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Managing Bacterial Wilt, Caused By Erwinia Tracheiphila, On Muskmelon With Early Control Of Striped Cucumber Beetle ( Acalymma Vittatum (F)), And Through Varietal Selection, Ahmad Shah Mohammadi

Open Access Dissertations

Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L), is an important vegetable crop in the United States. It is grown throughout the US, and Indiana ranked 4th in production after California, Arizona and Georgia with 12.4 thousand metric tons and market value of $7.6 million in 2015. Bacterial wilt of cucurbits, which is caused by Erwinia tracheiphila (E. F. Smith), and vectored by striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittatum (F)), is one of the most serious diseases of muskmelon that influences muskmelon quality and yield. Many cultivars of muskmelon are grown around the United States, especially in the Midwest. Muskmelon cultivars differ in …

Laser-Processed Parchment Paper For Fabrication Of Chronic Wound Dressings With Selective Oxygenation, Manuel Ochoa

Open Access Dissertations

Chronic non-healing wounds (e.g., diabetic foot ulcers and bed sores) impact over 6.5 million Americans per year, costs in excess of $25 billion to treat on an annual basis, and are on the rise due to increasing levels of obesity and diabetes compounded by an aging population. A major inhibitor of healing is suboptimal oxygenation of the wound bed. Unlike acute injuries that receive sufficient oxygen via a functional blood vessel network, chronic wounds often suffer from the lack of a proper vascular network; thus being incapable of providing sufficient oxygen for tissue growth. Typical medical treatment of hypoxic chronic …

Investigation Of Methods For Reducing Aflatoxin Contamination In Distillers Grains, Hu Shi

Open Access Dissertations

The overall goal of this project was to reduce the aflatoxin level in the final coproduct of ethanol bioprocessing--DDGS. This was pursued by examining the effects of reduction of aflatoxin in the incoming corn prior to bioprocessing, the degradation of aflatoxin in the intermediate products, namely DWG and CDS, during processing, and aflatoxin degradation in the DDGS. Segregation techniques (size screening and density sorting) and detoxification methods (conventional and microwave heating, food additives, and high voltage atmospheric cold plasma) were evaluated for their effectiveness in aflatoxin reduction.

Effectiveness of physical segregation of aflatoxin contaminated corn was investigated by size screening …

The Relationship Between Protein And Phosphorus Digestion And Retention In Growing Pigs And Broiler Chickens, Pengcheng Xue

Open Access Dissertations

Xue, Pengcheng. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2016. The Relationship between Protein and Phosphorus Digestion and Retention in Growing Pigs and Broiler Chickens. Major Professor: Dr. Layi Adeola. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between protein and P digestion and retention in growing pigs and broiler chickens. The methodology of determining the digestibility of AA and P and the effect of dietary N and P on the digestion and retention of these two nutrients were investigated.

An experiment was conducted in growing pigs to investigate the additivity of AID or SID of CP and AA in mixed …

The Effects Of Dietary Probiotic Inclusion On Skeletal Health Of Poultry And Its Possible Mechanisms, Feifei Yan

Open Access Dissertations

Probiotics are live microorganisms which may confer health benefits on the host when administered in appropriate amounts. Numerous studies have shown that probiotics improve bone health in humans and rodents with less information available on the skeletal health of avians given probiotics. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of probiotic supplementation on bone health of egg-laying and meat-type chickens. Dietary supplementation of a multi-species based probiotic reduced the percentage of shell-less eggs beginning at 4 wk following treatment and increased tibial and femoral bone mineral density in egg-laying hens at 7 wk post-treatment. Similarly, bone mineralization …

Mechanistic Insight Into The Role Of Dietary Fibers And Short Chain Fatty Acids In The Regulation Of Metabolism And Inflammation In The Pig, Hui Yan

