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Irma Weinberg, a German-Jewish Neuropsychiatrist/Physician, authored the fourth report from the German Research Institute for Psychiatry in Munich examining the risk for dementia praecox (DP) in particular relatives of DP probands, here first-cousins. She examined 977 cousins of 54 DP probands and found a best-estimate risk of 1.4%. She conducted within-study analyses, showing a much higher risk for DP in the siblings than cousins of DP probands. She studied DP-related personalities showing a familial link between these conditions and risk for DP. She demonstrated that the risk for DP in cousins was impacted substantially by the distribution, in ancestors, of psychosis and personality abnormalities. After completing work on this article, Weinberg worked in private practice in Frankfurt, emigrating to the Netherlands in 1934, where she worked at a Jewish psychiatric hospital. In 1943, German occupiers evacuated the hospital, transporting the patients and staff, either directly to Auschwitz or, like Weinberg, to the Westerbork transit camp. On September 4, 1944, Dr. Weinberg was transported to Theresienstadt and soon thereafter to Auschwitz, where she was murdered at the age of 53. Her history raises painful questions about the relationship between genetic studies of psychiatric illness in prewar Germany and the Holocaust., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

On September 27, 1922, Ernst Rüdin gave an address to the Annual Conference of the German Society of Genetics entitled "Regarding the Heredity of Mental Disturbances." Published in a 37-page article, Rüdin reviewed the progress in the field of Mendelian psychiatric genetics, then hardly more than a decade old. Topics included (a) the status of Mendelian analyses of dementia praecox and manic-depressive insanity which had expanded to include two and three locus and early polygenic models and sometimes included, respectively, schizoid and cyclothymic personalities; (b) a critique of theories for the explanation of co-occurrence of different psychiatric disorders within families; and (c) a sharp methodologic critique of Davenport and Rosanoff's contemporary work which emphasized Rüdin's commitment to careful, expert phenotyping, a primary focus on well-validated psychiatric disorders and not broad spectra of putatively inter-related conditions, and an emphasis on rigorous statistical modeling as seen in his continued collaboration with Wilhelm Weinberg., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Four years before the rediscovery of Mendel's work in 1900, Karl Grassmann published a detailed, scholarly review of the heredity of psychosis which we here review. A full translation is in the appendix. We emphasize seven major conclusions from this review. First, while recognizing the key importance of heredity in the etiology of psychosis. Grassmann was critical of many of the highly speculative extant theories. Second, he reviewed most of the major methodologic concerns in the literature from what kinds of heredity to investigate to the problems with the global use of insanity as a diagnostic category. Third, he discussed in detail genetic theories associated with Degeneration theory, maintaining considerable skepticism. Fourth, he recognized nongenetic contribution to familial transmission. Fifth, he reviewed evidence for both homogeneous and heterogeneous transmission of forms of mental illness in families, suggesting that both were important. Sixth, while he noted that mania, melancholia, and cyclothymia commonly replaced each other in families, Verrücktheit (delusional psychoses) rarely co-segregated in families with these mood disorders. Seventh, Grassmann, like other 19th century writers, saw relatives to be of value only in assessing the level of hereditary predisposition in patients and had limited appreciation of the need for controlled studies., (© 2022 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Boven published, in 1915, his MD thesis at the University of Lausanne in which he examined 60 3- to 4-generation pedigrees ascertained from admitted patients with dementia praecox (DP) and manic-depressive insanity (MDI). He asked three questions: (i) were DP and MDI hereditary? (ii) were they the same or distinct conditions? and (iii) were they Mendelian disorders? Based on the rarity of environmental precipitants severe enough to cause disorder onset and the pattern of disorders in relatives, Boven concluded that both disorders were inherited. He found that MDI largely ran in families through direct transmission across generations while DP was only common in collateral relatives. Both pedigrees contained a substantial number of "psychopathic" (personality disordered) relatives in which DP and MDI pedigrees typically had, respectively, paranoid, and dysthymic/cyclothymic features. Boven concludes that their inheritance is largely distinct but not exclusive, as some pedigrees contained cases of both disorders. With assistance from Wilhelm Weinberg, Boven applied algebraic models with proband correction to rates of DP and MDI in sibships and found the results inconsistent with Mendelian transmission. His study represents among the first examinations, using "modern" methods, of the familial relationship between DP and MDI and the first published in French., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This paper contributes to the ongoing reassessment of the controversy between William Bateson and Karl Pearson by characterising what we call "Batesonian Mendelism" and "Pearsonian biometry" as coherent and competing scientific outlooks. Contrary to the thesis that such a controversy stemmed