Life Sciences Commons^™

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay For Anatid Herpesvirus, Margaret Anne Lewis

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Duck plague virus causes a hemorrhagic disease affecting the family Anatidae, resulting in 60-80% mortality in captive flocks. Plaque and neutralization assays for Anatid herpesvirus (AHV) require 5-10 days for completion and are restricted by the seasonal availability of fertile duck eggs. The enzyme linked innnunosorbent assay (ELISA) is rapid and specific and avoids the use of living cells. The Holland strain of AHV was grown on duck embryo fibroblasts and purified by banding on CsCl gradients. The resulting virus was used to raise antisera in prebled New Zealand white male rabbits. Antibody production was confirmed in double diffusion plates …

Petroleum-Utilizing Bacteria: The Biological Line Defense Against Oil Pollution, Steven W. Sokolowski

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A silica gel-petroleum (SGP) medium was developed which is reliable, approximately the same cost as that of the corresponding agar-based petroleum medium, and can be made sufficiently firm to use in streaking or the spread-plate technique. Advantages of the medium include: the incorporation of all of the major ions of seawater in accordance with Dittmar's Law (the salinity of which can easily be varied from 0 to 35 parts per thousand); a wide workable pH range (5.5 to 11.6); negligable pH drift(~ 0.2 pH units after 166 days); the elimination of all but negligable amounts of syneresis, the ability to …

Breeding Birds Of Two Atlantic White Cedar Stands In The Great Dismal Swamp, Karen Terwilliger

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Breeding birds were censused during two years in two Atlantic white cedar stands of the Great Dismal Swamp, and a comparison was made with census results of the predominant swamp community, maple-gum. The maple-gum site had a higher bird species diversity than either cedar site but supported only half the density. The century-old cedar site had the highest species richness while the younger cedar site had the highest density.

Cluster analysis placed the avifauna into distinct groups which closely corresponded to the vegetative strata of the stands. Species were ordered along the height gradient using principal coordinate and detrended correspondence …

The Seasonality Of Occurrence Of Larval And Juvenile Sciaenids In A Virginia Seaside Estuary, James Howard Cowan Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The seasonality of occurrence and relative abundance of larval and juvenile fishes, particularly members of the family Sciaenidae, from a Virginia seaside estuary were determined from ichthyoplankton and trawl collections made from March 1979 to March 1980.

The larvae of 20 species distributed among 15 families were identified from the ichthyoplankton. Larvae of the bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli, and the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, dominated the samples and made up 57 and 34%, respectively, of all larvae collected. Peak occurrence began in May and continued through August. Fish larvae were present in the study area all year.

Twenty-eight …

Decay Rates And Nutrient Dynamics In Confines And Nonconfined Leaf Litter In The Great Dismal Swamp, R. Frederick K. Yates

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to quantitatively compare decay rates and nutrient dynamics by the confined and unconfined litter techniques in a seasonally flooded swamp. In this study both methods indicated the same order of decay rates among sites (cedar>maple-gum>cypress> mixed hardwood), but the unconfined method showed faster decay rates at all sites. As in two years of previous data collection, the stands exhibiting some seasonal flooding showed greater decay rates than the mixed hardwood stand which was not inundated. Nutrient dynamics were not different between litter bag and leaf pack methods.

This study included a preliminary investigation of …

The Use Of Microscopic Vegetative Characteristics And Leaf Characteristics And Leaf Deterioration Rates In The Formulation Of Keys Of Some Wetland Plants, Bruce Foy Williams

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Leaves of Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, Spartina cynosuroides, Distichlis spicata, Phragmites communis, Juncus roemerianus, Scirpus robustus, Typha latifolia, Iva frutescens, and Baccharis halimifolia were examined microscopically. Characteristics of each species were then used to develop identification keys. In addition, leaf fragments were buried in the marsh substrate to simulate a dredging and/or filling operation. At weekly intervals during each season of the year, a leaf fragment of each species was processed and examined to see if it could be identified.

High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Analysis Of Biogenic Amines, Thais Edwina Ahrendt Keegan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to develop a sensitive method for separation and quantitation of biogenic amines and to apply that procedure by monitoring neurochemical changes resulting from stimuli to the test system.

Primary aromatic amines were derivatized with o-phthalaldehyde-mercaptoethanol prior to chromatography, Separation of the fluorescent adduct was achieved using a μBondapak/ phenyl reversed-phase column and a two-step gradient of methanol:0.08 M acetic acid, pH J.O. Fluorescence was monitored using a J40 nm excitation energy and an emission filter which transmits radiation greater than 400 nm (50% T at 418 nanometers).

Following optimization of the chromatographic conditions, studies …

The Synthesis And Evaluation Of The Biological Activity Of Heterocyclic Analogs Of Phencyclidine, Julian Dew Mckenney Jr.

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Using the classical synthetic approach described by Maddox and co-workers⁴³, the decyanation reaction of 1- piperidinocyclohexane carbonitrile (PCC), 5, was attempted using the heterocyclic anions of 2-methyl-5-nitropyridine, 22, 2-amino-5-nitropyridine, 23, and 2-hydroxy-5-nitropyridine, 24; however, the desired pyridine analogs of phencyclidine (PCP), 1, could not be prepared under these conditions. Attempts to prepare the same analogs via addition of these anions to the iminium tosylate and hydrobromide salts also proved unsuccessful.

The failure to observe the desired decyanation reaction has been attributed to the special sterochemical restrictions of the hindered nitrile of PCC in that facile …

Fine Structure Of The Nucleus And Cytoplasmic Feulgen-Positive Areas In The Developing Oocyte Of Argus (Persicargas) Radiatus, Bonnie J. Harding

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A transmission electron microscope analysis of the changes that occur in the nuclear chromatin and the Feulgen-positive areas of the oocyte cytoplasm as the female develops, feeds and mates is described. The description includes analysis of oocytes from three types of females: unfed, unmated; fed, unmated; and fed, mated. In all types, dense material passes through the extremely porous nuclear membrane where it accumulates in the cytoplasm.

Nuclei of previtellogenic oocytes appear the same in all females studied. Fibrillar bodies and up to four large nucleoli are seen. No typical chromatin is seen, but structures resembling nucleosomes appear throughout the …

Incorporation Of Carbon-14 Metabolites Into The Sex Pheromon 26-Dichlorophenol Of Dermacentor Andersoni Stiles; And The Disruption Of Pheromone Activity In D. Andersoni And D. Variabilis (Say) By Quinones, Daniel Martin Gainsburg

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, injected with (u-¹⁴c) sodium acetate or DL-(benzene ring-u-¹⁴c) tryptophan for in vivo studies, was found to produce sex pheromone, 2,6-dichlorophenol, containing ¹⁴c activity. Ambiguous results were obtained with L-(u- ¹⁴c) tyrosine, and no incorporation of ¹⁴c label into pheromone was observed with DL-(ring-u- ¹⁴c) phenylalanine or DL-(side chain-3-¹⁴c) tyrosine. Attempts were made to determine the site of synthesis, but in vitro studies proved inconclusive.

Disruption of sex pheromone activity in D. andersoni and the American dog tick, D. variabilis (Say) was achieved …

Growth And Recruitment Of Two Penaeids In The Bay Of St. Louis, Mississippi During 1979, Teresa C. Heaton

OES Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile brown (Penaeus aztecus, Ives) and white (Penaeus setiferus, Linnaeus) shrimp were collected from two stations of a nursery area in St. Louis Bay Mississippi, during May to October, 1979. Periods of shrimp recruitment and growth were determined to discern whether the concurrent environmental variables of salinity and temperature had an influence on shrimp abundance and yield. Growth estimates were obtained from length frequency measurements of trawl samples taken over a 24-h period per month from each station. An analysis of variance of length versus the variables of sex, month, station, time of day, salinity and …

Attributes Of Dispersing Meadow Voles In Open-Grid Populations, Raymond D. Dueser, Marcia L. Wilson, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Dispersal was investigated in two open-grid populations of meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord, 1815) an central Virginia (U.S.A.) from November 1974 to April 1978. "Dispersal" was defined as immigration onto open, occupied population grids. Dispersers were distinguished from residents by weight at first capture. Individuals first captured at weights <30 g were classified as residents; those first captured at >30 g were classified as dispersers. Three independent lines of evidence support the validity of the 30-g criterion for recognizing dispersers in these vole populations. With frequent trapping and high trappability, particularly of young animals, this open-grid method of study offers two advantages in the study of dispersal. First, dispersers identified …

Role Of Gulf Stream Frontal Eddies In Forming Phytoplankton Patches On The Outer Southeastern Shelf, James A. Yoder, Larry P. Atkinson, Thomas N. Lee, Hongsuk H. Kim, Charles R. Mcclain

CCPO Publications

Continuous surface mapping of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll along a 300-km segment of the Gulf Stream cyclonic front defined the spatial scales of a large diatom patch that persisted throughout a 10-day study. The patch was localized in the upwelled cold core of a Gulf Stream frontal eddy centered over the 200-m isobaths off Jacksonville, Florida, in April 1979. The µ g liter^-1 surface chlorophyll isopleth enclosed an area >1,000km² with an alongshore dimension of 130km. Surface chlorophyll exceeded 5µg liter^-1 within the upwelled cold core of the eddy, 10-100X higher than concentrations in Gulf Stream or …

An Evaluation Of Small Rodent Populations In Four Dismal Swamp Plant Communities, Fiona Elizabeth Breidling

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Diversity and density of small rodents in the Dismal Swamp are believed to be low. Reasons for this may be excessive predation, heavy interspecific pressure from larger rodents, lack of suitable habitat, low food availability or flooding.

Rodent populations were evaluated using live-traps and pitfall traps in four different Dismal Swamp plant communities. Habitat was compared on the basis of phytomass studies previously reported. Flood levels were recorded during live-trapping sessions. Mast from trees was collected in modified mast collectors, and fed to Peromyscus leucopus in the laboratory. Mast was analyzed for caloric value and nutrient content.

Only two …

Litter Production And Nutrient Content Of Litter In The Seasonally Flooded Dismal Swamp, Marta M. Gomez

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Litter production was studied in four plant communities in the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, that differ primarily in species composition and flooding regime. Greatest leaf deposition occurred in the more flooded communities, maple-gum (Acer-Nyssa) with 536 g m^-2 yr^-1 and cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Richard) with 528 g m^-2 yr^-1, followed by the cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) BSP) and mixed hardwood (Quercus-Acer-Nyssa-Liquidambar) communities with 506 g m^-2 yr^-1 and 455 g m^-2 yr^-1, respectively. Litter nutrient concentrations were generally higher in the cypress and maple-gum stands, indicating greater nutrient availability …

The Synthesis And Biochemical Evaluation Of Potential Acetylcholinesterase Reactivators, Andrea Mcdearmid Lunsford

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Objectives of this research were to (1) synthesize, and (2) evaluate new compounds which would be potential reactivators of organophosphate-inhibited acetylcholinesterase.

A series of 1,8-diazafluorenone and 2,2'bipyridylketone oximes and oxime methiodides were synthesized (11, 13, 14, 22, 24). These compounds were developed as structural analogs of 2-PAM (2-Pyridinealdoxime methiodide) and TMB-4 (1,1Trimethylene-Bis(4-formylpyridinium bromide)dioxime), the current drugs of choice for treatment of organophosphorous poisoning.

Acetylcholinesterase from electric eel was inhibited with DFP (diisopropylfluorophosphate), an irreversible-type inhibitor, and the inhibited enzyme was treated with the various reactivator compounds. The reactivation assays were monitored with pH stat apparatus, and the data were evaluated …

High Resolution Two-Dimensional Electrophoretic Study Of Human Seminal Plasma Proteins, Edward E. Gaunt

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

A comprehensive biochemical screening procedure for the evaluation of seminal plasma constituents is needed which, when used in conjunction with semen analysis, can provide the physician with both qualitative and quantitative information regarding the fertility status of an individual.

High resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis is a technique whereby proteins in a complex mixture such as a biological fluid are separated in one dimension by molecular charge and in the second dimension by molecular mass. It has been the purpose of this investigation to adapt and evaluate this technique for the analysis of human seminal plasma.

