Digital Commons Network^™

Cheatgrass (Bromus Tectorum) Biocontrol Using Indigenous Funtal Pathogens, Susan E. Meyer, David L. Nelson, Suzette Clement, Julie Beckstead

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an exotic winter annual grass weed that has invaded millions of hectares in the Intermountain West. Restoration of cheatgrass-invaded wildlands is generally impractical without some form of cheatgrass control. We are investigating the possibility of manipulating indigenous fungal pathogens that already occur on cheatgrass for short-term biocontrol in conjunction with restoration seedings. Three potential biocontrol organisms have been identified. The head smut pathogen (Ustilago bullata) and the chestnut bunt pathogen (Tilletia fusca) infect at the seedling stage and prevent seed set, while the black-fingers-of-death pathogen (Pyrenophora semeniperda) kills seeds in the seed bank. Both head smut …

University Reporter - Volume 13, Number 01 - September 2008

1996-2009, University Reporter

This issue of the University Reporter includes articles on campus redesign and building initiatives, the Genzyme/UMass Scholars Program, the Dorchester Beach Festival, an exhibit curated by UMass faculty on Shakespeare at the Boston Public Library, and the Iraq Project (and Project director Padraig O'Malley), a joint venture of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies (MGS), the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), and other news from UMass Boston.

Defense Transformation À La Française And U.S. Interests, Leo G. Michel

Strategic Forums

France has embarked on a transformation of its national security strategy, structures, capabilities, and relationships with Allies and other international partners. At its core, this transformation reflects a growing French consensus that globalization—especially the emergence of new, less predictable threats and vulnerabilities—has profoundly altered defense requirements since the last comprehensive review in the mid-1990s. But President Nicolas Sarkozy, faced with a large budget deficit, is determined to meet those requirements without near-term increases in defense spending.

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs: A Modern Approach For Detecting Offensive Biological Weapons Research, Michael Moodie, Cheryl Loeb, Robert E. Armstrong, Helen Purkitt

Defense and Technology Papers

This report outlines a new framework to monitor countries in terms of their potential to engage in covert biological weapons research. This is an effort to develop an indirect approach to measuring a nation’s capability to conduct offensive weapons research in both civilian and government or military settings.

Network-Centric Localization In Manets Based On Particle Swarm Optimization, Raghavendra V. Kulkarni, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ann K. Miller, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

There exist several application scenarios of mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) in which the nodes need to locate a target or surround it. Severe resource constraints in MANETs call for energy efficient target localization and collaborative navigation. Centralized control of MANET nodes is not an attractive solution due to its high network utilization that can result in congestions and delays. In nature, many colonies of biological species (such as a flock of birds) can achieve effective collaborative navigation without any centralized control. Particle swarm optimization (PSO), a popular swarm intelligence approach that models social dynamics of a biological swarm is …

Genetic Variation In Genes For The Xenobiotic-Metabolizing Enzymes Cyp1a1, Ephx1, Gstm1, Gstt1, And Gstp1 And Susceptibility To Colorectal Cancer In Lynch Syndrome, Mala Pande, Christopher I Amos, Daniel R Osterwisch, Jinyun Chen, Patrick M Lynch, Russell Broaddus, Marsha L Frazier

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Individuals with Lynch syndrome are predisposed to cancer due to an inherited DNA mismatch repair gene mutation. However, there is significant variability observed in disease expression likely due to the influence of other environmental, lifestyle, or genetic factors. Polymorphisms in genes encoding xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes may modify cancer risk by influencing the metabolism and clearance of potential carcinogens from the body. In this retrospective analysis, we examined key candidate gene polymorphisms in CYP1A1, EPHX1, GSTT1, GSTM1, and GSTP1 as modifiers of age at onset of colorectal cancer among 257 individuals with Lynch syndrome. We found that subjects heterozygous for CYP1A1 I462V …

Global Transcriptional Response Of The Alkalitolerant Cyanobacterium Synechocystis Sp. Strain Pcc 6803 To Ph 10., Tina C. Summerfield, Louis A. Sherman

