Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Two Neonatal Challenge Models For Broiler Chickens And Their Effects On Early Performance Parameters, Callie Selby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Formaldehyde fumigation in poultry hatch cabinets has been utilized for sanitation of hatching eggs for over a century. Formaldehyde is utilized to minimize pathogenic microbes on the surface of the egg as well as the microbial bloom during the hatching process. While formaldehyde is effective, its use is regulated in the United States and Europe due to its carcinogenic nature. Formaldehyde has been shown to damage the cuticle of the egg, cause embryonic death, and damage the epithelial lining of the respiratory tract of freshly hatched chicks, predisposing them for respiratory infection. Alternatives for formaldehyde fumigation must be identified and …

Efficacy Of Selected Powdered Floor Treatments And Turmeric Rhizome Powder Against Salmonella, E. Coli, And L. Monocytogenes On Polyurethane-Concrete Flooring Material Carriers, Robert Sidney Fuller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flooring in a food processing environment can become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria in many ways including foot and equipment traffic, incoming materials, and drain backups. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) rhizome powder and seventeen other commercially available powdered floor treatments with a variety of active ingredients including quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), sodium percarbonate and similar perhydrates (SPC), urea, and borax, were investigated for reducing the levels of pathogens on flooring thereby reducing the risk of cross-contamination from the floor to food contact surfaces. Some of the commercially available floor treatments were Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered antimicrobials while others were …

Analysis Of Bacteriorhodopsin Suspended In A Bilayer Lipid Membrane, Moath Alhejji

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The bacteriorhodopsin protein’s unique characteristic of proton pumping can convert light energy to electric energy. The aim of this research was to generate photocurrent using bacteriorhodopsin in a bi-layer lipid membrane. Lipid monolayer and bilayer were formed using painting and folding methods, respectively. Capacitance and resistance of the lipid membranes were measured and used to validate the best methodology. My results show that the folding method is more efficient in incorporating Bacteriorhodopsin. The photocurrent was generated by illuminating a green laser (532 nm) on the bilayer lipid membranes. The patch clamp electrophysiology technique was used to apply voltage across the …

Divergent Selection For Water Conversion Ratio In Broiler Populations, Joseph Hiltz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity is a global reality and with the anticipated population growth, freshwater resources will be further strained to meet both human needs and agriculture applications. To ensure a water sustainable and food secure future, all aspects of agriculture must become more efficient. Two strategies were explored. The potential of improving water efficiency in broilers was examined. The first strategy was to develop a more efficient and accurate method for measuring water consumption/inputs in agriculture. To date, water measuring technology has lacked the necessary sophistication to assure accuracy and repeatability of low flow water usage.

After establishing a low flow …

Development Of Aptamer Rolling Circle Amplification Platform As A Vaccine Adjuvant To Control Salmonella In Broiler Chickens, Abigeal Iyabode Omolewu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella has been a major source of concern in public health and food industry. It is the cause of gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis. Severe cases of salmonellosis have resulted in hospitalization and even death around the world. Salmonella can be found in the intestinal tract of animals including chickens and can be transmitted to human through contaminated food. Hence, it is highly important to find ways of reducing the transmission of Salmonella from chickens to humans. This work is focused on the control of Salmonella in broiler chicken through the development of novel vaccine adjuvant. Two different aptamer …

Evapotranspiration In Mid-South Rice Production, Colby Wade Reavis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice provides much needed sustenance to a large portion of the global population, particularly in the developing world. With stress placed on food production systems under the reality of climate change and an increasing global population, rice production systems require solutions to a number of issues, including a limited water supply. As producers explore new strategies for conserving local water resources to continue to maintain yields, new irrigation strategies and technologies are being developed and validated for use at commercial production scales. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is an irrigation practice that provides water savings through the capture of rainfall …

