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Effects Of Shielding Adenoviral Vectors With Polyethylene Glycol On Vector-Specific And Vaccine-Mediated Immune Responses, Eric A. Weaver, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Many individuals have been previously exposed to human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5). This prior immunity has long been known to hinder its use for gene therapy and as a gene-based vaccine. Given these immunogenicity problems, we have tested whether polyethylene glycol (PEG) can blunt immune effects against Ad5 during systemic and mucosal vaccination. Ad5 vectors were covalently modified with 5-, 20-, and 35-kDa linear PEG polymers and evaluated for their ability to produce immune responses against transgene antigen prod- ucts and the vector itself. We show that shielding Ad5 with different-sized PEGs generally reduces transduction and primary antibody responses by …

Missouri River Recovery Program Keeping Recovery On Track: Annual Report

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Each calendar year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers produces a report to document the progress of the Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP). The Annual Report describes the team’s success in meeting the requirements laid out in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2000 Biological Opinion, amended in 2003, on the Operation of the Missouri River Main Stem System, Operation and Maintenance of the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project and Operation of the Kansas River Reservoir System.

This fact sheet will highlight MRRP efforts in 2008, including new projects, program successes and areas for improvement.

Diets Of Lesser Scaup During Spring Migration Throughout The Upper-Midwest Are Consistent With The Spring Condition Hypothesis, Michael J. Anteau, Alan Afton

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

The spring condition hypothesis (SCH) states that the current decline of the North American scaup population (Lesser [Aythya affinis] and Greater Scaup [A. marila] combined) is due to a decline in quality or availability of scaup foods on wintering, spring migration, or breeding areas that has caused a reduction in female body condition and subsequent reproductive success. Our previous research indicated that forage quality in diets of Lesser Scaup (hereafter scaup) at two sites in Northwestern Minnesota was lower in springs 2000-2001 than that reported for springs 1986-1988, consistent with the SCH. Accordingly, we further tested …

A Two-Part Measure Of Degree Of Invasion For Cross-Community Comparisons, Qinfeng Guo, Amy Symstad

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

Invasibility is a critical feature of ecological communities, especially for management decisions. To date, invasibility has been measured in numerous ways. Although most researchers have used the richness (or number) of exotic species as a direct or indirect measure of community invasibility, others have used alternative measures such as the survival, density, or biomass of either a single or all exotic species. These different measures, even when obtained from the same communities, have produced inconsistent results and have made comparisons among communities difficult. Here, we propose a measure of the degree of invasion (DI) of a community as a surrogate …

Missouri River Recovery Program: Emergent Sandbar Habitat Program

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

States, cities and individuals benefit greatly from a healthy and thriving Missouri River. Maintaining a healthy river, including protecting species that live along the river, is a top priority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Congress.

The survival of the endangered least tern and threatened piping plover is crucial to maintaining a thriving ecosystem on the Missouri River. While both shorebirds nest elsewhere as well, the sandbars of the Missouri River and reservoir shorelines are important to their overall survival. In 2002, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated areas along much of the Missouri River …

Missouri River Recovery Program: Using The Best Available Science: Monitoring Program

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

There is a growing body of information surrounding the manner in which a healthy
river system, such as the Missouri River, functions naturally. As we work towards mitigation, recovery and ultimately restoration, an extensive science program has been implemented so that our actions can be assessed and adjusted as we move towards meeting Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP) goals.

Missouri River Recovery Program: The Perils Of The Pallid Sturgeon

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The pallid sturgeon is native to the Yellowstone River, Missouri River, middle and lower Mississippi River, and the lower segments of their major tributaries. It is a bottom-dwelling fish that lives in large, turbid, freeflowing rivers. The pallid sturgeon has poor vision and relies on its highly sensitive barbels to locate food. Individuals can live up to 70 years, and females do not reproduce until they are 15 to 20 years old.

