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Cytoskeleton Of Apicomplexan Parasites, Naomi S. Morrissette, L. David Sibley

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A Quantitative Approach For Estimating Exposure To Pesticides In The Agricultural Health Study, Michael C. R. Alavanja, Andrew S. Rowland, David Mage, Shelia Hoar Zahm, Nathaniel Rothman, Jay H. Lubin, Mustafa Dosemeci, Jane A. Hoppin, Dale P. Sandler, Aaron Blair

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

We developed a quantitative method to estimate long-term chemical-specific pesticide exposures in a large prospective cohort study of more than 58000 pesticide applicators in North Carolina and Iowa. An enrollment questionnaire was administered to applicators to collect basic time- and intensity-related information on pesticide exposure such as mixing condition, duration and frequency of application, application methods and personal protective equipment used. In addition, a detailed take-home questionnaire was administered to collect further intensity- related exposure information such as maintenance or repair of mixing and application equipment, work practices and personal hygiene. More than 40% of the enrolled applicators responded to …

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy: A Newly Recognized Fatal Neurological Disease Of Eagles, Waterfowl And Other Birds, John R. Fischer, Lynn A. Lewis, Tom Augspurger, Tonie E. Rocke

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Since 1994, wildlife biologists and wildlife health specialists have worked to determine the cause of avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM), a neurologic disease of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and other birds. The causes of morbidity and mortality in wildlife typically are determined through both antemortem and postmortem examinations, combined with ancillary tests for microbiological organisms, toxicants and other etiologies. However, the etiology of AVM has not been determined yet, despite extensive diagnostic investigations, including examinations for common disease agents, as well as infrequent or unusual causes of mortality. With the failure of standard diagnostic testing to determine the cause …

The Influence Of Sylvatic Plague On North American Wildlife At The Landscape Level, With Special Emphasis On Black-Footed Ferret And Prairie Dog Conservation, Michael F. Antolin, Pete Gober, Bob Luce, Dean E. Biggins, William E. Van Pelt, David B. Seery, Micael Lockhart, Mark Ball

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

"Prairie-dogs are distributed over a large part of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions. Their colonies often number thousands of individuals, and their destruction of grasses and other forage plants makes them of considerable economic importance. Drastic measures are frequently necessary to prevent the destruction of crops of grain and hay. The Biological Survey is exterminating these rodents in national forests and in the public domain. The information in this report, in regards to the several species and their distribution, as indicated by maps, will aid materially in efforts, national or state, to control or exterminate them," said Henry …

Bioavailability And Exposure Assessment Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons And Trace Elements In Birds Nesting Near The North Platte River, Casper, Wyoming, Kimberly Dickerson, Thomas W. Custer, Christine M. Custer, Ken Allen

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The objectives of this study were to compare refinery-related petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and nestling house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) at sites along the North Platte River Casper, Wyoming in 1997 and 1998; and to determine if contaminants were present in concentrations that could adversely affect the birds. Because trace element concentrations, mixed function oxidase activity, and the variation in DNA are often associated with petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in birds, each was measured as indicators of petroleum contamination. Sediment and aquatic invertebrates were also sampled for characterizing a possible contaminant source to …

The Importance Of Functional Form In Optimal Control Solutions Of Problems In Population Dynamics, Michael C. Runge, Fred A. Johnson

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Optimal control theory is finding increased application in both theoretical and applied ecology, and it is a central element of adaptive resource management. One of the steps in an adaptive management process is to develop alternative models of system dynamics, models that are all reasonable in light of available data, but that differ substantially in their implications for optimal control of the resource. We explored how the form of the recruitment and survival functions in a general population model for ducks affected the patterns in the optimal harvest strategy, using a combination of analytical, numerical, and simulation techniques. We compared …

Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: Baird’S Sparrow, Jill A. Dechant, Marriah L. Sondreal, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. Euliss