Genome-Wide Analyses Of Genomic Variation Regulating Differential Stress Responses In Japanese Quail, Steven Anthony Shumaker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As consumer demands for poultry grow, producers work to improve bird productivity in both meat and egg production. This endeavor is multifaceted, as many different factors play a part in influencing the productivity of birds, including environmental conditions, overall health, and genetic potential. One aspect controlled for in all aspects of poultry production optimization is stress management. Mitigation of stress is of primary concern to producers, as improper stress management can have many deleterious effects on chickens. Stress management requires an understanding of poultry stress responses and their physiological mechanisms, which can be more deeply understood through genomic analysis. Chapter …

Understanding The Chemical Structures Of Polydopamine, Deborah Takyibea Okyere

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polydopamine (PDA) is described as a bioinspired polymer produced by a method involving the chemical oxidation of dopamine in a pH-dependent medium. It has been used for the functionalization of nanomaterials in diverse applications including drug delivery and biosensing because of its strong adhesiveness, functionality is easily modified, and biocompatibility with mammalian cells and tissues. The polymerization process is believed to be initiated by the autoxidation of dopamine to dopaminequinone. However, the repeating units, as well as the final structure of PDA, are not well understood. Hence, this work focuses on the characterizations of the PDA structures during formation and …

Design, Synthesis, And Catalytic Application Of Crystalline Porous Nanomaterials, Zainab Abdullah Almansaf

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1: COFs (covalent organic frameworks) are a new type of microporous crystalline polymer connected by organic units via strong covalent bonds. Due to their well-defined crystalline structures and excellent chemical and thermal stabilities, COF materials are considered promising candidates in applications such as gas adsorption, catalysis, and energy storage.Chapter 2: A new covalent organic framework (COF) based on imine bonds was assembled from 2-(4-formylphenyl)-5-formylpyridine and 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)pyrene, which showed an interesting dual-pore structure with high crystallinity. Postmetallation of the COF with Pt occurred selectively at the N donor (imine and pyridyl) in the larger pores. The metalated COF served as …

Longitudinal Monitoring Of Tumor Response To Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Using Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy, Joel Isaac Rodriguez Troncoso

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Immune checkpoint drugs have completely changed the way people treat metastatic melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer. While the impacts of these immunological checkpoints and their suppression on T cell function are well characterized, their consequences on the tumor microenvironment are not. In a CT26 mouse colorectal cancer model, we employed diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to track in vivo tumor microenvironmental alterations in response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. On three separate days, animals bearing CT26 tumor xenografts were given anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4, a combination of both inhibitors, and isotype control. Within the first 6 days, monotherapy with either anti-PD-L1 or anti-CTLA-4 resulted in …

Two-Dimensional Black Phosphorus For Terahertz Emission And Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer, Mahmudul Hasan Doha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main focus of this work is to investigate two potential optical and optoelectronic applications of black phosphorus (BP): the near-field radiative heat transfer in plasmonic heterostructures with graphene and terahertz emission from multi-layer BP photoconductive antennas. When the separation distance between graphene-black phosphorene is much smaller than or comparable to the thermal wavelength at different temperatures, a near-field radiation heat transfer breaks the Planck blackbody limit. The magnitude of the near-field radiation enhancement acutely depends on the gate voltage, doping, and vacuum gap of the graphene and BP pair. The strong near-field radiation heat transfer enhancement of the specific …

Integrated Weed Management Strategies For Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri) In Cotton And Soybean Production Systems, Rodger Bruce Farr

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Management of Palmer amaranth [Amaranthus palmeri (S.) Wats.] in the Midsouth in soybean [Glycine max (L.)] and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production systems has become increasingly troublesome due to resistance to many of the commonly utilized herbicides in these systems. Developments have been made to utilize new chemistries as well as incorporate integrated weed management strategies to control Palmer amaranth, but questions have risen given the economic feasibility or effectiveness of these new strategies. Additionally, regulation has limited producers’ abilities to utilize some herbicide chemistries. As a result, experiments were conducted to 1) understand the utility of isoxaflutole in isoxaflutole-tolerant …

