Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition

Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition. Gabriel Haslip-Viera and Sherrie L. Baver. eds. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1996. 338 pp.     

The Liberationist Catholic Church in Brazil

Promised Land: Base Christian Communities and the Struggle for the Amazon. Madeleine Cousineau Adriance. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995. 202 pp.
Women, Religion, and Social Change in Brazil's Popular Church. Carol Ann Drogus. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1997. 226 pp.
Claiming the Virgin: The Broken Promise of Liberation Theology in Brazil. Robin Nagle. New York: Routledge, 1997. 224 pp.
The Brazilian Popular Church and the Crisis of Modernity. Manuel A. Vasquez. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. 302 pp.     

Latest Pleistocene—Holocene paleoceanographic trends on the continental margin of eastern Canada: Foraminiferal,dinoflagellate and pollen evidence

Micropaleontological studies were made of cores from four shelf basins on the eastern Canadian Margin: Emerald and Canso basins on the Scotian Shelf (44°–46° N), Notre Dame Channel, Newfoundland Shelf (50° N) and Cartwright Saddle, Labrador Shelf (55°). Events were correlated using a combination of¹⁴C dates and pollen stratigraphies. Surface- and bottom-water changes were compared on the basis of dinoflagellates and benthic foraminifera, respectively. The results indicate significant paleoceanographic shifts along a north—south gradient both prior to and during the Holocene.Distinct Late Pleistocene—Holocene paleoceanographic events were distinguished in the Emerald, Canso and Notre Dame basins; these events are less obvious in Cartwright Saddle which is in deeper water and further off-shore. Pleistocene glaciomarine sediments in all basins contain a fauna dominated byElphidium excavatum f.clavata; dinoflagellates and pollen are rare or absent. The widespreadElphidium fauna probably reflects turbid glacial meltwater and/or a permanent ice shelf cover from 20,000-10,000 yrs BP. The Notre Dame core also penetrates older sediment with an outer Labrador Current fauna which may represent a late Wisconsinian interstade at about 23,000 yrs BP. From 7,000–10,000 yrs BP a cold water fauna occurred which is similar to modern outer Labrador Current faunas. From about 5000–7000 yrs BP, a warm interval is indicated by a relatively warm-water calcareous benthonic foraminiferal fauna and increased representation of typical Gulf Stream dinoflagellates. The most recent change occurred in the last 2000 years with an abrupt cooling associated with stronger flow of the arctic inner Labrador Current. This cooling event is marked by an increase in arctic dinoflagellates and by an exclusively agglutinated benthonic foraminiferal fauna at two sites (Canso and Notre Dame). These Holocene paleoceanographic changes are not clearly seen in the benthic fauna of the deep northern basin (Cartwright Saddle) although dinoflagellate data at this site indicate that surface-water changes have occurred that are similar to those found in shallower basins.Shifts in the zonal position of the Gulf Stream and changes in the relative mass transports of the West Greenland and Labrador currents are mechanisms which may account for the paleoceanographic events. The glacial—interstadial—glacial sequence recorded in the Notre Dame Channel, in conjunction with other theories on glacial triggering mechanisms, provides biostratigraphic evidence which suggests the onset of a glacial stage in the near future.     

Detection of viruslike particles in germ-free mice

Kajima, Masahiro (University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.), and Morris Pollard. Detection of viruslike particles in germ-free mice. J. Bacteriol. 90:1448-1454. 1965.-Viruslike particles similar in structure to the mouse leukemia agent were detected by electron microscopy in thymus tissues of germ-free AK mice which had developed spontaneous leukemia. In addition, unique viruslike particles (type B) were detected in tissues from spontaneous mammary adenocarcinoma of germ-free C3H mice. Leukemia virus-like particles were also observed in the thymuses of the control AK mice and of the C3H control mice as well as of those with mammary tumors. Germ-free mice are not virus-free. The routes of transmission of leukemia as well as of mammary tumor viruses may be "vertical," through the embryo or placenta.     

