USD Recent Faculty Publications
September 2009 Faculty Publications
Dodge, Neil C., Joseph L. Jacobson, Eugene H. Hoyme, Luther K. Robinson, Nathaniel Khaole, and Sandra W. Jacobson. (2009).
"Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Interhemispheric Transfer of Tactile Information: Detroit and Cape Town Findings."
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 33(9): 1628-37.
Background: Previous research has demonstrated that heavy prenatal alcohol exposure affects the size and shape of the corpus callosum (CC) and compromises interhemispheric transfer of information. The aim of this study was to confirm the previous reports of poorer performance on a finger localization test (FLT) of interhemispheric transfer in a cohort of heavily exposed children and to extend these findings to a cohort of moderately exposed young adults. Methods: In Study 1, the FLT was administered to 40 heavily exposed and 23 nonexposed children from the Cape Coloured community of Cape Town, South Africa, who were evaluated for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) dysmorphology and growth. Anatomical images of the CC were obtained using structural MRI on a subset of these children. In Study 2, the FLT was administered to a cohort of 85 moderate-to-heavily exposed young adults participating in a 19-year follow-up assessment of the Detroit Prenatal Alcohol Exposure cohort, whose alcohol exposure had been ascertained prospectively during gestation. Results: In Study 1, children with FAS showed more transfer-related errors than controls after adjustment for confounding, and increased transfer-related errors were associated with volume reductions in the isthmus and splenium of the CC. In Study 2, transfer-related errors were associated with quantity of alcohol consumed per occasion during pregnancy. More errors were made if the mother reported binge drinking (?5 standard drinks) during pregnancy than if she drank regularly (M ? 1 drink/day) without binge drinking. Conclusions: These findings confirm a previous report of impaired interhemispheric transfer of tactile information in children heavily exposed to alcohol in utero and extend these findings to show that these deficits are also seen in more moderately exposed individuals, particularly those exposed to binge-like pregnancy drinking.
ALCOHOLISM in pregnancy
FETAL alcohol syndrome
CORPUS callosum
CHILDREN of prenatal alcohol abuse
BINGE drinking
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Finger Localization Test
Interhemispheric Transfer
Pregnancy Binge Drinking
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Grover, Jeff, and Angeline Lavin. (2009).
Passive Versus Optimized Investing in Retirement Plan Portfolios.
Journal of Wealth Management 12, no. (Fall2009, 2): 48-59.
This article uses portfolios of Vanguard index funds to study the optimal portfolio allocation strategy, for long-term investors who are saving for retirement. The optimization, conducted using both a single-index-hybrid model (SIHM) and the Markowitz-Sharpe optimization method, suggests that in the long run, an optimized allocation strategy will yield cumulative returns equivalent to those of a passive allocation strategy with significantly less risk. In addition, the optimized allocation strategy achieves the favorable risk and reward profile using fewer funds than the passive strategy.
PORTFOLIO management
CAPITALISTS & financiers
PENSIONS
RATE of return
INVESTMENT policy
VANGUARD mutual funds
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Honts, Charles R., and William Schweinle. (2009)
Information Gain of Psychophysiological Detection of Deception in Forensic and Screening Settings./i>
Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback 34(3): 161-72.
We adapted and applied the Wells and Olson’s () Information Gain Analyses to examine the relative usefulness of a common psycho-physiological deception detection (PDD) technique, the Comparison Question Test, in forensic and screening settings as compared to unassisted lay and professional persons. We found that in forensic settings PDD provided substantial improvements in information gain over unassisted laypersons across nearly the complete range of the base rate of guilt. This was true for accuracy estimates based on laboratory and field data. At p(guilt) = 0.9, a benchmark set by critics of PDD, PDD provided 27 times the information gain of credibility decisions made by unassisted lay persons. Analyses of a screening PDD indicated that only deceptive outcomes provide useful information gain at relevant low base rates of guilt. These results strongly support the use of PDD in forensic settings and have implications for how screening PDD results are used.
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY
DECEPTION
DIAGNOSIS
GUILT
LABORATORIES
RESEARCH
Information gain
Psychophysiological deception detection tests
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Jones, Kenneth Lyons, H. Eugene Hoyme, Luther K. Robinson, Miguel del Campo, Melanie A. Manning, Ludmila N. Bakhireva, and Lela M. Prewitt. (2009).
Developmental Pathogenesis of Short Palpebral Fissure Length in Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology 85(8): 695-99.
BACKGROUND:From the standpoint of normal embryologic development, the palpebral fissures are generally considered to be determined by and dependent on the underlying optic vesicles, outpouchings of the frontal area of the developing fetal brain. It has been suggested that short palpebral fissures are a reflection of an underlying defect in specific areas of forebrain development. Alternatively, short palpebral fissures, seen in a number of multiple malformation syndromes associated with small occipitofrontal circumference OFC, such as the fetal alcohol syndrome FAS, might be proportionally small as a reflection of the microcephaly. The purpose of this study was to examine whether short palpebral fissures are independent of or determined by the OFC.METHODS:Agespecific palpebral fissure length PFL and OFC centiles were correlated in 273 children with FAS, 272 children with some features of FAS, and 385 children with no structural features characteristic of FAS.RESULTS:The OFC and PFL centiles demonstrated a statistically significant but weak correlation in all three study groups. Among children with FAS, only 10.2 of the total variation in PFL could be accounted for by OFC p 0.0001. A similar pattern was observed for children with some features of FAS r2 0.142; p 0.0001 and children with no structural features of FAS r2 0.110; p 0.0001.CONCLUSIONS:Palpebral fissure length is predominately independent of occipitofrontal circumference in children with and without features of FAS. Short palpebral fissures may well reflect a defect in forebrain development rather than being proportionally reduced in size as a reflection of microcephaly. Birth Defects Research Part A 2009. © 2009 WileyLiss, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Li, Qin, and Brian Burrell. (2009).
Two Forms of Long-Term Depression in a Polysynaptic Pathway in the Leech Cns: One Nmda Receptor-Dependent and the Other Cannabinoid-Dependent.
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural & Behavioral Physiology 195(9): 831-41.
Although long-term depression (LTD) is a well-studied form of synaptic plasticity, it is clear that multiple cellular mechanisms are involved in its induction. In the leech, LTD is observed in a polysynaptic connection between touch mechanosensory neurons (T cells) and the S interneuron following low frequency stimulation. LTD elicited by 450 s low frequency stimulation was blocked by N-methyl- d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonists. However, LTD elicited by 900 s low frequency stimulation was insensitive to NMDA receptor antagonists and was instead dependent on cannabinoid signaling. This LTD was blocked by both a cannabinoid receptor antagonist and by inhibition of diacylglycerol lipase, which is necessary for the synthesis of the cannabinoid transmitter 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2-AG). Bath application of 2-AG or the cannabinoid receptor agonist CP55 940 also induced LTD at this synapse. These results indicate that two forms of LTD coexist at the leech T-to-S polysynaptic pathway: one that is NMDA receptor-dependent and another that is cannabinoid-dependent and that activation of either form of LTD is dependent on the level of activity in this circuit.
