scholarly journals Genetic Ancestry Testing among White Nationalists

Author(s):  
Aaron Panofsky ◽  
Joan Donovan

Using a data set drawn from the website Stormfront, this paper presents a qualitative analysis of online discussions of white nationalist individuals’ genetic ancestry test (GAT) results. Seeking genetic confirmation of personal identities and having a strong ideology of the genetic basis of race and the value of white “purity,” white nationalists using GATs are sometimes confronted with information they consider evidence of non-white or non-European ancestry. Despite their essentialist views of race, Stormfront posters use GAT information to police individuals’ membership far less commonly than working to develop a variety of scientific and anti-scientific responses enabling them to repair identities by rejecting or reinterpreting GAT results. Simultaneously, however, Stormfront posters use the particular relationships made visible by GATs to debate the collective boundaries and constitution of white nationalism. Bricoleurs with genetic knowledge, white nationalists use a “racial realist” interpretive framework that departs from canons of genetic science but cannot be dismissed simply as ignorant.

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Panofsky ◽  
Joan Donovan

White nationalists have a genetic essentialist understanding of racial identity, so what happens when using genetic ancestry tests (GATs) to explore personal identities, they receive upsetting results they consider evidence of non-white or non-European ancestry? Our answer draws on qualitative analysis of posts on the white nationalist website Stormfront, interpreted by synthesizing the literatures on white nationalism and GATs and identity. We show that Stormfront posters exert much more energy repairing individuals’ bad news than using it to exclude or attack them. Their repair strategies combine anti-scientific, counter-knowledge attacks on the legitimacy of GATs and quasi-scientific reinterpretations of GATs in terms of white nationalist histories. However, beyond individual identity repair they also reinterpret the racial boundaries and hierarchies of white nationalism in terms of the relationships GATs make visible. White nationalism is not simply an identity community or political movement but should be understood as bricoleurs with genetic knowledge displaying aspects of citizen science.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth Murphy ◽  
Justyna Ciszewska-Carr

<span>This paper reports on a study which contrasts results obtained using semantic and syntactic units of analysis in a context of content analysis of an online asynchronous discussion. The paper presents a review of literature on both types of units. The data set consisted of 80 messages posted by ten participants in an online learning module. Data were coded twice by two coders working independently. In the first instance, each coder divided all messages into semantic units and then coded those units. The second coding was conducted on the basis of a syntactic unit of a paragraph. Analysis at the level of the whole group showed little difference in results between the two types of coding. At the level of individual participants, those differences were greater. Results are discussed within a framework of reliability, capability of the unit to discriminate between behaviors, feasibility of different units, and their identifiability. Implications for research are discussed.</span>


2020 ◽  
pp. 136754942097320
Author(s):  
Lenka Vochocová

This article presents discursive strategies of sexual othering aimed at excluding the alleged European proponents of immigration from the ‘domestic’ culture and sexual norms and representing them as traitors of Europe driven by their sexual attraction to immigrants. A qualitative analysis of comments related to mainstream online news articles on gender aspects of immigration reveals how sexism and both old and new forms of racism intersect in online debates on the topic. The anti-immigration discussants express worries about the endangering of the European sexual and gender norms and define themselves in opposition not only to immigrants but also to European actors perceived as pro-immigration. While representing their gender culture as superior to the gender culture of immigrants, as based on respect towards women, they express openly disrespectful and sexist thoughts, treat women as inferior, and justify and normalize sexual violence and verbal sexual abuse.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 10430-10434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaspard Kerner ◽  
Noe Ramirez-Alejo ◽  
Yoann Seeleuthner ◽  
Rui Yang ◽  
Masato Ogishi ◽  
...  

