Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

Understanding Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) Population Structure, Diet, And Human-Wildlife Dimensions Using Noninvasive Genetic Approaches, Charlotte Hacker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are a large cat endemic to the mountains of Central Asia. Despite their status as a flagship species, there are numerous knowledge gaps surrounding their population status, dietary ecology, and relationship with humans. Such knowledge gaps are prohibitive for effective conservation action for the species. Snow leopards are threatened by habitat loss, decreased prey availability, retaliatory killings, and large-scale negative impacts associated with climate change. In order to help bridge these gaps, noninvasive genetic methodologies were deployed in this work across several disciplines. Population genetic metrics were garnered at local, regional, and range-wide scales, …

Integrative Analysis Of Multi-Omics Kinome Data And Virtual Screening Of Identified Targets With Pan-Cancer Application, Siddesh Southekal

Theses & Dissertations

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth and dissemination of abnormal cells. Unfortunately, it is also challenging to treat due to the heterogeneous nature of the tumors and the lack of known drugs that are effective against all tumor subpopulations.

The human protein kinases represent an essential and diverse family of enzymes and are often dysregulated in cancer. The human kinome comprises only around 2% of all coding genes of the human genome but phosphorylates about 30% of cellular proteins critical for regulating various biological processes such as cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, motility, growth, differentiation, …

Functional Characterization Of Cancer-Associated Dna Polymerase Ε Variants, Stephanie R. Barbari

Theses & Dissertations

Replicative DNA polymerases ε (Polε) and δ (Polδ) achieve high fidelity DNA synthesis through a precise balance of polymerization and exonucleolytic proofreading. Errors that escape proofreading are corrected by DNA mismatch repair (MMR). Ultramutated human cancers with proficient MMR carry alterations in the exonuclease domain of Polε, which were initially predicted to abolish proofreading. However, functional studies in yeast of the most recurrent Polε-P286R variant suggested defects beyond a loss of exonuclease activity. Indeed, biochemical analysis of the yeast Polε-P286R analog revealed increased polymerization capacity in addition to decreased proofreading, which enables efficient mismatch extension and bypass of replication-blocking non-B …

Quantifying Components Of Protein Translation And Metabolite Heterogeneity In Isogenic Microbial Populations, Alexander Schmitz

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cell-to-cell variation in gene expression and metabolite levels have a significant impact on ensemble productivity of microbial bioproduction. New metabolic engineering tools and approaches are needed that consider cell cultures as an amalgam of uniquely behaving individuals to improve the slow commercialization of metabolically engineered systems. Stochastic cellular process including gene expression, metabolism, and growth lead to phenotypic variation between genetically identical cells. Understanding and the ability to control microbial phenotypic variation is key to improving microbial bioproduction metrics. During protein translation, codon usage strongly influences ensemble gene expression but the effect on the variation of gene expression was not …

Citric Acid/Β-Alanine Carbon Dots As A Novel Tool For Delivery Of Plasmid Dna Into E. Coli Cells, Anju Pandey, Asmita Devkota, Anil Sigdel, Zeinab Yadegari, C. Korsi Dumenyo, Ali Taheri

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Successful delivery of plasmid DNA into the microbial cells is fundamental in recombinant DNA technology. Natural bacterial transformation is limited to only certain species due in part to the repulsive forces between negatively charged DNA and bacterial membranes. Most common method of DNA delivery into bacteria is artificial transformation through heat shock and electroporation. These methods require sophisticated instruments and tedious steps in preparation of competent cells. Transformation by conjugation is also not applicable to all plasmids. Nanoparticles have been used successfully in therapeutics for drug delivery into animal cells. They are starting to gain popularity in plant sciences as …

Comparison Of Methods To Estimate Ruminal Degradation And Intestinal Digestibility Of Protein In Hydrolyzed Feather Meal With Or Without Blood, Kassidy Buse, D. L. Morris, H. L. Diaz, O. R. Drehmel, Paul J. Kononoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Hydrolyzed feather meal (HFM) is a feedstuff high in rumen undegraded protein (RUP) that can be used as an effective source of metabolizable protein for dairy cattle. Because the production process may vary, the rumen degradability and intestinal digestibility of HFM may also vary. Additionally, some processes may incorporate additional blood into the final product to result in feather meal with poultry blood. To determine the rumen degradability and intestinal digestibility of these products, several laboratory assays can be used; the common assays are the mobile bag (MOB), modified three-step (MTS), and Ross (ROS) assays. Although all 3 assays determine …

