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Zipcar: Unlocking The Keys To Alternative Mobility For Aarhus University Students And Professionals Of The Community, Natascha D. Bunner

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Zipcar is a company which has revolutionized the mobility of its users and is currently the world leader of car-sharing networks (Zipcar, 2015). A member of the industry powerhouse, Avis Budget Group, Inc., with operations currently in the United States, Canada, UK, France, Spain, and Austria, Zipcar is looking to expand its market share and total sales internationally. This report sets forth to analyze the potential market of Aarhus, Denmark for Zipcar. The report is essentially a marketing plan for Zipcar to enter the community of Aarhus, Denmark which contains competent cultural, economic, industry analyses for the intended product and …

Effective Effects, Lyn Kristi Smylie

Music Undergraduate Honors Theses

For my thesis project, I decided to give a recital containing music that featured a variety of extended techniques. In order to give a performance appreciated by audiences, I needed to examine how to best introduce music with extended techniques to audiences.

How Classical Saxophone Music Influenced By Jazz, Alfredo Alexander Maruri

Music Undergraduate Honors Theses

An Honors Recital of Classical Saxophone Music influenced by Jazz

Speech Reading Training And Audio-Visual Integration In A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kara L. Saulsbury

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) typically have deficits in communication abilities. Deficits include social, linguistic, and pragmatic difficulties and difficulties in the ability to perceive and integrate audiovisual (AV) stimuli. It is also common for those with ASD to have weaker speech reading skills as compared to typically developing, age-matched peers. Speech reading skills are known to enhance speech perception in naturalistic, noisy environments. In children with ASD, the combination of both poor AV integration and poor speech reading is thought to have significant effects on vocabulary acquisition. Studies have demonstrated that speech reading training can significantly enhance syllable …

Management Of A Primordial Problem: Redox-Sensitive Transcriptional Regulation In Methanosarcina Acetivorans, Ryan Christopher Sheehan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primordial Earth which hosted the first forms of life was an environment free of oxygen. Early organisms utilized metabolisms dependent upon anaerobic conditions and incorporated systems to which oxygen is deleterious. As the content of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere increased, anaerobic organisms had to acquire methods to sense and combat oxygen and reactive oxygen species. Several mechanisms were advantageous to such anaerobic organisms which correlated transcriptional processes with the redox state of the cell so that energy may be conserved and oxygen stress recovery genes activated during periods of oxidative stress. Iron sulfur (Fe-S) cluster cofactors incorporated within RNA …

Homelessness In Arkansas, Nichelle Sullivan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to reveal a realistic narrative about homelessness in Arkansas through the qualitative perspective provided by people directly affected by homelessness. We interviewed experts with both theoretical and applied experience in examining the causes and different pathways into homelessness, as well as some of the avenues that can assist someone to successfully navigate out of homelessness. This research documentary focuses particularly on the experiences of homeless families headed by single women and the challenges they face in resolving homelessness. Qualitative interviews were performed and a website was created that is targeted towards helping others to find the necessary …

Ancient Greek Mythology In The Modern Albanian Epic, "Songs Of The Frontier Warriors", Lydia Osborn

World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Undergraduate Honors Theses

A discussion of the Albanian epic, "Songs of the Frontier Warriors," parallels to Greek and Roman mythology, and Illyrian history.

The Reproductive Ecology Of The Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus Horridus, In Northwestern Arkansas: Interactions Between Environment, Steroid Hormones, And Life History, Craig Michael Lind

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I examined the relationship between individual energetic status, hormone production, and life history trait expression in field-active Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus. In chapter one I reviewed what is known regarding these relationships in snakes and defined major research goals. In chapter two I described the seasonal profile of testosterone (T) and corticosterone (CORT) in relation to the breeding season and to individual energetic status in males. Results showed that the seasonal pattern of T production in C. horridus was different than other pit viper species with similar mating patterns. Testosterone was elevated in the months leading up …

Distinguishing Macrophage Activation States By Mass Spectrometry, Matthias Manfred Knust

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Macrophages are versatile and highly adaptive cells that are involved in a wide range of physiological processes including host defense, homeostasis or regeneration, as well as pathogenesis. They react to their microenvironment, assuming various roles based on chemical and/or physical cues, and can reversibly shift between these so-called activation states. Concurrently, the technique of immunohistochemistry is used to gain spatial information on activated macrophages on tissue sections. The aim of this work was to find mass spectral biomarkers that allow the differentiation of activation states, and establish conditions that can be used in imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) experiments to investigate …

