UNT Libraries - 153 Matching Results

This system will be undergoing maintenance April 18th between 9:00AM and 12:00PM CDT.

Search Results

Results: 1 - 24 next
open access

Search for Surrogate Marker(s) of Immunity Following Vaccination with Experimental Vaccine (Autoclaved Leishmania Major + Bacille Calmette-Guérin) in Human Volunteers

Description: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is usually a self-limiting lesion on the skin while visceral leishmaniasis is a progressive, systemic disease with high mortality even if treated. The problem associated with treatment and vector control justifies a search for an effective vaccine which seems to be the only practical means to control the disease. The aim of this study is to identify immunological surrogate marker(s) associated with protection against Leishmania infection. The results indicate that a… more
Date: December 1998
Creator: Mahmoodi, Majid
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Monitoring Watershed Health in the Upper Trinity River Basin, North Central Texas

Description: This study conducts watershed analysis using biological and geo-spatial techniques. Incorporating landscape features with biological attributes has been shown to be an effective method of monitoring environmental quality within watersheds. In situ biomonitoring using the Asiatic Clam, Corbicula fluminea, habitat suitability, and water quality data were evaluated for their potential to describe ecological conditions in agricultural and urban areas within the Upper Trinity River watershed. These … more
Date: May 1999
Creator: Csekitz, Jill Diane
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Characterization of Aspartate Transcarbamoylase in the Archaebacterium Methanococcus Jannaschii

Description: Asparate transcarbamoylase catalyzes the first committed step in the de novo synthesis of pyrmidine nucleotides UMP, UDP, UTP, and CTP. The archetype enzyme found in Escherichia coli (310 kDa) exhibits sigmodial substrate binding kinetics with positive control by ATP and negative control with CTP and UTP. The ATCase characterized in this study is from the extreme thermophilic Archaebacterium, Methanococcus jannaschii. The enzyme was very stable at elevated temperatures and possessed activity fr… more
Date: December 1996
Creator: Stewart, John E. B. (John Edward Bakos)
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Morphological and Immunological Characterization of Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris Coelomocytes

Description: This research defines the morphological characteristics of the immune cells, coelomocytes, of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris. Such a definition of coelomocyte morphology can be correlated with immune function which will be of value in the development of a nonmammalian surrogate system to assess the immunotoxic potential of a terrestrial xenobiotics. Earthworms exposed to artificial soil dilutions of two complex xenobiotic mixtures, refuse derived fuel fly ash and a Superfund sire soil demo… more
Date: August 1992
Creator: Hariri, Maryam Feili
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Comparative Toxicity of Refuse-Derived Fuel Fly Ash on Two Species of Earthworms, Lumbricus terrestris and E. foetida, Using an Artificial Soil Exposure Protocol

Description: Research estimated toxicity of refuse-derived fuel fly ash (RDF-FA) on two earthworms species, Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia foetida. Specific objectives were to: (1) Compare their 14-day LC50s under light and dark conditions; (2) separate toxicity due to osmotic, pH and physical factors from that of heavy metal contaminants; (3) compare relative differences of artificial soil and commercial soil as exposure media for evaluating toxicity to earthworms. The 14-d LC50s for L. terrestris in dar… more
Date: May 1991
Creator: Jahani, Aghamolla
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Responses of Pristina leidyi Smith 1896 (Naididae: Oligochaeta) to Cadmium, Vanadium, and Some Environmental Factors

Description: Concern over sediment toxicity has increased the need for toxicity test information with organisms that inhabit sediments. Oligochaetes are exposed to toxicants through feeding and direct body contact with aquatic sediments. Chronic testing with oligochaetes has historically focused on tubificids with test lengths of one year or more to encompass several generations. Most naidid oligochaetes have generation times of three to seven days and could provide chronic information in a matter of weeks.… more
Date: May 1990
Creator: Smith, David P. (David Paul), 1956-
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Toxicity of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Aroclor 1254) on the Earthworm Eisenia foetida

Description: Objectives were to: (1) assess toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls on Eisenia foetida, in terms of survival (LC5O/LD5O), and suppression of coelomocytes to form secretory (SR) and erythrocyte rosettes (ER) with, and to phagocytize rabbit erythrocytes; and (2) compare results with those of Lumbricus terrestris to assess relative sensitivities to PCB. Using 5-d filter paper contact exposure protocol, LC50 and LD50 were 30.4 cg/cm2 and 4450 cg/g dry mass, respectively. Nominal PCB exposure conce… more
Date: August 1991
Creator: Sassani, Ramin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Ephippia Production, Activation, and Use of Ex-Ephippio Neonates of Ceriodaphnia Dubia as Toxicity Test Organisms

