Digital Commons Network^™

Manipulating Lipolysis To Reduce Fatness And Improve Carcass Composition In Commercial Broilers, Rodney Barnett Ray

Masters Theses

Betaine has been studied as an osmolyte and methyl group donor for many species. Recent studies have found that betaine is able to increase muscle mass and reduce adiposity in meat type broilers birds. In experiment one, eight-hundred Cobb 500 broiler chicks were supplemented with betaine at 0.6 g/kg and 1.2g/kg. Birds had access to feed and water for ad libitum consumption for forty-two, forty-four, and forty-nine days. Birds and feed were weighed weekly. Carcass parameters (dress weight, breast percentage, and leg percentage) were taken at slaughter on days forty- two and forty-nine. Blood was taken at day forty-four to …

Bovine Mammary Interleukin-8 Receptor Expression And Genetic Association With Streptococcus Uberis Based Mastitis., Lydia Jean Siebert

Masters Theses

Mastitis is an economically distressing disease in the dairy industry. Bacterial pathogens enter the gland and encounter cell types that release immune mediators including interleukin (IL)-8. IL-8 has two membrane bound receptors: CXCR1 and CXCR2. CXCR1 and CXCR2 are expressed on neutrophils and other cell types in other species but their expression is unknown in the bovine mammary gland. To test this, mammary tissue samples from six Holstein dairy cows were subject to dual immunofluorescence with bovine specific CXCR1 and CXCR2 antibodies and cell type markers. CXCR1 was expressed on alveolar epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and leukocytes. CXCR2 expression was identified …

Habitat Selection And Nesting Ecology Of Snowy Plover In The Great Basin, Kristen Sue Ellis

Theses and Dissertations

Snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus) are small, ground-nesting shorebirds that are a species of conservation concern throughout North America. Despite increased efforts to understand factors contributing to the decline of snowy plover, little is known about habitat selection and breeding ecology of snowy plover for the large population found in the Great Basin. We tested hypotheses concerning the occupancy and nesting success of snowy plover. First, we identified factors influencing snowy plover nest survival at Great Salt Lake, Utah. We hypothesized that snowy plover would demonstrate differences in nest survival rates across years due to differences in habitat characteristics, predator abundance, …

Developmental Plasticity Of Muscle Cellularity And Swim Performance Of Juvenile Chinook Salmon In Response To Temperature, Dan Dohyung Lim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

I investigated the influence of incubation temperature on muscle development and swim performance in juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). In 2011 and 2012, embryos were incubated at different combinations of temperature (7, 9, 15 °C), before and after the onset of free swimming. High-intensity fixed velocity swim tests were performed to assess anaerobic capacity of juveniles. In 2012, these tests were done at a standardized body size (~40 mm). The mean (least-squares) logged times to fatigue of the 15 °C-incubated fish was higher (0.623 ± 0.049 SE) than the 7 °C-incubated fish (0.435 ± 0.048 SE) even after …

The Envenoming Pandemic And The Misguided Views Of Snakes: Developing Sustainable Relationships Between Native Poisonous Snakes Of India And The Citizens Of Maharashtra Through The Use Of The Irula Model., Destiny Villanueva

Animal Science

Due to its vast population and general negative consensus regarding snakes, India is notorious for having more snakebite incidents than any other country. Snakes are simultaneously revered and feared in Indian religion and culture. This stigma is perpetuated through propaganda, family beliefs, and innate fears of snakes.These stigmas are more pronounced within rural areas, such as the region of Mahad within the state of Maharshtra. Envenoming is endemic in these areas, and others like them. The World Health Organization identified envenoming as one of the most neglected tropical diseases of the 21st century (Nature India, 2013). Additionally, both nonvenomous and …

A Comparison Of Site Fidelity And Habitat Use Of Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) To Evaluate The Performance Of Two Artificial Reefs In South Texas Utilizing Acoustic Telemetry, Andres Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Evaluation of artificial reefs is becoming an increasingly important component of fisheries management. This is particularly true for the northwestern Gulf of Mexico where natural hard substrate is limited and 359 petroleum platforms are scheduled for removal in 2013 due to the “idle iron” policy. This study compared the performance of two artificial reef configurations off the south Texas coast, the Texas Clipper and South Padre Island Near Shore Reefs that differ in material, depth, and distance from shore, with respect to behavior of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, an important recreational and commercial species. Red snapper were implanted with depth …

