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1991

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Ua66/6/3/1 Biennial Report, Kentucky Gamma, Alpha Epsilon Delta Dec 1991

Ua66/6/3/1 Biennial Report, Kentucky Gamma, Alpha Epsilon Delta

Student Organizations

Biennial report created by and about the Kentucky Gamma Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta premedical honor society sponsored by WKU Biology.


Consumption Rates, Evacuation Rates And Diets Of Pygmy Killifish, Leptolucania Ommata, And Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis In The Okefenokee Swamp, J. Douglas Oliver Dec 1991

Consumption Rates, Evacuation Rates And Diets Of Pygmy Killifish, Leptolucania Ommata, And Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis In The Okefenokee Swamp, J. Douglas Oliver

Faculty Publications and Presentations

I studied feeding dynamics of Leptolucania ommata and Gambusia affinis in the Okefenokee Swamp. Both fishes mainly ate insect larvae (such as Chironomidae) and Cladocera. Evacuation rates ranged from 0.143 (L. ommala in winter) to 0.279/hour (L. ommala in summer). Daily food consumption (dry weight) ranged from 24.2 (L. ommata in winter) to 148.3 mg/g/day (G. affinis in summer). Maximum consumption by both species was estimated at 26.31 mg/t m2 / day, in summer. These values are consistent with other observations supporting a hypothesis that invertebrate prey production is substantial in these blackwater wetlands.


A Plasmid-Encoded Surface Protein Found In Chronic-Disease Isolates Of Coxiella Burnetti, Michael F. Minnick, Robert A. Heinzin, Dennis K. Reschke, Marvin Eugene Frazier, Louis P. Mallavia Dec 1991

A Plasmid-Encoded Surface Protein Found In Chronic-Disease Isolates Of Coxiella Burnetti, Michael F. Minnick, Robert A. Heinzin, Dennis K. Reschke, Marvin Eugene Frazier, Louis P. Mallavia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The cbbE' gene codes for the E' protein of Coxiella burnetii and was detected in genomic DNA from all known human isolates of the biotzere strain but not in DNA from the other five strains of C. burnetti. The biotzere strain is strictly associated with chronic disease in humans. Extrinsic iodination of biotzere strain cells radiolabeled a 55-kDa protein which comigrated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with the E' protein synthesized in vitro from recombinants containing the cbbE' gene. The 125I-labeled 55-kDa protein was immunoprecipitated with polyclonal anti-E' antiserum, confirming its identity as E'. Predicted secondary structure of the …


Breeding Biology Of A Southeastern Population Of Tree Swallows Tachycineta Bicolor, Denise Stephens Dec 1991

Breeding Biology Of A Southeastern Population Of Tree Swallows Tachycineta Bicolor, Denise Stephens

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An Ohio County, Kentucky, population of Tree Swallows utilizing nest boxes located over a strip pit lake on reclaimed Peabody Coal Company land was studied on a weekly basis throughout its breeding season. The season lasted from late April to late July. Dates and/or numbers were recorded regarding nest building, egg laying, clutch size, hatching and fledging success, age of females and adult activity at the nest in order to make comparisons with these data collected in studies of more northern populations. In addition, incubating females were color marked in order to determine if they produced a second clutch. No …


Variation In A Host-Epiphyte Relationship Along A Wave Exposure Gradient, Phillip S. Levin, Arthur C. Mathieson Nov 1991

Variation In A Host-Epiphyte Relationship Along A Wave Exposure Gradient, Phillip S. Levin, Arthur C. Mathieson

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

The red alga Polysiphonia lanosa (L ) Tandy is an obligate epiphyte that primarily occurs on the fucoid brown algal basiphyte Ascophyllum nodosum (L) Le Jolis In the present study we examine how epiphytic interactions between P lanosa and A nodosum vary along a wave exposure gradient within the southern Gulf of Maine, USA P lanosa was most dense on protected shores, however because the stature of P lanosa was greater on exposed than on sheltered shores, greater biomass occurred In exposed habitats Epiphytlc P lanosa pnmanly attached to inlured vegetative bssue at exposed sites, while ~ t osc currence …


Population Ecology Of Polydora Ligni (Polychaeta: Spionidae). I. Seasonal Variation In Population Characteristics And Reproductive Activity, Roman Zajac Nov 1991

Population Ecology Of Polydora Ligni (Polychaeta: Spionidae). I. Seasonal Variation In Population Characteristics And Reproductive Activity, Roman Zajac

