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Effect Of Dietary Lysine On Plasma Amino Acid Profile And Selected Metabolites Of Late-Stage Finishing Pigs, Naresh Regmi

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary lysine on plasma concentrations of amino acid (AAs) and other metabolites of finishing pigs. Eighteen crossbred late-stage finishing pigs (9 barrows and 9 gilts) were assigned to three dietary treatments, Diets I (lysine-deficient), II (lysineequate), and III (lysine-excess), according to a randomized complete block design with gender as block. After 4 weeks on trial, jugular vein blood were collected and centrifuged for plasma samples, which were analyzed for concentrations of 24 AAs using HPLC method and 6 selected metabolites related to major nutrient metabolism using ACE Alera Clinical …

Effects Of Intercropping Switchgrass In Managed Pine Stands On Plant Communities And White-Tailed Deer Forage Production, Bradley Robert Wheat

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in renewable energy and governmental mandates has motivated land managers to consider cellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy. I investigated plant community response to a system including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a feedstock intercropped with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). I estimated plant species evenness, richness, and diversity and biomass production, with emphasis on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forages. I detected 225 species in 2,220 1-m2 quadrats, and 7,495 biomass samples (96.4 kg dry weight) from 960 quadrats. Intercropping reduced plant species diversity, total non-pine tree biomass, and biomass of deer forages during switchgrass establishment. These effects were no longer apparent at …

Effects Of Supplementing Ponies With Dietary Fat On Nutrient Digestibility And Blood Insulin, Glucose, And Fatty Acid Concentrations, Toree Lee Bova

Theses and Dissertations

Fat supplementation is a common practice to increase caloric intake in the performance horse. The effects of fat on fiber digestibility is unknown. Understanding of digestibility in the equine digestive tract is limited by sampling technique. While cecal and ileal cannulations have previously been utilized to determine equine nutrient digestibility and gastrointestinal physiology, the current research has been limited to singular portions of the equine digestive tract. The objectives of this dissertation were to determine the effects of dietary fat supplementation on nutrient digestibility and blood insulin, glucose, and fatty acid concentrations using dual cannulated ponies. The first step to …

Effects Of The Farm Input Subsidy Program On Maize: Identifying Maize Supply And Demand Elasticities In Malawi, Tabitha Charles Nindi

Theses and Dissertations

While Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) has been the focus of numerous studies on the impacts of subsidies on farm-household income, yields, fertilizer use and adoption, there still has not been much empirical work quantifying the program’s effects on maize supply and demand. In this study, we use the econometric framework proposed by Roberts and Schlenker (2013) to identify the effect of FISP on maize production as well as supply and demand price elasticities in Malawi. We use national aggregate data and find that the program has increased aggregate maize supply. Our results show that FISP has had an …

Effects Of The In Ovo Injection Of Inovocox Em1 Vaccine On The Embryogenesis, Posthatch Performance, And Gut Pathology Of Ross Ross 708 Broilers, Adebayo Oluwaseun Sokale

Theses and Dissertations

Effects of the in ovo injection of Inovocox EM1 vaccine (EM1 vaccine) suspended in commercial diluent on developing broiler embryos were investigated in 3 trials. Effects of the EM1vaccine administered by in ovo injection on broiler embryogenesis and posthatch performance was determined by evaluating site of injection (SOI), embryo staging (ES), hatchability, and chick quality parameters. Oocyst output, microscopic lesion scores, and grow-out performance were further examined through day 35 posthatch. In these studies, it was shown that oocyst output began at day 3 posthatch (6 days post-injection), and peaked at day 7 posthatch (10 days post-injection). The EM1 vaccine …

Estimation Of Deer Damage To Soybean Production In Mississippi: A Spatial And Temporal Context, Gathel Caleb Hinton

Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) are one of Mississippi’s most profitable agricultural crops. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiaus) damage soybean every year due to the plant’s high palatability, digestibility and nutritional content. I estimated the amount of damage (browsing and loss of yield) caused by deer within 5 soybean fields in eastern Mississippi and compared damage to the number of deer using each field during the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons. I assessed the effectiveness of the chemical repellent Hinder on soybean. While deer did affect soybean height, soybean yield remained unaffected during both years of my study. Given the results …

Evaluating Productivity Of Southern Agroforestry For Fiber, Biofuels, And Wildlife Habitat, Henry Gill Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

