Biology Commons^™

X-Ray Microanalysis With The Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope: Interpretation Of Data Obtained Under Different Atmospheric Conditions, D. C. Sigee, C. Gilpin

Scanning Microscopy

X-ray microanalysis of non-biological and biological specimens was carried out in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) over a range of atmospheric conditions. Introduction of water vapour into the specimen chamber lead to direct X-ray contribution from oxygen atoms, an increase in extraneous background (causing reduced P/B ratios of other elements), X-ray absorption (also reducing P/B ratios) and broadening (skirting) of the electron beam. Similar results were obtained after introduction of an argon atmosphere. These effects were reduced under conditions of minimal chamber atmospheric pressure and maximal accelerating voltage.

Because of beam skirting, quantitative X-ray microanalysis of biological specimens in …

Ion Microscopy In Biology, George H. Morrison, Isabelle Gay, Subhash Chandra

Scanning Microscopy

Ion microscopy, a mass spectrometry based isotopic imaging technique, is uniquely suited for ion transport-related problems in biological systems. Due to its high sensitivity, it can image the transport and distribution of both major and minor elements (isotopes) at subcellular resolutions. The images of major elements such as K, Na, Cl, etc., can be viewed directly and recorded in real-time from the microchannel plate-fluorescent screen detector of the instrument. The low concentration physiologically important elements, such as Ca, need about one minute of integration for good quality imaging. The isotopic imaging capability of ion microscopy provides a unique approach for …

Use Of In Vitro Systems For X-Ray Microanalysis, Jarin Hongpaisan, Ann-Christin Mörk, Godfried M. Roomans

Scanning Microscopy

The use of X-ray microanalysis in human pathology may require the use of cryoprepared tissue. Often it is impossible to carry out freezing of the tissue in an optimal way, and in addition, it is difficult to carry out experiments in living patients. The use of in vitro systems and cell cultures allows separation of the process of tissue removal and the freezing procedure, and also makes testing of pharmacological or toxic substances possible. In experiments with animal tissue it was shown that incubation in a physiological buffer induced significant changes in the concentrations of Na, K, and Cl. In …

Measurement Of Subcellular Ca2+ Redistribution In Cardiac Muscle In Situ: Time Resolved Rapid Freezing And Electron Probe Microanalysis, Meredith Bond, Mark D. Schluchter, Eva Keller, Christine S. Moravec

Scanning Microscopy

To directly assess the physiological roles of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and miitochondria (MT), we have utilized energy dispersive electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) on ultrathin freeze-dried cryosections from isolated papillary muscles, rapidly frozen at precise time points of the contractile cycle. Using this approach, we can detect redistribution of subcellular Ca²⁺ during the cardiac contractile cycle. Changes in Ca²⁺ of less than 1.0 mmol/kg dry wt can be detected. By determining the variability of the Ca²⁺ measurements in preliminary experiments, we have also demonstrated that it is possible to optimize experimental design, i.e., to predict the number of …

Standardless Analysis Of Biological Tissue Sections, W. A. P. Nicholson

Scanning Microscopy

The X-ray microanalysis of thin biological samples which are usually supported on a thin organic film or are self-supporting specimens, has required the use of standards which contain the elements of interest. Spectra from the standards are used to calculate the factors for converting X-ray data recorded on the specimen into elemental concentrations. A method is discussed here, in which these factors are evaluated from formulae. The most important physical process to be evaluated is that of characteristic X-ray production in the specimen. The bremsstrahlung production must also be evaluated if the Hall or continuum normalisation (CN) method of quantitation …

Factors Influencing The Spatial Distribution And Natural History Of Desmognathus Ochrophaeus In West Virginia, Linda D. Ordiway

