Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of A Health Education Program About Traumatic Brain Injury, Jane Mertz Garcia, Debra M. Sellers, Amy E. Hilgendorf, Debra L. Burnett

Debra M. Sellers

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate a health education programme (TBIoptions: Promoting Knowledge) designed to increase public awareness and understanding about traumatic brain injury (TBI) through in-person (classroom) and computer-based (electronic) learning environments. Design: We used a pre-post survey design with randomization of participants to classroom (N = 22) or electronic (N = 22) delivery of the programme, in classroom and computer laboratory settings on the campus of Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. Method: Forty-four participants rated areas of knowledge about TBI prior to and after the programme experience. They also rated health programme quality and instructional strategies (e.g. video …

The Plasmodium Bottleneck: Malaria Parasite Losses In The Mosquito Vector, Ryan C. Smith, Joel Vega-Rodríguez, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena

Ryan C. Smith

Nearly one million people are killed every year by the malaria parasite Plasmodium. Although the disease-causing forms of the parasite exist only in the human blood, mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are the obligate vector for transmission. Here, we review the parasite life cycle in the vector and highlight the human and mosquito contributions that limit malaria parasite development in the mosquito host. We address parasite killing in its mosquito host and bottlenecks in parasite numbers that might guide intervention strategies to prevent transmission.

Immunization Against A Merozoite Sheddase Promotes Multiple Invasion Of Red Blood Cells And Attenuates Plasmodium Infection In Mice, Ryan C. Smith, Daisy D. Colón-López, Jürgen Bosch

Ryan C. Smith

Subtilisin-like protease 2 (SUB2) is a conserved serine protease utilized by Plasmodium parasites as a surface sheddase required for successful merozoite invasion of host red blood cells and has been implicated in ookinete invasion of the mosquito midgut. To determine if SUB2 is a suitable vaccine target to interfere with malaria parasite development, the effects of SUB2-immunization on the Plasmodium life cycle were examined in its vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Swiss Webster mice were immunized with SUB2 peptides conjugated to Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or KLH alone, and then challenged with Plasmodium berghei. To determine the effects of immunization on …

Intraocular Pressure Changes In Equine Athletes During Endurance Competitions, Rachel A. Allbaugh, Susan M. Keil, Zhining Ou, Nora M. Bello

Rachel A. Allbaugh

Objective To assess intraocular pressure (IOP) in conditioned equine athletes and document changes with exercise. A secondary objective was to assess associations between IOP and heart rate, as well as with other subjective physical parameters.

Sample Population Horses were evaluated during 50 mile endurance ride competitions. Data were collected on 69 horses during 5 different competitions at 3 different locations with 59 horses ridden once, 9 horses ridden in two competitions, and 1 horse ridden in three competitions for a total of 80 horse-ride combinations.

Procedures Intraocular pressure was measured using a TonoVet® tonometer in both eyes of each horse …

Linking Social Behavior And Stress Physiology In Feral Mares (Equus Caballus): Group Transfers Elevate Fecal Cortisol Levels, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Jessica Smith, Laurence Gesquiere, Daniel I. Rubenstein

Cassandra M.V. Nuñez

Feral horses (Equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. Behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. To fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decreases to that stability. We studied group changes in feral mares (an activity that induces instability, including both male and female aggression) on Shackleford Banks, NC. We found that …

Linking Social Environment And Stress Physiology In Feral Mares (Equus Caballus): Group Transfers Elevate Fecal Cortisol Levels, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Jessica Smith, Laurence R. Gesquiere, Daniel I. Rubenstein

Cassandra M.V. Nuñez

Feral horses (Equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. Behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. To fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decreases to that stability. We studied group changes in feral mares (an activity that induces instability, including both male and female aggression) on Shackleford Banks, NC. We found that …

A Nmr Experiment For Simultaneous Correlations Of Valine And Leucine/Isoleucine Methyls With Carbonyl Chemical Shifts In Proteins, Vitali Tugarinov, Vincenzo Venditti, G. Marius Clore

Vincenzo Venditti

A methyl-detected ‘out-and-back’ NMR experiment for obtaining simultaneous correlations of methyl resonances of valine and isoleucine/leucine residues with backbone carbonyl chemical shifts, SIM-HMCM(CGCBCA)CO, is described. The developed pulse-scheme serves the purpose of convenience in recording a single data set for all Ileδ1, Leuδ and Valγ (ILV) methyl positions instead of acquiring two separate spectra selective for valine or leucine/isoleucine residues. The SIM-HMCM(CGCBCA)CO experiment can be used for ILV methyl assignments in moderately sized protein systems (up to ~100 kDa) where the backbone chemical shifts of 13Cα, 13Cβ and 13CO are known from prior NMR studies and where some losses in …

Development Of A Safety Decision-Making Scenario To Measure Worker Safety In Agriculture, Gretchen A. Mosher Dr., Nir Keren Dr., Steven A. Freeman Dr., Charles R. Hurburgh Dr.

Gretchen A. Mosher

No abstract provided.