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The genetics and evolution of complex traits, including quantitative traits and disease, have been hotly debated ever since Darwin. A century ago, a paper from R.A. Fisher reconciled Mendelian and biometrical genetics in a landmark contribution that is now accepted as the main foundation stone of the field of quantitative genetics. Here, we give our perspective on Fisher's 1918 paper in the context of how and why it is relevant in today's genome era. We mostly focus on human trait variation, in part because Fisher did so too, but the conclusions are general and extend to other natural populations, and to populations undergoing artificial selection., (Copyright © 2019 by the Genetics Society of America.)

The paper industry faces two critical challenges: the scarcity of raw materials and the environmental impact of chemical waste pollution. Addressing the first challenge involves harnessing alternative, sustainable raw materials, while the second challenge can be mitigated through the adoption of bio-bleaching processes, which significantly reduce chemical consumption while enhancing paper brightness and quality. This study proposes a solution to both challenges by using non-woody Calotropis procera (Ankara) and a xylanase-producing microbial consortium for sustainable handmade paper production, a combination not extensively explored in prior research. To evaluate this approach, the process was divided into three stages. In stage I, Ankara fibre was pulped through open hot digestion. In stage II, the pulp was subjected to bio-bleaching in two experimental setups: Set I (without sucrose) and Set II (with sucrose) for 5 days. In stage III, chemical bleaching was used to improve the final brightness of the treated pulps. A novel comparison was made between the bio-bleaching efficiency of an individual isolate g5 (BI) and a bacterial consortium (BC). This research highlighted that bio-bleaching with the consortium effectively removed lignin (140±60 mg/l) and colour (1830±50 PCU), especially in the presence of sucrose, compared to using a single xylanase isolate. Pulp residue/filtrate collected at each stage was estimated based on parameters such as colour and lignin content. After stage III (chemical bleaching), the release of colour and lignin in pulp filtrate was higher in BI compared to BC, indicating the consortium's effectiveness during bio-bleaching, which leaves fewer degradable lignin structures for the chemical bleaching stage. Papers crafted from consortium-treated pulp also exhibited higher brightness than those treated with the isolate. This study reveals the synergistic effect of microbial consortia, leading to more efficient lignin degradation and enhanced bio-bleaching capabilities, supporting the development of greener industrial processes. Ultimately, this study demonstrates a unique and eco-friendly approach to papermaking, combining C. procera and enzymatic bio-bleaching to reduce dependency on hazardous chemicals and support sustainable industry practices.

Abstract Background Lignocellulosic biomasses produced from agriculture and forest-based industries are the cheapest or negative-cost biomass with a great potential for biotransformation to value-added bioproducts. Paper mill sludge, an important lignocellulosic biomass creates an environmental threat, which requires financial input for disposal. Thus, this study was aimed to isolate a novel bacterial strain capable of degrading cellulosic biomass including paper mill sludge to produce reducing sugar and other value-added bioproducts. Results A novel bacterial strain Arthrobacter woluwensis TDS9 isolated from the soil was screened for its cellulolytic activity using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the sole carbon source. The incubation period, temperature, pH, carbon, and nitrogen sources are the most important factors ruling the CMCase and sugar productions of the strain A. woluwensis TDS9, and an alkaline pH (pH 8.0) led to enhanced sugar production up to 1100.09 μg/mL after 72 h of incubation at 25°C in a medium containing 1.5% CMC and 1.25% beef extract. The optimal conditions for maximum CMCase activity were defined, and the potassium ion boosted the CMCase activity up to 1.06 U/mL when the enzymatic reaction was performed for 30 min at 50°C and pH 8 using CMC as a substrate. Moreover, the strain A. woluwensis TDS9 produced 433.33 μg/mL reducing sugar from 1% pretreated paper mill sludge. Significant alterations in the structural arrangement of cellulosic fiber of paper mill sludge observed under microscope after each step of chemical treatment process helped for loosening the cellulose fibers and increased the saccharification for enzymatic hydrolysis. Endoglucanase IV (33 KDa) and beta-glucosidase II (53 KDa) were identified in crude enzyme based on the zymogram analysis and substrate specificity. Conclusions The research has for the first time proved that this A. woluwensis TDS9 strain can efficiently convert cellulose. Therefore, the strain TDS9 could be a potential candidate for cellulase production in an industrial biotransformation process of paper mill sludge to produce reducing sugar. This sugar stream can be further used as a substrate to produce biofuels and other organic acids using another microorganism, which represents a greener alternative to add value to the paper production helping paper mill industries.

