Life Sciences Commons^™

Hundreds Of Scn-Resistant Soybean Varieties Available For 2014, Gregory L. Tylka

Integrated Crop Management News

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a serious yield-reducing pathogen of soybeans. It is present in many fields throughout the Midwest, wherever soybeans are grown.

To produce profitable soybean yields in fields infested with SCN, farmers should grow SCN-resistant soybean varieties. SCN-resistant soybeans can produce high yields while keeping SCN population densities from increasing.

Scout Crops For Aphids, Erin W. Hodgson

Integrated Crop Management News

Earlier this summer, I found aphids in V4 corn in central Iowa. This early establishment is unusual because most aphids that feed on corn have to migrate from the southern United States every summer. My lab also found soybean aphid in vegetative soybean at most of the Iowa State University Research Farms in June. Although they can overwinter in Iowa, larger colonies have not recently formed until after bloom. Pea aphids have also been reported in alfalfa in northeastern Iowa. All these aphid detections prompted me to summarize a few scouting reminders and treatment thresholds for aphids in field crops.

The Antimicrobial, Mechanical, Physical And Structural Properties Of Chitosan-Gallic Acid Films, Xiuxiu Sun, Zhe Wang, Hoda Kadouh, Kequan Zhou

Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications

Chitosan films incorporated with various concentrations of gallic acid were prepared and investigated for antimicrobial, mechanical, physical and structural properties. Four bacterial strains that commonly contaminate food products were chosen as target bacteria to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the prepared gallic acid-chitosan films. The incorporation of gallic acid significantly increased the antimicrobial activities of the films against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria innocua and Bacillus subtilis. Chitosan films incorporated with 1.5 g/100 g gallic acid showed the strongest antimicrobial activity. It was also found that tensile strength (TS) of chitosan film was significantly increased when incorporating 0 ...

Ligand-Receptor Interactions For Supramolecular Disassembly With Applications In Screening And Drug Delivery, Diego F. Amado Torres

Diego Amado Torres

Proteins have the capacity to bind specific sets of compounds known as ligands, these are small molecules with a recurrent theme in their molecular design that is a characteristic exploited here to (i) identify particular affinities of small molecules for proteins with the aim of using them as ligands, inhibitors, or targeting moieties in more complex systems by means of a methodology that screens small molecules based on protein affinity; (ii) decorate a self-assembling supramolecular system at different positions, making it responsive to a complementary protein with the aim of exploring differences in disassembly and sensitivity of the release of ...

An Evaluation Of The Relative Performance Of Diploid Versus Triploid Brook Trout With Consideration Of The Influence Of Lake Characteristics, Andy Dean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Triploid (sterile) trout potentially offer a more risk-averse option for stocking popular non-native sport fish; however the relative performance (e.g., survival and growth) of triploid versus diploid fish in natural settings is not well understood. I evaluated the relative performance of triploid versus diploid brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) stocked in high mountain Uinta lakes in response to food availability and lake morphology. I chose a set of 9 lakes that included a range of elevation and lake morphology. I observed no difference in CPUE or relative weight (Wr) of both types of trout in all lakes. Food availability ...

Initial Characterization Of A Conserved Active Site Residue For The Cdc34 Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme, Arvin Akoopie

Theses

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) covalently modify protein substrates with ubiquitins. The active site cysteine residues on E2s are essential for catalyzing the transfer of ubiquitin from the E2 active site onto the protein substrate, however there is a limited amount of information available concerning additional active site residues for E2s that may also participate in catalysis. Cdc34 is an essential E2 that has merited the lion’s share of attention for biochemical analysis of the E2 family. Previous phylogenetic analysis of Cdc34 amino acid sequences has identified an invariably conserved histidine residue close to the active site cysteine in the primary ...

Health Monitoring Of Seasoned Sows In A New And Unfamiliar Environment, Rebecca Kocak

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Novel Multi-Dimensional Tissue Culturing Methods Using Autonomously Bioluminescent Human Cell Lines, James Dean Webb

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Aba On Calcium Binding In Tomato Fruit And Its Impact On Fruit Texture, Kendall Cressman

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Response Of Large River Fishes To A Prolonged High Water Event In The Missouri River, Nebraska, Nicholas Paul Hogberg

Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources

Regulation and modification of large rivers to accommodate human uses have been a root cause of freshwater biodiversity declines. The Missouri River is among the most drastically-altered large river systems in North America, with a series of mainstem impoundments in the upper watershed altering flow characteristics downstream, and channelization throughout the lower river homogenizing instream habitat and reducing off-channel habitat. Precipitation events during the winter and spring 2010-2011 caused flooding of the greatest magnitude and duration since reservoir completion. The large magnitude and long duration of this flood made it unlike any flood in recent history and provided a unique ...

Modeling To Improve Vegetation-Based Wetland Biological Assessment, Robin C. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act (1972), natural resource managers need to be able to detect biological degradation in wetland ecosystems. Biological indices are commonly used by managers to assess wetland biological condition. The accuracy and precision of wetland condition assessments are directly related to the performance of these indices, and biological index performance is thought to be related to how well an index controls for the effects of environmental attributes on biological assemblages. Many plant-based biological indices control for environmental and biological variation through the use of classification schemes that are based on geographic location and ...

Bark Beetle-Induced Changes To Crown Fuel Flammability And Crown Fire Potential, Wesley G. Page

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent outbreaks of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) forests and spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) in Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) forests have affected vast areas across western North America. The highlevels of tree mortality associated with these outbreaks have raised concerns amongst fire managers and wildland firefighters about the effects of the tree mortality on fire behavior, particularly crown fire behavior, as crown fires hinder the ability of firefighters to conduct safe and effective fire suppression operations. Current information regarding crown fire dynamics in recently ...

Aminoglycoside-Induced Sensitization Of Cancer Cells And Development Of Carbohydrate-Containing Drugs, Michael F. Cuccarese

Chemistry Dissertations

Modern drug discovery requires that synthesis of compounds with unique structures and properties is performed in concert with in-depth research on the biological event being targeted. The synergy of these two components of drug discovery generates the meaningful data necessary for a hypothesis-driven approach toward novel therapeutics. Herein, research is presented that pertains both to the study of biological activity, as well as the development of novel synthetic methods.

While the bactericidal effects of aminoglycosides are well understood, their therapeutic potential in human cells is emerging. Herein, a novel use of this class of compounds in cancer therapy is described ...

Accuracy Or Precision: Implications Of Sample Design And Methodology On Abundance Estimation, Lucas K. Kowalewski

Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources

Estimation of population size by spatially replicated counts (point-count method) has been used for many large-scale animal-monitoring programs, yet its application in aquatic environments has been limited. Multiple site-specific estimates of abundance can be averaged and combined with covariate data to predict total abundance across an area of interest. Covariate data also provide an understanding of the relationship between abundance and habitat use, which is a fundamental interest of many animal-population investigations. Design of sampling scenarios for point-count population-estimate surveys can influence the accuracy and precision of the population estimate. The first objective of this study was to examine how ...

A Preliminary Study Of The Role Of Nickel In Enhancing Flowering Of The Nickel Hyperaccumulating Plant Alyssum Inflatum Nyár. (Brassicaceae), R. Ghasemi, Z. Z. Chavoshi, R. S. Boyd, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Faculty Publications

Alyssum inflatum is a native of serpentine soils and is able to hyperaccumulate nickel (Ni), but the importance of Ni to reproduction in the species is unknown. We investigated if reproductive fitness is enhanced by Ni in the growth medium, and included a treatment involving a relatively high level of Mg to provide a comparison with elevated levels of another metal. Seedlings were grown in a modified Hoagland solution culture in an inertmediumof Perlite andwere treatedwith Ni (100 μM), a high concentration ofMg (5mM), or under control conditions (solution culture without Ni or the addition of high Mg) for 14 ...

Microbe-Mineral Relationships And Biogenic Mineral Transformations In Actively Venting Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Sulfide Chimneys, Tzihsuan J. Lin

TZIHSUAN J LIN

This dissertation uses a combination of microbiology, mineralogy, and geochemistry to understand dissimilatory iron reduction in hyperthermophilic archaea and the role and potential impact of these and other vent microorganisms within active deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimneys. The central objective of the dissertation is to determine if mineral composition and chimney type are among the primary determinants of microbial community composition and hyperthermophilic, dissimilatory iron reducer growth, in addition to other environmental factors such as nutrient availability, temperature, pH, and chlorinity. This is done using samples and organisms collected from the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the ...

