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Benchmarks 2011, February 18, The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks 2011

BenchMarks. Friday, February 18, 2011

The community newsletter of The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks is published monthly and is distributed on the campus of The Rockefeller University. It produced by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Actions Memo February 2011, Kutztown University Curriculum Committee

UCC Action Memos

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Oxidative Paracatalytic Reactions Catalyzed By Enzymes That Generate Carbanionic Intermediates: Implications For Ros Production, Cancer Etiology, And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Victoria Bunik, John Schloss, John T. Pinto, Natalia Dudareva, Arthur J L Cooper

NYMC Faculty Publications

Enzymes that generate carbanionic intermediates often catalyze paracatalytic reactions with O2 and other electrophiles not considered “normal” reactants. For example, pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)—containing pig kidney dopa decarboxylase oxidizes dopamine with molecular O2 to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde at about 1% of the rate at which it catalyzes nonoxidative dopa decarboxylation. The mutant Y332F enzyme, however, catalyzes stoichiometric conversion of dopa to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, suggesting that even minor structural changes may alter or initiate paracatalytic reactions catalyzed by certain enzymes. Carbanions generated by several thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)—dependent enzymes react with different electrophiles, transforming some xenobiotics and endogenous compounds into potentially biologically hazardous products. The detrimental …

Curriculum Vitae - Cathy A Trower, Ph.D., Cathy A. Trower Ph.D.

Women ADVANCE at USM Initiative

No abstract provided.

Engineering News, Winter 2011, School Of Engineering

Engineering News

No abstract provided.

Scholarworks Statistics - February 2011, Scholarworks

ScholarWorks Reports

For the month of February 2011, ScholarWorks recorded a total of 11,151 full-text downloads.

News From The Flock, Vol. 2011 Issue 2, Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society

Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Information Outlook, January/February 2011, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2011

Volume 15, Issue 1

Mentoring Postsecondary Tenure-Trackfaculty: A Theory-Building Case Study Andimplications For Institutional Policy, Dannielle Joy Davis, Patricia Boyer, Isela Russell

Administrative Issues Journal

The featured research uses theory-building case study to understand the experiences of junior faculty in a mentoring program. Findings suggest the importance of professional interaction for faculty members’ integration into their campus communities. An explanatory model illustrates the findings and supplements discussion of the implications for administrators in terms of retention of new faculty members in postsecondary settings.

Human Capacity Building For Introduced Marine Pest Monitoring In Western Australia Frdc Report – Project 2009/319 Tactical Research Fund, Mathew Hourston, Samantha D. Bridgwood

Fisheries Research Reports

OBJECTIVES: 1. To identify gaps in the Western Australian skill and knowledge base for the monitoring of introduced marine pests. 2. To establish a centralised source of skills and knowledge in W.A. to facilitate the planning, evaluation, and quality control of activities relating to Introduced Marine Pest (IMP) monitoring. 3. To provide an Australian best practice example and knowledge base to facilitate the consistent, effective and efficient implementation of the National Monitoring system for IMPs.

Geography Newsletter, Department Of Geography

Geography Newsletter

Contents:
Romanian Delegation [Page] 2
AAG Great Plains? Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting [Page] 2
Professor Donald J. Berg [Page] 3
Enhancing the Physical Geography Laboratory Curriculum [Page] 3
Georgia's Been on My Mind [Page] 4
Graduate Student Travel to the Philippines [Page] 4
42nd Annual South Dakota State Geography Convention [Page] 6
2010 Scholarships [Page] 7
Student Graduations [Page] 7
Research in the Department [Page] 8-10
Alumni News [Page] 11-13
Supporting Geography [Page] 13
Fritz's Retirement Gathering [Page] 14

The Mother Daughter Bond And History In Wide Sargasso Sea, Valarie L. Phelps

Student Literary Analyses

No abstract provided.

Bridges : Newsletter Of The Stony Brook Health Sciences Chapter Of United University Professions, Stony Brook University

Bridges Newsletter (UUP HSC Chapter)

Newsletter

Issue 32, David Bell

NoteBooth

"Ben Franklin" exhibit; Edgar Room dedication; New librarians Todd Bruns (Institutional Repository) and Kirstin Duffin (Reference/Science); Booth Library launching institutional repository

Am I My Brother's Keeper: Familial Dna Searches In The Twenty-First Century, Mary Mccarthy

Notre Dame Law Review

No abstract provided.

Prism #52, February 2011, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Acquired Traits Revisited, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

Most biology texts villify Lamarck's concept of “inheritance of acquired characters” and leave the impression that all acquired characters are never transmitted to offspring. However, recent research indicates that this is not true! Some “acquired” traits are inherited. I profile some of these striking cases and their importance for evolution and for understanding a broader epigenetic context for heredity and ontogeny (the emerging field of “evo-devo”). Further, I discuss how such cases, even considered as exceptions, contribute to understanding the nature of science, both the role of general rules in biology and the occurrence of conceptual change, or paradigm shifts.