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Baird’s Sparrow:
Breeding range
Suitable habitat
Area requirements
Brown-headed Cowbird brood parasitism
Breeding-season phenology and site fidelity
Species’ response to management
Management Recommendations

West Nile Virus: A Threat To North American Avian Species, Robert G. Mclean

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) was introduced into the United States (US), specifically in New York City (NYC), in 1999; this translocation represented a major shift out of its normal geographical distribution of Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the western parts of Asia (Center for Disease Control 1999a). The route or method of entry into the US is still unknown. WNV is in the genus Flavivirus, the family Flaviviridae and is closely related to some other viruses in this family, such as Japanese encephalitis virus in Southeast Asia, Murray Valley encephalitis virus in Australia and St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) …

Selenium Toxicity: Cause And Effects In Aquatic Birds, Julian E. Spallholz, David J. Hoffman

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

There are several manners in which selenium may express its toxicity: (1) an important mechanism appears to involve the formation of CH₃Se⁻ which either enters a redox cycle and generates superoxide and oxidative stress, or forms free radicals that bind to and inhibit important enzymes and proteins. (2) Excess selenium as selenocysteine results in inhibition of selenium methylation metabolism. As a consequence, concentrations of hydrogen selenide, an intermediate metabolite, accumulate in animals and are hepatotoxic, possibly causing other selenium-related adverse effects. (3) It is also possible that the presence of excess selenium analogs of sulfur-containing enzymes and …

Mutations In The Yeast Lcb1 And Lcb2 Genes, Including Those Corresponding To The Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy Type I Mutations, Dominantly Inactivate Serine Palmitoyltransferase, Ken Gable, Gongshe Han, Erin Monaghan, Dagmar Bacikova, Mukil Natarajan, Robert W. Williams, Teresa M. Dunn

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

It was recently demonstrated that mutations in the human SPTLC1 gene, encoding the Lcb1p subunit of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), cause hereditary sensory neuropathy type I (1, 2). As a member of the subfamily of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate enzymes known as the α-oxoamine synthases, serine palmitoyltransferase catalyzes the committed step of sphingolipid synthesis. The residues that are mutated to cause hereditary sensory neuropathy type I reside in a highly conserved region of Lcb1p that is predicted to be a catalytic domain of Lcb1p on the basis of alignments with other members of the α-oxoamine synthase family. We found that the corresponding mutations …

Role Of Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde Adducts In Liver Injury, Dean J. Tuma

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

Malondialdehyde and acetaldehyde react together with proteins in a synergistic manner and form hybrid protein adducts, designated as MAA adducts. MAA-protein adducts are composed of two major products whose structures and mechanism of formation have been elucidated. MAA adduct formation, especially in the liver, has been demonstrated in vivo during ethanol consumption. These protein adducts are capable of inducing a potent immune response, resulting in the generation of antibodies against both MAA epitopes, as well as against epitopes on the carrier protein. Chronic ethanol administration to rats results in significant circulating antibody titers against MAA-adducted proteins, and high anti-MAA titers …

The Administration's Approach To The Esa: Building A Stewardship Ethic For The 21st Century, Amy Klee

United States Bureau of Land Management: Staff Publications

When President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) into law in 1973, it is unlikely that anyone imagined the pivotal role it would play in a wide range of land and water management decisions. There are now over 1,200 species of plants and animals listed as threatened or endangered in the United States. Certain areas of the country that historically have had a great diversity of species are now home to large numbers oflisted plants and animals. California, for example, has 292 listed species, and Alabama has 125. In some areas, every major land and water management decision or …

Niacin And Vitamin B12 Requirements Of Weanling Pigs, Sara S. Blodgett, Phillip S. Miller, Austin Lewis, Robert Fischer

