Lovers and Friends: Understanding Friends with Benefits Relationships and those Involved

Friends with benefits relationships (FWBRs) are defined as sexual relationships between two individuals who are friends, though they are not emotionally intimate or committed to one another. Little FWBR research has explored who is most likely to become involved in FWBRs and how personality may affect their FWB experiences. With the present study, I examined two aspects of personality that have been strongly implicated in romantic relationship choices and experiences: self-monitoring behavior and attachment styles. Further, I examined relationship closeness in FWBRs and compared the findings to literature reports of other types of relationships. Consistent with predictions, some experiences in FWBRs were influenced by interactions between gender and self-monitoring, as high self-monitoring men participated in more FWBRs and found the relationships to be more satisfying compared to low self-monitoring women. There were also some indications that gender can influence certain aspects of FWBR experiences. FWBR experiences are affected, not just by gender or self-monitoring behavior alone, but by the interaction of the two. Perhaps interactions between gender and other personality traits might also influence the experience of FWBRs. Future research should examine other personality differences in FWB participants to further understand this type of relationship

Floristic composition and variation in late Paleocene to early Eocene floras in North America

The late Paleocene and early Eocene megafossil floras in North America are found primarily in the Williston, Green River, Powder River, Bighorn, and Alberta Basins of the northern Rocky Mountains and Western Interior. A few rare sites occur in the Mississippi Embayment of the Southeast. In contrast to the abrupt floristic changes seen at the K/T boundary, these floras document a gradual transition in species turnover, or, in the case of the Bighorn Basin, a long-term decrease in taxonomic diversity. This gradual transition is also in marked contrast to the rapid speciation among mammals of the early Eocene. Both preservation, and ability to place these floras within a temporal scale, determine how useful they are in assessing floristic changes across the Paleocene-Eocene transition. In some regions such as the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming precise stratigraphic control has allowed for documentation of paleoclimate change at a highly resolved temporal scale. At others, such as the Almont flora of the Williston Basin in North Dakota, exceptional preservation has provided the basis for describing individual taxa with the precision necessary to better understand their evolutionary and biogeographical histories. This study examines well-known plant taxa in the late Paleocene and early Eocene in the context of their depositional settings and temporal and spatial distribution. Integration of paleoecological and taxonomic studies is critical to understanding the evolutionary and depositional history of early Paleocene vegetation of North America

An original phylogenetic approach identified mitochondrial haplogroup T1a1 as inversely associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers

Introduction: Individuals carrying pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair, DNA alterations that can be caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species, a main source of which are mitochondria. Mitochondrial genome variations affect electron transport chain efficiency and reactive oxygen species production. Individuals with different mitochondrial haplogroups differ in their metabolism and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Variability in mitochondrial genetic background can alter reactive oxygen species production, leading to cancer risk. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial haplogroups modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Methods: We genotyped 22,214 (11,421 affected, 10,793 unaffected) mutation carriers belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 for 129 mitochondrial polymorphisms using the iCOGS array. Haplogroup inference and association detection were performed using a phylogenetic approach. ALTree was applied to explore the reference mitochondrial evolutionary tree and detect subclades enriched in affected or unaffected individuals. Results: We discovered that subclade T1a1 was depleted in affected BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with the rest of clade T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.88; P = 0.01). Compared with the most frequent haplogroup in the general population (that is, H and T clades), the T1a1 haplogroup has a HR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.95; P = 0.03). We also identified three potential susceptibility loci, including G13708A/rs28359178, which has demonstrated an inverse association with familial breast cancer risk. Conclusions: This study illustrates how original approaches such as the phylogeny-based method we used can empower classical molecular epidemiological studies aimed at identifying association or risk modification effects.Peer reviewe

Genome-Wide Association Study in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Identifies Novel Loci Associated with Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk

BRCA1-associated breast and ovarian cancer risks can be modified by common genetic variants. To identify further cancer risk-modifying loci, we performed a multi-stage GWAS of 11,705 BRCA1 carriers (of whom 5,920 were diagnosed with breast and 1,839 were diagnosed with ovarian cancer), with a further replication in an additional sample of 2,646 BRCA1 carriers. We identified a novel breast cancer risk modifier locus at 1q32 for BRCA1 carriers (rs2290854, P = 2.7×10-8, HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.20). In addition, we identified two novel ovarian cancer risk modifier loci: 17q21.31 (rs17631303, P = 1.4×10-8, HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38) and 4q32.3 (rs4691139, P = 3.4×10-8, HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38). The 4q32.3 locus was not associated with ovarian cancer risk in the general population or BRCA2 carriers, suggesting a BRCA1-specific associat

Isoetalean Lycopsid Evolution: from the Devonian to the Present

Volume: 91Start Page: 99End Page: 11

Biotic processes in the Okanagan Highlands floras: possible evidence of hybridization in plants adapting to a temperate forest

Hybridization is a key mechanism for increased diversification and speciation among modern plants, and is especially important in certain families such as Rosaceae and Anacardiaceae. This mechanism is found to occur most commonly in areas of ecological disturbance, distribution and migration. Resulting hybrid individuals have characteristic intermediate or mosaic patterns that combine those of the two parents in morphologically distinct and identifiable ways. The diverse latest early Eocene flora of Republic, Washington, USA is among the most collected of the Okanagan Highlands floras. This fossil flora includes relatives of modern taxa that are known to hybridize and produce characteristic patterns of leaf morphology and venation (Rosaceae; Anacardiaceae). In this study we document patterns found in representative fossil leaves that are comparable to those indicative of hybridization in the modern relatives. We use the genera Sorbus L. (Rosaceae) and Rhus L. (Anacardiaceae) as models to demonstrate potential hybridization in the latest early Eocene.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

A review of the plants of the Princeton chert (Eocene, British Columbia, Canada)

The Princeton chert is one of the most completely studied permineralized floras of the Paleogene. Remains of over 30 plant taxa have been described in detail, along with a diverse assemblage of fungi that document a variety of ecological interactions with plants. As a flora of the Okanagan Highlands, the Princeton chert plants are an assemblage of higher elevation taxa of the latest early to early middle Eocene, with some components similar to those in the related compression floras. However, like the well known floras of Clarno, Appian Way, the London Clay, and Messel, the Princeton chert provides an additional dimension of internal structure. In the present study, we outline the history of Princeton chert plant research, starting with Boneham and others, and extending into studies by Stockey and her students and colleagues. These studies were undertaken primarily at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. We then reexamine the individual elements of the Princeton chert flora, using the framework of the currently recognized APG III phylogeny and in light of recent fossil discoveries. We hope that this update will bring to mind new aspects of the significance of the Princeton chert flora to Paleogene paleobiology, biogeography and plant evolution.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author