Life Sciences Commons^™

The First Gynandromorph Of The Neotropical Bee Megalopta Amoena (Spinola, 1853) (Halictidae) With Notes On Its Circadian Rhythm, Erin Krichilsky, Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo, Kate Hunter, Callum Kingwell, Chelsey Ritner, William Wcislo, Adam Smith

All PIRU Publications

Gynandromorphy is an anomaly that results in an organism phenotypically expressing both male and female characteristics. Here we describe the first gynandromorph of the bee species Megalopta amoena (Spinola, 1853) (Halictidae, Augochlorini) and the second record of this anomaly within the genus Megalopta. Additionally, we analyzed the bee’s circadian rhythm, which has never before been quantified for a gynandromorph. The gynandromorph showed a deviant activity pattern; it was intermediate between that of the male and female M. amoena. Our results imply that the brains of bilateral gynandromorphs may have mixed sex-specific signaling. Based on four days of recording, …

Nurudea Zhengii Ren, A New Species Of The Rhus Gall Aphids (Aphididae: Eriosomatinae: Fordini) From Eastern China, Zhu-Mei Ren, Xu Su, Carol D. Von Dohlen, Jun Wen

Biology Faculty Publications

A new Rhus gall aphid species Nurudea zhengii Ren, sp. nov. collected from the Mountain Qixing in Shangrao County, Jiangxi Province, China is described and illustrated from alate viviparous female. The new species differs from the other Nurudea species in the length and proportion of antennal segments, the structure of antennal secondary sensilla, and the flower-like shape of the galls that are formed on its primary host. Its primary host plant is Rhus hypoleuca, whereas other Nurudea species are on R. chinensis.

Foraging Behavior, Taxonomy, And Morphology Of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), With An Emphasis On Perdita (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zachary M. Portman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bees are the most important pollinators of flowering plants and are necessary for pollinating both wild plants and many of the crops that produce the food we eat. There are many different species of bees, with about 20,000 species worldwide and 4,000 species in the United States. Even though bees are important pollinators, there is still much we do not know about how many species there are and their biology. In order to better understand the species and their biology, I performed three projects that help fill these gaps by reviewing the species of a poorly known bee group, examining …

Using High Intensity Ultrasound As A Tool To Change The Functional Properties Of Interesterified Soybean Oil, Yubin Ye, Ashwini Wagh, Silvana Martini

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

High intensity ultrasound (HIU) was used to change the crystallization behavior, generate small crystals, and improve the texture of a low saturated shortening (interesterified soybean oil). Samples were crystallized at different temperatures (26, 28, 30, and 32 °C) without and with the application of HIU. Different acoustic power levels (110, 72, 61, 54, and 44 W) were used. Results show that higher acoustic powers had a greater effect on crystal size reduction, induced crystallization, and generated harder, more elastic and viscous materials. These effects were more significant when HIU was applied in the presence of crystals and when the sample …

The Status Of Dwarfed Populations Of Short-Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma Hernandesi) And Great Plains Toads (Anaxyrus Cognatus) In The San Luis Valley, Colorado, Megan E. Lahti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The San Luis Valley is a large valley formation in Colorado surrounded on either side by mountain ranges exceeding 4,267 m. Within the Valley, two of the 14 amphibian and reptile species are dwarfed: the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and the Great Plains toad (Anaxyrus cognatus). Since its initial reporting in 1968 and confirmation in 1981, no research further investigating this dwarfism has been conducted. I collected morphological measurements to determine the extent and patterns of dwarfism of both species. I then investigated the genetics of both species using mitochondrial DNA to determine whether they are …

Greenhouse Studies On Root Growth And Morphology, Julie K. Chard

Techniques and Instruments

For studies of root growth and morphology, an ideal containerized plant culture system should provide: 1) adequate nutrients, water and oxygen; 2) appropriate mechanical impedance to root elongation; 3) adequate depth to prevent root binding; and 4) easy separation of roots from the root-zone substrate.

Columnar containers are preferable to pots because they can support deep root growth while taking up less bench space. Many columns can be arranged within a small area, such as a gas-exchange chamber, thereby maximizing the number of treatments and replications in a given space.

