Digital Commons Network^™

Intervention To Enhance Skilled Arm And Hand Movements After Stroke: A Feasibility Study Using A New Virtual Reality System, Jill Campbell Stewart Pt,Phd, Shih-Ching Yeh, Younbo Jung, Hyunjin Yoon

Faculty Publications

Background: Rehabilitation programs designed to develop skill in upper extremity (UE) function after stroke require progressive practice that engage and challenge the learner. Virtual realty (VR) provides a unique environment where the presentation of stimuli can be controlled systematically for optimal challenge by adapting task difficulty as performance improves. We describe four VR tasks that were developed and tested to improve arm and hand movement skills for individuals with hemiparesis. Methods: Two participants with chronic post-stroke paresis and different levels of motor severity attended 12 training sessions lasting 1 to 2 hours each over a 3-week period. Behavior measures and …

Zouave Stories: Gender, Catholic Spirituality, And French Responses To The Roman Question, Carol E. Harrison

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Stat5a-Mediated Induction Of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 4 Expression By Prolactin Or Growth Hormone In Adipocytes, Ursula A. White, Ann A. Coulter, Tiffany K. Miles, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine whether pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK)4 was expressed in adipocytes and whether PDK4 expression was hormonally regulated in fat cells. Both Northern blot and Western blot analyses were conducted on samples isolated from 3T3-L1 adipocytes after various treatments with prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), and/or insulin. Transfection of PDK4 promoter reporter constructs was performed. In addition, glucose uptake measurements were conducted. Our studies demonstrate that PRL and porcine GH can induce the expression of PDK4 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our studies also show that insulin pretreatment can attenuate the ability of these hormones to …

Characterization Of Beaf Mutations Isolated By Homologous Recombination In Drosophila, Swarnava Roy, Matthew K. Gilbert, Craig M. Hart

Faculty Publications

The Drosophila BEAF-32A and BEAF-32B proteins bind to the scs′ insulator and to hundreds of other sites on Drosophila chromosomes. These two proteins are encoded by the same gene. We used ends-in homologous recombination to generate the null BEAFAB-KO allele and also isolated the BEAF A-KO allele that eliminates production of only the BEAF-32A protein. We find that the BEAF proteins together are essential, but BEAF-32B alone is sufficient to obtain viable flies. Our results show that BEAF is important for both oogenesis and development. Maternal or zygotic BEAF is sufficient to obtain adults, although having only maternal BEAF impairs …

Biology Intensive Orientation For Students (Bios): A Biology "Boot Camp", Sheri Maples Wischusen, E. William Wischusen

Faculty Publications

The Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) Program was designed to assess the impact of a 5-d intensive prefreshman program on success and retention of biological science majors at Louisiana State University. The 2005 pilot program combined content lectures and examinations for BIOL 1201, Introductory Biology for Science Majors, as well as learning styles assessments and informational sessions to provide the students with a preview of the requirements of biology and the pace of college. Students were tracked after their BIOS participation, and their progress was compared with a control group composed of students on the BIOS waiting list and …

Endonuclease-Independent Insertion Provides An Alternative Pathway For L1 Retrotransposition In The Human Genome, Shurjo K. Sen, Charles T. Huang, Kyudong Han, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

LINE-1 elements (L1s) are a family of highly successful retrotransposons comprising ∼ 17% of the human genome, the majority of which have inserted through an endonuclease-dependent mechanism termed target-primed reverse transcription. Recent in vitro analyses suggest that in the absence of non-homologous end joining proteins, L1 elements may utilize an alternative, endonuclease-independent pathway for insertion. However, it remains unknown whether this pathway operates in vivo or in cell lines where all DNA repair mechanisms are functional. Here, we have analyzed the human genome to demonstrate that this alternative pathway for L1 insertion has been active in recent human evolution and …

A Comparison Of Ionic Liquids To Molecular Organic Solvents As Additives For Chiral Separations In Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatorgraphy, Simon M. Mwongela, Noreen Siminialayi, Kristin A. Fletcher, Isiah M. Warner

Faculty Publications

In this study, we report the effects of adding ionic liquids (ILs), as compared to adding conventional molecular organic solvents (MOSs), to aqueous buffer solutions containing molecular micelles in the separation of chiral analyte mixtures in micellar EKC (MEKC). The molecular micelle used in this study was polysodium oleyl-L-leucylvalinate (poly-L-SOLV). The ILs were 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, where the alkyl group was ethyl, butyl, hexyl, or octyl. These ILs were chosen due to their hydrophobicity, good solvating, and electrolyte properties. Thus, it was expected that these ILs would have favorable interactions with chiral analytes and not adversely affect the background current. Common …

Citrus Leafminer, Phyllocnistis Citrella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), And Natural Enemy Dynamics In Central Florida During 2005, Marjorie A. Hoy, Raghuwinder Singh, Michael E. Rogers

Faculty Publications

After the citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), invaded Florida in 1993, the endoparasitoid Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was introduced in 1994 in a classical biological control program. Subsequent to its establishment, only limited information has been obtained regarding the seasonal abundance of A. citricola and its host in central Florida citrus groves. During 2005, we monitored replicated plots treated with oil or imidacloprid once on 23 Jun 2005, along with untreated control trees, in a Polk County commercial Valencia orange grove on a weekly basis when tender new growth (= flush) was available. As expected, CLM …

Rnai Knockdown Of Nopp140 Induces Minute-Like Phenotypes In Drosophila, Zhengfang Cui, Patrick J. Dimario

Faculty Publications

Nopp140 associates with small nucleolar RNPs to chaperone pre-rRNA processing and ribosome assembly. Alternative splicing yields two isoforms in Drosophila: Nopp140-True is homologous to vertebrate Nopp140 particularly in its carboxy terminus, whereas Nopp140-RGG contains a glycine and arginine-rich (RGG) carboxy terminus typically found in vertebrate nucleolin. Loss of ribosome function or production at critical points in development leads to Minute phenotypes in Drosophila or the Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) in humans. To ascertain the functional significance of Nopp140 in Drosophila development, we expressed interfering RNA using the GAL4/UAS system. Reverse transcription-PCR showed variable losses of Nopp140 mRNA in larvae from …

Brainstem Cholinergic Modulation Of Muscle Tone In Infant Rats, Andrew J. Gall, Amy Poremba, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

In week-old rats, lesions of the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum (DLPT) and nucleus pontis oralis (PnO) have opposing effects on nuchal muscle tone. Specifically, pups with DLPT lesions exhibit prolonged bouts of nuchal muscle atonia (indicative of sleep) and pups with PnO lesions exhibit prolonged bouts of high nuchal muscle tone (indicative of wakefulness). Here we test the hypothesis that nuchal muscle tone is modulated, at least in part, by cholinergically mediated interactions between these two regions. First, in unanesthetized pups, we found that chemical infusion of the cholinergic agonist carbachol (22 mM, 0.1 µL) within the DLPT produced high muscle …

Distinguishing Importation From Diversification Of Quinolone-Resistant Neisseria Gonorrhoeae By Molecular Evolutionary Analysis, Keith A. Crandall, Marcos Perez-Losada, Margaret C. Bash, Michael Dan, Jonathan Zenilman, Raphael P. Viscidi

Faculty Publications

Distinguishing the recent introduction of quinolone resistant gonococci into a population from diversification of resistant strains already in the population is important for planning effective infection control strategies. We applied molecular evolutionary analyses to DNA sequences from 9 housekeeping genes and gyrA, parC and porB of 24 quinolone resistant N. gonorrhoeae (QRNG) and 24 quinolone sensitive isolates collected in Israel during 2000-2001. Results- Phylogenetic and eBURST analyses and estimates of divergence time indicated QRNG were introduced on 3 separate occasions and underwent limited diversification by mutation, deletion and horizontal gene transfer. Reconstruction of N. gonorrhoeae demography showed a slowly declining …

