Digital Commons Network^™

Solution Structure Of Recombinant Somatomedin B Domain From Vitronectin Produced In Pichia Pastoris, Magnus Kjaergaard, Henrik Gårdsvoll, Daniel Hirschberg, Steen Nielbo, Anand Mayasundari, Cynthia B. Peterson, Anna Jansson, Thomas J.D. Jørgensen, Flemming M. Poulsen, Michael Ploug

Faculty Publications

The cysteine-rich somatomedin B domain (SMB) of the matrix protein vitronectin is involved in several important biological processes. First, it stabilizes the active conformation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1); second, it provides the recognition motif for cell adhesion via the cognate integrins (αvβ3, α vβ5, and αIIbβ3); and third, it binds the complex between urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its glycolipid-anchored receptor (uPAR). Previous structural studies on SMB have used recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli or SMB released from plasma-derived vitronectin by CNBr cleavage. However, different disulfide patterns and three-dimensional structures for SMB were reported. In the present …

Destabilization Of Human Glycine N-Methyltransferase By H176n Mutation, Zigmund Luka, Svetlana Pakhomova, Yury Luka, Marcia E. Newcomer, Conrad Wagner

Faculty Publications

In the presence of moderate (2-4 M) urea concentrations the tetrameric enzyme, glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), dissociates into compact monomers. Higher concentrations of urea (7-8 M) promote complete denaturation of the enzyme. We report here that the H176N mutation in this enzyme, found in humans with hypermethioninaemia, significantly decreases stability of the tetramer, although H176 is located far from the intersubunit contact areas. Dissociation of the tetramer to compact monomers and unfolding of compact monomers of the mutant protein were detected by circular dichroism, quenching of fluorescence emission, size-exclusion chromatography, and enzyme activity. The values of apparent free energy of dissociation …

Comparative Microbiota Of Rickettsia Felis-Uninfected And -Infected Colonized Cat Fleas, Ctenocephalides Felis, Walairat Pornwiroon, Michael T. Kearney, Claudia Husseneder, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso

Faculty Publications

Fleas serve as arthropod vectors for several emerging and re-emerging infectious disease causing agents including, Rickettsia felis. Although the prevalence of R. felis infection in colonies of fleas has been examined, the influence of the R. felis infection on flea microbiota has not been investigated. We identified three colonies of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis, with varying prevalence of R. felis infection (Louisiana State University (LSU), 93.8; Professional Laboratory and Research Services Inc. (PLRS), 16.4; Elward II (EL), 0) and subsequently utilized polymerase chain reaction amplification, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and sequencing of the 1.4-kb portions of 16S rRNA genes …

Parallelization Of Ant Colony Optimization Via Area Of Expertise Learning, Adrian A. De Freitas

Theses and Dissertations

Ant colony optimization algorithms have long been touted as providing an effective and efficient means of generating high quality solutions to NP-hard optimization problems. Unfortunately, while the structure of the algorithm is easy to parallelize, the nature and amount of communication required for parallel execution has meant that parallel implementations developed suffer from decreased solution quality, slower runtime performance, or both. This thesis explores a new strategy for ant colony parallelization that involves Area of Expertise (AOE) learning. The AOE concept is based on the idea that individual agents tend to gain knowledge of different areas of the search space …

Some Immunologic Evaluations Of Toxoplasmosis In Iraqi Aborted Females, Ali H. Ad’Hiah, Amna N. Jasim, Salma K. F. Al-Sheikh

Baghdad Science Journal

Forty-eight aborted women (Iraqi Arab Muslims) at the first trimester with a serological evidence of toxoplasmosis were investigated. Two age- and ethnic-matched control groups were included: 40 aborted women due to accidental events (Control I), and 40 unmarried (virgin) women (Control II). The subjects were evaluated for the following parameters: HLA-class I antigens (A, B and Cw), blood groups, total and differential counts of leukocytes, lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3+, CD4+ and CD20+ cells), phagocytosis of heat-killed yeast (phagocytic index and NBT index), and total serum levels of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG and IgM) and complement components (C3 and C4). The HLA-A2 and …

Interactions Of Some Metal Ions With Nitrogenous Bases Present In Nucleotides, Yahya Abdul Majid, Perry Habeeb Saifullah

Baghdad Science Journal

Acidity constants at 30c° and 0.125 ionic strength have been determined for the Nitrogous bases of nucleic acid; cytocine, uarcil and thymine, and found to be 3.55 x10-19 , 1.44 x10 -19 and 7.24 x10 -20 respectively. Stability constants of these bases with Thorium and uranyl ions have been determined. Results showed that metal ions Thorium and uranyl ions behave as hard acids and the nitrogenum bases behave as Hard bases according to Pearson's definition .Hardness – softness parameters for these ligands were calculated ,stability constants of complexes with metal ions could be arranged as follows :- Cytosine > Uracil > Thymine …

Ii-Preparation And Characterization Schiff Base Derivatives With Some Transition Metal Complexes, Omar Hamad Shehab Al- Obaidi

Baghdad Science Journal

This research consists of the synthesis of some Schiff bases as ligands, the following type of ligands: (2-hydroxy-benzylidene)- thiourea = (L1) (2-hydroxy-benzylidene)- urea = (L2) The complexation of these ligands with some transition metal ions (Zn+2, Cd+2, Hg+2) was prepared. The Schiff bases with their corresponding prepared transition metal complexes have been characterized on the bases of their (C.H.N) elemental analysis, IR, UV-VIS, atomic absorption, the molar conductivity measurement and melting point. The structural geometries of complexes were suggested in solid state.

