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Phosphate-Solubilizing Microbes And Their Occurrence In The Rhizospheres Of Piper Betel In Karnataka, India, Padmavathi Tallapragada, Usha Seshachala

Turkish Journal of Biology

Low phosphate solubility is one of the most important factors limiting the plant growth in Indian soils. Many microorganisms can enhance phosphate solubility, but little is known about the magnitude of their phosphorus-solubilizing ability. The native populations of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and fungi were studied in different rhizospheric soil samples obtained from betel vine plants (Piper betel L.) in order to compare the results. The present study focuses on the phosphate-solubilizing capacity of bacteria and fungi in rhizospheric soil samples obtained from betel vine plants, revealing the dominance of Aspergillus species (26.1 mm) as major phosphate solubilizers, along with Bacillus subtilis …

The Effects Of Seasonal Variation On The Fatty Acid Composition Of Total Lipid, Phospholipid, And Triacylglycerol In The Dorsal Muscle Of Capoeta Trutta Found In The Tigris River (Turkey), Eli̇f İpek Satar, Ersi̇n Uysal, Erhan Ünlü, Mehmet Başhan, Ali̇ Satar

Turkish Journal of Biology

The effects of seasonal variation on the fatty acid composition of total lipid, triacylglycerol, and phospholipid in the dorsal muscle of Capoeta trutta were assessed by gas chromatographic method. A total of 18 different fatty acids were determined in the composition of C. trutta. The variations in fatty acid composition of total lipid, triacylglycerol, and phospholipid were recorded throughout the seasons. The total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were the most important groups of total lipid. Total saturated fatty acid (SFA) and total MUFA were seen to increase from spring to summer while total PUFA decreased …

Carotenoid-Based Ornaments Of Female And Male American Goldfinches (Spinus Tristis) Show Sex-Specific Correlations With Immune Function And Metabolic Rate, R. J. Kelly, Troy G. Murphy, K. A. Tarvin, G. Burness

Biology Faculty Research

Conspicuous ornamentation has been linked to immunological and physiological condition in males of many species. In species where both sexes are ornamented, it is unclear whether the signal content of ornaments differs between males and females. We examined the immunological and physiological correlates of carotenoid-based bill and plumage ornamentation in American goldfinches Spinus tristis, a species in which bright orange bills are sexually monomorphic but yellow plumage is sexually dimorphic during the breeding season. Because bill color is dynamic over short periods while plumage color is static over longer time frames, we tested whether these signals have the potential to …

Current Methods For Detecting The Presence Of Botulinum Neurotoxins In Food And Other Biological Samples, Luisa W. Cheng, Kirkwood M. Land, L. H. Stanker

College of the Pacific Faculty Books and Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Current Theories On The Human Sex Ratio, Yisroel Cofsky

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The human sex ratio is skewed toward males, and this is the subject of much research. A review of some of the theories currently available was conducted, searching and analyzing the current scientific literature. Suggestions to explain the ratio include unequal proportions of X and Y sperm, the effect of maternal diet, maternal testosterone levels, and the natural fluctuations in the consistency of the cervical mucus. Although the difference in X/Y sperm proportions does not adequately explain all the data, the other theories do seem to explain the greater percentage of male births. However, there is still not enough information …

Nutraceutical Antioxidants And Their Therapeutic Potential In Neurodegeneration, Erika Kristine Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neuromuscular disease that affects motor neurons of the brain and spinal cord. Many studies indicate that mitochondrial oxidative stress (MOS) is a principal mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of this and other devastating neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we investigated a unique whey protein supplement (Immunocal®) to determine its neuroprotective efficacy in several in vitro models of MOS and in an in vivo mouse model of ALS. This non-denatured whey supplement contains cystine which is an oxidized form of cysteine, an essential precursor for synthesis of the endogenous antioxidant, glutathione (GSH). In primary cultured rat cerebellar …

An At Mutational Bias In The Tiny Gc-Rich Endosymbiont Genome Of Hodgkinia, James T. Van Leuven, John Mccutcheon

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The fractional guanine + cytosine (GC) contents of sequenced bacterial genomes range from 13% to 75%. Despite several decades of research aimed at understanding this wide variation, the forces controlling GC content are not well understood. Recent work has suggested that a universal adenine + thymine (AT) mutational bias exists in all bacteria and that the elevated GC contents found in some bacterial genomes is due to genome-wide selection for increased GC content. These results are generally consistent with the low GC contents observed in most strict endosymbiotic bacterial genomes, where the loss of DNA repair mechanisms combined with the …