Standard potting substrates typically contain sphagnum peat mixed with perlite …

Effect Of Cooling Rate On Nucleation Behavior Of Milk Fat-Sunflower Oil Blends, Silvana Martini, M. L. Herrera, R. W. Hartel

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The effect of cooling rate on the crystallization behavior of mixes of high-melting milk fat fraction (HMF) and sunflower oil (SFO) was studied by following nucleation with laser-polarized turbidimetry. The initial crystals were photographed, and their thermal and polymorphic behaviors, as well as chemical composition, were investigated by calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and capillary gas chromatography. Activation energies of nucleation were calculated using the Fisher−Turnbull equation. Despite small differences in Mettler dropping points for different ratios of SFO to HMF, induction times were significantly different between samples and were shorter at a slow cooling rate for the same supercooling. Rapidly cooled …

Effects Of Castration Upon The Morphology Of The Accessory Sex Organs Of The Male Rat - A Scanning Electron Microscopy Study, R. Wahlqvist, E. Dahl, K. J. Tveter

Scanning Microscopy

A systematic, comparative study of the accessory sex glands of the adult male rat after androgen withdrawal was carried out. The changes were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy at different intervals after surgical castration. The main common signs of epithelial cell involution were flattening of the cell surface, reduction of the size and number of microvilli, some blurring of the cell borders, cessation of secretory activity and diminution of the luminal volume of the glands. Overall, confident signs of atrophy were evident after one week, and complete epithelial involution was reached by the third week. The epithelial cell atrophy …

Scanning Electron Microscopy Of The Accessory Sex Glands Of The Adult Male Rat, R. Wahlqvist, E. Dahl, K. J. Tveter

Scanning Microscopy

This study describes the morphology of the accessory sex glands of the adult male rat as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The purpose was to obtain a systematic and comparative SEM description of these glands and to evaluate different preparation techniques. A common morphological feature is polyhedral delineation of the cells, which exhibited a variable convexity of their apical surface. The cell apices were more or less studded with microvilli. Nevertheless, it was possible to distinguish the glands by their surface morphology. In the ventral prostate, there was a considerable heterogeneity in cell surface appearance. The lateral lobe bad …

Tc-Mapping And Investigation Of Water-Initiated Modification Of Yba2cu3o7-X Thin Films By Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy, A. V. Bobyl, M. E. Gaevski, S. G. Konnikov, D. V. Shantsev, V. A. Solov'ev, R. A. Suris

Scanning Microscopy

The T_c -mapping method using low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) has been developed to study the spatial distribution of the critical temperature in high temperature superconducting (HTSC) films with a spatial resolution approaching 2 μm. To achieve so high a spatial resolution, a numerical deconvolution method was applied that eliminated distorting effects associated with the thermal diffusion and with the contribution from the absorbed beam current. The T_c -mapping method was used to investigate modification by water of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films grown on (100) MgO and (110) LaAIO₃ substrates. The rate of …

Induction Of Crystallization Of Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate In Micellar Solutions Of Anionic Surfactants, H. Füredi-Milhofer, L. Tunik, N. Filipovic-Vincekovic, D. Skrtic, V. Babic-Ivancic, N. Garti

Scanning Microscopy

Calcium oxalate dihydrate (CaC₂O₄.(2+x)H₂O; COD; x ≤ 0.5) does not readily crystallize from electrolytic solutions but appears as a component in crystalluria. In this paper, we review in vitro studies on the factors responsible for its nucleation and growth with special attention given to the role of surfactants. The following surfactants were tested: dodecyl ammonium chloride (cationic), octaethylene monohexadecylether (non-ionic), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SOS, anionic), dioctyl sulphosuccinate (AOT, anionic), and sodium cholate (NaC, anionic). The cationic and some of the anionic surfactants (SOS, AOT) induced different habit modifications of growing calcium oxalate crystals by …

The Effect Of Arf-Excimer Laser Irradiation Of The Human Enamel Surface On The Bond Strength Of Orthodontic Appliances, U. Stratmann, K. Schaarschmidt, M. Schürenberg, U. Ehmer

Scanning Microscopy

This study investigated enamel laser conditioning as an alternative to acid etching in bracket therapy. In preliminary experiments optimal laser parameters for achieving a bond strength of 6-10 N/mm² were defined. Enamel surface morphology was assessed and the ablation depth was measured on serial enamel sections. Thirty human molars were exposed to 193 nm ArF-excimer laser radiation (energy density: 260 mJ/cm²) by single pulse application of 23 nanoseconds. Thirty molars were etched with phosphoric acid (37%) for 60 seconds. The brackets from the treated molars and 30 untreated molars were debonded vertically for tensile bond strength measurement. …

