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Lakeshore Modification Reduces Secondary Production Of Macroinvertebrates In Littoral But Not Deeper Zones, Marlene Pätzig, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Mario Brauns

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Littoral macroinvertebrates are an integral component of lake food webs, but their productivity may be affected by shoreline alteration. We hypothesized that human modification of lake shores simplifies habitat diversity, which, in turn, affects littoral macroinvertebrate production and patterns of depth–production relationships. Furthermore, we expected that lakeshore modification would favor nonnative species, potentially compensating for negative effects of lakeshore modification on production of native taxa. To test these ideas, we estimated benthic macroinvertebrate production in the upper littoral, middle littoral, and profundal zones of a large lowland lake (Lake Scharmützelsee) in Northeast Germany. We collected samples between April and November …

Comprehensive Inventory Of True Flies (Diptera) At A Tropical Site, Brian V. Brown, Art Borkent, Peter H. Adler, Dalton De Souza Amorim, Kevin Barber, Daniel Bickel, Stephanie Boucher, Scott E. Brooks, John Burger, Zelia L. Burington, Renato S. Capellari, Daniel N.R. Costa, Jeffrey M. Cumming, Greg Curler, Carl W. Dick, John H. Epler, Eric Fisher, Stephen D. Gaimari, Jon Gelhaus, David A. Grimaldi, John Hash, Martin Hauser, Heikki Hippa, Sergio Ibáñez-Bernal, Mathias Jaschhof, Elena P. Kameneva, Peter H. Kerr, Valery Korneyev, Cheslavo A. Korytkowski

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Estimations of tropical insect diversity generally suffer from lack of known groups or faunas against which extrapolations can be made, and have seriously underestimated the diversity of some taxa. Here we report the intensive inventory of a four-hectare tropical cloud forest in Costa Rica for one year, which yielded 4332 species of Diptera, providing the first verifiable basis for diversity of a major group of insects at a single site in the tropics. In total 73 families were present, all of which were studied to the species level, providing potentially complete coverage of all families of the order likely to …

The Pacific Sentinel, December 2018, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Signing the Movement;
• Man in CPSO Custody Dies on Thanksgiving;
• Lars Larson and PSU Clash;
• Mt. Hood Faults Add Earthquake Threat to Portland;
• The Kelp Forests and Sea Urchins: It's Complicated;
• Pennsylvania Catholic Church Knew of Over 1,000 Victims;
• Will the City of Portland Increase Houseless Sweeps?;
• The Portland Book Festival Formerly Known as Wordstock;
• Herstory in the Making: Historic Firsts and Other Election Results;
• Oregon Voting Laws; Public Education Victories in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona are a Model for the Country;
• One Nation In/Divisible: Examining the Two-Party System;
• Should We Start …

Brain Activity In College Students With The Broad Autism Phenotype, Amy Gaylord Beaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined brain activity in college students with the broad autism phenotype (BAP) while viewing facial expressions. Quantitative Electroencephalogram assessments were conducted in the temporal lobe area in the brains of 38 college students declared as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors. Participants were divided into BAP+ versus BAP- groups based on their scores on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Findings revealed that individuals categorized as BAP+ demonstrated a higher alpha relative power score and a higher T4 relative to T3 coherence Z score when looking at expressive faces than when looking at neutral faces when …

Spectral Sensitivity In Ray-Finned Fishes: Diversity, Ecology And Shared Descent, Lorian E. Schweikert, Robert R. Fitak, Eleanor M. Caves, Tracey Sutton, Sonke Johnsen

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A major goal of sensory ecology is to identify factors that underlie sensory-trait variation. One open question centers on why fishes show the greatest diversity among vertebrates in their capacity to detect color (i.e. spectral sensitivity). Over the past several decades, λ_max values (photoreceptor class peak sensitivity) and chromacy (photoreceptor class number) have been cataloged for hundreds of fish species, yet the ecological basis of this diversity and the functional significance of high chromacy levels (e.g. tetra- and pentachromacy) remain unclear. In this study, we examined phylogenetic, physiological and ecological patterns of spectral sensitivity of ray-finned fishes (Actinoptergyii) via …

