Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Lighter Density Fraction From Dried Distillers Grains With Solubles As A Feedstuff For Ruminants, Jonathan Michael Greene

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the lighter fraction of DDGS as a possible feedstuff for cattle. To accomplish this, a digestion trial was performed to determine nutrient digestibility and crude protein retention by steers consuming the lighter fraction of DDGS. Steers received L, a diet containing the lighter fraction of DDGS, D, a diet containing whole DDGS, or C, a control diet. Steers receiving L consumed less DM than steers receiving D and C. CP retention and digestibilities of DM, OM, ash, NDF, ADF, HC, and energy did not differ among steers in different treatment groups. Fat …

Factors And Perceptions That Affect Enrollment In Career And Technical Education Programs In Rural East Central Mississippi, Aimee Chandler Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the factors and perceptions that affect enrollment in career and technical education (CTE) programs in rural East Central Mississippi. Specifically, the study had four key purposes. First, the academic grades of CTE students and non-CTE students were examined to determine whether academic grades differ significantly between the CTE enrollers and non-CTE enrollers. Secondly, the study determined the perceptions that students in rural East Central Mississippi have toward CTE programs. Next, the study examined the internal and external factors that cause students to enroll or not enroll in a CTE program. Finally, …

Faunal Communities Of Temporary Wetlands Of Upland And Floodplain Public Forested Lands In North Mississippi, Katherine E. Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

I conducted surveys of amphibian, reptile, and small mammal communities surrounding 4 isolated, upland and 6 stream-connected temporary wetlands on Tombigbee National Forest and Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in north Mississippi from May 2001 - March 2006. Trap captures yielded 17 amphibian species (n = 11,142), 21 reptile species (n = 541), and 10 small mammal species (n = 472). Upland pools supported greater diversity of Ambystomatid salamanders, anurans, lizards, and mice (Peromyscus spp.), than floodplain pools. Factors including landscape position of pools, proximity to alternate water sources, and barriers to dispersal potentially influenced faunal communities of temporary wetlands. Infrared-triggered …

Nutrient Management In On-Site Wastewater Treatment, Ayanangshu Dey

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater and surface water contamination has been linked in the past to inadequate or failing on-site wastewater treatment and disposal systems. The on-site wastewater systems installed in coastal areas have more potential for inflicting this kind of environmental damage. This work studied the regulatory compliance and environmental protection of the four types of on-site wastewater disposal systems found on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; i.e., vegetative rock filter, subsurface drip irrigation, sand mound, and sprinkler systems, by statistical techniques. Compliance was also evaluated for groundwater samples collected from monitoring wells installed at four corners of a disposal field. This work eventually …

Rapid Identification Of Aspergillus Spp. Using A Pcr Based Melting Curve Method And Characterization Of A Novel Chitinase In Insect Resistant Maize Lines, Biing-Ru Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Identification of fungal isolates is critical in studying Aspergillus flavus ecology and for developing methods to reduce aflatoxin contamination. In our efforts to track biocontrol applications of the atoxigenic A. flavus K49 (NRRL 30797), we have developed a rapid and accurate classification system for A. flavus based on PCR product melting temperatures (Tm). Using 18 primers and a total of 59 Aspergilli strains, including all 49 representatives of the Georgian peanut Vegetative Compatibility Groups (VCGs), a decision tree Tm flowchart was generated. The decision tree can classify all 59 strains using only 9 of the SSR primers and an average …

Pathogen Entrance And Development Of Disease During Infection Of The American Channel Catfish Ictalurus Punctatus By The Enterobacterium Edwardsiella Ictaluri, Simon Menanteau-Ledouble

Theses and Dissertations

Since being first reported in the late 1980ies, the Enterobacterium Edwardsiella ictaluri has rose in prevalence to become one of the two most damaging pathogens affecting the channel catfish industry. Despite this significance of the pathogen, understanding of the development of the disease, especially its route of entry into the host and the earlier stages of the infection, is still incomplete. A series of challenges were conducted using bioluminescent E. ictaluri either by infecting fish through immersion or topical application of the bacteria directly on the intact or abraded epithelium. This showed that abraded fish developed septicemia and died faster …

Optimization Of The Production Of The Lantibiotics Mutacin 1140 In Modified M9 Media, Neeti Dahal

Theses and Dissertations

Mutacin 1140, a class 1 bacteriocin, is produced by Streptococcus mutans and belongs to the type A lantibiotic family. Experiments were done to optimize production of mutacin 1140 in minimal media enabling a more cost efficient downstream purification method. The development of a small volume fermentation method enabled a rapid screen of several variables in a standard shaking incubator. This method provided a fast approach for determining components that promote mutacin 1140 production in minimal media broth. Lactose was determined to be the optimal carbon source for mutacin 1140 production. High concentrations of CaCl2 (0.3% w/v) and MgSO4 (0.77% w/v) …

Identification Of Micrornas In Bovine Spermatozoa With Implications Of Fertility, Lashonda S (Lashonda Shakita) Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that could possibly play a major role in fertility. In the experiment, spermatozoa were extracted from bovine followed by an extraction of total RNA. Bovine spermatozoa were extracted from two bulls of different fertility, high and low fertility. An expression array was done to compare the expression levels of the microRNAs. It was shown that thousands of microRNAs are present in bovine spermatozoa but only a small amount was significantly expressed. The microRNAs from low fertility bulls were more highly expressed than those in high fertility bulls. A Bioanalyzer gel was used to confirm the …

Implementation And Impact Of A School-Based Intervention Program To Combat Obesity And Cardiovascular Disease In A Predominantly African-American High School, Brenda White Campbell Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed obesity of youth in a predominantly African-American school and was concerned with the implementation of a CVD intervention program, Project Health Curriculum, for high school students, focusing on early health promotion and support to children at risk of developing adult diseases. A health promotion program was implemented at a high school in Canton, Mississippi, to equip students with information to help reduce risk behaviors that could lead to health problems. This intervention was conducted in the health and physical education classes. Students were given the opportunity to report their knowledge and behaviors by participating in a pretest. …

Improving Structural And Functional Annotation Of The Chicken Genome, Teresia Buza

Theses and Dissertations

Chicken is an important non-mammalian vertebrate model organism for biomedical research, especially for vaccine production and the study of embryology and development. Chicken is also an important agricultural species and major food source for high-quality protein worldwide. In addition, chicken is an important model organism for comparative and evolution genomics. Exploitation of this genome as a biomedical model is hindered by its incomplete structural and functional annotation. This incomplete annotation makes it difficult for researchers to model their functional genomics datasets. Improving structural and functional annotation of the chicken genome will allow researchers to derive biological meaning from their functional …

In Vitro Digestibilty Of Ryegrass Supplemented With Hay, Corn, Or Soybean Hulls, Chadwick Warren Dunaway

Theses and Dissertations

An in vitro continuous culture rumen fermentation experiment was conducted to evaluate digestibility of annual ryegrass either fed alone or annual ryegrass supplemented with hay, corn, or soybean hulls. Nutrient disappearance of feedstuffs offered were not different (P > 0.05) as a percentage of the diet however there were differences (P < 0.05) in amounts of individual nutrients digested for each treatment. Ammonia-N concentrations of culture samples were less (P < 0.05) for vessels fed corn as a supplement however there was no difference (P > 0.05) among vessels fed either ryegrass alone or supplemented with hay or soybean hulls. This may indicate a more efficient use of available nutrients from annual ryegrass when corn was supplemented.

In Vivo And In Vitro Nutrient Balance And Assessment Of Pcr And Biophotonics As Techniques For Evaluating Ruminal Bacteria, Adam I. Orr

Theses and Dissertations

To better understand the facets of nutrient utilization, a series of in vivo and in vitro studies were undertaken to elucidate the effect of supplementation on utilization of moderate-quality bermudagrass hay and to identify mechanisms to evaluate the role of rumen bacterial populations on feedstuff utilization. A digestion trial was conducted using 6 ruminally cannulated steers receiving bermudagrass hay supplemented with soybean hulls (HULLS), cracked corn (CORN), or soybean hulls and cracked corn (MIX; 75% and 25%, respectively) in a 3x3 Latin Rectangle arrangement. Additionally, ruminal fluid was continuously cultured using the BioFlo® 110 fermentation system to evaluate the in …

Inhibition Of Human Carboxylesterases: Exploring Interindividual Variation Of Biochemical Activity And Novels Physiological Functions Of Carboxylesterases, Shuqi Xie

Theses and Dissertations

Carboxylesterases (CEs) are nonspecific hydrolytic enzymes and responsible for the metabolism of xenobiotics and endobiotics that contain ester bonds. There are two human CE isoforms found in liver, CES1 and CES2. In this study it is shown that the mere abundance of CES1 protein expression in human liver does not predict its biochemical activity. The human interindividual variation in CES1 activities may attribute to several mechanisms. One possibility is the presence of endogenous inhibitors in liver, arachidonic acid (AA) and 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-HC). CES1 is also expressed in human monocytes/macrophages and is proposed to catalyze the rate-limiting step of cholesterol ester …

Techniques To Aid In Switchgrass Establishment From Seed, Jason Brett Rushing

Theses and Dissertations

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a native warm-season grass where weed control during establishment is a limiting factor for stand. Objectives of this research are to develop a herbicide resistant cultivar and to test a variety of seed safeners to improve first year growth. Phenotypic recurrent selection (PRS) was used to select ‘Alamo’ switchgrass seedlings that showed resistance to imazapic herbicide at 245 g a.i./ha. Initial screenings of 364, 650 seedlings resulted in 63 survivors, a selection intensity of 0.0172%. Subsequent testing of the next generation of seedlings indicated that multiple generations of selection were needed in order to transfer greater …

Molecular And Biochemical Role Of Auxin And Cytokinin In Dedifferentiation And Organogenesis Of Arabidopsis, Aparna Kakani

Theses and Dissertations

Cell dedifferentiation is a cell fate regression process in which the cell fate memory of a differentiated cell is erased, leading to regain stem cell characteristics. Auxin regulates both cell dedifferentiation and differentiation in plants. It is unknown how auxin controls the two opposite processes. Here the minimal auxin requirements for cell dedifferentiation were found, molecular markers associated with the cell dedifferentiation event were identified. When cellular auxin concentration exceeds the level of meristem cell, most differentiated cells undergo dedifferentiation. In differentiated cells, the polar auxin efflux system prevents cell dedifferentiation by reducing auxin accumulation, particularly in the presence of …

Movements, Relatedness And Modeled Genetic Manipulation Of White-Tailed Deer, Stephen Lance Webb

Theses and Dissertations

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been intensively studied across their range. However, many aspects of the white-tailed deer’s ecology have not been studied or are difficult to study. The advent of global positioning system (GPS) collar technology and molecular genetics techniques now allows researchers to collect fine-scale and cryptic phenomena. In addition, selective harvest of male white-tailed deer, based on antler size, has not been critically evaluated. Thus, development and use of quantitative genetics models will be useful for elucidating the effects of selective harvest on mean population antler size. I used GPS collar technology to further understand white-tailed deer …

Multidisciplinary Evaluation Of No-Till Corn Grazing Systems In Mississippi, Dawn Holland Manning

Theses and Dissertations

To ascertain potential ecological and landowner benefits of non-conventional agricultural systems, this project was designed to monitor cattle production and mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) utilization of land areas that allowed grazing cattle to harvest corn planted with no-till methods. In 2005-2008, study sites were located in four counties of MS, including four steer/heifer-grazed and harvested corn fields (SHS) and four conventionally-managed and combine-harvested corn fields (CHS). Vegetation characteristics, residual grain quantities, and use by doves were measured on SHS and CHS. Steer average daily gains (ADG), quality grades, and feedlot days were compared to traditional cattle production methods. Mourning dove …

The Role Of Cattle And Gulf Coast Ticks (Amblyomma Maculatum) In The Epidemiology Of Rickettsia Parkeri Infection, Kristine T. Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

I hypothesized cattle and Gulf Coast ticks (GCT), Amblyomma maculatum, may be involved in epidemiology of Rickettsia parkeri infection. I demonstrated transient rickettsemia by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the 17 kilodalton (kDa) gene in 33% (2/6) of calves experimentally exposed to R. parkeri either by direct inoculation or by placement of R. parkeri-infected GCT on calves’ ears. Calves (4/4) receiving GCT developed lesions at attachment sites consistent with a pathologic condition known as “gotch” ear whether or not GCT were infected with R. parkeri, suggesting the condition is related to GCT attachment and not to rickettsial infection. In calves …

Fractionation Of Soybean Meal, Cottonseed Meal And Wheat Middlings Using Combination Of Sieving And Air Classification, Ravi Kumar Challa