from diverging theoretical commitments on the nature of heredity and evolution, we argue that Pearson's and Bateson's alternative views on those processes ultimately relied on different appraisals of the methodological value of the statistical apparatus developed by Francis Galton. Accordingly, we contend that Bateson's belief in the primacy of cross-breeding experiments over statistical analysis constituted a minimal methodological unifying condition ensuring the internal coherence of Batesonian Mendelism. Moreover, this same belief implied a view of the study of heredity and evolution as an experimental endeavour and a conception of heredity and evolution as fundamentally discontinuous processes. Similarly, we identify a minimal methodological unifying condition for Pearsonian biometry, which we characterise as the view that experimental methods had to be subordinate to statistical analysis, according to methodological standards set by biometrical research. This other methodological commitment entailed conceiving the study of heredity and evolution as subsumable under biometry and primed Pearson to regard discontinuous hereditary and evolutionary processes as exceptions to a statistical norm. Finally, we conclude that Batesonian Mendelism and Pearsonian biometry represented two potential versions of a single genetics-based evolutionary synthesis since the methodological principles and the phenomena that played a central role in the former were also acknowledged by the latter-albeit as fringe cases-and conversely., (© 2022. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

In this paper, we identify the parallels and the differences between language and life as evolvable systems in pursuit of a framework that will investigate language change from the perspective of a general theory of evolution. Despite the consensus that languages change similarly to species, as reflected in the construction of language trees, the field has mainly applied biological techniques to specific problems of historical linguistics and has not systematically engaged in disentangling the basic concepts (population, reproductive unit, inheritance, etc.) and the core processes underlying evolutionary theory, namely mutation, selection, drift, and migration, as applied to language. We develop such a proposal. Treating language as an evolvable system places previous studies in a novel perspective, as it offers an elegant unifying framework that can accommodate current knowledge, utilize the rich theoretical framework of evolutionary biology, and synthesize many independent strands of inquiry, initiating a whole new research program., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér. ex Vent. (Moraceae), a dioecious species, was transported by humans from Taiwan to the islands of Remote Oceania. Its introduction and cultivation in Remote Oceania was intentional due to its cultural importance as a fiber source for barkcloth textiles. The aim of this study was to explore the genetic diversity and structure of paper mulberry populations within Remote Oceania in order to infer dispersal patterns that may reflect past human interaction among island groups. We present the integrated analysis of 380 samples (313 contemporary and 67 herbarium specimens) collected in Near and Remote Oceania. Genetic characterization was based on a set of ten microsatellites developed for B. papyrifera and complemented with the analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer ITS-1 sequence, a sex marker and the chloroplast ndhF–rpl32 intergenic spacer. Microsatellite data identify a total of 64 genotypes, despite this being a clonally propagated crop, and show three major dispersal hubs within Remote Oceania, centered on the islands of Fiji, Tonga, and Pitcairn. Of 64 genotypes identified, 55 correspond to genotypes associated to female-sexed plants that probably descend from plants introduced by the prehistoric Austronesian-speaking voyagers. The ratio of accessions to genotypes between herbarium and contemporary samples, suggests recent loss of genetic diversity. In addition to the chloroplast haplotypes described previously, we detected two new haplotypes within Remote Oceania both originating in Taiwan. This is the first study of a commensal species to show genetic structuring within Remote Oceania. In spite of the genetic bottleneck, the presence of only one sex, a timespan of less than 5000 years, and asexual propagation of this crop in Remote Oceania, we detect genetic diversity and regional structuring. These observations suggest specific migration routes between island groups within Remote Oceania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the rapidly developing field of epigenetics, providing an accessible explanation of the key ideas and some illustrative examples of work in the field. Although very much a biological discipline the implications of the developing knowledge in this area are very significant for educational psychologists and this paper aims to provide an introduction to what is becoming a very significant shift in how people think about learning and development. Understanding the processes that underlie epigenetic change and the research that the new knowledge is based on will be important for educational psychologists in order to understand this important developing area of thinking about development and learning. Consensus is growing that intergenerational transmission of epigenetic changes are a reliable phenomenon, establishing the principle of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. This contrasts starkly with models of biological determinism and provides a new way of thinking about educational and societal change.

Swarm-founding wasps are endemic and common representatives of neotropical fauna and compose an interesting social tribe of vespids, presenting both complex social characteristics and uncommon traits for a eusocial group, such as the absence of castes with distinct morphology. The paper wasp Protonectarina sylveirae (Saussure) presents a broad distribution from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, occurring widespread in the Atlantic rainforest and arboreal Caatinga, being absent in the Amazon region. Given the peculiar distribution among swarm-founding wasps, an integrative approach to reconstruct the evolutionary history of P. sylveirae in a spatial-temporal framework was performed to investigate: the presence of genetic structure and its relationship with the geography, the evolution of distinct morphologic lineages and the possible historical event(s) in Neotropical region, which could explain the observed phylogeographic pattern. Individuals of P. sylveirae were obtained from populations of 16 areas throughout its distribution for DNA extraction and amplification of mitochondrial genes 12S, 16S and COI. Analysis of genetic diversity, construction of haplotype net, analysis of population structure and dating analysis of divergence time were performed. A morphometric analysis was also performed using 8 measures of the body of the adult (workers) to test if there are morphological distinction among populations. Thirty-five haplotypes were identified, most of them exclusively of a group and a high population structure was found. The possibility of genetic divergence because of isolation by distance was rejected. Morphological analysis pointed to a great uniformity in phenotypes, with only a small degree of differentiation between populations of south and the remaining. Divergence time analysis showed a Middle/Late Miocene origin, a period where an extensive marine ingression occurred in South America. Divergence of haplogroups began from the Plio/Pleistocene boundary and the last glacial maximum most likely modeled the current distribution of species, even though it was not the cause of genetic breaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperation among kin is common in animal societies. Kin groups may form by individuals directly discriminating relatives based on kin recognition cues, or form passively through natal philopatry and limited dispersal. We describe the genetic landscape for a primitively eusocial wasp, Polistes dominula, and ask whether individuals choose cooperative partners that are nearby and/or that are genetic relatives. Firstly, we genotyped an entire sub-population of 1361 wasps and found genetic structuring on an extremely fine scale: the probability of finding genetic relatives decreases exponentially within just a few meters of an individual’s nest. At the same time, however, we found a lack of genetic structuring between natural nest aggregations within the population. Secondly, in a separate dataset where ~2000 wasps were genotyped, we show that wasps forced experimentally to make a new nest choice tended to choose new nests near to their original nests, and that these nests tended to contain some full sisters. However, a significant fraction of wasps chose nests that did not contain sisters, despite sisters being present in nearby nests. Although we cannot rule out a role for direct kin recognition or natal nest-mate recognition, our data suggest that kin groups may form via a philopatric rule-of-thumb, whereby wasps simply select groups and nesting sites that are nearby. The result is that most subordinate helpers obtain indirect fitness benefits by breeding cooperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case studies are valuable tools for instruction but are often limited to a single topic and a single class period. Courses such as evolution that synthesize multiple concepts around a common theme, however, can use a single case study type project that extends over the entire semester to develop and link core concepts. A central theme in evolutionary biology is determining if complex biological traits represent adaptations that arose by natural selection. The instructional model presented here engages students in a step-by-step process to answer this question of adaptation for a trait of their choosing. In this process, the instructor first introduces the major concepts required to address adaptation. As each major concept is developed in class, students apply this concept to their particular trait, using information gathered from published studies. Students then report their research back to the class. At the end of the semester, each group synthesizes their evidence into a paper developing an argument as to whether or not their trait fits the criteria of being an adaptation. This project provides students with ownership of course material, gets students to act as practicing scientists, and helps them integrate and apply theoretical material to real questions.

