Showing papers by "National University of Singapore published in 2009"

Carbon-based materials as supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract: This tutorial review provides a brief summary of recent research progress on carbon-based electrode materials for supercapacitors, as well as the importance of electrolytes in the development of supercapacitor technology. The basic principles of supercapacitors, the characteristics and performances of various nanostructured carbon-based electrode materials are discussed. Aqueous and non-aqueous electrolyte solutions used in supercapacitors are compared. The trend on future development of high-power and high-energy supercapacitors is analyzed.

Cetuximab and chemotherapy as initial treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Abstract: Background We investigated the efficacy of cetuximab plus irinotecan, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFIRI) as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer and sought associations between the mutation status of the KRAS gene in tumors and clinical response to cetuximab. Methods We randomly assigned patients with epidermal growth factor receptor–positive colorectal cancer with unresectable metastases to receive FOLFIRI either alone or in combination with cetuximab. The primary end point was progression-free survival. Results A total of 599 patients received cetuximab plus FOLFIRI, and 599 received FOLFIRI alone. The hazard ratio for progression-free survival in the cetuximab–FOLFIRI group as compared with the FOLFIRI group was 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72 to 0.99; P=0.048). There was no significant difference in the overall survival between the two treatment groups (hazard ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.81 to 1.07; P=0.31). There was a significant interaction between treatment group and KRAS ...

Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Human Cells

Abstract: Silver nanoparticles (Ag-np) are being used increasingly in wound dressings, catheters, and various household products due to their antimicrobial activity. The toxicity of starch-coated silver nanoparticles was studied using normal human lung fibroblast cells (IMR-90) and human glioblastoma cells (U251). The toxicity was evaluated using changes in cell morphology, cell viability, metabolic activity, and oxidative stress. Ag-np reduced ATP content of the cell caused damage to mitochondria and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner. DNA damage, as measured by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) and cytokinesis blocked micronucleus assay (CBMN), was also dose-dependent and more prominent in the cancer cells. The nanoparticle treatment caused cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase possibly due to repair of damaged DNA. Annexin-V propidium iodide (PI) staining showed no massive apoptosis or necrosis. The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis indicated the presen...

The security of practical quantum key distribution

Abstract: Quantum key distribution (QKD) is the first quantum information task to reach the level of mature technology, already fit for commercialization. It aims at the creation of a secret key between authorized partners connected by a quantum channel and a classical authenticated channel. The security of the key can in principle be guaranteed without putting any restriction on an eavesdropper's power. This article provides a concise up-to-date review of QKD, biased toward the practical side. Essential theoretical tools that have been developed to assess the security of the main experimental platforms are presented (discrete-variable, continuous-variable, and distributed-phase-reference protocols).

NUS-WIDE: a real-world web image database from National University of Singapore

Abstract: This paper introduces a web image dataset created by NUS's Lab for Media Search. The dataset includes: (1) 269,648 images and the associated tags from Flickr, with a total of 5,018 unique tags; (2) six types of low-level features extracted from these images, including 64-D color histogram, 144-D color correlogram, 73-D edge direction histogram, 128-D wavelet texture, 225-D block-wise color moments extracted over 5x5 fixed grid partitions, and 500-D bag of words based on SIFT descriptions; and (3) ground-truth for 81 concepts that can be used for evaluation. Based on this dataset, we highlight characteristics of Web image collections and identify four research issues on web image annotation and retrieval. We also provide the baseline results for web image annotation by learning from the tags using the traditional k-NN algorithm. The benchmark results indicate that it is possible to learn effective models from sufficiently large image dataset to facilitate general image retrieval.

Recent advances in the chemistry of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanocrystals

Abstract: Lanthanide ions exhibit unique luminescent properties, including the ability to convert near infrared long-wavelength excitation radiation into shorter visible wavelengths through a process known as photon upconversion. In recent years lanthanide-doped upconversion nanocrystals have been developed as a new class of luminescent optical labels that have become promising alternatives to organic fluorophores and quantum dots for applications in biological assays and medical imaging. These techniques offer low autofluorescence background, large anti-Stokes shifts, sharp emission bandwidths, high resistance to photobleaching, and high penetration depth and temporal resolution. Such techniques also show potential for improving the selectivity and sensitivity of conventional methods. They also pave the way for high throughput screening and miniaturization. This tutorial review focuses on the recent development of various synthetic approaches and possibilities for chemical tuning of upconversion properties, as well as giving an overview of biological applications of these luminescent nanocrystals.

