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The Effect Of Hypertonicity On Glucose Regulation In Healthy Adults, Alison L. Schroeder

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Impaired glucose tolerance is the key defining characteristic of diabetes, a condition which affects nearly 30% of Americans. Hydration status and the physiological effects of poor hydration have been linked to compromised glucose tolerance in animal models, but have not been thoroughly investigated in humans. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to observe the effect of altered hydration status on a healthy male adult’s response to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). METHODS: Four healthy adult men (28.4±1 y, 23.6±1.2 kg/m2, HbA1C 5.6±0.2%, non-smoking, non-athletes) participated. Subjects took OGTT’s in both a hypohydrated and euhydrated state. The euhydrated state …

Damsels In Distress: A Study Of The Effect Of Temperature On Damselfly Competitive Interactions, Madison Pitts

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Temperature has a fundamental role in shaping numerous physiological aspects of organisms, such as growth rate, that determine an organism's performance. Due to global climate change, temperature is projected to keep increasing. As temperature increases, so does an organism’s growth rate. Also, as competition increases organisms’ growth rate decreases. While studies have examined these factors individually, no experiments have assessed the combined impact of temperature and competition on organism’s growth rates. The experiment we conducted manipulated temperature and density in order to project what will happen as a result of rising temperatures.

The Effects Of Pulmonary Hypertension In Diabetic Zucker Rats On Pulmonary Vascular Contraction And Right Ventricular Size, Michael Franzetti

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pulmonary hypertension is a life-threatening disease that is identified by a resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure over 25 mmHg and established by right heart catheterization (Saglam et al., 2015). The symptoms commonly associated with pulmonary hypertension include fatigue, dyspnea, syncope, and chest pain, which severely limit quality of life in diagnosed patients (Saglam et al., 2015). According to recent studies in patients with pulmonary hypertension, the one, three and five year mortality rates are 8%, 25%, and 34%, respectively (Burudpakdee, Shah, Joish, Divers, & Yaldo, 2014). Although some advances have been made in therapies for pulmonary hypertension, the prognosis is …

Independent Effect Of Heat Stress During Exercise On Arterial Stiffness, Cash Arcement

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Context: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in the United States, accounting for about 1 in every 3 deaths annually. While studies have shown that arterial stiffness, a leading precursor to CVD, improves with passive heat stress not much is known about the independent effect of heat stress during exercise on arterial stiffness. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the independent effect of heat stress during exercise on arterial stiffness. Design: Participants visited the lab three times; one familiarization and two experimental trials. Experimental trials were randomized and counter-balanced. Setting: All trials …

Rapid, Low-Cost Biosensor For Water-Borne Pathogens In Low-Resource Environments, Kimberly Cribbs

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

When testing water quality, “microbiological results typically require a minimum of 24 hours to complete” due to reliance on the traditional and inexpensive cultivation method. In 2000, an isothermal DNA amplification method termed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was invented allowing for microbiological assessments to be performed in less than one hour without the need for an expensive thermocycler. In 2013, the World Health Organization reported LAMP as an “attractive diagnostic platform for resource-poor settings: it is fast [15-40 min], isothermal [requiring only a heat block], robust to inhibitors and reaction conditions that usually adversely affect PCR methods, and it generates …

Municipal Composting And Organic Waste Diversion: The Case Of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Michael E. Hoppe

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is estimated that 40% of food is wasted in the United States; representing $165 billion in wasted resources. A vast majority of that wasted food is ultimately placed in landfills where it decomposes and releases harmful greenhouse gases (GHGs). In fact, food waste alone is responsible for 23% of annual methane emissions for the US. This has a huge impact on global climate change due to the potency of methane as a greenhouse gas. Currently only 5% of the food waste produced is recovered across the nation. Source reduction would be the best solution to reducing this food waste, …

Then And Now: Ten Years Of Arkansas Women In Agriculture, Paige Morgan Acklie

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States Agricultural Census show that between 2002 and 2012, the number of farm women operators in Arkansas grew 14 percent (from 19,856 to 22,637). These women operators have made up an increasingly larger percent of all farm operators in the state (from almost 29% to nearly 33%). There is little published information regarding how women’s roles, challenges and factors important to their success may have changed over time. While some surveys of farm women have been conducted, these surveys are generally insufficient because data exist only for one point in time.