Arctic, Chapter 5a In State Of The Climate In 2006, J. Richter-Menge, J. Overland, A. Proshutinsky, V. Romanovsky, R. Armstrong, J. Morison, S. Nghiem, N. Oberman, D. Perovich, I. Rigor, L. Bengtsson, R. Przybylak, Alexander I. Shiklomanov, D. Walker, J. Walsh

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Hurricanes Katrina And Rita On The Microbial Landscape Of The New Orleans Area, C. D. Sinigalliano, M. L. Gidley, T. Shibata, D. Whitman, T. H. Dixon, E. Laws, A. Hou, D. Bachoon, L. Brand, L. Amaral-Zettler, R. J. Gast, G. F. Steward, O. D. Nigro, R. Fujioka, W. Q. Betancourf, G. Vithanage, J. Mathews, L. E. Fleming, H. M. Solo-Gabriele

Faculty Publications

Floodwaters in New Orleans from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were observed to contain high levels of fecal indicator bacteria and microbial pathogens, generating concern about long-term impacts of these floodwaters on the sediment and water quality of the New Orleans area and Lake Pontchartrain. We show here that fecal indicator microbe concentrations in offshore waters from Lake Pontchartrain returned to prehurricane concentrations within 2 months of the flooding induced by these hurricanes. Vibrio and Legionella species within the lake were more abundant in samples collected shortly after the floodwaters had receded compared with samples taken within the subsequent 3 months; …

Warming Up To Climate Change Litigation, Jonathan H. Adler

Faculty Publications

There was never any doubt that Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (“Mass. v. EPA”) would be a closely watched and hotly contested case. The surprise in Mass. v. EPA is the facility and ease with which the Court dispatched opposing arguments and redefined prior precedents. Not content to widen doctrines on the margins, Justice Stevens’s majority opinion blazed a new path through the law of standing and unearthed newfound regulatory authority for the EPA.

Now that EPA has authority to regulate greenhouse gases, regulatory controls on motor vehicles (as well as on other sources of greenhouse gases, including …

Low Temperature Induces Two Growth-Arrested Stages And Change Of Secondary Metabolites In Bursaphelenchus Xylophilus, L. L. Zhao, W. Wei, David L. Kulhavy, Xing Yao Zhang, Jiang Hua Sun

Faculty Publications

The third-stage dispersal juvenile (JIII) is the stage for survival and dispersal in the winter of the pine wood nematode,

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Through investigations at different temperatures, we found two kinds of growth-arrested development, including the adult longevity extension and JIII formation induced by low temperature. They showed similar characters: densely packed lipid droplets and extended longevity. We considered that there were four stages in the formation of growth-arrested stages: induction, growth-arrested pathway, growth-arrested development and cold-tolerance duration. Moreover, at 4◦C there were significant changes in secondary metabolites, which may be related to signal communication and metabolism associated with …

Using Gis-Based Methods Of Multicriteria Analysis To Construct Socio-Economic Deprivation Indices, Nathaniel Bell, Nadine Schuurman, Michael V. Hayes

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Over the past several decades researchers have produced substantial evidence of a social gradient in a variety of health outcomes, rising from systematic differences in income, education, employment conditions, and family dynamics within the population. Social gradients in health are measured using deprivation indices, which are typically constructed from aggregated socio-economic data taken from the national census--a technique which dates back at least until the early 1970's. The primary method of index construction over the last decade has been a Principal Component Analysis. Seldom are the indices constructed from survey-based data sources due to the inherent difficulty in validating …

