Digital Commons Network^™

Minimizing The Source Of Nociception And Its Concurrent Effect On Sensory Hypersensitivity: An Exploratory Study In Chronic Whiplash Patients, Geoff M. Schneider, Ashley D. Smith, Allen Hooper, Paul Stratford, Kathryn J. Schneider, Michael D. Westaway, Bevan Frizzell, Lee Olson

Faculty Publications

Abstract. Background. The cervical zygapophyseal joints may be a primary source of pain in up to 60% of individuals with chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD) and may be a contributing factor for peripheral and centrally mediated pain (sensory hypersensitivity). Sensory hypersensitivity has been associated with a poor prognosis. The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a change in measures indicative of sensory hypersensitivity in patients with chronic WAD grade II following a medial branch block (MBB) procedure in the cervical spine. Methods. Measures of sensory hypersensitivity were taken via quantitative sensory testing (QST) consisting of pressure …

The Role Of Adaptive Trans-Generational Plasticity In Biological Invasions Of Plants, Andrew R. Dyer, Cynthia S. Brown, Erin K. Espeland, John K. Mckay, Harald Meimberg, Kevin J. Rice

Faculty Publications

High-impact biological invasions often involve establishment and spread in disturbed, high-resource patches followed by establishment and spread in biotically or abiotically stressful areas. Evolutionary change may be required for the second phase of invasion (establishment and spread in stressful areas) to occur. When species have low genetic diversity and short selection history, within-generation phenotypic plasticity is often cited as the mechanism through which spread across multiple habitat types can occur. We show that trans-generational plasticity (TGP) can result in pre-adapted progeny that exhibit traits associated with increased fitness both in high-resource patches and in stressful conditions. In the invasive sedge, …

In Vitro And In Vivo Assessment Of Pulmonary Risk Associated With Exposure To Combustion Generated Fine Particles, Baher Fahmy, Liren Ding, Dahui You, Slawo Lomnicki, Barry Dellinger, Stephania A. Cormier

Faculty Publications

Strong correlations exist between exposure to PM2.5 and adverse pulmonary effects. PM2.5 consists of fine (≤2.5μm) and ultrafine (≤0.1μm) particles with ultrafine particles accounting for >70% of the total particles. Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have recently been identified in airborne PM2.5. To determine the adverse pulmonary effects of EPFRs associated with exposure to elevated levels of PM2.5, we engineered 2.5μm surrogate EPFR-particle systems. We demonstrated that EPFRs generated greater oxidative stress in vitro, which was partly responsible for the enhanced cytotoxicity following exposure. In vivo studies using rats exposed to EPFRs containing particles demonstrated minimal adverse pulmonary effects. Additional …

Mechanisms Of Apoptosis In Crustacea: What Conditions Induce Versus Suppress Cell Death?, Michael A. Menze, Grady Fortner, Suman Nag, Steven C. Hand

Faculty Publications

Arthropoda is the largest of all animal phyla and includes about 90% of extant species. Our knowledge about regulation of apoptosis in this phylum is largely based on findings for the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Recent work with crustaceans shows that apoptotic proteins, and presumably mechanisms of cell death regulation, are more diverse in arthropods than appreciated based solely on the excellent work with fruit flies. Crustacean homologs exist for many major proteins in the apoptotic networks of mammals and D. melanogaster, but integration of these proteins into the physiology and pathophysiology of crustaceans is far from complete. Whether apoptosis …

Biological Control Of Tropical Soda Apple (Solanaceae) In Florida: Post-Release Evaluation, J. Medal, N. Bustamante, W. Overholt, R. Diaz, P. Stansly, A. Roda, D. Amalin, K. Hibbard, R. Gaskalla, B. Sellers, S. Hight, J. Cuda

Faculty Publications

The leaf feeding beetle Gratiana boliviana was released on tropical soda apple plants in Sumter County, FL., in 2006. The beetles significantly defoliated the plants over the period of the summers of 2006 and 2007, and became well established in the area.

