Life Sciences Commons^™

Spring Field Report, March To May 1999, W. Ross Silcock, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

This spring proved an exciting season for several reasons. For warbler fans, it described a dream with lots of birds to look at and a rather incredible species count (for anywhere) of no fewer than 381 Many "eastern" warblers were found westward, especially at "islands" of habitat such as the Geneva Cemetery and similar spots just beyond the western edge of the original eastern woodland region, as well as the Panhandle. For rarity counters, spring included no fewer than 4 first state records: Glossy Ibis, Gray Flycatcher, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Brambling. We make here a special note that the …

Two Poems: The Hawk [And] Baltimore Oriole, Don Welch, Mark Emil Sanders

Nebraska Bird Review

The Hawk

Baltimore Oriole

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 31, No.2 June 1999

The Prairie Naturalist

SPATlAL VARIATION IN POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF SHOVELNOSE STURGEON IN THE KANSAS RIVER ▪ M. C. Quist and C. S. Guy

INFLUENCE OF FIRE AND TRAPPING EFFORT ON GROUND BEETLES IN A RECONSTRUCTED TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ▪ K. J. Larsen and J. B. Williams

FISH ASSEMBLAGES AND HABITAT RELATIONSHIPS IN A SMALL NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS STREAM ▪ C. A. Barfoot and R. G. White

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA 1998 ▪ R. N. Randall

NEW RECORDS OF THE PYGMY SHREW IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ C. B. King, G. M. Wilson, and P. D. Sudman

BUFFLEHEAD BROOD IN NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA …

Broad-Spectrum Protection Against Tombusviruses Elicited By Defective Interfering Rnas In Transgenic Plants, Teresa Rubio, Marise Borja, Herman Scholthof, Paul A. Feldstein, Thomas Jack Morris, Andrew O. Jackson

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

We have designed a DNA cassette to transcribe defective interfering (DI) RNAs of tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) and have investigated their potential to protect transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants from tombusvirus infections. To produce RNAs with authentic 5’ and 3’ termini identical to those of the native B10 DI RNA, the DI RNA sequences were flanked by ribozymes (RzDI). When RzDI RNAs transcribed in vitro were mixed with parental TBSV transcripts and inoculated into protoplasts or plants, they became amplified, reduced the accumulation of the parental RNA, and mediated attenuation of the lethal syndrome characteristic of TBSV infections. Analysis of …

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments 1998-99, Bruce Johnson, Brandon G.Y. Raddatz

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Reports

After 11 consecutive years of value increases, Nebraska agricultural real estate values experienced modest declines during the year ending February 1, 1999. According to the UNL Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments Survey, values fell an average of 2.8 percent from year-earlier levels. As the year 1998 developed into an income-shortfall year across virtually all of the state's agricultural sector, it was almost inevitable that a more cautious market attitude would exist and land values decline. In fact, for many market observers, the surprise was not that early 1999 values were down, but rather that the value decrease was generally …

Flea News 58 (June 1999), Robert E. Lewis

Flea News

Obituary: Lindolpho Rocha Guimarães (January 24, 1908-November 7, 1998)

Miscellanea

Siphonaptera literature

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci Influencing Traits Related To Energy Balance In Selection And Inbred Lines Of Mice, D. E. Moody, Daniel Pomp, Merlyn K. Nielsen, L. Dale Van Vleck

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Energy balance is a complex trait with relevance to the study of human obesity and maintenance energy requirements of livestock. The objective of this study was to identify, using unique mouse models, quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing traits that contribute to variation in energy balance. Two F₂ resource populations were created from lines of mice differing in heat loss measured by direct calorimetry as an indicator of energy expenditure. The HB F₂ resource population originated from a cross between a noninbred line selected for high heat loss and an inbred line with low heat loss. Evidence for significant …

The Timing And Pattern Of Myogenesis In Hymenochirus Boettgeri, Matthew T. Smetanick, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Differences in the relative timing of homologous developmental events among closely related species, known as heterochronies, may provide valuable clues in understanding evolutionary relationships (McKinney, 1988; McNamara, 1995). Examining the timing of myogenic events is a relatively easy and effective method for finding heterochronic events. For example, whether muscle proteins and myofibrils appear before or after multinucleation can be determined through histological techniques (Kielbowna, 1981). Simple observations of live specimens can pinpoint functional landmarks such as first twitch (spontaneous or due to external stimuli) and first heartbeat.