Genome Of The Marsupial Monodelphis Domestica Reveals Innovation In Non-Coding Sequences, Tarjei S. Mikkelsen, Matthew J. Wakefield, Bronwen Aken, Chris T. Amemiya, Jean L. Chang, Shannon Duke, Manuel Garber, Andrew J. Gentles, Leo Goodstadt, Andreas Heger, Jerzy Jurka, Michael Kamal, Evan Mauceli, Stephen M.J. Searle, Ted Sharpe, Michelle L. Baker, Mark A. Batzer, Panayiotis V. Benos, Katherine Belov, Michele Clamp, April Cook, James Cuff, Radhika Das, Lance Davidow, Janine E. Deakin, Melissa J. Fazzari, Jacob L. Glass, Manfred Grabherr, John M. Greally, Wanjun Gu, Timothy A. Hore, Gavin A. Huttley, Michael Kleber, Randy L. Jirtle

Faculty Publications

We report a high-quality draft of the genome sequence of the grey, short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica). As the first metatherian ('marsupial') species to be sequenced, the opossum provides a unique perspective on the organization and evolution of mammalian genomes. Distinctive features of the opossum chromosomes provide support for recent theories about genome evolution and function, including a strong influence of biased gene conversion on nucleotide sequence composition, and a relationship between chromosomal characteristics and X chromosome inactivation. Comparison of opossum and eutherian genomes also reveals a sharp difference in evolutionary innovation between protein-coding and non-coding functional elements. True innovation in …

Values In Family Therapy Practice And Research: An Invitation For Reflection, Stephen T. Fife, Jason B. Whiting Phd

Faculty Publications

Values have been shown to be a pervasive part of both marriage and family therapy (MFT) clinical practice and research. Yet, many therapists and researchers remain unclear about how values affect their work. This article examines the influence of Western philosophical assumptions and therapy traditions in light of current understandings of values in therapy. The influence of values in MFT research processes is similarly examined. Implications for how family therapy professionals can be more reflective and sophisticated in their understanding of values in clinical practice and scientific inquiry are discussed. Suggestions for addressing values in MFT training also are given.

Disambiguation Of Overlapping Experiences By Neurons In The Medial Entorhinal Cortex., Lipton Pa, White Ja, Eichenbaum H

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Genome-Wide Scan Of Loci Linked To Serum Adiponectin In Two Populations Of African Descent, Chindo Hicks, Xiaofeng Zhu, Amy Luke, Donghui Kan, Adebowale Adeyemo, Xiaodong Wu, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Objective: The objectives were to identify quantitative trait loci linked to serum adiponectin concentration and to estimate heritability in two populations of African descent. Research Methods and Procedures: We conducted a genome scan for serum adiponectin concentration in two populations of African descent. Genome-wide microsatelitte markers were typed in an African-American population consisting of 203 families from the Chicago area and in a Nigerian Yoruba population consisting of 146 families. Linkage analysis was performed to identify loci. Variance component model was used to estimate heritability. Results: Estimates of heritability adjusted for age, gender, and BMI were 0.45 and 0.70 for …

Genetic Similarities Within And Between Human Populations, D. J. Witherspoon, S. Wooding, A. R. Rogers, E. E. Marchani, W. S. Watkins, M. A. Batzer, L. B. Jorde

Faculty Publications

The proportion of human genetic variation due to differences between populations is modest, and individuals from different populations can be genetically more similar than individuals from the same population. Yet sufficient genetic data can permit accurate classification of individuals into populations. Both findings can be obtained from the same data set, using the same number of polymorphic loci. This article explains why. Our analysis focuses on the frequency, ω, with which a pair of random individuals from two different populations is genetically more similar than a pair of individuals randomly selected from any single population. We compare ω to the …

Revision Of The Nonequilibrium Thermal Dissociation And Stringent Washing Approaches For Identification Of Mixed Nucleic Acid Targets By Microarrays, Alex E. Pozhitkov, Robert D. Stedtfeld, Syed A. Hashsham, Peter A. Noble

Faculty Publications

Microarray experiments typically involve washing steps that remove hybridized nonspecific targets with the purpose of improving the signal- to- noise ratio. The quality of washing ultimately affects downstream analysis of the microarray and interpretation. The paucity of fundamental studies directed towards understanding the dissociation of mixed targets from microarrays makes the development of meaningful washing/ dissociation protocols difficult. To fill the void, we examined activation energies and preexponential coefficients of 47 perfect match ( PM) and double- mismatch ( MM) duplex pairs to discover that there was no statistical difference between the kinetics of the PM and MM duplexes. Based …

