Digital Commons Network^™

Methods To Evaluate Ruminant Animal Production Responses, Jose Manuel Diaz Gomez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In experiment 1, 80 steers (197.0 kg initial body weight; BW for fall, 116.9 kg for spring), were stocked at 2.45 and 4.1 calves/ha in fall and spring, respectively in 16 tall fescue pastures [fall ergovaline (EV) = 1,475 ppb and spring EV = 1,173 ppb] under 2 treatments, mineral (MIN) (n = 8) and cumulative management (CM) (n = 8). Forage allowance did not differ (P = 0.76) between CM and MIN during fall but differed during spring (P ≤ 0.05, 2.55 vs. 3.22 kg DM/kg BW, for MIN and CM, respectively). For fall, average daily gain (ADG) resulted …

Strategies To Improve Forage Utilization By Sheep Offered Forage Mixtures, Valens Niyigena

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the first experiment, alfalfa and novel endophyte-infected tall fescue (NE+) forages were harvested after a killing frost, then mixed to formulate 4 different treatments; alfalfa alone, 67% alfalfa +33% fescue, 33% alfalfa + 67% fescue, or 100% fescue. After 3 months of storage as silage, Dorper ewe lambs (n = 20; mean BW = 34.7 ± 6.65 kg) were fed silage for ad libitum consumption, using 5 animals per treatment. Increasing the proportion of NE+ tall fescue improved (P < 0.05) silage total acids and lactic acid concentrations and decreased silage ammonia concentration. Digestible dry matter and organic matter intake and nitrogen utilization parameters decreased with increasing inclusion of NE+ in diet. In the second experiment, 16 Dorper ewe lambs (41.8 ± 4.61 kg BW) were assigned to 4 different treatments; alfalfa silage alone (0 g/kg; CONT) or alfalfa silage mixed with chopped sericea lespedeza (SL) hay to provide 90 (LOW), 180 (MED), or 270 g/kg SL (HIGH) on a dry matter basis in a randomized complete block design experiment with 2 period to provide 4 observations per treatment for each experimental period. Increasing the proportion of sericea lespedeza in the diet decreased dry matter and organic matter digestibility but did not affect feed intake. Fecal nitrogen (g/kg N intake) increased linearly (P < 0.01) while urinary N (g/ day and g/ kg of N intake) tended to decreased linearly and quadratically (P ≤ 0.1) with increasing the proportion of SL in diet. In the third experiments, 16 gestating Dorper ewe lambs (49.1 ± 4.61 kg BW) were allocated to 4 treatments; alfalfa silage alone (0% g/kg; CONT) or alfalfa silage mixed with lablab purpureus(LP) hay to provide 90 (LOW), 180 (MED), or 270 g/kg LP (HIGH) on a dry matter (DM) basis, in a randomized complete block design experiment with a total 8 replication per treatment. Supplementation of LP in diet increased quadratically (P ≤ 0.04) forage dry matter, organic matter intake, digestible dry matter and digestible organic matter intake (P < 0.05). Nitrogen apparently absorbed and urinary N both decreased linearly (P < 0.01) with adding more LP hay in diet. Harvesting and mixing alfalfa and fescue after a killing frost improved silage fermentation characteristics and supplementation of tannins from SL and polyphenol from LP altered N excretion.

Key words: lablab, sericea lespedeza, alfalfa silage, nitrogen, sheep.

The Effect Of Organizational Tenure, Bargaining Unit Status, And Union Membership On Local Government Employee Public Service Motivation, Ty Ryburn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two of the largest challenges public organizations face in motivating their workforces are the aging workforce and the strong union influence (Lavigna, 2014). On June 27, 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Janus vs. AFSCME to abolish agency fees, and gave public service employees in bargaining units the right to choose whether they want to pay union dues or pay no fees at all.

