Digital Commons Network^™

Characteristics Of Multiple‐Year Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Conventional Vegetable Fields In Southeastern China, Baoling Mei, Xunhua Zheng, Baohua Xie, Haibo Dong, Zhisheng Yao, Chunyan Liu, Zaixing Zhou, Rui Wang, Jia Deng, Jianguo Zhu

Faculty Publications

The annual and interannual characteristics of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from conventional vegetable fields are poorly understood. We carried out 4 year measurements of N2O fluxes from a conventional vegetable cultivation area in the Yangtze River delta. Under fertilized conditions subject to farming practices, approximately 86% of the annual total N2O release occurred following fertilization events. The direct emission factors (EFd) of the 12 individual vegetable seasons investigated ranged from 0.06 to 14.20%, with a mean of 3.09% and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 142%. The annual EFd varied from 0.59 to 4.98%, with a mean of 2.88% and …

Copy Number Variants In Candidate Genes Are Genetic Modifiers Of Hirschsprung Disease, Qian Jiang, Yen Yi Ho, Li Hao, Courtney Nichols Berrios, Aravinda Chakravarti

Faculty Publications

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a neurocristopathy characterized by absence of intramural ganglion cells along variable lengths of the gastrointestinal tract. The HSCR phenotype is highly variable with respect to gender, length of aganglionosis, familiality and the presence of additional anomalies. By molecular genetic analysis, a minimum of 11 neuro-developmental genes (RET, GDNF, NRTN, SOX10, EDNRB, EDN3, ECE1, ZFHX1B, PHOX2B, KIAA1279, TCF4) are known to harbor rare, high-penetrance mutations that confer a large risk to the bearer. In addition, two other genes (RET, NRG1) harbor common, low-penetrance polymorphisms that contribute only partially to risk and can act as genetic modifiers. To …

Surface Modification Of Droplet Polymeric Microfluidic Devices For The Stable And Continuous Generation Of Aqueous Droplets, Balamurugan Subramanian, Namwon Kim, Wonbae Lee, David A. Spivak, Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos, Robin L. Mccarley, Steven A. Soper

Faculty Publications

Droplet microfluidics performed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic devices resulted in significant wall wetting by water droplets formed in a liquid-liquid segmented flow when using a hydrophobic carrier fluid such as perfluorotripropylamine (FC-3283). This wall wetting led to water droplets with nonuniform sizes that were often trapped on the wall surfaces, leading to unstable and poorly controlled liquid-liquid segmented flow. To circumvent this problem, we developed a two-step procedure to hydrophobically modify the surfaces of PMMA and other thermoplastic materials commonly used to make microfluidic devices. The surface-modification route involved the introduction of hydroxyl groups by oxygen plasma treatment of …

The Gp130 Receptor Cytokine Family: Regulators Of Adipocyte Development And Function, Ursula A. White, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

Gp130 cytokines are involved in the regulation of numerous biological processes, including hematopoiesis, immune response, inflammation, cardiovascular action, and neuronal survival. These cytokines share glycoprotein 130 as a common signal transducer in their receptor complex and typically activate STAT3. Most gp130 cytokines have paracrine or endocrine actions, and their levels can be measured in circulation in rodents and humans. In recent years, various laboratories have conducted studies to demonstrate that gp130 cytokines can modulate adipocyte development and function. Therefore, these studies suggest that some gp130 cytokines may be viable anti obesity therapeutics. In this review, we will summarize the reported …

Two Distinct Ferritin-Like Molecules In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: The Product Of The Bfra Gene Is A Bacterial Ferritin (Ftna) And Not A Bacterioferritin (Bfr), Huili Yao, Grace Jepkorir, Scott Lovell, Pavithra V. Nama, Saroja Weeratunga, Kevin P. Battaile, Mario Rivera

Faculty Publications

Two distinct types of ferritin-like molecules often coexist in bacteria, the heme binding bacterioferritins (Bfr) and the non-heme binding bacterial ferritins (Ftn). The early isolation of a ferritin-like molecule from Pseudomonas aeruginosa suggested the possibility of a bacterioferritin assembled from two different subunits [Moore, G. R., et al. (1994) Biochem. J. 304, 493-497]. Subsequent studies demonstrated the presence of two genes encoding ferritin-like molecules in P. aeruginosa, designated bfrA and bfrB, and suggested that two distinct bacterioferritins may coexist [Ma, J.-F., et al. (1999) J. Bacteriol. 181, 3730-3742]. In this report, we present structural evidence demonstrating that the product of …

The Relationship Between Population Structure And Aluminum Tolerance In Cultivated Sorghum, Fernanda F. Caniato, Claudia T. Guimarães, Martha Hamblin, Claire Billot, Jean-François Rami, Barbara Hufnagel, Leon V. Kochian, Jiping Liu, Antonion Augusto F. Garcia, C. Tom Hash, Punna Ramu, Sharon Mitchell, Stephen Kresovich, Antônio Carlos Oliveira, Gisela De Avellar, Aluízio Borém, Jean-Christophe Glaszmann, Robert E. Schaffert, Jurandir V. Magalhaes

Faculty Publications

Background: Acid soils comprise up to 50% of the world’s arable lands and in these areas aluminum (Al) toxicity impairs root growth, strongly limiting crop yield. Food security is thereby compromised in many developing countries located in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In sorghum, SbMATE, an Al-activated citrate transporter, underlies the AltSB locus on chromosome 3 and confers Al tolerance via Al-activated root citrate release.

Methodology: Population structure was studied in 254 sorghum accessions representative of the diversity present in cultivated sorghums. Al tolerance was assessed as the degree of root growth inhibition in nutrient solution containing Al. …

Growth Direction Modulation And Diameter-Dependent Mobility In Inn Nanowires, Goutam Koley, Zhihua Cai, Ehtesham Bin Quddus, Jie Liu, Muhammad Qazi, Richard A. Webb

Faculty Publications

Diameter-dependent electrical properties of InN nanowires (NWs) grown by chemical vapor deposition have been investigated. The NWs exhibited interesting properties of coplanar deflection at specific angles, either spontaneously, or when induced by other NWs or lithographically patterned barriers. InN NW-based back-gated field effect transistors (FETs) showed excellent gate control and drain current saturation behaviors. Both NW conductance and carrier mobility calculated from the FET characteristics were found to increase regularly with a decrease in NW diameter. The observed mobility and conductivity variations have been modeled by considering NW surface and core conduction paths.

Intracellular Targeting Specificity Of Novel Phthalocyanines Assessed In A Host-Parasite Model For Developing Potential Photodynamic Medicine, Sujoy Dutta, Benson G. Ongarora, Hairong Li, Maria Graca H. Da Vicente, Bala K. Kolli, Kwang Poo Chang

Faculty Publications

Photodynamic therapy, unlikely to elicit drug-resistance, deserves attention as a strategy to counter this outstanding problem common to the chemotherapy of all diseases. Previously, we have broadened the applicability of this modality to photodynamic vaccination by exploiting the unusual properties of the trypanosomatid protozoa, Leishmania, i.e., their innate ability of homing to the phagolysosomes of the antigen-presenting cells and their selective photolysis therein, using transgenic mutants endogenously inducible for porphyrin accumulation. Here, we extended the utility of this host-parasite model for in vitro photodynamic therapy and vaccination by exploring exogenously supplied photosensitizers. Seventeen novel phthalocyanines (Pcs) were screened in vitro …

Bobcats Do Not Exhibit Rub Response Despite Presence At Hair Collection Stations, Chirstopher E. Comer, Symmank M. E., James C. Kroll

Faculty Publications

We evaluated the detection rate for hair snare sampling for bobcats (Lynx rufus) using colocated hair snares and infrared-triggered cameras at 20 locations on private property in eastern Texas. Hair snares and cameras were placed together at survey stations that included both visual and olfactory attractants. In 1,680 trap-nights we photographically documented 15 visits by bobcats but collected only one bobcat hair sample. Our observations suggested limited rubbing behavior by bobcats at hair snares despite presence at hair collection stations. The explanation for this behavior remains unclear but is consistent with observations of low and variable hair trap …

Aintegumenta And Aintegumenta-Like6 Regulate Auxin-Mediated Flower Development In Arabidopsis, Beth A. Krizek

Faculty Publications

Background: Two related genes encoding AP2/ERF-type transcription factors, AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) and AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 (AIL6), are important regulators of floral growth and patterning in Arabidopsis. Evidence suggests that these genes promote several aspects of flower development in response to auxin. To investigate the interplay of ANT, AIL6 and auxin during floral development, I have examined the phenotypic consequences of disrupting polar auxin transport in ant, ail6 and ant ail6 mutants by either genetic or chemical means.

