bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary Importance and Pattern of Phenotypic Plasticity: Insights Gained from Development
Authors: Frankino W Anthony , Raff Rudolf A 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity in morphological traits is fundamentally a developmental phenomenon; developmental pathways are expressed differently in response to specific environmental factors to produce continuously varying traits or discrete, alternative phenotypes. Although the study of phenotypic plasticity currently enjoys a renaissance in evolutionary biology, it is generally considered a substantially less interesting topic in developmental biology (Raff 1996) for two reasons. First, the goals of developmental biology are largely concerned with determining how proximate mechanisms regulate and integrate trait ontogeny and how alterations of these mechanisms produce changes at a macro evolutionary scale; developmental biology seldom considers how proximate mechanisms generate the phenotypic variation among individuals that is important in microevolution. Second, phenotypic variation among individuals, especially environmentally induced variation, is usually viewed as noise in developmental studies-something to be minimized when the research goal is to understand the proximate mechanisms regulating ontogeny. Consequently, the organisms chosen as models of development share several characteristics and are raised in ways that may generate bias, suggesting widespread conservation of developmental mechanisms across taxa and typically canalized development that generates invariant phenotypes within taxa (Bolker 1995; Grbi and Strand 1998). Such perceived absence of developmental (phenotypic) plasticity in the laboratories of developmental biologists, coupled with a lack of focus on variation among individuals, may have contributed substantially to the lack of information on, or even interest in, the proximate bases of plasticity.
Deep Play
Authors: Turner Mark 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
EARLY in April of 1996, my wife and I arrived, curious and invisible, at a research institute we intended, as prospective residents, to study. A small place, about two hundred people, and relatively remote, it was its own world. We were intruders, professional ones, uninvited and unannounced, but also practically unnoticed, since the Institute for Advanced Study’s annual purge of most of its population and replenishment with fresh recruits makes it a gathering of inter-changeable anonymities. Their status, the only one necessary, is that they are “at the Institute.” To all appearances, we were at the Institute, too, where outsiders, to a comfortable degree, become insiders exactly by being there. Uninvited visitors have no place in this world, so there are few signs to direct them, but the pattern of the Institute buildings is conventional, and the receptionist, conditioned to look right through anything resembling an absent-minded professor, dealt with us as though we were not there. Nobody greeted us, but nobody scowled or said anything unpleasant to us either, and that was fine.
Measurement in Health Psychology Research
Authors: Smith Timothy W 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Health psychology has always held the promise of both a methodologically rigorous basic science and applications for the improvement of health and well-being. Early in the development of the field, book-length discussions illustrated convincingly that scientifically sound approaches to measurement were essential in health psychology’s basic and applied agendas (Karoly, 1985; Keefe & Blumenthal, 1982). With increasing methodological sophistication, there has been remarkable progress in fulfilling this dual promise of health psychology (Smith, Kendall, & Keefe, 2002; Smith & Suls, 2004).
Personality, Disease, and Self-Healing
Authors: Friedman Howard S 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Why do some people become sick, whereas other seemingly similar people remain healthy or quickly recover from disease? Is it true that people with “hurry sickness” suffer heart attacks, and worriers develop ulcers, and shy people face cancer? Is relaxation an elixir, and will having a smile on your face make you live longer? The relationships among individual differences, disease, and health have been investigated scientifically for more than 100 years, and many thousands of findings have been reported. The general verdict (subject to numerous exceptions and qualifications) is that a person who is chronically irritated, depressed, hostile, impulsive, bored, frustrated, lonely, or powerless is indeed more likely to develop illnesses and to die prematurely than is someone who generally feels emotionally balanced and effective, is in a satisfying job, has stable and supportive social relationships, and is well integrated into the community (Booth-Kewley & Friedman, 1987; Cohen & Williamson, 1991; Friedman & Booth-Kewley, 1987; House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988; Kiecolt-Glaser, Glaser, Cacioppo, & Malarkey, 1998; Miller, Smith, Turner, Guijarro, & Hallett, 1996; Repetti, Taylor, & Seeman, 2002; Smith & Gallo, 2001). Yet the various efforts to measure and characterize such people have often led to a muddle of weak and hard-to-replicate findings.
Uncertainty, Variability, and Resource Allocation in the Health Care Decision Process
Authors: Kaplan Robert M 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Health psychology has played a tentative role in the enterprise of health care. Health psychologists have concerned themselves with how patients adapt to illness or how psychological factors might contribute to a medical diagnosis (Friedman, 2002; Sarafino, 2002; Taylor, 1999). They have also studied how diagnosis affects mood, cognitive functioning, and other psychological variables. It is typically assumed that diagnoses are correct and that all patients placed in diagnostic categories should receive treatment. Considerable effort has been devoted to training patients to adhere to physician orders or instructions. It is assumed that physician orders describe the most likely path to positive patient outcomes. Rarely has the patient’s perspective been given equal consideration. For example, health psychology devotes insufficient attention to whether treatment results in improved health, damaged health through side effects, or reduced financial resources, or to how patients can gain equal partnership in decisions concerning their medical care.
