Life Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The State Of Clinically Applicable Research For Evidence Based Practice In Prosthetics And Orthotics, Mark Geil

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Evidence-based practice combines a practitioner’s training and experience with evidence established through scientific research. Fundamental to the evidence-based process for prosthetics and orthotics is the ongoing availability of clinically applicable research on relevant conditions, components, and patient populations. In the past, research has been successfully applied to practice, sometimes producing substantial changes. Examples include clinically applicable research that has assessed treatment effectiveness, altered clinical patient interaction, led to the development of new components and technologies, and challenged or changed long-standing clinical opinion. Despite past successes, obstacles remain in the application of research to practice. Practitioners have stated a desire for …

Automatic Reaction To A Chemical Event Detected By A Low-Cost Wireless Chemical Sensing Network, Stephen Beirne, King Tong Lau, Brian Corcoran, Dermot Diamond

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A test-scale wireless chemical sensor network (WCSN) has been deployed within a controlled Environmental Chamber (EC). The combined signals from the WCSN were used to initiate a controllable response to the detected chemical event. When a particular sensor response pattern was obtained, a purging cycle was initiated. Sensor data were continuously checked against user-defined action limits, to determine if a chemical event had occurred. An acidic contaminant was used to demonstrate the response of the sensor network. Once the acid plume was simultaneously detected by a number of wireless chemical sensor nodes, an automatic response action, which was the purging …

The 4 X 4 Semantic Model: Exploiting Data, Functional, Non-Functional And Execution Semantics Across Business Process, Workflow, Partner Services And Middleware Services Tiers, Amit P. Sheth, Karthik Gomadam

Kno.e.sis Publications

Business processes in the global environment increasingly encompass multiple partners and complex, rapidly changing requirements. In this context it is critical that strategic business objectives align with and map accurately to systems that support flexible and dynamic business processes. To support the demanding requirements of global business processes, we propose a comprehensive, unifying 4 X 4 Semantic Model that uses Semantic Templates to link four tiers of implementation with four types of semantics. The four tiers are the Business Process Tier, the Workflow Enactment Tier, the Partner Services Tier, and the Middleware Services Tier. The four types of semantics are …

Integrated Management Strategies For Phytophthora Sojae Combining Host Resistance And Seed Treatments, A. E. Dorrance, A. E. Robertson, S. Cianzo, L. J. Giesler, C. R. Grau, M. A. Draper, A. U. Tenuta, T. R. Anderson

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Phytophthora sojae has re-emerged as a serious soybean pathogen in the past decade. This may be due in part to changes in resistance levels in current cultivars, adoption of P. sojae populations to deployed Rps genes, and highly favorable environments in the past decade. This multilocation study evaluated the effect of seed treatments on the incidence and severity of Phytophthora root and stem rot on soybeans with different combinations of Rps genes and levels of partial resistance. The efficacy of the seed treatments was highly variable across locations. Seed treatments (metalaxyl and mefenoxam) provided protection and increased yields across cultivars …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research

• All milestones and deliverables associated with the MSHCP project are on schedule
• Completion of 2008 monitoring survey efforts
• Coordination is ongoing to identify potential translocation sites, including assisting efforts to identify a potential site in the western Grand Canyon
• RLFCT meeting hosted and minutes of meeting drafted
• Annual report provided to RLFCT, final draft in review
• Sampling for the amphibian chytrid fungus conducted at many sites

Project 2. Bald Eagle Winter Monitoring and Evaluation

• All MSHCP milestones and deliverables are on schedule
• Planning and coordination of the 2009 Eagle Count conducted …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, October 1, 2008 To December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed over 62 miles of federal land by vehicle and foot in Clark County for incipient populations of exotic plants.
• New weed monitoring botanists and botany assistant joined the staff during this period.
• Vegetation staff presented four presentations at the Natural Areas Association annual conference in Nashville, TN and eight poster presentations at the “wildfires and invasive plants in American deserts” meeting in Reno, NV.
• Several new Brassica tournefortii experiments were initiated.

Joint Fire Science Program – Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis, Quarterly Progress Report, October 1 — December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Fire Science

• Presented poster at Natural Areas Conference in Nashville, TN

• Initiated granivory study at Goodsprings.

• Outplanted 2376 plants for Experiment 1 at Lake Mead nursery.

• Presented poster at Wildfires and Invasive Plants in American Deserts conference in Reno, NV.

• Submitted manuscript covering our distance from road - microsite invasibility study to Journal of Arid Environments.

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Report, Period Ending December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1: Technical input has been provided at four advisory team meetings attended this quarter.