The Genetic Architecture Of Juvenile Migration In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Benjamin Charles Hecht

Open Access Dissertations

Animal migrations play a critical role in the health and balance of ecological systems and in the evolution and diversification of species, and this is perhaps best displayed amongst salmonid fishes (salmon, trout, and char) who exhibit variation in the propensity to migrate both within and among species. Rainbow and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), members of the salmonid family of fishes, capture this variation throughout their native range. Some populations and ecotypes will remain resident in freshwater habitats throughout their life history; while others have the ability to embark on tremendous marine migrations. Those that migrate undergo a suite of …

Store-Operated Calcium Entry And Its Function During Fertilization In Porcine Eggs, Chunmin Wang

Open Access Dissertations

In a variety of mammalian cells, the depletion of intracellular Ca^{2+ stores leads to Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane though a process known as store-operated Ca2+ entry. It not only plays a critical role in the replenishment of the Ca2+ stores but it is also responsible for the maintenance of long-lasting high intracellular Ca2+ levels and sustaining repetitive Ca2+ oscillations. During fertilization a Ca2+ signal, which can take the form of a single or multiple Ca2+ elevations (depending on the species) is the universal trigger for the egg-to-embryo transition. For sustaining …}

Genes With Physiological Roles In Callipyge Muscle Hypertrophy, Hui Yu

Open Access Dissertations

Callipyge sheep is an excellent model to study genes regulation in muscle growth since the up-regulation of DLK1 and/or RTL1 results in extreme postnatal muscle hypertrophy in loin and hindquarters. DLK1 and/or RTL1 are the primary inducers of muscle hypertrophy due to the inheritance model for the callipyge phenotype. The overall aim of this dissertation is to study the physiological pathways responding to the up-regulation of DLK1 and / or RTL1 in the hypertrophied muscles. Microarray analysis of gene expression identified 375 genes that were differentially expressed in callipyge semimembranosus. Twenty-five transcripts were further verified by quantitative PCR in two …

Notchless Interacts With Multiple Signaling Pathways During Mouse Peri-Implantation Development, Chiao-Ling Lo

Open Access Dissertations

During peri-implantation, the embryo transitions from a suspension environment in the fallopian tubes to an adherent system within the uterus. Successful transition requires maternal and fetal signaling cascades that establish maternal-fetal boundaries. Failure is common, as ~ 25% of all human pregnancies terminate during these steps. A large-scale mutation study in mice produced two mutants (l11Jus1 and l11Jus4) that are excellent models of this transition. l11Jus1 and l11Jus4 contain missense mutations in the Notchless homolog 1 (Drosophila) (Nle1) gene. NLE1 is thought to signal via the canonical NOTCH pathway in vertebrates. Although in invertebrates and lower vertebrates, NOTCH signaling directs …

Gene Expression Life History Markers In A Hatchery And A Wild Population Of Young-Of-The-Year Oncorhynchus Mykiss, Ian D. F. Garrett

Dissertations and Theses

Life history within a single species can vary significantly. Many of these differences are associated with varying environmental conditions. Understanding what environmental conditions cue alternate life histories within a single species has been researched extensively. In salmonid fishes, more than almost any other group, varying environmental conditions give rise to individuals within species that take markedly different life history trajectories.

Oncorhynchus mykissis a species of salmonid native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. This species has two life history forms, anadromous and resident. The anadromous form spends a portion of its life in ocean while the resident life …

The Effects Of Extrinsic And Intrinsic Factors On The Reproductive Biology Of Male Western Bean Cutworm Moths, Striacosta Albicosta (Smith), Jasmine Farhan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Pheromones are important in the mating systems of nocturnal moths as they are relied on to find and/or assess mates. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors have been shown to influence female emission of and male response to pheromones. My thesis focuses on the reproductive biology of males of the western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta, a pest of beans and corn that has recently began expanding its range eastwardly. I conducted a field-based experiment to determine the effects of extrinsic factors on pheromone trap catches. I also conducted laboratory based mating experiments to determine the effect of male age on acceptance …

