Digital Commons Network^™

Interactions Between Bacterial Carbon Monoxide And Hydrogen Consumption And Plant Development On Recent Volcanic Deposits, Gary M. King, Carolyn F. Weber

Faculty Publications

Patterns of microbial colonization and interactions between microbial processes and vascular plants on volcanic deposits have received little attention. Previous reports have shown that atmospheric CO and hydrogen contribute significantly to microbial metabolism on Kilauea volcano (Hawaii) deposits with varied ages and successional development. Relationships between CO oxidation and plant communities were not clear, however, since deposit age and vegetation status covaried. To determine plant-microbe interactions in deposits of uniform ages, CO and hydrogen dynamics have been assayed for unvegetated tephra on a 1959 deposit at Puu Puai (PP-bare), at the edge of tree islands within the PP deposit (PP-edge) …

Cellular Uptake And Lysosomal Delivery Of Galactocerebrosidase Tagged With The Hiv Tat Protein Transduction Domain, Xian Yang Zhang, Annie Dinh, James Cronin, Su Chen Li, Jakob Reiser

Faculty Publications

A number of studies have shown that a short peptide, the protein transduction domain (PTD) derived from the HIV-1 Tat protein (Tat-PTD) improved cellular uptake in vitro and distribution in vivo of recombinant proteins bearing such PTDs when administered systemically. To investigate the effects of Tat-PTD addition on the subcellular localization of the lysosomal enzyme galactocerebrosidase (GALC, EC 3.2.2.46) and with a view towards designing improved therapeutic strategies for Krabbe disease (globoid cell leukodystrophy), mouse GALC was tagged C-terminally with the Tat-PTD. Compared with unmodified GALC, GALC bearing a Tat-PTD, a myc epitope and 6 consecutive His residues [GALC-TMH (Tat-PTD, …

Effects Of Cyclic Hypoxia On Gene Expression And Reproduction In A Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes Pugio, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, C. Steve Manning, Vishal Patel, Nancy D. Denslow, Marius Brouwer

Faculty Publications

Cyclic changes in dissolved oxygen occur naturally in shallow estuarine systems, yet little is known about the adaptations and responses of estuarine organisms to cyclic hypoxia. Here we examine the responses of Palaemonetes pugio, a species of grass shrimp, to cyclic hypoxia (1.5-8 mg/l dissolved oxygen; 4.20-22.42 kPa) at both the molecular and organismal levels. We measured alterations in gene expression in hepatopancreas tissue of female grass shrimp using custom cDNA macroarrays. After short-term (3-d) exposure to cyclic hypoxia, mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) was upregulated and 70-kd heat shock proteins (HSP70) were downregulated. After 7-d exposure, nuclear genes encoding …

Expression And Evolutionary Relationships Of The Chenopodium Quinoa 11s Seed Storage Protein Gene, Mikel Stevens, Peter J. Maughan, Daniel J. Fairbanks, Marie R. B. Balzotti, Jennifer N. Thornton, David A. Mcclellan, Eric N. Jellen, Craig E. Coleman

Faculty Publications

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a food crop cultivated by subsistence farmers and commercial growers on the high Andean plateau, primarily in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. Present interest in quinoa is due to its tolerance of harsh environments and its nutritional value. It is thought that the seed storage proteins of quinoa, particularly the 11S globulins and 2S albumins, are responsible for the relatively high protein content and ideal amino acid balance of the quinoa seed. Here we report the genomic and cDNA sequences for two 11S genes representing two orthologous loci from the quinoa genome. Important features of the …

Open Educational Resources: Enabling Universal Education, David Wiley, Tom Caswell, Shelley Henson, Marion Jensen

Faculty Publications

The role of distance education is shifting. Traditionally distance education was limited in the number of people served because of production, reproduction, and distribution costs. Today, while it still costs the university time and money to produce a course, technology has made it such that reproduction costs are almost non-existent. This shift has significant implications, and allows distance educators to play an important role in the fulfillment of the promise of the right to universal education. At little or no cost, universities can make their content available to millions. This content has the potential to substantially improve the quality of …

