Life Sciences Commons^™

Effect Of Various Nitrogen Sources On The Metabolism Of Miserotoxin In Astragalus Miser Dougl. Ex Hook., Robert Parker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wasatch milkvetch [Astragalus miser Dougl., var. oblongifolius (Rydb.) Cronq.] was highest in miserotoxin, a poisonous nitro compound, when potassium nitrate was used as the nitrogen source in nutrient cultures. Ammonium nitrate, added to Hoagland solutions to provide four and one-half times normal nitrogen, lowered percent miserotoxin in the plants. Plants grew abnormally in the greenhouse, producing little growth and becoming periodically senescent. High greenhouse temperatures, up to 45 C, were probably responsible for the abnormal growth.

Attempts to inoculate and fix nitrogen in Wasatch milkvetch with Rhizobium bacteria were unsuccessful in the greenhouse.

In growth chamber studies, percent miserotoxin …

A Comparison Of The Ecological Life Histories Of Delphinium Occidentale S. Wats. And Delphinium Barbeyi Huth, Jere Randolph Holman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two species of the holartic genus Delphinium (D. occidentale S. Wats. and D. barbeyi Huth) were studied in the field and laboratory to determine the factors influencing the life stage development and distribution of these plants.

Delphinium occidentale, more widely distributed geographically and altitudinally than D. barbeyi, is found as a member of aspen and sagebrush communities. Sites are mesic in early spring but turn xeric by midsummer. Delphinium barbeyi, more limited in distribution geographically and altitudinally, appears to be limited to subalpine sites.

Adult biological properties are similar for both species. Morphological and taxonomic differences …

Studies Of Porphyrin Biosynthesis In Higher Plants, Tsung-Chiang Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase which catalyses the formation of coproporphyrinogen from uroporphyrinogen is located in the soluble fraction of tobacco leaves and was purified 72 fold through ammonium sulphate precipitation and calcium phosphate gel adsorption.

Kinetic studies indicated that the apparent Michaelis constant was 1 x 10^-6 for uroporphyrinogen III (pH 6.5; 37° C). Uroporphyrinogen III served as a much better substrate than uroporphyrinogen I under the standard conditions of this study.

Enzyme activity was inhibited by thiol reagents and heavy divalent cations.

Both chloride and fluoride salts inhibited the formation of coproporphyrinogen from uroporphyrinogen.

Enzyme activity was inhibited by several …

The Interaction Of Promazine With Selected Macromolecules And A Membrane Utilizing Absorption And Emission Spectroscopy, Jess D. Keeler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The association of promazine-HCl with bovine serum albumin, ammonium detergent micelles, and hemoglobin-free-rabbit-erythrocyte membranes were measured using the changes in the absorption and the emission of the interactants plus the fluorescent probe 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate. The binding of a promazine to serum protein and membrane did not alter the emission of the drug. However, the binding did produce a measurable quenching of the membrane and protein fluorescence. The quenching reaction was pH sensitive for both the protein and the membrane. Promazine binding to serum protein produced a hyperchromic change in the drugs absorption spectrum which paralleled the quenching reaction. The binding …

Detection And Quantitation Of Staphylococcus Aureus Deoxyribonuclease In Cheese, Cyril Newell Maughan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A specific method has been developed for the extraction and measurement of staphylococcal nuclease in cheese in which Staphylococcus aureus has grown. Ten grams of cheese sample were homogenized with ninety milliliters of pH ten buffer for three minutes. Ammonium sulfate fractionation was used and a forty to eighty percent fraction was collected and concentrated using ultrafilters. The nuclease activity was determined using a toluidine blue deoxyribonucleic acid agar slide method and a spectophotometric method. The DNA agar slide method was used to compare staphylococcal growth with nuclease production in cheese under varying conditions. When Staphylococcus aureus plate counts indicated …

An Evaluation Of The Farm Machinery Market In Utah, Paul J. Stuart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the farm machinery distribution system in Utah using market structure analysis. Questionnaires to farm machinery firms as well as to farmers were used to gather data on market structure and conduct. The traditional market structure theory was used as an analytical framework. Examining the efficiency of factor markets revealed possible avenues for savings to farmers.

Import Substitution Potentials And Marketing Policies For Forest Products In Iran, M. A. Salimi-Manshadi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Consumption data for different forest products were calculated for nine years (1962 to 1970). Then, taking consumption as a function of per capita disposable income and population, mathematical models were developed. By regressing per capita consumption of each product on per capita disposable income and determining the corresponding coefficients, the per capita demand for the products in the target years was calculated. The total projected demand was then computed by the products of per capita consumption and population in the target years.

Through regression analysis the future import of forest products was projected, and import substitution possibilities were discussed.

