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Effect Of Heat Stress On Jejunal Epithelial Barrier Integrity In Broilers Divergently Selected For High- And Low-Water Efficiency, Elizabeth S. Greene, Sara Orlowski, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Drought and water scarcity, exacerbated by global warming, are enormous threats to global food sustainability and security. Poultry, in particular, are highly impacted by adverse environmental stressors. As nutrient absorption and intestinal integrity are critical for growth and performance, understanding the impact on the broiler gastrointestinal tract is highly relevant. Here, we examined the effect of chronic cyclic heat stress (HS) on the jejunal expression profile of tight-junction, gap-junction, adherens, and desmosome genes in the 4th generation of broiler lines divergently selected for low (LWE)- and high-water efficiency (HWE). Male HWE and LWE broilers (n = 240/line) were allotted to …

Distribution Of Mussels In Two Intermittent Upland Streams Of The Arkansas Valley Ecoregion, A. A. Brady, K. B. Hecke, S. A. Drake, Z. R. Crain, K. Moles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Freshwater mussels are facing an increasing need for conservation due to their declining populations. More data is needed on mussel distributions, especially in tributaries of large rivers to properly conserve and restore populations. Big Shoal Creek and Little Shoal Creek are two upland-tributaries of the Arkansas River (Lake Dardanelle) in which no records exist for freshwater mussel populations. We addressed this knowledge gap by sampling a total of 9 sites in Little Shoal Creek and 18 sites in Big Shoal Creek to determine the abundance and distribution of mussels in these streams. Mussels were sampled using a timed-search approach. A …

Temporal Variation Of Benthic Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities In Two Upland Intermittent Streams In The Boston Mountains, R. J. Mccollough, K. B. Hecke

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates are some of the most highly used organisms for biomonitoring and assessing stream health. However, biomonitoring is often done in one season, potentially missing important taxa and inaccurately reflecting the community as well as stream health. In addition, while road crossing effects have also been extensively researched the last few decades, these studies are also often conducted in one season, likely misrepresenting the community structure and the overall effects of the road crossing. The highly known River Continuum Concept (RCC) is often applied to these benthic aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. This study aimed to examine aquatic macroinvertebrate communities …

First Report Of The Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis (Chytridiomycota: Rhizophydiales) From Spring Peeper, Pseudacris Crucifer (Anura: Hylidae), In Western Arkansas, C. T. Mcallister, I. F. Standish, E. M. Leis, M. R. Rodriguez, G. Burrows, H. W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Seven adult spring peepers, Pseudacris crucifer, were collected by hand during April 2024 from Polk County, Arkansas, and examined for the pathogens, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), and frog virus 3-like Ranavirus (FV3). Swabs from three of seven (43%) individuals tested positive for Bd: all P. crucifer were negative for the other two pathogens. In addition, no hosts showed any obvious pathological signs of infection and, as such, may represent Bd vectors.  This is the first time P. crucifer from Arkansas has been reported with Bd and increases the number of amphibian species …

Budget For The Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2026, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Budget for the Fiscal Year

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Catalog Of Studies, 2025-2026, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Undergraduate Catalog of Studies

No abstract provided.

Graduate Catalog Of Studies, 2025-2026, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Graduate School Catalog of Studies

No abstract provided.

Faculty Handbook, 2025-2026, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Faculty Handbook

No abstract provided.

Arkansas Baseball, 2026, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Athletics Media Relations

Arkansas Baseball

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Impact Of Age On Traumatic Brain Injury Cause And Recovery In Arkansas: A Retrospective Review, Abby Jones, Steven Wheeler, Jessica Danley

2026 Honors Symposium

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) remain a major public health concern, and increasing evidence goes to show the significance of the effect of age in quality of care, diagnosis, and recovery outcomes. In rural states, such as Arkansas, where research has shown a lack of resources and higher fatality rates among TBI patients, healthcare professionals can become better informed and equipped as a result of research efforts to uncover the effects of age on cause and recovery for inpatient TBI individuals in the early stages (Daugherty et al., 2022). Current research and prior evidence suggests that older individuals are more likely …

Ovipositional Behavior Of The Twig Girdler (Cerambycidae: Oncideres Cingulata) On Stems Of Mockernut Hickory (Carya Tomentosa) In Arkansas, R. Tumlison, L. Serviss

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Twig Girdler (Cerambycidae: Oncideres cingulata) is a long-horned beetle that girdles stems of certain species of trees to prepare a habitat for its offspring. The stems eventually die, break, and fall from the tree, but the beetle usually had already laid its eggs within the stems. Eggs are laid singly, almost always at growth rings or leaf bases. Because the space for the young to develop is finite, laying too many eggs could cause reproductive failure and too few eggs would be suboptimal. We hypothesized that the female laying eggs should be able to evaluate the stem and …

Analysis Of The Pervasiveness Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) And Their Relationship With The Incidence Of Neurological Health Disorders, Emma Waters

2026 Research Poster Competition

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a contaminant of emerging concern due to their chemical structure that afford a plethora of issues with regards to degradation on environmental and metabolic fronts. PFAS are amphiphilic and contain a carbon-fluorine bond, which complicates their movement through the environment and ensures their longevity in biological systems. Their persistence in biological systems has led them to be marked as “forever chemicals” and have emphasized them as a priority area for research in recent years. Current work on PFAS relationships to human health have pointed to some causes for concern. Much of the research on …

From Chaos To Clockwork: Investigating The Role Of Circadian Genes In Metabolic Development Of 2nd And 3rd Instar Drosophila Larvae, Elliott Ruegsegger

2026 Research Poster Competition

Connecting deficits in circadian rhythm machinery to the severity of other health conditions is a common task that chronobiology, the study of physiological rhythms, undertakes. Disruptions to circadian rhythms and sleep are linked to increased risk of developing multiple different diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease and obesity. Circadian rhythms are expressed at the molecular level through rhythmic variations in the concentration of specific proteins. While the central clock genes that produce these proteins, such as period and timeless, are evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom, not much is known about the consequences of disruptions in circadian rhythm machinery during early development, …

Moving Towards Defining The Evolutionarily Ancient Role Of Notch Signaling In Animals., Paige Norris

2026 Research Poster Competition

The notch signaling pathway is deeply conserved across animals from humans to sponges. It functions through direct cell-to-cell communication, where ligand binding triggers the cleavage of the Notch receptor’s intracellular domain (NICD), which then translocates to the nucleus to regulate transcription. In bilaterian lineages—animals with bilateral symmetry— Notch signaling is known to regulate binary cell fate decisions in diverse contexts ranging from neurogenesis to cancer. However, the functions of Notch signaling in early-branching animals, including cnidarians (e.g. jellyfish, corals and sea anemones), are still not fully understood; consequently, evolutionarily ancient roles of Notch remain ill-defined. To address this fundamental knowledge …

Investigating Pituitary Specific Transcription Factor-1 (Pit-1) In Neuronal Development In The Sea Anemone Cnidarian Nematostella Vectensis, Emily Ye

2026 Research Poster Competition

In bilaterians — animals with bilateral symmetry, like vertebrates and insects — the pituitary specific transcription factor-1 (pit-1) is essential for regulating growth hormone and prolactin expression in the pituitary gland. However, in non-bilaterians, the ancestral function of pit-1 remains unknown. Cnidarians, such as the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, form a sister group to bilaterians and lack a pituitary gland, making them a powerful model for investigating the early evolutionary role of conserved developmental genes, like pit-1.Using CRISPR-mediated gene editing, pit-1 knockout mutants — anemones without the pit-1 gene — were generated, and their transcriptomic, cellular, and behavioral phenotypes were …

Effect Of Organic Vs Inorganic Zinc Sources In Beef Cattle Diets During Gestation On Calf Immune Function And Colostrum Quality, Naija Sharpley

2026 Research Poster Competition

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of zinc supplementation in cattle feed on beef cattle during gestation and the influences of the trace mineral zinc on colostrum and calf immunocompetence measuring immunoglobulin concentrations and body weight. Cow-calf systems rely on the effectiveness and consistency of their nutritional intake. Beef cattle are fed forages and grain alongside specific minerals and supplements to meet nutritional requirements. The effectiveness of these trace minerals added to the diet helps to ensure that the animal gets the most out of its feed and the producer gets the most out of the …

Investigating The Potential Role Of Horse Flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) In The Mechanical Transmission Of Anaplasma Marginale And Theileria Orientalis To Cattle In Northwest Arkansas, Catherine Harrison

2026 Research Poster Competition

The cattle industry in Arkansas plays a significant role in the state’s agricultural economy; however, two emerging infectious diseases pose a threat to cattle health, producer livelihood, and animal welfare. The two diseases, anaplasmosis and theileriosis, are caused by organisms that enter the host’s bloodstream and infect red blood cells, leading to destruction of said cells. The shared symptoms of both diseases are fever, weakness, anemia (low red blood cell count), reduced productivity, weight loss, and possibly death. An important difference between symptoms is that, unlike anaplasmosis, theileriosis can cause abortion in cattle. Both diseases are known to spread through …

Differences In Cytokine Mrna Expression At The Site Of Primary And Secondary Vaccinations With Herpesvirus Of Turkeys (Hvt) In Egg-Type Chickens., Allie Bowerman

