Digital Commons Network^™

A Physiological Basis For Controlling Leafy Spurge On Nebraska Rangeland, Rob B. Mitchell, Corey Moffet, Ron Sosebee

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

Applying herbicides at the appropriate physiological stage is an important consideration to effectively control leafy spurge.

Livestock Production System Management Responses To Thermal Challenges, J. A. Nienabar, G. L. Hahn

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

The adaptive capabilities of animals and livestock production systems have been emphasized in this report. Biometeorology has a key role in rational management to meet the challenges of thermal environments. While the focus is primarily on cattle in warm or hot climates, the importance of dynamic animal responses to environmental challenges applies to all species and climates. Methods used to mitigate environmental challenges focus on heat loss/heat production balance. Under cold stress, reduction of heat loss is the key. Under heat stress, reduction of heat load or increasing heat loss are the primary management tools, although heat-tolerant animals are also …

Comment On “A G Protein–Coupled Receptor Is A Plasma Membrane Receptor For The Plant Hormone Abscisic Acid”, Christopher Johnston, Brenda Temple, Jin-Gui Chen, Yajun Gao, Etsuko N. Moriyama, Alan M. Jones, David Siderovski, Francis Willard

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Liu et al. (Reports, March 23, 2007, p. 1712) reported that the Arabidopsis thaliana gene GCR2 encodes a seven-transmembrane, G protein–coupled receptor for abscisic acid. We argue that GCR2 is not likely to be a transmembrane protein nor a G protein–coupled receptor. Instead, GCR2 is most likely a plant homolog of bacterial lanthionine synthetases.

The Mycotoxin Threat To Food Safety, Ervin Balazs, James S. Schepers

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

This workshop entitled “Mycotoxins from the Field to the Table” held in Omaha, Nebraska, USA from 29 November to 1 December, 2006 evolved from the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Co-operative Research Program on “Biological Resource Management” that was initiated in 1979. It currently focuses on three specific areas, namely the natural resources challenge, sustainability in practice, and the food chain. This workshop was organized under the sustainability and food chain themes.

The Cooperative Research Program's two major activities are promotion of expert exchanges by supporting postdoctoral fellowship awards up to 26 weeks in an OECD host laboratory …

Source Tracking Of Microbial Intrusion In Water Systems Using Artificial Neural Networks, Minyoung Kim, Christopher Y. Choi, Charles P. Garba

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

A ‘‘what-if’’ scenario where biological agents are accidentally or deliberately introduced into a water system was generated, and artificial neural network (ANN) models were applied to identify the pathogenic release location to isolate the contaminated area and minimize its hazards. The spatiotemporal distribution of Escherichia coli 15597 along the water system was employed to locate pollutants by inversely interpreting transport patterns of Escherichia coli using ANNs. Results showed that dispersion patterns of Escherichia coli were positively correlated to pH, turbidity, and conductivity (R² = 0.90–0.96), and the ANN models successfully identified the source location of Escherichia coli introduced into …

Biofuel Feedstocks: The Risk Of Future Invasions, Joseph M. Ditomaso, Jacob N. Barney, Allison M. Fox

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

In an effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, expand domestic energy production, and maintain economic growth, public and private investments are being used to pursue dedicated feedstock crops for biofuel production. Unlike food crops grown for grain-based ethanol (e.g., corn), which require high inputs of fertilizers and pesticides and typically are grown on prime agricultural land, proposed lignocellulose-based energy crops (e.g., switchgrass) typically have a neutral or negative carbon budget, require relatively few economic or environmental inputs, and can be cultivated on marginal, lower-productivity land. Thus, a rapidly growing industry related to crop selection, cultivar improvement, and conversion technilogies is …

Sporophytic Inbreeding Depression In Mosses Occurs In A Species With Separate Sexes But Not In A Species With Combined Sexes, Philip J. Taylor, Sarah M. Eppley, Linley K. Jesson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Inbreeding depression is a critical factor countering the evolution of inbreeding and thus potentially shaping the evolution of plant sexual systems. Current theory predicts that inbreeding depression could have important evolutionary consequences, even in haploid-dominant organisms. To date, no data have been reported on inbreeding depression in moss species. Here, we present data on the magnitude of inbreeding depression in sporophytic traits of moss species with contrasting breeding systems. In eratodon purpureus (Ditrichaceae), a moss species with separate sexes, self-fertilizations between sibling gametophytes (intergametophytic selfing) significantly reduced fitness in two of four traits quantified, with seta length and capsule length …

