The effect of three different weed management strategies, non-weeding, hand weeding, and weed mat, were examined on physicochemical, sugar profile, and antioxidant properties of two cultivars of blackberry (Rubus spp), ’Marion’ and ’Black Diamond’ harvested at three time intervals during the 2012 season. Sensory analysis on flavor intensity of six...
Predicting biodiversity responses to climate change remains a difficult challenge, especially in climatically complex regions where precipitation is a limiting factor. Though statistical climatic envelope models are frequently used to project future scenarios for species distributions under climate change, these models are rarely tested using empirical data. We used long-term...
Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) has a reputation for being resistant to fungal attack, but much of the work to support this premise used older growth material (80-100 yr old). Given the tendency for the heartwood from the second growth of some species to be less durable, we evaluated the...
Routine inspection of wood utility poles to detect internal decay involves drilling holes at or about the ground line. While these holes are useful for detecting internal decay, their presence raises concern among engineers about their potential effects on pole flexural properties. The effect of inspection holes on flexural properties...
Increasingly, forest management and conservation plans require spatially explicit information within a management
or conservation unit. Forest biomass and potential productivity are critical variables for forest planning and
assessment in the Pacific Northwest. Their values are often estimated from ground-measured sample data. For
unsampled locations, forest analysts and planners lack...
We report here that (4R,9Z)-hexadec-9-en-4-olide [(R)-desmolactone] is a sex attractant or sex pheromone for multiple species and subspecies in the cerambycid genus Desmocerus. This compound was previously identified as a female-produced sex attractant pheromone of Desmocerus californicus californicus. Headspace volatiles from female Desmocerus aureipennis aureipennis contained (R)-desmolactone, and the antennae...
A new functional gene database, FOAM (Functional Ontology Assignments for Metagenomes), was developed to screen environmental metagenomic sequence datasets. FOAM provides a new functional ontology dedicated to classify gene functions relevant to environmental microorganisms based on Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). Sets of aligned protein sequences (i.e. ‘profiles’) were tailored to...
Teams of artificially intelligent planetary rovers have tremendous potential for space exploration, allowing for reduced cost, increased flexibility, and increased reliability. However, having these multiple autonomous devices acting simultaneously leads to a problem of coordination: to achieve the best results, they should work together. This is not a simple task....
In a set of streamside mesocosms, stream ecosystem respiration (ER) increased with biofilm biomass and flow heterogeneity (turbulence) generated by impermeable bed forms, even though those bed forms had no hyporheic exchange. Two streamside flumes with gravel beds (single layer of gravel) were operated in parallel. The first flume had...
A majority of the world’s largest net-based fisheries target planktivorous forage fish that serve as a critical trophic link between the plankton and upper-level consumers such as large predatory fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals. Because the plankton production that drives forage fish also drives jellyfish production, these taxa often overlap...
Root rot of raspberry (Rubus idaeus), thought to be primarily caused
by Phytophthora rubi, is an economically important disease in the
western United States. The objectives of this study were to determine
which Phytophthora species are involved in root rot, examine the efficacy
of different isolation methods (cane, root, and...
Fisheries oceanography is the study of ecological relationships between fishes and the dynamics of their marine environments and aims to characterize the physical, chemical, and biological factors that affect the recruitment and abundance of harvested species. A recent push within the fisheries management community is toward ecosystem-based management. Here, we...
In the past 100 years since the birth of fisheries oceanography, research on the early life history of fishes, particularly the larval stage, has been extensive, and much progress has been made in identifying the mechanisms by which factors such as feeding success, predation, or dispersal can influence larval survival....
Through application of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotope analyses, we investigated the benthic trophic structure of
the upper-slope off southern Chile (~45°S) including a recent methane seep area discovered as part of this study. The observed
fauna comprised 53 invertebrates and seven fish taxa, including remains of chemosymbiotic...
In surveys of residents in three urban and three rural locations in the Great Basin we examined the social acceptability of six management practices showing promise for restoring sagebrush-dominated rangelands. Unlike most studies of range management perceptions that have relied on single measurements, we used longitudinal data from a questionnaire...
It is almost universally assumed in statistical hydroclimatology that relationships between large-scale
climate indices and local-scale hydrometeorological responses, though possibly nonlinear,
are monotonic. However, recent work suggests that northern-hemisphere atmospheric
teleconnections to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Arctic Oscillation can be
parabolic. The effect has recently been explicitly confirmed...
Strategies and recommendations for performing skeletal reductions of multicomponent surrogate fuels are presented, through the generation and validation of skeletal mechanisms for a three-component toluene reference fuel. Using the directed relation graph with error propagation and sensitivity analysis method followed by a further unimportant reaction elimination stage, skeletal mechanisms valid...
