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Category Test And Wais Scores: Sex And Age Inter-Relationships, Julia Ann Shelton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study investigated sex and age differences on the WAIS and Category Test in a sample of 218 persons, half male and half female, between the ages of 16 and 39. The sample was composed of well educated diabetics without neurological symptomatology and of above average intelligence.

Three types of statistical analyses were performed. The first of these were factor analyses of structural composition of WAIS and Category tests as influenced by sex. Results suggested that males and females exhibit different patterns of performance. The second analyses were regression analyses to predict Category Test performance from WAIS scores and …

Pre-Natal Learning Needs Perceptions Of Expectant Parents And Childhood Educators, Cynthia Divens Sweeney

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between the unique learning needs of expectant parents and those perceived by childbirth educators. A purposive sample of 40 expectant parents and ten childbirth educators completed the Expectant Parents Learning Needs Tool (EPLNT) and a demographic inventory developed by the researcher. Subjects were classified into five groups based on their status as first-time fathers, repeat fathers, first-time mothers, repeat mothers, and childbirth educators. Data were analyzed using t-tests for independent samples and an ANOVA for group differences. The results showed significant differences in the learning needs between the expectant parents …

Short Term Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Phytoplankton In The Elizabeth River, Robert L. O'Reilly

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to evaluate short-term temporal and spatial components of phytoplankton variability within a tidal estuarine system, in reference to natural changes in the local environment.

Multiple water samples were collected weekly from October to December 1984 at 4 stations in different branches, or sections, of the Elizabeth River. Collection of chlorophyll~ data was structured to fit an analysis of variance, while the phytoplankton species and their environmental relationships were analyzed using multivariate techniques.

Lower chlorophyll a concentrations from 0.75 to 2.87 ug/1 were characteristic of the Main Stem and Southern Branch, while higher values of 1.27 …

Evaluation Of Two Methods For Estimating Belowground Production In The Great Dismal Swamp, Millie Symbula

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Two methods were used to estimate belowground production in a maple-gum stand in the seasonally flooded Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia. The first was an auger method which involved sequential core sampling. The second method was an implanted soil mass technique. Nylon mesh bags were filled with peat and buried at the study site. New growth into these implants was taken to be production.

Mean annual lateral root biomass and necromass to 40 cm, determined from soil cores, were 583 g·m^-2 and 281 g·m^-2, respectively. Production estimates for roots ≤ 5 mm in diameter, using soil cores, …

Short-Term Feedback Regulation Of Camp By Accelerated Degradation In Rat Tissues, Tom W. Gettys, Peter F. Blackmore, J. Bruce Redmon, Stephen J. Beebe, Jackie D. Corbin

Bioelectrics Publications

A recent study showed that cAMP analogs lowered cAMP levels in rat hepatocytes. The present work demonstrates that cAMP analogs also lowered cAMP in a rapid, concentration-dependent manner in heart and fat cells. In order to determine if the cAMP-dependent protein kinase mediated this effect, techniques were developed to assay the protein kinase activity ratio in hepatocytes treated with cAMP analogs. The activation of protein kinase and phosphorylase in hepatocytes by 8-pClΦS-cAMP (where 8-pClΦS- indicates 8-parachlorothiophenyl-) was concentration-dependent and occurred in parallel to proportionate decreases in cAMP. More than 20% of the cAMP binding sites on the protein kinase were …

The Effects Of Task Load On Heart Rate And Heart Rate Variability, Paula Jeanne Guerette

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The relationship between task load and cardiovascular measures was investigated during single- and dual-task performance. The results showed significant reductions in Heart Rate Variability and the Blood pressure component of the Power Spectral Density function during task performance. No significant changes in HR were seen from baseline to task. However, differences in directional responding between subjects seemed to have obscured these effects. When direction of the HR response was disregarded and absolute magnitude of response was analyzed, significant differences from baseline to task were seen. There was no difference in physiological responding from single- to dual-task trials. Future research examining …

Biochemical And Histological Evaluation Of Normal Human Epidermis Vs Cultured Human Epidermis, Ngo Thi Bich Lien

