), chance LOC, powerful others LOC, self-esteem and mastery. Linear regression was used to estimate associations, controlling for potential confounders. A significant test for trend was found between increasing pregravid weight categories and perceived stress, trait anxiety, depression symptoms, powerful others LOC, self-esteem, mastery and dietary restraint. In adjusted models, pregravid obesity was independently associated with perceived stress, trait anxiety and depression. Morbidly obese status was independently associated with all measures except internal LOC. A strong linear association was found between increasing weight categories and dietary restraint. A consistent association was found between pregravid weight status, psychosocial factors and dietary restraint. If corroborated, these findings suggest that with increasing pregravid weight, pregnant women are at greater risk for experiencing negative psychological states, are less likely to experience positive personal dispositions, and may need additional support to prevent adverse maternal complications and pregnancy outcomes. PMID:19131943

Obesity-Related Genomic Loci Are Associated with Type 2 Diabetes in a Han Chinese Population

PubMed Central

Zhao, Qi; He, Jiang; Chen, Li; Zhao, Zhigang; Li, Qiang; Ge, Jiapu; Chen, Gang; Guo, Xiaohui; Lu, Juming; Weng, Jianping; Jia, Weiping; Ji, Linong; Xiao, Jianzhong; Shan, Zhongyan; Liu, Jie; Tian, Haoming; Ji, Qiuhe; Zhu, Dalong; Zhou, Zhiguang; Shan, Guangliang; Yang, Wenying

2014-01-01

Background and Aims Obesity is a well-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Genome-wide association studies have identified a number of genetic loci associated with obesity. The aim of this study is to examine the contribution of obesity-related genomic loci to type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population. Methods We successfully genotyped 18 obesity-related single nucleotide polymorphisms among 5338 type 2 diabetic patients and 4663 controls. Both individual and joint effects of these single nucleotide polymorphisms on type 2 diabetes and quantitative glycemic traits (assessing β-cell function and insulin resistance) were analyzed using logistic and linear regression models, respectively. Results Two single nucleotide polymorphisms near MC4R and GNPDA2 genes were significantly associated with type 2 diabetes before adjusting for body mass index and waist circumference (OR (95% CI) = 1.14 (1.06, 1.22) for the A allele of rs12970134, P = 4.75×10−4; OR (95% CI) = 1.10 (1.03, 1.17) for the G allele of rs10938397, P = 4.54×10−3). When body mass index and waist circumference were further adjusted, the association of MC4R with type 2 diabetes remained significant (P = 1.81×10−2) and that of GNPDA2 was attenuated (P = 1.26×10−1), suggesting the effect of the locus including GNPDA2 on type 2 diabetes may be mediated through obesity. Single nucleotide polymorphism rs2260000 within BAT2 was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes after adjusting for body mass index and waist circumference (P = 1.04×10−2). In addition, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (near or within SEC16B, BDNF, MAF and PRL genes) showed significant associations with quantitative glycemic traits in controls even after adjusting for body mass index and waist circumference (all P values<0.05). Conclusions This study indicates that obesity-related genomic loci were associated with type 2 diabetes and glycemic traits in the Han Chinese population. PMID:25093408

Whole genome association study identifies regions of the bovine genome and biological pathways involved in carcass trait performance in Holstein-Friesian cattle.

PubMed

Doran, Anthony G; Berry, Donagh P; Creevey, Christopher J

2014-10-01

Four traits related to carcass performance have been identified as economically important in beef production: carcass weight, carcass fat, carcass conformation of progeny and cull cow carcass weight. Although Holstein-Friesian cattle are primarily utilized for milk production, they are also an important source of meat for beef production and export. Because of this, there is great interest in understanding the underlying genomic structure influencing these traits. Several genome-wide association studies have identified regions of the bovine genome associated with growth or carcass traits, however, little is known about the mechanisms or underlying biological pathways involved. This study aims to detect regions of the bovine genome associated with carcass performance traits (employing a panel of 54,001 SNPs) using measures of genetic merit (as predicted transmitting abilities) for 5,705 Irish Holstein-Friesian animals. Candidate genes and biological pathways were then identified for each trait under investigation. Following adjustment for false discovery (q-value < 0.05), 479 quantitative trait loci (QTL) were associated with at least one of the four carcass traits using a single SNP regression approach. Using a Bayesian approach, 46 QTL were associated (posterior probability > 0.5) with at least one of the four traits. In total, 557 unique bovine genes, which mapped to 426 human orthologs, were within 500kbs of QTL found associated with a trait using the Bayesian approach. Using this information, 24 significantly over-represented pathways were identified across all traits. The most significantly over-represented biological pathway was the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway. A large number of genomic regions putatively associated with bovine carcass traits were detected using two different statistical approaches. Notably, several significant associations were detected in close proximity to genes with a known role in animal growth such as glucagon and leptin. Several biological pathways, including PPAR signaling, were shown to be involved in various aspects of bovine carcass performance. These core genes and biological processes may form the foundation for further investigation to identify causative mutations involved in each trait. Results reported here support previous findings suggesting conservation of key biological processes involved in growth and metabolism.

Personality traits predict perceived health-related quality of life in persons with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Zarbo, Ignazio Roberto; Minacapelli, Eleonora; Falautano, Monica; Demontis, Silvia; Carpentras, Giovanni; Pugliatti, Maura

2016-04-01

Personality traits can affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in different disorders. In multiple sclerosis (MS), personality traits can determine patients' willingness to take on more risky treatment options, predispose to neuropsychiatric symptoms and affect coping strategies. We investigated the role of personality traits as possible predictors of HRQoL in a large cohort of persons with MS (PwMS). In total, 253 consecutively recruited PwMS were screened for intellectual deficits with Raven Colour Progressive Matrices (RCPM), state anxiety with STAI-X1 and major depression on a clinical basis. PwMS' self-perceived mental and physical health status was measured with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the personality profile with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R). The correlation between HRQoL and personality traits was investigated by means of analysis of variance, adjusting for possible confounders. Of the 253 MS patients, 195 (F:M=2.75), aged 41.7±10.2 years were included in the analysis. The variance of SF-36 mental and physical composite score was largely explained by extraversion and neuroticism. Our data confirm that PwMS' HRQoL is largely influenced by personality traits, which may therefore act as predictors of perceived quality of life and should be included in clinical and experimental settings focusing on HRQoL. © The Author(s), 2015.

Magnetic resonance imaging traits in siblings discordant for Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Cuenco, Karen T; Green, Robert C; Zhang, J; Lunetta, Kathryn; Erlich, Porat M; Cupples, L Adrienne; Farrer, Lindsay A; DeCarli, Charles

2008-07-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can aid clinical assessment of brain changes potentially correlated with Alzheimer disease (AD). MRI traits may improve our ability to identify genes associated with AD-outcomes. We evaluated semi-quantitative MRI measures as endophenotypes for genetic studies by assessing their association with AD in families from the Multi-Institutional Research in Alzheimer Genetic Epidemiology (MIRAGE) Study. Discordant siblings from multiple ethnicities were ascertained through a single affected proband. Semi-quantitative MRI measures were obtained for each individual. The association between continuous/ordinal MRI traits and AD were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Medical history and Apolipoprotein E (APOE)epsilon4 status were evaluated as potential confounders. Comparisons of 214 affected and 234 unaffected subjects from 229 sibships revealed that general cerebral atrophy, white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and mediotemporal atrophy differed significantly between groups (each at P < .0001) and varied by ethnicity. Age at MRI and duration of AD confounded all associations between AD and MRI traits. Among unaffected sibs, the presence of at least one APOEepsilon4 allele and MRI infarction was associated with more WMH after adjusting for age at MRI. The strong association between MRI traits and AD suggests that MRI traits may be informative endophenotypes for basic and clinical studies of AD. In particular, WMH may be a marker of vascular disease that contributes to AD pathogenesis.

Self-Efficacy, Gender and Trait Anxiety as Moderators of Test Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onyeizugbo, Euckay U.

2010-01-01

Introduction: Test anxiety inhibits students from performing according to their full potential in academic setting. Objectives: This study investigated self-efficacy, gender and trait anxiety as moderators of test anxiety. Method: Two hundred and forty nine (249) psychology majors drawn from a university in Eastern Nigeria participated in the…

Student-teacher relationship quality and academic adjustment in upper elementary school: the role of student personality.

PubMed

Zee, Marjolein; Koomen, Helma M Y; Van der Veen, Ineke

2013-08-01

This study tested a theoretical model considering students' personality traits as predictors of student-teacher relationship quality (closeness, conflict, and dependency), the effects of student-teacher relationship quality on students' math and reading achievement, and the mediating role of students' motivational beliefs on the association between student-teacher relationship quality and achievement in upper elementary school. Surveys and tests were conducted among a nationally representative Dutch sample of 8545 sixth-grade students and their teachers in 395 schools. Structural equation models were used to test direct and indirect effects. Support was found for a model that identified conscientiousness and agreeableness as predictors of close, nonconflictual relationships, and neuroticism as a predictor of dependent and conflictual relationships. Extraversion was associated with higher levels of closeness and conflict, and autonomy was only associated with lower levels of dependency. Students' motivational beliefs mediated the effects of dependency and student-reported closeness on reading and math achievement. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Racial minority group interest in direct-to-consumer genetic testing: findings from the PGen study.

PubMed

Landry, Latrice; Nielsen, Daiva Elena; Carere, Deanna Alexis; Roberts, J Scott; Green, Robert C

2017-10-01

There is little information regarding direct-to-consumer (DTC) personal genetic testing (PGT) in non-White racial minorities. Using a web-based survey, we compared the pretest interests and attitudes toward DTC-PGT of racial minority and White DTC-PGT customers of 23andMe and Pathway Genomics using chi-square tests and multinomial regression. Data were available for 1487 participants (1389 White, 44 Black, and 54 Asian). Survey responses were similar across racial groups, although a greater proportion of Blacks compared to Whites reported being "very interested" in genetic information related to traits (91.9 vs. 70.8%, p = 0.009). A greater proportion of Asians compared to Whites reported that a "very important" consideration for pursuing DTC-PGT was limited information about their family health history (58.0 vs. 37.5%, p = 0.002). While a number of significant differences between groups were observed in unadjusted analyses, they did not remain significant after adjustment. This study provides a preliminary view of the interests for purchasing DTC-PGT among customers with racial minority backgrounds.

Quantitative trait loci for abdominal fat and BMI in Hispanic-Americans and African-Americans: the IRAS Family study.

PubMed

Norris, J M; Langefeld, C D; Scherzinger, A L; Rich, S S; Bookman, E; Beck, S R; Saad, M F; Haffner, S M; Bergman, R N; Bowden, D W; Wagenknecht, L E

2005-01-01

To conduct linkage analysis for body mass index (BMI, kg/m2), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), visceral adipose tissue mass (VAT, cm2) and subcutaneous adipose tissue mass (SAT, cm2) using a whole genome scan. Cross-sectional family study. African-American families from Los Angeles (AA, n=21 extended pedigrees) and Hispanic-American families (HA) from San Antonio, TX (HA-SA, n=33 extended pedigrees) and San Luis Valley, CO (HA-SLV, n=12 extended pedigrees), totaling 1049 individuals in the Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis (IRAS) Family Study. VAT and SAT were measured using a computed tomography scan obtained at the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae. All phenotypes were adjusted for age, gender, and study center. VAT, SAT, and WHR were analyzed both unadjusted and adjusted for BMI. Significant linkage to BMI was found at D3S2387 (LOD=3.67) in African-Americans, and at D17S1290 in Hispanic-Americans (LOD=2.76). BMI-adjusted WHR was linked to 12q13-21 (D12S297 (LOD=2.67) and D12S1052 (LOD=2.60)) in Hispanic-Americans. The peak LOD score for BMI-adjusted VAT was found at D11S2006 (2.36) in Hispanic families from San Antonio. BMI-adjusted SAT was linked to D5S820 in Hispanic families (LOD=2.64). Evidence supporting linkage of WHR at D11S2006, VAT at D17S1290, and SAT at D1S1609, D3S2387, and D6S1056 was dependent on BMI, such that the LOD scores became nonsignificant after adjustment of these phenotypes for BMI. Our findings both replicate previous linkage regions and suggest novel regions in the genome that may harbor quantitative trait locis contributing to variation in measures of adiposity.

Personality traits, education, physical exercise, and childhood neurological function as independent predictors of adult obesity.

PubMed

Cheng, Helen; Furnham, Adrian

2013-01-01

To investigate whether personality traits, education, physical exercise, parental socio-economic conditions, and childhood neurological function are independently associated with obesity in 50 year old adults in a longitudinal birth cohort study. The sample consisted of 5,921 participants born in Great Britain in 1958 and followed up at 7, 11, 33, 42, and 50 years with data on body mass index measured at 42 and 50 years. There was an increase of adult obesity from 14.2% at age 42 to 23.6% at 50 years. Cohort members who were reported by teachers on overall clumsiness as "certainly applied" at age 7 were more likely to become obese at age 50. In addition, educational qualifications, traits Conscientiousness and Extraversion, psychological distress, and physical exercise were all significantly associated with adult obesity. The associations remained to be significant after controlling for birth weight and gestation, maternal and paternal BMI, childhood BMI, childhood intelligence and behavioural adjustment, as well as diet. Neurological function in childhood, education, trait Conscientiousness, and exercise were all significantly and independently associated with adult obesity, each explained unique individual variability.

Herd-specific random regression carcass profiles for beef cattle after adjustment for animal genetic merit.

PubMed

Englishby, Tanya M; Moore, Kirsty L; Berry, Donagh P; Coffey, Mike P; Banos, Georgios

2017-07-01

Abattoir data are an important source of information for the genetic evaluation of carcass traits, but also for on-farm management purposes. The present study aimed to quantify the contribution of herd environment to beef carcass characteristics (weight, conformation score and fat score) with particular emphasis on generating finishing herd-specific profiles for these traits across different ages at slaughter. Abattoir records from 46,115 heifers and 78,790 steers aged between 360 and 900days, and from 22,971 young bulls aged between 360 and 720days, were analysed. Finishing herd-year and animal genetic (co)variance components for each trait were estimated using random regression models. Across slaughter age and gender, the ratio of finishing herd-year to total phenotypic variance ranged from 0.31 to 0.72 for carcass weight, 0.21 to 0.57 for carcass conformation and 0.11 to 0.44 for carcass fat score. These parameters indicate that the finishing herd environment is an important contributor to carcass trait variability and amenable to improvement with management practices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Live weight, carcass ultrasound images, and visual scores in Angus cattle under feeding regimes in Brazil.

PubMed

Pinto, Luís Fernando Batista; Tarouco, Jaime Urdapilleta; Pedrosa, Victor Breno; de Farias Jucá, Adriana; Leão, André Gustavo; Moita, Antonia Kécya França

2013-08-01

This study aimed to evaluate visual precocity, muscling, conformation, skeletal, and breed scores; live weights at birth, at 205, and at 550 days of age; and, besides, rib eye area and fat thickness between the 12th and 13th ribs obtained by ultrasound. Those traits were evaluated in 1,645 Angus cattle kept in five feeding conditions as follows: supplemented or non-supplemented, grazing native pasture or grazing cultivated pasture, and feedlot. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, and principal component analysis were carried out. Gender and feeding conditions were fixed effects, while animal's age and mother's weight at weaning were the covariates analyzed. Gender and feeding conditions were very significant for the studied traits, but visual scores were not influenced by gender. Animal's age and mother's weight at weaning influenced many traits and must be appropriately adjusted in the statistical models. An important correlation between visual scores, live weights, and carcass traits obtained by ultrasound was found, which can be analyzed by univariate procedure. However, the multivariate approach revealed some information that cannot be neglected in order to ensure a more detailed assessment.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and cognitive function in people without cognitive impairment from across the adult life span.

PubMed

Li, Ge; Millard, Steven P; Peskind, Elaine R; Zhang, Jing; Yu, Chang-En; Leverenz, James B; Mayer, Cynthia; Shofer, Jane S; Raskind, Murray A; Quinn, Joseph F; Galasko, Douglas R; Montine, Thomas J

2014-06-01

Age-related cognitive decline among older individuals with normal cognition is a complex trait that potentially derives from processes of aging, inherited vulnerabilities, environmental factors, and common latent diseases that can progress to cause dementia, such as Alzheimer disease and vascular brain injury. To use cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers to gain insight into this complex trait. Secondary analyses of an academic multicenter cross-sectional (n = 315) and longitudinal (n = 158) study of 5 neuropsychological tests (Immediate Recall, Delayed Recall, Trail Making Test Parts A and B, and Category Fluency) in cognitively normal individuals aged 21 to 100 years. To investigate the association of these cognitive function test results with age, sex, educational level, inheritance of the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene, and CSF concentrations of β-amyloid 42 (Aβ42) and tau (biomarkers of Alzheimer disease) as well as F2-isoprostanes (measures of free radical injury). Age and educational level were broadly predictive of cross-sectional cognitive performance; of the genetic and CSF measures, only greater CSF F2-isoprostane concentration was significantly associated with poorer executive function (adjusted R2 ≤0.31). Longitudinal measures of cognitive abilities, except Category Fluency, also were associated broadly with age; of the genetic and CSF measures, only lower baseline CSF Aβ42 concentration was associated with longitudinal measures of immediate and delayed recall (marginal R2 ≤0.31). Our results suggest that age and educational level accounted for a substantial minority of variance in cross-sectional or longitudinal cognitive test performance in this large group of cognitively normal adults. Latent Alzheimer disease and other diseases that produce free radical injury, such as vascular brain injury, accounted for a small amount of variation in cognitive test performance across the adult human life span. Additional genetic and environmental factors likely contribute substantially to age-related cognitive decline.

A prospective study of personality as a predictor of quality of life after pelvic pouch surgery.

PubMed

Weinryb, R M; Gustavsson, J P; Liljeqvist, L; Poppen, B; Rössel, R J

1997-02-01

Surgeons often "know" preoperatively which patients will achieve good postoperative quality of life (QOL). This intuition is probably based on impressions of the patient's personality. The present aim was to examine whether preoperative personality traits predict postoperative QOL. In 53 patients undergoing pelvic pouch surgery for ulcerative colitis the relationship between preoperative personality traits, and surgical functional outcome and QOL was examined at a median of 17 months postoperatively. Personality assessment instruments (KAPP and KSP), and specific measures of alexithymia were used. Postoperatively, the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS), and surgical functional outcome scales were used. Using multiple correlation/regression, analysis lack of alexithymia, poor frustration tolerance, anxiety proneness, and poor socialization (resentment over childhood and present life situation) were found to predict poor postoperative QOL. The findings suggest personality traits, in addition to surgical functional outcome, to be important for the patient's postoperative QOL.

A recurrent connectionist model of person impression formation.

PubMed

Van Overwalle, Frank; Labiouse, Christophe

2004-01-01

Major findings in impression formation are reviewed and modeled from a connectionist perspective. The findings are in the areas of primacy and recency in impression formation, asymmetric diagnosticity of ability- and morality-related traits, increased recall for trait-inconsistent information, assimilation and contrast in priming, and discounting of trait inferences by situational information. The majority of these phenomena are illustrated with well-known experiments and simulated with an autoassociative network architecture with linear activation update and using the delta learning algorithm for adjusting the connection weights. All of the simulations successfully reproduced the empirical findings. Moreover, the proposed model is shown to be consistent with earlier algebraic models of impression formation (Anderson, 1981; Busemeyer, 1991; Hogarth and Einhorn, 1992). The discussion centers on how our model compares to other connectionist approaches to impression formation and how it may contribute to a more parsimonious and unified theory of person perception.

Tropical Tree Trait Diversity Enhances Forest Biomass Resilience in a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakschewski, B.; Kirsten, T.; von Bloh, W.; Poorter, L.; Pena-Claros, M.; Boit, A.

2016-12-01

Functional diversity of ecosystems has been found to increase ecosystem functions and therefore enhance ecosystem resilience against environmental stressors. However, global carbon-cycle and biosphere models still classify the global vegetation into a relatively small number of distinct plant functional types (PFT) with constant features over space and time. Therefore, those models might underestimate the resilience and adaptive capacity of natural vegetation under climate change by ignoring positive effects that functional diversity might bring about. We diversified a set a of selected tree traits in a dynamic global vegetation model (LPJmL). In the new subversion, called LPJmL-FIT, Amazon region biomass stocks and forest structure appear significantly more resilient against climate change. Enhanced tree trait diversity enables the simulated rainforests to adjust to new environmental conditions via ecological sorting. These results may stimulate a new debate on the value of biodiversity for climate change mitigation.

Behavior characteristics of the attention network of military personnel with high and low trait anxiety.

PubMed

Pan, Yu; Cai, Wenpeng; Dong, Wei; Xiao, Jie; Yan, Jin; Cheng, Qi

2017-04-01

Converging evidence reveals significant increase in both state anxiety and trait anxiety during the past 2 decades among military servicemen and servicewomen in China. In the present study, we employed the Chinese version of the State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to examine trait and state anxiety in Chinese military servicemen and servicewomen. We further evaluated orienting, alerting and execution inhibition using the attention network test.Healthy military servicemen and servicewomen were recruited for the present study. The STAI was used to measure both state and trait anxiety and the attention network test was done to determine reaction time and accuracy rate.Fifty-seven subjects were eligible for the study. Their mean STAI score was 3.2 ± 2.8 (range, 1-17) and 29 (50.9%) subjects were categorized into the high trait anxiety group and 28 (49.1%) subjects into the low trait anxiety group. The reaction time of the high trait anxiety group to incongruent, congruent, and neutral target was significantly longer than that of the low trait anxiety group (P < .05). Moreover, the accurate rate of the high trait anxiety group for incongruent, congruent, and neutral target was significantly higher than that of the low trait anxiety group (P < .05). Repeated analysis of variance showed marked effect of trait anxiety, cue types, and target types on reaction time. There was significant interaction among trait anxiety, target types, and cue types. Trait anxiety and target types also had marked effect on the accurate rate. Multivariate analysis showed no marked effect of trait anxiety on the alerting, orienting, and execution inhibition subnetwork.The present study has demonstrated that military service personnel with high trait anxiety requires more time for cognitive processing of external information but exhibits enhanced reaction accuracy rate compared to those with low trait anxiety. Our findings indicate that interventional strategies to improve the psychological wellbeing of military service personnel should be implemented to improve combat mission performance.

Is procrastination a vulnerability factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease? Testing an extension of the procrastination-health model.

PubMed

Sirois, Fuschia M

2015-06-01

Personality is an important epidemiological factor for understanding health outcomes. This study investigated the associations of trait procrastination with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (HT/CVD) and maladaptive coping by testing an extension of the procrastination-health model among individuals with and without HT/CVD. Individuals with self-reported HT/CVD (N = 182) and healthy controls (N = 564), from a community sample, completed an online survey including measures of personality, coping, and health outcomes. Logistic regression analysis controlling for demographic and higher order personality factors found that older age, lower education level and higher procrastination scores were associated with HT/CVD. Moderated mediation analyses with bootstrapping revealed that procrastination was more strongly associated with maladaptive coping behaviours in participants with HT/CVD than the healthy controls, and the indirect effects on stress through maladaptive coping were larger for the HT/CVD sample. Results suggest procrastination is a vulnerability factor for poor adjustment to and management of HT/CVD.

Pathway-based variant enrichment analysis on the example of dilated cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Backes, Christina; Meder, Benjamin; Lai, Alan; Stoll, Monika; Rühle, Frank; Katus, Hugo A; Keller, Andreas

2016-01-01

Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have significantly contributed to the understanding of human genetic variation and its impact on clinical traits. Frequently only a limited number of highly significant associations were considered as biologically relevant. Increasingly, network analysis of affected genes is used to explore the potential role of the genetic background on disease mechanisms. Instead of first determining affected genes or calculating scores for genes and performing pathway analysis on the gene level, we integrated both steps and directly calculated enrichment on the genetic variant level. The respective approach has been tested on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) GWA data as showcase. To compute significance values, 5000 permutation tests were carried out and p values were adjusted for multiple testing. For 282 KEGG pathways, we computed variant enrichment scores and significance values. Of these, 65 were significant. Surprisingly, we discovered the "nucleotide excision repair" and "tuberculosis" pathways to be most significantly associated with DCM (p = 10(-9)). The latter pathway is driven by genes of the HLA-D antigen group, a finding that closely resembles previous discoveries made by expression quantitative trait locus analysis in the context of DCM-GWA. Next, we implemented a sub-network-based analysis, which searches for affected parts of KEGG, however, independent on the pre-defined pathways. Here, proteins of the contractile apparatus of cardiac cells as well as the FAS sub-network were found to be affected by common polymorphisms in DCM. In this work, we performed enrichment analysis directly on variants, leveraging the potential to discover biological information in thousands of published GWA studies. The applied approach is cutoff free and considers a ranked list of genetic variants as input.

Absence of association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the TERT-CLPTM1L locus with age-related phenotypes in a large multicohort study: the HALCyon programme.

