Life Sciences Commons^™

Embryonic Chicken Fibroblast Collagen Binding Proteins: Distribution, Role In Substratum Adhesion, And Relationship To Integrins, Roy C. Ogle, A. Jeannette Potts, Marchall Yacoe, Charles D. Little

Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Collagen binding proteins (CBP) are hydrophobic, cell surface polypeptides, isolated by collagen affinity chromatography. Antibodies to CBPs inhibit the attachment of embryonic chicken heart fibroblasts to native type I collagen fibrils in a dose-dependent manner. The CBP antibodies also induce rounding and detachment of cells adherent to a planar substratum. This process of antibody-mediated substratum detachment resulted in a clustering of CBP and cell-associated extracellular matrix at the cell surface, and the rearrangement of filamentous actin. Other functional studies showed that cells grown within a three-dimensional gel of type I collagen cannot be immunostained at the cell surface with CBP …

Regulation Of Queuine Insertion Into Transfer Rna: Effects Of Tumor Promoters, Bonnie Jean Brooks

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to treat normal human fibroblasts with known tumor promoters and observe queuine modification of tRNA. The queuine insertion enzyme, tRNAguanine ribosyltransferase, was studied in vivo and in vitro. Tumor promoter-treated human fibroblast cultures exhibited variable queuine-insertion rates with a transient inhibition that correlated with variable levels of queuine modified tRNA over time in culture from passages 3 — 8. In contrast the in vitro studies showed that phorbol cetera and saccharin actually increased insertion with strong evidence indicating phosphorylation as a positive modulating force of the enzyme activity. It is proposed that chronic stimulation …

The Determination Of Tamoxifen Citrate In Human Blood Serum And Semen, Karimdad Tahmoresi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)methodologies for the determination of tamoxifen and its metabolites 4-hydroxytamoxifen and n-desmethyltamoxifen, and using cis-tamoxifen as an internal standard have been developed.

Clinical analyses of tamoxifen and its metabolites in human serum and semen, were performed as follows: The analytes were extracted from serum and semen with hexane, the hexane evaporated, the dried extract then reconstituted with methanol, followed by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography.

Between-run coefficients of variation (CV'S) for tamoxifen and n-desmethyltamoxifen for serum sample analyses, (n = 15) were, 4% and 13% at mean (SD) concentration of 140.2 (6.2) and 71.8 (9.8) …

Electrostatic Effects On Airborne Asbestos Monitoring, Roxanne Francis

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The affects of electrostatic forces on the Membrane Filter Method (MFM) used for air-borne asbestos monitoring have been investigated for many years. Several studies have indicated that these forces interfere with the collection of asbestos fibers on the membrane filter, which results in an underestimated analysis of the airborne concentration. By varying the electroconductivity of the extension cowls on the filter cassettes, it was speculated that the significance of the electrostatic forces could be statistically analyzed. Four sets of filter cassettes with grounded conductive (GC) extension cowls, ungrounded conductive (UC) extension cowls, grounded nonconductive (GN) extension cowls, and ungrounded nonconductive …

Changes In Caloric Content As A Result Of Sub-Lethal Stress In Neanthes Virens (Sars), Phyllis J. Friello

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Neanthes virens were subjected to a toxicity test with 1.8, 3.4, 6.7 and 11.0 mg/1 Cd²⁺. Worms were withdrawn on Days 1, 4, 7, 10 and 14 from each of five replicate tanks and their caloric content determined by bomb calorimetry. Analyses of variance and covariance showed no significant differences in worm caloric content with withdrawal day or cadmium concentration.

In a second experimental series, a sediment toxicity test with Neanthes virens was conducted in contaminated sediments from two sites, as well as reference sediments from a control site. Caloric content of the worms was measured by bomb …

Studies On The Giant Mealie Witchweed, Striga Forbesii Benth., In Zimbabwe, David Allen Knepper

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Of the seven species of Striga found in Zimbabwe, S. forbesii Benth. is currently the most destructive in terms of crop damage. Owing to its limited occurrence worldwide as a pest of crops, relatively little work has been done on this species.

