Digital Commons Network^™

Life And Health Insurance Entities, With Conforming Changes As Of May 1, 2004; Audit And Accounting Guide:, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Life Insurance Audit Guide Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Directly From Nasal Swab Specimens By A Real-Time Pcr Assay, David K. Warren, Robert S. Liao, Lina R. Merz, Michael Eveland, W. Michael Dunne Jr.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Eannot: A Genome Annotation Tool Using Experimental Evidence, Li Ding, Aniko Sabo, Nicolas Berkowicz, Rekha R. Meyer, Yoram Shotland, Mark R. Johnson, Kymberlie H. Pepin, Richard K. Wilson, John Spieth

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Defining Nicotine Dependence For Genetic Research: Evidence From Australian Twins, Christina N. Lessov, Nicholas G. Martin, Dixie J. Statham, Alexandre A. Todorov, Wendy S. Slutske, Kathleen K. Bucholz, Andrew C. Heath, Pamela A F Madden

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A Data Integration Framework To Support Triad Projects, Jim Mack, Deana M. Crumbling, Fred Ellerbusch

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Cost-effective and efficient site remediation and scientifically defensible decisions require site characterizations that are representative of site conditions. The Triad conceptual site model (CSM) is at the center of a continually improving site characterization process that begins during systematic planning and ends after the last data are developed. To gain the full benefit and greatest cost-effectiveness, the process of CSM refinement should be performed in real time. Thus, the use of collaborative data is critical for evolving and maturing the CSM. In the field, through the use of all available data that are of known quality, a skilled and experienced …

Validating Sample Preservation Techniques And Holding Times For The Approved Compliance Monitoring Methods For Haloacetic Acids Under The Us Epa’S Stage 1 D/Dbp Rule, Barry V. Pepich, Mark M. Domino, Teri A. Dattilio, Patricia S. Fair, David J. Munch

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Haloacetic acids (HAAs), which are formed during the disinfection of drinking waters with chlorine, are regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Stage 1 Disinfectant/Disinfection Byproducts (D/DBP) Rule. Recently, three studies have been reported indicating that low concentrations of HAAs can also be formed during disinfection with chloramines. Methods currently approved for compliance monitoring under the Stage 1 Rule arrest the chlorine-mediated formation of HAAs by adding ammonium chloride, which forms chloramines. Studies were undertaken using an in-process water that favored the formation of HAAs with moderate total organic carbon concentration and high levels of chlorine to …

Epa Project-Level Research Strategies For Chemical Mixtures: Targeted Research For Meaningful Results, Linda K. Teuschler, Richard C. Hertzberg, Glenn E. Rice, Jane Ellen Simmons

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Project-level research strategies at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding chemical mixtures are impacted by administrative priorities, public interests, expert opinions, scientific advances, regulatory needs, and legislative actions, influencing the setting of priorities and goals. Perhaps, the most significant influence on conducting chemical mixtures research is the passage of laws requiring the EPA to investigate the potential toxicity of various mixtures, specifically the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, and the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996. Scarce resources are allocated to broadly defined issues for consideration by teams …

Bank Stabilization, Riparian Land Use And The Distribution Of Large Woody Debris In A Regulated Reach Of The Upper Missouri River, North Dakota, Usa, Ted R. Angrandi, E William Schweiger, David W. Bolgrien, Peter Ismert, Tony Selle

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Large woody debris (LWD) is an important component of ecosystem structure and function in large floodplain rivers. We examined associations between LWD distribution and riparian land use, bank stabilization (e.g. riprap revetment), local channel geomorphology, and distance downriver from the dam in the Garrison Reach, a regulated reach of the upper Missouri River in North Dakota, USA. We conducted a survey of shoreline-associated LWD in the reach during typical summer flow conditions. Reachwide LWDdensity was 21.3 pieces km^-1 of shoreline, of which most pieces (39%) were ‘beached’ between the waterline and the bank full level, 31% of pieces had evidence …