Synthesis Of Polyethylene Glycol-Based Hydrogels And Silver/Gold Nanostructures For Biomedical Applications, Isabelle Ishimwe Niyonshuti

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work focuses on the synthesis of biocompatible polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrogels, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and silver-gold nanocages (Ag-AuNCs) for biomedical applications. The dissertation includes two parts with Part I on the work of PEG-based hydrogel for wound healing applications and Part II on the work of Ag/Au nanostructures for antimicrobial applications. Part I studies PEG-based hydrogel for the delivery of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) for wound healing applications, aiming to overcome the challenge of designing hydrogels capable of the sustained release of bioactive FGFs. This research develops new biocompatible anionic injectable hydrogel formulations based on Poly (Oligo Ethylene Glycol …

Efficacy Of Spirulina (Arthrospira Platensis) Utilization In Broiler Diets, Garrett James Mullenix

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is a cyanobacteria microalgae that has potential as an animal feed ingredient. Five experiments were conducted to further assess its ability to serve as a protein source in broiler diets. Experiment 1 consisted of an amino acid digestibility and apparent metabolizable energy assay. The results indicated that the standardized ileal amino acid levels of spirulina are comparable with typical soybean meal. Experiment 2 assessed the performance and processing parameters of broilers fed 10% spirulina in low crude protein diets, using published digestibility coefficients. Spirulina inclusion improved footpad quality and increased redness and yellowness of the breast, skin …

Body Mass And Body Condition Variation Of Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) Within And Among Winters Within The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, John Thompson Veon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most North American waterfowl overwinter in southern North America before migrating back to breeding grounds in the northern US and Canada. These species face the challenge of needing to maintain or increase their body mass during an environmentally difficult winter period. Successful body mass maintenance during the winter period has major ramifications not only for their winter survival but for their fitness across the entire year. Recent research in Europe and the western United States suggests that the body mass of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) has increased from the late 1960s to early 2000s. However, the factors responsible for increases in …

Effects Of Localized Oxygen Production By Electrolysis On The First-Generation Glucose Sensor Response, Nandita Halder

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Glucose sensors are very important for detecting blood glucose both in vitro and in vivo. First-generation glucose biosensors were based on the glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme using molecular oxygen as the electron acceptor and therefore oxygen dependent. Unfortunately for in-vivo work, oxygen in the body is variable and limited. Alternative approaches to overcome the oxygen dependency came with their own limitations. The widely used and commercially available ex-vivo glucose test strip uses a mediator in place of oxygen to free it from oxygen dependency. The mediator-based technology, in most cases cannot be transferred to in vivo applications due to the …

Substance Use And Psychological Distress Correlates Of Sleep Quality Among College Students, Juanybeth Morales Ortega

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poor sleep quality in college students is a major problem associated with adverse health outcomes, cognitive performance, substance use, and psychological distress. Our study explored how substance use and psychological distress are associated with the sleep quality of college students. We analyzed secondary data collected in 2019 using a cross-sectional survey design. Measures included participants’ demographic characteristics, sleep quality using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), drug use, depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and suicidality. After excluding participants with missing information for sleep quality, a total of 555 students remained for the analysis. Our bivariate analysis found that …

Comparing Organic And Conventional Yield Responses To Climate Variations, Joost Wilken Meyer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the responses of organic yields and conventional yields towards climate variations. To achieve this objective, weather variables such as growing season weather conditions (average temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, relative humidity, drought index), weather anomalies, the occurrence of severe or extreme droughts and excessive rainfalls, are combined with 23 data sets gathered from previous studies that compare organic and conventional yields from the same location and time periods. To narrow the scope, the thesis focuses on soybean, maize, and wheat production in Europe and North America. Study-level fixed-effects models are used to control for any time-invariant factors such …

Multifunctional Programmable Self-Assembled Nanoparticles In Nanomedicine, Yoshie Sakamaki

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Developing methodologies to control the architecture of nanoparticles (NPs) at the atomic level prevents their inhomogeneity and leads to a variety of expected functions. Rationally designed nanoparticles can either be programmed or crystallized structures into pre-determined structures achieving tunable particle pore size and physiochemistry. In this dissertation, two broad classes of multifunctional nanoparticles are developed, metal-organic frameworks and DNA-NP aggregates.

