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Resolution Of Genotypic And Phenotypic Properties Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Temperature-Sensitive Mutanttsz47: Evidence For Allelic Complementation In The Unique Long Gene Ul28., James Daniel Cavalcoli

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This research focuses on the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of a temperature sensitive mutant of herpes simplex virus type 1, HSV-1 (tsZ47). This virus was previously reported to carry two different mutations, which caused it to be temperature sensitive for viral replication and transport of glycoproteins to the infected cell surface. However, altered glycoprotein transport to the cell surface was not observed in this study. In addition, cells transformed with unique long gene 28 (UL28), but not glycoprotein B (gB), complemented tsZ47 at the nonpermissive temperature indicating that a single mutation could restore the wild type phenotype to the mutant …

Studies On The Energy Mobilizing Hormones In Insects., Subrata Das

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Chemical factors controlling the energy mobilization in three species of insects were identified, partially characterized and their role in the process of energy mobilization were studied. High performance liquid chromatographic fractions were isolated from methanolic extracts of the corpora cardiaca (CC) from the honeybee Apis mellifera, the paper wasp Polistes exclamans and the house cricket Acheta domesticus. Each species had a single active fraction that was able to elevate the lipid titer in Acheta. Pyroglutamate aminopeptidase digestion of isolated active fractions indicated that these molecules are all peptides with a terminal pyroglutamate. Methanolic extracts of CC from Apis, Polistes and …

Acetylation Of Seaweed Alginate By Pseudomonas Syringae., Jin Woo Lee

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Acetylation of bacterial alginate by Pseudomonas syringae subsp. phaseolicola ATCC 19304 was independent of alginate biosynthesis. This allowed the development of a process for acetylating seaweed alginate using immobilized P. syringae ATCC 19304 cells. About 50% of the mannuronic acid residues of seaweed alginate were acetylated by carbon immobilized P. syringae cells in a fluidized bed, up-flow reactor system fed continuously with seaweed alginate and gluconic acid. O-Acetylation by this process was found to be specific for the C-2 and/or C-3 position(s) of mannuronate residues. Acetylated seaweed alginate showed altered properties including increased viscosity and changed affinities for some cations.

Strongylus Vulgaris: Protection, Pathology And Humoral Immune Responses In The Immunized Pony., Clifton Michael Monahan

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Protective resistance to Strongylus vulgaris infection was examined by immunization of ponies with radiation-attenuated larvae or soluble parasite homogenates. Twelve yearling ponies raised and maintained under parasite-free conditions were divided into four groups which received either radiation-attenuated L$\sb3$; aqueous-soluble adult somatic antigens plus adjuvant; aqueous-soluble larval somatic antigens with excretory/secretory products and adjuvant; or media with adjuvant. Ponies were immunized twice; radiation-attenuated L$\sb3$ were administered orally and soluble antigens or control injections were given intramuscularly. Six weeks following the second immunization, ponies were challenged per os with virulent S. vulgaris L$\sb3.$ Ponies were monitored twice daily for rectal temperatures and …

Physiological And Biochemical Responses To Hypoxia In The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus Rathbun, The Lesser Blue Crab, Callinectes Similis Williams, And The Southern Oyster Drill, Stramonita Haemastoma Linnaeus., Tapash Das

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study measured the physiological and biochemical changes associated with exposure of the juvenile blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun and the lesser blue crab. C. similis Williams, to long term (28 d) hypoxia, short term (10 d) transfer from hypoxia to normoxia and a diurnally fluctuating oxygen regime for 28 days. The southern oyster drill, Stramonita haemastoma Linnaeus, was also exposed to 28 days of constant hypoxia to compare the responses of a tolerant species with the two species of Callinectes. The 28 day LC$\sb{50}$ estimates for C. sapidus, C. similis and S. haemastoma were respectively 106, 43 and 11.5 …

Contributions Of Monoclonal Antibodies With Anti-Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule Like Activity To Peripheral Nerve Regeneration., Laura G. Remsen

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Tubes containing monoclonal antibodies with anti-neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM)-like activity were applied to transected sciatic nerves to attempt to perturb the recovery of muscle function. Physiological recordings were used to estimate the return of function. The decline of implanted antibody over 28 days was estimated. No significant immune responses were detected in response to the implanted material. Electron microscopic and immunohistological analyses evaluated particular cellular disruptions in nerves due to the presence of these antibodies with anti-N-CAM like activity. Histological sections of fixed experimental nerves consistently revealed abnormal gaps between Schwann cells of regenerating nerves. This specific Schwann cell …

The Role Of Flagellar Proteins In Adhesion Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, And Isolation Of The Corresponding Gene(S)., Ratchanee Hongprayoon

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Polar flagellar core protein was purified from Vibrio parahaemolyticus by differential centrifugation and cesium chloride isopycnic centrifugation. Twelve hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies against flagellar core protein (MAb-flc) were obtained from fusions. By chance, one purified flagellar core preparation retained flagellar sheath and as a consequence, two hybridomas were detected which secreted anti-sheath antibodies (MAb-fls). MAb-flc and MAb-fls reacted specifically with their corresponding antigens as demonstrated by immunogold labelling. Coagglutination reagents prepared with MAb-flc and MAb-fls were tested against 34 strains of V. parahaemolyticus and 34 heterologous Vibrio species. The coagglutination results revealed that the flagellar core was species-specific while the …

Bacterial Numbers And Activity, Microalgal Biomass And Productivity, And Meiofaunal Distribution In Sediments Naturally Contaminated With Biogenic Bromophenols, Charles C. Steward, James L. Pinckney, Yvette Piceno, Charles R. Lovell

Faculty Publications

Sediment cores were collected inside and outside of a bed of a bromophenol-producing marine polychaete, Notomastus lobatus, and examined for impact of the bromophenols on sediment microflora and meiofauna around N. lobatus burrows. No significant differences were found between microbial parameters measured inside and outside of the N. lobatus bed. Integrated 6 cm cores taken adjacent to N. lobatus burrows contained 1.2 x 10⁹ bacteria ml^-1. Cell numbers were similar at control sites within the bed, but away from burrows, and not significantly different from cell numbers (1.0 X 10⁹ cells ml^-1) at a …

The Wooster Voice (Wooster, Oh), 1992-11-20, Wooster Voice Editors

The Voice: 1991-2000

In this edition of the Voice, Stanley Gault, chair of the Board of Trustees at the College, is named co-chair of Rubbermaid Inc. Recycling Club sponsors an awareness day with speaker Geology professor Fred Cropp and Marilyn Loveless, professors of biology and ecology. The College’s economics department teaches an economics 101 course in a foreign language. The music group “Sound, Wisdom, and Many Musical Powers” or “S.W.A.M.M.P.” plays a show at the Underground. An article discusses the first video-only band “Green Jello.” Additionally, a piece describes the class registration process. Athletic updates for the past week are highlighted on pages …

Blood-Nervous Tissue Barriers In The Peripheral Nervous System, Deborah Tristram Allen

Digitized Theses

After years of investigation into blood-nervous tissue barriers controversies remain regarding the permeability of blood vessels to macromolecules in the enteric nervous system, the endoneurium of peripheral nerve, and the spaces between satellite cells and neurons in sensory and sympathetic ganglia.;The permeability of the above areas of the peripheral nervous system was investigated in rats using the following intravenously administered tracers: rhodamine-labelled bovine albumin; horseradish peroxidase; acriflavine and ethidium. The last two, which are fluorescent cationic dyes were shown to bind to serum proteins. In addition immunohistochemical staining for endogenous albumin was performed. One long-term study was done in which …

The Effect Of Supplemental Food On The Life History Traits And Demography Of A Population Of Peromyscus Mexicanus, Laurel Suzanne Duquette

Digitized Theses

A population of Peromyscus mexicanus, inhabiting a wet tropical forest was provided with a high quality food supplement for one year (Experiment 1). Unfed and fed populations were compared to assess the effect of food addition on the reproductive and developmental characteristics of females and young, and to assess the effect of food addition on population dynamics. In a 6-month post-treatment period (Experiment 2), the response to food cessation was assessed.;Females on fed areas produced their first litter at an earlier age than unfed females in the 8-month rainy season but not in the 4-month dry season. Among pre-reproductive females, …

Myocardial Electrophysiological Alterations In Pacing-Induced Heart Failure And Defibrillation Shock Delivery, Huagui Li

Digitized Theses

Heart failure patients frequently have ventricular arrhythmias and high incidence of sudden death. Current antiarrhythmic drug therapies have failed to improve the survival of these patients as the arrhythmogenesis is poorly understood. The only effective therapy for lethal arrhythmia, ventricular fibrillation, is electrical shock (defibrillation). Studies on arrhythmogenesis and potential antiarrhythmic therapies in heart failure are needed.;This thesis investigated: (1) cardiac electrophysiological changes and arrhythmogenesis in a heart failure model; (2) cellular electrophysiological effects of defibrillation shocks.;Heart failure was produced by rapid ventricular pacing (240 beats/min, 4-5 weeks) in 35 dogs. Twenty-one operated, non-paced dogs served as control. Increased impulse …

Investigations Into The Pathogenesis Of Acute Equine Laminitis., Linda Elizabeth Cummings

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A profound decrease in perfusion of the laminar capillaries has been documented during acute equine laminitis, resulting in ischemia of the laminar tissue. Oxygen radicals are believed to mediate ischemia/reperfusion injury. The effects of (1) three hours of surgical ligation of the major blood supply of the equine digit followed by ligature release, (2) resection of the medial and lateral palmar digital arteries, and (3) digital intraarterial infusions of an oxygen radical generating system, were investigated. Laminitis was not induced by any of these manipulations. Clinical signs and alterations in hemograms observed following these procedures are reported. Preliminary identification of …

Horizontal Distribution, Feeding Rates And Prey Selectivity Of The Littoral Predator, Polyphemus Pediculus, Anne Turner Packard

Doctoral Dissertations

Littoral planktonic communities have rarely been included in food web dynamics and predator/prey behavior studies of planktonic communities of fresh water ecosystems. Polyphemus pediculus, a typically littoral predaceous cladoceran, is common in lakes and ponds throughout the northern temperate zone.

The patchy distribution of Polyphemus in littoral surface waters necessitates the use of a stratified random sampling regime to estimate and monitor Polyphemus populations. The population in Mirror Lake, NH, increased exponentially after the first appearance of parthenogenetic juveniles in late April. An abrupt decline in the population coincided with the movement of small Micropterus dolomieui fry into littoral areas …

The Role Of Lipoteichoic Acid And The Leukocyte Integrins In The Binding Of Group B Streptococci To Murine Peritoneal Macrophages, Anne Ragonese Sloan

Doctoral Dissertations

The macrophage has been shown to bind potentially pathogenic bacteria in the absence of serum components, but the mechanism is not well understood. The macrophage is a key component of our non-inducible defenses and this form of innate immunity is of particular importance for individuals in which the immune system may be sub-optimally functional, e.g., neonatal and geriatric individuals, and for sites in the body in which serum enhancement through opsonins is thought to be insufficient, e.g., lungs. To understand the mechanism by which mammalian innate host defenses respond to potential microbial aggression by opportunistic microorganisms, I developed two assays …

Predator-Prey Interactions Between Fish And Insects In Streams, Graham Edward Forrester

Doctoral Dissertations

Some benthic insects in streams disperse by drifting short distances downstream in the water column. While drifting they are at risk from predators, such as trout, that feed in the water column. I examined prey selection by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis L.) in Stoney Brook, New Hampshire, U.S.A., and effects of trout on drift dispersal and benthic density of five prey taxa (mayflies: Ephemeroptera).

Effects of trout on mayflies were tested by field manipulation of trout density in replicate 35 m long sections of stream. Trout consumed all five mayflies in roughly similar numbers. Feeding rates of trout (by weight) …

Molecular Phylogenies And Biogeography Of Central American Birds., Shannon J. Hackett

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation presents data on the biogeography and molecular systematics of seven independent lineages of birds; both allozyme and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) characters were used. The purpose of this study was to discover biogeographic patterns among endemic taxa distributed in the highlands and lowlands of southern Central America and sister taxa in either North or South America. Analyses of the genera Diglossa, Buarremon, Pselliophorus, and Pezopetes suggested a complex biogeographic pattern in the highlands of southern Central America; divergence of some highland lineages occurred relatively recently (during the Pleistocene), after the landbridge connection between Central and South America was completed, …

The Molecular Systematics Of Unitunicate, Perithecial Ascomycetes., Joseph William Spatafora

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Maximum parsimony analysis of partial sequences from the small subunit ribosomal DNA (ssrDNA) rejects the monophyly of unitunicate, perithecial ascomycetes (pyrenomycetes). The genera Kathistes, Pyxidiophora and Subbaromyces are separated from a large clade of relatively derived pyrenomycetes. This derived pyrenomycete clade is supported by a bootstrap confidence level of 100% and a decay index of $>$10 steps, and contains two subclades, A and B. Subclade A comprises the orders Clavicipitales, Hypocreales, Microascales and the genus Ceratocystis; subclade B consists of the Diaporthales, Sordariales, Xylariales and the genus Ophiostoma. The Clavicipitales is a sister taxon to the Hypocreales, which consists …

