Life Sciences Commons^™

The Maintenance Of Conservative Physical Laws Within Data Assimilation Systems, G.A. Jacobs, H.E. Ngodock

Faculty Publications

In many data assimilation applications, adding an error to represent forcing to certain dynamical equations may be physically unrealistic. Four-dimensional variational methods assume either an error in the dynamical equations of motion (weak constraint) or no error (strong constraint). The weak-constraint methodology proposes the errors to represent uncertainties in either forcing of the dynamical equations or parameterizations of dynamics. Dynamical equations that represent conservation of quantities (mass, entropy, momentum, etc.) may be cast in an analytical or control volume flux form containing minimal errors. The largest errors arise in determining the fluxes through control volume surfaces. Application of forcing errors …

A Study Of Enso Prediction Using A Hybrid Coupled Model And The Adjoint Method For Data Assimilation, Eli Galanti, Eli Tziperman, Matthew Harrison, Anthony Rosati, Ziv Sirkes

Faculty Publications

An experimental ENSO prediction system is presented, based on an ocean general circulation model (GCM) coupled to a statistical atmosphere and the adjoint method of 4D variational data assimilation. The adjoint method is used to initialize the coupled model, and predictions are performed for the period 1980-99. The coupled model is also initialized using two simpler assimilation techniques: forcing the ocean model with observed sea surface temperature and surface fluxes, and a 3D variational data assimilation (3DVAR) method, similar to that used by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) for operational ENSO prediction. The prediction skill of the coupled …

Converting Plant Biomass To Fuels And Commodity Chemicals In South Africa: A Third Chapter?, L R. Lynd, H H Von Blottnitz, B Tait, J De Boer, I S. Pretorius, K Rumbold, W H. Van Zyl

Dartmouth Scholarship

There have been two distinct chapters in the history of converting cellulosic biomass to fuels and commodity chemicals in South Africa. The first chapter, fromthe late 1970s to the early 1990s, involved some of the most active research and development efforts of their kind anywhere in the world. Thereafter, during the second chapter, there has been very little activity in the field in South Africa while there has been an unprecedented awakening to the potential of biomass conversion elsewhere. This paper considers the rationale and possible benefits of a potential third chapter based on a revitalized effort on biomass conversion …

The Application And Evaluation Of Modified Atmosphere Packaging In Selected Minimally Processed Vegetables, Aine Greene

Masters

The central aim of this study was to optimise the processing and storage of selected vegetable within the parameters of extended shelf life, time/temperature relationships and sensory quality. The vegetables were selected on the basis of the results of a survey of the Irish vegetable industry. The current literature in the field of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and the Irish vegetable industry was reviewed. The current state and future requirements of the Irish vegetable industry was investigated through the use of a questionnaire. This established the views of Irish vegetable purchasers (food service, fast food and retail outlets), in relation …

Get An Attitude, Winston J. Craig

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Benthic Biological Monitoring Program Of The Elizabeth River Watershed (2002), Daniel M. Dauer

Elizabeth River Reports

Executive Summary

A study of the macrobenthic communities of the Elizabeth River watershed was initiated in summer 1999. This report presents the data from the fourth year of sampling in 2002. The three objectives of the Benthic Biological Monitoring Program of the Elizabeth River watershed are: (1) To characterize the health of the tidal waters of the Elizabeth River watershed as indicated by the structure of the benthic communities. ( 2) To conduct trend analyses on long-term data at 14 fixed-point stations to relate temporal trends in the benthic communities to changes in water and/or sediment quality. Trend analyses will …

Wing Shape In House Finches Differs Relative To Migratory Habit In Eastern And Western North America, Jeremy R. Egbert, James R. Belthoff

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigated whether wing morphology differed between the sedentary House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) of western North America and the introduced population of eastern North America, as the latter has developed migratory behavior since its inception. Wing morphology differed between eastern and western House Finches. Eastern House Finches had shorter proximal primaries and a longer outer primary, perhaps reflecting a thinner and more pointed wing, although no disparity in wing length was detected. Since we interpret these differences in wing shape as modifications for flight capability, we believe that initial evidence for morphological divergence relative to migratory habit between eastern and …

