Digital Commons Network^™

Antagonisms, Mutualisms And Commensalisms Affect Outbreak Dynamics Of The Southern Pine Beetle, Richard W. Hofstetter, James T. Cronin, Kier D. Klepzig, John C. Moser, Matthew P. Ayres

Faculty Publications

Feedback from community interactions involving mutualisms are a rarely explored mechanism for generating complex population dynamics. We examined the effects of two linked mutualisms on the population dynamics of a beetle that exhibits outbreak dynamics. One mutualism involves an obligate association between the bark beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis and two mycangial fungi. The second mutualism involves Tarsonemus mites that are phoretic on D. frontalis ("commensal"), and a blue-staining fungus, Ophiostoma minus. The presence of O. minus reduces beetle larval survival ("antagonistic") by outcompeting beetle-mutualistic fungi within trees yet supports mite populations by acting as a nutritional mutualist. These linked interactions potentially …

Dbrip: A Highly Integrated Database Of Retrotransposon Insertion Polymorphisms In Humans, Jianxin Wang, Lei Song, Deepak Grover, Sami Azrak, Mark A. Batzer, Ping Liang

Faculty Publications

Retrotransposons constitute over 40% of the human genome and play important roles in the evolution of the genome. Since certain types of retrotransposons, particularly members of the Alu, L1, and SVA families, are still active, their recent and ongoing propagation generates a unique and important class of human genomic diversity/polymorphism (for the presence and absence of an insertion) with some elements known to cause genetic diseases. So far, over 2,300, 500, and 80 Alu, L1, and SVA insertions, respectively, have been reported to be polymorphic and many more are yet to be discovered. We present here the Database of Retrotransposon …

The Impact Of Data Quality On The Identification Of Complex Disease Genes: Experience From The Family Blood Pressure Program, Yen Pei Christy Chang, James Dae Ok Kim, Karen Schwander, Dabeeru C. Rao, Mike B. Miller, Alan B. Weder, Richard S. Cooper, Nicholas J. Schork, Michael A. Province, Alanna C. Morrison, Sharon L.R. Kardia, Thomas Quertermous, Aravinda Chakravarti

Faculty Publications

The application of genome-wide linkage scans to uncover susceptibility loci for complex diseases offers great promise for the risk assessment, treatment, and understanding of these diseases. However, for most published studies, linkage signals are typically modest and vary considerably from one study to another. The multicenter Family Blood Pressure Program has analyzed genome-wide linkage scans of over 12 000 individuals. Based on this experience, we developed a protocol for large linkage studies that reduces two sources of data error: pedigree structure and marker genotyping errors. We then used the linkage signals, before and after data cleaning, to illustrate the impact …

Effect Of Osmotic Immobilization On Refrigerated Storage And Cryopreservation Of Sperm From A Viviparous Fish, The Green Swordtail Xiphophorus Helleri, Huiping Yang, Leona Hazlewood, Ronald B. Walter, Terrence R. Tiersch

Faculty Publications

In this study, refrigerated storage and cryopreservation of sperm from the green swordtail Xiphophorus helleri were investigated. Previous cryopreservation research in this species utilized motile sperm because unlike in most fish species, Xiphophorus sperm can remain continuously motile after collection for a week with refrigerated storage. However, this species reproduces by internal fertilization, and given the significant requirements for motility within the female reproductive tract and potential limitations on sperm energetic capacities, immobilization of sperm prior to insemination could be used to improve fertilization success. Thus, the goal in this study was to use osmotic pressure to inhibit the motility …

Peptide Yy And Proglucagon Mrna Expression Patterns And Regulation In The Gut, Jun Zhou, Maren Hegsted, Kathleen L. Mccutcheon, Michael J. Keenan, Aochun Xi, Anne M. Raggio, Roy J. Martin

