Digital Commons Network^™

Ascaris Suum Informs Extrasynaptic Volume Transmission In Nematodes, Louise E Atkinson, Yang Liu, Fiona Mckay, Elke Vandewyer, Charles Viau, Allister Irvine, Bruce A Rosa, Zihui Li, Qingxiao Liang, Nikki J Marks, Aaron G Maule, Makedonka Mitreva, Isabel Beets, Lingjun Li, Angela Mousley

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neural circuit synaptic connectivities (the connectome) provide the anatomical foundation for our understanding of nematode nervous system function. However, other nonsynaptic routes of communication are known in invertebrates including extrasynaptic volume transmission (EVT), which enables short- and/or long-range communication in the absence of synaptic connections. Although EVT has been highlighted as a facet of

Draft Genome Sequences Of Staphylococcus Sp. Strain Cwz226, Of Unknown Origin, And Pseudomonas Sp. Strain Cvap#3, Antagonistic To Strain Cwz226, Brianna L. Mccall, J. A.C. Vriezen

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Many Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas species, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are opportunistic human pathogens. However, Pseudomonas species are also known to produce bioactive compounds. Here, we report on the genome sequences of a Pseudomonas isolate and a Staphylococcus species of unknown origin that it inhibits.

Expandable Intravertebral Implants: A Narrative Review On The Concept, Biomechanics, And Outcomes In Traumatology., Diogo L Moura, Josue P Gabriel

Surgery Articles

Expandable intravertebral implants are self-expanding devices applied percutaneously by the posterior transpedicular approach. These devices introduce the concept of anatomical restoration of vertebral body endplates and direct anatomical reduction performed from the interior of the vertebral body with a compression fracture. This paper aims to provide a narrative review on the concept, indications, biomechanical characteristics, as well as functional and radiographic outcomes of the main expandable intravertebral implants currently available, in terms of their application to thoracolumbar spine traumatology. To this end, we performed a search in July 2021 on the MEDLINE/PubMed platform with the words "expandable intravertebral implant", "armed …

Alzheimer's Disease Alters Oligodendrocytic Glycolytic And Ketolytic Gene Expression, Erin R Saito, Justin B Miller, Oscar Harari, Carlos Cruchaga, Kathie A Mihindukulasuriya, John S K Kauwe, Benjamin T Bikman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) is strongly correlated with impaired brain glucose metabolism, which may affect AD onset and progression. Ketolysis has been suggested as an alternative pathway to fuel the brain.

METHODS: RNA-seq profiles of post mortem AD brains were used to determine whether dysfunctional AD brain metabolism can be determined by impairments in glycolytic and ketolytic gene expression. Data were obtained from the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (62 cases; 13 controls), Mount Sinai Brain Bank (110 cases; 44 controls), and the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank (80 cases; 76 controls), and were normalized to cell type: astrocytes, microglia, …

“My Daughter Was Sacrificed By My Mother”: Women’S Involvement In Ritually Motivated Violence And Murder In Contemporary Africa, Chima Agazue

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Ritually motivated crimes are grave crimes that continue to plague contemporary Africa. Occasionally, victims abducted for ritual purposes are discovered and set free. Fresh or decomposing bodies are spotted somewhere, often with missing parts taken by the ritual killers who killed the victims. Some missing persons in the continent are presumed to have been abducted or killed by ritually motivated criminals. Although ritually motivated crimes take different forms, most of them involve brutal acts of violence and murder. The barbaric manner in which these criminals attack or slaughter their victims creates fear and panic. Traditionally, men commit serious crimes involving …

Normal-Tension Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy Is Related To Blood Pressure Variability In The Maracaibo Aging Study, Jesus D. Melgarejo, Gladys E. Maestre, Luis J. Mena, Joseph H. Lee, Michele Petitto, Carlos A. Chavez, Gustavo Calmon, Egle Silva, Lutgarde Thijs, Lama A. Al-Aswad

School of Medicine Publications

Hypoperfusion of the optic nerve might be involved in the pathogenesis of normal-tension glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) drives ocular perfusion, but no previous studies have addressed the risk of GON in relation to blood pressure (BP) variability, independent of BP level. In a cross-sectional study, 93 residents of Maracaibo, Venezuela, underwent optical coherence tomography, visual field assessments and 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring between 2011 and 2016. We investigated the association of normal-tension GON with or without visual field defects with reading-to reading variability of 24-h MAP, as captured by variability independent of the MAP level (VIMmap). …

Bilingual Problem-Solving Training For Caregivers Of Adults With Dementia: A Randomized, Factorial-Design Protocol For The Cades Trial, Shannon B. Juengst, Charlene Supnet, Chung Lin (Novelle) Kew, Valeria Silva, Marlene Vega, Gang Han, Brendan Kelley, Matthew Lee Smith, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) often experience debilitating caregiver burden and emotional distress. To address these negative emotional consequences of caregiving, we will test and refine a strategy training intervention - Problem-Solving Training (PST) - that promotes self-efficacy and reduces caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Previous research supports efficacy of PST; however, we do not know exactly how many PST sessions are needed or if post-training "boosters" are required to maintain PST benefits. Additionally, we translated and culturally-adapted PST into "Descubriendo Soluciones Juntos" (DSJ), our novel intervention for Spanish-speaking caregivers.

Method: In this 2 …

September 1 & 22, 2021, Faculty, Illinois Wesleyan University

2021-2022

No abstract provided.

Multiple Constraints On Urban Bird Communication: Both Abiotic And Biotic Noise Shape Songs In Cities, Ann W.Y. To, Caroline Dingle, Sarah A. Collins

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Abstract Ambient noise can cause birds to adjust their songs to avoid masking. Most studies investigate responses to a single noise source (e.g., low-frequency traffic noise, or high-frequency insect noise). Here, we investigated the effects of both anthropogenic and insect noise on vocalizations of four common bird species in Hong Kong. Common Tailorbirds (Orthotomus sutorius) and Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) both sang at a higher frequency in urban areas compared to peri-urban areas. Red-whiskered Bulbuls (Pycnonotus jocosus) in urban areas shifted the only first note of their song upwards. Swinhoe’s White-eye (Zosterops simplex) vocalization changes were correlated with noise …

No Evidence For Long-Term Carryover Effects In A Wild Salmonid Fish, Kim Birnie-Gauvin, Martin H. Larsen, Kathryn S. Peiman, Jonathan D. Midwood, Alexander D.M. Wilson, Steven J. Cooke, Kim Aarestrup

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Early-life experiences can shape life histories and population dynamics of wild animals. To examine whether stressful stimuli experienced in early life resulted in carryover effects in later life stages, we conducted several experimental manipulations and then monitored wild fish with passive integrated transponder tags during juvenile out-migration and adult return migration. In total, 3,217 juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta) were subjected to one of six manipulations: chase to exhaustion, thermal challenge, food deprivation, low-concentration cortisol injection, high-concentration cortisol injection, and sham injection, plus a control group. Cortisol and food deprivation treatments were previously shown to have short-term effects on juveniles, …

Marine Artificial Light At Night: An Empirical And Technical Guide, Thomas W. Davies, Svenja Tidau, Andrew J. Grimmer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Fatty Acid Profile, Tocopherol Content Of Seed Oil, And Nutritional Analysis Of Seed Cake Of Wood Apple (Limonia Acidissima L.), An Underutilized Fruit-Yielding Tree Species, Shrinivas Lamani, Konerira Aiyappa Anu-Appaiah, Hosakatte Niranjana Murthy, Yaser Hassan Dewir, Hail Z. Rihan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The present study was aimed at analyzing the fatty acid composition, tocopherols, and physico-chemical characterization of wood apple (Limonia acidissima L.) seed oil and the nutritional profile of seed cake. The fatty acids in seed oil were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the total seed oil was 32.02 ± 0.08%, comprising oleic (21.56 ± 0.57%), alpha-linolenic (16.28 ± 0.29%), and linoleic acid (10.02 ± 0.43%), whereas saturated fatty acid content was 33.38 ± 0.60% including palmitic (17.68 ± 0.65%) and stearic acid (14.15 ± 0.27%). A greater amount of unsaturated fatty acids (52.37%) were noticed compared to saturated …

Emerging Graphene-Based Sensors For The Detection Of Food Adulterants And Toxicants – A Review, Vs Raghavan, B O'Driscoll, Jm Bloor, B Li, P Katare, J Sethi, Ss Gorthi, D Jenkins

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Polyvinyl Chloride In Consumer And Environmental Plastics, With A Particular Focus On Metal-Based Additives, Andrew Turner, Montserrat Filella

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most widely used thermoplastics but is also a material of concern because of the generation and release of harmful chemicals during its life cycle. Amongst the chemicals added to PVC are metal-based stabilisers and Sb-based halogenated flame retardant synergists. However, very little quantitative information exists on these additives, and in particular in PVC lost to the environment. In this study, the distribution of PVC amongst consumer plastics in societal circulation and plastics retrieved from marine and lacustrine beaches and agricultural soils are compared, along with the presence and concentrations of Ba, Cd, Pb, …

Circulating Fatty Acids Associated With Advanced Liver Fibrosis And Hepatocellular Carcinoma In South Texas Hispanics, Jingjing Jiao, Suet-Ying Kwan, Caroline M. Sabotta, Honami Tanaka, Lucas Veillon, Marc O. Warmoes, Philip L. Lorenzi, Ying Wang, Peng Wei, Jose Luis Almeda, Joseph B. Mccormick, Susan P. Fisher-Hoch

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Hispanics in South Texas have high rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Liver fibrosis severity is the strongest predictive factor of NAFLD progression to HCC. We examined the association between free fatty acids (FA) and advanced liver fibrosis or HCC in this population.

Methods: We quantified 45 FAs in plasma of 116 subjects of the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort, 15 Hispanics with HCC, and 56 first/second-degree relatives of Hispanics with HCC. Liver fibrosis was assessed by FibroScan.

Results: Advanced liver fibrosis was significantly associated with low expression of very long chain (VLC) saturated FAs …

Reproductive Characteristics Of Red Snapper Lutjanus Campechanus On Artificial Reefs In Different Jurisdictions, Catheline Y. M. Froehlich, Adam M. Lee, Ramiro Oquita, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, J. Dale Shively

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Reproductive activity of Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus (Poey, 1860) at artificial reefs (ARs) are only recently being investigated. Yet, the management of the fishery differs on a regional basis with state and federal jurisdictions, and reproductive differences among regions have not been investigated. To compare the reproductive activity of L. campechanus among state (inshore) and federal (offshore) jurisdictions, individuals were collected in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico from four ARs on a quarterly basis for 2 yrs. Inshore sites exhibited fishing pressure year round whereas offshore sites only had fishing season open during a few months of summer. Collected individuals …

Amygdala Functional Connectivity And Negative Reactive Temperament At Age 4 Months, Courtney A. Filippi, Sanjana Ravi, Maya Bracy, Anderson M. Winkler, Chad Sylvester, Daniel Samuel Pine, Nathan A. Fox

School of Medicine Publications

Objective

Infant amygdalaconnectivity correlates with maternal reports of infant temperament characterized by novelty-evoked distress and avoidance. However, no studies have examined how human infant amygdala connectivity relates to direct observations of novelty-evoked distress. This study examined the link between amygdala connectivity and infant novelty-evoked distress using direct observation of temperament.

Method

Novelty-evoked distress was assessed at 4 months of age (N = 90) using a standardized reactivity assessment and parent report. Within 3 weeks of assessment, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was collected in a subset of infants (n = 34). Using a whole-brain voxelwise approach, amygdala connectivity associated …

Genotype, Age, Genetic Background, And Sex Influence Epha2-Related Cataract Development In Mice, Alpana Dave, Jamie E. Craig, Mohammad Alamein, Karina Skrzypiec, Justin Beltz, Annalise Pfaff, Kathryn P. Burdon, Nuran Ercal, Robb U. De Iongh, Shiwani Sharma

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

PURPOSE. Age-related cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Variants in the EPHA2 gene increase the disease risk, and its knockout in mice causes cataract. We investigated whether age, sex, and genetic background, risk factors for age-related cataract, and Epha2 genotype influence Epha2-related cataract development in mice.

METHODS. Cataract development was monitored in Epha2⁺/⁺, Epha2^+/-, and Epha2^-/- mice (Epha2^{Gt(KST085)Byg}) on C57BL/6J and FVB:C57BL/6J (50:50) backgrounds. Cellular architecture of lenses, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and redox state were determined using histological, molecular, and analytical techniques.

RESULTS. Epha2^-/- and Epha2^{+/- …}

A Perspective On Bribes And Bribery, Annetta Gibson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Domesticating The Exotic? An Online Survey Of Attitudes Towards The International Wildlife Pet Trade, Andrea Contina, Christopher E. Anderson, David C. Hille, William F. Oakley, Eli S. Bridge, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Haley O. Smith, Jennifer Koch, Lori L. Jervis

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

There are a variety of perspectives on wildlife management and conservation, necessitating interdisciplinary research to develop better management strategies. We answered the call to action provided by Teel et al. (2018) to integrate social sciences into conservation and explored an important but understudied issue: views on the international pet-trade of exotic animals. Some pet owners advocate the pet trade as a means to promote conservation, where removing wild animals from their natural habitat could protect them from degraded environments. To gauge how prevalent this attitude is in a cross-national sample, we conducted an online survey that asked 882 participants worldwide …

The Slit-Binding Ig1 Domain Is Required For Multiple Axon Guidance Activities Of Drosophila Robo2, Lafreda J. Howard, Marie C. Reichert, Timonthy A. Evans

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Drosophila Robo2 is a member of the evolutionarily conserved Roundabout (Robo) family of axon guidance receptors. Robo receptors signal midline repulsion in response to Slit ligands, which bind to the N-terminal Ig1 domain in most family members. In the Drosophila embryonic ventral nerve cord, Robo1 and Robo2 signal Slit-dependent midline repulsion, while Robo2 also regulates the medial-lateral position of longitudinal axon pathways and acts non-autonomously to promote midline crossing of commissural axons. While Robo2 signals midline repulsion in response to Slit, it is less clear whether Robo2's other activities are also Slit-dependent. To determine which of Robo2's axon guidance roles …

A Wild Yeast Laboratory Activity: From Isolation To Brewing, Amanda N. Scholes, Erik D. Pollock, Jeffrey A. Lewis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microbial fermentation is a common form of metabolism that has been exploited by humans to great benefit. Industrial fermentation currently produces a myriad of products ranging from biofuels to pharmaceuticals. About one-third of the world’s food is fermented, and the brewing of fermented beverages in particular has an ancient and storied history. Because fermentation is so intertwined with our daily lives, the topic is easily relatable to students interested in real-world applications for microbiology. Here, we describe the curriculum for a guided inquiry-based laboratory course that combines yeast molecular ecology and brewing. The rationale for the course is to compare …

Diagnosis Of Uncommon Adamantinoma In Older Patients, Henok Hardilo, Chiamaka Ogemdi Isiguzo, Biana Leybishkis

Aurora GME

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Incorporating Graphene Oxides And Quantum Dots Into Photoresponsive Azobenzenes For Photonics And Thermal Applications, Anuja Bokare, Jehanzeb Arif, Folarin Erogbogbo

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Graphene represents a new generation of materials which exhibit unique physicochemical properties such as high electron mobility, tunable optics, a large surface to volume ratio, and robust mechanical strength. These properties make graphene an ideal candidate for various optoelec-tronic, photonics, and sensing applications. In recent years, numerous efforts have been focused on azobenzene polymers (AZO-polymers) as photochromic molecular switches and thermal sensors because of their light-induced conformations and surface-relief structures. However, these polymers often exhibit drawbacks such as low photon storage lifetime and energy density. Additionally, AZO-polymers tend to aggregate even at moderate doping levels, which is detrimental to their …

Assessing Prevalence And Correlates Of Blue-Colored Flesh In Lingcod (Ophiodon Elongatus) Across Their Geographic Range, Aaron W.E. Galloway, Anne H. Beaudreau, Michael D. Thomas, Bonnie L. Basnett, Laurel S. Lam, Scott L. Hamilton, Kelly S. Andrews, Julie B. Schram, Jessica Watson, Jameal F. Samhouri

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Intraspecific variation in external and internal pigmentation is common among fishes and explained by a variety of biological and ecological factors. Blue-colored flesh in fishes is relatively rare but has been documented in some species of the sculpin, greenling, and perch families. Diet, starvation, photoprotection, and camouflage have all been suggested as proximate mechanisms driving blue flesh, but causal factors are poorly understood. We evaluated the relative importance of biological and spatial factors that could explain variation in blue coloration in 2021 lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) captured across their range in the northeastern Pacific, from southeast Alaska to southern California. The …

Waterfowl Use Of Wetland Habitats Informs Wetland Restoration Designs For Multi-Species Benefits, Michael L. Casazza, Fiona Mcduie, Scott Jones, Austen A. Lorenz, Cory T. Overton, Julie Yee, Cliff L. Feldheim, Joshua T. Ackerman, Karen M. Thorne

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Extensive global estuarine wetland losses have prompted intensive focus on restoration of these habitats. In California, substantial tracts of freshwater, brackish and tidal wetlands have been lost. Given the anthropogenic footprint of development and urbanization in this region, wetland restoration must rely on conversion of existing habitat types rather than adding new wetlands. These restorations can cause conflicts among stakeholders and species that win or lose depending on identified restoration priorities. Suisun Marsh on the San Francisco Bay Estuary is the largest brackish marsh on the US Pacific coast. To understand how conversion of brackish managed wetlands to tidal marsh …

Repeated Stimulation Of The Hpa Axis Alters White Blood Cell Count Without Increasing Oxidative Stress Or Inflammatory Cytokines In Fasting Elephant Seal Pups, David C. Ensminger, Daniel E. Crocker, Emily K. Lam, Kaitlin N. Allen, José Pablo Vázquez-Medina

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis controls the release of glucocorticoids, which regulate immune and inflammatory function by modulating cytokines, white blood cells and oxidative stress via glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling. Although the response to HPA activation is well characterized in many species, little is known about the impacts of HPA activation during extreme physiological conditions. Hence, we challenged 18 simultaneously fasting and developing elephant seal pups with daily intramuscular injections of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), a GR antagonist (RU486), or a combination of the two (ACTH+RU486) for 4 days. We collected blood at baseline, 2 h and 4 days after the beginning of …

Hyperglycemia Identification Using Ecg In Deep Learning Era, Renato Cordeiro, Nima Karimian, Younghee Park

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A growing number of smart wearable biosensors are operating in the medical IoT environment and those that capture physiological signals have received special attention. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the physiological signals used in the cardiovascular and medical fields that has encouraged researchers to discover new non-invasive methods to diagnose hyperglycemia as a personal variable. Over the years, researchers have proposed different techniques to detect hyperglycemia using ECG. In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning architecture that can identify hyperglycemia using heartbeats from ECG signals. In addition, we introduce a new fiducial feature extraction technique that improves the …

Leveraging A Community Of Practice To Build Faculty Resilience And Support Innovations In Teaching During A Time Of Crisis, Taryn Mead, Carlie Pietsch, Victoria Matthew, Surbhi Lipkin-Moore, Ellen Metzger, Ilya V. Avdeev, Nancy J. Ruzycki

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Amidst the COVID-19 upheaval to higher education, a grantor-led community of practice (CoP) supported faculty members to deliver an innovative, sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship curriculum and maintain resiliency as teaching professionals. This paper discusses how through engagement in the CoP, this group of faculty from across engineering, material science, business, and geosciences demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and pivoted to create curriculum for students in real time, as the events of the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded throughout 2020 and impacted face-to-face learning. The role the community of practice played in sustaining and supporting the faculty will be discussed. Case studies from faculty members will demonstrate …

Global Evidence Of Constraints And Limits To Human Adaptation, Adelle Thomas, Emily Theokritoff, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Diana Reckien, Kripa Jagannathan, Roger Cremades, Donovan Campbell, Elphin Tom Joe, Asha Sitati, Idowu Ajibade, Multiple Additional Authors

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Constraints and limits to adaptation are critical to understanding the extent to which human and natural systems can successfully adapt to climate change. We conduct a systematic review of 1,682 academic studies on human adaptation responses to identify patterns in constraints and limits to adaptation for different regions, sectors, hazards, adaptation response types, and actors. Using definitions of constraints and limits provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we find that most literature identifies constraints to adaptation but that there is limited literature focused on limits to adaptation. Central and South America and Small Islands generally report greater …