Detecting Shifts In Soil Microbial Community Structure And Function Post Landspread Of Manure Or Biosolids Containing Antimicrobial Chemicals, Kelly Lehnert, Sharon A. Clay, Susan Gibson, Volker Brozel

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Soil microbial diversity and community interaction play an indispensable role in 2,4-dichorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) herbicide degradation. The addition of manure or municipal waste biosolids through landspreading may alter soil community structure and function if these materials contain antimicrobial chemicals like chlortetracycline (CTC), administered in livestock feed to promote animal growth and health or tetracycline (TET) utilized in human health. In this study, soil applied with manure collected from pigs fed standard CTC levels was compared to soil containing manure from control pigs fed no CTC, and a comparison of soil applied with biosolids containing TET or without TET to distinguish …

Biofuel Feedstocks: The Risk Of Future Invasions, Joseph M. Ditomaso, Jacob N. Barney, Alison M. Fox

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

In an effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, expand domestic energy production, and maintain economic growth, public and private investments are being used to pursue dedicated feedstock crops for biofuel production. Unlike food crops grown for grain-based ethanol (e.g., corn), which require high inputs of fertilizers and pesticides and typically are grown on prime agricultural land, proposed lignocellulose-based energy crops (e.g., switchgrass) typically have a neutral or negative carbon budget, require relatively few economic or environmental inputs, and can be cultivated on marginal, lower-productivity land. Thus, a rapidly growing industry related to crop selection, cultivar improvement, and conversion technologies is …

Convergence Of Agriculture And Energy: Ii. Producing Cellulosic Biomass For Biofuels, Steven L. Fales, J. Richard Hess, Wallace Wilhelm, Don Erbach, William D. Provine, Kenneth P. Vogel, Todd A. Peterson, Edward C. A. Runge

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

Global energy demand is increasing as known global petroleum supplies are decreas¬ing. Calls to supplement or replace the current fossil-based energy system with new, envi¬ronmentally and economically sustainable strategies continue to increase, especially in light of more expensive traditional energy sources. Various governmental agencies and working groups have set aggressive targets and timelines for decreasing fossil fuel consumption by substituting bio-based energy (Bush 2007; Foust et al. 2007; Perlack et al. 2005; Smith et al. 2004). The alignment and continuity of these goals is illustrated in Figure 1.
Current biofuel production in the United States relies primarily on corn grain …

Beneficial Insects: Mantids, Erin W. Hodgson, Ron Patterson

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

K12-Biotinylated Histone H4 Marks Heterochromatin In Human Lymphoblastoma Cells, Gabriela Camporeale, Anna M. Oommen, Jacob B. Griffin, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

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

Covalent modifications of histones play crucial roles in chromatin structure and genomic stability. Recently, we reported a novel modification of histones: biotinylation of lysine residues. Here we provide evidence that K12-biotinylated histone H4 (K12Bio H4) maps specifically to both heterochromatin (alpha satellite repeats in pericentromeric regions) and transcriptionally repressed chromatin (γ-G globin and interleukin-2) in human lymphoblastoma cells. The abundance of K12Bio H4 in these regions was similar to that of K9-dimethylated histone H3, a known marker for heterochromatin. Likewise, K8-biotinylated histone H4 (K8Bio H4) mapped to heterochromatin, but the relative enrichment was smaller compared with K12Bio H4. Stimulation of …

The Potential Role Of Probiotics In Reducing Poverty-Associated Infections In Developing Countries, Kingsley Anukam

Data and Test Instruments

Probiotics are defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization/ World Health Organization as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host” [1]. The potential benefits of their use have not been adequately investigated, especially in the developing world. Japan introduced Yakult, a probiotic fermented food drink in 1935, and in the Northern hemisphere, research and use of probiotics has gained an unprecedented momentum in the last decade [2]. Use of probiotics is not uncommon in Europe [3], but in many developing countries use of probiotics in its present definition is a foreign concept. …

