Contribution Of Environmental Factors Research Articles

Exploring the interaction between agronomic practices and soil characteristics on the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in soil

In this study, field-scale experiments were carried out to analyze the coupling effects of typical agronomic measures and soil types on soil antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) using high-throughput fluorescence quantitative PCR. The results indicated that agronomic measures enhanced ARG abundance in different soil types. For the same soil type, the enhancement of ARG abundance in response to agronomic measures could be ordered as follows: livestock manure application (257.6–131.7 %) > sewage irrigation (57.6–35.0 %) > plastic film mulching (21.2–5.0 %). Under the same agronomic measures, enhancement of ARG abundance according to soil type was: clay (257.6–21.2 %) > loam (147.8–15.9 %) > sandy (131.7–5.0 %). Furthermore, the contributions of environmental factors in determining ARG abundance in different soil types differed in response to the application of different agronomic measures. Phthalates had the most and least pronounced effects on ARG abundance in sandy and loam soils, respectively. Effects of moisture on ARG abundance were minor in loam soil, but greater in clay and sandy soils. These findings provide new insights into the dissemination of soil ARGs promoted by the adoption of agronomic measures.

Twin research shows glycan changes are more susceptible to environmental factors than their carrier glycoproteins.

Changes in protein glycosylation are clinically used as biomarkers. In the present study, we employed a twin cohort to investigate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to glycan modifications of glycoproteins. Mac-2 binding protein (Mac-2bp), haptoglobin (Hp), and their glycosylated forms are liver fibrosis and cancer biomarkers. Sera from 107 twin pairs without clinical information were used as a training cohort for the Mac-2bp and Mac-2bp glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) assay. As a validation cohort, 22 twin pairs were enrolled in the study. For each twin pair, one twin was diagnosed with liver or pancreatic disease. For the training cohort, the correlation ratios of serum Mac-2bp and M2BPGi levels in twin sera with random sequences were 0.30 and 0.018, respectively. The correlation ratios between twin pairs in the validation cohort for serum Mac-2bp and M2BPGi levels were 0.75 and 0.35, respectively. In contrast, correlation ratios of serum Hp and fucosylated haptoglobin (Fuc-Hp) levels between twin sera with liver and pancreatic disease were 0.49 and 0.16, respectively. Although serum protein levels of glycoproteins are susceptible to genetic factors, characteristic glycan changes of these glycoproteins are more susceptible to environmental factors, including liver and pancreatic disease.

The Genetics of Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A GWAS and Post-GWAS Update.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic, progressive cholestatic liver disease in which the small intrahepatic bile ducts are destroyed by autoimmune reactions. Among autoimmune diseases, which are polygenic complex traits caused by the combined contribution of genetic and environmental factors, PBC exhibits the strongest involvement of genetic heritability in disease development. As at December 2022, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and associated meta-analyses identified approximately 70 PBC susceptibility gene loci in various populations, including those of European and East Asian descent. However, the molecular mechanisms through which these susceptibility loci affect the pathogenesis of PBC are not fully understood. This study provides an overview of current data regarding the genetic factors of PBC as well as post-GWAS approaches to identifying primary functional variants and effector genes in disease-susceptibility loci. Possible mechanisms of these genetic factors in the development of PBC are also discussed, focusing on four major disease pathways identified by in silico gene set analyses, namely, (1) antigen presentation by human leukocyte antigens, (2) interleukin-12-related pathways, (3) cellular responses to tumor necrosis factor, and (4) B cell activation, maturation, and differentiation pathways.

Genetic and Cultural Transmission of Alcohol Use Disorder in Swedish Twin Pedigrees.

