34,164 research outputs found
Interview recording: Andrew M. Draper, DVM
No full textInterview of Andrew Draper, DVM. Class of 1938. Interview date: March 6, 2009. Interviewer: Donald F. Smith, DVM, Austin O. Hooey Dean Emeritus.1_jwnrw0g
Ultrasensitive quantification of circulating disease biomarkers through enzymatic labeling and single molecule counting
No full textThe focus of my graduate research is on the development of simplified and ultrasensitive methods for quantifying low abundance biomarkers with the ultimate goal of developing robust tools for advancing disease diagnosis. In recent years there has been an immense expansion in the identification of sensitive and specific indicators of disease. As our understanding of these biochemical parameters continues to advance, the ability to quantify low abundance biomarkers from small samples sizes has become increasingly important to continue expanding the range of available disease indicators. Further, as medical diagnostics continues to transition to point-of-care testing, the development of simplified protocols capable of producing rapid results has been a main element limiting the development of portable devices. Together, each of these factors will play a critical role in the analysis of clinical samples for the purpose of providing more robust diagnostic and prognostic information to patients suffering from diseases ranging from infectious disease to cancer, metabolic, autoimmune, and gastrointestinal disorders. This thesis focuses on two independent projects which aim to address these limitations through the design of improved methods for the quantification of microRNA (miRNA) and protein in biological fluids.
The first of my projects relates to the ultrasensitive detection of miRNA, one of the most exciting emerging classes of biomarkers. In recent years, miRNA in blood circulating have been identified as robust indicators of a variety of diseases. Despite extensive research into the potential impact of miRNAs as clinical indicators, state of the art methods remain dependent on incredibly complex and time consuming techniques. Together, these limitations have been main factors extending research timelines and precluding the development of POC assays. Main factors contributing to the complexity of existing tests include the dependence on reverse transcriptase, DNA ligase, and PCR steps, each of which necessitate time consuming reagent handling as well as 1-2 h incubations.
To addresses these issues, my research has focused on the development of an efficient RNA amplification technique which uses enzymatic chemical labeling to generate densely labeled double stranded products that are then labeled with fluorescent probes. Individual molecules are then directly counted using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, as opposed to conventional indirect methods using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This technology provides a fundamental framework for the development of an ultrasensitive miRNA detection method which allows for the absolute and direct quantification of miRNAs in clinical samples. This thesis demonstrates enzymatic labeling of miRNA with fluorescent probes as well as the optimization of surface attachment and probe labeling methods. Ultimately this research concludes with the successful detection of labeled miRNA, establishing a framework for advancing the sensitivity of this method toward the fundamental level of digital single molecule counting.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2019-08-01The student, Lucas Smith, accepted the attached license on 2017-05-25 at 11:06.The student, Lucas Smith, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2017-05-25 at 11:35.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2017-05-26 at 13:18.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #11179 on 2017-09-29 at 11:13:19Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-29T16:39:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Heterolepisma highlandi Smith 2014
No full textHeterolepisma highlandi Smith 2014 Heterolepisma highlandi Smith, 2014: 16. Type material (paratype). 1 juvenile ♀ (HW 0.88) (AMS K. 377604 in ethanol) NSW: Wee Jasper, 35.0591°S 148.6489°E 552 m asl, 21.viii.2010, Graeme Smith and Phil Fleming.Published as part of Smith, Graeme B., Mitchell, Andrew, Lee, Timothy R. C. & Espinasa, Luis, 2019, DNA Barcoding and Integrative Taxonomy of the Heterolepisma sclerophylla species complex (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae: Heterolepismatinae) and the Description of Two New Species, pp. 1-32 in Records of the Australian Museum 71 (1) on page 14, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.71.2019.1677, http://zenodo.org/record/383797
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Chiasognathus Paulsen & Smith, 2010, sp. n.
No full textKey to Adults of Chiasognathus Species 1. Apex of elytra spinose. Males with large tooth projecting ventrally from each mandible, females with ridge or large tubercle in the same spot... C. grantii Stephens – Apex of elytra not spinose, either subdentate or rounded. Males and females at most with small ventral tooth at base of mandible.................................. 2 2. Epipleuron strongly concave in basal third of elytra. Elytral apex with beaded margins to just before apex......................................................................... 3 – Epipleuron more or less flat in basal third of elytra. Elytral apex thickened, with margin lacking bead........................................................................... 4 3. Prothorax with lateral margin obsolete anteriorly. Elytra distinctly shiny; surface glabrous in males, with long scattered bristles in females......... C. impubis Parry – Prothorax with lateral margin strongly indicated throughout, crenulate. Elytra usually densely squamose (rarely abraded).... C. mniszechii Thomson 4. Dorsal surface entirely squamose with short scales....... C. jousselinii Reiche – Dorsal surface (especially pronotum) more or less glabrous........................ 5 5. Mesotibia thickened (Fig. 10). Specimens known only from Ñuble Province (VIII Región del Biobío, Chile).......... C. sombrus Paulsen & Smith, sp. n. – Mesotibia not thickened (Fig. 11). Specimens from farther south.............. 6Published as part of Paulsen, M. J. & Smith, Andrew, 2010, Revision of the genus Chiasognathus Stephens of southern South America with the description of a new species (Coleoptera, Lucanidae, Lucaninae, Chiasognathini), pp. 33-63 in ZooKeys 43 (43) on page 41, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.43.397, http://zenodo.org/record/57665
Correspondence to Mary Ann Smith From Whitney M. Young Jr., March 21, 1960
No full textCorrespondence from Whitney M. Young Jr., Dean at the Atlanta University School of Social Work, to Mary Ann Smith discussing an upcoming documentary by Edward R. Murrow of the National Broadcasting Company. The documentary is on Atlanta, and the show's director is requesting to meet Mary Ann Smith at the dean's office. 2 pages
Engineering semiconductor quantum dots for quantitative imaging of cell motility and invasion
No full textQuantum dots (QDs) are photo-luminescent nanocrystals that possess unique optical properties such as a narrow emission range and high photo-stability, which makes them useful for a variety of biological imaging applications. In this study, QDs presenting different chemical moieties were used to quantify non-specific binding to different extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. QDs coated with poly-maleic anhydride (PMA), which had been modified to present alkane, alkene, alkyne, PEG and carboxylic acid, carboxylic acid, and solely PEG, were incubated on poly-l-lysine, collagen, fibronectin, and gelatin coated glass coverslips. Based upon the emission intensity normalized by the quantum yield (QY), the binding of the QDs were directly compared. The QD coated substrates exhibited photoluminescent enhancement (PLE) resulting in an increased emission intensity when excited over time. Based upon this increase, a more accurate QY was calculated, allowing for proper comparison between the QDs. Different ECM proteins possessed different binding affinities to different chemical moieties. Poly-L-lysine was shown to bind well to PEG/carboxylic acid particles, but paradoxically, not as well to carboxylic acid. Collagen exhibited an affinity to the alkyne coated particles. Fibronectin showed high binding to PEG/carboxylic acid QDs, but also bound well to the alkane, alkene, and alkyne. Gelatin, like fibronectin, also showed affinity to most of the particles. Due to differences in the QY and PLE, the QDs that bound the most to each protein did not produce the most uniform and brightest substrates.
MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells were then seeded on gelatin substrates coated with the QDs for 24 hours. Evidence of uptake and degradation of the matrix was observed, but could not be quantified using wide-field fluorescent microscopy. As a result, confocal images were required to properly characterize the degradation.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2017-12-01The student, Andrew Zhao, accepted the attached license on 2015-12-11 at 12:16.The student, Andrew Zhao, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2015-12-11 at 12:19.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2015-12-11 at 13:52.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #9016 on 2016-03-02 at 14:07:55Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-02T20:24:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Ten New Species ofPhyllophagaHarris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from Cuba
No full textSmith, Andrew B. T., Paulsen, M. J. (2015): Ten New Species ofPhyllophagaHarris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from Cuba. The Coleopterists Bulletin 69 (3): 435-452, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065x-69.3.435, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-69.3.43
Heterolepisma buntonorum Smith 2016
No full text<i>Heterolepisma buntonorum</i> Smith 2016 <p> <i>Heterolepisma buntonorum</i> Smith 2016a: 58.</p> <p> <b>Material examined</b>. 1♀ (HW 1.43) (AMS K.261244 K.261245 on two slides) TAS: Knocklofty, 42.8752°S 147.2957°E 270 m asl, 13.ii.2016, Stephen Bunton.</p>Published as part of <i>Smith, Graeme B., Mitchell, Andrew, Lee, Timothy R. C. & Espinasa, Luis, 2019, DNA Barcoding and Integrative Taxonomy of the Heterolepisma sclerophylla species complex (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae: Heterolepismatinae) and the Description of Two New Species, pp. 1-32 in Records of the Australian Museum 71 (1)</i> on page 14, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.71.2019.1677, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3837977">http://zenodo.org/record/3837977</a>
Morton M. Smith important dates prepared November 1, 2002, Stan Smith (703) 289-1230
No full textChronology of Morton M. Smith's professional career, prepared by Stan Smith, from various sources. Also includes a list of the people Smith worked with, as well as a collection of anecdotes about Smith, as told by the people who knew him.Morton M. Smith
Important Dates
Prepared November 1, 2002
Stan Smith (703) 289-1230
1949 – Made a member of Louisiana Nu Chapter of Xi Sigma Pi (National
Forestry/Natural Resource Honor Society)
1949 – Made a member of Louisiana Chapter of Alpha Zeta (Professional Fraternity of
Agriculture)
1950 – B.S. (Forestry) from Louisiana State University
1951 – M.S. (Game Management) from Louisiana State University
1951 (July) to 1953 (July) – Assistant Waterfowl Study Leader, Louisiana Fisheries &
Wildlife Commission. Supervisor was Richard Yancey. Based in Ferriday, LA. Served
as assistant to Yancey on Waterfowl Research Project 17-R and 29-R under Pittman
Robertson Section. Work consisted of research and surveys of Louisiana waterfowl
populations. Duties required 200 hours flight time per year as an observer. Work
conducted statewide.
1953 (April 23) – Notification of Assignment Upon Entry into Active Military Service
(“Having accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve through
the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program, you are being ordered into
active military service and assigned to 1912th Airways and Air Communication Service
Squadron, Olmstead Air Force Base, Pennsylvania.” /s/ Samuel E. Barger, Major, USAF,
Acting Air Adj Gen.).
1953 (July 3) – Entered Active Duty. Served as a personnel officer, primarily at Scott
Field, Illinois. Served as Squadron Personnel Officer and Adjutant for two years.
Responsible for all administrative phases of squadron operation, including records,
personnel assignments and squadron maintenance.
1954 (March 4) – Promoted to first lieutenant.
1955 (July) – Honorable discharge from USAF.
1955 (July) to 1957 (July) – Biologist II, Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries Commission.
Supervisor was John Newsom. Based in Alexandria, LA. Responsible for wildlife
management and development practices carried on in the Commission’s District III under
various Pittman Robertson projects. Also was responsible for fish and game work in
District III.
1957 (July) to 1962 (December) – Biologist II, Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries
Commission. Supervisor was Robert Murray (Research Supervisor). Returned to
research as a Waterfowl Study Leader. Responsible for all research under Pittman
Robertson Project W29R. Duties required travel statewide. One phase of work required
250 hours of flight time/year as an observer.
Late 1950’s – Conducted aerial surveys (along with fellow Louisiana biologist Clark
Hoffpauir) in the aftermath of Hurricane Audrey indicating a sudden population jump in
certain species wintering in Louisiana. (Source: Flyways: Pioneering Waterfowl
Management in North America, Arthur S. Hawkins, et al., Editors, U.S. Government
Printing Office, May 1984, page 448.)
Late 1950’s to Early 1960’s – Participated in annual workshops of technical committees
of the flyway councils to discuss agency contributions to waterfowl management
programs of the flyway. (Source: Flyways, at page 382, pictured attending meeting of
Mississippi Flyway waterfowl technicians held at Louisiana’s Rockefeller Refuge.)
Early 1960’s – Flew aerial transect surveys over inland and coastal marshes with other
state waterfowl biologists. (Source: Flyways, at page 446.)
1962 (January 4) – Career-Conditional Appointment as Wildlife Biologist
(Management/Airplane Pilot) for Bureau’s Division of Wildlife, Branch of Management
and Enforcement, Atlanta, Georgia (Pos. No. 4-3213-1).
1964 – Contributor, U.S. Department of the Interior’s Waterfowl Tomorrow (U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1964); “Ducks in Dixie” with John L.
Sincock, and John J. Lynch (at page 99-106).
1967 – Attended meeting of management biologists at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research
Center. (Source: Flyways, at picture at page 260, caption at page 261.)
~1968 (January) – Appointed Assistant Branch Chief, Division of Management and
Enforcement’s Branch of Management, and reassigned from Atlanta to Washington, D.C.
1968 (February) to 1969 (September) – Citation for Outstanding Performance for, among
other things, “field administration and supervision of summer waterfowl surveys and
banding program in the United States and Canada.”
1970 (April 13) – Special Achievement Award “for Superior Service” to the Bureau’s
Division of Management and Enforcement.
1971 (February) – Cited for a Quality Performance Award for “continuing high level
performance” with the Bureau’s Division of Management and Enforcement.
~mid-1970’s-1980’s – At Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, supervising Branch of
Surveys. (Source: Letter, dated March 9, 1990 from Thomas J. Dwyer, Chief, Office of
Migratory Bird Management, on the occasion of retirement.)1
1 I have not yet located Dad’s personnel files for the year ~1972-1990. They would probably provide more
details about specific work assignments than I have been able to provide here.
1990 (May 1) – Retirement. Retired as Assistant Director – [Refuges] & Wildlife, Office
of Migratory Bird Management, Washington, D.C. (Branch Chief, Surveys and
Operations)
Logged 7,000+ hours as a pilot for FWS. (Source: Interview with Mark Madison, FWS
Historian, conducted March 29, 1999.)
Worked with (among others):
Vern Stotts
Don Frickie
William Vogel
Patricia Holt
Keith A. Morehouse
Ken Gamble
Jim Bartonek
Jerry Serie
Skip Ladd
David E. Sharp
Harvey K. Nelson
David L. Hall
Gene Wood
Henry Reeves
John P. Rogers
George Brakhage
Dick Pospahala
Bob Blohm
Brad Bortner
Sean Kelly
Arthur Brazda
Dick Bauer
Jerome Stoudt
Arthur S. Hawkins
Jerry Pospichal
Douglas S. Benning
Bill Larned
Robert L. Jessen
K. Duane Norman
Fred Roetker
Vic Hamer
H. W. Heusmann
Matthew C. Perry
Leon Kirkland
Fairfax H. Settle
Bob Trost
John Tautin
Bruce Conant
Frank Bowers
Judy Bladen
Jim Bredy
Sam Carney
Liz Cummings
Dave Dolton
Mike Elkins
Greg Essinger
Fred Fiehrer
Ken Gamble
Paul Geissler
Jim Goldsberry
Mary Lou Hill
Larry Jahn
Kathy Klimkiewicz
Phil Koscheka
Fant Martin
Harvey Miller
Barbara Moore
Jim Nichols
Al Novara
Pete Poulous
Jim Price
Ron Reynolds
Bunny Siran
Bob Smith
Rollie Sparrowe
Tom Taylor
Roy Tomlinson
Dave Trauger
Jim Voelzer
Ken Williams
Dr. Fred Glover
Kahler Martinson
Ross Hanson
Dick Yancey
Jake Chamberlain
C. Lostetter
W. Crissey
J. Smith
G. Jensen
D. Purinton
D. Combs
K. Baer
Harry Hansen
A Weinrich
R. Mackay
K. Vermeer
K. Norman
E. Wellein
R. Buller
R. Slattery
P. Smith
R. Martinson
Don Smith
Maury Lundy
David Anderson
Anecdotes (Source: Morton M. Smith Retirement File, 1990)
• [Author not named]: “I really believe Mort’s favorite air-machine was the
DeHavilland ‘Speedster’ or Beaver. Seriously, when it came to multiple use or being
capable of handling many tasks, it was by far the best bush craft I ever flew. It had
one unredeeming feature however – it was slower than the second coming of the ‘Big
Man’ – in fact, it was the only aircraft I knew of that a tailwind wouldn’t help. I had
several affectionate adjectives for the machine and I used to relate to Mort about the
‘Speedster’s’ inability to develop much forward motion. I believe he took this
bitching with a grain of salt – until he drove it himself for awhile. Finally, after a
long summer, he called and said I was probably right; ‘it probably wouldn’t go much
over 100 miles per hour coming straight down.’”
• Vern Stotts: Some of his greatest thoughts and lessons for me were:
a. “I could hit these seaducks more often if they tasted better,” meant that with
practice one can rationalize anything.
b. When he said, “We can get this 206 off the water in less than 1 minute when
everyone is down to their high school weight,” it translated into don’t stuff rocks
in your personal kit to take home as souvenirs.
c. After a clapper rail hunting trip to the Eastern Short of Virginia, he remarked,
“We should shoot these critters only with a singleshot, 4-10 pistol fired with the
left hand after a cross-draw”, meaning that modern equipment can take away the
thrill of a full bag.
d. And, finally, after a perfect 2-point landing, he stressed that, “We can be happy
that we didn’t do it the other way around and land with our wheels down on the
water”, teaching me the hows, whys, whens, and beauty of a personal checklist.
• Bob Blohm: Of course, Mort, your red station wagon was legendary at the [Patuxent
Wildlife Research] center and how many Monday lunchtime discussions focused on
your weekend activities with your son to prepare the vehicle for the next week’s
drive. And, your love of doughnuts (particularly stale ones, at least 3-4 weeks old)
and old hunting clothes (the more holes and dangling threads, the better) is known far
and wide.
• Art Hawkins: After you joined the FWS Airforce it was fun getting together with
you, Don Smith, Maury Lundy and others to compare notes. You were unique among
most of the pilots listed above in that you were completely interchangeable between
ground and air duty. In fact, on days when you couldn’t fly, for one reason or
another, you joined the guys in the trenches, of your own free will. … One thing for
sure, I never worked with anyone I’ve enjoyed working with more, whether in the
Louisiana marshes or on the Canadian Prairies, whether at wing bees or Tech
meetings. Your cheerful attitude and dedication to duty made the job easier.
• John Tautin: I still recall my first months with FWS in 1974 and being assigned to a
duck banding station in Alberta. My first flight in FWS aircraft was when you flew
me from Saskatoon to Brooks to meet up with the banding crew. We (you) had to
make a tough landing in a crosswind on sod. It went well, and I still recall being
impressed and thinking that this pilot has the right stuff. I went on to learn that the
other pilots, our flyway biologists, were also fine biologists and good, safe pilots.
You deserve a lot of credit for that, having been in charge of that operation. Being in
charge as Branch Chief, Surveys and Operations, is how I most often think of you.
You have been one of the best managers I have seen, fair and honest with people,
managing to get the job done well with limited resources, and firm and decisive when
need be on issues and problems. I learned a lot from you that helps me now that I am
in charge of [the Bird Banding Laboratory]
- …
