An educational program to overcome language and cultural barriers to genetic services

Providing genetic services to families who do not speak English and whose cultures are quite diverse presents a unique challenge to genetic specialists. One approach that is being employed successfully is the use of specially trained genetic assistants to provide outreach, case finding, referral, support, interpretation, advocacy, and follow-up counseling. A basic genetic assistant training program for five bicultural/bilingual Southeast Asian case managers is described. The course syllabus can be used to train health workers who represent a variety of cultures and languages.     

Professional preparation of individuals who provide genetic counseling services

An unprecedented increase has occurred in demand for genetic counseling services during the current decade. This study examined the complex issue of who currently provides genetic counseling services and the professional preparation of these personnel. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 325 genetic counseling professionals in the southeastern United States who were members of the Southeast Regional Genetics Group (SERGG), National Society of Genetic Counselors, or American Society of Human Genetics States; 204 completed the questionnaire (63%). Seventy percent of respondents were female and 30% were male. Thirty percent of respondents held MD degrees; nine physicians held PhD degrees. Most physicians were male. Thirty-two percent of respondents held master's degrees in genetic counseling; five counselors held PhD degrees. Twenty-three percent of respondents were nurses; eight nurses held master's degrees. Three percent of respondents were social workers. Individuals with other degrees, such as an associate of science in medical technology and a doctoral degree in education, also provided genetic counseling. Genetic counseling typically involved a team effort, consisting mainly of physicians and genetic counselors. Most respondents reported college coursework in human genetics, supervised training, and seminar/workshop training. Thirty percent reported college coursework in counseling techniques, supervised training, and seminar/workshop training. Policy recommendations are offered concerning professional preparation of genetic counselors.     

RESPONSE TO MY CRITICS: THE LIFE OF CHRISTIAN RACIAL FORMS IN MODERN SCIENCE

In what follows, I first deal with some of the major philosophical objections raised against my claim that Christian thought has given us racial science. Then, I take on points of dispute surrounding my use of Hans Blumenberg's notion of reoccupation to explain the recurrence of Christian forms within modern scientific thinking. Finally, I address some historiographic issues surrounding my assessment of Johann Blumenbach and the origins of racial science.     

Facile route to synthesising mesoporous SBA-15 using phosphoric acid

A facile route has been developed to synthesise mesoporous SBA-15 using mild H₃PO₄ (replacing the most commonly used strong acid HC1) as the medium and the effects of H₃PO₄ concentration and synthesis temperature on the mesostructure and morphology of the resultant materials investigated. The results demonstrate that a more ordered structure can be obtained at low H₃PO₄ concentration (1–2?M), while a higher H₃PO₄ concentration (3–4?M) results in a less ordered structure. Furthermore, the morphology of SBA-15 particles transforms from rod-like to sphere-like with increasing H₃PO₄ concentration.     

人类基本数学能力的进化证据

数学能力是人类重要的高级认知能力。人类的基本数学能力从进化上而言是一种适应性的表现,对个体的生存和繁衍有重要的意义。近年来比较心理学研究发现,成年人、婴儿的基本数学能力的行为表现和脑神经机制与其它物种相似,分子遗传学研究表明基本数学能力具有一定的遗传性。这些发现有助于人们更深刻地理解基本数学能力的本质及发生发展机制。     

发展行为遗传学简介

发展行为遗传学是发展心理学与行为遗传学的交叉学科, 旨在探明遗传与环境对人类心理与行为发展是否存在影响, 如何产生影响, 以及该影响及其作用机制是否随年龄增长而发展变化的问题。该学科与行为遗传学在研究对象、设计和内容等方面存在不同; 开展发展行为遗传学研究需要综合运用心理测量法和行为遗传学研究方法; 未来研究应拓宽和深化候选基因与行为关联性的考察, 并着力探析基因与环境的相互作用机制。     

COMT基因对注意控制神经基础的调控效应：影像遗传学研究的元分析

为探索注意控制能力个体差异的遗传来源, 当前研究主要关注儿茶酚胺氧位甲基转移酶(catechol-O-Methyltransferase, COMT)基因对参与注意控制加工的前额叶脑区的调控作用。为进一步回答COMT基因是否也对全脑范围的注意脑区具有调控作用, 本文对17篇遗传影像学研究进行元分析。结果发现, COMT基因Val/Val (vv)基因型的被试在注意控制任务下, 不仅前额叶脑区的激活水平高于Met/Met(mm)基因型的被试, 在前扣带回和后扣带回等前额叶之外的脑区激活水平也高于mm基因型的被试, 而且在这些脑区的效应值(vv>mm)都较大(Cohen’s d > 0.8)。由此, 元分析结果表明：COMT基因不仅调控前额叶脑区, 而且对形成注意控制网络的多个脑区都有调控效应。此结果提示注意控制能力的个体差异可能部分的来自于COMT基因对注意控制网络的调控作用。     

人格行为遗传学研究的两类取向

随着行为主义衰落和生物学技术发展,长期遭受“冷遇”的人格行为遗传学研究近些年成为颇受关注的领域,并由数量遗传学取向发展到分子遗传学取向.数量遗传学取向主张运用双生子研究、收养研究等设计来估计群体中遗传因素对人格表现型方差的贡献率,在人格特质、人格障碍、态度与偏好等人格方面做了大量研究.分子遗传学取向主张在DNA水平上用基因测定方法研究特定基因对人格表现型的影响效应,着重从多巴胺、5-羟色胺和去甲肾上腺素三种神经递质路径考察了基因与人格的关系.未来研究要强调在数量遗传设计中加入对特定基因型的直接测量,注重多学科和多范式的有效整合,扩大对健康人群积极人格品质的研究,加强基因对人格的深层作用机制研究和分子医学层面的人格干预研究.     

语言——自然选择的一种适应

该文认为人类的语言能力是一种生物学意义上的适应,是自然选择的产物。人类的语言与自然界中其它复杂的生物学适应相类似,也具有特定的机能。语言的特定机能在于编码叙事性信息并与他人分享,这与人类认知活动中因果推理所具有的高度社会性特点相一致。两个新的研究领域,进化博弈理论和分子进化选择理论,都证实了语言是一种受到自然选择的进化适应     

Predatory aggression in lines of wild mice selected for interfemale aggression

Mice descending from lines previously selected for high and low levels of interfemale aggression and from a nonselected control line were exposed to live crickets on two consecutive test days. Latencies both to attack and to eat the cricket were recorded. No line or sex differences in attacking were found, although latency to attack decreased over test days. Control line mice were more likely to engage in the eating of the cricket than either the high or low selected lines, suggesting that the selection procedure may have dissociated attacking and eating components of predatory behavior.