Search Results

open access

Use of tRNA Gene Probes to Identify Polymorphic Loci in the Bovine Genome

Description: A 30-mer oligonucleotide probe encoding the "A box" and anticodon loop regions of a human glycine tRNA gene was used to isolate a 581bp DNA fragment from a bovine genomic DNA library. Although the cross-hybridizing segment of DNA was found not to encode any tRNA gene or pseudogene, a region with homology to the "C-element" of the "BOV-tA" type Alulike artiodactyl retroposons was identified. This cross-hybridization was determined to be the result of conserved RNA polymerase III promoter element… more
Date: August 1998
Creator: Shariat, Parvaneh
open access

An Assessment of Storm Water Toxicity from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and Denton, Texas

Description: With the advent of national storm water regulations, municipalities with populations greater than 100,000 are required to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permits (NPDES) for storm water discharges. In addition to the sampling required for the permit process, the City of Fort Worth contracted with the University of North Texas' Institute of Applied Sciences to conduct acute toxicity testing using Pimephales prcmelas and Ceriodaphnia dubia on storm water samples received fr… more
Date: August 1995
Creator: Keating, Paul Redmond
open access

Evaluation of Sequential Events in Phagocytosis by Earthworm Coelomocytes as Potential Immunotoxicity Biomarkers

Description: This research evaluated the potential of activation and attachment, as sequential companion biomarkers of phagocytosis by earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, immunoactive coelomocytes for use in immunotoxicology. The potential was assessed by exposing earthworms to sublethal concentrations of CuSO4 and Arochlor 1254®, chemicals used as reference or standard immunotoxicants.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Murray, Stephanie Mae
open access

Regulation, Evolution, and Properties of the ato Qperon and its Gene Products in Escherichia coli

Description: The regulation of short chain fatty acid metabolism has been examined. Metabolism of acetoacetate, and short chain fatty acids such as butyrate and valerate, is predicated upon the expression of genes of the ato operon. Acetoacetate induces expression of a CoA transferase (encoded by the atoDA genes) and expression of a thiolase (encoded by the atoB gene). Metabolism of saturated short chain fatty acids requires the activities of the transferase and thiolase and enzymes of 6-oxidation as well. … more
Date: August 1993
Creator: Chen, Chaw-Yuan
open access

Molecular and Kinetic Characterization of the Aspartate Transcarbamoylase Dihydroorotase Complex in Pseudomonas putida

Description: Aerobic Gram negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas putida were reported to possess class A ATCases and to have a M.W. of 360 kD. The nucleotide sequence of the P. putida pyrBC was determined to answer this question once and for all. The expected regulatory gene was not found. It is shown that the P. putida pyrB gene is overlapped by pyrC by 4 bp. The P.putida pyrB is 1005 bp (335 aa) in length and the pyrC is 1275 bp (425 aa) long. Both of these genes complement E. coli mutants with their respe… more
Date: May 1992
Creator: Schurr, Michael J. (Michael John)
open access

Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Two Southwestern Reservoirs

Description: This investigation has determined the presence of biological nitrogen fixation in two reservoirs in the southwestern United States: Lake Arlington and Lake Ray Hubbard. Subsequent tests have gathered baseline data on the effects of various biological, chemical, and physical parameters on in situ nitrogen fixation in these reservoirs. Of specific importance is the relationship between nitrogen fixation arid occasional blooms of blue-green algae which produce such problems as testes and odors in … more
Date: August 1973
Creator: Lawley, Gary G.
open access

Characterizing Spontaneous Neurophysiological Activity with Measures of Statistical Serial Dependence: a Summary Statistic and an Extension of the Joint Interval Histogram

Description: Two measures which indicate statistical serial dependence were evaluated. The n-dimensional Average Stored Information index (ndASI) is a measure of conditional information, which compares the entropies of higher order conditional distributions to estimate average statistical serial dependence. The generalized ranked joint interval histogram (RJIH-o) is a new nonparametric graphical analysis method. It extends the joint interval histogram by depicting longer interval sequences and can be interp… more
Date: August 1994
Creator: Weil, Jon C. (Jon Christopher)
open access

A Characterization of Liver Glyoxalase I From Normal Mice and Mice Bearing Lymphosarcoma

Description: The purpose of this investigation was (1) to isolate and purify glyoxalase I from the livers of normal DBA/lJ mice and the livers from mice bearing a lymphosarcoma tumor; and (2) to determine, at least with respect to glyoxalase I, if the tumor has an effect on the chemical properties or structure of macromolecules in an organ removed from tumor locale and not histologically affected by its presence.
Date: August 1970
Creator: Strzinek, Robert Alfred
open access

