Is There an Association between Temperament and Apolipoprotein E? A Replication of a 1993 Young Finns Study

Background: An association between apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene polymorphism and temperament has been found in the Young Finns cohort. Motor activity in childhood and mental vitality, sociability and positive emotionality in adolescence were associated with apoE. Two research groups have attempted to replicate these findings but no associations have been found. Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to confirm the original findings with new and more reliable genotyping from a larger sample derived from the same Young Finns Study as the original finding.Methods: The study included 2808 participants aged 3 - 18 years in 1980. The same methods in assessing temperament were used as in the original study. Temperament was operationalized as motor activity, cooperativeness, negative emotionality, mental vitality, sociability and positive emotionality. Temperament was assessed by participants’ mothers in 1980 and 1983 and self-rated in 1983 by adolescent participants. Results: Motor activity was not associated with apoE polymerphisms. All other previous results were replicated. Adolescents’ positive emotionality, mental vitality and sociability were associated with apoE. Conclusions: The results indicated that there is an association between temperament and apoE. The previous absence of association between temperament and apoE in the replication studies may be due to the fact that researchers used different dimensions of temperament and thus probably studied different phenomena. Cultural differences in personality assessment might also explain the contradictory findings.

Genetic behavior of Triticum aestivum–Dasypyrum villosum translocation chromosomes T6V#4S·6DL and T6V#2S·6AL carrying powdery mildew resistance

T6V#2S·6AL and T6V#4S·6DL translocation chromosomes developed from the cross of wheat and different Dasypyrum villosum accessions have good powdery mildew （PM） resistance, but their pairing and pyramiding behavior remains unclear. Results in this study indicated that the pairing frequency rate of the two differently originated 6VS chromosomes in their F1 hybrid was 18.9% according to genomic in situ hybridization （GISH）; the PM resistance plants in the F2 generation from the cross between T6V#4S·6DL translocation line Pm97033 and its PM susceptible wheat variety Wan7107 was fewer than expected. However, the ratio of the resistant vs. the susceptible plants of 15：1 in the F2 generation derived from the cross between the two translocation lines of T6V#2S·6AL and T6V#4S·6DL fitted well. Plants segregation ratio （homozygous：heterozygous：lacking） revealed by molecular marker for T6V#4S·6DL or T6V#2S·6AL in their F2 populations fitted the expected values of 1：2：1 well, inferring that the pairing of the two alien chromosome arms facilitates the transmission of T6V#4S·6DL from the F1 to the F2 generation. A quadrivalent was also observed in 21% of pollen mother cells （PMCs） of homozygote plants containing the two pairs of translocated chromosomes. The chromosome pairing between 6V#2S and 6V#4S indicates that it will be possible to obtain recombinants and clarify if the PM resistance determinant on one alien chromosome arm is different from that on the other.

CREATION OF OPTIMAL MOVEMENT STRATEGY OF PLURAL MOVING OB-JECTS BY GA

The topographic information of a closed world is expressed as a graph. The plural mov- ingobjects which go and back in it according to a single moving strategy are supposed.The moving strategy is expressed by numerical values as a decision table. Coding is performed with this table as chromosomes, and this is optimized by using genetic algorithm. These environments were realized on a computer, and the simulation was carried out. As the result, the learning of the method to act so that moving objects do not obstruct mutually was recognized, and it was confirmed that these methods are effective for optimizing moving strategy.