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From Population Sources To Sieves: The Matrix Alters Host-Parasitoid Source-Sink Structure, James T. Cronin Dec 2007

From Population Sources To Sieves: The Matrix Alters Host-Parasitoid Source-Sink Structure, James T. Cronin

Faculty Publications

Field experiments that examine the impact of immigration, emigration, or landscape structure (e.g., the composition of the matrix) on the source-sink dynamics of fragmented populations are scarce. Here, planthoppers (Prokelisia crocea) and egg parasitoids (Anagrus columbi) were released among host-plant patches that varied in structural (caged, isolated, or in a network of other patches) and functional (mudflat matrix that impedes dispersal vs. brome-grass matrix that facilitates dispersal) connectivity. Planthoppers and parasitoids on caged patches exhibited density-dependent growth rates, achieved high equilibrium densities, and rarely went extinct. Therefore, experimental cordgrass patches were classified as population sources. Because access to immigrants did …

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A Recombinant Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Expressing Two Additional Copies Of Gk Is More Pathogenic Than Wild-Type Virus In Two Different Strains Of Mice, Kevin R. Mott, Guey Chuen Perng, Yanira Osorio, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Homayon Ghiasi Dec 2007

A Recombinant Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Expressing Two Additional Copies Of Gk Is More Pathogenic Than Wild-Type Virus In Two Different Strains Of Mice, Kevin R. Mott, Guey Chuen Perng, Yanira Osorio, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Homayon Ghiasi

Faculty Publications

The effect of glycoprotein K (gK) overexpression on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in two different strains of mice was evaluated using a recombinant HSV-1 virus that expresses two additional copies of the gK gene in place of the latency-associated transcript (LAT). This mutant virus (HSV-gK 3) expressed higher levels of gK than either the wild-type McKrae virus or the parental dLAT2903 virus both in vitro (in cultured cells) and in vivo (in infected mouse corneas and trigeminal ganglia [TG] of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice). gK transcripts were detected in the TG of both HSV-gK 3-infected mouse strains …

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The Herpes Simplex Virus Ul20 Protein Functions In Glycoprotein K (Gk) Intracellular Transport And Virus-Induced Cell Fusion Are Independent Of Ul20 Functions In Cytoplasmic Virion Envelopment, Jeffrey M. Melancon, Preston A. Fulmer, Konstantin G. Kousoulas Dec 2007

The Herpes Simplex Virus Ul20 Protein Functions In Glycoprotein K (Gk) Intracellular Transport And Virus-Induced Cell Fusion Are Independent Of Ul20 Functions In Cytoplasmic Virion Envelopment, Jeffrey M. Melancon, Preston A. Fulmer, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

The HSV-1 UL20 protein (UL20p) and glycoprotein K (gK) are both important determinants of cytoplasmic virion morphogenesis and virus-induced cell fusion. In this manuscript, we examined the effect of UL20 mutations on the coordinate transport and Trans Golgi Network (TGN) localization of UL20p and gK, virus-induced cell fusion and infectious virus production. Deletion of 18 amino acids from the UL20p carboxyl terminus (UL20 mutant 204t) inhibited intracellular transport and cell-surface expression of both gK and UL20, resulting in accumulation of UL20p and gK in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in agreement with the inability of 204t to complement UL20-null virus replication …

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Signature-Tagged Mutagenesis Of Edwardsiella Ictaluri Identifies Virulence-Related Genes, Including A Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 Class Of Type Iii Secretion Systems, Ronald L. Thune, Denise H. Fernandez, Jennifer L. Benoit, Maria Kelly-Smith, Matthew L. Rogge, Natha J. Booth, Christie A. Landry, Rachel A. Bologna Dec 2007

Signature-Tagged Mutagenesis Of Edwardsiella Ictaluri Identifies Virulence-Related Genes, Including A Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 Class Of Type Iii Secretion Systems, Ronald L. Thune, Denise H. Fernandez, Jennifer L. Benoit, Maria Kelly-Smith, Matthew L. Rogge, Natha J. Booth, Christie A. Landry, Rachel A. Bologna

