Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Size And Temperature On Developmental Time, James Gillooly, Eric Charnov, Geoffrey West, Van Savage, James Brown

Biology Faculty & Staff Publications

Body size and temperature are the two most important variables affecting nearly all biological rates and times. The relationship of size and temperature to development is of particular interest, because during ontogeny size changes and temperature often varies. Here we derive a general model, based on first principles of allometry and biochemical kinetics, that predicts the time of ontogenetic development as a function of body mass and temperature. The model fits embryonic development times spanning a wide range of egg sizes and incubation temperatures for birds and aquatic ectotherms (fish, amphibians, aquatic insects and zooplankton). The model also describes nearly …

In Vitro/In Vivo Activation Of Angiostatin, Jason C. Anderson

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

Angiostatin is a proteolytic fragment of plasminogen that inhibits angiogenesis. It destroys newly formed capillaries and causes tumors to stop growing, shrink, or disappear altogether. We sought to determine if angiostatin could be produced from plasminogen by urokinase enzyme. We hypothesized that if angiostatin is produced, it could be an inhibitor of endothelial cell growth. To test this idea, plasminogen was purified by affinity chromatography using a sepharose-lysine column. Then, it was incubated with urokinase and 10% sodium azide. In order to produce angiostatin, samples were taken out at different time periods and analyzed on SDS-Page Gel electrophoresis gel designated …

Do Cellular Phones Cause Headaches?, Jasmine Gay

McCabe Thesis Collection

Many people have recently complained about experiencing headaches in association with the use of their cellular telephones. There is much controversy over this subject because it has not yet been proven that the microwaves emitted by cellular telephones cause headaches. The research questions include the following: What are the effects, if any, of the use of cellular telephones on human health? Do they cause headaches? Are they responsible for the increase in size of some brain tumors?

There have been many experiments performed by various scientists in the field of bioelectromagnetics and by the World Health Organization (WHO); however, these …

Myriophyllum Spicatum Invasion In Cave Run Lake, Kentucky, Rob A. Tewes

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 Rob A Tewes on May 1, 2002.

Species-Specific Identification Of Commercial Probiotic Strains, Marie Yeung, M. E. Sanders, Christopher L. Kitts, Raul Cano, Phillip S. Tong

Biological Sciences

Products containing probiotic bacteria are gaining popularity, increasing the importance of their accurate speciation. Unfortunately, studies have suggested that improper labeling of probiotic species is common in commercial products. Species identification of a bank of commercial probiotic strains was attempted using partial 16S rDNA sequencing, carbohydrate fermentation analysis, and cellular fatty acid methyl ester analysis. Results from partial 16S rDNA sequencing indicated discrepancies between species designations for 26 out of 58 strains tested, including two ATCC Lactobacillus strains. When considering only the commercial strains obtained directly from the manufacturers, 14 of 29 strains carried species designations different from those obtained …

Yeast Ph Domains: A Study In Phosphoinositide Binding, Heather Leigh Eisler

Biology

Phosphoinositides are membrane-associated phospholipids whose inositol head group can be reversibly phosphorylated. PH domains are known to bind phosphoinositides. Yeast PH domains YPR091C and YNL144C were examined for their phosphoinositide binding using two different assays. The YPR091C PH domain bound specifically to PtdIns(4)P and PtdIns(5)P. The YNL144C PH domain did not bind to any phosphoinositide. The absence and the over expression of the YPR091C and YNL144C genes was studied in the yeast. The ypr091^CΔ strain grew slower at 37°C. The ynl144^CΔ yeast strain showed no growth defect at 37°C, higher salt concentrations, or when transformed with …

The Role Of Injury And Rain In The Infection Of Leaves By Erwinia Amylovora, Scott C. Ockey

Biology

Erwinia amylovora dissemination was studied by sampling apple and pear leaves before and after a precipitation event. All pear and apple experiments revealed similar trends for the temporal and spatial nature of E. amylovora. Rain dispersed the bacteria to leaves only a short distance from the infection and survived less than 24 hours on the leaf. An experiment was designed to determine leaf age susceptibility to inoculation by E. amylovora when leaves were subjected to injury types that simulated hail, wind-blown rain, and rain dispersal. Succulent leaves in the hail and rain dispersal treatments were more susceptible to infection …

Processes For The Allocation, Reallocation And Governance Of Resource Access In Connection With A Framework For The Future Management Of Fisheries In Western Australia, Government Of Western Australia Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

This paper outlines the issues associated with developing a framework to deal explicitly with the allocation, reallocation and the governance of access to the fisheries resources of Western Australia.

