Digital Commons Network^™

Fur Versus Feathers: Pollen Delivery By Bats And Hummingbirds, And Consequences For Pollen Production, Nathan Muchhala, James Thomson

Biology Department Faculty Works

One floral characteristic associated with bat pollination (chiropterophily) is copious pollen production, a pattern we confirmed in a local comparison of hummingbird- and bat-adapted flowers from a cloud forest site in Ecuador. Previous authors have suggested that wasteful pollen transfer by bats accounted for the pattern. Here we propose and test a new hypothesis: bats select for increased pollen production because they can efficiently transfer larger amounts of pollen, which leads to a more linear male fitness gain curve for bat-pollinated plants. Flight cage experiments with artificial flowers and flowers of Aphelandra acanthus provide support for this hypothesis; in both …

Reactive Oxygen Species Induced Cytokine Production And Cytotoxicity Of Pamam Dendrimers In J774a.1 Cells, Pratap Naha, Maria Davoren, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne

Articles

The immunotoxicity of three generations of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers (G-4, G-5 and G-6) was evaluated in mouse macrophage cells in vitro. Using the Alamar blue and MTT assays, a generation dependent cytotoxicity of the PAMAM dendrimers was found whereby G-6 > G-5 > G-4. The toxic response of the PAMAM dendrimers correlated well with the number of surface primary amino groups, with increasing number resulting in an increase in toxic response. An assessment of intracellular ROS generation by the PAMAM dendrimers was performed by measuring the increased fluorescence as a result of intracellular oxidation of Carboxy H2DCFDA to DCF both quantitatively using …

Statistical Analysis Of Visible Absorption Spectra And Mass Spectra Obtained From Dyed Textile Fibers, Katie Margaret White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Academy of Sciences recently published a report which calls for improvements to the field of forensic science. Their report criticized many forensic disciplines for failure to establish rigorously-tested methods of comparison, and encouraged more research in these areas to establish limitations and assess error rates. This study applies chemometric and statistical methods to current and developing analytical techniques in fiber analysis. In addition to analysis of commercially available dyed textile fibers, two pairs of dyes are selected based for custom fabric dyeing on the similarities of their absorbance spectra and dye molecular structures. Visible absorption spectra for all …

Horizons, Volume 26, 2010, Sacred Heart University

Vistas (Horizons)

No abstract provided.

“Space Exploration & Travel”: A Curricular Guide For High School Earth & Space Sciences, Amy Jo Jacobson

Graduate Research Papers

The unit examines space exploration and travel as one facet of astronomy as part of the Earth Science curriculum in a high school. In cooperative learning groups, the students work on group and independent hands-on activities. A culminating assessment project conducted in cooperative learning groups utilizes student technology skills. One intent of this unit is to help students understand the importance of asking the correct questions and thinking for themselves to solve problems through the various activities and lesson plans provided in this outline.

Water And Knowledge Management In Vietnam: Understanding The Mekong Basin, Thomas Menkhoff, Solvay Gerke, Hans-Dieter Evers

Social Space

The Mekong river basin is one of the world’s longest rivers affecting the livelihoods of the many communities living along its banks. Combining integrated watershed management and knowledge management theories, the authors describe how the WISDOM project, a joint programme between Vietnam and Germany, is seeking to devise sustainable solutions to life in the Mekong Delta.

About Fish

Agribusiness Reports

No abstract provided.

"The Fire-Spitting Ogre" Ernest Hemingway And Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Anna Lillios

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Peaks Island Star : January 2010, Vol. 30, Issue 1, Service Agencies Of The Island

Peaks Island Star, 2010

The Peaks Island Star is the newsletter of the island's service agencies and other community news.

Comment: The Anacostia River: Urbanization, Pollution, Epa Failures, And The Collapse Of The Public Trust Doctrine, Matthew Powell

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Nimbus (Winter 2010), New College Alumnae/I Association

Alumnae/i Association Collection

No abstract provided.

Deliberation Of Controversial Public School Curriculum: Developing Processes And Outcomes That Increase Legitimacy And Social Justice, Steve P. Camicia

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Public schools in the United States are charged with facilitating public deliberation of controversial school curriculum. This often entails managing the negotiations between multiple stakeholders who have very different positions on the proper design and implementation of curriculum. To maintain legitimacy as caretakers of the public interest in a liberal democracy, public schools are asked to recognize all legitimate perspectives in such disputes. But what happens when a perspective is not considered legitimate or in the public interest by the dominant community? When disputes over curriculum ensue, the rights of individuals to have their perspectives included in the curriculum must …

Vol Xviii (2010)

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Writing "Invisible Florida": Zora Neale Hurston, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, And The Literary Culture Of The 1930s, Kyoko Shoji Hearn

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

A Community-Based Monitoring Program For Introduced Marine Pests, Samantha D. Bridgwood, Justin I. Mcdonald

Fisheries Research Reports

No abstract provided.

