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Influence Of Salinity On The Growth And Heavy Metal Accumulation Capacity Of Spirodela Polyrrhiza (Lemnaceae), Zeli̇ha Leblebi̇ci̇, Ahmet Aksoy, Fati̇h Duman

Turkish Journal of Biology

Given that the characteristic of free floating plants to uptake metals can have a positive effect on the efficiency of the remediation process of a wetland, it is important to investigate the factors that may impact the process of uptake of metals by the plants. By conducting this present study over a short duration of time, the effects of salinity on the growth, the content of the photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoid), and heavy metal uptake by Spirodela polyrrhiza were investigated. It was also observed that at a high level of salinity (100 and 200 mM NaCl) the …

The Antioxidant And Dna Protection Potential Of Indian Tribal Medicinal Plants, Gunjan Guha, Venkatadri Rajkumar, Lazar Mathew, Rangasamy Ashok Kumar

Turkish Journal of Biology

Prevention and treatment of various degenerative diseases using traditional medicines is increasingly generating interest, especially in geriatric clinical research. This study aimed to evaluate the free-radical scavenging properties and potential to prevent DNA damage (from oxidative stress) of 56 extracts (polar and non-polar) from 14 medicinal plants (from 12 families) used by diverse Indian tribes and ethnic groups. Although widely known for traditional uses, these plants have not been extensively used for clinical purposes. Scavenging of DPPH^{\bullet} radical by all the extracts was evaluated to estimate their antioxidant potential and rank them accordingly. Extracts occupying the top 10 ranks were …

Evaluation Of Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral, And Antioxidant Potentials Of Some Edible Oils And Their Fatty Acid Profiles, İlkay Erdoğan Orhan, Berri̇n Özçeli̇k, Bi̇lge Şener

Turkish Journal of Biology

In the current study, the oils obtained from the nuts of Corylus avellana L. (hazelnut), Arachis hypogea L. (peanut, groundnut), Pinus pinea L. (umbrella nut), and Juglans regia L. (walnut) were tested for their antioxidant activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and antimicrobial activity against the standard and isolated strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis as well as the fungi Candida albicans and C. parapsilosis by microdilution method, in which inhibition was expressed as minimum inhibition concentrations (MICs). Moreover, antiviral activity of the oils was determined using Herpes simplex (HSV) …

The Composition Of The Essential Oils Of Calamintha Pamphylica Subspecies, Sevi̇m Alan, Mi̇ne Kürkçüoğlu, K.H.C. Başer

Turkish Journal of Biology

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of Calamintha pamphylica Boiss. & Heldr. subsp. pamphylica (A,B), subsp. davisii (Quezel & Contandr.) P.H.Davis (C,D,E), and subsp. alanyense S.Alan & Ocak (F) were analyzed using GC/MS. Menthyl acetate (26.2%-40.7%), menthol (13.5%-18.7%), and pulegone (7.7%-13.0%) were the main constituents in samples A and B; menthone (21.7%), pulegone (19.7%), and menthyl acetate (9.8%) were detected in sample C; isomenthyl acetate (16.7%), isomenthone (13.4%), and menthyl acetate (13.0%) were detected in sample D; menthyl acetate (20.9%), menthol (15.4%), and menthone (14.7%) were detected in sample E; and hexadecanoic acid (30.1%), menthyl acetate …

Molecular Diversity Of Thermophilic Bacteria Isolated From Pasinler Hot Spring (Erzurum, Turkey), Ahmet Adigüzel, Kadri̇ye İnan, Fi̇kretti̇n Şahi̇n, Tüli̇n Arasoğlu, Medi̇ne Güllüce, Ali̇ Osman Beldüz, Özlem Bariş

Turkish Journal of Biology

The present study was conducted to determine the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of thermophilic bacteria isolated from Pasinler hot spring, Erzurum, Turkey. Fatty acid profiles, BOX PCR fingerprints, and 16S rDNA sequence data were used for the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of thermophilic bacteria. Totally 9 different bacterial strains were selected based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests. These strains were characterized by molecular tests including fatty acid and BOX profiles, and 16S rDNA sequence. The data of fatty acid analysis showed the presence of 14 different fatty acids in the 9 bacterial strains examined. Additionally, 5 of these fatty …

Effects Of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria On Fruit Set, Pomological And Chemical Characteristics, Color Values, And Vegetative Growth Of Sour Cherry (Prunus Cerasus Cv. Kütahya), Hali̇l Karakurt, Recep Kotan, Fati̇h Dadaşoğlu, Rafet Aslantaş, Fi̇kretti̇n Şahi̇n

Turkish Journal of Biology

This study was performed to determine effects of 4 plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (Bacillus subtilis OSU - 142, Bacillus megaterium M - 3, Burkholderia cepacia OSU - 7, and Pseudomonas putida BA - 8) alone and in combinations on fruit set of sour cherry trees (Prunus cerasus L., cv. Kütahya), and to investigate their resulting pomological and chemical characteristics as well as vegetative growth. All the tested bacterial strains alone or some of their combinations have a great potential to increase especially fruit set and plant vegetative growth, and indirectly affect fruit pomological and chemical characteristics. Therefore, they may be …

Isolation And Identification Of Lactic Acid Bacteria From Boza, And Their Microbial Activity Against Several Reporter Strains, Meri̇h Kivanç, Meral Yilmaz, Erdoğan Çakir

Turkish Journal of Biology

A total of 45 lactic acid bacteria were isolated from 10 different boza samples consumed in Turkey. The isolates were identified with respect to colonial, cellular morphology, and biochemical characters based on API CHL50 (Biomérieux) kit and also automated riboprinting was used to identify of the isolates. These isolates were tested for inhibitory activity against food-borne bacterial pathogens. Antimicrobial effects of these lactic acid bacteria were determined by the agar spot test and also agar diffusion method. As a result of the RiboPrinter® Microbial Characterization System (DuPont Qualicon) lactic acid bacteria isolates having antimicrobial activity (45 isolates) were identified as …

Comparative Analysis Of Dna Extracted From Fish Species Preserved In Formalin In Two Different Periods, Manickam Raja, Murugan Muralidharan, Muthukumarasamy Arunachalam

Turkish Journal of Biology

DNA was extracted from 2 cyprinid fishes kept under formalin preservation in 2 different time durations, and the quality and quantity were analyzed. The tissue samples from specimens preserved for shorter duration yielded higher quantity of DNA compared to long-term preserved tissues. ANOVA (one way) on the quantity of the DNA from the samples of 2 periods showed that the genetic material obtained from the recently preserved samples was highly significant (P > 0.001). The quality of the genetic material irrespective of the period of preservation was found to be the same. The purpose of the study was to check the …

The Expression Of Cardiotrophin-1 Is Differentially Regulated In Murine And Human Obesity Type Ii Diabetes, Kelesha Crystal Sarjeant

LSU Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in all developed nations. Several independent studies have shown that cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) serum levels are modulated in patients with various types of cardiovascular disease including ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, and accelerated arthrosclerosis. CT-1 is a member of the Interleukin-6 family, or gp130 family of cytokines. It is also known to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo, and is a critical component for cardiomyocyte survival. CT-1 is a naturally occurring protein with a molecular mass of approximately 21.5 kD and a 200 amino acid long sequence, it was discovered …

Influence Of Sand Topdressing On Bermudagrass Thatch Decomposition, Dustin S. Parker

LSU Master's Theses

Methods to control thatch layers in mature turfgrasses have relied on sand-topdressing and/or mechanical removal. Mechanical removal of thatch through vertical mowing and aerification is effective but disruptive to playing surfaces compared to sand topdressing. As a result, many turf managers have opted to implement sand-topdressing regiments as their primary method for reducing thatch buildup. This research was conducted to 1) determine the effect of cultivar on thatch decomposition and 2) examine the effect of sand topdressing on thatch microenvironment and decomposition. Sand topdressing treatments consisting of sterilized or non-sterilized sand applied at 0.4 cm 14 d-1 or as a …

Anti-Microbial Self-Assembling "Click" Monolayers Utilizing Silver Nanoparticles For Indwelling Medical Devices, Emily Ann Hodges

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to synthesize and characterize antimicrobial, silver nanoparticles based self-assembling monolayer coatings, for use on chronic indwelling medical devices. The coatings are comprised of novel biomass mediated silver nano particles (SNP) that are biocompatible, highly concentrated, highly pure, cost-effective, polydispersed and compatible for use with existing chronic indwelling medical devices. The HPC SNPs were functionalized with an azide functional group and covalently bound to titanium substrates via ¨Dclick¡¬ chemistry.

Effects Of Row Spacing And Debris Distribution On Small Mammal And Vegetation Communities In Newly Established Loblolly Pine Plantations, Louisiana, Joshua Lee Grace

LSU Master's Theses

Commercial pine (Pinus spp.) forests in the southeastern United States are key to providing fiber for global wood supply needs. Concern has arisen over possible effects of intensive forest management techniques, including row spacing and distribution of woody debris after logging, on plant and wildlife communities. Therefore, we quantified response of plant and small mammal communities in replanted loblolly pine (P. taeda) stands to mechanical site preparation including 2 levels of row spacing and 2 methods of distributing woody debris following harvest in north and southeastern Louisiana, USA. Sites (n=16) were prepared with a combination of row spacing between planting …

Leiodermatolide, A Potent Antimitotic Macrolide From The Marine Sponge Leiodermatium Sp., Ian Paterson, S. M. Dalby, J. C. Roberts, G. J. Naylor, Esther A. Guzman, Richard A. Isbrucker, Tara P. Pitts, P. A. Linley, D. B. Divlianska, John K. Reed, Amy E. Wright

Faculty Scholarship

Marine macrolides that selectively disrupt cell cycle events continue to occupy a central position as lead compounds in the ongoing search for novel anticancer agents, [1, 2] highlighted by the recent FDA approval of Halaven (eribulin mesylate, a fully synthetic analogue of the halichondrins) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.[3] Lithistid sponges have proven to be a particularly fertile source[4] of such biologically relevant polyketide metabolites, including dictyostatin [5] and discodermolide. [5d, 6] As part of a continued program aimed at the discovery of novel bioactive natural products from deepwater marine invertebrates, we have examined the relatively Unexplored [7] …

Animal Scavengers As Agents Of Decomposition: The Postmortem Succession Of Louisiana Wildlife, Audra Leigh Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Four adult pig carcasses were placed within a wildlife center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in order to determine what conditions animals utilize carrion and which animal species engage in scavenging. The cadavers were deposited without any protective covering and wildlife cameras were placed around the pigs in order to document animal scavenging. In two cases cameras showed that coyotes were the initial animal scavengers followed by opossums. In another case coyotes were inferred to have scavenged the pig due to discovering a similar pattern of disarticulation as compared to the previous two scenes. In the third case turkey vultures skeletonized …

Trials & Tributaries: Myth And Disaster In Southern Louisiana, Hannah March Campbell Sanders

LSU Master's Theses

Trials and Tributaries examines recent disasters occurring in southern Louisiana, interpreted through the Greek myths The Twelve Labors of Herakles. Mankind’s false sense of control over Louisiana’s resources leaves us vulnerable to nature’s powerful acts of reclamation: hurricanes, floods and the ground sinking beneath our feet. While researching the details and origins of The Twelve Labors, I found a plethora of similarities with local culture, politics and natural disasters. The characters in these narrative prints include hybrid monsters drawn from Greek mythology, which I have then further augmented with various forms of local south Louisiana fauna and contemporary political figures. …

Geomicrobiology Of Louisiana Coastal Marshes Before And After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Chang Liu

LSU Master's Theses

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico not only impacted open ocean and shoreline geochemical and ecological environments, but it served to promote research of microbial ecosystems in poorly studied habitats, such as Louisiana marshes. Sediment and water samples from four main marshes in southern Louisiana were collected in May 2010 (pre-oil), September 2010 (oiled), and June 2011 (post-oil). Sites near the Mississippi River had exceptionally low salinity in the immediate months following the oil spill due to freshwater diversion efforts; salinity increased by an order of magnitude one year later. Microbial diversity was evaluated from …

Advanced Management Of The Mexican Rice Borer (Eoreuma Loftini) In Sugarcane, Blake Emerson Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

Insecticide, greenhouse and varietal resistance experiments were conducted in Texas to develop management tactics for the Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar), sugarcane. A 3-treatment, large plot aerial application study was set up in 5 commercial sugarcane fields (35-84 acres) to evaluate the utilization of pheromone traps to improve chemical control strategies for E. loftini during 2009 and 2010 growing seasons. A threshold of 20-25 moths/trap/wk was used as an indicator to initiate monitoring for E. loftini larval infestations. Larval infestations were directly related to the no. of moths/trap/wk (R2=0.71). Reductions in borer injury and adult emergence (60% and 40% …

Demography, Paleopathology, And Health Status Of The Moche Remains In Huambacho, Peru: A Comprehensive Osteological Analysis, Emily Grace

LSU Master's Theses

The Moche civilization, which thrived in northern Peru from AD 100-800, influenced a vast area that extended to the southernmost monumental site of Pañamarca. Huambacho, an archaeological site in the Nepeña Valley, which dates to the Early Horizon (600-200 cal BC), has yielded multiple Moche graves uncovered by the Proyecto Huambacho (2003-2004). The graves provide the first evidence of Moche presence outside of the neighboring Pañamarca monumental complex. This research entailed the osteological analysis of eleven individuals from nine Moche grave contexts at Huambacho, including the analysis of demographic features, pathology, trauma, and antemortem cultural modifications. Methodology included the visual …

Biological Metaphors For Whiteness: Beyond Merit And Malice, Brant T. Lee

Akron Law Faculty Publications

The problem of persistent racial inequality is grounded in a failure of imagination. The general mainstream conception is that unfair racial inequality occurs only when there is intentional racism. Absent conscious racial malice, no racism is seen to exist. The only generally available alternative explanation for racial inequality is the meritocratic system. Viewing the distribution of resources as a product of a generally fair meritocratic system provides a defense against any charge of racism, and justifies the status quo.

But in economics, business, computer science, and even biology, observers of complexity are coming to understand how dominant systems can prevail …

Mechanical Evaluation Of Aluminum Oxide Roughened Screws In Equine Third Metacarpal Bone, Petrisor Baia

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT Objectives – To compare the osseointegration of roughened and electropolished 5.5 mm cortical screws used to secure a 4.5 mm broad dynamic compression plate (DCP) in equine third metacarpal (MC3) bones. Study Design – In vivo study Animals – 5 Adult thoroughbred horses (2-7 years old). Methods – For each horse one MC3 was randomly assigned to secure a 4.5 mm broad DCP with 4aluminum oxide (Al2O3) roughened screws on the dorsal mid diaphysis. Four regular electropolished screws used to secure a similar plate on the contralateral limb served as control. They were removed at 12 weeks and the …

Marriage In Seventeenth-Century French Theater, Adam Michael Babin

LSU Master's Theses

In seventeenth-century France, social and political confusion abounded. Absolute monarchy, which was principally created by Richelieu and glorified by Louis XIV, began gradually replacing the medieval feudalism that remained popular among the nobles. Likewise, préciosité, a proto-feminist literary and cultural movement that was not in line with official political ideals, emerged in France during this century. The institution of marriage was an important element of the complicated sociopolitical tapestry of seventeenth-century France. Through the depiction of marriage in Pierre Corneille’s Le Cid (1636), Jean-Baptiste Poquelin de Molière’s L’École des femmes (1662), and Jean Racine’s Andromaque (1667), three works of the …

Inhibitory Effects Of Berry Anthocyanins On Palmitic Acid- Or Lipopolysaccharide- Induced Inflammation In Human Preadipocytes, Chenfei Gao

LSU Master's Theses

Obesity is an inflammatory disease associated with the development and progression of chronic degenerative diseases including insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cancer. Circulating free fatty acid (FFA) are known risk factors promoting inflammation that can lead to CVD. Pre/adipocytes are known storage of low grade inflammatory biomarkers associated with obesity. However, the effects of dietary anthocyanins on inflammatory biomarkers in preadipocytes have not been reported. Berries are rich sources of naturally occurring antioxidant polyphenolics. There is increasing interest in the ability of berry anthocyanins to provide health benefits against obesity. Anthocyanins were isolated from …

Evaluation Of Selected Plant Products As Dietary Protein Sources For Florida Pompano (Trachinotus Carolinus), Gregory Lech

LSU Master's Theses

Profitability of aquaculture enterprises worldwide has been affected by rising fish meal prices. Plant proteins are promising replacements for fish meal because of their lower cost and worldwide availability. The goal of this research was to provide nutritional information for the development of all-plant diets for Florida pompano by evaluating growth of fish fed soy-based, fish-meal-free diets and assessing the nutritional value of several plant protein sources. In the first experiment, juvenile Florida pompano were fed five, soy-based, fish-meal-free diets containing graded levels of soybean meal (SBM, or M) at 0, 20, 25, 30, or 35%, with the remaining protein …

Antarctic Plant And Phytoplankton Response To The First Phase Of The Mid Miocene Climatic Optimum At South Mcmurdo Sound, Lee Foersterling

LSU Master's Theses

The Antarctic Drilling Program (ANDRILL) recovered 1138.54 m of sub-seafloor marine sediments with 98% core recovery at the AND2-2A drill site in South McMurdo Sound. Biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and isotopic dating (Acton et al., 2008) indicated that an Early to Middle Miocene section (223-1138.54 mbsf) was recovered. This study focuses on an interval with high concentrations of palynomorphs, located between 460.57 and 403.48 mbsf and dated to 16.7 Ma to 16.2 Ma according to the updated Acton et al. (2008) ANDRILL SMS age model. Palynological results show a pronounced increase in organic microfossils between 434.01 and 431.91 mbsf, compared to levels …

The Effects Of Myd88 Inhibition On Bovine Lung Endothelial And Epithelial Cell Cytokine Expression, Cassandra Kay Hayne

Honors Program Theses

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) has major economical implications on the beef industry due to the severe health problems it produces in calves. Although several organisms are associated with it, Mannheimia haemolytica induces the severest amount of damage to the lungs. It has previously been demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produced by this bacterium causes significant permeability increases and cell apoptosis in bovine lung endothelial cells (BPMEC) but not bovine lung epithelial cells (TBPE). The purpose was to determine whether the main signaling pathway for cells that respond to LPS signaling, the Myeloid Differentiation 88 Pathway (MYD88), is present and functional …

The Effects Of Hypergravity On Xenopus Embryo Growth And Cardiac Hypertrophy, Bryce Joseph Duchman

Honors Program Theses

All life on earth has developed and evolved in a 1 G environment. Therefore, any deviation below or above unit gravity will likely have an effect on the development of organisms, including the migration of cells and the dispersion of nutrients. The purpose of this research project is to analyze the effects of hypergravity on the overall body length and cardiac growth of Xenopus laevis embryos. I predict that cardiac hypertrophy will occur in embryos subjected to hypergravity because of the increased force required from the heart to adequately circulate blood and, thus, disperse nutrients. Upon reaching early gastrulation, embryos …

Implementing A Natural Language To Structured Query Language Translator, Kevin J. Shannon

Honors Program Theses

Since the beginning of computing, humans have been trying to make computers understand each other more completely. Humans have always had difficulties encoding their thoughts and computational problems and in tum, computers have had difficulty understanding the subtle nuances of the human mind. The first computers were nothing more than large calculators, but as time went on, they became become more sophisticated. Various technologies and techniques have been created that add features and capabilities to modern computer systems, and many of these will be discussed in this paper.

This paper describes my Honors Thesis project to design and implement a …

Water-Soluble Cuii And Mnii Bis-Phenanthroline Octanedioate Complexes With Unprecedented Nano And Picomolar In Vitro Cytotoxicity As Promising Leads For Chemotherapeutic Drug Development, Andrew Kellett, Mark O'Connor, Malachy Mccann, Orla L. Howe, Alan Casey, Pauric Mccarron, Kevin Kavanagh, Mary Mcnamara, Sean Kennedy, Donald D. May, Philip S. Skell, Denis O'Shea, Michael Devereux

Articles

Dinuclear Cu^II and Mn^II bis-phenanthroline octanedioate complexes exhibit rapid, unprecedented nano and picomolar in vitro cytotoxicity against colorectal cancer lines and are less toxic than cisplatin when examined in vivo. The complexes are potent generators of cellular reactive oxygen species, avid DNA binders and induce O₂ dependent cleavage of DNA. The Cu(II) complex was found to have self-cleaving nuclease activity.

Effect Of Egg-Incubation Temperature On Growth And Selected Temperature Of Apalone Spinifera, The Spiny Softshell Turtle, Amy L. Klopfenstein

Honors Program Theses

In order to survive, turtle hatchlings must be able to choose optimal thermal locations that promote growth and activity through thermoregulation. In some softshell turtle species, embryonic incubation conditions may influence post-hatching phenotypic characters, such as growth rates and temperature preference. I tested the effect of egg-incubation temperature on growth and thermal preferences of Apalone spinifera hatchlings, from Butler County, Iowa. Eggincubation temperature did not affect growth of 10 juvenile Apalone spinifera (Reptilia: Testudines: Trionychidae). After 5 months, hatchlings incubated at 30°C did not differ in size from the turtles incubated at 25°C. In an aquatic thermal gradient from 14-34°C, …

I'M A Laycockian! (For The Most Part), Jay D. Wexler

Faculty Scholarship

You know you’ve made it, scholarly-wise speaking, when a major publishing house and a preeminent university approach you to ask whether they could publish a four-volume set of your collected works. Such is the situation of Douglas Laycock (DL), long-time Professor at the University of Texas School of Law, now moving from the University of Michigan to the University of Virginia and most certainly on just about everyone’s short list of greatest church–state scholars of the past quarter-century. Volume One of the collection was published in 2010; it is subtitled “Overviews & History” and contains roughly forty pieces written by …