Digital Commons Network^™

Microbial Resistance Mechanisms To The Antibiotic And Phytotoxin Fusaric Acid, Frankie K. Crutcher, Lorraine S. Puckhaber, Robert D. Stipanovic, Alois A. Bell, Robert L. Nichols, Katheryn S. Lawrence, Jinggao Liu

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Fusaric acid (FA) produced by Fusarium oxysporum plays an important role in disease development in plants, including cotton. This non-specific toxin also has antibiotic effects on microorganisms. Thus, one expects a potential pool of diverse detoxification mechanisms of FA in nature. Bacteria and fungi from soils infested with Fusarium and from laboratory sources were evaluated for their ability to grow in the presence of FA and to alter the structure of FA into less toxic compounds.None of the bacterial strains were able to chemically modify FA. Highly FA resistant strains were found only in Gram-negative bacteria, mainly in the genus …

Development And Characterization Of The First Infectious Clone Of Alfalfa Latent Virus, A Strain Of Pea Streak Virus, Lev G. Nemchinov

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a natural host plant for many plant pathogens including fungi, bacteria, nematodes and viruses. Alfalfa latent virus (ALV) is strain of Pea streak virus, a member of the carlavirus group that occurs symptomlessly in alfalfa. The first complete genomic sequence of the ALV that was recently obtained in our laboratory showed that the virus differs substantially from other members of the genus Carlavirus. Here we report generation of infectious RNA transcripts from the constructed full-length viral cDNA clone as a proof that ALV nucleotide sequence is correct and as an initial step toward …

The Relationship Between Extent Of Hemoglobin Purification And The Performance Characteristics Of A Blood-Based Flocculant, Rafael A. Garcia, Lorelie P. Bumanlag, George J. Piazza

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Whole blood is a highly complex substance. Hemoglobin, the most abundant blood protein, can function as a flocculant; most of the other blood components exhibit poor flocculant activity. For the purpose of processing raw whole blood into a flocculant product, the practical value of hemoglobin purification is uncertain.

RESULTS: This study compares the flocculant performance of whole blood to that of three different semi-purified hemoglobin preparations. The whole blood is processed to remove the plasma proteins, the solid cell components, or both. The flocculant performance of whole blood and each hemoglobin preparation is compared overwide ranges of flocculant dose …

Morphological Characterization Of A New And Easily Recognizable Nuclear Male Sterile Mutant Of Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor), Zhanguo Xin, Jian Huang, Ashley R. Smith, Junping Chen, John Burke, Scott E. Sattler, Dazhong Zhao

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is one of the most important grain crops in the world. The nuclear male sterility (NMS) trait, which is caused by mutations on the nuclear gene, is valuable for hybrid breeding and genetic studies. Several NMS mutants have been reported previously, but none of them were well characterized. Here, we present our detailed morphological characterization of a new and easily recognizable NMS sorghum mutant male sterile 8 (ms8) isolated from an elite inbred BTx623 mutagenized by ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS). Our results show that the ms8 mutant phenotype was caused by a …

In Vivo Tracking Of Copper-64 Radiolabeled Nanoparticles In Lactuca Sativa, Ryan A. Davis, Devin A. Rippner, Sven H. Hausner, Sanjai J. Parikh, Andrew J. Mcelrone, Julie L. Sutcliffe

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly used in commercial products including automotive lubricants, clothing, deodorants, sunscreens, and cosmetics and can potentially accumulate in our food supply. Given their size it is difficult to detect and visualize the presence of NPs in environmental samples, including crop plants. New analytical tools are needed to fill the void for detection and visualization of NPs in complex biological and environmental matrices. We aimed to determine whether radiolabeled NPs could be used as a noninvasive, highly sensitive analytical tool to quantitatively track and visualize NP transport and accumulation in vivo in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) …

Government Employee Religion, Caroline Mala Corbin

Articles

Picture a county clerk who refuses to issue a marriage license to an LGBT couple or a city bus driver who insists on wearing a hijab. The clerk is fired for failing to fulfill job responsibilities and the bus driver for violating official dress codes. Both claim that their termination violates the First Amendment speech and religion clauses.

