Digital Commons Network^™

Notes On Contributors

Fishladder: A Student Journal of Art and Writing

No abstract provided.

I Know Why She Swallowed The Fly, Joshua Campeau

Fishladder: A Student Journal of Art and Writing

No abstract provided.

Clergy And Gender In Medieval England: A Bioarchaeological Approach, Alexandra Nicole Busot

Open Access Theses

In the Middle Ages, masculinity could best be defined by the ability of a male to impregnate women, protect dependents and serve as a provider for one's family. With the Gregorian Reform of the eleventh century came a campaign against clerical marriage, which thereby effectively disallowed men of faith to perform the traditional masculine gender roles. The clergy, while biologically male, were seemingly emasculated by their vows of chastity and expected to perform tasks that in many cases were considered to be feminine. For these reasons, some medievalists have proposed that the unique role that these men performed should be …

How Rapidly Should Developing Countries Implement Intelligent Transportation Systems (Its) To Solve The Growing Urban Traffic Congestion Problem?, Mandar Khanal

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many newly developing countries are growing rapidly. One example is India, currently the second most populous country in the world. According to the Indian Ministry of Urban Development, from 1981 to 2001, the population in six major Indian cities increased twofold while motor vehicles increased eightfold. Such rapid growth in vehicles without a comparable growth in transportation infrastructure leads to increasing traffic congestion. Cities in India are already considered congested today, and are going to be even more congested in the coming years since the rate of urbanization in India in 2006 was only 29% and is expected to grow …

Production Of Mycobacterial Cell Wall Glycopeptidolipids Requires A Member Of The Mbth-Like Protein Family, Elizabeth Tatham, Sivagami Sundaram Chavadi, Poornima Mohandas, Uthamaphani R. Edupuganti, Shiva K. Angala, Delphi Chatterjee, Luis E N Quadri

Publications and Research

Background Glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) are among the major free glycolipid components of the outer membrane of several saprophytic and clinically-relevant Mycobacterium species. The architecture of GPLs is based on a constant tripeptide-amino alcohol core of nonribosomal peptide synthetase origin that is N-acylated with a 3-hydroxy/methoxy acyl chain synthesized by a polyketide synthase and further decorated with variable glycosylation patterns built from methylated and acetylated sugars. GPLs have been implicated in many aspects of mycobacterial biology, thus highlighting the significance of gaining an understanding of their biosynthesis. Our bioinformatics analysis revealed that every GPL biosynthetic gene cluster known to date contains a …

Xprime-Em: Eliciting Expert Prior Information For Motif Exploration Using The Expectation-Maximization Algorithm, Wei Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the possible mechanisms of gene transcription regulation is a primary challenge for current molecular biologists. Identifying transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs), also called DNA motifs, is an important step in understanding these mechanisms. Furthermore, many human diseases are attributed to mutations in TFBSs, which makes identifying those DNA motifs significant for disease treatment. Uncertainty and variations in specific nucleotides of TFBSs present difficulties for DNA motif searching. In this project, we present an algorithm, XPRIME-EM (Eliciting EXpert PRior Information for Motif Exploration using the Expectation-Maximization Algorithm), which can discover known and de novo (unknown) DNA motifs simultaneously from a …

Cannabis-Dependence Risk Relates To Synergism Between Neuroticism And Proenkephalin Snps Associated With Amygdala Gene Expression: Case-Control Study, Didier Jutras-Aswad, Michelle M. Jacobs, Georgia Yiannoulos, Panos Roussos, Panos Bitsios, Yoko Nomura, Xun Liu, Yasmin L. Hurd

Publications and Research

Background Many young people experiment with cannabis, yet only a subgroup progress to dependence suggesting individual differences that could relate to factors such as genetics and behavioral traits. Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) and proenkephalin (PENK) genes have been implicated in animal studies with cannabis exposure. Whether polymorphisms of these genes are associated with cannabis dependence and related behavioral traits is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings Healthy young adults (18–27 years) with cannabis dependence and without a dependence diagnosis were studied (N = 50/group) in relation to a priori-determined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the DRD2 and PENK genes. Negative affect, Impulsive Risk …