Using Swedish nationwide registry data, we investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental risk factors to the etiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD) by extended twin pedigree modeling. AUD was defined using public inpatient, outpatient, prescription, and criminal records. Three-generational pedigrees were selected for index individuals born between 1980 and 1990, obtained from the national twin and genealogical registers, whose parents were twins. Relatives of the twins included in the pedigrees were their parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Genetic structural equation modeling was applied to the population-based data on AUD, using OpenMx, with age used as a covariate. Analyses including up to 162,469 individuals in 18,971 pedigrees estimated AUD prevalence at 5%-12% in men and 2%-5% in women. Results indicated substantial heritability (about 50%-60%), of which a portion upwards of 5% was attributable to the consequences of assortative mating. Contributions of shared environmental factors to AUD, which represent a mix of within- and cross-generational effects, appeared to be moderate (about 10%-20%). Unique environment accounted for the remaining variance (about 20%-30%). Sex differences in the magnitude of the variance components suggested higher heritability in men and correspondingly higher shared environmental contributions in women. Using objective registry data, we found that AUD is highly heritable. Furthermore, shared environmental factors contributed significantly to the liability of AUD in both men and women.

Steps forward in biomonitoring 2.0: eDNA Metabarcoding and community-level modelling allow the assessment of complex drivers of Neotropical fish diversity.

The way we inventory and monitor biodiversity globally has been revolutionized by new molecular and ecological methods (Pawlowski et al 2021). Nonetheless, the Neotropical realm still represents a great challenge to our understanding of species distribution patterns and the role played by different drivers of biodiversity. The paper by Coutant et al. (2022) is a great advance towards a holistic approach to quantifying the contribution of environmental and anthropogenic factors that drive community assembly in the Amazon, and how we can apply such knowledge to guide future monitoring programmes. Disentangling the relative roles played by multiple drivers of biodiversity allowed them to also highlight hotspot areas hosting unique freshwater fish diversity and to pinpoint conservation priorities. Toward this end, the authors applied an innovative framework that included the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to conduct fish inventories combined with community-level modelling. Their multifaceted approach accounting for taxonomic and functional measures of biodiversity allowed a thorough evaluation of ecological patterns. They reported a mismatch between functional and taxonomic biodiversity in their responses to geographical, environmental, and anthropogenic factors. Functional diversity was influenced by environmental and anthropogenic factors, while fish taxonomic diversity was determined by dispersal restrictions at both intra and inter-basin scales in the Guiana Shield. The role played by dispersal limitation and human activities in shaping fish diversity in large rivers is very relevant considering that Amazonian freshwater ecosystems are facing large-scale degradation due to human activities greatly impairing river connectivity (Castello & Macedo, 2016).

Study on the frequency and chemical composition of urinary stones of Moghani sheep in Northwest of Iran

Nephrolithiasis is one of the most important urinary tract diseases of ruminants and a costly problem for many sheep and goat owners. Therefore, it is important to analyse the composition of renal stone to prevent the formation of these kind of stones. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency and the chemical constituents of urinary stones of Moghani sheep in Northwest of Iran. The kidneys, ureters, and urinary bladders of 384 Moghani sheep were examined carefully. The prevalence of urinary stones was 3.7%. All the stones were in the pelvis of the kidney and no stones were found in the ureter or urinary bladder. Macroscopically, 85.7% of the urinary stones showed a rough (jagged) appearance and 12.3% of them a smooth appearance. The largest and smallest urinary stones were 7 mm and 2 mm in diameter and 0.600 g and 0.087 g in weight, respectively. The composition of calculi were pure or mixed and included calcium oxalate (44.44%), magnesium ammonium phosphate (33.33%) and calcium carbonate (22.22%). Calcium oxalate was the major constituent in the urinary stone, hence, grazing on the pasture plants containing oxalate should be limited. More detail studies should be designed to clarify the contribution of environmental and nutritional factors in development of urinary stones.

The Relationship between Young Children's Graphomotor Skills and Their Environment: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The current study aimed to examine the unique contribution of personal and environmental factors to explain graphomotor skills in typically developing preschoolers and first-year elementary school students. A convenience sample of 136 Israeli children aged three-seven years was recruited. Graphomotor skills were assessed using the Gilboa Functional Test (GIFT); personal and environmental factors were assessed using a demographic questionnaire and the Home Literacy Experiences Questionnaire (HLEQ). A hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis revealed that home literacy and educational approach accounted for 43.1% of the variance of graphomotor skills (R2 = 40.4, p < 0.000), each providing a unique contribution to the explained variance after controlling for age, gender, and spoken language. Generally, our results supported the bioecological model, with proximal factors (home literacy and educational approach) having a greater influence on child graphomotor skills than distal factors (parental socioeconomic and immigration status). By highlighting the role of environmental factors in graphomotor development, these results can be used as a conceptual framework for developing early intervention programs.