Bryophyte Assemblages On American Hornbeam (Carpinus Caroliniana) And The Surrounding Arboreal Communities Within The Forest Of East Texas, Cassey Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The bryophytes, the non-vascular plants, include the mosses (Bryophyta with approximately 13,000 species), the liverworts (Marchantiophyta with approximately 5,000 species), and the hornworts (Anthocerotophyta with approximately 150 species). Initial observations indicated that the midstory tree Carpinus caroliniana Walter (American hornbeam) has a bryophyte composition with an unusually high diversity of leafy liverworts. Voucher samples were taken from the four intercardinal directions (Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast) from six Carpinus trees and their nearest neighbor that was neither Pinus nor another Carpinus at each of six sites across East Texas. Percent coverage, species richness, Shannon’s diversity and Pielou’s evenness were computed. …

The Adoption Of Federal Scrutiny By State Supreme Courts In Same-Sex Marriage Jurisprudence, Shane Farrell

Lawrence University Honors Projects

It would be logical to assume state supreme courts, when reviewing state constitutional challenges, interpret their state constitutions in unique and independent ways. This is not true in same-sex marriage cases. Counterintuitively, state supreme courts use a non-independent standard of review created by the federal government. My research shows that state courts are shaped by federal scrutiny standards in same-sex marriage cases. I will show how Washington, Connecticut, and California all adopted federal scrutiny. I will also show how Vermont did not adopt the federal scrutiny, yet was still shaped by the standard.

Optimizing Photorespiration For Improved Crop Productivity, Paul F. South, Amanda P. Cavanagh, Patricia E. Lopez-Calcagno, Christine A. Raines, Donald R. Ort

Faculty Publications

© 2018 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences In C3 plants, photorespiration is an energy-expensive process, including the oxygenation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) by ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and the ensuing multi-organellar photorespiratory pathway required to recycle the toxic byproducts and recapture a portion of the fixed carbon. Photorespiration significantly impacts crop productivity through reducing yields in C3 crops by as much as 50% under severe conditions. Thus, reducing the flux through, or improving the efficiency of photorespiration has the potential of large improvements in C3 crop productivity. Here, we review an array of approaches intended to engineer photorespiration in …

Challenges During Diapause And Anhydrobiosis: Mitochondrial Bioenergetics And Desiccation Tolerance, Steven C. Hand, Daniel S. Moore, Yuvraj Patil

Faculty Publications

© 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology In preparation for the onset of environmental challenges like overwintering, food limitation, anoxia, or water stress, many invertebrates and certain killifish enter diapause. Diapause is a developmentally-programed dormancy characterized by suppression of development and metabolism. For embryos of Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp), the metabolic arrest is profound. These gastrula-stage embryos depress oxidative metabolism by ~99% during diapause and survive years of severe desiccation in a state termed anhydrobiosis. Trehalose is the sole fuel source for this developmental stage. Mitochondrial function during diapause is downregulated primarily by restricting substrate supply, as a …

Habitat Suitability Estimated By Niche Models Is Largely Unrelated To Species Abundance, Tad A. Dallas, Alan Hastings

Faculty Publications

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Data on species occurrences are far more common than data on species abundances. However, a central goal of large-scale ecology is to understand the spatial distribution of abundance. It has been proposed that species distribution models trained on species occurrence records may capture variation in species abundance. Here, we gauge support for relationships between species abundance and predicted climatic suitability from species distribution models, and relate the slope of this relationship to species traits, evolutionary relationships and sampling completeness. Location: USA. Time period: 1658–2017. Major taxa studied: Mammal and tree species. Methods, …

Large-Scale Computational Drug Repositioning To Find Treatments For Rare Diseases, Rajiv Gandhi Govindaraj, Misagh Naderi, Manali Singha, Jeffrey Lemoine, Michal Brylinski

Faculty Publications

© 2018, The Author(s). Rare, or orphan, diseases are conditions afflicting a small subset of people in a population. Although these disorders collectively pose significant health care problems, drug companies require government incentives to develop drugs for rare diseases due to extremely limited individual markets. Computer-aided drug repositioning, i.e., finding new indications for existing drugs, is a cheaper and faster alternative to traditional drug discovery offering a promising venue for orphan drug research. Structure-based matching of drug-binding pockets is among the most promising computational techniques to inform drug repositioning. In order to find new targets for known drugs ultimately leading …

Multidimensional Relationships Of Herbicides With Insect-Crop Food Webs, Anamika Sharma, Prashant Jha, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

Controlling weeds is critical for improving the yield and quality of crops. Herbicides are the most commonly applied pesticides in agro-ecosystems. Herbicides affect insects directly as contact damage and indirectly by influencing food supplies. The innate susceptibility, life stages, and mode of feeding of insects can affect the herbicide–insect interaction. Interaction of herbicides with insect pest and beneficial insects is mainly indirect and absence of weeds either can reduce the insect population or causes switching of host plant and hence can also increase the population. The direct effect of herbicides depends on carrier or surfactant used. Presence of herbicides also …

On A Stochastic 2d Simplified Liquid Crystal Model Driven By Jump Noise, T. Tachim Medjo

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Adoption Of Sustainable Agriculture Practices Among Farmers In Kentucky, Usa, Bijesh Mishra, Buddhi R. Gyawali, Krishna P. Paudel, Neelam C. Poudyal, Marion F. Simon, Siddhartha Dasgupta, George Antonious

Faculty Publications

© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Promoting the sustainable agricultural practices at an individual farm level is essential to ensure agricultural sustainability. This study analyzed whether and how various factors related to farm or farmers’ characteristics influence the adoption intensity of sustainable agriculture practices. We used a negative binomial regression model to fit the data collected from a mail survey of farmers in Kentucky, USA. Our results showed that the adoption intensity of sustainable agriculture practices varied significantly among agricultural districts in Kentucky. Farmers who grew row crops, had irrigation facilities, and were in favor of …

Dissolved Carbon Transport In A River-Lake Continuum: A Case Study In A Subtropical Watershed, Usa, Zhen Xu, Y. Jun Xu

Faculty Publications

Rivers and lakes have been traditionally studied as separate entities for carbon transport. However, there is a gap in our knowledge of the connectivity of dissolved carbon in a river-lake continuum. In this study, we analyzed dissolved carbon along the Little River-Catahoula Lake in subtropical Louisiana, United States to assess carbon biogeochemistry in such a river-lake continuum. Monthly in-situ measurements and water sample collections were made at four locations during April 2015 to February 2016 to determine riverine carbon transport into and out of the lake. Results show that much of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the river-lake continuum …

Gobbling Activity Of Eastern Wild Turkeys Relative To Male Movements And Female Nesting Phenology In South Carolina, Michael J. Chamberlain, Patrick H. Wightman, Bradley S. Cohen, Bret A. Collier

Faculty Publications

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) use a polygynous mating system, and males must balance fitness benefits of courtship displays against costs of their reproductive strategies. Wild turkeys are the only gamebird species in the contiguous United States hunted primarily during their reproductive period. Managers attempt to implement seasons that allow for hunter satisfaction while limiting effects to reproduction and ensuring sustainable populations. To minimize illegal harvest, managers often attempt to set spring hunting seasons when gobbling activity is high and females are actively incubating nests. Gobbling activity varies significantly both temporally and spatially, and relationships between gobbling activity and reproductive phenology …

Genome-Wide Discovery Of Dna Polymorphisms By Whole Genome Sequencing Differentiates Weedy And Cultivated Rice, Chenglin Chai, Rama Shankar, Mukesh Jain, Prasanta K. Subudhi

Faculty Publications

Analyzing the genome level DNA polymorphisms between weedy and cultivated rice is crucial to elucidate the molecular basis of weedy and agronomic traits, which in turn can enhance our ability to control weedy rice and its utilization for rice improvement. Here, we presented the genome-wide genetic variations between a weedy rice accession PSRR-1 and two cultivated rice accessions, Bengal and Nona Bokra, belonging to japonica and indica subspecies, respectively. The total number of SNPs and InDels in PSRR/Bengal was similar to that of Nona Bokra/Bengal, but was three times greater than that of PSRR/Nona Bokra. There were 11546 large-effect SNPs/InDels …

Effect Of Surrounding Vegetation On Microbial Survival Or Die-Off On Watermelon Surface In An Agriculture Setting, Vijay Singh Chhetri, Kathryn Fontenot, Ronald Strahan, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy, Katheryn J. Parraga Estrada, Achyut Adhikari

Faculty Publications

Preharvest contamination of produce with food borne pathogens has been a major food safety issue. In this study, we investigated the effect of surrounding vegetation on the survival of natural and inoculated generic Escherichia coli on watermelon rinds in an agricultural field setting. There was no significant difference (p >.05) on the populations of natural generic E. coli (1–1.46 log Most Probable Number (MPN)/sample) and coliforms (<3.99 log CFU/cm2) on watermelons harvested from low, medium, and high levels of vegetation. However, the survival rate of generic E. coli inoculated on watermelon rind discs was variable with the level of vegetation. A significant reduction in generic E. coli count was observed within 12 hr at all vegetation levels. After 108 hr, discs placed at low vegetation level had a highest die-off reduction (3 log Colony Forming Units (CFU)/cm2) compared to medium and high vegetation levels. Practical applications: To ensure preharvest produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) produce safety rule has suggested a time interval between last irrigation and harvest for potentially contaminating microorganisms to die-off. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the influence of surrounding vegetation on microbial die-off rates on produce in the agricultural field. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of considering the surrounding vegetation while making decisions for developing preharvest risk management strategies based on microbial die-off rate calculations.