This research uses the first, middle and …

Contents, Journal Editors

Journal of Food Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Food Law & Policy - Spring 2016, Journal Editors

Journal of Food Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

A Gnawing Problem: Does Rodent Incisor Microwear Record Diet Or Habitat?, Salvatore Samuel Caporale

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dental microwear has been shown to reflect food preferences and habitat in extant vertebrates, and its analysis has been applied to fossil assemblages to infer paleodiet and paleoenvironment. Such reconstructions are, of course, only as good as the extant baseline used to infer relationships between wear pattern and diet/habitat. This study tests, through dental microwear texture analysis, the potential of modern rodent lower incisors to reveal those relationships, and evaluates the extent to which effects of diet and habitat can be parsed from the signal. Microwear texture profiles were created for individual lower rodent incisors (n=430) using confocal profilometry and …

Consumer Willingness To Pay For Genetically Engineered Edamame, Elijah John Wolfe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of GM labeling on consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for edamame. It also investigated how people reacted to different messages and whether the order of receiving positive or negative information about GM technology impacted their willingness to pay (WTP). The study had three components: (1) a sensory test of GM and non-GM labeled products; (2) a non-hypothetical experimental auction to assess WTP for GM, non-GM and unlabeled products; and (3) a questionnaire to collect demographics and other information from the participants. Results of the sensory evaluation revealed no statistically significant difference between GM and non-GM …

Microdialysis Studies Using Porcine Pancreatic Elastase To Guide Mathematical Modeling Of Microdialysis Sampling For In Vivo Measurements., Mason W. Young

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Microdialysis sampling uses a semi-permeable membrane to allow solute collection by diffusion. When used in conjunction with other instruments, analytes in question can be quantified. Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes involved in numerous biological processes where they serve the role of degrading extracellular matrix. Microdialysis sampling, in coordination with further analysis methods, can be used in order to measure the activity of these enzymes in a region of the body instantaneously. The intention of this project is to determine ways of measuring in vitro activity of elastase from porcine pancreas using determined activity values and the collection of elastase products. …

Local Delivery Of Ctla-4 Blockade Inhibits Growth Of Pancreatic Tumors, Jack Baltz

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Immune checkpoint blockade has demonstrated great potential in activating antitumor immunity. Ipilimumab is a monoclonal antibody which targets cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4. CTLA-4 belongs to the CD28 class of receptors and is found on the surface of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. CTLA-4 acts to suppress the immune system when bound to CD80 and CD86 receptors on antigen presenting cells. Ipilimumab, or anti-CTLA-4, has shown to be effective in significantly extending the survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. However, systemic delivery of Ipilimumab also induces significant side effects such as: colitis, dermatitis, uveitis, and hypophysitis. In order to minimize …

Validation Of The Use Of Doubly Labeled Water For Measuring Metabolic Rate In Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), Caitlin Hirsh

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The doubly labeled water method is an isotopic technique for measuring field metabolic rate and water flux rates of free-living animals. We present a validation of the use doubly labeled water for measuring metabolic rate and water loss in Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). For this study seven animals of varying body size were used with masses ranging from 148 to 650 grams. Prior to dosing, blood samples were taken to establish background isotope levels for each animal. Snakes were injected with water enriched with isotopes of oxygen (18O) and hydrogen (2H, deuterium). The injected isotopes were then allowed to equilibrate …

Response Of Leukocyte Profiles To Corticosterone Manipulation In The Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus Viridus), Jill E. Guillette

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Prior work has shown that when animals are stressed they have altered leukocyte profiles. The use of leukocyte profiles could provide an inexpensive and efficient method for determining stress. Here we present a validation of the use of leukocyte profiles for showing induced stress in Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridus). Snakes (N=19) with masses ranging from 682g to 137g were used in a repeated measures design to examine the effect of hormone manipulation on leukocyte profiles. During each trial snakes were dosed with either corticosterone and sesame oil (1.1µg/g) or only sesame oil. Prior to dosing, baseline blood samples …

Effects Of Diet-Induced Obesity On Extracellular Matrix Remodeling During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration, Michelle A. Tedrowe

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Skeletal muscle has the ability to regenerate from damage; however, recent studies have reported a negative effect of obesity on skeletal muscle regenerative capacity. The extracellular matrix (ECM) contributes to skeletal muscle structure acting as a scaffold for skeletal muscle. Additionally, skeletal muscle serves as a reservoir for proteins and growth factors that promote regeneration. Optimal skeletal muscle regeneration includes inflammation, ECM remodeling, and myofiber growth. Disruption to any of these processes can negatively affect skeletal muscle regeneration. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine how diet-induced obesity (DIO) affects ECM remodeling during skeletal muscle regeneration. METHODS: Fifty-six …