Results: Plants containing mutations in ANT or AIL6 alone or in both genes together exhibit increased sensitivity to disruptions in polar auxin transport. …

Thermal Adaptation Of Net Ecosystem Exchange, W. Yuan, Y. Luo, S. Liang, G. Yu, S. Niu, P. Stoy, J. Chen, A. R. Desai, A. Lindroth, C. M. Gough, R. Ceulemans, A. Arain, C. Bernhofer, B. Cook, D. R. Cook, D. Dragoni, B. Gielen, I. A. Janssens, B. Longdoz, H. Liu, M. Lund, G. Matteucci, E. Moors, Ruth K. Varner

Faculty Publications

Thermal adaptation of gross primary production and ecosystem respiration has been well documented over broad thermal gradients. However, no study has examined their interaction as a function of temperature, i.e. the thermal responses of net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE). In this study, we constructed temperature response curves of NEE against temperature using 380 site-years of eddy covariance data at 72 forest, grassland and shrubland ecosystems located at latitudes ranging from ~29° N to 64° N. The response curves were used to define two critical temperatures: transition temperature (Tb) at which ecosystem transfer from carbon source to sink and optimal …

A Theoretical Model Of Multi-Agent Quantum Computing, F. Matthew Mihelic

Faculty Publications

The best design for practical quantum computing is one that emulates the multi-agent quantum logic function of natural biological systems. Such systems are theorized to be based upon a quantum gate formed by a nucleic acid Szilard engine (NASE) that converts Shannon entropy of encountered molecules into useful work of nucleic acid geometric reconfiguration. This theoretical mechanism is logically and thermodynamically reversible in this special case because it is literally constructed out of the (nucleic acid) information necessary for its function, thereby allowing the nucleic acid Szilard engine to function reversibly because, since the information by which it functions exists …

Cooperative Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Translocation Strategy Throughout The Southeast, Robert J. Warren, C. Joseph Nairn

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Iron-Sulfur Proteins Are The Major Source Of Protein-Bound Dinitrosyl Iron Complexes Formed In Escherichia Coli Cells Under Nitric Oxide Stress, Aaron P. Landry, Xuewu Duan, Hao Huang, Huangen Ding

Faculty Publications

Protein-bound dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) have been observed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells under nitric oxide (NO) stress. The identity of proteins that bind DNICs, however, still remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that iron-sulfur proteins are the major source of protein-bound DNICs formed in Escherichia coli cells under NO stress. Expression of recombinant iron-sulfur proteins, but not proteins without iron-sulfur clusters, almost doubles the amount of protein-bound DNICs formed in E. coli cells after NO exposure. Purification of recombinant proteins from the NO-exposed E. coli cells further confirms that iron-sulfur proteins, but not proteins without iron-sulfur clusters, are modified, forming …

Branchless Trichomes Links Cell Shape And Cell Cycle Control In Arabidopsis Trichomes, Remmy Kasili, Cho Chun Huang, Jason D. Walker, L. Alice Simmons, Jing Zhou, Chris Faulk, Martin Hülskamp, John C. Larkin

Faculty Publications

Endoreplication, also called endoreduplication, is a modified cell cycle in which DNA is repeatedly replicated without subsequent cell division. Endoreplication is often associated with increased cell size and specialized cell shapes, but the mechanism coordinating DNA content with shape and size remains obscure. Here we identify the product of the BRANCHLESS TRICHOMES (BLT) gene, a protein of hitherto unknown function that has been conserved throughout angiosperm evolution, as a link in coordinating cell shape and nuclear DNA content in endoreplicated Arabidopsis trichomes. Loss-of-function mutations in BLT were found to enhance the multicellular trichome phenotype of mutants in the SIAMESE (SIM) …

Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Simian Retrovirus Type 2 Vaccine Protects Macaques From Detectable Infection And B-Cell Destruction, Rajeev Gautam, Arun Iyer, Meredith Hunter, Arpita Das, Tessa Williams, Jason Dufour, Cristian Apetrei, K. Gus Kousoulas, Preston A. Marx