Development Of Nanocomposite Adsorbents For Heavy Metal Removal From Wastewater, Bin Wang, Tingting Wu, Subramania Angaiah, Vignesh Murugadoss, Jong Eun Ryu, Evan K. Wujcik, Na Lu, David P. Young, Qiang Gao, Zhanhu Guo

Faculty Publications

Development of highly efficient, low cost adsorbents for heavy metal ion removal from wastewater is an enduring undertaking. Two major groups of nanocomposite adsorbents are reviewed here. The magnetic carbon family is first discussed including the preparation of such materials. Various carbon sources have been used in the preparation, and the structural characteristics have been analyzed. Cr(VI) removal studies unveil a wide range of performance. The second group adsorbents is polymer functionalized nanocomposites. One notable polymer is polyaniline which is a redox polymer. The redox nature allows the composite materials to facilitate Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III) which is prone to …

Management Plan For The Boone And Fort Patrick Henry Tailwater Trout Fisheries 2019-2024, Tennessee. Wildlife Resources Agency.

Strategic and Management Plans

No abstract provided.

Phylogenetic Taxon Definitions For Fungi, Dikarya, Ascomycota And Basidiomycota, David S. Hibbett, Meredith Blackwell, Timothy Y. James, Joseph W. Spatafora, John W. Taylor, Rytas Vilgalys

Biology

Phylogenetic taxon definitions (PTDs) are explicit, phylogeny-based statements that specify clades. PTDs are central to the system of rank-free classification that is governed by the PhyloCode, but they can also be used to clarify the meanings of ranked names. We present PTDs for four major groups: Fungi, Dikarya, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota.

Erythrocyte N-6 Fatty Acids And Risk For Cardiovascular Outcomes And Total Mortality In The Framingham Heart Study, William S. Harris, Nathan L. Tintle, Ramachandran S. Vasan

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Background: The prognostic value of erythrocyte levels of n-6 fatty acids (FAs) for total mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes remains an open question. Methods: We examined cardiovascular (CV) outcomes and death in 2500 individuals in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort without prevalent CVD (mean age 66 years, 57% women) as a function of baseline levels of different length n-6 FAs (18 carbon, 20 carbon, and 22 carbon) in the erythrocyte membranes. Clinical outcomes were monitored for up to 9.5 years (median follow up, 7.26 years). Cox proportional hazards models were adjusted for a variety of demographic characteristics, clinical …

Und Today: December 2018, University Of North Dakota

UND Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Accounting For Intraspecific Variation Transforms Our Understanding Of Artiodactyl Social Evolution, Monica Miles

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A major goal in the study of mammalian social systems has been to explain evolutionary transitions in social traits. Recent comparative analyses have used phylogenetic reconstructions to determine the evolution of social traits but have omitted intraspecific variation in social organization (IVSO) and mating systems (IVMS). My objectives were to (i) summarize the extent of IVSO and IVMS in Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla and (ii) determine the ancestral social organization and mating system for Artiodactyla. Eighty-two percent of artiodactyls showed IVSO, whereas 31% exhibited IVMS. Eighty percent of perissodactyls had variable social organization and only one species showed IVMS. The ancestral …

Intersectional Invisibilization: Black Female Movement Leaders In Mexico And Their Private Sphere Resistance, Lindsay Fasser

Undergraduate Honors Theses

International attention drew to Afro-Mexican individuals in 2015, when the Mexican inter-census survey first allowed Black Mexican people to self-identify as Afro-Mexican. The Black movement in Mexico revolving around recognition rather than liberation had been stirring in Coastal regions for decades prior, fueled by the work of incredible activists across the gender spectrum. However, the representation of such activists in public discourse is largely male. In analyzing this particular movement, the importance of intersectional theory becomes apparent, in unpacking both gendered and racialized forms of hierarchy and invisibility. By exploring the intersections between social movement and social suffering, as well …