Faculty Publications

Edwardsieila ictaluri is the leading cause of mortality in channel catfish culture, but little is known about its pathogenesis. The use of signature-tagged mutagenesis in a waterborne infection model resulted in the identification of 50 mutants that were unable to infect/survive in catfish. Nineteen had minitransposon insertions in miscellaneous genes in the chromosome, 10 were in genes that matched to hypothetical proteins, and 13 were in genes that had no significant matches in the NCBI databases. Eight insertions were in genes encoding proteins associated with virulence in other pathogens, including three in genes involved in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, three in genes …

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Elachista Saccharella (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae), A Leafminer Infesting Sugarcane In Louisiana, W. H. White, T. E. Reagan, C. Carlton, W. Akbar, J. M. Beuzelin Dec 2007

Elachista Saccharella (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae), A Leafminer Infesting Sugarcane In Louisiana, W. H. White, T. E. Reagan, C. Carlton, W. Akbar, J. M. Beuzelin

Faculty Publications

The leafminer, Elachista saccharella (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) was found in Louisiana on 12 Jul 2006 and documented as a new distribution record for Louisiana. The leafminer was found in 17 of 20 sugarcane producing parishes surveyed. Although distributed generally throughout the sugarcane growing region, only 11% of the stalks sampled (n = 1600) were infested and 69% of the samples collected were parasitized. The lesions made by the leafminer constituted only 3% of the total leaf area, and were usually detected on older leaves deep within the canopy. For these reasons, it does not appear that E. saccharella will be …

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Impact Of Energy Intake, Physical Activity, And Population-Wide Weight Loss On Cardiovascular Disease And Diabetes Mortality In Cuba, 1980-2005, Manuel Franco, Pedro Orduñez, Benjamín Caballero, José A. Tapia Granados, Mariana Lazo, José Luís Bernal, Eliseo Guallar, Richard S. Cooper Dec 2007

Impact Of Energy Intake, Physical Activity, And Population-Wide Weight Loss On Cardiovascular Disease And Diabetes Mortality In Cuba, 1980-2005, Manuel Franco, Pedro Orduñez, Benjamín Caballero, José A. Tapia Granados, Mariana Lazo, José Luís Bernal, Eliseo Guallar, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Cuba's economic crisis of 1989-2000 resulted in reduced energy intake, increased physical activity, and sustained population-wide weight loss. The authors evaluated the possible association of these factors with mortality trends. Data on per capita daily energy intake, physical activity, weight loss, and smoking were systematically retrieved from national and local surveys. National vital statistics from 1980-2005 were used to assess trends in mortality from diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and all causes. The crisis reduced per capita daily energy intake from 2,899 calories to 1,863 calories. During the crisis period, the proportion of physically active adults increased from 30% …

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Cold Seeps And Associated Communities Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Charles Fisher, Harry Roberts, Erik Cordes, Bernie Bernard Dec 2007

Cold Seeps And Associated Communities Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Charles Fisher, Harry Roberts, Erik Cordes, Bernie Bernard

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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The Barbarous Voice Of Democracy: American Captivity In Barbary And The Multicultural Specter, Jacob Rama Berman Dec 2007

The Barbarous Voice Of Democracy: American Captivity In Barbary And The Multicultural Specter, Jacob Rama Berman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Species Invasion Shifts The Importance Of Predator Dependence, Blaine D. Griffen, David G. Delaney Dec 2007

Species Invasion Shifts The Importance Of Predator Dependence, Blaine D. Griffen, David G. Delaney

Faculty Publications

The strength of interference between foraging individuals can influence per capita consumption rates, with important consequences for predator and prey populations and system stability. Here we demonstrate how the replacement of a previously established invader, the predatory crab Carcinus maenas, by the recently invading predatory crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus shifts predation from a species that experiences strong predator interference (strong predator dependence) to one that experiences weak predator interference (weak predator dependence). We demonstrate using field experiments that differences in the strength of predator dependence persist for these species both when they forage on a single focal prey species only (the …

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Hunting For Hydrothermal Vents Along The Galápagos Spreading Center, Rachel M. Haymon, Edward T. Baker, Joseph A. Resing, Scott M. White, Ken C. Macdonald Dec 2007

Hunting For Hydrothermal Vents Along The Galápagos Spreading Center, Rachel M. Haymon, Edward T. Baker, Joseph A. Resing, Scott M. White, Ken C. Macdonald

