Digital Commons Network^™

Ideology As Individuation, Individuating Ideology, Jason Read Phd

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Rickettsia Felis Strain Variation On Infection, Transmission, And Fitness In The Cat Flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Sean P. Healy, Lisa D. Brown, Melena R. Hagstrom, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso

Faculty Publications

© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. Rickettsia felis is a human pathogen transmitted by the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché) (str. LSU), as well as an obligate symbiont of the parthenogenic booklouse Liposcelis bostrychophila (Badonnel) (str. LSU-Lb). The influence of genetic variability in these two strains of R. felis on host specialization and fitness and possible resulting differences on infection and transmission kinetics in C. felis is unknown. Utilizing an artificial host system, cat fleas were exposed to a R. felis str. LSU-Lb-infected bloodmeal and monitored for infection at 7-d …

Bayes Factors Unmask Highly Variable Information Content, Bias, And Extreme Influence In Phylogenomic Analyses, Jeremy M. Brown, Robert C. Thomson

Faculty Publications

© The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. As the application of genomic data in phylogenetics has become routine, a number of cases have arisen where alternative data sets strongly support conflicting conclusions. This sensitivity to analytical decisions has prevented firm resolution of some of the most recalcitrant nodes in the tree of life. To better understand the causes and nature of this sensitivity,we analyzed several phylogenomic data sets using an alternativemeasure of topological support (the Bayes factor) that both demonstrates and averts several limitations of more frequently …

Erratum: Correction: A Latitudinal Phylogeographic Diversity Gradient In Birds (Plos Biology (2017) 15 4 (E2001073)), Brian Tilston Smith, Glenn F. Seeholzer, Michael G. Harvey, Andrés M. Cuervo, Robb T. Brumfield

Faculty Publications

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2001073.].

Zika And The Regulatory Regime For Licensing Vaccines For Use During Pregnancy, Sam F. Halabi

Faculty Publications

Microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects (congenital Zika syndrome) caused by the Zika virus have prompted an urgent effort to develop and license a safe and efficacious vaccine. Yet, that effort has run up against one of the most formidable barriers in vaccine research: pregnant women are almost always excluded from clinical trials for fear that the intervention may harm the fetus. This article analyzes the existing regulatory framework for vaccines intended for use during pregnancy in an effort to identify ways the process may be reconsidered in light of recent public health emergencies that had a disproportionate effect …

Il-4rα On Dendritic Cells In Neonates And Th2 Immunopathology In Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, Bishwas Shrestha, Dahui You, Jordy Saravia, David T. Siefker, Sridhar Jaligama, Greg I. Lee, Asmaa A. Sallam, Jeffrey N. Harding, Stephania A. Cormier

Faculty Publications

© Society for Leukocyte Biology. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of bronchiolitis in children, and severe RSV infection early in life has been associated with asthma development. Using a neonatal mouse model, we have shown that down-regulation of IL-4 receptor α (IL-4Rα) with antisense oligonucleotides in the lung during neonatal infection protected from RSV immunopathophysiology. Significant down-regulation of IL-4Rα was observed on pulmonary CD11b+ myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) suggesting a role for IL-4Rα on mDCs in the immunopathogenesis of neonatal RSV infection. Here, we demonstrated that neonatal CD11b+ mDCs expressed higher levels of IL-4Rα than …

Inversion Of The Imprinting Control Region Of The Peg3 Domain, Joomyeong Kim, Hongzhi He, Hana Kim

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Kim et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The imprinting of the mouse Peg3 domain is controlled through a 4-kb genomic region encompassing the bidirectional promoter and 1st exons of Peg3 and Usp29. In the current study, this ICR was inverted to test its orientation dependency for the transcriptional and imprinting control of the Peg3 domain. The inversion resulted in the exchange of promoters and 1st exons between Peg3 …

Rare Coding Variants Associated With Blood Pressure Variation In 15 914 Individuals Of African Ancestry, Priyanka Nandakumar, Dongwon Lee, Melissa A. Richard, Fasil Tekola-Ayele, Bamidele O. Tayo, Erin Ware, Yun J. Sung, Babatunde Salako, Adesola Ogunniyi, C. Charles Gu, Megan L. Grove, Myriam Fornage, Sharon Kardia, Charles Rotimi, Richard S. Cooper, Alanna C. Morrison, Georg Ehret, Aravinda Chakravarti

