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New Species Of Ctenomys Blainville 1826 (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) From The Lowlands And Central Valleys Of Bolivia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, Joseph A. Cook

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The genus Ctenomys Blainville 1826 is one of the most diverse of South American hystricognath rodents. Currently, nine species of tuco-tucos are reported from Bolivia, four at elevations above 2,000 m and five inhabiting the lowlands (< 1,000 m). In the present paper, morphology, karyology, and phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences for a mitochondrial locus were used to assess the taxonomic status of specimens of Ctenomys from localities beyond the previously known ranges of these rodents in the departments of Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and Tarija. Based on these analyses, we describe four new species in the genus Ctenomys, all apparently endemic to the country. In addition, we place Ctenomys goodfellowi Thomas 1921 in synonymy under C. boliviensis Waterhouse 1848 and confirm the presence of C. nattereri …

Application Of Family-Based Tests Of Association For Rare Variants To Pathways, Brian Greco, Alexander Luedtke, Allison Hainline, Carolina Alvarez, Andrew Beck, Nathan L. Tintle

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Pathway analysis approaches for sequence data typically either operate in a single stage (all variants within all genes in the pathway are combined into a single, very large set of variants that can then be analyzed using standard “gene-based” test statistics) or in 2-stages (gene-based p values are computed for all genes in the pathway, and then the gene-based p values are combined into a single pathway p value). To date, little consideration has been given to the performance of gene-based tests (typically designed for a smaller number of single-nucleotide variants [SNVs]) when the number of SNVs in the gene …

Absorption And Fluorescence Properties Of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter Of The Eastern Bering Sea In The Summer With Special Reference To The Influence Of A Cold Pool, E. J. D'Sa, J. I. Goes, H. Gomes, C. Mouw

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The absorption and fluorescence properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) are reported for the inner shelf, slope waters and outer shelf regions of the eastern Bering Sea during the summer of 2008, when a warm, thermally stratified surface mixed layer lay over a cold pool ( < 2 °C) that occupied the entire middle shelf. CDOM absorption at 355 nm (ag355) and its spectral slope (S) in conjunction with excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) revealed large variability in the characteristics of CDOM in different regions of the Bering Sea. PARAFAC analysis aided in the identification of three humic-like (components one, two and five) and two protein-like (a tyrosine-like component three, and a tryptophan-like component four) components. In the extensive shelf region, average absorption coefficients at 355 nm (ag355, mg-1) and DOC concentrations (μM) were highest in the inner shelf (0.342 ± 0.11 mg-1, 92.67 ± 14.60 μM) and lower in the middle (0.226 ± 0.05 mg-1, 78.38 ± 10.64 μM) and outer (0.185 ± 0.05 mg-1, 79.24 ± 18.01 μM) shelves, respectively. DOC concentrations, however were not significantly different, suggesting CDOM sources and sinks to be uncoupled from DOC. Mean spectral slopes S were elevated in the middle shelf (24.38 ± 2.25 μmg-1) especially in the surface waters (26.87 ± 2.39 μmg-1) indicating high rates of photodegradation in the highly stratified surface mixed layer, which intensified northwards in the northern middle shelf likely contributing to greater light penetration and to phytoplankton blooms at deeper depths. The fluorescent humic-like components one, two, and five were most elevated in the inner shelf most likely from riverine inputs. Along the productive "green belt" in the outer shelf/slope region, absorption and fluorescence properties indicated the presence of fresh and degraded autochthonous DOM. Near the Unimak Pass region of the Aleutian Islands, low DOC and ag355 (mean 66.99 ± 7.94 μM; 0.182 ± 0.05 mg-1) and a high S (mean 25.95 ± 1.58 μmg-1) suggested substantial photobleaching of the Alaska Coastal Water, but high intensities of humic-like and protein-like fluorescence suggested sources of fluorescent DOM from coastal runoff and glacier meltwaters during the summer. The spectral slope S vs. ag355 relationship revealed terrestrial and oceanic end members along with intermediate water masses that were modeled using nonlinear regression equations that could allow water mass differentiation based on CDOM optical properties. Spectral slope S was negatively correlated (r2 = 0.79) with apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) for waters extending from the middle shelf into the deep Bering Sea indicating increasing microbial alteration of CDOM with depth. Although our data show that the CDOM photochemical environment of the Bering Sea is complex, our current information on its optical properties will aid in better understanding of the biogeochemical role of CDOM in carbon budgets in relation to the annual sea ice and phytoplankton dynamics, and to improved algorithms of ocean color remote sensing for this region.

