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Neural Activations During Visual Sequence Learning Leave A Trace In Post-Training Spontaneous Eeg, Clara Moisello, Hadj Boumediene Meziane, Simon Kelly, Bernardo Perfetti, Svetlana Kvint, Nicholas Voutsinas, Daniella Blanco, Angelo Quartarone, Giulio Tononi, Maria Felice Ghilardi

Publications and Research

Recent EEG studies have shown that implicit learning involving specific cortical circuits results in an enduring local trace manifested as local changes in spectral power. Here we used a well characterized visual sequence learning task and high density-(hd-)EEG recording to determine whether also declarative learning leaves a post-task, local change in the resting state oscillatory activity in the areas involved in the learning process. Thus, we recorded hd-EEG in normal subjects before, during and after the acquisition of the order of a fixed spatial target sequence (VSEQ) and during the presentation of targets in random order (VRAN). We first determined …

Effects Of Painful Stimulation And Acupuncture On Attention Networks In Healthy Subjects, Gang Liu, Hui-Juan Ma, Pan-Pan Hu, Yang-Hua Tian, Shen Hu, Jin Fan, Kai Wang

Publications and Research

Pain is a subjective sensory and emotional experience, and it has been reported that many different brain regions are regulated by pain, and that pain can impact attention. Acupuncture is an important treatment component of Chinese traditional medicine, and has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide variety of conditions. Although several studies have shown that acupuncture improves consciousness, the precise impact of both acupuncture and painful stimulation on attention is unclear. Are all of the attention networks modulated, or do these stimuli act on a specific network? Is the effect of painful stimulation similar to that …

Synergistic Inhibition Of Survival, Proliferation, And Migration Of U87 Cells With A Combination Of Ly341495 And Iressa, Zarina Yelskaya, Vangie Carrillo, Ewa Dubisz, Hira Gulzar, Devon Morgan, Shahana S. Mahajan

Publications and Research

Glioblastomas exploit various molecular pathways to promote glutamate-dependent growth by activating the AMPA (2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazol-4-yl) propanoic acid) receptor, the group II metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR, and the epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR. We hypothesized that targeting more than one of these pathways would be more effective in inhibiting glutamate-dependent growth. Using a model of U87 cell line, we show that blocking glutamate release by Riluzole inhibits cell proliferation. Glutamate-dependent growth is effectively inhibited by a combination of Iressa, an inhibitor of EGFR activation and LY341495, a group II mGluR inhibitor. Treatment of U87 cells with a combination of Iressa and LY341495 …

College Senate Minutes May 16, 2013, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on May 16, 2019.

Dating Human Cultural Capacity Using Phylogenetic Principles, J. Lind, P. Lindenfors, S. Ghirlanda, K. Lidén, M. Enquist

Publications and Research

Humans have genetically based unique abilities making complex culture possible; an assemblage of traits which we term “cultural capacity”. The age of this capacity has for long been subject to controversy. We apply phylogenetic principles to date this capacity, integrating evidence from archaeology, genetics, paleoanthropology, and linguistics. We show that cultural capacity is older than the first split in the modern human lineage, and at least 170,000 years old, based on data on hyoid bone morphology, FOXP2 alleles, agreement between genetic and language trees, fire use, burials, and the early appearance of tools comparable to those of modern hunter-gatherers. We …

Burden Of Disease From Toxic Waste Sites In India, Indonesia, And The Philippines In 2010, Kevin Chatham-Stephens, Jack Caravanos, Bret Ericson, Jennifer Sunga-Amparo, Budi Susilorini, Promila Sharma, Philip J. Landrigan, Richard Fuller

Publications and Research

Background: Prior calculations of the burden of disease from toxic exposures have not included estimates of the burden from toxic waste sites due to the absence of exposure data. Objective: We developed a disability-adjusted life year (DALY)-based estimate of the disease burden attributable to toxic waste sites. We focused on three low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Methods: Sites were identified through the Blacksmith Institute’s Toxic Sites Identification Program, a global effort to identify waste sites in LMICs. At least one of eight toxic chemicals was sampled in environmental media at each site, and the population …

Stepwise Acquisition Of Vocal Combinatorial Capacity In Songbirds And Human Infants, Dina Lipkind, Gary F. Marcus, Douglas Bemis, Kazutoshi Sasahara, Nori Jacoby, Miki Takahashi, Kenta Suzuki, Olga Feher, Primoz Ravbar, Kazuo Okanoya, Ofer Tchernichovski

