Digital Commons Network^™

What Can Phages Tell Us About Host-Pathogen Coevolution?, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

The outcomes of host-parasite interactions depend on the coevolutionary forces acting upon them, but because every host-parasite relation is enmeshed in a web of biotic and abiotic interactions across a heterogeneous landscape, host-parasite coevolution has proven difficult to study. Simple laboratory phage-bacteria microcosms can ameliorate this difficulty by allowing controlled, well-replicated experiments with a limited number of interactors. Genetic, population, and life history data obtained from these studies permit a closer examination of the fundamental correlates of host-parasite coevolution. In this paper, I describe the results of phage-bacteria coevolutionary studies and their implications for the study of host-parasite coevolution. Recent …

Ambiguity, Ambivalence, And Apprehensions Of Taking Hiv-1 Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Male Couples In San Francisco: A Mixed Methods Study, Parya Saberi, Kristine Elizabeth Gamarel, Torsten B. Neilands, Megan Comfort, Nicolas Sheon, Lynae A. Darbes, Mallory O. Johnson

Publications and Research

Objective: We conducted a mixed-methods study to examine serodiscordant and seroconcordant (HIV-positive/HIVpositive) male couples’ PrEP awareness, concerns regarding health care providers offering PrEP to the community, and correlates of PrEP uptake by the HIV-negative member of the couple.

Design: Qualitative sub-study included one-on-one interviews to gain a deeper understanding of participants’ awareness of and experiences with PrEP and concerns regarding health care providers offering PrEP to men who have sex with men (MSM). Quantitative analyses consisted of a cross-sectional study in which participants were asked about the likelihood of PrEP uptake by the HIV-negative member of the couple and level …

When The Virtual Meets The Real: An Assessment Of The Benefits And "Costs" Of Open Access Texts For First Year Writing Courses At Cuny, Johannah Rodgers

Publications and Research

An assessment of the advantages, drawbacks, and costs of Open Access / OER texts for First Year Writing courses at CUNY.

Medication Deserts: Survey Of Neighborhood Disparities In Availability Of Prescription Medications, Philippe Amstislavski, Ariel Matthews, Sarah Sheffield, Andrew R. Maroko, Jeremy Weedon

Publications and Research

Background Only a small amount of research has focused on the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and geographic access to prescription medications at community pharmacies in North America and Europe. To examine the relationship between a community’s socio-economic context and its residents’ geographic access to common medications in pharmacies, we hypothesized that differences are present in access to pharmacies across communities with different socio-economic environments, and in availability of commonly prescribed medications within pharmacies located in communities with different socio-economic status. Methods We visited 408 pharmacies located in 168 socio-economically diverse communities to assess the availability of commonly prescribed medications. …

Naturalization Ceremonies And The Role Of Immigrants In The American Nation, Sofya Aptekar

Publications and Research

Although immigration is an essential element in the American national story, it presents difficulties for constructing national membership and national identity in terms of shared intrinsic values. In this article, I analyze speeches made at naturalization ceremonies during two time periods (1950 – 1970 and 2003 – present) to examine the evolving roles of immigrants, as articulated to immigrants themselves. Naturalization ceremonies are a unique research site because the usually implied nationalist content is made explicit to brand new members of the nation. I find a shift in the framing from immigrants as potential liabilities and weak links in the …

Combining Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment And A Commercial Program: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Angela Marinilli Pinto, Joseph L. Fava, Debra A. Hoffmann, Rena R. Wing

Publications and Research

Commercial weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers (WW) offer widely recognized and accessible treatment, but typically produce weight losses that are modest relative to professionally delivered programs. This study tested the hypothesis that a novel weight loss approach that combined the fundamental components of professionally delivered behavioral weight loss (BWL) treatment with the existing WW program would produce better weight losses than WW alone; no differences were expected between the novel treatment and BWL alone. Participants were 141 overweight and obese adults (90% women, 67% non-White, mean age = 49.7 ± 9.2 years, mean BMI = 36.2 ± 5.5 …

Individual Differences In The Discrimination Of Novel Speech Sounds: Effects Of Sex, Temporal Processing, Musical And Cognitive Abilities, Vera Kempe, John C. Thoresen, Neil W. Kirk, Felix Schaeffler, Patricia J. Brooks

Publications and Research

This study examined whether rapid temporal auditory processing, verbal working memory capacity, non-verbal intelligence, executive functioning, musical ability and prior foreign language experience predicted how well native English speakers (N = 120) discriminated Norwegian tonal and vowel contrasts as well as a non-speech analogue of the tonal contrast and a native vowel contrast presented over noise. Results confirmed a male advantage for temporal and tonal processing, and also revealed that temporal processing was associated with both non-verbal intelligence and speech processing. In contrast, effects of musical ability on non-native speech-sound processing and of inhibitory control on vowel discrimination were not …

