Digital Commons Network^™

Future Is Now: Introducing Ereaders To Cuny Libraries, Stefanie Havelka, Jennifer King, Rebecca Arzola, Alevtina Verbovetskaya

Publications and Research

Amazon.com’s announcement in July 2010 that eBooks out sold print books for the previous three months indicates that eBooks are here to stay. What effect will this have on teaching and learning? Will ease of access and portability facilitate cheating and plagiarism? How will eBooks and eReaders work in an urban academic environment? Are eReaders and eBooks the new digital divide?

Faculty from the Leonard Lief Library at Lehman College will share their experience with Sony eReaders and downloadable eBooks via OverDrive. Following this presentation there will be a guided discussion on eReader and eBook issues, such as:

• How do …

Hybrid Micro-/Nanogels For Optical Sensing And Intracellular Imaging, Weitai Wu, Shuiqin Zhou

Publications and Research

Hybrid micro-/nanogels are playing an increasing important part in a diverse range of applications, due to their tunable dimensions, large surface area, stable interior network structure, and a very short response time. We review recent advances and challenges in the developments of hybrid micro-/nanogels toward applications for optical sensing of pH, temperature, glucose, ions, and other species as well as for intracellular imaging. Due to their unique advantages, hybrid micro-/nanogels as optical probes are attracting substantial interests for continuous monitoring of chemical parameters in complex samples such as blood and bioreactor fluids, in chemical research and industry, and in food …

Optimizing In Vitro Propagation Of Rosa Persica, Maryam Jafarkhani-Kermani, Pegah Khosravi, Somayeh Kavand

Publications and Research

Rosa persica with a distinctive red eye is a good candidate for addition to the breeding pool of roses. In order to optimize micropropagation of R. persica, three culture media (MS, QL and VS) were compared. The maximum growth rate was observed in the VS medium. Addition of FeEDTA (Fe: 65.4 mg/l), calcium gluconate (Cg: 2.7 g/l) and Gamborg vitamins (B5) instead of VS vitamins, alone or in combinationwith VS medium were compared. The maximum growth rate was obtained in the medium containing VS + Cg + B5 (VSCgB5). Various concentrations of BAP (0, 2, 4 and 8 μM ) …

The Origin Of Love: Love Songs As Represented In The Cinema Of Rock Operas, Benjamin Franz

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Conserved Genes Act As Modifiers Of Invertebrate Smn Loss Of Function Defects, Maria Dimitriadi, James N. Sleigh, Amy Walker, Howard C. Chang, Anindya Sen, Geetika Kalloo, Jevede Harris, Tom Barsby, Melissa B. Walsh, John S. Satterlee, Chris Li, David Van Vactor, Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas, Anne C. Hart

Publications and Research

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is caused by diminished function of the Survival of Motor Neuron (SMN) protein, but the molecular pathways critical for SMA pathology remain elusive. We have used genetic approaches in invertebrate models to identify conserved SMN loss of function modifier genes. Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans each have a single gene encoding a protein orthologous to human SMN; diminished function of these invertebrate genes causes lethality and neuromuscular defects. To find genes that modulate SMN function defects across species, two approaches were used. First, a genome-wide RNAi screen for C. elegans SMN modifier genes was undertaken, yielding …

The Role Of Accounting In The Financial Crisis: Lessons For The Future, S.P. Kothari

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

La Hispanización Y La Identidad Hispana En Filipinas, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Trouble With Archie: Locating And Accessing Primary Sources For The Study Of The 1970s Us Sitcom, All In The Family, Kathleen Collins

Publications and Research

The US television sitcom, All in the Family was groundbreaking in its social relevance with regard to contemporary issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and politics, among others. The interest in All in the Family continues into the 21st century, and television historians and fans continue to seek out elusive historical video of the show. The author addresses the challenges in discovering, locating and accessing primary source visual material for its study and speculates on the future of accessibility of historical broadcasts, the impact on television studies and potential solutions. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Management Of Online Tutorials: A Model For A Step-By-Step Approach, Kanu A. Nagra, Dorothea J. Coiffe

