Digital Commons Network^™

Ford And Uaw Enter Derivatives Market, Stephen F. Diamond

Faculty Publications

This research note examines the recent agreement between Ford and the UAW to restructure the payment flows into the VEBA established to assume health care obligations to Ford retirees.

Exploring The Phonatory Effects Of External Superior Laryngeal Nerve Paralysis: An In Vivo Model, Christopher Dromey, Nelson Roy, Marshall E. Smith, Jonathan Redd, Skylee Neff, Doug Grennan

Faculty Publications

Objectives/Hypothesis: Little is known regarding the phonatory consequences of unilateral external superior laryngeal nerve (ESLN) paralysis. By selectively blocking the ESLN with lidocaine HCl (with laryngeal electromyography verification), we modeled acute, unilateral cricothyroid (CT) muscle dysfunction to explore possible acoustic, aerodynamic, auditory-perceptual and auto-perceptive effects. Study Design: Prospective, repeated measures, experimental design. Methods: Ten, vocally-normal adult males underwent lidocaine block of the right ESLN. Multiple measures of phonatory function across a variety of vocal tasks/conditions were acquired before and during the block using standard data acquisition and analysis protocols. Results: During ESLN block, phonatory frequency range was significantly reduced with …

Religion And Hiv In Tanzania: Influence Of Religious Beliefs On Hiv Stigma, Disclosure, And Treatment Attitudes, James Zou, Yvonne Yamanaka, Muze John, Melissa Watt, Jan Ostermann, Nathan Thielman

Faculty Publications

Background

Religion shapes everyday beliefs and activities, but few studies have examined its associations with attitudes about HIV. This exploratory study in Tanzania probed associations between religious beliefs and HIV stigma, disclosure, and attitudes toward antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

Methods

A self-administered survey was distributed to a convenience sample of parishioners (n = 438) attending Catholic, Lutheran, and Pentecostal churches in both urban and rural areas. The survey included questions about religious beliefs, opinions about HIV, and knowledge and attitudes about ARVs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess how religion was associated with perceptions about HIV, HIV treatment, and …

“Publishers Did Not Take The Bait”: A Forgotten Precursor To The Nih Public Access Policy, Jonathan Miller

Faculty Publications

This article compares the recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy (2005–07) with the United States Office of Education policy on copyright in funded research (1965–70).The two policies and the differing technological and political contexts of the periods are compared and contrasted. The author concludes that a more nuanced approach to copyright, the digital information environment, and the support of an energized user community auger well for the success of the NIH policy, but that it is still too soon to tell.

Electronic Media Exposure And Its Association With Activity-Related Outcomes In Female Adolescents: Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Analyses, Felipe Lobelo, Marsha Dowda, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: Few investigations have assessed in adolescent girls the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between elevated exposure to electronic media (EM) and activity-related outcomes such as compliance with physical activity (PA) standards or cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Methods: Four-hundred thirty-seven white and African American girls were assessed at the 8th, 9th, and 12th grades. PA and EM (TV/video watching, electronic games, Internet use) were self-reported, and CRF was estimated using a cycle-ergometer test. Hi EM exposure was defined as ≥ four 30-minute blocks/d. Results: 8th-, 9th-, and 12th-grade girls in the Hi EM group showed lower compliance with PA standards and had …

Age-Related Change In Physical Activity In Adolescent Girls, Russell R. Pate, June Stevens, Larry S. Webber, Marsha Dowda, David M. Murray, Deborah R. Young, Scott Going

Faculty Publications

Purpose - To determine the annual rate at which physical activity changes in girls during middle school using both objective and self-report measures of physical activity.

