Digital Commons Network^™

A Pattern Recognition Approach To Electromyography Data, Ivan Stefanov Mitzev

Theses and Dissertations

EMG classification is widely used in electric control of mechanically developed prosthesis, robots development, clinical application etc. It has been evaluated for years, but the main goal of this research is to develop an easy to implement and fast to execute pattern recognition method for classifying signals used for human gait analysis. This method is based on adding two new temporal features (form factor and standard deviation) for EMG signal recognition and using them along with several popular features (area under the curve, wavelength function-pathway and zero crossing rate) to come up with a low complexity suitable feature extraction. Results …

Evaluation Of In Vitro Serial Antibiotic Elution From Meropenem-Impregnated Polymethylmethacrylate Beads After Ethylene Oxide Gas And Autoclave Sterilization, Leonardo Alfredo Baez

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine elution properties of meropenem and compare the elutions of meropenem impregnated PMMA beads without sterilization (PMMA-Cont) to those sterilized with steam (PMMA-Auto) and ethylene oxide gas (PMMA-EO). Four groups of beads were produced: one group without antibiotic and three groups of meropenem impregnated beads: PMMA-Cont, PMMA-Auto, and PMMA-EO. Antibiotic concentrations in eluent samples were determined using a microbiological assay at different time intervals. The microbiological assay resulted in no zone of inhibition at all time periods for the PMMA-Auto samples and the samples of PMMA without antimicrobial. The meropenem concentration on the …

Factors Affecting Ammonia Volatilization From Broiler Litter, Dana Mcgee Miles

Theses and Dissertations

Loss of ammonia from broiler litter degrades air quality, decreases litter fertilizer value, and can have negative health consequences for birds and their caretakers. Rates of NH3 emission from broiler houses are complicated by interrelated management and environmental factors such as air temperature, humidity, house style, ventilation rate,bird age, litter conditions, litter characteristics, and cleanout schedule. Wide variations inemission rates necessitate further investigation of litter characteristics and abatement techniques. The research was designed to clarify the impact of moisture effects that are critical to emissions for poultry litter, in conjunction with bedding type and temperature. Experiments were conducted on litter …

Factors Affecting Morphometrics And Epiphyseal Closure Of White-Tailed Deer, Emily Brooke Flinn

Theses and Dissertations

Factors affecting morphometrics and epiphyseal closure are important in understanding regional variation and growth of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). I compared body and antler growth from birth to 3 years of age in captive, first-generation, male white-tailed deer from three regions with varying soil quality and deer morphometrics. I also determined gender and age effects on epiphyseal closure timing in captive white-tailed deer. I found regional morphological variation present in first-generation male deer, which may be caused by regional genetic variation or lingering maternal effects. Determining cause of regional morphological variation will require data collection through a second-generation of males …

Investigation Of High Rate Mechanical Properties And Damage Evolution In Porcine Liver Tissue, Joseph Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Each year, 6.4 million automobile accidents account for approximately 40,000 deaths in the United States. With increasing requirements for automobile safety, computational models capable of simulating organ deformation/ injury during high impact scenarios would be extremely valuable for optimizing safety measures. Accurate experimental data is essential for the accuracy of the models; however, there has been a sparse investigation into high-strain biomechanics which is necessary to address organ/tissue response in high impact scenarios. Damage threshold criterion and damage evolution are other areas that have not been well studied. In vehicular accidents, damage to the liver is the most common cause …

Assessing Long-Term Viability Of Glyphosate-Resistant Technology As A Foundation For Cropping Systems, Jason Wade Weirich

Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops in the late 1990s changed the way producers used herbicides to control weeds. Since the introduction of GR crops producers have relied on glyphosate alone for weed control instead of utilizing multiple modes of action for weed control. This over-reliance resulted in several weed species developing resistance to glyphosate. This has resulted in organizations from the public and private sector questioning the sustainability of GR cropping systems. Researchers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, and North Carolina established 156 onarm trials to determine the sustainability of GR cropping systems. The objectives of this study …

Nutrient Utilization By And Diet Preference Of American White Pelicans When Offered Diets Of Channel Catfish And (Or) Grass Carp, Treena Lee Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

Twelve pelicans captured in northeast Mississippi were used for a 7 day metabolism trial followed by a 2 day preference trial and a trial to evaluate the effect of consuming plastic tags. In the metabolism trial, pelicans were allotted to one of three treatment diets (4 birds/diet): catfish only, carp only or both (50 % catfish and 50% carp). Pelicans consuming the catfish only diet metabolized less dry matter, organic matter and energy than those consuming only carp or both. Four pelicans were used to determine preference for carp or catfish. Pelicans ate more (P = 0.001) carp (89 % …