Descriptions, Life History and Case-Building Behavior of Culoptila cantha (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae) in the Brazos River, Texas

Description: Larval, pupal and adult samples of Culoptila cantha, from a large riffle of the Brazos River in north-central Texas from January, 1995 to March, 1997, indicated a predominately trivoltine cycle during both years; the over-wintering generation spanned 6-7 months and warm-season generations spanned 2-3 months. Eggs, larvae of all instars, larval cases, case reconstruction progression and behavior, pupae, and adults are described.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Houghton, David Charles
open access

Forensic DNA Extraction Strategies for PCR Analysis

Description: There is a transition nationwide on the analysis of forensic evidentiary stains containing biological material from traditional serology to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methodologies. The increased sensitivity of PCR, the limited number of alleles at each locus, and the necessity of producing unambiguous data for entry into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System make this study of extraction procedures of utmost importance. A "single tube" extraction procedure for blood stains collected onto FT… more
Date: May 1998
Creator: Van Winkle, Carolyn
open access

Characterization of Arthrobacter Globiformis Aspartate Transcarbamylase Concentrations of Substrates

Description: This thesis consists of one major section with two subsections. The first subsection investigates the activity of Arthrobacter globiformis aspartate transcarbamylase's specific activity with increasing concentrations of the enzyme's substrate. Dihydroorotase (DHOase) activity was also measured with increasing concentrations of the substrate dihydroorotate. The second subsection collected data in order to classify the enzyme, resulting in a classification into the category of class A ATCases … more
Date: December 2012
Creator: Wright, Jackie
open access

Bioconcentration and Morphological Effects of Triclosan on Three Species of Wetland Plants

Description: Triclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial compound found in several types of common household products. After being washed down the drain, TCS will then end up in the local watershed. Although numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the fate and effects of TCS in aquatic environments, there have been no studies evaluating the role arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) play in a plants response to TCS exposure. Three species of wetland plants native North Texas were inoculated with AM spores and … more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Smith, Caleb M.
open access

Exploring the Evolutionary History of North American Prairie Grouse (Genus: Tympanuchus) Using Multi-locus Coalescent Analyses

Description: Conservation biologists are increasingly using phylogenetics as a tool to understand evolutionary relationships and taxonomic classification. The taxonomy of North American prairie grouse (sharp-tailed grouse, T. phasianellus; lesser prairie-chicken, T. pallidicinctus; greater prairie-chicken, T. cupido; including multiple subspecies) has been designated based on physical characteristics, geography, and behavior. However, previous studies have been inconclusive in determining the evolutionary h… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Galla, Stephanie J.
open access

Aging Is a Determinant in Anoxia Stress Tolerance in Caenorhabditis Elegans

Description: Oxygen availability is critical for survival for most organisms. The nematode, C. elegans, has been useful for studying genetic regulation of anoxia tolerance due to the oxygen deprivation response mechanisms shared with other metazoans. Studies examining long-term anoxia (72h, LTA) tolerance have only been conducted at adult day 1. To investigate the effect of aging on anoxia tolerance wild-type and mutant strains were exposed to LTA between adult day 1 and day 9. Wild-type isolates and daf-16… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Goy, Jo M.
open access

Evaluating the Habitat Requirements of the Golden Orb Mussel (Quadrula Aurea) for Conservation Purposes

Description: Many freshwater mussels are imperiled, due to a number of interrelated factors such as habitat alteration, degradation of water quality, and impoundments. The Golden Orb mussel (Quadrula aurea, I. Lea, 1859) is endemic to the state of Texas and is currently a candidate for the endangered species list, as the number of known populations has been declining in recent years. Little is currently known about Q. aurea aside from basic distribution data. This study is focused on evaluating a combinatio… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Hammontree, Sarah
open access

Primary Cilia in the Oligodendrocyte Lineage

Description: oligodendrocytes migrate from the corpus callosum into the overlying cortex. The incidence of cilia did not change markedly across age groups, and did not vary consistently with the number of processes per cell, which was used as an indication of the maturation stage of OPCs and young OLs. The mean percent of Olig1 immunopositive (Olig1+) cells having cilia across ages was 33.1% + 16.5%, with all ages combined. In O4+ cells of these mice, 56.7 + 3.6% had primary cilia. If it is the case that ad… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Hao, Yung-Chia
open access

Examination of the Relationship Between Glucuronic Acid and Vascular Damage in Rats

