Life Sciences Commons^™

Crop Registration: The Pathway To Public Access Of Plant Genetic Materials To Build Crops For The Future, D. D. Ellis, K. A. Garland-Campbell, J. A. Grotenhuis, M. M. Jenderek, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Starting in 1926 and continuing for 80+ yr, 11,241 crop genetic materials have been registered as of 31 Dec. 2008. The crop registration process is an important pathway to publically describe and document new and useful genetic materials and to incorporate these into the public domain via the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). Crop Registration materials are now searchable via the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) and demand for registered materials remains strong with more than 9150 registered accessions distributed in the past 26 yr by the NPGS. Guidelines continue to evolve to accommodate global factors effecting germplasm exchange such …

Efficacy Of Singular And Stacked Brown Midrib 6 And 12 In The Modification Of Lignocellulose And Grain Chemistry, Scott E. Sattler, Deanna L. Funnell-Harris, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In sorghum, brown midrib (bmr) 6 and 12 impair the last two steps of monolignol synthesis. bmr genes were introduced into grain sorghum to improve the digestibility of lignocellulosic tissues for grazing or bioenergy uses following grain harvest. Near-isogenic grain sorghum hybrids (AWheatland X RTx430) were developed containing bmr6, bmr12, and the bmr6 bmr12 double mutant (stacked), and their impacts were assessed in a two-year field study. The bmr genes did not significantly impact grain or lignocellulosic tissue yield. Lignocellulosic tissue from bmr6, bmr12, and stacked hybrids had reduced lignin content and increased in …

Heterosis In Sweet Sorghum And Selection Of A New Sweet Sorghum Hybrid For Use In Syrup Production In Appalachia, T. W. Pfeiffer, M. J. Bitzer, J. J. Toy, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Although heterosis is well established in grain and forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], reports of heterosis in sweet sorghum are limited to results from grain sorghum × sweet sorghum hybrids. Recent development of cytoplasmic male-sterile sweet sorghum lines allows creation of sweet sorghum hybrids for research and industry. Male sterility may also affect allocation of photosynthate to plant parts, creating the potential to increase sugar content in stems by eliminating seed as a sink. The objectives of this study were to compare performance of A₃ cytoplasmic male-sterile lines and A₃ cytoplasmic male-sterile hybrids to fertile B …

Influences Of Wind And Sandblasting On The Endangered Blowout Penstemon, James Stubbendieck, Cheryl D. Dunn, Heidi L. Hillhouse, L. M. Landholt

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Blowout penstemon Penstemon haydenii is a federally endangered species growing only in areas with active wind erosion in sand dunes of the central United States. This early seral species declines as the blowout habitat stabilizes, allowing later seral species to increase. Blowout penstemon populations and plant size declined in the 1990s when precipitation was higher than normal, resulting in reduced sand movement. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to determine whether blowing sand influenced vigor and persistence of blowout penstemon seedlings. Treatments were wind, sandblasting, wind with sandblasting, and a control. The wind treatment was a constant 14 km h^{–1 …}

Fine Mapping Of The Scn Resistance Locus Rhg1-B From Pi 88788, Myungsik Kim, David L. Hyten, Andrew F. Bent, Brian W. Diers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) is the most economically damaging soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] pest in the USA and genetic resistance is a key component for its control. Although SCN resistance is quantitative, the rhg1 locus on chromosome 18 (formerly known as Linkage Group G) confers a high level of resistance. The objective of this study was to fi ne-map the rhg1-b allele that is derived from plant introduction (PI) 88788. F₂ and F₃ plants and F_3:4 lines from crosses between SCN resistant and susceptible genotypes were tested with genetic markers to …

High-Throughput Snp Discovery And Assay Development In Common Bean, David L. Hyten, Qijian Song, Edward W. Fickus, Charles V. Quigley, Jong-Sung Lim, Ik-Young Choi, Eun-Young Hwang, Marcial Pastor-Corrales, Perry B. Cregan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Next generation sequencing has significantly increased the speed at which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be discovered and subsequently used as molecular markers for research. Unfortunately, for species such as common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) which do not have a whole genome sequence available, the use of next generation sequencing for SNP discovery is much more difficult and costly. To this end we developed a method which couples sequences obtained from the Roche 454-FLX system (454) with the Illumina Genome Analyzer (GA) for high-throughput SNP discovery. Results: Using a multi-tier reduced representation library we discovered a total of …

Afm Study Of Structural Changes In Supported Planar Dppc Bilayers Containing General Anesthetic Isofluorane (Plus Additional Afm Experiments), Chad Mckell, Hiram Conley, David D. Busath

Faculty Publications

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a remarkable tool for assessing the structural properties of supported lipid planar bilayers under different physiological conditions. Previous work has shown that incorporation of anesthetics into artificial lipid bilayers results in domain formation [1], destruction of lipid aggregates and patches [2], anesthetic-lipid mixed micelle formation [2], and the development of interdigitated phases of reduced thickness compared to anesthetic-free bilayers [3]. In particular, these interdigitated phases are suspected to affect the structure and activity of membrane proteins, such as ion channels, and thus further research with proteinembedded bilayers exposed to anesthetics could reveal the mechanism responsible …

Use Of Near-Infrared Light To Reduce Symptoms Associated With Restless Legs Syndrome In A Woman: A Case Report, Ulrike H. Mitchell

Faculty Publications

Introduction: We describe a potential new treatment option for patients suffering from restless legs syndrome. Contemporary treatment for restless legs syndrome consists mostly of dopaminergic drugs that leave some patients feeling nauseated and dizzy. A non-invasive, drug-free option would open new doors for patients suffering from restless legs syndrome. Case presentation: A 69-year-old Caucasian woman met International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group criteria for the diagnosis of restless legs syndrome. She had been afflicted with restless legs syndrome for over 30 years and tried many of the available pharmaceutical remedies without success. For this study she received 30-minute treatment sessions …

Prospects And Pits On The Path Of Biomimetics: The Case Of Tooth Enamel, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

This review presents a discourse on challenges in understanding and imitating the process of amelogenesis in vitro on the molecular scale. In light of the analysis of imitation of the growth of dental enamel, it also impends on the prospects and potential drawbacks of the biomimetic approach in general. As the formation of enamel proceeds with the protein matrix guiding the crystal growth, while at the same time conducting its own degradation and removal, it is argued that three aspects of amelogenesis need to be induced in parallel: a) crystal growth; b) protein assembly; c) proteolytic degradation. A particular emphasis …

Major Challenges For The Modern Chemistry In Particular And Science In General, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

In the past few hundred years, science has exerted an enormous influence on the way the world appears to human observers. Despite phenomenal accomplishments of science, science nowadays faces numerous challenges that threaten its continued success. As scientific inventions become embedded within human societies, the challenges are further multiplied. In this critical review, some of the critical challenges for the field of modern chemistry are discussed, including: (a) interlinking theoretical knowledge and experimental approaches; (b) implementing the principles of sustainability at the roots of the chemical design; (c) defining science from a philosophical perspective that acknowledges both pragmatic and realistic …

Gene Delivery In The Equine Cornea: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy, Dylan G. Buss, Ajay Sharma, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—To determine if hybrid adeno-associated virus serotype 2/5 (AAV5) vector can effectively deliver foreign genes into the equine cornea without causing adverse side effects. The aims of this study were to: (i) evaluate efficacy of AAV5 to deliver therapeutic genes into equine corneal fibroblasts (ECFs) using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene and (ii) establish the safety of AAV5 vector for equine corneal gene therapy.

Animal Material—Primary ECF cultures were harvested from healthy donor equine corneas. Cultures were maintained at 370C in humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2.

Procedure—AAV5 vector expressing EGFP under control of hybrid cytomegalovirus (CMV) + chicken …

Vector Delivery Technique Affects Gene Transfer In The Cornea In Vivo, Rajiv R. Mohan, Ajay Sharma, Tyler C. Cebulko, Ashish Tandon

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: This study tested whether controlled drying of the cornea increases vector absorption in mouse and rabbit corneas in vivo and human cornea ex vivo, and studied the effects of corneal drying on gene transfer, structure and inflammatory reaction in the mouse cornea in vivo.

Methods: Female C57 black mice and New Zealand White rabbits were used for in vivo studies. Donor human corneas were used for ex vivo experiments. A hair dryer was used for drying the corneas after removing corneal epithelium by gentle scraping. The corneas received no, once, twice, thrice, or five times warm air for …

Localization Of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme In Rabbit Cornea And Its Role In Controlling Corneal Angiogenesis In Vivo, Ajay Sharma, Daniel I. Bettis, John W. Cowden, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: The renin angiotensin system (RAS) has been shown to modulate vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenesis. In this study we investigated (i) the existence of the RAS components angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin II receptors (AT1 and AT2) in the rabbit cornea using in vitro and ex vivo models and (ii) the effect of enalapril, an ACE inhibitor, to inhibit angiogenesis in rabbit cornea in vivo.

Methods: New Zealand White rabbits were used. Cultured corneal fibroblasts and corneal epithelial cells were used for RNA isolation and cDNA preparation using standard molecular biology techniques. PCR was performed to …

Differences In The Mechanism Of Collagen Lattice Contraction By Myofibroblasts And Smooth Muscle Cells, J. C. Dallon, H P. Ehrlich

Faculty Publications

Both rat derived vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) and human myofibroblasts contain $\alpha$ smooth muscle actin (SMA), but they utilize different mechanisms to contract populated collagen lattices (PCLs). The difference is in how the cells generate the force that contracts the lattices. Human dermal fibroblasts transform into myofibroblasts, expressing $\alpha$-SMA within stress fibers, when cultured in lattices that remain attached to the surface of a tissue culture dish. When attached lattices are populated with rat derived vascular SMC, the cells retain their vascular SMC phenotype. Comparing the contraction of attached PCLs when they are released from the culture dish on …

2010 Weed Science Research Report – Blue Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2010. It includes work on corn and soybean and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

2010 Weed Science Research Report – Pink Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2010. It includes work on leafy spurge and Russian olive in North Dakota.

2010 Weed Science Research Report – Tan Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2010. It includes work on adjuvants and spray quality and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

Chemosensitization Of Cancer Cells By Sirna Using Targeted Nanogel Delivery, Erin B. Dickerson, William H. Blackburn, Michael H. Smith, Laura B. Kapa, L. Andrew Lyon, John F. Mcdonald

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Chemoresistance is a major obstacle in cancer treatment. Targeted therapies that enhance cancer cell sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents have the potential to increase drug efficacy while reducing toxic effects on untargeted cells. Targeted cancer therapy by RNA interference (RNAi) is a relatively new approach that can be used to reversibly silence genes in vivo by selectively targeting genes such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which has been shown to increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to taxane chemotherapy. However, delivery represents the main hurdle for the broad development of RNAi therapeutics.

Methods: We report here …

Web-Based, Participant-Driven Studies Yield Novel Genetic Associations For Common Traits, Nicholas Eriksson, J. Michael Macpherson, Joyce Y. Tung, Lawrence S. Hon, Brian Naughton, Serge Saxonov, Linda Avey, Anne Wojcicki, Itsik Pe'er, Joanna Mountain

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Despite the recent rapid growth in genome-wide data, much of human variation remains entirely unexplained. A significant challenge in the pursuit of the genetic basis for variation in common human traits is the efficient, coordinated collection of genotype and phenotype data. We have developed a novel research framework that facilitates the parallel study of a wide assortment of traits within a single cohort. The approach takes advantage of the interactivity of the Web both to gather data and to present genetic information to research participants, while taking care to correct for the population structure inherent to this study design. Here …

