Digital Commons Network^™

Coreceptor Utilization By Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Is Not A Primary Determinant Of Neutralization Sensitivity, Rachel A. Lacasse, Kathryn E. Follis, Tarsem Moudgil, Meg Trahey, James M. Binley, Vicente Planelles, Susan Zolla-Pazner, Jack H. Nunberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We have examined the relationship between coreceptor utilization and sensitivity to neutralization in a primary isolate of human immunodeficiency virus type I and its T-cell line-adapted (TCLA) derivative. We determined that adaptation of the primary-isolate (PI) virus 168P results in the loss of the unique capacity of PI viruses to utilize the CCR5 coreceptor and in the acquisition by the TCLA 168C virus of sensitivity to neutralization by V3-directed monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). In experiments wherein infection by 168P is directed via either the CCR5 or the CXCR4 pathway, we demonstrate that the virus, as well as pseudotyped virions bearing a …

Ventilation Behavior Of The Mantis Shrimp, Hemisquilla Ensigera Californiensis In Hypoxic Burrows, Tamara L. Richter

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The burrow-dwelling mantis shrimp, Hemisquilla ensigera californiensis, is an environmentally challenged marine species due to the fact it inhabits burrows located beneath the surface of the sediment where oxygen pressure is low and easily depleted. This experiment revealed that burrow oxygen pressure (pO₂) is frequently hypoxic and can become anoxic. Average pO₂ within the burrow is between 40-50 mm Hg and may drop below 10 mm Hg even if the burrow isn't capped. When capped, p0₂ rapidly drops to 0 mm Hg within two hours. Low pO₂ does not result in decreased animal activity, …

Pollinator Selection, Quantitative Genetics, And Predicted Evolutionary Responses Of Floral Traits In Penstemon Centranthifolius (Scrophulariaceae), Randall J. Mitchell, Ruth G. Shaw, Nickolas M. Waser

Biology Faculty Research

Much of the remarkable diversity of angiosperm flowers is thought to have evolved in response to selection by animal pollinators. Selection during pollination can readily be documented, but the extent to which it leads to evolutionary change depends on the genetic basis of floral traits. Here we combine estimates of genetic variance and covariance for several traits of flowers and inflorescences in a wild plant species, with estimates of natural selection by hummingbird pollinators. Analysis of phenotypic selection through two components of pollination success indicates direct selection of plants toward larger size and toward bearing shorter flowers that produce more …

Myosin Heavy Chain Isoforms And Dynamic Contractile Properties: Skeletal Versus Smooth Muscle, Thomas J. Eddinger

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Myosin, one of the primary contractile muscle proteins, displays molecular, enzymatic, structural, functional and regulatory variability. This variability has been shown to account for a significant amount of the functional uniqueness of skeletal and smooth muscle. However, the universal generation of force and/or shortening by these two muscle types belies the ever-increasing number of known distinct differences that bring this about. Thus, the notion that the functional roles of skeletal and smooth muscle, their development and regulation, all appear to be uniquely applicable for their physiological purpose no longer appears heretical. This manuscript presents a cursory overview of the numerous …

Grandmothering, Menopause, And The Evolution Of Human Life Histories, K. Hawkes, J.F. O'Connell, N.G. Blurton Jones, H. Alvarez, Eric Charnov

Biology Faculty & Staff Publications

Long postmenopausal lifespans distinguish humans from all other primates. This pattern may have evolved with mother—child food sharing, a practice that allowed aging females to enhance their daughters fertility, thereby increasing selection against senescence. Combined with Charnov's dimensionless assembly rules for mammalian life histories, this hypothesis also accounts for our late maturity, small size at weaning, and high fertility. It has implications for past human habitat choice and social organization and for ideas about the importance of extended learning and paternal provisioning in human evolution.

Effects Of Fertilization On Water Quality In Grayson Lake, Kentucky., Albert W. Remley Ii

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Albert W. Remley II on January 15, 1998.

