Decision support for using mobile Rapid DNA analysis at the crime scene.

Mobile Rapid DNA technology is close to being incorporated into crime scene investigations, with the potential to identify a perpetrator within hours. However, the use of these techniques entails the risk of losing the sample and potential evidence, because the device not only consumes the inserted sample, it is also is less sensitive than traditional technologies used in forensic laboratories. Scene of Crime Officers (SoCOs) therefore will face a 'time/success rate trade-off' issue when making a decision to apply this technology. In this study we designed and experimentally tested a Decision Support System (DSS) for the use of Rapid DNA technologies based on Rational Decision Theory (RDT). In a vignette study, where SoCOs had to decide on the use of a Rapid DNA analysis device, participating SoCOs were assigned to either the control group (making decisions under standard conditions), the Success Rate (SR) group (making decisions with additional information on DNA success rates of traces), or the DSS group (making decisions supported by introduction to RDT, including information on DNA success rates of traces). This study provides positive evidence that a systematic approach for decision-making on using Rapid DNA analysis assists SoCOs in the decision to use the rapid device. The results demonstrated that participants using a DSS made different and more transparent decisions on the use of Rapid DNA analysis when different case characteristics were explicitly considered. In the DSS group the decision to apply Rapid DNA analysis was influenced by the factors "time pressure" and "trace characteristics" like DNA success rates. In the SR group, the decisions depended solely on the trace characteristics and in the control group the decisions did not show any systematic differences on crime type or trace characteristic. Guiding complex decisions on the use of Rapid DNA analyses with a DSS could be an important step towards the use of these devices at the crime scene.

Comparative analysis of neurological disorders focuses genome-wide search for autism genes.

The behaviors of autism overlap with a diverse array of other neurological disorders, suggesting common molecular mechanisms. We conducted a large comparative analysis of the network of genes linked to autism with those of 432 other neurological diseases to circumscribe a multi-disorder subcomponent of autism. We leveraged the biological process and interaction properties of these multi-disorder autism genes to overcome the across-the-board multiple hypothesis corrections that a purely data-driven approach requires. Using prior knowledge of biological process, we identified 154 genes not previously linked to autism of which 42% were significantly differentially expressed in autistic individuals. Then, using prior knowledge from interaction networks of disorders related to autism, we uncovered 334 new genes that interact with published autism genes, of which 87% were significantly differentially regulated in autistic individuals. Our analysis provided a novel picture of autism from the perspective of related neurological disorders and suggested a model by which prior knowledge of interaction networks can inform and focus genome-scale studies of complex neurological disorders.

Genetic association between endothelial nitric oxide synthase and Alzheimer disease.

Evidence suggests that vascular and inflammatory factors may be important in the etiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). The Glu/Glu genotype at the Glu298Asp variant of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene has been tested for association with AD in several Caucasian and Asian populations, with conflicting results. We tested the Glu298Asp variant for association in African American and Caucasian AD patients, unaffected siblings, and unrelated controls from the MIRAGE Study. To explore whether the inconsistent results in previous studies might be due to linkage disequilibrium with a polymorphism or haplotype not previously tested, we genotyped 10 additional NOS3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning 25.3 kb. Finally, we compiled results of previous studies of Glu298Asp using meta-analysis, to determine whether the aggregate studies support an association between Glu298Asp and AD. We found that the Glu298 allele was associated with higher risk of AD in the MIRAGE African American (p = 0.002) but not Caucasian (p = 0.9) groups. None of the additional SNPs were associated with AD in the Caucasians, whereas two showed evidence for association in the African Americans. The meta-analysis showed a small effect of the Glu298Asp GG genotype on AD risk across all studies (summary odds ratio = 1.15, 95% confidence interval: 0.97-1.35) and significant heterogeneity of this association among studies (p = 0.02).

Predicates of personal control among middle-aged and young-old men and women in middle America.

These analyses explore relationships between the conscious general sense of control and :1) personal evaluations of major life domains (health, spouse's health, marriage, parenting, work, leisure): and 2) spouse's evaluations of life domains, within groups defined by gender and age. Respondents include 101 men and 127 women; all are Caucasian; they reside in a middle-class community in the midwestern United States; they are aged forty-three to seventy-six (M = 56); they are all in long-term marriages, with an average of 4.4 children; and 73 percent had at least one child living at home. Evaluations of life domains included self-report satisfaction and investment scales completed after personal interview questions about the domain. There were no gender differences and minimal age differences in levels of sense of control or evaluations of the life domains. However, as expected, multiple regression analyses indicated that the evaluations that contribute to a sense of control vary by gender and be age group within gender group. For men, the sense of control is linked to experiences in work; for younger middle-aged men, satisfaction with health is important; and for older men, investment in marriage is also important. Younger middle-aged women's sense of mastery is tied to satisfaction with mothering and investment in their own health; older women's sense of control is linked to satisfaction with marriage, health, and leisure. Age group patterns may reflect both developmental and cohort effects.