Organismal Climatology: Analyzing Environmental Variability At Scales Relevant To Physiological Stress, Brian Helmuth, Bernardo R. Broitman, Lauren Yamane, Sarah E. Gilman, Katharine Mach, K. A.S. Mislan, Mark W. Denny

Faculty Publications

Predicting when, where and with what magnitude climate change is likely to affect the fitness, abundance and distribution of organisms and the functioning of ecosystems has emerged as a high priority for scientists and resource managers. However, even in cases where we have detailed knowledge of current species’ range boundaries, we often do not understand what, if any, aspects of weather and climate act to set these limits. This shortcoming significantly curtails our capacity to predict potential future range shifts in response to climate change, especially since the factors that set range boundaries under those novel conditions may be different …

Foraging-Related Activity Of Bald Eagles At A Washington Seabird Colony And Seal Rookery, James L. Hayward, Joseph G. Galusha, Shandelle M. Henson

Faculty Publications

From 1980 to 1998, Washington's Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) population increased at an annual rate of 10. Over the same time period, foraging activity of Bald Eagles at marine bird breeding colonies also increased. From 1993 to 2008, we observed foraging-related behavior of Bald Eagles on Violet Point, Protection Island. This island hosts more than 70 of the breeding seabirds in Washington's inner seaways and serves as an important rookery for harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). We found that (1) eagles landed more frequently in seal haul-out (beach) areas than in gull-nesting (non-beach) areas of Violet Point, and that subadult eagles …

Social And Emotional Learning In Kindergarten: Evaluation Of The Strong Start Curriculum, Paul Caldarella, Lynnette Christensen, K. Richard Young, Thomas J. Kramer, Ryan H. Shatzer

Faculty Publications

Social and Emotional Learning promotes competence by teaching skills: Recognize and manage emotion; Develop care and concern for others; Make responsible decisions; Form positive relationships; Handle challenging situations effectively.

The Effects Of Theaflavin-Enriched Black Tea Extract On Muscle Soreness, Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, And Endocrine Responses To Acute Anaerobic Interval Training: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Crossover Study, Shawn M. Arent, Meghan Senso, Devon L. Golem, Kenneth H. Mckeever

Faculty Publications

Background: Muscle soreness and decreased performance often follow a bout of high-intensity exercise. By reducing these effects, an athlete can train more frequently and increase long-term performance. The purpose of this study is to examine whether a high-potency, black tea extract (BTE) alters the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), oxidative stress, inflammation, and cortisol (CORT) responses to high-intensity anaerobic exercise.Methods: College-age males (N = 18) with 1+ yrs of weight training experience completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Subjects consumed the BTE (1,760 mg BTE·d-1) or placebo (PLA) for 9 days. Each subject completed two testing sessions (T1 and T2), …

Relationships Between Herbaceous Diversity And Biomass In Two Habitats In Arid Mediterranean Rangeland, Mohammad N. Alhamad, Brian P. Oswald, Mohammad M. Bataineh, Mohammad A. Alrababah, Mohammad M. Gharaibeh

Faculty Publications

Plant diversity patterns vary across the landscape. This study was conducted to answer the question: What is the pattern of species diversity (α and β) along an abstract productivity/cover gradient at two topographical positions (Wadi (a depression with overland flow) and hilltop) of a Mediterranean herbaceous plant community in Jordan? Results indicated that the less productive hilltop localities exhibited higher species richness than the more productive Wadi localities. Species richness exhibited a unimodal relationship with aboveground biomass within Wadis whereas a positive linear relationship was revealed for hilltops. Within Wadis, abundant species did not show a significant relationship with productivity …

Dynamic Clamp: Alteration Of Response Properties And Creation Of Virtual Realities In Neurophysiology., Economo Mn, Fernandez Fr, White Ja

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Latitudinal Differences In The Hibernation Characteristics Of Woodchucks (Marmota Monax), Stam M. Zervanos, Christine R. Maher Phd, Jerry A. Waldvogel, Gregory L. Florant

Faculty Publications

There is little information on the phenotypic flexibility of hibernation characteristics within species. To address this issue, we observed differences in hibernation characteristics of three free-ranging populations of woodchucks (Marmota monax) distributed along a latitudinal gradient from Maine to South Carolina. Data from free-ranging animals exhibited a direct relationship between latitude and length of the hibernation season. As expected, woodchucks in the northern latitudes hibernated longer than those in the southern latitudes. Also, the length of interbout arousals decreased with increase in latitude, whereas the length of torpor bouts and the number of arousals increased. Thus, we observed phenotypic plasticity …

