Digital Commons Network^™

Identifying Weak Interdomain Interactions That Stabilize The Supertertiary Structure Of The N-Terminal Tandem Pdz Domains Of Psd-95, Inna S. Yanez Orozco, Frank A. Mindlin, Junyan Ma, Bo Wang, Brie Levesque, Matheu Spencer, Soheila Rezaei Adariani, George Hamilton, Feng Ding, Mark E. Bowen, Hugo Sanabria

Publications

Previous studies of the N-terminal PDZ tandem from PSD-95 produced divergent models and failed to identify interdomain contacts stabilizing the structure. We used ensemble and single-molecule FRET along with replica-exchange molecular dynamics to fully characterize the energy landscape. Simulations and experiments identified two conformations: an open-like conformation with a small contact interface stabilized by salt bridges, and a closed-like conformation with a larger contact interface stabilized by surface-exposed hydrophobic residues. Both interfaces were confirmed experimentally. Proximity of interdomain contacts to the binding pockets may explain the observed coupling between conformation and binding. The low-energy barrier between conformations allows submillisecond dynamics, …

Influenza Virus Infectivity Is Retained In Aerosols And Droplets Independent Of Relative Humidity, Karen A. Kormuth, Kaisen Lin, Aaron J. Prussin, Eric P. Vejerano, Andrea J. Tiwari, Steve S. Cox, Micheal M. Myerburg, Seema S. Lakdawala, Linsey C. Marr

Faculty Publications

Pandemic and seasonal influenza viruses can be transmitted through aerosols and droplets, in which viruses must remain stable and infectious across a wide range of environmental conditions. Using humidity-controlled chambers, we studied the impact of relative humidity on the stability of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus in suspended aerosols and stationary droplets. Contrary to the prevailing paradigm that humidity modulates the stability of respiratory viruses in aerosols, we found that viruses supplemented with material from the apical surface of differentiated primary human airway epithelial cells remained equally infectious for 1 hour at all relative humidities tested. This sustained infectivity was …

Induction Of Oil Accumulation By Heat Stress Is Metabolically Distinct From N Stress In The Green Microalgae Coccomyxa Subellipsoidea C169, James W. Allen, Rahul Tevatia, Yaşar Demirel, Concetta C. Dirusso, Paul N. Black

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Algae are often promoted as feedstock organisms to produce a sustainable petroleum fossil fuel alternative. However, to induce lipid accumulation most often requires a severe stress that is difficult to induce in large batch cultures. The objective of this study is to analyze and mathematically model heat stress on growth, chlorophyll content, triacylglyceride, and starch synthesis in algae. We initially screened 30 algal species for the most pronounced induction of lipid droplets from heat stress using confocal microscopy and mass spectroscopy techniques. One species, Coccomyxa subellipsoidea C169, was selected and subjected to further biochemical analyses using a jacketed bioreactor amended …

The Re-Awakening Of Hcg Expression. Its Role In The Diagnosis Of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Zehra Bozdag, Aynur M. Taslar, Neslihan B. Tepe, Omer F. Dizibuyuk, Huseyin C. Ozcan, Metin Karakök

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To compare immunohistochemical detection of Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) expression in paraffin embedded tissue of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Methods: The samples in this retrospective study were obtained from the archives of the Pathology Department at Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey, over the period from January 2012 to September 2016. The study group consisted of 55 cases of SCC and 45 cases of HSIL. Tissue expression of hCG was detected by specific binding of anti-hCG antibody using an automated immunohistochemistry staining device. The categorical variables of intensity and coverage were analyzed statistically using …

Relationship Between Human Leukocyte Antigen Drb1 And Psoriasis In Iraqi Patients, Haider H. Zalzala, Galawish A. Abdullah, Mohammed Y. Abbas, Hyam R. Mohammedsalih, Batool M. Mahdi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate the role of Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) Class II DRB1 in susceptibility to psoriasis in Iraqi patients. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study including 40 patients with psoriasis attending the Department of Dermatology, Al-Kindy teaching hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, between September 2013-2015. Patient selection was carried out by the dermatologists. Ninety healthy individuals were included in the study. Human leukocyte antigen genotyping was carried out by the sequence specific oligonucleotide (SSO) method using Auto LiPA 48 (Innogenetics, Belgium) in the HLA typing research unit of the Al-Kindy College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq. Results: There is an increased frequency …