The Chlamydomonas Genome Reveals The Evolution Of Key Animal And Plant Functions, Sabeeha S. Merchant, Simon E. Prochnik, Olivier Vallon, Elizabeth H. Harris, Steven J. Karpowicz, George B. Witman, Astrid Terry, Asaf Salamov, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Laurence Maréchal-Drouard, Wallace F. Marshall, Liang-Hu Qu, David R. Nelson, Anton A. Sanderfoot, Martin H. Spalding, Vladimir V. Kapitonov, Qinghu Ren, Patrick Ferris, Erika Lindquist, Harris Shapiro, Susan M. Lucas, Jane Grimwood, Jeremy Schmutz, Igor V. Grigoriev, Daniel S. Rokhsar, Arthur Grossman, Chlamydomonas Annotation Team, Jgi Annotation Team, Heriberto D. Cerutti

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga whose lineage diverged from land plants over 1 billion years ago. It is a model system for studying chloroplast-based photosynthesis, as well as the structure, assembly, and function of eukaryotic flagella (cilia), which were inherited from the common ancestor of plants and animals, but lost in land plants. We sequenced the ~120-megabase nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas and performed comparative phylogenomic analyses, identifying genes encoding uncharacterized proteins that are likely associated with the function and biogenesis of chloroplasts or eukaryotic flagella. Analyses of the Chlamydomonas genome advance our understanding of the ancestral eukaryotic cell, …

Center For Grassland Studies Newsletter, Fall 2007, Volume 13, No. 4

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents:

Turfgrass and Landscape Management Degree Program at UNL by Robert (Bob) C. Shearman, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, UNL

New Farm Bill Should Continue Support for Grassland Management by Duane Hovorka, National Wildlife Federation

Another Great Nebraska Grazing Conference in 2007!

New Ph.D. Specialization in Applied Ecology at UNL by Tala Awada, James Brandle and Larkin Powell, School of Natural Resources, UNL

Nebraska Mentoring Program for Graziers by Roger Chesley, Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition

2003 National Resources Inventory Information Online

2007 CGS Fall Seminar Series

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Lacking Helper Component-Proteinase Is Competent To Produce Disease Synergism In Double Infections With Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus, Drake C. Stenger, Brock A. Young, Feng Qu, Thomas Jack Morris, Roy French

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The tritimovirus Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) and the machlomovirus Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) each cause systemic chlorosis in infected maize plants. Infection of maize with both viruses produces corn lethal necrosis disease (CLND). Here, we report that complete deletion of the WSMV helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) coding region had no effect on induction of CLND symptoms following coinoculation of maize with WSMV and MCMV. We further demonstrated that elevation of virus titers in double infections, relative to single infections, also was independent of WSMV HC-Pro. Thus, unlike potyvirus HC-Pro, WSMV HC-Pro was dispensable for disease synergism. Because disease synergism …

Nebline, October 2007

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

How Healthy is Your Home?
Soybean Cyst Nematode Spreading in Nebraska
Maintain Grain Quality in Storage
Winterize Your Underground Sprinkler System
Prepare Fireplaces and Woodburning Stoves for Safe Use this Winter
Why Leaves Fall
Choose Decay Resistant Wood for Buildings, Fenceposts
Storing a Tractor
Drying Gourds
Start Garden Cleanup
Tree Planting and Landscape Improvement Funds Available
Grassland Center Sets Fall Lecture Schedule
President’s Notes — Alice’s Analysis
Household Hints
Control Anger Rather Than Suppress It
FCE News & Events
Respond Effectively to Misbehaving Children by Understanding the Problem
Filing Financial Records Saves Time
How Dish Size, Location Influence the Amount …

A Simple Array Platform For Microrna Analysis And Its Application In Mouse Tissues, Xiaoqing Tang, Jozsef Gal, Xun Zhuang, Wang-Xia Wang, Haining Zhu, Guiliang Tang

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play a critical role in many important biological processes. Most miRNAs are conserved between humans and mice, which makes it possible to analyze their expressions with a set of selected array probes. Here, we report a simple array platform that can detect 553 nonredundant miRNAs encompassing the entire set of miRNAs for humans and mice. The platform features carefully selected and designed probes with optimized hybridization parameters. Potential cross-reaction between mature miRNAs and their precursors was investigated. The array platform was …

Evaluating The Medicinal Properties Of Mandravasarotra (Cinnamosa Sida) Through Chemical And Pharmacological Screening, Henry J. Bowden Jr.