Stability and Stabilizability of Switched Linear Systems: A Survey of Recent Results

Abstract: During the past several years, there have been increasing research activities in the field of stability analysis and switching stabilization for switched systems. This paper aims to briefly survey recent results in this field. First, the stability analysis for switched systems is reviewed. We focus on the stability analysis for switched linear systems under arbitrary switching, and we highlight necessary and sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability. After a brief review of the stability analysis under restricted switching and the multiple Lyapunov function theory, the switching stabilization problem is studied, and a variety of switching stabilization methods found in the literature are outlined. Then the switching stabilizability problem is investigated, that is under what condition it is possible to stabilize a switched system by properly designing switching control laws. Note that the switching stabilizability problem has been one of the most elusive problems in the switched systems literature. A necessary and sufficient condition for asymptotic stabilizability of switched linear systems is described here.

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring cell death in higher eukaryotes

Abstract: Cell death is essential for a plethora of physiological processes, and its deregulation characterizes numerous human diseases Thus, the in-depth investigation of cell death and its mechanisms constitutes a formidable challenge for fundamental and applied biomedical research, and has tremendous implications for the development of novel therapeutic strategies It is, therefore, of utmost importance to standardize the experimental procedures that identify dying and dead cells in cell cultures and/or in tissues, from model organisms and/or humans, in healthy and/or pathological scenarios Thus far, dozens of methods have been proposed to quantify cell death-related parameters However, no guidelines exist regarding their use and interpretation, and nobody has thoroughly annotated the experimental settings for which each of these techniques is most appropriate Here, we provide a nonexhaustive comparison of methods to detect cell death with apoptotic or nonapoptotic morphologies, their advantages and pitfalls These guidelines are intended for investigators who study cell death, as well as for reviewers who need to constructively critique scientific reports that deal with cellular demise Given the difficulties in determining the exact number of cells that have passed the point-of-no-return of the signaling cascades leading to cell death, we emphasize the importance of performing multiple, methodologically unrelated assays to quantify dying and dead cells

Atomic‐Layer Graphene as a Saturable Absorber for Ultrafast Pulsed Lasers

Abstract: The optical conductance of monolayer graphene is defined solely by the fine structure constant, α = (where e is the electron charge, is Dirac's constant and c is the speed of light). The absorbance has been predicted to be independent of frequency. In principle, the interband optical absorption in zero-gap graphene could be saturated readily under strong excitation due to Pauli blocking. Here, use of atomic layer graphene as saturable absorber in a mode-locked fiber laser for the generation of ultrashort soliton pulses (756 fs) at the telecommunication band is demonstrated. The modulation depth can be tuned in a wide range from 66.5% to 6.2% by varying the graphene thickness. These results suggest that ultrathin graphene films are potentially useful as optical elements in fiber lasers. Graphene as a laser mode locker can have many merits such as lower saturation intensity, ultrafast recovery time, tunable modulation depth, and wideband tunability.

An HOG-LBP human detector with partial occlusion handling

Abstract: By combining Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) and Local Binary Pattern (LBP) as the feature set, we propose a novel human detection approach capable of handling partial occlusion. Two kinds of detectors, i.e., global detector for whole scanning windows and part detectors for local regions, are learned from the training data using linear SVM. For each ambiguous scanning window, we construct an occlusion likelihood map by using the response of each block of the HOG feature to the global detector. The occlusion likelihood map is then segmented by Mean-shift approach. The segmented portion of the window with a majority of negative response is inferred as an occluded region. If partial occlusion is indicated with high likelihood in a certain scanning window, part detectors are applied on the unoccluded regions to achieve the final classification on the current scanning window. With the help of the augmented HOG-LBP feature and the global-part occlusion handling method, we achieve a detection rate of 91.3% with FPPW= 10−6, 94.7% with FPPW= 10−5, and 97.9% with FPPW= 10−4 on the INRIA dataset, which, to our best knowledge, is the best human detection performance on the INRIA dataset. The global-part occlusion handling method is further validated using synthesized occlusion data constructed from the INRIA and Pascal dataset.

