Uncovering cryptic diversity of desmognathine salamanders in the Cumberland Plateau utilizing molecular genetic techniques

Cryptic species are difficult to identify morphologically; therefore, their distributions are often poorly understood. However, species distributions are critical for evaluating biodiversity in ecology and biodiversity. Dusky salamanders (Desmognathus) are an example of species of North American salamanders that have been particularly difficult to classify. Specifically, in the southern Cumberland Plateau, the dusky salamanders’ distributions are unknown. Desmognathus fuscus and D. conanti have been found to the north and south of the southern Cumberland Plateau, respectively. However, they have not been adequately sampled in this region. I studied genetic variation in the mitochondrial gene CytB in Desmognathus salamanders sampled from four locations in the southern Cumberland Plateau to attempt to determine which species is present in this area. Based on BLAST and phylogenetic analyses of the sequence data, these samples do not appear to be either D. fuscus or D. conanti, but instead are most similar to an undescribed lineage previously identified in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This lineage is currently under further investigation, by other researchers, to determine if it is a new species

To Read or Not to Read: The Influence of Literature on Behavior Management

Perhaps one of the most discussed issues in American education is that of classroom management. This is not simply an elementary-level problem either, as would be expected due to the younger student’s short attention spans, but an issue that affects the middle and high schools as well. More and more, behavioral issues are becoming a problem because they cause disruption in the classroom and restrict the students from reaching their full learning potential. But are these problems only due to the special needs of students, such as ADD or ADHD, or does the issue lie deeper? Perhaps reviewing the literature that adolescents, and even pre-adolescents, are reading will give a little insight into this problem. Harry Potter, Eragon, and other popular literature portray young people with predominantly good and noble intentions but these characters face adversity as a result of authority figures who are either foolish and careless, or conniving and sometimes even pure evil. Although a story about a power struggle may not cause many issues if encountered in an occasional story, the trend has found its way into all types of media and has established itself firmly in the minds of students, persuading them that authority figures in their lives, whether they be parents, school officials or teachers, do not equal their mental capacity and therefore are not worthy of obedience, much less respect. While this attitude has been the precursor to beneficial change in many instances, students must be given the skills and strategies to approach every aspect of literature with a critical eye and be able to understand when disrespect towards authority is necessary and when it is simply disruptive and rebellious. In this way, students will grow into educated, critical yet controlled individuals

Femtosecond pulsed laser direct write production of nano- and microfluidic channels

Nano- and microfluidic channels were produced by selectively delaminating 1200 nm1200nm thermally grown oxide films (SiO2)(SiO2) films from Si(100) substrates using a femtosecond pulsed laser. Single pass channels exhibiting bell-like cross sections with widths of 24 μm24μm and heights of 355 nm355nm were directly written at a speed of 1 cm/s1cm∕s, while larger channels (320 μm320μm in width and ∼ 15 μm∼15μm in height) were produced by laterally overlapping single pass channels. The results of an investigation of the interior surfaces of the channels via atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are presented.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87769/2/183113_1.pd

Preliminary Report of the 2000, 2004, and 2005 Seasons at Tall Jalul, Jordan (Madaba Plains Project)

Since the last full season of excavation in 1999, the Institute of Archaeology at Andrews Univeresity has undertaken three additional expeditions to Tall Jalul as part of the Madaba Plains Project. The first expedition was a brief two-week season, undertaken in 2000, in which a new field of four squares, designated as Field E, was opened immediately north of Field B on the east side of the tall

Femtosecond-laser-induced delamination and blister formation in thermal oxide films on silicon (100)

Silicon (100) substrates with thermal oxide films of varying thickness were irradiated with single and multiple 150 fs150fs laser pulses at normal and non-normal incidences. A range of laser fluence was found in which a blister or domelike feature was produced where the oxide film was delaminated from the substrate. At normal and non-normal incidences blister features were observed for samples with 54, 147, and 1200 nm1200nm of thermal oxide. The blister features were analyzed with optical and atomic force microscopy. In addition, the time frame for blister growth was obtained using pump-probe imaging techniques.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87772/2/153121_1.pd

Antitumor activity and safety of the PARP inhibitor rucaparib in patients with high grade ovarian carcinoma and a germline or somatic BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation: integrated analysis of data from Study 10 and ARIEL2

Objective: An integrated analysis was undertaken to characterize the antitumor activity and safety profile of the oral poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor rucaparib in patients with relapsed high-grade ovarian carcinoma (HGOC). Methods: Eligible patients from Study 10 (NCT01482715) and ARIEL2 (NCT01891344) who received a starting dose of oral rucaparib 600 mg twice daily (BID) with or without food were included in these analyses. The integrated efficacy population included patients with HGOC and a deleterious germline or somatic BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutation who received at least two prior chemotherapies and were sensitive, resistant, or refractory to platinum-based chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed confirmed objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included duration of response (DOR) and progression-free survival (PFS). The integrated safety population included patients with HGOC who received at least one dose of rucaparib 600 mg BID, irrespective of BRCA1/2 mutation status and prior treatments. Results: In the efficacy population (n = 106), ORR was 53.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 43.8–63.5); 8.5% and 45.3% of patients achieved complete and partial responses, respectively. Median DOR was 9.2 months (95% CI, 6.6–11.6). In the safety population (n = 377), the most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were nausea, asthenia/fatigue, vomiting, and anemia/hemoglobin decreased. The most common grade ≥ 3 treatment-emergent AE was anemia/hemoglobin decreased. Treatment-emergent AEs led to treatment interruption, dose reduction, and treatment discontinuation in 58.6%, 45.9%, and 9.8% of patients, respectively. No treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusions: Rucaparib has antitumor activity in advanced BRCA1/2-mutated HGOC and a manageable safety profile

Regulation of lamellipodial persistence, adhesion turnover, and motility in macrophages by focal adhesion kinase

Macrophages are a key component of the innate immune system. In this study, we investigate how focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and the related kinase Pyk2 integrate adhesion signaling and growth factor receptor signaling to regulate diverse macrophage functions. Primary bone marrow macrophages isolated from mice in which FAK is conditionally deleted from cells of the myeloid lineage exhibited elevated protrusive activity, altered adhesion dynamics, impaired chemotaxis, elevated basal Rac1 activity, and a marked inability to form stable lamellipodia necessary for directional locomotion. The contribution of FAK to macrophage function in vitro was substantiated in vivo by the finding that recruitment of monocytes to sites of inflammation was impaired in the absence of FAK. Decreased Pyk2 expression in primary macrophages also resulted in a diminution of invasive capacity. However, the combined loss of FAK and Pyk2 had no greater effect than the loss of either molecule alone, indicating that both kinases function within the same pathway to promote invasion

U.S. Army Small Space Update

In December 2010, the U.S. Army flew its first satellite in 50 years, the SMDC-ONE CubeSat. Placed in a very low orbit, the first SMDC-ONE mission lasted only 35 days but enjoyed great success in demonstrating the viability of CubeSats to perform exfiltration of unattended ground sensors data and serve as a communications relay between ground stations over 1000 land miles apart. The success of SMDC-ONE helped shape the U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command’s (SMDC) programmatic goals for finding new and innovative ways to implement space applications and technologies that aid the warfighter. Since 2010, SMDC has flown ten additional CubeSats including the three SMDC Nanosatellite Program-3 (SNaP) CubeSats currently on orbit (launched October 2015). This paper addresses several SMDC satellite-related development efforts including SNaP, Army Resilient Global On-the-move SATCOM (ARGOS) Ka-band communications microsatellites, Kestrel Eye (an imaging microsatellite), Kestrel Eye Ground Station (KEGS), Common Ground Station (CGS) for all future Army small satellites, supporting technologies including Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) efforts, the Concepts Analysis Laboratory, SMDC Space Laboratory, the ACES RED effort and earlier responsive launch vehicle activities. Several of the lessons learned from previous as well as ongoing satellite activities are also covered