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Nordp News 2.1, National Organization Of Research Development Professionals, Jeffrey M. Anderson (Ed.)

Research Development Repository

This is an upload of a past issue of the NORDP News Newsletter. The table of contents includes:

• The President’s Corner

• 10 Inexpensive Ways to Stimulate Proposal Development

• NORDP World Map

• Kudos to Holly

• John Carfora’s National Academies Workshop

• Research Development Articles

• Upcoming Research Development Conferences

• Research Development Jobs Sampler

Pcr Detection Of Malaria Parasites In Desiccated Anopheles Mosquitoes Is Uninhibited By Storage Time And Temperature, Mark A. Rider, Brian D. Byrd, Joseph Keating, Dawn M. Wesson, Kevin A. Caillouet

Biostatistics Publications

Background

Reliable methods to preserve mosquito vectors for malaria studies are necessary for detectingPlasmodium parasites. In field settings, however, maintaining a cold chain of storage from the time of collection until laboratory processing, or accessing other reliable means of sample preservation is often logistically impractical or cost prohibitive. As the Plasmodium infection rate of Anophelesmosquitoes is a central component of the entomological inoculation rate and other indicators of transmission intensity, storage conditions that affect pathogen detection may bias malaria surveillance indicators. This study investigated the effect of storage time and temperature on the ability to detect Plasmodium parasites …

Alternatives To Mixture Model Analysis Of Correlated Binomial Data, N. Rao Chaganty, Roy Sabo, Yihao Deng

Biostatistics Publications

While univariate instances of binomial data are readily handled with generalized linear models, cases of multivariate or repeated measure binomial data are complicated by the possibility of correlated responses. Likelihood-based estimation can be applied by using mixture distribution models, though this approach can present computational challenges. The logistic transformation can be used to bypass these concerns and allow for alternative estimating procedures. One popular alternative is the generalized estimating equation (GEE) method, though systematic errors can lead to infeasible correlation estimates or nonconvergence problems. Our approach is the coupling of quasileast squares (QLSs) method with a rarely used matrix factorization, …

Reduced Expression Of Inflammatory Genes In Deceased Donor Kidneys Undergoing Pulsatile Pump Preservation, Valeria Mas, Kellie J. Archer, Catherine I. Dumur, Mariano J. Scian, Jihee L. Suh, Anne L. King, Megan E. Wardius, Julie A. Straub, Marc P. Posner, Kenneth Brayman, Daniel Maluf

Biostatistics Publications

Background

The use of expanded criteria donor kidneys (ECD) had been associated with worse outcomes. Whole gene expression of pre-implantation allograft biopsies from deceased donor kidneys (DDKs) was evaluated to compare the effect of pulsatile pump preservation (PPP) vs. cold storage preservation (CSP) on standard and ECD kidneys.

Methodology/Principal Findings

99 pre-implantation DDK biopsies were studied using gene expression with GeneChips. Kidneys transplant recipients were followed post transplantation for 35.8 months (range = 24–62). The PPP group included 60 biopsies (cold ischemia time (CIT) = 1,367+/−509 minutes) and the CSP group included 39 biopsies (CIT = 1,022+/−485 minutes) (P

Conclusions/Significance …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Metabolic Syndrome In Adolescents: An Examination Of Sex And Racial/Ethnic Differences, Matthew J. Gurka, Christa L. Ice, Shumei S. Sun, Mark D. Deboer

Biostatistics Publications

Objective The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of clinical indices that signals increased risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. The diagnosis of MetS is typically based on cut-off points for various components, e.g. waist circumference and blood pressure. Because current MetS criteria result in racial/ethnic discrepancies, our goal was to use confirmatory factor analysis to delineate differential contributions to MetS by sub-group.

Research Design and Methods Using 1999–2010 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of a single MetS factor that allowed differential loadings across sex and race/ethnicity, …

Molecular Profiles Of Hcv Cirrhotic Tissues Derived In A Panel Of Markers With Clinical Utility For Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance, Ricardo Gehrau, Kellie Archer, Valeria Mas, Daniel Maluf

