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Mining The Usda Snap Bean Association Panel For Resilience: Genetic Dissection Of Heat And Disease Tolerance In Snap Bean, Atiya F. Khan

All Theses

Snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an economically and nutritionally important vegetable crop whose production is increasingly threatened by rising temperatures and emerging bacterial diseases, particularly in the southeastern United States. Heat stress during reproductive development can significantly reduce yield, while newly emerging pathogens such as Pseudomonas capsici present additional risks to crop productivity. This study leveraged the USDA Snap Bean Association Panel (SnAP) to investigate the genetic basis of heat tolerance and disease resistance and to identify germplasm and genomic regions useful for breeding resilient cultivars.

To evaluate heat tolerance, a subset of the SnAP panel was …

Polydactyl Precursors: Insights Into Early Tetrapod Locomotion From Polydactyl American Alligators, Trevor P. Brewington

All Theses

Several of the earliest tetrapod lineages exhibited polydactyl limbs, with seven or eight digits per limb rather than the typical five or fewer seen in extant lineages. How these digit configurations might have been used during terrestrial locomotion is unclear, given the lack of living models in which their performance can be studied and limited evidence from fossil trackways. However, polydactyly occasionally appears in natural populations of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), animals with body plans that broadly resemble those of early tetrapods. To test how polydactyl limbs similar to those of early tetrapods might have functioned on land, …

Dirty Defense: Investigating The Defensive Function Of Fecal Egg Cases In The Dogbane Beetle (Chrysochus Auratus), Alexandra Miller

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Defecation is the elimination of digestive waste by animals. In insects, these wastes are composed of both undigested food and nitrogenous wastes in the form of uric acid, and can be either liquid or solid form as they exit the anus (Weiss, 2006). Food is ingested, ground, and some of it is stored in the foregut of the insect while the midgut digests food chemically and absorbs nutrients. What remains after the foregut and midgut is then moved into the hindgut, where they accumulate with uric acid coming from the malpighian tubules (Weiss, 2006). According to Weiss (2006), rectal pads …

The Effect Of Rider Balance On Equine Heart Rate During Therapeutic Riding, Lydia R. Nelson

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Therapeutic riding provides emotional and physical benefits for riders who have disabilities, yet the physical demands placed on equines in therapeutic riding are not fully understood. Equestrian imbalance is a common characteristic in therapeutic riding, which may increase the workload on the equine. This study aims to evaluate whether induced rider imbalance increases equine heart rate, indicating greater workload, in comparison to riding with a balanced equestrian. One therapeutic riding equine and one experienced equestrian from Brook Hill Farm participated in this study. Heart rate (HR) data were collected with a heart rate monitor strapped around the equine for 21 …

Investigating Arginase Activity In The Murine Macrophage Raw 264.7 Cell Line, Abigail G. Johnson

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that have important functional roles in the innate immune system, the body’s first line of defense against invading pathogens. Macrophages possess two phenotypic forms, M1 and M2, which are functionally and metabolically different and respond to different stimuli. M1 macrophages respond to bacterial products, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), by producing pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, M2 macrophages respond to 8 Bromo cAMP (8Br) by producing tissue repair and wound healing properties. Second messenger signaling through cAMP plays an important role in the resolution of inflammation and inflammatory mediators. Metabolism plays a key role in …

High Throughput Phenomics Pipeline For Pulse Crop Nutritional Breeding, Amod Udayanga Madurapperumage

All Dissertations

Dry pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) are major pulse crops valued for their high nutritional composition and importance to global food systems. Pulses are rich in carbohydrates, protein, and essential minerals, making them ideal whole foods and critical contributors to food and nutrition security. Due to these advantages, pulse breeding programs are increasingly focusing on enhancing nutritional traits, such as protein quality, amino acid balance, and micronutrient density, through the process of biofortification. However, improvement of agronomic traits remains equally essential. Characteristics such as plant height, standability, stress tolerance, …

Integrating Incentive Design And Spatial Prioritization For Climate-Smart Forestry Adoption In South Carolina, United States, Miah Maye Pormon

