Life Sciences Commons^™

Helminth Parasites Of Dogs In Two Central Utah Communities, Lari Michael Norton Cowgill

Theses and Dissertations

Parasitic helminths probably consitute one of the most important groups of disease agents in dogs. In the Southern and Central United States dogs are often fatally infected with the canine esophageal worm, Spirocerca lupi, and the ca nine heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis. Cestodes which can limit the growth of a dog are found throughout the United States.

The Effect Of Haloxon And Thiabendazole On The Free-Living Stages Of Haemonchus Contortus, Gary Mccallister

Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of thiabendazole and haloxon on the free-living stages of Haemonchus contortus and to determine the suitability of the free-living stages for their use in primary drug evaluation for chemotherapy or for chemical control of free-living stages. Cleaned unembryonated ova, embryonated ova, first-, second-, third-, and exsheathed third-stage larvae were exposed to suspensions of 5.0%, 1.0%, 0.5%, 0.25%, 0.12%, 0.05%, and water soluble concentrations of each drug for exposure times of 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0, and 16.0 hours at pH 7.0 and 25° C. Survival was assessed by observing any subsequent …

Ultrastructure Of Histochemically Localized Cholinesterases In Central And Peripheral Nervous Systems Of Two Insects: Periplaneta Americana L. And Acheta Domestica L, Clifford James Stratton

Theses and Dissertations

Cholinesterase (ChE) was histochemically localized by three methods in the sixth abdominal ganglion and the femur of crickets and cockroaches using light and electron microscopy. The light microscopy showed that ChE in insect femur could be readily demonstrated. The ultrastructural data showed enzyme activity: in ganglion - neural lamella, perineurium, axolemma, inside axons, along glia and at probable synapses; in peripheral nerves - in glial cells, sarcoplasmic reticulum, T-system, axolemma, sarcolemma and at neuromuscular junctions. All activity was inhibited with 10-4 eserine except in the neural lamella, suggesting cholinesterase at all of the above sites except the neural lamella where …

The Effect Of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Infection On The Activity Of Ribulose-1,5-Diphosphate Carboxylase From Three Varieties Of Lycopersicon Esculentum Miller, Yu-Sun-Kitty Chang

Theses and Dissertations

Control and TMV-infected leaf tissues of three varieties of tomatoes, Marglobe, Moscow and Delicious, were analyzed for Ribulose Diphosphate Carboxylase (RuDPCase). The specific activity of RuDPCase based on protein concentration determined by peak area obtained with the Model E Ultracentrifuge, specific activity of RuDPCase based on protein concentration determined by Lowry's method, total amount of RuDPCase per gram fresh weight, total protein of plant leaves, total chlorophyll, and ratio of Chlorophyll a to Chlorophyll b were determined. Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) infection resulted in an increase in specific activity of RuDPCase and the amount of total protein (at 2 days …

Light And Electron Microscopy Investigation Of Developing Wheat Caryopses Infected By Tilletia, Melvin Douglas Grove

Theses and Dissertations

Caryopses of wheat were studied during infection by Tilletia caries and T. controversa. Initially the pathogens penetrated embryos of the host. After the embryo tissue was consumed by the fungi, endosperm tissue was penetrated and consumed. Initial penetration of endosperm tissue was in localized areas. During infection the fungus mycelium spread intercellularly, but occasionally was seen intracellularly. As the host tissue was consumed teliospores were formed. At maturity a host cell layer 4-6 cells thick remained which retained the mature teliospores. Histochemical studies indicated that carbohydrates and lipids of the host disappeared soon after invasion by the pathogens. Nuclei and …

Interaction Between Triiodothyronine (T₃) And Thyroxine (T₄) In The Chick And The Rat, Kurtis George Cornish

