Digital Commons Network^™

Trans-Axonal Signaling In Neural Circuit Wiring, Olivia Spead, Fabienne E. Poulain

Faculty Publications

The development of neural circuits is a complex process that relies on the proper navigation of axons through their environment to their appropriate targets. While axon–environment and axon–target interactions have long been known as essential for circuit formation, communication between axons themselves has only more recently emerged as another crucial mechanism. Trans-axonal signaling governs many axonal behaviors, including fasciculation for proper guidance to targets, defasciculation for pathfinding at important choice points, repulsion along and within tracts for pre-target sorting and target selection, repulsion at the target for precise synaptic connectivity, and potentially selective degeneration for circuit refinement. This review outlines …

Additive Manufacturing And Characterization Of Agi And Agi–Al2O3 Composite Electrolytes For Resistive Switching Devices, Benjamin J. Brownlee, Lok-Kun Tsui, Karthik Vempati, John B. Plumley, Brian D. Iverson, Thomas L. Peng, Fernando H. Garzon

Faculty Publications

This work investigates the electrochemical dynamics and performance of additively manufactured composite electrolytes for resistive switching. Devices are comprised of a Ag/AgI–Al₂O₃/Pt stack, where the solid state electrolyte is additively manufactured using extrusion techniques. AgI–Al₂O₃ composite electrolytes are characterized by x-ray diffraction and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ionic conductivities of the electrolytes were measured for different concentrations of Al₂O₃, observing a maximum conductivity of 4.5 times the conductivity of pure AgI for composites with 20 mol. % Al₂O₃. There was little change in activation energy …

Small Gaps Between Almost Primes, The Parity Problem, And Some Conjectures Of Erdős On Consecutive Integers Ii, Daniel A. Goldston, Sidney W. Graham, Apoorva Panidapu, Janos Pintz, Jordan Schettler, Cem Y. Yıldırım

Faculty Publications

We show that for any positive integer n, there is some fixed A such that d(x) = d(x +n) = A infinitely often where d(x) denotes the number of divisors of x. In fact, we establish the stronger result that both x and x +n have the same fixed exponent pattern for infinitely many x. Here the exponent pattern of an integer x > 1is the multiset of nonzero exponents which appear in the prime factorization of x.

Survey Of 8 Uav Set-Covering Algorithms For Terrain Photogrammetry, Joshua Hammond, Cory Vernon, Trent Okeson, Benjamin Barrett, Samuel Arce, Valerie Newell, Joseph Janson, Kevin Franke, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

Remote sensing with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) facilitates photogrammetry for environmental and infrastructural monitoring. Models are created with less computational cost by reducing the number of photos required. Optimal camera locations for reducing the number of photos needed for structure-from-motion (SfM) are determined through eight mathematical set-covering algorithms as constrained by solve time. The algorithms examined are: traditional greedy, reverse greedy, carousel greedy (CG), linear programming, particle swarm optimization, simulated annealing, genetic, and ant colony optimization. Coverage and solve time are investigated for these algorithms. CG is the best method for choosing optimal camera locations as it balances number of …

Thermothickening Drilling Fluids Containing Bentonite And Dual-Functionalized Cellulose Nanocrystals, Mei Chun Li, Qinglin Wu, Tingzhou Lei, Changtong Mei, Xinwu Xu, Sunyoung Lee, Jaegyoung Gwon

Faculty Publications

The approaching era of sustainable development and rapid increase in global energy demand necessitates the development of high-performance drilling fluids with low toxicity, sustainability, and in-situ rheology controllability for complicated formation excavation. Herein, smart water-based drilling fluids (WDFs) with thermocontrollable rheological properties are developed using bentonite (BT) and dual-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (fCNCs). The fCNCs are synthesized by surface grafting of poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) through free-radical graft polymerization. The presence of PAMPS grafts with abundant amide and negatively charged sulfonate groups not only enables fCNCs to attach on the surface of BT platelets creating BT/fCNC clusters but also …

Climate From The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986–2017: Surface Air Temperature Trends And Redefined Summer Season, M. K. Obryk, P. T. Doran, A. G. Fountain, M. Myers, C. P. Mckay

Faculty Publications

©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. The weather of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, the largest ice-free region of the Antarctica, has been continuously monitored since 1985 with currently 14 operational meteorological stations distributed throughout the valleys. Because climate is based on a 30-year record of weather, this is the first study to truly define the contemporary climate of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Mean air temperature and solar radiation based on all stations were −20°C and 102 W m−2, respectively. Depending on the site location, the mean annual air temperatures on the valleys floors ranged between −15°C and −30°C, …