Inflammatory Mediation Of Heat Stress-Induced Growth Deficits In Livestock And Its Potential Role As A Target For Nutritional Interventions: A Review, Micah S. Most, Dustin T. Yates

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Heat stress is detrimental to well-being and growth performance in livestock, and systemic inflammation arising during chronic heat stress contributes to these poor outcomes. Sustained exposure of muscle and other tissues to inflammation can impair the cellular processes that facilitate muscle growth and intramuscular fat deposition, thus reducing carcass quality and yield. Climate change is expected to produce more frequent extreme heat events, increasing the potential impact of heat stress on sustainable livestock production. Feedlot animals are at particularly high risk for heat stress, as confinement limits their ability to seek cooling from the shade, water, or breeze. Economically practical …

Relationship Of Winter Hair Coat Shedding Ability Of Purebred Angus Dams With Mineral Status, Apparent Forage Digestibility, Uterine Artery Hemodynamics, And Calf Growth And Development, Randy Hunter Burnett

Theses and Dissertations

Winter hair coat shedding ability in southern U.S. cattle production has previously been associated with differences in adjusted birth and weaning weights of calves from dams that shed by June or later (Gray et al., 2011; Cauble et al., 2019). This study was developed to research possible avenues of why these relationships exist with winter hair coat shedding ability. The primary objectives of the following experiments were to: 1) evaluate how mineral status relates to winter hair coat shedding ability, 2) evaluate how winter hair coat shedding ability relates to apparent digestibility of forage, 3) evaluate winter hair coat shedding …

Distribution, Abundance, And Population Genetics Of The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys Temminckii) In Mississippi, Luke Pearson

Dissertations

The southeastern United States is a freshwater turtle biodiversity hotspot, second only to southeastern Asia, and this region is inhabited by one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world: the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii). This species was heavily harvested from the 1960’s to the 1980’s for the turtle soup industry, apparently contributing to substantial, range-wide population declines. These declines, coupled with anthropogenic impacts on riverine and floodplain habitats, have led to M. temminckii being petitioned for federal listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act; it is currently under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service …

The Price Of Surviving On Adrenaline: Developmental Programming Responses To Chronic Fetal Hypercatecholaminemia Contribute To Poor Muscle Growth Capacity And Metabolic Dysfunction In Iugr-Born Offspring, Rachel L. Gibbs, Dustin T. Yates

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Maternofetal stress induces fetal programming that restricts skeletal muscle growth capacity and metabolic function, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) of the fetus. This thrifty phenotype aids fetal survival but also yields reduced muscle mass and metabolic dysfunction after birth. Consequently, IUGR-born individuals are at greater lifelong risk for metabolic disorders that reduce quality of life. In livestock, IUGR-born animals exhibit poor growth efficiency and body composition, making these animals more costly and less valuable. Specifically, IUGR-associated programming causes a greater propensity for fat deposition and a reduced capacity for muscle accretion. This, combined with metabolic inefficiency, means that these …

