Digital Commons Network^™

Kaden's Crematorium, Brian Saladino

Fishladder: A Student Journal of Art and Writing

No abstract provided.

Biology Faculty Member Given $360,000 Grant To Study The Optic Nerve, Winthrop University

Winthrop News 2014

• Birgbauer wrote in his application for the three-year grant that visual impairment is a significant unmet medical need. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness due to damage to Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) and the optic nerve.
• Damage to the optic nerve from injury or disease, such as glaucoma, is permanent and regrowth does not normally occur. However, during embryonic growth and development of the fetus before birth, he said, vibrant nerve growth does occur.

Fate And Transport Of Nanohybrids In Subsurface Media For Oil Field Applications, M.J. Kadhum, D.P. Swatske, J.H. Harwell, D.E. Resasco, B.J. Shiau

5th International Conference on Porous Media and Their Applications in Science, Engineering and Industry

Interfacially active carbon nanotube hybrids have potential to be used in reservoir development applications. Carbon nanotubes hybrids (CNT) can act as carriers for catalytic nanoparticles into regions far inside the reservoir; they have the ability to stabilize water/oil interface in emulsions or can be used as contrast agents or sensors. One of the main challenges for successful utilization of these nanoparticles is the difficulty associated with stabilizing their dispersions and propagating them through the wellbore rock or deep inside the reservoir in harsh reservoir conditions of salinity and temperature. In this work, CNT were dispersed in high salinity brine using …

Glycosylation Modulates Melanoma Cell Α2Β1 And Α3Β1 Integrin Interactions With Type Iv Collagen, Maciej J. Stawikowski, Beatrix Aukszi, Roma Stawikowska, Mare Cudic, Gregg B. Fields

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

Although type IV collagen is heavily glycosylated, the influence of this posttranslational modification on integrin binding has not been investigated. In the present study, galactosylated and non-galactosylated triple-helical peptides have been constructed containing the α1(IV)382-393 and α1(IV)531-543 sequences, which are binding sites for the α2β1 and α3β1 integrins, respectively. All peptides had triple-helical stabilities of 37 °C or greater. The galactosylation of Hyl393 in α1(IV)382-393 and Hyl540 and Hyl543 in α1(IV)531-543 had a dose dependent influence on melanoma cell adhesion which was much more pronounced in the case of α3β1 integrin binding. Molecular modeling indicated that galactosylation occurred on the …

Comparative Population Assessments Of Nautilus Sp. In The Philippines, Australia, Fiji, And American Samoa Using Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems, Gregory Jeff Barord, Frederick Dooley, Andrew Dunstan, Anthony Ilano, Karen N. Keister, Heike Neumeister, Thomas Preuss, Shane Schoepfer, Peter D. Ward

Publications and Research

The extant species of Nautilus and Allonautilus (Cephalopoda) inhabit fore-reef slope environments across a large geographic area of the tropical western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans. While many aspects of their biology and behavior are now well-documented, uncertainties concerning their current populations and ecological role in the deeper, fore-reef slope environments remain. Given the historical to current day presence of nautilus fisheries at various locales across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, a comparative assessment of the current state of nautilus populations is critical to determine whether conservation measures are warranted. We used baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) to make …

Nitrogen Inputs And Losses In Response To Chronic Co2 Exposure In A Subtropical Oak Woodland, B. A. Hungate, B. D. Duval, P. Dijkstra, D. W. Johnson, M. E. Ketterer, Peter Stiling, W. Cheng, J. Millman, A. Hartley, D. B. Stover

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations may alter the nitrogen (N) content of ecosystems by changing N inputs and N losses, but responses vary in field experiments, possibly because multiple mechanisms are at play. We measured N fixation and N losses in a subtropical oak woodland exposed to 11 years of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. We also explored the role of herbivory, carbon limitation, and competition for light or nutrients in shaping the response of N fixation to elevated CO₂. Elevated CO₂ did not significantly alter gaseous N losses, but lower recovery and deeper distribution in the …

Emu Today, June 23, 2014, Eastern Michigan University

EMU Today

No abstract provided.

Metabolomics Of Apcmin/+ Mice Genetically Susceptible To Intestinal Cancer, Jean Eudes J. Dazard, Yana Sandlers, Stephanie K. Doerner, Nathan A. Berger, Henri Brunengraber

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Background: To determine how diets high in saturated fat could increase polyp formation in the mouse model of intestinal neoplasia, ApcMin/+, we conducted large-scale metabolome analysis and association study of colon and small intestine polyp formation from plasma and liver samples of ApcMin/+ vs. wild-type littermates, kept on low vs. high-fat diet. Label-free mass spectrometry was used to quantify untargeted plasma and acyl-CoA liver compounds, respectively. Differences in contrasts of interest were analyzed statistically by unsupervised and supervised modeling approaches, namely Principal Component Analysis and Linear Model of analysis of variance. Correlation between plasma metabolite concentrations and polyp numbers was …

An Analysis Of Social Behaviors In Stressful Situations Using Q-Sort Data, Lacie Bray-Akers, Shelby Gaydosh, Dylan Pelham, Morgan Phillips

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Theories suggest that humans may respond to stressful situations by engaging in certain social behaviors aimed at minimizing the effects of stress. Though these social responses during stress have been investigated in many ways, this study adds to the literature by using a standardized Q-sort technique to examine them. When participants characterized situations as more stressful, they reported a greater tendency to distance themselves from others and lesser expressions of warmth. For female participants only, when situations were described as more anxiety-inducing, participants reported greater seeking of assurance. Though male and female participants did not differ with respect to their …

A Novel Label-Free Colorimetric Assay For Dna Concentration In Solution, Molla R. Islam, Michael J. Serpe

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Optical devices were fabricated by sandwiching a “monolithic” poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-(3-aminopropyl) methacrylamide hydrochloride) (pNIPAm-co-APMAH) microgel layer between two semitransparent Au layers. These devices, referred to as etalons, exhibit characteristic multipeak reflectance spectra, and the position of the peaks in the spectra primarily depends on the distance between the Au surfaces mediated by the microgel layer thickness. Here, we show that the positively charged microgel layer can collapse in the presence of negatively charged single stranded DNA (ssDNA) due to ssDNA induced microgel crosslinking. The collapse results in a change in the etalon's optical properties, which can be used to detect target DNA …

Animal Arterivirus Infections, Denis Archambault, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya, Raymond R. R. Rowland, Hanchun Yang, Dongwan Yoo

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

No abstract.

White Nose Syndrome Of Bats: Lipid Profiling And Enzyme Identification In A Host/Pathogen System, Evan Lacy Pannkuk

Student Theses and Dissertations

Pseudogymnoascus destructans is a fungus isolated from cave-dwelling bats that is the pathogen responsible for white-nose syndrome (WNS) and the associated mass mortality of North American cave bats. This study addresses isolation and identification of biomolecules that may function in host/pathogen interactions in WNS. Fungal skin infections requires fungal adherence and growth on the host organism integumentary matrix, which consists of hard cornified insoluble structural proteins coated with lipid residues from epidermal cells or sebaceous secretions. There is a knowledge gap on how molecules present on the bat integument are utilized as carbon or nitrogen sources by P. destructans. I …

Identification Of Cd24 As A Cancer Stem Cell Marker In Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Chun-Hung Yang, Hui-Ling Wang, Yi-Sheng Lin, K. P. Shravan Kumar, Hung-Chi Lin, Chih-Jung Chang, Chia-Chen Lu, Tsung-Teng Huang, Jan Martel, David M. Ojcius, Yu-Sun Chang, John Ding-E. Young, Hsin-Chih Lai

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a unique sub-population of tumor cells with the ability to initiate tumor growth and sustain self-renewal. Although CSC biomarkers have been described for various tumors, only a few markers have been identified for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we show that CD24⁺ cells isolated from human NPC cell lines express stem cell genes (Sox2, Oct4, Nanog, Bmi-1, and Rex-1), and show activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. CD24⁺ cells possess typical CSC characteristics that include enhanced cell proliferation, increased colony and sphere formation, maintenance of cell differentiation potential in prolonged …

State V. Hileman Appellant's Reply Brief Dckt. 40834

Not Reported

No abstract provided.

Adaptation And Prosthesis Effects On Stride-To-Stride Fluctuations In Amputee Gait, Shane R. Wurdeman, Sara A. Myers, Adam L. Jacobsen, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Twenty-four individuals with transtibial amputation were recruited to a randomized, crossover design study to examine stride-to-stride fluctuations of lower limb joint flexion/extension time series using the largest Lyapunov exponent (λ). Each individual wore a “more appropriate” and a “less appropriate” prosthesis design based on the subject's previous functional classification for a three week adaptation period. Results showed decreased λ for the sound ankle compared to the prosthetic ankle (F_1,23 = 13.897, p = 0.001) and a decreased λ for the “more appropriate” prosthesis (F_1,23 = 4.849, p = 0.038). There was also a significant effect for the time …

A Collaborative Autoethnographic Search For Authenticity Amidst The "Fake Real", Trenia L. Walker, Colette M. Taylor

The Qualitative Report

This manuscript explores the importance of "authenticity" for the maintenance self-identity for social justice educators in higher education. A collaborative dialogue between two female faculty authors of different ethnicities explores and interprets how to balance one’s own situated understanding of themselves, shared discourse community, and a social justice paradigm. The authors systematically juxtapose their reflections on their experiences as educators in higher education to examine points of similarity and difference. By sharing and interrogating their individual experiences in higher education, the authors argue that the relationship between authenticity, identity, and social justice is complex and multifaceted. The authors conclude by …

Characterization Of The Bacterial Metallothionein, Pmta In The Human Pathogen Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Kathryn M. Pietrosimone

Doctoral Dissertations

Small, cysteine-rich proteins called metallothioneins (MTs) bind essential divalent heavy metal cations, such as zinc and copper, as well as toxic heavy metals, such as cadmium and mercury. Stressful conditions such as exposure to heavy metals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase the expression of MTs. The numerous cysteine residues in MTs allow the protein to neutralize toxic effects of ROS, bind heavy metals, influence immune cell movement and proliferation. The bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa expresses an MT, PmtA, that is similar in structure the eukaryotic MTs. Evidence presented in these suggests that PmtA is an immunomodulatory protein, similar to the …

Testing Predictions Of The Janzen–Connell Hypothesis: A Meta-Analysis Of Experimental Evidence For Distance- And Density- Dependent Seed And Seedling Survival, Liza S. Comita, Simon A. Queenborough, Stephen J. Murphy, Janelle L. Eck, Kaiyang Xu, Meghna Krishnadas, Noelle G. Beckman, Yan Zhu

Biology Faculty Publications

1. The Janzen–Connell hypothesis proposes that specialist natural enemies, such as herbivores and pathogens, maintain diversity in plant communities by reducing survival rates of conspecific seeds and seedlings located close to reproductive adults or in areas of high conspecific density. Variation in the strength of distance- and density-dependent effects is hypothesized to explain variation in plant species richness along climatic gradients, with effects predicted to be stronger in the tropics than the temperate zone and in wetter habitats compared to drier habitats.
2. We conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify peer-reviewed experimental studies published in the 40+ years since the hypothesis …

Anthropogenic Litter In Urban Freshwater Ecosystems: Distribution And Microbial Interactions, Timothy Hoellein, Miguel Rojas, Adam Pink, Joseph Gasior, John J. Kelly

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Accumulation of anthropogenic litter (i.e. garbage; AL) and its ecosystem effects in marine environments are well documented. Rivers receive AL from terrestrial habitats and represent a major source of AL to marine environments, but AL is rarely studied within freshwater ecosystems. Our objectives were to 1) quantify AL density in urban freshwaters, 2) compare AL abundance among freshwater, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems, and 3) characterize the activity and composition of AL biofilms in freshwater habitats. We quantified AL from the Chicago River and Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline, and found that AL abundance in Chicago freshwater ecosystems was comparable to previously …

Are Undergraduate Gpa And General Gre Percentiles Valid Predictors Of Student Performance In An Engineering Graduate Program?, Larry L. Howell, Carl D. Sorenson, Matthew R. Jones

Faculty Publications

While both subjective measures and quantitative metrics play an important role in admissions decisions, quantitative metrics are amenable to critical analysis using the tools of academic analytics. The hypotheses that motivated this study are: 1. Can an applicant’s undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and scores on the Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) be used to accurately predict the performance of the applicant in a graduate mechanical engineering program? 2. Is a single construct based on these quantitative predictive metrics a valuable tool in efficiently making admissions decisions? This study analyzed the relationship between quantitative predictive metrics, available at the time of …

The Relationship Of Affective Domains And Cognitive Performance In Paramedic Students, Katie J. Lyman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No universal approach for application procedures has been established for paramedic curriculum programs. The field of pre-hospital, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has evolved quickly from its inception to present date. The educational components of EMS are still in their infancy and lack evidence-based protocols (Drees, 2006). Predicting success in an allied health program typically concentrates on some type of academic instrument. The use of personality inventories has been underexplored; however, literature reveals they may be more reliable in determining academic and employment success compared with other non-cognitive tools (Groves, Gordon, & Ryan, 2007; Marrin et al., 2004; McManus & Richards, …

Preface, Engineering Conferences International

5th International Conference on Porous Media and Their Applications in Science, Engineering and Industry

No abstract provided.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - June 22, 2014, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the June 22, 2014 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• Medical Students Volunteer at Camp Rap-A-Hope
• Dr. Jon Simmons Awarded Two Research Grants
• Dr. Wilson Receives Distinguished Service Award
• Class of 2016 Medical Students Receive White Coats

Deterministic Versus Randomized Kaczmarz Iterative Projection, Tim Wallace, Ali Sekmen

Computer Science Faculty Research

The Kaczmarz’s alternating projection method has been widely used for solving a consistent (mostly over-determined) linear system of equations Ax = b. Because of its simple iterative nature with light computation, this method was successfully applied in computerized tomography. Since tomography generates a matrix A with highly coherent rows, randomized Kaczmarz algorithm is expected to provide faster convergence as it picks a row for each iteration at random, based on a certain probability distribution. It was recently shown that picking a row at random, proportional with its norm, makes the iteration converge exponentially in expectation with a decay constant that …

Stop Lion Hunting, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

According to my informal tally, at least seven mountain lions have so far been killed in Nebraska during 2014, as follows: 1 & 2: Two were killed on January 1 and 2, at the start of Nebraska's first hunting season. Both were killed by treeing the animals with dogs, then shooting them execution style. One was killed by a man who bought the permit ($13,500) at auction; the other by a teenager who won a Game & Park's fund -raising lottery. 3: An adult male was accidentally killed by a vehicle on February 1, in Sioux County. 4: An adult …

Evidence Of Sea-Level Oscillations Within The Last Interglacial From The Miami Limestone And Bahamian Oolitic Shoals, Hasan Caglar Usdun

Open Access Theses

The record of sea-level oscillations during the last interglacial highstand comes from different geological archives around the world and from the marine oxygen-isotope record from deep-sea cores. In this study, tidally influenced ooid shoals of the Miami Limestone and coeval deposits in the Bahamas were chosen for to document the record of sub-orbital sea-level oscillations within the last interglacial highstand, Marine Isotope Stage 5e (MIS 5e). This study combines detailed sedimentological and stratigraphic investigations of cores and outcrops of the Pleistocene Miami Limestone with a LIDAR-based digital elevation model (DEM) to relate the facies of the ooid sand body to …

Spatial Mapping Of Macular Pigment Optical Density And Its Relationship To Contrast Sensitivity And Glare Disability, Christopher Michael Putnam

Dissertations

This dissertation explored the relationship of the macular pigment optical density (MPOD) spatial profile with measures of contrast sensitivity (CS), glare disability (GD), relative glare disability (RGD) and intraocular light scatter. A novel device capable of measuring MPOD across the central 16 degrees of retina along 8 principle meridians using customized heterochromatic flicker photometry (cHFP) at eccentricities of 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 degrees was built. MPOD was calculated as both discrete and integrated values at all measured retinal loci. CS was measured using vertical grating stimuli of 3, 6 and 9 cycles per degree (cpd) also presented at …

Chemistry Major Begins Fellowship To Nicaragua, Sarah Gardner, Dave Albee

Press Releases

Hernandez, an Honors student, is the first Dominican undergraduate to receive this fellowship and one of only a few non-UC Berkeley students to be accepted into the program. The award, she said, will help her decide whether she will pursue a research-based career or medical-based career in the future. It also continues to validate her decision to attend Dominican where she is also pursuing a minor in mathematics.

Mixed Species Flock, Nest Height, And Elevation Partially Explain Avian Haemoparasite Prevalence In Colombia, Angie González, Nubia Matta, Vincenzo Ellis, Eliot Miller, Robert Ricklefs, H. Gutiérrez

Biology Department Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Novel Small Rnas And Characterization Of The 6s Rna Of Coxiella Burnetii, Indu Warrier, Linda D. Hicks, James M. Battisti, Rahul Raghavan, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes Q fever, undergoes a biphasic developmental cycle that alternates between a metabolically-active large cell variant (LCV) and a dormant small cell variant (SCV). As such, the bacterium undoubtedly employs complex modes of regulating its lifecycle, metabolism and pathogenesis. Small RNAs (sRNAs) have been shown to play important regulatory roles in controlling metabolism and virulence in several pathogenic bacteria. We hypothesize that sRNAs are involved in regulating growth and development of C. burnetii and its infection of host cells. To address the hypothesis and identify potential sRNAs, we subjected total RNA …