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Cultured human keratinocytes were grown in vitro for transplantation purposes in case of severe burns. Single keratinocytes were harvested from human epidermis and grown in culture flasks such that multilayered sheets of keratinocyte cells were harvestable in approximately three weeks. In order to evaluate cultured epidermis for equivalency with normal human epidermis, biochemical and histological studies were performed. Thin sections of cultured epidermis were shown to be composed of cells that had undergone developmental differentiation, but not terminal differentiation. Biochemical analyses of keratin and prekeratin proteins isolated from cultured epidermis indicated that cultured keratinocytes have electrophoretic patterns similar to keratins/prekeratins …

Validation Of The Otolith Increment Aging Technique For Striped Bass, Morone Saxatilis, Larvae Reared Under Suboptimal Feeding Conditions, Cynthia Jones, Edward B. Brothers

OES Faculty Publications

Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, larvae were reared in the laboratory for 97 days to validate the otolith increment aging technique for this species. Otolith-increment deposition rates were determined under optimal laboratory conditions for growth and under three conditions of restricted feeding and using both light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Under optimal laboratory conditions. increments were deposited daily from the fourth day after hatching through the first 2 months of life and were discernible with the light microscope. For larvae reared under restricted feeding regimes and readings done with the light microscope, counts did not reflect true age. Counts …

Acceleration Of Nutrient Uptake By Phytoplankton In A Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem: A Modeling Analysis, Richard C. Zimmerman, James N. Kremer, Richard C. Dugdale

OES Faculty Publications

Studies of upwelling centers in the eastern Pacific suggest that maximum rates of nitrate uptake (light and nutrient saturated) increase, or shift-up, as newly upwelled water moves downstream. The rate of shift-up appears to be related to irradiance and the ambient concentration of limiting nutrient at the time of upwelling. A mathematical model was developed to evaluate effects of irradiance and initial nitrate concentration on temporal patterns of shift-up and subsequent time scales of nutrient utilization over a range of simulated upwelling conditions. When rates consistent with field studies were used, complete shift-up was possible only under certain conditions, and …

The Identification Of The Threatened Southeastern Shrew Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques, Thomas M. Padgett, Roger K. Everton, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The threatened subspecies of the southeastern shrew, Sorex longirostris fisheri, is endemic to the Great Dismal Swamp of southeastern Virginia. Previous studies based on discriminant analysis of external measurements determined that intergrades with the upland form, Sorex l. longirostris, exist along the periphery of the Swamp. To better discriminate among these populations, a study of cranial morphology was initiated. Fifteen cranial measurements were taken, using 59 specimens of Sorex collected previously form southeastern Virginia, including the Dismal Swamp. Both Principal Component and Cluster Analyses revealed no significant cranial variation or morphometric patterns within the specimens examined, but a …

The Relationship Of Upwelling To Mussel Production In The Rias On The Western Coast Of Spain, Jack O. Blanton, Kenneth R. Tenore, F. Castillejo, Larry P. Atkinson, Franklin B. Schwing, Amy Lavin

CCPO Publications

We have calculated an upwelling index for each month over a 17-year period (1969-1985) for a point off the western coast of Spain. We interpret April through September values of the index to indicate the flux of nitrate-rich water in the Spanish Rias. The index representing the 6-month upwelling series has been correlated with an index representing the conditions of mussels grown during that season on rafts in Ria de Arosa. Two seasons represent extreme upwelling conditions over the 17-year sampling period: 1977 when the upwelling index was the highest, and 1983 when it was the lowest. A comparison of …

Distribution And Current Status Of The Threatened Dismal Swamp Southeastern Shrew, Sorex Longirostris Fisheri, Robert K. Rose, Roger K. Everton, Thomas M. Padgett

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Dismal Swamp southeastern shrew, Sorex longirostris fisheri, was given "Threatened" status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1986 because of its limited distribution and the potential threat of interbreeding with the nearby upland subspecies, Sorex l. longirostris. Known from about 20 specimens collected before 1980 and a few dozen taken since then, "fisheri" seems to have morphologically diverged from the smaller upland "longirostris" in association with the development of the Dismal Swamp. The detection of southeastern shrews that are intermediate in size between the two subspecies, coupled with the location of these collection sites on …