Threshold Evolution In Exotic Populations Of A Polyphenic Beetle, Armin P. Moczek, John Hunt, Douglas J. Emlen, Leigh W. Simmons

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Polyphenic development is thought to play an important role in the evolution of phenotypic diversity and morphological novelties, yet the evolution of polyphenisms has rarely been documented in natural populations. Here we compare the morphologies of male dung beetles (Onthophagus taurus; Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from populations introduced to Australia and the eastern United States. Males in this species express two alternative morphologies in response to larval feeding conditions. Males encountering favourable conditions grow larger than a threshold body size and develop a pair of horns on their heads, whereas males that encounter poor conditions do not reach this threshold size and …

The Fitness Consequences Of Interspecific Eavesdropping Between Plants, Richard Karban, John L. Maron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Although many ecologists have discounted the possibility of communication between plants, recent work demonstrates that wild tobacco plants with experimentally clipped sagebrush neighbors suffer less leaf herbivory than tobacco controls with unclipped neighbors. In this report, we examine the fitness consequences of resistance induced by eavesdropping. Annual tobacco plants with clipped sagebrush neighbors produced more flowers and seed-bearing capsules than plants with unclipped neighbors although these performance measures varied considerably over the five years of the study. Tobacco plants with clipped neighbors also suffered more frost damage than controls in one year. There was no indication that eavesdropping was more …

Patterns And Processes Of Population Differentiation In The Chuckwalla (Sauromalus Obesus) In Southern Nevada, Paul C. Ustach

Biology

I examined both present-day and historical patterns in the herbivorous desert lizard, Sauromalus obesus (chuckwalla), within the Mojave Desert ecoregion in Nevada. My goal was to determine the process or processes that led to their present-day distribution. I expected to recover distinct haplotypes unique to each mountain range. These unique haplotypes were expected to reveal a pattern of geographic partitioning with sequence divergence among populations increasing as a function of distance. I characterized the distribution of chuckwallas in Nevada by means of a simple model using a geographic information system (GIS). This simple model was used to enhance sampling efficiency …

The Ecology Of Lianas And Their Role In Forests, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Frans Bongers

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Recent studies have demonstrated the increasingly important role of lianas (woody vines) in forest regeneration, species diversity and ecosystem-level processes, particularly in the tropics. Mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of liana species diversity could yield new insights into the maintenance of overall species diversity. Lianas contribute to forest regeneration and competition, not only by competing directly with trees, but also by differentially affecting tree species and thus changing how trees compete among themselves. In addition, they contribute considerably to ecosystem-level processes, such as whole-forest transpiration and carbon sequestration. As the rate of tropical forest disturbance increases, they are likely to …

Evaluation Of Facilitated Succession At Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area In South Texas., Frank W. Judd, Robert I. Lonard, Gary L. Waggerman

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

This study examined the effectiveness of re-vegetation efforts which have been ongoing in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas since 1958. Species composition, richness and diversity were evaluated in an undisturbed native woodland, a site planted with late successional species in 1961 (facilitated succession) and a farm field abandoned in 1974 (unaided succession) in northwestern Cameron County. Species richness and diversity for both trees and shrubs were greatest in the native woodland site. While there was greater similarity in species composition between the native woodland and the facilitated succession sites, species diversity in the tree and shrub layers of …

Analyses Of Diet And Geographic Variation In Leaf-Nosed Snakes, Phyllorhynchus, Stephanie A. Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study revealed that P. decurtatus primarily eat squamate eggs, and that the diet of P. browni appears to consist entirely of squamate eggs; gecko tails constitute a very small proportion of the diet of P. decurtatus. Feeding in both species occurred throughout their active seasons and both species increased prey consumption in August. The sexes of P. browni, but not P. decurtatus showed different monthly feeding patterns. Desert-of-collection did not affect P. decurtatus monthly feeding patterns. Phyllorhynchus decurtatus collected from the Sonoran Desert and P. browni, which is found only in the Sonoran Desert, showed similar …

Statmod: A Tool For Interfacing Arcview® Gis With Statistical Software To Facilitate Predictive Ecological Modeling, Christine M. Garrard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As geographical information systems and spatial data become more accessible, predictive spatial modeling in ecology is becoming more common. Unfortunately, not all ecologists possess the necessary skills to successfully combine statistical models and geographical information systems. In response to this problem, I wrote an extension for ArcView^® GIS called StatMod. This extension interfaces ArcView GIS with SAS^® and S-PLUS^® statistical software and walks the user through creating and mapping logistic regression and classification and regression tree models.

StatMod was then used to run a series of analyses that would have been difficult without such a tool. A …

Patterns And Processes Of Population Differentiation In The Chuckwalla (Sauromalus Obesus) In Southern Nevada, Paul C. Ustach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I examined both present-day and historical patterns in the herbivorous desert lizard, Sauromalus obesus (chuckwalla), within the Mojave Desert ecoregion in Nevada. My goal was to determine the process or processes that led to their present-day distribution. I expected to recover distinct haplotypes unique to each mountain range. These unique haplotypes were expected to reveal a pattern of geographic partitioning with sequence divergence among populations increasing as a function of distance. I characterized the distribution of chuckwallas in Nevada by means of a simple model using a geographic information system (GIS). This simple model was used to enhance sampling efficiency …

Trends. Allies Of Terrorism In The Realm Of Biological Warfare?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses an increase in security regarding food shipment, manufacturing, and processing, as well as corporate lobbyists opposition to it.

Comparison Of Tnf-A Levels Produced By Macrophages Treated With Brucella Abortus And Escherichia Coli Lps, Tajie Harris

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Patterns Of Avifauna Use Of Constructed Wetlands In The Beaver Creek Wetland Complex, Menifee County, Kentucky, Michael E. Kenawell

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 Michael E. Kenawell on April 16, 2002.

Estimating The Spatial Extent Of Bottom-Water Hypoxia And Habitat Degradation In A Shallow Estuary, Christopher P. Buzzelli, Richard A. Luettich Jr., Sean P. Powers, Charles H. Peterson, Jesse E. Mcninch, James L. Pinckney, Hans W. Paerl

Faculty Publications

Bottom-water hypoxia (≤ 2 mg 1^-1 dissolved oxygen [DO]) greatly modifies the benthic habitat of estuaries, depending upon spatial extent, duration, and frequency. Bottom-water hypoxia often develops under conditions of density stratification, which inhibits vertical mixing, and warm temperatures, which enhance biological oxygen demand. Long-term, mid-channel data from the Neuse River Estuary in North Carolina permitted evaluation of how stratification and temperature combined to affect DO concentrations at the bottom. Salinity stratification (DS) and water temperature (T) explained respectively 30 and 23% of the variance in bottom-water DO concentrations. The amount of salinity stratification required to induce bottom-water …

Murine Epidermal Cell Antigen (Skn)-Directed Autoimmunity Induced By Transfer Of Cd4+ T Cells, Susan H. Jackman, Shivaleela Keerthy, Giselle Perry

Biochemistry and Microbiology

While pathogenic T cells have been identified for several diseases with epithelial cell damage, an autoimmune T cell-mediated response targeted against a known keratinocyte antigen has not been reported. Previously we described an autoimmune response directed to the mouse epidermal cell antigens, Skn. For our murine model, primed Skn-immune lymphocytes are adoptively transferred to recipients, which develop lesions at the site of mild skin trauma. In this study we investigated the nature of the autoimmune component of the Skn response. A time-course study demonstrated a relationship between the number of primed Sknimmune cells injected and the severity of skin lesions …

Serotyping Group B Streptococci In A Small Community Hospital: An Analysis Of Distribution And Site Of Isolation, Jennifer M. Smith, Jason A. Rexroth, David G. Chaffin, Susan H. Jackman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Objective: To determine the prevalence and site of isolation of different serotypes of group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization or infection at a small community hospital.

Methods: GBS isolates were obtained from a small community hospital and were then serotyped as la, Ib, II, III, IV, V or non-typeable. Hospital records were reviewed for patient sex, age and pregnancy status as well as the site of GBS isolation.

Results: GBS serotypes Ia, III and V were most common and accounted for over 60% of the total number of isolates. Serotype Ia was most prevalent in reproductive-age females, while serotypes V and …

Survival Of And Herbivore Damage To A Cohort Of Quercus Rubra Planted Across A Forest-Old-Field Edge, Scott J. Meiners, Matthew J. Matinkovic

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Forest edges are known to affect plant community composition and habitat use by animals. However, the direct influence of edges in determining patterns of tree regeneration is poorly understood. Survival of and herbivore damage to Quercus ruln-a seedlings were experimentally determined for seedlings planted across a forest--old-field edge gradient. Seedling survival was lowest inside the forest ( 1%), intermediate at the edge (25%) and highest within the old-field portion of the gradient (49%). Deer herbivory decreased with increasing distance into the old field. Seedling survival increased under Rosa multiflora and decreased in plots with mammalian herbivory. Seedling height was significantly …

Survival Of And Herbivore Damage To A Cohort Of Quercus Rubra Planted Across A Forest-Old-Field Edge, Scott Meiners, Matthew Matinkovic