Effect Of Er: Yag Laser Etching On Shear Bond Strength Of Orthodontic Bracket, Radwa A. Sallam, Eman A. Arnout

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To evaluate and compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of Erbium laser etched enamel to acid etched and to detect morphological changes on laser etched enamel surface using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Moreover, Laser induced caries resistance is advantageous in Orthodontics. Methods: This is an Ex vivo study between January 2016 and December 2017, which comprises a total of 50 human premolars, extracted for orthodontic purpose, were used in this study. The samples were randomly divided into 2 groups of 25 each. The first group was etched using 37% phosphoric for 30 seconds. As for the second group, enamel …

Phage Therapy And Development Of Delivery Systems For Gram-Positive Phage Endolysins, Jude Ajuebor

PhDs

This thesis focussed on Gram positive phages and their endolysins. Here, two similar kay-like staphylococcal phages B1 (vB_SauM_B1) and JA1 (vB_SauM_JA1) were isolated from a commercial therapeutic phage mix. Their host range was established on the Irish National MRSA bank, which included twenty one sequence types in addition relevant control strains. Based on this, distinct phages were identified and subjected to genome sequencing. The sequences were compared with the sequence of phage K (vB_SauM_K), which was also determined in this work. All three phages had a genome size of at least 139 kb, although some key differences were identified between …

Dermal Mycobacteriosis And Warming Sea Surface Temperatures Are Associated With Elevated Mortality Of Striped Bass In Chesapeake Bay, Maya L. Groner, John M. Hoenig, Roger Pradel, Rémi Choquet, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, David T. Gauthier, Marjorie A. M. Friedrichs

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Temperature is hypothesized to alter disease dynamics, particularly when species are living at or near their thermal limits. When disease occurs in marine systems, this can go undetected, particularly if the disease is chronic and progresses slowly. As a result, population-level impacts of diseases can be grossly underestimated. Complex migratory patterns, stochasticity in recruitment, and data and knowledge gaps can hinder collection and analysis of data on marine diseases. New tools enabling quantification of disease impacts in marine environments include coupled biogeochemical hydrodynamic models (to hindcast key environmental data), and multievent, multistate mark-recapture (MMSMR) (to quantify the effects of environmental …

Governance For A Changing Climate: Adapting Boston’S Built Environment For Increased Flooding, Stephanie Kruel, Rebecca Herst, David Cash

School for the Environment General Publications

Climate Change is impacting everything in our society and in our world. The changes we are already experiencing are starting to multiply and accelerate. Determining how to respond to this new reality wisely within the governance and governmental structures that we have built is a complex challenge. Some might argue it is humankind’s greatest test. Given the monumental size of this task, it is difficult to simultaneously address all of the related issues both broadly and deeply. This is the third and final in a series of reports from the Sustainable Solutions Lab that were sponsored by the Boston Green …

Self-Assembly Of Protein Fibrils In Microgravity, Dylan Bell

Theses and Dissertations

Deposits of insoluble protein fibrils in human tissue are associated with amyloidosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Different proteins are involved in each disease; all are soluble in their native conformation in vivo, but by molecular self-assembly, they all form insoluble protein fibril deposits with a similar cross -sheet structure. The study of molecular self-assembly is also of interest to origin of life. The development of cellular activity was dependent upon the creation of large complex molecular structures in the chemical and environmental conditions present when life originated. Although life probably arose in a planetary environment, microgravity is known to effect cellular …

An Introduction To Deep Learning, Maria Pantoja, Anahid A. Behrouzi, Drazen Fabris

Architectural Engineering

Deep learning (DL) is currently being researched and implemented to solve civil engineering related problems, including autonomous inspection and inventory of civil infrastructure projects. The article introduces DL, specifically a convolutional neural network and the supervised learning process used to train a model that will enable professional structural engineers to automatically detect types of earthquake damage.

September 2018 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Elevated H+ And PI On The Contractile Mechanics Of Skeletal Muscle Fibres From Young And Old Men: Implications For Muscle Fatigue In Humans, Christopher W. Sundberg, Sandra K. Hunter, Todd A. Trappe, Carolyn S. Smith, Robert H. Fitts

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The present study aimed to identify the mechanisms responsible for the loss in muscle power and increased fatigability with ageing by integrating measures of whole‐muscle function with single fibre contractile mechanics. After adjusting for the 22% smaller muscle mass in old (73–89 years, n = 6) compared to young men (20–29 years, n = 6), isometric torque and power output of the knee extensors were, respectively, 38% and 53% lower with age. Fatigability was ∼2.7‐fold greater with age and strongly associated with reductions in the electrically‐evoked contractile properties. To test whether cross‐bridge mechanisms could explain age‐related decrements in knee extensor …

The United Arab Emirates Indigenous Essential Oil-Bearing Plants: Essential Oils Of Aerva Javanica And Cleome Amblyocarpa Grown In Sandy Soils Under Arid Conditions, Suzan Marwan Ramadan Shahin

Dissertations

Essential Oils (EOs) are expensive hydrocarbons produced exclusively by specific species in the plant’s kingdom. Nowadays, with the growing trends of a healthy lifestyle and enormous research-based discoveries, EOs became a popular, attractive topic, for both research and industry, with revenues reaching billions of dollars annually. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has rich traditional herbal medicine, associated with topical and EO-aromatherapy applications, that (in most cases) not scientifically justified nor clarified. This dissertation investigated the EO-bearing plants of the UAE, providing a databank with comprehensive knowledge for all indigenous and naturalized EO-bearing plant species of the UAE wildflowers. Also, this …

Measurement Matters: Higher Waist-To-Hip Ratio But Not Body Mass Index Is Associated With Deficits In Executive Functions And Episodic Memory, Andree Hartanto, Jose C. Yong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: The current study aimed to reconcile the inconsistent findings between obesity, executive functions, and episodic memory by addressing major limitations of previous studies, including overreliance on body mass index (BMI), small sample sizes, and failure to control for confounds. Methods: Participants consisted of 3,712 midlife adults from the Cognitive Project of the National Survey of Midlife Development. Executive functions and episodic memory were measured by a battery of cognitive function tests. Results: We found that higher waist-to-hip ratio was associated with deficits in both executive functions and episodic memory, above and beyond the influence of demographics, comorbid health issues, …

Are Social Media Comparisons Thieves Of Joy?, Jessica F. Saunders, Asia A. Eaton

Research Briefs

Women's eating behavior is impacted by socio-cultural factors, regardless of the main social networking site they use.

Women's Research Institute Of Nevada Newsletter, Caryll Batt Dziedziak, Women's Research Institute Of Nevada

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Unequal Hopes, Lives, And Lifespans In The Usa: Lessons From The New Science Of Well-Being, Carol Graham

Center for Policy Research

Given that we have had historic increases in inequality, as well as stagnant poverty levels for several decades, I will tell the story of poverty and inequality in the U.S. from the perspective of the metrics of happiness and well-being. My research—and the book that resulted—found that inequality is part of this story, but not the only part. The story was much more complicated than I anticipated. One of the most interesting parts of the story includes different levels of hope and resilience across races and places. Poverty and inequality play a big role, but there is much more to …

Sex Trend Or Sexual Assault?: The Dangersof "Stealthing" And The Concept Ofconditional Consent, Melissa Marie Blanco

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

"I do not wish [women] to have power over men; but over themselves" - Mary Wollstonecraft'

To have power over themselves, women must possess bodily autonomy in the sexual and nonsexual aspects of their life. Unfortunately, however, the nonconsensual removal of a condom during otherwise consensual sex, otherwise referred to as "stealthing," poses significant dangers to this autonomy. To respond to these dangers, several state lawmakers have proposed legislation to classify stealthing as rape. Feminist scholars, however, warn against over-criminalizing sexual conduct to ensure that the pleasurable experience of consensual sex is not negated.

To strike a balance between the …

Inconceivable: Status, Contract, And The Search For A Legal Basis For Gay Lesbian Parenthood, Libby Adler

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

With the fight for same-sex marriage in the rearview mirror, legal advocates have turned their attention to legally securing parenting rights for gay and lesbian people against this new landscape. Adults in same-sex couples often share parenting responsibilities for children who are biologically related only to one of them. What, short of adoption, should establish the legal tie between a child and a non-biologically related adult? A consensus answer to that question has emerged among scholars and advocates of gay and lesbian family law: intent to parent and socially functioning as a parent. Using as an entry point the recent …

A Narrative Review On Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound In Aortic Endograft Endoleak Surveillance., Sriharsha Gummadi, John R. Eisenbrey, Andrej Lyshchik

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms have been performed successfully since 1991. However, 20% to 50% of these patients may develop an endoleak or continued aneurysmal sac expansion or perfusion despite stent graft coverage. Current recommendations suggest lifelong surveillance with computed tomographic angiography (CTA) at least 1 month after intervention and yearly after that. In select patients with a stable aneurysm sac on computed tomography performed 1 year after treatment, future screening could be performed with ultrasonography. However, color Doppler ultrasound can fail to detect as many as 31% of endoleaks. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) provides an alternative approach to excluded …

Against Criminalization And Pathology: The Making Of A Black Achievement Praxis, Charles M. Green Sr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Utilizing 29 in-depth semi-structured interviews, the life-course narratives of Black male scholars who, as victims of varying manifestations of structural violence, have “beat the odds” academically. Findings suggest that Black men and boys benefit from positive, racially-informed socialization that assists in the development of an internalized identity that (a) acts as a protective and resistant barrier against some of the impediments of institutional racism, (b) operates as a counter-criminogenic influence, and (c) facilitates educational resilience. Criminogenic Resistance Theory (C.RT) is presented as an alternative conceptualization of the process by which Black boys resist the criminogenic influences of structuralized violence.

Country-Level Macroeconomic Indicators Predict Early Post-Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Survival In Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Cibmtr Analysis., William A. Wood, Ruta Brazauskas, Zhen-Huan Hu, Hisham Abdel-Azim, Ibrahim A. Ahmed, Mahmoud Aljurf, Sherif Badawy, Amer Beitinjaneh, Biju George, David Buchbinder, Jan Cerny, Laurence Dedeken, Miguel Angel Diaz, Cesar O. Freytes, Siddhartha Ganguly, Usama Gergis, David Gomez Almaguer, Ashish Gupta, Gregory Hale, Shahrukh K. Hashmi, Yoshihiro Inamoto, Rammurti T. Kamble, Kehinde Adekola, Tamila Kindwall-Keller, Jennifer Knight, Lalit Kumar, Yachiyo Kuwatsuka, Jason Law, Hillard M. Lazarus, Charles Lemaistre, Richard F. Olsson, Michael A. Pulsipher, Bipin N. Savani, Kirk R. Schultz, Ayman A. Saad, Matthew Seftel, Sachiko Seo, Thomas C. Shea, Amir Steinberg, Keith Sullivan, David Szwajcer, Baldeep Wirk, Jean Yared, Agnes Yong, Jignesh Dalal, Theresa Hahn, Nandita Khera, Carmem Bonfim, Yoshiko Atsuta, Wael Saber

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

For patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) offers a potential cure. Life-threatening complications can arise from alloHCT that require the application of sophisticated health care delivery. The impact of country-level economic conditions on post-transplantation outcomes is not known. Our objective was to assess whether these variables were associated with outcomes for patients transplanted for ALL. Using data from the Center for Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, we included 11,261 patients who received a first alloHCT for ALL from 303 centers across 38 countries between the years of 2005 and 2013. Cox regression models were constructed …

Vertical Vs. Adiabatic Ionization Energies In Solution And Gas-Phase: Probing Ionization-Induced Reorganization In Conformationally-Mobile Bichromophoric Actuators Using Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Electrochemistry And Theory, Maxim Vadimovich Ivanov, Denan Wang, Depeng Zhang, Rajendra Rathore, Scott A. Reid

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Ionization-induced structural and conformational reorganization in various π-stacked dimers and covalently linked bichromophores is relevant to many processes in biological systems and functional materials. In this work, we examine the role of structural, conformational, and solvent reorganization in a set of conformationally mobile bichromophoric donors, using a combination of gas-phase photoelectron spectroscopy, solution-phase electrochemistry, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Photoelectron spectral analysis yields both adiabatic and vertical ionization energies (AIE/VIE), which are compared with measured (adiabatic) solution-phase oxidation potentials (E_ox). Importantly, we find a strong correlation of E_ox with AIE, but not VIE, reflecting variations …

Amygdala Reactivity In Ethnic Minorities And Its Relationship To The Social Environment: An Fmri Study, R Mccutcheon, Map Bloomfield, T Dahoun, M Quinlan, Et Al

School of Psychology

Background Ethnic minority individuals have an increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder, particularly if they live in areas of ethnic segregation, or low own group ethnic density. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this ethnic minority associated risk are unknown. We used functional MRI to investigate neural responses to faces of different ethnicity, in individuals of black ethnicity, and a control group of white British ethnicity individuals. Methods In total 20 individuals of black ethnicity, and 22 individuals of white British ethnicity underwent a 3T MRI scan while viewing faces of black and white ethnicity. Own group ethnic density was calculated …

Emotional Preferences And Goals And Emotion Dysregulation In Children With Asperger’S Syndrome And Typically Developing Children, B Lopez-Perez, T Ambrona, M Gummerum

School of Psychology

Objectives: Emotion goals lie at the heart of emotion regulation, as people have to first decide what emotions they want to feel before engaging in emotion regulation. Given that children with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) are characterized by exhibiting difficulties in emotion regulation, studying whether they display similar or different emotion goals compared to typically developing children (TD) may provide insightful information. Methods: Thirty AS and 30 TD children (10-12 years) reported about their general (i.e., how they want to feel in general) and contextualized (i.e., how they want to feel when confronting vs. collaborating with someone) emotion goals, and about …

In Vitro Growth Of Osteoblasts On Poly Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid Scaffolds Created Via Gas Foaming, Matthew James Thomas

Master's Theses

This study analyzed the feasibility of using gas foaming to create Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) scaffolds for use as a substrate in bone tissue engineering and set out to determine whether the presence of osteoblasts on these scaffolds enhanced their material stiffness. The process of bone formation involves osteoblasts depositing extracellular matrix and calcifying this matrix with calcium phosphate crystals (Hasegawa et al., 2017) and pits between 30-40μm in diameter on tissue engineering scaffold surfaces have been shown to best promote osteogenic activity in the presence of bone-forming cells (Halai et al., 2014).The scaffolds were determined to contain pits within …

Effect Of Storage Period And Treatment On The Composition And Digestibility Of Olive Pomace In Cattle, Alexis Cecilia Ulloa

Master's Theses

Utilizing local by-products can serve to significantly reduce the current feed costs for ruminant producers. The objective of this study is (1) to evaluate the effects of chemical and bacterial inoculants in combination with ensiling, on the nutritional value and ensiling compatibility of olive pomace (OP) and (2) to identify the most biologically favorable treatment and ensiling day of OP for feeding to cattle. Freshly centrifuged OP (Olivas de Oro Olive Company, Creston, CA) was treated with one of four treatments: (1) no additives (control; CONT); (2) urea applied at 5% of DM (UREA; Agrium U.S. Inc, Loveland, CO); (3) …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Efficacy Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes On Texas Leaf-Cutting Ants, Atta Texana, Pushpa Soti, Quentin Van Camp, Alexis Racelis

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Entomopathogenic nematodes, a large group of nematodes specialized for parasitism of insects, have been used as classical biological control agents. The nematodes have potential to be used for insect pest management in organic gardening. We studied the potential impact of two entomopathogenic nematodes Steinerneima carpocapsae Weiser and Heterohabditis bacteriophora Poinar on the Texas leaf-cutting ant, Atta texana Buckley, that is considered a problematic agricultural pest in the southern US. We used a relatively large exposure rate of 250,000 nematodes per 10 ants in Petri dishes and monitored ant activity during a 96-hour time period. Results showed no significant differences among …

The Political (Un)Conscious: Rethinking Aesthetics From A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Xiaohong Zhang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article, "The Political (Un)conscious: Rethinking Aesthetics from a Cross-Cultural Perspective," Xiaohong Zhang adopts a cross-cultural perspective, examining the cultural-specific nuances of critical terms like race, class and gender, all of which have bearings on our perception and conception of aesthetics. Drawing on Emory Elliot's groundbreaking book, Aesthetics in a Multicultural Age (2002), the paper probes into the aesthetic experience whose primary effect is to depragmatize. Along this line of thinking, the author draws attention to the aesthetic impetus of two Nobel laureates, Mo Yan and Gao Xingjian, whose rewriting of Western classics demonstrates Chinese authors' shared predilection for …