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The Aerobic Metabolism And Behavior Of The Burrow-Dwelling Mantis Shrimp, Hemisquilla Ensigera Californiensis, Jason Jospeh Cassista

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The predatory stomatopod Hemisquilla ensigera californiensiswas captured at 10-20 m depths off California and transferred to an observation tank with artificial burrows similar to those observed in the field. The animals were maintained under a 1OL:140 light-dark cycle and monitored on a 24-hour basis using a time-lapse video recorder. Infrared lamps were used for observations within the burrow and at night. Metabolic rates, as a function of oxygen tension, were measured in respirometry chambers using polarographic oxygen electrodes.

This species is a near complete oxyconformer, so aerobic metabolism is strongly depressed at low oxygen levels, yet the animals remained …

Feeding And Nesting Ecology Of The Great Kiskadee, Pitangus Sulphuratus Texanus (Passeriformes: Tyrannidae) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Robert Luis Gorena

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The foraging and nesting ecology of the Great Kiskadee was studied in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas during 1994 and 1995. Adult kiskadees were found to be omnivorous, feeding mainly on fleshy fruits, fish, and dragonflies, and capturing animal prey mainly by surface gleaning into water or hawking prey out of midair. Nests are constructed mainly during March and April and are built at heights between 6 and 10 meters apparently without preference to tree species. Of 29 nests observed, 66% (19) were active during at least part of the breeding season. Nestlings are fed a diet very similar …

Effect Of Myristicin, A Constituent Of Parsley, On Levels Of Glutathione And Glutathione S-Transferase In Mice Tissues, Maria Theresa Tijerina

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Glutathione (GSH) and related enzymes interact as a ubiquitous and efficient detoxification system in biological organisms. Several naturally occurring, as well as synthetic compounds, are known to increase the levels of glutathione/glutathione S-transferases (GST). One of the natural compounds includes myristicin, which is a constituent of parsley leaf oil as well as other natural foods. The extent to which the levels of the GSH/GST system can be induced appears to be dependent on the specific tissue type and the amount of myristicin administered. Our results show that increased amounts of myristicin exhibited beneficial effects within a certain range for each …

Chlorophyll Biosynthesis In Kleptoplastid Symbioses, Robert Joseph Swatski

Theses and Dissertations

The retention by ascoglossan sea slugs of photosynthetically functional algal chloroplasts (kleptoplastids) has been the subject of intense study over the past three decades. The question of whether kleptoplastids are capable of de novo chlorophyll biosynthesis was seemingly answered by Trench and Smith (1970) and Trench et al. (1973), who found no 14C uptake into chlorophylls in the ascoglossans, Elvsia viridis and E. crispata, after brief radioisotope incubations. However, Clark and Waugh (unpub.) demonstrated some 14C uptake into chlorophyll in CQStasiqlla ocellifera, a long-term kleptoplasad retainer, which promoted a re-analysis of these experiments. In order to prove the occurrence of …

Dna Sequences Involved In The Regulation Of Human C-Myc Gene Expression By Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (Hsv-1), Shanli Ye

Dissertations and Theses

The human c-myc gene is a cellular proto-oncogene composed of three exons and two introns. Transcription of c-myc is controlled by two promoters, P1 and P2. The activity of these promoters is regulated by many factors, such as cellular transcription factors E2F, YY1, and HSV-1 immediate-early proteins, ICP0, ICP4.

Many regulatory elements located both upstream of and between P1 and P2 have been identified, and some of these are required for optimum expression of c-myc. In this thesis research, a region downstream from P2 in the c-myc exon 1 was identified by its response to transactivation …

Inter-Alpha-Inhibitor: A Protein Family Involved In The Inhibition Of Calcium Oxalate Crystallization, Fouad Atmani, Jacques Mizon, Saeed R. Khan

Scanning Microscopy

Inter-α-inhibitor (IαI) is a serine protease inhibitor present in human plasma. It has a molecular weight of about 220 kDa which encompasses 3 chains including two heavy chains and one light chain. The light chain, known as bikunin, is responsible for the antitryptic activity of IαI in the inhibition of various enzymes, such as trypsin and chymotrypsin. Under physiologic or certain pathologic circumstances, several macromolecules related to IαI appear in plasma and urine. However, the physiologic role of IαI remains unclear. As far as urolithiasis is concerned, two urinary macromolecules related to IαI have been isolated and shown to be …

Quantitative Imaging In Electron And Confocal Microscopies For Applications In Biology, N. Bonnet, L. Lucas, D. Ploton