Consumption Of High Ω-3 Fatty Acid Diet Suppressed Prostate Tumorigenesis In C3(1) Tag Mice, Juliana A. Akinsete, Gabriela Ion, Theodore R. Witte, W. Elaine Hardman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality are high in the Western world and high ω-6/ω-3 PUFA in the Western diet may be a contributing factor. We investigated whether changing from a diet that approximates ω-6 fat content of the Western diet to a high ω-3 fat diet at adulthood might reduce prostate cancer risk. Female SV 129 mice that had consumed a high ω-6 diet containing corn oil for 2 weeks were bred with homozygous C3(1)Tag transgenic male mice. All male offspring were weaned to the corn oil diet (CO) until postpuberty when half of the male offspring were transferred to …

Assessing The Use Of Non-Lethal Tail Clips For Measuring Stable Isotopes Of Plethodontid Salamanders, Joseph Milanovich, John C. Maerz

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Stable isotopes are increasingly used in ecology to study the diets, trophic position, and migratory patterns of wildlife including herpetofauna. When using stable isotopes, it is important to consider which tissues can or should be sampled, and how selecting tissues may affect the inferences drawn from stable isotope data. Amphibians offer fewer tissues than other larger organisms that can be harvested in sufficient quantity without killing the animal; however, many salamanders have tails that readily autotomize and regenerate. We used three species of plethodontid salamander (Plethodon cinereus, P. metcalfi, and Desmognathus quadramaculatus) to determine whether distal tail tissue had carbon …

Effect Of Nitrogen Fertilization On Net Nitrogen Mineralization In Grassland Soil Of Northern China: Implications For Grassland Management, X. Zhang, Q. Wang, Frank S. Gilliam, W. Bai, X. Han, L. Li

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Nitrogen (N) applications can have a significant effect on soil N availability. The effect of 3 years of N fertilization on soil net N mineralization during the growing season (May–September) was studied in 2005 and 2006 in grassland of northern China. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications of five rates of N addition as urea (0, 2, 4, 8 and 16 g N m⁻² year⁻¹). Results indicated that net N mineralization rate varied seasonally and between years, ranging from −0.04 to 0.52 μg g⁻¹ d⁻¹ in 2005 and from −0.09 …

Widespread Triploidy In Western North American Aspen (Populus Tremuloides), Karen E. Mock, Colin M. Callahan, M. Nurul Islam-Faridi, John D. Shaw, Hardeep S. Rai, Stewart C. Sanderson, Carol A. Rowe, Ronald J. Rye, Michael D. Madritch, Richard S. Gardner, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Faculty Publications

We document high rates of triploidy in aspen (Populus tremuloides) across the western USA (up to 69% of genets), and ask whether the incidence of triploidy across the species range corresponds with latitude, glacial history (as has been documented in other species), climate, or regional variance in clone size. Using a combination of microsatellite genotyping, flow cytometry, and cytology, we demonstrate that triploidy is highest in unglaciated, drought-prone regions of North America, where the largest clone sizes have been reported for this species. While we cannot completely rule out a low incidence of undetected aneuploidy, tetraploidy or duplicated loci, our …

Correlation Of Air Displacement Plethysmography With Alternative Body Fat Measurement Techniques In Men And Women, Brittany L. Reinert, Roberta L. Pohlman, Lynn K. Hartzler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions with serious health consequences. Techniques used to measure body fat (BF) yield variable BF estimates, and this variability may lead to underestimation or overestimation of BF and subsequent treatment options. The measurements that are most accurate (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP)) are expensive and often unavailable. The purpose of this study is to find the commonly available BF measurement that is the most accurate and practical for individual body types in the general population and compare these measurements to ADP (BOD POD^®) as the standard. Field measurements include skinfolds …

The Development And Morphology Of Zebrafish After Embryonic Ethanol Exposure, Frances Lee

Honors Theses

Maternal consumption of alcohol may subject the fetus to fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FAS or FASD). FAS/D is a public health problem, and affected children are defined by varying degrees of irreversible mental retardation, physical defects, behavioral issues, and vision problems from prenatal alcohol exposure (Riley et al. 2011). Recent studies on FAS have looked towards animal models, such as zebrafish, Danio rerio, that exhibit homologous physical and behavioral effects of alcohol (Bilotta et al. 2004). I exposed zebrafish embryos to low doses of ethanol (0.5% v/v or 1% v/v) in either chronic (at least 8 …

