The species concept in Pholiota, stirp Adiposa Smith and Hesler, has been investigated by applying electrophoretic techniques to isolates that have previously been examined for their morphology and mutual mating compatibility. Crude protein extracts of soluble proteins from mycelium grown in liquid shake culture were used to obtain general protein patterns and zyrnograms of esterases, (alphanaphthylamidases), phenoloxidases (laccases and tyrosinases), and peroxidases on polyacrylamide gels. Harvesting of different isolates for protein extraction was carried out at comparable stages of development using dry weight determinations and respiration studies as criteria. Peroxidase and phenoloxidase zyrnograms showed wide areas of activity and no distinct banding patterns were attained. Esterase zymograms displayed characteristics that made it possible to arrange the studied isolates in separate groups, but this classification did not completely follow results from the previous work. The chemotaxonomic approach to the species complex of P. aurivella (Fr.) and P. limonella (Pk.) Sacc. showed that the species are closely related and cannot clearly be separated in this way. / Master of Science

The feasibility of ensiling swine waste (primarily feces) with ground orchardgrass hay or with ground corn grain was determined by mixing and ensiling the following proportions of each (as is basis): 80:20, 70;30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70 and 20:80. In the swine waste-orchardgrass hay trials, good fermentation occurred in the 40:60 through 60:40 mixtures as determined primarily by pH and lactic acid. Bacteria and total coliform numbers decreased and fecal coliforms were completely destroyed. In a sheep metabolism trial, organic matter digestibility was similar in 40:60 and 60:40 swine waste~orchardgrass hay silages and in orchardgrass hay fed alone, but was higher (P<.05) in an orchardgrass hay plus soybean meal diet. Crude protein digestibility was higher (P<.05) in the orchardgrass hay plus soybean meal diet than any of the other diets. Nitrogen retention was negative (P<.05) for sheep fed the silages. Organic matter digestibility of the swine waste calculated by difference was over 60 percent, In the sheep palatability trial, dry matter intake was similar between the diets. Ina swine palatability trial, dry matter intake decreased as swine waste-orchardgrass hay silages were substituted for the basal diet at levels of 25 and 50% of the dry matter. In the swine waste-ground corn trials, mixtures containing more than 30% waste exhibited good fermentation characteristics. Ensiling reduced the total bacteria numbers and completely destroyed all coliform bacteria. In a sheep metabolism trial, digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, organic matter, and NFE increased linearly CP<.01) as 20 and 40% of the 40:60 and 60:40 silages were substituted for a basal diet composed of 50% of a 14% protein corn-soybean meal mixture and 50% mixed hay. Nitrogen retention (percent of absorbed) decreased linearly for diets containing the 60:40 silage (P<.05). In the sheep palatability trial dry matter intake was greatest (P<.01) for the basal with either 20% of the 60:40 silage or 40% of the 40:60 silage. In the swine metabolism trial, digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein decreased as 25 and 50% of the 40:60 and 60:40 swine waste-ground corn silages were substituted for a basal 14% crude protein corn-soybean meal diet. Fecal nitrogen excretion was higher (P<.01) and nitrogen retention lower in swine fed diets containing the silages. In the swine palatability trial, dry matter intake was not different between diets. Swine waste was successfully ensiled with either orchardgrass hay or ground corn grain. Ensiling was an effective way to destroy many potential pathogens. Diets containing these silages were fed to both ruminants and nonruminants. The high levels of fiber in the swine waste-orchardgrass hay silages had an adverse effect on acceptability by nonruminants, but not ruminants. Ruminants and nonruminants both consumed adequate amounts of the swine wasteground corn silages for maintenance. / Ph. D.

A balanced density slurry-packing apparatus was developed and used to pack sixteen HPLC columns having different lengths and internal diameters with 10 µm Lichrosorb Sl-100. The evaluation of these columns led to several conclusions: the column efficiency, expressed in plates per meter, is a function of the ratio of column internal diameter to column length and increases as this ratio increases; a new definition for preparative efficiency, Time Yield Factor (TYF), is proposed. This factor differentiates among HPLC columns with different lengths and internal diameters using samples of the same volume and concentration; the column that showed the highest TYF value was used for the preparative separation and identification of three positional isomers of high molecular weight (634): 3,4-di(p-bromophenyl)-1,2,5-triphenylcyclo-2,4-pentadien-1-methyl ether; 2,3-di(p-bromophenyl )-1,4,5-triphenylcyclo-2,4-pentadien-1-methyl ether; and 1,2-di(p-bromophenyl )-3,4,5-triphenylcyclo-2,4-pentadien-1-methyl ether, obtained in the synthesis work. / Ph. D.

M.S.

Thesis (M.S.)--Joint Program in Oceanography and Oceanographic Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), June 1996. / "May 1996." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-68). / This thesis details two years of research conducted with the guidance and support of three advisors: Dr. J. K. Whelan, Dr. J. S. Seewald and Dr. T. I. Eglinton. Each of the three chapters represents a different, self-contained research project. All of the projects are related to the organic geochemistry of marine sediments, however, this is a fairly encompassing area of study. Chapters 1 and 2 stem from the same experimental study -- the use of hydrous-pyrolysis to investigate mechanisms leading to the production of petroleum-related products during kerogen maturation. Chapter 3, on the other hand, utilizes a recently developed technique of isolating and AMS-14C dating individual compounds from complex sedimentary organic mixtures. The samples used in each investigation came from all over the world. The first two chapters utilize ancient marine sediment samples obtained from an outcrop in California (Chpts. 1 and 2) and from a well in Alabama (Chpt. 2). In contrast, recent marine sediment samples were obtained from the Arabian and Black Seas for the third chapter. Several preparative and analytical methods are common to all three studies. Nevertheless, each employ techniques totally unique from one another and from previous investigations. In Chapter 1, for example, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) is used to determine the speciation of organic sulfur present in kerogen, bitumen, and bulk sediment samples. While Chapter 3 represents the first study in which the "4C ages of individual, known hydrocarbon biomarkers are determined after isolation by Preparative Capillary Gas Chromatography (PCGC). The insights gained by these investigations are discussed in detail in the following chapters. The common thread between the three chapters is that the source of organic matter, the rate at which it is delivered to marine sediments and the depositional environment, all set the stage for kerogen formation and eventual petroleum generation. / by Bryan C. Benitez-Nelson. / M.S.