Historical records indicate that the pallid sturgeon was never a common species, but it has experienced significant declines in distribution and abundance over the last 75 years. During …

Effects, Uptake, And Fate Of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene Aged In Soil In Plants And Worms, Elly Ph Best, Henry E. Tatem, Kaaren N. Geter, Melissa L. Wells, Brian K. Lane

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The present study was aimed at providing data to be used at predicting exposure-based effects of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) aged in soil on endpoint organisms representing two trophic levels. These data can be used to define criteria or reference values for environmental management and conducting specific risk assessment. Long-term exposure tests were conducted to evaluate sublethal toxicity and uptake of aged soil-based explosives, with TNT as the main contaminant. In these tests, plants were exposed for 55 d, and biomass and explosives residues were determined. Worms were exposed for 28 and 42 d, and biomass, number, and tissue residues were determined. …

Impact Of West Nile Virus And Other Mortality Factors On American White Pelicans At Breeding Colonies In The Northern Plains Of North America, Marsha A. Sovada, Pamela J. Pietz, Kathryn A. Converse, D. Tommy King, Erik K. Hofmeister, Paulette Scherr, Hon S. Ip

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

American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are colonial-nesting birds and their breeding sites are concentrated in a few small areas, making this species especially vulnerable to factors that can influence productivity, such as disease, disturbance, predation, weather events and loss of nesting habitat. Nearly half of the American white pelican population breeds at four colonies in the northern plains: Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in North Dakota, Bitter Lake (Waubay NWR) in South Dakota, Medicine Lake NWR in Montana, and Marsh Lake in Minnesota. Thus, sustained productivity at these colonies is crucial to the health of the entire …

Plant-Feeding Hemiptera And Orthoptera Communities In Native And Restored Mesic Tallgrass Prairies, Kristine T. Nemec, Thomas B. Bragg

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Aboveground Hemiptera and Orthoptera communities were compared among three native and three restored mesic tallgrass prairies along the Platte River in central Nebraska to assess both the relative success of restored sites and the relationship between insect and plant communities. Hemiptera and Orthoptera were sampled using sweep nets in early June, mid-July, and mid-August 2000. Plant species composition was assessed in early June and mid-August. A total of 89 Auchenorrhyncha (71 Cicadellidae, 15 Fulgoroidea, and 3 Membracidae) and 23 orthopterans (15 Acrididae and 8 Tettigoniidae) were collected. Eighty-five plant species were observed in combined study sites. Shannon diversity was significantly …

A Dgge-Cloning Method To Characterize Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Community Structure In Soil, Zhanbei Liang, Rhae A. Drijber, Donald J. Lee, Ismail M. Dwiekat, Steven D. Harris, David A. Wedin

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Although arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are crucial for ecosystem functioning, characterizing AMF community structure in soil is challenging. In this study, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were combined with cloning of fungal 18S ribosomal gene fragments for the rapid comparison of AMF community structure in soil. Reference AMF isolates, representing four major genera of AMF, were used to develop the method. Sequential amplification of 18S rDNA fragments by nested PCR using primer pairs AM1-NS31 and Glo1-NS31GC followed by DGGE analysis yielded a high-resolution band profile. In parallel, 18S rDNA fragment clone libraries were constructed …

Virulence Diversity Of The Common Bean Rust Pathogen Within And Among Individual Bean Fields And Development Of Sampling Strategies, C. Jochua, M. I. V. Amane, J. R. Steadman, X. Xue, K. M. Eskidge

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

There is a dearth of information on pathogen variation within an individual field. In this study, virulence diversity of Uromyces appendiculatus, cause of bean rust, within individual fields was investigated. From six bean fields in the United States, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and South Africa, 380 U. appendiculatus isolates were differentiated into 65 virulence phenotypes on bean lines containing Andean- and Middle American-derived rust resistance genes. Race variation among bean rust isolates from different geographic regions was found, and virulence phenotypes found in fields from tropical and subtropical regions were more virulent and diverse than those found in fields from …

Branching Of Fungal Hyphae: Regulation, Mechanisms And Comparison With Other Branching Systems, Steven D. Harris

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The ability of rapidly growing hyphae to generate new polarity axes that result in the formation of a branch represents one of the most important yet least understood aspects of fungal cell biology. Branching is central to the development of mycelial colonies and also appears to play a key role in fungal interactions with other organisms. This review presents a description of the two major patterns of hyphal branching, apical and lateral, and highlights the roles of internal and external factors in the induction of branch formation. In addition, potential mechanisms underlying branch site selection are outlined, and the possible …

First Report Of Annual Bluegrass Weevil, Listronotus Maculicollis, Damage In Ohio, John L. Koenig, David J. Shetlar, Joseph W. Rimelspach, Michael J. Boehm