The dialogue between population genetics and evolutionary biology, which historically followed separate paths, has now developed into a complex and interdisciplinary field of study [...]

Abstract Background Lysine succinylation is a naturally occurring post-translational modification (PTM) that is ubiquitous in organisms. Lysine succinylation plays important roles in regulating protein structure and function as well as cellular metabolism. Global lysine succinylation at the proteomic level has been identified in a variety of species; however, limited information on lysine succinylation in plant species, especially paper mulberry, is available. Paper mulberry is not only an important plant in traditional Chinese medicine, but it is also a tree species with significant economic value. Paper mulberry is found in the temperate and tropical zones of China. The present study analyzed the effects of lysine succinylation on the growth, development, and physiology of paper mulberry. Results A total of 2097 lysine succinylation sites were identified in 935 proteins associated with the citric acid cycle (TCA cycle), glyoxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid metabolism, ribosomes and oxidative phosphorylation; these pathways play a role in carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms and may be regulated by lysine succinylation. The modified proteins were distributed in multiple subcellular compartments and were involved in a wide variety of biological processes, such as photosynthesis and the Calvin-Benson cycle. Conclusion Lysine-succinylated proteins may play key regulatory roles in metabolism, primarily in photosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation, as well as in many other cellular processes. In addition to the large number of succinylated proteins associated with photosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation, some proteins associated with the TCA cycle are succinylated. Our study can serve as a reference for further proteomics studies of the downstream effects of succinylation on the physiology and biochemistry of paper mulberry.

Gregor Mendel's classic paper, Versuche über Pflanzen-Hybriden (Experiments on Plant Hybrids), was published in 1866, hence 2016 is its sesquicentennial. Mendel completed his experiments in 1863 and shortly thereafter began compiling the results and writing his paper, which he presented in meetings of the Natural Science Society in Brünn in February and March of 1865. Mendel owned a personal copy of Darwin's Origin of Species, a German translation published in 1863, and it contains his marginalia. Its publication date indicates that Mendel's study of Darwin's book could have had no influence while he was conducting his experiments but its publication date coincided with the period of time when he was preparing his paper, making it possible that Darwin's writings influenced Mendel's interpretations and theory. Based on this premise, we prepared a Darwinized English translation of Mendel's paper by comparing German terms Mendel employed with the same terms in the German translation of Origin of Species in his possession, then using Darwin's counterpart English words and phrases as much as possible in our translation. We found a substantially higher use of these terms in the final two (10th and 11th) sections of Mendel's paper, particularly in one key paragraph, where Mendel reflects on evolutionary issues, providing strong evidence of Darwin's influence on Mendel., (Copyright © 2016 by the Genetics Society of America.)

Abstract Background The analysis of the quality of food is important to protect humans from food-borne or food-based illnesses caused by pathogens, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. Rapid identification of these pathogens is critical to ensure food safety. Various detection and identification strategies exist; however, they are laborious and time consuming and hence the detection takes longer time. The aim of this study was to develop the specific and fast method for the detection of contaminants in milk. Results In this study, we have developed a simple paper-based PCR method with minimum sample preparation process. The 16S rDNA universal primers were used for the detection of bacterial contaminants. LacZ primers were used for coliform detection which causes serious illness and hence their detection is crucial. ITS region primers were used for fungal detection. The most unique thing about this study is use of Whatman paper no. 1 as sample carrier material. We developed and validated the paper-based PCR method and used it for the detection of microbes and coliforms using milk as a representative sample. Conclusion We evaluated this method for its suitability in the detection of contaminant microbes using different milk samples. The paper-based method could successfully detect contaminants in the milk samples and the results were comparable to the traditional microbial detection method. The traditional microbiological method takes at least 18–20 h for detecting the presence of microbes in any sample but the developed paper-based PCR method can confirm the microbial presence in 2–3 h. This is very promising especially in the testing where sample sterility is crucial.

