Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling Animal Behavior In A Changing Environment, Shandelle M. Henson, James M. Cushing, James L. Hayward

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Growth Conditions For Uniqueness Of Smooth Positive Solutions To An Elliptic Model, Joon Hyuk Kang

Faculty Publications

The uniqueness of positive solution to the elliptic model

∆u + u[a + g(u, v)] = 0 in Ω, ∆v + v[a + h(u, v)] = 0 in Ω, u = v = 0 on ∂Ω,

were investigated.

Co-Creaturely Associates Or Peers? The Nature Of Animals As Portrayed In Isaiah, A. Rahel Wells

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Show Me Your Glory: A Narrative Theology Of Exodus 33:12–34:10 From A Biblical-Historical Perspective, John C. Peckham

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

"A Bastard Jargon”: Language Politics And Identity In The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, Rachel Norman

Faculty Publications

This essay explores Junot Díaz's only full-length novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, through the theoretical lens of sociolinguistics and examines the ways in which Díaz has attempted to overcome the publishing industry's complicity in maintaining the nation's ethnocentric expectations in regards to English as the only acceptable language of publication. By introducing the work of several sociolinguists into the discussion, examining the use of African American Vernacular and “nerdish” alongside the Spanish, and reviewing Díaz’s relationship with his editors, I provide a more nuanced reading of the ubiquitous code-switching throughout Oscar Wao and suggest that beyond …

Identification Of Arabidopsis Gpat9 (At5g60620) As An Essential Gene Involved In Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis, Jay Shockey, Anushobha Regmi, Kimberly Cotton, Neil Adhikari, John Bowse, Philip D. Bates

Faculty Publications

The first step in the biosynthesis of nearly all plant membrane phospholipids and storage triacylglycerols is catalyzed by a glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT). The requirement for an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized GPAT for both of these critical metabolic pathways was recognized more than 60 years ago. However, identification of the gene(s) encoding this GPAT activity has remained elusive. Here, we present the results of a series of in vivo, in vitro, and in silico experiments in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) designed to assign this essential function to AtGPAT9. This gene has been highly conserved throughout evolution and is …

Filter Presence And Tipping Paper Color Influence Consumer Perceptions Of Cigarettes, Richard J. O’Connor, Maansi Bansal-Travers, K. Michael Cummings, David Hammond, Jim Thrasher, Cindy Tworek

Faculty Publications

Background: Cigarettes are marketed in a wide array of packaging and product configurations, and these may impact consumers’ perceptions of product health effects and attractiveness. Filtered cigarettes are typically perceived as less hazardous and white tipping paper (as opposed to cork) often conveys ‘lightness’.

Methods: This study examined cigarette-related perceptions among 1220 young adult (age 18-35) current, ever, and never smokers recruited from three eastern U.S. cities (Buffalo NY, Columbia SC, Morgantown WV). Participants rated three cigarette sticks: two filtered cigarettes 85 mm in length, differing only in tipping paper color (cork versus white), and an unfiltered 70 mm cigarette. …

Mrna Levels Of Imprinted Genes In Bovine In Vivo Oocytes, Embryos And Cross Species Comparisons With Humans, Mice And Pigs, Zongliang Jiang, Hong Dong, Xinbao Zheng, Sadie L. Marjani, David M. Donovan, Jingbo Chen, Xiuchun Cindy Tian

Faculty Publications

Twenty-six imprinted genes were quantified in bovine in vivo produced oocytes and embryos using RNA-seq. Eighteen were detectable and their transcriptional patterns were: largely decreased (MEST and PLAGL1); first decreased and then increased (CDKN1C and IGF2R); peaked at a specific stage (PHLDA2, SGCE, PEG10, PEG3, GNAS, MEG3, DGAT1, ASCL2, NNAT, and NAP1L5); or constantly low (DIRAS3, IGF2, H19 and RTL1). These patterns reflect mRNAs that are primarily degraded, important at a specific stage, or only required at low quantities. The mRNAs for several genes were surprisingly abundant. For instance, transcripts for the maternally imprinted MEST and PLAGL1, were high in …

No Reef Is An Island: Integrating Coral Reef Connectivity Data Into The Design Of Regional-Scale Marine Protected Area Networks, Steven R. Schill, George T. Raber, Jason J. Roberts, Eric A. Treml, Jorge Brenner, Patrick N. Halpin