RESPONSE TO WOUNDING OF FLORAL HAIRS OF STAPELIA

Benda , G. T. A. (U. Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.) Response to wounding of floral hairs of Stapelia. Amer. Jour. Bot. 48(9): 833–842. Illus. 1961—Wounded single-celled hairs of the corolla of Stapelia grandiflora were used to investigate: (1) the closure of the wound; and (2) the dynamics of water balance in these cells and their adjoining tissue. The cells were wounded by removing the tip of the cell, and the technique described made it possible to follow small volume changes over 2-sec intervals for extended periods. The data obtained indicate that the volume of cell content results from a dynamic balance of uptake and loss of water. In cells kept relatively dry, the part of the protoplast nearest the wound was free to move back and forth within the cell wall. A wound does not necessarily result in a plug of coagulated protoplast visible at the microscopic level, but a plug is produced if the wounded cell takes up water rapidly.     

Nitrate reductase and respiratory adaptation in Bacillus stearothermophilus

Downey, R. J. (University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.). Nitrate reductase and respiratory adaptation in Bacillus stearothermophilus. J. Bacteriol. 91:634-641. 1966.-Bacillus stearothermophilus 2184 required nitrate to grow in the absence of oxygen. Like many facultative microorganisms, the growth obtained anaerobically was considerably less than that obtained aerobically, even though the dissimilatory reduction of nitrate is, in effect, anaerobic respiration. The ability to reduce nitrate depended on the induction of nitrate reductase. Although oxygen at low levels did not retard induction of the enzyme, enzyme synthesis was considerably lessened by aeration. A semisynthetic medium containing nitrate supported aerobic growth of the thermophile but did not support anaerobic growth. The adaptation to nitrate resulted in a decrease in the level of cytochrome oxidase normally present in aerobically grown cells. Although the aerobic oxidation of succinate by the respiratory enzymes from aerobically grown cells was inhibited by 2-N-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide, the anaerobic oxidation of succinate by nitrate in a similar preparation from nitrate-adapted cells was not. The nitrate reductase in the bacillus was strongly inhibited by cyanide and azide but not by carbon monoxide. The nitrate reductase catalyzed the anaerobic oxidation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and appeared to transfer electrons from cytochrome b(1) to nitrate. Cytochrome c(1) did not appear to be involved in the transfer.     

Ernest L. Eliel: a life of purpose, determination, and integrity

A concise biography of Ernest L. Eliel is presented. The highlights of Eliel's scientific achievements are described, beginning with his Ph.D. thesis research performed under the supervision of Professor Harold Snyder (University of Illinois) and continuing as a faculty member at Notre Dame (synthesis of nonracemic C(6)H(5)CHDCH(3); kinetic method of conformational analysis; equilibrium and NMR methods of conformational analysis); and at the University of North Carolina (conformational analysis of heterocyclic compounds; enantioselective synthesis). Eliel's professional career as a teacher, textbook author, and major figure in the American Chemical Society are discussed. His philosophies of life, science, and chemistry are described by a series of poignant quotations.     

Experience with BXGrid: a data repository and computing grid for biometrics research

Research in the field of biometrics depends on the effective management and analysis of many terabytes of digital data. The quality of an experimental result is often highly dependent upon the sheer amount of data marshalled to support it. However, the current state of the art requires researchers to have a heroic level of expertise in systems software to perform large scale experiments. To address this, we have designed and implemented BXGrid, a data repository and workflow abstraction for biometrics research. The system is composed of a relational database, an active storage cluster, and a campus computing grid. End users interact with the system through a high level abstraction of four stages: Select, Transform, AllPairs, and Analyze. A high degree of availability and reliability is achieved through transparent fail over, three phase operations, and independent auditing. BXGrid is currently in daily production use by an active biometrics research group at the University of Notre Dame. We discuss our experience in constructing and using the system and offer lessons learned in conducting collaborative research in e-Science.     

Computerization of specimen data from the Edward Lee Greene Herbarium (ND-G) at Notre Dame

Computerization of the Edward Lee Greene Herbarium at Notre Dame is described. Reasons for the justification of such a project and the steps involved in data accumulation and data processing are presented. Results are or will be available in two forms: 1) formal publications containing summary information, including information on the more than 4400 taxa that Greene named; and 2) a computerized data bank that today can provide answers to questions from individual systematists about the 65,000 specimens. Problems in automation are discussed, as are the relation of this project to similar ones. Finally, an invitation is extended to readers to query the data bank without cost.     

