Life Sciences Commons^™

Volatiles Emitted From Eight Wound-Isolated Bacteria Differentially Attract Gravid Screwworms (Diptera: Calliphoridae) To Oviposit, M. F. Chaudhury, Steven R. Skoda, A. Sagel, J. B. Welch

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Bovine blood inoculated with bacteria isolated from screwworm [Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)]-infested animal wounds was tested as an attractant for oviposition for gravid screwworms. Eight species of gram-negative coliform (Enterobacteriaceae) bacteria mixed with bovine blood singly or all species combined and incubated for various times produced volatiles that attracted gravid flies in a cage bioassay in varying numbers. In 15-min duration tests, volatiles from five species of bacteria (Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia rettgeri, and Providencia stuartii) attracted more females than volatiles of the three species (Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter …

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Clay Center, Ne

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Mission

Research Units

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Animal Health Research Unit

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Environmental Management Research Unit

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Genetics & Breeding Research Unit

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Meat Safety and Quality Research Unit

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Nutrition Research Unit

U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Reproduction Research Unit

Genomic And Transcriptomic Studies In Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis, J. P. Bannantine, Adel M. Talaat

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Microarray technology is an important tool in functional genomic research. It has enabled a deeper analysis of genomic diversity among bacteria belonging to the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). In addition, the expression of thousands of genes can be studied simultaneously in a single experiment. With the complete genome sequence of a bovine isolate of M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis, and the independent construction of DNA microarrays in our laboratories, transcriptomic studies for this veterinary pathogen are now possible. Furthermore, the bovine genome sequence project is completed and bovine arrays have been developed to examine host responses to infection with M. avium …

Threadfin Shad Impacts Phytoplankton And Zooplankton Community Structures In Channel Catfish Ponds, Bartholomew W. Green, Peter Perschbacher, Gerald Ludwig, Sara E. Duke

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Plankton community structure and chlorophyll a concentration were compared in 12 0.1-ha earthen ponds co-stocked with channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818) in multiple-batch culture (initial biomass = 5,458 kg ha^-1) and a planktivore, threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense Güther, 1867; initial biomass = 449 kg ha^-1), during the April-November growing season. We used a completely randomized design in 2 x 2 factorial arrangement to test planktivore level (presence or absence of threadfin shad) and channel catfish feeding frequency (daily or every 3^rd d). Channel catfish were fed a 32% protein feed to apparent …

Efficacy Of Commercial Mosquito Traps In Capturing Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) In Egypt, D. F. Hoel, D. L. Kline, Jerome Hogsette, Ulrich R. Bernier, S. S. El-Hossary, H. A. Hanafi, N. Watany, E. Y. Fawaz, B. D. Furman, P. J. Obenauer, D. E. Szumlas

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Four types of commercial mosquito control traps, the Mosquito Magnet Pro (MMP), the Sentinel 360 (S360), the BG-Sentinel (BGS), and the Mega-Catch Ultra (MCU), were compared with a standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light trap for efficacy in collecting phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a small farming village in the Nile River Valley 10 km north of Aswan, Egypt. Each trap was baited with either carbon dioxide (CO₂) from combustion of butane gas (MMP), dry ice (CDC and BGS traps), light (MCU and S360), or dry ice and light (CDC). Traps were rotated through …

Restoration Of Spermatogenesis After Transplantation Of C-Kit Positive Testicular Cells In The Fowl, Pavel Trefil, Murray R. Bakst, Haifen Yan, Jiří Hejnar, Jiří Kalina, Jitka Mucksová

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Transplantation of male germ line cells into sterilized recipients has been used in mammals for conventional breeding as well as for transgenesis. We have previously adapted this approach for the domestic chicken and we present now an improvement of the germ cell transplantation technique by using an enriched subpopulation of c-Kit-positive spermatogonia as donor cells. Dispersed c-Kit positive testicular cells from 16 to 17 week-old pubertal donors were transplanted by injection directly into the testes of recipient males sterilized by repeated gamma irradiation. We describe the repopulation of the recipient’s testes with c-Kit positive donor testicular cells, which resulted in …

Comparison Of Broiler Litter And Commercial Fertilizer At Equivalent N Rates On Soil Properties, Ardeshir Adeli, Haile Tewolde, Karamat Sistani, Dennis Rowe

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A 3-year study was conducted to determine the effects of broiler litter relative to inorganic fertilizer on soil nutrient content and quality in an upland Loring silt loam soil. Treatments included annual broiler litter rates of 0, 2.2, 4.5, 5.6, 6.7, 10.1, and 13.4 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ and commercial fertilizer rates of 34, 68, 90, 112, 134, and 168 kg nitrogen (N) ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. Broiler litter application linearly increased soil total carbon (C), microbial biomass C, extractable soil phosphorus (P), potassium (K), soil cation exchange capacity (CEC), and the stability of soil aggregate. At the …

Yeasts Associated With Nectarines And Their Potential For Biological Control Of Brown Rot, W. J. Janisiewicz, C. P. Kurtzman, J. S. Buyer

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Resident fruit microflora has been the source of biocontrol agents for the control of postharvest decay of fruits and the active ingredient in commercialized biocontrol products. With the exception of grapes and apples, information on the resident microflora of other fruits is only fragmentary, but greater knowledge in this area can be very helpful in developing biocontrol strategies. We characterized the yeast microflora of nectarines (‘Croce del Sud’) from the early stages of fruit development until harvest. The fruit samples were collected from trees in an unmanaged orchard. The resident fruit microflora was separated from the occasionally deposited microorganisms by …

Comparison Of Percent Hatch And Fungal Infestation In Channel Catfish Eggs After Copper Sulfate, Diquat Bromide, Formalin, And Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment, Andrew J. Mitchell, David L. Straus, Bradley Farmer, Ray Carter

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Reduced survival of fish eggs is often a result of infestation with fungi Saprolegnia spp. However, timely chemical treatments often limit these infestations and increase survival. The effect of copper sulfate pentahydrate (CSP; 10 mg of CSP/L of water), diquat bromide (25 mg of diquat cation/L), formalin (433 mg/L), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂; 250 mg/L) on percent hatch and fungal infestation in eggs of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus was compared in two identical trials (five replicates for each chemical treatment per trial). The percent hatch in all chemical treatments was significantly better than percent hatch of …

Identification Of Protein Carbonyls In Serum Of The Fetal And Neonatal Pig, Thomas J. Caperna, Amy E. Shannon, Le Ann Blomberg, Wesley M. Garrett, Timothy G. Ramsay

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Oxidation of serum proteins leads to non-reversible carbonyl formation which alters their function and is associated with stress-related disease processes. The primary objective of this study was to quantify and identify oxidized serum proteins in fetal and newborn piglets. Protein carbonyls were converted to hydrazones with dinitrophenyl hydrazine and quantified spectrophotometrically. For identification, serum protein carbonyls were derivatized with biotin hydrazide, separated by 2D PAGE and stained with FITCavidin. Biotin-labeled proteins were excised from gels and identified by mass spectrometry. At birth, carbonyls were determined to be ∼600 pmole/mg serum protein. Fetuses at 50 and 100 days of gestation had …

2010 Across-Breed Epd Table, Larry Kuehn, Mark Thallman

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The table of adjustment factors to be used to estimate across-breed expected progeny differences (AB-EPDs) for eighteen breeds was presented at the Beef Improvement Federation Annual Meeting in Columbia, MO, on June 30 (see Table 1). Across-breed adjustment factors have been calculated for growth traits and maternal milk since 1993. Adjustment factors for carcass traits have been calculated since 2008; to be included, breeds must have carcass data in the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) database and report their carcass EPDs on an actual carcass basis using an age-adjusted endpoint. Bulls of different breeds can be compared on the …

2000-2009 Population Growth In The Midwest: Urban And Rural Dimensions, Liesl Eathington

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Iowa’s recent population growth patterns have echoed trends across the Midwest, where strong urbanization forces are in evidence. From 2000- 2009, Midwestern population growth has concentrated in and around metropolitan cities, while most rural areas have lost population.

Outside of metropolitan areas, counties with larger cities fared better than their less urbanized counterparts. Proximity to a metropolitan area also bolstered growth or mitigated losses in some nonmetro counties.