Grassland ecosystem type drives AM fungal diversity and functional guild distribution in North American grasslands.

Nutrient exchange forms the basis of the ancient symbiotic relationship that occurs between most land plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Plants provide carbon (C) to AM fungi and fungi provide the plant with nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P). Nutrient addition can alter this symbiotic coupling in key ways, such as reducing AM fungal root colonization and changing the AM fungal community composition. However, environmental parameters that differentiate ecosystems and drive plant distribution patterns (e.g., pH, moisture), are also known to impact AM fungal communities. Identifying the relative contribution of environmental factors impacting AM fungal distribution patterns is important for predicting biogeochemical cycling patterns and plant-microbe relationships across ecosystems. To evaluate the relative impacts of local environmental conditions and long-term nutrient addition on AM fungal abundance and composition across grasslands, we studied experimental plots amended for 10 years with N, P, or N and P fertilizer in different grassland ecosystem types, including tallgrass prairie, montane, shortgrass prairie, and desert grasslands. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found ecosystem type, not nutrient treatment, was the main driver of AM fungal root colonization, diversity, and community composition, even when accounting for site-specific nutrient limitations. We identified several important environmental drivers of grassland ecosystem AM fungal distribution patterns, including aridity, mean annual temperature, root moisture, and soil pH. This work provides empirical evidence for niche partitioning strategies of AM fungal functional guilds and emphasizes the importance of long-term, large scale research projects to provide ecologically relevant context to nutrient addition studies.

Family history of stroke - a useful clue for the primary care physician and stroke neurologist: a narrative review.

The heritability of ischemic stroke is a complex mechanism, involving the contribution of genetic traits and environmental factors, which is why in everyday practice clinicians often rely on the broad term "family history of stroke", defined as the case of any first-degree relative who has had a stroke. The aim of this review is to update the available data regarding family history of stroke in primary and secondary stroke prevention by searching the electronic Scopus database for the phrase TITLE-ABS-KEY ("family history" AND "stroke"). A total of 140 articles met the pre-specified criteria and were included in the review. The prevalence of family history of stroke ranged from 37% in stroke-free individuals to 52% in patients with ischemic stroke. In primary prevention, family history of stroke was associated with increased risk of stroke, transient ischemic attack, stroke risk factors and stroke-like symptoms. In patients with ischemic stroke, it was more often associated with small- and large-vessel disease, though not with a cardioembolic etiology. Family history of stroke did not influence long-term functional outcomes after rehabilitation. In young stroke victims, it was related to symptom severity and the risk of a second stroke. Consideration of family history of stroke in everyday practice may carry useful information both for primary care physicians and stroke neurologists.

The influence of environmental factors on the prevalence of «thrifty genotypes» as predictors of metabolic disorders

