Digital Commons Network^™

Catalytic Mechanism And Function Evolvement Studies Of Phosphatases Within Haloacid Dehalogenase Superfamily (Hadsf), Li Zheng

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

The haloacid dehalogenase superfamily (HADSF) is one of the largest known enzyme superfamilies, having more than 32,000 nonredundant members. Enzymes in this superfamily catalyze a number of different chemical reactions including dehalogenation, phosphoryl transfer, and hydrolysis of phosphate esters and phosphates. The vast majority of HADSF members are phosphatases, which contain a highly conserved core domain that is constructed to catalyze hydrolysis reactions of phosphorylated sugars or nucleotides by using an active site Asp nucleophile and a Mg²⁺ cofactor. Most phosphatases possess a cap domain, which in association with the core domain assists active site desolvation and binds the …

Depression And Diabetes Comorbidity: Psychotherapy Treatment Preferences Among A Predominantly Mexican Sample Of Primary Care Patients With Diabetes, Maria José Herrera

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Depression and diabetes are highly comorbid problems yet their conjoint treatment, particularly the use of evidence based psychological treatments among diabetics, warrants further research. Specifically, little is known about the treatment of depression among diabetic Latinos, one of the fastest growing populations with comorbid depression and diabetes. Because of this scarce research among Latino diabetics, the present study aims to test whether educating Latino diabetics about treatment options for depression would differentiate their choice of one treatment over the other. Secondary aims were to investigate the degree to which cultural, depression, and diabetic factors differentiated treatment choice. Thirty two participants …

Michigan's Auto Workers: Tracking Their Transition During Significant Industry Restructuring, Randall W. Eberts

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Spectroscopic And Computational Electronic Structure Studies Of Donor-Acceptor Systems, Diana Habel-Rodriguez

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Three molecular systems have been studied, which exhibit strong intramolecular electronic communication between constituent moieties. Experimental results for electronic absorption, resonance Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies are presented. Density functional theory (DFT) electronic structure calculations were employed to augment the interpretation of experimental results. Using a valence bond configuration interaction (VBCI) model we show that the ground state properties of the molecules are influenced by excited state configurations. Donor ( = semiquinone)-bridge-acceptor ( = nitronylnitroxide) biradicals show strong ferromagnetic donor-acceptor coupling, and contributions to the ferromagnetic coupling from spin delocalization and spin polarization mechanisms …

Characterization Of The Northern Hemisphere Glacial Cycle-Ii And Termination From High Resolution Speleothem Isotope And Trace Elemental Time-Series Data, Southwest United States, Zachary Lapointe

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Absolute dated high-resolution records from two speleothems from the southwestern United States (SW USA) are used to constrain the timing and character of the Penultimate Glacial period (NH Glacial-II) and the following glacial termination (T-II) in the northern hemisphere (NH). Speleothems FS-TR3 from Fort Stanton Cave and CaCa-MSC-3 from Carlsbad Caverns National Park reconfirm the close connection between NH Glacial-II climate changes and NH insolation variation. NH Glacial-II maxima observed in the southwestern United States (SW USA) corresponds with Heinrich Event 11 (HE11) and a weak East Asian (EA) monsoon event observed in southeast (SE) China stalagmites SB11 (Cheng et …

Improvements In Diffusion Weighted Imaging Through A Composite Body And Insert Gradient Coil System, Peter Austin Jepsen

Theses and Dissertations

Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DMRI) is a class of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques with broad medical applications ranging from characterization of tumors and brain damage to potential prediction of stroke. Gradient coil and signal-to- noise ratio (SNR) constraints limit spatial resolution, accuracy, and scan time in DMRI. Achieving high b-values (measures of a scan's sensitivity to diffusion) often require scans with long diffusion gradient pulses, leading to significant magnetic resonance (MR) signal decay before the signal can be sampled. This signal loss reduces the accuracy of diffusion parameter estimation. The ability to sample the MR signal sooner while maintaining …

European Emerging Adults In The Context Of Free Time And Leisure, Eric K. Layland

Theses and Dissertations

Research on emerging adulthood has increased over the past decade, including further investigation of the five features of emerging adulthood: (a) exploring identity, (b) instability, (c) focus on self, (d) feeling in-between, and (e) possibilities (Arnett, 2004). Despite an increased focus on this age period (i.e., 18 -- 29 year olds), research has not addressed the context of free time and leisure. Trends among European emerging adults include increased delay of marriage, decreased childbirth, and general postponement of adult markers. Both the high cultural valuation of leisure and the apparent change in patterns of external markers (i.e., sustained low fertility …

Memory As Ecology In The Poetry Of Tomas Tranströmer, Richelle Jolene Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore how memory functions ecologically in the poetry of Tomas Tranströmer. The term ecology is useful because of its connotative associations with the natural world as well as its broader definition of being a network of relationships as they function within and relate to their environment. Throughout his oeuvre, Tranströmer positions memory as being an external presence with which he interacts primarily because he honors it as a living being and he feels a poetic responsibility to it. As such, he grapples with the challenges of representation, particularly the limitations of language. Ultimately, …

Winning The Genetic Lottery: Biasing Birth Sex Ratio Results In More Grandchildren., Collette M. Thogerson, Colleen M. Brady, Richard D. Howard, Georgia J. Mason, Edmond A. Pajor, Greg A. Vicino, Joseph P. Garner

Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education Faculty Publications

Population dynamics predicts that on average parents should invest equally in male and female offspring; similarly, the physiology of mammalian sex determination is supposedly stochastic, producing equal numbers of sons and daughters. However, a high quality parent can maximize fitness by biasing their birth sex ratio (SR) to the sex with the greatest potential to disproportionately outperform peers. All SR manipulation theories share a fundamental prediction: grandparents who bias birth SR should produce more grandoffspring via the favored sex. The celebrated examples of biased birth SRs in nature consistent with SR manipulation theories provide compelling circumstantial evidence. However, this prediction …

James’S Rule And Causes And Consequences Of A Latitudinal Cline In The Demography Of John’S Snapper (Lutjanus Johnii) In Coastal Waters Of Australia, Mike Cappo, Ross J. Marriott, Stephen J. Newman

Fisheries Research Articles

Demographic parameters were derived from sectioned otoliths of John’s Snapper (Lutjanus johnii) from 4 regions across 9° of latitude and 23° of longitude in northern Australia. Latitudinal variation in size and growth rates of this species greatly exceeded longitudinal variation. Populations of John’s Snapper farthest from the equator had the largest body sizes, in line with James’s rule, and the fastest growth rates, contrary to the temperature size rule for ectotherms. A maximum age of 28.6 years, nearly 3 times previous estimates, was recorded and the largest individual was 990 mm in fork length. Females grew to a larger mean …

Targeting The Endocannabinoid System For Neuroprotection: A 19f-Nmr Study Of A Selective Faah Inhibitor Binding With An Anandamide Carrier Protein, Hsa, Jianqin Zhuang, De-Ping Yang, Xiaoyu Tian, Spyros P. Nikas, Rishi Sharma, Jason Jianxin Guo, Alexandros Makriyannis

Publications and Research

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the enzyme involved in the inactivation of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), is being considered as a therapeutic target for analgesia and neuroprotection. We have developed a brain permeable FAAH inhibitor, AM5206, which has served as a valuable pharmacological tool to explore neuroprotective effects of this class of compounds. In the present work, we characterized the interactions of AM5206 with a representative AEA carrier protein, human serum albumin (HSA), using 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Our data showed that as a drug carrier, albumin can significantly enhance the solubility of AM5206 in aqueous environment. Through …

Visual Attention Bias And Body Dissatisfaction In Eating Disorders, Janet Lydecker