In examining the unique motivational factors of employees in the public sector, Perry and Wise (1990) developed a theory called Public Service Motivation (PSM). Later, Perry (1996) developed a survey instrument which despite criticism, …

Production And Purification Of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Fused To Two Collagen Binding Domains Expressed In E. Coli Bl21 Using Flask And Fed-Batch, Hazim Aljewari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Delivering effective and non-toxic doses of bioactive materials that can aid in activating tissue regeneration to wounded tissue has proven to be an enormous challenge. This study was designed to produce a potential therapeutic recombinant protein by fusing two collagen binding domains to basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF) through a collagenase cleavage site linker, so it can release the bFGF in a wound site by the action of this enzyme. The novel fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL-21 (E. coli) using traditional flask shaker and fed-batch cultivation. Cell lysate was purified by FPLC using Immobilized metal affinity chromatography …

Serum Myostatin And Igf-1 As Biomarkers Of Sarcopenia: A Proof-Of-Concept Design, Ashley Binns

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The population comprising older adults is growing exponentially, as are healthcare related costs. Nearly $20 billion is annually expensed by older adults for health-related issues affiliated with age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass. Yet, diagnostic criteria are not readily utilized in clinical practice. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide evidence for use of blood biomarkers (myostatin, IGF-1) to predict appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) among middle-aged and older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 106 individuals (n = 68 females; n = 38 males) aged ≥ 40 years of age (60.1 ± 11.1 y) …

Changes In Cortical Processing Following Unilateral Visual Cortex Deafferentation, Matthew Gannon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After the loss of inputs, cells in visual cortex adapt and begin representing space beyond their classical receptive fields. This ability for functional reorganization is a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. Homonymous hemianopia is a unique case of this scenario that results from hemispheric deafferentation, or when all visual inputs in to one hemisphere of the brain are lost. This condition occurs due to unilateral damage of the post-chiasmatic geniculo-striate pathway, the network that carries visual information from one side of visual space to the visual cortex for processing. Damage to this pathway causes perceptual blindness in the side of space …

In Vivo Metabolic And Vascular Response To Hypoxia In Twist Knockdown Murine Breast Cancer, Brandon Sturgill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Twist transcription factor is often overexpressed in aggressive tumors. Although needed in early embryonic development for organogenesis, Twist is known to induce an epithelial to mesenchymal transition in cells. In cancer, epithelial to mesenchymal transitions can lead to increased motility and invasiveness. It has also been linked to metabolic reprogramming and increased metastatic risk. Furthermore, metabolic preferences can increase proliferation, enhance metastatic potential, and influence the site of metastasis. We hypothesize that Twist directly affects the metabolism of cancer cells. We expect to see in vivo what we have seen in vitro; Twist overexpression should promote a shift away from …

Curing Consumption: Blood Drinkers Of The Nineteenth Century, Rachel Erin Catlett Widmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the nineteenth century burgeoning cities in the United States saw the spread of disease. Most common among all parts of society was tuberculosis or as it was commonly known at the time, consumption. The most terrifying aspect of consumption was that it could attack anyone at any time and no cure existed. The poetic image of a red stained handkerchief was a death sentence. The common cure was to seek fresh air in a warmer climate. However, for some Americans an experimental cure seemed hopeful and easily accessible, drinking blood. According to many newspaper accounts consumptive victims were not …

The River Gave And The River Hath Taken Away: How The Arkansas River Shaped The Course Of Arkansas History, Edward N. Andrus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Arkansas River molded the history of Arkansas. It also shaped human to human interactions and human relationships with the physical environment. Since humans first encountered the river their lives have been influenced by it. The river played a significant role in creating the environmental conditions that contributed to a specific existence within the river valley. It affected what types of flora and fauna existed, the quality of the soil, and the climate. The river was a vital component in the evolution of the cultures and societies that developed in the river valley. Conversely, humans affected the river. The ways …

Establishing An Ideal Inclusion Rate Of Fermented Soybean Meal And Sodium Butyrate On Growth Performance, Complete Blood Cell Count, And Nutrient Utilization In Nursery Pigs, Kristopher A. Bottoms

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To evaluate increasing levels of sodium butyrate (SB) in nursery diets on growth performance (Experiment 1 & 2), complete blood cell count (Experiment 2), and the optimal level of fermented soybean meal for maximum performance in weanling pigs (Experiment 3), weaned pigs were blocked with initial body weight (BW) and allotted to dietary treatments. Treatments were: 1) Control (C) moderately complex corn-soybean-meal based supplemented with 0.05% benzoic acid (BA), but devoid of SB; C diet supplemented with 0.05%, 0.10%, or 0.15% SB (Experiment 1). Treatments in experiment 2 consisted of 1) a moderately complex corn-soybean-meal based diet devoid of SB …

Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus Collaris) Population Declines In Ozark Landscapes: An Assessment Of Environmental Constraints., Casey L. Brewster

