Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Theses and Dissertations

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
File Type

Articles 9181 - 9210 of 15059

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Regulation Of The Mouse And Human Β-Globin Genes By Krüppel Like Transcription Factors Klf1 And Klf2, Yousef N. Alhashem Dec 2012

Regulation Of The Mouse And Human Β-Globin Genes By Krüppel Like Transcription Factors Klf1 And Klf2, Yousef N. Alhashem

Theses and Dissertations

Krüppel-like factors KLF1 and KLF2 are closely related transcription factors with three zinc finger domains in their carboxy-termini. KLF1 (erythroid Krüppel-like factor, or EKLF) plays essential roles in embryonic and adult erythropoiesis. KLF2 is a positive regulator of the mouse and human embryonic β- globin genes. KLF1 and KLF2 have overlapping roles in embryonic erythropoiesis, as demonstrated using single and double knockout (KO) mouse models. Ablation of the KLF1 or KLF2 gene causes embryonic lethality, and double KO embryos are more anemic and die sooner than either single KO. We have shown that KLF1 and KLF2 positively regulate the human …

Go to article

Determining The Etiology Of Decreased Tensile Strength In Tissues Of Quarter Horses With Hereditary Regional Dermal Asthenia (Herda), Jacquelyn Elizabeth Bowser Dec 2012

Determining The Etiology Of Decreased Tensile Strength In Tissues Of Quarter Horses With Hereditary Regional Dermal Asthenia (Herda), Jacquelyn Elizabeth Bowser

Theses and Dissertations

Hereditary Equine Regional Derma Asthenia (HERDA) is a painful disfiguring autosomal recessive skin disorder of Quarter Horse lineages. Affected horses cannot be ridden and most are humanely destroyed. Five years following homozygosity mapping of a putative causal mutation responsible for HERDA, it remains unclear how this mutation causes the HERDA syndrome. HERDA horses have a missense mutation in peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase B (PPIB) which encodes cyclophilin B (CYPB) and alters folding and post-translational modifications of fibrillar collagen. Loss of function mutations in CYPB recognized in other species classically present as the debilitating bone disease, severe to lethal osteogenesis imperfect (OI). …

Go to article

Improving Commercial Broiler Attic Inlet Ventilation Through Data Acquisition Coupled With Cfd Analysis, Jonathan William Wiley Olsen Dec 2012

Improving Commercial Broiler Attic Inlet Ventilation Through Data Acquisition Coupled With Cfd Analysis, Jonathan William Wiley Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

The use of solar heated attic air is an area of increasing interest in commercial poultry production. Attic inlets satisfy the demand for alternative heating while being simple to implement in an existing poultry house. However, little attention has been given to the configuration of the attic space and its influence on thermal energy extraction. This issue was approached in a threefold manner: i.) test case experimental data for the operation of attic inlets in an east-west oriented commercial broiler house was recorded, ii.) a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) attic inlet ventilation model (AIVM) was developed and verified using …

Go to article

The Effects Of Gestalt Principles On Diagram Comprehension: An Empirical Approach, Krystle Dianne Wilson Dec 2012

The Effects Of Gestalt Principles On Diagram Comprehension: An Empirical Approach, Krystle Dianne Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

In the software engineering process some tasks of software engineers are to design software documents, analyze the documents, and comprehend component relationships within software diagrams. Those diagrams represent the software architecture which models the structure, behavior, relationships, and constraints among system components while ignoring implementation detail. In the software lifecycle, the system is implemented from the software architecture and errors and mistakes caused from a lack of comprehension or incorrect comprehension could cause engineers to incorrectly design the system. These errors can be defined as lapses, slips, or lack of understanding and fall into three categories: skill, rule, and knowledge …

Go to article

The Influence Of Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi On Rabbiteye Blueberry (Vaccinium Ashei), Mark Linneaus Mclaughlin Dec 2012

The Influence Of Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi On Rabbiteye Blueberry (Vaccinium Ashei), Mark Linneaus Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

Ericoid Mycorrhizal fungi have been shown to form symbiotic associations with Erious plants and increase nutrients uptake by the plant. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of two ericoid mycorrhizal isolates Oidiodendron maius and Pezizella ericae as potential sources of inoculant for rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) and to assess the variation in consistency and degree of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi colonization within rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei). Field trials were conducted in 2012 in Verona, MS at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center. In this study data was collected on fruit yield, leaf tissue nutrient concentration, leaf …