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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A Statistical Appraisal Of Disproportional Versus Proportional Microbial Source Tracking Libraries, Brian J. Robinson, Kerry J. Ritter, Rudolph D. Ellender Dec 2007

A Statistical Appraisal Of Disproportional Versus Proportional Microbial Source Tracking Libraries, Brian J. Robinson, Kerry J. Ritter, Rudolph D. Ellender

Faculty Publications

Library-based microbial source tracking (MST) can assist in reducing or eliminating fecal pollution in waters by predicting sources of fecal-associated bacteria. Library-based MST relies on an assembly of genetic or phenotypic "fingerprints" from pollution-indicative bacteria cultivated from known sources to compare with and identify fingerprints of unknown origin. The success of the library-based approach depends on how well each source candidate is represented in the library and which statistical algorithm or matching criterion is used to match unknowns. Because known source libraries are often built based on convenience or cost, some library sources may contain more representation than others. Depending …

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Effect Of Endothelin 1 Genotype On Blood Pressure Is Dependent On Physical Activity Or Fitness Levels, Tuomo Rankinen, Timothy S. Church, Treva Rice, Nathan Markward, Arthur S. Leon, Dabeeru C. Rao, James S. Skinner, Steven N. Blair, Claude Bouchard Dec 2007

Effect Of Endothelin 1 Genotype On Blood Pressure Is Dependent On Physical Activity Or Fitness Levels, Tuomo Rankinen, Timothy S. Church, Treva Rice, Nathan Markward, Arthur S. Leon, Dabeeru C. Rao, James S. Skinner, Steven N. Blair, Claude Bouchard

Faculty Publications

Contributions of the DNA sequence variation at the endothelin 1 locus to the risk of hypertension and to endurance training-induced changes in blood pressure were investigated in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study and the Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training and Genetics Family Study cohorts. We identified 586 normotensive control subjects and 607 incident hypertensive case subjects from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study cohort (all whites) who were normotensive and healthy at their first clinical visit. The case subjects were diagnosed with hypertension during an average follow-up of 9.5 years, whereas the control subjects remained normotensive. The allele and genotype frequencies …

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Improving Protein Crystal Quality By Selective Removal Of A Ca 2+-Dependent Membrane-Insertion Loop, David B. Neau, Nathaniel C. Gilbert, Sue G. Bartlett, Adam Dassey, Marcia E. Newcomer Nov 2007

Improving Protein Crystal Quality By Selective Removal Of A Ca 2+-Dependent Membrane-Insertion Loop, David B. Neau, Nathaniel C. Gilbert, Sue G. Bartlett, Adam Dassey, Marcia E. Newcomer

Faculty Publications

Lipoxygenases (LOXs) catalyze the regiospecific and stereospecific dioxygenation of polyunsaturated membrane-embedded fatty acids. A Ca 2+-dependent membrane-binding function was localized to the amino-terminal C2-like domain of 8R-lipoxygenase (8R-LOX) from the soft coral Plexaura homomalla. The 3.2 Å crystal structure of 8R-LOX and spectroscopic data suggested that Ca2+ stabilizes two membrane-insertion loops. Analysis of the protein packing contacts in the crystal lattice indicated that the conformation of one of the two loops complicated efforts to improve the resolution of the X-ray data. A deletion mutant of 8R-LOX in which the corresponding membrane-insertion loop is absent (Δ41-45:GSLOX) was engineered. Removal of the …

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Reproductive Function For A C-Terminus Extended, Male-Transmitted Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit Ii Protein Expressed In Both Spermatozoa And Eggs, Rumela Chakrabarti, Jennifer M. Walker, E.G. Chapman, S.P. Shepardson, R.J. Trdan, J.P. Curole, G.T. Watters, D.T. Stewart, S. Vijayaraghavan, W.R. Hoeh Nov 2007

Reproductive Function For A C-Terminus Extended, Male-Transmitted Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit Ii Protein Expressed In Both Spermatozoa And Eggs, Rumela Chakrabarti, Jennifer M. Walker, E.G. Chapman, S.P. Shepardson, R.J. Trdan, J.P. Curole, G.T. Watters, D.T. Stewart, S. Vijayaraghavan, W.R. Hoeh