An oestrogen-receptor-α-bound human chromatin interactome

Abstract: Genomes are organized into high-level three-dimensional structures, and DNA elements separated by long genomic distances can in principle interact functionally Many transcription factors bind to regulatory DNA elements distant from gene promoters Although distal binding sites have been shown to regulate transcription by long-range chromatin interactions at a few loci, chromatin interactions and their impact on transcription regulation have not been investigated in a genome-wide manner Here we describe the development of a new strategy, chromatin interaction analysis by paired-end tag sequencing (ChIA-PET) for the de novo detection of global chromatin interactions, with which we have comprehensively mapped the chromatin interaction network bound by oestrogen receptor α (ER-α) in the human genome We found that most high-confidence remote ER-α-binding sites are anchored at gene promoters through long-range chromatin interactions, suggesting that ER-α functions by extensive chromatin looping to bring genes together for coordinated transcriptional regulation We propose that chromatin interactions constitute a primary mechanism for regulating transcription in mammalian genomes © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved

Hydrothermal Dehydration for the “Green” Reduction of Exfoliated Graphene Oxide to Graphene and Demonstration of Tunable Optical Limiting Properties

Abstract: This work reports a simple, clean, and controlled hydrothermal dehydration route to convert graphene oxide (GO) to stable graphene solution. The hydrothermally treated GO was characterized using UV−visible absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and solid state 13C NMR spectra. Compared to chemical reduction processes using hydrazine, the present “water-only” route has the combined advantages of removing oxygen functional groups from GO and repairing the aromatic structures. By controlling the hydrothermal temperatures, we can modify the physical properties of GO and obtain tunable optical limiting performance.

Stretching Single Talin Rod Molecules Activates Vinculin Binding

Abstract: The molecular mechanism by which a mechanical stimulus is translated into a chemical response in biological systems is still unclear. We show that mechanical stretching of single cytoplasmic proteins can activate binding of other molecules. We used magnetic tweezers, total internal reflection fluorescence, and atomic force microscopy to investigate the effect of force on the interaction between talin, a protein that links liganded membrane integrins to the cytoskeleton, and vinculin, a focal adhesion protein that is activated by talin binding, leading to reorganization of the cytoskeleton. Application of physiologically relevant forces caused stretching of single talin rods that exposed cryptic binding sites for vinculin. Thus in the talin-vinculin system, molecular mechanotransduction can occur by protein binding after exposure of buried binding sites in the talin-vinculin system. Such protein stretching may be a more general mechanism for force transduction.

Artificial Brownian motors: Controlling transport on the nanoscale

Abstract: In systems possessing spatial or dynamical symmetry breaking, Brownian motion combined with unbiased external input signals, deterministic and random alike, can assist directed motion of particles at submicron scales. In such cases, one speaks of ``Brownian motors.'' In this review the constructive role of Brownian motion is exemplified for various physical and technological setups, which are inspired by the cellular molecular machinery: the working principles and characteristics of stylized devices are discussed to show how fluctuations, either thermal or extrinsic, can be used to control diffusive particle transport. Recent experimental demonstrations of this concept are surveyed with particular attention to transport in artificial, i.e., nonbiological, nanopores, lithographic tracks, and optical traps, where single-particle currents were first measured. Much emphasis is given to two- and three-dimensional devices containing many interacting particles of one or more species; for this class of artificial motors, noise rectification results also from the interplay of particle Brownian motion and geometric constraints. Recently, selective control and optimization of the transport of interacting colloidal particles and magnetic vortices have been successfully achieved, thus leading to the new generation of microfluidic and superconducting devices presented here. The field has recently been enriched with impressive experimental achievements in building artificial Brownian motor devices that even operate within the quantum domain by harvesting quantum Brownian motion. Sundry akin topics include activities aimed at noise-assisted shuttling other degrees of freedom such as charge, spin, or even heat and the assembly of chemical synthetic molecular motors. This review ends with a perspective for future pathways and potential new applications.

