Digital Commons Network^™

Nuclear Fingerprinting Identification Of Black Fly Species In The Simulium Jenningsi Species Group (Diptera: Simuliidae), Gail Lynn Senatore

Masters Theses

SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/johnmoulton/Desktop/SenatoreGailMay2012.docA molecular approach was taken to differentiate morphologically homogeneous species within the Simulium jenningsi species group (SJG). This group of Nearctic black flies consisting of 22 recognized species has its highest diversity in the southeastern United States. No other group of black flies in this region is more ubiquitous or pestiferous. Female black flies in this group are nearly isomorphic, which complicates identification, elucidation of host specificity and pest status, and directed control of through application of Bti in the appropriate natal streams. Among SJG species, only S. luggeri Nicholson & Mickel, S. jenningsi Malloch, and S. penobscotense Snoddy & …

Detection Of Quantitative Trait Loci For Marker-Assisted Selection Of Soybean Isoflavone Genistein, Christopher Joseph Smallwood

Masters Theses

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is an important crop throughout the world. Among the many seed quality traits contained in soybean are isoflavones, which are associated with numerous health benefits, including cancer prevention, improved cardiovascular health, improved bone health, and reduced menopausal symptoms. This study sought to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling soybean isoflavones genistein, daidzein, glycitein, and total isoflavone content to gain a better understanding of genetic regions controlling production of these compounds. The phenotypic data for QTL detection was generated in 2009 from a population of 274 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) separated into three field tests …

Creating A Brand Experience Across Media Channels, Virginia Gibson Switzer

Masters Theses

This study examines how messages marketed through different media channels impact a consumer’s brand experience. The goal of this study was to explore the extent to which consumers experience brands through media channels. This study relies on four focus group sessions and a thematic content analysis to gather findings. It was discovered that consumers viewed customer service as the leading characteristic in brand loyalty.

Consumers were primarily impacted by brands through consumer reviews, reliable sources, convenience and special promotions. Participants chose reliable print mediums as a resource to research products. Online sources were the leading medium for reading consumer reviews …

Analysis Of Georeferenced Sonar-Based Thalweg And Cross-Sectional River Depth Profile Measurements, Kenneth Wray Swinson

Masters Theses

Depth is a physical river characteristic that is important for habitat classification, river health analysis, and hydrologic/hydraulic modeling. Recent studies have shown that sonar can be an accurate way of measuring river depth, when compared to traditional techniques, but more study is necessary. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the utility of the CruzPro ATU120S and the Lowrance LMS-350A sonar depth units as tools for collecting river depth measurements along longitudinal (thalweg) and cross-sectional profiles. This included analyzing and evaluating the georeferenced commercially available sonar units for accuracy, precision, and response time under controlled lab and river …

The Lateran Baptistery: Memory, Space, And Baptism, David Tyler Thayer

Masters Theses

In the fourth century, the Lateran Baptistery was sponsored by Constantine the Great; it is the first extant free-standing baptistery known from the Roman world. In the fifth century, Pope Sixtus III renovated the baptistery through a newly-emphasized spatial hierarchy and the appropriation of some of Rome's most cherished structural elements and decorating themes. The result was a unique space that created a dialogue with Roman memory for the specific function of the baptismal rite it hosted. This thesis will analyze the spatial and symbolic forms, and the baptism ritual to show Sixtus III’s interaction with the Roman tradition of …

Examining Impacts On Water Demand Resulting From Population And Employment Growth Using A Regional Adjustment Model, Steven Blake Thomas

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the currently available water use data and its limitation for use in scientific research. The first chapter offers a description of the current nationwide water data including descriptions of collection methods and trends found within the data. The varying collection methods used result in inconsistencies within the datasets and between the years. These inconsistencies have resulted in the data being used more as a point of reference than in nationwide empirical analysis of water use. There has been a calling for systematic improvements to the data, which could contribute to greater empirical analysis taking place at the …

Two Studies Evaluating Input Use In Soybean And Cotton Production, Nathanael Mark Thompson

Masters Theses

Farmers are price takers for both inputs and outputs. Therefore, when the prices of inputs rise, as they have with many inputs used in agricultural production, optimal production practices may change. Two separate studies of the impacts of agricultural technology on input use in crop production were undertaken in this thesis. The first study evaluated economically optimal plant population considering seeding rate, maturity group, row spacing, and input-output prices in soybean production in the rolling uplands region of the upper Midsouthern United States. Data from field experiments at the University of Tennessee Research and Education Center at Milan, Tennessee during …

Daily And Longitudinal Associations Between Sexual Coercion, Affect, And Relationship Functioning Among Women In Heterosexual Dating Relationships, Vanessa Tirone

Masters Theses

Sexual coercion, the use of manipulative tactics to have sexual contact with another person against their will, is experienced frequently by women in dating relationships. Cross sectional data suggests this type of experience is associated with deleterious outcomes for women’s mental health and relationship satisfaction. To date, no published studies have examined how sexual coercion relates to women’s well-being and relationship functioning on a daily basis or their satisfaction with dating relationships over time. The present study measured the frequency of 4 sexual coercion tactics (i.e., arousal, verbal, intoxication and force) and their association with women’s wellbeing and relationship functioning …

A Comparison Of H. D. And Marianne Moore’S Poetry In The 1910s And 1920s, Yoko Ueno

Masters Theses

Although both H. D. and Marianne Moore created distinctive voices, we cannot ignore their close relationship with poetic modernism. These two poets had common characteristics which were fit for the ideas of modernism, such as exact descriptions, clear images, concision, objectivity, and repression of personal emotions. H. D.’s poems were regarded as an ideal model of Imagism, and Moore generally tried to follow the style although her poems contained her own unique features. Their choice of the modernistic hard style caused them to face complicated situations because of their gender. Both poets had affinities with Romantic aesthetics such as excessive …

A Critical Analysis Of The Use Of Non-Metric Traits For Ancestry Estimation Among Two North American Population Samples, Corrine Leeann Vitek

Masters Theses

The use of diverse morphological features, or traits, of the skeleton for the estimation of ancestry remains an important part of the forensic anthropologist’s toolkit for medico legal death investigations. Research into the estimation of ancestry has an equally long history and use in anthropology. This study re-evaluates the classic techniques historically used to estimate ancestry within the United States in human crania with emphasis to the possible inclusion of secular change in the prevalence of traits when comparing well documented modern skeletal material population to a comparable sample of an earlier period.