2026 Research Poster Competition

Marek’s disease, a lymphoma causing virus, remains a major concern in poultry production systems. Although vaccination with live herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) is crucial for controlling this disease, information on how the vaccine drives local/tissue immune responses that lead to protective immunity is limited. Using the growing feather (GF) in vivo bioassay, we assessed local cytokine mRNA expression following primary and booster intradermal (i.d.) HVT vaccinations in egg-type chickens. For this, six 9-week-old and six 19-week-old Light-brown Leghorn (LBL) pullets were i.d. injected into the pulp of growing feathers (GF; 10 µL/GF; 16 GFs/bird) with a primary (V1) or secondary …

Enhancing Prosthetic Hand Training Through A Virtual Reality–Based Framework Integrated With The Coapt Control System., Iruoghene Ojoh

2026 Research Poster Competition

Enhancing Prosthetic Hand Training Through a Virtual Reality–Based Framework  Integrated with the Coapt Control System. Ojoh, I.1,2, Shell, A.1,  Asbee, J.1, Aguilar, D.1 ,Abbas, J.1,2,   1Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR;  2Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR  Introduction: Advances in upper-limb prosthetic hardware have greatly improved strength, durability, and mechanical performance; however, achieving intuitive control of EMG-based myoelectric prosthetic hands remains a significant challenge for individuals with trans-radial amputations. These devices rely on electromyography (EMG) signals generated by residual forearm muscles, which require consistent and well-coordinated muscle activation. Many users experience difficulty …

Hybridized-Highway Infrastructures, Will Sutton

2026 Research Poster Competition

This research explores highways and their evolving functions through hybrid programming, from the modern era to the present day. As early as 1916, the federal government began funding state construction of the National Highway System. From this point onward, by design, highways became redundant and homogenized networks of automobile movement, crystallizing their function. Despite this, there are global examples of architecturally utilizing space within, above, or below highway infrastructures that hybridize their function beyond vehicular movement. I am currently studying hybridized-highway infrastructures through a literature review that examines them through the lenses of underutilized space associated with highways, the roles …

"Leafing" Through The Chinese Opera: Phytopoetics In The Peony Pavilion, Madison Bussell Escoto

2026 Research Poster Competition

Ornamental flowering plants have been instrumental symbols in literature across all times and cultures. I’m examining why flowers are such perceptual stimulants, sexual symbols, and literary agents. Through the lens of Joela Jacob’s term “phytopoetics,” which describes the impact of plant life on the human imagination and culture; botany; and literary scholarship, I will look closely at this phenomenon in The Peony Pavilion, a Chinese opera from 1598 which features the first recognized complex and convincing female protagonist in world literature. Exploring “the garden” as a place, I will present the embodied, sensory, and relational elements of the human-flower relationship …

Crispr-Cas9 Unleashed: Gene-Slicing Adventures In The Cancer Battlefield, Shivakuma Sonnaila, Shilpi Agrawal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cancer, a global health menace, continues to pose significant challenges in terms of incidence and mortality, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies. Despite existing treatments, the limitations persist, prompting a quest for novel approaches. The emergence of immunotherapy marked a transformative era in solid tumor treatments, yet its efficacy is constrained by adverse effects. Concurrently, the integration of advanced technologies into cancer treatment explores the vast potential residing at the molecular level through gene analysis and manipulation. This review articulates the role of state-of-the-art genome editing technology, notably clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-Cas9), in overcoming the constraints of immunotherapy for …

Molecular Detection Of Campylobacter Spp. In Filth Flies Associated With Broiler Breeder Facilities In Oklahoma And Arkansas, Allen Szalanski

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Adult filth flies (Diptera: Muscidae) (non-biting flies that develop in decaying organic matter) are abundant in poultry facilities and may contribute to the dissemination of pathogenic Campylobacter spp. among flocks. We sampled adult house flies, Musca domestica L., and black dump flies, Hydrotaea aenescens (Wiedemann), at five broiler-breeder farms in Oklahoma and Arkansas to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. vectored by filth flies and the effects of farm, fly species, and location (inside vs outside houses) on the rates of Campylobacter spp. occurrence. A total of 1,076 house flies and 1,008 black dump flies were collected inside and outside …

Investigating The Incorporation Of Milled Rice In Brewing Non-Alcoholic Beer To Enhance Sensory Quality, Christian Schubert, Rahul Sen, Nils Rettberg, Scott Lafontaine

