Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of An Upper-Division, General Education Information Literacy Program, Elizabeth S. Hopkins, Suzanne Julian

Faculty Publications

The Advanced Writing library instruction program at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is intended to teach junior-level students advanced information literacy and research skills. The university general education curriculum requires students to participate in the program as part of their Advanced Writing course. When anecdotal feedback from librarians and students identified problems with the program, the authors conducted a qualitative evaluation of the program in order to identify problems and possible solutions. The evaluation included a student survey and focus groups with students, librarians, and English faculty. This paper describes the HBLL Advanced Writing instruction program, identifies …

Making The Connection Between Prayer, Faith, And Forgiveness In Roman Catholic Families, Mindi Batson, Loren Marks

Faculty Publications

This study examines meanings and processes associated with religious practices of prayer, building faith, and forgiving through in-depth, qualitative interviews with six highly religious Roman Catholic families with children. Families were interviewed using a narrative approach that asked participants to share experiences and challenges related to faith and family life. Three primary themes in the interviews included: (a) prayer helps piece the puzzle together, (b) faith builds a foundation, and (c) forgiveness allows unity to flourish.

Gender Differences In The Risk Of Hiv Infection Among Persons Reporting Abstinence, Monogamy, And Multiple Sexual Partners In Northern Tanzania, Keren Z. Landman, Jan Ostermann, John A. Crump, Anna Mgonja, Meghan K. Mayhood, Dafrosa K. Itemba, Alison C. Tribble, Evaline M. Ndosi, Helen Y. Chu, John F. Shao, John A. Bartlett, Nathan M. Thielman

Faculty Publications

Background: Monogamy, together with abstinence, partner reduction, and condom use, is widely advocated as a key behavioral strategy to prevent HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the association between the number of sexual partners and the risk of HIV seropositivity among men and women presenting for HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) in northern Tanzania.

Methodology/ Principal Findings: Clients presenting for HIV VCT at a community-based AIDS service organization in Moshi, Tanzania were surveyed between November 2003 and December 2007. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, reasons for testing, sexual behaviors, and symptoms were collected. Men and women were categorized by …

Negative And Positive Peer Influence: Relations To Positive And Negative Behaviors For African American, European American, And Hispanic Adolescents, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Roy A. Bean

Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current study was to examine adolescents’ perceptions of negative and positive peer influence (i.e., indirect peer association and direct peer pressure) as they related to adolescent behavior. Regression analyses were conducted using a sample of African American, European American, and Hispanic adolescents (N ¼ 1659, M age ¼ 16.06, SD ¼ 1.10). The study found differences and similarities in relation to respondents’ ethnicity vis-a`-vis indirect peer association and adolescent behavior. Although few ethnic-based differences occurred as a function of indirect negative peer association, indirect positive peer association was not as consistently or as strongly related to …

X-Ray Crystallographic And Solution State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Investigations Of Nadp+ Binding To Ferredoxin Nadp Reductase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, An Wang, Juan Carlos Rodríguez, Huijong Han, Ernst Schönbrunn, Mario Rivera

Faculty Publications

The ferredoxin nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reductase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pa-FPR) in complex with NADP+ has been characterized by X-ray crystallography and in solution by NMR spectroscopy. The structure of the complex revealed that pa-FPR harbors a preformed NADP + binding pocket where the cofactor binds with minimal structural perturbation of the enzyme. These findings were complemented by obtaining sequential backbone resonance assignments of this 29518 kDa enzyme, which enabled the study of the pa-FPR-NADP complex by monitoring chemical shift perturbations induced by addition of NADP+ or the inhibitor adenine dinucleotide phosphate (ADP) to pa-FPR. The results are consistent with …

Intro To The Digital World -- For Nlu Academic Cabinet, August 2008, Kathleen A. Walsh

Faculty Publications

Designed as a "beginner's intro" to online life and online learning; themed around 3 questions: what's going on in the digital world?, what's wrong with these kids today (Gen M)?, and what could all of this mean for online teaching and learning at NLU?

Stigma Sentiments And Self-Meanings: Applying The Modified Labeling Theory To Juvenile Delinquents, James Lee, Amy Kroska, Nicole Carr

Faculty Publications

We use “stigma sentiments” as a way to operationalize the stigma associated with a juvenile delinquency label. Stigma sentiments are the evaluation, potency, and activity (EPA) associated with the cultural category “a juvenile delinquent.” We find consistent support for the validity of the evaluation component as measures of these conceptions. Then we assess hypotheses derived from the modified labeling theory: we expect each stigma sentiment to be related positively to the corresponding dimension of self-identities among juvenile delinquents but unrelated to the corresponding dimension among non-delinquents. We find support for this hypothesis on the evaluation dimension. We also find two …

The Dirigo Health Reform Act: A Case Study Of Small Group Market Reform In Maine, Elizabeth Kilbreth, Kimberley Fox

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Telomeres And Race: What Can We Learn About Human Biology From Health Differentials?, Jay S. Kaufman, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

The advent of molecular technology that can be applied across large population samples has added - rather than reduced - complexity in the analysis of the intertwined effects of social history and heritable factors on health outcomes. The report by Hunt et al. in this issue of Aging Cell provides an example of the promises and dilemmas associated with this increased complexity. © 2008 The Authors Journal compilation © Blackwell Publishing Ltd/The Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2008.

