Digital Commons Network^™

Adrenergic Alpha-1 Pathway Is Associated With Hypertension Among Nigerians In A Pathway-Focused Analysis, Nicholas P. Reder, Bamidele O. Tayo, Babatunde Salako, Adesola Ogunniyi, Adebowale Adeyemo, Charles Rotimi, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Background: The pathway-focused association approach offers a hypothesis driven alternative to the agnostic genome-wide association study. Here we apply the pathway-focused approach to an association study of hypertension, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in 1614 Nigerians with genome-wide data. Methods and Results: Testing of 28 pathways with biological relevance to hypertension, selected a priori, containing a total of 101 unique genes and 4,349 unique single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed an association for the adrenergic alpha 1 (ADRA1) receptor pathway with hypertension (pp>10-5) SNPs offers a novel method for detecting the "missing heritability" of hypertension. These findings …

A Pressure Gauge Based On Gas Density Measurement From Analysis Of The Thermal Noise Of An Atomic Force Microscope Cantilever, Dongjin Seo, Mark R. Paul, Willian A. Ducker

Faculty Publications

We describe a gas-density gauge based on the analysis of the thermally-driven fluctuations of an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever. The fluctuations are modeled as a ring-down of a simple harmonic oscillator, which allows fitting of the resonance frequency and damping of the cantilever, which in turn yields the gas density. The pressure is obtained from the density using the known equation of state. In the range 10–220 kPa, the pressure readings from the cantilever gauge deviate by an average of only about 5% from pressure readings on a commercial gauge. The theoretical description we use to determine the pressure …

Optimizing The Air Dissolution Parameters In An Unpacked Dissolved Air Flotation System, Adam Dassey, Chandra Theegala

Faculty Publications

Due to the various parameters that influence air solubility and microbubble production in dissolved air flotation (DAF), a multitude of values that cover a large range for these parameters are suggested for field systems. An unpacked saturator and an air quantification unit were designed to specify the effects of power, pressure, temperature, hydraulic retention time, and air flow on the DAF performance. It was determined that a pressure of 621 kPa, hydraulic retention time of 18.2 min, and air flow of 8.5 L/h would be the best controlled parameters for maximum efficiency in this unit. A temperature of 7 °C …

Szilard Engine Reversibility As Quantum Gate Function, F. Matthew Mihelic

Faculty Publications

A quantum gate is a logically and thermodynamically reversible situation that effects a unitary transformation of qubits of superimposed information, and essentially constitutes a situation for a reversible quantum decision. A quantum decision is a symmetry break, and the effect of the function of a Szilard engine is a symmetry break. A quantum gate is a situation in which a reversible quantum decision can be made, and so if a logically and thermodynamically reversible Szilard engine can be theoretically constructed then it would function as a quantum gate. While the traditionally theorized Szilard engine is not thermodynamically reversible, if one …

Mechanism Of Inhibition Of Influenza A Virus M2 Proton Channel, Douglas Randall Bretzing, Victoria Man-Fung Burr

Faculty Publications

The influenza A virus integral membrane protein, M2, is a proton-conducting channel. The ability of influenza A virus to unpack its genome, replicate, and infect its host is contingent upon the M2-mediated acidification of the viral interior. The antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine were previously effective in blocking proton influx through M2; however, mutations in the proton channel have rendered these drugs ineffective. Multiple models for the inhibiting mechanism of the adamantane drugs have been hypothesized. In an attempt to better understand the mechanism of M2 inhibition, and ultimately to assist in the development of a replacement M2-targeting antiviral drug, …

Sub-Pixel Classification Of Forest Cover Types In East Texas, Joey Westbrook, I-Kuai Hung, Daniel Unger, Yanli Zhang

Faculty Publications

Sub-pixel classification is the extraction of information about the proportion of individual materials of interest within a pixel. Landcover classification at the sub-pixel scale provides more discrimination than traditional per-pixel multispectral classifiers for pixels where the material of interest is mixed with other materials. It allows for the un-mixing of pixels to show the proportion of each material of interest. The materials of interest for this study are pine, hardwood, mixed forest and non-forest. The goal of this project was to perform a sub-pixel classification, which allows a pixel to have multiple labels, and compare the result to a traditional …

Multiple Deletions Reveal The Essentiality Of The Deda Membrane Protein Family In Escherichia Coli, Lisa A. Boughner, William T. Doerrler