Linking The Colonization Rate Of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (Vam) To Species Dynamics In Succession, Jie Luo

Masters Theses

Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (YAM) are the most common mycorrhizal fungi that form symbiotic associations with plant species. They form hyphae, vesicles and arbuscules which expand root surface area and exchange nutrients within root cells. Greater abundance of YAM can result in more nutrient uptake and disease resistance to the host plant. While mycorrhizae are often important to the growth and reproduction of individual species, their role in regulating plant community dynamics is less clear. Previous research has shown that YAM are tightly related to plant traits such as relative growth rate, foliar N and P concentrations, and responses to soil …

Cationic Amphiphilic Drug-Induced Autophagosome Accumulation Is Due To Autophagosome Sequestration Within Vimentin Intermediate Filament Networks Resulting In Prolonged Autophagosome Half-Life, Miriam Devorah Kleinman

Wayne State University Dissertations

Accumulations of autophagosomes and non-esterified cholesterol are

observed in several cell lines derived from lysosomal storage diseases,

including Niemann Pick Type C (NPC). The relationship between

autophagosome accumulation and lysosomal non-esterified cholesterol is

unclear. Exposure of murine hepatoma 1c1c7 cultures to the cationic

amphiphilic drugs (CADs) U18666A, imipramine and clozapine caused

lysosomal non-esterified cholesterol and autophagosome accumulation.

Measurement of LC3-II conversion in the presence of lysosomal inhibitors

bafilomycin A1 and NH4Cl, degradation of long-lived proteins, and

colocalization of GFP-LC3 and LAMP1 indicated an increase in

autophagosome synthesis without compensatory increase in clearance.

Autophagosome synthesis was blocked using 3-MA to monitor …

Chrysaora Quinquecirrha Polyps In Barnegat Bay, Nj, Monica Katherine Buesser

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Sea nettles (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) have become abundant in the estuaries of the Mid- Atlantic States. Their ample numbers are an indicator of a disturbed ecosystem. Various factors have been attributed to the rise in numbers of sea nettles including eutrophication, overfishing, global warming, construction and species introduction. Bamegat Bay is a highly eutrophic system with excess nitrogen and organic carbon arriving in the bay via runoff and watershed waste inputs. Many commercial fisheries in Bamegat Bay have ceased to exist and the remaining fisheries are dwindling. An overabundance of medusae and polyps will further impact fisheries since jellyfish compete with …

Experimental Studies Of The Multitrophic Effects Of Anti-Herbivore Defense In Three Pine Barrens Shrub Species, Elizabeth R. Coffey

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Plants produce numerous chemical defense compounds in response to herbivory. Induced chemical defenses potentially influence soil dynamics by changing the nutrient ratio of the leaves, which are seasonally shed and contribute to the soil, or by affecting the detritus community through leaching of chemicals in the root zone. Manual clipping was utilized in this study to induce chemical compounds with the goal of examining the secondary effects of induced plant defenses. I removed 25% of the mass of fifteen plants of three different plant species in the Albany Pine Bush annually for two consecutive years. I then compared the soil …

Apoplastic And Symplastic Solute Concentrations Contribute To Osmotic Adjustment In Bean Genotypes During Drought Stress, Nesli̇han Saruhan Güler, Aykut Sağlam, Mehmet Demi̇ralay, Asi̇m Kadioğlu

Turkish Journal of Biology

The present study investigates changes in the inorganic ions, proline, and endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) contents of the apoplastic and symplastic compartments of leaves from drought-tolerant (Yakutiye) and drought-sensitive (Zulbiye) cultivars of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Drought stress caused a decrease in leaf water potential and stomatal conductance in both cultivars. Concentrations of proline in the drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive cultivars increased in response to drought stress in both compartments. The symplastic K^+ concentration decreased in both cultivars. However, the opposite trend was observed concerning K^+ concentrations in the apoplastic areas. While the symplastic Na^+ concentrations significantly decreased in …

Management Of Root-Knot Disease In Eggplant Through The Application Of Biocontrol Fungi And Dry Neem Leaves, Mujeebur Rahman Khan, Fayaz Ahmad Mohiddin, Mohd Nadeem Ejaz, Mohd Mahmud Khan