Striga forbesii has been found to be a consistent problem on both maize and sorghum in the Hunter's Road District of KweKwe, Zimbabwe. Results of a pot study and field observations, indicate S. forbesii can successfully parasitize Urochloa panicoides Beauv., Sorghum arundinaceum (Desv.) Stapf, and Rottboellia cochinchinensis (L.) L.f., all of which are widespread weeds of arable land. …

Microwell Based Competitive Enzyme Immunoassay For Quantifying Serum Triiodothyronine And Thyroxine Levels, Yiwen Yang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

A microwell based competitive enzyme immunoassay for determination of total thyroxine and triiodothyronine in human serum was developed with use of horseradish peroxidase conjugate. The assay, which can be performed in only 1.5 hours at room temperature, involves simultaneous incubation of T₃- or T₄- HRPO conjugate and serum sample in anti-T₃ or anti-T₄ gamma globulin fraction coated polystyrene microwells.

Isolation of anti-T₃ and anti-T₄ gamma globulin fractions were accomplished from whole antiserum by using DEAE-cellulose chromatograph. A carbodiimide coupling method was described to prepare the T₄- and T₃-HRPO …

The Temporal And Spatial Distribution Of Blue Crab Larvae On The Mid-Atlantic Bight Adjacent To The Chesapeake Bay, 1982-1983, Lyle Michael Varnell

OES Theses and Dissertations

Recruitment processes are important information for the management of commercially and recreationally exploited marine species. Recruitment processes of the Chesapeake Bay's most important commercial and recreational species, the blue crab, are unknown, due in part to the lack of knowledge of the processes directly preceeding recruitment.

The present study was undertaken to investigate and explain the movement and developmental patterns of blue crab larvae while offshore. Interannual and intraseasonal variations of these patterns were also examined.

Sampling occurred from May to November during 1982 and 1983. Larvae were collected at three depths (neuston layer (upper 10 cm), one meter and …

Picoplankton/Phytoplankton Dynamics In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Leslie E. Dorworth

OES Theses and Dissertations

The biomass distribution of the three main size components of the phytoplankton (net, nano, and picoplankton) was examined in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Work was done at two stations during the spring and neap tidal cycles when freshwater flow into the bay was at its seasonal minimum and maximum. Emphasis was placed on how the picoplankton ( < 2.0 μm, > 0.2 μm) reacted during the sampling period.

Picoplankton made up approximately 13% of the total biomass, during the observed time period, at the more oceanic station. The picoplankton fraction contributed up to 16% of the total biomass at the estuarine station. From this …

Spectroscopic Study Of Decomposition Products Of Gossypol, David Bernard Hankins

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Basic research into reproductive physiology has begun to identify possible new approaches to controlling fertility. Gossypol, a natural polyphenol compound isolated from cottonseed oil, has been shown to be an effective male antifertility agent. The decomposition products of gossypol which are thought to possess more potent antifertility effects than the parent compound gossypol have been studied extensively in more recent research. The purpose of this research is to develop techniques and methods which could be used to identify decomposition products of gossypol. A model decomposition reaction by which a smaller molecule can be isolated in a pure state has been …

Simultaneous Determination Of 3-Methoxy-4-Hydroxyphenyl-Glycol, Homovanillic Acid, And 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid In Plasma By High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Yung-Te Tseng

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

A rapid, reliable, and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), Homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5- HIAA) in plasma is described. The method is based on high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Samples were filtered with Amicon Centrifree micropartition systems and extracted with organic solvent before chromatography. Chromatographic separation of sample components was achieved isocratically in a C18 reverse-phase column. Quantitation was performed by measuring the peak height ratios of the sample components to an internal standard. Analytical recoveries ranged from 50.78 (SD 4.2%) to 67.94 (SD 3.28). Within-run coefficient of variations (CVs) ranged from 3.78 …

