Digital Commons Network^™

Efficiency Of Gene Silencing In Arabidopsis: Direct Inverted Repeats Vs. Transitive Rnai Vectors, Sergei A. Filichkin, Stephen P. Difazio, Amy M. Brunner, John M. Davis, Zamin K. Yang, Udaya C. Kalluri, Renee S. Arias, Elizabeth Etherington, Gerald A. Tuskan, Steven H. Strauss

United States Department of Energy: Publications

We investigated the efficiency of RNA interference (RNAi) in Arabidopsis using transitive and homologous inverted repeat (hIR) vectors. hIR constructs carry self-complementary intron-spliced fragments of the target gene whereas transitive vectors have the target sequence fragment adjacent to an intron-spliced, inverted repeat of heterologous origin. Both transitive and hIR constructs facilitated specific and heritable silencing in the three genes studied (AP1 , ETTIN and TTG1 ). Both types of vectors produced a phenotypic series that phenocopied reduction of function mutants for the respective target gene. The hIR yielded up to fourfold higher proportions of events with strongly manifested reduction …

Evolutionary Responses By Native Species To Major Anthropogenic Changes To Their Ecosystems: Pacific Salmon In The Columbia River Hydropower System, Robin Waples, Richard W. Zabel, Mark D. Scheuerell, Beth L. Sanderson

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The human footprint is now large in all the Earth’s ecosystems, and construction of large dams in major river basins is among the anthropogenic changes that have had the most profound ecological consequences, particularly for migratory fishes. In the Columbia River basin of the western USA, considerable effort has been directed toward evaluating demographic effects of dams, yet little attention has been paid to evolutionary responses of migratory salmon to altered selective regimes. Here we make a first attempt to address this information gap. Transformation of the free-flowing Columbia River into a series of slackwater reservoirs has relaxed selection for …

First Human-Caused Extinction Of A Cetacean Species?, Samuel T. Turvey, Robert L. Pitman, Barbara L. Taylor, Jay Barlow, Tomonari Akamatsu, Leigh A. Barrett, Xiujiang Zhao, Randall R. Reeves, Brent S. Stewart, Kexiong Wang, Zhuo Wei, Xianfeng Zhang, L. T. Pusser, Michael Richlen, John R. Brandon, Ding Wang

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The Yangtze River dolphin or baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), an obligate freshwater odontocete known only from the middle-lower Yangtze River system and neighbouring Qiantang River in eastern China, has long been recognized as one of the world’s rarest and most threatened mammal species. The status of the baiji has not been investigated since the late 1990s, when the surviving population was estimated to be as low as 13 individuals. An intensive six-week multivessel visual and acoustic survey carried out in November–December 2006, covering the entire historical range of the baiji in the main Yangtze channel, failed to find any evidence that …

Assessment Of Sediment Toxicity During Anaerobic Biodegradation Of Vegetable Oil Using Microtox® And Hyalella Azteca Bioassays, Zhengkai Li, Kenneth Lee, Susan E. Cobanli, Thomas King, Brian A. Wrenn, Kenneth G. Doe, Paula M. Jackman, Albert D. Venosa

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The potential ecological impacts of anaerobic degradation of vegetable oil on freshwater sediments were investigated. Sediment toxicity was evaluated using two regulatory biotests: the Microtox^® Solid Phase Test and an amphipod (Hyalella azteca) bioassay. The results of the Microtox test showed that the toxicity of the vegetable-oil-contaminated sediments (about 17–33 g oil/kg dry sediments) increased after 2 weeks incubation and then decreased to near background levels after incubation for 8 weeks under anaerobic conditions. The amphipod toxicity bioassay showed that the toxicity of fresh contaminated sediments decreased over time and returned to background levels within 8 weeks. …

Effect Of Ambient Particulate Matter Exposure On Hemostasis, Emily Cozzi, Christopher J. Wingard, Wayne E. Cascio, Robert B. Devlin, Jeremy J. Miles, April R. Bofferding, Robert M. Lust, Michael R. Van Scott, Ruth Ann Henriksen

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Epidemiological studies have linked levels of particulate matter (PM) in ambient air to cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations for myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. Thrombus formation plays a primary role in potentiating acute cardiovascular events, and this study was undertaken to determine whether pulmonary exposure to PM alters hemostasis. PM was collected from the Chapel Hill, NC airshed and was administered to mice by intratracheal instillation at a dose previously shown to exacerbate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Twenty- four hours after exposure, an increase occurred in the number of circulating platelets and plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and soluble P-selectin. The concentration of …