"Thrifty genotypes" are the risk factors for obesity and lipid and energy metabolism disorders. Hence, it is important to assess the contribution of environmental factors that influenced the thrifty genotypes' population distribution. Aim of the study - systematization and critical analysis of published data on population variability, relationship with climatic and environmental characteristics, association with traditional types of lifestyles, and nutrition for the «thrifty genotypes» of APOE, UCP1, UCP3, and FTO genes. Material and methods. The selection of publications from the last 20-25 years presented in the PubMed database (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) was carried out by the keywords of the generalizing rank (thrifty genotype, thrifty phenotype, drifty genotype), then narrowed down to the APOE, UCP, FTO. The final set includes publications that consider the association of genotypes with the ecological conditions of the population. Results. Our analysis of publications has confirmed the ethnic and geographical variability in the allele distribution of APOE, UCP1, UCP3, and FTO genes. However, the nature of this variability hasn't been studied sufficiently; the contribution of individual factors of the natural and anthropogenic environment remains unclear. The information on the geographical distribution of the APOE gene alleles is quite complete, while the data on the «thrifty genotypes» of UCP and FTO require further study. Conclusion. The frequency of the UCP1 and UCP3 alleles associated with effective non-contractile thermogenesis is increased in populations adapted to low temperatures. However, the population-geographical pattern of the UCP thrifty genotypes' variability as a determinant of increased fat deposition has been studied insufficiently. The carriage of FTO mutant variants increases the adaptability of groups with a traditional lifestyle and diet but is maladaptive in an urbanized environment. The influence of natural and ecological conditions on the formation of the FTO allele geographical distribution requires more attention. The results obtained allow us to propose the included groups' ranking according to the past environmental management and nutrition will facilitate the search for ecological factors that influenced the geographical distribution of genotypes (and, accordingly, populations with different levels of risk of metabolic disorders).

От чего зависит психологическое благополучие российских подростков: анализ результатов PISA 2018

Last decades have been marked by a decline in the psychological well-being of adolescents around the world. Both environmental, family and school factors, as well as personal factors contribute to the maintenance of well-being, and from the standpoint of modern psychological theories of well-being, positive relationships with significant others play a leading role. However, these factors are rarely explored in the system; moreover, the specific contribution of environmental factors varies from culture to culture. This article aims to assess the role of the system of environmental and personality-motivational variables as predictors of the psychological well-being of Russian adolescents. The material of the study was the data collected within the framework of the PISA 2018 project on a representative sample of Russian teenagers (N=7608). We studied the role of three groups of variables reflecting the quality of a teenager's relationship with 1) parents (parental support), 2) teachers (perception of informative feedback from teachers), 3) school society (the value of cooperation and climate of cooperation and exposure to bullying). It was assumed that the variables characterizing the quality of the three types of relationships with significant others would contribute both independently and mediated by personal and motivational variables to well-being. Gender and family SES were considered as control variables. The results of structural equation modeling confirmed the hypotheses, demonstrating a significant contribution to the well-being of not only relationships with parents and peers, but also teachers, both directly and indirectly by variables reflecting the ability to set productive goals, cope with difficulties and feel comfortable at school. The results are discussed from the standpoint of the self-determination theory, which asserts the importance of satisfying basic psychological needs in relationships with significant others for the psychological well-being. Universal and cross-cultural aspects of the findings of the study are discussed, as well as its limitations.

Quantifying the Contributions of Environmental Factors to Prostate Cancer and Detecting Risk-Related Diet Metrics and Racial Disparities.

The relevance of nongenetic factors to prostate cancer (PCa) has been elusive. We aimed to quantify the contributions of environmental factors to PCa and identify risk-related diet metrics and relevant racial disparities. We performed a unique analysis of the Diet History Questionnaire data of 41 830 European Americans (EAs) and 1282 African Americans (AAs) in the PLCO project. The independent variables in the regression models consisted of age at trial entry, race, family history of prostate cancer (PCa-fh), diabetes history, body mass index (BMI), lifestyle (smoking and coffee consumption), marital status, and a specific nutrient/food factor (X). P < .05 and a 95% confidence interval excluding zero were adopted as the criteria for determining a significant difference (effect). We established a priority ranking among PCa risk-related genetic and environmental factors according to the deviances explained by them in the multivariate Cox-PH regression analysis: age > PCa-fh > diabetes ⩾ race > lifestyle ⩾marital-status ⩾BMI > X. We confirmed previous studies showing that (1) high protein and saturated fat levels in diet were related to increased PCa risk, (2) high-level supplementary selenium intake was harmful rather than beneficial for preventing PCa, and (3) supplementary vitamin B6 was beneficial for preventing benign PCa. We obtained the following novel findings: high-level organ meat intake was an independent predictor for increased aggressive PCa risk; supplementary iron, copper and magnesium increased benign PCa risk; and the AA diet was "healthy" in terms of the relatively lower protein and fat levels and was "unhealthy" in that it more commonly contained organ meat. In conclusion, we established a priority ranking among the contributing factors for PCa and identified several risk-related diet metrics and the racial disparities. Our findings suggested some new approaches to prevent PCa such as restriction of organ meat intake and supplementary microminerals.