Cannabinoid
Leech
Long-term depression
NMDA receptor
Synaptic plasticity
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Lukkes, Jodi, Vuong Shawn, Jamie Scholl, Harvey Oliver, and Gina Forster. (2009).
Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor Antagonism within the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus Reduces Social Anxiety-Like Behavior after Early-Life Social Isolation.
Journal of Neuroscience 293(2): 9955-60.
Social isolation of rats during the early part of development increases social anxiety-like behavior in adulthood. Furthermore, early-life social isolation increases the levels of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors in the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (dRN) of adult rats. Interactions between serotonin and CRF systems are thought to mediate anxiety behavior. Therefore, we investigated the effects of CRF receptor antagonism within the dRN on social anxiety-like behavior after early-life social isolation. Male rats were reared in isolation or in groups from weaning until midadolescence, and rehoused in groups and allowed to develop into adulthood. Adult rats underwent surgery to implant a drug cannula into the dRN. After recovery from surgery and acclimation to the testing arena, rats were infused with vehicle or the CRF receptor antagonist D-Phe-CRF(12-41) (50 or 500 ng) into the dRN before a social interaction test. Isolation-reared rats pretreated with vehicle exhibited increased social anxiety-like behavior compared with rats reared in groups. Pretreatment of the dRN with D-Phe-CRF(12-41) significantly reduced social anxietylike behaviors exhibited by isolation-reared rats. Overall, this study shows that early-life social stress results in heightened social anxiety-like behavior, which is reversed by CRF antagonism within the dRN. These data suggest that CRF receptor antagonists could provide a potential treatment of stress-related social anxiety.
CORTICOTROPIN releasing hormone
NEUROPEPTIDES
DRUG antagonism
SEROTONIN
SOCIAL isolation
SOCIAL anxiety
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Ragothaman, Srinivasan, Jon Carpenter, and Thomas Davies. (2009).
An Empirical Investigation of Mpa Student Performance and Admissions Criteria.
College Student Journal 43(3): 879-75.
The quality of a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program, similar to other undergraduate and graduate programs in business and other disciplines, is typically directly related to the quality of its students. While there is a considerable published scholarly work on MBA student performance, there is very little research to predict student success in MPA programs and this study fills this important gap. In this article, the authors investigate the association between undergraduate GPAs, GMAT scores, age, and a few other independent variables and MPA student performance as measured by graduate GPA (GGPA). Correlation analysis indicates that junior-senior year grade point average (2UGPA) is most highly correlated with GGPA. The regression results indicate that 2UGPA and quantitative GMAT score are significant predictors of GGPA at 0.01 levels. Age was also a significant predictor of graduate GPA at the 10 percent level.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Richardson, Lisa K., B. Christopher Frueh, Anouk L. Grubaugh, Leonard Egede, and Jon D. Elhai. (2009).
Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice 16(3): 323-38.
The provision of mental health services via videoconferencing tele-mental health has become an increasingly routine component of mental health service delivery throughout the world. Emphasizing the research literature since 2003, we examine (a) the extent to which the field of tele-mental health has advanced the research agenda previously suggested and (b) implications for tele-mental healthcare delivery for special clinical populations. Previous findings have demonstrated that tele-mental health services are satisfactory to patients, improve outcomes, and are probably cost effective. In the very small number of randomized controlled studies that have been conducted to date, tele-mental health has demonstrated equivalent efficacy compared to face-to-face care in a variety of clinical settings and with specific patient populations. However, methodologically flawed or limited research studies are the norm, and thus the research agenda for tele-mental health has not been fully maximized. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
MENTAL health
VIDEOCONFERENCING
MENTAL health services
PSYCHIATRY -- Research
PEOPLE with mental disabilities
access-to-care
mental health care
rural
service delivery
tele-mental health
telepsychiatry
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Schrader, Susan L., Margot L. Nelson, and Luann M. Eidsness. (2009).
Reflections on End of Life: Comparison of American Indian and Non-Indian Peoples in South Dakota.
American Indian Culture & Research Journal 33(2): 67-87.
The article presents a sociological comparison between American Indian and non-Indian people living in the state of South Dakota. The authors examine end of life care among these two different groups of people, revealing that even though most people state that at the end of life they would prefer to die free of pain in their homes less than twenty percent of people actually die under these conditions. The cultural differences involved in end of life treatment preferences are analyzed, specifically focusing on the view of death in Native American culture.
INDIANS of North America -- Social conditions
TERMINAL care -- Social aspects
TERMINAL care -- Research
TERMINALLY ill -- Social conditions
DEATH -- Attitudes
SOUTH Dakota
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Wolfe, Susan J. (2009).
I. Using the L-Word: Coming out in the Classroom.
Feminism & Psychology 19(2): 181-85.
The author focuses on her confusion to make reconciliation of his identity being a lesbian professor. She notes her inability to articulate her cognitive dissonance and her experience of discomforts toward her students and colleagues. She also stresses the significance of claiming a lesbian identity to create a clear viewpoint to challenge the dual ideologies of sexism and heterosexuality and leave the door open for students to talk from theirs and challenge other forms of repressiveness.
LESBIAN teachers
LESBIANISM
SEXUAL orientation
SOCIAL perception
GAYS -- Social conditions
Posted at 12:50PM Sep 28, 2009 by Tracy Marie Elsen in September 2009 | Comments[0]
July and August 2009 Faculty Publications
Ali, S., Garg, S. K., Cohen, B. E., Bhave, P., Harris, W. S., & Whooley, M. A. (2009).
Association between omega-3 fatty acids and depressive symptoms among patients with established coronary artery disease: Data from the heart and soul study.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 78(2), 125-127.
Depression is an established risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy patients and for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with existing CHD. It is unknown whether low ω–3 fatty acid levels are associated with depression in patients with stable CHD. We measured red blood cell levels of two ω–3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and assessed depressive symptoms in a cross-sectional study of 987 adults with CHD. We evaluated the association between ω–3 fatty acid levels and depressive symptoms as continuous variables using linear regression. The prevalence of depression ranged from 23% in participants in the lowest tertile of ω–3 fatty acids to 13% in participants in the highest tertile. In the analyses, ω–3 fatty acid levels were no longer associated with depression after adjustment for education and household income level. Similar results were obtained for the analyses of EPA and DHA alone. The finding suggest a strong association between low ω–3 fatty acids and depression in outpatients with stable CHD, a population distinct from sicker, hospitalized patients with acute coronary syndrome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Li, Y.-F., LaCroix, C., & Freeling, J. (2009).