States within the region demonstrated some notable differences in their non-metropolitan growth patterns. Missouri and Wisconsin demonstrated more balanced growth across their metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties than other Midwestern states.

Individual state …

Expression And Self-Assembly Of Virus-Like Particles From Two Genotypes Of Marine Vesiviruses And Development Of An Elisa For The Detection Of Antibodies, Shasta D. Mcclenahan, Karin Bok, Stanislav V. Sosnovtsev, John D. Neill, Kathy A. Burek, Kimberlee B. Beckmen, Alvin W. Smith, Kim Y. Green, Carlos H. Romero

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Sequences encoding the major and minor capsid proteins (VP1 and VP2) from two marine vesivirus isolates (Steller sea lion viruses V810 and V1415) were engineered for expression of virus-like particles (VLPs) in the baculovirus system. The resulting VLPs were morphologically similar to native vesivirus virions. Purified VLPs were probed in immunoblots with pooled antisera specific for nine San Miguel sea lion virus (SMSV) types, and a predominant protein of approximately 60 kDa was detected. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies was developed in which the VLPs served as antigen. The VLPs were adsorbed to the …

Groundwater Nutrient Concentrations During Prairie Reconstruction On An Iowa Landscape, M.D. Tomer, K.E. Schilling, C.A. Cambardella, P. Jacobson, P. Drobney

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

One anticipated benefit of ecosystem restoration is water quality improvement. This study evaluated NO₃-N and phosphorus in subsurface waters during prairie establishment following decades of row-crop agriculture. A prairie seeding in late 2003 became established in 2006. Wells and suction cup samplers were monitored for NO₃-N and phosphorus. Nitrate-N varied with time and landscape position. Nondetectable NO₃-N concentrations became modal along ephemeral drainageways in 2006, when average concentrations in uplands first became <10mg NO₃-N L⁻¹. This decline continued and upland groundwater averaged near 2mg NO₃-N L⁻¹ after 2007. The …

Optimized Construction Of Microsatellite-Enriched Libraries, Natascha Techen, R. S. Arias, Neil C. Glynn, Zhiqiang Pan, Ikhlas A. Khan, Brian E. Scheffler

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The construction of microsatellite-enriched libraries is an indispensable tool to search for molecular markers as complete genome sequences are still not available for the majority of species of interest. Numerous protocols are available in the literature for the construction of these libraries; however, sometimes their low efficiency or lack of optimization in the protocols can restrict their efficacy. We have designed and tested various adapters and ligation methods; we also tested oligo-repeat combinations and hybridization temperatures, and created libraries with this new protocol for four organisms: Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam, Chionanthus retusus Lindley & Paxton, Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford & Olivera …

Genetic Improvement In Winter Wheat Yields In The Great Plains Of North America, 1959–2008, Robert A. Graybosch, C. James Peterson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Data from USDA-coordinated winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) regional performance nurseries collected over the time period 1959 to 2008 were used to estimate genetic gain (loss) in grain yield, grain volume weight, days to heading, and plant height in winter wheats adapted to the Great Plains of North America. In both the Southern Regional (SRPN) and Northern Regional Performance Nurseries (NRPN), linear regression revealed significant positive relationships between relative grain yields of advanced breeding lines and calendar year of the nursery trial. The estimated genetic gain in grain yield potential since 1959 was approximately 1.1% (of the control cultivar …

Structure-Activity Relationships Of 33 Carboxamides As Toxicants Against Female Aedes Aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), Julia Pridgeon, James J. Becnel, Ulrich R. Bernier, Gary G. Clark, Kenneth J. Linthicum

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Aedes aegypti L. is the primary vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses, and use of aerosolized insecticides is one of the primary ways to control this medically important mosquito. However, few new insecticides have been developed for mosquito control in recent years. As a part of our effort to search for new insecticides to control mosquitoes, toxicities of 33 carboxamides were evaluated against female A. aegypti by topical application. This group included nine different categories of compounds, namely benzamides, phenyl-propenamides, propanamides, butanamides, butenamides, pentanamides, pentenamides, hexanamides, and hexenamides, that exhibited varying levels of toxicity against this mosquito species. The …

