Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Short Chain Fatty Acids On Clostridioides Difficile Growth, Sporulation, And Toxin Production, Michelle Baldassare

All Theses

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are products of bacterial fermentation that help maintain important gut functions such as the intestinal barrier, signaling, and immune homeostasis. The main SCFAs acetate, propionate, and butyrate have demonstrated beneficial effects for the host, including importance in combatting infections caused by pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile. C. difficile infection (CDI) is a public health concern and causes 30,000 deaths each year mainly due to the overuse of antibiotics. Despite the potential role of SCFAs in mitigating C. difficile infection, their direct effect on C. difficile remains unclear. Through a set of in-vitro experiments, we …

Yoga In Criminal Justice Facilities: A Descriptive Study, Rachel Broome

All Theses

The United States currently incarcerates more individuals than any other country in the world, creating an effect known as mass incarceration. While incarcerated, individuals’ physical and mental health can be affected. Yoga is a feasible, cost-effective modality that may be utilized in criminal justice facilities, to assist in the process of improving the physical and mental health of individuals who are incarcerated or in confinement. The purpose of this study was to explore the structure of yoga programs that are being implemented throughout United States criminal justice facilities and the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic had on programs. Through a …

Weight Maintenance, A Prognostic Factor That Mediates The Incidence Of Dementia: From Genetics To Etiologies, Sunny Chen

All Dissertations

Objectives: Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people. The goal of this work is to investigate biological mechanisms such as weight loss and mitochondrial function that can serve as prognostic factors for dementia, healthy aging, and longevity.

Methodologies: This work consists of two separate systematic literature reviews, and an investigational study. The first review examined existing studies on weight trends in dementia. The second review investigated the role of mitochondria and its associated gene TOMM40 in aging. The third paper included a nested case control analysis of weight change patterns before and …

Clemson Commencement Program, August 2022, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Shelf Life Of Aquaponically-Grown Finstar Lettuce In Different Oxygen Transmission Rate Films, Katherine White

All Theses

The effects of oxygen transmission rate of packaging material on the shelf life of aquaponically-grown Finstar lettuce was studied. Parameters of packaging headspace gas composition (oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations) and lettuce pH, percentage weight loss, total aerobic microorganisms, and color were analyzed every ten days for sixty days. Finstar lettuce was stored at 4^○C in four different types of packages (treatments), including a clamshell package and three film bags with oxygen transmission rates (OTR) of 3.0-6.0 cc/(m²/24 hr/1 atm), 80-90 cc/(m²/24 hr/1 atm), and >225 cc/(m²/24 hr/1 atm). Lettuce stored in …

Potassium Level Prediction Of Peach Tree Leaves Using A Hyperspectral Camera And Multivariate Analysis, Megan Io Ariadne Salimbangon Abenina

All Theses

The use of hyperspectral imaging is a valuable piece of technology used in precision agriculture. Hyperspectral imaging system could help farmers and researchers alike in analyzing tissue samples quicker compared to the current way of running a plant tissue analysis on the different nutrient levels that often takes time in generating results. The objective of this research was to measure the potassium level of peach trees using its leaves with a hyperspectral camera. The Senop HSC-2 was used to capture images of peach tree leaves during the fall of 2020 and 2021. The collected data were used to create a …

Lentil (Lens Culinaris Medik.) Prebiotic Carbohydrates And Protein Quality: Uncovering Genomic Associations And Developing Rapid Ftir Phenotyping Methods, Nathan Johnson

All Dissertations

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a cool-season food legume cultivated around the globe. This pulse crop boasts a rich nutrient profile including high concentrations of prebiotic carbohydrates, protein, essential amino acids, and micronutrients, such as folate, iron, zinc, and selenium. Prebiotic carbohydrates promote a healthy gut microbiome, which, in turn, is associated with reduced risk of numerous pathologies including obesity/overweight, type II diabetes, irritable bowel disease, and colon cancer. Known as “poor man’s meat,” lentil also provides high quality plant-based protein at a low cost. As the world increasingly looks to crops to supplement and replace animal-based protein, lentil …

Microbial, Chemical, And Functional Components In Kefir, Natto, And Feed Ingredients, Dana Mccurdy

All Dissertations

Kefir grains were purchased from online, home kitchen vendors in the United States (n = 22), inoculated into UHT milk, and incubated at 25°C for 22 hours. Results indicated lactobacilli, lactococci and yeast in all samples. Six out of 11 samples contained coliform, and all samples contained pseudomonal and staphylococcal species. Using targeted genome sequencing (16S) of kefir grain samples 1, 2, and 3 revealed that lactobacilli were the predominant genera of bacteria. ITS sequencing revealed different fungal species in each grain. Results indicated potential presence of menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7 by UPLC-MS/MS analysis.