The Role Of Bovine Herpesvirus-1 Glycoprotein Iii In Molecular Pathogenesis And Immunomodulation., Katherine Marie Byrne

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) is the pathogenic agent for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis. Current vaccines to protect against infection have serious disadvantages to producers and have been implicated in epizootic outbreaks. The virus has also been shown to cause suppression of the immune system. BHV-1 vaccines could be improved by identifying and genetically deleting those aspects of the virus responsible for immunosuppression and providing a marker within the genome which would distinguish the vaccine strain from wild types in the case of disease outbreaks. This study examined the role of gIII in viral infection and immunosuppression. This was accomplished by expressing full …

Chemical And Immunological Properties Of Polysaccharide Extracted From Vibrio Parahaemolyticus., Mina Jassemzadeh Izadjoo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus was extracted from agar grown cells and purified by ethanol precipitation, hi-speed centrifugation and chromatography on Sepharose CL-4B and Detoxi columns. The CPS was found to be acidic when chromatographed on DEAE cellulose. The three constituting sugars were determined by gas-liquid chromatography to be glucose, galactose and fucose. The molecular weight of CPS is one million or greater and in its pure form appeared to be non-immunogenic for rabbits. A monoclonal antibody (Mab) reactive by ELISA to CPS was generated. The Mab agglutinated whole cell suspensions in the slide test. Latex beads armed …

Genetic And Systematic Study Of Viviparus Georgianus (Lea), A Freshwater Snail Species Complex., Masaya Katoh

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Genetic and morphological variation were studied in a brooding (ovoviviparous) and morphologically variable freshwater snail (Viviparus georgianus (Lea)) in the southeastern United States. Eleven populations were clustered into three genetically isolated, allopatric species characterized by 7 to 15 diagnostic loci out of the 38 loci examined. These allopatric species were an eastern species (in eastern and southern Florida), a western species (in the Florida panhandle), and a central species in the Ochlockonee River. Nei's standard genetic distances between species were large (0.23-0.52) compared to within-species distances (0.00-0.06). Moreover, genetic distances between the Ochlockonee River species and other species were larger …

Host Quality Of Baldcypress And Its Influence On Fruittree Leafroller, Archips Argyrospila (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), Performance In Forested Wetlands Of Louisiana., James R. Meeker

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Ecological relationships between the fruittree leafroller (FTLR), (Archips argyrospila (Walker)) and a new host, baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.)), were investigated in southern Louisiana where persistent annual defoliation over increasingly larger areas has occurred since 1983. Defoliation was observed to correspond with common types of baldcypress foliage morphology; designated as open and appressed. Pondcypress, Shumard oak and citrus foliage also were examined. The objectives were to: (1) determine the relative suitability/susceptibility of foliage types, and (2) quantify parameters of foliage quality possibly influencing FTLR performance. Levels of defoliation, egg mass counts, and laboratory bioassays of: initial survival, host preference, growth, feeding, …

Phylogenetic Systematics Of The Ulvophyceae (Chlorophyta) Based On Cladistic Analyses Of Ribosomal Rna Genes And Morphology., Frederick William Zechman

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Cladistic analyses of non-molecular and nuclear-encoded rRNA sequence data provided the basis for hypotheses of relationships for the green algal class Ulvophyceae. Non-molecular data rooted with Chara support hypotheses which group the Chlorophyceae and Pleurastrophyceae with ulotrichalean and ulvalean Ulvophyceae. Analyses of rRNA sequence data group the siphonous and siphonocladous Ulvophyceae (i.e. Caulerpales, Siphonocladales, and Dasycladales) with the Chlorophyceae and Pleurastrophyceae. Although hypotheses supported by these independent data sets are incongruent, they suggest that the Ulvophyceae is not monophyletic. Based on rRNA sequences, pleurastrophycean taxa, which, like the Ulvophyceae, possess a counter-clockwise arrangement of flagellar basal bodies, are more closely …

Influences On The Instream Distribution Of Astyanax Fasciatus In A Small River In Costa Rica., Cecil Kelly Swing

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The instream distribution of the tetra, Astyanax fasciatus, was investigated through approximately 700 hours of field observations in a small Costa Rican stream on the southwestern Pacific coast near Golfito. Individuals tended to remain in particular pools where they subsisted primarily on a diet of terrestrial insects. These fish were able to migrate, and only as many individuals stayed in any pool as could be sustained there by available food resources. Because the water intercepted insects fairly uniformly over its surface, the biomass of fish occupying any particular pool was proportional to its surface area (r$\sp2$ = 0.652). The amount …

