Digital Commons Network^™

A Therapeutic Sheep In Metastatic Wolf's Clothing: Trojan Horse Approach For Cancer Brain Metastases Treatment, Hai-Jun Liu, Mingming Wang, Shanshan Shi, Xiangxiang Hu, Peisheng Xu

Faculty Publications

Early-stage brain metastasis of breast cancer (BMBC), due to the existence of an intact blood–brain barrier (BBB), is one of the deadliest neurologic complications. To improve the efficacy of chemotherapy for BMBC, a Trojan horse strategy-based nanocarrier has been developed by integrating the cell membrane of a brain-homing cancer cell and a polymeric drug depot. With the camouflage of a MDA-MB-231/Br cell membrane, doxorubicin-loaded poly (D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticle (DOX-PLGA@CM) shows enhanced cellular uptake and boosted killing potency for MDA-MB-231/Br cells. Furthermore, DOX-PLGA@CM is equipped with naturally selected molecules for BBB penetration, as evidenced by its boosted capacity in entering …

To Stick Or Not To Stick: The Multiple Roles Of Cell Adhesion Molecules In Neural Circuit Assembly, Trevor Moreland, Fabienne E. Poulain

Faculty Publications

Precise wiring of neural circuits is essential for brain connectivity and function. During development, axons respond to diverse cues present in the extracellular matrix or at the surface of other cells to navigate to specific targets, where they establish precise connections with post-synaptic partners. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) represent a large group of structurally diverse proteins well known to mediate adhesion for neural circuit assembly. Through their adhesive properties, CAMs act as major regulators of axon navigation, fasciculation, and synapse formation. While the adhesive functions of CAMs have been known for decades, more recent studies have unraveled essential, non-adhesive functions …

Recently Integrated Alu Elements In Capuchin Monkeys: A Resource For Cebus/Sapajus Genomics, J M. Storer, J A. Walker, C E. Rockwell, G Mores, J M. Storer, J D. Orkin, A D. Melin, K A. Phillips, C Roos, M A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

Capuchins are platyrrhines (monkeys found in the Americas) within the Cebidae family. For most of their taxonomic history, the two main morphological types of capuchins, gracile (untufted) and robust (tufted), were assigned to a single genus, Cebus. Further, all tufted capuchins were assigned to a single species, Cebus apella, despite broad geographic ranges spanning Central and northern South America. In 2012, tufted capuchins were assigned to their genus, Sapajus, with eight currently recognized species and five Cebus species, although these numbers are still under debate. Alu retrotransposons are a class of mobile element insertion (MEI) widely used to study primate …

Sub- And Near-Critical Hydrothermal Carbonization Of Animal Manures, Kyoung S. Ro, Michael A. Jackson, Ariel A. Szogi, David L. Compton, Bryan R. Moser, Nicole D. Berge

Faculty Publications

To produce hydrochar with less volatile matter (VM) and more fixed carbon (FC) to increase its stability, this study compared the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of hen (HM) and swine (SM) manures at typical HTC sub-critical temperature of 210 °C and slightly super-critical temperature of 400 °C. Physico-chemical properties such as proximate analysis; ultimate analysis; Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area; higher heating value (HHV); chemical oxygen demand (COD); and inorganic nutrients of hydrochar, gaseous, and liquid products were determined. As expected, both VM and yield decreased with temperature. The heats of HTC reactions were estimated to be exothermic, ranging from −5.7 to …

Antiviral Polymers: A Review, Ali Akbari, Ashkan Bigham, Vahid Rahimkhoei, Sina Sharifi, Esmaiel Jabbari

Faculty Publications

Polymers, due to their high molecular weight, tunable architecture, functionality, and buffering effect for endosomal escape, possess unique properties as a carrier or prophylactic agent in preventing pandemic outbreak of new viruses. Polymers are used as a carrier to reduce the minimum required dose, bioavailability, and therapeutic effectiveness of antiviral agents. Polymers are also used as multifunctional nanomaterials to, directly or indirectly, inhibit viral infections. Multifunctional polymers can interact directly with envelope glycoproteins on the viral surface to block fusion and entry of the virus in the host cell. Polymers can indirectly mobilize the immune system by activating macrophages and …

Editorial For Gels 6th Anniversary Special Issue, Esmaiel Jabbari, Gulden Camci-Unal

Faculty Publications

Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page.

This Special Issue celebrates many outstanding quality papers published in Gels over the past six years since its first issue was published in 2015 [...]

Canonical Sentence Processing And The Inferior Frontal Cortex: Is There A Connection?, Nicholas Riccardi, Chris Rorden, Julius Fridriksson, Rutvik H. Desai

Faculty Publications

The role of left inferior frontal cortex (LIFC) in canonical sentence comprehension is controversial. Many studies have found involvement of LIFC in sentence production or complex sentence comprehension, but negative or mixed results are often found in comprehension of simple or canonical sentences. We used voxel-, region-, and connectivity-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM, RLSM, CLSM) in left-hemisphere chronic stroke survivors to investigate canonical sentence comprehension while controlling for lexical-semantic, executive, and phonological processes. We investigated how damage and disrupted white matter connectivity of LIFC and two other language-related regions, the left anterior temporal lobe (LATL) and posterior temporal-inferior parietal area …

An Exploration Of How Biophilic Attributes On Campuses Might Support Student Connectedness To Nature, Others, And Self, Susana Alves, Gowri Betrabet Gulwadi, Pia Nilsson

Faculty Publications

University Campuses remain important settings for nurturing and supporting student health and quality of life (QoL). Research shows the health benefits of nature experiences may be facilitated by campus spaces and activities that afford connectedness. Connectedness to nature, others, and self may allow students to cope with mental fatigue, stress, and a constant need for restoration. Despite recent encouraging trends, we still lack an integrative conceptual framework to describe the mechanisms involved in achieving connectedness for making recommendations for campus design. In this conceptual review, we examine students’ connectedness in campus settings in relation to biophilic elements and attributes. We …

Interneuronal Network Model Of Theta-Nested Fast Oscillations Predicts Differential Effects Of Heterogeneity, Gap Junctions And Short Term Depression For Hyperpolarizing Versus Shunting Inhibition, Guillem Via, Fernando R. Fernandez, John A. White, Carmen C. Canavier

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Interplay Between Hydrogen Sulfide And Phytohormone Signaling Pathways Under Challenging Environments, Muhammad Saad Shoaib Khan, Faisal Islam, Yajin Ye, Matthew Ashline, Daowen Wang, Biying Zhao, Zheng Qing Fu, Jian Chen

Faculty Publications

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) serves as an important gaseous signaling molecule that is involved in intra- and intercellular signal transduction in plant–environment interactions. In plants, H₂S is formed in sulfate/cysteine reduction pathways. The activation of endogenous H₂S and its exogenous application has been found to be highly effective in ameliorating a wide variety of stress conditions in plants. The H₂S interferes with the cellular redox regulatory network and prevents the degradation of proteins from oxidative stress via post-translational modifications (PTMs). H₂S-mediated persulfidation allows the rapid response of proteins in signaling networks …

Thalamic Shape Abnormalities Differentially Relate To Cognitive Performance In Early-Onset And Adult-Onset Schizophrenia, Derin J. Cobia, Chaz Rich, Matthew J. Smith, Pedro Engel Gonzalez, Will Cronenwett, John G. Csernansky, Lei Wang

Faculty Publications

Early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) shares many biological and clinical features with adult-onset schizophrenia (AOS), but may represent a unique subgroup with greater susceptibility for disease onset and worsened symptomatology and progression, which could potentially derive from exaggerated neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Neurobiological explanations of schizophrenia have emphasized the involvement of deep-brain structures, particularly alterations of the thalamus, which have been linked to core features of the disorder. The aim of this study was to compare thalamic shape abnormalities between EOS and AOS subjects and determine whether unique behavioral profiles related to these differences. It was hypothesized abnormal thalamic shape would be observed in …

Association Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration With Prior Hyperthyroidism And Hypothyroidism: A Case-Control Study, Shih-Han Hung, Sudha Xirasagar, Tung-Mei Tammy Kuang, Wei-Wen Chang, Yen-Fu Cheng, Nai-Wen Kuo, Herng-Ching Lin

Faculty Publications

Prior studies suggest a possible association between thyroid disease and the subsequent development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), although it remains inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate the association of AMD with prior hyper-/hypothyroidism based on nationwide population-based data. We retrieved records of the study patients from the National Health Insurance Research Database, 7522 patients with a first-time diagnosis of AMD and 7522 propensity score-matched controls. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the association of neovascular AMD with previously diagnosed hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. The Chi-square test shows that there was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of …

Limited Opportunities And Numerous Barriers To Ocean Science Careers In Under-Resourced Nations, Tashiana Osborne, Charitha Pattiaratchi, Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lis1 And Ndel1 Regulate Axonal Trafficking Of Mitochondria In Mature Neurons, Jai P. Pandey, Liang Shi, Remi A. Brebion, Deanna S. Smith

Faculty Publications

Defective mitochondrial dynamics in axons have been linked to both developmental and late-onset neurological disorders. Axonal trafficking is in large part governed by the microtubule motors kinesin-1 and cytoplasmic dynein 1 (dynein). Dynein is the primary retrograde transport motor in axons, and mutations in dynein and many of its regulators also cause neurological diseases. Depletion of LIS1, famous for linking dynein deregulation to lissencephaly (smooth brain), in adult mice leads to severe neurological phenotypes, demonstrating post-developmental roles. LIS1 stimulates retrograde transport of acidic organelles in cultured adult rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) axons but findings on its role in mitochondrial …

Environment And Co-Occurring Native Mussel Species, But Not Host Genetics, Impact The Microbiome Of A Freshwater Invasive Species (Corbicula Fluminea), Marlène Chiarello, Jamie R. Bucholz, Mark Mccauley, Stephanie N. Vaughn, Garrett W. Hopper, Irene Sánchez González, Carla L. Atkinson, Jeffrey D. Lozier, Colin R. Jackson

Faculty Publications

The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Family: Cyneridae) has aggressively invaded freshwater habitats worldwide, resulting in dramatic ecological changes and declines of native bivalves such as freshwater mussels (Family: Unionidae), one of the most imperiled faunal groups. Despite increases in our knowledge of invasive C. fluminea biology, little is known of how intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including co-occurring native species, influence its microbiome. We investigated the gut bacterial microbiome across genetically differentiated populations of C. fluminea in the Tennessee and Mobile River Basins in the Southeastern United States and compared them to those of six co-occurring species of native freshwater mussels. …

Development And Structural Organization Of Mexico’S Mangrove Monitoring System (Smmm) As A Foundation For Conservation And Restoration Initiatives: A Hierarchical Approach, María Teresa Rodríguez-Zúñiga, Carlos Troche-Souza, María Isabel Cruz-López, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy

Faculty Publications

Mangroves provide ecosystem services worth billions of dollars worldwide. Although countries with extensive mangrove areas implemented management and conservation programs since the 1980s, the global area is still decreasing. To recuperate this lost area, both restoration and rehabilitation (R/R) projects have been implemented but with limited success, especially at spatial scales needed to restore functional properties. Monitoring mangroves at different spatial scales in the long term (decades) is critical to detect potential threats and select cost-effective management criteria and performance measures to improve R/R program success. Here, we analyze the origin, development, implementation, and outcomes of a country-level mangrove monitoring …

Molecular Characterization And Expression Variation Of The Odorant Receptor Co-Receptor In The Formosan Subterranean Termite, Paula Castillo, Claudia Husseneder, Qian Sun

Faculty Publications

Subterranean termites live in underground colonies with a division of labor among castes (i.e., queens and kings, workers, and soldiers). The function of social colonies relies on sophisticated chemical communication. Olfaction, the sense of smell from food, pathogens, and colony members, plays an important role in their social life. Olfactory plasticity in insects can be induced by long- and short-term environmental perturbations, allowing adaptive responses to the chemical environment according to their physiological and behavioral state. However, there is a paucity of information on the molecular basis of olfaction in termites. In this study, we identified an ortholog encoding the …

A Nondestructive Method Of Calculating The Wing Area Of Insects, Kexin Yu, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Julian Schrader, Xuchen Guo, Yirong Li, Yabing Jiao, Peijian Shi

Faculty Publications

Most insects engage in winged flight. Wing loading, that is, the ratio of body mass to total wing area, has been demonstrated to reflect flight maneuverability. High maneuverability is an important survival trait, allowing insects to escape natural enemies and to compete for mates. In some ecological field experiments, there is a need to calculate the wing area of insects without killing them. However, fast, nondestructive estimation of wing area for insects is not available based on past work. The Montgomery equation (ME), which assumes a proportional relationship between leaf area and the product of leaf length and width, is …

Wetlands In China: Evolution, Carbon Sequestrations And Services, Threats, And Preservation/Restoration, Siyuan Ye, Lixin Pei, Lei He, Liujuan Xie, Guangming Zhao, Hongming Yuan, Xigui Ding, Shaofeng Pei, Shixiong Yang, Xue Li, Edward Laws

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Wetlands In China: Evolution, Carbon Sequestrations And Services, Threats, And Preservation/Restoration, Siyuan Ye, Lixin Pei, Lei He, Liujuan Xie, Guangming Zhao, Hongming Yuan, Xigui Ding, Shaofeng Pei, Shixiong Yang, Xue Li, Edward Laws

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Beef Steer Performance On Irrigated Monoculture Legume Pastures Compared With Grass-And Concentrate-Fed Steers, Lance R. Pitcher, Jennifer W. Macadam, Robert E. Ward, Kun Jun Han, Thomas C. Griggs, Xin Dai

Faculty Publications

Fall-or spring-born steers grazed monoculture irrigated birdsfoot trefoil (BFT; Lotus corniculatus L.) or cicer milkvetch (CMV; Astragalus cicer L.) pastures for approximately 12 weeks for 3 years and were compared with steers on concentrate diets. In the 3rd year, an irrigated meadow bromegrass (MBG; Bromus biebersteinii Roem. and Schult.) pasture treatment was added for further comparison. Steer average daily gain (ADG) was 1.31, 0.94, 0.83 and 0.69 kg d−1 on concentrate, ‘Norcen’ BFT, ‘Oberhaunstadter’ BFT, and ‘Monarch’ CMV diets, respectively; ADG on grass pastures was 0.43 kg d−1. The ADG on the concentrate diet was greater than ADG on legume …

Do Mobile Consumers Homogenize The Distribution Of Resources In Stream Food Webs? A Test With Overlapping Fish And Mussel Aggregations, Caryn C. Vaughn, Thomas B. Parr, Traci P. Dubose, Kiza K. Gates, Garrett W. Hopper, Keith B. Gido

Faculty Publications

In streams, unionoid mussels and fish form aggregations that exert bottom-up and top-down effects on food webs, but the magnitude and spatial extent of their effects are controlled by species traits. Sedentary mussels live burrowed in the sediment in patchily distributed dense aggregations (mussel beds) where they filter seston and provide a local, relatively constant nutrient subsidy. In contrast, fish move on and off mussel beds, and thus comprise a transient nutrient subsidy. We asked how overlap between fish and mussels influences nutrient recycling and resource distribution in streams. We conducted an 8-week study in experimental streams where we created …

Sgk1 Is Essential For Meiotic Resumption In Mammalian Oocytes, Edgar Del Llano, Rajan Iyyappan, Daria Aleshkina, Tomas Masek, Michal Dvoran, Zongliang Jiang, Martin Pospisek, Michal Kubelka, Andrej Susor

Faculty Publications

In mammalian females, oocytes are stored in the ovary and meiosis is arrested at the diplotene stage of prophase I. When females reach puberty oocytes are selectively recruited in cycles to grow, overcome the meiotic arrest, complete the first meiotic division and become mature (ready for fertilization). At a molecular level, the master regulator of prophase I arrest and meiotic resumption is the maturation-promoting factor (MPF) complex, formed by the active form of cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and Cyclin B1. However, we still do not have complete information regarding the factors implicated in MPF activation. In this study we …