The fermentation of whole and ground soybeans, …

Characterization Of Kinases And Hypothetical Proteins In The Entamoeba Species, Heather Andrews Walters

All Dissertations

Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite that causes amebic dysentery and amoebic liver abscess. This pathogen possesses a two-stage life cycle consisting of an environmentally stable latent cyst and a pathogenic amoeboid trophozoite. Since infection is acquired by ingestion of cysts from contaminated food and water, this parasite is prevalent in underdeveloped countries. A reptilian pathogen, Entamoeba invadens, which can encyst in culture, has long-served as a surrogate to study stage conversion. Much remains unclear about stage conversion and the stress response in these parasites and current treatments for amoebiasis are lacking, as they cause severe side effects. Ultimately …

Development Of A Reverse Engineered, Parameterized, And Structurally Validated Computational Model To Identify Design Parameters That Influence American Football Faceguard Performance, William Ferriell

All Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to have the greatest incidence among athletes participating in American football. The headgear design research community has focused on developing accurate computational and experimental analysis techniques to better assess the ability of headgear technology to attenuate impacts and protect athletes from TBI. Despite efforts to innovate the headgear system, minimal progress has been made to innovate the faceguard. Although the faceguard is not the primary component of the headgear system that contributes to impact attenuation, faceguard performance metrics, such as weight, structural stiffness, and visual field occlusions, have been linked to athlete safety. To improve …

Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Full Minutes, 2022 July 22, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Compositional And Functional Changes In Microbial Communities Of Composts Due To The Composting-Related Factors And The Presence Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Hongye Wang, Vijay Shankar, Xiuping Jiang

Open Access Publishing Fund

Listeria monocytogenes is a leading foodborne pathogen that can contaminate fresh produce in farm environment, resulting in deadly outbreaks. Composts contain a diversity of microorganisms, and some of them may be compost-adapted competitive exclusion microorganisms against L. monocytogenes. To understand interactions between compost microflora and the pathogen, both dairy- and poultry-wastes based composts (n = 12) were inoculated with L. monocytogenes, and then analyzed by next-generation sequencing approaches along with culturing methods. DNA extraction and enumeration of L. monocytogenes were performed at 0 and 72 h post-incubation at room temperature. The major bacterial phyla were identified as Firmicutes (23%), Proteobacteria …

Pre-Breeding Of Kale (Brassica Oleracea Var. Acephala) – Organic Adaptation And Shelf Life, Craig Reda

All Theses

Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) is a nutritionally rich leafy green that that contains vitamins, minerals, and prebiotic carbohydrates. As a popular organic crop, kale accounted for 1.3% of total US organic produce sales in 2020, a market valued at over 17 billion USD. However, organic production is limited by its inability to use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and suffers from decreased yield when compared to conventional agriculture, partially due to the creation of a significantly different growing environment. Additionally, the absence of synthetic products can also negatively impact the shelf of leafy greens like kale. To determine …

Clemson Commencement Program, May 2022, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

An In Vitro Approach To Identify Sources Of Resistance To Fusarium Wilt Caused By Fusarium Oxysporum F. Sp. Vasinfectum Race 4 In Domesticated Cotton, Stephen Parris

All Theses

Cotton lint produced by the plants Gossypium barbadense L. (pima cotton) and Gossypium hirsutum L. (upland cotton) is the world’s leading source of renewable textiles. The fibers of the cotton plant have been woven so intricately into our society that it would be hard to imagine life without their products. Cotton breeders must then not only continue to work to improve the quality of cotton fibers (fineness, strength, dyability, etc.) but also to improve the resilience of the plant against biotic and abiotic factors. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4) is an aggressive fungal pathogen, which causes Fusarium …

Interdiction Models To Disrupt The Operations Of Sex Trafficking And Other Forced Illicit Labor Networks, Michael T. Clark

All Theses

Sex traffickers often force their victims to work in both commercial sex markets and perform other illicit activities (e.g., drug dealing, theft, and fraud). Current literature has failed to address interdiction models that aim to disrupt all components of a sex traffickers’ operation, including these other illicit activities. In this thesis, we present a interdiction problem, and its single-level linear optimization reformulation, to reduce the profit of a human trafficking network concurrently operating in the commercial sex market and other illicit activity markets. Our novel formulation aims to investigate the practical implications of interdiction decisions made to disrupt a human …

Effects Of Caffeine Doses On Rumen Fluid Fermentation Profile And Nutrient Digestibility When Fed Lactating Cow Diet On Continuous Cultures Fermentation, Monica Toledo-Villafane

All Theses

Caffeine is commonly known as a potent bioactive compound. This molecule plays an essential role in plants' defense. Because of its antimicrobial activity, caffeine has been cataloged as a toxic component for microbes by targeting DNA repair mechanisms and suppressing microbial proliferation. Nowadays, the caffeine action to enhance mixed microbial cultures digestion has captured the attention of researchers.

