Digital Commons Network^™

Insights Into The Etheostoma Spectabile Species Complex: Incongruence Between Mitochondrial And Nuclear Gene Sequence Data, Christen M. Bossu

Masters Theses

Hybridization is recognized as an evolutionary process that can provide a significant source of genetic variation and whose genetic consequences have been investigated across a wide taxonomic range of plants and animals. Darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) are a clade with documented interspecific hybridization and many species with a recent evolutionary origin, yet most molecular phylogenetic analyses of darters to date have relied primarily on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. Inferring relationships within and between closely related species using a single locus gene tree is potentially confounded by introgression as well as retention of ancestral polymorphisms. This can lead to incongruence between the …

Occurrence Of Antibiotic Resistance In Environmental And Amphibian E. Coli Isolates Associated With Cattle And Aquatic Environments, Robin Lynn Cissell

Masters Theses

The widespread use of antibiotics in human medicine and livestock production has been linked to an increase in resistant bacteria, which may carry transferable resistance factors, including integrons. Foodborne pathogens, such as Escherichia coli and salmonella, commonly reside in livestock, including cattle, and these pathogens may acquire resistance genes as a result of routine antibiotic use. As cattle are often located in close proximity to aquatic environments, they may disperse antibiotic resistant pathogens into such environments, which may lead to contamination of aquatic wildlife. We hypothesize that class 1 integrons and/or antibiotic resistant bacteria occur more frequently in environments with …

Bmp Adoption In Two East Tennessee Watersheds, Michael Barrowclough

Masters Theses

Voluntary adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) has been the foundation among many environmental conservation programs geared towards non-point source pollution. While farmers view BMPs as being both appropriate and problematic, there remain many constraints to BMP adoption on the farm. The objective of this research was to determine the criteria beef and dairy producers used in their decision making process on whether or not to adopt a given BMP or set of BMPs in the Pond Creek and Oostanaula Creek watersheds located in East Tennessee. Results are presented of exploratory sociological research designed to better understand how farmers select …

Cultivation Of Phylogenetically Diverse And Metabolically Novel Atrazine Degrading Soil Bacteria Using Bio-Sep® Beads, Emily Catherine Martin

Masters Theses

The s-triazine herbicide atrazine is among the most widely used herbicides worldwide. The human health effects of atrazine exposure remain unclear, but atrazine and its metabolites appear to cause developmental abnormalities in amphibians. A mounting body of knowledge concerning the ecology of atrazine degradation suggests the current collection of microorganisms and genetic biomarkers of atrazine degradation cannot accurately predict the natural attenuation of atrazine. To this end, a novel in situ enrichment approach using highly porous, atrazine-impregnated Bio-Sep® beads was employed to isolate a taxonomically diverse group of atrazine-degrading bacteria from soil and wetland environments in Tennessee and Ohio. The …

The Effects Of Pathogen Infection On Nitrogen Remobilization In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Michelle Ann Boercker

Masters Theses

The natural enemies of plants are ubiquitous and can reduce plant fitness. Plants have evolved two defense strategies to ameliorate the fitness cost associated with natural enemy attack. The first strategy, resistance, reduces the frequency and/or severity of natural enemy damage. The second strategy, tolerance, attenuates the fitness cost of natural enemy damage. Very little is known about the traits through which tolerance is manifested, particularly with respect to plant-pathogen systems (pathosystems). Diseased and naturally senescing leaves are often similar in their visible symptoms and molecular activities, suggesting that they may involve similar processes. One process that may be shared …

The Effects Of Processing On Hydrophilic Antioxidant Capacity Of Black Beans, Elizabeth Roberson Mcgee

Masters Theses

Dry, uncooked black beans have been found to contain a significantly high amount of antioxidants compared to many other foods. There is little information available on the influence of thermal processing on antioxidant capacity of foods. The antioxidant capacity, reported in μmol Trolox Equivalents per gram of uncooked, blanched, or retorted black beans was evaluated using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. A boiling water blanch of black beans for 30, 60 or 90 sec resulted in a 33% reduction in antioxidant capacity compared to uncooked beans. There was no significant difference among antioxidant capacity of beans blanched for …