Effects Of Vertebrate Herbivory On Louisiana Coastal Marshes., Katherine Lynn Taylor

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The disturbances of herbivory, simulated "eat-outs" (clipping and removal of above-ground biomass), and burning were examined for their effect on total biomass, individual species abundance, and species richness in several different marsh communities. Herbivory significantly reduced the total community biomass of all the marshes studied. Simulated "eat-outs" reduced the total biomass of the freshwater marsh but had no persistent effect on the total biomass of either the oligohaline or mesohaline marshes of the Pearl River. Both the oligohaline and the mesohaline marshes were able to recover from a removal of above-ground biomass (simulated "eat-out") within two years. The freshwater marsh …

The Use Of Hydrologically Altered Wetlands To Treat Wastewater In Coastal Louisiana., Andree Marie Breaux

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Two major environmental problems currently affecting Louisiana are a high rate of coastal wetland loss and high levels of surface water pollution. The application of secondarily treated wastewater to wetlands is proposed as a means of dealing with these problems. The benefits of wetland wastewater treatment include improved surface water quality, increased accretion rates to balance subsidence, improved plant productivity, and decreased capital outlays for conventional engineering treatment systems. Wetland treatment systems can be designed and operated to restore deteriorating wetlands to previous levels of productivity. Hydrologically altered wetlands in the Louisiana coastal zone have been selected as appropriate for …

Behavioral Influences On Predator-Prey Interactions Between Juvenile Teleosts And Meiofauna., John Nathan Mccall

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Predator-prey relationships between post-larval and juvenile teleosts are greatly influenced by the manner in which feeding behavior of fish interacts with the behavior of meiofaunal prey. Juvenile starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus Pallas) in a southeastern Alaskan bay fed disproportionately on the harpacticoid copepod Microarthridion littorale (Poppe), particularly on males. This apparent selectivity was not due to differing vertical distribution of harpacticoid species or to feeding in other locations. Comparison of ingested prey to harpacticoid assemblages collected by various techniques (including near-bottom collections) suggested that the prey selection shown by starry flounder may be the result of emergent behavior of its …

Assemblage Of Spinach Photosystem Ii Proteins: Cpa-1 And Msp Interactions., Carlos Benito Queirolo

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This work focuses on the production and characterization of crosslinked products obtained from PS II preparations, with the aim of better understanding the structural relationships between the manganese stabilizing protein (MSP) and the interior antenna protein CPa-1. Two oxygen evolving reaction center (OERC) preparations, OERC complex and OERC core, produced various crosslinked products with the hydrophobic crosslinker dithio-bis-(succinimidyl propionate) (DTSP). Crosslinking experiments with OERC complex demonstrated that a close association of MSP to CPa-1 occurs, as both proteins were found to be present simultaneously in various crosslinked products revealed by one- and two-dimensional electrophoretic and immunoblotting techniques. These crosslinked products …

Ecosystem Models Of Aquatic Primary Production And Fish Migration In Laguna De Terminos, Mexico., Enrique Reyes

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Laguna de Terminos is Mexico's largest coastal lagoon. There is a high habitat diversity including open water, mangroves, seagrasses and marshes, which supports Mexico's most economically important fisheries. Understanding ecosystem processes is essential for effective management of the lagoon's resources. This research developed landscape-level models for aquatic primary production (LAPPTER model), and fish migration (ROE model) in Laguna de Terminos. The ROE model was developed first as a theoretical approach, and later integrated into the LAPPTER model as a submodule which utilizes simulated production as a food source. The ROE model includes behavioral rules for fish movement based on environmental …

Dynamics Of Bacterioplankton Abundance And Production In Seagrass Communities Of A Hypersaline Lagoon, Gerardo Chin-Leo, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

The significance of bacterioplankton in the flow of carbon and energy and in trophic dynamics of the upper Laguna Madre, Texas (USA), was estimated by measuring bacterioplankton abundance and production over an 18 mo period and over several diel cycles. Bacterioplankton production was estimated from incorporation rates of thymidine (DNA synthesis) and leucine (protein synthesis). These independent inhces of bacterial growth were generally in agreement and yielded nearly identical annual estimates of bacterial production (25.24 g C m^-2 yr^-1 based on thymidine and 25.12 g C m^-2 yr^-1based on leucine). Assuming a 30 % growth …