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Latent Growth Model Approach To Characterize Maternal Prenatal Dna Methylation Trajectories, Dana Lapato

Theses and Dissertations

Background. DNA methylation (DNAm) is a removable chemical modification to the DNA sequence intimately associated with genomic stability, cellular identity, and gene expression. DNAm patterning reflects joint contributions from genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. As such, differences in DNAm patterns may explain interindividual variability in risk liability for complex traits like major depression (MD). Hundreds of significant DNAm loci have been identified using cross-sectional association studies. This dissertation builds on that foundational work to explore novel statistical approaches for longitudinal DNAm analyses. Methods. Repeated measures of genome-wide DNAm and social and environmental determinants of health were collected up to six …

The Effect Of Change In Medi-Cal Dental Coverage On Dental Care Utilization Among Medi-Cal Beneficiaries, Min H. Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most important factors in accessing dental care is having dental insurance. For people with low incomes, Medicaid is the main source of health insurance. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program. Adult dental services were mostly eliminated in Medi-Cal in 2009 due to the economic downturn and partially restored in 2014. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of change in Medi-Cal dental coverage, specifically the partial restoration of adult dental coverage in 2014, on dental care utilization among Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The partial restoration significantly increased the utilization rates in dental clinics from 2014 to 2017 …

Eternal Enemies, Or Incidental Encounters? Structure And Patterns Of Interspecific Killing In Carnivora, Tor G. Bertin

Theses and Dissertations

Lethal interactions between carnivorans (interspecific killing) may influence their population dynamics, behavior, and other important aspects of their ecology. In this study, I expand upon previous research on the broad-scale patterns of interspecific killing in Carnivora (Palomares & Caro 1999, Donadio & Buskirk 2006) with a greatly expanded dataset (inclusion of scat and stomach data and more intensive sampling of the literature), and suggest avenues for future research. While like previous studies, I found a positive effect of relative body size between killer species and killed species on the likelihood of forming a killing interaction, I failed to find evidence …

Targeting Sphingosine Kinase 2 As A Treatment For Cholangiocarcinoma, Anthony D. Stillman

Theses and Dissertations

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has a high mortality rate and its occurrence is rising. This increase prompts the need for improved CCA treatments. Studies have suggested that CCA is highly reliant on the sphingosine-1-phosphate-receptor-2 (S1PR2) and sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2). Recently, a competitive SphK2 inhibitor, ABC294640, has been approved for clinical trial. ABC294640 has the potential to treat CCA, which is support by a phase I clinical study that was able to temporarily treat a patient suffering from metastasized CCA with ABC294640. To determine the viability of ABC294640 as a treatment for CCA, this study focused on determining the effects of ABC294640 …

Rehabilitation Counselor Clinical Judgment Model Application With Data From An Individualized Placement And Support Trial For Veterans Living With Spinal Cord Injuries, Kevin Fields

Theses and Dissertations

Employment rates for veterans with spinal cord injuries remain low despite legislation aimed at helping individuals with significant barriers to employment succeed in finding competitive work. As access to services and resultant outcomes become more scrutinized, the need for Rehabilitation Counselors to efficiently allocate resources grows more vital to the cause. Existing research supports a mediated path model of rehabilitation counselor clinical judgment asserting observations of disability severity, intelligence, and psychosocial adjustment lead to inferences of functional status and attribution thereof, which collectively influence predictions of successful rehabilitation. The current study investigated the variance attributable to this clinical judgement model …

The Relationship Of Physical Activity And Perceived Fatigue In Men Receiving External Beam Radiation Therapy For Non-Metastatic Prostate Cancer, Timothy Charles Flory Fuss

Theses and Dissertations

Nature of the Problem/Study

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men in the United States, with 2.9 million men diagnosed with prostate cancer alive today (American Cancer Society, 2017). Given the rate of survival and substantial number of men living with prostate cancer, addressing symptoms and quality of life in these men is increasingly important.

