Digital Commons Network^™

Behavioral And Physiological Differences In Migratory Strategies Of A Long-Distance Migrant, The Blackpoll Warbler, And A Facultative Short-Distance Migrant, The Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Rebecca L. Holberton

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The primary focus of these studies has been to investigate the functional role of corticosterone in the development of migratory condition (i.e. hyperphagia, lipogenesis, and migratory restlessness) and to investigate the underlying endocrine mechanisms of migratory condition in two species that differ dramatically in their strategies for reaching their wintering grounds. The main approach has been to measure and to manipulate the peripheral signal molecule, corticosterone, and look at the resulting patterns of feeding behavior, body mass and fat reserves, migratory activity, and metabolites of energy use (fat deposition and protein use). In the comparative component, the Blackpoll warbler (Dendroica …

Lexen: Role Of Atmospheric Trace Gases In Microbial Colonization And Succession On Recent Lava Flows, Gary M. King

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Drs. Gary M. King of the University of Maine and Klaus Nusslein of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst have been awarded a grant from the NSF Life in Extreme Environment (LExEn) program to determine the role of atmospheric trace gases in microbial colonization and succession on recent lava flows. Volcanic activity has played an important role in the development of terrestrial ecosystems for much of Earth's history, and continues to shape terrestrial environments at present. Deposition of lava and tephra result in surfaces that over time support complex, highly productive biological communities. However, young or recently extruded lavas represent extreme environments …

Collaborative Research: Developing Methods To Study Age-Related Changes In The Physiology Of Forest Trees, Michael S. Greenwood

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Trees continue to increase in size and complexity over life spans that may last many centuries, and each year the growing regions of their shoots produce new foliage and reproductive structures. As they grow older and larger, forest trees appear to grow more slowly, produce thicker foliage and more reproductive structures. These changes are likely to be associated with age-related declines in the growth rates of forest stands, which occur before the mid-point of the lifespan of important timber species. Although similar patterns of age- and size-related change in the morphology and physiology of foliage have been described for numerous …

The Dandy Scroll, Fall 2004, University Of Maine Pulp And Paper Foundation

General University of Maine Publications

The Fall 2004 issue of The Dandy Scroll newsletter produced by the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation.

Mechanisms And Integration Of Signal Pathway: A Role For Calpains?, Dorothy E. Croall

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

In order to survive cells must sense and respond to changes in their environment. Environmental cues trigger a variety of events within cells. The concentration and movements of calcium ions are essential regulators of many of these cellular responses. Proper control of intracellular calcium is essential because at thigh levels calcium can lead to cell damage or death. Calcium accomplishes it effects through binding to specific proteins such as calmodulin and calpain. Calmodulin, named for its ability to bind calcium and to modulate the activity of other cellular components, is an important mediator of calcium signals and its mechanism of …

Why Should We Measure The Optical Backscattering Coefficient?, Emmanuel Boss, Dariusz Stramski, Trisha Bergmann, W. Scott Pegau, Marlon Lewis

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

In recent years commercial sensors for in situ determinations of optical backscattering coefficient, b_b, have become available. The small size and low power requirements of these sensors permit deployment from small sensing platforms such as autonomous underwater vehicles, in addition to standard profiling packages. Given their rapid sampling time (sub second) they can collect data with high temporal and spatial resolution (sub meter).

While these are attractive features of any sensor they do not answer the question: why should oceanographers measure b_b?

The short answer is that b_b carries useful information about seawater constituents that …

The Dandy Scroll, Spring 2004, University Of Maine Pulp And Paper Foundation

General University of Maine Publications

The Spring 2004 issue of The Dandy Scroll newsletter produced by the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation.

