Digital Commons Network^™

Structure And Function Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Protein Pa1324 (21–170), Kelly A. Mercier, John R. Cort, Michael A. Kennedy, Erin E. Lockert, Shuisong Ni, Matthew D. Shortridge, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the prototypical biofilm-forming gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen. P. aeruginosa is causatively associated with nosocomial infections and with cystic fibrosis. Antibiotic resistance in some strains adds to the inherent difficulties that result from biofilm formation when treating P. aeruginosa infections. Transcriptional profiling studies suggest widespread changes in the proteome during quorum sensing and biofilm development. Many of the proteins found to be upregulated during these processes are poorly characterized from a functional standpoint. Here, we report the solution NMR structure of PA1324, a protein of unknown function identified in these studies, and provide a putative biological functional assignment …

1H, 13C, And 15N Nmr Assignments For The Bacillus Subtilis Yndb Start Domain, Kelly A. Mercier, Geoffrey A. Mueller, Thomas B. Acton, Rong Xiao, Gaetano T. Montelione, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

The steroidogenic acute regulatory-related lipid transfer (START) domain is found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, with putative functions including signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, GTPase activation and thioester hydrolysis. Here we report the near complete ¹H, ¹⁵N and ¹³C backbone and side chain NMR resonance assignments for the Bacillus subtilis START domain protein yndB.

Promoting Consumerism In West Germany During The Cold War: An Agency Perspective, Frauke Hachtmann

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This historical study attempts to explore how advertising, from the perspective of the J. Walter Thompson (JWT) Agency, contributed to the development of consumerism in West Germany during the Cold War (roughly the early 1950s until the late 1980s). The article describes how West Germany rebuilt its economy and eventually developed into the largest exporting country in the world. It also illustrates how advertising as an institution contributed to a functioning consumer society and chronicles the agency’s development in the U.S. and expansion to Germany. Finally, it explores the agency’s insights into consumer behavior in West Germany during the Cold …

The Elasticity Of Taxable Income With Respect To Marginal Tax Rates: A Critical Review, Emmanuel Saez, Joel B. Slemrod, Seth H. Giertz

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

This paper critically surveys the large and growing literature estimating the elasticity of taxable income with respect to marginal tax rates (ETI) using tax return data. First, we provide a theoretical framework showing under what assumptions this elasticity can be used as a sufficient statistic for efficiency and optimal tax analysis. We discuss what other parameters should be estimated when the elasticity is not a sufficient statistic. Second, we discuss conceptually the key issues that arise in the empirical estimation of the elasticity of taxable income using the example of the 1993 top individual income tax rate increase in the …

Increased Susceptibility Of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Fibroblasts To Camptothecin Is P53-Independent., Chia-Yen Wu, Ilsa Gómez-Curet, Vicky L Funanage, Mena Scavina, Wenlan Wang

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Deletion or mutation(s) of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene causes spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The SMN protein is known to play a role in RNA metabolism, neurite outgrowth, and cell survival. Yet, it remains unclear how SMN deficiency causes selective motor neuron death and muscle atrophy seen in SMA. Previously, we have shown that skin fibroblasts from SMA patients are more sensitive to the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin, supporting a role for SMN in cell survival. Here, we examine the potential mechanism of camptothecin sensitivity in SMA fibroblasts.

RESULTS: Camptothecin treatment reduced the DNA relaxation activity …

Managing Risks Associated With The Jbcc(Principal Building Agreement) From Thesouth African Contractor’S Perspective, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Nishani Harinarain

Architectural Engineering

Construction is a complex and risky business. It is a time-consuming process involving a multitude of organisations with different objectives and skills. In addition, increasing client expectations coupled with the technological development of materials and equipment made the construction industry subject to more risks than any other industry. Contracts are essential tools for organising the relationship between involved parties and managing associated risk. For years the South African construction industry had a very poor reputation in managing construction risks. In order to improve the image of the South African construction industry and to assist contractors to develop their proper risk …

Corporate Social Responsibility Of Architectural Design Firms Towards Sustainable Built Environment In South Africa, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman

Architectural Engineering

The construction industry makes a vital contribution to the social and economic development of every country. Buildings provide their users with places for housing, education, culture, medication, business, leisure and entertainment. None of these buildings will perform its function unless supported with efficient road networks, superlative telecommunications facilities, water and electricity. On the other hand, the construction industry has major impacts on the environment. It is a very large consumer of non-renewable resources, a substantial source of waste, pollution, land dereliction and energy consumption. This highlights the responsibility of present generations to use the available resources in a way that …