Six Rna Viruses And Forty-One Hosts: Viral Small Rnas And Modulation Of Small Rna Repertoires In Vertebrate And Invertebrate Systems, Poornima Parameswaran, Ella Sklan, Courtney Wilkins, Trever Burgon, Melanie A. Samuel, Rui Lu, K. Mark Ansel, Vigo Heissmeyer, Shirit Einav, William Jackson, Tammy Doukas, Suman Paranjape, Charlotta Polacek, Flavia Barreto Dos Santos, Roxana Jalili, Farbod Babrzadeh, Baback Gharizadeh, Dirk Grimm, Mark Kay, Satoshi Koike, Peter Sarnow, Mostafa Ronaghi, Shou Wei Ding, Eva Harris, Marie Chow, Michael S. Diamond, Karla Kirkegaard, Jeffrey S. Glenn, Andrew Z. Fire

Faculty Publications

We have used multiplexed high-throughput sequencing to characterize changes in small RNA populations that occur during viral infection in animal cells. Small RNA-based mechanisms such as RNA interference (RNAi) have been shown in plant and invertebrate systems to play a key role in host responses to viral infection. Although homologs of the key RNAi effector pathways are present in mammalian cells, and can launch an RNAi-mediated degradation of experimentally targeted mRNAs, any role for such responses in mammalian host-virus interactions remains to be characterized. Six different viruses were examined in 41 experimentally susceptible and resistant host systems. We identified virus-derived …

Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Glycoproteins B And K8.1 Regulate Virion Egress And Synthesis Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor And Viral Interleukin-6 In Bcbl-1 Cells, R. Subramanian, I. Sehgal, O. D'Auvergne, K. G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) viral glycoproteins play important roles in the infectious life cycle and have been implicated in KSHV-associated endothelial cell transformation, angiogenesis, and KS-induced malignancies. KSHV-associated primary effusion lymphomas (PELs) secrete high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and viral interleukin-6 (vIL-6) in vitro and VEGF, vIL-6, and basic-fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) in mouse xenografts. KSHV-encoded glycoproteins B (gB) and K8.1 stimulate VEGF secretion, most likely mediated by direct or indirect binding to cell surface receptors, including the gB-specific αVβ3 and α3β1 integrins. In this study, the short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated inhibition of either gB or K8.1 …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Novaluron As A Rodent Feed-Through Insecticide Against Sand Fly Larvae (Diptera: Psychodidae), T. M. Mascari, L. D. Foil

Faculty Publications

Experiments were conducted to evaluate novaluron as a feed-through larvicide to control immature phlebotomine sand flies (Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli) (Diptera: Psychodidae). The minimum effective concentration of novaluron against sand fly larvae fed hamster feces treated with novaluron, or feces of hamsters fed a diet containing novaluron, was 9.88 and 9.88 × 10-1 mg/kg, respectively. Feces of novaluron-treated hamsters were held under conditions simulating the inside of a rodent burrow for up to 30 d, and all larvae that consumed these feces died before pupation; a significant reduction in treated larval survival relative to control was observed when the feces were …

Intracellular Consequences Of Sos1 Deficiency During Salt Stress, Dong Ha Oh, Sang Yeol Lee, Ray A. Bressan, Dae Jin Yun, Hans J. Bohnert

Faculty Publications

A mutation of AtSOS1 (Salt Overly Sensitive 1), a plasma membrane Na +/H+-antiporter in Arabidopsis thaliana, leads to a salt-sensitive phenotype accompanied by the death of root cells under salt stress. Intracellular events and changes in gene expression were compared during a non-lethal salt stress between the wild type and a representative SOS1 mutant, atsos1-1, by confocal microscopy using ion-specific fluorophores and by quantitative RT-PCR. In addition to the higher accumulation of sodium ions, atsos1-1 showed inhibition of endocytosis, abnormalities in vacuolar shape and function, and changes in intracellular pH compared to the wild type in root tip cells under …

A Systems Model Of Vesicle Trafficking In Arabidopsis Pollen Tubes, Naohiro Kato, Hongyu He, Alexander P. Steger

Faculty Publications

A systems model that describes vesicle trafficking during pollen tube growth in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) was constructed. The model is composed of ordinary differential equations that connect the molecular functions of genes expressed in pollen. The current model requires soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) and small GTPases, Arf or Rab, to reasonably predict tube growth as a function of time. Tube growth depends on vesicle trafficking that transports phospholipid and pectin to the tube tip. The vesicle trafficking genes identified by analyzing publicly available transcriptome data comprised 328 genes. Fourteen of them are up-regulated by the gibberellin …

Effects Of Transgenic Rice Expressing Bacillus Thuringiensis Cry1ab Protein On Ground-Dwelling Collembolan Community In Postharvest Seasons, Y. Y. Bai, R. H. Yan, G. Y. Ye, F. N. Huang, J. A. Cheng