Faculty Publications

We integrated coral reef connectivity data for the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico into a conservation decision-making framework for designing a regional scale marine protected area (MPA) network that provides insight into ecological and political contexts. We used an ocean circulation model and regional coral reef data to simulate eight spawning events from 2008–2011, applying a maximum 30-day pelagic larval duration and 20% mortality rate. Coral larval dispersal patterns were analyzed between coral reefs across jurisdictional marine zones to identify spatial relationships between larval sources and destinations within countries and territories across the region. We applied our results in Marxan, …

Epigenetic Instability At Imprinting Control Regions In A KrasG12d-Induced T-Cell Neoplasm, Corey L. Bretz, Ingeborg M. Langohr, Suman Lee, Joomyeong Kim

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Although aberrant DNA methylation within imprinted domains has been reported in a variety of neoplastic diseases, it remains largely uncharacterized in the context of carcinogenesis. In this study, we induced T-cell lymphoma in mice by employing a breeding scheme involving mouse strains, LSL-KrasG12D and MMTV-Cre. We then systematically surveyed imprinted domains for DNA methylation changes during tumor progression using combined bisulfite restriction analysis and NGS-based bisulfite sequencing. We detected hyper- or hypo-methylation at the imprinting control regions (ICRs) of the Dlk1, Peg10, Peg3, Grb10, and Gnas domains. These DNA methylation changes at ICRs …

Review: City Choreographer: Lawrence Halprin In Urban Renewal America, Anthony Raynsford

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dna-Binding Motif Of The Imprinted Transcription Factor Peg3, Suman Lee, An Ye, Joomyeong Kim

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Lee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Peg3 is an imprinted gene that is predicted to encode a DNA-binding zinc finger protein. This was previously demonstrated through Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation-based Sequencing experiments. In the current study, we reanalyzed the previous ChIP-Seq results and further characterized the DNA-binding motif of PEG3. According to the results, PEG3 binds to the promoters and enhancers of a subset of genes that are closely …

Breeding Technologies In U.S. Meat Goat Production: Who Are The Adopters And How Does Adoption Impact Productivity?, Jeffrey Gillespie, Berdikul Qushim, Narayan Nyaupane, Kenneth Mcmillin

Faculty Publications

Copyright 2015 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association. Adoption of advanced breeding technologies and management practices (BTMP) in U.S. meat goat production and their impact were examined. Adopters generally had larger-scale operations, used rotational grazing and/or dry lot systems, and sold larger percentages of animals for breeding and show purposes. Farmer demographics and farm variables also influenced adoption. Complementarity of adoption was found-adopters of one BTMP tended to adopt other BTMPs. Measures of productivity and profitability were not affected by adoption. Goat breed, farmer experience, production system used, and specialization influenced productivity, and farm size had the greatest influence on …

Tissue-Specific Contributions Of Paternally Expressed Gene 3 In Lactation And Maternal Care Of Mus Musculus, Wesley D. Frey, Joomyeong Kim

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Frey, Kim.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in anymedium, provided the original author and source are credited. Paternally Expressed Gene 3 (Peg3) is an imprinted gene that controls milk letdown and maternal-caring behaviors. In this study, a conditional knockout allele has been developed in Mus musculus to further characterize these known functions of Peg3 in a tissue-specific manner. The mutant line was first crossed with a germline Cre. The progeny of this cross displayed growth retardation phenotypes. This is consistent with …

The Seesaw Effect Of Winter Temperature Change On The Recruitment Of Cotton Bollworms Helicoverpa Armigera Through Mismatched Phenology, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Peijian Shi, Cang Hui, Xiaofei Cheng, Fang Ouyang, Feng Ge

Faculty Publications

Knowing how climate change affects the population dynamics of insect pests is critical for the future of integrated pest management. Rising winter temperatures from global warming can drive increases in outbreaks of some agricultural pests. In contrast, here we propose an alternative hypothesis that both extremely cold and warm winters can mismatch the timing between the eclosion of overwintering pests and the flowering of key host plants. As host plants normally need higher effective cumulative temperatures for flowering than insects need for eclosion, changes in flowering time will be less dramatic than changes in eclosion time, leading to a mismatch …

Examining Louisiana State University College Of Agriculture Students’ Perceived Motivators And Barriers To Participation In International Experiences, J. C. Bunch, J. Joey Blackburn, Shelli Dan Jean, Kristin E. Stair, Leslie D. Blanchard

Faculty Publications

© 2015, Assoc. Int. Agricultural and Extension Education. All rights reserved. In an effort to internationalize higher education and produce globally competent professionals, many universities have increased the time and financial assets put toward promoting an international experience (IE). Research supports using an IE to supplement international education efforts and help students develop the global perspective and experience needed to succeed in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to determine College of Agriculture (CoA) students’ perceptions of IE participation, and identify factors that CoA students perceived as barriers and motivators to participation in an IE. CoA students were …

Mathematics Library News 14, Aaron Lercher

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Failure Of A Heterologous Recombinant Sca5/Ompb Protein-Based Vaccine To Elicit Effective Protective Immunity Against Rickettsia Rickettsii Infections In C3h/Hen Mice, Sean P. Riley, Marissa M. Cardwell, Yvonne G. Chan, Ludovic Pruneau, Fabio Del Piero, Juan J. Martinez

Faculty Publications

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsial species are obligate intracellular tick-borne pathogens that are responsible for important human diseases. Previous reports have demonstrated the feasibility of using recombinant surface cell antigen Sca5/OmpB to elicit protective immunity against homologous challenges using murine models of Mediterranean spotted fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In addition, the feasibility of generating cross-protective immunity against related rickettsial species has also been established, but the molecular basis for these phenomena was not explored. Here, we demonstrate that vaccination of C3H/HeN mice with a recombinant OmpB domain derived from Rickettsia conorii induced high titer humoral immune responses that …

Island Vs. Countryside Biogeography: An Examination Of How Amazonian Birds Respond To Forest Clearing And Fragmentation, Jared D. Wolfe, Philip C. Stouffer, Karl Mokross, Luke L. Powell, Marina M. Anciaes

Faculty Publications

Avian diversity in fragmented Amazonian landscapes depends on a balance between extinction and colonization in cleared and disturbed areas. Regenerating forest facilitates bird dispersal within degraded Amazonian landscapes and may tip the balance in favor of persistence in habitat patches. Determining the response of Amazonian birds to fragmentation may be hindered because many species use adjacent second growth matrices thereby limiting the applicability of island biogeography to predict species loss; alternatively, a countryside biogeographic framework to evaluate the value of regenerating forest may be more appropriate. Here, we used point-count and capture data to compare Amazonian bird communities among continuous …

Phylogeography Of The Military Macaw (Ara Militaris) And The Great Green Macaw (A. Ambiguus) Based On Mtdna Sequence Data, Jessica R. Eberhard, Eduardo E. Iñigo-Elias, Ernesto Enkerlin-Hoeflich, E. Paùl Cun

Faculty Publications

© 2015 The Wilson Ornithological Society. The Military Macaw (Ara militaris) and the Great Green Macaw (A. ambiguus) are species whose close relationship is reflected in their morphological similarity as well as their geographic ranges. Military Macaws have a disjunct distribution, found in Mexico as well as several areas in South America, while Great Green Macaws have two or more disjunct populations from Honduras to eastern Ecuador. We used mitochondrial sequence data to examine the phylogenetic relationships between these two species, and also among representative samples across their ranges. Our data clearly support recognition of the two species as being …

Differences In Patterns Of Reproductive Allocation Between The Sexes In Nicrophorus Orbicollis, Ashlee N. Smith, J. Curtis Creighton, Mark C. Belk

Faculty Publications

Organisms are selected to maximize lifetime reproductive success by balancing the costs of current reproduction with costs to future survival and fecundity. Males and females typically face different reproductive costs, which makes comparisons of their reproductive strategies difficult. Burying beetles provide a unique system that allows us to compare the costs of reproduction between the sexes because males and females are capable of raising offspring together or alone and carcass preparation and offspring care represent the majority of reproductive costs for both sexes. Because both sexes perform the same functions of carcass preparation and offspring care, we predict that they …

Old Testament Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Old Testament Bible projects, with an historical overview of Mesopotamia and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 4000 BC to 0 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Book Of Mormon Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Book of Mormon projects, with an historical overview of Mesoamerica and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 2000 BC to 600 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Novel Mode Of Defective Neural Tube Closure In The Non-Obese Diabetic (Nod) Mouse Strain, J. Michael Salbaum, Claudia Kruger, Jacalyn Macgowan, Nils J. Herion, David Burk, Claudia Kappen

Faculty Publications

Failure to close the neural tube results in birth defects, with severity ranging from spina bifida to lethal anencephaly. Few genetic risk factors for neural tube defects are known in humans, highlighting the critical role of environmental risk factors, such as maternal diabetes. Yet, it is not well understood how altered maternal metabolism interferes with embryonic development, and with neurulation in particular. We present evidence from two independent mouse models of diabetic pregnancy that identifies impaired migration of nascent mesodermal cells in the primitive streak as the morphogenetic basis underlying the pathogenesis of neural tube defects. We conclude that perturbed …