Pbpk Models In Risk Assessment—A Focus On Chloroprene, Robert S. Dewoskin

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Mathematical models are increasingly being used to simulate events in the exposure-response continuum, and to support quantitative predictions of risks to human health. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models address that portion of the continuum from an external chemical exposure to an internal dose at a target site. Essential data needed to develop a PBPK model include values of key physiological parameters (e.g., tissue volumes, blood flow rates) and chemical specific parameters (rate of chemical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination) for the species of interest. PBPK models are commonly used to: (1) predict concentrations of an internal dose over time at …

Past And Present Distribution, Densities And Movements Of Blue Whales Balaenoptera Musculus In The Southern Hemisphere And Northern Indian Ocean, T. A. Branch, K. M. Stafford, D. M. Palacios, C. Allison, J. L. Bannister, C. L. K. Burton, E. Cabrera, C. A. Carlson, B. Galletti Vernazzani, P. C. Gill, R. Hucke-Gaete, K. C. S. Jenner, M.-N. M. Jenner, K. Matsuoka, Y. A. Mikhalev, T. Miyashita, M. G. Morrice, S. Nishiwaki, V. J. Sturrock, D. Tormosov, R. C. Anderson, A. N. Baker, P. B. Best, P. Borsa, R. L. Brownell Jr., S. Childerhouse, K. P. Findlay, T. Gerrodette, A. D. Ilangakoon, M. Joergensen, B. Kahn, D. K. Ljungblad, B. Maughan, R. D. Mccauley, S. Mckay, T. F. Norris, Oman Whale, Dolphin Research Group, R. M. Warneke, S. Rankin, F. Samaran, D. Thiele, K. Van Waerebeek

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

1. Blue whale locations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were obtained from catches (303 239), sightings (4383 records of ≥ 8058 whales), strandings (103), Discovery marks (2191) and recoveries (95), and acoustic recordings.

2. Sighting surveys included 7 480 450 km of effort plus 14 676 days with unmeasured effort. Groups usually consisted of solitary whales (65.2%) or pairs (24.6%); larger feeding aggregations of unassociated individuals were only rarely observed. Sighting rates (groups per 1000 km from many platform types) varied by four orders of magnitude and were lowest in the waters of Brazil, South Africa, the …

Provisioning Strategies Of Antarctic Fur Seals And Chinstrap Penguins Produce Different Responses To Distribution Of Common Prey And Habitat, Taro Ichii, John Bengston, Peter Boveng, Yoshimi Takao, John Jansen, Lisa Hiruki-Raring, Michael Cameron, Hiroshi Okamura, Tomonari Hayashi, Mikio Naganobu

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Central-place foragers that must return to a breeding site to deliver food to offspring are faced with trade-offs between prey patch quality and distance from the colony. Among colonial animals, pinnipeds and seabirds may have different provisioning strategies, due to differences in their ability to travel and store energy. We compared the foraging areas of lactating Antarctic fur seals and chinstrap penguins breeding at Seal Island, Antarctica, to investigate whether they responded differently to the distribution of their prey (Antarctic krill and myctophid fish) and spatial heterogeneity in their habitat. Dense krill concentrations occurred in the shelf region near the …

Estimating Abundance Of Killer Whales In The Nearshore Waters Of The Gulf Of Alaska And Aleutian Islands Using Line-Transect Sampling, Alexandre N. Zerbini, Janice M. Waite, John W. Durban, Rick Leduc, Marilyn E. Dahlheim, Paul R. Wade

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Killer whale (Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758) abundance in the North Pacific is known only for a few populations for which extensive longitudinal data are available, with little quantitative data from more remote regions. Line-transect ship surveys were conducted in July and August of 2001–2003 in coastal waters of the western Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Conventional and Multiple Covariate Distance Sampling methods were used to estimate the abundance of different killer whale ecotypes, which were distinguished based upon morphological and genetic data. Abundance was calculated separately for two data sets that differed in the method by which …

