Education policy and the heritability of educational attainment

Many workers assume that genetically determined differences in intellectual ability will be influenced little by changes in educational policy or other environmental interventions. Others, however, have suggested that increasing equality of educational opportunity will lead to an increase in the heritability of educational attainment. The resolution of this issue has been delayed until now because of the extremely large sample sizes which would be required. Education data on twins and their parents, from the Norwegian twin panel, provide a unique opportunity to determine the impact on the heritability of educational attainment of the more liberal social and educational policies introduced in Norway after the Second World War. As reported here, for individuals born before 1940 there is a strong effect of family background on educational attainment, accounting for 47% of the variance, though genetic factors account for an additional 41% of the variance. For females born after 1940 and before 1961, the relative importance of genetic (38-45%) and familial environmental (41-50%) differences changes very little. For males born during the same period, the broad heritability of educational attainment has increased substantially (67-74%), and the environmental impact of family background has correspondingly decreased (8-10%). For males, at least, having well-educated parents no longer predicts educational success, as measured by duration of education, independent of the individual's own innate abilities.     

Correspondence patterns: mechanisms and models of human dynamics

A stochastic queue model of human behaviour developed on the basis of the distribution of timing of tasks, as studied in a sample of e-mail messages at a university and in the written correspondence of Albert Einstein, may not be as simple as it seems. Although this model reproduces the apparently non-Poisson distribution of correspondence delays, its interpretation is more complicated than suggested by Barabási, who claims that humans execute their tasks based on some perceived priority, setting up queues that generate very uneven waiting-time distributions for different tasks. Such an explanation is intuitively appealing in the context of the queue metaphor, but does not exclude other mechanisms. By attributing delays in the correspondence to task priorities, this explanation ignores two important classes of mechanism that also contribute to the apparent distributions of task timings: the semantic content of an individual's correspondence and the social context in which this correspondence occurs.     

Audience drives male songbird response to partner's voice

According to the social intelligence hypothesis, social context represents an important force driving the selection of animal cognitive abilities such as the capacity to estimate the nature of the social relationships between other individuals. Despite this importance, the influence of this force has been assessed only in primates and never in other animals showing social interactions. In this way, avian communication generally takes place in a network of signallers and receivers, which represents an audience altering individual signalling behaviours. Indeed, vocal amplitude and repertoire are known to be socially regulated and the attitude towards the opposite sex may change depending on the audience. This 'audience effect' provides support for the reality of social awareness in some bird species. However no evidence has yet been found to suggest that birds are able to estimate the characteristics of the social relationships between group-mates. Here we show that the male of a gregarious songbird species--the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)--pays attention to the mating status of conspecific pairs, and uses this information to control its behaviour towards its female partner.     

语境与词义理解

随着语言的不断发展、变化,社会各个领域赋予语言许多新的意义.因此正确理解具体语言环境下词的意义就愈加困难.本文着重于三个问题的分析与阐述.(1)语言语境的分类;(2)语境对词义理解的作用与影响;(3)在语言理解实践中的其他因素.有些语言学家建议学习英语词汇最好的方法是将它与具体的上下文联系起来学习.可以说明一点,词义与上下文之间确实存在着极其密切的关系.因此,很好地理解这种关系,学会这种方法,对于英语的正确理解和提高运用能力有很大的推动作用.     

社会结合与文化传统——以东莞为例谈地方特色文化的发展

以东莞为例探讨地方特色文化的发展，从中国传统的社会结构出发分析东莞的文化传统及文化现状，希望在传统与现代之间寻求一条发展、建设新时期东莞文化的有效途径。作者认为东莞处于中国传统社会结构和儒家伦理道德的文化发展脉络之下，对东莞在今后的发展把握不能脱离东莞的传统实际。     

面称语与语用得体探讨

面称语被称为交际的先锋官，面称语的使用是否得体，直接关系到交际的成败。仅以语旨为视角，以语用得体为基点，阐明在言语交际中，交际者总是有一定的交际意图即语旨的，健康的语旨依赖于特定的语境，在无形中恰当地传达着某种言外之意，从而体现其语用价值。提倡用健康的语旨进行交际以形成真、善、美的交际氛围，推进社会主义精神文明建设，构建和谐社会。     

语境观照下的礼貌语运用

礼貌是人类社会活动的重要规范之一,语言活动中的礼貌同样不容忽视。任何一种语言交际都受制于当时的语言环境,交际中的礼貌语运用也必须充分考虑具体的情景、社会、文化、认知等语境,才能正确表达,达到良好的交际目的。     

基于上下文的移动Web Services

文章为Web Services提出移动环境中的优化方案———基于上下文的移动Web Services。根据获得的客户端的上下文信息处理SOAP消息,得到精确的结果;上下文类型的扩展无需根据下层结构的差异进行修改。由基于上下文的Web Services或Context Services处理请求,减少带宽消耗,优化信息供应,以满足移动通讯的要求。     

跨国技术授权选择及社会福利分析

引入进口国关税,基于外国企业与进口国企业的古诺数量竞争结构,考察不同技术授权模式对外国企业利润和进口国社会福利影响,形成跨国环境下的技术授权机制分析.研究表明:固定收费方式对外国企业利润具有不确定性,但可能损害进口国社会福利;特许权收费方式增加了外国企业利润,但却在一定条件下损害了进口国社会福利;双重收费方式同时增加了外国企业利润和进口国社会福利,实现企业目标和社会目标的一致;关税水平较高时,双重收费方式可以特化为固定收费方式.     

回归法QTL作图效率的分析

通过随机模拟,研究了群体的大小,遗传力和标记区间长度3个因素对回归法QTL作图效率的影响,结果表明：当遗传力一定时,随着群体大小的增加,QTL定位的精度逐渐增加,而加群体的大小一定时,随着遗传力的增加,QTL定位的精确度也逐渐增加,无论群体的大小和遗传力的大小如何,用回归法都能得到群体的平均值,数量性状的性效应和显性效应的精确估计值,当群体的大小和遗传力一定时,回归显性检验统计量F随着标记位点区间长度的增加而减少。     

Why endophenotype development requires families

Endophenotypes are heritable quantitative traits that are associated with disease liability, can be measured in both affected and unaffected individuals, and provide much greater power to localize and identify risk genes for mental illness than does affection status alone. Traditionally, endophenotypic markers for psychiatric illnesses include in vivo neuroanatomic and functional magnetic resonance imaging measurements and indices of neurocognitive abilities. However, neurocognitive and neuroimaging measures are by no means the only classes of endophenotypes that could be useful for identifying genes for mental illness. Given the advantages of endophenotype-based strategies for elucidating the genetic underpinnings of psychiatric disorders, it would seem prudent to develop a wide range of putative endophenotypes. In order for a measure to be considered a valid endophenotype, it must meet a number of criteria. Specifically, the trait must (1) have moderate to high heritability, (2) be associated with the illness, (3) be independent of clinical state, and (4) impairment must co-segregate with the illness within a family, with non-affected family members showing impairment relative to the general population. While each of these criteria is critical, the heritability and co-segregation requirements are really what differentiate an endophenotype from a simple biomarker. At this time, one requires an experimental design that includes families to demonstrate both heritability and co-segregation. The assertion that novel endophenotypes can not be fully established without family data does not preclude work in unrelated individuals, rather that unrelated samples will only be able to nominate potential candidate endophenotypes that subsequently need to be confirmed in family-based experiments.     

基于场合的情绪常识模型研究与分析

为了形式化表示人类情绪常识,考察一定语境中承担着各自不同社会角色的人们所具有的情绪产生和变化规律,提出了一种基于场合的情绪常识表示模型,并对学校场合进行实例分析。通过在学校场合中建立角色情绪常识模型的实验,验证了该模型对角色情绪常识的表示是有效的、正确的,可用来对角色情绪的认知产生过程做合理的形式化描述。     

社会变迁与高校教师的角色转换

在高等教育的功能与性质发生本质变化的新世纪,高校教师作为知识分子阵营的重要组成部分,其社会声望与社会角色也经历着一场蜕变。在从精英走向大众化的过程中,在学术价值与市场导向纠缠的过程中,高校教师这个社会群体正由单一维度的传统角色向多重维度的现代角色转变。在全方位的价值冲突面前,高校教师在新的语境中正面临着重新定位社会角色与重组职业价值的困惑。     

人类学整体观视野下的物质文化与非物质文化

非物质文化是针对物质文化而言的,往往把它作为与物质文化相对立的一个范畴。本文从人类学的整体观出发,认为物质文化与非物质文化是一个不可分割的整体,只有在非物质文化的语境里物质文化才有意义,非物质文化只有通过物质文化的表现形态才能被认识。同时,物质文化与非物质文化又分别各是一个整体,对某一具体的物质文化与非物质文化事项的认识,仍然需要一种整体观的视野。物质文化与非物质文化同各自所处的文化背景也是一个整体。因此,非物质文化遗产的保护不仅只是保护非物质文化事项本身,而需要将其赖以生存的社会和生态环境一起加以保护。     

社会考试发展刍议

以计算机和英语为主体项目的社会考试必须积极探索在时代变化、经济发展、社会变革的背景下发展的特点和规律。尽管调整与改革的形式和措施多种多样,但主体脉络必须明确,即确立纵向贯穿终身、横向全民普及的发展思路。     

个人自由与社会正义的冲突——哈耶克自由与正义思想述评

哈耶克崇尚个人自由,把财产、市场、法治等视为自由的重要保障,认为社会正义会破坏自由的基础@与个人自由相冲突,只有消除社会正义的幻象,才能解决这-冲突.作者认为过去的社会正义要求确有不少虚幻的成分@但并不能否定所有社会正义要求的意义.个人自由与社会正义的冲突不仅会持续下去,并且也很可能是有益的.     

审视法律和道德的相关性——相关观点解读

道德体现了人作为"应当"的规范化存在状态中,对"人应当怎样"的认识和持续追问。道德也因为人的这种"当为"的社会化存在的必要性,而具有了更多的内在拘束力。在法律成为社会的主导规范之后,仍不可完全取代道德规范,而是与之密切关联。关于法律与道德的关联,康德式的解说在围绕法律与道德关系而分野成的法学各派之中最具代表性。透过对这种解说的细致解读,探求的是社会规范整体视角下对法律与道德相关性的理性认识。     

杉木种子园遗传效益的估算

<正>杉木无性系种子园的面积3.0公顷,包括46个无性系,于1966年进行嫁接。实生苗种子园的面积0.6公顷,包括30个自由授粉的家系,于1967年栽植。 根据子代测定的结果,优良母树的后代,在相同立地条件和一致的经营管理下,在7年生时,材积生长比一般对照大“14—39％;种子园的后代则比对照大33—74％。然而,当半同胞子代在四个不同地点测定时,其树高生长比对照大6—22％。 7—13年生的杉木树高、胸径和材积的广义遗传力是按家系和单株估算的。单株树的树高和材积遗传力估值是0.2,而直径的遗传力估值为0.3。家系树高、胸径和材积遗传力估值是0.4。2—4年生时,全同胞家系树高狭义遗传力估值是0.3。 期望遗传效益是在各种不同选择强度下计算的(P_1=0.01;P_2=0.1,0.2和0.3;P_3=0.01,0.02和0.05)。对第一代无性系种子园在材积生产和其它生长性状方面的遗传效益进行预测。杉木各生长性状的遗传效益的估值如下:树高6.54一6.7.％,胸径19.12—19.68％,材积27.38—23.09％。然而,从第一代实生苗种子园在胸径生长方面预测的遗传效益值接近于20—26％。 第二代亲木的选择是在于代测定的材料中进行的。当假定把整个杉木育种方案的成木与期待增加的收益结合起来考虑时,其所得到的净收入值,证实了子代测定的实用价值。研究证明,每一公顷种子园的期待净收入元。     

从语用学的角度分析英语委婉语

委婉语不仅是一种替代禁忌语的修辞形式，也是进行策略表达的语言形式。从社会语用学角度看。委婉语是语言交际中维系人们的社会关系和人际关系的重要手段。委婉语具有间接性、模糊性、可变性的语用特征，委婉语具有避讳功能、礼貌功能、掩饰功能、美化功能。要根据语境来正确、合理、得体地使用英语委婉语。     

同伴侵害发生的生态分析

同伴侵害是个体成为同伴攻击对象的经历．外部特异性假设认为儿童受攻击是由于其自身的一些外部异常特征,儿童的这些异常特征常常构成别人攻击他的理由或借口;依恋理论认为儿童早期与照顾者形成的不安全依恋影响儿童的社会交往方式,导致其日后遭受攻击;而羞耻重建理论则从个体情绪管理的机制来解释同伴侵害现象．同伴侵害作为一种社会性行为,其发生、维持和终止是儿童主体与其所处的生态环境交互作用的产物．