Finally, …

The Effects Of Age And Induction On Cockroach Mixed Function Oxidase Activity And Cell Morphology, Richard L. Turnquist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Female American cockroaches showed definite age-dependent changes in levels of activity of the microsomal mixed function oxidase chain. Cytochrome P-450 levels, EPN-detoxication, and p-nitroanisole O-demethylation activities were very low in young adult insects but increased steadily reaching a peak at about 100 days in fat body and at about 90 days in midgut and hindgut. The activities then declined rapidly reaching levels of young insects at about 130 to 140 days of age. NADPH-NT-reductase activity was high in young insects and declined during the first few weeks of adult life. This activity too showed a peak at about …

Greenhouse Production And Marketing Of Petunia, W. Theron Hansen Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was performed during a three year period, 1969-1971. The first year the writer evaluated containers, soil mixtures, planting dates, fertilizers, and temperatures for optimum petunia production. The data collected aided in selecting the best greenhouse procedures for future studies. The second year three bedding plant varieties were used for further evaluate containers and soil mixtures using direct seeding and transplanting and watering continuously or watering as needed.

As a result of the first two year's studies, a liquid fertilizer (10-5-5), an average temperature of 75 F, Jiffy-7 peat pellets, plants not receiving continuous water program was used for …

The Relationship Between Matric Water And Related Physiological Properties, Hussain Ali Al-Saadi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Matric water was measured as the water retained by plant material on a pressure membrane or ultra filter after equilibration under 20 bars nitrogen gas pressure and the removal of free water. At increasing pressures lesser amounts of water are held by matric or colloidal surface forces. Twenty bars pressure, supplied by cylinder nitrogen for 48 hours, was used in this study. Matric water was expressed as a percent of either (a) the dry weight or (b) the original water content. Plant material was oven dried, ground, and then saturated with water prior to the determination.

The matric water values …

Canopy Structure And Phenology Of Alpine Tundra Vegetation, Marcee Fareed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An inclined point frame was used to measure leaf area indices in an alpine tundra Kobresia stand and Deschampsia meadow on Niwot Ridge, Colorado. Measurements were made throughout the summer of 1971 at various heights in the canopy and for each species in the two communities. Maximum leaf area indices of 2.2 and 2.0 occurred in the Kobresia and Deschampsia sites, respectively. The Kobresia site was characterized by a single dominant species, Kobresia myosuroides, and a predominance of vegetation within 2.5 cm of mean ground level. The Deschampsia site had no single dominant species. The region of maximum foliage …

A Cytological, Morphological, And Anatomical Study Of Elymus Simplex, Stephan L. Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the taxonomy, report the chromosome number, report meiotic chromosome behavior, and give the anatomy of Elymus simplex Scribner and Williams. The isotype of Elymus simplex and the type description were used to compare this and other species that have been confused.

Cytological and anatomical methods are reported as an aid in clarification of the taxonomic problem that has been associated with this species.

Limitation Studies Of Seed Set In The Onion Allium Cepa L. (Liliaceae), Nizar Shukri Shasha'a

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two field experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, 13 variables were studied for 3 inbred groups as influenced by genetic differences, source of pollen, soil moisture, fertilizers, and size of bulbs. Path-coefficient analysis was made of various insect pollinators influencing seed yield in different inbreds, and of components of seed production in all inbreds together. In the second experiment, 4 variables were studied for one male-sterile inbred and one male-fertile inbred as influenced by soil moisture and fertilizers.

Genetic differences among inbreds were the most important source of variation in seed yields. This points out that a major …

Population Ecology Of Uinta Ground Squirrels, Norman A. Slade

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The behavior and ecology of Uinta ground squirrels (Spermophilus armatus) at the Utah State University Forestry Field Station northeast of Logan, Utah were studied from 1964-1971 to determine the role of behavior in population regulation. From 1965 to 1968, data were collected to establish population norms. In 1968, the population density was reduced experimentally to help elucidate regulatory processes. This paper compares the dynamics of the population before and after the population reduction.

Before the density reduction, juvenile survival was lower than that of yearlings and adults. The disappearance of juveniles was associated with their tendency to disperse …

Irrigation And Non-Irrigation Alternatives For Reducing Sugar Cane Transportation Costs In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Lee M. Bailey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The major objective of this study was to investigate various alternatives for lowering the cost of transporting sugar cane in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. These alternatives included both irrigation and non-irrigation possibilities. Production costs for sugar cane were determined by using studies completed by the USAID-Utah State University study team, budget studies of Senor Carlos Castro of the Guabira' sugar cane mill in Santa Cruz and a study undertaken by Senor Enrique Gomez, a graduate student at Utah State University.