Scanning Microscopy

Among the large number of topics related to the quantification of images in electron and confocal microscopies for applications in biology, we selected four subjects that we consider to be representative of some recent tendencies. The first is the quantification of three-dimensional data sets recorded routinely in scanning confocal microscopy. The second is the quantification of the textural and fractal appearance of images. The two other topics are related to image series, which are more and more often provided by imaging instruments. The first kind of series concerns electron energy-filtered images. We show that the parametric (modelling) approach can be …

In Vivo Metal Substitutions In Metal Sequestering Subcellular Compartments: X-Ray Mapping In Cryosections, A. J. Morgan, C. Winters, A. Yarwood, N. Wilkinson

Scanning Microscopy

Qualitative digital X-ray mapping techniques were employed to determine the distributions of essential and non-essential elements in three invertebrate "models": (1) Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Fe in thin cryosections of the hepatopancreas of the terrestrial isopod, Oniscus asellus; (2) Pb, Zn, Cd, Ca in thin cryosections of the chloragogenous tissue of the earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus; and (3) As in air-dried smears and thin cryosections of chloragogen in L. rubellus. Four general conclusions were drawn from the results of these studies: (a) non-essential elements can accumulate, distribute and be compartmentalized because they, or the organo-complexes that they form, …

Mgo·1.5al2o3 Spinel Grain Growth And Microstructure Characterization By Scanning Electron Microscopy And Digital Image Analysis, G. Bonifazi, E. Proverbio

Scanning Microscopy

The microstructure of sintered polycrystalline MgO·1.5Al₂O₃ ceramic is strongly affected by the sintering conditions due to the precipitation of α-alumina at a temperature lower than about 1400°C. Consequently, the mechanical properties, depending on grain size distribution, are greatly influenced. Three different microstructures were obtained by a two step sintering process adopting an intermediate sintering temperature of 1050°C, 1100°C and 1300°C respectively, and a final sintering temperature of 1500°C. Comparable samples obtained directly by firing at 1500°C were used. Digital image analysis (DIA) carried out on scanning electron microscope (SEM) images was performed in order to better describe …

Target Geometry Dependence Of Electron Energy Loss Spectra In Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (Stem), A. Rivacoba, J. Aizpurura, N. Zabala

Scanning Microscopy

In the frame of the Self-Energy formalism, we study the interaction between STEM electrons and small particles in the range of the valence electron excitations. We first calculate the energy loss probability for an isolated sphere and study the loss spectrum dependence on the size of the particle and on the relative impact parameter. Then we analyze the loss spectra in more realistic situations: (a) the effect of the coupling between the particle and supporting surface is studied in a simple geometrical model; and (b) we analyze the dependence of the losses on the geometrical shape of the target by …

X-Ray Standing Wave Studies Of Ad-Dimers On Si(001), Y. Qian, P. F. Lyman, M. J. Bedzyk

Scanning Microscopy

X-ray standing waves generated by dynamical Bragg diffraction were used as an element-specific structural probe for investigating Ga and Sb adsorption on Si(001). Using the (004) and (022) reflections, we precisely measured Ga and Sb ad-dimer bond lengths and ad-dimer heights above the bulk-extrapolated Si(001) surface. The room temperature [001] thermal vibration amplitudes of Ga and Sb adatoms on Si(00l) were also directly determined by combining the fundamental (004) and high-order harmonic (008) X-ray standing wave measurements. These high-resolution measurements reveal important quantitative structural information regarding the dimerized surface structures, and provide a stringent test for structural models proposed by …

Enamel Prism Morphology In Molar Teeth Of Small Eutherian Mammals, Elizabeth R. Dumont

Scanning Microscopy

Data summarizing enamel prism shape, sire and spacing are reported for the molar enamel of 55 species of small eutherian mammals including primates, bats, tree shrews, flying lemurs, insectivorans and representatives of a variety of fossil families. Confocal photomicrographs reveal that the subsurface enamel of most species is characterized by arc-shaped prisms. The lack of a clear distinction between pattern 2 and pattern 3 prism configurations within single specimens suggests that the broad category "arc-shaped prisms" is the most appropriate descriptive grouping for these species. Of the total sample, three species exhibit only circular prisms while no evidence of prismatic …

Zinc Deficiency Produces Time-Related Ultrastructural Changes In Rat Cheek Epithelium, Shahid H. Ashrafi, Nasser A. H. Said-Al-Naief

Scanning Microscopy

The subject of this study was whether the ultrastructural changes in cheek epithelium of zinc-deficient rats are time related. Weanling male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a zinc-deficient diet containing 0.4 ppm zinc (ZD) ad libitum and controls were pair-fed zinc adequate diet containing 40 ppm zinc. After 9, 18, and 27 days of zinc deficiency, specimens from cheek epithelium of both groups were processed for transmission electron microscopy. Partial conversion of the orthokeratinized cheek epithelium to parakeratinized was seen as early 9 days. An electron-lucent band surrounding the nucleus was observed in ZD cells. Mitochondria, tonofilaments, keratohyalin granules and …

Immunogold Labeling For The Diagnosis Of Leukemia By Transmission And Scanning Electron Microscopy, Etienne De Harven, Davide Soligo, Hilary Christensen

Scanning Microscopy

For the cell type diagnosis of leukemia in adult patients, particularly when the sampling of bone marrow is difficult, the study of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) by immuno-electron microscopy provides significant information, as illustrated here in two cases of hairy cell leukemia and seven cases tentatively identified as megakaryoblastic leukemia (M7). Indirect immunogold labeling with the B-ly7 monoclonal antibody (CD103) proved valuable in confirming the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia. Immunogold labeling for the GplIIa platelet glycoprotein (CD61) was used in cases where the light microscopy of blood films revealed possible megakaryoblastic leukemia. Under the electron microscope, however, the CD61 …

Alterations In Intestinal Transport Of Oxalate In Disease States, Marguerite Hatch, Robert W. Freel

Scanning Microscopy

Normally, absorption of oxalate from dietary sources can occur in all segments of the intestinal tract. However, alterations in both the magnitude and direction of oxalate fluxes across the intestine can occur in disease states. In enteric hyperoxaluria, enhanced absorption of oxalate by the large intestine is caused by increased permeability of a shunt conductance induced by malabsorbed bile salts and fatty acids. In this condition, the contribution of a paracellular passive flux of oxalate moving along its electrochemical gradient will predominate when intraluminal concentrations of free oxalate are high. In contrast, in chronic renal failure, secretion of oxalate can …

Zeta Potential Measurement And Particle Size Analysis For A Better Understanding Of Urinary Inhibitors Of Calcium Oxalate Crystallization, L. C. Cao, G. Deng, E. R. Boeve, W. C. De Bruijn, R. De Water, C. F. Verkoelen, J. C. Romijn, F. H. Schroder

Scanning Microscopy

To better understand urinary inhibitors of calcium oxalate crystallization, both zeta potential measurement and particle size analysis were chosen to illustrate: (1) the potential therapeutic efficacy of G872, a semi-synthetic sulfated polysaccharide, in stone prevention; and (2) the relative contribution of various urinary fractions {e.g., ultrafiltered urine (UFU), Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP), urinary polyanionsprecipitated with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), urinary macromolecular substances with different concentration ratios (UMSl0,50,90 and UMS'l0,50,90) and THP-free urine (THPFU)} to total urinary inhibitory activity. The results showed: (1) addition of G872 significantly enhances urinary inhibitory activity and negative zeta potential values; (2) re-addition of the CPC to UFU …

Incorporating Depredation Permits Into Integrated Damage Management Plans For Aquaculture Facilities, Philip Mastrangelo, Charles Sloan, Kevin Bruce

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Increasing bird depredation at aquaculture facilities in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi creates economic hardships for many fish farmers. Solutions to bird depredation at these facilities require the development of integrated damage management plans that will reduce damage levels while insuring minimal impacts to bird populations. Damage management plans developed for fish farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Health Plant Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control (ADC) program always include non-lethal control recommendations. If nonlethal control is ineffective or only marginally effective in reducing damage, the management plans may also recommend the issuance of depredation permits by the …

Comparison Of Predation Rates On Wild Turkey Hens Between Two Forest Ecosystems In Mississippi, Michael J. Chamberlain, Darren A. Miller, Bruce D. Leopold, George A. Hurst

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Because of increases in predator populations, concern has arisen about effects on wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations. We examined differences in predation of adult hens between 2 forested areas in Mississippi. Twin Oaks Wildlife Management Area (OAKS), located in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, is a 2,302 ha tract of mature bottomland hardwood forest surrounded on 3 sides by soybean fields. Tallahala Wildlife Management Area (TWMA) is a 14,410 ha mixed forest in central Mississippi and is part of a large, forested ecosystem. Hens were captured, fitted with transmitters, and monitored by telemetry, 1990-1994 on TWMA (n = …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Strain Ma01 Aerobically Metabolizes The Aminodinitrotoluenes Produced By 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene Nitro Group Reduction, Mark A. Alvarez, Christopher Kitts, James L. Botsford, Pat J. Unkefer