All Dissertations

Forests provide essential ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, water regulation, timber production, and habitat provision. However, increasing development pressures and land-use changes threaten forest persistence and long-run ecosystem service provision. Climate-smart forestry (CSF) practices, such as improved forest management and extended rotation, offer opportunities to enhance carbon storage, forest resilience, and economic livelihoods. The effectiveness of these practices depends on forest owners’ participation and the strategic allocation of financial resources or incentives. This dissertation develops an integrated framework that combines behavioral economic analysis and mapping to improve the design of current incentive programs. The first chapter employs the Contingent Valuation …

Pattern Dynamics And Stochasticity Of Brain Rhythms And Spike Trains In A Tauopathy Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Clarissa M. Hoffman

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Systems neuroscience posits that every aspect of perceived physical reality, every aspect of animal and human behavior, and every cognitive phenomenon emerges from patterns of neuronal activity. While most researchers embrace this idea, there are major difficulties in describing and analyzing these complex neuronal dynamics—spike flows produced by cells ensembles, synchronized extracellular field oscillations, and other patterns—which limits our understanding of how the activity of individual neurons and the whole-animal cognition and behavior might be connected. In particular, we lack the approaches and even the semantics for connecting the individual cell outputs and the integrated results of their activity. Current …

Refining Treatment Thresholds Of Insect Pests In South Carolina Soybeans Using Simulated Injury And Natural Populations, Adam Whitfield

All Dissertations

Insect pests are a major limiting factor to profitable soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., production in South Carolina, yet current economic thresholds are largely based on historical data and may not reflect modern cultivars, production practices, or input costs. Key insect pests in South Carolina can be categorized into three major feeding groups: defoliators, stem feeders, and pod feeders. Defoliating insects include, but are not limited to, soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens (Walker); velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hubner); green cloverworm, Hypena scabra (Fabricius); grasshoppers; and numerous species of beetles. Stem feeders include, but are not limited to, kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria …

Neurobiological Mechanisms Of Attention In Adolescents, Virginia Clark

All Dissertations

Adolescence is a transformative developmental period characterized by profound biological, neurological, and behavioral changes. This dissertation investigates the neurobiological underpinnings of attention in adolescents, emphasizing how internal mechanisms influence and individually shape cognitive development through the endosystem. Rooted in the intersection of human development, learning sciences, and cognitive neuroscience, this work argues for a more integrated understanding of attention as a fundamental cognitive function for learning, one that is behaviorally seen but also biologically and neurologically driven. While developmental science has often emphasized external influences such as family, culture, and environment, this work centers on the adolescent’s internal biological systems …

Developing An Independent Shallow-Water Survey For The Western Rock Lobster Fishery: Tracking Pre-Recruitment Abundance And Habitat Change, Lucy Rudd, Simon De Lestang, Owen Young, Benjamin Hebiton

Fisheries Research Reports

Background

Puerulus settlement has proven to be a good forecaster of legal recruitment of Western Rock Lobster entering into the commercial and recreational fisheries. However, in 2011, this relationship broke down, with average puerulus settlement levels not being reflected in commercial catch rates four years later. Some northern areas showed unexpectedly low catch rates, while other southern areas showed unexpectedly high catch rates. Since this change followed the 2011 marine heatwave, it was assumed that this event changed some component(s) which were important to the growth and survival of juvenile lobsters. It was determined that a better understanding of this …

Solvent-Dependent Proteome Profiling In Edible Mushrooms (Hypsizygus Marmoreus And Agaricus Bisporus), Tanvir Ahmed, O'Lone, Angéla Juhász, Utpal Bose, Kenneth U. Agbo, Netsanet Shiferaw Terefe, Michelle L. Colgrave

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study compared five solvents - urea, carbonate-bicarbonate, citrate, phosphate, and water - for their ability to extract proteins from beech (BM) (Hypsizygus marmoreus) and Swiss brown (SB) (Agaricus bisporus) mushrooms. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics and bioinformatics, we found that urea produced the highest total protein identifications by data-dependent acquisition at 1% false discovery rate (FDR): BM: 1739, SB: 1907; and by data-independent acquisition: BM: 1969, SB: 2172 proteins, especially enriching cytosolic and ribosomal proteins. Carbonate-bicarbonate favoured the extraction of metabolic and translational proteins, while citrate targeted extracellular and membrane-associated proteins related to cell wall dynamics. Phosphate-enriched catalytically active proteins, …

Characterization Of The Antiviral Activity Of Mouse Schlafen Proteins, Wendy Paola Alvarez Leal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this work was to characterize the anti-viral role of mouse Schlafen8 and Schlafen9. Expression of these proteins is induced by type I interferon in response to viral infections. Importantly, their human functional orthologs exhibit anti-viral functions, and the structural element required for these activities are conserved in Schlafen8 and Schlafen9. Therefore, it is expected that these proteins will also impair viral replication. An important limitation in this field is that the anti-viral function of human SLFNs has been evidenced only in in vitro cellular models. No informative mutations have been described in human populations so far. Thus, …

Enhancing Walleye (Ogaa) Recruitment: Evaluating Assisted Reproduction As A Mitigation Strategy, Douglass Keiser

Biology Graduate Theses

Over the past several decades, cold- and cool-water fish populations across the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota and Wisconsin, have shown troubling signs of decline. Among the most affected is the walleye/Ogaa (Sander vitreus), a species deeply embedded in the ecological balance, cultural identity, and economic vitality of the region, and central to the lifeways, treaty-reserved rights, and resource stewardship of Tribal Nations, including Ojibwe communities across the Upper Midwest. Despite ongoing stocking efforts and harvest regulations, many lake systems have experienced persistent declines in natural recruitment, prompting resource agencies to investigate the underlying causes. One such system is …

Intraday Cotton Futures Price Responses To World Agricultural Supply And Demand Estimates (Wasde) News, Owen Mclane Tyrone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Price discovery in agricultural futures markets is augmented by information about supply and demand, leading markets to react when public reports are released. Effective price discovery in futures markets is vital to allocate physical commodities across time, synthesize information, and provide hedging tools. Price discovery in cotton markets is unique because it is less liquid than many other commodity markets. Therefore, our objective is to measure the initial price response in the cotton futures market to unanticipated ending stocks information in the WASDE report; then determine if markets continue to adjust after the initial price change. To meet our objective, …

Nadh Flim Reveals Cellular Bioenergetics And Mitochondrial Morphology During Drosophila Convergent Extension, Maria Espana Pena

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that can fragment or fuse to support different bioenergetic demands and cellular processes, although the role of mitochondrial fission and fusion during embryonic development is not well understood. Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) of the mitochondrial cofactor NADH can be used to visualize mitochondrial networks and infer aspects of cellular bioenergetics in a label-free manner. We used NADH FLIM to test whether germband cells undergo changes in cellular metabolism during Drosophila convergent extension (CE)––a process in which hundreds of epithelial cells undergo coordinated intercalation to elongate the embryo. Contrary to our expectations, we did not observe significant …

Creatures Of Habit? Impact Of Chick Feeder Tray Location On Feed Consumption At 0-7 Days Of Age, Emily Kate Green

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Early chick nutrition is critical for establishing target growth performance characteristics in broiler chickens. This study evaluated factors within commercial broiler houses that potentially influence feed consumption during the first 7 days. Three trials were conducted in a 12.2 x 122 m commercial broiler house to assess the effects of house sectioning, spatial barriers, and feedline location. In Trial 1, a one-way experimental design was used in which the house was divided into four equal sections using migration fencing every 30.5 m. House sections served as a fixed factor. Feed was provided using chick trays placed beneath the feed line …

Consumer Perceptions Of Fda Front-Of-Package Nutrition Labeling, Madison Price

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a front-of-package nutrition labeling (FOPL) rule in early 2025 to help consumers more quickly and easily compare the nutritional quality of packaged foods (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025). FOPL is gaining attention as a way to encourage healthier eating habits and consumer choices, but there is still debate over which label format works best. The objective of this study was to examine consumer perceptions, understanding, and trust of FDA FOPL, and to determine how these labels impact purchasing behavior and nutritional decision-making. Data were collected via an online Qualtrics survey distributed …

Dissecting The Complex Genomic Landscape Underlying Oxidative Stress Resistance Using Natural Variation In Yeast, Sonali Lakshika Anne Lenaduwe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stress is experienced across the tree of life. Survival in fluctuating environments depends on a robust genetic architecture. This dissertation examines the genetic and metabolic determinants underlying one such adaptive response: cross-protection. Leveraging natural variation in the stress responses of budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, I examine the genetic variation contributing to ethanol-induced cross-protection against oxidative stress. Acquired stress resistance, in which mild pre-exposure improves survival to subsequent stresses, is prevalent across diverse organisms and can involve both same-stress and cross-protection. Using high-throughput bulk segregant analysis (BSA-seq) and advanced intercross mapping populations derived from natural yeast isolates, I identify quantitative trait …

Arkansas Soybean Research Studies 2024, Jeremy Ross

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2024 Arkansas Soybean Research Studies includes research reports on topics pertaining to soybean across several disciplines from breeding to post-harvest processing. Research reports contained in this publication may represent preliminary or only data from a single year or limited results; therefore, these results should not be used as a basis for long-term recommendations. Several research reports in this publication will appear in other University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publications. This duplication is the result of the overlap in research coverage between disciplines and our effort to inform Arkansas soybean producers of the research being …

Clinical And Demographic Characteristics Of Hospitalized Patients With Xylazine-Related Wounds, Elizabeth Novick, Nikhil Seval, Dagan Coppock, Mollie Tucker, Daniel Taupin, John Zurlo, Carolyn Kramer

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the demographic and clinical features of patients with xylazine-related wounds. We sought to characterize hospitalized patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and xylazine-related wounds seen for infectious diseases consultation.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 193 patients diagnosed with SUD at 3 Philadelphia hospitals between October 2023 and January 2024. Patients were identified as either being diagnosed with (n=73) or without (n=120) xylazine-related wounds. We compared the demographic and clinical features between the 2 groups.

RESULTS: Patients diagnosed with wounds were younger ( P < 0.001), more likely to be White or Hispanic and less likely to be Black/AA ( P < 0.001), more likely to have tested positive for fentanyl ( P < 0.001), amphetamines ( P < 0.001), and cocaine ( P 0.001), more likely to acknowledge injection ( P < 0.001), and more likely to leave the hospital by patient-directed discharge (PDD) ( P < 0.001). Most patients had multiple wounds (75%), and more than half (53%) had at least one wound greater than 10 cm at its widest dimension. Although most patients diagnosed with wounds received antibiotics, many did not have symptoms or signs of infection.

CONCLUSIONS: Xylazine-related wounds are highly associated with illicitly manufactured …

Effects Of Tourist Feeding On The Gut Microbiome And Ecophysiology Of Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Erin Lucy Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The lifespan and reproduction of an animal depends on maintaining a healthy physiology. The proportion of individuals that survive to an age at which procreation can occur is important to long-term stability of populations and contributes to species survival. Health in an animal is measured in a variety of ways, including through monitoring of the body’s physiological systems, as well as its ability to respond to invading pathogens, and through the different types of bacteria present in the gut. Relationships among those different health metrics have been discovered in recent years and have been found to play important roles in …

Exploring The Correlation Between Malnutrition And Food And Nutrition Insecurity In Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Heather Burr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) may increase the risk of malnutrition because of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and restrictive eating. In addition, patients with IBD may experience food and nutrition insecurity. Therefore, we conducted an online survey to assess risk of malnutrition and food and nutrition insecurity among adult patients with IBD in outpatient and community settings. Patients were recruited between July and December 2025, aiming to reach adults in the Rocky Mountain Region diagnosed with IBD. Data collected included demographics, health-related factors, risk of nutrition insecurity, risk of food insecurity, and barriers and facilitators to dietary management of IBD.

Fifty-seven patients …

Wrky Transcription Factors: Integral Regulators Of Defence Responses To Biotic Stress In Crops, Dongjiao Wang, Ruize Zhang, Wenhui Zou, Yuanyuan Zhang, Wanying Zhao, Tingting Sun, Qibin Wu, Zheng Qing Fu, Youxiong Que

Faculty Publications

Crops are continually challenged by biotic stresses, including fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens and insect pests, which cause substantial yield and quality losses worldwide. WRKY transcription factors constitute a plant-specific and functionally diverse family that is central to immune regulation. Recent advances in genomic resources and multi-omics approaches have accelerated the identification and functional characterisation of WRKYs in crops. This review summarises the structural features and classification of WRKY genes and their genome-wide distribution across crop species. It also synthesises WRKY-centred regulatory modules that mediate resistance to major classes of biotic stress. In antifungal defence, WRKYs reinforce pattern- and effector-triggered …