Open Access Dissertations

Dietary fiber is a diverse mixture of polysaccharides exerting multiple functions as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Besides the influence on nutrient digestibility, dietary fiber affects growth performance and host metabolism via modulation of gut microbial community structure and production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA). A series of in vivo experiments were conducted to determine the effects of dietary fiber on pig growth performance and gut microbial community as well as host metabolism. In the first study, a comparison between soluble and insoluble fibers was conducted in terms of pig growth, gut microbial structure and SCFA production …

Multi-Level Predictors Of Obesity And Diet In Multi-Ethnic Populations, Tali Elfassy

Open Access Dissertations

The obesity epidemic in the United States is a major public health issue. Poor socio-economic conditions such as poverty or living under financial stress may adversely influence health outcomes such as obesity, and often disproportionately impact ethnic minority populations. Further, individuals living in poverty are often exposed to environments that promote unhealthy diet and obesity. Such obesogenic environments are characterized by increased exposure to foods high in sodium and low in potassium which may also be independently associated with obesity. Yet these associations have not been adequately explored, especially among ethnic minority populations. The current dissertation seeks to explore: 1) …

Modernizing Our Methods: Incorporating Technology In Undergraduate Applied Violin Lessons, Jaya Kristina Varma

Open Access Dissertations

Technology has become a part of education in many areas. However, there is no current model for incorporating technology into applied violin lessons at the undergraduate level. This project provides background research in the areas of learning with technology, designing technologically-integrated courses, and currently available resources and tools for music studies. As a result of the research, a course map for a technologically-integrated course in violin has been developed. Recommendations for further study are included.

Impact Of Dance Complexity On Computer-Based And Movement-Based Cognitive Performance, Sean Nicolle

Open Access Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Exercise improves cognition, but the specific mechanisms underlying these changes are not clear. Two proposed mechanism are aerobic demand and cognitive demand inherent in varying degrees to specific exercise tasks. This study compared two kinds of dance that differed in instruction complexity and aerobic intensity, ballroom (BR) and aerobic dance (Aero). The primary aim of this study was to determine if the cognitive benefits of exercise are more responsive to the complexity or aerobic overload. METHODS: Fourteen subjects aged 40-80 were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of Aero or BR dance classes. Aero classes were designed to emphasize low …

Family Functioning, Parenting Strategies, And Disordered Eating Among Hispanic Youth, Dina Ferranti

Open Access Dissertations

Disordered eating (DE) is a major public health concern related to both clinical eating disorders and obesity. DE encompasses various subclinical, yet maladaptive eating behaviors that include dieting, binge eating, and/or extreme weight control behaviors (i.e. self-induced vomiting, laxatives). Hispanic youth appear to be especially vulnerable to DE in comparison to other ethnic groups. However, to date there has been little research focused on Hispanic youth and DE, particularly those in middle childhood (8-11 years). The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model examining family level variables, parenting strategies for eating and physical activity (PEAS) and family …

Intestinal Cytoplasmic Lipid Droplets, Associated Proteins, And The Regulation Of Dietary Fat Absorption, Theresa M. D'Aquila

Open Access Dissertations

Dietary fat provides essential nutrients, contributes to energy balance, and regulates blood lipid concentrations. These functions are important to health, but can also become dysregulated and contribute to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The small intestine absorbs dietary fat through an efficient multi step process of digestion, uptake, metabolism, and secretion or storage. When dietary fat is taken up by the absorptive cells of the small intestine, enterocytes, it can be secreted into circulation where it contributes to blood lipid levels or temporarily stored in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLDs). The objective of this dissertation is to investigate …

Intestinal Adaptation To Repeated Exposure Of Flavonoid-Rich Foods: In Vitro And Clinical Data, Bejamin W. Redan

Open Access Dissertations

Interest in application of flavonoids for chronic disease prevention has grown significantly, but the low oral bioavailability of these compounds from acute doses is commonly highlighted as a limitation when considering their biological significance. Still, the impact of broad dietary patterns such as repeated exposure on flavonoid’s absorption, metabolism, and eventual efficacy is critical to consider since evidence suggests that their bioavailability may be enhanced with repeated exposure. To fill this gap in knowledge, this dissertation will focus on three major areas including characterization of flavonoid metabolites, in addition to use of in vitro models and clinical work to test …

Data Mining Twitter For Cancer, Diabetes, And Asthma Insights, Kimberly Chulis

Open Access Dissertations

Twitter may be a data resource to support healthcare research. Literature is still limited related to the potential of Twitter data as it relates to healthcare. The purpose of this study was to contrast the processes by which a large collection of unstructured disease-related tweets could be converted into structured data to be further analyzed. This was done with the objective of gaining insights into the content and behavioral patterns associated with disease-specific communications on Twitter. Twelve months of Twitter data related to cancer, diabetes, and asthma were collected to form a baseline dataset containing over 34 million tweets. As …

Influence Of Dietary Component Manipulation And Feed Management Strategies On Growth And Rumen Development Of Weaned Dairy Heifers, Tana Shea Dennis

Open Access Dissertations

Well-developed replacement heifers provide a central foundation for the continued success of the dairy industry. Emphasis on improving pre-weaned calf nutrition has predominated in the industry, but opportunities exist to improve post-weaning heifer nutrition and management. We aimed to evaluate common feed management strategies seen in the industry and their effects on growth, feed efficiency (G:F), and rumen development of calves from birth to 8 mo of age using pen- and individually-fed animal trials. Little information exists regarding post-weaning performance and rumen development of calves fed conventional or high planes of nutrition pre-weaning; therefore, we evaluated two milk replacer feeding …

The Effects Of Including Almonds In An Energy-Restricted Diet On Weight, Body Composition, Visceral Adipose Tissue, Blood Pressure And Cognitive Function, Jaapna Dhillon

Open Access Dissertations

Inclusion of almonds in an energy restricted diet has been reported to enhance or have no effect on weight loss. Their effects specifically on visceral fat stores during energy restriction have not been widely examined. Additionally, almond consumption has been associated with reduced blood pressure, but whether this is linked to or is independent of changes of body composition has not been examined. Moreover, almond consumption during energy restriction may be an effective strategy for reversing the negative effects of dieting on cognitive performance. The unique nutrient profile of almonds also has the potential to influence cognitive function post-prandially. The …

Biochemical Changes In Animal Models Of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Christine E. M. Keller

Open Access Dissertations

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a completely preventable disease, that has profound effects on life-long health and function of the affected individual. Prevalence estimates of FASD in the United States indicate 33.5 per 1,000 live births are affected with this disorder (Roozen, 2016). FASD is caused by maternal ethanol intake during pregnancy. However, recommendations of the amounts of alcohol safe to drink during pregnancy are not established. Further, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the biochemical pathways modified in prenatal ethanol exposure. Biomarkers are also lacking. Our results demonstrate the vast array of biochemical pathways modified in the chronic …

Influence Of Dietary Polyphenols On Carbohydrate Intestinal Digestion And Absorption, Sydney E. Moser

Open Access Dissertations

Both epidemiological and clinical evidence support the notion that polyphenol rich foods and beverages may modify glycemic response, glucose homeostasis and subsequent risk of Type-2 diabetes. In vitro evidence typically derived from experiments with pure phenolics and phenolic rich extracts have pointed to this benefit being associated with two potential mechanisms: (1) the ability of specific polyphenolics to inhibit carbohydrate digestion (amylase and glucosidase) and (2) polyphenolic inhibition of intestinal glucose transport. While the high potential of these activities is evident, little is actually known regarding the extent to which these benefits are extendable to the actual food matrix these …

China Twenty Years After: Substance Use Under Rapid Social Changes, Xiaozhao Y. Yang

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation discusses how China’s rapid modernization and social transformation over the last twenty years since a series of reforms at the end of 1980s contribute to the changes in substance use behaviors. Specifically, there are three individual empirical chapters in this dissertation, each exploring one dimension of social change and its association with substance use. First, I have demonstrated how substance use can be a protective factor against unemployment over the long term, especially against the background of massive layoffs among former socialist industrial workers and landless peasants during this period. Second, another chapter examines how social mobility (i.e. …

Learning From Data: Plant Breeding Applications Of Machine Learning, Alencar Xavier

Open Access Dissertations

Increasingly, new sources of data are being incorporated into plant breeding pipelines. Enormous amounts of data from field phenomics and genotyping technologies places data mining and analysis into a completely different level that is challenging from practical and theoretical standpoints. Intelligent decision-making relies on our capability of extracting from data useful information that may help us to achieve our goals more efficiently. Many plant breeders, agronomists and geneticists perform analyses without knowing relevant underlying assumptions, strengths or pitfalls of the employed methods. The study endeavors to assess statistical learning properties and plant breeding applications of supervised and unsupervised machine learning …

Physiological Bases And A Novel Genetic Determinant Of Water-Use Efficiency (Wue), Jie Yin

Open Access Dissertations

Water-use efficiency (WUE), the ratio of biomass to water loss, is a heritable but complex trait, the genetic basis of which is largely unknown. We utilized diverse accessions of the halophyte Eutrema salsugineum to ultimately identify a novel genetic determinant of WUE. E. salsugineum accessions from locations with low water availability, temperature, and radiation have lower transpirational water loss and greater biomass, resulting in higher WUE. High-WUE accessions also have lower stomatal density and index and larger thinner leaves than low-WUE accessions. We identified 14,808 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between two accessions of E. salsugineum,Shandong (SH) and Yukon (YK), …

Novel Hormonal Combination Therapy For Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Ankita Thakkar

Open Access Dissertations

Anti-estrogen and anti-HER2 treatments have been among the first and most successful examples of targeted-therapy for breast cancers. However, around 10-20% of breast cancers lack estrogen receptor (ER) expression and HER2 amplification. Therefore, the treatment of ER-/HER2- Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) remains a major challenge due to lack of a druggable target. Currently, TNBCs are treated with non-targeted conventional chemotherapy and although they respond initially, less than 30% patients survive beyond 5 years highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies for this disease. We previously discovered that approximately two-thirds of TNBCs express Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) and/or Androgen Receptor …

Examining Weight Gain In Treatment-Seeking African American Smokers: A Biopsychosocial Approach, Marcia D. Mcnutt

Open Access Dissertations

Research has shown that African Americans gain more than average weight after smoking cessation. However, few studies have examined 1) the pattern of weight gain and 2) factors associated with weight gain among African American smokers. The current study aimed to examine biopsychosocial predictors of weight gain in a sample of treatment-seekers. Data were drawn from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the efficacy of a culturally specific cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) smoking cessation intervention among African Americans. Participants (N=342) completed assessments at baseline, the end of counseling (EOC), 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow ups. Baseline measures included salivary cortisol, …

Defining Abdominal Obesity As A Risk Factor For Coronary Heart Disease In The Us Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos (Hchs/Sol), Diana A. Chirinos Medina

Open Access Dissertations

It is now well established that pronounced differences exist in prevalence of abdominal obesity across gender and ethnicity. Hispanic/Latinos, in particular, have been shown to have markedly distinct prevalence when compared to other ethnic populations around the world. Various organizations have highlighted the need to examine whether overall abdominal obesity cut points are appropriate for the use in this ethnic minority, particular highlighting the need of research among Hispanic/Latino residing in Western countries. This study used data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), the largest study of Hispanic/Latinos in the US, to: (1) establish optimal definitions for …

Sedentary Behavior Associations With Cardiometabolic Risk And Depressive Symptoms In Overweight/Obese Type 2 Diabetics: Results From The Calm-D Trial, Carrie E. Brintz

Open Access Dissertations

Increased sedentary behavior has detrimental associations with cardiometabolic risk factors and depression, and has been associated with greater risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), independent of engagement in moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). There are limited studies of sedentary behavior in patients who already have T2DM. The aims of the study were to determine (1) whether a latent factor including self-reported daily sedentary time and daily average number of pedometer steps was associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and depressive symptoms in overweight/obese T2DM patients, and (2) whether a multi-component lifestyle intervention was successful at reducing sedentary time compared …

Modeling The Biomechanics And Mechanobiology Of Intervertebral Discs, Xin Gao

Open Access Dissertations

The degeneration of lumbar intervertebral discs (IVDs) has been implicated as a possible cause of low back pain which affects more than 600 million people worldwide. Abnormal mechanical loading is thought to be a primary etiological factor leading to degenerative changes in the discs. The abnormal mechanical loading could initiate disc degeneration through two pathways: causing the failure of disc structures, and disturbing the balance between cellular anabolic and catabolic activities. The latter one is thought to be the main pathway. However, the mechanism of extracellular mechanotransduction is not fully understood, neither the abnormal mechanical loading is quantified. The objectives …

The Role Of Gene Co-Option In The Evolution Of Sap-Feeding Insect Endosymbioses (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha), Rebecca Pate Duncan

Open Access Dissertations

Symbiosis, the tightly co-evolved partnership between different species, fundamentally influences the evolutionary trajectory of the interacting species. However, with the help of emerging genomic resources, the mechanisms by which symbiotic partners are integrated into a functional organism are only just beginning to be revealed. As a system in which to investigate the mechanisms of host/symbiont integration, sap-feeding insects, which rely on intracellular symbionts for nutrient provisioning, benefit from growing genomic resources and a solid foundation resulting from years of research on the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. At the core of the relationship between A. pisum and its endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola …

Numerical Modeling Of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration And Repair, Qiaoqiao Zhu

Open Access Dissertations

Intervertebral disc (IVD) is the largest avascular structure in the human body and its main function is to support mechanical loading and to provide the flexibility for the spine system. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is related to low back pain which affects more than 600 million people worldwide. One of the challenges in modeling DDD is that the biological, mechanical, chemical, and electrical events in IVD are coupled at different levels. It is important to develop a numerical model to understand the biophysics and pathophysiology in IVD (a biological system). A multiscale and multi-physics model was developed based on a …

Plant Interactions Across Common Mycorrhizal Networks, Joanna Weremijewicz

Open Access Dissertations

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associate with roots of the majority of land plants and supply up to 80% and 25% of their P and N requirements, respectively. These fungi do not form mycorrhizas on individual plants in isolation, the way they often have been investigated. Instead, arbuscular mycorrhizas may form when hyphae connected to one root system branch throughout the soil while foraging for mineral nutrients, encounter, and colonize the roots of another plant, thereby forming a common mycorrhizal network (CMN). The importance of CMNs is their potential influence on the distribution of limiting mineral nutrients among plants. Although it is …

Crop Modeling For Assessing And Mitigating The Impacts Of Extreme Climatic Events On The Us Agriculture System, Zhenong Jin

Open Access Dissertations

The US agriculture system is the world’s largest producer of maize and soybean, and typically supplies more than one-third of their global trading. Nearly 90% of the US maize and soybean production is rainfed, thus is susceptible to climate change stressors such as heat waves and droughts. Process-based crop and cropping system models are important tools for climate change impact assessments and risk management. As data- science is becoming a new frontier for agriculture growth, the incoming decade calls for operational platforms that use hyper-local growth monitoring, high-resolution real-time weather and satellite data assimilation and cropping system modeling to help …

Functional And Structural Analysis Of Fst1 In Fusarium Verticillioides, Chenxing Niu

Open Access Dissertations

Fusarium verticillioides causes an important seed disease on maize and produces fumonisin B1 (FB1), a mycotoxin that is detrimental to human and animal health. Previous studies discovered that expression of FST1 is required for FB1 production and wild-type level of virulence on maize seeds. FST1 encodes a putative protein with 12 transmembrane domains with sequence similarity to hexose transporters. However, those studies have failed to prove its ability to transport glucose, fructose or mannose. I identified another three phenotypes associated with the lack of a functional FST1, which includes reduced hydrophobicity of hyphae, reduced macroconidia production, and increased sensitivity to …