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Variation In Membrane Proteins Of Developmentally Aberrant Mutants In Dictyostelium Mucoroides., David L. Kelly

Student Work

Introduction: Cellular slime molds of the genus Dictyostelium have attracted the interest of developmental biologists for many years. They are used extensively to investigate the factors controlling development in multicellular organisms. This is largely due to the unique growth and developmental characteristics which the dictyostelids exhibit. Unlike higher eukaryotes, in which cell growth and morphogenesis coincide and are often interdependent, the cellular slime molds possess distinct and separate growth and developmental phases. This greatly simplifies the study of developmental processes making the cellular slime molds valuable research organisms. Other factors which make the dictyostelids desirable research organisms are: l) They …

Lichen Flora Of Eastern Nebraska Riparina And Adjacent Bluff Forests., Teresa Lynn Ingold Cherney

Student Work

Seventy-one species in 31 genera were collected in 14 riparian and adjacent bluff forest sites in eastern Nebraska. Data were gathered on aspect, vertical zonation, substrate preference, and latitudinal differences with respect to species diversity. A majority of species were collected above one meter on wood substrates of northern aspect. Greatest number of lichen species were found in the central and southern counties in eastern Nebraska. Three genera are reported for the first time from Nebraska (Anisomeridium, Lepraria, and Thyrea), and 26 species collected were state records. Keys to the collected genera and species are provided with a brief discussion …

A Taxonomic Study Of Variation In Leptochloa Fascicularis In The Central Great Plains., Todd A. Templeton

Student Work

Morphology of Leptochloa fascicularls (Lam.) Gray (Poaceae) was studied in 25 locations in eastern and central Nebraska to determine if this grass was separable into two distinct taxa as suggested in several recent sources. Field collections were supplemented with herbarium samples from the University of Kansas. Glume and lemma lengths, the characters used in published keys, provided no separations useful in dividing the material into two species or varieties. However, individual local populations exhibited significant differences from each other in these characters. Such local differences appear to be reasonable given the high degree of inbreeding that is to be expected …

Microbial Degradation Of The Leachable And Lignocellulosic Components Of Leaves And Wood From Rhizophora Mangle In A Tropical Mangrove Swamp, Ronald Benner, Robert E. Hodson

Faculty Publications

Preparations of uniformly [¹⁴C] labeled mangrove leaves and specifically radiolabeled [¹⁴C-lignin] lignocelluloses and [¹⁴C -polysaccharide]lignocelluloses from mangrove leaves and wood were used in experiments to determine the microbial rates of mineralization of the leachable and lignocellulosic components of mangrove detritus in aerobic and anaerobic sediments of a tropical mangrove swamp. The bulk of the leachable fraction from mangrove leaves was mineralized relatively rapidly and was assimilated into microbial biomass with high efficiency (30 %). In contrast, rates of mineralization of the lignocellulosic component of mangrove leaves and wood were 10fold lower than mineralization rates …

Terrestrial Invertebrates Of The Virgin Islands, Wendy Jackelow

Theses

None provided.

Report Of The Director, University Of South Florida Botanical Garden, April 18, 1985, Frederick B. Essig

USF University Archives and Documents

Report of Frederick B. Essig, Director of University of South Florida Botanical Gardens dated April 1985. Topics include plant sale, design, volunteers, plant loss due to weather, Florida native plants, partnerships, collection development, facilities, staffing, educational outreach, and future goals.

Taylor University Magazine (Spring 1985), Taylor University

The Taylor Magazine (1963-Present)

The Spring 1985 edition of Taylor Magazine, published by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Assay For 5-Methylcytosine In The Dna Of Dictyostelium Mucoroides At Two Different Stages In Its Life Cycle., Cynthia A. Rice

Student Work

Introduction: The Acrasiales, or cellular slime molds, are not true molds at all. They are a unique group of organisms that exhibit characteristics of both the fungi and the protozoa. The cellular slime molds are more than a taxonomic enigma, however. One genus, Dictyostelium, has been extensively studied as a model of multicellular development.

Biology And Management Of White Spruce Seed Crops Reforestation In Subarctic Taiga Forests, J. Alden

Bulletin

Seed production is the most dramatic event in the life cycle of trees and is the first step in forest regeneration. Embryos of white spruce are fragile during germination, and they depend on vigorous seeds for survival and growth. Mortality of white spruce seeds and seedlings is high in northern forests because climate and microhabitat are often unfavorable for seed germination and seedling establishment. Large quantities of high-quality seed are required for natural and artificial regeneration of white spruce forests at high latitudes. The first chapter of this bulletin describes the reproductive process of white spruce and factors that affect …

The Analysis Of Clustered Data In Sets Of 2x2 Contingency Tables, Alan William Donald

Digitized Theses

This thesis contains an investigation of the effects of categorical data clustering on three estimators of the common odds ratio and on three tests of the null hypothesis that the odds ratio is 1. The beta binomial distribution is used to model the clustering.;Maximum likelihood theory is developed for the estimation of the odds ratio under beta binomial modelling. The unconditional maximum likelihood estimator is shown to be consistent under clustering and an expression for the dispersion matrix of the parameters is derived. The Mantel-Haenszel estimator of the odds ratio is shown to be consistent under cluster sampling and an …

Methodologies Of Predicting Vegetation Response To The Environment And To Perturbation On A Regional Level: A Thesis In Three Parts Treating Temporal And Time Static Models, Peter Humphreys Fewster

Digitized Theses

The reader of this thesis is presented with a view of Vegetation Science as a dynamic, developing field. Changes are seen as producing increased complexity in the methodology and increased emphasis on prediction. As pointed out in the text, early work has mainly been descriptive and the methods of analysis used were not so much prediction oriented as they were a vehicle for presenting current descriptions of vegetation structure and function. Method development is traced from the early descriptive schemes through more evolved ones which have reflected different and often opposing concepts of what vegetation is. The most noted are …

Fungal Fimbriae: Their Structure And Distribution, Richard Buchanan Gardiner

Digitized Theses

The cells of Ustilago violacea, the anther smut fungus, extrude numerous hair-like appendages termed fimbriae. They have been shown to be similar to bacterial pili in that they are flexuous, proteinaceous fibrils, having a helical structure, a diameter of 7 nm and a variable length--often exceeding 15 (mu)m. Fimbriae were removed from cells by mechanical or thermal means. The isolated fimbriae were (a) chemically characterized; (b) injected into rabbits to obtain an antifimbrial antiserum (=AU). Fimbriae were found to consist of protein subunits of 74,000 daltons molecular weight with no detectable carbohydrate moiety. The protein was found to reassociate readily …

Boreal Vegetation Of A Lacustrine Surficial Sand Belt, Elk Lake, Ontario: Types And Environmental Gradients, Norman Charles Kenkel

Digitized Theses

This study addresses the problem of relating compositional variation in boreal vegetation to underlying deterministic (environmental) and probabilistic (primarily historical) influences. The problem of determining plot size is addressed, and a statistical optimization procedure outlined. Alternative ordination strategies are compared (using simulated data), and the advantages of non-metric multidimensional scaling discussed.;The vegetation studied occurs along the southern fringe of the boreal forest near Elk Lake, Ontario. Lacustrine sand deposits are characteristic, but rocky hills overlain by finer soils and small rock outcrops also occur. Accumulation of peat typifies low-lying areas.;The study area, comprising 90 km('2), was intensively sampled using a …

Stress Fibres In Cells From Normal And Dystrophic (Bio 146) Hamsters And Identification Of A Desmin-Like Protein From Hamster Muscle, Michael Andrew Pollock

Digitized Theses

The BIO 14.6 line of Syrian hamsters has been a useful model system for Duchenne dystrophy since its introduction (Homburger et al., 1962b). To reduce the effects of genetic background in this model system, a control line ('BC') was produced which shares >90% of its genotype with the BIO 14.6 line. These control animals did not differ from random-bred ('RB') control hamsters under the investigative techniques used here.;In this study, stress fibres in cultured fibroblast-like cells from muscle and skin were examined by direct staining and by indirect immunofluorescence using antibodies to the muscle proteins (alpha)-actinin, tropomyosin and M-line protein. …