Faculty Publications

Natural infection with simian retrovirus (SRV) has long been recognized in rhesus macaques (RMs) and may result in an AIDS-like disease. Importantly, SRV infections persist as a problem in recently imported macaques. Therefore, there is a clear need to control SRV spread in macaque colonies. We developed a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-SRV vaccine consisting of replication-competent hybrid VSVs that express SRV gag and env in separate vectors. The goal of this study was to assess the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the VSV-SRV serotype 2 vaccine prime-boost approach in RMs. The VSV-SRV vector (expressing either SRV gag or env) …

Reading Te Leaves: New Approaches To The Identification Of Transposable Element Insertions, David A. Ray, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

Transposable elements (TEs) are a tremendous source of genome instability and genetic variation. Of particular interest to investigators of human biology and human evolution are retrotransposon insertions that are recent and/or polymorphic in the human population. As a consequence, the ability to assay large numbers of polymorphic TEs in a given genome is valuable. Five recent manuscripts each propose methods to scan whole human genomes to identify, map, and, in some cases, genotype polymorphic retrotransposon insertions in multiple human genomes simultaneously. These technologies promise to revolutionize our ability to analyze human genomes for TE-based variation important to studies of human …

Host Specificity Of Anthonomus Tenebrosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), A Potential Biological Control Agent Of Tropical Soda Apple (Solanaceae) In Florida, J. Medal, N. Bustamante, E. Bredow, H. Pedrosa, W. Overholt, R. Díaz, J. Cuda

Faculty Publications

Multiple-choice and no-choice tests were conducted at the Florida Department of Agriculture quarantine facility to determine the host specificity of the South American flower bud weevil, Anthonomus tenebrosus Boheman, intended for biological control of the exotic weed tropical soda apple (TSA), Solanum viarum Dunal in Florida, USA. Ninety-one plant species in 21 families were included in multiple-choice feeding and oviposition experiments, including the target weed and the 6 major cultivated Solanaceae: bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), chili pepper (C. frutescens L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Plant bouquets …

Assessing The Risk Of Second Malignancies After Modern Radiotherapy, Wayne D. Newhauser, Marco Durante

Faculty Publications

Recent advances in radiotherapy have enabled the use of different types of particles, such as protons and heavy ions, as well as refinements to the treatment of tumours with standard sources (photons). However, the risk of second cancers arising in long-term survivors continues to be a problem. The long-term risks from treatments such as particle therapy have not yet been determined and are unlikely to become apparent for many years. Therefore, there is a need to develop risk assessments based on our current knowledge of radiation-induced carcinogenesis. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Convection Enhanced Delivery Of Carboranylporphyrins For Neutron Capture Therapy Of Brain Tumors, Shinji Kawabata, Weilian Yang, Rolf F. Barth, Gong Wu, Tianyao Huo, Peter J. Binns, Kent J. Riley, Owendi Ongayi, Vijay Gottumukkala, M. Graça H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is based on the nuclear capture and fission reactions that occur when non-radioactive 10B is irradiated with low energy thermal neutrons to produce α-particles ( 10B[n,α]7Li). Carboranylporphyrins are a class of substituted porphyrins containing multiple carborane clusters. Three of these compounds, designated H2TBP, H2TCP, and H2DCP, have been evaluated in the present study. The goals were two-fold. First, to determine their biodistribution following intracerebral (i.c.) administration by short term (30 min) convection enhanced delivery (CED) or sustained delivery over 24 h by Alzet™ osmotic pumps to F98 glioma bearing rats. Second, to determine the efficacy …

Identification Of A Novel Gene, Cia6, Required For Normal Pyrenoid Formation In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Yunbing Ma, Steve V. Pollock, Ying Xiao, Khrishen Cunnusamy, James V. Moroney

Faculty Publications

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii possesses a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) that allows the alga to grow at low CO2 concentrations. One common feature seen in photosynthetic organisms possessing a CCM is the tight packaging of Rubisco within the cell. In many eukaryotic algae, Rubisco is localized to the pyrenoid, an electron-dense structure within the chloroplast. In order to identify genes required for a functional CCM, insertional Bleomycin resistance (BleR) mutants were generated and screened for growth on minimal medium under high CO2 conditions (5% CO2 in air) but only slow or no growth under very low CO2 conditions (0.01% CO2 in air). One …

Developing Resistance To Aflatoxin In Maize And Cottonseed, Jeffrey W. Cary, Kanniah Rajasekaran, Robert L. Brown, Meng Luo, Zhi Yuan Chen, Deepak Bhatnagar

