Life Sciences Commons^™

Simple, Compact Source For Low-Temperature Air Plasmas, D. P. Sheehan, J. Lawson, M. Sosa, Richard A. Long

Faculty Publications

A simple, compact source of low-temperature, spatially and temporally uniform air plasma using a Telsa induction coil driver is described. The low-power ionization discharge plasma is localized (2 cm X 0.5 cm X 0.1 cm) and essentially free of arc channels. A Teflon coated rolling cylindrical electrode and dielectric coated ground plate are essential to the source’s operation and allow flat test samples to be readily exposed to the plasma. The plasma is a copious source of ozone and nitrogen oxides. Its effects on various microbes are discussed.

A Long Way From Home: Transatlantic Sea Star Migration, William Jaeckle, Paul Kehle

Scholarship

For a marine biologist strolling along the eastern coast of South America, finding some sea stars (popularly called starfish, and technically members of the class Asteroidea of the phylum Echinodermata) is not all that unusual. However, when closer inspection reveals the sea stars to be ones that are also found on the shores of the western coast of Africa, the marine biologist now faces an interesting question: How did these sea stars come to be so far from home?

Originally published in Consortiumand used with permission.

Seasonal Niche Strategy Of The Bloom-Forming Dinoflagellate Heterocapsa Triquetra, R. W. Litaker, P. A. Tester, C. S. Duke, B. E. Kenney, James L. Pinckney, J. Ramus

Faculty Publications

Heterocapsa triquetra is one of the most common bloom-forming dinoflagellates found in estuaries and near shore regions around the world. This work examined the environmental factors associated with 3 separate wintertime H. triquetra blooms in the shallow tidally mixed Newport River estuary, North Carolina, USA. During 2 of the blooms in 1982 and 1983, the estuary was sampled from a fixed, single location every hour for 14 d. During the third study, the estuary was sampled at 9 fixed locations over its entire length each week from late December 1997 through March 1998. This time period included the formation and …

Estimating The Spatial Extent Of Bottom-Water Hypoxia And Habitat Degradation In A Shallow Estuary, Christopher P. Buzzelli, Richard A. Luettich Jr., Sean P. Powers, Charles H. Peterson, Jesse E. Mcninch, James L. Pinckney, Hans W. Paerl

Faculty Publications

Bottom-water hypoxia (≤ 2 mg 1^-1 dissolved oxygen [DO]) greatly modifies the benthic habitat of estuaries, depending upon spatial extent, duration, and frequency. Bottom-water hypoxia often develops under conditions of density stratification, which inhibits vertical mixing, and warm temperatures, which enhance biological oxygen demand. Long-term, mid-channel data from the Neuse River Estuary in North Carolina permitted evaluation of how stratification and temperature combined to affect DO concentrations at the bottom. Salinity stratification (DS) and water temperature (T) explained respectively 30 and 23% of the variance in bottom-water DO concentrations. The amount of salinity stratification required to induce bottom-water …

Iron, Folate And Vitamin B12 Status Of Apparently Healthy Irish Adult Women Attending General Practitioners In Inner-City Dublin, Helen R. Casey

Doctoral

There is substantial related morbidity and mortality among men and women in developed countries. Certain events during the course of a woman’s life such as menstruation, pregnancy, lactation and the menopause may compromise haematinic nutrient status. The purpose of this study was to investigate iron, folate and vitamin B12 status among a sample of apparently healthy, non-pregnant Irish adult women attending general practitioners in inner-city Dublin. Dietary, socio-economic, medical and lifestyle factors contributing to status of these haematinic nutrients were extensively examined. The initial part of the work validated the methods in a representative sample of inner city Dublin women …

Thin Laser Light Sheet Microscope For Microbial Oceanography, Eran Fuchs, Jules S. Jaffe, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

