Life Sciences Commons^™

U.S.-Korea Cooperative Research: Carbon Monoxide As A Substrate For Microbial Maintenance, Gary M. King

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Bacteria play an important role in the global budget of carbon monoxide (CO). Largely unknown bacterial populations in soils and the water column of aquatic systems oxidize hundreds of teragrams per year, or about 10%-20% of the estimated annual flux to the atmosphere. In spite of their biogeochemical significance, relatively little is known about the identity of CO-oxidizing populations active in situ, their phylogenic and physiological diversity or the importance of CO as substrate for their basic metabolic needs. of CO oxidizers. It is clear that CO at high concentrations (> 1000 ppm) can serve as a sole source of …

Tb196: Temperature, Soil Moisture, And Streamflow At The Bear Brook Watershed In Maine (Bbwm), Ivan J. Fernandez, Joseph E. Karem, Stephen A. Norton, Lindsey E. Rustad

Technical Bulletins

The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine is a whole-ecosystem chemical manipulation initiated in 1987 to study the effects of acid deposition on forests and surface waters. The focus of this research was to understand the biogeochemical response of watersheds with emphasis on chemistry and hydrology. In 2001 a program was initiated to provide more detailed measurements of temperature and moisture to examine critical linkages amongst chemical, biological, and physical processes that ultimately work together to define ecosystem function. The purpose of this publication is to provide data from the initial phase of soil temperature, air temperature, and soil moisture measurements …

Minerva 2007, The Honors College

Minerva

This issue of Minerva includes an article on the hiring of first-ever full-time Honors faculty members, Mimi Killinger and Mark Haggerty; an article on Honors alumna Molly Barker '00; and a reflection by former Honors Program Director Sam Schuman.

Crop/Livestock Integration Effects On Soil Quality, Crop Production, And Soil Nitrogen Dynamics, Ellen B. Mallory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regional integration of potato and dairy farms has developed in Maine through arrangements where manure, feed, and sometimes land, are exchanged between neighboring farms. The effects of integration on soil quality, crop production, nitrogen (N) cycling, and N loss were investigated in field and laboratory studies of contrasting amended (manure, compost, green manure, and supplemental fertilizer) and nonamended (fertilizer only) soil management systems within 2-year potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rotations in the Maine Potato Cropping Systems Project (MPEP). Additionally, soil quality of 48 integrated and nonintegrated Maine potato and dairy farm fields was assessed. The MPEP’s amended soil system enhanced …

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Response To Daily Oral Supplementation With 800 Iu Cholecalciferol In Premenopausal Women Living In Maine, Monica Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to measure the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] response to daily supplementation with 800 IU vitamin D3 during winter in premenopausal women living in Maine, and to examine the effects of body composition and hormonal contraceptive use on baseline serum 25(OH)D levels and the response to supplementation. One hundred twelve women (22.2±3.7 years old) received placebo from March 2005 until September 2005 when they were randomized to receive either placebo or 800 IU vitamin D3 through February 2006. Eighty-six women completed the study. Body composition was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Actual vitamin D3 content …

Mechanics Of Burrowing In Muddy Sediments, Kelly M. Dorgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine muds are elastic solids through which animals move by propagating a crack-shaped burrow. Dilations previously considered anchors serve to exert dorsoventral compressive stresses on the burrow walls that, through elastic behavior of the medium, focus strongly at the tip of the burrow. This focused stress breaks adhesive or cohesive bonds, propagating a crack for the animal to follow. The force exerted by the polychaete, Nereis virens, to propagate a crack has been measured in gelatin, an analogue of muddy sediment, through photoelastic stress analysis. Finite element analysis was used to convert measured forces to those exerted in natural sediments …

Biomass And Biofuels In Maine: Estimating Supplies For Expanding The Forest Products Industry, Jonathan Rubin, Kate Dickerson, Jacob Kavkewitz

Energy & the Environment

This paper estimates the renewable energy potential of Maine’s forest resources, and how much energy these resources could potentially provide the state. Using the most recent state-specific data available, and a methodology similar to the Billion Tons Report, we find that ethanol production from Maine’s forest residues could potentially provide 18% of Maine’s transportation (gasoline) fuels with a fermentation wood to ethanol process. Making Fischer-Tropsch diesel (F-T diesel) using forest residues can replace 39% of Maine’s petro-diesel consumption. Actual levels of biofuels that can be produced will depend on conversion factors and forestry residue removals that are subject to uncertainty.