The Use Of Indicators For Unobservable Product Qualities: Inferences Based On Consumer Sorting, Matthew G. Nagler, Fredi Kronenberg, Edward J. Kennelly, Bei Jiang, Chunhui Ma

Publications and Research

We propose a method for measuring the conjectural errors that inexpert consumers make relative to experts in using observable product characteristics as surrogate indicators of a valued unobservable characteristic. Observations on the unobservable characteristic, available to the researcher but not consumers, are used to divide the data into high- and low-quality subsamples. Separate hedonic estimation on the subsamples enables measurement of the relative valuations and conjectures of experts and non-experts with respect to indicators under the assumption that consumers sort across quality grades based on their appraisal expertise. The method is demonstrated using a small sample of SKU-level data on …

Local History Journals And Their Contributions: Where Would We Be Without Them?, Sandra Roff

Publications and Research

Since we are in the era of digitization much information is accessible easily, which makes it difficult for researchers to imagine locating manuscripts, ephemera and other local history finds without using the internet. We are only a few decades removed from when this was the norm, and the historian or genealogist searched for the forgotten document on the shelves of a library or in the pages of a local history journal. These local history journals appeared all over the country and struggled for survival. The contributions made by these journals are substantial, with hidden gems of information awaiting discovery by …

Orca Is Regulated By Ubiquitin-Mediated Degradation To Control Orc2 Function, Amy E. Ikui

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

What Studios Do, Eliot Bates

Publications and Research

This essay is focused around a seemingly simple question – what do recording studios do? First, a clarification. I am not primarily asking “what are studios” or “what do people do in studios,” two comparatively straightforward questions that are tangentially addressed in academic and trade writing. Rather, I wish to consider some of the ways in which the studio itself shapes the kinds of social and musical performances and interactions that transpire within. I contend that studios must be understood simultaneously as acoustic environments, as meeting places, as container technologies, as a system of constraints on vision, sound and mobility, …

Violent Youth Crime Plummets To A 30-Year Low, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

FBI crime data show a considerable drop in violent youth crimes between 2010 and 2011, with arrests for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter dropping 20 percent in one year. Violent crime arrest rates in 2011 were 30 percent lower than in 2008. This databit shows the percent change in violent offenses charged against youth under 18 between 2010 and 2011 and the youth violent crime rate since 1981.

Morph Matters: Aggression Bias In A Polymorphic Sparrow, Brent M. Horton, Mark E. Hauber, Donna L. Maney

Publications and Research

In species with discrete morphs exhibiting alternative behavioral strategies, individuals may vary their aggressive behavior in competitive encounters according to the phenotype of their opponent. Such aggression bias has been documented in multiple polymorphic species evolving under negative frequency-dependent selection, but it has not been well-studied under other selection regimes. We investigated this phenomenon in white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis), a passerine with plumage polychromatism maintained by disassortative mating. The two distinct color morphs differ with respect to reproductive strategy in that white-striped birds invest more in territorial aggression than tan-striped birds. Whether territorial aggression in this species is biased according …

Intervening To Reduce Sedentary Behaviors And Childhood Obesity Among School-Age Youth: A Systematic Review Of Randomized Trials, May May Leung, Alen Agaronov, Kateryna Grytsenko, Ming-Chin Yeh

Publications and Research

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of interventions that focus on reducing sedentary behavior (SB) among school-age youth and to identify elements associated with interventions' potential for translation into practice settings. Methods. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using 4 databases for peer-reviewed studies published between 1980 and April 2011. Randomized trials, which lasted at least 12 weeks, aimed at decreasing SB among children aged 6 to 19 years were identified. Results. Twelve studies were included; 3 focused only on SB, 1 focused on physical activity (PA), 6 were combined SB and PA interventions, and 2 studies targeted SB, PA, and …

Titian, Colonna And The Renaissance Science Of Procreation: Equicola's Seasons Of Desire [Book Review], Fern Luskin

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Axonal Micro-Tubules On The Morphology Of Retinal Nerve Fibers Studied By Second-Harmonic Generation, Hyungsik Lim, John Danias

Publications and Research

Abstract. Many studies suggest that the degradation of microtubules in the retinal ganglion cells may be an early event in the progression of glaucoma. Because reflectance and birefringence of the retinal nerve fibers arise primarily from microtubules, the optical properties have been intensively studied for early detection of the disease. We previously reported a novel nonlinear optical signal from axonal microtubules for visualizing the retinal nerve fibers, namely second-harmonic generation (SHG). We demonstrate the use of axonal SHG to investigate the effect of microtubules on the morphology of the retinal nerve fiber bundles. Time-lapse SHG imaging of ex vivo rat …