Fatigue is reported to be the most distressing side effect of radiation therapy (RT), negatively effecting physical function and quality of life (Minton et al., 2013). Finding measures to predict, treat and help prevent fatigue can improve long term outcomes in cancer …

Assessment Technologies Institute Test Results And Blended Experiences For Senior Community Health Nursing Students, Linda Lou Lacomb-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between senior community health nursing students’ ATI test scores and their clinical community health nursing experiences, either in-country or out-of-country. The ATI test results are a reliable predictor of whether the student will pass their nursing board exams (NCLEX-RN). The study also examined whether the two groups of students reported any similarities and differences in their sense of confidence or transcultural self-efficacy and conceptual knowledge and their clinical experiences. ATI test scores were reviewed for the two groups. Focus groups were held to discuss any similarities or differences in the …

Older Adult Caregivers’ Lived Experiences With Debilitated Chronically Ill Relatives In A Rural Southern County, Nancy J. Dameron

Theses and Dissertations

By 2030, the last of the baby boomer generation will reach the age of 65, which will expand the older adult population to more than 70 million in the United States. Based on the inflated numbers of the older adult population and the noted decreased birth rate in the younger population, fewer health-care providers will be available to teach, prepare, train, and assist caregivers in the ongoing care of their ill relatives.

The problem investigated in the study involved the present upsurge of the older adult population living longer and contributing to a shortage of health-care providers for older adults. …

Violent Offenders And Assaults On Staff Members, Lisa Gentry Long

Theses and Dissertations

Violent Offenders and Assaults on Staff Members. Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Fischler College of Education, School of Criminal Justice Department. Descriptors: Violence, violent offenders, violent inmates, corrections, prisons, assaults, correction officers, staff members.

Prison facilities are an integral part of the criminal justice system. Prisons are meant to provide punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation for inmates that are serving time. Prisons across the country are understaffed due to many reasons. It is important for staff members to be trained on how to keep themselves and inmates safe when they are behind the walls of these facilities. Staff members are in positions …

Assessment Of On-Arrival Vaccination And Deworming On Health And Growth Performance In High Risk Stocker Cattle, Richard Tucker Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

The study objective was to evaluate the effects of vaccination (respiratory and clostridial vaccination or no vaccination) and deworming (fenbendazole and levamisole or no deworming) of high risk stocker calves on-arrival on health and growth performance. Eighty sale barn origin calves were purchased three separate years (n=240) from local order buyer. Steers (n=61) and bulls (n=179) were received over three days (d -3 to -1). On d 0 calves were stratified by arrival BW and FEC into 20 pens of 4 calves each, and treatment was applied to pens in 2 x 2 factorial. Vaccination increased the likelihood of BRD …

Assessment Of Live Attenuated Vaccines Against Enteric Septicemia Of Channel Catfish, Iman Abdelwahab Ahmed Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

Edwardsiella ictaluri causes enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), one of the most important bacterial diseases of farmed channel catfish in the USA. Use of live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) is an effective strategy for combating mortalities in catfish farms. Our research group has developed three live attenuated E. ictaluri strains [EiΔevpB, EiΔgcvPΔsdhCΔfrdA (ESC-NDKL1), and EiΔhemRΔfrdAΔsdhC (triple-hemR)] that provide various levels of protection against ESC. However, the protective mechanisms of these vaccine candidates are mostly unknown. The overall objective of my study was to investigate protective mechanisms of these LAVs. To accomplish this, catfish fry were immersion challenged with EiΔevpB, ESC-NDKL1, and …

The Effect Of Bacterial Supplementation On Black Soldier Fly Larval Growth And Development, Emilia Marjatta Kooienga

Theses and Dissertations

With a growing human population, food insecurity is becoming a worldwide problem. As the search for sustainable sources of protein continues, black soldier fly larvae come to the forefront as a partial solution. Full of proteins and fats, the larvae will consume most organic matter and rapidly develop into a usable form. Supplementing black soldier fly larvae with oleaginous microbes Arthrobacter AK19 and Rhodococcus rhodochrous increases their body size by 25%, potentially accelerates their development by one day, and increases their conversion efficiency. Supplementing with Bifidobacterium breve decreased body size, slowed development, and decreased conversion efficiency, underscoring the importance of …

Proximate Composition, Retained Water, And Bacterial Load For Two Sizes Of Hybrid Catfish (Ictalurus Furcatus X Ictalurus Punctatus) Fillets At Different Process Steps, Mohammad Manirul Haque

Theses and Dissertations

The overall baseline (as received) moisture, protein and fat content of hybrid catfish (Ictalurus furcatus x Ictalurus punctatus) fillets were 77.8 +/- 1.38%, 16.7 +/- 0.50% and, 5.7 +/- 1.6%, respectively. Small fillets (111 +/- 19 g) had higher (P≤0.05) baseline moisture (78.6 +/- 0.87% vs 76.8 +/- 1.15%) and lower (P≤0.05) fat content (4.7 +/- 0.64% vs 6.8 +/- 1.72%) than large fillets (247 +/- 62 g), whereas protein content was similar (P>0.05) for both sizes. Retained water of the final fresh and frozen fillets was 1.2 +/- 2.03% and 3.1 +/- 1.02%, respectively, irrespective of fillet size. …

Removal Of Dietary Antimicrobials And Effects Of Their Replacement With Bacillus Subtilis On The Growth And Intestinal Health Of Male Broilers, Kacey O'Donnell

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of dietary antimicrobial removal and Bacillus subtilis supplementation on the growth and intestinal health of male broilers were investigated. Birds were fed either a control, antimicrobial, or a B. subtilis probiotic diet at different feeding phases. Birds were challenged with a 10 × dose of a coccidiosis vaccine. Supplementation of B. subtilis in for antimicrobials in the late grower and early finisher phases improved growth similar to birds fed antimicrobials until withdrawal, while antimicrobial removal without B. subtilis supplementation in those periods hindered growth. The improved growth suggests that the probiotic was able to alleviate the stress of …

Social Inequality In The Early Bronze Age At Bab Edh-Dhra, Jordan, Natalie Patience

Theses and Dissertations

Bab edh-Dhra is the most extensively excavated cemetery from Early Bronze Age, Jordan. Despite thorough study, the social structure and existence of social inequality remain unclear. This was addressed using osteological evidence of physiological stress to compare between family tombs. In societies exhibiting social inequality, individuals of lower status experience higher levels of stress. Evidence of physiological stress (femoral length, LEH, metabolic disorders, periosteal reactions, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis) was recorded using standard methods for 250 adults. The artifact counts in this study have been previously published. Differences in the frequency of stress indicators were compared using chi-square tests. …

Soil Moisture Stress Effects On Soybean Vegetative, Physiological, And Reproductive Growth And Post-Harvest Seed Physiology, Quality, And Chemical Composition, Godakande Chathurika Wijewardana

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing scarcity of water resources, soil moisture stress is the single most threat to global soybean production causing extensive yield losses. The objectives of this study were to investigate soil moisture stress effects on all aspects of soybean growth and development processes and to develop functional algorithms that could be used for field management decisions and in soybean crop modeling. To fulfill these objectives, six experiments were conducted; one in vitro osmotic stress study on seed germination, four studies by imposing five soil moisture treatments, 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20% of daily evapotranspiration of the control at …

Pathogenicity Of Clostridium Perfringens And Its Relationship With Gut Microbiota In Chickens, Wenyuan Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Necrotic enteritis (NE), a devastating enteric disease caused by Clostridium perfringens type A, contributes to the losses of 6 billion dollars worldwide per year and is currently being considered as a major global threat to the poultry industry. In past decades, it has been well-controlled by ineed antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs). The withdrawal of AGPs due to antibiotic-resistance concerns resulted in a spike in NE incidence and led to the re-emergence of NE in the modern broiler production system. To unveil the association of toxin genes of C. perfringens, particularly for netB, with clinical NE, a self-designed qPCR primer set …

Perception And Training Needs Of Mississippi State University Extension Agents And The Level Of Demand They Receive For Information In Organic Agriculture, Thamir Niamah Al-Janabi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine perception and training needs of Mississippi State University Extension agents in organic agriculture. The study followed the Borich Needs Assessment Model. Data were collected via Qualtrics. The population of the study was 154 Mississippi State University Extension agents with 77 Extension agents responding to the questionnaire. Most agents were 40 to 49 years old with an almost equal percentage being male and female. The majority of agents (75.3%) had master’s degree. More than one third of the agents indicated the level of demand towards raising livestock organically had stayed the same. Also, …