Seed Coating, Seed Treatment, And Temperature Effects On Germination Of Five Seeded Bermudagrass Cultivars, John Morris Layton

Theses and Dissertations

The use of improved seeded bermudagrasses (SB) has increased. All new cultivars are marketed as coated seed. As germination of many of these new cultivars is less than ideal, questions arise as to the effect coatings have on germination. Five SB cultivars were selected for a series of germination studies. The first study compared coated and uncoated samples of the five cultivars for germination response to six temperature regimes. Overall, commercial seed coating did not affect SB germination. However, both temperature regime and cultivar were significant factors. In a second study, three seed treatments were investigated across three temperature regimes …

Shifts In Herbicide Use, Tillage Practices, And Perceptions Of Glyphosate-Resistant Weeds Following Adoption Of Glyphosate-Resistant Crops, Wade Alexander Givens

Theses and Dissertations

A survey was conducted by phone to nearly 1,200 growers in six states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, and North Carolina) in 2005. The survey measured producers’ cropping history, perception of glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds, past and present weed pressure, tillage practices, and herbicide use as affected by the adoption of GR crops. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of GR crop use on producers’ tillage practices; changes in herbicide use patterns after adoption of a GR crop; effect of grower awareness of GR weeds on sources of information growers’ use; and growers’ perceptions on resistance management …

Skin From Horses With Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (Herda) Contains Collagen Crosslinking Patterns That Are Associated With Reduced Tensile Strength, Ashley Arwen Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) is a recessive connective tissue disorder of Quarter Horse lineages. This study correlates previously identified decreases in skin tensile strength in HERDA with abnormal dermal collagen cross linking patterns that are also identified in urine from HERDA horses. Dermal collagen from HERDA horses has significantly less pyridinoline and significantly more deoxypyridinoline than control or carriers. Concentrations of hydroxylysine, the rate limiting substrate for these crosslinks were significantly lower in HERDA versus control and carriers. These characteristics of HERDA skin parallel humans with a similar syndrome of skin fragility, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome TypeVIA. This is …

Prevalence Of Campylobacter Jejuni In Newly Constructed Broiler Houses, Krista Nicole Eberle

Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in the United States. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter in newly constructed broiler houses and compare three microaerophilic gas delivery methods used to culture Campylobacter in the laboratory. Of 2,300 litter, 900 fecal, and 45 water samples, only 5, 6 and 1 of the samples, respectively, were confirmed positive. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Results indicated litter moisture content was different across day, location and house. An interaction was detected for litter pH between day, location and flock. Temperatures averaged 26.8°C inside and 27.6°C outside. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> No difference in …

Protein Markers In Angus Bull Spermatozoa For Fertility, Xiaojun Wang

Theses and Dissertations

In the field of mammalian reproduction, the success rate of fertilization largely relies on spermatozoa fertility potential. Total proteins change to a large degree during gametogenesis to activate gametes. There are some techniques that are most popular for proteomic studies of fertilization, including SDS-PAGE, 2D-DIGE, Western Blotting and Immunocytochemistry, as well as Mass Spectrometry. Proteins and their cofactors play important roles at different stages of gametogenesis, fertilization and embryo development. However, insufficiencies in the construction mode of fertility hinder the techniques in determination the sperm fertility. This study focused on identifying and tracking crucial proteins for fertility based on comparison …

On The Design-Build Of Small Pavilions, Agrippa Spence Kellum

Theses and Dissertations

Design-build is the process whereby a project is constructed by the same entity that designed it. Detailed narratives are provided for the collaborative, integrated designbuild of two small, relatively contemporary pavilions. The first was constructed as part of a design-build workshop taught by Steve Badanes, director of the Neighborhood Design/Build Studio at the University of Washington Department of Architecture and founder of the international architecture firm The Jersey Devil. The second, a multi-use pavilion on the site of a former junkyard, was implemented as a local volunteer community service project using Badanes' method. A third proposal is also described; an …

Temporal And Spatial Patterns Of Fish Distribution And Diversity In The Noxubee River, Mississippi And Alabama, Michael Thomas Calloway

Theses and Dissertations

The Mobile Basin is a prime example of a system that has undergone extensive channel modification with corresponding declines in the distribution and abundance of the native aquatic fauna. However, many of the declining aquatic species of the Mobile basin may persist within unmodified subbasins. The Noxubee River is a subbasin of the Mobile basin that has had very little alteration throughout its watershed. I investigated the species richness and assemblage structure to determine if the contemporary fish assemblage attributes resembled the conditions represented by historic collections. The findings of this study are important because the Noxubee River has not …

The Biology, Ecology And Management Of Common Reed [Phragmites Australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel], Joshua Craig Cheshier