Mercury And Methylmercury Concentrations And Loads In The Cache Creek Basin, California, January 2000 Through May 2001, Joseph L. Domagalski, Charles N. Alpers, Darell G. Slotton, Thomas H. Suchanek, Shaun M. Ayers

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Concentrations and mass loads of total mercury and methylmercury in streams draining abandoned mercury mines and near geothermal discharge in the Cache Creek Basin, California, were measured during a 17-month period from January 2000 through May 2001. Rainfall and runoff averages during the study period were lower than long-term averages. Mass loads of mercury and methylmercury from upstream sources to downstream receiving waters, such as San Francisco Bay, were generally the highest during or after winter rainfall events. During the study period, mass loads of mercury and methylmercury from geothermal sources tended to be greater than those from abandoned mining …

Contaminant Concentrations And Ciomarker Responses Of Piscivorous And Benthivorous Fish In The Colorado River Basin, Jo Ellen Hinck, V. S. Blazer, N. D. Denslow, T. S. Gross, J. J. Coyle, T. W. May, C. E. Orazio, D. E. Tillitt

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The Large River Monitoring Network (LRMN) of the Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program measured tissue concentrations of selected contaminants and evaluated biomarker responses in black bass (Micropterus sp.), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) at 14 locations within Colorado River Basin (CDRB) in 2003. Major tributaries including the Yampa, Green, Gunnison, San Juan, and Gila Rivers were also sampled. Organic and inorganic contaminants were measured in whole-body composite fish samples, and the H4IIE bioassay determined dioxin-like activity in these samples. Fish health indicators (condition factor, somatic indices), immune system …

Mute Swans And Their Chesapeake Bay Habitats:Proceedings Of A Symposium, Matthew C. Perry

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The symposium “Mute Swans and their Chesapeake Bay Habitats,” held on June 7, 2001, provided a forum for biologists and managers to share research findings and management ideas concerning the exotic and invasive mute swan (Cygnus olor). This species has been increasing in population size and is considered by many to be a problem in regard to natural food resources in the Bay that are used by native waterfowl during the winter months. Other persons, however, feel that resource managers are attempting to create a problem to justify more killing of waterfowl by hunters. Some persons also believe …

Coatings For Corrosion Protection: Offshore Oil And Gas Operation Facilities, Marine Pipeline And Ship Structures

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

This workshop on Coatings for Corrosion Protection: Offshore Oil and Gas Operation Facilities, Marine Pipelines, Ship Structures, and Port Facilities was held on April 14-16, 2004 in Biloxi, Mississippi. This workshop of 150 attendees drew participation by internationally recognized marine coating experts, material specialists, inspection specialists, coating manufacturers, maintenance engineers, and designers. The workshop was crafted to include multiple viewpoints: industrial, academic, environmental, regulatory, standardization, and certification.

Keynote and topic papers were presented to establish a current information base for discussions. Six discussion groups addressed specific issues and identified, prioritized, and recommended specific research and development topics for the government …

Five Year Interagency Research And Development Program Plan For Pipeline Safety And Integrity

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

As mandated by statute, the Department of Transportation, after extensive coordination with the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, submits this five-year pipeline safety research and development program plan and the first required report on implementation of the program plan. Future R&D annual reports to Congress will describe progress made in implementing the plan.

Modeling Impacts On Populations: Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas) Exposure To The Endocrine Disruptor 17Β-Trenbolone As A Case Study, David H. Miller, Gerald T. Ankley

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Evaluation of population-level impacts is critical to credible ecological risk assessments. In this study, a predictive model was developed to translate changes in fecundity of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in a short-term laboratory toxicity test to alterations in population growth rate. The model uniquely combines a Leslie population projection matrix and the logistic equation. Application of the model requires only a life table for the organism of interest, a measure of carrying capacity for the given population, and an estimation of the effect of a stressor on vital rates. The model was applied to investigate population dynamics …

