Digital Commons Network^™

Quantitative Trait Loci (Qtl) For Salt Tolerance In Soybean And Physiological Response To Salt Stress During Early Growth Stage, Cindy Massiel Lopez Ramirez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean is a major cash crop used as a source of high–quality protein and oil. Salt stress is one of the main abiotic stresses causing significant yield losses in soybean, which is considered a moderately salt–sensitive crop. Breeding selection is a promising strategy to improve salt tolerance as soybean germplasm display wide variation in response to salinity stress. However, the physiological and genetic mechanisms for salt tolerance are not quite clear. The discovery of novel QTL/genes associated with salt tolerance facilitates the development of tolerant cultivars through marker-assisted selection (MAS). The objectives of this study were: 1) identify/confirm QTL associated …

Effects Of Mars Regolith Analogs, Uvc Radiation, Temperature, Pressure, And Ph On The Growth And Survivability Of Methanogenic Archaea And Stable Carbon Isotope Fractionation: Implications For Surface And Subsurface Life On Mars, Navita Sinha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mars is one of the suitable bodies in our solar system that can accommodate extraterrestrial life. The detection of plumes of methane in the Martian atmosphere, geochemical evidence, indication of flow of intermittent liquid water on the Martian surface, and geomorphologies of Mars have bolstered the plausibility of finding extant or evidence of extinct life on its surface and/or subsurface. However, contemporary Mars has been considered as an inhospitable planet for several reasons, such as low atmospheric surface pressure, low surface temperature, and intense DNA damaging radiation. Despite the hostile conditions of Mars, a few strains of methanogenic archaea have …

Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping, Genome-Wide Association Analysis, And Gene Expression Of Salt Tolerance In Soybean, Ailan Zeng

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salt stress is a common abiotic stress causing yield reduction in soybean. There are differential responses, namely tolerance (excluder) and intolerance (includer), among soybean germplasm. However, the genetic and physiological mechanism for salt tolerance is not clear. Identification of novel QTL for salt tolerance and genes that are differentially expressed under salt stress would help elucidate the salt tolerance mechanism and facilitate the development of salt tolerant cultivars through marker assisted selection (MAS). The objectives of this study were to identify new QTL or genes responsible for salt tolerance using three approaches: QTL mapping, association analysis, and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). …

Relationship Among Genetic And Physiological Biomarkers, And Horse Characteristics, Casey Orr

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate relationships among genetic and physiological biomarkers and phenotypic characteristics in horses. Three breeds (Quarter Horse, Thoroughbreds, Miniatures), and five genes of interest (leptin, ghrelin, cytochrome P450, glucocorticoid receptor, and lactate dehydrogenase) were the basis of the investigation. Genomic DNA was extracted from buffy coat samples of Quarter Horses (n = 21), Thoroughbreds (n = 26), and Miniatures (n = 34). Data were analyzed using MIXED MODEL procedures of SAS, with the main effects of breed and SNP genotype. Horse was the experimental unit, and dependent variables were classified as physical, cell differentials, …

Migration Ecology Of American Woodcock (Scolopax Minor), Joseph Daniel Moore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improving the understanding of American woodcock (Scolopax minor) migration ecology has been identified as a priority information need for woodcock management. Developments in remote tracking technology and analytical techniques present an opportunity to gain insight into woodcock migratory connectivity and migration phenology and to evaluate the degree in which the current two-region (Eastern and Central) basis for woodcock management represents migratory movements. To analyze woodcock migration using band return records, I excluded observations that took place during the migratory period. Using this dataset, 17.9% of records showed crossover between management regions, higher than the < 5% crossover found in studies including non-migratory band returns. During autumn migration, woodcock from the Central Region largely migrated to destinations within the Central Region, whereas woodcock from the Eastern Region migrated to destinations across their wintering range, mixing with individuals from the Central Region. Between 2013 and 2016, I deployed 75 satellite transmitters on woodcock. I tracked the migration paths of 61 woodcock and documented 88 woodcock migrations. Average migration duration was longer during spring migration (53 days) than during autumn migration (31 days) because woodcock made a higher number of close-together migratory stopovers, not because woodcock stayed at individual stopovers longer during spring migration. Woodcock captured in the Central Management Region used 2 primary migrations routes: a Western Route and a Central Route. The Western Route ran north-south, connecting the breeding and wintering grounds of the Central Management Region. The hourglass-shaped Central Route connected an area on the wintering grounds reaching from Texas to Florida, to sites throughout northeastern North America. Woodcock following the Central Route funneled between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley in western Tennessee during both autumn and spring migration. A higher than anticipated percentage (36%, n = 12) of marked woodcock captured in Texas and Louisiana and monitored during spring migration migrated to breeding-period sites in the Eastern Management Region, raising questions about the biological basis of managing woodcock as separate populations. The supplementary material includes woodcock capture information (Appendix I), information on individual stopovers (Appendix II), and migration maps for individual woodcock (Appendix III).

