Digital Commons Network^™

Evolution Of Gender Associated Mitochondrial Dna In Bivalves, Jason Paul Curole

Doctoral Dissertations

Bivalves of the families Unionidae and Mytilidae possess a unique mode of mitochondrial DNA inheritance dubbed sex-limited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inheritance or doubly-uniparental inheritance (DUI). In contrast to the matrilineally restricted inheritance of mtDNA in other metazoans, these bivalves have both matrilineally and patrilineally inherited mtDNA lineages. Although the matrilineally inherited mtDNA (or F type) is present in the somatic tissues of both sexes and the female gonad, the patrilineally inherited mtDNA (or M type) is limited to the male gonad. In Mytilus several observations have been made concerning the evolution of DUI. Firstly, the fidelity of DUI is not …

Influences Of Social And Habitat Features On Selection And Use Of Breeding Habitat And Pup Survival In South American Fur Seals, Monica Anne Stevens

Doctoral Dissertations

Quantitative information is lacking about how fur seals use habitat and how this use influences fitness. Such information is important for understanding the prospects for recovery of declining populations like those of South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) in Peru. In this study I examined the influences of habitat features and human disturbance on selection of breeding habitat by female fur seals in Peru; and I examined how mortality of pups was influenced by habitat features, female behavior, and the social environment on the beach.

Arctocephalus australis in Peru have declined gradually over the past decade, and declined dramatically (72%) …

The Effects Of Erythrocyte Alloantigen L On The Avian Immune Response, Zdravka Ognyanova Medarova

Doctoral Dissertations

Experiment 1 examined the alloantigen system L effects on Rous sarcomas in three B complex genotypes. The parental stock were 50% Modified Wisconsin Line 3 and 50% inbred Line 6.15- 5. B2B5 L1L2 x B2B5 L 1L2 matings produced experimental chicks. Chicks were inoculated with 20 pock-forming units (pfu) Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) at 6 weeks-of-age. Tumors were scored six times over 10 weeks postinoculation. Tumor scores were used to assign a tumor profile index (TPI) to each chicken. Results were evaluated by ANOVA. The B complex affected the responses. Separate analyses revealed L system effects ( P < 0.05) only in B5B 5 chickens.

Experiment 2 …

Regulation Of Ethylene Receptor Expression In Arabidopsis, Xue-Chu Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

The ethylene receptor family of Arabidopsis consists of five members, ETR1, ETR2, ERS1, ERS2, and EIN4. Regulation of ethylene receptor expression in Arabidopsis was studied using three different approaches. First, the effect of ethylene-pathway mutations upon expression of ETR1 was examined. Ethylene-insensitive mutations in ETR1 resulted in a post-transcriptional increase in levels of the mutant receptor. Treatment of seedlings with silver, which leads to ethylene insensitivity, also resulted in an increase in levels of ETR1. Mutations in other components of the ethylene pathway had little effect upon expression of ETR1. Second, microarray analysis was performed using reciprocal mutants to examine …

Life History Dynamics Of Nudibranch Sibling Species In The Genus Dendronotus In The Gulf Of Maine, Chad Gordon Sisson

Doctoral Dissertations

Two different larval types have been described for the nudibranch Dendronotus frondosus (Ascanius, 1774) in the Gulf of Maine. A taxonomic review of adults with planktrophic larvae and those with lecithotrophic larvae revealed regular differences in radula morphology, and no predictable differences in the reproductive system. These data and previous data on a behavioral reproductive isolation mechanism suggest a new species designation for populations of Dendronotus with lecithotrophic larvae. Laboratory studies were used to compare the larval dispersal potential of the two types of Dendronotus. D. frondosus planktotrophic larvae had a potential planktonic period of approximately 11 weeks at 10°C …

Impacts Of The Introduced Crabs, Carcinus Maenas And Hemigrapsus Sanguineus, In Northern New England, Megan Conlon Tyrrell

Doctoral Dissertations

Two introduced crab species are presently found in northern New England, Carcinus maenas, which has been in this region for over 100 years, and Hemigrapsus sanguineus which was first reported in New Hampshire in 1998. Carcinus maenas is a generalized predator and its introduction has had negative effects on several native mollusc species but the community wide impacts of its introduction have been relatively neglected. Hemigrapsus sanguineus is just beginning to establish populations in this region, and its effects on the resident community are unknown. Both monitoring and experimental approaches were used to retroactively infer the impacts of C. maenas …

Ec02-171 Canada Thistle, Robert G. Wilson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L) Scop.] is one of the seven species defined by Nebraska law as a noxious weed. At least 35 other states also have determined by law that Canada thistle poses a threat to the economic, social, and aesthetic well-being of the residents of their state. Canada thistle is probably the most widespread of all the thistle species and many land managers consider it the most difficult thistle to control. In Nebraska, Canada thistle is estimated to infest 460,000 acres.

Ec02-174 Leafy Spurge, Robert A. Masters, Brady F. Kappler

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Leafy spurge is an invasive weed that infests over three million acres in the northern Great Plains and the prairie provinces of Canada. It is commonly found in rangelands, pastures, roadsides, rights-of-way, and woodlands. Leafy spurge can reduce rangeland and pasture carrying capacity by as much as 75 percent because it competes with forages and cattle avoid grazing areas infested with this weed. In North Dakota where leafy spurge infests about 900,000 acres, estimates of direct and indirect losses exceed $100 million each year. In Nebraska, the direct loss in forage value attributed to leafy spurge has been estimated at …

Ec02-174 Noxious Weeds Of Nebraska: Leafy Spurge, Robert A. Masters, Brady Kappler

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Leafy spurge is an invasive weed that infests over three million acres in the northern Great Plains and the prairie provinces of Canada. It is commonly found in rangelands, pastures, roadsides, rights-of-way, and woodlands. Leafy spurge can reduce rangeland and pasture carrying capacity by as much as 75 percent because it competes with forages and cattle avoid grazing areas infested with this weed.

This Extension Circular discusses the biology, identification, distribution and control of leafy spurge.

A Test Of The Ideal Free Distribution In Panhandling Humans, Leann Louise Milinder

Doctoral Dissertations

The Ideal Free Distribution (Fretwell and Lucas, 1970), an optimization model from behavioral ecology, predicts that a group of animals will distribute themselves across habitats with unequal resources such that all animals have equal success rates. The six experiments of this dissertation demonstrated that humans conform to the IFD with about the same sensitivity as animals and respond similarly when assumptions of the model are violated. The present study also revealed that cooperation, and its effect on the functional size of the foraging unit, may be an important factor in understanding the distribution of social foragers.

Experiments 1 and 2 …

Transgenic Manipulation Of Polyamine Metabolism In Poplar, Pratiksha Bhatnagar

Doctoral Dissertations

Polyamines are low molecular weight polycations found in all living organisms. They are involved in plant stress response and development. The study was aimed at analyzing the effects of altered polyamine metabolism on the polyamine and related pathways in transformed poplar cells overexpressing a mouse odc cDNA under the control of 2X 35S CaMV promoter. The transgenic cells (line 2E) showed elevated levels of mouse ornithine decarboxylase enzyme activity, several fold higher amounts of putrescine, a small increase in spermidine, and a small reduction in spermine as compared with non-transgenic (NT) cells. The conversion of labeled ornithine into putrescine was …

Genetic Diversity Of Balbiani Ring L Gene In Two Species Of Chironomus, Lola-Mae Palmer

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Differences in genetic composition have been predicted among aquatic midge fly larva called chironomids. Although several genes including microsatellites and ribosomal protein genes have been explored in our lab, the gene that has so far been studied the most is the Balbiani Ring (BR) 1 gene. There are several genes in this family, including Balbiani Ring 2.1, 2.2 and 6. These BR genes are known to contain long arrays of tandemly repeated units with a ranked repeat organization (Paulsson et al.1992). This secretory protein gene forms a large puff located on polytene chromosome IV (Bentivegna et al., 1993). The gene …

Virtual, On-Line, Frog Dissection Vs. Conventional Laboratory Dissection: A Comparison Of Student Achievement And Teacher Perceptions Among Honors, General Ability, And Foundations Level High School Biology Classes, Ronald H. Kopec

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Parenthood, Genes, And Gametes: The Family Law And Trusts And Estates Perspectives, Naomi R. Cahn

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This Article proposes a solution to resolve the legal issues that arise from the disposition of eggs, zygotes, and sperm upon divorce or death. I address two overlapping issues in family law and trusts and estates law: (1) whether the partner seeking procreation may use gametic material over the objections of the other partner and (2) how should the use of donated, willed, or marital gametic material affect the legal determination of parenthood?