Go to article

L222w Of Hemagglutinin Affects The Receptor Binding Affinity Of Avian Origin H3n2 Canine Influenza Virus, Guohua Yang Dec 2012

L222w Of Hemagglutinin Affects The Receptor Binding Affinity Of Avian Origin H3n2 Canine Influenza Virus, Guohua Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Emergence of avian origin and equine origin canine influenza viruses (CIVs) in Asia and the United States brings important concerns. Humans are in closer and more frequent contact with dogs than other common hosts of influenza. Thus, CIV is a potential threat to human health. However, little is known about the determinants of CIV host tropism or the transmissibility of CIVs to humans. An amino acid change (W222L) was implicated in modifying hemagglutinin receptor binding by CIV. This was tested using reverse genetics, glycan microarray and virus histochemistry. Glycan microarray demonstrated that avian-origin CIV (H3N2-222W) bind predominantly to alpha-2, 3 …

Go to article

Effects Of Supplemental Citrulline Malate During A Resistance Training Protocol, William Kinnard Luckett Dec 2012

Effects Of Supplemental Citrulline Malate During A Resistance Training Protocol, William Kinnard Luckett

Theses and Dissertations

Ergogenic L-citrulline and malate are amino acids used in specific combination to effect muscular endurance during athletic performances. Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the ergogenic properties of citrulline-malate (CM) during a resistance training protocol. Methods: Utilizing a randomized, counterbalanced, double blind study, fifteen trained males completed a resistance training protocol once using placebo (PL) and once with CM (8.0g). Results: CM supplementation increased repetitions in chin-ups, reverse chin-ups, push-ups, and total trial repetitions. Blood lactate was significantly increased post-exercise compared to pre-exercise, but was not significantly different between CM and placebo. Further, a significant interaction effect was revealed for …

Go to article

Generation Of Biodiesel And Carotenoids From Rhodotorula Glutinis Using Sweet Sorghum Juice, Miriam Llanto Revellame Dec 2012

Generation Of Biodiesel And Carotenoids From Rhodotorula Glutinis Using Sweet Sorghum Juice, Miriam Llanto Revellame

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of Rhodotorula glutinis in sweet sorghum juice in three levels of three factors of temperature, carbon to nitrogen ratio and pH was evaluated. Accompanying of this growth was the generation of lipids converted to fatty acid methyl ester (FAMEs) and carotenoids. The optimized condition for maximum biomass and carotenoid accumulation was determined to be at 25C, pH of 5.5 and carbon to nitrogen ratio of 10. This condition yielded 22.7 g/L biomass with specific growth rate of 0.213 hr-1. At this condition the carotenoids generation was also maximum with 2.6 mg/gram biomass, comprising of torularhodin, beta-carotene and torulene. …

Go to article

Evaluation Of The Immune Response Of Angus Heifers With Different Genetic Markers For Marbling When Challenged With Lipopolysaccharide, Joe O. Buntyn Dec 2012

Evaluation Of The Immune Response Of Angus Heifers With Different Genetic Markers For Marbling When Challenged With Lipopolysaccharide, Joe O. Buntyn

Theses and Dissertations

Nineteen heifers (274 ± 24 kg) were blocked into two treatment groups based upon DNAm; heifers with no DNAm (noQG), and heifers with one or more DNAm (1+QG). Prior to challenge (24 h), heifers were fitted with indwelling jugular catheters and indwelling vaginal temperature (VT) monitoring devices. Blood samples were collected at 30-min intervals while RT were collected at 1-min intervals from -2 to 8 h relative to a lipopolysaccride (LPS) challenge (0.5 ìg/kg BW) at 0 h. Serum was analyzed for concentrations of cortisol and pro-inflammatory cytokines. All physical, endocrine, and immune measurements increased relative to LPS challenge. No …

Go to article

An Assessment Of Campus Police Departments Across Mississippi's Public Community And Junior Colleges, Brad D. Boggs Dec 2012

An Assessment Of Campus Police Departments Across Mississippi's Public Community And Junior Colleges, Brad D. Boggs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to provide an assessment of campus police departments throughout the 15 public community and junior colleges in Mississippi. This research could provide Mississippi community and junior college administrators the opportunity to observe and appraise the overall safety of their respective campuses in comparison to safety practices of the other campus police departments in the state. This study will lay the foundation for further research of campus police departments and can assist administrators and boards of trustees of Mississippi’s public community and junior colleges with annual and long-range planning efforts. This study included campus police/security …

Go to article

Cryopreservation Of Equine Spermatozoa: Identification Of Good And Poor Freezer Stallions And Effect Of Sperm Density Per Straw, Abed Sharqy Fahad Dec 2012

Cryopreservation Of Equine Spermatozoa: Identification Of Good And Poor Freezer Stallions And Effect Of Sperm Density Per Straw, Abed Sharqy Fahad

Theses and Dissertations

This study was carried out primarily to evaluate the cryo-tolerance of equine semen from four stallions through assessing the spermatozoa motion characteristics with Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA). Four stallions were collected during the breeding season (summer). For each ejaculate, fresh and cryopreserved samples were taken for sperm motility characteristics evaluation. Data analysis demonstrated that sperm cells of stallions were significantly affected by (P<0.05) cryodamage. Stallion (A) was cryotolerant, and was classified as a good freezer, whereas stallion (D) was not and classified as a poor freezer regardless of the concentration of sperm. In addition, a concentration of 0.4 x 109 sperm cells/ml had higher percentages of rapid sperm and velocity parameters (P<0.05) compared to 0.8 x 109 sperm/ml. Further research is necessary to identify potential biomarkers for good and poor freezer stallions.

Go to article

The Effect Of Oil Exposure On The Tissues And Health Status Of Gulf Of Mexico Fishes, Ahmad Salem Omar Ali Dec 2012

The Effect Of Oil Exposure On The Tissues And Health Status Of Gulf Of Mexico Fishes, Ahmad Salem Omar Ali

Theses and Dissertations

The Macondo 252 oil spill occurred on April 20, 2010 and persisted for 86 days. Oil spill exposed Gulf fish demonstrated reduced lymphocyte counts and increased ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) values. Alligator gar were exposed to 0, 0.5 and 4.0 g oil/L of tank water for 48 hours, then moved to oilree water for a 7 day recovery period. After forty-eight hours exposure, lymphocyte and hematopoietic precursor populations were significantly decreased in dose responsive by exposure to oil. Following a 7 day recovery period, lymphocyte and precursor cell numbers increased. After 48 hours exposure, tissue changes included hepatocellular vacuolization and necrosis, necrotizing …

Go to article

Effect Of Hand Pinching, Dikegulac-Sodium, And Gibberellic Acid On Chile Pepper (Capsicum Annuum), Abdulfatah Mousa Dec 2012

Effect Of Hand Pinching, Dikegulac-Sodium, And Gibberellic Acid On Chile Pepper (Capsicum Annuum), Abdulfatah Mousa

Theses and Dissertations

Hand Pinching increased branching and fruit yield. At first harvest dikegulac-sodium at 50 ppm increased fruit yield compared to the control. However, dikegulac sodium at 100 ppm reduced fruit yield initially but had no effect on fruit yield at 2-4th harvests. Digkegulac-sodium, Gibberellic acid, and hand pinching did not affect fruit length at third and fourth harvests. However, first and second harvests dikegulac sodium reduced fruit length whereas GA3 had no effect. None of the treatments affected fruit width. Dikegulac sodium and Hand pinching increased the number of branches after three weeks, but GA3 did not. At 8 weeks after …

Go to article

Effects Of Preblending And Water Addition On Physical And Sensory Characteristics Of Seasoned Pork Patties, Molly Sheppard Field Dec 2012

Effects Of Preblending And Water Addition On Physical And Sensory Characteristics Of Seasoned Pork Patties, Molly Sheppard Field

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to establish the consumer acceptability of preblended and nonpreblended post rigor seasoned pork patties with added water levels of 0, 3, 6, and 9 percent for each formula. Other parameters measured were proximate analysis, texture, cooking loss, and consumer acceptability. Nonpreblended treatments had a higher (P<0.05) percentage of protein and a lower (P<0.05) percentage of fat as compared to preblended treatments. Texture analysis revealed a lower (P<0.05) amount of total energy required to shear through a single patty in preblended treatments than nonpreblended treatments. No differences (P>0.05) were detected among treatments at varying water levels. Consumer acceptability showed no differences (P>0.05) among selected treatments. Consumer acceptability scores indicated that consumers would consume both preblended and nonpreblended seasoned pork patties at varying water levels.

Go to article

Evaluation Of Feeding Varying Levels Of Digestible Lysine On Broiler Breeder Male Reproductive Characteristics And Body Weight Changes, Chinwendu Nkechi Obi Dec 2012

Evaluation Of Feeding Varying Levels Of Digestible Lysine On Broiler Breeder Male Reproductive Characteristics And Body Weight Changes, Chinwendu Nkechi Obi

Theses and Dissertations

A preliminary test was conducted evaluating the effect of digestible lysine (dLys) on broiler breeder (BB) male semen quality from forty-one to forty-nine wk of age. Five dietary treatments: corn-soybean meal diet with 1,000 mg dLys/rooser/day (Soy1,000), distillers dried grains with solubles diet with 1,000 (DDGS1,000), 850 (DDGS850), 700 (DDGS700), and 550 (DDGS550) mg dLys/rooster/day. Semen quality was similar except percentage dead sperm which was higher in DDGS550. A second trail was conducted using the same dietary treatments as the preliminary test during twenty to thirty-nine wk of age. Semen quality was similar except percentage dead sperm which was higher …

Go to article

Evaluation Of B-Mode And Color Doppler Ultrasound As Alternative Tools For The Study Of Reproduction, Temperament, And Milk Production- Related Variables In The Bovine, Hector Luis Sanchez-Rodriguez Dec 2012

Evaluation Of B-Mode And Color Doppler Ultrasound As Alternative Tools For The Study Of Reproduction, Temperament, And Milk Production- Related Variables In The Bovine, Hector Luis Sanchez-Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

An adequate vascular perfusion status is essential not only to maintain life, but to ensure the proper physiology of the different systems that form the animal’s body. Due to its role in the transport of oxygen and nutrients toward, and the removal of cellular waste products away from the body’s tissues, the circulatory system is responsible for the maintenance of body homeostasis. Production related functions in farm animals are not an exception, and directly depend on sufficient vascular physiology. In the past, the study of blood flow in large domestic species was restricted to highly invasive techniques. However, even when …

Go to article

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging And Its Use In Domestic And Non-Domestic Species, Susan Denise Bowers Dec 2012

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging And Its Use In Domestic And Non-Domestic Species, Susan Denise Bowers

Theses and Dissertations

Digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that is used to detect symmetry and asymmetry of surface temperature gradients. DITI can examine many different aspects of thermal physiology and diagnose injury and disease. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the use of DITI to determine whether differences in temperature gradients exist between late gestation and non-pregnant mares, (2) to evaluate whether velvet antler (VA) temperature gradients, as measured by DITI would pattern VA growth, and (3) to determine if “normal” temperature gradients of the foot exist among elephants as detected using DITI. To investigate …

Go to article

Ecology Of The Tick-Borne Pathogen, Rickettsia Parkeri, In Its Primary Vector, Amblyomma Maculatum, And Select Vertebrate Hosts, Gail Miriam Moraru Dec 2012

Ecology Of The Tick-Borne Pathogen, Rickettsia Parkeri, In Its Primary Vector, Amblyomma Maculatum, And Select Vertebrate Hosts, Gail Miriam Moraru

Theses and Dissertations

Rickettsia parkeri is a tick-borne microorganism, only recently recognized to cause disease in humans. The ecology of this disease is largely unknown, and was addressed through a series of laboratory and field investigations. Feeding behavior of immature stages of the primary vector, Amblyomma maculatum, on mammalian, avian, and reptilian host models was investigated. It was determined that this tick does not feed on anoles, and nymphs do display longer periods of attachment to and are significantly heavier having fed on cotton rats as compared with quail. Field surveys indicate evidence of exposure to spotted fever group rickettsiae in small mammals …

Go to article

Effects Of Television Weather Broadcasters On Viewers During Severe Weather: To Be Or Not To Be On-Screen, Amanda Marie Lea Dec 2012

Effects Of Television Weather Broadcasters On Viewers During Severe Weather: To Be Or Not To Be On-Screen, Amanda Marie Lea

Theses and Dissertations

An association was tested between the presence of a television weather broadcaster on-screen and viewers’ likelihood to seek shelter, measured via risk perception and preventative behavior. Social networking websites were used to recruit respondents. Four clips of archived severe weather videos, one pair (on-screen and off-screen broadcaster) using the reflectivity product and another pair (on-screen and off-screen broadcaster) using velocity product, were presented to participants. Viewers’ trust and weather salience were also quantified for additional interactions. A relationship between viewers’ risk perception (preflectivity = 0.821, pvelocity = 0.625) and preventative behavior (preflectivity = 0.217, pvelocity = 0.236) and the presence …