Fetal Programming In Meat Production, Min Du, Bo Wang, Xing Fu, Qiyuan Yang, Mei Jun Zhu

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Nutrient fluctuations during the fetal stage affects fetal development, which has long-term impacts on the production efficiency and quality of meat. During the early development, a pool of mesenchymal progenitor cells proliferate and then diverge into either myogenic or adipogenic/fibrogenic lineages. Myogenic progenitor cells further develop into muscle fibers and satellite cells, while adipogenic/fibrogenic lineage cells develop into adipocytes, fibroblasts and resident fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells. Enhancing the proliferation and myogenic commitment of progenitor cells during fetal development enhances muscle growth and lean production in offspring. On the other hand, promoting the adipogenic differentiation of adipogenic/fibrogenic progenitor …

Inhibition Of Cell Adhesion And Immune Responses In The Mouse Model Of Collagen-Induced Arthritis With A Peptidomimetic That Blocks Cd2-Cd58 Interface Interactions, Ameya S. Gokhale, Rushikesh Sable, Jason D. Walker, Leslie Mclaughlin, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Seetharama D. Jois

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. CD2 and CD58 are two important costimulatory molecules involved in generating the signal II required for normal immune signaling. However, this interaction can be targeted to be of benefit in cases of abnormal immune signaling seen in autoimmune diseases. Our objective in this study was to design a peptidomimetic (compound 7) based on a β-strand structure of the adhesion domain of CD2 protein to inhibit CD2-CD58 protein-protein interaction and its effect on immunomodulation in the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. The ability of compound 7 to bind to CD58 protein was assessed using flow cytometry. The …

Functional Conservation In The Siamese-Related Family Of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors In Land Plants, Narender Kumar, Hirofumi Harashima, Shweta Kalve, Jonathan Bramsiepe, Kai Wang, Bulelani L. Sizani, Laura L. Bertrand, Matthew C. Johnson, Christopher Faulk, Renee Dale, L. Alice Simmons, Michelle L. Churchman, Keiko Sugimoto, Naohiro Kato, Maheshi Dasanayake, Gerrit Beemster, Arp Schnittger, John C. Larkin

Faculty Publications

© 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. The best-characterized members of the plant-specific SIAMESE-RELATED (SMR) family of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors regulate the transition from the mitotic cell cycle to endoreplication, also known as endoreduplication, an altered version of the cell cycle in which DNA is replicated without cell division. Some other family members are implicated in cell cycle responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the functions of most SMRs remain unknown, and the specific cyclin- dependent kinase complexes inhibited by SMRs are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that a diverse group of SMRs, including an SMR from …

Cellular And Molecular Remodeling Of Inguinal Adipose Tissue Mitochondria By Dietary Methionine Restriction, Yuvraj N. Patil, Kelly N. Dille, David H. Burk, Cory C. Cortez, Thomas W. Gettys

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Dietary methionine restriction (MR) produces a coordinated series of biochemical and physiological responses that improve biomarkers of metabolic health, increase energy expenditure, limit fat accretion and improve overall insulin sensitivity. Inguinal white adipose tissue (IWAT) is a primary target and site of action where the diet initiates transcriptional programs linked to enhancing both synthesis and oxidation of lipid. Using a combination of ex vivo approaches to assess dietary effects on cell morphology and function, we report that dietary MR produced a fourfold increase in multilocular, UCP1-expressing cells within this depot in conjunction with significant increases in …

Darwin’S Dice: The Idea Of Chance In The Thought Of Charles Darwin, Charles H. Pence

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Changes In Habitat Use At Rain Forest Edges Through Succession: A Case Study Of Understory Birds In The Brazilian Amazon, Luke L. Powell, Gustavo Zurita, Jared D. Wolfe, Erik I. Johnson, Philip C. Stouffer

Faculty Publications

Primary tropical rain forests are being rapidly perforated with new edges via roads, logging, and pastures, and vast areas of secondary forest accumulate following abandonment of agricultural lands. To determine how insectivorous Amazonian understory birds respond to edges between primary rain forest and three age classes of secondary forest, we radio-tracked two woodcreepers (Glyphorynchus spirurus, N = 17; Xiphorhynchus pardalotus, N = 18) and a terrestrial antthrush (Formicarius colma, N = 19). We modeled species-specific response to distance to forest edge (a continuous variable) based on observations at varying distances from the primary-secondary forest interface. All species avoided 8-14-yr-old secondary …