Project 2: A formal report titled, Surface Water Monitoring for Indicator Bacteria in High-use Sites of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, has been prepared; an accompanying poster presentation for the Lake Mead Science Symposium is in preparation.

Project 3: A draft document titled, “Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP): Quagga Mussels in Lakes Mead and Mohave” has been presented to an interagency core group to review and input. Six oral presentations related to quagga mussels are in preparation by this group for the Lake Mead …

Isinglass River Conservation Corridor Project, Daniel E. Kern

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) provided a $9,075 grant to Bear-Paw Regional Greenways to support the Isinglass River Conservation Corridor Project. The grant helped fund some of the transaction costs associated with the project that protected high-value conservation land along the Isinglass River and in other areas of the watershed in Strafford, New Hampshire. The $2.9 million project was a collaboration of Bear-Paw, the Trust for Public Land (TPL), and the Town of Strafford that protected five properties and 868 acres of forest, over one mile of road frontage, more than three miles of frontage on streams and rivers …

Total Nitrogen Concentrations In Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent In The Great Bay Estuary Watershed In 2008, Philip Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

Nitrogen enrichment is a growing concern for the Great Bay Estuary. For the 2006 State of the Estuaries report (NHEP, 2006), the NHEP calculated the nitrogen load from wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF) using data on total dissolved nitrogen in WWTF effluent in 2002 from Bolster et al. (2003). The NHEP needs to update this indicator for the 2009 State of the Estuaries report. Not only is more recent data needed but also measurements of total nitrogen are needed to avoid assumptions about the ratio of dissolved to total nitrogen. Therefore, the NHEP allocated staff time to collect effluent samples from …

Neuropeptide Y-Deficient Mice Show Altered Circadian Response To Simulated Natural Photoperiod, Hyun Jung Kim, Mary E. Harrington

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Circadian rhythms, endogenously generated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), can be synchronized to a variety of photic and non-photic environmental stimuli. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is produced in the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) and known to mediate both photic and non-photic influences on the SCN. We recently found that npy-/- mice were slower to shift their locomotor activity onset to the new time of light offset when photoperiod was abruptly changed from light/dark (LD) cycle 18:6 to LD 6:18. In the present study, we measured the locomotor response of npy-/- mice to gradual changes in photoperiod (4 min a day) for 141 …

Topographic Effects On The Path And Evolution Of Loop Current Eddies, Kyung Hoon Hyun, Patrick J. Hogan

Faculty Publications

Eddy-topography (ET) interactions are important in determining the path and evolution of oceanic eddies, including Loop Current Eddies (LCE) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). We use the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model and satellite altimetry data to investigate the ET interactions and the impact on LCE pathway evolution in the GOM. Satellite altimetry reveals that LCEs translate dominantly westward in the central GOM and strongly collide and reflect against topography near the continental slope in the northern and western GOM. The result is the frequent generation of an anticyclone-cyclone (AC) pair in conjunction with the LCEs. In the absence of …

Laser-Induced Photon-Branched Chain Reaction In A Chemically-Active Gas-Dispersed Medium, Thomas George, Renat Letfullin, Galen Duree

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

A promising avenue in the development of high-energy pulsed chemical HF/DF lasers and amplifiers is the utilization of a photon-branched chain reaction initiated in a two-phase active medium, that is, a medium containing a laser working gas and ultradispersed passivated metal particles. These particles are evaporated under the action of IR laser radiation which results in the appearance of free atoms, their diffusion into the gas, and the development of a photon-branching chain process, which involves photons as both reactants and products. The key obstacle here is the formation of a relatively large volume (in excess of 10^3 cm^3) of …

Laser-Induced Photon-Branched Chain Reaction In A Chemically-Active Gas-Dispersed Medium, Thomas F. George, Renat R. Letfullin, Galen C. Duree

Thomas George

Smokejumper Obituary: Gettman, Richard C. (Redding 1972), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Structure And Dynamics Of Metalloproteins In Live Cells, Jeremy D. Cook, James E. Penner-Hahn, Timothy L. Stemmler

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has emerged as one of the premier tools for investigating the structure and dynamic properties of metals in cells and in metal containing biomolecules. Utilizing the high flux and broad energy range of X-rays supplied by synchrotron light sources, one can selectively excite core electronic transitions in each metal. Spectroscopic signals from these electronic transitions can be used to dissect the chemical architecture of metals in cells, in cellular components and in biomolecules at varying degrees of structural resolution. With the development of ever-brighter X-ray sources, X-ray methods have grown into applications that can be utilized …

Sex Differences In Mu-Opioid Receptor Expression In The Rat Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Are Essential For Eliciting Sex Differences In Morphine Analgesia, Dayna R. Loyd, Xioaya Wang, Anne Z. Murphy Phd