Discovery Of Exosomes From Tick Saliva And Salivary Glands Reveals Therapeutic Roles For Cxcl12 And Il-8 In Wound Healing At The Tick–Human Skin Interface, Wenshuo Zhou, Faizan Tahir, Joseph Che Yen Wang, Michael Woodson, Michael B. Sherman, Shahid Karim, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana

Faculty Publications

© Copyright © 2020 Zhou, Tahir, Wang, Woodson, Sherman, Karim, Neelakanta and Sultana.Ticks secrete various anti-coagulatory, anti-vasoconstrictory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-platelet aggregation factors in their saliva at the bite site during feeding to evade host immunological surveillance and responses. For the first time, we report successful isolation of exosomes (small membrane-bound extracellular signaling vesicles) from saliva and salivary glands of partially fed or unfed ixodid ticks. Our data showed a novel role of these in vivo exosomes in the inhibition of wound healing via downregulation of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and upregulation of interleukin-8 (IL-8). Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis …

Implicit And Explicit Childhood Financial Socialization: Protective Factors For Marital Financial Disagreements, Ashley Larsen Gibby, Logan Pettit, E. Jeffrey Hill, Jeremy Yorgason, Erin Kramer Holmes

Faculty Publications

Research to date has shown that childhood financial socialization is significantly associated with the financial attitudes and behaviors of children, youth, and adults. However, the extent to which childhood financial socialization is connected to marital outcomes remains largely unknown. Using data from 1,473 newly married couples who participated in a nationally representative study, we examined the relationship between childhood financial socialization and reported marital financial disagreements by utilizing actor-partner interdependence structural equation models (APIM SEM). Our results suggest that implicit (i.e. parental modeling) and explicit (i.e. direct conversations or experiential learning) financial socialization significantly and negatively relate to marital financial …

Mukhanov-Sasaki Equation In A Manifestly Gauge-Invariant Linearized Cosmological Perturbation Theory With Dust Reference Fields, Kristina Giesel, Laura Herold, Bao Fei Li, Parampreet Singh

Faculty Publications

The aim of this article is to understand the role of dust reference fields, often also called clocks, on cosmological perturbations around a classical spatially flat Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) universe. We derive the Mukhanov-Sasaki equation for the Brown-Kuchař and Gaussian dust models, which both consider four dust fields as reference fields. The reduced phase space of Dirac observables, that is the gauge-invariant part of the theory, is constructed by means of an observable map applied to all elementary phase space variables of the coupled system, consisting of gravity, a massive scalar field and the dust degrees of freedom and automatically yields …

Saltmarsh Sustainability Throughout The Holocene In Boston Harbor: A New Sea-Level Curve For The Lower Gulf Of Maine And Implications Of Recent Anthropogenic Alteration, C. A. Wilson, Z. J. Hughes, D. M. Fitzgerald, A. S. Kolker, J. C. Lynch, P. Rosen

Faculty Publications

Saltmarsh evolution is closely linked to sea-level rise (SLR) and sediment supply. In a regime of accelerating SLR, saltmarsh survival depends on the ability of the marsh platform to grow vertically through organic and inorganic accumulation, and laterally via transgression over adjacent uplands. In formerly glaciated settings, the formation and maintenance of a saltmarsh are complicated by steep uplands, low sediment availability, isostatic rebound, changes to tidal amplitudes, and anthropogenic alteration. While much work has examined the development of large saltmarshes in New England since the mid-Holocene and Anthropocene, little is known about the smaller isolated saltmarshes that form in …

First-Principles Simulations Of X-Ray Transient Absorption For Probing Attosecond Electron Dynamics, Min Chen, Kenneth Lopata

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy (XTAS) is a promising technique for measuring electron dynamics in molecules and solids with attosecond time resolutions. In XTAS, the elemental specificity and spatial locality of core-to-valence X-ray absorption is exploited to relate modulations in the time-resolved absorption spectra to local electron density variations around particular atoms. However, interpreting these absorption modulations and frequency shifts as a function of the time delay in terms of dynamics can be challenging. In this paper, we present a first-principles study of attosecond XTAS in a selection of simple molecules based on real-time time-dependent …

Reaching 1.5 And 2.0 °C Global Surface Temperature Targets Using Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering, Cheryl Harrison

