Life Sciences Commons^™

Fisheries Research Report No. 160 - Development Of Biodiversity And Habitat Monitoring Systems For Key Trawl Fisheries In Western Australia., Mervi Kangas, S. Morrison, P. Unsworth, Eva K M Lai, I. Wright, Adrian W. Thomson

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC report - Project 2002/038

The need for this project was identified through the ESD Risk Assessment workshops held for the Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf trawl fisheries in May and October 2001. Bycatch issues in the Shark Bay and Exmouth fisheries were identified as a moderate risk through an Ecological Risk Assessment workshop. A better understanding of the faunal composition and habitat preferences of bycatch species in both trawled and untrawled areas has assisted in determining the level of risk to bycatch species. The project provided baseline data on biodiversity and variability of trawl bycatch on and off …

Video On The Semantic Sensor Web, Cory Andrew Henson, Amit P. Sheth, Prateek Jain, Josh Pschorr, Terry Rapoch

Kno.e.sis Publications

Millions of sensors around the globe currently collect avalanches of data about our world. The rapid development and deployment of sensor technology is intensifying the existing problem of too much data and not enough knowledge. With a view to alleviating this glut, we propose that sensor data, especially video sensor data, can be annotated with semantic metadata to provide contextual information about videos on the Web. In particular, we present an approach to annotating video sensor data with spatial, temporal, and thematic semantic metadata. This technique builds on current standardization efforts within the W3C and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and …

The Environmental Factors Regulating The Distribution Of Crayfish In The Upper Green River Basin Kentucky, Usa, Eva Ngulo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite the importance of crayfish in aquatic systems there are major issues threatening their conservation, including invasive species, habitat alterations, and species with small distributions or have limited geographical ranges. There is limited information regarding native range, habitat requirements, life histories and biological interactions between crayfish species. In order to examine the relationship between lotic crayfish assemblages and environmental variables at both the watershed and reach scales, data were collected from 46 stream segments in the Upper Green River Basin of Kentucky, U.S.A. An independent sample t-test compared crayfish densities between segments with gravel - small cobble, and large cobble …

Low Back Pain Among College Athletes - A Survey Of Basketball Players, Swimmers, Track And Field Athletes And Nonathletic Controls, Nicholas Bacon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Study Design. Cross-sectional survey among athletes competing at the collegiate level in basketball, swimming, and track and field, as well as a matched nonathletic control group. Objective. To compare the prevalence of low back pain between sports: basketball, swimming, and track and field, as well as nonathletic control group. Summary of Background Data. With conflicting reports, it is not clear whether athletes are at higher risk for low back pain when compared to nonathletic counterparts. Some literature has found that low back pain was less common in former elite athletes when compared to nonathletes; however, much of the literature supports …

A Novel Zinc-Binding Domain Is Essential For Formation Of The Functional Junin Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Complex, Joanne York, Jack H. Nunberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The envelope glycoprotein of the Junin arenavirus (GP-C) mediates entry into target cells through a pH-dependent membrane fusion mechanism. Unlike other class I viral fusion proteins, the mature GP-C complex retains a cleaved, 58-amino-acid signal peptide (SSP) as an essential subunit, required both for trafficking of GP-C to the cell surface and for the activation of membrane fusion. SSP has been shown to associate noncovalently in GP-C via the cytoplasmic domain (CTD) of the transmembrane fusion subunit G2. In this report we investigate the molecular basis for this intersubunit interaction. We identify an invariant series of six cysteine and histidine …

Sagestep News, Winter 2007/2008, No. 5, Sagestep

Newsletters

Seasonal newsletter of SageSTEP.