Impact of decreased aerosols during the COVID-19 pandemic on winter wheat gross primary productivity and water use efficiency

Rapid and comprehensive lockdowns to contain the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reduced anthropogenic emissions and, thereby, decreased the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Xiangyang, Hubei Province. However, their complicated interactions make quantifying the contribution of decreased aerosols to crop growth challenging. Here, we explored the indirect effects of decreased aerosol concentrations on the gross primary productivity (GPP) and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat by quantifying the contributions of key environmental factors. Our results showed high temporal and spatial associations between aerosols (represented by AOD), GPP, and WUE before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. AOD decreased by 23.8 % ± 10.1 % , whereas GPP and WUE increased by 16.5 % ± 5.8 % and 17.0 % ± 15.3 % , respectively. The GeoDetector model revealed that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) had a major impact on GPP and WUE, followed by precipitation, surface soil moisture, subsurface soil moisture, and surface temperature. Moreover, causality analysis showed a causal relationship between AOD and the dominant factors (PAR and precipitation) during the lockdown, thereby indicating a positive effect of decreased aerosols on GPP and WUE changes of winter wheat. Our findings assist in understanding the mechanisms causing GPP and WUE changes, given the environmental factors that changed significantly during the pandemic.

Cadmium Uptake From Soil by Ornamental Metallophytes: A Meta-analytical Approach.

Soil pollution by cadmium (Cd) is a serious issue worldwide affecting environmental and human health. Conventional chemical and physical methods of treating contaminated soil are costly, time-consuming, and less effective. Phytoremediation using ornamental plants is a safe and effective method for the treatment of heavy metal-polluted soil due to their rapid growth and accumulation of biomass, high heavy metal tolerance, and non-edible nature. The present study is the first attempt for the meta-analysis of existing literature on Cd accumulation and translocation by ornamental plants. The uptake and transfer capacity of ornamental plants was measured using the bio-concentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF). The results indicate that ornamental plants have varying Cd-absorption capacities. Among the 49 plant species identified from 31 articles, Helianthus annuus (BCF = 5.785), Impatiens glandulifera (BCF = 4.722), and Crassocephalum crepidioides (BCF = 3.623) represented higher accumulation capacity, whereas Rorippa globosa (TF = 1.653) and Sedum spectabile Boreau (TF = 1.579) represented significantly higher translocation capacity for Cd. The contribution of various environmental factors in influencing BCF was obtained through multiple linear regression analysis. Results showed that soil pH was the major factor influencing the BCF. To further explain the influence of four main factors that are soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and soil Cd concentration on the accumulation efficiency of ornamental plants, a subgroup meta-analysis was performed. Results of the subgroup meta-analysis revealed that the BCF is negatively correlated with the soil pH and SOM, while the estimated limit of soil Cd concentration for growing ornamental plants was up to 50 mg/kg. Results of this study indicate that choosing a native hyperaccumulator is not the sole key to the success of a phytoremediation design, rather the conditions of the pedosphere will determine the regulating factor for efficient removal. In order to overcome the issue of recirculation and gradual release in the rhizosphere, it is important to match the type of hyperaccumulators to the soil environment (pH, CEC, SOM, etc.) to achieve maximum translocation and desired removal. This study will help researchers to pair the right plant with environmental conditions and customize more efficient phytoremediation systems.

Heritability of the glycan clock of biological age.