Biostatistics Publications

Background

Early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection is difficult because low accuracy of surveillance tests. Genome-wide analyses were performed using HCV-cirrhosis with HCC to identify predictive signatures.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Cirrhotic liver tissue was collected from 107 HCV-infected patients with diagnosis of HCC at pre-transplantation and confirmed in explanted livers. Study groups included: 1) microarray hybridization set (n = 80) including patients without (woHCC = 45) and with (wHCC = 24) HCC, and with incidental HCC (iHCC = 11); 2) independent validation set (n = 27; woHCC = 16, wHCC = 11). Pairwise comparisons were performed using moderated t-test. FDR<1% was considered significant. L1-penalized logistic regression model was fit for woHCC and wHCC microarrays, and tested against iHCC. Prediction model genes were validated in independent set by qPCR. The genomic profile was associated with genetic disorders and cancer focused on gene expression, cell cycle and cell death. Molecular profile analysis revealed cell cycle progression and arrest at G2/M, but progressing to mitosis; unregulated DNA damage check-points, and apoptosis. The prediction model included 17 molecules demonstrated 98.6% of accuracy and correctly classified 6 out of 11 undiagnosed iHCC cases. The best model performed even better in the additional independent set.

Conclusions/Significances

The …

Biomarkers Of Disease Differentiation: Hcv Recurrence Versus Acute Cellular Rejection, Ricardo Gehrau, Valeria Mas, Kellie Archer, Daniel Maluf

Biostatistics Publications

The wound-healing process induced by chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection triggers liver damage characterized by fibrosis development and finally cirrhosis. Liver Transplantation (LT) is the optimal surgical treatment for HCV-cirrhotic patients at end-stage liver disease. However, acute cellular rejection (ACR) and HCV recurrence disease represent two devastating complications post-LT. The accurate differential diagnosis between both conditions is critical for treatment choice, and similar histological features represent a challenge for pathologists. Moreover, the HCV recurrence disease severity is highly variable post-LT. HCV recurrence disease progression is characterized by an accelerated fibrogenesis process, and almost 30% of those patients develop cirrhosis …

Patient- And Population-Level Health Consequences Of Discontinuing Antiretroviral Therapy In Settings With Inadequate Hiv Treatment Availability, April D. Kimmel, Stephen C. Resch, Xavier Anglaret, Norman Daniels, Sue J. Goldie, Christine Daniel, Angela Y. Wong, Kenneth A. Freedberg, Milton C. Weinstein

Health Policy Publications

Background

In resource-limited settings, HIV budgets are flattening or decreasing. A policy of discontinuing antiretroviral therapy (ART) after HIV treatment failure was modeled to highlight trade-offs among competing policy goals of optimizing individual and population health outcomes.

Methods

In settings with two available ART regimens, we assessed two strategies: (1) continue ART after second-line failure (Status Quo) and (2) discontinue ART after second-line failure (Alternative). A computer model simulated outcomes for a single cohort of newly detected, HIV-infected individuals. Projections were fed into a population-level model allowing multiple cohorts to compete for ART with constraints on treatment capacity. In the …

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Effects Of Price Frames, Brand Names, And Choice Set Size In Medicare Part D Insurance Plan Decisions, Andrew J. Barnes, Yaniv Hanoch, Stacey Wood, Pi-Ju Liu, Thomas Rice

Health Policy Publications

Because many seniors choose Medicare Part D plans offering poorer coverage at greater cost, the authors examined the effect of price frames, brand names, and choice set size on participants' ability to choose the lowest cost plan. A 2×2×2 within-subjects design was used with 126 participants aged 18 to 91 years old. Mouselab, a web-based program, allowed participants to choose drug plans across eight trials that varied using numeric or symbolic prices, real or fictitious drug plan names, and three or nine drug plan options. Results from the multilevel models suggest numeric versus symbolic prices decreased the likelihood of choosing …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 89, No. 2, 2012)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Interaction Between Mu And Delta Opioid Receptor Agonists In An Assay Of Capsaicin-Induced Thermal Allodynia In Rhesus Monkeys, S. Stevens Negus, Ember Morrissey, John E. Folk, Kenner C. Rice

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Delta opioid agonists enhance antinociceptive effects of mu-opioid agonists in many preclinical assays of acute nociception, but delta/mu interactions in preclinical models of inflammation-associated pain have not been examined. This study examined interactions between the delta agonist SNC80 [(+)-4-[(αR)-α-((2S,5R)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl-1-piperazinyl)-3-methoxybenzyl]-N,N-diethylbenzamide] and the mu agonist analgesics methadone, morphine, and nalbuphine in an assay of capsaicin-induced thermal allodynia in rhesus monkeys. Thermal allodynia was produced by topical application of capsaicin to the tail. Antiallodynic effects of methadone, morphine, and nalbuphine were evaluated alone or in combination with fixed proportions of SNC80 identical to proportions previously shown to enhance acute thermal antinociceptive effects of …