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Hypertension is a major risk factor for all cardiovascular diseases, especially among African Americans. This study focuses on identifying specific blood pressure (BP) genes using 15 914 individuals of African ancestry from eight cohorts (Africa America Diabetes Mellitus, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, Coronary Artery Risk Development in young Adults, Genetics Network, Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy, Howard University Family Study, Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network, and Loyola University Chicago Cohort) to further genetic findings in this population which has generally been underrepresented in BP studies. Methods: We genotyped and performed various single variant and gene-based exome-wide analyses on 15 …

Papio Baboon Species Indicative Alu Elements, Mark Batzer, Jerilyn A. Walker, Vallmer E. Jordan, Cody J. Steely, Thomas O. Beckstrom, Cullen L. Mcdaniel, Corey P. St. Romain, Emily C. Bennett, Arianna Robichaux, Brooke N. Clement, Miriam K. Konkel

Faculty Publications

The genus of Papio (baboon) has six recognized species separated into Northern and Southern clades, each comprised of three species distributed across the African continent. Geographic origin and phenotypic variants such as coat color and body size have commonly been used to identify different species. The existence of multiple hybrid zones, both ancient and current, have complicated efforts to characterize the phylogeny of Papio baboons. More recently, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome genetic markers have been utilized for species identification with particular focus on the hybrid zones. Aluelements accumulate in a random manner and are a novel source of …

Integrated Carbon, Sulfur, And Nitrogen Isotope Chemostratigraphy Of The Ediacaran Lantian Formation In South China: Spatial Gradient, Ocean Redox Oscillation, And Fossil Distribution, W. Wang, C. Guan, C. Zhou, Y. Peng, L. M. Pratt, X. Chen, L. Chen, Z. Chen, X. Yuan, S. Xiao

Faculty Publications

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd The Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in South China is a prime target for geobiological investigation because it offers opportunities to integrate chemostratigraphic and paleobiological data. Previous studies were mostly focused on successions in shallow-water shelf facies, but data from deep-water successions are needed to fully understand basinal redox structures. Here, we report δ13Ccarb, δ13Corg, δ34Spyr, δ34SCAS, and δ15Nsed data from a drill core of the fossiliferous Lantian Formation, which is a deep-water equivalent of the Doushantuo Formation. Our data confirm a large (>10‰) spatial gradient in δ13Ccarb in the lower Doushantuo/Lantian formations, but …

The Full Spectral Radiative Properties Of Proxima Centauri ?, Ignasi Ribas, Michael D. Gregg, Tabetha S. Boyajian, Emeline Bolmont

Faculty Publications

Context. The discovery of Proxima b, a terrestrial temperate planet, presents the opportunity of studying a potentially habitable world in optimal conditions. A key aspect in the modeling of its habitability is to understand the radiation environment of the planet in the full spectral domain. Aims. We aim to characterize the X-rays to mid-IR radiative properties of Proxima with the goal of providing the top-of-atmosphere fluxes on the planet. We also aim at constraining the fundamental properties of the star, namely its mass, radius, effective temperature and luminosity. Methods. We have employed observations from a large number of facilities and …

Comparing Salinities Of 10, 20, And 30% In Intensive, Commercial-Scale Biofloc Shrimp (Litopenaeus Vannamei) Production Systems, Andrew J. Ray, Jeffrey M. Lotz

Faculty Publications

Minimal-exchange, intensive biofloc aquaculture systems offer a viable means of culturing marine animals at inland locations due to very low rates of water use. Fresh, never-frozen shrimp can be provided to metropolitan markets; however, the cost of artificial salt can be substantial. The purpose of this project was to examine commercial-scale biofloc shrimp production at three different salinities. Nine raceways were randomly assigned to three salinity treatments: 10, 20, and 30‰ (LS, MS, and HS), each treatment contained three raceways operated at 50 m³. The raceways were operated as heterotrophic biofloc systems, with daily additions of sucrose to …

Neutral Genetic Processes Influence Mhc Evolution In Threatened Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus), Jean P. Elbers, Rachel W. Clostio, Sabrina S. Taylor

Faculty Publications

Levels of adaptive genetic variation influence how species deal with environmental and ecological change, but these levels are frequently inferred using neutral genetic markers. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes play a key role in the adaptive branch of the immune system and have been used extensively to estimate levels of adaptive genetic variation. Parts of the peptide binding region, sites where MHC molecules directly interact with pathogen and self-proteins, were sequenced from a MHC class I (95/441 tortoises) and class II (245/441 tortoises) gene in threatened and nonthreatened populations of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus), and adaptive genetic variation at MHC …

