Ethnic and racial disparities in sentencing receive considerable scholarly inquiry. Much of this research, though, is limited to black/white or black/white/Hispanic comparisons in the United States... Show moreEthnic and racial disparities in sentencing receive considerable scholarly inquiry. Much of this research, though, is limited to black/white or black/white/Hispanic comparisons in the United States. This study examines ethnic disparities in more detail by comparing imprisonment decisions for several understudied (specific) ethnic minority groups, such as Surinamese and Moroccan suspects. Moreover, this study addresses the fundamental issue about how distinct immigrant generations are sanctioned and whether this is a marker of stratification. This broadens our insight in the role of ethnicity as a sentencing factor, since the distinct ethnic groups and immigrant generations differ in their level of economic and social integration in the Dutch society. Three different datasets are analyzed to assess ethnic disparities in sentencing in the Netherlands, allowing us to take other sentencing factors, such as criminal history, offense characteristics, and personal circumstances, into account. These three data sources include data on different suspect populations because they are collected at different stages of the criminal proceedings. Results suggest that there are first-generation and second-generation ethnic disparities in imprisonment decisions in all datasets, even after controlling in detail for other sentencing factors. Show less
Waist-hip ratio (WHR) is a measure of body fat distribution and a predictor of metabolic consequences independent of overall adiposity. WHR is heritable, but few genetic variants influencing this... Show moreWaist-hip ratio (WHR) is a measure of body fat distribution and a predictor of metabolic consequences independent of overall adiposity. WHR is heritable, but few genetic variants influencing this trait have been identified. We conducted a meta-analysis of 32 genome-wide association studies for WHR adjusted for body mass index (comprising up to 77,167 participants), following up 16 loci in an additional 29 studies (comprising up to 113,636 subjects). We identified 13 new loci in or near RSPO3, VEGFA, TBX15-WARS2, NFE2L3, GRB14, DNM3-PIGC, ITPR2-SSPN, LY86, HOXC13, ADAMTS9, ZNRF3-KREMEN1, NISCH-STAB1 and CPEB4 (P = 1.9 x 10(-9) to P = 1.8 x 10(-40)) and the known signal at LYPLAL1. Seven of these loci exhibited marked sexual dimorphism, all with a stronger effect on WHR in women than men (P for sex difference = 1.9 x 10(-3) to P = 1.2 x 10(-13)). These findings provide evidence for multiple loci that modulate body fat distribution independent of overall adiposity and reveal strong gene-by-sex interactions. Show less
Obesity is globally prevalent and highly heritable, but its underlying genetic factors remain largely elusive. To identify genetic loci for obesity susceptibility, we examined associations between... Show moreObesity is globally prevalent and highly heritable, but its underlying genetic factors remain largely elusive. To identify genetic loci for obesity susceptibility, we examined associations between body mass index and similar to 2.8 million SNPs in up to 123,865 individuals with targeted follow up of 42 SNPs in up to 125,931 additional individuals. We confirmed 14 known obesity susceptibility loci and identified 18 new loci associated with body mass index (P < 5 x 10(-8)), one of which includes a copy number variant near GPRC5B. Some loci (at MC4R, POMC, SH2B1 and BDNF) map near key hypothalamic regulators of energy balance, and one of these loci is near GIPR, an incretin receptor. Furthermore, genes in other newly associated loci may provide new insights into human body weight regulation. Show less
