Life Sciences Commons^™

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2007]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

Can A Screening Algorithm For Obstructive Sleep Apnea Be Formulated From Maximal Exercise Test Variables?, Stacy Marie Lueking

Kinesiology Theses - Archive

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to compare the cardiopulmonary and electrocardiography exercise testing responses of overweight individuals between one group, at low-risk (LR) for developing OSA, versus another group at high-risk (HR) for developing OSA. Methods: Both men (N = 11) and women (N = 11) participated in the study (age 37.00 ± 12.55 yrs., BMI 35.61 ± 6.43). Each subject was assigned to one of two groups, LR (AHI ≤ 5) or HR (AHI > 5) depending upon their overnight AHI score from the ApneaLink® sleep report. In the LR (age 30.45 ± 8.40 yrs., BMI 34.93 …

A Sticky Situation: Functional Responses Of Mast Cells To Acidic Ph, Nicole Conaway Grose

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Precise regulation of extracellular pH is critical for proper function of many cellular activities. Minor fluctuations in pH can have profound effects on ion transport, receptor function, and cellular secretions. This work examines the impact of acidic pH, universal at sites of inflammation, on the activation status of mast cells. The mast cell line HMC-1 was used to explore activation by acidic pH. Activation of HMC-1 cells was characterized in cell adhesion, secretion of cytokines, and changes in cell morphology. HMC-1 adhesion to two substrates, collagen and laminin was measured at 0, 1 hr, 2 hrs, 4 hrs, and 6 …

Efficacy Of A Series Of Organotin Polymers As Anticancer And Antiviral Drugs, Kimberly Rae Shahi

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Anticancer drugs have been shown to have antiviral abilities as well. The two types of diseases are similar in that they hold the cell in a continued growth phase. Therefore, if a drug has anticancer activity, it could have antiviral activity as well. I was interested in drugs that could inhibit DNA replication, since both cancer cells and cells infected with a DNA virus have increased DNA replication. Organotins are known to have anticancer activity and are thought to inhibit DNA replication. In this study, four cancer cell lines (from the NCI 60) and two DNA viruses, HSV-1 and vaccinia, …

An Assessment Of Athletic Health Care Provided To High School Athletes In Indiana, Lori Jane Vancza

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess various aspects of athletic health care being provided to athletes in high risk sports in Indiana and the personnel providing this care relative to school enrollment size in comparison to the recent recommendations published by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) regarding appropriate medical care for secondary school-aged athletes. Design and Settings: Based on a literature review, a 34 item web based survey for athletic directors (ADs) and a 33 item web based survey for identified head coaches were developed and distributed to 406 Indiana High School ADs. The survey instruments …

Extended Visions, November/December 2007

Extended Visions Newsletter (ARDC)

Contents:
ARDC Director's Comments
ARDC FEATURE UNIT - Foundation Seed Division
About the People
About the Research
Introducing Husker Genetics
How a University of Nebraska HUSKER GENETICS Foundation Seed Variety Goes from the Lab to the Farmer
Annual Festival Teaches Youth About Ag
Bergman Recognized at Retirement Reception
Dec. 6 Workshop to Focus on Alternative Energy for Home, Farm, and Acreages
December Programs... Ethanol By-Product Use for Cow/Calf Producers and Farmer Feeders
How the Field Days Stack Up
MEAD MAGNET Update - Mead High School Agriculture Student Works at the Swine Unit
Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo

Endangered Species Bulletin: 2007 Highlights

Endangered Species Bulletin

In this issue:
4 Measuring Recovery Success
6 Partnerships Can Conserve Species and a Way of Life
8 Rare Bird Nests Are Cause for Celebration
10 Jump Starting a Rabbit’s Recovery
11 Conserving a Natural Utah Treasure
12 New Hope for the Leon Springs Pupfish
14 Sometimes It’s the Little Things That Matter
16 Cooperative Conservation for the Page Springsnail
18 A Rare Plant Returns to San Francisco Bay
20 Fisheries and Habitat Conservation
22 Species Recovery Through Habitat and Resource Conservation
24 Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance
26 Partnerships for Shared Stewardship
28 The Environmental Contaminants Program
30 The …