Improving Access To Care For Arkansas Youth Athletes With Sport-Related Concussion: Establishing “Teleconcussion” In Arkansas, Kristin Maxey

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Proper management of sport-related concussion (SRC) is critical for improved recovery outcomes in youth athletes. Several barriers exist to improving the standard of care for youth athletes with SRC. Many rural areas lack medical professionals with specialized training in SRC. Innovative methods for providing specialized healthcare to youth athletes with SRC are needed. Telehealth may be an effective means of providing specialized care for youth athletes with SRC located in underserved areas that have a shortage of healthcare providers specializing in SRC.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare patient, caregiver, and provider ratings of the therapeutic …

Assessment Of Microbial And Growth Response Of Broilers Fed A Commercial Prebiotic, Sang In Lee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prebiotic refers to nondigestible food ingredients that enhance the health of the host by selectively promoting one or more number of beneficial bacteria. Gibson and Roberfroid (1995) initially described prebiotics as compounds that neither hydrolyzed nor absorbed in upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, selectively stimulates growth of beneficial bacteria, enhance health of the host and able to amend microorganism population to healthier states. Prebiotics are particularly attractive supplements in animal production due to their variety of effects including production of short chain fatty acids, pH amendments and suppression of pathogen colonization. In addition, prebiotics were emphasized as antibiotic alternatives …

An Approach To Collect Non-Standard Microdialysis Compounds, Allison M. Schneider

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Microdialysis is a sampling technique that is used to collect analytes through a semipermeable membrane. The collection occurs via the microdialysis probe where analytes can diffuse through the membrane and be collected by use of the outlet. Microdialysis is typically utilized with solutes that are hydrophilic and have a low molecular weight. It is unusual for hydrophobic solutes to be used, but pentane, a hydrophobic analyte, was studied in this research to see if non-standard microdialysis compounds can be collected. This is important because the pentane resembles hydrophobic signaling molecules in the brain, such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes and can …

Influence Of Cholesterol On Single Arginine-Containing Transmembrane Helical Peptides, Jordana K. Thibado

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

An essential component of animal cells, cholesterol exerts significant influence on the physical properties of the cell membrane and in turn, its constituents. One such category of constituents, the membrane proteins, are responsible for diverse and essential biological functions and often contain polar amino acids. Although sparse within the hydrophobic interior of lipid-bilayer membranes, polar amino acid residues are highly conserved and may play pivotal roles in determining specific structural and functional properties of key proteins. To gain greater understanding of the lipid membrane environment, and more broadly, cellular function, a model peptide framework termed “GWALP23” (acetyl-GGALWLALALAL¹²AL^{14 …}

Development Of A Simple Handheld Biosensor For Waterborne Pathogens, Bryce C. Jones

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Current methods of detecting waterborne pathogens involve testing strips which take 24-48 hours to yield results, or require expensive equipment in order to function. In minimalist environments, these two technologies are not always applicable to test water quality. With the emergence of a new method of PCR, named LAMP PCR, it is possible to quickly and accurately detect pathogen DNA in a water sample. In order to scale this technique into a simple device, the aspects of the reaction must be accommodated, and a visual detection method chosen. A handheld device which keeps the isothermal LAMP PCR stable for the …

Wastewater Reuse, Zachary J. Bare

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply. Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Many …

Nitrogen And Phosphorus Enrichment Effects On Nutrient Supply In Reservoirs: A Small-Scale Approach, Jessalyn G. Kohn

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Eutrophication is a problem in many lakes, but the reduction of nutrient inputs such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to combat eutrophication can lead to an oligotrophic state, which may be unable to support healthy aquatic ecosystems. This study examined how different rates of chemical fertilization with N and P during times of nutrient limitation (mid-summer) could affect particulate N and C concentrations in four lakes in northwest Arkansas. Fertilization experiments were conducted in microcosms during the month of July 2014. Water samples from each lake were collected and divided into six treatments: control, P-only, N:P 10, 20, 40, …

Calcium And Magnesium Absorption And Retention By Growing Goats Offered Diets With Different Calcium Sources., Jennifer Long

