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Three-Dimensional Cytoskeletal Structures Of The Chinchilla Organ Of Corti: Scanning Electron Microscopy Application Of The Polyethylene Glycol Method, A. Nagasawa, R. V. Harrison, R. J. Mount, Y. Harada

Scanning Microscopy

We describe the application of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) embedding technique to examine the sensory and supporting structures of the inner ear. The chinchilla organ of Corti was exposed by cracking PEG embedded cochleas. A range of PEG molecular weights (2000-8000) were utilized; PEG 2000, with a melting point of 57°C was preferred. After removal of the PEG, the three-dimensional aspects of intracellular structures were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Filamentous elements in the hair cell cuticular plate and in the supporting cells were clearly observed, as was the mesh work of cross-linked actin filaments in the cuticular portion of …

Record Of Decision Utah Power & Light/American Barrel Site Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Environmental Protection Agency

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This decision document presents the selected remedial action for the Utah Power & Light American Barrel Site in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was chosen in accordance with the requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended by Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), and, to the extent practicable, the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This decision is based on the administrative record for this site. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality concurs with the remedy selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Immunological Pathogenesis Of Endolymphatic Hydrops And Its Relation To Meniere's Disease, S. Tomiyama, T. Yagi, M. Sakagami, K. Fukazawa

Scanning Microscopy

This study was designed to investigate an immunologically induced endolymphatic hydrops (ELH) and to focus on the issue of its pathogenesis in relation to Meniere's disease. The time course of ELH was evaluated by light microscopy in a 2-hour to 7-month period following direct antigen challenge to the endolymphatic sac (ELS) in systemically pre-sensitized guinea pigs. ELH began to appear in the vestibule and the basal turn 5-7 hours after inner ear challenge and developed gradually. During the interval from the second day to the first week, ELH rapidly developed in all the cochlear turns and reached a maximum size. …

Scanning Electron Microscopy Of Age-Related Changes In The C57bl/6j Mouse Cochlea, Kunihiro Mizuta, Osamu Nozawa, Hirofumi Morita, Tomoyuki Hoshino

Scanning Microscopy

Hair cells and nerve fibers inside the organ of Corti of the C57BL/6J mouse, which is known as the precocious presbycusis model, were studied using the scanning electron microscope. For this study, we used thick serial sections cut from celloidin blocks.

In the 5-week-old mice, hair cell loss was not seen. The upper tunnel radial fibers crossed the upper part of the tunnel of Corti and entered the Nuel's space between the outer pillar cells. The fibers varied in diameter and showed many varicosities. The basilar fibers emerged into the tunnel of Corti beneath the upper tunnel radial fibers …

Sample Preparation Techniques For Conventional And High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy Of The Central Nervous System. The Cerebellum As A Model, Orlando J. Castejon

Scanning Microscopy

In the present paper some basic sample preparation techniques for scanning electron microscopy of nervous tissue are described. These basic preparative methods include conventional scanning electron microscopy or slicing technique, ethanol-cryofracturing technique, freeze-fracture method using either liquid nitrogen (slow freezing) or Freon 22 cooled by liquid nitrogen (fast freezing), improved freeze-fracture method with delicate specimen preparation and chromium coating, ultrasonic microdissection, and "creative tearing" technique. Some basic principles, advantages and limitations are critically considered. In addition, some specific applications in neurobiological research are reported. Emphasis is placed upon understanding the sources and nature of artifacts that are likely to be …

A Review Of New Concepts In Renal Stone Research, L. C. Cao, E. R. Boevé, W. C. De Bruijn, W. G. Robertson, F. H. Schröder

Scanning Microscopy

Clinical and basic research in the field of urolithiasis has developed rapidly in recent years. Progress in extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) has brought about a revolution in the surgical treatment of urolithiasis and research at the cellular and molecular level is now expanding. In spite of these advances, however, clinical treatment of urolithiasis remains far from satisfactory. Stone recurrence in many patients cannot be predicted and is beyond control of urologists mainly because the mechanisms of stone formation are still not fully understood. It is necessary to study the process of stone formation more intensely …

Specimen Preparation And Chamber For Confocal Microscopy Of The Ex Vivo Eye, Barry R. Masters

Scanning Microscopy

A chamber is described for maintaining the mechanical and physiological stability of the ex vivo eye during observation with confocal microscopy. The mechanical stability is provided by a plastic ring situated on the limbal region of the eye. The ring and supporting chamber are designed to reduce mechanical motion of the specimen. The ring and chamber size vary with the species and size of the eye under examination. The physiological stability over a period of approximately one hour is provided by immersing the eye in a bicarbonate Ringer's solution that is exchanged every five minutes. This fluid exchange is made …

Utah State University Commencement, 1993 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

100th Annual Commencement of Utah State University

Proceedings Of The Fourth Western Black Bear Workshop, United States Department Of The Interior, National Park Service

Wildlife Conservation and Management

The status of black bears in North America ranges from pest to threatened. The species appears relatively secure throughout most parts of its range except the southeastern coastal plain; in this region a number of disjunct populations exist on primarily publicly owned lands. Concern over the status of Ursus americanus luteolus led to a petition to list this subspecies under the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act is arguably the most important wildlife legislation in recent years. However, applying this valuable, but young, untested, and evolving legislation to the black bear subspecies is judged unwarranted and premature because of …

Protein Inhibitors Of Calcium Salt Crystal Growth In Saliva, Bile And Pancreatic Juice, J. M. Verdier, B. Dussol, Y. Berland, J. C. Dagorn

Scanning Microscopy

The control of the formation of crystals in biological fluids is one of the most exciting field of research involving both organic and biochemical areas. Many organisms have evolved mechanisms which minimize or avoid the effects of nucleation and crystal growth formation. One of the most important mechanism is the interaction of specific proteins, called inhibitors, with crystals which alters their habits and leads to their elimination. This article, focused on saliva, pancreatic juice and bile, reviews our present knowledge on the structure-function relationships existing between these proteins and their ability to inhibit the growth of different calcium salt crystals.

Absence Of A Transcellular Oxalate Transport Mechanism In Llc-Pk1 And Mdck Cells Cultured On Porous Supports, C. F. Verkoelen, J. C. Romijn, W. C. De Bruijn, E. R. Boevé, L. C. Cao, F. H. Schröder

Scanning Microscopy

Transepithelial oxalate transport across polarized monolayers of LLC-PK₁ cells, grown on collagen-coated microporous membranes in Transwell culture chambers, was studied in double-label experiments using [¹⁴C]-oxalate together with [³H]-D-mannitol as an extracellular marker. The [¹⁴C]-labeled glucose analog α-methyl-glucoside (α-MG) was used as functional marker for active proximal tubular sugar transport. Cellular uptake of oxalate and α-MG at both the apical and basolateral plasma membrane was determined. When added to the upper compartment, α-MG was actively taken up at the apical membrane, directed through the cells to the basolateral membrane and transported to the lower …

Comparative Aspects Of Splenic Microcirculatory Pathways In Mammals: The Region Bordering The White Pulp, E. E. Schmidt, I. C. Macdonald, A. C. Groom

Scanning Microscopy

Splenic microcorrosion casts prepared using minimal volumes of material show that most of the flow passes through the region bordering the white pulp. However, the nature of these microcirculatory pathways has received little attention. We have studied these in dog, cat, rat, mouse, and normal versus diseased human spleens. In all 5 species, a marginal sinus (MS) of anastomosing vascular spaces 5-10 μm thick lies between the white pulp and marginal zone (MZ). The morphology differs between species and the MS is absent in immune thrombocytopenia. The MS fills by circumferential flow before blood passes outward to the MZ. Many …

Casting With Mercox-Methylmethacrylic Acid Mixtures Causes Plastic Sheets On Elastic Arteries. A Scanning And Transmission Electron Microscopic Study, Seyedhossein Aharinejad, Peter Böck

Scanning Microscopy

Lungs and systemic vessels of rats were cast with Mercox, both undiluted and diluted with monomeric methylmethycrylate (MMA; v:v/4:1), and studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A sheet, less than 5 μm thick, surrounded the surface of cast pulmonary arteries and the aorta, when using diluted Mercox. This envelope was absent when casts were prepared with undiluted Mercox. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of unmacerated cast arteries showed all constituents of the vascular wall. Sections of thoroughly macerated vascular casts, however, still showed elastic lamellae in the vascular wall region, whereas muscular components and endothelial lining were completely digested. It is …

The Syringomycins: Finding Their Role In Nature, Jon Takemoto

Faculty Honor Lectures

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

Insights, Spring, 1993, Utah State University

Discovery Magazine

Bi-annual alumni newsletter for the College of Science of Utah State University in Logan.

The Lethal And Sublethal Effects Of Carbaryl Bran Bait On A Representative Pollinator Of Rare Plants, The Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Hegachile Rotundata F.), And Potential Effects On The Reproduction Of The Endangered Plant, Pediocactus Sileri Benson, Matthew Peach

Biology

Reproduction by entomophilous, endangered plant species may be threatened by insecticide applications if these applications are shown to have detrimental effects on pollinators. Pediocactus sileri Benson is one endangered plant that may be affected by carbaryl bran bait (2% A.I.) applications currently being considered for use on the rangelands of the Arizona Strip. This study was conducted to determine the potential effects of carbaryl bran bait applications on the pollination of P. sileri. In an experiment designed to reduce pollinator visits by 2/3 to 4/5, P. sileri was not shown to be pollinator limited. Therefore, reductions in P. sileri …