Publications and Research

Human language, as well as birdsong, relies on the ability to arrange vocal elements in novel sequences. However, little is known about the ontogenetic origin of this capacity. We tracked the development of vocal combinatorial capacity in three species of vocal learners, combining an experimental approach in zebra finches with an analysis of natural development of vocal transitions in Bengalese finches and pre-lingual human infants and found a common, stepwise pattern of acquiring vocal transitions across species. In our first study, juvenile zebra finches were trained to perform one song and then the training target was altered, prompting the birds …

Robust Training Attenuates Tbi-Induced Deficits In Reference And Working Memory On The Radial 8-Arm Maze, Veronica Sebastian, Aissatou Diallo, Douglas S. F. Ling, Peter A. Serrano

Publications and Research

Globally, it is estimated that nearly 10 million people sustain severe brain injuries leading to hospitalization and/or death every year. Amongst survivors, traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in a wide variety of physical, emotional and cognitive deficits. The most common cognitive deficit associated with TBI is memory loss, involving impairments in spatial reference and working memory. However, the majority of research thus far has characterized the deficits associated with TBI on either reference or working memory systems separately, without investigating how they interact within a single task. Thus, we examined the effects of TBI on short-term working and long-term reference …

A Phylogeny And Revised Classification Of Squamata, Including 4161 Species Of Lizards And Snakes, R. Alexander Pyron, Frank T. Burbrink, John J. Wiens

Publications and Research

Background: The extant squamates (>9400 known species of lizards and snakes) are one of the most diverse and conspicuous radiations of terrestrial vertebrates, but no studies have attempted to reconstruct a phylogeny for the group with large-scale taxon sampling. Such an estimate is invaluable for comparative evolutionary studies, and to address their classification. Here, we present the first large-scale phylogenetic estimate for Squamata.

Results: The estimated phylogeny contains 4161 species, representing all currently recognized families and subfamilies. The analysis is based on up to 12896 base pairs of sequence data per species (average = 2497 bp) from 12 genes, …

Earliest Archaeological Evidence Of Persistent Hominin Carnivory, Joseph V. Ferraro, Thomas W. Plummer, Briana L. Pobiner, James S. Oliver, Laura C. Bishop, David R. Braun, Peter W. Ditchfield, John W. Seaman, Katie M. Binetti, John W. Seaman, Fritz Hertel, Richard Potts

Publications and Research

The emergence of lithic technology by ∼2.6 million years ago (Ma) is often interpreted as a correlate of increasingly recurrent hominin acquisition and consumption of animal remains. Associated faunal evidence, however, is poorly preserved prior to ∼1.8 Ma, limiting our understanding of early archaeological (Oldowan) hominin carnivory. Here, we detail three large well-preserved zooarchaeological assemblages from Kanjera South, Kenya. The assemblages date to ∼2.0 Ma, pre-dating all previously published archaeofaunas of appreciable size. At Kanjera, there is clear evidence that Oldowan hominins acquired and processed numerous, relatively complete, small ungulate carcasses. Moreover, they had at least occasional access to the …

Serine Proteolytic Pathway Activation Reveals An Expanded Ensemble Of Wound Response Genes In Drosophila, Rachel A. Patterson, Michelle T. Juarez, Anita Hermann, Roman Sasik, Gary Hardiman, William Mcginnis

Publications and Research

After injury to the animal epidermis, a variety of genes are transcriptionally activated in nearby cells to regenerate the missing cells and facilitate barrier repair. The range and types of diffusible wound signals that are produced by damaged epidermis and function to activate repair genes during epidermal regeneration remains a subject of very active study in many animals. In Drosophila embryos, we have discovered that serine protease function is locally activated around wound sites, and is also required for localized activation of epidermal repair genes. The serine protease trypsin is sufficient to induce a striking global epidermal wound response without …

College Senate Minutes April 18, 2013, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on April 18, 2013.

Educational Uses For The Ipad, Philip G. Swan Jr.

Publications and Research

These are bullet points of a talk regarding iPad apps suitable for use in higher education.

Edges And Overlaps In Northwest Atlantic Phylogeography, Safra Altman, John D. Robinson, James M. Pringle, James E. Byers, John P. Wares

Publications and Research

As marine environments change, the greatest ecological shifts—including resource usage and species interactions—are likely to take place in or near regions of biogeographic and phylogeographic transition. However, our understanding of where these transitional regions exist depends on the defining criteria. Here we evaluate phylogeographic transitions using a bootstrapping procedure that allows us to focus on either the strongest genetic transitions between a pair of contiguous populations, versus evaluation of transitions inclusive of the entire overlap between two intraspecific genetic lineages. We compiled data for the Atlantic coast of the United States, and evaluate taxa with short- and long-dispersing larval phases …

Effect Of Exercise On Appetite-Regulating Hormones In Overweight Women, G. Tiryaki-Sonmez, S. Ozen, G. Bugdayci, U. Karli, G. Ozen, S. Cogalgil, B. Schoenfeld, K. Sozbir, K. Aydin

Publications and Research

Over the past decade, our knowledge of how homeostatic systems regulate food intake and body weight has increased with the discovery of circulating peptides such as leptin, acyl ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin. These hormones regulate the appetite and food intake by sending signals to the brain regarding the body's nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of appetite-regulating hormones to exercise. Nine overweight women undertook two 2 h trials in a randomized crossover design. In the exercise trial, subjects ran for 60 min at 50% of maximal oxygen uptake followed by a 60 min …

Sex-Specific Brain Deficits In Auditory Processing In An Animal Model Of Cocaine-Related Schizophrenic Disorders, Patricia A. Broderick, Taylor Rosenbaum

Publications and Research

Cocaine is a psychostimulant in the pharmacological class of drugs called Local Anesthetics. Interestingly, cocaine is the only drug in this class that has a chemical formula comprised of a tropane ring and is, moreover, addictive. The correlation between tropane and addiction is well-studied. Another well-studied correlation is that between psychosis induced by cocaine and that psychosis endogenously present in the schizophrenic patient. Indeed, both of these psychoses exhibit much the same behavioral as well as neurochemical properties across species. Therefore, in order to study the link between schizophrenia and cocaine addiction, we used a behavioral paradigm called Acoustic Startle. …

Conservation Genetics Of Extremely Isolated Urban Populations Of The Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus Fuscus) In New York City, Jason Munshi-South, Yana Zak, Ellen Pehek

Publications and Research

Urbanization is a major cause of amphibian decline. Stream-dwelling plethodontid salamanders are particularly susceptible to urbanization due to declining water quality and hydrological changes, but few studies have examined these taxa in cities. The northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) was once common in the New York City metropolitan area, but has substantially declined throughout the region in recent decades. We used five tetranucleotide microsatellite loci to examine population differentiation, genetic variation, and bottlenecks among five remnant urban populations of dusky salamanders in NYC. These genetic measures provide information on isolation, prevalence of inbreeding, long-term prospects for population persistence, and potential …

Overexpression Of Full-Length Centrobin Rescues Limb Malformation But Not Male Fertility Of The Hypodactylous (Hd) Rats, František Liška, Claudia Gosele, Elena Popova, Blanka Chylíková, Drahomíra Křenová, Vladimír Křen, Michael Bader, Laura L. Tres, Norbert Hubner, Abraham L. Kierszenbaum

Publications and Research

Rat hypodactyly (hd) mutation is characterized by abnormal spermatogenesis and sperm decapitation, limb malformation (missing digits II and III) and growth retardation. We have previously reported centrobin (centrosome BRCA2-interacting protein) truncation at the C-terminus in the hd mutant. Here, we report data from a transgenic rescue experiment carried out to determine a role of centrobin in pathogenesis of hd. The transgenic construct, consisting of full-length-coding cDNA linked to a ubiquitous strong promoter/enhancer combination, was inserted to chromosome 16 into a LINE repeat. No known gene is present in the vicinity of the insertion site. Transgenic centrobin was expressed in all …

Synthesis, Biological Activity And Molecular Modelling Studies Of Tricyclic Alkylimidazo-, Pyrimido- And Diazepinopurinediones, Anna Drabczyńska, Tadeusz Karcz, Ewa Szymańska, Meryem Köse, Christa E. Müller, Minka Paskaleva, Janina Karolak-Wojciechowska, Jadwiga Handzlik, Olga Yuzlenko, Katarzyna Kieć-Kononowicz