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Desmognathus ochrophaeus, the mountain dusky salamander, is a medium-sized Desmognathine, which inhabits moist woodlands. It is a slender species with a well rounded, slim and tapering tail (Bishop 1967), and 14 costal grooves (Green and Pauley 1987). The average total length is between 70 mm and 100 mm with the tail accounting for approximately half this length (Conant and Collins, 1991). The visual appearance of this salamander is highly variable (figure 1). Most individuals have a distinct light middorsal band with straight edges and darker sides. The colors of the band may vary from yellow, orange, or red to dark …

The Soil Seed Pool Of Huffman Prairie, A Degraded Ohio Prairie, And Its Potential In Restoration, Scott Meiners, David Gorchov

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The germinable seeds in the soil of a relict Ohio prairie were investigated to determine the composition and density of dicots of potential value in restoration. Soil samples were collected from three areas of the prairie with distinctive species compositions: swale, north upland, and south upland. Seed density and species composition were based on seedling emergence over 90 days. North upland and south upland samples yielded similar total seedling densities (5,902 and 5,109 m·2 ) while that of the swale was greater ( 15,262 m·2 ). Thirteen introduced and 18 native dicot species were present; seven of the latter were …

The Soil Seed Pool Of Huffman Prairie, A Degraded Ohio Prairie, And Its Potential In Restoration, Scott J. Meiners, David L. Gorchov

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The germinable seeds in the soil of a relict Ohio prairie were investigated to determine the composition and density of dicots of potential value in restoration. Soil samples were collected from three areas of the prairie with distinctive species compositions: swale, north upland, and south upland. Seed density and species composition were based on seedling emergence over 90 days. North upland and south upland samples yielded similar total seedling densities (5,902 and 5,109 m·2 ) while that of the swale was greater ( 15,262 m·2 ). Thirteen introduced and 18 native dicot species were present; seven of the latter were …

Palmer Lter: Impact Of A Large Diatom Bloom On Macronutrient Distribution In Arthur Harbor During Austral Summer 1991-1992, Mark A. Moline, Barbara B. Prezelin

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Dietary Overlap Between Allopatric And Sympatric Geckos, Paul D. Klawinski, R. Kathryn Vaughan, Daniel Saenz, William Godwin

Faculty Publications

Two gecko species, Hemidactylus turcicus and Cyrtopodion scabrum, have been introduced into the Port of Galveston, Texas. While H. turcicus has been established for a longer period of time, the relatively recent introduction of C. scabrum near the entrance of the Port has apparently led to the displacement of H. turcicus in that area. This has resulted in a distribution in which the two populations’ are largely allopatric except for a narrow band of sympatry at the periphery of each of their ranges. We examined stomach contents of both species in allopatry and sympatry in order to determine if …

Ua3/8/1 L.Y. Lancaster Professorship Report, Wku Ogden College Of Science & Technology

WKU Administration Documents

Report of activities by Dr. Blaine Ferrell, L.Y. Lancaster Professor for the year 1993-94, funded by Ogden Foundation.

Impalement Of Marine Turtles (Reptilia, Chelonia: Cheloniidae And Dermochelyidae) By Billfishes (Osteichthyes, Perciformes: Istiophoridae And Xiphiidae), John G. Frazier, Harry L. Fierstine, Sallie C. Beavers, Federico Achaval, Hiroyuki Suganuma, Robert L. Pitman, Yuichiro Yamaguchi, Carlos Ma. Prigioni

Biological Sciences

Billfishes have long been known to impale a great variety of objects, but there are only two brief, obscure records of marine turtles being speared. Details are presented on these two, as well as on two other confirmed records; data from two additional unconfirmed records are also presented. In total, three species of marine turtles are known to have been impaled by three species of billfishes; a fourth species of fish and a fourth species turtle are listed in an unconfirmed case. Records come from the eastern and western Pacific as well as the eastern Atlantic. Of the four confirmed …

Icecolors '93: Biological Weighting Function For The Ultraviolet Inhibition Of Carbon Fixation In A Natural Antarctic Phytoplankton Community, Nicholas Boucher, Barbara B. Prezelin, T. Evens, R. Jovine, B. Kroon, Mark A. Moline, Oscar Schofield