Description: The goal of this experiment was to examine the role of glucuronic acid in the development of vascular damage in the kidneys and retinas of diabetic individuals. Glucuronic acid was provided to rats in their water at various concentrations in order to increase plasma levels of the compound. Kidneys and retinas were excised and compared to control specimens using microscopy to determine the effect of elevated blood glucuronic acid levels on the occurrence of microaneurysms in renal capillary netw… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Moore, Ryan
open access

Expression of G-protein Coupled Receptors in Young and Mature Thrombocytes and Knockdown of Gpr18 in Zebrafish

Description: In this study, a novel method based on biotinylated antibodies and streptavidin coated magnetic beads was used to separate the thrombocyte subpopulations from zebrafish whole blood. DiI-C18, a lipophilic dye, labels only young thrombocytes when used at low concentrations. Commercially available biotinylated anti-Cy3 antibody was used to label the chromophore of DiI-C18 on the young thrombocytes and streptavidin coated magnetic beads were added subsequently, to separate young thrombocytes. The r… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Potbhare, Vrinda Nikhil
open access

Novel Role of Trypsin in Zebrafish

Description: It has been shown previously in our laboratory that zebrafish produce trypsin from their gills when they are under stress, and this trypsin is involved in thrombocyte activation via PAR2 during gill bleeding. In this study, I investigated another role of the trypsin that is secreted from zebrafish. This investigation has demonstrated a novel role of trypsin in zebrafish. Not only did this investigation demonstrate the role of trypsin in zebrafish behavior, but also it showed that PAR2 might be … more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Alsrhani, Abdullah Falleh
open access

Chronic Hypoxia and Hyperoxia Modifies Morphology and Vegf Expression of the Lungs of the Developing Chicken (Gallus Gallus Domesticus)

Description: This study determines effects of oxygen levels on morphology and VEGF expression of developing chicken lungs following incubation in normoxia (21% O2), hypoxia (15% O2) or hyperoxia (30% O2), until developmental days 16 or 18. Lung morphology was assessed using light microscopy, while VEGF expression was determined with ELISA. In hypoxia, the proportion of parabronchial tissue and parabronchi including lumina increased from day 16 to 18 (61 to 68% and 74.2 to 82.2%, respectively). Non-parabronc… more
Date: December 2012
Creator: Lewallen, Melissa Anjanette
open access

Beta-adrenergic Blockade Via Atenolol and Its Effects on Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, and Renal Morphology in the Developing Chicken Gallus Gallus Domesticus

Description: Chicken embryos were chronically exposed to the ?1- blocker atenolol during one of three stages: mesonephros (E7-E9), mesonephros-metanephros (E11-E13), or metanephros (E15-E17). Mesonephros group hearts were larger than all other groups (P < 0.01). Mesonephros and metanephros group kidneys were larger than all remaining groups (P < 0.0001). The mesonephros group nephron number was ~40% lower than control values (P = 0.002). Glomerular areas were 26% and 18% larger than the control group in the… more
Date: December 2012
Creator: Rossitto Lopez, Josie Jovita
open access

Effects of Peripheral Nerve Injury on the Cells of the Dorsal Root Ganglion: a Role for Primary Cilia

Description: Primary cilia are ubiquitous sensory organelles found on most cell types including cells of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). The DRG are groups of peripheral neurons that relay sensory information from the periphery to the CNS. Other cell types in the DRG include a type of glial cell, the satellite glial cells (SGCs). The SGCs surround the DRG neurons and, with the neurons, form functional sensory units. Currently are no reports describing the numbers of DRG cells that have cilia. We found tha… more
Date: December 2012
Creator: Smith, Sarah K.
open access

Zebrafish Von Willebrand Factor

Description: In humans, von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a key component in hemostasis and acts as a 'cellular adhesive' by letting the circulating platelets bind to exposed subendothelium. It also acts as a carrier and stabilizer of factor VIII (FVIII). A dysfunction or reduction of vWF leads to von Willebrand disease (vWD), resulting in bleeding phenotype which affects 1% of the population. Currently there are a variety of animal models used for the study of vWF and vWD; however, they do not possess the … more
Date: August 2012
Creator: Carrillo, Maira M.
open access

Clustering Algorithms for Time Series Gene Expression in Microarray Data

Description: Clustering techniques are important for gene expression data analysis. However, efficient computational algorithms for clustering time-series data are still lacking. This work documents two improvements on an existing profile-based greedy algorithm for short time-series data; the first one is implementation of a scaling method on the pre-processing of the raw data to handle some extreme cases; the second improvement is modifying the strategy to generate better clusters. Simulation data and real… more
Date: August 2012
Creator: Zhang, Guilin
Back to Top of Screen