Two-Photon Time-Lapse Microscopy Of Bodipy-Cholesterol Reveals Anomalous Sterol Diffusion In Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells, Frederik W. Lund, Michael A. Lomholt, Lukasz M. Solanko, Robert Bittman, Daniel Wüstner

Publications and Research

Background Cholesterol is an important membrane component, but our knowledge about its transport in cells is sparse. Previous imaging studies using dehydroergosterol (DHE), an intrinsically fluorescent sterol from yeast, have established that vesicular and non-vesicular transport modes contribute to sterol trafficking from the plasma membrane. Significant photobleaching, however, limits the possibilities for in-depth analysis of sterol dynamics using DHE. Co-trafficking studies with DHE and the recently introduced fluorescent cholesterol analog BODIPY-cholesterol (BChol) suggested that the latter probe has utility for prolonged live-cell imaging of sterol transport. Results We found that BChol is very photostable under two-photon (2P)-excitation allowing the acquisition …

Development Of A Ground Based Remote Sensing Approach For Direct Evaluation Of Aerosol-Cloud Interaction, Bomidi Lakshmi Madhavan, Yuzhe He, Yonghua Wu, Barry Gross, Fred Moshary, Samir Ahmed

Publications and Research

The possible interaction and modification of cloud properties due to aerosols is one of the most poorly understood mechanisms within climate studies, resulting in the most significant uncertainty as regards radiation budgeting. In this study, we explore direct ground based remote sensing methods to assess the Aerosol-Cloud Indirect Effect directly, as space-borne retrievals are not directly suitable for simultaneous aerosol/cloud retrievals. To illustrate some of these difficulties, a statistical assessment of existing multispectral imagers on geostationary (e.g., GOES)/Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite retrievals of the Cloud Droplet Effective Radius (Reff) showed significant biases especially at larger solar zenith angles, …

Protein P7 Of The Cystovirus Φ6 Is Located At The Three-Fold Axis Of The Unexpanded Procapsid, Garrett Katz, Hui Wei, Alexandra Alimova, Al Katz, David Gene Morgan, Paul Gottlieb

Publications and Research

The objective of this study was to determine the location of protein P7, the RNA packaging factor, in the procapsid of the φ6 cystovirus. A comparison of cryo-electron microscopy high-resolution single particle reconstructions of the φ6 complete unexpanded procapsid, the protein P2-minus procapsid (P2 is the RNA directed RNA-polymerase), and the P7-minus procapsid, show that prior to RNA packaging the P7 protein is located near the three-fold axis of symmetry. Difference maps highlight the precise position of P7 and demonstrate that in P7-minus particles the P2 proteins are less localized with reduced densities at the three-fold axes. We propose that …

Lgbt Life With Full Text, Matthew Harrick

Publications and Research

This publication reviews the EBSCO database LGBT Life with Full Text, and includes pricing options, a product description, a critical evaluation of the product, and starred evaluations for content, user interface/searchability, pricing, and contract options.

New Autonomous Motors Of Metal-Organic Framework (Mof) Powered By Reorganization Of Self-Assembled Peptides At Interfaces, Yasuhiro Ikezoe, Gosuke Washino, Takashi Uemura, Susumu Kitagawa, Hiroshi Matsui

Publications and Research

There have developed a variety of microsystems that harness energy and convert it to mechanical motion. Here we developed new autonomous biochemical motors by integrating metal-organic framework (MOF) and self-assembling peptides. MOF is applied as an energy-storing cell that assembles peptides inside nanoscale pores of the coordination framework. The robust assembling nature of peptides enables reconfiguring their assemblies at the water-MOF interface, which is converted to fuel energy. Re-organization of hydrophobic peptides could create the large surface tension gradient around the MOF and it efficiently powers the translation motion of MOF. As a comparison, the velocity of normalized by volume …

Inter-Individual Variation During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation And Normalization Of Dose Using Mri-Derived Computational Models, Abhishek Datta, Dennis Quangvinh Truong, Preet Minhas, Lucas C. Parra, Marom Bikson

Publications and Research

Background: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive, versatile, and safe neuromodulation technology under investigation for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, adjunct to rehabilitation, and cognitive enhancement in healthy adults. Despite promising results, there is variability in responsiveness. One potential source of variability is the intensity of current delivered to the brain which is a function of both the operator controlled tDCS dose (electrode montage and total applied current) and subject specific anatomy. We are interested in both the scale of this variability across anatomical typical adults and methods to normalize inter-individual variation by customizing tDCS dose. Computational FEM …

Computational Model Of Neuron-Astrocyte Interputational Model Of Neuron-Astrocyte Interactions During Focal Seizure Generationactions During Focal Seizure Generation, Davide Reato, Mario Cammarota, Lucas C. Parra, Giorgio Carmignoto

Publications and Research

Empirical research in the last decade revealed that astrocytes can respond to neurotransmitters with Ca2+ elevations and generate feedback signals to neurons which modulate synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability. This discovery changed our basic understanding of brain function and provided new perspectives for how astrocytes can participate not only to information processing, but also to the genesis of brain disorders, such as epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures that can arise focally at restricted areas and propagate throughout the brain. Studies in brain slice models suggest that astrocytes contribute to epileptiform activity by increasing neuronal excitability …

Joan Rivers And Queen Elizabeth, Marleen S. Barr

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Quantum Learning Without Quantum Memory, G. Sentís, J. Calsamiglia, R. Muñoz-Tapia, E. Bagan

Publications and Research

A quantum learning machine for binary classification of qubit states that does not require quantum memory is introduced and shown to perform with the minimum error rate allowed by quantum mechanics for any size of the training set. This result is shown to be robust under (an arbitrary amount of) noise and under (statistical) variations in the composition of the training set, provided it is large enough. This machine can be used an arbitrary number of times without retraining. Its required classical memory grows only logarithmically with the number of training qubits, while its excess risk decreases as the inverse …

The Role Of The Caudal Superior Parietal Lobule In Updating Hand Location In Peripheral Vision: Further Evidence From Optic Ataxia, Joshua A. Granek, Laure Pisella, Annabelle Blangero, Yves Rossetti, Lauren E. Sergio

Publications and Research

Patients with optic ataxia (OA), who are missing the caudal portion of their superior parietal lobule (SPL), have difficulty performing visually-guided reaches towards extra-foveal targets. Such gaze and hand decoupling also occurs in commonly performed non-standard visuomotor transformations such as the use of a computer mouse. In this study, we test two unilateral OA patients in conditions of 1) a change in the physical location of the visual stimulus relative to the plane of the limb movement, 2) a cue that signals a required limb movement 180° opposite to the cued visual target location, or 3) both of these situations …

What’S The Evidence For Evidence-Based Practice?, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Practitioners need to understand that statistically significant results are not necessarily evidence of effectiveness, and being evidence-based does not mean a program is guaranteed to work. Asking questions on the substantive importance, statistical significance, and effect size of the program are key when gathering evidence for program evaluations. Practitioners must remember that evidence should inform but never dictate the shape of policy and practice.

Tectonics And Sedimentary Facies Interpretation Of The Mesozoic Giron Group, Colombia, Hernando Martinez-Sacristan, Ricardo Mier-Umana, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Diana Lucia Leon-Martinez

Publications and Research

Preliminary field investigations involving exposed Giron Group sediments in Colombia provided some interesting geologic information in terms of provenance, depositional environments, and development of the Mesozoic synrift sedimentary basins in Colombia. Overall, the synrift Triassic-Jurassic rift-related volcanic rocks, redbeds, and evaporites are prominent in Colombia, and a thick basin sequence of Cretaceous sandstones and shales dominates the central part of the Cordillera Oriental. These were mostly deposited in dominantly north-trending grabens. Identified sedimentary rock types were arkose, clast-and-matrix-supported conglomerate, red mudstone, variegated sandstone, siltstone and breccia. Extensive kaolinitization was noticeable in several sandstone samples. Among the notable sedimentary structures were …

Hohenberg-Kohn Theorem Including Electron Spin, Xiao-Yin Pan, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

The Hohenberg-Kohn theorem is generalized to the case of a finite system of N electrons in external electrostatic epsilon(r) = -del nu(r) and magnetostatic B(r) = del x A(r) fields in which the interaction of the latter with both the orbital and spin angular momentum is considered. For a nondegenerate ground state a bijective relationship is proved between the gauge invariant density rho(r) and physical current density j(r) and the potentials {nu(r), A(r)}. The possible many-to-one relationship between the potentials {v(r), A(r)} and the wave function is explicitly accounted for in the proof. With the knowledge that the basic variables …

Two-Factor Theory – At The Intersection Of Health Care Management And Patient Satisfaction, Josef Bohm

Publications and Research

Using data obtained from the 2004 Joint Canadian/United States Survey of Health, an analytic model using principles derived from Herzberg’s motivational hygiene theory was developed for evaluating patient satisfaction with health care. The analysis sought to determine whether survey variables associated with consumer satisfaction act as Hertzberg factors and contribute to survey participants’ self-reported levels of health care satisfaction. To validate the technique, data from the survey were analyzed using logistic regression methods and then compared with results obtained from the two-factor model. The findings indicate a high degree of correlation between the two methods. The two-factor analytical methodology offers …