Faculty Publications

The DedA family is a highly conserved, ancient family of membrane proteins with representatives in most sequenced genomes. A characteristic of prokaryotic DedA family genes is extensive gene duplication, with most bacterial genomes carrying two or more homologues. The Escherichia coli genome carries eight DedA genes, each individually nonessential. We previously described an E. coli mutant (BC202; ΔyghB:: kanR, ΔyqjA:: tetR) with in-frame deletions of two DedA genes encoding proteins with 61% amino acid identity. BC202 fails to complete cell division or grow at elevated temperatures. Here, we report that restoration of normal growth and cell division of BC202 is …

The Future Workforce In Cancer Prevention: Advancing Discovery, Research, And Technology, Wayne D. Newhauser, Michael E. Scheurer, Jessica M. Faupel-Badger, Jessica Clague, Jeffrey Weitzel, Kendra V. Woods

Faculty Publications

As part of a 2-day conference on October 15 and 16, 2009, a nine-member task force composed of scientists, clinicians, educators, administrators, and students from across the USA was formed to discuss research, discovery, and technology obstacles to progress in cancer prevention and control, specifically those related to the cancer prevention workforce. This article summarizes the task force's findings on the current state of the cancer prevention workforce in this area and its needs for the future. The task force identified two types of barriers impeding the current cancer prevention workforce in research, discovery, and technology from reaching its fullest …

Reno: Regularized Non-Parametric Analysis Of Protein Lysate Array Data, Bin Li, Feng Liang, Jianhua Hu, Xuming He

Faculty Publications

Motivation: The reverse-phase protein lysate arrays have been used to quantify the relative expression levels of a protein in a number of cellular samples simultaneously. To avoid quantification bias due to mis-specification of commonly used parametric models, a nonparametric approach based on monotone response curves may be used. The existing methods, however, aggregate the protein concentration levels of replicates of each sample, and therefore fail to account for within-sample variability. Results: We propose a method of regularization on protein concentration estimation at the level of individual dilution series to account for within-sample or within-group variability. We use an efficient algorithm …

Enhanced Salt Stress Tolerance Of Rice Plants Expressing A Vacuolar H +-Atpase Subunit C1 (Savhac1) Gene From The Halophyte Grass Spartina Alterniflora Löisel, Niranjan Baisakh, Mangu V. Ramanarao, Kanniah Rajasekaran, Prasanta Subudhi, Jaroslav Janda, David Galbraith, Cheryl Vanier, Andy Pereira

Faculty Publications

The physiological role of a vacuolar ATPase subunit c1 (SaVHAc1) from a halophyte grass Spartina alterniflora was studied through its expression in rice. The SaVHAc1-expressing plants showed enhanced tolerance to salt stress than the wild-type plants, mainly through adjustments in early stage and preparatory physiological responses. In addition to the increased accumulation of its own transcript, SaVHAc1 expression led to increased accumulation of messages of other native genes in rice, especially those involved in cation transport and ABA signalling. The SaVHAc1-expressing plants maintained higher relative water content under salt stress through early stage closure of the leaf stoma and reduced …

Control Of Aperture Closure Initiation During Trunk-Assisted Reach-To-Grasp Movements, Miya K. Rand, Arend W.A. Van Gemmert, Abul B.M.I. Hossain, Yury P. Shimansky, George E. Stelmach

Faculty Publications

The present study investigated how the involvement and direction of trunk movement during reach-to-grasp movements affect the coordination between the transport and grasping components. Seated young adults made prehensile movements in which the involvement of the trunk was varied; the trunk was not involved, moved forward (flexion), or moved backward (extension) in the sagittal plane during the reach to the object. Each of the trunk movements was combined with an extension or flexion motion of the arm during the reach. Regarding the relationship between the trunk and arm motion for arm transport, the onset of wrist motion relative to that …

The Cortisol Awakening Response (Car) In 2-To 4-Year-Old Children: Effects Of Acute Nighttime Sleep Restriction, Wake Time, And Daytime Napping, Colleen E. Gribbin, Sarah Enos Watamura, Alyssa Cairns, John R. Harsh, Monique K. Lebourgeois

Faculty Publications

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is presumed critically important for healthy adaptation. The current literature, however, is hampered by systematic measurement difficulties relative to awakening, especially with young children. While reports suggest the CAR is smaller in children than adults, well-controlled research in early childhood is scarce. We examined whether robust CARs exist in 2- to 4-year-old children and if sleep restriction, wake timing, and napping influence the CAR (n?=?7). During a 25-day in-home protocol, researchers collected four salivary cortisol samples (0, 15, 30, 45?min post-wake) following five polysomnographic sleep recordings on nonconsecutive days after 4?hr (morning nap), 7?hr (afternoon …