Oligocene Deep Water Export From The North Atlantic And The Development Of The Antarctic Circumpolar Current Examined With Neodymium Isotopes, Howie Scher, Ellen E. Martin

Faculty Publications

Neodymium (Nd) isotopes were measured on 181 samples of fossil fish teeth recovered from Oligocene toMiocene sections at Ocean Drilling Program Site 1090 (3700 m water depth) on Agulhas Ridge in the Atlanticsector of the Southern Ocean. A long-term decreasing trend toward less radiogenic Nd isotope compositionsdominates the record. This trend is interrupted by shifts toward more radiogenic compositions near the early/lateOligocene boundary and the Oligocene/Miocene boundary. Overall, eNd values at Agulhas Ridge are moreradiogenic than at other Atlantic locations, and are similar to those at Indian Ocean locations. The pattern ofvariability is remarkably similar to Nd isotope results from …

Determination Of Pharmacologically Active Compounds In Root Extracts Of Cassia Alata L. By Use Of High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Vivian E. Fernand, David T. Dinh, Samuel J. Washington, Sayo O. Fakayode, Jack N. Losso, Rick O. Van Ravenswaay, Isiah M. Warner

Faculty Publications

A simple high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the determination of six phenolic compounds, five anthraquinones (rhein, aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion) and a flavonoid (kaempferol), in root extracts from Cassia alata L. Solid-phase extraction, using C18 cartridges, was used to remove interfering substances from the root extracts. The extracts were analyzed on a C18 column using an isocratic mobile phase which consisted of acetonitrile, methanol, and 10 mM aqueous ammonium acetate (25:55:20, v/v). Identification of the analytes was performed by use of standards and on-line mass spectrometric detection using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. The …

Bis(1-Tosyl-2-Pyrrolyl)Ethyne, Hillary K. Tanui, Frank R. Fronczek, M. Graça H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

The title mol-ecule, C24H20N2O4S2, has crystallographic inversion symmetry with a triple-bond distance of 1.206 (2) Å. The alkyne is not quite linear, with a C - C C angle of 175.78 (16)°. The planar pyrrole rings are parallel but offset from coplanarity by 0.318 (1) Å. The conformation of the sulfonyl group with respect to the pyrrole ring is such that an O atom is nearly eclipsed with this ring, having an O - S - N - C torsion angle of 3.48 (11)°. C - H⋯O inter-actions [C⋯O 3.278 (2) Å, 136° about H] between pyrrole H and sulfonyl …

A Threading-Based Method (Findsite) For Ligand-Binding Site Prediction And Functional Annotation, Michal Brylinski, Jeffrey Skolnick

Faculty Publications

The detection of ligand-binding sites is often the starting point for protein function identification and drug discovery. Because of inaccuracies in predicted protein structures, extant binding pocketdetection methods are limited to experimentally solved structures. Here, FINDSITE, a method for ligand-binding site prediction and functional annotation based on binding-site similarity across groups of weakly homologous template structures identified from threading, is described. For crystal structures, considering a cutoff distance of 4 Å as the hit criterion, the success rate is 70.9% for identifying the best of top five predicted ligand-binding sites with a ranking accuracy of 76.0%. Both high prediction accuracy …

Early Life Determinants Of Physical Activity In 11 To 12 Year Olds: Cohort Study, Calum Mattocks, Kevin Deere, Sam D. Leary, Andy R. Ness, Kate Tilling, Steven N. Blair, Chris J. Riddoch

Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine factors in early life (up to age 5 years) that are associated with objectively measured physical activity in 11-12 year olds.

Design: Prospective cohort study

Setting: Avon longitudinal study of parents and children, United Kingdom.

Participants: Children aged 11-12 years from the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children.

Main outcome measure: Physical activity levels in counts per minute (cpm) and minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for seven days measured with a uniaxial actigraph accelerometer.