Meta-Analyses Identify Dna Methylation Associated With Kidney Function And Damage, Pascal Schlosser, Adrienne Tin, Pamela R Matias-Garcia, Chris H L Thio, Roby Joehanes, Hongbo Liu, Antoine Weihs, Zhi Yu, Anselm Hoppmann, Franziska Grundner-Culemann, Josine L Min, Adebowale A Adeyemo, Charles Agyemang, Johan Ärnlöv, Nasir A Aziz, Andrea Baccarelli, Murielle Bochud, Hermann Brenner, Monique M B Breteler, Cristian Carmeli, Layal Chaker, John C Chambers, Shelley A Cole, Josef Coresh, Tanguy Corre, Adolfo Correa, Simon R Cox, Niek De Klein, Graciela E Delgado, Arce Domingo-Relloso, Kai-Uwe Eckardt, Arif B Ekici, Karlhans Endlich, Kathryn L Evans, James S Floyd, Myriam Fornage, Lude Franke, Eliza Fraszczyk, Xu Gao, Xīn Gào, Mohsen Ghanbari, Sahar Ghasemi, Christian Gieger, Philip Greenland, Megan L Grove, Sarah E Harris, Gibran Hemani, Peter Henneman, Christian Herder, Steve Horvath, Lifang Hou, Mikko A Hurme, Shih-Jen Hwang, Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, Sharon L R Kardia, Silva Kasela, Marcus E Kleber, Wolfgang Koenig, Jaspal S Kooner, Holly Kramer, Florian Kronenberg, Brigitte Kühnel, Terho Lehtimäki, Lars Lind, Dan Liu, Yongmei Liu, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, Kurt Lohman, Stefan Lorkowski, Ake T Lu, Riccardo E Marioni, Winfried März, Daniel L Mccartney, Karlijn A C Meeks, Lili Milani, Pashupati P Mishra, Matthias Nauck, Ana Navas-Acien, Christoph Nowak, Annette Peters, Holger Prokisch, Bruce M Psaty, Olli T Raitakari, Scott M Ratliff, Alex P Reiner, Sylvia E Rosas, Ben Schöttker, Joel Schwartz, Sanaz Sedaghat, Jennifer A Smith, Nona Sotoodehnia, Hannah R Stocker, Silvia Stringhini, Johan Sundström, Brenton R Swenson, Maria Tellez-Plaza, Joyce B J Van Meurs, Jana V Van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Andrea Venema, Niek Verweij, Rosie M Walker, Matthias Wielscher, Juliane Winkelmann, Bruce H R Wolffenbuttel, Wei Zhao, Yinan Zheng, Marie Loh, Harold Snieder, Daniel Levy, Melanie Waldenberger, Katalin Susztak, Anna Köttgen, Alexander Teumer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chronic kidney disease is a major public health burden. Elevated urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio is a measure of kidney damage, and used to diagnose and stage chronic kidney disease. to extend the knowledge on regulatory mechanisms related to kidney function and disease, we conducted a blood-based epigenome-wide association study for estimated glomerular filtration rate (n = 33,605) and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (n = 15,068) and detected 69 and seven CpG sites where DNA methylation was associated with the respective trait. The majority of these findings showed directionally consistent associations with the respective clinical outcomes chronic kidney disease and moderately increased albuminuria. …

Rare And Low Frequency Genomic Variants Impacting Neuronal Functions Modify The Dup7q11.23 Phenotype, Farah Qaiser, Yue Yin, Carolyn B. Mervis, Colleen A. Morris, Bonita P. Klein-Tasman, Elaine Tam, Lucy R. Osborne, Ryan K.C. Yuen

School of Medicine Faculty Research

© 2021, The Author(s). Background: 7q11.23 duplication (Dup7) is one of the most frequent recurrent copy number variants (CNVs) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but based on gold-standard assessments, only 19% of Dup7 carriers have ASD, suggesting that additional genetic factors are necessary to manifest the ASD phenotype. To assess the contribution of additional genetic variants to the Dup7 phenotype, we conducted whole-genome sequencing analysis of 20 Dup7 carriers: nine with ASD (Dup7-ASD) and 11 without ASD (Dup7-non-ASD). Results: We identified three rare variants of potential clinical relevance for ASD: a 1q21.1 microdeletion (Dup7-non-ASD) and two deletions which …

Genomic Epidemiology Of Clostridium Difficile Colonization And Transmission In An Intensive Care Unit Cohort, Brianne Ciferri

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract

Genomic epidemiology of Clostridium difficile colonization and transmission in an intensive care unit cohort

by Brianne Ciferri, MPH

Advisor: C. Mary Schooling, PhD

Introduction: Clostridiodes difficile (C. difficile) is a leading cause of healthcare associated infections (HAI) in the United States and responsible for an estimated incidence of 223,900 cases and 12,800 deaths per year^1,2. C. difficile can cause gastrointestinal illness with symptoms ranging from mild diarrheal illness to a life-threatening condition. C. difficile is an opportunistic pathogen in which spores can live in an undisturbed dormant state within the intestinal tract and become …

