We report on the mechanical behavior of an a-SiO2 84 kHz torsional oscillator operated between 100> or =T> or =1.0 mK. Below 10 mK we observed well-differentiated transient responses which we attribute to the interaction with low-level background radiation (gamma quanta and cosmic ray micro) and which can be modeled in terms of a change in the spring constant.

Global warming is impacting biodiversity by altering the distribution, abundance, and phenology of a wide range of animal and plant species. One of the best documented responses to recent climate change is alterations in the migratory behavior of birds, but the mechanisms underlying these phenotypic adjustments are largely unknown. This knowledge is still crucial to predict whether populations ...

Drug dependence is a far-reaching problem that goes beyond the individual to society at large. While a myriad of substances have addictive properties, the scope of this review is limited to crack cocaine – how the brain, specifically the mesolimbic dopamine system, is compromised by administration of crack cocaine, physiological changes and the relevance of dopamine levels to susceptibility to ...

Why do people resist evidence that challenges the validity of long-held beliefs? And why do they persist in maladaptive behavior even when persuasive information or personal experience recommends change? We argue that such defens ive t endenc ies a re driven, in large part, by a fundamental motivation to protect the perceived worth and integrity of the self. Studies of social-political debate, ...

Improvement of behavioral responses to expected stimuli has been attributed to a change in the preparatory state. In this study, we take advantage of the accessibility of the nervous system of Aplysia and develop an in vitro analog of the preparatory state for feeding behaviors. We provide evidence that the change in the preparatory state may be elicited initially by activity of identified sero...

It is well-documented that proper hand hygiene reduces nosocomial infections (Centers for Disease Control, 2000), while it is also well-documented that compliance by health care providers to proper hand hygiene remains less than satisfactory (Larson et al., 2001). It is the purpose of this brief communication to propose a theoretically driven approach that can be used by health educators in a v...