Large And Robust Lenticular Microorganisms On The Young Earth, Dorothy Z. Oehler, Maud M. Walsh, Kenichiro Sugitani, Ming Chang Liu, Christopher H. House

Faculty Publications

In recent years, remarkable organic microfossils have been reported from Archean deposits in the Pilbara craton of Australia. The structures are set apart from other ancient microfossils by their complex lenticular morphology combined with their large size and robust, unusually thick walls. Potentially similar forms were reported in 1992 from the ∼3.4 Ga Kromberg Formation (KF) of the Kaapvaal craton, South Africa, but their origin has remained uncertain. Here we report the first determination of in situ carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of the lenticular structures in the KF (obtained with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry [SIMS]) as well as the first …

Individual And Structural Environmental Influences On Utilization Of Iron And Folic Acid Supplementation Among Pregnant Women In Harare, Zimbabwe, Chiwoneso B. Tinago, Lucy Annang Ingram, Christine E. Blake, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent among Zimbabweans with serious health and social implications. Due to alack of a national micronutrient food fortification policy, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Careestablished a policy for the prevention of maternal micronutrient deficiencies, which centres on pregnant womenreceiving daily iron and folic acid (IFA) at theirfirst antenatal care visit and throughout pregnancy. Despite theseefforts, utilization of IFA supplementation in pregnancy in Zimbabwe is low. This study aimed to understand theexperiences and knowledge of IFA supplementation among pregnant women and healthcare workers in Harare,Zimbabwe, and the influence of health-service and social environments on utilization. Semi-structured …

Examining The Use Of Amazon's Mechanical Turk For Edge Extraction Of The Occlusal Surface Of Fossilized Bovid Teeth, Gregory J. Matthews, George K. Thiruvathukal, Maxwell P. Luetkemeier, Juliet K. Brophy

Faculty Publications

In order to reconstruct environments associated with Plio-Pleistocene hominins in southern Africa, researchers frequently rely upon the animals associated with the hominins, in particular, animals in the Family Bovidae. Bovids in southern Africa are typically identified by their teeth. However, identifying the taxon of a bovid tooth is challenging due to various biasing factors. Furthermore, inaccurate identification of fossil bovids can have significant consequences on the reconstructed paleoenvironment. Recent research on the classification of bovid fossil teeth has relied on using elliptical Fourier analysis to summarize the shape of the outline of the occlusal surface of the tooth and the …

Climatic And Glacial Impact On Erosion Patterns And Sediment Provenance In The Himalayan Rain Shadow, Zanskar River, Nw India, Tara N. Jonell, Andrew Carter, Philipp Böning, Katharina Pahnke, Peter D. Clift

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Geological Society of America. Erosion is a key step in the destruction and recycling of the continental crust, yet its primary drivers continue to be debated. The relative balance between climatic and solid Earth forces in determining erosion patterns and rates, and in turn orogenic architecture, is unresolved. The monsoon-dominated frontal Himalaya is a classic example of how surface processes may drive focused denudation and potentially control structural evolution. We investigate whether there is a clear relationship between climate and erosion in the drier Himalayan rain shadow on the periphery of the Tibetan Plateau, where a coupled climate-erosion …

Zebrafish Models In Neuropsychopharmacology And Cns Drug Discovery, Kanza M. Khan, Adam D. Collier, Darya A. Meshalkina, Elana V. Kysil, Sergey L. Khatsko, Tatyana Kolesnikova, Yury Yu Morzherin, Jason E. Warnick, Allan V. Kalueff, David Echevarria

Faculty Publications

Despite the high prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders, their aetiology and molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is increasingly utilized as a powerful animal model in neuropharmacology research and in vivo drug screening. Collectively, this makes zebrafish a useful tool for drug discovery and the identification of disordered molecular pathways. Here, we discuss zebrafish models of selected human neuropsychiatric disorders and drug-induced phenotypes. As well as covering a broad range of brain disorders (from anxiety and psychoses to neurodegeneration), we also summarize recent developments in zebrafish genetics and small molecule screening, which markedly enhance the disease modelling and …

Changes In Substrate Availability Drive Carbon Cycle Response To Chronic Warming, Grace Pold, A. Stuart Grandy, Jerry M. Melillo, Kristen M. Deangelis

Faculty Publications

As earth's climate continues to warm, it is important to understand how the capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to retain carbon (C) will be affected. We combined measurements of microbial activity with the concentration, quality, and physical accessibility of soil carbon to microorganisms to evaluate the mechanisms by which more than two decades of experimental warming has altered the carbon cycle in a Northeast US temperate deciduous forest. We found that concentrations of soil organic matter were reduced in both the organic and mineral soil horizons. The molecular composition of the carbon was altered in the mineral soil with significant reductions …

Equity Of Success In Clasp Courses At Uc Davis, Cassandra Paul, David Webb, Mary Chessey, Wendell Potter

Faculty Publications

We have recently described the reformed introductory physics course, Collaborative Learning through Active Sense-Making in Physics (CLASP), for bioscience students at UC Davis and argued that the course was more successful than its predecessor (Physics 5) by several measures. Now we examine the effects of these courses for different student ethnic groups. We find that, compared to Physics 5, students of most ethnic backgrounds were more successful in CLASP. We also find that students from ethnic groups underrepresented in STEM who took the CLASP course were more likely to graduate as STEM majors. We discuss possible features of CLASP that …

Stability And Robustness Analysis For A Multi-Species Chemostat Model With Uncertainties, Frederic Mazenc, Michael Malisoff, Gonzalo Robledo

Faculty Publications

We prove stability and robustness results for chemostat models with one substrate, an arbitrary number of species, a constant dilution rate, and constant inputs of the species. Unlike all previous works, we prove input-to-state stability under uncertainties in important cases where the controls are the input nutrient concentration and the species inputs. Our assumptions ensure global asymptotic stability for an equilibrium, which can allow persistence of multiple species, when the uncertainties are zero. We allow arbitrarily large bounds on the uncertainties in the species dynamics, and equilibria that can be in the boundary of the state space.

Capacity Of Blood Plasma Is Higher In Birds Breeding In Radioactively Contaminated Areas, Magdalena Ruiz-Rodríguez, Anders P. Møller, Timothy Mousseau, Juan J. Soler

Faculty Publications

Background Environmental pollution in general, and radioactive contamination in particular, may deeply affect host-parasite relationships and their consequences for the evolution of organisms. The nuclear accident that occurred more than 30 years ago in Chernobyl resulted in significant changes in diversity and richness of microbial communities that could influence characteristics of animal-bacteria interactions, including host immune responses and competitive interference by bacteria. Given the high mortality rate of birds breeding in radioactively contaminated zones, those with stronger defences against infections should experience significant fitness advantages.

Methodology/Principal Findings Here we characterized antimicrobial capacity of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) from different Ukrainian …

Comparing The Ecological Stoichiometry In Green And Brown Food Webs: A Review And Meta-Analysis Of Freshwater Food Webs, Michelle A. Evans-White, Halvor M. Halvorson

Faculty Publications

The framework of ecological stoichiometry was developed primarily within the context of “green” autotroph-based food webs. While stoichiometric principles also apply in “brown” detritus-based systems, these systems have been historically understudied and differ from green ones in several important aspects including carbon (C) quality and the nutrient [nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)] contents of food resources for consumers. In this paper, we review work over the last decade that has advanced the application of ecological stoichiometry from green to brown food webs, focusing on freshwater ecosystems. We first review three focal areas where green and brown food webs differ: (1) …

The Relationship Between Motor Competence And Health-Related Fitness In Children And Adolescents, Carlos Luz, Luı´S P. Rodrigues, An V. De Meester, Rita Cordovil

Faculty Publications

Background and aims

In the last twenty years, there has been increasing evidence that Motor Competence (MC) is vital for developing an active and healthy lifestyle. This study analyses the associations between motor competence and its components, with health-related fitness (HRF).

Methods

A random sample of 546 children (278 males, mean = 10.77 years) divided into four age groups (7–8; 9–10; 11–12; 13–14 years old) was evaluated. A quantitative MC instrument (evaluating stability, locomotor and manipulative skills), a maximal multistage 20-m shuttle-run test and the handgrip test, height and BMI were used in the analyses. Pearson correlations and standard regression …

Insights On Osmotic Tolerance Mechanisms In Escherichia Coli Gained From An Rpoc Mutation, Yuqi Guo, James Winkler, Katy Kao

Faculty Publications

An 84 bp in-frame duplication (K370_A396dup) within the rpoC subunit of RNA polymerase was found in two independent mutants selected during an adaptive laboratory evolution experiment under osmotic stress in Escherichia coli, suggesting that this mutation confers improved osmotic tolerance. To determine the role this mutation in rpoC plays in osmotic tolerance, we reconstructed the mutation in BW25113, and found it to confer improved tolerance to hyperosmotic stress. Metabolite analysis, exogenous supplementation assays, and cell membrane damage analysis suggest that the mechanism of improved osmotic tolerance by this rpoC mutation may be related to the higher production of acetic acid …

