Digital Commons Network^™

Programming Carcass Composition Through Gestational Nutrition, Sydni Elise Borders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of maternal nutrient restriction during mid-gestation on the performance of the dam, feeding performance, carcass composition, and genetic expression in the offspring. Cows (n = 46) were randomly assigned to one of two treatments based on global nutrient intake: 1) fed to achieve and/or maintain a BCS of 5 or 6 (Positive Energy Status [PES]; n = 24) or 2) fed to lose one BCS during 99 days of mid-gestation (Negative Energy Status [NES]; n = 22). Cows in NES had greater decreases (P < 0.05) in body fat stores and muscle mass, elevated NEFA concentrations, and displayed decreased (P < 0.05) DMI, HP, and GHG emissions. There were no differences in milk components or volume produced between treatments (P > 0.05). There were no differences in …

Lorawan-Enabled Iot Solution For Smart Farming, Talha Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rising global demand for food, driven by population growth, alongside a declining rural workforce, presents a great challenge for agriculture. Precision agriculture, which relies on the widespread adoption of smart farming technologies, is anticipated to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability. Emerging technologies, such as machine vision, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), offer innovative and promising solutions to address these challenges. This study focuses on LoRaWAN, a prevalent Low-Power Wide-Area-Network (LPWAN) IoT technology, examining its application in crop and livestock farming as well as its associated cybersecurity challenges. LoRaWAN IoT systems were constructed for three application …

Afrissippi, Peter Muvunyi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how Guelel Kumba, a Senegalese Fulani griot, chef, and musician currently residing in Oxford, Mississippi, incorporates West African cuisine and music into his daily life in the South. This profile study asks: How does Kumba's performances and cooking translate Fulani heritage into Mississippi's blues and soul-food scenes? The research employed observation, secondary sources, purposeful semi-structured interviews, and a documentary.

Kumba views tradition as an arsenal, preserving its essential rhythms and flavors while reworking family recipes and tunes to suit local tastes. Customers can eat, listen, and interact their way into shared history at his food truck and …

Study Of The Mechanism And Physiological Impact Of Transcriptional Regulation Of Pilin-Encoding Pila Gene In Caulobacter Crescentus, Anurag Rijal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The alphaproteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus with a unique dimorphic lifestyle is a model organism for studying prokaryotic development. An important cellular structure is the hair-like appendage called pilus, made up of monomeric subunits called pilins. The pilus helps C. crescentus in surface sensing and attachment, leading to cellular differentiation. Despite these advantages, the C. crescentus cell expresses the pilus filament on its surface for a very short period in its life cycle, during the motile swarmer stage. This study examined the precisely-timed transcriptional regulation of the pilin-encoding gene pilA, and uncovered the impact it has on bacterial survival.

CtrA, a global …

An Integrated Wetland Condition Index And Environmental Metric Framework For The Prairie Pothole Region, Mercedes L. Batalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The USDA-NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) assists landowners with protecting, restoring, and enhancing wetlands. Evaluating wetland conservation efforts is crucial for informing future management decisions. However, assessment frameworks vary across regions and among stakeholders. The Prairie Pothole Region is an ecologically unique landscape characterized by its abundance of wetlands that provide important ecosystem services. To evaluate wetlands enrolled in ACEP, I sampled forty-five semi-permanent wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region from July – August 2023 and 2024. I selected and sampled twenty-six wetlands enrolled in ACEP. Nineteen additional wetlands not enrolled in ACEP were also sampled; these included nine …

Impact Of Minimally Processed Red Meat On Biomarkers Of Cognitive Decline, Saba Vaezi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of High-Moisture Ear Corn As A Roughage Source In Finishing Diets Fed To Beef Steers, Riley J. Leeson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feedlot performance, rumination activity, and carcass characteristics of high moisture ear corn (HMEC) as a roughage source in finishing diets fed to beef steers. Backgrounded steers (n = 191; initial shrunk weight [4% BW] = 449 kg  23.9 kg) were assigned randomly to 1 of 24 pens (8 steers/pen) with pens randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments (6 pens/treatment): control diet with hay fed at 10% roughage equivalency (RE; HAY10), or HMEC at either 14% (EAR14), 10% (EAR10), or 6% (EAR6) RE. High-moisture ear corn was assumed to …