Yury Borisovich Rumer was one of the most important theoretical physicists of the former Soviet Union in the early 1930s. However, he also wrote a few 'biological papers' on the standard genetic code after he read Crick's and Nirenberg's pioneering papers on the topic. Rumer's articles on the 'Systematization of Codons in the Genetic Code' (Rumer 1966 Doklady Akademii nauk SSSR 167, 1393-1394); Rumer 1968 Doklady Akademii nauk SSSR 183, 225-226; Rumer 1969 Doklady Akademii nauk SSSR 187, 937-938, where he suggested the idea of partitioning codons depending on their redundancy-the first mention of symmetry in the genetic code-were published in Russian only. Due to their importance and their frequent citation, we here present translations of these articles into English in order to make them accessible to a broader community., (© 2016 The Author(s).)

From the beginning of the paper-making process, the pulp and paper industry has utilized a large amount of water and generated a vast amount of highly polluted wastewater. The paper industry faces global pressure to reduce water use and lower environmental pollution. However, traditional physicochemical methods of wastewater treatment need high energy input, and their ecological impact is questionable. Due to the zero discharged policy, the industries urgently require novel eco-friendly, sustainable, and efficient treatment techniques. Microbial technology is the most recommended option to treat wastewater and support sustainable growth. The present article describes the overview of traditional and novel methods, including membrane bioreactor (MBR) and moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology's with their current state and their limits for treating pulp and paper wastewater. It is expected to integrate the novel methods with advanced hybrid technology to fulfill wastewater treatment criteria and prospects. Furthermore, coupling MBR and MBBR technology make energy and water recovery possible, and recycling wastewater will be economically and environmentally feasible.

Immunogenicity has imposed a challenge to efficacy and safety evaluation of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapies. Mild to severe adverse events observed in clinical development have been implicated with host immune responses against AAV gene therapies, resulting in comprehensive evaluation of immunogenicity during nonclinical and clinical studies mandated by health authorities. Immunogenicity of AAV gene therapies is complex due to the number of risk factors associated with product components and pre-existing immunity in human subjects. Different clinical mitigation strategies have been employed to alleviate treatment-induced or -boosted immunogenicity in order to achieve desired efficacy, reduce toxicity, or treat more patients who are seropositive to AAV vectors. In this review, the immunogenicity risk assessment, manifestation of immunogenicity and its impact in nonclinical and clinical studies, and various clinical mitigation strategies are summarized. Last, we present bioanalytical strategies, methodologies, and assay validation applied to appropriately monitor immunogenicity in AAV gene therapy-treated subjects.

The first section of this paper sets the record straight regarding many of Debouwere's (2024, "Review of Education," 12, e3445) specific criticisms. The second section discusses the magnitude of the SES-achievement relationship, specifically Debouwere's (2024) contention that the correlation is strong around 0.5 or 0.6 compared to observed correlations mostly between 0.2 and 0.3. The third section deals with five issues that Debouwere (2024) raises in his paper: (1) the stability of SES vis-à-vis cognitive ability; (2) the accuracy of children's reports of parents' socioeconomic characteristics; (3) whether teachers discriminate by students' SES; (4) the importance of cognitive ability for educational differentiation (i.e., tracking and streaming); and (5) SES effects on student achievement, controlling for prior achievement. The fourth section discusses the role of genetics in student achievement. Meta-analyses and other studies indicate that about 50%-70% of the variance in student achievement is attributable to genetics (i.e., the heritability). The high heritability of student achievement accounts for its high stability, its strong correlations with cognitive ability and the weak effects of SES, net of prior achievement or cognitive ability.

