Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
9,645
result(s) for
"East Asian People"
Sort by:
The Singapore ethnic mosaic : many cultures, one people
\"Far from being a melting pot, multi-racial Singapore prides itself on the richness of its ethnic communities and cultures. This volume provides an updated account of the heterogeneity within each of the main communities: the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and Others. It also documents the ethnic cultures of these communities by discussing their histories, celebrations, cultural symbols, life cycle rituals, cultural icons and attempts to preserve culture. While chapters are written by scholars drawing insight from a variety of sources ranging from academic publications to discussions with community experts, it is written in an accessible way. This volume seeks to increase intercultural understanding through presenting ample insights into the cultural beliefs and practices of the different ethnic communities. While this book is about diversity, a closer examination of the people and cultures of Singapore demonstrates the many similarities communities share in this Singaporean space.\"-- Back cover.
Book
Deciphering colorectal cancer genetics through multi-omic analysis of 100,204 cases and 154,587 controls of European and east Asian ancestries
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of 100,204 CRC cases and 154,587 controls of European and east Asian ancestry, identifying 205 independent risk associations, of which 50 were unreported. We performed integrative genomic, transcriptomic and methylomic analyses across large bowel mucosa and other tissues. Transcriptome- and methylome-wide association studies revealed an additional 53 risk associations. We identified 155 high-confidence effector genes functionally linked to CRC risk, many of which had no previously established role in CRC. These have multiple different functions and specifically indicate that variation in normal colorectal homeostasis, proliferation, cell adhesion, migration, immunity and microbial interactions determines CRC risk. Crosstissue analyses indicated that over a third of effector genes most probably act outside the colonic mucosa. Our findings provide insights into colorectal oncogenesis and highlight potential targets across tissues for new CRC treatment and chemoprevention strategies.
A multi-ancestry genome-wide association study meta-analysis, combined with transcriptome- and methylome-wide association analyses, identifies risk loci associated with colorectal cancer. Credible effector genes and their target tissues are also highlighted, showing that over a third probably act outside the colonic mucosa.
Journal Article
Count me in : a novel
Told from two viewpoints, sixth-graders Karina and Chris use social media to stand up to racism in Houston, Texas, after an attack puts Karina's Indian American grandfather in the hospital.
BOOK
Attitude towards aging and anxiety in the relationship between social alienation and depression in Chinese rural empty-nest older adults: a chained mediation modeling analysis
Background
Depression among rural empty-nest older adults has emerged as a significant global and Chinese concern in recent years. Studies have identified associations between depression in rural empty-nest older adults and factors such as social alienation, attitudes towards aging, and mental health. However, the intricate mechanisms underlying these relationships remain incompletely understood. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the intricate connections between social alienation and depression among Chinese rural empty-nest older adults, aiming to shed light on the underlying mechanisms contributing to depression in this demographic.
Methods
The study data were gathered from a sample of rural empty-nest older adults (
N
= 1025) residing in the cities of Chaoyang, Liaoning Province, China. Depression served as the primary outcome variable, with social alienation as the predictor variable. Attitude towards aging and anxiety symptoms were examined as potential mediators in the relationship between social alienation and depression. Mediation and chained mediation modeling analyses were conducted to analyze the data and explore the proposed relationships.
Results
(1) Social alienation positively predicted attitude towards aging (
β
= 0.109,
P
< 0.001), anxiety symptoms (
β
= 0.076,
P
< 0.001), and depression (
β
= 0.021,
P
< 0.001). Attitude towards aging positively predicted anxiety symptoms (
β
= 0.390,
P
< 0.001) and depression (
β
= 0.006,
P
< 0.001). Anxiety symptoms also positively predicted depression (
β
= 1.207,
P
< 0.001). (2) Social alienation mainly affects depression through three indirect effects: (1) Social alienation → attitude towards aging → depression; (2) Social alienation → anxiety symptoms → depression; (3) Social alienation → attitude towards aging → anxiety symptoms → depression.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that social alienation impacts depression among Chinese rural empty-nest older adults through the pathways of attitude towards aging and anxiety symptoms. Consequently, efforts aimed at preventing depression rooted in social alienation among this demographic should address both attitudes towards aging and mental health concerns.