Characterization of clonal populations of theHeliothis zea cell line IPLB-HZ 1075

Summary A total of 24 clones (HZ 1075/UND-A through X) were initially isolated by dilution plating from the established IPLB-HZ 1075 cell line. Many of the isolates with highly vacuolated cytoplasms eventually died during subculturing. The cloned cell strains differed in their predominant morphology, cell doubling times, and relative ability to support replication of the singly encapsulated nuclear polyhedrosis virus ofHeliothis zea (HzSNPV). The origin of the cloned cell strains was confirmed by comparing their isozyme profiles with those of the parental IPLB-HZ 1075 cell line andH. zea larvae using stains for fumerate hydratase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and malic dehydrogenase (MDH). One dipteran and several lepidopteran cell lines maintained in our lab were also separable using stains for LDH and MDH. This research was supported in part by USDA grant number GAM 8400211, and by a Jesse Jones Faculty Research Award from the University of Notre Dame to M. J. F.     

Distributional patterns of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) along the Newfoundland East Coast reflect their main prey,capelin (Mallotus villosus)

On the Newfoundland foraging ground, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) primarily consume capelin (Mallotus villosus), which experienced a population collapse in the early 1990s, associated with altered timing of spawning and spawning migration. We examined whether humpback whale movement and distribution match these prey changes. Combining tour company whale sighting reports and photographs, citizen science reports of capelin spawning and scientific monitoring, whales were found to move northward along the east coast and whale aggregation presence within bays was associated with spawning capelin presence, being later in northerly bays. Whale aggregations arrived 8–20 days later than spawning capelin in northern bays, however, suggesting inconsistent tendencies to track high abundance spawning capelin aggregations during migration. Repeated scientific surveys during July–August 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014–2017, within a biological hotspot associated with capelin spawning sites in Notre Dame Bay, revealed that whale presence was influenced by the date of capelin spawning rather than capelin abundance metrics (i.e., biomass, number of shoals, shoal density, shoal area). A photo-identification catalog compiled during July–August, 2003–2017, revealed a 22% return rate of whales to the hotspot. Overall, findings suggest that capelin spawning sites are important foraging areas for humpback whales in coastal Newfoundland under these altered prey conditions.     

Defining natural history: assessment of the ability of college students to aid in characterizing clinical progression of Niemann-Pick disease, type C

Niemann-Pick Disease, type C (NPC) is a fatal, neurodegenerative, lysosomal storage disorder. It is a rare disease with broad phenotypic spectrum and variable age of onset. These issues make it difficult to develop a universally accepted clinical outcome measure to assess urgently needed therapies. To this end, clinical investigators have defined emerging, disease severity scales. The average time from initial symptom to diagnosis is approximately 4 years. Further, some patients may not travel to specialized clinical centers even after diagnosis. We were therefore interested in investigating whether appropriately trained, community-based assessment of patient records could assist in defining disease progression using clinical severity scores. In this study we evolved a secure, step wise process to show that pre-existing medical records may be correctly assessed by non-clinical practitioners trained to quantify disease progression. Sixty-four undergraduate students at the University of Notre Dame were expertly trained in clinical disease assessment and recognition of major and minor symptoms of NPC. Seven clinical records, randomly selected from a total of thirty seven used to establish a leading clinical severity scale, were correctly assessed to show expected characteristics of linear disease progression. Student assessment of two new records donated by NPC families to our study also revealed linear progression of disease, but both showed accelerated disease progression, relative to the current severity scale, especially at the later stages. Together, these data suggest that college students may be trained in assessment of patient records, and thus provide insight into the natural history of a disease.     

