Digital Commons Network^™

Quality Of Weight Loss Advice On Internet Forums, Kevin O Hwang, Kiran Farheen, Craig W Johnson, Eric J Thomas, Ann S Barnes, Elmer V Bernstam

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Adults use the Internet for weight loss information, sometimes by participating in discussion forums. Our purpose was to analyze the quality of advice exchanged on these forums. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of messages posted to 18 Internet weight loss forums during 1 month in 2006. Advice was evaluated for congruence with clinical guidelines; potential for causing harm; and subsequent correction when it was contradictory to guidelines (erroneous) or potentially harmful. Message- and forum-specific characteristics were evaluated as predictors of advice quality and self-correction. RESULTS: Of 3368 initial messages, 266 (7.9%) were requests for advice. Of 654 provisions …

Relationships Between Scores On The Jefferson Scale Of Physician Empathy, Patient Perceptions Of Physician Empathy, And Humanistic Approaches To Patient Care: A Validity Study., Karen M. Glaser, Fred W. Markham, Herbert M. Adler, Patrick R. Mcmanus, Mohammadreza Hojat

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Empathy is the backbone of a positive physician-patient relationship. Physician empathy and the patient's awareness of the physician's empathic concern can lead to a more positive clinical outcome.

MATERIAL/METHODS: The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) was completed by 36 physicians in the Family Medicine residency program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and 90 patients evaluated these physicians by completing the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE), and a survey about physicians' humanistic approaches to patient care.

RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was found between scores of the JSPE and JSPPPE (r=0.48, p

CONCLUSIONS: These findings …

Epstein-Barr Virus Infection Of Langerhans Cell Precursors As A Mechanism Of Oral Epithelial Entry, Persistence, And Reactivation, Dennis M. Walling, Autumn J. Ray, Joan E. Nichols, Catherine M. Flaitz, C. Mark Nichols

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus associated with many malignant and nonmalignant human diseases. Life-long latent EBV persistence occurs in blood-borne B lymphocytes, while EBV intermittently productively replicates in mucosal epithelia. Although several models have previously been proposed, the mechanism of EBV transition between these two reservoirs of infection has not been determined. In this study, we present the first evidence demonstrating that EBV latently infects a unique subset of blood-borne mononuclear cells that are direct precursors to Langerhans cells and that EBV both latently and productively infects oral epithelium-resident cells that are likely Langerhans cells. These data …

Mechanisms Of Perceptual Learning Of Depth Discrimination In Random Dot Stereograms, Liat Gantz, Saumil S Patel, Susana T L Chung, Ronald S Harwerth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Perceptual learning is a training induced improvement in performance. Mechanisms underlying the perceptual learning of depth discrimination in dynamic random dot stereograms were examined by assessing stereothresholds as a function of decorrelation. The inflection point of the decorrelation function was defined as the level of decorrelation corresponding to 1.4 times the threshold when decorrelation is 0%. In general, stereothresholds increased with increasing decorrelation. Following training, stereothresholds and standard errors of measurement decreased systematically for all tested decorrelation values. Post training decorrelation functions were reduced by a multiplicative constant (approximately 5), exhibiting changes in stereothresholds without changes in the inflection points. …

Neural Reprogramming In Retinal Degeneration, Robert E Marc, Bryan W Jones, James R Anderson, Krista Kinard, David W Marshak, John H Wilson, Theodore Wensel, Robert J Lucas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Early visual defects in degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may arise from phased remodeling of the neural retina. The authors sought to explore the functional expression of ionotropic (iGluR) and group 3, type 6 metabotropic (mGluR6) glutamate receptors in late-stage photoreceptor degeneration.

METHODS: Excitation mapping with organic cations and computational molecular phenotyping were used to determine whether retinal neurons displayed functional glutamate receptor signaling in rodent models of retinal degeneration and a sample of human RP.