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many cyanobacterial strains are able to grow at a pH range from neutral to pH 10 or 11. Such alkaline conditions favor cyanobacterial growth (e.g., bloom formation), and cyanobacteria must have developed strategies to adjust to changes in CO₂ concentration and ion availability. Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 exhibits similar photoautotrophic growth characteristics at pH 10 and pH 7.5, and we examined global gene expression following transfer from pH 7.5 to pH 10 to determine cellular adaptations at an elevated pH. The strategies used to develop homeostasis at alkaline pH had elements similar to those of many bacteria, as …

The Contribution Of Advective Fluxes To Net Ecosystem Exchange In A High-Elevation, Subalpine Forest, Chuixiang Yi, Dean E. Anderson, Andrew A. Turnipseed, Sean P. Burns, Jed P. Sparks, David I. Stannard, Russell K. Monson

Publications and Research

The eddy covariance technique, which is used in the determination of net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE), is subject to significant errors when advection that carries CO₂ in the mean flow is ignored. We measured horizontal and vertical advective CO₂ fluxes at the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux site (Colorado, USA) using a measurement approach consisting of multiple towers. We observed relatively high rates of both horizontal (F_hadv) and vertical (F_vadv) advective fluxes at low surface friction velocities (u_*) which were associated with downslope katabatic flows. We observed that F_hadv was confined to …

Full Page Ads, Editor

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Op Ed -- Little Red Herrings Kicking A Gift Horse In The Mouth, Mark Y. Herring

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Audience, Sentimental Postmodernism, And Kiss Of The Spider Woman, Kimberly Chabot Davis

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Audience, Sentimental Postmodernism, and Kiss of the Spider Woman" Kimberly Chabot Davis analyzes the three media forms of Kiss of the Spider Woman -- novel, film, and musical -- and their reception by gay, bisexual, and heterosexual fans: Davis reads Kiss as a key example of a hybrid contemporary genre she designates as "sentimental postmodernism." Chabot Davis positions the text's dialogic negotiation between the popular and the postmodern in relation to the critical discourse of camp, as a form of sentimentality-cum-irony. Manuel Puig's novel offers a powerful rebuttal to the Frankfurt School's dismissal of sentimental mass culture …

Decreased Expression Of Caveolin 1 In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis: Crucial Role In The Pathogenesis Of Tissue Fibrosis., Francesco Del Galdo, Federica Sotgia, Cecilia J. De Almeida, Jean-Francois Jasmin, Megan Musick, Michael P. Lisanti, Sergio A. Jimenez

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have implicated caveolin 1 in the regulation of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) downstream signaling. Given the crucial role of TGFbeta in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), we sought to determine whether caveolin 1 is also involved in the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis in SSc. We analyzed the expression of CAV1 in affected SSc tissues, studied the effects of lack of expression of CAV1 in vitro and in vivo, and analyzed the effects of restoration of caveolin 1 function on the fibrotic phenotype of SSc fibroblasts in vitro.

METHODS: CAV1 expression in tissues was analyzed by …

Assessment Of The Direct Agglutination Test, Fast Agglutination Screening Test, And Rk39 Dipstick Test For The Sero-Diagnosis Of Visceral Leishmaniasis In Syria., Samar A. Al-Nahhas, Atef A. Al-Taweel, Merfat A. Al-Taweel

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the performances of 3 serological assays (direct agglutination test [DAT], fast agglutination screening test [FAST], recombinant protein [rK39] dipstick) test for use in primary care, for the diagnosis visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Syria. METHODS We utilized 267 serum samples obtained during 2007 from patient groups confirmed and suspected VL, confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis from endemic areas in Syria and control samples, and applied the 3 serological tests in the Damascus University, Damascus and Health laboratories at the same time, on these samples. RESULTS Our data show that the tests were very sensitive, where the DAT was the …

Black Women's Risk For Hiv - Rough Living, Muneera A. Al-Dahham

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

A Brief Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index With Less Potential For Bias, Mitch Earleywine, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen

Heads Up!

The Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI), a popular measure of alcohol-related problems in adolescents, varies with many theoretically-relevant measures of individual differences, including sex. The sex differences in RAPI scores fit many models of alcohol problems but could also arise from biased items. In addition, a short form could increase the scale’s utility. The current study examined RAPI scores, an additional inventory of problem drinking, and measures of alcohol consumption in over 2,000 college student drinkers. Analyses revealed items that functioned differentially for men and women. Dropping these items created a shorter scale with almost identical psychometric properties but less …

Healing Young People Thru Empowerment (H.Y.P.E.): A Hip-Hop Therapy Program For Black Adolescent Males, Adia B. Mcclellan

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Treating Black adolescent males with disruptive behavior disorders can be challenging for psychologists and other mental health professionals The negative perception of this group within society, as well as the absence of clinical training exploring issues pertinent to Black adolescent males, among other things, may hinder a professional’s ability to effectively work with this population. This doctoral project discussed the research in several areas currently pertinent to Black adolescent males, as well as factors that have historically been oppressive to Black Americans. It then describes several DSM-IV-TR diagnoses and legal classifications associated with Disruptive Behavior Disorders. In addition, research analyzing …

Wrl Newsletter September 2008, Maryke Barber

WRL Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Psychosocial Impact Of Dental Aesthetics, Munizeh Khan, Mubassar Fida

Section of Dental-Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

OBJECTIVE: To assess the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics using the 'Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire' (PIDAQ) and self-rated Aesthetic Component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN).

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Dental Section, the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from August to September 2006.

METHODOLOGY: Adults with no prior orthodontic treatment were asked to complete a modified version of the 'Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire' (PIDAQ). A total of four variables including 'Dental Self-confidence', 'Social impact', 'Psychological impact' and 'Perceived orthodontic treatment need' were assessed by a series of statements, …

Epigenetic Transcriptional Repression Of Cellular Genes By A Viral Set Protein, Shiraz Mujtaba, Karishma L. Manzur, James Gurnon, Ming Kang, James L. Van Etten, Ming-Ming Zhou

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Viruses recruit host proteins to secure viral genome maintenance and replication. However, whether they modify host histones directly to interfere with chromatin-based transcription is unknown. Here we report that Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) encodes a functional SET domain histone Lys methyltransferase (HKMTase) termed vSET, which is linked to rapid inhibition of host transcription after viral infection. We show that vSET is packaged in the PBCV-1 virion, and that it contains a nuclear localization signal and probably represses host transcription by methylating histone H3 at Lys 27 (H3K27), a modification known to trigger gene silencing in eukaryotes. We also …

Environmental Effects On The Expression Of Life Span And Aging: An Extreme Contrast Between Wild And Captive Cohorts Of Telostylinus Angusticollis (Diptera: Neriidae), Noriyoshi Kawasaki, Chad Brassil, Robert Brooks, Russell Bonduriansky

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Most research on life span and aging has been based on captive populations of short-lived animals; however, we know very little about the expression of these traits in wild populations of such organisms. Because life span and aging are major components of fitness, the extent to which the results of many evolutionary studies in the laboratory can be generalized to natural settings depends on the degree to which the expression of life span and aging differ in natural environments versus laboratory environments and whether such environmental effects interact with phenotypic variation. We investigated life span and aging in Telostylinus angusticollis …

Tissue And Stage-Specific Juvenile Hormone Esterase (Jhe) And Epoxide Hydrolase (Jheh) Enzyme Activities And Jhe Transcript Abundance In Lines Of The Cricket Gryllus Assimilis Artificially Selected For Plasma Jhe Activity: Implications For Jhe Microevolution, Anurag Anand, Erica Crone, Anthony J. Zera

Anthony Zera Publications

Fat body and midgut juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) and juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) specific activities, and plasma JHE activity, were measured throughout the last stadium in two pairs (blocks) of lines of the cricket Gryllus assimilis, each pair of which had been artificially selected for high- or low-plasma JHE activity. Highly significant differences were observed between high- and low-activity lines of each block on most days for fat body JHE, and on one day for midgut JHE activity. In each block, line differences in developmental profiles for fat body JHE activity paralleled line differences in plasma JHE activity …

The Protective Effects Of Demethoxyviridine And 1-Alpha-Hydroxy-Demethoxyviridine In The Livers Of Male Rats Treated With Diethylnitrosamine And 2-Acetylaminflourene., M. Cengiz Ustuner, Irfan Degirmenci, Ismail Kiran, Hilmi Ozden, Kismet Civi, Derya Ustuner, Hasan V. Gunes