Insertional Inactivation Of Treponema Denticola Tap1 Results In A Nonmotile Mutant With Elongated Flagellar Hooks, Ronald J. Limberger, Linda L. Slivienski, Jacques Izard, William A. Samsonoff

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The treponemal fla operon is comprised of numerous motility-related genes; however, the initial gene of this operon, tap1, has no known function. A recently developed system to generate specific mutants in Treponema denticola was utilized to determine if Tap1 was essential for motility. T. denticola tap1 and flanking DNA were identified, cloned, and sequenced, and a suicide plasmid that contained tap1 interrupted with an erythromycin resistance cassette (ermF and ermAM) was constructed. Because of potential polar effects from this cassette, a second plasmid that contained tap1 interrupted with a modified erythromycin resistance cassette that lacked the putative ermF transcription …

The 'Significant Others' Of American Kestrels: Cohabitation With Arthropods, Jeffrey P. Neubig, John Smallwood

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We examined the arthropod fauna that coexists in nest boxes with American Kestrel chicks (Falco sparverius) in northwestern New Jersey. Of the seven arthropod species present, five were scavenging beetles, including carrion beetles (Silpha inaequalis), hister beetles (Atholus americanus and Phelister subrotundus), dermestid beetles (Dermestes caninus), and skin beetles (Trox foveicollis), which apparently were attracted to prey remains that accumulated in the nest boxes. Arthropod density and species richness were significantly greater for nest boxes in which kestrels bred than for unoccupied nest boxes.

The Winogradsky Column & Biofilms: Models For Teaching Nutrient Cycling & Succession In An Ecosystem, Delia Castro Anderson, Rosalina V. Hairston

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Creatine Supplementation Differentially Affects Maximal Isometric Strength And Time To Fatigue In Large And Small Muscle Groups, William J. Vincent, Steven F. Loy, Richard L. Urbanski, Ben B. Yaspelkis

Faculty Publications

Ten physically active, untrained, college-aged males (26.4 ± 5.8 years old) received creatine (CR. 5 g creatine monohydrate + 3 g dextrose) and placebo (PLA, 7 g dextrose) supplementation four times per day for 5 days in a doubleblind, randomized, balanced, crossover design. Performance was assessed during maximal and three repeated submaximal bouts of isometric knee extension and handgrip exercise. CR supplementation significantly increased (p < .05) maximal isometric strength during knee extension but not during handgrip exercise. CR supplementation increased time to fatigue during each of the three bouts of submaximal knee extension and handgrip exercise when compared to the PLA trials. These findings suggest that CR supplementation can increase maximal strength and time to fatigue during isometric exercise. However, the improvements in maximal isometric strength following CR supplementation appear to be restricted to movements performed with a large muscle mass.

Mycorrhizae Indirectly Enhance Competitive Effects Of An Invasive Forb On A Native Bunchgrass, Marilyn J. Marler, Catherine A. Zabinski, Ragan M. Callaway

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mycorrhizae are important mediators of plant competition, but little is known about the role of mycorrhizae in the intense competitive effects that exotic plants can have on native species. In the greenhouse, we tested the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on interspecific competition between Centaurea maculosa and Festuca idahoensis, on intraspecific competition between individuals of both species, and the growth of C. maculosa with either inorganic or organic phosphorus. Mycorrhizae had no direct effect on either species, but mycorrhizae increased C. maculosa's negative effect on F. idahoensis. When competing with C. maculosa, nonmycorrhizal F. idahoensis were 171% larger than …

Global Patterns Of Terrestrial Biological Nitrogen (N2) Fixation In Natural Ecosystems, Cory C. Cleveland, Alan R. Townsend, David S. Schimel, Hank Fisher, Robert W. Howarth, Lars O. Hedin, Steven S. Perakis, Erika F. Latty, Joseph C. Von Fischer, Adrien Elseroad, Matt F. Wasson

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Human activities have clearly caused dramatic alterations of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle, and analyses of the extent and effects of such changes are now common in the scientific literature. However, any attempt to evaluate N cycling processes within ecosystems, as well as anthropogenic influences on the N cycle, requires an understanding of the magnitude of inputs via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Although there have been many studies addressing the microbiology, physiology, and magnitude of N fixation at local scales, there are very few estimates of BNF over large scales. We utilized >100 preexisting published estimates of BNF to generate biome- …

Biological-Control Herbivores May Increase Competitive Ability Of The Noxious Weed Centaurea Maculosa, Ragan M. Callaway, Thomas H. Deluca, Wendy M. Belliveau

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Biocontrol organisms are generally applied in an attempt to reduce the vigor of target species and provide native species with an competitive advantage. We tested the effectiveness of a widely used biocontrol moth, Agapeta zoegana (knapweed root moth) for two years in the field and found that it had no significant direct effect on the biomass of Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed), one of the most destructive invasive plants in North America. Instead of releasing a native grass from competition, the reproductive output of Festuca idahoensis planted with Centaurea was significantly lower when neighboring Centaurea had been attacked by Agapeta. In …

Use Of Boron Compounds To Reduce Phototyellowing Of Mechanical Pulps, Qilin Zhou

Masters Theses

Bleached chemithermomechanical pulps (BCTMP) are replacing chemical pulps such as bleached kraft pulp (BKP) in many paper grades. However, the loss of brightness that arises from exposure to light remains a significant impediment to the wider use of these pulps. Efforts have been made in reducing photoyellowing, but so far no universal, economical method has been found which converts high-yield pulp into a product with brightness stability comparable to that of a bleached chemical pulp.