Mounting Sex Pheromone: A Novel Pheromone Responsible For Mate Recognition In The Ixodidae, Jgc Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Cholesterol oleate was demonstrated to be the cuticular contact sex pheromone of Dermacentor variabilis. This pheromone which has been termed the Mounting Sex Pheromone (MSP) was also demonstrated to be present on the surface of D. andersoni, Amblyomma maculatum and A. americanum. This contact sex pheromone enables males excited and attracted by 2,6-dichlorophenol to identify the female as a potential mating partner. The MSP is the second in the series of three sex pheromones guiding the hierarchy of behavioral responses which constitute tick courtship behavior. Tests with D. variabilis and D. andersoni showed that this pheromone …

The Remipedia (Crustacea): A Study Of Their Reproduction And Ecology, Jill Yager

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Remipedes are an unusual group of troglobitic crustaceans that live exclusively in anchialine caves. Since their discovery in 1979, nine species have been described, seven of which are found in caves in the West Indies, one from the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and one from the Canary Islands. Most of what is known about these animals has come mainly from taxonomic descriptions. Little has been published about their reproductive biology or ecology. The objectives of this dissertation were to investigate the reproductive biology and ecology of the remipedes inhabiting Sagittarius Cave on Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas.

Sagittarius Cave was chosen …

Collagen Binding Proteins Derived From The Embryonic Fibroblast Cell Surface Recognize Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic Acid, Roy C. Ogle, Charles D. Little

Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Several cell surface proteins (Mr = 120,000, 90,000, 63,000 and 47,000) apparently integral to embryonic fibroblast plasma membranes were extracted with detergent and isolated by collagen affinity chromatography. Certain of these proteins (Mr = 120,000, 90,000, and 47,000) were specifically eluted from collagen affinity columns by synthetic peptides containing the amino acid sequence arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid (RGD). These data show that a number of collagen binding proteins exist on the embryonic fibroblast cell surface. Some of the proteins may be collagen receptors binding to RGD sequences in the collagen molecule while at least one of the proteins (Mr = 63,000) recognizes …

Andrological Methods Of Predicting The Pregnancy Outcome Of An In Vitro Fertilization Program, Mahmood S. Morshedi

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Current advances in fertility treatment emphasize extracorporeal procedures, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF)/embryo transfer. IVF is now used to treat several types of infertility, including male factor and idiopathic infertility. However, IVF is time consuming, costly, unpredictable, and often yields a low pregnancy rate. Thus, it would be valuable to devise laboratory procedures for better prediction of IVF outcome.

The male infertility rate can be as high as 50%. Since sperm count and percent of motility alone do not appear to be strong predictors of IVF outcome especially when these parameters are not severely abnormal, a multivariable analysis of …

Hypoxanthine-Induced Differentiation Of Cultured Human Leukemia Cells, Gayle Jennette Singleton

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Human cultured leukemia cells appear to have a decreased amount of inosine in their tRNA. When cells with inosine deficient tRNA are placed in a hypoxanthine fortified media, they incorporate hypoxanthine into their tRNA by the action of the enzyme tRNA-hypoxanthine ribosyl transferase. This generates the nucleoside inosine in the tRNA. The cultured human leukemia cell lines, CCRF-CEM, HL-60, and HGPRT(-) HL- 60, incorporate hypoxanthine into their tRNA, as determined by tRNA isolation, hydrolysis, and HPLC analysis. Hypoxanthine treatment dramatically inhibited cell growth in conjunction with partial induction of differentiation in the CCRF-CEM, HL-60, and HGPRT ( - ) HL-60 …

Population Variation In The Mitochondrial-Dna Of Two Marine Organisms: The Hard Shell Clam Mercenaria Spp. And The Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Bonnie Lynn Brown