Electrophoretic Isoenzyme Patterns In The Yeast Genus Kluyveromyces, Deborah Gayle Sidenberg

Digitized Theses

Protein electrophoresis was employed to see if it would give some insight into the taxonomic question of delineating species in the yeast genus Kluyveromyces van der Walt emend. van der Walt.;The type strains of the species of the geneus Kluyveromyces sensu van der Walt (1970) were compared for eleven isoenzymes. These enzymes included five oxidoreductases, five hydrolases, and one lyase.;The isoenzyme patterns of of seven enzymes of Kluyveromyces populations from a variety of habitats were compared. The isolates belonged to the Kluyveromyces lactis and K. marxianus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) reassociation groups, and to Kluyveromyces dobzhanskii, Kluyveromyces thermotolerans, and Kluyveromyces waltii.;The …

Crataegus Series Rotundifoliae In Southwestern Ontario: Patterns Of Morphometric Variation In An Agamic Complex, Paul Gardner Smith

Digitized Theses

The thesis defended in this dissertation asserts that individuals of Crataegus series Rotundifoliae (Rosaceae, Maloideae) in southwestern Ontario are members of an agamic complex and that the complex patterns of morphometric variation displayed by the series are a consequence of the reproductive behavior of agamic complexes. The specific problem addressed here arises out of a recognition that the longstanding taxonomic difficulty encountered in the series (and in the genus) can only be solved through intensive cytological, histological and numerical study of local populations.;Cluster Analysis, using a combination of resemblance measure-cluster method combinations, revealed the presence of four groups in a …

Temperature Induced Compatibility In The Host-Pathogen Interaction Between Soybean And Phytophthora Megasperma Fsp Glycinea, Debbie Catherine Classen

Digitized Theses

Soybean (Glycine max) cultivars interact specifically with avirulent (incompatible) or virulent (compatible) races of Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea to give resistant or susceptible responses. In a search for factors involved in specificity, advantage was taken of the fact that the resistant interaction between soybean cv Altona and Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea race 4 becomes susceptible at 32(DEGREES)C thus providing in a single race-cultivar combination differences in interaction type without the uncertainties introduced when comparisons are made between cultivars or races with different genotypes. The effect of temperature was shown to be on the interaction at or subsequent to …

Factors Influencing Reproductive Success Of Nesting Male Longear Sunfish (Lepomis Megalotis Peltastes), Helene Marie Dupuis

Digitized Theses

Most nesting male longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis peltastes) excavate their nest in dense aggregations, while a small percentage nest solitarily. The importance of sexual selection in the evolution of this breeding system was evaluated by examining the influence of certain nest and male characteristics on spawning success and by comparing the reproductive success of social and solitary nesters. The hypothesis that males unlikely to attract mates benefit from group nesting because they increase their success by stealing fertilizations was tested.;Among social nesters, females spawned preferentially with males nesting early in the period and in central positions. Nest diameter and male …

Phosphatidylcholine Metabolism In Myoblasts, Stephen Arthur Hill

Digitized Theses

The effects of the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on phospholipid metabolism in L6 rat myoblasts were examined. TPA, but not its inactive analog PDD, causes a two fold increase in the rate of incorporation of radioactive precursors into phosphatidylcholine. This effect is not blocked by the pretreatment of the cells with cycloheximide or Actinomycin D. Increased labelling is paralleled by a TPA-dependent increase in the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme, CTP:cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase. This increased activity is apparent within two minutes and is not blocked by pre-treatment of the cells with cycloheximide. Exposure of cells causes not only increased cytidylyltransferase activity, …

Lesion-Induced Synaptic Remodelling In The Rat Red Nucleus, Christian Cornelius Naus

Digitized Theses

The rat red nucleus was investigated as a model for the study of synaptic remodelling following specific deafferentation. The normal neonatal and adult afferent projections from the deep cerebellar nuclei and the sensorimotor cortex were studied using anterograde and retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase conjugated to wheat germ agglutinin (HRP-WGA), as well as retrograde transport of the fluorochromes Fast Blue and Nuclear Yellow. To examine the normal synaptology of the red nucleus, the anterogradely transported HRP-WGA was visualized ultrastructurally. The rat red nucleus receives topographically organized afferents which may be characterized by their specificity in location at the cellular level. …

Approaches To The Analysis Of Ruderal Weed Vegetation, Syed Shahid Shaukat

Digitized Theses

The investigation which I described in this thesis focused on methodogical problems in community ecology as well as the actual properties of structure and composition in ruderal weed communities. The study sites were located within the city limits of London, Ontario. Concerning the methdodology, the problem of the choice of an optimal plot size was addressed on an experimental basis. As an outcome, an effective procedure was found and described. In addition, various conventional data types used in phytosociology were evaluated for their suitability to depict underlying group structure and trends. It was discovered that untransformed ordinal data yielded comparable …

A Group Of Phage-Like-Particles In Three Subspecies Of Bacillus Thuringiensis And Bacillus Medusa, Anthony Chee-Wah Tam

Digitized Theses

Phage-med-1, a phage-like-particle (approx. 22 nm in diameter) specifically found in stage II sporulating cells of B. medusa and initially reported as RNA containing was studied further. Similar particles, designated as (SLASHCIRC)isr-1, (SLASHCIRC)kyu-1 and (SLASHCIRC)10-2-1, were subsequently found in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (serotype 14), B. thuringiensis subsp. kyushuensis (serotype 11) and B. thuringiensis isolate 73-E-10-2 (serotype 10). These strains share the unique character of producing solely ovoid or round parasporal crystalline inclusion (cry) toxic to mosquito larvae.;An improved purification enabled the phage-like-particles (PLP) close to homogenous to be isolated. Electron microscopic studies showed that all PLP were assembled at …

Physiological Determinants Of Aerobic Function In Elderly Males, Scott Gordon Thomas

Digitized Theses

Low cardiorespiratory fitness in the elderly is due to aging and to inactivity. Factors which limit performance of aerobic exercise and which influence the response to physical training were examined in a sample (n = 224) of elderly males (age 62 yrs). Subjects were randomly assigned to a training or control group. Maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), pulmonary function and body composition were determined at entry (T1) and one year later (T2). Exercise testing included a continuous, incremental test (Stage I) and a discontinuous test with three steady state, submaximal loads on a motor driven treadmill. Cardiac output was estimated with …

Testicular Volume And Its Correlation With The Cytogenetics Of Mental Retardation, Angelika Jurate Kirkilionis

Digitized Theses

Abnormal testicular volume can be associated with various mental retardation (MR) syndromes. For example, bilateral testicular enlargement with no evidence of any endocrinological disturbance has been described in some families with non-specific X-linked MR, both fragile X positive and negative. In contrast, a fragile X negative kindred with non-specific X-linked MR in which affected males had small to normal size testes has also been reported. Based on these reported observations, the present study was initiated to determine the usefulness of abnormal testicular volume as a clinical marker in the cytogenetic evaluation of MR syndromes.;The testes of institutionalized, non-Down syndrome males …

Studies On The Messenger-Rnas For Gamma Crystallins In The Rat Lens, Ronald Eugene Layden

Digitized Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the expression of the gamma crystallin proteins in the rat lens during the course of lens differentiation and development.;In vitro translation results showed that at least 20% of the mRNA extracted from the neonatal lens and that at least two transcripts were coding for gamma crystallin proteins.;Several gamma crystallin cDNA clones were isolated. Nucleotide sequencing information was obtained from two of the cDNA clones (A12 and G5). The clones A12 and G5 correspond exactly in amino acid sequence with the genes gamma (4-1) and gamma (1-1) (genomic clone designation …

