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Mechanisms And Signal Transduction Pathways Involved In Bovine Oocyte Activation, Ammon Hanson Bayles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Being able to create a genetically identical, living replicate of a prized animal sounds impossible. Through advanced scientific methods and the wonders of mother nature it can be accomplished by a process called cloning. In 2003, the USU Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science department and Dr. Kenneth L. White gained world wide recognition when they, along with a team for Idaho, cloned the first equine species.

Cloning certain animals could be very advantageous to the agricultural industry. Prized animals that have died could be cloned, producing the best meat and milk supply. Animals that are sterile or endangered could be …

Factors Influencing Relocation Success Of Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys Parvidens), Rachel Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historic range due to introduced disease, eradication, and habitat destruction. Most of the population lives on private land where animals burrow in lawns and agricultural fields, which keeps this threatened species continually in conflict with landowners. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been relocating prairie dogs from private to public land since the 1970s, but relocations have been largely unsuccessful due to high mortality. Prairie dogs are highly social animals, but they are usually relocated without regard to their family group, or coterie. Coteries typically consist of one reproductive …

Characterization Of The Involvement Of Integrins, Focal Adhesion Kinase, And Phospholipase C Enzymes Endogenous To The Oocyte In Bovine Fertilization And Oocyte Activation, Benjamin Rand Sessions

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Center for Integrated Biosystems (CIB) and Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences (ADVS) Department at Utah State University propose a multi-year molecular study of cattle gamete interactions to improve our basic understanding of fertilization. The CIB and ADVS will utilize existing collaborations in addition to recruiting state and federal funding sources to complete the extensive project.

Various laboratory techniques will be used to discover the molecular players of fertilization in hopes of shedding light on a variety of human infertility issues due to problems at the gamete level. A more complete understanding of fertilization could also lead to the development …

In Vitro And In Vivo Comparison Of The Pathogenicity Of Four Influenza Virus Strains, Brett L. Hurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Influenza viruses cause between 3 and 5 million cases of respiratory infection each year and are responsible for between 250 and 500 thousand deaths. Two avenues for the treatment and prevention of influenza virus infections are vaccination and antiviral chemotherapy. Prevention is largely accomplished through vaccination. While vaccines remain the preferred method for controlling the spread of influenza, antiviral treatment is important for severe infections caused by new and emerging virus strains. Occasionally new viruses emerge to which the population has no previous immunity. Such was the case when the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus appeared in 2009. When new viruses …

Use Of Rumen Modifiers To Manipulate Ruminal Fermentation And Improve Nutrient Utilization And Lactational Performance Of Dairy Cows, Christopher M. Dschaak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of lactation studies reported in this dissertation hypothesized that supplementing different rumen modifiers would have consistent responses on ruminal fermentation and lactational performance under optimal rumen conditions.

The first experiment investigated the influence of magnesium exchanged zeolite on ruminal fermentation and lactational performance. Intake of dry matter (DM), milk yield, milk fat, and feed efficiency were not affected. Milk protein concentration tended (P = 0.15) to be higher for cows fed the zeolite. Ruminal pH tended to increase (P = 0.11) by feeding the sodium bicarbonate or the zeolite.

A second lactation experiment determined …

Productivity Studies Utilizing Recombinant Cho Cells In Stirred-Tank Bioreactors: A Comparative Study Between The Pitch-Blade And The Packed-Bed Bioreactor Systems, Taylor Stephen Hatton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Center for Integrated Biosystems (CIB) at Utah State University proposed to demonstrate the added benefits of bench top stirred-tank bioreactors utilizing the packedbed impeller system in perfusion mode for the production of recombinant proteins. In this study recombinant Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells were utilized for the production of a secreted protein in two bioreactor types: pitched-blade bioreactor operated in batch mode versus packed-bed bioreactor operated in perfusion mode. Our primary objective was to determine whether the packed-bed bioreactor is superior to a traditional pitched-blade bioreactor for the mass production of cell culture protein products. We hypothesize that the …

Assessments Of An Exogenous Proteolytic Enzyme In Beef Steer Diets To Improve Growth Performance And Ruminal Fermentation, Juan Manuel Vera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of adding an exogenous proteolytic enzyme (EPE) on growth performance and ruminal fermentation characteristics of beef steers fed growing and finishing diets containing 30% dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).

In the first experiment, 48 beef steers were divided into two treatments: DDGS diets with and without EPE. Dry matter intake (DMI) was increased (P = 0.02) by the addition of EPE, but neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility was decreased on the growing phase. For the finishing phase, average daily gain ( …

Effects Of Cache Valley Particulate Matter On Human Lung Cells, Todd L. Watterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the wintertime, residents of the Cache Valley are very aware of the poor air quality that occurs during cold-air inversion episodes. If one somehow avoids the radio and television announcements as well as the electronic roadside signs indicating poor air quality and encouraging less driving, one need only to look upward toward the mountains that surround the valley and notice the lack of daytime visibility. This lack of visibility and health warnings are due to particulate air pollution or particulate matter (PM). PM is only one of many types of regulated air pollution but is the one that occurs …