Digital Commons Network^™

Plasma Volume And Albumin Mrna Expression In Exercise Trained Rats, Nathan Alex Bexfield

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction- Exercise-induced plasma volume (PV) expansion is typically associated with an increase in plasma albumin content. Increased hepatic albumin synthesis, a transcriptionally regulated process, is thought to contribute to the increase in albumin content. Objective- We tested the hypothesis that exercise training induces an increase in albumin gene expression in relationship to the increase in PV. Methods and Results- 40 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 245-350 grams were randomly assigned to one of four groups: cage control (CC); sham exercise 10 min/day at 48% VO2max (NE); continuous exercise training, 60 min /day at 72% VO2max (LI); and high intensity, …

The Roles Of Lcrg And Lcrv In Secretion Control Of Yops In Yersinia Pestis, Mohamad Hamad

Theses and Dissertations

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, combats the host immune response by injecting proteins called Yops "Yersinia outer proteins" into the eukaryotic host cells using a type III secretion system "T3SS". The activity of the type T3SS is regulated by several proteins including YscF, YopN, TyeA, SycN, YscB, LcrG, and LcrV. YscF forms the extracellular needle complex of the T3SS and is involved in secretion regulation and in sensing environmental signals for secretion activation. YopN, TyeA, SycN, and YscB form a complex in the cytosol of Y. pestis that blocks the secretion of Yops when conditions do not favor …

Greening American History: Incorporating An Environmental Perspective Into United States Survey Courses, Nelson Paul Rosit

Theses and Dissertations

To paraphrase a well-known historian, there is too little nature in the study of history. Although environmental history is a well established field, nature and the physical environment are still often excluded agents in history pedagogy. The following essay is an effort to remedy this problem. This dissertation has two main objectives. The first is to define and describe environmental history and present a rationale for its inclusion as a major component of survey history courses. The second is to outline ways college teachers can include an environmental perspective in their instructional strategies. It includes three sample lesson plans that …

Validity And Reliability Of Dynamic Virtual Interactive Design Methodology, Renran Tian

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on testing the validity and reliability of dynamic Virtual Interactive Design (VID) methodology with dynamic ergonomics analysis. Virtual Interactive Design methodology has been introduced and applied on practical problems in several previous studies, and initially validated with posture-based static ergonomics analysis tools. Although most results have proved the validity and reliability based on static information considered, such validation processes is not sufficient since risks for performing certain tasks can not be fully examined without examining dynamic aspects. But the dynamic virtual interactive design environment has not been validated sufficiently. In my subsequent study, a dynamic ergonomics analysis …

A Desiccant Technology Instructional Module, Matthew Dale Riley

Theses and Dissertations

Desiccant technology is a category of HVAC equipment used for dehumidification. A desiccant material is a material that attracts and holds large amounts of water vapor. Desiccant materials are used in complete desiccant cooling units, air pretreatment devices, and HVAC system enhancements. The instructional module has been developed to introduce engineering students to desiccant technology and the use of desiccant systems. In the typical engineering curriculum, a number of courses could contain topics related to desiccant systems. Thermodynamics, heat transfer, HVAC, thermal systems design, and alternate energy systems courses are appropriate for desiccant related topics. The instructional module contains lecture …

Continuous Simulation Of Groundwater Use And Effluent Discharge In Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Ponds At Five Locations In The Southeast U.S, Sugeng Triyono

Theses and Dissertations

Long-term climatological data were used to evaluate the effectiveness of a drop/add management strategy to reduce groundwater use and effluent discharge in catfish ponds in the southeast U.S.. A drop/add approach is based on the creation of a storage volume in the pond for rainfall collection. The storage volume is created by allowing water level in the pond to decrease until some minimum level is reached. When the minimum level is reached, the pond is partly refilled, leaving the remaining volume available to capture incident precipitation. In this way, the role of precipitation in the water budget is increased. In …

Free-Form Deformation For Computer-Aided Engineering Analysis And Design, Amy Lynn Ladner

Theses and Dissertations

Toward support of the use of geometry in advanced simulation, a freeorm deformation (FFD) tool was designed, developed, and tested using object oriented (OO) techniques. The motivation for creating this FFD tool in-house was to provide engineers and researchers a cost efficient, quick, and easy way to computationally manipulate models without having to start from scratch while readily seeing the resulting geometry. The FFD tool was built using the OO scripting language, Python, the OO GUI toolkit, Qt, and the graphics toolkit, OpenGL. The tool produced robust and intuitive results for two-dimensional shapes especially when multiple point manipulation was utilized. …