Gain-Of-Function Mouse Models To Investigate Biological Roles Of Prmt6, Alessandra Di Lorenzo

UT GSBS Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Gain-of-function Mouse Models to Investigate Biological Roles of PRMT6

Alessandra Di Lorenzo, Ph.D. Candidate

Mentor: Dr. Mark T. Bedford

Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 6 (PRMT6) is the histone tail writer that methylates the H3R2 (arginine 2 of histone H3) residue, which counteracts the activating H3K4me3 mark. PRMT6 has been shown to behave both as transcriptional co-repressor (i.e. trhrombospondin-1, p21, p53), and co-activator (nuclear receptors). The co-repressor function of PRMT6 is likely the result of H3K4me3 antagonism, while the mechanism by which PRMT6 exerts its co-activator function has yet to be elucidated. PRMT6 is over-expressed in several types of tumors ...

Pop2: A Potential Regulator Of Hmt1-Catalyzed Arginine Methylation In Yeast, Celeste Excell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protein arginine methylation is an important post-translational modification that is vital in regulating various cellular processes such as gene transcription, cell signaling, and RNA processing. Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are responsible for performing this important modification. PRMT1 (protein arginine methyltransferase 1) and Hmt1 (hnRNP methyltransferase 1) are the predominant PRMTs in humans and yeast, respectively. Despite growing momentum in this field, relatively little is understood about PRMT regulation. Further work discovering how PRMTs are regulated will greatly advance our understanding of diseases where PRMTs have been implicated, such as heart disease, viral pathogenesis, and cancer.

It has been discovered that ...

The Equitable Contributions Of Environment, Management And Restoration Status On Grassland Diversity And Composition, Raeann C. Powers

Dissertations and Theses in Biological Sciences

Plant composition is controlled by a combination of environmental, biotic, historical and management factors. Although there has been much focus on restoring grassland diversity, it is unclear which factors and/or interactions of factors are constraining diversity in grasslands and the relative influences of different factors. We measured soil fertility, soil texture, grazing intensity, fire frequency and plant cover in 694 plots, located within 33 remnant and restored fields in managed grasslands in the central Great Plains. Using univariate (general linear model) and multivariate (PERMANOVA) analyses, we identified significant factors and their relative contributions to plant richness, evenness, floristic quality ...

The Folklore Of Herbs, Lisa K. Miller

DLPS Faculty Publications

This Powerpoint presentation is a stroll through the herb gardens of history, and reveals how our ancestors used herbs and what their beliefs were surrounding them.

Image Z-Series Wrt Nvidia Titan 6 Gb Gpu Cuda Deconvolution, George Mcnamara

George McNamara

Image Z-series wrt NVidia Titan 6 Gb GPU CUDA Deconvolution

This ZIP file contains raw and deconvolved data series from George McNamara, Laurence J.N. Cooper lab, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. I have also included our lab instructions, and a screenshot of the current CUDA deconvolution settings (for dry objective lenses, Manish Butte wrote me to use the immersion medium refractive index, air = 1.0).

Instrument:

Leica DMI6000 inverted fluorescence microscope, Lumencor SOLA LED light source, Leica "L5" GFP filter cube (480/40ex, 505dm, 527/30em).

Leica 20x/0.75 NA objective lens, 1.6x optovar, for 325 nm ...

Differences Between Men And Women In Percentage Of Body Weight Supported During Push-Up Exercise, Constance M. Mier, Tal Amasay, Steven Capehart, Heather Garner

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 161-168, 2014. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of push-up method (standard vs modified) and gender on percentage of body weight supported. Thirty seven men and women completed five push-ups in the standard (SPU) and modified (MPU) positions, and 5-sec hold (static) in the up (elbow extension) and down (elbow flexion) positions. Vertical ground reaction forces (expressed as load relative to body weight) were measured using force platforms. From a video-captured image, a computer software distance tool measured vertical range of motion (ROM) achieved in the down position expressed ...

The Critical Power Concept And Bench Press: Modeling 1rm And Repetitions To Failure, R Hugh Morton, Matthew D. Redstone, Daniel J. Laing

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 152-160, 2014. Introduction: We demonstrate application of the 3-parameter critical power (CP) model derived for cycling and running, to performance at bench press exercise. We apply the model to both performance of a single repetition maximum (1RM) and multiple repetitions (reps) to failure at different sub-maximal weights. Methods: Sixteen weight-trained young adult male participants each performed a modified YMCA 1RM test and four sets of fixed cadence reps to failure at different sub-maximal weights. The CP model equation takes the form: n = ALC/(m – CL) + ALC/(CL – Lmax,), where n is the number ...

