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Identical twins : the social construction and performance of identity in culture and society
In Identical Twins: The Social Construction and Performance of Identity in Culture and Society, Ncube conceptualizes twin identity as a multi-layered dynamic that changes through performance, and explores twin identity through a social constructionist approach.Until now, mainstream twin studies have mostly sought to explain social phenomena about twins from 'inside' the person, providing their explanations in terms of internal entities such as personality structures with an obvious underlying essentialist assumption. By examining the theories of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, Ncube shows that the 'identity' of twins is managed in both an academic and cultural context, and in relation to specific audiences.Relocating the explanations that we gather in social research, including in qualitative research in psychology, the book focuses its enquiry on the social practices and interactions that people engage in with each other, not delving 'inside' the person. Using real-world twin accounts, the book maps out the social construction of twin identity, and allows for the twins' own voices to be examined in relation to twin experiences.Also addressing aspects of being misunderstood, as well as the idea of misunderstanding oneself, this is fascinating reading for students and researchers in critical and cultural psychology, and anyone interested in twin studies.
Book
Correlation Analysis of Dominant Eye and Refractive Error Between Monozygotic Twins
This study aims to investigate the correlation of dominant eye and refractive error between monozygotic twins.
The data of dominant eye and refractive error of 13 pairs of monozygotic twins who were treated at the Optometry Clinic were collected. The paired chi-square test and Kappa consistency test were used to analyze the data of dominant eye between monozygotic twins, while the paired
test and Pearson correlation analysis were adopted to analyze the refractive error data. SPSS version 22.0 software was used to analyze the above statistics.
In the Kappa consistency test of dominant eye between monozygotic twins, Kappa value = 0.451, p = 0.052, p>0.05, and in the paired chi-square test, p = 0.250. In the spherical equivalent paired
test for the right eye of monozygotic twins, t = 1.491 and p = 0.162, while in the spherical equivalent paired
test for the left eye, t = 0.753 and p = 0.466. In the spherical equivalent correlation analysis of monozygotic twins, for the spherical equivalent refraction of the right eye, the Pearson correlation results were r = 0.901 and p = 0.00, and for the spherical equivalent refraction of the left eye, the Pearson correlation results were r = 0.971 and p = 0.00.
The difference in the chi-square test of dominant eye is not statistically significant between monozygotic twins, but dominant eye and refractive error are correlated to some extent. It is suggested that heredity may be the main determinant of the dominant eye. There is no difference in refractive error between identical twins which are highly correlated, however.
Journal Article
Microbiota conservation and BMI signatures in adult monozygotic twins
The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract microbiota acts like a virtual organ and is suggested to be of great importance in human energy balance and weight control. This study included 40 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs to investigate the influence of the human genotype on GI microbiota structure as well as microbial signatures for differences in body mass index (BMI). Phylogenetic microarraying based on 16S rRNA genes demonstrated that MZ twins have more similar microbiotas compared with unrelated subjects (
P
<0.001), which allowed the identification of 35 genus-like microbial groups that are more conserved between MZ twins. Half of the twin pairs were selected on discordance in terms of BMI, which revealed an inverse correlation between
Clostridium
cluster IV diversity and BMI. Furthermore, relatives of
Eubacterium ventriosum and Roseburia intestinalis
were positively correlated to BMI differences, and relatives of
Oscillospira guillermondii
were negatively correlated to BMI differences. Lower BMI was associated with a more abundant network of primary fiber degraders, while a network of butyrate producers was more prominent in subjects with higher BMI. Combined with higher butyrate and valerate contents in the fecal matter of higher BMI subjects, the difference in microbial networks suggests a shift in fermentation patterns at the end of the colon, which could affect human energy homeostasis.
Journal Article
The solitary twin : a novel
\"[A] story of two young men who come to a picturesque beach town. Seen prismatically through the viewpoints of the town's residents, they offer a variety of worldviews. Yet are they really twins or a single person?\"--Amazon.com.