Comparison Of Cell Sediment And Surface Grown "Test Plaque" Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, S. M. Mccormack, C. M. D. Maran, K. M. Scott-Anne, D. T. Zero

Scanning Microscopy

Scanning electron microscopy was used to compare the morphology, integrity and distribution of bacterial cells in a test plaque grown on the surface of enamel with that of the cell sediment plaque routinely used in a short-term intraoral caries model. Cultures of S. mutans IB-1600 or S. sobrinus 6715-13 were grown in complex media supplemented with either 2.0% sucrose (glucan plaque) or 0.2 % glucose (non-glucan plaque). Cell sediment (CS) plaque was prepared by centrifuging the cultures after incubation, recovering the cell sediment, and spreading it on Metricel membrane filter paper. Surface grown (SG) plaque was prepared by suspending saliva-coated …

Signal And Image Manipulation In Microanalysis, P. W. Hawkes

Scanning Microscopy

Scanning electron microscopes, and transmission instruments equipped for EELS, generate a host of signals and hence of images from each pixel of the specimen. Numerous ingenious ways of coping with this multiplicity of information, which may be very different in character, have been devised, but no detailed study has yet been made of the appropriate mathematical structure, with the aid of which all this information could be manipulated reasonably easily.

One such structure falls within the subject that has come to be known as Image Algebra, the principal attraction of which is that we deal directly with entire images …

Degeneration And Reorganization Of Vestibular Epithelia After Local Aminoglycoside Application In The Mammalian Inner Ear, J. Dupont, A. Guilhaume, J. -M. Aran

Scanning Microscopy

The development of degeneration of vestibular end organs and their possible reorganization have been observed over a 2 year period after local application of sisomicin in the inner ear using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Degeneration of stereocilia took place as early as 5 days after the treatment in the utricule, the saccule and the cristae. At 10 days, almost the entire surface of these sensory epithelia presented a smooth aspect without specific structure. However, after 15 days, an epithelial reorganization developed with clear limits between cells. At 25 days, systematic kinociliary structures were observed at the apical surface of the …

An Integrated Study Of The Morphological And Gross-Elemental Consequences Of Methyl Mercury Intoxication In Rats, With Particular Attention On The Cerebellum, K. Leyshon, A. J. Morgan

Scanning Microscopy

Methylmercury accumulates in the kidney and liver of rats, but fairly selectively damages the cerebellum, resulting in the clinical symptoms of neurological ataxia after prolonged exposures. Within the cerebellum, morphological examination indicated that the small granule cells beneath the Purkinje layer are especially susceptible to the toxin, showing signs of pyknosis during the phase of locomotory disability, whilst the large Purkinje cells are relatively resistant to cytotoxic injury. Flame photometric and electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPXMA) of digested samples of the major organs failed to detect any significant changes in the Na, K, Ca, Mg, S and P concentrations of …

Effects Of Modulated And Continuous Microwave Irradiation On The Morphology And Cell Surface Negative Charge Of 3t3 Fibroblasts, Z. Somosy, G. Thuróczy, T. Kubasova, J. Kovács, L. D. Szabó

Scanning Microscopy

Mouse embryo 3T3 cells were irradiated with 2450 MHz continuous and low frequency (16 Hz) square modulated waves of absorbed energy ranging from 0.0024 to 2.4 mW/g. The low frequency modulated microwave irradiation yielded more morphological cell changes than did the continuous microwave fields of the same intensity. The amount of free negative charges (cationized ferritin binding) on cell surfaces decreased following irradiation by modulated waves but remained unchanged under the effect of a continuous field of the same dose. Modulated waves of 0.024 mW/g dose increased the ruffling activity of the cells, and caused ultrastructural alteration in the cytoplasm. …

Heterogeneity Of Crystals Attached To The Human Enamel And Cementum Surfaces After Calculus Removal In Vitro, T. Kodaka, K. Debari, M. Yamada

Scanning Microscopy

Twenty one extracted human teeth with dental calculi on the enamel and cementum surfaces, fixed in 10% neutral formaldehyde, were selected for this study. After ethanol dehydration and air drying, these calculi were removed by tweezers to observe the teeth surfaces under them. The inspection of these surfaces using SEM and EDX revealed hexahedrally based crystals including pseudocuboidal, rhombohedral and variable rugged rocky shapes. These crystals were identified as Mg-containing whitlockite. The pseudocuboidal crystals, measuring about 4.5 μmin maximum length, were widely distributed on the cervical enamel surface previously covered by calculus. On the root surface, however, these areas decreased …