A cane registry commissioned by the National Sugar Cane Commission was used in conjunction with a least-cost transportation model in order …

An Economic Analysis Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Fertilization On Several Utah Range And Meadow Sites, Thomas M. Quigley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous research has shown that rangeland forage production can be increased through fertilization. A study was conducted to determine if fertilization of various Utah range sites was economically feasible. Six range sites were selected for analysis. The addition of nitrogen increased forage production on three sites. Phosphorus had no effect in increasing production. Production functions of the form, Y = a + bN - cN² , where Y is pounds of forage per acre and N is pounds of nitrogen per acre, were estimated for both fall and spring applications. Using current prices of Y and N the optimum …

Early Life History Of The Mountain Whitefish Prosopium Williamsoni (Girard) In The Logan River, Utah, Lawrence Guy Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Growth and food habits of 399 Age 0 mountain whitefish from the Logan River, Utah, were studied between March, 1970, and April, 1971. At the end of their first six months of life, whitefish were 86-96 mm total length and weighed 6-8 grams (wet). Total temperature experience was 2,950-3,430 degree-days above 32° F. The length-weight relationship for Age 0 mountain whitefish was best described by three stanzas with slopes of 4.3333 for fish 12.5-17.0 mm total length, 3.4437 for fish 17.0-55.0 mm total length, and 2.8043 for fish 50.0-112.0 mm total length. Scalation commenced at 30-35 mm total length and …

Purification And Characterization Of A Protease From A Lamb Gastric Extract Used For Cheese Flavor Improvement, Ramjibhai V. Chaudhari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An assay for catheptic activity of lamb gastric tissue extract has been proposed which involves the use of a pH 3.5 hemoglobin substrate following activation of zymogens at pH 2.0, 25C for 30 min.; and inactivation at pH 8.0, 40C for 30 min thereby eliminating the effects of pepsin and rennin. Cathepsin was isolated and purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, acetone precipitation and gel filtration. The purified cathepsin represented approximately 50 fold increase in specific activity over the original extract and a recovery of 15% of the original activity. Degree of purity was monitored by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels. …

Assay And Control Of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A Development In Cheddar Cheese Slurries, Niranjan R. Gandhi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attempts were made to adapt the microtiter hemagglutination inhibition assay technique for the assay of enterotoxin A. The presence of a potent hemagglutinin in crude and partially purified preparations and the instability of sensitized erythrocytes prevented its use for routine analysis of enterotoxin from culture media and foods.

A capillary tube immunological assay was developed in which 1 μ g of enterotoxin/ml was detected in less than 1 hr . Interfacial reaction of antisera and enterotoxin solutions in a 1 mm internal diameter capillary tube allowed rapid detection and serological typing of enterotoxins.

Staphylococcus aureus growth and enterotoxin A development …

An Isolation And Partial Purification Of A Small Tobacco Mosaic Virus Nucleoprotein Unit And A Study Of Its Polymerization By Carbodiimides, Alicia Bruna De Tosso

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A small tobacco mosaic virus nucleoprotein unit, thought to be the basic infectious unit of TMV, was isolated and purified from systemically-infected Turkish tobacco leaves. This small TMV particle was characterized by a doughnut shaped form as shown in the electron micrographs and by the induction of gray lesions when inoculated on Scotia bean leaves. Four carbodiimides, organic chemical condensing reagents, were compared for effectiveness in inducing polymerization of this starting material into longer rod-shaped viral particles. Dicyclohexyl carbodiimide, a wax-like solid, was found to be the most suitable reagent when used with an organic solvent such as ethanol in …

Inorganic Mercury Uptake And Mercury Tolerance Demonstrated By Several Species Of Algae, Daniel S. Filip

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The inhibition by low concentrations of inorganic mercury has been established for several species of freshwater algae, and a method has been developed to determine mercury levels in algal cells, having good precision at levels as low as one hundred parts per billion.

Rapid sorption of inorganic mercury by glassware was minimized by using heavy algal cultures and short term incubations. The rates and extent of mercury uptake by three species of freshwater green algae were delineated under laboratory conditions. Replicate mercury containing cultures yielded slightly different mercury concentrations upon analysis due to analytical errors and glass sorption. Therefore, percent …

Xanthium Strumarium L.: Extraction And Assay Of Floral Promotive Principles And Additional Investigations Into Inhibition Of Flowering, David D. Gibby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

New techniques in extraction and assay of florigenic substances were tested. Initial response to the buffer-PVP extracts proved promising, but after several successful experiments, results could not be duplicated. Possible reasons for the failure are discussed.

A long-day inhibitory effect, demonstrated earlier by Gibby and Salisbury (25), was further investigated. Experiments with ¹⁴C-labled assimilates disproved the hypothesis that the inhibition is a result of assimilate translocation. Other experiments pointed to the probability of phytochrome involvement as well as protein synthesis as part of the inhibitory process. The nature of inhibition was ascribed to a localized inhibitory condition, probably a …

Development Of Environmental Education Field Trip Guides For Elementary School Teachers In Cache Valley, Utah, Sandra T. Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first was the development of environmental education field trip guides to areas in Cache Valley for teachers in grades three through six that would provide learning activities that cannot be structured in the classroom. Six field trip guides to areas of Cache Valley with accompanying activities and discussion questions were constructed. The guides were tested in the field by three groups of teachers and students and teachers not participating in the field test evaluated the guides for difficulties they would encounter in using the guides.