Despite a growing need, oceanographers are limited by existing technological constrains and are unable to observe aquatic microbes in their natural setting. In order to provide a simple and easy to implement solution for such studies, a new Thin Light Sheet Microscope (TLSM) has been developed. The TLSM utilizes a well-defined sheet of laser light, which has a narrow (23 micron) axial dimension over a 1 mm x 1 mm field of view. This light sheet is positioned precisely within the depth of field of the microscope’s objective lens. The technique thus utilizes conventional microscope optics but replaces the illumination …

Ec02-177 Purple Loosestrife, Stevan Z. Knezevic

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an introduced invasive weed that isover running thousands of acres of wetlands and waterways in the Midwest. Once purple loosestrife invades a wetland, natural habitat is lost and the productivity of native plant and animal communities is severely reduced. These losses in turn interfere with various levels of the ecosystem and area recreational activities such as fishing, boating and hunting, diminishing revenue from tourism and impairing the social and economic well being of local communities. A single control measure cannot provide long-term, sustainable control of this weed. An integrated approach, using a variety …

Ec02-176 Musk Thistle, Fred Roeth, Steven R. Melvin, Irvin L. Schleufer

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Musk thistle (Carduus nutans L.) is an introduced invasive broadleaf weed native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. In these areas it is a minor weed because natural enemies keep its population low. When the plant was introduced into North America, its natural enemies were left behind. Without these natural checks, the thistle is able to thrive and compete with native vegetation.

Musk thistles aggressively invade all lands in Nebraska. Typical cropland weed control methods are very effective against them; however, land with permanent cover (pasture, range, roadway ditches and wasteland) that is not tilled or treated with a …

Ec02-172 Plumeless Thistle, Kara L. Hilgenfeld, Alex Martin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides L.) is one of seven noxious weeds in Nebraska. An introduced invasive broadleaf weed native to Europe and Asia, plumeless thistle currently infests about 65,000 acres in Nebraska. Infestations of plumeless thistle may reduce productivity of pastures and rangeland, where infestations tend to be the largest. Plumeless thistle competes with and suppresses growth of desirable species. Heavy infestations prevent livestock from grazing the area and lighter infestations prevent livestock from eating plants growing near the thistle. Estimates place the annual loss in Nebraska agricultural production due to plumeless thistle at $162,000. Although plumeless thistle is …

Ec02-173 Spotted And Diffuse Knapweed, Neil L. Heckman, Ryan M. Goss, Roch E. Gaussoin, Stevan Z. Knezevic, John L. Lindquist

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Spotted knapweed (Centaure amaculosa Lam. = C. biebersteinii DC.) and diffuse knapweed (C.diffusa Lam.) are two of Nebraska’s seven noxious weeds. They are also noxious in at least 17 other states. These are closely related species that are well adapted to a variety of habitats including open forests, rangelands and pastures, Conservation Reserve Program lands, roadsides, and ditch banks. Centaurea is a large genus of over 400 species, 32 of which are common weeds of the United States and several of which [e.g., yellowstar thistle, C. solstitalis L, and Russian knapweed, C. repens L. =Acroptilon repens (L.) …

Ec02-171 Canada Thistle, Robert G. Wilson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L) Scop.] is one of the seven species defined by Nebraska law as a noxious weed. At least 35 other states also have determined by law that Canada thistle poses a threat to the economic, social, and aesthetic well-being of the residents of their state. Canada thistle is probably the most widespread of all the thistle species and many land managers consider it the most difficult thistle to control. In Nebraska, Canada thistle is estimated to infest 460,000 acres.

Ec02-174 Leafy Spurge, Robert A. Masters, Brady F. Kappler

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Leafy spurge is an invasive weed that infests over three million acres in the northern Great Plains and the prairie provinces of Canada. It is commonly found in rangelands, pastures, roadsides, rights-of-way, and woodlands. Leafy spurge can reduce rangeland and pasture carrying capacity by as much as 75 percent because it competes with forages and cattle avoid grazing areas infested with this weed. In North Dakota where leafy spurge infests about 900,000 acres, estimates of direct and indirect losses exceed $100 million each year. In Nebraska, the direct loss in forage value attributed to leafy spurge has been estimated at …

Ec02-174 Noxious Weeds Of Nebraska: Leafy Spurge, Robert A. Masters, Brady Kappler

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Leafy spurge is an invasive weed that infests over three million acres in the northern Great Plains and the prairie provinces of Canada. It is commonly found in rangelands, pastures, roadsides, rights-of-way, and woodlands. Leafy spurge can reduce rangeland and pasture carrying capacity by as much as 75 percent because it competes with forages and cattle avoid grazing areas infested with this weed.

This Extension Circular discusses the biology, identification, distribution and control of leafy spurge.

Genetic Diversity Of Balbiani Ring L Gene In Two Species Of Chironomus, Lola-Mae Palmer

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Differences in genetic composition have been predicted among aquatic midge fly larva called chironomids. Although several genes including microsatellites and ribosomal protein genes have been explored in our lab, the gene that has so far been studied the most is the Balbiani Ring (BR) 1 gene. There are several genes in this family, including Balbiani Ring 2.1, 2.2 and 6. These BR genes are known to contain long arrays of tandemly repeated units with a ranked repeat organization (Paulsson et al.1992). This secretory protein gene forms a large puff located on polytene chromosome IV (Bentivegna et al., 1993). The gene …

Microscale Patchiness Of Bacterioplankton Assemblage Richness In Seawater, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

We sought to test the hypothesis that bacterial species richness and composition vary at the millimeter scale in the marine pelagic environment, in response to the heterogeneous distribution of organic matter. To test this hypothesis, it was necessary to design and test a protocol to sample, lyse and analyze (by polymerase chain reaction/denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [PCR-DGGE]) bacterioplankton species richness in a single microliter of seawater. Significant variation in bacterial species richness was found amongst 1 μl samples. Greater species richness was seen when seawater was enriched with diatom detritus. Examination of species richness at 2 mm intervals over a …

Fisheries Research Report No.128 - Aquaculture And Related Biological Attributes Of Abalone Species In Australia - A Review., Kylie A. Freeman

Fisheries Research Reports

China and Taiwan are the major producers of cultured abalone; with annual production estimated at 3,500 and 3,000 tonnes respectively. The world production of cultured abalone sold in 1999 was 7,775 tonnes. Australian farm production was still relatively low (89 tonne in 1999) but numerous abalone farms have been proposed and many have been constructed. On a national scale, Tasmania and South Australia are the major states involved in temperate abalone culture; however, new projects have commenced in Victoria and considerable interest exists in New South Wales. Pilot scale trials with tropical abalone aquaculture using the Donkey-ear abalone (Haliotis asinina) …

Variations In Bacterial Community Structure During A Dinoflagellate Bloom Analyzed By Dgge And 16s Rdna Sequencing, Laura B. Fandino, Lasse Riemann, Grieg F. Steward, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

The relationship between bacterial 16S rRNA gene composition and carbon metabolism was analyzed during an intense dinoflagellate bloom off the Southern California coast during the spring of 1997. Bacterial numbers and rate processes, chlorophyll a, and the dissolved and particulate organic matter pools were measured during the bloom to provide a framework within which to assess bacterial community composition. Free bacteria were numerically dominant, generally comprising >90% of the total, and were responsible for >70% of bacterial production. Attached bacteria had higher cell-specific growth rates than free bacteria (range = 0.5 to 15.1 and 0.7 to 2.5 d^{-1 …}

Nitric Oxide And Cnidarian-Dinoflagellate Symbioses: Pieces Of A Puzzle, Henry G. Trapido-Rosenthal, Katherine H. Sharp

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The presence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity is demonstrated in the tropical marine cnidarian Aiptasia pallida and in its symbiotic dinoflagellate algae, Symbiodinium bermudense. Enzyme activity was assayed by measuring the conversion of arginine to citrulline. Biochemical characterization of NOS from Aiptasia was characterized with respect to cellular localization, substrate and cofactor requirements, inhibitors, and kinetics. In response to acute temperature shock, anemones retracted their tentacles. Animals subjected to such stress had lower NOS activities than did controls. Treatment with NOS inhibitors caused tentacular retraction, while treatment with the NOS substrate L-arginine inhibited this response to stress, as did …