In family law cases, courts generally rule in favor of the person seeking to avoid procreation, regardless of any evidence as to the intent of the parties. …

Microscale Patchiness Of Bacterioplankton Assemblage Richness In Seawater, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

We sought to test the hypothesis that bacterial species richness and composition vary at the millimeter scale in the marine pelagic environment, in response to the heterogeneous distribution of organic matter. To test this hypothesis, it was necessary to design and test a protocol to sample, lyse and analyze (by polymerase chain reaction/denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [PCR-DGGE]) bacterioplankton species richness in a single microliter of seawater. Significant variation in bacterial species richness was found amongst 1 μl samples. Greater species richness was seen when seawater was enriched with diatom detritus. Examination of species richness at 2 mm intervals over a …

Lichens Of The Ponderosa Pine Forests Of Nebraska., Sara M. Morgan

Student Work

Nebraska has five main pine forest regions dominated by Pinus ponderosa Laws, with other small naturally forested areas scattered in pockets across the state (Kaul & Rolfsmeier 1993). Three of these main forest areas occur naturally: the Pine Ridge in northwestern Nebraska, the Wildcat Hills south of the city of Scottsbluff, and the Niobrara River Valley in the north-central portion of the state. These three natural coniferous forest communities are similar in having gentle to steep slopes, well-drained sandy soils, and sandstone outcrops (Steinauer & Rolfsmeier 2000). The Pine Ridge area in Dawes, Sheridan, and Sioux counties is the largest …

Age Structure, Species Composition And Succession In A Loess Hills Woodland., Peter Christian Phillips

Student Work

The Loess Hills of central North America is a unique geologic region that historically was dominated by prairie with scattered oak trees in an environment of frequent fires. Following European settlement, woody-plant cover expanded throughout the Loess Hills so that today, existing prairies occur as remnants surrounded by an oak-dominated woodland. Large-, intermediate-, and small-sized trees were sampled along three adjacent lowland-to-upland belt-transects in western Iowa to document more accurately the dynamics of this woody expansion. Trees were cored or cross-sectioned and dated using standard dendrochronological techniques. Results characterize the pre-1850 woody canopy as consisting of a few widely scattered …

The Wooster Voice (Wooster, Oh), 2001-11-08, Wooster Voice Editors

The Voice: 2001-2011

The college sets a goal of $8 million for the new Bornhuetter Hall. The issue includes a draft design of the dorm building. After the events of September 11th, federal authorities slow Wooster's recruitment of international students. Paul Ewald, professor of biology at Amherst College and noted disease expert, visits Wooster to speak on the wide scope of infectious disease and new findings in the field. A piece details information about the different small house on campus and the students that live in them. Additionally, the edition includes a music review of artist Tori Amos's cover album "Strange Little Girls."

Wooster Magazine: Fall 2000, Lisa Watts

Wooster Magazine: 1991-2000

This edition of the Wooster Magazine was published in the Fall of 2000. This edition begins with a letter from the President's, R. Stanton Hales, desk regarding an $8 million gift from The Burton D. Morgan Foundation. This was the largest single gift in the history of the college at that time. The gift was used to create Burton D. Morgan Hall. "The Oak Grove", stories from around campus and beyond, includes stories about faculty beginning to transition to a new curriculum, the College switching to more "sophisticated" phones, students embracing Kittredge's no-fry zone, and staff members relocating campus wildlife. …

Realities Of Rape: Of Science And Politics, Causes And Meanings, Owen D. Jones

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This review essay discusses the book A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion, by Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer (MIT Press, 2000). The essay builds on work previously appearing in Owen D. Jones, Sex, Culture, and the Biology of Rape: Toward Explanation and Prevention, 87 Cal. L. Rev. 827 (1999) and Owen D. Jones, Law and the Biology of Rape: Reflections on Transitions, 11 Hastings Women's Law Journal 151 (2000).

Complex, Brittain Phillips

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Brittain spends his days at the movies writing reviews for his favorite newspaper, *The DePauw*.

Abstracts Of Papers, 79th Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science, May 22-25, 2001, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of papers that were presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 22-25, 2001, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Fisheries Research Report No.128 - Aquaculture And Related Biological Attributes Of Abalone Species In Australia - A Review., Kylie A. Freeman

Fisheries Research Reports

China and Taiwan are the major producers of cultured abalone; with annual production estimated at 3,500 and 3,000 tonnes respectively. The world production of cultured abalone sold in 1999 was 7,775 tonnes. Australian farm production was still relatively low (89 tonne in 1999) but numerous abalone farms have been proposed and many have been constructed. On a national scale, Tasmania and South Australia are the major states involved in temperate abalone culture; however, new projects have commenced in Victoria and considerable interest exists in New South Wales. Pilot scale trials with tropical abalone aquaculture using the Donkey-ear abalone (Haliotis asinina) …

Effects Of Smooth Brome (Bromus Inermis) Invasion On Tallgrass Prairie., Sarah Jo Mann

Student Work

Data collected in 1984 and 2000 along a 65-m-long roadside-to-prairie gradient were compared to quantify brome (Bromus inermis) invasion into a native, tallgrass prairie in eastern Nebraska and to assess the effect of this expansion on prairie composition and diversity: Smooth brome expanded 15 meters further into tallgrass prairie during the 16 years of the study while also increasing cover an average of 8%. Overall, species diversity (H’) decreased from 1.04 to 0.95 along the entire toad-prairie gradient during this time although the decrease was significant (P ≤ 0.10) at only three of the five distances from the road that …

