Digital Commons Network^™

Surface Topography Contribution To Rfid’S Tags Efficiency Related To Resistivity, Mario A. Cruz

Masters Theses

The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is one of the new technologies with more vision and acceptance oriented to the distribution and storage industries. The RFID is a technology that can be used to identify, track and store information about groups of products, individual items, or product components, using radio waves. The RFID device needs an antenna in order to receive a signal and transmit information. The stamping process applied today to produce the RFID antenna works with foil or copper. These etched metal RFID tags offer good benefits, but the production cost is too high to achieve a widespread implementation. …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 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 …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Morphological Changes In Specific Laminae Of The Olfactory Bulb Of Adult Zebrafish Following Peripheral Sensory Deafferentation, Travis L. Devlin

Masters Theses

Permanent removal of the olfactory organ in adult zebrafish has been shown to result in a significant reduction in the total volume of the ipsilateral olfactory bulb. The overall objective of the current project was to investigate the hypothesis that contact between the axons of the olfactory sensory neurons and the olfactory bulb is necessary for the maintenance of the normal post-synaptic organization of the olfactory bulb by quantifying the morphological changes that take place within specific laminae of the olfactory bulb following peripheral deafferentation. Complete, unilateral ablation of the olfactory organ resulted in permanent deafferentation of the ipsilateral olfactory …

Metabolic And Phenotypic Characterization Of Aerobic Pcb Degrading Bacteria Isolated From Kalamazoo River Sediments, Brenton K. Lehmkuhl

Masters Theses

The Kalamazoo River is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which are neurotoxins and suspected carcinogens. The goal of this study was to isolate, identify, and metabolically characterize PCB degrading strains of aerobic bacteria. Biphenyl enrichments resulted in the isolation of putative PCB degrading strains from different locations along the river. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis the isolated strains were identified as belonging to the genera of Achromobacter, Acidovorax, Cellulosimicrobium, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, and Rhodococcus. These strains were screened for their PCB degrading ability and congener specificity. All of the isolated strains degraded PCBs via the 2,3-dioxygenase pathway. The range …

Caustic Treatment Of The Pulp: Caustic Recovery By Reverse Osmosis, Miroslav Suchy

Masters Theses

The benefit of caustic treatment on changing cellulose properties has long been known. When the treated pulp is later intended for use in personal or in health care product industries, it is important that all residual chemicals are removed and that the pure cellulose or carbohydrate portion of the pulp remains. The removal is usually facilitated by washing. Due to the low caustic concentration in the washing filtrates the removal of the excess water by standard techniques such as evaporation would not be economical.

The main objective of this investigation was to evaluate the concept of using reverse osmosis for …

Enhanced Print Performance Of Water-Based Rotogravure Inks Through Rheological Balance, Rurou Mai

Masters Theses

Water-based inks have been of more and more interest to the printing and ink industry. Compared with solvent-based inks, water-based inks have more complex formulations because of their higher surface tensions, lower drying speed, foaming problems, pH balance, and different rheological properties. This work explores the significant effects of various rheology modifiers, including non-associative and associative thickeners, on the rheological properties of a water-based rotogravure ink system. Particular emphasis is given to thickening efficiency, pH stability, particle size, system compatibility, temperature stability, and printability on vinyl substrates. Wire-wound lab rods and a Moser Sheet-fed Gravure Proofing Press were employed to …

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 …

Changes In Microbial Community Structure Of Petroleum Contaminated Sediments Are Reflected In Subsurface Geophysical Signatures, Jonathan P. Allen

Masters Theses

Petroleum contamination of sediments leads to dynamic changes in the subsurface. These include changes in the microbiota as well as in the subsurface geophysical and geochemical properties. Anomalously high conductivity values observed in subsurface zones contaminated with light non aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) have been suggested to be the result of microbial activity. Therefore, we investigated the interdependence between geoelectrical signatures and microbial community structure in petroleum contaminated field sediments and laboratory column experiments. Spatial and temporal changes in electrical conductivity of the subsurface paralleled changes in microbial community composition, with the highest conductivity values concomitant with specific anaerobic hydrocarbon-degrading …

Identification And Characterization Of Cellular Targets Of The Bacterial Cytotoxin Yopt In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Paul David Caccamo

Masters Theses

Human pathogenic Yersinia spp. utilize Type III Secretion to deliver six effector proteins into host cells. The injected proteins resemble eukaryotic signal transduction molecules and are capable of disrupting signaling pathways in order to subvert the functions of the targeted cell or disrupt communication with surrounding cells. As a result, bacterial invaders are not only able to survive the threat of a host immune response, but can thrive despite it. YopT is a cysteine protease that cleaves RhoGTPases, releasing them from the membrane and thus from their role as initiators of signaling pathways, including the nucleation of actin and …

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 …

Comparison Of Mosquito Abundance, Distribution, And Parity Between A High And A Low Prevalence Site For La Crosse Encephalitis In Eastern Tennessee, Sabra Lee Scheffel

Masters Theses

A three-year investigation of the seasonal distribution, abundance and diversity of mosquitoes at a high and a low prevalence area for La Crosse (LAC) encephalitis was conducted in eastern Tennessee, USA. We identified a high LAC prevalence site (Knox County) from which two cases of LAC encephalitis were confirmed, one in 1997 and the other in 2000, and an ecologically similar low prevalence site (Blount County) with no confirmed LAC cases. Mosquitoes were collected at each site using 2 Center for Disease Control (CDC) miniature light traps baited with carbon dioxide, 1 Omni-directional Fay trap baited with carbon dioxide, 2 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …