Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 40

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Genetic Characterization Of Centromere-Mediated Uniparental Genome Elimination In Arabidopsis, Diana Spencer Dec 2022

Genetic Characterization Of Centromere-Mediated Uniparental Genome Elimination In Arabidopsis, Diana Spencer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The production of haploids through crossing was first discovered from instances of interspecies crosses in Nicotiana spp. in 1924. Since then, haploid induction crosses has been used to improve plant breeding programs and commercially utilized in a number of crop industries. The generation of doubled haploid instantaneously creates a pure homozygous line, therefore eliminating the need for several generations of inbreeding. There are several pathways to induce haploids in plants: of these methods, centromere-mediated genome elimination pathway engenders the highest haploid induction rate (HIR) with up to 45% in Arabidopsis compared to 15% through phospholipase-mediated haploid induction in maize. Centromere-mediated …


Fine-Scale Site Selection Of Strand-Feeding Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) And Their Prey, Deborah Kleinclaus Dec 2022

Fine-Scale Site Selection Of Strand-Feeding Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) And Their Prey, Deborah Kleinclaus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strand-feeding is a unique, cooperative foraging strategy used by some common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at low tide in South Carolina and Georgia salt marshes, where a group of dolphins charges schools of fish, thrusting them onto the bank with their bow wave and then capturing prey items onshore. Strand-feeding dolphins are estuarine residents and frequent predictable stranding sites, suggesting an intimate knowledge of the area. Dolphin behavior prior to stranding suggests they do not herd the fish before charging, but instead prey on fish already shoaling near the bank. The use of active acoustics from strand-feeders in order to …


Abundance And Growth Of Juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon In The Edisto River, Sc, Molly Katherine Takacs Dec 2022

Abundance And Growth Of Juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon In The Edisto River, Sc, Molly Katherine Takacs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Information on abundance and body growth are important for understanding the status and health of populations, and this information can be used to guide and monitor conservation and recovery efforts for species of conservation concern. The Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is an anadromous fish native to the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada. Due to overfishing and habitat degradation, population levels declined, and Atlantic Sturgeon were placed on the Endangered Species list in 2012. Although there is substantial research on adult Atlantic Sturgeon, knowledge about their early life history is lacking. The objective of this study were …


Importance Of The Microhabitat And Microclimate Conditions In The Northern Gray-Cheeked Salamander (Plethodon Montanus) Across An Elevation Gradient, Trevor Chapman Dec 2022

Importance Of The Microhabitat And Microclimate Conditions In The Northern Gray-Cheeked Salamander (Plethodon Montanus) Across An Elevation Gradient, Trevor Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The southern Appalachian Mountains have among the highest salamander diversity in the world, largely due to local speciation in the family Plethodontidae. Plethodontid salamanders (i.e., lungless salamanders) are particularly sensitive to habitat climate conditions due to their reliance on cutaneous respiration, and their immediate environmental conditions (microhabitat) likely influence their dispersion and activity more than the large-scale atmospheric conditions. The Northern Gray-cheeked salamander (Plethodon montanus) is restricted to high elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. Our goal was to investigate the relationship between P. montanus and its microhabitat by examining behavioral preference for climatic conditions, characterizing the microclimate with …


Alcohol, Stress, And Sex In The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis, Nicholas Burski Dec 2022

Alcohol, Stress, And Sex In The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis, Nicholas Burski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) costs the U.S. billions of dollars each year and is a leading cause of preventable death. AUD leads to many health complications, and those who suffer from AUD will often have stress and anxiety disorder comorbidities. To better understand this connection between AUD and stress and anxiety disorders, restraint stress (RS) and chronic-intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE) procedures were used on rats to analyze neuroinflammation via ELISA in the infralimbic and prelimbic cortices, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Levels of proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-1β, were found to be elevated across different tests …


Quantifying Spatial Heterogeneity Of Wild Blueberries And Crop Water Stress Monitoring Using Remote Sensing Technologies, Kallol Barai Aug 2022

Quantifying Spatial Heterogeneity Of Wild Blueberries And Crop Water Stress Monitoring Using Remote Sensing Technologies, Kallol Barai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The wild blueberry is one of the major crops of Maine, with significant economic value and potential health benefits. Due to global climate change, drought impacts have been increasing significantly in recent years in the northeast region of the USA, causing significant economic losses in the agricultural sectors. It has been predicted to increase further in the future. Changing patterns of the elevated atmospheric temperatures, increased rainfall variabilities, and more frequent drought events have made the wild blueberry industry of Maine vulnerable, suggesting the adoption of novel approaches to mitigate the negative impacts of global climate changes. Also, wild blueberry …


Characterization Of Microbotryum Lychnidis-Dioicae Secreted Effector Proteins That Manipulate Its Host Plant, Silene Latifolia., Ming-Chang Tsai Aug 2022

Characterization Of Microbotryum Lychnidis-Dioicae Secreted Effector Proteins That Manipulate Its Host Plant, Silene Latifolia., Ming-Chang Tsai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The smut fungal species Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae is an obligate phytopathogen colonizing the plant host, Silene latifolia. A significant feature of M. lychnidis-dioicae infection is that the fungus can replace pollen on the anthers of susceptible host plants with fungal teliospores, thus earning the fungus the name: anther smut disease of flowers. The fungus synthesizes and secretes effector proteins into the cells of the plant host during infection, and the protein-protein interactions may interfere with and modify metabolism, plant development, and gene expression of the host to allow fungal colonization. Two potential fungal effector proteins, MVLG_06175 and MVLG_05122, were identified …


Winter Use Of Winyah Bay, Sc By The Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias), And Their Movements South Of Cape Hatteras, Nc, Meredith L. Langford May 2022

Winter Use Of Winyah Bay, Sc By The Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias), And Their Movements South Of Cape Hatteras, Nc, Meredith L. Langford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

South of Cape Hatteras, NC, little is known about the coastal distribution and movement of the Spiny Dogfish, Squalus acanthias. Between January 2018 and March 2020 this study conducted winter demersal longline sampling in Winyah Bay, SC to investigate habitat use by Spiny Dogfish. In addition to monitoring Winyah Bay use through catch-and-release, 13 individuals were outfitted with implanted Vemco™ acoustic transmitters to monitor large scale movements along the U.S. East Coast. Across three sampling seasons 84 female Spiny Dogfish were captured within lower Winyah Bay. No males were observed over the course of the study. The mean fork length …


Quantifying Population-Level Effects Of Warm-Water Catch-And-Release Mortality On Muskellunge (Esox Masquinongy) In The James River, Virginia, Cory J. Bauerlien May 2022

Quantifying Population-Level Effects Of Warm-Water Catch-And-Release Mortality On Muskellunge (Esox Masquinongy) In The James River, Virginia, Cory J. Bauerlien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Catch-and-release (C&R) has become a popular practice in many fisheries, both as a management strategy and as an angler ethic. The practice has been used to both increase the abundance and size structure of fish populations but relies heavily on the assumption that released fish survive the encounter. The Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) is a large-bodied, coolwater predatory game fish that is highly prized by many anglers. Many Muskellunge fisheries have transitioned to almost exclusively C&R angling. Muskellunge fisheries have increased in both number and popularity, particularly in southern and mid-Atlantic rivers. However, there is little information on population characteristics for …


Evaluating Threats To The Water Quality Of Little Buffalo Creek And Sarver Run Through Water Quality Analysis And Backpack Electrofishing Surveys, Riley Williams May 2022

Evaluating Threats To The Water Quality Of Little Buffalo Creek And Sarver Run Through Water Quality Analysis And Backpack Electrofishing Surveys, Riley Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently, 64.8% and 52.2% of Little Buffalo Creek and Sarver Run stream kilometers are impaired, respectively. Impairment sources to Little Buffalo Creek include agriculture, riparian deforestation, on-site wastewater, and urban runoff. Impairment sources to Sarver Run are unknown. Our goal was to understand sources of impairment through water quality analysis and fish surveys. Water samples were collected monthly and analyzed for cation and anion concentrations. Mass ratio analysis comparing Br/SO4 and Mg/Li, Ca/Mg and Ca/Sr, Mg/Na and SO4/Cl, and SO4/Cl and Mg/Li suggests that mine drainage and conventional oil and gas may be impacting water …


A Review Of Current Methods In Avian Dietary Analysis And Their Integrated Application To Characterize The Trophic Niche Of Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla)., Brandon Hoenig May 2022