Horizontal Gene Transfer To Bacteria Of An Arabidopsis Thaliana Abc Transporter That Confers Kanamycin Resistance In Transgenic Plants, Kellie Parks Burris

Masters Theses

The use of antibiotic resistance markers is an important tool in the production and selection of transgenic plants. There have been increased concerns about the potential horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from transgenic plants to bacteria of medical and environmental importance. Until recently all antibiotic resistance genes used in transgenic studies have been bacterial in origin. An Arabidopsis thaliana ABC transporter, Atwbc19, was the first plant gene shown to confer kanamycin resistance when overexpressed in transgenic plants. The Atwbc19 gene was evaluated for its ability to transfer antibiotic resistance to Escherichia coli, which are found in the human gut and environment. …

Evaluation Of Socioeconomic Characteristics Of Farmers Who Choose To Adopt A New Type Of Cropand Factors That Influence The Decision To Adopt Switchgrass For Energy Production, Pamela C. Ellis

Masters Theses

Evaluating farmers’ perceptions and obtaining feedback about the adoption of a new crop is necessary for improving the efficiency of research, technology exchange, and information flow to policymakers. New technology has created new uses for non- traditional crops (such as switchgrass) as a sustainable source of energy. With new technology utilizing non-traditional crop uses, it is important to discern and understand the determinants of farmers’ behavior and attitudes toward new crop adoption rather than new technology adoption. Farmers must analyze financial and social costs and benefits of new crops, farming practices, and economic activities. Better understanding of the factors farmers …

Associations Of Subjective Social Status And Perceived Stress To Dietary Behaviors In College Students, Eriko M. Grover

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship that subjective social status indicators and perceived stress share with unhealthy diet behaviors. A total of 898 incoming freshmen students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) completed a web-based survey as part of a pilot study prior to their arrival at the UTK. Two versions of the Subjective Social Status (SSS) scale were used to assess incoming freshmen’s perceptions of social standing in their high school environment and in a larger societal context. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess stress. Diet was analyzed by assessing frequency …

Established Predators Of Fiorinia Externa Ferris (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) On Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis (L.) Carriere) In Urban And Forest Sites, Christine Ann Lynch

Masters Theses

A project was initiated in September 2004 to determine the indigenous predators of Fiorinia externa Ferris, the elongate hemlock scale (EHS), on eastern hemlock and their impact on the pest populations. Branch samples were taken monthly from four sites (two forest and two urban) in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina to assess predator damage from October 2004 to April 2006. Predators of this exotic pest were collected from beat sheet samples from September 2004 to May 2006. Laboratory tests were conducted from field-collected predators to assess food consumption, feeding behavior, and intraguild competition among predators of EHS. From field …

Occupancy Of Small Mammals On Private Lands In The Emory/ Obed Watershed, Tennessee, Carrie Hedio Salyers

Masters Theses

The Emory/Obed watershed of the Cumberland Plateau area of Tennessee is an important area for wildlife conservation and has recently been subjected to land-use changes. This study was conducted to determine if occupancy of selected mammalian species was affected by land-use and habitat characteristics, and to provide baseline data before further land-use changes occur in the region. Small mammal trapping was conducted in a total of 132 sample sites from June through August in 2002, 2003, and 2004 using live traps. A total of 11 mammalian species was trapped. Three species were trapped in sufficient numbers to evaluate occupancy and …

Consumer Perceptions Of Branded Beef Products, Leslie Erin Williams

Masters Theses

This study examined consumer perceptions of branded beef products. Research was conducted to determine what motivates consumers to purchase branded beef products. In addition, this study focused on consumer perceptions of quality, risk, added value, credibility and loyalty toward both branded beef products in general and branded beef products when compared to non-branded beef products.

A self-developed question guide was used as a guide for the focus group and the in-depth interviews. This study entailed one focus group with nine participants and nine one-on-one in-depth interviews.