Journal Article
Genes, culture, and neural sensitivity to norm violations: a DRD4 × culture interaction study
Abstract
Cultures, such as Japan, are characterized by tighter or more rigid norms than others, like the United States. However, the mechanism underlying this cultural difference remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that individuals carrying genetic polymorphisms linked to cultural learning, particularly the 7- or 2-repeat variable number of tandem repeat variants of the dopamine D4 receptor gene, DRD4, would show heightened sensitivity to norm violations if they are from tight cultures but not in loose cultures. A total of 214 Japanese and 236 European American young adults (total N = 450) evaluated the normativity of various behaviors while their electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Consistent with previous findings, norm violations elicited a robust N400 response, an electrocortical marker of expectancy violation. Critically, this N400 norm-violation effect was significantly stronger for Japanese carriers of the DRD4 alleles linked to cultural learning, but no such genetic moderation was observed among European Americans. Moreover, Japanese non-carriers showed a significantly weaker N400 response than their American counterparts. These results suggest that in a tight culture like Japan, heightened neural sensitivity to norm violations may be concentrated among individuals with genetic predispositions for enhanced reward processing, pointing to the dynamic interplay between genetic variations and cultural environments.
Journal Article
Development and validation of genome-wide polygenic risk scores for predicting breast cancer incidence in Japanese females: a population-based case-cohort study
PurposeThis study aimed to develop an ancestry-specific polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for the prediction of breast cancer events in Japanese females and validate it in a longitudinal cohort study.MethodsUsing publicly available summary statistics of female breast cancer genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Japanese and European ancestries, we, respectively, developed 31 candidate genome-wide PRSs using pruning and thresholding (P + T) and LDpred methods with varying parameters. Among the candidate PRS models, the best model was selected using a case-cohort dataset (63 breast cancer cases and 2213 sub-cohorts of Japanese females during a median follow-up of 11.9 years) according to the maximal predictive ability by Harrell’s C-statistics. The best-performing PRS for each derivation GWAS was evaluated in another independent case-cohort dataset (260 breast cancer cases and 7845 sub-cohorts of Japanese females during a median follow-up of 16.9 years).ResultsFor the best PRS model involving 46,861 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; P + T method with PT = 0.05 and R2 = 0.2) derived from Japanese-ancestry GWAS, the Harrell’s C-statistic was 0.598 ± 0.018 in the evaluation dataset. The age-adjusted hazard ratio for breast cancer in females with the highest PRS quintile compared with those in the lowest PRS quintile was 2.47 (95% confidence intervals, 1.64–3.70). The PRS constructed using Japanese-ancestry GWAS demonstrated better predictive performance for breast cancer in Japanese females than that using European-ancestry GWAS (Harrell’s C-statistics 0.598 versus 0.586).ConclusionThis study developed a breast cancer PRS for Japanese females and demonstrated the usefulness of the PRS for breast cancer risk stratification.
Journal Article
The Presence and Effects of the Sexual Double Standard Regarding Condom Use Among Chinese Adults: The Moderating Effects of Gender and Condom Use Power
The current set of two studies examined the presence and effects of the sexual double standard regarding condom use in China. Study 1 (between-subjects experiment) examined the existence of traditional sexual double standard in people’s attitudes toward men’s and women’s condom use behaviors. Participants (197 women and 157 men; M age 29.8 ± 6.77 years) were randomly assigned to one of three scenarios that described a sexual encounter in which either a woman or a man provided condoms, or no condoms were used. Participants needed to rate the woman and man in terms of their behavior and maturity. The results showed that people evaluated the woman more positively when she provided condoms during the sexual encounter, compared with a man providing condoms and a no-condom-use situation. Second, when no condoms were used (vs. a woman or a man providing condoms), the man’s behavior was rated as the most negative. Moreover, the man’s behavior was rated as more negative than that of the woman in the no-condom-use condition. Study 2 (cross-sectional study) examined how individuals’ endorsement of the traditional sexual double standard was associated with their condom use frequency and whether their perceived power in condom use in a sexual relationship moderated this association. A total of 1457 participants (859 women and 598 men; M age 30.2 ± 6.12 years) completed an online survey. Results showed that, for both men and women, endorsement of the traditional sexual double standard was negatively associated with their condom use frequency. Furthermore, when people perceived power in condom use in a sexual relationship increased, their traditional sexual double standard endorsement was more strongly associated with a decrease in condom use frequency. The findings also showed that women who perceived themselves as more empowered in using condoms reported a higher frequency of condom use. Sexuality education in China should stress gender equality and the regular use of condoms.
Journal Article
Effects of traditional Chinese culture-based bibliotherapy on the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer
Background
Liver cancer is a serious global health problem and is associated with poor spiritual health. Bibliotherapy is beneficial in improving health outcomes in cancer patients, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence of its effect on the spiritual health of liver cancer patients in China. The study aimed to investigate the effects of bibliotherapy based on Chinese traditional culture on the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer in China. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University School of Medicine and registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with the registration (No: 2021260), which registration in June 30th 2021.