Construction And Analysis Of Mutant Hsv-1 Viruses Having Mutations In The Yy1 And/Or Sp1 Binding Sites Of The Glycoprotein D (Gd) Gene Promoter, Sabine Ludwig

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to construct and analyze four recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) viruses having mutations in the YY1 and/or Sp1 binding sites of the glycoprotein D (gD) gene promoter and a control virus containing a wild type (wt) gD promoter. The YY1 and Sp1 binding sites in the HSV-1-gD gene promoter have been shown in earlier in vitro experiments to be essential for virus-induced gD gene expression with Sp1 playing the major role. The first part of my project required the construction of four different plasmids containing a HSV-1 sequence that included the gD …

Differences In Lean And Obese Skeletal Muscle Myoblasts Of Adult And Post-Natal La/N (Faf) Rats: A Confocal Description Of The Skeletal Muscle Myoblast, J. Adam Noah

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Mutant strains of obese rats are currently being studied to reveal the mechanisms of increased lipid synthesis and decreased lipid oxidation in these rats. It was originally thought that much of the fat production that leads to obesity is the result of metabolic processes in the liver and adipose tissue. Studies by Kahle et al.³ showed that the liver and adipose tissue account for only 22% and 7% respectively, of total fatty acid synthesis. It was also shown that 21 % of total de novo fatty acid was localized in the postural skeletal muscle.

The dry weight of the …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Great Pond Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Great Pond (2012, 2010, 1998)

Lakes are natural resources, which have many effects on the land surrounding them, They support adjacent communities by providing water and regulating temperatures, helping to define the surrounding ecosystem, and serving as sources of drinking water as well as recreation. The prolonged presence of human activity in a watershed can disturb the physical and chemical cycles of the lake and its surrounding ecosystems (Henderson-Sellers and Markland 1987). Over time, lakes undergo a process called eutrophication, a natural aging process during which the nutrient levels increase and dissolved oxygen levels decrease (Smith and Smith 1998). As the lake ages or becomes …

Natural And Genetic Engineering Of The Heat-Shock Protein Hsp70 In Drosophila Melanogaster: Consequences For Thermotolerance, Martin E. Feder, Robert A. Krebs

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Larvae of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, live within necrotic fruit, a challenging environment in which larvae can experience severe thermal stress. One response to thermal stress, the expression of heat-shock proteins (Hsps), has evolved distinctively in this species; the gene encoding Hsp70 has undergone extensive duplication and accounts for the bulk of Hsps that are expressed upon heat shock. Genetic engineering of hsp70 copy number is sufficient to affect thermotolerance at some (but not all) life stages. Increases in Hsp70, moreover, can protect intact larvae against thermal inactivation of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase and thermal inhibition of feeding. …

Simulation Of Complex Movements Using Artificial Neural Networks, Holk Cruse, Jeffrey Dean, Thomas Kindermann, Josef Schmitz, Michael Schumm

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

A simulated network for controlling a six-legged, insect-like walking system is proposed. The network contains internal recurrent connections, but important recurrent connections utilize the loop through the environment. This approach leads to a subnet for controlling the three joints of a leg during its swing which is arguably the simplest possible solution. The task for the stance subnet appears more difficult because the movements of a larger and varying number of joints (9-18: Three for each leg in stance) have to be controlled such that each leg contributes efficiently to support and propulsion and legs do not work at cross …

Ecology And Natural History Of The Cow Knob Salamander, Plethodon Punctatus Highton, In West Virginia, Robert B. Tucker

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Very little has been written on the ecology and natural history of the Cow Knob salamander, Plethodon punctatus Highton, since it was described by Highton (1971). Plethodon punctatus is known only from the higher elevations of Great North (above 2,800 ft) and Shenandoah (above 3,000 ft.) Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia (Highton, 1972; Conant and Collins, 1991). The type locality is Cow Knob, Pendleton County, West Virginia. Plethodon punctatus is a large (up to 75 mm snout-to-vent length) dorso-ventrally flattened salamander with creamish iridiophore spots on the back and sides, webbed feet for a fossorial lifestyle, and large …

Life History, Ecology, And Low Ph Tolerance Of The Freshwater Prawn, Palaemonetes Kadiakensis Rathbun, In A Mitigated Wetland Of The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, West Virginia, Jennifer Ann Aderman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

An ecological life history study of the freshwater prawn Palaemonetes kadiakensis was conducted at the mitigated wetland of the Green Bottom Wildlife management Area (GBWMA). Monthly samples were collected from November 1996 through November 1997. In addition, weekly samples were collected from May through November for growth and reproductive analysis. Monthly samples yielded 520 prawns. Palaemonetes kadiakensis had a one-year life cycle, with all adults dying by September. Males averaged 23.82 mm (range = 14.15 to 36.75 mm) and females averaged 26.78mm (range = 15.06 to 38.60 mm) in length. Males averaged 0.087g (range = 0.014to 0.293 g) and females …

Molecular Mapping Of The Fatty (F) (Formerly Corpulent) Gene In The La/N Rat Obesity Model, Kenneth G. Butz

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The LA/N-corpulent (cp) rat obesity model was a congenic rat strain developed at the National Institutes of Health by C. T. Hansen . The LA/N-cp rat originated from breeding the Koletsky rat, possessing the corpulent gene, with the normotensive LA/N inbred rat. The autosomal recessive single gene mutation, cp, produces obesity with hyperphagia, hyperinsulinemia and elevated activities of liver and skeletal muscle lipogenic enzymes in the LA/N-cp rat model. The Zucker-fatty mutation, which was mapped to rat chromosome , resulted in a comparable, but not identical obesity syndrome. Breeding experiments by Yen et al …

Regenerative Biology: New Tissues For Old, David L. Stocum

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Throughout the human life cycle, tissues are regenerated either continuously to maintain tissue integrity in the face of normal cell turnover or in response to acute or chronic damage due to trauma or disease states. Blood, epithelia of skin and tubular organs, hair and nails, and bone marrow are examples of human tissues which regenerate continuously as well as in response to damage. Bone, muscle, adrenal cortex and kidney epithelium also regenerate in response to damage, and bone is continually remodeled in response to stress vectors.

The response of many other vital tissues to damage, however, is not regeneration but …

Perspectives On Liver Regeneration, Janeen H. Trembley, Clifford J. Steer

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Tissue Engineering: At The Interface Between Engineering, Biology And Medicine, Brenda Ogle, Priti Gairola, Jodi Balik, Daniel L. Mooradian

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Analysis Of Larval Drosophila Melanogaster Mitochondrial Dna Via The Polymerase Chain Reaction, Jason Gatling

Capstone Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Demographics And Early Life History Of The Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus), Robert E. Colombo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Due to the collapse of the historic caviar fisheries in the Volga River and Caspian Sea, the demand on domestically produced caviar has increased. To supply the increased demand, the harvest of the shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus latorynchus has increased. Because caviar fisheries preferentially harvest females, information regardingthe sexual demographics of these populations is essential for effective fisheries management. To date, knowledge regarding the sex ratios and reproductive development of the shovelnose sturgeon population in the Middle Mississippi River is lacking. In Chapter 1, I describe this problem in detail and in subsequent chapters I explain how I addressed this problem …

Reproductive Demographics And Early Life History Of The Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus), Robert Colombo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Due to the collapse of the historic caviar fisheries in the Volga River and Caspian Sea, the demand on domestically produced caviar has increased. To supply the increased demand, the harvest of the shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus latorynchus has increased. Because caviar fisheries preferentially harvest females, information regardingthe sexual demographics of these populations is essential for effective fisheries management. To date, knowledge regarding the sex ratios and reproductive development of the shovelnose sturgeon population in the Middle Mississippi River is lacking. In Chapter 1, I describe this problem in detail and in subsequent chapters I explain how I addressed this problem …

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. …

Evaluation Of Molar Size As A Basis For Distinguishing Wild Boar From Domestic Swine: Employing The Present To Decipher The Past, John J. Mayer, James M. Novak, I. Lehr Brisbin Jr.

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Terminal Restriction Fragment Patterns (Trfps), A Rapid, Pcr-Based Method For The Comparison Of Complex Bacterial Communities, Brian G. Clement, Lucia E. Kehl, Kristin L. Debord, Christopher L. Kitts

Biological Sciences

Microbial populations in complex environmental samples are difficult to characterize; current techniques are incomplete and time consuming. We investigated a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method for rapidly comparing bacterial communities independent of culture or cloning. Community 16S rRNA genes were amplified and fluorescently labeled by PCR. The labeled products were digested by a restriction enzyme and the labeled, terminal restriction fragments (TRFs) were separated by electrophoresis and detected by laser-induced fluorescence on an automated gene sequencer. PCR parameters were optimized using an in vitro model community of known organisms. Community comparisons were made between deer fecal pellets, petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated sands …

A New Niche For Vibrio Logei, The Predominant Light Organ Symbiont Of Squids In The Genus Sepiola, Pat M. Fidopiastis, Sigurd Von Boletzky, Edward G. Ruby

Biological Sciences

Two genera of sepiolid squids—Euprymna, found primarily in shallow, coastal waters of Hawaii and the Western Pacific, and Sepiola, the deeper-, colder-water-dwelling Mediterranean and Atlantic squids—are known to recruit luminous bacteria into light organ symbioses. The light organ symbiont of Euprymna spp. is Vibrio fischeri, but until now, the light organ symbionts of Sepiola spp. have remained inadequately identified. We used a combination of molecular and physiological characteristics to reveal that the light organs of Sepiola affinis and Sepiola robusta contain a mixed population of Vibrio logei and V. fischeri, with V. logei comprising between …

Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 And Collagen For Bone Regeneration, Jeffrey O. Hollinger, John M. Schmitt, David C. Buck, Robert Shannon, Seong-Pil Joh, H Daniel Zegzula, John Wozney

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

The study reported describes a combination of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and collagen (C) to regenerate bone. Unilateral critical-sized defects (CSDs) were prepared in radii of 32 skeletally mature New Zealand white rabbits. Rabbits were divided evenly among four treatments: autograft, absorbable C (Helistatt), 35 mg of rhBMP-2 combined with absorbable C (rhBMP-2/C), and untreated CSDs. The two euthanasia periods were 4 and 8 weeks. Radiographs were taken the day of surgery, every 2 weeks, and at term and the percent of radiopacity was measured. Data analysis revealed a time-dependent increase in the percent radiopacity with rhBMP-2/C. Histological …

The Use Of Isoelectric Focusing To Assess The Genetic Diversity Of The Cyprinid Fishes: Rhinichthys Cataractae And Rhinichthys Atratulus In West Virginia, Fauzia Alam Miah

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In this study, isoelectric focusing is used to separate proteins of Rhinichthys cataractae and R. atratulus and conventional staining is used to identify alleles of six genes. The objective of this work is to determine whether these methods can effectively assay isozymes that may be used to establish the relationship between anthropogenic stress and genetic diversity. Alleles for LDH-A, LDH-B, EST-A, EST-B, EST-C, and EST-D loci were identified for two species of fish, R. atratulus and R. cataractae. Both fish species are known to be sensitive to anthropogenic stress and known to be widely distributed in stressed environments. Alleles …

Inter-And Intraspecific Interaction Rates Of Three Species Of Lemurs (Subfamily Lemurinae) In An Enclosure At The Memphis Zoo And Aquarium, Stephen J. Mullin

Faculty Publications

The use of mixed-species exhibits in zoological parks may influence the types and rates of interactions between individuals housed in such enclosures. Inter-and intraspecific behavioral interactions were observed for three species of lemurs (ring-tailed lemur, Lemur catta; black lemur, Eulemur macaco macaco; and black-and-white ruffed leumur, Varecia variegata variegata; in an enclosure designed to simulate characteristics of their natural habitat. Intraspecific interactions occurred more frequently than interspecific interactions, and little aggression was observed, either between or within species. Intraspecific interactions among black lemurs increased with decreasing ambient temperature. Black lemurs performed more intraspecific mutual contacts than either agonistic behaviors or …

The Foraging Ecology Of The Gray Rat Snake (Elaphe Obsoleta Spiloides)-Visual Stimuli Facilitate Location Of Arboreal Prey, Robert J. Cooper, Stephen J. Mullin

Faculty Publications

We examined the responsiveness of adult gray rat snakes to avian prey in enclosures that simulated natural habitat conditions. Subjects searched for arboreal nest contents in the presence or absence of a bird model flown so as to simulate avian provisioning behavior. In the absence of the model, gray rat snake latency to capture prey was over 92 % greater than when searching for nest contents with the model. Snakes responded to model flight by turning their heads in the direction of its movement. We conclude that gray rat snakes perceive relatively distant visual cues from prey, and that nest …

Genetic Variation Among Populations Of River Otters In North America: Considerations For Reintroducing Projects, Thomas L. Serfass, Robert P. Brooks, James M. Novak, Paul E. Johns, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Horizontal starch gel electrophoresis was used to assess variability at 23 presumptive gene loci of 732 river otters obtained from fur-trappers in 18 states and three Canadian provinces. States and provinces providing otters were sorted into eight geographic regions for genetic comparisons. Multilocus heterozygosity and polymorphism ranged from 0.018 to 0.032 and 0.044 to 0.087, respectively. One locus, esterase-2, (EST-2) demonstrated a high level of polymorphism throughout all regions. Malate dehydrogenase-1 (MDH-1) was polymorphic throughout the Mississippi drainage but not elsewhere. Heterozygosity, occurrence of rare alleles, and mean number of alleles per locus were associated positively with estimated population sizes. …

Tapeinosperma Alatum (Myrsinaceae): A Remarkable New Species From Ceram, Diane Holland, P.F. Stevens

Biology Department Faculty Works

A new pachycaul species Tapeinosperma alatum D.E. Holland & P.F. Stevens (Myrsinaceae) is described from South Central Ceram. It is characterized by its huge leaves, over 1 m long, and congested, almost Gunnera-like. inflorescence. The distinctive distribution of the Papuasian pachycaul species of Tapeinosperma is briefly compared with that of a number of other unrelated taxa.