Life Sciences Commons^™

Genome-Scale Comparison And Constraint-Based Metabolic Reconstruction Of The Facilitative Anaerobic Fe(Iii)-Reducer Rhodoferax Ferrireducens, Derek Lovley, Carla Risso, Jun Sun, Kai Zhuang, Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, Robert Deboy, Wael Ismail, Susmita Shrivastava, Heather Huot, Sagar Kothari, Sean Daughtry, Olivia Bui, Christophe Schilling, Barbara Methѐ

Carla Risso

Background Rhodoferax ferrireducens is a metabolically versatile, Fe(III)-reducing, subsurface microorganism that is likely to play an important role in the carbon and metal cycles in the subsurface. It also has the unique ability to convert sugars to electricity, oxidizing the sugars to carbon dioxide with quantitative electron transfer to graphite electrodes in microbial fuel cells. In order to expand our limited knowledge about R. ferrireducens, the complete genome sequence of this organism was further annotated and then the physiology of R. ferrireducens was investigated with a constraint-based, genome-scale in silico metabolic model and laboratory studies. Results The iterative modeling and …

Inheritance Of Shoulder Spotting In The Tetra, Hyphessobrycon Bentosi Characidae, Jack Frankel

Jack Frankel

Diet And Physical Activity Patterns Of School-Aged Children.Pdf, Maya Vadiveloo, Paula Quatromoni

Maya Vadiveloo

Contributions Of Gut Bacteria To Bacillus Thuringiensis-Induced Mortality Vary Across A Range Of Lepidoptera, Nichole A. Broderick, Courtney Jaime Robinson, Matthew D. Mcmahon, Kenneth F. Raffa

Courtney Robinson

Tracking Bacterial Responses To Global Warming With An Ecotype-Based Systematics, Frederick M. Cohan

Frederick M. Cohan

No abstract provided.

Multiple Colonisations Of The Western Indian Ocean By Pteropus Fruit Bats (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae): The Furthest Islands Were Colonised First, John O'Brien, Carol Mariani, Link Olson, Amy L. Russell, Ludovic Say, Anne D. Yoder, Tom J. Hayden

Amy L. Russell

Nerve, Muscle, Blood, Toil, Tears, And Sweat: England’S Pioneering Biophysicist, Soldier, And Statesman, Arshad M. Khan

Arshad M. Khan, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Two Size-Selective Mechanisms Specifically Trap Bacteria-Sized Food Particles In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Christopher Fang-Yen, L Avery, A Samuel

Christopher Fang-Yen

No abstract provided.

Polymorphisms Of Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase (Alad) And Peptide Transporter 2 (Pept2) Genes In Children With Low-Level Lead Exposure, Christina Sobin, Marisela Gutierrez, Heather Alterio

Christina Sobin, Ph.D.

Low-level lead exposure during early childhood has long been associated with altered neurocognitive development and diminished cognitive functions. Over nine thousand U.S. industrial facilities annually emit significant amounts of lead, creating exposure risk particularly for minority children. The mechanisms by which low-level lead exerts neurotoxic effects are poorly understood. Once absorbed, the only intervention is source removal, thus primary prevention is key. Genetic biomarkers could provide an efficient means of identifying children at greatest risk. Common functional variants of genes that alter lead’s neurotoxic potential have been identified and include delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD2) and peptide transporter 2 (PEPT2*2). These …

Forest Regeneration From Pasture In The Dry Tropics Of Panama: Effects Of Cattle, Exotic Grass, And Forested Riparia, Heather P. Griscom, B.W. Griscom, P.M.S. Ashton

Heather P. Griscom

No abstract provided.

Incidence And Post-Pollination Mechanisms Of Nonrandom Mating In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Rob Swanson, Ann L. Carlson, Megan Telligman

Rob Swanson

Compatible pollinations from many different taxa display nonrandom mating. Here we describe a system for examining questions of nonrandom mating in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using this system, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana displays nonrandom mating between distinct accessions. Statistical analysis of these data demonstrates aspects of both pollen competition and male–female complementarity in these matings. Cytological experiments implicate pollen germination and pollen tube growth rates as possible causal factors in these nonrandom mating efficiencies.

A Catalog Of Scn1a Variants, Christoph Lossin

Christoph Lossin, Ph.D.