Phylogeny Of The Grasses (Poaceae) Revisited, Melvin R. Duvall, Jerrold I Davis, Lynn G. Clark, Jeffrey D. Noll, Douglas H. Goldman, J. Gabriel Sánchez-Ken

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The most robust previously published phylogeny for the overall structure of the grass family (Poaceae) shows three early diverging lineages and two major derived clades, the BEP clade and the PACCAD clade (Grass Phylogeny Working Group 2001). A few key taxa were incompletely sampled, however, and support for the BEP clade was moderate at best and relationships among the major lineages within the PACCAD clade remained unresolved. In addition, recent studies indicated that the sister group to Poaceae may be Joinvilleaceae and/or Ecdeiocoleaceae, the latter of which were not previously sampled. In this study, missing structural data were determined and …

Phylogeny And Biogeography Of Endemic Festuca (Poaceae) From New Zealand Based On Nuclear (Its) And Chloroplast (Trnl–Trnf) Nucleotide Sequences, Kelvin M. Lloyd, Angela M. Hunter, David A. Orlovich, Suzanne J. Draffin, Alan V. Stewart, William G. Lee

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships of the endemic New Zealand (NZ) species of Festuca (Poaceae, Pooideae) by assessing sequence variation from the nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and a chloroplast intergenic spacer (trnL–trnF) and by measuring DNA content using flow cytometry. The ITS and trnL–trnF data sets were congruent in showing that the NZ species of Festuca have two origins. One group, containing F. coxii, F. luciarum, F. multinodis, and F. ultramafica, is closely related to Festuca sect. Aulaxyper. The other group includes a clade of five endemic …

Relationships Among Some Populations Of Anthoxanthum Alpinum And A. Odoratum (Poaceae, Pooideae): A Morphological/Anatomical Approach, Manuel Pimentel, Elvira Sahuquillo

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The genus Anthoxanthum s.l. (including Hierochloë) (Poaceae, Pooideae, Aveneae) comprises 35–50 species and has a cosmopolitan distribution. Anthoxanthum alpinum was described as a diploid perennial that is distributed in northern Eurasia and in the high mountains of central and eastern Europe. Difficulties in finding reliable morphological differences between this taxon and the widespread tetraploid A. odoratum have resulted in taxonomists treating them as conspecific, despite the cytological differentiation. The purpose of this study was to provide information that may help clarify the relationships between these taxa. Macromorphologial, micromorphological, and anatomical data were gathered and analyzed for 14 populations representing …

Systematics Of Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae)—Evidence From Molecular And Anatomical Studies, Ralf Horres, Katharina Schulte, Kurt Weising, Georg Zizka

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A reconstruction of the phylogeny of Bromeliaceae based on sequence data from three noncoding chloroplast DNA markers (trnL intron, trnT–trnL, and trnT–trnF intergenic spacer [IGS]) is presented, including 26 genera and 33 species. Relationships of Bromelioideae and phylogeny within this subfamily were analyzed in more detail on the basis of two of these markers (trnL intron and trnL–trnF IGS) using a set of 37 genera/74 species of Bromeliaceae, including 28 genera/60 species of Bromelioideae. Sister group relationships of Bromelioideae were not resolved with sufficient reliability, but the …

Phylogeny Of Abildgaardieae (Cyperaceae) Inferred From Its And Trnl–F Data, Kioumars Ghamkhar, Adam D. Marchant, Karen L. Wilson, Jeremy J. Bruhl

