This analysis of 2,106 cases of severe mental retardation found that only 20% of these cases could have been prevented (41% of the cases with genetic etiology and 46% of the cases with environmental causes), assuming full utilization of currently available medical and/or educational knowledge and interventions. (DB)

Investigates the effect of journal self-citedness on "Journal Citation Reports" (JCR) rankings of library and information science and genetics journals using data from 1994 on CD-ROM. Results for library and information science indicate that the effect of self-citedness on both JCR impact factor and total citation rankings was minimal.…

Presents an exercise to be used after students have been introduced to Mendelian genetics and the Punnett square. Allows students to grasp the mechanics of Mendelian genetics. (DDR)

Focuses on student capacity to develop and assess arguments during a high school genetics instructional sequence, and on the location distinction in argumentation discourse between "doing science" vs. "doing school" or "doing the lesson". (Contains 37 references.) (Author/YDS)

Describes the development of a template for interactive case studies that was used for an online continuing medical education course on genetics for health care providers. Discusses goals of the template system, including the production of additional case studies with no additional programming costs and easy updating capabilities. (LRW)

A reaction to Sowell's book raises issues about behaviorally based diagnoses, stressing that developmental disorders are behaviorally defined dimensions along a continuum with no crisp partition between normalcy and disorders. It sees developmental disorders as usually the expression of extremely complex, multigenic influences on brain…

Describes evolutionary developmental psychology as the study of the genetic and ecological mechanisms that govern the development of social and cognitive competencies common to all human beings and the epigenetic (gene-environment interactions) processes that adapt these competencies to local conditions. Outlines basic assumptions and domains of…

Reviews recent research on the etiologies of autism, including genetic research, anatomic and neuroimaging studies, topics in neurophysiology research (including serotonin, dopamine, and opiods), immunologic research, studies of autism phenotype, and electroencephalographic studies. It concludes that, as of yet, research has found no clear…

Examines the outcomes of a unit that integrates explicit teaching of general reasoning patterns into the teaching of a specific science content. Focuses on the teaching of argumentation skills in the context of dilemmas in human genetics. (Contains 50 references.) (Author/YDS)

Uses DNA laboratories to apply three different active learning strategies to undergraduate education: (1) teaming students; (2) opening laboratories; and (3) linking experiments. Discusses the effectiveness of the stream method on student attitudes and understanding. (YDS)

Provides information on the experiences of 50 children displaced during Argentina's "dirty war" of the 1970s who underwent DNA and protein analysis and subsequently were reunited with their biological families. Considers not only genetic evidence but the moral, political, and emotional dimensions of these children's stories as well.…

In this article, the authors examined the genetic and environmental factors influencing expressive language development in a sample of 386 toddler twin pairs participating in the Wisconsin Twin Project. Expressive language was assessed using 2 measures from the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories-Short Form: Total Vocabulary and…

Objective: To review the past 10 years of published research on psychiatric aspects of child and adolescent obesity and highlight information mental health professionals need for preventing obesity in youths and diagnosing and treating it. Method: Researchers performed computerized and manual searches of the literature and summarized the most…

Objective: To examine the development of first-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) in children at high and low familial risk for depression in a prospective study. Method: High-risk children (n = 76) who were free of any lifetime affective disorder and had at least one first-degree and one second-degree relative with a lifetime history of…

This article introduces the subject of bioprospecting to students. It is a very old biotechnology that involves some very new techniques. Genetic engineering and other processes allow biologists, chemists, and biotechnologists to collect microorganisms and change them in ways that previously were not possible. Organisms that thrive under adverse…