A skeleton of a female discovered in a grave located on the west bank of Short Creek, Platte County, Missouri provides some of the first evidence for mortuary practices and human morphology for the ...Western Missouri-Eastern Kansas Late Woodland. The burial is a bundle type, with most of the bones placed in a central heap. Analysis of the distribution of the bones indicates that some soh tissue was still adhering to the skeleton at the time of the secondary burial. Bones of the right hand and foot and the vertebral column from cervical 7 to the coccyx are the only remains preserved in anatomical order. Many of the long bones appear to have been broken and there is also some evidence for burning and fleshing of the skeleton before final interment. Measurements of the cranial and post-cranial skeleton are given for comparison with future Late Woodland discoveries.
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative influence of fasting, transportation, restraint, diet particle size, and weaning on the development of PE (PE) ulceration in pigs. Initial ...experiments were conducted with 60 kg pigs that were meal fed. A 24-h fast induced keratinization and partial erosion of the PE epithelium. Feeding a 550 $\mu$m diet maintained fasting-induced PE tissue damage. Feeding a 750 $\mu$m diet for as little as 3 d following a 24-h fast was sufficient to allow for nearly complete healing of the fasting-induced PE tissue damage, with complete healing observed when a 750 $\mu$m diet was fed for 28 d. Following transportation and a 24-h fast, at least 7 d of feeding a 750 $\mu$m diet was required before healing of fasting-induced PE tissue damage was observed. Additional experiments were conducted using newly weaned pigs either euthanatized at weaning, following weaning and a 24-h fast, or following weaning, a 24-h fast, and feeding of a 750 or 550 $\mu$m diet for 28 d. Pigs euthanatized at weaning had a normal PE tissue appearance. Pigs euthanatized following weaning and a 24-h fast had keratinization and partial erosion of the PE tissue similar to that observed with 60 kg pigs fasted for 24 h. Feeding a 550 $\mu$m diet for 28 d maintained the level of PE tissue damage induced by weaning followed by a 24-h fast. Feeding a 750 $\mu$m diet for 28 d resulted in nearly complete healing of the PE tissue damage induced by weaning followed by a 24-h fast. The influence of either dietary zinc (100 or 3,000 ppm Zn), or intraperitoneal injection of 22 or 88 mg zinc sulphate/kg BW on PE ulceration induced by weaning followed by a 24-h fast was investigated. Addition of 100 or 3,000 mg supplemental zinc to a 550 $\mu$m diet did not allow for healing of the weaning and fasting-induced PE tissue damage. Intraperitoneal injection of 22 or 88 mg zinc sulphate 12, 24 or 48 h prior to weaning did not influence the degree of PE tissue damage induced by weaning followed by a 24-h fast.
The acid tolerance response (ATR), induced by a mildly acidic pH, protects Salmonella typhimurium from extreme acid environments (pH 3). A key feature of the ATR is the induction of 50 acid shock ...proteins (ASPs) presumably involved in the prevention or repair of cellular damage caused by acid stress. The alternate sigma factor $\sigma\sp{38}$ (RpoS) is an important requirement of acid tolerance for cells grown and acid challenged in a glucose-based minimal medium (EG). It has been demonstrated that $\rm\sigma\sp{s}$ controls the induction of 8 of the 50 ASPs produced in EG when shifted to pH 4.4 (acid shock). In contrast to wildtype $rpoS\sp+$ cells, an rpoS strain adapts poorly to acid shock and is sensitive to subsequent acid challenge at pH 3. However, a pgi (phosphoglucoisomerase) mutation was found to suppress the acid sensitive phenotype of rpoS cells. Because pgi mutants fail to ferment glucose, we suspected that the presence or absence of fermentation endproducts might alter the requirement for RpoS in acid tolerance. Therefore, the effect of fermentation endproducts on the induction of acid tolerance by rpoS mutants was examined. The results suggest that an endproduct of glucose fermentation inhibits the induction of acid tolerance in rpoS mutants. Hence, the ATR protects S. typhimurium against both inorganic (HCl) and organic acid stress. A key regulator involved in the RpoS-independent ATR was revealed as PhoP. In S. typhimurium, PhoPQ is a $\rm Mg\sp{2+}$ sensing two-component signal transduction system required for virulence and survival in macrophages. An ATR analysis was undertaken to determine the role of PhoP and PhoQ in acid tolerance. PhoPQ and RpoS were found to provide partially redundant systems of acid tolerance to protect against inorganic acid. Using a transcriptional reporter, acid shock in the presence of high concentrations of Mg$\sp{2+}$ was shown to induce the PhoPQ regulon, suggesting that both low pH and low Mg$\sp{2+}$ concentrations are inducing signals of PhoPQ. Therefore, survival in environments containing both acid pH and organic acids requires the alternate sigma factor RpoS which controls the expression of several ASPs. However, in the absence of organic acids, either RpoS or the PhoPQ two-component regulatory system can provide acid tolerance.
