Life Sciences Commons^™

Feline Lentivirus: Molecular Analysis And Epidemiology In Southern African Lions, Hayley Rebecca Adams

Doctoral Dissertations

Feline immunodeficiency virus is a retrovirus of domestic cats causing significant lifelong infection. Infection has also been detected in nondomestic species, including African lions. It is endemic in certain populations in east and southern Africa. Infection leads to immunologic dysfunction and immunosuppressive disease in domestic cats; however, little research exists about the pathogenic effects of infection in lions and its epidemiological impact on free-ranging and captive populations. Little is known about the lentivirus in these populations at the molecular and host level. Analysis of the virus from these populations is necessary for development of detection assays that are both sensitive …

Arsenic Phytoremediation: Engineering Of An Arsenic-Specific Phytosensor And Molecular Insights Of Arsenate Metabolism Through Investigations Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Pteris Cretica, And Pteris Vittata, Jason Miles Abercrombie

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a compilation of four studies that were conducted in the laboratory of Dr. C. Neal Stewart, Jr. at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The first study describes an investigation into arsenate metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana using microarray technology. The second study summarizes progress made to date towards the development of an As-specific phytosensor, or a plant genetically engineered to detect the presence of As in the environment. The third study describes efforts towards genetic transformation of Pteris cretica and Pteris vittata, both As-hyperaccumulating ferns that have been recently demonstrated as effective in the removal of As …

The Stability Of Carotenogenic Food Colorants And Strategies To Prolong The Shelf Life In Process Cheese Spread, Ann Marie Doneski Craig

Doctoral Dissertations

Food quality is often times measured by the way one perceives the food, particularly with respect to color and texture. Color quality often pre-determines expectation making it an important parameter to understand. The same can be said for textural properties of food. Maintaining color and texture are just two ways in which the shelf-life of food can be measured. One particular product that has experienced problems in this area is processed cheese spread in which the US military uses as part of the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) rations. The cheese spread is one of the most highly accepted products in the …

Protein Threading For Genome-Scale Structural Analysis, Kyle P. Ellrott

Doctoral Dissertations

Protein structure prediction is a necessary tool in the field of bioinformatic analysis. It is a non-trivial process that can add a great deal of information to a genome annotation. This dissertation deals with protein structure prediction through the technique of protein fold recognition and outlines several strategies for the improvement of protein threading techniques. In order to improve protein threading performance, this dissertation begins with an outline of sequence/structure alignment energy functions. A technique called Violated Inequality Minimization is used to quickly adapt to the changing energy landscape as new energy functions are added. To continue the improvement of …

Investigating The Molecular Basis Of Volatile-Mediated Plant Indirect Defense Against Herbivorous Insects Using Functional And Comparative Genomics, Shuhua Yuan

Doctoral Dissertations

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play important roles in plant indirect defense against herbivorous insects by attracting the natural enemies. I first used a tritrophic model system involving rice, rice fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), and the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris to discover and characterize the volatile terpenoids and TPS genes involved in the indirect defense of rice against the insect herbivory with integrated functional genomics analyses. Seven rice TPS genes were found to be significantly up-regulated by both microarray and real-time PCR analyses, with one characterized as a linalool synthase and two as sesquiterpene synthases. The products of all three …

Thermodynamic Characterization Of Aminoglycoside-3′-Phosphotransferase Iiia, Can Özen

Doctoral Dissertations

Aminoglycoside-3′-Phosphotransferase IIIa is a widespread, promiscuous member of the phosphotransferase family of aminoglycoside modifying enzymes. This study provides results of combined calorimetry/NMR experiments to characterize and dissect the global thermodynamic properties of aminoglycoside–APH(3′)-IIIa complexes. Aminoglycoside binding to APH(3′)-IIIa is enthalpically driven with strong entropic penalty. 2′- and 6′-amino groups have significant contributions to the observed binding parameters. Formation of APH(3′)-IIIa complexes with substrate aminoglycosides shows a complex dependence on pH and is linked to protonation and deprotonation of both ligand and enzyme groups. We report pK_a upshifts of ~1 unit for N2′ and N2′′′ groups of enzyme-bound neomycin B …