Publications and Research

Syntheses and biological activities of imidazo-, pyrimido- and diazepino[2,1-f]purinediones containing N-alkyl substituents (with straight, branched or unsaturated chains) are described. Tricyclic derivatives were synthesized by the cyclization of 8-bromo-substituted 7-(2-bromoethyl)-, 7-(3-chloropropyl)- or 7-(4-bromobutyl)-theophylline with primary amines under various conditions. Compound 22 with an ethenyl substituent was synthesized by dehydrohalogenation of 9-(2-bromoethyl)-1,3-dimethyltetrahydropyrimido[2,1-f]purinedione. The obtained derivatives (5–35) were initially evaluated for their affinity at rat A1 and A2A adenosine receptors (AR), showing moderate affinity for both adenosine receptor subtypes. The best ligands were diazepinopurinedione 28 (Ki = 0.28 μM) with fivefold A2A selectivity and the non-selective A1/A2A AR ligand pyrimidopurinedione 35 (Ki …

Create Cornerstone: Introduction To Scientific Thinking, A New Course For Stem-Interested Freshmen, Demystifies Scientific Thinking Through Analysis Of Scientific Literature, Alan J. Gottesman, Sally G. Hoskins

Publications and Research

The Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment (CREATE) strategy for teaching and learning uses intensive analysis of primary literature to improve students’ critical-thinking and content integration abilities, as well as their self-rated science attitudes, understanding, and confidence. CREATE also supports maturation of undergraduates’ epistemological beliefs about science. This approach, originally tested with upper-level students, has been adapted in Introduction to Scientific Thinking, a new course for freshmen. Results fromthis course’s initial semesters indicate that freshmen in a one-semester introductory course that uses a narrowly focused set of readings to promote development of analytical …

Friendship, Education, And Justice Teaching: The Professional Development Of Two Teacher-Friends, Debbie Sonu

Publications and Research

This paper discusses the distinct nature of friendship between teachers. Using literature on both the philosophical study of friendship and that of professional development, I present data from a qualitative study with two elementary school teachers in New York City in order to explore how the benefits of friendship might deepen an understanding of one's work with students. While literature on professional development tends to focus on effectively designed and structured activity, this article highlights the importance of teacher amity in (a) staving off negative judgments about teacher work, (b) harnessing the freedom to create and err, and (c) cultivating …

College Senate Minutes March 21, 2013, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on March 21, 2013.

A Myosin-Va Tail Fragment Sequesters Dynein Light Chains Leading To Apoptosis In Melanoma Cells, Tc Izidoro-Toledo, Ac Borges, Dd Araujo, Dps Leitao Mazzi, Fo Nascimento Junior, Jf Sousa, Cp Alves, Apb Paiva, Dm Trindade, Ev Patussi, Pablo M. Peixoto, Kw Kinnally, Em Espreafico

Publications and Research

Previous studies proposed that myosin-Va regulates apoptosis by sequestering pro-apoptotic Bmf to the actin cytoskeleton through dynein light chain-2 (DLC2). Adhesion loss or other cytoskeletal perturbations would unleash Bmf, allowing it to bind and inhibit pro-survival Bcl2 proteins. Here, we demonstrated that over expression of a myosin-Va medial tail fragment (MVaf) harboring the binding site for DLC2 dramatically decreased melanoma cell viability. Morphological and molecular changes, including surface blebbing, mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, cytochrome-c and Smac release, as well as caspase-9/-3 activation and DNA fragmentation indicated that melanoma cells died of apoptosis. Immobilized MVaf interacted directly with DLCs, but complexed …

The Evolutionary Dynamics Of Protein-Protein Interaction Networks Inferred From The Reconstruction Of Ancient Networks, Yuliang Jin, Dmitrij Turaev, Thomas Weinmaier, Thomas Rattei, Hernán A. Makse

Publications and Research

Cellular functions are based on the complex interplay of proteins, therefore the structure and dynamics of these protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks are the key to the functional understanding of cells. In the last years, large-scale PPI networks of several model organisms were investigated. A number of theoretical models have been developed to explain both the network formation and the current structure. Favored are models based on duplication and divergence of genes, as they most closely represent the biological foundation of network evolution. However, studies are often based on simulated instead of empirical data or they cover only single organisms. Methodological …

Gene Entropy-Fractal Dimension Informatics With Application To Mouse-Human Translational Medicine, T. Holden, E. Cheung, S. Dehipawala, J. Ye, G. Tremberger, D. Lieberman, T. Cheung

Publications and Research

DNA informatics represented by Shannon entropy and fractal dimension have been used to form 2D maps of related genes in various mammals. The distance between points on these maps for corresponding mRNA sequences in different species is used to study evolution. By quantifying the similarity of genes between species, this distance might be indicated when studies on one species (mouse) would tend to be valid in the other (human). The hypothesis that a small distance from mouse to human could facilitate mouse to human translational medicine success is supported by the studied ESR-1, LMNA, Myc, and RNF4 sequences. ID1 and …