Scaffold And Tissue Based Therapies To Improve Skeletal Muscle Regeneration After Volumetric Muscle Loss, Benjamin Kasukonis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is an injury to skeletal muscle characterized by a loss of more than 20% of a muscles volume. The combination of the bulk loss of tissue, transection and separation of myofibers proximal and distal to the injury, loss of innervation and blood supply, and the depletion of muscle progenitor cells results in permanent fibrosis and functional deficits due to loss of contractile tissue. Scaffolds, cells, and engineered constructs have been explored as potential therapeutic interventions to induce myogenesis at the site of a VML injury in animal models, in addition to limited clinical trials. This dissertation …

Immunotherapeutic Strategies To Reverse Tumor Associated Immunosuppression In Breast Cancer, Sruthi Ravindranathan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heterogenous cancers such as breast carcinoma, would highly benefit from personalized vaccine approaches such as autologous tumor cell vaccines (ATCVs). By using cancer cells that are isolated from self, this approach has the potential to generate a polyclonal immune response against tumor antigens, that are specific to the individual. However, so far, ATCVs against breast cancers have not had any clinical success due to the poor immunogenicity of the malignant cells.

In this study, for the first time, we determined tumor derived G-CSF to play a major role in affecting immune response against breast cancer ATCVs. By using CRISPR/Cas9 genome …

Effects Of Harvest Conditions And Thickness Fractionation On Physicochemical Properties, Cooking And Sensory Characteristics Of Long Grain Rice, Sara Esther Jarma Arroyo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated the extensive impacts of various environmental and processing conditions on rice milling and processing characteristics. Nevertheless, little is known about the influences of these conditions on cooking and sensory qualities of rice. The present study aimed to determine the impact of cultivating location, harvest moisture content (HMC), and thickness fractionation on the physicochemical properties, and cooking and sensory characteristics of long-grain rice. Four long-grain rice cultivars (purelines: Cheniere and V3501, and hybrids: XP760 and XL753) were cultivated at Harrisburg, AR and Alvin, TX, and harvested at three HMC. Rough rice lots were conditioned and a portion …

Effect Of Light Intensity On Production Parameters And Feeding Behavior Of Broilers, Maurice Raccoursier Frost

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project was performed in two parts. The first was focused on light intensity as it affects performance. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was performed. Broilers, Cobb 500 (n = 1584) were housed in 3 commercial houses (121.9 x 12.2 m). In each house birds were randomized and placed in 72 pens of 121.9 x 121.9 cm (22 bird/pen, males and females). All the treatment groups were provided with 24h light (L) during the first week and then 18L:6Dark (D) and 20 lux from day 7 to 14. The 3 intensity treatments of 5 lux (lx), 10 lx and …

Juvenile Competency And Pretrial Due Process: A Call For Greater Protections In Massachusetts For Juveniles Residing In Procedural Purgatory, Mark Rapisarda, Wendy J. Kaplan

Faculty Scholarship

While juvenile courts continue to balance and reevaluate the dual goals of community safety and rehabilitation of youth, juveniles who are not competent to stand trial have been left without sufficient procedural protections. This paper examines Massachusetts’ approach to juvenile competency, due process, and pretrial procedure, within a national context. The inadequacies of the Massachusetts juvenile competency laws are not unique. Currently there are nineteen states that either entirely lack juvenile-specific competency legislation or merely incorporate inapposite adult criminal statutes and standards into the juvenile context—making it difficult or impossible for those juvenile courts to dismiss or divert a delinquency …

A Validation Study Of Gearing And Musculoskeletal Performance In Simple Biological Systems Through Theoretical And Experimental Methods, Jenna Marie Hopkins

Theses

Musculoskeletal (MSK) systems have long been compared to simple mechanical machines. This not only allows for ease of understanding locomotion, but ease of modeling a biological system during complex motion. More specifically, simple lever systems are most commonly employed to approximate mechanical performance of complex biological systems. Every simple lever system can be characterized by its mechanical advantage, also known as gearing. Through this concept, the performance of a biological system can be modeled for comparability of theoretical concepts to actual MSK systems. In this thesis, a numerical model of a simple lever system, analogous to a locust leg and …

Not A Prediction Of The Future: Believable Sci-Fi Character Design Based On Present Day Technology, Kun Dong

Theses

In recent years, many character designs made for movies and video games have been carried out using complex computer-based processes. User-friendly software has made it easier to produce high computation artwork and multiple texture maps.

With higher graphic performance provided by rapidly improving hardware, the continuing demand for innovation poses new requirements for the entertainment industry.

Science fiction (sci-fi) in video games and movies has limitless capabilities, and can be created to achieve a wide variety of visual goals.

One important argument presented in this thesis is that science fiction stories, unlike the related genre of fantasy, have historically intended …

Face To Face Communicating Area Design, Yuhan Wei

Theses

More and more people are using digital technology and social media in their daily lives. As a result, it seems like there is a lack of emotional interaction with each other. For example, more people prefer to stay at home and just connect with the outside world through the Internet and their digital devices. Even when they have dinner with others, they often focus on their smartphones and seldom talk with each other. Unfortunately, these scenarios indicate that many people can only communicate electronically, which is very common nowadays.

This project is focused on creating a way of communicating that …

Differential Parental Investment, Jose C. Yong, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Differences in minimum obligatory parental investment contributed by men and women lead the sexes to diverge in their sexual strategies and affective experiences, although under certain conditions, men’s mating preferences converge with women’s. This chapter first describes necessary or obligatory parental investment, examines the origins of sex differences in obligatory parental investment, describes examples of such differences across a range of species, and highlights the consequences of these differences in terms of human sexual strategies, conflicts, and affective experiences.

Georgia’S Rapid Expansion Of Mosquito Surveillance In Response To Zika Virus, R. Christopher Rustin, Deonte Martin, Rosmarie Kelly

Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Presentations (2010-2017)

Objective: To describe the Georgia Department of Public Health’s (DPH) mosquito surveillance capacity before and after Zika virus was declared a public health emergency, review and compare mosquito surveillance results from 2015 to 2016, and evaluate the risk of autochthonous vector transmission of Zika virus based on 2016 surveillance data of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

Introduction: Zika virus was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization on February 1, 2016. With Georgia hosting the world’s busiest international airport and a sub-tropical climate that can support the primary Zika virus vector, Aedes aegypti, and secondary …

The Weapon Focus Effect: Testing An Extension Of The Unusualness Hypothesis, Curt A. Carlson, William E. Pleasant, Dawn R. Weatherford, Maria A. Carlson, Jane E. Bednarz E. Bednarz

Psychology Faculty Publications (Archived)

The weapon focus effect (WFE) occurs when a weapon distracts eyewitnesses, harming memory for the perpetrator and other details. One explanation is that weapons are unusual in most contexts, and unusual objects distract eyewitnesses. We extended this unusualness hypothesis to include typical objects used in a distinctive manner, as criminals often make use of a typical object as a weapon (e.g., tire iron, beer bottle). Undergraduates (N = 963) viewed a video depicting a man with a handgun, distinctive object, typical object and action, or typical object used as a weapon. Only the handgun reduced eyewitness identification accuracy relative to …

Practicing Emotionally Biased Retrieval Affects Mood And Establishes Biased Recall A Week Later, Janna N. Vrijsen, Paula T. Hertel, Eni Sabine Becker