Century-Old Mystery Of Puccinia Striiformis Life History Solved With The Identification Of Berberis As An Alternate Host, Yue Jin, Les J. Szabo, Martin Carson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The life history of Puccinia striiformis remains a mystery because the alternate host has never been identified. Inoculation of grasses using aeciospores from naturally infected Berberis chinensis and B. koreana resulted in infection on Poa pratensis, producing uredinia typical of stripe rust caused by P. striiformis. Analyses using real-time polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequence confirmed the rust fungus as P. striiformis. Pycnia and aecia were produced on B. chinensis, B. holstii, B. koreana, and B. vulgaris after inoculation using germinating telia of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici. Wheat inoculated with aeciospores from B. chinensis resulted in …

Fluid Fertilizer’S Role In Sustaining Soils Used For Bio-Fuels Production, John L. Kovar, Douglas L. Karlen

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The short- and long-term effects on soil nutrient cycling, physical properties, and biological activity of striving for higher grain yields and removing crop residues for bio-fuels production must be understood to provide more quantitative crop and soil management guidelines. This study focuses primarily on potassium (K) and sulfur (S) response by corn (Zea mays L.) grown for bio-energy feedstock production. Our objectives for 2009 were to evaluate (i) the performance of several S fertilizers, including liquid ammonium thiosulfate (12-0-0-26S), for corn grown in Iowa, and (ii) the use of surface or subsurface bands of N-P-K-S fluid fertilizers to optimize …

Field Applications Of Entomopathogenic Fungi Beauveria Bassiana And Metarhizium Anisopliae F52 (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) For The Control Of Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae), Kirby C. Stafford Iii, Sandra A. Allan

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Two commercial formulations of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin were applied to residential sites in Old Lyme, CT, for the control of nymphs of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, in 1999 and 2000. The pyrethroid bifenthrin was applied to other premises for comparison with B. bassiana. A wood chip barrier was installed and maintained at six of the treated properties. In 1999, control of I. scapularis nymphs ranged from 74.5 to 83.0% on lawns without wood chips and from 88.9 to 90% on lawns with wood chip barriers. As a control check, no ticks (n= 23) collected …

Potential For Stable Flies And House Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) To Transmit Rift Valley Fever Virus1, Michael J. Turell, David J. Dohm, Christopher J. Geden, Jerome A. Hogsette, Kenneth Linthicum

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Rift Valley fever (RVF), a disease of ruminants and humans, has been responsible for large outbreaks in Africa that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of human infections and major economic disruption due to loss of livestock and to trade restrictions. As indicated by the rapid spread of West Nile viral activity across North America since its discovery in 1999 and the rapid and widespread movement of chikungunya virus from Africa throughout the Indian Ocean Islands to Asia and Europe, an introduced exotic arbovirus can be rapidly and widely established across wide geographical regions. Although RVF virus (RVFV) is normally …

Procedures For Publishing In Non-Usda Media (Outside Publishing)

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

This P&P is an update of a previous version dated March 10, 1998. This P&P outlines revised responsibilities of the ARS author, Research Leader (RL), and other ARS officials. The most salient features of the new P&P are that the manuscript approval authority and associated responsibilities are delegated to the RL. ARS Form 115 (ARS-115) is revised accordingly (see Exhibit 1). Among the essential RL responsibilities are to determine the need and method for manuscript peer review, approve the technical and interpretive content of the manuscript, notify upper management about manuscripts containing prominent issues, obtain proper clearance/approval from upper management …

Overseeding Unimproved Warm-Season Pasture With Cool- And Warm-Season Legumes To Enhance Forage Productivity, P. W. Bartholomew, R. D. Williams

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Overseeding forage legumes into existing warm-season pasture may help to reduce cool-season forage deficit on small and resource-limited small farms in the southern Great Plains of the United States. Unimproved warm-season grass pastures were overseeded with Korean lespedeza (Lespedeza stipulacea Maxim) were not overseeded with summer legume. These same plots were subsequently overseeded with hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), crownvetch (Coronilla varia L.), black medic (Medicago lupulina L.) or ladino white clover (Trifolium repens L.) or, not overseeded with cool-season legume. Including lespedeza in a forage mixture increased total forage yield by an average of …