Exposure To Smoking Imagery In Popular Films And Adolescent Smoking In Mexico, James F. Thrasher, Christine Jackson, Edna Arillo-Santillán, James D. Sargent

Faculty Publications

Background: Exposure to smoking imagery in films in consistently associated with smoking behavior and its psychological antecedents among adolescents in high-income countries, but its association with adolescent smoking in middle-income countries is unknown.

Methods: In 2006, a cross-sectional sample of 3876 Mexican adolescents in secondary school was surveyed on smoking behavior, smoking risk factors, and exposure to 42 popular films that contained smoking. Participants were classified into quartiles of exposure to smoking imagery across all films they reported having seen. Models were estimated to determine associations among quartiles of film-smoking exposure, smoking behavior, and the psychological antecedents of smoking, adjusting …

Prevalence And Infection Load Dynamics Of Rickettsia Felis In Actively Feeding Cat Fleas, Kathryn E. Reif, Rhett W. Stout, Gretchen C. Henry, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso

Faculty Publications

Background: Rickettsia felis is a flea-associated rickettsial pathogen recurrently identified in both colonized and wild-caught cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis. We hypothesized that within colonized fleas, the intimate relationship between R. felis and C. felis allows for the coordination of rickettsial replication and metabolically active periods during flea bloodmeal acquisition and oogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings: a quantitative real-time PCR assay was developed to quantify R. felis in actively feeding R. felis-infected fleas. In three separate trials, fleas were allowed to feed on cats, and a mean of 3.9 × 106 R. felis 17-kDa gene copies was detected for each flea. A distinct …

Q-Dock: Low-Resolution Flexible Ligand Docking With Pocket-Specific Threading Restraints, Michal Brylinski, Jeffrey Skolnick

Faculty Publications

The rapidly growing number of theoretically predicted protein structures requires robust methods that can utilize low-quality receptor structures as targets for ligand docking. Typically, docking accuracy falls off dramatically when apo or modeled receptors are used in docking experiments. Low-resolution ligand docking techniques have been developed to deal with structural inaccuracies in predicted receptor models. In this spirit, we describe the development and optimization of a knowledge-based potential implemented in Q-Dock, a low-resolution flexible ligand docking approach. Self-docking experiments using crystal structures reveals satisfactory accuracy, comparable with all-atom docking. All-atom models reconstructed from Q-Dock's low-resolution models can be further refined …

Size And Heterozygosity Influence Partner Selection In The Formosan Subterranean Termite, Claudia Husseneder, Dawn M. Simms

Faculty Publications

In monogamous species that exhibit extensive biparental investment, such as termites, both sexes are predicted to be selective when choosing a mate. Size-related traits are expected to be important in partner selection because the fat reserves of the colony founders sustain the incipient colony. Partner relatedness and heterozygosity determine the degree of inbreeding and genetic diversity within the colony and may thus also influence partner selection. To test these predictions, we investigated whether phenotypic and genetic traits influence mate choice and/or competitive advantage during pair formation of Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Pair formation in termites normally occurs …

Replication Of The Wellcome Trust Genome-Wide Association Study Of Essential Hypertension: The Family Blood Pressure Program, Georg B. Ehret, Alanna C. Morrison, Ashley A. O'Connor, Megan L. Grove, Lisa Baird, Karen Schwander, Alan Weder, Richard S. Cooper, D. C. Rao, Steven C. Hunt, Eric Boerwinkle, Aravinda Chakravarti

Faculty Publications

Essential hypertension is a principal cardiovascular risk factor whose origin remains unknown. Classical genetic studies have shown that blood pressure is at least partially heritable, opening a window to understanding the pathophysiology of essential hypertension in the human using modern genetic tools. The Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium has recently published the results of screening the genomes of 2000 essential hypertension cases and 3000 controls using 500000 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). None of the variants proved to be genome-wide significant after correction for multiple tests but the most significantly associated SNPs (P<10-5) constitute a priority list that warrant follow-up in other studies. We describe here replication studies of the top six SNPs in subjects from the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded Family Blood Pressure Program comprising 11433 individuals recruited by hypertensive families. The results suggest that only one of the six SNPs might be associated with essential hypertension in Americans of European origin. This SNP shows a significant but opposite effect in Americans of Hispanic origin and no association in African Americans. The significance of the opposing effect estimates is unclear. No replication could be shown for hypertension status, but there are differences in study design. This attempted replication highlights that essential hypertension studies will require more comprehensive and larger genetic screens.

