Digital Commons Network^™

Validity Of Posturescreen Mobile® In The Measurement Of Standing Posture, Breanna Cristine Berry Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

Background: PostureScreen Mobile® is an app created to quickly screen posture using front and side-view photographs. There is currently a lack of evidence that establishes PostureScreen Mobile® (PSM) as a valid measure of posture. Therefore, the purpose of this preliminary study was to document the validity and reliability of PostureScreen Mobile® in assessing static standing posture. Methods: This study was an experimental trial in which the posture of 50 male participants was assessed a total of six times using two different methods: PostureScreen Mobile® and Vicon 3D motion analysis system (VIC). Postural deviations, as measured during six trials of PSM …

Traceability Implementation In Organic Farming: Case Study, Chamomile Tea Production, Shaima Abdelfattah Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

Implementing a traceability plan in an herbal production plant is a complex task. In this study an attempt to integrate food safety, quality and traceability through the different stages of the organic German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) production chain was made. First, all the current relevant international laws, regulations and standards regarding traceability, safety and quality, with emphasis on how and why they are necessary for any food production chain, were set forward. Second, physico-chemical and microbiological analyses were run throughout the different processing stages of production, for four different Chamomile batches produced over the same season using the same farming …

Lessons Learned: The Process Of Creating And Evaluating An Adult Literacy Curriculum For College Transition, Meredith Leigh Packard Gravett

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the process of developing and evaluating a curriculum written for adult literacy students transitioning from their current literacy goals to academic and occupational pursuits. The curriculum, titled the Basic College Skills Transition Curriculum (BCS Transition Curriculum), was written for students at Project Read, a non-profit adult literacy program located at the Provo Library in Provo, Utah. The model used to design this curriculum is a variation on the ADDIE model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation), including the reiterative steps of research and evaluation. The lesson plans and materials in the BCS Transition Curriculum include the topics …

Man Shall Not Live By Bread, At All: A Netnography Of The Key Characteristics And Purposes Of An Online Gluten-Free Community, Emily Anne Bean

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a netnography of an online gluten-free community through the scope of the Facebook group "Gluten Free." The objective of this qualitative inquiry is to investigate the key characteristics of this online gluten-free community and gain a deeper understanding of member purposes for participation. Employing the method of netnography allows for an unobtrusive exploration of the community by discreetly utilizing anthropological techniques in an online setting. Despite growing awareness, no academic research has yet been conducted on the social aspects of the online gluten-free community. The thematic findings that emerged from this study were two-fold. First, this investigation …

Characterization Of The Granule-Bound Starch Synthase I Gene In Chenopodium, Douglass C. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Chenopodium L. is a relatively under-studied genus that includes the cultivated seed crop quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). Quinoa is an allotetraploid (2n=4x=36, AABB genomes) that is cultivated by subsistence farmers and commercial growers in the Andean regions of South America. Approximately 60% of a quinoa seed is starch, a glucose polymer that is an important carbohydrate energy source in the human diet. Seed starch is normally comprised of amylose and amylopectin in a 1:3 ratio, but starches with different amylose:amylopectin ratios have different properties and potential uses. The accumulation of the amylose fraction of starch is controlled by a single …

Examination Of Anabolic Signaling And Muscle Growth With Caffeine Treatment In Overloaded Hindlimb Muscle And Electrically Stimulated Muscle Lacking Liver Kinase B1, Timothy Michael Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal muscle has the ability to increase in size (hypertrophy) after resistance is placed upon it. This hypertrophy is marked by significant upregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its downstream targets. The upstream kinases, protein kinase B (also known as Akt) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), are two of the many regulators of the mTOR pathway. Recent studies suggest that the widely consumed neuroactive compound caffeine could potentially inhibit mTOR by acting through Akt and/or AMPK. The purpose of this thesis was to: 1) determine if caffeine can inhibit the mTOR pathway and ultimately attenuate skeletal muscle …

The Impact Of Nutrition And Feeding Time On The Regulation Of Gene Expression In The Central Circadian Clock Of Drsosophila Melanogaster, Arwa Diab

Theses and Dissertations

The circadian clock plays an essential role in most organisms by allowing their adaptation to the daily environmental changes mainly light/dark cycles and also temperature. Circadian rhythms persist in constant conditions indicating an auto regulatory molecular circadian clock. Here, we investigated the possibility that the circadian clock of Drosophila can also be entrained by scheduled feeding. Cycles of 12 hours feeding and 12 hours starvation could entrain the molecular circadian oscillation in key pacemaker neurons of Drosophila. Clock proteins CLOCK (CLK) and PERIOD (PER) showed a 24 hour oscillation in the small and large ventral lateral neurons after entrainment by …

Food Security: At What Cost? Dietary And Behavioural Coping Strategies Of Low-Income Households In Cairo And Implications On Children’S Food Security, Radwa Saad

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the dietary and behavioural coping strategies employed by low-income households in urban poverty pockets of Greater Cairo in response to food price fluctuations. It investigates the impact of nutrition-related coping behaviours on the food security of households, focusing namely on children and youth. The study uses qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews with mothers residing in one of the largest informal settlements of Cairo, to arrive at an in-depth analysis of the problem. The research reveals that low-income households employ poor coping strategies in response to high food …

Participation Of 414dddd417 And 432kpar435 In The Thermostability Of Mercuric Reductase Isolated From The Deep Brine Environment Of Atlantis Ii In The Red Sea, Ayman Eid

Theses and Dissertations

Mercuric reductase (MerA) is an essential enzyme for the survival of microorganisms that reside in environments containing mercuric compounds. The enzyme converts the extremely toxic mercuric ions (Hg2+) into the less toxic volatile elemental mercury form (Hg0). A novel MerA molecule that has undergone multiple evolutionary adaptations to allow its host to cope with the harsh multiple abiotic stressors of the lower convective layer (LCL) of the Atlantis II (ATII) brine environment in the Red Sea has been recently characterized catalytically and structurally (JBC, 2014, 289,1675–1687). The brine pool at Atlantis II Deep covers an area of about 60 km2 …

A Comparative Study Of Upper Limb Mechanical Stress In The Pre-Colombian Tennessee River Valley, Deborah Lyn Neidich

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation establishes the presence of rotator cuff disease (RCD) within human skeletal samples from a prehistoric North American context and evaluates the subsistence based (hunter-gatherer an agricultural) differences of the pathological and non-pathological osseous reactive change. The skeletal sample as recovered as a part of an archaeological salvage project from the western Tennessee River Valley prior to the 1944 completion of the Kentucky Lake Dam. The sites consist of three Middle and Late Archaic (4500-1000 BCCE) period hunter-gatherers and one Mississippian (1050-1450 CE) period agriculturalist sample. These sites are now submerged in the Kentucky Late Reservoir.

The bone elements …

Localization And Functional Analysis Of Dictyostelium Discoideum Gtpases, Rabs And Rab2, Katherine V. Maringer

Theses and Dissertations

Dictyostelium discoideum is a simple eukaryotic amoeba that has proven useful in studying various aspects of endosomal and lysosomal membrane trafficking, as well as development. The Rab family of small molecular weight GTPases has been implemented in several cellular processes to include various vesicle trafficking roles, cell-cell signaling, and development. This study focuses on the localization and function of two Dictyostelium GTPases, RabS, and Rab2 which we hypothesized to both localize to the Golgi, and the contractile vacuole system. Expression of GFP-tagged DdRab2, and DdRabS proteins revealed similar localization to ER-Golgi membranes as well as the contractile vacuole system. Microscopic …

Using Facebook As A Public Relations Tactic: A Look At How Hospitals Are Engaging With Fans, Lauren Alesha Farabough

Theses and Dissertations

Hospitals are recognizing the need to use social media with Facebook specifically being the most popular medium. This research examines how hospitals are using Facebook as a public relation tactic by looking at 12 hospitals' Facebook pages over four weeks. The research looks at the levels of engagement (likes, comments and shares) on Facebook posts and what types of post are getting the best engagement. This study also looks at posts made by others on the hospitals' Facebook timelines to see what people most posted about and how hospitals responded. All 12 hospitals had different approaches to how they used …

Reducing Infant Mortality To Reach Millennium Development Goal 4, Hayley Marie Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

The World Health Organization (WHO) found that 6.6 million children under five died in 2012 (WHO 2013). Almost half of all of these child deaths take place in the first month of life, and 75% of all under five deaths occur within the child's first year of life (WHO 2013). The aim of this study is to compare the most influential factors that decrease infant and neonatal mortality in order to find where policy makers, governments, and international organizations need to focus their efforts in order to get all countries on track for Millennium Development Goal 4 to reduce child …

Characterization Of Secondhand Smoke (Shs) And Materno-Fetal Interactions In Receptors For Advanced Glycation End-Products (Rage)-Targeted Mice, Duane Ray Winden

Theses and Dissertations

Receptors for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) are pattern recognition receptors of the immunoglobulin superfamily highly expressed in the lung. Likely functions include the modulation of pulmonary inflammation during disease. However, the contributions of RAGE in the developing lung in cases where secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure occurs are unknown. In order to test the hypothesis that RAGE misexpression adversely affects lung morphogenesis, we exposed gestating dams to a controlled dose of SHS during the last four critical days of in utero lung morphogenesis. We discovered that both maternal and fetal lungs respond to SHS by up-regulating RAGE. Exposed fetuses were markedly …

Evaluation Of Management Practices To Mitigate Lodging For 'Cl151' Rice (Oryza Sativa L.), Jennifer Leann Corbin

Theses and Dissertations

‘CL151’ a Clearfield long-grain rice cultivar, was released in 2008, based upon excellent agronomic characteristics, including excellent yield and moderately resistant rating for lodging. Further experience has indicated it’s susceptibility to lodging. Lodging can reduce harvest efficiency, yield, and cause grain quality loss. The purpose of this research was to evaluate multiple management practices such as nitrogen rates and timings, seeding rate, trinexapac-ethyl application, potassium, and fungicide application to mitigate lodging for CL151. The results of this research indicate that N rate and application timing largely influence lodging incidence and grain yield. Fungicide application decreased, but did not eliminate lodging, …

Effects Of Temperature And Salinity On Hatch Success, Growth, Development And Survival Of Bigmouth Sleeper Gobiomorus Dormitor Larvae, Karina Michelle Olivieri-Velázquez

Theses and Dissertations

Effects of temperature (23, 26, 29°C) and salinity (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 ppt) on hatch success, growth, development, and survival of bigmouth sleeper Gobiomorus dormitor yolk sac larvae were determined. Hatch success was greater at lower temperatures (23°C) and salinities (0-10 ppt), while larval survival and growth were greater at 26°C and 0 ppt. Larvae reared at 29°C- 0 ppt developed rapidly but rarely survived 48-h post hatch, while larvae at 23°C- 0 ppt survived 120-h post hatch, developed slower. Salinity adversely affected larval survival and size at hatch, larvae reared at salinities 5 ppt or greater died within …

Effect Of Double Ovulation On Peripheral Concentrations Of Progesterone, Luteal Blood Perfusion And Hepatic Steroid Inactivating Enzymes, Benjamin Eugene Voelz

Theses and Dissertations

Progesterone is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy in cattle. Recent trends in decreased reproductive efficiency in dairy cattle have led researchers to believe that increased catabolism and decreased peripheral concentrations of progesterone are at fault. The objective of this study was to determine if the induction of an accessory corpus luteum (CL), via human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), alters blood perfusion of CL, peripheral concentrations of progesterone, or hepatic steroid inactivating enzymes. We hypothesized that the induction of an accessory CL would decrease blood perfusion of the CL, decrease peripheral concentrations of progesterone, and increase clearance of progesterone in the …

The Effect Of Feeding Native Warm Season Grasses In The Stocker Phase On The Quality Of Beef Loin Steaks, Vikram Pandurang Kurve

Theses and Dissertations

Native Warm Season Grasses (NWSG) provide excellent wildlife habitat and are well adapted to the Southeastern United States. Steaks that were obtained from cattle fed NWSG in the stocker phase and finished on grain and tall fescue were subjected to simulated retail display for 0, 3, 6, and 9 days (graininished) and 0, 3, and 6 (forageinished) days respectively. Grain finished carcasses graded as choice and select while forage finished carcasses were both select and standard. Fat percentage was higher and moisture was lower in steaks from grain finished carcasses when compared to forage finished cattle. Lipid oxidation was lower …

Sequencing And Analysis Of The Flavobacterium Columnare Atcc 49512 Genome, Hasan Cihad Tekedar

Theses and Dissertations

Flavobacterium columnare is a Gram negative fish pathogen that causes columnaris disease, which infects populations of wild and cultured fish species. However, pathogenic mechanisms of F. columnare are largely unknown. The purpose of this research is to obtain the complete sequence of the F. columnare ATCC 49512 genome to advance pathogenesis research and increase our understanding of this pathogen. To accomplish this, genome sequencing by using Sanger and 454 sequencing was conducted. The sequences were assembled, gaps were filled, and the circular genome was autoannotated. The F. columnare genome size is 3.2 Mb and AT rich (68.5% AT). It contains …

Developmental Effects And Selection Pressure Of Genuity Vt3 Pro Field Corn On Corn Earworm, Helicoverpa Zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Michael Benjamin Von Kanel

Theses and Dissertations

Transgenic corn and cotton expressing crystalline (Cry) insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were commercially introduced in 1996. This technology has greatly improved the control of several key lepidopteran insect pests tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (Farbricius), pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella (Dyar), and European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner). The corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, has been more difficult to control using Bt crops and supplemental insecticide applications are often needed to prevent economic losses. A major threat to the longevity of transgenic technology is the evolution of resistance, especially when an insect pest infests both …

Effect Of Protein Source And Nutrient Density In Diets From Day Eight To Twenty One On Growth Of Male Broiler Chicks, Xi Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of diet type, amino acid (AA), and apparent metabolizable energy (AME) levels in male broiler diets from d 8 to 21 on blood, small intestine, bone, and growth performance were investigated. Eight experimental diets with 2 protein sources [high inclusion of distiller's dried grains with solubles diet (hDDGS) or high inclusion of meat and bone meal diet (hMBM)], 2 AA densities (moderate or high), and 2 AME densities (2,998kcal/kg or 3,100kcal/kg), were fed to the broiler chicks from 8 to 21 days of age (d). High AME diets may lower feed cost by lowering feed intake. Intestinal morphology …

Effects Of Selected Amino Acids On Resistance Training Protocol During A Selected Hypertrophy Protocol, Elizabeth Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Glycine-arginine-alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (GAKIC) has been reported to enhance resistance performance during muscular strength and endurance protocols. PURPOSE: This study intended to investigate the potential ergogenic effects of GAKIC ingestion during repeated bouts of lower-body resistance exercise during a hypertrophy protocol. METHODS: Eleven resistance-trained males participated in a randomized, counterbalanced, double blind study. Participants were randomly assigned to placebo or GAKIC and performed five sets each of 67% of one-repetition maximum leg press, hack squat, and leg extension to failure. RESULTS: GAKIC supplementation significantly increased leg press repetitions, hack squat repetitions, and total load volume; however there was no significant difference …

Upper Range Thermal Stress Tolerance In Channel And Hybrid Catfish Strains, Heather Ann Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) have a broad distribution from Canada to Mexico, suggesting that different strains may have different thermal tolerances. In aquaculture, daily temperature maximums up to 36-40°C and fluctuations of 3-6°C occur, and may be exacerbated by future climate change. To quantify differences in thermal tolerance amongst geographically-distinct channel catfish strains and corresponding hybrid catfish (I. punctatus x [blue catfish] I. furcatus): acute critical thermal maximum (CTmax), and the effects of chronic thermal regimes on growth, survival and differential gene expression were examined. Southern channel catfish had higher CTmax than northern, and channel catfish had higher CTmax than …

Study Of Viruses Associated With Blackberry Yellow Vein Disease In Mississippi, Pratibha Ghimire

Theses and Dissertations

Blackberry yellow vein disease (BYVD) is the most important virus disease of blackberry in the Southeastern United States. In order to determine viruses in BYVD-affected plants in Mississippi we tested a total of eighty one symptomatic cultivated and wild blackberries collected from different locations for infections by nine different viruses. All tested viruses were present in diseased samples at various rates, with the exception of Rubus canadensis virus 1. Blackberry yellow vein associated virus is prevalent virus in Mississippi, infecting 70% of tested samples, followed by Tobacco ringspot virus. The second part of this research focused on molecular and phylogenetic …

Temperature And Soil Moisture Effects On Growth, Development, Physiology, Storage Root Initiation, And Biomass Yield In Sweetpotato, Karande Gajanayake Mudiyanselage Chandana Preethi Bandara Gajanayake

Theses and Dissertations

Temperature and soil moisture (SM) are the two main environmental factors affecting sweetpotato growth and yield. Quantitative functional algorithms of plant growth and developmental processes under a wide range of above factors are needed for developing tools for modeling. Four experiments were conducted to quantify early and late season SM and temperature effects on sweetpotato growth, development, and physiology. In experiment I, effects of five SM levels were evaluated in a greenhouse using cultivars, Beauregard and Evangeline. Experiment II was conducted to evaluate late-season SM effects with four evapotranspiration (ET) based irrigation. In experiment III, five temperatures were imposed at …

Mechanical And Cultural Practices To Reduce Skinning In Sweetpotato, Bradley Hodge Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is one of the major tropical root crops of the world and it is widely distributed throughout the tropical and temperate regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. During harvest and post-harvest handling, the skin can be separated from the underlying tissue of the storage root. Storage root damage contributed to income losses for producers. To minimize these loses, producers set the skin of the sweetpotato by removal of the vines prior to harvest. New mechanical (undercutting) and cultural (biochar) methods were developed and tested. Mechanical undercutting would sever the feeder roots of the plant …

Metabolic Health And Academic Achievement In At Risk Youth Participating In Studio Based Summer Camp, Mallory Anne Kvasnicka

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood obesity and subsequent poor health implications continue to be a critical health concern and recent literature suggests academics may also be under greater strain among these individuals. This study examined the relationship between metabolic health and academic achievement in students “at risk” for drop. Fifteen adolescences participated in an educational camp aimed at developing knowledge of core curriculum by developing design projects. Metabolic health was assessed via biochemical measurements of blood lipid and glucose, resting blood pressure, and anthropometric measurements of height, weight, and waist circumference. Variables were examined individually and as a combined risk score. Academic achievement measurements …

Genotype, Nitrogen And Harvest Management Effects On Switchgrass Production, Ramdeo Seepaul

Theses and Dissertations

Use of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) as a forage and feedstock species requires knowledge of fertilizer application rates and harvest timing to optimize yield and quality. Three experiments were conducted at the Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station, Raymond, MS to quantify nitrogen rates, harvest timing, and genotype effects on biomass, nutrient removal, chemical composition and ethanol yield. Dry matter yield varied with N rate, genotype, harvest frequency and timing. Yields among genotypes were: NF/GA992 = NF/GA001 (13.7 Mg ha-1) > Alamo (11.6 Mg ha-1) > Cave-in-Rock (6.1 Mg ha-1). A single (9.5 Mg ha-1) or two harvests annually (10.3 Mg ha-1) produced …

Herbicide Safening To Aid In The Establishment Of Three Native Warm Season Grass Species, Jesse Spencer Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Difficulties with stand establishment are a major factor limiting further agronomic use of native warm season grasses. One significant cause of stand failure is competition with rapidly growing annual weed species during the early development of the perennial native grass. Broad spectrum preemergent herbicides can provide the needed weed control, but only if tolerance exists in the desired grass. Herbicide safeners, synthetic compounds that protect crops from herbicide injury, applied as seed treatments offer a potential strategy to achieving the needed herbicide tolerance where it does not naturally occur. This study tested the efficacy of five herbicide safeners (benoxacor, fenclorim, …

Identifying Adopters Of Best Management Practices Within Mississippi Beef Producers And The Reasons For Non-Adoption, M Scott Cagle

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the Mississippi State University Extension Service (MSU-ES) is to improve the quality of life for all Mississippians. One specific group that agricultural change agents work with at the county level is beef producers. Grazing lands have received much attention over the last few years regarding environmental concerns and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for beef cattle operations. The adoption of these practices was voluntary during the time this study was conducted, however; adoption was highly encouraged by the MSU-ES and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). By knowing the level of adoption of BMPs that Mississippi beef producers …