Nebraska Swine Reports

An experiment was conducted to assess the responsiveness of weanling pigs to increased dietary concentrations of niacin and vitamin B₁₂. The purpose of the experiment was to determine if the niacin and vitamin B₁₂ requirements of nursery pigs are greater than the NRC (1998) recommendations for 11 to 22 lb pigs. Pigs (initial weight 9.4 lb) were fed one of four diets for a total of 35 days: 1) Negative control, common nursery diet with no added niacin or vitamin B₁₂; 2) Niacin, common nursery diet with 22.7 µg/lb added niacin; 3) B₁₂, …

Managing Swine Dietary Phosphorus To Meet Manure Management Goals, Mike Brumm, Charles A. Shapiro, William L. Kranz

Nebraska Swine Reports

A demonstration was carried out for 15 months at a 1,200-head growing- finishing facility in Holt County, Neb. The purpose was to document the impact of diet formulation on phosphorus excretion and the associated land area needed to utilize the phosphorus in the accumulated manure. The demonstration facility had four 300-head rooms. Prior to the demonstration, pigs in all rooms were fed diets formulated to contain 0.55-0.57% total phosphorus for all phases of growth. For the demonstration, two rooms were fed diets formulated to the University of Nebraska recommended levels for available phosphorus. The other two rooms were fed diets …

Phytase Sources In Pelleted Diets, Mike Brumm

Nebraska Swine Reports

An experiment was conducted to determine whether there were differences in performance between two commercial sources of phytase when added to corn and soybean meal-based diets prior to pelleting. Pelleted diets investigated for growing-finishing barrows of high-lean-gain-potential included: 1) University of Nebraska recommended formulations; 2) diets formulated to contain 0.1% less available phosphorus than recommended; 3) diets formulated with 500 FYT/kg added phytase from Ronozyme-P®; 4) diets formulated with 750 FYT/kg added phytase from Ronozyme-P®; 5) diets formulated with 500 FTU/kg added phytase from Natuphos®; and 6) diets formulated with 750 FTU/kg added phytase from Natuphos®. Temperature of the pellets …

Dietary Amino Acid Utilization For Body Protein Deposition — Current And Future Research, Janeth J. Colina, Austin Lewis, Phillip S. Miller

Nebraska Swine Reports

In modern pork production it is important to maximize the animal’s potential for daily lean gain by increasing the body protein deposition with as little wastage of the ingested amino acids as possible. Therefore, it is important to maximize the efficiency with which dietary amino acids are used for protein deposition or lean gain. This efficiency is measured by using nitrogen balance studies or comparative slaughter procedures. Supplementing swine diets with crystalline amino acids and replacing part of the dietary protein can reduce diet cost and will also reduce the amount of nitrogen excreted in manure. However, it has been …

Explanation Of Statistics Used In This Report

Nebraska Swine Reports

Pigs treated alike vary in performance due to their different genetic makeup and to environmental effect we cannot completely control. When a group of pigs is randomly allotted to treatments it is nearly impossible to get an “equal” group of pigs on each treatment. The natural variability among pigs and the number of pigs per treatment determine the expected variation among treatment groups due to random sampling.

Defining The Optimal Feed Budget System For Terminal-Crossed, Growing-Finishing Barrows, Robert Fischer, Phillip S. Miller, Austin Lewis, Darren J. Critser

Nebraska Swine Reports

This experiment was conducted to evaluate growth performance and carcass quality measurements in growing-finishing barrows assigned to different feed budget systems. Forty-eight barrows with an initial body weight of 47.3 lb were randomly allotted to one of three different feed budget systems. The experiment was continued until the average body weight was 270 lb, at which time all pigs were slaughtered. Growth performance and real-time ultrasound measurements were taken biweekly, except for the final period, which was 24 days. Carcass tenth-rib backfat and longissimus muscle area measurements were made 24 hours postmortem. Overall, average daily feed intake (ADFI) was affected …

Comparison Of Swine Performance When Fed Diets Containing Roundup Ready® Corn, Parental Line Corn, Or Two Commercial Corns, Robert L. Fischer, Austin Lewis, Phillip S. Miller

Nebraska Swine Reports

This experiment was conducted to evaluate growth performance and carcass quality measurements in growing-finishing pigs fed diets containing either Roundup Ready® corn expressing the CP4 EPSPS protein, the parental control corn, or two commercial sources of nongenetically modified corn. The experiment used 72 barrows and 72 gilts with an initial body weight of 50 lb. The pigs were allotted to a randomized complete block design with a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of treatments (two sexes x four corn hybrids). The experiment continued until the average body weight was 255 lb, at which time all pigs were slaughtered. Realtime ultrasound …

Influence Of Linoleic Acid Isomers On Body Fat, Kim Hargrave, Kristin Nollette, Merlyn K. Nielsen, Jess L. Miner

Nebraska Swine Reports

In two studies, mice were fed diets containing either individual conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers or a mixture of isomers in the presence or absence of dietary essential fatty acids. Mice fed the C18:2 Δ10,12 CLA isomer lost as much body fat as mice fed a mixture of isomers. This effect was not observed when the mice were fed the C18:2 Δ9,11 isomer or when feed intake was restricted. The loss of body fat was much greater in mice consuming an essential fatty acid deficient diet versus a control diet. This supports our hypothesis that for CLA to deplete body …

Economic Analyses Of Feeding 18 G Per Ton Paylean® To Crosses Of The Ne Index Line, Rodger K. Johnson, Phillip S. Miller, D. B. Petry, R. F. Fischer

Nebraska Swine Reports

Economic returns per pig for F₁ and terminal cross barrows and gilts of the NE Index line when fed a diet with or without PAYLEAN® at 18 g per ton for 28 d before slaughter were compared. Although not significant, terminal cross pigs with 25% Line I genes were more profitable than F₁ pigs with 50% Line I genes and gilts were more profitable than barrows. Several scenarios were modeled to evaluate the economic returns from feeding PAYLEAN®. Increased profits were similar across lines and sexes but varied depending on whether intransit death losses were considered treatment effects. …

Effects Of Glutamine On Growth Performance And Small Intestine Villus Height In Weanling Pigs, Steven J. Kitt, Phillip S. Miller, Austin Lewis, Robert L. Fischer

Nebraska Swine Reports

The pig’s small intestinal structure and function is altered during the days that follow weaning. As a consequence, the digestive and absorptive capacity of weanling pigs may decrease during this period, and this may be partially responsible for the post-weaning growth lag. Additionally, health benefits may be associated with an improved small intestinal structure and function during the early post-weaning period. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of crystalline glutamine and (or) diet complexity on small intestine villus height and growth performance of 18-day-old pigs. During the 21-day trial, no differences in villus height were observed between pigs …

Factors Affecting Bacon Color And Composition, J. E. Mann, Roger W. Mandigo, Dennis E. Burson, R. Garza

Nebraska Swine Reports

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of genetic line, diet, sex, slaughter weight and location within the slab on the proximate composition and color of bacon lean and fat. Bacon slabs manufactured from bellies of 756 barrows and gilts of six different genetic lines equally distributed among four feeding regimes, with differing lysine levels, and three weight groups and processed into sliced retail bacon (nine slices/inch) were used. Sliced bacon slabs were divided into five equally sized sections and two bacon slices were taken from the anterior end of each for machine vision and proximate analyses. …

Growth And Carcass Responses In The Ne Index Line Estimated In Pure-Line And Crossbred Litters, D. B. Petry, J. W. Holl, Rodger K. Johnson

Nebraska Swine Reports

The objective was to estimate responses in growth and carcass traits in the NE Index line (I) that was selected 19 generations for increased litter size. Responses in pure-line, F₁ and 3-way cross litters were compared. In Exp 1, 694 gilts that were retained for breeding, including 448 I and control (C) and 246 F₁ I and C by Danbred™ Landrace (L), were evaluated. Direct genetic effects of I and C did not differ for backfat or days to 230 lb; however, I had 0.24 in² smaller longissimus muscle area (LMA) than C (P < 0.05). F₁ gilts had …