Book
Twin Picks: Disentangling the Determinants of Risk-Taking in Household Portfolios
This paper investigates risk-taking in the liquid portfolios held by a large panel of Swedish twins. We document that the portfolio share invested in risky assets is an increasing and concave function of financial wealth, leading to different risk sensitivities across investors. Human capital, which we estimate directly from individual labor income, also affects risk-taking positively, while internal habit and expenditure commitments tend to reduce it. Our microfindings lend strong support to decreasing relative risk aversion and habit formation preferences. Furthermore, heterogeneous risk sensitivities across investors help reconcile individual preferences with representative-agent models.
Journal Article
A face to die for
Andrea Kane explores the urban legend of the doppelganger, as the favorite team of investigators find themselves in a conflict of interest between two clients. When one case unexpectedly intersects with the other, the only solution is to find the link between the two and unearth who is pulling the strings and why.
Book
Distinctive properties of identical twins' TCR repertoires revealed by high-throughput sequencing
Adaptive immunity in humans is provided by hypervariable Ig-like molecules on the surface of B and T cells. The final set of these molecules in each organism is formed under the influence of two forces: individual genetic traits and the environment, which includes the diverse spectra of alien and self-antigens. Here we assess the impact of individual genetic factors on the formation of the adaptive immunity by analyzing the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires of three pairs of monozygous twins by next-generation sequencing. Surprisingly, we found that an overlap between the TCR repertoires of monozygous twins is similar to an overlap between the TCR repertoires of nonrelated individuals. However, the number of identical complementary determining region 3 sequences in two individuals is significantly increased for twin pairs in the fraction of highly abundant TCR molecules, which is enriched by the antigen-experienced T cells. We found that the initial recruitment of particular TCR V genes for recombination and subsequent selection in the thymus is strictly determined by individual genetic factors. J genes of TCRs are selected randomly for recombination; however, the subsequent selection in the thymus gives preference to some α but not β J segments. These findings provide a deeper insight into the mechanism of TCR repertoire generation.
Journal Article
The quality of love : twin sisters at the heart of the century
\"When her mother Celia Paget died, Ariane Bankes inherited a trunk stuffed with letters and diaries belonging to Celia and her twin Mamaine, which charted the remarkable lives of the Paget sisters and their famous friends and lovers. When her mother Celia Paget died, Ariane Bankes inherited a battered trunk stuffed with letters and diaries belonging to Celia and her twin Mamaine. This correspondence charted the remarkable lives of the Paget sisters and their friends and lovers, including Arthur Koestler, Albert Camus, Sartre and de Beauvoir, and George Orwell. Out of this rich archive, The Quality of Love weaves the story of these captivating and unusually beautiful identical twins who overcame a meagre education to take 1930s London society by storm and move among Europe's foremost intellectuals during the twentieth century's most dramatic decades. Above all, it is a sparkling portrait of the deep connection between two spirited sisters\"--Publisher's description.
Book
Effects of smoking on genome-wide DNA methylation profiles: A study of discordant and concordant monozygotic twin pairs
The genetic information of people who smoke present distinctive characteristics. In particular, previous research has revealed differences in patterns of DNA methylation, a type of chemical modification that helps cells switch certain genes on or off. However, most of these studies could not establish for sure whether these changes were caused by smoking, predisposed individuals to smoke, or were driven by underlying genetic variation in the DNA sequence itself.
To investigate this question, van Dongen et al. examined DNA methylation data from the blood cells of over 700 pairs of identical twins. These individuals share the exact same genetic information, making it possible to better evaluate the impact of lifestyle on DNA modifications.
The analyses identified differences in methylation at 13 DNA locations in pairs of twins where one was a current smoker and their sibling had never smoked. Two of the genes code for proteins involved in the response to nicotine, the primary addictive chemical in cigarette smoke. The differences were smaller if one of the twins had stopped smoking, suggesting that quitting can help to reverse some of these changes.
These findings confirm that DNA methylation in blood cells is influenced by cigarette smoke, which could help to better understand smoking-associated diseases. They also demonstrate how useful identical twins studies can be to identify methylation changes that are markers of lifestyle.
Journal Article