Biological Sciences

Many microbes reduce the nitro substituents of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), producing aminodinitrotoluenes (ADNTs). These compounds are recalcitrant to further breakdown and are acutely toxic. In a search for organisms capable of metabolizing ADNTs, a bacterial strain was isolated for the ability to use 2-aminobenzoate (anthranilate) as sole C-source. This isolate, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MAO1, metabolized TNT by first reducing one nitro group to form either 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2ADNT) or 4 -amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene(4ADNT). However, strain MA01 was distinct from other TNT-reducing organisms in that it transformed these compounds into highly polar metabolites through an 02-dependent process. Strain MAOl was able to cometabolize TNT, 2ADNT, and …

Responses To Toxicants Of An Escherichia Coli Strain Carrying A Uspa'::Lux Genetic Fusion And An E. Coli Strain Carrying A Grpe'::Lux Fusion Are Similar, T. K. Van Dyk, D. R. Smulski, T. R. Reed, S. Belkin, Amy Cheng Vollmer, R. A. Larossa

Biology Faculty Works

A transcriptional fusion of the Escherichia coli uspA promoter to luxCDABE was characterized and compared with a heat shock-responsive grpE'::lux fusion. Similarities in range and rank order of inducing conditions were observed; however, the magnitude of induction was typically greater for the grpE'::lux fusion strain.

In Situ Of Interferon On Human Glioma Protein Kinase C-Α And -Β Ultrastructural Localization, Mildred Acevedo-Duncan, John Collins, Ruonana Zhang, Edward M. Haller, Charles E. Chalfant, Denise R. Cooper

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Transmission electron microscopy was used to determine how immunogold labeling of PKC-alpha or -beta is modulated by the antitumor drug IFN (HuIFN alpha-2b) in the cytoplasm, membrane structures, and nucleus of rapidly dividing and confluent human glioma U-373 cells. Results showed that except for nuclear localization, there were no specific cytoplasmic organelles that PKC-alpha or -beta translocated to following HuIFN alpha-2b treatment. Electron micrographs of PKC-beta in proliferating cells depicted 1.34-fold more PKC-beta in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm and a 1-min HuIFN alpha-2b (500 units/ml) treatment transiently increased PKC-beta immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm (1.95-fold) and nucleus (1.97-fold). In …

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.

Use Of Elisa For Determination Of Plasma Prolactin Levels In The House Wren, Given Harper, Sharon Sintich, Michelle Keagle, Ian Welsford

Scholarship

Prolactin concentrations in avian plasma have been traditionally quantified using a radioimmunoassay (RIA) procedure. RIA is useful for such studies due to its sensitivity and specificity (e.g., Follett et al. 1972, Wingfield and Farner 1975, McNeilly et al. 1978, Burke and Papkoff 1980, Schwabl 1993). For example, the heterologous RIA for detecting prolactin in turkeys, developed by McNeilly et al. (1978), recovered 98% of a prolactin standard added to a turkey plasma sample and exhibited less than 0.1% cross reactivity with other plasma hormones. In an homologous RIA developed by Burke and Papkoff (1980), detection limits of approximately 0.42 ± …

Effect Of Hindlimb Unloading On Rat Soleus Fiber Force, Stiffness, And Calcium Sensitivity, Kerry S Mcdonald, Robert H. Fitts

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the time course of change in soleus muscle fiber peak force (N), tension (P_o, kN/m²), elastic modulus (E_o), and force-pCa and stiffness-pCa relationships. After 1, 2, or 3 wk of hindlimb unloading (HU), single fibers were isolated and placed between a motor arm and a transducer, and fiber diameter, peak absolute force, P_o, E_o, and force-pCa and stiffness-pCa relationships were characterized. One week of HU resulted in a significant reduction in fiber diameter (68 +/- 2 vs 57 +/- 1 microns), force …

Scanning Electron Microscopy Of Cyclosporine-Induced Gingival Overgrowth, Shahid H. Ashrafi, Krzysztof Slaski, Kyaw Thu, Eli S. Neiman, Michael P. Cunningham

Scanning Microscopy

Overgrown human gingival specimens were examined histologically and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study structural changes caused by cyclosporine. The biopsy specimens were from organ transplant recipients receiving cyclosporine to suppress the rejection of the transplanted organ. The epithelium of the overgrown gingiva was thickened, acanthotic and parakeratotic. Retepegs were anastomosing and extending into connective tissue. The SEM examination of the outer surface of the attached gingival showed loss of cellular attachments and cells were exfoliating. The normal honeycomb structure formed by interconnecting microvilli surrounding the pits was distorted. Outer gingival cell surface showed numerous round, ovoid and dome-like …

Examination Of Injected Specimens By Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy And Scanning Electron Microscopy, A. Castenholz

Scanning Microscopy

Although corrosion casts commonly examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) offer good insights into the general arrangement of the microvasculature of certain organs, no information can be obtained from such specimens on special morphological data or dynamic events. Thus, most investigators are obliged to make their interpretations of cast structures only on the basis of indirect criteria. A synopsis, which considers the most important data in that respect, is given for the blood and lymphatic microvessels. Moreover, a methodological approach is introduced, based on the application of fluorescent resin, which allows the examination of cast structures in uncorroded specimens together …

Dietary Oxalate And Its Intestinal Absorption, Ross P. Holmes, Harold O. Goodman, Dean G. Assimos

Scanning Microscopy

Dietary oxalate is currently believed to make only a minor contribution (< 20%) to urinary oxalate excretion. A recent prospective study of stone disease suggested that dietary oxalate may be a significant risk factor. This observation led us to re-evaluate the contribution of dietary oxalate to urinary oxalate excretion. Previous studies have been hampered by inaccurate food composition tables for oxalate and inadequate methods for studying intestinal oxalate absorption. This evidence as well as factors that modify oxalate absorption are reviewed. New approaches to measure food oxalate and intestinal oxalate absorption have been examined. Capillary electrophoresis appears to be well suited for the analysis of the oxalate content of food. Two individuals consumed an oxalate-free formula diet for 7 days. This diet decreased urinary oxalate excretion by an average of 67% (18.6 mg per 24 hours) compared to oxalate excretion on self-selected diets. The absence of detectable oxalate in feces by day 6 of the diet suggested that the intestinal absorption was minimal. However, an effect of the formula diet on endogenous oxalate synthesis cannot be excluded. Restoring oxalate to the formula diet increased urinary oxalate excretion and illustrates that this experimental protocol may be well-suited for studying oxalate absorption and factors that modify it. Our results suggest that the intestinal absorption of dietary oxalate makes a substantial contribution to urinary oxalate excretion and that this absorption can be modified by decreasing oxalate intake or increasing the intakes of calcium, magnesium, and fiber.

Elliptical-P Cells In The Avian Perilymphatic Interface Of The Tegmentum Vasculosum, C. D. Fermin, D. H. Lee, D. S. Martin

Scanning Microscopy

Elliptical cells (E-P) are present at the perilymphatic interface lumen (PIL) of the lagena. The E-P cells often separate from the tegmentum vasculosum (TV) and have touching processes that form a monolayer between the K⁺ rich perilymph and the Na⁺ rich endolymph, similar to the mammalian Reissner's membrane. We examined the TV of chicks (Gallus domesticus) and quantitated the expression of anti-S100ααββ and S100β. There was a 30% increase of S100β saturation in the light cells facing the PIL when compared to other TV light cells. We show that: (1) the dimer anti-S100ααββ and …

Scanning Probe Microscope Gigahertz Measurements On 200 Nanometer Wave Guides, C. Böhm, J. Sprengepiel, E. Kubalek

Scanning Microscopy

Scanning probe microscopy is opening new applications in microelectronic engineering due to easy and reliable instrumentation in combination with superior resolution limits without any sample preparation under ambient conditions. Beside the standard topography imaging possible application are static and dynamic surface potential measurements, doping profiling, and scanning thermal applications. In this paper, we report dynamic voltage contrast measurements of analog and digital gigahertz signals on 200 nm wave guides within integrated microelectronic devices and components. The results are obtained by using a time resolved device internal test technique based on a scanning force microscope using the electrostatic force interaction. This …

Penetration Of Positrons In Solid Targets, Maurizio Dapor

Scanning Microscopy

The study of the interaction of positron beams with solid targets has been approached by several investigators, also due to its importance for positron annihilation spectroscopy. This technique allows non-destructive investigations of the structural defects of surfaces and interfaces: in particular information is provided about the nature and distribution of point defects in solid materials. The solution of the diffusion equation, necessary to obtain the fractions of incident positrons annihilated at different depths inside the target, requires the knowledge of the positron stopping profile, i.e., the initial depth distribution of the thermalized positrons. Also transmission of positrons is of great …