Is Growth Of Eelgrass Nitrogen Limited? A Numerical Simulation Of The Effects Of Light And Nitrogen On The Growth Dynamics Of Zostera Marina, Richard C. Zimmerman, Robert D. Smith, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

A numerical model of nitrogen uptake and growth was developed for the temperate seagrass Zostera marina L. Goals were to evaluate the relative effects of light and nitrogen availability on nitrogen uptake and partitioning between leaf and root tissue, and to estimate nitrogen concentrations in the sedment and water column required to saturate growth. Steady-state predictions are quite robust with respect to a range of parameter values justified by available data The calculations indicated that roots are probably more important in overall nitrogen acquisition in most light and nitrogen environments encountered in situ, but may contribute less than 50 …

Depositional And Diagenetic History Of The Middle Ordovician Carbonates Of The Shenandoah Valley, Northern Virginia, Lynn Ellen Weyenberg

OES Theses and Dissertations

An examination of the Middle Ordovician carbonates in northwest Virginia has revealed a particularly sensitive record of deposition and subsidence. Two-hundred acetate peels from six measured stratigraphic sections in Shenandoah County, Virginia were examined to interpret the depositional and diagenetic history. Two major lithofacies have been recognized within the New Market Limestone and three have been recognized in the Lincolnshire Formation. These five lithofacies represent an overall transgressive sequence. This transgression was not uniform but paused several times to allow carbonate deposition to reach sea-level. These shoaling events suggest a slowly subsiding basin in this region. The carbonate rocks within …

Microsurgical Fertilization Of Mammalian Eggs: An Assessment Of Clinical Utilization, Susan E. Lanzendorf

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Microsurgical fertilization is the technique in which a spermatozoon or sperm nucleus is injected into the cytoplasm of an egg. To establish a foundation for the use of microsurgical fertilization as a means of treating infertility, this study evaluated the procedure in hamster and human eggs. Hamster sperm nuclei were microinjected into hamster eggs to determine the rate of abnormal fertilization and to ultrastructurally assess cellular damage by transmission electron microscopy. Hamster eggs were also injected with human spermatozoa obtained from fertile and infertile men to evaluate the fertilizing potential of the sperm cells. In addition, human eggs donated by …

Mesoscale Hydrographic Variability In The Vicinity Of Points Conception And Arguello During April May 1983: The Opus 1983 Experiment, Larry P. Atkinson, Kenneth H. Brink, Russ E. Davis, Burton H. Jones, Theresa Paluszkiewicz, David W. Stuart

CCPO Publications

In April and May 1983, interdisciplinary oceanographic observations were made of upwelling events in the Point Conception area off southern California. The principal objective was to observe the structure and time dependence of the upwelling system. To accomplish this, two ships, two aircraft, moorings, drogues, and satellite imagery were all included in the observational effort. During the intensive measurement period three main upwelling events and two intervening relaxation or downwelling intervals were sampled during what was a period of overall longer-term sea surface warming. Surface temperatures during upwelling were as low as 10.5°C in the upwelling center between Point Arguello …

Speech Anxiety As A Self-Handicapping Strategy, Gerald Macon Travis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study tested the hypothesis that trait speech-anxious females use reports of speech anxiety symptoms and self-statements reflecting speech anxiety as a self-handicapping strategy to preserve their self-esteem when confronted with an evaluative threat situation. Forty-eight college females, classified into high and low speech anxiety groups on the basis of their responses to the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS; Paul, 1966), served as subjects, It was predicted that trait speech-anxious subjects would report more speech anxiety symptoms and self-statements reflecting speech anxiety in an evaluative setting in which speech anxiety could serve as an explanation for …

The Effect Of Pre-Sterile Medium Ph Photoperiod And N6-(2-Isopentenyl)-Adenine (2ip) On Shoot Production During Stage Ii Micropropagation Of Rhododendrons, Lori Longo Smith

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The number of shoots produced during a six week subculture of two Rhododendron sp., cultivars Rocket and Gibraltar was the same for both 16 and 24 hour photoperiods under cool white fluorescent lights, whereas significantly fewer shoots were produced under a 10 hour photoperiod for ‘Rocket.' Increasing concentrations of N₆- (2-isopentenyl)- adenine (2iP) from 0 to 32 μMin Anderson's medium resulted in proportional increases in shoot number. When shoots were cultured in the presence of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 2iP, shoot multiplication was increased significantly over shoots cultured with 2iF alone. No interaction affecting shoot multiplication was …

The Synthesis And Evaluation Of The Cardiovascular Activity Of Novel Imidazole Ring Systems, Joseph E. De Los Angeles

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

An investigation was undertaken to synthesize and evaluate the cardiovascular activity of two imidazole ring systems. Imidazoles with hypotensive activity would provide novel potential antihypertensive drugs. These novel structures may also find use as chemical probes in the study of the cardiovascular system and as prototypes for other potential cardiovascular agents.