Copper Sorption Mechanisms On Smectites, Daniel G. Strawn, Noel E. Palmer, Luca J. Furnare, Carmen Goodell, James E. Amonette, Ravi K. Kukkadapu

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Due to the importance of clay minerals in metal sorption, many studies have attempted to derive mechanistic models that describe adsorption processes. These models often include several different types of adsorption sites, including permanent charge sites and silanol and aluminol functional groups on the edges of clay minerals. To provide a basis for development of adsorption models it is critical that molecular-level studies be done to characterize sorption processes. In this study we conducted X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic experiments on copper (II) sorbed on smectite clays using suspension pH and ionic strength as …

Geomicrobiology Of High-Level Nuclear Waste-Contaminated Vadose Sediments At The Hanford Site, Washington State, James K. Fredrickson, John M. Zachara, David L. Balkwill, David Kennedy, Shu-Mei W. Li, Heather M. Kostandarithes, Michael J. Daly, Margaret F. Romine, Fred J. Brockman

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Sediments from a high-level nuclear waste plume were collected as part of investigations to evaluate the potential fate and migration of contaminants in the subsurface. The plume originated from a leak that occurred in 1962 from a waste tank consisting of high concentrations of alkali, nitrate, aluminate, Cr(VI), ¹³⁷Cs, and ⁹⁹Tc. Investigations were initiated to determine the distribution of viable microorganisms in the vadose sediment samples, probe the phylogeny of cultivated and uncultivated members, and evaluate the ability of the cultivated organisms to survive acute doses of ionizing radiation. The populations of viable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were generally …

Primaquine Therapy For Malaria, J. Kevin Baird, Stephen L. Hoffman

United States Navy: Publications

Primaquine is the only available drug for preventing relapse of malaria, and confusion surrounds its use. This review examines the wide range of clinical applications of primaquine described in the medical literature between 1946 and 2004. The risk of relapse of Plasmodium vivax malaria without primaquine therapy ranged from 5% to 80% or more, depending largely upon geographic location. Supervision of therapy profoundly impacts the risk of relapse, and almost all reports of malaria resistant to primaquine are associated with lack of such supervision. We nonetheless suspect that there is widespread resistance to the standard course of primaquine therapy, which …

Persistence Of Pharmaceutical Compounds And Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants In A Conventional Drinking-Water-Treatment Plant, Paul E. Stackelberg, Edward T. Furlong, Michael T. Meyer, Steven D. Zaugg, Alden K. Henderson, Dori B. Reissman

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

In a study conducted by the US Geological Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 water samples were collected at selected locations within a drinking-water-treatment (DWT) facility and from the two streams that serve the facility to evaluate the potential for wastewater-related organic contaminants to survive a conventional treatment process and persist in potable-water supplies. Stream-water samples as well as samples of raw, settled, filtered, and finished water were collected during low-flow conditions, when the discharge of effluent from upstream municipal sewage-treatment plants accounted for 37–67% of flow in stream 1 and 10–20% of flow in stream …

Yeast Genome-Wide Drug-Induced Haploinsufficiency Screen To Determine Drug Mode Of Action, Kristin Baetz, Lianne Mchardy, Ken Gable, Tamsin Tarling, Delphine Rebérioux, Jenny Bryan, Raymond J. Andersen, Teresa Dunn, Phil Hieter, Michel Roberge

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Published in PNAS (2004) 101(13): pp. 4525-4530; doi:10.1073/pnas.0307122101

Amelioration Of Proteolipid Protein 139–151-Induced Encephalomyelitis In Sjl Mice By Modified Amino Acid Copolymers And Their Mechanisms, Joel N.H. Stern, Zsolt Illés, Jay Reddy, Derin B. Keskin, Eric Sheu, Masha Fridkis-Hareli, Hiroyuki Nishimura, Celia F. Brosnan, Laura Santambrogio, Vijay K. Kuchroo, Jack L. Strominger