PubMed

Alfred, Tamuno; Ben-Shlomo, Yoav; Cooper, Rachel; Hardy, Rebecca; Cooper, Cyrus; Deary, Ian J; Elliott, Jane; Gunnell, David; Harris, Sarah E; Kivimaki, Mika; Kumari, Meena; Martin, Richard M; Power, Chris; Sayer, Avan Aihie; Starr, John M; Kuh, Diana; Day, Ian N M

2011-06-01

Several age-related traits are associated with shorter telomeres, the structures that cap the end of linear chromosomes. A common polymorphism near the telomere maintenance gene TERT has been associated with several cancers, but relationships with other aging traits such as physical capability have not been reported. As part of the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) collaborative research programme, men and women aged between 44 and 90 years from nine UK cohorts were genotyped for the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs401681. We then investigated relationships between the SNP and 30 age-related phenotypes, including cognitive and physical capability, blood lipid levels and lung function, pooling within-study genotypic effects in meta-analyses. No significant associations were found between the SNP and any of the cognitive performance tests (e.g. pooled beta per T allele for word recall z-score = 0.02, 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.04, P-value = 0.12, n = 18,737), physical performance tests (e.g. pooled beta for grip strength = -0.02, 95% CI: -0.045 to 0.006, P-value = 0.14, n = 11,711), blood pressure, lung function or blood test measures. Similarly, no differences in observations were found when considering follow-up measures of cognitive or physical performance after adjusting for its measure at an earlier assessment. The lack of associations between SNP rs401681 and a wide range of age-related phenotypes investigated in this large multicohort study suggests that while this SNP may be associated with cancer, it is not an important contributor to other markers of aging. © 2011 The Authors. Aging Cell © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

kruX: matrix-based non-parametric eQTL discovery

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The Kruskal-Wallis test is a popular non-parametric statistical test for identifying expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) from genome-wide data due to its robustness against variations in the underlying genetic model and expression trait distribution, but testing billions of marker-trait combinations one-by-one can become computationally prohibitive. Results We developed kruX, an algorithm implemented in Matlab, Python and R that uses matrix multiplications to simultaneously calculate the Kruskal-Wallis test statistic for several millions of marker-trait combinations at once. KruX is more than ten thousand times faster than computing associations one-by-one on a typical human dataset. We used kruX and a dataset of more than 500k SNPs and 20k expression traits measured in 102 human blood samples to compare eQTLs detected by the Kruskal-Wallis test to eQTLs detected by the parametric ANOVA and linear model methods. We found that the Kruskal-Wallis test is more robust against data outliers and heterogeneous genotype group sizes and detects a higher proportion of non-linear associations, but is more conservative for calling additive linear associations. Conclusion kruX enables the use of robust non-parametric methods for massive eQTL mapping without the need for a high-performance computing infrastructure and is freely available from http://krux.googlecode.com. PMID:24423115

Inference of the genetic architecture underlying BMI and height with the use of 20,240 sibling pairs.

PubMed

Hemani, Gibran; Yang, Jian; Vinkhuyzen, Anna; Powell, Joseph E; Willemsen, Gonneke; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Abdellaoui, Abdel; Mangino, Massimo; Valdes, Ana M; Medland, Sarah E; Madden, Pamela A; Heath, Andrew C; Henders, Anjali K; Nyholt, Dale R; de Geus, Eco J C; Magnusson, Patrik K E; Ingelsson, Erik; Montgomery, Grant W; Spector, Timothy D; Boomsma, Dorret I; Pedersen, Nancy L; Martin, Nicholas G; Visscher, Peter M

2013-11-07

Evidence that complex traits are highly polygenic has been presented by population-based genome-wide association studies (GWASs) through the identification of many significant variants, as well as by family-based de novo sequencing studies indicating that several traits have a large mutational target size. Here, using a third study design, we show results consistent with extreme polygenicity for body mass index (BMI) and height. On a sample of 20,240 siblings (from 9,570 nuclear families), we used a within-family method to obtain narrow-sense heritability estimates of 0.42 (SE = 0.17, p = 0.01) and 0.69 (SE = 0.14, p = 6 × 10(-)(7)) for BMI and height, respectively, after adjusting for covariates. The genomic inflation factors from locus-specific linkage analysis were 1.69 (SE = 0.21, p = 0.04) for BMI and 2.18 (SE = 0.21, p = 2 × 10(-10)) for height. This inflation is free of confounding and congruent with polygenicity, consistent with observations of ever-increasing genomic-inflation factors from GWASs with large sample sizes, implying that those signals are due to true genetic signals across the genome rather than population stratification. We also demonstrate that the distribution of the observed test statistics is consistent with both rare and common variants underlying a polygenic architecture and that previous reports of linkage signals in complex traits are probably a consequence of polygenic architecture rather than the segregation of variants with large effects. The convergent empirical evidence from GWASs, de novo studies, and within-family segregation implies that family-based sequencing studies for complex traits require very large sample sizes because the effects of causal variants are small on average. Copyright © 2013 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fast Genome-Wide QTL Association Mapping on Pedigree and Population Data.

PubMed

Zhou, Hua; Blangero, John; Dyer, Thomas D; Chan, Kei-Hang K; Lange, Kenneth; Sobel, Eric M

2017-04-01

Since most analysis software for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) currently exploit only unrelated individuals, there is a need for efficient applications that can handle general pedigree data or mixtures of both population and pedigree data. Even datasets thought to consist of only unrelated individuals may include cryptic relationships that can lead to false positives if not discovered and controlled for. In addition, family designs possess compelling advantages. They are better equipped to detect rare variants, control for population stratification, and facilitate the study of parent-of-origin effects. Pedigrees selected for extreme trait values often segregate a single gene with strong effect. Finally, many pedigrees are available as an important legacy from the era of linkage analysis. Unfortunately, pedigree likelihoods are notoriously hard to compute. In this paper, we reexamine the computational bottlenecks and implement ultra-fast pedigree-based GWAS analysis. Kinship coefficients can either be based on explicitly provided pedigrees or automatically estimated from dense markers. Our strategy (a) works for random sample data, pedigree data, or a mix of both; (b) entails no loss of power; (c) allows for any number of covariate adjustments, including correction for population stratification; (d) allows for testing SNPs under additive, dominant, and recessive models; and (e) accommodates both univariate and multivariate quantitative traits. On a typical personal computer (six CPU cores at 2.67 GHz), analyzing a univariate HDL (high-density lipoprotein) trait from the San Antonio Family Heart Study (935,392 SNPs on 1,388 individuals in 124 pedigrees) takes less than 2 min and 1.5 GB of memory. Complete multivariate QTL analysis of the three time-points of the longitudinal HDL multivariate trait takes less than 5 min and 1.5 GB of memory. The algorithm is implemented as the Ped-GWAS Analysis (Option 29) in the Mendel statistical genetics package, which is freely available for Macintosh, Linux, and Windows platforms from http://genetics.ucla.edu/software/mendel. © 2016 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Personality Profiles, Values and Empathy: Differences between Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians and Vegans.

PubMed

Kessler, Christian S; Holler, Sophie; Joy, Sebastian; Dhruva, Anand; Michalsen, Andreas; Dobos, Gustav; Cramer, Holger

2016-01-01

Vegetarian nutrition is gaining increasing public attention worldwide. While some studies have examined differences in motivations and personality traits between vegetarians and omnivores, only few studies have considered differences in motivations and personality traits between the 2 largest vegetarian subgroups: lacto-ovo-vegetarians and vegans. To examine differences between lacto-ovo-vegetarians and vegans in the distribution patterns of motives, values, empathy, and personality profiles. An anonymous online survey was performed in January 2014. Group differences between vegetarians and vegans in their initial motives for the choice of nutritional approaches, health-related quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF)), personality traits (Big Five Inventory-SOEP (BFI-S)), values (Portraits Value Questionnaire (PVQ)), and empathy (Empathizing Scale) were analyzed by univariate analyses of covariance; P values were adjusted for multiple testing. 10,184 individuals completed the survey; 4,427 (43.5%) were vegetarians and 4,822 (47.3%) were vegans. Regarding the initial motives for the choice of nutritional approaches, vegans rated food taste, love of animals, and global/humanitarian reasons as more important, and the influence of their social environment as less important than did vegetarians. Compared to vegetarians, vegans had higher values on physical, psychological, and social quality of life on the WHOQOL-BREF, and scored lower on neuroticism and higher on openness on the BFI-S. In the PVQ, vegans scored lower than vegetarians on power/might, achievement, safety, conformity, and tradition and higher on self-determination and universalism. Vegans had higher empathy than vegetarians (all p < 0.001). This survey suggests that vegans have more open and compatible personality traits, are more universalistic, empathic, and ethically oriented, and have a slightly higher quality of life when compared to vegetarians. Given the small absolute size of these differences, further research is needed to evaluate whether these group differences are relevant in everyday life and can be confirmed in other populations. © 2016 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Ethnic variation of selected dental traits in Coorg

PubMed Central

Uthaman, Chancy; Sequeira, Peter Simon; Jain, Jithesh

2015-01-01

Purpose: In a country like India, in addition to the great innate diversity, there are distinct migrant populations with unique dental traits. Aim: To assess the distribution and degree of expression of cusp of Carabelli of maxillary first permanent molars and shoveling trait of maxillary central incisors, between three ethnic groups of Coorg, namely Kodavas, Tibetans, and Malayalees. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, indirect, anthropometric, study was carried out among 15- to 30-year-old subjects belonging to three different ethnic origins. A random sample consisting of 91 subjects were recruited for the study. The shovel trait of incisors and the Carabelli trait of molars were recorded according to the classification given by Hrdliƈka and Sousa et al., respectively. Statistical Analysis: The Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to determine the difference in three populations for shoveling and Carabelli traits. Mann-Whitney Test was used for pair-wise comparisons of three populations. Result: Of the total 91 subjects, 31 were Kodavas, 30 Malayalees and 30 Tibetans. There was a statistically significant difference in shoveling trait among the three ethnic groups. For Carabelli traits, there was no statistically significant difference among three ethnic groups. Conclusion: The present study findings showed that Tibetans have a higher degree of shoveling trait than the selected South Indian ethnic groups. PMID:26816457

Testing the lexical hypothesis: are socially important traits more densely reflected in the English lexicon?

PubMed

Wood, Dustin

2015-02-01

Using a set of 498 English words identified by Saucier (1997) as common person-descriptor adjectives or trait terms, I tested 3 instantiations of the lexical hypothesis, which posit that more socially important person descriptors show greater density in the lexicon. Specifically, I explored whether trait terms that have greater relational impact (i.e., more greatly influence how others respond to a person) have more synonyms, are more frequently used, and are more strongly correlated with other trait terms. I found little evidence to suggest that trait terms rated as having greater relational impact were more frequently used or had more synonyms. However, these terms correlated more strongly with other trait terms in the set. Conversely, a trait term's loadings on structural factors (e.g., the Big Five, HEXACO) were extremely good predictors of the term's relational impact. The findings suggest that the lexical hypothesis may not be strongly supported in some ways it is commonly understood but is supported in the manner most important to investigations of trait structure. Specifically, trait terms with greater relational impact tend to more strongly correlate with other terms in lexical sets and thus have a greater role in driving the location of factors in analyses of trait structure. Implications for understanding the meaning of lexical factors such as the Big Five are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Environment-wide association study (EWAS) for type 2 diabetes in the Marshfield Personalized Medicine Research Project Biobank.

PubMed

Hall, Molly A; Dudek, Scott M; Goodloe, Robert; Crawford, Dana C; Pendergrass, Sarah A; Peissig, Peggy; Brilliant, Murray; McCarty, Catherine A; Ritchie, Marylyn D

2014-01-01

Environment-wide association studies (EWAS) provide a way to uncover the environmental mechanisms involved in complex traits in a high-throughput manner. Genome-wide association studies have led to the discovery of genetic variants associated with many common diseases but do not take into account the environmental component of complex phenotypes. This EWAS assesses the comprehensive association between environmental variables and the outcome of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the Marshfield Personalized Medicine Research Project Biobank (Marshfield PMRP). We sought replication in two National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The Marshfield PMRP currently uses four tools for measuring environmental exposures and outcome traits: 1) the PhenX Toolkit includes standardized exposure and phenotypic measures across several domains, 2) the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ) is a food frequency questionnaire, 3) the Measurement of a Person's Habitual Physical Activity scores the level of an individual's physical activity, and 4) electronic health records (EHR) employs validated algorithms to establish T2D case-control status. Using PLATO software, 314 environmental variables were tested for association with T2D using logistic regression, adjusting for sex, age, and BMI in over 2,200 European Americans. When available, similar variables were tested with the same methods and adjustment in samples from NHANES III and NHANES 1999-2002. Twelve and 31 associations were identified in the Marshfield samples at p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively. Seven and 13 measures replicated in at least one of the NHANES at p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively, with the same direction of effect. The most significant environmental exposures associated with T2D status included decreased alcohol use as well as increased smoking exposure in childhood and adulthood. The results demonstrate the utility of the EWAS method and survey tools for identifying environmental components of complex diseases like type 2 diabetes. These high-throughput and comprehensive investigation methods can easily be applied to investigate the relation between environmental exposures and multiple phenotypes in future analyses.

Sex, eye size, and the rate of myopic eye growth due to form deprivation in outbred white leghorn chickens.

PubMed

Chen, Yen-Po; Prashar, Ankush; Hocking, Paul M; Erichsen, Jonathan T; To, Chi Ho; Schaeffel, Frank; Guggenheim, Jeremy A

2010-02-01

There is considerable variation in the degree of form-deprivation myopia (FDM) induced in chickens by a uniform treatment regimen. Sex and pretreatment eye size have been found to be predictive of the rate of FD-induced eye growth. Therefore, this study was undertaken to test whether the greater rate of myopic eye growth in males is a consequence of their larger eyes or of some other aspect of their sex. Monocular FDM was induced in 4-day-old White Leghorn chicks for 4 days. Changes in ocular component dimensions and refractive error were assessed by A-scan ultrasonography and retinoscopy, respectively. Sex identification of chicks was performed by DNA test. Relationships between traits were assessed by multiple regression. FD produced (mean +/- SD) 13.47 +/- 3.12 D of myopia and 0.47 +/- 0.14 mm of vitreous chamber elongation. The level of induced myopia was not significantly different between the sexes, but the males had larger eyes initially and showed greater myopic eye growth than did the females. In multiple linear regression analysis, the partial correlation between sex and the degree of induced eye growth remained significant (P = 0.008) after adjustment for eye size, whereas the partial correlation between initial eye size and the degree of induced eye growth was no longer significant after adjustment for sex (P = 0.11). After adjustment for other factors, the chicks' sex accounted for 6.4% of the variation in FD-induced vitreous chamber elongation. The sex of the chick influences the rate of experimentally induced myopic eye growth, independent of its effects on eye size.

Shifting patterns of variance in adolescent alcohol use: Testing consumption as a developing trait-state.

PubMed

Nealis, Logan J; Thompson, Kara D; Krank, Marvin D; Stewart, Sherry H

2016-04-01

While average rates of change in adolescent alcohol consumption are frequently studied, variability arising from situational and dispositional influences on alcohol use has been comparatively neglected. We used variance decomposition to test differences in variability resulting from year-to-year fluctuations in use (i.e., state-like) and from stable individual differences (i.e., trait-like) using data from the Project on Adolescent Trajectories and Health (PATH), a cohort-sequential study spanning grades 7 to 11 using three cohorts starting in grades seven, eight, and nine, respectively. We tested variance components for alcohol volume, frequency, and quantity in the overall sample, and changes in components over time within each cohort. Sex differences were tested. Most variability in alcohol use reflected state-like variation (47-76%), with a relatively smaller proportion of trait-like variation (19-36%). These proportions shifted across cohorts as youth got older, with increases in trait-like variance from early adolescence (14-30%) to later adolescence (30-50%). Trends were similar for males and females, although females showed higher trait-like variance in alcohol frequency than males throughout development (26-43% vs. 11-25%). For alcohol volume and frequency, males showed the greatest increase in trait-like variance earlier in development (i.e., grades 8-10) compared to females (i.e., grades 9-11). The relative strength of situational and dispositional influences on adolescent alcohol use has important implications for preventative interventions. Interventions should ideally target problematic alcohol use before it becomes more ingrained and trait-like. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plant Trait Variation along an Altitudinal Gradient in Mediterranean High Mountain Grasslands: Controlling the Species Turnover Effect

PubMed Central

Pescador, David S.; de Bello, Francesco; Valladares, Fernando; Escudero, Adrián

2015-01-01

Assessing changes in plant functional traits along gradients is useful for understanding the assembly of communities and their response to global and local environmental drivers. However, these changes may reflect the effects of species composition (i.e. composition turnover), species abundance (i.e. species interaction), and intra-specific trait variability (i.e. species plasticity). In order to determine the relevance of the latter, trait variation can be assessed under minimal effects of composition turnover. Nine sampling sites were established along an altitudinal gradient in a Mediterranean high mountain grassland community with low composition turnover (Madrid, Spain; 1940 m–2419 m). Nine functional traits were also measured for ten individuals of around ten plant species at each site, for a total of eleven species across all sites. The relative importance of different sources of variability (within/between site and intra-/inter-specific functional diversity) and trait variation at species and community level along the considered gradients were explored. We found a weak individual species response to altitude and other environmental variables although in some cases, individuals were smaller and leaves were thicker at higher elevations. This lack of species response was most likely due to greater within- than between-site species variation. At the community level, inter-specific functional diversity was generally greater than the intra-specific component except for traits linked to leaf element content (leaf carbon content, leaf nitrogen content, δ13C and δ15N). Inter-specific functional diversity decreased with lower altitude for four leaf traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, δ13C and δ15N), suggesting trait convergence between species at lower elevations, where water shortage may have a stronger environmental filtering effect than colder temperatures at higher altitudes. Our results suggest that, within a vegetation type encompassing various environmental gradients, both, changes in species abundance and intra-specific trait variability adjust for the community functional response to environmental changes. PMID:25774532

Plant trait variation along an altitudinal gradient in mediterranean high mountain grasslands: controlling the species turnover effect.

PubMed

Pescador, David S; de Bello, Francesco; Valladares, Fernando; Escudero, Adrián

2015-01-01

Assessing changes in plant functional traits along gradients is useful for understanding the assembly of communities and their response to global and local environmental drivers. However, these changes may reflect the effects of species composition (i.e. composition turnover), species abundance (i.e. species interaction), and intra-specific trait variability (i.e. species plasticity). In order to determine the relevance of the latter, trait variation can be assessed under minimal effects of composition turnover. Nine sampling sites were established along an altitudinal gradient in a Mediterranean high mountain grassland community with low composition turnover (Madrid, Spain; 1940 m-2419 m). Nine functional traits were also measured for ten individuals of around ten plant species at each site, for a total of eleven species across all sites. The relative importance of different sources of variability (within/between site and intra-/inter-specific functional diversity) and trait variation at species and community level along the considered gradients were explored. We found a weak individual species response to altitude and other environmental variables although in some cases, individuals were smaller and leaves were thicker at higher elevations. This lack of species response was most likely due to greater within- than between-site species variation. At the community level, inter-specific functional diversity was generally greater than the intra-specific component except for traits linked to leaf element content (leaf carbon content, leaf nitrogen content, δ13C and δ15N). Inter-specific functional diversity decreased with lower altitude for four leaf traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, δ13C and δ15N), suggesting trait convergence between species at lower elevations, where water shortage may have a stronger environmental filtering effect than colder temperatures at higher altitudes. Our results suggest that, within a vegetation type encompassing various environmental gradients, both, changes in species abundance and intra-specific trait variability adjust for the community functional response to environmental changes.

Impact of production strategies and animal performance on economic values of dairy sheep traits.

PubMed

Krupová, Z; Wolfová, M; Krupa, E; Oravcová, M; Daňo, J; Huba, J; Polák, P

2012-03-01

The objective of this study was to carry out a sensitivity analysis on the impact of various production strategies and performance levels on the relative economic values (REVs) of traits in dairy sheep. A bio-economic model implemented in the program package ECOWEIGHT was used to simulate the profit function for a semi-extensive production system with the Slovak multi-purpose breed Improved Valachian and to calculate the REV of 14 production and functional traits. The following production strategies were analysed: differing proportions of milk processed to cheese, customary weaning and early weaning of lambs with immediate sale or sale after artificial rearing, seasonal lambing in winter and aseasonal lambing in autumn. Results of the sensitivity analysis are presented in detail for the four economically most important traits: 150 days milk yield, conception rate of ewes, litter size and ewe productive lifetime. Impacts of the differences in the mean value of each of these four traits on REVs of all other traits were also examined. Simulated changes in the production circumstances had a higher impact on the REV for milk yield than on REVs of the other traits investigated. The proportion of milk processed to cheese, weaning management strategy for lambs and level of milk yield were the main factors influencing the REV of milk yield. The REVs for conception rate of ewes were highly sensitive to the current mean level of the trait. The REV of ewe productive lifetime was most sensitive to variation in ewe conception rate, and the REV of litter size was most affected by weaning strategy for lambs. On the basis of the results of sensitivity analyses, it is recommended that economic values of traits for the overall breeding objective for dairy sheep be calculated as the weighted average of the economic values obtained for the most common production strategies of Slovak dairy sheep farms and that economic values be adjusted after substantial changes in performance levels of the traits.

A Comparison of the Fit of Empirical Data to Two Latent Trait Models. Report No. 92.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutten, Leah R.

Goodness of fit of raw test score data were compared, using two latent trait models: the Rasch model and the Birnbaum three-parameter logistic model. Data were taken from various achievement tests and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (Verbal). A minimum sample size of 1,000 was required, and the minimum test length was 40 items. Results indicated that…

A Successful Application of Latent Trait Theory to Tailored Achievement Testing.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

strategy for achieve- ment test batteries (Research Report 77-6). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Department of Psychology , Psychometric Methods...trait models to tailored testing (Research Report 79-1). Columbia: Uni- versity of Missouri, Department of Educational Psychology , 1979. Lord, F. M. A... Psychology Psychometric Research Group Kawauchi, Sendai 980 Educational Testing Service JAPAN Princeton, NJ 08541 Dr. Edwin Shirkey 1 Dr. Kikui

Control for Population Structure and Relatedness for Binary Traits in Genetic Association Studies via Logistic Mixed Models.

PubMed

Chen, Han; Wang, Chaolong; Conomos, Matthew P; Stilp, Adrienne M; Li, Zilin; Sofer, Tamar; Szpiro, Adam A; Chen, Wei; Brehm, John M; Celedón, Juan C; Redline, Susan; Papanicolaou, George J; Thornton, Timothy A; Laurie, Cathy C; Rice, Kenneth; Lin, Xihong

2016-04-07

Linear mixed models (LMMs) are widely used in genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to account for population structure and relatedness, for both continuous and binary traits. Motivated by the failure of LMMs to control type I errors in a GWAS of asthma, a binary trait, we show that LMMs are generally inappropriate for analyzing binary traits when population stratification leads to violation of the LMM's constant-residual variance assumption. To overcome this problem, we develop a computationally efficient logistic mixed model approach for genome-wide analysis of binary traits, the generalized linear mixed model association test (GMMAT). This approach fits a logistic mixed model once per GWAS and performs score tests under the null hypothesis of no association between a binary trait and individual genetic variants. We show in simulation studies and real data analysis that GMMAT effectively controls for population structure and relatedness when analyzing binary traits in a wide variety of study designs. Copyright © 2016 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association between Australian-Indian mothers' controlling feeding practices and children's appetite traits.

PubMed

Jani, Rati; Mallan, Kimberley M; Daniels, Lynne

2015-01-01

This cross-sectional study examined the association between controlling feeding practices and children's appetite traits. The secondary aim studied the relationship between controlling feeding practices and two proxy indicators of diet quality. Participants were 203 Australian-Indian mothers with children aged 1-5 years. Controlling feeding practices (pressure to eat, restriction, monitoring) and children's appetite traits (food approach traits: food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, desire to drink, emotional overeating; food avoidance traits: satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, fussiness and emotional undereating) were measured using self-reported, previously validated scales/questionnaires. Children's daily frequency of consumption of core and non-core foods was estimated using a 49-item list of foods eaten (yes/no) in the previous 24 hours as an indicator of diet quality. Higher pressure to eat was associated with higher scores for satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, fussiness and lower score for enjoyment of food. Higher restriction was related to higher scores for food responsiveness and emotional overeating. Higher monitoring was inversely associated with fussiness, slowness in eating, food responsiveness and emotional overeating and positively associated with enjoyment of food. Pressure to eat and monitoring were related to lower number of core and non-core foods consumed in the previous 24 hours, respectively. All associations remained significant after adjusting for maternal and child covariates (n = 152 due to missing data). In conclusion, pressure to eat was associated with higher food avoidance traits and lower consumption of core foods. Restrictive feeding practices were associated with higher food approach traits. In contrast, monitoring practices were related to lower food avoidance and food approach traits and lower non-core food consumption. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ADHD Symptoms, Autistic Traits, and Substance Use and Misuse in Adult Australian Twins

PubMed Central

De Alwis, Duneesha; Agrawal, Arpana; Reiersen, Angela M; Constantino, John N; Henders, Anjali; Martin, Nicholas G; Lynskey, Michael T

2014-01-01

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur. Several studies show increased risk of substance use disorders in ADHD, yet there is limited information related to how ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, and their combined effects are associated with nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis use and use disorders in the general population. Method: Cross-sectional interview and self-report questionnaire data from 3,080 young adult Australian twins (mean age 31.9 years) were used to assess ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, substance use, and substance use disorders. Substance use disorders—based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria—were assessed in the full sample as well as in those who reported substance use. Logistic regression analyses were used for comparing the associations between ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, substance use, and substance misuse after conduct disorder, sex, age, and zygosity were controlled for. Results: Greater ADHD symptoms and autistic traits scores were associated with elevated levels of regular smoking; cannabis use; and nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis use disorders, even after conduct disorder was adjusted for. In contrast, for alcohol use, those with high autistic traits scores were less likely to report drinking to intoxication. However, upon initiation, and similar to the findings for nicotine and cannabis, they were at elevated risk for developing alcohol dependence. Conclusions: Increased liability to ADHD and elevated autistic traits scores were associated with substance use and misuse, with the exception of alcohol use. Given the social underpinnings of drinking, persons with autistic traits may be less likely to engage in it; however, upon engagement in drinking, their vulnerability to alcohol dependence is elevated. PMID:24650814

ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, and substance use and misuse in adult Australian twins.

PubMed

De Alwis, Duneesha; Agrawal, Arpana; Reiersen, Angela M; Constantino, John N; Henders, Anjali; Martin, Nicholas G; Lynskey, Michael T

2014-03-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur. Several studies show increased risk of substance use disorders in ADHD, yet there is limited information related to how ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, and their combined effects are associated with nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis use and use disorders in the general population. Cross-sectional interview and self-report questionnaire data from 3,080 young adult Australian twins (mean age 31.9 years) were used to assess ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, substance use, and substance use disorders. Substance use disorders-based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria-were assessed in the full sample as well as in those who reported substance use. Logistic regression analyses were used for comparing the associations between ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, substance use, and substance misuse after conduct disorder, sex, age, and zygosity were controlled for. Greater ADHD symptoms and autistic traits scores were associated with elevated levels of regular smoking; cannabis use; and nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis use disorders, even after conduct disorder was adjusted for. In contrast, for alcohol use, those with high autistic traits scores were less likely to report drinking to intoxication. However, upon initiation, and similar to the findings for nicotine and cannabis, they were at elevated risk for developing alcohol dependence. Increased liability to ADHD and elevated autistic traits scores were associated with substance use and misuse, with the exception of alcohol use. Given the social underpinnings of drinking, persons with autistic traits may be less likely to engage in it; however, upon engagement in drinking, their vulnerability to alcohol dependence is elevated.

