Life Sciences Commons^™

Determination Of Human Sperm Cell Acrosin Activity From Normal And Subfertile Men, Dilrowshan H. Haque

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Acrosin is an acrosomal enzyme which is reported to be involved in sperm penetration through cumulus, zona, and ooplasma. This enzyme has been reported to be significantly lower in sperm of infertile men compared to sperm of fertile men. The acrosin assay which has been developed can be used for studies in patients with suspected infertility and may be used on a fraction of most semen specimens being evaluated in a clinical andrology laboratory.

Within-run precision studies yielded coefficients of variation of 11% for a low-activity pool and 9% for normalactivity pool specimens. Between-run precision studies using a single donor …

A Histological Investigation Of The Larval Mandibular Organ In The Mud Crab Rhithropanopeus Harrisii (Gould) (Crustacea Decapoda Xanthidae), Lore Lynn Hantske

OES Theses and Dissertations

Mandibular organs of the mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould) were histologically located and followed throughout the larval cycle to determine their role in metamorphosis. Specimens from each day of the four larval stages and the megalopa stage were embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 8 μm, stained and observed under the microscope for the mandibular organs. The organs were located in the mandibular area of second, third and fourth stage larvae. The organs were probably present in the first stage zoeae and in the megalopa stage, although the

techniques of the study were not sensitive enough to observe them. The …

The Decline Of Log House Construction In Blount County, Tennessee, John T. Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations

The log house is an important element of architectural heritage of much of the eastern United States. In some areas, such as East Tennessee, log construction was not replaced by frame construction until the late nineteenth century.

Several reasons have been presented in the literature for the decline of log house construction, but none of them had been tested empirically. This study determined to what extent the reasons given for the decline of the log house construction explain the decline of log dwelling construction in Blount County, Tennessee. The study analyzed the influence of five factors: (1) relative affluence of …

Between Population Comparison Of Resource Acquisition In The Long Jawed Orb Weaving Spider Tetragnatha Elongata, Rosemary Grace Gillespie

Doctoral Dissertations

Behavioral adaptations for resource acquisition in the long jawed orb weaving spider Tetragnatha elongata Walckenaer (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) are documented in this study. It examines the form and mechanism of spider foraging behavior, an essential prerequisite to the realization of the commercial use of spiders in integrated pes t management. Being the most common and ubiquitous of insect predators, spiders offer tremendous potential as stabilizers in agro ecosystems with unstable cycling of phytophagous insects. The initial part of this study examines the mechanisms employed by T. elongata in selecting a habitat, and demonstrates that spiders do not build webs where the …

Dietary Cholesterol, Tissue Phospholipids And Prostacylin Production Of Rat Aorta, Mieko Hoshino Andress

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Male Sprague-Dawley weanling rats were divided into three groups, a control (rat-chow and 5% corn oil), the control diet plus cholesterol, and the control diet plus both cholesterol and cholic acid. After four months the animals were sacrificed and blood samples, along with abdominal and thoracic aorta cross-sectional ring segments. were collected. The serum cholesterol levels, fatty acid compositions in the phospholipids (PL) of the aortic tissues (thoracic and abdominal aorta tissues combined), and the endogenous 6-keto-PGFla (stable metabolite of PGI2) production in thoracic and abdominal aortic tissues were While serum cholesterol levels were highest in the rats fed a …

Effects Of Lateral Mandibular Expansion On Mandibular Morphology In The Growing Rat : A Comparative Study Of Treatment Effects With Orthopaedic And/Or Surgical Procedures, Eric Looi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mandibular expansion by orthopaedic and surgical procedures in the growing rat mandible.

Sixty-four 35 day old Sprague Dawley Harlan rats were divided into four groups of 16 rats each and categorized as the control, orthopaedic expansion, surgery without graft and surgery with graft respectively. Prefabricated appliances were used for orthopaedic expansion of the mandibles and maintaining surgical expansion at the symphysis in the respective groups. Oxytetracycline were given intraperitoneally to mark areas of bone remodeling. Half the number of rats from each group were sacrificed at the end of …

The Development Of Smallholder Tea Production In Tanzania: An Economic Analysis Of Factors Influencing Green Leaf Tea Output, Joseph Tarmo Nagu

Doctoral Dissertations

This study focused on smallholder tea production as one strategy for Tanzanian economic development. The central research question was the economic evaluation of the potential of this strategy for increasing peasant farmer income streams in an economy comprised of mostly subsistence farming.

