Digital Commons Network^™

Ascorbic Acid Is An Abettor In Calcium Urolithiasis: An Experimental Study, P. P. Singh, R. Kiran, A. K. Pendse, Reeta Ghosh, S. S. Surana

Scanning Microscopy

Two sets of animal experiments using guinea pigs were planned to evaluate the effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on the lithogenic process. In the first set of experiments, 10, 40, and 60 mg doses of ascorbic acid/100g body weight/day were given for 105 days. Neither of the ascorbic acid doses given induced crystalluria, calcification or stone formation, thereby confirming our previous findings that ascorbic acid in the doses used by clinicians does not cause urolith formation. In the second set of experiments, ascorbic acid was supplemented in hypercalciuric (induced by calcium carbonate feeding) and hyperoxaluric (induced by sodium oxalate feeding) …

White-Tailed Deer Habitat Use On Surface-Mined Areas In Eastern Kentucky, Devetta A. Hill

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 in Biology by Devetta A. Hill on July 2, 1993.

The Effect Of Temperature On The Growth Of The Zebra Mussel, Dreissena Polymorpha (Pallas), Tamara K. Ross '93

Honors Projects

Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas), zebra mussels, are recent invaders of North American freshwater systems. They have a high reproductive rate and settle in high densities which can clog water intake valves and pipes. Many studies investigating the use of heat as a control measure have examined the effects of high temperatures on zebra mussel mortality. Much less is known about the effect of temperature on the actual growth rate and development of zebra mussels. This study examined the growth rates of zebra mussels at 10°C, 20°C, and 25°C over two four-week periods in the laboratory. Mussels were placed in culture dishes …

The Syringomycins: Finding Their Role In Nature, Jon Takemoto

Faculty Honor Lectures

About ten years ago, I began looking for a research problem in the field of plant-microbe interactions. As the name implies, this is the study of how plants and microorganisms associate-either for their mutual benefit or at the expense of one partner. An example is symbiotic nitrogen fixation between leguminous plants and root-colonizing bacteria. Both benefit-the plant gains nitrogen in a useful form and the bacteria gain nutrients and protection. A better understanding of a plant-microbe interaction system could be used to benefit agriculture. For example, boosting nitrogen fixation would mean less petroleum-derived nitrogen fertilizers. These interactive biological systems and …

Urinary Calculi: Review Of Classification Methods And Correlations With Etiology, M. Daudon, C. A. Bader, P. Jungers, O. Beaugendre, M. P. Hoarau

Scanning Microscopy

Current physical and chemical methods available for urinary stones analysis are critically reviewed. No one method is sufficient to provide all the clinically useful information on the structure and composition of the stones. We show that a combination of refined morphological and structural examination of stone with optical microscopy, complemented by compositional analysis using infrared spectroscopy of the core, cross-section and surface of calculi, provides a precise and reliable method for identifying the structure and crystalline composition, and permits quantification of stone components while being highly cost effective. Using such morphoconstitutional studies leads to a classification of urinary stones in …

Preparation Of Dinosaur Fossils For Scanning Electron Microscopic Evaluation Of Bone Histology, C. Barreto, R. M. Albrecht

Scanning Microscopy

The quality of preservation is a major determinant of the amount and kind of information to be derived from a paleontological specimen. Various fossilization regimes may produce specimens that contain biological information on a microscopic level. Light microscopic inspection of adolescent fossil dinosaur bones from the Two Medicine Formation (northwestern Montana) revealed that precise preservation of tissue may occur at a cellular level. In the following report, we test and compare techniques of specimen preparation for examination by scanning electron microscopy and illustrate an example of faithful preservation of dinosaur bone histology.

Fungiform Papillae Of The Pig And The Wild Boar Analyzed By Scanning Electron Microscopy, C. A. Chamorro, P. De Paz, J. G. Fernández, L. Anel

Scanning Microscopy

Fungiform papillae of wild boar and pig were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Four regions were defined on the tongue: rostral, medial and caudal thirds and lateral sides. Morphologically the fungiform papillae correspond with their denomination. Rostral and lateral tongue regions presented the largest average number of fungiform papillae. Taste pores opened onto the upper surface of the papillae and were easily identifiable by SEM. The total number of fungiform taste pores from both animals was the highest reported in the literature. The lateral papillae of wild boar and pig contained the largest average number of pores per papilla. …

The Function Of Seed Mucilage In Flax (Linum Usitatissimum), Karla Gengler

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Flax seeds, when imbibed, secrete a halo of mucilage composed of polysaccharides. It has been proposed that this mucilage serves as a reservoir of nutrient for the germinating seed. Seed mucilages in other species have been found to alleviate water stress, inhibit germination in unfavorable conditions, and trap and digest microorganisms. While establishing a protocol for studying flax seed mucilage, I tested the different models and quantified the amount of mucilage per seed. I found that 11-14% of the seed's dry weight is mucilage. Nutrition and digestion of microorganisms do not appear to play roles in the function of flax …

Bioremediation: A New Technology Using Inhabitants Of The Soil, Matthew Fields

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bioremediation is the use of microorganisms to clean the environment contaminated with various pollutants such as chemical wastes and petroleum -based products. The microbes use the pollutants as their carbon source and by doing so the contaminants are broken down. This paper examined the numbers of indigenous microorganisms in soil contaminated with diesel fuel and oil. Contaminant-degrading microbes were isolated and enumerated using phenanthrene in mineral media. The breakdown of phenanthrene was used as an indicator for contaminant degradation. The effects of aeration and the addition of nutrients on bioremediation processes was also studied. Soil samples used in the performed …

Phylogenetics Of Seed Plants: An Analysis Of Nucleotide Sequences From The Plastid Gene RbcL, James F. Smith

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the results of two exploratory parsimony analyses of DNA sequences from 475 and 499 species of seed plants. respectively, representing all major taxonomic groups. The data are exclusively from the chloroplast gene rbcL, which codes for the large subunit of ribulose-l .5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (RuBisCO or RuBPCase). We used two different state-transformation assumptions resulting in two sets of cladograms: (i) equal-weighting for the 499-taxon analysis; and (ii) a procedure that differentially weights transversions over transitions within characters and codon positions among characters for the 475-taxon analysis. The degree of congruence between these results and other molecular. as …

A Review Of The Biology Of Giant Salvinia, J. Douglas Oliver

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Giant salvinia (Salviniaceae) is a potentially serious aquatic weed that is native to Brazil. It has been reported in more than 20 countries, but is not established in the U.S. at this time. Mitchell and Tur (1975) reported that three years after the formation of the Kariba Reservoir in Africa, giant salvinia blanketed 21.5% or 1003 km2 of the reservoir surface area. Creagh (199111992) wrote, "A single small plant may grow to form a thick mat covering more than 100 sq. km. in just three months - choking lakes and waterways, reducing populations of aquatic plants and animals and in …

Effects Of Perinatal Cocaine Exposure On Sexual Differentiation In The Rat Brain, Heather L. Maecker

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Bacterial Numbers And Activity, Microalgal Biomass And Productivity, And Meiofaunal Distribution In Sediments Naturally Contaminated With Biogenic Bromophenols, Charles C. Steward, James L. Pinckney, Yvette Piceno, Charles R. Lovell

Faculty Publications

Sediment cores were collected inside and outside of a bed of a bromophenol-producing marine polychaete, Notomastus lobatus, and examined for impact of the bromophenols on sediment microflora and meiofauna around N. lobatus burrows. No significant differences were found between microbial parameters measured inside and outside of the N. lobatus bed. Integrated 6 cm cores taken adjacent to N. lobatus burrows contained 1.2 x 10⁹ bacteria ml^-1. Cell numbers were similar at control sites within the bed, but away from burrows, and not significantly different from cell numbers (1.0 X 10⁹ cells ml^-1) at a …

Retinol Deficiency And Urinary Stone Disease: Clinical Evidence Is Missing, P. P. Singh, R. Kiran

Scanning Microscopy

Serum retinal levels were studied in : (a) 95, 56 and 43 normal subjects belonging to lower, middle and upper socio-economic groups respectively, (b) 35 adult males suffering from night blindness, (c) 27 subjects with low retinal levels, (d) 8 retinal deficient subjects (e) 17 male infants suffering from overt retinal deficiency, (f) 43 radiologically confirmed stone patients and (g) age and sex matched controls (infants 20; adults 120). The subjects included in groups b to f were clinically and radiologically examined for stone disease. Some inhibitors and promoters of stone disease were estimated in urine in groups b to …

Long Term Mobidity And Mortality Of Adolescent Obesity: A Follow-Up Of Third Harvard Growth Study Participants Of 1922 To 1935, Aviva Must Ph.D., Paul F. Jacques Sc.D., Gerard E. Dallal Ph.D., Carl J. Bajema Ph.D., William H. Dietz M.D., Ph.D

Peer Reviewed Publications

Background. Overweight in adults is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In contrast, the long-term effect of overweight in adolescence on morbidity and mortality is not known.

Methods. We studied the relation between overweight and morbidity and mortality in 508 lean or overweight adolescents 13 to 18 years old who participated in the Harvard Growth Study of 1922 to 1935. Overweight adolescents were defined as those with a body-mass index that on two occasions was greater than the 75th percentile in subjects of the same age and sex in a large national survey. Lean adolescents were defined as those with …

Evaluation And Management Of Dietary Habits In Japanese Renal Stone Formers, Haruo Ito, Tadashi Kotake, Naoto Miura

Scanning Microscopy

To elucidate the relationship between the formation of kidney stones and diet, we carried out a dietary investigation in patients with urinary tract stones. Dietary intakes were estimated for 36 patients (24 men, 12 women) with calcium stones, and compared with the official dietary requirements for the Japanese.

Total protein intake, animal protein intake and animal protein ratio were significantly higher for patients with stones in both men and women. Dietary salt intake was significantly higher for male patients and the total group. Dietary calcium and carbohydrate intakes were significantly lower for patients with stones in men and the total …

Scanning Electron Microscope Observations Of Brine Shrimp Larvae From Space Shuttle Experiments, Lynnette Debell, Avelina Paulsen, Brian Spooner

Scanning Microscopy

Brine shrimp are encysted as gastrula stage embryos, and may remain dehydrated and encysted for years without compromising their viability. This aspect of brine shrimp biology is desirable for studying development of animals during space shuttle flight, as cysts placed aboard a spacecraft may be rehydrated at the convenience of an astronaut, guaranteeing that subsequent brine shrimp development occurs only on orbit and not on the pad during launch delays.

Brine shrimp cysts placed in 5 ml syringes were rehydrated with salt water and hatched during a 9 day space shuttle mission. Subsequent larvae developed to the 8th larval stage …

Rate Maintenance Of Cell Division In Escherichia Coli B/R: Analysis Of A Simple Nutritional Shift-Down, Arieh Zaritsky, Charles E. Helmstetter

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

A competitive (nonmetabolizable) inhibitor of glucose uptake, α- methylglucoside, was used to limit the growth of Escherichia coli. Cell division during such a nutritional shift-down was studied in batch cultures and with the 'baby-machine' technique. Following a brief delay, the rate of division was maintained for 60 to 70 min in batch cultures and for an extended period in the baby machine. Decreases in cell size were due, in part, to a possible reduction in the mass per chromosome origin at the time of replication initiation and a shorter time interval between initiation and the subsequent division. These unusual findings …

The Effect Of Varying Environmental Conditions On Phytolith Morphometries In Two Species Of Grass (Bouteloua Curtipendula And Panicum Virgatum), T. B. Ball, J. D. Brotherson

Scanning Microscopy

Solid deposits of SiO₂ (phytoliths) accumulate in many plants in specific intracellular and extracellular locations. Phytoliths have morphological characteristics unique to some taxa and therefore have taxonomic significance. Phytoliths persist and maintain their morphological integrity long after a plant has died, thus becoming a microfossil of the plant that produced them. Development of phytolith sytematics for microfossil phytoliths has traditionally followed a typological approach based on simple verbal descriptions of shape. A new method for use in phytolith sytematics is the morphometric approach which employs computer-based Image Analysis Systems to make quantified measurements of morphological parameters (size, shape, texture, …

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.

Development Of A Semi-Synthetic Medium Supporting Adherent Growth In Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci, Abbas Sadeghi

Dissertations and Theses

A semi-synthetic medium for use in determining adherent growth with Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus was developed. Production of an adherent biofilm was dependent upon the presence of hematin in the growth medium. Clinical strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis were tested for production of an adherent biofilm in trypticase soy broth, the semi-synthetic medium and the hyperalimentary nutrient solution used in the neonatal hospital unit. An adherent biofilm was obtained when Staphylococcus epidermidis was cultured m hematin supplemented hyperalimentary solution. Growth in the hyperalimentary nutrient solution diluted with fetal calf serum showed the same growth rate as when the nutrient solution …

Interaction Of Nutrition And Infection: Effect Of Copper Deficiency On Resistance To Trypanosoma Lewisi, A. Crocker, Clarence Lee, Georgiana Aboko-Cole, C. Durham

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The copper-deficient rat-trypanosome system was used to study copper deficiency in Sprague Dawley rats infected with Trypanosoma lewisi. Throughout the observational period, animals on the deficient diet had lower plasma and liver copper concentrations compared with complete and pair-fed animals. In all dietary groups, the food intake and body weight changes of rats inoculated with T lewisi showed significant increases over the noninoculated controls. The rate of these indices were significantly less in the copper-deficient animals compared with the animals fed complete diets. Copper-deficient and pair-fed control rats showed greater numbers of parasites than controls throughout the infection. The duration …

Detection Of X-Ray Damage Repair By The Immediate Versus Delayed Plating Technique Is Dependent On Cell Shape And Cell Concentration, Nandanuri M. S. Reddy, Maria Kapiszewska, Christopher S. Lange

Scanning Microscopy

A method commonly used to measure the ability of cells to repair potentially lethal damage (PLD) is to compare immediate plating (IP) and delayed plating (DP) survival. Lower cell survival under IP conditions relative to that after DP conditions has been interpreted to indicate a higher ability of cells to repair potentially lethal damage (PLO) under DP conditions. However, this IP radiosensitization has not been observed in several cell lines and tumor models. IP conditions involve treatment of cells with trypsin and plating them into fresh growth medium. We have investigated the possibility that radiosensitization under IP conditions may be …

Circulating Antibodies To Thymic Antigens In Autism And Alzheimer's Disease, Chih-Li Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Abnormal T lymphocyte reactions in both autism and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been reported. This research investigated the possibility that these abnormalities may involve circulating antithymic antibodies. Plasma samples from autistic patients, AD patients, and normal-matched controls were tested for reactivity against murine thymocytes.

In the first of 3 studies results of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were statistically significant for binding (P < 0.001) between antithymic antibodies in plasmas of AD patients and murine thymocytes. Binding (P < 0.05) in low dilutions (1/2.5 and 1/5} of autistic patient plasmas was also observed. In the second study, plasmas of neither autistic nor AD patients significantly inhibited DNA synthesis of thymic cells in the presence of interleukin-1 (IL-l} and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). In the third study, no significant increases (P > 0.05) in cytotoxic activities were detected using AD patient plasmas and both untreated and heat-treated autistic patient plasmas. After further testing, these heat-treated plasmas diluted 1/64 and 1/128 had increased cytotoxicities (P < 0.05) when rabbit complement was added, an indication that cytotoxicity of antithymic antibodies is complement dependent.

Therefore, circulating antithymic antibodies may …

The Influence Of Dietary Factors On The Risk Of Urinary Stone Formation, A. Hesse, R. Siener, H. Heynck, A. Jahnen

Scanning Microscopy

The action of various beverages and foods on the composition of the urine in the circadian rhythm and in the 24-hour urine has been investigated under standardized conditions. Orange juice leads to a significant increase of urinary pH and citric acid excretion. Black tea leads to a raised excretion of oxalic acid by only 7.9%. In the short term, beer increases diuresis, but afterwards leads to a compensatory antidiuresis with increased risk of stone formation. Depending on their composition, mineral waters have very different effects on the urinary constituents. Milk as well as cocoa beverage significantly increase calcium excretion; moreover, …

Development Of Mass-Rearing Techniques For Aphelinus Asychis Walker For Use In A Biological Control Program Against Russian Wheat Aphid, Robin Lynn Whitaker-Deerberg

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Mass-rearing techniques were developed for the parasitoid Aphelinus asychis Walker (Hymenoptera:Aphelinidae) for use in a biological control program against the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko) (Homoptera:Aphididae). Daily ovipositional activity, host-feeding behavior, effects of population density in the rearing cages and effects of cold storage on mummies were determined.

Daily ovipositional activity peaked at day 5 after emergence of the parasitoid. Ninety-two percent of mummies resulting from ovipositional activity were oviposited the first 13 days of the parasitoid’s life. Since mummification occurred 11 days after oviposition and emergence occurred 11 days after mummification, day 24 was determined to be the …

Model Of Dietary Fiber Utilization By Small Mammalian Herbivores, With Empirical Results For Neotoma, Felisa A. Smith, Keith E. Justice

Biology Faculty & Staff Publications

Allometric considerations have suggested that small herbivores are inefficient at or incapable of extracting energy from the microbial fermentation of structural carbohydrates. This notion is at odds with accumulating empirical evidence that demonstrates well-developed fiber digestion abilities for a number of small rodent genera. To examine the apparent inconsistency, we have constructed a model of plant fiber utilization tailored specifically for hindgut fermenters. Computer simulations provide estimates of fiber and overall dry-matter digestibilities as a function of body size, energy demand, and diet. Our calculations indicate that small mammals can obtain significant benefit from fiber fermentation, especially at moderate fiber …

Effect Of Temperature And Humidity On Evaporative Water Loss In Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte Anna), Donald R. Powers

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Evaporative water loss (EWL), oxygen concumption (V0 ), and body temperature (Tb) of Anna's 2 Hummingbirds (Calypte anna; ca. 4.5 g) were measured at combinations of ambient temperature (T J and water vapor density (Qva) ranging from 20 to 37 °C and 2 to 27 g · m-3 , respectively. The EWL decreased linearly with increasing eva at all temperatures. The slopes ofleast squares regression lines relating EWL to Qva at different temperatures were not significantly different and averaged -0.50mg H20·m-3 ·g-2 ·h-1 (range: -0.39 to -0.61). Increased Qva restricted EWL in C. anna more than has been reported for …

A Comparison Of Catecholamine Metabolism And Related Enzyme Activity In Parasitized And Nonparasitized Drosophila Melanogaster, Emily Vass

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Ingested Carbonation On Oxygen Transport And Ventilation In Trained Distance Runners, Stacy Jean Ingraham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of consumption of carbonated beverages on maximal aerobic capacity, as measured by maximal oxygen consumption (VO2MAX), and respiratory physiology, as measured by ventilation frequency (f), ventilatory equivalent for oxygen and carbon dioxide (O2VE, co2VE), expired minute ventilation (VE), carbon dioxide output (VCO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and tidal volume (VT).

Thirteen male high school, collegiate and post collegiate distance runners from the local community performed two maximal treadmill tests exactly one week apart, following two different fluid ingestion treatments. The subjects were randomly assigned to a carbonated beverage or noncarbonated …