There is a well-developed First Amendment government employee speech jurisprudence. Less developed is the doctrine and literature for First Amendment government employee religion. The existing Free Exercise Clause jurisprudence usually does not specifically account for the government employee context. This Article attempts …

Inner-City Anti-Poverty Campaigns, Anthony V. Alfieri

Articles

This article offers a defense of outsider, legal-political intervention and community triage in inner-city anti-poverty campaigns under circumstances of widespread urban social disorganization, public and private sector neglect, and nonprofit resource scarcity. In mounting this defense, the Article revisits the roles of lawyers, nonprofit legal services organizations, and university-housed law school clinics in contemporary anti-poverty, civil rights, and social justice movements, in part by chronicling the emergence of a faith-based municipal equity movement in Miami, Florida. The Article proceeds in four parts. Part I introduces the notion of community triage as a means of addressing the impoverished and segregated aftermath …

Curcumin And Fish Oil: Potential Alternative Or Adjunctive Treatments To Nsaids And Immune Modulating Medications For The Treatment Of Chronic Inflammation, Vicki Andvik

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

The aim of the present review is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of curcumin and fish oil as alternative or adjuvant treatments to NSAIDs and immune modulating medications for the treatment of chronic inflammation.

An online search of CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane and Alt Healthwatchdatabases was conducted. It was limited to peer-reviewed articles and clinical trials in academic journals within the last ten years.

Current research suggests that curcumin may be efficacious in the treatment of chronic inflammation. It is generally regarded as safe up to 12 gm/day with mild gastrointestinal effects but poor bioavailability has limited its clinical application. …

Effectiveness And Safety Of The Bronchial Thermoplasty Procedure, Kathy Mohammadi

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Asthma: a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation resulting in respiratory difficulty.

• Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT): a bronchoscopy procedure that delivers radiofrequency energy to the tissues of airway walls thus heating the tissue, causing ablation to reduce the mass of the airway smooth muscle (ASM), hence attenuating bronchoconstriction.

• BT was designed to decrease, de-bulk or partially eliminate excess smooth muscle tissue in the distal airways, with a subsequent decrease in the number of severe asthma attacks.

• BT is an alternative treatment for patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma in which the airway smooth muscle is eliminated using …

Use Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells For The Treatment Of Osteoarthritis, Dennis W. Stewart

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Healthy articular cartilage protects and provides smooth functioning of the joint. The deterioration of the articular cartilage leads to the crippling disease known as osteoarthritis (OA).

• OA is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Although some of the current treatment modalities, along with pharmacological treatment, may offer short term improvement with pain and function, they do not offer long term relief, and are ineffective in preventing the progression of OA.

• In advanced stages, surgery in the form of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), is sometimes needed. This is an invasive procedure and typically requires hospitalization. …

The Creation Of Tribal Cultural Hegemony Under The Indian Arts And Crafts Act And Native American Graves Protection And Repatriation Act, Andrew W. Minikowski

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

History Of Applied Science & Technology: An Open Access Textbook, Danielle Mead Skjelver, David Arnold, Hans Peter Broedel, Sharon Bailey Glasco, Bonnie Kim, Sheryl Dahm Broedel

Open Educational Resources

This textbook is designed to to meet the needs of History of Applied Science and Technology courses at colleges and universities around the world. Chapters will be organized around the theme of the transformative impact of technological and epistemological changes on worldview and human behavior as they relate to everyday life and global choices. We believe this textbook is the first History of Applied Science and Technology textbook to take a global approach, addressing persistent gaps in coverage in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. This is a collaborative, open access project. If you are interested in participating, please let us …

Evaluation Of Fall Risk, Functional Mobility, And Quality Of Life Changes Of Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease Participating In A Community Exercise Program: Part Ii, Lauren Trudel, Courtney Mcdonald, Brittany Bleichner

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose/Hypothesis: As a person ages, the risk of a fall increases. Parkinson Disease (PD) is most commonly seen in the elderly population, which presents with symptoms such as bradykinesia, decreased balance, tremors, postural instability, and muscle weakness. These symptoms are associated with an increase in falls; therefore, a person with PD is more susceptible to falls than the average elderly individual. Exercise has been shown to combat those symptoms affecting people with PD. This study is an extension of a previous study, which examined the effect of a community based exercise program, for people with PD, on quality of …

Emg Of Serratus Anterior, Upper, Middle, And Lower Trapezius During Glenohumeral Abduction In A Patient With Scapular Dyskinesia: A Case Study, Tyler Bentrup, Byron Flett, Joshua Sorvig

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Introduction. The purpose of this case study was to examine the differences in muscle activation between the right and left sided upper trapezius, middle trapezius, lower trapezius and serratus anterior in a participant with scapular dyskinesis.

Methods. EMG activity was recorded using a Noraxon TeleMyo2400 G2 telemetry unit with a sampling rate of 1 kHz on the aforementioned muscles.

Results. In comparing UE ratios of EMG activity, it appears that the left lower trapezius exerts a significant amount more of energy than the right lower trapezius.

Conclusion. This study may demonstrate the importance of bilateral lower …

Evaluating Wetland Expansion In A Tallgrass Prairie-Wetland Restoration, Katie Mae Engelmann

Theses and Dissertations

Remote sensing is an effective tool to inventory and monitor wetlands at large spatial scales. This study examined the effect of wetland restoration practices at Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge (GRNWR) in northwest Minnesota on the distribution, location, size and temporal changes of wetlands. A Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) land cover classification method was applied that integrated spectral data, LiDAR elevation, and LiDAR derived ancillary data of slope, aspect, and TWI. Accuracy of remote wetland mapping was compared with onsite wetland delineation.

The GEOBIA method produced land cover classifications with high overall accuracy (88 – 91 percent). Wetland area …

The Molecular Mechanisms Of Sex Determination In Vertebrates, Lei Guo

Theses and Dissertations

Many reptiles display temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), in which the primary sex is determined by incubation temperatures rather than sex chromosomes. However, temperature is not the only factor that play critical roles in sex determination in the species with TSD. Previous studies in the snapping turtle, a species with TSD, showed that dihydrotestosterone (DHT) induces ovary development at temperatures that normally produce males or mixed sex ratios. In addition, the feminizing effect of DHT was found to be associated with increased expression of the ovary-determining gene Foxl2, suggesting a potential androgen-Foxl2 regulatory mechanism. This dissertation aims to clarify the molecular …

Using Phylogenetic Analysis To Diagnose Freshwater Molluscan Species In The Judith River Formation Of Hill And Fergus Counties, Montana, With Notes On Depositional Environments And Quality Of Preservation, Matthew Illies

Theses and Dissertations

The Judith River Formation has a long history of study, from Meek and Hayden’s expeditions in the 1850s to E. D. Cope’s searches for new dinosaur species. More recently, the Judith River Formation receives a plethora of research in paleontology and geology. Despite this, little work has been done on the freshwater molluscan fauna found within. The purpose of this study was to create a method where accurate species diagnoses become possible, and to create a launching point for future work in the Judith River Formation. Freshwater mollusk specimens were collected from shell beds in the Judith River Formation at …

Monitoring Changes On The Sheyenne National Grassland Using Multitemporal Landsat Data, Stefano Potter

Theses and Dissertations

Tallgrass prairies are one of the rarest ecosystems on the planet as up to 99% of their historical extent has been converted to agriculture. Once a prairie is converted there is often a loss of ecosystem services such as soil retention, carbon storage, water quality and a loss of biodiversity. It can take centuries to restore a native prairie after conversion has taken place. The Sheyenne National Grassland is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and contains the largest publicly owned tract of tallgrass prairie remaining in North America making it a highly valuable for conservation.

