Organisms Commons^™

Response Of Soil Nitrification To The Veterinary Pharmaceuticals Monensin, Ivermectin And Zinc Bacitracin, Magda A. Konopka

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Pharmaceutical residues can reach agricultural land through amendment with animal or human waste. Since 2010, a series of replicated plots received annual applications of ivermectin, monensin and zinc bacitracin, either singly or in a mixture, at 0.1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg concentrations. I collected soil samples before and after the fourth annual application of pharmaceuticals and assayed them for functional changes and amoA gene abundance, a gene needed for ammonia oxidation. In 2013, I exposed the soils to 100 mg/kg in a laboratory experiment which resulted in acceleration of nitrification. Under 10 mg/kg treatments in the field the abundance of …

Efficacy Of Novel Antifouling/Antimicrobial Coatings For The Prevention Of Urinary Device Associated Infection And Encrustation, Thomas O. Tailly

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Device associated urinary tract infections are a very important healthcare issue. Despite best efforts in preventing and treating these infections, many patients and physicians are still confronted with this problem. Our research group is involved in testing and evaluating new stent coatings for the prevention of device associated infections and device encrustation. In the current project, we tested two new coating copolymers, both based on a long chain polymer backbone and mussel adhesive protein to this purpose in a rabbit and porcine model. The results demonstrate efficiency of one copolymer in preventing infections in the rabbit model. Interestingly there is …

Cell Biology Of The Entry Of Bdellovibrio And Like Organisms, Ryan M. Chanyi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) are obligate predators of Gram negative bacteria. Predation occurs via a periplasmic or epibiotic life cycle. A periplasmic predator invades the periplasmic space of a prey while an epibiotic predator remains on the exterior.

An analysis of the genome sequences of periplasmic predators, Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and Bacteriovorax marinus, and epibiotic predators, Bdellovibrio exovorus and Micavibrio aeruginosavorus determined that the genome size of epibiotic predators was smaller, while the metabolic networks were highly conserved. No core set of invasion-specific genes was identified.

Both life cycles were characterized by cryoelectron microscopy. The periplasmic predator, Bd. bacteriovorus …

The Effects Of Ocean Acidification And Eutrophication On The Growth, Lipid Composition And Toxicity Of The Marine Raphidophyte Heterosigma Akashiwo., Julia Rose Matheson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Anthropogenic forcing, such as ocean acidification caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions, and eutrophication due to increased nutrient loadings in run-off, are causing major changes to the biogeochemistry of the oceans. As a consequence, coastal phytoplankton are susceptible to altered biogeochemical environments. This study examined the effect of a lower pH and increased levels of nutrients on the common coastal harmful alga, Heterosigma akashiwo. Growth rates, maximal cell yields, neutral lipid accumulation and toxicity of cells grown under various pH and nutrients regimes were measured. H. akashiwo growth was near maximal when grown at lower pH levels. There was …