The Genome Sequence of Taurine Cattle: A Window to Ruminant Biology and Evolution

Abstract: To understand the biology and evolution of ruminants, the cattle genome was sequenced to about sevenfold coverage. The cattle genome contains a minimum of 22,000 genes, with a core set of 14,345 orthologs shared among seven mammalian species of which 1217 are absent or undetected in noneutherian (marsupial or monotreme) genomes. Cattle-specific evolutionary breakpoint regions in chromosomes have a higher density of segmental duplications, enrichment of repetitive elements, and species-specific variations in genes associated with lactation and immune responsiveness. Genes involved in metabolism are generally highly conserved, although five metabolic genes are deleted or extensively diverged from their human orthologs. The cattle genome sequence thus provides a resource for understanding mammalian evolution and accelerating livestock genetic improvement for milk and meat production.

One-Pot Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Nanoribbons, Nanoparticles, and Graphene by the Exfoliation of Graphite in Ionic Liquids

Abstract: In this work we demonstrate a facile means to generate fluorescent carbon nanoribbons, nanoparticles, and graphene from graphite electrode using ionic liquid-assisted electrochemical exfoliation. A time-dependence study of products exfoliated from the graphite anode allows the reconstruction of the exfoliation mechanism based on the interplay of anodic oxidation and anion intercalation. We have developed strategies to control the distribution of the exfoliated products. In addition, the fluorescence of these carbon nanomaterials can be tuned from the visible to ultraviolet region by controlling the water content in the ionic liquid electrolyte.

An accelerated proximal gradient algorithm for nuclear norm regularized linear least squares problems

Abstract: The a‐ne rank minimization problem, which consists of flnding a matrix of minimum rank subject to linear equality constraints, has been proposed in many areas of engineering and science. A speciflc rank minimization problem is the matrix completion problem, in which we wish to recover a (low-rank) data matrix from incomplete samples of its entries. A recent convex relaxation of the rank minimization problem minimizes the nuclear norm instead of the rank of the matrix. Another possible model for the rank minimization problem is the nuclear norm regularized linear least squares problem. This regularized problem is a special case of an unconstrained nonsmooth convex optimization problem, in which the objective function is the sum of a convex smooth function with Lipschitz continuous gradient and a convex function on a set of matrices. In this paper, we propose an accelerated proximal gradient algorithm, which terminates in O(1= p †) iterations with an †-optimal solution, to solve this unconstrained nonsmooth convex optimization problem, and in particular, the nuclear norm regularized linear least squares problem. We report numerical results for solving large-scale randomly generated matrix completion problems. The numerical results suggest that our algorithm is e‐cient and robust in solving large-scale random matrix completion problems. In particular, we are able to solve random matrix completion problems with matrix dimensions up to 10 5 each in less than 10 minutes on a modest PC.

Tailored titanium dioxide photocatalysts for the degradation of organic dyes in wastewater treatment: A review

Abstract: Organic dyes are one of the largest groups of pollutants released into wastewaters from textile and other industrial processes. Because of potential toxicity of the dyes and their visibility in surface waters, removal and degradation of organic dyes have been a matter of considerable interest. A wide range of methods have been developed, amongst which the heterogeneous photocatalysis involving titanium dioxide (TiO2) appears to be the most promising technology. This paper presents a critical review of novel achievements in the modification of TiO2 photocatalytic systems aimed at: enhanced TiO2 photocatalytic efficiency; complete mineralization of organic dyes; efficient utilization of visible and/or solar light; stability and reproducibility of the modified TiO2; recycle and reuse in real wastewater treatment.

Investigating user resistance to information systems implementation: a status quo bias perspective

Abstract: User resistance to information systems implementation has been identified as a salient reason for the failure of new systems and hence needs to be understood and managed. While previous research has explored the reasons for user resistance, there are gaps in our understanding of how users evaluate change related to a new information system and decide to resist it. In particular, missing in the explanation of user decision making is the concept of status quo bias, that is, that user resistance can be due to the bias or preference to stay with the current situation. Motivated thus, this study develops a model to explain user resistance prior to a new IS implementation by integrating the technology acceptance and resistance literatures with the status quo bias perspective. The results of testing the model in the context of a new enterprise system implementation indicate the central role of switching costs in increasing user resistance. Further, switching costs also mediate the relationship between other antecedents (colleague opinion and self-efficacy for change) and user resistance. Additionally, perceived value and organizational support for change are found to reduce user resistance. This research advances the theoretical understanding of user acceptance and resistance prior to a new IS implementation and offers organizations suggestions for managing such resistance.

