Digital Commons Network^™

Information And Data Management Program's Pi Workshop, Peggy Agouris

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The objective of this workshop is to bring together the PIs and Co-PIs currently funded by the Information and Data Management Program of the National Science Foundation to discuss and exchange ideas on the focus topics of their field, as well as to identify and elaborate on emerging themes and particular emphases for future activities.

More specifically, the researchers, along with selected industry and government invitees, cooperatively focused on:

(1) analyzing research and development issues fundamental in making progress towards new challenges imposed by such diverse data sources as the Internet, embedded and distributed sensors, and satellites;

(2) specifying areas …

Information And Data Management Program's Pi Workshop, Peggy Agouris

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The objective of this workshop is to bring together the PIs and Co-PIs currently funded by the Information and Data Management Program of the National Science Foundation to discuss and exchange ideas on the focus topics of their field, as well as to identify and elaborate on emerging themes and particular emphases for future activities.

More specifically, the researchers, along with selected industry and government invitees, cooperatively focused on:

(1) analyzing research and development issues fundamental in making progress towards new challenges imposed by such diverse data sources as the Internet, embedded and distributed sensors, and satellites;

(2) specifying areas …

Linking Bioturbation And Sensory Biology: Chemoreception Mechanisms In Deposit-Feeding Polychaetes, Sara M. Lindsay, Paul Rawson

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Soft-sediment benthic habitats are ubiquitous in the marine environment and typically feature macrofaunal assemblages that include large numbers of deposit-feeding invertebrates such as polychaetes, bivalves, gastropods, crustaceans, holothurians, and hemichordates. Via their feeding, modulated in part by chemoreception, these organisms have profound effects on the ecology, biology, geology, and chemistry of their habitats. Very little is known, however, concerning the physiology and molecular biology of chemoreception in deposit feeders.

This research is a comprehensive investigation of the sensory mechanisms coordinating chemoreception in deposit feeding spionid polychaetes. It directly addresses this lack of information and will therefore have a significant impact …

Cold Body Temperature As An Evolutionary Shaping Force In The Physiology Of Antarctic Fishes, Bruce Sidell

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Notothenioid fishes that dominate the fish fauna surrounding Antarctica have been evolving for 10-14 million years at a nearly constant body temperature of ~0C throughout their life histories. As a result, this group of animals is uniquely suited to studies aimed at understanding and identifying features of physiology and biochemistry that result from the process of evolution at cold body temperature. This project has three major objectives aimed at examining adaptations for life in cold environments:

1. Identify the amino acid substitutions in the fatty acid-binding pocket of fatty acyl CoA synthetase (FACS) that explain its substrate specificity. Fatty acids …

Yeast In The Antarctic Dry Valleys: Biological Role, Distribution, And Evolution, Laurie B. Connell

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The soil community of Antarctic polar desert is comprised of few endemic species of bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates. Both filamentous and single cellular fungi have been isolated from a diversity of Antarctic soil types, but only yeast appear to be endemic to the polar desert soils. Although the ecological roles of yeast in Antarctic soils is undefined, yeast may be the principal taxa in the heterotrophic communities that synthesize sterols required by soil invertebrates. In addition, yeast may be involved in accumulating and mobilizing growth limiting nutrients such as phosphorus into the polar desert food web. This multidisciplinary research will …

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2006, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Fall 2006 issue include:

• Lobster Institute C.O.R.E. Campaign Receives $100,000 Riverdale Challenge
• Maine Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory to be Outfitted with State-of-the Art Equipment
• A Region-Wide Organization
• Research Report: Equipping the Maine Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory
• Research Report: Immunology Response of Lobster Hemolymph
• Research Report: The New England Lobster Research Initiative Announces 2006 Grant …

The Dandy Scroll, Fall 2006, University Of Maine Pulp And Paper Foundation

General University of Maine Publications

The Fall 2006 issue of The Dandy Scroll newsletter produced by the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation.

Defining And Implementing Best Available Science For Fisheries And Environmental Science, Policy, And Management, P. J. Sullivan, James Acheson, P. L. Angermeier, T. Faast, J. Flemma, C. M. Jones, E. E. Knudsen, T. J. Minello, D. H. Secor, R. Wunderlich, B. A. Zanetell

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

In the United States, many of the laws governing environmental conservation and management stipulate that the best available science be used as the basis for policy and decision making. The Endangered Species Act, for example, requires that decisions on listing a species as threatened or endangered be made on the basis of the "best scientific and commercial data available." Similarly, National Standard 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act states that conservation and management measures shall be based on "the best scientific information available." Further, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has emphasized the role of best available science …

Biophotonics: Electrochemiluminescence At Microelectrodes During Pcr Amplification Of Dna, Rosemary L. Smith, Scott Collins

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This project investigates a new technique for in situ quantification of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification products using electrochemiluminescence (ECL). The technique implements the highly sensitive, ECL detection and quantification of tris(2,2'bipyridyl) ruthenium (II) labeled DNA. This method is expected to yield significant improvement in speed, cost and performance over existing quantitative PCR methods, by reducing the number and quantity of reagents, reducing the number of sample preparation steps, increasing sensitivity, and shortening analysis time.

The Effects Of Category Overlap On Information-Integration And Rule-Based Category Learning, Shawn W. Ell, Gregory F. Ashby

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Three experiments investigate whether the amount of category overlap constrains the decision strategies used in category learning, and whether such constraints depend on the type of category structures used. Experiments 1 and 2 used a category learning task requiring perceptual integration of information from multiple dimensions (information-integration task) and Experiment 3 used a task requiring the application of an explicit strategy (rule-based task). In the information-integration task, participants used perceptual-integration strategies at moderate levels of category overlap, but explicit strategies at extreme levels of overlap – even when such strategies were sub-optimal. In contrast, in the rule-based task, participants used …

Collaborative Research: Globec-01: Tidal Front Mixing And Exchange On Georges Bank: Controls On The Production Of Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, And Larval Fishes, David W. Townsend, Robert Houghton

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Georges Bank supports a rich fishery because: (1) large portions of the bank are shallow enough that light-limitation of phytoplankton is usually not important; (2) deep waters rich in inorganic nutrients are available for mixing onto the bank; and (3) the Bank's clockwise circulation can retain the planktonic stages of important fish species. The tidally mixed front (TMF) is central to the productivity of Georges Bank through the processes of nutrient injection in the north and retention of larvae on the south flank. These two regions are connected by a circulation pathway along the front in which nutrients lead to …

The Lobster Bulletin, Summer 2006, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Summer 2006 issue include:

• Lobster Institute Christens Its "New" Research Vessel
• CSI: Lobster Institute
• Research Report: Using Sensor Technology to Gauge Lobster Quality
• Research Report: Maine's Zone C Lobster Hatchery Ready for Production
• Select Lobster Institute Oral History Interviews Now Available Online
• Maine Begins Groundline Exchange Pilot Program

Development And Commercialization Of Advanced Wood-Based Composites In Maine, Habib J. Dagher

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This award is to the University of Maine to support the activity described below for 36 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF 0179).

Partners
The partners for the award include the University of Maine (Lead Institution), Maine Technology Institute, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, State Department of Economic and Community Development, The Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Maine Department of Transportation, Louisiana Pacific, Dow Chemical, State Farm Insurance, Henderson and Bodwell, The Kenway Corporation, Market Development Alliance of the FRP Composites Industry, APA the Engineered Wood Association, National Institutes of Standards and Technology, USDA …

Focal Putamen Lesions Impair Learning In Rule-Based, But Not Information-Integration Categorization Tasks, Shawn W. Ell, Natalie L. Marchant, Richard B. Ivry

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Previous research on the role of the basal ganglia in category learning has focused on patients with Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease, neurodegenerative diseases frequently accompanied by additional cortical pathology. The goal of the present study was to extend this work to patients with basal ganglia lesions due to stroke, asking if similar changes in performance would be observed in patients with more focal pathology. Patients with basal ganglia lesions centered in the putamen (6 left side, 1 right side) were tested on rule-based and information-integration visual categorization tasks. In rule-based tasks, it is assumed that participants can learn the category …