Interspecific Variation In Palatability Suggests Cospecialization Of Antipredator Defenses In Sea Hares, Kimberly K. Takagi, Nadia N. Ono, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Prey species often deploy different kinds of antipredator defenses, which can interact with each other in ways that are not yet completely understood. Much research into these interactions has utilized gastropod mollusks, usually focusing (in part) on the protective utility of the gastropod shell. This makes the evolutionary reduction of the shell in the opisthobranch gastropods (marine slugs) particularly interesting. This loss of protective function of the shell is associated with the evolution of alternative defenses. Particularly well studied are chemical defenses, especially those using secondary metabolites derived from food resources. As a first step toward understanding interspecific variation in …

Equal Bmd After Daily Or Triweekly Exercise In Growing Rats, B. D. Kayser, J. K. Godfrey, R. M. Cunningham, R. A. Pierce, S. V. Jaque, Ken D. Sumida

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of continuous resistance training (3 days/wk) compared to interrupted resistance training where 20-24 h separated an exercise bout (i.e. 6 days/wk) for enhancing bone mineral density (BMD) in growing male rats. The total volume of work performed per week between the two resistance training programs was equivalent by design. Young male rats were randomly divided into Control (Con, n = 9), 3 days/wk resistance trained group (RT3, n = 9), and 6 days/wk resistance trained group (RT6, n = 9). The RT3 and RT6 groups were conditioned to climb a …

Family Members' Influence On Family Meal Vegetable Choices, Tionni R. Wenrich, J. Lynne Brown, Michelle Miller-Day, Kevin J. Kelley, Eugene J. Lengerich

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—Characterize the process of family vegetable selection (especially cruciferous, deep orange, and dark green leafy vegetables); demonstrate the usefulness of Exchange Theory (how family norms and past experiences interact with rewards and costs) for interpreting the data.

Design—Eight focus groups, two with each segment (men/women vegetable-likers/dislikers based on a screening form). Participants completed a vegetable intake form.

Setting—Rural Appalachian Pennsylvania.

Participants—61 low-income, married/cohabiting men (n=28) and women (n=33).

Analysis—Thematic analysis within Exchange Theory framework for qualitative data. Descriptive analysis, t-tests and chi-square tests for quantitative data.

Results—Exchange Theory proved useful for understanding that regardless …

Functionality, Parsimony, Discovery, Avoiding Hamartia: How Evolutionary Perspectives Are Changing Psychology, Brooke N. Jenkins, Aaron T. Goetz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary psychology offers an important perspective to scientific psychology. Evolutionary psychology, in its short existence, has added an abundance of knowledge to the social sciences, let alone psychology. The study of human cognition and behavior remains incomplete without an evolutionary perspective. Here, we argue that evolutionary psychology uniquely provides a complete understanding of scientific psychology because it explains the functions of our psychological traits, provides us with the most parsimonious explanation of many psychological phenomena, predicts undocumented phenomena, and possibly allows us to avoid the downfalls of some of our contemptible evolved psychological mechanisms.

Estimation Of Effective Plant Area Index For South Korean Forests Using Lidar System, D. A. Kwak, W. K. Lee, Menas Kafatos, Y. Son, H. K. Cho, S. H. Lee

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems can be used to estimate both vertical and horizontal forest structure. Woody components, the leaves of trees and the understory can be described with high precision, using geo-registered 3D-points. Based on this concept, the Effective Plant Area Indices (PAIe) for areas of Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis), Japanese Larch (Larix leptolepis) and Oak (Quercus spp.) were estimated by calculating the ratio of intercepted and incident LIDAR laser rays for the canopies of the three forest types. Initially, the canopy gap fraction (GLiDAR) was generated by extracting the LiDAR data reflected from the canopy surface, or …