Prospects for tropical forest biodiversity in a human-modified world.

Abstract: The future of tropical forest biodiversity depends more than ever on the effective management of human-modified landscapes, presenting a daunting challenge to conservation practitioners and land use managers. We provide a critical synthesis of the scientific insights that guide our understanding of patterns and processes underpinning forest biodiversity in the human-modified tropics, and present a conceptual framework that integrates a broad range of social and ecological factors that define and contextualize the possible future of tropical forest species. A growing body of research demonstrates that spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity are the dynamic product of interacting historical and contemporary human and ecological processes. These processes vary radically in their relative importance within and among regions, and have effects that may take years to become fully manifest. Interpreting biodiversity research findings is frequently made difficult by constrained study designs, low congruence in species responses to disturbance, shifting baselines and an over-dependence on comparative inferences from a small number of well studied localities. Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the potential prospects for biodiversity conservation can be explained by regional differences in biotic vulnerability and anthropogenic legacies, an ever-tighter coupling of human-ecological systems and the influence of global environmental change. These differences provide both challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation. Building upon our synthesis we outline a simple adaptive-landscape planning framework that can help guide a new research agenda to enhance biodiversity conservation prospects in the human-modified tropics.

Green energy storage materials: Nanostructured TiO2 and Sn-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract: It is expected that the market dominance of lithium-ion batteries will continue for at least another decade as there are currently no competing alternatives with the versatility of lithium-ion batteries for powering mobile and portable devices; and for buffering the fluctuating supply of intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar. While the pursuit of higher energy density and higher power density materials constitute the bulk of current interest, there is increasing interest in durable active battery materials that can be produced with minimum environmental impact. It is with these considerations that TiO2- and Sn-based anode materials are most interesting candidates for fulfilling future green energy storage materials. This review will focus on the recent developments of nanostructured TiO2 and Sn-based anode materials, including rutile, anatase, TiO2 (B), and coated TiO2, and pristine SnO2, and SnO2/C, Sn(M)/C composites.

Unsupervised Change Detection in Satellite Images Using Principal Component Analysis and $k$ -Means Clustering

Abstract: In this letter, we propose a novel technique for unsupervised change detection in multitemporal satellite images using principal component analysis (PCA) and k-means clustering. The difference image is partitioned into h times h nonoverlapping blocks. S, S les h2, orthonormal eigenvectors are extracted through PCA of h times h nonoverlapping block set to create an eigenvector space. Each pixel in the difference image is represented with an S-dimensional feature vector which is the projection of h times h difference image data onto the generated eigenvector space. The change detection is achieved by partitioning the feature vector space into two clusters using k-means clustering with k = 2 and then assigning each pixel to the one of the two clusters by using the minimum Euclidean distance between the pixel's feature vector and mean feature vector of clusters. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Mechanisms of drug combinations: interaction and network perspectives.

Abstract: Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying synergistic, potentiative and antagonistic effects of drug combinations could facilitate the discovery of novel efficacious combinations and multi-targeted agents. In this article, we describe an extensive investigation of the published literature on drug combinations for which the combination effect has been evaluated by rigorous analysis methods and for which relevant molecular interaction profiles of the drugs involved are available. Analysis of the 117 drug combinations identified reveals general and specific modes of action, and highlights the potential value of molecular interaction profiles in the discovery of novel multicomponent therapies.

Testing a Social-Cognitive Model of Moral Behavior: The Interactive Influence of Situations and Moral Identity Centrality

Abstract: This article proposes and tests a social-cognitive framework for examining the joint influence of situational factors and the centrality of moral identity on moral intentions and behaviors. The authors hypothesized that if a situational factor increases the current accessibility of moral identity within the working self-concept, then it strengthens the motivation to act morally. In contrast, if a situational factor decreases the current accessibility of moral identity, then it weakens the motivation to act morally. The authors also expected the influence of situational factors to vary depending on the extent to which moral identity was central to a person's overall self-conception. Hypotheses derived from the framework were tested in 4 studies. The studies used recalling and reading a list of the Ten Commandments (Study 1), writing a story using morally laden terms (Study 4), and the presence of performance-based financial incentives (Studies 2 and 3) as situational factors. Participants' willingness to initiate a cause-related marketing program (Study 1), lie to a job candidate during a salary negotiation (Studies 2 and 3), and contribute to a public good (Study 4) were examined. Results provide strong support for the proposed framework.