Pregnancy-Associated Venous Thromboembolism. Part I - Deep Vein Thrombus Diagnosis And Treatment, Farjah H. Al-Gahtani

Saudi Medical Journal

Venous thromboembolic VTE complications are leading causes of maternal mortality in the developed world. Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase in the incidence of deep venous thrombosis DVT in pregnant women, and this increase may be explained by the risk factors including older age, cesarean section, history of VTE, and presence of thrombophilia. To reduce the incidence of VTE in pregnancy and improve the outcomes, a wider understanding of the risk factors, and a better identification of women at risk of the thrombosis, with objective diagnosis and provide the optimal effective and safe treatment. Deep venous …

Penetrance Of Brca1/Brca2 Specific Gene Mutations In Iranian Women With Breast Cancer, Amir H. Hashemian, Ebrahim Hajizadeh, Anoshirvan Kazemnejad, Morteza Atri, Parvin Mehdipour

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the penetrance of breast cancer genes 1 and 2 BRCA1/BRCA2 specific gene mutations in Iranian women with breast cancer. METHODS: We conducted this study in the Department of Biostatistics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran between January and May 2008. The information was collected from the referral database of the Cancer Clinics, Day General Hospital, Tehran, Iran. We estimated the penetrance of breast cancer in carriers of BRCA1/2 specific gene mutations based on the modified kin-cohort method. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty-five probands were examined for specific mutations of BRCA1/2 genes. The estimated penetrance for the age groups …

Comparison Of Oral And Vaginal Misoprostol For Cervical Ripening Before Evacuation Of First Trimester Missed Miscarriage, Maysoon Jabir, Rania I. Smeet

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of misoprostol in cervical ripening before evacuation of conception in the first trimester missed miscarriages, and to compare between oral and vaginal routes of administration. METHODS: A randomized controlled study was carried out in Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq in 2006. One hundred and twenty women with first trimester missed miscarriages were divided into 2 study groups, randomized for oral and vaginal 400 mcg misoprostol priming of cervix, and 2 control groups randomized for oral and vaginal placebo, before undergoing surgical evacuation of conception after 3 hours. Measured outcomes were: post medication cervical dilatation, time …

Incidental Invasive Thymoma During Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Moaath Al-Smady, Farouq F. Hammdan, Mahmood M. Abu-Abeeleh, Islam M. Massad

Saudi Medical Journal

We encountered 2 incidental cases of invasive thymomas at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan; during routine coronary artery bypass graft surgery between 2005 and 2008 with an incidence of 0.6%. Both patients presented with angina pain. None of the 2 patients had pressure symptoms cough, shortness of breath or superior vena cava syndrome or Myasthenia Gravis symptoms. Total thymectomy with dissection of perithymic fat was performed on both cases. No radiotherapy was given. No recurrence of the tumor was seen in 2 years follow up. These cases are presented to emphasize the occurrence of this tumor.

Comparison Of A Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire With 24-Hour Dietary Recalls To Assess Dietary Intake Of Adult Kuwaitis, Mahshid Dehghan, Nawal Al-Hamad, Catherine R. Mcmillan, Prasanna Prakash, Anwar T. Merchant

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Egypt's Information Society Strategy: A Critical Lexicography, Neil Mcbride, Bernd Carsten Stahl

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The development of ICT policies within developing countries in the past ten years has opened up a new area for study. These documents chart the ambitions of the countries for the use of ICT to promote rapid development. As such they are intercultural documents, developing at the interface between the culture of the country and western economic culture. This paper develops a critical approach to understanding these documents and studying their message. The approach involves the preparation of a critical dictionary which identifies relevant terms within the ICT policy document and reflects on their multiple meanings. The approach was applied …

Usability Investigation Of E-Business Web-Based Forms, Gerald V. Post, Albert Kagan, Betsy Page Sigman

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Usability on Web sites is critical because almost no training is provided for users on commercial sites. Instead, Web design relies on standards and consistency across sites. Traditional usability results indicated that computer forms should follow paper-based forms. Yet, Web paradigms have evolved that are quite different from paper-based forms. Specifically, this study reveals that users commit fewer errors and prefer simple forms limited to a single concept per screen. This conclusion significantly alters the recommendations for designing business forms.

Europe And The 'Resolution Revolution': 'European' Legal Approaches To Privacy And Their Relevance For Space Remote Sensing Activities, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

English abstract: With the increasing general availability of very high resolution (VHR) satellite remote sensing data, issues of potential invasion of personal spheres of privacy will become ever more important. As of yet, there is no international law providing for a clear-cut regime balancing the freedom of information, including information gathering, with the rights of individual persons to remain free from interference with their privacy. The latter issues therefore essentially can be tackled only at a national level, with the obvious disadvantage that any regulation remains principally limited in scope to the national jurisdiction concerned.

