Anatomic brain asymmetry in vervet monkeys.

Asymmetry is a prominent feature of human brains with important functional consequences. Many asymmetric traits show population bias, but little is known about the genetic and environmental sources contributing to inter-individual variance. Anatomic asymmetry has been observed in Old World monkeys, but the evidence for the direction and extent of asymmetry is equivocal and only one study has estimated the genetic contributions to inter-individual variance. In this study we characterize a range of qualitative and quantitative asymmetry measures in structural brain MRIs acquired from an extended pedigree of Old World vervet monkeys (n = 357), and implement variance component methods to estimate the proportion of trait variance attributable to genetic and environmental sources. Four of six asymmetry measures show pedigree-level bias and one of the traits has a significant heritability estimate of about 30%. We also found that environmental variables more significantly influence the width of the right compared to the left prefrontal lobe

Controlling weeds in alfalfa

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Sequencing strategies and characterization of 721 vervet monkey genomes for future genetic analyses of medically relevant traits

Background We report here the first genome-wide high-resolution polymorphism resource for non-human primate (NHP) association and linkage studies, constructed for the Caribbean-origin vervet monkey, or African green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus), one of the most widely used NHPs in biomedical research. We generated this resource by whole genome sequencing (WGS) of monkeys from the Vervet Research Colony (VRC), an NIH-supported research resource for which extensive phenotypic data are available. Results We identified genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by WGS of 721 members of an extended pedigree from the VRC. From high-depth WGS data we identified more than 4 million polymorphic unequivocal segregating sites; by pruning these SNPs based on heterozygosity, quality control filters, and the degree of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between SNPs, we constructed genome-wide panels suitable for genetic association (about 500,000 SNPs) and linkage analysis (about 150,000 SNPs). To further enhance the utility of these resources for linkage analysis, we used a further pruned subset of the linkage panel to generate multipoint identity by descent matrices. Conclusions The genetic and phenotypic resources now available for the VRC and other Caribbean-origin vervets enable their use for genetic investigation of traits relevant to human diseases

Monitoring root disease mortality : establishment report

Two thousand and thirty-nine trees on 213 plots are being monitored yearly for root disease infection and mortality. Three compartments on the Fernan Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests are the site of the project. Relationships between factors such as species, aspect, slope, elevation, habitat type, stand appearance on aerial photography, plot root disease severity ratings, and measured volume losses due to root disease mortality are being evaluated. Effective means of judging past and future losses in root disease-affected stands are sought

Exome sequencing of Finnish isolates enhances rare-variant association power.

Exome-sequencing studies have generally been underpowered to identify deleterious alleles with a large effect on complex traits as such alleles are mostly rare. Because the population of northern and eastern Finland has expanded considerably and in isolation following a series of bottlenecks, individuals of these populations have numerous deleterious alleles at a relatively high frequency. Here, using exome sequencing of nearly 20,000 individuals from these regions, we investigate the role of rare coding variants in clinically relevant quantitative cardiometabolic traits. Exome-wide association studies for 64 quantitative traits identified 26 newly associated deleterious alleles. Of these 26 alleles, 19 are either unique to or more than 20 times more frequent in Finnish individuals than in other Europeans and show geographical clustering comparable to Mendelian disease mutations that are characteristic of the Finnish population. We estimate that sequencing studies of populations without this unique history would require hundreds of thousands to millions of participants to achieve comparable association power

Genetic variation and gene expression across multiple tissues and developmental stages in a non-human primate

By analyzing multitissue gene expression and genome-wide genetic variation data in samples from a vervet monkey pedigree, we generated a transcriptome resource and produced the first catalog of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) in a nonhuman primate model. This catalog contains more genome-wide significant eQTLs per sample than comparable human resources and identifies sex- and age-related expression patterns. Findings include a master regulatory locus that likely has a role in immune function and a locus regulating hippocampal long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), whose expression correlates with hippocampal volume. This resource will facilitate genetic investigation of quantitative traits, including brain and behavioral phenotypes relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders

An assessment of chloride-associated, and other roadside tree damage, on the Selway Road, Nez Perce National Forest

Tree damage following dust abatement/road stabilization treatment was evaluated on 12.5 miles of the Selway River Road, Nez Perce National Forest. Calcium chloride was applied in June of 2000, mostly at a rate of 51b/yd2 (18,600 lb./acre) or 6.9 lb/yd 2 (25,700 lb/acre). 1,189 trees up to 30 feet from the road were examined in June 2001 and again in December 2001. Western redcedar and Douglas-fir were most damaged by the chloride. Ponderosa pine was the most tolerant of the tree species. Severity of damage was associated with tree species, proximity of trees to road, and CaCl2 application rates. Cedar foliage samples collected in November 2001 from symptomatic trees near treated road averaged nearly seven times more chloride ion concentration than the controls. Treated Douglas-fir averaged 50 times more and ponderosa pine average 30 times more than their respective controls. As of December 2001, 12% of cedars were dead and another 18% appear to be dying. Douglas-fir fared worse with 29% dead and 12% dying. Grand fir and ponderosa pine had only 6% and 4%, respectively, dead or dying

Needlecasts of Scots pine Christmas trees in western Montana

Needlecast fungi were found on 95 percent of damage collections in a June survey of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) Christmas tree plantations in the Kalispell Basin western Montana. Western gall rust (Endocronartium harknessii) and pine bark aphids (Pineus sp.) were present on 6.6 and 2.5 percent of collections, respectively. Cylcaneusma minus was the most prevalent needlecast pathogen. Type 2 Leptostroma and Lophodermella concolor also were common. Mature apothecia of Lophodermium setitiosum were common in August collections. Control strategies for these needlecast diseases are discussed

'Prove me the bam!': victimization and agency in the lives of young women who commit violent offences

This article reviews the evidence regarding young women’s involvement in violent crime and, drawing on recent research carried out in HMPYOI Cornton Vale in Scotland, provides an overview of the characteristics, needs and deeds of young women sentenced to imprisonment for violent offending. Through the use of direct quotations, the article suggests that young women’s anger and aggression is often related to their experiences of family violence and abuse, and the acquisition of a negative worldview in which other people are considered as being 'out to get you' or ready to 'put one over on you'. The young women survived in these circumstances, not by adopting discourses that cast them as exploited victims, but by drawing on (sub)cultural norms and values which promote pre-emptive violence and the defence of respect. The implications of these findings for those who work with such young women are also discussed