Objectives: Ratios of weight to height, especially body mass index (BMI = kg/m 2 ), are often used in epidemiological and genetic studies of health, but the limitations of quantitative genetic analysis of ratios are not widely known. The heritability of these ratios can be closely approximated from a bivariate quantitative genetic model of weight and height which clarifies how BMI heritabilities change., Methods: I explored this bivariate approximation and alternative measures through simulated datasets fit with linear mixed models. Simulated data were based on published heritabilities and other statistics for BMI and related anthropometric dimensions from four human samples., Results: Inspection of the bivariate approximation and analysis of simulated data show the heritability of weight/height crucially depends on the phenotypic (r P ) and genetic correlations (r A ) between weight and height. Changes in these correlations can have dramatic effects on the heritability of BMI. For example, when r P  ≪ r A heritability of BMI is reduced to 35-50% of its value when the correlations are equal., Discussion: Increasing adiposity likely decreases the phenotypic correlations more than the genetic correlation resulting in reduced heritability of the ratio. This contrasts with the commonly reported stability or increase of BMI heritability and implies it may result from increased genetic variance in weight in obesogenic environments. The bivariate model offers other advantages over ratios, including estimating the conditional genetic variance or heritability of weight that is unassociated with height, which may prove useful in quantitative and molecular genetic studies., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Crude and dangerous ideas about the genetic heritability of intelligence, and a supposed biological basis for the Black/White achievement gap, are alive and well inside the education policy process but taking new and more subtle forms. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, the paper analyses recent hereditarian writing, in the UK and the USA, and highlight a strategy that I term "racial inexplicitness"; this allows hereditarian advocates to adopt a colorblind façade that presents their work as new, exciting and full of promise for all of society. The paper is in two parts: the first exposes the racism that lies hidden in the small print of the new geneism, where wildly misleading assertions about genetic influences on education are proclaimed as scientific fact while race-conscious critics are dismissed as ignorant ideologues. The second part of the paper sets out critical facts about the relevant science, including the difference between the mythic and real meaning of heritability; fundamental problems with the methodology of twin studies; the little-known history of IQ test score manipulation; and the continuing use of a stylistic approach that Howard Gardner characterized as "scholarly brinkmanship."

Learning progressions are theoretical models that describe learning of scientific ideas and practices over time. These hypothetical progressions need to be tested and refined in order to productively inform instruction and assessment. In this paper, we report our attempts to revise a learning progression in genetics. In particular, we focused on two constructs that embody core ideas in classical genetics and one molecular construct. The revisions are based on analysis of pre- and postinterview data obtained from sixty 11th grade students before and after they engaged in a 10-week unit that addressed these concepts. We found that while many of the students held ideas that aligned with the progression, there were several distinct dimensions of student reasoning that were not captured and led to substantial revisions of the constructs including: (a) the splitting of the construct dealing with meiosis (E) into two subconstructs (E1-physical passage of genetic information and E2 -- the role of sex cells), (b) the addition of new levels to constructs dealing with the universal nature and organization of the genetic code (A) and construct (F). For Construct A, the lower levels were expanded to include ideas about the localization of DNA in cells and to include ideas about the composition of DNA that were not captured in the progression. Revisions to Construct F included the expansion of existing levels and the addition of modes of inheritance such as codominance and incomplete dominance. The research we present offers insights about a methodological approach that can be used to test and refine progressions, as well as insights about student learning in genetics as we further describe and expand the stepping-stone ideas in the progression and discuss further the multidimensional nature of learning progressions.

The paper presents an experimental study that examines the conditions required for news about behavioral genetics to activate genetic essentialism beliefs. Nine hundred sixty-five adults living in the USA were randomly assigned to read either a control news article or one of the three versions of a news story about behavioral genetics. The cautious version presents a general introduction to behavioral genetics and examples while also discrediting the genetic determinist myth and clarifying that this field is not interested in studying differences between populations. Another version was identical to the cautious version, except that it mentioned high heritability estimates as supporting evidence. Finally, a third version included claims supporting Nicolas Wade's (2014) main thesis, which argued that societies develop different institutions partly because of their population's behavioral genetic predispositions. Compared to participants in the control group, those exposed to the high heritability version and the Wade's thesis version reported higher scores on a scale measuring belief in genetics determinism. The results revealed no overall effect for the cautious version, but an exploratory interaction model indicates that reactions to this version vary depending on educational attainment. Implications and limitations are discussed.