The Influence Of Selected Wood Characteristics And Composites Production Parameters On The Sorption Behavior Of Wood Materials, Trairat Neimsuwan

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this research was to investigate the influence of selected wood characteristics and composites production parameters on the sorption behavior of wood materials. A better understanding of the sorption behavior of different wood structures and types could be useful in protecting wood against wood deterioration. The differences among tree ring locations within the stem cross-section have not been explained in terms of sorption behavior. The purpose of the first task was to investigate the effect of differences among earlywood, latewood, and tree ring location within the stem crosssection on the water vapor sorption. A loblolly pine (Pinus …

Exploring The Mechanism Of Meiosis In Drosophila Melanogaster: Meiotic Functions Of A Novel Cohesion Protein Solo And A Translation Initiation Factor Vasa, Rihui Yan

Doctoral Dissertations

Sister chromatid cohesion is essential for proper chromosome segregation during meiosis. However, the mechanism of meiotic cohesion in Drosophila is unclear.

We describe a novel protein, SOLO (Sisters On the LOose) that is essential for meiotic cohesion in Drosophila melanogaster. solo mutations cause high nondisjunction of sister and homologous chromatids of sex chromosomes and autosomes in both sexes. In solo males, sister chromatids separate prematurely and segregate randomly during meiosis II. Although bivalents appear intact throughout meiosis I, sister centromeres lose cohesion prior to prometaphase I and orient nearly randomly on the meiosis I spindle. Centromeric foci of SMC1 are …

Soil Carbon And Microfauna Changes As Influenced By Combinations Of Bio-Covers And Cropping Sequences Of Glyphosate Tolerant Corn, Soybean, And Cotton, Jason Patrick Wight

Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this research was to compare the effects of combinations of a wide range of cropping sequences and soil bio-covers on soil organic carbon (SOC) and Heterodera glycines under no-tillage. The experiment used a split-block design with four replications at the Milan (RECM) and Middle TN (MTREC) Research & Education Centers. The whole-block treatment was cropping sequences of corn (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The split-block was bio-covers of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), poultry litter, and fallow. Soil samples were …

Sonochemical And Hydrophobic Modification Of Chitin And Chitosan, Tao Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

Chitin and chitosan are linear polysaccharides consisting of acetyl-glucosamine and glucosamine units with many potential applications in biomedicine, agriculture and food industry. In the food industry, chitosan can be used as antimicrobial agent and to create active packaging to improve food quality and extend shelf life. Commercial applications of chitosan are closely associated with its functional properties and biological activity, which are primarily governed by two structural properties: degree of acetylation (DA) and molecular weight (MW). The overall goal of this study was to develop methods for tailored modification of DA, MW and functionalities of chitosan.

The research was conducted …

Advanced Microscopy Techniques For The Molecular Scale Analysis And Physical Characterization Of Escherichia Coli Spheroplasts, Claretta Jackson Sullivan

Doctoral Dissertations

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) holds a unique position in microbiology because of its potential for nanometer (nm) scale imaging and piconewton (pN) force detection. These features can be exploited to characterize bacteria from the cellular down to the molecular level. In order to pursue such characterization studies, reliable sample preparation techniques must be developed. Spheroplasts are bacteria which have been treated with enzymes to remove cell wall components. Because the cytoplasmic membrane is exposed in spheroplasts, they are suitable for localizing transporters and other membrane proteins using AFM techniques. Constituents on the surface of intact bacteria are responsible for their …

Integrating Mass Spectrometry Based Proteomics And Bioinformatics Technologies For The Molecular Level Characterization Of Shewanella Oneidensis To Chromate Exposure, Melissa Renee Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations

The research outlined in this dissertation involves the development and demonstration of a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach to characterize the global level molecular response of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 to chromate exposure. The proteomics approach is centered on a high performance technique of multidimensional on-line liquid chromatographic separations with subsequent tandem mass spectrometric detection. Since very complex proteome samples are digested into peptides and then directly measured by MS, this technique is termed shotgun proteomics. This approach affords the identification and quantification of complex mixtures by directly analyzing their proteolytic peptides and then using computational techniques to reassemble the protein information. …

Gene Expression Analysis Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 At 10 And 37°C And Under Acidic Conditions Using High Density Oligonucleotide Microarrays, Kristina K. Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

This purpose of this investigation was to use DNA microarrays to study gene expression in E. coli O157:H7 under refrigerated and acidic conditions. Total RNA from E. coli O157:H7 grown to 7 log CFU/mL under control (37 °C, pH 7), refrigerated (10°C, pH 7), acid adapted (37°C, pH 5.5, then lowered to 3.5), and acid shocked (37°C, pH 7, then lowered to 3.5) conditions was extracted using an optimized Qiagen RNeasy procedure. Total RNA was converted to cDNA, labeled, and hybridized onto an Affymetrix GeneChip® E. coli Genome 2.0 Array. Results were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a …

Pb1774 Technical Guide To Crop Tree Release In Hardwood Forests, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Crop tree release (CTR) is a widely applicable silvicultural technique used to enhance the performance of individual trees. It offers flexibility in that it can be applied on small or large properties, and with certain modifications, it can be applied as a precommercial or commercial operation. By favoring the development of selected crop trees within a hardwood stand, the landowner can meet a variety of area-wide management objectives such as wildlife habitat, recreation, timber value, aesthetic beauty and species diversity.

CTR can be applied at various stages of development, including sapling, pole and sawtimber stands, depending on the specific opportunities …

Systemic And Mucosal Infection Program Protective Memory Cd8 T Cells In The Vaginal Mucosa., Thandi M. Onami, P. K. Suvas, H. M. Dech, J. Zeng

Microbiology Publications and Other Works

Whether mucosal immunization is required for optimal protective CD8 T cell memory at mucosal surfaces is controversial. In this study, using an adoptive transfer system, we compare the efficacy of two routes of acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis viral infection on the generation, maintenance, and localization of Ag-specific CD8 T cells in tissues, including the vaginal mucosa. Surprisingly, at day 8, i.p. infection results in higher numbers of Ag-specific CD8 T cells in the vaginal mucosa and iliac lymph node, as well as 2-3x more Ag-specific CD8 T cells that coexpress both IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in comparison to the intranasal route of …

Preserving The Legacy Of Jens Jensen Landscapes: A Historical Assessment Of His Knoxville Van Deventer Garden, Terumi Watson

Masters Theses

The former Van Deventer garden (1924) in Knoxville, Tennessee is one of the rare masterpieces designed by the landscape artist Jens Jensen (1860-1951), who was a distinctive pioneer in the history of American landscape architecture. Very few of his major works survive in the Midwest which was the center of his career, and his residential designs are especially threatened by urban sprawl and land development in modern society. This historic Knoxville garden has been quietly surviving over 80 years through a few private ownerships, and Jensen’s landscape is slowly diminishing as invasive species are fast to colonize in the native …

Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Simulium Jenningsi Species-Group (Diptera: Simuliidae), Elizabeth Ann Alexander

Masters Theses

A molecular phylogenetic investigation was undertaken to identify species within the morphologically homogeneous Simulium jenningsi species group, a pestiferous group of 22 species of black flies restricted to the Nearctic region. Several species in this group have well documented medical and veterinary importance, most notably S. luggeri and S. jenningsi. Unfortunately, females are monomorphic, a conundrum given their pest status. The objective of this study was to examine the utility of molecular data in species identification, with obvious application to identification of pest females. Towards this end, we sequenced approximately 2 kilobases of sequence data from the mitochondrial (Cox …

Developing A Technique For Evaluating Weed-Specific Mapping Systems, Philip Brooks Allen

Masters Theses

Federal regulation and public awareness of agricultural chemical use have fueled precision agriculture research for the last decade. An extensive body of research on potential reduction of herbicide inputs by automated patch-spraying or site-specific management has developed. Two dominant methods have developed for site-specific application of herbicide. Map-based systems use predefined application maps to direct herbicide application and sensor-based systems use real-time weed sensors to identify and treat weeds as the sprayer moves through the field. Weed maps, generated for map-based application of herbicide are beneficial for out-of-field decision-making but are labor intensive to create and sensitive to many types …

A Revision Of Tomoceridae (Insecta: Collembola) In Great Smoky Mountains National Park And Southern Appalachians Using Morphological And Molecular Approaches, Kelly Lynn Felderhoff

Masters Theses

Large, heavily scaled tomocerid springtails (Collembola) are abundant in eastern forests, and are important components of the detrital food web. The genus Pogonognathellus predominates in the southern Appalachians While a number of well-delimited tomocerid species have been described, others have vague morphological boundaries and appear to be species complexes. Before this study began in 2005, four species were known to occur in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) and the surrounding Appalachians (P. bidentatus, dubius, elongatus, flavescens). Also occurring throughout the area is Tomocerus lamellifera, a widespread and distinctive species. The goals of this project were to …

The Use Of Horticulture Therapy Techniques With Four Comprehensive Development Classroom Students In Four High School Horticulture Classes, Jamie Lynn Mundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore people-plant interactions and discover the affects of using horticulture therapy techniques with four comprehensive development classroom (CDC) students in four high school horticulture classes. The central research question addressed during the study was, “How do horticulture therapy techniques affect cognitive abilities, emotional behaviors, and social behaviors of CDC students in high school horticulture classes?”

The researcher used a total of three different instruments in order to measure various capabilities of each child. These three quantitative instruments utilized during the study consisted of a General Horticulture Knowledge Test, an Emotions Face Test, and …

Heat-Induced Perturbations During Oocyte Maturation Carry Over To Increase Susceptibility Of Preattachment Embryos To Heat Stress, Amber Nicole Bogart

Masters Theses

Objectives were to 1) examine effects of heat stress on maturing oocytes to alter the ability of resulting embryos to develop after fertilization, 2) evaluate blastocyst development of compact morulae derived from control or heatstressed oocytes after culture at 38.5°C or 41.0°C, and 3) evaluate effects of heat stress on compact morulae to alter sex ratio. Culture of cumulus oocytes at 41.0°C did not alter ability of presumptive zygotes (PZ) to cleave; however, the proportion of embryos that cleaved to the 8- to 16-cell stage was lower (P = 0.01). Also, the proportion of 8- to 16-cell embryos derived from …

Possible Strategies To Increase Ovulatory Follicle Size And Reduce Time To Ovulation In Lactating Dairy Cows, Julio Omar Giordano

Masters Theses

Specific objectives of this study were to examine growth response of the dominant follicle (DF) after administration of Folltropin-V (FSH and LH) at onset of luteolysis and investigate use of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for decreasing ovulation time in lactating Holstein cows. On day 8 or 9 of a synchronized cycle, cows (n = 35) received an EAZI-BREED CIDR plus 100 μg of GnRH. CIDRs were removed 7 days later and cows were administered 500 μg cloprostenol. Concurrently, cows were randomly allocated to receive either 80 mg Folltropin-V (FSH, n = 19) or 4 mL of sterile saline (SAL, …

Effects Of Combinations Of Cropping Sequences And Biocovers On Yield Of Glyphosate-Tolerant Corn, Soybean, And Cotton Under No-Till, Jennifer Elizabeth Noe

Masters Theses

No-till acreage is increasing in the United States as producers begin to recognize the environmental and economic benefits of this management system. Although the potential to receive carbon credits or payments for maintaining or initiating no-till may encourage producers to employ these practices, crop yields will be a factor in management decisions. Our objective was to examine the effects of combinations of cropping sequences and winter biocovers upon glyphosate-tolerant corn, cotton, and soybean yields under long-term no-tillage at two locations in Tennessee. Research was conducted during the first four-year phase (2002-2005) of a two-phase agronomic systems study (2002-2009) at the …

Horticultural Therapy In Tennessee, Jenny Cecilia Pfeffer

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was conducted to identify the existing HT programs in Tennessee and to locate the types of institutions, staff, activities, and clientele involved in those programs. Horticulture as a therapeutic medium is increasing rapidly, especially in the U.S., and there is a significant need to compile information about available programs in Tennessee. The Web-Survey of Horticultural Therapy Programs in Tennessee was developed and used in spring 2007 to survey members of the Tennessee Hospital Association, the Tennessee Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the Tennessee Master Gardeners; the Manager of Knoxville Sertoma Center Greenhouse; …