Theses and Dissertations

Studies conducted to determine life history and starch allocation of common reed (Phragmites australis), and evaluate haplotype susceptibility to aquatic labeled herbicides. Twelve 0.1 m2 samples were taken from four sites in the Mobile River delta from January 2006 to December 2007. Samples separated into above and belowground biomass dried and weighed. Starch determination used the amylase/amyloglucosidase method. Biomass decreased with decreasing temperature. Aboveground biomass was 2200 and 1302 g m2 in October 2006 and December 2007. Belowground biomass was 1602 and 1610 g m-2 in November 2006 and December 2007. Aboveground starch was highest in December of 2006 and …

The Conceptual Ecology And Management Of Parrotfeather [Myriophyllum Aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc., Ryan Michael Wersal

Theses and Dissertations

Parrotfeather [Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vellozo) Verdecourt] is a non-native aquatic plant from South America that was introduced into the United States in the 1890's. Research was conducted to elucidate seasonal life history, starch allocation patterns, and key environmental factors that may affect plant growth. Environmental factors identified in field studies were used to develop a conceptual model to display relationships between growth and environmental factors. The conceptual model served as a broad-based hypothesis to parameterize growth limiting factors as it related to M. aquaticum growth. Mesocosm experiments were then conducted to test relationships depicted in the model and define the growth …

The Effects Of Dietary Amino Acid Density In Broiler Feed On Carcass Characteristics And Meat Quality, Reid Alexander Lilly

Theses and Dissertations

Research was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary amino acid (AA) density (Deficient (D), Low (L), High (H), and Excessive (E)) on broiler breast and thigh meat quality. As expected, the feed conversion improved (P<0.05) as AA density increased. No differences (P>0.05) existed among treatments with regard to final pH, cooking loss, shear force, brine absorption proximate analysis, and average consumer acceptability of breast meat. The D AA diet yielded meat with less (P<0.05) moisture, less protein (P<0.05) and more fat (P<0.05) than all other treatments. Increasing AA density in the diet led to increased (P<0.05) concentrations of linoleic and linolenic acid in the thigh meat from the H and E treatments, thus making it more susceptible to oxidation (P<0.05) in comparison to the D and L treatments. Overall, data revealed that all four AA diets yielded high-quality breast and thigh meat with minimal product differences.

Mode Of Action And Characterization Of A Novel Biological Response Modifier Isolated From Fractionated Caprine Serum, Charles Joseph Matyi

Theses and Dissertations

Immune Cell Potentiating Factor (ICPF) represents a class of biological response modifiers initially only found within active caprine serum fractions. Controlled studies have since demonstrated active ICPF derived from several non-caprine mammalian sources; including equine and human. ICPF is able to increase survivability in murine gram negative induced sepsis (60%) as well as secondary infection and subsequent sepsis in canines infected within canine parvo virus 2 (36%) despite showing no innate antiviral properties. ICPF is able to initiate systemic proteomic changes within several organ systems; including serum, liver, brain, lung, and spleen. ICPF initiated an early acute phase response, specifically …

Understanding Molecular Aspects Of Catfish-Pathogen Interactions, Pradeepkumar Reddy Dumpala

Theses and Dissertations

The catfish industry suffers losses primarily due to enteric septicemia of catfish and columnaris disease caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri and Flavobacterium columnare, respectively. Understanding the host-pathogen interactions is vital for prevention and eradication of these diseases. Hence, the overall objective of this study was to analyze whole cell proteomes of these two bacteria, and to determine the changes in E. ictaluri protein expression against in vitro iron-restriction and host serum treatment. High-throughput proteomic analysis of these bacteria was conducted using two-dimensional liquid chromatography followed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (2-D LC ESI MS/MS) and two-dimentional gel electrophoresis coupled with …

Management Strategies For Glyphosate-Resistant Italian Ryegrass [Lolium Perenne L. Ssp. Multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot], Robin C. Bond

Theses and Dissertations

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) Italian ryegrass has been documented in many different countries around the world and has now become a major problem in row crop production areas of Mississippi. Field experiments were conducted from 2006 to 2008 in the Mississippi Delta to evaluate various herbicide and tillage treatment programs for its control. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Highest level of control and reduction of GR Italian ryegrass biomass was observed with mechanically incorporated as well as surface applied residual herbicides in the fall of the year. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Control of GR Italian ryegrass was 86-95% with surface applications of clomazone at 0.56, 0.84, and 1.12 kg …

Tissue Engineering Strategies For The Treatment Of Peripheral Vascular Diseases, Hans Layman

Open Access Dissertations

Peripheral vascular diseases such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and critical limb ischemia (CLI) are growing at an ever-increasing rate in the Western world due to an aging population and the incidence of type II diabetes. A growing economic burden continues because these diseases are common indicators of future heart attack or stroke. Common therapies are generally limited to pharmacologic agents or endovascular therapies which have had mixed results still ending in necrosis or limb loss. Therapeutic angiogenic strategies have become welcome options for patients suffering from PAD due to the restoration of blood flow in the extremities. Capillary sprouting …

Phylogeography Of The Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys Palustris) In Wetlands Of The Southeastern United States, Jane L. Indorf

Open Access Dissertations

The marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) is a semi-aquatic rodent endemic to the southeastern United States. Unlike most terrestrial small mammals, the marsh rice rat can easily disperse over water and has a close association with wetlands. These specialized traits have likely greatly shaped the genetic structure and diversity within this species. I studied genetic patterns within the marsh rice rat to understand how this species' specialized ecology, as well as the geologic and climatic history of the southeastern United States, affected the genetic structuring within this species. The phylogeography of many species in the southeastern United States has been …

The Role Of E6-Associated Protein In Estrogen Receptor Alpha Regulation, Heath W. Catoe

Open Access Dissertations

The Estrogen Receptor alpha (ER alpha) is a multi-domain transcription factor that has been extensively studied due to its known involvement in breast cancer treatment and progression. Subsequent studies have shown coregulators are extensively involved in modulating the transcriptional activation of ER alpha and many of these proteins possess enzymatic functions. Coregulators are divided into two categories, coactivators which enhance transcriptional output and corepressors which decrease transcriptional output. One protein responsible for Angelman syndrome, E6-associated protein (E6-AP) was found to be a coactivator of ER alpha and possessed ubiquitin ligase activity; however, the ubiquitin ligase activity has been shown not …

Interactions Between Water Chemistry And Waterborne Lead Exposure To Freshwater Organisms, Edward M. Mager

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation characterizes the influences of water chemistry on the acute toxicity of lead (Pb) to two of the long-standing sentinel test organisms commonly employed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and daphnid (Ceriodaphnia dubia), for parameterization of an acute Pb Biotic Ligand Model (BLM). In addition, a toxicogenomic approach was employed to identify genes that might serve as molecular markers of Pb exposure and long-term effects, as well as provide new insights as to the underlying toxic mechanisms of chronic Pb exposure in P. promelas. The endpoints of growth, reproduction, Pb accumulation, …

Travel, Migration And Hiv:Comparing Risk Behaviors Betweennative And Migrant Jamaican Persons Infected With Hiv, Yoran T. Grant

Open Access Dissertations

Migration and travel have been significant factors in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic since its emergence in 1981. Understanding the current effects of migration and travel on HIV/AIDS transmission and survival is essential to intervention efforts, especially for immigrants. Previous research highlights differences between immigrants and native ethnic minorities, but few studies compare immigrant groups to their peers in the country of origin. The overall objective of this study was to explore the relationship between migration, travel and risk behavior among Jamaicans infected with HIV. This dissertation study analyzed HIV/AIDS registry data from the New York City Department of …

A Spectral Approach To Protein Structure Alignment, Yosi Shibberu, Allen Holder

Mathematical Sciences Technical Reports (MSTR)

We present two algorithms that use spectral methods to align protein folds. One of the algorithms is suitable for database searches, the other for difficult alignments. We present computational results for 780 pairwise alignments used to classify 40 proteins as well as results for a separate set of 36 protein alignments used for comparison to four other alignment algorithms. We also provide a mathematically rigorous development of the intrinsic geometry underlying our spectral approach.

An Emerging Disease Causes Regional Population Collapse Of A Common North American Bat Species, Winifred F. Frick, Jacob F. Pollock, Alan C. Hicks

KIP Articles

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging disease affecting hibernating bats in eastern North America that causes mass mortality and precipitous population declines in winter hibernacula. First discovered in 2006 in New York State, WNS is spreading rapidly across eastern North America and currently affects seven species. Mortality associated with WNS is causing a regional population collapse and is predicted to lead to regional extinction of the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), previously one of the most common bat species in North America. Novel diseases can have serious impacts on naïve wildlife populations, which in turn can have substantial impacts on …

Florida V. Hhs - States Memorandum In Opposition To Defendants' Motion To Dismiss, State Of Florida

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Litigation

No abstract provided.

Interview With Farhad Ghafarzade, Green Drop Garage, 2010 (Audio), Farhad Ghafarzade

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Farhad Ghafarzade by Jeff Howard in SE Portland, Oregon on August 6th, 2010.

The interview index is available for download.

21 Exceptional Students Receive Scholarships From Honors College, Special Academic Opportunities, Admin

University of Mississippi News

No abstract provided.