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Calcium addition is necessary in order to balance the high phosphorus concentrations that are characteristic of high-concentrate ruminant diets. However, calcium sources differ in their bioavailability. Our objective was to determine apparent Ca and Mg absorption and retention in goats offered diets containing different sources of Ca. Spanish-Boer goats (n=18; 19.6 ± 1.88 kg) were stratified by BW and sex and randomized to dietary treatments consisting of Purina Antlermax 16 containing either calcium carbonate (CC), Calmin (CM) or Milk Cal (MC). Goats were adapted to a control, corn-based high-concentrate diet on pasture and then moved to individual 1.0 × 1.5 …

Movements, Music, And Meaning: A Comparative Analysis Of Cultural Narratives In Vietnam Era And Post-9/11 Anti-War Music, Jonathan Nathaniel Redman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the presence of widely circulating cultural narratives in the lyrics of approximately eighty anti-war songs from the Vietnam and post-9/11 eras. Unlike prior movements and music research, this thesis privileges culture over movements and views movements as cultural antennae both picking up on trends and cultural narratives, and broadcasting their own altered cultural meanings back into the “cultural airways.” It sees music as a cultural medium which acquires cultural meanings from its surroundings, alters those meanings, synthesizes new ones, and perpetuates old ones. Drawing on comparative and narrative analysis approaches informed by grounded theory techniques, this thesis …

Art Therapy And Its Impact Upon Marital Communication With Geriatric Adults Suffering From Dementia And Their Spousal Caregivers: An Exploratory Review And Research Study, Ashlyn G. Kubacak

School of Social Work Undergraduate Honors Theses

The World Health Organization estimated that 47.5 million people across the globe were living with dementia in 2015, and this number is expected to increase and eventually double by 2030. The cost of caregiving for someone who has dementia is substantial, with estimated federal costs fluctuating between 157 billion and 215 billion dollars annually. Sixty percent of caregivers rate the emotional strain of caregiving to be “high to extremely high”, and 40% of caregivers are diagnosed with depression. It is therefore important to provide support not only for those persons with dementia, but also for their caregivers in order to …

Responses Of Semi-Aquatic Snakes To Drought, Philip Nicholas Vogrinc

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aquatic ecosystems and their associated wildlife are threatened by alteration in the frequency and intensity of precipitation events predicted to affect many regions as a consequence of global climate change. Semi-aquatic snakes serve important roles as predators and prey within aquatic ecosystems, yet little is known about the effects of drought on these species due to their secretive behavior. Long-term studies at an isolated wetland in South Carolina found that drought caused populations of banded watersnakes (Nerodia fasciata) and Florida green watersnakes (Nerodia floridana) to crash. Alternatively, black swamp snakes (Seminatrix pygaea) fared well, exhibiting a resistance strategy by aestivating …

The Role Of Hydrologic Regimes In Driving Morphologic Divergence And The Trait Compositions Of Fish Assemblages, Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hydrologic regime is an important determinant of the ecological integrity of a stream. Hydrologic regimes are defined by the magnitude, timing, frequency, rate of change, and duration of high and low flow events and capture long term patterns of variability and predictability of water movement in a stream. Flow regimes influence many aspects of the biophysical environment in lotic systems; therefore organisms have adapted to natural flow patterns. We investigated how fish have adapted to flow regimes at both a population and community level. In the first study presented in this thesis, we hypothesized fish exhibit phenotypic divergence to …

Nutritional Deficiencies During The Harvest Season According To Household Consumption And Level Of Nutritional Knowledge: A Case Study Of Northern Mozambique, Maggie Jo Hansen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mozambique is classified as a low income country, the lowest development classification defined by the World Bank. It is underdeveloped in food security, agricultural production, and nutritional status, and research shows its residents are not foreign to poverty and malnutrition. Low protein, starchy foods (maize, rice, wheat, cassava) comprise the majority of the Mozambican diet; these starchy foods are the most available for consumption. Although availability impacts diet, educational barriers may also threaten the knowledge of nutrition and perceptions of healthy foods. Illiteracy and lack of education are extreme challenges to disseminating nutritional education efforts in the rural Nampula region. …

Trade And Transport In Late Roman Syria, Christopher Wade Fletcher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the relative notoriety and miraculous level of preservation of the Dead Cities of Syria, fundamental questions of economic and subsistence viability remain unanswered. In the 1950s Georges Tchalenko theorized that these sites relied on intensive olive monoculture to mass export olive oil to urban centers. Later excavations discovered widespread cultivation of grains, fruit, and beans which directly contradicted Tchalenko’s assertion of sole reliance on oleoculture. However, innumerable olive presses in and around the Dead Cities still speak to a strong tradition of olive production. This thesis tests the logistical viability of olive oil transportation from the Dead Cities to …