Publications and Research

Online tutorials have great potential to reach a large population and to accommodate multiple learning styles anytime and anywhere. This paper describes the management of online tutorials and related concepts in detail. The review of literature method is used to study the variables. The variables under study include the mission, objectives, funding, manpower, in-house creation, outsourcing, incorporation in curriculum, content, type, technology, metadata, discovery services, script design, standards, assessment, professional training, marketing techniques and future goals for creation and management of online tutorials in libraries. A practical model based on literature study and the authors' experience with online tutorials is …

The Cinema Of Control: On Diabetic Excess And Illness In Film, Kevin L. Ferguson

Publications and Research

While not rare, films that do represent diabetes must work around the disease’s banal invisibility,and images of diabetics in film are thus especially susceptible to metaphor and exaggeration.This essay is the first to outline a diabetic filmography, discussing medical and cinematic strategies for visualizing the disease as well as how the illness informs family plots and heroic characters in horror films. Doing so, it participates in a larger discussion of the manner in which film images of ill or disabled groups sustain notions of “normalcy” by both representing and denying otherness.

Selective Targeting Of Neuroblastoma Tumour-Initiating Cells By Compounds Identified In Stem Cell-Based Small Molecule Screens, Kristen M. Smith, Alessandro Datti, Mayumi Fujitani, Natalie Grinshtein, Libo Zhang, Olena Morozova, Kim M. Blakely, Susan A. Rotenberg, Loen M. Hansford, Freda D. Miller, Herman Yeger, Meredith S. Irwin, Jason Moffat, Marco A. Marra, Sylvain Baruchel, Jeffrey L. Wrana, David R. Kaplan

Publications and Research

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most deadly extra-cranial solid tumour in children necessitating an urgent need for effective and less toxic treatments. One reason for the lack of efficacious treatments may be the inability of existing drugs to target the tumour-initiating or cancer stem cell population responsible for sustaining tumour growth, metastases and relapse. Here, we describe a strategy to identify compounds that selectively target patient-derived cancer stem cell-like tumour-initiating cells (TICs) while sparing normal paediatric stem cells (skin-derived precursors, SKPs) and characterize two therapeutic candidates. DECA-14 and rapamycin were identified as NB TIC-selective agents. Both compounds induced TIC death at …

Taurine Regulates Insulin Release From Pancreatic Beta Cell Lines, William J. L’Amoreaux, Christina Cuttitta, Allison Santora, Jonathan F. Blaize, Janto Tachjadi, Abdeslem El Idrissi

Publications and Research

Background Pancreatic β-cells release insulin via an electrogenic response triggered by an increase in plasma glucose concentrations. The critical plasma glucose concentration has been determined to be ~3 mM, at which time both insulin and GABA are released from pancreatic β-cells. Taurine, a β-sulfonic acid, may be transported into cells to balance osmotic pressure. The taurine transporter (TauT) has been described in pancreatic tissue, but the function of taurine in insulin release has not been established. Uptake of taurine by pancreatic β-cells may alter membrane potential and have an effect on ion currents. If taurine uptake does alter β-cell current, …

Shear Stress Modulation Of Smooth Muscle Cell Marker Genes In 2-D And 3-D Depends On Mechanotransduction By Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans And Erk1/2, Zhong-Dong Shi, Giya Abraham, John M. Tarbell

Publications and Research

Background During vascular injury, vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and fibroblasts/myofibroblasts (FBs/MFBs) are exposed to altered luminal blood flow or transmural interstitial flow. We investigate the effects of these two types of fluid flows on the phenotypes of SMCs and MFBs and the underlying mechanotransduction mechanisms. Methodology/Principal Findings Exposure to 8 dyn/cm2 laminar flow shear stress (2-dimensional, 2-D) for 15 h significantly reduced expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), smooth muscle protein 22 (SM22), SM myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC), smoothelin, and calponin. Cells suspended in collagen gels were exposed to interstitial flow (1 cmH2O, ∼0.05 dyn/cm2, 3-D), and after 6 …

