cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Studies of PNP and PCP pincer complexes: synthesis and C-H activation potential of PNP pincer complexes and a PCP pincer complex applied to alkene hydrogenation
Creators: name: Pelczar, Elizabeth M.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: The ability to break the C-H bond, which is considered one of the most inert bonds in chemistry, has vast applications in a wide variety of chemical processes.  (RPCP)Ir pincer complexes have been shown to be highly effective catalysts for C-H activation, in particular in the context of dehydrogenation reactions.  Related to the (RPCP)Ir complexes are (RPNP)M complexes which have not been examined in terms of C-H activation potential.Chapter 2 presents the synthesis and full characterization of two new iron PNP pincer complexes, (tBuPNP)FeCl2 and (tBuPNP)Fe(CO)2.  The dichloride complex is paramagnetic with an unusually long Fe-N bond.  The blue dicarbonyl complex has significantly bent Fe-C-O angles in the solid state and in solution, and appears to be an equilibrium mixture between square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal structures.  Chapter 3 presents the synthesis and full characterization of two new osmium tBuPNP pincer complexes, (tBuPNP)OsCl3 and (tBuPNP)OsH4.  The crystal structure of the hydride complex shows that the complex is a purely classical hydride in the solid state.  Chapter 4 follows up on (tBuPNP)OsH4 by discussing the reactivity of this complex.  Unlike the (RPCP)Ir complexes, (tBuPNP)OsH4 was not found to be an active catalyst for C-H activation, dehydrogenation, or phenylacetylene dimerization.  The difference in reactivity most likely comes from the difference in metal-hydride bond strength.  Chapter 5 discusses the hydrogenation kinetics of trans-5-decene by (tBuPCP)IrH2.  The reaction follows second order kinetics and appears to be largely temperature independent.  The room temperature activation energy, activation enthalpy, and activation entropy were calculated and show that the main barrier comes from entropic factors.  Chapter 6 presents the synthesis and characterization of a new (tBuPCP)IrH-µ2-Cl2-Ir(COD) dimer.  This complex can be thought of as the oxidative addition product of (tBuPCP) with 1/2 [Ir(COD)Cl]2.  The complex was found to be an Ir(I) / Ir(III) dimer with the hydride atom coordinated to the Ir(III) atom that was coordinated to the PCP ligand.
Mentholated cigarettes and risk of acute MI, CHD, and stroke
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: It is well know that cigarette smoking increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States. The purpose of this study is to determine whether mentholated cigarette smokers have a higher risk than smokers of nonmentholated cigarettes for heart attacks and strokes. Some studies have shown that adding menthol to cigarettes may increase the amounts of unhealthy chemicals, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, to which a smoker is exposed. This might result in higher rates of smoking-related diseases including heart attacks and strokes. To conduct this study, we will link information gathered about the smoking habits of more than 80,000 Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program members from 1979 through 1985 with computerized information through 2001 about hospitalizations and deaths from heart attacks and stroke.

 The results of this study will increase knowledge about whether mentholated cigarette smoking is more dangerous to health than smoking of nonmentholated cigarettes, and may be useful for public health interventions.
A computational study of interfacial phenomena in dissociative water confined by nanostructured silica
Creators: name: Mahadevan, Thiruvillamalai Sundareshwaran
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: Molecular Dynamics (MD) Simulation techniques were used to build a dissociative model for water that accurately represents the structure, vibration spectrum and thermal expansion curves over a wide range of temperatures and pressure. The structural changes and interaction of this water model when confined by nano layers of silica were observed. Hydronium formation was observed and the structure and diffusion properties between confined water, bulk water, and water far from the silica interface were compared.The water model was based on a pair potential and atomic water which allows for dissociation of water and its interaction with silica to form silanols. An interaction parameter representing the O-H distance (ξr-OH) was adjusted based on temperature and pressure as a strong correlation was observed between changes in the OH distance and the structure, density and energies of simulated water. The properties of water were close to the experimentally observed physical properties of water. An atomic model for vitreous silica was also built based on the same potential and using the same parameters for oxygen-oxygen interactions in silica as that of water. The cross species interactions (Si-H and Si-O) were determined to accurately predict the structure of vitreous silica and low energy structures of  interacting silicic acid -- water clusters.  Based on the above potentials, a 3nm water film was placed between layers of vitreous silica and MD simulations of the above system were carried out for seven temperatures. The structure of water far away from the interface was closer to that of bulk water and the structure of the penetrated water had features of bulk water at higher temperature and pressure. The self diffusion coefficient of the penetrated water molecules was observed to an order of magnitude lower than that of bulk water. The confined water was also observed to respond differently to changes in temperature as compared to bulk water thus changing the averaged properties of water and exhibiting variation in  phase behavior.
Selymbria pandora Distant 1911
Creators: name: Sanborn, Allen F.
name: Heath, Maxine S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadidae
Selymbria
Selymbria pandora