Wildlife habitat values associated with agroforestry systems in Mississippi are not fully understood. Landscape matrix changes resulting in close location of various agricultural and tree crops can provide habitat more suitable for use by game wildlife. This study examined the feasibility of improving habitat value by adopting agroforestry alley cropping practices. A completely randomized block design was utilized to ascertain production values for two different even-aged crop trees, shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.), and four different agricultural crops, corn (Zea mays L.), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), and soybeans (Glycine …

Spatial Ecology And Population Estimation Of The American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) In Inland Systems Of Mississippi, Bradley Austin Strickland

Theses and Dissertations

Wildlife management and conservation frequently rely on understanding mechanisms that influence distribution and abundance of animals. I quantified space use for a population of inland riverine adult male alligators in Mississippi. Results indicated habitat selection is a scale-dependent process and aquatic vegetation, water depth, and water temperature may be important factors influencing alligator foraging and thermoregulation. Apparent habitat suitability and low alligator density did not manifest in an observed body size-based dominance hierarchy. I also analyzed long-term Mississippi alligator spotlight survey data for trends and effects of environmental covariates on counts. Model results indicated alligator counts have increased over time. …

Improvements To Broiler Production Through Amino Acid Digestibility And Feed Additives, Cameron Mario Cardenas

Theses and Dissertations

Improvements to broiler production can be made through the means of nutrition and preventative health care. Formulating diets based on a digestible amino acid (AA) basis decreases feed cost and improves bird performance by providing a more accurate diet based on the bird’s specific production or age nutrient requirements. The apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (AIAAD) assay utilized in Experiment 1 demonstrated inconsistent results for age effects on AIAAD of an animal by-product blends for specific AA or age. Increasing pathogenic resistance and consumer’s push on the market, has caused integrators to incorporate alternative medications or inclusion strategies to coccidiosis …

Influence Of Therapeutic Horseback Riding On Gross Motor Function In Children With Autism, Jennifer Marie Lockhart

Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a disorder that has increased in numbers and prevalence within today’s society. Though no cure has been found, recent studies have focused on different therapeutic intervention techniques offered to autistic individuals, including the use of Therapeutic Horseback Riding. This study analyzes the relationship of therapeutic horseback riding on gross motor function in children with Autism. Four children participated in a ten week previously established therapeutic horseback riding program at French Camp, Mississippi. Gross motor function was assessed before and after five riding sessions by recording performances of eleven skills from Motor Skills Inventory (MSI). Only two participants completed …

Integrated Agronomic Management Practices For Tall Fescue In Mississippi, Patton J. Slusher

Theses and Dissertations

Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus), is a cool season perennial that provides grazing into the early summer months for southern livestock. Grazing the tall fescue variety, Kentucky-31, has negative effects on animal health, particularly after jointing. Two studies were arranged as randomized complete blocks in a split-plot design, with three replicates to compare: the effect of ten herbicides on seedhead suppression, or the effect of inter-seeding legumes [white clover (Trifolium repens) or alfafla (Medicago sativa)] coupled with nitrogen supplementation on fescue yield and forage nutritive value. The herbicides imazethapyr + 2,4-D and without, metsulfuron + chlorsulfuron, reduced seedheads emergence, but not …

Investigation Of Microbial Aspects Related To Salmonella As A Food Pathogen Bioluminescent Reporting System And Mechanisms For Host Invasion, Kevin Howe

Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella can reside in healthy animals without the manifestation of any adverse effects on the carrier. If raw products of animal origin are not handled properly during processing or cooked to a proper temperature during preparation, salmonellosis can occur. In this research, microbial aspects related to Salmonella as a food pathogen are investigated. A bioluminescent reporting system was developed for Salmonella to monitor the attachment and growth of the pathogen on food products. Twelve and eleven Salmonella strains from the broiler production continuum were tagged with bioluminescence by plasmid and integration of the lux operon into the chromosome, respectively. To …

Mississippi Teachers' Environmental Awareness And Usage Of The Project Learning Tree Curriculum Within Traditional Classrooms, Kimberly Nicole Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an international environmental education (EE) program designed for educators working with children and youth. In Mississippi, roughly 700 educators are trained yearly in using PLT curricula; however, how and if teachers use knowledge gained from these workshops remains unknown. This study addresses the environmental awareness and use of PLT curricula in traditional classroom of primary and secondary teachers in Mississippi. Using PLT participant survey data, individuals trained during the years 2009-2013 were surveyed using Qualtrics Survey Software. Mississippi teachers appear to have ecocentric worldviews, above average environmental knowledge, and have incorporated PLT lessons into their …