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2007, 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 2007 issue include:

• Lobster Institute Honors Long-Time Volunteers at its 20^th Anniversary Celebration
• Lobster Institute Unveils New Logo
• Twenty Years of Service
• Maine DMR Announces Online Licensing Services
• Research Report: New Designs for Juvenile Sampling Trap Studied
• The Lobster Institute Celebrates Its 20^th Anniversary: 1987-2007

Sger: Investigation Of Potential Co-Introduction Of Fucus Serratus And Littorina Littorea To North America In 1800s, Susan H. Brawley

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This research will apply new approaches and expertise to understanding the probable invasion of North American intertidal zones by the herbivorous snail Littorina littorea in the 1800s. The investigator developed the following hypothesis during her recent analyses of late 1700s to mid-1800s shipping records: Fucus serratus and Littorina littorea were co-introduced into North America from Britain via the dumping of intertidal rock ballast in ships arriving at Pictou Harbor during the massive emigration of nearly 40,000 Scots (and some Irish and English) in the late 1700s-mid-1800s. This hypothesis will be tested using innovative molecular techniques (i.e., assay of nuclear …

Development Of A Soy-Blueberry Burger And The Changes In Anthocyanins And Phenolics During Storage And Broiling, Pamela Beth Small

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Blueberries are high in phenolic acids and flavonoids, which make them one of the leading sources of antioxidants. When added to foods, antioxidants can increase shelf life, maintain nutritional quality, and retard production of heterocyclic amines in meats during cooking thus having the potential to be of great significance to the food industry. Soy and soy-based foods have been gaining in popularity as a functional food for specific health conditions. Increased media coverage touting the health benefits of soy has generated a rise in consumer awareness. Two soy-blueberry burgers were prepared using 10 and 15% blueberry puree. A soy burger …

The Long-Term Effects Of A Group-Selection Timber Harvest On The Bird Community Of An Oak-Pine Forest In Maine, Stephen P. Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bird populations have been monitored at the Holt Research Forest in Arrowsic, Maine since 1983 as part of a long-term forest ecosystem study. In the winter of 1987-1988, 10 ha of the 40-ha study area were subjected to a group-selection timber harvest (i.e., a harvest that creates canopy gaps by removing small groups of trees). I analyzed the first 20 years of these data (5 years of pre-harvest data and 15 years of post-harvest data) for changes in abundance and spatial distribution of birds in response to the harvest. Although species’ responses to the group-selection harvest were idiosyncratic, two general …

Assessment Of The Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus) As A Model Species In Studies On Egg And Larval Quality In Marine Fishes, Chatham K. Callan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project sought to determine if flame angelfish (Centropyge loriculus) could serve as models in examination of environmental and dietary effects on egg quality in marine fishes. Evaluation of 21 marine ornamental species identified flame angelfish as being amenable to egg quality research, due to their rapid conditioning and frequency of spawning. At the onset of this project, accidental copper introduction to broodstock systems required assays to determine the effects of copper exposure on survival and reproduction. Flame angelfish exhibited accute sensitivity to copper, as 60% of fish exposed to 0.25mg/L died within 12 hours of exposure. Likewise, fish exposed …

Assessing The Sustainability Of Agricultural Systems, Laura L. Kramar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work constructs and tests a comparative technique that can be used to determine the ability of agricultural systems to meet multiple objectives of sustainability. Assessments are based on an agricultural system's ability to maintain five system stocks that represent environmental capital, social capital, human capital, physical capital, and financial capital. The capital stocks are measured as stock objectives, which are decomposed as indicators to calculate agricultural system scores. An examination of the complexity of agro-ecosystems and the multiple equilibria produced by balancing multiple objectives is used to explain the alternative criteria used in this comparative technique to evaluate agricultural …

Maine Drug-Induced Deaths: A Brief White Paper Prepared For The Spf-Sig State Epidemiology Workgroup, August, 2007, Marcella H. Sorg

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Drug death statistics for Cumberland County declined following an effort at public health information targeted at users/misusers. Specific education messages aimed at young adults, particularly males and 20-34 year olds will potentially reach the most at risk group. Messages regarding the dangers of diversion, recognition of snoring as a warning sign of respiratory distress, the benefits of placing users in the “recovery position to maximize airway access are being used in Cumberland and Kennebec Counties.

Education efforts targeted at health care providers who write narcotic prescriptions and the patients who receive them should be supported, particularly encouraging messages about the …

Microbial Observatories: Kilauea Volcano Observatory For Carbon Monoxide-Oxidizing Bacteria, Gary M. King

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Volcanic activity regularly creates new landforms from deposits of tephra, ash and lava. These initially sterile, pristine deposits undergo a range of physical, chemical and biological transformations that lead in some cases to diverse, complex ecosystems such as Hawaiian rainforests. Recent activity by the Kilauea volcano has created unique opportunities to understand the timing and controls of complex ecosystem development, and to analyze the roles of microbes as pioneering colonists that contribute to plant development and succession. The newly established Kilauea Volcano Microbial Observatory will compare the diversity and activity of carbon monoxide-oxidizing bacteria colonizing two different deposits currently 45 …