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln School Of Natural Resources Review: Final Report, December 2003, Michael O'Neill, Phaedra Budy, Stephen Degloria, Ed Kanemasu, Jamie Robertson, Derrel Martin, Anne K. Vidaver, Tylr Naprstek, Donna Woudenberg

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

In July 2003, the School of Natural Resource Sciences was merged with the Conservation and Survey Division and the Water Center Nebraska State Survey. This merger produced the School of Natural Resources (hereafter referred to as the "School") in its current form. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln requested a ten-year review of the School's programs and activities. The review was administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) in cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Agriculture, and the School.

The review document is divided into nine sections. The first …

Nebline, November/December 2003

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

ABC’s for Good Health because Every Woman Matters!
Stretch Your Food Dollar - Create-A-Casserole Chart
Preparing and Using Pine Cones For Decoration
Forcing Spring-Flowering Bulbs
Garden Guide
Choosing and Caring for Indoor Trees
Understanding Nebraska’s Open Burning Law
“Megaforces of Agriculture” Seminar
Storage Methods to Reduce Hay Losses
Fall is a Great Time to Control Winter Annual Weeds
Consider Stand Density, Weeds When Rotating Alfalfa
Thoroughly Modern Thanksgiving: Turkey Cooking Tips
Healthy Eating: Enjoy Nebraska Foods
Making Changes in Eating Behavior
Web Resources of the Month
Lines from Lynn
Household Hints: Holiday Stain Removal for Washable Fabrics
FCE Achievement Night …

The Effects Of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction On Tibial Rotation During Pivoting After Descending Stairs, Stavros Ristanis, Giannis Giakas, Christos D. Papageorgiou, Constantina O. Moraiti, Nikolaos Stergiou, Anastasios D. Georgoulis

Journal Articles

Recent in vitro research suggests that ACL reconstruction does not restore tibial rotation. This study investigated rotational knee joint stability in vivo during a combined descending and pivoting movement that applies a high rotational load to the knee joint. We studied 20 ACL reconstructed patients (bone–patellar tendon–bone graft) and 15 matched controls with a six-camera optoelectronic system performing the examined movement. In the control group the results showed no significant differences in the amount of tibial rotation between the two sides. No significant differences were also found between the contralateral intact leg of the ACL group and the healthy control. …

Tongue Movements In Feeding And Speech, Karen M. Hiiemae, Jeffrey B. Palmer

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

The position of the tongue relative to the upper and lower jaws is regulated in part by the position of the hyoid bone, which, with the anterior and posterior suprahyoid muscles, controls the angulation and length of the floor of the mouth on which the tongue body 'rides'. The instantaneous shape of the tongue is controlled by the 'extrinsic muscles ' acting in concert with the 'intrinsic ' muscles. Recent anatomical research in non-human mammals has shown that the intrinsic muscles can best be regarded as a 'laminated segmental system ' with tightly packed layers of the 'transverse', 'longitudinal', and …

Retaining 4-H Volunteers By Effectively Delegating 4-H Program Responsibilities, Deb Jones

All Current Publications

There is an old adage of “work smarter, not harder.” An e ective leader/manager has to be able to motivate others to be involved. All too often, we attempt to do it all ourselves, thinking we can do it more quickly than taking time to explain to another person.

Genetic Relationships Among Leptographium Terebrantis And The Mycangial Fungi Of Three Western Dendroctonus Bark Beetles, Diana Six, Thomas C. Harrington, Joseph Steimel, Douglas Mcnew, T. D. Paine

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Morphology, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction fragment polymorphisms (RFLPs) and nuclear DNA (nDNA) fingerprinting were used to clarify relationships among the morphologically similar Ophiostoma and Leptographium species associated with mycangia of three Dendroctonus bark beetles (Ophiostoma clavigerum associated with both D. ponderosae and D. jeffreyi, and L. pyrinum associated with D. adjunctus), as well as a closely related nonmycangial bark beetle associate (L. terebrantis). Most isolates of O. clavigerum form long (40-70 μm), septate conidia, while all isolates of L. terebrantis and L. pyrinum form conidia less than 17.0 μm in length. The conidia of L. pyrinum are pyriform, with truncate …

Initial State Of The Drosophila Eye Before Dorsoventral Specification Is Equivalent To Ventral, Amit Singh, Kwang-Wook Choi

Biology Faculty Publications

Dorsoventral (DV) patterning is crucial for eye development in invertebrates and higher animals. DV lineage restriction is the primary event in undifferentiated early eye primordia of Drosophila. InDrosophila eye disc, a dorsal-specific GATA family transcription factor pannier (pnr) controls Iroquois-Complex (Iro-C) genes to establish the dorsal eye fate whereas Lobe (L), which is involved in controlling a Notch ligand Serrate (Ser), is specifically required for ventral growth. However, fate of eye disc cells before the onset of dorsal expression of pnr and Iro-C is not known. We show that L/Ser …

Convergent Habitat Segregation Of Aedes Aegypti And Aedes Albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae) In Southeastern Brazil And Florida, Marieta A H Braks, Ricardo Lourenco-De-Oliveira, Steven A. Juliano, Nildimar A. Honorio, L Philip Lounibos

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

During the rainy season of 2001, the incidence of the dengue vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus was examined in different habitats of two cities (Rio de Janeiro and Nova Iguacu) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and in two cities (Palm Beach and Boca Raton) in Florida. Oviposition trap collections were performed in urban, suburban, and rural habitats in both areas. Our hypothesis that the abundances and frequencies of occurrence of Ae. aegypti and Ae albopictus are affected in opposite ways by increasing urbanization was only partially supported. City, habitat, and their interaction significantly affected the abundance of both …

Decision Process For Identification Of Estuarine Benthic Impairments, Roberto J. Llansó, Jon H. Volstad, Daniel M. Dauer

Benthic Applications

To meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act, the States of Maryland and Virginia are in the process of developing biological criteria for evaluating estuarine waters. The Chesapeake Bay Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI) is the basis for these biological criteria. As an initial step, a Workgroup developed an interim framework for the application of the B-IBI to the States’ water quality inventory report (305b report) and list of impaired waters (303d list). The Workgroup included representatives of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), USEPA …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Class I And Class Ii Hla Antigens And Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection, Chloe L. Thio, David L. Thomas, Peter Karacki, Xiaojiang Gao, Darlene Marti, Richard A. Kaslow, James J. Goedert, Margaret Hilgartner, Steffanie A. Strathdee, Priya Duggal, Stephen J. O'Brien, Jacquie Astemborski, Mary Carrington

Biology Faculty Articles

Following an acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, clearance or persistence is determined in part by the vigor and breadth of the host immune response. Since the human leukocyte antigen system (HLA) is an integral component of the immune response, we hypothesized that the highly polymorphic HLA genes are key determinants of viral clearance. HLA class I and II genes were molecularly typed in 194 Caucasian individuals with viral persistence and 342 matched controls who had cleared the virus. A single class I allele, A*0301 (odds ratio [OR], 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30 to 0.72; P = 0.0005) was …

Reconstructing The Genomic Architecture Of Mammalian Ancestors Using Multispecies Comparative Maps, William J. Murphy, Guillaume Bourque, Glenn Tesler, Pavel Pevzner, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Rapidly developing comparative gene maps in selected mammal species are providing an opportunity to reconstruct the genomic architecture of mammalian ancestors and study rearrangements that transformed this ancestral genome into existing mammalian genomes. Here, the recently developed Multiple Genome Rearrangement (MGR) algorithm is applied to human, mouse, cat and cattle comparative maps (with 311-470 shared markers) to impute the ancestral mammalian genome. Reconstructed ancestors consist of 70-100 conserved segments shared across the genomes that have been exchanged by rearrangement events along the ordinal lineages leading to modern species genomes. Genomic distances between species, dominated by inversions (reversals) and translocations, are …

Groundwater Investigation On Victoria Location 8565, East Binnu, Russell John Speed

Resource management technical reports

Describes a drilling investigation undertaken for the East Binnu area within Victoria location 8565, Western Australia. Groundwater monitoring bores were installed to assess the risk of dryland salinity developing if after clearance of native vegetation, the area is used to grow annual crops and pastures. The investigation confirmed that the risk of further salinity development in this location is extreme.

Meeting Cereal Demand While Protecting Natural Resources And Improving Environmental Quality, Kenneth G. Cassman, Achim R. Dobermann, Daniel T. Walters, Haishun Yang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Agriculture is a resource-intensive enterprise. The manner in which food production systems utilize resources has a large influence on environmental quality. To evaluate prospects for conserving natural resources while meeting increased demand for cereals, we interpret recent trends and future trajectories in crop yields, land and nitrogen fertilizer use, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas emissions to identify key issues and challenges. Based on this assessment, we conclude that avoiding expansion of cultivation into natural ecosystems, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and improved soil quality are pivotal components of a sustainable agriculture that meets human needs and protects natural resources. To achieve …

Presentation Of Allergen In Different Food Preparations Affects The Nature Of The Allergic Reaction: A Case Series, K. E. C. Grimshaw, R. M. King, Julie A. Nordlee, S. L. Hefle, John O. Warner, J. O.'B. Hourihane

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Characterization of fatal and nonfatal reactions to food indicates that the majority of reactions are due to the ingestion of prepared foods rather than the nonprocessed allergen. In an ongoing study that used a double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge to investigate peanut allergy and clinical symptoms, the observed reaction severity in four of the first six subjects was greater than anticipated. We hypothesized that this was due to differences in the composition of the challenge vehicle.

Objective: The aim was to investigate whether the severity of observed challenge reactions would be repeated on rechallenge with a lower fat …

Comparative Pathogenicity Of Escherichia Coli O157 And Intimin-Negative Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. Coli Strains In Neonatal Pigs, Evelyn A. Dean-Nystrom, Angela R. Melton-Celsa, Joachim F. L. Pohlenz, Harley W. Moon, Alison D. O’Brien

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

We compared the pathogenicity of intimin-negative non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O91:H21 and O104:H21 strains with the pathogenicity of intimin-positive O157:H7 and O157:H^- strains in neonatal pigs. We also examined the role of Stx2d-activatable genes and the large hemolysinencoding plasmid of O91:H21 strain B2F1 in the pathogenesis of STEC disease in pigs. We found that all E. coli strains that made wild-type levels of Stx caused systemic illness and histological lesions in the brain and intestinal crypts, whereas none of the control Stx-negative E. coli strains evoked comparable central nervous system signs or intestinal lesions. By contrast, …

Effects Of Salts On Crystallization Kinetics And Rheological Behavior Of Concentrated , -Trehalose Solutions, Marina Cerdeira, M. C. Puppo, Silvana Martini, M. L. Herrera

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The effect of addition of CaCl2 2H2O and MgCl2 6H2O on crystallization kinetics and the rheological behavior of a 70% trehalose solution was studied by polarized light microscopy and dynamic oscillatory rheometry. Salts caused a delay on nucleation with induction times for crystallization longer for Mg2+ than for Ca2+. Divalent cations were incorporated into crystals, changing the growth of certain faces preferentially, which resulted in changes in morphology. Addition of CaCl2 2H2O in a high salt/trehalose molar ratio dramatically increased complex modulus (G*), indicating a stronger viscoelastic behavior. A gel-like structure was formed when Ca2+ was added to trehalose solution. …

Variables Associated With The Likelihood Of Adopting A Policy Of Hiring Nonsmokers Only Among Nonprofit Organizations In Omaha, Nebraska, Jillian M. Golden

Student Work

Tobacco use in the U.S. is the cause of approximately 440,000 deaths annually and is the leading preventable cause of death. Smoking can result in death due to cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Smoking can also result in death due to cancers such as lung cancer, respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis, and other deaths including diseases among infants and bum deaths (American Cancer Society, 2003). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that due to smoking, the cost of medical care and lost productivity added up to approximately $157 billion each year …

Live And Let Die: Regulatory Mechanisms In Fas-Mediated Apoptosis, James Curtin, Thomas Cotter

Articles

Activation of Fas receptor by Fas ligand causes caspase 8 activation and apoptosis in cells and is an important mechanism by which normal tissue homeostasis and function are maintained. Activation of caspase 8 is preceded by the formation of a death-inducing signalling complex (DISC), and a number of redundant mechanisms regulate DISC formation in vivo. Fas receptor is widely expressed in tissues, and dysfunction of the regulatory mechanisms in Fas receptor signalling has been reported in several diseases including autoimmune disease and cancer. This review aims to identify and discuss the various mechanisms employed by cells to alter their sensitivity …

Defects In Death-Inducing Signalling Complex Formation Prevent Jnk Activation And Fas-Mediated Apoptosis In Du 145 Prostate Carcinoma Cells, James Curtin, Thomas Cotter

Articles

Androgen-independent prostate carcinomas are resistant to chemotherapy and cell lines derived from androgen-independent prostate carcinomas such as DU 145 cells are highly resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis. The incubation of DU 145 cells with anti-Fas IgM agonistic antibody of Fas receptor fails to activate JNK, a stress kinase involved in regulating apoptosis. We have previously shown that JNK activation is sufficient and necessary to promote Fas-mediated apoptosis in DU 145 cells. We investigate the mechanisms by which JNK activation and apoptosis are abrogated. HSP27 is overexpressed in DU 145 cells and has previously been reported to sequester DAXX and prevent JNK …

Comparison Of Double Disc And Combined Disc Method For The Detection Of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases In Enterobacteriaceae, K Jabeen, A Zafar, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective:
/="/">To compare double disc approximation and combined disc method for their ability to detect extended spectrum b lactamase (ESBL) production in enterobacteriaceae and determine the percentage of isolates which are falsely reported as sensitive in absence of ESBL detection, in a clinical microbiology laboratory of a tertiary care hospital between September-October 2002.
/="/">Methods:
/="/">Selected isolates were identified according to standard biochemical tests. Disc susceptibility tests were performed according to NCCLS. ESBL detection by combined disc [cefotaxime (30 ug) versus cefotaxime plus clavulanate (30+10 ug)] was compared with detection using double discs [amoxy-clavulanic acid (20+10 ug) and …

The Autumnal Feast Of The Mad River People, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

Subpopulations Of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Rev Coexist In Vivo And Differ In Phenotype, Prasith Baccam, Robert J. Thompson, Yuxing Li, Wendy O. Sparks, Michael Belshan, Karin S. Dorman, Yvonne Wannemuehler, J. Lindsay Oaks, James L. Cornette, Susan Carpenter

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Lentiviruses exist in vivo as a population of related, nonidentical genotypes, commonly referred to as quasispecies. The quasispecies structure is characteristic of complex adaptive systems and contributes to the high rate of evolution in lentiviruses that confounds efforts to develop effective vaccines and antiviral therapies. Here, we describe analyses of genetic data from longitudinal studies of genetic variation in a lentivirus regulatory protein, Rev, over the course of disease in ponies experimentally infected with equine infectious anemia virus. As observed with other lentivirus data, the Rev variants exhibited a quasispecies character. Phylogenetic and partition analyses suggested that the Rev quasispecies …

Recovery Of Vegetation Following A Wild Fire On The Margins Of Tidal Flats, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, Robert I. Lonard, Frank W. Judd, Elizabeth H. Smith

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Recovery of halophytic vegetation on the margin of tidal flats following a wildfire at Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, was studied for 26 months. Species richness, species diversity, species importance, evenness and vegetation abundance were evaluated. Species richness and diversity were restored within 108 days after the fire. Sporobolus virginicus was the dominant species on both burned and non-burned transects. Vegetative cover was slow to recover. It took 19 months for cover of burned areas to equal or exceed cover of non-burned areas. Biomass also was slow to recover and it did not equal biomass of non-burned transects in 26 …