Faculty Publications

Objective: Peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 are important in the control of energy homeostasis and are both secreted from the gut in response to ingested nutrients. However, more studies are needed on nutrient regulation of their gene expression patterns in specific areas of the gut. This study detailed PYY and proglucagon (the gene that encodes glucagon-like peptide-1) gene expression patterns and regulation in the gut. We further examined the regulation of PYY and proglucagon mRNA by a diet containing fermentation- resistant starch (in vivo) and butyrate (in vitro). Research Methods and Procedures: Quantitative real time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction …

Regional Ocean Governance: The Perils Of Multiple-Use Management And The Promise Of Agency Diversity, Josh Eagle

Faculty Publications

Two high-level committees - the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission - have recently issued reports expressing grave concerns about the condition of America's oceans. In these reports, the commissions suggest that institutional flaws underlie current problems. Specifically, the commissions' views are that state and federal agencies with marine jurisdiction lack the mechanisms, and the incentives, to coordinate their management activities. Accordingly, both commissions recommend the creation of regional ocean governance bodies. Although the commissions' designs differ, their goal is the same: management that operates on a larger scale and incorporates more ocean interests. This article …

Antiestrogens Inhibit Xenoestrogen-Induced Brain Aromatase Activity But Do Not Prevent Xenoestrogen-Induced Feminization In Japanese Medaka (Oryzias Latipes), Adam J. Kuhl, Marius Brouwer

Faculty Publications

In fish, exposure to estrogen or estrogen-mimicking chemicals (xenoestrogeus)during a critical period of development can irreversibly invert sex differentiation. In medaka, a male-to-female reversal upon exposure to a xenoestrogen is accompanied by an increase in brain aromatase expression and activity. However, whether this increase is the direct cause of sex reversal is unknown. In this study we further examined the role brain aromatase plays in genesis of developmental abnormalities in response to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Further, the effects of a mixture of apparent antagonistic environmentally relevant EDCs on development were examined to determine if their combined actions could lessen each …

Gender Differences In The Relative Age Effect Among Us Olympic Development Program Youth Soccer Players, John Vincent, Francis D. Glamser

Faculty Publications

A large body of research has shown that a disproportionate number of elite youth male soccer players competing in age-segmented competition are born early in the selection year. The advantage of being born early in a cohort has been termed the "relative age effect''. Although there has been an exponential growth in women's soccer, few studies have examined the relative age effect in female youth soccer. This study compared the relative age effect of 1344 female and male youth soccer players considered by the US Olympic Development Program (ODP), in 2001, to be the most talented soccer players born in …

Re-Defining Superwoman: An Essay On Overcoming The "Maternal Wall" In The Legal Workplace, Nicole Buonocore Porter

Faculty Publications

As Professor Joan Williams comments, most women never even approach the glass ceiling; they are "stopped dead, long beforehand, by the maternal wall." The maternal wall affects women with children in many aspects of their jobs, including hiring, promotions, pay, and even terminations. It is difficult for mothers to perform as ideal workers, because pregnancy, maternity leave, and the continual demands of child-rearing inevitably cause them to be absent from work. In addition, because mothers are not similarly situated to men or women without children, courts permit employers to treat them differently, which usually means they are treated more poorly. …

Disability And Employment Discrimination At The Rehnquist Court, Anita Silvers, Michael E. Waterstone, Michael Ashley Stein

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

What Do Snowmobiles, Mercury Emissions, Greenhouse Gases, And Runoff Have In Common?: The Controversy Over "Junk Science", Linda A. Malone

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Focus Factor, B. Glenn George

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cognitive, Emotional, And Quality Of Life Outcomes In Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Ramona O. Hopkins, Joanne White, Eric W. Glissmehyer, Natalie Kitterman, C. Gregory Elliott

Faculty Publications

Background- The effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension on cardiovascular and physical function are well documented. Limited information exists regarding the effects of pulmonary arterial hypertension on cognitive function despite patient reports of problems with memory and attention. Our primary purpose was to determine if a prospectively identified cohort of pulmonary arterial hypertension patients had cognitive sequelae. Our secondary purpose was to determine the relationships between cognitive sequelae and neuropsychological test scores with depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Methods- Forty-six adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension underwent assessment of cognitive function, depression, anxiety, and quality of life using standardized neuropsychological tests …