The Nation Before Taste: The Challenges Of American Culinary History, Andrew P. Haley

Faculty Publications

Food is material and familiar, and because it is, we are often overconfident about our ability to understand the culinary past. It is easy to believe that if we can discover the recipe for some forgotten dish, the history of the dish becomes intelligible. When it does not, it tempts those who consume culinary history to impose modern sensibilities on our predecessors. The Nation before Taste" argues that historians and museum curators must be especially vigilant when presenting the history of food. Reviewing a series of historical challenges that stemmed from studying the United States in the late nineteenth and …

Adverse Metabolic Response To Regular Exercise: Is It A Rare Or Common Occurrence?, Claude Bouchard, Steven N. Blair, Timothy S. Church, Conrad P. Earnest, James M. Hagberg, Keijo Häkkinen, Nathan T. Jenkins, Laura Karavirta, William E. Kraus, Dabeeru C. Rao, Mark A. Sarzynski, James S. Skinner, Cris A. Slentz, Tuomo Rankinen

Faculty Publications

Background: Individuals differ in the response to regular exercise. Whether there are people who experience adverse changes in cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors has never been addressed.

Methodology/Principle Findings: An adverse response is defined as an exercise-induced change that worsens a risk factor beyond measurement error and expected day-to-day variation. Sixty subjects were measured three times over a period of three weeks, and variation in resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and in fasting plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), in insulin (FI) was quantified. The technical error (TE) defined as the within-subject standard deviation derived from these measurements was computed. An …

Interest-Balancing Vs. Fiduciary Duty: Two Models For National Security Law, Evan Fox-Decent, Evan J. Criddle

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Quest Hierarchy For Hyperspectral Face Recognition, David M. Ryer, Trevor J. Bihl, Kenneth W. Bauer Jr., Steven K. Rogers

Faculty Publications

A qualia exploitation of sensor technology (QUEST) motivated architecture using algorithm fusion and adaptive feedback loops for face recognition for hyperspectral imagery (HSI) is presented. QUEST seeks to develop a general purpose computational intelligence system that captures the beneficial engineering aspects of qualia-based solutions. Qualia-based approaches are constructed from subjective representations and have the ability to detect, distinguish, and characterize entities in the environment Adaptive feedback loops are implemented that enhance performance by reducing candidate subjects in the gallery and by injecting additional probe images during the matching process. The architecture presented provides a framework for exploring more advanced integration …

Italy At Home And Abroad After 150 Years: The Legacy Of Emigration And The Future Of Italianità, Mark I. Choate

Faculty Publications

Shortly after unification in the Risorgimento, mass emigration stretched Italy in unforeseen ways, changing its culture, economics, and politics, and even its state, territory, language, and population. This enforced globalization polarized Italy and radically changed Italy as a nation-state and as a national culture. Controversies over emigration sharply divided Italian Liberals from the Nationalists and Fascists. The ideals of the nation-state, articulated by Mazzini, have been transformed by emigration in ways that have anticipated the twenty-first century global world. Today Italy faces similar challenges with rising immigration, together with the potential for constructive solutions.

Phthalocyanine-Peptide Conjugates For Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Targeting, Benson G. Ongarora, Krystal R. Fontenot, Xiaoke Hu, Inder Sehgal, Seetharama D. Satyanarayana-Jois, Dm Graça H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

Four phthalocyanine (Pc)-peptide conjugates designed to target the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) were synthesized and evaluated in vitro using four cell lines: human carcinoma A431 and HEp2, human colorectal HT-29, and kidney Vero (negative control) cells. Two peptide ligands for EGFR were investigated: EGFR-L1 and -L2, bearing 6 and 13 amino acid residues, respectively. The peptides and Pc-conjugates were shown to bind to EGFR using both theoretical (Autodock) and experimental (SPR) investigations. The Pc-EGFR-L1 conjugates 5a and 5b efficiently targeted EGFR and were internalized, in part due to their cationic charge, whereas the uncharged Pc-EGFR-L2 conjugates 4b and 6a …

High Dispersal Ability Inhibits Speciation In A Continental Radiation Of Passerine Birds, Santiago Claramunt, Elizabeth P. Derryberry, Jr V. Remsen, Robb T. Brumfield

Faculty Publications

Dispersal can stimulate speciation byfacilitating geographical expansion across barriers or inhibit speciation by maintaining gene flow among populations. Therefore, the relationship between dispersal ability and speciation rates can be positive or negative. Furthermore, an 'intermediate dispersal' model that combines positive and negative effects predicts a unimodal relationship between dispersal and diversification. Because both dispersal ability and speciation rates are difficult to quantify, empirical evidence for the relationship between dispersal and diversification remains scarce. Using a surrogate for flight performance and a species-level DNA-based phylogeny of a large South American bird radiation (the Furnariidae), we found that lineages with higher dispersal …

A Plant Virus Substrate Induces Early Upregulation Of Bmp2 For Rapid Bone Formation, Pongkwan Sitasuwan, L. Andrew Lee, Peng Bo, Erin N. Davis, Yuan Lin, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

Many nanoscale materials have been developed to investigate the effects on stem cell differentiations via topographical and chemical cues for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The use of plant viruses as cell supporting substrates has been of particular interest due to the rapid induction of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) towards osteogenic cells. In this study, the role of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and its early effects on osteoinduction with particular emphasis on the regulation of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) was examined. We observed that the cells on the virus substrate immediately aggregated and formed bone-like …

Ionically Self-Assembled, Multi-Luminophore One-Dimensional Micro- And Nanoscale Aggregates Of Thiacarbocyanine Gumbos, Sergio L. De Rooy, Susmita Das, Min Li, Bilal El-Zahab, Atiya Jordan, Ridgely Lodes, Anna Weber, Lin Chandler, Gary A. Baker, Isiah M. Warner

Faculty Publications

Groups of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS), derived from thiacarbocyanine (TC)-based dyes with increasing methyne chain lengths, were prepared through a single-step metathesis reaction between the iodide form of the TC dye and lithium bis(perfluoroethylsulfonyl)imide as the lipophilic anion source. Ionic self-assembly of these fluorescent hydrophobic GUMBOS resulted in aqueous dispersions of one-dimensional micro- and nanoscale molecular aggregates. Blended binary and ternary aggregates containing multiple TC GUMBOS were also prepared. These nanostructures exhibited a variety of aspect ratios, affording tunable Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and aggregation-dependent spectroscopic properties. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Getting It Right The First Time: Predicted Performance Guarantees From The Analysis Of Emergent Behavior In Autonomous And Semi-Autonomous Systems, Ronald C. Arkin, Damian M. Lyons, Shu Jiang, Prem Nirmal, Munzir Zafar

Faculty Publications

A crucially important aspect for mission-critical robotic operations is ensuring as best as possible that an autonomous system be able to complete its task. In a project for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) we are developing methods to provide such guidance, specifically for counter-Weapons of Mass Destruction (C-WMD) missions. In this paper, we describe the scenarios under consideration, the performance measures and metrics being developed, and an outline of the mechanisms for providing performance guarantees.

The Ethical And Professional Risks Of Engaged Scholarship, Kathleen F. Mcconnell

Faculty Publications

The article reviews several books including "Save the World on Your Own Time," by Stanley Fish, "Challenging the Prison-Industrial Complex: Activism, Arts & Educational Alternatives," edited by Stephen John Hartnett, and "The Ethics and Politics of Speech: Communication and Rhetoric in the Twentieth Century," by Pat J. Gehrke.

Navigation Of Uncertain Terrain By Fusion Of Information From Real And Synthetic Imagery, Damian M. Lyons, Prem Nirmal, D. Paul Benjamin

Faculty Publications

We consider the scenario where an autonomous platform that is searching or traversing a building may observe unstable masonry or may need to travel over unstable rubble. A purely behaviour-based system may handle these challenges but produce behaviour that works against long-terms goals such as reaching a victim as quickly as possible. We extend our work on ADAPT, a cognitive robotics architecture that incorporates 3D simulation and image fusion, to allow the robot to predict the behaviour of physical phenomena, such as falling masonry, and take actions consonant with long-term goals.