The human genetic basis of tuberculosis (TB) has long remained elusive. We recently reported a high level of enrichment in homozygosity for the common TYK2 P1104A variant in a heterogeneous cohort of patients with TB from non-European countries in which TB is endemic. This variant is homozygous in ∼1/600 Europeans and ∼1/5,000 people from other countries outside East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. We report a study of this variant in the UK Biobank cohort. The frequency of P1104A homozygotes was much higher in patients with TB (6/620, 1%) than in controls (228/114,473, 0.2%), with an odds ratio (OR) adjusted for ancestry of 5.0 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.96–10.31, P = 2 × 10−3]. Conversely, we did not observe enrichment for P1104A heterozygosity, or for TYK2 I684S or V362F homozygosity or heterozygosity. Moreover, it is unlikely that more than 10% of controls were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as 97% were of European genetic ancestry, born between 1939 and 1970, and resided in the United Kingdom. Had all of them been infected, the OR for developing TB upon infection would be higher. These findings suggest that homozygosity for TYK2 P1104A may account for ∼1% of TB cases in Europeans.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi194-vi194
Author(s):  
Chenan Zhang ◽  
Quinn Ostrom ◽  
Helen Hansen ◽  
Adam de Smith ◽  
Cassie Kline ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Ependymoma is a histologically-defined central nervous system tumor most commonly occurring in children. Incidence differs by race/ethnicity, with individuals of European ancestry at highest risk. No large-scale genomic analyses of ependymoma predisposition have been conducted to date. We aimed to determine whether extent of European genetic ancestry is associated with ependymoma risk. METHODS In a multi-ethnic study of Californian children (327 cases, 1970 controls), we estimated the proportions of European, African, and Native American ancestry among admixed Hispanic and African-American subjects and estimated European substructure among non-Hispanic white subjects using genome-wide data. We tested whether genome-wide ancestry differences were associated with ependymoma risk and performed admixture mapping to identify associations with local European ancestry. We also re-analyzed CBTRUS data to examine subtype-specific differences in ependymoma incidence across racial/ethnic groups. RESULTS Each 20% increase in European ancestry was associated with 1.31-fold greater odds of ependymoma among Hispanic and African-American subjects (95% CI: 1.08–1.59, Pmeta=6.7×10–3). Among non-Hispanic whites, European ancestral substructure was also significantly associated with ependymoma risk. Local admixture mapping revealed a peak at 20p13 associated with increased local European ancestry, and genotype association analysis in the region identified an association upstream of R-spondin 4 that survived Bonferroni correction (P=2.2x10-5) but was not validated in an independent set of posterior fossa type A (PF-EPN-A) patients. In complementary CBTRUS analyses, American Indian/Alaskan Natives were at reduced risk relative to non-Hispanic whites (RR=0.64, 95% CI:0.46–0.87), as were African-Americans (RR=0.67, 95% CI:0.60–0.74) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (RR=0.86, 95% CI:0.73–1.00). Although overall ependymoma rates were similar in U.S. Hispanics (RR=0.96, 95% CI:0.88–1.05), lower rates were observed for myxopapillary ependymoma and other spinal ependymoma. CONCLUSION Inter-ethnic differences in ependymoma risk vary by histopathologic and potentially molecular subgroup, and are recapitulated in the genomic ancestry of ependymoma patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Cheng ◽  
Liebing Cao ◽  
Huihui Zhong ◽  
Yining He ◽  
Jiahong Qian

Adopting the empowerment perspective of leadership, this study proposes and examines the mediating model that leader encouragement of creativity affects innovation speed through strengthening employees’ engagement in the creative process. Using a sample of 245 participants in China, the results from structural equation modeling (SEM) suggest that the impact of leader encouragement of creativity on innovation speed is significantly mediated by creative process engagement, and positively moderated by organizational ambidexterity at the same time. Additionally, the results from fuzzy-set comparative qualitative analysis (fsQCA) with the same data set reveal that the aforementioned factors have a holistic effect on enhancing innovation speed. The results of fsQCA reinforce and refine the findings of the SEM analysis concerning the limits and conditions for how leader encouragement of creativity affects innovation speed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 982-1003
Author(s):  
David O. Dowling ◽  
Christopher Goetz ◽  
Daniel Lathrop

Since the #GamerGate controversy erupted in 2014, anti-feminist gamers continue to lash out at feminists and supporters of progressive and inclusive gaming content. A key strategy in this discourse is the sharing of content via links on Twitter, which accompany messages positioning the sender on either side of the debate. Through qualitative analysis of a data set drawn from 1,311 tweets from 2016 to 2017, we argue that tweeted links are a salient tool for signaling affiliation with gaming communities. For anti-feminist gamers, the tweeted link defines masculinist gamer identity and constructs social boundaries against the increasing diversification of video game culture reflected in higher overall rates of feminist tweets. Links can be construed as revelatory of boundary work and thus can help shed insight on the extent to which #GamerGate discourse was intended to defend gaming culture as an exclusively masculine space.