Relationship Between River Size And Nutrient Removal, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Charles J. Vorosmarty, Bruce J. Peterson, Sybil P. Seitzinger, Charles S. Hopkinson

Faculty Publications

We present a conceptual approach for evaluating the biological and hydrological controls of nutrient removal in different sized rivers within an entire river network. We emphasize a per unit area biological parameter, the nutrient uptake velocity (νf), which is mathematically independent of river size in benthic dominated systems. Standardization of biological parameters from previous river network models to νf reveals the nature of river size dependant biological activity in these models. We explore how geomorphic, hydraulic, and biological factors control the distribution of nutrient removal in an idealized river network, finding that larger rivers within a basin potentially exert considerable …

Interactions Between N- And C-Terminal Domains Of The Saccharomyces Cerevisiae High-Mobility Group Protein Hmo1 Are Required For Dna Bending, Kevin T. Bauerle, Edwin Kamau, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae high-mobility group protein HMO1 is composed of two DNA-binding domains termed box A and box B, of which only box B is predicted to adopt a HMG fold, and a lysine-rich C-terminal extension. To assess the interaction between individual domains and their contribution to DNA binding, several HMO1 variants were analyzed. Using circular dichroism spectroscopy, thermal stability was measured. While the melting temperatures of HMO1-boxA and HMO1-boxB are 57.2 and 47.2 °C, respectively, HMO1-boxBC, containing box B and the entire C-terminal tail, melts at 46.1 °C, suggesting little interaction between box B and the tail. In contrast, …

The Structure Of Β-Carbonic Anhydrase From The Carboxysomal Shell Reveals A Distinct Subclass With One Active Site For The Price Of Two, Michael R. Sawaya, Gordon C. Cannon, Sabine Heinhorst, Shiho Tanaka, Eric B. Williams, Todd O. Yeates, Cheryl A. Kerfeld

Faculty Publications

CsoSCA (formerly CsoS3) is a bacterial carbonic anhydrase localized in the shell of a cellular microcompartment called the carboxysome, where it converts HCO^-₃ to CO₂ for use in carbon fixation by ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO). CsoSCA lacks significant sequence similarity to any of the four known classes of carbonic anhydrase (α, β, γ, or δ), and so it was initially classified as belonging to a new class, ϵ. The crystal structure of CsoSCA from Halothiobacillus neapolitanus reveals that it is actually a representative member of a new subclass of β-carbonic anhydrases, distinguished by a lack of active site …

No Variation And Low Synonymous Substitution Rates In Coral Mtdna Despite High Nuclear Variation, Michael E. Hellberg

Faculty Publications

Background: The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of most animals evolves more rapidly than nuclear DNA, and often shows higher levels of intraspecific polymorphism and population subdivision. The mtDNA of anthozoans (corals, sea fans, and their kin), by contrast, appears to evolve slowly. Slow mtDNA evolution has been reported for several anthozoans, however this slow pace has been difficult to put in phylogenetic context without parallel surveys of nuclear variation or calibrated rates of synonymous substitution that could permit quantitative rate comparisons across taxa. Here, I survey variation in the coding region of a mitochondrial gene from a coral species (Balanophyllia elegans) …

Association Between Tobacco Use And Body Mass Index In Urban Indian Population: Implications For Public Health In India, Mangesh S. Pednekar, Prakash C. Gupta, Heema C. Shukla, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

Background: Body mass index [BMI, weight (kg)/height (m2)], a measure of relative weight, is a good overall indicator of nutritional status and predictor of overall health. As in many developing countries, the high prevalence of very low BMIs in India represents an important public health risk. Tobacco, smoked in the form of cigarettes or bidis (handmade by rolling a dried rectangular piece of temburni leaf with 0.15–0.25 g of tobacco) or chewed, is another important determinant of health. Tobacco use also may exert a strong influence on BMI.

