Methods of computing deque sortable permutations given complete and incomplete information

The problem of determining which permutations can be sorted using certain switchyard networks dates back to Knuth in 1968. In this work, we are interested in permutations which are sortable on a double-ended queue (called a deque), or on two parallel stacks. In 1982, Rosenstiehl and Tarjan presented an O(n) algorithm for testing whether a given permutation was sortable on parallel stacks. In the same paper, they also presented a modification giving O(n) test for sortability on a deque. We demonstrate a slight error in the version of their algorithm for testing deque sortability, and present a fix for this problem. The general enumeration problem for both of these classes of permutations remains unsolved. What is known is that the growth rate of both classes is approximately Theta(8^n), so computing the number of sortable permutations of length n, even for small values of n, is difficult to do using any method that must evaluate each sortable permutation individually. As far as we know, the number of deque sortable permutations was known only up to n=14. This was computed using algorithms which effectively generate all sortable permutations. By using the symmetries inherent in the execution of Tarjan's algorithm, we have developed a new dynamic programming algorithm which can count the number of sortable permutations in both classes in O(n^5 2^n) time, allowing the calculation of the number of deque and parallel stack sortable permutation for much higher values of n than was previously possible.Comment: dartmouth senior honors thesis advised by Peter Doyle and Scot Drysdale 45 pages, 9 figure

Amphibian Community Similarity Between Natural Ponds And Constructed Ponds Of Multiple Types In Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky

Amphibians are in a worldwide decline. Among the many causes for amphibian declines, habitat loss and alteration remains one of the most significant. A lack of federal protection for isolated wetlands that provide habitat for unique species has resulted in the loss of breeding habitat and unregulated mitigation practices. Ponds built for mitigation purposes often do not replicate the lost ponds in structure or ecological processes. A lack of general monitoring has produced a void in knowledge of what long-term role constructed ponds play in shaping amphibian communities. My objective was to compare amphibian communities of natural ponds and multiple types of constructed ponds in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky. A suite of habitat variables including canopy cover, hydroperiod, upland coarse woody debris, aquatic vegetation, maximum depth, Ohio Wetland Rapid Assessment Score (ORAM), and pond type were recorded to examine relationships between amphibian species and habitat variables. Community comparisons were made using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and one-way analysis of similarity (ANOSIM). Stepwise regression models were developed to predict individual species abundance based on the habitat variables. Amphibian communities differed significantly between ponds types (natural, new construction method, old construction method). Additionally, wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum) were almost exclusively found in natural, ephemeral ponds, whereas large ranid frogs (R. clamitans, R. catesbeiana, R. palustris) were only found breeding in permanent, constructed ponds. Habitat predictors for some species showed differing preferences for hydroperiod, canopy cover, maximum depth, ORAM score, and amount of upland coarse woody debris. New construction methods were intermediate between old construction method and natural ponds in terms of habitat variables and amphibian community composition. As amphibian conservation and management become increasingly important in light of rapid declines, the ability to construct habitat and monitor it efficiently will be crucial in preservation of species. The results of this research underscore the need for monitoring of constructed wetlands in order to verify if goals are met and to assess ecological condition

The association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic risk in children is mediated by abdominal adiposity: the HAPPY study

Background: It is unclear whether cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is independently linked to cardiometabolic risk in children. This study investigated a) the association between CRF level and presence of cardiometabolic risk disorders using health-related cut points, and b) whether these associations were mediated by abdominal adiposity in children. Methods: This was a cross-sectional design study. Anthropometry, biochemical parameters and CRF were assessed in 147 schoolchildren (75 girls) aged 10-14 years. CRF was determined using a maximal cycle ergometer test. Children were classified as ‘fit’ or ‘unfit’ according to published thresholds. Logistic regression was used to investigate the odds of having individual and clustered cardiometabolic risk factors according to CRF level and whether abdominal adiposity mediated these associations. Results: Children classified as unfit had increased odds of presenting individual and clustered cardiometabolic risk factors (p 0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that the association between CRF and cardiometabolic risk is mediated by abdominal adiposity in 10-14 year-old children and that abdominal adiposity may be a more important determinant of adverse cardiometabolic health in this age group

Memoir as Contemplative Practice for Peace and Justice

In this paper we examine the relationship between mindfulness, memoir, and critical pedagogy.  We propose that memoir links critical pedagogy and contemplative practice, furthering the goals of both.  This proposal is rooted in an analysis of three years’ worth of memoirs prepared by students in a Peace and Justice Studies course.  Our study shows that the pedagogical strategy we have employed assists students’ increased self-awareness as well as insight regarding their inter-connectedness with other living beings.  Both the study and contemplative practice of memoir root this awareness in the specific places, relationships, and situations that form our students' lives.  Students are thus situated for deeper reflection regarding the ways their own lives are linked with the destiny of a much larger world reality, and specifically, with questions of peace and justice

Racism and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in a Community Sample

Objective: Racism has been identified as a psychosocial stressor that may contribute to disparities in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease. The goal of the present article was to investigate the relationship of perceived racism to ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in a sample of American-born Blacks and Latinos. Methods: Participants included English-speaking Black or Latino(a) adults between the ages of 24 and 65. They completed daily mood diaries and measures of perceived racism, socioeconomic status, and hostility. Participants were outfitted with ABP monitors; 357 provided data on waking hours only, and 245 provided data on both waking and nocturnal ABP. Results: Perceived racism was positively associated with nocturnal ABP even when controlling for personality factors and socioeconomic status. Conclusions: The results suggest that racism may influence cardiovascular disease risk through its effects on nocturnal BP recovery

Behavioural Responses of Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles to Diluted Bitumen

The study of behaviour in ecotoxicology allows for a broader understanding of the effects of pollution in an ecosystem. Amphibians are vulnerable to contaminant exposure, especially during early life stages when they are restricted to a waterbody. Since wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles are exposed to contamination during diluted bitumen spills, an assessment of the impact of exposure was needed for freshwater systems. As part of the Boreal lake Oil Release Experiment by Additions to Limnocorrals (BOREAL) experiment, diluted bitumen was added to lake mesocosms at the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Experimental Lake Area near Kenora, Ontario. Water from these mesocosms was transported to separate microcosms in which wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles were reared from Gosner stage 25. Behavioural assays were conducted every three to four days in a separate arena and video recorded. Space-use, sociality, and activity were quantified across a gradient of exposure to diluted bitumen infused lake water. No relationship between sociality and space use metrics and diluted bitumen concentrations were observed. There was a decrease in activity as diluted bitumen concentration increased, however the relationship between activity and diluted bitumen exposure should be further investigated to determine the physiological basis for this decrease in activity.NSERC Strategic Partnership Grant (STPGP 493786-16), Environment and Climate Change Canada, University of Winnipeg Major Research Grant, and an lntemational Institute for Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) grant.Honours Thesis Course, Department of Biolog

Pliocene Paleoenvironment and Antarctic Ice Sheet Behavior: Evidence from Wright Valley

Investigations in Wright Valley, adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains in East Antarctica, shed light on the question of whether high-latitude Pliocene climate was warm enough to cause widespread deglaciation of the East Antarctic craton with a concurrent Magellanic moorland-like environment. If Pliocene age diatoms, presently in glaciogenic deposits high in the Transantarctic Mountains, had come from seaways on the East Antarctic craton, an expanding Late Pliocene ice sheet must have first eroded them from marine sediments and then deposited the diatoms at their present high-altitude locations. This hypothetical expanding glacier would have had to have come through Wright Valley. Glacial drift sediments from the central Wright Valley were mapped, sampled, analyzed, and Ar-40/Ar-39 whole rock dated. Our evidence indicates that an East Antarctic outlet glacier has not expanded through Wright Valley, and hence cannot have overridden the Dry Valleys sector of the Transantarctic Mountains, any time in the past 3.8 myr. Rather, there was only moderate Pliocene expansion of local cola-based alpine glaciers and continuous cold-desert conditions in Wright Valley. Persistence of a cold-desert paleoenvironment implies that the sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet adjacent to Wright Valley has remained relatively stable without melting ablation zones since at least 3.8 Ma, in Early Pliocene time. A further implication is that Antarctic Ice Sheet behavior in the Pliocene was much like that in the Quaternary, when the ice sheet consisted of a stable, terrestrial core in East Antarctica and a dynamic, marine-based appendage in West Antarctica

Vaccine-induced skewing of T cell responses protects against Chikungunya virus disease

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections can cause severe and debilitating joint and muscular pain that can be long lasting. Current CHIKV vaccines under development rely on the generation of neutralizing antibodies for protection; however, the role of T cells in controlling CHIKV infection and disease is still unclear. Using an overlapping peptide library, we identified the CHIKV-specific T cell receptor epitopes recognized in C57BL/6 infected mice at 7 and 14 days post-infection. A fusion protein containing peptides 451, 416, a small region of nsP4, peptide 47, and an HA tag (CHKVf5) was expressed using adenovirus and cytomegalovirus-vectored vaccines. Mice vaccinated with CHKVf5 elicited robust T cell responses to higher levels than normally observed following CHIKV infection, but the vaccine vectors did not elicit neutralizing antibodies. CHKVf5-vaccinated mice had significantly reduced infectious viral load when challenged by intramuscular CHIKV injection. Depletion of both CD

Recurrent episodes of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis and small vessel vasculopathy, which affects various organ systems, such as the heart. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a transient cardiomyopathy in reaction to an emotional or physical trigger. There may be clinical and pathogenetic overlap between Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and primary systemic sclerosis heart disease, and some patients with systemic sclerosis have been diagnosed with recurrent Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Our large systemic sclerosis clinical cohort was reviewed to identify cases diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The clinical features, laboratory and imaging results were reviewed and evaluated to perform a comparison between cases. We identified five patients with systemic sclerosis, all female (age 68.6 ± 5.7 years), who were diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Two of these patients had recurrent episodes: one case with a history of multiple episodes and the other with one recurrence. Typical features included repolarization abnormalities on the electrocardiogram and transient left ventricular dysfunction observed using echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Our findings build upon previous reports and observations that systemic sclerosis may cause Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. To our knowledge, this is the largest case series of Takotsubo syndrome in patients with systemic sclerosis. This association may provide novel insights into the aetiopathogenesis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy as part of primary systemic sclerosis heart involvement