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Palmer Lter: Photoadaptation In A Coastal Phytoplankton Bloom And Impact On The Radiation Utilization Efficiency For Carbon Fixation, Oscar Schofield, Barbara B. Prezelin, Mark A. Moline

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Spatial And Temporal Aspects Of Populations Revealed By Mitochondrial Dna, Francis X. Villablanca

Biological Sciences

The evolutionary analysis of DNA sequences bridges phylogenetics and population genetics. Ancient DNA (aDNA) alJows the study of extinct genotypes, populations, and species, as well as dichronic comparisons of extant populations and species. Thus a DNA forges an empirical link between history and two inherently historical fields of research. Fortunately, the conceptual frameworks of phylogenetics and population genetics can easily be extended to encompass advances being made in the study of aDNA.

Map Showing The Distribution Of Surficial Sediments In Fishers Island Sound, New York, Connecticut, And Rhode Island, Larry J. Poppe, Ralph S. Lewis, Sidney Quarrier, A. M. Moffet

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

The data presented on this map were collected as part of a State of Connecticut and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative program intended to further understand the marine geology of Connecticut and Long Island Sound. The purpose of this cooperative program is (1) to resolve sedimentologic and oceanographic problems and data gaps in Long Island Sound, (2) to integrate these findings with terrestrial data and the Pleistocene histories of Long Island and Connecticut, and (3) to initiate investigations of offshore resources that are keyed to the better management of Long Island Sound. With this in mind, the fundamental objectives of …

Why Not To Do Two-Species Comparative Studies: Limitations On Inferring Adaptation, Theodore Garland Jr., Stephen C. Adolph

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Claims about adaptation are commonly made from comparative studies involving only two species (or only two populations of a single species). Our main purpose here is to alert practitioners to several logical and statistical problems associated with using two-species comparisons for studying adaptation and to outline some alternative approaches. Multispecies comparisons are one such alternative. However, data from multiple species may not be independent or identically distributed in the statistical sense, which violates assumptions of ordinary statistical methods (Harvey and Pagel 1991). We therefore also discuss one phylogenetically based statistical method that can be employed for valid hypothesis testing with …

Crystallization And Preliminary Crystallographic Studies Of Giα1 And Mutants Of Giα1 In The Gtp And Gdp-Bound States, David E. Coleman, Ethan Lee, Mark B. Mixon, Maurine E. Linder, Albert M. Berghuis, Alfred G. Gilman, Stephen R. Sprang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Several different crystal forms of Giα1 have been grown and analyzed. Crystals of native protein containing bound GTPγS belong to space group P3₁21 or P3₂21 with cell dimensions a, b = 80·6 Åand c = 106·3 Å and diffract to a resolution of 1·9 Å using synchrotron radiation. Crystals of native protein containing bound GDP belong to space group I4 with cell dimensions a, b = 121·3 Å, and c = 67·7 Å and diffract to 3·0Å. Data sets from crystals grown using mutant proteins have also been obtained and characterized.

Two Crystal Forms Of The Extracellular Domain Of Type I Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor, Lynn E. Rodseth, Barbara Brandhuber, Tracey Q. Devine, Michael J. Eck, Karin Hale, James H. Naismith, Stephen R. Sprang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The soluble extracellular domain of human type I tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFrI) is a 161 residue polypeptide found in serum and urine. This domain tightly binds tumor necrosis factors (TNF) α and β and, as part of the whole receptor, initiates the powerful biological effects of TNF. The extracellular domain, typical of other TNF receptor superfamily members, comprises four cysteine-rich motifs. We have obtained two crystal forms of the sTNFrI. One crystal form is grown at pH 3.7 with MgSO₄ as the precipitant. These crystals are orthorhombic, space group P2₁2₁2₁, with cell …

Low Temperature Embedding Of Chemically Unfixed Biological Material After Cryosorption Freeze-Drying, L. Edelmann

Scanning Microscopy

After freeze-drying of bulk specimens in a newly developed cryosorption freeze-dryer (CFD) a special accessory is used to infiltrate the specimens in Lowicryl HM20 and to polymerize them at low temperature by ultra-violet (UV) irradiation within the CFD chamber in flat embedding moulds. The accessory allows polymerization in a dry, oxygen free environment without the risk of evaporation of volatile components of the resin which may lead to unsatisfactory polymerization. First results demonstrate the quality of structure preservation of biological material not treated with any chemical fixative.

Reproductive Biology And Early Life History Of Fishes In The Ohio River Drainage, Vol. 2, Larry K. Kay, Robert Wallus, Bruce L. Yeager

Ohio River Fish

No abstract provided.

Electromyographic And Force Analysis Of A Shotokan Karate Punching Technique, John J. Conzemius

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Electromyographic and force analysis of Pectoralis major and Latissimus dorsi muscles during a reverse punch demonstrated a significant positive correlationbetween the average force of individuals and their rank (p<0.01; r-squared=0.73). Also demonstrated was a positive correlation between the amount of EMG activity in the muscles studied and the force (for Pectoral: r-squared=0.757, pc0.05; for Latissimus: r-squared= 0.733, p<0.1). The relationship between punch duration and rank yielded insignificant results (for Pectoral: r-squared= 0.222, p<0.240; for Latissimus: r-squared=0.461, p<0.065). Precontact EMG activity and rank regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation for both muscles (for Latissimus: p<0.005, r-squared=0.752; for Pectoral: p<0.006, r-squared=0.735). Post contact EMG activity and rank regression analysis also demonstrated a significant positive correlation for both muscles (for Latissimus: p<0.0.04, r-squared=0.773; for Pectoral: p<0.005, r-squared=0.760). A negative correlation between precontact EMG activity and punch duration was shown for both muscles (for Pectoral: -0.568; for Latissimus: -0.626). A negative correlation was between punch duration and force was shown for both muscles (for Pectoral: -0.559; for Latissimus: -0.715). A positive correlation between force and precontact EMG activity was demonstrated (for Pectoral: 0.757; for Latissimus: 0.733).

Vegetative Comparison Of Two Gravel Ridge Prairies With Different Grazing Histories In Polk County, Minnesota, Kelly Wolfe

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The vegetation of a gravel ridge running the length of two native prairie remnants, the Stipa Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and the Tympanuchus WMA, in northwestern Minnesota was compared during June, July, and August 1993. The Stipa WMA was grazed by confined domestic cattle from 1958 to 1977, while the Tympanuchus WMA has been relatively undisturbed. The vegetative composition of each area was compared qualitatively by compiling a plant species list for each ridge. Quantitative vegetative comparisons were conducted by recording abundance and cover values for individual plant species in twenty-five 0.5 m² random sample plots on each ridge …

A Survey Of The Seasonal Population Patterns Of Rotifers: A Comparison Between The Eutrophic Conditions Of Gemini Lake And The "Cleansing" Effects Of The Wetlands, Brian Dingmann

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

A survey was conducted of the population dynamics of rotifers on a lake in Collegeville Township. Also, the following contrasting effects on rotifers of lake pollution and purification from a polluted lake through nearby wetlands was surveyed for a length of four months. This was coupled with an analysis of seasonal physical and chemical parameters of the mentioned aquatic environments. These included water temperature, pH, levels of nitrates and phosphates, and dissolved oxygen content. Further research involved horizontal and vertical distribution of rotifer species in the polluted lake.

