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Molecular Genetics And Functions Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (Hsv-1) Glycoprotein K (Gk) In The Morphogenesis Of Infectious Virion Particles., Timothy Paul Foster

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) specifies at least 11 glycoproteins that are expressed in infected cells and in virions. HSV-1 enters into cells via fusion of the viral envelope with cellular membranes and can spread to adjacent cells via fusion of cellular membranes. Glycoproteins gB, gD, gH, and gL are known to be essential for virus entry, virus spread, and virus induced cell-to-cell fusion. The majority of spontaneous single amino acid changes that cause extensive cell fusion map within the UL53 gene encoding glycoprotein K (gK); however, the role of gK in virus entry and virus egress had not …

Capability Of Recombinant Insect Viruses For Environmental Persistence And Transport., Yihua Lee

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Wild-type and recombinant nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) were compared with respect to their capability to produce epizootics in Trichoplusis ni (Hubner) larvae infesting collards in a greenhouse microcosm. Viruses tested were variants of Autographa californica (Speyer) NPV (AcNPV): wild-type virus (AcNPV.WT), AcNPV expressing a scorpion toxin (AcNPV.AaIT), and AcNPV expressing juvenile hormone esterase (AcJHE.SG). Epizootics of AcNPV.WT lasted 8 weeks after a single viral release in the replicated, greenhouse micro-plots. AcJHE.SG epizootics also lasted 8 weeks after viral release, but this virus and AcNPV.AaIT were both out-competed by AcNPV.WT. AcNPV.AaIT was no longer detected in the T. ni population by the fourth …

Community Structure And The Effects Of Experimental Fires On Hardwood Shrub Species In Southeastern Longleaf Pine Savannas., Paul Boguslaw Drewa

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The main objective of this dissertation is to describe and examine how altering fire regimes in southeastern longleaf pine savannas may affect the abundances and distributions of indigenous plant species. In chapter one, I investigate whether herbs, compared to shrubs, have greater utility in delineating communities along elevation gradients of several meters in longleaf pine savannas. Herbaceous and shrub abundance data were analyzed separately for areas in Louisiana and Florida using cluster analysis and ordination. In Louisiana, three plant communities were sharply delineated and strongly correlated with gradients in elevation, surface soil moisture, and other surface soil properties. Herbaceous species …

Effects Of Fluctuating Salinity, Nutritional State, And Temperature On Leptasterias Spp. From Little Port Walter, Alaska., Jeffrey William Tamplin

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The effects of fluctuating salinity, nutritional state, and temperature on activity, oxygen consumption, feeding, and growth rates were analyzed on seasonally collected Leptasterias spp. (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from Little Port Walter, AK. Leptasterias aspera and L. epichlora were collected on June 10, 1994, divided into size groups, and perivisceral fluid osmolality was measured every three hours during a 12 h 30-10-30‰S fluctuating cycle. The perivisceral fluid osmolality of larger individuals fluctuated less than that of smaller sea stars. The perivisceral fluid osmolality of small and large Leptasterias spp. closely tracks the ambient water osmolality during tidal cycles. Leptasterias spp. were collected …

Systematics, Ecology, And Social Biology Of The Musk Duck (Biziura Lobata) Of Australia., Kevin Grant Mccracken

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Musk Ducks (Biziura lobata) exhibit a number of unusual morphological and behavioral traits. The most notable of these include: greatly abducted hind-limbs for underwater swimming efficiency, extreme sexual size dimorphism and pronounced structural dimorphism, lek display activity, elaborate sexual display repertoires, and the distinctly non-waterfowl-like trait of provisioning young with all their food from the time of hatch until fledging. Despite such peculiarities and obvious theoretical potential in the areas of comparative morphology, sexual selection, and brood ecology, few studies of Musk Ducks have been undertaken, and those to date have been either small in scope and design, or focused …

Production Of L-(+) Lactic Acid From Blackstrap Molasses By Lactobacillus Casei Subspecies Rhamnosus Atcc 11443., Narumol Thongwai

