Digital Commons Network^™

Acid Sphingomyelinase Gene Knockout Ameliorates Hyperhomocysteinemic Glomerular Injury In Mice Lacking Cystathionine-Β-Synthase, Krishna M. Boini, Min Xia, Justine M. Abais, Ming Xu, Cai-Xia Li, Pin-Lan Li

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) has been implicated in the development of hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcys)-induced glomerular oxidative stress and injury. However, it remains unknown whether genetically engineering of ASM gene produces beneficial or detrimental action on hHcys-induced glomerular injury. The present study generated and characterized the mice lacking cystathionine β-synthase (Cbs) and Asm mouse gene by cross breeding Cbs+/− and Asm+/− mice. Given that the homozygotes of Cbs−/−/Asm−/− mice could not survive for 3 weeks. Cbs+/−/Asm+/+, Cbs+/−/Asm+/− and Cbs+/−/Asm−/− as well as their Cbs wild type littermates were used to study the role of Asm−/− under a background of Cbs+/− with hHcys. HPLC …

The Natural Law Bridge Between Private Law And Public International Law, Richard A. Epstein

Articles

One keg similarity between natural law and international law is that they seek to obtain a stable social order without the intervention of any state authority capable of issuing and enforcing its commands to those subject to its rule. Among ordinary individuals in a state of nature that weakness tends to lead to a stripped-down libertarian regime that features simple rules of acquisition, contract, and protection. The system gains its relative stability from the brute fact that between rough equals the part in the defensive posture will win out, so that great disparities in power are needed to disrupt the …

Citizens United And Conservative Judicial Activism, Geoffrey R. Stone

Articles

This Article analyzes the recent trend of conservative judicial activism in the Supreme Court and searches for a principled reason to explain it. The conservative majority has struck down several laws in recent years, culminating in its invalidation of an important provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. While judicial restraint and originalism are currently seen as conservative principles, neither principle explains these decisions. The author argues that no principle can explain the results of these cases-rather, they can only be explained by the Justices' personal views and policy preferences. The …

Despite Losing Its Mittens, A Chinese Mitten Crab Finds Its Way To Connecticut, Nancy C. Balcom

Wrack Lines

A new invasive species for Connecticut: the Chinese mitten crab. Only one of this invasive crustacean species was spotted, but there will be more on the way.

Associations Of Genetic Markers In Cattle Receiving Differing Implant Protocols, D. A. King, S. D. Shackelford, T. G. Mcdaneld, L. A. Kuehn, C. M. Kemp, T. P.L. Smith, T. L. Wheeler, M. Koohmaraie

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The potential interaction of growth promoting implants and genetic markers previously reported to be associated with growth, carcass traits, and tenderness was evaluated. Two implant protocols were applied to subsets of steers (n = 383) and heifers (n = 65) that were also genotyped for 47 SNP reported to be associated with variation in growth, fat thickness, LM area, marbling, or tenderness. The “mild” protocol consisted of a single terminal implant [16 mg estradiol benzoate (EB), 80 mg trenbalone acetate (TBA) or 8 mg EB, 80 mg TBA given to steers and heifers, respectively]. The “aggressive” protocol consisted of both …

Next-Generation Sequencing Of The Porcine Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome For Computational Prediction Of Microrna Gene Targets, Tara G. Mcdaneld, Tim P. L. Smith, Gregory P. Harhay, Ralph T. Wiedmann

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Background: MicroRNA are a class of small RNAs that regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation of protein encoding transcripts through targeting of a microRNA-protein complex by base-pairing of the microRNA sequence to cognate recognition sequences in the 39 untranslated region (UTR) of the mRNA. Target identification for a given microRNA sequence is generally accomplished by informatics analysis of predicted mRNA sequences present in the genome or in databases of transcript sequence for the tissue of interest. However, gene models for porcine skeletal muscle transcripts in current databases, specifically complete sequence of the 39 UTR, are inadequate for this exercise.

Methodology/Principal …

Dynamic Endothelialization Of Aortic Heart Valve Scaffolds, Richard Pascal

All Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer worldwide affecting both the heart and blood vessels. Valvular heart disease can arise from calcification, and structural deterioration resulting in a stenotic or regurgitant valve incapable of proper function. With approximately 275,000 valve replacements performed annually worldwide, the need for replacement heart valves is well established. Currently, treatment of valvular heart disease is limited to two options (mechanical and bioprosthetic). Both replacement valves have their own drawbacks, which have driven research in the bioengineering field to focus on the development of a tissue engineered heart valve (TEHV) capable of growth and self-repair.
A …

Rotating Magnets Produce A Prompt Analgesia Effect In Rats, Zhong Chen, Hui Ye, Haiyun Xu, Shukang An, Anmin Jin, Chusong Zhou, Shaoan Yang

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The beneficial effects of chronic/repeated magnetic stimulation on humans have been examined in previous studies. Although pain relief effects have been reported several weeks after magnetic treatment, no report is available regarding the prompt effect of magnetic stimulations. In this study, a novel apparatus was developed to generate time-varying magnetic fields with rotating magnets. Adult, conscious rats were exposed to the rotating magnets in a posture in which their spines were parallel to the induced electric current. The magnetic field suppressed the paw withdrawal reflex in the anesthetized rats, and the suppression effect disappeared 5 minutes after magnets stopped rotating. …

Assessing The Use Of Non-Lethal Tail Clips For Measuring Stable Isotopes Of Plethodontid Salamanders, Joseph Milanovich, John C. Maerz

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Stable isotopes are increasingly used in ecology to study the diets, trophic position, and migratory patterns of wildlife including herpetofauna. When using stable isotopes, it is important to consider which tissues can or should be sampled, and how selecting tissues may affect the inferences drawn from stable isotope data. Amphibians offer fewer tissues than other larger organisms that can be harvested in sufficient quantity without killing the animal; however, many salamanders have tails that readily autotomize and regenerate. We used three species of plethodontid salamander (Plethodon cinereus, P. metcalfi, and Desmognathus quadramaculatus) to determine whether distal tail tissue had carbon …

Forearm Orientation In Hadrosauridae (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) And Implications For Museum Mounts, Phil Senter

College of Health, Science, and Technology

Skeletons of hadrosaurids (“duck-billed dinosaurs”) are usually mounted with palms facing caudally (posteriorly). To achieve this, the radius is articulated with the medial (ulnar) condyle of the humerus instead of the lateral (radial) condyle, which would be unique among vertebrates if it were correct. However, articulated specimens reveal that in hadrosaurids the radius articulates with the lateral condyle of the humerus, as in other vertebrates, and the palms face caudomedially, though more medially than caudally. Active pronation is prevented by the shapes of the radial and ulnar shafts and by the lack of rolling articulations between radius and ulna. This …

More "Dinosaur" And "Pterosaur" Rock Art That Isn't, Phil Senter

College of Health, Science, and Technology

To support claims of the coexistence of humans with dinosaurs and pterosaurs, young-earth creationist authors have identified several pieces of ancient rock art as depictions of dinosaurs or pterosaurs. Here, nine such claims are investigated. An alleged pterosaur painting in Black Dragon Canyon, Utah, is actually not a single painting. Its "head" and "neck" are a painting of a person with outstretched arms. Its torso and limbs are those of a painting of a second person with outstretched arms, whose body continues into the "pterosaur's" "wing." The other "wing" is a painting of a horned serpent. The three paintings only …

Response Of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi To Inorganic And Organic Forms Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus, Christa M. Luokkala

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The nutrient uptake response of ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM) to different nutrient substrates is a driving force in ecosystem nutrient cycling. We hypothesized that taxa from low nitrogen (N) soils would be more likely to use organic N compared to taxa from high N soils, and that taxa from high N would be more likely to use organic phosphorus (P) sources when compared to the ECM dominant in low N soils. This study focuses on the growth response of ECM species collected over a N gradient to different forms of N and P nutrient substrates and whether ECM growth in a …

Data Driven Intelligent Agent Networks For Adaptive Monitoring And Control, Wenjia Liu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

To analyze the characteristics and predict the dynamic behaviors of complex systems over time, comprehensive research to enable the development of systems that can intelligently adapt to the evolving conditions and infer new knowledge with algorithms that are not predesigned is crucially needed. This dissertation research studies the integration of the techniques and methodologies resulted from the fields of pattern recognition, intelligent agents, artificial immune systems, and distributed computing platforms, to create technologies that can more accurately describe and control the dynamics of real-world complex systems. The need for such technologies is emerging in manufacturing, transportation, hazard mitigation, weather and …

Plato’S Instruments: Harmony, Hubris, And Heartstrings, Kendra Tully

Undergraduate Review

Plato’s Symposium strives to resolve the tension between physical and moral love. After characterizing this tension through an analysis of the speeches of Eryximachus (who advocates purely physical love) and Socrates (who advocates purely moral love), this essay argues that Plato offers an interpretation of love that bridges the physical/moral divide. Evidence for this claim is found in the content of the speech of Aristophanes, the timing of the arrival of Alcibiades, and the exchange between Alcibiades and Socrates. In taking seriously both the physical and moral aspects of love, Plato concludes that humans can live beautifully together only when …

Maritime Health: A Review With Suggestions For Research, Malcolm Maclachlan, Bill Kavanagh, Alison Kay

Articles

International maritime health has largely developed within the sphere of occupational health services and international health problems. We reviewed publications in the journal International Maritime Health from 2000 to 2010 to establish the coverage of the journal and the scope of research in maritime health. We identified six thematic categories: healthcare access, delivery and integration; telehealth; non-communicable diseases and physical health problems; communicable diseases; psychological functioning and health; and safety-related issues. We describe the research within these themes and report on their publication prominence. We also analyse the research in terms of its geographical focus, the population groups addressed and …

Stanley L. Welsh Record Books: Botanical Collections, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This work attempts to present data available previously only in a set of bound field books in which location data was recorded along with numbers assigned to plant collections taken at the places cited. The record begins in 1953 and has been added to in all subsequent years including 2012. The records give indication of the species collected and of the localities where they were taken. Nomenclature has been updated in some instances where changes in names allow interpretation of early collections wherein names were derived from publications then out of date, but not in all instances. Especially not …

Beliefs And Technology - Does One Lead To The Other? Evaluating The Effects Of Teacher Self-Efficacy And School Collective Efficacy On Technology Use In The Classroom, Elaine Studnicki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory mixed method study builds upon previous research to investigate the influence of teacher self- and collective efficacy on technology use in the classroom. This population was purposefully sampled to examine first- and second order technology barriers, instructional strategies, and human influences on technology. The quantitative finding was supported by qualitative analysis of the teacher interviews and led to the conclusion that even thought there were strong teacher tendencies towards a belief in using technology actual practice demonstrated a lack of productivity or transference of that belief into classroom practice. A high self- and collective efficacy had no effect …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 27, Number 4 (January 2012), Jeanenne Brewton, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

TB or Not TB: Michigan and Minnesota

Continued Public Support for Hunting

CWD Update: February 2012

Lymphoproliferative Disease in Turkeys

H5N1 HPAI Virus Studies at SCWDS

We Have Lost a Good Friend

Pore Scale Analysis Of The Impact Of Mixing-Induced Reaction Dependent Viscosity Variations, S.M. Davison, H. Yoon, M. J. Martinez

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Expanding interest in enhanced subsurface natural resource recovery and carbon sequestration motivates study of reacting flows in porous media. In this work, we examine the case of reaction products that increase or decrease the viscosity of the fluid. Parallel reactant streams flow through porous media and react transversely along the centerline. We utilize a pore scale, finite element numerical method that couples the reaction with fluid flow through two arrangements of porous media at three Damkohler (Da) numbers and two viscosity conditions. When the product increases the fluid viscosity, the flow velocity is reduced and higher amounts of …

The Fundamental Equation Of Eddy Covariance And Its Application In Flux Measurements, Lianhong Gu, William J. Massman, Ray Leuning, Stephen Pallardy, Tilden Meyers, Paul Hanson, Jeffery Riggs, Kevin Hosman, Bai Yang

United States Department of Energy: Publications

A fundamental equation of eddy covariance (FQEC) is derived that allows the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) N̅s of a specified atmospheric constituent s to be measured with the constraint of conservation of any other atmospheric constituent (e.g. N2, argon, or dry air). It is shown that if the condition │N̅s│ ˃˃ │X̅s│ │N̅co2│is true, the conservation of mass can be applied with the assumption of no net ecosystem source or sink of dry air and the FQEC is reduced to the following equation and its approximation for horizontally homogeneous mass fluxes:

N̅_s = c̅_dw’X’_{s …}

A Functional Description Of Cyma, An Electron-Transfer Hub Supporting Anaerobic Respiratory Flexibility In Shewanella, Sophie J. Marritt, Thomas G. Lowe, Jordan Bye, Duncan G. G. Mcmillan, Liang Shi, James K. Fredrickson, John M. Zachara, David J. Richardson, Myles R. Cheesman, Lars J. C. Jeuken, Julea N. Butt

United States Department of Energy: Publications

CymA (tetrahaem cytochrome c) is a member of the NapC/NirT family of quinol dehydrogenases. Essential for the anaerobic respiratory flexibility of shewanellae, CymA transfers electrons from menaquinol to various dedicated systems for the reduction of terminal electron acceptors including fumarate and insoluble minerals of Fe(III). Spectroscopic characterization of CymA from Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 identifies three lowspin His/His co-ordinated c-haems and a single high-spin chaem with His/H₂O co-ordination lying adjacent to the quinolbinding site. At pH 7, binding of the menaquinol analogue, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide, does not alter the midpoint potentials of the high-spin (approximately −240 mV) …

Exploring The Biochemistry At The Extracellular Redox Frontier Of Bacterial Mineral Fe(Iii) Respiration, David J. Richardson, Marcus J. Edwards, Gaye F. White, Nanakow Baiden, Robert S. Hartshorne, James K. Fredrickson, Liang Shi, John M. Zachara, Andrew J. Gates, University Of East Anglia, Thomas Clarke

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Many species of the bacterial Shewanella genus are notable for their ability to respire in anoxic environments utilizing insoluble minerals of Fe(III) and Mn(IV) as extracellular electron acceptors. In Shewanella oneidensis, the process is dependent on the decahaem electron-transport proteins that lie at the extracellular face of the outer membrane where they can contact the insoluble mineral substrates. These extracellular proteins are charged with electrons provided by an inter-membrane electron-transfer pathway that links the extracellular face of the outer membrane with the inner cytoplasmic membrane and thereby intracellular electron sources. In the present paper, we consider the common structural …

Img: The Integrated Microbial Genomes Database And Comparative Analysis System, Victor M. Markowitz, I-Min A. Chen, Krishna Palaniappan, Ken Chu, Ernest Szeto, Yuri Grechkin, Anna Ratner, Biju Jacob, Jinghua Huang, Peter Williams, Marcel Huntemann, Iain Anderson, Konstantinos Mavromatis, Natalia N. Ivanova, Nikos C. Kyrpides

United States Department of Energy: Publications

The Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) system serves as a community resource for comparative analysis of publicly available genomes in a comprehensive integrated context. IMG integrates publicly available draft and complete genomes from all three domains of life with a large number of plasmids and viruses. IMG provides tools and viewers for analyzing and reviewing the annotations of genes and genomes in a comparative context. IMG’s data content and analytical capabilities have been continuously extended through regular updates since its first release in March 2005. IMG is available at http://img.jgi.doe.gov. Companion IMG systems provide support for expert review of genome annotations …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Thauera Aminoaromatica Strain Mz1t, Ke Jiang, John Sanseverino, Archana Chauhan, Susan Lucas, Alex Copeland, Alla Lapidus, Tijana Glavina Del Rio, Eileen Dalin, Hope Tice, David Bruce, Lynne Goodwin, Sam Pitluck, David Sims, Thomas Brettin, John C. Detter, Cliff Han, Y.J. Chang, Frank Larimer, Miriam Land, Loren Hauser, Nikos C. Kyrpides, Natalia Mikhailova, Scott Moser, Patricia Jegier, Dan Close, Jennifer M. Debruyn, Ying Wang, Alice C. Layton, Michael S. Allen, Gary S. Sayler

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Thauera aminoaromatica strain MZ1T, an isolate belonging to genus Thauera, of the family Rhodocyclaceae and the class the Betaproteobacteria, has been characterized for its ability to produce abundant exopolysaccharide and degrade various aromatic compounds with nitrate as an electron acceptor. These properties, if fully understood at the genome-sequence level, can aid in environmental processing of organic matter in anaerobic cycles by short-circuiting a central anaerobic metabolite, acetate, from microbiological conversion to methane, a critical greenhouse gas. Strain MZ1T is the first strain from the genus Thauera with a completely sequenced genome. The 4,496,212 bp chromosome and 78,374 bp plasmid …

The Crystal Structure Of The Extracellular 11-Heme Cytochromeundareveals A Conserved 10-Heme Motif And Defined Binding Site For Soluble Iron Chelates, Marcus J. Edwards, Andrea Hall, Liang Shi, James K. Fredrickson, John M. Zachara, Julea N. Butt, David J. Richardson, Thomas A. Clarke

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Members of the genus Shewanella translocate decaor undeca-heme cytochromes to the external cell surface thus enabling respiration using extracellular minerals and polynuclear Fe(III) chelates. The high resolution structure of the first undeca-heme outer membrane cytochrome, UndA, reveals a crossed heme chain with four potential electron ingress/ egress sites arranged within four domains. Sequence and structural alignment of UndA and the deca-heme MtrF reveals the extra heme of UndA is inserted between MtrF hemes 6 and 7. The remaining UndA hemes can be superposed over the heme chain of the decaheme MtrF, suggesting that a ten heme core is conserved between …

Irradiation Effects On Microstructure Change In Nanocrystalline Ceria – Phase, Lattice Stress, Grain Size And Boundaries, P.D. Edmondson, Y. Zhang, S. Moll, F. Namavar, W.J. Weber

United States Department of Energy: Publications

With a wide variety of applications in numerous industries, ranging from biomedical to nuclear, ceramics such as ceria are key engineering materials. It is possible to significantly alter the materials functionality and therefore its applications by reducing the grain size to the nanometer size regime, at which point the unique varieties of grain boundaries and associated interfaces begin to dominate the material properties. Nanocrystalline films of cubic ceria deposited onto Si substrates have been irradiated with 3 MeV Au⁺ ions at temperatures of 300 and 400 K to evaluate their response to irradiation. It was observed that the films …

Point Sources Of Emerging Contaminants Along The Colorado River Basin: Source Water For The Arid Southwestern United States, Tammy L. Jones-Lepp, Charles Sanchez, David A. Alvarez, Doyle C. Wilson, Randi-Laurant Taniguchi-Fu

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Emerging contaminants (ECs) (e.g., pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, personal care products) have been detected in waters across the United States. The objective of this studywas to evaluate point sources of ECs along the Colorado River, from the headwaters in Colorado to the Gulf of California. At selected locations in the Colorado River Basin (sites in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California), waste stream tributaries and receiving surface waters were sampled using either grab sampling or polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS). The grab samples were extracted using solid-phase cartridge extraction (SPE), and the POCIS sorbents were transferred into empty SPEs and …

Wetland And Riparian Plant Communities At Risk Of Invasion By Transgenic Herbicide-Resistant Agrostis Spp. In Central Oregon, Michael A. Bollman, Marjorie J. Storm, George A. King, Lidia S. Watrud

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) and redtop (A. gigantea) are introduced turfgrasses that are naturalized throughout the northern U.S. Interest in creeping bentgrass has risen following the 2003 escape of a genetically modified (GM), herbicide- resistant cultivar near Madras, Oregon. The objectives of this study were to characterize the floristic attributes of the plant communities associated with naturalized Agrostis populations in the Madras area, and to identify plant communities at risk of invasion by transgenic Agrostis. Vegetation data collected from 62 stratified random vegetation plots with and without A. stolonifera and A. gigantea identified 11 distinct …

Dose-Response Analysis Of Bromate-Induced Dna Damage And Mutagenicity Is Consistent With Low-Dose Linear, Nonthreshold Processes, Maria A. Spassova, David J. Miller, David A. Eastmond, Nadejda S. Nikolova, Suryanarayana V. Vulimiri, Jane Caldwell, Chao Chen, Paul D. White

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Mutagenic agents have long been inferred to act through low-dose linear, nonthreshold processes. However, there is debate about this assumption, with various studies interpreting datasets as showing thresholds for DNA damage and mutation. We have applied rigorous statistical analyses to investigate the shape of dose-response relationships for a series of in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity studies using potassium bromate (KBrO3), a water ozonation byproduct that is bioactivated to a reactive species causing oxidative damage to DNA. We analyzed studies of KBrO3 genotoxicity where no-effect/threshold levels were reported as well as other representative datasets. In all cases, the data were …

One-Pot Catalyst-Free Synthesis Of Β- And Γ-Hydroxy Sulfides Using Diaryliodonium Salts And Microwave Irradiation, Buchi Reddy Vaddula, Rajender S. Varma, John Leazer

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

A simple and rapid one-pot protocol is described for the preparation of α- and β-hydroxy sulfides. The direct solventfree microwave irradiation of diaryliodonium salts, potassium thiocyanate, and ethylene glycol/β-propylene glycol without any catalyst or base affords the final compounds in good yields (65–95%) in around 10–25 min.