Science should provide students an accurate and contemporary education on genetic influence, particularly how it impacts trait variability and developmental norms. Stories involving familial, racial, and sexual differences routinely appear in the popular media and sales of over-the-counter genetic tests are mounting. Unfortunately, research suggests genetic curricula in secondary education and university courses have little impact on genetic literacy; instead they appear to amplify genetic essentialism. This position paper reports on genetic essentialism, the impact of three components of science education (teachers, students, curriculum), and critiques existing genetic lessons in two prevalent scientific disciplines, biology and psychology. Two entrenched 19th century genetic paradigms (e.g., Mendelian inheritance and behavioral genetics) are specifically examined. The paper closes with specific recommendations for improving students' genetic literacy including important contemporary genetic science (e.g., epigenetics) and instructional approaches (e.g., learning progression, refutational teaching).

The National Institute on Drug Abuse Genetics and Epigenetics Cross-Cutting Research Team convened a diverse group of researchers, clinicians, and healthcare providers on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, in June 2018. The goal was to develop strategies to integrate genetics and phenotypes across species to achieve a better understanding of substance use disorders through associations between genotypes and addictive behaviors. This conference (a) discussed progress in harmonizing large opioid genetics cohorts, (b) discussed phenotypes that are used for genetics studies in humans, (c) examined phenotypes that are used for genetics studies in animal models, (d) identified synergies and gaps in phenotypic analyses of human and animal models and (e) identified strategies to integrate genetics and genomics data with phenotypes across species. The meeting consisted of panels that focused on phenotype harmonization (Dr. Laura Bierut, Dr. Olivier George, Dr. Dan Larach and Dr. Sesh Mudumbai), translating genetic findings between species (Dr. Elissa Chesler, Dr. Gary Peltz and Dr. Abraham Palmer), interpreting and understanding allelic variations (Dr. Vanessa Troiani and Dr. Tamara Richards) and pathway conservation in animal models and human studies (Dr. Robert Hitzemann, Dr. Huda Akil and Dr. Laura Saba). There were also updates that were provided by large consortia (Dr. Susan Tapert, Dr. Danielle Dick, Dr. Howard Edenberg and Dr. Eric Johnson). Collectively, the conference was convened to discuss progress and changes in genome-wide association studies.

The recent pace, extent, and impact of paradigm-changing cancer prevention science has been remarkable. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) convened a 3-day summit, aligned with five research priorities: (i) Precancer Atlas (PCA). (ii) Cancer interception. (iii) Obesity-cancer linkage, a global epidemic of chronic low-grade inflammation. (iv) Implementation science. (v) Cancer disparities. Aligned with these priorities, AACR co-led the Lancet Commission to formally endorse and accelerate the NCI Cancer Moonshot program, facilitating new global collaborative efforts in cancer control. The expanding scope of creative impact is perhaps most startling-from NCI-funded built environments to AACR Team Science Awarded studies of Asian cancer genomes informing global primary prevention policies; cell-free epigenetic marks identifying incipient neoplastic site; practice-changing genomic subclasses in myeloproliferative neoplasia (including germline variant tightly linked to JAK2 V617F haplotype); universal germline genetic testing for pancreatic cancer; and repurposing drugs targeting immune- and stem-cell signals (e.g., IL-1β, PD-1, RANK-L) to cancer interception. Microbiota-driven IL-17 can induce stemness and transformation in pancreatic precursors (identifying another repurposing opportunity). Notable progress also includes hosting an obesity special conference (connecting epidemiologic and molecular perspectives to inform cancer research and prevention strategies), co-leading concerted national implementation efforts in HPV vaccination, and charting the future elimination of cancer disparities by integrating new science tools, discoveries and perspectives into community-engaged research, including targeted counter attacks on e-cigarette ad exploitation of children, Hispanics and Blacks. Following this summit, two unprecedented funding initiatives were catalyzed to drive cancer prevention research: the NCI Cancer Moonshot (e.g., PCA and disparities); and the AACR-Stand Up To Cancer bold "Cancer Interception" initiative.