Over the past 10 years mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) have become closely associated with inheritable forms of epilepsy. One isoform in particular, Nav1.1 (gene symbol SCN1A), appears to be a superculprit, registering with more than 330 mutations to date. The associated phenotypes range from benign febrile seizures to extremely serious conditions, such as Dravet’s syndrome (SMEI). Despite the wealth of information, mutational analyses are cumbersome, owing to inconsistencies among the Nav1.1 sequences to which different research groups refer. Splicing variability is the core problem: Nav1.1 co-exists in three isoforms, two of them lack 11 or 28 amino acids …

Life In The Slow Lane: Palmetto Seedlings Exhibit Remarkable Survival But Slow Growth In Florida's Nutrient-Poor Uplands, W. G. Abrahamson, C. R. Abrahamson

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

The palmettos Serenoa repens and Sabal etonia are crucial foundation species in many peninsular Florida vegetative associations. We monitored the survival and growth of individual palmetto seedlings using two cohorts found in different vegetative associations. Seedling cohorts containing both S. repens and S. etonia were individually tagged in 1989 and have been monitored until 2008, a period of 19 years. One cohort (N = 100 seedlings) occurs in a xeric, “inopina-phase” scrubby flatwoods and a second cohort (N =78 seedlings) lives in a well-drained, “wiregrass-phase” flatwoods. The soils at both sites are very nutrient-poor Entisols that show rapid permeability, low …

Japanese And English Sentence Reading Comprehension And Writing Systems: An Fmri Study Of First And Second Language Effects On Brain Activation, Augusto Buchweitz, Robert A. Mason, Akiko Hasegawa, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Pathological Alterations In Gabaergic Interneurons And Reduced Tonic Inhibition In The Basolateral Amygdala During Epileptogenesis, Michael A. Rogawski, Brita Fritsch, Felicia Qashu, T. H. Figueiredo, Vicki Aroniadou-Anderjaska, Maria F.M. Braga

Michael A. Rogawski

An acute brain insult such as traumatic head/brain injury, stroke, or an episode of status epilepticus can trigger epileptogenesis, which, after a latent, seizure-free period, leads to epilepsy. The discovery of effective pharmacological interventions that can prevent the development of epilepsy requires knowledge of the alterations that occur during epileptogenesis in brain regions that play a central role in the induction and expression of epilepsy. In the present study, we investigated pathological alterations in GABAergic interneurons in the rat basolateral amygdala (BLA), and the functional impact of these alterations on inhibitory synaptic transmission, on days 7 to 10 after status …

The Genome Sequence Of Geobacter Metallireducens: Features Of Metabolism, Physiology And Regulation Common And Dissimilar To Geobacter Sulfurreducens, Derek Lovley, Muktak Aklujkar, Julia Krushkal, Genevieve Dibartolo, Alla Lapidus, Miriam L. Land

Muktak Aklujkar

BACKGROUND: The genome sequence of Geobacter metallireducens is the second to be completed from the metal-respiring genus Geobacter, and is compared in this report to that of Geobacter sulfurreducens in order to understand their metabolic, physiological and regulatory similarities and differences. RESULTS: The experimentally observed greater metabolic versatility of G. metallireducens versus G. sulfurreducens is borne out by the presence of more numerous genes for metabolism of organic acids including acetate, propionate, and pyruvate. Although G. metallireducens lacks a dicarboxylic acid transporter, it has acquired a second putative succinate dehydrogenase/fumarate reductase complex, suggesting that respiration of fumarate was important until …

Atypical Frontal-Posterior Synchronization Of Theory Of Mind Regions In Autism During Mental State Attribution, Rajesh K. Kana, Timothy A. Keller, Vladimir L. Cherkassky, Nancy J. Minshew, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Compliance With Wearing Physical Activity Accelerometers In High School Students, John R. Sirard, Megan E. Slater

John Sirard

Background—Accelerometer use in physical activity research has become increasingly popular but is prone to problems with missing data, which complicate the data reduction and analysis process. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hypothesized compliance strategies on improving compliance with wearing a physical activity accelerometer in high school students. Methods—Each of four local high schools was assigned to one of four compliance strategies: (1) receiving three phone calls, (2) completing a daily journal, (3) compensation contingent on number of complete (≥ 10 hours) days of data, and (4) control condition. Participants wore ActiGraph accelerometers for seven …

The Role Of The Theory-Of-Mind Cortical Network In The Comprehension Of Narratives, Robert Mason, Marcel Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Lap3, A Novel Plant Protein Required For Pollen Development, Is Essential For Proper Exine Formation Is Essential For Proper Exine Formation, Rob Swanson, Anna A. Dobritsa, Shuh-Ichi Nishikawa, Daphne Preuss, Ewa Urbanczyk-Wochniak, Lloyd W. Sumner, Adam Hammond, Ann L. Carlson

Rob Swanson

We isolated lap3-1 and lap3-2 mutants in a screen for pollen that displays abnormal stigma binding. Unlike wild-type pollen, lap3-1 and lap3-2 pollen exine is thinner, weaker, and is missing some connections between their roof-like tectum structures. We describe the mapping and identification of LAP3 as a novel gene that contains a repetitive motif found in b-propeller enzymes. Insertion mutations in LAP3 lead to male sterility. To investigate possible roles for LAP3 in pollen development, we assayed the metabolite profile of anther tissues containing developing pollen grains and found that the lap3-2 defect leads to a broad range of metabolic …

Stimulatory And Suppressive Effects Of Novaluron On The Colorado Potato Beetle Reproduction., Andrei Alyokhin, Ryan Guillemette, Raymond Choban

