Life Sciences Commons^™

Ua66/6/3/1 Biennial Report, Kentucky Gamma, Alpha Epsilon Delta

Student Organizations

Biennial report created by and about the Kentucky Gamma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta premedical honor society sponsored by WKU Biology.

Comparison Of Preparative Techniques For Scanning Electron Microscopy Examination Of Soybean Seed Coats In Sectional View, Daniel M. Baker, Harry C, Minor, Merton F. Brown

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Various scanning electron microscopy preparative techniques have been used by researchers to examine sectional views of dry, mature soybean (Glycine~ CL.) Merr.) seed coats. Such previously employed techniques were utilized In our preliminary investigations of seed coat structure, but often yielded unacceptable preservation. Consequently, eight preparative techniques were evaluated In an effort to define conditions required to obtain consistently high quality preservation of soybean seed coats In sectional view. Of the eight procedures tested with the cultivar Williams 82, razor sections and mechanical fractures of dry seed coats yielded the poorest definition of anatomical features. Samples soaked In water prior …

Long Term Effects Of Radiation And Combined Modalities On Mouse Lung, David P. Penney, Paul Van Houtte, Dietmar W. Siemann, Wayne A. Rosenkrans Jr., Philip Rubin, Robert A. Cooper Jr.

Scanning Electron Microscopy

The lung appears to be the major dose-limiting organ in radiation of the thorax. Early responses (<1 week) involve the type II pneumocyte and increased surfactant biosynthesis and secretion. Later changes, which appear to be related to the surfactant response, lead to classical radiation pneumonitis, which is often fatal. Animals which survive radiation pneumonitis develop progressive fibrosis, a late-appearing response, which reduces compliance and available air space, and is usually fatal. This study centers on the fine structural changes in the lungs of LAF₁ mice, 63 weeks following various radiation exposures (5-13 Gy). Doses which are subthreshold in evoking surfactant and pneumonitic responses precipitate fibrosis and atelectasis by 63 weeks, and involve type II pneumocyte sloughing and degeneration. Of the two major deterrents to lung irradiation (pneumonitis and fibrosis), these results suggest that fibrosis always follows pneumonitis, but pneumonitis is not a necessary preliminary step to fibrosis. Bleomycin elicits several morphological alterations characteristic of radiation, and, when combined with the latter, appears to exacerbate radiation effects.

Characterization Of Small Metallic Clusters By Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy, M. Acheche, C. Colliex, P. Trebbia

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Small spherical tin and gallium clusters (diameters in the range 2 to 80 nm), prepared with a liquid metal ion source, were analysed in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Both volume and surface plasmon excitations were investigated and their dependence on the cluster size interpreted by classical and quantum mechanical models. A blue shift of the volume plasmon energy with decreasing radius R of the cluster was clearly detected. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the peak, related to the damping of the volume plasmon excitation, showed a dependence in 1/R. …

Repellent Activity Of The Secretion Of Edessa Rufomarginata, A Neotropical Pentamid, Jerome J. Howard

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sexual Selection In Lekking Sage Grouse: Phenotypic Correlates Of Male Mating Success, Robert M. Gibson, Jack W. Bradbury

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mate choice cues in sage grouse were reinvestigated by analyzing relationships between male mating success and a range of suggested cues. Display cues were implicated by significant relationships between mating status (whether or not a male mated) and lek attendance, display rate (corrected for effects of female proximity and time of day) and an acoustic component related to temporal and frequency measures of a whistle emitted during the strut display. Although display rate and the acoustic component were intercorrelated, both exerted significant partial effects on mating success in multivariate analyses. These display measures also differed significantly between males. In contrast, …

Seasonal Variation In Population Location Of The Galapagos Tortoise, Geochelone Elephantopus Vandenburghi, On Volcan Alcedo, Isabela Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Kent R. Beaman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Twenty tortoises, 10 adult males and 10 adult females, were tagged with radio transmitters. Numbers were painted on each carapace to aid in visual sighting. The tortoises were released, and their movement was monitored over a one year period.

The percent recovery of tagged tortoises along with the numbers of non-tagged tortoises counted in sections of the study area, were used to determine tortoise population movement and location.

Weather data were collected and observations were made concerning the vegetation. These observations were compared with those from previous studies to see what impact seasonal climatic conditions and food availability had on …

Sea Urchins From The Brazos Santiago Pass Jetty, South Padre Island, Richard R. Fairchild, Lazern O. Sorensen

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Data on occurrence and distribution of sea urchins (Echinoidea) are presented for the Brazos Santiago Pass jetty on South Padre Island, Texas. Echinometra lucunter is recorded from the Texas coast.

Clonal Selection Of Sugar Cane For Texas And Louisiana From A Common Germplasm Pool, Stephen Kresovich, Richard D. Breaux

Faculty Publications

The sugar cane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) cultivar improvement program for the irrigated Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, initiated in 1961, has expanded greatly over the past 20 years. Initially, only 8 to 12 cultivars, selected from those previously released from commercial production in Louisiana or Florida, were screened annually for their production potential in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The current introduction and screening program is more comprehensive utilizing 1) all clones advanced from the first to the second line trials at the U. S. Sugarcane Laboratory at Houma, Louisiana; 2) the advanced "CP" assignments from …

Opportunities For Electron Microscopy In Space Radiation Biology, J. T. Lett

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Densely ionizing, particulate radiations in outer space are likely to cause to mammalian tissues biological damage that is particularly amenable to examination by the techniques of electron microscopy. This situation arises primarily from the fact that once the density of ionization along the particle track exceeds a certain value, small discrete lesions involving many adjacent cells may be caused in organized tissues. Tissue damage produced by ionization densities below the critical value also afford opportunities for electron microscopic evaluation, as is shown by the damage produced in optic and proximate tissues of the New Zealand white rabbit in terrestrial experiments. …

An Organic Reference Specimen: Polyacrylonitrile Film Deposited On Oxidizable Metals By Electro-Polymerization, C. Boiziau, G. Lécayon

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Surface investigations of organic materials require the provision of reference specimens for calibrating experimental equipment.

Because of their specific properties (purity, reproducibility, well-known molecular structure and orderly inter-molecular structure, electronic properties associating conductive and insulating behaviour, quality of the film-to-metal bound), polyacrylonitrile films obtained through electro-polymerization on oxidizable metal cathodes (Fe, Ni, Cu) may be used as a first type of reference sample.

Experimental results, obtained by various surface investigation techniques are presented, and their validity evaluated.

The Ets Sequence From The Transforming Gene Of Avian Erythroblastosis Virus, E26, Has Unique Domains On Human Chromosomes 11 And 21: Both Loci Are Transcriptionally Active, Dennis K. Watson, Mary J. Mcwilliams-Smith, M. F. Nunn, Peter Duesberg, Stephen J. O'Brien, Takis S. Papas

Biology Faculty Articles

Human DNA segments homologous to the ets region from the transforming gene of avian erythroblastosis virus, E26, were molecularly cloned and shown to be closely related to the viral equivalent by hybridization and partial sequence analysis. The transforming gene of E26 has a tripartite origin with the structure ∆gag [1.2 kilobases (kb) from the viral gag gene]-myb(0.9 kb from the chicken myb gene)-ets (1.6 kb from the chicken ets gene). Human ets DNA is located on two distinct human chromosomes. The human ets-1 locus on chromosome 11 encodes a single mRNA of 6.8 kb; the second locus, …

Observations On Why Mongrels May Make Effective Livestock Protecting Dogs, R. P. Coppinger, C. K. Smith, L. Miller

Charles Kay Smith

In Canid ontogeny from puppies to adults there is a very young phase before any species-specific predatory behavior has been expressed. This phase has been ontogenetically selected as a breed of neotenic adults which are ideal for protecting sheep. At a more advanced phase of canid ontogeny older puppies have begun to express separate pieces of species-specific predatory behavior, such as eye, stalk and chase but not the complete adult sequence so that crush bite kill and consume is as yet unexpressed. This intermediate phase was also ontogenetically selected as a breed such as border collies used in Britain to …

Fiber Number And Type Composition In Extensor Digitorum Longus, Soleus, And Diaphragm Muscles With Aging In Fisher 344 Rats, Thomas J. Eddinger, Richard L. Moss, Robert G. Cassens

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Histochemical (M-ATPase) fiber typing was done on extensor digitorum longus, (EDL), soleus (SOL), and diaphragm (DIA) muscles of barrier-reared Fisher 344 rats obtained at four different ages (3, 9, 28, and 30 months) from the colonies of the National Institute of Aging. In the EDL there are no differences in the percent of type I fibers among the four age groups. The percent of type IIa and IIb fibers also showed no difference between the 3 and 30 month age groups. There was no apparent trend for an increase or decrease in the percent of type IIa or IIb fibers …

Influence Of Dietary Cyanide On Immunoglobulin And Thiocyanate Levels In The Serum Of Liberian Adults, Fatimah Linda Collier Jackson

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Serum thiocyanate, antibody titers to thiocyanates, and serum immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG, IgA) were measured in 73 Liberian adults normally consuming diets of low, moderate, high, or no (control) cassava-derived cyanide (CN(-)). When control and low groups (n = 40; daily intake less than 0.60 mg CN(-) per kg body weight) were contrasted with moderate and high groups (n = 33; daily intake greater than or equal to 0.60 mg CN(-) per kg body weight), the authors observed that (1) one-time serum thiocyanate measurements were not sensitive to long-term cyanide intake; however, (2) antibody titers to thiocyanates were positively correlated with …

Bacchus In The Laboratory: In Defense Of Scientific Puns, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Dietary Cyanide On Immunoglobulin And Thiocyanate Levels In The Serum Of Liberian Adults, Fatimah Linda Collier Jackson

Fatimah Linda Collier Jackson

Field Behavior Comparison Of 8 Species Of California Desert Ants, Jack S. Neal

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Replicate colonies were observed at three study sites in southern California. Hourly activity was monitored during winter and spring.

The time outside the nest ranged from strictly diurnal in Pogonomyrmex californicus to bimodal to nocturnal in Pheidole barbata. Four aspects of surface activity, foraging, nest work, patrolling, and convening, also differed among species in hour and/or in relative proportion of such activity. Finally, interesting species differences were seen in climbing ability, running time between stops, and response to air blasts (Messor oergandei and Pheidole barbata were the least aggressive). Solenopsis maniosa was one of the three worst glass climbers, along …

Intraspecific And Interspecific Agonistic Behavior In Chipmunks, Tamias Merriami, T. Obscurus, And T. Speciosus (Rodentia: Sciuridae), Ronald C. Vandervort

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Agonistic behavior in three species of chipmunks, Tamias merriami, T. obscurus, and T. speciosus, was compared at seven locations in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains of southern California. The study was conducted during the post-breeding periods in the summers of 1983 and 1984. Chipmunks were attracted to feeding stations baited with sunflower seeds. Their aggressive interactions were classed as displacement, short chase, long chase, or fight. Over 500 encounters were recorded.

Short chase was the most frequent agonistic mode, followed by displacement, with fewer long chases, and rare fights. Observations were made both at areas where T. merriami …

Assay For Rifampicin Resistant M13 Rf Synthesis, Carol Bauer Wheeler

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

We have developed a rapid assay which can detect the function of the origin of 0X174 complementary strand DNA in Ml3 by virtue of its ability to initiate the synthesis of M13 complementary strands in the presence of the antibiotic rifampicin. A segment of DNA carrying the sequence recognized by the replication protein n' has been isolated from bacteriophage ØX174 and cloned into an Ml3 bacteriophage vector. Protein n' is a component of the bacterial primosome, a multi-protein assembly which initiates the synthesis of primers during DNA replication in the bacterium Escherichia coli. The recognition site for n' on the …

Factors Influencing Cellulolytic Activity Of The Soil Fungus, Aspergillus Candidus, Jacobo Ortega, Ernest J. Baca

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Effects of pH, incubation time, nitrogen source and carbohydrate source upon production of carboxymethyl cellulase by Aspergillus candidus grown in liquid medium were studied. Maximal cellulase activity per unit of protein occurred in culture fluids with a pH of 5.5, after 10 days of cultivation of the fungus. Ammonium nitrate supported the highest production of the enzyme. However, in the nitrogen-source test, highest accumulation of extracellular protein was found in fluids from cultures with urea as the nitrogen source. Cotton fibers produced the greatest gain in cellulase activity when the carbohydrate source was incremented from 0.5 to 1.0 percent. The …

Effects Of A Severe Freeze On Native Woody Plants In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Robert I. Lonard, Frank W. Judd

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The effects of a severe freeze in December, 1983 on the native plants of the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas were determined for 75 species. Damage was initially assessed by examining leaves, apical meristems, and cambial tissues of stems. Initial assessments were confirmed by surveys in the spring when new leaves were present. Forty-three species were either undamaged or had only minor leaf damage. Twenty-two species with damaged leaves had intact apical meristems or showed evidence of damage for less than 10 cm below the apical meristem. Three species, Leucaena pulverulenta, Cordia boissieri, and Karwinskia humboldtiana, had more extensive damage, …

A High Efficiency Cathodoluminescence System And Its Application To Optical Materials, A. D. Trigg

Scanning Electron Microscopy

A high collection efficiency spectroscopic cathodoluminescence (CL) system based on an in-line ellipsoidal mirror has been constructed for use on a Cambridge S250 scanning electron microscope (SEM). It can be fitted to or removed from the SEM in about 30 minutes and requires no significant modification of the instrument. It can be used to obtain total CL images, monochromatic CL images or CL spectra with an ultimate spectral resolution of 1 nm.