Polistes hebraeus (Smith) is a common paper wasp species of subfamily Polistinae. The clinical potential allergic reaction after stings and valuable venom components of P. hebraeus make it a medical importance species. Here, the mitochondrial genome of P. hebraeus was analyzed. The mitogenome was 19,262 bp in length including 22 transfer RNAs (tRNA) and 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNA). The protein coding gene (PCGs) number and order are consistent with existing records of Polistidae. The nucleotide composition is AT: 84.5% and CG: 15.5% which are largely similar with other complete Polistidae mitogenome (15.27 ∼ 19.16%). The available mitogenome resources of Polistidae species and P. hebraeus were used to construct the phylogenetic tree. It showed that the genus Polistes could clearly seperated from Parapolybia, and the relationship in Polistes was consistent with previous studies. This mitogenome resource can contribute to further phylogenetic and taxonomic study on paper wasp.

Abstract For researchers, writing a paper is an essential task, and it is crucial for them to have an environment to facilitate the paper writing process. In addition, writing in English is more difficult for many non-native English speakers. The Database Center for Life Science (DBCLS) provides researchers in the life sciences with several text-mining related services, such as Allie and inMeXes, which were developed to facilitate paper writing. Allie is an abbreviation database that shows researchers expanded forms and several relevant data, such as the papers that contain the abbreviations and their corresponding expanded forms. Since a large amount of abbreviations are coined, remembering their meanings is difficult, even in one’s research field. Therefore, Allie helps one lookup abbreviations. inMeXes is an incremental search service for English phrases appearing in PubMed. Researchers can learn English phrases used in life science papers, such as the use of prepositions or widely used phrases that contain a specific word. Allie and inMeXes are updated monthly and yearly, respectively, to provide the latest information.

Large-scale genome sequencing has identified millions of protein-coding genes whose function is unknown. Many of these proteins are similar to characterized proteins from other organisms, but much of this information is missing from annotation databases and is hidden in the scientific literature. To make this information accessible, PaperBLAST uses EuropePMC to search the full text of scientific articles for references to genes. PaperBLAST also takes advantage of curated resources (Swiss-Prot, GeneRIF, and EcoCyc) that link protein sequences to scientific articles. PaperBLAST's database includes over 700,000 scientific articles that mention over 400,000 different proteins. Given a protein of interest, PaperBLAST quickly finds similar proteins that are discussed in the literature and presents snippets of text from relevant articles or from the curators. PaperBLAST is available at http://papers.genomics.lbl.gov/. IMPORTANCE With the recent explosion of genome sequencing data, there are now millions of uncharacterized proteins. If a scientist becomes interested in one of these proteins, it can be very difficult to find information as to its likely function. Often a protein whose sequence is similar, and which is likely to have a similar function, has been studied already, but this information is not available in any database. To help find articles about similar proteins, PaperBLAST searches the full text of scientific articles for protein identifiers or gene identifiers, and it links these articles to protein sequences. Then, given a protein of interest, it can quickly find similar proteins in its database by using standard software (BLAST), and it can show snippets of text from relevant papers. We hope that PaperBLAST will make it easier for biologists to predict proteins' functions.