Impact Of Natural Feed Additives And Monensin Sodium On Growth Performance In Feedlot Cattle, Thiago Lauro Maia Ribeiro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to investigate how phytogenic feed additives and a pulse feeding monensin sodium strategy would affect growth performance in the receiving and finishing feedlot phases. Three randomized complete block design feedlot experiments and one pooled analysis were conducted to determine the effects of the feed additives and management strategies used in newly weaned and finishing beef cattle. The objective of these experiments were 1) determine if a blend of capsicum oleoresin, clove essential oil, and garlic essential oil (CCG) influences cattle performance, sera metabolites or health outcomes during the feedlot receiving phase; 2) determine if …

In The Footsteps Of Moose: Using Non-Invasive Techniques To Identify Cause-Specific Calf Mortalities And Evaluate Moose (Alces Alces) Movements Pertaining To Mineral Lick Locations On Ancestral Lands Of The Grand Portage Ojibwe, Anna B. Weesies

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following a sharp moose (Alces alces; mooz, Anishinaabemowin, Ojibwe language) population decline in northeastern Minnesota during the early 2000s, the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa initiated a long-term moose collaring effort to assess survival and mortality causes. Moose are a culturally important species to the Band, with annual subsistence hunts held on the Reservation and adjacent 1854 Ceded Territory. Continued research guides culturally appropriate management decisions aimed at bolstering calf and adult survival, helping to preserve this moose in Minnesota today and for subsequent generations. Chapter 1 identifies cause-specific calf mortality rates in this multi-predator system using minimally …

Computation-Efficient Deep Learning Models For Computer Vision And Multimodal Vision-Language Tasks Via Network Pruning, Abir Mohammad Hadi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid evolution of deep neural networks over the past decade, the demand for efficient, generalizable, and task-adaptable models, especially in computer vision, has increased significantly. To address the computational and deployment challenges posed by overparameterized models, the research community has extensively explored model compression techniques such as pruning, quantization, and distillation. These approaches aim to enhance model efficiency without compromising performance, particularly when adapting to domain-specific tasks under limited resources. This dissertation investigates several underexplored yet critical aspects of task-aware deep learning model compression, spanning both convolutional and vision-language architectures. In the early part of this work, we …

Video Comprehension Score (Vcs): A Metric For Long-Form Video Description Evaluation, Harsh Dubey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Existing video description evaluation metrics fail to capture the long-range chronology and semantic alignment essential for long-form descriptions. An effective evaluation metric for long-form descriptions must (i) assess global thematic alignment, (ii) measure local semantic alignment, and (iii) evaluate chronological alignment while detecting corrupted content. We introduce Video Comprehension Score (VCS), a reference-based metric, which directly addresses these evaluation requirements through three components: Global Alignment Score for thematic alignment, Local Alignment Score for local semantic alignment, and Narrative Alignment Score for chronological alignment with adjustable tolerance. We evaluate VCS on two large-scale synthetic datasets designed to test corruption detection and …

Finishing Location And Forage Diversity Influences Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality Attributes, Terroir, And Color Stability Of Grass-Finished Bison Bulls, Garrett Tyler Weldy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of this thesis is to determine the influence of finishing location and forage diversity on carcass characteristics, meat quality, terroir, and color stability of grass-finished bison bulls. The specific objectives were 1) Determine the effect of finishing location on carcass characteristics, meat quality attributes, and terroir of grass-finished bison bulls, 2) Investigate the effect of forage diversity on the carcass characteristics, meat quality attributes, and terroir of grass-finished bison bulls, and 3) Determine the effect of finishing location on the meat color stability of grass-finished bison bulls. Overall, results indicate that finishing location influenced carcass characteristics, objective …

The Influence Of Bottom-Up And Top-Down Effects On The Density And Distribution Of Common Leopards In The Eastern Himalayas, Karma Choki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) are widely distributed across Asia, yet their conservation is overshadowed by the conservation status of other flagship predators like tigers (Panthera tigris), in the Eastern Himalayas. Despite their ability to coexist with other large carnivores, leopard populations are shaped by intricate ecological interactions and increasing human pressures. This thesis investigates the abundance and density, habitat use, and drivers of persistence of leopards across Bhutan to inform multi-species carnivore conservation planning. My first chapter provides an overview of the ecological roles of large carnivores and how they persist on the landscape. I review the mechanisms that facilitate …

Characterizing A Free-Roaming Cat Population To Predict Predation Of Threatened Species In An Island Ecosystem, Sarah Gheida

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Research Project On The Feasibility Of The State Of California’S Mandate To Sell Only Zero-Emission (Electric) Vehicles By The Year 2035 For California And South Dakota, Sandeep Pudasaini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluates the feasibility of California's mandate to transition entirely to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035 and explores the prospects of South Dakota adopting a similar policy. The study analyzes key factors such as infrastructure readiness, renewable energy capacity, material requirements for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and socioeconomic variables that influence ZEV adoption. Feasibility studies like this are critical because large-scale policy mandates have far reached implications for energy systems, environmental outcomes, and economic planning. Understanding whether a state is equipped to meet such a goal allows policymakers to anticipate challenges, identify infrastructure gaps, and allocate resources more …