Morphometric Characteristics And Time To Hatch As Efficacious Indicators For Potential Nanotoxicity Assay In Zebrafish, Seyed-Mohammadreza Samaee, Nafiseh Manteghi, Robert A. Yokel, Mohammad Reza Mohajeri-Tehrani

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Although the effects of nano-sized titania (nTiO₂) on hatching events (change in hatching time and total hatching) in zebrafish have been reported, additional consequences of nTiO₂ exposure (i.e., the effects of nTiO₂-induced changes in hatching events and morphometric parameters on embryo-larvae development and survivability) have not been reported. To address this knowledge gap, embryos 4 h postfertilization were exposed to nTiO₂ (0, 0.01, 10, and 1000 μg/mL) for 220 h. Hatching rate (58, 82, and 106 h postexposure [hpe]), survival rate (8 times from 34 to 202 hpe), and 21 morphometric characteristics (8 times …

Lrrk1 Regulation Of Actin Assembly In Osteoclasts Involves Serine 5 Phosphorylation Of L-Plastin, Mingjue Si, Helen Goodluck, Canjun Zeng, Songqin Pan, Elizabeth M Todd, Sharon Celeste Morley, Xuezhong Qin, Subburaman Mohan, Weirong Xing

Open Access Publications

Mice with disruption of Lrrk1 and patients with nonfunctional mutant Lrrk1 exhibit severe osteopetrosis phenotypes because of osteoclast cytoskeletal dysfunction. To understand how Lrrk1 regulates osteoclast function by modulating cytoskeleton rearrangement, we examined the proteins that are differentially phosphorylated in wild-type mice and Lrrk1-deficient osteoclasts by metal affinity purification coupled liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analyses. One of the candidates that we identified by LC/MS is L-plastin, an actin bundling protein. We found that phosphorylation of L-plastin at serine (Ser) residues 5 was present in wild-type osteoclasts but not in Lrrk1-deficient cells. Western blot analyses with antibodies specific for Ser5 phosphorylated …

Reengineering Workflow For Curation Of Dicom Datasets, William Bennett, Kirk Smith, Quasar Jarosz, Tracy Nolan, Walter Bosch

Open Access Publications

Reusable, publicly available data is a pillar of open science and rapid advancement of cancer imaging research. Sharing data from completed research studies not only saves research dollars required to collect data, but also helps insure that studies are both replicable and reproducible. The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) is a global shared repository for imaging data related to cancer. Insuring the consistency, scientific utility, and anonymity of data stored in TCIA is of utmost importance. As the rate of submission to TCIA has been increasing, both in volume and complexity of DICOM objects stored, the process of curation of collections …

Evolution And Mutations Predisposing To Daptomycin Resistance In Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Faecium St736 Strains, Guiqing Wang, Weihua Huang, Abhay Dhand, Changhong Yin, Marisa Montecalvo, Nevenka Dimitrova, John T. Fallon

NYMC Faculty Publications

We recently identified a novel vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) clone ST736 with reduced daptomycin susceptibility. The objectives of this study were to assess the population dynamics of local VREfm strains and genetic alterations predisposing to daptomycin resistance in VREfm ST736 strains. Multilocus sequence typing and single nucleotide variant data were derived from whole-genome sequencing of 250 E. faecium isolates from 1994-1995 (n = 43), 2009-2012 (n = 115) and 2013 (n = 92). A remarkable change was noticed in the clonality and antimicrobial resistance profiles of E. faecium strains between 1994-1995 and 2013. VREfm sequence type 17 (ST17), the prototype …

Population Demographics Of Sauger And Simulated Effects Of Minimum Length Limits In The Kaskaskia And Ohio Rivers, Gregory Whitledge, Kasey Seibert, Neil Rude, Devon Oliver, Alex Loubere, Justin Seibert

Publications

Sauger Sander canadensis are a popular sport fish native to large turbid midwestern rivers and are in decline across much of their range due to habitat loss and exploitation. Specifically, within the lower Kaskaskia and Ohio rivers, Sauger are managed under different harvest regulations and a knowledge gap exists regarding the current status of both populations as well as the effects of the harvest regulations on the size and age structures of both populations. We collected Sauger by nighttime boat electrofishing during early winter 2014–2016 and used otoliths to age all fish. Sauger stocks in both rivers exhibited fast growth …