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

A population of the polychaete Polydora ligni Webster was studied during 1982 and 1983 in Alewife Cove, Connecticut, USA, to determine seasonal changes in population characteristics. During early spring (March and April), the population was comprised of primarily large adults that had over-wintered. Females in this group exhibited the highest mean individual fecundity over the year (> 2000 larvae per brood). However, total larval production at this time was low (5200 to 208 000 larvae m-2 per 14 d) due to low densities of adults. Population density increased slowly during spring as juveniles produced by overwintering adults recruited into …


Population Ecology Of Polydora Ligni (Polychaeta: Spionidae). Ii. Seasonal Demographic Variation And Its Potential Impact On Life History Evolution, Roman Zajac Nov 1991

Population Ecology Of Polydora Ligni (Polychaeta: Spionidae). Ii. Seasonal Demographic Variation And Its Potential Impact On Life History Evolution, Roman Zajac

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Seasonal demographic variation was studied in an estuarine population of the opportunistic polychaete Polydora ligni between May 1982 and November 1983 in Alewife Cove, Connecticut, USA. The demography of 15 cohorts settling during this period was analyzed using life cycle graph models. Cohorts settling in spring and early summer had the shortest life spans (≈ 10 wk); highest survivorship over all life cycle stages and adult females produced an estimated maximum of 6 larval broods. Early adult stages contributed most to population growth during this period, and the potential for population growth, λ, was the highest during the study. Late …


A Drosophila Melanogaster H3.3 Cdna Encodes A Histone Variant Identical With The Vertebrate H3.3, Scott Fretzin, Barbara D. Allan, Angela Van Daal, Sarah C.R. Elgin Nov 1991

A Drosophila Melanogaster H3.3 Cdna Encodes A Histone Variant Identical With The Vertebrate H3.3, Scott Fretzin, Barbara D. Allan, Angela Van Daal, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

A cDNA encoding an H3.3 histone variant in Drosophila melanogaster predicts a protein with an amino acid (aa) sequence identical with that in vertebrates. The D. melanogaster H3.3 nucleotide (nt) sequence has diverged significantly from that of both the H3.3 gene of vertebrates and the H3.1 gene of D. melanogaster, largely through third nt changes in its codons. The perfect H3.3 aa sequence conservation between organisms as phylogenetically divergent as vertebrates and flies suggests that the H3.3 histone variant itself is an important structural component of chromatin, apart from the value of its replication-independent expression pattern. Keywords: Conserved proteins, amino …


Analysis Of The Metal Requirement Of 3-Deoxy-D-Arabino-Heptulosonate-7-Phosphate Synthase From Escherichia Coli., Craig Stephens, Ronald Bauerle Nov 1991

Analysis Of The Metal Requirement Of 3-Deoxy-D-Arabino-Heptulosonate-7-Phosphate Synthase From Escherichia Coli., Craig Stephens, Ronald Bauerle

Biology

The three isozymes of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli were overproduced, purified, and characterized with respect to their requirement for metal cofactor. The isolated isozymes contained 0.2-0.3 mol of iron/mol of enzyme monomer, variable amounts of zinc, and traces of copper. Enzymatic activity of the native enzymes was stimulated 3-4-fold by the addition of Fe2+ ions to the reaction mixture and was eliminated by treatment of the enzymes with EDTA. The chelated enzymes were reactivated by a variety of divalent metal ions, including Ca2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+. The specific activities of the reactivated enzymes varied …


Effects Of Tidal Stage And Sun Angles On Intertidal Benthic Microalgal Productivity, James L. Pinckney, R. G. Zingmark Sep 1991

Effects Of Tidal Stage And Sun Angles On Intertidal Benthic Microalgal Productivity, James L. Pinckney, R. G. Zingmark

Faculty Publications

Motile benthic diatoms exhibit rhythmic vertical migrations that are influenced by tidal and light cycles. As a consequence of these periodic migrations, corresponding periodicities in benthic microalgal production should occur. Using oxygen microelectrodes, hourly measurements of microalgal production were obtained from subaerially exposed cores collected from low-intertidal muddy sediments in North Inlet estuary, South Carolina, USA Microalgal productivity at low tide was twice that at high tide (mean difference 52 %) and was significantly correlated with diurnal and tidal periodicities (r2 = 0.41; p < 0.0001). Production values ranged from 28.0 to 460.5 µmol O2 mg chl a-1 h-1 and maximum rates were achieved during mid-afternoon low …


Cytoplasmic Action In Development, Scott F. Gilbert Sep 1991

Cytoplasmic Action In Development, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.


