Accurate identification is fundamental in any study of grasses by farmers, ranchers, range specialists, ecologists, or students interested in the changes taking place in the grass habitat. Frequently it is convenient, and sometimes it is necessary, to identify the grasses by their vegetative characters. Some are readily recognized at a glance by their habitat and certain characters well known to the experienced observer. In other cases, identification is more difficult; and, perhaps with a few, it is impossible to be certain of the species from vegetative characters. However, this may also be true when the characters of the floral parts alone are considered. The inflorescence, used in most keys and descriptions, is often available only for a short period of time. Identification by the characters of the vegetation can be used throughout the growing season, even if grazing or mowing has removed or prevented the development of the floral parts. There have been other studies of grass identification related to vegetative characters, but they have been local and have not covered North Central Texas. This paper provides a means of identifying grasses by their vegetative characters. It can be used by the scientist, the technician, and the layman interested in …

Constructed wetlands are considered an inefficient technology for long-term phosphorus (P) removal. The P retention effectiveness of subsurface wetlands can be improved by using appropriate substrates. The objectives of this study were to: (i) use sorption isotherms to estimate the P sorption capacity of the two materials, masonry sand and light weight expanded shale; (ii) describe dissolved P removal in small (2.7 m3) subsurface flow wetlands; (iii) quantify the forms of P retained by the substrates in the pilot cells; and (iv) use resulting data to assess the technical and economic feasibility of the most promising system to remove P. The P sorption capacity of masonry sand and expanded shale, as determined with Langmuir isotherms, was 60 mg/kg and 971 mg/kg respectively. In the pilot cells receiving secondarily treated wastewater, cells containing expanded shale retained a greater proportion of the incoming P (50.8 percent) than cells containing masonry sand (14.5 percent). After a year of operation, samples were analyzed for total P (TP) and total inorganic P (TIP). Subsamples were fractionated into labile-P, Fe+Al-bound P, humic-P, Ca+Mg-bound P, and residual-P. Means and standard deviations of TP retained by the expanded shale and masonry sand were 349 + 169 and 11.9 …

Life history allocation of energy to growth and reproduction was determined for female gizzard shad. Absolute caloric energy allocated to eggs increased with age. The relative amount of production energy directed to reproduction increased with age up to 5 years and then decreased. Seasonal variation in lipids was studied. Quantitative changes occurred in ovarian lipids during the reproductive cycle. Carcass lipids varied seasonally. Age of sexual maturity was 3 years. Delayed maturity is attributed to high allocation of energy to growth enabling shad to outgrow intense competition and predation in pre-reproductive ages; there is little competition and predation in reproductive shad. Growth rates and condition factors indicated constant availability of food seasonally.

National Water Quality Criteria intended to protect aquatic life and their uses from the adverse effects of pollutants may not be appropriate due to site-specific factors that alter chemical bioavailability. The Indicator Species Procedure may be used to derive site-specific criteria in order to account for differences in site-specific bioavailability. This procedure was implemented using zinc for three chemically different site (river) waters. The purpose of this study was to quantify the bioavailability of zinc in each site water and correlate results to water quality parameters and/or zinc speciation. Results demonstrated that national criteria for zinc accurately predicted the experimentally derived site-specific values within a factor of two when adjusted for water hardness. Particulate forms of zinc were shown to be biologically unavailable under conditions tested.

A new rapid computer assisted micro-titer plate interferon assay system was developed and characterized for use in high capacity clinical and research applications. The biological aspect of the assay was a modification of the assay methods of Finter, Armstrong and McManus. It was an application of spectrophotometric quantification of the reduction of viral cytopathic effect (CPE) as reflected by neutral red dye uptake by viable cells. A computer program was developed for the extrapolation of raw data to reference interferon units.

An examination of the Desmodium canescens complex (D. canescens; D. tweedyi; D. illinoense) has resulted in the delimitation of a previously unreported alliance between D. canescens and D. tweedyi. The following points support this view: (a) morphological data taken from herbarium and garden specimens indicate that for many characters, the mean values of D. canescens and D. tweedy are not significantly different (b) breeding experiments have shown that artificial interspecific hybridization is possible between D. canescens and D. tweedyi (c) cytological studies have shown that D. canescens and D. tweedyi have a base number of x = 11, while D. illinoense has a base number of x = 10. A new combination is suggested: Desmodium canescens var. tweedyi (Britt.) Williams.