Andrei Alyokhin

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is one of the most damaging insect pests of potato. Novaluron is a relatively new benzoylphenyl urea insect growth regulator with good activity against this pest. Earlier studies revealed that feeding on potato foliage treated with novaluron induces reversible egg hatch inhibition in adult Colorado potato beetles. We investigated if novaluron effects depend on physiological state of the beetles at the time of exposure. The following four treatments were created: young beetles unmated at the beginning of the experiment and feeding on potato foliage treated with novaluron, young beetles unmated at the beginning …

Optimization Strategies For Electrospun Silk Fibroin Tissue Engineering Scaffolds, A. J. Meinel, Kristopher E. Kubow, E. Klotzsch, M. Garcia-Fuentes, M. L. Smith, V. Vogel, H. P. Merkle, L. Meinel

Kristopher E Kubow

No abstract provided.

Interactions Of Native And Non-Native Lady Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) With Aphid-Tending Ants In Laboratory Arenas, Christy Finlayson, Andrei Alyokhin, Erin Porter

Andrei Alyokhin

Interactions between lady beetles and the European fire ant (Myrmica rubra L.) tending potato aphids [Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas)] were compared in the laboratory. Lady beetle species native to North America (Coccinella trifasciata perplexa Mulsant, Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake, Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville) and non-native species of Palearctic origin [Coccinella septempunctata L., Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), Hippodamia variegata (Goeze), Propylea quatuordecimpunctata L.)] were evaluated. Harmonia axyridis consumed a significantly greater number of aphids compared with all other species but C. septempunctata. Ant stings affected H. variegata and C. septempunctata to a greater extent than other species. Ants showed a significantly greater amount of …

Reintroduction Of The Chinese Tiger, Philip J. Nyhus, Urs Breitenmoser, Ron Tilson

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

Fundamentals For Using Geographic Information Science To Measure The Effectiveness Of Land Conservation Projects, Robert G. Pontius Jr., Shaily Menon, Joseph Duncan, Shalini Gupta

Shaily Menon

Some humans spend a tremendous amount of effort to change landscapes from a “natural” state to a “developed” state for a variety of desirable economic uses, such as urban, agriculture, transportation, and mining. Others spend a tremendous amount of effort to prevent such development in order to conserve the landscapes for a variety of important environmental uses, such as biodiversity maintenance, carbon storage, water filtration, and landslide prevention. It would be efficient in theory if a society were to focus its development efforts at locations that give the largest economic utility per area developed, and to focus its conservation efforts …

Sustainability And Changing University Culture And Curriculum: A Grand Valley State University Case Study, Stephen C. Glass, Elena Lioubimtseva, Norman Christopher, Wendy Wenner

Stephen C Glass

The past two decades have shown significant changes in the understanding of the role of sustainability in the higher education culture of many countries. While many American universities and colleges have embraced this concept as the major driver of environmental, social, economic, and technological progress, only a few programs in the United States offer today undergraduate or graduate degrees in sustainability studies or sustainable development. Interdisciplinary scholarship on the role of sustainability in the higher education has been boosted recently by research and public debate on global climate change, globalization, and free-trade. Yet, not many US universities consider sustainability as …

Protein Purification For Structural Genomics, Rachele M. Hendricks-Sturrup

Rachele M Hendricks-Sturrup

Associational Resistance, Gall-Fly Preferences, And A Stem Dimorphism In Solidago Altissima, M. J. Wise, C. G. Yi, W. G. Abrahamson

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

No abstract provided.

Review Of Biocd Physics And Technology, David D. Nolte

David D Nolte

Spinning biodisks have advantages that make them attractive for specialized biochip applications. The two main classes of spinning biodisks are microfluidic disks and bio-optical compact disks BioCD. Microfluidic biodisks take advantage of noninertial pumping for lab-on-a-chip devices using noninertial valves and switches under centrifugal and Coriolis forces to distribute fluids about the disks. BioCDs use spinning-disk interferometry, under the condition of common-path phase quadrature, to perform interferometric label-free detection of molecular recognition and binding. The optical detection of bound molecules on a disk is facilitated by rapid spinning that enables high-speed repetitive sampling to eliminate 1/ f noise through common-mode …

Lactobacilli Facilitate Maintenance Of Intestinal Membrane Integrity During Shigella Dysenteriae 1 Infection In Rats, Moorthy G, Murali Mr, Devaraj Sn

Murali Malliga Raman

OBJECTIVE: Lactobacilli are used in various dairy products and fermented foods for their potential health beneficial effects. Recently we reported the protective role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus acidophilus during Shigella dysenteriae 1 infection. Nevertheless, investigations on the membrane-stabilizing effect of L. rhamnosus and L. acidophilus have not been done. Hence, the present study evaluated the effect of L. rhamnosus and L. acidophilus on the maintenance of intestinal membrane integrity during S. dysenteriae 1-induced diarrhea in rats. METHODS: Rats were divided into eight groups (n = 6 in each group). Induced rats received single oral dose of S. dysenteriae (12 …