Experiments were conducted in North and South America during 2012-2013 to
evaluate the use of lure combinations of sex pheromones (PH), host plant volatiles
(HPV), and food baits in traps to capture the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta
(Busck) and codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) in pome and stone fruit...
Protocylindrocorpus brasiliensis n. sp. (Diplogastroidea: Cylindrocorporidae) associated with the ambrosia beetle, Euplatypus parallelus (F.)(Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae) in Para rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis). Nematropica 00-00.
Protocylindrocorpus brasiliensis n. sp. (Diplogastroidea: Cylindrocorporidae) is described from reproductive stages removed from galleries of the ambrosia beetle, Euplatypus parallelus (F.)(Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae) in Para rubber...
Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a renewable, biodegradable biopolymer that has
shown great promise to offset the use of hydrocarbon-derived plastics. The genes
encoding the bacterial PHB production pathway have been engineered into several
higher order plant species providing an opportunity to produce PHB as a
co-product on an industrial, agricultural scale....
BACKGROUND: Occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF) is a
suspected risk factor for brain tumours, however the literature is inconsistent. Few studies have
assessed whether ELF in different time windows of exposure may be associated with specific
histologic types of brain tumours. This study examines the association...
Cryopreservation of human red blood cells (RBCs) in the presence of 40% glycerol
allows a shelf-life of 10 years, as opposed to only 6 weeks for refrigerated
RBCs. Nonetheless, cryopreserved blood is rarely used in clinical therapy, in part
because of the requirement for a time-consuming (~1 h) post-thaw wash...
We consider issues of equality and efficiency in two different school funding systems - a state-level system in Michigan and a foundation system in Ohio. Unlike Ohio, the Michigan system restricts districts from generating property or income tax revenue to fund operating expenditures. In both states, districts fund capital expenditures...
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is an acute toxic illness in humans resulting from ingestion of shellfish contaminated with a suite of neurotoxins (saxitoxins) produced by marine dinoflagellates, most commonly in the genus Alexandrium. Poisoning also has been sporadically suspected and, less often, documented in marine wildlife, often in association with...
We present the results of a set of numerical simulations of long-duration gamma-ray burst
jets aimed at studying the effect of a variable engine on the peak frequency of the photospheric
emission. Our simulations follow the propagation of the jet inside the progenitor star,
its break-out, and the subsequent expansion...
Excessive fiscal spending is commonly cited as a root of the current European debt
crisis. This paper suggests, like others, that the rise of competitiveness imbalances contributing
to national imbalances in total borrowing are a better explanation for systemic differences
towards EMU countries’ exposure to market speculation. We identify one...
Radiocarbon is an exceptionally useful tool for studying soil-respired CO₂, providing information about soil
carbon turnover rates, depths of production, and the biological sources of production through partitioning. Unfortunately, little
work has been done to thoroughly investigate the possibility of inherent biases present in current measurement techniques,
like those present...
BACKGROUND: Increasing emphasis in performance-based payment, public reporting, and quality improvement
(QI) has led to widespread interest in measuring and improving the quality of care. By 2014, hospice programs
will be required to report quality data to the federal government or incur financial penalties. With this increased
interest in quality...
A floristic study of marine macrophytic algae and Cyanobacteria in the splash and intertidal zones at Luhuitou reef, Sanya Bay, Hainan Island, China, was conducted during the rainy and dry seasons of 2008-2012 utilizing 148 of the most common species. Macrophytic algal diversity increased from the splash zone to the...
Ebola virus causes an acute hemorrhagic fever lethal in primates and rodents. The contribution of host immune factors to pathogenesis has yet to be determined and may reveal efficacious targets for potential treatment. In this study, we show that the interleukin (IL)-10 signaling pathway modulates Ebola pathogenesis. IL-10 [superscript -...
In this study we demonstrate that sample strips of lidar in
combination with Landsat can be used to predict forest attributes
more precisely than from Landsat alone. While lidar
and Landsat can each be used alone in vegetation mapping,
the cost of wall to wall lidar may exceed users' financial...
OBJECTIVE: Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) has been found to reduce delinquency among girls in juvenile justice through 2-year follow-up. Given that such girls are at elevated risk for suicide and depression into adulthood, we tested MTFC effects on long term trajectories of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms.
METHOD: Girls...
Gas hydrates, pervasive in continental margin sediments, are expected to release methane in response to ocean warming, but the geographic range of dissociation and subsequent flux of methane to the ocean are not well constrained. Sediment column thermal models based on observed water column warming trends offshore Washington (USA) show...