Lack of sufficient water for irrigation is a major problem in and around the valleys surrounding the town of Aiquile, Cochabamba Bolivia. In addition, much of the region is undergoing desertification compounded by drought, deforestation, bad traditional agricultural practices, over grazing and a "torrential" rainfall pattern leading to severe soil erosion and low agricultural production. Between 1992 and 1994, the author constructed a network of 24 small, mostly rainfed farm ponds to increase agricultural production and alleviate soil erosion and land-use problems by improving cover conditions. A 5-year post-impoundment analysis was carried out in 1998. The analysis examined current pond conditions, design criteria, irrigation water / crop production increases and the alleviation of land-use problems. Current pond conditions fell into four distinct categories with only 25 percent of the ponds being deemed as "functioning well." The project increased irrigation in the region and improved cover conditions in 66 percent of the pond sites.

The purpose of this study is to observe the frequency of occurrance of members of the colon group in various brands of milk, milk products, and soft drinks marketed in the city of Denton, and to determine the total number of bacterial organisms occuring in these products from week to week.

The purpose of this study was to see if any soil bacteria were able to use pentachlorophenol or sodium pentachlorophenate either aerobically or anaerobically as a sole carbon source, to see if any soil bacteria could survive in high concentrations of sodium pentachlorophenate, to determine the maximum concentration of sodium pentachlorophenate which permitted the growth of some soil bacteria, to see the effects of varying concentrations of sodium pentachlorophenate on the growth curves of soil bacteria capable of growing in its presence, and to see if any soil bacteria could degrade sodium pentachlorophenate.

The Problem of the cause and control of tastes and odors in water supplies has been the subject of a great many investigations during the last half-century; however, many questions in this field remain to be answered. Theories relating to the cause of tastes and odors occurring in water are still rather numerous and, at present, only a few of them are compatible. Although several procedures have been employed for the eradication of tastes and odors from water supplies, none of them are completely successful.

The effect of pH upon the aquatic toxicity of cyfluthrin was determined in 48 h static acute toxicity tests using 2nd instar Chironomus tentans larvae. Tests were conducted in both dechlorinated tap water and lake water of pH 8.0, 7.2, and 6.6. After 48 h, immobilized and dead larvae were removed and replaced with 2nd instar larvae to assess the persistence of toxicity. Midges were cultured in water adjusted to the pH values used in testing. Toxicity if cyfluthrin varied inversely with pH. An increase in the pH of tap water by 2 units resulted in a 2-decrease in toxicity. Toxicity of cyfluthrin also varied between tap and lake water of the same pH. EC50 values in lake water were approximately 2-3 times lower than those in tap water. Toxicity in the lake water and tap water at every pH tested was also significantly different when regression line elevations were compared. Natural waters amended with cyfluthrin were consistently more toxi to the chironomids than tap water of the same pH. Persistence of cyfluthrin at low pH also influenced chironomid behavior. Recovery of normal behavior generally began within 24 h at pH 8.0 At pH 6.0, recovery did not begin until …

The area of research for this thesis concerns the role played by microorganisms in the process of organic breakdown of waste effluent. Although considerable research has been done since the early 1950's, little consideration has been given to the role of the microorganisms in this type of waste water purification.

This study is designed to (a) demonstrate the highly productive nature of the littoral area as compared to the pelagic region, (b) the possible importance of phyco-periphyton in the diets of fish, (c) the effects of meteorological conditions on distribution of phytoplankton, and (d) a demonstration of the invalidity of using artificial substrates as a universal means of measuring productivity.

"The area of study was restricted to those common flowering herbs of Denton County, Texas, which have conspicuous flowers or a conspicuous flower cluster. There were, however, many plants included in this flora which are common to several counties of north-central Texas. Since there has been no previous key devised for the herbs of Denton County, Texas, the purpose of this key was to provide a flora which could be used by elementary and high school instructors, as well as any other interested persons who lack an extensive knowledge of botanical nomenclature." -- leaf iv.

The purpose of this study is to gather information related to some factors which are considered to be characteristic of science teaching; to attempt to identify some elements of permanency in science teaching; and to analyze some relationships between the results of the above two criteria with the view of establishing some factors which may be useful as predictors of permanency, or indicative of patterns of permanency, in science teaching.

The present investigation deals with the study of non-glandular epidermal hairs from the leaves of two hundred representative dicotyledons of forty-eight families in the Central North Texas area. Special attention has been given to the Compositae and Leguminosae in an effort to find a possible correlation between epidermal hair morphology and the taxonomic position of the plants concerned.