Phosphoinositide-3-Kinase/Akt - Dependent Signaling Is Required For Maintenance Of [Ca2+]I,ICa, And Ca2+ Transients In Hl-1 Cardiomyocytes, Bridget M. Graves, Thomas Simerly, Chuanfu Li, David L. Williams, Robert Wondergem

ETSU Faculty Works

The phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K/Akt) dependent signaling pathway plays an important role in cardiac function, specifically cardiac contractility. We have reported that sepsis decreases myocardial Akt activation, which correlates with cardiac dysfunction in sepsis. We also reported that preventing sepsis induced changes in myocardial Akt activation ameliorates cardiovascular dysfunction. In this study we investigated the role of PI3K/Akt on cardiomyocyte function by examining the role of PI3K/Akt-dependent signaling on [Ca 2+]i, Ca2+ transients and membrane Ca2+ current, ICa, in cultured murine HL-1 cardiomyocytes. LY294002 (120 μM), a specific PI3K inhibitor, dramatically decreased HL-1 [Ca 2+]i, Ca2+ transients and ICa. We also …

A Study Of The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, In Tampa Bay: Effects Of Perkinsus Marinus On Reproduction And Condition, Bridgit Melora Mccrickard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Five sites in Tampa Bay, Florida, were sampled monthly from February 2006 to January 2007. These sites were located at the mouth of the Alafia River, in an inlet of Cross Bayou, on the easement of Gandy Bridge, near mangrove in Manatee County, and an inlet of Salt Creek, off Bayboro Harbor. Standard methods were used to determine shell height and Condition Index (CI). Intensity and prevalence of Perkinsus marinus were analyzed using Ray's Thioglycollate medium test, while Haplosporidium nelsoni was studied by histological examination. Histological methods were also used to determine sex ratios, reproductive phases, and egg diameters. …

Two Boundaries Separate Borrelia Burgdorferi Populations In North America, Gabriele Margos, Jean I. Tsao, Santiago Castillo-Ramirez, Yvette A. Girard, Anne G. Hoen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Understanding the spread of infectious diseases is crucial for implementing effective control measures. For this, it is important to obtain information on the contemporary population structure of a disease agent and to infer the evolutionary processes that may have shaped it. Here, we investigate on a continental scale the population structure of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis (LB), a tick-borne disease, in North America. We test the hypothesis that the observed d population structure is congruent with recent population expansions and that these were preceded by bottlenecks mostly likely caused by the near extirpation in the 1900s …

Could Consciousness Emerge From A Machine Language?, Genevieve Kaess

Macalester Journal of Philosophy

No abstract provided.

Consciousness And Ai: Reformulating The Issue, Patrick Holzman

Macalester Journal of Philosophy

No abstract provided.

Heidi's Happenings: Spring Fun!, Center For Persons With Disabilities

Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

Western News, June 21, 2012, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Snyder announces new Wilson Fellows cohort; Legislators budget $750,000 for foster youth program; NCAA honors Broncos for academic skill; On Campus with Ellen Eberstein.

Sbe Notícias, Ano 7, No. 230, June 21, 2012, Marcelo A. Rasteiro, Delci K. Ishida, Agatha Matsumoto

SBE Notícias

SBE divulga princípios para conservação de cavernas; Alunos de arqueologia da UEPB conhecem patrimônio arqueológico/espeleológico da Paraíba; Estudo sobre a importância cultural do carste e cavernas recebe mensão honrosa; Exposição sobre morcegos mostra curiosidades e hábidos do animal; FEALC lança mais um boletim Noti-FEALC; Tribunal Regional Federal mantém condenação de industrial por crime ambiental em São Rafael RN; Cavidade teria servido de abrigo para quilombola em Andrelândia MG; Tecido encontrado em caverna russa tem 9.000 anos; Neandertais podem ter sido os primeiros artistas das cavernas; Foto do leitor: Gruta dos Lagos Suspensos (SP-165).

Characterization Of Non-Host Resistance In Broad Bean To The Wheat Stripe Rust Pathogen., Yulin Cheng, Hongchang Zhang, Juanni Yao, Xiaojie Wang, Jin-Rong Xu, Qingmei Han, Guorong Wei, Lili Huang, Zhensheng Kang

Department of Botany and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Background

Non-host resistance (NHR) confers plant species immunity against the majority of microbial pathogens and represents the most robust and durable form of plant resistance in nature. As one of the main genera of rust fungi with economic and biological importance, Puccinia infects almost all cereals but is unable to cause diseases on legumes. Little is known about the mechanism of this kind of effective defense in legumes to these non-host pathogens.

Results

In this study, the basis of NHR in broad bean (Vicia faba L.) against the wheat stripe rust pathogen,Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst …

The Role Of A And B Vitamins During Orofacial Development Of Xenopus Laevis, Allyson Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

Orofacial anomalies make up about a third of the 120,000 birth defects each year in the United States. Children born with these abnormalities must undergo immense physical and emotional strain in order to correct the defects. In fact, about $697 million is spent every year surgically treating children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate (2011). In countries where surgery is not an option, this abnormality causes immense difficulties in eating, hearing, speech, and psychosocial development. The causes of cleft lip/palate are extremely complex. Genetics play a role in the anomaly; however, 95% of cleft palate cases are non-syndromic and likely …

Evidence Accumulator Or Decision Threshold - Which Cortical Mechanism Are We Observing?, Patrick Simen

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Most psychological models of perceptual decision making are of the accumulation-to- threshold variety. The neural basis of accumulation in parietal and prefrontal cortex is therefore a topic of great interest in neuroscience. In contrast, threshold mechanisms have received less attention, and their neural basis has usually been sought in subcortical structures. Here I analyze a model of a decision threshold that can be implemented in the same cortical areas as evidence accumulators, and whose behavior bears on two open questions in decision neuroscience: (1) When ramping activity is observed in a brain region during decision making, does it reflect evidence …

Long-Term Retrospective Analysis Of Mackerel Spawning In The North Sea: A New Time Series And Modeling Approach To Cpr Data, T Jansen, K Kristensen, M Payne, Et Al

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

We present a unique view of mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in the North Sea based on a new time series of larvae caught by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey from 1948-2005, covering the period both before and after the collapse of the North Sea stock. Hydrographic backtrack modelling suggested that the effect of advection is very limited between spawning and larvae capture in the CPR survey. Using a statistical technique not previously applied to CPR data, we then generated a larval index that accounts for both catchability as well as spatial and temporal autocorrelation. The resulting time series documents the …

Book Review, Criticism Editors

Criticism

Shakespeare and the Jews (James Shapiro) (Reviewed by Suzanne Gossett)

Climate and Literature: Reflections of Enviroment (Ed.Janet Pérez and Wendell Aycock) (Reviewed by Alvin Snider)

Disturbing Pleasures: Learning Popular Culture (Henry A Giroux)
Making Malcolm: The Myth & Meaning of Malcolm X (Michael Eric Dyson) (Reviewed by Jerry Herron)

Cultural Selection (Gary Taylor) (Reviewed by Peter Erickson)

Literary Realism and the Ekphrastic Tradition (Mack Smith) (Reviewed by Bruce Henricksen)

Our Vampires, Ourselves (Nina Auerbach) (Reviewed by Carol Colatrella)

Boredom: The Literary History of a State of Mind (Patricia Meyer Spacks) (Reviewed by Karen A. Weisman)

Paper Bullets: Print and Kingship …

The Effects Of Nicotine On Mesenchymal Stem Cell Function, Carlos M. Carballosa

Open Access Theses

This research focuses on the effects nicotine exposure has on Human, Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) proliferation, migration and differentiation potential. Nicotine, the quintessential compound responsible for a smoker’s addiction to cigarettes, is an organic compound, whose effects are either positive or negative depending on the dose of nicotine metabolized. In low concentrations, nicotine has been shown to induce angiogenesis and improve diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In high doses, however, nicotine has been shown to have detrimental effects including hindering both embryonic stem cell development and skeletal healing. Although much has been discovered about the effects …

Brainstorm: Head Injuries And The Nfl, Part 2: A History Of Terms – Cte And Concussion, John J. Medina Ph.D.

Brainstorm

The history of research into the relationship between head injuries and contact sports starts not with football, but with boxing.

Gut Immune Maturation Depends On Colonization With A Host-Specific Microbiota, Hachung Chung, Sünje J. Pamp, Jonathan A. Hill, Neeraj K. Surana, Sanna M. Edelman, Erin B. Troy, Nicola C. Reading, Eduardo J. Villablanca, Sen Wang, Jorge R. Mora, Yoshinori Umesaki, Diane Mathis, Christophe Benoist, David A. Relman, Dennis L. Kasper

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

Gut microbial induction of host immune maturation exemplifies host-microbe mutualism. We colonized germ-free (GF) mice with mouse microbiota (MMb) or human microbiota (HMb) to determine whether small intestinal immune maturation depends on a coevolved host-specific microbiota. Gut bacterial numbers and phylum abundance were similar in MMb and HMb mice, but bacterial species differed, especially the Firmicutes. HMb mouse intestines had low levels of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, few proliferating T cells, few dendritic cells, and low antimicrobial peptide expression—all characteristics of GF mice. Rat microbiota also failed to fully expand intestinal T cell numbers in mice. Colonizing …

Ethiopia: Tragedy We Can Prevent, Hudda Ibrahim

English Student Work

No abstract provided.

Il-6 Signaling Blockade Increases Inflammation But Does Not Affect Muscle Function In The Mdx Mouse, Mathew A. Kostek, Kanneboyina Nagaraju, Emidio E. Pistilli, Arpana Sali, San-Huei Lai, Brad Gordon, Yi-Wen Chen

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Frequent Arousal From Hibernation Linked To Severity Of Infection And Mortality In Bats With White-Nose Syndrome, Deeann M. Reeder, Craig L. Frank, Gregory G. Turner

KIP Articles

White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging infectious disease that has killed over 5.5 million hibernating bats, is named for the causative agent, a white fungus (Geomyces destructans (Gd)) that invades the skin of torpid bats. During hibernation, arousals to warm (euthermic) body temperatures are normal but deplete fat stores. Temperature-sensitive dataloggers were attached to the backs of 504 free-ranging little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in hibernacula located throughout the northeastern USA. Dataloggers were retrieved at the end of the hibernation season and complete profiles of skin temperature data were available from 83 bats, which were categorized as: (1) unaffected, (2) WNS-affected …

Hotline Press Newspaper- June 2012 Vol 29 No 4, Hotline Press Newspaper

Hotline Press Newspaper 2012

No abstract provided.

Evolutionary Genomics Of Mycovirus-Related Dsrna Viruses Reveals Cross-Family Horizontal Gene Transfer And Evolution Of Diverse Viral Lineages, Huiquan Liu, Yanping Fu, Jiatao Xie, Jiasen Cheng, Said A. Ghabrial, Guoqing Li, Youliang Peng, Xianhong Yi, Daohong Jiang

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Double-stranded (ds) RNA fungal viruses are typically isometric single-shelled particles that are classified into three families, Totiviridae, Partitiviridae and Chrysoviridae, the members of which possess monopartite, bipartite and quadripartite genomes, respectively. Recent findings revealed that mycovirus-related dsRNA viruses are more diverse than previously recognized. Although an increasing number of viral complete genomic sequences have become available, the evolution of these diverse dsRNA viruses remains to be clarified. This is particularly so since there is little evidence for horizontal gene transfer (HGT) among dsRNA viruses.

RESULTS: In this study, we report the molecular properties of two novel dsRNA mycoviruses that …

What's New In Spine Surgery., Keith H Bridwell, Paul A Anderson, Scott D Boden, Alexander R Vaccaro, Jeffrey C Wang

Rothman Institute Papers

No abstract provided.

Frequent Arousal From Hibernation Linked To Severity Of Infection And Mortality In Bats With White-Nose Syndrome, Deeann M. Reeder, Craig L. Frank, Gregory G. Turner, Carol U. Meteyer, Allen Kurta, Eric R. Britzke, Megan E. Vodzak, Scott R. Darling, Craig W. Stihler, Alan C. Hicks, Roymon Jacob, Laura E. Grieneisen, Sarah A. Brownlee, Laura K. Muller, David S. Blehert

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.