Three-Dimensional Direct Numerical Simulation Of Soot Formation And Transport In A Temporally Evolving Nonpremixed Ethylene Jet Flame, David O. Lignell, Jacqueline H. Chen, Philip J. Smith

Faculty Publications

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulation of soot formation with complex chemistry is presented. The simulation consists of a temporally evolving, planar, nonpremixed ethylene jet flame with a validated, 19-species reduced mechanism. A four-step, three-moment, semiempirical soot model is employed. Previous two-dimensional decaying turbulence simulations have shown the importance of multidimensional flame dynamical effects on soot concentration [D.O. Lignell, J.H. Chen, P.J. Smith, T. Lu, C.K. Law, Combust. Flame 151 (1–2) (2007) 2–28]. It was shown that flame curvature strongly impacts the diffusive motion of the flame relative to soot (which is essentially convected with the flow), resulting in soot being differentially …

Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1(Hsv-1) Oncolytic And Highly Fusogenic Mutants Carrying The Nv1020 Genomic Deletion Effectively Inhibit Primary And Metastatic Tumors In Mice, Anna Israyelyan, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Abolghasem Baghian, Andrew T. David, Michael T. Kearney, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

Background. The NV1020 oncolytic herpes simplex virus type-1 has shown significant promise for the treatment of many different types of tumors in experimental animal models and human trials. Previously, we described the construction and use of the NV1020-like virus OncSyn to treat human breast tumors implanted in nude mice. The syncytial mutation gKsyn1 (Ala-to-Val at position 40) was introduced into the OncSyn viral genome cloned into a bacterial artificial chromosome using double-red mutagenesis in E. coli to produce the OncdSyn virus carrying syncytial mutations in both gB(syn3) and gK(syn1). Results. The OncdSyn virus caused extensive virus-induced cell fusion in cell …

The International Citizens' Tribunal For Sudan Case Number: Icts-1 The Prosecutor Against Omar Hasan Ahmad Al-Bashir President Of The Government Of Sudan, Beth Van Schaack

Faculty Publications

This Indictment served as the basis for the presentation of the case against President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir of Sudan before an International Citizens' Tribunal for Sudan. The model Indictment charged al-Bashir with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Darfur under the most current theories of individual criminal responsibility under international criminal law. The Tribunal was staffed by a panel of African and North American jurists, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wole Soyinko of Nigeria presiding. The proceedings themselves involved oral testimony by a former member of the Department of State, a journalist active in Darfur, a representative of …

Modeling Phase Transitions Of Nanoemulsion For Ultrasonic Gene Delivery, Ghaleb A. Husseini, William G. Pitt, Ram Singh

Faculty Publications

A computer model was written that simulates the transformation of a nanoemulsion droplet to a gas bubble by the application of ultrasound. Experimentally such a technique could be used to enhance non-viral gene transfection beyond the boundary of the endothelial lining of the circulatory system, particularly in tumors exhibiting enhanced permeation and retention of nanoparticles.

Highly Efficient Circulating Tumor Cell Isolation From Whole Blood And Label-Free Enumeration Using Polymer-Based Microfluidics With An Integrated Conductivity Sensor, André A. Adams, Paul I. Okagbare, Juan Feng, Matuesz L. Hupert, Don Patterson, Jost Götten, Robin L. Mccarley, Dimitris Nikitopoulos, Michael C. Murphy, Steven A. Soper

Faculty Publications

A novel microfluidic device that can selectively and specifically isolate exceedingly small numbers of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) through a monoclonal antibody (mAB) mediated process by sampling large input volumes (≥1 mL) of whole blood directly in short time periods (<37 >min) was demonstrated. The CTCs were concentrated into small volumes (190 nL), and the number of cells captured was read without labeling using an integrated conductivity sensor following release from the capture surface. The microfluidic device contained a series (51) of high-aspect ratio microchannels (35 μm width x 150 μm depth) that were replicated in poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, from …

Tnfα Sirna Reduces Brain Tnf And Eeg Delta Wave Activity In Rats, Ping Taishi, Lynn Churchill, Mingxiang Wang, Daniel Kay, Christopher J. Davis, Xin Guan, Alok De, Tadanobu Yasuda, Fan Liao, James M. Krueger

Faculty Publications

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is a pleiotropic cytokine with several CNS physiological and pathophysiological actions including sleep, memory, thermal and appetite regulation. Short interfering RNAs (siRNA) targeting TNFα were incubated with cortical cell cultures and microinjected into the primary somatosensory cortex (SSctx) of rats. The TNFα siRNA treatment specifically reduced TNFα mRNA by 45% in vitro without affecting interleukin-6 or gluR1-4 mRNA levels. In vivo the TNFα siRNAα reduced TNFα mRNA, interleukin-6 mRNA and gluR1 mRNA levels compared to treatment with a scrambled control siRNA. After in vivo microinjection, the density of TNFα-immunoreactive cells in layer V of the …

Is The Automobile Essential To Freedom?: Yes!, Rolf A. Jacobson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Ethics Of Driving, Amy E. Marga

Faculty Publications

The concept of “neighbor” takes on entirely new meanings in our mobile society. Who becomes my neighbor when I am behind the wheel? What is the consequence of my driving to my neighbors around the globe? What about the impact on our nonhuman “neighbors”? The ethics of driving has many dimensions for the Christian person of goodwill.

Frequency-Dependent Glycinergic Inhibition Modulates Plasticity In Hippocampus., Keck T, Lillis Kp, Zhou Yd, White Ja

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Notes From A Climate Change Pressure-Cooker: Sub-Federal Attempts At Transformation Meet National Resistance In The Usa, Cinnamon P. Carlarne

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Availability And Viability Of Socioeconomic Integration Post-Parents Involved, Eboni S. Nelson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Non-Beneficial Pediatric Research And The Best Interest Standard: A Reconciliation, Paul J. Litton

Faculty Publications

Federal efforts beginning in the 1990's have successfully increased pediatric research to improve medical care for all children. Since 1997, the FDA has requested 800 pediatric studies involving 45,000 children. Much of this research is "non-beneficial"; that is, it exposes pediatric subjects to risk even though these children will not benefit from participating in the research. Non-beneficial pediatric research (NBPR) seems, by definition, contrary to the best interests of pediatric subjects, which is why one state supreme court has essentially prohibited it. It also appears that the only plausible rationale for this research is utilitarian, as it risks some children …

Weak Competition Among Tropical Tree Seedlings: Implications For Species Coexistence, C. E.Timothy Paine, Kyle E. Harms, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Walter P. Carson

Faculty Publications

The intensity of competition among forest tree seedlings is poorly understood, but has important ramifications for their recruitment and for the maintenance of species diversity. Intense competition among seedlings could allow competitively dominant species to exclude subordinate species. Alternatively, the low density and small stature of forest tree seedlings could preclude intense interseedling competition. In this case, other processes, such as size-asymmetric competition with adults, interactions with consumers, or neutral dynamics would prevail as those structuring the forest understory. We tested the intensity of, and potential for, intraspecific competition among tree seedlings of three species (Brosimum alicastrum, Matisia cordata, and …

Development Of An Automated Digestion And Droplet Deposition Microfluidic Chip For Maldi-Tof Ms, Jeonghoon Lee, Harrison K. Musyimi, Steven A. Soper, Kermit K. Murray

Faculty Publications

An automated proteolytic digestion bioreactor and droplet deposition system was constructed with a plastic microfluidic device for off-line interfacing to matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The microfluidic chips were fabricated in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), using a micromilling machine and incorporated a bioreactor, which was 100 μm wide, 100 μm deep, and possessed a 4 cm effective channel length (400 nL volume). The chip was operated by pressure-driven flow and mounted on a robotic fraction collector system. The PMMA bioreactor contained surface immobilized trypsin, which was covalently attached to the UV-modified PMMA surface using coupling reagents N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide …

Functional And Physical Interactions Of The Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Ul20 Membrane Protein With Glycoprotein K, Timothy P. Foster, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, K. G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

Herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein K (gK) and the UL20 protein (UL20p) are coordinately transported to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and cell surfaces and are required for cytoplasmic virion envelopment at the TGN. In addition, cell surface expression of gK and UL20p is required for virus-induced cell fusion. Previously, confocal microscopy colocalization and intracellular transport experiments strongly suggested direct protein-protein interactions between gK and UL20p. Direct protein-protein interactions between gK and UL20p were demonstrated through reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation experiments, as well as with glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down experiments. A fusion protein consisting of the amino-terminal 66 amino acids of UL20p …

Expressed Cdnas From Embryonic And Larval Stages Of The Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae), F. D. Guerrero, S. E. Dowd, V. M. Nene, L. D. Foil

Faculty Publications

We used an expressed sequence tag approach to initiate a study of the genome of the horn fly, Hematobia irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae). Two normalized cDNA libraries were synthesized from RNA isolated from embryos and first instars from a field population of horn flies. Approximately 10,000 clones were sequenced from both the 5′ and 3′ directions. Sequence data from each library was assembled into a database of tentative consensus sequences (TCs) and singletons and used to search public protein databases and annotate the sequences. Additionally, the sequences from both the egg and larval libraries were combined into a single database …