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I worked for four weeks at the University of Antananarivo (Ankatso), spending two weeks each in the chemistry and pharmacology laboratories. There I ran a total of eight experiments or “screens” with an alcoholic extract of the medicinal plant Mandravasarotra. This plant is found mainly in northwestern Madagascar, and is often used to stimulate contractions for women having difficulty giving birth. The plant tested positive for three secondary metabolites: tannins, steroids and flavanoids. In the pharmacological tests, the plant exhibited anti-inflammatory properties, and high toxicity in doses exceeding 10ml/kg. Together, conjectures may be made between what is known of the …

Summaries Of Arkansas Cotton Research 2006, Derrick M. Oosterhuis

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Year-End Progress Report, October 1, 2006 To September 30, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed more than 750 miles of federal lands in Clark County for invasive, exotic plant species.
• Weed Sentry also removed more than 600,000 individual invasive plants from federal
  lands. These removals represent pro-active efforts that may have forestalled large
  infestations difficult and costly to eradicate.
• In response to a request by the manager of the Fish and Wildlife Service Desert National
  Wildlife Refuge, a major effort of surveying springs for plant community composition
  and invasive plants provided unique knowledge services by the Weed Sentry program.
  No such baseline information existed for the Sheep Range. …

Source Tracking Of Microbial Intrusion In Water Systems Using Artificial Neural Networks, Minyoung Kim, Christopher Y. Choi, Charles P. Gerba

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

A ‘‘what-if’’ scenario where biological agents are accidentally or deliberately introduced into a water system was generated, and artificial neural network (ANN) models were applied to identify the pathogenic release location to isolate the contaminated area and minimize its hazards. The spatiotemporal distribution of Escherichia coli 15597 along the water system was employed to locate pollutants by inversely interpreting transport patterns of E. coli using ANNs. Results showed that dispersion patterns of E. coli were positively correlated to pH, turbidity, and conductivity (R² = 0.90–0.96), and the ANN models successfully identified the source location of E. coli introduced into …

Comparison Of Laboratory Methods And An In Situ Method For Estimating Nitrogen Mineralization In An Irrigated Silt-Loam Soil, Brian J. Wienhold

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

Nitrogen (N) mineralization makes a considerable contribution to crop-available N and is difficult to estimate. Reliable methods for measuring N mineralization are needed to produce data sets for developing N-mineralization models, as a component in fertilizer recommendation algorithms, and to assess the effect of management practices on N mineralization. Numerous methods are available for estimating N mineralization. Laboratory methods are relatively easy but may not reflect conditions in the field, and field methods are usually labor-intensive. A study was conducted to compare N-mineralization estimates using anaerobic and aerobic laboratory methods and an in situ field method for the 0- to …

Nebline, September 2007

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Control Winter Annuals in Fall
Free Soybean Cyst Nematode Sample Kits Available
Free Scrap Tire Collection
Keep Roosting Birds From Dirtying Cars, Driveways This Fall
Wood Heat–A Viable Home Heating Alternative
Ten Rules for Planting Trees
Answers to Composting Questions
President’s Notes — Alice’s Analysis
Household Hints: Programmable Thermostats
FCE News & Events
First Step to Eliminate Debt is Cut Expenses
Ease Children Into Staying Home Alone
Strengthening Family Treasures Daughter/Mother Camp
Four Fruit Salad Recipe
Do You REALLY Know How Much You Eat?
ABC’s for Good Health, Oct. 2, 9 & 23
Free Seminar, “Making Many Meals Using a …

The Effect Of Residue C:N Ratio On The Turnover Of N And C In Various Soil Organic Matter Fractions, Ana B. Wingeyer

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Identifying soil organic matter (SOM) fractions that contribute to soil indigenous nitrogen (N) supply and understanding their turnover under different management constitute necessary tools toward an efficient N use. The objectives of this study were: i) trace the endpoint of carbon (C) flux from residue inputs into SOM; and ii) asses the role of the light fraction (LF), mobile humic acid (MHA) fraction and calcium humate (CaHA) fraction as N sources for heterotrophic decomposition of fresh plant residues with contrasting C:N ratio. A long-term aerobic soil incubation was carried out on ¹⁵N-labeled soil samples from Lincoln and Mead, NE. …

Vascular Flora Of Powhatan County, Virginia, Michael Austin Terry, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Powhatan County is a largely rural county of the Virginia piedmont currently experiencing exurban development pressure. Commercial pine forests occupy much of the land area; most natural vegetation occurs in various hardwood forests. Plant life is supported largely by soils derived from Proterozoic to Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks, soils developed over Triassic basins, and riparian soils associated with the James and Appomattox Rivers. The annotated checklist is based on new collections gathered between September 2003 and August 2005, supplemented with records from regional herbaria and the Atlas of the Virginia Flora. Field work sampled at least 12 distinct community …

Internode Structure And Cell Wall Composition In Maturing Tillers Of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum. L), Gautam Sarath, Lisa M. Baird, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell

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

This work examined cell composition gradients in maturing tillers of switchgrass (Panicum virgatuln L. ) with the aim of developing baseline information on this important forage and biomass crop. Flowering tillers were collected from plants raised from seeds in a greenhouse and field, harvested at soil level and separated into internodes beginning with the node subtending the peduncle. Internodes were analyzed using microscopy, by fiber digestion, high-performance liquid chromatography and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to obtain anatomical and compositional data. Microscopy demonstrated the development and maturation of cortical fibers which eventually became confluent with the fiber sheath surrounding vascular …

Cloning And Expression Of An Atrazine Inducible Cytochrome P450, Cyp4g33, From Chironomus Tentans (Diptera: Chironomidae), Diana K. Londono, Herbert A.A. Siqueira, Haichuan Wang, Gautam Sarath, Michael J. Lydy, Blair D. Siegfried

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

Previous studies performed in our laboratory have measured the effect of atrazine exposure on cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase activity and have found increased activity in midge larvae (Chironomus tentans) as a result of atrazine exposure (1– 10 ppm). Here we report the cloning and expression of a specific C. tentans CYP4 gene that is responsive to atrazine induction with an open reading frame of 1678 bp which encodes a putative protein of 559 amino acid residues. Alignments of deduced amino acid sequences with other insect P450 genes and phylogenetic analysis indicated a high degree of similarity to other insect …

Measuring And Modeling Species Specific, Joseph Bowden

All Theses

Differences in transpiration have been reported in tree species over the last several decades; however, few studies have teased out the environmental component with a common garden. Species specific transpiration was measured via sap flow on twenty trees from five deciduous hardwood species, Prunus x yedoensis Matsum., Acer rubrum L. 'Autumn Flame', Acer buergeranum Miq., Prunus serrulata Lindl. 'Kwanzan,' and Platanus x acerifolia (Ait.) Willd., throughout the 2005 growing season in a plantation. In addition, monthly growth and gas exchange measurements were collected for each species and used to parameterize a three dimensional spatially explicit transpiration model, MAESTRA. The model …

Soil Fertility Management In Organic Vegetable Production, Susannah Rauton

All Theses

Organic vegetable production is a rapidly growing sector of agriculture. Due to limitations on synthetic inputs imposed by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), research is necessary to determine which soil amendments are viable options for organic farmers. Field trials were conducted at the Clemson University Calhoun Fields Laboratory Student Organic Farm. A variety of vegetable crops were grown, including Jericho lettuce in the springs of 2005 and 2006, yellow crookneck squash in the summers of 2005 and 2006, and Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage in the fall of 2005. Soil amendment treatments consisted of combinations of the following: poultry compost, …