Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Energy Drink Consumption By College Students Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Justin Adam Treloar

Theses and Dissertations

Energy drink consumption has become an increasing problem in the United States; the overconsumption of these products can lead to a myriad of health issues. Anxiety, increased heart rate, myocardial infarction, and death have been associated with consumption of energy drinks. With the health risks linked to energy drink consumption, understanding the use of these drinks is an important area of research. Few studies have reported on energy drink consumption patterns of college students as well as the perceptions of energy drinks on college campuses. It is important to understand the perceptions of energy drinks to assist in determining the …

Longevity Of Mineral Supplements Within The Soil And Associated Use By White-Tailed Deer, Brian C. Peterson, Keith D. Koupal, Andrew K. Schissel, Cody M. Siegel

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Humans have baited wildlife such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for generations with the primary purpose of increasing hunting harvest success. Baiting regulation changes are often considered by state management agencies as they pertain to hunting opportunity, fair chase, and disease risk. Cervids require a variety of minerals to supplement biological processes, especially sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P). We developed artificial mineral supplement sites set in front of trail cameras to monitor deer use. Pooled soil samples were collected at mineral sites and compared to the surrounding area to determine the longevity of elevated minerals levels …

Characterization Of The Ability Of Yeast Probiotics And Paraprobiotics To Directly Interact With Gram-Positive And Gram-Negative Bacteria, Gabriel Alviola Posadas

Theses and Dissertations

Yeast probiotics and paraprobiotics, live and inactivated yeast cells, respectively, improve health and performance of livestock by stabilizing the intestinal microbial community. They have also been used for infection prevention and treatment. Despite much research already conducted, the mechanism of direct antagonism, or adhesion of bacteria to the probiotic/paraprobiotic, is under characterized. Additionally, it is unknown which probiotic/paraprobiotic is optimal to use for specific infections. The interactions between the yeast and certain pathogens were analyzed qualitatively with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantitatively with membrane filtration assays. Gram-positive bacteria were found to exhibit specificity under SEM. Through membrane filtration, Listeria …

Conserving The Mississippi Gopher Frog (Lithobates Sevosa) Through The Use Of Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Katherine Michelle Graham

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi gopher frog (MGF, Lithobates sevosa) is a critically endangered amphibian which requires the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to successfully reproduce in captivity. Several challenges to successfully breeding MGFs were investigated to improve reproduction in this species. Accurate identification of biological sex is a necessary first step to reproducing species, thus several non-invasive techniques for sex identification were compared in the weakly dimorphic MGF. Reliably obtaining eggs from female MGFs has also proved difficult, therefore, four exogenous hormone therapies were compared for their success to induce ovulation. Ultrasound imaging was used alongside hormone treatments to improve understanding …

A Role Of Dispersed Phase Carbon-Length And Small Amphipathic Coemulsifier In Bovine Serum Albumin Stabilized Nanoemulsions Designed To Deliver Bleaching Agent To Decolorized Fresh Whey, Jingyi Yan

Theses and Dissertations

Benzoyl peroxide (BP), used to bleach annatto in cheese whey, was encapsulated within the hydrophobic dispersed phase (phi) of nanoemulsions (NEs) to minimize its degradation and extend its efficacy to minimized usage levels. Three purified, saturated short-chain fatty acids of varying chain lengths: butyric (C4), hexanoic (C6) and octanoic (C8) acid, were chosen as the phi to completely dissolve various concentrations of BP. Stabilization was achieved with different concentrations and combinations of primary emulsifier (E), bovine serum albumin, and coemulsifier (CE), Tween 20. Different ultra-high pressures (UHP) were used to generate a stable NE. The best result was made by …

Evaluation Of Initial Body Weight And Supplementation Levels On Health And Performance Of Newly Received Stocker Calves, William Corey Wilkins

Theses and Dissertations

These study objectives were to evaluate the effects of: initial bodyweight, energy supplementation, distance and days traveled and hair coat shedding on performance and health. Crossbred heifers (n=120) were purchased as either lightweight (136 kg) or heavyweight (226 kg) calves. Factors affecting morbidity and growth were tested using Poisson or linear regression (PROC GLIMMIX), with a correlation structure defining clustering by pen. Incidence density was 53.7/103 calf-days and 19.0/103 calf-days for light and heavy initial BW, respectively. Lightweight calves were 2.8 times more likely to be treated for BRD (p=0.02) and each increase in hair shed score increased risk for …

Investigating Phylogenetic Relationships Of Mosquito-Borne Avian Malaria In Mississippi, David Alan Larson

Theses and Dissertations

The vectors of avian malaria (Haemosporida) are an understudied component of wildlife disease ecology. Most studies of avian malaria have focused on the secondary bird hosts. This imbalance leaves a significant gap in our knowledge and understanding of the insect hosts. This study investigates the diversity of malaria parasites carried by mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) in the state of Mississippi. Using PCR techniques, haemosporidian infection rates were determined and parasites were identified in a phylogenetic context to those previously annotated. A total of 27,157 female mosquitoes representing 15 species were captured. Five of those species tested positive for malaria parasites with …

K Calibration For Corn And Soybean At -3 And -1/3 Bar Soil Moisture Levels (A Case Study Of Some Malawi Soils), Julia Nyembezi Qoto

Theses and Dissertations

A greenhouse pot study was conducted on three soils with varying clay contents to establish K critical value at -3 and -1/3 bar soil moisture levels. Four K fertilizer treatments (0, 0.07, 0.14, and 0.3 g/pot) replicated three times were arranged in a complete randomized block design. The Cate-Nelson graphical procedure revealed that K critical values for corn and soybeans were not equal at the two designated moisture levels. The corresponding percentage yield however was higher at -1/3 bars for corn and at -3 bars for soybean. Statistical regression analysis showed that there was a minor response in plant tissue …

Feed Quality Effects On Modern Heavy Broiler Performance, Robert Benjamin Sellers

Theses and Dissertations

Commercial broilers are fed exclusively pelleted diets; this is due to research that has demonstrated numerous benefits to feeding pellets. The first objective was to investigate the effects of modest improvements in pellet quality on two modern broiler strains. Regardless of strain, feeding 80% pellets improved broiler performance from d 28 to 42. The second objective was to investigate the effects of feed form and liquid application method on feed augering segregation and subsequent broiler performance. In general, percent pellets steadily decreased across location throughout feed augering. Also, phytase segregation occurred throughout augering and was exacerbated in post-pellet liquid application …

Antioxidative Efficacy And Relative Accessible Hydrophobicity Of Aromatic Residue Rich Peptides In Alfa-Chymotryptic Digests Of Acid Casein, Wenjie Shao

Theses and Dissertations

Four casein-derived peptides fractions of varying hydrophobicity were obtained from á-chymotryptic digest of acid casein using hydrophobic interaction chromatography, termed fractions one through four (abbreviated, F1, F2, F3, and F4). Four standard methods involving alkoxyl, peroxyl, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazl (DPPH), and 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) ABTS•+ radicals, were used to measure antioxidative properties. While significantly superior efficacy was exhibited by F2 for all tests except against DPPH, no correlation between antioxidant efficacy and surface hydrophobicity was found. By using capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography, the detection of aromatic chromophores by ultraviolet at 280 nm in the fractions revealed that …

Nutrient Management In Reblooming Iris 'Immortality', Xiaojie Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

For its fragrance, showy display and multi-colors, tall bearded (TB) iris (Iris germanica L.) has great potential as a specialty cut flower. This study was conducted to investigate the optimum nutrient management, especially nitrogen (N), of reblooming TB iris 'Immortality'. The objectives were to investigate the effects of N rate and form and phosphorus (P) rate on growth, flowering, and nutrient uptake, and to assess seasonal changes in the composition of nitrogenous compounds and carbohydrates. In general, greater N rates increased plant height, leaf SPAD reading, the number of inflorescence stems, plant dry weight, plant N content, and uptake of …

Subspecies Composition, Genetic Variation And Structure Of Largemouth Bass In Puerto Rico Reservoirs, Nick Ryan Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Subspecies composition and genetic variation are important to the growth and survival of Largemouth Bass and information on these genetic characteristics is required for proper management of the species. In Puerto Rico, a genetic evaluation is needed to develop management plans for Puerto Rico reservoirs and maintain Florida Largemouth Bass at the Maricao Hatchery. Subspecies composition was characterized among reservoirs and the contemporary Maricao Hatchery broodstock in Puerto Rico, and metrics were compared between subspecies and hybrids among reservoir populations. Genetic variation and structure was determined and compared to Largemouth Bass populations in their native range. Florida subspecies were prevalent …

Reproductive Biology Of The Female Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus), Holley Stone Muraco

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this long-term study was to better understand the reproductive biology of the female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and provide a hypothesis for how dolphins may communicate reproductive readiness to one another. Utilizing conditioned dolphins in aquaria, this dissertation examined several previously unknown aspects of dolphin reproduction, including ovarian follicular dynamics during the luteinizing hormone surge, urinary prolactin levels, estrus behavior, vaginal fluid arboriform arrangement, in-situ vaginal and cervical anatomy during estrus, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) of urine samples to identify proteins and peptides that may be used in chemical communication, and a review and anatomical analysis …

Promoting The Interest Of African American Teenage Girls In Science: What Can We Learn From An Exemplary African American Science Teacher?, Cynthia Stewart Mcmath

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on science teaching that promoted the interest of African American teenage girls in the science classroom of an exemplary African American science teacher. It focused on, observed and examined the planning, teaching and learning strategies used by the science teacher. It also described what the science teacher experienced during her high school years, during college, during her teaching career. The case study approach/method was used for this research to capture the description and examination of the practices of the science teacher. This research described how an African American female science teacher serves as a role model and …

Identification Of Purpurogallin In Brewed Beverages And Effect Of Roasting On Antioxidant Activity And Phenolic Compounds In Coffees, Yu-Chen Liao

Theses and Dissertations

Coffee contains many antioxidants including purpurogallin, which is a hydrophobic phenolic antioxidant that is difficult to measure with reported methods. A method combining solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was developed to detect and quantify purpurogallin in brewed beverages, including coffee. For beverage preparation, water extraction was adopted for improved correlation with moka pot brewing. Purpurogallin was detected in all commercial coffee samples, and its content in ground coffees ranged from 455-630 ng/g dry weight. Purpurogallin was only detected in two English breakfast tea samples (335-360 ng/g dry weight) and was not detected in any cocoa sample. Antioxidant activity, total …

Influence Of Market Setting And Time Of Purchase On Counts Of Aerobic Bacteria, Escherichia Coli, And Coliform And Prevalence Of Salmonella And Listeria In Beef, Pork, And Chicken In Vietnam, April Kathleen Mccain

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of market type and sampling time on Salmonella and Listeria prevalence and microbiological quality of 540 beef, pork, and whole chicken samples collected in 6 supermarkets (SM), 6 indoor markets (IM), and 6 open markets (OM) at opening (T0) and 4 h after the opening (T4) in Vietnam. Salmonella and Listeria prevalence ranged from 30.4 to 71.0% and 56.6 to 99.9 %, respectively, in beef, pork, and chicken in Vietnam. Aerobic bacteria counts ranged from 10.5 to 11.6 log CFU/g, whereas, E. coli and coliform counts ranged from 7.2 to …

The Effects Of Stress On Physiology And Meat Quality In Cultured Channel Catfish, Mike Ciaramella

Theses and Dissertations

Stress during fish culture can impact growth, physiology and fillet quality. Maintenance of high quality seafood is important to ensure the production of a highly marketable product. The present study assessed how sequential stressors affect the physical, physiological, sensory and quality characteristics of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fillets. Temperature (25°C or 33°C) and dissolved oxygen (DO, ~2 mg/L or >5 mg/L) were maintained for four weeks, followed by socking and transport stress for a total of 12 treatments. After each stage of stress (environment, socking and transport), physical (length, weight and feed consumption), physiological (hematocrit, plasma cortisol, pH, glucose, lactate, …

The Evaluation Of Adsorbents For The Removal Of Aflatoxin M1 From Contaminated Milk, Erika D. Womack

Theses and Dissertations

Taking precautions to restrain aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) from milk is critical, particularly due to the health and economic impact AFM1 imposes. The predominant post-harvest means of reducing AFM1 in milk includes the addition of sequestering agents to feed to diminish the bioavailability of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the parent compound of AFM1 found in contaminated feed. Still, residual AFM1 has been found in the milk. Using sequestering agents added to raw milk, we found that activated carbon was the most effective binder to reduce AFM1 contamination. The combination of 0.75% granular activated carbon (GAC) and a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min …

Utilization Of Canopy Reflectance To Predict Yield Response Of Corn And Cotton To Varying Nitrogen Rates, Totsanat Rattanakaew

Theses and Dissertations

Fertilizer N is one of the most costly inputs in corn (Zea mays L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production and is a strong yield determining factor. Variable rate N fertilization has the potential to improve resource use efficiency, profitability, and help to minimize adverse environmental impacts. Vegetation indices (VIs) may be useful for in-season crop health monitoring to assist in fertilizer N management and yield prediction. This research determined the utility of aerial imagery in detecting corn and cotton response to varying N supply using five selected VIs. The VIs derived from aerial images, chlorophyll readings and tissue N …

Verticillium Dahliae Causes The Fungal Wilting Disease Of Cotton Plants Grown On The Mississippi State North Farm, Fahad Mohammedsaleh Albukhari

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence and spread of Verticillium wilt were observed in cotton plants at the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center at Mississippi State during the late summer in 2013 and 2014. Several fungi with different morphology and growth characteristics were isolated from diseased cotton plants. Genomic DNA was extracted from the isolated fungal species and used in molecular typing via PCR amplification and DNA sequencing analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. A total of five fungal genera were identified, and Verticillium sp. was the most frequently isolated genus. The isolated Verticillium strains could be Verticillium dahliae, Verticillium …

Health Perceptions And Practices Of Burmese Refugee Families: A Participatory Mixed Method Study, Suneeta Kercood, Trish Morita-Mullaney

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

Healthcare providers in the United States often view the lifestyle choices made by refugees from Burma through the lenses of America’s norms for healthy living. Although healthcare providers often recognize the role that language plays in the refugees’ ability to communicate their healthcare needs, they often ignore the role of culture. This lack of understanding of cultural difference contributes to the marginalization of refugees in the healthcare system. Using a transformative mixed method methodology, this study employed the East Asian Acculturation Scale (EAAM) to identify participants’ perceived level of acculturation within health care contexts. The researchers then engaged participants in …

Role Of Maternal Dietary Peanut Exposure In Development Of Food Allergy And Oral Tolerance, Magdia De Jesus

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Background The impact of maternal ingestion of peanut during pregnancy and lactation on an offspring’s risk for peanut allergy is under debate. Objective To investigate the influence of maternal dietary peanut exposure and breast milk on an offspring’s allergy risk. Methods Preconceptionally peanut-exposed C3H/HeJ females were either fed or not fed peanut during pregnancy and lactation. The offsprings’ responses to peanut sensitization or oral tolerance induction by feeding antigen prior to immunization were assessed. We also assessed the impact of immune murine milk on tolerance induction pre- or post-weaning. For antigen uptake studies, mice were gavaged with fluorescent peanut in …

Health Problems And Risk Factors Associated With Long Haul Transport Of Horses In Australia, Barbara Padalino, Evelyn Hall, Sharanne Raidal, Pietro Celi, Andrew Knight, Peter Knight, Leo Jeffcott, Gary Muscatello

Transport of Farm Animals Collection

Equine transportation is associated with a variety of serious health disorders causing economic losses. However; statistics on horse transport are limited and epidemiological data on transport related diseases are available only for horses transported to abattoirs for slaughter. This study analysed reports of transport related health problems identified by drivers and horse owners for 180 journeys of an Australian horse transport company transporting horses between Perth and Sydney (~4000 km) in 2013–2015. Records showed that 97.2% (1604/1650) of the horses arrived at their destination with no clinical signs of disease or injury. Based on the veterinary reports of the affected …