Prediction Of Energy Expenditure From Accelerometers During Physical Activity In Adults With Down Syndrome: The Effect Of Accelerometer Placement, Anthony T. Allred

Theses and Dissertations

There is a need to examine the difference in the relationship between oxygen uptake (VO2) and output from hip- and wrist-worn accelerometers in adults with Down syndrome (DS). The purpose of this study is to identify if that relationship is different between adults with and without DS. Hip- and wrist-worn accelerometer accuracy was also assessed. The sample included 16 adults with DS (10 men; age 31±15 years) and 19 adults without DS (10 men; age 24±6 years). We measured VO2 with a portable spirometer and accelerometer output (Vector Magnitude [VM]) with a hip- and a wrist-worn accelerometer. VM and group …

Creating New Germplasm To Improve Aflatoxin Resistance In Maize, Oluwaseun Felix Ogunola

Theses and Dissertations

Maize (Zea mays L), the third largest crop produced in the world is susceptible to pre and post contamination of aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is a secondary carcinogenic metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus, an opportunistic fungus of maize that causes ear-rot and subsequent production of aflatoxin. Host plant resistance is one of the promising long term solution to combat aflatoxin contamination in maize grains. Resistance to aflatoxin is heritable and resistant germplasms that can be used to reduce aflatoxin resistance has been developed. Creating quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping populations to identify regions within maize chromosomes contributing to aflatoxin resistance help identify …

Effect Of Supplemented L-Arginine On Reproductive Parameters Of Gestating Mares, Lauren B. Hodge

Theses and Dissertations

Studies that have investigated the effects of L-arginine supplementation on blood flow to the uterus have not determined the optimal time of supplementation. No research has been conducted on nitrite concentration in the placenta and blood of mares supplemented with L-arginine. L-arginine is a precursor of NO and therefore, should increase nitrite production both in blood as well as in expelled placenta. Presence of nitrites would also be indicative of increased angiogenesis. No studies have addressed placental efficiency in mares supplemented L-arginine. Placental efficiency is vital for production of a healthy foal. Therefore, to address these short-comings the objectives of …

Breeding Of Cool-Season Forage Grasses For Abiotic And Biotic Stress Tolerance In The Southern United States, Eric Douglas Billman

Theses and Dissertations

Abiotic stress tolerance and biotic stress resistance have long been targets for trait improvement in the field of plant breeding. To date, much of the target crop focus has been centered on commodity crops such as corn, soybean, wheat, and rice. However, little work has been conducted on improvement of these traits in forage grasses. This is due to a number of issues, particularly that most species are obligately outcrossing, the traits are governed by many genes at unknown loci, and are greatly affected by environmental variation. This creates major complications in successfully selecting and breeding populations of forage grasses …

Application Of Hydrocolloid And Propylene Glycol Infused Nets And Coatings On Cave Aged Cheddar Chees And Their Impact On Tyrophagus Putrescentiae Growth And Sensory Properties, Kavitha Rama Krishnan

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of using food grade coatings and nettings formulated with xanthan gum and propylene glycol (PG) or carrageenan (CG), propylene glycol alginate and PG on aged Cheddar cheese to control Tyrophagus putrescentiae growth at temperatures of 10°C, 15°C, and 20°C and relative humidity’s of 75% and 85%. Cheddar cheese cubes with treated nets and coatings inhibited mite growth at all temperature and relative humidity combinations. Control cheese cubes either without coatings or in untreated nets had fewer mites (P<0.05) at 10°C than at 15°C or 20°C. The sensory properties of the cheese were not affected by the coatings and nettings at 10°C and 75 % RH. However, all other temperature and RH combinations with the exception of the CG netting at 15°C at 75 % and 85 % RH caused sensory flavor differences (P<0.05).

Using The Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Technology To Determine Factors That Affect The Acceptance And Use Of Social Media To Advertise And Promote Agriproducts In Farmer' Communities In North Mississippi, Carlos Alberto Moreno-Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations

The present empirical study examined factors that affect the acceptance and use of social media platforms by farmers and vendors in farmers’ communities in North Mississippi for marketing their small farm businesses. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), structural equations modeling was used to examine several relationships: (1) the influence of performance expectancy (PE) on behavioral intention (BI) to use social media; (2) the influence of effort expectancy (EE) on BI; (3) the influence of social influence (SI) on BI; (4) the influence of facilitating conditions (FC) on actual use (USE) of social media; …

System Dynamics Model Of Necrotic Enteritis And Its Predisposing Factors In Broilers, Yu-Bin Chou

Theses and Dissertations

Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens type A is an important bacterial enteric disease of global broiler production. However, the dynamic interactions of NE and its predisposing factors are not fully presented by current studies. By using the System Dynamics (SD) Model, the epidemiological changes in susceptible-infected-removed models of NE and avian coccidiosis and their interactions in one or multiple grow-out cycles was established; meanwhile, the growth performance was measured by the average weights of infected and non-infected populations at harvest were estimated. The SD model provided direct and persuasive outcomes of the epidemiology and ecology of NE compared …

Temperature Effects On Soybean Vegetative, Physiological, Reproductive Growth And Development, And Seed Yield And Quality, Firas Ahmed Alsajri

Theses and Dissertations

Temperature is a major factor affecting plant growth and development at all stages. The objectives of this study were to investigate the temperature effects on all aspects of soybean growth and development. Five experiments were conducted at a wide range of temperatures under optimum water and nutrient conditions at specific growth stages. Two cultivars, Asgrow AG5332 (AG) and Progeny P5333RY (PR) from MG V with different growth habits, were used. All studies except the seed germination were conducted in sunlit plant growth chambers under optimum water and nutrient conditions. The seed germination experiment was conducted in a temperature-controlled incubator. Germination …

The Differences In Stress Levels For African-Americans Working In Technical Based Occupations And Non-Technical Based Occupations In Mississippi, Michelene Piege Brock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in stress levels for African-Americans working in technical and non-technical based occupations. In order to adequately address the differences in stress levels for African-Americans, this study examined the data from an existing study called the Jackson Heart Study. Based on the weekly stress of individuals when performing their occupations, information and data were collected from 3 questionnaires that were correlated with stress and occupations of African-Americans in Mississippi. These questionnaires were the Household Enumeration Form, Personal Data and Socioeconomic Form, and the Stress Form. The research design …

In Vivo Study Of The Effect Of Different Levels Of Chemical Fertilizers On The Indigotin Dye In The Indigofera Tinctoria Plant Using Raman Spectroscopy, Fatemah Alharthi

Theses and Dissertations

An impact of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers on the concentration changes of carotenoid pigments in the Indigofera tinctoria plant by using Raman spectroscopic techniques is studied. Three different concentration levels of the fertilizers with a normal supply as control were added to the plants at two stages. The Raman spectra were taken to determine the carotenoid concentration level changes in the plant leaves in vivo. The ring-stretching mode are the Raman spectroscopic signatures for the carotenoid pigment and its magnitude increased significantly (over 170%) for the case of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. The effect from the nitrogen fertilizer was …

Functional Role Of Protein Kinases And Phosphatase In Abiotic Stress Response In Plants, Saroj Kumar Sah

Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max) and rice (Oryza sativa) are the most important crops cultivated worldwide. The productivity of both crops is severely limited due to drought stresses. Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling is one of the crucial phytohormones which acts as the signaling mediator in different environmental stress for adaptive response of plants. In this study, functional characterization of abscisic acid-activated protein kinase-like kinase 1 (AALK1), and low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMWPTP) were studied by developing gain-ofunction and loss-ofunction phenotypes by transgenesis. Physiological response of AALK1 showed that AALK1 modulates the drought stress response ins soybean plants. The study has …

Health Science Curriculum For Early Childhood: Teacher Implementation And Impact On Child Health Knowledge, Carla J. Mays

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contains two secondary quantitative data analyses studies. In the first, implementation of the WannaBee Healthy? Be Smart! Be Active! Be a Leader! health science curriculum was examined to expand understanding about teacher usage of an integrated health curriculum. Specifically, researchers assessed the amount of activities within each curriculum domain (i.e., books, creative expressions, language/literacy, math, science) and the number of activities within each theme of the lessons (i.e., nutrition, physical activity, sleep) utilized by participating teachers. Prior to implementation, teachers (N = 68; M age = 35.5 years old) attended a one-hour training where use of the curriculum …