The laser race
Authors: Hecht Jeff 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
THE RACE THAT TED MAIMAN WON to make the laser was neither simple nor easy. The starting line for the laser race was not obvious, and the course was undefined. Even the finish line—the world’s first laser beam—was not clearly defined. Such is the quest for knowledge. You don’t know where you’re going until you get there, and if the goal looks interesting, you may have a lot of company heading in the same general direction.
Introduction
Authors: Svenonius Peter 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The literature on the three concepts named in the title of this book is vast. In this introduction, I simply provide a sketch (in§1-3) of the issues that set the scene for the chapters in the volume. My discussion is judiciously larded at appropriate points with brief references to those chapters, and each chapter is summarized in §4. In §5, I discuss the chapters in relation to each other, and then summarize some of their shared assumptions.
Follicle Development in Vitro
Authors: Spears Norah , Telfer Evelyn E , Murray Alison A 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The mammalian ovary is endowed by birth or shortly after with a lifetime supply of oocytes. These oocytes are surrounded by somatic cells (forming ovarian follicles) and separated from the interstitial tissue and from each other by a basement membrane. As the ovarian follicles form, the first stage of development is called the primordial follicle. These primordial follicles are in a resting stage, with oocytes surrounded by flattened somatic cells. Between 1 and 2 million primordial follicles are contained within the human ovary at birth. A small proportion of these is continually leaving the resting pool and starting to grow, although only a tiny percentage of these will grow to maturity and release their oocytes for fertilization: the fate of most follicles is to undergo follicular atresia and die (usually during the later stages of development). Growing follicles are characterized by an increase in oocyte size, an increase in the layers of somatic granulose cells surrounding the oocyte and, later, by the formation of a fluid-filled antral cavity. Prenatal growth is slow, whereas the antral phase proceeds more rapidly. Our ability to support follicular and oocyte development in vitro has advanced greatly over recent years. Although technologies have been developed to culture the follicles of large mammalian species, including primates, the majority of this work has used rodent ovaries.
Assessment of Preimplantation Embryo Development and Viability
Authors: Sakkas Denny , Lane Michelle , Gardner David K 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The need to identify the most viable embryo is of fundamental importance. In particular, human IVF clinics have faced this problem because stimulation protocols (1) generate more embryos to choose from and because of the increase in IVF-related multiple births (2, 3). Many methods have been suggested to evaluate embryo viability in both animal models and in human IVF programs. In human IVF clinics, a limiting factor is that these measurements need to be noninvasive and not time consuming. Routinely, the embryos selected for transfer are chosen on the basis of their morphology and rate of develop- ment in culture. In this chapter we discuss a series of assessment methods, which in combination will facilitate the selection of those embryos in a given cohort with the highest viability. Criteria used are the assessment of morphological markers at different stages of development at critical time points. Developmental indices include the assessment of the pronuclear stage embryo, cleavage rate, and development to the blastocyst stage. Finally, we also elaborate on more complex techniques that have proved beneficial in animal models and in the future may further assist in selection of the most viable embryos. Although the examples given in this chapter are from humans, the embryo assessment and scoring systems described can be readily adapted for different laboratory or domestic species.
Micromanipulation of Gametes
Authors: Palermo Gianpiero D , Neri Queenie V , Takeuchi Takumi , Veeck Lucinda L , Rosenwaks Zev 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Since the first human birth following in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, this procedure has been used extensively to treat infertility. However, in many cases of male-factor infertility spermatozoa cannot fertilize, and a number of micromanipulation techniques have been developed to overcome this inability. Micromanipulation of human gametes has not only allowed fertilization in cases of severe oligozoospermia, even by defective spermatozoa, but has provided a powerful tool for exploring the basic elements of oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early development. Micromanipulation techniques also now permit the diagnosis and sometimes even the correction of genetic anomalies, as well as optimization of implantation in certain cases.
Micromanipulation: Biopsy
Authors: Harper Joyce C , Doshi Alpesh 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
IVF and the biopsy of polar bodies from oocytes, blastomeres from cleavage-stage embryos, or trophectoderm cells from blastocysts followed by single cell diagnosis has enabled us to help couples who are at risk of transmitting inherited diseases to their children and to improve pregnancy rates for certain groups of IVF patients. These procedures are used in a technique called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) (1). PGD was developed in 1990 to offer an alternative treatment for couples at risk of transmit- ting an inherited disease to their offspring. The main option for such couples is to be- come pregnant naturally and undergo prenatal diagnosis between 12 and 16 weeks of pregnancy (either by chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis). The main drawback of prenatal diagnosis is that if the fetus is affected by the disease, the couple have to decide whether to continue the pregnancy or terminate the pregnancy. This is obviously not an ideal option for any couple trying to have a healthy family. With PGD, the couples go through IVF so that embryos are generated in vitro, and one or two cells are removed and used for the genetic diagnosis. Only unaffected embryos are transferred, so that the pregnancy is started with an unaffected fetus. The embryo biopsy is relatively easy to perform for an experienced embryologist. However, the single cell diagnosis is a highly specialized technique and is technically challenging, even for experienced molecular or cytogenetic biologists.
Confocal Imaging of Structural Molecules in Mammalian Gametes
Authors: Simerly Calvin , Moreno Ricardo , Ramalho-Santos João , Hewitson Laura , Schatten Gerald 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The fields of cellular, developmental, molecular, and reproductive biology and genetics emerged from studies on eggs at fertilization (1). These early studies relied on systems like frogs and sea urchins, in which fertilization in vitro and embryo culture occurred using simple solutions like seawater or pond water at room temperature. The recent design of methods for routinely and reliably obtaining excellent in vitro fertilization of many mammals now permits detailed experimentation on molecular and structural features of their development. These investigations have led to many important and unexpected basic discoveries including genomic imprinting (2–4); gametic recognition involving unique receptors and galactosyltransferases (5–7); atypical maternal inheritance pattern of the centrosome in mice (8, 9); both paternal and maternal inheritance of mitochondria (10); and unexpected signal transduction pathways for fertilization and cell cycle regulation (11–13), to name but a few.
Microscale RNA Isolation from Mammalian Embryos
Authors: Wrenzycki C , Watson A J , Calder M 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Many different microscale techniques have been developed to study gene expression in samples of small numbers of cells or rare tissues. Gene expression analysis includes the study of RNA and protein levels. Alterations in mRNA levels are often associated with the corresponding protein level modification. Presence or absence of specific mRNAs could be associated with the presence or absence of the protein. Therefore, the use of RNA analysis techniques is directed at screening the entire RNA pool before an investigation of protein levels and synthesis.
Relative mRNA Transcript Abundance in Early Embryos by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction
Authors: Sousa P A De , Watson A J 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Over the last decade methods for the microscale isolation of mRNA coupled with re- verse transcription and cDNA amplification techniques have significantly enhanced our understanding of the genetic control of early mammalian development. In this regard, attempts to quantify changes in the relative abundance of specific gene transcripts have helped define their biological significance. Although there are many methods by which gene transcript abundance can be quantified, meaningful quantification requires an appreciation for the limitations and qualifications associated with these procedures. In this chapter our goal is to provide the context for understanding the principles and caveats of relative mRNA abundance calculations, together with a practical approach to meeting this objective by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Gene Subtraction and Analysis
Authors: Sirard M A , Robert C 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Research focused on investigating gene expression is required to better understand the complex mechanisms that control the formation of specialized tissue and organs during development. By increasing our current knowledge of the mechanisms controlling the expression of specific genes, novel approaches to the treatment of human diseases can be developed. One of the main benefits of studying gene expression in preimplantation embryos is that the precise nutritional and metabolic needs of the embryo will be de- fined, and this will lead to greater success in the production of normal offspring following embryo culture and embryo transfer. This outcome should also result in the generation of improved media better suited for human and animal embryo production in vitro.
From the Big Chill to the Big Bang
Authors: Zee A 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
But looks may be deceiving: Friedmann, the great Russian cosmologist who saw the expanding universe in Einstein’s equation, had a streak of the adventurer in him. He was smitten with the notion that he could predict the weather mathematically were he able to measure the detailed physical conditions within a large volume of the atmosphere. And so he went up in a balloon. He caught a severe chill, then pneumonia, and died. He was thirty-seven.
Issues in the Early Development of Concepts and Categories: An Introduction
Authors: Oakes Lisa M , Rakison David H 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
William James once described infants’ earliest perceptions of the world as a “blooming, buzzing, confusion,” speculating that infants perceive the visual world as an unrelated, disorganized series of images rather than, as is the case for adults, a structured world composed of discrete objects and events. More than 40 years of research has shown that in contrast to James’s view, from the very first months of life infants develop the ability to perceive and conceptualize in ways akin to that of adults. At the core of this process, and of cognitive development in general, is the ability to categorize or classify or, more specifically, the ability to group discriminable properties, objects, or events into classes by means of some principle or rule. Thus, to categorize is to “render discriminably different things equivalent, to group objects and events and people around us into classes, and to respond to them in terms of their class membership rather than their uniqueness” (Bruner, Goodnow, & Austin, 1956, . 231). Or, more informally, to categorize is “to treat a set of things as somehow equivalent: to put them in the same pile, or call them by the same name, or respond to them in the same way” (Neisser, 1987, p. 1).
Chunking Language Input to Find Patterns
Authors: Jusczyk Peter W 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Prior to the first studies of infant speech perception, the primary question for researchers was: How do infants come to perceive differences between speech sounds? Knowledge of infants’ perceptual abilities, in general, was extremely limited; knowledge of their speech perception capacities was nonexistent. In a little more than 30 years, a great deal has been learned about infants’ capacities for perceiving speech. Indeed, it is fair to say that today most investigators are not so interested in the nature of infants’ perceptual capacities as they are in understanding how these capacities are used in acquiring language. Yet, although the focus in infant speech research has shifted from trying to identify perceptual capacities to understanding the use of these capacities in language acquisition, the primary goal is still to determine how infants make sense of their linguistic input. How do they discover the regularities that underlie the language spoken in their environment? Necessarily, categorization abilities are critical to infants’ efforts to apprehend the structural organization of their native language. Detecting regularities requires some means of recognizing when different instances of the same pattern occur in the input. Similarly, determining the frequency with which certain patterns appear in the input depends on a prior ability to recognize and remember these patterns.
Concepts Are Not Just for Objects
Authors: Quinn Paul C 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Recent research indicates that young infants possess abilities to organize objects into perceptually based category groupings that come to have conceptual significance for adults (Quinn & Eimas, 1996b). This work challenges views that language, formal tuition, or specialized processes are necessary for the initial construction of category representations (Quinn, 2002). But categorization is not just for objects, and a question of interest is whether young infants can also form categorical representations of physical space that are defined by the positional relations of objects (Quinn, 1998, 1999). That is, can young infants form categorical representations for the spatial relations among objects, such as above versus below, between, left versus right, and inside versus outside? The ability to form categorical representations for spatial relations early in development should make it possible for infants to experience objects in organized spatial arrangements rather than as spatially disconnected entities located in unrelated positions.
The Acquisition and Use of Implicit Categories in Early Development
Authors: Mareschal Denis 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The current consensus in the adult literature is that human category learning relies on multiple systems (Ashby, Alfonso-Reese, Turken, & Waldron, 1998; Ashby, & Waldron, 1999; Erikson & Kruchke, 1998; Smith, Patalano, & Jonides, 1998). This conclusion is based on two strands of evidence (see Ashby & Ells, 2001, for a recent review of this evidence). First, there are dissociable memory systems in the brain with different characteristics, and each of these systems can, in principle, store category information. Second, different kinds of categorization tasks seem to load differently on these different memory systems.
The exact number of categorization systems remains an open question. However, it is generally agreed that one system is rule or theory based and is closely linked to the participants’ verbal abilities. It is also agreed that the other system (or systems) involves implicit learning. However, there is little consensus about the nature of the implicit category learning system or whether the system itself can be subdivided into multiple subsystems (Ashby & Ells, 2001; Ashby & Waldron, 1999). Nevertheless, the key features of the implicit system are: (1) that learning appears to be procedural, and (2) that the product of learning is not available for explicit access by the cognitive system. Much of the current debate is centered on identifying the characteristics of these systems, discovering how they interact, and mapping these systems onto functional neural systems.
The Unremembered Past Eliot’s Romola and Amnesiac Histories
Authors: Dames Nicholas 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
George Eliot’s attempt to recapture a distant past in all its specificity—through extensive researches, reading, and philological investigation—persists as perhaps the most “memorable” fact about her 1863 historical novel Romola.1 Accounts of the novel seem incomplete without a tum to its difficult, library-laden genesis, which is elaborately described in Eliot’s own letters and journals, where the minutiae of Florentine history become subject to an effort of recovery that can seem wearying and almost spectacularly excessive.
Prologue: Francis Galton in Perspective
Authors: Gillham Nicholas Wright 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The January n, 1999, issue of Time magazine ran a series of articles entitled “The Future of Medicine,” which was devoted to the effects of the genetic revolution on mankind. One by Paul Gray was called “Cursed by Eugenics.” He wrote that the “rise and fall of the theory known as eugenics is in every respect a cautionary tale. The early eugenicists were usually well-meaning and progressive types. They had imbibed their Darwin and decided that the process of natural selection would improve if it were guided by human intelligence. They did not know they were shaping a rationale for at rocities.”