Turkish Journal of Biology

The incorporation of dry neem leaves into the soil significantly enhanced the yield of uninoculated eggplant, but aldicarb treatments at 4 kg a.i./ha proved to be phytotoxic. Inoculation with root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (1500 J_2/plant) caused a significant decrease in both the plant growth (12.5%) and the yield (11.9%) of eggplant cv. Pusa Purple Round. Treatments involving neem leaves, Pochonia chlamydosporia, Paecilomyces lilacinus, Trichoderma harzianum, or aldicarb reduced the suppressive effect of the nematode, leading to a significant increase in the dry matter production and yield of inoculated plants compared to the inoculated control. Neem leaves induced a 19% increase …

An Anti-Shigella Dysenteriae Bacteriocin From Pediococcus Pentosaceus Mtcc 5151 Cheese Isolate, Renu Agrawal, Shylaja Dharmesh

Turkish Journal of Biology

A cheese isolate Pediococcus pentosaceus lactic acid bacterium, which has been deposited at the Microbial Type Culture Collection Centre Chandigarh with the accession number MTCC 5151, was tested for anti-Shigella dysenteriae activity and the bacteriocin was characterized. The protein band was observed with tricine sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) as a single band with a molecular mass of 23 kDa. This is a new and novel bacteriocin that inhibits S. dysenteriae and has not yet been reported from P. pentosaceus. It was purified on a Sephacryl column and the active fraction specific for anti-Shigella dysenteriae with 23 kDa …

Properties Of Biological Activity Of Ten Wild Almond (Prunus Amygdalus L.) Species, Ali Jahanban Esfahlan, Rashid Jamei

Turkish Journal of Biology

To compare the antioxidant and antiradical activity of phenolic extracts of different species of wild almond kernels (including the brown skin), 10 wild almond species were selected from Shahindezh and Qasemloo Valley in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran. The fruits of these almonds were collected, their kernels were separated from their hulls and shells and then ground, and methanolic extracts were prepared from the kernels. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and a colorimetric method, respectively. The extracts were also evaluated on their reducing power and their capacity to scavenge for DPPH radicals. Significant differences …

Influence Of Phytophthora Capsici L. Inoculation On Disease Severity, Necrosis Length, Peroxidase And Catalase Activity, And Phenolic Content Of Resistant And Susceptible Pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.) Plants, Esra Koç, Ayşen Sülün Üstün

Turkish Journal of Biology

This study explored the level of infection caused by different inoculum concentrations (10^2, 10^3, and 10^4 zoospores mL^-^1) of Phytophthora capsici in 3 pepper cultivars at days 2, 4, and 6. The effect that the infection induced on the peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), and phenolics of resistant and sensitive seedlings, as well as the defense mechanism against the pathogen, were also investigated. The resistance of PM-702 against the isolate used was high, whereas KM-Hot and DEM-8 displayed sensitive reactions. As a result of analyses of the leaves and stems from the 3 pepper cultivars, important changes in biochemical parameters were …

A Study On The Characterization And Pathogenicity Of Bacteria From Lymantria Dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), İsmai̇l Demi̇r, Emi̇ne Eryüzlü, Zi̇hni̇ Demi̇rbağ

Turkish Journal of Biology

Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), is one of the most serious pests affecting fruit, forest, industrial, and foliage plants worldwide. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize pathogenic bacteria from this pest and determine their pathogenicity. L. dispar larvae were collected from various populations in the forest areas of the Black Sea region of Turkey in May and June of 2008 and 2009, and 9 culturable bacterial isolates were obtained from these larvae. Morphological and physiological characteristics of bacterial isolates were determined by conventional and routine techniques, and biochemical properties and metabolic enzyme profiles were …

Colonization Of Mycobacterium Phlei In The Rhizosphere Of Wheat Grown Under Saline Conditions, Dilfuza Egamberdieva

Turkish Journal of Biology

One of the natural reservoirs of potentially human-pathogenic bacteria is believed to be the rhizosphere. The aim of the present work was to test nontuberculous mycobacterium Mycobacterium phlei MbP18 for its ability to colonize the rhizosphere of wheat and to evaluate its effect on plant growth under saline conditions. In competitive wheat root tip colonization assays, M. phlei MbP18 showed poor competitive colonization of the wheat rhizosphere compared to the reference strain. The strain produced lipase, amylase, cellulase, and pectinase and grew well in the presence of high salt (up to 4% NaCl) and at high temperatures (up to 40 …

Phytase Production From Lactobacillus Brevis, Meli̇s Sümengen, Sadik Di̇nçer, Ayşenur Kaya