Immunoglobulin G is posttranslationally modified by the addition of complex N-glycans affecting its function and mediating inflammation at multiple levels. IgG glycome composition changes with age and health in a predictive pattern, presumably due to inflammaging. As a result, a novel biological aging biomarker, glycan clock of age, was developed. Glycan clock of age is the first of biological aging clocks for which multiple studies showed a possibility of clock reversal even with simple lifestyle interventions. However, none of the previous studies determined to which extent the glycan clock can be turned, and how much is fixed by genetic predisposition. To determine the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to phenotypic variation of the glycan clock, we performed heritability analysis on two TwinsUK female cohorts. IgG glycans from monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs were analyzed by UHPLC and glycan age was calculated using the glycan clock. In order to determine additive genetic, shared, and unique environmental contributions, a classical twin design was applied. Heritability of the glycan clock was calculated for participants of one cross-sectional and one longitudinal cohort with three time points to assess the reliability of measurements. Heritability estimate for the glycan clock was 39% on average, suggesting a moderate contribution of additive genetic factors (A) to glycan clock variation. Remarkably, heritability estimates remained approximately the same in all time points of the longitudinal study, even though IgG glycome composition changed substantially. Most environmental contributions came from shared environmental factors (C), with unique environmental factors (E) having a minor role. Interestingly, heritability estimates nearly doubled, to an average of 71%, when we included age as a covariant. This intervention also inflated the estimates of unique environmental factors contributing to glycan clock variation. A complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors defines alternative IgG glycosylation during aging and, consequently, dictates the glycan clock's ticking. Apparently, environmental factors (including lifestyle choices) have a strong impact on the biological age measured with the glycan clock, which additionally clarifies why this aging clock is one of the most potent biomarkers of biological aging.

Multiple effects of climate changes and human activities on NPP increase in the Three-north Shelter Forest Program area

In the framework of ecological engineering, vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) has grown dramatically in the Three-north Shelter Forest Program area (TSFPA), which is influenced by both human activities and climate change, as well as their interaction. However, it remains unclear how the individual (pure effects) and interactive (shared and coupling effects) impacts affect and maintain the growing vegetation NPP trend. In this study, the monotonically increasing NPP trend from nonlinear trends was detected using Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), and its persistence was investigated using boosted regression tree (BRT) models. We investigated the relative contributions of environmental factors and variable interactions, as well as spatially identified the multiple effects of climate change and human activities on the increasing trend and its persistence over TSFPA. The results indicated that: (1) The vegetation NPP was dominated by the monotonically increasing trend (41.08 %), and 30.04 % of all pixels can still maintain NPP increment. (2) Although soil moisture exhibited the highest interaction with the precipitation seasonality (32.21 %) on the monotonically increasing NPP trend, land-use change substantially interacted with soil moisture (26.97 %), snowmelt (23.34 %), and net solar radiation (13.43 %). (3) The monotonically increasing vegetation NPP was caused not only by the pure effects of climate change (23.57 %) and human activities (11.69 %) directly but also by their coupling effects (26.64 %) or shared effects (38.10 %) interactively. (4) The shared effects (50.94 %) dominated the persistently increasing NPP trend, whereas the coupling effects (78.78 %) dominated the non-persistently increasing NPP trend. The findings highlight the importance of the pure, shared, and coupling effects of human activities and climate change interactively for elucidating the driving of the vegetation NPP increment and its persistence over ecological engineering areas.

Is there any direct link between hazardous trace metals and the allantoin content in some moss species?

The accumulation of allantoin and trace metals (TMs) in nine moss species was examined after the exposure to stress conditions. Both the environmental anthropopressure effect and laboratory-simulated stress conditions were monitored. Moss samples were collected from different locations, i.e. a non-TM contaminated area, an urban area, and a metalliferous area. The effect of Cd, Pb, Hg, Ni, Zn, salinity, and an acidic environment on the allantoin content was tested. Principal component analysis was performed to reveal the relationship between samples of different origin. Large differences in the metal and allantoin accumulation capability of mosses were noted between samples harvested from the different locations. Seven species were considered as potential metal accumulators, as they exhibited tolerance to elevated levels of heavy metals. The observed TM effect on the allantoin accumulation indicated TM pollution as an important environmental factor that can significantly influence the content of this compound in mosses. Further studies on the contribution of various environmental factors and individual characteristics of plant species are highly expected to recognize the trend in the accumulation of specialized metabolites and TMs in response to hazardous growth conditions.