A Dystrophin Exon‐52 Deleted Miniature Pig Model Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy And Evaluation Of Exon Skipping, Yusuke Echigoya, Nhu Trieu, William Duddy, Hong M. Moulton, Haifang Yin, Terence A. Partridge, Eric P. Hoffman, Joe N. Kornegay, Frank A. Rohret, Christopher S. Rogers, Toshifumi Yokota

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Environmental Rnai Pathways In The Two-Spotted Spider Mite, Mosharrof Mondal, Jacob Peter, Obrie Scarbrough, Alex Flynt

Faculty Publications

© 2020, The Author(s).

Background:RNA interference (RNAi) regulates gene expression in most multicellular organisms through binding of small RNA effectors to target transcripts. Exploiting this process is a popular strategy for genetic manipulation and has applications that includes arthropod pest control. RNAi technologies are dependent on delivery method with the most convenient likely being feeding, which is effective in some animals while others are insensitive. The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is prime candidate for developing RNAi approaches due to frequent occurrence of conventional pesticide resistance. Using a sequencing-based approach, the fate of ingested RNAs was explored to …

Epinasty Accompanies Potassium Nitrate-Induced Flower Bud Break In 'Carabao' Mango [Research Note], Ulysses Besas, Calixto Protacio

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

The hypothesis that potassium nitrate application promotes epinasty in ‘Carabao’ mango through increased ethylene production was investigated. The degree of drooping, apical primordium growth as affected by shoot ethylene and levels after potassium nitrate spraying were monitored. Evidence presented established for the first time in ‘Carabao’ mango that epinasty occurred just before flower emergence, coinciding with visible bud break, and extended up to 18 days, marking floral anthesis. The possible reasons could be the higher levels of ethylene at 0.31% and earlier increase of ethylene in the shoot apex at four hours and apical primordium growth. Increased ethylene levels at …

Comparing Machine Learning Techniques With State-Of-The-Art Parametric Prediction Models For Predicting Soybean Traits, Susweta Ray

Department of Statistics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soybean is a significant source of protein and oil, and also widely used as animal feed. Thus, developing lines that are superior in terms of yield, protein and oil content is important to feed the ever-growing population. As opposed to the high-cost phenotyping, genotyping is both cost and time efficient for breeders while evaluating new lines in different environments (location-year combinations) can be costly. Several Genomic prediction (GP) methods have been developed to use the marker and environment data effectively to predict the yield or other relevant phenotypic traits of crops. Our study compares a conventional GP method (GBLUP), a …

Co-Option Of The Yolkless Oocyte Receptor For Crispr/Cas9 May Induce Transient Sterility In Female Drosophila Grimshawi Flies, Bronwyn Miller

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Evolutionary developmental biology has historically used generalist model organisms like Drosophila melanogaster. The Hawaiian Drosophilidae radiation, which occurred just 25 million years ago, is an ideal lineage for work in Evo-Devo. Hawaiian flies make up 25% of the world’s Drosophila species and extreme diversity is seen throughout the group. D. grimshawi is a generalist Hawaiian picture-wing fly that has served as a model for the Hawaiian Drosophilidae radiation. However, D. grimshawi’s power and use as a model organism is constrained by our lack of ability to manipulate its genome. In this work, I attempted to edit the genome of …

Comparative Genome Analysis Of Fungal Antagonists Marinomonas Ostreistagni 398 And M. Spartinae 468., Jessie L. Fields

Honors Theses

Under certain conditions, the Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus grasses in marshes undergo progressive decline in an event known as Saltwater Marsh Dieback, which may be attributed to the presence of the plant pathogenic fungi Fusarium. The microbiomes of S. alterniflora and J. roemerianus from Deer Island, MS were characterized and Fusarium suppressing bacteria were identified. Among isolates capable of antagonizing Fusarium were Marinomonas ostreistagni 398 and M. spartinae 468. Despite the progress in understanding the diversity of Marinomonas, our ability to explain ecological, metabolic, and biochemical traits of marinomonads at the genomic sequence level remains limited. Analysis …