Jay Reddy Publications

Copolymer 1 [Cop1, glatiramer acetate, Copaxone, poly(Y,E,A,K)n] is widely used in the treatment of relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis in which it reduces the frequency of relapses by ≈30%. In the present study, copolymers with modified amino acid compositions (based on the binding motif of myelin basic protein 85–99 to HLA-DR2) have been developed with the aim of suppressing multiple sclerosis more effectively. The enhanced efficacy of these copolymers in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced in SJL/J mice with proteolipid protein 139–151 was demonstrated by using three protocols: (i) simultaneous administration of autoantigen and copolymer (termed prevention), (ii) …

Characterization Of A Kcnq1/Kvlqt1 Polymorphism In Asian Families With Lqt2: Implications For Genetic Testing, Dipika Sharma, Kathryn A. Glatter, V. Timofeyev, Dipika Tuteja, Zhao Zhang, Jennifer Rodriguez, David J. Tester, Reginald Low, Melvin M. Scheinman, Michael J. Ackerman, Nipavan Chiamvimonvat

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a genetic disease that predisposes affected individuals to arrhythmias, syncope, and sudden death. Mutations in several ion channel genes have been discovered in different families with LQTS: KCNQ1 (KVLQT1, LQT1), KCNH2 (HERG, LQT2), SCN5A (LQT3), KCNE1 (minK, LQT5), and KCNE2 (MiRP1, LQT6). Previously, the P448R-KVLQT1 missense mutation has been reported as an LQT1-causing mutation. In this report, we demonstrate the presence of the P448R polymorphism in two, unrelated Chinese LQTS families. Although absent from 500 reference alleles derived from 150 white and 100 African-American subjects, P448R was present in …

University Of Nebraska—Lincoln: Fact Book 2003—2004

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Administration: Reports, Papers, Publications, and Presentations

Role and Mission Statement

The Role of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, chartered by the Legislature in 1869, is that part of the University of Nebraska system which serves as both the land-grant and the comprehensive public University for the State of Nebraska. Those responsible for its origins recognized the value of combining the breadth of a comprehensive University with the professional and outreach orientation of the land grant University, thus establishing a campus which has evolved to become the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska. UNL works cooperatively with the other three campuses and Central …

Hazardous Waste Site Sampling Basics, Pamela S. Innis

United States Bureau of Land Management: Staff Publications

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for addressing releases of hazardous substances on public lands under their jurisdiction. This technical note provides technical guidance to those responsible for overseeing or conducting environmental sampling activities; provides information and references to assist field personnel in implementing technically consistent and responsive analytical sampling programs at hazardous waste sites; introduces the concepts and issues related to analytical sampling at hazardous waste sites; and provides a quick reference to websites and documents that can assist field personnel in implementing a site characterization plan.

Water Current, Volume 36, No. 1. Winter 2004

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• UNL Water Law, Policy and Science Conference is Mar. 4-5 by Steve Ress

• Summer Tour is June 7-9

• From the Director

• Bringing a Community Lake Back to Life

• UNL Water and Natural Resources Lectures

• Fact Sheets Explore Water Transfer and Marketing, Management of Dakota Aquifer

• Water Levels Continue Decline in High Plains Aquifer by Steve Ross

• Tracking Elk to Determine Best Herd Size for Nebraska’s Pine Ridge by Steve Ress

• Water News Briefs

• Lower Levels at Lake McConaughy Reveal Shoreline Erosion by Steve Ress and Charles Flowerday

Role Of The Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (Gnrh) Receptor In Determination Of Ovulation Rate Between Lines Of Swine, Benjamin E. Bass, Ginger A. Mills, Brett R. White

Nebraska Swine Reports

Litter size plays a major role in the economics of swine production. Even modest increases in average litter size can have considerable effects on overall profitability. Two major components of litter size, 1) ovulation rate, and 2) embryonic survival, have been used in a selection index project ongoing for several generations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). To better understand the mechanisms of one component, ovulation rate, we are investigating the role of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor in determination of this important trait. Although other factors may influence determination of ovulation rate, this receptor has an established physiological importance …

Thermal Conditions Within Pens Fitted With Differing Zone-Heating Options And Resulting Performance Of Newly Weaned Pigs In A Wean-To-Finish Facility, Richard R. Stowell, Sherri Colgan, Mike Brumm

Nebraska Swine Reports

Research was conducted to assess the effects of the type of zone heater and floor mat used in a wean-to-finish building on the thermal environment created for newly weaned pigs and resulting pig performance. Gas-fired brooder heaters were compared to electric heat lamps and farm-cut wood sheathing was compared to commercial [unheated] rubber floor mats. No consistent differences in air temperature near the heating zone were found between either of the treatments. However, black-globe temperatures in pens having gas-fired heaters and/or wood mats were consistently warmer than in their comparison pens. Temperature deviations during the 26-day study period were similar …

Talking An Article: A Conversation On Empowerment And Education, William Chandler, Anne D'Antonio Stinson, Holly Wendling, Lillie From, Beth Gruetzmacher

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Emancipatory Pedagogies is the capstone experience for our Alternative Education Programs Licensure program. Employing non-traditional pedagogies, we taught Emancipatory Pedagogies for the first time in the summer of 2002. The reading list included several chapters from The Paulo Freire Reader (Freire and Macedo, 2001) and We Make the Road by Walking, the text spoken by Freire and Myles Horton. Recognizing the potential for powerful and empowering classroom dialog in the Freire-Horton model, our culminating activity was the "talking" of an article. That extended conversation is presented here. The reader will find that our dialog presents issues that Freire raised in …

Continuum Modeling Of Cell Membranes, Eveline Baesu, R. E. Rudd, J. Belak, M. Mcelfresh

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

In this paper, we develop a finite-deformation model for cell membranes with a view toward characterizing the local mechanical response of membranes in atomic force microscope (AFM) experiments. The membrane is modeled as a 2-D fluid continuum endowed with bending resistance. The general theory is used to obtain equations that describe axisymmetric equilibrium states. The membrane is assumed to enclose a fluid medium, which transmits hydrostatic pressure to the membrane, and a point load is applied at the pole to simulate an AFM probe. Both types of loading are associated with a potential and the problem is then cast in …

A Survey Of Compliance: Medicaid's Mandated Blood Lead Screenings For Children Age 12–18 Months In Nebraska, Marlene Wilken, Sarah Currier, Carla Abel-Zieg, Linda A. Brady

United States Public Health Resources

Background: To determine the frequency of Medicaid mandated blood lead level (BLL) screening compliance rates by clinical site.

Methods: Retrospective chart review for evidence of BLLs. Data analyses were conducted using frequencies, percentages & chi-square.

Results: The overall incidence of documented BLLs was 78.9% with one clinic demonstrating 100% BLLs while the others had 72%. Screening rates differed significantly by clinical site (X2 = 18.460, df = 3, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Although universal blood lead screening is mandated, there were missed opportunities to obtain BLLs in 21.1% of the records reviewed. Only one clinic had 100% documentation of BLLs when …

Small Potassium Ion Channel Proteins Encoded By Chlorella Viruses, Ming Kang, Anna Moroni, Sabrina Gazzarrini, Dario Difrancesco, Gerhard Thiel, Maria Severino, James L. Van Etten

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Kcv, a 94-aa protein encoded by Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1, is the smallest known protein to form a functional potassium ion channel and basically corresponds to the ‘‘pore module’’ of potassium channels. Both viral replication and channel activity are inhibited by the ion channel blockers barium and amantadine but not by cesium. Genes encoding Kcv-like proteins were isolated from 40 additional chlorella viruses. Differences in 16 of the 94 amino acids were detected, producing six Kcv-like proteins with amino acid substitutions occurring in most of the functional domains of the protein (N terminus, transmembrane 1, pore helix, selectivity filter, …