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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Effects Of Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein On Nitric Oxide Production In Macrophages, Annong Huang Dec 1997

Effects Of Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein On Nitric Oxide Production In Macrophages, Annong Huang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effects of oxidatively modified low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) on atherogenesis may be partly mediated by alterations in nitric oxide (NO) production by macrophages. A major goal of this study was to identify the lipid components in oxLDL modulating NO production. The effect of a water soluble antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine) and lipid soluble antioxidant (alpha-tocopherol) on NO production in macrophages was also determined. A second goal was to determine if the effects of oxLDL occurred at the transcriptional level. Human LDL was oxidized using an azo-initiator 2,2$\sp\prime$-azobis (2-amidinopropane) HCI (ABAP). OxLDL markedly decreased the production of NO in LPS stimulated RAW264.7 …


Comparison Of Beta-Adrenoceptor Coupled Camp Production In Cultured Human Mononuclear Leukocytes And Myometrial Cells, Yu-Li Liu Dec 1997

Comparison Of Beta-Adrenoceptor Coupled Camp Production In Cultured Human Mononuclear Leukocytes And Myometrial Cells, Yu-Li Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

$\beta\sb2$-Adrenoceptor ($\beta\sb2$-AR) agonists, such as terbutaline, are used as tocolytic agents in the treatment of preterm labor. $\beta$-Adrenoceptor stimulation relaxes myometrium through specific receptors coupled through Gs to adenylyl cyclase (AC) that catalyzes the conversion of ATP to cAMP. The purpose of this study was to compare $\beta$-adrenoceptors and cAMP production in cultured human leukocytes and myometrial cells, and to determine the importance of $\beta$-adrenoceptors and cAMP production in isoproterenol-induced myometrial relaxation. $\sp{125}$I-iodopindolol was used to assess $\beta$-adrenoceptor affinity and number cAMP levels were analyzed before and after stimulation by isoproterenol, AlF$\sb4\sp-$, forskolin, and PGE$\sb1$. Isometric recording was used to …


Effect Of Artificial Flooding On The Vegetation And Avifauna Of Riparian Woodlands At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Hidalgo County, Texas, Charles David Castillo Dec 1997

Effect Of Artificial Flooding On The Vegetation And Avifauna Of Riparian Woodlands At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Hidalgo County, Texas, Charles David Castillo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Riparian habitats along the Rio Grande at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge have dramatically decreased since the construction of Falcon Dam in 1953. Riparian habitats are dependent on annual or periodic flooding to maintain their biological integrity. Lack of seasonal flooding has contributed to changes in vegetative composition from riparian forests to thornscrub. Effects of artificial flooding on vegetation and avifauna of riparian woodlands were evaluated from 1995-1997 at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Floodwaters caused the destruction of all existing herbaceous species along study transects and the regeneration of new and native seedlings. Avian abundance and diversity dramatically …


The Brood-Rearing Habitat, Brood Home Range, And Fecundity Of The Snowy Plover (Charadrius Alexandrinus) In Coastal Southern Texas, Jeffery R. Rupert Dec 1997

The Brood-Rearing Habitat, Brood Home Range, And Fecundity Of The Snowy Plover (Charadrius Alexandrinus) In Coastal Southern Texas, Jeffery R. Rupert

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Habitat fragmentation has been shown to have negative effects on avian communities. I looked at the effects of corridor width and vegetation characteristics on nesting densities and breeding success of birds in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. There were definite trends in this study of increasing species richness and nesting densities with increasing corridor widths. Multiple regression revealed little correlation between tree density, diameter at breast height, tree height, canopy cover and ground cover with nesting density or nesting success. However, factors such as parasitism by the Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus) and predation were much greater in narrower corridors. This …


Breeding Densities And Habitat Of Riparian Birds Along The Lower Rio Grande, Texas, Corinna Elizabeth Rupert Dec 1997

Breeding Densities And Habitat Of Riparian Birds Along The Lower Rio Grande, Texas, Corinna Elizabeth Rupert

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The breeding biology of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexanderinus) was studied at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in coastal southern Texas. During 1995 and 1996 nests were found most often in high sand flat habitat and less frequently in low sand flat. Nest sites were dominated by open flat but had more rocks, pebbles and debris than control sites. Only 24% of the clutches hatched, while 67% were eaten by predators and 9% were flooded. Forty-three percent of Snowy Plover nests were within Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) colonies and these nests had a significantly greater chance of hatching than nests placed …