Molecular Cloning And Developmental Expression Of Sq1, A Camp Inducible Gene Of Dictyostelium Discoideum, Parvin Boulurani

Biology

This thesis reports the molecular cloning, sequence analysis, and developmental expression of a novel Dictyostelium discoideum gene, SQ1. The SQ1 gene was isolated as a set of overlapping cDNA and genomic clones. The longest of these is a 1.5 kb genomic DNA that contains the entire 3, portion of the coding region, and a cDNA that extends the available sequence 0.7 kb 5' of the genomic DNA. The SQ1 mRNA is 2.7 kb and the available cloned sequence is 2239 nucleotides. By assuming a 3, untranslated region of 100 nucleotides, approximately 400 nucleotides of transcribed sequence remain uncloned. The complete …

Molecular Phylogeny And Conformational And Serotypic Neutralization Epitopes Of United States Bluetongue Viruses, Guang-Yuh Hwang

Biology

Despite antigenically distinct serotype-specific neutralization, sequence analyses indicated that four of the five United States bluetongue viruses (serotypes 10, 11, 13, and 17) originated from a single, common gene pool. Bluetongue virus 2 belongs to a second distinct gene pool. These genetic distinctions are reflections of the geographic distribution of bluetongue viruses in North America. This study also focused on the neutralization epitopes of serotype 13, the strain endemic in the western United States. Oligoclonal antibodies against MAP-constructed synthetic peptides and polyclonal antibodies against denatured viral proteins failed to exhibit neutralizing activities. However, monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against inactivated purified …

The Reproductive Biologies Of Two Rare Species Of Astragalus (Fabaceae), A. Montii Welsh And A. Humillimus Gray Ex Brandegee, Susan M. Geer

Biology

Astragalus montii and A. humillimus are rare species that are isolated geographically as the result of growing on mountain tops or mesa tops. The breeding systems and pollinators of these two species were examined, as well as the effects of seasonality and water additions on fruit set of A. humillimus. The breeding system of A. montii was described and compared to that of two widespread sympatric congeners, A. miser and A. kentrophyta. Percent open-pollinated fruit set for A. montii was about as high as one congener and twice as high as the other. Only A. montii was autogamous. …

The Use Of Exclosures To Assess Granivore Impacts: Harvester Ants And Rodents In The Sagebrush-Steppe, Craig J. Anderson

Biology

Herbivory has been shown to be an important component in influencing vegetation composition and structure. Granivory, a particular form of herbivory, has long been of interest to ecologists. Granivore impact may depend on community type. Comparisons of granivore taxa are few in perennial shrub communities. Several experiments were conducted to assess the influences of rodents and western harvester ants on the soil seed bank in sagebrush-steppe. Rodent and/or ant exclosures were established during July 1990, at 1.3 m (at the edge of the cleared disks maintained by harvester ants) and at 6 m (in the region beyond which obvious vegetation …

The Effects Of Protocalliphora (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Parasites On Nestling Growth, Immune Status, Mortality, And Post-Fledging Success In Marsh Wrens, Yvonne Warren

Biology

I investigated the effects of ectoparasitism by hematophagous larvae of the blow flies Protocalliphora interrupta Whitworth and Protocalliphora (Trypocalliphora) braueri (Hendel) on nestling marsh wrens (Cistothorus palustris) over two years in northern Utah, USA. Despite random nest fumigations with synthetic pyrethrin, approximately 91 percent of wren nests contained P. interrupta and 1.2 percent contained P. braueri. Nestling mass, tarsus length, and hematocrit measured prior to fledging did not differ significantly with P. interrupta parasite load: No relationship was seen between parasite load and percent of young starved or percent of young with bacterial infections. In …

Immunomodulatory Role Of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor, Sy-Jye Christine Leu

Biology

Relationships between neuroendocrine and immune systems prompted this study of the immunomodulatory role of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a peptide hormone of the neuroendocrine system. This research investigated the effect of CRF on the in vitro synthesis of interleukins (interleukin-1[IL-1], interleukin-2 [IL-2] and interleukin-6 [IL-6)), natural killer (NK) cell activity, antibody production, and cAMP accumulation in immunocytes. CRF (l0^-9 M) induced bioactive cytokines like IL-1, IL-2, and IL-6 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) from healthy subjects. Two structurally related peptides (TyrCRF and α-helical-CRF_9-41) also elicited 16- to 21-fold stimulation of IL-6. CRF stimulated purified monocytes, but not …

A Philosophical Investigation Of Sexual Jealousy And Jealousy In Shakespeare's Othello, Cymbeline, And The Winter's Tale, Greg P. Miner

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many poets, social scientists, and philosophers have tried to understand, explain, and define jealousy. The methods employed in their pursuits are as varied as the different conclusions they have given. Three of the difficulties involved in the pursuit of jealousy are: the complex nature of jealousy, the significant role jealousy plays in interpersonal relationships, and the labyrinth encountered when trying to distinguish between jealousy and envy. The most common questions asked about jealousy are: What is jealousy? and, How can jealousy be helped? This paper will focus on the question: What is jealousy? Specifically, the following questions will be answered. …

Fat Content Of American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) And Sharp-Shinned Hawks (Accipiter Striatus) Estimated By Total Body Electrical Conductivity, Shari M. Harden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) is a noninvasive method for the estimation of lean mass in live subjects. Lipid content can be calculated from the body mass measured and the lean mass estimated from TOBEC. I used live American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) to study the accuracy of this method. TOBEC measurements were compared to actual body content determined by Soxhlet fat extraction using petroleum ether as the solvent. TOBEC estimated 73.7% of the variation in lean mass in a sample of 21 kestrels. The use of restraining devices (Vetrap and cardboard cylinders) altered the TOBEC measurement but only …

Competitive Interaction Between Crested Wheatgrasses And Cheatgrass, Mark G. Francis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current revegetation practices in the lntermountain West include the use of Nordan (Agropyron desertorum) and Hycrest (A. cristatum x desertorum) crested wheatgrass on rangeland susceptible to cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion, although little quantitative data exists that compares their competitive abilities. We evaluated both the competitive ability of Hycrest and Nordan in two-species mixtures with cheatgrass, and evaluated seedling establishment characteristics for all three species in a greenhouse study. Linear and nonlinear models were developed for a range of densities for each species to predict median above-ground biomass and tiller numbers. In both experiments, increasing …

The Cache Valley Shoshones: Cultural Change, Subsistence, And Resistance, To 1870, John W. Heaton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the xii Shoshones of Cache Valley evolved from scattered pedestrian hunter-gatherers to large, armed, mounted bands that hunted and gathered from the Great Basin to the Plains. Trade with European Americans helped initiate this evolution. However, Shoshones did not respond passively to the presence of European Americans. Shoshones actively sought change, and incorporated trade goods into their culture within a Shoshone context. They adapted to each wave of European Americans that they encountered. When Mormons dispossessed them of their land, Cache Valley Shoshones resisted by going on the offensive. Finally overwhelmed, the remnants of …

Gregarious Behavior In Large Mammals: Modeling, Methodology, And Application, Thomas L. Morton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gregarious behavior of ungulates was considered in four ways. The first concern was W. D. Hamilton's hypothesis that a simple movement rule could reduce predation risk and encourage grouping behavior. Simulations showed little effect of this nearest-neighbor rule on predation risk. Similar, more complicated rules reduced predation risk by up to two thirds.

The second focus was on the accuracy of ground observers in diagramming individual animal locations in small herds of elk. A remotely controlled airplane was used to photograph the herds from above. A substantial distance discrepancy was found between "true" and "observed" animal locations. This discrepancy increased …

Effects Of Rumen-Protected Amino Acids On Production In Holstein Cows, David Paul Dawson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Six nonlactating Holstein cows fitted with rumen and duodenal cannula were used to determine the efficacy of pH sensitive fatty acid polymer encapsulation as a means protecting amino acids from rumen fermentation and as a post-ruminal amino acid delivery system. The cows were arranged in a 2 X 2 factorial in a Latin Square design. Treatments were 1) the basal ration, and 2) basal ration plus rumen-protected lysine, methionine, and threonine at 10 g each per day.

Rumen parameters measured were pH, ammonia, volatile fatty acids, protozoa, liquid, and dry matter rate of passage, total viable bacteria, and viable cellulolytic …

Resource Partitioning Among Brown Bears At Brooks River In Katmai National Park And Preserve, Alaska, Tamara L. Olson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A quantitative study of the behavior of brown bears (Ursus arctos) was undertaken in areas of different human activity at Brooks River in Katmai National Park and Preserve, 1988-1990. The research was conducted to determine whether the activity of any particular classes of bears using the river were differentially affected by human activity, activity of conspecifics, or availability of salmon. Approximately 1643 hours of systematic observation were recorded, 781 between June 26 and July 29 and 862 hours between August 26 and October 12 of all three years. Comparisons of fish capture rates by bears and distributions of …

Influence Of The Ruminant Digestive Process On The Germinability Of Range Forage Species, Mohammed S. Al-Mashikhi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ingestion and dispersal of seeds of desirable species by domestic livestock is potentially important as a range improvement practice, but the passage of seed by livestock has only been studied in a fragmented way, particularly for species adapted to rangelands of western North America. The objectives of this research were to examine the effects of different periods of exposure to in vitro and in vivo digestion processes in cattle on the germinability of several grass species, and determine if the in vitro incubation technique is a good predictor of seed fate following passage through the ruminant digestive tract.

Seeds of …