Genetic Structure Of Rhizobia Associated With Chamaecrista Fasciulata, Hanna Elizabeth Dorman

Theses and Dissertations

The legume-rhizobia relationship is an important symbiosis. Studies have found variation in specificity and the functionality of symbiotic specificity can vary among plants of the same species and among rhizobia, as well as in concert with geographical variation. Here, we examined the diversity and geographic structure of rhizobia nodulating Chamaecrista fasciculata, which grows throughout the east-central U.S. and is symbiotic with Bradyrhizobium species. We investigated the association of geography and soil variables on rhizobial diversity by sampling plant nodules and soil across Mississippi and evaluated variation in rhizobia housed in different nodules of individual plants. Using nifH and truA, we …

Evaluation Of Hybrids, Planting Dates, And Planting Densities On Corn Growth And Yield Under Rainfed Systems In Mississippi, Matthew W. Hock

Theses and Dissertations

Improved hybrid genetics and more efficient farming techniques have increased corn (Zea mays L.) production and grain yields for Mid-South farmers. Early planting is one technique to mitigate heat and drought stress that negatively influence grain production. The first objective was: a) determine the effect of early planting on grain yield, b) to determine the effects on physiological characteristics and c) determine if some hybrids are better suited for early planting. Data suggest there were yield advantages for early planted treatments. Starkville 2014 yields exhibited the greatest reduction of .80 Mg ha-1 for each week that planting was delayed. A …

Exploring The Role Of Dopamine In Stress Response And Aging In Drosophila Melanogaster - Implications For Neurodegenerative Diseases, Marley Elyse Hanna

Theses and Dissertations

Dopamine (DA) is a catecholamine that is involved in several neural functions such as modulation of locomotor behaviors, arousal states to appetitive aversive learning and memory. The relationships between DA, stress response and aging are unclear. This thesis examines numerous physiological, behavioral and biochemical parameters following perturbations in DA synthesis and transport in the Drosophila melanogaster model system. Intriguingly, elevated DA pools appear to confer protection, while depleted DA levels or transport increase susceptibility to oxidative insult. Resistance to oxidative stress in mutants with elevated DA levels was attributed to a significant up-regulation of glutathione S-transferase Omega-1. A sexually dimorphic …

A Study Of Abscisic Acid Regulated Enzymes And Histone Binding Proteins In Plants, Udhghatri Kolli

Theses and Dissertations

Plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a main role in coordinating various stress signals in plants. ABA regulates the expression of genes and activities of enzymes in response to various stress conditions. In the following studies we were able to study the ABA mediated regulation of enzymes in plants. Using in-gel activity analysis we identified that ABA regulates the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), an enzyme involved in nitrogen assimilation and carbohydrate metabolism. Our results indicate that phosphorylation of AAT by SnRK2.2 and 2.3 kinases results in down regulation of AAT2 and AAT3 isozyme activities in Arabidopsis. AAT was identified …

Branding A Professional American Football Franchise, John J. Ragone Jr.

Theses

The original intent of my thesis was to create a professional-level team identity that a community can embrace and emotionally bond with by utilizing contemporary design trends. As I researched the visual aspects of the brand strategy, it became apparent that current trends toward multiplicity of uniform designs could become a threat to an organization’s brand equity.

A corporate identity is the strategically engineered “personality” of an organization created to facilitate business objectives. How that identity is perceived and accepted supports relationship building between an organization and its audience or customers. Brand equity is developed through ease of recognition and …

Memories Of The Lake, Ed Shacklee

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Volume 44, Issue 1: Full Issue, Manuscripts Staff

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Will The Real Florida Please Stand Up?, Chris Katterjohn

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Volume 41, Issue 1: Full Issue, Manuscripts Staff

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

The Killing, Mar Miller

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Volume 40, Issue 1: Full Issue, Manuscripts Staff

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

In Nature's Eyes A Hero, Paul Genung

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Summer Job, Cindy Schamel

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Volume 39, Issue 2: Full Issue, Manuscripts Staff

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Blissburg Memories, David Paul Allen

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

The Old Man, Ruth Beyer

Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Back Matter

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.