Faculty Publications

At this time, no ''magic bullet'' for solving the aflatoxin contamination problem in maize and cottonseed has been identified, so several strategies must be utilized simultaneously to ensure a healthy crop, free of aflatoxins. The most widely explored strategy for the control of aflatoxin contamination is the development of preharvest host resistance. This is because A. flavus infects and produces aflatoxins in susceptible crops prior to harvest. In maize production, the host resistance strategy has gained prominence because of advances in the identification of natural resistance traits. However, native resistance in maize to aflatoxin contamination is polygenic and complex and, …

Laboratory Toxicity And Field Efficacy Of Selected Insecticides Against Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Jarrod T. Hardke, Joshua H. Temple, B. Rogers Leonard, Ryan E. Jackson

Faculty Publications

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is an occasional but often serious pest of several row crops in the southern U.S., including cotton, field corn, and grain sorghum. The objective of these studies was to generate baseline dose-mortality responses for fall armyworm larvae in laboratory bioassays, to confirm field efficacy against natural infestations, and to determine residual efficacy of selected insecticides. These studies evaluated 4 recently developed insecticides (chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, flubendiamide, and spinetoram) and 5 commercial standards (indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, methoxyfenozide, novaluron, and spinosad). In diet-incorporated assays, the LC 50 values of chlorantranilprole and spinetoram were significantly lower than the …

Combined Admixture Mapping And Association Analysis Identifies A Novel Blood Pressure Genetic Locus On 5p13: Contributions From The Care Consortium, Xiaofeng Zhu, J. H. Young, Ervin Fox, Brendan J. Keating, Nora Franceschini, Sunjung Kang, Bamidele Tayo, Adebowale Adeyemo, Yun V. Sun, Yali Li, Alanna Morrison, Christopher Newton-Cheh, Kiang Liu, Santhi K. Ganesh, Abdullah Kutlar, Ramachandran S. Vasan, Albert Dreisbach, Sharon Wyatt, Joseph Polak, Walter Palmas, Solomon Musani, Herman Taylor, Richard Fabsitz, Raymond R. Townsend, Daniel Dries, Joseph Glessner, Charleston W.K. Chiang, Thomas Mosley, Sharon Kardia, David Curb, Joel N. Hirschhorn, Charles Rotimi, Alexander Reiner

Faculty Publications

Admixture mapping based on recently admixed populations is a powerful method to detect disease variants with substantial allele frequency differences in ancestral populations. We performed admixture mapping analysis for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), followed by trait-marker association analysis, in 6303 unrelated African-American participants of the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe) consortium. We identified five genomic regions (P < 0.001) harboring genetic variants contributing to inter-individual BP variation. In follow-up association analyses, correcting for all tests performed in this study, three loci were significantly associated with SBP and one significantly associated with DBP (P < 10-5). Further analyses suggested that six independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) contributed to the phenotypic variation observed in the admixture mapping analysis. These six SNPs were examined for replication in multiple, large, independent studies of African-Americans [Women's Health Initiative (WHI), Maywood, Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) and Howard University Family Study (HUFS)] as well as one native African sample (Nigerian study), with a total replication sample size of 11 882. Meta-analysis of the replication set identified a novel variant (rs7726475) on chromosome 5 between the SUB1 and NPR3 genes, as being associated with SBP and DBP (P < 0.0015 for both); in meta-analyses combining the CARe samples with the replication data, we observed P-values of 4.45 × 10-7 for SBP and 7.52 × 10-7 for DBP for rs7726475 that were significant after accounting for all the tests performed. Our study highlights that admixture mapping analysis can help identify genetic variants missed by genomewide association studies because of drastically reduced number of tests in the whole genome. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press.

Association Of Genetic Variation With Systolic And Diastolic Blood Pressure Among African Americans: The Candidate Gene Association Resource Study, Ervin R. Fox, J. Hunter Young, Yali Li, Albert W. Dreisbach, Brendan J. Keating, Solomon K. Musani, Kiang Liu, Alanna C. Morrison, Santhi Ganesh, Abdullah Kutlar, Vasan S. Ramachandran, Josef F. Polak, Richard R. Fabsitz, Daniel L. Dries, Deborah N. Farlow, Susan Redline, Adebowale Adeyemo, Joel N. Hirschorn, Yan V. Sun, Sharon B. Wyatt, Alan D. Penman, Walter Palmas, Jerome I. Rotter, Raymond R. Townsend, Ayo P. Doumatey, Bamidele O. Tayo, Thomas H. Mosley, Helen N. Lyon, Sun J. Kang, Charles N. Rotimi, Richard S. Cooper, Nora Franceschini, J. David Curb