Recently Evolved Francisella-Like Endosymbiont Outcompetes An Ancient And Evolutionarily Associated Coxiella-Like Endosymbiont In The Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma Americanum) Linked To The Alpha-Gal Syndrome, Deepak Kumar, Surendra Raj Sharma, Abdulsalam Adegoke, Ashley Kennedy, Holly C. Tuten, Andrew Y. Li, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

Background: Ticks are hematophagous arthropods that transmit various bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens of public health significance. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is an aggressive human-biting tick that transmits bacterial and viral pathogens, and its bites are suspected of eliciting the alpha-gal syndrome, a newly emerged delayed hypersensitivity following consumption of red meat in the United States. While ongoing studies have attempted to investigate the contribution of different tick-inherent factors to the induction of alpha-gal syndrome, an otherwise understudied aspect is the contribution of the tick microbiome and specifically obligate endosymbionts to the establishment of the alpha-gal …

Ten Simple Rules To Ruin A Collaborative Environment, Carolyn J. Lawrence-Dill, Robyn L. Allscheid, Albert Boaitey, Todd Bauman, Edward S. Buckler, Jennifer L. Clarke, Christopher Cullis, Jack Dekkers, Cassandra J. Dorius, Shawn F. Dorius, David Ertl, Matthew Homann, Guiping Hu, Mary Losch, Eric Lyons, Brenda Murdoch, Zahra Katy Navabi, Somashekhar Punnuri, Fahad Rafiq, James M. Reecy, Patrick S. Schnable, Nicole M. Scott, Moira Sheehan, Xavier Sirault, Margaret Staton, Christopher K. Tuggle, Alison Van Eenennaam, Rachael Voas

Faculty Publications

Trigger warning: Here, you will find a bit of satire, written from the not-so-funny, real experiences of the authors who have been involved in “team science” collaboratives. The material presented below covers topics that readers may find offensive or even traumatizing. We present a breakdown (pun intended) of how to ruin a functioning collaboration, rather than how to build one.

The ideas contained in this work were developed during two virtual meetings of members of the Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI; www.ag2pi.org) community and leadership team in May and June of 2021. In these sessions, we looked back …

For Every Rat Killed, Etienne C. Toussaint

Faculty Publications

If my grandmother had survived the sickness of old age and were alive to witness the economic injustices wrought by capitalist culture, what would she think? If my grandmother were alive to observe familiar technologies for exterminating household pests—surveil-lance, capture, imprisonment, disposal—being increasingly aimed toward low-income Black communities, what would she believe? If my grandmother were alive to discover, in the palm of her hands, a digital platform for spreading information (and misinformation) to the masses and painting new futures into the minds of lawmakers and politicians, what would she say?

Studies have shown that low-income individuals are more likely …

Editorial: Mechanisms And Strategies Of Arthropod Adaptation To The Chemical Environment, Chaoyang Zhao, Fang Zhu, Qian Sun, Xuguo Zhou

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Research Efforts, Challenges, And Opportunities In Mitigating Aflatoxins In Food And Agricultural Crops And Its Global Health Impacts, Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh, Zhi Yuan Chen, Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi, Mahendra Rai

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Increased Risk Of Major Depressive Disorder Following Tinnitus: A Population-Based Study, Herng-Ching Lin, Sudha Xirasagar Mbbs, Ph.D., Chia-Hui Wang, Yen-Fu Cheng, Tzong-Hann Yang

Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between tinnitus and a subsequent diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) by studying the incidence of both entities.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Data for this observational follow-up study were retrieved from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Dataset. A total of 375,272 patients with newly diagnosed tinnitus (study group) were retrieved. The date of first diagnosis of tinnitus was assigned as their index date. Comparison patients were selected by propensity score matching (one per case, n = 375,272 controls) from the same dataset, with their index date …

Connectivity And Directionality In Estuarine Channel Networks, Matthew Hiatt, Elisabeth A. Addink, Maarten G. Kleinhans

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.