Use Of Chemical Tracers In Assessing The Diet And Foraging Regions Of Eastern North Pacific Killer Whales, Margaret M. Krahn, David P. Herman, Craig O. Matkin, John W. Durban, Lance Barrett-Lennard, Douglas G. Burrows, Marilyn E. Dahlheim, Nancy Black, Richard G. Leduc, Paul R. Wade

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Top predators in the marine environment integrate chemical signals acquired from their prey that reflect both the species consumed and the regions from which the prey were taken. These chemical tracers—stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen; persistent organic pollutant (POP) concentrations, patterns and ratios; and fatty acid profiles—were measured in blubber biopsy samples from North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca) (n = 84) and were used to provide further insight into their diet, particularly for the offshore group, about which little dietary information is available. The offshore killer whales were shown to consume prey species that were …

Antler Size Of Alaskan Moose Alces Alces Gigas: Effects Of Population Density, Hunter Harvest And Use Of Guides, Jennifer I. Schmidt, Jay M. Ver Hoef, R. Terry Bowyer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Moose Alces alces gigas in Alaska, USA, exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism, with adult males possessing large, elaborate antlers. Antler size and conformation are influenced by age, nutrition and genetics, and these bony structures serve to establish social rank and affect mating success. Population density, combined with anthropogenic effects such as harvest, is thought to influence antler size. Antler size increased as densities of moose decreased, ostensibly a density-dependent response related to enhanced nutrition at low densities. The vegetation type where moose were harvested also affected antler size, with the largest-antlered males occupying more open habitats. Hunts with guides occurred in …

Blue Whale Visual And Acoustic Encounter Rates In The Southern California Bight, Erin M. Oleson, John Calambokidis, Jay Barlow, John A. Hildebrand

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The relationship between blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) visual and acoustic encounter rates was quantitatively evaluated using hourly counts of detected whales during shipboard surveys off southern California. Encounter rates were estimated using temporal, geographic, and weather variables within a generalized additive model framework. Visual encounters (2.06 animals/h, CV = 0.10) varied with subregion, Julian day, time of day, and year. Acoustic encounters of whales producing pulsed A and tonal B call sequences (song; 0.65 animals/h, CV = 0.06) varied by Julian day, survey mode (transit or stationary), and subregion, and encounters of whales producing downswept (D) calls (0.41 …

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (Epr) In Medical Dosimetry, David A. Schauer, Akinori Iwasaki, Alexander A. Romanyukha, Harold M. Swartz, Sandro Onori

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

This paper describes the fundamentals of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and its application to retrospective measurements of clinically significant doses of ionizing radiation. X-band is the most widely used in EPR dosimetry because it represents a good compromise between sensitivity, sample size and water content in the sample. Higher frequency bands (e.g., W and Q) provide higher sensitivity, but they are also greatly influenced by water content. L and S bands can be used for EPR measurements in samples with high water content but they are less sensitive than X-band. Quality control for therapeutic radiation facilities using X-band EPR spectrometry …

Building A Better Virus Trap, Clara Davis Long, Katie Turner-Shelef, David A. Relman

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

The concept of ecological ‘traps’ is based in theory from ecology and conservation biology that has now found application to infectious diseases with a study from Paul Turner’s group. This study is important because it offers a mathematical model of ecological traps, applies this model to viruses, and tests the model in a bacteria– phage system. Although there will be technical hurdles to overcome, this concept might lead to benefits for both health and industry.

Ecological traps

An ecological trap is defined as a habitat that is suboptimal for growth or for reproduction of a population, but that is preferred …

Environmental Geochemistry In Yellowstone National Park—Natural And Anthropogenic Anomalies And Their Potential Impact On The Environment, Maurice A. Chaffee, Robert R. Carlson, Harley D. King

United States Geological Survey: Publications

In cooperation with the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a stream-sediment-based environmental geochemical study in and near Yellowstone National Park (the Park). The main goals of the study were to (1) determine background concentrations for as many as 49 elements in samples of rock and stream sediment, (2) establish a geochemical baseline during the 1990s for future reference, (3) identify the source(s) of anomalies for selected elements, and (4) identify potential chemical impacts on the Park environment, especially on wildlife.