Ecological Responses To Living Shoreline Restoration, Aaron S. Bland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal built communities and natural coastal ecosystems face similar and interrelated hazards: shoreline sediment erosion, shoreline retreat, and worsening storms, each of which is exacerbated by relative sea level rise. Living shorelines are coastal defense projects that incorporate natural habitats to provide more sustainable shoreline defense and improve the coastal ecosystem. Living shorelines have been widely adopted, but their performance has been highly variable, and the mechanisms of project success and failure are unclear. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to better understand the ecosystem responses to coastal restoration, focusing on the primary habitats of coastal salt marsh and …

Domain-Specific Concussion Knowledge And Reporting In United States Major League Rugby Players, Julie Stamm, Katherine Hunzinger, Owen Sheehy, Christine Baugh

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

Previous research indicates high concussion knowledge is not associated with better concussion reporting, with research examining the relationship between reporting and global concussion knowledge. Concussion knowledge has not yet been investigated in United States Major League Rugby (MLR) players. This study evaluated domain-specific concussion knowledge, concussion history, and reporting behaviors among active MLR players. In a cross-sectional design, 207 MLR athletes (age 26.6 ± 3.4 years) completed a survey assessing concussion history, knowledge, and nondisclosure reasons. While in the MLR, 24% reported an undisclosed concussion, with nondisclosure reasons related to a lack of concussion knowledge, a desire to continue playing, …

Disruption Of Energy Homeostasis By Chemical Mixtures Containing Persistent Pollutants In Hepg2 And C2c12 Cells, Morgan Jacobellis

All Theses

The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Fetal Growth Studies (ECHO-FGS) birth cohort data was used to identify chemical mixtures associated with adverse outcomes. This biomonitoring study associated specific chemical mixtures in maternal serum with low birth weight or childhood obesity (Pearce et al., 2021). Mixture Profiles 1, 3, and 4, comprised of different observed concentrations of DDE, PCB153, BDE47, and PFOS were prioritized. Mixtures were tested to determine whether they perturbed mitochondrial metabolism and energy sensing pathways. The purpose of this study was to elucidate a potential mechanism linking maternal exposure to mixtures containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to …

Denisovan Introgression And Selection At Cntnap2 In Ancient And Modern American Populations, Matthew Barker

All Theses

The peopling of the Americas created new opportunities for genetic adaptation as ancient populations encountered novel environments across North and South America. Previous research has shown that segments of Indigenous American ancestry contain elevated proportions of Denisovan alleles. The gene CNTNAP2, which is involved in brain development and neuronal function, contains a Denisovan-derived haplotype that represents a candidate locus for adaptive introgression in admixed American populations. A Denisovan-derived core haplotype approximately 55 kb in length was identified within intron 13 of CNTNAP2. This haplotype is primarily found in admixed American populations and occurs rarely outside the Americas, and …

Forest Overstory Mortality & Recruitment Patterns Eight Years Following Wildfire In The Southern Appalachians, Ruth Cumberland

All Theses

In this study, we investigated patterns of forest overstory mortality and recruitment eight years after wildfire in a large wildfire site the Southern Appalachians, a topic that has not been thoroughly investigated to date. With evidence that pre-fire drought promotes post-fire mortality through impaired physiological function and increased fuel consumption, unknown patterns following wildfire are important to study under shifting climate and land-use conditions. In Chapter 1, three areas of interest were investigated: (a) functional group mortality response to wildfire effects, (b) temporal differences in early (1-3 years) and late (5-8 years) periods of delayed forest overstory mortality patterns following …

Biology, Ecology And Control Of Eye Gnats In An Open Pine Ecosystem, Leela Hospach

All Theses

Eye gnats of the genus Liohippelates are bothersome flies of the family Chloropidae. They breed in moist, disturbed, sandy soils that contain organic matter, and have been implicated as vectors of conjunctivitis, bovine mastitis, and yaws. We conducted research into some basic biological and ecological characteristics. Using wild-caught gnats in a temperature-controlled incubator, we found that their activity peaks between 27°C and 41°C. Trapping at different heights above the forest floor in an open-pine savannah, we captured most gnats at 7.5 m off the ground. This may have to do with the attractiveness of the rotten egg lures we used, …