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) has experienced extensive population declines over the past half century in the Ozark Mountains. Previous research suggests that glade habitat degradation through woody vegetation encroachment is an important factor resulting in population declines. In this dissertation I used information on time-energy budgets to investigate the link between habitat degradation and shifts in life history traits likely resulting in population declines of Eastern Collared Lizards (Crotaphytus collaris) in the Ozarks. In chapter one, I addressed the influence of dense woody vegetation encroachment on age-specific growth, body size, body condition and reproduction of C. collaris in …

Recovered Images: Medieval Echoes In C. S. Lewis’S Space Trilogy, Nathan Earl Houston Fayard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

C. S. Lewis has begun to garner more scholarly attention in the last few decades, but his first novels, his science fiction or Space trilogy, continue to be largely ignored by academia. Yet, these three novels are deserving of more serious study, as they are pioneering works of literary science fiction, and even more surprisingly, of literary medievalism. Though long derided as mere reactionary attacks on Modernism and science, when properly understood, these strange and wonderful tales actually reveal the complexity and nuance of Lewis’s response to his times. In them, the Inkling author creates a unique combination of the …

Coccidiosis Vaccination And Nutrient Utilization In Broiler Chickens, Alyson Elaine Gautier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Four experiments were conducted to evaluate the interrelationships among coccidiosis vaccination and nutrient utilization in floor-reared broiler chickens. Experiment 1 longitudinally compared the effects of coccidiosis vaccination and a chemical coccidiostat on broiler performance, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal morphology. Coccidiosis vaccination had no significant impact on morphology, overall body weight gain and feed intake of vaccinated birds, although vaccination impaired overall FCR. Vaccination elicited a transient reduction in digestibility of energy and nutrients, particularly for lipids, but vaccinated birds were able to recover from these reductions by 20 d. Experiment 2 assessed the impact of vaccination in digestibility of different …

Women In Stem: Strategies And Recommendations For Academic Women And Institutional Leaders, Sarah Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women still comprise a small number of full professors in STEM disciplines in research universities, which have historically been male dominated. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recognized the challenge of getting more women to enter the professoriate, earn tenure, and advance to full professor. These women can then encourage more women to enter into STEM as educators and researchers. The purpose of this study was to recognize, explore, and depict strategies used by women full professors to overcome obstacles they faced while advancing in academic STEM fields. The study participants also offered recommendations for women faculty desiring to become …

Investigating Growth Performance And Intestinal Barrier Integrity In Heat-Stressed Modern Broilers And Their Ancestor Jungle Fowl, Travis Tabler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat stress (HS) has a negative effect on poultry production sustainability due to its adverse consequence on bird welfare, health, growth, and mortality. Although modern broilers have greater gut mass and higher energy use efficiency than unselected birds, they are more vulnerable to HS that induces “leaky gut syndrome,” or increased intestinal permeability. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of HS on growth performance and gut barrier integrity in three modern broiler lines and their ancestor the Jungle Fowl. Four chicken populations including Giant Jungle Fowl (JF), Athens Canadian Random Bred (ACRB), 1995 Arkansas Random …

Genetic Relationships Using Mitochondrial Versus Nuclear Markers: Is The Catfish Rag1 Gene Suitable For Species Differentiation In The Family Pangasiidae?, Huong Thanh Hoang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Mekong River located in Southeast Asia is a global “hotspot” for aquatic biodiversity. It includes an extensive variety of fish species second only to the Amazon River in South America. Recent studies have revealed the impacts of anthropogenic and climate factors on this river system. Such impacts can result in the formation of barriers, which divide a species population and impede gene flow between separated sub-populations. Barriers influence evolutionary trajectories resulting in the generation of geographic variants or subspecies from an ancestral population. Catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) are a key species of the Mekong River ecosystem and are an essential …

Cover Crops As An Integrated Approach For Pest Suppression And Pollinator Promotion In Arkansas Watermelon Production Systems, Paige Laurel Hickman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Arkansas watermelon growers face a variety of insect pest and disease problems that have the potential to threaten yield. Integrated pest management tactics can provide control over these threats and are intended to cut down on pesticide use and its associated negative impacts like pesticide resistance, non-target effects, and runoff. Cover crops provide an array of benefits and can be useful in integrated pest management. Evidence has shown that certain cover crops can increase beneficial insects and suppress disease in the following cash crop. They can also provide important resources to pollinators. In order to build a better understanding of …

