Celiac disease, an autoimmune response triggered by the consumption of seed storage proteins of cereals, affects an estimated 1% of the human population. In the case of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), one of the world’s most consumed cereals, alcohol-soluble proteins, the gliadins, have been identified as the allergy-eliciting agents. Previous...
Temperate evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest support big huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) despite their nutrient impoverished soils. Acquisition of nitrogen and phosphorous are the major nutrients limiting V. membranaceum. The plant’s access to these resources is linked to their mycorrhizal symbiosis. To learn more about the symbionts of eriaceous plants...
Winter hardiness in barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a trait targeted by breeding programs in order to expand the potential area of adaptation of fall-sown cereals. Vernalization requirement is an important factor in winter hardiness. A vernalization requirement is an extended period of low temperature required for transition from the vegetative...
The prey consumption rates of two estuarine crab species were compared: the introduced Carcinus maenas and the native Cancer magister. Similar sized crabs of each species were placed into individual perforated plastic boxes and then placed in a seawater table. Each crab was offered 50 Mytilus trossulus mussels (15-25mm) per...
Clostridium perfringens type A isolates produce the spore-specific enterotoxin, CPE, upon sporulation in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. Spo0A is a response regulator representing the major transcription factor for sporulation initiation in C. perfringens. In Bacillus subtilis, a multicomponent phosphorelay involving five histidine kinases (KinA-KinE), the intermediate response...
Biological introductions may considerably alter the composition and community dynamics of invaded areas thereby changing many ecosystem processes including productivity, decomposition, nutrient cycling and hydrology. The effects on native species may be obscured by a lack of information on distribution and abundance patterns. The Japanese eelgrass, Zostera japonica, was introduced...
The AhR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the potent immunosuppressive effects of TCDD. AhR-dependent changes in gene expression appear to alter the differentiation of CD4+ T cells to induce a population of CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) that suppress the immune response. Ascertaining if and how the AhR...
Mammary tumors are the third most common tumor in cats after cutaneous neoplasia and lymphosarcoma. More than 80% of feline mammary tumors are adenocarcinomas, which are similar to human mammary adenocarcinomas in their biologic behavior and histologic characteristics. Despite treatment with radical mastectomy, feline mammary adenocarcinoma is associated with a...
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White muscle disease (WMD), a degenerative muscle disease brought on by a deficiency of the essential trace nutrient selenium, is thought to be mediated by the protein Selenoprotein W (SeW). In its relationship with WMD, SeW, like many selenoproteins, binds to glutathione, serving some purpose in redox mechanisms...
The bovine blastocyst is composed of a one-celled layer of trophectoderm
surrounding a fluid filled sac called the blastocoel and a ball of cells called the inner cell
mass (ICM). On Day 8 (Day 0=fertilization) in bovine embryos, endodermal cells leave
the ICM, migrate over the extracellular matrix (ECM) on...
Chlorinated and non-chlorinated solvents are used in a variety of industrial processes and as a consequence, they have become environmental contaminants as well. Because of this, they lead to both occupational and environmental exposures. Exposure to these compounds can potentially result in various forms of neurological damage with a wide...
Motivation: It can take considerable amounts of time and effort to use existing computational tools to analyze a small RNA sequence for the purpose of determining if it is characteristic of microRNA. It is similarly tedious to search for homologs to known microRNA sequences in the rapidly growing collection of...
Studies were conducted to assess influencing the effectiveness of sheep for grazing control of false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) an invasive grass species. Orphan lambs were exposed to false brome via grass extract in their milk and naturally reared lambs were exposed by grazing dense stands of false brome with their...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of usually planar
compounds consisting of fused aromatic rings that are formed by the incomplete
combustion of organic materials. PAHs are ubiquitous in the environment, coming from
a number of sources, such as cigarette smoke, the burning of wood for residential heating,
and...
Sarcocystis neurona is the 1responsible for the disease Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM). Exposure rates to S. neurona across the United States is about 50%, yet only about 2% of exposed horses develop EPM. The cell-mediated immune (CMI) response is hypothesized to be important for protective immunity against this disease. The...
Biological control is the action of predators, parasitoids, or pathogens to maintain
a pest organism's population at lower numbers than would occur in the absence of the
agent. Entomopathogenic nematodes can be used as biological control agents for insect
pests. These nematodes infect insects and release a toxic bacterium that...
Auxin and ethylene regulate many important aspects of plant growth and development and are
essential to the plants survival. They help regulate such diverse processes as cell elongation,
growth of adventitious roots, fruit growth, germination, and a variety of other processes. Few
studies have examined how the hormones auxin and...