Also at the European level …

Attention Shaping: A Reward-Based Learning Method To Enhance Skills Training Outcomes In Schizophrenia, Steven . M. Silverstein, William D. Spaulding, Anthony A. Menditto, Adam Savitz, Robert P. Liberman, Sarah Berten, Hannah Starobin

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Disturbances in sustained attention commonly interfere with the ability of persons with schizophrenia to benefit from evidence-based psychosocial treatments. Cognitive remediation interventions have thus far demonstrated minimal effects on attention, as have medications. There is thus a gap between the existence of effective psychosocial treatments and patients’ ability to effectively engage in and benefit from them. We report on the results of a multisite study of attention shaping (AS), a behavioral intervention for improving attentiveness and learning of social skills among highly distractible schizophrenia patients. Patients with chronic schizophrenia who were refractory to skills training were assigned to receive either …

The International Law Of Outer Space And Consequences At The National Level For India: Towards An Indian National Space Law?, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

The discussion on a forum on the famous web-based LinkedIn networking site has already taken off: should India, as party to the four most important international space treaties, also develop a national space law, as other states increasingly are doing? That India is currently one of the leading spacefaring nations in the world is beyond discussion. In itself, however, that does not necessarily necessitate going through the trouble of drafting and implementing a national space law.

This article, however, argues that indeed, following the examples of a growing number of spacefaring states around the world discussed in some detail as …

Continuous, Real-Time Monitoring Of Cocaine In Undiluted Blood Serum Via A Microfluidic, Electrochemical Aptamer-Based Sensor, James S. Swensen, Yi Xiao, Brian S. Ferguson, Arica A. Lubin, Rebecca Lai, Alan J. Heeger, Kevin W. Plaxco, H. Tom. Soh

Rebecca Lai Publications

The development of a biosensor system capable of continuous, real-time measurement of small-molecule analytes directly in complex, unprocessed aqueous samples has been a significant challenge, and successful implementation has been achieved for only a limited number of targets. Towards a general solution to this problem, we report here the Microfluidic Electrochemical Aptamer-based Sensor (MECAS) chip wherein we integrate target-specific DNA aptamers that fold, and thus generate an electrochemical signal, in response to the analyte with a microfluidic detection system. As a model, we demonstrate the continuous, real-time (~1 minute time resolution) detection of the small molecule drug cocaine at near …

Ecological Genomics Of Nematode Community Interactions: Model And Non-Model Approaches, Michael A. Herman, Joseph D. Coolon, Kenneth L. Jones, Timothy Todd

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The effects of human-induced environmental change are evident at multiple levels of biological organization. To date, most environmental change studies have focused on effects at the ecosystem, community, and organismal levels. However, the ultimate controls of biological responses are located in the genome. Thus, genetic and genomic studies of organismal responses to environmental changes are necessary. Recent advances in genome analysis now make such analyses possible. In this chapter we describe a research approach and program that can begin to span this gap by using genome-enabled approaches to characterize organismal changes and then employing a genetically tractable model organism to …

An Overview Of Systematics And Evolution Of Ticks, Santiago Nava, Alberto A. Guglielmone, Atilio J. Mangold

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

All species of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) are grouped into three families: Argasidae (186 species), Ixodidae (692 species), and Nuttalliellidae (monotypic). Molecular markers have been developed and applied for tick studies along with conventional techniques. The origin of ticks is during the pre-mid Cretaceous period (with both the Argasidae and Ixodidae being established in the middle Cretaceous). Primeval hosts were probably reptiles or amphibians. The Argasidae contains two to five subfamilies according to authors but relationships among its members are far from resolved. The Ixodidae were formed by the basal Prostriata group (genus Ixodes, subfamily Ixodinae) and the Metastriata group …

Paleoparasitology Of Chagas Disease - A Review, Adauto Araujo, Ann Maria Jansen, Karl Reinhard, Luiz F. Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

One hundred years since the discovery of Chagas disease associated with Trypanosoma cruzi infection, growing attention has focused on understanding the evolution in parasite-human host interaction. This interest has featured studies and results from paleoparasitology, not only the description of lesions in mummified bodies, but also the recovery of genetic material from the parasite and the possibility of analyzing such material over time. The present study reviews the evidence of Chagas disease in organic remains excavated from archeological sites and discusses two findings in greater detail, both with lesions suggestive of chagasic megacolon and confirmed by molecular biology techniques. One …