Digital Commons Network^™

Zbtb20 Is A Sequence-Specific Transcriptional Repressor Of Alpha-Fetoprotein Gene, Hai Zhang, Dongmei Cao, Luting Zhou, Ye Zhang, Xiaoqin Guo, Hui Li, Yuxia Chen, Brett T. Spear, Jia-Wei Wu, Zhifang Xie, Weiping J Zhang

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) represents a classical model system to study developmental gene regulation in mammalian cells. We previously reported that liver ZBTB20 is developmentally regulated and plays a central role in AFP postnatal repression. Here we show that ZBTB20 is a sequence-specific transcriptional repressor of AFP. By ELISA-based DNA-protein binding assay and conventional gel shift assay, we successfully identified a ZBTB20-binding site at -104/-86 of mouse AFP gene, flanked by two HNF1 sites and two C/EBP sites in the proximal promoter. Importantly, mutation of the core sequence in this site fully abolished its binding to ZBTB20 in vitro, as well …

The 3’-Jα Region Of The Tcrα Locus Bears Gene Regulatory Activity In Thymic And Peripheral T Cells, Martina Kučerová-Levisohn, Stefan Knirr, Rosa I. Mejia, Benjamin D. Ortiz

Publications and Research

Much progress has been made in understanding the important cis-mediated controls on mouse TCRα gene function, including identification of the Eα enhancer and TCRα locus control region (LCR). Nevertheless, previous data have suggested that other cis-regulatory elements may reside in the locus outside of the Eα/LCR. Based on prior findings, we hypothesized the existence of gene regulatory elements in a 3.9-kb region 5’ of the Cα exons. Using DNase hypersensitivity assays and TCRα BAC reporter transgenes in mice, we detected gene regulatory activity within this 3.9-kb region. This region is active in both thymic and peripheral T cells, and selectively …

Matrix Compliance And The Regulation Of Cytokinesis, Savitha Sambandamoorthy, Shomita Mathew-Steiner, Scott Varney, Jonathan M. Zuidema, Ryan J. Gilbert, Livingston De Van Water, Susan E. Laflamme

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Integrin-mediated cell adhesion to the ECM regulates many physiological processes in part by controlling cell proliferation. It is well established that many normal cells require integrin-mediated adhesion to enter S phase of the cell cycle. Recent evidence indicates that integrins also regulate cytokinesis. Mechanical properties of the ECM can dictate entry into S phase; however, it is not known whether they also can affect the successful completion of cell division. To address this issue, we modulated substrate compliance using fibronectin-coated acrylamide-based hydrogels. Soft and hard substrates were generated with approximate elastic moduli of 1600 and 34,000 Pascals (Pa) respectively. Our …

Apis And The Library: What, Why?, Graham S. Hukill

Scholars Cooperative Brown Bag Series

APIs (Application Programming Interface): What are they? Why are they? Introduction to APIs and their role in the Library

C.R.B. V. C.C And B.C.: Protecting Children's Need For Stability In Custody Modification Disputes Between Biological Parents And Third Parties, Laura Beresh Taylor

Akron Law Review

This Note examines the collision of the “foundational policies” recognized by the Alaska Supreme Court. Part II provides an overview of the parental preference doctrine and custody modification standards. Part III presents the facts, procedural history, and the Alaska Supreme Court’s holding in C.R.B. Finally, Part IV analyzes the Alaska Supreme Court’s decision and its consequences. The Alaska Supreme Court properly rejected the use of a parental preference in custody modification disputes, and its holding produced a desirable outcome. However, this Note establishes why the court should adopt a more stringent modification standard to safeguard children’s need for stability in …

Social Determinants Of Depression Among Hispanic Women, Giovanna Cecilia De Oliveira

Open Access Dissertations

Depression is the number one cause of disability in the world, affecting over 350 million people. It is characterized by mood changes, alteration in self-attitude, cognitive functioning, sleep, appetite, and energy level, and causes impairment in social and occupational functioning and a decrease in the quality of life of the depressed person, family, and friends. Across different societies and social contexts throughout the world, depression affects significantly more women than men. The situation is similar in the U.S., where women are 70% more likely than men to experience depression during their lifetime. The age of onset of depression in women …

Gsu View, 2015-07-14, Office Of Marketing And Communications

GSU View

Newsletter published by Governors State University 2007-current.

A Complementation Assay For In Vivo Protein Structure/Function Analysis In Physcomitrella Patens (Funariaceae), Tess R. Scavuzzo-Duggan, Arielle M. Chaves, Alison W. Roberts

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Premise of Study:

A method for rapid in vivo functional analysis of engineered proteins was developed using Physcomitrella patens.

Methods and Results:

A complementation assay was designed for testing structure/function relationships in cellulose synthase (CESA) proteins. The components of the assay include (1) construction of test vectors that drive expression of epitope-tagged PpCESA5 carrying engineered mutations, (2) transformation of a ppcesa5 knockout line that fails to produce gametophores with test and control vectors, (3) scoring the stable transformants for gametophore production, (4) statistical analysis comparing complementation rates for test vectors to positive and negative control vectors, and (5) analysis …

The Utah Statesman, July, 2015, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Epidemiological Associations Between Brachycephaly And Upper Respiratory Tract Disorders In Dogs Attending Veterinary Practices In England, Dan G. O'Neill, Caitlin Jackson, Jonathan H. Guy, David B. Church, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Peter Thomson, Dave C. Brodbelt

Epidemiology Collection

Background: Brachycephalic dog breeds are increasingly common. Canine brachycephaly has been associated with upper respiratory tract (URT) disorders but reliable prevalence data remain lacking. Using primary-care veterinary clinical data, this study aimed to report the prevalence and breed-type risk factors for URT disorders in dogs. Results: The sampling frame included 170,812 dogs attending 96 primary-care veterinary clinics participating within the VetCompass Programme. Two hundred dogs were randomly selected from each of three extreme brachycephalic breed types (Bulldog, French Bulldog and Pug) and three common small-to medium sized breed types (moderate brachycephalic: Yorkshire Terrier and non-brachycephalic: Border Terrier and West Highland …

Recurrent Fusion Genes In Gastric Cancer: Cldn18-Arhgap26 Induces Loss Of Epithelial Integrity., Fei Yao, Jaya P Kausalya, Yee Yen Sia, Audrey S M Teo, Wah Heng Lee, Alicia G M Ong, Zhenshui Zhang, Joanna H J Tan, Guoliang Li, Denis Bertrand, Xingliang Liu, Huay Mei Poh, Peiyong Guan, Feng Zhu, Thushangi Nadeera Pathiraja, Pramila N Ariyaratne, Jaideepraj Rao, Xing Yi Woo, Shaojiang Cai, Fabianus H Mulawadi, Wan Ting Poh, Lavanya Veeravalli, Chee Seng Chan, Seong Soo Lim, See Ting Leong, Say Chuan Neo, Poh Sum D Choi, Elaine G Y Chew, Niranjan Nagarajan, Pierre-Étienne Jacques, Jimmy B Y So, Xiaoan Ruan, Khay Guan Yeoh, Patrick Tan, Wing-Kin Sung, Walter Hunziker, Yijun Ruan, Axel M Hillmer

Faculty Research 2015

Genome rearrangements, a hallmark of cancer, can result in gene fusions with oncogenic properties. Using DNA paired-end-tag (DNA-PET) whole-genome sequencing, we analyzed 15 gastric cancers (GCs) from Southeast Asians. Rearrangements were enriched in open chromatin and shaped by chromatin structure. We identified seven rearrangement hot spots and 136 gene fusions. In three out of 100 GC cases, we found recurrent fusions between CLDN18, a tight junction gene, and ARHGAP26, a gene encoding a RHOA inhibitor. Epithelial cell lines expressing CLDN18-ARHGAP26 displayed a dramatic loss of epithelial phenotype and long protrusions indicative of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Fusion-positive cell lines showed impaired …

Interview With Tempe Anne Oehler And Guest, Tempe Anne Oehler

South Carolina Mother of the Year Oral History Archives

Interview with Tempe Anne Oehler, 1990 South Carolina Mother of the Year.

Interview With Johann M. Mccrackin, Johann M. Mccrackin

South Carolina Mother of the Year Oral History Archives

Interview with Johann M. McCrackin, 1984 South Carolina Mother of the Year.

Sedimentation Pulse In The Ne Gulf Of Mexico Following The 2010 Dwh Blowout, Gregg R. Brooks, Rebekka A. Larson, Patrick Schwing, Isabel C. Romero, Christopher Moore, Gert-Jan Reichart, Tom Jilbert, Jeff P. Chanton, David W. Hastings, Will A. Overholt, Kala P. Marks, Joel E. Kostka, Charles W. Holmes, David Hollander

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil discharge at the seafloor as recorded in bottom sediments of the DeSoto Canyon region in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Through a close coupling of sedimentological, geochemical, and biological approaches, multiple independent lines of evidence from 11 sites sampled in November/December 2010 revealed that the upper ~1 cm depth interval is distinct from underlying sediments and results indicate that particles originated at the sea surface. Consistent dissimilarities in grain size over the surficial ~1 cm of sediments correspond to excess ²³⁴Th depths, which …

Redesigning Photosynthesis To Sustainably Meet Global Food And Bioenergy Demand, Donald R. Ort, Sabeeha S. Merchant, Jean Alric, Alice Barkan, Robert E. Blankenship, Ralph Bock, Roberta Croce, Maureen R. Hanson, Julian M. Hibberd, Stephen P. Long, Thomas A. Moore, James Moroney, Krishna K. Niyogi, Martin A.J. Parry, Pamela P. Peralta-Yahya, Roger C. Prince, Kevin E. Redding, Martin H. Spalding, Klaas J. Van Wijk, Wim F.J. Vermaas, Susanne Von Caemmerer, Andreas P.M. Weber, Todd O. Yeates, Joshua S. Yuan, Xin Guang Zhu

Faculty Publications

© 2015, National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. The world's crop productivity is stagnating whereas population growth, rising affluence, and mandates for biofuels put increasing demands on agriculture. Meanwhile, demand for increasing cropland competes with equally crucial global sustainability and environmental protection needs. Addressing this looming agricultural crisis will be one of our greatest scientific challenges in the coming decades, and success will require substantial improvements at many levels. We assert that increasing the efficiency and productivity of photosynthesis in crop plants will be essential if this grand challenge is to be met. Here, we explore an array of …

Prostate Carcinogenesis Predictor, Mildred Enid Acevedo-Duncan, Hla Y. Win, Raoul Salup

USF Patents

A method of detecting prostate tumorigenesis in a subject, the method including the steps of (a) obtaining a sample from the prostate of the human subject, (b) detecting quantitatively or semi-quantitatively in the sample a level of expression for PKC-ι and (c) comparing the expression level in (b) to a level of expression in a normal control, wherein overexpression of PKC-ι, with respect to the control, indicates the presence of prostate cancer in the subject. The present invention is based upon the discovery that PKC-ι levels are elevated during prostate tumorigenesis. Furthermore, the proliferation rate of the tumor correlates with …

Sex Differences In Clinical Features Of Early, Treated Parkinson's Disease, Erika F. Augustine, Adriana Pérez, Rohit Dhall, Chizoba C. Umeh, Aleksandar Videnovic, Franca Cambi, Anne-Marie A. Wills, Jordan J. Elm, Richard M. Zweig, Lisa M. Shulman, Martha A. Nance, Jacquelyn Bainbridge, Oksana Suchowersky

Neurology Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: To improve our understanding of sex differences in the clinical characteristics of Parkinson's Disease, we sought to examine differences in the clinical features and disease severity of men and women with early treated Parkinson's Disease (PD) enrolled in a large-scale clinical trial.

METHODS: Analysis was performed of baseline data from the National Institutes of Health Exploratory Trials in Parkinson's Disease (NET-PD) Long-term Study-1, a randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 10 grams of oral creatine/day in individuals with early, treated PD. We compared mean age at symptom onset, age at PD diagnosis, and age at randomization between …

Meteorological Conditions, Climate Change, New Emerging Factors, And Asthma And Related Allergic Disorders. A Statement Of The World Allergy Organization., Gennaro D'Amato, Stephen T. Holgate, Ruby Pawankar, Dennis K. Ledford, Lorenzo Cecchi, Mona Al-Ahmad, Fatma Al-Enezi, Saleh Al-Muhsen, Ignacio Ansotegui, Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani, David J. Baker, Hasan Bayram, Karl Christian Bergmann, Louis-Philippe Boulet, Jeroen T M Buters, Maria D'Amato, Sofia Dorsano, Jeroen Douwes, Sarah Elise Finlay, Donata Garrasi, Maximiliano Gómez, Tari Haahtela, Rabih Halwani, Youssouf Hassani, Basam Mahboub, Guy Marks, Paola Michelozzi, Marcello Montagni, Carlos Nunes, Jay Jae-Won Oh, Todor A. Popov, Jay M. Portnoy, Erminia Ridolo, Nelson Rosário, Menachem Rottem, Mario Sánchez-Borges, Elopy Sibanda, Juan José Sienra-Monge, Carolina Vitale, Isabella Annesi-Maesano

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The prevalence of allergic airway diseases such as asthma and rhinitis has increased dramatically to epidemic proportions worldwide. Besides air pollution from industry derived emissions and motor vehicles, the rising trend can only be explained by gross changes in the environments where we live. The world economy has been transformed over the last 25 years with developing countries being at the core of these changes. Around the planet, in both developed and developing countries, environments are undergoing profound changes. Many of these changes are considered to have negative effects on respiratory health and to enhance the frequency and severity of …

Efficiency Of Piezotome-Corticision Assisted Orthodontics In Alleviating Mandibular Anterior Crowding - A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial, Leyla R. Davoody

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Using Peptides To Examine The Interaction Interface Between Aspartate Transcarbamoylase And Dihydroorotase In Pyrimidine Biosynthesis In Aquifex Aeolicus, Nouf Alyami

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) and Dihydroorotase (DHOase) catalyze the second and third steps, respectively, in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. Both enzymes form an active complex (DAC) in Aquifex aeolicus, where loop A of DHOase interacts with a domain of ATCase. The main objective of this work is to determine the function of specific residues of loop A in DAC interactions and to alter the catalytic activities through disruption of the interface between the two enzymes from A. aeolicus. The ATCase and DHOase domains have been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using affinity chromatography. The interface of the published …

Particle Dynamics In The Rising Plume At Piccard Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Cayman Rise, Margaret L. Estapa, John A. Breier, Chris R. German

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Processes active in rising hydrothermal plumes, such as precipitation, particle aggregation, and biological growth, affect particle size distributions and can exert important influences on the biogeochemical impact of submarine venting of iron to the oceans and their sediments. However, observations to date of particle size distribution within these systems are both limited and conflicting. In a novel buoyant hydrothermal plume study at the recently discovered high-temperature (3988C) Piccard Hydrothermal Field, Mid- Cayman Rise, we report optical measurements of particle size distributions (PSDs). We describe the plume PSD in terms of a simple, power-law model commonly used in studies of upper …

Didactic Disruption: Roy Ascott’S Models For Arts Education And Research, Ml Phillips, P Anders, E Ayiter, D Gromala, P Thomas

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This paper summarizes a panel discussion held at ISEA2015 in Vancouver B.C. Its subject was artist and educator Roy Ascott’s development of models for interdisciplinary studies in universities and distributed research centers.

Sub-Ten Nanosecond Laser Pulse Shaping Using Lithium Niobate Modulators And A Double-Pass Tapered Amplifier, Charles E. Rogers Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

A system for producing phase-and amplitude-shaped pulses on a timescale of 150 ps to 10 ns has been developed using fiber-coupled lithium niobate phase and amplitude modulators with high-speed electronics (4 GHz). The pulses are then amplified in a double-pass tapered amplifier. Various pulse shapes have been tested, such as exponential intensity, linear frequency chirp with Gaussian intensity, and arctan-plus-linear frequency chirp with double-Gaussian pulses. We have also realized a scheme for generating arbitrary frequency chirps with a fiber loop and a technique for producing arbitrary line spectra using serrodyne modulation. The residual phase modulation produced by the intensity modulator …

Investigating Preschool Teachers' Implementation Of Multicultural Curriculum Through Teacher Evaluation Approaches, Anna Krummel Reinking

Theses and Dissertations

"American schools have in fact grown increasingly diverse as policies opened classroom doors to previously excluded populations" (Paine, 1989, p. 1). However, as student populations are increasing in diversity, the teaching staff is not (Gollnick & Chin, 2009). Therefore, this qualitative research study focused on five preschool teachers' (three certified head teachers and two assistant teachers) understanding of diversity between and among their students, as well as their implementation of multicultural curriculum. This study used teacher evaluation approaches, such as observation, feedback, and self-reflection, to understand teachers' implementation of multicultural curriculum, as defined by Banks (1993) and McIntosh (2000). The …

The Role Of Environmental Dynamics In The Emergence Of Autocatalytic Networks, Joe Fusion

Dissertations and Theses

For life to arise from non-life, a metabolism must emerge and maintain itself, distinct from its environment. One line of research seeking to understand this emergence has focused on models of autocatalytic reaction networks (ARNs) and the conditions that allow them to approximate metabolic behavior. These models have identified reaction parameters from which a proto-metabolism might emerge given an adequate matter-energy flow through the system. This dissertation extends that research by answering the question: can dynamically structured interactions with the environment promote the emergence of ARNs? This question was inspired by theories that place the origin of life in contexts …

Jack Johnson: Reluctant Hero Of The Black Community, Denise C. Morgan

Akron Law Review

The difficulties which both White and Black Americans had with Jack Johnson, the first Black man to win the world heavyweight boxing championship, resulted from his status as a reluctant hero. Johnson was hated by White Americans for exhibiting a strong sense of individuality, for excelling in a sport that had previously been closed to men of his race, and for asserting his right to love the three White women whom he married. And although Black Americans admired his courage and felt vindicated by his success in the ring, they were troubled by the ways that Johnson’s uncompromising individuality distanced …

Criminal Defense Attorneys And Noncitizen Clients: Understanding Immigrants, Basic Immigration Law & How Recent Changes In Those Laws May Affect Your Criminal Cases, Melinda Smith

Akron Law Review

This paper provides criminal defense attorneys with a basic background for understanding their noncitizen clients. First, this paper presents a sociological look at immigration in Part II, including a look at modern anti-immigration sentiment, the assimilation process, and the psychological effects of readjustment. Part III explains the basics of immigration law as well as the legal backdrop for the drastic changes in the laws affecting immigrants that took place in 1996. This segment includes a discussion of the constitutional rights historically afforded aliens, as well as the ways in which the scope of those rights has been narrowed by both …

Chenault V. Huie: Denying The Existence Of A Legal Duty Between A Mother And Her Unborn Child, Edward Sylvester

Akron Law Review

When an unborn child is injured by its mother, and subsequently born alive, who should be protected? The Court of Appeals of Texas, in Chenault v. Huie, feared the slippery slope, and gave deference to the mother when it denied the existence of a legal duty between mother and fetus. Few cases have directly addressed a child’s tort action against her mother for prenatal substance abuse that resulted in injuries sustained while en ventre sa mere.

This Note discusses the general background of a child’s right to sue for fetal injury and the liability of the individuals that cause the …

Daubert And Judicial Review: How Does An Administrative Agency Distinguish Valid Science From Junk Science?, D. Hiep Truong

Akron Law Review

This broad authority to assess risk, however, leaves too much discretion to administrative agencies. Even more disturbing is the fact that different agencies assess the same risks differently, which leads to inconsistent results. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for example, in determining the cancer risks from pesticides on food, produced an estimated risk of cancer mortality ten times greater than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To use a law and economics model, valuing equivalent (or identical) risks differently leaves open the possibility of economic misallocation. For example, if one agency has determined the proper level of risk, and assuming …

Lanthorn, Vol. 50, No. 01, July 13, 2015, Grand Valley State University

Volume 50, July 13, 2015 - June 6, 2016

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.