North Carolina State University

About: North Carolina State University is a education organization based out in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Thin film. The organization has 44161 authors who have published 101744 publications receiving 3456774 citations. The organization is also known as: NCSU & North Carolina State University at Raleigh.

Deciphering the distribution of the savanna biome

Abstract: Summary •We aimed to identify the limits of savanna across Africa, Australia and South America. We based our investigation on the rich history of hypotheses previously examined: that the limits of savanna are variously determined by rainfall, rainfall seasonality, soil fertility and disturbance. •We categorized vegetation on all continents as ‘savanna’ (open habitats with a C4 grass layer) or ‘not-savanna’ (closed habitats with no C4 grass layer) and used a combination of statistical approaches to examine how the presence of savanna varied as a function of five environmental correlates. •The presence of savanna is constrained by effective rainfall and rainfall seasonality. Soil fertility is regionally important, although the direction of its effect changes relative to rainfall. We identified three continental divergences in the limits of savanna that could not be explained by environment. •Climate and soils do not have a deterministic effect on the distribution of savanna. Over the range of savanna, some proportion of the land is always ‘not-savanna’. We reconciled previous contradictory views of savanna limits by developing a new conceptual framework for understanding these limits by categorizing environmental factors into whether they had a positive or negative effect on woody growth and the frequency of disturbance.

The Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) Project

Abstract: The primary goal of the SCALE-UP Project is to establish a highly collaborative, hands-on, computer-rich, interactive learning environment for large, introductory college courses. North Carolina State University and a group of more than two-dozen collaborating schools are folding together lecture and lab with multiple instructors in a way that provides an effective, economical alternative to traditional lecture-oriented instruction. The project involves the development of the pedagogy, classroom environment, and teaching materials that will support this type of learning. It includes the development, evaluation, and dissemination of new curricular materials in physics, chemistry, and biology. Here we will focus on the calculus-based introductory physics part of the effort. In comparisons to traditional instruction we have seen significantly increased conceptual understanding, improved attitudes, successful problem solving, and higher success rates, particularly for females and minorities. This chapter highlights the development of the SCALE-UP pedagogy, classroom environment, and teaching materials for calculus-based introductory physics at North Carolina State University. * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: beichner@ncsu.edu Beichner et al. SCALE-UP

Intracellular Iron Transport and Storage: From Molecular Mechanisms to Health Implications

Abstract: Maintenance of proper “labile iron” levels is a critical component in preserving homeostasis. Iron is a vital element that is a constituent of a number of important macromolecules, including those involved in energy production, respiration, DNA synthesis, and metabolism; however, excess “labile iron” is potentially detrimental to the cell or organism or both because of its propensity to participate in oxidation–reduction reactions that generate harmful free radicals. Because of this dual nature, elaborate systems tightly control the concentration of available iron. Perturbation of normal physiologic iron concentrations may be both a cause and a consequence of cellular damage and disease states. This review highlights the molecular mechanisms responsible for regulation of iron absorption, transport, and storage through the roles of key regulatory proteins, including ferroportin, hepcidin, ferritin, and frataxin. In addition, we present an overview of the relation between iron regulation and oxidative stress and we discuss the role of functional iron overload in the pathogenesis of hemochromatosis, neurodegeneration, and inflammation. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 10, 997–1030.

The homologue of the Duchenne locus is defective in X-linked muscular dystrophy of dogs.

Abstract: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common and the most severe of the muscular dystrophies in man. It is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait and is characterized by ongoing necrosis of skeletal muscle fibres with regeneration and eventually fibrosis and fatty infiltration. Although the gene and gene product which are defective in DMD have recently been identified, the pathogenesis of the disease is still poorly understood. A myopathy has been described in the dog which has been shown to be inherited as an X-linked trait and which is therefore a potential model of the human disease. We have studied the phenotypic expression of the disease, canine X-linked muscular dystrophy (CXMD), and have examined the molecular relationship between it and DMD. We report here that dogs with CXMD faithfully mimic the phenotype of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and that they lack the Duchenne gene transcript and its protein product, dystrophin.

Quantitative trait loci in Drosophila.

Abstract: Phenotypic variation for quantitative traits results from the simultaneous segregation of alleles at multiple quantitative trait loci. Understanding the genetic architecture of quantitative traits begins with mapping quantitative trait loci to broad genomic regions and ends with the molecular definition of quantitative trait loci alleles. This has been accomplished for some quantitative trait loci in Drosophila. Drosophila quantitative trait loci have sex-, environment- and genotype-specific effects, and are often associated with molecular polymorphisms in non-coding regions of candidate genes. These observations offer valuable lessons to those seeking to understand quantitative traits in other organisms, including humans.