Egocentric Depth Perception In Optical See-Through Augmented Reality, James Adam Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Augmented Reality (AR) is a method of mixing computer-generated graphics with real-world environments. In AR, observers retain the ability to see their physical surroundings while additional (augmented) information is depicted as simulated graphical objects matched to the real-world view. In the following experiments, optical see-through head-mounted displays (HMDs) were used to present observers with both Augmented and Virtual Reality environments. Observers were presented with varied real, virtual, and combined stimuli with and without the addition of motion parallax. The apparent locations of the stimuli were then measured using quantitative methods of egocentric depth judgment. The data collected from these experiments …

Asperger's Syndrome And Metamemory:How Well Can One Child Predict His Knowledge Of The World Around Him?, Jacqueline Brooks Bell

Theses and Dissertations

We investigated whether a child with Asperger?s Syndrome would demonstrate deficits in awareness of cognitive processing similar to those demonstrated for awareness of social interactions. The cognitive processes examined were memory and metamemory, or knowing about knowing. With regard to procedural metamemory, the child was unable to accurately predict his own memory, particularly which items he would not be able to recall. Declarative metamemory also was impaired. Tasks requiring imitation of the researcher or that were largely nonverbal resulted in particularly poor performance. The findings indicate that the child?s social deficits related to Asperger?s Syndrome extended to the cognitive domain. …

An Active Core Fiber Optic Gas Sensor Using A Photonic Crystal Hollow Core Fiber As A Transducer, Venkata Satya Sai Sarma Tipparaju

Theses and Dissertations

An active core fiber optic gas sensing technique has been developed by using a photonic crystal (PC) hollow core fiber (HCF) as a transducer and a tunable diode laser as a light source for multi-gas sensing. The intrinsic optical absorption signal of an analyte molecule in the near nfrared region is monitored for sensing C2H2,CO2 and NH3. Although the overtone absorptions are known to have low absorption cross-sections, this sensor can detect these gas components down to the parts-per-million (ppm) level by using a 1-meter hollow core fiber as a transducer. This sensor is an example of application of PC-HCF …

The Effect Of Pasteurization Temperature On Consumer Acceptability, Sensory Characteristics, Volatile Compound Composition, And Shelf-Life Of Fluid Milk, April Lynne Gandy

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship among consumer acceptability, descriptive sensory attributes, and shelf-life was determined for 2 % milk pasteurized at 77, 79, 82, or 85?aC. Pasteurization temperature had no effect (p>0.05) on shelf-life. Consumers preferred (p<0.05) 79?aC over other treatments on day 0; however, six days post-pasteurization 79?aC milk was only preferred (p<0.05) over 77?aC. Consumers were grouped into eight clusters based on product liking for both day 0 and 6 evaluations. The largest cluster liked all pasteurization treatments, and 79?aC was highly acceptable to all consumers that liked milk. Similar sensory descriptors indicated the end of shelf-life for all pasteurization treatments even though treatments could be differentiated by descriptors on day 0. This research reveals that altering pasteurization temperature from 79?aC may cause a decrease in consumer acceptability to some consumers. Altering pasteurization temperature does not affect shelf-life or sensory descriptors and volatile compound profiles at the end of shelf-life.

The Effects Of The Secondary Carbon Source Glycerol On The Lipid Accumulation And Fatty Acid Profile Of Rhodotorula Glutinis, Emily Ruth Echols Easterling

Theses and Dissertations

Producing biodiesel from triacylglycerol (TAG) generates glycerol as a byproduct which could be recycled and used to grow the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula glutinis. R. glutinis has the ability to produce up to 70% of its weight in the form of TAG. This study is designed to determine the effects of glycerol on the TAG and fatty acids produced by R. glutinis. After 24 hrs, R. glutinis cultured on medium containing dextrose, xylose, glycerol, dextrose and xylose, xylose and glycerol, or dextrose and glycerol accumulated 16, 12, 25, 10, 21, and 34% TAG on a dry weight basis, respectively. The fatty …

The Influence Of Probiotic Lactobacilli On Glucose Uptake By Caco-2 Cells, Arun Kumar Rooj

