Music and dance as a coalition signaling system

Evidence suggests that humans have neurological specializations for music processing, but a compelling adaptationist account of music and dance is lacking. The sexual selection hypothesis cannot easily account for the widespread performance of music and dance in groups (especially synchronized performances), and the social bonding hypothesis has severe theoretical difficulties. Humans are unique among the primates in their ability to form cooperative alliances between groups in the absence of consanguineal ties. We propose that this unique form of social organization is predicated on music and dance. Music and dance may have evolved as a coalition signaling system that could, among other things, credibly communicate coalition quality, thus permitting meaningful cooperative relationships between groups. This capability may have evolved from coordinated territorial defense signals that are common in many social species, including chimpanzees. We present a study in which manipulation of music synchrony significantly altered subjects’ perceptions of music quality, and in which subjects’ perceptions of music quality were correlated with their perceptions of coalition quality, supporting our hypothesis. Our hypothesis also has implications for the evolution of psychological mechanisms underlying cultural production in other domains such as food preparation, clothing and body decoration, storytelling and ritual, and tools and other artifacts

Modified One man Beach Profiling Method

A vapid one-man, beach profiling method is presented. The scheme is based upon a 1.5 x l.5 m H-shaped frame and uses the earth's horizon as a level. A small correction must be applied to readings to correct for the Earth's curvature. Measurement error in the method decreases with increased packing of sediment but is independent of grain size. Profiles plotted using this scheme are replicable and similar in slope and shape to ones surveyed using instrument levelling

Wave Climate Effects Upon Changing Barrier Island Morphology, Kouchibouguac Bay, New Brunswick

A quandary as to the role of storms in initiating barrier island morphological change in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has been posed by recent research. Although major changes are evident from historical documentation, none of the processes responsible hos been witnessed since 1970. Detailed calculations of the nearshore wave power climate have been used in conjunction with historical evidence and short term profile measurements between 1970-1978 to resolve this problem in Kouchibouguac Bay, New Brunswick. Although the individual effects of seasonal storms are random along these barrier islands, the additive effects do reflect the overall nearshore wave climate. Greatest change has been wrought in those areas having highest wave power components normal and parallel to shore. If barrier segments susceptible to modification can be predicted for Kouchibouguac Bay, definition of nearshore wave climates could be used to determine such changes elsewhere in the Gulf

Systems Genetics of DNA Damage Tolerance – Cisplatin, RAD5 & CRISPR-mediated Nonsense

DNA sequence information is constantly threatened by damage. In the clinic, intentional DNA damage is often used to treat cancer. Cisplatin, a first-line chemotherapy used to treat millions of patients, functions specifically by generating physical links within DNA strands, blocking DNA replication, and killing dividing cells. To maintain genome integrity, organisms have evolved the capacity to repair, respond, or otherwise resist change to the DNA sequence through a network of genetically encoded DNA damage tolerance pathways. In chapter 1, I present advances in experimental design and current progress for a systems genetics approach, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to reveal relationships between cisplatin tolerance pathways. Additionally, recent efforts to sequence thousands of cancer genomes have revealed recurrent genetic changes that cause overexpression of specific cisplatin tolerance genes. In chapter 2, I present a submitted manuscript that models overexpression of an essential cisplatin tolerance gene. This study uses a systems genetics approach to reveal the genetic pathways that are essential for tolerating this perturbation, which ultimately led to mechanistic insights for this gene. Convenient genome engineering in Saccharomyces has made this organism an ideal model to develop systems genetics concepts and approaches. In chapter 3, I present a published manuscript that demonstrates a new approach to disrupting genes by making site-specific nonsense mutations. Importantly, this approach does not require cytotoxic double-strand DNA breaks and is applicable to many model organisms for disrupting almost any gene, which may advance systems genetics into new model organisms. Systems genetics provides a framework for determining how DNA damage tolerance pathways act together to maintain cellular fitness and genome integrity. Such insights may one day help clinicians predict which cancers will respond to treatment, potentially sparing patients from unnecessary chemotherapy

Summary of television viewing habits of 3,283 students in the vicinity of Greater Boston.

Thesis (M.V.C.)--Boston Universit

Sunspot and MN tidal effects on Stanwell Park, NSW, beach change, 1895-1980

Beach change on Stanwell Park beach has been linked to sea-level fluctuations and annual rainfall such that a 1-cm rise in sea-level and a 100-mm increase in rainfall results respectively in 0.45m and 0.8m of beach retreat. Both variables are related to the Southern Oscillation, which has worldwide climatic teleconnections. Research in NSW and elsewhere indicates that the 11- and 22-year sunspot cycles and 18.6-year MN lunar cycle may affect some sea-level and rainfall records. None of these astronomical variables was found to relate to beach retreat at Stanwell Park more than any of the meteorological or oceanographic variables

The magnitude and nature of \u27noise\u27 in world sea-level records

While average world sea-level is rising at a uniform rate of 1-1.5 mm yr-1, regional rates can vary by an order of magnitude. Over time scales of several years these rates can be 10-100 times greater because sea-level is affected at this scale by highly changeable meteorological and oceanographic variables. The inherent noise level in world sea-level records is 35 mm. Much of this is expressed as fluctuations on the order of 20-100 mm with a frequency of 3-5 years. This latter noise is highly coherent at tide gauges around the globe and appears unrelated to resonance or wave excitation in oceans. It is suggested that this variability reflects changes in the world hydrological budget linked to the Southern Oscillation. This latter phenomenon relates to the strength of trade winds in the tropical Pacific Ocean and can generate significant drying followed by flooding over continental landmasses

“A small leak will sink a great ship”: hypoxia-inducible factor and group III pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension complicating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, also known as secondary pulmonary hypertension, represents a major source of morbidity and mortality in affected patients. While the study of primary pulmonary arterial hypertension has yielded several therapies, the same is not true for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension secondary to pulmonary fibrosis. Recent studies have indicated an important role of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) – a regulatory protein that is vital in adaptation to hypoxic conditions – in the development of secondary pulmonary hypertension. HIF influences development of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension through alteration in voltage-gated potassium channels and homeostatic calcium regulation, resulting in disruption of endothelial cell-cell communication, and eventual vascular remodeling. This article summarizes salient literature related to HIF and secondary pulmonary hypertension, in addition to proposing a final common pathway in known mechanistic pathways that result in endothelial barrier integrity loss – vascular “leak” – primarily through a shared endothelial-epithelial signaling protein family, CCN