Racial Comparisons In Police Officer Bench Press Strength Over 12.5 Years, Robert W. Boyce, Tyler K. Willett, Glenn R. Jones, Edward L. Boone

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 140-151, 2014. Strength, when considering gender and race, provides a basis for training, hiring, and retention for police officers. The purpose of this study is to identify muscular strength differences among racial groups from initial-recruit to in-service tests. Strength variables included bench press, bench press/lean mass and bench press/body mass. Scores were retrieved for the 1990 to 1995 recruit classes and were paired to the 2006 in-service fitness log. Sample included 309 officers: 30 females (13 black, 17 white) and 279 males (41 black, 238 white). Mean age of recruit was ...

Unrestricted Paleolithic Diet Is Associated With Unfavorable Changes To Blood Lipids In Healthy Subjects, Michael Smith, Eric Trexler, Allan Sommer, Brooke Starkoff, Steven Devor

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 128-139, 2014. The Paleolithic (Paleo) diet is one modeled after the perceived food consumption of early human ancestors of the Paleolithic Era, consisting of mainly meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and nuts. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a Paleo diet on blood lipids, including high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and the ratio between TC and HDL (TC/HDL) in a healthy population. Healthy subjects of both genders (24 males, 20 females) were asked to eat an ad libitum Paleo ...

Development Of A Prediction Equation For Vertical Power In Masters Level Basketball Athletes, Jordan M. Glenn, Jennifer Vincenzo, Michelle Gray, Ashley Binns

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 119-127, 2014. Performance factors such as power, agility, and speed are important in sport-based competition for older individuals. Prediction models that assess these factors in masters level competitors are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine physical field measures of agility and speed and their ability to predict vertical power (VP) among basketball masters athletes(MA). Thirty-eight competitive MA from a Midwest Senior Olympic basketball tournament performed vertical jump, 20-yard dash (20-D), 40-yard dash (40-D), and T-test (TT) assessments. Regression analysis revealed a significant relationship (p = .002) using TT and 20-D ...

Factors Associated With Diabetes Risk In South Texas College Students, Jordan W. Stack, Sara E. Mahoney, Christopher M. Hearon

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 110-118, 2014. South Texas has a high prevalence of diabetes and college students may be particularly at risk. While increased BMI, sedentary activity and depression have been associated with diabetes progression in the general population, it has not been established whether these factors contribute to increased diabetes risk in college students. The purpose of this study was to assess diabetes risk and determine whether depressive symptoms or physical activity patterns are associated with increased diabetes risk in college students. Sixty-nine college students were assessed for diabetes risk using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score ...

The Role Of High School Physical Activity Experience In College Students’ Physical Activity Motivation, Joseph S. Madonia, Anne E. Cox, Melissa L. Zahl

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 98-109, 2014. This study tested the role of past physical activity mode in predicting physical activity motivation of first year college students. Consistent with self-determination theory, perceived competence and autonomy were expected to mediate the relationships of specific types of physical activity engaged in during high school to autonomous motivation for physical activity in college. College students (N = 124; M_age= 18.42, SD = 0.51) completed an online questionnaire that assessed frequency of engagement in different modes of physical activity during their final year of high school (i.e., competitive sport, recreational ...

Terminating Cover Crops, Robert G. Hartzler

Integrated Crop Management News

There is an increased interest in the use of cover crops due to the many agronomic and environmental benefits they offer. An important consideration when incorporating cover crops into the system is their termination. Failure to completely control cover crops at planting results in them acting as a weed and competing with the crop. Several factors influence the effectiveness of burndown treatments, including the cover crop species and growth stage, the herbicides and rates used, application parameters and environment.

Start Scouting For Alfalfa Weevil With Updated Economic Thresholds, Erin W. Hodgson

Integrated Crop Management News

Even though it was an extremely cold winter, some alfalfa weevil adults are expected to survive. Adults will begin moving as soon as temperatures exceed 48°F and begin laying eggs in alfalfa. Alfalfa weevil eggs develop based on temperature, or accumulating degree days, and hatching can start around 200-300 degree days. Start scouting alfalfa fields south of Interstate 80 at 200 degree days and fields north of Interstate 80 at 250 degree days. Based on accumulated temperatures since January, weevils are active in southern Iowa now and scouting to monitor for larval activity should start in southwestern Iowa this ...