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Lactobacillus casei subspecies rhamnosus grew on non-supplemented blackstrap molasses. The bacteria grew best at the optimal temperature of 40 +/- 2°C, and at pH 5.5. Addition of yeast extract to molasses shortened the lag phase and increased cell mass. In batch fermentations without pH control, the highest ratio of lactic acid produced to cell mass was 12 from non-supplemented molasses. For pH controlled batch fermentations, the ratio's of lactic acid produced/cell mass were 81, 79, 51 and 31 for 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8% yeast extract supplementation, respectively. Non-supplemented molasses, 8% Brix, produced 28 +/- 2 g/l of lactic acid …

Morphology And Development Of Several External Myiasis Larvae Recorded In Elazığ, Cem Ecmel Şaki̇, Edi̇p Özer

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

A study was conducted on external myiasis of livestock in Elazığ and its districts (Sivrice, Kovancılar, Baskil and Salkaya) in 1994-1995. Eight species of myiasis flies including Lucilia sericata, L. caesar, Calliphora vicina, C. vomitoria, Chrysomya albiceps, Wohlfahrtia magnifica, Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis and S. carnaria were determined and published seperately. In addition, morphological and biological characteristics of larvae of Lucilia sericata, Calliphora vicina, Wohlfahrtia magnifica and Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis were investigated under laboratory conditions as well. The studies showed that development from larvae to fly was recognized in 17-22 days for L. sericata, 10-16 days for S. haemorrhoidalis, 19-23 days for C. …

Root Morphology, Distribution Of Mycorrhizae, And Nutrient Status Of The Terrestrial Orchid Spiranthes Cernua., Veronique Simone Pileri

Student Work

The rhizosphere is a complex of biotic and abiotic factors and their interactions. It includes the soil, the micro- and megafauna, and a variety of autotrophic species. The goal of this study is to understand the belowground dynamics of the terrestrial orchid, Sniranthes cemua. through the characterization of soil nutrients, root system morphology, and mycorrhizal infection. Interrelationships among the soil, the mycorrhizae and S. cemua may explain the role of mycorrhizae in adult chlorophyllous orchids as well as the influence of soil nutrients on mycorrhizae. Understanding mycorrhizal relationships, will also contribute to the conservation and reestablishment of threatened and endangered …

Ecosystem Metabolism In A Subtropical Seagrass-Dominated Lagoon, Susan Ziegler, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

Measurements of ecosystem gross primary production (GPP) and respiration (R) were made for 2 to 3 consecutive days on 10 occasions from February 1996 through June 1997 in the seagrass-dominated Laguna Madre (Texas, USA). Ecosystem GPP and R were quantified using 3 independent measurements including the open-water technique using dissolved oxygen (DO) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and the summation of discrete measurements of the water column and benthos. Diel curves of DIC were often influenced by water movement while the impact of water movement on DO was not apparent. This was attributed to the longer turnover time of DIC …

Analysis Of Potential Base-Pairs Between 16s And 23s Ribosomel Rna In Escherichia Coli., Bruce Carden

Student Work

Each ribosome in E. coli is composed of two associated subunits, the 30s small subunit and the 50S large subunit, forming the translationally competent 70S ribosome. Ribosomal subunit association is a critical feature of all stages of translation. One proposal for subunit association involves rRNA-rRNA interactions between the 790 loop in 16S rRNA and the 2750 loop in 23S rRNA. Each of these sequences are highly conserved, and more intriguingly have the potential to form Watson-Crick base-pairs with each other. The objectives of the study were to detail the role of the 2750 loop in subunit association and test the …

Ecosystem Responses To Internal And Watershed Organic Matter Loading: Consequences For Hypoxia In The Eutrophying Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, Usa, Hans W. Paerl, James L. Pinckney, John M. Fear, Benjamin L. Peierls

Faculty Publications

The contrasting impacts of externally supplied (runoff) and internally generated (nutrient stimulated phytoplankton blooms) organic matter on oxygen (0₂) depletion were examined and evaluated in the eutrophic, salinity-stratified Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA. This nitrogen (N)- limited estuary is experiencing increasing anthropogenic N loading from expanding urban, agricultural and industrial development in its watershed. Resultant algal blooms, which provided organic matter loads capable of causing extensive low 0₂ (hypoxic) and depleted 0₂ (anoxic) conditions, have induced widespread mortality of resident fin- and shellfish. Phytoplankton blooms followed periods of elevated N loading, except during extremely high …

The Effects Of Pool Size On The Microinvertebrate Populations Of Chaney Lake, An Ephemeral Wetland Located In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Shannon Gaines

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Studies concerning the microinvertebrate communities of differing pool sizes were conducted at Chaney Lake, an ephemeral, karst wetland located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. As the lake begins to dry in the early summer, smaller, isolated ponds begin to form. Several ponds of various sizes were marked for analysis. Microinvertebrate samples and physiochemical readings were taken at each of the sites and were counted in the lab. T-tests were performed on the samples to determine if the microinvertebrate densities differed between ponds that dried later in the season as opposed to those that dried earlier. Ostracoda densities of the late dry …

Defining The Roles Of Physical And Occupational Therapists In The Health-Care Environment Today, Sandi Jo Haile

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Nudel, An Unusual Mosaic Protease Involved In Defining The Embryonic Dorsal-Ventral Axis Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Charles Chansik Hong

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Dorsal-ventral polarity of the Drosophila embryo is determined by positional information that originates outside of the embryo. This information, which is created during oogenesis by the somatic follicle cells swrounding the oocyte, is utilized following fertilization to trigger a spatially regulated serine protease cascade in the extraembryonic perivitelline space. This protease cascade, which appears to be activated only on the presumptive ventral side of the embryo, generates the ligand for the Toll transmembrane protein that polarizes the embryo by inducing ventral development.This thesis presents evidence that nudel, a gene maternally required in somatic tissue for the formation of Toll's ligand, …

Review Of Caring For Justice, By Robin West, Michael T. Cahill

Michigan Law Review

If the sexes are indeed from different planets, as the title of a recent bestseller informs us, one wonders that those planets were like before their inhabitants made the trek to Earth. Did the citizens of the all-female Venus structure their lives, work, moral commitments, and political systems differently from the males over on Mars? If so, what happened when these cultural worlds collided to form our own? Does our culture represent a synthesis of these two separate systems into a new and better, or perhaps worse, one, or is it the result of one planet's wholesale conquest of the …

The Relationship Between Nectar Sources And Regal Fritillary (Speyeria Idalia Drury) Butterfly Populations., Jeffrey J. Huebschman

Student Work

I investigated the relationship between nectar source diversity and regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia Drury) butterfly populations at ten native tallgrass prairie sites in eastern Nebraska. Walking-transect surveys were used to establish regal fritillary population-density indices in 1996 and 1997. Flowering-plant surveys were also conducted, coincident with the butterfly surveys, and were used to develop blossom-density, and abundance indices. Spearman rank correlation was used to examine relationships between regal fritillary density indices and plant survey variables. Two significant, positive correlations were identified between (1) 1996 population-density indices and 1996 blossom-diversity indices for known nectaring sources of the regal fritillary (n = …

Tallgrass Prairie Remnants Of Western Iowa Cemeteries., Carrie L. Menges-Schaben

Student Work

Tallgrass prairie remnants situated in eight western Iowa cemeteries were sampled during 1995 and 1996 to compare both the frequency and season of mowing and burning on plant species composition. Dominant, native tallgrass prairie species, such as big bluestem (Andropha gerardii), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) and leadplant (Amorpha canescens), generally showed a significant increase with burning, whether mowed or not. Mowing, however, adversely affected other species, including flower spurge (Euphorbia corollate) and porcupine grass (Stipa spartea), whether burned or not. Non-native species, in particular smooth brome (Bromus inermis) increased with mowing and the absence of fire. Overall, my study suggests …

Comparison Of Seeding And Sod-Transplant Methods For Restoring Tallgrass Prairie In Southeastern Nebraska., Gary P. Sullivan

Student Work

Data were collected in Fall, 1993 from a 55-year-old re-established grassland to determine the degree of success of seeding and sodding in re-establishing native prairie species. Species Richness of native species was highest in one seeded re-established site (S = 44), but lowest in a second re-established site (S = 23). Species Richness was second highest at the Native site (S = 42). There was a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) in Species Diversity between the one seeded and the native treatments. The high diversity in re-established treatments is consistent with that expected of the Intermediate-Disturbance-Hypothesis suggesting the seral nature …

Fort Wayne Alumnus, Taylor University Fort Wayne

TUFW Alumni Publications (All)

The Winter/Spring 1998 edition of The Fort Wayne Alumnus, published by Taylor University Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Biological Truths And Legal Fictions, R. Alta Charo

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Ecology Of Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum Canadense Desf), Michael Todd Ganger

Doctoral Dissertations

Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense var. canadense Desf.), a rhizomatous perennial herb, was the subject of field experiments investigating the role of several factors on the sexual reproduction of ramets. Mayflower ramets may be either flowering (with 2-3 leaves and a terminal inflorescence consisting of 4-35 perfect flowers) or vegetative (1 leaf).

Pollen addition increased the number of seeds matured by ramets in three out of four years in which pollen level was experimentally manipulated. The lack of compatible pollen is thought to be a major factor limiting seed maturation by ramets.

The act of severing the rhizomes, such that ramets …

Alternative Removal Methodologies For Environmental Waters, Shannon Patrick Hogan

Doctoral Dissertations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to establish criteria for the reduction of pathogens in environmental waters used for drinking water. The EPA also states criteria on the amount of chlorine by-products allowed in drinking water. Alternative removal methods that are used in conjunction with chlorine are needed to assure safe drinking water.

The Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) states that a 99.99% reduction of viruses and a 99.9% reduction in Giardia lamblia cysts needs to be achieved by a treatment facility that uses surface water for the production of drinking water. The SWTR also states Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) …

Population Structure And Phylogenetic History Of The Lake Malawi Cichlid Species Flock, Jeffrey Alan Markert

Doctoral Dissertations

The cichlid species "flocks" which are endemic to the East African Rift Valley are characterized by frequent lineage splitting events which have led to the rapid evolution of high levels of taxonomic diversity. Changes in water level cause these habitat patches to be chronically unstable, hypothetically speeding the process of genetic differentiation through the combined effects of genetic drift and selection. Allele frequencies at four simple sequence repeat loci indicate low levels of gene flow in two rock dwelling fish species, Melanochromis auratus and Labeotropheus fuelleborni, collected from the Nankumba Peninsula in southern Lake Malawi. Small interruptions in habitat cause …

Dynamics Of Dissolved Organic Carbon During Weathering And Soil Formation, Kimberly Linnea Mccracken

Doctoral Dissertations

Interactions between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and mineral soils were examined in field and laboratory experiments. Specific emphasis was given to factors influencing DOC mobility and element release during mineral weathering and soil formation. Soil chemical and physical properties controlling equilibrium concentrations of DOC (DOC$\rm\sb{np})$ in coarse-textured forest soils were investigated using laboratory batch reactors and the initial mass isotherm approach. The influence of DOC concentration on release of metals and silica was investigated in four soil parent materials. One of four acid treatments (0.001 N HNO$\sb3$ and three concentrations of forest floor leachate) or distilled water were added to …

Measuring And Modeling Northeastern Forest Ecosystem Response To Environmental Stresses, Jennifer Caroline Jenkins

Doctoral Dissertations

Because forest responses to CO$\sb2$ fertilization and associated climate change are likely to be extremely complex, numerical models representing forest response to an integrated set of future conditions can be useful predictive tools. I compared predictions of forest net primary productivity (NPP) made by two ecosystem process models (PnET-II and TEM 4.0) using different climate scenarios, spatial resolutions, and methods of representing land cover and soils. Decreasing spatial resolution did not appreciably change NPP estimates. Input datasets, particularly climate, land cover, and soil water holding capacity, were important sources of variability in NPP estimates. These datasets interacted with model structures …

Attachment Of Listeria Monocytogenes To Murine And Human Phagocytic Cells, Srinivas Maganti

Doctoral Dissertations

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen responsible for meningoencephalitis, septicemia, and abortion in susceptible and immunocompromised individuals. Subsequent to colonization and penetration of the gut epithelium, the organism attaches to resident macrophages and replicates intracellularly, thus evading the humoral immune system of the infected host. The mechanism surrounding the precise interactions between L. monocytogenes and macrophages employs bacterial ligands and macrophage receptors which are highly complex and not well understood. The focus of the present study was to investigate the attachment of the organism to murine and human macrophages under opsonin-dependent and opsonin-independent conditions to better understand the pathobiology …

Non-Major Histocompatibility (B) Complex Effects On Rous Sarcomas And V-Src-Induced Tumors, Keith Thomas Lepage

Doctoral Dissertations

Rous sarcoma virus and v-src-induced tumor outcome is controlled by the major histocompatibility (B) complex. While data have suggested non-MHC effects, few studies have focused on systems other than the B complex. Experiment one matings produced $B\sp2B\sp5$ and $B\sp5B\sp5$ progeny which segregated for alleles of 7 additional blood groups (A, C, D, H, I, L, P) and the Rfp-Y system. Experiment one survivors produced Experiment two progeny. The $B\sp5B\sp5$ parents for Experiment three combined different background genes with a tumor progressor B haplotype using the F$\sb2$ generation of a cross between Line SC ($B\sp2B\sp2$) and Line 6.15-5 ($B\sp5B\sp5$).

The Bryan …

Controls On Ch(4) Emissions From Boreal And Arctic Wetlands, Sadredin Cyrus Moosavi

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis examines the environmental controls on the biogeochemical cycling of the radiatively active trace gas CH$\sb4$ within boreal and arctic wetlands. Net CH$\sb4$ flux along peatland hydrologic gradients were examined to determine the effects of temperature and water table on CH$\sb4$ emissions. The level of the water table acts as a switch between CH$\sb4$ production and oxidation with small water level changes producing large changes in flux balance. Soil temperature determined whether CH$\sb4$ production potential was realized within sufficiently moist environments. A selective inhibitor technique was developed for directly measuring CH$\sb4$ oxidation in wetland soils. CH$\sb4$ oxidation was found …

Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L) As A Sentinel Accumulator Of Lead In Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire - Maine, Heidi Morrill Hoven

Doctoral Dissertations

The potential of eelgrass, Zostera marina L., as a sentinel indicator of lead (Pb) pollution in the water column was investigated. Eelgrass was grown in mesocosms that contained ambient sediment collected from sites near the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Jamaica Island Landfill (JIL) of Kittery, Maine, to test viability of eelgrass in the Shipyard's marine sediment. Eelgrass was also grown in mesocosms at three shoot densities in marine sediment of three Pb concentrations to determine to what extent Pb affects eelgrass growth and whether Pb uptake by eelgrass is affected by plant density. Additionally, eelgrass was used to detect water-borne sources …

Ecology And Loss Assessment Of Selected Homopteran Pests On Sugarcane: Interactions With The Fire Ant, Solenopsis Wagneri Santschi., Andrew Evans Woolwine

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Field studies in 1995, 1996, and 1997, using insecticides to alter population densities of yellow sugarcane aphid, Sipha flava (Forbes), West Indian canefly, Saccharosydne saccharivora (Westwood) and the pink sugarcane mealybug, Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell), indicated that sugarcane infested by these insects did not suffer sugar quality loss (as measured by brix, polarity, sucrose, purity, and theoretical recoverable sugar (TRS)). There was no apparent indication that Homoptera stressed sugarcane (indicated by concentrations of free amino acids in extracted sugarcane juice). A very slight, but significant increase in the percent brix was observed in sugarcane juice extracted from stalks washed free of …