Life Sciences Commons^™

Front Matter, Southeastern Fishes Council

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Use Of Visible Implant Fluorescent Elastomer (Vie) Tag Technique On Darters (Teleostei: Percidae): Mortality And Tag Retention, Joyce A. Coombs, J. Larry Wilson

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Diversity And Distribution Of Native Freshwater Mussels In Bayou Bartholomew, Arkansas, Jeff A. Brooks, Russell L. Minton, Steven G. George, David M. Hayes, Ronnie Ulmer, Frank Pezold

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

No abstract provided.

A Note On Three Collections Of Cyprinodontid Fishes Housed In The British Museum Of Natural History, Including Syntypes And Historically Important Specimens, Royal D. Suttkus, James D. Williams

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Business Meeting Minutes, Southeastern Fishes Council

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Mutational Optimization Of The Coelenterazine-Dependent Luciferase From Renilla, Jongchan Woo, Albrecht G. Von Arnim

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology

Renilla luciferase (RLUC) is a popular reporter enzyme for gene expression and biosensor applications, but it is an unstable enzyme whose catalytic mechanism remains to be elucidated. We titrated that one RLUC molecule can turn over about one hundred molecules of coelenterazine substrate. Mutagenesis of active site residue Pro220 extended the half-life of photon emission, yielding brighter luminescence in E. coli. Random mutagenesis uncovered two new mutations that stabilized and increased photon emission in vivo and in vitro, while ameliorating substrate inhibition. Further amended with a previously identified mutation, a new triple mutant showed a threefold improved k …

W199 Tennessee Master Gardener Volunteer Handbook, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Field & Commercial Crops

The Tennessee Master Gardener Program is a University of Tennessee Extension volunteer program that provides the public with quality home horticulture and gardener-related information through educational programs, examples and demonstrations. Master Gardener volunteers are a diverse group of people with extraordinary talents and abilities which hosts educational and community service projects across the state of Tennessee and the United States. Volunteers are trained with 40 hours of horticultural classes and, in return, volunteers give their community 40 hours of volunteer service through their local UT Extension Office. Master Gardeners are required to maintain a connection to their local UT Extension …

W192-Why Will My Weed Problem Not Go Away? 8 Common Reasons Why Herbicides Fail, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

The frustration can be unsettling. ”Why won’t this weed die? I sprayed it with an herbicide, but for the life of me I can not figure out why it’s still here.” This is a very common story we hear from many people trying to control tough weeds in lawns, vegetable gardens, flower beds, nurseries, forests and agricultural fields. Many times just a small change in your approach to controlling the weed is all that is needed, but sometimes the problem can be a bit more complex. Whatever the weed control challenge, it is likely someone else has shared this same …

Pb1621-Best Management Practices For Planting Ornamental Plants, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

While spring is a popular planting season, fall may be the best time to plant. Fall planting can help woody ornamental plants survive in the landscape. In fall, plant shoots need fewer nutrients because winter dormancy is approaching. In fall too, carbohydrate plant “food” is produced in leaves and moves to roots, which helps plant growth and survival. Importantly, roots continue to grow until soil temperatures drop below 45-50 F (7-10 C). It is extremely important to water when planting in fall because October and November are usually very dry months with little rainfall. But fallplanted plants also will not …

Pb1621-S-Prácticas Gerenciales Óptimas Para La Plantación De Plantas Ornamentales, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Aunque la primavera es una época popular para plantar, el otoño puede ser la mejor época para hacerlo. La plantación en otoño puede ayudar a que las plantas ornamentales leñosas sobrevivan en el jardín. En otoño, los brotes necesitan menos nutrientes porque se está acercando el estado latente del invierno. También, en otoño, los carbohidratos que sirven como “comida” para la planta, son transportados de las hojas, donde fueron producidos, a las raíces. Esto ayuda al crecimiento y supervivencia de la planta. Las raíces continúan creciendo hasta que la temperatura del suelo baje a más de 45°-50° F (de 7°-10° …

Pb1756 The All Season Pocket Guide To Identifying Common Tennessee Trees, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

This booklet was prepared by professional foresters to help you identify Tennessee’s most common trees. It is designed to go to the woods with you (where it is needed) by comfortably riding in your back pocket, pack or cruiser’s jacket. Enjoy!

Third Thursday 9-2008, Institute Of Agriculture

Third Thursday

No abstract provided.

Genome Sequence Of The Bacteroides Fragilis Phage Atcc 51477-B1, Shawn A. Hawkins, Alice C. Layton, Steven Ripp, Dan Dan Williams, Gary S. Sayler

Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Publications and Other Works

The genome of a fecal pollution indicator phage, Bacteroides fragilis ATCC 51477-B1, was sequenced and consisted of 44,929 bases with a G+C content of 38.7%. Forty-six putative open reading frames were identified and genes were organized into functional clusters for host specificity, lysis, replication and regulation, and packaging and structural proteins.

