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Effects Of Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors On Equine And Bovine Follicular Dynamics And Steroidogenesis., Carlos Roberto Fontes Pinto

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Current scientific literature has shown that: (1) NO is a pro-ovulatory agent and inhibition of its production inhibits ovulation, and (2) NO has strong antisteroidogenic activity, especially on estradiol (E2) production by granulosa cells. The experiments described in this dissertation were designed to answer the following questions involving effects of NO on ovarian physiology: (1) is the inhibitory effect of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors on ovulation irreversible (follicular atresia) or temporary (delayed ovulation)? and (2) what is the relationship between NO and hCG-induced preovulatory luteinization? Accordingly, cycling mares were subjected to treatment with NOS inhibitors (L-NAME or aminoguanidine) during …

Effect Of Harvest And Effective Population Size On Genetic Diversity In A Striped Bass Population, Marilyn Diaz, David S. Wethey, James Bulak, Bert Ely

Faculty Publications

A major factor that contributes to loss of genetic variation in natural populations is a small effective population size. In species with a complex life history that involves overlapping generations and delayed maturity, the impact of infrequent annual reproductive bottlenecks is likely to be small because effective population size is defined by the number of individuals contributing to a generation and not to a single year-class. The striped bass Morone saxatilis is a longlived species with overlapping generations and age structure, whose recreational and commercial importance has made it a target of intense harvest.We analyzed allele frequency fluctuation among juvenile …

Biol 4181 Course Proposal 09/21/2000, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Biol 4191 Course Proposal 09/12/2000, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Models In Biology, The Rockefeller University

Posters

The Rockefeller University and New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences held a collaborative symposium on September 11, 2000

Biology Multiple Course Revisions 09/09/2000, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Biology Form B: Discipline Objectives And Requirements 09/07/2000, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Biology Form A: Discipline Summary 09/07/2000, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Biol 3701 Course Proposal 09/06/2000, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Stonehill Alumni Magazine Summer 2000, Stonehill College Office Of Communications And Media Relations

Stonehill Alumni Magazine

This issue of the magazine includes the following features:

• Fr. Cregan Named Stonehill's Ninth President: In April, the Board of Trustees appointed Fr. Mark T. Cregan, C.S.C. '78 an alumnus and trustee, and the pastor of a large inner-city parish in New York City, as the College's ninth president.
• Ireland: Historical Echoes, Contemporary Politics. Professors Richard Finnegan and Edward McCarron talk about their new book, Ireland: Historical Echoes, Contemporary Politics, which analyzes the ever-changing history, society and culture of Ireland. Interview by Michael Reardon
• Twilight: As Fr. Bartley MacPhaidin, C.S.C. entered the last days of his presidency, we shadowed him …

Abstracts Of Papers Presented At The Seventy-Eight Annual Meeting, Virginia Academy Of Science, May 23-26, 2000, Radford University, Radford, Va

Virginia Journal of Science

This document is a list of the abstracts of papers presented at the seventy-eighth meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science that took place at Radford University on May 23 through the 26th, 2000.

Vegetation And Soil Relationships Of Interdunal Depressions In The Nebraska Sandhills Prairie., Danica Marie Kochis-Belleque

Student Work

Vegetation and soils of interdunal depressions were compared to those of adjacent north-facing slopes that represent the upland matrix of the Nebraska Sandhills Prairie. Data from canopy cover and biomass show interdunal depressions to be more variable in species composition but significantly lower in diversity than north-facing slopes (H’ = 1.294 and 1.451, respectively). Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed for total plant cover (95% depression, 87% slope), grass cover (80% and 69%), total biomass (150 g/m2 and 120 g/m2), and grass biomass (110 g/m2 and 70 g/m2). Belowground biomass was higher in depressions, although not significantly so (8 g/m2 and 3 g/m2). The plant communities of depressions were dominated by Scribner’s dichanthelium (Dichantheliuum oligosanthes var. scribneriamum) (32% cover), sedges (Carex spp. And Cyperus schweinitzii) (27% cover), little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius) (21% cover), and white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana) (19% cover). Little bluestem (27% cover), western ragweed (Ambroisa psilostachya) (17% cover), and junegrass (Koeleria pyramidata) (13% cover) dominated slope communities. Significant (P < 0.05) differences between depressions and slopes were recorded for soil moisture (3% and 2%), soil organic matter (2% and 1%), depth of humic acid staining (120 cm and 40 cm), and 3 of 7 soil particle sizes, including silt. Most of the 19 elements tested had higher concentrations in depressions, but significant differences were recorded for iron, potassium, manganese, silicon, and zinc. Significantly higher proportions of small mineral soil particles, organic matter, and nutrients suggest that depressions may act as a regional sink for air-borne particulates that, in combination with higher soil moisture, support a substantially different plant community than the surrounding prairie matrix. This, interdunal depressions appear to contribute significantly to the landscape-level diversity of the Sandhills Prairie ecosystem.