Description: Ceriodaphnia dubia is widely used as a test organism in monitoring water quality. At the present time, cultures must be continuously maintained in the laboratory. In an attempt to avoid continuous culture and maintenance, the hatching of ephippial eggs of C. dubia would provide test organisms when needed. In order to determine the parameters required for maximum hatching, approximately ninety-four thousand ephippia were exposed to a variety of conditions ranging from light and temperature regim… more
Date: August 1992
Creator: Poage, Duane W.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Comparative Biochemistry and Evolution of Aspartate Transcarbamoylase from Diverse Bacteria

Description: Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) catalyzes the first committed step in pyrimidine biosynthesis. Bacterial ATCases are divided into three classes, A, B and C. Class A ATCases are largest at 450-500, are. dodecamers and represented by Pseudomonas ATCase. The overlapping pyrBC' genes encode the Pseudomonases ATCase, which is active only as a 480 kDa dodecamer and requires an inactive pyrC'-encoded DHOase for ATCase activity. ATCase has been studied in two non-pathogenic members of Mycobacteriu… more
Date: May 1999
Creator: Hooshdaran, Massoumeh Ziba
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Investigation of Inhibitory Influences in Neuronal Monolayer Networks Cultured from Mouse Spinal Cord

Description: The effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitters gammaamino butyric acid (GABA) and glycine were characterized on spontaneous activity recorded from mouse spinal cord cultures. The GABA concentration which completely inhibited burst activity was chosen as a quantifiable measure of culture drug response and was used to 1) assess interculture and intraculture variability, 2) determine the influence of culture age and initial activity on GABA responses, and 3) compare the GABA responses between net… more
Date: August 1992
Creator: Jordan, Russell S. (Russell Stall)
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Isolation and Characterization of a New Capsule-Forming Bacterium

Description: A unique, previously undescribed Gram-negative bacterium was isolated from several soils in Texas and extensively characterized in this study. The cells measured 1-2 by 4-6 μm. The distinguishing characteristic of the bacterium is the extraordinary capsular material which surrounds the cells. The new isolates are aerobic, mesophilic, non motile and have the ability to utilize a variety of organic compounds as the sole source of carbon and energy. The organism grows optimally at 30° C and the op… more
Date: May 1999
Creator: Thongmee, Acharawan
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

SFE Fractionation and RP-HPLC Characterization of Aquatic Fulvic Acid

Description: The Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) technique was used to fractionate Suwannee River reference fulvic acid (FA). The fractions were characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). A SFE fractionation method was developed using stepwise gradient of supercritical CO₂ and methanol. Three FA fractions were separated. The average mass recovery was 102% with the coefficient of variation of 2.8%. The fractionation dynamics and the diff… more
Date: May 1994
Creator: Shao, Peimin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The Effects of Long Term Modernate Ethanol Intake on Plasma Levels of ACTH, Beta Endorphin, and Corticosterone in Rats

Description: The effects of single injections and daily oral administration of ethanol on plasma levels of ACTH, beta endorphin, and corticosterone in response to cold stress were examined. The long-term experimental animals were given 0.25 ml of 28% ethanol or water orally once a day, five days a week, for fourteen months. Plasma levels of ACTH, beta endorphin, and corticosterone were lower in alcohol-treated rats as compared with water-treated rats when exposed to cold stress. The effects of a single inje… more
Date: December 1990
Creator: Breedlove, Kenneth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Pyrimidine Nucleoside Metabolism in Pseudomonads and Enteric Bacteria

Description: Metabolic differences in the strategies used for pyrimidine base and nucleoside salvage were studied in the pseudomonads and enteric bacteria. Fluoro--analogs were used to select mutant strains of E. coli, S. typhimurium, P. putida, and P. aeruginosa blocked in one or more of the uracil and uridine salvage enzymes. HPLC analysis of cell-free extracts from wild-type and mutant strains examined the effectiveness of the selections. Evidence was found for cytidine kinase in Pseudomonas and for an a… more
Date: December 1991
Creator: Scott, Allelia Worrall
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Dalbergia and Albizia: Plantlet Production via Tissue Culture, Karyological Evaluation, and Seed Anatomy with Scanning Electron Microscopy

Description: A publication by the National Academy of Sciences, USA (1979) outlined some of the research need for a great variety of economically important woody species whose remaining genetic resources need urgently to be collected and conserved. A viable regeneration system was established via tissue and cell suspension culture for Albizia falcataria and A. lebbeck, two important wood yielding leguminous tree species. The culture medium was standardized after several trials to obtain callus from the leaf… more
Date: December 1998
Creator: Ghosh, Nabarun
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Biogeographic Relationships of Pocket Gophers (Geomys breviceps and Geomys bursarius) in the Southeastern Portion of Their Ranges

Description: This research utilized population genetic analyses (protein starch-gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing of the cytochrome b mtDNA gene), host-parasite specificity (lice coevolution), remote sensing of satellite data, and geographic information systems (GIS) to characterize newly discovered populations of pocket gophers (genus: Geomys) in Arkansas. These populations are isolated and occur in seemingly unsuitable habitat in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Analyses of electrophoretic and ectopa… more
Date: August 1998
Creator: Elrod, Douglas Allen
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Interactions among Temperature, pH, and Cyfluthrin on Survival of the Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas

Description: The 96-hr LC50 of cyfluthrin in Pimephales promelas ata temperature of 23*C and a pH of 8 was 1.08 g/L. The toxicity of cyfluthrin was inversely related to temperature and pH. A temperature of 10*C and a pH of 6 significantly decreased the 96-hr LC50 to 0.009 gg/L. Likewise, sublethal exposures to cyfluthrin significantly affected the fathead minnow's ability to tolerate high and low temperatures. Cyfluthrin compromised the fathead minnow's lower temperature tolerance (CTMin) by 60C and the upp… more
Date: December 1991
Creator: Heath, Susan M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Mutagenized HLA DNA Constructs: Tools for Validating Molecular HLA Typing Methodologies

Description: This study describes the development and validation of mutagenized cloned DNA constructs, which correspond to the polymorphic regions of the class II region of the HLA complex. The constructs were used to verify the allelic specificity of primers and probes in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based HLA typing assays such as Sequence Specific Primers (SSP) and Sequence Specific Oligonucleotide Probes (SSOP). The constructs consisted of the entire polymorphic region of exon 2 of class II HLA allel… more
Date: May 1999
Creator: Schulte, Kathleen Q.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Distribution of a Novel Gram Negative, Capsule-Forming Bacterium

Description: A novel Gram negative, capsule-forming bacterium was previously isolated in Dr. G. Roland Vela's laboratory. The distribution of this bacterium in soils from various locations was investigated. Soil samples from 188 locations around the world were examined. Isolates of the bacterium were obtained from 50 of these soils, with 48 of the isolates found in soils from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This suggests that this region is the natural habitat of the bacterium. The other… more
Date: December 1997
Creator: Hughes, Roxana Bejarano
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

The Effect of Nine Diet and Water Combinations on the Culture Health of Ceriodaphnia Dubia

Description: Culture health of Ceriodaphnia dubia was evaluated for organisms cultured using all combinations of three foods and three waters. Criteria used to assess health of cultures included adult and neonate weights, time required to produce first broods, neonate production, adult survival, and resistance to hexavalent chromium. Diet/water combinations which produced the most neonates were not found to produce adults which were more resistant to chromium than those which produced fewer neonates. Of tho… more
Date: May 1990
Creator: Patterson, Paul W. (Paul William)
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

An Interpretation of Archaic Medical Treatises

Description: Ancient peoples did not distinguish between philosophy, religion, and science. Scientific truth did not exist apart from divine truth. Any new idea, finding, or theory was assimilated into a monolithic mythological structure. This is one of the causes of the underestimation of ancient science: it is always packaged in a myth - the method of preserving information in an oral culture. The mythological medium allowed the preservation and dissemination of hard-won, empirical, scientific knowledge t… more
Date: May 1993
Creator: Wagers, William D. (William Delbert)
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Pyrethroid Insecticide Effects on Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis Macrochirus) and the Impacts of Bluegill Predation on Invertebrates in Microcosms

Description: Concurrent outdoor aquatic 1950 L microcosm and 0.04 ha mesocosm experiments with bluegill sunfish evaluated the ecological impact of cyfluthrin. Cyfluthrin effects were not observed on mesocosm bluegill; a slight decrease in growth was observed in the microcosm bluegill. Otolith weight to length relationships between bluegill size-classes from microcosms, local streams, and a fish hatchery revealed no differences. Our results indicated bluegill predation impacts were slight on benthic inverteb… more
Date: May 1991
Creator: Morris, Rodney Gregg
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Role of α-Keto Acids In Cyanide Detoxification and Assimilation by Pseudomonas Bacteria

Description: Cyanide was rapidly removed when added to culture supernatants of seven different Pseudomonas. The ability to remove cyanide was correlated with the accumulation of α-keto acids (pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate). These compounds react with cyanide forming less toxic cyanohydrins, thus conferring a mechanism for bacterial cyanide tolerance. When added to growth media the α-keto acids were shown also to serve as effective cyanide antagonists. While all bacteria tested accumulated α-keto acids, only … more
Date: December 1998
Creator: Pan, Guangliang
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Characterization of Pyrimidine Biosynthesis in Pseudomonas putida Using Mutant and Wild Type Strains

Description: The biosynthesis of pyrimidines in Pseudomonas putida was investigated. In this study, pyrimidine requiring mutants were isolated by conventional mutagenesis and enrichment. The strains required exogenously supplied pyrimidines for growth and were found by enzyme assays to be deficient for the product of the pyrB gene encoding the enzyme aspartate transcarbamoylase. None of the intermediates of the pathway could supply the auxotrophic requirement of the strain; only preformed pyrimidines, metab… more
Date: August 1991
Creator: Chang, Mingren
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Back to Top of Screen