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Annual bluegrass weevil [Listronotus maculicollis (Kirby) (1)] larvae, pupae, and adults were recovered and identified in a sample received by the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (CWEPPDC) at Ohio State University on 19 June 2007. Damage to the approaches and collars of four golf course putting greens was detected by the superintendent of Stonewater Golf Club, Highland Heights, OH (a suburb of Cleveland) during the week of 11 June 2007. The superintendent suspected damage from the larvae of the black turfgrass ataenius, Ataenius spretulus (1). Insecticide applications applied to suppress black turfgrass ataenius did not provide …

Rapid Development Of Fungicide Resistance By Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa On Turfgrass, Young-Ki Jo, Seog Won Chang, Michael J. Boehm, Geunhwa Jung

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Dollar spot, caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, is the most prevalent and economically important turfgrass disease in North America. Increasing levels of fungicide resistance, coupled with tightening environmental scrutiny of existing fungicides, has left fewer options for managing dollar spot. More knowledge about S. homoeocarpa populations is needed to improve dollar spot management strategies, especially with respect to minimizing the development of fungicide resistance. Population diversity of S. homoeocarpa was examined using inter-simple sequence repeat markers and vegetative compatibility assays. Two subgroups were found in S. homoeocarpa field populations on both fairway and putting green turfgrass at a research field …

Inoculation Strategies To Assess Biological Interactions Between Fusarium And Alternaria Species Infecting Sorghum, Deanna L. Funnell-Harris, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

New cultivars of sorghum are being developed for increased food use, as livestock feed, and for the bioenergy industry by manipulation of secondary metabolic pathways through breeding. Previous work has suggested that such modifications may have an impact on cultivar response to fungal pathogens. We investigated four inoculation strategies that may be used in studies involving pathogens of sorghum. Plants of elite sorghum genotypes ‘Wheatland’ and RTx430, commonly used in breeding programs, were inoculated with isolates of Alternaria alternata, Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium solani, Fusarium thapsinum, and Fusarium verticillioides recovered from field-grown sorghum. Wound inoculation of the peduncles …

Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 Induces Cell Death By A Cell Type Dependent Fashion, Vicki Geiser, Suzanne Rose, Clinton J. Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1), a member of the alpha-herpesvirinae subfamily, causes significant losses to the cattle industry. BHV-1 establishes latency in trigeminal ganglionic sensory neurons, but periodically reactivates from latency. Previous studies suggested that infection with BHV-1 induced novel morphological changes in rabbit skin cells (RS) versus bovine kidney cells (MDBK). Consequently, we hypothesized that viral infection led to a novel form of cell death in RS cells compared to MDBK cells. To test this hypothesis, we examined the levels of apoptosis in these cell types following infection with BHV-1. Infection of RS, but not MDBK, cells leads to high …

A Review Of The Biology Of Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 (Bhv-I), Its Role As A Cofactor In The Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex And Development Of Improved Vaccines, Clinton J. Jones, Shafiqul Chowdhury

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Infection of cattle by bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) can lead to upper respiratory tract disorders, conjunctivitis, genital disorders and immune suppression. BHV-1-induced immune suppression initiates bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), which costs the US cattle industry approximately 3 billion dollars annually. BHV-1 encodes at least three proteins that can inhibit specific arms of the immune system: (i) bICPO inhibits interferon-dependent transcription, (ii) the UL41.5 protein inhibits CD8⁺ T-cell recognition of infected cells by preventing trafficking of viral peptides to the surface of the cells and (iii) glycoprotein G is a chemokine-binding protein that prevents homing of lymphocytes to …

Evaluation Of Aerial Cluster Sampling Of Double-Crested Cormorants On Aquaculture Ponds In Mississippi, Brian S. Dorr, Loren W. Burger Jr., Scott C. Barras

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Concern over increasing numbers of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and their impacts on channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) aquaculture has resulted in increased need for quantitative information to develop and evaluate depredation management efforts. We evaluated aerial surveys in a stratified cluster sampling (SCS) design to estimate and monitor abundance of cormorants on catfish aquaculture ponds in the Yazoo River Basin of Mississippi, USA (hereafter Yazoo Basin). Twice monthly abundance estimates and coefficient of variation during winter averaged 8,128 (n = 29, SE = 1,233) and 33% (n = 29, SE = 0.02), respectively. Counts of cormorants …

Bioaccumulation Of Pharmaceuticals And Other Anthropogenic Waste Indicators In Earthworms From Agricultural Soil Amended With Biosolid Or Swine Manure, Chad Kinney, Edward Furlong, Dana Kolpin, Mark Burkhardt, Steven Zaugg, Stephen Werner, Joseph Bossio, Mark Benotti

