Ploidy: the number of copies of each chromosome that is contained in somatic (non-gamete) cells of a species. In humans and most other animal species, the somatic cells are usually diploid, meaning they have 2 copies of each chromosome, whereas the gamete cells are haploid and have a single copy of each chromosome. Some plant and animal species are known to have more than 2 copies of each chrom...

We conducted two design experiments aimed at engaging sixth graders (11 years old) in statistical reasoning about center and variation. We examine in particular students’ informal notion of a “modal clump.” Using Peirce’s concept of diagrammatic reasoning, we analyze the interplay of 1) making plots with TinkerPlots – a computer data analysis tool, 2) experimenting with those plots, and 3) deve...

We examine closely the solar Center-to-Limb variation of continua and lines and compare observations with predictions from both a 3-D hydrodynamic simulation of the solar surface (provided by M. Asplund and collaborators) and 1-D model atmospheres. Intensities from the 3-D time series are derived by means of the new synthesis code Assǫt, which overcomes limitations of previously available codes...

The sex pattern in language variation, in which men use non-standard variants more than women, has proven to be one of the most widespread phenomena in variation research. While many explanations for men's linguistic behavior have been proposed, few have been based on in-depth social science research, and even fewer on research on men's identities. Because people communicate identity through la...

It is perhaps widely appreciated in the realm of primatology that until fairly recently, our perspective on gorillas has been an unbalanced one. Our earliest and most comprehensive accounts of gorillas in the wild can be traced almost entirely to studies of the East African gorillas of the Virungamountains,Gorilla gorilla beringei or, as it is now being called by some,Gorilla beringei beringei,...

Quantifying how patterns of behavior relate across multiple levels of measurement typically requires long time series for reliable parameter estimation. We describe a novel analysis that estimates patterns of variability across multiple scales of analysis suitable for time series of short duration. The multiscale coefficient of variation (MSCV) measures the distance between local coefficient of...

The working draft of a reference sequence of the human genome is nearing completion and is providing a basis for studies in a variety of domains. Computational challenges exist in all of these domains because of the massive amounts of data, the multiple often complex relationships among the types of relevant data, and the need to make the data accessible to researchers approaching the data from...

Efforts to improve the delivery of hemodialysis have focused mostly on identifying patient-related factors that lead to inadequate dialysis. Less consideration has been given to the impact of the dialysis center on adequacy. This study evaluated whether the dialysis facility or individual-level factors were the primary influence on variations in dialysis adequacy. This was a retrospective analy...

Invasive species provide opportunities for investigating evolutionary aspects of colonization processes, including initial foundations of populations and geographic expansion. Using microsatellite markers and historical information, we characterized the genetic patterns of the invasion of the western corn rootworm (WCR), a pest of corn crops, in its largest area of expansion in Europe: Central ...