Results: Valid actigraph data, defined as at least three days of physical activity for at least 10 hours a day, …

Resisting The Human Need For Enemies, Or What Would Harry Potter Do?, Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

Most mass-mediated popular cultures surround us with enemies, offering up vivid depictions of a world seen as either “for us” or “against us.” Christian faith, on the other hand, draws us towards love even in the presence of hatred. A close look at the surprisingly countercultural world of Harry Potter provides some ways forward in walking the path of love.

Watershed Forest Management Information System (Wfmis), Yanli Zhang, P. K. Barten

Faculty Publications

Maintenance of a sustainable clean water supply is critical for our future. However, watershed degradation is a common phenomenon around the world that leads to poor water quality. In order to protect water resources, the Watershed Forest Management Information System (WFMIS), was developed as an extension of ArcGIS® and is described in this paper. There are three submodels to address nonpoint source pollution mitigation, road system management, and silvicultural operations, respectively. The Watershed Management Priority Indices (WMPI) is a zoning approach to prioritize critical areas for conservation and restoration management. It meets the critical need to spatially differentiate land cover …

Microfluidic Devices For Terahertz Spectroscopy Of Biomolecules, P. A. George, W. Hui, F. Rana, Benjamin G. Hawkins, A. E. Smith, B. J. Kirby

Faculty Publications

We demonstrate microfluidic devices for terahertz spectroscopy of biomolecules in aqueous solutions. The devices are fabricated out of a plastic material that is both mechanically rigid and optically transparent with near-zero dispersion in the terahertz frequency range. Using a low-power terahertz time-domain spectrometer, we experimentally measure the absorption spectra of the vibrational modes of bovine serum albumin from 0.5–2.5 THz and find good agreement with previously reported data obtained using large-volume solutions and a high-power free-electron laser. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of performing high sensitivity terahertz spectroscopy of biomolecules in aqueous solutions with detectable molecular quantities as small as …

Pison Menkei, A New Crabronid Wasp In Dominican Amber, Daniel J. Bennett, Michael S. Engel

Faculty Publications

A new crabronid wasp species, Pison menkei sp. n., is described and figured from a single female preserved in Early Miocene (Burdigalian) Dominican amber. The fossil is herein distinguished from extant and extinct congeners and regarded as an isolated species removed from modern Neotropical species groups. It is the seventh named fossil Pison and the second from Dominican amber.

Rapid Detection Of Avian Eimeria Species Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, Alexandra Martynova-Van Kley, A. Syvyk, I. Teplova, M. E. Hume, A. Nalian

Faculty Publications

A denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) assay was developed to rapidly discriminate species of avian Eimeria. Amplification by PCR of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (approximately 1,600 nucleotides) with Eimeria genus-specific primers followed by cloning and sequencing allowed us to carry out phylogenetic analyses and identify clone sequences to species level in most cases. Clones were subsequently used to amplify a smaller fragment (approximately 120 nucleotides) suitable for DGGE. The fragments were separated on denaturing gradient gel and bands with unique migration distances were mixed to obtain an identification ladder. The identification ladder and PCR products obtained from …

Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis As A Tool To Determine Batch Similarity Of Probiotic Cultures Of Porcine Cecal Bacteria, Michael Hume, Charles M. Scanlan, Roger B. Harvey, Kathleen Andrews, James D. Snodgrass, Armen Nalian, Alexandra Martynova-Van Kley, David Nisbet

Faculty Publications

A continuous-flow porcine cecal bacterial culture has been used experimentally as treatment against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in weanling pigs. Periodically, the cultures must be started from frozen stock. Our results indicate that denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis can be applied as an indirect indication of culture similarity for each new batch generated from frozen stock.

Sexual Selection And Alternative Reproductive Tactics In Cyprinodon Elegans, Jennifer M. Gumm

Faculty Publications

In systems with alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), males have discrete behaviors and morphologies that allow them to optimize their reproductive success in relation to others in the population. Males with different phenotypes directly compete with one another for mates, providing unique opportunities for studying social interactions within a species. Using the Comanche Springs pupfish, Cyprinodonelegans, a species with three alternative reproductive tactics, I examine how male behaviors and social interactions influence the reproductive success of each tactic.

Previous studies suggest that large territorial males have high reproductive success, while satellite males and female mimics must intrude into territories in order …

2c Dna Content Values In Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae) [Abstract], Donald B. Pratt, Shalini N. Jhangiani, Robert J. Wiggers

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development And Characterization Of Microsatellite Markers For The Grain Amaranths [Abstract], Melanie A. Mallory, Rozaura V. Hall, Andrea R. Mcnabb, Donald B. Pratt, Eric N. Jellen, Peter J. Maughan

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Singlet Oxygen Chemistry In Water:  A Porous Vycor Glasssupported Photosensitizer, David Aebisher, Nikolay S. Azar, Matibur Zamadar, Naveen Gandra, Harry D. Gafney, Roumei Gao, Alexander Greer

Faculty Publications

Singlet molecular oxygen [1O2 (1Δg)] is generated cleanly in aqueous solution upon irradiation of a heterogeneous complex, meso-tetra(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine (1) adsorbed onto porous Vycor glass (PVG). The cationic photosensitizer 1 tightly binds onto PVG and gives a stable material, which does not dissociate 1 into the surrounding aqueous phase. The production of 1O2 was measured by monitoring the time-resolved 1O2 (1Δg) phosphorescence at 1270 nm. Indirect analysis of 1O2 generation was also carried out with the photooxidation oftrans-2-methyl-2-pentenoate anion, which afforded the corresponding hydroperoxide. Sensitizer-1-impregnated PVG gives rise to a new singlet …

Irrational Exuberance For Babies: The Taste For Heterosexuality And Its Conspicuous Reproduction, Jose M. Gabilondo

Faculty Publications

This article targets a flying buttress of normative heterosexuality: its physical reproduction via procreation and its symbolic propagation through parents' pre-natal preferences for heterosexuality in future children. While the parental "taste for heterosexuality" is often asserted for the sake of future children themselves, this justification overlooks the role of parental self-interest, including anticipated social gains to parents from heterosexuality in children. Hence the taste sets the stage both for sexual orientation-based abuse of future children and the devaluation of sexual minority adults. Courts too have a taste for heterosexuality, shown here in two state court cases denying gays and lesbians …

Disparities In Use Of Mental Health And Substance Abuse Services By Asian And Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander Women, Van M. Ta Park, H. S. Juon, A. C. Gielen, D. Steinwachs, A. Duggan

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if disparities exist in lifetime utilization of mental health/substance abuse services among Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) and white mothers. The study sample was comprised of mothers assessed to be at-risk (n = 491) and not at-risk (n = 218) for child maltreatment in the Hawaii Healthy Start Program study. Multiple logistic regression models were used to test the effects of predisposing, need, and enabling factors on utilization of services. Results revealed that, among mothers with depressive symptoms, compared with whites, Asians and NHOPI were significantly less likely to have received …

Freeriders And Diversity In The Legal Academy: A New Dirty Dozen List, Ediberto Román, Christopher B. Carbot

Faculty Publications

Latina and Latino student enrollment in U.S. law schools the last few decades has increased. This increase, however, has not resulted in a comparable increase in Latino and Latina law professors. To foster diversity in law school faculties and to increase Latina representation, the “Dirty Dozen List” was published. The List was comprised of the top twelve U.S. law schools located in high Latina populated areas but lacking a single Latina professor on the faculty. The List served to increase awareness of the lack of diversity at some of the nation’s top legal institutions, as well as “shame” these schools …

Stakeholder Governance: A Bad Idea Getting Worse, George W. Dent

Faculty Publications

Calls for a stakeholder voice in corporate governance never end, as evidenced by the Symposium Corporations and Their Communities to which this paper is a contribution. The demise of labor unions and explosion of executive compensation while the income of most Americans has stagnated over the last several years has precipitated cries for remedial action, some of which include stakeholder governance. Although complaints about deepening inequality are just, other remedies should be pursued. The traditional objections to stakeholder governance remain valid: the interests of stakeholder groups clash not only with those of the shareholders but also with each other, and …

