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Waste Oil Biodegradation And Changes In Microbial Populations In An Arid Soil, Susan Ollett Mcdonald

Biology

The biological degradation of waste oil in an arid soil was studied at the 16 ha EPA oil disposal site near Ogden Bay Wildlife Refuge, Utah. Upon addition of oil and fertilizer (N, P) amendments, the hydrocarbon and lipolytic utilizing microbial populations increased to 108g-1 soil. Decreases in numbers of these populations correlated with the decrease in amount of residual oil in the soil. Changes in actinomycetes, carbohydrate utilizers, fungi, and anaerobic bacterial populations were not significantly correlated with oil degradation. Increases in species known to be hydrocarbon utilizers (Corynebacterium, Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Acinetobacter, Flavobacterium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus) were noted upon …

The Immediate Effects Of Root Pruning On Plant Water Relations Of Helianthus Annuus L., George Murchie Briggs

Biology

This study investigated the effects of root pruning in plant water potential, leaf conductivity and transpiration. Roots of four-week-old Helianthus annuus L., grown either in soil or solution, were pruned 25, 50 or 75% and the plants observed for several days following pruning. The taproots of the plants had been removed at the age of one week. This resulted in a root system of more or less equal members. Pruning was performed on selected laterals where they attached to the taproot stub. Observations on root distribution within the soil indicated that the roots had a relatively uniform distribution both before …

Isozyme Variation Among Geographic Populations Of The Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa Decemlineata (Say), James Western Jacobson

Biology

This study was conducted to estimate the arrount of genetic variability present in geographic populations of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)(Coleoptera:Chrysomelidae), and to estimate the degree of genetic divergence between these populations. Enzyme products of 11 genetic loci (Acid Phosphatase, Esterase-1, Esterase-2, Fumarase, Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase, Glutamate Oxalo-acetate Transaminase, α-Glycerophosphate Dehydrogenase, Isocitrate Dehydrogenase, Malic Dehydrogenase, Malic Enzyme, Superoxide Dismutase) were examined by starch gel electrophoresis for 11 geographic populations from the United States, Mexico, and Europe. The average heterozygosity of L. decemlineata was found to be 0. 201+ 0.043 with an average proportion of polymorphic loci of 0.516+0.078. The …

Studies To Further Evaluate Reoviruses As An Indicator Of Enteric Virus Pollution, Dennis Jack Adams

Biology

A protamine sulfate precipitation procedure capable of concentrating IV/PIV reovirus and rotavirus particles from large volumes of diverse waters was developed. This procedure can be used effectively with rapid immunofluorescent cell assay techniques. Protamine precipitation of both reovirus and rotavirus particles recovered 88 to 100 percent of the viruses added to water, 79 to 100 percent from secondary sewage effluent without suspended solids, 79 to 95 percent from secondary effluent with suspended solids and 82 to 100 percent from raw sewage. Twenty-two precipitations of naturally occuring reovirus particles recovered an average of 5.0 x 104/l from raw sewage. This study …

Protoheme Formation In Barley In Response To Light And 5-Aminolevulinic Acid, Ibraheem M. Ameen

Biology

In vivo 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was found to accumulate in the highest concentration during induced-greening by light flashes, in 8- to 9-day-old etiolated barley leaves, 4.5 and 9.0 hrs after light induction. Maximal concentrations of ALA were accumulated using 75 to 100 mM levulinic acid (LA), a competitive inhibitor of ALA-dehydratase. Only small quantities of ALA were detected in LA-treated tissues incubated in the dark. Protoheme concentrations increased significantly following two flashes of light, 9.0 and 24 hrs after light induction. Similar increases in protoheme were observed after 24 hrs of continuous light compared to no increase in dark controls. …

Characterization Of Bacteriophage For Selected Halobacterium Including Species Isolated From The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Tim J. Leslie

Biology

Twelve strains of Halobacterium halobium from the national Research Council of Canada (NRC) and three extreme halophiles isolated from the Great Salt Lake were used as hosts in an attempt to obtain bacteriophages from the lake. We were successful with 7 NRC hosts and two of the lake hosts for a total of 8 (one was later lost) bacteriophages. All eight have proven to be DNA phages. As determined from melting point the GC ratios fell into three distinct groups: a low 48-51 group, an intermediate 54 group, a high 62-65 group, and a group of 3 phages with no …

Electron Microscopic Observation Of The Development Of A Bovine Rotavirus In Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney Cells, Corey H. Mjaatvedt

Biology

The purpose of this study was to describe some of the ultrastructural events which occur in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells infected with bovine rotavirus. Several observations were made in this study which have not been previously reported. First, distension of the rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae was observed to occur before the entry of virus particles. Second, an increase in ribosome-like particles in the cytoplasm was seen to occur. Third, bundles of microfilaments were often seen near the nuclear envelope, mitochondria, and the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Fourth, two different densities of viroplasm were observed. Fifth, progeny virus particles were observed in …

Primary Genetic Analysis Of Bovine Rotavirus, John B. Syverud

Biology

Cell-culture adapted bovine rotavirus was inactivated by varying exposures to ultraviolet light. The purpose was twofold: (1) to ascertain if efficient recombination would be demonstrated with rotavirus and (2) to determine optimal radiation dosages required to induce lethal mutations while retaining a relatively high efficiency of recombination. When assayed by the immuno-fluorescent cell counting method, the irradiated virus exhibited the phenomenon of multiplicity reactivation, suggesting the existence of a mechanism of genetic recombination. Once it had been determined that the double-stranded genome was suitable for additional genetic studies, a modified plaque assay was employed to screen plaque-purified bovine rotavirus for …

The Ecological Relationship Between Pikas And Marmots In Northern Utah, Andrew G. Goliszek

Biology

1. Pikas coexisting in areas with marmots gathered marmot scats along with vegetation for their haypiles during the summer and fall months. In these areas, haypiles were much smaller than those in areas that did not contain marmot populations. 2. Winter survival rates of pikas which coexisted with marmots were high even though haypiles on the average were small. This high rate of survival is attributed to the energy content in marmot scats which increased the total energy available in the haypiles. 3. The consumption rate of haypile vegetation by pikas in the lab decreased with the addition of marmot …

Utah State University Commencement, 1981 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

Eighty-Eighth Annual Commencement of Utah State University

The Effect Of Trypsin On Polypeptide Composition And Infectivity Of Bovine, Simian, And Porcine Rotaviruses, John C. Roth

Biology

Bovine, simian, porcine, and human rotaviruses exhibited 8.0, 10.3, 35.4 and 3.2 fold infectivity enhancement in the presence of trypsin although optimal conditions of treatment varied between strains. Infectious titers of bovine and simian rotavirus preparations treated with 10 μg/ml trypsin decreased substantially over a one hour incubation period at 37° C. Serial passage of rotaviruses in cells without trypsin enhancement resulted in significant losses of infectivity with each passage until no infectious virus could be detected. A specific, trypsin-mediated cleavage of rotavirus structural polypeptide P3, which was consistent between rotavirus strains, resulted in the formation of two major cleavage …

Nucleotide Sequence Homology Between Rotaviruses, Jai Myung Yang

Biology

By coelectrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels, bovine, simian, and porcine rotaviruses exhibited different migration patterns in their double stranded RNA genome. There was less variation between bovine and simian rotavirus migration patterns than between bovine and porcine rotavirus patterns. Nucleotide sequence homology determined by hybridization between 3H labeled double stranded RNA and in vitro produced single stranded RNA showed 74 percent homology between bovine and simian rotaviruses, and 8 percent homology between bovine and porcine rotaviruses. The lack of a close relationship between bovine and porcine rotaviruses was confirmed by hybridization between 3H labeled, in vitro produced, single stranded RNA and …

Evaluation Of Three Insect Chemosterilants (Hempa, Theotepa, And 2, 5 Dichloro-2, 4 Dinitro Benzenesulfonanilide) For Their Potential As Anti-Coccidial Agents In Mice And Chickens, Mikky A. Amoudi

Biology

Neither (insect chemosterilants) hempa nor thiotepa showed any anti-coccidial action against Eimeria vermiformis when administered orally at the rate of 0.33 mg per mouse. These doses were calculated from the LD50 data for each of the drugs in mice. There was, however, an apparent increase in oocyst discharge and also delay in the patent period. On the other hand, young chickens infected with Eimeria tenella and then treated with thiotepa and 2, 5 dichloro-2, 4 dinitro benzenesulfonanilide at different concentrations showed a significant decrease in oocyst production with increase of drug concentration.