Relationships among personality traits, metabolic syndrome, and metabolic syndrome scores: The Kakegawa cohort study.

PubMed

Ohseto, Hisashi; Ishikuro, Mami; Kikuya, Masahiro; Obara, Taku; Igarashi, Yuko; Takahashi, Satomi; Kikuchi, Daisuke; Shigihara, Michiko; Yamanaka, Chizuru; Miyashita, Masako; Mizuno, Satoshi; Nagai, Masato; Matsubara, Hiroko; Sato, Yuki; Metoki, Hirohito; Tachibana, Hirofumi; Maeda-Yamamoto, Mari; Kuriyama, Shinichi

2018-04-01

Metabolic syndrome and the presence of metabolic syndrome components are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the association between personality traits and metabolic syndrome remains controversial, and few studies have been conducted in East Asian populations. We measured personality traits using the Japanese version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Revised Short Form) and five metabolic syndrome components-elevated waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and elevated fasting glucose-in 1322 participants aged 51.1±12.7years old from Kakegawa city, Japan. Metabolic syndrome score (MS score) was defined as the number of metabolic syndrome components present, and metabolic syndrome as having the MS score of 3 or higher. We performed multiple logistic regression analyses to examine the relationship between personality traits and metabolic syndrome components and multiple regression analyses to examine the relationship between personality traits and MS scores adjusted for age, sex, education, income, smoking status, alcohol use, and family history of CVD and diabetes mellitus. We also examine the relationship between personality traits and metabolic syndrome presence by multiple logistic regression analyses. "Extraversion" scores were higher in those with metabolic syndrome components (elevated waist circumference: P=0.001; elevated triglycerides: P=0.01; elevated blood pressure: P=0.004; elevated fasting glucose: P=0.002). "Extraversion" was associated with the MS score (coefficient=0.12, P=0.0003). No personality trait was significantly associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. Higher "extraversion" scores were related to higher MS scores, but no personality trait was significantly associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plastic responses to elevated temperature in low and high elevation populations of three grassland species.

PubMed

Frei, Esther R; Ghazoul, Jaboury; Pluess, Andrea R

2014-01-01

Local persistence of plant species in the face of climate change is largely mediated by genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. In species with a wide altitudinal range, population responses to global warming are likely to differ at contrasting elevations. In controlled climate chambers, we investigated the responses of low and high elevation populations (1200 and 1800 m a.s.l.) of three nutrient-poor grassland species, Trifolium montanum, Ranunculus bulbosus, and Briza media, to ambient and elevated temperature. We measured growth-related, reproductive and phenological traits, evaluated differences in trait plasticity and examined whether trait values or plasticities were positively related to approximate fitness and thus under selection. Elevated temperature induced plastic responses in several growth-related traits of all three species. Although flowering phenology was advanced in T. montanum and R. bulbosus, number of flowers and reproductive allocation were not increased under elevated temperature. Plasticity differed between low and high elevation populations only in leaf traits of T. montanum and B. media. Some growth-related and phenological traits were under selection. Moreover, plasticities were not correlated with approximate fitness indicating selectively neutral plastic responses to elevated temperature. The observed plasticity in growth-related and phenological traits, albeit variable among species, suggests that plasticity is an important mechanism in mediating plant responses to elevated temperature. However, the capacity of species to respond to climate change through phenotypic plasticity is limited suggesting that the species additionally need evolutionary adaptation to adjust to climate change. The observed selection on several growth-related and phenological traits indicates that the study species have the potential for future evolution in the context of a warming climate.

Typical Intellectual Engagement, Big Five Personality Traits, Approaches to Learning and Cognitive Ability Predictors of Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furnham, Adrian; Monsen, Jeremy; Ahmetoglu, Gorkan

2009-01-01

Background: Both ability (measured by power tests) and non-ability (measured by preference tests) individual difference measures predict academic school outcomes. These include fluid as well as crystalized intelligence, personality traits, and learning styles. This paper examines the incremental validity of five psychometric tests and the sex and…

Multidimensional Test Assembly Based on Lagrangian Relaxation Techniques. Research Report 98-08.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veldkamp, Bernard P.

In this paper, a mathematical programming approach is presented for the assembly of ability tests measuring multiple traits. The values of the variance functions of the estimators of the traits are minimized, while test specifications are met. The approach is based on Lagrangian relaxation techniques and provides good results for the two…

A Flexible Latent Trait Model for Response Times in Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ranger, Jochen; Kuhn, Jorg-Tobias

2012-01-01

Latent trait models for response times in tests have become popular recently. One challenge for response time modeling is the fact that the distribution of response times can differ considerably even in similar tests. In order to reduce the need for tailor-made models, a model is proposed that unifies two popular approaches to response time…

Mixture IRT Model with a Higher-Order Structure for Latent Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Hung-Yu

2017-01-01

Mixture item response theory (IRT) models have been suggested as an efficient method of detecting the different response patterns derived from latent classes when developing a test. In testing situations, multiple latent traits measured by a battery of tests can exhibit a higher-order structure, and mixtures of latent classes may occur on…

Comparison of trait and ability measures of emotional intelligence in medical students.

PubMed

Brannick, Michael T; Wahi, Monika M; Arce, Melissa; Johnson, Hazel-Anne; Nazian, Stanley; Goldin, Steven B

2009-11-01

Emotional intelligence (EI), the ability to perceive emotions in the self and others, and to understand, regulate and use such information in productive ways, is believed to be important in health care delivery for both recipients and providers of health care. There are two types of EI measure: ability and trait. Ability and trait measures differ in terms of both the definition of constructs and the methods of assessment. Ability measures conceive of EI as a capacity that spans the border between reason and feeling. Items on such a measure include showing a person a picture of a face and asking what emotion the pictured person is feeling; such items are scored by comparing the test-taker's response to a keyed emotion. Trait measures include a very large array of non-cognitive abilities related to success, such as self-control. Items on such measures ask individuals to rate themselves on such statements as: 'I generally know what other people are feeling.' Items are scored by giving higher scores to greater self-assessments. We compared one of each type of test with the other for evidence of reliability, convergence and overlap with personality. Year 1 and 2 medical students completed the Meyer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT, an ability measure), the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS, a trait measure) and an industry standard personality test (the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness [NEO] test). The MSCEIT showed problems with reliability. The MSCEIT and the WLEIS did not correlate highly with one another (overall scores correlated at 0.18). The WLEIS was more highly correlated with personality scales than the MSCEIT. Different tests that are supposed to measure EI do not measure the same thing. The ability measure was not correlated with personality, but the trait measure was correlated with personality.

Avian responses to an extreme ice storm are determined by a combination of functional traits, behavioural adaptations and habitat modifications

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qiang; Hong, Yongmi; Zou, Fasheng; Zhang, Min; Lee, Tien Ming; Song, Xiangjin; Rao, Jiteng

2016-01-01

The extent to which species’ traits, behavior and habitat synergistically determine their response to extreme weather events (EWE) remains poorly understood. By quantifying bird and vegetation assemblages before and after the 2008 ice storm in China, combined with interspecific interactions and foraging behaviours, we disentangled whether storm influences avian reassembly directly via functional traits (i.e. behavioral adaptations), or indirectly via habitat variations. We found that overall species richness decreased, with 20 species detected exclusively before the storm, and eight species detected exclusively after. These shifts in bird relative abundance were linked to habitat preferences, dietary guild and flocking behaviours. For instance, forest specialists at higher trophic levels (e.g. understory-insectivores, woodpeckers and kingfishers) were especially vulnerable, whereas open-habitat generalists (e.g. bulbuls) were set to benefit from potential habitat homogenization. Alongside population fluctuations, we found that community reassembly can be rapidly adjusted via foraging plasticity (i.e. increased flocking propensity and reduced perching height). And changes in preferred habitat corresponded to a variation in bird assemblages and traits, as represented by intact canopy cover and high density of large trees. Accurate predictions of community responses to EWE are crucial to understanding ecosystem disturbances, thus linking species-oriented traits to a coherent analytical framework. PMID:26929387

Effects of Acculturation on Prenatal Anxiety among Latina Women

PubMed Central

de Mendoza, Veronica Barcelona; Harville, Emily; Theall, Katherine; Buekens, Pierre; Chasan-Taber, Lisa

2016-01-01

Purpose Anxiety in pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. Relatively few studies have investigated how acculturation affects mental health in pregnancy among Latinas. The goal of this study was to determine if acculturation was associated with anxiety over the course of pregnancy in a sample of predominantly Puerto Rican women. Methods Women were recruited in pregnancy for participation in Proyecto Buena Salud, a prospective cohort study of Latina women (n=1412). Acculturation was measured via the Psychological Acculturation Scale (PAS), language preference and generation in the US. Anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Instrument. Linear and logistic multivariable regression were used to investigate associations. Results After adjustment, women with bicultural identification had significantly lower trait anxiety scores in early pregnancy (beta −3.62, SE 1.1, p<0.001) than low acculturated women. Women with higher levels of acculturation as indicated by English language preference (β=1.41, SE 0.7, p=0.04) and second or third generation in the US had significantly higher trait anxiety scores in early pregnancy (β=1.83, SE 0.6, p<.01). Conclusions Bicultural psychological acculturation was associated with lower trait anxiety in early pregnancy, while English language preference and higher generation in the US were associated with higher trait anxiety in early pregnancy. PMID:26790686

Pathological Personality Traits and the Naturalistic Course of Internalizing Disorders among High-Risk Young Adults

PubMed Central

Conway, Christopher C.; Craske, Michelle G.; Zinbarg, Richard E.; Mineka, Susan

2015-01-01

Background A diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) signals a negative prognosis for depressive and anxiety disorders, but the precise abnormal personality traits that regulate the temporal course of internalizing psychopathology are unknown. In the present study, we examined prospective associations between abnormal personality traits and the onset and recurrence of internalizing disorders. Methods A sample of 371 young adults at high risk for internalizing problems completed the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-Second Edition—a measure of 12 abnormal personality traits and three temperament dimensions (i.e., Negative Temperament, Positive Temperament, Disinhibition versus Control)—and underwent annual diagnostic interviews over four years of follow-up. Results In multivariate survival analyses, Negative Temperament was a robust predictor of both new onsets and recurrences of internalizing disorder. Further, the Dependency and Self-Harm abnormal personality dimensions emerged as independent predictors of new onsets and recurrences, respectively, of internalizing disorders after statistically adjusting for variation in temperament. Conclusions Our findings suggest that abnormal personality traits and temperament dimensions have complementary effects on the trajectory of internalizing pathology during young adulthood. In assessment and treatment settings, targeting the abnormal personality and temperament dimensions with the greatest prognostic value stands to improve the early detection of enduring internalizing psychopathology. PMID:26344411

PATHOLOGICAL PERSONALITY TRAITS AND THE NATURALISTIC COURSE OF INTERNALIZING DISORDERS AMONG HIGH-RISK YOUNG ADULTS.

PubMed

Conway, Christopher C; Craske, Michelle G; Zinbarg, Richard E; Mineka, Susan

2016-01-01

A personality disorder diagnosis signals a negative prognosis for depressive and anxiety disorders, but the precise abnormal personality traits that determine the temporal course of internalizing psychopathology are unknown. In the present study, we examined prospective associations between abnormal personality traits and the onset and recurrence of internalizing disorders. A sample of 371 young adults at high risk for internalizing problems completed the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-Second Edition--a measure of 12 abnormal personality traits and three temperament dimensions (i.e., Negative Temperament, Positive Temperament, Disinhibition vs. Control)--and underwent annual diagnostic interviews over 4 years of follow-up. In multivariate survival analyses, Negative Temperament was a robust predictor of both new onsets and recurrences of internalizing disorder. Further, the Dependency and Self-Harm abnormal personality dimensions emerged as independent predictors of new onsets and recurrences, respectively, of internalizing disorders after statistically adjusting for variation in temperament. Our findings suggest that abnormal personality traits and temperament dimensions have complementary effects on the trajectory of internalizing pathology during young adulthood. In assessment and treatment settings, targeting the abnormal personality and temperament dimensions with the greatest prognostic value stands to improve the early detection of enduring internalizing psychopathology. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Trait-based assembly and phylogenetic structure in northeast Pacific rockfish assemblages.

PubMed

Ingram, Travis; Shurin, Jonathan B

2009-09-01

If natural communities are assembled according to deterministic rules, coexisting species will represent a nonrandom subset of the potential species pool. We tested for signatures of assembly rules in the distribution of species' traits in Pacific rockfish (Sebastes spp.) assemblages. We used morphology, dietary niche (estimated with stable nitrogen isotopes), and distribution data to identify traits that relate to local-scale resource use (the alpha-niche) and to environmental gradients (the beta-niche). We showed that gill raker morphology was related to trophic position (an alpha-niche axis), while relative eye size was associated with depth habitat (a beta-niche axis). We therefore hypothesized that, within assemblages of coexisting rockfish species, the gill raker trait would be overdispersed (evenly spaced) due to limiting similarity, while relative eye size would be clustered due to environmental filtering. We examined the evolutionary relatedness of coexisting species to ask whether phylogenetic community structure and trait distributions gave similar indications about the roles of assembly processes. We tested the trait distributions and phylogenetic structure of 30 published rockfish assemblages against a null model of random community assembly. As predicted, the gill raker trait tended to be more evenly spaced than expected by chance, as did overall body size, while relative eye size was more clustered than expected. Phylogenetic community structure appeared to reflect historical dispersal and speciation and did not provide consistent support for assembly rules. Our results indicate that rockfish community assembly is nonrandom with regard to species' traits and show how distinguishing traits related to the alpha- and beta-niches and incorporating functional morphology can provide for powerful tests of assembly rules.

Individual Cell Based Traits Obtained by Scanning Flow-Cytometry Show Selection by Biotic and Abiotic Environmental Factors during a Phytoplankton Spring Bloom

PubMed Central

Pomati, Francesco; Kraft, Nathan J. B.; Posch, Thomas; Eugster, Bettina; Jokela, Jukka; Ibelings, Bas W.

2013-01-01

In ecology and evolution, the primary challenge in understanding the processes that shape biodiversity is to assess the relationship between the phenotypic traits of organisms and the environment. Here we tested for selection on physio-morphological traits measured by scanning flow-cytometry at the individual level in phytoplankton communities under a temporally changing biotic and abiotic environment. Our aim was to study how high-frequency temporal changes in the environment influence biodiversity dynamics in a natural community. We focused on a spring bloom in Lake Zurich (Switzerland), characterized by rapid changes in phytoplankton, water conditions, nutrients and grazing (mainly mediated by herbivore ciliates). We described bloom dynamics in terms of taxonomic and trait-based diversity and found that diversity dynamics of trait-based groups were more pronounced than those of identified phytoplankton taxa. We characterized the linkage between measured phytoplankton traits, abiotic environmental factors and abundance of the main grazers and observed weak but significant correlations between changing abiotic and biotic conditions and measured size-related and fluorescence-related traits. We tested for deviations in observed community-wide distributions of focal traits from random patterns and found evidence for both clustering and even spacing of traits, occurring sporadically over the time series. Patterns were consistent with environmental filtering and phenotypic divergence under herbivore pressure, respectively. Size-related traits showed significant even spacing during the peak of herbivore abundance, suggesting that morphology-related traits were under selection from grazing. Pigment distribution within cells and colonies appeared instead to be associated with acclimation to temperature and water chemistry. We found support for trade-offs among grazing resistance and environmental tolerance traits, as well as for substantial periods of dynamics in which our measured traits were not under selection. PMID:23951218

Convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of DSM-5 traits.

PubMed

Yalch, Matthew M; Hopwood, Christopher J

2016-10-01

Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edi.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) contains a system for diagnosing personality disorder based in part on assessing 25 maladaptive traits. Initial research suggests that this aspect of the system improves the validity and clinical utility of the Section II Model. The Computer Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder (CAT-PD; Simms et al., 2011) contains many similar traits as the DSM-5, as well as several additional traits seemingly not covered in the DSM-5. In this study we evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity between the DSM-5 traits, as assessed by the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger et al., 2012), and CAT-PD in an undergraduate sample, and test whether traits included in the CAT-PD but not the DSM-5 provide incremental validity in association with clinically relevant criterion variables. Results supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the PID-5 and CAT-PD scales in their assessment of 23 out of 25 DSM-5 traits. DSM-5 traits were consistently associated with 11 criterion variables, despite our having intentionally selected clinically relevant criterion constructs not directly assessed by DSM-5 traits. However, the additional CAT-PD traits provided incremental information above and beyond the DSM-5 traits for all criterion variables examined. These findings support the validity of pathological trait models in general and the DSM-5 and CAT-PD models in particular, while also suggesting that the CAT-PD may include additional traits for consideration in future iterations of the DSM-5 system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Individual cell based traits obtained by scanning flow-cytometry show selection by biotic and abiotic environmental factors during a phytoplankton spring bloom.

PubMed

Pomati, Francesco; Kraft, Nathan J B; Posch, Thomas; Eugster, Bettina; Jokela, Jukka; Ibelings, Bas W

2013-01-01

In ecology and evolution, the primary challenge in understanding the processes that shape biodiversity is to assess the relationship between the phenotypic traits of organisms and the environment. Here we tested for selection on physio-morphological traits measured by scanning flow-cytometry at the individual level in phytoplankton communities under a temporally changing biotic and abiotic environment. Our aim was to study how high-frequency temporal changes in the environment influence biodiversity dynamics in a natural community. We focused on a spring bloom in Lake Zurich (Switzerland), characterized by rapid changes in phytoplankton, water conditions, nutrients and grazing (mainly mediated by herbivore ciliates). We described bloom dynamics in terms of taxonomic and trait-based diversity and found that diversity dynamics of trait-based groups were more pronounced than those of identified phytoplankton taxa. We characterized the linkage between measured phytoplankton traits, abiotic environmental factors and abundance of the main grazers and observed weak but significant correlations between changing abiotic and biotic conditions and measured size-related and fluorescence-related traits. We tested for deviations in observed community-wide distributions of focal traits from random patterns and found evidence for both clustering and even spacing of traits, occurring sporadically over the time series. Patterns were consistent with environmental filtering and phenotypic divergence under herbivore pressure, respectively. Size-related traits showed significant even spacing during the peak of herbivore abundance, suggesting that morphology-related traits were under selection from grazing. Pigment distribution within cells and colonies appeared instead to be associated with acclimation to temperature and water chemistry. We found support for trade-offs among grazing resistance and environmental tolerance traits, as well as for substantial periods of dynamics in which our measured traits were not under selection.

Temperamental traits and results of psychoaptitude tests in applicants to become a cadet officer in the Italian Navy.

PubMed

Maremmani, Icro; Maremmani, Angelo Giovanni Icro; Leonardi, Annalisa; Rovai, Luca; Bacciardi, Silvia; Rugani, Fabio; Dell'Osso, Liliana; Akiskal, Kareen; Akiskal, S Hagop

2013-09-05

Consistently with the involvement of affective temperaments in professional choices, our research team is aiming to outline the temperamental profile of subjects who are applying to enter a military career in the Italian Armed Forces. In this study we aim to verify the importance of temperamental traits not only in choosing the military career as a profession, but also in passing or failing the entrance examinations. We compared the affective temperaments (evaluated by TEMPS-A[P]) of those applying to become a cadet officer in the Italian Navy, divided into various subgroups depending on whether they passed or failed the entrance examination at various levels (high school final test, medical (physical and psychiatric), mathematical examination and aptitude test). We also tested for correlations between grades received and temperamental scores. Higher scores for those with a hyperthymic and lower scores for those with a depressive, cyclothymic or irritable temperament characterized applicants taking medical exams and aptitude tests. Higher scores on the high school final test correlated with lower hyperthymic, cyclothymic and irritable temperament scores. No correlations were found between temperamental traits and mathematical examinations. Multivariate analysis stressed the negative impact of a cyclothymic temperament and the poor discriminant power of temperaments regarding medical and mathematical examinations, and aptitude tests. Conversely, temperaments showed good discriminant power as far as psychiatric examinations are concerned. Hyperthymic temperamental traits appear to be important not only in choosing a profession, but also in passing entrance examinations. Even so, affective temperaments (strong hyperthymic and weak cyclothymic, depressive and irritable traits) are the only successfully predictors of the outcome of psychiatric examinations and, to a lesser extent, medical examinations and aptitude tests. Achieving high school graduation and passing mathematical exams are independent of temperamental traits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heteroscedastic Latent Trait Models for Dichotomous Data.

PubMed

Molenaar, Dylan

2015-09-01

Effort has been devoted to account for heteroscedasticity with respect to observed or latent moderator variables in item or test scores. For instance, in the multi-group generalized linear latent trait model, it could be tested whether the observed (polychoric) covariance matrix differs across the levels of an observed moderator variable. In the case that heteroscedasticity arises across the latent trait itself, existing models commonly distinguish between heteroscedastic residuals and a skewed trait distribution. These models have valuable applications in intelligence, personality and psychopathology research. However, existing approaches are only limited to continuous and polytomous data, while dichotomous data are common in intelligence and psychopathology research. Therefore, in present paper, a heteroscedastic latent trait model is presented for dichotomous data. The model is studied in a simulation study, and applied to data pertaining alcohol use and cognitive ability.

Selective pressures on the once and future contents of ethnic stereotypes: effects of the communicability of traits.

PubMed

Schaller, Mark; Conway, Lucian Gideon; Tanchuk, Tracy L

2002-06-01

It is hypothesized that traits that are most likely to be the subject of social discourse (i.e., most communicable) are most likely to persist in ethnic stereotypes over time and that this effect is moderated by the extent to which an ethnic group is the subject of social discourse. Study 1 yielded communicability ratings of 76 traits. Study 2 tested the relation between a trait's communicability and its presence in stereotypes of 4 Canadian ethnic groups. Study 3 tested the relation between a trait's communicability and its persistence over time in stereotypes of 8 American ethnic groups. Results supported the hypotheses. A communication-based analysis of stereotypes appears helpful in predicting persistence and change in the contents of stereotypes of real groups in the real world.

The incremental role of trait emotional intelligence on perceived cervical screening barriers.

PubMed

Costa, Sebastiano; Barberis, Nadia; Larcan, Rosalba; Cuzzocrea, Francesca

2018-02-13

Researchers have become increasingly interested in investigating the role of the psychological aspects related to the perception of cervical screening barriers. This study investigates the influence of trait EI on perceived cervical screening barriers. Furthermore, this study investigates the incremental validity of trait EI beyond the Big Five, as well as emotion regulation in the perceived barrier towards the Pap test as revealed in a sample of 206 Italian women that were undergoing cervical screening. Results have shown that trait EI is negatively related to cervical screening barriers. Furthermore, trait EI can be considered as a strong incremental predictor of a woman's perception of screening over and above the Big Five, emotion regulation, age, sexual intercourse experience and past Pap test. Detailed information on the study findings and future research directions are discussed.

One-year follow-up study of first suicide attempts in first episode psychosis: Personality traits and temporal pattern.

PubMed

Canal-Rivero, Manuel; Barrigón, Maria Luisa; Perona-Garcelán, Salvador; Rodriguez-Testal, Juan F; Giner, Lucas; Obiols-Llandrich, Jordi E; Ruiz-Veguilla, Miguel

2016-11-01

The highest suicide rates occur after psychiatric hospitalization or soon after discharge. In addition to other factors, personality traits have been suggested as predictors of suicide attempts (SA) after first episode psychosis (FEP). In this study we examined their temporal pattern and the influence of personality traits on first suicide attempts (fSA) during one year after FEP. One-year follow-up of 65 FEP patients. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to explore the relationship between personality traits and fSA. This analysis was also adjusted for a set of sociodemographic, clinical and psychopathological variables. fSAs in the six months following FEP were predicted by higher scores in passive-dependent personality traits (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.15-5.09) and severity of symptoms at onset (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.07-3.76). Severity of symptoms at onset (OR = 2.71, CI = 1.15-6.39) was the most significant predictor of fSA from six to twelve months after FEP. Seventy percent of fSA occurred during the first six months after FEP, decreasing considerably afterwards. Our study suggests that personality traits play a role in fSA after FEP. Specifically, passive-dependent personality traits emerged as a predictor of fSA in the six months following FEP. Severity of symptoms at onset predicted early and late first suicide attempts. We also found that risk of fSA is highest during the six months following FEP. These results can contribute to the implementation of prevention program. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Construct validity of adolescents' self-reported big five personality traits: importance of conceptual breadth and initial validation of a short measure.

PubMed

Morizot, Julien

2014-10-01

While there are a number of short personality trait measures that have been validated for use with adults, few are specifically validated for use with adolescents. To trust such measures, it must be demonstrated that they have adequate construct validity. According to the view of construct validity as a unifying form of validity requiring the integration of different complementary sources of information, this article reports the evaluation of content, factor, convergent, and criterion validities as well as reliability of adolescents' self-reported personality traits. Moreover, this study sought to address an inherent potential limitation of short personality trait measures, namely their limited conceptual breadth. In this study, starting with items from a known measure, after the language-level was adjusted for use with adolescents, items tapping fundamental primary traits were added to determine the impact of added conceptual breadth on the psychometric properties of the scales. The resulting new measure was named the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire (BFPTSQ). A group of expert judges considered the items to have adequate content validity. Using data from a community sample of early adolescents, the results confirmed the factor validity of the Big Five structure in adolescence as well as its measurement invariance across genders. More important, the added items did improve the convergent and criterion validities of the scales, but did not negatively affect their reliability. This study supports the construct validity of adolescents' self-reported personality traits and points to the importance of conceptual breadth in short personality measures. © The Author(s) 2014.