Faculty Publications

Abstract. A new set of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering (SAG) model experiments has been performed with Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2) with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM6) that are based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) overshoot scenario (SSP5-34-OS) as a baseline scenario to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2.0 ∘C above 1850–1900 conditions. The overshoot scenario allows us to applying a peak-shaving scenario that reduces the needed duration and amount of SAG application compared to a high forcing scenario. In addition, a feedback algorithm identifies the needed amount of sulfur dioxide injections …

Targeting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (Sars-Cov-1) With Structurally Diverse Inhibitors: A Comprehensive Review, Maryam S. Hosseini-Zare, Ramasamy Thilagavathi, Chelliah Selvam

Faculty Publications

Coronaviruses, which were discovered in 1968, can lead to some human viral disorders, like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome-related (MERS), and, recently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The coronavirus that leads to COVID-19 is rapidly spreading all over the world and is the reason for the deaths of thousands of people. Recent research has revealed that there is about 80% sequence homology between the coronaviruses that cause SARS and COVID-19. Considering this fact, we decided to collect the maximum available information on targets, structures, and inhibitors reported so far for SARS-CoV-1 that could be useful for researchers …

Strategic Nonconformity, State Corporate Income Taxes, And The Tcja: Part Ii, David Gamage, Darien Shanske, Adam Thimmesch

Faculty Publications

States will soon be facing dire revenue needs because of COVID-19. This article is part of Project SAFE (State Action in Fiscal Emergencies), an academic effort to help states weather the fiscal crisis by providing policy recommendations

backed by research.1 As we have explained previously,2 in the absence of sufficient federal action, states should prioritize raising revenue through targeted taxes on economic actors that are best enduring the crisis, rather than cutting services needed to protect their economies or residents suffering more from the crisis. Here we focus on how states could raise revenue by rethinking whether and how to …

Laboratory Colonization By Dirofilaria Immitis Alters The Microbiome Of Female Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Abdulsalam Adegoke, Erik Neff, Amie Geary, Montana Ciara Husser, Kevin Wilson, Shawn Michael Norris, Guha Dharmarajan, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

Background

The ability of blood-feeding arthropods to successfully acquire and transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary importance has been shown to be interfered with, or enhanced by, the arthropod’s native microbiome. Mosquitoes transmit viruses, protozoan and filarial nematodes, the majority of which contribute to the 17% of infectious disease cases worldwide. Dirofilaria immitis, a mosquito-transmitted filarial nematodes of dogs and cats, is vectored by several mosquito species including Aedes aegypti.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the impact of D. immitis colonization on the microbiome of laboratory reared female Ae. aegypti. Metagenomic analysis of the V3–V4 variable …

Initial Investigation Of Seasonal Flammability Of Three Invasive East Texas Forest Understory Fuels Using Thermogravimetric Analysis, Mike Tiller, Brian P. Oswald, Alyx Frantzen, Warren Conway, Ikuai Hung

Faculty Publications

East Texas forest understory fuels have become increasingly infested with invasive species which have contributed to greater hazardous fuel loads when combined with decades of fire exclusion and passive management. This study focused on estimating seasonal changes in flammability parameters of invasive yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), and Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) using thermogravimetric analysis. Foliage and stem samples were collected in the dormant (February) and growing (August) seasons. Differential thermogravimetric (DTG) and proximate analyses were used to estimate species specific flammability parameters related to relative spontaneous ignition temperature (RSIT), gas-phase maximum …

Detecting Fitness Epistasis In Recently Admixed Populations With Genome-Wide Data, Xumin Ni, Mengshi Zhou, Heming Wang, Karen Y. He, Uli Broeckel, Craig Hanis, Sharon Kardia, Susan Redline, Richard S. Cooper, Hua Tang, Xiaofeng Zhu

Faculty Publications

Background: Fitness epistasis, the interaction effect of genes at different loci on fitness, makes an important contribution to adaptive evolution. Although fitness interaction evidence has been observed in model organisms, it is more difficult to detect and remains poorly understood in human populations as a result of limited statistical power and experimental constraints. Fitness epistasis is inferred from non-independence between unlinked loci. We previously observed ancestral block correlation between chromosomes 4 and 6 in African Americans. The same approach fails when examining ancestral blocks on the same chromosome due to the strong confounding effect observed in a recently admixed population. …

All-Sky Search For Short Gravitational-Wave Bursts In The Second Advanced Ligo And Advanced Virgo Run, Tiffany Summerscales, Ligo Scientific Collaboration And The Virgo Collaboration

Faculty Publications

We present the results of a search for short-duration gravitational-wave transients in the data from the second observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. We search for gravitational-wave transients with a duration of milliseconds to approximately one second in the 32–4096 Hz frequency band with minimal assumptions about the signal properties, thus targeting a wide variety of sources. We also perform a matched-filter search for gravitational-wave transients from cosmic string cusps for which the waveform is well modeled. The unmodeled search detected gravitational waves from several binary black hole mergers which have been identified by previous analyses. No other …

Hurricane Disturbance Stimulated Nitrification And Altered Ammonia Oxidizer Community Structure In Lake Okeechobee And St. Lucie Estuary (Florida), Justyna J. Hampel, Mark J. Mccarthy, Sanni L. Aalto, Silvia E. Newell

Faculty Publications

© Copyright © 2020 Hampel, McCarthy, Aalto and Newell. Nitrification is an important biological link between oxidized and reduced forms of nitrogen (N). The efficiency of nitrification plays a key role in mitigating excess N in eutrophic systems, including those with cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs), since it can be closely coupled with denitrification and removal of excess N. Recent work suggests that competition for ammonium (NH₄⁺) between ammonia oxidizers and cyanoHABs can help determine microbial community structure. Nitrification rates and ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) and bacterial (AOB) community composition and gene abundances were quantified in Lake Okeechobee …

Extensive Morphological Variability In Asexually Produced Planktic Foraminifera, Catherine V. Davis, Caitlin M. Livsey, Hannah M. Palmer, Pincelli M. Hull, Ellen Thomas, Tessa M. Hill, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson

Faculty Publications

Marine protists are integral to the structure and function of pelagic ecosystems and marine carbon cycling, with rhizarian biomass alone accounting for more than half of all mesozooplankton in the oligotrophic oceans. Yet, understanding how their environment shapes diversity within species and across taxa is limited by a paucity of observations of heritability and life history. Here, we present observations of asexual reproduction, morphologic plasticity, and ontogeny in the planktic foraminifer in laboratory culture. Our results demonstrate that planktic foraminifera reproduce both sexually and asexually and demonstrate extensive phenotypic plasticity in response to nonheritable factors. These two processes fundamentally explain …

Struggling To Breathe: Covid-19, Protest, And The Lis Response, Amelia N. Gibson, Renate Chancellor, Nicole A. Cooke, Sarah Park Dahlen, Beth Patin, Yasmeen Shorish

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to provide a follow up to “Libraries on the Frontlines: Neutrality and Social Justice,” which was published in 2017. It addresses institutional responses to protests and uprising in the spring and summer of 2020 after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd—all of which occurred in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The article expands the previous call for libraries to take a stand for Black Lives. We describe the events of 2020 (a global pandemic, multiple murders of unarmed Black people, and the consequent global protests) and responses from …

Implicit Bias Training For Woke Faculty, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt pens a satirical memo from higher education administrators to faculty regarding implicit bias training.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

To Share Or Not To Share: The Optimal Advertising Effort With Asymmetric Advertising Effectiveness, Qingying Li, Hao Ding, Tianqin Shi, Yanli Tang

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we study a two-stage model in which a manufacturer expands to a new market through a local retailer and has private information on the advertising effectiveness. The manufacturer chooses the information sharing format with the retailer, either no information sharing or mandatory information sharing. Under no information sharing format, the manufacturer and the retailer play a signaling game. We derive both separating and pooling equilibria and conduct equilibrium refinements for the signaling game. Under mandatory information sharing format, the manufacturer simply informs the retailer the advertising effectiveness. We also establish the stylized model and derive the optimal …

Advances In Materials Design For All-Solid-State Batteries: From Bulk To Thin Films, Gene Yang, Yuxi Ma, Myoungseok Lee, Evan Helfrick, Dahyun Oh, Dongkyu Lee

Faculty Publications

All-solid-state batteries (SSBs) are one of the most fascinating next-generation energy storage systems that can provide improved energy density and safety for a wide range of applications from portable electronics to electric vehicles. The development of SSBs was accelerated by the discovery of new materials and the design of nanostructures. In particular, advances in the growth of thin-film battery materials facilitated the development of all solid-state thin-film batteries (SSTFBs)—expanding their applications to microelectronics such as flexible devices and implantable medical devices. However, critical challenges still remain, such as low ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes, interfacial instability and difficulty in controlling …

Automated 3d Reconstruction Using Optimized View-Planning Algorithms For Iterative Development Of Structure-From-Motion Models, Samuel Arce, Cory Vernon, Joshua Hammond, Valerie Newell, Joseph Janson, Kevin Franke, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

Unsupervised machine learning algorithms (clustering, genetic, and principal component analysis) automate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) missions as well as the creation and refinement of iterative 3D photogrammetric models with a next best view (NBV) approach. The novel approach uses Structure-from-Motion (SfM) to achieve convergence to a specified orthomosaic resolution by identifying edges in the point cloud and planning cameras that “view” the holes identified by edges without requiring an initial model. This iterative UAV photogrammetric method successfully runs in various Microsoft AirSim environments. Simulated ground sampling distance (GSD) of models reaches as low as 3.4 cm per pixel, and generally, …

Decomposability Of Soil Organic Matter Over Time: The Soil Incubation Database (Sidb, Version 1.0) And Guidance For Incubation Procedures, Christina Schadel, Jeffrey Beem-Miller, Mina Aziz Rad, Susan E. Crow, Caitlin E. Hicks Pries, Jessica G. Ernakovich, Alison M. Hoyt, Alain Plante, Shane Stoner, Claire C. Treat, Carlos A. Sierra

Faculty Publications

The magnitude of carbon (C) loss to the atmosphere via microbial decomposition is a function of the amount of C stored in soils, the quality of the organic matter, and physical, chemical, and biological factors that comprise the environment for decomposition. The decomposability of C is commonly assessed by laboratory soil incubation studies that measure greenhouse gases mineralized from soils under controlled conditions. Here, we introduce the Soil Incubation Database (SIDb) version 1.0, a compilation of time series data from incubations, structured into a new, publicly available, open-access database of C flux (carbon dioxide, CO2, or methane, CH4). In addition, …

Variation In Masculinities And Fathering Behaviors: A Cross-National Comparison Of The United States And Canada, Kevin Shafer, Richard J. Petts, Casey Scheibling

Faculty Publications

Research continues to examine the barriers to and facilitators of positive fathering behaviors. One area recently addressed by researchers focuses on the relationship between masculine norm adherence and father involvement. Yet, little work has examined cross-national variability in this relationship—despite differences in gender norms, fathering expectations, and social policies across countries. The present study considers possible differences in the relationship between masculine norm adherence and fathering behaviors in the United States and Canada—two rich, multiethnic countries with many similarities but some distinct policy and family support differences. Using data from fathers in Canada (n = 2057) and the United …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Successful High School Baseball Coaches Silence During Practice, Patrick Mcgaha, David C. Barney

Faculty Publications

For athletic coaches, there are many methods to coach their athletes. One method that may not be as common or even thought of as coaching, is silence. Silence is basically, when the coach does not speak, but is thinking of specific team, player, and competitor items. The purpose of this study was to interview consistently successful high school baseball coaches with an emphasis on their silence as a coaching behavior. Five successful high school baseball coaches in the southeastern region of the United States were interviewed. Generally, it was found that these baseball coaches were strategizing, thinking of baseball related …

Applications Of Open Innovation To The Supply Chain System In The Smes, Taeho Park, Tianqin Shi, Ming Zhou, Shu Zhou

Faculty Publications

The close-knitted structure of a supply chain seems to leave no room for the word 'open'. Closeness builds trust, enables information sharing, benefits transportation and more. Somehow, openness started to benefit supply chain management recently, through a trend called 'open innovation'. Based on gathered anecdotes and our interviews of industry professionals, we attempted to present a more complete picture of open innovation in supply chain management, including its potential benefits, major concerns, adoption hurdles, and future solutions. Our findings identified current perceptions of supply chain practitioners on open innovation and major hurdles and difficulties of implementing open innovation in supply …

Library Orientation Practices In Special Libraries, Melissa Fraser-Arnott

Faculty Publications

Purpose The library orientation session is an important marketing tool because it offers the first opportunity for library staff to connect with new clients (Craft and Ballard-Thrower, 2011; Rhoades and Hartsell, 2008). This paper aims to explore library orientation practices in special libraries and information centers with the goal of surveying current practices and identifying guidance for successful orientation program design and delivery.

Design/methodology/approach This study explored library orientation practices in special libraries and information services through an electronic survey. The survey questions were developed based on themes that emerged from case studies on library orientations from the academic …