Digital Commons Network^™

Structural And Cognitive Correlates Of Body Mass Index In Healthy Older Adults, Jacob Bolzenius

Dissertations

Obesity, commonly measured with body mass index (BMI), is associated with numerous deleterious health conditions and may be a modifier of age-related alterations in brain integrity. Research suggests that white matter integrity observed using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is altered with high BMI, but the integrity of specific tracts remains poorly understood. Additionally, no studies have examined fractional anisotropy (FA) of tract integrity in conjunction with neuropsychological evaluation with elevated BMI among older adults. It was hypothesized that elevated BMI would be independently associated with lower white matter integrity and cognitive performance. It was also hypothesized that age and BMI …

Harbor Notes, July 24, 2014, Jessica Blais

Harbor Notes

The July 24, 2014, issue of Harbor Notes.

Low-Carb Diet Recommended For Diabetics, Alicia Rohan

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Web-Based Computational Chemistry Education With Charmming I: Lessons And Tutorial, Benjamin T. Miller, Rishi P. Singh, Vinushka Schalk, Yuri Pevzner, Jingjun Sun, Carrie S. Miller, Stefan Boresch, Toshiko Ichiye, Bernard R. Brooks, H. Lee Woodcock Iii

Chemistry Faculty Publications

This article describes the development, implementation, and use of web-based “lessons” to introduce students and other newcomers to computer simulations of biological macromolecules. These lessons, i.e., interactive step-by-step instructions for performing common molecular simulation tasks, are integrated into the collaboratively developed CHARMM INterface and Graphics (CHARMMing) web user interface (http://www.charmming.org). Several lessons have already been developed with new ones easily added via a provided Python script. In addition to CHARMMing's new lessons functionality, web-based graphical capabilities have been overhauled and are fully compatible with modern mobile web browsers (e.g., phones and tablets), allowing easy integration of these advanced …

Web-Based Computational Chemistry Education With Charmming Ii: Coarse-Grained Protein Folding, Frank C. Pickard Iv, Benjamin T. Miller, Vinushka Schalk, Michael G. Lerner, H. Lee Woodcock Iii, Bernard R. Brooks

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A lesson utilizing a coarse-grained (CG) G-like model has been implemented into the CHARMM INterface and Graphics (CHARMMing) web portal (www.charmming.org) to the Chemistry at HARvard Macromolecular Mechanics (CHARMM) molecular simulation package. While widely used to model various biophysical processes, such as protein folding and aggregation, CG models can also serve as an educational tool because they can provide qualitative descriptions of complex biophysical phenomena for a relatively cheap computational cost. As a proof of concept, this lesson demonstrates the construction of a CG model of a small globular protein, its simulation via Langevin dynamics, and the analysis …

Interview With Phil Veluzat And Mary Veluzat (Fa 1098), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcript of interview by Brent Bjorkman with Phil Veluzat and Mary Jo Veluzat about their experiences as park rangers at Mammoth Cave National Park. In 2013, Kentucky Folklife Program Director Brent Bjorkman received the Archie Green Fellowship from the Library of Congress to look more intimately at the life stories of the working men and women employed by Mammoth Cave National Park. Part of Folklife Archives Project 1098 titled "Rangerlore: The Occupational Folklife of Parks."

Structured Light Scatteroscopy, Venkataramanan Krishnaswamy, Jonathan T. Elliott, David M. Mcclatchy, Richard J. Barth Jr., Wendy A. Wells, Brian W. Pogue, Keith D. Paulsen

Dartmouth Scholarship

A new imaging approach, structured light scatteroscopy (SLS), is demonstrated, which offers rapid wide-field imaging of microscopic morphological variations in bulk tissue surfaces. Elastic scattering of light offers exquisite sensitivity to ultrastructural changes at multiple size scales ranging from nanometers to millimeters, but in bulk tissues the confounding effects of molecular absorption and strong multiple scattering of light often lead to a dramatic reduction in scatter contrast and specificity. It is demonstrated that the SLS using structured high spatial frequency illumination and detection to probe the tissue achieves direct, absorption-independent, high-resolution maps of the scattering response. The scattering response is …

Maternal And Congenital Toxoplasmosis, Currently Available And Novel Therapies In Horizon, Helieh S. Oz

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Over one billion people worldwide are predicted to harbor Toxoplasma infection frequently with unknown lifelong health consequences. Toxoplasmosis is an important cause of foodborne, inflammatory illnesses, as well as congenital abnormalities. Ubiquitous Toxoplasma has a unique tropism for central nervous system with a mind-bugging effect and is transmitted sexually through semen. Currently available therapies are ineffective for persistent chronic disease and congenital toxoplasmosis or have severe side effects which may result in life-threatening complications. There is an urgent need for safe and effective therapies to eliminate or treat this cosmopolitan infectious and inflammatory disease. This investigation discusses pathogenesis of maternal …

Booneville Native Reaping Benefits Of Summers In Oxford, Pam Starling

University of Mississippi News

Warren prepares for college, earns scholarships and course credit through UM Pre-College Programs

Integrating Microbial Physiology And Physio-Chemical Principles In Soils With The Microbial-Mineral Carbon Stabilization (Mimics) Model, William R. Wieder, A. Stuart Grandy, Cynthia M. Kallenbach, Gordon B. Bonan

Faculty Publications

A growing body of literature documents the pressing need to develop soil biogeochemistry models that more accurately reflect contemporary understanding of soil processes and better capture soil carbon (C) responses to environmental perturbations. Models that explicitly represent microbial activity offer inroads to improve representations of soil biogeochemical processes, but have yet to consider relationships between litter quality, functional differences in microbial physiology, and the physical protection of microbial byproducts in forming stable soil organic matter (SOM). To address these limitations, we introduce the MIcrobial-MIneral Carbon Stabilization (MIMICS) model, and evaluate it by comparing site-level soil C projections with observations from …

Defining A Mutational Panel And Predicting The Prevalence Of Cystic Fibrosis In Oman, Uwe W. Fass, Majid Al-Salmani, Said Shivalingam, Ganji, Catherine Norrish, Kallesh Hebal, Fiona Clark, Thomas Heming, Saleh Al-Khusaiby

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations form distinct mutational panels in different populations and subgroups. The frequency of cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations and prevalence are unknown in Oman. This study aimed to elucidate the mutational panel and prevalence of CF for the North Al Batinah (NAB) region in Oman and to estimate the national prevalence of CF based on the carrier screening of unrelated volunteers. Methods: The study included retrospective and prospective analyses of CF cases in the NAB region for 1998–2012. Genetic analysis of disease-causing mutations was conducted by screening of the entire coding sequence and exon-intron …

Severe Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis Mimicking Leukodystrophy In A Child, Amna Al-Futaisi, Faisal Al-Azri, Anas A. Al-Murshedi, Fathiya, Roshan Koul

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Ozone-Oxidative Preconditioning Prevents Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Livan Delgado-Roche, Yanet Hernández-Matos, Emilio A. Morejón, Dalia Á., Maité R. González, Gregorio Martίnez-Sánchez

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: Induced dilated cardiomyopathy is the main limitation of the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin, which causes oxidative stress and cardiomyocyte death. As ozone therapy can activate the antioxidant systems, this study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of ozone-oxidative preconditioning against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Methods: The study was carried out from September 2013 to January 2014. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly distributed in the following treatment groups: Group 1 were treated with 2 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.) of doxorubicin twice a week for 50 days; Group 2 were treated with 0.3 mg of ozone/oxygen mixture at 50 μg/ mL of ozone per 6 mL …

Methodology And Ontology In Microbiome Research, John E. Huss

Philosophy Faculty Research

Research on the human microbiome has generated a staggering amount of sequence data, revealing variation in microbial diversity at the community, species (or phylotype), and genomic levels. In order to make this complexity more manageable and easier to interpret, new units—the metagenome, core microbiome, and enterotype—have been introduced in the scientific literature. Here, I argue that analytical tools and exploratory statisti- cal methods, coupled with a translational imperative, are the primary drivers of this new ontology. By reducing the dimensionality of variation in the human microbiome, these new units render it more tractable and easier to interpret, and hence serve …

Review Of Microbially Induced Corrosion And Comments On Needs Related To Testing Procedures, Mitchell House, W. J. Weiss

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Concrete is the most widely used material for the construction of the wastewater collection, storage, and treatment infrastructure. The chemical and physical characteristics of hydrated Portland cement may make it susceptible to degradation under highly acidic conditions. As a result, some concrete wastewater infrastructure may be susceptible to a multistage degradation process known as microbially induced corrosion (MIC). MIC begins with the production of aqueous hydrogen sulfide (H2S(aq)) by anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria present below the waterline. H2S(aq) partitions to the gas phase where it is oxidized to sulfuric acid by the aerobic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria Thiobacillus that resides on concrete surfaces …

Exposure Test On Two Surface Anticorrosion Technologies For Marine Concrete Structure, Haicheng Yang, Jianbo Xiong, Quanke Su, Yu Yan

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

This paper is to study the effect of surface coating and silane hydrophobic agents for high performance concrete durability in a marine environment of tidal zone and splash zone by exposure test in JiaoZhou Bay. The results indicated that surface coating had good protection and coating quality after a 5-year period and the adhesive strength with concrete surface was more than 2.5 MPa. Surface coating can effectively improve chloride ion penetration resistance of concrete structures. The substrate concrete of specimen treated with silane had some chloride ion penetration, but compared with untreated concrete, chloride content of silane-treated concrete within 10 …

Metagenomic Identification Of A Novel Salt Tolerance Gene From The Human Gut Microbiome Which Encodes A Membrane Protein With Homology To A Brp/Blh-Family Beta-Carotene 15,15'-Monooxygenase, Roy D. Sleator, Et. Al.

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The human gut microbiome consists of at least 3 million non-redundant genes, 150 times that of the core human genome. Herein, we report the identification and characterisation of a novel stress tolerance gene from the human gut metagenome. The locus, assigned brpA, encodes a membrane protein with homology to a brp/blh-family β-carotene monooxygenase. Cloning and heterologous expression of brpA in Escherichia coli confers a significant salt tolerance phenotype. Furthermore, when cultured in the presence of exogenous β-carotene, cell pellets adopt a red/orange pigmentation indicating the incorporation of carotenoids in the cell membrane.

Teens Connect With... Mutant Bacteria?!, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Collective Behaviour Without Collective Order In Wild Swarms Of Midges, Alessandro Attanasi, Andrea Cavagna, Lorenzo Del Castello, Irene Giardina, Stefania Melillo, Leonardo Parisi, Oliver Pohl, Bruno Rossaro, Edward Shen, Edmondo Silvestri, Massimilano Viale

Publications and Research

Collective behaviour is a widespread phenomenon in biology, cutting through a huge span of scales, from cell colonies up to bird flocks and fish schools. The most prominent trait of collective behaviour is the emergence of global order: individuals synchronize their states, giving the stunning impression that the group behaves as one. In many biological systems, though, it is unclear whether global order is present. A paradigmatic case is that of insect swarms, whose erratic movements seem to suggest that group formation is a mere epiphenomenon of the independent interaction of each individual with an external landmark. In these cases, …

Selection Of A Nanoparticle Stabilizer For A Calcium Phosphate Drug Delivery System, Jessica L. Woodman

Doctoral Dissertations

Overall cancer survival rates steadily decline each year following diagnosis and side effects of chemotherapy restrict its use. The chemotherapeutic cis-diamminedichloro-platinum (cisplatin, CDDP) is poorly soluble and has dose limiting side effects. Nanoparticle delivery systems can deliver a higher dose of drug directly to the tumor by both active and passive targeting, holding promise of fewer side effects and greater anti-tumor efficacy. To date, few nanoparticle systems have been FDA approved for the treatment of cancer due to complicated physicochemical characterization, drug inactivation by the delivery system, scale-up challenges, and lack of demonstrated in vivo safety and efficacy. Further research …

Residential Treatment For Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Identifying Trajectories Of Change And Predictors Of Treatment Response, Joseph M. Currier, Jason M. Holland, Kent D. Drescher

Psychology Faculty Research

Background

Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a difficult condition to treat and has been associated with serious medical and economic issues among U.S. military veterans. Distinguishing between treatment responders vs. non-responders in this population has become an important public health priority. This study was conducted to identify pre-treatment characteristics of U.S. veterans with combat-related PTSD that might contribute to favorable and unfavorable responses to high value treatments for this condition.

Method

This study focused on 805 patients who completed a VHA PTSD residential program between 2000 and 2007. These patients completed the PTSD Clinical Checklist at pre-treatment, post-treatment, …

Mary Murphy, Mary Murphy '78, Abigail Szunyogh 2014

All oral histories

Mary Murphy majored in Biology with a pre-professional Medical school focus. She was the first in her immediate family to go to college. Murphy recalls faculty relationships and teaching assistant responsibilities and shares impressions about campus culture. She also mentions extracurricular activities such as church choir and the Homecoming planning committee. Dr. Murphy is a pediatrician in Ohio.

Wide-Field In Vivo Neocortical Calcium Dye Imaging Using A Convection-Enhanced Loading Technique Combined With Simultaneous Multiwavelength Imaging Of Voltage-Sensitive Dyes And Hemodynamic Signals, Hongtao Ma, Samuel Harris, Redi Rahmani, Clay O. Lacefield, Mingrui Zhao, Randy M. Bruno, Jason Berwick, Theodore H. Schwartz

Dartmouth Scholarship

In Vivo calcium imaging is an incredibly powerful technique that provides simultaneous information on fast neuronal events, such as action potentials and subthreshold synaptic activity, as well as slower events that occur in the glia and surrounding neuropil. Bulk-loading methods that involve multiple injections can be used for single-cell as well as wide-field imaging studies. However, multiple injections result in inhomogeneous loading as well as multiple sites of potential cortical injury. We used convection-enhanced delivery to create smooth, continuous loading of a large area of the cortical surface through a solitary injection site and demonstrated the efficacy of the technique …

Microbial Diversity Of A Mediterranean Soil And Its Changes After Biotransformed Dry Olive Residue Amendment, José A. Siles, Caio T.C.C Rachid, Inmaculada Sampedro, Inmaculada García-Romera, James M. Tiedje

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Mediterranean basin has been identified as a biodiversity hotspot, about whose soil microbial diversity little is known. Intensive land use and aggressive management practices are degrading the soil, with a consequent loss of fertility. The use of organic amendments such as dry olive residue (DOR), a waste produced by a two-phase olive-oil extraction system, has been proposed as an effective way to improve soil properties. However, before its application to soil, DOR needs a pre-treatment, such as by a ligninolytic fungal transformation, e.g. Coriolopsis floccosa. The present study aimed to describe the bacterial and fungal diversity in a …

The Epidemics Of Obesity And Cancer : No Simple Remedy, Moza Al-Kalbani, Ikram A. Burney

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Factors Contributing To Crashes Among Young Drivers, Lyndel J. Bates, Jeremy Davey, Barry King, Mark J., Kerry Armstrong

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Young drivers are the group of drivers most likely to crash. There are a number of factors that contribute to the high crash risk experienced by these drivers. While some of these factors are intrinsic to the young driver, such as their age, gender or driving skill, others relate to social factors and when and how often they drive. This article reviews the factors that affect the risk of young drivers crashing to enable a fuller understanding of why this risk is so high in order to assist in developing effective countermeasures.

Recognition, Investigation And Management Of Acute Transfusion Reactions : Consensus Guidelines For Oman, Arwa Z. Al-Riyami, Sabria Al-Hashmi, Zainab Wadsworth, Louis D., Abdulhakim Al-Rawas, Murtadha Al-Khabori, Shahina Daar

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

The recognition and management of transfusion reactions (TRs) are critical to ensure patient safety during and after a blood transfusion. Transfusion reactions are classified into acute transfusion reactions (ATRs) or delayed transfusion reactions, and each category includes different subtypes. Different ATRs share common signs and symptoms which can make categorisation difficult at the beginning of the reaction. Moreover, TRs are often under-recognised and under-reported. To ensure uniform practice and safety, it is necessary to implement a national haemovigilance system and a set of national guidelines establishing policies for blood transfusion and for the detection and management of TRs. In Oman, …

A Brief History Of Breast Cancer : Part Ii - Evolution Of Surgical Pathology, Ritu Lakhtakia, Roshan F. Chinoy

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Determination Of Heavy Metals In The Common Smokeless Tobacco Afzal In Oman, Nawal Al-Mukhaini, Taher Ba-Omar, Elsadig Al-Shehi, Aisha

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: Afzal is an illegally sold smokeless tobacco product (STP) commonly used by youths and teenagers in Oman. The aim of this study was to analyse the composition of Afzal, also commonly known as sweekah, as it is believed to contain many carcinogens and toxic components. In particular, Afzal’s heavy metal content includes cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni). Methods: This study was conducted between March and June 2013. Three samples of Afzal were first dried and then ground to form a homogenous powder. The powder was digested prior to the heavy metal analysis by inductively coupled …

Distribution Of Chronotypes Among A Sample Of Iraqi Kurdish Medical Students, Awring M. Raoof, Yasin A. Asaad, Tariq S.

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of chronotypes in a sample of Iraqi Kurdish medical students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Hawler Medical University College of Medicine in Erbil City, Iraq, between 1st January and 31stMarch 2013. A total of 580 students were given the reduced version of the Horne and Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQr), a close-ended self-administered questionnaire. Results: Of the 580 students, 130 (22.4%) were male and 450 (77.6%) were female. The mean age ± standard deviation was 20.3 ± 1.45 years, with a range of 17‒24 years. Most …