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Quantitative Analyses Of Microwear And Honing On The Sloping Crest Of The P3 In Female Japanese Monkeys (Macaca Fuscata), Teruyuki Hojo

Scanning Microscopy

Female wild Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata), as with all male cercopithecoids, use the mesiobuccal surfaces or the elongated crests of the mandibular third premolars (P3s), as cutting blocks that wear against edges of maxillary canines during threat manifestation or food-eating. In other words, the crests of their P3s are honed with the maxillary canines. The crests become sloped during growth and more heavily striated with the advance of age. The number, directions, lengths, and widths of these striations have been analyzed quantitatively using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two samples showed two distinct types of parallel striations, one longer and thicker …

Pre-Embedding Staining Of Single Muscle Fibers For Light And Electron Microscopy Studies Of Subcellular Organization, Evelyn Ralston, Thorkil Ploug

Scanning Microscopy

Skeletal muscle fibers are large, multinucleated cells which pose a challenge to the morphologist. In the course of studies of the distribution of the glucose transporter GLUT4, in muscle, we have compared different preparative procedures, for both light (LM) and electron microscopy (EM) immunocytochemistry. Here we show that pre-embedding staining of single teased fibers, or of single enzymatically dissociated fibers, has several advantages over the use of sections for observing discrete patterns that extend over long distances in the cells. We report on an optimization study carried out to establish fixation and permeabilization conditions for EM immunogold labeling of the …

Generation Of High Efficiency Ssdna Hybridization Probes By Linear Polymerase Chain Reaction (Lpcr), Gregory W. Konat

Scanning Microscopy

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodology can be employed to produce DNA hybridization probes. The major advantages of this paradigm over other techniques include superior specific activity of the probes, the versatility of sequence selection, the ability to produce short probes, and the simplicity of the procedure. We have further improved the efficiency of PCR probes by generating single stranded (ssDNA) probes that do not reanneal with themselves in solution, and hence, their availability for the interaction with the complementary sequences of the target is profoundly increased. Protocols for ³²P-dCTP labeled and digoxigenin-dUTP labeled probes have been elaborated to …

Microhardness And Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis Of Nd:Yag Laser And Acid Treatment Effects In Dentin, J. M. White, G. L. Adams

Scanning Microscopy

Laser irradiation at and above parameters producing the modification threshold for dentin causes structural changes to the dentin surface. This study determined the microhardness of dentin before and after laser modification and acid treatment using a repeated-measures de-sign. Seven dentin sections (4 mm in thickness) were cut from freshly extracted non-carious third molars using a diamond saw. The middle occlusal third was used as the test dentin surface. One section served as a control (C); three received laser modification (L) and then acid treatment (L + A); and three received acid (A) and then laser treatment (A + L). Laser …

Preparation Of Plasmid Dna In Transfection Complexes For Fluorescence And Electron Spectroscopic Imaging, Marek Malecki

Scanning Microscopy

The aim of this project was to develop procedures necessary to study mechanisms of receptor mediated gene transfer by means of integrated microscopy.

Plasmid DNA was incorporated into a transfection complex consisting of poly(L)lysine and transferrin to which the nuclear localization signal was conjugated. This complex was presented to cultured glioma cells. Preparation of the transfected DNA for imaging was pursued by two methods. In the first method tetramethylrhodamine, nanogold, and ferritin were linked through streptavidin to the biotinylated plasmid DNA. Trafficking of the fluorescent derivatives was studied in living cells with fluorescence microscopy. Then, selected cells were rapidly cryo-immobilized. …

Raman Monitoring Of Environmental Contaiminants In A Space Habitat, David G. Smith, Dwayne Westenskow, Douglas A. Christensen, Robert E. Benner

Utah Space Grant Consortium

NASA needs sensors to accurately monitor the water and atmospheric quality in its space habitat. Concerns for health and safety necessitate the development of sensors to measure common atmospheric gas concentrations, as well as trace contaminants (low ppm or ppb), including both combustible and non-combustible gases. The University of Utah is developing an enhanced Raman monitoring system to detect airborne contaminants at levels of less than 5 ppm. We have collected laboratory data to benchmark current laser Raman technology for gas analysis which provides a reference for future developments. Minimum detection measurements were obtained for the RASCAL™ and RASCAL II …

X-Ray Microscopy: Preparations For Studies Of Frozen Hydrated Specimens, A. Osanna, C. Jacobsen, A. Kalinovsky, J. Kirz, J. Maser, S. Wang

Scanning Microscopy

X-ray microscopes provide higher resolution than visible light microscopes. Wet, biological materials with a water thickness of up to about 10 μm can be imaged with good contrast using soft X-rays with wavelengths between the oxygen and carbon absorption edges (at 24 and 43 Å). The Stony Brook group has developed and operates a scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM) at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The microscope is used for imaging with a current resolution of 50 nm, and for elemental and chemical state mapping.

Radiation damage imposes a significant limitation upon high resolution X-ray …

Regional Standards For Rangeland Health And Guidelines For Livestock Grazing Management ... A Progress Report

Range Management

In August 1995, new BLM regulations for rangeland administration went into effect. The new regulations require BLM to establish regional standards for rangeland health and guidelines for grazing management. This publication is a report on the alternatives being considered for the Montana/Dakotas Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines process.

Atomic Force Microscopy Of Dna, Nucleoproteins And Cellular Complexes: The Use Of Functionalized Substrates, Yuri L. Lyubchenko, Robert E. Blankenship, Alexander A. Gall, S. M. Lindsay, Ottavio Thiemann, Larry Simpson, Luda S. Shlyakhtenko

Scanning Microscopy

Progress towards rapid and simple characterization of biomolecular samples by scanning probe microscopy is impeded mainly by limitations of the current approach to sample preparation. We are working on approaches based on chemical functionalization of mica. Treatment of mica with aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES) makes the surface positively charged (AP-mica) and able to hold DNA in place for imaging, even in water. We have shown that AP-mica is an appropriate substrate for numerous nucleoprotein complexes as well. The AFM images of the complex of DNA with RecA protein are stable and indicate a structural periodicity for this filament. AP-mica holds strongly …

Insights, Spring, 1996, Utah State University

Discovery Magazine

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

Reproductive Ecology, Population Genetics, And Clonal Distribution Of The Narrow Endemic: Mirabilis Macfarlanei (Nyctaginaceae), Jennifer L. Barnes

Biology

I examined the reproductive biology and population genetics of the narrow endemic, Mirabilis macfarlanei (Nyctaginaceae) Constance and Rollins, from the Snake and Salmon Rivers in Idaho and Oregon. The results of this study provide further evidence for the proposed effects of rarity on plant reproductive systems and population genetics. Breeding system results indicated that M. macfarlanei is self-compatible, but requires a pollen vector for fertilization. Seed set was not pollen limited, but may be resource limited during others. The major floral visitors were long-tongued bees such as Anthophora spp. and Bombus spp., unlike other species of Mirabilis, which are …

The Indirect Effects Of Large-Scale Insecticide Spraying On Populations Of Echinacea Angustifolia Dc (Asteraceae) In The North Dakota Badlands, Heidi Kristine Leuszler

Biology

Broad-spectrum insecticide spraying for the control of grasshoppers may have a detrimental effect of native pollinators of western rangelands. Many rangeland plants depend upon such pollinators for successful reproduction. Pollinators also transfer genes between plants via pollen, and pollinator movement between plants is related to pollinator density; thus insecticide application may alter gene movements in a plant population. This study uses a common forb, Echinacea angustifolia, to examine the potential negative effects of insecticide application on gene movements. I first determined the breeding system of E. angustifolia and specifically whether an insect vector is required for reproduction. Flowers set …

Managed Care, Medicaid & The Elderly, An Overview Of Five State Case Studies, Robert L. Mollica, Trish Riley, Ltc Resource Center, University Of Minnesota

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

This publication contains a series of five state case studies of Medicaid managed care programs enrolling elderly care programs enrolling elderly Medicaid recipients. The case studies were prepared by University of Minnesota National Long Term Care Resource Center's two partners: the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) in Portland, Maine and the Institute for Health Services Research, School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These case studies have been conducted under the leadership of Trish Riley and Robert Mollica at NASHP.

The project was undertaken to examine the experience of elders in managed care, …

Clp-C3a, A New Cyclic Lipodepsipeptide From Pseudomonas Syringae, Kwang-Hee Kim

Biology

Cyclic lipodepsipeptides (CLPs), a new class of antifungal agents, are produced by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. To find novel CLP members, bacterial fluorescent isolates from different plant sources were screened for CLP biosynthetic genes syrB and syrD using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot analyses. A positive isolate, strain C3, isolated from a cherry tree was virulent on immature cherry fruits, possessed the hypersensitivity/pathogenicity gene, hrpZ, and was grown in supplemented potato broth. Purification of a CLP from strain C3 was performed by acetone extraction, XAD-2 column chromatography, and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC …

Effects Of Insecticide Spraying For Grasshoppers On The Reproductive Success Of Three Prairie Plant Species In Western North Dakota, Suzanne Digiacomo

Biology

Grasshopper control is often accomplished through application of broad-spectrum insecticides that may also affect many non-target arthropods. To assess whether these insecticides reduce pollinator numbers and hence plant reproductive success, three forb species were examined. Potentilla fruticosa and Calylophus serrulatus were sampled before, immediately after, and approximately one week after spraying. The seed number for both species declined marginally but significantly immediately after spraying. The average weight per achene was significantly lower in spray sites for Potentilla fruticosa, but no significant interaction of time by spray was found for either species. Also, for two germination characters there was no …

Influence Of Soil On Bioremediation Potential Of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, Brian J. Tucker

Biology

Successful bioremediation in soils using Phanerochaete chrysosporium is determined by many soil factors. Several biotic and abiotic soil factors inhibited P. chrysosporium in the mineralization of pyrene when compared to a non-soil system. Inhibition of pyrene mineralization was also observed with layers of sterilized silt and clay but not sand. Two clays, bentonite and kaolinite, differentially sorbed and decreased the mineralization of pyrene. Four artificial sterile, nonorganic soils, made with different proportions of sand, silt, and clay, inhibited pyrene mineralization by P. chrysosporium. Both purified humic acid and manganese oxide significantly reduced the mineralization potential of P. chrysosporium. …

Reference Levels Of Plasma Cholinesterase Activity From Autumn Migrant Sharp-Shinned (Accipiter Striatus) And Cooper's (Accipiter Cooperii) Hawks, Daniel H. Kim

Biology

Detecting exposure to anticholinergic pesticides involves measuring levels of cholinesterase (ChE) activity. There are few published values for plasma ChE activity from wild avian species, yet reference levels of ChE activity are vital for nonlethal bioassays to determine exposure to carbamate or organophosphate pesticides. I used plasma samples from 102 sharp-shinned hawks (Accipiter striatus) and 45 Cooper's hawks (A. cooperii) captured during autumn migration to establish reference levels of cholinesterase activity. I evaluated the use of a spectrophotometer (SPEC) and 96-well optical microplate reader (MPR) for determining plasma cholinesterase activity from migrating hawks. The SPEC was …

Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa: The Patients' Perspective, Benita J. Quackenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating-disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. To date, little research has been conducted that might provide clinicians with an understanding of the critical factors that may aid clients' recovery. Such factors may be used by clinicians to better motivate clients to collaborate in treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the critical factors that women with eating disorders believed were crucial in prompting or facilitating their recovery. Identification of these factors was accomplished through a systematic content analysis of semistructured interviews with recovered or recovering bulimics and anorexics. …

Second Growth Forest As Potential Marten Habitat In Western Newfoundland: An Examination Of Forest Habitat Structure And Microtine Abundance, Brian R. Sturtevant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The American marten (Martes americana) is associated with large tracts of relatively undisturbed, mature coniferous forests. I examined coarse woody debris (CWD) structure and small mammal abundance with respect to forest age and stem structure within second-growth forests, in comparison with old-growth stands in western Newfoundland. Results suggest that a critical change in marten habitat quality may occur at stand senescence, due to decreased tree competition, more complex subcanopy structure, and increased meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) abundance.

Analysis of stem structure within a chronosequence of 19 second-growth stands indicated high intertree competition, with dense canopy closure …

Toward A Balanced Strategy To Address Contaminated Groundwater Plumes At The Massachusetts Military Reservation, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This document contains the findings and recommendations of the Technical Review and Evaluation Team (TRET) for the plume containment project at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). The findings and recommendations are in response to the 60 Percent Plume Containment Design, submitted by Operational Technologies (OpTech) in January 1996. In short, the TRET recommends the MMR depart substantially from the strategy of simultaneous, 100 percent containment and treatment that was assigned to OpTech for design in accordance with the Record of Decision (ROD) for Interim Action. This strategy guided the course of the plume containment project over the past two years

The Effect Of A Nutrition And Fitness Program On The Dietary Habits, Fitness Level, And Health Status Of Ute Indian Youth, Alison K. Lemon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lifestyle changes from traditional diet and activities to modem diets high in fat and sugar, and sedentary habits have increased inherited health risk for diabetes and obesity among Native American youth. Nutrition education and physical activity programs have been recommended to help reduce health-risk factors. This study evaluated a summer nutrition education and fitness program for effectiveness in improving the dietary habits, nutrition knowledge, fitness level, and health status of American Indian children ages 9-14 living on or near the Uintah-Ouray Reservation in Uintah and Duchesne Counties of Eastern Utah.

A 6-week nutrition and fitness program was conducted through the …

The Relationships Of Parental Marital Status, Quality Of Family Interaction And Gender To Adolescent Tobacco, Alcohol, And Marijuana Use, Stephen K. Hunsaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use of adolescents was examined to see if any differences existed in the marital status of the adolescent's parents, the quality of family interaction for the adolescent, and the gender of the adolescent. Marital status was defined as intact families where adolescents were living with both biological parents, and nonintact families where adolescents had parents who were single, divorced, widowed, never married, and remarried. Data were from a survey that examined youth issues of 500 adolescents from a rural Utah county. It was hypothesized that marital type and quality of family interaction (family kindness, family …

Infant Physical Attractiveness, Affect, Temperament, And Gender In Relation To Tester Behavior, Andrea D. Hart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Easily observable infant characteristics have been shown to influence others; perceptions of infant competence. This study examined the relation between infant characteristics and a tester's willingness to repeat opportunities for the infant to pass items during administration of a cognitive test. Results showed that infant physical attractiveness was related to lower elicited infant performance (the ratio of items initially failed). Positive affect was related to higher test scores. Because first impressions are likely to contribute to future relationships, it may be important to educate adults who interact with infants about the effects of stereotyping infants based on first impressions.

Perceived Children's Characteristics And Other Factors Relating To Parents' Psychological Well-Being In Midlife, Catherine D. Stogner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research examined child-parent relationships from the perspective of the psychological well-being of parents during midlife and while launching children. A subsample of 1,253 parents from the National Survey of Families and Households was studied using variables from both waves (1988 and 1993) of longitudinal data. Fathers and mothers were analyzed separately for depression and self-satisfaction at the second wave (1993) in relation to their< perceptions of child, adjustment and child-parent relationships in 1988, and parents' employment and their marital status in 1993.

Analyses showed that fathers' depression scores in 1 g93 were significantly related to fathers' perceptions of child adjustment (total and positive), and fathers' age, marital, and employment status. Mothers' depression scores were associated with their …

Adolescents' Recollection Of Early Physical Contact: Implications For Attachment And Intimacy, Mark D. Oleson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three hundred seventy-six college students responded to a measure designed to examine retrospective accounts of the physical affection received during early childhood. The study looked exclusively from the perspective of the adolescent. Assessing the importance of touch in human development, and the role it plays in adult attachment and the ability to form and maintain close and intimate relations with others was the purpose of the study.

Six separate measures were used to assess the role of touch in adolescent development: three items from Gupta and Schork to assess physical affection (touch); Simpson's attachment style measure; Gerlsma, Arrindell, Van der …

Site Suitability Analysis For An Intermountain Solid Waste Facility: A Study For Cache County, Utah, Joseph B. Campo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of this project was to analyze Cache County for potential sanitary landfill sites covering the period 2020 to 2120. The county population and per capita solid waste were estimated. The minimum landfill size was then calculated.

A geographic information system (GIS) was used for data storage and vii analysis. Relevant data were gathered. Areas which would not support a landfill were eliminated. Remaining sites were rated as having slight, moderate, or severe restrictions for use as an area method sanitary landfill based on the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Sanitary Facility Report, and the NRCS Soil Interpretations Rating …

At The New Yorker, Therese Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The following essays and letters grew from a notebook I kept while interning at The New Yorker last summer. Each night, in my room at the boardinghouse on 36th Street, I recorded the decorations of the day, like the conversation I had with a prominent writer in the lunchroom, or the sight of a startled shorebird on the front of the office building.

Small Business Advising Highpoint Roofing, Llc., Angie Newman Hull

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Highpoint Roofing is a new sub-contracting business that specializes in roofing new homes and re-roofing older homes. During the short time they have been in business there has been evident success. The owners would like to continue the success of the company and plan to do so through improving their financial status, being aware of market fluctuations, cutting-costs, expanding, and creating and following a budget.

Effects Of Copper On Oxidative Stress And Growth Of Pseudomonas Putida, Tiffany Marshall

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Oxygen is an essential compound in all aerobic systems; however, it can also take part in toxic reactions involving active oxygen species (AOS) and transition metals. Most of the time, antioxidant enzymes act as defense mechanisms and keep the production of AOS to a minimum. However, if the defense mechanisms are not adequate, damage may occur and possibly lead to the breakdown of biomolecules such as DNA, lipids, and proteins that are vital to both simple and complex organisms. Oxidative damage could also be a contributing factor to many human pathological conditions including, aging, atherosclerosis, carcinogenesis, diabetes mellitus, lung cancer, …

The Effect Of Peer Counseling Training And Experience On Peer Counselors, Holly Day Mcfarland

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study was designed to measure improvement in communication skills of 11 peer counselors after training. The instrument utilized was the Interpersonal Communication Inventory which was given in a pretest-treatment-posttest format. The treatment consisted of a three month intensive training program which emphasized improving communication skills in the areas of listening, empathy and understanding. The results indicated that the peer counselors improved their communication skills dramatically. The mean on the pretest was 83.82, while the mean after the treatment was 100.09.