Two areas of the Park containing identified environmental geochemical problems were selected for detailed study: (1) an …

Unopa Notes 2007

UNOPA: Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Newsletter Of The Wildli Fe Society Wildlife Damage Management Working Group, Interactions: Volume 13 Issue 2 Spring 2007

TWS Wildlife Damage Management Working Group Newsletter

From The Field Trapping Under Fire…..Again; Letters From Art: A Chair’s Message; Call for Papers: 23rd Vertebrate Pest Conference March 17-20, 2008 San Diego, California 22nd Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings Available; Calls from the Field (Or A House, Or A Farm, Or A…); Focus On the FIELD The Northeast Wildlife Damage Management Cooperative First Issue of Human-Wildlife Conflicts Now Available; Human-Wildlife Conflict in The News; The Wildlife Professional A New Public Action from Tws; Recent Wildlife Damage Management Research; The Wildlife Society Wildlife Damage Management Working Group Upcoming Meetings, Conferences and Events

Newsletter Of The Wildlife Society Wildlife Damage Management Working Group Interactions:Volume 13 Issue 1 Winter 2007

TWS Wildlife Damage Management Working Group Newsletter

Elk Que Early To Beat The Christmas Rush….; Letters From Art: A President’s Message; 12th Wildlife Damage Management Conference; Calls from the Field (Or A House, Or A Farm, Or A…); The 12th WDM Conference Needs Your Support; First Issue of Human-Wildlife Conflicts to Be Published Soon; Bio for Interactions’ New Editor: Joe Caudell; Human-Wildlife Conflict In The News; Recent Wildlife Damage Management Research; International Conference on Fertility Control For Wildlife; 12th Wildlife Damage Management Registration Form And Hotel Information; The Wildlife Society Wildlife Damage Management Working Group; Upcoming Meetings, Conferences and Events

Effects Of Sorbate Speciation On Sorption Of Selected Sulfonamides In Three Loamy Soils, Sudarshan Kurwadkar, Craig Adams, Michael Meyer, Dana Kolpin

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Sorption of sulfamethazine (SMN) and sulfathiazole (STZ) was investigated in three soils, a North Carolina loamy sand, an Iowa sandy loam, and a Missouri loam, under various pH conditions. A significant increase in the sorption coefficient (K_D) was observed in all three soils, as the sulfonamides converted from an anionic form at higher pH to a neutral/cationic form at lower pH. Above pH 7.5, sulfonamides exist primarily in anionic form and have higher aqueous solubility and no cationic character, thereby consequently leading to lower sorption to soils. The effect of speciation on sorption is not the same …

Amphibians And Disease: Implications For Conservation In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Paul Stephen Corn

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The decline of amphibian populations is a worldwide phenomenon that has received increasing attention since about 1990. In 2004, the World Conservation Union’s global amphibian assessment concluded that 48% of the world’s 5,743 described amphibian species were in decline, with 32% considered threatened (Stuart et al. 2004). Amphibian declines are a significant issue in the western United States, where all native species of frogs in the genus Rana and many toads in the genus Bufo are at risk, particularly those that inhabit mountainous areas (Corn 2003a,b; Bradford 2005). As is true for most of the cold and dry Rocky Mountains, …

Using Population Genetic Tools To Develop A Control Strategy For Feral Cats (Felis Catus) In Hawai‘I, Heidi Hansen, Steven C. Hess, David Cole, Paul C. Banko

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Population genetics can provide information about the demographics and dynamics of invasive species that is beneficial for developing effective control strategies. We studied the population genetics of feral cats on Hawai‘i Island by microsatellite analysis to evaluate genetic diversity and population structure, assess gene flow and connectivity among three populations, identify potential source populations, characterise population dynamics, and evaluate sex-biased dispersal. High genetic diversity, low structure, and high number of migrants per generation supported high gene flow that was not limited spatially. Migration rates revealed that most migration occurred out of West Mauna Kea. Effective population size estimates indicated increasing …

Ovarian Tumor Domain-Containing Viral Proteases Evade Ubiquitin- And Isg15-Dependent Innate Immune Responses, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Herbert Whiting Virgin, Natalia Frias-Staheli, Nadia Giannakopoulos, Marjolein Kikkert, Shannon Taylor, Anne Bridgen, Jason Pargas, Juergen Richt, Raymond Rowland, Connie Schmaljohn, Deborah Lenschow, Eric Snijder

