Library Science and Audiovisual Instruction

This departmental history was written on the occasion of the UND Centennial in 1983.https://commons.und.edu/departmental-histories/1037/thumbnail.jp

Y-specific DNA and population structure in natural populations of the house mouse, Mus domesticus.

Natural house mouse (Mus domesticus) populations were screened for Y-specific DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Y-specific DNA restriction fragments were detected using a biotinylated YDNA probe and a nonradioactive detection system. Hybridization of the YDNA probe to female inbred mouse DNA was not detected. Y-specific DNA sequence variation was not detected in natural house mouse populations of southwestern Ontario. The Y-specific DNA sequences detected were identical to those observed in the inbred mouse strains studied. Two situations may explain the lack of detection of Y-specific DNA variability in these mouse populations. First, considerable Y-specific DNA sequence variation may exist but was not detected. Second, Y-specific DNA variability may be infrequent in the mouse populations analyzed. Considering the methods, the former seems unlikely. Low frequency of variation in Y-specific DNA sequences may result either from the loss of new neutral mutations in large populations or in small populations having high levels of gene flow or from strong selective pressures. Considering the small effective population size for Y-linked alleles and the population structuring of these mouse populations, strong selective pressures appear to be the most likely explanation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Biological Sciences. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1990 .H555. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 30-03, page: 0635. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1990

Mapping the Space of Genomic Signatures

We propose a computational method to measure and visualize interrelationships among any number of DNA sequences allowing, for example, the examination of hundreds or thousands of complete mitochondrial genomes. An "image distance" is computed for each pair of graphical representations of DNA sequences, and the distances are visualized as a Molecular Distance Map: Each point on the map represents a DNA sequence, and the spatial proximity between any two points reflects the degree of structural similarity between the corresponding sequences. The graphical representation of DNA sequences utilized, Chaos Game Representation (CGR), is genome- and species-specific and can thus act as a genomic signature. Consequently, Molecular Distance Maps could inform species identification, taxonomic classifications and, to a certain extent, evolutionary history. The image distance employed, Structural Dissimilarity Index (DSSIM), implicitly compares the occurrences of oligomers of length up to $k$ (herein $k=9$) in DNA sequences. We computed DSSIM distances for more than 5 million pairs of complete mitochondrial genomes, and used Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) to obtain Molecular Distance Maps that visually display the sequence relatedness in various subsets, at different taxonomic levels. This general-purpose method does not require DNA sequence homology and can thus be used to compare similar or vastly different DNA sequences, genomic or computer-generated, of the same or different lengths. We illustrate potential uses of this approach by applying it to several taxonomic subsets: phylum Vertebrata, (super)kingdom Protista, classes Amphibia-Insecta-Mammalia, class Amphibia, and order Primates. This analysis of an extensive dataset confirms that the oligomer composition of full mtDNA sequences can be a source of taxonomic information.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1307.375

HD-CNV: hotspot detector for copy number variants.

SUMMARY: Copy number variants (CNVs) are a major source of genetic variation. Comparing CNVs between samples is important in elucidating their potential effects in a wide variety of biological contexts. HD-CNV (hotspot detector for copy number variants) is a tool for downstream analysis of previously identified CNV regions from multiple samples, and it detects recurrent regions by finding cliques in an interval graph generated from the input. It creates a unique graphical representation of the data, as well as summary spreadsheets and UCSC (University of California, Santa Cruz) Genome Browser track files. The interval graph, when viewed with other software or by automated graph analysis, is useful in identifying genomic regions of interest for further study. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: HD-CNV is an open source Java code and is freely available, with tutorials and sample data from http://daleylab.org. CONTACT: [email protected]

Warm Ionized Medium throughout the Sagittarius–Carina Arm

Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper (WHAM) observations of H-Alpha and [S II]$\lambda6716$ emission are used to trace the vertical distribution and physical conditions of the warm ionized medium (WIM) along the Sagittarius-Carina arm. CO emission, tracing cold molecular gas in the plane of the Galaxy, is used as a guide to isolate H-Alpha and [S II] emission along individual spiral arms. Exponential scale heights of electron density squared (or emission measure) are determined using H-Alpha emission above (below) the midplane to be $330 \pm 80$ pc ( $550 \pm 230$ pc) along the near Sagittarius arm, $300 \pm 100$ pc ($250 \pm 30$ pc) along the near Carina arm, and $>1000$ pc along the far Carina arm. The emission measure scale height tends to increase as a function of Galactocentric radius along the Sagittarius-Carina arm for $R_G > 8$ kpc. Physical conditions of the ionized gas are analyzed using the [S II]/H-Alpha line ratio, which more closely traces H-Alpha Intensity than height above the plane, z, suggesting a stronger relationship with the in-situ electron density. We interpret this result as further evidence for the majority of the observed diffuse emission originating from in-situ ionized gas as opposed to scattered light from classical H II regions in the plane.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap

Effect of ovariectomy on the progression of chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) in female Cy/+ rats

Male Cy/+ rats have shown a relatively consistent pattern of progressive kidney disease development that displays multiple key features of late stage chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD), specifically the development of cortical bone porosity. However, progression of disease in female Cy/+ rats, assessed in limited studies, is more heterogeneous and to date has failed to show development of the CKD-MBD phenotype, thus limiting their use as a practical model of progressive CKD-MBD. Animal and human studies suggest that estrogen may be protective against kidney disease in addition to its established protective effect on bone. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine the effect of ovariectomy (OVX) on the biochemical and skeletal manifestations of CKD-MBD in Cy/+ female rats. We hypothesized that OVX would accelerate development of the biochemical and skeletal features of CKD-MBD in female Cy/+ rats, similar to those seen in male Cy/+ rats. Female Cy/+ rats underwent OVX (n = 8) or Sham (n = 8) surgery at 15 weeks of age. Blood was collected every 5 weeks post-surgery until 35 weeks of age, when the rats underwent a 4-day metabolic balance, and the tibia and final blood were collected at the time of sacrifice. OVX produced the expected changes in trabecular and cortical parameters consistent with post-menopausal disease, and negative phosphorus balance compared with Sham. However, indicators of CKD-MBD were similar between OVX and Sham (similar kidney weight, plasma blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, creatinine clearance, phosphorus, calcium, parathyroid hormone, and no cortical porosity). Contrary to our hypothesis, OVX did not produce evidence of development of the CKD-MBD phenotype in female Cy/+ rats

A Brief Centennial Bibliography Of Resources On The History Of The American Sociological Society/Association

Celebrating the centennial of the American Sociological Association provides the ritual occasion and reinforces the intellectual rationale for collectively exploring our professional and organizational roots. To guide us on our way, we have compiled a brief bibliography of relevant materials and exemplars that explicate the early history of the American Sociological Society and – to some degree – its subsequent evolution (the line separating “history” from “current events” is not always easily drawn). Practicing extreme parsimony, we have intentionally excluded literally thousands of otherwise important and instructive published works that focus primarily on specific departments of sociology, the ideas and accomplishments of individual sociologists, the development of sociological theories, the general intellectual history of the discipline as a whole, and myriad other matters of obvious historical and disciplinary interest. We hasten to add, however, that the structure and practical scope of a much more inclusive bibliography is now under consideration and is soon to be implemented. In the interim, we provide here a small down payment: a narrowly defined set of references for selected articles – and still fewer monographs – that specifically address, in various ways, the founding era and subsequent evolution of the American Sociological Society as a professional organization. To these citations, we add lists of relevant journals, abstracts, indexes and databases, and append the locations of archival deposits for the first ten presidents of the American Sociological Society, with the hope of encouraging ever more scholarship on the early history of the ASS/ASA per se. Corrections and suggested additions to this bibliography, focused specifically on the history of the ASS/ASA, are welcomed by the committee. [Submitted December 2004 by the Centennial Bibliography Project Committee]