Reproductive Responses In The Ne Index Line, Rodger K. Johnson, D. B. Petry

Nebraska Swine Reports

The NE Index Line (Line I) has been selected since 1981 only for litter size and as a pure-line has 3.5 to 4 more pigs per litter than its randomly selected control (Line C). Line I has been released to the industry where it is being used in crossbreeding applications, but whether the response realized in the pure-line is expressed in crossbreeding applications is not known. The objective of this experiment was to estimate responses in reproduction in Line I in pure-line sows, in pure-line sows mated to produce F₁ litters and in F₁ sows mated to produce …

Competition — It’S Not Just “Cost” Of Production, Allen Prosch

Nebraska Swine Reports

Pork producers are faced with numerous competitive challenges. Having a higher cost of production than other pork producers has always been a reason to exit the pork industry. Even when their cost of production is competitive, producers still choose to exit the industry. Hog prices, corn prices and the hog/corn ratio from 1970 to 2000 were examined in relation to the change in the number of pork producers in Nebraska to identify the degree of influence that each had on producer’s decisions to enter or exit pork production. The annual average price of market hogs per cwt and the price …

Update On The Economics Of Feeding Ractopamine (Paylean™) To Finishing Pigs, Duane Reese, Larry L. Bitney

Nebraska Swine Reports

Ractopamine is a feed additive that improves feed efficiency, daily gain, and carcass merit in finishing pigs. An economic feasibility analysis on the feeding of 4.5 and 9.0 g/ton ractopamine to finishing pigs fed a 1% lysine, corn-soybean meal diet for an average of 29 days before slaughter was conducted. The analysis was performed in two stages: 1) an economic benefit for ractopamine was calculated from revenues due to improved feed efficiency, daily gain and carcass yield (dressing percent), and 2) the amount of a carcass lean premium needed per pig to recover the added cost of feeding ractopamine was …

Applicability Of High-Rise™ Hog Housing For Finishing Operations, Richard R. Stowell

Nebraska Swine Reports

The design of High-Rise™ swine facilities allows the generation of a solid, manure-laden material from hogs raised in confinement housing with slatted floors. The volume of manure that must be handled annually can be reduced through continuous moisture loss that takes place within the system’s drying bed and recycling of bed material. Recycling typically involves mixing material twice a year — at the end of finishing periods. Moisture contents of twice-recycled manure-laden bed material ranged between 55-65% with continuous aeration for three years of production. This moisture range makes the material acceptable directly as feedstock for composting. Ammonia emissions should …

Silk Underwear For Ny Swells In The Age Of Victoria, Diane Maglio

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This appears to be an age of silk. The correspondent of a country paper, writing from New York, says that men are becoming very luxurious, and their… wardrobes and repositories for personal belongings display tastes more costly than those of women…. [as they put on] underwear of the softest, richest knitted silk.

During the last quarter of the 19th century affluent men of leisure and fashion had many hours every day to “loiter at the various clubs and discuss matters of taste.” Those who displayed an exceptional interest in fashion were labeled “swells.” This research was inspired by a fictional …

Threads Of Resistance: Unraveling The Meanings Of 19th Century Tlingit Beaded Regalia, Megan A. Smetzer

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Although not the first to make the connection, Ensign Albert Niblack of the U.S. Navy wrote most succinctly in 1888: “There seems nothing unreasonable in tracing the origin of much of the dance and ceremonial paraphernalia to customs originating in war.” Since that time, numerous scholars have suggested and disputed links between Tlingit carved and painted armor and ceremonial regalia. Beaded regalia, on the other hand has been almost entirely neglected in Northwest Coast ethnographic literature due to notions of authenticity and cultural degeneration. In 1945, anthropologist Erna Gunther for example, explained beaded dance collars as a mere disguise for …