The aim of this study was to …

Cotton (Gossipium Hirsutum L.) Response To Irrigation And Environment In A Short Season Climate, Matthew Scott Wiggins

Masters Theses

Research was conducted in 2010 and 2011 at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson, TN to investigate water deficit and irrigation response in cotton to provide a better understanding of physiological growth changes and yield impact on the crop grown in soils of varying depth to a sandy layer. The deep soil yielded more vegetative mass when compared with the shallower soil. This is also true when applying higher rates of irrigation where plants grew two more nodes of growth and 15.2 centimeters of plant height. Time to cotton maturity was delayed seven days in the deep …

A Comparison Of 7q10 Low Flow Between Rural And Urban Watersheds In Eastern United States, Saeed Zabet

Masters Theses

Abstract: Increased runoff peaks and volumes from urbanizing watersheds have been well documented where watershed hydrology becomes modified after 10 to 25% of land area is developed. Lowering of baseflow has also been reported to be modified from urbanization; however hydrology thresholds related to percentage of land area developed are not well quantified. In this study, 100 watersheds in eastern USA were investigated to examine the potential effects of urbanization on low flows. The low flow metric chosen for this analysis is the 7Q10. Historical flow records were obtained from the USGS stream gauges, in which a minimum of 10 …

Capturing More Light: Phycobilisome Characterization For Increased Hydrogen Production Efficiency, Paul Abraham Willard

Masters Theses

Alternative energy and biofuels are a growing area of research. The demand for more and clean energy is ever increasing, but the current technology is inefficient, expensive, and incapable of meeting the demands of the current market. Hydrogen is a potential future fuel, as it is both clean and renewable, but its formation through conventional means is costly and inefficient. Photosynthesis can be utilized for the formation of hydrogen, which can then serve as a convenient and renewable biofuel. Photosynthetic hydrogen evolution is observed in vitro, but the current photosystem design is not very versatile and optimized to use …

New Means, Old Ends? World Bank Governmentality In Thailand And Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nicholas Ryan Zeller

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to make explicit the arts of government, defined as a field of power in the Foucauldian sense, employed by the World Bank in the cases of Pak Mun Dam in Thailand and Nam Theun II Dam in Lao PDR. Much of the literature on the latter case, both from the World Bank and its critics, focuses on the incorporation of conservation practices and the creation of state apparatuses which account for natural resources and local populations through a discourse of environmentalism. Using World Bank planning and evaluation documents, I argue that although these practices …

Transit Oriented Development For Nashville: Learning From Europe, Erin Ashley Gray

Masters Theses

A popular movement in the past decade has been to implement transit oriented development in city planning. Transit-oriented development, or TOD, is nationally characterized as mixed-use development located within a 2,000 feet diameter from a mass transit center. However, the typical format for TOD in the United States, initiated by Peter Calthorpe and fermented in the West Coast, lacks consideration in unifying various forms of transit. Individuals are more likely to participate in public transportation if they do not have to solely rely on one method of travel. On the other hand, TOD has been wildly more successful in European …

Economic And Environmental Effects Of Switchgrass Production On A Representative Cow-Calf Farm In Middle Tennessee, Hanna Leah Watts

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the economic tradeoffs and land use dynamics of incorporating switchgrass into the farm plan of a representative middle Tennessee cow-calf operation. A net revenue simulation and multi-year mathematical programming model was used to find the optimum mix of switchgrass and cow-calf enterprises that will maximize whole farm net revenues over 30 years on a representative middle Tennessee beef farm under both average and above average management. Land use changes predicted by the mathematical programming model were used to assess the carbon change associated with incorporating, or transitioning to, switchgrass production.

For a …

Potential Effects Of Institutional Repositories On Nursing Research Dissemination, Sarah Jane Mcclung

Masters Theses

Institutional repositories (IRs) might be important tools for nursing faculty to utilize as they have the potential to improve research dissemination on a timely basis to the nursing community at large. This topic is worth investigating because the field of nursing has been struggling for many decades to facilitate the relationship between theory and methods by transferring the knowledge gained from nursing research to the approaches used in nursing practice. The recent focus on evidence-based practice in nursing education is proof of the field’s attempts at shrinking the information gap between nurse researcher and nurse clinician. Methods for dissemination have …

Plant Remains, Investment Strategies, And Site Processes: Two Sites Along The Nolichucky River In Greene County, Tennessee, Jessie Luella Johanson

Masters Theses

Sites 40GN228 and 40GN229, located in Greene County, Tennessee, provide a record of subsistence change and variation in landscape management practices spanning from the Late Paleoindian to the Pisgah phase of the Mississippian period. The botanical remains from these sites detail changing plant-human relationships over a 12,000-year time span in the upper Ridge and Valley of eastern Tennessee. The expansive temporal and spatial scale of the two sites presented an opportunity to evaluate the plant assemblages on several levels. The substantial cultural deposits allowed a synchronic and diachronic look into plant use. In addition, the geographic proximity of the two …