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Development Of An In Vitro Platform For The Exploration Of Skeletal Muscle Cell Mechanobiology, Sydney Spradlin

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Muscles have the natural ability to regenerate when damaged. This works to keep the body functioning, unless this ability is overwhelmed. Volumetric muscle loss (VML) occurs when a substantial amount of a muscles mass is lost. This leads to the development of scar tissue, and often a loss of function. In order to find a solution for this condition, in vitro models are needed to explore the mechanobiology of skeletal muscle cells. Two platforms were developed in this study, to explore 3 factors: orientation, strain, and supporting structure. One platform used fibronectin stamped lanes on PDMS to encourage cell growth …

Sustainability Children's Book, Linden Cheek

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As human driven climate change continues to alter our planet, persuading the general public to adopt sustainable living practices has become increasingly important. Storytelling has long been a part of human culture, and recent studies have emphasized the power of storytelling to influence the audience as a means of changing behavior. This project attempted to teach sustainable principles to primary school children through the creation of a scientific children’s book. The book communicated the maxim of “reduce, reuse, recycle” by tracing a fictitious story of a town where children frequently buy new toys and throw the old toys away. The …

Effect Of Incubation Temperature On Phosphorous Release From Soils To Water, Seth Boles

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In recent years, nutrient release into flood waters and runoff has been a major concern within the Illinois River watershed, as well as nationwide. This study investigated whether there was a change in the release rate of soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP) into overlying water from soil cores incubated at different temperatures. Soil cores were incubated at 4.4°C, 20°C, and 32°C. After inundation, water samples were taken periodically over a seven-hour period and SRP measured. Following the drainage of the water, the upper 5 cm soil from each core was dried and analyzed for Mehlich III-extractable and water-extractable P. The results …

In-Cage Surface Wetting System For Cooling Poultry In Transport, Ryan Clark

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Poultry health and mortality rates are important considerations in poultry production, as companies can minimize product loss and appeal to a consumer base whose concern for animal welfare continues to grow. Although animal welfare is a consideration for the entire poultry production process, this project focuses on the live-haul phase of the process, specifically during transport from grow houses to processing facilities. During the summer months, broiler chickens being transported can suffer from heat stress that can lead to death. This project consists of the designing and testing of an in-cage surface wetting system to minimize heat stress incidents …

Enhancing Quality Of Life Through Foreign Direct Investment In Northern Mozambique, Sarah-Beth Delay

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has the potential to increase economic activity and improve GDP growth in low-income countries, but can hinder economic development (quality of life improvements) if not sustainable and holistic in manner. Africa serves as a host to many cases of FDI focused on economic growth, but not necessarily improving the quality of life for its citizens. FDI has spread throughout the African continent, where many countries are well endowed with natural resources, like minerals and coal. These economies have experienced rapid GDP growth with few benefits reaching citizens of the host country. Mozambique is a low-income country …

Strengthening The National Organic Program With State Organic Programs, Kelly Damewood

Journal of Food Law & Policy

With an increasing amount of organic imports and steady growth in the organic sector, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) needs additional enforcement resources to oversee a growing and evolving organic marketplace. California has the most efficient, robust organic enforcement in the U.S. because it has a state-administered organic enforcement program, the California State Organic Program (SOP). Based on the costs and benefits of the SOP, additional state organic programs are a viable means to increasing NOP enforcement resources when they are established in states where additional enforcement adds value to the state’s organic sector, organic …

Microbiome Of Commercial Broilers Through Evisceration And Immersion Chilling, John A. Handley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States poultry industry generated 38.6 billion pounds (17,500 metric ton) of meat in 2014 which averaged to 121 pounds (55 kg) per individual of the U.S that same year. Of that meat generated by the poultry industry, an estimated 1 million cases of Salmonellosis will occur. Out of the 1 million cases approximately 40, 000 to 50,000 will be confirmed cases by the CDC. Recently, the USDA has requested changes in the inspection process and are currently allowing processors more freedom to utilize innovation to drive the increase in safer and more desirable foods. The new standards set …

Unravelling The Layers Of Cell Wall Synthesis And Function In Rice, Ritu Mihani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The plant cell wall is of critical importance to plant growth and survival, functioning in maintaining structural integrity, supporting cell expansion, and acting as the first line of defense in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. The major components of the cell wall are cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, and pectin. Recent focus on the transcriptional machinery regulating cell wall biosynthesis in plants has revealed many key transcription factors responsible for orchestrating cell wall deposition. However, many of these TFs act redundantly and work coherently with a suite of TFs to activate the cell wall biosynthetic machinery. Heterologous expression of TFs is …

Combining Translational And Functional Genomic Approaches To Augment Management Strategies Of Plant Parasitic Nematodes, Sandeep Sharma Khatiwada

