Ohio Wesleyan University

BackgroundThe diaphragm contributes to respiration, postural stabilization, and regulation of esophageal sphincter pressures through its crural portion. Although its dual respiratory–postural role is established, the effects of physical load and arm position on esophageal sphincter pressures remain unclear. This study investigated how postural demand and external load influence upper (UES) and lower (LES) esophageal sphincter pressures under varying stabilization conditions.MethodsTwenty-eight healthy adults underwent high-resolution manometry (HRM) to measure UES and LES pressures in standing, supine leg raise, and during standing while holding 3, 6, and 9 kg loads with arms alongside the body or raised to 45° shoulder flexion. Paired-samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA were applied, with effect sizes calculated.ResultsLES pressure significantly increased in the supine leg raise and when loads were held with arms elevated at 45° shoulder flexion (p < 0.001), indicating enhanced activation of the esophagogastric high-pressure zone involving the crural diaphragm. No significant LES change occurred when weights were held parallel to the body. UES pressure significantly increased only during the supine leg raise (p < 0.001), whereas load magnitude had no effect in standing.ConclusionEsophageal sphincter pressures are modulated by posture and load, supporting an integrated respiratory–postural–sphincteric function of the diaphragm. LES pressure rises with increasing postural demand, consistent with crural diaphragm recruitment, while UES responses appear position-dependent. These findings extend current understanding of the diaphragm’s coordinated role in esophagogastric junction and upper sphincter control.

ABSTRACT Since ChatGPT’s public release in late 2022, discussion in marketing education has focused on applications of AI in teaching and learning. Less attention, however, has been given to the essential role that wellestablished marketing theory and sound pedagogy play in guiding these applications. This paper introduces the LEO Framework – a pedagogical model to help business educators integrate AI into course design in ways that advance student learning. The conceptual framework connects disciplinespecific theory with educators’ preferred pedagogical approaches, enabling them to align AI use with clear educational goals and equip students to learn more deeply in an AI-enhanced environment.

Host-associated microbiomes often consist of complex bacterial consortia, many of whose members remain uncultivated and/or have poorly characterized functions. In this study, we used metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to better understand the reproductive defensive symbiosis of the accessory nidamental gland (ANG) of the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes . We recovered 23 high- and medium-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the four major ANG symbiont taxa ( Alphaproteobacteria , Verrucomicrobia , Gammaproteobacteria , and Flavobacteriia ) that dominate the E. scolopes ANG community. Three Puniceicoccaceae MAGs represent the first Verrucomicrobia genomes from a cephalopod ANG and are potentially novel species in Verrucomicrobia subdivision four. These Verrucomicrobia encode the highest diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) among the analyzed strains. Metatranscriptomes revealed no differential expression between the ANG and eggs, indicating metabolic stability during symbiont transfer from the ANG tubules to egg jelly coats. Community-wide expression of glycoside hydrolases may enable shared degradation of host O- and N-glycosylated mucins. Genes often important in host-association, such as motility, chemotaxis, and quorum sensing, were broadly expressed amongst the major taxa. Expression of diverse secondary metabolite clusters (e.g., NRPS, PKS, bacteriocins) and competitive mechanisms, like the T6SS, were also expressed and may contribute to mediating competition within the ANG or in egg defense. Overall, this work reveals the genomic and transcriptomic repertoire of the E. scolopes ANG microbiome and provides insight on members of the marine Verrucomicrobia, a group with growing recognition as important in symbiotic associations.

In this Festschrift article, I reflect on Dr George Ritzer's teaching and mentorship of working-class, first-generation students. As a graduate student, my working-class background gave me significant imposter syndrome. While one might expect George's accomplishments and prestige to have contributed to such feelings, he was actually one of the most down-to-earth and approachable faculty members I encountered, who took the time to nurture me as a developing scholar. George instilled in us, as first-generation students, a love and mastery of social theory, theoretical contributions upon which we could develop, and a passion for and commitment to public sociology. He modeled relatability and humility as a world-renowned academic. I further outline how I believe George's own working-class, first-generation origins informed his style of teaching and mentorship to support students from similar roots.

Gravitropism, the patterning of postembryonic growth in relation to the gravity vector, allows plants to optimize the use of limited and nonhomogenous resources in their immediate environment. Since the current model of root gravitropism has not been able to integrate all aspects of the response (perception, response, and behavior), research on gravitropism has been dominated by different theories attempting to conceptualize each aspect individually. In this work, we sought to reevaluate all the main components of the root graviresponse through the lens of angle dependence. We show angle dependence in Cholodny-Went-based auxin asymmetry and growth response, which we tracked back to angle-dependent variation in PIN asymmetry and statolith sedimentation in the columella. Thanks to this approach, we were able to suggest distinct roles for PINs and columella cell tiers, and a potential function for auxin vertical flux through the columella. Our findings provide a unifying framework to further explore the mechanisms that regulate angle-dependent gravitropic response, with major implications of time-dependent features of root graviresponse.