Transcriptional Responses Of Arabidopsis Thaliana Plants To As (V) Stress, Jason M. Abercrombie, Matthew D. Halfhill, Priya Ranjan, Murali R. Rao, Arnold M. Saxton, Joshua S. Yuan, Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Arsenic is toxic to plants and a common environmental pollutant. There is a strong chemical similarity between arsenate [As (V)] and phosphate (Pi). Whole genome oligonucleotide microarrays were employed to investigate the transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to As (V) stress.

Results

Antioxidant-related genes (i.e. coding for superoxide dismutases and peroxidases) play prominent roles in response to arsenate. The microarray experiment revealed induction of chloroplast Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) (at2g28190), Cu/Zn SOD (at1g08830), as well as an SOD copper chaperone (at1g12520). On the other hand, Fe SODs were strongly repressed in response to As (V) stress. Non-parametric rank …

An Experimental Study Of Juvenile Competition And Habitat Niche Partitioning Between A Native Lizard (Anolis Carolinensis) And An Introduced Congener (Anolis Sagrei) In The Southeastern United States, Justin W. Walguarnery

Doctoral Dissertations

Since its introduction to Florida, the brown anole, Anolis sagrei, has steadily expanded its range into that of its native congener in the southeastern United States, the green anole, A. carolinensis. Anolis sagrei achieves very high densities both in its native and invaded range and appears to impose population declines and shifts in the realized habitat niche of A. carolinensis. In order to investigate whether these effects arise prior to the adult age class in which they have previously been described, I studied the behavior of juvenile anoles at the individual, dyadic, and neighborhood levels. Contrary to some …

The Identification, Functional Characterization And Phylogeny Of The Nodulin-Like Anion Transporter (Nlat) Family In Plants, Eric Daniel Vincill

Doctoral Dissertations

A cDNA was isolated from soybean (Glycine max) nodules that encodes a putative transporter (GmN70). GmN70 is expressed predominantly in mature nitrogenfixing root nodules. By western-blot and immunocytochemical analyses, GmN70 was localized to the symbiosome membrane of infected root nodule cells, suggesting a transport role in symbiosis. To investigate its transport function, cRNA encoding GmN70 was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and two-electrode voltage clamp analysis was performed. Ooctyes expressing GmN70 showed outward currents that are carried by anions with a selectivity of nitrate > nitrite >> chloride. These currents showed little sensitivity to pH or the nature …

Distribution Of Mycobacterium Ulcerans In Aquatic Environments In Ghana, Heather Williamson

Doctoral Dissertations

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a necrotizing skin disease prevalent in 30 countries of West Africa and Australia. The disease begins as a painless nodule or papule that, if left untreated, can lead to ulceration that can cover much of the body. Though not usually fatal, morbidity is high, especially in rural areas where the disease is prevalent.

Epidemiological evidence has linked incidence of Buruli ulcer to slow moving or stagnant waters, but despite this, the mode of transmission is not known. Evidence for M. ulcerans in aquatic environments has relied on detection based upon PCR …

Forest Responses To Rising Atmospheric Co2: Causes And Consequences Of Increased Fine-Root Production In A Co2-Enriched Sweetgum Plantation, Colleen Marie Iversen

Doctoral Dissertations

Increased forest growth in response to rising atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ may mitigate a portion of fossil fuel emissions, especially if carbon is sequestered in longlived biomass or soil pools. Greater carbon uptake under elevated atmospheric [CO₂] in forested ecosystems may facilitate the production of small diameter (i.e. “fine”) roots used for nutrient acquisition. Increased fine-root production in forested ecosystems may affect soil carbon storage and nitrogen cycling because fine roots live and die in the span of a year. My dissertation research took advantage of a long-term, on-going Free-Air CO₂-Enrichment experiment in a sweetgum …

Phenotypic And Genetic Correlations Among Mating Traits In Three Species Of Nasonia (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae, Jason E. Leonard

Doctoral Dissertations

Phenotypic correlations between traits are thought to reflect genetic correlations. However, traits related to a central function, like reproduction, need not all be genetically correlated. Identifying genetic correlations between behavioral traits can help identify the evolutionary relationship between different behaviors, as well as provide initial information on the number of genes involved in behavioral variation and the rates and direction of evolution. This body of work describes the phenotypic and genetic relationship between mating traits in the parasitoid wasp genus Nasonia. Chapters 2 and 3 describe behavioral differences among the three species of Nasonia. Two of the species, …

Characterization And Performance Improvement Of Chitosan Films As Affected By Preparation Method, Synthetic Polymers, And Blend Ratios, Jiajie Li

Doctoral Dissertations

Chitosan films prepared with addition of other polymers have been widely studied for their modified properties. In this dissertation, poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly (N-vinyl-2- pyrrolidone) (PVP) were blended with chitosan. The objectives of the study were (1) to investigate the the effects of film thickness, blend ratios, and preparation methods on the physical, and mechanical properties and functional performance of chitosan/PEO films, and (2) to compare characteristics and functional properties of chitosan/PVP and chitosan/PEO films.

