Life Sciences Commons^™

Cropwatch No. 2003-26, November 21 , 2003, Lisa Jasa

Crop Watch (1994–2005)

Inside

Get out your calendar! This final 2003 issue features a wealth of winter meetings

Briefs………….242

Corn Expo………….242

Resistance Questions………….243

Soybean Expo………….244

Crop Management………….245

Southwest NE Meetings………….247

Pesticide Applicator………….248

Irrigation Conference………….248

Women in Ag………….248

Crop Protection Clinics………….249

Corn/soybean Profitability………….249

Agronomy Highlights………….250

Continuous Hyperspectral Absorption Measurements Of Colored Dissolved Organic Material In Aquatic Systems, Gary J. Kirkpatrick, Cristina Orrico, Mark A. Moline, Matthew Oliver, Oscar M. Schofield

Biological Sciences

The majority of organic carbon in the oceans is present as dissolved organic matter (DOM); therefore understanding the distribution and dynamics of DOM is central to understanding global carbon cycles. Describing the time-space variability in colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) has been difficult, as standard spectrophotometric methods for CDOM determination are laborious and susceptible to methodological biases. Previously, measurements of CDOM absorption in discrete water samples by use of a liquid-waveguide capillary cell (LWCC) compared favorably with measurements made with a benchtop spectrophotometer. Given this, we focused on automating the LWCC technique to improve our spatial and temporal sampling capabilities …

Validating And Refining Clusters Via Visual Rendering, Keke Chen, Ling Liu

Kno.e.sis Publications

The automatic clustering algorithms are known to work well in dealing with clusters of regular shapes, e.g. compact spherical/elongated shapes, but may incur higher error rates when dealing with arbitrarily shaped clusters. Although some efforts have been devoted to addressing the problem of skewed datasets, the problem of handling clusters with irregular shapes is still in its infancy, especially in terms of dimensionality of the datasets and the precision of the clustering results considered. Not surprisingly, the statistical indices works ineffective in validating clusters of irregular shapes, too. We address the problem of clustering and validating arbitrarily shaped clusters with …

Peirce Island Pool Discharge Elimination, Natalie Landry

PREP Reports & Publications

The Peirce Island Pool is owned by the City of Portsmouth and serves approximately 19,000 swimmers each summer. The pool was originally constructed in the 1930s and updated in the 1970s and again in the mid 1990s. The pool’s 800,000 gallons of water were cleaned through a rapid sand filter. The filter was then cleaned through a backwash process and that wastewater was discharged directly into the Piscataqua River which is part of the Great Bay Estuary. The City sought and was awarded funds through the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to eliminate the direct discharge to the River. The …

A Case For Taxonomic Recognition Of The Taxon Enodia Anthedon Borealis A. H. Clark (Satyridae), Alex Grkovich, Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Clark (1936) described the taxa anthedon and borealis both as new subspecies of Enodia portlandia (Fabricius, 1781). Clark described borealis as the northernmost phenotypically different taxon in this group. Anthedon later became recognized as a distinct species with borealis as a subspecies of it. Masters (1971) characterized E. anthedon borealis as displaying several subtle phenotypic differences from nominotypical anthedon and also noted significant differences in behavior and habitat and reinforced the continued recognition of borealis as a valid subspecies. However, a number of publications after 1971 generally failed to recognize subspecific status for borealis, either ignoring borealis entirely …

A Taxonomic Review Of Chlosyne Ismeria With Description Of A New Subspecies From The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Ronald R. Gatrelle

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The taxon Boisduval and Le Conte described in 1833 as Melitaea ismeria is examined as a historical entity and confirmed as a sister subspecies of the taxon Chlosyne ismeria nycteis. The ismeria populations in the southern Appalachian mountains (United States) are described as a new subspecies: Chlosyne ismeria obsoleta. In facies, this new subspecies is most similar to the western subspecies Chlosyne ismeria drusius in that it is dark and contrasting in its dorsal markings. It is known to range from the mountain region of extreme northern Georgia north in the Appalachians to near southwestern Virginia, United States. …

Gaca, The Response Regulator Of A Two-Component System, Acts As A Master Regulator In Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Tomato Dc3000 By Controlling Regulatory Rna, Transcriptional Activators, And Alternate Sigma Factors, Asita Chatterjee, Yaya Cui, Hailian Yang, Alan Collmer, James R. Alfano, Arun K. Chatterjee

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Concerted investigations of factors affecting host-pathogen interactions are now possible with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and its model pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, as their whole genome sequences have become available. As a prelude to analysis of the regulatory genes and their targets, we have focused on GacA, the response regulator of a two-component system. The DC3000 gene was cloned by testing for the reversal of phenotypes of an Erwinia GacA– mutant. A GacA– mutant of DC3000 constructed by marker exchange produces much-reduced levels of transcripts of three alternate sigma factors: HrpL, required for the production of effector …

Activation Of A Coi1-Dependent Pathway In Arabidopsis By Pseudomonas Syringae Type Iii Effectors And Coronatine, Ping He, Satya Chintamanani, Zhongying Chen, Lihuang Zhu, Barbara N. Kunkel, James R. Alfano, Xiaoyan Tang, Jian-Min Zhou

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Gram-negative bacteria use a variety of virulence factors including phytotoxins, exopolysaccharides, effectors secreted by the type III secretion system, and cell-wall-degrading enzymes to promote parasitism in plants. However, little is known about how these virulence factors alter plant celluar responses to promote disease. In this study, we show that virulent Pseudomonas syringae strains activate the transcription of an Arabidopsis ethylene response factor (ERF) gene, RAP2.6, in a coronatine insensitive 1 (COI1)-dependent manner. A highly sensitive RAP2.6 promoter-firely luciferase (RAP2.6-LUC) reporter line was developed to monitor activities of various bacterial virulence genes. Analyses of P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 mutants indicated …

Subadult Experience Influences Adult Mate Choice In An Arthropod: Exposed Female Wolf Spiders Prefer Males Of A Familiar Phenotype, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Current sexual selection theory proposes several potential mechanisms driving the evolution of female mating preferences, few of which involve social interactions. Although vertebrate examples of socially influenced mating preferences do exist, the invertebrate examples are virtually nonexistent. Here I demonstrate that the mating preferences of female wolf spiders can be acquired through exposure as subadults to unrelated, sexually active adult males. I first conducted exposure trials during which subadult females of the wolf spider Schizocosa uetzi were allowed to interact with mature males of an experimentally manipulated phenotype (either black or brown forelegs). After maturation, these previously exposed females were …

Phenological Responses Of Wheat And Barley To Water And Temperature: Improving Simulation Models, G. S. Mcmaster, Wally Wilhelm

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

Understanding and predicting small-grain cereal development is becoming increasingly important in enhancing management practices. Recent efforts to improve phenology submodels in crop simulations have focused on incorporating developmental responses to water stress and interpreting and understanding thermal time. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate data from three experiments to (a) determine the qualitative and quantitative response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) to water stress and (b) ascertain where in space to measure temperature, to provide information required to improve phenological submodels. The first experiment tested the phenological responses of 12 …

Chemokines In The Corpus Luteum: Implications Of Leukocyte Chemotaxis, David H. Townson, Amy R. Liptak

Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Chemokines are small Molecular weight peptides responsible for adhesion, activation, and recruitment of leukocytes into tissues. Leukocytes are thought to influence follicular atresia, ovulation, and luteal function. Many studies in recent years have focused attention on the characterization of leukocyte populations within the ovary, the importance of leukocyte-ovarian cell interactions, and more recently, the mechanisms of ovarian leukocyte recruitment. Information about the role of chemokines and leukocyte trafficking (chemotaxis) during ovarian function is important to understanding paracrine-autocrine relationships shared between reproductive and immune systems. Recent advances regarding chemokine expression and leukocyte accumulation within the ovulatory follicle and the corpus luteum …

Temporal And Spatial Expression Of Tissue Inhibitors Of Metalloproteinases 1 And 2 (Timp-1 And -2) In The Bovine Corpus Luteum, Bo Zhang, Marsha A. Moses, Paul C.W. Tsang

Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their endogenous inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), may mediate the dramatic structural and functional changes in the corpus luteum (CL) over the course of its life span. In addition to regulating MMP activity, TIMPs are also involved in a variety of cellular processes, including cell proliferation and steroidogenesis. In a series of initial studies, we determined that matrix metalloproteinase inhibitory activity was present in protein extracts from early (4 days old, estrus = day 0), mid (10–12 days old) and late (16 days old) CL (n = 3 for each stage). Reverse zymography revealed …

Smokejumper Obituary: York, Herbert J. (Missoula 1946), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

The Endocrine Regulation Of Wing Polymorphism In Insects: State Of The Art, Recent Surprises, And Future Directions, Anthony J. Zera