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A439-A439
Author(s):  
Y Leng ◽  
K Yaffe ◽  
S Ackley ◽  
M Glymour ◽  
W Brenowitz

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbances including short sleep duration are common in older adults, especially in those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, it is unclear to what extent sleep duration is a manifestation of AD disease process. We examined whether genetic variants related to AD influence sleep duration in middle-aged and older adults and estimated the causal effects of AD on sleep duration using a mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods We examined 406,687 UK Biobank participants with Caucasian genetic ancestry who self-reported sleep duration at baseline (2006-2010). Sleep duration was assessed by asking: “About how many hours sleep do you get in every 24 hours? (please include naps).” A genetic risk score for AD (AD-GRS) was calculated as a weighted sum of 23 previously identified AD-related single nucleotide polymorphisms in individuals of European ancestry. We evaluated whether AD-GRS predicted sleep duration using linear regression, adjusting for age, sex and principle components for genetic ancestry. We also stratified the analysis by age at baseline (≤55y or &gt;55y) and conducted a MR analysis to estimate the effect of AD (ICD-9/10 codes for AD/dementia diagnosis) on sleep duration. Results The participants (aged 56.91±8.00y) had an average sleep duration of 7.2 (Standard deviation [SD]=1.1) hours and AD-GRS of 0.11 (SD=0.40) (range: -1.15~1.85). Higher AD-GRS score predicted shorter sleep duration (b= -0.013, 95%CI:-0.022,-0.005), mainly among those aged over 55y (b= -0.023, 95%CI:-0.034,-0.012) and not in those 55y or younger (b= 0.006, 95%CI:-0.012,0.013); p for interaction by age=0.02. MR analysis using AD-GRS as an instrumental variable suggested that AD was associated with 1.76 hrs (b=-1.76, -2.62~ -0.90) shorter sleep duration in those aged &gt;55y. Conclusion Using a novel analytical approach, we found that higher genetic risk for AD predicted shorter sleep duration among older adults. This suggests shared genetic pathways; the biologic processes that lead to AD may also affect sleep duration. Support Dr. Leng received support from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) 1K99AG056598, and from GBHI, Alzheimer’s Association, and Alzheimer’s Society (GBHI ALZ UK-19-591141).


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 154-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany L. Mitchell ◽  
Adrian I. Campos ◽  
Miguel E. Rentería ◽  
Richard Parker ◽  
Lenore Sullivan ◽  
...  

AbstractThe aim of the 25 and Up (25Up) study was to assess a wide range of psychological and behavioral risk factors behind mental illness in a large cohort of Australian twins and their non-twin siblings. Participants had already been studied longitudinally from the age of 12 and most recently in the 19Up study (mean age = 26.1 years, SD = 4.1, range = 20–39). This subsequent wave follows up these twins several years later in life (mean age = 29.7 years, SD = 2.2, range =  22–44). The resulting data set enables additional detailed investigations of genetic pathways underlying psychiatric illnesses in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study (BLTS). Data were collected between 2016 and 2018 from 2540 twins and their non-twin siblings (59% female, including 341 monozygotic complete twin-pairs, 415 dizygotic complete pairs and 1028 non-twin siblings and singletons). Participants were from South-East Queensland, Australia, and the sample was of predominantly European ancestry. The 25Up study collected information on 20 different mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, substance use, psychosis, bipolar and attention-deficit hyper-activity disorder, as well as general demographic information such as occupation, education level, number of children, self-perceived IQ and household environment. In this article, we describe the prevalence, comorbidities and age of onset for all 20 examined disorders. The 25Up study also assessed general and physical health, including physical activity, sleep patterns, eating behaviors, baldness, acne, migraines and allergies, as well as psychosocial items such as suicidality, perceived stress, loneliness, aggression, sleep–wake cycle, sexual identity and preferences, technology and internet use, traumatic life events, gambling and cyberbullying. In addition, 25Up assessed female health traits such as morning sickness, breastfeeding and endometriosis. Furthermore, given that the 25Up study is an extension of previous BLTS studies, 86% of participants have already been genotyped. This rich resource will enable the assessment of epidemiological risk factors, as well as the heritability and genetic correlations of mental conditions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 1455-1492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rory Truex

Legislative gridlock is often viewed as a uniquely democratic phenomenon. The institutional checks and balances that produce gridlock are absent from authoritarian systems, leading many observers to romanticize “authoritarian efficiency” and policy dynamism. A unique data set from the Chinese case demonstrates that authoritarian regimes can have trouble passing laws and changing policies—48% of laws are not passed within the period specified in legislative plans, and about 12% of laws take more than 10 years to pass. This article develops a theory that relates variation in legislative outcomes to the absence of division within the ruling coalition and citizen attention shocks. Qualitative analysis of China’s Food Safety Law, coupled with shadow case studies of two other laws, illustrates the plausibility of the theoretical mechanisms. Division and public opinion play decisive roles in authoritarian legislative processes.


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