Ordinary least squares regression …

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Rna Polymerase Ii Pausing During Gene Activation, Ann Sanoji Samarakkody

Theses and Dissertations

RNA Polymerase II (Pol II), the enzyme that transcribes all messenger RNAs (mRNAs) has another activity by pausing at gene promoters. The paused Pol II generates short 5’-capped RNAs of about 50 nucleotides in length. Much is known about Pol II pausing including its prevalence across the genome. But, the molecular mechanisms that are involved in regulating Pol II pausing and its roles in gene regulation are yet to be fully explored. In this study, I have investigated the molecular mechanisms that regulate dynamics of Pol II pausing in response to gene activation.

The main goal of this study was …

Cameroonian Immigrants Switching From Non-Stem To Stem-And-Related Fields In The United States, Delphine Ngum Tamukong

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies on STEM education in the United States (U.S.) have largely focused on such issues as the ever increasing need for more STEM workers, STEM attrition/retention, the gender gap in STEM, encouraging more STEM enrollment both at college and post-graduate levels, and the use of modern technology to facilitate STEM education. Other studies have considered the impact of immigrants on STEM education in the U.S. and on the U.S. economy in terms of either creating or filling STEM jobs. Many of those studies underscore the importance of immigrants in boosting the high skilled, much needed, STEM labor force and …

Characterization Of The Immune Stimulating Properties Of Type Iii Secretion System Needle Protein Bscf From Bordetella Pertussis: Towards The Development Of A New Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Travis Douglas Alvine

Theses and Dissertations

Despite widespread vaccination, Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, is still a threat to global health. One cause of pertussis reemergence observed in many countries is ineffective immunity generated by the current acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that TLR stimulating agents can enhance aP vaccine induced immunity. Type III secretion (T3S) system needle proteins from many gram-negative bacteria have been shown to be strong TLR agonists that induce NF-B/AP-1 signaling and promote inflammatory cytokine release from innate cells in vitro. In this study, we investigated the immune modulating properties of BscF, a purified T3S …

Acetate Supplementation Reduces Disease Progression, Alters Cns And Myelin Lipid Content, And Influences Cns And Myelin Protein Content In Mice Subjected To Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, Amber C. Chevalier

Theses and Dissertations

Acetate supplementation increases brain acetyl-CoA levels that influence inflammation, energy production, histone and non-histone protein acetylation, and purinergic signaling. Interestingly, acetate significantly increases fatty acid content in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 (immortalized murine cell line) microglia compared to control-treated LPS-stimulated cells. This suggests that increasing brain acetyl-CoA metabolism may also influence lipid synthesis. We wanted to determine if treatment with glyceryl triacetate alters central nervous system (CNS) lipid content in mice subjected to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an autoimmune multiple sclerosis model. In addition, we performed experiments to determine whether treatment had an effect on disease progression, protein levels of enzymes …

An Investigation Of The Thermal Degradation Of Lignin, Sara Pourjafar

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to explore selected non-biological lignin decomposition reactions to determine if these reactions have the potential to generate fuel and chemical intermediates in a commercially feasible manner. Two different strategies were employed: 1) metal doped silica-alumina and γ-alumina catalytic decomposition reactions, and 2) base catalyzed sub- and supercritical water liquefaction.

The first strategy was built upon previous research to explore metal doped silica-alumina and γ-alumina catalytic lignin decomposition reactions in a batch reactor system. Commercially available silica-alumina and γ-alumina catalysts were individually doped with 5 and 10 wt % of molybdenum or copper via a …

The Effects Of Subject Presentation Types In Problem Based Learning (Pbl) Problems On Student Motivation: A Pbl Implementation In Speech Language Pathology, Elaine Kim Pyle

Theses and Dissertations

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an evidence-based instructional approach designed to maximize one’s ability to use static knowledge as evidence for solving authentic problems (Barrows, 1986). Students have been observed as underprepared or skipping steps during the PBL process due to fatigue or low motivation (Czabanowska, Moust, Meijer, Schr��-B夫, & Robertson, 2012). This study considered the impact of the presentation of the PBL subject (i.e., the key character involved in the problem) on student motivation within the context of Speech and Voice Science curricula. The results of this mixed-methods study showed the frequency of engagement behaviors declined overall. Although engagement levels …

Immune Regulatory Mechanism And Myeloid Cells Functions In Brain Parasite Infection, Fredice Quenum Zangbede