The second study purpose was to determine …

Plant Adaptation To Cold I. Chlorophyll Ii. Minerals, Peter Rosen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A number of montane herbs in northern Utah typically form flower buds beneath the snow cover and flower either through it or immediately after its recession. Two of these species, one naturally occurring, Claytonia lanceolata, and one cultivated bulb, Galanthus nivalis, were investigated for their response to this stress environment.

Snow depth patterns, chlorophyll content of tissues, and plants grown in light-tight boxes, suggest that light passing through the snow to reach plants growing underneath is not critically involved in the timing of their developmental cycles or in their ability to endure this low temperature environment.

Ability to endure stress …

Blue Grouse Ecology And Habitat Requirements In North Central Utah, David A. Weber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ecology and habitat requirements of a population of blue grouse were studied during 1970 and 1971 on the Cache National Forest 25 miles south of Logan, Utah.

Baseline data concerning numbers of blue grouse, vegetative composition, and insect abundance on the study area were gathered. These data were to be compared to similar measurements made following a herbicidal spraying of the area during 1972.

Information concerning the breeding, nesting, brood rearing, and wintering habits of the grouse was also collected. Male blue grouse migrated to the study area in early April to set up territories. These were located on …

Ecology Of Aroga Websteri Clarke In Curlew Valley, Utah-Idaho, Reed L. Kirkland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ecology, life history, and population dynamics of the sagebrush defoliator, Aroga websteri Clarke, were studied in the field and laboratory. The defoliator has one generation a year at the Curlew Valley site. It overwintered in the egg stage and passed through five larval instars. Ten parasite species attacked the defoliator at the study site. Four species, Orgilus ferus, Phaeogenes sp., Spilochalcis leptis, and Apanteles cacoeciae, contributed over 75 percent of the total incidence of parasitism. Parasitism ranged from 20 to 76 percent in 1971, but only ranged from 6 to 29 percent in 1972. This decrease …

Comparison Of Tensiometer And Climatological Methods For Estimating Soil Moisture Depletion And Scheduling Irrigation For Potatoes, Thayne B. Wiser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis was to compare the tensiometer and climatic methods of scheduling irrigation of potatoes under field conditions. Tensiometers were placed in a 160 acre field to maintain the crop within the optimum moisture range and schedule irrigations. An automatic solid set system was used to apply water to the potato crop. Instrumentation was used to determine daily input for the climatological method. Daily evapotranspiration (Et) was computed and Et (tensiometer) was compared with Et (climatic). The results showed total variation of the climatic method from the tensiometer method of .62 inches or less than 5 per …

Linkage And Inheritance Studies Involving An Annual Pollen Restorer And Other Genetic Characters In Beta Vulgaris L., Theron E. Roundy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A pollen-restorer sugarbeet inbred, developed by four generations of selection of highly fertile plants from a CMS X table beet cross, was studied to determine if a change from sterile to fertile cytoplasm had occurred. Data showed that the fertility expressed by the restorer inbred was the result of genetic factors and not cytoplasmic reversion. Linkage tests with the R^f gene showed independence of the YRB group, m and vi₄. A yellow-leaf mutant was inherited as a simple recessive factor. A partial pollen-restorer character, found in the yellow-leaf material, was inherited as a single dominant gene. The …

The Effects Of Dcpa And Trifluralin On Northern Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Hapla Chitwood) Infection Of Selected Vegetables, Rulon Kent Romney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The interaction of herbicides and Northern root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne hapla Chitwood) on onions and beans was studied in the greenhouse. Seeds of onions (Allium cepa L.) were planted in soil treated with different levels of dimethyl 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA). Seeds of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were planted in soil treated with different levels of DCPA or α, α, α-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine (trifluralin). Seedlings were inoculated with root-knot nematode larvae after 2 week's growth.

DCPA reduced root and shoot growth on onions but did not significantly affect bean growth. Trifluralin significantly reduced root and shoot …

Aquatic Invertebrate Consumption By The Major Fish Species In The Blacksmith Fork River, Theodore F. Meyers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Exponential rates of digestion are described for brown trout and whitefish for July, October, December (1969), and April (1970). The slope of the line fitted to the digestion data from each month was defined as the instantaneous rate of digestion and applied to an exponential growth model to determine the instantaneous consumption rate.

The digestion and consumption rates were applied to field measurements of percent fullness to determine the amount of food material ingested during a 24 hour period. Brown trout consumed 127, 24, 19, and 84 mean percent of their stomach capacity in the July, October, December, and April …