Accurate Dna Base Caller, Mohamad T. Musavi

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The major goal of this project is to develop a new base calling technique that will improve the efficiency of the DNA sequencing process. This will be achieved by increasing the average length of error-free sequencing and enhancing the base identification process at the beginning and end of sequences. This will increase sequencing throughput and reduce the cost of DNA sequencing. Previous work by the PI has demonstrated the ability to extend the error-free read by 30%. This was achieved through work on cross-talk filtering, baseline adjustment, base-spacing prediction and development of a fuzzy base-calling algorithm. Further adaptive capabilities as …

Collaborative Research: A Dynamic Atlas Of The Cricket Cercal Sensory System, Sharon M. Crook

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

A fundamental question in neuroscience is how natural sensory stimuli are encoded for information handling by the brain. Invertebrate animals often offer systems that are in some ways simpler than those of mammals, and including such features as identifiable single cells in networks of relatively few numbers. This collaborative project exploits a sensory system called the cercal system of the cricket, in which small appendages on the rear of the body contain fine hairs that are used to detect, identify and localize behaviorally relevant air current movements, such as those produced by a predator. The input from roughly 2000 receptor …

The New Age Of Hyperspectral Oceanography, Grace Chang, Kevin Mahoney, Amanda Briggs-Whitmire, David D.R. Kohler, Curtis D. Mobley, Marlon Lewis, Mark A. Moline, Emmanuel Boss, Minsu Kim, William Philpot, Tommy D. Dickey

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

A multispectral optical sensor collects data at select wavebands or channels. An example is the Sea-viewing Wide-Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color satellite, which measures eight wavebands between 402 and 885 nm (20-40 nm bandwidth with peaks centered around 412, 443, 490, 510, 555, 670, 765, and 865 nm). Optical oceanographers have been using multispectral sensors since the 1980s with great success.

The Role Of Seawater Constituents In Light Backscattering In The Ocean, Dariusz Stramski, Emmanuel Boss, Darek Bogucki, Kenneth J. Voss

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

The significance of light backscattering in the ocean is wide ranging, especially in optical remote sensing. However, the complexity of natural seawater as an optical medium often obscures the measured optical signals to the point that our present-day interpretation and detailed understanding of major sources of backscattering and its variability in the ocean are uncertain and controversial. Here we review the roles played by various seawater constituents in light backscattering and we address a question of 'missing' backscattering. Historically, this question has resulted from a hypothesis that under non-bloom conditions in the open ocean, phytoplankton make a significantly smaller contribution …

Optical Modeling Of Ocean Waters: Is The Case 1 - Case 2 Classification Still Useful?, Curtis D. Mobley, Dariusz Stramski, W. Paul Bissett, Emmanuel Boss

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

…two extreme cases can be identified and separated. Case 1 is that of a concentration of phytoplankton high compared to other particles…. In contrast, the inorganic particles are dominant in case 2.… In both cases dissolved yellow substance is present in variable amounts.… An ideal case 1 would be a pure culture of phytoplankton and an ideal case 2 a suspension of nonliving material with a zero concentration of pigments.

Morel and Prieur emphasized that these ideal cases are not encountered in nature, and they suggested the use of high or low values of the ratio of pigment concentration to …

2003 Wild Blueberry Project Reports, Alfred A. Bushway, Rodney J. Bushway, Kristi Crowe, Brian Perkins, Mary Ellen Camire, Kathy Davis-Dentici, Michael Dougherty, Beth Bernier, Darrell Donahue, Frank Drummond, Judith Collins, Floyd Dowell, Dorothy J. Klimis-Zacas, Gordon C. Starr, David E. Yarborough, Constance S. Stubbs, Seanna L. Annis, John M. Smagula, Ilse W. Fastook, Kerry F. Lough

Wild Blueberry Research Reports

The 2003 edition of the Wild Blueberry Project Reports was prepared for the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine and the Wild Blueberry Advisory Committee by researchers at the University of Maine, Orono. Projects in this report include:

1. Factors Affecting the Microbial and Pesticide Residues Levels on Lowbush Blueberries

2. Effect of Blueberry Products on Oxidation in Ground Beef Patties

3. Infestation Detection using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

4. Whole Wild Blueberries and Arterial Functional Properties

5. Irrigation Water use in Wild Blueberry Production

7. Control Tactics for Blueberry Pest Insects

8. IPM Strategies

9. Biology and Ecology of Blueberry Pest Insects, …