Theses and Dissertations

Fiber separation from these animal feeds could increase the protein and hence increase the value of the animal feed. The objective of the study was to evaluate the combination of sieving and air classification for fiber separation from soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CSM) and wheat middlings (WM). The effect of yields of lighter fractions on fiber separation from size fractions was also investigated. At low yields of lighter fraction (5%), the quantity of fiber product separated was 3.7, 1.3 and 4.8% by weight of SBM, CSM and WM respectively. At high yields of lighter fractions (15%), the quantity of …

Mammalian Herbivory Of Hardwood Seedlings On Afforestation Areas Of The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Tyler S. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) has undergone losses of bottomland hardwood forests due to agricultural conversion. Hardwood establishment on marginal croplands has been proposed to mitigate effects of deforestation and related loss of carbon-capture potential. However, a possible concern with reforestation is low seedling survival from mammalian herbivory. I surveyed two afforested fields in the MAV of northwest Mississippi to assess damage and mortality from four herbivores on nine species of hardwood seedlings (n = 868). Percentage survival of seedlings was 35%. Mortality of seedlings caused by herbivores was: hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus; 6.45%), rabbit ((Sylvilagus spp.; 1.95%), pine …

Modeling Molecular Transport And Binding Interactions In Intervertebral Disc, Francesco Travascio

Open Access Dissertations

Low back pain represents a significant concern in the United States, with 70% of individuals experiencing symptoms at some point in their lifetime. Although the specific cause of low back pain remains unclear, symptoms have been strongly associated with degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Insufficient nutritional supply to the disc is believed to be a major mechanism for tissue degeneration. Understanding nutrients' transport in intervertebral disc is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms of disc degeneration, and to develop strategies for tissue repair (in vivo), and tissue engineering (in vitro). Transport in intervertebral disc is complex and involves a series of …

2009-2010 Chamber Music Honors, Kaitlin Richardson, Ilie Curteanu, Zhou Jiang, Jeffrey Karlson, Aaron Heine, Mario Lopez, Alex Nisbet, Steven Gellersen, Molin Wang, Chien-I Yang, Edgar Leite, Joe Adkins, Ioana Luca, Adriana Lombardi, Dongfang Zhang

Other Student Recitals

No abstract provided.

Research In Semantic Web And Information Retrieval: Trust, Sensors, And Search, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

The Murray Ledger And Times, December 10, 2009, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

The Setonian, December 10, 2009, Seton Hall University

2009

No abstract provided.

Christ The Redeemer And The Best Of All Possibly Created Worlds: Using Alvin Plantinga's 'O Felix Culpa' Theodicy As A Response To William Rowe's 'Can God Be Free?' And The Underlying Evidential Argument From Evil, P. Roger Turner

Masters Theses

In his "The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism," William Rowe famously argues that there are no God justifying goods that we know of that can excuse God's allowing the very many widespread evils and horrors there are in our world. I argue that this forms the backbone of his 2004 volume entitled Can God be Free? in which he posits two further arguments: (1) God must create the best of necessity and is thereby not free and so not praiseworthy, and (2) God cannot create a best world (since there is no best) and so always does …

The Scarlet - Volume Xc, No. 11 (December 10, 2009), Scarlet Staff

The Scarlet Archive (Student Newspaper) (1939-2011) (In Progress)

The December 10, 2009 edition of The Scarlet (est. 1939), Clark University's student-run newspaper. The Scarlet is intellectually and editorially independent of the University.

The cover story for this issue is "ZipCar comes to Clark next semester: New transportation options available for students". Other headlines and coverage include a mystery candidate for University President, student council meetings, a US ban on flavored cigarettes, "in vitro meat", ocean pollution, a concert from Clark's 37-piece concert band, a World AIDS Day CUREfest, and more.

Every issue of The Scarlet from the 2011-2012 academic year to the present can be found here, …

Carr V. United States: Brief Of Law Professors As Amici Curiae In Support Of Petitioner, J. J. Prescott

Appellate Briefs

Amici curiae are law professors who specialize in constitutional law, substantive criminal law, and criminal procedure. As law professors, amici have a particular interest in ensuring that the Ex Post Facto Clause of Article I of the United States Constitution is enforced in a manner consistent with its core historic goals and principles. The judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit violated these goals and principles, and it prescribed a peculiar new test for application of the Clause that significantly deviates from this Court's settled jurisprudence.

In this brief, amici explore the critical structural role of …

The Missouri Miner, December 10, 2009

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

The Weekly Challenger, December 10, 2009, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The December 10, 2009, issue of The Weekly Challenger.