A transition model (MOSAIC) is used to describe forest dynamics at the landscape scale. The model uses a semi-Markov framework by considering transition probabilities and Erlang distributed holding times in each transition. Parameters for the transition model are derived from a gap model (ZELIG). This procedure ensures conceptual consistency of the landscape model with the fine scale ecological detail represented by the forest gap model. Spatial heterogeneity in the transition model is driven by maps of terrain with characteristics contained in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database. The results of the transition model simulations, percent cover forest type maps, are exported to grid-maps in the GIS. These cover type maps can be classified and used to describe forest dynamics using landscape statistics metrics. The linkage model-GIS enhances the transition model spatial analytical capabilities. A parameterization algorithm was developed that takes as input gap model tracer files which contain the percent occupation of each cover type through time. As output, the algorithm produces a file that contains the parameter values needed for MOSAIC for each one of the possible transitions. Parameters for the holding time distribution were found by calculating an empirical estimate of the cumulative probability function and using a …

Brucella ovis is a sexually transmitted, facultatively anaerobic, intracellular bacterial pathogen of sheep (Ovis aries) and red deer (Cervus elaphus). Brucella spp. infect primarily by penetrating the mucosa and are phagocytized by host macrophages, where survival and replication occurs. At least in some species, it has been shown that entry into stationary phase is necessary for successful infection. Brucella, like other alphaproteobacteria, lack the canonical stationary phase sigma factor ?s. Research on diverse members of this large phylogenetic group indicate the widespread presence of a conserved four-gene set including an alternative ECF sigma factor, an anti-sigma factor, a response regulator (RR), and a histidine kinase (HK). The first description of the system was made in Methylobacterium extorquens where the RR, named PhyR, was found to regulate the sigma factor activity by sequestering the anti-sigma factor in a process termed "sigma factor mimicry." These systems have been associated with various types of extracellular stress responses in a number of environmental bacteria. I hypothesized that homologous genetic sequences (Bov_1604-1607), which are similarly found among all Brucella species, may regulate survival functions during pathogenesis. To further explore the involvement of this system to conditions analogous to those occurring during infection, pure cultures of …

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the possible presence and the extent of nutritional material in the extracts of the green leaves of a selected group of common trees in an effort to devise simpler and more economical, yet useful and satisfactory, culture media for the use in bacteriological laboratories, particularly those on the secondary level.

Conflicting opinions about the effectiveness of H. pakistanae as a biological control agent for hydrilla prompt researchers to find a method for assessing the fly's success. Developing a physiological age-grading system for the fly using ovarian morphology to detect changes in reproductive activity is useful for evaluating reproductive status of the fly in field populations. Changes in the appearance of follicular relics in ovaries with oviposition provide a reliable method to estimate fecundity. Characteristics of follicular relics were used to develop a system with eight physiological age classes, three nulliparous and five parous. Changes that occur in the fat body were used to assist in classification of nulliparous females or those with low egg counts.

The chemical fate and biological impacts of cyfluthrin in aquatic ecosystems were investigated using microcosms (1.9 m^3 concrete tanks) during 1989. Results were compared to a concurrent pesticide registration study using mesocosms (634.7 m^3 earthen ponds). Ten spray drift and five soil runoff simulations were conducted. Pesticide loadings were scaled by system volume, with the same experimental design in ponds and microcosms. Aqueous cyfluthrin concentrations and sediment residue values were generally higher in microcosms, while aqueous half-life was shorter in the smaller systems.

This problem consists of classifying the four major pastures of the McKamy ranch into McConnell's four categories, by means of examinations based on these qualities and characteristics.

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging infectious disease that has widespread implications for public health practitioners across the world. Within a few years of its arrival in the United States the virus had spread across the North American continent. This research focuses on the development of a spatially explicit GIS-based predictive epidemiological model based on suitable environmental factors. We examined eleven commonly mapped environmental factors using both ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The GWR model was utilized to ascertain the impact of environmental factors on WNV risk patterns without the confounding effects of spatial non-stationarity that exist between place and health. It identifies the important underlying environmental factors related to suitable mosquito habitat conditions to make meaningful and spatially explicit predictions. Our model represents a multi-criteria decision analysis approach to create disease risk maps under data sparse situations. The best fitting model with an adjusted R2 of 0.71 revealed a strong association between WNV infection risk and a subset of environmental risk factors including road density, stream density, and land surface temperature. This research also postulates that understanding the underlying place characteristics and population composition for the occurrence of WNV infection is important for …

This thesis examines the evolution, applications, and statistical interpretations of DNA typing as a tool in the field of forensic science as well as in our criminal justice system. The most controversial aspect of DNA typing involves the determination of how likely it is that two people share the same DNA profile. This involves the use of population genetics and databases of allelic frequencies as well as some assumptions about population structuring.