Metal-organic frameworks are a novel class of highly porous crystalline materials built from organic linkers and metal cluster-based secondary building units. However, applications in bioremediation have not been developed very well especially in applications regarding drug delivery systems (DDS). The …

Role Of Sex Differences On Cancer Cachexia Progression And Fibrosis During Cancer Cachexia Development, Wesley Haynie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial wasting syndrome characterized by losses in bodymass >5% and occurs in approximately 80% of all cancer patients. Chronic inflammation and fibrosis play roles in cancer cachexia and a greater understanding of these contributing pathways to this pathology will pave the way for potential therapeutic avenues. While inflammation and fibrosis have been researched in various models of cancer cachexia, little to no studies have been performed in both sexes as most previous studies focus on males. PURPOSE The purpose of these studies is to investigate the role of fibrosis on cancer cachexia development as well as …

Crispr Gene Editing Drivers, Barriers And Prospects: A Comparative Study Among Plant Scientists Globally, Adriaan Johannes De Lange

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of CRISPR gene editing into food crops has potential to contribute to food security and sustainable food production globally. To date, most scientific studies have focused on consumer perception of CRISPR gene edited foods or the potential benefits and risks of the CRISPR technology and none have focused on the perceptions of plant scientists concerning CRISPR gene editing. This study aimed to explore the investments, functions, barriers, benefits for specific crops and beneficiaries of CRISPR gene editing according to plant scientists, by distributing an online survey in which 1,040 plant scientists active across six continents and in both …

International Students In The Campus Carry Debate: A Descriptive Phenomenological Inquiry, Andre Richardo Grant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study purposefully sampled 15 graduate international students at a Southern University (SU). Semi-structured interviews were used to determine their perceptions and attitudes regarding the implementation of campus carry policies at the institution. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: How has the implementation of the campus carry policy at SU impacted international students’ perceptions of their experiences at the institution? How has the implementation of campus carry policies at SU influenced international students’ perceptions of the social ecology of the institution? and How did SU formally include international students in the on-campus campus carry policy …

The Effects Of Commercial Harvest On The Density And Demography Of Aquatic Turtles In Arkansas, Andrhea Darleen Massey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States is home to the second highest concentration of turtle species in the world, after Asia. As of 2018, there are 57 turtle species recognized within the US, 40% of which are listed as threatened or endangered, with the primary threats to population persistence identified as over-consumption and/or habitat loss. Within the US, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) region represents the second highest turtle species richness, after the Mobile River Basin. The MAV region of Arkansas is one of the least regulated in terms of commercial aquatic turtle harvest and has undergone large-scale habitat conversion from bottomland hardwood …

Recombinant Production And Purification Of Green Fluorescent Protein (Gfp)-Fused Metal Binding Protein For Palladium Nanoparticle Synthesis, Shadrach Ibinola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In lieu of chemical and physical methods, biologically guided synthesis is increasingly used as a cost-effective medium for the fabrication of nanoparticles (NP). Recently, a palladium metal binding sequence Pd4 (TSNAVHPTLRHL) has been demonstrated to be instrumental in the production of palladium (Pd) nanoparticles. Although, by eliminating the additional cost of purification of the protein, the crude lysate of E. coli containing Pd specific protein has been proven to be a viable cost-effective means for the synthesis of Pd NP, studies have not be done to ascertain the comparative catalytic activity of nanoparticles synthesized from both clarified lysate and pure …