Male Infertility And Excessive Neonatal Kit Loss In Finely-Bred Dark Mink (Mustela Vison), Michael Davies Groesbeck

Biology

A series of investigations were undertaken to ascertain the cause(s) of excessive male infertility and neonatal kit mortality in finely-bred dark mink. Two mechanisms of testicular sperm transport were examined, testicular capsular contractions and seminiferous tubular contractions, and found to be the same in fertile and infertile dark mink. Spontaneous testicular capsular contractions were absent in both groups of mink. Seminiferous tubular contractions were present in both groups and this appears to be the primary means of sperm transport in the mink testis. Epididymides from infertile animals were devoid of sperm and showed signs of epithelial degeneration (i.e., sperm granuloma). …

Effects Of The Herbicide Simazine Upon Production In A Two Member Aquatic Food Chain, John Gerald Carter

Biology

The direct effects of simazine, an s-triazine herbicide, upon the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardii; and the invertebrate, Daphnia pulex, were studied by exposure of both organisms to different concentrations of simazine over long time periods. The effects of simazine upon growth and reproduction in Daphnia pulex were evaluated using both C. reinhardii and mixed bacterial culture as a food source. A simulation model was developed to assess the effects of simazine introduction into natural aquatic systems. Simazine in concentrations of 0.5ppm and above was shown to inhibit growth in cultures of C. reinhardii. Daphnia pulex reproduction and growth increased as …

Ecological Energetics And Foraging Behavior Of Wintering Bald Eagles, Mark Victor Stalmaster

Biology

The ecological energetics and foraging ecology of wintering bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were studied for 2 years on the Nooksack River in northwestern Washington and in the laboratory at Utah State University. During 36 food consumption trials, daily consumption by 4 winter-acclimatized eagles was 92.0 g/kg on a chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) diet, 74.8 g/kg on a black-tailed jack-rabbit (Lepus californicus) diet, and 65.1 g/kg on a mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) diet which was inversely related to the wet energy contents (0.90, 1.22, and 1.96 kcal/g) of the diets, respectively. Daily consumption for combined diets was 88.4 g/kg at -10 …

Pollination And Seed Production Of The Onions Allium Cepa L. And Allium Acuminatum Hook, Cynthia L. Hatley

Biology

Pollination and seed production of the commercial onion, Allium cepa, and a native onion, A. acuminatum, were studied from 1978 to 1980. Insect densities on five fertile (male fertile) onion cultivars grown in Utah were high and there was a positive linear relationship between insect density and flower density. Insect densities on the cultivars were significantly different, suggesting differences in attractiveness of the cultivars. At peak bloom, pollination success was high and a mean of 91% of the flower styles examined contained pollen tubes. In four of the cultivars, 60% or greater of the flowers on an umbel set seed. …

The Inhibition Of Reoviruses, Rotaviruses And Orbiviruses By Selected Antiviral Substances, Donald Frederick Smee

Biology

Known RNA virus inhibitors were evaluated in vitro and in vivo to determine if any had specific inhibitory effects on reo-, rota- and orbivirus infections. Test compounds included 1-ß-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (ribavirin), 3-deazaguanine (3-DG), 3-deazauridine (3-DU), and 9-(S)-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) adenine ([S]-DHPA). Certain selected studies were also run with the following ribavirin derivatives: ribavirin 2' ,3' ,5'-triacetate, ribavirin 5'-monophosphate and ribavirin 5'-triphosphate. Viruses included types 1, 2, and 3 reovirus; bovine, porcine and simian rotaviruses; and bluetongue and Colorado tick fever orbiviruses. Results of the in vitro antiviral studies indicated ribavirin to be the most potent anti-reovirus agent, and 3-DG the strongest rota- and …

Cause And Perceived Seriousness Of Deviant Behavior And Attribution Of Responsibility, Mary Kathryn Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between differing stated causes of deviant behavior which is commonly labelled mental illness, and the perceived seriousness of these behaviors in determining judgments of the degree of responsibility attributed to described deviant individuals. This was accomplished by having subjects rate four different vignettes as to degree of perceived seriousness and degree of responsibility for behavior.

