Digital Commons Network^™

A Functional Collagen Adhesin Gene, Acm, In Clinical Isolates Of Enterococcus Faecium Correlates With The Recent Success Of This Emerging Nosocomial Pathogen, Sreedhar R Nallapareddy, Kavindra V Singh, Pablo C Okhuysen, Barbara E Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Enterococcus faecium recently evolved from a generally avirulent commensal into a multidrug-resistant health care-associated pathogen causing difficult-to-treat infections, but little is known about the factors responsible for this change. We previously showed that some E. faecium strains express a cell wall-anchored collagen adhesin, Acm. Here we analyzed 90 E. faecium isolates (99% acm(+)) and found that the Acm protein was detected predominantly in clinically derived isolates, while the acm gene was present as a transposon-interrupted pseudogene in 12 of 47 isolates of nonclinical origin. A highly significant association between clinical (versus fecal or food) origin and collagen adherence (P

Lockers, Ander Bergstrom

Theses

The production of the thesis film ‘Lockers’ was not an easy birth. The first proposed story that was accepted by the Thesis committee was discarded as being too technically ambitious. There was then a protracted effort to develop a new, producible thesis Story proposal that met the committee’s requirements. Once an acceptable thesis proposal was developed, the writer then attempted to refine the story; writing over forty drafts in order to reduce the elements of the story into something that made the artistic and narrative statements as well as being technically viable. Working in the professional world of animation while …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Equine Immunity, Vaccination Guidelines, And Recommendations, Kerry Rood, Patricia Evans

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Environmental Production Conditions On Productivity And Efficiency: A Case Study Of Wheat Farmers In Bangladesh, S Rahman, Mk Hasan

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Environmental conditions significantly affect production, but are often ignored in studies analysing productivity and efficiency leading to biased results. In this study, we examine the influence of selected environmental factors on productivity and efficiency in wheat farming in Bangladesh. Results reveal that environmental production conditions significantly affect the parameters of the production function and technical efficiency, as well as correlates of inefficiency. Controlling for environmental production conditions improves technical efficiency by 4 points (p<0.01) from 86% to 90%. Large farms are more efficient relative to small and medium sized farms (p<0.01 and 0.05), with no variation among regions. Policy implications include soil fertility improvement through soil conservation and crop rotation, improvement in managerial practices through extension services and adoption of modern technologies, promotion of education, strengthening the research-extension link, and development of new varieties that have higher yield potential and are also suitable for marginal areas.

Toll-Like Receptor And Il-12 Signaling Control Susceptibility To Contact Hypersensitivity., Stefan F. Martin, Jan C. Dudda, Eva Bachtanian, Annalisa Lembo, Stefanie Liller, Christoph Dürr, Markus M. Heimesaat, Stefan Bereswill, György Fejer, Ralitsa Vassileva, Thilo Jakob, N Freudenberg, Christian C. Termeer, Caroline Johner, Chris Galanos, Ma Freudenberg

School of Biomedical Sciences

Allergic contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is a T cell-mediated inflammatory skin disease. Interleukin (IL)-12 is considered to be important in the generation of the allergen-specific T cell response. Loss of IL-12 function in IL-12Rbeta2-deficient mice, however, did not ameliorate the allergic immune response, suggesting alternate IL-12-independent pathways in the induction of CHS. Because exposure to contact allergens always takes place in the presence of microbial skin flora, we investigated the potential role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the induction of CHS. Using mice deficient in TLR4, the receptor for bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), IL-12 receptor (R) beta2, or both, we show that …

Iron Oxide Deposits Associated With The Ectosymbiotic Bacteria In The Hydrothermal Vent Shrimp Rimicaris Exoculata, Laure Corbari, Marie Anne Cambon-Bonavita, Gary J. Long, Fernande Grandjean, Magali Zbinden, Françoise Gaill, Philippe Compère