Computer Aided Learning Environment For Biology, Pek Hin Foong

Student Works (2000-2009)

Traditional learning on biology requires of memory rather than understanding. As better educational technology emerges, we are able to utilise the computer as an important tool in learning. Many educational and pedagogical issues, particularly in the field or Artificial intelligence are looked at to help consider a good design for a computer learning tool. Existing computer aided learning materials are also studied to pinpoint their better features and incorporate them into the learning tool. A learning tool is proposed for effective learning in relating facts, rules, text and graphics. This system will have a Study Section containing notes that incorporates …

Effect Of Harvest And Effective Population Size On Genetic Diversity In A Striped Bass Population, Marilyn Diaz, David S. Wethey, James Bulak, Bert Ely

Faculty Publications

A major factor that contributes to loss of genetic variation in natural populations is a small effective population size. In species with a complex life history that involves overlapping generations and delayed maturity, the impact of infrequent annual reproductive bottlenecks is likely to be small because effective population size is defined by the number of individuals contributing to a generation and not to a single year-class. The striped bass Morone saxatilis is a longlived species with overlapping generations and age structure, whose recreational and commercial importance has made it a target of intense harvest.We analyzed allele frequency fluctuation among juvenile …

On The Nature Of Norms: Biology, Morality, And The Disruption Of Order, Owen D. Jones

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This essay discusses the legal implications of bio-behavioral underpinnings to norms, morality, and economic order. It first discusses the recent book "The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order," in which Francis Fukuyama explores the importance of evolved human nature to the reconstruction of social order and a thriving economy. It then addresses the extent to which we can usefully view law-relevant norms as products of evolutionary - as well as economic - processes.

Responses Of Phytoplankton And Pfiesteria-Like Dinoflagellate Zoospores To Nutrient Enrichment In The Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, Usa, James L. Pinckney, Hans W. Paerl, Elin Haugen, Patricia A. Tester

Faculty Publications

The recently described toxic dinoflagellate Pfiestena piscicida and morphologically similar Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellates have become a major water quality issue with possible fish mortality and reported human health implications. The linkages between accelerated nutrient loading, eutrophication, and the proliferation of this group of dinoflagellates, however, are not well established for natural Systems. Phytoplankton pnmary production may provide a key link between nutrient inputs and potential outbreaks of Pfiesteria-like biflagellated zoospores in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina. The impacts of nutrient (NO₃^- -nitrogen and PO₄^3- -phosphorus) supply rates, sediment-water column exchange, water column mixing, and phytoplankton prey …

Ec00-1564 A Guide To Identifying Nebraska Bumble Bee Species, Marion D. Ellis, Doug Golick

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

For more people, pollen means allergies and bees mean stings. However, you should thank a bee, butterfly, bat, bird, or other pollinator for one out of every three bites of food you eat. There are 95 crops grown in the United States that require insect pollinators. In addition, many bee-pollinated plants provide food for wildlife, increase soil fertility, and beautify our landscapes.

This extension circular discusses the importance of bees, capturing bees, making a reference collection, identification guide, and glossary.

Nutrient Cycling In The Water Column Of A Subtropical Seagrass Meadow, Susan Ziegler, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

The cycling of nutrients was studied over a 16 mo period to determine how processes occurring between the water column and benthos influenced nutrient dynamics in a Thalassia testudinum dominated seagrass meadow. Nutrient concentrations were low and ranged from below detection to 0.59 µM ammonium (NH₄⁺), 0.04 to 0.29 µM nitrate plus nitrite (NO₃^- + NO₂^-), and below detection to 0.22 µM soluble reactive phosphate (SRP). Water column and benthic fluxes of NO₃^- + NO₂^- and SRP were usually below detection. The benthic fluxes of NH₄^{+ …}