Two objectives were: (1) the assessment of the extent to which selected production factors explain the variability in the annual output of green tea leaf (output) and (2) the estimation of the physical resource productivities and the computation of marginal value products (MVP's) of selected resources for a sample 150 smallholder tea farms in Njombe, Tanzania to determine …

Factors Affecting Epithecal Growth Lines In Four Coral Species, With Paleontological Implications, Jean-Luc Liénard

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The number of epithecal (external) growth lines was surveyed over 124 days for Montastrea annularis growing at different depths (3.5 m to 61 m). There was a significant (P< .01) decrease in the number of lines with depth. Although the linear regression is significant, there is evidence for a logarithmic or quadratic relationship, and more data from greater depths are needed to determine which of these gives a better fit.

The number of growth lines formed during light-dark cycles of 16, 24 and 32 hours were compared for M. annularis, M. cavernosa, Porites astreoides and Tubastrea aurea. The variability among colonies from the same species was in many cases more significant than that among light treatments. This is a serious problem for anyone counting lines in corals, especially from a few specimens; therefore conclusions based on such counts seem hazardous on …

Industrial Development Bonds In Knox County, Tennessee: An Analysis Of Their Impact On The Local Community, Timothy L. Leasure

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to create a methodology local governments could use in determining the impact of industrial development bonds on the local community. The areas of impact studied were water and sewer infrastructures and the cost of providing the services, highway capacities, property tax generation, and employment generation. Knox County, Tennessee was chosen as a general study area because of the interest local officials had in this topic and because data was readily accessible.

A cost/benefit analysis of the provision of water and sewer services, and impact analyses on infrastructure capacities, the property tax base and the …

The Effects Of Strain Differences On The Binding Of Concavalian A To Mouse Sperm, Lisa A. Mckay

Honors Theses

The current study, lectins were used as genetic probes to determine the phenotype of the sperm from different strains of mice. Lectins are proteins of non-immune origin, which bind to specific carbohydrates (McCoy, 1986). Being that virtually all cell membranes contain carbohydrate components, lectins have been used to identify all types of cells. In this study, a biotinylated lectin Concavalian A (Con A) derived from Canavalia ensiformis, was used and binding was detected using an avidin-biotin peroxidase (ABP) complex technique. The object of the current research was to 1) determine if mouse strain differences have an effect on lectin binding, …

An Immunochemical Analysis Of Alcoholic Hyaline And Its Relationship To Keratin Intermediate Filaments, David L. Drexler

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Alcoholic Hyaline (AH) and keratin intermediate filaments possess ultrastructural, biochemical and immunochemical similarities. This study compares human AH, human stratum corneum keratin (HSCK) and normal human liver cytokeratin (HCK) by quantitative immunochemical means, using polyclonal as well as monoclonal antibodies. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were employed, as well as "immunoblotting" and immunocytochemical techniques. HCK was isolated using Triton X-100 and "high-salt” buffers and exhibited seven major polypeptide bands on SDS-PAGE (41-58 kd). Antisera were made toward HCK and the two major HCK bands. Other immunochemicals included antisera toward AH, the three major AH bands, and HSCK, as well as 3 …

The Parotid Salivary Glands. I. Potential Role Of A Parotid Factor Modulating Pancreatic Β-Cell Function. Ii. An Immunohistological Study To Identify Parotid Hormone Secreting Cell(S), Denise S. Cook

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The physiologic role of the parotid glands is more complex than its recognized salivary function. Various investigators have suggested an intriguing relationship between the parotids and the pancreas, both endocrine and exocrine in nature.

We studied in rats the contribution of salivary glands in the regulation of β-cell function in response to an acute intra-arterial glucose challenge in parotidectomized, submandibulariectomized and totally sialoadenectomized animals. Fifteen days post-parotidectomy or total sialoadenectomy, the β-cell response, at 2 minutes post-glucose infusion, diminishes and stabilizes at about 40% of the preoperative value. Concurrent with the depressed insulin secretion a correspondingly higher glucose titer was …

Augmentation Of Natural Killer Cell Activity By Corynebacterium Parvum: Involvement Of Lipoxygenase Pathway, Gregory D. Kuo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The ⁵¹Chromium release assay was used to measure natural killer (NK) cell activity associated with Corynebacterium parvum (CP) injection against YAC-1 and MBT-2 targets. The peritoneal exudate cells from intraperitoneal treatment of CP at different dosages consistently gave higher cytotoxicity than their respective spleen cell fractions. In contrast, CP given intravenously showed the reversed effect. Our results demonstrate that the route of administration and dosage of CP are two crucial variables for determining the effectiveness of this immunostimulant. In vitro manipulations of nordihydroguaiaretic acid, indomethacin, and prostaglandin E2 on CP-stimulated NK cells suggest that the lipoxygenase pathway is involved …

Interaction Of Putative Estrogens And The Estrogen Receptor System In Leydig Cells In The Balb/C Mouse Testis Resulting In The Initiation Of Dna Synthesis, R. Lloyd Juriansz

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Continuous administration of estrogens for 7-9 months, both steroidal and nonsteroidal, to male BALB/c mice, leads to the formation of testicular Leydig cell tumors. Three days following the subcutaneous implantation of a pellet of estrogen in cholesterol, there is a peak in the incorporation of ³H-tymidine into the DNA of the interstitial cells. These effects are hypothesized to be mediated by the estrogen receptor system in the Leydig cell. Common experimental techniques for the measurement of hormone binding, such as dextran coated charcoal treatment, proved to be impossible to employ in this system, therefore a procedure was developed using …

Cooperativity Of Ligand Binding As A Function Of Monomer-Dimer Equilibrium Parameters And Acceptor Concentration, George K. Wolfer

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A general monomer-dimer equilibrium system involving ligand interactions is presented. Cooperativity features of specific limited models are analyzed by selecting the appropriate family of equilibrium constants from this general scheme. Each system is then characterized in terms of Hill coefficient dependency on alterations in values of equilibrium constants and total acceptor concentration. This method permits comparison of predicted cooperativity trends between systems. Contrasting reports concerning cooperativity dependencies for certain defined equilibrium systems are compared and the discrepancies resolved. Characteristics of cooperativity binding patterns are shown to include symmetry about dimerization association constant values, both positive and negative cooperativity for a …

Restriction Analysis Of Bacteriophage, Ali Reza Mostaghimi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A restriction map of DNA from bacteriophage P3-C₁ for the endonucleases BamH I, Bgl II, EcoR I, Hind III, Sac I and Sca I is described in this study. The phage DNA was determined to be a linear double stranded molecule with a unit genomic length of 31 kb. After electrophoresis in 0.5% agarose gels, the undigested DNA appeared as three molecules of 31, 62 and 93 kb in length. The Hind III digestion pattern of the individual 31 kb molecule was identical to the 62 kb and 93 kb Hind III pattern. With all enzymes except Hind III, …

Comparative Bioavailability Of Sediment-Sorbed Hexachlorobiphenyl, C. Michael Swindoll

Doctoral Dissertations

The bioavailability of sediment-sorbed hexachlorobiphenyl (HCB) to bacteria, midge larvae (Chironomus tentans), and mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) was examined in order to elucidate the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on the bioaccumulation process. Factors examined included sediment type, sediment organic matter, HCB concentration, temperature, and biological viability. Additional experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative role of sediment and dietary HCB sources to the accumulation of HCB in mosquitofish.

In general, the bioavailability of sediment-sorbed HCB was inversely related to the surface area and the organic content of the sediment. The organic content of the sediment …

Characterization Of Microorganisims After Feeding With Phenolic Compounds : Comparing A Domestic Sludge To An Industrial Sludge, Dianne Adamowitz

Theses

This study examined the effects of phenolic compounds on the populations in mixed liquors obtained from two very different treatment plants: the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners plant in Newark, and the Livingston, NJ municipal treatment plant. The dominant organisms were identified initially and after ten days exposure to phenol (100 ppm), and either 2-chlorophenol (20 ppm) or 2,6-dichlorophenol (10 ppm) in aerated batch reactors.

Results confirmed the remarkable similarity between the two mixed liquor populations, in spite of the significant differences in the operation of the two treatment plants.

Adsorption Of Aminopyridines To Phosphatidylserine Vesicles, Colin Wright

Dissertations and Theses

Intrinsic association constants were determined for a series of aminopyridines on phosphatidylserine vesicles, through determination of electrophoretic mobility. The magnitudes of the constants were such that depolarization of the nerve terminal through binding to negative phospholipids seems unlikely to occur. The aminopyridines all had association constants between one half and one sixtieth the association constant of calcium. The aminopyridines probably block potassium channels in their enhancement of synaptic transmission.

An interesting correlation was noted in that the ranking of the aminopyridines in terms of their affinity for these lipids was approximately the same as the ranking of their enhancement of …