This study describes macroinvertebrate community structure and assesses its potential in detecting point and non-point sources of disturbance associated with rural and urban areas in the Upper Trinity River Basin. Geospatial techniques were used to quantify landuse within the watershed in a GIS. At rural sites near the headwaters of the Trinity River, collector-gathering burrowers that are adapted to minimal flow comprised the majority of taxa. Destinies of taxa compositions at downstream sites increased and shifted toward psammophilic and rheophilic invertebrates, including primarily collector-filtering clingers, that are characteristic of shifting sand habitats in large prairie rivers. Benthic community structure generally benefited from point source impacts including wastewater treatment plant effluents that maintained higher flow. Community indices were negatively associated with forest landuse and positively associated with urban landuse. Partial CCA determined that flow and landuse contributed equally to species dispersions. Comparisons with historical biomonitoring studies in upper Trinity River Basin indicate improved watershed health.

This syllabus includes both lecture notes and laboratory activities for a two-semester anatomy and physiology community college course. The syllabus is based on a 16-week semester that is comprised of a three-hour lecture section and a one-hour laboratory class each week. Both the lecture course and laboratory are necessary to fulfill the requirement for anatomy and physiology. Laboratory activities coincide with lectures to enhance understanding of each topic by providing visual and hands-on experiments for the concepts learned in the lecture. Laboratory quizzes will be given each week to help students maintain a working knowledge of the material learned in the laboratory. This course is appropriate for the typical anatomy and physiology student and should benefit both students who plan to major in biology and also those who are non-biology majors. Because subject matter in anatomy and physiology is quite difficult, the importance of attendance and good study skills is stressed.

The effects of three oral dosages (0.4 mg, 0.8 mg, and 1.6 mg) of quercetin on Colon-25 tumors implanted in Balb-c mice were studied. The data in this study show that: (1) certain dosages of quercetin in alcohol solutions, reduces the weight, and size of implanted Colon-25 tumors in Balb-c mice, (2) these same dosages of quercetin all produce a profound neutrophilia combined with a significant lymphopenia at day 20 post-implantation, and (3) there was relatively little evidence of histological changes in the quercetin-treated tumor section which would indicate that the action(s) of quercetin is primarily at the subcellular level probably within the nuclei of the tumor cells.

Condom trace evidence must not be overlooked in sexual assault cases; understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of condoms is imperative if condoms are to be useful evidence. Previous research shows that condom identification is possible, but it is equally important to evaluate durability of condom residues versus time. Using FT-IR, this study examined vaginal swabs from subjects who self-sampled at intervals for up to 72 hours after having intercourse with a condom. This study investigated whether age and the stage of the menstrual cycle affected the durability of residues in the vagina over time. This study revealed that condoms containing nonoxynol-9, silicone-based lubricants, and particulates provide valuable information for identification, and that nonoxynol-9 specifically withstands the vaginal environment for up to 72 hours. Additionally, age and menstrual cycle both appeared to have an effect on the durability of residues although larger sample size is desirable.

Spontaneously active monolayer neuronal networks cultured on photoetched multimicroelectrode plates (MMEPs) offer great potential for use in studying neuronal networks. However, there are many problems associated with frequent, long-term use of MMEPs. The major problems include (1) polysiloxane insulation deterioration and breakdown, (2) and loss of gold at the gold electroplated indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. The objective of this investigation was to correct these major problems. Quality control measures were employed to monitor MMEP fabrication variables. The phenotypes of polysiloxane degradation were identified and classified. Factors that were found to contribute most to insulation deterioration were (1) moisture contamination during MMEP insulation, (2) loss of the quartz barrier layer from excessive exposure to basic solutions, and (3) repetitive use in culture. As a result, the insulation equipment and methods were modified to control moisture-dependent insulation deterioration, and the KOH reprocessing solution was replaced with tetramethylguanidine to prevent damage to the quartz. The problems associated with gold electroplating were solved via the addition of a pulsed-DC application of gold in a new citrate buffered electroplating solution.

Seventy-one aquatic species including the copepodids and nauplii were identified from Lake Texoma from August 1996 to September 1997. Zooplankton community structure, abundance and spatial and temporal distributions were compared among five lake zones delineated a priori based on chloride concentration. The zones, in order of decreasing chloride concentration, are the Red River zone (RRZ), Red river Transition zone (RRTZ), Main Lake zone (MLZ), Washita River Transition zone (WRTZ) and Washita River zone (WRZ). Bray Curtis Similarity Index showed community structure was most similar in the two Red River arm zones, the two Washita River arm zones and the MLZ. Zooplankton abundance was greatest in the Red River arm (312 org/L), intermediate in the Washita River arm (217 org/L) and least in the Main Lake body (103 org/L). A significant increase in the abundance of a deformed rotifer, Keratella cochlearis, was observed mainly in the Red River arm during a second study from March 1999 to June 1999. Seasonal dynamics, rather than spatial dynamics, were more important in structuring the zooplankton community, especially in the two river arms. Spatial variance was solely attributed to station and zone effects independent of time for a few crustacean species and many of the …