Culture-Independent Characterization Of A Novel, Uncultivated Magnetotactic Member Of The Nitrospirae Phylum, Christopher T. Lefevre, Richard B. Frankel, Fernanda Abreu, Ulysses Lins, Dennis A. Bazylinski

Physics

A magnetotactic bacterium, designated strain LO-1, of the Nitrospirae phylum was detected and concentrated from a number of freshwater and slightly brackish aquatic environments in southern Nevada. The closest phylogenetic relative to LO-1 is Candidatus Magnetobacterium bavaricum based on a 91.2% identity in their 16S rRNA gene sequence. Chemical and cell profiles of a microcosm containing water and sediment show that cells of strain LO-1 are confined to the oxic–anoxic interface and the upper regions of the anaerobic zone which in this case, occurred in the sediment. This microorganism is relatively large, ovoid in morphology and usually biomineralizes three braid-like …

Reimagining Democratic Theory For Social Individuals, Steven L. Winter Walter S. Gibbs Distinguished Professor Of Constitutional Law

Law Faculty Research Publications

The Western conception of the individual as a rational, self-directing agent is a mythology that organizes and distorts religion, science, economics, and politics. It produces an abstracted and atomized form of engagement that is fatal to collective self-governance. And it turns democracy into the enemy of equality. Considering the meaning of democracy and autonomy from a perspective that takes the subject as truly social would refocus our attention on the constitutive contexts and practices necessary for the production of citizens who are capable of meaningful self-governance. Under modern conditions, it is in the development of sexual autonomy that we learn …

Delivery Of Prolamins To The Protein Storage Vacuole In Maize Aleurone Cells, Francisca C. Reyes, Taijoon Chung, David Holding, Rudolf Jung, Richard Vierstra, Marisa S. Otegui

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Zeins, the prolamin storage proteins found in maize (Zea mays), accumulate in accretions called protein bodies inside the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of starchy endosperm cells. We found that genes encoding zeins, a-globulin, and legumin-1 are transcribed not only in the starchy endosperm but also in aleurone cells. Unlike the starchy endosperm, aleurone cells accumulate these storage proteins inside protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) instead of the ER. Aleurone PSVs contain zeinrich protein inclusions, a matrix, and a large system of intravacuolar membranes. After being assembled in the ER, zeins are delivered to the aleurone PSVs in atypical prevacuolar compartments …

Plant Targets For Pseudomonas Syringae Type Iii Effectors: Virulence Targets Or Guarded Decoys?, Anna Block, James R. Alfano

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

The phytopathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae can suppress both pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) by the injection of type III effector (T3E) proteins into host cells. T3Es achieve immune suppression using a variety of strategies including interference with immune receptor signaling, blocking RNA pathways and vesicle trafficking, and altering organelle function. T3Es can be recognized directly or indirectly by resistance proteins monitoring specific T3E targets resulting in ETI. It is presently unclear whether the monitored targets represent bona fide virulence targets or guarded decoys. Extensive overlap between PTI and ETI signaling suggests that T3Es may suppress …

Concise Synthesis Of 1,3-Di-O-Substituted Tetrahydropyran Derivatives As Conformationally Stable Pyranose Mimetics, Laurel K. Mydock, Christopher D. Spilling, Alexei V. Demchenko

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

A practical synthetic route to 1,3-di-O-substituted tetrahydropyrans has been developed. An important feature of these obtained glycomimetics is the bulky t-butyl functionality at the C-4 position, which imposes a chair conformation as the lowest energy conformer, making these compounds ideal pyranose mimetics. © 2010 Académie des sciences.

Vertical Distribution Of Deep-Pelagic (0-3000 M) Fishes Over The Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone Region Of The Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, April B. Cook, Tracey Sutton, John K. Galbraith, M. Vecchione

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Only a tiny fraction of the world’s largest volume of living space, the ocean’s midwater biome, has ever been sampled. As part of the International Census of Marine Life field project, MAR-ECO, a discrete-depth trawling survey was conducted in 2009 aboard the NOAA ship Henry B. Bigelow to examine pelagic assemblage structure and distribution over the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The bottom topography in this region ranges from 4500 m in the channel to 700-800 m on top of adjacent seamounts. Sampling was conducted at 11 stations from 0-3000 m using a Norwegian “Krill” trawl with …

Volatile Chemicals From Leaf Litter Are Associated With Invasiveness Of A Neotropical Weed In Asia, Inderjit, Heather Evans, Christoph Crocoll, Devika Bajpai, Rajwant Kaur, Yu-Long Feng, Carlos Silva, Jacinto Treviño Carreón, Alfonso Valiente-Banuet, Jonathan Gershenzon, Ragan M. Callaway

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Some invasive plant species appear to strongly suppress neighbors in their nonnative ranges but much less so in their native range. We found that in the field in its native range in Mexico, the presence of Ageratina adenophora, an aggressive Neotropical invader, was correlated with higher plant species richness than found in surrounding plant communities where this species was absent, suggesting facilitation. However, in two nonnative ranges, China and India, A. adenophora canopies were correlated with much lower species richness than the surrounding communities, suggesting inhibition. Volatile organic compound (VOC) signals may contribute to this striking biogeographical difference and …

Latitudinal Variation In Top-Down And Bottom-Up Control Of A Salt Marsh Food Web, Laurie B. Marczak, C.-K. Ho, K. Wieski, H. Vu, R. F. Denno, S. C. Pennings

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The shrub Iva frutescens, which occupies the terrestrial border of U.S. Atlantic Coast salt marshes, supports a food web that varies strongly across latitude. We tested whether latitudinal variation in plant quality (higher at high latitudes), consumption by omnivores (a crab, present only at low latitudes), consumption by mesopredators (ladybugs, present at all latitudes), or the life history stage of an herbivorous beetle could explain continental-scale field patterns of herbivore density. In a mesocosm experiment, crabs exerted strong top-down control on herbivorous beetles, ladybugs exerted strong top-down control on aphids, and both predators benefited plants through trophic cascades. Latitude …

Floodplain Succession And Soil Nitrogen Accumulation On A Salmon River In Southwestern Kamchatka, Michael R. Morris, Jack Arthur Stanford

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We documented riparian primary succession on an expansive floodplain (Kol River, Kamchatka, Russian Federation) that receives large nitrogen subsidies from spawning Pacific salmon. As is typical of primary succession, new alluvial deposits in the lower Kol floodplain were nitrogen poor (200 kg persulfate N/ha to 10 cm soil depth); however, nitrogen accumulated rapidly, and soils contained 1600 kg N/ha (to 10 cm + the litter layer) by 20 years. Soil nitrogen approached an asymptote at 2500 kg N/ha by 80 years. Nitrogen-fixing Alnus trees were a minor component of the forest community during the first 20 years of succession. However, …

T-705 (Favipiravir) Inhibition Of Arenavirus Replication In Cell Culture, Michelle Mendenhall, Andrew Russell, Terry Juelich, Emily L. Messina, Donald F. Smee, Alexander N. Freiberg, Michael R. Holbrook, Yousuke Furuta, Juan-Carlos De La Torre, Jack H. Nunberg, Brian B. Gowen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A number of New World arenaviruses (Junin [JUNV], Machupo [MACV], and Guanarito [GTOV] viruses) can cause human disease ranging from mild febrile illness to a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever syndrome. These highly pathogenic viruses and the Old World Lassa fever virus pose a significant threat to public health and national security. The only licensed antiviral agent with activity against these viruses, ribavirin, has had mixed success in treating severe arenaviral disease and is associated with significant toxicities. A novel pyrazine derivative currently in clinical trials for the treatment of influenza virus infections, T-705 (favipiravir), has demonstrated broad-spectrum activity …

Using Family Literacy Training To Address Summer Reading Loss, Janet L. Deck

Selected Faculty Publications

Maintaining reading proficiency throughout summer months is problematic for struggling readers. Conceptually framed by sociocultural constructivism, the purpose of this study was to determine parents‘ knowledge and understanding of effective research-based literacy instruction and to establish the participants‘ perceived effect of their participation in family literacy training on their elementary children‘s reading achievement. In this qualitative case study, the influence of family literacy training on summer literacy practices of three families with elementary children was examined. Data were collected using individual interviews with three parents. Interview transcripts were analyzed using an inductive analytical approach. The results of this study demonstrated …

Aged 539 Binder, Morgan D. Rourke

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

"This report includes documents required in meeting the quality criteria for High School programs of instruction in agriculture. These documents are used for the review process conducted by experts from the California Department of Education. The documentation includes information to receive state/local funding, the development of farm facilities, design classroom labs, and new shop facility to accommodate student SAE projects, and to support instruction."

Schistosoma Mansoni U6 Gene Promoter-Driven Short Hairpin Rna Induces Rna Interference In Human Fibrosarcoma Cells And Schistosomules, Clarence Lee

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) mediated by short hairpin-RNA (shRNA) expressing plasmids can induce specific and long-term knockdown of specific mRNAs in eukaryotic cells. To develop a vector-based RNAi model for Schistosoma mansoni, the schistosome U6 gene promoter was employed to drive expression of shRNA targeting reporter firefly luciferase. An upstream region of a U6 gene predicted to contain the promoter was amplified from genomic DNA of S. mansoni. A shRNA construct driven by the predicted U6 promoter targeting luciferase was assembled and cloned into plasmid pXL-Bac II, the construct termed pXL-BacII_SmU6-shLuc. Luciferase expression in transgenic fibrosarcoma HT-1080 cells was significantly reduced …