Effects Of Peel Angle And Strain Rate On The Bond Between Frcm Composite And Concrete Substrate, Lucas Robert Gervais

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites have gained increasing attention for the rehabilitation and strengthening of concrete and masonry structures due to their favorable mechanical properties, compatibility with existing substrates, and ease of application. The effectiveness of any strengthening procedure depends on the quality of the bond between the external reinforcement and the substrate, ensuring efficient stress transfer and enabling the system to reach its ultimate capacity without premature debonding. While research has focused on the bond performance of FRCM systems under pure shear loading and quasi-static, low strain rate conditions, the effects of mixed-mode loading and high strain rates representative …

Comparative Evaluation Of Fungal Strains For The Bioprocessing Of Soybean Hulls Using Cheese Whey As Fermentation Medium, Ruchita Bhattarai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Globally, soybean is the most widely cultivated oilseed crops, and serve as the primary source of cooking oil, contributing to around 50% of global oilseed production. During the industrial processing of soybean oil, a significant amount of soybean hull (SH) is produced, which makes up about 8% of the grain yield, resulting in approximately 18–20 million tons of hulls, one of the largest by-products in the soybean industry. The hulls have limited commercial value and are primarily used as fiber additives in dairy cattle feed, but a large portion is still discarded as agricultural waste. Similarly, cheese whey (CW), a …

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Thermal Properties Of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Shiv Nath Jha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a powerful tool for investigating the thermal behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are renowned for their exceptional thermal conductivity and potential in nanoscale thermal management applications. This study employs the open-source software LAMMPS, in conjunction with VMD for model generation, to explore the thermal transport properties of (10,10) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD). The thermal conductivity of SWCNTs was evaluated across four tube lengths (5 nm, 10 nm, 20 nm, and 40 nm) and at temperatures ranging from 300 K to 600 K under two distinct boundary conditions: free boundary …

Quantifying Landscape Variability Of Dynamic Soil Properties In The James River Valley, Eastern South Dakota, Sage Reuter-Schmitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic soil properties (DSP) are a great tool for monitoring land-use change, and they are frequently used as soil health metrics. The NRCS and other soil researchers often use repeating, single-point or nested-point DSP studies to monitor and better understand the effects of land management decisions. While these studies capture the temporal variability of DSPs, they overlook the field-scale spatial variability of DSPs. Soil organic carbon (SOC) provides critical services to the ecosystem and other environments. These traits, as well as its susceptibility to management decisions, make SOC an important soil health indicator and DSP. Measuring SOC is often time …

Evaluation Of Two Stem Boring Insects In South Dakota: A Survey Of Wheat Stem Sawfly And Determining The Impact Of Planting Date On Dectes Stem Borer Infestations In Sunflowers, Khuma Kumari Bhusal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wheat, Triticum aestivum L., and sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., are major crops in South Dakota that are threatened by stem-boring insect pests capable of reducing yield and harvestability. In wheat, the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton, has long been recognized as a destructive pest in the Northern Great Plains, yet its actual distribution within South Dakota remained uncertain. To determine its presence, a two-year survey was conducted across the state from 2023–2024, during which one to four wheat fields per county were sampled using standardized sweep net transects. Wheat stem sawflies were collected only from Harding and Perkins Counties …

The Spatial And Temporal Dimensions Of Plant–Soil Feedback In Native Perennial Monocultures, Bret Lang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) describe how plants change their soil environment in ways that can either negatively or positively affect subsequent plant growth. In doing so, they offer an opportunity to connect ecological processes with agricultural practice. My dissertation examines PSFs created by native perennial monocultures, commonly used for native seed production, across time and space, and through soil legacies. Specifically, I focus on how plant species identity shapes both soil nutrient and soil microbial community responses. To address these questions, I conducted field experiments with monocultures of five forb species native to South Dakota and established plots with these species …

Impacts Of Early/Mid-Gestation Shearing On Umbilical Blood Flow And Lamb Birth Weight, Mara Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies outside the USA have reported that shearing pregnant ewes during mid to late gestation increases lamb birth weight. Our hypothesis was that shearing pregnant ewes on day 50 of gestation would increase umbilical blood flow (UBF), fetal size, lambing and placental weights. Twenty-eight Polypay ewes were randomly assigned to two treatments: shorn (S) and sham-shorn (Control, CON) and divided in singleton (S: n=4; CON: n=4), twins (S: n=5; CON: n=5) and triplets (S: n=5; CON: n=5). Umbilical BF and fetal and placental measurements were obtained via ultrasonography every 10 days from day 50 to 110 of gestation. Lamb birth …