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Rimicaris exoculata shrimp is considered as a primary consumer that dominates the fauna of most Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) hydrothermal ecosystems. These shrimps harbour in their gill chambers an important ectosymbiotic community of chemoautotrophic bacteria associated with iron oxide deposits. The structure and elemental composition of the mineral concretions associated with these bacteria have been investigated by using LM, ESEM, TEM STEM and EDX microanalyses. The nature of the iron oxides in shrimps obtained from the Rainbow vent field has also been determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy. This multidisciplinary approach has revealed that the three layers of mineral crust in the …

The Right Question, Katie Thompson

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Water Removal From Whole Stillage By Enzyme Addition During Fermentation, Ana Beatriz Henriques, David B. Johnston, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Removal of Water from Coproducts in the Fuel Ethanol Process Requires a Significant Energy Input. in This Study, the Addition of Commercially Available Cell-Wall-Degrading Enzymes Was Investigated to Determine Whether or Not the Enzymes Could Reduce the Amount of Water Bound within the Wet Grains. This Would Have the Effect of Allowing More Water to Be Removed during Centrifugation, Reducing the Time and Energy Needed during the Drying Process. the Experiment Screened 15 Cell-Wall-Degrading Enzyme Preparations. a Significant Reduction in Water-Binding Capacity Was Found for a Number of Enzymes Tested in the Initial Screening. the Experiment Was Repeated and …

Bio-Inspired Algorithms For The Design Of Multiple Optimal Power System Stabilizers: Sppso And Bfa, Tridib Kumar Das, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Usman O. Aliyu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Damping intra-area and interarea oscillations are critical to optimal power flow and stability in a power system. Power system stabilizers (PSSs) are effective damping devices, as they provide auxiliary control signals to the excitation systems of generators. The proper selection of PSS parameters to accommodate variations in the power system dynamics is important and is a challenging task particularly when several PSSs are involved. Two classical bio-inspired algorithms, which are smallpopulation- based particle swarm optimization (SPPSO) and bacterial foraging algorithm (BFA), are presented in this paper for the simultaneous design of multiple optimal PSSs in two power systems. A classical …

Crickets, Erin W. Hodgson, Jessie Trina

All Current Publications

Crickets are closely related to grasshoppers and katydids, all belonging in the order Orthoptera. The family of “true crickets” is called Gryllidae, which includes more than 900 different species worldwide. In Utah, we have several species of field crickets and snowy tree crickets located throughout the state. True crickets are often confused with grasshoppers and katydids because they have similar body shapes and large hind legs for jumping.

Decreased Expression Of Caveolin 1 In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis: Crucial Role In The Pathogenesis Of Tissue Fibrosis., Francesco Del Galdo, Federica Sotgia, Cecilia J. De Almeida, Jean-Francois Jasmin, Megan Musick, Michael P. Lisanti, Sergio A. Jimenez

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have implicated caveolin 1 in the regulation of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) downstream signaling. Given the crucial role of TGFbeta in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), we sought to determine whether caveolin 1 is also involved in the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis in SSc. We analyzed the expression of CAV1 in affected SSc tissues, studied the effects of lack of expression of CAV1 in vitro and in vivo, and analyzed the effects of restoration of caveolin 1 function on the fibrotic phenotype of SSc fibroblasts in vitro.

METHODS: CAV1 expression in tissues was analyzed by …

Combat Identification Using Multiple Tuav Swarm, Younin Kang

Theses and Dissertations

In modern warfare, Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (TUAVs) are rapidly taking on a leading role in traditional and non-traditional ISR, to include Automatic Target Recognition (ATR). However, additional advancements in processors and sensors on TUAVs are still needed before they can be widely employed as a primary source for positive identification in the Combat Identification (CID) process. Cost is a driving factor for operating an ATR system using multiple TUAVs. The cost of high quality sensors appropriate for a single TUAV can be significantly higher than less sophisticated sensors suitable for deployment on a group, or swarm, of coordinated TUAVs. …

Evidence On The Role Of Supplier-Retailer Trading Relationships And Practices In Waste Generation In The Food Chain, Carlos Mena, Peter Whitehead

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report presents the results of the project entitled “Evidence on the role of supplier-retailer trading relationships and practices in waste generation in the food chain” commission by Defra (Project Code SFFSD0705) and undertaken by Cranfield University and IGD between July 2008 and June 2009.