Faculty Publications

During 20052008, field studies were conducted at two locations in Chongqing, China, to assess the potential effects of transgenic rice expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1Ab protein on the nontarget ground-dwelling collembolan community in three postharvest seasons. Collembolans in non-Bt and Bt rice fields were sampled with pitfall traps during each of two postharvest seasons of 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 and litterbag traps during each of three postharvest seasons of 2005/2006, 2006/2007, and 2007/2008. Ground-dwelling collembolans in rice fields during the postharvest seasons were abundant, whereas community densities varied considerably between the two locations and among the three seasons. A total of …

Thirteen Ways Of Looking At Buck V. Bell: Thoughts Occasioned By Paul Lombardo's "Three Generations, No Imbeciles", Michelle Oberman

Faculty Publications

Paul Lombardo's recent book, Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Eugenics, the Supreme Court and Buck v. Bell, chronicles the history of state-sponsored sterilization over the course of the 20th century. As a historical endeavor, it is rich and rewarding, permitting the reader a broad understanding of the social, cultural and legal context for the case that inspired Oliver Wendell Holmes' famous quotation, "Three generations of imbeciles are enough." Lombardo's work masterfully ties the eugenics movement of the early 20th century to the broader policies informing the government's role in regulating reproduction .

Lombardo's book, which I originally picked up solely …

Effects Of Metal Compounds With Distinct Physicochemical Properties On Iron Homeostasis And Antibacterial Activity In The Lungs: Chromium And Vanadium, Mitchell D. Cohen, Maureen Sisco, Colleen Prophete, Kotaro Yoshida, Lung-Chi Chen, Judith T. Zelikoff, Jason Smee, Alvin A. Holder, Jacqueline Stormhuerner, Debbie C. Crans, Andrew J. Ghio

Faculty Publications

In situ reactions of metal ions or their compounds are important mechanisms by which particles alter lung immune responses. The authors hypothesized that major determinants of the immunomodulatory effect of any metal include its redox behavior/properties, oxidation state, and/or solubility, and that the toxicities arising from differences in physicochemical parameters are manifest, in part, via differential shifts in lung iron (Fe) homeostasis. To test the hypotheses, immunomodulatory potentials for both pentavalent vanadium (V(V); as soluble metavanadate or insoluble vanadium pentoxide) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI); as soluble sodium chromate or insoluble calcium chromate) were quantified in rats after inhalation (5 h/day …

Two-Relaxation-Time Lattice Boltzmann Method For The Anisotropic Dispersive Henry Problem, Borja Servan-Camas, Frank T.C. Tsai

Faculty Publications

This study develops a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with a two-relaxation-time collision operator (TRT) to cope with anisotropic heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity and anisotropic velocity-dependent hydrodynamic dispersion in the saltwater intrusion problem. The directional-speed-of-sound technique is further developed to address anisotropic hydraulic conductivity and dispersion tensors. Forcing terms are introduced in the LBM to correct numerical errors that arise during the recovery procedure and to describe the sink/source terms in the flow and transport equations. In order to facilitate the LBM implementation, the forcing terms are combined with the equilibrium distribution functions (EDFs) to create pseudo-EDFs. This study performs linear stability …

The Battle Of Murten: The Invasion Of Charles The Bold And The Survival Of The Swiss States, Albert Winkler

Faculty Publications

When Charles the Bold of Burgundy tried to create a new kingdom between France and the German Empire, he decided to conquer the Swiss states. His aggression started the Burgundian Wars from 1474 to 1477. Charles besieged the fortress of Grandson early in 1476. When the Swiss garrison surrendered, Charles had all four hundred of the defenders hanged. In the Battle of Grandson, the Swiss drove the Burgundian Army away, but Charles soon invaded again. This time he besieged the fortress of Murten, and the Swiss rallied all their forces to attack him. In the subsequent battle, the Swiss infantry …

The Restrictive Ethos In Civil Procedure, A. Benjamin Spencer

Faculty Publications

Those of us who study civil procedure are familiar with the notion that federal civil procedure under the 1938 Rules was generally characterized by a "liberal ethos," meaning that it was originally designed to promote open access to the courts and to facilitate a resolution of disputes on the merits. Most of us are also aware of the fact that the reality of procedure is not always access-promoting or fixated on merits- based resolutions as a priority. Indeed, I would say that a "restrictive ethos" prevails in procedure today, with many rules being developed, interpreted, and applied in a manner …