Theses and Dissertations

The secretion of two hormones with identical function by the thyroid gland has been questioned, What is the relationship between these two hormones? Why does the thyroid secrete two hormones when either one can provide for all the activity of the thyroid (Greer, 1972). Little work has been done on the relationship between the two hormones. There is some evidence showing that thyroxine (T4) is deiodinated to triiouothyronine (T3) at the tissue level in mammals. Chambers (1970) found that there was a negative interaction between T4 and T3 when pharmacologic doses were administered to the rat. The present study was …

The Effects Of Deficiencies Of Certain Mineral Nutrients On The Activity And Various Properties Of Ribulose-1,5-Diphosphate Carboxylase From Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.), Philip Alan Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

Barley plants grown in Mg, Mn, Zn and Cu deficient media were analyzed for specific activity, total activity and amount of RuDPCase present. Percent dry weight, as well as chlorophyll and soluble protein content were determined. All deficiencies caused lower chlorophyll and RuDPCase concentrations than occurred in the control. Soluble protein content, however, was higher in all deficient plants than in the control, either on a dry or a fresh weight basis. The addition of 18 μM Mn^2+ increased the activity of Mg^2+ containing RuDPCase preparations as much as 133% above normal. The specific activity of RuDPCase from Mg, Mn, …

Community Characteristics Of Six Burned Aspen-Conifer Sites And Their Related Animal Use /|Clarry H. Kleinman, Larry H. Kleinman

Theses and Dissertations

Six forest areas destroyed by fire representing different seral stages of aspen development and conifer invasion were studied to determine successional dynamics and the related livestock and big game use. Factors measured were: (a) age, basal area, density and frequency of aspen and conifer trees; (b) density and frequency of under-story species; (c) forage production for forbs, grasses, and browse, and (d) animal-days use for deer, cattle and sheep. Aspen appeared in the community the spring following the fire and conifers appeared fifteen to twenty years later. Conifers had begun to dominate aspen on an eighty-two year old stand. The …

Fate And Metabolism Of Bas 290-H In A Model Ecosystem, Kuo-Mei Chang

Theses and Dissertations

The use of chemicals to control economic pests has grown in this century both in the amount and the diversity of materials used (Headley and Lewis, 1967). About ten billion pounds of pesticides have been used in the United States since 1945. It is estimated that there are 340 million acres of cultivated lands in the Continental United States. Of this amount, approximately 119 million acres were sprayed with herbicides, 97 million acres were treated with insecticides and 25 million acres were treated with fungicides and other minor pesticides (Matsumura, 1972).

Reproductive Life History Of Catostomus Ardens And Catostomus Discobolus In The Weber River, Utah, James K. Andreasen

Theses and Dissertations

Fish of the family Catostomidae, consisting of 11 genera and about 57 species, comprise a significant part of the fish fauna of Western North America. Life history information of some species is available (Bailey, 1969, and Brown and Graham, 1953, Catostomus catostomus; Dence, 1948, .f. commersoni; Douglas, 1952, Xyrauchen texanus; Geen et al., 1966, C. catostomus and C. coI!Dllersoni; Greenfield et al., 1970, .f. santannae; Harris, 1962, C. catostomus; Hauser, 1969,C. platyrhynchus; MacPhee, 1960, .f. macrocheilus; Nelson, 1968, .f.cotmnersoni and C. macrocheilus; Raney and Webster, 1942, C. commersoni; Smith, 1966, entire subgenus Pantosteus; Spoor, 1938, C. commersoni; Willsrud, 1966, C. …

Life History And Ecology Of The Great Basin Sagebrush Swift, Sceloporus Graciosus Graciosus Baird And Girard, 1852, Gary L. Burkholder

Theses and Dissertations

The sagebrush swift, Sceloporus graciosus graciosus, is abundant in the transitional zone of the Great Basin. As an intermediate link the the food chain, sagebrush swifts are preyed upon by snakes and hawks, and in turn are predators of small arthropods.

The Life History And Pathology Of Sanguinicola Klamathensis Wales In Salmo Clarki Henshawi Gill And Jordan At Hagerman National Fish Hatchery, Idaho, Wallace Arwood Evans

Theses and Dissertations

There are only three species of blood flukes known in salmonids in the world. Wales (1958) described two, Sanguinicola davisi and S. klamathensis, while Meade and Pratt (1965) described Cardicola alseae.

I. An Isothermal Titration Microcalorimeter. Ii. Importance Of Micronutrients In Nutrition. Iii. Zinc Bibliography, John Willard Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

I. An isothermal titration microcalorimeter having a colume of 4 ml and capable of temerature control to ±2 x 10-5°C is described. Major components include a constant temperature water bath controlled to ±3 x 10-4°C, a platinum reation vessel, and an isothermal control circuit consisting of constant Peltier thermoelectric cooling and variable Joule heating controlled by a thermistor in an AC Wheatstone bridge circuit. The calorimeter was tested by measuring the heat of ionization of water and was found to produce data accurate to ± 0.1% where small samples are used such as in the investigation of many biological systems.

Three New Species Of Petrified Dicotyledonous Wood From The Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation Of Utah, Gregory F. Thayn

Theses and Dissertations

Two genera and three species of definite fossil angiosperm wood have been identified from the diverse flora of the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah for the first time. Well preserved fossil dicotyledonous woods have been found in association with the fern Tempskya and conifer woods at two sites, one east of Castle Dale, Utah 1 and one east of Ferron, Utah. Petrified logs were collected from a horizon between ten and thirty feet below the overlying Dakota Sandstone at the Castle Dale site. Dakota Sandstone is missing at the Ferron site, but the wood occurs on the surface …

Habitat And Time Utilization Of A Pair Of Nesting Sharp-Shinned Hawks (Accipiter Striatus Velox) : A Telemetry Study, Joseph Belnap Platt

Theses and Dissertations

Telemetric observations were conducted on a pair of Sharp-Shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus velox) nesting in Spanish Fork Canyon, Utah in 1972. The movements of both adults were monitored from the time their eggs hatched in late June until they left the study area in early August, fourty-two days later. A transmitter was also attached to one of the young at the time of fledging. The adult's main hunting area was a single plant community located 1600 meters from the nest. The male performed the majority of the foraging while the female spent the greatest part of her time at the …

Speciation In The Genus Sceloporus Sceloporus (Sauria, Iguanidae) As Determined By Cranial Osteology And Other Characters, Kenneth Rex Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

Numerical statistical methods were used to analyse the species in the genus Sceloporus using cranial osteology, external meristic and numeric characters, karyology, display behavior and geographic distribution. A new phylogeny for the genus is proposed with three main branches or Groups: Group I, a primitive group, evolved from Uta, Urosaurus and Sator in Miocene times. This Group speciated from gadoviae in the south to merriami in the north and contains 7 species in 3 species groups. Group II arose from Group I and evolved from centrally located pictus in all directions throughout Mexico. It contains approximately 19 species in 5 …

Growth And Development Of The Western Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys Megalotis Megalotis, Gary H. Richins

Theses and Dissertations

Growth rates, gestation period, litter size, reproductive age, sex ratios, and development were studied on 198 litters of Reithrodontomys megalotis megalotis. Growth was characterized by several standard skull and body measurements, and was partitioned into four phases of 1-3, 4-12, 13-22, and 23-70 days. Growth was best described by measurements of tail length, ear length, and dried eye lens weight. Reproductive activity began as early as 38 days for females and 59 days for males. Gestation period was 22 days and mean litter size was 3.83 (range 1-7). Sex ratio was 53.49% males to 46.51% females. Reproductive efficiency was 53.53%. …

Distribution And Relationships Of Utah Brome Grasses In Western North America, Jerry B. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

A considerable amount of study material has beccme available since the revision of the genus in 1900 by Shear, and the revision of the section Bromopsis in 1952 by Wagnon. A number of cytological studies have been done in recent years; and Wagnon's work pointed out the need for a comprehensive study of the entire genus. This study is a taxonomic revision of the Genus Bromus for the State of Utah, and contains illustrations and descriptions of the species; synonomy; distribution maps; and discussions of many of the important aspects of the economics, ecology, and historical treatment. I have recognized …

