Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Ammonia On The Functionality Of Bovine Granulosa Cells, Micah Henrie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

It is common practice in the livestock animal production industries to feed high levels of protein to maximize the yield of each animal in production. However, diets high in protein can cause decreased reproductive success within these animals. The causes behind this decrease are not fully understood. Increased dietary protein leads to increased levels of both ammonia and urea in the blood of the animal. These increased metabolite levels may be a possible explanation for the decline in reproductive success. The goal of this study is to identify how various levels of ammonia affect the function of bovine granulosa cells …

Impacts Of Environmental Stressors On Mummichog (Fundulus Heteroclitus) Growth And The Gh-Igf1 Pathway Using A Laboratory Bioassay, Olena Kuntyj

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Using a flow-through laboratory bioassay, experiments investigated the effects of limited feeding, increased temperature, ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl), and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE₂) on juvenile mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) growth. Weight measurements were taken every three days as the apical growth endpoint. Gene expression was examined by qPCR for genes in the GH (growth hormone)-IGF1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) pathway, including gh, igf1, and their receptors (ghra, ghrb, igf1ra, igf1rb). In Experiment 1, juvenile mummichog were exposed to excess or limited feed for 21 days. The limited-fed mummichog weighed less, were …

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Microplastic Removal And The Relationship Between Microplastics, Bacterial Communities, And Nitrogen Cycling In The Natural Treatment Systems At The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility, Fiona Connor

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis addressed two challenging aspects of microplastic research, including the quantification of microplastics in organic-rich water, and the investigation of how microplastics impact microorganisms and related nutrient-cycling. Two projects were designed and executed to address specific research objectives relating to these broad topics. The first objective was to develop and implement methods to determine the effectiveness of microplastic removal across the natural treatment systems at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility (AWTF). The second objective was to observe how microplastics found in domestic wastewater impact the bacterial communities and nitrogen cycling in freshwater treatment wetland sediment through a bench-scale experiment, …

Assessment Of Monochloramine Toxicity On Three Small Coastal Organisms, Ashley K. Le

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Monochloramine ( is a secondary disinfectant used by water treatment facilities to eliminate lingering bacteria in basins, filters, and pipelines. While an effective disinfectant, monochloramine can have negative effects on aquatic organisms. Organis ms affected by the chemical can include species whose environment is near to effluent sites and aquaculture facilities that use tap water lines or has water intake pipes near to effluent sites. Three species commonly found in south Florida that are lik ely exposed to MCA by effluent sites or aquaculture facilities are mosquitofish Gambusia affinis pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus duorarum and the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria These …

Bioremediation Of Refinery Desalter Effluent Using Debaryomyces Hansenii And Parachlorella Kessleri, Leila Azimian

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Crude oil desalting operations produce an effluent stream which is challenging to treat due to its salt, heavy metal and hydrocarbon content. Consequently, desalter effluent (DE) is usually diluted into other effluent streams and sent to conventional wastewater treatment plants which may lead to upsets the plant operation.

In this study, a novel microbial approach was applied which investigated DE treatment using halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii (LAF-3 10 U) or the environmentally robust micro-algae Parachlorella kessleri strain CPCC 266. The effect of these two different approaches on both synthetic and actual DE was investigated in both batch and/or continuous mode. …

Effects Of Parafluvial Flows On Interstitial Ammonia And Freshwater Mussels In The Buffalo National River, David Alan Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

Freshwater mussel populations and distributions have declined over the past several decades in the Buffalo River, Arkansas. Among many possible causes, this study tested the hypothesis that ammonia concentrations in parafluvial flows through gravel bars might be high enough to impair the survival and growth of juvenile mussels. Ammonia, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were measured in interstitial and water column samples from gravel bars to test for possible longitudinal gradients. Samples were taken along 3 large bars at locations within the Buffalo National River, at approximate bi-weekly intervals between June and September of 2010. Water sample ammonia concentrations were …

Quantitative Studies Of Amyloidogenic Protein Residue Interaction Networks And Abnormal Ammonia Metabolism In Neurotoxicity And Disease, Jeddidiah Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Investigating similarities among neurological diseases can provide insight into disease processes. Two prominent commonalities of neurological diseases are the formation of amyloid deposits and altered ammonia and glutamate metabolism. Computational techniques were used to explore these processes in several neurological diseases. Residue interaction networks (RINs) abstract protein structure into a series of nodes (representing residues) and edges (representing connections between residues likely to interact). Analyzing the RINs of monomeric forms of amyloidogenic proteins for common network features revealed similarities not previously known. First, amyloidogenic variants of lysozyme were used to demonstrate the usefulness of RINs to the study of amyloidogenic …

Managing Dietary Protein In Cattle As A Means Of Reducing Ammonia Emissions To Improve Air Quality, Ashley Houston

