Random Words, Toeplitz Determinants and Integrable Systems. I

It is proved that the limiting distribution of the length of the longest weakly increasing subsequence in an inhomogeneous random word is related to the distribution function for the eigenvalues of a certain direct sum of Gaussian unitary ensembles subject to an overall constraint that the eigenvalues lie in a hyperplane.Comment: 15 pages, no figure

Faculty Recital, Tabatha Easley, flute

Tabatha Easley, flute and Tracy Cowden, pian

How Newspapers in Kansas Are Using News Releases from K-State Research and Extension

This study looks at how newspaper editors in Kansas use news releases from Kansas State University Research and Extension (KSRE), which distributes more than 700 news releases annually to newspapers across the state. An analysis of clippings over 10 weeks showed that editors rarely change the original text or headline in KSRE news releases, and more than half of the releases were published within 10 days of release. KSRE news releases were published in all regions of Kansas. Using a formula to determine the advertising equivalency value of news clips, the data indicates a value of $33,286.94 for the sample studied. The findings provide one way in which to report accountability to the organization’s administrators, as well as a better understanding of possible areas of improvement for the KSRE news office

From evidence-based research to practice-based evidence : disseminating a web-based computer-tailored workplace sitting intervention through a health promotion organisation

Prolonged sitting has been linked to adverse health outcomes; therefore, we developed and examined a web-based, computer-tailored workplace sitting intervention. As we had previously shown good effectiveness, the next stage was to conduct a dissemination study. This study reports on the dissemination efforts of a health promotion organisation, associated costs, reach achieved, and attributes of the website users. The organisation systematically registered all the time and resources invested to promote the intervention. Website usage statistics (reach) and descriptive statistics (website users' attributes) were also assessed. Online strategies (promotion on their homepage; sending e-mails, newsletters, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts to professional partners) were the main dissemination methods. The total time investment was 25.6 h, which cost approximately 845 EUR in salaries. After sixteen months, 1599 adults had visited the website and 1500 (93.8%) completed the survey to receive personalized sitting advice. This sample was 38.3 +/- 11.0 years, mainly female (76.9%), college/university educated (89.0%), highly sedentary (88.5% sat >8 h/day) and intending to change (93.0%) their sitting. Given the small time and money investment, these outcomes are positive and indicate the potential for wide-scale dissemination. However, more efforts are needed to reach men, non-college/university educated employees, and those not intending behavioural change

Genetic networks controlled by the bacterial replication initiator and transcription factor DnaA in Bacillus subtilis

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computational and Systems Biology Program, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. "September 2013."Includes bibliographical references (pages 54-60).DnaA is the bacterial replication initiator, which also functions as a transcription factor to regulate gene expression. In B. subtilis, DnaA has previously been shown to repress its own transcription and has also been implicated in directing part of the transcriptional response to replication stress. Because dnaA is essential, most of DnaA's potential effects on gene expression have been determined through indirect methods, which have implemented perturbations in replication and sequence analyses to predict direct effects of DnaA transcriptional regulation. Below, I take a more direct approach to assay DnaA's effect on gene expression and specific transcriptional regulatory networks by deleting dnaA in an oriN+ [delta]oriC strain background, which renders dnaA non-essential. Isogenic dnaA+ cells were constructed similarly and have dnaA constitutively expressed from an ectopic locus. In this background, DNA replication no longer depends on dnaA and is initiated instead by a plasmid replicon, oriN. The native origin of replication, oriC, is also deleted to eliminate differences in replication between [delta]dnaA and dnaA+ cells. Consequently, I can directly compare differences in gene expression due to the presence versus absence of dnaA. Deletion of dnaA results in approximately 463 significant differences in gene expression, most of which I show are due to DnaA direct activation of the gene sda. Many of these genes lie downstream of Sda activity and comprise several regulons, such as the Spo0A, AbrB, and SinR regulons. These regulons are known to become active during the transition from exponential growth to stationary phase. In addition to the many effects on gene expression, I show that deletion of dnaA results in lowered competence development. I also revisit the transcriptional response to replication stress and show that some of the previously predicted targets of DnaA respond to replication stress in a DnaA-dependent manner. Lastly, in collaboration with others, I have studied the relationship between a DnaA regulator, YabA and a nucleoid binding protein Rok. YabA and Rok associate at some of the same chromosomal regions, and at these regions YabA absolutely depends on Rok for its association. We are currently trying to understand the functional relationship between YabA, Rok, and DnaA.by Tracy Washington.Ph.D

Promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour can minimise the risk of suicidal behaviours among adolescents

Suicide is a leading cause of premature mortality and a major public health concern (1). It is more common in low‐ and middle‐income countries like Bangladesh, where the rate is 39.6 per 100,000 population, compared to the estimated global average of 11.4 (2). Adolescents represent more than one‐fifth of the Bangladeshi population (3), but there is limited information on how health behaviours like physical activity (PA) affect suicidal thoughts and behaviours in this vulnerable group. Identifying potentially modifiable risk behaviours is essential to reduce the country's adolescent suicide rate

The 2003 Cape Area Study (CAS 3): A User's Guide

The Cape Area Study (CAS) comprises an ongoing series of surveys conducted in Cape Town.?The surveys have covered and will continue to cover a wide range of topics.?Over time, however, CAS will have a quality that is unique in South Africa (and perhaps Africa as a whole), in that there will be an accumulation of data on a focused social setting across a span of time, such that the value of the 'whole' is substantially greater than the 'sum of the parts'. CAS is modelled on the Detroit Area Study, conducted annually since 1951 by the University of Michigan

The Influence of Habitat and Environment on Smallmouth Bass (\u3ci\u3eMicropterus dolomieu\u3c/i\u3e) Nest Sites and Nest Success in Northern Lake Michigan

Information on smallmouth bass nesting ecology is lacking in northern Lake Michigan, despite available information for other Great Lakes ecosystems. Our objectives were to identify factors that influenced nesting sites and nest success in a smallmouth bass population in northern Lake Michigan. Temperature, substrate firmness, and lake bottom rugosity were measured and related to the number of smallmouth bass nests in four bays. We also investigated the role of temperature, effective fetch, and storms to explain nest success. Temperature appeared to be most important in explaining the number of nests and nest success; transects that experienced the greatest number of cumulative degree days above 15 °C during nesting contained more nests and increased nest success. Our results suggest that warmer areas during spawning in northern latitude lentic systems should be protected from anthropogenic disturbances because these areas may be important for future recruitment of smallmouth bass