Juvenile-To-Adult Antler Development In White-Tailed Deer In South Texas, James Kroll, Ben Koerth

Faculty Publications

Past studies using penned deer provide conflicting results on the age when reliable predictions about antler growth potential in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can be made. We captured wild whitetail males via aerial net gun on 12 ranches in 5 counties in south Texas, USA, from 1999 to 2007 to determine if a reliable juvenile-to-adult relationship in antler development existed. We individually marked and released captured animals at the trap site after we took antler and body measurements. We recaptured marked animals as possible in subsequent years or until we obtained final measurements after legal harvest. Amount of growth in …

Estimating Bobcat Abundance In East Texas Using Infrared-Triggered Cameras, Matthew E. Symmank, Christopher E. Comer, James C. Kroll

Faculty Publications

Reliable population estimation techniques for cryptic forest predators generally are lacking. Development of an efficient and reliable technique to estimate predator abundance directly would be a valuable tool for wildlife managers concerned with predator management. We evaluated the potential for camera survey techniques to provide abundance estimates for bobcats (Lynx rufus) in southeastern forest habitats. We also determined our ability to capture other forest carnivores photographically using these techniques. We used TrailMaster 1500 active infrared-triggered cameras to estimate abundance on a 1318-ha private land holding in eastern Texas. Camera stations were located along roads and wildlife travel corridors …

Science Books For Professional Pleasure Reading: Round Out Your Content Knowledge And Foster Interest In Science With This List, Grinell Smith

Faculty Publications

The article lists several science books, including "The Origin of Species," by Charles Darwin, "The Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-Universes Report," by Timothy Ferris and "Silent Spring," by Rachel Carson.

Child Psychosocial Adjustment And Parenting In Families Affected By Maternal Hiv/Aids, Tanya L. Tompkins, Gail E. Wyatt

Faculty Publications

Child adjustment and parenting were examined in 23 9-through 16-year-old youth from families affected by maternal HIV infection and 20 same-age peers whose mothers were not infected. Children whose mothers were seropositive reported significantly more externalizing problems. Infected mothers reported less age-appropriate supervision/monitoring relative to non-infected mothers. Better mother-child relationship quality and less impairment in parental supervision/monitoring of age-appropriate youth behaviors were associated with fewer externalizing difficulties among the HIV-positive group only. Similarly, only among HIV-infected mothers was refraining from engaging in inconsistent disciplinary tactics associated with lower reports of internalizing and externalizing problems. These data highlight the promise of …

Distinct Phospho-Forms Of Cortactin Differentially Regulate Actin Polymerization And Focal Adhesions, Anne E. Kruchten, Eugene W. Krueger, Yu Wang, Mark A. Mcniven

Faculty Publications

Cortactin is an actin-binding protein that is overexpressed in many cancers and is a substrate for both tyrosine and serine/threonine kinases. Tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin has been observed to increase cell motility and invasion in vivo, although it has been reported to have both positive and negative effects on actin polymerization in vitro. In contrast, serine phosphorylation of cortactin has been shown to stimulate actin assembly in vitro. Currently, the effects of cortactin serine phosphorylation on cell migration are unclear, and furthermore, how the distinct phospho-forms of cortactin may differentially contribute to cell migration has not been directly compared. Therefore, …

Bmp Signaling Goes Posttranscriptional In A Microrna Sort Of Way, Catherine A. Reinke, Richard W. Carthew

Faculty Publications

Aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression correlates with human diseases such as cardiac disorders and cancer. Treatment of such disorders using miRNA-targeted therapeutics requires a thorough understanding of miRNA regulation in vivo. A recent paper in Nature by Davis et al. expands our understanding of miRNA biogenesis and maturation, elucidating a mechanism by which extracellular signaling directs cell differentiation via posttranscriptional regulation of miRNA expression.