Life Sciences Commons^™

Sequencing And Functional Analysis Of A Multi-Component Dioxygenase From Pah-Degrading Sphingomonas Paucimobilis Epa505, Renuka Miller

All Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrophobic organic compounds consisting of two or more fused benzene rings. PAHs derive from many different sources including petroleum refining, wood treatment, and coal coking industries. Because of their structural stability and water insolubility, PAHs are extremely resistant to degradation. These compounds are also believed to have mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. Therefore, there are currently 16 PAH compounds on the EPA's list of priority pollutants.
Many species of bacteria have the ability to breakdown these persistent pollutants. However, bioremediation strategies using these organisms have many unresolved issues. While laboratory experiments can easily demonstrate the …

A New Partial Skeleton Of A Cryptocleidoid Plesiosaur From The Upper Jurassic Sundance Formation Of Wyoming, Benjamin C. Wilhelm, F. Robin O’Keefe

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Cryptocleidoid plesiosaurs from the Upper Jurassic are well known from the Oxford Clay (Callovian) of the United Kingdom. The plesiosaurs of the nearly coeval Sundance Formation (Oxfordian) of North America are poorly known, but are thought to include two cryptocleidoid taxa:Pantosaurus striatus and Tatenectes laramiensis. Here we present two specimens recently recovered from the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. The first specimen comprises three articulated adult cervical vertebrae and fragments of a fourth. This specimen preserves a posteriorly directed cervical neural spine, a character diagnostic of Pantosaurus striatus. It also resembles Pantosaurus in the morphology of its cervical …

Current Distribution Of Rare Fishes In Eastern Wyoming Prairie Streams, Christina E. Barrineau, Elizabeth A. Bear, Anna C. Senecal

The Prairie Naturalist

Distributions of native fishes have declined throughout the Great Plains region. Over 50% of native fishes within the Missouri River drainage in Wyoming have experienced declines in distributions. Thus, the primary goal of our study was to assess current distribution of rare native fishes in eastern Wyoming prairie streams. Of the 10 rare fishes sampled, goldeye (Hiodon alosoides), western silvery minnow (Hybognathus argyritis), plains minnow (H. hankinsoni), and Iowa darter (Etheostoma exile) have experienced declines in distribution over the last decade. Plains topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus) appears to be expanding to areas outside …

Examination Of Owl Pellets For Northern Pocket Gophers At Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, Stacey L. Bonner, Keith Geluso

The Prairie Naturalist

Analysis of regurgitated pellets from owls is a well-known and nondestructive method that provides useful information regarding diet (Errington 1930). This technique also is used to examine composition of small mammal communities and distribution of prey species (e.g. Kamler et al. 2003, Torre et al. 2004, Poole and Matlack 2007). In western Nebraska, two species of owls that regularly breed in the region are the common barn owl (Tyto alba) and great horned owl (Bubo virginianus). In the early 1970s, Rickart (1972) studied the diet of both species at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge (CLNWR), Garden …

Seasonal Yellow Perch Harvest In Two Dissimilar South Dakota Fisheries, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Michael L. Brown, David O. Lucchesi

The Prairie Naturalist

Angler effort and fish harvest in South Dakota have historically been quantified through summer and winter creel surveys. However, the late-summer, pulsed recruitment of yellow perch (Perea flavescens) into a fishery combined with an increase in fall movement and feeding activity suggested September and October could be significant periods of perch harvest in South Dakota lakes. Seasonal trends in angler effort and yellow perch harvest during 2005-2007 were compared for high- and low-quality yellow perch fishery types commonly found in eastern South Dakota glacial lakes. High-quality yellow perch fisheries are characterized by fast growth (mean total length at age-3 greater …

Resource Selection Of Greater Prairie-Chicken And Sharp-Tailed Grouse Broods In Central South Dakota, Mark A. Norton, Kent C. Jensen, Anthony P. Leif, Thomas R. Kirschenmann, Gregaory A. Wolbrink