Neuroscience Institute Faculty Publications

Opioid-based narcotics are the most widely prescribed therapeutic agent for the alleviation of persistent pain; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that morphine is significantly less potent in women compared with men. Morphine primarily binds to mu-opioid receptors (MORs), and the periaqueductal gray (PAG) contains a dense population of MOR-expressing neurons. Via its descending projections to the rostral ventromedial medulla and the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, the PAG is considered an essential neural substrate for opioid-based analgesia. We hypothesized that MOR expression in the PAG was sexually dimorphic, and that these sex differences contribute to the observed sex …

The Effect Of Oxidant And The Non-Oxidant Alteration Of Cellular Thiol Concentration On The Formation Of Protein Mixed-Disulfides In Hek 293 Cells, Jasen Lee Gilge, Michael Fisher, Yuh-Cherng Chai

Chemistry

Cellular molecules possess various mechanisms in responding to oxidant stress. In terms of protein responses, protein S-glutathionylation is a unique post-translational modification of protein reactive cysteines forming disulfides with glutathione molecules. This modification has been proposed to play roles in antioxidant, regulatory and signaling in cells under oxidant stress. Recently, the increased level of protein S-glutathionylation has been linked with the development of diseases. In this report, specific S-glutathionylated proteins were demonstrated in human embryonic kidney 293 cells treated with two different oxidative reagents: diamide and hydrogen peroxide. Diamide is a chemical oxidizing agent whereas hydrogen peroxide is a physiological …

Genotyping And Drug Resistance Patterns Of M. Tuberculosis Strains In Pakistan., Mahnaz Tanveer, Zahra Hasan, Amna R Siddiqui, Asho Ali, Akbar Kanji, Solomon Ghebremicheal, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:The incidence of tuberculosis in Pakistan is 181/100,000 population. However, information about transmission and geographical prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and their evolutionary genetics as well as drug resistance remains limited. Our objective was to determine the clonal composition, evolutionary genetics and drug resistance of M. tuberculosis isolates from different regions of the country.

Methods:

M. tuberculosis strains isolated (2003-2005) from specimens submitted to the laboratory through collection units nationwide were included. Drug susceptibility was performed and strains were spoligotyped.

Results:

Of 926 M. tuberculosis strains studied, 721(78%) were grouped into 59 "shared types", while 205 (22%) were identified …

Applying Marine Protected Area Design Models In Large Estuarine Systems, Roman Zajac, Amanda E. Neely

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Several types of design models are currently being used to develop marine protected areas (MPAs) for conservation of coastal and pelagic ecosystems. However, few studies have applied these models in large estuaries which have unique characteristics that need to be considered in MPA design, including strong physical, chemical and biological gradients and significant human impacts. We explored how one design model, MARXAN, can be applied to estuarine systems by developing MPA design scenarios for Long Island Sound, an estuary in the northeastern USA. Using sedimentary texture as a proxy for habitats, we modeled and tested several scenarios where conservation goals …

Insig2 Gene Polymorphism Is Associated With Increased Subcutaneous Fat In Women And Poor Response To Resistance Training In Men, Funda Orkunoglu-Suer, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Priscilla Clarkson, Paul Thompson, Theodore Angelopoulos, Paul Godron, Niall Moyna, Linda Pescatello, Paul Visich, Robert Zoeller, Brennan Harmon, Richard Seip, Eric Hoffman, Joseph Devaney

Priscilla M. Clarkson

Background A common SNP upstream of the INSIG2 gene, rs7566605 (g.-10,1025G>C, Chr2:118,552,255, NT_022135.15), was reported to be associated with obesity (Body Mass Index, [BMI]) in a genome-wide association scan using the Framingham Heart Study but has not been reproduced in other cohorts. As BMI is a relatively insensitive measure of adiposity that is subject to many confounding variables, we sought to determine the relationship between the INSIG2 SNP and subcutaneous fat volumes measured by MRI in a young adult population. Methods We genotyped the INSIG2 SNP rs7566605 in college-aged population enrolled in a controlled resistance-training program, (the Functional Polymorphism …

Northeast Research Station Watertown, South Dakota Annual Progress Report, 2008, Agricultural Experiment Station, Plant Science Department

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is the 2008 annual progress report for the Northeast Research Station in Watertown, South Dakota. This report is issued by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the South Dakota State University Plant Science Department. This report includes weather data, yield comparisons, crop performance trials, corn trials, soybean trials, winter wheat performance testing, Barley Foliar information, weed and pest control, herbicide demonstrations, canola and flax variety trials and more.

Towards The Total Synthesis Of Thioviridamide: Thiyl Radical Approach To The Beta-Thioenamide Linkage Formation, Jung-Hoon Kang

Theses and Dissertations

We developed an approach to the β-thioenamide linkage contained in the S-(2-aminovinyl)cysteine (avCys) residue of thioviridamide.1,2 Kinetic and thermodynamic control of radical additions of thiols to ynamides were studied for the formation of β-thioenamide linkage. Thiyl radicals are electrophilic and ynamides are electron-rich alkynes. This complementary polarity of the radical and acceptor increases the likelihood of a successful radical addition reaction. Because little is known about these types of compounds (β-thioenamides), we were unsure what kinds of yields and stereoselectivities (cis vs. trans) to expect. The adduct stability is another issue to consider. Fortunately, under typical radical addition conditions, the …

New National Extension Site Has Information On Dealing With Economic Crisis, Elbert Dickey, Dan Moser

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: News Releases

Lincoln, Ne & the nation's land-grant universities, including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, have gathered myriad resources on-line to help Americans deal with the financial crisis.

The site is available through eXtension.org, via a link at www.extension.unl.edu (http://www.extension.unl.edu/).

Elbert Dickey, dean and director of UNL Extension, said the site is an excellent example of what eXtension does best.

"UNL Extension and our counterparts across the country created eXtension for just this purpose to get the 'best of the best' research-based, unbiased information from all over the U.S. into the hands of Americans who need it," Dickey said. "All Americans are struggling …

Elections And Economic Turbulence In Brazil: Candidates, Voters, And Investors, Tony Petros Spanakos, Lucio R. Renno

Department of Political Science and Law Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The relation between elections and the economy in Latin America might be understood by considering the agency of candidates and the issue of policy preference congruence between investors and voters. The preference congruence model proposed in this article highlights political risk in emerging markets. Certain risk features increase the role of candidate campaign rhetoric and investor preferences in elections. When politicians propose policies that can appease voters and investors, elections may have a limited effect on economic indicators, such as inflation. But when voter and investor priorities differ significantly, deterioration of economic indicators is more likely. Moreover, voter and investor …

Ngasp - The Nematode Genome Annotation Assessment Project, Avril Coghlan, Tristan J. Fiedler, Sheldon J. Mckay, Paul R. Flicek, Todd W. Harris, Darin Blasiar, Lincoln D. Stein

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

While the C. elegans genome is extensively annotated, relatively little information is available for other Caenorhabditis species. The nematode genome annotation assessment project (nGASP) was launched to objectively assess the accuracy of protein-coding gene prediction software in C. elegans, and to apply this knowledge to the annotation of the genomes of four additional Caenorhabditis species and other nematodes. Seventeen groups worldwide participated in nGASP, and submitted 47 prediction sets across 10 Mb of the C. elegans genome. Predictions were compared to reference gene sets consisting of confirmed or manually curated gene models from WormBase. Results: The most accurate gene-finders were …

Semantic Sensor Web, Amit P. Sheth, Cory Henson, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Msa In Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Formation, Karthik Sambanthamoorthy, Antony Schwartz, Vijayaraj Nagarajan, Mohamed O. Elasri

Faculty Publications

Background

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that forms biofilms. The global regulator sarA is essential for biofilm formation. Since the modulator of sarA (msa) is required for full expression of sarA and regulates several virulence factors, we examined the capacity of the msa mutant to form biofilm.

Results

We found that mutation of msa results in reduced expression of sarA in biofilm and that the msa mutant formed a weak and unstable biofilm. The msa mutant is able to adhere to surfaces and begins to form biofilm but fails to mature indicating that the defect of the …

Gokilaht®-S 5ec Testing On Culex Quinquefasciatus Say Larvae For An Early Detection In Esterase And Monooxygenase Resistance System, Soam Prakash, Gavendra Singh

Soam Prakash

Identification Of G1-Regulated Genes In Normally Cycling Human Cells, Maroun J. Beyrouthy, Karen E. Alexander, Amy Baldwin, Michael L. Whitfield, Hank W. Bass, Dan Mcgee, Myra M. Hurt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Obtaining synchronous cell populations is essential for cell-cycle studies. Methods such as serum withdrawal or use of drugs which block cells at specific points in the cell cycle alter cellular events upon re-entry into the cell cycle. Regulatory events occurring in early G1 phase of a new cell cycle could have been overlooked. Methodology and Findings: We used a robotic mitotic shake-off apparatus to select cells in late mitosis for genome-wide gene expression studies. Two separate microarray experiments were conducted, one which involved isolation of RNA hourly for several hours from synchronous cell populations, and one experiment which examined …