Methods: The relationship between very low BMI (< 18.5 kg/m2) and tobacco use was examined using data from a representative cross-sectional survey of 99,598 adults (40,071 men and 59,527 women) carried out in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) in western India. Participants were men and women aged ≥ 35 years who were residents of the main city of Mumbai.

Results: …

Racially-Tailored’ Medicine Unraveled, Sharona Hoffman

Faculty Publications

In June 2005, the FDA approved BiDil, a heart failure medication that is labeled for use only by African-Americans and thus is the first treatment of its kind. The drug likely portends a future of growing interest in "race-based" medicine. This phenomenon is emerging at the same time that scientists, in light of the Human Genome Project, are reaching an understanding that "race" has no biological meaning, and consequently, "racially-tailored" medicine is both puzzling and troubling.

This Article explores the reasons for the new focus on "racial-profiling" in medicine. It analyzes the risks and dangers of this approach, including medical …

Cytochrome P4501a Is Induced In Endothelial Cell Lines From The Kidney And Lung Of The Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus, Rita Anne Garrick, Bruce R. Woodin, Joanna Y. Wilson, Bobby L. Middlebrooks, John J. Stegman

Faculty Publications

Marine mammals respond to the presence of polycyclic and planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH or PHAH) with the induced expression in endothelium of cytochrome P4501A1, regulated through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) transcription factor. Physiological responses in other animals, such as edema and inflammation indicate that the endothelium may be compromised by exposure to AHR agonists, which are ubiquitous in the marine environment. In other mammals and fish the cellular and molecular consequences of exposure to AHR agonists have been elucidated in cultured endothelial cells. We have cultured and characterized cetacean endothelial cells (EC) and used them in induction studies. …

Responders’ Responsibility: Liability And Immunity In Public Health Emergencies, Sharona Hoffman

Faculty Publications

Many experts predict the advent of a public health emergency resulting from a flu pandemic or bioterrorism attack in the foreseeable future. At the same time, many health care providers express significant concern about liability arising from emergency response activities, because it is unlikely that they would be able to provide optimal care in crisis conditions. They also state that this concern will likely influence their willingness to be involved in response activities. This article addresses issues that have received little attention in the legal literature: liability and immunity in public health emergencies. The article provides a first-of-its-kind comprehensive analysis …

Disturbance-Mediated Trophic Interactions And Plant Performance, Bret D. Elderd

Faculty Publications

Disturbances, such as flooding, play important roles in determining community structure. Most studies of disturbances focus on the direct effects and, hence, the indirect effects of disturbances are poorly understood. Within terrestrial riparian areas, annual flooding leads to differences in the arthropod community as compared to non-flooded areas. In turn, these differences are likely to alter the survival, growth, and reproduction of plant species via an indirect effect of flooding (i.e., changes in herbivory patterns). To test for such effects, an experiment was conducted wherein arthropod predators and herbivores were excluded from plots in flooded and non-flooded areas and the …

Rapid Evolution Of A Recently Retroposed Transcription Factor Yy2 In Mammalian Genomes, Chunqing Luo, Xiaochen Lu, Lisa Stubbs, Joomyeong Kim

Faculty Publications

YY2 was originally identified due to its unusual similarity to the evolutionarily well-conserved zinc finger gene YY1. In this study, we have determined the evolutionary origin and conservation of YY2 using comparative genomic approaches. Our results indicate that YY2 is a retroposed copy of YY1 that has been inserted into another gene locus named Mbtps2 (membrane-bound transcription factor protease site 2). This retroposition is estimated to have occurred after the divergence of placental mammals from other vertebrates based on the detection of YY2 only in the placental mammals. The N- and C-terminal regions of YY2 have evolved under different selection …

Anthelmintic Resistance Of Gastrointestinal Parasites In Small Ruminants, Sherrill A. Fleming, Tom Craig, Ray M. Kaplan, James E. Miller, Christine Navarre, Mike Rings

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Anthelmintic Resistance Of Gastrointestinal Parasites In Small Ruminants, Sherrill A. Fleming, Tom Craig, Ray M. Kaplan, James E. Miller, Christine Navarre, Mike Rings

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Anthelmintic Resistance Of Gastrointestinal Parasites In Small Ruminants, Sherrill A. Fleming, Tom Craig, Ray M. Kaplan, James E. Miller, Christine Navarre, Mike Rings

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparative Phylogeography In A Genus Of Coral Reef Fishes: Biogeographic And Genetic Concordance In The Caribbean, Michael S. Taylor, Michael E. Hellberg

Faculty Publications

Geographic barriers that limit the movement of individuals between populations may create or maintain phylogenetically discrete lineages. Such barriers are often inferred from geographic surveys of a single mitochondrial marker to identify phylogenetic splits. Mitochondrial DNA, however, has an effective population size one-fourth that of nuclear DNA, which can facilitate the rapid evolution of monophyletic mtDNA lineages in the absence of geographic barriers. The identification of geographic barriers will thus be more robust if barriers are proposed a priori, and tested with multiple independent genetic markers in multiple species. Here, we tested two proposed marine biogeographic breaks located at the …

Allele-Specific Deposition Of Macroh2a1 In Imprinting Control Regions, Jung Ha Choo, Jeong Do Kim, Jae Hoon Chung, Lisa Stubbs, Joomyeong Kim

Faculty Publications

In the current study, we analyzed the deposition patterns of macroH2A1 at a number of different genomic loci located in X chromosome and autosomes. MacroH2A1 is preferentially deposited at methylated CpG-rich regions located close to promoters. The macroH2A1 deposition patterns at the methylated CpG islands of several imprinted domains, including the imprinting control regions (ICRs) of Xist, Peg3, H19/Igf2, Gtl2/Dlk1 and Gnas domains, show consistent allele-specificity towards inactive, methylated alleles. The macroH2A1 deposition levels at the ICRs and other differentially methylated regions of these domains are also either higher or comparable to those observed at the inactive X chromosome of …

Epithelial Sodium Channel Allele T594m Is Not Associated With Blood Pressure Or Blood Pressure Response To Amiloride, John M. Hollier, Dan F. Martin, Darin M. Bell, Jia Ling Li, Mike G. Chirachanchai, Dileep V. Menon, David Leonard, Xiaodong Wu, Richard S. Cooper, Colin Mckenzie, Ronald G. Victor, Richard J. Auchus

Faculty Publications

The T594M allele of the epithelial sodium channel β-subunit has been proposed as a gain-of-function mutation leading to salt-sensitive hypertension in blacks that is particularly responsive to the specific sodium channel antagonist amiloride. However, the positive associations derive from small convenience samples, and the amiloride challenge study lacked a control group. We determined whether the T594M allele was associated with hypertension and blood pressure (BP) response to amiloride in 2 well-characterized random population samples including 3137 Dallas County subjects and 1666 Jamaican blacks. In multivariate models, the T594M allele was not predictive of systolic BP (adjusted odds ratio for hypertension …

Pelagic Functional Group Modeling: Progress, Challenges And Prospects, Raleigh R. Hood, Edward A. Laws, Robert A. Armstrong, Nicholas R. Bates, Christopher W. Brown, Craig A. Carlson, Fei Chai, Scott C. Doney, Paul G. Falkowski, Richard A. Feely, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Michael R. Landry, J. Keith Moore, David M. Nelson, Tammi L. Richardson, Baris Salihoglu, Markus Schartau, Dierdre A. Toole, Jerry D. Wiggert

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we review the state of the art and major challenges in current efforts to incorporate biogeochemical functional groups into models that can be applied on basin-wide and global scales, with an emphasis on models that might ultimately be used to predict how biogeochemical cycles in the ocean will respond to global warming. We define the term "biogeochemical functional group" to refer to groups of organisms that mediate specific chemical reactions in the ocean. Thus, according to this definition, "functional groups" have no phylogenetic meaning-these are composed of many different species with common biogeochemical functions. Substantial progress has …