Chasing The Genetics Of Ascites In Broilers Using Whole Genome Resequencing, Alia Parveen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We are using whole genome resequencing to identify chromosomal regions associated with resistance or susceptibility to ascites, a form of pulmonary hypertension syndrome, meat-type chickens. Previous Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) have identified regions on chromosomes 2, 9 and Z. Despite several GWAS and further genotyping, there are no reliable or potential markers for ascites phenotype. We have completed screening of Copy Number Variations (CNVs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in ascites resistant and susceptible birds from the relaxed, REL, line derived from a commercial elite broiler line. DNA samples from resistant and susceptible birds …

Analyzing Multigene Stacking And Genome Editing Strategies In Rice, Bhuvan Pathak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Crop improvement through biotechnology is an integrated effort, incorporating multiple approaches like integration of genes, editing of native genes, and removal of selection marker genes. Before streamlining the protocols, the efficiency and feasibility of the individual approach and their components must be tested. This study evaluated following approaches: 1) stacking an array of genes into a single locus by site-specific integration via Cre-lox recombination in rice, 2) determining the efficiency of I-SceI and the CCR5-ZFN in the targeted excisions of gene fragments in rice and Arabidopsis, and 3) determining the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in generating targeted mutations for genome editing …

Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Cruciferous And Apiaceous Vegetables In C57bl/6j Mice Colon, Rosa Moreno Narvaez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have demonstrated chemo-preventive potential of cruciferous and apiaceous vegetables against colon cancer. Colon inflammation is one condition closely related with colon cancer initiation. Therefore, we wanted to compare if total western diet (TWD) was as pro-inflammatory as died-induced obesity (DIO) and a better dietary model for human conditions, and determine if diet supplementation with cruciferous (broccoli, watercress and cabbage) or apiaceous vegetables (celery and parsnip) could reduce dietary inflammation, and which vegetable was more effective.

Male CBL57/6J mice were fed chow for seven days, on day eight, mice were assigned to one of the following diets: American Institute …

Functional Importance Of Lipin Phosphorylation, Stephanie Elizabeth Hood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Highly conserved throughout evolution, lipins are dual functioning proteins found from yeast to humans. Functioning in the cytoplasm as phosphatidate phosphatase enzymes (PAP), lipins produce diacylglycerol that serves as a precursor for neutral fats and membrane phospholipids. Alternatively, nuclear lipins are responsible for the regulation of metabolic genes. Interestingly, both the mammalian lipin 1 paralog and the single Drosophila Lipin ortholog are highly phosphorylated proteins. Target of rapamycin (TOR) has previously been identified as one of the kinases that controls the subcellular localization of both lipin 1 and Drosophila Lipin. However, other serine and threonine kinases are predicted to be …

Death On The Horizon: Osteoethnography Of The People Of Akhetaten, Alissa Michelle Bandy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to define and implement osteoethnography. Osteoethnography is the analysis and description of an ancient culture through the bioarchaeological and archaeological evidence, utilizing cultural anthropological theories and techniques. An osteoethnographic narrative is presented in this dissertation, which describes the embodied lives of the people of the 18th Dynasty Egyptian city of Akhetaten, now known as Amarna, founded in 1355 B.C.E. by the Pharaoh Akhenaten. Osteoethnography looks at how people are shaped by and shape their environment, how culture impacts health, and how culture informs the lives of its practioners. Osteoethnography employs life course theory, and …

Asymmetric Synthesis Of The C29-C34 Moiety Of Fragment A Of The Antascomicin B & Thermal Azole Based Claisen Rearrangements, Dharma Theja Nannapaneni

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation describes asymmetric synthesis towards C29-C34 moiety of fragment A of the Antascomicin B and Thermal azole based Claisen rearrangements. In chapter 1, we describes asymmetric synthesis towards C29-C34 moiety of fragment A of the Antascomicin B. The non-immunosuppressant Rapamycin, Ascomycin, and Tacrolimus (FK506), strongly binds with FKBP12, the ligand FKBP12 complexes responsible for immunosuppressive activity. Antascomicin B structurally related to Rapamycin, Ascomycin, and Tacrolimus (FK506), binds strongly to FKBP12, yet does not shown immunosuppressive activity. The ligand FKBP12 binding complexes shown to have potent neuroprotective and neurogenerative properties in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease. The linear synthesis of …