The histamine derivative, 7,7-dipyridyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroimidazo-[4,5-c]pyridine (ligand l), was demonstrated to possess significant hypotensive activity in laboratory rats. A 15 mg/Kg dose of ligand 1 produces a statistically significant decrease in blood pressure when injected IP. This hypotensive effect is also associated with marked increase in heart rate. Although compound 1 …

The Pollen Exostructure Of Striga (Scrophulariaceae), Mark A. Deleonardis

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

In this survey, the pollen exostructure of 13 Striga species was examined using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Two of the 13 species were also observed by transmission electron microscopy to assess major differences in exine composition. Striga pollen is consistently spherical to oblate, isopolar, tectate, and three or four colpate. Sculpturing may be psilate, psilate-perforate, finely rugulate, or coarsely rugulate. The equatorial width of the species surveyed ranged from 15 to 30 micrometers. It is concluded that variation in Striga pollen sculpturing, aperture structure, and size support the current taxonomy of the genus.

Experimental Fine-Structure Branching Ratios For Na-Rare-Gas Optical Collisions, Mark D. Havey, F. T. Delahanty, Linda L. Vahala, Gary E. Copeland

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental ratios for branching into the fine-structure levels of the Na 3p multiplet, as a consequence of an optical collision with He, Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe, are reported. The process studied is Na(3s²S_1/2)+R+nhNNa(3^p2P_j)+R+(n-1)_hN, where R represents a rare-gas atom and where the laser frequency N is tuned in the wings of the Na resonance transitions. The branching ratios are defined as I(D1)/I(D2) where I(D1) and I(D2) are measured intensities of the atomic Na D1 and D2 lines. The ratios are determined for detunings ranging from about 650 …

Benthic Foraminifera And Paleoenvironments Of The Arcola Limestone Member Mooreville Formation (Campanian) In Eastern Mississippi And Western Alabama, Julia K. Palmer

OES Theses and Dissertations

Eighty-one species of benthic foraminifera have been recovered from chalky marls of the upper Mooreville Formation including the Arcola Limestone Member, and the basal Demopolis Formation located in five sections in east-central Mississippi and west-central Alabama. These species have been described and seventy-nine illustrated. Analysis of the environmental or depth preferences of abundant species together with planktonic percentages and benthic species diversity, indicates that the chalky marls were deposited in a broad shallow shelf sea (subtidal conditions less than 100m) greatly influenced by open ocean conditions. The benthic assemblage is composed of a mixture of typically neritic and bathyal species …

Effects Of Air Polishing And Rubber Cup Polishing On Enamel Abrasion, April Kee

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

An investigation was conducted to determine if statistically significant differences in enamel abrasion occurred when molar specimens were air polished (AP) and rubber cup polished (RCP). Thirty human molars were randomly divided into two groups. Molar buccal surfaces were masked longitudinally to provide control surfaces. Each polishing technique was applied for two minutes and thirty seconds on fifteen exposed enamel surfaces. Buccal enamel surfaces were divided into coronal and cervical sections for microscopic review. Six enamel thickness measurements were determined for each coronal and cervical enamel section using the scanning electron microscope. Measurements of AP and RCP coronal and cervical …

An Experimental And Analytical Investigation Of Incompressible Fluid Flow Through A Distensible Tube System, Steven C. Wells

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An analysis was made of pressure and flow in a novel elastic tube system which has been used to theorize certain aspects of renal hemodynamic cs. Validation of the theory could alter the treatment of certain heart and kidney disorders. In an attempt to better understand a system flow anomaly under steady driving head conditions, experiments were performed, and a mathematical model was developed. The development of the model incorporated a set of nonlinear differential and algebraic equations. Using a finite-difference analysis as the method for obtaining a numerical solution, various pressures and flows were obtained. Results for the steady-state …