Theses and Dissertations

The resident microbes of human gastrointestinal tract cause both harmful and beneficial effects and these effects can be modulated by the administration of beneficial probiotic bacteria. Probiotics attribute several therapeutic and preventive beneficial effects, for both humans and animals. Despite the good effects of probiotic bacteria, the role of probiotic bacteria or their metabolites on the nutrient uptake by enterocytes is very less known. Most studies describe the genomic effects of probiotic bacteria on the transport properties. This thesis describes the short term (10 min or less) non-genomic effects of probiotic bacteria on the glucose uptake by human enterocytes like …

The Relationship Of Diet, Stress, Intestinal Nitric Oxide Production, And Intestinal Microflora In Chickens, Monticha Putsakum

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study were first, to investigate the effect of stress and ascorbic acid (AA) supplement during stress on intestinal microflora of broilers and layers, and secondly, to determine nitric oxide (NO) production in intestinal tract of broilers during stress, when supplemented with L-arginine, and NO production in cecal bacteria. The intestinal microflora from broilers and layers were analyzed for bacterial populations during stress and when supplemented with ascorbic acid. In both studies, stress response was induced by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) via a mini osmotic pump for 7 days, and intestinal samples were collected before and after stress …

The Role Of A Non-Microtubule-Based Spindle Matrix In Eukaryotic Cellular Division, Melissa Gwen Chambers

Theses and Dissertations

A non-microtubule-based spindle matrix has been observed in Drosophila melanogaster meiotic and somatic cells. This matrix comprises the proteins: Skeletor, Megator and Chromator, which localize to the nuclear periphery and chromosomes at prophase and to the microtubule spindle during mitosis and meiosis. This matrix might play a role in nuclear organization and microtubule assembly and stabilization. It is important to determine the presence or absence of this matrix in other species in order to compare form and function to that in Drosophila. These matrix proteins were studied in both normally dividing cells and cells in which division was disrupted. Our …

The Use Of Geospatial Technologies To Quantify The Effect Of Hurricane Katrina On The Vegetation Of The Weeks Bay Reserve, Adam Wayne Murrah

Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at the changes to NDVI value in the Weeks Bay Reserve following the impact by Hurricane Katrina. Four Landsat images from March 24, 2005 (Pre-Katrina), September 16, 2005/ April 26, 2006 (Post-Katrina) and August 7, 2002 (Control) were classified into different landcover types and run with the NDVI vegetation index. Those images were compared against each other and showed that the September image had a NDVI value drop of 49% and the April image had a 47% drop as compared to the previous March. The emergent vegetation surrounding the shoreline was most susceptible to changes in NDVI …

Proteome And Phosphoproteome Dynamic Change During Cell Dedifferentiation In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Brahmananda Reddy Chitteti

Theses and Dissertations

Cell dedifferentiation is a cell fate switching process in which a differentiated cell reverts to a status with competence for cell division and organ regeneration like an embryonic stem cell. Although the phenomenon of cell dedifferentiation has been known for over two and a half centuries in plants, little is known of the underlying mechanisms. Here, the proteome map of Arabidopsis cotyledons has been established and investigated the dynamic change of the cotyledon proteome in the time course of cell dedifferentiation. Among the 353 distinct genes, corresponding to 500 2-DE gel protein spots identified with high confidence, 12% have over …

Kinetic Study Of The Side-Door Mutants Of The Model Carboxylesterase Pnb Ce, Timothy Michael Streit

Theses and Dissertations

Carboxylesterases (CEs) metabolize a wide range of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics containing ester bonds. Crystal structures of mammalian CEs indicate a ?side door? located adjacent to the catalytic gorge that may act as an alternative pore for the trafficking of substrates and products. This study investigated the role of the ?gate? residue of the side door during para-Nitrobenzyl esterase (pnb CE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters. Purified recombinant pnb CE proteins were examined for their hydrolytic activity toward several esters. Mutation of the gate residue altered the kinetic parameters of pnb CE toward these substrates, demonstrated by increased Km values and decreased …

Economic Impacts Of White-Tailed Deer From Hunting In Mississippi, Micah Whittington Whiteside

Theses and Dissertations

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an important ecological, social, and economic resource in Mississippi. Studies have been conducted on expenditures by white-tailed deer hunters, but none have administered a research-based, economic impact assessment for white-tailed deer in Mississippi. The economic impacts and associated values of white-tailed deer in Mississippi through a selfministered mail questionnaire were examined to collect white-tailed deer hunter expenditure data during the 2003/2004 hunting season. Expenditures of white-tailed deer hunters were obtained from a mail survey (N = 1,257, 38.6% response rate) and were used in an input-output model to determine economic impacts for the State. Economic …

Effects Of 6/85-Strain Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Inoculation Alone At 10 Weeks Of Age Or In Conjunction With Fmg Inoculation Overlays At 22 Or 45 Weeks Of Age On The Performance, Egg, Blood, And Visceral Characteristics Of Commercial Egg Laying Hens, Kristin Allo Viscione

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of 6/85-strain M. gallisepticum (6/85MG) inoculation alone or in conjunction with a F-strain M. gallisepticum (FMG) over-lay and its timing on the performance, egg, blood, and visceral characteristics of commercial egg laying hens were investigated. The applied treatments did not affect layer performance, but did affect yolk moisture and fatty acids, liver moisture, and plasma protein. The plasma protein and liver moisture changes may be indicative of the effects of the treatments on the hydration statuses of the birds during lay, whereas alterations in yolk palmitic, oleic, and linolenic acid levels with treatment may have been manifested by …

An Analysis Of The Keetch-Byram Drought Index As A Predictor Of Forest Fire Potential, John Andrew Morris

Theses and Dissertations

Forestry management relies on combating the challenges posed by fire. Knowledge of fire risk helps in the planning for and reacting to forest fires. One method used is the mapping of the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). Though it was not specifically designed to be a fire risk assessment tool it is used to highlight areas with a high potential of fire due to climactic factors. A statistical analysis is performed to determine the relevance of the use of this drought index to measure fire potential. Analysis is performed by testing the relationship of KBDI to the number of fires and …

Understanding The Nifm Dependence Of Nifh In Azotobacter Vinelandii: Functional Substitution Of Nifh By A Nifh-Chll Chimeric Construct In A Nifm- Strain, Kelvin Harris Jr

Theses and Dissertations

The enzyme nitrogenase catalyzes the energy-dependent reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia via biological nitrogen fixation. Nitrogenase is composed of two metalloproteins known as the molybdenum-iron (MoFe) protein and the iron (Fe) protein. The Fe protein, a 60-kDa dimer of the product of the nifH gene, contains a single 4Fe-4S cluster and two Mg-ATP-binding sites, one at each subunit. The Fe protein is the obligate electron donor to the MoFe protein. To date, no other mutual protein has shown to substitute Fe protein in biological fixation, and the NifH is functional only in the presence of the nifessory protein NifM. Interestingly, …

The Ecology And Morphological Variation Of Opuntia (Cactaceae) Species In The Mid-South, United States, Lucas C. Majure

Theses and Dissertations

Opuntia species have been poorly studied ecologically and taxonomically in the eastern United States. This study deals with the ecology of Opuntia species in the mid-south United States and covers not only the high degree of morphological variation exhibited by taxa, but also the taxonomy and distributions of the group for Mississippi. The taxa in the mid-south have distinct habitat preferences and can be separated based on habitat characterization. Information from this work provides valuable data useful in predicting possible routes that an invasive species, Cactoblastis cactorum (the cactus moth), might use in its potential westward migration. Phenotypic plasticity exhibited …

Genetic And Virulence Diversity Of Flavobacterium Columnare, Esteban Soto

Theses and Dissertations

Flavobacterium columnare is a freshwater fish bacterium responsible for columnaris disease, the second leading cause of mortality in pond raised catfish in the southeastern United States. Pulsedield gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is a particularly powerful tool in epidemiology and is now regarded as the gold standard for molecular typing of microorganisms. We developed methods for conducting PFGE on F. columnare, and determined its efficacy for characterizing F. columnare strains isolated from different locations in the Southeastern United States. Virulence diversity was observed in two different immersion challenge experiments conducted with 16 different isolates in channel catfish fingerlings. A direct correlation was …

A Comparative Study Of Muhammad And Joseph Smith In The Prophetic Pattern, Todd J. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

As early as 1831, critics attacked Joseph Smith by comparing him to Muhammad. Over time, the comparison deepened as critics and scholars observed doctrinal and political similarities between Mormonism and Islam. Later, scholars compared Joseph Smith to Muhammad because both had generated a new religion and there seemed to be several similarities in the lives of Joseph Smith and Muhammad. These and other comparisons between the two men and their religions have been made from 1831 to the present, yet there have been few thorough, non-polemic examinations of Joseph Smith and Muhammad in the typology of prophethood. While notable similarities …

Maternal High-Salt Diet During Pregnancy In Sprague Dawley Rats Programs Exaggerated Stress-Induced Blood Pressure And Heart Rate Responses In Adult Female Offspring, Summer Hayes King

Theses and Dissertations

The prenatal environment has been shown to have lasting effects on cardiovascular health. In the present study, pregnant rats were fed a 0.7% NaCl normal salt (NS) diet or an 8% NaCl high salt (HS) diet throughout pregnancy. Adult offspring were fitted with radiotelemetry probes to continuously measure blood pressure and heart rate. Rats were placed in restraining cages to test for a programmed acute stress hyperresponsiveness. Offspring were challenged with HS diet for one week to determine if blood pressure salt sensitivity had been programmed by the prenatal HS diet. Animals were killed following resting and acute stress conditions, …

Julius Caesar And The Rhine River: The Evolution Of A Border During The Gallic Wars, Todd Roman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis descusses the use of the Rhine River by Julius Caesar in his commentaries, De Bello Gallico, covering the Gallic Wars of approximately 58 to 52 B.C., to identify the peoples and territories separated by its current. This thesis addresses the issue of how Caesar understood this division of space, what criteria he employed to support his use of the river, and his protrayal of these matters within his account. It seeks to clarify the foundation of a major national border of western history in the context of its initial involvement in the context of the Roman Late …

Identification Of Psychological Stressors For Long Duration Space Missions: Psychological Stressors Among Five Astronauts And Cosmonauts, Melinda S. Marsh

Theses and Dissertations

As humans continue to experience space missions of longer and longer duration, more and more high intensity stressors are going to be experienced. Although physiological stressors have been studied, there have been few studies on the psychological stressors. Those that are present primarily focused on the polar environment as a space analogue. In order to answer the question of how stressors may affect future astronauts and cosmonauts, the evolutoinary reasons behind stress must be considered not only the type and intensity of the stressors.

Five astronauts and cosmonauts representing three space agencies were surveyed regarding their experiences with ten types …

Syntheses And Characterizations Of Bis(Diazasilaphosphetidine)Amine, P, N-2-Phosphinoaminopyridine And Phosphaacetylferrocenyl Ligands, And Some Of Their Metal Complexes, Leonard E. Anagho

Theses and Dissertations

Symmetric bis(diazasilaphosphetidine)amine chelating ligands of the general formula {Me2Si(p-Nt-Bu)P}2N(Ar) where Ar = C6H4(/?-OMe), C6H4(/7-Me) and C6F5, and asymmetric bis(phosphine)amine ligands have been synthesized by treatment of chlorophosphines or chlorophosphite with the corresponding lithium amides. The asymmetric ligand Me2Si(p-Nt-Bu)2P(=NPh)PPh2 served either as a P,P or a P,N chelate depending on the metal ion and the reaction conditions employed. R./V-2-phosphinoaminopyridine ligands such as [{2-(/-Bu2PNH)C5NH4}LiCl]*C4HgO and [{2-(Me2Si(p-Nf-Bu)2PNH)C5NH4}LiCl]*C4HgO with different substituents at phosphorus have also been synthesized. Numerous molybdenumtetracarbonyl, nickel and palladium complexes of these ligands have been synthesized. The synthesized compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, melting point, NMR and 1R spectroscopic …

Questioning The Consumer Culture: A Qualitative Study On Voluntary Simplicity, Timothy S. Beecher

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study documents an understanding of the experiences of people who have adopted a voluntary simple lifestyle. Included in this analysis is the meaning of voluntary simplicity to those who have chosen this lifestyle and their values motivating them to adopt such a lifestyle. Specifically, questions were asked regarding participants’ meaning of voluntary simplicity, values and beliefs that motivate living such a lifestyle, how the participants maintain this lifestyle, and the role their possessions play in their life. Twelve participants were interviewed through telephone correspondence. Participants were recruited through online voluntary simple networks namely, A Center for a New …