Psychology Faculty Research

Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) can yield clinically relevant results. Only few studies have directly manipulated memory bias, which is prominent in depression. In a new approach to CBM, we sought to simulate or oppose ruminative processes by training the retrieval of negative or positive words. Participants studied positive and negative word pairs (Swahili cues with Dutch translations). In the positive and negative conditions, each of the three study trials was followed by a cued-recall test of training-congruent translations; a no-practice condition merely studied the pairs. Recall of the translations was tested after the training and after 1 week. Both recall …

Sex Differences In The Relationship Between Planum Temporale Asymmetry And Corpus Callosum Morphology In Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes): A Combined Mri And Dti Analysis, William D. Hopkins, A. M. Hopkins, M. Misiura, E. M. Latash, M. C. Mareno, S. J. Schapiro, Kimberley A. Phillips

Psychology Faculty Research

Increases brain size has been hypothesized to be inversely associated with the expression of behavioral and brain asymmetries within and between species. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing the relation between asymmetries in the planum temporale (PT) and different measures of the corpus callosum (CC) including surface area, streamline count as measured from diffusion tensor imaging, fractional anisotropy values and the ratio in the number of fibers to surface area in a sample of chimpanzees. We found that chimpanzees with larger PT asymmetries in absolute terms had smaller CC surface areas, fewer streamlines and a smaller ratio of fibers to …

Measuring The Effects Of High-Altitude Flight And Upper Atmospheric Radiation On Muscle Cells, Annelise Dykes

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There are several physiological barriers to long-term space travel, including the effects of launch, landing, and microgravity on muscle cells. A payload capsule was designed to maintain cell growth during a high altitude balloon flight to model some of these physiological processes. Murine muscle cells (strain C2C12) were cultured and launched in a capsule on a balloon satellite in November 2016. Cells were monitored for changes due to temperature, flight motion, radiation, and gravity differences by quantifying cell characteristics before and after the flight using physical measurements and cell viability. Instruments were selected to monitor flight data, and a payload …

Mating Behaviors Exhibited By A Captive Male Pacific Walrus (Odobenus Rosmarus Divergens), Jessica M. Mccord

Honors Theses

Understanding mating behaviors of a species can be utilized to help protect the species. Results of population surveys have shown the walrus population to be on the decline, and over the history of walruses being held in captivity, few pups have been born or survived. Not much is known about Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) due to the isolated Arctic habitats in which walruses live making wild population studies difficult. Few studies have examined wild observations of walrus mating behaviors and virtually none for captivity. The purpose of this study was to observe a captive male Pacific walrus for mating …

Options Pricing Through Computational Methods, Robert Petty

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The purpose of this paper is to show the practical application of computational methods to price options. Emphasis is especially given to the use of the Longstaff-Schwartz method for pricing American and exotic options. An implementation of these pricing methods in a computer program are demonstrated. The advantages of using object-oriented programming design patterns to make pricing programs more flexible and useful is also discussed.

Scholarship On Robert Burton's The Anatomy Of Melancholy, Matthew Bishop

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The history of scholarship on Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy will be explored in this thesis, beginning with a biographical background of Robert Burton and a brief description of The Anatomy of Melancholy. The overall arc of scholarship on Burton’s text began with a wave of early popularity in the seventeenth century, followed by a period of critical neglect in the eighteenth century when no new editions of the book were published. A renewed interest in the Anatomy in the nineteenth century led to a flurry of Burton studies in the twentieth century. The major trend in Burton …

Econometric Modeling Of The Public Grazing Fee's Impact On The U.S. Sheep Industry, Ryan C. Feuz

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The U.S. sheep and wool industry is one of the oldest agricultural industries within the country. Since the mid 1940’s the industry has witnessed dramatic annual declines in sheep inventories. Many factors have contributed to the decline of the sheep industry including declining consumption of lamb and mutton, the growth in man-made fiber use, scarcity of labor, and predator losses. The U.S. congress has attempted to slow this decline throughout the years with various policy including the use of wool marketing loan programs. Such programs are intended to help bring stability as well as to mitigate price risk within the …

Comparative Efficacy Of Nebivolol And Metoprolol To Prevent Tachycardia-Induced Cardiomyopathy In A Porcine Model, Alireza Nazeri, Macarthur A Elayda, Ana Maria Segura, Raymond F Stainback, Joanna Nathan, Vei-Vei Lee, Christina Bove, Luiz Sampaio, Brian Grace, Ali Massumi, Mehdi Razavi

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Chronic tachycardia is a well-known cause of nonischemic cardiomyopathy. We hypothesized that nebivolol, a β-blocker with nitric oxide activity, would be superior to a pure β-blocker in preventing tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy in a porcine model.

Fifteen healthy Yucatan pigs were randomly assigned to receive nebivolol, metoprolol, or placebo once a day. All pigs underwent dual-chamber pacemaker implantation. The medication was started the day after the pacemaker implantation. On day 7 after implantation, each pacemaker was set at atrioventricular pace (rate, 170 beats/min), and the pigs were observed for another 7 weeks. Transthoracic echocardiograms, serum catecholamine levels, and blood chemistry data were …

Perceptions Of The Role Physical Activity Plays In Early Childhood Education, Martha Swirzinski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to describe the perceptions early childhood educators who intentionally implement physical activity into their class day in Eastern Virginia have with regards to using physical activity with preschoolers ages three to five. The theory guiding this study was the social constructivist theory by Lev Vygotsky (1978) which maintains that each individual has a different perspective about any given experience based on their prior experiences and all experiences build upon themselves to create knowledge. The constructivist theory suggests learners must interact with their environments to gain new knowledge (Ogunnaike, 2015). The basic …

An Examination Of Motivational Levels Of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Business And Education Majors, Kristopher Bradshaw

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research dissertation was developed for the purpose of advancing the literature in the realm of student motivation. Previous research in the field has placed little emphasis on the adult, non-traditional student population. Adult, non-traditional students represents an important part of the higher education climate in the United States and the unique motivators of this population needs further examination in order to more closely align academic programs and services with motives and goals. The research questions seek to answer if a significant difference exists between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational levels of business majors compared to education majors in the …

Developing Academic Literacy: What Novice Teachers Can Learn From The Case Of Teaching Latino/Bilingual Learners Science And Mathematics, Sandra I. Musanti, Sandra Mercuri

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reproduction By Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs And Black-Footed Ferrets: Effects Of Weather And Food Availability, Shaun M. Grassel, Janet L. Rachlow, Christopher J. Williams

Western North American Naturalist

Food availability is one of the most important factors influencing reproduction in mammals. Reproductive success of some species can be negatively affected when body reserves are depleted during long periods of adverse weather conditions. We investigated the relationship of forage availability and weather variables on reproduction by black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) and the effects of black-tailed prairie dog reproduction on reproduction by black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), a prairie dog specialist predator. Prairie dogs draw on stored energy reserves to support reproduction (i.e., capital breeding), while ferrets likely rely on availability of prey during the reproductive …

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure In Female Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus), Cortney W. Noble, Jeremy M. Bono, Helen K. Pigage, David W. Hale, Jon C. Pigage

Western North American Naturalist

Fine-scale genetic structure in animal populations can have important consequences for evolutionary processes and can influence conservation and management decisions. Cervids often live in matrilineal social groups, and this spatial grouping can create fine-scale genetic structure among females. We used DNA and radio-location data at Fort Carson Military Reservation in south central Colorado, USA, to determine whether female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) living in close proximity were more likely to be related. Spatial data were obtained over an 18-month period using data transmitted from GPS collars. Average positions for each animal were correlated with relatedness estimates calculated using …

Evaluation Of The Shelf-Stability Of A High-Carotenoid Breakfast Food And Its Impact On Skin Carotenoid Levels, Dawn L. Reed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Carotenoids are pigments found throughout nature in a large variety of plants including fruits and vegetables (F/V). Carotenoids provide much of the color we see in nature but are perhaps most noticeable in plants with yellow, orange, or red flesh. Carotenoids are antioxidants that serve as a protection against harmful ultraviolet radiation and other free radical producing processes in the body and in plant tissues. Once consumed, carotenoids are deposited in the skin, particularly in fatty tissue. Raman resonance spectroscopy (RRS) can be used to quantify skin carotenoid levels and has been proven a good indicator of F/V consumption. A …