The system has been applied to the study of doped synthetic quartz crystals, optical fibres and optical fibre preforms, and to yttrium aluminium garnet, bismuth silicon oxide and …

Fundamental Aspects Of Energetic Particle/Solid Interactions, Nicholas Winograd

Scanning Electron Microscopy

The interaction of keV particles with solids has been characterized by the measurement of the angle and energy distribution of sputtered secondary ions and neutrals. The results are compared to classical dynamics calculations of the ion impact event. Examples using secondary ions are given for clean Ni{001}, Cu{001} reacted with O₂, Ni{001} and Ni{7 9 11) reacted with CO, and Ag{111} reacted with benzene. The neutral Rh atoms desorbed from Rh{001} are characterized by multiphoton resonance ionizaton of these atoms after they have left the surface.

The Cathodoluminescence Mode Of The Scanning Electron Microscope: A Powerful Microcharacterization Technique, D. B. Holt, F. M. Saba

Scanning Electron Microscopy

By detecting cathodoluminescence (CL) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), pan and monochromatic micrographs and CL spectral analyses analogous to x-ray mode point analyses can be obtained. Complete microcharacterization requires alternate examination of both micrographs and spectra. New techniques for near infra-red CL and low-temperatures to produce sharp spectra are of increasing importance. CL emission is due to electron transitions between quantum mechanical states so the radiative defects present can be unambiguously identified at liquid helium temperatures. Strongly luminescent impurities can be detected to below one part in 10⁸. This is 10⁴ times as sensitive as the …

Liquid Metal Sources In Ion Microscopy And Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, G. L. R. Mair, T. Mulvey

Scanning Electron Microscopy

This paper reports on state-of-the-art developments in liquid metal sources and some of the finer points of their operating characteristics that are especially relevant to the satisfactory functioning of analytical ion scanning microscopes equipped with secondary ion mass spectrometers. Such effects include unwanted emissions from the source and their exclusion by means of filters and mass separators in the ion-optical column. The design of the ion-optical column is also discussed and some applications of this rapidly advancing form of analytical microscopy are described.

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Of Glasses: Aspects Of Quantification, H. Odelius, A. R. E. Lodding, L. O. Werme, D. E. Clark

Scanning Electron Microscopy

SIMS routines have been developed for the analysis of oxide materials, with applications particularly in element profiling of corrosion layers on glasses after weathering or leaching. The possibilities of quantification and reproducibility have been found critically sensitive to the buildup of charge on the insulating specimens. With control of constant specimen potential, relative sensitivity factors in the positive mass spectrum have been determined for about 20 elements in 10 different alkali-borosilicate glasses. Secondary ion yields were studied as functions of the energy range of ions admitted to the analyzer. At relatively low energies, including the top of the energy distribution, …

A New Approach For Studying Semithin Sections Of Human Pathological Material: Intermicroscopic Correlation Between Light Microscopy And Scanning Electron Microscopy, G. Pasquinelli, C. Scala, G. P. Borsetti, F. Martegani, R. Laschi

Scanning Electron Microscopy

In order to obtain useful and complete information on the study of pathological material, we observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) the same semithin sections observed by light microscopy (LM). For this purpose, the specimen must have, at the same time, chromatic and electron dense characteristics.

We thus developed different specimen preparation methods, subjecting the semithin sections to specific polychromatic staining with high atomic number (Z) elements, to monochromatic staining followed by routine contrasting with uranyl acetate and lead citrate, and to specific cytochemical and immunocytochemical procedures.

The specimens were examined in sequence by LM, by SEM equipped with secondary …

Contribution Of Scanning Electron Microscopy And Associated Analytical Techniques To The Study Of Atherosclerotic Disease, R. Laschi

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Human carotid atheroma has been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) utilizing both secondary and backscattered electron detectors and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) both at conventional and high voltage.

Different cytochemical techniques have been used to map elastic fibers, proteoglycans, calcium, non esterified cholesterol. By immunocytochemistry the distribution of factor VIII related antigen and actin has been studied.

With SEM it was possible to detect aspects of carotid plaques not appreciated when using other conventional techniques. With TEM some modifications of the structural and/or functional features of connective tissue macromolecules have been observed. The occurrence of anomalous collagen has been …

Clinical Applications Of Scanning Electron Microscopy In Gastrointestinal Diseases, F. Bonvicini, G. Zoli, M. C. Maltarello, D. Bianchi, G. Pasquinelli, P. Versura, G. Gasbarrini, R. Laschi

Scanning Electron Microscopy

We considered the role of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in clinical investigation of different gastrointestinal diseases. The following clinical applications of SEM may be suggested on the basis of our original data and those reported in literature:

in peptic ulcer: assessment of the completeness of healing, by observing the mucosal surface architecture of the scars; identification of mucosal changes, namely enterocytic surface membrane alterations, predictive of recurrence;

in coeliac disease: early assessment of the response to gluten-free diet and follow-up of the patients by staging the process of mucosal repair in cerebriform, intermediate and villous patterns;

in ulcerative …