Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-131).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-159).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1996. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [139]-158).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Zürich, 1951. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 84-85).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1963. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [77]-85).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006. / Prepared for: Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology. Bibliography: leaves 134-165.

Age affects the human frame at all levels - from the skin which is ravaged by exposure to ultraviolet light and toxic irritants to the immune system which becomes progressively less responsive to antigenic stimuli. Bacteraemia follows a focal infection and thus any change which results in increased infection will result in an increased chance of bacteraemia. Therefore any factors bearing on focal infection will, of necessity influence not only the possibility but also the severity of a bacteraemia.

Magister Chirurgiae Dentium (MChD) / Background: Lack of appropriate bone thickness is a common clinical limitation for tooth replacement, often requiring narrow implants, which have shown better results when combined with Morse taper connections. Little is known about the sealing of the abutment-implant interface of narrow implants with Morse taper connections against oral bacteria. Aims: To investigate the in vitro ability of four commercially available narrow diameter implant (< 3.5 mm) with Morse-taper type implant abutment connections to impede bacterial penetration of their implant abutment interface (IAI). Material and Methods: Four commercially available narrow implant systems with Morse taper connections were subjected to Streptococcus sanguinis cultures in vitro and evaluated for contamination and microgaps through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Results: Bacterial penetration of the IAI was observed in all systems (n=12), ranging from 65 to >300 CFU. There were no statistically significant differences in the average log CFU between the four implant groups (χ2= 5.244, P=0.155). Microgaps ranging from 5-10 μm were observed in all assemblies when analyzed under SEM, with no statistically significant differences between the different systems (P>0.05). Conclusions: Despite the advantages of Morse taper systems, the evaluated narrow diameter implants using this type of abutment geometry failed to provide bacterial sealing. The observed microgaps can form reservoirs and potentially lead to inflammation in the peri-implant tissues and micromovements.

This study was conducted to determine dynamics of bacterial communities during decomposition and to find out whether the occurrence of bacterial communities was affected by soil and residue types. It was hypothesized that there would be a shift in bacterial community structure during decomposition. Also, distinct microbial communities in different two soils associated with two residues would result in colonization by different microbial taxa. The first hypothesis was based on expected changes in the composition of decomposing residues. The second hypothesis was based on the fact that soil microbial diversity is soil-specific and immense with numerous different functionally redundant but phylogeneticaly different microbial types. Residues with different chemical properties were also expected to affect bacterial community composition, however, its impact would be lesser compared to soil. A 2 x 2 x 4 factorial experiment was conducted consisting of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and rice (Oryza sativa) straw; 2 soil types (Sharkey and Marietta series); and 4 incubation periods (3, 23, 48 and 110 days). Clone libraries of the bacterial communities were constructed from the detritusphere (residues and adhering soil). Non-metric multidimensional scaling of the detritusphere communities showed distinct separation of the communities at day 3 which coincided with high levels of cellulase enzyme activity and reduction of soluble carbon. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Availability of labile carbon appeared to be important in driving bacterial community succession at early stage of colonization. During the later stages of decomposition (day 23-110), bacterial communities were segregated into two groups according to soil type. Although important, this segregation was relatively small compared to the community-level similarities observed between the soils and residues. For example, 16 of the 22 most abundant OTU's, dominated by a-,b- and style='fontamily:Symbol'>g- Proteobacteria, Bacilli and Shingobacteria, were shared among all soil and residue treatments indicating that residue decomposition is carried out by few key-player taxa. These results run counter to our hypothesis and suggest that decomposition process may be mediated by certain domineering bacterial taxa which occur at the later stage of decomposition. Further research is needed to determine whether key functional ecosystem processes are dominated by only a few taxa despite taxonomically hyper-diverse soils.

Virginia ranks third in fresh market staked tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) production with approximately 1,659 hectares on the Eastern Shore. Estimated annual gross value is $30,800,000. Copper and chlorothalonil have long been considered essential to control bacterial and fungal diseases in fresh market tomatoes. High rates of these fungicides on tomatoes grown under plastic mulch have led to concerns about their potential adverse effect on water quality in estuaries adjacent to fields. The development of new fungicides, such as azoxystrobin and acibenzolar-S-methyl, which have more favorable environmental fate characteristics and are used at much lower rates, may provide viable alternatives to copper and chlorothalonil. Using a disease forecasting system, such as Tomcast, may reduce the number of applications of fungicides. The research objectives of this study were to reduce the amount of copper and chlorothalonil used in fresh market tomato production and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tomcast disease forecasting system for controlling fungal leaf diseases on the Eastern Shore. Field studies compared copper to acibenzolar-S- methyl for bacterial diseases caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Research plots were established in a randomized complete block design with four replications in grower fields and at the Eastern Shore Agricultural Research & Extension Center. Acibenzolar proved to be as effective as the standard copper bactericides in controlling bacterial spot. Acibenzolar provided better control than the standard copper bactericides when bacterial speck was the target disease. Azoxystrobin application alternated with maneb was evaluated as a replacement for chlorothalonil. Azoxystrobin and Tomcast were studied as tools to reduce chlorothalonil use for control of Alternaria solani. Tomcast can reduce the number of applications by 40-70 % per year and provide adequate control of early blight. Azoxystrobin provides better control of early blight than chlorothalonil. Use of these new, more environmentally compatible, plant-protection products , along with the Tomcast disease forecasting system, can significantly reduce or eliminate the need to use copper and chlorothalonil for tomato disease management and therefore eliminate them as potential pollutants of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean estuaries. / Master of Science