Habitat Use And Activities Of The Piping Plover, Charadrius Melodus, Wintering On South Padre Island, Texas, Humberto Garza Jr. May 1997

Habitat Use And Activities Of The Piping Plover, Charadrius Melodus, Wintering On South Padre Island, Texas, Humberto Garza Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus, is endangered in its breeding sites and threatened in its wintering sites. This migratory shorebird spends 3 to 4 months on northern U.S. and southern Canadian breeding sites and the remainder of the year in Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and southern U.S. wintering sites. Up to 2.4% of the estimated Piping Plover population remains for the 9 to 10 month non-breeding season on South Padre Island (S.P.I.). During the non-breeding season, I conducted censuses at 15 sites in the southern portion of South Padre Island to determine Piping Plover habitat preferences. Piping Plovers prefer bay …


Habitat Selection, Population Density, And Home Range Of The Elf Owl, Micrathene Whitneyl, At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, Christopher Michael Gamel May 1997

Habitat Selection, Population Density, And Home Range Of The Elf Owl, Micrathene Whitneyl, At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, Christopher Michael Gamel

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi, is a regular summer resident of the southwestern United States. My objectives were to collect information concerning habitat selection, home range size, and population density of M. w. idonea, the subspecies occurring in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Nocturnal surveys indicated greater use of chaparral habitat (92%) compared to riparian woodlands (8%). Utilized habitat was characterized by highest foliage density at 2.5-3.0 m, with a partial canopy at 3.8 $\pm$ 0.36 m and a semi-open understory. Home range size ranged from 0.24 to 2.6 ha, with a mean of 1.05 $\pm$ 0.33 ha. …


Homology Among The Autosomal Chromosomes Of Boophilus Annulatus (Say) And B. Microplus (Canestrini), Bonnie S. Gunn May 1997

Homology Among The Autosomal Chromosomes Of Boophilus Annulatus (Say) And B. Microplus (Canestrini), Bonnie S. Gunn

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Autosomes of Boophilus annulatus and B. microplus were compared using C- and G-bands to establish the degree of homology. Karyotypes of both species consisted of 20 autosomes and an XX:XO sex determination system with the X being the largest chromosome. All chromosomes of B. annulatus were acrocentric with heterochromatin limited to centromeric regions. The B. microplus karyotype was acrocentric with one band of noncentromeric heterochromatin occurring in three chromosome pairs. Interspecific comparisons indicated seven pairs of G-band homologous autosomes and three G-band homologous pairs when added interstitial heterochromatin was considered. The number three chromosome of both species showed variation in …


Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Of Rio Grande Delta Ponds, Anna Maria Navarro May 1997

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Of Rio Grande Delta Ponds, Anna Maria Navarro

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to identify aquatic macroinvertebrates living in the vegetated margins of local ponds, to determine their relative abundances, and to construct a rapid bioassessment model. I collected macroinvertebrates seasonally from seven ponds in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Collection sites included: Moore Airfield, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, and Olmito Fish Hatchery. Twenty-eight samples were sampled and preserved at the University of Texas-Pan American. Seventy-six taxa were identified and were stored as a reference collection. Cluster analysis of the taxa and their relative abundances showed three distinct geographic patterns or regions. These patterns were verified …


Endogenous Alkylglycerol Functions As A Mediator Of Protein Kinase C Activity And Cell Proliferation, Fritz G. Buchanan May 1997

Endogenous Alkylglycerol Functions As A Mediator Of Protein Kinase C Activity And Cell Proliferation, Fritz G. Buchanan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To explore the possibility that 1-O-alkyl-sn-glycerol (alkylglycerol) may serve a regulatory role in the control of cell proliferation or PKC activity, we examined the ability of alkylglycerol to influence PKC activity and subcellular distribution as well as the ability of alkylglycerol to effect cell proliferation. MDCK cells grown to confluence show a loss of PKC activity associated with the membrane, as reported in fibroblasts. Preconfluent cultures of MDCK cells have a high level of PKC activity associated with the membrane. However, treatment of preconfluent cultures with alkylglycerol causes a reduction of PKC activity. A similar inhibition was observed with alkylglycerol …