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Within the tribe Abildgaardieae, the relationships between Fimbristylis and its relatives have not been certain, and the limits of Fimbristylis have been unclear, with Bulbostylis and Abildgaardia variously combined with it and each other. The relationships and limits of tribes Abildgaardieae and Arthrostylideae and their genera were evaluated across 49 representative species using parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of ITS (nuclear ribosomal) and trnL–F (plastid) DNA sequence data separately and combined. The evolutionary reconstructions derived from sequences of cpDNA and nrDNA disagree about the position of tribe Arthrostylideae relative to Abildgaardieae; Arthrostylis and Actinoschoenus are either nested within Abildgaardieae …

Phylogeny And Historical Ecology Of Rhodocoma (Restionaceae) From The Cape Floristic Region, Christopher R. Hardy, H. Peter Linder

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A macroevolutionary analysis of macroecological relationships in Rhodocoma revealed a complex history of rapid ecological divergence, as well as genetic isolation via shifts in flowering times. The rate and extent of divergence observed among even the youngest of species pairs indicated that the selective forces driving these processes are strong enough to effect substantial amounts of ecological change in relatively short periods of time, and are potentially important factors promoting the origin and persistence of species diversity not only in Rhodocoma, but also the African Restionaceae as a whole. These results also suggest that the rate and extent of …

Large Trees, Supertrees, And Diversification Of The Grass Family, Trevor R. Hodkinson, Nicolas Salamin, Mark W. Chase, Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi, Stephen A. Renvoize, Vincent Savolainen

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Phylogenetic studies of grasses (Poaceae) are advanced in comparison with most other angiosperm families. However, few studies have attempted to build large phylogenetic trees of the family and use these for evaluating patterns of diversification or other macroevolutionary hypotheses. Two contrasting approaches can be used to generate large trees: supermatrix analyses and supertrees. In this paper, we evaluated the suitability of each of these methods for the study of patterns and processes of evolution in the grasses. We collected data from DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank to determine sequence availability and asked how far we are from a complete generic-level phylogenetic tree of the …

Allopolyploids Of The Genus Elymus (Triticeae, Poaceae): A Phylogenetic Perspective, Roberta J. Mason-Gamer

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The wheat tribe, Triticeae, includes many genomically distinct polyploid taxa. Elymus is an entirely allopolyploid genus, with all species containing the St genome of Pseudoroegneria. The St genome may be combined with one or more distinct genomes representing multiple, diverse diploid donors from throughout the tribe. This study includes a simultaneous phylogenetic analysis of new and previously published data from several distinct Elymus groups, including North American and Eurasian StStHH tetraploids, in which the H genome is derived from Hordeum, Eurasian StStYY tetraploids, in which the Y genome is derived from an unknown donor, and a putative StStStStHH …

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Bromus (Poaceae: Pooideae) Based On Chloroplast And Nuclear Dna Sequence Data, Jeffery M. Saarela, Paul M. Peterson, Ryan M. Keane, Jacques Cayouette, Sean W. Graham

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We conducted a phylogenetic analysis to characterize relationships among Bromus and test the monophyly of five of the seven morphologically distinct groups within Bromus (Poaceae: Pooideae) that have been treated as sections, subgenera, or genera. We sequenced the chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron, the 3'-end of the chloroplast ndhF gene, and the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA region for 46 species that represent a large proportion of the morphological and geographical diversity in the genus. Independent analyses of plastid and nuclear ribosomal data identified several lineages in Bromus, but there is some evidence of …

Dicliny In Bouteloua (Poaceae: Chloridoideae): Implications For The Evolution Of Dioecy, Michael S. Kinney, J. Travis Columbus, Elizabeth A. Friar

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The New World grass genus Bouteloua (Chloridoideae: Cynodonteae) comprises 57 species, 13 of which produce unisexual spikelets and hence are diclinous. Andromonoecy, gynodioecy, monoecy, trimonoecy, and dioecy all occur in the genus, and ten species are known to express more than one of these breeding systems. Employing a phylogenetic estimate based on parsimony analysis of DNA sequences from the ITS (nrDNA) and trnL–F (cpDNA) regions representing 35 species of Bouteloua, including ten of 13 diclinous species, we used parsimony character state reconstructions to investigate the evolution of unisexual spikelets and breeding systems. Our specific goals were to estimate …

