Three populations of Southern flying squirrels were studied in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas to assess the impact of population subdivision-due to island formation--on the population genetics of Glaucomys volans. One island, one mainland, and one open population were investigated. A 367 nucleotide hypervariable region of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced in individuals from each population. Individuals and populations were compared to assess relatedness. Higher sequence diversity was detected in the open and island populations. One island individual shared characters with both the island and mainland populations. Results support the hypothesis that the mainland population may have reduced gene flow. Also, the island population may have been originally founded by at least two maternal lineages.

The pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway is essential and similar in all bacteria. The pathway from Pseudomonas is regulated by nucleotides which bind to the upstream region of the pyrBC’ gene complex. Work in our lab mapped the genes and showed that the pyrB and pyrC’ were part of an overlap complex. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa has one circular chromosome. A former Pseudomonas now called Burkholderia cepacia is similar to P. aeruginosa except that it contains three circular chromosomes (CI, CII, CIII) and one large plasmid. The primary chromosome named CI contains the pyrBC’. To our knowledge there has been no report of the activity of ATCase in Pseudomonas and contrasted with that of Burkholderia. Here, we compare the activity of ATCase in P. aeruginosa and B .cepacia. Cells of both organisms were grown in Pseudomonas minimal medium and in Enriched medium. The ATCase was extracted and partially purified from each sample. It is hypothesized that the B. cepacia has greater activity for ATCase than do the Pseudomonas.

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.

The aim of this study was to design a resolution typing system for the HLA-B gene. This technique involves a one-step PCR reaction utilizing genomic DNA and sequence-specific primers to determine the specificity of each allele and to produce a larger primer data base ideal for serological analysis. The application of this technique to serological analysis can improve serology detection which is currently hindered by antibody cross-reactivity and the unavailability of useful typing reagents.

The most apparent symptom of boron deficiency in higher plants is a cessation of growth. Deficiency causes a reduction in ascorbate concentration and the absorption of nutrient ions. Addition of ascorbate temporarily relieves deficiency symptoms. In boron sufficient plants the addition of ascorbate to media causes an increased uptake of nutrients. In an attempt to discover if ascorbate addition to deficient plants causes increased ion uptake, radish plants were grown hydroponically in four different strengths of boron solution. A colorimetric assay for phosphorus was performed both before and after supplementation. Results, however, were inconclusive.

The enzyme, aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) from Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, has been purified. The holoenzyme has a molecular mass of approximately 510kDa, harbors predominantly positive charges and is hydrophobic in nature. The holoenzyme possesses two subunits, a smaller one of 40 kDa and a larger one of 45 kDa. A third polypeptide has been found to contribute to the overall enzymatic activity, having an approximate mass of 55 kDa. The ATCase purification included the generation of cell-free extract, streptomycin sulfate cut, 60 °C heat step, ammonium sulfate cut, dialysis and ion, gel-filtration and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The enzyme's performance throughout purification steps was analyzed on activity and SDS-PAGE gradient gels. Its enzymatic, specific activities, yield and fold purification, were also determined.