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Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Environmental Dna Sequencing Primers For Eutardigrades And Bdelloid Rotifers, Byron J. Adams, Jeremy Whiting, Elizabeth K. Costello, Kristen R. Freeman, Andrew P. Martin, Michael S. Robeson, Steve K. Schmidt Dec 2009

Environmental Dna Sequencing Primers For Eutardigrades And Bdelloid Rotifers, Byron J. Adams, Jeremy Whiting, Elizabeth K. Costello, Kristen R. Freeman, Andrew P. Martin, Michael S. Robeson, Steve K. Schmidt

Faculty Publications

Background: The time it takes to isolate individuals from environmental samples and then extract DNA from each individual is one of the problems with generating molecular data from meiofauna such as eutardigrades and bdelloid rotifers. The lack of consistent morphological information and the extreme abundance of these classes makes morphological identification of rare, or even common cryptic taxa a large and unwieldy task. This limits the ability to perform large-scale surveys of the diversity of these organisms. Here we demonstrate a culture-independent molecular survey approach that enables the generation of large amounts of eutardigrade and bdelloid rotifer sequence data directly …


Differential Mortality Drives Life-History Evolution And Population Dynamics In The Fish Brachyrhaphis Rhabdophora, Jerald B. Johnson, J. Jaime Zuniga-Vega Aug 2009

Differential Mortality Drives Life-History Evolution And Population Dynamics In The Fish Brachyrhaphis Rhabdophora, Jerald B. Johnson, J. Jaime Zuniga-Vega

Faculty Publications

Life-history theory predicts that populations experiencing different levels of extrinsic mortality will evolve divergent reproductive strategies. Previous work in the live bearing fish Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora shows that individuals from populations that occur with piscivorous fish mature earlier and at smaller sizes and have more and smaller offspring than fish from populations without predators. However, until now, there have been no data to demonstrate that differences in mortality rates actually exist between predator and predator free sites. Here we present the results of a serial mark-recapture field study designed to estimate mortality rates in natural populations of B. rhabodophora from Costa …


Transcriptomic Analysis Of The Entomopathogenic Nematode Heterorhabditis Bacteriophora Tto1, Byron J. Adams, Xiaodong Bai, Todd A. Ciche, Sandra Clifton, Randy Gaugler, Parwinder S. Grewal, Saskia A. Hogenhout, John Spieth, Paul W. Sternberg, Richard K. Wilson Apr 2009

Transcriptomic Analysis Of The Entomopathogenic Nematode Heterorhabditis Bacteriophora Tto1, Byron J. Adams, Xiaodong Bai, Todd A. Ciche, Sandra Clifton, Randy Gaugler, Parwinder S. Grewal, Saskia A. Hogenhout, John Spieth, Paul W. Sternberg, Richard K. Wilson

Faculty Publications

Background: The entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and its symbiotic bacterium, Photorhabdus luminescens, are important biological control agents of insect pests. This nematode-bacterium-insect association represents an emerging tripartite model for research on mutualistic and parasitic symbioses. Elucidation of mechanisms underlying these biological processes may serve as a foundation for improving the biological control potential of the nematode-bacterium complex. This large-scale expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis effort enables gene discovery and development of microsatellite markers. These ESTs will also aid in the annotation of the upcoming complete genome sequence of H. bacteriophora. Results: A total of 31,485 high quality ESTs were generated …


Ionic Selectivity In L-Type Calcium Channels By Electrostatics And Hard-Core Repulsion, Dezso Boda, Douglas Henderson, Monika Valisko, Bob Eisenberg, Dirk Gillespie Apr 2009

Ionic Selectivity In L-Type Calcium Channels By Electrostatics And Hard-Core Repulsion, Dezso Boda, Douglas Henderson, Monika Valisko, Bob Eisenberg, Dirk Gillespie

Faculty Publications

A physical model of selective "ion binding" in the L-type calcium channel is constructed, and consequences of the model are compared with experimental data. This reduced model treats only ions and the carboxylate oxygens of the EEEE locus explicitly and restricts interactions to hard-core repulsion and ion–ion and ion–dielectric electrostatic forces. The structural atoms provide a flexible environment for passing cations, thus resulting in a self-organized induced-fit model of the selectivity filter. Experimental conditions involving binary mixtures of alkali and/or alkaline earth metal ions are computed using equilibrium Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble. The model pore rejects …


Desiccation Survival In An Antarctic Nematode: Molecular Analysis Using Expressed Sequenced Tags, Byron J. Adams, Bishwo N. Adhikari, Diana H. Wall Feb 2009