Mdan-21: A Bivalent Opioid Ligand Containing Mu-Agonist And Delta-Antagonist Pharmacophores And Its Effects In Rhesus Monkeys, Mario D. Aceto, Louis S. Harris, S. Stevens Negus, Matthew L. Banks, Larry D. Hughes, Eyup Akgun, Philip S. Portoghese

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

MDAN-21, , a bivalent opioid ligand containing a mu-opioid receptor agonist (derived from oxymorphone) linked to the delta-opioid receptor antagonist (related to naltrindole) by a spacer of 21 atoms, was reported to have potent analgesic properties in mice. Tolerance, physical dependence, and conditioned place preference were not evident in that species. The finding that bivalent ligands in this series, with spacers 19 atoms or greater, were devoid of tolerance and dependence led to the proposal that MDAN-21 targets heteromeric mu-delta-opioid receptors. The present study focused on its effects in nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta), a species with a physiology and behavioral …

Acid Sphingomyelinase Gene Knockout Ameliorates Hyperhomocysteinemic Glomerular Injury In Mice Lacking Cystathionine-Β-Synthase, Krishna M. Boini, Min Xia, Justine M. Abais, Ming Xu, Cai-Xia Li, Pin-Lan Li

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) has been implicated in the development of hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcys)-induced glomerular oxidative stress and injury. However, it remains unknown whether genetically engineering of ASM gene produces beneficial or detrimental action on hHcys-induced glomerular injury. The present study generated and characterized the mice lacking cystathionine β-synthase (Cbs) and Asm mouse gene by cross breeding Cbs+/− and Asm+/− mice. Given that the homozygotes of Cbs−/−/Asm−/− mice could not survive for 3 weeks. Cbs+/−/Asm+/+, Cbs+/−/Asm+/− and Cbs+/−/Asm−/− as well as their Cbs wild type littermates were used to study the role of Asm−/− under a background of Cbs+/− with hHcys. HPLC …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 89, No. 4, 2012)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Free Your Mind: Contemporary Racial Attitudes And Post Racial Theory, Lakeyta M. Bonnette, Sarah M. Gershon, Precious D. Hall

Ethnic Studies Review

The inauguration of the United States first Black President has prompted mass discussions of race relations in America. It is often articulated that America is now in a post-racial society. However, the question still remains: does the election of a Black president demonstrate that America is now a "color-blind" society? To answer this question, we rely on data collected by PEW (2007). Our results suggest that white and African Americans differ significantly in the extent to which they express post-racial attitudes. Specifically, we find that whites more commonly express post-racial attitudes, claiming that racism and discrimination are rare, in opposition …

Black Political Attitudes And Political Rap Music, Lakeyta M. Bonnette

Ethnic Studies Review

Many argue that political or message rap no longer exists. Scholars and critics point to rap music as a genre that is completely negative and only diminishes the progress of the Black community by offering and supporting stereotypes of African Americans (Johnson, Jackson and Gatto 1995; Carpentier, Knobloch and Zillman 2003). On the contrary, I argue that all rap music is not the same and that in fact, there is a subgenre in rap music, political rap, that discusses political issues and candidates exclusively. In this article, I proffer a criterion for identifying political rap music to demonstrate a distinction …

Scarlet-Letter Politics: The Rhetoric Of Shame In The Campaign To Unseat President Barack Hussein Obama, Myra Mendible

Ethnic Studies Review

This essay considers the politics of racial shaming as deployed against Barack Obama, arguing that it targeted "black" and "foreign" bodies as threats to the "American" body politic.

Latinos, African Americans And The Coalitional Case For A Federal Jobs Program, Alan A. Aja, William Darity Jr., Darrick Hamilton

Ethnic Studies Review

In the late 1970s, amidst growing unemployment in black and Latino communities, the newly-formed Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) supported the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in its call for full employment in the run up to the passage of the Humphrey-Hawkins Act of 1 978. Never fully implemented, the act has been de facto an unfunded mandate for close to 40 years. Only recently has it been resurrected by a handful of lawmakers, while both discussion and support for a national jobs program has begun to gain steam in the media and the general public. With support from labor market research …

Activation Of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Protein Kinase 5 Is Essential For Cystitis- And Nerve Growth Factor-Induced Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Expression In Sensory Neurons, Sharon Yu, Chun-Mei Xia, Li-Ya Qiao

Physiology and Biophysics Publications and Presentations

Background Cystitis causes considerable neuronal plasticity in the primary afferent pathways. The molecular mechanism and signal transduction underlying cross talk between the inflamed urinary bladder and sensory sensitization has not been investigated.