The Population Ecology Young Author Award was established in 2019 by the Society of Population Ecology to recognize early career authors of the best papers published in Population Ecology. Source: From Kawai and Kudo (2021) [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] gl POPULATION ECOLOGY MOST CITED PAPER AWARD 2022 All papers including review articles and invited papers published in Population Ecology during the year before last are eligible for the Most-Cited Paper Award. Size class was defined as following five categories: Small: Single-leaved plant shorter than 3 cm in height; L1: Single-leaved plant taller than 3 cm in height; L2: Two-leaved plant; L3: Three-leaved plant; and L4: Greater than or equal to four-leaved plant. [Extracted from the article]

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of SNPs responsible for variation in human quantitative traits. However, genome-wide-significant associations often fail to replicate across independent cohorts, in apparent inconsistency with their apparent strong effects in discovery cohorts. This limited success of replication raises pervasive questions about the utility of the GWAS field. We identify all 332 studies of quantitative traits from the NHGRI-EBI GWAS Database with attempted replication. We find that the majority of studies provide insufficient data to evaluate replication rates. The remaining papers replicate significantly worse than expected (p < 10−14), even when adjusting for regression-to-the-mean of effect size between discovery- and replication-cohorts termed the Winner’s Curse (p < 10−16). We show this is due in part to misreporting replication cohort-size as a maximum number, rather than per-locus one. In 39 studies accurately reporting per-locus cohort-size for attempted replication of 707 loci in samples with similar ancestry, replication rate matched expectation (predicted 458, observed 457, p = 0.94). In contrast, ancestry differences between replication and discovery (13 studies, 385 loci) cause the most highly-powered decile of loci to replicate worse than expected, due to difference in linkage disequilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental stochasticity and climate affect outcomes in evolutionary games, which can thereby affect biological diversity. Our maximum likelihood (ML) estimates of replicator dynamics for morph frequency data from control (25 years) and three experimentally perturbed populations (14 years) of side-blotched lizards yield a 3 × 3 payoff matrix in the generalized Rock-Paper-Scissors family; it has intransitive best replies, and each strategy is its own worst reply. ML estimates indicate significant interactive effects of density and temperature on morph frequency. Implied dynamics feature a powerful interior attractor and recover (for the first time) observed 4-5 year oscillations. Our evolutionary experiment on morph frequency confirms that oscillations are driven by frequency dependent selection, but climate entrains the cycles across the perturbed and control populations within 10 generations. Applying the model across the species range, we find that climate also accounts for morph fixation and mating system diversity, suggesting climate may similarly impact ecosystem diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a review of mechanistic modelling studies of DNA damage and DNA repair, and consequences to follow in mammalian cell nucleus. We hypothesize DNA deletions are consequences of repair of double strand breaks leading to the modifications of genome that play crucial role in long term development of genetic inheritance and diseases. The aim of the paper is to review formation mechanisms underlying naturally occurring DNA deletions in the human genome and their potential relevance for bridging the gap between induced DNA double strand breaks and deletions in damaged human genome from endogenous and exogenous events. The model of the cell nucleus presented enables simulation of DNA damage at molecular level identifying the spectrum of damage induced in all chromosomal territories and loops. Our mechanistic modelling of DNA repair for double stand breaks (DSB), single strand breaks (SSB) and base damage (BD), shows the complexity of DNA damage is responsible for the longer repair times and the reason for the biphasic feature of mammalian cells repair curves. In the absence of experimentally determined data, the mechanistic model of repair predicts the in vivo rate constants for the proteins involved in the repair of DSB, SSB, and of BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three varieties of Kusunda, a critically endangered language isolate of Nepal, have been recorded in existing literature: in Hodgson (1857), in Reinhard & Toba (1970), and in several more recent publications analyzing material elicited from the language’s last two fluent speakers, Gyani Maiya Sen and Kamala Khatri. Each of these varieties exhibits a set of unique phonological and morphological innovations from their most recent common ancestor, Proto-Kusunda (PK). This paper seeks to reconstruct the prefixing possessive-marking system of PK, using morphological evidence from the three attested varieties. ProtoKusunda is reconstructed as exhibiting obligatory possessive marking on a set of inalienably possessed nouns. Possessed nouns were marked with 2 sets of preposed affixes: *t-, *n-, and *g-, which indexed the person of the noun’s possessor, and *-i- *-a- *-u- *-ja-, a set of derivational prefixes which categorized possessed nominals into a number of semantic fields. The formal and functional characteristics of this system are strongly reminiscent of an analogous system of head-marking possession found in the Great Andamanese language family of India, prompting questions of possible areal influence or genetic inheritance in the remote past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) is a freely available online resource for information on inherited traits/diseases (called phenes) in animals, including Equus caballus (horse) and eight other Equus subgroups. Maintaining up-to-date information in OMIA is a major challenge, especially in relation to variants (mutations), as reference genomes continue to evolve. The site is curated by faculty at the University of Sydney based on publications of peer-reviewed research. Curation has been aided by contributions from faculty and students at other institutions. Recently, OMIA has introduced computerized lists of standardized names and synonyms (called ontologies) for breeds of horses and other animal species and for phene categories. These ontologies facilitate increased connectivity between OMIA and other online resources. OMIA is and will continue to be a major reference resource for Mendelian phenes in the genus Equus. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA is a freely available information resource, which includes information for Equus inherited traits/diseases (collectively called phenes). The database focuses on Mendelian traits and their likely causal variants (mutations). Some of these Mendelian traits are favored by humans, e.g., coat color, while others are diseases. Additions to OMIA are based on publications of peer-reviewed research. Maintaining up-to-date information in OMIA is a challenge, owing to the multiplicity of species, the increase in the number of relevant publications, and as reference genomes and methods of citation continue to evolve. This challenge has been successfully aided by contributions from scientists from around the world. In some cases, those scientists are faculty members who charge their students with curation as an educational activity. Recently, OMIA has introduced computerized lists of standardized names and synonyms (called ontologies) for breeds of Equus and other animals and for phene categories. These ontologies facilitate increased connectivity between OMIA and other online resources. OMIA is and will continue to be a major reference resource for Mendelian phenes in the genus Equus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Inheritance of organisms is introduced into innovation design. • Computer digital coding technology is introduced into intelligent innovative design process. • Histogram similarity algorithm intelligently identifies functional genes. The inheritance and variation of functional knowledge is an important way to achieve product innovation. Analogous biological genetic inheritance can solve the problems with the inheritance and variation of functional knowledge. However, the different expressions of functional knowledge in different domains lead designers to consuming a lot of time for functional knowledge characterization and identification, which reduces the efficiency of functional knowledge application. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of inefficient application of functional knowledge in the genetic process caused by irregular expression of functional knowledge, the paper proposes a digital characterization and identification process model of functional genes for product intelligent innovative design. The process model enables product intelligent innovative design through digital characterization of functional genes and rapid identification of functional genes using computer assistance. The process model consists of four following steps. First, extract functional knowledge from patents and perform preliminary functional gene characterization. Second, characterize functional genes digitally by using computerized digital coding techniques. Third, identify the required functional genes by using image similarity matching algorithm. It assists designers to quickly identify the functional genes required for the target system. Fourth, obtain the target product design scheme. By "transcribing" and "translating" the required functional genes and using TRIZ tools to solve the translated scheme, the product innovative design scheme is finally obtained. The feasibility and effectiveness of the model are verified by the intelligent innovative design of shared bicycle parking management device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) comorbidity is an emerging condition in psychiatry, with relevant nosological, clinical, and therapeutic implications. Methods: We updated our previous systematic review on epidemiology and standard diagnostic validators (including phenomenology, course of illness, heredity, biological markers, and treatment response) of BD-OCD. Relevant papers published until (and including) 15 October 2023 were identified by searching the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, and Cochrane Library, according to the PRISMA statement (PROSPERO registration number, CRD42021267685). Results: We identified 38 new articles, which added to the previous 64 and raised the total to 102. The lifetime comorbidity prevalence ranged from 0.26 to 27.8% for BD and from 0.3 to 53.3% for OCD. The onset of the two disorders appears to be often overlapping, although the appearance of the primary disorder may influence the outcome. Compared to a single diagnosis, BD-OCD exhibited a distinct pattern of OC symptoms typically following an episodic course, occurring in up to 75% of cases (vs. 3%). Notably, these OC symptoms tended to worsen during depressive episodes (78%) and improve during manic or hypomanic episodes (64%). Similarly, a BD course appears to be chronic in individuals with BD-OCD in comparison to patients without. Additionally, individuals with BD-OCD comorbidity experienced more depressive episodes (mean of 8.9 ± 4.2) compared to those without comorbidity (mean of 4.1 ± 2.7). Conclusions: We found a greater likelihood of antidepressant-induced manic/hypomanic episodes (60% vs. 4.1%), and mood stabilizers with antipsychotic add-ons emerging as a preferred treatment. In line with our previous work, BD-OCD comorbidity encompasses a condition of greater nosological and clinical complexity than individual disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese traditional culture is a typical "moral culture," and traditional morality is the core and essence of culture. However, in recent years, the phenomenon of following the trend of rural construction has been particularly serious, and many villages have lost their original features. To solve the above problems, the genetic algorithm can be used to further explore the traditional culture of urbanization construction. A genetic algorithm is a natural evolutionary process that imitates natural selection and genetic operation in nature to obtain optimal solution, in which genetic operation mainly