Can Prospective Usability Evaluation Predict Data Errors?, Constance M Johnson, Meredith Nahm, Ryan J Shaw, Ashley Dunham, Kristin Newby, Rowena Dolor, Michelle Smerek, Guilherme Del Fiol, Jiajie Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Increasing amounts of clinical research data are collected by manual data entry into electronic source systems and directly from research subjects. For this manual entered source data, common methods of data cleaning such as post-entry identification and resolution of discrepancies and double data entry are not feasible. However data accuracy rates achieved without these mechanisms may be higher than desired for a particular research use. We evaluated a heuristic usability method for utility as a tool to independently and prospectively identify data collection form questions associated with data errors. The method evaluated had a promising sensitivity of 64% and a …

Sequential Incoherence In A Multi-Party Synchronous Computer Mediated Communication For An Introductory Health Informatics Course, Jorge R Herskovic, J Caleb Goodwin, Pamela A Bozzo Silva, Irmgard Willcockson, Amy Franklin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Online courses will play a key role in the high-volume Informatics education required to train the personnel that will be necessary to fulfill the health IT needs of the country. Online courses can cause feelings of isolation in students. A common way to address these feelings is to hold synchronous online "chats" for students. Conventional chats, however, can be confusing and impose a high extrinsic cognitive load on their participants that hinders the learning process. In this paper we present a qualitative analysis that shows the causes of this high cognitive load and our solution through the use of a …

The Influence Of Plantar Cutaneous Stimulation On A Functional Test Of Gait In Parkinson’S Disease, Rachel Van Oostveen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Although possible deficits in proprioception have been implicated as a cause of gait impairments in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD), little research has been done to investigate improving this possible deficit as a method to influence mobility. The overall purpose of the current thesis was to investigate the influence of increased plantar stimulation on stability and gait impairments. This study also investigated the contribution of attention to locomotion in PD. The two studies comprising this thesis addressed the possible influence of the ribbed insoles in the initial response of PD participants as well as the long-term use of the insole. …

Molecular Studies Of 5-Azacytidine-Induced Early-Flowering Lines Of Flax, Megan A. House

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Several early-flowering flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) lines were derived from treatment of germinating seeds with 5-azacytidine in 1990. These lines are also shorter, have fewer leaves, and their DNA is hypomethylated, relative to their corresponding controls. The work presented in this thesis used early-flowering and control lines of the Royal (R) flax genotype, and the Large (L) flax genotroph. Firstly, levels of cytosine methylation were measured over a 24-hour period in the early-flowering line RE2 and its control (RC), using an HPLC method. Secondly, to determine the response of the flax lines to short-day conditions, control and early-flowering …

Are Health Care Professionals Addressing The Psychological Aspect Of Athletic Injury? A Survey Of Injured Athletes, Hayley C. Russell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Millions of athletic injuries occur annually. Athletic injures involve not only physical distress but psychological distress as well. Nevertheless, injured athletes rarely see a mental health care professional. It has been suggested that health care professionals, such as physicians, physiotherapists, and athletic therapists, are well positioned to address the psychological aspect of injury. Health care professionals report that they sometimes address the psychological aspect of injury with the athletes they treat. There is limited research, however, on what injured athletes perceive to be the role of health care professionals in addressing the psychological aspect of injuries. Therefore the purpose of …

Concussions In Ice Hockey: Baseline Testing, Reporting Accuracy, And Cervical Functioning, Craig J. Coghlin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study was threefold: firstly, to demonstrate the utility of the SCAT2 as both a baseline measurement and a tool to aid in the decision making process following the occurrence of a concussion; secondly, to assess the accuracy of reporting and/or relaying a diagnosis of a concussion; and finally to attempt to measure a relationship between cervical spine functioning and past concussion occurrence. Eighty hockey players were assessed for cognitive, neuropsychological, and physical measures pertaining to concussive injuries within ice hockey. The results of the study showed a marked underreporting of concussions due to either fear of …