Rhythm analysis of clipped data: Examples using circadian data

Summary It has previously been proved that, in rhythm analysis, it makes little difference to the outcome if the data are analyzed in clipped form (that is, reduced to zero crossings). Loss of amplitude information has little effect on analyses for periodicity, a fact which can be used to advantage both for data collection and for data analysis.Rhythm analyses are common in studies which seek to characterize circadian oscillations. I have subjected eight time series of real biological data to time series analysis, then reduced the data to the clipped form and re-analyzed it with the same techniques. I did this using three techniques for rhythm analysis: autocorrelation, power spectral analysis, and Enright's periodogram. The data consisted of perchhopping activity records from sparrows exhibiting entrained or freerunning circadian rhythms. For all three techniques, results with real data conformed with the mathematical theorem for analysis of clipped data.I Thank K. Adler, E. Kluth, G. Wyche, Mr. Killan, C. Cromack, J. Alvis, and the Notre Dame Computer Center. Support was provided by postdoctoral fellowship 1 FO2-HD-52858 to S. Binkley; grants to K. Adler (NSF GB-30547 and NTH FR-07033-05). Sparrow data used in this report were gathered while S. Binkley was a graduate student at the U. of Texas in Austin (NIH traineeship 5T01 GM-00836-08) and with funds from an NIH program project grant (HD-03803-02) to M. Menaker.     

A low-tech analytical method for diethylcarbamazine citrate in medicated salt

The World Health Organization has called for an effort to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) around the world. In regions where the disease is endemic, local production and distribution of medicated salt dosed with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) has been an effective method for eradicating LF. A partner of the Notre Dame Haiti program, Group SPES in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, produces a medicated salt called Bon Sel. Coarse salt is pre-washed and sprayed with a solution of DEC citrate and potassium iodate. Iodine levels are routinely monitored on site by a titrimetric method. However, the factory had no method for monitoring DEC. Critical analytical issues include 1) determining whether the amount of DEC in each lot of Bon Sel is within safe and therapeutically useful limits, 2) monitoring variability within and between production runs, and 3) determining the effect of a common local practice (washing salt before use) on the availability of DEC. This paper describes a novel titrimetric method for analysis of DEC citrate in medicated salt. The analysis needs no electrical power and requires only a balance, volumetric glassware, and burets that most salt production programs have on hand for monitoring iodine levels. The staff of the factory used this analysis method on site to detect underloading of DEC on the salt by their sprayer and to test a process change that fixed the problem.     

Which forest bird species are the main hosts of the tick,Ixodes ricinus,the vector of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato,during the breeding season?

Wild birds are important hosts for vector-borne pathogens, especially those borne by ticks. However, few studies have been conducted on the role of different bird species within a community as hosts of vector-borne pathogens. This study addressed individual and species factors that could explain the burden of Ixodes ricinus on forest birds during the reproductive periods of both vectors and hosts. The goal was to identify which bird species contribute the most to the tick population at the community level. Birds were mist-netted on four plots in 2008 and on seven plots in 2009 in two forests (Sénart and Notre Dame, near Paris, France). The dependence of the tick load per bird upon environmental conditions (questing nymph density, year and plot) and on host species traits (species, age, sex, body size, vertical space use, level of innate and acquired immunity) was analysed. Finally, the relative contribution of each bird species to the local dynamics of ticks was estimated, while accounting for their respective abundance. Tick burden differed markedly between bird species and varied according to questing nymph density. Bird species with a high body mass, those that forage low in the vegetation, and those that had a high innate immune response and a high spleen mass were more likely to have a high tick burden. Four species (the Common Blackbird, Turdus merula, the European Robin, Erithacus rubecula, the Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos, and the Winter Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes) hosted more than 90% of the ticks in the local bird community. These species, and particularly T. merula which was host to a high proportion of the nymphs, are likely to contribute significantly to the circulation of pathogens for which they are competent, such as the agent of Lyme borreliosis.     

Predation-driven dynamics of zooplankton and phytoplankton communities in a whole-lake experiment