Anthony Zera Publications

The endocrine mechanisms controlling the development and reproduction of flight-capable (long-winged) and flightless (short-winged or wingless) morphs of wing-polymorphic insects have been intensively investigated. The "classical model," put forward in the early 1960s, postulates that morph-specific differences in development and reproduction are caused by variation in the titers of juvenile hormone (JH) and/or ecdysone. Despite decades of study, the importance of these hormones in regulating wing polymorphism in aphids and planthoppers remains uncertain. This uncertainly is largely a consequence of technical and size constraints which have severely limited the types of endocrine approaches that can be used in these insects. …

Tribute To Curt Bromm, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

Since growing up on the family farm, Curt Bromm has continued to maintain a strong interest in agriculture and education as he developed his legal practice in Wahoo and embarked on a career in public service as a State Senator.
Curt Bromm was born at Oakland and graduated from Tekamah High School. He continued his education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he received his baccalaureate degree in agriculture and then a law degree. Curt served as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army.

Agriculture At The Crossroads, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

What a pleasure it is to have this opportunity to welcome you all to this thirteenth annual Agriculture at the Crossroads Conference sponsored by the Nebraska AgRelations Council and the Department of Agricultural Economics here in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.

Smokejumper Obituary: Maryott, Douglas B. (Missoula 1971), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Platelet Activating Factor In The Gravid Reproductive Tracts Of Swine, William E. Plummer

Animal Science

Depressed hog prices in 1998 and 1999 were due to not enough shackle space (kill capacity) and not to a glut of slaughter swine. However, many swine producers were put out of business in California. In 2000, market prices rebounded due to increased shackle space and reduced numbers of slaughter swine available as a result of the sellouts of the previous two years. The economic roller coaster ride emphasized the need for maximizing profit while streamlining operations. Increasing numbers of pigs per litter, and thereby reducing the cost per pig produced, is one aspect of streamlining. A significant step in …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 79, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Assessing Animal Welfare At The Farm And Group Level: The Interplay Of Science And Values, D. Fraser

Assessment of Animal Welfare Collection

In the social debate about animal welfare we can identify three different views about how animals should be raised and how their welfare should be judged: (1) the view that animals should be raised under conditions that promote good biological functioning in the sense of health, growth and reproduction, (2) the view that animals should be raised in ways that minimise suffering and promote contentment, and (3) the view that animals should be allowed to lead relatively natural lives. When attempting to assess animal welfare, different scientists select different criteria, reflecting one or more of these value-dependent views. Even when …

Fisheries Research Report No. 146 - Catch Composition Of The Western Australian Temperate Demersal Gillnet And Demersal Longline Fisheries, 1994 To 1999, Rory Mcauley, Colin Simpfendorfer

Fisheries Research Reports

Catch composition data were collected from Western Australia’s temperate demersal gillnet and demersal longline fisheries, between Eucla and Geraldton, over a five-year period from July 1994 to June 1999. Results were compared to Department of Fisheries catch records compiled from fishers’ monthly catch returns. Discarded bycatch of several species was estimated by bootstrapping their observed catch rates. Dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus, gummy shark, Mustelus antarcticus, whiskery shark, Furgaleus macki, and Port Jackson shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni, were identified as the main components of the fisheries’ catch, however, catches were found to vary regionally. School shark, Galeorhinus galeus, dogfish of the family …

The Influence Of Music On Preferred Intensity And Associated Physiological Responses, David Nuckols

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Music is a part of everyday life and has an effect on people in many different ways. Music can be as individual as the person who listens to it, and thus there are many genres for many different tastes. Music has accompanied exercise and sport for quite some time. It has been shown to have varying psychophysical effects including decreasing ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) at a given sub-max intensity, enhancing arousal control, and affective states at high and medium intensities. Also the improved synchronization of sub-maximal exercise with music may result in increased work output. The proposed ability of …

Aada Confers Streptomycin Resistance In Borrelia Burgdorferi, Kristi L. Frank, Sharyl F. Bundle, Michele E. Kresge, Christian H. Eggers, D. Scott Samuels

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

To enhance genetic manipulation of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, we assayed the aadA gene for the ability to confer resistance to the antibiotics spectinomycin and streptomycin. Using the previously described pBSV2 as a backbone, a shuttle vector, termed pKFSS1, which carries the aadA open reading frame fused to the B. burgdorferi flgB promoter was constructed. The hybrid flgB promoter-aadA cassette confers resistance to spectinomycin and streptomycin in both B. burgdorferi and Escherichia coli. pKFSS1 has a replication origin derived from the 9-kb circular plasmid and can be comaintained in B. burgdorferi with extant shuttle vector pCE320, which has …