A Scanning Electron Microscopic Morphological And Semi-Quantitative Evaluation Of Rat Stomach Treated With Colloidal Bismuth Subcitrate And Alcohol, C. Winters, S. M. Hinsull, Z. Gregory

Scanning Microscopy

Scanning electron microscopy was utilised to study the effect of absolute alcohol on the normal morphology of the rat stomach, together with the gastroprotective actions of colloidal bismuth subcitrate. Studies on normal gastric morphology revealed that the major portion of the stomach was covered by a protective coating of mucus. However, there was considerable variation in the integrity of the mucosal surface of the control animals, with the loss of surface epithelial cells in some regions which may account for the variation in response to necrotising agents. The long-term administration of the gastrocytoprotective agent colloidal bismuth subcitrate resulted in a …

Effects Of Low Energy Beta-Irradiation From Tritiated Water On The Morphology Of 3t3 Fibroblasts, Z. Somosy, Tamara Kubasova, J. Kovács, G. J. Köteles

Scanning Microscopy

Cellular alterations of cultured 3T3 cells irradiated with beta-rays from tritiated water were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. We observed decreased negative surface charges, vacuolization of rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi-complex, degeneration of mitochondria, increase of lysosomal activity and changes in distribution and amount of microfilaments in the irradiated cells, that parallelled changes in cell shape.

Diapause In The Earthworm, Aporrectodea Longa: Morphological And Quantitative X-Ray Microanalysis Of Cryosectioned Chloragogenous Tissue, A. J. Morgan, C. Winters

Scanning Microscopy

The earthworm, Aporrectodea longa, which experiences an apparent obligatory physiological resting state (“diapause”) in the temperate Summer, was collected monthly from February through to October. Morphological examination of the chloragocytes, and quantitative electron probe X-ray microanalysis of their constituent chloragosome granules prepared by cryoultramicrotomy and air-dried/smearing, were undertaken over this period. Worms entered diapause in May, and emerged from it between August and September. The long-term energy stores in the form of lipid, in addition to the more usual polysaccharide (glycogen) reserves, were accumulated by early diapause; the lipid was gradually consumed during diapause. In addition, the structure and composition …

A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study Of The Morphology Of Scyphidia Physarum Lachmann, 1856 (Ciliophora: Peritrichida), A. Warren

Scanning Microscopy

The morphology of Scyphidia physarum was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both contracted and uncontracted zooids were examined. The pellicular striations encircled the body at mean intervals of 1.1 µm. Pores were randomly distributed over the body surface with a mean density of 21 pores per 100 µm 2. The telotroch band was represented by three closely spaced striations. The adoral ciliature consisted of a single row of cilia in the haplokinety and three rows in the polykinety. The two sets of cilia were separated by a pellicular ridge. At the end of each row of cilia was a …

Advanced Sem Techniques To Characterize Coal Minerals, Christopher J. Zygarlicke, Edward N. Steadman

Scanning Microscopy

Research at the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) has focused on methods to characterize the inorganic components in coals. Because the scanning electron microscope and electron probe microanalysis system (SEM/EPMA) provide both morphologic and chemical information, the SEM/EPMA system is well-suited to the characterization of discrete minerals in coal. Computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM), along with simultaneous automated digital image collection, is one means of gaining more detailed insight into coal mineralogy. Computer-stored images of coal surfaces already analyzed for minerals using CCSEM can be reanalyzed to discern mineral morphologies and coal-to-mineral associations. Limitations may …

Ultrastructural Investigations Of The Bone And Fibrous Connective Tissue Interface With Endosteal Dental Implants, David E. Steflik, Ralph V. Mckinney, Allen L. Sisk, David L. Koth, Baldev B. Singh, Gregory R. Parr

Scanning Microscopy

The interface between the tissues of the oral cavity and ceramic and titanium cylindrical endosteal dental implants was investigated with correlated light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. This study suggested that mandibular bone can directly interface and form an intimate association with one-stage endosteal dental implants. This potential attachment matrix is composed of a composite of calcified bone, and an osteoid unmineralized matrix in association with an apparent osteogenic connective tissue. Further, results from this study suggested that at a level inferior to the junctional epithelium, and superior to the level of crestal bone, fibrous connective tissue …

Crystal Morphology Of Shortenings And Margarines, P. Chawla, J. M. Deman, A. K. Smith

Food Structure

An improved method is proposed for isolation of fat crystals with isobutanol, followed by fixation using osmium tetroxide vapours or cryo-fixation and visualization in the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The cryo-fixation method revealed the presence of well defined needle-shaped or rod-shaped fat crystals. The osmium fixed crystals did not appear as distinct. The crystals existed as single crystals, platelets and spherulites. Polarized light micrographs did not show the details of the crystal morphology that were observed in the SEM.

Morphological Changes Of Hair Cell Stereocilia And Tectorial Membrane In Guinea Pigs With Experimentally Induced Hydrops, Sven Rydmarker, K. C. Horner

Scanning Microscopy

Endolymphatic hydrops was surgically induced in guinea pigs. Atrophy of middle and short stereocilia on the outer hair cells in the upper 13 mm of the cochlea was systematically observed by scanning electron microscopy in guinea pigs with hydrops between 5-22 months. Light microscope and scanning electron microscope observations indicated that the tectorial membrane in the apical three turns was often abnormally elevated, and could be vertically positioned in longstanding hydrops. The atrophy of outer hair cell middle and short stereocilia and the elevation of the tectorial membrane certainly contribute to the pathophysiology of experimental hydrops and might be implicated …

Quantitative Evaluation Of Scanning Electron Microscopy-Examined Ciliary Morphological Changes In Control And Noise Exposed Guinea Pig Cochleas, S. Rydmarker, P. Nilsson, D. E. Dunn, C. Lindqvist

Scanning Microscopy

Many investigations of noise-induced hearing loss have demonstrated a poor correlation between hearing threshold and hair cell loss. One reason for this is that more subtle changes in the hair cell, such as detailed morphological changes of stereocilia, have not been evaluated. However, examining such changes increases the problem of distinguishing experimental pathological changes from artefacts. Preparation of the specimen for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) may result in too many artefacts for an adequate quantification of defects due to noise exposure.

One problem with some earlier studies seems to be lack of controls and/or statistical analysis for the purpose of …

Morphology And Chemical Composition Of Dental Calculi Mainly Composed Of Whitlockite, Toshiro Sakae, Hirotsugu Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Mishima, Takashi Matsumoto, Yukishige Kozawa

Scanning Microscopy

The morphology and chemical composition of two subgingival calculus samples, which were composed of magnesium-whitlockite with a Mg/Ca molar ratio of approximately 0.1 as shown by X-ray powder diffraction, were analyzed semiquantitatively using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Ca/P molar ratio values for 33 EDS-analyzed materials ranged from 1.24 to 2.03 with an average of 1.49, and the (Mg+Ca)/P molar ratio values ranged from 1.43 to 2.28 with an average of 1.63. The average Mg/Ca molar ratio was 0.10, a value very close to that obtained by X-ray diffraction analysis.

The EDS-analyzed materials were grouped …

Morphological Effects Of Lonidamine On Two Human-Tumor Cell Culture Lines, Joseph G. Szekely, Anya U. Lobreau, Sabine Delaney, G. Peter Raaphorst, Mark Feeley

Scanning Microscopy

Lonidamine, 1-(2-4-dichlorobenzyl)-1-H-indazol-3-carboxylic acid. is an anticancer drug that has its primary action on cellular metabolism rather than cell division. Since lonidamine is not effective in all tumor cells, we have tested it in two human-tumor cell culture lines: MOLT-4, a T-leukemia and U-87 MG. a glioma. Lonidamine exposure of MOLT-4 cells at 50 μg/mL and pH 6.7 disrupted the mitochondria within 1 h of treatment. The mitochondria were swollen and the cristae were disrupted. When the treated cells were re-incubated in fresh medium at pH 7.4 the mitochondria rapidly returned to their normal morphology. The U-87 MG glioma cells did …

The Aging Cochlear Hair Cell, Matti Anniko

Scanning Microscopy

Specimens from the organ of Corti were taken from regions which appeared normal in the cytocochleogram as evaluated with the Nomarski optics. Ultrastructural, qualitative analyses of aging cochlear hair cells in the guinea pig showed, however, principally five distinct types of pathological changes: (1) disintegration of the cuticle; (2) increased amounts of intracellular lamellar structures and submembrane cisternae; (3) aggregations of electron optically dense particles; (4) lysosome-like structures; and (5) vesiculation of cytoplasm. Stereocilia remained intact also in cells where the cuticular plate showed severe degeneration. Outer hair cells showed more extensive cytological changes than inner hair cells. The ultrastructural …