A lexicon to define the sensory properties of melted Cheddar cheese was created
using a trained descriptive panel. The lexicon characterized appearance (surface rupture,
meltedness, oiliness, and edge browning) and texture (stringiness, stretchiness,
springiness, firmness, toothpull, smoothness, cohesiveness, denseness, and chewiness).
Three brands of commercially available shredded Cheddar cheese were...
Relationships among soil pH, redox potential, and ferrous iron content data obtained from
various field and lab methods were determined, with the following 4 objectives:
1.) Compare pH values obtained in the field to those obtained in the lab
2.) Evaluate different methods to measure pH in field
3.) Determine...
The following paper is an objective view on the viability of growing the truffle Tuber melanosporum in the Willamette Valley. Included in this study are the history of the truffle, biological cycle, habitat description, method of cultivation and an enterprise budget for commercial production in the Willamette Valley. The truffle,...
Llama reproductive physiology is unique when compared with other livestock species. Llamas carry 95-98% of all pregnancies in the left uterine horn. It is believed that there is a physiological difference between the uterine horns that contributes to this phenomenon. This study examined the uterine environment for protease and protease...
Cell lines deficient in certain genes of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system show a marked resistance to the cell killing or apoptotic effects of DNA alkylating agents. The molecular mechanism for this resistance is not yet understood, but is currently of great interest because of the recent use of...
The diageotropica (dgt) mutation has been proposed to affect either auxin
perception or responsiveness in tomato plants. Auxins and cytokinins are plant
growth regulators known to interact with each other via a variety of mechanisms.
Here, we report the interactions of auxins and cytokinins in VFN8 wild-type and
dgt mutant...
This study examined the management situation for the Columbiaroot-knot nematode (Meloidogyne chitwoodi) in potato, using an approach with systems thinking and interactive meetings. The focus of current research for control of this nematode was evaluated. Control practices include crop rotation, and this study also evaluated popcorn cultivars for their potential...
Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) infects red raspberry and black raspberry worldwide. Infection causes reduced vigor and drupelet abortion leading to crumbly fruit and reduced yields. While this crumbly fruit can still be used in juice, jam, and preserves, it cannot be used for the more valuable fresh and individually...
A genetic selection study to determine the effects on egg hatchability and subsequent chick performance of Japanese quail eggs incubated at a 38.9° C (102° F) dry bulb temperature (Selected, S) when compared to 37.8 C (100°F) (Control, C) was conducted for four consecutive generations. Eggs from a randomly mated...
The nursery industry plays a critical role in Oregon's economy. An increase in wood-boring insect, or borer, activity has impacted the industry. The goal of this research is to determine key borer species in the nursery industry, flight times so targeted spray schedules can be established, and assess grower knowledge...
An analytical method was adapted to extract semi-volatile organic compounds (SOCs) from conifer needles. Needles from Abies concolor
(white fir) and Pinus contortas (lodgepole pine) from Sequoia National Park (SNP) were collected during the summer of 2003, and analyzed for SOCs. The goal of this research was to determine differences...
Surfactants, or surface active agents, are the active ingredients in detergents used for
domestic cleaning applications, such as dish washing and laundering. They are effective cleaning
agents by concentrating at interfacial regions, lowering the surface tension of water, and forming
micelles that solubilize oils (West, 1992). Surfactants are amphiphilic, because...
Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii [Smith] Phillips) is a federally listed Threatened plant of Willamette Valley prairies. Both low reproduction, due to seed coat dormancy, and competition from invasive plants may threaten the longterm viability of this species. In separate studies, I investigated seed germination and an invasive species...
Evaporative loss rates of pesticides, following application to turfgrass, were measured using the Backward-Time Lagrangian stochastic Dispersion model (Flesch, Wilson, Journal of Applied Meteorology, 34, pp. 1320-1332. All pesticides were applied to a 22.8 m x 22.8 m orchard ryegrass turf plot near Corvallis, Oregon. Solar radiation, ambient temperature, surface...
Leaves of healthy strawberry plants were inoculated with either vinclozolin-sensitive or vinclozolin-resistant isolates of Botrytis cinerea at one of three concentrations: 5x104, 1x105, and 5x105 conidia/ml. One week following inoculation, representative leaves were harvested and cut into 9mm2 leaf pieces. Some pieces were immediately plated onto selective Botrytis medium while...
