Unpacking Faculty Engagement: The Types of Activities Faculty Members Report as Publicly Engaged Scholarship During Promotion and Tenure

While a growing body of scholarship has focused on the personal, professional, and organizational factors that influence faculty members’ involvement in publicly engaged scholarship, the nature and scope of faculty publicly engaged scholarship itself has remained largely unexplored. What types of activities are faculty members involved in as publicly engaged scholarship? How does their involvement vary by demographic, type of faculty appointment, or college grouping? To explore these questions, researchers conducted a quantitative content analysis of 173 promotion and tenure documents from a research-intensive, land-grant, Carnegie Classified Community Engagement university and found statistically significant differences for the variables age, number of years at the institution, faculty rank, Extension appointment, joint appointment, and college grouping. Recommendations for future research are discussed as well as implications for institutional leadership, faculty development programming, and the structuring of academic appointments

Analysis of Keck HIRES spectra of early L-type dwarfs

We present analyses of high resolution and medium resolution spectra of early L dwarfs. We used our latest set of model atmospheres to reproduce and analyze the observed features. We can model the optical flux and the atomic line profiles with the best accuracy to date. The models used to reproduce the observations include dust condensation and dust opacities. Compared to previous studies using older models we find that our dust treatment is much improved. The derived parameters for the objects are well in the expected range for old very low mass objects. This is also supported by the absence of Li in most of the objects. For the objects showing Li we can be almost certain that those are brown dwarfs. However, a spectral analysis in general, and this one in particular can only very roughly determine mass and age.Comment: AASTeX5.0. 26 pages, including all figures, Accepted for Ap

Identification of Immunoreactive Material in Mammoth Fossils

The fossil record represents a history of life on this planet. Attempts to obtain molecular information from this record by analysis of nucleic acids found within fossils of extreme age have been unsuccessful or called into question. However, previous studies have demonstrated the long-term persistence of peptides within fossils and have used antibodies to extant proteins to demonstrate antigenic material. In this study we address two questions: Do immunogenic/antigenic materials persist in fossils? and; Can fossil material be used to raise antibodies that will cross-react with extant proteins? We have used material extracted from a well-preserved 100,000-300,000-year-old mammoth skull to produce antisera. The specificity of the antisera was tested by ELISA, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. It was demonstrated that antisera reacted specifically with the fossils and no the surrounding sediments. Reactivity of antisera with modern proteins and tissues was also demonstrated, as was the ability to detect evolutionary relationships via antibody-antigen interactions. Mass spectrometry demonstrated the response of amino acids and specific peptides within the fossil. Peptides were purified by anion-exchange chromatography and sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry. The collagen-derived peptides may have been the source of at least some of the immunologic reactivity, but the antisera identified molecules that were not observed by mass spectrometry, indicating that immunologic methods may have greater sensitivity. Although the presence of peptides and amino acids was demonstrated, the exact nature of the antigenic material was not fully clarified. This report demonstrated that antibodies may be used to obtain information from the fossil record

Low Temperature Opacities

Previous computations of low temperature Rosseland and Planck mean opacities from Alexander & Ferguson (1994) are updated and expanded. The new computations include a more complete equation of state with more grain species and updated optical constants. Grains are now explicitly included in thermal equilibrium in the equation of state calculation, which allows for a much wider range of grain compositions to be accurately included than was previously the case. The inclusion of high temperature condensates such as Al$_2$O$_3$ and CaTiO$_3$ significantly affects the total opacity over a narrow range of temperatures before the appearance of the first silicate grains. The new opacity tables are tabulated for temperatures ranging from 30000 K to 500 K with gas densities from 10$^{-4}$ g cm$^{-3}$ to 10$^{-19}$ g cm$^{-3}$. Comparisons with previous Rosseland mean opacity calculations are discussed. At high temperatures, the agreement with OPAL and Opacity Project is quite good. Comparisons at lower temperatures are more divergent as a result of differences in molecular and grain physics included in different calculations. The computation of Planck mean opacities performed with the opacity sampling method are shown to require a very large number of opacity sampling wavelength points; previously published results obtained with fewer wavelength points are shown to be significantly in error. Methods for requesting or obtaining the new tables are provided.Comment: 39 pages with 12 figures. To be published in ApJ, April 200

A Novel Endothelial L-Selectin Ligand Activity in Lymph Node Medulla That Is Regulated by α(1,3)-Fucosyltransferase-IV

Lymphocytes home to peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs) via high endothelial venules (HEVs) in the subcortex and incrementally larger collecting venules in the medulla. HEVs express ligands for L-selectin, which mediates lymphocyte rolling. L-selectin counterreceptors in HEVs are recognized by mAb MECA-79, a surrogate marker for molecularly heterogeneous glycans termed peripheral node addressin. By contrast, we find that medullary venules express L-selectin ligands not recognized by MECA-79. Both L-selectin ligands must be fucosylated by α(1,3)-fucosyltransferase (FucT)-IV or FucT-VII as rolling is absent in FucT-IV+VII−/− mice. Intravital microscopy experiments revealed that MECA-79–reactive ligands depend primarily on FucT-VII, whereas MECA-79–independent medullary L-selectin ligands are regulated by FucT-IV. Expression levels of both enzymes paralleled these anatomical distinctions. The relative mRNA level of FucT-IV was higher in medullary venules than in HEVs, whereas FucT-VII was most prominent in HEVs and weak in medullary venules. Thus, two distinct L-selectin ligands are segmentally confined to contiguous microvascular domains in PLNs. Although MECA-79–reactive species predominate in HEVs, medullary venules express another ligand that is spatially, antigenically, and biosynthetically unique. Physiologic relevance for this novel activity in medullary microvessels is suggested by the finding that L-selectin–dependent T cell homing to PLNs was partly insensitive to MECA-79 inhibition

Die Weltwirtschaft im Wandel: Symposium 1975

Seit einigen Jahren verstärkt sich der Eindruck, daß die Weltwirtschaft in einem raschen Wandel begriffen ist. Die Entwicklungsländer fordern eine neue Weltwirtschaftsordnung. Auf die weltweite Hochkonjunktur ist eine scharfe und recht lange anhaltende Rezession gefolgt; aber noch immer dominieren inflationäre Tendenzen. Den Konjunktureinbruch überlagert hat die Vervielfachung des Ölpreises Ende 1973. Sie wurde von vielen Beobachtern als Beginn einer Phase mit zunehmendem Rohstoffmangel und nie gekannten Ungleichgewichten in den Zahlungsbilanzen gedeutet. Von den vielfach geäußerten Befürchtungen haben sich manche als übertrieben erwiesen; denn viele Schwierigkeiten konnte der Markt viel besser als erwartet und ziemlich geräuschlos bewältigen. Gleichwohl erscheint es geraten, die alten und die neuen Probleme der Weltwirtschaft ständig zu beobachten. Vom 23. -27. Juni, traf sich in Kiel eine Gruppe unabhängiger Ökonomen aus Japan, Nordamerika und der Europäischen Gemeinschaft in der Absicht, die Situation der Weltwirtschaft zu analysieren und Vorschläge für wirtschaftspolitische Maßnahmen auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene auszuarbeiten. Das Institut für Weltwirtschaft war Gastgeber. Das Kieler Symposium ist ein Glied in einer Reihe trilateraler Konferenzen über weltwirtschaftliche Fragen, die von der Brookings Institution in Washington, dem Japan Economic Research Center in Tokio und dem Institut für Weltwirtschaft gemeinsam veranstaltet werden. Die Ergebnisse werden jeweils in englischer, japanischer und deutscher Sprache veröffentlicht; frühere Berichte in der deutschen Fassung sind als Kieler Diskussionsbeiträge Nr. 31 "Welthandel und Strukturanpassung in den Industrieländern" und Nr. 36 "Weltrohstoffversorgung: Konflikt oder Kooperation?" erschienen

Die Weltwirtschaft im Wandel: Symposium 1975

Seit einigen Jahren verstärkt sich der Eindruck, daß die Weltwirtschaft in einem raschen Wandel begriffen ist. Die Entwicklungsländer fordern eine neue Weltwirtschaftsordnung. Auf die weltweite Hochkonjunktur ist eine scharfe und recht lange anhaltende Rezession gefolgt; aber noch immer dominieren inflationäre Tendenzen. Den Konjunktureinbruch überlagert hat die Vervielfachung des Ölpreises Ende 1973. Sie wurde von vielen Beobachtern als Beginn einer Phase mit zunehmendem Rohstoffmangel und nie gekannten Ungleichgewichten in den Zahlungsbilanzen gedeutet. Von den vielfach geäußerten Befürchtungen haben sich manche als übertrieben erwiesen; denn viele Schwierigkeiten konnte der Markt viel besser als erwartet und ziemlich geräuschlos bewältigen. Gleichwohl erscheint es geraten, die alten und die neuen Probleme der Weltwirtschaft ständig zu beobachten. Vom 23. -27. Juni, traf sich in Kiel eine Gruppe unabhängiger Ökonomen aus Japan, Nordamerika und der Europäischen Gemeinschaft in der Absicht, die Situation der Weltwirtschaft zu analysieren und Vorschläge für wirtschaftspolitische Maßnahmen auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene auszuarbeiten. Das Institut für Weltwirtschaft war Gastgeber. Das Kieler Symposium ist ein Glied in einer Reihe trilateraler Konferenzen über weltwirtschaftliche Fragen, die von der Brookings Institution in Washington, dem Japan Economic Research Center in Tokio und dem Institut für Weltwirtschaft gemeinsam veranstaltet werden. Die Ergebnisse werden jeweils in englischer, japanischer und deutscher Sprache veröffentlicht; frühere Berichte in der deutschen Fassung sind als Kieler Diskussionsbeiträge Nr. 31 "Welthandel und Strukturanpassung in den Industrieländern" und Nr. 36 "Weltrohstoffversorgung: Konflikt oder Kooperation?" erschienen. --

Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery

Interrogation of the human proteome in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology. We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 [mu]L of serum or plasma). Our current assay allows us to measure ~800 proteins with very low limits of detection (1 pM average), 7 logs of overall dynamic range, and 5% average coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding DNA aptamer concentration signature, which is then quantified with a DNA microarray. In essence, our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded binding entities with defined shapes and unique sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states. More generally, we describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine

Is bisphosphonate therapy for benign bone disease associated with impaired dental healing? A case-controlled study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bisphosphonates are common first line medications used for the management of benign bone disease. One of the most devastating complications associated with bisphosphonate use is osteonecrosis of the jaws which may be related to duration of exposure and hence cumulative dose, dental interventions, medical co-morbidities or in some circumstances with no identifiable aggravating factor. While jaw osteonecrosis is a devastating outcome which is currently difficult to manage, various forms of delayed dental healing may be a less dramatic and, therefore, poorly-recognised complications of bisphosphonate use for the treatment of osteoporosis. It is hypothesised that long-term (more than 1 year's duration) bisphosphonate use for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis or other benign bone disease is associated with impaired dental healing.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A case-control study has been chosen to test the hypothesis as the outcome event rate is likely to be very low. A total of 54 cases will be recruited into the study following review of all dental files from oral and maxillofacial surgeons and special needs dentists in Victoria where potential cases of delayed dental healing will be identified. Potential cases will be presented to an independent case adjudication panel to determine if they are definitive delayed dental healing cases. Two hundred and fifteen controls (1:4 cases:controls), matched for age and visit window period, will be selected from those who have attended local community based referring dental practices. The primary outcome will be the incidence of delayed dental healing that occurs either spontaneously or following dental treatment such as extractions, implant placement, or denture use.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study is the largest case-controlled study assessing the link between bisphosphonate use and delayed dental healing in Australia. It will provide invaluable data on the potential link between bisphosphonate use and osteonecrosis of the jaws.</p