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plant-parasitic nematodes pose a major threat to crop yield worldwide. Discontinued use of harmful chemicals has prompted the search for alternative management strategies that are effective yet environmentally friendly. Harpin proteins, which are derived from bacteria, and nematophagous fungi, natural predators of nematodes, are ideal for biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes. However, research on the efficacy of harpin proteins on nematodes, and biology of nematophagous fungi is minimal. Previously, a taxonomically uncharacterized nematophagous fungus designated ARF18 effectively suppressed nematode populations in soil. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to utilize applied and functional genomic approaches to augment management of …

Sacral Morphology Of Prehensile-Tailed Primates In Relation To Biomechanical Loading, Hannah Grace Showalter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The few available comparative studies of prehensile tail anatomy in primates have established that several features of the caudal vertebrae are associated with adaptation to the increased loading of the tail during prehension. Given that the caudal vertebrae are anchored to the sacrum, it stands to reason that sacral morphology should also covary with tail prehensility. Convergent evolution of prehension in ateline and cebine primates and clear variation in the use of tails among taxa raises questions not only of how sacral morphology differs between prehensile and non-prehensile taxa, but whether different prehensile-tailed taxa evolved the same solutions to the …

Analysis Of Biological Response To Ecm Hydrogel Injection, Grady Dunlap

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Under normal circumstances, skeletal muscle possesses the capacity to regenerate and heal via inflammatory and myogenic pathways. In cases of severe tissue loss or certain diseases, this capacity is lost, often resulting in loss of tissue function. Extracellular matrix (ECM), the protein scaffold which houses cells in physiological tissue, has been shown to have structural and chemical properties which influence cell migration and phenotype. This results in ECM’s capacity to encourage a regenerative response when implanted into severely damaged skeletal muscle. Additional advantages are apparent when an ECM scaffold is digested into a hydrogel, namely less invasive implantation via …

Evolutionary Conservation Of Midline Repulsion By Robo Family Receptors In Flies And Mice, Allison Loy

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

As the nervous system develops in animal embryos, neuronal axons are guided to their synaptic targets by extra cellular cues that signal through axon guidance receptors expressed on the surface of the axon. In animals with bilateral symmetry, one of the important decisions made by nearly every axon in the embryonic nervous system is whether to stay on its own side of the body, or to cross the midline and connect to cells on the opposite side. The Roundabout (Robo) family is an evolutionarily conserved group of axon guidance receptors that regulate midline crossing in a wide range of animal …

The Myth Of Southern Atonement: Constructed Forgiveness In Public Spaces, Elizabeth Ashley Clayborn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a rhetorical analysis of public space in Arkansas and examines the ways in which the myth of Southern Atonement is constructed within those spaces. Three formal elements characterize Southern Atonement: absolution from the past, distinctiveness in constructed authenticity, and hope for a post-racial future. The analysis develops over three case studies which I argue contribute to the construction, engagement, and actualization of this cultural myth. The first chapter looks at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and The Unexpected art project as a source of identity construction and place attachment. Then I examine The Billgrimage, or the monuments and museums …

Species And Cultural Management Of Earthworms On Golf Course Turf In Arkansas And Oklahoma, Paige Elizabeth Boyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As earthworms feed, they can egest soil and nutrient-rich aggregates (casts) on the soil surface. In low-cut turfgrass systems, such as golf course greens, tees, and fairways, surface casting can result in a muddy playing surface, ball roll issues, weed and pest invasion, reduced aesthetics, surface softening, and reduced photosynthesis. Because the use of pesticides for earthworm control is illegal in the U.S., earthworm casting must be managed through cultural practices. Sand topdressing is one method of earthworm control studied for use on golf courses, with the supposition being that the abrasive sand particles will deter the soft-bodied earthworms from …

Formal Learning In An Informal Setting: The Cognitive And Affective Impacts Of Visiting A Science Center During A School Field Trip, Charlie Belin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the pressures of budget cuts, many schools--particularly schools serving low-income students--are eliminating school field trips to museums, zoos, and other cultural institutions despite their widely reported utility. First, through a systematic review of the literature, I examine the findings from 17 international studies on the benefits of visiting an informal science education institution during a K-12 school field trip. Almost all pre-post studies reported a positive change in both cognitive and affective outcomes after visiting an ISEI. However, studies that also included a control group to compare students who visited the ISEI with students who had yet to visit …

A Comparison Of Craniofacial Asymmetry In Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla And Pan Troglodytes Troglodytes, Ashly Noel Romero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) – random deviations from bilateral symmetry in an organism’s paired features – is a good candidate for investigating developmental stability. This easily accessible measurement can be used to understand the relationship between stress and development across organisms, and growth rate plays a vital role in developmental processes. Few studies have investigated craniofacial FA in non-human primates, and those that have suggest that levels of FA are higher in slower growing species. This study examines craniofacial FA in two primate species (Pan troglodytes troglodytes and Gorilla gorilla gorilla; n=81) to elucidate the effect of growth rate on FA …

Multiscale Investigation Of The Behavior Of Heart Valve Interstitial Cells In Response To Pathological Shape And Mechanical Stimulation, Ngoc Thien Lam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our works aim to provide an insight into how aortic valve interstitial cells (VICs) respond to pathological shape and mechanical stimulation as well as the potential signaling pathway that mediates these responses, using a multiscale approach. A single cell model was developed to investigate the effect of altered shape on valve cell function as valve cells were reported to significantly deform during the cardiac cycle. Single VICs were controlled to take on features with different width-to-length aspect ratios that corresponded to the steady-state shapes adopted by VICs when stretched to 0%, 10% and 20%, respectively. It appeared that single VIC …

Rapid And Sensitive Detection Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Using A Qcm Sensor Based On Aptamers Selected By Whole-Bacterium Selex And A Multivalent Aptamer System, Xiaofan Yu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is one of the top five pathogens contributing to foodborne diseases, causing an estimated 2,138 cases of hospitalization in the US each year. The extremely low infectious dose demands for more rapid and sensitive methods to detect E. coli O157:H7. The objective of this study is to select aptamers specifically binding to E. coli O157:H7 using whole-bacterium SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) and to create a multivalent aptamer system by rolling circle amplification (RCA) with the selected aptamer sequence for sensitive detection of E. coli O157:H7 using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor. Briefly, …

Preservice Agricultural Education Teachers And Secondary Education Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Professional Identity, Hailey Gates

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the nineteenth century, a decision was made to separate the preparation of agricultural education teachers from their elementary and secondary counterparts (Hearings, 1908; Heren & Hillison, 1996; Hillison, 1986). The majority of land-grant universities and colleges have continued to prepare agricultural education preservice teachers within the college of agriculture, separate from other secondary education preservice teachers in the college of education (Myers & Dyer, 2004). Despite the differences among content disciplines, teachers who possess a strong sense of self-efficacy and professional identity have higher success rates in the classroom when it comes to collaboration, involvement, and student achievement (Ashton …

Soil Organic Carbon And Mineralization Rates At The Woolsey Wet Prairie Mitigation Site In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Zachary Tipton

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are higher than ever recorded, surpassing 400 ppm in 2013, from a pre-industrial revolution level of around 280 ppm. Researchers have been looking at methods to mitigate high CO2 levels in the atmosphere, including promoting carbon sequestration in soils. Carbon sequestration is the process where CO2 is naturally or artificially transferred out of the atmosphere and stored in the ocean, plant biomass, soils, and geologic formations. Seemingly contradictory to the notion of carbon sequestration, is the use of fire as a management treatment for the restoration of native prairie grass ecosystems. Fire combusts plant biomass …

Polymorphisms Of Bovine Hsp90 And Their Implications In Beef Cattle Productivity, Glynn G. Smith

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Production of beef cattle represents a $60 billion industry in the United States (USDA, 2015). The American beef cattle industry loses an estimated $370 million annually due to heat stress (St-Pierre, 2003). As of 2003, this was equal to nearly 99 million pounds of beef lost (USDA, 2015). The average American consumed roughly 65 pounds of beef in 2003; this means that the 99 million pounds of beef lost to heat stress would have been enough to feed approximately 1.5 million Americans for an entire year (Barclay, 2012).

Impact Of Teat Order On Feed Consumption In Swine From Birth To Nursery, Callan Lichtenwalter

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

A relationship between teat order and feed consumption has been assumed in pigs, but no study has looked at this exact relationship. Pigs were observed shortly after birth to be in either a cranial, middle, or caudal teat positon. Growth performance data and active and total plasma ghrelin concentrations were analyzed at birth, weaning, and at the end of the nursery stage of production to see if a relationship with teat order was present. Further growth performance data were analyzed during different phases of the nursery stage. Overall, no effect of teat order was found on average daily gain, average …

Consumers' Willingness To Pay For Specialty Table Eggs, Rachel Braun

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to define the relationship between two constructs and the purchasing behavior of consumers. These two constructs are composed of zoocentric and anthropocentric ideologies, which are established according to one’s attitudes towards an animal’s purpose on earth in relation to humans. This study investigates the effect that these two viewpoints have on a consumer’s willingness to pay for specialty table eggs and conventional table eggs. Using a survey questionnaire, we sampled 327 college students to test these relationships. Using confirmatory factor analysis to establish construct validity and hierarchical linear regression to test the hypotheses, we …