The Prairie Naturalist

Habitat use of sympatric greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) and sharp-tailed grouse (T. phasianellus) broods during the brood-rearing season has not been quantified for stable prairie grouse populations in large contiguous grassland landscapes in the Northern Great Plains. Characteristics of habitats used by prairie grouse broods were described based on data collected from 35 broods (18 greater prairie-chicken and 17 sharp-tailed grottse) during the breeding seasons of 2004 and 2005. Greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse broods used vegetation with visual obstruction heights 2:26 cm and 37 cm, respectively. Greater prairie-chicken broods selected western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii …

Diets Of Nesting Swainson's Hawks In Relation To Land Cover In Northwestern North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy

The Prairie Naturalist

Relationships between land use practices and types of prey used by Swainson's hawks (Buteo swainsoni) in the Northern Great Plains is of increasing interest as the quantity and quality of habitat in the region declines. I recorded 1,284 prey items at 18 Swainson' s hawk nesting areas throughout northwestern North Dakota during summer 1986-1987. After correcting for detectability biases and food needs of adults, I estimated (90% CI) 2,087-2,859 total prey individuals and 138.3-206.7 kg of prey biomass (x = 69.8 g/item) were consumed by adult and nestling Swainson's hawks during my study. Major prey (>10% overall …

Effect Of Stress On Mucin Expression In The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Mice., Bupe Martha Habiyambere

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of chronic stress on mucin expression in the GIT of mice. Sixteen ICR male mice were randomly divided into treated and control animals. Restraint stress was applied to the treated group for 21 days. Body weight (BW) changes and feed consumed (FC) were regularly recorded. After 21 days mice were euthanized and blood, GIT mucosa, and GIT sections were collected. Serum corticosterone levels were determined. The GIT sections were fixed, paraffin embedded, sectioned, and stained with AB-PAS to visualize goblet cells. Mucin expression was determined using qPCR. As expected stressed mice showed higher corticosterone than …

Pervasive Thermal Consequences Of Stream-Lake Interactions In Small Rocky Mountain Watersheds, Usa, Jessica D. Garrett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Limnologists and stream ecologists acknowledge the fundamental importance of temperature for regulating many ecological, biological, chemical, and physical processes. I investigated how water temperatures were affected by hydrologic linkages between streams and lakes at various positions along surface water networks throughout several headwater basins in the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains of Idaho (USA). Temperatures of streams and lakes were measured for up to 27 months in seven 6 – 41 km² watersheds, with a range of lake influence. When they were ice-free, warming in lakes resulted in dramatically warmer temperatures at lake outflows compared to inflow streams (midsummer …

Fertilization And Supplementation Strategies For Steers Grazing Smooth Bromegrass Pastures, Andrea K. Watson

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Since 2004, fertilizer prices have doubled due to increases in energy prices for production and increased demand for N fertilizer due to high grain prices. This leads to questioning the cost effectiveness of increasing forage production with N fertilizer. At the same time, an increase in ethanol production creates an increase in the production of by-products of the ethanol industry, such as distillers grains. Distillers grains have been shown to be an excellent feed for ruminants both as a supplement while grazing and as part of a complete diet in the feedlot. Distillers grains provide protein, fat, and highly digestible …

Strategies For Beef Cattle Adaptation To Finishing Diets, Ractopamine Hydrochloride Utilization, And Mature Size Genetic Selection, Marco G. Dib

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A cattle finishing experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of intermittent feeding of Optaflexx compared to none or continuous feeding. Four treatments were evaluated, the negative control consisted of 63 days on the same diet without Optaflexx, wherea the positive control consisted of Optaflexx supplemented daily during the last 35 days before harvest. The 4-day intermittent treatment consisted of feeding Optaflexx for7 days, followed by 4 days of no Optaflexx, and the 7-day intermittent treatment 7 d on Optaflexx, followed by 7 days off. Regardless of the delivery pattern, feeding Optaflexx increased ADG, DMI, and live BW compared to negative …

Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests 2010, R. D. Bond, D. G. Dombek, J. A. Still, R. M. Pryor

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Soybean variety and strain performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program.