Sub-dimensions of trait emotional intelligence and health: A critical and systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Baudry, Anne-Sophie; Grynberg, Delphine; Dassonneville, Charlotte; Lelorain, Sophie; Christophe, Véronique

2018-04-01

Despite a growing number of studies on the role of the multidimensional construct of trait emotional intelligence (EI) in health, most have focused on global EI, without examining the role of the sub-dimensions. The present systematic review aimed to highlight the current knowledge about self-reported health associated with trait-EI sub-dimensions in general and clinical populations. We searched for the articles including valid self-report scales of trait-EI and health (mental or physical or general) in general and clinical samples. Based on 42 studies, the majority of studies was based on mental health with cross-sectional designs and the TMMS scale, in the general population. Few studies have been focused on physical health and clinical population. The description of studies results revealed that trait-EI sub-dimensions are associated to a greater extent with better mental health, rather than with physical and general health. Furthermore, intrapersonal dimensions, and especially emotion regulation, have stronger effects on health than interpersonal dimensions. Finally, patients with a clinical disorder present lower trait-EI sub-dimensions than the general population. This review supports the importance of focusing on the sub-dimensions of trait-EI to understand better the role of EI in health. The use of scales exclusively based on emotional competences in health contexts is recommended. Developing interventions targeting emotional competences according to the emotional profiles and contexts of individuals could be beneficial to improve health and disease adjustment. © 2018 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

High Expense: Disability Severity and Charter School Attendance in Arizona

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcy, Anthony M.

2011-01-01

Much of the literature related to the skimming or cropping of students by charter schools has ignored special education students. This article examines the relationship between the severity of student disabilities and their likelihood of having attended an Arizona charter school in the 2002-2003 school year. After adjusting for student traits,…

NURSERY SCHOOL BEHAVIOR AND LATER SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WESTMAN, JACK C.; AND OTHERS

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY TRAITS OBSERVED EARLY AND LATER IN LIFE IS EXPLORED IN THIS PAPER. IN PARTICULAR, THE POSSIBILITY OF IDENTIFYING CHILDREN DURING NURSERY SCHOOL YEARS WHO LATER SHOW SIGNS OF MALADJUSTMENT IS EXPLORED. A SAMPLE OF 130 CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED A PRIVATE NURSERY SCHOOL BETWEEN 1945 AND 1950 WAS SELECTED.…

Contributions and Implications of the Medford, Oregon, Boys' Growth Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, H. H.

The overall and long-range purposes of the Medford Boys' Growth Study are: (1) to construct physical and motor growth curves and growth acceleration curves of boys seven to 18 years old; (2) to relate these traits to physiological maturity, physique type, nutritional status, socio-personal adjustment, interests, and scholastic aptitude and…

Narcissism and Adjustment in Preadolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pauletti, Rachel E.; Menon, Madhavi; Menon, Meenakshi; Tobin, Desiree D.; Perry, David G.

2012-01-01

Narcissism--a strong need to be admired for a grandiose self--is a problematic personality trait for children as well as adults. This study of 236 preadolescents (M age = 11.3 years; 129 girls, 107 boys) evaluated 2 intrapersonal (cognitive) pathways by which narcissism might contribute to maladjustment. The first was that narcissism combines with…

Is There a Relation between Mothers' Parenting Styles and Children's Trait Emotional Intelligence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alegre, Albert

2012-01-01

Introduction: Emotional intelligence has been proposed as a human faculty that may have a strong impact on a variety of children's developmental outcomes such as: school achievement, peer acceptance, and behavioral adjustment. It has also been proposed that parenting may influence children's development of emotional intelligence. However, very…

The DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorders from the perspective of adult attachment: a study in community-dwelling adults.

PubMed

Fossati, Andrea; Krueger, Robert F; Markon, Kristian E; Borroni, Serena; Maffei, Cesare; Somma, Antonella

2015-04-01

To assess how the maladaptive personality domains and facets that were included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Alternative Model of Personality Disorders relate to adult attachment styles, 480 Italian nonclinical adults were administered the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ). To evaluate the uniqueness of the associations between the PID-5 scales and the ASQ scales, the participants were also administered the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Multiple regression analyses showed that the ASQ scales significantly predicted both PID-5 domain scales and BFI scales; however, the relationships were different both qualitatively and quantitatively. With the exception of the PID-5 risk taking scale (adjusted R(2) = 0.02), all other PID-5 trait scales were significantly predicted by the ASQ scales, median adjusted R(2) value = 0.25, all ps < 0.001. Our findings suggest that the maladaptive personality domains and traits listed in the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders show meaningful associations with adult attachment styles.

Spiritual Transcendence and Psychological Adjustment: The Moderating Role of Personality in Burn Patients.

PubMed

Jibeen, Tahira; Mahfooz, Musferah; Fatima, Shamem

2017-08-30

The current study examined the moderating role of personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion) on the relationship between spiritual transcendence and positive change, and spiritual transcendence and distress in burn patients. The sample (N = 98) comprised adult burn patients (age = 25-50) admitted to three hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. They were assessed according to a demographic information sheet, the NEO Personality Inventory (McCrae and Costa in J Personal Soc Psychol 52:81-90, 1987), the Spiritual Transcendence Index (Seidlitz et al. in J Sci Study Relig 41:439-453, 2002), the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales-21 (Lovibond and Lovibond in Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress scales, Psychology Foundation, Sydney, 1995), and the Perceived Benefit Scales (McMillen and Fisher in Soc Work Res 22(3):173-186, 1998). Stepwise moderated regression analysis showed that both personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion) played a moderating role in the relationship between spiritual transcendence and positive change, and spiritual transcendence and distress in burn patients. The findings highlight the potential role spiritual transcendence may have in understanding and improving the psychological adjustment of burn patients.

Sensitivity to disgust, stigma, and adjustment to life with a colostomy

PubMed Central

Smith, Dylan M.; Loewenstein, George; Rozin, Paul; Sherriff, Ryan L.; Ubel, Peter A.

2007-01-01

We examined whether trait disgust sensitivity predicts well-being in colostomy patients, and whether disgust predicts stigmatizing attitudes about colostomy in non-patients. 195 patients with a colostomy returned a mailed survey including measures of disgust sensitivity, life satisfaction, mood, and feelings of being stigmatized. We also conducted an internet-survey of a non-patient sample (n = 523). In the patient sample, we observed negative correlations between a bowel-specific measure of disgust sensitivity and life satisfaction (r = −.34, p<.01), and colostomy adjustment ( r = −.42, p<.01), and a positive correlation with feeling stigmatized because of the colostomy (r = .54, p<.01). Correlations between a general trait disgust measure and these outcomes were more modest. A structural equation model indicated that colostomy patients who had high disgust sensitivity felt more stigmatized, and this was in turn strongly related to lower life satisfaction. Concordantly, in the non-patient sample we observed that disgust sensitivity was a significant, positive predictor of wanting less contact with colostomy patients (r = .22, p < .01). PMID:17940585

The role of self-control strength in the development of state anxiety in test situations.

PubMed

Englert, C; Bertrams, A

2013-06-01

Self-control strength may affect state anxiety because emotion regulation is impaired in individuals whose self-control strength has been temporarily depleted. Increases in state anxiety were expected to be larger for participants with depleted compared to nondepleted self-control strength, and trait test anxiety should predict increases in state anxiety more strongly if self-control strength is depleted. In a sample of 76 university students, trait test anxiety was assessed, self-control strength experimentally manipulated, and state anxiety measured before and after the announcement of a test. State anxiety increased after the announcement. Trait test anxiety predicted increases in state anxiety only in students with depleted self-control strength, suggesting that increased self-control strength may be useful for coping with anxiety.

Association between DNA Methylation in Whole Blood and Measures of Glucose Metabolism: KORA F4 Study

PubMed Central

Wahl, Simone; Kunze, Sonja; Molnos, Sophie; Volkova, Nadezda; Schramm, Katharina; Carstensen-Kirberg, Maren; Waldenberger, Melanie; Gieger, Christian; Peters, Annette; Illig, Thomas; Prokisch, Holger; Roden, Michael; Grallert, Harald

2016-01-01

Epigenetic regulation has been postulated to affect glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we performed an epigenome-wide association study for measures of glucose metabolism in whole blood samples of the population-based Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg F4 study using the Illumina HumanMethylation 450 BeadChip. We identified a total of 31 CpG sites where methylation level was associated with measures of glucose metabolism after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, and estimated white blood cell proportions and correction for multiple testing using the Benjamini-Hochberg (B-H) method (four for fasting glucose, seven for fasting insulin, 25 for homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]; B-H-adjusted p-values between 9.2x10-5 and 0.047). In addition, DNA methylation at cg06500161 (annotated to ABCG1) was associated with all the aforementioned phenotypes and 2-hour glucose (B-H-adjusted p-values between 9.2x10-5 and 3.0x10-3). Methylation status of additional three CpG sites showed an association with fasting insulin only after additional adjustment for body mass index (BMI) (B-H-adjusted p-values = 0.047). Overall, effect strengths were reduced by around 30% after additional adjustment for BMI, suggesting that this variable has an influence on the investigated phenotypes. Furthermore, we found significant associations between methylation status of 21 of the aforementioned CpG sites and 2-hour insulin in a subset of samples with seven significant associations persisting after additional adjustment for BMI. In a subset of 533 participants, methylation of the CpG site cg06500161 (ABCG1) was inversely associated with ABCG1 gene expression (B-H-adjusted p-value = 1.5x10-9). Additionally, we observed an enrichment of the top 1,000 CpG sites for diabetes-related canonical pathways using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. In conclusion, our study indicates that DNA methylation and diabetes-related traits are associated and that these associations are partially BMI-dependent. Furthermore, the interaction of ABCG1 with glucose metabolism is modulated by epigenetic processes. PMID:27019061

Common Genetic Variation in the Human FNDC5 Locus, Encoding the Novel Muscle-Derived ‘Browning’ Factor Irisin, Determines Insulin Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Staiger, Harald; Böhm, Anja; Scheler, Mika; Berti, Lucia; Machann, Jürgen; Schick, Fritz; Machicao, Fausto; Fritsche, Andreas; Stefan, Norbert; Weigert, Cora; Krook, Anna; Häring, Hans-Ulrich; de Angelis, Martin Hrabě

2013-01-01

Aims/hypothesis Recently, the novel myokine irisin was described to drive adipose tissue ‘browning’, to increase energy expenditure, and to improve obesity and insulin resistance in high fat-fed mice. Here, we assessed whether common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FNDC5 locus, encoding the irisin precursor, contribute to human prediabetic phenotypes (overweight, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, impaired insulin release). Methods A population of 1,976 individuals was characterized by oral glucose tolerance tests and genotyped for FNDC5 tagging SNPs. Subgroups underwent hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamps, magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy, and intravenous glucose tolerance tests. From 37 young and 14 elderly participants recruited in two different centres, muscle biopsies were obtained for the preparation of human myotube cultures. Results After appropriate adjustment and Bonferroni correction for the number of tested variants, SNPs rs16835198 and rs726344 were associated with in vivo measures of insulin sensitivity. Via interrogation of publicly available data from the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin-related traits Consortium, rs726344’s effect on insulin sensitivity was replicated. Moreover, novel data from human myotubes revealed a negative association between FNDC5 expression and appropriately adjusted in vivo measures of insulin sensitivity in young donors. This finding was replicated in myotubes from elderly men. Conclusions/interpretation This study provides evidence that the FNDC5 gene, encoding the novel myokine irisin, determines insulin sensitivity in humans. Our gene expression data point to an unexpected insulin-desensitizing effect of irisin. PMID:23637927

Psoriasis and cardiometabolic traits: modest association but distinct genetic architectures

PubMed Central

Koch, Manja; Baurecht, Hansjörg; Ried, Janina S.; Rodriguez, Elke; Schlesinger, Sabrina; Volks, Natalie; Gieger, Christian; Rückert, Ina-Maria; Heinrich, Luise; Willenborg, Christina; Smith, Catherine; Peters, Annette; Thorand, Barbara; Koenig, Wolfgang; Lamina, Claudia; Jansen, Henning; Kronenberg, Florian; Seissler, Jochen; Thiery, Joachim; Rathmann, Wolfgang; Schunkert, Heribert; Erdmann, Jeanette; Barker, Jonathan; Nair, Rajan P; Tsoi, Lam C; Elder, James T; Mrowietz, Ulrich; Weichenthal, Michael; Mucha, Sören; Schreiber, Stefan; Franke, Andre; Schmitt, Jochen; Lieb, Wolfgang; Weidinger, Stephan

2015-01-01

Psoriasis has been linked to cardiometabolic diseases, but epidemiological findings are inconsistent. We investigated the association between psoriasis and cardiometabolic outcomes in a German cross-sectional study (n=4.185) and a prospective cohort of German Health Insurance beneficiaries (n=1.811.098). A potential genetic overlap was explored using genome-wide data from >22.000 coronary artery disease (CAD) and >4.000 psoriasis cases, and with a dense genotyping study of cardiometabolic risk loci on 927 psoriasis cases and 3.717 controls. Controlling for major confounders, in the cross-sectional analysis psoriasis was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D, adjusted odd’s ratio OR=2.36; 95% confidence interval CI=1.26–4.41) and myocardial infarction (MI, OR=2.26, 95% CI=1.03–4.96). In the longitudinal study, psoriasis slightly increased the risk for incident T2D (adjusted relative risk RR=1.11; 95%CI=1.08–1.14) and MI (RR=1.14; 95%CI=1.06–1.22), with highest risk increments in systemically treated psoriasis, which accounted for 11 and 17 excess cases of T2D and MI per 10,000 person-years. Except for weak signals from within the MHC, there was no evidence for genetic risk loci shared between psoriasis and cardiometabolic traits. Our findings suggest that psoriasis, in particular severe psoriasis, increases risk for T2D and MI, and that the genetic architecture of psoriasis and cardiometabolic traits is largely distinct. PMID:25599394

The Effect of Personality Traits of Managers/Supervisor on Job Satisfaction of Medical Sciences University Staffs.

PubMed

Abedi, G; Molazadeh-Mahali, Q A; Mirzaian, B; Nadi-Ghara, A; Heidari-Gorji, A M

2016-01-01

Todays people are spending most of their time life in their workplace therefore investigation for job satisfaction related factors is necessities of researches. The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of manager's personality traits on employee job satisfaction. The present study is a descriptive and causative-comparative one utilized on a statistical sample of 44 managers and 119 employees. It was examined and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics of Student's t -test (independent T), one-way ANOVA, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Findings showed that the managers and supervisors with personality traits of extraversion, eagerness to new experiences, adaptability, and dutifulness had higher subordinate employee job satisfaction. However, in the neurotic trait, the result was different. The results showed that job satisfaction was low in the aspect of neurosis. Based on this, it is suggested that, before any selection in managerial and supervisory positions, candidates receive a personality test and in case an individual has a neurotic trait, appropriate interference takes place both in this group and the employees' one.

The Effect of Personality Traits of Managers/Supervisor on Job Satisfaction of Medical Sciences University Staffs

PubMed Central

Abedi, G; Molazadeh-Mahali, QA; Mirzaian, B; Nadi-Ghara, A; Heidari-Gorji, AM

2016-01-01

Background: Todays people are spending most of their time life in their workplace therefore investigation for job satisfaction related factors is necessities of researches. Aim: The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of manager's personality traits on employee job satisfaction. Subjects and Methods: The present study is a descriptive and causative-comparative one utilized on a statistical sample of 44 managers and 119 employees. It was examined and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics of Student's t-test (independent T), one-way ANOVA, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Results: Findings showed that the managers and supervisors with personality traits of extraversion, eagerness to new experiences, adaptability, and dutifulness had higher subordinate employee job satisfaction. However, in the neurotic trait, the result was different. Conclusion: The results showed that job satisfaction was low in the aspect of neurosis. Based on this, it is suggested that, before any selection in managerial and supervisory positions, candidates receive a personality test and in case an individual has a neurotic trait, appropriate interference takes place both in this group and the employees' one. PMID:28480099

Do Personality Traits Assessed on Medical School Admission Predict Exit Performance? A UK-Wide Longitudinal Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKenzie, R. K.; Dowell, J.; Ayansina, D.; Cleland, J. A.

2017-01-01

Traditional methods of assessing personality traits in medical school selection have been heavily criticised. To address this at the point of selection, "non-cognitive" tests were included in the UK Clinical Aptitude Test, the most widely-used aptitude test in UK medical education (UKCAT: http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/). We examined the…

Estimation of Reliability Coefficients Using the Test Information Function and Its Modifications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samejima, Fumiko

1994-01-01

The reliability coefficient is predicted from the test information function (TIF) or two modified TIF formulas and a specific trait distribution. Examples illustrate the variability of the reliability coefficient across different trait distributions, and results are compared with empirical reliability coefficients. (SLD)

Phylogenetic comparative methods on phylogenetic networks with reticulations.

PubMed

Bastide, Paul; Solís-Lemus, Claudia; Kriebel, Ricardo; Sparks, K William; Ané, Cécile

2018-04-25

The goal of Phylogenetic Comparative Methods (PCMs) is to study the distribution of quantitative traits among related species. The observed traits are often seen as the result of a Brownian Motion (BM) along the branches of a phylogenetic tree. Reticulation events such as hybridization, gene flow or horizontal gene transfer, can substantially affect a species' traits, but are not modeled by a tree. Phylogenetic networks have been designed to represent reticulate evolution. As they become available for downstream analyses, new models of trait evolution are needed, applicable to networks. One natural extension of the BM is to use a weighted average model for the trait of a hybrid, at a reticulation point. We develop here an efficient recursive algorithm to compute the phylogenetic variance matrix of a trait on a network, in only one preorder traversal of the network. We then extend the standard PCM tools to this new framework, including phylogenetic regression with covariates (or phylogenetic ANOVA), ancestral trait reconstruction, and Pagel's λ test of phylogenetic signal. The trait of a hybrid is sometimes outside of the range of its two parents, for instance because of hybrid vigor or hybrid depression. These two phenomena are rather commonly observed in present-day hybrids. Transgressive evolution can be modeled as a shift in the trait value following a reticulation point. We develop a general framework to handle such shifts, and take advantage of the phylogenetic regression view of the problem to design statistical tests for ancestral transgressive evolution in the evolutionary history of a group of species. We study the power of these tests in several scenarios, and show that recent events have indeed the strongest impact on the trait distribution of present-day taxa. We apply those methods to a dataset of Xiphophorus fishes, to confirm and complete previous analysis in this group. All the methods developed here are available in the Julia package PhyloNetworks.

Personality and risk for postpartum depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Iliadis, S I; Koulouris, P; Gingnell, M; Sylvén, S M; Sundström-Poromaa, I; Ekselius, L; Papadopoulos, F C; Skalkidou, A

2015-06-01

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common childbirth complication, affecting 10-15 % of newly delivered mothers. This study aims to assess the association between personality factors and PPD. All pregnant women during the period September 2009 to September 2010, undergoing a routine ultrasound at Uppsala University Hospital, were invited to participate in the BASIC study, a prospective study designed to investigate maternal well-being. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) while the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS) was used as a diagnostic tool for major depression. Personality traits were evaluated using the Swedish Universities Scale of Personality (SSP). One thousand thirty-seven non-depressed pregnant women were included in the study. Non-depressed women reporting high levels of neuroticism in late pregnancy were at high risk of developing postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDSs) at 6 weeks and 6 months after delivery, even after adjustment for confounders (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.4, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.8-6.5 and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.9, 95 % CI 1.9-7.9). The same was true for a DSRS-based diagnosis of major depression at 6 months postpartum. Somatic trait anxiety and psychic trait anxiety were associated with increased risk for PPDS at 6 weeks (aOR = 2.1, 95 % CI 1.2-3.5 and aOR = 1.9, 95 % CI 1.1-3.1), while high scores of mistrust were associated with a twofold increased risk for PPDS at 6 months postpartum (aOR 1.9, 95 % CI 1.1-3.4). Non-depressed pregnant women with high neuroticism scores have an almost fourfold increased risk to develop depressive symptoms postpartum, and the association remains robust even after controlling for most known confounders. Clinically, this could be of importance for health care professionals working with pregnant and newly delivered women.

Experimental evidence that the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model best describes the evolution of leaf litter decomposability.

PubMed

Pan, Xu; Cornelissen, Johannes H C; Zhao, Wei-Wei; Liu, Guo-Fang; Hu, Yu-Kun; Prinzing, Andreas; Dong, Ming; Cornwell, William K

2014-09-01

Leaf litter decomposability is an important effect trait for ecosystem functioning. However, it is unknown how this effect trait evolved through plant history as a leaf 'afterlife' integrator of the evolution of multiple underlying traits upon which adaptive selection must have acted. Did decomposability evolve in a Brownian fashion without any constraints? Was evolution rapid at first and then slowed? Or was there an underlying mean-reverting process that makes the evolution of extreme trait values unlikely? Here, we test the hypothesis that the evolution of decomposability has undergone certain mean-reverting forces due to strong constraints and trade-offs in the leaf traits that have afterlife effects on litter quality to decomposers. In order to test this, we examined the leaf litter decomposability and seven key leaf traits of 48 tree species in the temperate area of China and fitted them to three evolutionary models: Brownian motion model (BM), Early burst model (EB), and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model (OU). The OU model, which does not allow unlimited trait divergence through time, was the best fit model for leaf litter decomposability and all seven leaf traits. These results support the hypothesis that neither decomposability nor the underlying traits has been able to diverge toward progressively extreme values through evolutionary time. These results have reinforced our understanding of the relationships between leaf litter decomposability and leaf traits in an evolutionary perspective and may be a helpful step toward reconstructing deep-time carbon cycling based on taxonomic composition with more confidence.

Resiliency in the Face of Adversity: A Short Longitudinal Test of the Trait Hypothesis.

PubMed

Karaırmak, Özlem; Figley, Charles

2017-01-01

Resilience represents coping with adversity and is in line with a more positive paradigm for viewing responses to adversity. Most research has focused on resilience as coping-a state-based response to adversity. However, a competing hypothesis views resilience or resiliency as a trait that exists across time and types of adversity. We tested undergraduates enrolled in social work classes at a large southern university at two time periods during a single semester using measures of adversity, positive and negative affect, and trait-based resiliency. Consistent with the trait-based resiliency, and in contrast to state-based resilience, resiliency scores were not strongly correlated with adversity at both testing points but were with positive affect, and resiliency scores remained the same over time despite adversity variations. There was no gender or ethnic group difference in resilience scores. Black/African Americans reported significantly less negative affect and more positive affect than White/Caucasians.

Clinically significant personality traits in individuals at high risk of developing psychosis.

PubMed

Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones, Julia; Camino, Gustavo; Russo, Debra A; Painter, Michelle; Montejo, Angel L; Ochoa, Susana; Jones, Peter B; Perez, Jesus

2018-03-01

It is still unclear to what extent personality may influence the development of psychosis. We aimed to explore significant personality traits in individuals at high-risk (HR) for psychosis. Personalities of forty HR individuals and a matched sample of 40 healthy volunteers (HVs) were evaluated with the Millon Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III). They were also assessed with the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories (BDI-II and BAI), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI 6.0.0). Fisher's exact test was employed to compare frequency of traits. Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression were used to establish relationships between traits and symptoms, and the effect of age, sex and symptoms on such traits. Most HR individuals (97.5%) had at least one significant trait; 75% had personality disorders, mainly depressive, borderline or schizotypal. Only histrionic and narcissistic traits were more prevalent in HVs. Negative symptoms were related to schizoid and paranoid traits. Depression was more severe with borderline traits. Most HR individuals (67.6%) had more than one DSM-IV Axis I diagnosis, mainly depressive/anxiety disorders. Transition rate was low (5%). Certain personality profiles may not be markers for conversions to psychosis but contribute to high morbidity in HR individuals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Predicting Romantic Interest at Zero Acquaintance: Evidence of Sex Differences in Trait Perception but Not in Predictors of Interest

PubMed Central

Olderbak, Sally G.; Malter, Frederic; Wolf, Pedro Sofio Abril; Jones, Daniel N.; Figueredo, Aurelio José

2016-01-01

We evaluated five competing hypotheses about what predicts romantic interest. Through a half-block quasi-experimental design, a large sample of young adults (i.e., responders; n = 335) viewed videos of opposite-sex persons (i.e., targets) talking about themselves and responders rated the targets’ traits and their romantic interest in the target. We tested whether similarity, dissimilarity, or overall trait levels on mate value, physical attractiveness, life history strategy, and the Big-Five personality factors predicted romantic interest at zero acquaintance, and whether sex acted as a moderator. We tested the responders’ individual perception of the targets’ traits, in addition to the targets’ own self-reported trait levels and a consensus rating of the targets made by the responders. We used polynomial regression with response surface analysis within multilevel modeling to test support for each of the hypotheses. Results suggest a large sex difference in trait perception; when women rated men, they agreed in their perception more often than when men rated women. However, as a predictor of romantic interest, there were no sex differences. Only the responders’ perception of the targets’ physical attractiveness predicted romantic interest; specifically, responders’ who rated the targets’ physical attractiveness as higher than themselves reported more romantic interest. PMID:28736483

Experimental manipulation reveals a trade-off between weapons and testes.

PubMed

Somjee, U; Miller, C W; Tatarnic, N J; Simmons, L W

2018-01-01

Theory predicts a trade-off between sexually selected weapons used to secure mates and post-copulatory traits used to maximize fertilization success. However, individuals that have a greater capacity to acquire resources from the environment may invest more in both pre- and post-copulatory traits, and trade-offs may not be readily apparent. Here, we manipulate the phenotype of developing individuals to examine allocation trade-offs between weapons and testes in Mictis profana (Hemiptera: Coreidae), a species where the hind legs are sexually selected weapons used in contests over access to females. We experimentally prevented males from developing weapons by inducing them to autotomize their hind legs before the final moult to adulthood. We compared trait expression in this group to males where autotomy was induced in the mid-legs, which are presumably not under sexual selection to the same extent. We found males without weapons invested proportionally more in testes mass than those with their mid-legs removed. Males that developed to adulthood without weapons did not differ from the mid-leg removal group in other traits potentially under precopulatory sexual selection, other post-copulatory traits or naturally selected traits. In addition, a sample of adult males from the same population in the wild revealed a positive correlation between investment in testes and weapons. Our study presents a critical contribution to a growing body of literature suggesting the allocation of resources to pre- and post-copulatory sexual traits is influenced by a resource allocation trade-off and that this trade-off may only be revealed with experimental manipulation. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Advancing the efficiency and efficacy of patient reported outcomes with multivariate computer adaptive testing.

PubMed

Morris, Scott; Bass, Mike; Lee, Mirinae; Neapolitan, Richard E

2017-09-01

The Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) initiative developed an array of patient reported outcome (PRO) measures. To reduce the number of questions administered, PROMIS utilizes unidimensional item response theory and unidimensional computer adaptive testing (UCAT), which means a separate set of questions is administered for each measured trait. Multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) and multidimensional computer adaptive testing (MCAT) simultaneously assess correlated traits. The objective was to investigate the extent to which MCAT reduces patient burden relative to UCAT in the case of PROs. One MIRT and 3 unidimensional item response theory models were developed using the related traits anxiety, depression, and anger. Using these models, MCAT and UCAT performance was compared with simulated individuals. Surprisingly, the root mean squared error for both methods increased with the number of items. These results were driven by large errors for individuals with low trait levels. A second analysis focused on individuals aligned with item content. For these individuals, both MCAT and UCAT accuracies improved with additional items. Furthermore, MCAT reduced the test length by 50%. For the PROMIS Emotional Distress banks, neither UCAT nor MCAT provided accurate estimates for individuals at low trait levels. Because the items in these banks were designed to detect clinical levels of distress, there is little information for individuals with low trait values. However, trait estimates for individuals targeted by the banks were accurate and MCAT asked substantially fewer questions. By reducing the number of items administered, MCAT can allow clinicians and researchers to assess a wider range of PROs with less patient burden. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Does Subjective Rating Reflect Behavioural Coding? Personality in 2 Month-Old Dog Puppies: An Open-Field Test and Adjective-Based Questionnaire.

PubMed

Barnard, Shanis; Marshall-Pescini, Sarah; Passalacqua, Chiara; Beghelli, Valentina; Capra, Alexa; Normando, Simona; Pelosi, Annalisa; Valsecchi, Paola

2016-01-01

A number of studies have recently investigated personality traits in non-human species, with the dog gaining popularity as a subject species for research in this area. Recent research has shown the consistency of personality traits across both context and time for adult dogs, both when using questionnaire based methods of investigation and behavioural analyses of the dogs' behaviour. However, only a few studies have assessed the correspondence between these two methods, with results varying considerably across studies. Furthermore, most studies have focused on adult dogs, despite the fact that an understanding of personality traits in young puppies may be important for research focusing on the genetic basis of personality traits. In the current study, we sought to evaluate the correspondence between a questionnaire based method and the in depth analyses of the behaviour of 2-month old puppies in an open-field test in which a number of both social and non-social stimuli were presented to the subjects. We further evaluated consistency of traits over time by re-testing a subset of puppies. The correspondence between methods was high and test- retest consistency (for the main trait) was also good using both evaluation methods. Results showed clear factors referring to the two main personality traits 'extroversion,' (i.e. the enthusiastic, exuberant approach to the stimuli) and 'neuroticism,' (i.e. the more cautious and fearful approach to the stimuli), potentially similar to the shyness-boldness dimension found in previous studies. Furthermore, both methods identified an 'amicability' dimension, expressing the positive interactions the pups directed at the humans stranger, and a 'reservedness' dimension which identified pups who largely chose not to interact with the stimuli, and were defined as quiet and not nosey in the questionnaire.

Association between lateral bias and personality traits in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris).

PubMed

Barnard, Shanis; Wells, Deborah L; Hepper, Peter G; Milligan, Adam D S

2017-08-01

Behavioral laterality reflects the cerebral functional asymmetry. Measures of laterality have been associated with emotional stress, problem-solving, and personality in some vertebrate species. Thus far, the association between laterality and personality in the domestic dog has been largely overlooked. In this study, we investigated whether lateralized (left or right) and ambilateral dogs differed in their behavioral response to a standardized personality test. The dog's preferred paw to hold a Kong ball filled with food and the first paw used to step-off from a standing position were scored as laterality measures. The Dog Mentality Assessment (DMA) test was used to assess 5 personality traits (e.g., sociability, aggressiveness) and a broader shy-boldness dimension. No differences emerged between left- and right-biased dogs on any personality trait. Instead, ambilateral dogs, scored using the Kong test, scored higher on their playfulness (Z = -1.98, p = .048) and Aggressiveness (Z = -2.10, p = .036) trait scores than did lateralized (irrespective of side) dogs. Also, ambilateral dogs assessed by using the First-Stepping test scored higher than lateralized dogs on the Sociability (Z = -2.83, p = .005) and Shy-Boldness (Z = -2.34, p = .019) trait scores. Overall, we found evidence of a link between canine personality and behavioral laterality, and this was especially true for those traits relating to stronger emotional reactivity, such as aggressiveness, fearfulness, and sociability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Awareness of Sickle Cell Trait Status: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Antenatal Women in Ghana.

PubMed

Obed, Samuel Amenyi; Asah-Opoku, Kwaku; Aboagye, Serwah; Torto, Magdalene; Oppong, Samuel Antwi; Nuamah, Mercy Anna

2017-03-01

AbstractThis study was conducted to evaluate pregnant women's awareness of sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait and the factors that contribute to it. Two hundred and six pregnant women with at least 20 weeks gestation answered a questionnaire regarding awareness of their trait status and questions to test their knowledge of sickle cell disease. Although the majority of patients were aware of their trait status (87.4%), only 29% of knowledge questions were answered correctly; patients who self-identified as having sickle cell trait did not do better. Patients who responded that they knew a good deal about sickle cell disease scored an average of 3.5 points (number of correct responses to nine questions) more than individuals who responded that they knew nothing ( P < 0.001). Individuals who knew they had been tested for the sickle cell trait scored approximately 2 points higher than those who did not know whether they had been tested ( P = 0.004). Respondents with at least secondary education scored on average 1 point higher on the knowledge test than those with less education ( P = 0.004). Knowing someone with sickle cell disease was associated with a mean score of 1.25 points higher than individuals who did not know any affected individual ( P = 0.000).There is a deficit in the knowledge of sickle cell disease among Ghanaian pregnant women. Therefore, there is the need for public education on sickle cell disease.

Revisiting the treatment of conduct problems in children with callous-unemotional traits.

PubMed

Hawes, David J; Dadds, Mark R; Brennan, John; Rhodes, Tracy; Cauchi, Avril

2013-07-01

This study examined whether the diminished treatment response previously reported for children with conduct problems and high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits is evident when these traits are indexed using multi-informant data collected from mothers, fathers, and teachers. It also tested whether treatment outcomes associated with CU traits are independent of overlap between CU traits and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms. Diagnostic data on oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) severity were collected pre-treatment (time 1) and at 6-month follow-up (time 2) in a sample of children (N = 95; 67 boys, 28 girls) aged 3-9 years with clinic-referred conduct problems and comorbid symptoms in a range of diagnostic domains. Time 1 measures of CU traits and ASD symptoms were tested as predictors of time 2 ODD severity using structural equation modeling, with multi-informant ratings of CU traits modeled as a single latent variable. Compared to children with low levels of CU traits, those with high levels exhibited more severe ODD symptoms at follow-up (β = 0.33, SE = 0.08, p < 0.05), after controlling for pre-treatment severity, socio-economic status, other demographics (age, gender), and parameters of treatment (number of treatment sessions, medication status). Although CU traits and ASD symptoms were positively correlated, ASD symptoms showed no association with change in ODD severity from pre-treatment to follow-up. Likewise, the association between CU traits and ODD outcomes held when controlling for covariation between CU traits and ASD symptoms. Our findings replicate previous evidence that CU traits are uniquely associated with poor clinical outcomes among children treated for conduct problems, and show for the first time that this association is not accounted for by symptoms of ASD.

Adaptive Value of Phenological Traits in Stressful Environments: Predictions Based on Seed Production and Laboratory Natural Selection

PubMed Central

Glorieux, Cédric; Cuguen, Joel; Roux, Fabrice

2012-01-01

Phenological traits often show variation within and among natural populations of annual plants. Nevertheless, the adaptive value of post-anthesis traits is seldom tested. In this study, we estimated the adaptive values of pre- and post-anthesis traits in two stressful environments (water stress and interspecific competition), using the selfing annual species Arabidopsis thaliana. By estimating seed production and by performing laboratory natural selection (LNS), we assessed the strength and nature (directional, disruptive and stabilizing) of selection acting on phenological traits in A. thaliana under the two tested stress conditions, each with four intensities. Both the type of stress and its intensity affected the strength and nature of selection, as did genetic constraints among phenological traits. Under water stress, both experimental approaches demonstrated directional selection for a shorter life cycle, although bolting time imposes a genetic constraint on the length of the interval between bolting and anthesis. Under interspecific competition, results from the two experimental approaches showed discrepancies. Estimation of seed production predicted directional selection toward early pre-anthesis traits and long post-anthesis periods. In contrast, the LNS approach suggested neutrality for all phenological traits. This study opens questions on adaptation in complex natural environment where many selective pressures act simultaneously. PMID:22403624

Multiple-trait random regression models for the estimation of genetic parameters for milk, fat, and protein yield in buffaloes.

PubMed

Borquis, Rusbel Raul Aspilcueta; Neto, Francisco Ribeiro de Araujo; Baldi, Fernando; Hurtado-Lugo, Naudin; de Camargo, Gregório M F; Muñoz-Berrocal, Milthon; Tonhati, Humberto

2013-09-01

In this study, genetic parameters for test-day milk, fat, and protein yield were estimated for the first lactation. The data analyzed consisted of 1,433 first lactations of Murrah buffaloes, daughters of 113 sires from 12 herds in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with calvings from 1985 to 2007. Ten-month classes of lactation days were considered for the test-day yields. The (co)variance components for the 3 traits were estimated using the regression analyses by Bayesian inference applying an animal model by Gibbs sampling. The contemporary groups were defined as herd-year-month of the test day. In the model, the random effects were additive genetic, permanent environment, and residual. The fixed effects were contemporary group and number of milkings (1 or 2), the linear and quadratic effects of the covariable age of the buffalo at calving, as well as the mean lactation curve of the population, which was modeled by orthogonal Legendre polynomials of fourth order. The random effects for the traits studied were modeled by Legendre polynomials of third and fourth order for additive genetic and permanent environment, respectively, the residual variances were modeled considering 4 residual classes. The heritability estimates for the traits were moderate (from 0.21-0.38), with higher estimates in the intermediate lactation phase. The genetic correlation estimates within and among the traits varied from 0.05 to 0.99. The results indicate that the selection for any trait test day will result in an indirect genetic gain for milk, fat, and protein yield in all periods of the lactation curve. The accuracy associated with estimated breeding values obtained using multi-trait random regression was slightly higher (around 8%) compared with single-trait random regression. This difference may be because to the greater amount of information available per animal. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of statistical tests for association between rare variants and binary traits.

PubMed

Bacanu, Silviu-Alin; Nelson, Matthew R; Whittaker, John C

2012-01-01

Genome-wide association studies have found thousands of common genetic variants associated with a wide variety of diseases and other complex traits. However, a large portion of the predicted genetic contribution to many traits remains unknown. One plausible explanation is that some of the missing variation is due to the effects of rare variants. Nonetheless, the statistical analysis of rare variants is challenging. A commonly used method is to contrast, within the same region (gene), the frequency of minor alleles at rare variants between cases and controls. However, this strategy is most useful under the assumption that the tested variants have similar effects. We previously proposed a method that can accommodate heterogeneous effects in the analysis of quantitative traits. Here we extend this method to include binary traits that can accommodate covariates. We use simulations for a variety of causal and covariate impact scenarios to compare the performance of the proposed method to standard logistic regression, C-alpha, SKAT, and EREC. We found that i) logistic regression methods perform well when the heterogeneity of the effects is not extreme and ii) SKAT and EREC have good performance under all tested scenarios but they can be computationally intensive. Consequently, it would be more computationally desirable to use a two-step strategy by (i) selecting promising genes by faster methods and ii) analyzing selected genes using SKAT/EREC. To select promising genes one can use (1) regression methods when effect heterogeneity is assumed to be low and the covariates explain a non-negligible part of trait variability, (2) C-alpha when heterogeneity is assumed to be large and covariates explain a small fraction of trait's variability and (3) the proposed trend and heterogeneity test when the heterogeneity is assumed to be non-trivial and the covariates explain a large fraction of trait variability.

Behavior characteristics of the attention network of military personnel with high and low trait anxiety

PubMed Central

Pan, Yu; Cai, Wenpeng; Dong, Wei; Xiao, Jie; Yan, Jin; Cheng, Qi

2017-01-01

Abstract Converging evidence reveals significant increase in both state anxiety and trait anxiety during the past 2 decades among military servicemen and servicewomen in China. In the present study, we employed the Chinese version of the State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to examine trait and state anxiety in Chinese military servicemen and servicewomen. We further evaluated orienting, alerting and execution inhibition using the attention network test. Healthy military servicemen and servicewomen were recruited for the present study. The STAI was used to measure both state and trait anxiety and the attention network test was done to determine reaction time and accuracy rate. Fifty-seven subjects were eligible for the study. Their mean STAI score was 3.2 ± 2.8 (range, 1–17) and 29 (50.9%) subjects were categorized into the high trait anxiety group and 28 (49.1%) subjects into the low trait anxiety group. The reaction time of the high trait anxiety group to incongruent, congruent, and neutral target was significantly longer than that of the low trait anxiety group (P < .05). Moreover, the accurate rate of the high trait anxiety group for incongruent, congruent, and neutral target was significantly higher than that of the low trait anxiety group (P < .05). Repeated analysis of variance showed marked effect of trait anxiety, cue types, and target types on reaction time. There was significant interaction among trait anxiety, target types, and cue types. Trait anxiety and target types also had marked effect on the accurate rate. Multivariate analysis showed no marked effect of trait anxiety on the alerting, orienting, and execution inhibition subnetwork. The present study has demonstrated that military service personnel with high trait anxiety requires more time for cognitive processing of external information but exhibits enhanced reaction accuracy rate compared to those with low trait anxiety. Our findings indicate that interventional strategies to improve the psychological wellbeing of military service personnel should be implemented to improve combat mission performance. PMID:28445261

Genetic Relationship of Productive Life, Production and Type Traits of Korean Holsteins at Early Lactations

PubMed Central

Wasana, Nidarshani; Cho, GwangHyun; Park, SuBong; Kim, SiDong; Choi, JaeGwan; Park, ByungHo; Park, ChanHyuk; Do, ChangHee

2015-01-01

The present study was performed to study the genetic relationship of productive life with production and type traits of Korean Holsteins at first three lactations. The data for the analysis from 56,054, 28,997, and 11,816 animals of first, second and third parity cows which were born from 2006 to 2011 were collected by Dairy Cattle Improvement Center, National Agricultural Co-operative Federation. Milk, protein and fat yields adjusted for 305 days and average somatic cell score considered as production traits and analyzed type traits were stature, strength, body depth, dairy form, rump angle, rump width, rear leg side view, foot angle, front attachment placement, rear attachment height, rear attachment width, udder cleft, udder depth, front teat placement and front teat length. A multi trait genetic analysis was performed using Wombat program with restricted maximum likelihood animal model composed of fixed effect of birth year, farm and the random effect of animal and random residual effect according to the traits. Heritability estimates of productive life were between 0.06 and 0.13. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between production and productive life traits ranged from 0.35 to 0.04 for milk, 0.16 to 0.05 for protein and 0.18 to 0.02 f 15-0034 (2nd) 150520 or fat. Somatic cells score showed a negative genetic and phenotypic correlation with productive life and also udder type traits, indicating that the selection for higher udder traits will likely to improve resistance to mastitis and persistence in the herd. Among all dairy form type traits, udder characters such as udder cleft showed a significant relationship with productive life. However, a specific change of heritabilities or correlations were not observed with the change of parity. Moreover, further studies are needed to further confirm the significance of the above traits and the effect of parity on above relationships in order to minimize both voluntary and involuntary culling rates while improving herd health and maintaining high yielding dairy cows. PMID:26194223

Genetic Relationship of Productive Life, Production and Type Traits of Korean Holsteins at Early Lactations.

PubMed

Wasana, Nidarshani; Cho, GwangHyun; Park, SuBong; Kim, SiDong; Choi, JaeGwan; Park, ByungHo; Park, ChanHyuk; Do, ChangHee

2015-09-01

The present study was performed to study the genetic relationship of productive life with production and type traits of Korean Holsteins at first three lactations. The data for the analysis from 56,054, 28,997, and 11,816 animals of first, second and third parity cows which were born from 2006 to 2011 were collected by Dairy Cattle Improvement Center, National Agricultural Co-operative Federation. Milk, protein and fat yields adjusted for 305 days and average somatic cell score considered as production traits and analyzed type traits were stature, strength, body depth, dairy form, rump angle, rump width, rear leg side view, foot angle, front attachment placement, rear attachment height, rear attachment width, udder cleft, udder depth, front teat placement and front teat length. A multi trait genetic analysis was performed using Wombat program with restricted maximum likelihood animal model composed of fixed effect of birth year, farm and the random effect of animal and random residual effect according to the traits. Heritability estimates of productive life were between 0.06 and 0.13. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between production and productive life traits ranged from 0.35 to 0.04 for milk, 0.16 to 0.05 for protein and 0.18 to 0.02 f 15-0034 (2nd) 150520 or fat. Somatic cells score showed a negative genetic and phenotypic correlation with productive life and also udder type traits, indicating that the selection for higher udder traits will likely to improve resistance to mastitis and persistence in the herd. Among all dairy form type traits, udder characters such as udder cleft showed a significant relationship with productive life. However, a specific change of heritabilities or correlations were not observed with the change of parity. Moreover, further studies are needed to further confirm the significance of the above traits and the effect of parity on above relationships in order to minimize both voluntary and involuntary culling rates while improving herd health and maintaining high yielding dairy cows.

Development of Sex-Trait Stereotype Awareness among Korean Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jae Yeon; Sugawara, Alan I.

1994-01-01

Assumptions regarding the development of Korean children's awareness of sex-trait stereotypes derived with the SSM II, a measurement device developed on the basis of American stereotypes, were tested using a Korean Sex-Trait Stereotype Measure (KSSM), developed on the basis of Korean stereotypes. Results indicated Korean children's awareness of…

Emotional Intelligence Abilities and Traits in Different Career Paths

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kafetsios, Konstantinos; Maridaki-Kassotaki, Aikaterini; Zammuner, Vanda L.; Zampetakis, Leonidas A.; Vouzas, Fotios

2009-01-01

Two studies tested hypotheses about differences in emotional intelligence (EI) abilities and traits between followers of different career paths. Compared to their social science peers, science students had higher scores in adaptability and general mood traits measured with the Emotion Quotient Inventory, but lower scores in strategic EI abilities…

The Relations of Motivational Traits with Workplace Deviance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diefendorff, James M.; Mehta, Kajal

2007-01-01

The authors developed and tested new theoretical relations between approach and avoidance motivational traits and deviant work behaviors. Approach motivation was divided into 3 traits: personal mastery (i.e., desire to achieve), competitive excellence (i.e., desire to perform better than others), and behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivity…

Genetic and economic evaluation of Japanese Black (Wagyu) cattle breeding schemes.

PubMed

Kahi, A K; Hirooka, H

2005-09-01

Deterministic simulation was used to evaluate 10 breeding schemes for genetic gain and profitability and in the context of maximizing returns from investment in Japanese Black cattle breeding. A breeding objective that integrated the cow-calf and feedlot segments was considered. Ten breeding schemes that differed in the records available for use as selection criteria were defined. The schemes ranged from one that used carcass traits currently available to Japanese Black cattle breeders (Scheme 1) to one that also included linear measurements and male and female reproduction traits (Scheme 10). The latter scheme represented the highest level of performance recording. In all breeding schemes, sires were chosen from the proportion selected during the first selection stage (performance testing), modeling a two-stage selection process. The effect on genetic gain and profitability of varying test capacity and number of progeny per sire and of ultrasound scanning of live animals was examined for all breeding schemes. Breeding schemes that selected young bulls during performance testing based on additional individual traits and information on carcass traits from their relatives generated additional genetic gain and profitability. Increasing test capacity resulted in an increase in genetic gain in all schemes. Profitability was optimal in Scheme 2 (a scheme similar to Scheme 1, but selection of young bulls also was based on information on carcass traits from their relatives) to 10 when 900 to 1,000 places were available for performance testing. Similarly, as the number of progeny used in the selection of sires increased, genetic gain first increased sharply and then gradually in all schemes. Profit was optimal across all breeding schemes when sires were selected based on information from 150 to 200 progeny. Additional genetic gain and profitability were generated in each breeding scheme with ultrasound scanning of live animals for carcass traits. Ultrasound scanning of live animals was more important than the addition of any other traits in the selection criteria. These results may be used to provide guidance to Japanese Black cattle breeders.

A powerful test of parent-of-origin effects for quantitative traits using haplotypes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon where the same alleles have unequal transcriptions and thus contribute differently to a trait depending on their parent of origin. This mechanism has been found to affect a variety of human disorders. Although various methods for testing parent-of-origin effect...

Language Mediated Concept Activation in Bilingual Memory Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility

PubMed Central

Kharkhurin, Anatoliy V.

2017-01-01

This is the first attempt of empirical investigation of language mediated concept activation (LMCA) in bilingual memory as a cognitive mechanism facilitating divergent thinking. Russian–English bilingual and Russian monolingual college students were tested on a battery of tests including among others Abbreviated Torrance Tests for Adults assessing divergent thinking traits and translingual priming (TLP) test assessing the LMCA. The latter was designed as a lexical decision priming test, in which a prime and a target were not related in Russian (language of testing), but were related through their translation equivalents in English (spoken only by bilinguals). Bilinguals outperformed their monolingual counterparts on divergent thinking trait of cognitive flexibility, and bilinguals’ performance on this trait could be explained by their TLP effect. Age of second language acquisition and proficiency in this language were found to relate to the TLP effect, and therefore were proposed to influence the directionality and strength of connections in bilingual memory. PMID:28701981

Testing the Relations Between Impulsivity-Related Traits, Suicidality, and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: A Test of the Incremental Validity of the UPPS Model

PubMed Central

Lynam, Donald R.; Miller, Joshua D.; Miller, Drew J.; Bornovalova, Marina A.; Lejuez, C. W.

2011-01-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has received significant attention as a predictor of suicidal behavior (SB) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Despite significant promise, trait impulsivity has received less attention. Understanding the relations between impulsivity and SB and NSSI is confounded, unfortunately, by the heterogeneous nature of impulsivity. This study examined the relations among 4 personality pathways to impulsive behavior studied via the UPPS model of impulsivity and SB and NSSI in a residential sample of drug abusers (N = 76). In this study, we tested whether these 4 impulsivity-related traits (i.e., Negative Urgency, Sensation Seeking, Lack of Premeditation, and Lack of Perseverance) provide incremental validity in the statistical prediction of SB and NSSI above and beyond BPD; they do. We also tested whether BPD symptoms provide incremental validity in the prediction of SB and NSSI above and beyond these impulsivity-related traits; they do not. In addition to the main effects of Lack of Premeditation and Negative Urgency, we found evidence of a robust interaction between these 2 personality traits. The current results argue strongly for the consideration of these 2 impulsivity-related domains—alone and in interaction—when attempting to understand and predict SB and NSSI. PMID:21833346

Testing the relations between impulsivity-related traits, suicidality, and nonsuicidal self-injury: a test of the incremental validity of the UPPS model.

PubMed

Lynam, Donald R; Miller, Joshua D; Miller, Drew J; Bornovalova, Marina A; Lejuez, C W

2011-04-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has received significant attention as a predictor of suicidal behavior (SB) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Despite significant promise, trait impulsivity has received less attention. Understanding the relations between impulsivity and SB and NSSI is confounded, unfortunately, by the heterogeneous nature of impulsivity. This study examined the relations among 4 personality pathways to impulsive behavior studied via the UPPS model of impulsivity and SB and NSSI in a residential sample of drug abusers (N = 76). In this study, we tested whether these 4 impulsivity-related traits (i.e., Negative Urgency, Sensation Seeking, Lack of Premeditation, and Lack of Perseverance) provide incremental validity in the statistical prediction of SB and NSSI above and beyond BPD; they do. We also tested whether BPD symptoms provide incremental validity in the prediction of SB and NSSI above and beyond these impulsivity-related traits; they do not. In addition to the main effects of Lack of Premeditation and Negative Urgency, we found evidence of a robust interaction between these 2 personality traits. The current results argue strongly for the consideration of these 2 impulsivity-related domains--alone and in interaction--when attempting to understand and predict SB and NSSI.

Modeling of genetic gain for single traits from marker-assisted seedling selection in clonally propagated crops

PubMed Central

Ru, Sushan; Hardner, Craig; Carter, Patrick A; Evans, Kate; Main, Dorrie; Peace, Cameron

2016-01-01

Seedling selection identifies superior seedlings as candidate cultivars based on predicted genetic potential for traits of interest. Traditionally, genetic potential is determined by phenotypic evaluation. With the availability of DNA tests for some agronomically important traits, breeders have the opportunity to include DNA information in their seedling selection operations—known as marker-assisted seedling selection. A major challenge in deploying marker-assisted seedling selection in clonally propagated crops is a lack of knowledge in genetic gain achievable from alternative strategies. Existing models based on additive effects considering seed-propagated crops are not directly relevant for seedling selection of clonally propagated crops, as clonal propagation captures all genetic effects, not just additive. This study modeled genetic gain from traditional and various marker-based seedling selection strategies on a single trait basis through analytical derivation and stochastic simulation, based on a generalized seedling selection scheme of clonally propagated crops. Various trait-test scenarios with a range of broad-sense heritability and proportion of genotypic variance explained by DNA markers were simulated for two populations with different segregation patterns. Both derived and simulated results indicated that marker-based strategies tended to achieve higher genetic gain than phenotypic seedling selection for a trait where the proportion of genotypic variance explained by marker information was greater than the broad-sense heritability. Results from this study provides guidance in optimizing genetic gain from seedling selection for single traits where DNA tests providing marker information are available. PMID:27148453

Two-locus diseas models with two marker loci: The power of affected-sib-pair tests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knapp, M.; Seuchter, S.A.; Bauer, M.P.