Exercise And Cardiovascular Events - Placing The Risks Into Perspective: A Scientific Statement From The American Heart Association Council On Nutrition, Physical Activity, And Metabolism And The Council On Clinical Cardiology, Paul D. Thompson, Barry A. Franklin, Gary J. Balady, Steven N. Blair, Domenico Corrado, N. A. Mark Estes Iii, Janet E. Fulton, Neil F. Gordon, William L. Haskell, Mark S. Link, Barry J. Maron, Murray A. Mittleman, Antonio Pelliccia, Nanette K. Wenger, Stefan N. Willich, Fernando Costa

Faculty Publications

Habitual physical activity reduces coronary heart disease events, but vigorous activity can also acutely and transiently increase the risk of sudden cardiac death and acute myocardial infarction in susceptible persons. This scientific statement discusses the potential cardiovascular complications of exercise, their pathological substrate, and their incidence and suggests strategies to reduce these complications. Exercise-associated acute cardiac events generally occur in individuals with structural cardiac disease. Hereditary or congenital cardiovascular abnormalities are predominantly responsible for cardiac events among young individuals, whereas atherosclerotic disease is primarily responsible for these events in adults. The absolute rate of exercise-related sudden cardiac death varies with …

Dutch Women's Perceptions Of Childbirth In The Netherlands, Taralyn R. Johnson, Lynn Clark Callister, Donna S. Freeborn, Renea L. Beckstrand, Katinka Huender

Faculty Publications

Purpose: To explore the lived experience of childbirth in Dutch women who had given birth at home in the Netherlands.

Methods: Qualitative study using audiotaped interviews with 14 women.

Results: Themes included the advantages of giving birth in the home, where the women felt more in control of their environment; the difficulty and normalcy of the pain associated with giving birth; the feelings of fulfillment and empowerment that come with childbirth and motherhood; and the importance of the supportive role of the midwife–caregiver.

Nursing Implications: Women in a culture different from that of the United States who gave birth at …

Do You Have The Time? Changes In And Implications Of Spouses' Time Together, Jeffrey P. Dew

Faculty Publications

Many Americans say they do not spend enough time with their families. Social changes such as increased productivity expectations in the workplace and the movement of mothers into the paid labor force have added to the feeling that family time is scarce. Time is perceived to be an extremely rare commodity in the U.S., and families desire to spend more of it together.

Mobile Dna In Old World Monkeys: A Glimpse Through The Rhesus Macaque Genome, Kyudong Han, Miriam K. Konkel, Jinchuan Xing, Hui Wang, Jungnam Lee, Thomas J. Meyer, Charles T. Huang, Erin Sandifer, Kristi Hebert, Erin W. Barnes, Robert Hubley, Webb Miller, Arian F.A. Smit, Brygg Ullmer, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

The completion of the draft sequence of the rhesus macaque genome allowed us to study the genomic composition and evolution of transposable elements in this representative of the Old World monkey lineage, a group of diverse primates closely related to humans. The L1 family of long interspersed elements appears to have evolved as a single lineage, and Alu elements have evolved into four currently active lineages. We also found evidence of elevated horizontal transmissions of retroviruses and the absence of DNA transposon activity in the Old World monkey lineage. In addition, ∼100 precursors of composite SVA (short interspersed element, variable …