Age-related decline in the capacity of endogenous antioxidant systems
complicates pharmaceutical use by the elderly by potentially increasing the toxicity of
some compounds. Of particular interest is chemical detoxification via glutathione (GSH)
and attendant GSH-requiring detoxification enzymes, e.g. GSH peroxidases (GPX) and
GSH S-transferase (GST). These enzymes have been shown...
Indole-3-carbinol (13C), a metabolite of glucobrassicin, is found in cruciferous vegetables. It is able to act as an inhibitor or promoter of carcinogenesis depending on the species, the carcinogen and when it is given in relation to the carcinogen. This is probably due to the fact that it reacts in...
Crystallizing a virus can be difficult and not always successful. Forty-eight salts, buffers, and precipitating agents were used in the hanging drop preparations in attempts to crystallize the San Miguel sea lion virus type 5 (SMSV-5). The first attempt resulted in 22 of the 48 solutions forming a precipitate. The...
Separation and isolation of organic analytes from environmental matrices such as soils,
water, plant, or animal tissue has traditionally involved the use of liquid solvent extractions.
Solvent-based extraction methods are often time-consuming, difficult to automate, and use
expensive solvents that generate hazardous waste and working conditions. The need for a...
Nitrosomonas europaea is an autotrophic ammonia-oxidizer that has been found to cometabolize various halogenated hydrocarbons. This ability to cometabolize various compounds (many of which are considered contaminants) has caused N. europaea to be considered a potential bioremediational organism. However, ifN. europaea is to be used for bioremediation purposes, it will...
Grain protein concentration of wheat is influenced by numerous factors. When determining a wheat variety's ability to produce protein, the plant's ability to uptake and translocate nitrogen is critical. A greenhouse study was conducted to assess differences in nitrogen use among different wheat varieties. The objective was to determine if...
As in other species, it is possible that a homozygous red leafed (= redleaf) hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) tree would have brighter red coloration than a heterozygote and thus be more desirable as an ornamental. However, 'Fusco Rubra' and `Rode Zeller' both carry incompatibility allele S6 (thus cross-incompatible) and are...
COUP-TF interacting protein 1 (CTIP1) is a novel C2H2 zinc finger protein that mediates transcriptional repression of ARP1, a member of the COUP-TF subfamily of orphan nuclear receptors [1]. Here we show that CTIP1 interacts with heterochromatin-associated protein 1 (HP1) in vitro and in cells. This
interaction suggests the existence...
The acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is among the most common primary cavity nesters of the Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) woodlands. Understanding their selection of granary sites is important in evaluating habitat quality and management actions. I hypothesized that granary locations would be consistent with the optimal foraging theory. Site...
Saturated soils undergo reduced conditions as microorganisms consume oxygen and require other terminal electron accepting processes for the mineralization of soil organic carbon. Currently, the soil redox potential has not been considered as important when sampling these soils for Fe, Mn, and P04. Since Fe- and Mn-oxides are electron sinks...
This report examines the feasibility of using the bivalve Corbicula flumina as a biomarker for environmental contaminants in the Willamette River. Compounds such as DDT, dioxins, furans, and PCBs persist in the environment, pose health related concerns, and due to their lipophilic nature accumulate in biological organisms. The success of...
Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens with a unique biphasic life cycle that consists of an infectious but non-dividing form, called elementary bodies (EB), and a noninfectious but metabolically active form, called reticulate bodies (RB). Chlamydia has an unusual process of cell division of which still remains uncharacterized subject matter;...
The ionotropic glutamate receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the majority of excitatory neurotransmission in the brain. The three classes of ionotropic glutamate receptors are alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), and kainite. These three classes have unique subunits. NMDA receptors play important roles in development, forms of synaptic plasticity,...
Soil CO2 efflux is a major contributor of CO2 to the atmosphere. The rate that CO2 is respired out of the soil is called the soil flux (Fs). Many variables alter Fs. These variables differ drastically in the variety of ecosystems found on the earth. It is important to understand...
Gaps in the forest canopy allow more light to reach the understory. Since
light in the understory is heterogeneous, understanding the physiological
processes in gaps and non-gaps will improve estimates of carbon balance. This
research outlines an approach for defining carbon balance for Salal (Gaultheria
shallon Pursh.), a dominant understory...
Horticultural and nursery crops are the leading agricultural commodity in Oregon. Among currently grown nursery plants, Verbena x hybrida is a staple ornamental. It is grown and shipped worldwide, thus requiring a high level of certainty concerning the plants’ health and potential viability. V. x hybrida cultivars have been infected...