Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PARENTAL EFFECTS ON PROGENY PHENOTYPE IN PLANTS: DISTINGUISHING GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES

The experimental measurement of additive genetic variation in plant populations is complicated by the potential for non‐Mendelian inheritance. Maternal influences on progeny phenotype resulting from the cytoplasmic inheritance of plastids or RNA transcripts and effects of the maternal environment have consequently been the focus of much research. To exclude or to control for these sources of variation, breeding designs (e.g., cross‐factored, nested, or diallel) in which genetically unrelated pollen donors are mated to maternal genotypes have been adopted. Using these designs, some empirical studies have detected statistically significant differences among pollen donors in the mean performance of their pollen (the mature male gametophytes) or in the mean phenotype of their progeny. These statistical effects of pollen‐donor identity on pollen performance or progeny phenotype have frequently been interpreted as evidence for additive genetic variance among pollen donors, although patrilineal cytoplasmic inheritance or effects of the paternal environment on pollen performance or gene expression are recognized as alternative explanations. We note that environment‐specific selection among developing gametophytes—in which the environment experienced by developing pollen grains (or ovules) provides a selective force causing the differential survival of gametophyte genotypes (analagous to meiotic drive)—is an additional process that may cause genetically based paternal (or maternal) effects on gametophyte performance. If genes selected during this process are expressed in the sporophyte (postfertilization), this process could also influence the phenotype of the diploid progeny. Here, we review the potential causes of statistically significant differences in mean phenotype among the gametophytes or progeny of maternal (seed‐bearing) or paternal (pollen‐donating) parental plants. We suggest an experimental approach that permits the detection or elimination of selection among developing gametophytes as one such cause. Specifically, the replication of homozygous parental genotypes within and across environments allows the detection and measurement of paternal and maternal environmentally induced effects on gametophyte or offspring phenotype, while eliminating meiotic drive as a source of the phenotypic variation.
NESTMATE RELATEDNESS IN A COMMUNAL BEE, PERDITA TEXANA (HYMENOPTERA: ANDRENIDAE), BASED ON DNA FINGERPRINTING

Perdita texana is a facultatively communal bee species with up to 28 females per nest. We used multilocus DNA fingerprinting to test the hypothesis that nestmates are more closely related to each other than are nonnestmates. The mean band sharing proportion among pairwise nestmate comparisons did not differ significantly from the mean among nonnestmate comparisons [P = 0.787 (df = 484)]. Although mean band sharing proportions did not differ among nestmates and nonnestmates, some nestmates show very high band sharing proportions (in excess of the upper 95% confidence limit for the nonnestmate mean). These individuals almost certainly are related, probably as half‐sib sisters, however, they comprise a very small percentage of the nestmate populations. Our results indicate that kin selection is unlikely to play an important role in the evolution and maintenance of communal nesting. Communal societies most likely arise because of the mutualistic benefits of cooperative nesting, including accelerated nest founding and improved nest defense.
COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY IN NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS

Modern molecular methods yield descriptions of the phylogenetic deployment of genetic variation within species, or phylogeography. A developing field is the comparison of geographic patterns of genetic variation in codistributed species, or comparative phylogeography. One determines whether species that currently share the same broad area exhibit congruent phylogeographic patterns, which would indicate that they were historically codistributed and differentiated in response to same geological or environmental events. I reviewed studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in five codistributed, widespread species of North American birds. In addition to phylogeographic patterns, data were available on levels of genetic variation, gene flow, and evolutionary distance from common ancestors (an index of a species' relative age) for each species, all important factors involved in geographic differentiation. Two species, Canada goose (Branta canadensis) and fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca), exhibited incongruent phylogeographic patterns of mtDNA variation, whereas three other codistributed species, the song sparrow (Melospiza melodia), chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina), and red‐winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), lacked geographically structured mtDNA patterns. Thus, the first two species have had demonstrably different histories, whereas the histories of the latter three are speculative. However, the three species without geographic variation in mtDNA exhibit shallow mtDNA haplotype trees, which are consistent with recent population expansion. Thus, lack of geographic variation in mtDNA is likely due to these three species arriving relatively recently at their current distributions, and after historical isolating events produced genetic divisions in the fox sparrow and Canada goose. Within the geographically uniform species, or parts thereof, dispersal seems a likely homogenizing factor; no consistent explanations emerged from consideration of levels of genetic variation. Lack of congruent phylogeographic patterns suggests that currently codistributed species have not had a long history of co‐association. These results and comparison of other North American species for which less extensive mtDNA surveys are available, reveal that the North American avifauna is probably a composite of species with different histories.
HETEROCHRONY WITHIN SPECIES: CRANIOFACIAL GROWTH IN GIANT, STANDARD, AND DWARF RABBITS