Does Self-Reference In Concept Mapping Influence Transfer?, Daniel A. Parker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concept maps are a popular learning activity that have successfully demonstrated student learning outcomes. Research suggests that concept mapping has a positive effect on recognition, recall, and transfer. Likewise, researchers in cognitive psychology have shown the value of referencing oneself with a concept. Known as the self-reference effect, learners who connect their experiences or traits with new knowledge are more likely to remember that knowledge than if they used other mnemonic devices. Previous research suggests that integrating self-reference in concept mapping may improve recall. However, to date, no study has investigated the influence of this combination on higher order learning …

Investigation Of Iron-Nickel Films Based Catalysts: Controlling Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (Her) Through An Electrode-Electrolyte Engineering Approach, Sergio Ivan Perez Bakovic

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical energy conversion technologies need to be economically viable in order to be adopted. Earth-abundant transition metals (i.e., Fe, Co, and Ni) have attracted attention due to their high availability, low cost, and catalytic characteristics that are in many cases found in and exploited by nature. Herein, we synthesize FexNi100-xOy electrocatalyst films and study how the electrocatalyst-electrolyte interactions alter the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).In this work, FexNi100-xOy films were synthesized to study the composition, chemical state, and morphology. Characterization results provided a well-established electrocatalyst film platform to then proceed with electrochemical evaluations. The effects of the electrode composition and electrochemically …

Catalytic Activity Of Molybdenum-Dioxo Complexes, Randy Tran

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation details the development of rationally designed dioxomolybdenum catalyst active for deoxydehydration (DODH), the net reduction of diols and polyols into alkenes and dienes. Catalyst design involved variations on dioxomolybdenum(VI) supported by a dianionic meridional pincer ligand. Rational substrate scope was explored using aliphatic diols, aromatic diols, and biomass derived diols. Various reductants were tested for ability to catalyze the reaction. The substrate specific mechanism of DODH was explored utilizing NMR and in-situ infrared spectroscopy and important rate constants and rate determining steps were found to aid in the optimization of ideal reaction conditions. Catalytic activity was observed to …

Parenting The Gifted: Caregivers’ Perspectives Of Challenges And Their Confidence To Support Their Exceptional Children, Kristi A. Mascher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study uses Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy (1977) to examine the lived experiences of eight parents of gifted children and how their experiences, both positive and negative, shape their perception of their confidence and may contribute to building future supports for gifted parents and caregivers. Qualitative data, collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with an interpretive/hermeneutic lens, provides seven major themes derived from the voices of parents with children of varying ages and exceptionalities. In addition, this study concludes with a discussion surrounding the additional challenges associated with parenting the exceptional, frameworks for gifted parent support systems, as well …

Remixed, Remastered: Investigating Organizational Adaptation In Higher Music Education, Jacob Bruce Hertzog

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher music education presents a unique opportunity to examine change within higher education due to the digital revolution in the music industry over the past two decades. The purpose for conducting this study was to describe, map, and explain the strategies that higher music education programs are using to adapt to the digital revolution in the music industry. This study was grounded in organizational adaptation theory, drawing upon nine well-established theories: population ecology, life cycles, strategic choice, isomorphism, symbolic action, resource dependence, cybernetics, and network theory. Critical concepts of the turbulent environment, environmental perception, and organizational adaptation strategy emerged from …

Queering The Metanarrative Of Domesticity: Chosen Families In Late Nineteenth- Century American Women's Literature, Sharla Rosenbaum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My primary purpose in this project is to dispel the notion that the white, bourgeois, patriarchal, nuclear family believed by millions of US citizens to have once monopolized the United States’s cultural landscape through an examination of how women authors in the United States constructed families in literature immediately following the Civil War. Not only do the novels under examination reflect diverse representations of families, but they also reflect those images from diverse perspectives. I will use a Marxist lens to explore class and ideologic interpellation; a renegade global feminist lens to explore failure and differential consciousness; a queer and …