On The Nature Of Norms: Biology, Morality, And The Disruption Of Order, Owen D. Jones

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This essay discusses the legal implications of bio-behavioral underpinnings to norms, morality, and economic order. It first discusses the recent book "The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order," in which Francis Fukuyama explores the importance of evolved human nature to the reconstruction of social order and a thriving economy. It then addresses the extent to which we can usefully view law-relevant norms as products of evolutionary - as well as economic - processes.

On Quantitative Evaluation Of 3-D Histo-Pathological Images From Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope., P. S. Umesh Adiga Dr.

Doctoral Theses

Automation of image analysis in the bio-medical ficld is one of the important achievements of applied image processing research. The rapid development in the electronic instrumentation during 1960s and 70s made it possible to automate the routine process of diagnosis and prognosis of many discases. Development of high resolution imaging instruments such as X-ray CT, MRI, etc., for macro imaging and electron microscope, confocal microscope, etc., for micro imaging has given a tremendous boost to the advancement of medical field. Advancement in the field of computing has made it possible to reconstruct the pictures of internal organs of the body …

Responses Of Phytoplankton And Pfiesteria-Like Dinoflagellate Zoospores To Nutrient Enrichment In The Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, Usa, James L. Pinckney, Hans W. Paerl, Elin Haugen, Patricia A. Tester

Faculty Publications

The recently described toxic dinoflagellate Pfiestena piscicida and morphologically similar Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellates have become a major water quality issue with possible fish mortality and reported human health implications. The linkages between accelerated nutrient loading, eutrophication, and the proliferation of this group of dinoflagellates, however, are not well established for natural Systems. Phytoplankton pnmary production may provide a key link between nutrient inputs and potential outbreaks of Pfiesteria-like biflagellated zoospores in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina. The impacts of nutrient (NO₃^- -nitrogen and PO₄^3- -phosphorus) supply rates, sediment-water column exchange, water column mixing, and phytoplankton prey …

Ec00-1564 A Guide To Identifying Nebraska Bumble Bee Species, Marion D. Ellis, Doug Golick

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

For more people, pollen means allergies and bees mean stings. However, you should thank a bee, butterfly, bat, bird, or other pollinator for one out of every three bites of food you eat. There are 95 crops grown in the United States that require insect pollinators. In addition, many bee-pollinated plants provide food for wildlife, increase soil fertility, and beautify our landscapes.

This extension circular discusses the importance of bees, capturing bees, making a reference collection, identification guide, and glossary.

A New Stygobiont Melitid Amphipod From The Nullarbor Plain, J. H. Bradbury, Stefan Eberhard

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

Qualitative And Quantitative Chances In Ubiquitin Transcripts During Dictyostelium Mucoroides Development., Vincent Van Rothe

Student Work

The slime mold Dictyostelium mucoroides is an effective model for studying eukaryotic development because it exists as both unicellular and multicellular entities depending on the stage of their life cycle. Development is regulated by a number of proteins. During the transition from single amebas to a multicellular entity, developmentally regulated proteins appear. In the case of the microcysts, produced during sexual reproduction, proteins not only function in the formation of the cell walls, but also aid in the fusion of gametes, selective phagocytosis, cell to cell contact, and make up lysosomal enzymes. We have cloned a developmentally regulated gene whose …

Characterization Of The Interactions Within The Ccr4 -Not Complex And The Interactions Between Adr1 And Tfiid Components, Yongli Bai

Doctoral Dissertations

The mechanisms of transcriptional regulation are well conserved from yeast to human cells. Most genes are regulated at the transcriptional level, particularly, at the transcription initiation step. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae at least one transcriptional activator, ADR1, and one transcription complex, CCR4-NOT, participate in the activation of the ADH2 gene. The core 1 x 106 dalton CCR4-NOT complex consists of CCR4, CAF1, the five NOT proteins (NOT1-NOT5), and three other uncharacterized proteins. Deletion of NOT3, NOT4, or NOT5 did not affect the association of CCR4 with CAF1 in the gel filtration analysis. In contrast, NOT2 inactivation caused partial destabilization of the …

Landscape-Scale Prediction Of Forest Productivity By Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Of Canopy Nitrogen, Marie-Louise Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Foliar nitrogen concentration represents a direct and primary link between carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Although foliar N is used by many ecosystem models to predict leaf-level photosynthetic rates, it has rarely been examined as a direct scalar to stand-level carbon gain. Significant improvements in remote sensing detector technology in the list decade now allow for improved landscape-level estimation of the biochemical attributes of forest ecosystems.

In this study, relationships among forest growth (aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and aboveground woody biomass production (AWBP)), canopy chemistry and structure, and high resolution imaging spectrometry were examined for 88 long-term …

The Effects Of Ultraviolet Radiation, Highway Contamination, And Synergism Of The Two On Spotted Salamander Embryos, Sarah Letitia Turtle

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, I examined the effects of ultraviolet radiation, highway contamination and a synergism of both factors on the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum embryos in field and laboratory experiments. There are numerous reports of amphibian population declines from around the world. There are several possible factors causing the decline, including, habitat loss, environmental pollution, disease, and ultraviolet B radiation (UVB, 290--320 nm). Results of studies conducted to date seem to indicate that the impacts of these factors vary greatly among species and across geography. Amphibians have unique characteristics and life histories that make them more vulnerable to changes in …

Modeling Plant-Soil-Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide Exchange Using Optimality Principles, Kevin Patrick Tu

Doctoral Dissertations

The exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere plays a central role in the ecology of the biosphere and the climate system. Towards quantification of ecosystem-atmosphere CO 2 exchange, a generalized model of plant-soil-atmosphere CO2 exchange (OPTICAL) was described and evaluated using eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) in arctic, boreal, temperate, and tropical landscapes. The model requires no calibration and is based on theories of plant resource optimization and plant-soil nutrient feedbacks. The model predicts canopy photosynthetic capacity (Pcmax), canopy photosynthesis (P c), plant respiration (Rp), and soil heterotrophic respiration (RH). …

Carbon And Nitrogen Dynamics Of Northeastern United States Forests In Response To Environmental Stress: Measurements And Models At Local To Regional Scales, Scott V. Ollinger

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis stems from several ongoing efforts to characterize patterns of productivity and nitrogen cycling in northeastern US forests and to address the effects of nitrogen deposition, tropospheric ozone and rising atmospheric CO2. The work reported on involves two related projects; (1) an ecosystem model analysis that integrates physiological and biogeochemical processes with important environmental variables across the northeast region and (2) a field and remote sensing analysis that examines landscape-level patterns of forest biogeochemistry in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Chapter 1 presents a regional analysis of forest productivity using the PnET forest ecosystem model and discusses the …

Biodiversity And Phytogeography Of Bolivia's Wetland Flora, Nur Paul Ritter

Doctoral Dissertations

The composition, diversity, and phytogeographic affinities of the vascular flora of Bolivia's wetlands were examined and compared with wetland floras from the other Neotropical countries and the New World Temperate region. Forty-six wetlands distributed throughout Bolivia and ranging in elevation from 90 in to >4400 m were established as study sites. Regional and national wetland floras were compiled from field research, the literature, herbarium specimens, and available databases.