The paper wasp Polistes riparius is distributed in cold regions of northern East Asia to Russia. P. riparius are characterized by having longer cells than those of the closely related P. chinensis, which has a similar life history, as an adaptation to cold regions. The phylogenetic relationships of paper wasps have recently been studied; however, the genetic diversity and population structure of P. riparius has not been determined. The present study is the first to analyze the complete mitochondrial genome using next generation sequencing of P. riparius collected from Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The genome consisted of a closed loop that was 16,383 bp-long and included 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one AT-rich control region. The average AT content was 84.54%. The heavy (H)-strand was predicted to have 12 PCGs and 14 tRNA genes, while the light (L)-strand was predicted to contain one PCGs, eight tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. All PCGs started with ATG. Stop codons were of two types: TAA for 11 genes (ND1, ND2, ND3, ND4L, ND5, ND6, COXI, COXII, COXIII, COB, ATP6 and ATP8) and TAG for two genes (ND3 and ND4). The molecular phylogenetic relationship based on the maximum likelihood method using 13 PCGs was consistent with some previous studies in which a closely relationship between P. riparius and P. jokahamae.

ObjectiveTo assess current practice, advise minimum standards, and identify educational gaps relevant to genetic screening, counseling, and testing of women affected by gynecologic cancers.MethodsThe Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) organized a multidisciplinary summit that included representatives from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Society Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), and patient advocacy groups, BrightPink and Facing our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE). Three subject areas were discussed: care delivery models for genetic testing, barriers to genetic testing, and educational opportunities for providers of genetic testing.ResultsThe group endorsed current SGO, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and NSGC genetic testing guidelines for women affected with ovarian, tubal, peritoneal cancers, or DNA mismatch repair deficient endometrial cancer. Three main areas of unmet need were identified: timely and universal genetic testing for women with ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers; education regarding minimum standards for genetic counseling and testing; and barriers to implementation of testing of both affected individuals as well as cascade testing of family members. Consensus building among all stakeholders resulted in an action plan to address gaps in education of gynecologic oncology providers and delivery of cancer genetics care.

Introduction background to metabolomicsMetabolomics is the comprehensive study of the metabolome, the repertoire of biochemicals (or small molecules) present in cells, tissues, and body fluids. The study of metabolism at the global or "-omics" level is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to have a profound impact upon medical practice. At the center of metabolomics, is the concept that a person's metabolic state provides a close representation of that individual's overall health status. This metabolic state reflects what has been encoded by the genome, and modified by diet, environmental factors, and the gut microbiome. The metabolic profile provides a quantifiable readout of biochemical state from normal physiology to diverse pathophysiologies in a manner that is often not obvious from gene expression analyses. Today, clinicians capture only a very small part of the information contained in the metabolome, as they routinely measure only a narrow set of blood chemistry analytes to assess health and disease states. Examples include measuring glucose to monitor diabetes, measuring cholesterol and high density lipoprotein/low density lipoprotein ratio to assess cardiovascular health, BUN and creatinine for renal disorders, and measuring a panel of metabolites to diagnose potential inborn errors of metabolism in neonates.Objectives of white paper—expected treatment outcomes and metabolomics enabling tool for precision medicineWe anticipate that the narrow range of chemical analyses in current use by the medical community today will be replaced in the future by analyses that reveal a far more comprehensive metabolic signature. This signature is expected to describe global biochemical aberrations that reflect patterns of variance in states of wellness, more accurately describe specific diseases and their progression, and greatly aid in differential diagnosis. Such future metabolic signatures will: (1) provide predictive, prognostic, diagnostic, and surrogate markers of diverse disease states; (2) inform on underlying molecular mechanisms of diseases; (3) allow for sub-classification of diseases, and stratification of patients based on metabolic pathways impacted; (4) reveal biomarkers for drug response phenotypes, providing an effective means to predict variation in a subject's response to treatment (pharmacometabolomics); (5) define a metabotype for each specific genotype, offering a functional read-out for genetic variants: (6) provide a means to monitor response and recurrence of diseases, such as cancers: (7) describe the molecular landscape in human performance applications and extreme environments. Importantly, sophisticated metabolomic analytical platforms and informatics tools have recently been developed that make it possible to measure thousands of metabolites in blood, other body fluids, and tissues. Such tools also enable more robust analysis of response to treatment. New insights have been gained about mechanisms of diseases, including neuropsychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes and a range of pathologies. A series of ground breaking studies supported by National Institute of Health (NIH) through the Pharmacometabolomics Research Network and its partnership with the Pharmacogenomics Research Network illustrate how a patient's metabotype at baseline, prior to treatment, during treatment, and post-treatment, can inform about treatment outcomes and variations in responsiveness to drugs (e.g., statins, antidepressants, antihypertensives and antiplatelet therapies). These studies along with several others also exemplify how metabolomics data can complement and inform genetic data in defining ethnic, sex, and gender basis for variation in responses to treatment, which illustrates how pharmacometabolomics and pharmacogenomics are complementary and powerful tools for precision medicine.Conclusions key scientific concepts and recommendations for precision medicineOur metabolomics community believes that inclusion of metabolomics data in precision medicine initiatives is timely and will provide an extremely valuable layer of data that compliments and informs other data obtained by these important initiatives. Our Metabolomics Society, through its "Precision Medicine and Pharmacometabolomics Task Group", with input from our metabolomics community at large, has developed this White Paper where we discuss the value and approaches for including metabolomics data in large precision medicine initiatives. This White Paper offers recommendations for the selection of state of-the-art metabolomics platforms and approaches that offer the widest biochemical coverage, considers critical sample collection and preservation, as well as standardization of measurements, among other important topics. We anticipate that our metabolomics community will have representation in large precision medicine initiatives to provide input with regard to sample acquisition/preservation, selection of optimal omics technologies, and key issues regarding data collection, interpretation, and dissemination. We strongly recommend the collection and biobanking of samples for precision medicine initiatives that will take into consideration needs for large-scale metabolic phenotyping studies.

Social interactions have large effects on individual physiology and fitness. In the immediate sense, social stimuli are often highly salient and engaging. Over longer time scales, competitive interactions often lead to distinct social ranks and differences in physiology and behavior. Understanding how initial responses lead to longer-term effects of social interactions requires examining the changes in responses over time. Here we examined the effects of social interactions on transcriptomic signatures at two times, at the end of a 45-minute interaction and 4 hours later, in female Polistes fuscatus paper wasp foundresses. Female P. fuscatus have variable facial patterns that are used for visual individual recognition, so we separately examined the transcriptional dynamics in the optic lobe and the non-visual brain. Results demonstrate much stronger transcriptional responses to social interactions in the non-visual brain compared to the optic lobe. Differentially regulated genes in response to social interactions are enriched for memory-related transcripts. Comparisons between winners and losers of the encounters revealed similar overall transcriptional profiles at the end of an interaction, which significantly diverged over the course of 4 hours, with losers showing changes in expression levels of genes associated with aggression and reproduction in paper wasps. On nests, subordinate foundresses are less aggressive, do more foraging and lay fewer eggs compared to dominant foundresses and we find losers shift expression of many genes in the non-visual brain, including vitellogenin, related to aggression, worker behavior, and reproduction within hours of losing an encounter. These results highlight the early neurogenomic changes that likely contribute to behavioral and physiological effects of social status changes in a social insect.

The coffee bean is the most important agricultural product in international trade; it ranks second behind petroleum in product exports worldwide. An estimated 15 billion coffee trees are being grown to meet this demand, and the work that goes into this directly contributes to the income of 25 million small producers worldwide. Due to the importance of this plant, the appearance of coffee leaf rust (CLR) has led to many social and economic issues that have prompted research. To help combat the fungus, efforts have been made to breed coffee varieties that are resistant to CLR. In addition to gene banks many researchers are looking into wild populations for new varieties. The gene pool among wild species is diverse in comparison to the commonly used cultivars. This led to the discovery of the Timor Hybrid, a naturally occurring cross between C. arabica and C. canephora that was found to be resistant to CLR. In addition, scientists often try to create varieties that are resilient to other diseases such as Coffee Berry Disease along with CLR. Emphasis is placed on CLR because of its impact but it is important to note that many of the cultivars that are created are also resistant to other diseases. Economic and social impacts create the imperative need (and consequential funding) for research. When working to create a variety those factors have to be taken into consideration. If not the scientists would end up with a product that only meets one of the demands put upon it. Additionally the information on the method of infection for the pathogen and how it interacts with its host is important when looking at ways to increase the plant's resilience. In conclusion coffee improvement breeding is an ongoing process that requires knowledge on the full range of issues that are caused by H. vastatrix.

