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The Analysis And Use Of Methodologies For The Study Of The Diets Of Long-Eared Owls From Three Environments In North Central Oregon, John M. Barss

Dissertations and Theses

Part I of this study presents a procedure for standardization of pellet analysis methodologies which improves estimation of prey biomass and determines the number of pellets needed to estimate prey diversity indices. The procedure was developed to provide a simple, easily replicated methodology for the study of pellets which also retains maximal data recorded from pellet analysis. A sample size of ten Long-eared Owl pellets was found adequate to calculate diversity indices with no significant loss of accuracy when compared to total pellets recovered from beneath a roosting site. Analysis of the total sample of pellets from a specific roost …

The Role Of Copper In The Apparent Aluminum Toxicity Of Aquatic Systems, Kirk Thomas O'Reilly

Dissertations and Theses

The effect of variations in aluminum and copper concentrations on the growth rate and enzyme activity of the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda was investigated. The goal was to determine which chemical species control the biological parameters. The computer program MINEQL (Westal et al 1976) was used to estimate chemical speciation. In the prevalence of both metals, algal growth rate and alkaline phosphatase activity could be correlated to cupric ion activity. The activity of isolated bacterial alkaline phosphatase was found to be a function of both total copper concentration and cupric ion activity. A model was developed to predicted the effects …

Partial Purification And Characterization Of F₄₂₀-Dependent Nadp Reductase From Methanobrevibacter Smithii Strain De1, Scott D. Sheridan

Dissertations and Theses

The F₄₂₀-dependent NADP reductase of Methanobrevibacter smithii has been partially purified employing a combination of affinity chromatography with Blue Sepharose (Cl-6B) and molecular sieve chromatography with Sephacryl S-200, The enzyme, which requires reduced F₄₂₀ as an electron donor, has been purified over 145 fold with a recovery of 6%. A molecular weight of 120,00 for the native enzyme was determined by Sephacryl S-200 chromatography. A subunit molecular weight of 28,200 was determined by SDS-PAGE, indicating that the native enzyme is a tetramer. The optimal temperature for enzymatic activity was found to be 45°C, with a pH optimum …

Notes On Maternal Behavior And Post-Brooding Aggression In The Prairie Skink, Eumeces Septentrionalis, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

Observations of three female prairie skinks (E. septentrionalis) obtained in Omaha, NE, in 1983, including nest building, oviposition, incubation, defensive behavior, grooming of hatchlings, neonatal care, and post-brooding aggression.

Dna Synthesis, Methylation And Degradation During Conjugation In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Gail Singer Harrison, Kathleen M. Karrer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

We have investigated the timing of DNA synthesis, methylation and degradation during macronuclear development in the ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila. DNA synthesis was first detected in the anlagen early in macronuclear development, but the majority of DNA synthesis occurred later, after pair separation. Anlagen DNA was first detectably methylated at GATC sites 3–5 hours after its synthesis. Once initiated, de novo methylation was rapid and complete, occurring between 13.5 and 15 hours of conjugation. The level of methylation of GATC sites was constant throughout the remainder of conjugation, and was similar to that in mock-conjugated cells. Degradation of DNA in …

Aspects Of Mitochondrial Oxidative Metabolism, Leslie Kushner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The effects of metabolic intermediates and coenzymes on the activities of fatty acyl-CoA synthetase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) in rat heart mitochondria were studied. ADP and palmitoyl-l-carnitine were weak inhibitors of fatty acyl-CoA synthetase. CPT A was inhibited 59.3% by 100 (mu)M succinyl-CoA. However, succinate thiokinase activity in rat heart cytosol was too low to maintain a succinyl-CoA concentration sufficient to affect the activity of CPT A. There was no indication that fatty acid oxidation in rat heart mitochondria is controlled via the regulation of either CPT A or fatty acyl-CoA synthetase.