The Bargmann-Michel-Telegdi equation, which describes the precession of the spin of a charged Dirac particle moving in a homogeneous electromagnetic field, is generalized to include also other homogeneous background fields. The treatment incorporates observable coefficients that govern operators of mass dimensions three through six in the underlying Dirac effective field theory. A relativistic formulation valid in arbitrary inertial frames is obtained. The results are applicable to searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model, including searches for Lorentz and CPT violation.

Primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) are significant academic employers of Ph.D. recipients. Even though the focus of PUIs is undergraduate education, many Ph.D. faculty who teach at these institutions are research-active and conduct impactful work. Unfortunately, it has been our experience that many at funding agencies and research-intensive institutions hold the view that this is not the case. In this piece, 16 faculty members share their experiences and approaches to conducting research at PUIs.

While previous studies have found rhythms in gene expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the contribution of different cell types and potential variation by sex has not been determined. Of interest are excitatory pyramidal cells and inhibitory parvalbumin (PV) interneurons, as the interaction between these cells is thought to underlie gamma oscillations and play a role in schizophrenia. We identify cell-type-specific rhythms in ribosome-associated transcripts from PV and pyramidal cells in the mouse PFC and assess rhythms in PV cell electrophysiology. We find that while core molecular clock genes are synchronized between cell types, pyramidal cells have nearly twice as many rhythmic transcripts as PV cells (35% vs. 18%). Moreover, in contrast to PV cells, rhythmic transcripts in pyramidal cells show substantial overlap between sexes. Additionally, there is a sex-specific reduction in action potential amplitude and spike frequency adaptation during the dark phase in PV cells from females. This study demonstrates that rhythms in gene expression and electrophysiological properties in the PFC vary by cell type and by sex. Moreover, the biological processes associated with rhythmic transcripts may provide insight into the unique functions of rhythms in these cells, as well as their selective vulnerabilities to circadian disruption.

Abstract Interindividual differences in nest defense towards a single predator type have been shown to be repeatable in multiple species, supporting the presence of personality. Here, we assessed if the nest defense of female northern house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) was repeatable across different types of predators, which is predicted by personality and largely untested. Over three years, we placed a decoy of a common nest predator, the eastern rat snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis), on top of nest boxes and measured female behavior. Each season, we also presented a second stimulus of varying threat level, including an eastern chipmunk decoy (Tamias striatus), a taxidermied Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii), and a novel object of unknown threat. We measured repeatability between each pair of threats and compared the population-level response to the snake across years. Nest defense was significantly repeatable between the snake and chipmunk, which presented similar risks. It was also repeatable between the snake and novel object despite the population-level response to the object being significantly weaker. In contrast, nest defense was not repeatable between the snake and the hawk, which posed a significant threat to adult survival that may have disrupted the consistency of the female response. Finally, the average, population-level response to the snake did not detectably differ among years, indicating stability in this behavior despite high turnover in breeding adults. These results suggest the presence of personality in nest defense, but more research is needed to evaluate the effect of high-risk predators on the repeatability of this behavior.Significance StatementDifferences among individuals in the strength of nest defense are often repeatable towards a specific predator, indicating the presence of personality. However, few studies have tested the repeatability of nest defense across different predators of varying threat levels. Personality predicts that weak/strong responders to one predator should also be weak/strong to another. We tested this prediction in female northern house wrens by placing decoys of different predators and a novel object on top of their nest boxes to measure nest defense. Nest defense was repeatable between two predators of similar risk and between a predator and a novel object of unknown risk. However, nest defense was not repeatable between a low and high-risk predator. The results suggest the presence of personality, but research is needed on the effects of high-risk predators that appear to disrupt behavioral consistency.

Pantropical taxa with broad and changing distributions provide useful systems for assessing drivers of tropical tree biodiversity. Xylopia, a vertebrate-dispersed woody plant genus with species evenly distributed across the tropics, including on isolated islands, occurs in rainforest as well as in subhumid, inundated, and ultramafic habitats. To determine the significance of biogeographic and ecological transitions in the genus, we generated reconstructions for 168 species using a nuclear phylogenomic framework. Xylopia originated at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary with the ancestral area reconstructed as paleotropical. A core clade, comprising 90% of species, dispersed once from Africa to the Asia-Pacific area and once to the Americas. Five lineages dispersed between Africa and Madagascar; in the Asia-Pacific area, multiple dispersals occurred between the Sunda and Sahul plates. Niche conservatism in continental rainforests continued, while the genus repeatedly dispersed, overcoming environmental filters to occupy novel environments. Notably, diversification continued in drier subhumid environments as many rainforest groups underwent extinction, and species richness on islands showed no correlation with isolation index. Novel environments largely acted as sinks, together encompassing about half the species in the genus. High value seed rewards taken by birds that transit long distances, combined with the capacity to transition to novel habitats, were fundamental drivers of pantropical expansion and diversification. These drivers remained the same in all regions, while idiosyncratic historical factors determined the timing and routes of dispersals.