A comparative study on the age changes in rat skeletal muscle tissue was performed using rats of different ages. The gastrocnemius muscle from rats of 3, 6, and 22 months of age was removed and examined for the presence of Type I fibers. Myosin ATPase histochemistry was used to differentiate between Type I and Type II fibers. A count of the number of Type I fibers in the entire gastrocnemius was made using fiber maps obtained from the stained muscle samples. The total number of fibers in some of the muscle samples was also determined.The results indicated a steady decline in the total number of muscle fibers from the ages of 3 to 22 months. With the exception of the 6 month group, the number of Type I fibers remained fairly constant. However, there was a definite increase in the percentage of Type I fibers found in the 22 month rats. An increase in the diameter of the muscle fibers in the 22 month rats was also observed.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relative importance of strength and anaerobic lactate metabolism to swimming performance. Although strength has been shown to play an integral part in swim performance, its development is not clearly understood.In addition, the emphasis to be placed on strength vs. anaerobic lactate utilization was examined in the various acre groups.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Factors influencing the distribution of Volvox spp. in 41 ponds of the Lake Itasca region, Minnesota, were investigated from May 25 through July 14, 1980. Twenty-two ponds had Volvox populations. The three species of Volvox found were: V. aureus Ehr., V. globator L. and V. tertius Meyer. Usually only one species was present in a pond with rare co-occurrence of two species. Only two of the 41 ponds contained two Volvox species simultaneously for a short time.Group comparison tests of ponds with and without Volvox showed three parameters to be significant (P > 0.05 level). Mean total phosphorus was higher in ponds with Volvox (x = 1.75 uM/1) than without (x = 0.95 uM/1). Mean temperature (20.4°C versus 21.8°C) and mean pH calculated from H+ concentrations (6.32 versus 6.76) were both lower in ponds with Volvox than in ponds without. Field observations of one pond revealed a patchy distribution of V. globator related to macrophyte abundance. Laboratory investigations confirmed that V. globator colonies orient to the aquatic moss Drepanocladus revolvens.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Ball State University LibrariesLibrary services and resources for knowledge buildingMasters ThesesThere is no abstract available for this thesis.

Microbial action on particulate chitin was analyzed in an eastcentral Indiana borrow pit lake. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of water depth, particle size, mesh size of nylon bag containing chitin, and season on the decomposition process. The majority of chitinolytic bacteria isolated were classified as actinomycetes and pseudomonads. Results indicate that the sediment-water interface is the most active site of chitin mineralization in the lake environment. The samples seeded during summer showed the fastest rate of decomposition with greater than 50% weight loss after two weeks and greater than 95% weight loss after 7 weeks incubation in situ. The highest rate of decomposition (43.6 mg/g/day) occurred during this period. Samples seeded during the spring showed considerably slower activity with only a 25`o weight loss after 9 weeks incubation in situ. Fall samples showed a 30% weight loss after 9 weeks incubation in situ. The rate of degradation was highly correlated with water temperature. Significantly higher rates were-.noted with smaller particle size but no significant difference was evidenced with varying mesh size fran 10 to 100 in. The majority of chitinolytic bacteria isolated were Gram negative; Pseudanonas, Chranobacterium, Flavobacterium, and Serratia spp. Gram positive organisms showing chitin hydrolysis were predominantly actinomycetes. An active chitinolytic culture of Pseudcmonas sp. was used for enzyme studies. This culture was purified using (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, anion exchange chromatography and hydroxylapatite chromatography.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Ball State University LibrariesLibrary services and resources for knowledge buildingMasters ThesesThere is no abstract available for this thesis.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of ozone treatments on the production of methane from three samples of native cellulose. Ozone has been used to increase hydrolysis of native cellulose but not in conjunction with methane generation studies. One sample was not treated with ozone to serve as a control, while the second sample was treated with 0.1 ppm ozone and third sample was treated with 1.0 ppm ozone. The gas chromatographic measurements of methane from each sample was used to determine the effectiveness of ozone.The difference in methane production between the three sample means was analyzed by the Analysis of Varience test. The analysis of the mean methane data from the three samples were significantly different from each other and based upon this analysis, it was concluded that ozone was effective. However, as the study proceeded the methane production of the treated samples was converging. Thus, it was suggested that further research using ozone concentration levels between 0.1 ppm and 1.0 ppm should be tested to determine the optimal ozone level needed for the enhancement of methane production from a cellulosic source.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The methylation of specific gene sites is thought to play a controlling role in gene expression in microorganisms, higher plants, and animals. The relationship between methylation of DNA and gene expression has been well documented in microorganisms and animals; however, the regulatory role of methylation in higher plants has remained relatively unresearched. The focus of this study was to investigate fluctuations in DNA methylation during the early development of the pea (Piston sativum).Pea seeds were grown for 12 days (in Vermiculite) in a growth chamber. Duplicate samples of 30 seedlings were harvested daily. The samples were pulse-labeled with S-adenosyl-L-methionine-C3H3 for 10 hr. The labeled methyl group was allowed to be incorporated into the DNA as the samples continued to grow and differentiate. The methyltransferase action was stopped by freezing.DNA was then extracted, purified, and quantitated. Included in the analysis was the quantitation of RNA. The methylation was quantitated through liquid scintillation spectroscopy.Analysis of the fluctuations in the methylation of nucleic acids, over the growth period of seedling differentiation, was done. Methylated DNA was quantitated based on a comparison of radioactivity in extracted DNA minus the radioactivity' attributed to the extracted RNA. Fluctuations in methylation of DNA correlated to the growth patterns observed in the pea seedlings. This study supported the current hypothesis that differentiation in plants may be the result of methylated DNA masking the expression of selective genes. The results suggested that methyl group alterations on RNA follow the DNA pattern and may also play a significant role in gene expression.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Roads and parking lots make up the largest percentage of manmade impervious surfaces in the world. Large amounts of runoff contribute to wastewater treatment plant overloads and subsequent raw sewage discharges. A high runoff rate reduces the groundwater recharge potential, causes stream bed erosion, and flooding which frequently results in the loss of life, property and /or crop damage. High runoff rates also cause surface pollutants to be washed into storm sewers, streams and other waterways, causing damage to aquatic plant and animal life. Pourous pavements are one of the tools which environmental engineers, landscape architects and planners may use in design for stormwater management to help reduce runoff.Previous investigators have assumed that compressed concrete block unit pavements, on a sand bed and gravel base, with sand joints, become impermeable over time. This study sought to determine the runoff coefficient for a trafficked pavement that has been in use for ten months. A Variable Intensity Portable Rain Simulator was used in 120 tests on nine plots from a pedestrian plaza and three plots from an intersection of a neighborhood outlet and a city street, paved with Unidecor (or Cobble-) Pavers. Three rainfall intensity ranges were tested for each pavement type; 0 to 7 millimeters per hour, 7 to 15 millimeters per hour, and 15 to 30 millimeters per hour. For storms with an intensity level of twelve millimeters per hour average, the runoff coefficient on the plaza was significantly different than that for the intersection. Additionally, it was found that for the three intensity ranges tested the runoff was significantly different for each range.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Guanidine-stable chymoelastase (GUSCE), a component of the protease mixture known as Pronase, has been shown to be stable and active under conditions which denature and inactivate most proteins. In the absence of denaturant, this enzyme has shown proteolytic specificity for phenylalanyl, tyrosyl, and leucyl peptide bonds. In the presence of denaturant, however, the cleavage specificity has not been defined.In order to determine the effects of denaturant on the cleavage specificity of GUSCE, six small peptides of known amino acid sequence were hydrolyzed by GUSCE in the presence and absence of 6.OM guanidinium chloride. The site of GUSCE cleavage was acertained by dansylation of the new N-terminal amino acids, which were produced by proteolysis, followed by thin layer chromatographic identification of the resulting dansylated amino acids.The results indicate that GUSCE catalyzed the hydrolysis of phenylalanyl and tyrosyl peptide bonds in the absence as well as the presence of 6.OM guanidinium chloride. Of the tyrosyl and phenylalanyl peptide bonds hydrolyzed, all were between non-terminal amino acids, which illistrates the endo-peptidase characteristics of GUSCE. With one exception, only those peptide bonds cleaved by GUSCE in the absence of denaturant were cleaved in the presence of denaturant. In the case of oxytocin, the presence of denaturant was actually required for the cleavage of the Tyr(2)-Ile(3) peptide bond. The demonstrated predictablilty of GUSCE cleavage in the presence of denaturant should greatly enhance its utility in the sitespecific proteolysis of insoluble or otherwise proteolysisresistant protein substrates.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306