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Analysis of earthworms offers potential for assessing the transfer of organic anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs) derived from land-applied biosolid or manure to biota. Earthworms and soil samples were collected from three Midwest agricultural fields to measure the presence and potential for transfer of 77 AWIs from land-applied biosolids and livestock manure to earthworms. The sites consisted of a soybean field with no amendments of human or livestock waste (Site 1), a soybean field amended with biosolids from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (Site 2), and a cornfield amended with swine manure (Site 3). The biosolid applied to Site 2 contained …

Foot-And-Mouth Disease In North American Bison (Bison Bison) And Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni): Susceptibility, Intra- And Interspecies Transmission, Clinical Signs, And Lesions, Jack Rhyan, Ming Deng, He Wang, Gordon Ward, Thomas Gidlewski, Matthew Mccollum, Samia Metwally, Thomas Mckenna, Sherrilyn Wainwright, Antonio Ramirez, Charles Mebus, Mo Salman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There is limited information about the pathogenesis and epidemiology of foot-andmouth disease (FMD) in North American bison (Bison bison) or elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni). In these two experimental infection studies, we compared the susceptibilities of bison and elk to FMD virus (FMDV), respectively, with that of cattle; determined whether intra- and interspecies transmission could occur in bison and cattle, and elk and cattle; determined suitability of conventional available laboratory tests to detect FMDV infection in bison and elk; and investigated whether bison or elk are efficient long-term carriers of FMDV. In both studies, after a period …

Geochemical Evidence For Airborne Dust Additions To Soils In Channel Islands National Park, California, Daniel R. Muhs, James R. Budahn, Donald L. Johnson, Marith Reheis, Jossh Beann, Gary Skipp, Eric Fischer, Julia A. Jones

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

There is an increasing awareness that dust plays important roles in climate change, biogeochemical cycles, nutrient supply to ecosystems, and soil formation. In Channel Islands National Park, California, soils are clay-rich Vertisols or Alfi sols and Mollisols with vertic properties. The soils are overlain by silt-rich mantles that contrast sharply with the underlying clay-rich horizons. Silt mantles contain minerals that are rare or absent in the volcanic rocks that dominate these islands. Immobile trace elements (Sc-Th-La and Ta-Nd-Cr) and rare-earth elements show that the basalt and andesite on the islands have a composition intermediate between upper-continental crust and oceanic crust. …

Cloning And Characterization Of A Caesalpinoid (Chamaecrista Fasciculata) Hemoglobin: The Structural Transition From A Nonsymbiotic Hemoglobin To A Leghemoglobin, Sabarinathan K. Gopalasubramaniam, Frank A. Kovacs, Fernando Violante-Mota, Paul Twigg, Raul Arredondo-Peter, Gautam Sarath

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nonsymbiotic hemoglobins (nsHbs) and leghemoglobins (Lbs) are plant proteins that can reversibly bind O₂ and other ligands. The nsHbs are hexacoordinate and appear to modulate cellular concentrations of NO and maintain energy levels under hypoxic conditions. The Lbs are pentacoordinate and facilitate the diffusion of O₂ to symbiotic bacteroids within legume root nodules. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that all plant Hbs evolved from a common ancestor and that Lbs originated from nsHbs. However, little is known about the structural intermediates that occurred during the evolution of pentacoordinate Lbs from hexacoordinate nsHbs. We have cloned and characterized a …

Effect Of Sorghum Seedlings, And Previous Crop, On Soil Fluorescent Pseudomonas Spp., Deanna L. Funnell-Harris, Jeffrey Pedersen, David B. Marx

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Hypotheses in which sorghum seedlings [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] of different genotypes will differentially modify soil microorganisms and will affect subsequent planting of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings, were tested. Wheat cultivar Lewjain, and sorghum genotypes Redlan and RTx433, were planted into soils previously planted with wheat or sorghum in growth chamber experiments. Total culturable fungi and oomycetes, and fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. numbers (cfu) were determined. Pseudomonads were screened for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production, for the presence of the phlD gene for 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol production (Phl) and for a region of the operon involved in phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) production. …

Importance And Effect Of Nitrogen On Crop Quality And Health, Jürg Blumenthal, David D. Baltensperger, Kenneth G. Cassman, Stephen Mason, Alexander Pavlista