RESULTS: After photoreceptor loss in rodent models of RP, bipolar cells lose mGluR6 and iGluR glutamate-activated currents, whereas amacrine and ganglion …

Ethnic/Racial Diversity, Maternal Stress, Lactation And Very Low Birthweight Infants, C Lau, N M. Hurst, E O. Smith, R J. Schanler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: (1) To compare maternal characteristics and psychological stress profile among African-American, Caucasian and Hispanic mothers who delivered very low birthweight infants. (2) To investigate associations between psychosocial factors, frequency of milk expression, skin-to-skin holding (STS), and lactation performance, defined as maternal drive to express milk and milk volume. STUDY DESIGN: Self-reported psychological questionnaires were given every 2 weeks after delivery over 10 weeks. Milk expression frequency, STS, and socioeconomic variables were collected. RESULT: Infant birthweight, education, and milk expression frequency differed between groups. Trait anxiety, depression and parental stress in a neonatal intensive care unit (PSS:NICU) were similar. African-American …

Quality Of Care Measures For Migraine: A Comprehensive Review, Joshua J. Gagne, Brian Leas, Jennifer H. Lofland, Neil Goldfarb, Frederick Freitag, Stephen Silberstein

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Migraine headache is a highly prevalent, chronic, episodic disorder that is associated with high direct and indirect costs. Migraine headache impacts not only patients, but also their employers due to substantial decreases in workplace productivity. Despite the prevalence and clinical and economic burdens of migraine, no national efforts to develop and implement standardized measures of quality of care have been made. The objective of this study was to collect and report on existing quality of care measures for migraine that could be suitable for quality measurement at the health-plan level. Published literature, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's National …

Importance Of The Ebp (Endocarditis- And Biofilm-Associated Pilus) Locus In The Pathogenesis Of Enterococcus Faecalis Ascending Urinary Tract Infection, Kavindra V Singh, Sreedhar R Nallapareddy, Barbara E Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: We recently demonstrated that the ubiquitous Enterococcus faecalis ebp (endocarditis- and biofilm-associated pilus) operon is important for biofilm formation and experimental endocarditis. Here, we assess its role in murine urinary tract infection (UTI) by use of wild-type E. faecalis OG1RF and its nonpiliated, ebpA allelic replacement mutant (TX5475).

METHODS: OG1RF and TX5475 were administered transurethrally either at an ~1 : 1 ratio (competition assay) or individually (monoinfection). Kidney pairs and urinary bladders were cultured 48 h after infection. These strains were also tested in a peritonitis model.

RESULTS: No differences were observed in the peritonitis model. In mixed UTIs, …

Acquisition Of A Natural Resistance Gene Renders A Clinical Strain Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Resistant To The Synthetic Antibiotic Linezolid, Seok-Ming Toh, Liqun Xiong, Cesar A Arias, Maria V Villegas, Karen Lolans, John Quinn, Alexander S Mankin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Linezolid, which targets the ribosome, is a new synthetic antibiotic that is used for treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens. Clinical resistance to linezolid, so far, has been developing only slowly and has involved exclusively target site mutations. We have discovered that linezolid resistance in a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus hospital strain from Colombia is determined by the presence of the cfr gene whose product, Cfr methyltransferase, modifies adenosine at position 2503 in 23S rRNA in the large ribosomal subunit. The molecular model of the linezolid-ribosome complex reveals localization of A2503 within the drug binding site. The natural function of …

Time-Kill And Synergism Studies Of Ceftobiprole Against Enterococcus Faecalis, Including Beta-Lactamase-Producing And Vancomycin-Resistant Isolates, Cesar A Arias, Kavindra V Singh, Diana Panesso, Barbara E Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ceftobiprole (BAL9141) is an investigational cephalosporin with broad in vitro activity against gram-positive cocci, including enterococci. Ceftobiprole MICs were determined for 93 isolates of Enterococcus faecalis (including 16 beta-lactamase [Bla] producers and 17 vancomycin-resistant isolates) by an agar dilution method following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. Ceftobiprole MICs were also determined with a high inoculum concentration (10(7) CFU/ml) for a subset of five Bla producers belonging to different previously characterized clones by a broth dilution method. Time-kill and synergism studies (with either streptomycin or gentamicin) were performed with two beta-lactamase-producing isolates (TX0630 and TX5070) and two vancomycin-resistant isolates …

Using Gis-Based Methods Of Multicriteria Analysis To Construct Socio-Economic Deprivation Indices, Nathaniel Bell, Nadine Schuurman, Michael V. Hayes

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Over the past several decades researchers have produced substantial evidence of a social gradient in a variety of health outcomes, rising from systematic differences in income, education, employment conditions, and family dynamics within the population. Social gradients in health are measured using deprivation indices, which are typically constructed from aggregated socio-economic data taken from the national census--a technique which dates back at least until the early 1970's. The primary method of index construction over the last decade has been a Principal Component Analysis. Seldom are the indices constructed from survey-based data sources due to the inherent difficulty in validating …

Functional Dissociation In Frontal And Striatal Areas For Processing Of Positive And Negative Reward Information, Xun Liu, David K. Powell, Hongbin Wang, Brian T. Gold, Christine R. Corbly, Jane E. Joseph

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Reward-seeking behavior depends critically on processing of positive and negative information at various stages such as reward anticipation, outcome monitoring, and choice evaluation. Behavioral and neuropsychological evidence suggests that processing of positive (e.g., gain) and negative (e.g., loss) reward information may be dissociable and individually disrupted. However, it remains uncertain whether different stages of reward processing share certain neural circuitry in frontal and striatal areas, and whether distinct but interactive systems in these areas are recruited for positive and negative reward processing. To explore these issues, we used a monetary decision-making task to investigate the roles of frontal and striatal …

Ambulatory Care Adverse Events And Preventable Adverse Events Leading To A Hospital Admission, Donna M Woods, Eric J Thomas, Jane L Holl, Kevin B Weiss, Troyen A Brennan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Most healthcare in the US is delivered in the ambulatory care setting, but the epidemiology of errors and adverse events in ambulatory care is understudied.

METHODS: Using the population-based data from the Colorado and Utah Medical Practices Study, we identified adverse events that occurred in an ambulatory care setting and led to hospital admission. Proportions with 95% CIs are reported.

RESULTS: We reviewed 14,700-hospital discharge records and found 587 adverse events of which 70 were ambulatory care adverse events (AAEs) and 31 were ambulatory care preventable adverse events (APAEs). When weighted to the general population, there were 2608 AAEs …

A Pure Population Of Lung Alveolar Epithelial Type Ii Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Dachun Wang, David L Haviland, Alan R Burns, Eva Zsigmond, Rick A Wetsel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells are small, cuboidal cells that constitute approximately 60% of the pulmonary alveolar epithelium. These cells are crucial for repair of the injured alveolus by differentiating into alveolar epithelial type I cells. ATII cells derived from human ES (hES) cells are a promising source of cells that could be used therapeutically to treat distal lung diseases. We have developed a reliable transfection and culture procedure, which facilitates, via genetic selection, the differentiation of hES cells into an essentially pure (>99%) population of ATII cells (hES-ATII). Purity, as well as biological features and morphological characteristics …

Sociodemographic Characteristics And Diabetes Predict Invalid Self-Reported Non-Smoking In A Population-Based Study Of U.S. Adults, Monica A. Fisher, George W. Taylor, Brent J. Shelton, Sara M. Debanne

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Nearly all studies reporting smoking status collect self-reported data. The objective of this study was to assess sociodemographic characteristics and selected, common smoking-related diseases as predictors of invalid reporting of non-smoking. Valid self-reported smoking may be related to the degree to which smoking is a behavior that is not tolerated by the smoker's social group.

METHODS: True smoking was defined as having serum cotinine of 15+ng/ml. 1483 "true" smokers 45+ years of age with self-reported smoking and serum cotinine data from the Mobile Examination Center were identified in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Invalid non-smoking was …

Transgenic Avian-Derived Recombinant Human Interferon-Alpha2b (Avi-005) In Healthy Subjects: An Open-Label, Single-Dose, Controlled Study., T B Patel, E Pequignot, S H Parker, M C Leavitt, H E Greenberg, Walter K. Kraft

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study characterized the safety and pharmacological properties of AVI-005, a novel glycosylated recombinant human interferon-alpha2b produced from the egg whites of chickens transfected with human cDNA.

METHODS: 18 healthy volunteers received single subcutaneous rising doses (0.5, 1.66 or 5 million international units, MIU) of AVI-005. A randomized parallel comparator group of 10 subjects received 5 MIU of unglycosylated IFN-alpha2b (Intron A). The pharmacokinetic parameters t1/2, tmax, Cmax, AUC0-24h, Vd, and clearance were compared between AVI-005 and unglycosylated IFN-alpa2b.

RESULTS: At equipotent doses, AVI-005 had a larger AUC0-24h than the control interferon. Pharmacodynamic markers ofneopterin and beta2-microglobulin for the …

Fidelity In Sensory Integration Intervention Research., L Diane Parham, Ellen S. Cohn, Susan Spitzer, Jane A. Koomar, Lucy Jane Miller, Janice P Burke, Barbara Brett-Green, Zoe Mailloux, Teresa A. May-Benson, Susanne Smith Roley, Roseann C. Schaaf, Sarah A. Schoen, Clare A. Summers

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess validity of sensory integration outcomes research in relation to fidelity (faithfulness of intervention to underlying therapeutic principles).

METHOD: We identified core sensory integration intervention elements through expert review and nominal group process. Elements were classified into structural (e.g., equipment used, therapist training) and therapeutic process categories. We analyzed 34 sensory integration intervention studies for consistency of intervention descriptions with these elements.

RESULTS: Most studies described structural elements related to therapeutic equipment and interveners' profession. Of the 10 process elements, only 1 (presentation of sensory opportunities) was addressed in all studies. Most studies described fewer than …

Expression Of The Neural Stem Cell Markers Ng2 And L1 In Human Angiomyolipoma: Are Angiomyolipomas Neoplasms Of Stem Cells?, So Dug Lim, William Stallcup, Benjamin Lefkove, Baskaran Govindarajan, Kit Sing Au, Hope Northrup, Deborah Lang, David E Fisher, Avani Patel, Mahul B Amin, Jack L Arbiser

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Angiomyolipomas are benign tumors of the kidney which express phenotypes of smooth muscle, fat, and melanocytes. These tumors appear with increased frequency in the autosomal dominant disorder tuberous sclerosis and are the leading cause of morbidity in adults with tuberous sclerosis. While benign, these tumors are capable of provoking life threatening hemorrhage and replacement of the kidney parenchyma, resulting in renal failure. The histogenesis of these tumors is currently unclear, although currently, we believe these tumors arise from "perivascular epithelioid cells" of which no normal counterpart has been convincingly demonstrated. Recently, stem cell precursors have been recognized that can give …

Severe Aortic And Arterial Aneurysms Associated With A Tgfbr2 Mutation, Scott A Lemaire, Hariyadarshi Pannu, Van Tran-Fadulu, Stacey A Carter, Joseph S Coselli, Dianna M Milewicz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: A 24-year-old man presented with previously diagnosed Marfan's syndrome. Since the age of 9 years, he had undergone eight cardiovascular procedures to treat rapidly progressive aneurysms, dissection and tortuous vascular disease involving the aortic root and arch, the thoracoabdominal aorta, and brachiocephalic, vertebral, internal thoracic and superior mesenteric arteries. Throughout this extensive series of cardiovascular surgical repairs, he recovered without stroke, paraplegia or renal impairment.

INVESTIGATIONS: CT scans, arteriogram, genetic mutation screening of transforming growth factor beta receptors 1 and 2.

DIAGNOSIS: Diffuse and rapidly progressing vascular disease in a patient who met the diagnostic criteria for Marfan's syndrome, …

Hepatitis C Risk Assessment, Testing And Referral For Treatment In Urban Primary Care: Role Of Race And Ethnicity., Stacey B. Trooskin, Victor J. Navarro, Robert J. Winn, David J. Axelrod, A. Scott Mcneal, Maricruz Velez, Steven K. Herrine, Simona Rossi

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

AIM: To determine rates of hepatitis C (HCV) risk factor ascertainment, testing, and referral in urban primary care practices, with particular attention to the effect of race and ethnicity.

METHODS: Retrospective chart review from four primary care sites in Philadelphia; two academic primary care practices and two community clinics was performed. Demographics, HCV risk factors, and other risk exposure information were collected.

RESULTS: Four thousand four hundred and seven charts were reviewed. Providers documented histories of injection drug use (IDU) and transfusion for less than 20% and 5% of patients, respectively. Only 55% of patients who admitted IDU were tested …

Jefferson Scale Of Patient's Perceptions Of Physician Empathy: Preliminary Psychometric Data., Gregory C. Kane, Joanne L. Gotto, Salvatore Mangione, Susan West, Mohammadreza Hojat

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

AIM: To develop a brief scale for measuring patient's perceptions of their physician's empathic engagement and to provide preliminary evidence in support of aspects of the scale's psychometrics.

METHOD: Study comprised 225 patients, out of 436 patients (52% response rate) seen by 166 residents in the internal medicine residency program at the Jefferson Hospital Ambulatory Clinic as part of their ambulatory training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. A 5-item questionnaire entitled the Jefferson Scale of Patient's Perceptions of Physician Empathy was developed and administered to the study participants. Its factor structure, item-total score correlations, and correlations with several relevant criterion …

Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Faecalis Endocarditis: Linezolid Failure And Strain Characterization Of Virulence Factors, Constantine Tsigrelis, Kavindra V Singh, Thais D Coutinho, Barbara E Murray, Larry M Baddour

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Infective endocarditis due to vancomycin-resistant (VR) Enterococcus faecalis has only rarely been reported. We report a case of VR E. faecalis endocarditis that failed to respond to linezolid therapy, outline the virulence traits of the isolate, and review previously published cases of VR E. faecalis endocarditis.

Phosphorylation Of The Proline-Rich Domain Of Xp95 Modulates Xp95 Interaction With Partner Proteins, Robert E Dejournett, Ryuji Kobayashi, Shujuan Pan, Chuanfen Wu, Laurence D Etkin, Richard B Clark, Oliver Bögler, Jian Kuang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The mammalian adaptor protein Alix [ALG-2 (apoptosis-linked-gene-2 product)-interacting protein X] belongs to a conserved family of proteins that have in common an N-terminal Bro1 domain and a C-terminal PRD (proline-rich domain), both of which mediate partner protein interactions. Following our previous finding that Xp95, the Xenopus orthologue of Alix, undergoes a phosphorylation-dependent gel mobility shift during progesteroneinduced oocyte meiotic maturation, we explored potential regulation of Xp95/Alix by protein phosphorylation in hormone-induced cell cycle re-entry or M-phase induction. By MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time-of-flight) MS analyses and gel mobility-shift assays, Xp95 is phosphorylated at multiple sites within the N-terminal half of the …

A Model Of Late Long-Term Potentiation Simulates Aspects Of Memory Maintenance, Paul Smolen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Late long-term potentiation (L-LTP) denotes long-lasting strengthening of synapses between neurons. L-LTP appears essential for the formation of long-term memory, with memories at least partly encoded by patterns of strengthened synapses. How memories are preserved for months or years, despite molecular turnover, is not well understood. Ongoing recurrent neuronal activity, during memory recall or during sleep, has been hypothesized to preferentially potentiate strong synapses, preserving memories. This hypothesis has not been evaluated in the context of a mathematical model representing ongoing activity and biochemical pathways important for L-LTP. In this study, ongoing activity was incorporated into two such models - …

A Non-Pharmacological Intervention To Manage Behavioral And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia And Reduce Caregiver Distress: Design And Methods Of Project Act3., Laura N Gitlin, Laraine Winter, Marie P Dennis, Walter W Hauck

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

Project ACT is a randomized controlled trial designed to test the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological home-based intervention to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and caregiver distress. The study targets 272 stressed racially diverse family caregivers providing in-home care to persons with moderate stage dementia with one or more behavioral disturbances. All participants are interviewed at baseline, 4-months (main trial endpoint), and 6-months (maintenance). The four-month intervention involves up to 13 visits from an occupational therapist who works with families to problem-solve potential triggers (communication style, environmental clutter) contributing to behaviors, and instruct in strategies to reduce caregiver …

Repression Of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (Trail) But Not Its Receptors During Oral Cancer Progression, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Darryl C. Baucum, Jean Wu, Yahuan Lou, Jerry Bouquot, Susan Muller, Wolfgang Zacharias

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: TRAIL plays an important role in host immunosurveillance against tumor progression, as it induces apoptosis of tumor cells but not normal cells, and thus has great therapeutic potential for cancer treatment. TRAIL binds to two cell-death-inducing (DR4 and DR5) and two decoy (DcR1, and DcR2) receptors. Here, we compare the expression levels of TRAIL and its receptors in normal oral mucosa (NOM), oral premalignancies (OPM), and primary and metastatic oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) in order to characterize the changes in their expression patterns during OSCC initiation and progression. METHODS: DNA microarray, immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analyses were used to …

Predictive Oncology: A Review Of Multidisciplinary, Multiscale In Silico Modeling Linking Phenotype, Morphology And Growth, Sandeep Sanga, Hermann B. Frieboes, Xiaoming Zheng, Robert Gatenby, Elaine L. Bearer, Vittorio Cristini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Empirical evidence and theoretical studies suggest that the phenotype, i.e., cellular- and molecular-scale dynamics, including proliferation rate and adhesiveness due to microenvironmental factors and gene expression that govern tumor growth and invasiveness, also determine gross tumor-scale morphology. It has been difficult to quantify the relative effect of these links on disease progression and prognosis using conventional clinical and experimental methods and observables. As a result, successful individualized treatment of highly malignant and invasive cancers, such as glioblastoma, via surgical resection and chemotherapy cannot be offered and outcomes are generally poor. What is needed is a deterministic, quantifiable method to enable …

Computer Simulation Of Glioma Growth And Morphology, Hermann B. Frieboes, John S Lowengrub, S Wise, X Zheng, Paul Macklin, Elaine L. Bearer, Vittorio Cristini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite major advances in the study of glioma, the quantitative links between intra-tumor molecular/cellular properties, clinically observable properties such as morphology, and critical tumor behaviors such as growth and invasiveness remain unclear, hampering more effective coupling of tumor physical characteristics with implications for prognosis and therapy. Although molecular biology, histopathology, and radiological imaging are employed in this endeavor, studies are severely challenged by the multitude of different physical scales involved in tumor growth, i.e., from molecular nanoscale to cell microscale and finally to tissue centimeter scale. Consequently, it is often difficult to determine the underlying dynamics across dimensions. New techniques …

Genome Sequence Of Fusobacterium Nucleatum Subspecies Polymorphum — A Genetically Tractable Fusobacterium, Sandor E Karpathy, Xiang Qin, Jason Gioia, Huaiyang Jiang, Yamei Liu, Joseph F Petrosino, Shailaja Yerrapragada, George E Fox, Susan Kinder Haake, George M Weinstock, Sarah K Highlander

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a prominent member of the oral microbiota and is a common cause of human infection. F. nucleatum includes five subspecies: polymorphum, nucleatum, vincentii, fusiforme, and animalis. F. nucleatum subsp. polymorphum ATCC 10953 has been well characterized phenotypically and, in contrast to previously sequenced strains, is amenable to gene transfer. We sequenced and annotated the 2,429,698 bp genome of F. nucleatum subsp. polymorphum ATCC 10953. Plasmid pFN3 from the strain was also sequenced and analyzed. When compared to the other two available fusobacterial genomes (F. nucleatum subsp. nucleatum, and F. nucleatum subsp. vincentii) 627 open reading frames unique …

Does Time Really Slow Down During A Frightening Event?, Chess Stetson, Matthew P Fiesta, David M Eagleman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Observers commonly report that time seems to have moved in slow motion during a life-threatening event. It is unknown whether this is a function of increased time resolution during the event, or instead an illusion of remembering an emotionally salient event. Using a hand-held device to measure speed of visual perception, participants experienced free fall for 31 m before landing safely in a net. We found no evidence of increased temporal resolution, in apparent conflict with the fact that participants retrospectively estimated their own fall to last 36% longer than others' falls. The duration dilation during a frightening event, and …