Consistent Self-Monitoring Of Weight: A Key Component Of Successful Weight Loss Maintenance, Meghan L. Butryn, Suzanne Phelan, James O. Hill, Rena R. Wing

Kinesiology and Public Health

Objective: The objectives were to investigate the characteristics associated with frequent self-weighing and the relationship between self-weighing and weight loss maintenance.
Research Methods and Procedures: Participants (n = 3003) were members of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) who had lost ≥30 lbs, kept it off for ≥1 year, and had been administered the self-weighing frequency assessment used for this study at baseline (i.e., entry to the NWCR). Of these, 82% also completed the one-year follow-up assessment.
Results: At baseline, 36.2% of participants reported weighing themselves at least once per day, and more frequent weighing was associated with lower BMI …

34/2 | Excavations At Kadesh Barnea (Tell El-Qudeirat) 1976–1982, Part 2: Plates, Plans And Sections, Rudolph Cohen, Hannah Bernick-Greenberg

IAA Reports—Monograph Series of the Israel Antiquities Authority

This volume, comprised of two parts: text and plates, presents the results of the excavations at Tell el-Qudeirat, located in an oasis in the northern Sinai desert and identified as biblical Kadesh Barnea. The excavations, which took place over ten seasons (1976–1982), revealed a stratigraphic sequence of three superimposed Iron Age fortresses. The plans and architecture of the fortresses, as well as the pottery, including the family of ‘Negebite Ware’, are described.

Development Of New Simple Sequence Repeat Markers For Pearl Millet, O. P. Yadav, S. E. Mitchell, A. Zamora, Theresa M. Fulton, Stephen Kresovich

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Species Invasion Shifts The Importance Of Predator Dependence, Blaine D. Griffen, David G. Delaney

Faculty Publications

The strength of interference between foraging individuals can influence per capita consumption rates, with important consequences for predator and prey populations and system stability. Here we demonstrate how the replacement of a previously established invader, the predatory crab Carcinus maenas, by the recently invading predatory crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus shifts predation from a species that experiences strong predator interference (strong predator dependence) to one that experiences weak predator interference (weak predator dependence). We demonstrate using field experiments that differences in the strength of predator dependence persist for these species both when they forage on a single focal prey species only (the …

Review: Wild Trees: A Story Of Passion And Daring, Karen Minton

Georgia Library Quarterly

Review of the non-fiction book "Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring," by Richard Preston.

Southeast South Dakota Experiment Farm Annual Progress Report, 2007, Agricultural Experiment Station

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This document highlights 11 crop and livestock research and demonstration reports from projects conducted at Southeast Research Farm in 2007. It is published by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service at South Dakota State University in cooperation with the Southeast South Dakota Experiment Farm Corporation. Reports in this document include information on: weather and climate data, corn production and performance, soybean research and planting, soil testing, alfalfa yield test, fertilizer testing, herbicide research, crop rotation, sorghum, small grains, livestock research, and pest and weed control.

Occurrence And Biological Effect Of Exogenous Steroids In The Elkhorn River, Nebraska, Usa, Alan S. Kolok, Daniel D. Snow, Satomi Kohno, Marlo K. Sellin, Louis J. Guillette Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Recent studies of surface waters in North America, Japan, and Europe have reported the presence of steroidogenic agents as contaminants. The current study has three objectives: 1) to determine if steroidogenic compounds are present in the Elkhorn River, 2) to determine if sediments collected from the Elkhorn River can act as a source of steroidogenic compounds to aquatic organisms, and 3) to determine if site-specific biological effects are apparent in the hepatic gene expression of fathead minnows. Evidence was obtained using three approaches: 1) deployment of polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), 2) deployment of caged fathead minnows, and 3) …

Cold Responsive Earli1 Type Hyprps Improve Freezing Survival Of Yeast Cells And Form Higher Order Complexes In Plants, Yi Zhang, Michael Schläppi

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Plants have large families of proteins sharing a conserved eight-cysteine-motif (8CM) domain. The biological functions of these proteins are largely unknown. EARLI1 is a cold responsive Arabidopsis gene that encodes a hybrid proline-rich protein (HyPRP) with a three-domain architecture: a putative signal peptide at the N-terminus, a proline-rich domain (PRD) in the middle, and an 8CM domain at the C-terminus. We report here that yeast cells expressing different EARLI1 genes had significantly higher rates of freezing survival than empty-vector transformed controls. Arabidopsis plants with knocked down EARLI1 genes had an increased tendency for freezing-induced cellular damage. EARLI1-GFP Fluorescence in …

The Ecological Boundaries Of Six Carolina Bays: Community Composition And Ecotone Distribution, Lorrie Laliberte, James O. Luken, John J. Hutchens Jr., Kevin S. Godwin

Biology

Community and environmental gradients within the ecological boundaries of Carolina bay wetlands may provide important information on the interaction between Carolina bays and associated uplands, and may also provide guidance for improved management. We established twelve 30-m transects on the sloping rims of each of six Carolina bays in northeastern South Carolina to characterize the community gradient, as well as important environmental factors producing this gradient. Mid-points of the transects were placed on jurisdictional wetland boundaries. Hydrology, soil properties, and plant species composition were measured within these transects. On average, transects included an elevation change of 0.6 m that corresponded …

The Leading Object: December 2007

Leading Object

Content:
Perspectives: John C. Owens
‘Know how, Know now’ Seeks to Educate about Value of Extension
Extension Guardianship Program Nationally Recognized
Alumnus Gets Degree 58 Years After Starting School
Dairy Store Busy Preparing Cheese and Gift Boxes
Natural Resources, Plant Industries Halls Renamed
Dinsdale Award To Go to Three Assistant Professors
Hart, Baxendale Receive Awards

Acl Deficiency Affects Stride-To-Stride Variability As Measured Using Nonlinear Methodology, Constantina O. Moraiti, Nikolaos Stergiou, Stavros Ristanis, Anastasios D. Georgoulis

Journal Articles

Previous studies suggested that the small fluctuations present in movement patterns from one stride to the next during walking can be useful in the investigation of various pathological conditions. Previous studies using nonlinear measures have resulted in the development of the “loss of complexity hypothesis” which states that disease can affect the variability and decrease the complexity of a system, rendering it less able to adjust to the ever changing environmental demands. The nonlinear measure of the Lyapunov Exponent (LyE) has already been used for the assessment of stride-to-stride variability in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knee in comparison …

Modulatory Efferent Morphology And Target Allocation With Co-Innervating Leech Motor Neurons, James Melchior

Masters Theses

The leech, Hirudo, has two efferents that converge upon the heart tube (HT) muscle; the segmentally iterated heart excitor motor neurons (HE), and the modulatory heart accessory neurons (HA). Using intracellular dye injections and antibody labeling, we were able to visualize and distinguish the morphologies of these two efferents. We found that HA(5) provides dense coverage of the anterior segments of heart tube muscle and extends along the HT into the posterior segments 6 and 7, while HA(6) projects centrally for several segments before extending into the periphery. HA(5) and HA(6) homologs show little or no overlap on HT …

Towards Tractable Local Closed World Reasoning For The Semantic Web, Matthias Knorr, Jose Julio Alferes, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Recently, the logics of minimal knowledge and negation as failure MKNF [12] was used to introduce hybrid MKNF knowledge bases [14], a powerful formalism for combining open and closed world reasoning for the Semantic Web. We present an extension based on a new three-valued framework including an alternating fixpoint, the well-founded MKNF model. This approach, the well-founded MKNF semantics, derives its name from the very close relation to the corresponding semantics known from logic programming. We show that the well-founded MKNF model is the least model among all (three-valued) MKNF models, thus soundly approximating also the two-valued MKNF models from …