Methods
A total of 60 patients with liver cancer were divided into the intervention group (
n
= 30) and the control group (
n
= 30) through WeChat. The intervention group received bibliotherapy therapy based on traditional Chinese culture, while the control group received routine care. Spiritual health was assessed using the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List (SAIL) and compared before and after the intervention between the two groups. The chi-square test and
t
-test were used to analyze the intervention effects.
Results
The two groups were comparable in all baseline characteristics including the SAIL score. After 5 weeks of intervention, the score of SAIL increased significantly from 96.76 ± 15.08 to 106.93 ± 13.82 in the intervention group (
t
= − 29.380,
p
< 0.001), while no significant difference in SAIL score was observed in the control group (from 95.27 ± 16.40 to 95.31 ± 16.24,
t
= − 0.189,
p
= 0.852). Similar patterns were also observed in its three dimensions of connecting with oneself, connecting with the environment, and connecting with transcendence.
Conclusions
Our study showed that bibliotherapy based on traditional Chinese culture using the WeChat platform can greatly improve the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer and has the potential to be widely applied to cancer patients to improve their well-being.
Journal Article
Development and validation of a new yearning induction task: a cross-cultural study of Chinese and Swiss bereaved
Yearning is a core symptom of prolonged grief disorder (PGD), typically manifesting as vivid counterfactual thoughts and bittersweet emotions. However, current self-report measures fail to capture the dynamic nature of yearning and are often compromised by social desirability bias. This highlights the critical need for accurate and objective tools to assess this complex emotional experience.
This study aimed to develop and validate the Yearning Induction Task (YIT), an innovative experimental paradigm designed to induce yearning in bereaved individuals from China and Switzerland. We also sought to explore how cultural differences shape emotional and cognitive responses following experimentally induced yearning.
A total of 231 bereaved participants (130 from China and 101 from Switzerland) were recruited. After completing baseline measures, participants were randomly assigned to either the yearning or control condition of the YIT. Momentary yearning and emotion responses were assessed both pre- and post-induction. Data were analysed using ANCOVA to examine cultural differences in the induction effect of the task.
The task demonstrated good interrater reliability across cultures but did not significantly alter momentary yearning levels. However, significant cultural differences emerged in emotional responses. Swiss participants predominantly showed increases in negative emotions, such as sadness, anger, and loneliness, following the yearning induction. In contrast, Chinese participants experienced a decrease in positive emotions, including happiness. In the control condition, Swiss participants reported declines in positive emotions (e.g. gratitude, love), while Chinese participants experienced an increase in happiness and a reduction in overall negative emotions.
This study provided preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of a novel task to induce yearning among Swiss and Chinese bereaved individuals. Cultural differences emerged in emotional responses to induced yearning, although construct validity was only partially supported. These findings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive assessment tools and interventions for yearning in PGD.
Journal Article
Effect of communicating genetic risk of type 2 diabetes and wearable technologies on wearable device-measured behavioural outcomes in East Asians: protocol of a randomised controlled trial
IntroductionThe communication of information about the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) alone has not been associated with changes in habitual behaviours among individuals of European ancestry. In contrast, the use of wearable devices that monitor physical activity (PA) has been associated with behavioural changes in some studies. It is uncertain whether risk communication might enhance the effects of wearable devices. We aim to assess the effects of communicating genetic risk for T2D alone or in combination with wearable device functions on wearable device-measured PA among overweight or obese East Asians.Methods and analysisIn a parallel group, randomised controlled trial, 355 overweight or obese East Asian individuals aged 40–60 years are allocated into one of three groups: one control and two intervention groups. Blood samples will be used for estimation of T2D genetic risk and analysis of metabolic risk markers. Genetic risk of T2D will be estimated based on 113 single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with T2D among East Asians. All three groups receive a Fitbit device. Both intervention groups will receive T2D genetic risk estimates along with lifestyle advice, but one of the intervention groups additionally uses Fitbit’s step goal setting and prompt functions. Questionnaires and physical measurements are administered at baseline, immediately after intervention delivery, and 6 and 12 months post intervention. The primary outcome is time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA from the Fitbit, which will be assessed at baseline, immediately post intervention, 12 months post intervention and at 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes include other wearable device-measured parameters, sedentary time, and sleep, blood pressure, metabolic risk markers, hand grip strength, self-reported PA, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking, and psychological variables. Between-group differences in the continuous and categorical variables collected at baseline will be examined using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and χ2 tests, respectively. A series of linear mixed effects models with fixed effects of time, group and interaction between time and group will be performed, with adjustment for potential confounders.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol has undergone review and received approval from the ethics committee of the University of Hong Kong. Findings from our trial will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed research journals and presented at international academic conferences.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05524909. https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/ (11 November 2024).
Journal Article