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2010, David L. Kreider

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Selecting And Propagating Clones Of Bigtooth Maple (Acer Grandidentatum Nutt.), Melody Reed Richards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Numerous wild bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum Nutt.) specimens in northern Utah have potential for use in landscapes, but improvements in selection and propagation need to be developed before these specimens can be introduced to the green industry. Criteria-based evaluations centered on aesthetics, function, and fall color were performed to objectively select superior bigtooth maple specimens. Out of 56 trees initially selected for red fall color, six were selected for propagation based on all three criteria. Five of the six selected trees yielded viable bud take via chip budding. Optimum time for chip budding propagation was determined by four experiments. …

Native Bunchgrass And Invasive Weed Establishment In Low Nutrient Rangeland Soils With Nitrogen And Phosphorus Manipulation, Jeffrey S. Burnham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Competition between native perennial grasses and Bromus tectorum has been studied for many years. Recently, soil nutrients have been immobilized in an effort to preferentially inhibit growth of B. tectorum relative to native species. Most of this work has focused on soil N, but interactions with soil P are less studied and may be important as well. Additionally, although competitive effects and nutrient responses of several Centaurea spp. are well documented, data are lacking on the competitive effects that Centaurea virgata exerts on the establishment of native and exotic communities. A field experiment and a greenhouse experiment were conducted to …

Phenotypic And Genetic Characterization Of Wildland Collections Of Western And Searls Prairie Clovers For Rangeland Revegetation In The Western Usa, Kishor Bhattarai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Western prairie clover [Dalea ornata (Douglas ex Hook.) Eaton & J. Wright] is a perennial legume that occurs in the northern Great Basin, Snake River Basin, and southern Columbia Plateau, whereas Searls prairie clover [Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby], also a perennial legume, occurs in the southern Great Basin and surrounding areas. Understanding the genetic and ecotypic variation of these prairie clovers is a prerequisite for developing populations suitable for rangeland revegetation in the western USA. DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS/5.8S) and trnK/matK were used to study the phylogeny of these species. The species were distinguished …

Maporal Hantavirus Β-Integrin Utilization And Sensitivity To Favipiravir, Kristin K. Buys

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hantaviruses are members of the Bunyaviridae family of viruses. Pathogenic hantaviruses are the etiologic agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), a disease principally endemic in the Old World, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a disease primarily restricted to the Americas. Maporal virus (MPRLV), a recently isolated hantavirus, has been found to cause disease in hamsters that resembles HPS in humans. However, the virus has not been linked to human cases of HPS. Considerable evidence suggests that β-integrin usage mediating infection may serve to distinguish hantaviruses pathogenic to humans from nonpathogenic, but this receptor usage pattern information is not …

Dietary Milk Fat Globule Membrane Reduces The Incidence Of Aberrant Crypt Foci In Fischer-344 Rats And Provides Protections Against Gastrointestinal Stress In Mice Treated With Lipopolysaccharide, Dallin R. Snow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Milk fat globule membrane surrounds the fat droplets of milk. It is a biopolymer containing primarily membrane glycoproteins and polar lipids which contribute to its properties as a possible neutraceutical. The aims of the studies were to determine if dietary milk fat globule membrane: (1) confers protection against colon carcinogenesis; and (2) promotes gut mucosal integrity while decreasing inflammation compared to diets containing corn oil or anhydrous milk fat.