Past research has established subjective measures of control as predictors of self-reported well-being. The present study assesses the impact of two subjective measures of control, perceived control ...(PC) and desired control (DC), as well as the difference between them (control Disparity) on well-being in two groups of older adults living under different levels of actual control (AC). Residents (ages 62-100) of assisted living facilities completed questionnaires tapping PC, DC, self-esteem, demographic variables, and four well-being measures: the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSI-A), the Affect Balance Scale (ABS), the positive affect index of the ABS (ABS-Pos), and the negative affect index of the ABS (ABS-Neg). Actual control (AC) was operationalized as staff ratings of subjects' degree of independence in performing various daily activities. No significant differences were found in degree of PC or DC reported by subjects in High AC (n = 46) versus Low AC (n = 39) conditions. PC, DC, self-esteem, and subjective health ratings were entered into regression equations for the prediction of the four outcome variables. For the High AC group, PC, along with health ratings and self-esteem, was a significant predictor of LSI-A scores; PC and self-esteem were predictors of ABS; and self-esteem was the only predictor of ABS-Neg. For the Low AC group, no variables entered the predictive equation for LSI-A, but PC emerged as a significant predictor of overall ABS, ABS-Pos (along with health ratings), and ABS-Neg. Disparity was then added to the equations to assess for hypothesized unique effects of this construct. The Disparity variable did not significantly predict any of the outcome measures for the High AC group. Although Disparity, along with DC and PC, did emerge as a significant predictor of LSI-A scores for the Low AC group, these three variables exhibited a relationship with one another that obscured their unique effects in predicting well-being. Implications of these findings are discussed, limitations of the study are acknowledged, and indications for further research in this area are offered.
Plant-microbe interactions often involve the exchange of specific molecular signals. In this study, the possibility that rhizobial polysaccharides may act as specific factors in rhizobia-legume ...symbiosis was addressed. An examination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) function in rhizobia-soybean interaction led to the finding that Rhizobium fredii USDA205 produces previously unreported, cell-associated polysaccharides. One of the newly identified polysaccharides consists of 3-deoxy- scD-manno-2-octulosonic acid (Kdo) and galactose: $\lbrack\to 3) \alpha$- scD-Galp (1 $\to$ 5) $\beta$- scD-Kdop (2$\to\rbrack\sb{\rm n}$. Prior to this, Kdo had only been found in rhizobial LPSs. The regulation of polysaccharide production was also examined: R. fredii cells were cultured in the presence of apigenin, a plant-derived inducer of symbiosis-related R. fredii genes, and host-plant root extract; subsequent analyses demonstrated that these compounds elicited specific modifications in the production of the Kdo-rich polysaccharides. R. meliloti, which is an important subject of rhizobia-legume research and closely related to R. fredii, was also studied, and it was found that R. meliloti AK631 also produces Kdo-rich polysaccharides that are distinct from the LPS. The novel polysaccharides of R. fredii and R. meliloti are structurally analogous to the capsular polysaccharides (K-antigens) of Escherichia coli, which are important bacterial surface factors in the infection of animals. The rhizobial polysaccharides have also been shown to be surface components, and a correlation has been established between the production of the Kdo-rich polysaccharide and the ability of R. meliloti AK631 to infect the host plant. In addition, K-antigen production by strain AK631 was specifically modulated by host root extract. These results suggest a specific molecular exchange between the microsymbiont and the host plant in AK631-alfalfa interaction.
