Life Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The Impact Of The Tennessee Equine Industry, Olivia Watson

Masters Theses

The Tennessee equine industry is alive and prevalent across the entire state. However, due to the expansiveness of the industry, lack of consistent record keeping, and large discrepancies among reporting agencies, it has proven to be difficult to accurately account for the total impact of the industry in terms of population, demographics, and overall economic impact. The objective of this study was to 1) determine population demographics and economic impact of the equine industry in Tennessee and 2) determine the public perception on the addition of live equine racing within the state. An anonymous, online assessment was developed (March-August 2022; …

Analyzing Youth Engagement And Gender Roles In The Groundnut Value Chain In Uganda Using The Photovoice Research Methodology, Annie Faye Carter

Masters Theses

In regions of East Africa, groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is cultivated as a common cash crop in areas of food insecurity and agricultural-dependent communities. Groundnut, also known as peanut, is a legume with a variety of important uses. This crop is especially popular with small-scale farmers and youth, who seek to harvest a crop which is affordable. As an expected 440 million young people enter the global labor market by 2030, those living in rural areas are at a disadvantage when searching for job opportunities. In Africa, this rural-urban divide has impacted the economic sector and the activities …

Impact Of Far-Red Light Supplementation On Yield And Growth Of Cannabis Sativa, Thomas Benjamin Carter

Masters Theses

Far-red light(700-780nm) induces shade avoidance response in many different species of plants. The shade avoidance response triggers a number of changes in the plant such as cell expansion and stem elongation. This cell expansion has shown to increase yields in leafy greens and increase flower set in tomatoes. Despite there being a void in the literature for Cannabis sativa, far-red lights are often advertised to provide several benefits. This study will evaluate the effects of far-red light supplementation on the yield and height of Cannabis sativa. Five cannabis clones were grown under white (410-730nm) light emitting diodes (LED’s) at …

Motivation And Support For Regulatory Changes: A Typology Of Tennessee Wild Turkey Hunters, Cristina Elisa Maldonado

Masters Theses

Hunters form a diverse group with multiple motivations for seeking outdoor recreation experiences. A deeper understanding of hunters’ motivations may benefit wildlife managers in state agencies to cater services and regulations to meet the needs of this diverse group. To determine the motivations of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hunters in Tennessee, and their attitudes and preferences concerning turkey hunting and management, a self-administered questionnaire was developed and mailed to a sample of licensed Turkey hunters in Tennessee. A multivariate K-means cluster analysis was then applied to identify hunter typologies based on several motivation factors that were derived from …

Spatial And Temporal Heterogeneity Of Carbon Storage And Optimal Provision Of Carbon Storage, Amine Mohamed Ben Ayara

Masters Theses

Human activity, particularly the conversion of natural land cover into human-dominated cover types, is putting increasing pressure on the health of the global ecosystem. Loss of forestland is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which cause climate change because forests can help sequester GHG emission in the atmosphere. However, mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon through reforestation and/or avoiding deforestation is an appealing option because of the potential scale of such sequestration, the possible cost advantages over other mitigation efforts, and the opportunity it provides to incentivize the sustainable use of rural lands. Incentive payments can support forest-based …

Regional Dynamic Price Relationships Of Distillers Dried Grains In U.S. Feed Markets, Matthew Fulton Johnson

Masters Theses

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is now a mainstream substitute in U.S. animal feed rations. DDGS is rich in fat and protein content and serves as a competitive feed source in livestock markets. The objective of this study is to identify dynamic price relationships among DDGS, corn, soybean meal, and livestock outputs in context of specific livestock sectors and their geographic location. Four locations associated with a predominant livestock sector are selected for analysis by measuring density and relative proportion of a livestock sector’s grain consumption at the county level. A vector error correction model is applied to post-mandate …

A New Adaptive Landscape: Urbanization As A Strong Evolutionary Force, Lauren Christie Breza

Masters Theses

Urbanization is rapidly increasing as human population growth steadily grows, but there is little consensus of the ecological consequence of this population shift and almost no information of the evolutionary consequences for local biodiversity. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population will live in city centers by 2050 with profound impacts on landscapes that can act as important agents of selection. This study aims to identify 1) the net effect of urbanization on species richness, 2) how phylogenetic diversity varies between urban and rural sites, and 3) the strength of urbanization as a selection pressure. First, a meta-analysis was conducted in …

4-H Wildlife Habitat Education Program: A Qualitative Study On Career Exploration, Ronnie Lee Cowan

Masters Theses

There are documented studies on the Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) that relate to building life skills of participants. However, no literature was found that measured the perceptions of the participants towards a career in wildlife after participating in WHEP. To add validity to the program a focus group was conducted at the Tennessee 4-H wildlife judging contest to describe the WHEP participants’ perceptions of careers in wildlife after the completion of the annual program. Focus group participants indicated that participating in WHEP peaked their interest in wildlife and provided an opportunity to experience the importance of natural resource management.

Mechanisms For Social Influence, Jeremy David Auerbach

Masters Theses

Throughout the thesis, I study mathematical models that can help explain the dependency of social phenomena in animals and humans on individual traits. The first chapter investigates consensus building in human groups through communication of individual preferences for a course of action. Individuals share and modify these preferences through speaker listener interactions. Personality traits, reputations, and social networks structures effect these modifications and eventually the group will reach a consensus. If there is variation in personality traits, the time to reach consensus is delayed. Reputation models are introduced and explored, finding that those who can best estimate the average initial …

Economic And Environmental Optimization In The Supply Of Switchgrass In Tennessee, Jia Zhong

Masters Theses

The low efficiency of collection, storage and transportation in the switchgrass supply chain has hindered the commercialization of a switchgrass-based biofuel industry, even given its ecological and environmental advantages in carbon sequestrate, soil quality, water use, and pollution pressure. Thus, designing a switchgrass-based supply chain balancing both environmental and economic performance is important to expedite the development of the cellulosic biofuel industry to meet the national energy plan.

The objectives of this study are to 1) determine economic cost and multiple environmental outcomes in feedstock supply chains and 2) identify the relation between the economic and environmental performances. The first …

Exploring Connections Between Prenatal Physical Activity And Breastfeeding, Emily Alexandria Tucker

Masters Theses

Women who decide to engage in prenatal physical activity are giving themselves, and their child, an advantage over those who are not physically active during pregnancy; not only are there significant health benefits for mothers, but also there are great benefits for the unborn child. Breastfeeding is another important decision parents make that can impact the future health of their children. There has been extensive research on the benefits of both prenatal physical activity and breastfeeding, but the connection between the two is unclear. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to identify potential connections between factors influencing women’s …

The Greenhouse Effect: Decomposition Rates In Human Remains Wrapped In Plastic, Barbara R. Forman

Masters Theses

Determining an accurate estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) of human remains is important for several reasons. First, it is used to determine whether the individual is recently deceased, and therefore of medicolegal concern. If so, the estimated PMI is used in narrowing the possible identities of the deceased. PMI can also be used in excluding, or convicting, a murder suspect.

Though deviations may occur, it has been found that PMI can be calculated from the decomposition stages with reasonable accuracy (Galloway 1989, Megyesi 2001, Megyesi et al. 2005, Schiel 2008, Simmons et al. 2010). Some factors, such as low …

Factors Impacting Ffa Involvement After High School, Danielle Eve-Marie Sanok

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence FFA members to continue or discontinue with their FFA experience past high school. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the reasons why students discontinue with their FFA experience past high school, determine membership needs from the Collegiate and Alumni FFA Organization and ways to overcome membership attainment barriers.

Data collection methods included three sets of focus groups: (a) one for inactive FFA members, (b) one for current Collegiate FFA members, and (c) one for current and past State Officers. Data was analyzed using the thematic …

"It Starts With Having A Conversation": Lesbian Student-Athletes' Experience Of U.S. Ncaa Division I Sport, Jamie Fynes

Masters Theses

According to Griffin (1998), the U.S. NCAA Division I sport environment is not very welcoming for lesbian student-athletes because of existing negative myths and stereotypes. In addition, the experiences of both current and former lesbian collegiate athletes is an underrepresented research topic. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of 10 former U.S. NCAA Division I lesbian student-athletes using a semi-structured personal identity interview guide (Fisher, 1997) and Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Five domains, 19 categories, and related core ideas were found in the transcribed interviews. In Domain I: Stereotypes and …

Do Plants Play A Part In Student Satisfaction?, Amanda Diane Plante

Masters Theses

Environmental psychologists have found relationships between plants, nature and satisfaction. Student satisfaction is important across grade levels. Two studies were conducted to determine the effect of spending time with live plants on student satisfaction and academic performance. In the first study, a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was used to determine how participation in garden labs would affect high school student satisfaction with school and academic performance. Ecology students in the variable group participated in ten gardening labs during the semester. During labs, students did hands-on gardening activities in the school greenhouse and garden. Students in the variable and control …

Intensity Of Adoption Of Direct Marketing Strategies Among Fruit And Vegetable Farmers In Tennessee, Carey Ann Wolanin

Masters Theses

Consumer interest in fresher foods has increased over the past few years and has stimulated the growth of direct-to-consumer outlets. Tennessee currently hosts many types of direct food outlets, including farmer markets, CSAs, roadside stands, and pick-your-own operations. Using data from a 2011 survey of Tennessee fruit and vegetable producers, factors associated with the percentage of sales fruit and vegetable producers make through direct-to-consumer outlets or intensity of adoption of direct-to-consumer marketing strategies are evaluated using fractional logit and logit regressions. Findings suggest that the percentage of sales a producer makes through direct-to-consumer outlets is associated with farmer age, the …

The Mother-Infant Dyad Study: A Grounded Theory Inquiry Into The Day-To-Day Experiences, Between First-Time Mothers And Their Infants, That Influence Feeding Practices, Jennifer Jean Helvey

Masters Theses

Background: Inappropriate infant-feeding practices linked to excessive, rapid, early weight gain, are potentially powerful intervention points for reducing risk of later obesity. Understanding how and why these behaviors begin is currently the topic of much research. Because breastfeeding has been found to be somewhat protective against early rapid gain, and because low-income, Southeastern U.S. populations are significantly less likely to initiate and maintain breastfeeding, it is critical to focus efforts in these populations. Grounded theory methodology provides the optimal theoretical underpinnings for exploring development of these practices.