Differential Toxicity Of Dna Adducts Of Mitomycin C, Jill Bargonetti, Elise Champeil, Maria Tomasz

Publications and Research

The clinically used antitumor agent mitomycin C (MC) alkylates DNA upon reductive activation, forming six covalent DNA adducts in this process. This review focuses on differential biological effects of individual adducts in various mammalian cell cultures, observed in the authors' laboratories. Evidence is reviewed that various adducts are capable of inducing different cell death pathways in cancer cells.This evidence is derived from a parallel study of MC and its derivatives 2,7-diaminomitosene (2,7-DAM) which is the main metabolite of MC and forms two mono-adducts with DNA, and decarbamoyl mitomycin C (DMC), which alkylates and cross-links DNA, predominantly with a chirality opposite …

Lim-Domain Proteins Trip6 And Lpp Associate With Shelterin To Mediate Telomere Protection, Samantha A. Sheppard, Diego Loayza

Publications and Research

POT1 is the single stranded telomeric overhang binding protein, and is part of the shelterin complex, a group of six proteins essential for proper telomere function. The reduction or abrogation of POT1 DNA binding activity in mammalian cells results in telomere elongation, or activation of the ATR DNA damage response at telomeres. Therefore, overhang binding represents the functionally relevant activity of POT1. To better understand the roles of POT1, we sought to isolate proteins that interact with the DNA binding domain of the protein. A yeast two-hybrid screen was implemented using a C-terminal truncation termed POT1ΔC, retaining the DNA binding …

Ubr1 And Ubr2 Function In A Quality Control Pathway For Degradation Of Unfolded Cytosolic Proteins, Nadinath B. Nillegoda, Maria A. Theodoraki, Atin K. Mandal, Katie J. Mayo, Hong Yu Ren, Rasheda Sultana, Kenneth Wu, Jill Johnson, Douglas M. Cyr, Avrom J. Caplan

Publications and Research

Ubr1 and Ubr2 ubiquitin ligases are shown to promote degradation of misfolded cytosolic polypeptides in vivo and in a purified system in association with Hsp70.

Autoregulation Of Sinorhizobium Meliloti Exor Gene Expression, Hai-Yang Lu, Hai-Ping Cheng

Publications and Research

The successful nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between the Gram-negative soil bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti and its leguminous plant host alfalfa (Medicago sativa) requires the bacterial exopolysaccharide succinoglycan. Succinoglycan and flagellum production, along with the ability to metabolize more than 20 different carbon sources and control the expression of a large number of S. meliloti genes, is regulated by the ExoR–ExoS/ChvI signalling pathway. The ExoR protein interacts with and suppresses the sensing activities of ExoS, the membrane-bound sensor of the ExoS/ChvI two-component regulatory system. Here we show that exoR expression is clearly upregulated in the absence of any functional ExoR protein. This upregulation was …

Effect Of Teammates On Changes In Physical Activity In A Statewide Campaign, Tricia M. Leahey, Melissa M. Crane, Angela Marinilli Pinto, Brad A. Weinberg, Rajiv Kumar, Rena R. Wing

Publications and Research

Objective—Most Americans do not meet physical activity recommendations. Statewide campaigns can effectively increase activity levels. Reported herein are physical activity outcomes from Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI) 2007, a statewide campaign to increase steps through team-based competition. Given the importance of social networks in behavior change, this paper focused on the effects of team and team characteristics on activity outcomes. Method—For 16-weeks, 5333 adults comprising 652 teams wore pedometers and reported their steps online. Results—Participants’ daily steps increased from 7029(3915) at baseline to 9393(5976) at SURI end (p<.001). There was a significant intraclass correlation for step change among team members (ICC=.09); thus, an individual’s change in steps was influenced by what team they were on. Moreover, baseline team characteristics predicted individual step change; being on a more active team was associated with greater increases in activity for individual members (p<.001), whereas being on a team with a broad range of steps was associated with smaller changes in activity for individual members (p=.02). Conclusion—These findings are the first to suggest that team members influence individual activity outcomes in team-based statewide campaigns. Future research should explore ways to use social network factors to enhance team-based physical activity programs.

