Digital Commons Network^™

Changes To Extender, Cryoprotective Medium, And In Vitro Fertilization Improve Zebrafish Sperm Cryopreservation, Jennifer L. Matthews, Joy M. Murphy, Carrie Carmichael, Huiping Yang, Terrence Tiersch, Monte Westerfield, Zoltan M. Varga

Faculty Publications

Sperm cryopreservation is a highly efficient method for preserving genetic resources. It extends the reproductive period of males and significantly reduces costs normally associated with maintenance of live animal colonies. However, previous zebrafish (Danio rerio) cryopreservation methods have produced variable outcomes and low post-thaw fertilization rates. To improve post-thaw fertilization rates after cryopreservation, we developed a new extender and cryoprotective medium (CPM), introduced quality assessment (QA), determined the optimal cooling rate, and improved the post-thaw in vitro fertilization process. We found that the hypertonic extender E400 preserved motility of sperm held on ice for at least 6 h. We implemented …

Dopamine-Related Genotypes And Physical Activity Change During An Intervention: The Lifestyle Interventions And Independence For Elders Study, Andrea L. Rosso, Andrea L. Metti, Nancy W. Glynn, Robert M. Boudreau, W. Jack Rejeski, Nicolaas Bohnen, Haiying Chen, Neil M. Johannsen, Abby C. King, Todd M. Manini, Marco Pahor, Stephanie A. Studenski, Carlos A.Vaz Fragoso, Caterina Rosano

Faculty Publications

Objectives: To determine whether intervention-induced physical activity (PA) changes in sedentary older adults differed according to dopamine-related genotype. Design: Randomized clinical trial (Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Trial (2010–13)). Setting: Multicenter study, 8 U.S. locations. Participants: Volunteer sample of sedentary adults aged 70 to 89 at risk of disability (N=1635). Interventions: Structured PA versus health education (HE) for an average of 2.6 years. Measurements: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms of dopamine-related genes (dopamine receptor (DR) D1, DRD2, DRD3, and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)) were assessed. Average moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was calculated using accelerometry (min/d) at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months. …

A Salt On The Senses, Sineenath Sukkwai, Kongkarn Kijroongrojana, Napapan Chokumnoyporn, Sujinda Sriwattana, Damir D. Torrico, Kairy D. Pujols, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Beyond Gift And Bargain: Some Suggestions For Increasing Kidney Exchanges, Nathan B. Oman

Faculty Publications

Each year, thousands of people in the United States die from end stage renal disease (ESRD), despite the fact that we have the medical knowledge necessary to save them. The reason is simple: these people need a kidney transplant and we have too few kidneys. Given our current technology, the only way to meet the massive annual shortfall between the number of kidneys that are donated and the number of kidneys that are necessary to save the lives of those with ESRD is to increase the number of living donations. The debate on how to do so has often pitted …

The Internal Morality Of International Law, Evan Fox-Decent, Evan J. Criddle

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Benefit Corporations And The Separation Of Benefit And Control, Emily R. Winston

Faculty Publications

Scholars, activists, and other observers have expressed concern about the social effects of corporate activity in the United States since as early as the nineteenth century. A recurring theme in this debate has been whether corporations’ focus on shareholder interests causes them to neglect and harm the interests of other constituencies affected by corporate activity. A recent and prominent effort to address this concern is the social enterprise movement, which is unique because it has resulted in the creation of entirely new business entities designed specifically for for-profit businesses devoted to pursuing social missions. One of the most widely adopted …

Effects Of Circuit Exercise Training On Vascular Health And Blood Pressure, Allyson K. Getty, Tia R. Wisdo, Lauren N. Chavis, Cassandra C. Derella, Kelly C. Mclaughlin, Avery N. Perez, William T. Diciurcio Iii, Meaghan Corbin, Deborah L. Feairheller

Faculty Publications

As the global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) rises, public health-related interventions aimed at prevention of heart disease have gained medical attention. Clinical research reports that exercise is a protective risk factor associated with CVD and that clinicians need to provide exercise recommendations to patients. Nevertheless, physical inactivity remains a public health problem. In certain populations, like firefighters (FF), increased risk of CVD is especially concerning. The workload FF face is extreme, 50% of line-of-duty deaths (LODD) in FF are cardiac-related, and research on the volunteer FF population is scarce. Government regulations do not require volunteer FF companies to have …

Assessing Natural Infection With Zika Virus In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, During 2016 In Puerto Rico, Donald A. Yee, Rebeca De Jesus Crespo, Fiona F. Hunter, Fengwei Bai

Faculty Publications

The epidemic of Zika in the Western hemisphere has led to intense investigations of all species important in the transmission of Zika virus (ZikV), including putative mosquito vectors. Although evidence points to Stegomyia (= Aedes) (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes as the primary vectors in nature among humans, there remains the possibility that other common mosquito species may be implicated in the rapid spread of the virus. Herein, field-caught Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) collected during June 2016 in different neighbourhoods in San Juan, Puerto Rico were examined for the presence of natural infection with ZikV. Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) …

Formative Research To Identify Community Partnerships And Foster Relationships For Health Promotion Research In South Mississippi, Jennifer Lemacks, Alicia Landry, Peyton Wenzler

Faculty Publications

Objectives: The purpose of this short communication is to describe the trust building and collaboration, fostering phases of a community-academic partnership between churches and academic researchers using a community-based participatory research approach.

Study design and methods: An academic-community partnership with church leaders was initiated using survey administration and was further developed using focus groups. A coalition was developed, and it guided a subsequent focus group with church members.

Results: Most churches surveyed did not have a health ministry in place but were agreeable that a variety of health topics were appropriate for the church setting. Church leaders …

Assessing Relevance Of Tweets For Risk Communication, Xiaohui Liu, Bandana Kar, Chaoyang Zhang, David M. Cochran

Faculty Publications

Although Twitter is used for emergency management activities, the relevance of tweets during a hazard event is still open to debate. In this study, six different computational (i.e. Natural Language Processing) and spatiotemporal analytical approaches were implemented to assess the relevance of risk information extracted from tweets obtained during the 2013 Colorado flood event. Primarily, tweets containing information about the flooding events and its impacts were analysed. Examination of the relationships between tweet volume and its content with precipitation amount, damage extent, and official reports revealed that relevant tweets provided information about the event and its impacts rather than any …

American Gut: An Open Platform For Citizen Science Microbiome Research, Yoshiki Vázquez-Baeza, Alison Vrbanac, Paul Wischmeyer, Elaine Wolfe, Qiyun Zhu, Rob Knight, Daniel Mcdonald, Embriette Hyde, Justine W. Debelius, James T. Morton, Antonio Gonzalez, Gail Ackermann, Alexander A. Aksenov, Bahar Behsaz, Caitriona Brennan, Yingfeng Chen, Lindsay De Right Goldasich, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Robert R. Dunn, Ashkaan K. Fahimipour, James Gaffney, Jack A. Gilbert, Grant Gogul, Jessica L. Green, Philip Hugenholtz, Greg Humphrey, Curtis Huttenhower, Matthew A. Jackson, Stefan Janssen, Dilip V. Jeste, Lingjing Jiang, Scott T. Kelley, Dan Knights

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2018 McDonald et al. Although much work has linked the human microbiome to specific phenotypes and lifestyle variables, data from different projects have been challenging to integrate and the extent of microbial and molecular diversity in human stool remains unknown. Using standardized protocols from the Earth Microbiome Project and sample contributions from over 10,000 citizen-scientists, together with an open research network, we compare human microbiome specimens primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to one another and to environmental samples. Our results show an unexpected range of beta-diversity in human stool microbiomes compared to environmental samples; …

Managing Up And Followership: Competencies For First-Year Health Administrators, Mark J. Bonica, Cindy L. Hartman

Faculty Publications

Programs in health administration seek to prepare students for real-world challenges of leading in a complex environment. Competency models such as the one produced by the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NHCL) focus on leadership. However, most new graduates of traditional undergraduate programs will not go into leadership roles immediately. There is an extensive literature on school to work transition for graduating nurses and a modest literature on physician transition to practice from residency. However, there is relatively little literature about the school-to-work transition from traditional undergraduate programs in health administration. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a longitudinal, …

Identifying Prevalent Mathematical Pathways To Engineering In South Carolina, Eliza Gallagher, Christy Brown, D. Andrew Brown, Kristin Kelly Frady, Patrick Bass, Michael A. Matthews, Thomas T. Peters, Robert J. Rabb, Ikhalfani Solan, Ronald W. Welch, Anand K. Gramopadhye

Faculty Publications

National data indicate that initial mathematics course placement in college is a strong predictor of persistence to degree in engineering, with students placed in calculus persisting at nearly twice the rate of those placed below calculus. Within the state of South Carolina, approximately 95% of engineering-intending students who initially place below calculus are from in-state. In order to make systemic change, we are first analyzing system-wide data to identify prevalent educational pathways within the state, and the mathematical milestones along those pathways taken by students in engineering and engineering-related fields. This paper reports preliminary analysis of that data to understand …

Preaching With Cultural Intelligence: Understanding The People Who Hear Our Sermons, Rodney A. Palmer

Faculty Publications

"Kim does a masterful job at demonstrating how, through a careful exegesis of Scripture, culture, and one’s self, the preacher will deliver more effective sermons that will reach the hearts of both the giraffes (the insiders) and the elephants (the others) within the congregation. Preaching with cultural intelligence is worth it!"

Hypoxia-Targeted Gold Nanorods For Cancer Photothermal Therapy, Yuan Chen, Xiaomei Bian, Maureen Aliru, Amit A. Deorukhkar, Oscar Ekpenyong, Su Liang, Jyothy John, Jing Ma, Xiuqing Gao, Jon Schwartz, Pankaj Singh, Yuanqing Ye, Sunil Krishnan, Huan Xie

Faculty Publications

Tumor hypoxia is a well-recognized driver of resistance to traditional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. We describe development of a new nanoconstruct composed of gold nanorods (GNRs) conjugated to carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) antibody that specifically binds to CAIX, a biomarker of hypoxia, to facilitate targeting tumor hypoxic areas for focused photothermal ablation. Physicochemical characterization studies confirmed the size, shape, monodispersity, surface charge, and serum stability of the GNRs. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and cellular binding and uptake studies confirmed successful conjugation of antibody to the GNRs and specificity for CAIX. Near-infrared irradiation of CAIX-overexpressing cells treated with …

Narrowing The Scope Of Failure Prediction Using Targeted Fault Load Injection, Paul L. Jordan, Gilbert L. Peterson, Alan C. Lin, Michael J. Mendenhall, Andrew J. Sellers

Faculty Publications

As society becomes more dependent upon computer systems to perform increasingly critical tasks, ensuring that those systems do not fail becomes increasingly important. Many organizations depend heavily on desktop computers for day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, the software that runs on these computers is written by humans and, as such, is still subject to human error and consequent failure. A natural solution is to use statistical machine learning to predict failure. However, since failure is still a relatively rare event, obtaining labelled training data to train these models is not a trivial task. This work presents new simulated fault-inducing loads that extend …

The Polyphyly Of Plasmodium: Comprehensive Phylogenetic Analyses Of The Malaria Parasites (Order Haemosporida) Reveal Widespread Taxonomic Conflict, Spencer C. Galen, Janus Borner, Ellen S. Martinsen, Juliane Schaer, Christopher C. Austin, Christopher J. West, Susan L. Perkins

Faculty Publications

© 2018 The Authors. The evolutionary relationships among the apicomplexan blood pathogens known as the malaria parasites (order Haemosporida), some of which infect nearly 200 million humans each year, has remained a vexing phylogenetic problem due to limitations in taxon sampling, character sampling and the extreme nucleotide base composition biases that are characteristic of this clade. Previous phylogenetic work on the malaria parasites has often lacked sufficient representation of the broad taxonomic diversity within the Haemosporida or the multi-locus sequence data needed to resolve deep evolutionary relationships, rendering our understanding of haemosporidian lifehistory evolution and the origin of the human …

Range Information Characterization Of The Hokuyo Ust-20lx Lidar Sensor, Matthew A. Cooper, John F. Raquet, Rick Patton

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a study on the data measurements that the Hokuyo UST-20LX Laser Rangefinder produces, which compiles into an overall characterization of the LiDAR sensor relative to indoor environments. The range measurements, beam divergence, angular resolution, error effect due to some common painted and wooden surfaces, and the error due to target surface orientation are analyzed. It was shown that using a statistical average of sensor measurements provides a more accurate range measurement. It was also shown that the major source of errors for the Hokuyo UST-20LX sensor was caused by something that will be referred to as “mixed …

Parental And Relational Aggression, David A. Nelson, Craig H. Hart

Faculty Publications

Where do children get their basic tendencies to act aggressively? One possibility is that it varies by the type of parenting received, particularly for young children, who tend to spend more time with their parents than do older children and adolescents. This chapter considers the expanse of research focusing on parenting as it corresponds with relationally aggressive tendencies in children, adolescents, or emerging adults (including similar constructs labeled as indirect or social aggression). Relational aggression subsumes indirect, covert, hostile behaviors where target children are not directly confronted (e.g., gossiping, talking behind one's back; see Chapter 2). It can also be …

Integrating Telemedicine And Ipe Into Simulation, Marcy Ainslie, Janine Reale, Cheryl Bragdon

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Multiple Origins Of Green Blood In New Guinea Lizards, Zachary B. Rodriguez, Susan L. Perkins, Christopher C. Austin

Faculty Publications

© 2018 The Authors. Several species of lizards from the megadiverse island of New Guinea have evolved green blood. An unusually high concentration of the green bile pigment biliverdin in the circulatory system of these lizards makes the blood, muscles, bones, tongue, and mucosal tissues bright green in color, eclipsing the crimson color from their red blood cells. This is a remarkable physiological feature because bile pigments are toxic physiological waste products of red blood cell catabolism and, when chronically elevated, cause jaundice in humans and all other vertebrates. Although these lizards offer a promising system to examine the evolution …

Preoptic Leptin Signaling Modulates Energy Balance Independent Of Body Temperature Regulation, Sangho Yu, Helia Cheng, Marie François, Emily Qualls-Creekmore, Clara Huesing, Yanlin He, Yanyan Jiang, Hong Gao, Yong Xu, Andrea Zsombok, Andrei V. Derbenev, Eduardo A. Nillni, David H. Burk, Christopher D. Morrison, Hans Rudolf Berthoud, Heike Münzberg

Faculty Publications

© Yu et al. The adipokine leptin acts on the brain to regulate energy balance but specific functions in many brain areas remain poorly understood. Among these, the preoptic area (POA) is well known to regulate core body temperature by controlling brown fat thermogenesis, and we have previously shown that glutamatergic, long-form leptin receptor (Lepr)-expressing neurons in the POA are stimulated by warm ambient temperature and suppress energy expenditure and food intake. Here we further investigate the role of POA leptin signaling in body weight regulation and its relationship to body temperature regulation in mice. We show that POA Lepr …

Factors Contributing To Increased Patient Wait Times In Selected Wound Care Patients: A Retrospective Study, Jochebed B. Ade-Oshifogun, Joan Aina

Faculty Publications

Background: ‘Waiting’ can be frustrating for anyone especially when it comes to healthcare. The Institute of Medicine advocates changes to improve the quality of the health care delivery system in the United States.

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the factors contributing to increased patient wait times in selected wound care patients. The question guiding this project is-in selected wound care patients who received treatment between September1-December 31, 2013; are factors contributing to prolonged wait times related to treatment-related diagnosis, providers, and clinicians?

Method: After institutional review board approval, retrospective charts review was conducted. 300 charts …

Baseline Effects Of Lysophosphatidylcholine And Nerve Growth Factor In A Rat Model Of Sciatic Nerve Regeneration After Crush Injury, Ryan L. Wood, Keaton S. Karlinsey, Austin D. Thompson, Mark N. Rigby, Greggory D. Boatright, William G. Pitt, Beverly L. Roeder, Scott C. Steffersen, Alonzo D. Cook

Faculty Publications

Schwann cells play a major role in helping heal injured nerves. They help clear debris, produce neurotrophins, upregulate neurotrophin receptors, and form bands of Büngner to guide the healing nerve. But nerves do not always produce enough neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors to repair themselves. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an important neurotrophin for promoting nerve healing and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) has been shown to stimulate NGF receptors (NGFR). This study tested the administration of a single intraneural injection of LPC (1 mg/mL for single LPC injection and 10 mg/mL for multiple LPC injections) at day 0 and one (day 7), two …

Current Trends In Doctoral Education In The Us, Michelle Hampton

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Nurse Practitioner Role In The United States, Michelle Hampton

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Flooding On Aquatic Ecosystem Services, Ceara J. Talbot, Elena M. Bennett, Kelsie Cassell, Daniel M. Hanes, Elizabeth C. Minor, Hans Paerl, Peter A. Raymond, Rodrigo Vargas, Philippe G. Vidon, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos

Faculty Publications

Flooding is a major disturbance that impacts aquatic ecosystems and the ecosystem services that they provide. Predicted increases in global flood risk due to land use change and water cycle intensification will likely only increase the frequency and severity of these impacts. Extreme flooding events can cause loss of life and significant destruction to property and infrastructure, effects that are easily recognized and frequently reported in the media. However, flooding also has many other effects on people through freshwater aquatic ecosystem services, which often go unrecognized because they are less evident and can be difficult to evaluate. Here, we identify …

Erratum: Single-Trait And Multi-Trait Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identify Novel Loci For Blood Pressure In African-Ancestry Populations (Plos Genet(2017)13: 5(E1006728)Doi: 10.1371/Journal.Pgen.1006728), Jingjing Liang, Thu H. Le, Digna R. Velez Edwards, Bamidele O. Tayo, Kyle J. Gaulton, Jennifer A. Smith, Yingchang Lu, Richard A. Jensen, Guanjie Chen, Lisa R. Yanek, Karen Schwander, Salman M. Tajuddin, Tamar Sofer, Wonji Kim, James Kayima, Colin A. Mckenzie, Ervin Fox, Michael A. Nalls, J. Hunter Young, Yan V. Sun, Jacqueline M. Lane, Sylvia Cechova, Jie Zhou, Hua Tang, Myriam Fornage, Solomon K. Musani, Heming Wang, Juyoung Lee, Adebowale Adeyemo, Albert W. Dreisbach, Terrence Forrester, Pei Lun Chu, Anne Cappola

Faculty Publications

The following information is missing from the Funding section: The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute 6R21HL121429-03 to TLE and DRVE.

Challenging Local Realism With Human Choices, C. Abellán, A. Acín, A. Alarcón, O. Alibart, C. K. Andersen, F. Andreoli, A. Beckert, F. A. Beduini, A. Bendersky, M. Bentivegna, P. Bierhorst, D. Burchardt, A. Cabello, J. Cariñe, S. Carrasco, G. Carvacho, D. Cavalcanti, R. Chaves, J. Cortés-Vega, A. Cuevas, A. Delgado, H. De Riedmatten, C. Eichler, P. Farrera, J. Fuenzalida, M. García-Matos, R. Garthoff, S. Gasparinetti, T. Gerrits, F. Ghafari Jouneghani, S. Glancy, E. S. Gómez, P. González

Faculty Publications

A Bell test is a randomized trial that compares experimental observations against the philosophical worldview of local realism 1, in which the properties of the physical world are independent of our observation of them and no signal travels faster than light. A Bell test requires spatially distributed entanglement, fast and high-efficiency detection and unpredictable measurement settings 2,3 . Although technology can satisfy the first two of these requirements 4-7, the use of physical devices to choose settings in a Bell test involves making assumptions about the physics that one aims to test. Bell himself noted this weakness in using physical …

Peta, Rhetorical Fracture, And The Power Of Digital Activism, Ashli Q. Stokes, Wendy Atkins-Sayre

Faculty Publications

Starting in 2013, SeaWorld faced a public relations disaster with the release of the documentary titled Blackfish that accused the company of mistreatment of its orcas. SeaWorld attempted to respond and rebuild its credibility, but activist group ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) doubled down on the corporation through its rhetorical shock tactics, deepening the organization’s woes. The PETA/SeaWorld controversy does more than provide another example of poor corporate public relations decision-making made in light of an activist group’s savvy use of digital technology. We argue that the case helps explain how digital technologies fundamentally change activism, whereby …