Digital Commons Network^™

Task-Based Noise Exposures For Farmers Involved In Grain Production, Michael J. Humann, Wayne T. Sanderson, Kelley J. Donham, Kevin M. Kelly

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Few studies have been done examining noise exposures associated with agricultural tasks. This study was conducted to address that research gap by calculating the noise exposures for tasks and equipment associated with grain production and assessing the variability in those exposures. An additional aim of this study was to identify tasks and equipment that could be targeted for intervention strategies as a means toward reducing the total noise exposures of farmers and farm workers. Through the use of personal noise dosimetry and direct observation, over 30,000 one-minute noise exposure measurements and corresponding task and equipment data were collected on 18 …

Experiences Of Kenyan Healthcare Workers Providing Services To Men Who Have Sex With Men: Qualitative Findings From A Sensitivity Training Programme, Elise M. Van Der Elst, Evans Gichuru, Anisa Omar, Jennifer Kanungi, Zoe Duby, Miriam Midoun, Sylvia Shangani, Susan M. Graham, Adrian D. Smith, Eduard J. Sanders, Don Operario

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Introduction

Men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kenya are at high risk for HIV and may experience prejudiced treatment in health settings due to stigma. An on-line computer-facilitated MSM sensitivity programme was conducted to educate healthcare workers (HCWs) about the health issues and needs of MSM patients.

Methods

Seventy-four HCWs from 49 ART-providing health facilities in the Kenyan Coast were recruited through purposive sampling to undergo a two-day MSM sensitivity training. We conducted eight focus group discussions (FGDs) with programme participants prior to and three months after completing the training programme. Discussions aimed to characterize HCWs’ challenges in …

Cattle-Related Injuries And Farm Management Practices On Kentucky Beef Cattle Farms, Steven R. Browning, Susan C. Westneat, Wayne T. Sanderson, Deborah B. Reed

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

While working on farms with livestock increases the risk of injury among farm workers in comparison to other commodity farms, few studies have examined the role offarm management practices in association with the risk of cattle-related injury. We examined the farm management practices of Kentucky beef cattle farms in association with self-reported rates of cattle-related injuries among workers. We conducted a mail survey of a random sample of 2,500 members of the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association. Results from 1,149 farm operators who were currently raising beef cattle and provided complete survey response are reported. During the busy season, the principal operator …

The Process Of Learner Centered Instruction In Adult Clientele, Shannon W. Farrell

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Using learner centered instruction (LCI), a group of beef farmers were guided to design a farm in a layout that would most effectively offer continual learning opportunities for the beef practitioners themselves. Learner centered instruction was used as the primary teaching method for the project's completion. When using LCI, coupled with the correct facilitation of programs, student empowerment, and subject interest, positive experiences are more likely to result.

Markers Of Circulating Tumour Cells In The Peripheral Blood Of Patients With Melanoma Correlate With Disease Recurrence And Progression, Anna L. Reid, M Millward, Robert Pearce, M Lee, M Frank, A Ireland, L Monshizadeh, Tapan Rai, P Heenan, Sandra Medic, P Kumarasinghe, Melanie R. Ziman

Research outputs 2013

Background: Multimarker quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) represents an effective method for detecting circulating tumour cells in the peripheral blood of patients with melanoma.

Objectives: To investigate whether the phenotype of circulating melanoma cells represents a useful indicator of disease stage, recurrence and treatment efficacy.

Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from 230 patients with melanoma and 152 healthy controls over a period of 3 years and 9 months. Clinical data and blood samples were collected from patients with primary melanoma (early stages, 0-II, n = 154) and metastatic melanoma (late stages, III-IV, n = 76). Each specimen was examined …

The Effect Of Contextual Cues On The Encoding Of Motor Memories., Ian S. Howard, Daniel M. Wolpert, David W. Franklin

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Several studies have shown that sensory contextual cues can reduce the interference observed during learning of opposing force fields. However, because each study examined a small set of cues, often in a unique paradigm, the relative efficacy of different sensory contextual cues is unclear. In the present study we quantify how seven contextual cues, some investigated previously and some novel, affect the formation and recall of motor memories. Subjects made movements in a velocity-dependent curl field, with direction varying randomly from trial to trial but always associated with a unique contextual cue. Linking field direction to the cursor or background …

Immune Response To Snake Envenoming And Treatment With Antivenom; Complement Activation, Cytokine Production And Mast Cell Degranulation, Shelley Stone, Geoffrey K. Isbister, Seyed Shahmy, Fahim Mohamed, Chandana Abeysinghe, Harendra Karunathilake, Ariaranee Ariaratnam, Tamara E. Jacoby-Alner, Claire L. Cotterell, Simon G A Brown

Research outputs 2013

Background:Snake bite is one of the most neglected public health issues in poor rural communities worldwide. In addition to the clinical effects of envenoming, treatment with antivenom frequently causes serious adverse reactions, including hypersensitivity reactions (including anaphylaxis) and pyrogenic reactions. We aimed to investigate the immune responses to Sri Lankan snake envenoming (predominantly by Russell's viper) and antivenom treatment.Methodology/Principal Findings:Plasma concentrations of Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), soluble TNF receptor I (sTNFRI), anaphylatoxins (C3a, C4a, C5a; markers of complement activation), mast cell tryptase (MCT), and histamine were measured in 120 Sri Lankan snakebite victims, both before and …

On The Interplay Of Telomeres, Nevi And The Risk Of Melanoma, Clara Bodelon, Ruth M. Pfeiffer, Valentina Bollati, Julien Debbache, Donato Calista, Paola Ghiorzo, Maria Concetta Fargnoli, Giovanna Bianchi-Scarra, Ketty Peris, Mirjam Hoxha, Amy Hutchinson, Laura Burke, Shenying Fang, Margaret A. Tucker, Alisa M. Goldstein, Jeffrey E. Lee, Qingyi Wei, Sharon A. Savage, Xiaohong R. Yang, Christopher Amos, Maria Teresa Landi

Dartmouth Scholarship

The relationship between telomeres, nevi and melanoma is complex. Shorter telomeres have been found to be associated with many cancers and with number of nevi, a known risk factor for melanoma. However, shorter telomeres have also been found to decrease melanoma risk. We performed a systematic analysis of telomere-related genes and tagSNPs within these genes, in relation to the risk of melanoma, dysplastic nevi, and nevus count combining data from four studies conducted in Italy. In addition, we examined whether telomere length measured in peripheral blood leukocytes is related to the risk of melanoma, dysplastic nevi, number of nevi, or …

Evaluating Changes In Radiation Treatment Volumes From Post-Operative To Same-Day Planning Mri In High-Grade Gliomas., Colin E Champ, Joshua Siglin, Mark V Mishra, Xinglei Shen, Maria Werner-Wasik, David W Andrews, Sonal U Mayekar, Haisong Liu, Wenyin Shi

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) with temozolomide (TMZ) is standard of care for high grade gliomas (HGG) patients. RT is commonly started 3 to 5 weeks after surgery. The deformation of the tumor bed and brain from surgery to RT is poorly studied. This study examined the magnitude of volume change in the postoperative tumor bed and the potential impact of RT planning.

METHOD AND MATERIALS: This study includes 24 patients with HGG who underwent craniotomy and adjuvant RT with TMZ at our institution. All patients had immediate postoperative MRI and repeat MRI during the day of RT simulation. Gross …

Adenosine Deaminase Enhances The Immunogenicity Of Human Dendritic Cells From Healthy And Hiv-Infected Individuals, Víctor Casanova, Isaac Isaac Naval-Macabuhay, Marta Massanella, Marta Rodríguez-García

Dartmouth Scholarship

ADA is an enzyme implicated in purine metabolism, and is critical to ensure normal immune function. Its congenital deficit leads to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). ADA binding to adenosine receptors on dendritic cell surface enables T-cell costimulation through CD26 crosslinking, which enhances T-cell activation and proliferation. Despite a large body of work on the actions of the ecto-enzyme ADA on T-cell activation, questions arise on whether ADA can also modulate dendritic cell maturation. To this end we investigated the effects of ADA on human monocyte derived dendritic cell biology. Our results show that both the enzymatic and non-enzymatic activities of …

Treatment Of Steroid-Induced Elevated Intraocular Pressure With Anecortave Acetate: A Randomized Clinical Trial., Ingeborg Stalmans, David G. Callanan, Monte S. Dirks, Marlene R. Moster, Alan L. Robin, Joachim Van Calster, Sally A. Scheib, Jaime E. Dickerson, Theresa A. Landry, Michael V. W. Bergamini

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: The present study is the first randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effect of anecortave acetate (AA) administered at 3 doses (3, 15, or 30 mg) as an anterior juxtascleral depot (AJD) in patients experiencing elevated IOP due to corticosteroid therapy.

METHODS: This was a double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, parallel group trial. Eligible patients had an IOP of at least 24 mmHg and an IOP increase of at least 10 mmHg relative to their IOP before treatment with steroids. A target IOP was established for each patient at baseline. Patients were randomized to 1 of …

Muc4 And Muc1 Expression In Adenocarcinoma Of The Stomach Correlates With Vessel Invasion And Lymph Node Metastasis: An Immunohistochemical Study Of Early Gastric Cancer., Yukihiro Tamura, Michiyo Higashi, Sho Kitamoto, Seiya Yokoyama, Masahiko Osako, Michiko Horinouchi, Takeshi Shimizu, Mineo Tabata, Surinder K. Batra, Masamichi Goto, Suguru Yonezawa

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

We have previously reported that MUC4 expression is a poor prognostic factor in various carcinomas. Our previous study also showed that MUC1 expression in gastric cancers, including the early and advanced stages is a poor prognostic factor. In the present study, the expression profiles of MUC4 and MUC1 were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using two anti-MUC4 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), 8G7 and 1G8, and anti-MUC1 MAb DF3 in 104 gastrectomy specimens of early gastric adenocarcinoma with submucosal invasion (pT1b2), including 197 histological subtype lesions. Before the IHC study of the human specimens, we evaluated the specificity of the two MAbs by …

Load-Relaxation Properties Of The Human Trunk In Response To Prolonged Flexion: Measuring And Modeling The Effect Of Flexion Angle, Nima Toosizadeh, Maury A. Nussbaum, Babak Bazrgari, Michael L. Madigan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental studies suggest that prolonged trunk flexion reduces passive support of the spine. To understand alterations of the synergy between active and passive tissues following such loadings, several studies have assessed the time-dependent behavior of passive tissues including those within spinal motion segments and muscles. Yet, there remain limitations regarding load-relaxation of the lumbar spine in response to flexion exposures and the influence of different flexion angles. Ten healthy participants were exposed for 16 min to each of five magnitudes of lumbar flexion specified relative to individual flexion-relaxation angles (i.e., 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100%), during which lumbar flexion …

Acute Haematogenous Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Osteomyelitis In An Adult: Case Report And Review Of Literature, A. Dhanoa, V.A. Singh, A. Mansor, M.Y. Yusof, K.T. Lim, Kwai Lin Thong

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has of late emerged as a cause of community-acquired infections among immunocompetent adults without risk factors. Skin and soft tissue infections represent the majority of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) clinical presentations, whilst invasive and life-threatening illness like necrotizing pneumonia, necrotizing fasciitis, pyomyositis, osteomyelitis and sepsis syndrome are less common. Although more widely described in the pediatric age group, the occurrence of CA-MRSA osteomyelitis in adults is an uncommonly reported entity. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe an invasive CA-MRSA infection in a 28 year-old previously healthy male, manifesting with bacteraemia, osteomyelitis of femur, pyomyositis and septic …

Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating The Effect Of Physical Activity On Delaying The Progression Of White Matter Changes On Mri In Older Adults With Memory Complaints And Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Aibl Active Trial, E V Cyarto, N T Lautenschlager, P M Desmond, D Ames, C Szoeke, O Salvado, Matthew Sharman, Kathryn A Ellis, P M Phal, C L Masters, C C Rowe, Ralph Martins, Kay L Cox

Research outputs 2012

Background: Older adults free of dementia but with subjective memory complaints (SMC) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are considered at increased risk of cognitive decline. Vascular risk factors (VRF), including hypertension, heart disease, smoking, hypercholesterolemia and lack of physical activity (PA) have been identified as modifiable risk factors contributing to cognitive decline, and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are associated with VRF, SMC and cognitive impairment. Findings from a growing number of clinical trials with older adults are providing strong evidence for the benefits of physical activity for maintaining cognitive function, but few studies are investigating these benefits in high-risk populations. …

Human Optokinetic Nystagmus: A Stochastic Analysis., J Waddington, Cm Harris

School of Psychology

Optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) is a fundamental gaze-stabilizing response found in almost all vertebrates, in which eye movements attempt to compensate for the optic flow caused by self-motion. It is an alternating sequence of slow compensatory eye movements made in the direction of stimulus motion and fast eye movements made predominantly in the opposite direction. The timing and amplitude of these slow phases (SPs) and quick phases (QPs) are remarkably variable, and the cause of this variability is poorly understood. In this study principal components analysis was performed on OKN data to illustrate that the variability in correlation matrices across individuals …

Predictive Value Of Alpha-Fetoprotein In The Long-Term Risk Of Developing Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Patients With Hepatitis B Virus Infection--Results From A Clinic-Based Longitudinal Cohort., Hie-Won Hann, Xiaoying Fu, Ronald E. Myers, Richard Hann, Shaogui Wan, Su Hee Kim, Natalie Au, Jinliang Xing, Hushan Yang

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Although serum level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has long been used to complement imaging tests in the screening and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whether it can be used as a predictive marker of long-term risk for developing HCC in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) has not been extensively evaluated and thus remains controversial.

METHODS: We retrospectively conducted a clinic-based longitudinal cohort study including 617 Korean American patients with HBV who had been followed for up to 22 years (median follow-up time, 6.2 years) to evaluate the association between baseline serum AFP level and the long-term risk of HCC. …

Pediatric Pharmacogenomics: A Systematic Assessment Of Ontogeny And Genetic Variation To Guide The Design Of Statin Studies In Children., Jonathan B. Wagner, J Steven Leeder

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The dose-exposure-response relationship for drugs may differ in pediatric patients compared with adults. Many clinical studies have established drug dose-exposure relationships across the pediatric age spectrum; however, genetic variation was seldom included. This article applies a systematic approach to determine the relative contribution of development and genetic variation on drug disposition and response using HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors as a model. Application of the approach drives the collection of information relevant to understanding the potential contribution of ontogeny and genetic variation to statin dose-exposure-response in children, and identifies important knowledge deficits to be addressed through the design of future studies.

Plant Calcium Content: Ready To Remodel, Jian Yang, Tracy Punshon, Mary Lou Guerinot, Kendal D. Hirschi

Dartmouth Scholarship

By identifying the relationship between calcium location in the plant cell and nutrient bioavailability, the plant characteristics leading to maximal calcium absorption by humans can be identified. Knowledge of plant cellular and molecular targets controlling calcium location in plants is emerging. These insights should allow for better strategies for increasing the nutritional content of foods. In particular, the use of preparation-free elemental imaging technologies such as synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microscopy in plant biology may allow researchers to understand the relationship between subcellular location and nutrient bioavailability. These approaches may lead to better strategies for altering the location of calcium …

Comparison Of Boer, Kiko, And Spanish Meat Goat Does For Stayability And Cumulative Reproductive Output In The Humid Subtropical Southeastern United States, Ashley N. Pellerin, Richard Browning Jr.

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Longevity is the amount of time breeding females stay active in a herd by avoiding death or culling because of illness or reproductive failure. This is a trait of economic relevance in commercial small ruminant breeding herds as it affects lifetime reproductive output. The purpose of this study was to determine if breed of meat goat influences breeding doe survival rates and cumulative reproductive performance under semi-intensive management. Results: Boer (n = 132), Kiko (n = 92) and Spanish (n = 79) does were evaluated for longevity trends and cumulative kid production. The herd was managed on humid subtropical …

Analytic Lymph Node Number Establishes Staging Accuracy By Occult Tumor Burden In Colorectal Cancer., Terry Hyslop, David S. Weinberg, Stephanie Schulz, Alan Barkun, Scott A. Waldman

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recurrence in lymph node-negative (pN0) colorectal cancer suggests the presence of undetected occult metastases. Occult tumor burden in nodes estimated by GUCY2C RT-qPCR predicts risk of disease recurrence. This study explored the impact of the number of nodes analyzed by RT-qPCR (analytic) on the prognostic utility of occult tumor burden.

METHODS: Lymph nodes (range: 2-159) from 282 prospectively enrolled pN0 colorectal cancer patients, followed for a median of 24 months (range: 2-63), were analyzed by GUCY2C RT-qPCR. Prognostic risk categorization defined using occult tumor burden was the primary outcome measure. Association of prognostic variables and risk category …

Overexpression Of A Novel Cell Cycle Regulator Ecdysoneless In Breast Cancer: A Marker Of Poor Prognosis In Her2/Neu-Overexpressing Breast Cancer Patients., Xiangshan Zhao, Sameer Mirza, Alaa Alshareeda, Ying Zhang, Channabasavaiah B. Gurumurthy, Aditya Bele, Jun Hyun Kim, Shakur Mohibi, Monica Goswami, Subodh M. Lele, William West, Fang Qiu, Ian O. Ellis, Emad A. Rakha, Andrew R. Green, Hamid Band, Vimla Band

Journal Articles: Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy

Uncontrolled proliferation is one of the hallmarks of breast cancer. We have previously identified the human Ecd protein (human ortholog of Drosophila Ecdysoneless, hereafter called Ecd) as a novel promoter of mammalian cell cycle progression, a function related to its ability to remove the repressive effects of Rb-family tumor suppressors on E2F transcription factors. Given the frequent dysregulation of cell cycle regulatory components in human cancer, we used immunohistochemistry of paraffin-embedded tissues to examine Ecd expression in normal breast tissue versus tissues representing increasing breast cancer progression. Initial studies of a smaller cohort without outcomes information showed that Ecd expression …

Amygdala Responses To Averted Vs Direct Gaze Fear Vary As A Function Of Presentation Speed, Reginald B. Adams, Robert G. Franklin Jr, Kestutis Kveraga, Nalini Ambady, Robert E. Kleck, Paul J. Whalen, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Anthony J. Nelson

Dartmouth Scholarship

We examined whether amygdala responses to rapidly presented fear expressions are preferentially tuned to averted vs direct gaze fear and conversely whether responses to more sustained presentations are preferentially tuned to direct vs averted gaze fear. We conducted three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to test these predictions including: Study 1: a block design employing sustained presentations (1 s) of averted vs direct gaze fear expressions taken from the Pictures of Facial Affect; Study 2: a block design employing rapid presentations (300 ms) of these same stimuli and Study 3: a direct replication of these studies in the context …

Human Genome-Wide Association And Mouse Knockout Approaches Identify Platelet Supervillin As An Inhibitor Of Thrombus Formation Under Shear Stress., Leonard C. Edelstein, Elizabeth J. Luna, Ian B. Gibson, Molly Bray, Ying Jin, Altaf Kondkar, Srikanth Nagalla, Nacima Hadjout-Rabi, Tara C. Smith, Daniel Covarrubias, Stephen N. Jones, Firdos Ahmad, Moritz Stolla, Xianguo Kong, Zhiyou Fang, Wolfgang Bergmeier, Chad Shaw, Suzanne M. Leal, Paul Bray

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: High shear force critically regulates platelet adhesion and thrombus formation during ischemic vascular events. To identify genetic factors that influence platelet thrombus formation under high shear stress, we performed a genome-wide association study and confirmatory experiments in human and animal platelets.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Closure times in the shear-dependent platelet function analyzer (PFA)-100 were measured on healthy, nondiabetic European Americans (n=125) and blacks (n=116). A genome-wide association (P

CONCLUSIONS: We show for the first time that (1) platelets contain supervillin; (2) platelet thrombus formation in the PFA-100 is associated with human SVIL variants and low SVIL expression; and (3) …

Selective Impact Of Hiv Disease Progression On The Innate Immune System In The Human Female Reproductive Tract, Timothy Lahey, Mimi Ghosh, John V. Fahey, Zheng Shen, Lucy R. Mukura, Yan Song, Susan Cu-Uvin, Kenneth H. Mayer, Peter F. Wright, John C. Kappes, Christina Ochsenbauer, Charles R. Wira

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: We have previously demonstrated intrinsic anti-HIV activity in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) from HIV-infected women with high CD4 counts and not on antiretroviral therapy. However, the impact of HIV disease progression on CVL innate immune responses has not been delineated.

Methods: CVL from 57 HIV-infected women not on antiretroviral therapy were collected by washing the cervicovaginal area with 10 ml of sterile normal saline. We characterized subject HIV disease progression by CD4 count strata: >500 cells/µl, 200-500 cells/µl, or <200 cells/µl of blood. To assess CVL anti-HIV activity, we incubated TZM-bl cells with HIV plus or minus CVL. Antimicrobials, cytokines, chemokines and anti-gp160 HIV IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA and Luminex.

Sassin' Through Sadhana': Learned Leadership Journeys Of Black Women In Holistic Practices, Rachel Panton

Communication, Media, and Arts Faculty Book and Book Chapters

Women of color, especially Black women, are underrepresented in the extant literature and research of adult development and mind, body, spirit leadership. This in-depth qualitative portraiture study explored the lives of three Black women who have been leading their communities as adult educators of mind, body, spirit practices. This examination seeks to extend the research on Black female adult development and learning to include those who are guiding their respective communities through Yoruba, Yoga, and Christian-based holistic practices by addressing these questions: How have their spiritual/religious practices changed from childhood? What was their preparation for their current teaching practice like? …

Personal Construction Of Cough Medicine Among Young Substance Abusers In Hong Kong, Daniel T. L. Shek

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Although cough medicine abuse is a growing problem in many places, there is no study examining the views of young substance abusers toward cough medicine. The objective of this study was to examine personal constructions of cough medicine abusers via the repertory grid tests (N = 11). Several observations are highlighted from the study. First, personal constructions of cough medicine were mixed, including the benefits and harmful effects of its abuse. Second, although the informants perceived cough medicine to be addictive and harmful, they perceived cough medicine to be less addictive and less harmful than did heroin. Third, while the …

A Heuristic Solution Of The Identifiability Problem Of The Age-Period-Cohort Analysis Of Cancer Occurrence: Lung Cancer Example., Tengiz Mdzinarishvili, Simon Sherman

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

BACKGROUND: The Age-Period-Cohort (APC) analysis is aimed at estimating the following effects on disease incidence: (i) the age of the subject at the time of disease diagnosis; (ii) the time period, when the disease occurred; and (iii) the date of birth of the subject. These effects can help in evaluating the biological events leading to the disease, in estimating the influence of distinct risk factors on disease occurrence, and in the development of new strategies for disease prevention and treatment.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed a novel approach for estimating the APC effects on disease incidence rates in the frame of …

G9a Interacts With Snail And Is Critical For Snail-Mediated E-Cadherin Repression In Human Breast Cancer, Chenfang Dong, Yadi Wu, Jun Yao, Yifan Wang, Yinhua Yu, Piotr G. Rychahou, B. Mark Evers, Binhua P. Zhou

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Breast cancers are highly heterogeneous but can be grouped into subtypes based on several criteria, including level of expression of certain markers. Claudin-low breast cancer (CLBC) is associated with early metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy, while gene profiling indicates it is characterized by the expression of markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) - a phenotypic conversion linked with metastasis. Although the epigenetic program controlling the phenotypic and cellular plasticity of EMT remains unclear, one contributor may be methylation of the E-cadherin promoter, resulting in decreased E-cadherin expression, a hallmark of EMT. Indeed, reduced E-cadherin often occurs in CLBC and may contribute …

Unfakeable Facial Configurations Affect Strategic Choices In Trust Games With Or Without Information About Past Behavior, Constantin Rezlescu, Brad Duchaine, Christopher Y. Olivola, Nick Chater

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Many human interactions are built on trust, so widespread confidence in first impressions generally favors individuals with trustworthy-looking appearances. However, few studies have explicitly examined: 1) the contribution of unfakeable facial features to trust-based decisions, and 2) how these cues are integrated with information about past behavior.

Methodology/Principal Findings:

Using highly controlled stimuli and an improved experimental procedure, we show that unfakeable facial features associated with the appearance of trustworthiness attract higher investments in trust games. The facial trustworthiness premium is large for decisions based solely on faces, with trustworthy identities attracting 42% more money (Study 1), and remains …