Research Objective: The objective was to explore, using grounded theory methodology, the set …

Factors Influencing Precision Farming Technology Adoption Over Time In Southern U.S. Cotton Production, Pattarawan Watcharaanantapong

Masters Theses

This study analyzed factors of farm and farmer characteristics that influenced the timing of PF technology adoption using Trivariate Tobit models for three PF technologies. Data from the Cotton Incorporated Southern Precision Farming (PF) Survey conducted in February and March of 2009 for the 2008 crop year were analyzed for PF adoption by Southern U.S. Cotton Producers. The number of years a cotton farmer had used yield monitoring (YMR), remote sensing (RMS) and grid soil sampling (GSS) were the dependent variables and farm and farmer characteristics were the independent variables.

Results of Trivariate Tobit model for YMR suggested that younger …

Chenopodium Berlandieri And The Cultural Origins Of Agriculture In The Eastern Woodlands, Daniel Shelton Robinson

Masters Theses

The development of agriculture in the New World has been a topic of prominent historic interest, but one that has ignored some regions in favor of others. The woodlands of Eastern North America have felt this bias in the investigation of agricultural origins, but this has not prevented the development of theories to explain the emergence of a complex of indigenous agricultural plants in the region. Data collection and technological advances have in large part validated these theories, creating a model for domestication. By emphasizing farming over other cultural practices, however, these theories lack explanatory power with regards to the …

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 …

Evaluation Of Capital Investment And Cash Flows For Alternative Switchgrass Feedstock Supply Chain Configurations, Jie Chen

Masters Theses

Biofuels have been widely recognized as a potential renewable energy source, and the United States’ government has been interested in producing ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass such as switchgrass. To evaluate whether lignocellulosic biomass based biofuels production is economically feasible, this paper estimated the capital investment outlays, operation costs, and net present value for investment in alternative switchgrass feedstock supply chain configurations in East Tennessee a 25 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery. Two scenarios are analyzed in the study. The conventional hay harvest scenario includes the production, harvest, storage and transportation of biomass feedstocks from the fields to the biorefinery. …

Potential For Alternative Agricultural Enterprises To Replace Tobacco: Burley Producers Perceptions, Maria Paula Mendieta Umana

Masters Theses

Demand for domestic tobacco has decreased over the past two decades. In 2004, the tobacco buyout program terminated marketing quotas and price support established under the federal tobacco program in 1938. Additionally, in 2003, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WTO FCTC) acknowledged the importance of supply control in conjunction with demand control strategies to eliminate or reduce the consumption of tobacco products. According to the Census of Agriculture, the number of tobacco farms in the US fell by 40 percent between 2002 and 2007. Tobacco farmers are looking for alternative on-farm and off-farm sources of income. …

Intellectual Property And Policy Issues In Biotechnology, Amy Iver Yancey

Masters Theses

Intellectual property, particularly patents, plays a major role in innovation and discovery in biotechnology. Likewise, since the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1981, patents have become an increasingly important factor in U.S. university-driven basic research, especially in the life sciences where patented technologies have transformed agriculture. Specifically, this paper looks at the potential impacts of these trends on university driven research, the university researcher, the pharmaceutical industry, and the farm sector with an emphasis on recent and pending court cases and legislation. This paper examines policy and adoptions issues in biotechnology and biomedicine in depth and touches on important …

An Investigation Of Stratigraphic Evidence For An Abrupt Climatic Event 8200 Yr Bp In Valle De Las Morrenas, Costa Rica, Brian Thomas Watson

Masters Theses

Lago de las Morrenas 4 (9.498056° [degrees] N, 83.486111° [degrees] W, 3466 m elev.) is the lowest lake in a chain of glacial lakes located in the Valle de las Morrenas, a valley facing almost due north from Cerro Chirripó, the highest peak in the Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica. Coarse resolution analyses of pollen, microscopic charcoal, and loss-on-ignition of a ca. 10,000 year sediment record from Lago de las Morrenas 4 was carried out to complement and extend previous research on the environmental history of the Chirripó highlands and to provide context for high-resolution sampling and analysis of …

A Vegetation History From Emerald Pond, Great Abaco Island, The Bahamas, Based On Pollen Analysis, Ian Arthur Slayton

Masters Theses

Emerald Pond (26° 32' 12" N, 77° 06' 32" W) is a vertical-walled solution hole in the pine rocklands of Great Abaco Island, The Bahamas. In 2006, Sally Horn, Ken Orvis, and students recovered an 8.7 m-long sediment core from the center of the pond using a Colinvaux-Vohnout locking piston corer. AMS radiocarbon dates on macrofossils are in stratigraphic order and indicate that the sequence extends to ca. 8400 cal yr BP. Basal deposits consist of aeolian sands topped by a soil and then pond sediment, suggesting that the site began as a sheltered, dry hole during a Late Pleistocene …