The majority of participants in this study held a positive impression of branded beef …

Probing Precursor Interactions With The Chloroplast Import Apparatus, Sarah Jean Wright

Masters Theses

The majority of plastid proteins are nuclear-encoded and imported post-translationally. A cleavable N-terminal extension, the transit peptide, targets these preproteins to the plastid. Transit peptides show very little primary sequence homology, yet are able to direct the precursor protein to interact with the protein components of the translocation complexes located within the inner and outer membranes of the chloroplast. In this study, a semi-conserved motif of the transit peptide, (F/W)(P/G)h(R/K) has been targeted for deletion in order to probe its importance. Two corresponding regions were deleted in the transit peptide of the precursor to the small subunit of Rubisco (prSSU) …

The Effects Of Hiking Poles On Performance And Physiological Variables During Mountain Climbing, Rachel Louise Duckham

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to compare performance when hiking with and without poles during a maximal effort mountain ascent. In addition, the study determined if there were differences in physiological responses, such as heart rate, estimated energy expenditure, and blood lactate accumulation. 15 physically active men and women (mean age 29±6) hiked with and without walking poles up a 4-km trail ( 426-meter elevation gain). Performance was determined by the time taken to reach the top of the mountain. In addition, differences in physiological variables including heart rate (HR), estimated energy expenditure (EE), and blood lactate accumulation …

A Shelf-To-Basin Examination Of Food Supply For Arctic Benthic Macrofauna And The Potential Biases Of Sampling Methodology, Rebecca Pirtle-Levy

Masters Theses

Macrofaunal samples (benthic fauna) and sediment samples were collected in association with the sampling programs of the Bering Strait Environmental Observatory (BSEO; Cooper et al. 2006, see http://arctic.bio.utk.edu/) during the summer of 2003 and 2004 and the Western Arctic Shelf-Basin Interactions (SBI; Grebmeier and Harvey 2005, see http://sbi.utk.edu for further information) during the spring (May-June) and summer (July-August) of 2004. Benthic measurements of sediment chlorophyll a, grain size, total organic carbon, C/N ratios, and macroinfaunal community composition were measured on the shelf, slope and basin of the region. The current study focuses on sediment chlorophyll a inventories of surface …

The Viability Of The Economy Of Oromia: A Point Of Departure, Harwood David Schaffer

Masters Theses

The Oromo, an oppressed, colonized, ethno-national group within Ethiopia, are engaged in a struggle to achieve full political and economic participation within a national entity. Given an undernourishment rate approaching 50 percent and an agriculture which provides a means of livelihood for 80 percent of the labor force, any future leadership will have to address the interrelated issues of agriculture and economy. An examination of production numbers indicates that an independent Oromia would not be at an agricultural disadvantage when compared with remaining as a participating entity within the present boundaries of Ethiopia.

Policies directed toward overcoming undernutrition cannot be …

Comparison Of Transverse And Sagittal Otolith Sectioning For Aging Wild Rainbow Trout From East Tennessee Streams, Reggie Eric Sawyers

Masters Theses

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are important sport fish that contribute to the economy and tourism in East Tennessee. Reliable aging techniques are needed to obtain accurate knowledge of their growth and productivity, which is necessary for making proper management decisions. Scales have historically been used for aging rainbow trout, but recent studies indicate that ages obtained from otoliths are more accurate. Preparing transverse otolith sections for aging is costly and time-consuming. Sagittal otolith sectioning is a more efficient alternative to transverse sectioning. Sagittal otolith sectioning has been examined for aging wild rainbow trout from the Southern Appalachians, but …

Tennessee's Kenaf Market Potential As A Feedstock In The Production Of Paper, Gerry Solano Avila

Masters Theses

The goal of this study was to assess the production feasibility and market potential of using kenaf as a feedstock for paper production in Tennessee. This thesis 1) evaluates the potential for growing this crop in Tennessee by comparing the cost and return and the break-even price for kenaf with soybean, corn, cotton and wheat, 2) identifies potential suitable production areas in the state of Tennessee, 3) analyzes the marketing opportunities that could have developed for kenaf at a price that growers would be willing to produce it, 4) identifies potential kenaf marketing structure and marketing channels, and 5) identifies …

Measuring Cell Surface Elasticity On Enteroaggregative Escherichia Coli 042 Wild Type And Dispersin Mutant By Atomic Force Microscopy, Melissa Aline Beckmann

Masters Theses

Enteroaggregative Escherichi coli (EAEC) 042 is a pathogenic strain of E.coli that produces a severe diarrhea in humans. A mutant of EAEC 042 that does not produce dispersin, a cell surface protein, is not pathogenic. It has been proposed that dispersin imparts a positive charge to the bacterial cell surface allowing the bacteria to colonize on the negatively charged intestinal mucosa. However, physical properties of the bacterial cell surface, such as rigidity, may be influenced by the presence of dispersin and may contribute to pathogenicity. Using the system developed in our laboratory for mounting and imaging bacterial cells by atomic …

Development Of Cmeabc Efflux Pump- Based Intervention Strategies Against Campylobacter, Ad'lynn Leigh Ensminger

Masters Theses

CmeABC, a multidrug efflux pump, contributes to Campylobacter resistance to a broad spectrum of antimicrobial agents and is also essential for Campylobacter colonization by mediation of bile resistance. We hypothesize that inhibition of CmeABC will not only control antibiotic resistance but also increase the susceptibility of Campylobacter to in vivo bile salts, consequently decreasing the colonization level of Campylobacter. Using both in vitro and in vivo systems, we examined the effect of an efflux pump inhibitor (EPI) MC-207,110 on the susceptibility of Campylobacter to various antimicrobials. Presence of the EPI resulted in 2- to 2048-fold reduction in the MICs …

Determining Wear Tolerance Of Turfgrass Species For Athletic Fields In The Transition Zone, Jordan Rhea Goddard

Masters Theses

A study to evaluate the performance of four different turfgrass varieties under simulated athletic field traffic in the transition zone was conducted in Tennesseeand Arkansas. ‘Thermal Blue’ hybrid bluegrass (Poa arachnifera Torr. x P. pratensis L.) has been introduced as a bluegrass variety bred for increased heat and drought tolerance. This variety provides a possible alternative to bermudagrass varieties in transition zone athletic fields. ‘Thermal Blue’ was compared to common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.) varieties ‘Riviera’ and ‘Quickstand’ and the hybrid bermudagrass (C. dactylon L. Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burt-Davy) variety ‘Tifway’. Each turfgrass species was …

Genetic Characterization Of The Hypertriglyceridemia And The Related Traits In Obese Diabetic Tallyho/Jngj Mice, Hyoung Yon Kim

Masters Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form of human diabetes, accounting for approximately 90% of cases and often coexists with obesity. Elevated triglyceride levels and small dense low density lipoprotein particles and reduced high density lipoprotein cholesterol constitute diabetic dyslipidemia. Diabetic patients often develop hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) at the early stage of the disease, before the onset of overt hyperglycemia (diabetes). It is well-established that genetic factors significantly influence the onset of HTG, yet no susceptibility genes for common forms of HTG have been identified in human populations to date.

TALLYHO/JngJ (TH) mice are a newly established inbred …

Lipodysregulation And Type 2 Diabetes In Tallyho/Jng Mice, Ola Abdelmoniem Mostafa

Masters Theses

The prevalence of reported diabetes was 2.9 times higher in overweight than in non-overweight persons as proved by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) data. The majority of individuals with type 2 diabetes develop insulin resistance associated with overall obesity. Several lines of evidence indicate that many of the metabolic derangements associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes originate from dysregulation of lipid metabolism.

