Life Sciences Commons^™

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 …

Evaluation Of The Use Of Healing Imagery In Athletic Injury Rehabilitation, Joel Cressman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Healing imagery can be defined as both visualizing affirmative images ofinternal physiological healing occurring in an injured area and visualizing oneselfas healthy and fully functioning (Driediger, Hall, & Callow, 2006). Healing imagery has been found to effectively reduce the time of recovery from various athletic injuries when used in combination with other mental skills, such as self-talk and relaxation (Ievleva & Orlick, 1991). However, the literature remains void of a study that specifically examines healing imagery and the potential benefits that may accompany the regular application ofhealing imagery techniques alone. This study examined the effects ofan imagery intervention on the …

A Qualitative Examination Of Sport Transitions In First Year Collegiate Female Athletes, Carolyn Mcewen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

First year student athletes transitioning from high school to university experience simultaneous transitions in athletics, academics, social lives, family structures, support systems, and peer sport groups. These changes in their personal, social and occupational lives, can impact them cognitively, emotionally and behaviourally (Taylor & Ogilvie, 1994). The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the multi-dimensional transition experience of first-year collegiate athletes transitioning to higher level sports. A sample of eleven female varsity hockey, basketball, or volleyball athletes participated in two semi-structured interviews at beginning of the season and midseason. The first series of interviews were conducted face-to-face, with …

The Dynamics Of Chronically Bioaccumulated Cd In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) During Both Moderately Hard And Soft Waterborne Exposures, Jessica Milne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Aquatic organisms respond to metal exposures by modulating uptake, elimination and detoxification capacity and, therefore, it is difficult to link accumulation within fish to adverse chronic effects. When fish are exposed to sublethal concentrations of metal, physiological responses follow a damage-repair scenario with rapid uptake into the gills followed by transfer via the circulatory system and accumulation into key organs such as the liver and kidney. Anthropogenic sources of cadmium (Cd) arise mainly from mining, smelting, and refining sulphide ores of Zn, Pb and Cu (Norton et al., 1990). The free divalent ion (Cd²⁺) is the toxic form …

Physiological And Toxicological Effects Of Pb Plus Cd Mixtures On Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) In Soft Acidic Water, Yvonne Kara

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The ability of a metal to cause toxicity in aquatic environments is highly dependant upon the water chemistry, which can influence metal bioavailability. Metal bioavailability is affected by the concentration of the metal, complexation of the metal by organic and inorganic ligands, and by the speciation of the metal. Predictive models of metal toxicity, such as the biotic ligand model (BLM) have mainly focused upon predicting the toxicity of individual metals rather than the toxicity of metals in mixtures, which are more commonly found in contaminated waters. Two metals that are commonly found together are Pb and Cd which can …

The Influence Of Dopamine Replacement On Movement Impairments During Bimanual Coordination In Parkinson’S Disease (Pd), Matt Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of the current thesis was to investigate the influence of dopamine replacement on performance during bimanual coordination in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) There has been conflicting research on the cause of movement impairments such as coordination deficits, slowed switching and upper limb freezing that occur during coordinated movements It is unclear whether decreased function of the dopaminergic system after withdrawal from dopamine replacement is responsible for these deficits Healthy age-matched control participants were compared to PD participants in two experiments to determine the movement impairments that occurred during three-dimensional wrist flexion-extension bimanual coordination as a result of …

Insights Into The World Of Pea Nodulation Using The Low Nodulator R50, Scott Clemow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cytokinin oxidase (CKX) is the enzyme responsible for the degradation of cytokinin, a class of adenine-based plant hormones that stimulate cell division, among other physiological processes. The pea mutant R50 is characterized by having a pale leaf phenotype, dwarf stature, few lateral roots, low nodule formation, and elevated levels of endogenous cytokinins in its shoots, roots and nodules. When compared to that of the wild-type Sparkle, total CKX activity is low but the transcript levels of PsCKX1 are significantly higher. In this study, I investigated the expression of PsCKX1 throughout the development of a nodule and the localization of PsCKX1 …

Insights Into Genome Functional Organisation Through The Analysis Of Interaction Networks, Andre Masella

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Using computational techniques to identify orthology and operon structure, it is possible to find functional interactions between genes, which, together, define the genetic interactome. These large networks contain information about the relationships between phenotypes in organisms as genes responsible for related abilities are often co-regulated and reasserting of these genes can be detected in the operon structure. However, these networks are too large to analyse by hand In order to practically analyse the networks, a computational tool, gisql, was developed and, using this tool, the connectivity patterns in the genetic interactome can be analysed to understand high-level organisation of …

The Pleiotropic Mutant R50 (Sym16): A Link Between Cytokinin And Starch Metabolism May Explain Its Seed Phenotype, Chengli Long

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cytokinins are a class of adenine-based plant hormones that stimulate cell divisions and are therefore essential for organ growth and development. The role that cytokinin plays in nodulation and that of R50 (syml6) in particular is very complex. In this study, a cytokinin antagonist and a cytokinin oxidase (CKX) inhibitor were used as tools to study the effects of cytokinin perception or cytokinin degradation on nodulation in pea, the cytokinin transduction pathway, especially that induced by CRE1/AHK4, and CKX play a significant role in pea nodulation. Comparison of the full length sequences PsCKX2 cDNAs from Sparkle and R50 …

The Role Of The Subtalar Joint And The Influence Of Footwear Characteristics During Slip Perturbations, Jessica M.R. Berrigan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Slips are considered one of the most common causes of major accidental injuries. The objective of this thesis is two-fold. The first objective is to determine the role of the subtalar joint during a slipping perturbation. The second is to determine if certain footwear characteristics, that may restrict the normal function of the subtalar joint (i.e., insole stiffness and heel counter stiffness), will change the response to unexpected heel contact slipping perturbations.

Forty-two participants (30 females, 12 males) were recruited from a university aged population (21.19 years ± 2.7 years). Trials were performed over a 10 m walkway with rectangular …

Microbial Community Characterization And Pathogen Analysis Within Constructed Wetlands Of Varying Scale Designed For Contaminant Removal, Michael R. Mitzel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are complex treatment environments, requiring an integrative research approach to improve our understanding of them. The goal of this thesis was to establish an understanding of the functional and structural characteristics of microbial communities within bench-, field- and industrial-scale environmental treatment systems. The impact of pathogenic and/or antibiotic contaminants on these communities based on their functional and structural profiles using community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) and denaturing-gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), respectively, was investigated. Under normal operation, bench-, field- and industrial-scale treatment systems were able to produce similarly behaving structural and functional profiles. Increased retention time was consistently associated …

Raccoon (Procyon Lotor) Movements And Dispersal Associated With Ridges And Valleys Of Pennsylvania: Implications For Rabies Management, Robert B. Puskas, Justin W. Fischer, Craig B. Swope, Mike R. Dunbar, Robert G. Mclean, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) continues to be a prominent terrestrial rabies reservoir in the eastern United States. Describing the dispersal and movements of these animals and determining geographic features that are natural hindrances or corridors to movements could be used to assist oral rabies vaccination efforts. The landscape of the ridge-and-valley system in Pennsylvania exhibits characteristics of both natural potential hindrances and travel corridors to the movements of wildlife. The movements of 49 raccoons were monitored throughout a ridge and two adjacent valley sites to assess their movements related to these landscape features. Results suggest that few raccoons …

Site Use Of European Starlings Captured And Radio-Tagged At Texas Feedlots During Winter, H. Jeffrey Homan, A.A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Rickey L. Gilliland

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We radio tagged and tracked 50 European starlings between December 2008 and January 2009 at 3 feedlots in the northern Texas Panhandle. Daily fidelity to sites of capture (home feedlots) was different among the 3 radio-tagged cohorts. Cohorts from Sites A and C were recorded at home feedlots on 48 and 59% of tracking days, respectively. The Site B cohort was at its home feedlot 95% of days. There were qualitative differences in use of home feedlots between cohorts A and C. The former were nearly obligate in their use of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), whereas the latter tended …

Comparative Toxicity Of Diphacinone To Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus) And American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, Daniel D. Day, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be about 20 times greater to American kestrels (LD₅₀=97 mg/kg) than to northern bobwhite (LD₅₀=2,014 mg/kg). Several precise and sensitive clotting assays (prothrombin time, Russell’s Viper venom time, thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in these species, and this combination of assays is recommended to detect effects of diphacinone and other rodenticides on coagulation. Oral administration of diphacinone over a range of doses (sublethal to the extrapolated LD₁₅) prolonged prothrombin time and Russell’s Viper venom time within 24 to 48 hrs …

Acute Toxicity Of Diphacinone In Northern Bobwhite: Effects On Survival And Blood Clotting, Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was slightly toxic (acuteoralLD₅₀ 2014 mg/kg) to Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in a 14-day acute toxicity trial. Precise and sensitive assays of blood clotting (prothrombin time, Russell’s Viper venom time, and thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in quail, and this combination of assays is recommended to measure the effects of anticoagulant rodenticides. A single oral sub lethal dose of diphacinone (434mg/kg body weight) prolonged clotting time at 48 h post-dose compared to controls. At 783 mg/kg (approximate LD₀₂), clotting time was prolonged at both 24 and 48 h post-dose. …