Icam-1 Transmembrane Signaling: Involvement Of Taxreb107 In Icam-1-Mediated Signal Transduction, Brian Lee

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

The role of membrane ICAM-1 in intercellular adhesion, through interaction with the leukocyte beta2 integrin receptors LFA-1 and Mac-1, is well established. However, until recently, ICAM-1 was widely regarded as being simply an "anchor" molecule, promoting, for example, firm adhesion of lymphocytes to vascular endothelial cells. The demonstration that ICAM-1 is connected to the actin-based cytoskeleton through interactions with subcortical actin-binding proteins, such as alpha-actinin, enhanced this concept. However, ICAM-1 has been increasingly shown to have signaling properties of its own. Engagement of ICAM-1 extracellularly, either through its natural counter-receptors, LFA-1/Mac-1, or through antibody mediated clustering, can produce numerous changes …

Variations In Bacterial Community Structure During A Dinoflagellate Bloom Analyzed By Dgge And 16s Rdna Sequencing, Laura B. Fandino, Lasse Riemann, Grieg F. Steward, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

The relationship between bacterial 16S rRNA gene composition and carbon metabolism was analyzed during an intense dinoflagellate bloom off the Southern California coast during the spring of 1997. Bacterial numbers and rate processes, chlorophyll a, and the dissolved and particulate organic matter pools were measured during the bloom to provide a framework within which to assess bacterial community composition. Free bacteria were numerically dominant, generally comprising >90% of the total, and were responsible for >70% of bacterial production. Attached bacteria had higher cell-specific growth rates than free bacteria (range = 0.5 to 15.1 and 0.7 to 2.5 d^{-1 …}

Habitat Ecology Of The Native Subtidal Snail, Lacuna Vincta, In The Gulf Of Maine And The Impact Of Two Introduced Species, Suchana Chavanich

Doctoral Dissertations

Lacuna vincta (Montagu) is a small native herbivorous gastropod that feeds and lives on algae within the rocky subtidal zone of New England. In this study, a combination of field samplings and laboratory experiments were conducted in order to examine the seasonal abundance, feeding preference, and growth of snails on nine different algal species. The results showed that there were differences in the seasonal abundance patterns of L. vincta populations on different algal species. However, the snail populations in all size classes were found year round on Laminaria saccharina (L.) Lamour. Feeding preference experiments showed that L. vincta preferred Antithamnionella …

The Enzymatic Function Of The Ccr4 Protein, Junji Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

The CCR4-NOT complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which exists in two forms in vivo: 1.9 and 1.0 x 10 6 MDa in size, is a general transcriptional regulatory complex. It regulates mRNA transcription in initiation, elongation and degradation.

The 1.0 MDa complex was purified to near homogeneity, and mass spectrometric analysis was used to identify all the components of the complex. The 1.0 MDa complex contains CCR4, CAF1, NOT1--5, and two new proteins, CAF40 and CAF130. CAF130 and CAF40 are two unique yeast proteins, with CAF40 displaying extensive homology to proteins from other eukaryotes. Immunoprecipitation and gel filtration experiments confirm that …

Using Satellite Remote Sensing To Model And Map The Distribution Of Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus Bicknelli) In The White Mountains Of New Hampshire, Stephen Roy Hale

Doctoral Dissertations

Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper satellite imagery was used to model Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) distribution in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The proof-of-concept was established for using satellite imagery in species-habitat modeling, where for the first time imagery spectral features were used to estimate a species-habitat model variable. The model predicted rising probabilities of thrush presence with decreasing dominant vegetation height, increasing elevation, and decreasing distance to nearest Fir Sapling cover type. To solve the model at all locations required regressor estimates at every pixel, which were not available for the dominant vegetation height and elevation variables. Topographically normalized …

Ecological Impacts Of Shrimp Trawling On Juveniles Of Selected Benthic Fish Species In The Southwestern Gulf Of Maine, Augustine Japieni Mungkaje

Doctoral Dissertations

The ecological impacts of shrimp trawling on juveniles of selected benthic fish were studied in the southwestern Gulf of Maine. The fish community and selected environmental variables were sampled at two sites in summer and winter during 1998 and 1999. The community was composed of 24 species in 12 families. Site 1 was dominated by longhorn sculpin, Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus , while American plaice, Hippoglossoides platessoides, was the dominant species in Site 2. Red hake, Urophycis chuss was abundant at both sites. There were also seasonal differences in the flux of fish at the two sites.

Correlation analysis showed the abundance …