The results demonstrated that regular cast chitosan/PEO films have altered properties than films produced from either polymer alone. Regardless of molecular weight, chitosan …

Studies Of The Di/Tripeptide Transporter In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae: The N-Terminal Cytoplasmic Domain Of Ptr2p Is Involved In Post-Translational Regulation, Steven Clinton Minkin Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout nature cells use peptides as a source of nutrition. For microbes, an ability to utilize peptides is especially important in nitrogen-poor environments, as peptides can be catabolized for their use as a nitrogen source. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae imports di/tripeptides from the environment using the peptide transporter Ptr2p. Cellular levels of Ptr2p are highest under poor-nitrogen conditions. Here we report that the addition of a rich nitrogen source to the growth medium results in a down-regulation of Ptr2p, wherein plasma membrane Ptr2p is ubiquitinated, endocytosed, and delivered to the vacuole for destruction. We report evidence that the N-terminal portion …

A Proteomic Investigation Of Phytophthora Species Using Mass Spectrometry And Reverse Genetics, Alon Savidor

Doctoral Dissertations

Organisms in the genus Phytophthora are important plant pathogens, although understudied. Phytophthora was first brought into human awareness with the identification of P. infestans as the culprit for the Irish potato famine in the mid 1800s. Since then, over 80 Phytophthora species have been identified, many of which infect a wide variety of crops worldwide with devastating results.

Traditionally, much of the work aimed at controlling Phytophthora diseases involved applied research. In recent years there has been a marked increase in molecular work on Phytophthora. This increase is evident not only from increased funding by agencies such as the …

Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical Molecular Dynamics Simulations On Enzymes, Qin Xu

Doctoral Dissertations

The dynamic nature of proteins in solution is often an indispensable factor in biological function such as enzymatic catalysis. Complementary to the conventional structural analysis, computational simulations have the advantage to reflect the dynamic nature of proteins or enzymes. One of the computational simulation methods, the quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, has been widely applied to the research in structural analysis, ligand-receptor binding and enzymatic catalysis.

In this dissertation, QM/MM MD simulations were applied to the studies on cytidine deaminase (CDA), yeast cytosine deaminase (yCD), and kumamolisin-As, as well as two protein lysine methyltransferases (PKMTs), DIM-5 and …

Community Invasibility: From Pattern To Process Across Multiple Spatial Scales In An Old-Field Ecosystem, Lara A. Souza

Doctoral Dissertations

Biological invasions threaten biodiversity, and understanding the factors that influence a community’s susceptibility to invasion informs both management of invasive species and conservation of biodiversity. The biotic resistance hypothesis postulates that communities with greater number of competitors, predators and/or pathogens will resist biological invasions. The underlying mechanism of biotic resistance, in the realm of competition, is that in species-rich communities harbor fewer open niches for introduced species to colonize therefore decreasing the probability of invasion. My dissertation research evaluated the role of native species diversity, as well as other biotic, abiotic and landscape factors shaping exotic species richness at multiple …

Rr09-01-2008 Wheat, Barley & Oat Variety Performance Tests In Tennessee, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Field & Commercial Crops

No abstract provided.

Pb378 Forage & Field Crop Seeding Guide For Tennessee, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Field & Commercial Crops

No abstract provided.

Third Thursday 8-2008, Institute Of Agriculture

Third Thursday

No abstract provided.

Distribution And Dynamics Of Pyrene-Degrading Mycobacteria In Freshwater Sediments Contaminated With Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Jennifer M. Debruyn

Doctoral Dissertations

Microbial biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is the primary means of attenuation of these toxic and carcinogenic compounds from contaminated soils and sediments. The documented toxicity and carcinogenicity of many PAHs demands remedial action for PAH-contaminated soils and sediments. This is especially important for historically contaminated sites, where higher molecular weight PAHs (HMW) are recalcitrant. Recently, fast-growing Mycobacteria have been identified that can degrade HMW PAHs, such as pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene. These bacteria have been isolated from a variety of geographical locations, indicating a cosmopolitan distribution.

This dissertation work was driven by the need for a better understanding of …

Characterizing Strength And Fracture Of Wood Micropillars Under Uniaxial Compression, Xinan Zhang

Masters Theses

The structure of the actual wood cell wall is very complex and it consists of several layers. Some research has been done to measure the mechanical properties of wood cell wall. For example, the hardness and modulus of wood cell wall was estimated using a nanoindentation test. But the mechanical contribution of wood cell wall is not fully understood and documented in the literature. Understanding the micro mechanical properties of the wood cell wall are paramount because of the potential for applications in cellulose nano-composites research and development.

The focus of this research was to investigate the essential of the …

Nesting Success And Population Densities Of Grassland Birds In The Breeding And Wintering Seasons In Tennessee And Kentucky, Daniel Matthew Hinnebusch

Masters Theses

Grassland and shrub/scrub breeding birds have experienced severe population declines since the beginning of the Breeding Bird Survey in 1966 (Sauer et al. 2007). Habitat loss and degradation are likely the primary causes of decline (Herkert 1994, Warner 1994, Johnson and Igl 2001). Partners in Flight (PIF) continental population objectives call for managers to increase populations by up to 100% for several of the species found in the Big Barrens, north-central Tennessee and south-central Kentucky, such as Dickcissel (Spiza americana), Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), and Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolor; Rich et al. 2004).

The …