Transforming Ability Of Bacillus Subtilis Dna Taken Up By Barley Embryos, Christine Tolman Ence

Theses and Dissertations

Purified Bacillus subtilis DNA taken up by one-day-old barley embryos and permanently fixed within the barley cell is shown to have maintained its biological activity in B. subtilis transformation. Cesuim chloride density gradient centrifugation of DNA isolated from the roots of barley embryos after the uptake and incorporation of radioactive, bromouracil-labelled B. subtilis DNA indicates the presence of the bacterial DNA in several discreet bands of well-defined density, whose density is changed by sonication. These preliminary findings concerning the fate of bacterial DNA taken up by barley roots are discussed in terms of the recombination model of Ledoux and Huart …

Reproduction And Development Of Ferrissia Rivularis (Say) (Basommatophora: Ancylidae) And The Effects Of Maleic Hydrazide On Its Development And Fecundity, Yuan-Hsu Kang

Theses and Dissertations

Ferrissia rivularis was selected for research because of its local accessibility and because essentially nothing was known of its reproduction and development. Reproductive and developmental biology is first described herein from the natural environment. This is then compared with the effects created by experimental exposure to a selected herbicide, maleic hydrazide, which might be a potential threat to certain invertebrates in the natural environment.

The Effects Of Penicillin Upon The Fission Rate Of Dugesia Dorotocephala., John J. Fahsbender

Theses and Dissertations

Planaria (class Turbellaria) are the highest life forms which exhibit fission (Hyman, 1951). The laboratory planarian, Dugesia, lives in lakes, ponds, streams and springs, where it occupies bottom habitats. Fissioning is an asexual mode of reproduction. The fission plane is usually transverse, forming behind the pharynx, and separation appears to be dependent upon locomotion (Curtis, 1902). The posterior half of the worm adheres to the substratum while the anterior half continues to move forward until the worm snaps in two. Each half then regenerates the missing parts, forming two new smaller worms.

The Effects Of Thiamin Deficiency And Thiamin Antagonists On Cardiac Function In The Rat, D. James B. Sutherland

Theses and Dissertations

A study was made to determine what biochemical changes were involved in the slowing of the rat heart rate during thiamin deprivation, pyrithiamin or oxythiamin treatment. The appearance of bradycardia during progressive thiamin deficiency was shown to be related to the reduction in myocardial enzymatic activity of pyruvate (PDH) and 2-ketoglutarate (2-KGDH) dehydrogenase, and not due to inanition alone since pair-fed control rats did not show bradycardia until the agonal stage. Bradycardia was not the result of reduced energy since CP, ATP, ADP, and AMP levels remained normal even though PDH and 2-KGDH activity dropped to 20% of normal by …

A Taxonomic Investigation Of The Algae Of The Brigham Young University Campus, Provo, Utah, Cheng Mou-Sheng

Theses and Dissertations

A taxonomic investigation of the algal flora of the Brigham Young University campus was conducted from October 1971 to August 1972. This algal flora consisted of 27 genera and 36 species of Chlorophyta, 2 genera and 2 species of Euglenophyta, 32 genera and 106 species of Bacillariophyceae (including 16 genera and 33 species of soil diatoms), 1 genus and 2 species of Chrysophyta excluding diatoms and 6 genera and 14 species of Cyanophyta. Diatoms were the predominent algae in this study. Chlorococcum humicola, Vaucheria geminata, Amphora normani, Hantzschia amphioxys and Oscillatoria sancta were prominent in the greenhouses. In the arboretum …

A Proposed Mechanism Of Action For In Vitro Excystation Of Two Species Of Coccidia, William Ronald Jolley