Development Of A Comsol Microdialysis Model, Towards Creation Of Microdialysis On A Chip With Improved Geometries And Recovery, Patrick Pysz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microdialysis (µD) sampling is a diffusion-limited sampling method that has been widely used in different biomedical fields for greater than 35 years. Device calibration for in vivo studies is difficult for current non-steady state analytes of interest correlated with both inflammatory response and microbial signaling molecules (QS); which exist in low ng/mL to pg/mL with molecular weights over a wide range of 170 Da to 70 kDa. The primary performance metric, relative recovery (RR), relating the collected sample to the extracellular space concentration varies from 10% to 60% per analyte even under controlled bench-top conditions. Innovations in microdialysis device design …

The Acute Effect Of Water Intake On Glucose Regulation In Low Drinkers, Adam David Seal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous evidence suggests the hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) may be a modifiable factor contributing to hyperglycemia. Significant differences in urine concentration and copeptin, a marker for AVP, have been observed between low and high water drinkers. Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the acute effect of adequate water intake on glucose regulation in low drinkers. Methods: 7 healthy (5 males, 2 female) low drinkers were recruited using a water frequency questionnaire (WFQ), spot and 24-h urine sample (age 43±6 y, BMI 30.9±3, WFQ volume 823±403 mL∙d-1, 24 h Uosm 961±105 mmol∙kg-1, copeptin 8.17±3.05 pmol∙L-1). During two experimental protocols, participants remained …

Effects Of 50:50 Proportion Bull:Cow Blend Levels And Incorporation Of Finely Textured Beef On The Color Of Precooked Ground Beef Patties, Colton Allen Althaber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Variation in internal cooked color of ground beef is an economic concern for the ground beef market. Persistent pink color in hamburger patties can lead consumers to the perception of an undercooked product. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the effects of bull:cow blend proportions, with or without finely textured beef (FTB), and cookery method on internal color of precooked ground beef patties. Batches (9.1 kg) of 85% lean ground beef were manufactured with 0, 33, 67, or 100% 50:50 bull:cow blend (remainder of lean was 100, 67, 33, or 0% Select-grade knuckles, respectively) mixed with 2 …

The Physicochemical Properties Of Soy Protein Hydrolysate And Its Formulation And Stability With Encapsulated Probiotic, John Stricklin Edwards

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soy protein isolate (SPI) and probiotics can serve as a functional ingredient and beneficial supplement, respectively, to food formulations, but few studies focus on the compatibility of these two ingredients. The objective of this study was to prepare soy protein isolate (SPI) from defatted soybean flour and identify an optimal hydrolysis protocol to create soy protein hydrolysates (SPH) with improved solubility and functional properties and achieve an optimum encapsulation technique for probiotics and to determine the in vitro viability of encapsulated probiotic cells with SPH in a gastrointestinal environment. The SPI was prepared using an alkaline extraction procedure for solubility …

Studies On Pathogenesis Of The Diseases Caused By Macrophomina Phaseolina And Phomopsis Longicolla On Soybean, Marcio Leizer Zaccaron

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max), a legume, is an economically important crop in many parts of the world, including the USA, Brazil, Argentina, China, and India, currently the top five producing countries. Soybean is primarily used as feed, with incising markets for food and biodiesel. Similar to most crops, soybean yield and quality are affected by a diverse group of plant pathogens. In particular, several species of filamentous fungi have been the cause of severe yield losses in most growing regions world-wide. The soil born fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, causal agent of charcoal rot, has been found to be endemic to several soybean …

The Archaeology Of Mississippian Vulnerability And Resilience In The New Madrid Seismic Zone, Michelle Megan Rathgaber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work examines the vulnerability and resilience of Mississippian people in the Central Mississippi Valley to the large-scale New Madrid seismic zone earthquakes of the late15th to early 16th century. This is done using the theory of eventful archaeology/anthropology to look at cultural materials both before and after an event (such as an earthquake and sand blows) to look for evidence of changes to the schema and resources on which a society relies. If changes are present, the event can be labeled as such, if there are no changes, it means that the society affected did not see the event …

Understanding The Molecular Strategies Of Campylobacter Jejuni For Survival In Amoeba And Chicken., Deepti Pranay Samarth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter jejuni endure to be major cause of gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. C. jejuni is fastidious in laboratory setup but can cause waterborne infection through contaminated water where none of these fastidious conditions are met. This dissertation presents an assortment of studies focused in reviewing three major factors which could present a helping hand to C. jejuni in its environmental survival viz. i) association with free-living amoebae (FLA) ii) horizontal gene transfer (HGT) contributing towards its genetic diversity iii). Viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state.

Acanthamoeba is a FLA linked to environmental survival of many intracellular pathogens, including C. jejuni. In …