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa, have profound negative effects on the quality of life of both affected individuals and their families. Behavioral approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are commonly used for the treatment of these disorders. CBT teaches skills to restructure maladaptive thought patterns as a method of altering feelings and behaviors. However, even after CBT, 50-70% of women with bulimia and 67-87% of women with anorexia report continued eating disordered thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Measuring underlying cognitive processes such as orienting, maintaining, and executive attention in individuals with eating disorder symptomatology might be an important …

Genetic Analysis Of Ethanol Sensitivity And Tolerance In Drosophila, Robin Chan

Theses and Dissertations

The genetic pathways influencing alcohol abuse and dependence are poorly characterized. Many critical discoveries about the interactions between ethanol-related behaviors and genetics have been made in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Coupling the statistical power of model organism studies to human association studies bolsters the analytical efficacy of these genomic approaches. A variety of behavioral assays are available for assessing behavioral responses to ethanol in Drosophila. However, we find our previously described eRING assay is influenced by the commonly used transgenic marker mini-white. We developed a Simple Sedation Assay (SSA) that is insensitive to the effects of white and mini-white. …

The Prospector, July 10, 2013, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: Interest Rates for Stafford Loans Double

Water Track Modification Of Soil Ecosystems In The Lake Hoare Basin, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Joseph S. Levy, Andrew G. Fountain, Michael N. Gooseff, John E. Barrett, Robert Vantreese, Kathleen A. Welch, W. Berry Lyons, Uffe N. Nielsen, Diana H. Wall

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Water tracks are zones of high soil moisture that route shallow groundwater down-slope, through the active layer and above the ice table. A water track in Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, was analysed for surface hydrogeological, geochemical, and biological characteristics in order to test the hypothesis that water tracks provide spatial structure to Antarctic soil ecosystems by changing the physical conditions in the soil environment within the water tracks from those outside the water tracks. The presence of the water track significantly affected the distribution of biotic and abiotic ecosystem parameters: increasing soil moisture, soil salinity, and soil organic matter …

Karuk Tribe Of California V. United States Forest Service, Justin Harkins

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In Karuk Tribe v. USFS, the Ninth Circuit overturned its own panel’s prior ruling that the Forest Service was not required to consult with biological agencies pursuant to ESA standards when reviewing an NOI filed by a recreational miner. The Court held, instead, that the Forest Service’s decision to approve an NOI constitutes “agency action” sufficient to trigger an ESA biological assessment. The ruling provides an exception to the earlier rule that inaction cannot be considered action.

Natural Resources Defense Council V. Salazar, William Fanning

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit determined that the Bureau of Reclamation did not violate the ESA when it renewed water contracts with two water user groups. The Ninth Circuit found that since one contract did not prevent the Bureau from complying with the ESA, the plaintiffs could not causally link the contract with harm to the fish and thus lacked Article III standing to pursue their case. The Court characterized the renewal of the second contract as a mandatory duty inherent in the contract itself. Further, the non-discretionary nature of the contract renewal exempted the …

Alumni At Large

Colby Magazine

Catching Up: Alumni Profiles
On Deadline: Brian MacQuarrie '74
Where the Chips Fall: Rose Marie del Rio '87
Sea Change: Lindsey Williams '02 and Carolyn Lindley '02
Bridge Builder: Yuri Maruyama '12

Updates

Newsmakers

Obituaries

From The Hill, Gerry Boyle, Kayla Lewkowicz, Stephen Collins, Mira Ptacin, Rocio Orantes Carey

Colby Magazine

Q&A: Professor Ben Fallaw on the forces at play in Mexico and ways they affect U.S. immigration policy

The Secret Is Out: More Chinese students choose Colby--and the liberal arts--over big American universities

"Let's Get Dinner Sometime:" Students practice the lost art of dating

Into the Forests of Gondar: Colby researchers plumb the secrets of Ethiopia's ancient "church forests"

Paradox or Paragon? Boylan memoir about parenting is a new and powerful love story

Recent Releases:
Religion and State Formation in Postrevolutionary Mexico, by Ben Fallaw (Latin American Studies)
Inquisition in Early Islam: The Competition for Political and Religious Authority in …

Ultra-Small Rnas As Toll-Like Receptor-3 Antagonists, Jayakrishna Ambati

Ophthalmology and Visual Science Faculty Patents

Provided are methods and compositions for the treatment or prevention of macular degeneration or other diseases or disorders associated with activation of TLR3. Administration of double stranded RNAs having a length of 22 nucleotides or less treats or prevents macular degeneration or other diseases or disorders associated with activation of TLR3 due to the ability of the RNAs to bind to but not activate TLR3. Furthermore, all double stranded RNAs (both targeted and non-targeted) of 22 nucleotides or less in length can bind to but not activate TLR3 and thereby treat or prevent such conditions. Also provided of a method …

Dna Homologous Recombination Factor Sfr1 Physically And Functionally Interacts With Estrogen Receptor Alpha, Yuxin Feng, David Singleton, Chun Guo, Amanda Gardner, Suresh Pakala, Rakesh Kumar, Elwood Jensen, Jinsong Zhang, Sohaib Khan

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), a ligand-dependent transcription factor, mediates the expression of its target genes by interacting with corepressors and coactivators. Since the first cloning of SRC1, more than 280 nuclear receptor cofactors have been identified, which orchestrate target gene transcription. Aberrant activity of ER or its accessory proteins results in a number of diseases including breast cancer. Here we identified SFR1, a protein involved in DNA homologous recombination, as a novel binding partner of ERα. Initially isolated in a yeast two-hybrid screen, the interaction of SFR1 and ERα was confirmed in vivo by immunoprecipitation and mammalian one-hybrid assays. SFR1 …

Rcytoscape: Tools For Exploratory Network Analysis, Paul Shannon, Mark L. Grimes, Burak Kutlu, Jan J. Bit, David J. Galas

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Biomolecular pathways and networks are dynamic and complex, and the perturbations to them which cause disease are often multiple, heterogeneous and contingent. Pathway and network visualizations, rendered on a computer or published on paper, however, tend to be static, lacking in detail, and ill-equipped to explore the variety and quantities of data available today, and the complex causes we seek to understand.

Results: RCytoscape integrates R (an open-ended programming environment rich in statistical power and datahandling facilities) and Cytoscape (powerful network visualization and analysis software). RCytoscape extends Cytoscape's functionality beyond what is possible with the Cytoscape graphical user interface. …

Boaler Ids South Florida Plants On Everglades Trip, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Co-Culturing In Solid Substrate Cultivation And Possible Solutions To Scientific Challenges, Wanying Yao, Sue E. Nokes

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

This perspective systematically summarizes the use of solid substrate co‐cultures in agriculture, food, plant, and industrial biotechnology applications. The summarization is organized by organism, i.e. fungus, bacteria, yeast and then co‐cultivation of either two or three organisms. Generally, in solid substrate co‐culture, the organisms synergistically penetrate and degrade the solid substrate, thereby increasing product yield and productivity over a monoculture. Efforts to increase co‐culture performance include optimizing process parameters (pH, temperature, moisture, and oxygen demand) and defining the acceptable types of substrate. Scientific challenges exist in understanding the interactions between microbial stains, such as viability, suite of products, and bio‐transformations. …

Transcriptional Profiling Of Sweetpotato (Ipomoea Batatas) Roots Indicates Down-Regulation Of Lignin Biosynthesis And Up-Regulation Of Starch Biosynthesis At An Early Stage Of Storage Root Formation, Nurit Firon, Don Labonte, Arthur Villordon, Yanir Kfir, Julio Solis, Evgenia Lapis, Temima Schnitzer Perlman, Adi Doron-Faigenboim, Amots Hetzroni, Leviah Althan, Lahan Adani Nadir

Faculty Publications

Background: The number of fibrous roots that develop into storage roots determines sweetpotato yield. The aim of the present study was to identify the molecular mechanisms involved in the initiation of storage root formation, by performing a detailed transcriptomic analysis of initiating storage roots using next-generation sequencing platforms. A two-step approach was undertaken: (1) generating a database for the sweetpotato root transcriptome using 454-Roche sequencing of a cDNA library created from pooled samples of two root types: fibrous and initiating storage roots; (2) comparing the expression profiles of initiating storage roots and fibrous roots, using the Illumina Genome Analyzer to …

Cluster J Mycobacteriophages: Intron Splicing In Capsid And Tail Genes, Welkin H. Pope, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Aaron A. Best, Gregory W. Broussard, Pamela L. Connerly, Rebekah M. Dedrick, Timothy A. Kremer, Susan Offner, Amenawon H. Ogiefo, Marie C. Pizzorno, Kate Rochenbach, Daniel A. Russell, Emily L. Stowe, Joseph Stukey, Sarah A. Thibault, James F. Conway, Roger W. Hendrix, Graham F. Hatfull

Faculty Publications

Bacteriophages isolated on Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 represent many distinct genomes sharing little or no DNA sequence similarity. The genomes are architecturally mosaic and are replete with genes of unknown function. A new group of genomes sharing substantial nucleotide sequences constitute Cluster J. The six mycobacteriophages forming Cluster J are morphologically members of the Siphoviridae, but have unusually long genomes ranging from 106.3 to 117 kbp. Reconstruction of the capsid by cryo-electron microscopy of mycobacteriophage BAKA reveals an icosahedral structure with a triangulation number of 13. All six phages are temperate and homoimmune, and prophage establishment involves integration into a tRNA-Leu …

Patriot Talon (July 9, 2013), Archives Account

The Patriot Talon/The Patriot

The official newspaper for the University of Texas at Tyler before it was changed back to the UT Tyler Patriot. Articles in this issue include: Leader of the Packs; Dubai Native Climbs Orientation Ladder from Freshman to in Charge; Cambridge Undergoes Changes; Apartment has New Name, Security, Rental Agreements; Ford Inaugural Recipient of College Award; Pharmacy School Gets Approval, Dean to be Hired; Don’t Waste Your Summer Being a Couch Potato; Academic Scheduling Doesn’t Have to be so Stressful, Scan that Degree Plan; Texas Filibuster: Democracy at its Finest; A Happy Hive & Home; Math Alumnus Uses Degree as Farmer …

Dna Homologous Recombination Factor Sfr1 Physically And Functionally Interacts With Estrogen Receptor Alpha, Benjamin Feng, David Singleton, Chun Guo, Amanda Gardner, Suresh Pakala, Rakesh Kumar, Elwood Jensen, Jinsong Zhang, Sohaib Khan

Peer Reviewed Articles

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), a ligand-dependent transcription factor, mediates the expression of its target genes by interacting with corepressors and coactivators. Since the first cloning of SRC1, more than 280 nuclear receptor cofactors have been identified, which orchestrate target gene transcription. Aberrant activity of ER or its accessory proteins results in a number of diseases including breast cancer. Here we identified SFR1, a protein involved in DNA homologous recombination, as a novel binding partner of ERα. Initially isolated in a yeast two-hybrid screen, the interaction of SFR1 and ERα was confirmed in vivo by immunoprecipitation and mammalian one-hybrid assays. SFR1 …

Cardiac Computed Tomography Methods And Systems Using Fast Exact / Quasi Exact Filtered Back Projection Algorithms, Alexander Katsevich, Yang Lu, Ge Wang, Hengyong Yu, Jun Zhao

UCF Patents

The present invention provides systems, methods, and devices for improved computed tomography. More specifically, the present invention includes methods for improved cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) resolution using improved filtered back projection (FBP) algorithms, which can be used for cardiac tomography and across other tomographic modalities. Embodiments provide methods, systems, and devices for reconstructing an image from projection data provided by a computed tomography scanner using the algorithms disclosed herein to generate an image with improved temporal resolution.

Alteration Of Biological Properties Of Bacterial Lipids By Calcium Hydroxide Treatment, Sharefa Al-Asfour

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.