Theodosius Dobzhansky famously wrote in 1973 that “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” [...]

Competency in mathematics is needed to respond to the vast employment opportunities available in the STEM sectors. These employment opportunities all require basic foundational mathematics skills, yet there is a shortfall of mathematics abilities due, in-part, to mathematics anxiety. Mathematics anxiety can surface as fear and avoidance of mathematics and has been linked to low mathematics performance and ability (Ashcraft, 2002; Luttenberger et al., 2018). This thought paper (Snell, n.d.), paper begins with a synthesis of research on mathematics anxiety including the known causal factors: cognitive/affective, social, and genetic as well as the recently proposed causal factor, missed opportunity (Brewster & Miller, 2020). Missed opportunity refers to cases where an individual who is capable academically to comprehend mathematics but has missed the opportunity to learn basic foundational skills in mathematics. Missing the opportunity to learn foundational concepts in mathematics places great stress, which can result in feelings of anxiety. Next, a synthesis of interventions for mathematics anxiety such as mindfulness exercises (Brunyé et al., 2013) and expressive writing (Brewster & Miller, 2022; Park et al., 2014) are discussed, which led to the realization that interventions are more complex than previously reported given that other factors can affect interventions such as duration of writing, quality of instruction, or additional stressors causing anxiety, including test anxiety. Knowing the causal factors influencing an individual's mathematics anxiety may prove beneficial to designing more focused and influential interventions.

When students think of evolution, they might imagine T. rex, or perhaps an abiotic scene of sizzling electrical storms and harsh reducing atmospheres, an Earth that looks like a lunar landscape. Natural selection automatically elicits responses that include "survival of the fittest," and "descent with modification," and with these historical biological catch phrases, one conjures up images of large animals battling it out on the Mesozoic plane. Rarely do teachers or students apply these same ideas to cancer and the evolution of somatic cells, which have accrued mutations and epigenetic imprinting and relentlessly survive and proliferate. Our questions in this paper include the following: Can cancer become an important teaching model for students to explore fundamental hypotheses about evolutionary process? Can the multi-step somatic cancer model encourage visualizations that enable students to revisit and reenter previous primary concepts in general biology such as the cell, mitosis, chromosomes, genetic diversity, ecological diversity, immune function, and of course evolution, continually integrating their biology knowledge into process and pattern knowledge? Can the somatic cancer model expose similar patterns and protagonists, linking Darwinian observations of the natural world to our body? And, can the cancer clone model excite critical thinking and student hypotheses about what cancer is as a biological process? Does this visually simple model assist students in recognizing patterns, connecting their biological curriculum dots into a more coherent learning experience? These biological dynamics and intercepting aptitudes of cells are amplified through the cancer model and can help shape the way biology students begin to appreciate the interrelatedness of all biological systems while they continue to explore pivotal points of biological fuzziness, such as the microbiome, limitations of models, and the complex coordination of genomic networks required for the function of even a single cell and the realization of phenotypes. In this paper we use clonal evolution of cancer as a model experience for students to recreate how a single, non-germline cell appears to shadow the classic pattern of natural selection in body cells that have gone awry. With authentic STEAM activities students can easily crossover and revisit previous biological topics and the ubiquitous nature of natural selection as seen in the example of somatic cells that result in a metastasizing tumor, giving students insight into natural selection's accommodating and tractable patterns throughout the planet.