Impact Of Parental Involvement On Children’S Mental Health, Syeda Tasnime Kabir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study estimates the causal effect of parental involvement on the mental health of primary school children in Bangladesh. Using an instrumental variables strategy that leverages local parental involvement norms, I find that increased parental involvement significantly reduces cognitive and emotional difficulties. Notably, I find that the protective effect of parental involvement varies by socio-economic context, showing weaker effects for children of mothers who married at an older age and those whose fathers live outside the household, but stronger effects in joint families. Furthermore, I identify two key mechanisms underlying these effects: accommodating parenting style and improved household hygiene practices. …

Isolation And Characterization Of Rhizobia Bacteria From Midwest Soils, Jr Loya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Symbiotic bacteria, known as rhizobia, can colonize the roots of legume plants and then convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form by the host through the process called biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Many of these bacteria produce other plant-growth-promoting benefits, such as nutrient acquisition, phytohormone production, and the modification of plant stress responses. Agricultural inoculants made from these bacteria have helped reduce the need for man-made nitrogenous fertilizers, known causes of pollution and eutrophication. There are additional benefits in developing bacteria inoculants local to regional soils. The ability to survive and compete in Midwest soil and climates present an opportunity …

Discovery Of Photosynthetic Oxic N2-Fixation In Cyanobacteria Using Wet Lab And Machine Learning Approaches, James A. Young Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Soybean Meal And Soybean Hulls Inclusion In Swine Diets And The Effects On Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Nutrient Digestibility, Manure Nutrient Output, And Economic Impact, Joseph G. Halbur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for soybean production in the Midwest, driven by new soybean crushing plants, may reduce the cost of soybean meal (SBM), making it a more accessible and economically viable feed ingredient in swine diets. Replacing dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) with SBM and soy hulls at different inclusion rates may influence growth performance, carcass traits, nutrient digestibility, manure nutrient output, pelleting energy use, and economic returns in wean-to-finish pigs. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate these effects. In the first, 566 pigs (PIC × Terminal Duroc, 8.45 and 7.25 kg, 6 weeks of age) were housed in …

The Effects Of Timbre On Melodic Dictation In Advanced Placement Music Theory Students, William Thomas Ardrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of varying timbres on melodic dictation accuracy. Melodic dictation is used not only in collegiate music curricula but also in high school Advanced Placement Music Theory (APMT) courses. Studies examining the effects of varying timbres on dictation are limited (Gephardt, 1978; Gonzalez et al., 2015), and further investigation was needed. Subjects in this study (N = 52) were APMT students who completed melodic dictation tasks in four timbres: Bb clarinet, Bb trumpet, piano, and marimba. A repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant difference in melodic dictation accuracy across …

Here, There: Jewish Identities In The South Through The Lens Of Food, Charles George Pappas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the role that place performs in the creation of different Jewish identities in the South through the study of foodways practices. The first chapter provides a historical background of Jewish foodways and an analysis of two Jewish cookbooks and their recipes. These texts act as historical markers of the similarities and differences between varying diasporas across space and time and show how these elements impact Jewish culinary practices. Chapter two is centered around an oral history conducted with Jewish chef Laurence Faber and the places that have shaped his approach to the food served at his Knoxville …

The Meta-Portal Fantasy, Alex Lawrynas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The genre of Portal Fantasy seeks to bridge the gap between the primary world and the secondary, its characters often upended from their normal everyday lives in favor of the fantastic. I will be focusing on the genre and the effects of its complexity on its characters. For this I will be looking into the ways in which the portal fantasy is constructed, beginning with a brief introduction of the genre, and moving on to dissecting the ways in which the concept of the portal is navigated, the change and or loss of self that occurs, and finally how the …

Radiobiological And Dosimetric Comparison Of Imrt And Sbrt For Prostate Cancer Treatment Planning, Najmun Naher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Radiation therapy is one of the most effective and widely utilized methods for treating prostate cancer, employing high energy rays or particles to eradicate cancer cells. Among the available techniques, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are commonly used approaches that enable the delivery of a conformal radiation dose to the target tumor while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. This study presents a comparative analysis of these two treatment plans for prostate cancer based on radiobiological and dosimetric parameters. IMRT treatment plans for prostate cancer patients were collected, and corresponding SBRT plans were developed using …