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen (N) is often the most limiting factor in crop production. Hence, application of fertilizer nitrogen results in higher biomass yields and protein yield and concentration in plant tissue is commonly increased. Nitrogen often affects amino acid composition of protein and in turn its nutritional quality. In cereals, abundant supply of nitrogen decreases the relative proportion of lysine and threonine, thus, reducing the biological value of the protein. Increasing nitrogen supply generally improves kernel integrity and strength, resulting in better milling properties of the grain. In oil seed crops, protein levels are increased upon nitrogen fertilization, whereas oil concentration is …

Harvester Ant Nests Improve Recovery Performance Of Drought Impacted Vegetation In Grazing Regimes Of Semiarid Savanna, Texas, Nancy Nicolai, Fred Smeins, Jerry Cook

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Vegetation composition is often dictated by grazing intensity in semiarid savannas; recovery following drought may depend on pre drought species composition. Nests of the red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, affect the dynamics, composition and recovery of post drought communities due to their larger size, greater seed production and higher perennial grass richness. We hypothesized that vegetation at ant nests would survive drought and recover faster than vegetation in the surrounding grasslands, but that individual and population recovery would depend on plant species composition, which, in turn, would be influenced by grazing intensity. We assessed nest influence on density, cover, …

Modeling Responses Of Dryland Spring Triticale, Proso Millet And Foxtail Millet To Initial Soil Water In The High Plains, S. A. Saseendran, D. C. Nielsen, Drew J. Lyon, L. Ma, D. D. Baltensperger, G. Hoogenboom, L.R. Ahuja

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Dryland farming strategies in the High Plains must make efficient use of limited and variable precipitation and stored water in the soil profile for stable and sustainable farm productivity. Current research efforts focus on replacing summer fallow in the region with more profitable and environmentally sustainable spring and summer crops. In the absence of reliable precipitation forecasts for the crop growing season, farmers rely mainly upon knowledge of plant available water (PAW) in the soil profile at planting for making crop choice decisions. To develop a decision support strategy for crop selection based on initial PAW, experiments were conducted with …

Characterization Of The Folate Salvage Enzyme P-Aminobenzoylglutamate Hydrolase In Plants, Gale G. Bozzo, Gilles J. C. Basset, Valeria Naponelli, Alexandre Noiriel, Jesse F. Gregory Iii, Andrew D. Hanson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Folates break down in vivo to give pterin and p-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABAGlu) fragments, the latter usually having a polyglutamyl tail. Pilot studies have shown that plants can hydrolyze pABAGlu and its polyglutamates to p-aminobenzoate, a folate biosynthesis precursor. The enzymatic basis of this hydrolysis was further investigated. pABAGlu hydrolase activity was found in all species and organs tested; activity levels implied that the proteins responsible are very rare. The activity was located in cytosol/vacuole and mitochondrial fractions of pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaves, and column chromatography of the activity from Arabidopsis tissues indicated at …

Detection And Quantification Of Vitamin K1 Quinol In Leaf Tissues, Chloë Van Oostende, Joshua R. Widhalm, Gilles J.C. Basset

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Phylloquinone (2-methyl-3-phytyl-1,4-naphthoquinone; vitamin K₁) is vital to plants. It is responsible for the oneelectron transfer at the A1 site of photosystem I, a process that involves turnover between the quinone and semi-quinone forms of phylloquinone. Using HPLC coupled with fluorometric detection to analyze Arabidopsis leaf extracts, we detected a third redox form of phylloquinone corresponding to its fully reduced – quinol–naphthoquinone ring (PhQH₂). A method was developed to quantify PhQH₂ and its corresponding oxidized quinone (PhQ) counterpart in a single HPLC run. PhQH₂ was found in leaves of all dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous species tested, …

Tunable Resistive M-Dpeg Acid Patterns On Polyelectrolyte Multilayers At Physiological Conditions: Template For Directed Deposition Of Biomacromolecules, Srivatsan Kidambi, Christina Chan, Ilsoon Lee

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

This paper describes a new class of salt-responsive poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on top of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEMs) films. PEM surfaces with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) as the topmost layer are chemically patterned by microcontact printing (μCP) oligomeric PEG molecules with an activated carboxylic acid terminal group (m-dPEG acid). The resistive m-d-poly(ethylene glycol) (m-dPEG) acid molecules on the PEMs films were subsequently removed from the PEM surface with salt treatment, thus converting the nonadhesive surfaces into adhesive surfaces. The resistive PEG patterns facilitate the directed deposition of various macromolecules such as polymers, dyes, colloidal particles, proteins, liposomes, and nucleic acids. …