A Review Of Current Methods In Avian Dietary Analysis And Their Integrated Application To Characterize The Trophic Niche Of Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla)., Brandon Hoenig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Characterizing a species’ dietary composition presents an avenue to understand many facets of its ecological niche and can provide essential information for the species’ long-term conservation. To date, the vast majority of diet studies have relied on direct identification of prey during foraging observations or from diet samples to characterize the dietary habits of birds. However, advancements in laboratory-based approaches have revolutionized the field of trophic ecology by allowing researchers to indirectly infer dietary habits with higher resolution across greater time scales. Here, I apply two of these laboratory-based techniques, namely DNA metabarcoding and stable isotope analysis, to characterize the …


Detection And Occurrence Of Nerodia Harteri (Serpentes: Colubridae) In An Upper Portion Of The Brazos River Watershed, Jessica Yates May 2022

Detection And Occurrence Of Nerodia Harteri (Serpentes: Colubridae) In An Upper Portion Of The Brazos River Watershed, Jessica Yates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Semiaquatic snakes are disproportionately impacted by habitat alteration adjacent to wetlands because of their reliance on both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Brazos River Watersnakes, Nerodia harteri, are endemic natricines with one of the most restricted geographic ranges in North America. I quantified detection and site occupancy probabilities of N. harteri and its sympatric congeners (N. erythrogaster and N. rhombifer), as well as microhabitat selection within the Nerodia community. Within occupied transects, search effort was positively correlated with detecting N. harteri, whereas environmental and/or habitat variables were better predictors for detecting the sympatric congeners. Microhabitat selection between …


Age, Growth, Foraging, And Trophic Ecology Of Bigeye (Thunnus Obesus) And Yellowfin (Thunnus Albacares) Tuna In Continental Shelf And Slope Regions Of The Northeast U.S., Riley S. Austin May 2022

Age, Growth, Foraging, And Trophic Ecology Of Bigeye (Thunnus Obesus) And Yellowfin (Thunnus Albacares) Tuna In Continental Shelf And Slope Regions Of The Northeast U.S., Riley S. Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional stock assessments require, in part, accurate knowledge of growth relationships to estimate a variety of aspects involved in population conservation management of exploited species. In addition, the local distribution and condition of top pelagic predators is driven by detection of abundant forage aggregations and along with traditional stock assessments, should be considered for effective management of marine populations. Empirical analyses of these data are severely lacking for bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) tuna in the Atlantic Ocean, especially for the former. Given historical studies’ observations of these two top predators use as biological samplers due to their …


The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond May 2022

The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the 8th most common cancer in the United States, with the clear cell variant (ccRCC) being the most prevalent. Over 14,000 people die every year to RCC, with rates continuing to increase with an aging general population. Patients suffering from metastatic RCC (mRCC) have extremely poor prognoses, with a 5-year survival of only 11.2%. Current treatment options include resection of primary lesions, tyrosine kinase inhibition (Sunitinib, Pazopanib), mTOR inhibition (Temsirolimus, Everolimus), and immune checkpoint inhibition (Nivolumab, Atezolizumab). Recent attention has been drawn to inhibition of transcription factors like HIF2α (Belzutifan). There is a need …


Effect Of Mycorrhizae Inoculation On The Growth And Success Of Three Taxodium Distichum Hybrids In Saline - Impacted Coastal Soils, Elif Ilhan May 2022

Effect Of Mycorrhizae Inoculation On The Growth And Success Of Three Taxodium Distichum Hybrids In Saline - Impacted Coastal Soils, Elif Ilhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, Galveston Island was severely impacted by Hurricane Ike, resulting in high salt deposition in the soil and groundwater. This caused a loss of many native plant species. A study was initiated to determine effective ways to promote the growth conditions of three bald cypress genotypes (Taxodium distichum var distichum and Taxodium distichum var mexicanum crosses) in salt-affected soils. The treatments applied were mycorrhizae inoculation, fertilizer application, and a combination of mycorrhizae inoculation and fertilizer application. A total of sixty (60) trees planted in plots of three rows and divided into five randomized replication blocks of four treatments …


Using Macroinvertebrates To Assess The Effects Of Nutrient Input Between The Nolichucky And Pigeon Rivers, Anna Grizzard May 2022

Using Macroinvertebrates To Assess The Effects Of Nutrient Input Between The Nolichucky And Pigeon Rivers, Anna Grizzard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous work found significant differences in growth rates of native mussels at locations downstream from the regulated Walter’s Dam and the out-of-service, free-flowing Davy Crockett Dam. The purpose of this study is to investigate differences within the macroinvertebrate communities related to factors driving the differences in mussel growth between rivers. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected following the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation protocol for SQKICK collection and analyzed using the Tennessee Macroinvertebrate Index (TMI). There were no significant differences in TMI scores between the downstream sites of the rivers, but there were significant increases in chlorophylla, dissolved oxygen, …


Functional Role Of Ppal And Potential For Moss In Industrial Applications., Susana Perez Martinez May 2022

Functional Role Of Ppal And Potential For Moss In Industrial Applications., Susana Perez Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination and characterization of the functional roles of PPAL. PROTEIN PRENYLTRANSFERASE ALPHA SUBUNIT-LIKE (PPAL) is a recently discovered gene. PPAL homologs are present in all plants and many animals, where its function is largely unknown. It is possible that PPAL could participate in prenylation processes since it shares similarity to the α subunits of known prenylation enzymes. Prenylation is a post-translational modification of proteins that involves the addition of a lipid moiety to proteins to facilitate membrane targeting and association and promote protein-protein interactions. Prenylation has important roles in plant growth and development, including …


Fish Community Assembly At Multiple Spatial Scales In East Texas Streams, Jake R. Swanson May 2022

Fish Community Assembly At Multiple Spatial Scales In East Texas Streams, Jake R. Swanson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stream communities are structured by environmental processes that vary in strength across different spatiotemporal scales. Therefore, revealing how stream fish communities are influenced by environmental gradients may clarify how communities respond to disturbance associated with anthropogenic change. I investigated the relative role environmental variables play in the processes that structure the taxonomic and functional diversity of stream fish communities, as well as historical trends in occurrence and local habitat associated with a species of greatest conservation need within east Texas. The results of this study indicate that stream sites with more habitat complexity and stability support a more taxonomically and …


Characterization Of Hemocytes In Amblyomma Americanum And Investigation Of Traf6’S Role In Proliferation Of Hemocytes In Response To Infection, Jacquelyn T. May Apr 2022

Characterization Of Hemocytes In Amblyomma Americanum And Investigation Of Traf6’S Role In Proliferation Of Hemocytes In Response To Infection, Jacquelyn T. May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amblyomma americanum is a medically important vector in the southeast United States. Cellular and molecular aspects of the immune system of this species were examined. To investigate cellular processes, hemocytes produced in response to gram-negative infection were characterized according to their ultrastructure. Four hemocyte types were identified: prohemocytes, plasmatocytes, type-I granulocytes, and type-II granulocytes. To elucidate molecular processes, we investigated AamTRAF as an immune-related gene by silencing the gene using RNAi then quantifying the hemocytes after inoculation with gram-negative and positive bacteria. It was found that silencing AamTRAF caused a decrease in hemocyte proliferation in response to gram-positive but not …


Survey Of Native Predatory Hemipterans And Assessment Of Nabis Americoferus Carayon (Hemiptera: Nabidae) As A Biological Control Agent Of Lepidopteran Tomato Pests, Andrew Laflair Feb 2022

Survey Of Native Predatory Hemipterans And Assessment Of Nabis Americoferus Carayon (Hemiptera: Nabidae) As A Biological Control Agent Of Lepidopteran Tomato Pests, Andrew Laflair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species have become a grave threat to the economic viability of our global vegetable producers. Tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has expanded from its range originating from Peru to being established in nearly hundreds of countries, causing tomato production losses of up to 100% on occasion; however, it has not yet been found in Canada or the USA. Southwestern Ontario is a significant tomato producer making it a high risk from this invasive species. Efficient integrated control methods such as native biological control agents (BCAs) that avoid creating insecticide resistance are ideal. Surveys of Southwestern Ontario conservation …


The Role Of Ehd2 In Endothelial Cells, Rachael Judson Jan 2022

The Role Of Ehd2 In Endothelial Cells, Rachael Judson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of EHD2 in terms of Cav1 interaction had not been previously characterized and was the main goal of this research. Cav1 has been shown to lead to the ubiquitination of Rac1. Because of this, the role of EHD2 in Rac1 regulation was investigated. An increase in long-term migration in endothelial cells was observed and suggested that EHD2 impacts the RhoA pathway instead of the Rac1 pathway. This lead to the hypothesis that EHD2 controls a part of the RhoA pathway. This hypothesis is supported by the loss of filamentous actin and an increase in serrated junctions in cells …


Environmental Gradients Impact Key Leaf Traits In Riparian Trees, Amanda Malone Jan 2022