The dependence of the oxidation of unsaturated fatty …

Microbial Manganese Reduction By Enrichment Cultures From Coastal Marine Sediments, David J. Burdige, Kenneth H. Nealson

OES Faculty Publications

Manganese reduction was catalyzed by enrichment cultures of anaerobic bacteria obtained from coastal marine sediments. In the absence of oxygen, these enrichment cultures reduced manganates when grown on either lactate, succinate, or acetate in both sulfate-free and sulfate-containing artificial seawaters. Sodium azide as well as oxygen completely inhibited microbial manganese reduction by these enrichment cultures, whereas molybdate had no effect on them. The addition of nitrate to the medium slightly decreased the rate of Mn²⁺ production by these enrichment cultures. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the manganese-reducing organisms in these enrichment cultures use manganates as terminal …

Brood Reduction In Chihuahuan Ravens: An Experimental Study, Joe Haydock

Biology ETDs

Hypotheses concerning the adaptive significance of asynchronous hatching in relation to brood reduction were tested using experimental manipulations of brood of Chihuahuan Ravens (Corvus cryptoleucus) in southeastern New Mexico in 1981 and 1982. Additionally, in 1978 and 1979, breeding success was monitored at the study site. Several types of experimental manipulations, including the following, were performed on newly hatched nestlings: (1) The largest nestling in a nest was transferred to another nest were it was approximately equal in weight to the smallest nestling (runt) in that nest. (2) The smallest nestling of a nest was transferred to another nest where …

X-Ray Microanalysis In Cryosections Of Natively Frozen Paramecium Caudatum With Regard To Ion Distribution In Ciliates, M. Schmitz, R. Meyer, K. Zierold

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Cells of Paramecium caudatum were shock-frozen without pretreatment for cryoultramicrotomy and freeze-dried for subsequent X-ray microanalysis. Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K, and Ca were detected in different amounts in several subcellular compartments. In particular, calcium was localized below the cell surface (pellicle). Trichocysts were found to contain significant amounts of Na in their base but not in the tip. Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K, Ca were found in electron dense deposits within the lumen of the contractile vacuole. A small K concentration was found in the cytoplasm and in the mitochondria. X-ray microanalysis of the element distribution in …

Scanning Electron Microscopy In Retinal Research, Bessie Borwein

Scanning Electron Microscopy

The literature on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pertaining to the retina has been surveyed and described.

The first two papers on SEM and retina appeared in 1969. Most of the earlier studies concentrated on descriptions [by SEM alone, or with light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)] of the appearance of various retinae and retinal cells [fish, newt, primates, rodents and rabbits, bullfrog]; or embryology of the chick retina. Two papers dealt with retinal disease. In all there were 25 papers in SEM/retinal research before and in 1974. Since 1975 there have been 111 papers which have used SEM …

A Rapid Technique For Counting Cracks In Rocks, W. B. Durham, J. M. Beiriger, H. C. Weed

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an image analyzer, we have developed a technique for counting and measuring cracks in rocks which is more efficient than traditional techniques in which an operator performs all image analysis functions. The key aspect of the technique is that black-on-white tracings of fresh cracks, which can be made rather rapidly by an operator, are measured and digitized by an image analyzer. The most time-consuming step in the process has now become the generation of SEM micrographs and pertinent chemical (mineralogical) information, not the quantification of crack structure. The technique has been applied to …

Animals In Testing: How The Cpi Is Handling A Hot Issue, Anonymous

Popular Press Items

No abstract provided.

Linkage Data Excluding A Locus For Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2 Syndromes From The Distal Part Of The Short Arm Of Chromosome 11, Kenneth K. Kidd, Susan D. Kruger, Daniela S. Gerhard, Judith R. Kidd, David Housman, Joseph M. Gertner

Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal

A study designed to identify the location of a gene for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN-2) is being performed using a single large family segregating for MEN-2A. Here we report our initial results using a set of DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms spanning a 40 cM segment of the short arm of human chromosome 11. The locus for MEN-2 in this family is excluded from this entire region which includes an oncogene, c-Ha-ras-1, two hormone loci, insulin and parathyroid, and the five hemoglobin genes in the beta hemoglobin gene duster. This is the first exclusion of such a large …

Surface Roughness Contribution To The Auger Electron Emission, D. Wehbi, C. Roques-Carmes

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Scanning Auger Microscopy (SAM) experiments have shown that z height and θ slope relative to the analysed spot are parameters that contribute to the measured Auger intensity I(z, θ). For greater analysed areas specific to Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), the knowledge of height and slope statistical distributions P(z) and P(θ) is required. These functions have been determined by means of profilometric data. The spatial resolution of the used tactile profilometer is similar to that which characterizes AES. A mathematical relationship I { P(z), P(θ) } has been set up for Si samples whose roughness is well defined. On the other …

Impact Of Screening On Prognosis In The Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2 Syndromes: Natural History And Treatment Results In 105 Patients, Margareta Telenius-Berg, Bertel Berg, Bertil Hamberger, Sten Tibblin, Lars-Erik Tisell, Lars Ysander, Gunnar Welander

Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal

We evaluated the effects of screening for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN-2A) in 12 families. Genealogical studies going back to 1730 show a common ancestry for seven Swedish families and one American family. The total number of patients included 105 individuals, 68 of whom were diagnosed by our screening program. Our screening methods for medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC) had an optimal sensitivity and specificity. The frequency of gene carriers detected in MEN-2A families was 55%. Screening will lead to early diagnosis and early therapy, which in turn, will significantly decrease morbidity, incidence of surgical complications, and mortality …

Research Vistas In The Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Syndromes, John J. Mulvihill

Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal

Progress in understanding the single gene, cytogenetic, and multifactorial traits that predispose to human cancer suggests possible new directions for research in the multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes. Among the other 200 or so monogenic disorders associated with human neoplasia, advances have come from further delineation of syndromes by various clinical specialists, the recognition of subtypes of syndromes previously thought to be homogeneous, the search for in vitro manifestations of the mutant gene in fibroblasts, and the establishment of cell, tissue and patient registries and of voluntary lay organizations to serve as advocates for the disease. With regard to cytogenetics, …

Ard News December 1984

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
PRODUCTION RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE
JOINT COUNTY PRIORITIES
WATER RESOURCES CENTER PROPOSALS
NEW FACULTY APPOINTMENTS
BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS REPORT
PART-TIME CSRS APPOINTMENTS
OFFICIAL IANR LOGO
PROGRESS ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT
STEPS TO STAGNATION
AMERICAN AGRICULTURE
RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS RECEIVED NOVEMBER 1984
CANCER AND SMOKING DISEASE RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT OF FY 1915-15 REQUESTS FOR APPLICATION
NEW PROJECT

Vegetation Patterns In Relation To Topography And Edaphic Variation Nebraska Sandhills Prairie, P. W. Barnes, A. T. Harrison, S. P. Heinisch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Detailed studies on soil texture and moisture retention indicate a close association between edaphic features and the distribution and composition of plant communities along topographic gradients at Arapaho Prairie, a typical, semi-arid Nebraska Sandhills prairie. The vegetation characteristics of three major habitat types (ridge, slope, and valley) and several minor subtypes (swale, stable ridge, and eroding ridge) are recognized and quantitatively described. Texture analysis indicates that the soils of dune slopes and ridges are largely azonal and are very coarse with substantially lower fine fractions (silt-clay ~ 13-15%) than soils of the more lowland swale and valley sites where surfact …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 16, No. 4. December 1984

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VEGETATION PATTERNS IN RELATION TO TOPOGRAPHY AND EDAPHIC VARIATIONS IN NEBRASKA SAND HILLS PRAIRIE ▪ P. W. Barnes, A. T. Harrison and S. P. Heinisch

GREAT BLUE HERON NESTING BIOLOGY ON THE JAMES RIVER IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ E. M. Dowd and L. D. Flake

OVENBIRDS AT THE PERIPHERY OF THEIR RANGE IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. B. Hopkins

BREEDING BIRD COMMUNITY COLONIZATION OF SOWN STANDS OF NATIVE GRASSES IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ K. F. Higgins, T. W. Arnold and R. …

The Molecular Basis Of Polypeptide Hormone Production By Medullary Thyroid Cancer, C. J. M. Lips, P. H. Steenbergh, J. W. M. Höppener, J. Zandberg, H. S. Jansz

Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal

Using recombinant DNA techniques, we analyzed the structure of human calcitonin (CT)-encoding DNA. The sequence of nucleotides derived from the messenger RNA (mRNA) predict the amino acid sequence of the entire human CT precursor protein. The complete CT gene could be isolated from a DNA library of the human genome. The CT precursor encoding sequences (exons) as well as the noncoding intervening sequences (introns) could be identified. Another sequence, called human calcitonin gene-related peptide (hCCRP), could be located near this CT-encoding DNA. A genomic fragment encoding hCCRP was used as a probe to detect and isolate the corresponding mRNA in …

Resource Partitioning In Seven Species Of Sympatric Intertidal Chitons (Mollusca: Polyplacophora), Richard D. Piercy

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Space (intertidal height and location/exposure on the rock surface), and food {gut contents) were partitioned among 7 species of sympatric intertidal chitons: Mopaliidae - Mopalia hindsii, M. ciliata, ~· lignosa, M. muscosa, and Katharina tunicata; and Ischnochitonidae - Tonicella lineata and Cyanoplax dentiens. Species distribution relative to intertidal height (-0.3m to +0.9m) showed significant differences. M. hindsii, ~· ciliata, M. lignosa, and T. lineata preferred slopes or undersides of rocks while ~· muscosa, K. tunicata, and c. dentiens occurred on the top horizontal surfaces or in more exposed habitats. Chitons differed significantly in their associations with Lithothamnion, macrophytic algae, Ulva, …

Characterization Of Kpni Interspersed, Repetitive Dna Sequence Families And Their Association With The Nuclear Matrix, Joseph A. Chimera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The KpnI, 1.2 and 1.5 kb families of interspersed repetitive DNAs from the African green monkey genome were isolated and characterized. Each family contains three populations of segments based on their sequence lengths and susceptibility to cleavage by the restriction enzymes KpnI and RsaI. The first population contains the smallest segments which are susceptible to both KpnI and RsaI cleavage and have fragment lengths of 1.2 kb (1.2 kb family) and 1.5 kb (1.5 kb family) respectively. The members in this population are referred to as KpnI-sensitive segments. The second population contains longer segments (> 2 kb) which represent fusions …

Benthic Diatom Community Dynamics In The Colorado River: Interactive Effects Of Periodic Dessication And Current Regime, Christopher Gerard Peterson

Publications (WR)

The response to periodic desiccation of periphyton communities developed in eddy environments or in areas exposed to variable, direct current was examined. Algal communities were incubated on clay tiles for between 2 and 12 weeks in the Colorado River, directly below Hoover Dam from October, 1983 - January, 1984. Mean daily discharge from the dam decreased over this period. To assess the influence of these discharge changes on community dynamics, samples collected over the first 12 weeks of the investigation were compared to samples of the same age collected over the final 8 weeks.

The small diatom taxon Achnahthes spp …

A Quantitative Study Of The Distinctive Proteins Of The Eosinophil: A Comparison Of Normals And Eosinophilic Patients, James M. Olson

Honors Theses

Eosinophils have long been associated with parasitic and allergic diseases. Methods of procurement and purification of eosinophils in the last ten years have allowed intensive investigation into their components, properties, functions, and mechanisms (Gleich et al, 1982). The goals of this project are to separate eosinophils in blood samples taken from patients with eosinophilia and from normals based on density over distontinuous Metrizamide gradients; to determine quantitatively the levels of the three distinctive proteins of the eosinophil, specifically MBP, EDN, and ECP; and to compare the levels of these proteins found in eosinophils of patients with eosinophilia to the amounts …

Soil Physical Characteristics Of Reduced Tillage In A Wheat-Fallow System, L. N. Mielke, Wallace Wilhelm, K. A. Richards, C.R. Fenster

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Soil physical characteristics of reduced tillage for fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were compared for two soils in western Nebraska. The soil physical environment influences the amount of water that enters soil, the availability of water for plants, and the microenvironment important to soil biological processes. Fallow tillage (plow, subtill, no till) did not affect bulk density in Alliance silt loam (fine silty, mixed mesic, Aridic Argiustolls). For Duroc loam (fine silty, mixed mesic Pachic Haplustolls), in which native sod was compared to the above three wheat-fallow tillage methods, numerous effects on soil physical properties were found. Reduced tillage reduced …

Temperature-Dependent Model For Sorghum Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) Spring Emergence, Frederick P. Baxendale, G. L. Teetes, P. J. H. Sharpe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A temperature-dependent, two-component model, based on constant-temperature development data, was formulated which described the emergence of overwintered sorghum midges, Contarinia sorghicola (Coquillett) in the field. The first model component used a poikilotherm rate equation to predict emergence rates as a function of temperature. The second component distributed emerging adults over normalized time using a temperature- independent cumulative Weibull distribution. When coupled, components formed a temperature-dependent simulation model which described the spring emergence of overwintered midges from 1979 to 1982. The model tended to predict emergence before it actually occurred in the field. This discrepancy was corrected by incorporating a 1.27-cm …

Temperature-Dependent Model For Development Of Nondiapausing Sorghum Midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Frederick P. Baxendale, G. L. Teetes, P. J. H. Sharpe, H. Wu

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Constant-temperature development data were used to construct a temperature- dependent, two-component model for the development of nondiapausing sorghum midges, Contarinia sorghicola (Coquillett), from egg to adult emergence. When constant temperatures were between 20 and 36°C, nondiapausing midges completed development and emerged as adults. Development times decreased as temperature increased. Above 34°C, however, development times increased and numbers of emerged adults declined. A coupled poikilotherm rate equation and cumulative Weibull distribution provided accurate descriptions of the developmental data. Model simulations compared favorably with observed emergence of adult midges from johnsongrass and sorghum in the field throughout the season.

The Role Of The Salivary Glands In Uptake Of Fluoride In Teeth And Bone, Robin E. Vance

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The cariostatic capability of fluoride is generally recognized, in addition, it may also have a beneficial effect on bone. Fluoride is thought to exercise its cariostasis through a local effect on teeth, however, the possibility exists that fluoride exerts its action through a systemic mechanism. Fluoride uptake by rat teeth and its effectiveness as a cariostatic substance was studied in parotidectomized, submaxillariectomized, and totally sialoadenectomized animals (both parotid and submaxillary glands removed). The uptake of fluoride in bone was also quantitated for comparison purposes.

Rats were injected daily with 15 micromoles of fluoride dissolved in 0.1 ml saline. The rats …

Autoradiography Of Photomembrane In Hemigrapsus Nudus, Carol Fulenwider

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Protein synthesis was studied in the visual cells of Hemigrapsus nudus by light microscope autoradiography. Two hours before sunset, crabs were injected with a single dose of tritiated leucine and sacrificed at time intervals coincident with dynamic retinal changes observed in electron microscope (EM) studies of related Arthropods (Blest, 1978 and Stowe, 1980).

Two separate experiments were performed to examine time periods in the renewal process. Some periods in each experiment were overlapped to develop more accurate decay curves. Experiment I followed time regimes of 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 6.0 hours after sunset. Autoradiographs of retinula cells …

Sputtered Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry As A New Quantitative Method For In-Depth Analysis, G. Blaise

Scanning Electron Microscopy

The Sputtered Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry method (STIMS) consists of collecting a part of the matter sputtered from a solid by ion bombardment into a heated cell where it is reduced into atoms. A thermal ionization process or an electron impact process taking place in the cell yields ions which are extracted and mass analyzed. The composition of the solid is determined from ion intensities after calibration of ionization coefficients. It has been demonstrated that the method has an absolute quantitative character. Applications to elemental quantitative analysis (identification of new compounds in diffusion couples, dust particle analysis) and in-depth analysis …