includes the processes of gene replication, crossover, and mutation. This paper studies the traditional culture of urbanization construction based on the genetic algorithm under the concept of environmental protection. Among the accuracy of urban construction land expansion, in 2018, the accuracy of ant colony algorithm, data mining algorithm, and particle swarm optimization algorithm is 58%, 51.8%, and 56.7%, respectively. The accuracy of this genetic algorithm is as high as 58.8%. It can be seen that the genetic algorithm in this paper has the highest accuracy in the expansion of urban construction land. Therefore, in the process of large-scale urbanization based on the genetic algorithm, we should pay attention to not being separated from traditional culture, not letting farmers lose their regional culture, local culture, and grassroots culture, and protecting the cultural-ecological environment on which these cultures depend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the lip prints of Indian twins and non‑twin siblings to evaluate the existence of heredity in the lip prints of these individuals. Materials and Methods: The study employed a blind, cross‑sectional, quantitative approach with an inductive method and extensive direct observation. The sample consisted of 30 twins and 30 non‑twin siblings, divided into three groups based on gender with 10 subjects in each subgroup. All participants were aged between 10 and 30 years and were instructed on the methods and techniques involved in the study. Results: The lip prints of participants were recorded using dark‑colored lipstick, bond paper, cellophane tape, and a brush, and were examined for lip thickness measurement (in mm), classification of lip commissures, and assessment of groove patterns. The findings were then analyzed to determine the pattern of lip prints among twins and non‑twin siblings. Conclusion: Cheiloscopy, the forensic investigation technique based on lip trace identification, could benefit from this study’s findings as it explores the existence of heredity in lip prints of Indian twins and non‑twin siblings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shaw, a British psychiatrist working in India, observed that the incidence of Schizophrenia was higher among a community of Parsis as compared to other ethnic groups. He published his findings in two British journals. The paper drew responses from two other psychiatrists. The debate is examined in colonial context during which occurred and some implications for contemporary research., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The Author has no financial conflicts to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper proposes and studies a discrete-time model for a sex-structured population with non-overlapping generations under density-dependent regulation of survival. The population is assumed to have genetic variety among individuals in terms of reproductive potential, controlled by a single autosomal diallelic locus. We consider a panmictic population with Mendelian inheritance rules. We examine the stability model and show that increasing the average value of reproductive potential destabilizes the population dynamics. The scenario of stability loss in fixed points via period doubling or Neimark–Sacker bifurcations depends on the intensity of the self-regulation. The growth rate at which the population survives and develops is shown to depend on the fitness of the genotypes and the secondary sex ratio. As a result, the asymptotic genetic composition of the population is determined by the values of the reproductive potentials of the heterozygote and homozygotes, the initial conditions, and the parameter describing the ratio of newborn females to males. With disruptive selection, the influence of external factors changing the current genetic composition of a population can alter the direction of evolution and lead to the extinction of a successful developing population or a gradual population recovery due to evolutionary rescue after a noticeable decline in its abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The concept of the inheritance of acquired traits, a foundational principle of Lamarck's evolutionary theory, has garnered renewed attention in recent years. Evidence for this phenomenon remained limited for decades but gained prominence with the Överkalix cohort study in 2002. This study revealed a link between cardiovascular disease incidence and the food availability experienced by individuals' grandparents during their slow growth periods, reigniting interest in the inheritance of acquired traits, particularly in the context of non-communicable diseases. This scientometric analysis and systematic review comprehensively explores the current landscape of paternally transmitted acquired metabolic traits. Results: Utilizing Scopus Advanced search and meticulous screening, we included mammalian studies that document the inheritance or modification of metabolic traits in subsequent generations of unexposed descendants. Our inclusive criteria encompass intergenerational and transgenerational studies, as well as multigenerational exposures. Predominantly, this field has been driven by a select group of researchers, potentially shaping the design and focus of existing studies. Consequently, the literature primarily comprises transgenerational rodent investigations into the effects of ancestral exposure to environmental pollutants on sperm DNA methylation. The complexity and volume of data often lead to multiple or redundant publications. This practice, while understandable, may obscure the true extent of the impact of ancestral exposures on the health of non-exposed descendants. In addition to DNA methylation, studies have illuminated the role of sperm RNAs and histone marks in paternally acquired metabolic disorders, expanding our understanding of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic inheritance. Conclusions: This review serves as a comprehensive resource, shedding light on the current state of research in this critical area of science, and underscores the need for continued exploration to uncover the full spectrum of paternally mediated metabolic inheritance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Darwin's and Wallace's 1859 explanation that novel speciation resulted from natural variants that had been subjected to selection was refined over the next 150 years as genetic inheritance and the importance of mutation-induced change were discovered, the quantitative theory of evolutionary population genetics was produced, the speed of genetic change in small populations became apparent and the ramifications of the DNA revolution became clear. This paper first discusses the modern view of speciation in its historical context. It then uses systems-biology approaches to consider the many complex processes that underpin the production of a new species; these extend in scale from genes to populations with the processes of variation, selection and speciation being affected by factors that range from mutation to climate change. Here, events at a particular scale level (e.g. protein network activity) are activated by the output of the level immediately below (i.e. gene expression) and generate a new output that activates the layer above (e.g. embryological development), with this change often being modulated by feedback from higher and lower levels. The analysis shows that activity at each level in the evolution of a new species is marked by stochastic activity, with mutation of course being the key step for variation. The paper examines events at each of these scale levels and particularly considers how the pathway by which mutation leads to phenotypic variants and the wide range of factors that drive selection can be investigated computationally. It concludes that, such is the complexity of speciation, most steps in the process are currently difficult to model and that predictions about future speciation will, apart from a few special cases, be hard to make. The corollary is that opportunities for novel variants to form are maximised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is an immune‐mediated, inflammatory disease. Genetic and environmental elements are involved in the nosogenesis of this illness. Epigenetic inheritance serves as the connection between genetic and environmental factors. Histone modification, an epigenetic regulatory mechanism, is implicated in the development of numerous diseases. The basic function of histone modification is to regulate cellular functions by modifying gene expression. Modulation of histone modification, such as regulation of enzymes pertinent to histone modification, can be an alternative approach for treating some diseases, including psoriasis. Herein, we reviewed the regulatory mechanisms and biological effects of histone modifications and their roles in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. This paper reviewed the regulatory mechanisms and biological effects of histone modifications and their roles in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. It highlights the role of epigenetic inheritance and the potential of targeting histone modification as an alternative therapeutic approach for psoriasis and other‐related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nikolai K. Koltzoff (Koltsov) (1872-1940) is one of the key figures in Russian biology. He essentially initiated Russian physicochemical biology and established a large scientific school in the area. Among his disciples, there are the geneticists B.L. Astaurov, S.S. Chetverikov, N.P. Dubinin, V.P. Efroimson, I.A. Rapoport, V.V. Sakharov, and N.V. Timofeeff-Ressovsky; histologist G.I. Roskin, experimental surgeon A.G. Lapchinsky, developmental biologist M.M. Zavadovsky, physiologist L.V. Krushinsky, microbiologist S.M. Gershenson, biochemist V.A. Engelhardt, hydrobiologist G.G. Vinberg, cytologist M.A. Peshkov, and many other famous Soviet biologists. He made several fundamental discoveries; the first of them was the discovery of the cytoskeleton (1903). He was the first to formulate the idea of a crystal-like mechanism for copying inherited information (1927) and the principles of epigenetics (as well as the term itself, in 1934; it seems astonishing, but as early as 1915, he hypothesized that the gene methylation might be a mechanism of genetic variability). He started the work which later led his disciples V.V. Sakharov and I.A. Rapoport to the discovery of chemical mutagenesis. His research on sex regulation in silkworms was later successfully continued by B.L. Astaurov. Koltzoff encouraged S.S. Chetverikov, the entomologist, to study the genetics of natural Drosophila populations, which went on to form the basis of the Modern Synthesis reconciling Darwinian evolutionary theory and the Mendelian laws of heredity. Unfortunately, the name of N.K. Koltzoff has almost sunk into oblivion. This is largely due to the fact that mentioning his name was prohibited in the USSR over a long period of time, since he was a staunch opponent of Lysenko. In this paper dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Koltzoff, we briefly describe the milestones of the life and scientific research of this outstanding biologist and his scientific school., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Genetics Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Based on typo-morphological studies, this paper proposes the concept of "space gene" from the perspective of urban spatial development theory. Specifically, space gene refers to a unique and relatively stable pattern of spatial organization formed as a result of long-term interaction among the three dimensions: urban space, natural environment, and socio-culture. It conveys distinctive characteristics of different regions and contributes to a unique city identity and a harmonious relationship among the three dimensions. This paper points out that urban planning and design can be localized through the identification-analysis-guidance process of space genes, avoiding both the design scheme that does not respect culture and nature and the practice that a unified model is adopted to create same images in different cities, as well as prompting the directional turn of urban planning and design approaches from space form creation to space gene analysis. It provides an effective design path for a win-win result among urban development, natural protection, and cultural inheritance. Furthermore, the paper discusses the prospect of the Space GenBank Project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]