Other Animal Sciences Commons^™

Response Properties Of Tibial Campaniform Sensilla On The Cockroach Leg In Restrained Preparations And Freely Moving Animals, Angela L. Ridgel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ability to detect changes in forces is important for effective use of a leg in posture and locomotion. This thesis examines how forces are detected in the legs of cockroaches by tibial campaniform sensilla. Campaniform sensilla are mechanoreceptors that encode forces through ovoid cuticular caps embedded in the exoskeleton. The tibial sensilla are unique in that they consist of two subgroups with mutually perpendicular cap orientations.

We characterized the responses of the tibial receptors in restrained preparations by applying forces to the leg at controlled magnitudes and rates. The tibial sensilla, as a group, were sensitive to increasing and …

The Use Of Emergent Rocks As Refugia For The Cheat Mountain Salamander, Plethodon Nettingi Green, Beth Anne Pauley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Plethodon nettinqi was listed as a threatened species in 1989 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Pauley, 1991). Its total range is within 5 counties in eastern West Virginia. There are fewer then 60 disjunct populations known and most populations are above 3,000 ft. and are associated with emergent rocks or narrow ravines with Rhododendron. It is hypothesized the P. netting! survived lumbering practices at the turn of the century by taking refuge beneath large emergent rocks and narrow ravines with Rhododendron. This study examined environmental factors associated with emergent rocks that might regulate the distribution of P. …

In Vivo Incorporation Of Tritium To Measure Lipogenesis In Red Skeletal Muscle: Significance Of A Nonlipogenic Diet In La/N-Fa(K)("Corpulent") And Zucker Fa Rat Strains, Karin Traci Mann

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Skeletal muscle lipogenesis in rodents may equal that of liver but its importance in the obese animals is not known. We evaluated the rate of fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis and storage content in red skeletal muscles, liver, inguinal fat, and retroperitoneal fat of the LA/N-fa^k (“corpulent”) and Zucker fa obese rat strains. Obese-lean pairs of both rat strains, weaned at 32 days, fed a nonlipogenic diet (54% starch for 21 days) were either dosed with 2 µCi 3H-H² O per gram of body weight and tested after 60 minutes for whole body 3H-incorporation into fatty acids and …

Effect Of Retinoic Acid On The Expression And Function Of Ap-1 Transcription Factor In B16 Mouse Melanoma Cells: Role Of Protein Kinase, Sejal H. Desai

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Retinoic acid (RA) induces differentiation of B16 mouse melanoma cells. This differentiation is accompanied by an increase in protein kinase Ca (PKCα) protein level and selective enrichment in nuclear-associated PKCα. PKC is thought to regulate gene expression through the TPA response element (TRE). This element is specifically recognized by the AP-1 transcription factor composed of jun and fos family members. In this study, I have analyzed the effect of RA on the expression and function of AP-1 in B16 mouse melanoma cells. Transient transfection analysis of B16 cells using leuciferase reporter gene constructs with or without AP-1 elements indicated that …

Postnatal Development Of The Neural Retina In A South American Opossum: Monodelphis Domestica, Tracy L. Soltesz

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Postnatal retinal development was studied in a marsupial opossum, Monodelphis domestica using light microscopy and 3H-thymidine autoradiography. For the light microscopic study, opossum neonates at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 25 and 28 days of age were euthanized, fixed and processed into paraffin sections for hematoxylin and eosin staining. The distinct ganglion cell layer, first observed on postnatal day (P) 7, was separated from the outer neuroblasts by the inner plexiform layer. The neuroblast layer was divided into inner and outer nuclear layers on P25 by the presumptive outer plexiform layer, indicated by discrete intercellular spaces located between the nuclear …