Fish Kills And Bottom-Water Hypoxia In The Neuse River And Estuary: Reply To Burkholder Et Al., Hans W. Paerl, James L. Pinckney, John M. Fear, Benjamin L. Peierls

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Different Proctolin Neurons Elicit Distinct Motor Patterns From A Multifunctional Neuronal Network, Dawn M. Blitz, Andrew E. Christie, Melissa J. Coleman, Brian J. Norris, Eve Marder, Michael P. Nusbaum

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Distinct motor patterns are selected from a multifunctional neuronal network by activation of different modulatory projection neurons. Subsets of these projection neurons can contain the same neuromodulator(s), yet little is known about the relative influence of such neurons on network activity. We have addressed this issue in the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab Cancer borealis. Within this system, there is a neuronal network in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) that produces many versions of the pyloric and gastric mill rhythms. These different rhythms result from activation of different projection neurons that innervate the STG from neighboring ganglia and modulate STG …

Standardization Of An Immunoassay For The Detection Of Antibodies To B2 Glycoprotein-I, Eric N. Erickson Jr.

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) is an evolving autoimmune disease with numerous clinical manifestations. APS occurs in two forms: Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome (PAPS) and secondarily in association with other autoimmune disorders such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE). In the brief period since its discovery as a cofactor for anticardiolipin antibodies, p1-glycoprotein I (�GPI; apolipoprotein H) has been recognized as the autoantigen in the absence of anionic phospholipid when appropriately presented to human autoantibodies. Recent studies suggest that this presentation requires the surface-dependent unmasking of a cryptic epitope. Immunoassays of autoantibodies directed against p1GPI, developed through the application of suitable polymeric matrices, may …

Film Formation By Marine Bacteria At A Model Fluid Interface, Vera Zutic, Nadica Ivosevic, Vesna Svetlicic, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

We have characterized the nonspecific interactions in the initial attachment and film formation by marine bacteria at a dynamic fluid interface: seawater/dropping mercury electrode. Experimental evidence is presented that bacteria readily establish molecular contact with the metal substrate without mediation of a conditioning film. Prevalence of hydrophobic over electrostatic interactions and the possible importance of Ca²⁺ bridging could be inferred. The attachment of individual bacterial cells is faster than their transport from the aqueous medium, as is the case in the transport-controlled adsorption of biopolymers. The cell aggregates yield distinct electrical attachment signals, allowing a comparison between cell-cell and …

Dissolved Organic Carbon Cycling In A Subtropical Seagrass-Dominated Lagoon, Susan Ziegler, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

The cycling of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its significance to ecosystem metabolism was studled over a 16 mo period in a Thalassia testudjnum dominated meadow. The benthos was usually net autotrophic (annual gross primary production to respiration ratio [P:R] = 1.3) while water column respiration (R) exceeded gross primary production (annual P:R = 0.3). Net fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the benthos primarily occurred in the light (0 to 18 mmol C m^-2 d^-1) and from seagrass-dominated areas, suggesting that release of DOC was mainly due to seagrass exudation. Net benthic DOC fluxes measured …

The Reproductive Biology And Edaphic Characteristics Of A Rare, Gynodioecious Saxifage: Saxifraga Bryophora Var. Tobiasiae (Saxifragaceae), Kimberly Pierson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I examined the reproductive biology and general ecology of Saxifraga bryophora var. tobiasiae, a rare saxifrage endemic to the West Salmon River Mountains of central Idaho. Saxifraga bryophora var. tobiasiae combines asexual reproduction via bulbils with a sexual mixed-mating system. Flower production occurred in 1996 only, whereas bulbil production occurred in 1995, 1996, and 1997. Bulbil production precedes floral bud formation and is the dominant form of reproduction. When flowering occurs, outcrossing is promoted by protandry and the gynodioecious mating system found in all populations. No autogamous or agamospermous seed set was observed in either female or hermaphrodite flowers, …