Pastors’ Perspectives On Assimilating New Members: Part 1–Challenges And Needs, Jane Thayer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Virus Discovery By Deep Sequencing And Assembly Of Virus-Derived Small Silencing Rnas, Qingfa Wu, Yingjun Luo, Rui Lu, Nelson Lau, Eric C. Lai, Wan Xiang Li, Shou Wei Ding

Faculty Publications

In response to infection, invertebrates process replicating viral RNA genomes into siRNAs of discrete sizes to guide virus clearance by RNA interference. Here, we show that viral siRNAs sequenced from fruit fly, mosquito, and nematode cells were all overlapping in sequence, suggesting a possibility of using siRNAs for viral genome assembly and virus discovery. To test this idea, we examined contigs assembled from published small RNA libraries and discovered five previously undescribed viruses from cultured Drosophila cells and adult mosquitoes, including three with a positive-strand RNA genome and two with a dsRNA genome. Notably, four of the identified viruses exhibited …

The Four R’S Of Openness And Alms Analysis: Frameworks For Open Educational Resources, John L. Hilton Iii, Aaron Johnson, Jared Stein, David Wiley

Faculty Publications

A significant movement in education concerns the use of open educational resources. By "open" it is generally meant that the resource is available at no cost to others for adaptation and reuse in different contexts. However "open" is not a simple dichotomy; rather, there is a continuum of openness. We discuss four separate aspects of reuse and demonstrate how these describe different levels of openness. We discuss how the licensing and technical aspects of open educational resources affect the relative openness of an OER. Implications for those creating open educational resources are discussed.

Functional Genomics Tool: Gene Silencing In Ixodes Scapularis Eggs And Nymphs By Electroporated Dsrna, Shahid Karim, Emily Troiano, Thomas N. Mather

Faculty Publications

Background

Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods responsible for transmitting a wide variety of disease-causing agents, and constitute important public health threats globally. Ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of the Lyme disease agent in the eastern and central U.S. RNAi is a mechanism by which gene-specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) triggers degradation of homologous mRNA transcripts. Here, we describe an optimized protocol for effectively suppressing gene expression in the egg and nymphal stages of I. scapularis by electroporation.

Results

The genes encoding the putative Phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂), cytoplasmic Cystatin, Syntaxin-5, β-Actin and Calreticulin were targeted by delivering the dsRNA …

Functional Characterization Of The Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Erg3 Ortholog, A Gene Involved In The Biosynthesis Of Ergosterol, Kristy M. Brumfield, James V. Moroney, Thomas S. Moore, Tiffany A. Simms, David Donze

Faculty Publications

Background: The predominant sterol in the membranes of the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is ergosterol, which is commonly found in the membranes of fungi, but is rarely found in higher plants. Higher plants and fungi synthesize sterols by different pathways, with plants producing cycloartenol as a precursor to end-product sterols, while nonphotosynthesizing organisms like yeast and humans produce lanosterol as a precursor. Analysis of the C. reinhardtii genome sequence reveals that this algae is also likely to synthesize sterols using a pathway resembling the higher plant pathway, indicating that its sterols are synthesized somewhat differently than in fungi. The work presented …

Imagining A Better World: Service-Learning As Benefit To Teacher Education, Virginia M. Jagla, Antonina Lukenchuk, Todd A. Price Dr.

Faculty Publications

This study intends to broaden the conception of service-learning and to expand on its models, epistemological positions, and exemplars. Our intentions are to develop a substantive analysis of service-learning in its current theoretical development and to diversify service-learning pedagogical repertoire for teacher education candidates in graduate education programs. As university faculty, who embed service-learning components in various education courses, we are concerned with the manner in which higher education institutions manage their practices—primarily according to narrowly conceived technical and prescriptive models, thereby restricting multiple ways of knowing, teaching and learning. We demonstrate how service-learning can develop new forms of knowledge …

Deep East Texas Grave Markers: Types, Styles, And Motifs, Nancy Adgent, Perky Beisel, George Avery

Faculty Publications

Grave markers are often the only physical evidence of a person’s existence and offer opportunities for even ordinary people to ‘speak’ from the grave. Sometimes the deceased selects the marker or leaves instructions for its composition.

In modern times, the grieving family typically chooses the type, style, motif, and inscription according to commercial availability, aesthetic appeal, and budgetary constraints. A cemetery visitor will likely have no idea of the actual circumstances that caused a particular marker to have its shape, design, and decorative elements.

Like other possessions, markers are subject to fashion trends and since the advent of mass production …