Djungarian Hamsters Exhibit Temperature-Dependent Dietary Fat Choice In Long Days, Sara Hiebert Burch, Kelley Carl Hauser , '99, Abbas Ebrahim , '00

Biology Faculty Works

Previous studies have shown that whole-animal thermal responses of ectotherms and heterotherms (e.g., hibernators), both of which experience a wide range of body temperatures, are related to the saturation level of somatic lipids, which in turn can be influenced by the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the diet. This study demonstrates that Djungarian hamsters held in long days display ambient temperature dependent choice of dietary fats, increasing their preference for saturated fats when ambient temperature increases ( to 27 degreesC) and later reversing this preference when ambient temperature is returned to its original value ( 8 degreesC). …

Semantic E-Workflow Composition, Jorge Cardoso, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

Systems and infrastructures are currently being developed to support Web services. The main idea is to encapsulate an organization's functionality within an appropriate interface and advertise it as Web services. While in some cases Web services may be utilized in an isolated form, it is normal to expect Web services to be integrated as part of workflow processes. The composition of workflow processes that model e-service applications differs from the design of traditional workflows, in terms of the number of tasks (Web services) available to the composition process, in their heterogeneity, and in their autonomy. Therefore, two problems need to …

Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 6 - Assessment Of The Nutritional Variability Of Lupins As An Aquaculture Feed Ingredient, Brett Glencross, John Curnow, Wayne Hawkins

Fisheries Research Reports

The nutritional value of the kernel meals of three species of lupin (Lupinus albus, L. angustifolius and L. luteus) was compared against each other and a reference ingredient of solvent extracted soybean meal, when fed to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Each lupin kernel meal was included in test diets at 300 g/kg and also at a greater level, representing 50% of the total protein content in the diet. The digestibility of protein of all lupin kernel meals was better than for the soybean meal. The highest protein digestibility was that from L. luteus kernel meal at 30% inclusion (100%), which …

Forage News [2003-11], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• 4^TH Kentucky Grazing Conference in Lexington
• Buttercup Control in Cool-Season Grass Pastures
• Does “Endophyte” in Stockpiled Tall Fescue Impact Animal Performance?
• Upcoming Events

Blood Lead Levels During Pregnancy And Pregnancy Outcome In Karachi Women, A Rahman, A Hakeem

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

objective: To evaluate association of blood lead levels with pregnancy outcome in the obstetrics and gynaecology unit.
Methods: Blood lead levels were measured in 73 pregnant women at the time of delivery and assessed its association with pregnancyoutcome.
Results: Mean maternal lead level was 9.91+/-4.44 mg/dL (range 2.28-36.35 mg/dL). Mothers of boys had significantly higher (p=0.013, one-tailed t test) blood lead levels (11.05+/-5.19) when compared to mothers of girls (8.74+/-3.18 mg/dL.
Conclusion: Maternal lead levels at the time of delivery showed no association with gestational age, birth weight, recumbent length, or head circumference.

Large Scale Ocean Circulation From The Grace Ggm01 Geoid, B. D. Tapley, D. Chambers, S. Bettadpur, J. C. Ries

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The GRACE Gravity Model 01 (GGM01), computed from 111 days of GRACE K-band ranging (KBR) data, is differenced from a global mean sea surface (MSS) computed from a decade of satellite altimetry to determine a mean dynamic ocean topography (DOT). As a test of the GGM01 gravity model, large-scale zonal and meridional surface geostrophic currents are computed from the topography and are compared with those derived from a mean hydrographic surface. Reduction in residual RMS between the two by 30–60% (and increased correlation) indicates that the GGM01 geoid represents a dramatic improvement over older geoid models, which were developed from …

Towards (Semi-) Automatic Generation Of Bio-Medical Ontologies, Vipul Kashyap, Cartic Ramakrishnan, Thomas Rindflesch

Kno.e.sis Publications

The design and construction of domain specific ontologies and taxonomies requires allocation of huge resources in terms of cost and time. These efforts are human intensive and we need to explore ways of minimizing human involvement and other resources. In the biomedical domain, we seek to leverage resources such as the UMLS1 Metathesaurus and NLP-based applications such as MetaMap2 in conjunction with statistical clustering techniques, to (partially) automate the process. This is expected to be useful to the team involved in developing MeSH and other biomedical taxonomies to identify gaps in the existing taxonomies, and to be able to quickly …