Aim 1. Three dietary treatments differing only in the fat source were formulated: (1) AIN-76A, corn oil; (2) AIN-76A, anhydrous milk fat; and (3) AIN-76A, 50% milk fat globule membrane, 50% …

An Investigation Of The Utilization Of Soil Water And Nitrogen Among Diverse Forage Plant Species And Mixtures, Sallee Reynolds

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Species diversity achieved by adding novel functional groups (warm-season grasses and non-leguminous forbs) to pasture land, along with traditional grasses and legumes, could aid in the capture of nutrients and water in pasture systems by offering complementary rooting architecture to aid in water and nitrogen uptake and decrease nitrogen leaching. Because these species may differ from commonly used grasses and legumes in their seasonal pattern of productivity, they could also extend or enhance growing-season productivity. The goal of this project is to better understand the role of plant diversity in 1) nitrogen use and 2) distribution of rooting dynamics and …

Establishment And Aesthetic Value Of Native Grass, Legume, And Forb Species For Grassland Restoration In The Northern Intermountain West, Bridget M. Atkin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Interest in the restoration of landscapes native to the Intermountain West is growing as the value of these arid ecosystems is increasingly recognized. Many landscapes within the Intermountain region have been impacted by grazing, development, recreation, and other human-caused disturbances. The complex relationships within the native plant communities of these arid landscapes need to be well-understood biologically, while considering their aesthetic contribution, if restoration efforts are to succeed. Although the use of ecologically appropriate native species is increasing in popularity, there is discontinuity between aesthetics and meaningful ecological contributions. A series of studies was designed to aid in the restoration …

Effect Of Mica Content On Surface Infiltration Of Soils In Northwestern Kern County, California, Steven Keyes Stakland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A soils infiltration rate (IR) is the measured rate that soil is able to absorb water, either from precipitation or irrigation. A low IR can cause damage to crops if the necessary amount of water cannot penetrate to the plant roots in the time needed. The damage can be common in permanent plantings such as almond and pistachio orchards where regular tillage is avoided. This indicates a physical aspect to the problem because tillage increases IR. However, there is also an electrochemical side to infiltration problems because certain calcium surfactant treatments can increase IR. Various other methods have been used …

Ecology And Management Of A High Elevation Southern Range Greater Sage-Grouse Population: Vegetation Manipulation, Early Chick Survival, And Hunter Motivations, Michael R. Guttery

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My research provided new information concerning the management, ecology, and conservation of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). I report the results of an experiment using strategic intensive sheep grazing to enhance the quality of greater sage-grouse brood-rearing habitat. Although forb cover, an important component of brood-rearing habitat, responded positively to the grazing treatment, the response of other habitat variables was suppressed because the plots were not protected from domestic and wild herbivores during the years following the treatments. Measurements taken in grazing exclosures confirmed that herbivory by both large and small animals had significant impacts on vegetation. However, despite …

Historical Biogeography Of Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) In The North American Deserts And Arid Lands, Joseph S. Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For centuries, scientists have been intrigued by the high amount of biodiversity that is found in the deserts of North America. Recently, several studies have investigated the causes of the high diversity found in desert-dwelling mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. These studies have found that many of these organisms seem to have diversified in response to the same historical events. Little work has been done, however, on diverse desert-dwelling insect groups. In this dissertation, I investigate the patterns of genetic diversity in four groups of nocturnal wasps called velvet ants. I compare the patterns of genetic diversity to the historical events …

Kinetic, Mechanistic, And Structural Investigation Of Features Controlling Stereoselectivity Of (R)- And (S)-Hydroxypropyl Com Dehydrogenases From Xanthobacter Autrophicus Strain Py2, Dariusz Adam Sliwa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Enantiopure alcohols are valuable intermediates in fine organic synthesis, in particular for preparation of biologically active compounds. The necessity of preparing single enantiomer drugs in an optically pure form has triggered much research, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. The biocatalytical production of chiral alcohols by alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes is characterized by the asymmetric reduction of the corresponding ketones, usually with high degree of stereoselectivity. The commercial value of the enzymes as stereoselective biocatalysts has been a significant driving force in understanding features that control their mechanism of catalysis and stereoselectivity. This work focuses on two enantiocomplementary dehydrogenase enzymes ((R …