In ruminants, the inhibition of ruminal methanogenesis has been deeply studied to enhance rumen fermentation to increment metabolizable energy. In dairy cows, methane production represents a loss of 6.0 ± 1.18% of the energy intake (Niu et al., 2018), reducing the metabolizable …

An Investigation Into The Roles Of Aldose Reductase And Acetate Kinase In The Metabolism Of Entamoeba Histolytica, Matthew B. Angel

All Dissertations

Entamoeba histolytica is an amoebic parasite that infects an estimated 90 million people worldwide and causes approximately 100,000 deaths per year. As the causative agent of amoebic dysentery, this food- and water-borne pathogen represents a significant public health burden worldwide, particularly in areas with poor sanitation. While treatments for amoebiasis exist, they are often limited in their effectiveness. Thus, efforts to better understand the biology and physiology of this organism are vital to the development of novel treatments for this disease.

E. histolytica lacks the enzymes for many common metabolic pathways such as the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation …

Identification Of Cytospora Species Isolated From Canker In Peach Trees In South Carolina, Stephen T. Baker

All Theses

In 2016, a survey was conducted into the causes of twig blight on peach (Prunus persica) in five orchards across South Carolina. From this survey, isolates from the fungal genus of Cytospora (Sordariomycetes, Diaporthales) were reported on peach, for the first time, within the state. Cytospora species are known to cause oozing cankers on a wide range of woody hosts leading to dieback, loss of limbs, and reduction in yield, prompting concern for important economic crops. Past methods of identification of Cytospora species have been confounded by indistinguishable morphology, overlapping host preference among species, and genetic sequencing …

Effects Of Invasive Wild Pigs And Supplemental Feeding On Wildlife In The Piedmont Region Of South Carolina, Elizabeth A. Saldo

All Theses

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa), which are invasive in much of the world, can alter ecosystems and compete with native species through interference competition and resource exploitation. We assessed the potential for interspecific interactions between invasive wild pigs and other wildlife in the Piedmont region of South Carolina by examining their spatiotemporal overlap in a correlational field study and an experimental field study. Our correlational study used data from wildlife cameras in seasonal occupancy, N-mixture, and temporal overlap analyses. Both deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and coyote (Canis latrans) site use were negatively associated with wild pig …

Evaluating The Accuracy And Quality Of Microgreens Training Materials Available On The Internet: A Content Analysis, Supun Chathuranga Nabadawa Hewage

All Theses

Microgreens are the young, edible seedlings of various vegetables, spices, herbs, and considered as the intermediate stage of sprouts and mature greens, suggesting microgreens may share similar food safety risks with both of these produce. Even though there are no known outbreaks due to contaminated microgreens, multiple product recalls have been reported, indicating food safety risks associated with microgreens should not be underemphasized. A recent national survey of the U.S. microgreens industry reported that almost half of growers (48.3% of 176) learned to grow microgreens by viewing websites and videos on the internet.¹ However, it is unknown whether the …

Characterization Of A Potential Glucose Transporter In Trypanosoma Brucei, Matthew Morgan

All Theses

Trypanosoma brucei, the African trypanosome, is an organism heavily dependent on glucose for ATP production during the infectious stage of its life cycle. Here, we have explored the role of an uncharacterized protein designated “novel glucose transporter” (NGT) as a potential glucose transporter. Sequence analyses suggests that NGT shares similarities (either at the primary sequence level or structurally) with Trypanosome Hexose Transporters 1 (TbTHT1), and human GLUT3, both of which are membrane sugar transporters. NGT was localized by fluorescence microscopy to subcellular structures consistent with lysosomes. Silencing NGT expression with RNA interference in parasites resulted in a growth defect …

Effects Of Forest Management On Early-Successional Avian Species In The Southern Blue Ridge Ecoregion, Michael J. Adams

All Theses

Early-successional habitats are a critical habitat type for Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera). In the Southern Blue Ridge Ecoregion, early-successional habitats have declined over the last 70 years, and the extent of which Ruffed Grouse and Golden-winged Warblers occupy these habitats at the edge of their ranges is unknown. Understanding the factors that drive the presence or absence of these species in this region is critical to inform quality management of early-successional forests. Additionally, increased knowledge of these species will likely benefit other species of conservation concern that rely on early-successional forests, …