Theses and Dissertations

Excystation of coccidian oocysts is accomplished in vitro by altering wall permeability with CO2 and a reducing agent, then activating the enclosed sporozoites with a solution of trypsin and bile. Elucidation of the mechanism of action of the CO2-reducing agent treatment was the basic intent of this study. Oocysts of Eimeria stiedae (rabbit) and E. tenella (chicken) were tested for the presence of an excystation-associated enzyme by incubating sporulated oocysts in fluids extracted from variously treated oocysts, and by carbon-14 labelling; the effect of CO2 -reducing agent treatment on oocyst walls was investigated by titration with acid or base for …

The Molecular Nature And Replication Of R Factor 222 In Proteus Mirabilis, Dennis Jon Kopecko

Theses and Dissertations

The molecular nature and replicative behavior of R factor 222 was examined in Proteus mirabilis . In deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA} from R+ P. mirabilis , R factor 222 was identified by CsCl density gradient centrifugation as 2 satellite DNA bands at densities corresponding to 50 and 58 moles percent guanine plus cytosine (% GC) . Replication of the 50 and 58% GC components of R factor 222 in P. mirabilis was analyzed during growth in the presence and absence of chloramphenicol (CAM} and after shifting exponentialand stationary- phase cells to conditions which inhibit host protein or DNA synthesis . CAM …

The Effect Of Aflatoxin B1 On Growth Rate And Iron Metabolism In Juvenile Mongolian Gerbils (Meriones Unguiculatus), William Stanley Hastings Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The metabolic secretions from Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxins. are often found as contaminants of agricultural products used for human and animal consumption. Aflatoxin B1 is the most toxic and carcinogenic of the aflatoxins. A reduction in weight gain has been observed when juvenile animals are fed aflatoxin B1 over an extended period of time. This reduction in weight gain may possibly result from an anemic condition induced by an alteration of iron absorption and/or distribution. The effect of chronic sublethal levels of this hepatocarcinogen on weight gain and the uptake and distribution of 59Fe++ were studied in this investigation.

An experimental …

Modulation Of Cortical And Pyramidal Tract Induced Motor Responses By Electrical Stimulation Of The Basal Ganglia, Roberta Ann Newton

Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 1800's, the basal ganglia have been recognized as an extrapyramidal subcortical motor area. Much of the knowledge of basal ganglia involvement in movement has been obtained through clinical symptomology. Consideration of the basal ganglia as a pure inhibitory influence upon motor regulation was a concept generated by early researchers (24,57,58). In spite of the fact that the basal ganglia was considered an inhibitory center, it was known that the basal ganglia produced fore limb flexion or contraversive head ‘turning. At the present, both facilitatory and inhibitory influences upon motor activity have been demonstrated (50). Physiological mechanisms underlying …

The Serlogical Specificity Of The Lectin From Lens Culinaris, Deborah Ward Heritage

Theses and Dissertations

Lens culinaris, the common lentil, contains a lectin which has been shown to be specific for a glycoprotein saliva antigen and a glycolipoprotein serum antigen. Both the saliva and serum precipitin reactions with the lectin are directly inhibited with saccharides, especially those related to D-mannose. Electrophoresis of the serum antigen showed that it migrates as three bands, while appearing as a single band in double diffusion precipitin patterns. Quantitative studies of the saliva antigen levels by hemagglutination inhibition titration indicated a polygenic, quantitative mode of inheritance with a minimum heritability of O. 34. Blood group ABH secretor individuals were found …

Studies Of Teratogenic Viruses: Minute Virus Of Mice And Colorado Tick Fever Virus, Robert Eldred Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Studies were conducted in DUB/ICR mice with minute virus of mice (MVM), a single stranded DNA virus, and Colorado tick fever (CTF) virus, a double stranded RNA Virus, to determine if CTF virus had teratogenic potential and to characterize further MVM and its teratogenic effects. MVM is a known teratogen, whereas CTF virus had never been investigated previously for teratogenic potential.

In characterization studies of MVM infectivity, the following were determined: (a) Rat embryo cells proved to be superior to six cell lines in assaying for MVM infectivity; (b) MVM infectivity could be inactivated with common laboratory disinfectants, ultraviolet radiation, …