Eddies can influence biogeochemical cycles through a variety of mechanisms, including the excitation of vertical velocities and the horizontal advection of nutrients and ecosystems, both around the eddy periphery by rotational currents and by the trapping of fluid and subsequent transport by the eddy. In this study, we present an...
Combined analyses of deep tow magnetic anomalies and International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 cores show that initial seafloor spreading started around 33 Ma in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS), but varied slightly by 1-2 Myr along the northern continent-ocean boundary (COB). A southward ridge jump of ∼20 km...
BACKGROUND: Exocytosis is integral to root growth: trafficking components of systems that control growth (e.g., PIN
auxin transport proteins) to the plasma membrane, and secreting materials that expand the cell wall to the
apoplast. Spatiotemporal regulation of exocytosis in eukaryotes often involves the exocyst, an octameric complex
that tethers selected...
Caribbean coral reefs have deteriorated substantially over the past 30 years, which is broadly attributable to the effects of global climate change. In the same time, Indo-Pacific reefs maintain higher coral cover and typically recover rapidly after disturbances. This difference in reef resilience is largely due to much higher coral...
Dysregulation of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling has been implicated in glioma pathogenesis. Yet, the role of this pathway in gliomagenesis remains controversial because of the lack of relevant animal models. Using the cytokeratin 5 promoter, we ectopically expressed a constitutively active zebrafish Smoothened (Smoa1) in neural progenitor cells and analyzed...
The isothiocyanate sulforaphane is a promising molecule for development as a therapeutic agent for patients with metastatic
prostate cancer. Sulforaphane induces apoptosis in advanced prostate cancer cells, slows disease progression in vivo and is well
tolerated at pharmacological doses. However, the underlying mechanism(s) responsible for cancer suppression remain to be...
We investigated colony size, productivity, and limiting factors for five piscivorous waterbird species nesting at 18 locations
on the Columbia Plateau (Washington) during 2004–2010 with emphasis on species with a history of salmonid
(Oncorhynchus spp.) depredation. Numbers of nesting Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and double-crested cormorants
(Phalacrocorax auritus) were stable...
The most commonly encountered plant-parasitic nematodes in eastern Washington Vitis vinifera vineyards are Meloidogyne hapla, Mesocriconema xenoplax, Pratylenchus spp., Xiphinema americanum, and Paratylenchus sp.; however, little is known about their distribution in the soil profile. The vertical and horizontal spatial distribution of plant-parasitic nematodes was determined in two Washington V....
This study investigated the effects of visual cues, muscular fatigue, task performance and experience of working on inclined
surfaces on activity of postural muscles in the lower limbs associated with maintaining balance on three inclined surfaces –
08, 148 and 268. Normalised electromyographic (NEMG) data were collected in 44 professional...
Whole-genome duplications are radical evolutionary events that have driven speciation and adaptation in many taxa. Higher-order
polyploids have complex histories often including interspecific hybridization and dynamic genomic changes. This chromosomal
reshuffling is poorly understood for most polyploid species, despite their evolutionary and agricultural importance, due to the
challenge of distinguishing...
Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species’ threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that...
Biotic resistance is the idea that native species negatively affect the invasion success
of introduced species, but whether this can occur at large spatial scales is poorly
understood. Here we re-evaluated the hypothesis that native large-bodied grouper
and other predators are controlling the abundance of exotic lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on...
Seascape ecology is an emerging discipline focused on understanding how features of the marine habitat influence the
spatial distribution of marine species. However, there is still a gap in the development of concepts and techniques for its
application in the marine pelagic realm, where there are no clear boundaries delimitating...
The ascomycete Geosmithia morbida and the walnut twig beetle Pityophthorus juglandis are associated with thousand
cankers disease of Juglans (walnut) and Pterocarya (wingnut). The disease was first reported in the western United States
(USA) on several Juglans species, but has been found more recently in the eastern USA in the...
Plastids are actively involved in numerous plant processes critical to growth, development and adaptation. They play a
primary role in photosynthesis, pigment and monoterpene synthesis, gravity sensing, starch and fatty acid synthesis, as well
as oil, and protein storage. We applied two complementary methods to analyze the recently published apple...
In recent years, measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide with high precision and accuracy have become increasingly important for climate change research, in particular to inform terrestrial biosphere models. Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning have long been recognized to contribute a significant portion of the carbon dioxide in...
Pseudomonas fluorescens WH6 secretes a germination-arrest factor (GAF) that we have
identified previously as 4-formylaminooxyvinylglycine. GAF irreversibly inhibits germination of the
seeds of numerous grassy weeds and selectively inhibits growth of the bacterial plant pathogen
Erwinia amylovora. WH6-3, a mutant that has lost the ability to produce GAF, contains a...