Digital Commons Network^™

Illinois Wesleyan Welcomes New Faculty, Staff, Sherry Wallace

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Traversing Swanton Road, 13th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

An Acid Test For G Proteins, Stephen R. Sprang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Heterotrimeric G proteins are cytoplasmic transducers of signals generated by ligandactivated 7-transmembrane receptors (G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs) embedded in the plasma membranes of cells. GPCRs activate G proteins by catalyzing exchange of GDP for GTP at the alpha subunit (Gα) with the concomitant release of the Gβγ heterodimer. Separately or together Gα•GTP and Gβγ stimulate enzymes that produce second messengers (e.g. cyclic AMP), control ion channels, Ras-family G proteins and regulate transcription (Cabrera-Vera et al., 2003). In yeast, GPCRs intercept mating pheromones and monitor extracellular glucose concentration, and so generate intracellular signals either to arrest growth or to proliferate. …

Mph Principles Of Public Health: Fall 2013 Syllabus, Nina Wallerstein, Robert Rhyne, Jonathan Eldredge

Principles of Public Health 2010-2017

No abstract provided.

Antenna Diversity For Personal Communications Transceivers, Bruce M. Green, Dr. Michael A. Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The presence of human tissue near the antenna of a portable cellular phone reduces its range of reception and transmission. This research investigates the feasibility of antenna diversity (more than one antenna on a handset) as a means of combating the loss of received signal power to a cellular phone antenna due to the biological tissues of the operator. The Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method provides simulations of two antenna designs that accurately models both the antenna and tissue of the operator.

The Effects Of Prenatal Stress On The Levels Of 5 Alpha Reductase And Aromatase Activity In Pregnant Rats And Their Male And Female Offspring, Steve Warren David, Dr. Reuben Ward Rhees

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Sexual differentiation of the brain is dependent on the presence or absence of androgen (testosterone) during prenatal development. Exposure to testosterone is essential for masculinization and defeminization of sexual behavior, and brain structural development. Present evidence suggests that the action of testosterone during brain development involves the metabolic conversion of testosterone in one of two ways. Testosterone is either converted to estradiol by the enzyme aromatase or to dihydrotestosterone by the enzyme 5 alpha reductase. Testosterone and these two metabolites interact to regulate sexual differentiation of the brain. This project monitored the activity of both aromatase and 5 alpha reductase …

Paul Wolfe Interview, Professor Emeritus Department Of Physics And Department Of Geological Science, Wright State University, Lewis Shupe, Paul J. Wolfe

Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project

Lewis Shupe interviewed Dr. Paul Wolfe, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Physics and the Department of Geological Science at Wright State University, on August 22, 2013. In the interview Dr. Wolfe discusses his career, how he came to Wright State, and his memories of the University.

Gwu Undergraduate Research Program Enhances Student Success Outside The Classroom, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Three Gardner-Webb students recently completed a program designed to engage them in extensive summer research, and officials predict the results will benefit both the individual participants and the University at-large. Megan Frost, Blaire Teeters, and Kaitlyn Washburn each believe their summer research experience will help them take on any challenge the future may hold. Dr. June Hobbs is the director of Undergraduate Research at Gardner-Webb. She developed the Summer Research Scholars Program as a special initiative within the University’s Undergraduate Research Program.

An Ion's Perspective On The Molecular Motions Of Nanoconfined Water: A Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy Study, Prabhat K. Singh, Daniel G. Kuroda, Robin M. Hochstrasser

Faculty Publications

The vibrational population relaxation and hydration shell dynamics of the symmetric tricyanomethanide (TCM) anion are investigated in a sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate reverse micelle as a function of the water pool radius. Two-dimensional infrared (IR) spectroscopy in combination with linear absorption and ultrafast IR pump-probe spectroscopy is utilized in this study. Spectroscopic measurements show that the anion has two bands in the 2160-2175 cm-1 region, each with its own spectroscopic signatures. Analysis of the vibrational dynamics shows that the two vibrational bands are consistent with the anion located either at the interface or in the water pool. The sensitivity of the TCM …

Autism As The Early Closure Of A Neuroplastic Critical Period Normally Seen In Adolescence, Julia Marie Berger, Troy T. Rohn, Julia Thom Oxford

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The most severe cases of autism are diagnosed by extreme social dysfunction and other behavioral abnormalities. A number of genetic studies have been conducted to correlate behavioral phenotypes to genetic dysfunctions, but no “autism gene” has yet been discovered. In addition, environmental factors have been found to influence the development of autistic traits with high probability. This review will examine the role of a shortened period of neuroplasticity as a unifying feature of the autistic phenotype. The neuroplastic period of interest normally extends into adolescence, allowing for neural integration and the development of language and social skills. Early closure of …

Effects Of Betaine On Body Composition, Performance, And Homocysteine Thiolactone, Jason M. Cholewa, Monika Wyszczelska-Rokiel, Rafal Glowacki, Hieronim Jakubowski, Tracey Matthews, Richard Wood, Stuart A.S. Craig, Vincent Paolone

Kinesiology

Background: This study investigated the effects of long term betaine supplementation on body composition, performance, and homocysteine thiolactone (HCTL) in experienced strength trained men.Methods: Twenty-three subjects were matched for training experience (4.8 ± 2.3 years) and body fat percentage (BF%: 16.9 ± 8.0%), randomly assigned to either a placebo (PL; n = 12) or betaine group (BET; n = 11; 2.5 g/day), and completed a 6 week periodized training program consisting of 3 two-week micro-cycles. Bench press and back squat training volumes were recorded and changes in training volume were assessed at each micro-cycle. Fasting urine was collected at baseline …

What Lies Ahead: An Exploration Of Future Orientation, Self-Control, And Delinquency, Samantha S. Clinkinbeard

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Self-control has been consistently linked to antisocial behavior and though low self-control makes delinquency more likely, neither the findings nor the theory suggests that low self-control necessitates participation in such behavior. There remains a shortage of research on those situational factors or individual characteristics that might lessen the effects of low self-control on antisocial behavior. Future orientation is one such characteristic that can have implications for the control of behavior. The purpose of the current study was to explore the independent and interactive effects of future orientation and low self-control on delinquency using data from Wave 1 of the National …

The Phage Genomics Research Program - Authentic Research For First Year Students, Aaron Best, Joseph Stukey

Faculty Presentations

The Hope College Department of Biology is entering its 6th year of the Phage Genomics Research Honors Laboratory course offered to first-year college students as an alternative to the standard Hope College Introductory Biology lab. This course is part of a national experiment to improve education in the sciences led by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Hope College was selected as one of 12 institutions nationwide to pilot this program. Students for the honors laboratory course at Hope College were selected from a restricted pool of applicants earning high scores on the ACT and/or SAT college entrance exams and showing …

Faith And Scholarship: A Summer Discussion Series, Karen N. Pearson, Jonathan Hagood

Faculty Presentations

The Faith and Scholarship Discussion Series was launched in the summer of 2012 by Jonathan Hagood to foster a deeper campus-wide conversation about how we integrate our faith and our scholarly work. Each week, a short faculty presentation is followed by a round-table conversation over breakfast. Come by and ask questions about the series and see a short video that was created in 2013.

Strengthening The Pathway To Stem Research Leadership At Hope College, Catherine Mader

Faculty Presentations

Over the past 20 years, awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have supported Hope's efforts to conduct STEM research and to prepare students to pursue careers as STEM researchers. The current program is building upon prior successes to create a deliberate pathway for students as they enter Hope as novices, build STEM Researcher skills through coursework and summer research and eventually become student leaders in STEM Research groups.

The Luck Of The Irish Scholars, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Phosphorylation Of Calcineurin At A Novel Serine-Proline Rich Region Orchestrates Hyphal Growth And Virulence In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Praveen R. Juvvadi, Christopher Gehrke, Jarrod R. Fortwendel, Frédéric Lamoth, Erik J. Soderblom, Erik C. Cook, Michael A. Hast, Yohannes G. Asfaw, M. Arthur Moseley, Trevor P. Creamer, William J. Steinbach

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is a leading infectious killer in immunocompromised patients. Calcineurin, a calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein phosphatase comprised of calcineurin A (CnaA) and calcineurin B (CnaB) subunits, localizes at the hyphal tips and septa to direct A. fumigatus invasion and virulence. Here we identified a novel serine-proline rich region (SPRR) located between two conserved CnaA domains, the CnaB-binding helix and the CaM-binding domain, that is evolutionarily conserved and unique to filamentous fungi and also completely absent in human calcineurin. Phosphopeptide enrichment and tandem mass spectrometry revealed the phosphorylation of A. fumigatus CnaA in vivo at four clustered serine residues …

Protein Structure Validation And Identification From Unassigned Residual Dipolar Coupling Data Using 2d-Pdpa, Arjang Fahim, Rishi Mukhopadhyay, Ryan Yandle, James H. Prestegard, Homayoun Valafar

Faculty Publications

More than 90% of protein structures submitted to the PDB each year are homologous to some previously characterized protein structure. The extensive resources that are required for structural characterization of proteins can be justified for the 10% of the novel structures, but not for the remaining 90%. This report presents the 2D-PDPA method, which utilizes unassigned residual dipolar coupling in order to address the economics of structure determination of routine proteins by reducing the data acquisition and processing time. 2D-PDPA has been demonstrated to successfully identify the correct structure of an array of proteins that range from 46 to 445 …

The Zynga Clawback: Shoring Up The Central Pillar Of Innovation, Thomas A. Smith

Santa Clara Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comparative Gene Analysis And Prediction Of Innate Immunity And Apoptosis Machinery In Hydrothermal Vent Tubeworms, Corey M. Bunce

Master's Theses

Siboglinid tubeworms are an emerging model system for symbiosis in extreme conditions. At deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean, they harbor a chemoautotrophic symbiont in a specialized organ, the trophosome, where the bacteria carry out primary production via oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds. The trophosome of siboglinid worms is suggested to be tightly regulated, symbiont-responsive, and developmentally homeostatic. The purported mechanism involves a cellular proliferative or apoptotic response to bacterial signals, environmental cues, or nutrition. Though these processes are well understood in more amenable model systems, there has been little work uncovering the tubeworm’s genetic potential for sensing and …

2013-August-22-Mabk Bonsai, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

Confronting The Crisis In Scientific Publishing: Latency, Licensing, And Access, Jorge L. Contreras

Santa Clara Law Review

No abstract provided.

Biochemistry / Histone Protein Modification - Purdue University, Jake R. Carlson, Katherine Beavis

Data Curation Profiles Directory

The researcher is conducting research on the brain cells of drosophila larvae. Specifically, the goal is to sort nuclei from glial and neuronal cells from the brains of mutant and wild type drosophila larvae. She will do transcriptome and high throughput ChIP-seq analysis on the cell nuclei to examine the distribution of complexes that modify histones and how loss of those complexes affects transcription. The stages of her research involve a long period of methodology development, a shorter data collection period, and then data analysis. The lab notebook contains written documentation of all experiments and trials and links to data, …

Word Recognition From Continuous Articulatory Movement Time-Series Data Using Symbolic Representations, Jun Wang, Arvind Balasubramanian, Luis Mojica De La Vega, Jordan R. Green, Ashok Samal, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Although still in experimental stage, articulation-based silent speech interfaces may have significant potential for facilitating oral communication in persons with voice and speech problems. An articulation-based silent speech interface converts articulatory movement information to audible words. The complexity of speech production mechanism (e.g., co-articulation) makes the conversion a formidable problem. In this paper, we reported a novel, real-time algorithm for recognizing words from continuous articulatory movements. This approach differed from prior work in that (1) it focused on word-level, rather than phoneme-level; (2) online segmentation and recognition were conducted at the same time; and (3) a symbolic representation (SAX) was …

Experimental Demonstration Of Accelerated Extinction In Source-Sink Metapopulations, John M. Drake, Blaine D. Griffen

Faculty Publications

Population extinction is a fundamental ecological process which may be aggravated by the exchange of organisms between productive (source) and unproductive (sink) habitat patches. The extent to which such source-sink exchange affects extinction rates is unknown. We conducted an experiment in which metapopulation effects could be distinguished from source-sink effects in laboratory populations of Daphnia magna. Time-to-extinction in this experiment was maximized at intermediate levels of habitat fragmentation, which is consistent with a minority of theoretical models. These results provided a baseline for comparison with experimental treatments designed to detect effects of concentrating resources in source patches. These treatments showed …

Bacteriochlorins And Bacteriochlorin Analogs From Meso-Tetraarylporphyrins, Lalith P. Samankumara

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the development of new synthetic methodologies for the preparation of meso-tetraaryl­bacterio­chlorin analogs in which one or two opposite pyrrollic moieties were formally replaced by non-pyrrolic groups, such as morpholine, indanone, oxazolone. In particular, starting form the osmylation of porpyrins, to generate bacteriochlorin tetraols, the first syntheses of ring-expanded and ring-cleaved bacteriochlorin derivatives are discussed. Solid-state structures of most of these compounds were determined, and the underlined structure photo­physical property relationships were studied.

This dissertation introduces a number of novel bacteriochlorin chromophores with singnificantly red-shifted UV-visible spectra compared to their starting porphyrinoids. Thus, their facile availability, …

High-Speed, Three-Dimensional Quantification Of Ladybug (Hippodamia Convergens) Flapping Wing Kinematics During Takeoff, Ryan B. George, Dr. Scott L. Thomson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ladybug wing and body kinematics during takeoff is explored using high-speed stereoscopic imaging. Recordings of the specimens during flight are acquired at a rate of 3000 frames per second. A direct linear transformation algorithm is performed using custom implementation in Matlab to quantify positions of selected locations on the body, forewings (elytra), and hindwings. Design and setup of instrumentation and analysis procedures are explained. Flapping frequency is reported. Significant motion of the elytra and other findings are presented and their applications are discussed.

Optical Fiber To Integrated Waveguides: Bridging The Gap, Mallory Phillips, Dr. Aaron R. Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Optoelectronics are made on the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material by attaching light-sensitive polymers to the surface, then removing patterns generated in the polymer. Waveguides can be made on the same substrate to interface directly with optoelectronics. They are made from raised channels running along the substrates surface and guide light through total internal reflection, much like optical fibers [1]. Optical fibers are used for internet and cable connections, in order for information to be successfully used, that information must make a transition from the optical fiber to integrated waveguides [2]. The engineering challenge associated with this …

Development Of Intestinal Organoids From Embryonic Stem Cells, Li Cao

Doctoral Dissertations

Embryonic stem cells, with the ability of self-renewal and differentiation to generate cells of all three germ layers, are promising sources to address developmental questions and also for use in clinical regenerative medicine. Generating lineage-committed intestinal stem cells from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) could provide a tractable experimental system for understanding intestinal differentiation pathways and may ultimately provide cells for regenerating damaged intestinal tissue. Intestinal organoids are multicellular crypt-like structures that can be derived from isolated intestinal stem cells or from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) following described differentiation procedures. In addition to their potential usefulness in tissue repair, intestinal organoids …

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