We experimentally evaluate a cognitive only and reactive only …

Principles For Designing Negotiation Instruction, John M. Lande, Ximena Bustamante, Jay Folberg, Joel Lee

Faculty Publications

This article analyzes recommendations in the Rethinking Negotiation Teaching (RNT) series. Instructors teaching negotiation and other dispute resolution subjects have long had a hard time trying to cover everything they would like in their courses. The RNT project has documented (and, to some extent, stimulated) a growing profusion of ideas and techniques for teaching negotiation, which has multiplied instructors’ dilemmas in designing their courses. Since instructors cannot teach everything they would like, this article suggests some general principles for making decisions about what to include and how to conduct these courses. Clearly, there is no single right or best way …

Salinity- And Population-Dependent Genome Regulatory Response During Osmotic Acclimation In The Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus) Gill, Andrew Whitehead, Jennifer L. Roach, Shujun Zhang, Fernando Galvez

Faculty Publications

The killifish Fundulus heteroclitus is abundant in osmotically dynamic estuaries and it can quickly adjust to extremes in environmental salinity. We performed a comparative osmotic challenge experiment to track the transcriptomic and physiological responses to two salinities throughout a time course of acclimation, and to explore the genome regulatory mechanisms that enable extreme osmotic acclimation. One southern and one northern coastal population, known to differ in their tolerance to hypo-osmotic exposure, were used as our comparative model. Both populations could maintain osmotic homeostasis when transferred from 32 to 0.4 p.p.t., but diverged in their compensatory abilities when challenged down to …

Trehalose Transporter From African Chironomid Larvae Improves Desiccation Tolerance Of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells, Nilay Chakraborty, Michael A. Menze, Heidi Elmoazzen, Halong Vu, Martin L. Yarmush, Steven C. Hand, Mehmet Toner

Faculty Publications

Dry preservation has been explored as an energy-efficient alternative to cryopreservation, but the high sensitivity of mammalian cells to desiccation stress has been one of the major hurdles in storing cells in the desiccated state. An important strategy to reduce desiccation sensitivity involves use of the disaccharide trehalose. Trehalose is known to improve desiccation tolerance in mammalian cells when present on both sides of the cell membrane. Because trehalose is membrane impermeant the development of desiccation strategies involving this promising sugar is hindered. We explored the potential of using a high-capacity trehalose transporter (TRET1) from the African chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki …

Molecular Basis Of The Fructose-2,6-Bisphosphatase Reaction Of Pfkfb3: Transition State And The C-Terminal Function, Michael C. Cavalier, Song Gun Kim, David Neau, Yong Hwan Lee

Faculty Publications

The molecular basis of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (F-2,6-P 2ase) of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PFKFB) was investigated using the crystal structures of the human inducible form (PFKFB3) in a phospho-enzyme intermediate state (PFKFB3-P•F-6-P), in a transition state-analogous complex (PFKFB3•AlF 4), and in a complex with pyrophosphate (PFKFB3•PP i) at resolutions of 2.45, 2.2, and 2.3 Å, respectively. Trapping the PFKFB3-P•F-6-P intermediate was achieved by flash cooling the crystal during the reaction, and the PFKFB3•AlF 4 and PFKFB3•PP i complexes were obtained by soaking. The PFKFB3•AlF 4 and PFKFB3•PP i complexes resulted in removing F-6-P from the catalytic pocket. With these structures, the structures of the …

Angiogenic Deficiency And Adipose Tissue Dysfunction Are Associated With Macrophage Malfunction In Sirt1 -/- Mice, Fen Xu, David Burk, Zhanguo Gao, Jun Yin, Xia Zhang, Jianping Weng, Jianping Ye

Faculty Publications

The histone deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) inhibits adipocyte differentiation and suppresses inflammation by targeting the transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and nuclear factor κB. Although this suggests that adiposity and inflammation should be enhanced when SIRT1 activity is inactivated in the body, this hypothesis has not been tested in SIRT1 null (SIRT1 -/-) mice. In this study, we addressed this issue by investigating the adipose tissue in SIRT1 -/-mice. Compared with their wild-type littermates, SIRT1 null mice exhibited a significant reduction in body weight. In adipose tissue, the average size of adipocytes was smaller, the content of extracellular matrix …

Plant Science In Forest Canopies - The First 30 Years Of Advances And Challenges (1980-2010), Margaret D. Lowman, Timothy D. Schowalter

Faculty Publications

Contents: Summary 12 I. Introduction 12 II. History of canopy access 13 III. Consequences of whole-tree approaches to forest science 15 IV. Canopy communities - their inhabitants, environment, and processes 16 V. The role of forest canopies in providing ecosystem services 21 VI. Using canopy science as a 'hook' to inspire forest conservation 21 VII. Conclusions -'black boxes' in canopy science that remain 22 Acknowledgements 23 References 24 Summary: As an emerging subdiscipline of forest biology, canopy science has undergone a transition from observational, 'oh-wow' exploration to a more hypothesis-driven, experimental arena for rigorous field biology. Although efforts to explore …