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The Interaction Of Laser Energy With Ureter Tissues In A Long Term Investigation, U. Stratmann, K. Schaarschmidt, R. R. Lehmann, A. Heinze, G. H. Willital, E. Unsold

Scanning Microscopy

This study investigates tissue responses after laser irradiation of the rabbit ureter, which serves as an experimental model for rectourogenital fistulae of children. Twenty-five rabbit ureters were irradiated intraluminally by a Nd:YAG laser 1320 nm (2 Watt, 20 seconds and 3 Watt, 8 seconds) via an applicator with radialsymmetrical light distribution. Immediately, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks after irradiation, the ureters were X-rayed with contrast solution and prepared for light and transmission electron microscopy. For the parameters employed, no apparent morphological differences could be observed. Immediately, the central laser zone showed a transmural therrnonecrosis prevailed by …

The Nutritional Knowledge, Food Choices, And Exercise Habits Of Students At Langston University, Preston Solomon

McCabe Thesis Collection

The nutritional knowledge, food choice, and exercise habits of an individual determine his or her overall health and life expectancy. Information on these topics enables nutrition educators to develop strategies to improve knowledge and to tailor educational efforts which affect a large number of persons. Poor health in America today is an ever present reality. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular diseases, renal diseases, and pulmonary diseases are causes of death related in part to lack of nutritional knowledge and poor eating and exercise habits. A few of these diseases are chronic in nature and are the most deadly.

The …

Comparison Of Cell Sediment And Surface Grown "Test Plaque" Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, S. M. Mccormack, C. M. D. Maran, K. M. Scott-Anne, D. T. Zero

Scanning Microscopy

Scanning electron microscopy was used to compare the morphology, integrity and distribution of bacterial cells in a test plaque grown on the surface of enamel with that of the cell sediment plaque routinely used in a short-term intraoral caries model. Cultures of S. mutans IB-1600 or S. sobrinus 6715-13 were grown in complex media supplemented with either 2.0% sucrose (glucan plaque) or 0.2 % glucose (non-glucan plaque). Cell sediment (CS) plaque was prepared by centrifuging the cultures after incubation, recovering the cell sediment, and spreading it on Metricel membrane filter paper. Surface grown (SG) plaque was prepared by suspending saliva-coated …

Effect Of Sodium Saccharin On The Neonatal Rat Bladder, Samuel M. Cohen, Martin Cano, Margaret K. St. John, Emily M. Garland, Mohamad Khachab, Leon B. Ellwein

Scanning Microscopy

In a two-generation bioassay, high doses of dietary sodium saccharin (NaSac) produce bladder carcinoma in rats, whereas acid saccharin (HSac) does not effect the urothelium. NaSac and HSac administered as 5% of the diet to F0 Sprague-Dawley (SD) and F344 rats, continued through to the weaned male rats for ten additional weeks. Control 3H-thymidine labeling index (LI) was high prior to and at birth (approximately 11%), declining rapidly by weaning (to < 0.2). Neither NaSac nor HSac increased proliferation through 7 days of age. NaSac increased the proliferation rate at later times, whereas HSac did not. The LI decreased to control levels in NaSac-fed rats switched to control diet after weaning and increased in control-fed rats switched to NaSac after birth or weaning. In a second experiment, 5% NaSac did not affect urothelial morphology of SD rats through 7 days. By 21 days post-birth, urothelial hyperplasia occurred in NaSac-fed rat. The LI in treated versus control was similar through gestation, with a slight difference by 7 days. LI was significantly different by 21 days post-birth, but was similar between males and females. These results provide additional evidence for the increased cell proliferative effects of NaSac during the neonatal period, but not during gestation.

Community Metabolism And Nutrient Cycling In The Mississippi River Plume: Evidence For Intense Nitrification At Intermediate Salinities, Joseph D. Pakulski, Ronald Benner, Rainer Amon, Brian Eadie, Terry Whitledge

Faculty Publications

Community respiration, net nutrient fluxes and heterotrophic bacterial production were investigated in the Mississippi River (USA) plume during May 1992 using dark bottle incubations of unfiltered water. Highest rates of community O₂ consumption and dissolved inorganic carbon regeneration were observed at intermediate (10 to 27%₀) plume salinities. Plume surface 0₂ consumption rates were 2- to 4-fold greater than rates reported previously during the summer and winter. Heterotrophic bacterial production ([³H]-leucine incorporation) was also highest at intermediate salinities and 2- to 4-fold greater than rates reported from other seasons. Net regeneration of NH₄^{+ …}

The Influence Of A Bamboo Diet On The Evolutionary Adaptations Of The Giant Panda, Beth A. Pettitt

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of China is, anatomically, a carnivore trying to get by on an herbivorous diet (Dolnick, 1989). While it is a member of the order Carnivora, ninety-nine percent of the panda's feedstuff is bamboo. The giant panda has survived on a bamboo diet for millions of years and throughout its history has evolved numerous adaptations for obtaining and processing this plant efficiently. Various characteristics of bamboo are considered, including: anatomy, strength, cyanogenic capabilities, reproductive cycle, nutrition and abundance. Following these characteristics, specific adaptations that appear to correspond with these properties of bamboo are examined. …

Regulating Factors Of Ovarian Development In Paper Wasps Of The Genus Polistes, Jean Mengelkoch

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Wasps of the genus Polistes were used to determine the effects of larval nutrition, position within the nest, and parasitism on ovarian development. Polistes nests were collected from Iowa, Minnesota, and Utah during the summer of 1994. The wasps were reared out, dissected, and their ovaries examined. The total number of oocytes and the size of the largest oocyte were used as measurements of ovarian development. Due to difficulties hand feeding the larvae, no data was obtained concerning the effect of larval nutrition on ovarian development. Data from first emergence nests of Minnesota were inconclusive. However, data from the second …

Secondary Production And Dietary Preference In Orconectes Propinquus (Girard), Patricia B. Krema

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Availability And Use Of Food Resources By Two Species Of Automolus (Aves, Furnariidae), Grace Patricia Servat-Valenzuela

Theses

Foraging specialization is one mechanism that has been hypothesized to promote species coexistence and, thus, higher bird species diversity in tropical forests. Dead-leaves suspended in vegetation above the forest floor constitute a focal substrate that may promote specialization (Rosenberg 1990a, b). In a study locality in Amazonia, Remsen and Parker (1984) reported 16 species of birds closely associated with this system. Therefore, it represents a microcosm of high diversity in tropical forests. As such, one natural question is how this substrate can support so many coexisting species, and at what level does specialization occur? In the present study, I address …

The Effect Of Fluctuating Substrate Salinity On The Yield And Flag Leaf Photosynthesis Of Wheat, Philippa M. Drennan

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Growth Rate As A Function Of Food Consumption In Hatchling Sceloporus Virgatus (Sauria: Iguanidae), Geoffrey R. Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

New Applications Of The Nuclear Microprobe For Biological Samples, Jan Pallon, Klas Malmqvist

Scanning Microscopy

The continuing development of the Nuclear Microprobe (NMP) has opened up new fields of applications in biology and medicine. Quantitative multielemental analysis in small sections of samples can be performed routinely. The use of techniques such as scanning transmission ion microscopy makes imaging as well as mass normalization possible at submicron resolution. Recent medical applications include studies on thin cryosections prepared from autopsies and biopsies, as well as single cells grown directly on the backing foil used in the NMP analyses. The purpose of the single cell analysis is often pharmacological, e.g., testing of new drugs, their uptake and distribution. …

Changes In Proteins Associated With Nitrogen Fixation And Iron Nutrition In The Marine Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium, Karen Marie Elardo

Dissertations and Theses

This investigation tested the hypothesis that iron, as a micronutrient, will affect proteins in Trichodesmium and therefore affect nitrogen fixation. Changes in proteins that are a result of iron enrichment were compared to naturally occurring diel changes. Alterations in the iron protein of nitrogenase were compared to nitrogen fixation rates using the acetylene reduction technique. The observed changes in proteins were compared in Trichodesmium colonies from the Caribbean Sea and the Sargasso Sea.

Trichodesmium colonies were monitored for protein and iron content over a diel period on two cruises. The changes in protein and iron content in Trichodesmium colonies were …

Investigation Of Touch-Sensitive Responses By Hyphae Of The Human Pathogenic Fungus Candida Albicans, N. A. R. Gow, T. H. S. Perera, J. Sherwood-Higham, G. W. Gooday, D. W. Gregory, D. Marshall

Scanning Microscopy

Candida albicans is a fungus that commonly infects the mucosal surface of humans. The hyphal growth form of this fungus may initiate the primary invasion of the host. Here we show that hyphae respond thigmotropically and morphologically to cues such as the presence of a surface, pores, grooves and ridges. Growth on some firm surfaces elicits a helical growth response. Hyphae follow grooves and ridges of inert substrates and penetrate pores of filtration membranes. Our in vitro experiments suggest that thigmotropism may enhance the ability of a hypha to invade epithelia of a host at sites of weakened integrity.

Urinary Citrate, Bone Resorption And Intestinal Alkali Absorption In Stone Formers With Fasting Hypercalciuria, Piergiorgio Messa, Giuseppe Mioni, L. Paganin, A. Cruciatti, P. Lo Greco, D. Turrin

Scanning Microscopy

Reduced citrate in urine and increased fasting excretion of calcium are abnormalities frequently reported in stone forming (SF) patients. Increased dietary acid (or reduced alkali) introduction or absorption may be a potential cause of both these pathological findings. To test this hypothesis, we studied 64 SF patients {32 with fasting hypercalciuria (FH) and 32 without FH (NFH)}. After a basal evaluation for nephrolithiasis, while on a 500 mg calcium diet, they were evaluated for: (1) daily intestinal alkali absorption (IAA), by urinary electrolyte excretion; (2) basal concentrations of PTH, calcitonin (CT) and 1,25(OH)2-VitD; (3) oral calcium load for evaluation of …

What Science Can And Cannot Offer To A Religious Narrative, Ursula W. Goodenough

Biology Faculty Research

A molecular/cell biologist offers perspectives on the contributions that the scientific worldview might and might not make to religious though. It is argued that two essential features of institutionalized religions–their historical context and their supernatural orientation—are not addressed by the sciences, nor can the sciences contribute to the art and ritual that elicit states of faith and transcendence. The sciences have, however, important stories (myths) to offer, stories that have the potential to unify us, to tell us what is sacred, what has meaning, and how we might best proceed.

This paper, in slightly different form, was first presented before …

The Toxicity Of Cadmium To The Aquatic Amphibian, Xenopus Laevis, Sharon S. Millirons

Master's Theses

Cadmium toxicity is poorly understood but is a potentially serious environmental pollutant. This study was initiated to determine the effect of significant concentrations of cadmium on a readily available aquatic laboratory organism.

The lethal concentration (LC50) for 50 percent of I week old Xenopus laevis tadpoles was determined to be 0.1 ppm CdCI 2. For 5 week old animals, the average LC50 was determined to be 0.98 ppm. Thus, cadmium poses greater toxic threats to the early developmental stages. Moreover, these concentrations of cadmium exceed those commonly found in the nation's water supply. Histological examination suggested that the main site …

The Effect Of Insulin Mimetics On Enzymes Of Fatty Acid Biosynthesis, Eric A. Berg

Masters Theses

Fatty acid biosynthesis, an insulin regulated pathway, is the process of producing fatty acid chains from 2 and 3 carbon units. Two enzymes in this pathway that insulin affects are glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and fatty acid synthase (FAS). Sodium vanadate and sodium selenate have demonstrated insulin-like effects in several tissue and cell types. These mimetic effects include increasing glucose transport, regulating glycolytic enzymes, normalizing plasma glucose levels and activities of insulin regulated enzymes in diabetic rats. Our goal was to examine effects of sodium vanadate and sodium selenate on fatty acid biosynthesis in two insulin responsive systems: Isolated rat hepatocytes …

Effects Of Furosemide And Oleic Acid On Thyroxine Binding To Isolated Pairs Of Thyroxine Binding Serum Proteins, Deborah Hustead

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Dosage dependent binding inhibition and redistribution of thyroxine (T₄) between three pairs of thyroxine binding serum proteins, TBG-TTR, TBG-albumin and TTR-albumin, by furosemide (0.0 to 1.0 mol/L) and oleic acid (0.0 to 0.10 mol/L) were studied using equilibrium dialysis with purified binding proteins at concentrations 1/200 of levels in normal human sera, separated across the dialysis membrane and competing for T₄.

Furosemide (1.0 mol/L) reduced TBG bound T₄ in both the TBG-TTR system and TBG-albumin system (>90% decrease) and inhibited T₄ binding to TTR in the TTR-albumin system (68% decrease) and to albumin …

How Amaranth Grain Affects Total Body Weight And Major Organ Weight In The Mongolian Gerbil, Rhoshonda Montgomery- Conway

McCabe Thesis Collection

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this research is to determine effects of amaranth grain of the body weight and organ weight of the Mongolian gerbil. The literature research indicates that amaranth results in physiological changes that appear to be species-specific rather than general. Since the gerbil is a granivorous animal, it is hypothesized that amaranth will be completely digested and that its nutritional quality will maintain normal to increased growth. While the results of this study cannot be applied to other animals, information has been gained with regard to the influence of amaranth grain on the Mongolian gerbil.

The Physiological, Enzymatic, And Genetic Characterization Of Staphylococcus Sp. Chromium (Vi) Reductase Function, Matthew J. Trudeau

Senior Scholar Papers

A strain of Staphylococcus isolated by Dr. Fekete at the Sandia National Laboratory toxic metal dumping site in Sandia, New Mexico. has been found to reduce toxic Cr(VI) to the less toxic Cr(IlI) state. We have ascertained the environmental parameters for optimal bacterial growth and Cr(VI) reduction. This knowledge may be employed in a comprehensive bioremediation scheme designed to accelerate natural reparation of that Sandia ecosystem. In addition we have investigated the genetic and enzymatic basis for this Cr(VI) reducing ability. This information may allow us to create more effective bioremediation schemes based on the comprehensive knowledge of enzyme and …

Analysis Of Competition In Soil Among 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid-Degrading Bacteria, J. O. Ka, William E. Holben, James M. Tiedje

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Competition among indigenous and inoculated 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)-degrading bacteria was studied in a native Kansas prairie soil following 2,4-D additions. The soil was inoculated with four different 2,4-D-degrading strains at densities of 10(3) cells per g of soil; the organisms used were Pseudomonas cepacia DBO1(pJP4) and three Michigan soil isolates, strain 745, Sphingomonas paucimobilis 1443, and Pseudomonas pickettii 712. Following 2,4-D additions, total soil DNA was extracted and analyzed on Southern blots by using a tfdA gene probe which detected three of the strains and another probe that detected the fourth strain, S. paucimobilis 1443, which belongs to a different …

Molecular Analysis Of Ovary Specific Cdnas From Galleria Mellonella, Veeraramini S. Rajaratnam

Dissertations (1934 -)

To study the regulation of sex-specific gene expression during oogenesis, a vitellogenic ovariole cDNA library was constructed and differentially screened with ovary and male pharate pupal total cDNAs. Six classes of ovary specific clones were isolated. Clones, F11, F20 and N23 represent 1.1, 2.0 and 2.3 kb ovary specific transcripts. In situ hybridization and developmental Northern analysis showed that F11 and F20 transcripts are limited to vitellogenic follicle cells. N23 transcripts are present in the pre-vitellogenic and vitellogenic nurse cells, and they persist in choriogenic follicles and early embryos suggesting that N23 may represent a maternal message. The 0.95 kb …

A Physical Map Of The Klebsiella Pneumoniae M5a1 Genome, Alexandrine Randriamahefa

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an enteric opportunistic pathogen which commonly causes pulmonary, urinary tract and kidney infections. It has also been widely used for the study of nitrogen fixation. In this study, a macrorestriction map of K. pneumoniae M5a1 chromosomal DNA was constructed using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and Southern hybridization techniques. The genome DNA was digested with two rare cutting restriction enzymes (XbaI and BlnI) and the genome size was estimated from the sum of the fragment sizes as 5,121 Kb (+2.8%). A tentative order of fragments was deduced using Southern hybridization with purified restriction fragments. …

Circulating Plasma Lipoproteins And Hepatic Ultrastructure In The Hibernating Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus Tridecemlineatus, David G. Grecek

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Photoacclimation Of Achnanthes Rostrata To Reduced Illumination, Jeffrey R. Panella

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Isolation And Analysis Of A Cdna From The Gag/Protease Region Of The Soybean Retrotransposon, Sire-1, Yi-An Bi

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Regulatory Factors Affecting Nitrate Reductase In Soybean, Glycine Max, Donna Santucci

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Pcr Cloning And Sequencing Of A Cdna Coding For A Nitrate Reductase Isoform From Soybean, Glycine Max, James Schavocky

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.