Go to article

Hearth And Home: Life In And Around A "Kitchen" From Ancient Judah As Excavated At Tell Halif, Tim Frank Dec 2012

Hearth And Home: Life In And Around A "Kitchen" From Ancient Judah As Excavated At Tell Halif, Tim Frank

Theses and Dissertations

A room with many well-preserved artifacts was excavated at Tell Halif in a level associated with Ancient Judah. By using analogy the use of these artifacts can be compared with that of other similar objects. Analogy is at the heart of archaeological interpretation and allows a more explicit determination of the possible uses of artifacts and their patterning. The artifacts serve as evidence for reconstructing life in and around an archaeologically excavated space. By discerning the patterns of artifact distribution we can interpret how the space might have been used. The room excavated at Tell Halif has strong evidence for …

Go to article

Mechanisms And Patterns Of Invasion In Macrophyte Communities, Jonathan Paul Fleming Dec 2012

Mechanisms And Patterns Of Invasion In Macrophyte Communities, Jonathan Paul Fleming

Theses and Dissertations

Aquatic plants (macrophytes) are important components of freshwater ecosystems and serve numerous purposes, physical and biological, that help to structure aquatic communities. Although macrophytes represent an essential component of stable aquatic communities, invasive macrophytes may negatively alter ecosystem properties. Non-native, invasive species have been identified as a major cause of biodiversity loss and the increasing prevalence of invasive species has prompted studies to help understand their impacts and to conserve biodiversity. Studying mechanisms of invasion also gives insight into how communities are structured and assembled. This study examined mechanisms that contribute to macrophyte invasion. First, I reviewed literature concerning mechanisms …

Go to article

Multi-Scale Population Genetic Analysis Of Cogongrass (Imperata Cylindrica) In The Southeastern United States: Introduction History, Range Expansion, And Hybridization, Rima D. Lucardi Dec 2012

Multi-Scale Population Genetic Analysis Of Cogongrass (Imperata Cylindrica) In The Southeastern United States: Introduction History, Range Expansion, And Hybridization, Rima D. Lucardi

Theses and Dissertations

Biological invasions are a significant area of research due to perceived negative environmental and economic impacts. The study of biological invasions has identified three broad components involved in successful invasions: propagule pressure, abiotic and biotic conditions. Propagule pressure is the product of introduced propagules and the frequency of those introductions, and is considered a driver in all stages of invasion. Data to quantify propagule pressure is often unavailable, and therefore, this research approached genetic information to produce estimates of propagule pressure in the successful invasion of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) in the United States. The following research utilized molecular methodologies to …

Go to article

Bacteria And Their Effects On Fertility In The Chicken, Melissa Dawn Haines Dec 2012

Bacteria And Their Effects On Fertility In The Chicken, Melissa Dawn Haines

Theses and Dissertations

Pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria that are commonly associated with Poultry include: Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium. These bacteria are often transmitted to the bird from the environment and sometimes to the offspring which may affect bird performance and health. Therefore, the objective of our first experiment was to determine if rooster semen exposed to these bacteria had an effect on sperm motility. Our results indicated that all 6 bacteria lowered sperm motility but the 2 non-pathogenic bacteria, eliminated sperm motility immediately after exposure. These results led to the second experiment which was to determine if semen exposed …

Go to article

Accelerated Composting Of Hardwood Bark Amended With Organic And Inorganic Fertilizer, Hoda Bakhshizadeh Dec 2012

Accelerated Composting Of Hardwood Bark Amended With Organic And Inorganic Fertilizer, Hoda Bakhshizadeh

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study were: 1) To evaluate short-term composting of hardwood bark with combinations of poultry litter and ammonium nitrate and 2) To determine the suitability of composted material for ornamental plant media. In a 3-month accelerated composting study, hardwood bark was amended with (20% & 40%) poultry litter, (1% & 2%) ammonium nitrate, or unamended. Composting was run in fifteen 35- gallon containers and samples were collected at day 0, 45, and 90 for pH, moisture content, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, compost maturity, toxicity, and green house evaluations. The amendment containing 40% poultry litter showed significantly higher weight reduction …

Go to article

Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Liquefaction Of Giant Miscanthus With Alcohol As Cosolvent, Islam Hassan Hafez Dec 2012

Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Liquefaction Of Giant Miscanthus With Alcohol As Cosolvent, Islam Hassan Hafez