Faculty Publications

Our previous study documented expression of a male-transmitted cytochrome c oxidase subunit II protein (MCOX2), with a C-terminus extension (MCOX2e), in unionoidean bivalve testes and sperm mitochondria. Here, we present evidence demonstrating that MCOX2 is seasonally expressed in testis, with a peak shortly before fertilization that is independent of sperm density. MCOX2 is localized to the inner and outer sperm mitochondrial membranes and the MCOX2 antibody’s epitope is conserved across >65 million years of evolution. We also demonstrate the presence of male-transmitted mtDNA and season-specific MCOX2 spatial variation in ovaries. We hypothesize …

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Faculty Perceptions Of Technology Projects, Whitney Ransom Mcgowan, Charles R. Graham, Jon Mott Nov 2007

Faculty Perceptions Of Technology Projects, Whitney Ransom Mcgowan, Charles R. Graham, Jon Mott

Faculty Publications

Significant investments in time, money, and effort go into developing and applying technology to improve teaching and learning. As universities pursue such projects, they must determine the impact and value of technology for student learning. During the past decade, funds spent on technology for educational purposes have tripled throughout the United States. Determining a hard return on investment (ROI) for the time and money spent to improve education is difficult, however. Institutions should also measure the value on investment (VOI) that their funds and efforts yield. In the study of faculty and their technology projects at Brigham Young University (BYU) …

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The Approach Of The Black Death In Switzerland And The Persecution Of Jews, 1348–1349, Albert Winkler Nov 2007

The Approach Of The Black Death In Switzerland And The Persecution Of Jews, 1348–1349, Albert Winkler

Faculty Publications

When the Black Death approached the Swiss states in 1348, the news of the approaching pestilence traveled faster than the Plague. This gave the Swiss time to react and try to prevent its arrival. The Swiss did not know what caused the Black Death, but they feared that the Jews were poisoning water wells in order to cause the plague. At Chillon and elsewhere, Jews were tortured for confessions, which were clearly worthless. In a climate of fear and severe prejudice, Jews were killed in numerous communities including Basel, Bern, Zurich, and Kyburg by being burned to death. Execution by …

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Role Of Adiponectin And Inflammation In Insulin Resistance Of Mc3r And Mc4r Knockout Mice, James L. Trevaskis, Barbara Gawronska-Kozak, Gregory M. Sutton, Michele Mcneil, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Steven R. Smith, Andrew A. Butler Nov 2007

Role Of Adiponectin And Inflammation In Insulin Resistance Of Mc3r And Mc4r Knockout Mice, James L. Trevaskis, Barbara Gawronska-Kozak, Gregory M. Sutton, Michele Mcneil, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Steven R. Smith, Andrew A. Butler

Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate the involvement of hypoadiponectinemia and inflammation in coupling obesity to insulin resistance in melanocortin-3 receptor and melanocortin-4 receptor knockout (KO) mice (Mc3/4rKO). Research Methods and Procedures: Sera and tissue were collected from 6-month-old Mc3rKO, Mc4rKO, and wild-type C57BL6J litter mates maintained on low-fat diet or exposed to high-fat diet (HFD) for 1 or 3 months. Inflammation was assessed by both real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of macrophage-specific gene expression and immunohistochemistry. Results: Mc4rKO exhibited hypoadiponectinemia, exacerbated by HFD and obesity, previously reported in murine models of obesity. Mc4r deficiency was also associated with high levels of macrophage …

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Calcium-Dependent Fast Depolarizing Afterpotentials In Vasopressin Neurons In The Rat Supraoptic Nucleus, Ryoichi Teruyama, William E. Armstrong Nov 2007

Calcium-Dependent Fast Depolarizing Afterpotentials In Vasopressin Neurons In The Rat Supraoptic Nucleus, Ryoichi Teruyama, William E. Armstrong

Faculty Publications

Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) synthesizing magnocellular cells (MNCs) in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) display distinct firing patterns during the physiological demands for these hormones. Depolarizing afterpotentials (DAPs) in these neurons are involved in controlling phasic bursting in VP neurons. Our whole cell recordings demonstrated a Cs+-resistant fast DAP (fDAP; decay tau = ∼200 ms), which has not been previously reported, in addition to the well-known Cs+-sensitive slower DAP (sDAP; decay tau = ∼2 s). Immunoidentification of recorded neurons revealed that all VP neurons, but only 20% of OT neurons, expressed the fDAP. The activation of the fDAP required influx …

