Digital Commons Network^™

Genetic Transformation Among Azotobacter Species, Wayne H. Voth

Dissertations and Theses

Previous methods for genetic transformation in Azotobacter vinelandii have employed poorly defined genetic markers or crude DNA extracts. An improved transformation technique has been developed for use in Azotobacter. The technique was used to transform several strains of Azotobacter with DNA carrying a defined genetic marker. A method for isolating pure, high molecular weight, biologically active DNA from Azotobacter is also presented. Purity of the extracted DNA was determined by standard chemical assays. The molecular weight was determined by boundary sedimentation techniques to be 18.2 megadaltons. DNA was obtained from several mutant strains of Azotobacter. Biological activity of these samples …

The Effects Of Salts And Metals On Germination And Emergence Of Atriplex Canescens (Pursh.) Nutt. And Sporobolus Airoides Torr, Robert L. Edgar

Biology ETDs

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine effects of salts, metals, and their interactions on the germination and emergence of fourwing saltbush [Atriplex canescens (Pursh.) Nutt.] and alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides Torr.). These studies, coupled with soil evaluations, should allow one to predict and possibly alleviate germination and emergence inhibition of these two species due to excessive soil salts and metals. Fourwing saltbush germination and emergence is significantly greater with osmotic stress <-3 bars imposed by inorganic salts (NaCl, Na₂SO₄, MgCl₂, MgSO₄, or CaCl₂) than by polyethylene glycol (PEG) (P <.05). Alkali sacaton germination and emergence is significantly better with osmotic stress <-3 bars imposed by NaCl, Na₂SO₄, or CaCl₂ than by …

Ecological Comparison Of Sigmodon Hispidus And Sigmodon Fulviventer In The Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico, Karen Petersen

Biology ETDs

This study evaluates the potential for competitive interactions between two species of cotton rat along the Rio Grande valley in New Mexico. Field work was carried out on Sigmodon hispidus and S. fulviventer from April, 1976 to August, 1976, at six study sites. Field data gathered included number of juveniles, number of pregnant females and vegetation diversity. Further studies included morphological analysis of museum specimens and a behavioral study of animals brought back to the laboratory.

Population parameters were compared across the study sites for the cotton rats. Neither species has a sex ratio significantly different from 50:50, but the …

A Study Of The Water Retention Of Latex Bound Pigmented Coating Colors, Patrick T. Gibney

Paper Engineering Senior Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of three types of commercially used hydrocolloid; CMC 7M, CMC 7L, HEC 250M and KELGIN MV on water retention and on coated paper properties. It was found that the concentration of hydrocolloid was an important factor in water retention values. Carboxyl groups were theorized to be another factor in water retention. Hydrocolloids were found to lower opacity, brightness and gloss over the blank coating. Increasing hydrocolloid levels decreased the openness of the coating. When increasing the amount of hydrocolloid the IGT pick decreased. KELGIN MV gave the highest water retention …

Why Does Spruce Not Invade The High Elevation Beech Forests Of The Great Smoky Mountains?, Robert Dale Fuller

Masters Theses

Above 1,370 m, spruce-fir forests dominated by Picea rubens Sargent and Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poiret from a nearly continuous band across much of the landscape of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Nearly pure stands of American Beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart) penetrate into the spruce-fir forest on south-facing concave slopes, near the tops of major ridges. Frequently the boundary between these two community types is very abrupt.

Important factors in the maintenance of these so-called "beech gaps" against red spruce invasion were investigated. Soil temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of biotic toxins were studied in the rooting environment of potentially …

The Effect Of Metabolites, Which Accumulate During Phenylketonuria, On The Activity Of Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase, Walter Scott

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Age And Fertility Of Lignite Strip Mine Spoils From The Darco Mine, Harrison County, Texas, Reagan Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Field observation of lignite strip mine spoils from the Darco mine near Marshall, Texas, revealed that gray spoil materials of various ages were devoid of vegetation. Within the same sites, spoil materials which were non-gray supported several conditions of revegetation. Analysis of spoil materials from this mine was undertaken to determine if spoils were differentiated on a chemical basis. Gray materials appear to have greater mineral sources of zinc, iron, and sulfate than non-gray spoils, and greater concentrations of zinc, calcium, magnesium, and potassium at all sites. Further, older spoils (17 to 31 years of age) have mean pH values …

Use Of Lignite Fly Ash As A Soil Amendment, Thomas Victor Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings were grown in a greenhouse in potted mixtures of two Texas lignite fly ashes and a Troup sand, Sacul sandy loam, and a sandy clay loam strip-mine spoil. Mixtures contained 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent fly ash. After six months, soil fly ash mixtures were analyzed for N, P, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Mn, Zn, pH, cation-exchange capacity, percent base saturation, and texture. Needle and root tissue analyses were performed on both live and dead seedlings. Survival and height growth were both adversely affected by fly ash amendments. Nearly all seedlings …

Effects Of Anticonvulsant Drugs On The Morphological And Neurophysiological Aspects Of An Experimental Model Of Epilepsy, Linda D. Compton

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Intestate Tenure And Rural Land Uses In Selected Areas Of South Carolina, Gloria Bromell Tinubu

All Theses

No abstract provided.

The Flora Of Citico Creek Wilderness Study Area, Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee, Jeffry Lowell Malter

Masters Theses

Citico Creek Wilderness Study Area, located entirely within the Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee, is under consideration for inclusion in the National Wilderness System. A study of the vascular flora of this 6,716 hectare area was conducted between March, 1976 and September, 1977. A total of 536 taxa, including 259 county records, was determined. This represents approximately 23% of the state flora.

Pertinent literature on the history, climate, geology, soils, and vegetation of the area is summarized. Particular note has been made of rare plants, with seven on the Tennessee list being found. One of these, Juncus gymnocarpus Coville, …

Discriminant Analysis Of Some East Tennessee Forest Herb Niches, Linda K. Mann

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using discriminant analysis in assessing plant niches. As a preliminary to establishment of the Environmental Research Park Program at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, five sites were inventoried for herbaceous species. From this inventory, four sympatric species of Galium and seventeen co-occurring herbaceous species were selected for discriminant analysis. The four species of Galium were treated as two data sets: one was composed of information collected at one site (a mesic hardwood area) and the other contained data from two cedar sites of shallow soil over lime-stone bedrock. The seventeen herbaceous …

Leaf Litter Processing In Aquatic Systems Two Variable Model, Boyd Jay Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

The adequacy of the negative exponential model with one independent variable, days or accumulated time, as a descriptive equation for aquatic leaf litter processing was examined. The effect of adding a second independent variable, degree days or accumulated temperature, to the model was also examined. The two variable negative exponential model was shown to have at least two advantages over the single variable model. The two variable model adequately fits litter processing data for more cases than the single variable model. The expanded model also allows determination of rate coefficients for various temperature levels of the experiment rather than assuming …

Algal Response To A Thermal Effluent : Study Of A Power Station On The Provo River, Utah, Usa, Lorin E. Squires

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of a thermal effluent on the attached algae of the Provo River, Utah, USA, was studied from 1975 to 1977. Data for macroscopic and microscopic algae were collected and analyzed. Diatoms, Cladophora glomerata, and Hydrurus foetidus dominated the flora. The thermal effluent significantly affected the algal flora in a section of river 100 to 135 meters long immediately below the discharge point. Cladophora growth was increased and Hydrurus was absent in this area. In addition, diatom production was often higher and diversity lower than in the rest of the river. Community structure was unique from all other adjacent …

Effects Of Indomethacin On Gastric Secretion And Duodenal Ulcer Formation In Bile Duct-Ligated Rats, Diane M. Przewozniak

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Feeding Biology And Ecological Aspects Of A Cancroid Crab Cancer Oregonensis (Dana) Rathbun (Decapoda, Brachyura), Gary L. Child

Theses and Dissertations

In the San Juan Archipelago, cancer oregonensis (Dana) Rathbun (Fig. 1) is abundant and distributed from the low intertidal zone to -435 m subtidally (Rathbun, 1904). Ricketts and Calvin (1974) refer to c. oregonensis as the most common Cancer species in this area.

Photosynthetic Fractionation Of Oxygen Isotopes, A Study With Elodea Canadensis, Glen E. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Bubbles of oxygen from Elodea canadensis were collected and found 5 per mil enriched in 0-18. This confirms the results of both Dole and Vinogradov, who found 0-18 enrichment of photosynthetic oxygen relative to its source, i.e. water. Photosynthesis and respiration appear to have produced the Dole effect, i.e. the 22 per mil 0-18 enrichment of atmospheric oxygen relative to ocean water, its probable source. These results are contrary to findings for both UV photolysis and electrolysis of water both evolving oxygen found depleted in 0-18.

Application Of The Nutrient Loading Concept To Lake Powell, The Effects Of Nutrient Perturbations On Phytoplankton Productivity, And Levels Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus In The Reservoir, Steven Paul Gloss

Biology ETDs

Levels, sources, and biological influence of nitrogen and phosphorus in Lake Powell, Utah-Arizona were examined. The reservoir, one of the three largest in the United States, is a mainstream impoundment on the Colorado River and is classified as a warm monomictic with meromixis exhibited in deeper waters.

Nutrient concentrations in the reservoir were characteristic of a mesotrophic lake. Mean total phosphorus concentration was 17 mg m^-3 during the study, while total nitrogen averaged 531 mg m^-3. Nitrate was the dominant form of nitrogen. Distribution of both nutrients exhibited patterns previously described for lakes to some extent, but …

Description Of The Larval Development Of Squilla Empusa Say (Crustacea Stomatopoda) With Aspects Of Larval Ecology In Chesapeake Bay, Steven Gaines Morgan

OES Theses and Dissertations

Larvae of Sguilla empusa were collected from the plankton and were reared in the laboratory to describe the pelagic larval development and the postlarval stage. Nine pelagic stages are passed through before the postlarval stage is attained.

The larvae reared for descriptive purposes were subjected to sixteen combinations of temperature and salinity to determine their tolerance to the two parameters. Larvae survived longer and molted more frequently when reared at 25°/oo and 20°C or 25°C, which corresponds to the natural conditions of the Chesapeake Bay when the larvae were collected.

A three year planktonic survey conducted in the lower region …

Plant Distribution And Succession Within Interdunal Depressions On A Virginia Barrier Dune System, Robert Wayne Tyndall

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A unique series of interdunal depressions was recognized on the barrier dune system of southeastern Virginia. Plant distribution and succession, and environmental factors controlling them, were studied in the series. Plant community distribution appears to be predominantly controlled by soil moisture, interspecific competition, and feral hog disturbance. Both biotic and physiographic succession are apparent with Quercus virginiana probably climax for both. Salt spray and feral hog and migratory waterfowl activity are important controlling factors of plant succession. Results indicate that the zonal appearance of shrubs and trees on the Virginia and North Carolina coasts is due to the absence of …

Bird Use Of Revetted Riverbanks In The Willamette Valley, Clifford Brian Perry

Dissertations and Theses

Over 115 miles of rock revetments that serve to protect river banks have been constructed in the Willamette Basin. In this study the spring and summer bird use of Willamette Basin revetments is examined. Revetments that had not been recently cleared of most woody vegetation and blackberries were found to have significantly greater total and breeding bird use than cleared revetments. Possible factors affecting bird use, such as vegetation on revetments and vegetation adjacent to revetments are examined using linear regression analysis. The results of this study are compared with results of previous work in riparian forests along the Columbia …

Modern Invertebrate Footprints Compared With Fossil Footprints From The Coconino Sandstone (Permian), Marilyn A. Emtage

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Laboratory studies of trackways of the crayfish, Cambarus clarkii were conducted, and the footprints compared with fossil invertebrate footprints (Paleohelcura sp.) of the Permian Coconino sandstone of Northern Arizona, and similar footprints of other sandstone. Fine grained sand (similar to that composing the Coconino sandstone) was placed in a plexiglass tank to form slopes of various angles. The crayfish walked up and down slopes of 10°± 3°, 20°± 2°, 25° and on level sand, and their trackways were photographed. Trackways were produced on wet sand and underwater sand, but the animals would not walk on dry sand. Clear individual impressions …

Effect Of Radiation And Corynebacterium Parvum On The In Vivo Elimination Of Friend Virus-Induced Leukemia In C57bl/6 Mice, Betty A. Wu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Administration of Corynebacterium parvum in combination with localized irradiation has been shown to be more efficient than radiation treatment alone in prolonging the survival time of methylethrane induced tumor in C3H mice. Fractionated low dose total body irradiation has been demonstrated to be a promising therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the combined treatment of total body irradiation and C. parvum on Friend virus induced leukemia in C57BL/6 mice. ^₁₂₅I-labeled FBL-3 cells were injected intraperitoneally into mice. Intraperitoneal injection of C. parvum and and single dose total …

Distribution And Behavior Study Of Diurnal Tree Squirrels In Portland, Oregon, With Emphasis On The Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus Griseus Griseus Ord) And The Western Fox Squirrel (S. Niger Rufiventer E. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire), Ira Young Rice Iii

Dissertations and Theses

Populations of diurnal tree squirrels in the Portland area were located by mail surveys, personal interviews, and field inspections. Pine squirrels were found to reside in thickly wooded residential areas with dense understories and running water nearby. Western gray squirrels occupied habitats in relatively quiet residential neighborhoods, in areas well supplied with mast crops. Western fox squirrels were found to coexist with gray squirrels in their preferred habitat, and also to thrive in park settings with few mast trees and high activity and noise levels. In areas occupied by both fox and gray squirrels, dominant-subordinate relationships were noted. Each species …

Phylogeny, Convergence, And Snake Behavior, Harry Walter Greene

Doctoral Dissertations

Comparative studies of snake behavior were used to confront three related conceptual issues in ethology: (i) Can behavior evolve? (ii) If so, how can the origins of similarities and differences in behavior among animals be assessed? (iii) What is the significance of this information for evolutionary biology?

Some workers have recently asserted that behavior does not evolve and that behavioral homologies are generally not discernible. A consideration of genetics and developmental biology suggests that both points of view reflect an unrealistic structure-function dualism. In a strict sense, only transcriptional products are genetically determined; all other aspects of the phenotype are …

A Floristic Study Of The Genus Agaricus For The Southeastern United States, Alice E. Hanson Freeman

Doctoral Dissertations

A floristic study of the genus Agaricus for the southeastern United States is presented. Five species are described as new. Nomenclatural considerations include one species status novus, one nomen novum and 12 nomina dubia. Miscellaneous taxa studied contain one new species and one status novus.

Circumscription of taxa has been based on morphology and microscopic analysis.

Bird Populations In A Grassland-Thicket In Relation To Plant Succession And Adjacent Land Use, Steven L. Harbron

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Secondary Fiber Furnish On The Tensile Energy Absorption Capacity Of Paper Under Repeated Extension Cycles, James Patton

Paper Engineering Senior Theses

The object of this study was to determine what effect does recycling paper have on the tensile energy absorption (TEA) of that paper. The TEA of the sheet was split into two components, the elastic and the plastic. The sum of the two components gives the composite TEA.

The TEA's were measured at three different numbers of extension-cycles. It was found that a greater number of extension cycles resulted in greater TEA's for both elastic and plastic regions.

It was discovered that elastic TEA does not decrease with the first or second degree of recycling. Plastic TEA suffers its greatest …

The Kenics Static Mixer As A Consistency Sensor, Bruce P. Marling

Paper Engineering Senior Theses

Ever since the inception of paper machines in the industry, the problem of consistency has troubled production efforts. Present sensors are sensitive to flow rate, temperature, additives and freeness as well as consistency. In spite of claims made by various manufacturers, there is still not an instrument on the market guaranteed to maintain calibration for identical uses from mill to mill. From the open type to closed type, sampling or continuous measurement type, each has its problems. A Kenics Static Mixer was evaluated in the Western Michigan University pilot plant for possible use as a consistency sensor. Research on the …

The Seasonal, Altitudinal, And Vegetational Incidence Of Black Bear Scats In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Susie Jo Kelly Matthews

Masters Theses

A study was conducted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to determine the variability of incidence of black bear scats as a reliable index to the population density. A total of 6085.7 km were hiked along six different routes, each hiked biweekly, from June-October, 1970-1975, resulting in the collection of 697 scats. The overall incidence of scats was 0.11 scats/km. The Elkmont-Bent Arm yielded 0.21 scats/km, Sugarlands Index Route 0.18 scats/km, Tremont-Derrick Knob Index Route 0.07 scats/km, Gregory-Hannah Mountain Index Route 0.06 scats/km, and Spence-Russell Index Route 0.03 scats/km. Variability in the scats/km over the nine hiking periods was …