The Role of Push-Pull Technology in Privacy Calculus: The Case of Location-Based Services

Abstract: Location-based services (LBS) use positioning technologies to provide individual users with reachability and accessibility that would otherwise not be available in the conventional commercial realm While LBS confer greater connectivity and personalization on consumers, they also threaten users' information privacy through granular tracking of their preferences, behaviors, and identity To address privacy concerns in the LBS context, this study extends the privacy calculus model to explore the role of information delivery mechanisms (pull and push) in the efficacy of three privacy intervention approaches (compensation, industry self-regulation, and government regulation) in influencing individual privacy decision making The research model was tested using data gathered from 528 respondents through a quasi-experimental survey method Structural equations modeling using partial least squares validated the instrument and the proposed model Results suggest that the effects of the three privacy intervention approaches on an individual's privacy calculus vary based on the type of information delivery mechanism (pull and push) Results suggest that providing financial compensation for push-based LBS is more important than it is for pull-based LBS Moreover, this study shows that privacy advocates and government legislators should not treat all types of LBS as undifferentiated but could instead specifically target certain types of services

Sketch2Photo: internet image montage

Abstract: We present a system that composes a realistic picture from a simple freehand sketch annotated with text labels. The composed picture is generated by seamlessly stitching several photographs in agreement with the sketch and text labels; these are found by searching the Internet. Although online image search generates many inappropriate results, our system is able to automatically select suitable photographs to generate a high quality composition, using a filtering scheme to exclude undesirable images. We also provide a novel image blending algorithm to allow seamless image composition. Each blending result is given a numeric score, allowing us to find an optimal combination of discovered images. Experimental results show the method is very successful; we also evaluate our system using the results from two user studies.

Optimal power allocation for fading channels in cognitive radio networks: Ergodic capacity and outage capacity

Abstract: A cognitive radio network (CRN) is formed by either allowing the secondary users (SUs) in a secondary communication network (SCN) to opportunistically operate in the frequency bands originally allocated to a primary communication network (PCN) or by allowing SCN to coexist with the primary users (PUs) in PCN as long as the interference caused by SCN to each PU is properly regulated. In this paper, we consider the latter case, known as spectrum sharing, and study the optimal power allocation strategies to achieve the ergodic capacity and the outage capacity of the SU fading channel under different types of power constraints and fading channel models. In particular, besides the interference power constraint at PU, the transmit power constraint of SU is also considered. Since the transmit power and the interference power can be limited either by a peak or an average constraint, various combinations of power constraints are studied. It is shown that there is a capacity gain for SU under the average over the peak transmit/interference power constraint. It is also shown that fading for the channel between SU transmitter and PU receiver is usually a beneficial factor for enhancing the SU channel capacities.

Systematic and Biogeographical Patterns in the Reproductive Biology of Scleractinian Corals

Abstract: A limited diversity of character states for reproductive traits and a robust phylogeny make scleractinian corals an ideal model organism with which to explore the evolution of life-history traits. Here, we explore systematic and biogeographical patterns in the reproductive biology of the Scleractinia within the context of a new molecular phylogeny and using reproductive traits from nearly 400 species. Our analyses confirm that coral sexuality is highly conserved, and mode of larval development is relatively plastic. An overabundance of species with autotrophic larvae in the eastern Pacific and Atlantic is most likely the result of increased capacity for long-distance dispersal conferred by vertical transmission of symbiotic zooxanthellae. Spawning records from diverse biogeographical regions indicate that multispecies spawning occurs in all speciose coral assemblages. A new quantitative index of spawning synchrony shows peaks at mid-tropical latitudes in the IndoPacific, influenced in part by two spawning seasons in many species on equatorial reefs.