Life Sciences Commons^™

Numerical Chromosome Abnormalities In Sperm From Oligoasthenoteratozoospermic Patients And Fertile Males, Myung-Geol Pang

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Artificial fertilization protocols have been developed which bypass natural barriers for reproduction. One aspect of infertility which has received little attention is the potential importance of aneuploidy in sperm. To more clearly understand the cytogenetic make-up of sperm from OAT patients, multi-probe, multi-color FISH was performed to determine aneuploidy.

The introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has revolutionized protocols used in in vitro fertilization centers. The pregnancies resulting from ICSI suggest an increased frequency of sex chromosome aneuploidy in livebirths. Preliminary data by others' suggest that sperm tail swelling patterns following hypo-osmotic swelling (HOST) can be predictive of fertilizing ability. …

Modeling Diseased Oyster Populations. Ii. Triggering Mechanisms For Perkinsus Marinus Epizootics, Eric N. Powell, John M. Klinck, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

Densities of Crassostrea virginica remain high enough to support substantial fisheries throughout the Gulf of Mexico despite high mortality rates produced by the endoparasite Perkinsus marinus. The infrequency of epizootics in these populations suggests that controls exist on the disease intensification process. The progression of epizootics in oyster populations, the factors that trigger epizootics, and the factors that terminate epizootics once started were investigated with a coupled oyster population—P. marinus model.

The time development of a simulated epizootic was triggered by environmental conditions that occurred and disappeared as much as t8 months prior to the onset of mortality in …

Effect Of Light/Dark Transition On Carbon Translocation In Eelgrass Zostera Marina Seedlings, Richard C. Zimmerman, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

Carbon translocation in the marine macrophyte Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) was investigated to elucidate the impact of light/dark transitions on sucrose partitioning between roots and shoots. After exposure of leaves to C-14-bicarbonate, the level of C-14-labelled photoassimilates increased monotonically in both leaves and fully aerobic roots of plants maintained in the light. Accumulation of C-14 in roots and leaves ceased abruptly when plants were transferred to darkness that induced root anaerobiosis even though C-14 levels remained high in the dark-exposed leaves. Thus, translocation of C-14 photoassimilates from shoots to roots was inhibited when roots became anoxic. Anoxia induced by light …

Development And Lipid Composition Of The Harpacticoid Copepod Nitocra Spinipes Reared On Different Diets, Gregory M. Weiss, George B. Mcmanus, H. Rodger Harvey

OES Faculty Publications

We reared the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes on diets of bacteria, a diatom, or a macroalga, evaluating survivorship and growth in short-term (≤ 1 generation) experiments. Lipid content of the copepods and their diets was measured and used as an index of nutrition. Although growth, survivorship and lipid content of N. spinipes were significantly greater when fed the diatom, which had the highest lipid content of the 3 diets, the copepod was able to develop from egg to adult when fed a lipid- poor bacterial diet. Furthermore, this species was able to go through developmental molts without the addition of …

Cascading Disturbances In Florida Bay, Usa: Cyanobacteria Blooms, Sponge Mortality, And Implications For Juvenile Spiny Lobsters Panulirus Argus, Mark J. Butler Iv, John H. Hunt, William F. Herrnkind, Michael J. Childress, Rodney Bertelsen, William Sharp, Thomas Matthews, Jennifer M. Field, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Florida Bay, the shallow lagoon separating mainland Florida and the Florida Keys, USA, is experiencing an unprecedented series of ecological disturbances. In 1991, following reports of other ecosystem perturbations, we observed widespread and persistent blooms of cyanobacteria that coincided with the decimation of sponge communities over hundreds of square kilometers. Juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters Panulirus argus, among other animals, rely on sponges for shelter; the impact of sponge loss on the abundance of lobsters and their use of shelter, in particular, has been dramatic. The loss of sponges on 27 experimental sites in hard bottom habitat in central Florida Bay …

Data On Gait Characteristics Of Four, Five, And Six Year Old Children Using Three Dimensional Video Motion Analysis, Donna Soave Nichols

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study resulted from a need to gather and analyze data on gait characteristics of normal children using the Peak Performance Technologies, Incorporated system, initiate a data base for the Motion Analysis Center at Old Dominion University and compare a computerized motion analysis system to studies using different methods. Fifteen children, aged four to six, were evaluated during gait using a video-based computerized motion analysis system manufactured by Peak Performance Technologies, Incorporated. The gait characteristics studied were stride length, cadence, angular displacements and angular velocities of the pelvis, hips, knees and ankles. The results showed that methods …

Competitive Enzyme Immunoassay Of Catechin In Human Blood Serum, Jay Fedorowicz

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

( +)-Catechin is a type of polyphenolic compound, and it is enriched in fruits, plants, and various beverages. Polyphenolic compounds also play an important role in the human diet. Many scientists, especially wine researchers, have proposed that(+)catechin and its polymers could have many positive health effects. Thus, it is essential to learn more about (+)-catechin and other polyphenolics. Presently, high performance liquid chromatography is the only method to detect ( + )-catechin levels in human blood serum, but this method has the high cost of instrumentation and does not provide good sensitivity. The objective of this project is to develop …

Nutritional Condition Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) Larvae As Determined By Constituent Lipid Analysis, William Frank Patterson Iii

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Larval striped bass were reared in the laboratory from 6 days post-hatch (dph) to 21 dph under four different feeding regimes to assess the effect of food concentration on triacylglycerol to sterol ratios (TG:ST) of larvae. Larvae were fed Peru strain Artemia salina nauplii in concentrations of 0, 10, 100, and 10001·1^-1, with three replicate tanks within each feeding treatment. Larvae were sampled on 14 and 21 dph and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Lipids were extracted from larvae in a 90:10:1 solution of dichlormethane:hexane:formic acid and analyzed with thin-layer chromatography/flameionization detection. Analysis of larval constituent lipids, and calculation …

Movement Patterns And Habitat Use Of The Copperhead Snake (Agkistrodon Contortrix) In Southeastern Virginia, Christopher Edwin Petersen

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Radiotelemetry was used to study seasonal movement patterns, habitat use, and thermal relations of nine copperhead snakes, Agkistrodon contortrix, in southeastern Virginia from May 1993 to May 1995. Daily movements ranged from 0-450 m, with 0-5 m movements accounting for 65% of the observations. The seasonal movements of males were more extensive than those of females. Differences in seasonal movements between the sexes may be due to reproductive activity of the snakes. Both males and females significantly reduced their movements prior to shedding. More time was spent using upland deciduous forests than lowland river swamps or anthropogenic habitat. Copperheads …

The Distribution Of Rice Rats (Oryzomys Palustris) And Meadow Voles (Microtus Pennsylvanicus) In Tidal Marsh Communities On The Eastern Shore Of Virginia, Allison L. Sowell

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Two tidal marsh sites were selected for live trapping of small mammals on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Trap grids were established at site and animals were trapped and tagged each month for one year. Habitat variables were measured at the peak of the growing season and again in late winter when vegetation was at its least luxuriant. ANOVA and multiple regressions were used to analyze the relationships between rice rats and meadow voles and associated variables related to habitat structure.

ANOVA revealed where rice rats and meadow voles differed in habitat preferences. Meadow voles were consistently captured in association …

Biochemical And Molecular Characterization Of The Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (Psma), John Karl Troyer

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer death in males in the United States. Additionally, the number of deaths attributed to prostate cancer is increasing at a rate of approximately 8% a year. Development of new diagnostic and therapy strategies are needed in order to improve the life expectancy of patients with this disease. One tool which may allow for improvements in prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy is the monoclonal antibody (MAb) 7E11-C5.3 which was first described in 1987. Since then, the antigen recognized by MAb 7E11-C5.3 has been named the prostate specific …

Effect Of Oral Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation On Body Mass And Composition, Dennis Michael Burke

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation has been suggested to be an effective nutritional supplement to increase body mass. Sixteen male college baseball players, participating in an off-season, high-intensity strength training program, underwent body composition tests via hydrostatic weighing, skinfolds, and bioelectrical impedance analysis once-a-week for a total of 5 weeks (Trials). After a baseline trial (Trial 1), in a double-blind, placebo, between-subjects design, 8 subjects orally ingested 30 grams (a loading dose) of creatine monohydrate daily for 7 days (Trial 2) and 10 grams (a maintenance dose) of creatine monohydrate daily for 21 days (Trials 2, 3, 4, and 5). Body …

Investigation Of The Substrate Recognition Characteristics And Kinetics Of Mammalian Mitochondrial Dna Topoisomerase I, Zeki Topcu

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Topoisomerases are DNA-modifying enzymes found in prokaryotes, eukaryotes, viruses and organelles such as chloroplast and mitochondria. Information about these enzymes in eukaryotic systems is mostly limited to nuclear enzymes, although our laboratory has been characterizing the biochemical and biophysical properties of the mammalian mitochondrial topoisomerases. We have determined the polarity of the attachment of mitochondrial topoisomerase I to its substrate DNA. To study the substrate preference and kinetic parameters of mitochondrial topoisomerase I, selected regions of mammalian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were inserted into pGEM plasmid vectors following a series of modification and optimization experiments of currently available methods for PCR-cloning. …

Identification And Characterization Of Mitochondrial Dna Variants In Alzheimer's Disease, Natasha Singh Hamblet

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder that affects a significant portion of the human population regardless of ethnicity or gender. A mitochondrial hypothesis of AD has been proposed based on a number of studies which establish altered oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and ATP synthesis in AD tissue. ATP demand is most prevalent in the brain; damage to OXPHOS could severely impair brain metabolism, thereby leading to a decline in cognitive function. Four out of five complexes in the OXPHOS pathway are partly encoded by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA); thus, this may be a crucial site of lesions that alter brain …

Zooplankton Community Dynamics In The Elizabeth River, Virginia, William C. Sharp

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Zooplankton community structure and dynamics were studied over a 12 month period in the Elizabeth River, an industrially polluted tidal river in the Chesapeake Bay estuarine system. An additional site in this estuary (Hampton Roads) was sampled for comparative purposes. Multivariate analysis indicated five distinct temporal groups occurred during the year, but there were no significant differences in spatial composition within the river. Maximum zooplankton concentrations were observed in July and lowest abundances were observed in February, March, and November. Copepods, especially Acartia species, were the most abundant components of the zooplankton community, comprising 67 to 93% of the total …

Population Dynamics Of Oryzomys Palustris And Microtus Pennsylvanicus On The Eastern Shore Of Virginia, John A. March Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The population dynamics of Oryzomys palustris, the marsh rice rat, and of Microtus pennsylvanicus, the meadow vole, were determined during a year-long mark-and-recapture study on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Three nights of trapping per month were conducted on two live trap grids totaling 5456 total trap nights. The grids were located on Nature Conservancy land, one in Oyster, and the second at Steelman's Landing, which is east of Townsend in Northampton County Virginia. Trapped animals were evaluated using established criteria. Reproductive activity, age and sex composition, and density of the population, capture probability, survival rate, and recruitment were determined. …

Demography, Reproduction, Diet And Crop Depredation In Three Species Of Rodents In Natural And Irrigated Fields In Nigeria, Safianu Rabiu

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Rodent populations of Arvicanthis, Mastomys and Tatera were studied during July 1990 to August 1992 in both natural and irrigated savannah fields of northern Nigeria. Tatera was entirely absent from the irrigated fields. Irrigation enhanced higher rodent population densities in the magnitude of three to four times over densities in the natural field. Arvicanthis was the most abundant of the three species in both sites. Tatera was the least common in the natural site. Adult survival rates in Arvicanthis and Tatera were significantly higher than Mastomys. Survival rates of both adult and young differed between the wet and dry …

In Vitro Expression Of Human Zona Pellucida Protein 3, Chih-Wei Chen

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Human zona pellucida protein 3 (hZP3) is the putative receptor on the zona pellucida of the mature oocyte that recognizes and binds sperm, and therefore plays a critical role in fertilization.

A full length cDNA of hZP3 (1278 bp) was amplified from the human ovary mRNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The hZP3 cDNA was subcloned into PSK and pREP4 expression vectors. The cDNA of hZP3 was further characterized by restriction mapping, PCR, auto-sequencing and Southern blot analysis by using an internal oligonucleotide probe, and found to be identical to the one reported by J. Dean. Using autosequencing, 289 …

Trophic Transfer Of Fatty Acids, Sterols, And A Triterpenoid Alcohol Between Bacteria, A Ciliate, And The Copepod Acartia Tonsa, Melissa C. Ederington, George B. Mcmanus, H. Rodger Harvey

OES Faculty Publications

The incorporation of lipids into the copepod Acartia tonsa and its eggs was measured when it was fed either a bacterivorous ciliate (Pleuronema sp.) or a diatom (Thalassiosira weissflogii). Egg production was 10-fold higher on the diatom diet, whereas hatch success of eggs was the same for algal and ciliate diets. Adult copepods fed diatoms contained more total fatty acid and sterols than copepods fed the ciliate diet, and individual lipids reflected the dietary source. Eggs from diatom-fed copepods had fewer fatty acids but more sterols than eggs from copepods on a ciliate diet. Ciliate-fed copepods and …

Effect Of Nutrition Intervention On The Outcomes Of Pregnancy: A Rural Urban Comparison, Ranjita Misra

Health Services Research Dissertations

The present study examines the effect of nutritional intervention on two outcomes of pregnancy: birth weight of the baby and gestational age. The study further examines the difference in nutritional intervention in rural and urban areas. The research method used is ex-post facto design. Data for the study is extracted from the health records and tracking sheets of women participating in the Nutrition Intervention Project in Virginia Department of Health. Path analysis and effects analysis are used to analyze the causal and direct effect of the independent variables and each of the outcome variables. A model has been developed grounded …

Identification And Characterization Of Genes Associated With V-Jun Induced Cell Transformation, Martin Toralballa Hadman

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The v-jun oncogene was initially identified as the causative agent for fibrosarcomas in chickens. Studies show that overexpression of v-Jun proteins transforms chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) in vitro, and forms tumors in chickens in vivo. The mechanisms for this are not clearly defined. Conceivably, overexpression of an unregulated transcription factor would cause cell transfonnation by illicit regulation of its target genes. In support of this, we show that in vivo v-Jun complexes exhibit differential binding to in vitro generated AP-1 and 'AP-1 like' target sequences, suggesting that the pattern of target gene expression is altered during cell transformation. …

Pathogenicity Of Murine Cytomegalovirus Mutants, Victoria Jean Cavanaugh

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The purpose of this study was to identified nonessential murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) genes involved in pathogenesis in vivo. Our approach to identifyjng these genes consisted of constructing MCMV mutants, and then analyzing these mutants in vitro and in vivo. Recombinant viruses (RV) expressing the β-glucuronidase marker gene were constructed by site-directed insertion and deletion mutagenesis of the MCMV Hind III-J and -I regions of the viral genome. Mutations were targeted to this region of the MCMV genome because the corresponding region of the human CMV genome is nonessential and is involved in down-regulating major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression …

Fine Root Biomass Distribution And Production Along A Barrier Island Chronosequence, Mark Jeffrey Stevenson

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Fine roots play an important role in community development on barrier islands. Fine roots can influence nutrient losses from the soil environment along with regulating water loss based on their distribution and concentration (Nobel et al., 1989; Gleeson and Tilman, 1990). A sequential coring method was used to determine fine root biomass and total biomass along a chronosequence of barrier island dunes and swales on the Virginia Coast Reserve - Long Term Ecological Research Site. Fine root production and the effects of nitrogen fertilization were also examined using an ingrowth core method along the chronosequence. Live fine root biomass, total …

Structural Characterization Of A Novel Inhibitor Of Hiv Reverse Transcriptase (Hiv Rt), Greggory Jon Woitte

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections have become a leading cause of death among young people in the United States today. As the number of HIV infections increases, so too does the cost of treatment. Together, these numbers have prompted an increase in the development of pharmaceutical interventions. HIV reverse transcriptase (HIV RT) has become a suitable target for drug therapy because it is the sole enzyme responsible for HIV replication.

Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus, has been shown to block a variety of cell adhesion related events including metastasis. In addition, fucoidan has also …

A Kinetic Investigation Of The Mechanism Of Muscle Contraction With A Series Of Nucleotides, Wei Jiang

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Muscle contraction is thought to be accomplished by sliding of myosin filaments along actin filaments. Although actomyosin naturally uses ATP as an energy source, it can also use other nucleoside triphosphates (NTP) as substrates. In this work, the dependence of rate and equilibrium constants of the various steps in the muscle contraction mechanism upon nucleotide structure was investigated to unravel the dependence of the mechanical properties of the muscle upon changes in different biochemical steps of the mechanism.

The experiments measuring the dissociation of actomyosin by NTP (or mant-NTP) shows that both the rate constant of actomyosin-S1 dissociation and second …

The Kinetic Characterization Of Mutant L289p Of Recombinant Hiv-1 Reverse Transcriptase, Tryn Thomas Stimart

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, type 1 (HIV-1) is the causative agent of the Acquired immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Currently, AIDS is the leading cause of death amongst young people in the United States. The large increase of HIV-1 infections over the past decade has spawned considerable research in fighting the spread of this disease. One area of intense HIV-1 research has focused on the enzyme Reverse Transcriptase (RT) which is an essential enzyme involved in the replication and life cycle of HIV-1. HIV-1 RT is composed of p66 and p51 subunits and is only active as a heterodimer in vivo. …

Phylogenetic Diversity Of The Bacterial Community From A Microbial Mat At An Active, Hydrothermal Vent System, Loihi Seamount, Hawaii, Craig L. Moyer, Fred C. Dobbs, David M. Karl

OES Faculty Publications

The phylogenetic diversity of small-subunit rRNA genes associated,vith the domain Bacteria was examined (by using previously defined operational taxonomic units [C. L. Moyer, F. C. Dobbs, and D. M. Karl, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:871-879, 1994]; those for Pele's Vents Bacteria are hereafter abbreviated PVB OTUs) with samples from a microbial mat at an active, deep-sea hydrothermal vent system. A cluster of phylogenetically related PVB OTUs (OTUs 2, 3, 6, and 8) was closely affiliated with Thiovulum sp. contained within the epsilon subclass of the class Proteobacteria and accounted for 60.5% of the small-subunit rRNA bacterial clone library from Pele's Vents. …

Does Junk Dna Regulate Gene Expression In Humans, M. A. Hulten, Michael W. Stacey, S. J. Armstrong

Bioelectrics Publications

No abstract provided.

Fish Analysis On Spontaneously Arising Micronuclei In The Icf Syndrome, Michael W. Stacey, M. S. Bennett, M. Hulten

Bioelectrics Publications

The ICF syndrome is a rare disorder where patients show undercondensation of the heterochromatic blocks of chromosomes 1, 9, and 16 along with variable immunodeficiency. The undercondensation of the heterochromatic block appears to be restricted to a portion of PHA stimulated T cells. Patients with this syndrome also show an increase in micronuclei formation. We have used dual colour FISH to investigate the chromosomal content of these micronuclei in PHA stimulated peripheral blood cultures, an EBV transformed B cell line, and also micronuclei observed in vivo from peripheral blood smears. Chromosome 1 appears to be present in a higher proportion …

Activation Of Transfer Rna-Guanine Ribosyltransferase By Protein Kinase C, Rana C. Morris, Bonnie J. Brooks, Panayota Eriotou, Deborah F. Kelly, Sandeep Sagar, K. Lenore Hart, Mark S. Elliot

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Transfer RNA-guanine ribosyltransferase (TGRase) irreversibly incorporates queuine into the first position in the anticodon of four tRNA isoacceptors. Rat brain protein kinase C (PKC) was shown to stimulate rat liver TG Rase activity, TGRase preparations derived from rat liver have been observed to decrease in activity over time in storage at -20 or -70°C, Contamination of the samples by phosphatases was indicated by a p-nitrophenylphosphate conversion test, The addition of micromolar concentrations of the phosphatase inhibitors sodium pyrophosphate and sodium fluoride into TGRase isolation buffers resulted in a greater return of TGRase activity than without these inhibitors, Inactive TGRase preparations …