Change in developmental timing is one source of heritable variation upon which selection can act. However, the amount of variation possible in ontogenetic trajectories is often unknown. We used three different‐sized conspecific breeds of domestic rabbits to investigate the extent of variation in growth trajectories of craniofacial morphology. The growth and adult morphology of several structures (one soft tissue and 15 skeletal) were quantified and analyzed. We took two views of radiographs at close time intervals throughout ontogeny, from one week of age through adult size. Measurements from the radiographs were analyzed using a Gompertz growth model. Between‐breed differences in model parameters were tested using one‐way ANOVA. Few significant differences existed between the white and giant rabbits, but several differences were found between the white and dwarf breeds. Similarly, comparisons of adult morphology showed that white and giant rabbits are the same shape, while dwarf rabbits have shorter and broader snouts than white rabbits. The variation in size among breeds appeared to be due to differences in the length of time spent growing at rates near the maximum growth rate. While no one parameter of this model quantifies this pattern, differences in duration of maximum growth rate can be seen in the first derivative of the growth trajectory. Small changes in the model's parameters that measure rate and timing of growth have large morphological consequences, indicating that heterochronic changes are important sources of variation.
Differences in plantarflexor function during a stretch-shortening cycle task due to limb preference

Most healthy humans move symmetrically at gross limb level but large kinetic and kinematic asymmetries have been observed at joint level during locomotion. The aim of this study was to assess muscle function asymmetries in healthy, active adults using an adapted force sledge apparatus which isolates the plantarflexors during a stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) task. Peak force, rate of force development and SSC function of preferred and non-preferred limbs were assessed in 21 healthy, active individuals using the adapted sledge and three-dimensional motion analysis. Between-limb differences and relationships were determined using paired t-tests/Wilcoxon Signed-rank test, Cohen's dz, absolute symmetry index and Pearson's r/Spearman's rho. Significant differences with moderate effect size (ES) were observed in peak force (ES: 0.66), rate of peak force development (ES: 0.78), rate of force development in the first 50 ms (ES: 0.76), flight time (ES: 0.64) and SSC function (0.68), with no difference in contact time or duration of eccentric loading. A small ES (0.56) was observed in rate of force development in the first 30 ms. The upper range of asymmetry observed (up to 44.6%) was larger than previously reported for healthy individuals, indicating compensations occur at proximal joints during locomotion to ensure symmetrical movement.
What forgetting tells us about remembering: The influence of top–down control on hemispheric asymmetries in verbal memory

It has been suggested that left hemisphere (LH) advantages in verbal processing is due to superior top–down control of verbal information. It is not clear how top–down mechanisms affect the encoding and retrieval of verbal information from hemispheric memory and whether they only influence activation or also encompass the inhibition of verbal information. The directed forgetting method, in conjunction with divided visual field presentation, was used to examine the influence of top–down control mechanisms on hemispheric asymmetries in verbal memory. Participants were cued to remember or forget words. Cues were presented either simultaneously with targets or after a short delay. A recognition memory test using divided visual field presentation was then given. Response times (RTs) revealed effects of cue timing in the LH. With simultaneous cues, RTs were faster to “Remember” words compared to “Forget” words. With delayed cues, RTs for “Remember” and “Forget” words were equivalent. In the right hemisphere (RH), “Remember” words were consistently faster than “Forget” words, regardless of cue timing. These data provide evidence that top–down mechanisms influenced LH verbal memory retrieval more than RH verbal memory retrieval. Finally, there was little evidence to suggest the hemispheres differ in inhibitory processing.
Associations between schizotypy and cerebral laterality

ABSTRACT Atypical lateralization for language has been found in schizophrenia, suggesting that language and thought disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum may be due to left hemispheric dysfunction. However, research with those with non-clinical schizotypy has been inconsistent, with some studies finding reduced or reversed language laterality (particularly with positive schizotypal traits), and others finding typical left hemispheric specialization. The aim of the current study was to use both a behavioural (dual reading-finger tapping) task and an functional magnetic resonance imaging lexical decision task to investigate language laterality in a university sample of high- and low-schizotypal adults. Findings revealed no evidence for atypical lateralization in our sample for both overall schizotypy (measured by the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences) and positive schizotypy (measured by the Unusual Experiences subscale) groups. Our findings provide further evidence that non-clinical schizotypy is not associated with atypical language laterality.
Impact of gestational hyperglycemia on maternal and child health