Establishing Research Competitiveness In Biophysical Sciences In Maine, Michael Eckardt, Rosemary Smith, Barbara Knowles, Michael Grunze, Deirdre Mageean, Scott Collins, Heather Almquist, Robert Friesel, Thomas Maciag

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The Maine EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award is designed to enhance Maine's competitiveness in molecular biophysical sciences through a partnership between the University of Maine and Maine's non-profit research organizations. The proposed Biophysical Sciences Institute brings together University of Maine faculty in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and spatial engineering, with biomedical researchers at the Jackson Laboratory and Maine Medical Center Research Institute. Maine EPSCoR proposes to hire additional tenure-track faculty in the fields of biophysics and advanced optics, biochemistry, structural biology, applied mathematics, computer science, image analysis and visualization, and material science. The new and existing investigators will form research …

The Lobster Bulletin, Summer 2007, 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 2007 issue include:

• Long Island Sound Lobstermen Establish Fund to Support the Lobster Institute
• Twenty Years of Service
• Lobster Institute to Benefit from a Bequest to Establish a Product Development Fund
• Alternative Lobster Bait Moves Out of the Lab and Into the Marketplace
• Research Report: Medicated Feed Trials Conducted
• The Lobster Institute Celebrates …

Collaborative Proposal: Form And Function Of Phytoplankton In Unsteady, Low Reynolds-Number Flows, Peter Jumars, Lee Karp-Boss

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Small-scale flow dynamics at low Reynolds numbers (Re) are important to phytoplankton cells in delivery of nutrients, sensory detection by and physical encounter with herbivores, accumulation of bacterial populations in the "phycosphere" or region immediately surrounding phytoplankton cells and coagulation of cells themselves as a mechanism terminating blooms. In nature most phytoplankton experience unsteady flows, i.e., velocities near the cells that vary with time due to the intermittency of turbulence and to discontinuous, spatially distributed pumping by herbivores. This unsteadiness has not previously been taken into account in models or measurements with plankton. Moreover, there have been decade- and century- …

Living Marine Invertebrates: An Interactive Cd-Rom, Leslie E. Watling, Kevin Eckelbarger

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Invertebrates comprise 95% of all animal life on the Earth and dominate the world's oceans so some knowledge of their biology and ecology is fundamental to a student's understanding of the planet's ecosystems. Invertebrates are covered in many university-level courses ranging from traditional invertebrate zoology classes to those emphasizing general introductory biology, marine biology, oceanography, and biodiversity, to name a few. Invertebrates are represented by a dizzying array of body forms and morphological variations as well as complex feeding, locomotory, and other behaviors that are difficult to describe and illustrate. Virtually all textbooks represent invertebrates with line drawings and photographs …

Myriophyllum Heterophyllum Michx. (Haloragaceae): Control And Vegetative Reproduction In Southwestern Maine, Jacolyn E. Bailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Native to the southeastern United States, variable-leaf watermilfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum) is an invasive species in the Northeast and has been documented in Maine lakes for twenty years. Variable-leaf watermilfoil is targeted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as a species of grave concern as it has aggressively colonized twenty-six water bodies in Maine. This aquatic invasive plant grows in dense mats and outcompetes native vegetation. It is causing both ecological and economic disruption to Maine's lakes and ponds. The plants clog boat motors and deter people from swimming and other water related activities. Allofragmentation and autofragmentation occur …

Mr441: An Evaluation Of Turfgrass Secies And Varieties: Kentucky Bluegrass, Annamarie Pennucci, Alan R. Langille

Miscellaneous Reports

The bluegrasses rank highest among those grasses used as amenity turfgrasses. They comprise the most important, most popular, and the most richly colored of all turfgrasses and have found excellent adaptation in the United States, Europe, and the cooler regions of Asia. The bluegrasses, and in particular the Kentucky bluegrasses, have been subjected to the most rigorous breeding and screening efforts, with the resulting release of the greatest numbers of improved cultivars of any turfgrass species. The 2000 National Turfgrass Evaluation Programs (NTEP) Kentucky Bluegrass Trial (High Maintenance) included 173 cultivars that were evaluated for their tolerance to and performance …

The Effects Of Forest Practices On A Maine Amphibian Community, David A. Patrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Changes in forest habitat have been linked to global declines in amphibian populations, but little research has been conducted into the mechanisms causing these declines. This study evaluated the effects of changes in forest habitat on the spatial distribution of a Maine amphibian community, focusing on juvenile wood frogs, Rana sylvatica. Juvenile wood frogs emerging from artificial ponds did not orient towards preferred habitat and a significant number of animals maintained the same directionality documented at the site from which larval individuals were collected. Abundance and habitat use differed among adults of 9 species of amphibians in a replicated …