The subjects were 76 undergraduate students enrolled in either introductory psychology and/or introductory anthropology. The subjects were divided into four groups. Each group of 19 subjects received the same four vignettes. Each vignette gave a …

A Peer-Managed Self-Control Program For Reduction Of Alcohol Consumption In High School Students, Richard Allan Carpenter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three treatments designed to reduce the consumption of alcohol by native American high school students were assessed and compared. Self-referred and staff-referred clients were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: (1) alcohol education and a peer-assisted self-control procedure, (2) a peer-assisted self-control procedure, and (3) a self-monitoring only procedure. All three treatments were conducted by trained peer counselors for 14 weeks. The alcohol education and peer-assisted self-control and the peer-assisted self-control demonstrated reductions in peak blood alcohol concentration, frequency of drinking incidents, and alcohol consumption. The self-monitoring only group demonstrated changes only in frequency of drinking incidents. No significant differences …

Growth-Form Analysis And Paleoecology Of The Corals Of The Late Ordovician Through Mid-Silurian Fish Haven And Laketown Formations, Bear River Range, North-Central Utah, Thomas B. Rich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Morphology of corals of the Late Ordovician through mid-Silurian Fish Haven and Laketown Formations were analyzed to document adaptations to inferred enviromental conditions, i.e., (bathymetry, illumination, sedimentation, currents, and energy), under which their enclosing sediment was deposited. Specimens and data were collected from six sites. Insoluble-residue tests were performed on the corals' matrices.

Individual corallites of radial-lensoidal corals radiate in all directions. Vertical growth, however, was restricted in turbulent conditions. Umbrellic, radial-lensoidal corals feature downward facing corallites, considered to be an adaptation to a well illuminated environment.

On tabular lensoidal corals, constituent corallites faces exclusively upward, an orientation needed under …

The Emergence Of An Afro-American Society In Colonial Amelia County Virginia, Carol Noble Funk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The eighteenth century is a critical time in a study of American slavery. The colonial years witnessed the development of cultural, social and demographic processes affecting African and Afro-American slaves, the result of which was an Afro-American culture and society, unique to this nation. The slave family and kin network system of the antebellum south and the post Civil War era had its genesis in the decades preceeding the Revolutionary War.

There have been many studies done on slavery in colonial Virginia, but with few exceptions they have focused on the wealthy planters residing in the tidewater counties. They describe …

Diagnostic Considerations In The Identification Of The Hyperactive Child, Barbara Jagoda Draheim

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The hyperactive disorder of childhood and the enumeration of its features were described in two papers published in the mid-1950's, by Laufer and his colleagues (Laufer, 1957; Laufer, Denhoff & Solomons, 1956). It was a list that has since become familiar; short attention span, impulsivity, irritability, low frustration tolerance, poor academic achievement, and visual-motor difficulties. Like many who have since searched for definers of the syndrome, Laufer and his colleagues remarked upon the perplexing variability displayed by these children, and they noted that no single symptom could be considered diagnostic. They described the development of "secondary psychological difficulties" due to …

The Transport And Intracellular Distribution Of Iron In The Basidiomycete, Ustilago Sphaerogena, Charles W. Passavant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The transport and intracellular distribution of iron in Ustilago sphaerogena via the native siderochrome ferrichrome A has been examined. Evidence is presented which suggests the involvement of deferriferrichrome in iron transport when the metal is supplied to the cell as ferrichrome A. This process requires both oxygen and ATP synthesis and may require a transmembrane electrochemical gradient. Once inside the cell, iron derived from ferrichrome A is rapidly distributed, with a major fraction found in the mitochondria, presumably as heme.

The kinetics of ferrichrome and ferrichrome A uptake have also been investigated. The Km of transport of ferrichrome was …

Higher Plant Acclimation To Solar Ultraviolet-B Radiation, Ronald Robberecht

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plant acclimation to natural and intensified solar UV-B irradiance was investigated in three species, Oenothera stricta Ledeb., Rumex obtusifolius L., and R. patientia L. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the relationship between plant sensitivity and epidermal UV attenuation, (2) the effect of phenotypic changes in the leaf epidermis, resulting from UV-B exposure, on plant sensitivity to UV radiation, and (3) the plasticity of these changes in the epidermis leading to plant acclimation to UVB radiation.

Epidermal UV transmittance was found to differ in magnitude and spectral distribution among the three species examined in this study. Epidermal …

Socio-Demographic And Economic Factors Affecting Fertility In Rural And Urban Thailand, Pichit Pitaktepsombati

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The major purpose of this study is to measure the relationship between socio-demographic and economic factors and fertility of rural and urban women in Thailand, utilizing national level survey data collected in 1972 and 1973. Specifically, a regression model of fertility and socio-demographic and economic variables will be developed and analyzed. Also, a general comparison will be made between the results of the present study, based on the 1972 and 1973 surveys, with those from an earlier round of surveys conducted in 1969 and 1970.

Fall Regrowth Of Crested Wheatgrass And Fourwing Saltbush, Noor Mohammad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During 1980-81, studies with crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum) and fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) were conducted in controlled environment growth chambers as well as under field conditions to achieve the following objectives:

1. To determine the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on the water use efficiency.

2. To determine the effects of various temperature, water stress and nitrogen treatments on the productivity, nitrogen content and carbohydrate reserves.

3. To determine the effects of N fertilization on fall and spring regrowth.

Crested wheatgrass and fourwing saltbush plants were maintained in three growth chambers for 60 days under three temperature …

Investigations On The Great Northern Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.): Protein Functionality, Antinutrients, Flatus Factors, Fermentation, And Carbohydrates, Shridhar K. Sathe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protein content of the Great Northern beans was 26.10 percent on a dry weight basis. The apparent isoelectric pH of the NaCl extractable proteins was about 4.4. Among the several solubilizing agents, Na₂CO₃, K₂SO₄, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and NaOH at the respective concentrations of 0.5, 5.0, 5.0 (all w/v), and 0.02 N were the best protein solubilizing agents, solubilizing 93.6 grams Lowry protein per 100 grams Kjeldahl protein. AIbumins and globulins accounted for 21.18 and 73.40 percent, respectively, of the total bean proteins. The bean proteins were fractionated and protein concentrates …

Faunal Succession And Depositional Environments Within The Lodgepole Limestone (Early Mississippian) Of Samaria Mountain, Idaho, Gary Keith Hines

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Community succession, the orderly changes a community experiences with time, is considered to be the result of either autogenic or allogenic factors working singularly or in combination. It has been further suggested that, as communities undergo succession, certain biological parameters change in a predictable manner. Examination of members 2 through 4 of the Mississippian (Kinderhook-Osage) Lodgepole Formation of Samaria Mountain, Idaho provides a means to evaluate these concepts.

Within the study section comprised of 125 beds (61.5 m thick), four rock types are recognized. These include: (1) fossiliferous wackestone (78% of beds), which ranges in color from dark-gray (N3) to …

Ego Strengthening Hypnotic Suggestions Versus Specific Hypnotic Suggestions In The Treatment Of Obesity, Richard A. Hutchison

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A comparison was made of two types of hypnotic suggestions. Twenty seven subjects in two groups participated in eight weekly one-hour group hypnotic sessions. All subjects were given the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, and were weighed pre, post and at four month follow-up. Both types of hypnotic suggestions were equally effective in helping individuals lose weight. The average weight loss was 10 pounds at follow up. Both groups showed improvement on the personality tests. Those who received the ego-strengthening hypnotic suggestions showed more improvement and more long lasting improvement than did those who received the specific …