1994-11-01

Recently, Schork et al. found that two-trait-locus, two-marker-locus (parametric) linkage analysis can provide substantially more linkage information than can standard one-trait-locus, one-marker-locus methods. However, because of the increased burden of computation, Schork et al. do not expect that their approach will be applied in an initial genome scan. Further, the specification of a suitable two-locus segregation model can be crucial. Affected-sib-pair tests are computationally simple and do not require an explicit specification of the disease model. In the past, however, these tests mainly have been applied to data with a single marker locus. Here, we consider sib-pair tests that makemore » it possible to analyze simultaneously two marker loci. The power of these tests is investigated for different (epistatic and heterogeneous) two-trait-locus models, each trait locus being linked to one of the marker loci. We compare these tests both with the test that is optimal for a certain model and with the strategy that analyzes each marker locus separately. The results indicate that a straightforward extension of the well-known mean test for two marker loci can be much more powerful than single-marker-locus analysis and that its power is only slightly inferior to the power of the optimal test. 21 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Joint analysis of longitudinal feed intake and single recorded production traits in pigs using a novel Horizontal model.

PubMed

Shirali, M; Strathe, A B; Mark, T; Nielsen, B; Jensen, J

2017-03-01

A novel Horizontal model is presented for multitrait analysis of longitudinal traits through random regression analysis combined with single recorded traits. Weekly ADFI on test for Danish Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire boars were available from the national test station and were collected from 30 to 100 kg BW. Single recorded production traits of ADG from birth to 30 kg BW (ADG30), ADG from 30 to 100 kg BW (ADG100), and lean meat percentage (LMP) were available from breeding herds or the national test station. The Horizontal model combined random regression analysis of feed intake (FI) with single recorded traits of ADG100, LMP, and ADG30. In the Horizontal model, the FI data were horizontally structured with FI on each week as a "trait." The additive genetic and litter effects were modeled to be common across different FI records by reducing the rank of the covariance matrices using second- and first-order Legendre polynomials of age on test, respectively. The fixed effect and random residual variance were estimated for each weekly FI trait. Residual feed intake (RFI) was derived from the conditional distribution of FI given the breeding values of ADG100 and LMP. The heritability of FI varied by week on test in Duroc (0.12 to 0.19), Landrace (0.13 to 0.22), and Yorkshire (0.21 to 0.23). The heritability of RFI was lowest and highest in wk 6 (0.03) and 10 (0.10), respectively, in Duroc and wk 7 (0.04 and 0.02) and 1 (0.09 and 0.20), respectively, in Landrace and Yorkshire. The proportion of FI genetic variance explained by RFI ranged from 20 to 75% in Duroc, from 19 to 75% in Landrace, and from 11 to 91% in Yorkshire. Average daily gain from 30 to 100 kg BW and ADG30 heritabilities were moderate in Duroc (0.24 and 0.22, respectively), Landrace (0.34 and 0.25, respectively), and Yorkshire (0.34 and 0.22, respectively). Lean meat percentage heritability was moderate in Duroc (0.37) and large in Landrace (0.62) and Yorkshire (0.60). The genetic correlation of FI with ADG100 increased by week on test followed by a 32% decrease from wk 7 in Duroc and a 7% decrease in dam line breeds. Defining RFI as genetically independent of production traits leads to consistent and easy interpretable breeding values. The genetic parameters of traits in the feed efficiency complex and their dynamics over the test period showed breed differences that could be related to the fatness and growth potential of the breeds. The Horizontal model can be used to simultaneously analyze repeated and single recorded traits through proper modeling of the environmental variances and covariances.

Physical fitness is associated with anxiety levels in women with fibromyalgia: the al-Ándalus project.

PubMed

Córdoba-Torrecilla, S; Aparicio, V A; Soriano-Maldonado, A; Estévez-López, F; Segura-Jiménez, V; Álvarez-Gallardo, I; Femia, P; Delgado-Fernández, M

2016-04-01

To assess the independent associations of individual physical fitness components with anxiety in women with fibromyalgia and to test which physical fitness component shows the greatest association. This population-based cross-sectional study included 439 women with fibromyalgia (age 52.2 ± 8.0 years). Anxiety symptoms were measured with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the anxiety item of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR). Physical fitness was assessed through the Senior Fitness Test battery and handgrip strength test. Overall, lower physical fitness was associated with higher anxiety levels (all, p < 0.05). The coefficients of the optimal regression model (stepwise selection method) between anxiety symptoms and physical fitness components adjusted for age, body fat percentage and anxiolytics intake showed that the back scratch test (b = -0.18), the chair sit-and-reach test (b = -0.12; p = 0.027) and the 6-min walk test (b = -0.02; p = 0.024) were independently and inversely associated with STAI. The back scratch test and the arm- curl test were associated with FIQR-anxiety (b = -0.05; p < 0.001 and b = -0.07; p = 0.021, respectively). Physical fitness was inversely and consistently associated with anxiety in women with fibromyalgia, regardless of the fitness component evaluated. In particular, upper-body flexibility was an independent indicator of anxiety levels, followed by cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength.

Leaf economics and hydraulic traits are decoupled in five species-rich tropical-subtropical forests.

PubMed

Li, Le; McCormack, M Luke; Ma, Chengen; Kong, Deliang; Zhang, Qian; Chen, Xiaoyong; Zeng, Hui; Niinemets, Ülo; Guo, Dali

2015-09-01

Leaf economics and hydraulic traits are critical to leaf photosynthesis, yet it is debated whether these two sets of traits vary in a fully coordinated manner or there is room for independent variation. Here, we tested the relationship between leaf economics traits, including leaf nitrogen concentration and leaf dry mass per area, and leaf hydraulic traits including stomatal density and vein density in five tropical-subtropical forests. Surprisingly, these two suites of traits were statistically decoupled. This decoupling suggests that independent trait dimensions exist within a leaf, with leaf economics dimension corresponding to light capture and tissue longevity, and the hydraulic dimension to water-use and leaf temperature maintenance. Clearly, leaf economics and hydraulic traits can vary independently, thus allowing for more possible plant trait combinations. Compared with a single trait dimension, multiple trait dimensions may better enable species adaptations to multifarious niche dimensions, promote diverse plant strategies and facilitate species coexistence. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Identification Problems in Personality Psychology1

PubMed Central

Borghans, Lex; Golsteyn, Bart H. H.; Heckman, James; Humphries, John Eric

2011-01-01

This paper discusses and illustrates identification problems in personality psychology. The measures used by psychologists to infer traits are based on behaviors, broadly defined. These behaviors are produced from multiple traits interacting with incentives in situations. In general, measures are determined by these multiple traits and do not identify any particular trait unless incentives and other traits are controlled for. Using two data sets, we show, as an example, that substantial portions of the variance in achievement test scores and grades, which are often used as measures of cognition, are explained by personality variables. PMID:21731170

The impact of training strategies on the accuracy of genomic predictors in United States Red Angus cattle.

PubMed

Lee, J; Kachman, S D; Spangler, M L

2017-08-01

Genomic selection (GS) has become an integral part of genetic evaluation methodology and has been applied to all major livestock species, including beef and dairy cattle, pigs, and chickens. Significant contributions in increased accuracy of selection decisions have been clearly illustrated in dairy cattle after practical application of GS. In the majority of U.S. beef cattle breeds, similar efforts have also been made to increase the accuracy of genetic merit estimates through the inclusion of genomic information into routine genetic evaluations using a variety of methods. However, prediction accuracies can vary relative to panel density, the number of folds used for folds cross-validation, and the choice of dependent variables (e.g., EBV, deregressed EBV, adjusted phenotypes). The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of genomic predictors for Red Angus beef cattle with different strategies used in training and evaluation. The reference population consisted of 9,776 Red Angus animals whose genotypes were imputed to 2 medium-density panels consisting of over 50,000 (50K) and approximately 80,000 (80K) SNP. Using the imputed panels, we determined the influence of marker density, exclusion (deregressed EPD adjusting for parental information [DEPD-PA]) or inclusion (deregressed EPD without adjusting for parental information [DEPD]) of parental information in the deregressed EPD used as the dependent variable, and the number of clusters used to partition training animals (3, 5, or 10). A BayesC model with π set to 0.99 was used to predict molecular breeding values (MBV) for 13 traits for which EPD existed. The prediction accuracies were measured as genetic correlations between MBV and weighted deregressed EPD. The average accuracies across all traits were 0.540 and 0.552 when using the 50K and 80K SNP panels, respectively, and 0.538, 0.541, and 0.561 when using 3, 5, and 10 folds, respectively, for cross-validation. Using DEPD-PA as the response variable resulted in higher accuracies of MBV than those obtained by DEPD for growth and carcass traits. When DEPD were used as the response variable, accuracies were greater for threshold traits and those that are sex limited, likely due to the fact that these traits suffer from a lack of information content and excluding animals in training with only parental information substantially decreases the training population size. It is recommended that the contribution of parental average to deregressed EPD should be removed in the construction of genomic prediction equations. The difference in terms of prediction accuracies between the 2 SNP panels or the number of folds compared herein was negligible.

Genetic associations of ketosis and displaced abomasum with milk production traits in early first lactation of Canadian Holsteins.

PubMed

Koeck, A; Miglior, F; Jamrozik, J; Kelton, D F; Schenkel, F S

2013-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic associations of ketosis and displaced abomasum with milk production traits in early first lactation of Canadian Holsteins. Health data recorded by producers were available from the national dairy cattle health system in Canada. Test-day records of milk, fat, and protein yields were obtained from the routine milk recoding scheme. Ketosis and displaced abomasum were defined as binary traits (0 = healthy; 1 = sick) based on whether or not the cow had at least 1 case of the respective disease in the period from calving to 100 d after calving. Mean frequencies of ketosis and displaced abomasum were 4.1 and 2.7%, respectively. The following milk production traits were considered: milk yield, fat percentage (Fat%), protein percentage (Prot%), fat-to-protein (F:P) ratio, and F:P ratio >1.5. The trait F:P ratio >1.5 was scored as 1 or 0, based on whether or not the cow had an F:P ratio >1.5. For milk production traits, the first (5-30 d in milk) and the second (31-60 d in milk) test days were considered. Data were analyzed using bivariate linear animal models. Average heritabilities of 0.02 and 0.04 were obtained for ketosis and displaced abomasum, respectively. For milk production traits, the lowest heritabilities were obtained for F:P >1.5 (0.04 to 0.08), whereas the highest estimates were found for Prot% (0.27 to 0.38). Ketosis and displaced abomasum were genetically uncorrelated with milk yield in early lactation. Moderate favorable correlations were found between metabolic diseases and milk composition traits. Ketosis was significantly correlated with Fat% (0.33), F:P ratio (0.30), and F:P ratio >1.5 (0.35) at the first test day, whereas all genetic correlations with milk composition traits at the second test day were not significant and close to zero. Significant favorable genetic correlations were also found between displaced abomasum and F:P ratio (0.26), F:P ratio >1.5 (0.25) and Prot% (-0.19) at the first test day. Also, Prot% at the second test day was significantly correlated (-0.16) with displaced abomasum. Overall, a higher Fat% and F:P ratio and a lower Prot% at the first test day were associated with an increased susceptibility to metabolic diseases. As genetic correlations between metabolic diseases and F:P ratio were far from unity, dairy producers should be encouraged to keep accurate and complete health data. This will be expected to yield to more accurate genetic evaluations for metabolic diseases. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of genetic variants of the incretin-related genes with quantitative traits and occurrence of type 2 diabetes in Japanese.

PubMed

Enya, Mayumi; Horikawa, Yukio; Iizuka, Katsumi; Takeda, Jun

2014-01-01

None of the high frequency variants of the incretin-related genes has been found by genome-wide association study (GWAS) for association with occurrence of type 2 diabetes in Japanese. However, low frequency and rare and/or high frequency variants affecting glucose metabolic traits remain to be investigated. We screened all exons of the incretin-related genes ( GCG , GLP1R , DPP4 , PCSK1 , GIP , and GIPR ) in 96 patients with type 2 diabetes and investigated for association of genetic variants of these genes with quantitative metabolic traits upon test meal with 38 young healthy volunteers and with the occurrence of type 2 diabetes in Japanese subjects comprising 1303 patients with type 2 diabetes and 1014 controls. Two mutations of GIPR , p.Thr3Alafsx21 and Arg183Gln, were found only in patients with type 2 diabetes, and both of them were treated with insulin. Of ten tagSNPs, we found that risk allele C of SNP393 (rs6235) of PCSK1 was nominally associated with higher fasting insulin and HOMA-R ( P  = 0.034 and P  = 0.030), but not with proinsulin level, incretin level or BMI. The variant showed significant association with occurrence of type 2 diabetes after adjustment for age, sex, and BMI ( P  = 0.0043). Rare variants of GIPR may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, possibly through insulin secretory defects. Furthermore, the genetic variant of PCSK1 might influence glucose homeostasis by altered insulin resistance independently of BMI, incretin level or proinsulin conversion, and may be associated with the occurrence of type 2 diabetes in Japanese.

Psychological factors associated with delayed symptom resolution in children with concussion

PubMed Central

Grubenhoff, Joseph A.; Currie, Dustin; Comstock, R. Dawn; Juarez-Colunga, Elizabeth; Bajaj, Lalit; Kirkwood, Michael W.

2016-01-01

Objective To characterize t h e psychological factors associated with persistent symptoms following pediatric concussion. Study design Longitudinal cohort study of 179 concussed children 8–18 years old evaluated in a pediatric emergency department. Participants were followed for one month for delayed symptom resolution defined as ≥3 symptoms that were new/worse than pre-injury symptoms measured using graded symptom inventory. Pre-injury psychological traits were measured by parental report on subscales of the Personality Inventory for Children-2 (maladjustment, cognitive abilities, somatization). Child report of post-injury anxiety and injury perception were measured using State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) and Children’s Illness Perception Questionnaire. Psychological instrument scores were compared between those with and without DSR using a Kruskal-Wallis test. Associations between psychological traits and DSR were investigated using logistic regression. Results DSR occurred in 21% of participants. Score distributions were significantly worse on the STAIC [38 (IQR 33–40) vs 35 (IQR 31–39); p=0.04] and somatization subscale [1 (IQR 0–3) vs 1 (IQR 0–1); p=0.01] among children with DSR compared with children with early symptom resolution (ESR). Somatization was associated with DSR [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.35, 95% CI: 1.08– 1.69]. The proportion of children with abnormal somatization scores was significantly higher in the DSR group (34.2%) than the ESR group (12.8%; p<0.01). Other psychological measures were not different between groups. Conclusion Somatization is associated with delayed symptom resolution in this cohort of concussed children. Post-concussive symptoms lasting at least one month may warrant referral to a neuropsychologist familiar with post-concussion care. PMID:27079963

Preschool Children with and without Developmental Delay: Behaviour Problems, Parents Optimism and Well-Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, B. L.; Blacher, J.; Olsson, M. B.

2005-01-01

Background: Children with intellectual disability are at heightened risk for behaviour problems, and these are known to increase parenting stress. This study explored the relation of behaviour problems to less child-related domains of parent well-being (depression and marital adjustment), as well as the moderating effect of a personality trait,…

Linking habitat selection to fitness-related traits in herbivores: the role of the energy landscape

Treesearch

Ryan A. Long; R. T. Bowyer; Warren P. Porter; Paul Mathewson; Kevin L. Monteith; Scott L. Findholt; Brian L. Dick; John G. Kie

2016-01-01

Animals may partially overcome environmental constraints on fitness by behaviorally adjusting their exposure to costs and supplies of energy. Few studies, however, have linked spatiotemporal variation in the energy landscape to behaviorally mediated measures of performance that ostensibly influence individual fitness. We hypothesized that strength of selection by North...

Personality traits beyond the big five: are they within the HEXACO space?

PubMed

Lee, Kibeom; Ogunfowora, Babatunde; Ashton, Michael C

2005-10-01

Paunonen (2002) recently developed the Supernumerary Personality Inventory (SPI), a measure of 10 traits that have low loadings within the space of the Big Five personality factors. If the SPI personality traits are representative of the domain of non-Big Five personality traits, then the major source of the variance in the SPI traits would be expected to correlate strongly with the sixth factor of personality, Honesty-Humility. We tested this hypothesis using self-report measures (N = 200) of the SPI traits, of the Big Five, and of the new six-dimensional ("HEXACO") structure. Results indicated that the first unrotated factor underlying the 10 SPI traits was heavily saturated with variance from Honesty-Humility (r = .65). Nevertheless, the 10 SPI traits contained substantial amounts of unique variance not accounted for by the HEXACO or the Big Five variables, highlighting the importance of the facet-level assessment of personality traits.

Personality Traits, Education, Physical Exercise, and Childhood Neurological Function as Independent Predictors of Adult Obesity

PubMed Central

Cheng, Helen; Furnham, Adrian

2013-01-01

Objective To investigate whether personality traits, education, physical exercise, parental socio-economic conditions, and childhood neurological function are independently associated with obesity in 50 year old adults in a longitudinal birth cohort study. Method The sample consisted of 5,921 participants born in Great Britain in 1958 and followed up at 7, 11, 33, 42, and 50 years with data on body mass index measured at 42 and 50 years. Results There was an increase of adult obesity from 14.2% at age 42 to 23.6% at 50 years. Cohort members who were reported by teachers on overall clumsiness as “certainly applied” at age 7 were more likely to become obese at age 50. In addition, educational qualifications, traits Conscientiousness and Extraversion, psychological distress, and physical exercise were all significantly associated with adult obesity. The associations remained to be significant after controlling for birth weight and gestation, maternal and paternal BMI, childhood BMI, childhood intelligence and behavioural adjustment, as well as diet. Conclusion Neurological function in childhood, education, trait Conscientiousness, and exercise were all significantly and independently associated with adult obesity, each explained unique individual variability. PMID:24250828

The influence of personality and perceived stress on the development of breast cancer: 20-year follow-up of 29,098 Japanese women.

PubMed

Sawada, Takayuki; Nishiyama, Takeshi; Kikuchi, Norimasa; Wang, Chaochen; Lin, Yingsong; Mori, Mitsuru; Tanno, Kozo; Tamakoshi, Akiko; Kikuchi, Shogo

2016-09-02

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. However, it remains unproven whether psychological factors have an influence on breast cancer incidence. In our earlier study, subjects possessing two personality traits, decisiveness and "ikigai" (a Japanese word meaning something that makes one's life worth living), showed a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer, although no psychological factors have been convincingly demonstrated to have an influence on breast cancer development in other studies. Therefore, we conducted this follow-up analysis to confirm the association between breast cancer incidence and psychological traits, using the final dataset of a large-scale prospective cohort study in Japan. We identified 209 cases of incident breast cancer out of a maximum 21-year follow-up of 29,098 Japanese women. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, adjusted for the same potential confounders used in our previous study, did not reveal any significant relationships between breast cancer incidence and four psychological traits: having "ikigai", decisiveness, ease of anger arousal, and perceived stress. Our finding is consistent with previous studies, and suggests that the psychological traits are unlikely to be an important risk factor for breast cancer.

Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and personality traits in patients with major depression.

PubMed

Nomoto, Hiroshi; Baba, Hajime; Satomura, Emi; Maeshima, Hitoshi; Takebayashi, Naoko; Namekawa, Yuki; Suzuki, Toshihito; Arai, Heii

2015-03-04

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors. Previous studies have demonstrated lower serum BDNF levels in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and reported an association between BDNF levels and depression-related personality traits in healthy subjects. The aim of the present study was to explore for a possible association between peripheral BDNF levels and personality traits in patients with MDD. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 123 inpatients with MDD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th edition) at the Juntendo University Koshigaya Hospital were recruited. Serum levels of BDNF were measured. Personality traits were assessed using the 125-item short version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Multiple regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, dose of antidepressant, and depression severity showed that TCI Self-Directedness (SD) scores were negatively associated with serum BDNF levels (β = -0.23, p = 0.026). MDD patients who have low SD did not show the reduction in serum BDNF levels that is normally associated with depressive state. Our findings suggest that depression-related biological changes may not occur in these individuals.

Be Happy, Don't Wait: The Role of Trait Affect in Job Search

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turban, Daniel B.; Lee, Felissa K.; Veiga, Serge P. da Motta; Haggard, Dana L.; Wu, Sharon Y.

2013-01-01

In this study we developed and tested a self-regulatory model of trait affect in job search. Specifically, we theorized that trait positive and negative affect would influence both motivation control and procrastination, and these mediating variables would, in turn, influence job search outcomes through job search intensity. Using longitudinal…

Are Autistic Traits in the General Population Related to Global and Regional Brain Differences?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koolschijn, P. Cédric M. P.; Geurts, Hilde M.; van der Leij, Andries R.; Scholte, H. Steven

2015-01-01

There is accumulating evidence that autistic-related traits in the general population lie on a continuum, with autism spectrum disorders representing the extreme end of this distribution. Here, we tested the hypothesis of a possible relationship between autistic traits and brain morphometry in the general population. Participants completed the…

Locally Dependent Latent Trait Model and the Dutch Identity Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ip, Edward H.

2002-01-01

Proposes a class of locally dependent latent trait models for responses to psychological and educational tests. Focuses on models based on a family of conditional distributions, or kernel, that describes joint multiple item responses as a function of student latent trait, not assuming conditional independence. Also proposes an EM algorithm for…

Positive Traits Linked to Less Pain through Lower Pain Catastrophizing

PubMed Central

Hood, Anna; Pulvers, Kim; Carrillo, Janet; Merchant, Gina; Thomas, Marie

2011-01-01

The present study examined the association between positive traits, pain catastrophizing, and pain perceptions. We hypothesized that pain catastrophizing would mediate the relationship between positive traits and pain. First, participants (n = 114) completed the Trait Hope Scale, the Life Orientation Test- Revised, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Participants then completed the experimental pain stimulus, a cold pressor task, by submerging their hand in a circulating water bath (0º Celsius) for as long as tolerable. Immediately following the task, participants completed the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ-SF). Pearson correlation found associations between hope and pain catastrophizing (r = −.41, p < .01) and MPQ-SF scores (r = −.20, p < .05). Optimism was significantly associated with pain catastrophizing (r = −.44, p < .01) and MPQ-SF scores (r = −.19, p < .05). Bootstrapping, a non-parametric resampling procedure, tested for mediation and supported our hypothesis that pain catastrophizing mediated the relationship between positive traits and MPQ-SF pain report. To our knowledge, this investigation is the first to establish that the protective link between positive traits and experimental pain operates through lower pain catastrophizing. PMID:22199416

Emotional Intelligence and Callous-Unemotional Traits in Incarcerated Adolescents.

PubMed

Kahn, Rachel E; Ermer, Elsa; Salovey, Peter; Kiehl, Kent A

2016-12-01

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, manage, and reason about emotions and to use this information to guide thinking and behavior adaptively. Youth with callous-unemotional (CU) traits demonstrate a variety of affective deficits, including impairment in recognition of emotion and reduced emotional responsiveness to distress or pain in others. We examined the association between ability EI and CU traits in a sample of incarcerated adolescents (n = 141) using an expert-rater device (Psychopathy Checklist Youth Version (PCL-YV; Manual for the Hare psychopathy checklist: Youth version. Multi-Health Systems, Toronto, 2003) and self-report assessments of CU traits. EI was assessed using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test-Youth Version, Research Version (MSCEIT-YV-R; MSCEIT YV: Mayer-Salovey-Caruso emotional intelligence test: Youth version, research version 1.0. Multi-Health Systems, Toronto, Ontario, 2005). Similar to findings in adult forensic populations, high levels of CU traits in incarcerated adolescents were associated with lower EI, particularly higher order EI skills. Identifying impairment on EI abilities may have important implications for emerging treatment and intervention developments for youth with high levels of CU traits.

Mechanisms by which childhood personality traits influence adult health status: educational attainment and healthy behaviors.

PubMed

Hampson, Sarah E; Goldberg, Lewis R; Vogt, Thomas M; Dubanoski, Joan P

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test a life span health behavior model in which educational attainment and health behaviors (eating habits, smoking, and physical activity) were hypothesized as mechanisms to account for relations between teacher ratings of childhood personality traits and self-reported health status at midlife. The model was tested on 1,054 members of the Hawaii Personality and Health cohort, which is a population-based cohort participating in a longitudinal study of personality and health spanning 40 years from childhood to midlife. Childhood Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Intellect-Imagination influenced adult health status indirectly through educational attainment, healthy eating habits, and smoking. Several direct effects of childhood traits on health behaviors and health status were also observed. The model extends past associations found between personality traits and health behaviors or health status by identifying a life-course pathway based on the health behavior model through which early childhood traits influence adult health status. The additional direct effects of personality traits indicate that health behavior mechanisms may not provide a complete account of relations between personality and health.

Associations Between the Big Five Personality Traits and a Medical School Admission Interview.

