Physiology Commons^™

Hormonal Control Of Seawater Acclimation In The Intestine Of The Atlantic Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus), Karma Je Hine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Atlantic killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus) is a teleost found in brackish water estuaries, which are subject to large fluctuations in salinity, that handles osmotic stress by triggering compensatory actions across their osmoregulatory organs. As the external salinity increases, the killifish intestine exhibits a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, as the protein composition of the gut epithelium can be modified to absorb desalinated water (H2O) from ingested seawater (SW). Three osmoregulatory hormones, prolactin (P), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol (F), have been observed to be crucial for these transitions to occur in many species of teleosts, including killifish. This research sought …

Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination Protocols Using Pre-Synchronization In Suckled Beef Cows, Wyatt Eugene Weber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adoption of artificial insemination by beef producers has been limited within the United States. Estrous synchronization (ES) for fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) has been one of the most effective ways to implement artificial insemination into beef production systems, but its efficiency has primarily been restrained by the dependency on the effectiveness of the initial gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) injection in many FTAI protocols. The hypotheses of these studies were to determine practical methods of pre-synchronization to improve current FTAI protocols, ultimately increasing beef herd reproductive performance. The objective was to evaluate the use of prostaglandin F2α (PGF) and progesterone (P4) …

Overexpression And Biophysical And Functional Characterization Of A Recombinant Fgf21, Phuc Phan, Jason Hoang, Thallapuranam Krishnaswamy Suresh Kumar

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an endocrine FGF that plays a vital role in regulating essential metabolic pathways. FGF21 increases glucose uptake by cells, promotes fatty acid oxidation, reduces blood glucose levels, and alleviates metabolic diseases. However, detailed studies on its stability and biophysical characteristics have not been reported. Herein, we present the overexpression, biophysical characterization, and metabolic activity of a soluble recombinant FGF21 (rFGF21). The far-UV circular dichroism spectra of rFGF21 show a negative trough at 215 nm, indicating that the protein’s backbone predominantly adopts a β sheet conformation. rFGF21 shows intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence at 305 nm. Thermal …

Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness In Broiler Chickens And Its Implications For Welfare, Meat Safety, And Quality: A Review, Amanda Anthney, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Adnan A.K. Alrubaye

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The exponential increase in global population continues to present an ongoing challenge for livestock producers worldwide to consistently provide a safe, high-quality, and affordable source of protein for consumers. In the last 50 years, the poultry industry has spearheaded this effort thanks to focused genetic and genomic selection for feed-efficient, high-yielding broilers. However, such intense selection for productive traits, along with conventional industry farming practices, has also presented the industry with a myriad of serious issues that negatively impacted animal health, welfare, and productivity–such as woody breast and virulent diseases commonly associated with poultry farming. Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) …

Cancer Heterogeneity And Mitochondrial-Targeted Therapies In Cancer Cachexia, Francielly Morena Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer Cachexia (CC) is a multifactorial and complex syndrome affecting up to 80% of cancer patients and contributing to approximately 40% of cancer-related deaths. Given its relationship with patients' quality of life and prognosis, there has been increasing emphasis on understanding the underlying mechanisms of CC using pre-clinical models. However, the mechanisms of cachexia vary depending on several factors, including tumor type, model, and biological variables such as sex. RNA-sequencing technology is a crucial tool for investigating CC heterogeneity, enabling the analysis of the transcriptome across different models, conditions, and sexes using publicly available data. Aim 1 of this dissertation …

Effects Of Nicotinamide Riboside In Ovo Feeding On High-Yield Broiler Performance, Meat Quality, And Myopathy Incidence, Clay J. Maynard, John M. Gonzalez, Taketo Haginouchi, Olivia G. Ellis, Ashunti R. Jackson, Casey M. Owens

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of in ovo nicotinamide riboside (NR) feeding on high-yield broiler growth and meat quality.

Methods: Fertilized Cobb 700 by-product eggs (N = 3,240) were randomly assigned to one of four in ovo treatments and injected with 0 (0NR), 250 (250NR), 500 (500NR), or 1,000 (1,000NR) mM NR at incubation-day 10. Chicks were hatched, vent sexed, and randomly placed 18 per pen in one of 32 floor pens. On day 48, birds were processed and deboned.

Results: There were dose effects …

Potential Non-Invasive Detection Of Lesions In Broiler Femur Heads: Application Of The Dxa Imaging System, Alison Ramser, Elizabeth Greene, Robert Wideman, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Leg health is a significant economic and welfare concern for the poultry industry. Current methods of detection rely on visual assessment of the legs and gait scores and bone scoring during necropsy for full characterization. Additionally, the current scoring of femurs only examines the external surface of the femoral head. Through the use of the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) imaging system, we show the presence of a necrotic region in the femurs that would otherwise be considered healthy based on the current evaluation procedures. Importantly, these lesions were present in almost 60% (22 of 37) of femurs that scored normal …

Exercise-Induced Myc As An Epigenetic Reprogramming Factor That Combats Skeletal Muscle Aging, Ronald G. Jones Iii, Ferdinand Von Walden, Kevin A. Murach

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

Of the “Yamanaka factors” Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM), the transcription factor c-Myc (Myc) is the most responsive to exercise in skeletal muscle and is enriched within the muscle fiber. We hypothesize that the pulsatile induction of MYC protein after bouts of exercise can serve to epigenetically reprogram skeletal muscle toward a more resilient and functional state.

Novel 4th-Generation Phytase Improves Broiler Growth Performance And Reduces Woody Breast Severity Through Modulation Of Muscle Glucose Uptake And Metabolism, Carrie L. Walk, Garrett J. Mullenix, Craig W. Maynard, Elizabeth S. Greene, Clay Maynard, Nelson Ward, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of a novel (4th generation) phytase supplementation as well as its mode of action on growth, meat quality, and incidence of muscle myopathies. One-day old male broilers (n = 720) were weighed and randomly allocated to 30 floor pens (24 birds/pen) with 10 replicate pens per treatment. Three diets were fed from hatch to 56- days-old: a 3-phase corn-soy based diet as a positive control (PC); a negative control (NC) formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous to the PC and with a reduction in Ca and available P, …

Effect Of Heat Stress On The Hypothalamic Expression Profile Of Water Homeostasis-Associated Genes In Low- And High-Water Efficient Chicken Lines, Loujain Aloui, Elizabeth S. Greene, Travis Tabler, Kentu Lassiter, Kevin Thompson, Walter G. Bottje, Sara Orlowski, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

With climate change, selection for water efficiency and heat resilience are vitally important. We undertook this study to determine the effect of chronic cyclic heat stress (HS) on the hypothalamic expression profile of water homeostasis-associated markers in high (HWE)- and low (LWE)-water efficient chicken lines. HS significantly elevated core body temperatures of both lines. However, the amplitude was higher by 0.5–1°C in HWE compared to their LWE counterparts. HWE line drank significantly less water than LWE during both thermoneutral (TN) and HS conditions, and HS increased water intake in both lines with pronounced magnitude in LWE birds. HWE had better …

Robust Phylogenetic Regression, Richard Adams, Zoe Cain, Raquel Assis, Michael Degiorgio

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Modern comparative biology owes much to phylogenetic regression. At its conception, this technique sparked a revolution that armed biologists with phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) for disentangling evolutionary correlations from those arising from hierarchical phylogenetic relationships. Over the past few decades, the phylogenetic regression framework has become a paradigm of modern comparative biology that has been widely embraced as a remedy for shared ancestry. However, recent evidence has shown doubt over the efficacy of phylogenetic regression, and PCMs more generally, with the suggestion that many of these methods fail to provide an adequate defense against unreplicated evolution—the primary justification for using …

Shedding In The Timber Rattlesnake: Natural Patterns, Endocrinological Underpinnings, Temporal And Energetic Effort, And Integration As A Reptilian Life History Trait, Maxwell D. Carnes-Mason

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The semi-frequent replacement of the epidermis (ecdysis) is a characteristic trait of reptiles. Whereas all reptiles regularly engage in some degree of skin shedding, skin morphology in snakes necessitates the synchronous replacement of the entire epidermis and facilitates the subsequent removal of the old layer as a single sheet. To date, the ubiquitous process has garnered little attention from researchers because snakes shed with unpredictable timing and frequency and are exceedingly cryptic during ecdytic cycles; previously impeding detailed physiological or ecological investigations of the process in the clade. Because of the lack of study, ecdysis is often viewed as a …

The Influence Of Temperature, Prey Availability, And Population Of Origin On Ectotherm Energetics, Allison R. Litmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change poses threats to organisms regarding direct and indirect effects of warming temperatures. Laboratory studies and predictive models are useful for understanding how temperature influences organisms, and the future of species’ life history and persistence. This dissertation expands upon current approaches to thermal studies and climate models, while investigating effects of warming nighttime temperature and altered prey availability on individuals and populations. Lizards in the genus Sceloporus were used as model organisms, as they are broadly distributed with thermally sensitive physiologies. The first dissertation chapter conducted meta-analyses to examine temperature-induced changes in food consumption, activity, and life history. Prominent …

Hormonal Control Of Osmoregulatory Proteins In The Intestine Of Atlantic Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus), Karma Hine

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) is a euryhaline fish, and thus able to maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis in a wide range of salinities. When exposed to the dehydrating marine environment, the lost water is replenished through drinking seawater (SW) which is processed and absorbed in the intestine through the involvement of various cellular effectors. Intestinal water transport is osmotically driven by the active removal of NaCl from the gut lumen to the blood coupled to the precipitation of divalent Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ due to the secretion of bicarbonate. These processes allow for successive removal of …

Unveiling The Ancestral Function Of A Neuroendocrine Regulator, Pou-I/Pit1: Insights From Gene Expression Analysis In The Sea Anemone Nematostella Vectensis, Miguel Agostinho Pina Da Silva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cnidaria (i.e., sea anemones, jellyfish, corals) and Bilateria (i.e., vertebrates, sea stars, fruit flies), are sister groups that diverged around 600 million years ago. Despite the long evolutionary time, many cellular differentiation mechanisms, cell types, tissues and behaviors are conserved. Such as neurons, mechanosensory hair cells, feeding behaviors, peristaltic movements, and sleep. Recent advances in genomics, molecular biology and microscopy have fueled an increased interest in understanding cnidarian nervous and neuroendocrine systems. Understanding the developmental mechanisms and the mode of operation of Cnidarian nervous systems helps to reconstruct the ancestral nervous system of the last common ancestor of Cnidaria and …

Perception Of Illness And Its Association With Willingness To Adhere To Treatment In Chronic Hepatitis C Patients With New Diagnosis Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Carmel Kruse

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Chronic liver disease is becoming the most common cause of mortality, morbidity, and utilization of healthcare services globally. Both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) are frequent causes of chronic liver disease. Recently, there have been significant findings on the relationship between NAFLD and CHC; patients with CHC have a higher incidence of NAFLD. The introduction of direct-acting antivirals has cured more CHC patients than ever before. Unfortunately, the current interventions for NAFLD requiring behavioral change remain ineffective. Patient’s ability to follow advice depends largely on their health beliefs; therefore, understanding their illness perception is an …

Expression Of Claudins In Gill And Opercular Membranes In Relation To Osmoregulation In Euryhaline Atlantic Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Allison Mcfarland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) are euryhaline teleosts, which means they can thrive in environments with varying salinities, ranging from concentrated seawater (SW) to dilute fresh water (FW) and thus survive in estuaries. To be able to maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis in these diverse salinities, osmoregulatory organs like gill and opercular membrane must be able to adjust the permeability and transport of water and ions. The surface epithelia in these organs need to prevent the passive flux of ions and water in a drastically changing environment, while being able to switch between active ion secretion or uptake dependent upon environmental …

Effects Of Sunrise/Sunset Lighting On Corticosterone Levels In Coturnix Quail (Coturnix Coturnix), Hannah Feuerborn

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Both genetics and environment play an important role in the growth, performance and overall welfare of poultry species. Current commercial production practices typically do not mimic the natural environmental conditions of ancestral poultry species, specifically lighting requirements. In nature, poultry species are subjected to natural day length and the slow rising and setting of the sun. This is compared to commercial conditions in which lights are sudden on/off, not mimicking the natural trajectory of the sun in terms of light intensity and exposure. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of genetics and the effect of sunrise/sunset lighting on …

Effects Of A Leucine Supplementation On Mitochondrial Markers In Pre-Cachectic Female Mice, Breanna Williams

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cancer cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by extreme weight and skeletal muscle loss that results in death in many tumor bearing individuals. Because skeletal muscle requires a high amount of energy to function, skeletal muscle fiber cells need healthy mitochondria to function. When skeletal muscle loss atrophy occurs, the mitochondrial network is degraded. Different treatments for this muscle atrophy are being studied, one of which is a leucine supplementation since leucine has been found to stimulate skeletal muscle growth in other studies. However, current data suggests that a leucine supplementation in cachexic individuals exacerbates this atrophy. PURPOSE: This study …

The Influence Of Temperature And Body Size On Food Consumption In Prairie Lizards (Sceloporus Consobrinus), Morgan Pelley

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Understanding the effect of temperature on physiological and digestive processes, such as voluntary consumption rate, is critical for assessing the impact of climate change. Food consumption is required for lizard survival and reproduction and its rate is dependent on temperature. For ectotherms, as temperatures increase, the amount of food consumed to meet the energy requirements related to survival and reproduction must also increase. Information on the amount of food voluntarily consumed may aid in determining if lizards can meet energy requirements. Such information could also aid in predicting survival of lizard populations, through construction of predictive climate change models. In …

Effects Of Exercise On Parkinson's Symptom Relief, Brooke Burnett

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this review of twenty research articles, the effects of moderate exercise therapy on the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease will be explored. Appropriate literature was located using the research question, “In older adults with a Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis, how does moderate exercise influence the symptoms of this disease?” Twenty peer-reviewed research articles were examined for the impact of different forms of exercise on various symptoms associated with Parkinson’s. Nineteen of the articles reviewed provide substantial evidence in support of exercise therapy as a treatment option for people with Parkinson’s, and one of the articles found inconclusive evidence neither in support …

Examining The Effects Of Oral Contraceptive Use On Thermoregulation, Whitley C. Atkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of combined (estradiol and progestin) monophasic oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use on thermoregulation. Further, we sought to evaluate OCP use on acute rehydration post-exercise in the heat using recommended rehydration guidelines. Methods: Twelve healthy, aerobically trained (VO2peak = 47.8 ± 4.7 mL/kg/min), long term female oral contraceptive users completed a familiarization trial and two experimental days separated by ≥ 7 days. The two experimental trials were identical except for the hormone dosing phase. One trial was completed during the third week of active pill dosing (ACT) and one during …

Preparation Of Proteins And Peptides From Heat-Stabilized Defatted Rice Bran Via Solid State Fermentation And Investigating For Skin Health, Ali A. Bisly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat-stabilized defatted rice bran (HDRB) is an abundant and inexpensive agro-industrial by-product of rice milling and rice oil extraction process. Furthermore, HDRB is a potential source of proteins. However, the direct protein extraction has low yield of protein due to the impact of heat stabilization and oil extraction process which made the HDRB proteins bound and interact with other components. This research is based on using solid-state fermentation (SSF), which is a natural and cost-effective approach to facilitate protein extraction from HDRB using Bacillus subtilis (natto) Takahashi as a microorganism.

Response surface methodology (RSM) analysis was used with Box-Behnken design …

Implementing An Exercise Referral Scheme For Promoting Physical Activity In University Mental Health Care, Bryce Daniels

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. Mental health symptoms and conditions are prevalent and increasing on college campuses with anxiety and depression having the highest increases in prevalence. Many college students are also physically inactive which is problematic as physical activity benefits mental health. Exercise referral schemes (ERS) can promote physical activity, though no studies have investigated the implementation of an ERS within a college counseling center. Purpose. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the implementation of an ERS for promoting physical activity in university mental health care. Methods. Study 1 used a qualitative descriptive design of 14 certified counselors to explore perceptions …

Effects Of Sunrise/Sunset Lighting On Corticosterone Levels In Coturnix Quail (Coturnix Coturnix), Hannah M. Feuerborn, Sara K. Orlowski

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Both genetics and environment play important roles in the growth, performance, and overall welfare of poultry species. Current commercial production practices typically do not mimic the natural environmental conditions of ancestral poultry species, specifically lighting. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of genetics and the effect of sunrise/sunset lighting on the stress response of 4 genetic lines of Coturnix quail. The 4 lines utilized in this study included high stress (H), low stress (L), stress control (R), and Arkansas randombred (A) quail lines. Day old chicks from these lines were placed in one of two environmentally controlled rooms. …

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 …

Central Nervous System Associated With Light Perception And Physiological Responses Of Birds, Seong Kang

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Environmental light that animal receives (i.e., photoperiod and light intensity) has recently been shown that it affects avian central nervous system for the physiological responses to the environment by up or downregulation of dopamine and serotonin activities, and this, in turn, affects the reproductive function and stress-related behavior of birds. In this study, the author speculated on the intriguing possibility that one of the proposed avian deep-brain photoreceptors (DBPs), i.e., melanopsin (Opn4), may play roles in the dual sensory-neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and brain stem for the behavior and physiological responses of birds by light. Specifically, the author …

Transporters In The Jejunum Of Modern Broilers And Their Ancestor Wild Jungle Fowl, Nedra Abdelli, Alison Ramser, Elizabeth S. Greene, Lesleigh Beer, Travis W. Tabler, Sara K. Orlowski, Jose Francisco Perez, David Sola-Oriol, Nicholas B. Anthony, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Heat stress (HS) has been reported to disrupt nutrient digestion and absorption in broilers. These effects may be more prominent in fast-growing chickens due to their high metabolic activity. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. Hence, the current study aimed to evaluate the effect of chronic HS on jejunal nutrient transport in slow- (Athens Canadian Random Bred, ACRB from 1950), moderate- (The 1995 random bred, 95RAN), rapid- (modern broilers, modern random bred, MRB) growing birds and their ancestor wild jungle fowl (JF). One-day male chicks (n = 150/line) were placed by line in environmentally controlled …

Histological Analysis And Gene Expression Of Satellite Cell Markers In The Pectoralis Major Muscle In Broiler Lines Divergently Selected For Percent 4-Day Breast Yield, Sara K. Orlowski, Sami Dridi, Elizabeth S. Greene, Cynthia S. Coy, Sandra G. Velleman, Nicholas B. Anthony

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Muscle development during embryonic and early post-hatch growth is primarily through hyperplastic growth and accumulation of nuclei through satellite cell contribution. Post-hatch, muscle development transitions from hyperplasia to hypertrophic growth of muscle fibers. Commercial selection for breast yield traditionally occurs at ages targeting hypertrophic rather than hyperplastic growth. This has resulted in the production of giant fibers and concomitant challenges with regard to muscle myopathies. The current study investigates the impact of selection during the period of hyperplastic growth. It is hypothesized that selection for percentage breast yield during hyperplasia will result in an increased number of muscle cells at …

Heat Stress And Feed Restriction Distinctly Affect Performance, Carcass And Meat Yield, Intestinal Integrity, And Inflammatory (Chemo)Cytokines In Broiler Chickens, Nima K. Emami, Elizabeth S. Greene, Michael H. Kogut, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study was conducted to distinguish the effects of heat stress (HS) and feed intake (FI) on broiler chicken’s physiological responses. Day-old male Cobb 500 broilers (n = 672) were allocated to three treatments: (1) control (CTL): birds raised under normal temperature (23°C) from day 29 to 42; (2) cyclic heat stress (CHS): birds exposed to high temperatures (8 h/day at 35°C; from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm) from day 29 to 42; (3) pair-fed (PF): birds raised under thermoneutral condition but fed the same amount of feed as CHS from day 29 to 42. On day 42, 15 …