Showing 2021 - 2030 of 4695 Items

Sponsorship, Disclosure, and Donors: Limiting the Impact of Outside Group Ads

Date: 2015-03-25

Creator: Travis N. Ridout

Michael M. Franz

Erika Franklin Fowler

Access: Open access

This research examines how an attack ad’s sponsorship conditions its effectiveness. We use data from a survey experiment that exposed participants to a fictional campaign ad. Treatments varied the ad’s sponsor (candidate vs. group), the group’s donor base (small donor vs. large donors), and the format of the donor disclosure (news reports vs. disclaimers in the ads). We find that ads sponsored by unknown groups are more effective than candidate-sponsored ads, but disclosure of donors reduces the influence of group advertising, leveling the playing field such that candidate- and group-sponsored attacks become equally effective. Increased disclosure does not, however, advantage small-donor groups over large-donor groups.


Selection of Candida albicans trisomy during oropharyngeal infection results in a commensal-like phenotype

Date: 2019-05-01

Creator: Anja Forche

Norma V. Solis

Marc Swidergall

Robert Thomas

Alison, Guyer

Annette Beach

Gareth A. Cromie

Giang T. Le

Emily Lowell

Norman Pavelka

Judith Berman

Aimeé M. Dudley

Anna Selmecki

Scott G. Filler

Access: Open access

When the fungus Candida albicans proliferates in the oropharyngeal cavity during experimental oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC), it undergoes large-scale genome changes at a much higher frequency than when it grows in vitro. Previously, we identified a specific whole chromosome amplification, trisomy of Chr6 (Chr6x3), that was highly overrepresented among strains recovered from the tongues of mice with OPC. To determine the functional significance of this trisomy, we assessed the virulence of two Chr6 trisomic strains and a Chr5 trisomic strain in the mouse model of OPC. We also analyzed the expression of virulence-associated traits in vitro. All three trisomic strains exhibited characteristics of a commensal during OPC in mice. They achieved the same oral fungal burden as the diploid progenitor strain but caused significantly less weight loss and elicited a significantly lower inflammatory host response. In vitro, all three trisomic strains had reduced capacity to adhere to and invade oral epithelial cells and increased susceptibility to neutrophil killing. Whole genome sequencing of pre- and post-infection isolates found that the trisomies were usually maintained. Most post-infection isolates also contained de novo point mutations, but these were not conserved. While in vitro growth assays did not reveal phenotypes specific to de novo point mutations, they did reveal novel phenotypes specific to each lineage. These data reveal that during OPC, clones that are trisomic for Chr5 or Chr6 are selected and they facilitate a commensal-like phenotype.


Multiproxy lake sediment records at the northern and southern boundaries of the Aspen Parkland region of Manitoba, Canada

Date: 2009-09-01

Creator: Rebecca Teed

Charles Umbanhower

Philip Camill

Access: Open access

Aspen parkland in central Canada may change substantially with increased warming and aridity as prairies replace forests, fire return intervals decrease and lake levels decline. We examined the relationships among vegetation, climate, fire and lake-ecosystem properties using lake sediment cores from the current northern and southern boundaries of the aspen parkland in southwestern Manitoba. We analyzed pollen, charcoal, sediment magnetics, biogenic silica, phosphorus, grain size and LOI, and dated the cores using Pb and C (AMS, calibrated). The Jones Lake record, from the southern edge of the parkland, began considerably earlier (~11 000 cal. BP) than the Mallard Pond record at the northern edge (~8600 cal. BP). These sites were characterized as prairie communities with low fire severity and relatively low lake productivity during the warm, dry period from 9000 to 6000 cal. BP. Beginning around 6500 cal. BP at Jones Lake and 3400 cal. BP at Mallard Pond, conditions appeared to get wetter as indicated by arboreal pollen percentage increases from ~30% to 40-60%, concurrent with a rise in charcoal and proxies for lake productivity (biogenic silica and percent organic phosphorus). Similar to previous studies along the prairie-forest border, we found that charcoal increased during warmer, wetter periods with increased forest cover and fuel loading rather than during warmer, drier periods of prairie dominance. Our results underscore the importance of regional changes in moisture, and its effects on lake levels and forest biomass, as a dominant control of the aspen parkland dynamics. © The Author(s), 2009. 210 14


