Population phenomena inflate genetic associations of complex social traits

The genetic dissection of complex traits in a founder population.

We estimated broad heritabilities (H(2)) and narrow heritabilities (h(2)) and conducted genomewide screens, using a novel association-based mapping approach for 20 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) among the Hutterites, a founder population that practices a communal lifestyle. Heritability estimates ranged from.21 for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) to.99 for whole-blood serotonin levels. Using a m...

Collective Phenomena in Complex Social Networks

The problem of social consensus is approached from the perspective of nonlinear dynamics of interacting agents in a complex network. Some basic concepts, such as dynamical metastability, are discussed in the framework of the prototype voter model. In the context of Axelrod’s model for the dissemination of culture we describe a co-evolutionary dynamics formulation with recent results on group fo...

Exploring Social Phenomena with Complex Systems Tools

This thesis explores the problems raised by the aggregation of entities into a global,collective level, an old problem encountered in many fields of science. We work on threeprojects related to the aggregation problem in social systems, using tools derived fromstatistical physics, and more generally quantitative tools. Great care is taken to tacklethe questions at the heart of t...

Genetic associations between behavioral traits and direct-social effects of growth rate in pigs.

This study examined the behavioral consequences of selecting pigs using a social genetic model for growth. Calculations enable each member of a group of pigs to be given a direct breeding value (DBV) and a social breeding value (SBV), which can be summarized into a total breeding value (TBV) for growth. Selection for growth TBV could affect animal behavior because social effects account for wit...

The importance of genealogy in determining genetic associations with complex traits.