Neural Coding Of Temporal Information And Its Topography In The Auditory Cortex, Thomas A. Terleph, Raphael Pinaud

Biology Faculty Publications

The article discusses a study that focused on neural coding of temporal information and topography in the auditory cortex. The quest for a thorough understanding how highly complex stimuli are encoded poses a significant challenge for auditory neurosciences, such as human speech and animal vocal signals. The characteristics of cortical neurons have been attributed to the coding of temporal stimulus which features precise spike timing in the coding and firing rate of repetition sounds.

Understanding Gafp, A Plant Lectin With Broad Spectrum Inhibitory Activity, Alexis Nagel

All Dissertations

South Carolina and Georgia are the largest peach producing regions in the Southeastern United States, generating about $60 million worth (~90,000 tons) of fruit per year on average. Peaches and other stone-fruits (Prunus sp.) can be afflicted by a variety of root-associated diseases which negatively impact annual yield and long-term tree mortality. An engineered Prunus rootstock with enhanced resistance to soil-borne pathogens would therefore be of great benefit to the Southeastern peach industry. The Gastrodia anti-fungal protein (GAFP) is a monocot mannose-binding lectin which is able to inhibit the growth of multiple species of plant pathogenic fungi. Previous findings from …

The Genetics Of Metal Uptake In Caulobacter Crescentus: Characterization Of Regulators And Identification Of Receptors, Leah Howell

All Dissertations

Caulobacter crescentus is an oligotrophic, Gram negative bacterium with a dimorphic lifecycle. It is a model system for cell cycle regulation and cellular development. Since C. crescentus resides primarily in freshwater, this microorganism can also serve as a model system for nutrient uptake by oligotrophic freshwater species. This study focused on TonB-dependent receptors and metal-dependent regulators in C. crescentus.
To maintain appropriate levels of iron within the cell, bacteria have evolved mechanisms to control iron uptake, storage, and use. In microbes, there are two protein families possessing members that accomplish this: Fur and Rrf2. In the C. crescentus genome, there …

Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle

All Dissertations

Multifactor ecosystem classification systems provide a three-pronged approach to identifying site units across the landscape based on repeating patterns of vegetation, soil, and geomorphology. Ecosystem classification models have been developed for a diversity of forest landscapes throughout North America, and are beneficial as an ecosystem management tool because the outcome yields data models that can be utilized by scientists and natural resource managers alike. In contrast to the enormous amount of classification studies undertaken in relatively stable, older-aged forests in eastern North America, there have been few studies that have employed multifactor classification techniques across a successional gradient, or heavily …

Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines

All Dissertations

Spider silks are protein-based fibers with remarkable mechanical qualities. Perhaps even more impressive is the spinning process in which the spider silk proteins (spidroins) are assembled from a highly soluble storage state into a well-ordered and insoluble fiber. Indeed, the ordered arrangement of spidroins, which is endowed by the spinning process, is the basis of fiber strength. However, the forces driving fiber assembly and the mechanisms by which spidroins respond those forces are only poorly understood. Spidroins have a tripartite domain architecture consisting of a large and repetitive central domain flanked by small, non-repetitive N- and C-terminal domains. Both terminal …

Nitrosative Stress And Dna Repair In Microorganisms, Sung-Hyun Park

All Dissertations

DNA can be damaged by reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) and reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) from both endogenous and exogenous sources. Under nitrosative stress conditions, DNA may be modified through base deamination or crosslinking. Uracil (U), xanthine (X) and oxanine (O), hypoxanthine (I), and thymine (T) are the corresponding deamination products derived from cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), and 5-methylcytosine, respectively. To remove DNA damage, cells are equipped with a variety of DNA repair enzymes which participate in different repair pathways.
My dissertation work involves studies of genes and enzymes in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and base excision repair (BER) …