Faculty Publications

The prevalence of hypertension in African Americans (AAs) is higher than in other US groups; yet, few have performed genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in AA. Among people of European descent, GWASs have identified genetic variants at 13 loci that are associated with blood pressure. It is unknown if these variants confer susceptibility in people of African ancestry. Here, we examined genome-wide and candidate gene associations with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) using the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe) consortium consisting of 8591 AAs. Genotypes included genome-wide singlenucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data utilizing the Affymetrix 6.0 array with …

Projecting Climate Change Effects On Forest Net Primary Productivity In Subtropical Louisiana, Usa, Fugui Wang, Y. Jun Xu, Thomas J. Dean

Faculty Publications

This study projected responses of forest net primary productivity (NPP) to three climate change scenarios at a resolution of 5 km × 5 km across the state of Louisiana, USA. In addition, we assessed uncertainties associated with the NPP projection at the grid and state levels. Climate data of the scenarios were derived from Community Climate System Model outputs. Changes in annual NPP between 2000 and 2050 were projected with the forest ecosystem model PnET-II. Results showed that forest productivity would increase under climate change scenarios A1B and A2, but with scenario B1, it would peak during 2011-2020 and then …

Hub City Steps: Methods And Early Findings From A Community-Based Participatory Research Trial To Reduce Blood Pressure Among African Americans, Jamie M. Zoellner, Carol L. Connell, Michael B. Madson, Bo Wang, Vickie Blakely Reed, Elaine F. Molaison, M. Kathleen Yadrick

Faculty Publications

Background: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been recognized as an important approach to develop and execute health interventions among marginalized populations, and a key strategy to translate research into practice to help reduce health disparities. Despite growing interest in the CBPR approach, CBPR initiatives rarely use experimental or other rigorous research designs to evaluate health outcomes. This behavioral study describes the conceptual frameworks, methods, and early findings related to the reach, adoption, implementation, and effectiveness on primary blood pressure outcomes.

Methods: The CBPR, social support, and motivational interviewing frameworks are applied to test treatment effects of a two-phased CBPR walking …

Compressibility Effects Of Extended Formation Flight, Andrew Ning, Ilan Kroo

Faculty Publications

Aircraft flown in formations may realize significant reductions in induced drag by flying in regions of wake upwash. However, most transports fly at transonic speeds and compressibility effects in formation flight are not well understood. This study uses an Euler solver to analyze the inviscid aerodynamic forces and moments of transonic wing/body configurations flying in a 2-aircraft formation. We consider formations with large streamwise separation distances (10-50 wingspans) in an arrangement we term extended formation flight. Compressibility-related drag penalties in formation flight may be eliminated by slowing 2-3% below the nominal out-of-formation drag divergence Mach number, at fixed lift coefficient …

Thermodynamics Of Dna Hybridization On Surfaces, Terry J. Schmitt, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

Hybridization of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) targets to surface-tethered ssDNA probes was simulated using an advanced coarse-grain model to identify key factors that influence the accuracy of DNA microarrays. Comparing behavior in the bulk and on the surface showed, contrary to previous assumptions, that hybridization on surfaces is more thermodynamically favorable than in the bulk. In addition, the effects of stretching or compressing the probe strand were investigated as a model system to test the hypothesis that improving surface hybridization will improve microarray performance. The results in this regard indicate that selectivity can be increased by reducing overall sensitivity by a …

Tryptophan Degradation In Women With Breast Cancer: A Pilot Study, Debra E. Lyon, Jeanne M. Walter, Angela R. Starkwater, Christine M. Schubert, Nancy L. Mccain

Faculty Publications

Background: Altered tryptophan metabolism and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity are linked to cancer development and progression. In addition, these biological factors have been associated with the development and severity of neuropsychiatric syndromes, including major depressive disorder. However, this biological mechanism associated with both poor disease outcomes and adverse neuropsychiatric symptoms has received little attention in women with breast cancer. Therefore, a pilot study was undertaken to compare levels of tryptophan and other proteins involved in tryptophan degradation in women with breast cancer to women without cancer, and secondarily, to examine levels in women with breast cancer over the course of chemotherapy. …