Estimating the Relative Contribution of Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors to Different Aging Traits by Combining Correlated Variables into Weighted Risk Scores.

Genetic and exposomal factors contribute to the development of human aging. For example, genetic polymorphisms and exposure to environmental factors (air pollution, tobacco smoke, etc.) influence lung and skin aging traits. For prevention purposes it is highly desirable to know the extent to which each category of the exposome and genetic factors contribute to their development. Estimating such extents, however, is methodologically challenging, mainly because the predictors are often highly correlated. Tackling this challenge, this article proposes to use weighted risk scores to assess combined effects of categories of such predictors, and a measure of relative importance to quantify their relative contribution. The risk score weights are determined via regularized regression and the relative contributions are estimated by the proportion of explained variance in linear regression. This approach is applied to data from a cohort of elderly Caucasian women investigated in 2007-2010 by estimating the relative contribution of genetic and exposomal factors to skin and lung aging. Overall, the models explain 17% (95% CI: [9%, 28%]) of the outcome's variance for skin aging and 23% ([11%, 34%]) for lung function parameters. For both aging traits, genetic factors make up the largest contribution. The proposed approach enables us to quantify and rank contributions of categories of exposomal and genetic factors to human aging traits and facilitates risk assessment related to common human diseases in general. Obtained rankings can aid political decision making, for example, by prioritizing protective measures such as limit values for certain exposures.

Environmental DNA reveals a mismatch between diversity facets of Amazonian fishes in response to contrasting geographical, environmental and anthropogenic effects.

Freshwater ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystem in the world. Understanding how human activities affect these ecosystems requires disentangling and quantifying the contribution of the factors driving community assembly. While it has been largely studied in temperate freshwaters, tropical ecosystems remain challenging to study due to the high species richness and the lack of knowledge on species distribution. Here, the use of eDNA-based fish inventories combined to a community-level modelling approach allowed depicting of assembly rules and quantifying the relative contribution of geographic, environmental and anthropic factors to fish assembly. We then used the model predictions to map spatial biodiversity and assess the representativity of sites surveyed in French Guiana within the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and highlighted areas that should host unique freshwater fish assemblages. We demonstrated a mismatch between the taxonomic and functional diversity. Taxonomic assemblages between but also within basins were mainly the results of dispersal limitation resulting from basin isolation and natural river barriers. Contrastingly, functional assemblages were ruled by environmental and anthropic factors. The regional mapping of fish diversity indicated that the sites surveyed within the EU WFD had a better representativity of the regional functional diversity than taxonomic diversity. Importantly, we also showed that the assemblages expected to be the most altered by anthropic factors were the most poorly represented in terms of functional diversity in the surveyed sites. The predictions of unique functional and taxonomic assemblages could, therefore, guide the establishment of new survey sites to increase fish diversity representativity and improve this monitoring program.

Preferential looking to eyes versus mouth in early infancy: heritability and link to concurrent and later development.

From birth, infants orient preferentially to faces, and when looking at the face, they attend primarily to eyes and mouth. These areas convey different types of information, and earlier research suggests that genetic factors influence the preference for one or the other in young children. In a sample of 535 5-month-old infant twins, we assessed eye (relative to mouth) preference in early infancy, i.e., before neural systems for social communication and language are fully developed. We investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the preference for looking at eyes, and the association with concurrent traits and follow-up measures. Eye preference was independent from all other concurrent traits measured, and had a moderate-to-high contribution from genetic influences (A=0.57; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.66). Preference for eyes at 5months was associated with higher parent ratings of receptive vocabulary at 14 months. No statistically significant association with later autistic traits was found. Preference for eyes was strikingly stable across different stimulus types (e.g., dynamic vs. still), suggesting that infants' preference at this age does not reflect sensitivity to low-level visual cues. These results suggest that individual differences in infants' preferential looking to eyes versus mouth to a substantial degree reflect genetic variation. The findings provide new leads on both the perceptual basis and the developmental consequences of these attentional biases.