Purpose of review To address the recent evidence regarding the association between hyperglycemia during pregnancy and adverse short-term and long-term outcome for both mothers and offspring. Recent findings Recent data suggest a relationship between hyperglycemia during pregnancy and adverse short-term fetal outcomes, mainly those associated with excessive fetal growth. The degree of hyperglycemia plays an important role in risk stratification. Moreover, the long-term effect of hyperglycemia during pregnancy is expressed mainly as cardiometabolic morbidity and increased risk for the development of metabolic syndrome both maternal and in early adolescence. Alternation in DNA methylation and gene expression of metabolic pathways were found in association with hyperglycemia in utero, supporting the ’developmental origins of disease’ hypothesis. Summary The effect of hyperglycemia on the early life metabolic environment may contribute to the subsequent risk of cardiovascular or metabolic morbidity later in life. It is also a sign of future maternal metabolic alternation. Several future randomized trials, hopefully will help to determine if early intervention could decrease the risk for gestational diabetes and whether long term adverse outcome are preventable and importantly the association with degree of maternal hyperglycemia in pregnancy and future morbidity.
THE EFFECTS OF FIVE GENERATIONS OF ENFORCED SELFING ON POTENTIAL MALE AND FEMALE FUNCTION IN MIMULUS GUTTATUS

In prior work we detected no significant inbreeding depression for pollen and ovule production in the highly selfing Mimulus micranthus, but both characters showed high inbreeding depression in the mixed‐mating M. guttatus. The goal of this study was to determine if the genetic load for these traits in M. guttatus could be purged in a program of enforced selfing. These characters should have been under much stronger selection in our artificial breeding program than previously reported characters such as biomass and total flower production because, for example, plants unable to produce viable pollen could not contribute to future generations. Purging of genetic load was investigated at the level of both the population and the individual maternal line within two populations of M. guttatus. Mean ovule number, pollen number, and pollen viability declined significantly as plants became more inbred. The mean performance of outcross progeny generated from crosses between pairs of maternal inbred lines always exceeded that of self progeny and was fairly constant for each trait through all five generations. The consistent performance of outcross progeny and the universally negative relationships between performance and degree of inbreeding are interpreted as evidence for the weakness of selection relative to the quick fixation of deleterious alleles due to drift during the inbreeding process. The selective removal (purging) of deleterious alleles from our population would have been revealed by an increase in performance of outcross progeny or an attenuation of the effects of increasing homozygosity. The relationships between the mean of each of these traits and the expected inbreeding coefficient were linear, but one population displayed a significant negative curvilinear relationship between the log of male fertility (a function of pollen number and viability) and the inbreeding coefficient. The generally linear form of the responses to inbreeding were taken as evidence consistent with an additive model of gene action, but the negative curvilinear relationship between male fertility and the inbreeding coefficient suggested reinforcing epistasis. Within both populations there was significant genetic variation among maternal lineages for the response to inbreeding in all traits. Although all inbred lineages declined at least somewhat in performance, several maternal lines maintained levels of performance just below outcross means even after four or five generations of selfing. We suggest that selection among maternal lines will have a greater effect than selecting within lines in lowering the genetic load of populations.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF LIFE‐HISTORY EVOLUTION IN ASTERINID STARFISH

We analyzed phylogenetic relationships among 12 nominal species of starfish in the genera Patiriella and Asterina (Order Valvatida, Family Asterinidae), based on complete sequences for a mitochondrial protein coding gene (cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and five mitochondrial transfer RNA genes (alanine, leucine, asparagine, glutamine, and proline) (1923 bp total). The resulting phylogeny was used to test a series of hypotheses about the evolution of life‐history traits. (1) A complex, feeding, planktonic larva is probably ancestral for these starfish, but this is not the most parsimonious reconstruction of ancestral larval states. (2) The feeding larval form was lost at least four times among these species, and three of these losses occurred among members of a single clade. (3) Small adult size evolved before both cases of hermaphroditism and viviparous brooding, but viviparity was not always preceded by an intermediate form of external brooding. (4) An ordered transformation series from feeding planktonic development to viviparous brooding has been predicted for starfish, but we could not find an example of this transformation series. (5) Viviparity evolved recently (< 2 Mya). (6) Both species selection and transformation of lineages may have contributed to the accumulation of species with nonfeeding development among these starfish. (7) Neither Asterina nor Patiriella are monophyletic genera. Larval forms and life‐history traits of these starfish have evolved freely under no obvious constraints, contrary to the widely assumed evolutionary conservatism of early development.
AN INVESTIGATION OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TONSILLOLITH AND CAROTID ARTERY CALCIFICATION ON PANORAMIC RADIOGRAPHY