OES Theses and Dissertations

The two major topics are covered in this dissertation: the integration of molecular genetic tools with applied aquacultural research and short-term evolutionary dynamics. The first study investigated the extent of geographic differentiation of native clam stocks along the U.S. east and Gulf coasts. Clam mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) demonstrated size polymorphism (16.5-19.0 kb) and restriction site heteroplasmy. Size heteroplasmic individuals occurred at a frequencies of 0-89% in clam populations. Restriction site heteroplasmy occurred in 12% of the 317 individuals assayed. Results of the study indicated that although harbouring a wealth of genetic variation, clams from northern regions were similar and lacked …

Evidence For The Role Of Ecdysteroids In The Genital Sex Pheromone Of Two Species Of Hard Ticks, Dermacentor Variabilis (Say) And Dermacentor Andersoni Stiles, Demar Taylor

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Neutering of part-fed females virtually eliminated copulatory behavior in Dermacentor variabilis and D. andersoni males. Extracts from the anterior reproductive tracts (ART) of part-fed (7 days) females restored the male copulatory behavior in conspecific neutered females, suggesting the presence of a genital sex pheromone (GSP). Similar extracts from unfed females did not restore the behavior, suggesting that the pheromone was produced during feeding. Perception of the GSP by sensillae on the male cheliceral digits was confirmed by electrophysiological techniques.

Ecdysteroids, specifically ecdysone and 20-OH-ecdysone were shown to be present in the anterior reproductive tracts in excess of amounts that could …

Platelet Function And Energy Metabolism During Storage In A Well-Defined Experimental Medium, Thais Edwina Ahrendt Keegan

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The most significant problem in maintaining platelet viability during storage is the decrease in pH resulting from accumulation of lactic acid formed by platelet anaerobic glycolysis. This study investigates nutrient alternatives to glucose for maintenance of morphology and functional integrity during platelet storage in a well-defined synthetic medium and correlates this data with purine nucleotide levels determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and other in vitro measures of platelet quality. Platelets prepared from pooled ABO- and Rh- identical platelet-rich plasma were stored as concentrates in the synthetic medium without added nutrients (control) and with added substrates.

The HPLC procedure developed …

A Flow Cytometric Approach To Assessing The Environmental And Physiological Status Of Phytoplankton, Serge Demers, Kimberly Davis, Terry L. Cucci

CCPO Publications

No abstract provided.

Phytoplankton Composition In A Borrow Pit Lake In Virginia, Seba B. Sheavly, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The phytoplankton assemblages in Lake Trashmore, Virginia, a borrow pit, were dominated by centric diatoms and cyanobacteria, with seasonal pulses of cryptomonads, euglenoids, and chlorophyceans. Ninety species were identified and their abundance levels noted for a 12-month period.

Are Artificial "Witham" Surface Collectors Adequate Indicators Of Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, Recruitment?, Mark J. Butler Iv, William F. Herrnkind

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the local dynamics of Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) postlarval influx, settlement, and recruitment may be essential for the responsible management of this important and heavily exploited resource. Most lobster recruitment research programs in the Caribbean employ derivations of the "Witham"-type surface collector to monitor postlarval (puerulus) lobster influx. However, the relevance of data obtained from surface collectors with respect to the estimation of actual puerulus influx, settlement, or recruitment to subsequent benthic juvenile stages remains untested. We investigated that relevance on regional (i.e., tens of kilometers) and local (i.e., tens of meters) scales by examining the …

Community Responses To Variable Predation: Field Studies With Sunfish And Freshwater Macroinvertebrates, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The impact of variable predation by bluegill sunfish on macroinvertebrate prey in a North Florida lake is examined. Variable predation may occur in many systems and may contribute substantially to the spatial heterogeneity, temporal inconstancy and species composition of prey communities.

Patchy, temporally variable predation characterized middepth and deep lake habitats, whereas in the shallow zone predation was relatively constant and homogeneous. Predation varied significantly every 2-4 wk in the mid-depth zone, but varied little between consecutive weeks or days. Caging experiments revealed that variable predation altered prey community composition and increased the mean size and size range of some …