Selection Of Reference Genes For Rt-Qpcr Analysis In A Predatory Biological Control Agent, Coleomegilla Maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Chunxiao Yang, Huipeng Pan, Jeffrey Edward Noland, Deyong Zhang, Zhanhong Zhang, Yong Liu, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology Faculty Publications

Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a reliable technique for quantifying gene expression across various biological processes, of which requires a set of suited reference genes to normalize the expression data. Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is one of the most extensively used biological control agents in the field to manage arthropod pest species. In this study, expression profiles of 16 housekeeping genes selected from C. maculata were cloned and investigated. The performance of these candidates as endogenous controls under specific experimental conditions was evaluated by dedicated algorithms, including geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt method. In addition, …

Deadline Extended For $3,500 Wellness Scholarship: Unique One-Time Gift For Spring Semester Only, Becky St. Clair

Andrews Agenda: Campus News

"University Health & Wellness announced a unique [one-time] scholarship valued at $3,500 available for spring semester 2016. The deadline for applying for this scholarship was extended to January 10, 2016."

Genomic Legacy Of The African Cheetah, Acinonyx Jubatus, Pavel Dobrynin, Shiping Liu, Gaik Tamazian, Zijun Xiong, Andrey A. Yurchenko, Ksenia Krasheninnikova, Sergey Kliver, A. Schmidt-Kunzel, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Warren E. Johnson, Lukas F. K. Kuderna, Raquel Garcia-Perez, Marc De Manuel, Ricardo Godinez, Aleksey Komissarov, Alexey Makunin, Vladimir Brukhin, Weilin Qiu, Long Zhou, Fang Li, Jian Yi, Carlos A. Driscoll, Agostinho Antunes, T. K. Oleksyk, Eduardo Eizirik, Polina Perelman, Melody E. Roelke, David E. Wildt, Mark Diekhans, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Laurie Marker, Jong Bhak, Jun Wang, Guojie Zhang, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Background

Patterns of genetic and genomic variance are informative in inferring population history for human, model species and endangered populations.

Results

Here the genome sequence of wild-born African cheetahs reveals extreme genomic depletion in SNV incidence, SNV density, SNVs of coding genes, MHC class I and II genes, and mitochondrial DNA SNVs. Cheetah genomes are on average 95 % homozygous compared to the genomes of the outbred domestic cat (24.08 % homozygous), Virunga Mountain Gorilla (78.12 %), inbred Abyssinian cat (62.63 %), Tasmanian devil, domestic dog and other mammalian species. Demographic estimators impute two ancestral population bottlenecks: one >100,000 years …

Hodgkin's Lymphoma Survivors' Intentions To Follow Survivorship Care Plans, Kortni Evans

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes, perceived subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control that Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL) survivors had towards survivorship care plans (SCPs) and how those factors impact their intentions to follow a care plan. Participants were HL survivors who had completed treatment. An online self-reporting questionnaire was used to assess demographics and questions related to HL survivor's attitudes, behavioral intention, perceived subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Frequency analysis and correlations were used to describe the participants and their attitudes, perceived subjective norms, and behavioral control in relation to participants' intentions to follow a …

Destination: Haiti, Kristin Waterfield Duisberg

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

A Multi-Stage Efficiency Analysis Of Oecd Healthcare And The Impact Of Technical Change, Can Bekaroglu

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation aims to measure the impact of technical change on OECD Healthcare in a multi-stage framework and identify the different sources of outcome losses to allow for comprehensive policy implications within a diverse dataset including countries from a large variety of development levels facing different healthcare issues. We adopt an output-oriented DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) methodology to obtain the technical efficiencies in production and provision. Data used in this study is mainly obtained from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Health Data 2013 and consists of 34 OECD countries and 12 years between 2000 and 2011.

Mitigating N2o Emissions From Soil: From Patching Leaks To Transformative Action, C. Decock, Juhwan Lee, M. Necpalova, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, D. M. Tendall, Johan Six

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Further progress in understanding and mitigating N2O emissions from soil lies within transdisciplinary research that reaches across spatial scales and takes an ambitious look into the future.