Turkish Journal of Biology

In this study, the phytase from Lactobacillus brevis strains isolated from fermented food products was produced and characterized. Phytase production of this strain was determined by production of clear zones around the colonies on the sodium phytate containing medium, after 48 h of incubation at 30 °C. The molecular weight of the phytase from Lactobacillus brevis was estimated as 73 kDa and 34 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The optimum activity of Lactobacillus brevis extracellular and intracellular enzymes emerged at 120 °C, pH 3.4 and at 110 °C, pH 3.4, respectively. The extracellular enzyme from Lactobacillus brevis was 91% stable for 5 …

Genetic Characterization Of Turkish Bread Wheat Landraces Based On Microsatellite Markers And Morphological Characters, Özlem Ateş Sönmezoğlu, Betül Bozmaz, Ahmet Yildirim, Nejdet Kandemi̇r, Nevzat Aydin

Turkish Journal of Biology

Wheat landraces could be unique sources of favorable genes for agronomic traits like yield and insect, pest, and disease resistances, as well as quality characteristics that are important for breeding programs. Molecular marker systems offer great opportunities to characterize wheat accessions, which in particular are not morphologically identifiable. In this study, 20 bread wheat landraces collected from different regions of Turkey were characterized by using microsatellite markers (SSRs) and morphological characters. Seventeen morphological characters were used. Fifteen SSR primers were prescreened and the 7 most polymorphic primers were employed in characterization. The most polymorphic SSR loci were Xgwm 95 and …

A Comparison Of Major Taste- And Health-Related Compounds Of Vaccinium Berries, Jasminka Milivojevic, Vuk Maksimovic, Jelena Dragisic Maksimovic, Dragan Radivojevic, Milena Poledica, Sezai̇ Erci̇şli̇

Turkish Journal of Biology

The chemical fruit composition, phenolic profile, and corresponding total antioxidant activity of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and 2 commercial blueberry cultivars (Vaccinium corymbosum) were analyzed. Results from this study showed that cultivar Berkeley yielded the highest glucose and fructose contents (70.8 and 88.8 mg/g FW, respectively), and the sweetness index expressed a similar trend, achieving the highest value for cultivar Berkeley (279.2). Citric acid was the major organic acid in the berries tested. V. myrtillus yielded a total organic acids value 2-fold higher (0.35 mg/g FW) as well as the highest vitamin C content (25.8 mg/100 g FW). Among the flavonols …

Developmental Expression Of Drop-Dead Is Required For Early Adult Survival And Normal Body Mass In Drosophila Melanogaster, Christine Lynn Sansone, Edward M. Blumenthal

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In Drosophila melanogaster, mutations in the gene drop-dead (drd) result in early adult lethality, with flies dying within 2 weeks of eclosion. Additional phenotypes include neurodegeneration, tracheal defects, starvation, reduced body mass, and female sterility. The cause of early lethality and the function of the drd protein remain unknown. In the current study, the temporal profiles of drd expression required for adult survival and body mass regulation were investigated. Knockdown of drd expression by UAS-RNAi transgenes and rescue of drd expression on a drd mutant background by a UAS-drd transgene were controlled with the Heat Shock Protein …

Mixing It Up: Multiple Symbiont Acquisition Strategies As An Adaptive Mechanism In The Coral Stylophora Pistillata, Kristen A. Byler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In obligate symbioses, the host's survival relies on the successful acquisition and maintenance of symbionts, which can be transferred from parent to offspring via direct inheritance (vertical transmission) or acquired anew each generation from the environment (horizontal transmission). Vertical transmission ensures progeny acquire their obligate symbionts, but progeny encountering an environment that differs from that of their parent may be disadvantaged by hosting a suboptimal symbiont. Conversely, horizontal symbiont acquisition provides hosts the benefit of acquiring symbionts well suited to the prevailing environment, but progeny may fail to acquire their obligate symbionts. Here I show that the coral Stylophora pistillata …

Properties Of Lewis Lung Carcinoma Cells Surviving Curcumin Toxicity, Michael Eric Geusz, Dejun Yan

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The anti-inflammatory agent curcumin can selectively eliminate malignant rather than normal cells. The present study examined the effects of curcumin on the Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cell line and characterized a subpopulation surviving curcumin treatments. Cell density was measured after curcumin was applied at concentrations between 10 and 60 μM for 30 hours. Because of the high cell loss at 60 μM, this dose was chosen to select for surviving cells that were then used to establish a new cell line. The resulting line had approximately 20% slower growth than the original LLC cell line and based on ELISA contained …