Specific subtypes of nicotinic cholinergic receptors involved in sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiovascular responses.
Neuroscience Letters, 462(1), 20-23.
Abstract: Various subtypes of nicotinic cholinergic receptors are expressed in autonomic ganglia. The distinct functional roles of these receptors in autonomic ganglionic transmission to different target organs remain to be elucidated. In this study, we tested the sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiovascular responses to nicotinic agonist and antagonists in urethane-anesthetized mice. Intravenous injection with a nicotinic agonist, 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide, induced a brief but pronounced decrease in heart rate, followed by significant increases in heart rate and arterial blood pressure. The bradycardic response was blocked by atropine whereas the pressor response was blocked by prazosine, confirming those responses were parasympathetic and sympathetic activities, respectively. The sympathetic response was blocked by methyllycaconitine citrate, a selective α7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAchR) antagonist. The parasympathetic response was blocked by a selective α4β2 nAchR antagonist, dihydro-β-erythroidine hydrobromide. Moreover, injection with a selective α4β2 nAchR agonist, RJR2403 oxalate, induced a pronounced parasympathetic response with a smaller sympathetic response. Collectively, these data show that activations of α4β2 nAchRs elicits a parasympathetic cardiovascular response and activation of α7 nAchRs elicits a sympathetic cardiovascular response. These data suggest that specific subtypes of nicotinic receptors at the level of the ganglia may play distinct roles in mediating sympathetic or parasympathetic activation.
Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, United States
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Farzaneh-Far, R., Harris, W. S., Garg, S., Na, B., & Whooley, M. A. (2009)
Inverse association of erythrocyte n-3 fatty acid levels with inflammatory biomarkers in patients with stable coronary artery disease: The Heart and Soul Study. /i>
Atherosclerosis, 205(2), 538-543.
Abstract: Objective: Dietary intake of polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids has been associated with a reduced incidence of adverse cardiovascular events. The protective mechanisms involved are not fully understood, but may include anti-inflammatory factors. We sought to investigate the relationship between n-3 fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes and markers of systemic inflammation in 992 individuals with stable coronary artery disease. Methods: Cross-sectional associations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin-6 (Il-6) with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EHA) were evaluated in multivariable linear regression models adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, medication use, exercise capacity, body-mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio. Results: After multivariable adjustment, n-3 fatty acid levels (DHA+EPA) were inversely associated with CRP and IL-6. The inverse association of n-3 fatty acids with CRP and IL-6 was not modified by demographics, body-mass index, smoking, LDL-cholesterol, or statin use (p values for interaction>0.1). Conclusions: In patients with stable coronary artery disease, an independent and inverse association exists between n-3 fatty acid levels and inflammatory biomarkers. These findings suggest that inhibition of systemic inflammation may be a mechanism by which n-3 fatty acids prevent recurrent cardiovascular events.
Sanford School of Medicine and Research, University of South Dakota, United States
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Willyard, A., Cronn, R., & Liston, A. (2009).
Reticulate evolution and incomplete lineage sorting among the ponderosa pines.
Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 52(2), 498-511.
Abstract: Interspecific gene flow via hybridization may play a major role in evolution by creating reticulate rather than hierarchical lineages in plant species. Occasional diploid pine hybrids indicate the potential for introgression, but reticulation is hard to detect because ancestral polymorphism is still shared across many groups of pine species. Nucleotide sequences for 53 accessions from 17 species in subsection Ponderosae (Pinus) provide evidence for reticulate evolution. Two discordant patterns among independent low-copy nuclear gene trees and a chloroplast haplotype are better explained by introgression than incomplete lineage sorting or other causes of incongruence. Conflicting resolution of three monophyletic Pinus coulteri accessions is best explained by ancient introgression followed by a genetic bottleneck. More recent hybridization transferred a chloroplast from P. jeffreyi to a sympatric P. washoensis individual. We conclude that incomplete lineage sorting could account for other examples of non-monophyly, and caution against any analysis based on single-accession or single-locus sampling in Pinus.
Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
epartment of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
Biology Department, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway, AR 72032, USA
Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331
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Lin, C., Berry, M. T., Anderson, R., Smith, S., & May, P. S. (2009).
Highly Luminescent NIR-to-Visible Upconversion Thin Films and Monoliths Requiring No High-Temperature Treatment.
Chemistry of Materials, 21(14), 3406-3413.
A method is described for producing highly luminescent composite NIR-to-visible upconversion thin films, made from β-NaYF4:3%Er,17%Yb nanocrystals in a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrix, which require no postdeposition heat treatment. Nanocrystals are synthesized via a single-phase, high-boiling-point solvent method, which requires neither metal-trifluoroacetate precursors nor the use of autoclaves. Highly luminescent films are produced that can be varied in thickness down to dimensions approaching those of the nanocrystals themselves. The physical properties of the films are characterized by AFM and TEM, whereas the spectroscopic properties are characterized by NIR-to-visible confocal microscopy and by the time-dependence of upconversion luminescence following pulsed NIR excitation. It is shown that dispersal of β-NaYF4:3%Er,17%Yb nanocrystals in PMMA has no adverse effect on the intrinsic quantum efficiency of upconversion. By focusing the NIR pump beam (980 nm, cw) in the film, linear intensity response and constant color balance are achieved at pump powers down to 40 μW. It is also demonstrated that the thin-film method can be modified to produce large NIR-to-visible upconversion monoliths of high optical quality. This study supports an earlier assertion that the upconversion properties of β-NaYF4:Er,Yb nanocrystals approach those of the bulk material when nanocrystal size is greater than ∼70 nm.
Department of Chemistry, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Mei, D.-M., Yin, Z.-B., & Elliott, S. R. (2009).
Cosmogenic production as a background in searching for rare physics processes.
Astroparticle Physics, 31(6), 417-420.
Abstract: We revisit calculations of the cosmogenic production rates for several long-lived isotopes that are potential sources of background in searching for rare physics processes such as the detection of dark matter and neutrinoless double-beta decay. Using updated cosmic-ray neutron flux measurements, we use TALYS 1.0 to investigate the cosmogenic activation of stable isotopes of several detector targets and find that the cosmogenic isotopes produced inside the target materials and cryostat can result in large backgrounds for dark matter searches and neutrinoless double-beta decay. We use previously published low-background HPGe data to constrain the production of 3H on the surface and the upper limit is consistent with our calculation. We note that cosmogenic production of several isotopes in various targets can generate potential backgrounds for dark matter detection and neutrinoless double-beta decay with a massive detector, thus great care should be taken to limit and/or deal with the cosmogenic activation of the targets.
Department of Physics, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, United States
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Mei, D.-M., Zhang, C., & Hime, A. (2009).
Evaluation of induced neutrons as a background for dark matter experiments.
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A, 606(3), 651-660.
Abstract: Neutrons from () reactions through thorium and uranium decays are important sources of background for direct dark matter detection. The neutron yields and energy spectra from a range of materials that are used to build dark matter detectors are calculated and tabulated. In addition to thorium and uranium decays, we found that -particles from samarium, often the dopant of the window materials of photomultiplier tubes (PMT), are also an important source of neutron yield. The results in this paper can be used as the input to Monte Carlo simulations for many materials that will be used for next generation experiments.
Department of Physics, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Ray, B., Ballal, A., & Manna, A. C. (2009).
Transcriptional variation of regulatory and virulence genes due to different media in Staphylococcus aureus.
Microbial Pathogenesis, 47(2), 94-100.
Abstract: The pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections is a multifactorial process that depends on expression of different virulence factors. Expression of these factors is controlled by multiple regulatory systems in conjunction with environmental signals. Most of the genetic studies in Staphylococcus aureus have been performed using different growth media, therefore, we examined the effects of different growth media on transcription of the selective target (e.g., hla, hlb, spa, sspA) and regulatory (e.g., agr, sarA family) genes. The results from this study suggest that different growth media have substantial effect on transcription of various genes being analyzed. Interestingly, when compared with the wild-type, the isogenic sarA mutant showed a media-dependent distinct regulatory effect on expression of the target genes.
Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota, 414 E Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Brownawell, A. M., Harris, W. S., Hibbeln, J. R., Klurfeld, D. M., Newton, I., & Yates, A. (2009).
Assessing the environment for regulatory change for eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid nutrition labeling.
Nutrition Reviews, 67(7), 391-397.
This review examines issues related to the development of a recommended daily allowance or adequate intake, two of the categories of dietary reference intakes, for the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3). Although some have suggested a dietary intake of two servings of fatty fish per week or supplement intake of 500 mg/day EPA plus DHA, based on evidence from epidemiologic and clinical studies of cardiovascular benefit from regular fish or fish-oil consumption, supplementation with EPA and/or DHA may also have antidepressant and mood-stabilizing effects. Omega-3 PUFA biology is complex and chronic disease outcomes are sometimes difficult to prove, yet the possibility of benefit for a substantial portion of the population from increased omega-3 PUFA intake is a public health issue that must be addressed responsibly and be based on significant scientific evidence.
Life Sciences Research Office, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. WS
University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
Ceres Consulting, Markham, Ontario, Canada
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Watt, M. J., Burke, A. R., Renner, K. J., & Forster, G. L. (2009).
Adolescent Male Rats Exposed to Social Defeat Exhibit Altered Anxiety. Behavior and Limbic Monoamines as Adult.
Behavioral Neuroscience, 123(3), 564-576.
Social stress in adolescence is correlated with emergence of psychopathologies, during early adulthood. In this study, the authors investigated the impact of social defeat stress during mid-adolescence on adult male brain and behavior. Adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to repeated social defeat for 5 days while controls were placed in a novel empty cage. When exposed to defeat-associated rues as adults, previously defeated rats showed increased risk assessment and behavioral inhibition, demonstrating long-term memory for the defeat context. However, previously defeated rats exhibited increased, locomotion in both elevated plus-maze and open field tests, suggesting heightened novelty-induced behavior. Adolescent defeat also affected adult monoamine levels in stress-responsive limbic regions, causing decreased medial prefrontal cortex dopamine, increased norepinephrine and serotonin in the ventral dentate gyms, and decreased norepinephrine in the dorsal raphe. Our results suggest that adolescent social defeat produces both deficits in anxiety responses and altered monoaminergic function in adulthood. This model offers potential for identifying specific mechanisms induced by severe adolescent social stress that may contribute to increased adult male vulnerability to psychopathology.
University of South Dakota
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MACEDONIA, J. M., LAPPIN, A. K., LOEW, E. R., BRANDT, Y., LEMOS-ESPINAL, J. A., & KEMP, D. J. (2009).
Conspicuousness of Dickerson's collared lizard ( Crotaphytus dickersonae) through the eyes of conspecifics and predators.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 97(4), 749-765.
Selection should favour coloration in organisms that is more conspicuous to their own visual system than to those of their predators or prey. We tested this prediction in Dickerson's collared lizard ( Crotaphytus dickersonae), a sexually dichromatic desert reptile that preys on insects and smaller lizard species, and which in turn is prey for birds and snakes. We modelled the spectral sensitivities of the lizards and their avian and snake predators, and compared the conspicuousness of the lizards' entire colour patterns with each class of viewers. Almost all comparisons involving females strongly supported our prediction for greater chromatic and brightness conspicuousness against local terrestrial visual backgrounds to their own modelled visual system than to those of avian and snake predators. Males, in contrast, exhibited far fewer cases of greater conspicuousness to their own visual system than to those of their predators. Our own perception of spectral similarity between blue C. dickersonae males and a local nonterrestrial visual background (i.e. the Sea of Cortéz) prompted a further investigation. We compared sea (and sky) radiance with dorsum radiance of C. dickersonae males and with males from two distantly-related Crotaphytus collaris populations in which males possess blue bodies. In all three visual models, C. dickersonae males exhibited significantly lower chromatic contrast with the sea (and sky) than did their noncoastal, blue-bodied congeners. Among potential explanations, the blue body coloration that is unique to male C. dickersonae may offset, if only slightly, the cost of visibility to predators (and to prey) through reduced contrast against the extensive, local, nonterrestrial blue backgrounds of the sea and sky.
Biology Department, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA.
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Ragothaman, S., & Gollakota, K. (2009).
The Effect of Firm Characteristics on Corporate Governance: An Empirical Study in the United States.
International Journal of Management, 26(2), 309-319.
Recent financial scandals in United States companies have exposed "corporate governance" weaknesses. The measure of corporate governance used in this study is based on a Business Week survey. The governance rankings of this survey are derived from the opinions of experts who rated each company on four aspects of governance: shareholder accountability, quality of directors, independence of the board, and corporate performance. We use a multivariate logistic regression (logit) model in this study and the sample size is 85 United States companies. Our results suggest that return on assets, firm size, debt ratios, and auditor opinion are useful in discriminating "best" governed firms from "worst" governed firms.
University of South Dakota
University of Redlands
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Rosacker, K. M., Ragothaman, S., & Gillispie, M. (2009).
FINANCIAL LITERACY OF FRESHMEN BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS.
College Student Journal, 43(2), 391-399.
In recent years, financial literacy has increasingly captured the attention of the banking and financial industries, policy makers, government agencies, public interest groups, and members of the news media. These interested parties are concerned that consumers lack the basic skills required to make decisions beneficial to their economic welfare. Financial illiteracy can hinder one's ability to achieve long-term goals such as succeeding at higher education, owning a home, and financing retirement. This study investigates the efficacy of having upper-level accounting majors teaching basic financial literacy concepts to freshmen business majors. Specifically, upper-level accounting majors at a small mid-western university developed and conducted financial literacy training workshops for freshmen business majors during the 2007/2008 fall and spring semesters. Both quantitative and qualitative results that flowed from the training workshops are reported. Several positive outcomes accompanied the project. First, the delivery of this training provides a foundation of financial literacy that will hopefully enhance their ability to make financial decisions into the future. Second, the upper-level accounting major mentors enhanced their leadership, project management, teamwork, and public speaking skills while concurrently also expanding their own financial literacy. Each of these skills enumerated constitute vital components in the professional portfolio for individuals seeking a successful career in business as well as personal financial stability.
Assistant Professor of Accountancy University of Wisconsin at La Crosse
Professor of Accounting
Marketing Instructor Beacom School of Business University of South Dakota
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Bardhoshi, G., & Duncan, K. (2009).
Rural School Principals' Perception of the School Counselor's Role.
Rural Educator, 30(3), 16-24.
Responding to the lack of clarity related to the defined role of the school counselor, the authors investigated school principals (n = 538), in a rural Midwest state, and their perceptions of the role of the school counselor. The survey utilized was developed based on professional standards of service delivery for professional school counselors as identified by the American School Counselor Association and a listing of identified appropriate and inappropriate school counselor tasks. Results indicate that school principals see responsive service provision as an essential task of the school counselor. School principals also perceive a number of ASCA identified inappropriate tasks as being important. Recommendations are made to further enhance school principals' understanding of the appropriate role of the school counselor.
Stephen F. Austin State University;/p>
University of South Dakota
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Molina, A. D. (2009).
VALUES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE.
International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 12(2), 266-279.
This article argues that the field of public administration, academics and practitioners alike, would benefit by more explicitly addressing the role that values play in administrative behavior and decision making. It reflects on the extent to which values are embedded in the work of public administrators, and their role in serving as normative criteria for action. Because the values associated with democracy and bureaucracy are often in competition, though, the challenge for administrators is to arrive at a workable balance consistent with our constitutional tradition. To that end, the insights offered by an organizational culture perspective are helpful in understanding how particular values can be promoted in organizations. This article concludes with a brief discussion of some implications that such an approach has for how we study, teach, and practice public administration.
University of South Dakota Source Info: Summer2009, Vol. 12 Issue 2, p266
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Schweinle, A., & Mims, G. (2009).
Mathematics self-efficacy: stereotype threat versus resilience.
Social Psychology of Education, 25(1), 1-14.
Children's academic self-efficacy is one of the strongest predictors of achievement (Wigfield and Eccles, Contemporary Educational Psychology 25(1): 68-81, 2000). The present research examined mathematics self-efficacy and the relationship of racial context from the perspective of two competing bodies of research. Stereotype threat theory would predict that, under conditions where negative stereotypes are salient, self-efficacy would decrease. So, Black/African American students in primarily White classrooms would be predicted to report lower self-efficacy. However, other research suggests that Black/African American students demonstrate fortitude even under disadvantage (e.g., Graham, Review of Educational Research, 64(1): 55-117, 1994). We examined the mathematics self-efficacy of 170 fifth-grade students. In contrast to stereotype threat theory, results suggested that Black/African American students self-efficacy remained stable regardless of the racial breakdown of the class. However, White students demonstrated elevated self-efficacy when in predominantly Black/African American classrooms. These results could not be explained by differences in classroom environments. Results are discussed in terms of resilience, ethnic identity and White identity.
The University of South Dakota Vermillion USA
University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney USA
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Simons, J. S., Dvorak, R. D., & Lau-Barraco, C. (2009).
Behavioral inhibition and activation systems: Differences in substance use expectancy organization and activation in memory.
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 23(2), 315-328.
We used multidimensional scaling to model the semantic network of alcohol and marijuana expectancies (N = 897). Preference mapping was used to estimate vectors representing patterns of activation through the network as a function of levels of behavioral inhibition (BIS) and behavioral activation (BAS). Individuals with low BIS combined with high BAS levels exhibited patterns of activation emphasizing behavioral activation similar to heavier drug users in previous research. High BIS, low BAS individuals exhibited activation patterns with greater emphasis on inhibitory expectancies similar to low-level users. Differences in expectancy activation patterns were maintained after controlling for substance use and gender. Individual differences in BIS/BAS are associated with the organization of semantic networks and patterns of activation of expectancies contributing to differences in substance use behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (from the journal abstract)
Simons, Jeffrey S.; Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, US
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Wang, X. T., Kruger, D. J., & Wilke, A. (2009).
Life history variables and risk-taking propensity.
Evolution and Human Behavior, 30(2), 77-84.
We examined the effects of life-history variables on risk-taking propensity, measured by subjective likelihoods of engaging in risky behaviors in five evolutionarily valid domains of risk, including between-group competition, within-group competition, environmental challenge, mating and resource allocation, and fertility and reproduction. The effects of life-history variables on risk-taking propensity were domain specific, except for the expected sex difference, where men predicted greater risk-taking than women in all domains. Males also perceived less inherent risk in actions than females across the five domains. Although the age range in the sample was limited, older respondents showed lower risk propensity in both between- and within-group competition. Parenthood reduced risk-taking propensity in within- and between-group competitions. Higher reproductive goal setting (desiring more offspring) was associated with lower risk-taking propensity. This effect was strongest in the risk domains of mating and reproduction. Having more siblings reduced risk-taking propensity (contrary to our initial prediction) in the domains of environmental challenge, reproduction, and between-group competition. Later-born children showed a higher propensity to engage in environmental and mating risks. Last, shorter subjective life expectancy was associated with increased willingness to take mating and reproductive risks. These results suggest that life-history variables regulate human risk-taking propensity in specific risk domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (from the journal abstract)
Wang, X. T.; Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, US
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Carpenter, R. E., & Summers, C. H. (2009).
Learning strategies during fear conditioning.
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 91(4), 415-423.
This paper describes a model of fear learning, in which subjects have an option of behavioral responses to impending social defeat. The model generates two types of learning: social avoidance and classical conditioning, dependent upon (1) escape from or (2) social subordination to an aggressor. We hypothesized that social stress provides the impetus as well as the necessary information to stimulate dichotomous goal-oriented learning. Specialized tanks were constructed to subject rainbow trout to a conditioning paradigm where the conditioned stimulus (CS) is cessation of tank water flow (water off) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) is social aggression from a larger conspecific. Following seven daily CS/US pairings, approximately half of the test fish learned to consistently escape the aggression to a neutral chamber through a small escape hole available only during the interaction. The learning curve for escaping fish was dramatic, with an 1100% improvement in escape time over 7 days. Fish that did not escape exhibited a 400% increase in plasma cortisol and altered brain monoamine response to presentation of the CS alone. Elevated plasma cortisol levels represent classical fear conditioning in non-escaping fish, while a lack of fear conditioning and a decreased latency to escape over the training period in escapers indicates learned escape.
Carpenter, Russ E.; Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, US
Posted at 10:36AM Sep 28, 2009 by Tracy Marie Elsen in July & August 2009 | Comments[0]
June 2009 Faculty Publications
Ballal, A., & Manna, A. C. (2009).
Regulation of Superoxide Dismutase (sod) Genes by SarA in Staphylococcus aureus.
R Journal of Bacteriology, 191(10), 6.
The scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells is regulated by several interacting factors, including transcriptional regulators. Involvement of sarA family genes in the regulation of proteins involved in the scavenging of ROS is largely unknown. In this report, we show that under aerobic conditions, the levels of sodM and sodA transcription, in particular the sodM transcript, are markedly enhanced in the sarA mutant among the tested sarA family mutants. Increased levels of sod expression returned to near the parental level in a single-copy sarA complemented strain. Under microaerophilc conditions, transcription of both sodM and sodA was considerably enhanced in the sarA mutant compared to the wild-type strain. Various genotypic, phenotypic, and DNA binding studies confirmed the involvement of SarA in the regulation of sod transcripts in different strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The sodA mutant was sensitive to an oxidative stress-inducing agent, methyl viologen, but the sarA sodA double mutant was more resistant to the same stressor than the single sodA mutant. These results suggest that overexpression of SodM, which occurs in the sarA background, can rescue the methyl viologen-sensitive phenotype observed in the absence of the sodA gene. Analysis with various oxidative stress-inducing agents indicates that SarA may play a greater role in modulating oxidative stress resistance in S. aureus. This is the first report that demonstrates the direct involvement of a regulatory protein (SarA) in control of sod expression in S. aureus.
Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Vaccinology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota 57007
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Erkina, T., Lavrova, M., & Erkine, A. (2009).
Alternative ways of stress regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells: Transcriptional activators Msn2 and Msn4.
Cell and Tissue Biology, 3(2), 121-129.
Cell response to stress at the transcriptional level is characterized by the rapid expression of a large set of heat shock genes. In yeast S. cerevisiae, this gene activation is determined by activators of two types, i.e., HSF and partially redundant Msn2 and Msn4. While mechanisms of HSF activation were relatively well established during the last decade, the mechanisms of regulation by Msn2/Msn4 only began to be clarified recently. Some of the important aspects of Msn2/Msn4 regulation include nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling and targeted degradation of these factors at gene promoters during transcriptional activation. These and other mechanisms are discussed in this review. .
USD Sanford School of Medicine Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences Vermillion SD 57069 USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Feng, N., Telefont, M., Kelly, K. J., Orchinik, M., Forster, G. L., Renner, K. J., et al. (2009).
Local perfusion of corticosterone in the rat medial hypothalamus potentiates d-fenfluramine-induced elevations of extracellular 5-HT concentrations.
Hormones & Behavior, 56(1), 149-157.
Abstract: The dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) plays an important role in coordinating physiological and behavioral responses to stress-related stimuli. In vertebrates, DMH serotonin (5-HT) concentrations increase rapidly in response to acute stressors or corticosterone (CORT). Recent studies suggest that CORT inhibits postsynaptic clearance of 5-HT from the extracellular fluid in the DMH by blocking organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3), a polyspecific CORT-sensitive transport protein. Because OCTs are low-affinity, high-capacity transporters, we hypothesized that CORT effects on extracellular 5-HT are most pronounced in the presence of elevated 5-HT release. We predicted that local application of CORT into the DMH would potentiate the effects of d-fenfluramine, a 5-HT-releasing agent, on extracellular 5-HT. These experiments were conducted using in vivo microdialysis in freely-moving male Sprague–Dawley rats implanted with a microdialysis probe into the medial hypothalamus (MH), which includes the DMH. In Experiment 1, rats simultaneously received intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of 1 mg/kg d-fenfluramine or saline and either 200 ng/mL CORT or dilute ethanol (EtOH) vehicle delivered to the MH by reverse-dialysis for 40 min. In Experiment 2, 5 μM d-fenfluramine and either 200 ng/mL CORT or EtOH vehicle were concurrently delivered to the MH for 40 min using reverse-dialysis. CORT potentiated the increases in extracellular 5-HT concentrations induced by either i.p. or intra-MH administration of d-fenfluramine. Furthermore, CORT and d-fenfluramine interacted to alter home cage behaviors. Our results support the hypothesis that CORT inhibition of OCT3-mediated 5-HT clearance from the extracellular fluid contributes to stress-induced increases in extracellular 5-HT and 5-HT signaling..
Department of Biology and Neuroscience Group, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
University of Colorado at Boulder, Department of Integrative Physiology, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-4501, USA
Basic Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience Group, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
University of Bristol, Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol, BS1 3NY, UK
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Files, M. D., Zenel, J. A., Armsby, L. B., & Langley, S. M. (2009).
A Child with Eosinophilia, Loeffler Endocarditis, and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Pediatric Cardiology, 30(4), 530-532.
We present an 8-year-old male with Loeffler endocarditis and acute lymphoblastic leukemia with hypereosinophilia (ALL/Eo) who initially presented with a 3-month history of peripheral eosinophilia thought to be due to visceral larval migrans. Despite treatment for Toxocara, his leukocytosis persisted and he developed mitral valve insufficiency and congestive heart failure. Myocardial biopsy revealed fibrosis and thrombus formation indicative of Loeffler endocarditis, and a peripheral smear showed pre-B-cell acute lymphoid leukemia. This unique case highlights a rare, yet serious sequella of prolonged eosinophilia..
Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
Department of Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
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Hanson, E. K., & Sundheimer, C. (2009).
Telephone Talk: Effects of Timing and Use of a Floorholder Message on Telephone Conversations Using Synthesized Speech.
AAC: Augmentative & Alternative Communication, 25(2), 90-98.
Telephone interaction remains a challenging form of communication for many who use speech-generating devices (SGDs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of delayed starts and floorholder information at the beginning of synthesized-speech telephone calls to local businesses. Calls were placed to 100 randomly selected businesses asking for business hours. Each call was randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: a floorholder present with no delay, a floorholder present with a delay, floorholder absent and no delay, and floorholder absent with a delay. Overall, 76% of the calls were unsuccessful because the participant hung up or otherwise did not provide the information requested. The majority of successful calls occurred in the floorholder present and no delay condition.
University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota
Fiesta Pediatric Therapy, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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JONES, P. H., WALLACE, L., & BRITTEN, H. B. (2009).
Isolation and characterization of 11 microsatellite loci from Oropsylla hirsuta, a vector of sylvatic plague.
Molecular Ecology Resources, 9(3), 1041-1044.
The flea ( Oropsylla hirsuta) is an important vector of the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, in black-tailed prairie dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies. We developed 11 anonymous microsatellite primers for O. hirsuta using a subtractive hybridization procedure. All primers were polymorphic exhibiting 4–12 alleles.
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
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Kavouras, I. G., Etyemezian, V., Nikolich, G., Gillies, J., Sweeney, M., Young, M., et al. (2009).
A New Technique for Characterizing the Efficacy of Fugitive Dust Suppressants.
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995), 59(5), 603-612.
The Portable In-Situ Wind Erosion Laboratory (PI-SWERL) instrument was evaluated for testing the effectiveness of dust suppressants for a range of native and constructed soils. The PM10 (particles with diameter ≤10 μm) emissions from dust suppressant-treated and untreated soil surfaces were measured periodically over 14 months. No statistically significant differences were found among soil surfaces treated with three dilution mixtures of the dust suppressant. The temporal variation of PM10 emissions from treated and untreated plots for native and constructed soil textures indicated that: (1) reductions of PM10 emissions by the dust suppressant were significant within 2-3 months after the application and diminished substantially thereafter, (2) decomposition of the protective treated layer resulted in high PM10 emissions for longer environmental exposure times, and (3) emissions from untreated soil surfaces declined over time because of the formation of a natural crust. These results demonstrated that the PI-SWERL can provide qualitative and quantitative information on PM10 emissions for a range of soil textures and can be used to estimate the effectiveness of dust suppressants exposed to actual environmental (i.e., weather and solar radiation) conditions over long periods of time.
Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV
Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV
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Liu, Y., Wang, D., Redetzke, R. A., Sherer, B. A., & Gerdes, A. M. (2009).
Thyroid hormone analog 3,5-diiodothyropropionic acid promotes healthy vasculature in the adult myocardium independent of thyroid effects on cardiac function.
American Journal of Physiology: Heart & Circulatory Physiology, 65(5), H1551-H1557.
Liu Y, Wang 0, Redetzke RA, Sherer BA, Gerdes AM. Thyroid hormone analog 3,5-diiodothyropropionic acid promotes healthy vasculature in the adult myocardium independent of thyroid effects on cardiac function. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 296: H1551-H1557, 2009. First published March 13, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.01293.2008.Patients with hypothyroidism are at a higher risk for coronary vascular disease. Patients with diabetes and related vascular complications also have an increased incidence of low thyroid function. While thyroid hormones (TH5) may be key regulators of a healthy vasculature, potential undesirable side effects hinder their use in the treatment of vascular disorders. TH analogs such as 3,5-diiodothyropropionic acid (DITPA) may provide a safer treatment option. However, the relative potency of DITPA on vascular growth, cardiac function, and metabolism is poorly understood. We hypothesized that the vascular growth-promoting effects of DITPA can be obtained with a minimum effect on cardiac function. Thyroidectomized Sprague-Dawley rats were given slow-release pellets with either thyroxins (T4, 2.7 or 5.2 mg) or DITPA (80 mg) for 6 wk and were compared with placebo. Heart mass, body mass, body temperature, serum THs, cardiac function (echocardiograms and hemodynamics), and myocardial arteriolar density were determined. Hypothyroidism led to reductions in cardiac function, heart mass, body temperature, and myocardial arterioles. High-dose T4 prevented arteriolar loss and the development of hypothyroidism. Low-dose T4 partially prevented the reduction in cardiac function but had minimal effects on arteriolar loss. In contrast, DITPA treatment prevented myocardial arteriolar loss but not the progression of hypothyroid-induced changes in cardiac function. The results suggested that DITPA can promote a healthy vascillature independently from its thyroid-related metabolic effects. Drugs in this class may provide new therapeutic options for patients with vascular disease.
Cardiovascular Research Center, Sanfcird Research/University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Lorenzi, V., Carpenter, R. E., Summers, C. H., Earley, R. L., & Grober, M. S. (2009).
Serotonin, social status and sex change in the bluebanded goby Lythrypnus dalli.
Physiology & Behavior, 97(3/4), 476-483.
Abstract: In a variety of vertebrates, highly aggressive individuals tend to have high social status and low serotonergic function. In the sex changing fish Lythrypnus dalli, serotonin (5-HT) may be involved as a mediator between the social environment and the reproductive system because social status is a critical cue in regulating sex change. Subordination inhibits sex change in L. dalli, and it is associated with higher serotonergic activity in other species. We tested the hypothesis that high serotonergic activity has an inhibitory effect on sex change. In a social situation permissive to sex change, we administered to the dominant female implants containing the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). In a social situation not conducive to sex change, we administered either the serotonin synthesis inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) or the 5-HT1A receptor antagonist p-MPPI. After three weeks we used HPLC to measure brain levels of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). We also performed PCPA, p-MPPI and fluoxetine injections in size-matched pairs of females to assess its effect on dominance status. Males and newly sex changed fish showed a trend for higher levels of 5-HIAA and 5-HT/5-HIAA ratio than females. The different implants treatments did not affect the probability of sex change. Interestingly, this species does not seem to fit the pattern seen in other vertebrates where dominant individuals have lower serotonergic activity than subordinates.
Department of Biology, Georgia State University & Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
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Lowry, C. A., Hale, M. W., Burke, K. A., Renner, K. J., & Moore, F. L. (2009).
Fluoxetine potentiates the effects of corticotropin-releasing factor on locomotor activity and serotonergic systems in the roughskin newt, Taricha granulosa.
Hormones & Behavior, 56(1), 177-184.
Abstract: The anxiety- and stress-related neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) elicits behavioral changes in vertebrates including increases in behavioral arousal and locomotor activity. Intracerebroventricular injections of CRF in an amphibian, the roughskin newt (Taricha granulosa), induces rapid increases in locomotor activity in both intact and hypophysectomized animals. We hypothesized that this CRF-induced increase in locomotor activity involves a central effect of CRF on serotonergic neurons, based on known stimulatory actions of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) on spinal motor neurons and the central pattern generator for locomotor activity in vertebrates. In Experiment 1, we found that neither intracerebroventricular injections of low doses of CRF (25Â ng) nor the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (10, 100Â ng), by themselves, altered locomotor activity. In contrast, newts treated concurrently with CRF and fluoxetine responded with marked increases in locomotor activity. In Experiment 2, we found that increases in locomotor activity following co-administration of CRF (25Â ng) and fluoxetine (100Â ng) were associated with decreased 5-HT concentrations in a number of forebrain structures involved in regulation of emotional behavior and emotional states, including the ventral striatum, amygdala pars lateralis, and dorsal hypothalamus, measured 37Â min after treatment. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that CRF stimulates locomotor activity through activation of serotonergic systems.
Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS1 3NY, UK
Center for Premature Infant Health and Development, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
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MCGLAUGHLIN, M. E., RILEY, L., & HELENURM, K. (2009).
Isolation of microsatellite loci from the endangered plant Galium catalinense subspecies acrispum (Rubiaceae).
Molecular Ecology Resources, 9(3), 984-986.
Galium catalinense subspecies acrispum (Rubiaceae) is a state-endangered perennial shrub endemic to San Clemente Island. Eight polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from G. catalinense ssp. acrispum. These loci show high levels of variability, averaging 6.5 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity of 0.550. One locus exhibited significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium ( P < 0.01) and one pair of loci exhibited significant linkage disequilibrium.
School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639, USA
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
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Ragothaman, S., & Carr, D. (2008).
The Impact of Environmental Information Disclosures on Shareholder Returns in a Company: An Empirical Study.
International Journal of Management, 25(4), 613-620.
The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (1986) has mandated Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) disclosures in the United States. This Act requires all manufacturing companies (SIC code 20-39) who employ more than 10 people to provide an annual report about the release of more than 300 specified toxic chemicals. Similar legislation exists in other countries as well. How is this information used by investors and corporations? We develop and test a regression model to answer this question. We also perform a few robustness tests. Our sample comes from TRI disclosures for "top 100" corporate polluters based on COMPUSTAT data. Descriptive statistics and correlation measures are also provided. The higher the return on assets the higher is Tobin's q (a proxy for firm value or shareholder wealth). The waste disposal variable (toxic air release) is a statistically significant predictor of Tobin's q. As expected, the sign of the regression coefficient for waste disposal is negative. In addition, firm size has a significant impact on Tobin's q. A firm's beta, P/E ratio, and the corporate governance variable are all statistically insignificant.
University of South Dakota Beacom School of Business
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Wallace, L. E. (2009).
Phylogeographic patterns and demographic history of Schiedea globosa (Caryophyllaceae) on the Hawaiian Islands.
American Journal of Botany, 96(5), 958-967.
Geomorphological changes have been demonstrated to have had profound impacts on biodiversity, often leading to demographic expansions and contractions and allopatric divergence of taxa. We examined DNA sequence variation at two nuclear and one maternally inherited plastid locus among 10 populations of Schiedea globosa on the Hawaiian Islands to assess the primary factors shaping genetic structure, phylogeographic patterns, and the importance of geographic isolation to population divergence. Schiedea globosa has characteristics that may promote gene flow, including wind pollination and rafting of plants in ocean currents. However, we detected significant differentiation among populations on all islands except Hawaii, with the maternally inherited plastid locus having the greatest genetic structure (FST= 0.81). Migration rates across all loci are less than one migrant per generation. We found evidence of growth in several populations and on the islands of Molokai and Maui, which supports population expansion associated with the formation of Maui Nui during the last glacial maximum. Similar to data for many other Hawaiian taxa, these data suggest S. globosa originated on Oahu and subsequently colonized Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii in progression. Given the high level of genetic structure, allopatric divergence will likely contribute to further divergence of populations.
Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762 USA
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697 USA
Department of Botany, MRC 166, P.O. Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 USA
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069 USA
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Wallace, L. E., Weller, S. G., Wagner, W. L., Sakai, A. K., & Nepokroeff, M. (2009).
PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS AND DEMOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF SCHIEDEA GLOBOSA (CARYOPHYLLACEAE) ON THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
American Journal of Botany, 96(5), 958-967.
Geomorphological changes have been demonstrated to have had profound impacts on biodiversity, often leading to demographic expansions and contractions and allopatric divergence of taxa. We examined DNA sequence variation at two nuclear and one maternally inherited plastid locus among 10 populations of Schiedea globosa on the Hawaiian Islands to assess the primary factors shaping genetic structure, phylogeographic patterns, and the importance of geographic isolation to population divergence. Schiedea globosa has characteristics that may promote gene flow, including wind pollination and rafting of plants in ocean currents. However, we detected significant differentiation among populations on all islands except Hawaii, with the maternally inherited plastid locus having the greatest genetic structure (FST = 0.81). Migration rates across all loci are less than one migrant per generation. We found evidence of growth in several populations and on the islands of Molokai and Maui, which supports population expansion associated with the formation of Maui Nui during the last glacial maximum. Similar to data for many other Hawaiian taxa, these data suggest S. globosa originated on Oahu and subsequently colonized Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii in progression. Given the high level of genetic structure, allopatric divergence will likely contribute to further divergence of populations.
Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762 USA
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697 USA
Department of Botany, MRC 166, P.O. Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 USA
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069 USA
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Willyard, A., Cronn, R., & Liston, A. (2009).
Reticulate evolution and incomplete lineage sorting among the ponderosa pines.
Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 52(2), 498-511.
Abstract: Interspecific gene flow via hybridization may play a major role in evolution by creating reticulate rather than hierarchical lineages in plant species. Occasional diploid pine hybrids indicate the potential for introgression, but reticulation is hard to detect because ancestral polymorphism is still shared across many groups of pine species. Nucleotide sequences for 53 accessions from 17 species in subsection Ponderosae (Pinus) provide evidence for reticulate evolution. Two discordant patterns among independent low-copy nuclear gene trees and a chloroplast haplotype are better explained by introgression than incomplete lineage sorting or other causes of incongruence. Conflicting resolution of three monophyletic Pinus coulteri accessions is best explained by ancient introgression followed by a genetic bottleneck. More recent hybridization transferred a chloroplast from P. jeffreyi to a sympatric P. washoensis individual. We conclude that incomplete lineage sorting could account for other examples of non-monophyly, and caution against any analysis based on single-accession or single-locus sampling in Pinus.
Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
Biology Department, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway, AR 72032, USA
Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
Posted at 01:23PM Sep 16, 2009 by Tracy Marie Elsen in June 2009 | Comments[0]