Two thousand and sixty species in 149 families and 666 genera were identified as associated with wetlands in Mesoamerica and tropical and subtropical South America. Of these, 1026 species in 126 families …

Remote Sensing Of Forest Damage In The Czech Republic Using Hyperspectral Methods, Petya K. Entcheva

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study assesses the potential of hyperspectral data for monitoring the initial stages of damage in Norway spruce forests characterized by subtle changes in foliar chlorophyll and chemistry. Both field and airborne high spectral resolution reflectance measurements were obtained for selected study sites in the Krusne hory, Czech Republic.

High spectral resolution airborne canopy data and field foliar samples were acquired simultaneously in August 1998 for a total of 51 study sites within the Krusne hory. The sites were selected to represent a full range of damage conditions in even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) stands located between …

Disturbance Indicators For Time Series Reconstruction And Marine Ecosystem Health Impact Assessment, Benjamin Harrison Sherman

Doctoral Dissertations

A systematic reconstruction of Multiple Marine Ecological Disturbances (MMEDs) involving disease occurrence, morbidity and mortality events has been undertaken so that a taxonomy of globally distributed marine disturbance types can be better quantified and common forcing factors identified. Combined disturbance data include indices of morbidity, mortality and disease events affecting humans, marine invertebrates, flora and wildlife populations. In the search for the best disturbance indicators of ecosystem change, the unifying solution for joining data from disparate fields is to organize data into space/time/topic hierarchies that permit convergence of data due to shared and appropriate scaling. The scale of the data …

Disarticulation And Dissolution Of Crab Remains Across A Depth Gradient In The Bahamas: A Taphonomic Study, Rebecca A. Lincoln

Honors Papers

The fields of Paleontology and Paleoecology would not be complete without taphonomy, the study of the processes affecting organisms between death and fossilization. Taphonomy is important because it allows us to make more complete conjectures about prehistoric organisms and environments, and makes us aware of possible holes and biases in the fossil record due to highly destructive processes or the loss of delicate, non-resistant organisms. Studies on the processes affecting modern organisms have contributed greatly to the understanding of ancient processes; however, most of these studies are nearshore and short-term. What is lacking is information on the effects of these …

The Early Local And Regional Immune Response To Recall Inoculations Of Mycobacterium Leprae In The Skin Of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta)., Thomas Xavier D Lemarchand

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Epidemiological studies have failed to show any important impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and disease on leprosy, in contrast to the well documented increase in incidence and morbidity with other mycobacteria in these patients, notably Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The early events following exposure and repeated exposure to Mycobacterium leprae (ML) have not still been studied. Previous studies of first inoculations of ML in the skin of rhesus monkeys have indicated delayed recruitment of CD4+ cells and delayed interleukin (IL) 2 secretion in skin inoculation sites in simian immunodeficiency (SIV) positive animals. The development of the secondary immune response against …

Dna Alkylation And Its Repair In Small Fish Species., Thomas James Vicek

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Mechanisms of DNA alkylation and repair were investigated in 3 small fish species. Following aqueous exposure to either N-methyl- N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine or ethyl methanesulfonate, the hepatic DNA from the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, was analyzed for alkyl-DNA adducts via high performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. Although potential tissue detection limits ranged from 14--101 fmoles of alkyl adducts/mg tissue, no alkyl-DNA adducts were detected in the exposed tissues. To assess the potential repair of alkyl-DNA adducts in 2 other small fish species, alkyltransferase activities within hepatic protein extracts of the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, and Gambusia affinis were determined using …

Biometrical Models For Predicting Future Performance In Plant Breeding., Monica Graciela Balzarini

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The plant breeding process begins with the selection of parents and crosses. Promising progeny from these crosses progress through a series of selection stages that typically culminate in multi-environment trials. I evaluated best linear unbiased predictors (BLUP), other predictors and prediction models at the initial (cross prediction), early replicated testing and late (multi-location) stages of a sugarcane breeding selection cycle. Model and predictor accuracy was assessed in the first two stages by using cross-validation procedures. I compared statistical models of progeny test data in their ability to predict the cross performance of untested sugarcane crosses. Random parental effect predictors and …