Biochemical And Molecular Autonomy Of Symbiotic Chloroplasts, Mary E. Rumpho

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Photosynthesis provides the energy that drives all plant growth, productivity and life on earth. A marine sea slug, Elysia chlorotica, has acquired the ability to carry out photosynthesis like a plant as a result of forming a symbiotic association with chloroplasts of the alga, Vaucheria litorea. Juvenile sea slugs feed on the filamentous alga and retain only the chloroplasts, incorporating them into cells of the digestive epithelium. The chloroplasts in the now dark-green animals are functional, i.e. they evolve oxygen and fix carbon dioxide and actively synthesize proteins from DNA contained in the chloroplasts. Once the symbiosis is established, the …

Hydrodynamic Regulation Of Reproduction In Fucoid Algae: A Regional Model And Consequences For Population Structure, Susan H. Brawley

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Fucoid algae dominate most rocky shores across the north Atlantic and contribute substantially to structuring of the coastal ecosystem. Reproduction in fucoid algae is sensitive to hydrodynamic conditions, resulting in high fertilization success because gamete release occurs only under calm conditions. These findings have important implications for asynchrony in gamete release between populations and the scale of population isolation. This study will 1) test a nascent model describing when successful fucoid reproduction can occur, 2) determine whether hybridization between Fucus vesiculosus and other fucoid algae occurs when gamete release is delayed by turbulent conditions, and 3) analyze whether genetic differentiation …

Evolution Of Endosymbiosis In (Xylotrophic) Wood-Eating Bivalves, Daniel L. Distel

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Daniel L. Distel of the University of Maine to investigate the evolution of wood-boring clams. Though not well known to the general public, wood-boring clams are destructive species that may be considered the marine equivalent of termites. They include many diverse species that cause more than a billion dollars in damage to wooden structures, boats, and fishing gear annually in marine environments worldwide. The most destructive of these are the "shipworms"; worm-like clams that burrow into and eat wood. These voracious wood eaters can destroy a twelve-inch diameter pier piling in less than …

Collaborative Research: Functional And Genomic Analysis Of Polysymbiosis In The Wood-Boring Bivalve Lyrodus Pedicellatus, Daniel L. Distel

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Each day massive quantities of wood and woody plant materials enter the oceans, providing resources upon which a large variety of marine organisms depend. However, the biological communities supported by marine wood are only poorly understood. Globally, the most important consumers of marine wood are wood-boring bivalves of the family Teredinidae (shipworms, primarily found above 150 m) and Pholadidae (subfamily Xylophagainae, primarily found in the deep sea, 150-8000 m). These clams depend on intracellular endosymbiotic bacteria (endocytobionts) to help them consume a substrate (lignocellulose) that cannot be utilized by most other animals. Two functions have been proposed for symbionts of …

Developmental Biology Courseware That Integrates Multimedia Technology Into The Laboratory And Classroom Experience, Mary S. Tyler

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Biological Sciences (61) It is paramount to the learning of science that students participate in science as active learners and researchers. The use of multimedia technology to facilitate this goal offers an inexpensive way of making materials available to a large number of students and encourages students to be independent learners. This project is developing multimedia courseware that makes a wealth of resources available to undergraduate college students who are exploring the field of developmental biology. This field has gained tremendous importance recently because of its relevance to our daily lives through techniques such as cloning, genetic engineering, assisted reproductive …

2005 Wild Blueberry Project Reports, Kristi Crowe, Alfred A. Bushway, Rodney J. Bushway, Russ Hazen, Vivian Ch Wu, Brian Perkins, Pam Small, Darrell Donahue, Frank A. Drummond, Judith A. Collins, Floyd Dowell, Dorothy J. Klimis-Zacas, Gordon Starr, David E. Yarborough, Seanna L. Annis, Kerry Fl Guiseppe, Loretta Kreider, Kristen Mcgovern, John M. Smagula, Qian Wang

Wild Blueberry Research Reports

The 2005 edition of the Wild Blueberry Project Reports was prepared for the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine and the Wild Blueberry Advisory Committee by researchers at the University of Maine, Orono. Projects in this report include:

1. Evaluation of Emerging Disinfections Technologies for Wild Blueberry Processing

1A. Incorporation of wild blueberry puree into a soy-based burger and its effect on sensory and chemical properties of the broiled burgers.

2. Incorporation of wild blueberry puree into a soy-based burger and its effect on sensory and chemical properties of the broiled burgers

3. Wild blueberries and Arterial Functional Properties

4. Practical …