The Effects Of Clearcutting And Glyphosate Herbicide Use On Parasitic Wasps In Maine Forests, Kristopher J. Abell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parasitic wasps (parasitoids) play an important role as natural enemies of insects and contribute substantially to world biodiversity (May, 1988), yet they have received relatively little attention outside of agricultural settings. Clearcut harvesting and herbicide (glyphosate) application are frequent and widespread disturbances in Maine forests that drastically alter the local environment. Parasitoids are particularly susceptible to disturbance for several reasons: 1) they are vulnerable to small changes in environmental conditions, 2) they occupy a high trophic level, and 3) many are host specific. However, there may be potential benefits of disturbance such as increased food resources (floral nectaries) and increased …

Systematics Of The Lobulomycetales, A New Order Within The Chytridiomycota, David Rabern Simmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on molecular phylogenetic analyses, the polyphyletic order Chytridiales, one of the four orders in the Chytridiomycota, contains several well-supported clades. One species, Chytriomyces angularis, however, does not group within the robust clades of the Chytridiales or any other chytrid order. The light-level morphology and zoospore ultrastructure of this aquatic species also differ from those of the type species of the genus Chytriomyces. I amassed nine additional pure culture isolates of soil-inhabiting chytrids with morphologies or rDNA sequences similar to C. angularis, including two isolates of C. poculatus, and studied the molecular phylogeny of these ten …

Gelation Of Previously Cooked Jonah Crab (Cancer Borealis) Minced Meat In New Food Product Development, Shari R. Baxter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gelation of meat products plays an important role in utilization of by-products. Low-value muscle tissue that may go to waste can be reformed into new products that consumers find acceptable and want to purchase. In the crab industry, the need for byproduct utilization is great. Crab processing typically involves cooking whole crabs and picking the claw meat. A lower grade minced meat can then be extracted mechanically from the walking legs and carapace of the crab. Traditional protein chemistry indicates that only raw muscle proteins can form gels. However, by using a modified surimi processing technique, previously cooked Jonah crab …

Notch Regulation Of Human Breat Cancer Progression: Contrasting Roles For Notch Signaling, Christine F. O'Neill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Notch signaling is associated with activation of either oncogenic or tumor suppressor activities. The human mammary adenocarcinoma cell line, MDA-MB-231, was characterized in vitro and in xenografts in vivo to test the hypothesis that activation of Notch signaling regulates mammary tumor phenotype. Notch 1, Notch2, and Notch4 signaling was compared by stable expression of their constitutively active intracellular domains (ICD). Notch4 activation led to enhanced tumorigenicity, in addition to increased cell proliferation and survival in vitro, whereas the activation of Notch 1 or Notch2 decreased cell proliferation and survival, in which Notch2 increased apoptosis. Stably transfected cell lines were …

Effects Of Forest Management On Click Beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) Assemblages In The Acadian Forest Of Maine, Shelly L. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) assemblages were examined in three experiments in the Acadian forest of Maine. First, I used flight intercept traps to compare Elaterid assemblages in stands that developed after clearcut, shelterwood, and selection harvests. Click beetle richness was highest in stands managed under a selection system and lowest in stands regenerated using the clearcut method. The abundance of click beetle species was lower in stands managed by clearcutting than in stands managed using the shelterwood and selection methods. Hardwood basal area was the best environmental predictor for both species richness and species abundance. Second, I examined whether Elaterid …

Population Genetics Of Black Bear (Ursus Americanus), Amanda K. Thibodeau

Honors College

DNA analysis is a ubiquitous tool to identify variation within populations. By using microsatellites, highly variable genetic loci distributed throughout the entire nuclear genome, genetic characteristics can be identified in the population. Genetic variation in the black bear, Ursus americanus, was characterized through samples gathered from the Maine population. In total, five loci were characterized for analysis. In order to aid in wildlife forensic cases, I examined genetic variations in black bears. The range of observed heterozygosity for the population sample was 0.729-0.871; the number of alleles per locus ranged from 7 to 15. Sampling the population and determining the …

The Lobster Bulletin, Spring 2007, 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 Spring 2007 issue include:

• 2007 Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen's Town Meeting
• Lobster Prices Elevated as Water Temperatures Remained Low
• Research Report: Tidal Lobster Pounds to be Tested as Lobster Rearing Facilities
• Research Report: Hatchery Project Also Underway in Cornwall, England
• The Lobster Institute Celebrates Its 20^th Anniversary: 1987-2007

The Dandy Scroll, Spring 2007, University Of Maine Pulp And Paper Foundation

General University of Maine Publications

The Spring 2007 issue of The Dandy Scroll newsletter produced by the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation.