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The Effects Of Exercise Training Intensities On Changes In Body Composition, Visceral Adipose Tissue, Adiponectin And C-Reactive Protein, Leslie E. Solis

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is currently characterized as a worldwide health pandemic. Despite many efforts to provide the optimal exercise prescription to obese and overweight individuals for maximization of fat loss and decreasing metabolic risks, findings in the literature continue to remain ambiguous. This investigation aimed to examine the effects of low- vs. high-intensity short-term training on body composition and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) under equivalent caloric expenditure in overweight and obese Hispanic adults of Laredo, Texas. Additionally, it aimed to analyze how changes in body composition and VAT affect serum levels of adiponectin and C-reactive protein (CRP),bioactive chemicals utilized in the detection …

Resilience And Academic Achievement In Minority Students, James A. Britton

Theses and Dissertations

Students can thrive within school programs and sustain their capacity for success despite seemingly overwhelming obstacles. A model of school-based resilience can insulate students from risk and help students acknowledge challenges, embrace them, and learn as students encounter challenge and surmount it.

This study of a high school program analyzed the relationship between educational resilience and academic achievement through a direct measure of resilience. The research investigated whether a program increased resilience for minority and low-income high school students and whether stronger resilience was associated with improved academic outcomes. Students in the program produced significantly better academic outcomes, as measured …

A Hermeneutic Exploration Of The Therapeutic Process Of Clinicians At An Eating Disorder Treatment Center, Sabree Anne Crowton

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders remain extremely difficult to treat and investigation has revealed that manual-based eating disorder treatment outcomes have failed to improve over the second half of the last century. Various studies have observed that clinicians use evidence-based treatments for eating disorders inconsistently and often exclude fundamental theoretical techniques. Some argue that this departure from evidence-based practice may in some cases be the efforts of clinicians to develop methods more sensitive to real world situations. It stands to reason that some of the techniques currently being used by clinicians are promising treatment approaches. The purpose of this study was to explore …

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Environment And Its Influence On Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Physical Activity In Youth, Morgan N. Clennin

Theses and Dissertations

Among youth, inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness and physical inactivity are powerful markers of health associated with numerous health outcomes across the lifespan. Unfortunately, a majority of U.S. youth have inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness levels and do not meet physical activity guidelines. While previous research has identified several individual-level factors associated with youth cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity, environmental factors have been increasingly recognized. Of particular interest is the neighborhood socioeconomic environment, which has been consistently associated with several health outcomes among adults. However, little is known regarding the relationship between the neighborhood socioeconomic environment, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical activity among younger populations. …

The Association Of Hospital Practices To Breastfeeding Behaviors In South Carolina: Analysis Of 2013-2015 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (Prams) Data, Larisa Donnette Bruner

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether hospital practices are associated with breastfeeding initiation and breastfeeding duration for ≥10 weeks.

Methods: We analyzed the 2013-2015 South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data. The population of interest was mothers who delivered a single live birth in the hospital. The infant was alive and living with the mother at the time of the survey. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to examine breastfeeding initiation and duration among all women who delivered in a hospital and those who stated that they initiated breastfeeding while in the …

Identification Of The Mechanisms Through Which Botanicals Attenuate Pathogenesis Of Human Diseases, Esraah Alharris

Theses and Dissertations

Plant products have been used for a long time in treatment of diseases. In fact, more than half of approved medicines are derived from plants or other natural products. Even though the synthetic drugs are effective in treating many human diseases, there is no cure against several clinical disorders. Moreover, a significant number of diseases can be prevented thereby causing less burden on societal healthcare costs as well as promoting healthy lifestyles. Thus, botanicals offer a unique opportunity to explore novel compounds to prevent and treat various clinical disorders as well as understand their mode of action so that new …

Sites Seen And Unseen: Mapping African American Women’S Public Memorialization, Alexandria Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, black clubwomen began naming organizations after formerly enslaved women like Phillis Wheatley to keep their public memory alive. In doing so, they created a culture of recognition that acknowledged the organizational namesake as well as the contributions of members. Named memorialization celebrated the very best of African American women and continued to expand as Jim Crow laws encroached on black citizenship. Catalyzed by African American women while also supported by black journalists and local bureaucracies, named memorialization was the primary public history medium used to honor the legacies of African American women in the …

The Role Of Cdk8 In Metastatic Growth Of Colon Cancer, Jiaxin Liang

Theses and Dissertations

Unresectable hepatic metastases of colon cancer poorly respond to existing therapies and are a major cause of colon cancer lethality. Transcription- regulating Mediator kinase CDK8, an early clinical stage drug target, is amplified or overexpressed in many colon cancers and CDK8 expression correlates with shorter patient survival. Here we show that CDK8 inhibition does not generally suppress proliferation of CDK8-overexpressing colon cancer cells but nevertheless CDK8 knockdown by shRNA or CDK8 kinase inhibition by a selective small-molecule drug candidate suppresses metastatic growth of mouse and human colon cancer cells in the liver. This effect is due at least in part …

The Influence Of Social And Economic Factors On Breastfeeding And Rural Mothers, Rachel Ellen Borton

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known or understood about rural mothers and their experience with breastfeeding. The literature demonstrates a sound understanding of the factors that influence mothers and breastfeeding; however, it is unclear what factors influence breastfeeding among rural mothers. A search of the literature offered thousands of articles related to urban mothers and their breastfeeding experience, but few describe the rural mother’s breastfeeding experience. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the basic process that characterizes breastfeeding among mothers in the rural setting and to develop a theory based on the investigation of factors that influence breastfeeding among rural …

An Experimental Study On The Effects Of A Gamified Software Intervention In Mathematics Achievement Among Sixth Grade Students, Janice Watson

Theses and Dissertations

An Experimental Study on the Effects of a Gamified Software Intervention on Mathematics Achievement Among Sixth Grade Students. Janice Watson-Huggins, 2018: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. Keywords: Gamification: intrinsic motivation: extrinsic motivation: academic performance: mathematics: test scores: Edufocal©.

Children have been playing computer games for many years. Today's children are very technologically savvy compared to 10 years ago. However, no concrete research was done in the Caribbean and in Jamaica to be specific, that investigates the impact of gamification on student academic scores and motivation. Gamification is used to describe the use of …

A Transgenic Approach To Managing Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) In Cotton, John Cameron Corbin

Theses and Dissertations

Field experiments were conducted in Stoneville, MS and Sidon, MS in 2016 and 2017 to evaluate a new transgenic cotton variety (MON 88702) (Cry51Aa2.834_16) and its effects on tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), populations, frequency of insecticide applications, and yield. Experiments were designed to compare the interactions between the Bt traited plots and non-traited plots and the insecticide spray treatments, which consisted of different application thresholds as well as treatments sprayed only during the early season and only during the late season. MON 88702 provided a significant reduction in later instar tarnished plant bug nymphs, dirty squares, …

Adaptive Molecular Evolution And Biodiversity In Malaria Parasites, Haley Nicole Bodden

Theses and Dissertations

Haemosporidian parasites are the agents of malaria. Countless vertebrates are affected by haemosporidians each year. Haemosporidians have been shown to be evolving at rapid rates; leading to new species of haemosporidians being discovered and new host associations being made. Adaptive molecular evolution was detected in an important hemoglobin degradation gene, falcilysin. At multiple sites across multiple genes involved in important functions signatures of negative selection were detected. The signatures of selection across non-hemoglobin degradation genes were indicative of evolutionary conservation when compared to the more variable hemoglobin degradation genes. This is probably due to the important role the hemoglobin degradation …

Comparative Analysis Of The Gut Microbiome In Wild And Lab Strains Of Anopheles Quadrimaculatus Say, And Its Effect On Innate Immunity, Eleanor Marie Moen

Theses and Dissertations

Vector competence of mosquitoes has been linked to the conditions in which the larvae mature to adults. The microbial community obtained from the rearing environment is suspected to be one key factor in this interplay. A better understanding of how the rearing environment affects the gut microbiome and Anopheles-Plasmodium interactions could be useful for understanding observed lab vs. field differences in Plasmodium biology and help drive future control efforts. Currently there is a lack of research done on the differences between lab strain mosquitoes and their rearing environments and how lab mosquitoes differ from wild type mosquitoes. Bridging this gap …

The Effect Of Forage Quality On Voluntary Hay Intake, Serum Glucose And Insulin, Muscle Glycogen, Whole Blood Lactate, Heart Rate, And Respiratory Parameters Of Exercised Horses, Caitlin M. Chase

Theses and Dissertations

Six mares and six geldings were used to determine the effect of forage quality on muscle glycogen utilization by exercised horses. Horses were fed 1.5% BW/d of high quality (65.6% NDF; 41.1% ADF) or low quality (74.6% NDF; 51.2% ADF) hay and a concentrate resulting in three diets: high quality hay and concentrate balanced to meet energy requirements (HQ); low quality hay and concentrate balanced to meet energy requirements; and low quality hay with the same amount of concentrate as the HQ diet. The effect of hay quality on serum insulin, serum glucose, whole blood lactate, and respiratory parameters were …

Regulation Of Rice Flowering Time And Seed Development, Xiaoxi Meng

Theses and Dissertations

Rice is one of the most important cereal crops for the world population. Flowering time and seed development of rice are directly related to plant regional and ecological adaptions, and productive yield. In this dissertation, to gain knowledge of seed development in rice, the status of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in developing rice seeds was investigated. Numerous modified lysine sites in developing rice seeds were identified utilizing antibody-based affinity enrichment approaches and nano-HPLC/MS/MS analyses of acetylated, succinylated, crotonylated and 2-hydroxyisobutyrylated peptides. Functional annotation analyses indicated that a wide variety of vital biological processes were targeted by lysine PTMs. A number of …

Reproductive Ecology Of White-Tailed Deer: Fetal Development And Mate Choice, Daniel L. Morina

Theses and Dissertations

Aspects of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) reproductive ecology remain understudied. The accuracy of the fetal age estimation equation in current use is unknown. Knowledge is also limited for female choice of secondary sexual traits like antlers and body size. To address previous fetal estimation equations, I developed a model that included litter characteristics using 110 fetuses with known ages of 54 to 175 days. To address female choice, I manipulated antler size and paired large and small males while controlling allometrically related traits. I then allowed estrus females to choose between pairs of segregated males with either large and small …

Role Of Silicon In Improving Drought Tolerance In Soybean, Meng Li

Theses and Dissertations

Drought is a major environmental factor limiting crop productivity. Considering a significant area of crop production under water-limited rained conditions, there is a great need to develop production systems to sustain yield potentials under drought stress. Silicon has recently been recognized as an important element in plant nutrition. In this study, it was shown that supplying soybean with soluble silicon in the soil could improve vegetative growth and drought tolerance under water limiting conditions. In order to understand the molecular mechanism how silicon alleviates drought stress, the effects of silicon application on protein expression and antioxidant enzymes were examined. Soybean …

Do People Change Their Behavior When The Handler Is Next To The Robot?, Yu-Wei Sun

Theses and Dissertations

It is increasingly common for people to work alongside robots in a variety of situations. When a robot is completing a task, the handler of the robot may be present. It is important to know how people interact with the robot when the handler is next to the robot. Our study focuses on whether handler’s presence can affect human’s behavior toward the robot. Our experiment targets two different scenarios (handler present and handler absent) in order to find out human’s behavior change toward the robot. Results show that in the handler present scenario, people are less willing to interact with …

Effects Of Dietary Supplementation Of L-Methionine Vs Dl-Methionine On Performance, Plasma Concentrations Of Free Amino Acids And Other Metabolites, And Myogenesis Gene Expression In Young Growing Pigs, Zhongyue Yang

Theses and Dissertations

This research was conducted to study the effects of supplemental L-Methionine (L-Met) and DL-Methionine (DL-Met) on nutrient metabolism, muscle gene expression, and growth performance of pigs. Twenty crossbred young barrows (initial Body Weight (BW) 21.2 ± 2.7 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 treatments. Crystalline L-Met and DL- Met were supplemented to the diets in Treatment 1 and 2 (both at 0.13%, ased basis), respectively. After 4 weeks of an ad libitum feeding trial, BW and feed intake were measured to calculate Average Daily Gain, Average Daily Feed Intake, and Gain: Feed. The blood samples were collected from the jugular …

Tea As An Alternative Crop For Mississippi, Judson Stuart Lecompte

Theses and Dissertations

Farmers in Mississippi have begun planting tea (Camellia sinensis) to diversify their crops. Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub whose leaves are used to make commonly consumed tea beverages. Tea has the potential to benefit the agricultural industry in Mississippi. While tea has been grown in other countries for centuries, there is little research-based information to guide farmers on growing tea in the United States. For domestic production to become effective, growers need to identify areas to save money to compete with countries with lower input costs. This study showed growers can fertilize at 2 g nitrogen (N) per container, …

Investigating The Adoption Of Auto-Steer By Row-Crop Farmers In Mississippi, Patrick Jason Poindexter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to identify socio-economic factors which may influence the adoption of auto-steer technologies by row crop farmers in Mississippi. The variables of geographic location, size of farm, age of the farmer, and educational level of the farmer were analyzed using a binary logistic regression analysis to determine if those variables could be used as predictors in the farmer’s adoption of auto-steer. Analysis revealed that the size of the farm and the age of the farmer are both statistically significant predictors of the probability of a farmer adopting auto-steer in the state of Mississippi. Geographic location …

Evaluation Of Herbicide Tolerance And Interference Potential Among Weedy Rice Germplasm, Swati Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

Weedy red rice is conspecific weed of rice, identified as a threat to global rice production. As weedy rice is more tolerant to stresses than cultivated rice and has wide genetic and morphological variation we hypothesized that weedy rice has high herbicide tolerance and weed suppressive potential. Herbicide tolerance and weed suppressive potential of 54 weedy rice accessions were evaluated and the traits were associated with molecular markers. Accessions B2, B20 and S11 showed high tolerance to glyphosate and B49, B51 and S59 had high tolerance to flumioxazin. All the accessions were controlled 100% with 1311g a.i/ha (1.5x) rate of …

Behavior Plasticity Mitigates The Effect Of Climate Warming In White-Tailed Deer, Carter L. Wolff

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change can alter the ecology of natural systems through various mechanisms, such as direct thermal effects on a consumer. However, consumers may employ behavioral mechanisms in response to warming. Among these may be spatial or temporal shifts in activity, making use of thermal heterogeneity on the landscape. Despite this, few studies consider the role of behavioral plasticity and spatial or temporal heterogeneity in the context of climate change. I conducted experiments to evaluate the importance of behavior in mediating the net effects of warming at the population and the individual level using captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). I created …

Determination Of The Optimal Starter Particle Size For Improved Starter And Overall Broiler Performance, Mark Edward Lemons

Theses and Dissertations

It is appreciated that improvements in feed form (FF) result in improved broiler performance. However, research has primarily focused on the finishing growth phase due to associated high feed consumption allowing the greatest opportunity to observe performance benefits. Due to lower feed volumes required in the starter growth phase, it may be more economical to improve FF in the starter phase if improvements in overall performance and processing characteristics are observed. Study 1 investigated the potential for interactive effects of high or low FF presented in each of three growth phases to influence broiler performance. These data demonstrated the potential …

Development And Visualization Of Bioluminescent Virulent Aeromonas Hydrophila In Live Catfish, Eda Ozdemir

Theses and Dissertations

Virulent Aeromonas hydrophila (vAh) is an important emerging bacterial pathogen causing motile Aeromonas septicemia (MAS) in farmed catfish. Understanding the pathogenicity of the disease is essential for the development of preventive measures. In this study, we aimed to develop a bioluminescent virulent A. hydrophila (BvAh) strain to understand the pathogen-host interactions during infection. To achieve this, a new bioluminescence expression plasmid, pAKgfplux3, was constructed and mobilized to vAh. Catfish were challenged with BvAh using immersion, injection, and adipose fin clip procedures, and bioluminescence signal was tracked in live catfish during infection. We developed a novel BvAh strain for the first …

Effect Of Maternal Melatonin Levels During Late Gestation On The Programming And Metabolic Disposition Of Adipose Tissue And Skeletal Muscle In Bovine Offspring, Robyn Carl Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to determine: the effects of maternal melatonin (MEL) supplementation during late gestation on the histological and molecular regulation in the Longissimus dorsi (LM) muscle of fetal bovine offspring, composition and gene expression of fetal perirenal (PR) adipose tissue, and LM gene expression in postnatal offspring at birth and d 195 of age. Maternal supplementation of MEL during late gestation resulted in no difference in calf fetal body weight or birth weight. However, at d 195 of age, calves from MEL treated dams had an average body weight increase of 20 kg. Fetal LM weight …

Effects Of Acute Carbohydrate Supplementation On Performance For Female, Division I, Collegiate Cheerleaders, Rogelio Alberto Realzola

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate carbohydrate supplementation during cheerleading training and its effect on performance. Seventeen participants in four trials; one to gather anthropometric data and 1-repetition maximums, one familiarization trial, a carbohydrate trial, and a placebo trial. The exercises used were power snatches from a hang position, push jerks, front squats, and box squats. The exercises most mimicked a standard strength and conditioning practice for cheerleaders. Performance was measured by calculating the difference between pre- and post-training values in vertical jump repetitions, peak power, average power, peak velocity, and average velocity in a power snatch, and a 200-m …

Exploration Of Experiential Stem Education Programs In Mississippi And Their Use By Mississippi K-12 Educators, Randi Robison

Theses and Dissertations

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are important fields in today’s world. Educators can incorporate informal STEM learning opportunities into their curriculum by taking students on field trips. In this research, 210 Mississippi STEM education centers were identified, and 50 completed a survey about their programs. 17 Mississippi STEM clubs were identified and 14 completed surveys. 81 Mississippi STEM K-12 educators also completed surveys about field trips and STEM programs offered near them. A Google Map, a Geodatabase, shapefiles, and Google Spreadsheets were created to manage these data. Maps were created displaying locations of STEM centers, responses from STEM centers …

Growth And Survival Of Salmonella Spp., Microbial Indicators And The Sensory And Color Properties Of Catfish Fillets Subjected To Slush-Ice Chilling, Angelica Maria Abdallah Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations

Slush-ice chilling has been applied to catfish fillets by processors for several years. However, little is known about the effect of this system on fillets’ safety and quality. Salmonella counts were reduced (P≤0.05) between 0.55 - 0.83 log CFU/g by slush ice treatments (0% - 4.5% salt), regardless of salt concentration. Salmonella counts for slush ice treated fillets were less (P≤0.05) than for untreated fillets during refrigerated storage. However, Salmonella reduction was similar (P>0.05) among all treatments after 12 days of storage. Sensory evaluation showed that a 24 h-slush-ice treatment negatively affected (P≤0.05) the texture, drip, and odor of …

Comparative Genome Analysis Of Fish Pathogens In The Flavobacterium Genus, Salih Kumru

Theses and Dissertations

Aquaculture has potential to support the food supply of increasing world population. Flavobacterial diseases pose a serious problem in wild and aquacultured fish stocks throughout the world. Flavobacterium columnare, F. branchiophilum, and F. psychrophilum are well-known Flavobacterium species that cause important fish losses. Recently, new Flavobacterium species, isolated from diseased fish, have been reported, but their virulence mechanisms are not clear. Thus, the goal of this study was to understand pathogenicity of Flavobacterium species. To this goal, 86 Flavobacterium genomes were analyzed by comparative genomics. Predicted virulence genes were identified for all genomes. For each species, unique and shared virulence …