The Volunteer Fisheries Liaison Officer (Vflo) Program: An Analysis Of Recreational Fishing Data From 1995 - 2007, Claire B. Smallwood, Adrian Thomson, David Harris, Danielle Johnston

Fisheries Research Reports

The aim of this report was to explore the data collected by VFLOs from 1995 - 2007 in each of the state’s four marine bioregions. During this period, volunteers undertook >2,000 days of activities, the majority of which were educational displays at events such as boat shows and patrols in coastal, marine and estuarine environs. Patrols focused on interviews with recreational anglers to provide information about sustainable fishing and collect data on catch and effort.

No. 02: The State Of Urban Food Insecurity In Southern Africa, Bruce Frayne, Wade Pendleton, Jonathan Crush, Ben Acquah, Jane Battersby-Lennard, Eugenio Bras, Asiyati Chiweza, Tebogo Dlamini, Robert Fincham, Florian Kroll, Clement Leduka, Aloysius Mosha, Chileshe Mulenga, Peter Mvula, Akiser Pomuti, Ines Raimundo, Michael Rudolph, Shaun Ruysenaa, Nomcebo Simelane, Daniel Tevara, Maxton Tsoka, Godfrey Tawodzera, Lazarus Zanamwe

African Food Security Urban Network

The number of people living in urban areas is rising rapidly in Southern Africa. By mid-century, the region is expected to be 60% urban. Rapid urbanization is leading to growing food insecurity in the region’s towns and cities. This paper presents the results of the first ever regional study of the prevalence of food insecurity in Southern Africa. The AFSUN food security household survey was conducted simultaneously in 2008-9 in 11 cities in 8 SADC countries. The results confirm high levels of food insecurity amongst the urban poor in terms of food availability, accessibility, reliability and dietary diversity. The survey …

Interactions 2010, Thomas J. Long School Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences

Interactions

In each issue of Interactions, the School’s annual magazine you will find stories about students, faculty and alumni from each of our disciplines. Learn about the ways our students, faculty and alumni are impacting their communities through health care outreach. Read about their research and how they are contributing to advances in patient care. Meet our Alumni of the Year and get to know our faculty.

Endangered And Threatened Wildlife And Plants; Designation Of Critical Habitat For The Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service/USFWS), designate critical habitat for the Salt Creek tiger beetle (Cicindela nevadica lincolniana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 1,933 acres (ac) (782 hectares (ha)) located in Lancaster and Saunders Counties, Nebraska, fall within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation.

Priority Information Needs For American Coots, Purple Gallinules And Common Moorhens: A Funding Strategy, David J. Case, Sarah J. Sanders

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Table of Contents

Executive Summary...................i

Introduction...................1

Status of American Coots, Common Moorhens, and Purple Gallinules...................2

Priority Information Needs...................5

Priority 1. Implement a National Marshbird Monitoring Program...................6

Priority 2. Update the National Wetland Inventory...................7

Priority 3. Continue to Improve the Harvest Information Program Sampling Frame...................9

Priority 4. Determine Breeding Origin of American Coots and Common Moorhens that are Harvested from High-Harvest Locations...................10

Measuring Success...................11

Literature Cited...................12

Appendix A: 2010 Strategy Development Participants...................13

Table 1. Population trend estimates from the North American Breeding Bird Survey...................2

Figure 1. Traditional survey area for the annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey...................3

Figure 2. American …

An Enzootic Vector-Borne Virus Is Amplified At Epizootic Levels By An Invasive Avian Host, Valerie A. O'Brien, Amy T. Moore, Ginger R. Young, Nicolas Komar, William K. Reisen, Charles R. Brown

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Determining the effect of an invasive species on enzootic pathogen dynamics is critical for understanding both human epidemics and wildlife epizootics. Theoretical models suggest that when a naive species enters an established host–parasite system, the new host may either reduce (‘dilute’) or increase (‘spillback’) pathogen transmission to native hosts. There are few empirical data to evaluate these possibilities, especially for animal pathogens. Buggy Creek virus (BCRV) is an arthropod-borne alphavirus that is enzootically transmitted by the swallow bug (Oeciacus vicarius) to colonially nesting cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota). In western Nebraska, introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus …

Molecular Genealogy Tools For White-Tailed Deer With Chronic Wasting Disease, Holly B. Ernest, Bruce R. Hoar, Jay A. Well, Katherine I. O'Rourke

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Molecular genetic data provide powerful tools for genealogy reconstruction to reveal mechanisms underlying disease ecology. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) congregate in matriarchal groups; kin-related close social spacing may be a factor in the spread of infectious diseases. Spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disorder of deer and their cervid relatives, is presumed to be associated with direct contact between individuals and by exposure to shared food and water sources contaminated with prions shed by infected deer. Key aspects of disease ecology are yet unknown. DNA tools for pedigree reconstruction were developed to fill knowledge gaps in …

Experimental Oral Transmission Of Chronic Wasting Disease To Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus Elaphus): Early Detection And Late Stage Distribution Of Protease-Resistant Prion Protein, Aru Balachandran, Noel P. Harrington, James Algire, Andrei Soutyrine, Terry R. Spraker, Martin Jeffrey, Lorenzo González, Katherine I. O'Rourke

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), an important emerging prion disease of cervids, is readily transmitted by intracerebral or oral inoculation from deer-to-deer and elk-to-elk, suggesting the latter is a natural route of exposure. Studies of host range susceptibility to oral infection, particularly of those species found in habitats where CWD currently exists are imperative. This report describes the experimental transmission of CWD to red deer following oral inoculation with infectious CWD material of elk origin. At 18 to 20 months post-inoculation, mild to moderate neurological signs and weight loss were observed and animals were euthanized and tested using 3 conventional immunological …

Detection Of The Abnormal Isoform Of The Prion Protein Associated With Chronic Wasting Disease In The Optic Pathways Of The Brain And Retina Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni), T. R. Spraker, Katherine I. O'Rourke, T. Gidlewski, J. G. Powers, J. J. Greenlee, M. A. Wild

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Eyes and nuclei of the visual pathways in the brain were examined in 30 Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) representing 3 genotypes of the prion protein gene PRNP (codon 132: MM, ML, or LL). Tissues were examined for the presence of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein associated with chronic wasting disease (PrP^CWD). Nuclei and axonal tracts from a single section of brain stem at the level of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve were scored for intensity and distribution of PrP^CWD immunoreactivity and degree of spongiform degeneration. This obex scoring …

Maria Sibylla Merian's Frogs, Kay Etheridge

Biology Faculty Publications

Maria Sibylla Merian (German, 1647-1717) is best known for her magnificent 1705 publication, Metamorphosis insectorum surinamensium, although she published earlier works on insect metamorphosis. Merian wrote the text and painted all of the illustrations for her books, and for the early volumes she produced most of the engravings. Contemporary scholarship has focused primarily on Merian's detailed images of lepidopteran and host plant life cycles, but Merian's Surinam album also portrays anuram metamorphosis, including the first European depiction of Pipa pipa.

Putative Cis-Regulatory Elements Associated With Heat Shock Genes Activated During Excystation Of Cryptosporidium Parvum, Benjamin Cohn, Patricio A. Manque, Ana M. Lara, Myrna G. Serrano, Nihar U. Sheth, Gregory A. Buck

Microbiology and Immunology Publications

Abstract

Background

Cryptosporidiosis is a ubiquitous infectious disease, caused by the protozoan parasitesCryptosporidium hominis and C. parvum, leading to acute, persistent and chronic diarrhea worldwide. Although the complications of this disease can be serious, even fatal, in immunocompromised patients of any age, they have also been found to lead to long term effects, including growth inhibition and impaired cognitive development, in infected immunocompetent children. The Cryptosporidium life cycle alternates between a dormant stage, the oocyst, and a highly replicative phase that includes both asexual vegetative stages as well as sexual stages, implying fine genetic regulatory mechanisms. The …

2009 Annual Report From The Town Officers Of Clarksville, New Hampshire For The Year Ending December 31, 2009 Report Of The School Directors Included., Clarksville Town Representatives

Clarksville, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Traumatic Brain Injury And The Effects Of Diazepam, Diltiazem, And Mk-801 On Gaba-A Receptor Subunit Expression In Rat Hippocampus, Cynthia J. Gibson, Rebecca C. Meyer, Robert J. Hamm

Psychology Publications

Background

Excitatory amino acid release and subsequent biochemical cascades following traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been well documented, especially glutamate-related excitotoxicity. The effects of TBI on the essential functions of inhibitory GABA-A receptors, however, are poorly understood.

Methods

We used Western blot procedures to test whether in vivo TBI in rat altered the protein expression of hippocampal GABA-A receptor subunits α1, α2, α3, α5, β3, and γ2 at 3 h, 6 h, 24 h, and 7 days post-injuy. We then used pre-injury injections of MK-801 to block calcium influx through the NMDA receptor, diltiazem to block L-type voltage-gated calcium influx, …

The Rhetoric Of ‘Military Readiness’: Public Discourse, Whales And Navy Sonar, Terence Check

Strategic Communication Studies Faculty Publications

On November 12, 2008, the Supreme Court decided a significant case involving the use of mid-frequency active sonar in the waters off the coast of Southern California. In the decision, Winter v. NRDC, the High Court ruled that the Navy‘s need to conduct military training using active sonar outweighed the interests of environmentalists, who had contended that sonar results in devastating effects on marine mammals. This paper examines the public and legal discourse related to the case, arguing that the Navy invoked an ideograph of that valorized military technology and expertise at the expense of the natural environment. The paper …

The Empirical Basis Of Ethics, Timothy A. Robinson

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.