The result of the survey was to demonstrate the diversity and succession …

Woody Plants Of Hundred Acres Quarry, Dominic Ackerman

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

A former site of granite quarrying, "Hundred Acres Quarry" contains several distinct and diverse habitats, with diverse botanical characteristics. I made a preliminary study of the woody plants of this new Stearns County park, located in southern Waite Park, Minnesota, to learn what trees, shrubs, and woody vines are found within the park. I assessed their relative abundance and their distribution within the park. Fifty-eight species were identified to a high degree of certainty. In addition, I surveyed the literature and listed various economic and ethnobotanical uses for these species, to form an interpretive guide. This research was conducted using …

Re-Examining Subfamily Classifications For The Alu Family Of Repeated Dna Sequences, William A. York

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The primate Alu family of repetitive elements has been widely characterized. This ubiquitous class of retroposons has been found to occupy some 5% of the human genome. This heterogenous group of Short Interspersed Nucleic add Elements (SINEs) has been theorized to possess an identifiable subfamily structure between and within various taxonomic levels in primates. It has been postulated that humans possess up to 6 Alu subfamilies in their genome; this number, however, has varied according to the method of analysis performed on the data. Quentin (1988) analyzed 127 aligned Alu sequences and found evidence supporting the amplification/fixation theory in 5 …

Role Of The Invertebrate Electrogenic 2na+/H+ Antiporter In Monovalent And Divalent Cation Transport, Gregory A. Ahearn, Jeff Duerr, V. Pennington

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

In recent years, an electrogenic 2Na+/1H+ antiporter has been identified in a variety of invertebrate epithelial brush-border membranes of gut, kidney and gill tissues. The antiporter differs significantly in its physiological properties from the electroneutral 1Na+/1H+ antiporter proposed for vertebrate cells. In all invertebrate cells examined, the antiporter displayed a 2:1 transport stoichiometry, responded to an induced transmembrane potential and exhibited a high binding affinity for the divalent cation Ca2+, which acted as a competitive inhibitor of Na+ transport. A monoclonal antibody specific for the crustacean electrogenic antiporter inhibited 2Na+/1H+ exchange, but was without effect on Na+-dependent D-glucose transport. Immunoreactivity …

Field Metabolic Rate And Food Consumption Of Two Sympatric Hummingbird Species In Southeastern Arizona, Donald R. Powers, Timothy M. Conley

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

We compared the field metabolic rate (FMR) and behavior around sugar-water feeders of sympatric territorial and non-territorial hummingbirds in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona during July 1987 and 1989. The territorial species was the Blue-throated Hummingbird (Lampornis clemenciae; mean mass 8.77 g) and the non-territorial species the Black-chinned Hummingbird( Archilochusa lexandri; mean mass 3.67 g). FMR (CO2p roduction)a nd watert urnoverw erem easuredu singt he doublyl abeledw ater technique. FMR averaged 81.7 kJ/day (n = 4) in L. clemenciae and 29.1 kJ/day (n = 4) in A. alexandri. Mean mass-specific FMR was higher in L. clemenciae (18.36 ml CO2 …

Purification, Characterization, And Submitochondrial Localization Of The 32-Kilodalton Nadh Dehydrogenase From Maize, Andrew F. Knudten, Jay J. Thelen, Michael Hans Luethy, Thomas Elthon

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Plant mitochondria have the unique ability to directly oxidize exogenous NAD(P)H. We recently separated two NAD(P)H dehydrogenase activities from maize (Zea mays 1.) mitochondria using anion-exchange (Mono Q) chromatography. The first peak of activity oxidized only NADH, whereas the second oxidized both NADH and NADPH. In this paper we describe the purification of the first peak of activity to a 32-kD protein. Polyclonal antibodies to the 32-kD protein were used to show that it was present in mitochondria from several plant species. Two-dimensional gel analysis of the 32-kD NADH dehydrogenase indicated that it consisted of two major and one minor …

Pathways Of Intracellular Protein Turnover In Cultured Human Fibroblasts, Sarah Olenick

Dissertations

No abstract provided.