A Study Of Ticks And Tick-Borne Livestock Pathogens In Pakistan, Shahid Karim, Khemraj Budachetri, Nabanita Mukherjee, Jaclyn Williams, Asma Kausar, Muhammad Jawadul Hassan, Steven W. Adamson, Scot E. Dowd, Dmitry Apanskevich, Abdullah Arijo, Zia Uddin Sindhu, Muhammad Azam Kakar, Raja Muhammad Dilpazir Khan, Shafiq Ullah, Muhammad Sohail Sajid, Abid Ali, Zafar Iqbal

Faculty Publications

Background

As obligate blood-feeding arthropods, ticks transmit pathogens to humans and domestic animals more often than other arthropod vectors. Livestock farming plays a vital role in the rural economy of Pakistan, and tick infestation causes serious problems with it. However, research on tick species diversity and tick-borne pathogens has rarely been conducted in Pakistan. In this study, a systematic investigation of the tick species infesting livestock in different ecological regions of Pakistan was conducted to determine the microbiome and pathobiome diversity in the indigenous ticks.

Methodology/Principal findings A total of 3,866 tick specimens were morphologically identified as 19 different tick …

After Nuclear Midnight: The Impact Of A Nuclear War On India And Pakistan, Karthika Sasikumar

Faculty Publications

During the past decade, computer models have predicted that the physical impacts of a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan, or even a single strike on a large city, would be devastating. The social, economic, and political impacts – although less well known – would also be crippling and would reverberate throughout the world. Efforts to use “Armageddon estimates” to scare the people of India and Pakistan have thus far not significantly reduced the risk of nuclear weapons use in this turbulent region. However, the increasing penetration of television and social media may give members of the public a better …

Galanin-Expressing Gaba Neurons In The Lateral Hypothalamus Modulate Food Reward And Noncompulsive Locomotion, Emily Qualls-Creekmore, Sangho Yu, Marie Francois, John Hoang, Clara Huesing, Annadora Bruce-Keller, David Burk, Hans Rudolf Berthoud, Christopher D. Morrison, Heike Münzberg

Faculty Publications

© 2017 the authors. The lateral hypothalamus (LHA) integrates reward and appetitive behavior and is composed of many overlapping neuronal populations. Recent studies associated LHA GABAergic neurons (LHAGABA), which densely innervate the ventral tegmental area (VTA), with modulation of food reward and consumption; yet, LHAGABA projections to the VTA exclusively modulated food consumption, not reward. We identified a subpopulation of LHA GABA neurons that coexpress the neuropeptide galanin (LHAGal). TheseLHAGal neurons also modulate food reward, but lack direct VTA innervation. We hypothesized that LHAGal neurons may represent a subpopulation of LHAGABA neurons that mediates food reward independent of direct VTA …

International Society Of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Protein And Exercise, Ralf Jäger, Chad M. Kerksick, Bill I. Campbell, Paul J. Cribb, Shawn D. Wells, Tim M. Skwiat, Martin Purpura, Tim N. Ziegenfuss, Arny A. Ferrando, Shawn M. Arent, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Jeffrey R. Stout, Paul J. Arciero, Michael J. Ormsbee, Lem W. Taylor, Colin D. Wilborn, Doug S. Kalman, Richard B. Kreider, Darryn S. Willoughby, Jay R. Hoffman, Jamie L. Krzykowski, Jose Antonio

Faculty Publications

Position statement: The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) provides an objective and critical review related to the intake of protein for healthy, exercising individuals. Based on the current available literature, the position of the Society is as follows:

1) An acute exercise stimulus, particularly resistance exercise, and protein ingestion both stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and are synergistic when protein consumption occurs before or after resistance exercise.

2) For building muscle mass and for maintaining muscle mass through a positive muscle protein balance, an overall daily protein intake in the range of 1.4–2.0 g protein/kg body weight/day (g/kg/d) is …

Using The Anti-Racism Digital Library And Thesaurus To Understand Information Access, Authority, Value And Privilege, Anita Coleman

Faculty Publications

The new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy, specifically the six threshold concepts about information mirror the experiences of the author as a researcher studying the representation of anti-racism in bibliographic information systems. Anti-racism, in general, is a great concept to use when teaching information literacy and the paper discusses how antiracism information literacy can be taught and learned as part of theological and religious studies education. Since the conference is in Atlanta, the article begins with two stories about the scholar Dubois who lived there and that illustrate some of the IL concepts discussed.