This study evaluates the ability of sodium borate and/or boric acid to inhibit the yellowing process of paper that was made from BCTMP, with an …

Use Of Anal Gland Secretion To Distinguish The Two Beaver Species Castor Canadensis And C. Fiber, Frank Rosell, Lixing Sun

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Introduced North American beavers Castor canadensis pose a potential threat to the continuing recovery of Eurasian beaver C. fiber populations in several European countries. For management purposes, it is necessary to be able to identify and distinguish the two species. This, however, is difficult because the two species are morphologically, ecologically and behaviorally similar. To find a method for species identification, we examined the possibility of using anal gland secretion (AGS) collected from the two beaver species. We asked 20 inexperienced volunteers to inspect the color and viscosity of the AGS. When we provided the volunteers with the sex of …

Effect Of Obturation And / Or Coronal Seal On The Success Of Root Canal Therapy : An In Vivo Histologic Investigation, Douglas Snider

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Numerous studies have examined coronal leakage with in vitro protocols. A search of the literature showed the absence of a long term in vivo, histologic study, examining the effect of coronal and/or radicular leakage on periradicular health.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of obturation and / or coronal seal in preventing the formation of periradicular lesions in dogs over time. The study was conducted on six beagle dogs. Premolars were cleaned and shaped. Sixteen roots in each dog were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups of equal size. Group one was obturated using …

Media Coverage Of Epa's Draft Dioxin Reassessment Report, Sharon M. Friedman, Megan A. Fitzpatrick, Brenda P. Egolf

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using content analysis, the authors examine the utility of news media in democratic decision making.

Segmenting The Commercial Producer Marketplace For Agricultural Inputs, Brent A. Gloy, Jay Akridge

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

A cluster analysis procedure was used to develop a market segmentation of U.S. crop and livestock farms with annual sales in excess of $100,000. The segments were developed based on the importance of six factors that producers evaluate when selecting input suppliers. The results indicate that four distinct segments exist: Convenience buyers, Balance buyers, Price buyers, and Performance buyers. Differences in preferences across these segments have important implications for the marketing strategies of agricultural input suppliers.

An Engineered Closterovirus Rna Replicon And Analysis Of Heterologous Terminal Sequences For Replication, Satyanarayana Tatineni, Siddarame Gowda, V. P. Boyko, Maria R. Albiach-Marti, Munir Mawassi, J. Navas-Castillo, Alexander V. Karasev, V. Dolja, Mark E. Hilf, D. J. Lewandowski, P. Moreno, Moshe Bar-Joseph, S. M. Garnsey, William O. Dawson

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) populations in citrus trees are unusually complex mixtures of viral genotypes and defective RNAs developed during the long-term vegetative propagation of the virus and by additional mixing by aphid transmission. The viral replication process allows the maintenance of minor amounts of disparate genotypes and defective RNAs in these populations. CTV is a member of the Closteroviridae possessing a positive-stranded RNA genome of ≈20 kilobases that expresses the replicase-associated genes as an ≈400-kDa polyprotein and the remaining 10 3' genes through subgenomic mRNAs. A full-length cDNA clone of CTV was generated from which RNA transcripts capable of …

Scyphophyllidium Uruguayense N. Sp. (Eucestoda: Tetraphyllidea) In Mustelus Mento (Cope, 1877) (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) From La Paloma, Uruguay, Daniel R. Brooks, Fernando Marques, Carla Perroni, Corina Sidagis

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new species of Scyphophyllidium inhabits Mustelus mento near La Paloma, Uruguay. It resembles Scyphophyllidium giganteum from the Atlantic Ocean and specimens identified as S. giganteum from California by having anapolytic strobilae 155-258 mm long, 250-300 craspedote proglottids, scoleces 1.2-1.4 mm wide, necks 34-41 mm long, immature and mature proglottids wider than long, gravid proglottids wider than long to longer than wide, genital pores averaging 28% of proglottid length from the anterior end, relatively flat ovaries with digitiform lobes reaching the lateralmost extent of the testicular field, vitellaria in 2 fields converging toward the proglottid midline, straight and short cirrus …

Histogenesis In The Metacestode Of Echinococcus Vogeli And Mechanism Of Pathogenesis In Polycystic Hydatid Disease, Robert L. Rausch, Antonio D'Alessandro

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Histogenesis of the metacestode of Echinococcus vogeli was traced mainly in rodents inoculated intraperitoneally with finely minced infective vesicles. The fragments aggregated in the peritoneal cavity and coalesced, forming structures (plaques) from which primary vesicles arose. From primordia in their germinal tissue, exogenous vesicles developed, enlarged, and migrated outward to the surface of the laminated membrane, where they remained attached and proliferated. Each unit of vesicles so formed retained discrete identity and, within 6-8 months, acquired an adventitia; thereafter, exogenous multiplication ceased and endogenous proliferation supervened. Large numbers of daughter cysts arose in the germinal tissue lining chambers within the …

Borax As A Strength Additive In Recycling, Siva Krishnagopal Devisetti

Masters Theses

The effect of multiple recycling on strength properties and fiber properties like strength of fiber, weighted average fiber length, fines percentage and water retention values were investigated in this study. Borax was used as a strength aid and swelling agent to improve the flexibility of fiber and strength of recycled paper. Bleached softwood kraft pulp was used to make the hand sheets and recycled repeatedly for up to four cycles. The main objectives were to evaluate the chemically treated pulp and untreated pulp at each stage of recycling, to study the effect of multiple recycling on strength properties of paper …

Effects Of Long-Term, High-Altitude Hypoxemia On Fetal Ovine Coronary Arteries, Felizabel C. Garcia

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

To our knowledge, this is the first series of in vitro studies to investigate the effects of long-term, high-altitude hypoxemia on the contractility of fetal coronary vessels, namely the left circumflex, left anterior descending, and right coronary arteries. We have found that in response to chronic hypoxia, isolated fetal ovine coronary arteries exhibit attenuated contractile responsiveness to potassium and the thromboxane A2 mimetic. U46619. Furthermore, long-term, high-altitude hypoxia produced no significant alteration in the maximum relaxation response and sensitivity to adenosine in all vessel groups examined. We also addressed the possible role of nitric oxide (NO) in the pharmacological responsiveness …

Regulation Of Synthesis And Actions Of Bone Growth Factors, Rashmi Malpe

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Among the many bone growth factors, this study focused on the IGF and BMP systems because of some of their unique functions, namely, IGFs function both as local and systemic agents and BMPs are capable of inducing de novo bone formation at non-skeletal sites. There is varied osteoblast differentiation in and load bearing on the skeletal system which led to the first study whose hypothesis was that these skeletal site dependent differences are associated with site-specific differences in IGF system components' production. Results from their quantitation in the CM of normal HBC derived from calvaria, mandibles, ribs, vertebrae, and marrow …

Antitumor Effect Of Il-2, P53, And Bax Naked Gene Transfer In C6 Glioma Cells, Peyman Haghighat

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

[Abstract not included]

Morphological Pattern And Frequency Of Thyroid Tumors, S H. Shah, S Muzaffar, I N. Soomro, Sheema H. Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective:
The present study was done to evaluate the frequency of thyroid cancer and to find out the prevalence of histological types of thyroid tumor with respect to age and sex group.
Setting:
This study included consecutive cases of malignant tumors of thyroid gland, which were diagnosed in the Department of Pathology at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi during the period of three years (1995-1997).
Methods:
These cases were evaluated on H & E stained sections from paraffin embedded 10% buffered formalin fixed tissue blocks. Special stains and immunohistochemical analysis were performed whenever required.Results: A total of 8541 malignant …

The Timing And Pattern Of Myogenesis In Hymenochirus Boettgeri, Matthew T. Smetanick, Rafael O. De Sá, Gary P. Radice

Biology Faculty Publications

Differences in the relative timing of homologous developmental events among closely related species, known as heterochronies, may provide valuable clues in understanding evolutionary relationships (McKinney, 1988; McNamara, 1995). Examining the timing of myogenic events is a relatively easy and effective method for finding heterochronic events. For example, whether muscle proteins and myofibrils appear before or after multinucleation can be determined through histological techniciques (Kielbowna, 1981). Simple observations of live specimens can pinpoint functional landmarks such as first twitch (spontaneous or due to external stimuli) and first heartbeat.

Does The Water Dragon, Physignathus Lesueurii (Gray 1831), Occur In New Guinea?, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Greg Johnston

Biology Faculty Publications

The Australian water dragon, Physignathus lesueurii (Gray 1831), is a large acrodontan lizard which occurs in eastern Australia and has been reported from western New Guinea (Fig. 1). The species appears to be absent from eastern New Guinea (Allison 1982).