Our efforts have shown that this …

Multiple Forms Of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Glycohydrolase From Bull Semen, Stanley D. Yeatts Ii

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide glycohydrolase (NADase) of bull semen is an extracellular, soluble enzyme capable of catalyzing the hydrolysis of the nicotinamide N-ribosidic linkage of NAD⁺. In search for a rapid, simple procedure for the preparation of this enzyme, it was found that Matrex Gel Red A (Amicon) column packing served very well as an affinity gel for NADase. The enzyme was applied to the Matrex Red A column (21 cm x 1.5 cm) in 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0. Surprisingly, two fractions of NADase activity were obtained when the column was eluted with a sodium chloride …

The Effect Of The Herbicide Metolachlor On Nutrient Levels In Zea Mays L., Tamsey Dawn Warren Ellis

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

An investigation of the effect of metolachlor, a chloracetamide herbicide released for agricultural purpose during the Spring of 1977, on plant tissue levels of phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium in juvenile sweet corn and the recovery rate of sweet corn exposed to metolachlor from any plant nutrient effects when the herbicide was removed.

An increase of metolachlor concentration caused a progressive reduction in growth (height and dry weight) of the leafy portion of juvenile sweet corn. At metolachlor concentrations of 0.16 ppm and higher pronounced stunting and twisting were observed in the plants.

There was a progressive reduction in the …

The Effects Of 712-Dimethylbenz (A) Anthracene On Ovarian Steroidogenesis And Uterine Growth In The Mouse, Jeffrey Lynn Clark

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

It has been previously demonstrated that 7,12-dimethylbenz(a) anthracene (DMBA) is an initiator of ovarian granulosa cell tumors. It is also known that DMBA leads to destruction of primordial oocytes, and that tumor induction may involve the interaction of pituitary gonadotropins. However, the effects of DMBA on ovarian steroidogenesis and uterine growth in relation to the tumorigenic process have not been investigated. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine these parameters using adult C57Bl/6N mice treated in proestrus and diestrus II with 0.1 ml corn oil with or without 1.5 mg DMBA and killed 44 hours later. The uteri and …

The Analysis Of S-Adenosylmethionine And S-Adenosylhomocysteine In Normal And Neoplastic Cells, Kathryn Elizabeth Godburn

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Altered patterns of methylation have been shown in both ribosomal and transfer RNA isolated from cancer cells. In contrast to the elevated activity of the methyltransferases responsible for this modification, hypomethylation appears as a general characteristic. The endogenous levels of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine are important in relationship to their role as substrate and product of the transmethylation reaction. The levels of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine were determined using phosphocellulose cation exchange or high pressure liquid chromatography. High voltage paper electrophoresis was used in a modified procedure to directly resolve (³⁵s) labeled S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine in small quantities of cell …

The Effects Of Elevated Calcium Chloride And Magnesium Chloride Levels On Larval Growth And Survival Of Macrobrachium Rosenbergii (De Man) (Decapoda Palaemonidae) Reared In The Laboratory, James Thomas Michaels Ii

OES Theses and Dissertations

The effects of elevated CaCl₂ , MgCl₂ , combination CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ concentrations and their associated ionic strengths on larval growth and survival of the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii were investigated in the laboratory. Larvae were reared in diluted seawater of 15 parts per thousand salinity with elevated calcium concentrations of 330 parts per million and elevated magnesium concentrations of 1275 parts per million. Control larvae were also reared with elevated NaCl concentrations to duplicate the ionic strength increases of the combination CaCl₂ - MgCl₂ test solution which had the highest ionic strength. A …

The Effects Of Salinity On The Growth And Survival Of The Crayfish, Procambarus Actus Actus (Girard), Emily Deaver

OES Theses and Dissertations

The white river crayfish, Procambarus acutus acutus was tested in low salinity water for growth and survival. Thirty animals were placed in each test pool at O, 4 and 8 ppt and grown for 75 days. Growth was defined as increase in carapace length and wet weight. Crayfish grew at a faster rate and had the lowest mortality at 4 ppt. Water hardness, defined as the total concentration of calcium and magnesium expressed as the calcium carbonate equivalent, ranged from 35 mg/1 to 195 mg/1. Pools of crayfish tested at concentrations of approximately 100 mg/1 total hardness exhibited the best …

Germination And Haustorial Development In Orobanche Minor Smith (Orobanchaceae), David L. Spelce

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Orobanche minor Smith is an introduced root parasite that is known to attack some commercial crops. Germination occurs only after a preconditioning period involving moisture which must be followed by a chemical stimulant produced by the host root. Strigol and strigol analogs (GR-compounds} have been reported to germinate some species of Orobanche. Statistical tests indicate a significant difference between the effectiveness of strigol, GR-7 and GR-45 (P = 0.001).

The embryo is an undifferentiated mass of cells. During germination, the radicular pole of the embryo differentiates into the radicle, while the plumular pole remains undifferentiated. The radicle forms the primary …

The Effect Of Blood Infusion Upon Perceived Exertion, Mary Aubert Lindhjem

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of packed RBC infusion upon ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), Three types of RPE were measured: 1) local muscular RFE, 2) cardiopulmonary RPE, and J) general RFE, The subjects, 16 experienced long distance male runners, undertook four treadmill runs to exhaustion, Subjects were matched according to time to exhaustion (ET) on the first trial (T1), and assigned to either an experimental (E) or control (C) group, Both groups had 46o ml blood withdrawn following Tl, T2 served as a baseline test and was administered about two weeks following blood withdrawal, …

Sulfatides As Opiate Receptors: An Evaluation Of The Opiate Binding Potential Of Sulfogalactosylgylcerolipid, Darby Geoghegan Hand

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Cerebroside sulfate (CS) has recently been shown to bind opiate drugs in a pharmacologically relevent manner and therefore satisfy the structural requirements of an opiate receptor. Seminolipid (SGG), a novel sulfated galactosyl. glycerolipid that has been isolated from the testes of a variety of mammals, may be viewed as a structural analog of CS. In view of this structural similarity, it is reasonable to presume that SGG may also bind opiate drugs. The isolation of SGG from boar testes was accomplished using silica gel dry column chromotography with a chloroform: methanol water solvent system. The structure and purity of the …

Macrobenthic Communities Of An Industrialized Seaport Ecosystem: The Southern Branch Of The Elizabeth River, Virginia, Steven D. Hawthorne

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Macrobenthic invertebrates of an industrialized seaport ecosystem were studied seasonally from October, 1977 through July, 1978. Five stations were selected along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, Virginia. The stations ranged from an area of heavy industrialization to a non-urbanized environment. At each station, bottom water was measured for salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Within each sampling area, macrobenthic infauna! invertebrates were collected from in and out of channel sites along with sediment samples for various types of physicochemical analysis.

Community structure was spatially homogeneous at station sites and throughout the stations along the River. Slightly acidic pH …

Filtration Ingestion And Assimilation Rates Of The Mysid Shrimp Neomysis Americana Smith, Fed Three Food Sources, Robert W. Grabb

OES Theses and Dissertations

Laboratory grazing and assimilation experiments were conducted on the mysid shrimp Neomysis americana in an attempt to assess the suitability of three potential food sources. It was hypothesized that the smaller size classes were primarily herbivores, not becoming omnivorous until attaining lengths of approximately 5-6 mm. Four size classes of mysids from the summer generation, juveniles, immature, adult males, and adult ovigerous females were each fed three concentrations of Artemia salina nauplii, the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, and the diatom Coscinodiscus lineatus. The mean lengths of the size classes utilized, plus or minus one standard deviation, were 2.5 …

Distribution Of The Dinoflagellate Symbiosis In Astragia Danae As Affected By Light Attenuation, Michael Perry Weston

OES Theses and Dissertations

Spatial zonation of symbiotic and aposymbiotic forms of the temperate coral Astrangia danae provides evidence that light attenuation is an important factor in the distribution of this animal. At four locations in the lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent offshore waters, symbiotic colonies were observed only in well illuminated surface waters, while aposymbiotic colonies were observed in less illuminated deeper waters. A transition zone exists in which both colony types are found. Colonies on substrates forming a plane parallel to the sea-surface receive a greater radiant flux than colonies on vertical substrates. This extends the depth range of symbiotic colonies located …

The Feasibility Of Commercial Scale Culture Of Atlantic Sturgeon, Acipenser Oxyrhynchus, Christopher John Coffing

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Abstract unavailable.