The Effect Of Grinding On The Sorption Capacity Of Activated Carbon, John Garrett Dempsey

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The current procedure employed to design full scale activated carbon contacting systems is presented in detail and followed by a review of the more important process controls and operating parameters. Inherent limitations of the design procedure are identified, with the need to be able to accurately predict carbon sorption capacity from bench scale analysis determined to be the most important. Some of the more recent models developed to predict activated carbon sorption capacity were analyzed leading to the realization that even the most sophisticated dynamic models were based upon sorption capacities determined from classical isotherm procedures. The validity of the …

Determination Of Human Sperm Cell Acrosin Activity From Normal And Subfertile Men, Dilrowshan H. Haque

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Acrosin is an acrosomal enzyme which is reported to be involved in sperm penetration through cumulus, zona, and ooplasma. This enzyme has been reported to be significantly lower in sperm of infertile men compared to sperm of fertile men. The acrosin assay which has been developed can be used for studies in patients with suspected infertility and may be used on a fraction of most semen specimens being evaluated in a clinical andrology laboratory.

Within-run precision studies yielded coefficients of variation of 11% for a low-activity pool and 9% for normalactivity pool specimens. Between-run precision studies using a single donor …

Environmental Factors Affecting Nocturnal Migrations Of Macrobenthos, C. Timothy Morris

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Nocturnally dispersing macrobenthic invertebrates of the Lafayette River, Norfolk, Virginia were collected from September 4 to October 4, 1982 to determine environmental factors affecting migrations. A total of 55 taxa were identified from 325 surface and bottom nocturnal plankton tows. Peracaridan crustaceans were the dominant (99.0% of the total density) group collected. Six of the commonly collected species showed a significant (P

A Histological Investigation Of The Larval Mandibular Organ In The Mud Crab Rhithropanopeus Harrisii (Gould) (Crustacea Decapoda Xanthidae), Lore Lynn Hantske

OES Theses and Dissertations

Mandibular organs of the mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould) were histologically located and followed throughout the larval cycle to determine their role in metamorphosis. Specimens from each day of the four larval stages and the megalopa stage were embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 8 μm, stained and observed under the microscope for the mandibular organs. The organs were located in the mandibular area of second, third and fourth stage larvae. The organs were probably present in the first stage zoeae and in the megalopa stage, although the

techniques of the study were not sensitive enough to observe them. The …

Mössbauer Spectroscopic Studies Of Hemoglobin And Its Isolated Subunits, G. R. Hoy, D. C. Cook, R. L. Berger, F. K. Friedman

Physics Faculty Publications

Samples of 90% enriched ⁵⁷Fe hemoglobin and its isolated subunits have been prepared. Mössbauer spectroscopic measurements have been made on three such samples. Sample one contained contributions of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and carbonmonoxyhemoglobin. This sample was studied from a temperature of 90 K down to 230 mK. Measurements were also made at 4.2 K using a small applied magnetic field of 1.0 T. In general, the measured quadrupole splittings and isomer shifts for each component agreed with previous measurements on single component samples in the literature, and thus demonstrated that chemically enriched hemoglobin has not been altered. The second and …

The Effects Of Luteinizing Hormone And Adenosine 3',5'-Cyclic Monophosphate On Phospholipid Metabolism By Luteal Mitochondria, Jim John Sadighian

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Luteinizing hormone (LH) increases intracellular concentrations of adenosine 3', 5 '-cyclic monophosphate and the phosphoinositides, phosphatidylinositol (PI), PI 4'-phosphate (PIP) and PI 4' .5 1 - bispbosphate (PIP₂). It is believed that cAMP and the phosphoinositides act concertedly to regulate mitochondrial conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone. This study examined the effects of LH and N⁶ ,O² -dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) on phospholipids metabolism by luteal mitochondria and the influence of dbcAMP and the phosphoinosi tides on mitochondrial steroid production. Mitochondria were isolated from unincubated and incubated luteal tissue by differential centrifugation. Phospholipids were extracted from the mitochondria …