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Forest edges are known to affect plant community composition and habitat use by animals. However, the direct influence of edges in determining patterns of tree regeneration is poorly understood. Survival of and herbivore damage to Quercus ruln-a seedlings were experimentally determined for seedlings planted across a forest--old-field edge gradient. Seedling survival was lowest inside the forest ( 1%), intermediate at the edge (25%) and highest within the old-field portion of the gradient (49%). Deer herbivory decreased with increasing distance into the old field. Seedling survival increased under Rosa multiflora and decreased in plots with mammalian herbivory. Seedling height was significantly …

The Long-Term Ecosystem Observatory: An Integrated Coastal Observatory, Oscar Schofield, Trisha Bergmann, Paul Bissett, J. Frederick Grassle, Dale B. Haidvogel, Josh Kohut, Mark A. Moline, Scott M. Glenn

Biological Sciences

An integrated ocean observatory has been developed and operated in the coastal waters off the central coast of New Jersey, USA. One major goal for the Long-term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO) is to develop a real-time capability for rapid environmental assessment and physical/biological forecasting in coastal waters. To this end, observational data are collected from satellites, aircrafts, ships, fixed/relocatable moorings and autonomous underwater vehicles. The majority of the data are available in real-time allowing for adaptive sampling of episodic events and are assimilated into ocean forecast models. In this observationally rich environment, model forecast errors are dominated by uncertainties in the …

A New Auv Platform For Studying Near Shore Bioluminescence Structure, Mark A. Moline, S. Blackwell, J. Case, S. Glenn, J. Kohut, O. Schofield, M. Purcell, C. Vonalt

Biological Sciences

Peaks in bioluminescence are often associated with small spatial features including frontal boundaries, vertical thin-layers, and convergence/divergence zones.^1,2 Due to the highly variable nature of these features in the near shore environment, accurate assessment of bioluminescence potential is dependent upon the application of appropriate platforms and the use of these platforms at relevant time and space scales. Both traditional shipboard profiling techniques and moored vertical profiling instrumentation fail to adequately provide the appropriate spatial resolution to explain the dynamics of near shore bioluminescence. In an effort to resolve the mechanisms underlying the temporal and spatial variation in near shore …

A Cycle Of Vam7p Release From And Ptdins 3-P–Dependent Rebinding To The Yeast Vacuole Is Required For Homotypic Vacuole Fusion, Christine Boeddinghaus, Alexey J. Merz, Rico Laage, Christian Ungermann

Dartmouth Scholarship

Vacuole fusion requires a coordinated cascade of priming, docking, and fusion. SNARE proteins have been implicated in the fusion itself, although their precise role in the cascade remains unclear. We now report that the vacuolar SNAP-23 homologue Vam7p is a mobile element of the SNARE complex, which moves from an initial association with the cis-SNARE complex via a soluble intermediate to the docking site. Soluble Vam7p is specifically recruited to vacuoles and can rescue a fusion reaction poisoned with antibodies to Vam7p. Both the recombinant Vam7p PX domain and a FYVE domain construct of human Hrs block the recruitment of …

Heterochromatin: New Possibilities For The Inheritance Of Structure, Shiv Grewal, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Research

Significant portions of the eukaryotic genome are heterochromatic, made up largely of repetitious sequences and possessing a distinctive chromatin structure associated with gene silencing. New insights into the form of packaging, the associated histone modifications, and the associated nonhistone chromosomal proteins of heterochromatin have suggested a mechanism for providing an epigenetic mark that allows this distinctive chromatin structure to be maintained following replication and to spread within a given domain.

Dual Requirement For Yeast Hnrnp Nab2p In Mrna Poly(A) Tail Length Control And Nuclear Export, Ronald E. Hector, Keith R. Nykamp, Sonia Dheur, James T. Anderson, Priscilla J. Non, Carl R. Urbinati, Scott M. Wilson, Lionel Minvielle‐Sebastia, Maurice S. Swanson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Recent studies of mRNA export factors have provided additional evidence for a mechanistic link between mRNA 3′‐end formation and nuclear export. Here, we identify Nab2p as a nuclear poly(A)‐binding protein required for both poly(A) tail length control and nuclear export of mRNA. Loss of NAB2 expression leads to hyperadenylation and nuclear accumulation of poly(A)⁺ RNA but, in contrast to mRNA export mutants, these defects can be uncoupled in a nab2 mutant strain. Previous studies have implicated the cytoplasmic poly(A) tail‐binding protein Pab1p in poly(A) tail length control during polyadenylation. Although cells are viable in the absence of NAB2 expression …

Chromosome And Expression Mechanisms: A Year Dominated By Histone Modifications, Transitory And Remembered, Jerry Workman, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Research

No abstract provided.