Carboxy-Terminal Truncation Activates Glp-1 Protein To Specify Vulval Fates In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Susan E. Mango, Eleanor M. Maine, Judith Kimble Aug 1991

Carboxy-Terminal Truncation Activates Glp-1 Protein To Specify Vulval Fates In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Susan E. Mango, Eleanor M. Maine, Judith Kimble

Biology - All Scholarship

The glp-1 and lin-12 genes encode homologous transmembrane proteins that may act as receptors for cell interactions during development. The glp-1 product is required for induction of germ-line proliferation and for embryogenesis. By contrast, lin-12 mediates somatic cell interactions, including those between the precursor cells that form the vulval hypodermis (VPCs). Here we analyse an unusual allele of glp-1, glp-1(q35), which displays a semidominant multivulva phenotype (Muv), as well as the typical recessive, loss-of-function Glp phenotypes (sterility and embryonic lethality). We find that the effects of glp-1(q35) on VPC development mimic those of dominant lin-12 mutations, even in the absence …


Review Of The Wild Oat Inflorescence And Seed: Anatomy, Development And Morphology, M. V. S. Raju, David M. Sutherland Aug 1991

Review Of The Wild Oat Inflorescence And Seed: Anatomy, Development And Morphology, M. V. S. Raju, David M. Sutherland

Biology Faculty Publications

This slim volume describes a detailed study of the reproductive parts of Avena fatua, the wild oat plant-a common weed in the northern plains and the probable ancestor of the cultivated oat. The book integrates the author's own work with information from available literature and includes lengthy technical descriptions of the structure and the growth of the inflorescence, the floret, the ovule, the pollen grain, the embryo, the seed, and the young seedling. Throughout the work, the author relates the wild oat's structure and development to other grasses, other monocotyledons, and other seed plants, offering evolutionary interpretations of many of …


Biodepuration Of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons From A Bivalve Mollusk, Mercenaria Mercenaria L, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D., Raul R. Cardenas Aug 1991

Biodepuration Of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons From A Bivalve Mollusk, Mercenaria Mercenaria L, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D., Raul R. Cardenas

Faculty Works: CERCOM

Mercenaria mercenaria, exposed in vitro for 48 h to nine parent polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in waste crankcase oil (WCCO) and analysed by multiparametric analysis over a 45- day depuration period in an activated carbon filtration aquaria system, did not depurate PAHs, but rather maintained them at detectable levels. Uptake of PAHs was shown to be directly related to clam weight. A cluster analysis of empirical results reaffirmed a biostabilization in PAH groupings in clam tissue over a 45-day depuration period and exhibited no evidence of a decreasing trend in total PAHs when subjected to ANOVA. Due to the …


Ua66/6/2 Bionews From The Hill, Wku Biology Aug 1991

Ua66/6/2 Bionews From The Hill, Wku Biology

WKU Archives Records

Newsletter created by and about WKU Biology highlighting the activities of faculty, students and alumni.


Population Ecology Of The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) In Florida Bay, Everglades National Park, Florida, 1959-1990, John L. Curnutt Jul 1991

Population Ecology Of The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) In Florida Bay, Everglades National Park, Florida, 1959-1990, John L. Curnutt

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using aerial census techniques, I collected data on the population, reproduction and nesting habits of Bald Eagles in Florida Bay, Florida, for three consecutive breeding seasons (Oct - Mar, 1987 - 1990). For analysis I consolidated my data with those collected by Robertson et al. between 1959 and 1986 for a total of 26 seasons. The breeding population of Bald Eagles in Florida Bay has been stable since censuses began in 1959. However, numbers of subadult eagles in Florida Bay have declined sharply since the early 1960’s. Breeding density was apparently limited by territoriality. Nesting success was positively correlated …


Dynamics Of Bacterioplankton Abundance And Production In Seagrass Communities Of A Hypersaline Lagoon, Gerardo Chin-Leo, Ronald Benner Jul 1991

Dynamics Of Bacterioplankton Abundance And Production In Seagrass Communities Of A Hypersaline Lagoon, Gerardo Chin-Leo, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

The significance of bacterioplankton in the flow of carbon and energy and in trophic dynamics of the upper Laguna Madre, Texas (USA), was estimated by measuring bacterioplankton abundance and production over an 18 mo period and over several diel cycles. Bacterioplankton production was estimated from incorporation rates of thymidine (DNA synthesis) and leucine (protein synthesis). These independent inhces of bacterial growth were generally in agreement and yielded nearly identical annual estimates of bacterial production (25.24 g C m-2 yr-1 based on thymidine and 25.12 g C m-2 yr-1based on leucine). Assuming a 30 % growth …


Bolivia 1991 Field Notes, Lila Alejandra Sainz-Bacherer Jul 1991

Bolivia 1991 Field Notes, Lila Alejandra Sainz-Bacherer

Division of Mammals - Field Notes and Catalogs

No abstract provided.