Phylogenetic Relationships Within The Centothecoideae + Panicoideae Clade (Poaceae) Based On Ndhf And Rpl16 Intron Sequences And Structural Data, J. Gabriel Sánchez-Ken, Lynn G. Clark

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The PACCAD clade (Panicoideae, Arundinoideae, Chloridoideae, Centothecoideae, Aristidoideae, Danthonioideae) is well supported in all recent studies of Poaceae. However, phylogenetic relationships within the clade are still unresolved, although several branches are strongly supported. In this study, we focus on the phylogeny of the Centothecoideae + Panicoideae clade, one of the major lineages within the PACCAD clade, and one of the most diverse in the family. Two previously unsampled tribes, Isachneae and Steyermarkochloeae, are included, as are additional taxa of Centothecoideae. Phylogenetic analyses of plastid genome sequences (ndhF gene and rpl16 intron) and structural data show increased support …

Classification And Biogeography Of Panicoideae (Poaceae) In The New World, Fernando O. Zuloaga, Osvaldo Morrone, Gerrit Davidse, Susan J. Pennington

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Panicoideae (Poaceae) in the New World comprise 107 genera (86 native) and 1357 species (1248 native). As circumscribed herein, Panicoideae include eight tribes: Andropogoneae, Arundinelleae, Centotheceae, Gynerieae, Isachneae, Paniceae, Steyermarkochloeae, and Thysanolaeneae. The two major tribes are Andropogoneae with 230 species (16.95% of all New World panicoids), and Paniceae with 1082 species (79.73%). Andropogoneae are divided into nine subtribes (Andropogoninae, Anthistiriinae, Coicinae, Germainiinae, Ischaeminae, Rottboelliinae, Saccharinae, Sorghinae, and Tripsacinae), while Paniceae are divided into seven subtribes (Arthropogoninae, Cenchrinae, Digitariinae, Melinidinae, Panicinae, Paspalinae, and Setariinae). Brazil is the center of diversity of New World panicoids with 741 species (54.6% of all …

Inflorescence Architecture And Floral Morphology Of Aratitiyopea Lopezii (Xyridaceae), Lisa M. Campbell, Dennis Wm. Stevenson

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Aratitiyopea lopezii is a robust perennial species of Xyridaceae from seasonally saturated, mid- to high-elevation, sandstone and granite sites in northern South America. The species lacks the scapose inflorescence characteristic of Xyridaceae and, having the gestalt of a rhizomatous bromeliad, it is seemingly aberrant in the family. However, closer examination confirms features consistent with the family and the previously noted morphological similarities to Orectanthe. Details of inflorescence structure and floral morphology are presented and compared to other genera of Xyridaceae.

Systematics Of The Tribe Stipeae (Gramineae) Using Molecular Data, Surrey Jacobs, Randall Bayer, Joy Everett, Mirta Arriaga, Mary Barkworth, Alexandru Sabin-Badereau, Amelia Torres, Francisco Vázquez, Neil Bagnall

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences have been determined for a wide range of stipoid grasses (Poaceae, Pooideae, Stipeae). Nardus was confirmed as the most appropriate outgroup. Anisopogon is consistently included among the stipoid genera. Lithachne and Oryza form a clade and are clearly not close to Stipeae, and there is no support for including Brachyelytrum within Stipeae. Ampelodesmos and Diarrhena do appear among the core taxa in some analyses, but their positions are unstable and the evidence for retaining them is limited. So far there is inadequate support for rejecting them from Stipeae, so they should be included in any …

Restoring Wildlife Habitat On Rat Island: Environmental Assessment

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Restoration of natural ecosystem function on Rat Island promises to re-establish native seabirds and other native species, thus returning this wilderness island to a healthy natural community. This restoration cannot occur until the island is cleared of the invasive non-native rats that now dominate the living community.

Introduced non-native species are a leading cause of extinctions in island communities worldwide. Increasingly, land managers are removing introduced species to aid in the restoration of native ecosystems. Rats are responsible for 40-60% of all recorded bird and reptile extinctions worldwide. Given their widespread successful colonization on islands and the resulting impact to …

Lpe Center News, December 2007

Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center: Newsletters

In this issue:

• Dry Manure Housing Systems for Beef and Dairy Featured in the January, 2008 Webcast

•. Survey to Determine Air Quality Webcast Topics

• Report Outlines Policy Changes to Clean Up the Chesapeake Bay

•.Virginia Project Offers Incentives for Improved Feed Management on Dairy Farms

Ard News December 2007

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

Contents:

Comments from the Dean
William G. Whitmore Student Travel Endowment
David H. and Annie E. Larrick Fund, 2008
Undergraduate Honors Research Program
Mussehl Endowment
New or Revised Projects September and October 2007
Proposals Submitted for Federal Grants September and October 2007
Grants and Contracts Received for September and October 2007

Jhe In Gryllus Assimilis: Cloning, Sequence-Activity Associations And Phylogeny, E. J. Crone, Anthony J. Zera, A. Anand, J. G. Oakeshott, T. D. Sutherland, R. J. Russell, Lawrence G. Harshman, Federico G. Hoffmann, C. Claudianos

Anthony Zera Publications

The 458 amino acid sequence of a mature JHE protein from the cricket Gryllus assimilis was identified after isolating the partial cDNA sequence encoding this protein from a fat body and midgut cDNA library. This hemimetabolan JHE sequence shows over 40% amino acid similarity to the known JHE sequences of several holometabolous insects. It also includes previously determined peptide sequences for G. assimilis JHE as well as two other motifs associated with JHE enzymes in holometabolous insects. The predicted molecular weight of the protein agrees with that of the JHE previously purified from G. assimilis. Partial genomic sequence encoding …

Regulation Of D-Xylose Metabolism In Caulobacter Crescentus By A Laci-Type Repressor, Craig Stephens, Beat Christen, Kelly Watanabe, Thomas Fuchs, Urs Jenal

Biology

In the oligotrophic freshwater bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, D-xylose induces expression of over 50 genes,including the xyl operon, which encodes key enzymes for xylose metabolism. The promoter (PxylX) controllingexpression of the xyl operon is widely used as a tool for inducible heterologous gene expression in C. crescentus. We show here that PxylX and at least one other promoter in the xylose regulon (PxylE) are controlled by theCC3065 (xylR) gene product, a LacI-type repressor. Electrophoretic gel mobility shift assays showed that operator binding by XylR is greatly reduced in the presence of D-xylose. The data support the hypothesis that there is a …

Quantitative Dissection Of Clone-Specific Growth Rates In Cultured Malaria Parasites, Heather B. Reilly Ayala, Hongjian Wang, John A. Steuter, Anastasia M. Marx, Michael T. Ferdig

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Measurement of parasite proliferation in cultured red blood cells underpins many facets of malaria research, from drug sensitivity assays to assessing the impact of experimentally altered genes on parasite growth, virulence, and fitness. Pioneering efforts to grow Plasmodium falciparum in cultured red blood cells revolutionized malaria research and spurred the development of semi-high throughput growth assays using radio-labeled hypoxanthine, an essential nucleic acid precursor, as a reporter of whole-cycle proliferation (Trager and Jensen, 1976; Desjardins et al., 1979). Use of hypoxanthine (Hx) and other surrogate readouts of whole-cycle proliferation remains the dominant choice in malaria research. While amenable to high-throughput …

Cellular Targets Involved In Reovirus-Induced Oncolysis Of Ras-Transformed Cells, Jung Hwa Chung

Biology Theses - Archive

Reovirus is a ubiquitous virus with demonstrated oncolytic properties. In this study, we investigate the pathways which reovirus produces a lytic infection in SV-40 transformed WI-38 cells and the noncytocidal infection of normal WI-38 cells using microarray technology. The analysis revealed that reovirus infection induced changes in 178 genes, of which 112 genes were up regulated and 66 genes down regulated. Of the 112 up regulated genes, 13 of the WI-38 2RA genes were shown to be involved in apoptosis or inhibition of cellular DNA synthesis. Of the 66 genes down regulated, seven of the WI-38 genes displayed effects involved …

Rcd-1 Related:A Positively Selected Retrogene With Spermatogenesis Function In Drosophila, Taniya Muliyil

Biology Theses - Archive

Gene duplication is one of the major forces in driving genome evolution. Our study focuses on a particular retrogene Rcd-1 related (Rcd-1r) that originated through retroposition of the parental gene Required for cell differentiation 1 (Rcd-1) about 5-13 million years ago. Rcd-1r is present in D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. sechellia and D. mauritiana whereas the parental gene is present in all the Drosophila species. Rcd-1r is inserted in the 3' UTR of the gene CG13102 and it is encoded in the complementary strand. Previous studies by Castrillion et al. showed that a P element inserted in the 5' UTR …

Extending The Season For Sustainability In Utah, Britney Hunter

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The importance of providing fresh produce on a local level is becoming a widespread consideration among people concerned with the character of their food. For regions without an opportune growing climate, extending the growing season can drastically advance productivity. High tunnels are one way to effectively and profitably extend the growing season in cold climates. The benefits of growing in a high tunnel go beyond raising the temperature. High tunnels contribute to higher quality small fruits and vegetables. The benefits of growing in high tunnels have been explored in other states and could be exploited by Utah growers. Utah's climate …

Gene Therapy And Cellular Transplantation : Towards A Combination Strategy For Spinal Cord Injury Repair., Ahmed Abdelzaher Abdellatif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The combination of viral mediated gene delivery, tissue engineering, and Schwann cell (SC) transplantation offer a promising strategy to enhance axonal regeneration and functional recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI). The rationale and feasibility of using such combination has been extensively reviewed in Chapter 1. The study presented in Chapter 2 showed that lentiviral vectors are most suitable in situations where stable long term transgene expression is needed, while adenovirus and retrovirus are more suited for transient gene delivery. Tissue engineering combined with Schwann cell (SC) transplantation is a promising method to enhance regeneration and remyelination of axons following a …

Histopathological Assessment And Comparison Sedimentation And Phosphate Stress On The Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, Erin Christine Hodel

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Traditional coral reef monitoring efforts lack assessment of coral health at tissue and cellular levels. This thesis investigated tissue, cellular, and gross morphological responses of the Caribbean staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, to elevated sedimentation and phosphate using state-of-the-art histological techniques. Branch fragments of A. cervicornis were collected offshore Broward County, FL, acclimated for 12 weeks, subjected to a 4-week experimental period, and given a 1-week recovery period in laboratory aquaria. Treatments consisted of high doses (200 mg cm^-2 day^-1) of sedimentation (S), phosphate (4 μM) (P), and a combination of these two (S + P), in …

Forage News [2007-12], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Heart of America Grazing Conference to Be Held in Missouri
• Forage Producers to Be Featured at KCA
• SRM/AFGC in Louisville
• Panoramic 2SL Registered for Weed Control in Pastures
• Hay – 2007
• Energy Savings with New Light Bulbs
• Corn Stalks and a Protein Block…That All You Got?
• Reflections at My 80^th Birthday - Carl S. Hoveland, October 25, 2007
• Upcoming Events

The Juncaceae-Cyperaceae Interface: A Combined Plastid Sequence Analysis, Eleanor Jones, David A. Simpson, Trevor R. Hodkinson, Mark W. Chase, John A. N. Parnell

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Phylogenetic relationships of Juncaceae and related families of Cyperales were investigated using DNA sequence data from the plastid rps16 intron, trnL intron, and trnL–F intergenic spacer. Results using parsimony analysis of the aligned matrices find Juncaceae and Cyperaceae to be monophyletic families, which form a clade sister to a monophyletic Thurniaceae that includes Prionium (Prioniaceae), all three clades with 100% bootstrap support. Within Juncaceae, the genus Luzula is monophyletic with 100% bootstrap support and sister to the rest of Juncaceae. Further groupings within the family indicate that the genus Juncus may be monophyletic only with the inclusion …

The Schoenus Spikelet: A Rhipidium? A Floral Ontogenetic Answer, Alexander Vrijdaghs, Paul Goetghebeur, Erik Smets, Pieter Caris

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The inflorescence unit of Schoenus nigricans and S. ferrugineus consists of a zigzag axis and distichously arranged bracts, each of which may or may not subtend a bisexual flower. Each flower seems to terminate a lateral axis. These features have led to a controversy about the nature of the inflorescence unit, particularly whether it is monopodial or sympodial. It was often seen as a pseudospikelet composed of a succession of lateral axes, each subtended by the prophyll of the previous axis, as in a rhipidium. Many authors, however, consider the inflorescence units of all Cyperaceae to be indeterminate, racemose, actual …