Novel Cell Cycle Proteins In Apicomplexan Parasites, Carrie Butler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Apicomplexans are responsible for major human diseases such as toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and the deadliest form of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum). The genomes of these pathogens are now sequenced ushering in a new era of drug development. A major hurdle to exploiting this genome resource is that a large number of the encoded genes are "hypotheticals" and have yet to be characterized. Hypothetical proteins comprise roughly half of the predicted gene complement of T. gondii and P. falciparum and represent the largest class of uniquely functioning proteins in these parasites.

Following the idea …

Using Genetic Algorithms To Fit Species And Habitat Parameters For Modelling The Effect Of Climate Change On Species Distributions With Stochastic Patch Occupancy Models, Gary Polhill, Alessandro Gimona

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Standard approaches to modelling the effect of climate change on species distributions model a direct link between climatic and other biophysical variables and species occupancy. Though these provide a reasonable estimate for the effects of climate change on species distributions in the future, there are a number of issues with these approaches that fail to account for dynamic landscape interactions. For example, the mass occupancy effect means that species may be observed in unsuitable habitat patches surrounding a well-populated area of highly suitable patches. Conversely, a highly suitable area may be too disconnected from other suitable patches to allow long-term …

Modelling Spatial Relationships Between Ecosystem Services And Agricultural Production In An Agent- Based Model, Changxing Dong, Mark Brady, Yann Clough, Ullrika Sahlin, Christoph Sahrbacher, Martin Stjernman

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The collective impacts of farmers’ land management decisions on above ground ecosystem services (ES) and their implications for agriculture are poorly understood. Managing habitat to provide ES is costly but at the same time it can support higher yields through, e.g., pollination or natural pest control. Due to the mobility of ES-providers (bees, natural enemies) farmers providing habitat might also benefit their neighbours, creating interdependencies among their decisions. Interdependencies among farmers’ land-use decisions and the flow of ES in space can be considered by integrating agent-based modelling and evidence-based ES models. Such integration requires a trade-off between the land-use details …

Supporting Environmental Modelling With Taverna Workflows, Web Services And Desktop Grid Technology, Ferenc Horváth, Péter Ittzés, Dóra Ittzés, Zoltán Barcza, Laura Dobor, Dóra Hidy, Attila Marosi, Alex Hardisty

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Ecosystem functioning, climate change, and multiple interactions among biogeochemical cycles, climate system, site conditions and land use options are leading-edge topics in recent environmental modelling. Terrestrial ecosystem models are widely used to support carbon sequestration and ecosystem studies under various ecological circumstances. Our team uses the Biome-BGC model (Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, University of Montana), and develops an improved model version of it, called Biome-BGC MuSo. Both the original and the improved model estimate the ecosystem scale storage and fluxes of energy, carbon, nitrogen and water, controlled by various physical and biological processes on a daily time-scale. Web services were …

Activated Sludge With Total Solids Retention: Modified-Asm1 Modelling And Simulation, Cheikh Fall, Anabel Jimenez-Zarate, Ericka Millan-Lagunas, Yves Comeau

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

There are many new strategies put forward for minimizing excess sludge generation in biological wastewater treatment. Some of them were developed within the context of dynamic activated sludge modelling (ASM). A number of means can be used to eliminate the traditional waste activated sludge flow and the build-up of inert solids in the aeration tanks. This includes the use of fine screens to remove the inert particulate organic fraction (X_I), hydrocyclones to lower the inorganic suspended solids (ISS), and different kinds of on-line digesters to further biodegrade the endogenous residues (X_P), via the return activated sludge …

The Qmra Wiki: A Social Media Tool For Interdisciplinary And Interagency Collaboration For Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment, Jade Mitchell, Mark H. Weir, Wietske Van Osch, Joan Rose

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This study presents a web-based social media system that supports quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) and collaboration among interdisciplinary scientists and interagency stakeholders, namely the QMRA wiki. The QMRA wiki is intended to aid the development of risk assessments by providing a collection of raw data, models and calculators as well as a platform for exchange and cross-fertilization between the QMRA community and its stakeholders. The wiki is organized around the exploration of the QMRA paradigm including the following five components: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, risk characterization and risk management. Additionally, the wiki houses a number of case …

Sensitivity And Uncertainty Analysis Of A Plant-Wide Model For Carbon And Energy Footprint Of Wastewater Treatment Plants, Giorgio Mannina, Alida Cosenza, Riccardo Gori, Reza Sobhani, Manel Garrido, Diego Rosso

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This paper presents the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of a mathematical model for Greenhouse gas (GHG) and energy consumption assessment from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The model is able to simultaneously describe the main biological and physical-chemical processes in WWTP. Specifically, the mathematical model includes the main processes of the water and sludge lines influencing the methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Further, the process energy demand and the energy recovery are also taken into account. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the key factors and sources …

Defining The Spatiotemporal Surveillance Space For Alien Species' Invasions Using Approximate Bayesian Computation, Grant Hamilton, Rune Rasmussen, Jana Mullerova, Jan Pergl, Petr Pysek

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The spatiotemporal dynamics of an alien species invasion across a real landscape are typically complex. While surveillance is an essential part of a management response, planning surveillance in space and time present a difficult challenge due to this complexity. We show here a method for determining the highest probability sites for occupancy across a landscape at an arbitrary point in the future, based on occupancy data from a single slice in time. We apply to the method to the invasion of Giant Hogweed, a serious weed in the Czech republic and throughout Europe.

The Effect Of Recovery On Modeling Inactivation Of Bacillus Spores On Hvac Filters, Bharathi Murali, Jade Mitchell

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The ability of microorganisms to persist on fomite surfaces is an important component in modeling their spread in physical environment. For example, Bacillus anthracis (Ba) spores have been found to be extremely resistant to inactivation, environmental stresses, and stable over decades. Modeling the inactivation of spores could form an integral element for estimating the exposure and the subsequent health risks posed by them. However, there is a knowledge gap in the quantification of recovery of Bacillus spores on porous surfaces, which may have a significant effect on the quantification of their persistence in the environment. Our work investigates the recovery …

Genetics And The Law, Harry F. J. Schroeder

St. John's Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Second Opinion On Pharmaceutical Reverse Payment Settlements: Why Actavis Missed The Mark, Alex Galvan

Georgia State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

College Of The Holy Cross Libraries Annual Report 2013-2014, Karen Reilly

Holy Cross Libraries Annual Reports

At the end of the fiscal year, the Director of the Holy Cross Libraries issues an annual report that provides a review of library services, details budgets and regular operations, and highlights programs, projects and activities that were initiated, sponsored or assisted by the Libraries.

Identification Of A Dominant Gene In Medicago Truncatula That Restricts Nodulation By Sinorhizobium Meliloti Strain Rm41, Jinge Liu, Shengming Yang, Qiaolin Zheng, Hongyan Zhu

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Leguminous plants are able to form a root nodule symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria called rhizobia. This symbiotic association shows a high level of specificity. Beyond the specificity for the legume family, individual legume species/genotypes can only interact with certain restricted group of bacterial species or strains. Specificity in this system is regulated by complex signal exchange between the two symbiotic partners and thus multiple genetic mechanisms could be involved in the recognition process. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling symbiotic specificity could enable genetic improvement of legume nitrogen fixation, and may also reveal the possible mechanisms that restrict …

The Chef As Designer: Classifying The Techniques That Chefs Use In Creating Innovative Dishes, Barry Kudrowitz, Oxborough, Jaz Choi, Emily Stover

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This qualitative study explores the methods that chefs use to create innovative marketable product and compares these findings to other design tools. This study is based on a series of interviews with locally recognized chefs in Minnesota and observations of them in their kitchens in order to understand the details of how they conceive and develop dishes from preliminary concept to final plating and user consumption. This paper focuses on idea generation and discusses two key findings: first, the variety of idea generation techniques presented by the chefs can be classified into the creativity tool SCAMPER (substitute, combine, adapt, modify/magnify, …

The Reappearing Computer: The Past And Future Of Computing In Design Research, Simone Gristwood, Stephen Boyd Davis

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper investigates the early history of computing in design and in design research, focusing on individuals who were associated with the Department of Design Research at the Royal College of Art between the 1960s and the 1980s. The authors suggest that the theory and practice developed at that time may be valuable in thinking about the future, particularly when considering how computing may be used, in various forms, by designers in their work. A taxonomy of some early ideas and activities is presented which, it is suggested, displays a different emphasis from the way computing in design is conceived …

Designerly Ways To Theoretical Insight: Visualisation As A Means To Explore, Discuss And Understand Design Theory, Anne Louise Bang, Anne Katrine Gøtzsche Gelting, Silje Alberthe Kamille Friis

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper set out to investigate how design students learn from visualising theory in design education. The exploration rests on the assumption that the application of tools and techniques from design practice supports design students with an entrance to the theoretical part of the field. The paper is based on teaching experiences from an MA course in design methodology where we use visualisation as a tool to discuss, explore and understand design theory. To throw light on the question, student evaluations and feedback has been included together with a classification of the material from one visualisation exercise. In addition, theories …

Uab School Of Medicine, Hudsonalpha Create Joint Center For Genomic Medicine, Clinton Colmenares

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

A Case Of Sympatric Celastrina Ladon (Cramer), Celastrina Lucia (W. Kirby) And Celastrina Neglecta (Edwards) (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) In Northern Virginia, With Additional Records Of C. Lucia In Virginia, Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

A case of fully sympatric Celastrina ladon, C. lucia, and early spring brood C. neglecta is documented at a site in northern Virginia. Observations indicate that all three species occupy the same habitat, fly during the same flight period and utilize the same hostplant with no evidence of hybridization. C. ladon and C. lucia are obligate univoltines while C. neglecta is multivoltine. A later flight (second brood) of Celastrina neglecta at the same site utilizes eriophyid mite-induced leaf galls on the very same host tree species. Additional Virginia records of C. lucia are documented.

The Air-Sea Interface And Surface Stress Under Tropical Cyclones, Alexander Soloviev, Roger Lukas, Mark A. Donelan, Brian K. Haus, Isaac Ginis

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Tropical cyclone track prediction is steadily improving, while storm intensity prediction has seen little progress in the last quarter century. Important physics are not yet well understood and implemented in tropical cyclone forecast models. Missing and unresolved physics, especially at the air-sea interface, are among the factors limiting storm predictions. In a laboratory experiment and coordinated numerical simulation, conducted in this work, the microstructure of the air-water interface under hurricane force wind resembled Kelvin-Helmholtz shear instability between fluids with a large density difference. Supported by these observations, we bring forth the concept that the resulting two-phase environment suppresses short gravity-capillary …

Convergent Evolution Of Aquatic Foraging In A New Genus And Species (Rodentia: Muridae) From Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, Kevin C. Rowe, Anang S. Achmadi, Jacob A. Esselstyn

Faculty Publications

The island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia, lies at the crossroads of the Indo-Australian Archipelago and has remained isolated from the Asian (Sunda) and Australian (Sahul) continental shelves for at least the last 10 million years. Of the 50 native species of rodents on Sulawesi, all are endemic and represent the evolution of a variety of ecological and morphological forms within the Muridae and Sciuridae. Carnivorous rodents have evolved, perhaps independently, in Muridae from the Philippines, Sulawesi, and Sahul, but semi-aquatic murids are only known from Sahul. Here we describe a new genus and species of insectivorous water rat from Sulawesi. …

Simexplorer: A Testing Framework To Detect Elusive Software Faults, Tingting Yu

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Modern computer software systems are prone to various classes of runtime faults due to their reliance on features such as concurrency and peripheral devices such as sensors. Testing remains a common method for uncovering faults in these systems. However, commonly used testing techniques that execute the program with test inputs and inspect program outputs to detect failures are often ineffective on these systems. In addition, existing testing techniques focus primarily on single applications, neglecting elusive faults that occur at the whole-system level due to complex system event interactions.

This research provides a framework, SIMEXPLORER, that allows engineers to effectively test …

Fairchild Dairy Center Receives 2013 Quality Milk Award From Dairy One, Lori Tyler Gula

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Experience Design Framework For Securing Large Scale Information And Communication Systems, Azadeh Nematzadeh, Omar Sosa-Tzec

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Securing Information and Communication Systems (ICSs) is a highly complex process due in large part to the feedback relationship that holds between the users and the system and its ‘ecosystem’ of usage. Such a relationship is critical for experience designers. The design of secure systems can thereby be enhanced by using principles from disciplines where similar relations hold, such as security engineering and adaptive systems. In this work, we propose a user experience design framework based on six principles and use a social networking system as an example of its application. The proposed design principles are grounded in complex systems …

Towards A Framework Of Design Principles: Classifying System Features, Behaviours And Types, Chih-Chun Chen, Nathan Crilly

DRS Biennial Conference Series

‘Modularity’, ‘redundancy’, ‘robustness’, … these and other terms refer to principles that are well known in design research and widely applied in many varieties of design practice. What is less well considered within design is that these same principles are invoked by scientists as a way to characterise the structure, function and underlying ‘logic’ of biological systems. More generally, they are also being studied in a wide variety of disciplines concerned with defining, modifying or maintaining systems, whether those systems are comprised of hardware, software, ecologies, economies, societies or some combination of these. This widespread interest in ‘design principles’ and, …

Adaptable Interface Model For Intuitively Learnable Interfaces: An Approach To Address Diversity In Older Users' Capabilities, Gudur Raghavendra Reddy, Thea Blackler, Vesna Popovic, Doug Mahar

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This study started with the aim to develop an approach that will help designers create interfaces that are more intuitive for older adults to use. Two objectives were set for this study: 1) to investigate one of the possible strategies for developing intuitive interfaces for older people; and 2) to investigate factors that could interfere with intuitive use. This paper briefly presents the outcome of the two experiments and how it has lead to the development of an adaptable interface design model that will help designers develop interfaces that are intuitive to learn and, over time, intuitive to use for …

Making The Case: Collaborative Concept Development Of Products And Services For A New Design Museum, Louise Valentine, Joanna Bletcher, Saskia Coulson

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper describes the role practice-­‐led research has played in identifying an opportunity for innovative organizational progress (for a globally recognized museum), and discusses one role of practice-­‐led research in product and service development for the new business. It looks at why collaborative research is employed to explore concept development, how this is being investigated and what the insights thus far indicate. Two projects are discussed, one in the area of curatorial practice for communicating design and craft innovation and, the other in the design of residency programmes in terms of nurturing innovation in design and craft practices. The design …

Designers In Complex Problem Solving: The Contribution Of Systems Thinking, John Darzentas, Jenny Darzentas

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper, attempts to provide a useful perspective of Systems Thinking’s contribution to Design’s theoretical grounding for both research and education. ‘Useful’ in the sense that it will equip design students and graduate professionals with a supportive and productive way of thinking about Design. This is viewed against the trend of more and more multidisciplinary design problems emerging where designers are asked to deal with the complexity which is inherent in such problems. Thus this discourse is also framed in understandings of interdisciplinarity and further, transdisciplinarity, to attempt to gain some traction on these heterogeneous domains. Such domains are subject …