United States Army: Publications

Ubiquitin (Ub) and interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15) reversibly conjugate to proteins and mediate important innate antiviral responses. The ovarian tumor (OTU) domain represents a superfamily of predicted proteases found in eukaryotic, bacterial, and viral proteins, some of which have Ub-deconjugating activity. Weshowthat theOTUdomain-containing proteases fromnairoviruses and arteriviruses, two unrelated groups ofRNAviruses, hydrolyzeUb and ISG15 from cellular target proteins. This broad activity contrasts with the target specificity of knownmammalianOTUdomain-containing proteins. Expression of a viralOTUdomain-containing protein antagonizes the antiviral effects of ISG15 and enhances susceptibility to Sindbis virus infection in vivo. We also show that viral OTU domain-containing proteases inhibit NFkB- …

Role Of U.S. Military Research Programs In The Development Of U.S.-Licensed Vaccines For Naturally Occurring Infectious Diseases, Lynn W. Kitchen

United States Army: Publications

U.S. military physicians and researchers have collaborated in the development of eight U.S.-licensed vaccines since 1934, when product efficacy requirements were added to product safety requirements mandated in 1902. These vaccines include influenza (1945), rubella (1969), adenovirus types 4 and 7 (1980), meningococcus A, C, Y,W-135 (1981), hepatitis B (1981), oral typhoid (1989), Japanese encephalitis (1992), and hepatitis A(1995). Current efforts include newadenovirus and Japanese encephalitis vaccines, and vaccines to prevent dengue, diarrhea due to enterotoxigenic E. coli, Campylobacter, and Shigella, malaria, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, scrub typhus, meningococcus type B, and HIV infection. All vaccines …

Analysis And Prediction Of Effectiveness For Residential Hvac Ductwork, Jinson J. Erinjeri

Doctoral Dissertations

An analysis of residential HVAC ductwork has been performed. Ductwork in 55 homes in Northern Louisiana was tested to determine duct leakage by means of using various measurement techniques to determine the differences between the existing methods as well as the revised method developed in this project referred to as Generalized Subtraction Correction Algorithm (GSCA). A protocol to measure and estimate return leaks at operating pressure was developed. The weighted average return leakage for the homes sampled was determined to be 115 cfm at operating pressure whereas the weighted average duct leakage was determined to be 348 cfm at 25 …

Chitosan Paste From Crawfish Shells As A Synthetic Bone Graft Material: Preparation, Characterization And Animal Study, Jerome G. Saltarrelli Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Bone loss associated with musculoskeletal trauma or metabolic diseases often requires bone grafts. Autograft or allograft bones are limited in supply. Therefore, development of synthetic bone graft materials is an active area of research. For several years the biomaterials group at LSUHSC-Shreveport has been investigating the use of chitosan purified from crawfish shells using a process patented by my research advisor, Dr. Debi Mukherjee.

Chitin is a polysaccharide that exists in fungi, exoskeleton of insects and outer shell of crustaceans. It is biocompatible, osteoconductive, antimicrobial, biodegradable, non-toxic, haemostatic, fungicidal, and the second most abundant natural polysaccharide on earth. Removal of …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Reply Brief Of Appellants, Bloch V. Frischholz, 587 F.3d 771 (7th Cir. 2009) (No. 06-3376), F. Willis Caruso, John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic

Court Documents and Proposed Legislation

No abstract provided.

Concerning Funding For Capital Consruction, And Making Supplemental Appropriations In Connection Therewith, Colorado General Assembly

Session Laws 2001-Present

No abstract provided.

Poverty Law And Civil Procedure: Rethinking The First-Year Course, Helen Hershkoff

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Essay argues that poverty and inequality issues should be integrated into first-year civil procedure courses. It examines what framework could be achieved to examine these issues in a civil procedure context. And finally, it connects the author's proposed approach with the broader mission of legal education.

Geographic Distribution: Ramphotyphlops Braminus (Brahminy Blindsnake). Usa: Florida: Alachua Co., Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

One adult within a temiite colony, beneath rock. UF 151211; additional specimens (UF 151212-14) were also found. All specimens were collected between 1200-1240 h at the Division of Plant Industry (DPI), Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In 2006, another adult Ramphotyphlops braminus was collected by an employee at this site, near a greenhouse, and was kept in captivity until it escaped. Rhamphotyphlops is occasionally encountered by employees of DPI and it may be expanding its range, as there is one specimen (UF 147001) collected from the University of Florida campus (Powell Hall) adjacent to the DPI site (29°38'7.9080"N, …