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Sound Production And Spectral Hearing Sensitivity In The Hawaiian Sergeant Damselfish, Abudefduf Abdominalis, Karen P. Maruska, Kelly S. Boyle, Laura R. Dewan, Timothy C. Tricas Nov 2007

Sound Production And Spectral Hearing Sensitivity In The Hawaiian Sergeant Damselfish, Abudefduf Abdominalis, Karen P. Maruska, Kelly S. Boyle, Laura R. Dewan, Timothy C. Tricas

Faculty Publications

Sounds provide important signals for inter- and intraspecific communication in fishes, but few studies examine fish acoustic behavior in the context of coevolution of sound production and hearing ability within a species. This study characterizes the acoustic behavior in a reproductive population of the Hawaiian sergeant fish, Abudefduf abdominalis, and compares acoustic features to hearing ability, measured by the auditory evoked potential (AEP) technique. Sergeant fish produce sounds at close distances to the intended receiver (≤1-2 body lengths), with different pulse characteristics that are associated primarily with aggression, nest preparation and courtship-female-visit behaviors. Energy peaks of all sounds were between …

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Characterization Of Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci For The Invasive Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta Monachus), M. A. Russello, V. Saranathan, S. Buhrman-Deever, J. Eberhard, A. Caccone Nov 2007

Characterization Of Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci For The Invasive Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta Monachus), M. A. Russello, V. Saranathan, S. Buhrman-Deever, J. Eberhard, A. Caccone

Faculty Publications

Microsatellite loci were characterized for the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) from a GTn-enriched genomic library. Twelve of 14 microsatellite loci were polymorphic, averaging 6.7 alleles per locus across the 20 individuals genotyped. Mean expected heterozygosity was 0.72, with locus-specific values ranging from 0.53 to 0.90. An equally high multilocus probability of identity (2.48 × 10-12) was revealed for this set of loci. In addition, all 12 loci were demonstrated to cross-amplify to varying extents within three additional parrot genera suggesting their potential utility for population-level studies in a broad range of Neotropical psittacines. © 2007 The Authors.

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Exceptionally Preserved Jellyfishes From The Middle Cambrian, Paulyn Cartwright, Susan L. Halgedahl, Jonathan R. Hendricks, Richard D. Jarrard, Antonio C. Marques, Allen G. Collins, Bruce S. Lieberman Oct 2007

Exceptionally Preserved Jellyfishes From The Middle Cambrian, Paulyn Cartwright, Susan L. Halgedahl, Jonathan R. Hendricks, Richard D. Jarrard, Antonio C. Marques, Allen G. Collins, Bruce S. Lieberman

Faculty Publications

Cnidarians represent an early diverging animal group and thus insight into their origin and diversification is key to understanding metazoan evolution. Further, cnidarian jellyfish comprise an important component of modern marine planktonic ecosystems. Here we report on exceptionally preserved cnidarian jellyfish fossils from the Middle Cambrian (~505 million years old) Marjum Formation of Utah. These are the first described Cambrian jellyfish fossils to display exquisite preservation of soft part anatomy including detailed features of structures interpreted as trailing tentacles and subumbrellar and exumbrellar surfaces. If the interpretation of these preserved characters is correct, their presence is diagnostic of modern jellyfish …

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Practical Consequences, Institutional Competence, And The Kentucky Bond Case, Bradley W. Joondeph Oct 2007

Practical Consequences, Institutional Competence, And The Kentucky Bond Case, Bradley W. Joondeph

Faculty Publications

On November 5, 2007, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Department of Revenue of Ky. v. Davis. At issue is whether state income tax preferences for their own municipal bonds impermissibly discriminate against interstate commerce. This article makes two basic arguments as to why the Court should find such preferences constitutional. First, as a doctrinal matter, Davis is essentially indistinguishable from the Court's decision last term in United Haulers Assn., Inc. v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Mgmt. Auth. There, the Court held that laws that "favor the government," that "treat every private business. . . exactly the same," and that …