TALLYHO/Jng (TH) mice are a newly established inbred polygenic model for obesity and type 2 diabetes. These mice are characterized by insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, diabetes (males) obesity, and dyslipidemia including hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). TH …

An Examination Of Relationships Between Direct Government Payments In Agriculture And Farm Vulnerability In Iowa And Tennessee, Brad Christopher Robbins

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine farms’ dependence on federal United States agricultural subsidies in Iowa and Tennessee. As subsidies and their distribution are continually debated, this research considers the effects on farm enterprises if subsidies had not been distributed in 1996, 2000, and 2003. This is achieved by first developing a classification system for farm enterprises in the two states. The classification system that is used segregates farms into modal groups based on land ownership arrangement and solvency class. Quartiles are used to differentiate land ownership arrangement (i.e. the percentage of operated land owned.) Four solvency classes …

Measuring Effects Of Housing Densities On Property Values Using Locally Weighted Regression, Alexander Webber Young

Masters Theses

The objective of this study is to determine spatial differences in the marginal values of housing density and their implications for housing development projects. In order to achieve this objective, the values households place on neighborhood density were measured using locally weighted regression in a hedonic housing-price framework. The neighborhood housing density coefficient in the global model confirms the positive and significant value of lower neighborhood density. The spatial distribution of the housing density marginal effects from the local model shows the variation of site-specific values of neighborhood housing density. The marginal effects of lower neighborhood density gradually increase closer …

Expression Analysis Of Auxin Regulated Genes In Populus, Sara S. Jawdy

Masters Theses

Due to its many advantageous characteristics, such as a small sequenced genome, ease of vegetative propagation and availability of genomic tools and databases, Populus is widely becoming accepted as the model species among trees. In addition, DOE has chosen hybrid poplar as the model bioenergy feedstock tree. Due to the growing importance of the Populus species, genetic and genomic resources (EST and BLAST databases, genetic maps, etc.) are becoming increasingly available and are leading to a greater understanding of the functionality of the Populus genome. The goal of this study was to use these resources to further characterize the genetic …

The Effects Of A Periodic Cicada Emergence On Forest Birds And The Ecology Of Cerulean Warblers At Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, Indiana, Dustin W. Varble

Masters Theses

Cerulean (Dendroica cerulea) nests (n=53) were monitored on Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in 2004 and 2005 to assess survival rates and to provide breeding habitat data. Mayfield nest success for ceruleans on the refuge was 22.0 ± 9.6% (2 SE) overall. Fifteen of 53 nests fledged an average of 2.4 ± 0.32 (2SE) fledglings per nests. Three nests (6% of total) were found parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater), although this should be considered a minimum estimate of parasitism because nests were not checked during incubation. One nest was destroyed during incubation by a Sharp-shinned …

A Test Of The Enemy Release Hypothesis Using A Congeneric Pair Of Lespedeza Species, Mary Gail Caflisch

Masters Theses

The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) postulates that invasive species are released from the effects of the herbivores, predators, pathogens, and other enemies that control population sizes in the native ranges of the invasive species. In a one-year common garden experiment, I compared the native species Lespedeza capitata to the invasive species Lespedeza cuneata. I examined relative fitness and performance over the first growing season and manipulated arthropod abundance using insecticide applications. While L. capitata had higher germination and survivorship than did L. cuneata, it also sustained more natural enemy damage. Arthropod reduction increased height and apparent survivorship for L. capitata. …

Characterization Of Hypertriglyceridemia In Obese Diabetic Tallyho/Jng Mice, Jennifer Melanie Fortuna

Masters Theses

Over the past 20 years, a major shift in the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) epidemic has occurred. Even though the etiology of T2DM has not yet been discovered, insulin resistance, associated with plasma lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities, has shed light to this chronic disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 97% of individuals with diabetes have one or more plasma lipid abnormalities, including decreased high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, a predominance of small dense low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles and hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). Diabetic patients often develop hyperlipidemia at the early stage of the disease and …

Immobilization Of Small Mammals And Occupancy, Seasonal Food Habits, And Parasites Of Allegheny Woodrats In The Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee, William Teague Parker

Masters Theses

Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister) occur throughout the Appalachians north of theTennessee River. Declines have occurred in the northern and western parts of their range, prompting the need for more information about the species in areas where they are rare. The purpose of this study was to gain more information on the Allegheny woodrat in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee. The main objectives were to (1) evaluate isoflurane anesthesia to immobilize woodrats and other small mammals for biological sample collection and (2) determine percent occupancy, food habits, and external parasite species of Allegheny woodrats at likely candidate sites in …