Evolutionary And Biomedical Insights From The Rhesus Macaque Genome, Richard A. Gibbs, Jeffrey Rogers, Michael G. Katze, Roger Bumgarner, George M. Weinstock, Elaine R. Mardis, Karin A. Remington, Robert L. Strausberg, J. Craig Venter, Richard K. Wilson, Mark A. Batzer, Carlos D. Bustamante, Evan E. Eichler, Matthew W. Hahn, Ross C. Hardison, Kateryna D. Makova, Webb Miller, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Robert E. Palermo, Adam Siepel, James M. Sikela, Tony Attaway, Stephanie Bell, Kelly E. Bernard, Christian J. Buhay, Mimi N. Chandrabose, Marvin Dao, Clay Davis, Kimberly D. Delehaunty, Yan Ding, Huyen H. Dinh, Shannon Dugan-Rocha, Lucinda A. Fulton, Ramatu Ayiesha Gabisi

Faculty Publications

The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is an abundant primate species that diverged from the ancestors of Homo sapiens about 25 million years ago. Because they are genetically and physiologically similar to humans, rhesus monkeys are the most widely used nonhuman primate in basic and applied biomedical research. We determined the genome sequence of an Indian-origin Macaca mulatta female and compared the data with chimpanzees and humans to reveal the structure of ancestral primate genomes and to identify evidence for positive selection and lineage-specific expansions and contractions of gene families. A comparison of sequences from individual animals was used to investigate …

Haplotype Association Between Haptoglobin (Hp2) And Hp Promoter Snp (A-61c) May Explain Previous Controversy Of Haptoglobin And Malaria Protection, Sharon E. Cox, Conor Doherty, Sarah H. Atkinson, Chidi V. Nweneka, Anthony J.C. Fulford, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Kirk A. Rockett, Dominic P. Kwiatkowski, Andrew M. Prentice

Faculty Publications

Background.

Malaria is one of the strongest recent selective pressures on the human genome, as evidenced by the high levels of varying haemoglobinopathies in human populations-despite the increased risk of mortality in the homozygous states. Previously, functional polymorphisms of Hp, coded by the co-dominant alleles Hp1 and Hp2, have been variously associated with several infectious diseases, including malaria susceptibility.

Methodology/Principal Findings.

Risk of a clinical malarial episode over the course of a malarial transmission season was assessed using active surveillance in a cohort of Gambian children aged 10-72 months. We report for the first time that the major haplotype for …

Haplotype Association Between Haptoglobin (Hp2) And Hp Promoter Snp (A-61c) May Explain Previous Controversy Of Haptoglobin And Malaria Protection, Sharon E. Cox, Conor Doherty, Sarah H. Atkinson, Chidi V. Nweneka, Anthony J.C. Fulford, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Kirk A. Rockett, Dominic P. Kwiatkowski, Andrew M. Prentice

Faculty Publications

Background

Malaria is one of the strongest recent selective pressures on the human genome, as evidenced by the high levels of varying haemoglobinopathies in human populations–despite the increased risk of mortality in the homozygous states. Previously, functional polymorphisms of Hp, coded by the co-dominant alleles Hp1 and Hp2, have been variously associated with several infectious diseases, including malaria susceptibility.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Risk of a clinical malarial episode over the course of a malarial transmission season was assessed using active surveillance in a cohort of Gambian children aged 10–72 months. We report for the first time that the major haplotype for …

Accumulation Of Pathological Tau Species And Memory Loss In A Conditional Model Of Tauopathy, Zdenek Berger, Hanno Roder, Amanda Hanna, Vijayaraghavan Rangachari, Mei Yue, Zbigniew Wszolek, Karen Ashe, Joshua Knight, Dennis Dickson, Cathy Andorfer, Terrone L. Rosenberry, Jada Lewis, Mike Hutton, Christopher Janus

Faculty Publications

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies, but recent studies in a conditional mouse model of tauopathy (rTg4510) have suggested that NFT formation can be dissociated from memory loss and neurodegeneration. This suggests that NFTs are not the major neurotoxic tau species, at least during the early stages of pathogenesis. To identify other neurotoxic tau protein species, we performed biochemical analyses on brain tissues from the rTg4510 mouse model and then correlated the levels of these tau proteins with memory loss. We describe the identification and characterization of two forms of tau multimers (140 …