University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
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Field of Forgotten Dreams: The Role of Memorial Myopia in Representing Black Baseball History in Birmingham, Alabama
Get PDFBaseball in Birmingham, Alabama, has a long and troubled past regarding racial tension, although my thesis finds that those tensions do not appear fully interpreted and memorialized in the city’s two major Black baseball heritage sites - historic Rickwood Field and the Negro Southern League Museum. Until recently, the history of the Negro Leagues of Baseball was largely under-valued and written out of contemporary baseball memory and record books. Still, an ongoing effort to carry out a more inclusive and critical discussion of Black baseball and the social inequalities that formed and defined it have allowed sites like Birmingham’s Rickwood Field and the Negro Southern Leagues Museum to move to the forefront of sports-related tourism. My research carries out a critical reading of the depiction of the history of race, racism, and civil rights struggle during the Jim Crow era of segregation, examining the extent to which these themes are apparent, missing, or obscured through the sites’ markers, exhibits, artifacts, and wider spatial arrangement. In analyzing Rickwood and the Negro Leagues Museum of Birmingham as places of sports memory, I examine concepts of spatial narratives, conditional storytelling, and the ongoing racial politics memorialization process. My central argument is that the preserved ballpark and baseball-related museum, while they should be ideal places for understanding how sport and society are often intertwined through politics and racial segregation, perpetuate a “memorial myopia” that blurs our ability to fully see and understand the reality of prejudice and segregation in baseball and Birmingham specifically. Through ethnographic analysis, my research highlights how baseball history in Birmingham, Alabama is curated, remembered, and retold, providing a framework for understanding how sports can both challenge and reinforce societal norms
The Food Desert Reduction Roadmap: A Food-Energy-Water Nexus Analysis for the Appalachian Region
Get PDFThe United States Department of Agriculture has defined a food desert as a census tract that lacks access to fresh, nutritious, and affordable food. While food deserts define a geographic or financial barrier to a food source for a community, food insecurity indicates the uncertain availability of food within the home. These communities often see other socioeconomic factors influencing their status as a food desert and rates of food insecurity. The Food-Energy-Water nexus is used as it incorporates these factors to address the root causes of food deserts, allowing in-depth analysis of these communities and their needs.
As climate change worsens, significant shifts in temperature and precipitation are disrupting agriculture and, subsequently, the food supply chains. Appalachian communities often depend on local farmers to substitute for grocery stores or provide affordable food. Rural food desert communities in Appalachia are disproportionately impacted, with nearly 75% of total farmland in the region being small-scale and family-owned. Between 2017 and 2022, the region lost 2.45 million acres of family-owned farmland, which calculates to 46.6 acres lost per hour.
In 2020, the food insecurity rates in Appalachia ranged from 6.2% to 25.9% throughout the region, with higher rates seen in the Southern and South Central subregions. Between 2010 and 2022, food insecurity rates have remained stagnant throughout the region, with an average rate of 15.0%, with the greatest impact on food insecurity being the median household income. Through the decade, the number of census tracts identified as both geographic and financial food deserts have risen by 53, climbing from 886 to 939. The relationship analysis between food insecurity and food deserts yielded that if a household was food insecure, they were 1.50 times more likely to also be in a geographic and financial food desert. This study used the trends of food deserts, the loss of farmland, and socioeconomic data to predict the next 5 years of the region. Based on the predictions and the relationship between deserts and insecurity, the number of food deserts is expected to continue to increase between 2023 and 2027 from 13.9% to 15.5%
Helium Bubble Evolution In Nano-Infiltrated Transient Eutectic SiC Utilizing Machine Learning Analysis
No full textThe nuclear energy industry is searching for materials that can be used in new reactor designs, such as fusion energy systems, and withstand the volatile conditions. Silicon carbide (SiC) has emerged as a versatile material that is already used in fission reactors and could be applied to the fusion reactor design due to its significant strength, thermal stability, and resistance to radiation damage. Characterization of materials results in massive amounts of data due to the ever-improving microscopy technology. Micrographs taken of samples implanted with helium bubbles can have thousands of microscopic features that need to be annotated. This large amount of data and human error are a limiting factor on data analysis in the nuclear materials science field. Many machine learning (ML) model approaches have been explored to assist human researchers process visual data faster than manual annotation. Models such as You Only Look Once (YOLO) have been used to identify features such as black dots, cavities, and grains. With the purpose of addressing the growing need for radiation stable materials, a comparison of two production methods of SiC, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and nano-infiltration transient eutectic (NITE), under helium implantation at three different fluences (1 x 1014, 1 x 1015, and 1 x 1016 ions/cm2) was conducted. In addition, a ML model was made to evaluate the bubble size and density of the data. Nanoindentation was also performed to evaluate the mechanical stability of the materials. The insight gained into microstructural and nanomechanical properties during various helium irradiations helps to elucidate the structure-property relationship of NITE SiC during potential future fusion heat blanket applications
An Automated System for Determination of Hydration Kinetics of Dry Legumes: Improvement, verification, and modeling of commercial hydration of navy beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
No full textThe species of Phaseolus vulgaris, which contains many commonly consumed cultivars of beans, can be found in grocery stores across the United States as a canned product. Beans are often hydrated to reach equilibrium moisture to ensure the safety and quality of canned bean products. The hydration kinetics of specific species or cultivars of beans must be analyzed to optimize soak time. Existing methods for assessing hydration kinetics are both time-consuming and labor-intensive. An automated system, called the Bean Volume Automated Tester (BVAT), was developed to monitor changes in the weight and volume of legumes as they absorb water. This system was tested against the AACC method 44-17.01 for moisture determination to calibrate the BVAT to provide percent moisture content readings consistent with the standard method (Cereals and Grains Association, 1999c) The two moisture determination methods had a linear relationship (y =1.09x-6.04). Using the Peleg model, the BVAT as able to distinguish hydration patterns at different temperatures (P \u3c 0.0001). The BVAT also showed significant differences in hydration patterns across three varieties of black bean using Peleg model parameters (P=0.0013 [k1], P=0.0347 [k2]).
Hydration patterns from a commercial hydration process (soak tank) were tested for uniformity. Three depths within a soak tank were sampled and their moisture contents over time were fitted to the Weibull model. The beans at the top (3 ft depth) of the tank hydrated significantly more slowly than the middle (6 ft) and bottom (9 ft) levels (P = 0.0133). The three depths showed no significant difference between the Weibull model parameter related to the time it takes to reach 63% of equilibrium hydration. The depths did not show a significant difference in initial hydration rate (alpha = 0.05) after adjusting the soaking time for the time it takes to fill the soak tank. The BVAT accurately predicted hydration at the top of the soak tank (RMSE = 0.370, R² = 0.992). When soak time was adjusted, the BVAT also accurately predicted hydration at the middle of the soak tank (RMSE = 1.0, R2 = 0.980). This automated system will allow bean manufacturers to better understand the hydration kinetics of beans before canning. Understanding hydration ensures a uniform product and optimizes processing and quality while maintaining microbial safety and cutting costs
The Gendered Dimensions of Climate Change Adaptation Among Small-Scale Farmers in Negros Occidental, Philippines
No full textClimate change is intensifying natural disasters and putting increasing pressure on agricultural systems, with serious implications for agricultural livelihoods and food security. These challenges disproportionately affect women in rural areas globally, who often have less access to finance, resources, and extension services that support climate adaptation. The Philippines is on the front lines of climate change, facing increasing severe and frequent heatwaves, drought, flooding, and cyclones. Despite its vulnerability to climate risks, the Philippines is underrepresented in research on the gender-climate connection in agriculture compared to countries in other regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study addresses this research gap by examining how men and women perceive the impacts of climate change on agriculture and the adaptation strategies they adopt. The study involves 10 interviews with lead farmers, 4 focus groups, and 264 surveys, with an approximate balance of male and female farmers. The findings showed that overall, male and female perspectives, preferences, and behaviors towards climate change and adaptation were largely similar, with some exceptions. Women farmers were more likely to view climate change as impacting their production and were more likely to be interested in crop insurance. Male farmers were more likely to employ agronomic adaptation behaviors, with women more likely to have changed gendered roles in response to climate change. These findings have implications for scaling climate-smart innovations and the status of rural transformation amidst economic and climactic shifts
Western Diet and Chronic Alcohol Consumption Have a Systemic Impact on the Stool and Plasma Metabolome in a Non-human Primate Model.
No full textINDIGENOUS ANDEAN WOMEN MOUNTAINEERS: IDENTITIES, MEDIA, AND SOCIAL CHANGE
No full textIn the heart of the South American Andes, Indigenous women are redefining mountaineering by climbing the region’s highest peaks. Among them, the Cholitas Escaladoras are particularly visible, known for wearing traditional polleras (multi-layered skirts) while ascending summits in their native lands. Their distinctive attire symbolizes complex intersection of Indigenous, gender, cultural, and social identities. While gaining global recognition, their participation in high-altitude mountaineering remains underexplored in academic literature. Media representations often reduce them to “women in skirts,” overshadowing their athleticism, agency, and activism. This study also acknowledges other Indigenous women climbers from Bolivia and Peru who wear technical gear but share similar cultural beliefs and mountaineering passions. Regardless of attire, these women are collectively transforming gender norms and challenging social expectations in a male-dominated domain.
Grounded in Indigenous feminism, this study explores how Indigenous Andean women construct, negotiate, and express their identities through mountaineering. It also examines how they perceive and respond to media portrayals, using mountaineering as a platform for cultural reclamation and social change. Data collection took place between summer 2023 and winter 2024 through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and follow-up interviews using snowball sampling. The final sample included 10 Indigenous Andean women climbers, offering rich, thick, and saturating insights.
Drawing on narrative inquiry and thematic analysis, five key themes emerged: intersected identities, relationship with the mountain, media perceptions, overcoming challenges, and advocacy for change. Visual storytelling complemented participants’ narratives, supported by secondary sources such as the Cholitas documentary, photographs, artwork, and Instagram posts surrounding the handle #cholitaescaladoras or similar. Findings revealed how mountaineering serves as a platform for empowerment, activism, and cultural affirmation. While some embrace visible markers like the pollera, others emphasize language preservation or community values, reflecting the complexity of Indigenous identity. Despite growing visibility, media portrayals often oversimplify their identities. Yet, these women are actively reshaping narratives to reflect their multifaceted realities. Through expeditions to Aconcagua, and the upcoming Everest ascent (2025), they are breaking barriers and asserting their place in elite adventure sports. This study contributes to scholarship on gender, Indigenous identity, media, and sports, offering a nuanced understanding of resistance and transformation in high-altitude spaces
SACSCOC Response - Method of Delivery Notification - Human Development and Family Science BS
No full textConservation Status of Virginia Populations of the Rare and Jeopardized Bridle Shiner, \u3ci\u3eNotropis bifrenatus\u3c/i\u3e
Get PDFThe Bridle Shiner, Notropis bifrenatus (Cope, 1867), Family Leuciscidae, is a small minnow species that ranges in Atlantic coastal river drainages of eastern North America from the St. Lawrence in Canada southward to the Santee River basin of South Carolina. Over several decades notable declines throughout its range have been observed and multiple natural resource agencies note it to be jeopardized with probable extirpations evident in a number of drainages. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries recognized the need to assess the status of the Bridle Shiner within its historical range in Virginia. Here we report the results of field surveys and preliminary molecular investigations undertaken to evaluate the species\u27 current distribution and status. Currently, in Virginia, all remaining documented populations are confined to the greater James River basin in the Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. Based on our findings, recommendations are made for targeted future sampling efforts to enhance detection of small, isolated populations of Bridle Shiner