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Particulate matter pollution has become a subject of great concern across the globe. Emissions data has revealed that the agricultural sector is making large contributions to particulate matter through ammonia emissions. Beef and dairy cattle are responsible for producing nearly 50% of annual ammonia emissions in the United States. These animals are often fed amounts of dietary protein that exceed recommendations, resulting in increased excretion of urea and ammonia. These compounds combine with nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere to form PM_2.5: particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter. Research has shown that through proper dietary management …

Evaluation Of Cafo Dairy Manure Treatment To Reduce Nutrient Transport, Jenna Laib

Honors Projects

Excess amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into Lake Erie from agricultural fields in Northwest Ohio has led to several harmful algal blooms (HABs). One potential source of those nutrients is manure applied to fields for fertilizer. Manure from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is 95-98% water with only ~3% solids and nutrients, thus physical transportation is expensive relative to the value of the agricultural nutrients. Furthermore, once manure nutrients are applied to agricultural fields, they are relatively easily mobilized to waterways by precipitation. More than 800 lab-scale tests have been used to optimize the treatment of CAFO manure with …

Relationship Between Metabolic By-Products And Nervous System Failure/Fatigue, Tyler Mitchell Farney

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fatigue has generally been defined as an acute impairment of exercise/sport performance that includes both an increase in the perceived effort necessary to exert a desired force or power output, and the inability to produce the desired force or power output. The majority of research to date looking at fatigue has focused upon substrate utilization, however, what is relatively unknown is the contribution the nervous system has upon fatigue. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to investigate potential mechanisms that relate to neural fatigue. An additional purpose was to determine if there were any relationships between metabolic by-products and …

The Role Of Oxidative Stress In The Mechanisms Of Ammonia-Induced Brain Swelling And Tolerance In The Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), David F. Jones Lisser Mr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Toxic build-ups of ammonia can cause potentially fatal brain swelling in mammals, but such swelling is reversible in the anoxia- and ammonia-tolerant goldfish (Carassius auratus). The mechanisms of ammonia-induced brain swelling and tolerance remain elusive, but several studies have suggested a role for reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may damage proteins and lipids in the plasma membrane of astrocytes in the brain. As a result, osmotic gradients across cell membranes may be altered leading to water uptake by astrocytes and swelling. While a role for ROS has been proposed in mammals, no studies have addressed this question in …

The Development Of A Fluorescence-Based Reverse Flow Injection Analysis (Rfia) Method For Quantifying Ammonium At Nanomolar Concentrations In Oligotrophic Seawater, William Abbott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis was to adopt a reverse flow injection analysis (rFIA) technique to the fluorometric analysis of the reaction o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) with ammonium, allowing accurate measurements of ammonium concentrations lower than the detection limit of the widely used indophenol blue (IPB) colorimetric method while accounting for the background fluorescence of seawater. Ammonium is considered an essential nutrient for primary productivity, especially in the nutrient depleted surface ocean where as the most reduced form of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, it is readily assimilated via metabolic pathways. Challenges in the quantification of ammonium require more sensitive analytical techniques for …

Structure, Function And Regulation Of Two Isoforms Of Glutamine Synthetase From Soybean Root Nodules, Pintu Daulatrao Masalkar

Doctoral Dissertations

Glutamine synthetase (GS) is a major ammonia assimilatory enzyme in soybean nodules. The four isoforms of cytosolic glutamine synthetase (GS₁[glutamine synthetase 1]β[beta]1, GS₁β2, GS₁γ[gamma]1 and GS₁γ2) present in soybean nodules are 80% identical with respect to amino acid sequence, and share similar kinetic properties. It is shown all major GS₁ isoforms interact with nodulin 26, a member of the aquaporin family of membrane channels. Nodulin 26 is the major protein component of the symbiosome membrane (SM), where it serves a function as an ammonia and water channel. The site of interaction …

Mechanisms Of Nitrogenous Waste Excretion During The Complex Life Cycle Of The Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus), James M. Neal Mr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are a phylogenetically ancient jawless fish, with a multi-staged life cycle characterized by a prolonged suspension-feeding larval stage, which is followed by metamorphosis into parasitic lampreys that feed on the protein-rich blood of fishes. The switch from a nutrient poor to protein-rich diet in the sea lamprey is associated with an increased capacity to deaminate excess amino acids and to excrete ammonia and urea following metamorphosis. The focus of this thesis was to determine if changes in nitrogenous waste transporter protein abundance facilitate ammonia and urea excretion during different stages of the sea lamprey …