Design Collaboration As A Tool For Developing Diversity In The Work Place, Rees E. E. Shad

Publications and Research

Without a doubt the modern workplace is one made up of numerous working professionals graced with an array of varied abilities who work in tandem to meet a common goal. In this article the author recounts his personal journey to embracing the collaborative process and how he has honed and developed the skill set into an important element of design curriculum in order to prepare students for this fundamental market paradigm.

The Inadvertent Alliance Of Anthony Comstock And Margaret Sanger: Abortion, Freedom, And Class In Modern America, Karen Weingarten

Publications and Research

This article investigates how moral-reformer Anthony Comstock, who helped outlaw the practice of birth control and to have abortion criminalized, and Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood and birth-control activist, advanced their causes through the discourse of freedom and self-control. While Comstock’s and Sanger’s works are often seen in opposition, this article questions that positioning by pointing out how they both lobbied against accessible abortion using similar tactics. Finally, this article demonstrates how Comstock and Sanger, through different means, worked to present abortion as a depraved practice that would lead to the demise of American society. Presenting Comstock and Sanger …

Videos In The Kitchen: The Lesbian Herstory Archives As A Moving-Herstorical-Image, Shawn(Ta) D. Smith

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Dna Adducts Of Decarbamoyl Mitomycin C Efficiently Kill Cells Without Wild-Type P53 Resulting From Proteasome-Mediated Degradation Of Checkpoint Protein 1, Ernest K. Boamah, Angelika Brekman, Maria Tomasz, Natura Myeka, Maria E. Figueiredo-Pereira, Senyene Hunter, Joel Meyer, Rahul C. Bhosle, Jill Bargonetti

Publications and Research

The mitomycin derivative 10-decarbamoyl mitomycin C (DMC) more rapidly activates a p53-independent cell death pathway than mitomycin C (MC). We recently documented that an increased proportion of mitosene1-β-adduct formation occurs in human cells treated with DMC in comparison to those treated with MC. Here, we compare the cellular and molecular response of human cancer cells treated with MC and DMC. We find the increase in mitosene 1-β-adduct formation correlates with a condensed nuclear morphology and increased cytotoxicity in human cancer cells with or without p53. DMC caused more DNA damage than MC in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Checkpoint 1 …

Leonard Lief Library Sony Reader Program: Leading Cuny In Digital Media Technology, Stefanie Havelka, Jennifer A. King, Adelaide Soto

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Induction Of Neuro-Protective/Regenerative Genes In Stem Cells Infiltrating Post-Ischemic Brain Tissue, Gokhan Yilmaz, J Steven Alexander, Cigdem Erkuran Yilmaz, D Neil Granger

Publications and Research

Background- Although the therapeutic potential of bone marrow-derived stromal stem cells (BMSC) has been demonstrated in different experimental models of ischemic stroke, it remains unclear how stem cells (SC) induce neuroprotection following stroke. In this study, we describe a novel method for isolating BMSC that infiltrate postischemic brain tissue and use this method to identify the genes that are persistently activated or depressed in BMSC that infiltrate brain tissue following ischemic stroke. Methods- Ischemic strokes were induced in C57BL/6 mice by middle cerebral artery occlusion for 1 h, followed by reperfusion. BMSC were isolated from H-2 Kb-tsA58 (immortomouse™) mice, and …

Measuring Social Capital As An Outcome Of Service Learning, Maria J. D'Agostino

Publications and Research

Service-learning has been put forth as one of the proposed solutions to increasing social capital. However, service-learning research has not significantly addressed the impact of service learning on social capital. Unlike most previous studies, this research used quantitative analysis to measure the effect of university service-learning programs on social capital by examining the question: What impact do service-learning programs have on social capital post-graduation? This study showed that service learning addresses the civic engagement problem by providing evidence suggesting that service learning predicts social capital post-graduation.