Grass Phylogeny And Classification: Conflict Of Morphology And Molecules, Bryan K. Simon

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The grass family (Poaceae) has been recognized as a unique lineage for more than 200 years, based initially on characters of inflorescence and spikelet morphology and corroborated by anatomical and other features in the latter half of the twentieth century. There have been a number of attempts to derive a phylogeny of sections of the family from structural (morphological and anatomical) characters. However, more recently the Grass Phylogeny Working Group (2001) applied cladistic principles to the whole family using molecular and structural characters. This study produced a single most-parsimonious tree from six molecular sequence data sets, chloroplast restriction site data, …

Phenotypic Plasticity Of Reproduction In Schizachyrium Scoparium (Poaceae) Populations In Relation To Ecological History, Elizabeth M. Obee, James A. Quinn

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Genetic differentiation in reproduction in the wide-ranging Schizachyrium scoparium (Poaceae) has been demonstrated in uniform gardens. However, the fine-tuning of flowering phenology and biomass allocation in relation to spatial and temporal fluctuations in the local environment is best accomplished by plastic responses to local variability. An earlier central New Jersey study suggested that S. scoparium populations in old fields of 2 to 40 years differed in plasticity. To test this apparent effect of ecological history on the development of different levels of plasticity, genotypes were collected from high- and low-fertility sites in New Jersey (forest biome) and in Oklahoma (grassland …

Phylogeny Of Triticeae (Poaceae) Based On Three Organelle Genes, Two Single-Copy Nuclear Genes, And Morphology, Ole Seberg, Gitte Petersen

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Triticeae are renowned for their complicated taxonomy, but their phylogeny is equally intricate and perplexing, and remains largely unresolved. Based on morphology and nucleotide sequences from two plastid genes (rbcL, rpoA), one mitochondrial gene (coxII), and two single-copy nuclear genes (DMC1, EF-G), the most comprehensive hypothesis (both with respect to taxa and data points) of the phylogeny of diploid Triticeae to date is presented. The incongruence length difference tests clearly indicate that the four logical data partitions (morphology and the three genome compartments) are mutually incongruent, except the mitochondrial and nuclear sequences. …

Preliminary Isozyme Evidence On The Hybrid Origin And Diploid Progenitors Of Bromus Pectinatus (Poaceae), Tatjana Oja

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Isozyme electrophoresis was used to study the origin of Bromus pectinatus (Poaceae, Pooideae). The morphological characteristics of B. pectinatus are intermediate between B. japonicus of sect. Bromus and B. tectorum of sect. Genea. Previous authors have suggested that sects. Bromus and Genea may be linked through B. pectinatus, a species that has been classified in sect. Bromus, though this placement has been questioned. Isozyme data support the allotetraploid nature of B. pectinatus and its position between sects. Bromus and Genea. Several heterozymes are consistent with the view that B. pectinatus may have arisen through polyploidization of …

Eragrostis (Poaceae): Monophyly And Infrageneric Classification, Amanda L. Ingram, Jeff J. Doyle

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Eragrostis is a large genus in subfamily Chloridoideae of Poaceae. Recent phylogenetic analyses have suggested that the genus may not be monophyletic, that some of its segregate genera may be better placed within Eragrostis, and that current infrageneric classifications may not represent monophyletic groups. We have used molecular sequence data from the plastid locus rps16 and the nuclear gene waxy from a broad sample of Eragrostis species and representatives of six of the seven segregate genera to address these issues. We found that Eragrostis is monophyletic with the inclusion of several of the segregates, including Acamptoclados, Diandrochloa …

Eurasian Tree Sparrow—A First Record For Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

On Thursday, 01 February 2007, Scott Raasch of rural Madison County called to say he had what he believed to be a Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) coming to a feeder at his house just east of Enola. The bird had been present for about a week, although he had just identified the species upon purchasing a new field guide. He reported that the bird was very wary and only stayed for a short time at the feeder. The bird was most often observed in the early morning or just before dusk.

Dave Heidt and I arrived the …