Environmental Implications Of Polymer Coated Urea, Joshua James Lemonte

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient in the biosphere. Although N is necessary and beneficial for life, it is also a common pollutant in the atmosphere and hydrosphere as it may be lost to the atmosphere as ammonia (NH3) or nitrous oxide (N2O) gases or to groundwater as nitrate (NO3-) following fertilization. Polymer coated urea (PCU) is one type of N fertilizer which uses temperature-controlled diffusion to control N release to better match plant demand and mitigate environmental losses of N. The objectives of this project were to simultaneously compare the effects of PCU on gaseous (as N2O and NH3) …

The Community Structure Of Methanogenic, Methanotrophic, And Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria In Vertical Flow Greenhouse Wetland Mesocosms Exposed To Pce, William Evan Gruner

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Chlorinated ethenes are among the top contaminants on the EPA National Priorities List due to their abundance in contaminated sites and their recalcitrant nature. These compounds, which are used in large scale degreasing and textile processes, are known liver and kidney toxins, and suspected carcinogens. Wetland ecosystems are capable of degrading PCE and its breakdown products TCE, DCE, and VC by providing anaerobic and aerobic growth conditions for microbes that express enzymes such as dehalogenases and monooxygenases with dual affinity for chlorinated solvents. Greenhouse mesocosms at Wright State University are used to mimic field conditions at a treatment wetland at …

Arm Crank Power And Hyperammonemia In Respones To L-Aspartic Acid Supplementation, William W. Edwards

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of L-Aspartic Acid (L-Asp) supplementation on short-term arm-crank power (i.e. W·min^-1) and exercise-induced hyperammonemia in two gender-specific investigations. METHODS: The male investigation (MALE) used nine highly-trained intercollegiate water polo players (WP) and nine moderately-trained college students (MOD); the female investigation (FEM) used 18 recreationally-trained college students. All exercised to exhaustion on two occasions following counterbalanced double-blind ingestion of 12.5g x 2 of L-Asp or placebo (P). The warm-up phase began at 25 W·min^-1 and increased in 25 W·min^-1 stages every 30 seconds (constant 100 rpm). Performance began (i.e. the subjects turned …

The Role Of Ammonia In Reproductive Inefficiency In High-Producing Dairy Cows Fed Excess Rumen Degraded Protein, Douglas Scott Hammon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The role of ammonia in reproductive inefficiency in early lactation dairy cows was studied in a series of experiments designed to determine the concentrations of ammonia in normal bovine follicular fluid (bFF), to determine the effects of ammonia on the bovine embryo during specific stages of development, and to test the hypothesis that elevated plasma urea nitrogen concentration is associated with elevated ammonia and urea nitrogen concentrations in the reproductive fluids.

In the first study, ammonia concentration in different size follicles and the effect of ammonia during in vitro maturation on embryo development were determined. Ammonia concentration in the bFF …

Treatment Of Low Quality Forages By Hydrogen Peroxide And(Or) Anhydrous Ammonia And Their Utilization In Ruminant Nutrition, Mohammed Diouri

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate low quality forages treatment by anhydrous ammonia (NH₃) and(or) hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂).

In experiment I, a control and three treatments of barley straw were compared: NH₃, NH₃ after rehydration of the straw with water (NH₃+H₂O), and NH₃ after rehydration with a H₂O₂ solution (NH₃+H₂O₂). Forages were fed, with a supplement, at two levels of intake (ad libitum and 75% of ad lib.). Treatments were administered in a split-plot in a Latin …

Effects Of Ammonia, Salinity And Oxygen On The Growth And Energetics Of The Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes Pugio, Ahmad Mohammed Altayaran

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The growth and energy budget of juvenile grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, were examined under various combinations of ammonia, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Experiments were performed to determine the effects of multiple stresses on the growth and physiological processes of the shrimp. The experimental design also allowed an evaluation of the effectiveness of several techniques for determining the productivity potential of aquatic animals exposed to stress.

A flow-through system was used to produce combinations of ammonia concentrations (0, 3, 6 and 12 mg/l) and salinities (20, 25, 30 and 35 ppt) for 21-day tests. The tests were conducted at high …

The Inhibition Of Water Uptake In Sugar Beet Roots By Ammonia, Darrel Marshall Stuart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Various ammonium salts, urea, aqua ammonia, and anhydrous ammonia are important sources of nitrogen for the fertilization of agricultural crops. While ammonia and its compounds are useful as fertilizers, they can be, and often are, toxic to many plants (Willis and Rankin, 1930; Stout and Tolman, 1941; Raleigh, 1942; Stoll, 1954; Lorenz, 1955; Grogan and Zink, 1956; Allen, 1962; Cooke, 1962; Allred, 1963; Court et al, 1964; Hood and Ensminger, 1964). There are also products which have been designed to retard the oxidation of ammonia and its compounds (Go ring, 1962). It is therefore important that the effects of ammonia …