Investigation Of Mitochondrial Inheritance In The Smut Fungus Sporisorium Reilianum., Hector Eduardo Mendoza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An important goal in evolutionary biology is to address the origin of Earth’s immense biodiversity through the evolution of complex sexual reproduction mechanisms in eukaryotes. Inheritance of mitochondria during sexual reproduction has received special attention in recent years, as these organelles cannot be synthesized de novo and must be transmitted from parent to offspring. The importance of these organelles far exceeds its common function as the energy-producing “powerhouse” of the cell, as it has been found to also be involved in fundamental processes like apoptosis, aging and metabolic homeostasis. Thus, appropriate inheritance of mitochondria is essential for growth and development …

Comparison Of Sample Types From White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) For Dna Extraction And Analyses, Jessie Edson, Justin Brown, William L. Miller, David Walter

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Collection of biological samples for DNA is necessary in a variety of disciplines including disease epidemiology, landscape genetics, and forensics. Quantity and quality of DNA varies depending on the method of collection or media available for collection (e.g., blood, tissue, fecal). Blood is the most common sample collected in vials or on Whatman Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards with short- and long-term storage providing adequate DNA for study objectives. The focus of this study was to determine if biological samples stored on Whatman FTA Elute cards were a reasonable alternative to traditional DNA sample collection, storage, and extraction. Tissue, nasal …

Mutant Kras Alters Extracellular Vesicle Microrna Sorting In Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms, Rachel L. Dittmar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the deadliest cancers by organ site with a 5-year survival rate of just 10.8%. This is largely because most patients do not experience symptoms until the disease has already metastasized. The best hope to cure PDAC is surgery, which can only be done with a curative intent at an early stage when the disease is localized. There are no reliable circulating, body-fluid-based biomarkers to detect early stage PDAC or its precursor lesions in a timely manner for effective surgical intervention. When potential PDAC precursor lesions, such as mucinous pancreatic cysts are found, there are …

Deciphering The Role Of Hsp110 Chaperones In Diseases Of Protein Misfolding, Unekwu M. Yakubu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Molecular chaperones maintain protein homeostasis (proteostasis) by ensuring the proper folding of polypeptides. Loss of proteostasis has been linked to the onset of numerous neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. Hsp110 is a member of the Hsp70 class of molecular chaperones and acts as a nucleotide exchange factor (NEF) for Hsp70, the preeminent Hsp70-family protein folding chaperone. Hsp110 promotes rapid cycling of ADP for ATP, allowing Hsp70 to properly fold nascent or unfolded polypeptides in iterative cycles. In addition to its NEF activity, Hsp110 possesses an Hsp70-like substrate binding domain (SBD) whose biological roles are undefined. Previous work …

Anterior-Posterior Axis Of Hippocampal Subfields Across Psychoses: A B-Snip Study, Elisabetta C. Del Re, Victor Zeng, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Paulo Lizano, Nicolas Bolo

School of Medicine Publications

Background: The hippocampus (HP) is affected across psychoses, including schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar type 1 (BDP) and schizoaffective (SAD) disorders. We examined HP subfield volumetric abnormalities along the anterior-posterior (ventral-dorsal) axis of the HP in psychosis probands, defined by traditional (DSM) diagnoses and biologically defined subtypes (biotypes, based on cognition and electrophysiology). We hypothesized that biotypes would be better discriminated by HP longitudinal axis subfields abnormalities than DSM. Methods: The sample included 455 probands from the Bipolar Schizophrenia Network for intermediate Phenotypes (BSNIP) dataset (age 35 ± 12.0): 124 unaffected (age 40.4 ± 15.8) and 299 healthy controls (HC; 37 ± …

Identification Of Biomarker Systems Of Autism Spectrum Disorder And Uterine Cancer, Allison Hickman

