2021 State of the Commonwealth Report

This is Old Dominion University’s seventh annual State of the Commonwealth Report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion, its president, Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. With the 2021 election in the rearview mirror, the question now becomes: Where does Virginia go from here? Our work seeks to contribute to this conversation without glossing over the challenges we face. We want to encourage the difficult conversations to help Virginia improve the outcomes for all its residents in the coming years

Peak grain forecasts for the US High Plains amid withering waters

Irrigated agriculture contributes 40% of total global food production. In the US High Plains, which produces more than 50 million tons per year of grain, as much as 90% of irrigation originates from groundwater resources, including the Ogallala aquifer. In parts of the High Plains, groundwater resources are being depleted so rapidly that they are considered nonrenewable, compromising food security. When groundwater becomes scarce, groundwater withdrawals peak, causing a subsequent peak in crop production. Previous descriptions of finite natural resource depletion have utilized the Hubbert curve. By coupling the dynamics of groundwater pumping, recharge, and crop production, Hubbert-like curves emerge, responding to the linked variations in groundwater pumping and grain production. On a state level, this approach predicted when groundwater withdrawal and grain production peaked and the lag between them. The lags increased with the adoption of efficient irrigation practices and higher recharge rates. Results indicate that, in Texas, withdrawals peaked in 1966, followed by a peak in grain production 9 y later. After better irrigation technologies were adopted, the lag increased to 15 y from 1997 to 2012. In Kansas, where these technologies were employed concurrently with the rise of irrigated grain production, this lag was predicted to be 24 y starting in 1994. In Nebraska, grain production is projected to continue rising through 2050 because of high recharge rates. While Texas and Nebraska had equal irrigated output in 1975, by 2050, it is projected that Nebraska will have almost 10 times the groundwater-based production of Texas

In NPH, setting valve opening pressure close to lumbar puncture opening pressure decreases overdrainage

Background. The management of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) can be difficult, partly because there are frequent treatment complications such as overdrainage which, when serious, may require surgical intervention. We previously reported a correlation between the difference of lumbar puncture opening pressure minus the valve opening pressure setting (LPOP–VOP) (which we refer to as the delta) and increased rates of overdrainage. This led to a modification in our practice, whereby we now set the VOP equal to, or close to, the LPOP, resulting in lower deltas. Objective. In this new study, our aim was to compare the rate of overdrainage in our patients with higher and lower deltas and assess the significance of setting the VOP equal, or close, to the patient’s LPOP. Methods. 1. We reproduced the association between delta and overdrainage. 2. We compared the incidence of overdrainage in those whose VOP was set close to LPOP (low delta) versus those with VOP setting distant from the LPOP (higher delta). 3. We compared symptom improvement in those with a low versus higher delta. Results. We confirmed the relation between high delta and an increased rate of overdrainage, lower rates of overdrainage in those whose VOP was set close to the LPOP (Delta Adjusted Practice), and better improvement of symptoms when the VOP was set closer to the LPOP. Conclusion. We propose that the initial VOP should be set as close as possible to the patient’s LPOP to decrease overdrainage without compromising symptom improvement

Evidence of predation /scavenging on Moschidae (Mammalia, Ruminantia) from the Late Miocene of Spain

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92040/1/j.1502-3931.2011.00294.x.pd

Heritability of non-speech auditory processing skills

Recent insight into the genetic bases for autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, stuttering, and language disorders suggest that neurogenetic approaches may also reveal at least one etiology of auditory processing disorder (APD). A person with an APD typically has difficulty understanding speech in background noise despite having normal pure-tone hearing sensitivity. The estimated prevalence of APD may be as high as 10% in the pediatric population, yet the causes are unknown and have not been explored by molecular or genetic approaches. The aim of our study was to determine the heritability of frequency and temporal resolution for auditory signals and speech recognition in noise in 96 identical or fraternal twin pairs, aged 6–11 years. Measures of auditory processing (AP) of non-speech sounds included backward masking (temporal resolution), notched noise masking (spectral resolution), pure-tone frequency discrimination (temporal fine structure sensitivity), and nonsense syllable recognition in noise. We provide evidence of significant heritability, ranging from 0.32 to 0.74, for individual measures of these non-speech-based AP skills that are crucial for understanding spoken language. Identification of specific heritable AP traits such as these serve as a basis to pursue the genetic underpinnings of APD by identifying genetic variants associated with common AP disorders in children and adults

Structure of a highly conserved domain of rock1 required for shroom-mediated regulation of cell morphology

Rho-associated coiled coil containing protein kinase (Rho-kinase or Rock) is a well-defined determinant of actin organization and dynamics in most animal cells characterized to date. One of the primary effectors of Rock is non-muscle myosin II. Activation of Rock results in increased contractility of myosin II and subsequent changes in actin architecture and cell morphology. The regulation of Rock is thought to occur via autoinhibition of the kinase domain via intramolecular interactions between the N-terminus and the C-terminus of the kinase. This autoinhibited state can be relieved via proteolytic cleavage, binding of lipids to a Pleckstrin Homology domain near the C-terminus, or binding of GTP-bound RhoA to the central coiled-coil region of Rock. Recent work has identified the Shroom family of proteins as an additional regulator of Rock either at the level of cellular distribution or catalytic activity or both. The Shroom-Rock complex is conserved in most animals and is essential for the formation of the neural tube, eye, and gut in vertebrates. To address the mechanism by which Shroom and Rock interact, we have solved the structure of the coiled-coil region of Rock that binds to Shroom proteins. Consistent with other observations, the Shroom binding domain is a parallel coiled-coil dimer. Using biochemical approaches, we have identified a large patch of residues that contribute to Shrm binding. Their orientation suggests that there may be two independent Shrm binding sites on opposing faces of the coiled-coil region of Rock. Finally, we show that the binding surface is essential for Rock colocalization with Shroom and for Shroom-mediated changes in cell morphology. © 2013 Mohan et al

Efficacy of double vs. standard empagliflozin dose for METabolic syndromE tReatment (DEMETER — SIRIO 11) study. Rationale and protocol of the study

Complex metabolic disorders associated with obesity and diabetes pose a serious therapeutic challenge. The DEMETER-SIRIO 11 study is a phase III, multicenter, randomized, open-label, investigator-initiated clinical trial with a 6-month follow-up aimed at performing a comparative evaluation of the effect of two empagliflozin doses (10 mg vs. 20 mg) on selected metabolic parameters in patients with metabolic syndrome. The primary hypothesis of the study is that a higher dose of empagliflozin will result in a significant reduction of BMI and HbA1c in patients with obesity and MS receiving empagliflozin 20 mg as compared to 10 mg. Sample size and power calculation were based on a superiority assumption for the primary efficacy endpoint (the difference in decrease of body weight by > 1.5 kg and HbA1c by > 0.4%) for the higher vs. standard dose arm at 6-months of follow-up. Therefore, a sample size of 79 patients per arm is required to provide 80% power to detect a higher decrease in BMI, and 85 patients per arm is required to provide 80% power to detect a higher decrease in HbA1c in the 20 mg versus 10 mg arm with a type I error rate of 0.05. Summing up, enrollment of a total of 200 patients (100 in each arm) is planned to compensate for the potential drop-out rate from the study of up to 15%. Prespecified subanalyses will be performed according to: 1) diabetes mellitus; 2) chronic kidney disease (GFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2); 3) gender; and 4) age. A greater comprehensive improvement in biochemical, functional, and anthropometric parameters reflecting favorable metabolic changes is expected at the higher dose of empagliflozin compared to the standard dose