Summary 1. Species compositions of zooplankton and phytoplankton were followed in Tuesday Lake before and after experimental manipulation of its fish populations (addition of piscivorous largemouth bass, removal of planktivorous minnows). Plankton dynamics were compared to those of adjacent, unmanipulated Paul Lake, where piscivorous fish have been dominant historically. 2. Indices of similarity for the zooplankton communities in the two lakes in 1984 prior to the manipulation were low; however, following the manipulation in spring, 1985, similarity of the zooplankton in the two lakes rose considerably and remained high throughout 1986. This was the result of an increase in Tuesday Lake of previously rare large-bodied cladocerans (Daphnia pulex, Holopedium gibberum) which were the dominants in Paul Lake, and the disappearance in Tuesday Lake of the dominant small-bodied copepod Tropocyclops prasinus, a minor component of the Paul Lake zooplankton. These observations are consistent with prior observations of the effects of size-selective predation on zooplankton communities. 3. Phytoplankton communities also responded strongly to the manipulation, with similarity indices for the two lakes rising from low levels in 1984 to high levels of similarity in 1985 and 1986, reflecting the decrease of formerly dominant Tuesday Lake taxa which were unimportant in Paul Lake and the appearance or increase in Tuesday Lake of several taxa characteristic of the Paul Lake phytoplankton assemblage. these results clearly show that food web structure can have pronounced effects on community composition at all levels of the food web, and that, just as zooplankton communities are structured by sizeselective predation, phytoplankton communities are structured by herbivory. These observations may provide some insight into factors governing the complex distributions of phytoplankton species among various lakes.A contribution from the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center, funded by NSF grants BSR-83-08918 and BSR-86-06271     

The Batrachian Barf Bowl: An authentic research experience using ecological data from frog diets

Authentic research experiences (AREs) are a powerful strategy for inspiring and retaining students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. However, recent demand for virtual learning has emphasized the need for remote AREs that also foster a sense of community and interpersonal connections among participants. Here, we describe an ARE activity that leverages digitized diet data from natural history collections to provide students with collaborative research experience across any learning environment. Using magnified photographs of frog stomach contents collected in the Peruvian Amazon, we designed an open‐source “bowl game” competition that challenges students to identify, measure, and compare diet items across vouchered frog specimens (“Batrachian Barf Bowl”). To demonstrate learning outcomes, we ran this activity with 39 herpetology class students from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan. We used pre‐ and post‐activity assessments to evaluate effectiveness, scientific accuracy of results, and impact on student well‐being. With minimal preparation and training in invertebrate identification, students were successful in identifying hundreds of frog diet items to taxonomic order, although accuracy varied among clades (global accuracy ~70%). While we found no difference in science identity, community, or self‐efficacy between the two institutions at either time point (pre‐ and post‐activity), we found that well‐being was significantly higher for both sets of students after the activity. Overall, this approach offers a model for combining active learning with museum collections to provide experiential research opportunities that highlight the power of scientific collaboration.     

Biomagnetic separation of contaminating host leukocytes from plasmodium-infected erythrocytes

Carlton, J. M-R., Yowell, C. A., Sturrock, K. A., and Dame, J. B. 2001. Biomagnetic separation of contaminating host leukocytes from Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes. Experimental Parasitology 97, 111-114.     

Two methods for using period length to study rhythmic phenomena

Summary We have developed two distinct methods of biological rhythm analysis. The procedures are based on existing techniques for analysis of time series, Enright's periodogram and autocorrelation, and both of the new methods use the parameter, period length (), for defining oscillatory phenomena. We empirically evaluated the two types of analyses using real biological data from circadian rhythm studies in salamanders and sparrows.The first method permits us to make a statistical comparison of period lengths between groups of animals in given treatments. This method is useful for data where the signal-to-noise ratio of the suspected rhythm is very low; and the method is not adequate for making a definitive judgment from single animals. It can best be applied to the question of whether a signal is entraining a rhythm or not and to questions of group differences in period length.With the second method, we determined period length versus time. Using this procedure, we took into consideration the observation that the period length of many biological oscillations changes with time. The method is applicable to records from individual animals, and it can be used to compare treatment effects in individual animals. The technique can also be used to answer the common question of whether periodicityper se exists within a defined range in a time series.We thank Dr, T. J. Crovello, Mr. Kilian, Mr. B. Bailey, Mr. E. Kluth, Mr. G. Wyche, and the Notre Dame Computer Center. Support was provided by postdoctoral fellowship (l F02-HD-52858) from NIH to S. Binkley; grants to K. Adler (NSF GB-30547 and NIH FR-07 033-05); and NSF postdoctoral fellowship (GU-2058) and an Indiana Academy of Science grant to D. Taylor. Sparrow data used in this report were gathered while S. Binkley was a graduate student at the U. of Texas in Austin (NIH traineeship 5T01 GM-00836-08) and with funds from an NIH program project grant (HD-03803-02) to M. Menaker.