The purpose of this thesis is to determine the types of prehistoric subsistence exploitation and the chronology of prehistoric occupation occurring in the Walker Basin, located in Riverside County, ...California. These sites are then compared to others in a portion of the Santa Rosa Plateau and Temecula Valley. Testing the sites confirms that they are of an ephemeral nature, and there is no evidence supporting prehistoric habitation in the Walker Basin of any permanence, but rather sporadic occupations for brief periods of time. Time sensitive artifacts confirm a late prehistoric occupation during the San Luis Rey I (A.D. 1400-1750) and San Luis Rey II Complexes (A.D. 1750-1850). Food resources from the Walker Basin sites, such as acorns, were most likely collected and processed during an autumn harvesting period, then possibly transported to a village site such as the Cole Canyon Village Complex (CA-Riv-1139), located five miles away.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between ex-spousal interactions following remarriage and the behavioral and emotional adjustment of stepchildren. The subjects for the study ...were volunteers and were recruited for the study either through The PACES Family Counseling Center at The College of William and Mary or through a networking sampling procedure. The study participants included stepchildren between the ages of 8 and 16, and their residential biological parents. Thirty-one stepchild/biological-parent pairs participated in the study by completing a series of questionnaires relevant to ex-spousal interactions and children's adjustment. Ex-spousal interactions were assessed using The Content of Coparental Interactions scale, The Quality of Coparental Communications Scale, and The O'Leary-Porter Overt Hostility Scale. Stepchildren's adjustment was measured using The Revised Behavior Problem Checklist and The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Stepchildren's perceptions of the ex-spousal relationship were assessed using The Children's Perception Questionnaire. Measures of the content and quality of ex-spousal interactions were statistically analyzed to determine if, and to what extent, they were associated with measures of stepchildren's adjustment. Partial correlation procedures were employed to control for the influence of selected demographic variables in the relationships under investigation. Statistically significant correlations were found between ex-spousal conflict and/or hostility and the self-concept and behavioral adjustment of stepchildren. The highest correlations obtained were between stepchildren's perceptions of ex-spousal discord and stepchildren's adjustment measures. The results of the study suggest that ex-spousal interactions are a significant factor in children's adjustment even after parental remarriage and the establishment of a stepfamily system. Findings also suggest that stepchildren's perception of ex-spousal discord may be the key determinant in the effect ex-spousal interactions have on stepchildren's self-concept and behavior. The implications of the significant findings of this study are discussed within the context of Structural Family Therapy Theory.
This dissertation focuses on the functional and evolutionary significance of the glycolytic enzyme phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI), in the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima. The absence of ...independent assortment or recombination between the two PGI electromorph groups in field surveys or in breeding experiments, and the consistent in vitro properties of the isozymes support secondary modification as the cause of the two electromorph groups. Significant PGI genotypic frequency differences were observed between the clonal and the solitary morphs of the anemones. The genotypes common in the clonal form but rare in the solitary form was catalytically inferior in both reaction directions to the other genotypes. The functional differences among the PGI genotypes are consistent with the predictions of a growth model and may provide the basis for natural selection to maintain the PGI variation in nature. A computer model was used to simulate indeterminate growth in the clonal and solitary forms of A. elegantissima. The model computed scope for growth and change in anemone size for a given habitat. The results of the simulations predicted that anemones will be clonal under the habitat conditions that have been observed in Washington, by other studies. Anemones will cease to divide and be solitary if the food availability increases or if energy costs decreases. The results are discussed in the context of the functional properties of the PGI genotypes. Observations of spawning, planula development and feeding behavior in the laboratory, are described for A. elegantissima. Planula were maintained for up to three months. Planula exhibited an immediate and active feeding response. Attempts at inducing planula settlement failed. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine what physical conditions may metabolically stress the anemones in nature. The in vivo concentrations of adenylate nucleotides were determined during physical manipulations of the anemones. Significant decreases in the levels of adenylates were observed during desiccation, column contraction and starvation. The magnitude of the changes in the adenylate levels was far greater than the changes in adenylate energy charge or other adenylate ratios. The usefulness of adenylate ratios as indices of metabolic stress is questionable given these results.