Rage Deficiency Improves Postinjury Sciatic Nerve Regeneration In Type 1 Diabetic Mice, Judyta K. Juranek, Matthew S. Geddis, Fei Song, Jinghua Zhang, Jose Garcia, Rosa Rosario, Shi Fang Yan, Thomas H. Brannagan, Ann Marie Schmidt

Publications and Research

Peripheral neuropathy and insensate limbs and digits cause significant morbidity in diabetic individuals. Previous studies showed that deletion of the receptor for advanced end-glycation products (RAGE) in mice was protective in long-term diabetic neuropathy. Here, we tested the hypothesis that RAGE suppresses effective axonal regeneration in superimposed acute peripheral nerve injury attributable to tissue-damaging inflammatory responses. We report that deletion of RAGE, particularly in diabetic mice, resulted in significantly higher myelinated fiber densities and conduction velocities consequent to acute sciatic nerve crush compared with wild-type control animals. Consistent with key roles for RAGE-dependent inflammation, reconstitution of diabetic wild-type mice with …

Molecular Immunologic Correlates Of Spontaneous Latency In A Rabbit Model Of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Selvakumar Subbian, Paul O'Brien, Nicole L. Kushner, Guibin Yang, Liana Tsenova, Blas Peixoto, Nirmalya Bandyopadhyay, Joel S. Bader, Petros C. Karakousis, Dorothy Fallows, Gilla Kaplan

Publications and Research

Background: Infection of humans with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) results in latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in 90-95% of immune competent individuals, with no symptoms of active disease. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 billion people have LTBI, which can reactivate in the setting of waning host immunity, posing a threat to global TB control. Various animal models have been used to study the pathogenesis of TB. However, besides nonhuman primates, rabbits are the only animal model that fully recapitulates the pathological features of human TB, including progressive disease with necrosis and cavitation or establishment of spontaneous latency.

Results: We …

Landscape Genetics Of Leaf-Toed Geckos In The Tropical Dry Forest Of Northern Mexico, Christopher Blair, Victor H. Jimenez-Arcos, Fausto R. Mendez De La Cruz, Robert W. Murphy

Publications and Research

Habitat fragmentation due to both natural and anthropogenic forces continues to threaten the evolution and maintenance of biological diversity. This is of particular concern in tropical regions that are experiencing elevated rates of habitat loss. Although less well-studied than tropical rain forests, tropical dry forests (TDF) contain an enormous diversity of species and continue to be threatened by anthropogenic activities including grazing and agriculture. However, little is known about the processes that shape genetic connectivity in species inhabiting TDF ecosystems. We adopt a landscape genetic approach to understanding functional connectivity for leaf-toed geckos (Phyllodactylus tuberculosus) at multiple sites …

Extinction Hazards In Experimental Daphnia Magna Populations: Effects Of Genotype Diversity And Environmental Variation, John D. Robinson, John P. Wares, John M. Drake

Publications and Research

Extinction is ubiquitous in natural systems and the ultimate fate of all biological populations. However, the factors that contribute to population extinction are still poorly understood, particularly genetic diversity and composition. A laboratory experiment was conducted to examine the influences of environmental variation and genotype diversity on persistence in experimental Daphnia magna populations. Populations were initiated in two blocks with one, two, three, or six randomly selected and equally represented genotypes, fed and checked for extinction daily, and censused twice weekly over a period of 170 days. Our results show no evidence for an effect of the number of genotypes …

Curatedovariandata: Clinically Annotated Data For The Ovarian Cancer Transcriptome, Benjamin Frederick Ganzfried, Markus Riester, Benjamin Haibe-Kains, Thomas Risch, Svitlana Tyekucheva, Ina Jazic, Xin Victoria Wang, Mahnaz Ahmadifar, Michael J. Birrer, Giovanni Parmigiani, Curtis Huttenhower, Levi Waldron

Publications and Research

This article introduces a manually curated data collection for gene expression meta-analysis of patients with ovarian cancer and software for reproducible preparation of similar databases. This resource provides uniformly prepared microarray data for 2970 patients from 23 studies with curated and documented clinical metadata. It allows users to efficiently identify studies and patient subgroups of interest for analysis and to perform meta-analysis immediately without the challenges posed by harmonizing heterogeneous microarray technologies, study designs, expression data processing methods and clinical data formats. We confirm that the recently proposed biomarker CXCL12 is associated with patient survival, independently of stage and optimal …