PubMed

Lourinho, Isabel; Moreira, André; Mota-Cardoso, Rui; Severo, Milton; Ferreira, Maria Amélia

2016-12-30

Personality has became popular in medical student's selection. However, few research exists about the association between the big five personality traits and the existent medical school selection tools. Our aim was to study which personality traits were selected by a medical school admission interview. One hundred ninety four graduate applicants that had applied to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto through the graduate entry approach, after ranked on previous achievement, were interviewed between the academic years of 2011 and 2013. From these, 181 (93.3%) answered to the NEO Five-Factor Inventory that assesses high order personality traits of openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Admission interview corresponded to the second phase of the seriation process. Every applicant was interviewed and scored by three interviewers on seven dimensions asesssed by Lickert scale (1-10). Interview score was the sum of the dimensions. Linear mixed effects model and respective regression coefficients were used to estimate the association between personality traits from each interviewer's score. Final models were adjusted for gender, interviewers and previous achievement. Openness to experience (Beta = 0.18: CI 95%: 0.05; 0.30) had the strongest association with interview score followed by the interaction effect between the extraversion and conscientiousness traits (Beta = 0.14; CI 95%: 0.02; 0.25). Also, applicants scored higher when their gender was opposite to the interviewers. Previous achievement and interview score had no association. Our admission interview selected different personality traits when compared to other selection tools. Medical schools should be aware of the implications of the adopted selection tools on the admitted medical student's personality because it can help providing beneficial interventions.

Genetic and environmental influences underlying the relationship between autistic traits and temperament and character dimensions in adulthood.

PubMed

Picardi, Angelo; Fagnani, Corrado; Medda, Emanuela; Toccaceli, Virgilia; Brambilla, Paolo; Stazi, Maria Antonietta

2015-04-01

In recent years, several twin studies adopted a dimensional approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and estimated the contribution of genetic and environmental influences to variation in autistic traits. However, no study was performed on adults over 18 years of age and all but two studies were based on parent or teacher ratings. Also, the genetic and environmental contributions to the interplay between autistic traits and adult personality dimensions have not been investigated. A sample of 266 complete twin pairs (30% males, mean age 40 ± 12 years) drawn from the population-based Italian Twin Register was administered the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Genetic structural equation modelling was performed with the Mx program. Estimates were adjusted for gender, age, and GHQ-12 score. Genetic factors accounted for 44% and 20%-49% of individual differences in autistic traits and TCI dimensions, respectively. Unshared environmental factors explained the remaining proportion of variance. Consistently with the notion of a personality profile in ASD characterised by obsessive temperament, autistic traits showed significant phenotypic correlations with several TCI dimensions (positive: HA; negative: NS, RD, SD, C). Genetic and unshared environmental correlations between AQ and these TCI dimensions were significant. The degree of genetic overlap was generally greater than the degree of environmental overlap. Despite some limitations, this study suggests that genetic factors contribute substantially to individual differences in autistic traits in adults, with unshared environmental influences also playing an important role. It also suggests that autistic traits and the majority of temperament and character dimensions share common genetic and environmental aetiological factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Associations of variants in FTO and near MC4R with obesity traits in South Asian Indians.

PubMed

Vasan, Senthil K; Fall, Tove; Neville, Matthew J; Antonisamy, Belavendra; Fall, Caroline H; Geethanjali, Finney S; Gu, Harvest F; Raghupathy, Palany; Samuel, Prasanna; Thomas, Nihal; Brismar, Kerstin; Ingelsson, Erik; Karpe, Fredrik

2012-11-01

Recent genome-wide association studies show that loci in FTO and melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) associate with obesity-related traits. Outside Western populations the associations between these variants have not always been consistent and in Indians it has been suggested that FTO relates to diabetes without an obvious intermediary obesity phenotype. We investigated the association between genetic variants in FTO (rs9939609) and near MC4R (rs17782313) with obesity- and type 2 diabetes (T2DM)-related traits in a longitudinal birth cohort of 2,151 healthy individuals from the Vellore birth cohort in South India. The FTO locus displayed significant associations with several conventional obesity-related anthropometric traits. The per allele increase is about 1% for BMI, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and waist-hip ratio. Consistent associations were observed for adipose tissue-specific measurements such as skinfold thickness reinforcing the association with obesity-related traits. Obesity associations for the MC4R locus were weak or nonsignificant but a signal for height (P < 0.001) was observed. The effect on obesity-related traits for FTO was seen in adulthood, but not at younger ages. The loci also showed nominal associations with increased blood glucose but these associations were lost on BMI adjustment. The effect of FTO on obesity-related traits was driven by an urban environmental influence. We conclude that rs9939609 variant in the FTO locus is associated with measures of adiposity and metabolic consequences in South Indians with an enhanced effect associated with urban living. The detection of these associations in Indians is challenging because conventional anthropometric obesity measures work poorly in the Indian "thin-fat" phenotype.

Stress Strengthens Memory of First Impressions of Others' Positive Personality Traits

PubMed Central

Lass-Hennemann, Johanna; Kuehl, Linn K.; Schulz, André; Oitzl, Melly S.; Schachinger, Hartmut

2011-01-01

Encounters with strangers bear potential for social conflict and stress, but also allow the formation of alliances. First impressions of other people play a critical role in the formation of alliances, since they provide a learned base to infer the other's future social attitude. Stress can facilitate emotional memories but it is unknown whether stress strengthens our memory for newly acquired impressions of other people's personality traits. To answer this question, we subjected 60 students (37 females, 23 males) to an impression-formation task, viewing portraits together with brief positive vs. negative behavior descriptions, followed by a 3-min cold pressor stress test or a non-stressful control procedure. The next day, novel and old portraits were paired with single trait adjectives, the old portraits with a trait adjective matching the previous day's behavior description. After a filler task, portraits were presented again and subjects were asked to recall the trait adjective. Cued recall was higher for old (previously implied) than the novel portraits' trait adjectives, indicating validity of the applied test procedures. Overall, recall rate of implied trait adjectives did not differ between the stress and the control group. However, while the control group showed a better memory performance for others' implied negative personality traits, the stress group showed enhanced recall for others' implied positive personality traits. This result indicates that post-learning stress affects consolidation of first impressions in a valence-specific manner. We propose that the stress-induced strengthening of memory of others' positive traits forms an important cue for the formation of alliances in stressful conditions. PMID:21298099

Association Mapping Reveals Genetic Loci Associated with Important Agronomic Traits in Lentinula edodes, Shiitake Mushroom

PubMed Central

Li, Chuang; Gong, Wenbing; Zhang, Lin; Yang, Zhiquan; Nong, Wenyan; Bian, Yinbing; Kwan, Hoi-Shan; Cheung, Man-Kit; Xiao, Yang

2017-01-01

Association mapping is a robust approach for the detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Here, by genotyping 297 genome-wide molecular markers of 89 Lentinula edodes cultivars in China, the genetic diversity, population structure and genetic loci associated with 11 agronomic traits were examined. A total of 873 alleles were detected in the tested strains with a mean of 2.939 alleles per locus, and the Shannon's information index was 0.734. Population structure analysis revealed two robustly differentiated groups among the Chinese L. edodes cultivars (FST = 0.247). Using the mixed linear model, a total of 43 markers were detected to be significantly associated with four traits. The number of markers associated with traits ranged from 9 to 26, and the phenotypic variations explained by each marker varied from 12.07% to 31.32%. Apart from five previously reported markers, the remaining 38 markers were newly reported here. Twenty-one markers were identified as simultaneously linked to two to four traits, and five markers were associated with the same traits in cultivation tests performed in two consecutive years. The 43 traits-associated markers were related to 97 genes, and 24 of them were related to 10 traits-associated markers detected in both years or identified previously, 13 of which had a >2-fold expression change between the mycelium and primordium stages. Our study has provided candidate markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and useful clues for understanding the genetic architecture of agronomic traits in the shiitake mushroom. PMID:28261189

Stress strengthens memory of first impressions of others' positive personality traits.

PubMed

Lass-Hennemann, Johanna; Kuehl, Linn K; Schulz, André; Oitzl, Melly S; Schachinger, Hartmut

2011-01-26

Encounters with strangers bear potential for social conflict and stress, but also allow the formation of alliances. First impressions of other people play a critical role in the formation of alliances, since they provide a learned base to infer the other's future social attitude. Stress can facilitate emotional memories but it is unknown whether stress strengthens our memory for newly acquired impressions of other people's personality traits. To answer this question, we subjected 60 students (37 females, 23 males) to an impression-formation task, viewing portraits together with brief positive vs. negative behavior descriptions, followed by a 3-min cold pressor stress test or a non-stressful control procedure. The next day, novel and old portraits were paired with single trait adjectives, the old portraits with a trait adjective matching the previous day's behavior description. After a filler task, portraits were presented again and subjects were asked to recall the trait adjective. Cued recall was higher for old (previously implied) than the novel portraits' trait adjectives, indicating validity of the applied test procedures. Overall, recall rate of implied trait adjectives did not differ between the stress and the control group. However, while the control group showed a better memory performance for others' implied negative personality traits, the stress group showed enhanced recall for others' implied positive personality traits. This result indicates that post-learning stress affects consolidation of first impressions in a valence-specific manner. We propose that the stress-induced strengthening of memory of others' positive traits forms an important cue for the formation of alliances in stressful conditions.

Experimental evidence that the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model best describes the evolution of leaf litter decomposability

PubMed Central

Pan, Xu; Cornelissen, Johannes H C; Zhao, Wei-Wei; Liu, Guo-Fang; Hu, Yu-Kun; Prinzing, Andreas; Dong, Ming; Cornwell, William K

2014-01-01

Leaf litter decomposability is an important effect trait for ecosystem functioning. However, it is unknown how this effect trait evolved through plant history as a leaf ‘afterlife’ integrator of the evolution of multiple underlying traits upon which adaptive selection must have acted. Did decomposability evolve in a Brownian fashion without any constraints? Was evolution rapid at first and then slowed? Or was there an underlying mean-reverting process that makes the evolution of extreme trait values unlikely? Here, we test the hypothesis that the evolution of decomposability has undergone certain mean-reverting forces due to strong constraints and trade-offs in the leaf traits that have afterlife effects on litter quality to decomposers. In order to test this, we examined the leaf litter decomposability and seven key leaf traits of 48 tree species in the temperate area of China and fitted them to three evolutionary models: Brownian motion model (BM), Early burst model (EB), and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model (OU). The OU model, which does not allow unlimited trait divergence through time, was the best fit model for leaf litter decomposability and all seven leaf traits. These results support the hypothesis that neither decomposability nor the underlying traits has been able to diverge toward progressively extreme values through evolutionary time. These results have reinforced our understanding of the relationships between leaf litter decomposability and leaf traits in an evolutionary perspective and may be a helpful step toward reconstructing deep-time carbon cycling based on taxonomic composition with more confidence. PMID:25535551

Which leaf mechanical traits correlate with insect herbivory among feeding guilds?

PubMed Central

Caldwell, Elizabeth; Read, Jennifer; Sanson, Gordon D.

2016-01-01

Background and Aims There is abundant evidence that leaf mechanical traits deter feeding by insect herbivores, but little is known about which particular traits contribute to defence across feeding guilds. We investigated the contribution of multiple mechanical traits from shear, punch and tear tests to herbivore deterrence across feeding guilds. Methods Visible damage from miners and external chewers was measured and sucker feeding density estimated in mature leaves of 20 species of forest shrubs and small trees. Cafeteria trials were undertaken using a generalist chewer (larvae of Epiphyas postvittana, Lepidoptera). Damage was compared with leaf mechanical traits and associated nutrient and chemical defence traits. Key Results Damage by external chewers in the field and by E. postvittana correlated negatively with mechanical traits. Hierarchical partitioning analysis indicated that the strongest independent contribution to chewing damage was by the material trait of specific work to shear, with 68 % of total variance explained by the combination of specific work to shear (alone explaining 54 %) and tannin activity in a regression model. Mining damage did not correlate with mechanical traits, probably because miners can avoid tissues that generate high strength and toughness in mature leaves. Mechanical traits correlated more strongly with chewing damage in the field than chemical defences (total phenolics and tannin activity) and nutrients (nitrogen and water), but nutrients correlated strongly with diet selection in the cafeteria trial. Surprisingly, sucker feeding density correlated positively with mechanical traits and negatively with nutrients. Conclusions Mechanical traits of mature leaves influenced insect feeding guilds differentially, reflecting differences in life history and feeding modes. For external chewers, energy (work) to fracture in shearing tests, at both structural and material levels, was strongly predictive of damage. Knowing which leaf mechanical traits influence insect feeding, and in which guilds, is important to our wider understanding of plant–herbivore interactions. PMID:26715468

Whole-genome scan to detect quantitative trait loci associated with milk protein composition in 3 French dairy cattle breeds.

PubMed

Sanchez, M P; Govignon-Gion, A; Ferrand, M; Gelé, M; Pourchet, D; Amigues, Y; Fritz, S; Boussaha, M; Capitan, A; Rocha, D; Miranda, G; Martin, P; Brochard, M; Boichard, D

2016-10-01

In the context of the PhénoFinLait project, a genome-wide analysis was performed to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) that affect milk protein composition estimated using mid-infrared spectrometry in the Montbéliarde (MO), Normande (NO), and Holstein (HO) French dairy cattle breeds. The 6 main milk proteins (α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, and αS1-, αS2-, β-, and κ-caseins) expressed as grams per 100g of milk (% of milk) or as grams per 100g of protein (% of protein) were estimated in 848,068 test-day milk samples from 156,660 cows. Genotyping was performed for 2,773 MO, 2,673 NO, and 2,208 HO cows using the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). Individual test-day records were adjusted for environmental effects and then averaged per cow to define the phenotypes analyzed. Quantitative trait loci detection was performed within each breed using a linkage disequilibrium and linkage analysis approach. A total of 39 genomic regions distributed on 20 of the 29 Bos taurus autosomes (BTA) were significantly associated with milk protein composition at a genome-wide level of significance in at least 1 of the 3 breeds. The 9 most significant QTL were located on BTA2 (133 Mbp), BTA6 (38, 47, and 87 Mbp), BTA11 (103 Mbp), BTA14 (1.8 Mbp), BTA20 (32 and 58 Mbp), and BTA29 (8 Mbp). The BTA6 (87 Mbp), BTA11, and BTA20 (58 Mbp) QTL were found in all 3 breeds, and they had highly significant effects on κ-casein, β-lactoglobulin, and α-lactalbumin, expressed as a percentage of protein, respectively. Each of these QTL explained between 13% (BTA14) and 51% (BTA11) of the genetic variance of the trait. Many other QTL regions were also identified in at least one breed. They were located on 14 additional chromosomes (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, and 27), and they explained 2 to 8% of the genetic variance of 1 or more protein composition traits. Concordance analyses, performed between QTL status and sequence-derived polymorphisms from 13 bulls, revealed previously known causal polymorphisms in LGB (BTA11) and GHR (BTA20 at 32 Mbp) and excluded some other previously described mutations. These results constitute a first step in identifying causal mutations and using routinely collected mid-infrared predictions in future genomic selection programs to improve bovine milk protein composition. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predictors and moderators of biopsychological social stress responses following brief self-compassion meditation training.

PubMed

Arch, Joanna J; Landy, Lauren N; Brown, Kirk Warren

2016-07-01

Arch et al. (2014) demonstrated that brief self-compassion meditation training (SCT) dampened sympathetic (salivary alpha-amylase) and subjective anxiety responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), relative to attention and no-instruction control conditions. The present study examined baseline predictors and moderators of these SCT intervention effects. Baseline characteristics included two stress vulnerability traits (social anxiety and rumination) and two potential resiliency traits (non-attachment and self-compassion). We investigated how these traits moderated the effects of SCT on response to the TSST, relative to the control conditions. We also tested how these individual differences predicted TSST responses across conditions in order to uncover characteristics that confer increased vulnerability and resiliency to social stressors. Trait non-attachment, rumination (for sympathetic TSST response only), and social anxiety (for subjective TSST response only) interacted with training condition to moderate TSST responses such that following SCT, lower attachment and lower social anxiety predicted lower TSST stress responses, relative to those scoring higher on these traits. In contrast, trait self-compassion neither moderated nor predicted responses to the TSST. Thus, although SCT had robust effects on buffering stress across individuals with varying levels of trait self-compassion, other psychological traits enhanced or dampened the effect of SCT on TSST responses. These findings support the importance of examining the role of relevant baseline psychological traits to predict sympathetic and subjective responses to social evaluative threat, particularly in the context of resiliency training. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Constraint, natural selection, and the evolution of human body form

PubMed Central

Savell, Kristen R. R.; Auerbach, Benjamin M.; Roseman, Charles C.

2016-01-01

Variation in body form among human groups is structured by a blend of natural selection driven by local climatic conditions and random genetic drift. However, attempts to test ecogeographic hypotheses have not distinguished between adaptive traits (i.e., those that evolved as a result of selection) and those that evolved as a correlated response to selection on other traits (i.e., nonadaptive traits), complicating our understanding of the relationship between climate and morphological distinctions among populations. Here, we use evolutionary quantitative methods to test if traits previously identified as supporting ecogeographic hypotheses were actually adaptive by estimating the force of selection on individual traits needed to drive among-group differentiation. Our results show that not all associations between trait means and latitude were caused by selection acting directly on each individual trait. Although radial and tibial length and biiliac and femoral head breadth show signs of responses to directional selection matching ecogeographic hypotheses, the femur was subject to little or no directional selection despite having shorter values by latitude. Additionally, in contradiction to ecogeographic hypotheses, the humerus was under directional selection for longer values by latitude. Responses to directional selection in the tibia and radius induced a nonadaptive correlated response in the humerus that overwhelmed its own trait-specific response to selection. This result emphasizes that mean differences between groups are not good indicators of which traits are adaptations in the absence of information about covariation among characteristics. PMID:27482101

Constraint, natural selection, and the evolution of human body form.

PubMed

Savell, Kristen R R; Auerbach, Benjamin M; Roseman, Charles C

2016-08-23

Variation in body form among human groups is structured by a blend of natural selection driven by local climatic conditions and random genetic drift. However, attempts to test ecogeographic hypotheses have not distinguished between adaptive traits (i.e., those that evolved as a result of selection) and those that evolved as a correlated response to selection on other traits (i.e., nonadaptive traits), complicating our understanding of the relationship between climate and morphological distinctions among populations. Here, we use evolutionary quantitative methods to test if traits previously identified as supporting ecogeographic hypotheses were actually adaptive by estimating the force of selection on individual traits needed to drive among-group differentiation. Our results show that not all associations between trait means and latitude were caused by selection acting directly on each individual trait. Although radial and tibial length and biiliac and femoral head breadth show signs of responses to directional selection matching ecogeographic hypotheses, the femur was subject to little or no directional selection despite having shorter values by latitude. Additionally, in contradiction to ecogeographic hypotheses, the humerus was under directional selection for longer values by latitude. Responses to directional selection in the tibia and radius induced a nonadaptive correlated response in the humerus that overwhelmed its own trait-specific response to selection. This result emphasizes that mean differences between groups are not good indicators of which traits are adaptations in the absence of information about covariation among characteristics.

Trait-Based Community Assembly along an Elevational Gradient in Subalpine Forests: Quantifying the Roles of Environmental Factors in Inter- and Intraspecific Variability.

PubMed

Luo, Ya-Huang; Liu, Jie; Tan, Shao-Lin; Cadotte, Marc William; Wang, Yue-Hua; Xu, Kun; Li, De-Zhu; Gao, Lian-Ming

2016-01-01

Understanding how communities respond to environmental variation is a central goal in ecology. Plant communities respond to environmental gradients via intraspecific and/or interspecific variation in plant functional traits. However, the relative contribution of these two responses to environmental factors remains poorly tested. We measured six functional traits (height, leaf thickness, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon concentration (LCC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC) and leaf phosphorus concentration (LPC)) for 55 tree species occurring at five elevations across a 1200 m elevational gradient of subalpine forests in Yulong Mountain, Southwest China. We examined the relative contribution of interspecific and intraspecific traits variability based on community weighted mean trait values and functional diversity, and tested how different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes (climate and soil variables). Species turnover explained the largest amount of variation in leaf morphological traits (leaf thickness and SLA) across the elevational gradient. However, intraspecific variability explained a large amount of variation (49.3%-76.3%) in three other traits (height, LNC and LPC) despite high levels of species turnover. The detection of limiting similarity in community assembly was improved when accounting for both intraspecific and interspecific variability. Different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes, especially soil water content and climatic variables. Our results indicate that intraspecific variation is critical for understanding community assembly and evaluating community response to environmental change.

Trait-Based Community Assembly along an Elevational Gradient in Subalpine Forests: Quantifying the Roles of Environmental Factors in Inter- and Intraspecific Variability

PubMed Central

Luo, Ya-Huang; Liu, Jie; Tan, Shao-Lin; Cadotte, Marc William; Wang, Yue-Hua; Xu, Kun; Li, De-Zhu; Gao, Lian-Ming

2016-01-01

Understanding how communities respond to environmental variation is a central goal in ecology. Plant communities respond to environmental gradients via intraspecific and/or interspecific variation in plant functional traits. However, the relative contribution of these two responses to environmental factors remains poorly tested. We measured six functional traits (height, leaf thickness, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon concentration (LCC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC) and leaf phosphorus concentration (LPC)) for 55 tree species occurring at five elevations across a 1200 m elevational gradient of subalpine forests in Yulong Mountain, Southwest China. We examined the relative contribution of interspecific and intraspecific traits variability based on community weighted mean trait values and functional diversity, and tested how different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes (climate and soil variables). Species turnover explained the largest amount of variation in leaf morphological traits (leaf thickness and SLA) across the elevational gradient. However, intraspecific variability explained a large amount of variation (49.3%–76.3%) in three other traits (height, LNC and LPC) despite high levels of species turnover. The detection of limiting similarity in community assembly was improved when accounting for both intraspecific and interspecific variability. Different components of trait variation respond to different environmental axes, especially soil water content and climatic variables. Our results indicate that intraspecific variation is critical for understanding community assembly and evaluating community response to environmental change. PMID:27191402

Effects of acculturation on prenatal anxiety among Latina women.

PubMed

Barcelona de Mendoza, Veronica; Harville, Emily; Theall, Katherine; Buekens, Pierre; Chasan-Taber, Lisa

2016-08-01

Anxiety in pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. Relatively few studies have investigated how acculturation affects mental health in pregnancy among Latinas. The goal of this study was to determine if acculturation was associated with anxiety over the course of pregnancy in a sample of predominantly Puerto Rican women. Women were recruited in pregnancy for participation in Proyecto Buena Salud, a prospective cohort study of Latina women (n = 1412). Acculturation was measured via the Psychological Acculturation Scale (PAS), language preference and generation in the USA. Anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Instrument. Linear and logistic multivariable regressions were used to investigate associations. After adjustment, women with bicultural identification had significantly lower trait anxiety scores in early pregnancy (β = -3.62, SE = 1.1, p < 0.001) than low acculturated women. Women with higher levels of acculturation as indicated by English-language preference (β = 1.41, SE = 0.7, p = 0.04) and second or third generation in the USA had significantly higher trait anxiety scores in early pregnancy (β = 1.83, SE = 0.6, p < 0.01). Bicultural psychological acculturation was associated with lower trait anxiety in early pregnancy, while English-language preference and higher generation in the USA were associated with higher trait anxiety in early pregnancy.

The effects of temperament and character traits on perceived social support and quality of life in patients with epilepsy.

PubMed

Demirci, Kadir; Demirci, Seden; Taşkıran, Esra; Kutluhan, Süleyman

2017-09-01

This study aimed to investigate the effect of temperament and character traits on perceived social support and quality of life in patients with epilepsy (PWE). Fifty-two PWE and 54 healthy controls were included in this study. Demographics and clinical data were recorded. Temperament and Character traits were investigated using Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Perceived Social Support was evaluated by Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS), and quality of life was assessed using a 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Participants also completed the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). TCI and MSPSS scores showed no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). Mental and physical subscales of SF-36 were significantly lower in PWE than the controls (p=0.012, p=0.020, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that Reward Dependence and Cooperativeness were independent predictors for perceived social support, and Persistence score was an independent predictor for the physical subscale of SF-36 even after adjustment for confounding background variables (p<0.05, for all). Temperament and character traits may affect perceived social support and quality of life in PWE. Thus, an evaluation of temperament and character traits may play a significant role in preventing negative effects on perceived social support and quality of life in PWE. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Morphological plasticity of ectomycorrhizal short roots in Betula sp and Picea abies forests across climate and forest succession gradients: its role in changing environments

PubMed Central

Ostonen, Ivika; Rosenvald, Katrin; Helmisaari, Heljä-Sisko; Godbold, Douglas; Parts, Kaarin; Uri, Veiko; Lõhmus, Krista

2013-01-01

Morphological plasticity of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) short roots (known also as first and second order roots with primary development) allows trees to adjust their water and nutrient uptake to local environmental conditions. The morphological traits (MTs) of short-living EcM roots, such as specific root length (SRL) and area, root tip frequency per mass unit (RTF), root tissue density, as well as mean diameter, length, and mass of the root tips, are good indicators of acclimation. We investigated the role of EcM root morphological plasticity across the climate gradient (48–68°N) in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and (53–66°N) birch (Betula pendula Roth., B. pubescens Ehrh.) forests, as well as in primary and secondary successional birch forests assuming higher plasticity of a respective root trait to reflect higher relevance of that characteristic in acclimation process. We hypothesized that although the morphological plasticity of EcM roots is subject to the abiotic and biotic environmental conditions in the changing climate; the tools to achieve the appropriate morphological acclimation are tree species-specific. Long-term (1994–2010) measurements of EcM roots morphology strongly imply that tree species have different acclimation-indicative root traits in response to changing environments. Birch EcM roots acclimated along latitude by changing mostly SRL [plasticity index (PI) = 0.60], while spruce EcM roots became adjusted by modifying RTF (PI = 0.68). Silver birch as a pioneer species must have a broader tolerance to environmental conditions across various environments; however, the mean PI of all MTs did not differ between early-successional birch and late-successional spruce. The differences between species in SRL, and RTF, diameter, and length decreased southward, toward temperate forests with more favorable growth conditions. EcM root traits reflected root-rhizosphere succession across forest succession stages. PMID:24032035

Morphological plasticity of ectomycorrhizal short roots in Betula sp and Picea abies forests across climate and forest succession gradients: its role in changing environments.