Methods - Participants were 6^th and 8^th grade girls from the control schools in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG). Random cross-sectional samples initially were drawn from 6^th grade girls (n=786) and two years later from 8^th grade girls (n=1545). A cohort of 501 girls was in both the 6^th and 8^th grade samples. The girls wore an accelerometer for six days and completed the 3-Day …

Salivary Gland Thrombostasin Isoforms Differentially Regulate Blood Uptake Of Horn Flies Fed On New Zealand White Rabbits, Mary S. Cupp, Eddie W. Cupp, Dunhua Zhang, Xin Yue, Latora Todd, Victor Panangala, Christine Navarre, Elizabeth Whitley

Faculty Publications

Thrombostasin (TS) is a previously characterized anticlotting protein with multiple isoforms found in the saliva of horn flies. In this report, the effect of TS isoforms on blood feeding was assessed using individual flies that carried corresponding ts allelles. Laboratory studies of horn fly blood feeding were conducted using colony-reared flies fed on New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. After timed 20-min feeding periods, each fly was characterized for gender, blood volume uptake, and ts genotype. The results showed that mean blood volumes obtained by individual flies were not related to fly gender but were correlated to the ts genotype(s) carried …

Salivary Gland Thrombostasin Isoforms Differentially Regulate Blood Uptake Of Horn Flies Fed On New Zealand White Rabbits, Mary S. Cupp, Eddie W. Cupp, Dunhua Zhang, Xin Yue, Latora Todd, Victor Panangala, Christine Navarre, Elizabeth Whitley

Faculty Publications

Thrombostasin (TS) is a previously characterized anticlotting protein with multiple isoforms found in the saliva of horn flies. In this report, the effect of TS isoforms on blood feeding was assessed using individual flies that carried corresponding ts allelles. Laboratory studies of horn fly blood feeding were conducted using colony-reared flies fed on New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. After timed 20-min feeding periods, each fly was characterized for gender, blood volume uptake, and ts genotype. The results showed that mean blood volumes obtained by individual flies were not related to fly gender but were correlated to the ts genotype(s) carried …

An Alternative Pathway For Alu Retrotransposition Suggests A Role In Dna Double-Strand Break Repair, Deepa Srikanta, Shurjo K. Sen, Charles T. Huang, Erin M. Conlin, Ryan M. Rhodes, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

The Alu family is a highly successful group of non-LTR retrotransposons ubiquitously found in primate genomes. Similar to the L1 retrotransposon family, Alu elements integrate primarily through an endonuclease-dependent mechanism termed target site-primed reverse transcription (TPRT). Recent studies have suggested that, in addition to TPRT, L1 elements occasionally utilize an alternative endonuclease-independent pathway for genomic integration. To determine whether an analogous mechanism exists for Alu elements, we have analyzed three publicly available primate genomes (human, chimpanzee and rhesus macaque) for endonuclease-independent recently integrated or lineage specific Alu insertions. We recovered twenty-three examples of such insertions and show that these insertions …

Reduced Adipose Tissue Oxygenation In Human Obesity Evidence For Rarefaction, Macrophage Chemotaxis, And Inflammation Without An Angiogenic Response, Magdalena Pasarica, Olga R. Sereda, Leanne M. Redman, Diana C. Albarado, David T. Hymel, Laura E. Roan, Jennifer C. Rood, David H. Burk, Steven R. Smith

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE-Based on rodent studies, we examined the hypothesis that increased adipose tissue (AT) mass in obesity without an adequate support of vascularization might lead to hypoxia, macrophage infiltration, and inflammation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-Oxygen partial pressure (AT pO 2) and AT temperature in abdominal AT (9 lean and 12 overweight/obese men and women) was measured by direct insertion of a polarographic Clark electrode. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and insulin sensitivity was measured by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Abdominal subcutaneous tissue was used for staining, quantitative RT-PCR, and chemokine secretion assay. RESULTS-AT pO 2 was lower in overweight/obese subjects …

Ethnic Differences In Trajectories Of Depressive Symptoms: Disadvantage In Family Background, High School Experiences, And Adult Characteristics, Katrina M. Walsemann, Gilbert C. Gee, Arline T. Geronimus

Faculty Publications

Although research investigating ethnic differences in mental health has increased in recent years, we know relatively little about how mental health trajectories vary across ethnic groups. Do these differences occur at certain ages, but not others? We investigate variations in trajectories of depressive symptoms, and examine the extent to which disadvantages in family background, high school experiences, and adult characteristics explain these differences. Employing random-coefficient modeling using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we find that blacks and Hispanics experience higher symptom levels in early adulthood in comparison to whites, but equivalent levels by middle-age. Ethnic differences remained in early …

Physical And Social Contexts Of Physical Activities Among Adolescent Girls, Joanne Kuo, Kathryn H. Schmitz, Kelly R. Evenson, Thomas L. Mckenzie, Jared B. Jobe, Ariane L. Rung, Joel Gittelsohn, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: With limited opportunities for physical activity during school hours, it is important to understand the contexts of physical activities done outside of school time. Given the importance of physical and social aspects of environments, the purpose of this study was to describe where and with whom girls participate in physical activities outside of school. Methods: Participants were 1925 sixth-grade girls in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG). At baseline, they completed a 3-day physical activity recall (3DPAR), reporting the main activity performed during 30-minute intervals and the physical and social contexts of physical activities. Results: The most …

Argument Structure Effects In Action Verb Naming In Static And Dynamic Conditions, Dirk B. Den Ouden, Steve Fix, Todd B. Parrish, Cynthia K. Thompson

Faculty Publications

Argument structure, as in the participant roles entailed within the lexical representation of verbs, affects verb processing. Recent neuroimaging studies show that when verbs are heard or read, the posterior temporoparietal region shows increased activation for verbs with greater versus lesser argument structure complexity, usually bilaterally. In addition, patients with agrammatic aphasia show verb production deficits, graded based on argument structure complexity. In the present study, we used fMRI to examine the neural correlates of verb production in overt action naming conditions. In addition, we tested the differential effects of naming when verbs were presented dynamically in video segments versus …

Effects Of The Strong Start Curriculum On Students' Social And Emotional Competence, Kalli Kronmiller, Paul Caldarella, Lynnette Christensen, Thomas J. Kramer

Faculty Publications

Research questions: Do children in Grade 2 who participate in Strong Start show an increase in prosocial behaviors? Do children show a decrease in internalizing and externalizing behaviors? Do children at greater risk show greater changes? Do participating students and teachers find the Strong Start curriculum to be socially valid?

Families And Childhood Cancer: An Exploration Of The Observations Of A Pediatric Oncology Treatment Team, Amanda Douglas Harrington, Thomas G. Kimball, Roy A. Bean

Faculty Publications

The authors propose that families facing childhood cancer inadvertently become part of a distinct cultural group. To better train clinicians working with these families, this study was conducted as a phenomenological exploration of the common experiences of those who work with, and participate in, this "culture of cancer" (i.e., members of a pediatric oncology treatment team that includes medical family therapists). Two primary themes emerged from the data: culture of change and relationships. A qualitative description of medical family therapists as part of the treatment team was also developed. Insight into this culture and recommendations for family therapists working in …

Linking Indoor Environment Conditions To Job Satisfaction: A Field Study, Jay Brand

Faculty Publications

Physical and questionnaire data were collected from 95 workstations at an open-plan office building in Michigan, US. The physical measurements encompassed thermal, lighting, and acoustic variables, furniture dimensions, and an assessment of potential exterior view. Occupants answered a detailed questionnaire concerning their environmental and job satisfaction, and aspects of well-being. These data were used to test, via mediated regression, a model linking the physical environment, through environmental satisfaction, to job satisfaction and other related measures. In particular, a significant link was demonstrated between overall environmental satisfaction and job satisfaction, mediated by satisfaction with management and with compensation. Analysis of physical …

Quantitative And Fingerprint Analyses Of Chinese Sweet Tea Plant (Rubus Suavissimus S. Lee), Guixin Chou, Shun Jun Xu, Dong Liu, Yee Koh Gar, Jian Zhang, Zhijun Liu

Faculty Publications

The quality of botanical food is increasingly assessed by the content of multiple bioactive compounds. This study reports, for the first time, an HPLC fingerprinting method for the quality evaluation of Rubus suavissimus leaves possessing multiple bioactivities. Five constituents, gallic acid, rutin, ellagic acid, rubusoside, and steviol monoside, were quantified and used in developing qualitative chromatographic fingerprints. The limits of detection and quantification ranged from 0.29 to 37.86 μg/mL. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of intra- and interday precisions were no more than 3.14 and 3.01%, respectively. The average recoveries were between 93.1 and 97.5%. The developed method was validated …

Biosynthesis Of The Caenorhabditis Elegans Dauer Pheromone, Rebecca A. Butcher, Justin R. Ragains, Weiqing Li, Gary Ruvkun, Jon Clardy, Yi Mak Ho

Faculty Publications

To sense its population density and to trigger entry into the stress-resistant dauer larval stage, Caenorhabditis elegans uses the dauer pheromone, which consists of ascaroside derivatives with short, fatty acid-like side chains. Although the dauer pheromone has been studied for 25 years, its biosynthesis is completely uncharacterized. The daf-22 mutant is the only known mutant defective in dauer pheromone production. Here, we show that daf-22 encodes a homolog of human sterol carrier protein SCPx, which catalyzes the final step in peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation. We also show that dhs-28, which encodes a homolog of the human D-bifunctional protein that acts …

Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Based West Nile Vaccine Elicits Strong Humoral And Cellular Immune Responses And Protects Mice Against Lethal Challenge With The Virulent West Nile Virus Strain Lsu-Ar01, Arun V. Iyer, Bapi Pahar, Marc J. Boudreaux, Nobuko Wakamatsu, Alma F. Roy, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Abolghasem Baghian, Cristian Apetrei, Preston A. Marx, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has been extensively utilized as a viral vector system for the induction of protective immune responses against a variety of pathogens. We constructed recombinant VSVs specifying either the Indiana or Chandipura virus G glycoprotein and expressing the West Nile virus (WNV) envelope (E) glycoprotein. Mice were intranasally vaccinated using a prime (Indiana)-boost (Chandipura) immunization approach and challenged with the virulent WNV-LSU-AR01. Ninety-percent (9 of 10) of the vaccinated mice survived as compared to 10% of the mock-vaccinated mice after WNV lethal challenge. Histopathological examination of brain tissues revealed neuronal necrosis in mock-vaccinated mice but not in …

Reactivity Of Nitric Oxide With The [4fe-4s] Cluster Of Dihydroxyacid Dehydratase From Escherichia Coli, Xuewu Duan, Juanjuan Yang, Binbin Ren, Guoqiang Tan, Huangen Ding

Faculty Publications

Although the NO (nitric oxide)-mediated modification of iron-sulfur proteins has been well-documented in bacteria and mammalian cells, specific reactivity of NO with iron-sulfur proteins still remains elusive. In the present study, we report the first kinetic characterization of the reaction between NO and iron-sulfur clusters in protein using the Escherichia coli IlvD (dihydroxyacid dehydratase) [4Fe-4S] cluster as an example. Combining a sensitive NO electrode with EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) spectroscopy and an enzyme activity assay, we demonstrate that NO is rapidly consumed by the IlvD [4Fe-4S] cluster with the concomitant formation of the IlvD-bound DNIC (dinitrosyl-iron complex) and inactivation of …

Association Of Regions On Chromosomes 6 And 7 With Blood Pressure In Nigerian Families, Bamidele O. Tayo, Amy Luke, Xiaofeng Zhu, Adebowale Adeyemo, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Background: Elevated blood pressure (BP) shares a level of heritability similar to many other traits related to cardiovascular risk; however, specific susceptibility loci have been difficult to localize. We conducted a multistage study of BP as a continuous trait in a low-risk West African population in which it was anticipated that environmental exposures would be reduced in complexity and intensity. In our earlier genome-wide linkage study for BP in this population, strong linkage evidence was noted on chromosomes 6 and 7. Methods and Results: We subsequently genotyped a total of 3431 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 3 regions (viz, 152.68 …

Response Of Melittia Oedipus (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) To Visual Cues Is Increased By The Presence Of Food Source, G. V.P. Reddy, Z. T. Cruz, N. Braganza, R. Muniappan

Faculty Publications

Visual and olfactory cues were shown to mediate short-distance orientation to different colors in the presence and in the absence of food in Melittia oedipus Oberthür (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), a biological control agent of Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Violales: Cucurbitaceae). Yellow was the color most preferred by M. oedipus, and adults landed significantly more on yellow paper moistened with honey-water. The next preferred colors were gray and white with the identical food source. Colors such as red, blue, green, brown, and black were least preferred by M. oedipus and attracted the adults on par with each other. The M. oedipus landings …

Biophysics Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Sperm, M. Hagedorn, J. Ricker, M. Mccarthy, S. A. Meyers, T. R. Tiersch, Z. M. Varga, F. W. Kleinhans

Faculty Publications

In the past two decades, laboratories around the world have produced thousands of mutant, transgenic, and wild-type zebrafish lines for biomedical research. Although slow-freezing cryopreservation of zebrafish sperm has been available for 30 years, current protocols lack standardization and yield inconsistent post-thaw fertilization rates. Cell cryopreservation cannot be improved without basic physiological knowledge, which was lacking for zebrafish sperm. The first goal was to define basic cryobiological values for wild-type zebrafish sperm and to evaluate how modern physiological methods could aid in developing improved cryopreservation protocols. Coulter counting methods measured an osmotically inactive water fraction (Vb) of 0.37 ± 0.02 …

Self-Reported Physical Activity Improves Prediction Of Body Fatness In Young Adults, M. Zanovec, Lisa G. Johnson, Brian D. Marx, Michael J. Keenan, G. Tuuri

Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: To examine self-reported physical activity levels from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) as an independent predictor of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-measured percent body fat (%BF) from body mass index (BMI), gender, and race. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-eight students, aged 18-24 yr, volunteered to participate. There were 133 males (85 white and 48 black) and 145 females (77 white and 68 black). Total activity levels were quantified in MET hours per week (MET-h•wk -1) using the IPAQ short form. Height and weight were measured, and BMI values were calculated (kg•m -2). %BF was assessed using DXA. Linear regression …

Beginning Of Hope, Geoffrey D. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Beginning of Hope is the first of five short articles about the history of Hope College, located in Holland, Michigan.

Eating Routines: Embedded, Value Based, Modifiable, And Reflective, Margaret M. Jastran, Carole A. Bisogni, Jeffrey Sobal, Christine E. Blake, Carol M. Devine

Faculty Publications

Eating routines are a compelling issue because recurring eating behaviors influence nutrition and health. As non-traditional and individualized eating patterns have become more common, new ways of thinking about routine eating practices are needed. This study sought to gain conceptual understanding of working adults' eating routines. Forty-two purposively sampled US adults reported food intake and contextual details about eating episodes in qualitative 24-h dietary recalls conducted over 7 consecutive days. Using the constant comparative method, researchers analyzed interview transcripts for recurrent ways of eating that were either explicitly reported by study participants as "routines" or emergent in the data. Participants' …

The Trinity In Seventh-Day Adventist History, Merlin D. Burt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Correlating Threshold Power With Free-Space Bandwidth For Low-Directivity Antennas, Abu T.M. Sayem, Mark G. Douglas, Gernot Schmidt, Ben Petric, Mohammod Ali

Faculty Publications

This paper develops a threshold power rationale that can be used to demonstrate inherent compliance for portable wireless devices with specific absorption rate (SAR) limits over the 300-6000-MHz frequency range. This is achieved first by understanding the relationship between basic antenna parameters (bandwidth, operating frequency, and distance to the body) and SAR. From this, an upper limit is determined for the power transmitted by a portable wireless device such that the SAR will not exceed the compliance limit. Based on the presented computational and measured data, an empirical formula is developed for the threshold power as a function of the …

Changes In Weight, Waist Circumference And Compensatory Responses With Different Doses Of Exercise Among Sedentary, Overweight Postmenopausal Women, Timothy S. Church, Corby K. Martin, Angela M. Thompson, Conrad P. Earnest, Catherine R. Mikus, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background: It has been suggested that exercise training results in compensatory mechanisms that attenuate weight loss. However, this has only been examined with large doses of exercise. The goal of this analysis was to examine actual weight loss compared to predicted weight loss (compensation) across different doses of exercise in a controlled trial of sedentary, overweight or obese postmenopausal women (n=41).

Methodology/Principal Findings: Participants were randomized to a non-exercise control (n=94) or 1 of 3 exercise groups; exercise energy expenditure of 4 (n=139), 8 (n=85), or 12 (n=93) kcal/kg/week (KKW). Training intensity was set at the heart rate associated with …

Searching Cell Phones Incident To Arrest: Can Courts And Legislatures Impose Limits On A Bright Line Rule?, Adam M. Gershowitz

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.