Theses and Dissertations

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common parasitic infection of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by the helminth parasite Taenia solium (T. solium) and affects 50-100 million people worldwide. Its clinical symptoms include headache, seizures, hydrocephalus, epilepsy and stroke. These clinical symptoms can have life-long detrimental effects. As many as half of the total adult-onset seizures and 10% of the stroke cases in the endemic areas are attributed to NCC, whereas 20% to 30% of symptomatic patients display hydrocephalus. Treatment of NCC remains a major challenge as the severity of the symptoms is thought to be elicited by the degenerating …

Chromatographic Analysis Of Low Molecular Weight Polar Compounds In Complex Environmental Matrices And Renewable Materials, Jana Rousova

Theses and Dissertations

One of the challenges in characterization of complex environmental matrices and renewable materials is the determination low molecular weight polar compounds (LMWPCs). Depending on the matrix, the targeted LMWPCs include acids, aldehydes, sugars, sugar alcohols or aminoacids. To investigate the role and impact of these species, a development of accurate and precise analytical protocols is essential. One of the challenges in analysis of LMWPCs is their volatility and thus potential losses during sample preparation. The various matrices including renewable materials may contain >100 compounds that are either non-targeted (i.e., their identity is not known prior to the analysis) or targeted …

The Effect Of Occupational Licensing On Women And Minorities In Utah, Jacob Caldwell, Colton Cowan, Olivia Abercrombie

Research on Capitol Hill

The Effect of Occupational Licensing on Women and Minorities in Utah

Jacob Caldwell, Colton Cowan, Olivia Mackelprang, Fiona Harrigan

All state governments require occupational licenses in order to work in certain fields. Previous research and economic theory suggest occupational licenses are used to restrict the entry of workers into a chosen field, thus lowering the competition in a certain field (Young, 2012). Though costly to the licensed businesses, the lowered competition results in the ability to charge higher prices which may result in a net gain for the licensee (Stigler, 1971; Peltzman, 1976).We collect, analyze, and create an index from …

Optimizing The Growth And Characterization Of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells, Lori Caldwell

Research on Capitol Hill

Introduction: Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries and accounts for nearly 10% of vision loss around the world. One major difficulty in studying AMD is modeling the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in vitro. The RPE is a single layer of cells that supports photoreceptors by providing nutrients and filtering waste products. RPE cells grow on the acellular Bruch’s membrane, which sits directly superior to the choroid layer. RPE have a characteristic dark pigment and grow in tight polygonal cell junctions. When grown in tissue culture flasks, these characteristics are not exhibited. …

Murder She Wrote: Death And Drama In Nesting Woodpeckers, Mariah Panoussi, Taryn Rodman, Allison Stassel, Ryan Sabel, Melanie Athens, Blake Christensen, Ryan Gallegos, Taylor Albrecht

Research on Capitol Hill

Woodpeckers serve a vital role as a keystone species in their respective biome by excavating nesting cavities that are in turn used by numerous forest birds and animals. These secondary cavity nesters rely heavily on the success of primary nesters in order to ensure their own reproductive success. Unfortunately numerous woodpeckers, such as the Black-backed (Picoides arcticus) and White-headed Woodpeckers (Picoides albolarvatus), have seen a large decline in numbers and are now considered a threatened species. Inability for these woodpeckers to reproduce creates a top-down trophic cascade in their biome. In an effort to better understand …

Royal Jelly Diet For In-Vitro Rearing Of Bumble Bee Larvae, Shannon Heiner

Research on Capitol Hill

Royal Jelly Diet for in-vitro Rearing of Bumble Bee Larvae

Successful in-vitro rearing of honey bees (Apis mellifera) has supported scientific advancements through accelerated laboratory research studies. However, in-vitro rearing has never successfully been conducted for any species of bumble bee larvae. The objective of this research was to test techniques to rear bumble bee larvae in-vitro. With in-vitro rearing, researchers are able to control and manipulate variables such as diet and pesticide exposure, to observe their effects on the study organisms. Additionally, comparison of experimental data to natural situations can lead to insights about the performance of bumble …