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES To determine the protective effects of a fungal metabolite of demethoxyviridine (DMV) and its derivative, 1-alpha-hydroxy-DMV in the livers of 2-month-old male Spraque-Dawley rats treated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and 2-acetylaminflourene (2-AAF). METHODS This study was performed in the Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey from May 2006. Animals were divided into 10 groups. Those were the control, olive oil, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), DMV, 1-alpha-hydroxy-DMV, DEN, 2-AAF, DEN+2-AAF, DEN+2-AAF+DMV, and DEN+2-AAF+1-alpha-hydroxy-DMV-treated animal groups. The liver microsomes were prepared from rats and the levels of expression of cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) enzymes were determined with …

The Importance Of Cd10 And H-Caldesmon In The Distinction Of Smooth Muscle Tumors Of The Uterus And Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma., Ozlem Saraydaroglu, Sema Ozuysal, Mehtap Kasap, Kemal Ozerkan

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Walnut Leaf Aqueous Extract On Blood Sugar And Lipids In Male Diabetic Rats., Komeili Gholamreza, Bagheri Hossein

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Intraoperative Mitomycin C Application On Recurrence Of Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy., Farhad Farahani, Ahmad Ramezani

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Use Of Fluorinated Functionality In Enzyme Inhibitor Development: Mechanistic And Analytical Advantages, David B. Berkowitz, Kannan R. Karukurichi, Roberto De La Salud-Bea, David L. Nelson, Christopher D. Mccune

David Berkowitz Publications

On the one hand, owing to its electronegativity, relatively small size, and notable leaving group ability from anionic intermediates, fluorine offers unique opportunities for mechanism-based enzyme inhibitor design. On the other, the “bio-orthogonal” and NMR-active 19-fluorine nucleus allows the bioorganic chemist to follow the mechanistic fate of fluorinated substrate analogues or inhibitors as they are enzymatically processed. This article takes an overview of the field, highlighting key developments along these lines. It begins by highlighting new screening methodologies for drug discovery that involve appropriate tagging of either substrate or the target protein itself with ¹⁹Fmarkers, that then report back …

The Inverse Ocean Modeling System. Part Ii: Applications, J. C. Muccino, H. G. Arango, Andrew F. Bennett, B. S. Chua, Julia Muccino Cornuelle, E. Di Lorenzo, Gary D. Egbert, D. Haidvogel, J. C. Levin, H. Luo, A. J. Miller, A. M. Moore, Edward D. Zaron

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Inverse Ocean Modeling (IOM) System is a modular system for constructing and running weak-constraint four-dimensional variational data assimilation (W4DVAR) for any linear or nonlinear functionally smooth dynamical model and observing array. The IOM has been applied to four ocean models with widely varying characteristics. The Primitive Equations Z-coordinate-Harmonic Analysis of Tides (PEZ-HAT) and the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) are three-dimensional, primitive equations models while the Advanced Circulation model in 2D (ADCIRC-2D) and Spectral Element Ocean Model in 2D (SEOM-2D) are shallow-water models belonging to the general finite-element family. These models, in conjunction with the IOM, have been used …

Gsi: Geo Scene Investigation! On-Site Programming (Grade 7), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

GSI: Geo Scene Investigation! introduces students to the differences between observations and interpretations and to some of the fundamental principles of geology. Students identify specific geologic processes and landforms in the landscape surrounding them at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) by solving mysteries with a set of geology-related clues.

Gambel Oak Growth Forms: Management Opportunities For Increasing Ecosystem Diversity, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) clones have several different growth forms in southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, and these growth forms each provide unique wildlife habitat and resource values. The purposes of this note are to review published growth-form classifications for Gambel oak, provide examples of ecological effects of different growth forms, and summarize management strategies for promoting desired growth forms. Four different growth-form classifications have been published, which generally recognize variants of three basic forms: shrubby thickets of small-diameter stems, pole-sized clumps, and large trees. These growth forms exemplify ecological and management tradeoffs. For example, shrubby forms provide browse …

Changes In Gambel Oak Densities In Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests Since Euro-American Settlement, Scott R. Abella, Peter Z. Fule

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Densities of small-diameter ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trees have increased in southwestern ponderosa pine forests during a period of fire exclusion since Euro-American settlement in the late 1800s. However, less well known are potential changes in Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) densities during this period in these forests. We reviewed published literature to summarize changes in oak density in ponderosa pine forests over the past 140 years and evaluated the possibility that large-diameter oaks have decreased in density. All nine studies examining oak density changes found that densities of small-diameter oaks have escalated. Increases ranged from 4- to more than 63-fold. …