Theses and Dissertations

Energy issues in the United States are currently receiving a very high priority. There is a strong desire to replace fossil fuels with alternative sources of energy since fuel prices are rising dramatically, and for the harming effect on the environment. Biomass is one of the most promising alternative sources of energy. In this study, hydrothermal liquefaction with alcohol co-solvents was applied on giant miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus) feedstock. All liquefaction experiments were conducted in 5500 series Parr® reactor. The most important parameters that affect the liquefaction process were studied. The yield of the liquefaction process was determined gravimetrically and the …

Go to article

Modulation Of Inflammation And Oxidative Stress In Canine Chondrocytes, David L. Dycus Dec 2012

Modulation Of Inflammation And Oxidative Stress In Canine Chondrocytes, David L. Dycus

Theses and Dissertations

Little research has focused on the involvement of oxidative stress as it relates to the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA); while inflammation has been extensively studied. The present study evaluates the ability to modulate the response of canine chondrocytes to both inflammation and oxidative stress in an in-vitro model. Chondrocytes were incubated and then stimulated to under-go oxidative stress by using hydrogen peroxide or inflammation using interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha. For inhibition of oxidative stress an antioxidant, N-acetyl-cysteine, was used prior to induction with hydrogen peroxide in a subset of chondrocytes. Measures of oxidative stress were superoxide dismutase …

Go to article

Patterns Of Mammal Incidents With U.S. Civil Aircraft, Kristin Michele Biondi Dec 2012

Patterns Of Mammal Incidents With U.S. Civil Aircraft, Kristin Michele Biondi

Theses and Dissertations

Wildlife collisions with U.S. civil aircraft (hereafter incidents) pose safety and economic concerns. Terrestrial mammals represented only 2.3% of wildlife incidents, but 59% of these incidents caused damage to aircraft. I examined 2,558 incidents in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Wildlife Strike Database to characterize and analyze overall mammal incidents by airport type, emphasizing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and bat incidents with U.S. civil aircraft. Mammal incidents caused 5 times greater damage than other wildlife which varied by airport type and appeared associated with species’ behavior. I provided relative hazard scores to determine which species were most hazardous to …

Go to article

Pond Management Approaches And Effects On Trophic Dynamics, Michael Scott Sherman Dec 2012

Pond Management Approaches And Effects On Trophic Dynamics, Michael Scott Sherman

Theses and Dissertations

Mississippi has an abundance of ponds which provides a number of opportunities for anglers. Several enhancement strategies are used to improve fish production in ponds, including fertilizing and supplemental feeding. These strategies may ignore the potential ecological impacts that may unexpectedly arise, such as prolific plant growth. This study consists of two phases; first, a mesocosm experiment investigating fertilizer application rates (mg P/L) in relation to potential sunfish growth, and second, a replicated pond experiment consisting of four treatments to simulate commonly used enhancement strategies. Mesocosm experiment showed a peak of sunfish growth at the 0.6 mg P/L level and …

Go to article

Evaluation Of Wildrye (Elymus Sp.) As A Potential Forage And Conservation Planting For The Southeastern United States, Jason Brett Rushing Dec 2012

Evaluation Of Wildrye (Elymus Sp.) As A Potential Forage And Conservation Planting For The Southeastern United States, Jason Brett Rushing

Theses and Dissertations

In the southeastern United States, there is a need for a native, cool-season grass component for restoring and reclaiming grasslands and providing quality forage for livestock. Experiments were conducted on southeastern wildrye [Elymus glabriflorus (Vasey) Scribn. & C.R. Ball] to assess agronomic parameters, and establish a base of information for use in future research and breeding programs. Optimal germination requirements (temperature, light, pH, and physical dormancy) were evaluated. Our data suggests that for southeastern wildrye, the optimal temperature required for germination is between 15 and 20oC. Light treatments (constant dark, constant light, short day, and long day) did not influence …

Go to article

Field Survey Of Native And Non-Native Subterranean Termites In Southeastern United States Forests, Nathan Allen Blount Dec 2012

Field Survey Of Native And Non-Native Subterranean Termites In Southeastern United States Forests, Nathan Allen Blount

Theses and Dissertations

Subterranean termites are ecologically and economically important insects that play major roles in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is an invasive species known to cause significant damage in urban areas through aggressive consumption of wooden structures and infestations of living trees. Little is known about the presence and impact of C. formosanus in forested ecosystems of the southeastern U.S. as the majority of studies have taken place in urban settings. This study investigates the prevalence of C. formosanus in localized forests, as well as the utilization of living trees by C. formosanus …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last