Footprints On Water: The Genetic Wake Of Dispersal Among Reefs, M. E. Hellberg

Faculty Publications

Analysis of genetic data can reveal past and ongoing demographic connections between reef populations. The history, extent, and geography of isolation and exchange help to determine which populations are evolutionarily distinct and how to manage threatened reefs. Here the genetic approaches undertaken to understand connectivity among reefs are reviewed, ranging from early allozyme studies on genetic subdivision, through the use of sequence data to infer population histories, to emerging analyses that pull the influences of the past connections away from the effects of ongoing dispersal. Critically, some of these new approaches can infer migration and isolation over recent generations, thus …

Description, Life History, And Parasitism Of A New Species Of Delphacid Planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea), James T. Cronin, Stephen W. Wilson

Faculty Publications

Delphacodes scolochloa Cronin & Wilson (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) is a newly discovered delphacid planthopper that feeds and oviposits exclusively on the stems of sprangletop, Scolochloa festucacea (Willd.) Link (Poaceae: Pooidae), in the prairie pothole region of northeastern North Dakota. D. scolochloa is bivoltine. It is also wing dimorphic, but populations are composed predominantly of flightless brachypters. Macropters incur a substantial cost in terms of reduced longevity and fecundity relative to brachypters. The parasitoid complex attacking D. scolochloa consists of two egg parasitoids, Anagrus nigriventris Girault and Anagrus columbi Perkins (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), and one undescribed dryinid. The proportion of eggs parasitized averages …

Status Of The Fire Ant Decapitating Fly Pseudacteon Tricuspis (Diptera: Phoridae) In Louisiana, Donald C. Henne, Seth J. Johnson, Sanford D. Porter

Faculty Publications

Eight releases of the South American fire ant decapitating fly, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier, were conducted in Louisiana from 1999 to 2006. Although P. tricuspis was initially recaptured at 88% of the release sites, four of the releases ultimately failed, so long-term establishment was only 43%. Fly populations from two releases have expanded out 50-80 km from their release sites (Fall 2006).

Fungi Isolated From Integument And Guts Of Coptotermes Formosanus And Their Antagonistic Effect On Gleophyllum Trabeum, Poornima Jayasimha, Gregg Henderson

Faculty Publications

In our earlier efforts to demonstrate the spread of a brown rot fungus, Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers.) Murrill by Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, we found not only that C. formosanus does not spread G. trabeum but also that G. trabeum did not survive in the presence of C. formosanus. Further investigation of this antagonistic interaction between this termite and fungus led to a hypothesis that green-spored fungi may be carried by termites and that they play a role in suppressing the growth of G. trabeum. Fungal cultures were isolated from integument and guts of laboratory-maintained colonies of C. formosanus …

Dreams Of Africa In Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda And The Story Of The Last Africans Brought To America, Eric Love

Civil War Book Review

The Illicit Slave Trade

Historic And Contemporary Levels Of Genetic Variation In Two New Zealand Passerines With Different Histories Of Decline, S. S. Taylor, I. G. Jamieson, G. P. Wallis

Faculty Publications

We compared historic and contemporary genetic variation in two threatened New Zealand birds (saddlebacks and robins) with disparate bottleneck histories. Saddlebacks showed massive loss of genetic variation when extirpated from the mainland, but no significant loss of variation following a severe bottleneck in the 1960s when the last population was reduced from ∼1000 to 36 birds. Low genetic variation was probably characteristic of this isolated island population: considerably more genetic variation would exist in saddlebacks today if a mainland population had survived. In contrast to saddlebacks, contemporary robin populations showed only a small decrease in genetic variation compared with historical …

Reinventing Consumer Protection , David Adam Friedman

DePaul Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bill Pielou: Model Of Professionalism And Integrity, Tom Triplitt '76

Furman Magazine

No abstract provided.

Flying The Friendly Furman Skies, Furman University

Furman Magazine

No abstract provided.

Furman Alumni News, Furman University

Furman Magazine

No abstract provided.

2006-2007 Profile, Morehead State University. Institutional Research & Analysis.

Office of Institutional Research & Analysis Publication Archive

No abstract provided.

An Instructional Strategy For Pictorial Drawing, James L. Mohler

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

This contribution presents two major findings from a qualitative investigation into spatial ability. The elicited data suggested that one of the significant differences between individuals identified as high and low in spatial ability was their decomposition skill relative to spatial problems. Also revealing was the impact of frustration and anxiety on spatial functioning. The author discusses an instructional strategy for pictorial drawing that appeared effective for individuals solving pictorial drawing problems.

Deep Purple: Religious Shades Of Family Law, Naomi Cahn, June Carbone

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Banyan Tree [Volume 2, Number 1], Alan Altany

Faculty Center: News & Publications

Excerpt: "I started college teaching without really knowing how people learn or how to teach so that my students would learn in effective, enduring ways. I simply starting talking about my discipline, with some class discussions thrown in. I had no apprenticeship, no internship or mentoring to help me learn to teach. It was individual trial and error. I now know it doesn’t have to be that way. What if there were ways to glean from among the hundreds of faculty at Georgia Southern and their thousands of years of teaching experience some of their knowledge, understanding, even wisdom, about …

Evaluation Of Us 119 Pine Mountain Safety Improvements (Final Report), Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky was requested to perform an evaluation of the safety improvement project over a 7.1-mile section of US 119 on the Whitesburg side of Pine Mountain in Letcher County to determine whether the types of improvements undertaken affected the overall safety of the roadway. Specific attention was given to the effects of a ban on truck traffic that was implemented in March 2001. In addition, there was a need to determine if the use of flexible design was successful after removal of the truck restriction by permitting trucks with dimensions up to the …

Environmental Controls On The Landscape-Scale Biogeography Of Stream Bacterial Communities, Noah Fierer, Jennifer L. Morse, Sean T. Berthrong, Emily S. Bernhardt, Robert B. Jackson

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

We determined the biogeographical distributions of stream bacteria and the biogeochemical factors that best explained heterogeneity for 23 locations within the Hubbard Brook watershed, a 3000-ha forested watershed in New Hampshire, USA. Our goal was to assess the factor, or set of factors, responsible for generating the biogeographical patterns exhibited by microorganisms at the landscape scale. We used DNA fingerprinting to characterize bacteria inhabiting fine benthic organic matter (FBOM) because of their important influence on stream nutrient dynamics. Across the watershed, streams of similar pH had similar FBOM bacterial communities. Streamwater pH was the single variable most strongly correlated with …

Linking Adult Reproduction And Larval Density Of Invasive Carp In A Large River, Kelly L. Degrandchamp, James E. Garvey, Laura A. Csoboth

Publications

Identifying how temporal variation in the environment affects reproductive success of invasive alien species will aid in predicting future establishment and tracking dynamics of established populations. Asian carp Hypophthalmichthys spp. have become a nuisance in recent years in the Mississippi River basin. Their populations are apparently expanding, indicating favorable conditions for reproduction. During 2004 and 2005, we quantified mean density of Asian carp larvae, mean monthly gonadosomatic index (GSI) of adult males and females, and number of eggs within mature females in the lower Illinois River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River. A flood (water velocity ≥ 0.7 m/s) …

Sources Of Nonnative Centrarchids In The Upper Colorado River Revealed By Stable Isotope And Microchemical Analyses Of Otoliths, Gregory W. Whitledge, Brett M. Johnson, Patrick J. Martinez, Anita M. Martinez

Publications

Nonnative fishes represent a significant impediment to the recovery of imperiled fishes, including those endemic to the Colorado River in the southwestern United States. Efforts to control nonindigenous fish abundance in the upper Colorado River basin have been unsuccessful owing in part to lack of knowledge regarding nonnative fish recruitment sources. We determined the source habitat (floodplain pond versus riverine habitats) for nonnative centrarchid fishes (largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, bluegill L. macrochirus, and black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus) in the upper Colorado River using stable hydrogen isotopic composition (δD) and strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca) ratios …

Library Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 2

Library Newsletters

No abstract provided.

A Novel Empirical Free Energy Function That Explains And Predicts Protein–Protein Binding Affinities, Joseph Audie, Suzanne Scarlata

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

A free energy function can be defined as a mathematical expression that relates macroscopic free energy changes to microscopic or molecular properties. Free energy functions can be used to explain and predict the affinity of a ligand for a protein and to score and discriminate between native and non-native binding modes. However, there is a natural tension between developing a function fast enough to solve the scoring problem but rigorous enough to explain and predict binding affinities. Here, we present a novel, physics-based free energy function that is computationally inexpensive, yet explanatory and predictive. The function results from a derivation …

Receiver Operating Characteristic And Location Analysis Of Simulated Near-Infrared Tomography Images, Xiaomei Song, Brian W. Pogue, Hamid Dehghani, Shudong Jiang, Keith D. Paulsen, Tor D. Tosteson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed on simulated near-infrared tomography images, using both human observer and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) computational assessment, for application in breast cancer imaging. In the analysis, a nonparametric approach was applied for estimating the ROC curves. Human observer detection of objects had superior capability to localize the presence of heterogeneities when the objects were small with high contrast, with a minimum detectable threshold of CNR near 3.0 to 3.3 in the images. Human observers were able to detect heterogeneities in the images below a size limit of 4 mm, yet could not accurately find the …

Biol 347.01: Introduction To Neuroscience, Michael Kavanaugh

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Bmed 347.01: Introduction To Neuroscience, Michael Kavanaugh

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.