Impacts Of Two Introduced Ladybeetles, Coccinella Septempunctata And Harmonia Axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), On Native Coccinellid Species At Mount St. Helens, Washington And In Southwestern Virginia, Catherine Marie Sheehy

Masters Theses

To assess changes in coccinellid communities subsequent to the introduction of two non-native species, Coccinella septempunctata and Harmonia axyridis, ladybird numbers were monitored over a 20 year period at Mt. Saint Helens, Washington and in three years between 1996 and 2004 in southwestern Virginia. Surveys conducted at Mt. Saint Helens included pre- and post- invasion years for both non-natives. At Mt. Saint Helens, C. septempunctata and H. axyridis both increased in abundance, accompanied by declining numbers of the native ladybird Adalia bipunctata at one of the two Washington sites and of the native ladybird Coccinella transversoguttata at both sites. …

Stress And Eating Behaviors: A Systematic Review, Jessica L. Sieber

Masters Theses

Background: The effects of psychological stress on eating behaviors either through psychological/social influences (i.e. comfort foods, learned behaviors) or psychoneuroendocrine pathways have been studied for many years; however, a review of current research is lacking. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic literature review of the relationship between stress and eating behaviors with a concentration on how stress and eating behaviors are measured.

Methods: PubMed and PsycINFO databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed English-language human studies published between 1966 and March 2006. Keywords and subject headings used were: stress, eating, feeding behaviors, food habits, energy intake, diet, …

Development, Stability, And Molecular Mechanisms Of Macrolide Resistance In Campylobacter Jejuni, Dave Bryson Caldwell

Masters Theses

Previous studies on macrolide resistance in Campylobacter were primarily focused on the isolates from various origins using in vitro systems. In this study, both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to examine the development, stability, and genetic basis of macrolide resistance in C. jejuni. All in vitro and in vivo selected Ery^R mutants were derived from the same parent strain C. jejuni NCTC 11168. To determine if long-term exposure of low-level Ery^R C. jejuni to low-dose tylosin selects for high-level Ery^R mutants (MIC > 512 μg/ml), two low-level Ery^R mutants (MIC = 32 or …

Nfu-Enabled Fasta: Moving Bioinformatics Applications Onto Wide Area Networks, Erich J. Baker, Guan N. Lin, Huadong Liu, Ravi Kosuri

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- General Biology

Abstract

Background

Advances in Internet technologies have allowed life science researchers to reach beyond the lab-centric research paradigm to create distributed collaborations. Of the existing technologies that support distributed collaborations, there are currently none that simultaneously support data storage and computation as a shared network resource, enabling computational burden to be wholly removed from participating clients. Software using computation-enable logistical networking components of the Internet Backplane Protocol provides a suitable means to accomplish these tasks. Here, we demonstrate software that enables this approach by distributing both the FASTA algorithm and appropriate data sets within the framework of a wide area …

Home Grocery Delivery Improves The Household Food Environments Of Behavioral Weight Loss Participants: Results Of An 8-Week Pilot Study, Amy A. Gorin, Hollie A. Raynor, Heather M. Niemeier, Rena R. Wing

Nutrition Publications and Other Works

Background

Household food availability is consistently linked to dietary intake; yet behavioral weight control treatment includes only minimal instruction on how to change the home environment to support dietary goals. This pilot study examined whether it is feasible to change the household food environments of behavioral weight loss participants through the use of a commercially available grocery home delivery service.

Methods

Overweight participants (N = 28; BMI = 31.7 ± 3.6 kg/m²; 89.3% women, 47.9 ± 9.5 years) were randomly assigned to 8-weeks of standard behavioral weight loss (SBT) or to SBT plus home food delivery (SBT+Home). SBT+Home …

Sp341-C-Fungus Gnats, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Commercial Horticulture

The fungus gnat has recently been recognized as an important pest in greenhouses. Although greenhouse plants are commonly attacked, house plants may also become infested. Several genera in the family Sciaridae are of economic concern, such as Sciara, Orfelia, Lycoriella and Bradysia species.