Hsp110 Chaperones Control Client Fate Determination In The Hsp70–Hsp90 Chaperone System, Atin K. Mandal, Patrick A. Gibney, Nadinath B. Nillegoda, Maria A. Theodoraki, Avrom J. Caplan, Kevin A. Morano

Publications and Research

The Hsp110 family of protein chaperones was known to promote maturation of Hsp90 client proteins. The yeast Hsp110 ortholog Sse1 is now shown to influence the decision to fold or degrade substrates of the Hsp70–Hsp90 chaperone system when maturation is compromised.

Dynamics On Multiple Timescales In The Rna-Directed Rna Polymerase From The Cystovirus Φ6, Zhen Ren, Hsin Wang, Ranajeet Ghose

Publications and Research

The de novoinitiating RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RdRP), P2, forms the central machinery in the infection cycle of the bacteriophage ϕ6 by performing the dual tasks of replication and transcription of the double-stranded RNA genome in the host cell. By measurement and quantitative analysis of multiple-quantum spin-relaxation data for the δ1 positions of Ile residues that are distributed over the 3D-fold of P2, we find that the enzyme is dynamic both on the fast (ps–ns) and slow (µs–ms) timescales. The characteristics of several motional modes including those that coincide with the catalytic timescale (500–800/s) are altered in the presence of …

Campaigns To Change Health Damaging Corporate Practices, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

When corporations claim the same citizenship rights as human citizens, they exercise an undue influence on health policy and democratic processes. Surprisingly, the same basic repertoire of tactics has been found to be employed by corporations to effect this influence, regardless of the specific industry at work. In this book, authors from around the world reveal the range of tactics used across the corporate world that ultimately favor the bottom line over the greater good.

The Bottom Line or Public Health deconstructs some of the most ubiquitous tactics at play, including public relations, political influence, legal maneuvering, and financial power, …

Yeast Cell Adhesion Molecules Have Functional Amyloid-Forming Sequences, Caleen B. Ramsook, Cho Tan, Melissa C. Garcia, Raymond Fung, Gregory Soybelman, Ryan Henry, Anna Litewka, Shanique O’Meally, Henry N. Otoo, Roy A. Khalaf, Anne M. Dranginis, Nand K. Gaur, Stephen A. Klotz, Jason M. Rauceo, Chong K. Jue, Peter N. Lipke

Publications and Research

The occurrence of highly conserved amyloid-forming sequences in Candida albicans Als proteins (H. N. Otoo et al., Eukaryot. Cell 7:776–782, 2008) led us to search for similar sequences in other adhesins from C. albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The beta-aggregation predictor TANGO found highly beta-aggregation-prone sequences in almost all yeast adhesins. These sequences had an unusual amino acid composition: 77% of their residues were beta-aggregation aliphatic amino acids Ile, Thr, and Val, which is more than 4-fold greater than their prevalence in the S. cerevisiae proteome. High beta-aggregation potential peptides from S. cerevisiae Flo1p and C. albicans Eap1p rapidly formed insoluble …

Dkk1 Mediated Inhibition Of Wnt Signaling In Postnatal Mice Leads To Loss Of Tec Progenitors And Thymic Degeneration, Masako Osada, Logan Jardine, Ruth Misir, Thomas Andl, Sarah E. Millar, Mark Pezzano

Publications and Research

Background Thymic epithelial cell (TEC) microenvironments are essential for the recruitment of T cell precursors from the bone marrow, as well as the subsequent expansion and selection of thymocytes resulting in a mature self-tolerant T cell repertoire. The molecular mechanisms, which control both the initial development and subsequent maintenance of these critical microenvironments, are poorly defined. Wnt signaling has been shown to be important to the development of several epithelial tissues and organs. Regulation of Wnt signaling has also been shown to impact both early thymocyte and thymic epithelial development. However, early blocks in thymic organogenesis or death of the …