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The Chlamydomonas Genome Reveals The Evolution Of Key Animal And Plant Functions, Sabeeha S. Merchant, Simon E. Prochnik, Olivier Vallon, Elizabeth H. Harris, Steven J. Karpowicz, George B. Witman, Astrid Terry, Asaf Salamov, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Laurence Maréchal-Drouard, Wallace F. Marshall, Liang Hu Qu, David R. Nelson, Anton A. Sanderfoot, Martin H. Spalding, Vladimir V. Kapitonov, Qinghu Ren, Patrick Ferris, Erika Lindquist, Harris Shapiro, Susan M. Lucas, Jane Grimwood, Jeremy Schmutz, Igor V. Grigoriev, Daniel S. Rokhsar, Arthur R. Grossman, Pierre Cardol, Heriberto Cerutti, Guillaume Chanfreau, Chun Long Chen, Valérie Cognat, Martin T. Croft, Rachel Dent Oct 2007

The Chlamydomonas Genome Reveals The Evolution Of Key Animal And Plant Functions, Sabeeha S. Merchant, Simon E. Prochnik, Olivier Vallon, Elizabeth H. Harris, Steven J. Karpowicz, George B. Witman, Astrid Terry, Asaf Salamov, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Laurence Maréchal-Drouard, Wallace F. Marshall, Liang Hu Qu, David R. Nelson, Anton A. Sanderfoot, Martin H. Spalding, Vladimir V. Kapitonov, Qinghu Ren, Patrick Ferris, Erika Lindquist, Harris Shapiro, Susan M. Lucas, Jane Grimwood, Jeremy Schmutz, Igor V. Grigoriev, Daniel S. Rokhsar, Arthur R. Grossman, Pierre Cardol, Heriberto Cerutti, Guillaume Chanfreau, Chun Long Chen, Valérie Cognat, Martin T. Croft, Rachel Dent

Faculty Publications

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga whose lineage diverged from land plants over 1 billion years ago. It is a model system for studying chloroplast-based photosynthesis, as well as the structure, assembly, and function of eukaryotic flagella (cilia), which were inherited from the common ancestor of plants and animals, but lost in land plants. We sequenced the ∼120-megabase nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas and performed comparative phylogenomic analyses, identifying genes encoding uncharacterized proteins that are likely associated with the function and biogenesis of chloroplasts or eukaryotic flagella. Analyses of the Chlamydomonas genome advance our understanding of the ancestral eukaryotic cell, …

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Habitat Fragmentation, Variable Edge Effects, And The Landscape-Divergence Hypothesis, William F. Laurance, Henrique E.M. Nascimento, Susan G. Laurance, Ana Andrade, Robert M. Ewers, Kyle E. Harms, Regina C.C. Luizão, José E. Ribeiro Oct 2007

Habitat Fragmentation, Variable Edge Effects, And The Landscape-Divergence Hypothesis, William F. Laurance, Henrique E.M. Nascimento, Susan G. Laurance, Ana Andrade, Robert M. Ewers, Kyle E. Harms, Regina C.C. Luizão, José E. Ribeiro

Faculty Publications

Edge effects are major drivers of change in many fragmented landscapes, but are often highly variable in space and time. Here we assess variability in edge effects altering Amazon forest dynamics, plant community composition, invading species, and carbon storage, in the world's largest and longest-running experimental study of habitat fragmentation. Despite detailed knowledge of local landscape conditions, spatial variability in edge effects was only partially foreseeable: relatively predictable effects were caused by the differing proximity of plots to forest edge and varying matrix vegetation, but windstorms generated much random variability. Temporal variability in edge phenomena was also only partially predictable: …

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Robust Multi-Modal Biometric Fusion Via Multiple Svms, Jonathan Dinerstein, Sabra Dinerstein, Dan A. Ventura Oct 2007

Robust Multi-Modal Biometric Fusion Via Multiple Svms, Jonathan Dinerstein, Sabra Dinerstein, Dan A. Ventura

Faculty Publications

Existing learning-based multi-modal biometric fusion techniques typically employ a single static Support Vector Machine (SVM). This type of fusion improves the accuracy of biometric classification, but it also has serious limitations because it is based on the assumptions that the set of biometric classifiers to be fused is local, static, and complete. We present a novel multi-SVM approach to multi-modal biometric fusion that addresses the limitations of existing fusion techniques and show empirically that our approach retains good classification accuracy even when some of the biometric modalities are unavailable.