MAO-A phenotype effects response sensitivity and the parietal old/new effect during recognition memory

Date: 2018-02-13

Creator: Robert S. Ross

Andrew Smolen

Tim Curran

Erika Nyhus

Access: Open access

A critical problem for developing personalized treatment plans for cognitive disruptions is the lack of understanding how individual differences influence cognition. Recognition memory is one cognitive ability that varies from person to person and that variation may be related to different genetic phenotypes. One gene that may impact recognition memory is the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAO-A), which influences the transcription rate of MAO-A. Examination of how MAO-A phenotypes impact behavioral and event-related potentials (ERPs) correlates of recognition memory may help explain individual differences in recognition memory performance. Therefore, the current study uses electroencephalography (EEG) in combination with genetic phenotyping of the MAO-A gene to determine how well-characterized ERP components of recognition memory, the early frontal old/new effect, left parietal old/new effect, late frontal old/new effect, and the late posterior negativity (LPN) are impacted by MAO-A phenotype during item and source memory. Our results show that individuals with the MAO-A phenotype leading to increased transcription have lower response sensitivity during both item and source memory. Additionally, during item memory the left parietal old/new effect is not present due to increased ERP amplitude for correct rejections. The results suggest that MAO-A phenotype changes EEG correlates of recognition memory and influences how well individuals differentiate between old and new items.


Statement by Lisa Bullard collected by Rachel George on July 10, 2014

Date: 2014-07-10

Creator: Lisa Bullard

Access: Open access



Statement by Brian Chapla collected by Rachel George on October 14, 2014

Date: 2014-10-14

Creator: Brian Chapla

Access: Open access



Statement by Peter Walsh collected by Charlotte Bacon on April 23, 2015

Date: 2015-04-23

Creator: Peter Walsh

Access: Open access



Statement by Martha Proulx collected by Rachel George on September 17, 2014

Date: 2014-09-17

Creator: Martha Proulx

Access: Open access



Interview with Bob Rozen (2) by Diane Dewhirst

Date: 2009-11-20

Creator: Robert 'Bob' M Rozen

Access: Open access

Biographical NoteRobert Martin “Bob” Rozen was born on December 11, 1955, in Richmond, Kentucky, to Morris and Rosalyn (Eilenberg) Rozen. He majored in Soviet studies at Miami University (Ohio), graduating in 1977; he earned his law degree at George Washington University. He interned for Senator Wendell Ford as a legislative assistant for the Senate Finance Committee and then continued to work for him after law school. He also earned a master’s in tax law from Georgetown University. He worked on Senator Mitchell’s staff addressing tax, trade, and financial service issues. SummaryInterview includes discussion: capital gains; Mitchell’s work to block the decrease in the capital gains tax in 1989; Mitchell’s work to pass Clinton’s health care reform plan in 1994; Mitchell’s and Moynihan’s relationship; shuttle diplomacy on health care legislation; reconciliation, and Senator Byrd’s role; Mitchell’s leadership style; Mitchell’s work with Paul Sarbanes; Mitchell and Don Riegle; Mitchell and Maine’s interests; relationship between Senators Mitchell and Cohen and their staffs; and appointment of a woman as secretary of state in 1996.


Interview with Sherman Saperstein by Andrea L’Hommedieu

Date: 2010-04-28

Creator: Sherman H Saperstein

Access: Open access

Biographical NoteSherman Saperstein was born in Waterville, Maine, on March 16, 1932, to Rose (Rosenthal) and Edward Saperstein, entered the family business in 1954, and remained there until the business was sold in 1997. A childhood friend of the Mitchell family, he was also a fund raiser for George Mitchell’s campaigns. At the time of this interview, he was a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona. SummaryInterview includes discussion of: early family life in Waterville, Maine; being a classmate and childhood friend of George Mitchell et al.; Mitchell’s traits and personality; his selection to Boys State and election there as senator; characterization of the Mitchell family.