All Dissertations

Complex diseases and disorders pose a challenge to scientists due to their variable and often inconsistent genetic and environmental underpinnings across affected individuals. Because of this variability, large condition-specific datasets and corresponding analytical tools and approaches are being curated as resources to investigate potential genetic trends in complex diseases and disorders. In this Dissertation, I used DNA- and RNA-based resources to discover polygenic biosignatures associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or uterine cancer. To explore the intersection of small-effect common DNA variants and regulation in ASD, I discovered and analyzed trends in allelic associations at eQTLs within ASD-affected individuals. Association …

Clinical Predictors Of Non-Response To Lithium Treatment In The Pharmacogenomics Of Bipolar Disorder (Pgbd) Study, Yian Lin, Adam X. Maihofer, Emma Stapp, Megan Ritchey, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Lithium is regarded as a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), but partial response and non-response commonly occurs. There exists a need to identify lithium non-responders prior to initiating treatment. The Pharmacogenomics of Bipolar Disorder (PGBD) Study was designed to identify predictors of lithium response.

Methods: The PGBD Study was an eleven site prospective trial of lithium treatment in bipolar I disorder. Subjects were stabilized on lithium monotherapy over 4 months and gradually discontinued from all other psychotropic medications. After ensuring a sustained clinical remission (defined by a score of ≤3 on the CGI for 4 weeks) had been …

Bicuspid Aortic Valve In Pregnancy Complicated By Aortic Valve Vegetation, Aortic Root Abscess, And Aortic Insufficiency, Shan He, Christopher A Huynh, Yi Deng, Sandeep Markan, Anvinh Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A 39-year-old patient presented to our Labor and Delivery unit with fever and nausea in the context of recent bacteriuria. She was found to be in sepsis due to an incidental bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) complicated by aortic valvular vegetations, severe aortic insufficiency, and aortic root abscess, requiring an emergent cesarean section. Three days after delivery, the patient successfully underwent a mechanical aortic valve replacement and root reconstruction. In this case report, medical, surgical, and anesthetic management of parturient patients with BAV are discussed. The management of this congenital valvulopathy and vasculopathy is complicated by the extensive hemodynamic and cardiovascular …

Absence Of Coding Somatic Single Nucleotide Variants Within Well-Known Candidate Genes In Late-Onset Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease Based On The Analysis Of Multi-Omics Data, Shishi Min, Zongchang Li, Annie Shieh, Gina Giase, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

Somatic mutations arise randomly or are induced by environmental factors, which may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Identifying somatic mutations in sporadic AD (SAD) may provide new insight of the disease. To evaluate the potential contribution of somatic single nucleotide variations (SNVs), particularly that of well-known AD-candidate genes, we investigated sequencing data sets from four platforms: whole-genome sequencing (WGS), deep whole-exome sequencing (WES) on paired brain and liver samples, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and single-cell whole-genome sequencing (scWGS) of brain samples from 16 AD patients and 16 non-AD individuals. We found that the average number, mean variant allele fractions …

Divergent Selection For Water Conversion Ratio In Broiler Populations, Joseph Hiltz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity is a global reality and with the anticipated population growth, freshwater resources will be further strained to meet both human needs and agriculture applications. To ensure a water sustainable and food secure future, all aspects of agriculture must become more efficient. Two strategies were explored. The potential of improving water efficiency in broilers was examined. The first strategy was to develop a more efficient and accurate method for measuring water consumption/inputs in agriculture. To date, water measuring technology has lacked the necessary sophistication to assure accuracy and repeatability of low flow water usage.

After establishing a low flow …

Genome-Wide Analyses Of Genomic Variation Regulating Differential Stress Responses In Japanese Quail, Steven Anthony Shumaker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As consumer demands for poultry grow, producers work to improve bird productivity in both meat and egg production. This endeavor is multifaceted, as many different factors play a part in influencing the productivity of birds, including environmental conditions, overall health, and genetic potential. One aspect controlled for in all aspects of poultry production optimization is stress management. Mitigation of stress is of primary concern to producers, as improper stress management can have many deleterious effects on chickens. Stress management requires an understanding of poultry stress responses and their physiological mechanisms, which can be more deeply understood through genomic analysis. Chapter …