PubMed

Ostonen, Ivika; Rosenvald, Katrin; Helmisaari, Heljä-Sisko; Godbold, Douglas; Parts, Kaarin; Uri, Veiko; Lõhmus, Krista

2013-01-01

Morphological plasticity of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) short roots (known also as first and second order roots with primary development) allows trees to adjust their water and nutrient uptake to local environmental conditions. The morphological traits (MTs) of short-living EcM roots, such as specific root length (SRL) and area, root tip frequency per mass unit (RTF), root tissue density, as well as mean diameter, length, and mass of the root tips, are good indicators of acclimation. We investigated the role of EcM root morphological plasticity across the climate gradient (48-68°N) in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and (53-66°N) birch (Betula pendula Roth., B. pubescens Ehrh.) forests, as well as in primary and secondary successional birch forests assuming higher plasticity of a respective root trait to reflect higher relevance of that characteristic in acclimation process. We hypothesized that although the morphological plasticity of EcM roots is subject to the abiotic and biotic environmental conditions in the changing climate; the tools to achieve the appropriate morphological acclimation are tree species-specific. Long-term (1994-2010) measurements of EcM roots morphology strongly imply that tree species have different acclimation-indicative root traits in response to changing environments. Birch EcM roots acclimated along latitude by changing mostly SRL [plasticity index (PI) = 0.60], while spruce EcM roots became adjusted by modifying RTF (PI = 0.68). Silver birch as a pioneer species must have a broader tolerance to environmental conditions across various environments; however, the mean PI of all MTs did not differ between early-successional birch and late-successional spruce. The differences between species in SRL, and RTF, diameter, and length decreased southward, toward temperate forests with more favorable growth conditions. EcM root traits reflected root-rhizosphere succession across forest succession stages.

The association between medically unexplained physical symptoms and health care use over two years and the influence of depressive and anxiety disorders and personality traits: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

den Boeft, Madelon; Twisk, Jos W R; Terluin, Berend; Penninx, Brenda W J H; van Marwijk, Harm W J; Numans, Mattijs E; van der Wouden, Johannes C; van der Horst, Henriette E

2016-03-22

Medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) are highly prevalent and are associated with frequent health care use (HCU). MUPS frequently co-occur with psychiatric disorders. With this study we examined the longitudinal association between MUPS and HCU over 2 years and the influence of depressive and anxiety disorders and personality traits on this association. We analysed follow-up data from 2045 to 2981 participants from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), a multisite cohort study. The study population included participants with a current depressive and/or anxiety disorder, participants with a lifetime risk and/or subthreshold symptoms for depressive and/or anxiety disorders and healthy controls. HCU, measured with the Trimbos and iMTA questionnaire on Costs associated with Psychiatric illness (TIC-P), was operationalized as the number of used medical services and the number of associated contacts. MUPS were measured with the Four Dimensional Symptoms Questionnaire, depressive and anxiety disorders with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and personality traits with the NEO Five-Factory Inventory. Measurements were taken at baseline, 1 and 2 years follow-up. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE), using HCU at all three measurements as (multivariate) outcome. GEE also takes into account the dependency of observations within participants. MUPS were positively associated with HCU over 2 years (medical services: RR 1.020, 95 % CI 1.017-1.022; contacts: RR 1.037, 95 % CI 1.030-1.044). Neuroticism and depression had the strongest influence on the associations. After adjustment for these factors, the associations between MUPS and HCU weakened, but remained significant (services: RR 1.011, 95 % CI 1.008-1.014; contacts: RR 1.023, 95 % CI 1.015-1.032). Our results show that MUPS were positively associated with HCU over 2 years, even after adjusting for depressive and anxiety disorders and personality traits.

Niche evolution and adaptive radiation: Testing the order of trait divergence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ackerly, D.D.; Schwilk, D.W.; Webb, C.O.

2006-01-01

In the course of an adaptive radiation, the evolution of niche parameters is of particular interest for understanding modes of speciation and the consequences for coexistence of related species within communities. We pose a general question: In the course of an evolutionary radiation, do traits related to within-community niche differences (?? niche) evolve before or after differentiation of macrohabitat affinity or climatic tolerances (?? niche)? Here we introduce a new test to address this question, based on a modification of the method of independent contrasts. The divergence order test (DOT) is based on the average age of the nodes on a tree, weighted by the absolute magnitude of the contrast at each node for a particular trait. The comparison of these weighted averages reveals whether large divergences for one trait have occurred earlier or later in the course of diversification, relative to a second trait; significance is determined by bootstrapping from maximum-likelihood ancestral state reconstructions. The method is applied to the evolution of Ceanothus, a woody plant group in California, in which co-occurring species exhibit significant differences in a key leaf trait (specific leaf area) associated with contrasting physiological and life history strategies. Co-occurring species differ more for this trait than expected under a null model of community assembly. This ?? niche difference evolved early in the divergence of two major subclades within Ceanothus, whereas climatic distributions (?? niche traits) diversified later within each of the subclades. However, rapid evolution of climate parameters makes inferences of early divergence events highly uncertain, and differentiation of the ?? niche might have taken place throughout the evolution of the group, without leaving a clear phylogenetic signal. Similar patterns observed in several plant and animal groups suggest that early divergence of ?? niche traits might be a common feature of niche evolution in many adaptive radiations. ?? 2006 by the Ecological Society of America.

Bayesian Estimation in the One-Parameter Latent Trait Model.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology , 1973, 26, 31-44. (a) Andersen, E. B. A goodness of fit test for the Rasch model. Psychometrika, 1973, 28...technique for estimating latent trait mental test parameters. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1976, 36, 705-715. Lindley, D. V. The...Lord, F. M. An analysis of verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test using Birnbaum’s three-parameter logistic model. Educational and Psychological

Genomewide association study of methane emissions in Angus beef cattle with validation in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Manzanilla-Pech, C I V; De Haas, Y; Hayes, B J; Veerkamp, R F; Khansefid, M; Donoghue, K A; Arthur, P F; Pryce, J E

2016-10-01

Methane (CH) is a product of enteric fermentation in ruminants, and it represents around 17% of global CH emissions. There has been substantial effort from the livestock scientific community toward tools that can help reduce this percentage. One approach is to select for lower emitting animals. To achieve this, accurate genetic parameters and identification of the genomic basis of CH traits are required. Therefore, the objectives of this study were 1) to perform a genomewide association study to identify SNP associated with several CH traits in Angus beef cattle (1,020 animals) and validate them in a lactating Holstein population (population 1 [POP1]; 205 animals); 2) to validate significant SNP for DMI and weight at test (WT) from a second Holstein population, from a previous study (population 2 [POP2]; 903 animals), in an Angus population; and 3) to evaluate 2 different residual CH traits and determine if the genes associated with CH also control residual CH traits. Phenotypes calculated for the genotyped Angus population included CH production (MeP), CH yield (MeY), CH intensity (MI), DMI, and WT. The Holstein population (POP1) was multiparous, with phenotypes on CH traits (MeP, MeY, and MI) plus genotypes. Additionally, 2 CH traits, residual genetic CH (RGM) and residual phenotypic CH (RPM), were calculated by adjusting MeP for DMI and WT. Estimated heritabilities in the Angus population were 0.30, 0.19, and 0.15 for MeP, RGM, and RPM, respectively, and genetic correlations of MeP with DMI and WT were 0.83 and 0.80, respectively. Estimated heritabilities in Holstein POP1 were 0.23, 0.30, and 0.42 for MeP, MeY, and MI, respectively. Strong associations with MeP were found on chromosomes 4, 12, 14, 20, and 30 at < 0.001, and those chromosomes also had significant SNP for DMI in Holstein POP1. In the Angus population, the number of significant SNP for MeP at < 0.005 was 3,304, and approximately 630 of those SNP also were important for DMI and WT. When a set (approximately 3,300) of significant SNP for DMI and WT in the Angus population was used to estimate genetic parameters for MeP and MeY in Holstein POP1, the genetic variance and, consequently, the heritability slightly increased, meaning that most of the genetic variation is largely captured by these SNP. Residual traits could be a good option to include in the breeding goal, as this would facilitate selection for lower emitting animals without compromising DMI and WT.

Phenotypic and genetic relationships of residual feed intake measures and their component traits with fatty acid composition in subcutaneous adipose of beef cattle.

PubMed

Zhang, F; Ekine-Dzivenu, C; Vinsky, M; Basarab, J A; Aalhus, J L; Dugan, M E R; Li, C

2017-07-01

Feed efficiency is of particular interest to the beef industry because feed is the largest variable cost in production and fatty acid composition is emerging as an important trait, both economically and socially, due to the potential implications of dietary fatty acids on human health. Quantifying correlations between feed efficiency and fatty acid composition will contribute to construction of optimal multiple-trait selection indexes to maximize beef production profitability. In the present study, we estimated phenotypic and genetic correlations of feed efficiency measures including residual feed intake (RFI), RFI adjusted for final ultrasound backfat thickness (RFIf); their component traits ADG, DMI, and metabolic BW; and final ultrasound backfat thickness measured at the end of feedlot test with 25 major fatty acids in the subcutaneous adipose tissues of 1,366 finishing steers and heifers using bivariate animal models. The phenotypic correlations of RFI and RFIf with the 25 individual and grouped fatty acid traits were generally low (<0.25 in magnitude). However, relatively stronger genetic correlation coefficients of RFI and RFIf with PUFA traits including the -6:-3 ratio (0.52 ± 0.29 and 0.45 ± 0.31, respectively), 18:2-6 (0.45 ± 0.18 and 0.40 ± 0.19, respectively), -6 (0.43 ± 0.18 and 0.38 ± 0.19, respectively), PUFA (0.42 ± 0.18 and 0.36 ± 0.20, respectively), and 9-16:1 (-0.43 ± 0.20 and -0.33 ± 0.22, respectively) were observed. Hence, selection for low-RFI or more efficient beef cattle will improve fatty acid profiles by lowering the content of -6 PUFA, thus reducing the ratio of -6 to -3 along with increasing the amount of 9-16:1. Moderate to moderately high genetic correlations were also observed for DMI with 9-14:1 (-0.32 ± 0.17) and the sum of CLA analyzed (SumCLA; -0.45 ± 0.21), suggesting that selection of beef cattle with lower DMI will lead to an increase amount of 9-14:1 and SumCLA in the subcutaneous adipose tissue. However, unfavorable genetic correlations were detected for ADG with 11-18:1 (-0.38 ± 0.23) and SumCLA (-0.73 ± 0.26), implying that selection of beef cattle with a better growth rate will decrease the contents of healthy fatty acids 11-18:1 and SumCLA. Therefore, it is recommended that a multiple-trait selection index be used when genetic improvements of fatty acid composition, feed efficiency, feed intake, and growth are important in the breeding objective.

Early-developmental stress, repeatability, and canalization in a suite of physiological and behavioral traits in female zebra finches.

PubMed

Careau, Vincent; Buttemer, William A; Buchanan, Katherine L

2014-10-01

Adaptive developmental plasticity allows individuals experiencing poor environmental conditions in early life to adjust their life-history strategy in order to prioritize short-term fitness benefits and maximize reproductive output in challenging environments. Much research has been conducted to test whether such adoption of a "faster" life-history strategy is accompanied by concordant changes in behavior and physiology, with mixed results. As research in this field has focused on comparison of mean-level responses of treatment groups, few studies include repeated measures of response variables and the effect that developmental stress may have on repeatability per se. We investigated how early-developmental stress affects the mean expression of (and repeatability in) a variety of behavioral and physiological traits in female zebra finches. We predicted that: (1) individuals subjected to nutritional restriction in the nestling phase would have higher feeding and activity rates, with associated increases in hematocrit and basal metabolic rates (BMRs), (2) nutritional restriction in early life would alter adults' stress-induced corticosterone level, and (3) developmental stress would, respectively, influence the amount of among-individual and within-individual variation in behavioral and physiological traits, hence affecting the repeatability of these traits. In comparison to control females, stressed females did not differ in activity rate or stress-induced corticosterone level, but they did have higher levels of feeding, hematocrit, and BMR. Among-individual variance and repeatability were generally higher in stressed females than in controls. Finally, we found that developmental dietary restriction significantly reduced the amount of within-individual variance both in activity rate in the novel environment and in stress-induced corticosterone level. Our results not only confirm previous findings on the effect of early-developmental stress on BMR, but also extend its effect to feeding rate and hematocrit, suggesting that developmental plasticity in these traits is ontogenetically linked. Early-developmental stress may disable particular genetic canalizing processes, which would release cryptic genetic variation and explain why repeatability and among-individual variance were generally higher in the stressed groups than in controls. For activity rate in the novel environment and with stress-induced corticosterone level, however, early-developmental stress significantly reduced within-individual variance, which may be a consequence of increased canalization of these traits at the micro-environmental level. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Mating tactics determine patterns of condition dependence in a dimorphic horned beetle.

PubMed

Knell, Robert J; Simmons, Leigh W

2010-08-07

The persistence of genetic variability in performance traits such as strength is surprising given the directional selection that such traits experience, which should cause the fixation of the best genetic variants. One possible explanation is 'genic capture' which is usually considered as a candidate mechanism for the maintenance of high genetic variability in sexual signalling traits. This states that if a trait is 'condition dependent', with expression being strongly influenced by the bearer's overall viability, then genetic variability can be maintained via mutation-selection balance. Using a species of dimorphic beetle with males that gain matings either by fighting or by 'sneaking', we tested the prediction of strong condition dependence for strength, walking speed and testes mass. Strength was strongly condition dependent only in those beetles that fight for access to females. Walking speed, with less of an obvious selective advantage, showed no condition dependence, and testes mass was more condition dependent in sneaks, which engage in higher levels of sperm competition. Within a species, therefore, condition dependent expression varies between morphs, and corresponds to the specific selection pressures experienced by that morph. These results support genic capture as a general explanation for the maintenance of genetic variability in traits under directional selection.

Assessment of maladaptiveness: a core issue in the diagnosing of personality disorders.

PubMed

Svanborg, P; Gustavsson, P J; Mattila-Evenden, M; Asberg, M

1999-01-01

Although an operationalized and commonly accepted definition of maladaptiveness is lacking, the delineation of personality traits as being adaptive or maladaptive is essential in diagnosing personality disorders (PDs). A way to explore the meaning of maladaptiveness is to compare how patients from all DSM-III-R PDs relate to different traits and dimensions of various dimensional models of personality. In the present study, the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) were used in a sample of 94 psychiatric outpatients who were assessed according to severity of maladaption and according to type of predominant cluster type of deviant traits. Only one of four factors of the scores of the KSP subscales, "Interpersonal Aversiveness," was related to degree of maladaption, indicating high detachment, suspicion, irritability, dysphoria, and low socialization as core features of maladaptiveness. Three subscales of the KSP Socialization were all associated with maladaptiveness. However, one subscale, "Childhood Adjustment," was also related to the predominant cluster type of personality pathology.

Temporal variation in phenotypic and genotypic traits in two sockeye salmon populations, Tustumena Lake, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woody, Carol Ann; Olsen, Jeffrey B.; Reynolds, Joel H.; Bentzen, Paul

2000-01-01

Sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in two tributary streams (about 20 km apart) of the same lake were compared for temporal variation in phenotypic (length, depth adjusted for length) and genotypic (six microsatellite loci) traits. Peak run time (July 16 versus 11 August) and run duration (43 versus 26 d) differed between streams. Populations were sampled twice, including an overlapping point in time. Divergence at microsatellite loci followed a temporal cline: Population sample groups collected at the same time were not different (F ST = 0), whereas those most separated in time were different (F ST = 0.011, P = 0.001). Although contemporaneous sample groups did not differ significantly in microsatellite genotypes (F ST = 0), phenotypic traits did differ significantly (MANOVA, P < 0.001). Fish from the larger stream were larger; fish from the smaller stream were smaller, suggesting differential fitness related to size. Results indicate run time differences among and within sockeye salmon populations may strongly influence levels of gene flow.

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution

PubMed Central

Strawbridge, Rona J; Pers, Tune H; Fischer, Krista; Justice, Anne E; Workalemahu, Tsegaselassie; Wu, Joseph M.W.; Buchkovich, Martin L; Heard-Costa, Nancy L; Roman, Tamara S; Drong, Alexander W; Song, Ci; Gustafsson, Stefan; Day, Felix R; Esko, Tonu; Fall, Tove; Kutalik, Zoltán; Luan, Jian’an; Randall, Joshua C; Scherag, André; Vedantam, Sailaja; Wood, Andrew R; Chen, Jin; Fehrmann, Rudolf; Karjalainen, Juha; Kahali, Bratati; Liu, Ching-Ti; Schmidt, Ellen M; Absher, Devin; Amin, Najaf; Anderson, Denise; Beekman, Marian; Bragg-Gresham, Jennifer L; Buyske, Steven; Demirkan, Ayse; Ehret, Georg B; Feitosa, Mary F; Goel, Anuj; Jackson, Anne U; Johnson, Toby; Kleber, Marcus E; Kristiansson, Kati; Mangino, Massimo; Leach, Irene Mateo; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Palmer, Cameron D; Pasko, Dorota; Pechlivanis, Sonali; Peters, Marjolein J; Prokopenko, Inga; Stančáková, Alena; Sung, Yun Ju; Tanaka, Toshiko; Teumer, Alexander; Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Jana V; Yengo, Loïc; Zhang, Weihua; Albrecht, Eva; Ärnlöv, Johan; Arscott, Gillian M; Bandinelli, Stefania; Barrett, Amy; Bellis, Claire; Bennett, Amanda J; Berne, Christian; Blüher, Matthias; Böhringer, Stefan; Bonnet, Fabrice; Böttcher, Yvonne; Bruinenberg, Marcel; Carba, Delia B; Caspersen, Ida H; Clarke, Robert; Daw, E Warwick; Deelen, Joris; Deelman, Ewa; Delgado, Graciela; Doney, Alex SF; Eklund, Niina; Erdos, Michael R; Estrada, Karol; Eury, Elodie; Friedrich, Nele; Garcia, Melissa E; Giedraitis, Vilmantas; Gigante, Bruna; Go, Alan S; Golay, Alain; Grallert, Harald; Grammer, Tanja B; Gräßler, Jürgen; Grewal, Jagvir; Groves, Christopher J; Haller, Toomas; Hallmans, Goran; Hartman, Catharina A; Hassinen, Maija; Hayward, Caroline; Heikkilä, Kauko; Herzig, Karl-Heinz; Helmer, Quinta; Hillege, Hans L; Holmen, Oddgeir; Hunt, Steven C; Isaacs, Aaron; Ittermann, Till; James, Alan L; Johansson, Ingegerd; Juliusdottir, Thorhildur; Kalafati, Ioanna-Panagiota; Kinnunen, Leena; Koenig, Wolfgang; Kooner, Ishminder K; Kratzer, Wolfgang; Lamina, Claudia; Leander, Karin; Lee, Nanette R; Lichtner, Peter; Lind, Lars; Lindström, Jaana; Lobbens, Stéphane; Lorentzon, Mattias; Mach, François; Magnusson, Patrik KE; Mahajan, Anubha; McArdle, Wendy L; Menni, Cristina; Merger, Sigrun; Mihailov, Evelin; Milani, Lili; Mills, Rebecca; Moayyeri, Alireza; Monda, Keri L; Mooijaart, Simon P; Mühleisen, Thomas W; Mulas, Antonella; Müller, Gabriele; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Nagaraja, Ramaiah; Nalls, Michael A; Narisu, Narisu; Glorioso, Nicola; Nolte, Ilja M; Olden, Matthias; Rayner, Nigel W; Renstrom, Frida; Ried, Janina S; Robertson, Neil R; Rose, Lynda M; Sanna, Serena; Scharnagl, Hubert; Scholtens, Salome; Sennblad, Bengt; Seufferlein, Thomas; Sitlani, Colleen M; Smith, Albert Vernon; Stirrups, Kathleen; Stringham, Heather M; Sundström, Johan; Swertz, Morris A; Swift, Amy J; Syvänen, Ann-Christine; Tayo, Bamidele O; Thorand, Barbara; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Tomaschitz, Andreas; Troffa, Chiara; van Oort, Floor VA; Verweij, Niek; Vonk, Judith M; Waite, Lindsay L; Wennauer, Roman; Wilsgaard, Tom; Wojczynski, Mary K; Wong, Andrew; Zhang, Qunyuan; Zhao, Jing Hua; Brennan, Eoin P.; Choi, Murim; Eriksson, Per; Folkersen, Lasse; Franco-Cereceda, Anders; Gharavi, Ali G; Hedman, Åsa K; Hivert, Marie-France; Huang, Jinyan; Kanoni, Stavroula; Karpe, Fredrik; Keildson, Sarah; Kiryluk, Krzysztof; Liang, Liming; Lifton, Richard P; Ma, Baoshan; McKnight, Amy J; McPherson, Ruth; Metspalu, Andres; Min, Josine L; Moffatt, Miriam F; Montgomery, Grant W; Murabito, Joanne M; Nicholson, George; Nyholt, Dale R; Olsson, Christian; Perry, John RB; Reinmaa, Eva; Salem, Rany M; Sandholm, Niina; Schadt, Eric E; Scott, Robert A; Stolk, Lisette; Vallejo, Edgar E.; Westra, Harm-Jan; Zondervan, Krina T; Amouyel, Philippe; Arveiler, Dominique; Bakker, Stephan JL; Beilby, John; Bergman, Richard N; Blangero, John; Brown, Morris J; Burnier, Michel; Campbell, Harry; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Chines, Peter S; Claudi-Boehm, Simone; Collins, Francis S; Crawford, Dana C; Danesh, John; de Faire, Ulf; de Geus, Eco JC; Dörr, Marcus; Erbel, Raimund; Eriksson, Johan G; Farrall, Martin; Ferrannini, Ele; Ferrières, Jean; Forouhi, Nita G; Forrester, Terrence; Franco, Oscar H; Gansevoort, Ron T; Gieger, Christian; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Haiman, Christopher A; Harris, Tamara B; Hattersley, Andrew T; Heliövaara, Markku; Hicks, Andrew A; Hingorani, Aroon D; Hoffmann, Wolfgang; Hofman, Albert; Homuth, Georg; Humphries, Steve E; Hyppönen, Elina; Illig, Thomas; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Johansen, Berit; Jousilahti, Pekka; Jula, Antti M; Kaprio, Jaakko; Kee, Frank; Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, Sirkka M; Kooner, Jaspal S; Kooperberg, Charles; Kovacs, Peter; Kraja, Aldi T; Kumari, Meena; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Kuusisto, Johanna; Lakka, Timo A; Langenberg, Claudia; Le Marchand, Loic; Lehtimäki, Terho; Lyssenko, Valeriya; Männistö, Satu; Marette, André; Matise, Tara C; McKenzie, Colin A; McKnight, Barbara; Musk, Arthur W; Möhlenkamp, Stefan; Morris, Andrew D; Nelis, Mari; Ohlsson, Claes; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Ong, Ken K; Palmer, Lyle J; Penninx, Brenda W; Peters, Annette; Pramstaller, Peter P; Raitakari, Olli T; Rankinen, Tuomo; Rao, DC; Rice, Treva K; Ridker, Paul M; Ritchie, Marylyn D.; Rudan, Igor; Salomaa, Veikko; Samani, Nilesh J; Saramies, Jouko; Sarzynski, Mark A; Schwarz, Peter EH; Shuldiner, Alan R; Staessen, Jan A; Steinthorsdottir, Valgerdur; Stolk, Ronald P; Strauch, Konstantin; Tönjes, Anke; Tremblay, Angelo; Tremoli, Elena; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Völker, Uwe; Vollenweider, Peter; Wilson, James F; Witteman, Jacqueline C; Adair, Linda S; Bochud, Murielle; Boehm, Bernhard O; Bornstein, Stefan R; Bouchard, Claude; Cauchi, Stéphane; Caulfield, Mark J; Chambers, John C; Chasman, Daniel I; Cooper, Richard S; Dedoussis, George; Ferrucci, Luigi; Froguel, Philippe; Grabe, Hans-Jörgen; Hamsten, Anders; Hui, Jennie; Hveem, Kristian; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Kivimaki, Mika; Kuh, Diana; Laakso, Markku; Liu, Yongmei; März, Winfried; Munroe, Patricia B; Njølstad, Inger; Oostra, Ben A; Palmer, Colin NA; Pedersen, Nancy L; Perola, Markus; Pérusse, Louis; Peters, Ulrike; Power, Chris; Quertermous, Thomas; Rauramaa, Rainer; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Saaristo, Timo E; Saleheen, Danish; Sinisalo, Juha; Slagboom, P Eline; Snieder, Harold; Spector, Tim D; Stefansson, Kari; Stumvoll, Michael; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Uitterlinden, André G; Uusitupa, Matti; van der Harst, Pim; Veronesi, Giovanni; Walker, Mark; Wareham, Nicholas J; Watkins, Hugh; Wichmann, H-Erich; Abecasis, Goncalo R; Assimes, Themistocles L; Berndt, Sonja I; Boehnke, Michael; Borecki, Ingrid B; Deloukas, Panos; Franke, Lude; Frayling, Timothy M; Groop, Leif C; Hunter, David J.; Kaplan, Robert C; O’Connell, Jeffrey R; Qi, Lu; Schlessinger, David; Strachan, David P; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Willer, Cristen J; Visscher, Peter M; Yang, Jian; Hirschhorn, Joel N; Zillikens, M Carola; McCarthy, Mark I; Speliotes, Elizabeth K; North, Kari E; Fox, Caroline S; Barroso, Inês; Franks, Paul W; Ingelsson, Erik; Heid, Iris M; Loos, Ruth JF; Cupples, L Adrienne; Morris, Andrew P; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Mohlke, Karen L

2014-01-01

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, we conducted genome-wide association meta-analyses of waist and hip circumference-related traits in up to 224,459 individuals. We identified 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (WHRadjBMI) and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P<5×10−8). Twenty of the 49 WHRadjBMI loci showed significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which displayed a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation, and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms. PMID:25673412

Psychometric data for a Farsi translation of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale.

PubMed

Bayani, Ali Asghar

2009-08-01

This study examined the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity of a Farsi version of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, with a sample of 306 undergraduate students (123 men, 183 women) ages 18 to 51 years. Participants completed Farsi versions of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Analysis confirmed the preliminary reliabilities and construct validity of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale.