Digital Commons Network^™

Discrete Pre-Processing Step Effects In Registration-Based Pipelines, A Preliminary Volumetric Study On T1-Weighted Images, Nathan M. Muncy, Ariana M. Hedges-Muncy, C. Brock Kirwan

Faculty Publications

Pre-processing MRI scans prior to performing volumetric analyses is common practice in MRI studies. As pre-processing steps adjust the voxel intensities, the space in which the scan exists, and the amount of data in the scan, it is possible that the steps have an effect on the volumetric output. To date, studies have compared between and not within pipelines, and so the impact of each step is unknown. This study aims to quantify the effects of preprocessing steps on volumetric measures in T1-weighted scans within a single pipeline. It was our hypothesis that pre-processing steps would significantly impact ROI volume …

Wyoming Producer Priorities And Perceptions Of Alfalfa Insect Pests, Randa Jabbour, Shiri Noy

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Retinoic Acid Induces White Adipose Tissue Browning By Increasing Adipose Vascularity And Inducing Beige Adipogenesis Of Pdgfrα+ Adipose Progenitors, Bo Wang, Xing Fu, Xingwei Liang, Jeanene M. Deavila, Zhixiu Wang, Liang Zhao, Qiyu Tian, Junxing Zhao, Noe Alberto Gomez, Sophie C. Trombetta, Mei Jun Zhu, Min Du

Faculty Publications

© 2017 The Author(s). Formation of beige adipocytes within white adipose tissue enhances energy expenditure, which is a promising strategy to reduce obesity and prevent metabolic symptoms. Vitamin A and its bioactive metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), have regulatory roles in lipid metabolism. Here we report that RA induces white adipose tissue browning via activating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. RA triggered angiogenesis and elicited de novo generation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor α positive (PDGFRα +) adipose precursor cells via VEGFA/VEGFR2 signaling. In addition, RA promoted beige/brown adipocyte formation from capillary networks in vitro. Using PDGFRα tracking mice, we …

Nitrification Increases Nitrogen Export From A Tropical River Network, Lauren E. Koenig, Chao Song, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Janine Ruegg, William H. Mcdowell

Faculty Publications

Scaling aquatic ecosystem processes like nutrient removal is critical for assessing the importance of streams and rivers to watershed nutrient export. We used pulse NH4+ enrichment experiments and measured net NH4+ uptake in 7 streams throughout a mountainous tropical river network in Puerto Rico to assess spatial variability in NH4+ uptake and to infer the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics that most influence its variation. Across 14 experiments, NH4+ uptake velocity (vf) ranged from 0.3 to 8.5 (mean = 2.7) mm/min and was positively related to algal biomass standing stock, measured as chlorophyll a. On average, 49% of experimentally added …

Soil Carbon Cycling Proxies: Understanding Their Critical Role In Predicting Climate Change Feedbacks, Vanessa L. Bailey, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Kristen M. Deangelis, A. Stuart Grandy, Christine V. Hawkes, Kate Heckman, Kate Lajtha, Richard P. Phillips, Benjamin N. Sulman, Katherine E. O. Todd-Brown, Matthew D. Wallenstein

Faculty Publications

The complexity of processes and interactions that drive soil C dynamics necessitate the use of proxy variables to represent soil characteristics that cannot be directly measured (correlative proxies), or that aggregate information about multiple soil characteristics into one variable (integrative proxies). These proxies have proven useful for understanding the soil C cycle, which is highly variable in both space and time, and are now being used to make predictions of the fate and persistence of C under future climate scenarios. However, the C pools and processes that proxies represent must be thoughtfully considered in order to minimize uncertainties in empirical …

Magnetic, Structural And Magnetocaloric Properties Of Ni-Si And Ni-Al Thermoseeds For Self-Controlled Hyperthermia, Sudip Pandey, Abdiel Quetz, Anil Aryal, Igor Dubenko, Dipanjan Mazumdar, Shane Stadler, Naushad Ali

Faculty Publications

Self-controlled hyperthermia is a non-invasive technique used to kill or destroy cancer cells while preserving normal surrounding tissues. We have explored bulk magnetic Ni-Si and Ni-Al alloys as a potential thermoseeds. The structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the samples were investigated, including saturation magnetisation, Curie temperature (TC), and magnetic and thermal hysteresis, using room temperature X-ray diffraction and magnetometry. The annealing time, temperature and the effects of homogenising the thermoseeds were studied to determine the functional hyperthermia applications. The bulk Ni-Si and Ni-Al binary alloys have Curie temperatures in the desired range, 316 K–319 K (43 °C–46 °C), which …

Alpha-Arylphorin Is A Mitogen In The Heliothis Virescens Midgut Cell Secretome Upon Cry1ac Intoxication, Jerreme Jackson, Anais Castagnola, Omaththage P. Perera, Cris Oppert, Shigetoshi Eda, Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes

Faculty Publications

Insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) target cells in the midgut epithelium of susceptible larvae. While the mode of action of Cry toxins has been extensively investigated, the midgut response to Cry intoxication and its regulation are not well characterized. In this work, we describe the secreted proteome (secretome) of primary mature midgut cell cultures from Heliothis virescens larvae after exposure to Cry1Ac toxin compared to control buffer treatment. The Cry1Ac-induced secretome caused higher proliferation and differentiation and an overall reduction in total cell mortality over time in primary H. virescens midgut stem cell cultures …

Fibroblast-Specific Tgf-Β-Smad2/3 Signaling Underlies Cardiac Fibrosis, Hadi Khalil, Onur Kanisicak, Vikram Prasad, Robert N. Correll, Xing Fu, Tobias Schips, Ronald J. Vagnozzi, Ruijie Liu, Thanh Huynh, Se Jin Lee, Jason Karch, Jeffery D. Molkentin

Faculty Publications

The master cytokine TGF-β mediates tissue fibrosis associated with inflammation and tissue injury. TGF-β induces fibroblast activation and differentiation into myofibroblasts that secrete extracellular matrix proteins. Canonical TGF-β signaling mobilizes Smad2 and Smad3 transcription factors that control fibrosis by promoting gene expression. However, the importance of TGF-β-Smad2/3 signaling in fibroblast-mediated cardiac fibrosis has not been directly evaluated in vivo. Here, we examined pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis in fibroblast- and myofibroblast-specific inducible Cre-expressing mouse lines with selective deletion of the TGF-β receptors Tgfbr1/2, Smad2, or Smad3. Fibroblast-specific deletion of Tgfbr1/2 or Smad3, but not Smad2, markedly reduced the pressure overload-induced fibrotic …

Standardized Assessment Of Thin-Film Vitrification For Aquatic Species, Nolan J. Tiersch, Terrence R. Tiersch

Faculty Publications

Ultrarapid cooling under the appropriate conditions will produce vitrification, a glass-like state used to cryopreserve small sample volumes, but there are a number of major technical drawbacks impeding the application of vitrification to germplasm of aquatic species. These include a lack of suitable devices, and poor reproducibility and comparability among studies due to a lack of standardization. We used 3-D printing to produce a viewing pedestal coupled with a classification system to rapidly assess frozen film quality of vitrification loops. Classification time declined with practice from 2.1 ± 0.3 sec (mean ± SD) to 1.5 ± 0.2 sec (after 200 …

Formal Performance Guarantees For An Approach To Human In The Loop Robot Missions, Damian Lyons, Ron Arkin, Shu Jiang, Matt O'Brien, Feng Tang, Peng Tang

Faculty Publications

Abstract— A key challenge in the automatic verification of robot mission software, especially critical mission software, is to be able to effectively model the performance of a human operator and factor that into the formal performance guarantees for the mission. We present a novel approach to modelling the skill level of the operator and integrating it into automatic verification using a linear Gaussians model parameterized by experimental calibration. Our approach allows us to model different skill levels directly in terms of the behavior of the lumped, robot plus operator, system.

Using MissionLab and VIPARS (a behavior-based robot mission verification …

Resolving Distinct Molecular Origins For Copper Effects On Pai-1, Joel C. Bucci, Carlee S. Mcclintock, Yuzhuo Chu, Gregory L. Ware, Kayla D. Mcconnell, Joseph P. Emerson, Cynthia B. Peterson

Faculty Publications

© 2017, The Author(s). Components of the fibrinolytic system are subjected to stringent control to maintain proper hemostasis. Central to this regulation is the serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), which is responsible for specific and rapid inhibition of fibrinolytic proteases. Active PAI-1 is inherently unstable and readily converts to a latent, inactive form. The binding of vitronectin and other ligands influences stability of active PAI-1. Our laboratory recently observed reciprocal effects on the stability of active PAI-1 in the presence of transition metals, such as copper, depending on the whether vitronectin was also present (Thompson et al. Protein Sci 20:353–365, …

The Statistical Need To Include Phylogeny In Trait-Based Analyses Of Community Composition, Daijiang Li, Anthony R. Ives

Faculty Publications

© 2017 The Authors. Methods in Ecology and Evolution © 2017 British Ecological Society A growing number of studies incorporate functional trait information to analyse patterns and processes of community assembly. These studies of trait–environment relationships generally ignore phylogenetic relationships among species. When functional traits and the residual variation in species distributions among communities have phylogenetic signal, however, analyses ignoring phylogenetic relationships can decrease estimation accuracy and power, inflate type I error rates and lead to potentially false conclusions. Using simulations, we compared estimation accuracy, statistical power and type I error rates of linear mixed models (LMM) and phylogenetic linear …

Operation Damage Control: Exercise Training To Prevent Metabolic Damage From High-Fat Feeding, Timothy D. Allerton, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

How Important Is Farm Profitability To Meat Goat Farmers?, Narayan P. Nyaupane, Jeffrey M. Gillespie, Kenneth W. Mcmillin

Faculty Publications

© 2017 American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists This study investigates United States meat goat producers’ goal structure and examines whether these goals are consistent with farm profitability. Data were collected using a nationwide mail survey, and 7 potential goals of meat goat farmers were analyzed. Results showed that “maximize profit” and “have family involved in agriculture” were the 2 most important goals, whereas “control weeds/vegetation” and “increase farm size” were the least-ranked goals. Regression results showed that farmer demographics, farm characteristics, economic indicators, and regional variables affected farmer goal structure. Results did not support a correlation between farm profitability …

Binding Of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Ul20 To Godz (Dhhc3) Affects Its Palmitoylation And Is Essential For Infectivity And Proper Targeting And Localization Of Ul20 And Glycoprotein K, Shaohui Wang, Kevin R. Mott, Kolja Wawrowsky, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Bernhard Luscher, Homayon Ghiasi

Faculty Publications

© 2017 American Society for Microbiology. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) UL20 plays a crucial role in the envelopment of the cytoplasmic virion and its egress. It is a nonglycosylated envelope protein that is regulated as a ±1 gene. Two-hybrid and pulldown assays demonstrated that UL20, but no other HSV-1 gene-encoded proteins, binds specifically to GODZ (also known as DHHC3), a cellular Golgi apparatus-specific Asp-His-His-Cys (DHHC) zinc finger protein. A catalytically inactive dominant-negative GODZ construct significantly reduced HSV-1 replication in vitro and affected the localization of UL20 and glycoprotein K (gK) and their interactions but not glycoprotein C (gC). GODZ …

Variation In Seed Size Is Structured By Dispersal Syndrome And Cone Morphology In Conifers And Other Nonflowering Seed Plants, Andrew B. Leslie, Jeremy M. Beaulieu, Sarah Mathews

Faculty Publications

© 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust Seed size varies tremendously in plants and its evolution is influenced by multiple ecological and biological factors that are difficult to disentangle. In this study, we focus on understanding the role of seed dispersal by animals in the evolution of seed size in conifers, the most diverse extant nonflowering seed plant group. Relationships among seed size, dispersal syndrome, climate and cone morphology were analyzed across conifers using quantitative models of character evolution and phylogenetic regression techniques. Dispersal syndrome is a more consistent predictor of seed size within major extant …

Distribution And Female Reproductive State Differences In Orexigenic And Anorexigenic Neurons In The Brain Of The Mouth Brooding African Cichlid Fish, Astatotilapia Burtoni, Danielle T. Porter, David A. Roberts, Karen P. Maruska

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Integration of reproduction and metabolism is necessary for species survival. While the neural circuits controlling energy homeostasis are well-characterized, the signals controlling the relay of nutritional information to the reproductive axis are less understood. The cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni is ideal for studying the neural regulation of feeding and reproduction because females cycle between a feeding gravid state and a period of forced starvation while they brood developing young inside their mouths. To test the hypothesis that candidate neuropeptide-containing neurons known to be involved in feeding and energy homeostasis in mammals show conserved distribution patterns, …

Genetic Analysis Of Virulence In The Pyrenophora Teres F. Teres Population Bb25 × Fgoh04ptt-21, Vaidehi M. Koladia, Jonathan K. Richards, Nathan A. Wyatt, Justin D. Faris, Robert S. Brueggeman, Timothy L. Friesen

Faculty Publications

Pyrenophora teres f. teres is the causal agent of net form net blotch (NFNB) of barley. In order to map the genetics of avirulence/virulence in P. teres f. teres, a fungal population was developed using P. teres f. teres isolates BB25 (Denmark) and FGOH04Ptt-21 (North Dakota, USA) due to these two isolates differing in virulence on several common barley lines. 109 progeny isolates were obtained from the BB25 by FGOH04Ptt-21 cross that were then used for NFNB disease evaluation across eight barley lines, four of which have been used commonly as NFNB differential lines as well as four cultivars commonly …

Lipid Profile, Cardiovascular Disease And Mortality In A Mediterranean High-Risk Population: The Escarval-Risk Study, Domingo Orozco-Beltran, Vicente F. Gil-Guillen, Josep Redon, Jose M. Martin-Moreno, Vicente Pallares-Carratala, Jorge Navarro-Perez, Francisco Valls-Roca, Carlos Sanchis-Domenech, Antonio Fernandez-Gimenez, Ana Perez-Navarro, Vicente Bertomeu-Martinez, Vicente Bertomeu-Gonzalez, Alberto Cordero, Manuel Pascual De La Torre, Jose L. Trillo, Concepcion Carratala-Munuera, Salvador Pita-Fernandez, Ruth Uso, Ramon Durazo-Arvizu, Richard Cooper, Gines Sanz, Jose M. Castellano, Juan F. Ascaso, Rafael Carmena, Maria Tellez-Plaza

Faculty Publications

Introduction: The potential impact of targeting different components of an adverse lipid profile in populations with multiple cardiovascular risk factors is not completely clear. This study aims to assess the association between different components of the standard lipid profile with all-cause mortality and hospitalization due to cardiovascular events in a high-risk population. Methods: This prospective registry included high risk adults over 30 years old free of cardiovascular disease (2008–2012). Diagnosis of hypertension, dyslipidemia or diabetes mellitus was inclusion criterion. Lipid biomarkers were evaluated. Primary endpoints were all-cause mortality and hospital admission due to coronary heart disease or stroke. We estimated …

Fitness Costs And Inheritance Of Cry2ab2 Resistance In Spodoptera Frugiperda (J.E. Smith), Binod Acharya, Graham P. Head, Paula A. Price, Fangneng Huang

Faculty Publications

Cry2Ab2 is a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein expressed in transgenic corn and cotton targeting above-ground lepidopteran pests including the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith). The objective of this study was to characterize fitness costs and inheritance of Cry2Ab2 resistance in S. frugiperda. To determine if fitness costs were associated with the resistance, life history parameters (larval survival, growth, development and egg production) of Cry2Ab2-resistant, -susceptible, and two reciprocal F1 colonies of S. frugiperda were assayed on non-toxic diet and non-Bt corn leaf tissue. The results showed that there were no significant differences among the four insect colonies for all …

Plant Water Potential Improves Prediction Of Empirical Stomatal Models, William R.L. Anderegg, Adam Wolf, Adriana Arango-Velez, Brendan Choat, Daniel J. Chmura, Steven Jansen, Thomas Kolb, Shan Li, Frederick Meinzer, Pilar Pita, Víctor Resco De Dios, John S. Sperry, Brett T. Wolfe, Stephen Pacala

Faculty Publications

Climate change is expected to lead to increases in drought frequency and severity, with deleterious effects on many ecosystems. Stomatal responses to changing environmental conditions form the backbone of all ecosystem models, but are based on empirical relationships and are not well-tested during drought conditions. Here, we use a dataset of 34 woody plant species spanning global forest biomes to examine the effect of leaf water potential on stomatal conductance and test the predictive accuracy of three major stomatal models and a recently proposed model. We find that current leaf-level empirical models have consistent biases of over-prediction of stomatal conductance …

Union Status, Educational Attainment, And Body Mass Index Among Emerging Adults, Rhiannon A. Kroeger

Faculty Publications

This study uses fixed-effects regression modeling and three waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine whether union status and educational attainment interact to influence change in body mass index (BMI) during emerging adulthood. The results support the hypothesis that the effect of union status on change in BMI is smaller for those with more educational attainment. In particular, emerging adults with no college education experience significant increases in BMI associated with both marriage and cohabitation. The increases in BMI associated with marriage and cohabitation are significantly smaller for those with …

Development And Characterization Of Emulsions Containing Purple Rice Bran And Brown Rice Oils, Luis Alfaro, Jie Zhang, Alexander Chouljenko, Ronson Scott, Zhimin Xu, David Bankston, Peter J. Bechtel, Subramaniam Sathivel

Faculty Publications

The aims of this study were to use extracted purple rice bran oil (PRBO) to produce oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions and to compare the emulsions to emulsions of conventional brown rice bran oil (BRBO). Four emulsions were produced: (1) a PRBO emulsion produced with ultrasonic processing (Emulsion I PRBO), (2) a BRBO emulsion produced with ultrasonic processing (Emulsion I BRBO), (3) Emulsion II PRBO produced from Emulsion I with an ultrashearing homogenizer and (4) Emulsion II BRBO produced from Emulsion I with an ultrashearing homogenizer. The emulsions were analyzed for stability, particle size, microstructure, thiobarbituric-acid-reactive-substances (TBARS) and rheological properties. The droplet …

Lettuce Grow: Universities Collaborating With Nonprofits To Provide Child Care Development Educators With Garden Knowledge And Experience, Kathryn Fontenot, Edward Bush, Rebecca Gravois

Faculty Publications

University-based horticulture departments and extension agents have explored the relationship between gardening programs and consumer knowledge and preferences. Studies have established positive correlations between garden participation and increased science scores and heightened environmental stewardship. The objective of this research was to determine if participation in ‘‘Lettuce Grow’’ garden workshops cohosted by the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center (LSU AgCenter) and Volunteers of America Greater Baton Rouge (VOAGBR) had positive effects on child care providers’ garden knowledge and willingness to implement garden programming with children aged 5 years and younger. Participation led to a 67% increase (P ≤ 0.05) in horticulture …

Aluminum Resistance Transcription Factor 1 (Art1) Contributes To Natural Variation In Aluminum Resistance In Diverse Genetic Backgrounds Of Rice (O. Sativa), Juan D. Arbelaez, Lyza G. Maron, Timothy O. Jobe, Miguel A. Piñeros, Adam N. Famoso, Ana Rita Rebelo, Namrata Singh, Qiyue Ma, Zhangjun Fei, Leon V. Kochian, Susan R. Mccouch

Faculty Publications

Transcription factors (TFs) regulate the expression of other genes to indirectly mediate stress resistance mechanisms. Therefore, when studying TF-mediated stress resistance, it is important to understand how TFs interact with genes in the genetic background. Here, we fine-mapped the aluminum (Al) resistance QTL Alt12.1 to a 44-kb region containing six genes. Among them is ART1, which encodes a C2H2-type zinc finger TF required for Al resistance in rice. The mapping parents, Al-resistant cv Azucena (tropical japonica) and Al-sensitive cv IR64 (indica), have extensive sequence polymorphism within the ART1 coding region, but similar ART1 expression levels. Using reciprocal near-isogenic lines (NILs) …

The Influence Of Föhn Winds On Glacial Lake Washburn And Palaeotemperatures In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, During The Last Glacial Maximum, M. K. Obryk, P. T. Doran, E. D. Waddington, C. P. Mckay

Faculty Publications

© Antarctic Science Ltd 2017. Large glacial lakes, including Glacial Lake Washburn, were present in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) despite a colder and drier climate. To address the mechanism capable of generating enough meltwater to sustain these large lakes, a conceptual model was developed based on the warming potential of infrequent contemporary föhn winds. The model suggests that föhn winds were capable of generating enough meltwater to sustain large glacial lakes during the LGM by increasing degree days above freezing (DDAF) and prolonging the melt season. A present-day relationship between infrequent summer föhn …

Bottom-Up Control Of Parasites, David S. Johnson, Richard W. Heard

Faculty Publications

Parasitism is a fundamental ecological interaction. Yet we understand relatively little about the ecological role of parasites compared to the role of free-living organisms. Bottom-up theory predicts that resource enhancement will increase the abundance and biomass of free-living organisms. Similarly, parasite abundance and biomass should increase in an ecosystem with resource enhancement. We tested this hypothesis in a landscape-level experiment in which salt marshes (60,000 m2 each) received elevated nutrient concentrations via flooding tidal waters for 11 yr to mimic eutrophication. Nutrient enrichment elevated the densities of the talitrid amphipod, Orchestia grillus, and the density and biomass of its trematode …

Hmgb1-Rage Pathway Drives Peroxynitrite Signaling-Induced Ibd-Like Inflammation In Murine Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Varun Chandrashekaran, Ratanesh K. Seth, Diptadip Dattaroy, Firas Alhasson, Jacek Ziolenka, James Carson, Franklin G. Berger, Balaraman Kalyanaraman, Anna Mae Diehl, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Recent clinical studies found a strong association of colonic inflammation and Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-like phenotype with NonAlcoholic Fatty liver Disease (NAFLD) yet the mechanisms remain unknown. The present study identifies high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) as a key mediator of intestinal inflammation in NAFLD and outlines a detailed redox signaling mechanism for such a pathway. NAFLD mice showed liver damage and release of elevated HMGB1 in systemic circulation and increased intestinal tyrosine nitration that was dependent on NADPH oxidase. Intestines from NAFLD mice showed higher Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation and proinflammatory cytokine release, an outcome strongly …

Child Sexual Abuse And Depression In Late Life For Men: A Population-Based, Longitudinal Analysis, Scott D. Easton, Jooyoung Kong, Matt C. Gregas, Ce Shen, Kevin Shafer

Faculty Publications

Objective: Research investigating long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on mental health for men is vastly underdeveloped. This study strengthened the knowledge base by examining: (a) long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms for men with and without a history of CSA, and (b) moderating effects of social support over time.

Method: We analyzed multiple waves of data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. The sample (N = 2,451) consisted of men with histories of CSA and a stratified, randomly sampled comparison group. Growth curve modeling was employed for analyses.

Results: After controlling for demographic, parental, and health factors, men with …

Religion And Esotericism Among Students: A Crosscultural Comparative Study, Franz Höllinger, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Analyzing the results of a study on religious and esoteric beliefs and practice among university students from five European and five American countries, we found that the level of religiousness of students depends very much on their cultural environment: the level of religiosity and esoteric beliefs is significantly higher among North- and South-American students than among European students. On the other hand, Asian spiritual techniques and esoteric methods of healing are practiced more frequently by students in North-Western European countries. In the second part of the paper, we examine the relationship between academic discipline and religious worldviews. According to our …