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Hypoxia In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Does The Science Support The Plan To Reduce, Mitigate, And Control Hypoxia?, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner, B.K. Sen Gupta, D. F. Boesch, P. Chapman, M. C. Murrell Oct 2007

Hypoxia In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Does The Science Support The Plan To Reduce, Mitigate, And Control Hypoxia?, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner, B.K. Sen Gupta, D. F. Boesch, P. Chapman, M. C. Murrell

Faculty Publications

We update and reevaluate the scientific information on the distribution, history, and causes of continental shelf hypoxia that supports the 2001 Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force 2001), incorporating data, publications, and research results produced since the 1999 integrated assessment. The metric of mid-summer hypoxic area on the Louisiana-Texas shelf is an adequate and suitable measure for continued efforts to reduce nutrients loads from the Mississippi River and hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico as outlined in the Action Plan. More frequent measurements …

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Process Purity And Innovation In Dispute Resolution: A Response To Professors Stempel, Cole, And Drahozal, Richard C. Reuben Oct 2007

Process Purity And Innovation In Dispute Resolution: A Response To Professors Stempel, Cole, And Drahozal, Richard C. Reuben

Faculty Publications

This article uses a "process characteristics and values" approach to make the case against displacing arbitration finality with substantive judicial review. It responds to a trio of articles in a forthcoming Nevada Law Review symposium on whether and how the Federal Arbitration Act should be amended. In one article, Nevada Law Professor Jeffrey Stempel contends all arbitration awards should be subject to substantive judicial review similar to that of public trial courts. In a second article, Ohio State Professor Sarah Cole argues that substantive review should generally be permitted when the parties agree to it by contract, an issue now …

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Split Luciferase Complementation Assay To Study Protein-Protein Interactions In Arabidopsis Protoplasts, Yukichi Fujikawa, Naohiro Kato Oct 2007

Split Luciferase Complementation Assay To Study Protein-Protein Interactions In Arabidopsis Protoplasts, Yukichi Fujikawa, Naohiro Kato

Faculty Publications

We developed a split luciferase complementation assay to study protein-protein interactions in Arabidopsis protoplasts. In this assay, the N- and C-terminal fragments of Renilla reniforms luciferase are translationally fused to bait and prey proteins, respectively. When the proteins interact, split luciferase becomes activated and emits luminescence that can be measured by a microplate luminometer. Split luciferase activity was measured by first transforming protoplasts with a DNA vector in a 96-well plate. DNA vector expressing both bait and prey genes was constructed through two independent in vitro DNA recombinant reactions, Gateway and Cre-loxP. As proof of concept, we detected the protein-protein …

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Alu Recombination-Mediated Structural Deletions In The Chimpanzee Genome, Kyudong Han, Jungnam Lee, Thomas J. Meyer, Jianxin Wang, Shurjo K. Sen, Deepa Srikanta, Ping Liang, Mark A. Batzer Oct 2007

Alu Recombination-Mediated Structural Deletions In The Chimpanzee Genome, Kyudong Han, Jungnam Lee, Thomas J. Meyer, Jianxin Wang, Shurjo K. Sen, Deepa Srikanta, Ping Liang, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

With more than 1.2 million copies, Alu elements are one of the most important sources of structural variation in primate genomes. Here, we compare the chimpanzee and human genomes to determine the extent of Alu recombination-mediated deletion (ARMD) in the chimpanzee genome since the divergence of the chimpanzee and human lineages (∼6 million y ago). Combining computational data analysis and experimental verification, we have identified 663 chimpanzee lineage-specific deletions (involving a total of ∼771 kb of genomic sequence) attributable to this process. The ARMD events essentially counteract the genomic expansion caused by chimpanzee-specific Alu inserts. The RefSeq databases indicate that …

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Envisioning The Constitution, Thomas P. Crocker Oct 2007

Envisioning The Constitution, Thomas P. Crocker

Faculty Publications

If one of the more persistent problems of constitutional interpretation, particularly of the Bill of Rights, is that we lack a clear view of it, then it would appear that how we see the Constitution is as important as how we read it. What clauses we see as connected in order to form comprehensive values, such as federalism or rights protections, are not so much products of constitutional interpretation as constitutional vision. To obtain a view of the Constitution, we have to do more than derive semantic meaning from diverse articles and clauses. To have a vision of the Constitution …

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