Environmental Gradients Impact Key Leaf Traits In Riparian Trees, Amanda Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Specific leaf area (SLA) reflects a plant’s carbon investment per area and relates to generalized leaf economics spectrum growth strategies (LES). To fill gaps of knowledge about intraspecific SLA variation and why it is often inconsistent with the LES, we studied the response of two riparian tree species along the urban-rural gradient in Northeastern Colorado: an invasive, nitrogen-fixer with broad tolerances and a nitrogen-limited and shade-intolerant native. Despite these differences, the two species responded similarly, apart from the response to the urban-rural gradient, in which lower nitrogen in rural areas was associated with a more conservative strategy in the native …


Modeling The Flow And Creep Compliance Properties Of Ice-Cream Mixes, Hiran Ranaweera Jan 2022

Modeling The Flow And Creep Compliance Properties Of Ice-Cream Mixes, Hiran Ranaweera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work documented the influence of the protein source (MPC80 and WPC80), protein content (4-12%), and temperature (5-35ºC) on the rheological behavior (flow curve, frequency sweep, and creep-recovery) of ice-cream mixes (ICM). For each protein source, the viscosity of the ICM was satisfactorily modeled (𝑅2>0.98, 𝑅2 𝑎𝑑𝑗>0.98, and E0.99), while the recovery phase was represented by an empirical model. The percentage of recovery (%R) of the ICM significantly decreased with the protein content.


Characterizing The Lir Domain Of Abin1 And Identifying Its Role As A Regulator Of Mitophagy, Andrew Rhiner Jan 2022

Characterizing The Lir Domain Of Abin1 And Identifying Its Role As A Regulator Of Mitophagy, Andrew Rhiner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A20 Inhibitor of NF-κB (ABIN1/TNIP1) is a known regulator of TNFα signaling induced cell death and inflammation. The regulatory activity has been attributed to ABIN1’s recruitment of the ubiquitin editing enzyme TNF-α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3/A20) to Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1). The regulation of RIPK1 by ABIN1 and A20 relies on a third player, linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), which is involved in the recruitment of ABIN1 to RIPK1. Loss of LUBAC or ABIN1 is embryonic lethal, but loss of A20 is not embryonic lethal. The embryonic lethality due to loss of ABIN1, paired with the lack of lethality …


Development Of Genomic Resources In Vitis Riparia For Discoveries On Pre- And Post-Transcriptional Molecular Regulators Of Early Induction Into Endodormancy, Michael Robben Jan 2022

Development Of Genomic Resources In Vitis Riparia For Discoveries On Pre- And Post-Transcriptional Molecular Regulators Of Early Induction Into Endodormancy, Michael Robben

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grapevine is one of the most important fruit crops in the world, responsible for billions in global sales annually. The largest threat to grapevine and other crop production is global climate change resulting human activities. This brings unpredictable and drastic changes in ambient air temperatures to many climates in which grapes are grown. Lower temperatures and inclement weather are already responsible for millions in lost revenue due to tissue damage of established plants. Thus, protecting grapevine crops from weather-related damage is the biggest concern to growers aside from pathogen- and diseaserelated crop damage. The primary mechanism for winter survival in …


Leveraging Queueing Theory To Develop Advanced Synthetic Biological Circuits, Prajakta K. Jadhav Jan 2022

Leveraging Queueing Theory To Develop Advanced Synthetic Biological Circuits, Prajakta K. Jadhav

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complexity and redundancy in the network topology of the cell hinder our understanding of the natural system, making it challenging to engineer living organisms with the desired functionality. The long-term goal of synthetic biology and bioengineering is to engineer cells to perform specific functions with increased robustness. The robust engineered systems can be easily applied to different species with the same outcome. An effective approach is a bottom-up approach where we tease apart the biological pathways and study them independently. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of biological pathways can be further applied to construct complex biological circuits that function similarly …


Identifying Adp-Ribosylation As The Biochemical Signal That Marks Dna-Protein Crosslinks For Sprtn-Dependent Proteolysis, Katelyn Hurley Jan 2022

Identifying Adp-Ribosylation As The Biochemical Signal That Marks Dna-Protein Crosslinks For Sprtn-Dependent Proteolysis, Katelyn Hurley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) form when proteins covalently attach to DNA. It is estimated that hundreds of DPCs form in our cells each day. Because these lesions are cytotoxic, mammalian cells have evolved multiple intricate repair systems to remove DPCs and restore genome integrity. One mechanism mammalian cells rely on for DPC repair is direct proteolysis by the metalloprotease, SPRTN. While it is known that SPRTN degrades a heterogenous array of DPCs, including both naturally occurring and chemically induced, how SPRTN selects DPCs amongst chromatin-associated proteins remains unknown. Our main objective is to determine how DPC repair is regulated. In Chapter …