The Submembrane Machinery For Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering, S. C. Froehner Jul 1991

The Submembrane Machinery For Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering, S. C. Froehner

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Mate Choice In Lekking Sage Grouse Revisited: The Roles Of Vocal Display, Female Site Fidelity, And Copying, Robert M. Gibson, Jack W. Bradbury, Sandra L. Vehrencamp Jul 1991

Mate Choice In Lekking Sage Grouse Revisited: The Roles Of Vocal Display, Female Site Fidelity, And Copying, Robert M. Gibson, Jack W. Bradbury, Sandra L. Vehrencamp

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In lekking sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), females exhibit relatively unanimous mate choice for particular males, but a satisfactory explanation for this unanimity has been elusive. We present analyses of mating distributions from two leks over 4 years that provide evidence for female choice based on differences in vocal display performance of males, the locations at which hens mated in the previous year, and the choices of other females (copying). The unanimity of female choice varied markedly among leks and years in correlation with changes in the mean numbers of hens that mated at the same time and hence …


Distribution Of Sexual Activities Within Estrus Of Dairy Cattle, Donna Durbin Jul 1991

Distribution Of Sexual Activities Within Estrus Of Dairy Cattle, Donna Durbin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous studies of dairy cattle have indicated that heifers and cows in hot, cold and moderate weather had different patterns of sexual activities. The purpose of this study was to compare distribution of sexual activities within estrus of dairy cattle. Three groups of lactating cows in hot, cold and moderate weather and a group of heifers in cold weather were observed. Estrus for each individual was divided into 12 equal periods. Sexual activities for 3 and 6 hours before and after estrus were also observed. The numbers of mounts and distribution of total sexual activities was analyzed. Mounts received per …


Ua3/8/1 John Robinson Professorship Report, Wku Ogden College Of Science & Technology Jun 1991

Ua3/8/1 John Robinson Professorship Report, Wku Ogden College Of Science & Technology

WKU Archives Records

Report by Dr. John Riley, John Robinson Professor of activities for 1990-1991 funded by Ogden Foundation.


A Proline-Rich Structural Protein Of The Surface Sheath Of Larval Brugia Filarial Nematode Parasites, Murray E. Selkirk, Maria Yazdanbakhsh, Danie Freedman, Mark L. Blaxter, Edith Cookson, Rosalind E. Jenkins, Steven A. Williams Jun 1991

A Proline-Rich Structural Protein Of The Surface Sheath Of Larval Brugia Filarial Nematode Parasites, Murray E. Selkirk, Maria Yazdanbakhsh, Danie Freedman, Mark L. Blaxter, Edith Cookson, Rosalind E. Jenkins, Steven A. Williams

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Both cDNA and genomic DNA sequences have been isolated which encode a proline-rich precursor protein of the sheath from microfilariae, the first stage larvae of the filarial nematode parasites Brugia pahangi andBrugia malayi. This 22-kDa protein is soluble only under reducing conditions and is extensively cross- linked by both disulfide and nonreducible bonds. Immunogold electron microscopy shows that the protein is localized exclusively in the sheath, a vestigial remnant of the eggshell, which is retained by and encloses the mature microfilaria. Analysis by Western blotting confirms that the protein is expressed only in microfilariae and adult female worms, although transcripts …


Androgen Receptor And The Testes Influence Hypertension In A Hybrid Rat Model, Daniel Ely, Ron Salisbury, Disha Hadi, Monte E. Turner, Mark L. Johnson Jun 1991

Androgen Receptor And The Testes Influence Hypertension In A Hybrid Rat Model, Daniel Ely, Ron Salisbury, Disha Hadi, Monte E. Turner, Mark L. Johnson

Biology Faculty Research

The objective of this study was to determine if males with a deficient androgen receptor would develop hypertension when crossed with a hypertensive parent. Female King-Holtzman rats (n = 15), heterozygous for the testicular feminization (Tfm) gene, were crossed with male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and blood pressure was measured weekly from 5-14 weeks in the F1 hybrid males. Approximately 50% of the F1 hybrid males were Tfm males and androgen receptor-deficient, and 50% were normal. Blood pressure in the parent King-Holtzman males, Tfms, and female rats was also followed for the same time period. The F1 normal male hybrids …