Testing The Template Hypothesis Of Vocal Learning In Songbirds., Adriana Diez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The auditory forebrain regions NCM and CMM of songbirds are associated with perception and complex auditory processing. Expression of the immediate-early gene ZENK varies in response to different sounds. Two hypotheses are proposed for this. First, ZENK may reflect access to a representation of song memories. Second, ZENK may reflect attention. I tested these hypotheses by measuring ZENK in response to tutored heterospecific or isolate songs compared to non-tutored wild-type song. Young zebra finch females were exposed to different tutoring conditions and later exposed to different playbacks, and the expression of ZENK in CMM and NCM measured. ZENK responses varied …

Modeling The Distribution Of Bobcats And Areas Of Reintroduction For Fisher In The Southern Washington Cascades, Shiloh Michael Halsey

Dissertations and Theses

The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a medium sized member of the mustelid family that once roamed the forests of Washington and whose historic range in the western United States once spread throughout the northern Rocky Mountains, the Cascade and Coast Ranges, and the Sierra Nevada (Carroll, Zielinski, and Noss 1999; Powell 1993, Spencer et al. 2011). Due to pressures from trapping and habitat fragmentation, the abundance of the species in the western United States has decreased dramatically and is thought to be limited to several small, isolated populations. In 2008, fishers were reintroduced to the Olympic Peninsula; however, bobcat (Lynx …

Ccaat/Enhancer-Binding Protein Delta (C/Ebp-Delta) Expression In Antarctic Fishes: Implications For Cell Cycle And Apoptosis, Isaac Martin Sleadd

Dissertations and Theses

Chapter 1: Antarctic fishes are extremely cold adapted. Despite their inability to upregulate heat shock proteins, recent studies have demonstrated a capacity for heat response in these animals. A cDNA microarray study looked at the Notothenioid fish Trematomus bernacchii and revealed heat sensitivities for hundreds of genes, two of which code for members of the CCAAT/Enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family of transcription factors. These molecular switches are best known for their roles in apoptosis, inflammation and cell cycle arrest. This dissertation further elucidates the role of C/EBP-delta in the Antarctic fishes T. bernacchii and Pagothenia borchgrevinki.

Chapter 2: C/EBP-delta is constitutively …

Ecomorphology And Mating Behavior Of Two Species Of Night-Stalking Tiger Beetles, Omus Audouini And O. Dejeanii, Robert Kent Richardson

Dissertations and Theses

Night-stalking tiger beetles (Cicindelinae: Omus) are among the least studied members of the highly diverse Carabid sub-family Cicindelinae, the tiger beetles. Despite populations of Omus being common in the forest floor habitats of the west coast of North America and their conspicuous predatory role within terrestrial arthropod communities, little is known about the biology and ecology of Omus.

Field studies showed that two species of Omus existed in the forested areas of Powell Butte Nature Park, Portland, Oregon, USA: Omus audouiniand O. dejeanii. The co-occurrence of sympatric, and likely syntopic, species allowed for a comparative approach in examining and analyzing …

Evolution Of Acquiescence To Manipulation, Mauricio González-Forero

Doctoral Dissertations

A productive framework to study phenotypic evolution is based on the notion of ``inclusive fitness'', which considers how an individual's phenotype affects the fitness of other individuals. A promising extension of the notion of inclusive fitness is that of the ``extended phenotype'', which considers how an individual's phenotype affects its environment, including the phenotype of other individuals. Affecting another individual's phenotype is sometimes referred to as manipulation (which introduces indirect genetic effects). However, manipulated individuals may evolve resistance to manipulation, possibly reducing or eliminating the manipulated behavior (and the indirect genetic effects). In this dissertation I use mathematical modeling to …

Population Demographics And Genetics Of Spix's Disk-Winged Bat: Insights Regarding Survival, Mate Choice, Gene Flow And Effective Population Size, Michael Buchalski

Dissertations

Simultaneous study of the demographics and genetics of populations are relatively rare within the literature, despite insights their combined use offers regarding the life history, ecology, and evolution of species. Here I take a comprehensive approach, using capture-recapture data, polymorphic microsatellite markers, and various modeling techniques to examine the demographics and genetics of multiple local populations of Spix’s disk-winged bat (Thyroptera tricolor) in southwestern Costa Rica. T. tricolor is a highly gregarious, neotropical bat species known to form kin-based social groups with high retention of offspring of both sexes. The implications of this highly unusual social structure for …

The Effects Of Calcium Concentration And Food Levels On Daphnia, Fawn Goodberry

Biology Theses

Many physiological processes of Daphnia are negatively affected at low calcium concentrations. The concentration of calcium within lake water influences how Daphnia populations will survive and reproduce in natural environments. An experiment was designed to test the effects of calcium concentration and food level on the growth and reproduction of a Daphnia hybrid. Daphnia pulex x Daphnia pulicaria were reared in a soft water medium at three calcium concentrations (2.5mg/L, 1.0mg/L, 0.50mg/L) and high and low food levels (5.6 x 10⁵ and 5.6 x 10⁴ cells of the algae Ankistrodesmus sp.) in a 2 x 3 factorial …

The Effects Of Altering Incubation Temperature On Broiler Chick Hatchability, Chick Quality, Sex Ratio, And Subsequent Performance Under Field Conditions, Abubaker Elmehdawi

All Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of manipulating the incubation temperature during late broiler embryogenesis on hatchability, chick quality, secondary sex ratio, and grow out performance under field conditions. Four experiments were conducted at a commercial hatchery and two setters of 42,240 eggs each were used; one served as control and the other as test with the same physical environment as the control except that thermal stimulation of 0.5o C and 1o C above the optimal incubation temperature were used, in the first two experiments and last two experiments respectively, for 2 h/d from 18 to …

Genetic And Environmental Determinants In The Evolution Of Alternative Mating Strategies In The Sailfin Molly, Poecilia Latipinna (Poeciliidae: Poecilia: Mollienesia), Elizabeth Lange

All Theses

Understanding the genetic and environmental factors responsible for differences in size, morphology and behavior can aid in determining how alternative male mating strategies evolve in natural populations. One important environmental factor is nutrition, as it underlies growth of both body size and morphological traits that are linked to alternative mating strategies in many animals. In sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna , male size is fixed at maturity, highly variable within populations and correlated with dorsal fin morphology and expression of alternative male mating behaviors. Large males with exaggerated dorsal fins use courtship behavior while small males with reduced dorsal fins use …

Effects Of Habitat Enrichment On The Stress Level Of The Sit-And-Wait Predator Sand Boa (Gongylophis Colubrinus), Jose Manuel Cantu Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Conditions in which the animals are housed vary according to animal use. Conditions unfamiliar or unsuited to organisms usually induce stress. Stress is mirrored by a hormone cascade resulting in glucocorticoids. Of the glucocorticoids corticosterone is regarded as the most important. The corticosterone levels of sand boas (Gongylophis colubrinus) were measured under enriched and barren soil and cage features. Enriched soil consisted of enough dirt to allow borrowing. Enriched cage featured consisted of a wooded ball. Barren soil consisted of newspaper as substrate. Barren cage features consisted of plane newspaper. Snakes were subject to treatment for two weeks. No significant …

Individual Behavioral Variation Of Juvenile Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Denning Behaviors And The Role It Plays In Shelter Competition During Habitat Loss, Katherine Heldt

All Theses

Variation in juvenile spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) aggressive and gregarious behaviors may play an important role in structuring population level interactions. Since aggressive and gregarious behaviors were not repeatable and were found to be highly correlated with size, these behaviors were found to be largely driven by a combination of behavioral plasticity and ontogeny. Although larger individuals were found to be the most aggressive and least gregarious individuals, often occupying crevice shelters by themselves, they did not exclude smaller, less aggressive lobsters from crevice shelters. Surprisingly, in shelter limited situations, small, less aggressive individuals were more likely to use dens …

Identification Of Bile Salt Hydrolase Inhibitors, The Promising Alternative To Antibiotic Growth Promoters To Enhance Animal Production, Katie Rose Smith

Masters Theses

Currently there is a global trend to eliminate the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in animal production due to the risk of creating reservoirs of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Previous studies have shown that the ability of AGP to promote growth is highly correlated with a decrease in the activity of bile salt hydrolase (BSH), an enzyme produced by commensal bacteria and whose actions may compromise host lipid metabolism; thus, BSH inhibitors could be a novel AGP alternative. In this study, a recombinant bile salt hydrolase (rBSH) from Lactobacillus salivarius was produced in an E. coli expression system, purified, and …

Evaluating Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Changing Herd Sire Genetics On Arkansas Cow-Calf Operations, Daniel Keeton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research looks at impacts of changing sires, and thus bull genetics, on cow-calf operations of varying land and herd sizes in the state of Arkansas. A 2012 Across-Breed EPD table, adjusted to the Angus breed, was used to estimate breed sire effects on birth weight and weaning weight of the herd's offspring (Kuehn and Thallman 2012a). Together with modified animal performance, the use of 2012 and most recent five- and ten- year Arkansas state average prices, allowed the evaluation of changing herd sires by accounting for breed type and hide color differences in prices. Using a spreadsheet tool that …

Development Of Rapid Detection Methods And Novel Control Measures For Salmonella In Poultry, Si Hong Park

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three research parts: 1) development of rapid detection methods for foodborne pathogens; 2) immune response of chicken cells against Salmonella and bacteriophage P22; 3) evaluation of novel control measures for poultry productions. In order to develop rapid and accurate detection methods for foodborne pathogens, two types of PCR assays were utilized. Three foodborne pathogens included Campylobacter, Escherichia coli and Salmonella in watershed were qualitatively and quantitatively detected by multiplex PCR and qPCR (chapter 2). Since Salmonella species are commonly present in poultry and poultry products as well as most popular foodborne pathogen in …

Characterization Of Host Immune Responses To Eimeria Adenoeides Infection In Turkey Poults, Ujvala Deepthi Gadde

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coccidiosis is a common enteric disease of turkeys that is caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Eimeria. There are about seven species of Eimeria that affect turkeys and of these E. adenoeides is the most pathogenic and commonly recognized. Infection with Eimeria is known to induce a long lasting protective immunity in chickens, but nothing is known regarding the acquisition of immunity to Eimeria in turkeys. The experiments reported here were aimed at investigating the biological and cellular immune response to E. adenoeides in turkey poults under different conditions of exposure. In experiment 1 (Chapter II), 20 …

Turpentine Creek: Arkansas' Refuge, Jacob Paul Bain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this Master's thesis film project was twofold. First, I wanted to explore the problem, huge but relatively unknown, of the ownership of exotic pets in the United States of America. Second, in conjunction with that problem, I wanted to see how Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) approached it and what, as an organization, they do to help resolve this problem locally and nationally. In turn, the film also provides an in-depth look at a very unique refuge in the state of Arkansas. Using my own equipment, I shot and edited a short-form documentary about TCWR. The film …

The Use Of Non-Traditional Technologies To Improve The Efficiency And Sustainability Of Modern Poultry Production, Christopher Pixley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, major driving factors for the animal agriculture industry have been efficiency and profitability. As demand for efficient food production has increased, the industry has focused research efforts on ways to improve the rearing process. Current market demands are requiring the industry to abandon some of the traditional tools it has used to maximize productivity. However, developing alternative technologies are available which may fill the void. Unfortunately, these alternatives are less well-described and the beneficial impacts they can have are not fully understood. As the animal agriculture industry matures it is becoming evident that consumers will continue to demand methods …

Comparison Of Potential Salmonella Portals Of Entry And Tissue Distribution Following Challenge Of Poultry, Gopala Krishna Kallapura Sheshagiri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following studies evaluated our hypothesis that transmission by the fecal-respiratory route may be a viable portal of entry for Salmonella and could explain some clinical impressions of relatively low-dose infectivity under field conditions in relation to the requisite high oral challenge dose that is typically required for infection of poultry through the oral route in laboratory studies. Initial field reports indicating tracheal sampling to be a sensitive tool for monitoring Salmonella infection in commercial flocks, suggested that tracheal contamination could be a good indicator of Salmonella infection under commercial conditions. Further, a usual assumption regarding airborne Salmonella reaching the …