Exploring Bioprocessing Technologies For Diverse Industrial Application Of Canola, Ahmad Fawzi N Alhomodi Jan 2022

Exploring Bioprocessing Technologies For Diverse Industrial Application Of Canola, Ahmad Fawzi N Alhomodi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Globally, canola is the second largest oilseed crop after soybean, which is processed for the commercial production of high value oil. The industrial processing steps for canola oil extraction include preprocessing (cleaning, pressing, flaking, and cooking), mechanical pressing, and/or organic solvents. This process results in large quantities of protein-rich (~ 40% dry basis) meal as a co-product. The meal is used partially in animal diet (<30% inclusion) due to high levels of antinutritional factors (ANFs) such as high fibers, phytic acid, and glucosinolates, and low metabolizable energy. Thus, this research was designed to examine various bioprocessing technologies (i.e., traditional sprouting, solid state fermentation, submerged state fermentation, co-culture fermentation, mild pretreatments, and their combinations) for possible advancement in canola use. Canola seed sprouting for 6-day period led to an increase in protein content and a reduction in ANFs and oil content of sprouts compared to ungerminated seed. Subsequent submerged state fermentation of 6- day old sprouts using three different strains (Aureobasidium pullulans, Trichoderma reesei and Neurospora crassa) further increased protein content and lowered ANFs. Solid-state fermentation of 144 h old sprouts using A. pullulans, N. crassa and T. reesei enhanced the protein content and reduced ANFs of sprouts. Sprouting canola seed for three days helped in hull removal, leading to high protein meal accompanied by low fiber and phytic acid level. Three-day seed sprouting had no effect on oil yield, but free fatty acid content was higher compared to seed oil. Co-culture fermentation of HECM under solid state process showed maximum reduction in fiber content with co-culture of A. pullulans and N. crassa while a combination of A. pullulans and T. reesei promoted the highest GLS and phytic acid reductions compared to other combinations, which indicated the advantage of coculture inoculation over monoculture in terms of ANFs reduction. Mild pretreatment of HECM using deionized water resulted in washed HECM (WHECM) with lower soluble sugars and GLS compared to untreated HECM, whereas protein and amino acid were concentrated due to the removal of soluble components. WHECM compared to HECM showed higher protein digestibility when fed to rainbow trout. Subsequent mono- and coculture fermentation of HECM and WHECM under submerged process resulted in higher protein and amino acid content and lower ANFs levels compared to uninoculated controls. The results of cellulase, endoglucanase and β-glucosidase activity indicated the crucial role of used substrates, fungi, fermentation modes (solid state/submerged stated) and inoculation methods (mono-/co-culture) on enzyme activities.


Genome-Wide Identification Of Wrky Transcription Factor Encoding Genes In Amborella Trichopoda Baill. (Amborellaceae), Bijaya Pradhan Jan 2022

Genome-Wide Identification Of Wrky Transcription Factor Encoding Genes In Amborella Trichopoda Baill. (Amborellaceae), Bijaya Pradhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are DNA-binding proteins, which play important roles in managing plant stresses and regulating growth and development processes. The WRKY TF family has expanded significantly through genome/gene duplications in the plant evolutionary process. Although the WRKY TFs have been identified in hundreds of plant species, they are yet to be identified in Amborella trichopoda, a species that represents the most basal group of Angiosperms. The main objectives of this study were to conduct genome-wide identification of the WRKY gene family in A. trichopoda and to assess their homologs in Angiosperms. In this study, we identified …


Targeted Browsing With Goats For Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Control, Alanna M. Hartsfield Jan 2022

Targeted Browsing With Goats For Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Control, Alanna M. Hartsfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) grassland encroachment progresses, all potential control methods should be explored in the interest of Great Plains grassland health and longevity. Targeted browsing with goats has been proven as an effective control method on some juniper species; however, little is known about its ability to control ERC. These studies intend to mend knowledge gaps of how targeted browsing with goats control ERC by causing tree death without chemicals or machinery. The first study is two 3x3 Latin squares comparing protein-supplemented diets. The second study is a randomized complete block design of five 0.224 ha …