Use Of 14c-Pfoa To Study Uptake And Biological Effects Of Pfoa In Brassica Juncea, Bryanna Dawn Wattier

All Theses

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a surfactant, is a member of the perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) family and is a contaminant of emerging concern for human and environmental health. PFOA is a persistent organic pollutant but currently little is known about (1) the potential ecological and toxicological effects of PFOA and (2) how PFOA moves in the environment. This study employs a radiotracer (¹⁴C-PFOA) to study the uptake and effects of PFOA in hydroponically grown Brassica juncea, a representative crop species. Plants were exposed in quadruplicate over the course of seven days (with plants sampled on day 4 and day 7) …

Identification Of Critical Points For Bacterial Contamination In The Microbrewery Environment, Alex Ryan Thompson

All Theses

There are 8,884 craft breweries producing over 23 million barrels of beer in the United States as of 2020. These 23 million barrels of craft beer account for 12.3% of the United States beer consumption in 2020. The American craft beer industry is substantial and needs to protect its product from bacterial contamination.

Overall, beer is a microbially stable product. Beers pH, ethanol levels, CO₂ concentrations, the presence of hop-derived antimicrobial compounds, and low levels of O₂ make beer a highly unfavorable environment for most bacterial species. Furthermore, the brewing process, which involves heat treatments and chemical sanitizers …

Toward Sustainable Urban Food Production: Integrating Hydroponic Cultivation With Wastewater Reuse, Amanda Tan

All Theses

The growing crisis of freshwater scarcity together with the increasing global food demand directs attention to the need for alternative water sources for agriculture. The research presented here engages this need by carrying out indoor cultivation of food crops in Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponic systems using residential wastewater. Randomized single factor experimental designs were used to investigate the physiochemical and microbiological makeup of the hydroponic nutrient solution throughout the cultivation cycle and their relationship with different plant development parameters.

For agricultural wastewater reuse to be of low risk to human health there must be some advancement in pathogen monitoring …

Effects Of Tannin-Free Grain Sorghum Varieties On The Metabolizable Energy, Performance, And Intestinal Health Of Poultry, Alissa Moritz

All Dissertations

The single largest cost of poultry production is the cost of feed, and it is favorable to seek more sustainable, alternative feed ingredients to reduce the competition between human, animal, and industrial users. Grain sorghum is a potential alternative feedstuff to minimize the dependence of corn by the poultry industry. Not only is it nutritionally similar to corn, but it is tolerant to dry, sandy soils, which allows it to grow successfully in arid climates. This is highly desirable because of its potential to alleviate the production pressure of growing other cereal grains like corn that are less tolerant to …

Methodological Considerations For The Study Of Cognitive Reserve And Its Relationship To Cognitive Decline In Older Adults, Kerry A. Howard

All Dissertations

Cognitive reserve (CR) is a key construct in promoting healthy cognitive aging. Methodological inconsistencies have limited the ability for researchers to make broad conclusions about relevant life experiences that may build CR and delay cognitive decline. This dissertation explored notable issues within the operationalization of CR based on proxy life experiences by applying a systematic approach toward understanding the use of CR, as well as an understanding of consequences of inconsistent operationalization. The project had three aims: review and explore the association between various CR proxies utilized in the literature and develop a composite score for CR, describe differences in …

Perception And Play: Consumer Perceptions Of Craft Breweries And The Impacts Of Tourism Expenditures On Economic Health, Anne Wade

All Theses

This thesis evaluates two different strategies local leaders use to support and grow their economies. The first evaluates how residents from across the American South view and understand their experience of local craft breweries. The second evaluates the effects of direct tourism spending and direct tourism tax receipts on important measures of resident well-being in the twenty-three county Western North Carolina region. The first chapter in this thesis evaluates the overall consumer perception of the growing craft brewing industry within the states of Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana and what factors affect this perception. It uses …

Effects Of Thermal Processing On Peach Puree Of Different Cultivars: Analysis Of Biochemical Alteration, Non-Enzymatic Browning Reaction, And Color Changes, James Hayes

All Theses

The effects of pasteurization temperature and time on the change in seven peach puree variables over a 6-week accelerated shelf-life test (35°C) were evaluated. The variables of interest were three color measures [ L* (lightness), a* (redness), and b* (yellowness)]; two brown pigment measures [spectrophotometric absorption at 420 nm (Browning Index) and 443 nm (Hydroxymethylfurfural)]; °Brix; and pH). Puree was collected from three different cultivars (2 freestone and 1 clingstone) and puree samples from each cultivar were subjected to 20 combinations of pasteurization temperatures (70°C, 80°C, 90 °C, 100°C) and same hold times (0 minutes, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 …