Separate Sex-Influenced And Genetic Components In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Hypertension, Monte E. Turner, Mark L. Johnson, Daniel Ely Jun 1991

Separate Sex-Influenced And Genetic Components In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Hypertension, Monte E. Turner, Mark L. Johnson, Daniel Ely

Biology Faculty Research

Previous results from our laboratory indicated two major genetic components of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) hypertension, an autosomal component and a Y chromosome component. Two new substrains, SHR/a and SHR/y, were developed using a series of backcrosses to isolate each of these components. The SHR/a substrain has the autosomal loci and X chromosome from the SHR strain and the Y chromosome from the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat strain. The SHR/y substrain has only the Y chromosome from the SHR and autosomal loci and X chromosome from the WKY strain. Throughout these breeding programs parents were chosen at random without selection for …


Comparison Of The Effects Of The Severe Freezes Of 1983 And 1989 On Native Woody Plants In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Robert I. Lonard, Frank W. Judd Jun 1991

Comparison Of The Effects Of The Severe Freezes Of 1983 And 1989 On Native Woody Plants In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Robert I. Lonard, Frank W. Judd

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Freeze damage to native woody plants was assessed at the same four sites in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, in 1983 and 1989. The number of severely damaged species was greater in 1989 possibly because temperatures in 1989 were lower and longer in duration below freezing versus 1983. Thirty0five species (48.6%) had the same damage index value for the two freezes, and 24 (33.3%) species showed no damage in either year. More than half of the 72 species analyzed (55.5% in 1983 and 51.3% in 1989) showed no damage or only leaf damage, indicating most of the native woody …


An Analysis Of The Anatomical Projection From The Mzi To The Dmcg Using Hrp Histochemistry: Comparison Between Male And Female Rats, Scott E. Preusen '91 May 1991

An Analysis Of The Anatomical Projection From The Mzi To The Dmcg Using Hrp Histochemistry: Comparison Between Male And Female Rats, Scott E. Preusen '91

Honors Projects

Anatomical and behavioral studies indicate that the dorsal Midbrain Central Grey (dMCG) and the Ventromedial Nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) are the principle brain structures that function in mediating sexual behavior in the female rat. Recently, the medial portion of the Zona Incerta (mZI) has been implicated as an additional brain structure that regulates sexual receptivity (lordosis) in the female rat. When the mZI of the female was destroyed via intracerebral injections with the neurotoxin, ibotenic acid, by Dornan et al. (1991), they reported that lordosis behavior was shown to be attenuated. Presently, little is known about the role of …


Cystic Fibrosis: Cluster Analysis Of Microbiology And Pulmonary Function, Lori Lee M. Larson '91 May 1991

Cystic Fibrosis: Cluster Analysis Of Microbiology And Pulmonary Function, Lori Lee M. Larson '91

Honors Projects

In an attempt to find a relationship between pulmonary infection and pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, microbiology data and pulmonary function test (PFT) data for clinic patients' visits were obtained from the University of Minnesota Relational Database. The two files were merged, totaling 12,193 cases, and then analyzed using a quick cluster subroutine of SPSSX on the University of Illinois IBM Mainframe System. QUICK CLUSTER analysis showed a relationship between the virulence of the microorganisms, the amount of growth of the microorganisms, and the pulmonary function test scores of CF patients


Specimen Catalog, Forrest W. Davis May 1991

Specimen Catalog, Forrest W. Davis

Division of Mammals - Field Notes and Catalogs

No abstract provided.


The Effects Of Bilateral Injections Of Neuropeptide K Into The Medial Preoptic Area On Male Rat Copulatory Behavior, Peter Malen '91 May 1991

The Effects Of Bilateral Injections Of Neuropeptide K Into The Medial Preoptic Area On Male Rat Copulatory Behavior, Peter Malen '91

Honors Projects

The first mammalian neuropeptide to be characterized was substance P (sP) , and it is now recognized that sP is a member of a structurally related family of peptides, the tachykinins. Extensive studies have demonstrated. that sP and some related tachykinin peptides play key roles as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. The synthesis of different members of the tachykinin family is in part due to the modifications' of three sP-encoding preprotachykinin (PPT) mRNA's that are derived from a single sP gene. At least four tachykinin peptides can be synthesized as a result of these differential modifications including sP, neurokinin A, neuropeptide and …