The overall aim of the project was to provide a qualitative analysis of the food and packaging waste arising from the link between food manufacturers and retailers in the UK. The specific objectives of the project were:

• To identify the root causes of waste between suppliers and retailers in the UK
• To assess the magnitude …

Habitat-Mediated Foraging Limitations Drive Survival Bottlenecks For Juvenile Salmon, Brian P. Kennedy, Keith H. Nislow, Carol L. Folt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Realistic population models and effective conservation strategies require a thorough understanding of mechanisms driving stage-specific mortality. Mortality bottlenecks for many species occur in the juvenile stage and are thought to result from limitation on food or foraging habitat during a "critical period" for growth and survival. Without a way to account for maternal effects or to measure integrated consumption rates in the field, it has been virtually impossible to test these relationships directly. Hence uncertainties about mechanisms underlying such bottlenecks remain. In this study we randomize maternal effects across sites and apply a new method for measuring consumption integrated over …

Wavelength Band Optimization In Spectral Near-Infrared Optical Tomography Improves Accuracy While Reducing Data Acquisition And Computational Burden, Matthew E. Eames, Jia Wang, Brian W. Pogue, Hamid Dehghani

Dartmouth Scholarship

Multispectral near-infrared (NIR) tomographic imaging has the potential to provide information about molecules absorbing light in tissue, as well as subcellular structures scattering light, based on transmission measurements. However, the choice of possible wavelengths used is crucial for the accurate separation of these parameters, as well as for diminishing crosstalk between the contributing chromophores. While multispectral systems are often restricted by the wavelengths of laser diodes available, continuous-wave broadband systems exist that have the advantage of providing broadband NIR spectroscopy data, albeit without the benefit of the temporal data. In this work, the use of large spectral NIR datasets is …

Raps Sheet, September 2008, Retirement Association Of Portland State

RAPS Sheet: Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Physiological Simulation Models Of Intracranial Pressure Dynamics, Wayne W. Wakeland, Brahm Goldstein

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper reviews the literature regarding the development, testing, and application of physiology-based computer simulation models of intracranial pressure dynamics. Detailed comparative information is provided in tabular format about the model variables and logic, any data collected, model testing and validation methods, and model results. Several syntheses are given that summarize the research carried out by influential research teams and researchers, review important findings, and discuss the methods employed, limitations, and opportunities for further research.

An Integrated Approach To The Toxicity Evaluation Of Irish Marine Sediment - Chemical Assessment, Michelle Giltrap

Doctoral

This project was a collaborative project between the Marine Institute (MI) in Galway and Radiation and Environmental Science Centre (RESC) in the Technological University Dublin (DIT). In Ireland, at present, sediment quality assessments are generally reliant on chemical analysis alone with limited bioassay techniques available to further characterise the sediment. Some causative agents of toxicity to biological organisms are below analytical detection limits. Integration of bioassay data with chemical analysis is essential in order to complete a full ecotoxicological assessment of the quality of the marine environment. This project describes the chemical analysis of marine sediment for persistent pollutants from …

Langer's Method For The Calculation Of Escape Rates And Its Application To Systems Of Ferromagnets, Gerard Duff

Doctoral

This work is a study of the application of a theory proposed by J. S. Langer (J.S. Langer, Statistical Theory of the Decay of Metastable States, Annals of Physics 54, 258-275 (1969)) for the calculation of the decay rate (relaxation rate) of a metastable state. The theory is set in the context of statistical mechanics, where the dynamics of a system with a large number of degrees of freedom (order 1023) are reduced to N degrees of freedom, where N is small, when a steady state or equilibrium position is maintained by the entire system. In this thesis N equals …

A Mathematical And Computational Exploration Of The Effect Of The A-Current In Determining The Activity Phase Of Follower Neurons, Yu Zhang

Dissertations

Bursting oscillations are prevalent in neurons of central pattern generators (CPGs) that produce rhythmic motor activity, and the activity phase plays an important role in determining the normal or dysfunctional network output. The activity phase is the delay time-with respect to some reference time in each cycle and normalized by the oscillation cycle period-of the onset of action potentials by a neuron. This dissertation investigates how the A-current, in conjunction with other intrinsic properties, sets the activity phase of a neuron driven by inhibition.

This dissertation is divided into two major components. In the first component, methods of dynamical systems …

Editor's Note

Macalester International

No abstract provided.

The Contributions Of Dr. William Heffernan And The Missouri School Of Agrifood Studies, Anna M. Kleiner, John J. Green

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

“The Missouri School” refers to a collection of faculty and students studying agrifood systems who have been connected to the Department of Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri–Columbia. Heavily influenced by the populist pragmatist William “Bill” Heffernan, Missouri School analysts focus their attention on structural arrangements, power relationships, and spaces in which struggle for change might result in alternatives to the prevailing system. This article is an introduction to the special issue of Southern Rural Sociology devoted to research and theorizing done by students and faculty of the Missouri School. It includes an overview of the development of the …

Visualizing Food System Concentration And Consolidation, Philip H. Howard

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Visualization of the changing structure of the food system has played an important role in the Missouri School of Agrifood Studies’ research and outreach. The analogies and diagrams Missouri researchers have used to describe concentration and consolidation have aided our understanding of the extent of these phenomena, as well as their social impacts. This article discusses why visualization is effective for analyzing and presenting data. Recent advances in visualizing concentration and consolidation are described—these methods include 1) treemaps, 2) cartographic maps, 3) cluster diagrams, 4) taxonomic tree/timelines, and 5) animations. Examples utilizing data from the North American organic food industry …

Agribusiness Concentration, Intellectual Property, And The Prospects For Rural Economic Benefits From The Emerging Biofuel Economy, Leland L. Glenna, Daniel R. Cahoy

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

United States policy makers are promoting bio-fuels as an economic development opportunity, especially for rural America. A USDA study claims that developments in energy production from biomass could increase profits for agricultural commodity producers. However, as William Heffernan and his colleagues have demonstrated, concentration in the agrifood sector limits the economic benefits going to the commodity producers. Relying on Heffernan’s framework, we compare the distribution of intellectual property of corn and other genetically modified crops with that of the emerging biomass technologies. We find that patent ownership in the emerging biofuel sector is not yet as concentrated as in the …

On Musical Cosmopolitanism, Martin Stokes

Macalester International

No abstract provided.

Chinese Music And Its Globalized Past And Present, Joseph Lam

Macalester International

No abstract provided.

Escaping The Bondage Of The Dominant Agrifood System: Community-Based Cooperative Strategies, John J. Green, Anna M. Kleiner

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The “Missouri School” of critical agrifood studies has provided an effective framework for documenting and understanding the structural dimensions of the global agrifood system and locating important nodes of power.This has directed attention toward the negative impacts of industrialization and corporate concentration on agricultural producers, local communities and economies, and the environment. Using these criticalinsights, pressure on the dominant agrifood system by civil society organizations has resulted in important changes to production and marketing strategies and related public policies. We broaden this discussion by using social movement and livelihoods theory to explore the position of limited resource and minority producers …

Chinese Ethnicities And Their Culture: An Overview, Haiwang Yuan

DLPS Faculty Publications

China, the most populous country in the world, is also a nation of great diversity. In addition to the majority population of Han Chinese, there are some 55 officially recognized national minorities--including Tibetan, Mongol, Manchu, Zhuang, Dai, and Gaoshan. The folklore of these minorities is often obscure and difficult to find in the English-speaking world, as is information about the people, their cultural histories, and their traditional customs. This book fills a gap by offering more than 50 representative folktales from China's minorities, as well as background information on each of the ethnic groups.

Creating Alternatives: A Participant Observer's Reflections On The Emerging Local Food System In Kansas City, Mary Hendrickson

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The Missouri School has been known for its study of the structure of agriculture and food, and what affects structural arrangements have on farmers, communities, and environments. A lesser known aspect of the Missouri School is its use of structural analyses to analyze and promote alternatives. As a participant observer of the Kansas City food system for more than 15 years, I highlight the continual evolution of alternatives in the region, documenting the long involvement of the Missouri School with the development of these alternatives, from providing structural analyses to extension programming. This case study shows the struggle that farmers, …