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The influence of substituting barley malt with milled rice on the sensory and chemical characteristics of nonalcoholic beers (NAB) was investigated. Physicochemical and volatile analyses were conducted on the NABs. Original gravities ranged from 6.71% w/w (100% barley malt) to 7.15% w/w (100% rice), with alcohol contents between 0.33% v/v (70% barley/30 %rice) and 0.45 % v/v (100% rice). Color decreased from 10.8 EBC (100% barley malt) to 3.3 EBC (100% rice). Descriptive analysis sensory evaluations by trained panelists in the United States and European Union were used to characterize the sensory profiles of the NABs. Principal component analysis showed …

Plowing With A Pencil: Policy Approaches For States Squaring Agricultural Interests With Select Public Interests, Mary Eichenberger

Journal of Food Law & Policy

From a fifth-generation wheat farmer on the Kansas plains to a cattle rancher in Montana to a beginning peach producer in Georgia, American agriculture produces, provides, and protects sources of food, fiber, fuel, and shelter. American agriculture, once solely supported by rural family farmers and steeped in an agrarian system, now relies heavily on industrialized operations, creating an arena ripe for the clash of diverse policy perspectives. As farmers produce the food enjoyed at dinner tables across the country, the inevitable impacts of agriculture production on the environment have led to policy and legal arguments surrounding the regulation of agriculture. …

Key Contributions To Agricultural Law Select Works By Agricultural Law Professor, Susan A. Schneider, An Annotated Bibliography, Susan A. Schneider

Journal of Food Law & Policy

The authors provide an annotated list of publications, remarks, books, and book chapters authored by agricultural law scholar and professor, Susan A. Schneider, in honor of her forthcoming retirement.

The growth and evolution of the study of agricultural and food law may be attributed to several legal scholars who, based on a personal connection with agriculture, chose to dedicate their careers to advocating for the family farmer. Professor Susan A. Schneider is one such legal scholar.

Professor Susan A. Schneider, a native of Minnesota, is currently the William H. Enfield Professor of Law and the Director of the LL.M. in …

Municipalities, Let The People Have Their Chickens And Eat Them, Too, Cindy Vong

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In the pre-industrial era, before the advent of long-distance transportation or food preservation, human survival necessitated proximity to where food was grown or husbanded. Cities located near agriculturally productive lands and domesticated livestock animals were commonplace within cities. But by the 1920s, the technological innovations of the Second Industrial Revolution left urban areas free of farm animals and farm-related activities. Local governments exercised their powers to codify the separation of residential and agricultural uses within cities and reinforce the idea that food production was not proper in community neighborhoods. Yet, a century later, local governments use those same powers to …

Rapid Detection Of Chicken Residues On Poultry Plant Surfaces Using Color And Fluorescence Spectrometry, Clark Griscom, Dongyi Wang, Corliss A. O'Bryan, Rimmo Room, Philip G. Crandall

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Color and fluorescence spectrometry were evaluated as rapid, objective tools for verifying the cleanliness of poultry-processing food-contacting surfaces contaminated with a model chicken solution across six common materials. Both techniques detected chicken residues at dilutions several orders of magnitude below human visual and olfactory thresholds, with stainless steel and blue plastic yielding the largest color differences between clean and contaminated states and fluorescence measurements remaining highly sensitive on all tested surfaces. Representative limits of detection were on the order of 1:50-1:100 dilution of chicken residue for color measurements on most surfaces and approximately 1:50 for fluorescence measurements, compared with human …

Incidence Of Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness In Commercial Duck Flocks In Mojokerto, Indonesia, Andi Asnayanti, Siti Azizah, Anif Mukaromah Wati, Ahmad Ridwan, Ahmad Arman Dahlan, Dinda Rosalita, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Adnan Alrubaye

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness is an infection of opportunistic bacteria in the structural skeletal bones impacting multiple animal species, particularly poultry species. BCO lameness results in significant financial losses to industrial poultry production and increases the risk of foodborne illnesses, posing a major threat to consumers' food safety. As BCO lameness is an inherent risk of fast body weight gain in poultry species, especially broiler chickens, abundant studies have been conducted in broilers and turkeys. Nevertheless, BCO lameness incidence in ducks remains elusive. Thus, this is the first survey investigating the prevalence of BCO lameness cases in ducks. …

The Price Of Priorities: How Human Choices Fuel Climate And Ecological Decline, Keisha Hickman

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the ways in which human priorities and behaviors contribute to the escalating climate crisis and ecological systems. We will first analyze the role of social media in shaping public discourse on climate change and critically evaluate the priorities of institutions that have the means to assist in wildlife conservation. Both speak to the current behaviors of humankind prioritizing their own entertainment over meaningful efforts to mitigate climate change and preserve biodiversity. We will then shift to exploring the profound impact of human population growth and its associated activities on other species and ecosystems. Finally, the thesis will …