The Oxytrichina Jankowski, 1980: Morphology, Morphogenesis, And Systematics (Sporadotrichina, Ciliphora, Cyst), Donald Early Culberson

Doctoral Dissertations

The hypotrich suborder Oxytrichina Jankowski, 1980 is a poorly characterised, systematically ambiguous taxon. A lack of ultrastructural and developmental information on a variety of oxytrichine species resulted in the establishment of multiple and disparate systematic categorizations for these species. I chose 8 species for morphologic and developmental studies: Oxytricha fallax, Oxytricha quadrinucleata, Oxytricha similis, Stylonychia pustulata, Tachysoma sp., Gonostomum affine, Pleurotricha lanceolata, and Paraurostyla sp. I used light microscopy and SEM for the study of trophozoites and dividing cells, and TEM and SEM in my investigations of cysts. The major unifying developmental characteristic of the suborder is the production of …

Prevention Of Carcinogenesis And Cancer Cell Proliferation By An Inhibitor Of Polyamine Biosynthesis (Dfmo, Hela, Mammary, Tumor), Rakesh Minocha

Doctoral Dissertations

The induction of mammary cancer in female Sprague-Dawley rats by a single of 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea was used as an experimental model system for identifying an effective agent in the prevention of breast cancer. The polyamine concentrations in whole mammary gland or mammary epithelial cells remained unchanged in the post-initiation stages of mammary carcinogenesis prior to the appearance of detectable tumors. However, mammary tumors had much higher concentrations of polyamines as compared to normal mammary gland. The development of chemically-induced carcinomas in rats was dramatically suppressed by the provision of a 1% solution of D,L-(alpha)-difluoromethyl-ornithine (DFMO), an inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, in …

Changes In The Biochemical Composition Of Testes During Spermatogenesis In Asterias Vulgaris, With Emphasis On The Role Of Polyamines In Regulating Proliferation, Frank F. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Testes of Asterias vulgaris are potentially useful for investigating mechanisms regulating spermatogenic events because of their structural simplicity and annual spermatogenic cycle. Examination of major biochemical classes during the spermatogenic cycle provides a definition of the changing chemical microenvironment influencing germinal cells and also suggests temporal relationships among successive spermatogenic events. Testes from seastars collected throughout the year were homogenized and lyophilized and aliquots assayed for DNA, RNA, total protein, free amino acids, total lipids, glycogen, and other carbohydrates; spermatogenic stage was determined by examination of paraffin sections. The resulting data, expressed as (1) mg/g dry mass, (2) mg/mg DNA, …

Genetic And Quantitative Variation In Wild Soybean (Glycine Soja) Populations, Yueh-Chin Chiang

Doctoral Dissertations

Glycine soja seeds collected from South Korea and Japan were studied for their genetic structure and quantitative variation. Seventy two G. soja seed accessions were examined for genetic variation by gel electrophoresis. Based on a total of 43 loci of 15 enzymes and one protein, an average of 67.4% polymorphism (at 99% level) was observed. The expected heterozygosity is 0.160, and the number of alleles per locus is 2.14. Genetic purity of these seed accessions are very high.

The four natural G. soja populations collected along the Kitakami river, Japan, showed 38.1% polymorphic loci, and the average number of alleles …

Studies On The Molecular Cloning Of A Gene For Aryletherase From A Ligninolytic Erwinia Sp. (Lignin, Biodegradation, Bacterial)., Kenneth Edwin Narva

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Recombinant DNA techniques were utilized to clone a gene from the ligninolytic system of a saprophytic Erwinia sp. into Escherichia coli using pBR322 as a vector. The cloned gene encodes aryletherase activity and was selected from amp('r) tet('S) transformants of E. coli Cs412 using salicin as the selective carbon source. This compound has structural characteristics similar to some lignin model compounds. The cloned gene enclodes activity which oxidizes aromatic lignin model compounds resulting ultimately in the breakage of arylether bonds while leaving the aromatic nucleus intact. At least one lower molecular weight aromatic compound is also released from kraft lignin …