Results In a rat cystitis model induced by cyclophosphamide (CYP) for 48 h, the mRNA and protein levels of the excitatory neurotransmitter calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are increased in the L6 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in response to bladder inflammation. Cystitis-induced CGRP expression in L6 DRG is triggered by endogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) because neutralization of NGF with a specific NGF antibody reverses CGRP up-regulation during cystitis. …

Mekk1-Mkk4-Jnk-Ap1 Pathway Negatively Regulates Rgs4 Expression In Colonic Smooth Muscle Cells, Yonggang Zhang, Fang Li, Shu Liu, Hong Wang, Sunila Mahavadi, Karnam S. Murthy, Kamel Khalili, Wenhui Hu

Physiology and Biophysics Publications and Presentations

Background

Regulator of G-protein Signaling 4 (RGS4) plays an important role in regulating smooth muscle contraction, cardiac development, neural plasticity and psychiatric disorder. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. Our recent studies have shown that upregulation of Rgs4 by interleukin (IL)-1β is mediated by the activation of NFκB signaling and modulated by extracellular signal-regulated kinases, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and phosphoinositide-3 kinase. Here we investigate the effect of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway on Rgs4 expression in rabbit colonic smooth muscle cells.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Cultured cells at first passage were treated with or without IL-1β …

Fret-Based Localization Of Fluorescent Protein Insertions Within The Ryanodine Receptor Type 1, Shweta A. Raina, Jeffrey Tsai, Montserrat Samsó, James D. Fessenden

Physiology and Biophysics Publications and Presentations

Fluorescent protein (FP) insertions have often been used to localize primary structure elements in mid-resolution 3D cryo electron microscopic (EM) maps of large protein complexes. However, little is known as to the precise spatial relationship between the location of the fused FP and its insertion site within a larger protein. To gain insights into these structural considerations, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements were used to localize green fluorescent protein (GFP) insertions within the ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1), a large intracellular Ca2+ release channel that plays a key role in skeletal muscle excitation contraction coupling. A series of full-length …

Predicting Protein Interactions By Brownian Dynamics Simulations, Xuan-Yu Meng, Yu Xu, Hong Zhang, Mihaly Mezei, Meng Cui

Physiology and Biophysics Publications and Presentations

We present a newly adapted Brownian-Dynamics (BD)-based protein docking method for predicting native protein complexes. The approach includes global BD conformational sampling, compact complex selection, and local energy minimization. In order to reduce the computational costs for energy evaluations, a shell-based grid force field was developed to represent the receptor protein and solvation effects. The performance of this BD protein docking approach has been evaluated on a test set of 24 crystal protein complexes. Reproduction of experimental structures in the test set indicates the adequate conformational sampling and accurate scoring of this BD protein docking approach. Furthermore, we have developed …

The Molecular Mechanism By Which Pip2 Opens The Intracellular G-Loop Gate Of A Kir3.1 Channel, Xuan-Yu Meng, Hong-Xing Zhang, Diomedes E. Logothetis, Meng Cui

Physiology and Biophysics Publications and Presentations

Abstract

Inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels are characterized by a long pore comprised of continuous transmembrane and cytosolic portions. A high-resolution structure of a Kir3.1 chimera revealed the presence of the cytosolic (G-loop) gate captured in the closed or open conformations. Here, we conducted molecular-dynamics simulations of these two channel states in the presence and absence of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP₂), a phospholipid that is known to gate Kir channels. Simulations of the closed state with PIP₂ revealed an intermediate state between the closed and open conformations involving direct transient interactions with PIP₂, as well as …

Normal-Mode-Analysis-Guided Investigation Of Crucial Intersubunit Contacts In The Camp-Dependent Gating In Hcn Channels, Farzana Marni, Shengjun Wu, Gaurav M. Shah, Xin-Ping Xu, Amber R. Hackett, Changan Xie, Sabisha Shrestha, Lin Liu, Qinglian Liu, Lei Zhou