Aim: Carotid artery calcification can results in important vascular obstruction. It is reported that the combination of risk factors such as periodontitis, pulp stones contribute to carotid artery calcification. However in the literature, no study has yet investigated carotid artery calcification with respect to tonsillolith. The objective of this study was to investigate whether carotid artery calcification correlate with tonsillolith using dental panoramic radiography. Material and method: Panoramic radiographs were examined to detect carotid artery calcification and tonsillolith. Results: There was no correlation between the carotid artery calcification and tonsillolith. Conclusion: It can be stated that there is no relationship between carotid artery calcification and tonsillolith.
HOST‐PARASITE COEVOLUTION: EVIDENCE FOR RARE ADVANTAGE AND TIME‐LAGGED SELECTION IN A NATURAL POPULATION

In theory, parasites can create time‐lagged, frequency‐dependent selection in their hosts, resulting in oscillatory gene‐frequency dynamics in both the host and the parasite (the Red Queen hypothesis). However, oscillatory dynamics have not been observed in natural populations. In the present study, we evaluated the dynamics of asexual clones of a New Zealand snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, and its trematode parasites over a five‐year period. During the summer of each year, we determined host‐clone frequencies in random samples of the snail to track genetic changes in the snail population. Similarly, we monitored changes in the parasite population, focusing on the dominant parasite, Microphallus sp. , by calculating the frequency of clones in samples of infected individuals from the same collections. We then compared these results to the results of a computer model that was designed to examine clone frequency dynamics for various levels of parasite virulence. Consistent with these simulations and with ideas regarding dynamic coevolution, parasites responded to common clones in a time‐lagged fashion. Finally, in a laboratory experiment, we found that clones that had been rare during the previous five years were significantly less infectible by Microphallus when compared to the common clones. Taken together, these results confirm that rare host genotypes are more likely to escape infection by parasites; they also show that host‐parasite interactions produce, in a natural population, some of the dynamics anticipated by the Red Queen hypothesis.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT ESTIMATES OF SEED VERSUS POLLEN MOVEMENT WITHIN A POPULATION OF PONDEROSA PINE

We examined the spatial distribution of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA and paternally inherited chloroplast DNA polymorphisms in a permanently marked stand of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws). Movement of maternally inherited mtDNA occurs only via seed dispersal, and mtDNA haplotypes showed significant patch structure. Moreover, individuals within patches identified by mtDNA haplotypes were related approximately as half‐sibs based upon analysis of allozyme genotypes. Thus, seed dispersal is limited within the population, and creates matrilineal clusters in space. By contrast, paternally inherited cpDNA is dispersed by movement of both seed and pollen. Chloroplast DNA polymorphisms showed no evidence of patch structure, but rather a weak (and nonsignificant) trend toward hyperdispersion, suggesting nearly unlimited movement of pollen among trees within this stand. Two of the trees had unique allozyme alleles, which were used to directly measure pollen movement away from those trees. Marked pollen was as likely to disperse across the population as it was to fertilize near neighbors.
Low NT‐proBNP levels in overweight and obese patients do not rule out a diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous syndrome that presents clinicians with a diagnostic challenge. The use of natriuretic peptides to exclude a diagnosis of HFpEF has been proposed. We sought to compare HFpEF patients with N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) level above and below the proposed cut‐off.
The burnout syndrome in geriatric counselors and service workers.

Ths relationship of staff burnout, a debilitating work streas syndrome, to various fonnu of wunterproductive behavior among both geriatric counselors and service workers was examined Major results showed that higher levels of burnout were reliably correlated with greater job dissatisfaction, greater use of alcohol and prescription drugs. more job searches for new employment, and higher illness rates. Burned-out staff also were more negligent at work than nonburned-out staff. The practid implications of these results are discussed Ways to cape with burnout are suggested