Desiccation Survival In An Antarctic Nematode: Molecular Analysis Using Expressed Sequenced Tags, Byron J. Adams, Bishwo N. Adhikari, Diana H. Wall

Faculty Publications

Background: Nematodes are the dominant soil animals in Antarctic Dry Valleys and are capable of surviving desiccation and freezing in an anhydrobiotic state. Genes induced by desiccation stress have been successfully enumerated in nematodes; however we have little knowledge of gene regulation by Antarctic nematodes which can survive multiple environmental stresses. To address this problem we investigated the genetic responses of a nematode species, Plectus murrayi, that is capable of tolerating Antarctic environmental extremes, in particular desiccation and freezing. In this study, we provide the first insight into the desiccation induced transcriptome of an Antarctic nematode through cDNA library construction …


Using A Mathematical Model Of Cadherin-Based Adhesion To Understand The Function Of The Actin Cytoskeleton, J. C. Dallon, Elijah Newren, Marc Hansen Jan 2009

Using A Mathematical Model Of Cadherin-Based Adhesion To Understand The Function Of The Actin Cytoskeleton, J. C. Dallon, Elijah Newren, Marc Hansen

Faculty Publications

The actin cytoskeleton plays a role in cell-cell adhesion but its specific function is not clear. Actin might anchor cadherins or drive membrane protrusions in order to facilitate cell-cell adhesion. Using a mathematical model of the forces involved in cadherin-based adhesion we investigate its possible functions. The immersed boundary method is used to model the cell membrane and cortex with cadherin binding forces added as linear springs. The simulations indicate that cells in suspension can develop normal cell-cell contacts without actin-based cadherin anchoring or membrane protrusions. The cadherins can be fixed in the membrane or free to move and the …


Optimization Of A Convective Air Flow Solar Food Dryer, Jonathan K. Russon, Michael L. Dunn, Frost M. Steele Jan 2009

Optimization Of A Convective Air Flow Solar Food Dryer, Jonathan K. Russon, Michael L. Dunn, Frost M. Steele

Faculty Publications

A solar food dryer, previously developed for personal and small community use, was the object of this optimization study. Based on previous research of convective solar food dehydrators, several dryer parameters were identified for this study. Chimney height and dryer product load were two factors tested in a central composite experimental design. Dryer product load was found to produce a maximum efficiency of the dryer when fifteen product-filled trays were inserted in the dryer. Maximum efficiency was observed at the maximum chimney height tested. Post-optimization configuration compared with pre-optimization configuration resulted in a 40% increase in final dry product production …


The Short-Term Effect Of Whole Body Vibration Training On Sprint Start Performance In Collegiate Athletes, J. Brent Feland, J. Ty Hopkins, Iain Hunter, Brad Roberts Jan 2009

The Short-Term Effect Of Whole Body Vibration Training On Sprint Start Performance In Collegiate Athletes, J. Brent Feland, J. Ty Hopkins, Iain Hunter, Brad Roberts

Faculty Publications

Whole body vibration (WBV) is characterized by a vibratory stimulus emitted throughout the body through the use of a vibrating platform on which the subject stands. Studies have shown over 30% increases in maximal explosive strength such as maximal speed biceps curl as well as increases in maximum dynamic force such as maximal sitting bench pull as the result of vibration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of short term whole-body vibration on sprint starts among collegiate track athletes. On the first day eleven subjects were randomly assigned to either a non-vibration or vibration group for …


Neurophysiological Reflex Mechanisms’ Lack Of Contribution To The Success Of Pnf Stretches, J. Brent Feland, Sterling C. Hilton, J. Ty Hopkins, Iain Hunter, Ulrike H. Mitchell, J. William Myrer Jan 2009

Neurophysiological Reflex Mechanisms’ Lack Of Contribution To The Success Of Pnf Stretches, J. Brent Feland, Sterling C. Hilton, J. Ty Hopkins, Iain Hunter, Ulrike H. Mitchell, J. William Myrer

Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretches are widely used in athletics and rehabilitation. Although it has been shown that they produce better range-of-motion (ROM) increases than the slow or static stretch, the mechanisms responsible remain an enigma. This study was conducted to determine whether the previously proposed neurophysiological mechanisms of reciprocal inhibition and autogenic inhibition are responsible for the success of PNF stretches. In addition, the authors assessed the existence of the phenomenon of successive induction because it is used to strengthen reciprocal inhibition. Methods: Eighteen subjects 17–44 y performed the PNF stretches contract–relax (CR) and contract–relax, agonist …