Physiology and Biophysics Publications and Presentations

Abstract

Protein structures define a complex network of atomic interactions in three dimensions. Direct visualization of the structure and analysis of the interaction potential energy are not straightforward approaches to pinpoint the atomic contacts that are crucial for protein function. We used the tetrameric hyperpolarization-activated cAMP-regulated (HCN) channel as a model system to study the intersubunit contacts in cAMP-dependent gating. To obtain a systematic survey of the contacts between each pair of residues, we used normal-mode analysis, a computational approach for studying protein dynamics, and constructed the covariance matrix for C-α atoms. The significant contacts revealed by covariance analysis …

Profiles In Science: John Bennett Fenn, Kimberly Brady, Roy Brown, Emily Johnson, Shannon D. Jones, Margaret Henderson, Dana Ladd, Irene Lubker, Jennifer A. Mcdaniel

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

“Don’t ever try to be a scientist or engineer!” Had John Bennett Fenn listened to this advice given by his ninth grade teacher, he might not have gone on to pursue a career in analytical chemistry which would culminate in the attainment of the Nobel Prize in 2002. Gathered from interviews, publication analyses, glowing tributes, and his reminiscences, this paper outlines the academic and professional life of John Fenn from childhood through the end of his career in 2010.

Public Reporting As A Communication Tool To Aid Vulnerable Consumers In Healthcare Decisions: What Do We Know?, Daniel R. Longo, Barbara A. Wright

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Background/Introduction:

There is tremendous variation in quality, healthcare service utilization and disparities experienced by the poor, certain minorities, and other priority populations. Public reporting is identified as one method of bringing these differences to light and by informing consumers through documented comparison of provider performance to influence change and encourage improvement in healthcare. The federal Accountable Care Act has the stated mandate “to improve the dissemination of measures of healthcare quality and resource use, (and) to build the science of public reporting.” However, early studies on the design and use of consumer reports cite the public’s confusion and lack of …

The Interdomain Linker Of Aav-2 Rep68 Is An Integral Part Of Its Oligomerization Domain: Role Of A Conserved Sf3 Helicase Residue In Oligomerization, Francisco Zarate-Perez, Martino Bardelli, John W. Burgner Ii, Maria Villamil-Jarauta, Kanni Das, Demet Kekilli, Jorge Mansilla-Soto, R. Michael Linden, Carlos R. Escalante

Physiology and Biophysics Publications and Presentations

The four Rep proteins of adeno-associated virus (AAV) orchestrate all aspects of its viral life cycle, including transcription regulation, DNA replication, virus assembly, and site-specific integration of the viral genome into the human chromosome 19. All Rep proteins share a central SF3 superfamily helicase domain. In other SF3 members this domain is sufficient to induce oligomerization. However, the helicase domain in AAV Rep proteins (i.e. Rep40/Rep52) as shown by its monomeric characteristic, is not able to mediate stable oligomerization. This observation led us to hypothesize the existence of an as yet undefined structural determinant that regulates Rep oligomerization. In this …

Fenced In/Out In West Texas: Notes On Defending My Queer Body, Ed Check

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

In this article, I utilize autoethnography to describe and reflect upon my experiences as a queer artist, associate professor, and activist living in West Texas (1996-2012). To date, I believe there exist too few testimonies in art education that document how queer educators/artists manage myriad social, political, and everyday issues in their lives and workplaces. Such stories are necessary if I am going to equip present and future art teachers with anti-homophobia classroom strategies. I believe such stories are also necessary to counter cultural homophobia and violence and let queer students and teachers know they do not stand alone. Stories …

De(Fencing) With Youth: Moving From The Margins To The Center, Ann E. Tobey, Kate Jellinghaus

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Practices that combine the positive power of human relationships with art making can serve to De(fence): “create, innovate, reshape spaces, opportunities, or works that engage people or (and) bring us and them from the margins to the center” (JSTAE, call for papers, volume 32). In this paper, we explore ideas, techniques, and strategies used to implement four collaborative art projects with teenage youth. These projects aim to create a safe and generative context within which collaborative art-making practice can put youth and their ideas at the center of the process. Projects include an exploration of school climate utilizing sculpture in …

The Terror Of Creativity: Art Education After Postmodernism, Jan Jagodzinski

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

This essay addresses two problematics. The first concerns the question of creativity, which has become a key signifier for art and its education in the 21st century. I try to situate this interest in creativity within the broader context of neoliberalism and capitalist designer capitalism. The second problematic addresses the term ‘after postmodernism,’ which has left us in a state of relativity by rejecting universality. My interest is to show how these two problematics are at play in the well-known documentary film, Waiting for Superman, directed by Davis Guggenheim. An attempt is made to expose the structure of this film …