Examination Of Shape Variation Of The Calcaneus, Navicular, And Talus In Homo Sapiens, Gorilla Gorilla, And Pan Troglodytes, Nicole Lynn Robinson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Analyses of morphological integration among primates commonly focus on relationships between the face, braincase and base of the skull, as well as the upper and lower dentition, and the within portions of the post-cranial skeleton. Despite the prominence of these studies, the associations between the bones of the foot and their articular surfaces have largely been ignored among primates, even though the foot demonstrates high degrees of variation and modification. This variation offers an ideal opportunity to study the relationship between morphology and locomotion. Because the talus, calcaneus and navicular act together to stabilize the foot in locomotion and form …

Gothic Voids: Nineteenth-Century Reader Experience And Participation, Garrett Chapman Jeter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Characterization of nineteenth-century literary Gothic is usually confined to affective response. This project argues that literary Gothic works constitute an intellectual, empirical endeavor. Because authors of literary Gothic intentionally left voids in their narratives, they invited their readers to participate in making narrative through speculation and conjecture about missing information. The practice of Gothic reading makes the reader an active partaker in filling those voids with rational conclusions. Reading is not just textual encounter. Rather, it incorporates making meaning of one’s surroundings. In their experiences, literary works’ characters “read” their environments: people, objects, events, etc. Chapter 1 characterizes Gothic reading …

Combining Microdialysis And Electrophysiology In Cerebral Cortex To Delineate Functional Implications Of Acetylcholine Gradients, Tazima Nur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The neuronal network in cerebral cortex is a dynamic system that can undergo changes in collective neural activity as the organism changes its behavior. For example, during sleep and quiet restful awake state, many neurons tend to fire together in synchrony. In contrast, during alert awake states, firing patterns of neurons tend to be more asynchronous, firing more independently. These changes in population-level synchrony are defined as changes in cortical state. Response to sensory input is state-dependent, i.e., change in cortical state can impact the sensory information processing in cortex and introduce trial-to-trial variability in response to the same repeated …

Towards Quantifying Relevant Land Cover Change: A Case Study In The Central Flyway Of The Monarch Butterfly, Hanna Lenee Ford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 20 years notable decreases in monarch butterfly populations have led researchers to begin evaluating the landscape for changes and seeking out opportunities for enacting conservation programs to better support their survival. The monarch butterfly has recently come under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act which has created a need for a more informed view of the landscape through which the migrate and breed, the central United States. In this research three spatially-explicit models are explored using the most applicable datasets currently available to address pressing policy and land manager decisions regarding monarch butterfly and pollinator …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of A Candidate Turkey Dermatitis/Cellulitis Oil Emulsion Vaccine On Immune Response, Morbidity, And Mortality Under Laboratory And Commercial Conditions, Brittany Danielle Graham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alpha-toxigenic Clostridium septicum (CS), the cause of turkey cellulitis, results in devastating mortality with high costs for the industry. Various vaccinations have been evaluated to prevent this disease with moderate success. Ability of a CS bacterin-toxoid, in conjunction with adjuvants such as aluminum hydroxide, mannoslyated chitosan, or a water-in-oil Seppic Montanide 71 R VG adjuvant (OE) to induce immunity was evaluated in a 7-week study (Experiment 1). Poults (20/group) were vaccinated day-of-hatch, boosted at 5 weeks-of-age and compared to unvaccinated controls. Antibody titers were determined by ELISA for all experiments. In experiment 1, initial vaccination with OE resulted in significantly …

The Effect Of Napping On Sleep Quality And Quantity In Healthy And Concussed Collegiate Athletes, Katie Stephenson-Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clinicians are increasingly prescribing a regulated sleep schedule to athletes post injury; however, baseline sleep habits of collegiate athletes are unknown. Moreover, the connection between napping and sleep quality and quantity has not been studied in collegiate athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate napping behaviors and their effects on sleep quantity and quality in concussed and non-concussed collegiate athletes. In a sample of 233 non-concussed collegiate athletes, 74% (172/233) of participants reported napping. Napping was not significantly associated with sleep quantity (χ 2 (2) = .23, p = .64) or quality (χ 2 (1) = .42, …

Behavior Coding Strategies: Population Coupling And The Functional Role Of Excitatory/Inhibitory Balance In Primary Motor Cortex, Patrick Aaron Kells

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The complexities of an organism’s experience of- and interaction with the world are emergent phenomena produced by large populations of neurons within the cerebral cortex and other brain regions. The network dynamics of these populations have been shown to be sometimes synchronous, with many neurons firing together, and sometimes asynchronous, with neurons firing more independently, leading to a decades-old debate within the neuroscience community. This discrepancy comes from viewing the system at two different scales; at the single cell level, the spiking activity of two neurons within cortex tend to be rather independent, but when the average activity of a …