description: Selymbria pandora Distant, 1911. New record.
Selymbria pandora Distant 1911: 134 (type material examined).
Type locality. Espirito Santo, Brazil.
Remarks. Previously the species was reported from Brazil (Metcalf 1963c).
Material examined. Misiones Province, Puerto Iguazú, 3-I-1991, D. Rojas Lanus coll. (one male, AFSC).
description: Published as part of Sanborn, Allen F. & Heath, Maxine S., 2014, The cicadas of Argentina with new records, a new genus and fifteen new species (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 3883 (1) on page 74, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3883.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4951252
Tobacco-altered tissue of the mouth may promote oral cancer
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Cancers of the mouth and lip are the most common types of cancer in smokeless tobacco, pipe and cigar users. Cigarette smokers also have a higher chance of developing oral cavity cancers relative to non-smokers. While it is well documented that both cigarette smoke extract and smokeless tobacco extract contain multiple compounds that may induce mutations leading to cancer, little is known about the exact mechanisms involved in tumor development in chronic tobacco users.

 We propose to test the hypothesis that nicotine and other tobacco constituents released into the mouth during smokeless tobacco use and/or smoking may induce changes in the tissue structure of the mouth that promote cancer growth and development. In this paradigm, tobacco's ability to cause cancers through induction of mutations may be enhanced by its effect on cells in the supporting tissue.

 We already know that tobacco constituents can cause tumors through their ability to produce genetic mutations. Our goal is to look for a primary or contributory role of mechanisms that involve other cell types that lie adjacent to tumors. A good analogy for our work is the role of the soil in the development of seeds. Tobacco constituents alter genetic make-up of seeds by causing mutations. Here, we test the hypothesis that the soil is also affected, which in turn promotes development of the plant from the seed i.e., formation of tumors. These experiments are important because under normal conditions, the supporting tissue regulates the growth and behavior of the cells above it. If this control is relaxed, precancerous cells have greater probability of developing into cancer. Thus, we plan to apply established cell culture model systems for studying the influence of supporting cells on tumor development and evaluate the role of altered supporting cells in tobacco-related cancer.

 This study seeks to fill a gap in our knowledge of cellular events involved in tobacco-related cancer progression. It will determine the influence of the tobacco-altered tissue environment and its contribution to tumor development, and provide potential new strategies for clinical intervention. If our hypothesis is correct, this project will lay the ground for a more detailed exploration into new ways to curb the negative effects of tobacco in promoting cancer, and open new strategies for cancer prevention immediately after tobacco use cessation. In doing so, we hope to uncover new targets for drug intervention.
Design in Raphael's Roman workshop
Creators: name: Giuffre, Joseph R.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: This dissertation examines the frescoes of the Vatican Stanze and the altarpiece of the Transfiguration and all the drawings associated with them in an effort to understand the design process in Raphael's Roman workshop.  During the last six years of his life Raphael developed a new way of deploying the talented artists in his shop.  He employed specialists to perform specific tasks called for by certain commissions.  He also trained assistants to perform specific tasks related to the design of major paintings.  By the end of Raphael's life, Giulio Romano had emerged as a major artistic force.  Once the drawings for the Vatican frescoes are examined in the context of all the available documentary evidence, it becomes clear that Giulio designed important parts of the Vatican fresco cycles, sometimes with no apparent intervention by the master and that Giovanni Francesco Penni created modelli of complex compositions that had been worked up by the master or by Giulio.  I draw a different conclusion from all previous scholars who always reserved the ideation of the works of art to Raphael's creative genius alone.  Unlike earlier scholars I see the mind, not just the hand, of Giulio Romano and Giovanni Francesco Penni engaged in the design process.  This new way of working may have been suggested to Raphael by his experience working with Pinturicchio on the designs for the frescoes of the Piccolomini Library in Siena.  Raphael created original design drawings for this project despite the fact that he was employed by an artist thirty years his senior who had been commissioned to carry out the work.  Just as in this case, when Raphael became too busy to attend to every detail of his production himself he did not reserve the design process to himself.  In fact, in most cases he seems to have allowed assistants to design and carry through major paintings.  He and his shop managed to create innovative and sophisticated works of art while at the same time inviting new ways of working that challenged traditional notions of artistic genius and creativity.
Effect of nicotine on fetal hemopoietic stem cell migration
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Studies of the effects of cigarette smoking by pregnant women on intrauterine development of the offspring are foremost, since the development of the child is likely to be hindered. Infants whose mothers smoked during pregnancy have lower size and weight at birth and are not only predisposed to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, but also to a severe immunodeficiency. Thus, the goal of this grant application is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to dysfunction of the immune system in children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy.

 Hematopoiesis, generation of mature blood cells, is vital for life: the white cells fight infections, the red cells carry oxygen throughout the body, and the platelets promote healing and prevent bleeding. The hematopoietic stem cell is a progenitor cell that generates all varieties of mature blood cells throughout life. During adult life, hematopoiesis takes place in the bone marrow. However, colonization of the bone marrow with primitive hematopoietic stem cells must occur during intrauterine development of the fetus. Thus, any changes in the ability of primitive hematopoietic stem cells to egress from the fetal liver, to immigrate into the fetal bone marrow and to establish normal hematopoiesis could be deleterious to the newborn. Nicotine is one such factor, the exposure to which could lead to serious alterations in the bone marrow development, resulting in a disruption of hematopoietic homeostasis and a changed ratio of mature cells in the blood. Indeed, we have demonstrated that newborn mice exposed to nicotine during intrauterine development have a lower number of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow in comparison to control animals. Furthermore, these mice had severe immunodeficiency during the first month after birth. Based on our preliminary observations, we propose to investigate how nicotine can alter the ability of bone marrow stromal cells to produce soluble factors that mediate migration of hematopoietic stem cells, colonization of the bone marrow and production of mature blood cells. In addition, we plan to examine whether nicotine-induced immunodeficiency in newborn mice is due to inhibition of the functional activity of the immune cells or is a result of impaired colonization of the bone marrow with hematopoietic stem cells and lower production of lymphoid progenitor cells and, consequently, mature immune cells.

 The proposed grant application will use the current knowledge in experimental hematology to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that affect embryonic development of the hematopoietic and immune systems. Studying the effect of nicotine on intrauterine development may open a new area of research, which could ultimately establish a basis for novel therapeutic approaches to the treatment of tobacco-related immunodeficiency.
Multiphysics computations on celluar interaction in complex geometries and vortex-accelerated vorticity deposition in Richtmyer-Meshkov instability
Creators: name: Peng, Gaozhu
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: The cellular interactions during leukocyte margination and adhesion cascade incardiovascular microcirculations are multi-scale and multiphysics phenomena, involving fluid flow, cell mechanics, chemical reaction kinetics and transport, fluid structure interaction. The vascular network in vivo has rather complicated topology unlike straight and flat channels and pipes where most biological experiments in vitro and numerical simulations are carried. A computational framework is formulated towards a goal of building a virtual blood vessel system to simulate the hydrodynamic and kinetic interactions of blood cells in complex vascular geometries, including vascular network bifurcations and irregular shapes of the endothelial monolayer lining the blood vessel lumen in vivo. Mixed front tracking, immersed boundary and ghost cell methods areapplied. The codes are benchmarked and validated with five selected problems. We find that the erythrocyte-leukocyte interaction, leukocyte-leukocyte interaction, and vascular geometries play important roles in leukocyte margination, initial tethering and adhesion to the vascular endothelium.In part II of the dissertation, we studied the two-dimensional microscale Richtmyer-Meshkov interfaces and discovered the self-driven vortex-accelerated vorticity deposition (VAVD) process. Opposite-signed secondary vorticity deposited by the VAVD is rolled into vortex double layers which are extremely unstable and lead to enhanced fluid mixing. The VAVD process examined and the new quantification procedure, the circulation rate of change, comprise a new vortex paradigm for examining the effect of specific initial conditions on the evolution of Richtmyer-Meshkov and Rayleigh-Taylor interfaces through intermediate times.
Alastor (Alastor) venkataramani Kumar and Carpenter 2015
Creators: name: Pannure, Arati
name: Carpenter, James M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eumenidae
Alastor
Alastor venkataramani

description: Alastor (Alastor) venkataramani Kumar and Carpenter, 2015
Material examined. No specimens examined.
Distribution. India: Telangana [Adilabad (Tarnam)] (Girish Kumar & Carpenter 2015).
description: Published as part of Pannure, Arati & Carpenter, James M., 2016, Taxonomic studies on potter wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) of south India, pp. 1-50 in Zootaxa 4171 (1) on page 21, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4171.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/258090
Regulation of postsynaptic AMPA receptor trafficking by MAPK pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans neurons
Creators: name: Park, Eunchan
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: AMPA (a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate)-type glutamate receptors mediate the majority of the rapid ongoing excitatory neurotransmission in the brain. The spatio-temporal regulation of AMPA receptor trafficking, which includes endocytosis and recycling, is a crucial process for synaptic plasticity, and is therefore important for learning and memory. Signaling cascades, including the MAPK pathways, have been implicated in the regulation of synaptic plasticity in mammals. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which MAPK pathways regulate AMPA receptor trafficking. In C. elegans, the AMPA receptor subunit GLR-1 is trafficked to synapses within a circuit that regulate locomotion reversal. GLR-1 undergoes clathrin-dependent endocytosis, and its recycling is mediated by the PDZ protein LIN-10; mutations in lin-10 result in the accumulation of GLR-1 in an internal compartment. From the screening of genetic modifiers of lin-10, we identified mutations in rpm-1 as an enhancer of lin-10. We find that RPM-1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, negatively regulates PMK-3 (p38 MAPK) activity by decreasing upstream DLK-1(MAPKKK) levels, and that PMK-3 is involved in clathrin-dependent/RAB-5-mediated endocytosis of GLR-1. However, intriguingly, the loss of function mutations of two known components of PMK-3 pathways, dlk-1(mapkkk) and mkk-4 (mapkk), do not suppress GLR-1 accumulation, unlike the mutations of pmk-3. By examining other known MAPKKs in C. elegans, we find that mutations in jkk-1 suppress the GLR-1 accumulation in lin-10 mutants, similar to mutations in pmk-3. Moreover, we find that mutations in sek-1, another MAPKK, result in the accumulation of GLR-1. Finally, by examining the orthologs of Ras family protein known to function upstream of MAPK pathways in mammals, we find that RAP-1 regulates GLR-1 trafficking.  Taken together, our results suggest that multiple MAPK pathways regulate AMPA receptor trafficking, sometimes with opposite outcomes. Moreover, our results indicate that there is crosstalk between MAPK pathways, and that factors like RPM-1 act to regulate such crosstalk.
Efficacy of the nicotine patch in adolescents & young adults
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Tobacco smoking is of particularly concern among adolescents and young adults given the fact that the majority of adult smokers became regular smokers before the age of 20. Even more concerning is the fact that most adolescent smokers have tried to quit but failed. Because the effects of tobacco smoking are additive, intervening among young adult and adolescent smokers early is imperative to help prevent the costly and often devastating effect of tobacco related disease. The role of nicotine replacement as a way of helping smokers wishing to quit has already been proven effective among adult smokers. Despite the enormous problem of tobacco use among the young, only one study has examined the effectiveness of the nicotine replacement patch in adolescents. Unfortunately, this study did not use tobacco cessation counseling as part of the treatment. To the best of our knowledge, no study has utilized both comprehensive counseling and nicotine replacement in adolescents and young adults. The goal of this research is to study the nicotine replacement patch along with weekly counseling among a group of extremely “high-risk,” economically disadvantaged young adults living at a Job Corps facility in Northern California. Following this group of young smokers, we propose to: 1) determine whether or not these extremely high-risk young adults will use the patch, 2) examine their satisfaction with the patch, 3) identify issues around and barriers to compliance with the patch, and 4) determine the efficacy of the nicotine patch in this group of young adults.

 The study population will be approximately 100 economically disadvantaged and largely minority, young adults (ages18-24) living at a Job Corps facility in Northern California who smoke at least 10 cigarettes per day and are interested in quitting. Study participants will be recruited during routine visits at an onsite medical clinic and through flyers and posters. Participants will receive 10 weeks of weekly counseling along with step-wise nicotine replacement. Follow-up will occur at 12, 24 and 52 weeks and will include data on smoking status, which will be confirmed by salivary cotinine levels.

 In addition to providing information on treating tobacco dependence in this high-risk group of difficult to treat adolescents and young adults, we hope to provide a framework for the development of similar tobacco cessation programs at other residential facilities.
Taphura Stal 1862
Creators: name: Sanborn, Allen F.
name: Heath, Maxine S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadidae
Taphura

description: Taphura Stål, 1862
Type species. Cicada misella Stål, 1862 (Brazil).
Remarks. Our records extend the distribution of the genus into Argentina. Species of the genus are recorded from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Panama, Peru, Surinam, and Venezuela (Metcalf 1963c; Duffels & van der Laan 1985; Wolda & Ramos 1992; Sanborn 2007a; 2010a; 2011b; 2013).
description: Published as part of Sanborn, Allen F. & Heath, Maxine S., 2014, The cicadas of Argentina with new records, a new genus and fifteen new species (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 3883 (1) on pages 74-75, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3883.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4951252
Effects of temporary inactivation of dorsal hippocampus on explicitly nonspatial, unimodal, contextual fear learning
Creators: name: Parsons, Teresa Camille
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: Several studies have reported that dorsal hippocampal damage attenuates the acquisition (Kim et al., 1993; Phillips & LeDoux, 1992; Young et al., 1994) or expression (Anagnostaras et al., 1999; Holt & Maren, 1999) of recently acquired contextual fear conditioning. "Context" is often operationalized as the conditioning chamber in which CS-US pairings occurred. However, the hippocampus is known to participate in spatial learning, presenting interpretative difficulties regarding the role of dorsal hippocampus in learning and memory. The current study examined the effects of temporary inactivation of DH on freezing, rearing, ambulating, grooming, and whisking behavior in an explicitly nonspatial contextual fear conditioning paradigm, where olfactory stimuli served as temporally and spatially diffuse contexts. Results indicate that temporary inactivation of DH produced both anterograde and retrograde deficits in contextually conditioned freezing, while sparing the acquisition and expression of freezing to a discrete auditory CS. Further, animals with DH inactivation froze modestly and similarly to the unsafe and safe contextual stimuli, while intact animals froze robustly to the unsafe, but not the safe, contextual stimulus. These data indicate that there is a decidedly nonspatial component to the role of DH in contextual conditioning, and suggest that olfactory contextual conditioning is a fruitful means of further exploring this function.
Allorhynchium van der Vecht 1963
Creators: name: Pannure, Arati
name: Carpenter, James M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eumenidae
Allorhynchium

description: Genus Allorhynchium van der Vecht, 1963
Allorhynchium van der Vecht 1963: 57 –58, type species: Vespa argentata Fabricius, 1804, by original designation
Diagnosis. Mandibles longer than length of clypeus, distinctly cross each other. Clypeus as long as wide, generally emarginate apically. Cephalic foveae present in depression on vertex. Vertex not sloping behind ocelli. Pronotal carina complete. Epicnemial carina generally developed. Anterior face of pronotum smooth and shiny without median foveae. Pretegular carina present. Tegula longer than wide, emarginate adjoining parategula, not reaching posterior end of parategula. Notauli absent. Scutellum and posterior part of mesoscutum punctate. Axillary fossa narrow. Scutellum flat. Metanotum not dentate. Postscutellum entirely forming part of the dorsal surface of thorax, never with pronounced declivity. Propodeal dorsum in line with metanotum, raised, shelf-like to same level. Declivity of propodeum with median carina which runs upwards in to deep, oval, fovea at a short distance from metanotum. Propodeum with transverse ridges posteriorly. Propodeal orifice wide dorsally. Propodeal valvula not free from submarginal carina posteriorly. Metasoma sessile. T1 as wide as T2, wider than long. T1 and T2 without lamellae. SMC3 separated from apex of marginal cell by a distance shorter than its minimum width (Fig. 60). Prestigma more than half pterostigma length. SMC2 basally acute. ♂: F11 hook like, F10, F11 shorter than preceeding segments; no cavity on inner margin of flagellomeres. Body length usually less than 15mm.
Distribution. Oriental, Australian and Palaearctic Regions.
description: Published as part of Pannure, Arati & Carpenter, James M., 2016, Taxonomic studies on potter wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) of south India, pp. 1-50 in Zootaxa 4171 (1) on page 22, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4171.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/258090
Stem cell engineering of the endoderm: approaches to controlling endoderm induction and differentiation from embryonic stem cells
Creators: name: Parashurama, Natesh
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: Embryonic stem (ES) cell technology holds promise for curing innumerable human ailments. However, studies of the endoderm germ layer and its derivatives (liver, pancreas, and lung) are lacking. The overall objective of this thesis is to elucidate the factors that influence endoderm induction and differentiation from ES cells. To improve results in aggregate culture, a microfabricated PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) stencil was engineered using standard soft lithography techniques used to control ES cells. Precise control over initial aggregate size was obtained, varying the initial aggregate size from 100-500 µm. Analysis of the cells by RT-PCR (Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction) demonstrated endoderm on Day 10 and hepatocyte-like cells on Day 20, but a mixed population was present. To further enhance endoderm induction, a coculture system was developed. The culture of ES cells on top of collagen-sandwiched mature rat hepatocytes, resulted in a rapid proliferation into a 95% positive endoderm progenitor population by Day 10. Late stage differentiation of these cells and placement in a extracorporeal device to support liver failure in rats resulted in enhanced (50%) survival. To further understand endoderm induction, a simpler culture system was developed. The culture of ES cells on fibronectin-coated collagen gels resulted in an endoderm fraction of 53% by Day 10 that remained committed upon in vivo implantation.  Treatment with activin, an important TGFβ superfamily soluble factor, caused an 80% decrease in the endoderm fraction, while follistatin, an activin inhibitor with unknown function, increased the endoderm fraction to 78%. The activin treated population delayed the induction of endoderm by preventing differentiation of its transient precursors, the epiblast and mesendoderm. Differentiation of activin treated cells to Day 24 resulted in a two-fold reduction in hepatic gene expression and three-fold reduction in hepatic protein expression of when compared to follistatin-treated cells. Subcutaneous transplantation of activin-treated cells resulted in generated a heterogeneous teratoma-like mass, suggesting these cells were primitive. In summary, factors that influence endoderm induction include initial size of aggregate, coculture environment, extracellular matrix, and soluble factors. Two new tools for evaluating clinical applications include in vivo implantation and placement in an extracorporeal device.
Neuroadaptations underlying nicotine dependence
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: More than 10 years ago the United States Surgeon General recognized tobacco-smoking as the number one preventable cause of death in the USA (US Department of Health and Human Services 1988). In the same report, it was also indicated that nicotine is the main component of cigarettes that leads to the habit of smoking because the individual gradually becomes addicted to nicotine. The fact that nicotine is addictive is indicated by the fact that smokers frequently fail to quit. Approximately 80% of the individuals attempting to quit resume smoking within a year, even though these individuals are often fully aware of the potential harmful effects of smoking on health. One of the reasons that quitting smoking is difficult is that it results in a withdrawal syndrome consisting of both affective (e.g., anxiety, irritability) and somatic components (e.g., gastrointestinal disorders, weight gain). Increasing evidence, however, suggests that the affective symptoms are of greater importance in contributing to relapse than the somatic symptoms.

 In the brain, nicotine produces its effects by activating specific sites called receptors, and more specifically, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Stimulation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors induces a variety of secondary effects involving the neurotransmitter dopamine that acts on dopamine receptors. There is evidence that adaptations in the brain cholinergic and dopaminergic system resulting from long-term nicotine exposure are responsible for the withdrawal signs experienced after quitting smoking. Hence, the aim of the proposed studies is to investigate which parts of the brain reward circuit and which receptor subtypes are responsible for the affective symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. It is predicted that the receptor blockers will induce an elevation in brain reward thresholds in the nicotine dependent, but not in the non-dependent subjects. This pattern of results will indicate that adaptations in the acetylcholine and dopamine receptors in the selected subregions of the brain reward circuit are critically involved in the development of nicotine dependence.

 The proposed studies will provide valuable information that could help in the design of effective pharmacological treatments for smoking cessation, and the avoidance of the detrimental effects of tobacco smoking on health.
Taphura hastifera
Creators: name: Sanborn, Allen F.
name: Heath, Maxine S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadidae
Taphura
Taphura hastifera

description: Taphura hastifera (Walker, 1858). New record.
Cicada hastifera Walker 1858a: 25 (type material examined).
Type locality. Santarem, Brazil.
Remarks. Previously the species was reported from Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, and Panama (Metcalf 1963c; Wolda & Ramos 1992; Sanborn 2007a).
Material examined. Misiones, Parque National Iguazú, Research Station CIES. 185 msnm, 6-I-2008, S 25 o 40.733’ W 54 o 26.972’, Moulds, Hill, Marshall & Goemans 08.AR.MN.IES.08 (one male, UCMS).
description: Published as part of Sanborn, Allen F. & Heath, Maxine S., 2014, The cicadas of Argentina with new records, a new genus and fifteen new species (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 3883 (1) on page 75, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3883.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4951252
Regulation of integrin activation by calcineurin
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Cardiovascular disease is one major consequence of excessive tobacco use. Blood cells are recruited to the lesions of blood vessels resulting from smoking. These cells may eventually undergo extensive physiological changes that lead to clot formation. A group of proteins on cell surface, known as integrin, facilitate the recruitment of blood cells. Integrin determines the "stickiness" of a cell and also how fast a cell moves. Integrins thus represents attractive target molecules for therapeutic manipulation of blood cells. Thus, it is of great importance to clearly understand how the biological function of integrin is controlled, which is now the objective of my proposal.

 This proposal focuses on one type of integrin, namely alpha 4 integrin, which like all other integrins, has a large extracellular domain on the outside of cell surface and a short tail on the inside of cell membrane. While the large extracellular domain binds to surface proteins presented from neighboring cells, the short tail makes connections to proteins inside a cell. Through such connections, alpha 4 integrin sends off signals deep into a cell who will then respond to these signals by altering its "behavior". We previously found that its connections to proteins inside a cell are severed when the short tail of alpha4 integrin is modified in the form of addition of a chemical group called "phosphate". My objective is to identify enzyme(s) that catalyze the addition of this chemical group, plus enzymes that conversely remove such a modification.

 This proposal will reveal a biological circuit that controls the movement of cells. The knowledge garnered from the study will help to identify novel targets for which drugs can be designed to hamper cardiovascular diseases.
Effects of the number and spacing of  conditioning sessions on spontaneous recovery from extinction
Creators: name: Papachristos, Efstathios B.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: Although it has been more than 80 years since Pavlov first observed spontaneous recovery from extinction, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain a mystery. The majority of the proposed models attribute spontaneous recovery to a time-induced change in extinction-related processes. Recent findings, however, point also to the importance of elapsed time since acquisition, not just since extinction. These findings suggest that various temporal parameters of the learning episode may be explicitly represented in order to guide future choice on whether an animal should invest to a signal that has produced more than it has failed. In the present experiments, we used a conditioned magazine approach in the mouse to investigate whether and how various temporal parameters of acquisition affected spontaneous recovery. We found that prolonging the duration of acquisition, either by distributing the same number of acquisition trials across more sessions, or by spacing the same conditioning sessions more widely, augmented spontaneous recovery. Further investigation of the former effect revealed that the session is an important unit of learning experience, while the number of trials within a session is not a primary determinant for spontaneous recovery. Finally, we quantitatively characterized extinction at the level of the individual subject and found it to be abrupt. It took a few trials to appear but became complete almost immediately.
Determination of the molecular mobilty and oxygen  permeability in amorphous protein films
Creators: name: Nack, Thomas J.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: In food systems, the amorphous solid is a metastable region subject to chemical, physical, and biological deterioration influenced by chemical structure and composition, environmental factors, and molecular mobility.  Molecular mobility is thought to determine the rates of physiochemical changes occurring during food processing and storage.  Temperature affects the motion of molecules, and therefore, the stability and quality of amorphous solids.   To understand the events that occur at the macroscopic level in foods, we must first understand the events that take place at the molecular level.  Phosphorescence can be used to monitor the distribution of molecular mobility and oxygen permeability in heterogeneous foods, providing the molecular detail necessary to connect food quality and stability to molecular structure, molecular mobility, and oxygen permeability.  In initial studies, erythrosin B was embedded into model protein systems (BSA and gelatin), and phosphorescence techniques such as lifetime and emission energy were used to determine the molecular mobility and oxygen permeability as a function of temperature.  Next, studies were performed on a more complicated model system of BSA and sugars, followed by a progression to the simple food systems of gelatin and dried collagen sausage casings.  Finally, a method was developed to study actual sausages stuffed into erythrosin B doped collagen sausage casings via an external fiber optic coupler from the fluorescence spectrophotometer. The matrices studied showed a positive correlation between molecular mobility and oxygen permeability, and also, dynamic site heterogeneity.  The addition of sucrose and trehalose to amorphous BSA films greatly reduced oxygen permeability.  Gelatin showed a significantly lower molecular mobility (higher rigidity) as compared to BSA and collagen casings, and collagen casings were the least permeable to oxygen.   Dried collagen casings became more heterogeneous and permeable to oxygen with aging.   Measurements on sausages stuffed into erythrosin B doped casings demonstrated that this technique was very sensitive to oxygen quenching under different types of packaging and storage conditions.  This was the first time phosphorescent techniques have been applied to actual food products in this manor, and future research will involve optimizing this technique by correlating the phosphorescent measurements to food quality and stability.
Taphura misella
Creators: name: Sanborn, Allen F.
name: Heath, Maxine S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadidae
Taphura
Taphura misella

description: Taphura misella (Stål, 1854). New record.
Cicada misella Stål 1862: 243 (type material examined).
Type locality. Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Remarks. Previously the species was recorded from Brazil (Metcalf 1963c).
Material examined. Misiones, 20 km N Dos de Mayo on RP 11, 425 msnm, 5-I-2008, Search, S 26 o 55.913’ W 54 o 42.984’, Moulds, Hill, Marshall & Goemans 08.AR.MN.CMP.01 (one male, UCMS); Misiones, 20 km N Dos de Mayo on RP 11, 425 msnm, 5-I-2008, Hg–vapor, S 26 o 55.913’ W 54 o 42.984’, Moulds, Hill, Marshall & Goemans 08.AR.MN.CMP.25 (one male, UCMS).
description: Published as part of Sanborn, Allen F. & Heath, Maxine S., 2014, The cicadas of Argentina with new records, a new genus and fifteen new species (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 3883 (1) on page 75, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3883.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4951252
Allorhynchium anomalum Giordani Soika 1992
Creators: name: Pannure, Arati
name: Carpenter, James M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eumenidae
Allorhynchium
Allorhynchium anomalum

description: Allorhynchium anomalum Giordani Soika, 1992
Material examined. No specimens examined.
Distribution. India: Kerala [Trivandum Distr., Ernakulum (Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary)] (Girish Kumar & Sharma 2015a; Girish Kumar et al. 2016).
description: Published as part of Pannure, Arati & Carpenter, James M., 2016, Taxonomic studies on potter wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) of south India, pp. 1-50 in Zootaxa 4171 (1) on page 22, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4171.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/258090
Water use and summer stress tolerance mechanisms for creeping bentgrass and  Kentucky bluegrass
Creators: name: McCann, Stephen E.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stoloniferia) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa Pratensis L.) are two widely-used cool-season grasses grown extensively in northern regions of the United States.  Creeping bentgrass is primarily used on golf courses, while Kentucky bluegrass has extensive uses in both home lawns and sports fields.  Each of these areas of use are coming under increased scrutiny in regards to water management and conservation.  Communities are increasingly putting greater restrictions on both the amount and type of water that can be used for irrigating golf courses, sports fields, and home lawns. The focus of our project was to develop a greater understanding of these grasses' water use, as a way to establish ideal water management practices.  The field portion of the project focused on irrigation frequency as applied to three bentgrass species maintained as golf course fairways.  Results suggested that reducing frequency and watering one or two times per week, while still replacing 100% of evapotranspiration (ET), produced equivalent, if not improved turf quality, and actually held water deeper in the soil profile, reducing evaporation losses to the atmosphere.  In addition to the field portion of the project, experiments were conducted in growth chambers evaluating both creeping bentgrass and Kentucky bluegrass physiological responses to drought and summer stress. Specific findings suggested that exfoliar application of abscisic acid (ABA) or trinexapac-ethyl, a giberrelin inhibitor, significantly improved plant drought tolerance.  Further research evaluated genotypic variation between varieties of these species, suggesting that both tolerance and avoidance traits are employed to protect plant physiological function under water deficit.
Development of controlled release antimicrobial films from low methoxyl pectin
Creators: name: Marathe, Rohini
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2008

description: Biopolymer-based controlled release antimicrobial packaging is an innovative packaging that aids in controlled replenishment of antimicrobial compound at the food surface, where it is required the most. Various biopolymers have been evaluated for controlled release purposes; focus being mainly on their antimicrobial effectiveness.  However, low methoxyl pectin, with the potential to control release of active compounds by forming different degrees of crosslinking, has not been exploited in antimicrobial packaging and there is a lack of understanding of different variables affecting the release properties of active compounds from pectin films. The main objective of this thesis was to identify the key variables involved in the development of pectin-based antimicrobial films by evaluation of the effect of different variables such as composition variables (size of active compound and degree of calcium crosslinking), process variables (pH of pectin, method of crosslinking), and environmental variables on the release of antimicrobial compounds, especially nisin. A secondary objective was to demonstrate the concept that release of active compounds could be altered by varying the degree of calcium crosslinking within the pectin matrix. Antimicrobial compounds such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and nisin were chosen based on their different physical and chemical properties. Coomassie blue dye was used as a model compound for proof of concept. Films were produced from LM pectin by varying the DE of pectin and calcium concentration using the solution casting method. Release of antimicrobial compounds into water as a food simulant was measured by UV/Visible spectrophotometry or HPLC or agar diffusion assay, depending on the antimicrobial compound being evaluated. Degree of calcium crosslinking, pH of pectin slurry and method of calcium crosslinking were identified as the key variables controlling release of nisin from pectin films. Electrostatic attraction between pectin and nisin at pH above pKa of pectin was not sufficiently strong to prevent the release of nisin. Release studies with dye-containing pectin films demonstrated that variable release rates could be obtained by altering the degree of calcium crosslinking.