Intestinal Inflammation Model Inducing Gut Leakage By Different Methods In Broiler Chickens Using Fitc-D As A Marker, Eduardo Vicuna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally, antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have been used in food animals to reduce enteric inflammation and maintain intestinal homeostasis, thus improving performance. Due to increasing restrictions regarding the use of AGP, precise and high throughput enteric inflammation models and markers to search for effective alternatives are urgently needed. Oral administration of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d) and its passage into blood can be used as a marker for tight junction permeability. FITC-d is a large molecule (3-5 kDa) which does not usually leak through the intact gastrointestinal tract barrier. However, when conditions disrupt the tight junctions between epithelial cells, the FITC-d …

Genetic Mapping Of Yield And Normalized Difference Vegetative Index In Soft Red Winter Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.), Christopher Keith Addison

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wheat is the most widely cultivated cereal crop, being grown on 17% of the global crop land and as such must be adapted to an array of environmental stresses. In order to become a variety, wheat breeding lines must be tested across a range of environments for both high productivity and stability. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and indices are tools that can aid plant breeders in the selection of superior lines. Soft red winter wheat accounts for 20% of the total wheat production in the United States, being grown in the southeastern U.S. predominantly along the Mississippi River. However, …

The Effects Of Electrostatic Spraying With Organic Acids In The Disintegration Of Biofilms Formed By E.Coli O157:H7 And Salmonella Typhimurium On Spinach And Cantaloupe, Ahmad Almasoud

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Outbreaks from the consumption of fresh produce are a concern in the United States. The consumptions of fresh produce have increased recently which expose a large segment of society to such outbreaks. Spinach and cantaloupe are minimally heated or processed before consumption which makes them a possible source of foodborne illness. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of organic acids alone and in combination to reduce attached Salmonella Typhimurium (S.T) and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E.coli) on spinach and cantaloupe, and to disintegrate biofilm formed by these pathogens by electrostatically spraying with two organic acids. To quantify …

Distribution Of The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen Aegyptiacus) In Northwestern Arkansas And In The United States Of America, Cameron Chesbro

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) is an exotic member of the Anatidae that has been residing in northwestern Arkansas since the 1980s (Smith and James 2012). Following the discovery of Egyptian Geese in the area, not much attention has been given to the consequences of population increase. The Egyptian Goose has shown many diverse population growth patterns in areas where it has been introduced and started feral populations. The purpose of this study was to assess the current population size of the Egyptian Goose in northwestern Arkansas,and confirm successful breeding. The methods used in this study included conducting road surveys …

Improving Production Efficiency Of Beef Cow-Calf Operations, Amanda Jo Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Three studies were conducted to improve and incorporate reproductive management practices into beef cow-calf production. First study evaluated serial use of Estrotect estrous detection patches as a simple, cost-effective reproductive management tool to identify cyclic animals before breeding, distinguish between females conceiving to AI versus natural service, and determine seasonal pregnancy rate after bull removal. Also determined, was effectiveness of altered timing of GnRH treatment (1 d ± CIDR removal) in a modified 14-d CIDR-Select Synch protocol. When evaluated over a 4-wk period, estrous detection patches correctly (P < 0.01) identified 79% of cyclic and 86% of non-cyclic heifers. Patches were 96 and 98% accurate in identifying heifers and cows pregnant by AI, respectively, and were 76 and 87% accurate in identifying pregnant heifers and cows at the end of the breeding season (P < 0.01). Treatment with GnRH at CIDR removal reduced labor costs and animal handling without compromising estrous response (both ~63.0%) and AI pregnancy rates (~76 and 77%; P > 0.1). Second study determined if addition of PGF2alpha treatment on d 7 …

Phylogeny And Diversity Of Entamoeba In Cockroaches, With An Emphasis On Periplaneta Americana, Mustafa Husain Fakhri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While the parasitic Amoebozoan Entamoeba histolytica has been well-studied for its role in human pathogenesis, the biodiversity of invertebrate-inhabiting Entamoeba has scarcely been investigated. Using molecular methods, I searched for Entamoeba in the guts of cockroaches from four of the six Blattodean families. Entamoeba small-subunit rRNA genes were recovered from all eight species of cockroaches tested, five of which represent newly discovered hosts. Phylogenetic analysis of over 190 sequences revealed a novel and highly diverse clade of cockroach-inhabiting Entamoeba, separate from the clade predominated by vertebrate-inhabitants. These results double the known genetic diversity of Entamoeba and suggest that they may …

Prediction Of Superovulatory Response In Beef Cows Based On Serum Anti-Mullerian Hormone And Antral Follicle Number, Keith Center

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A study investigated the use of Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and/or follicle counts as a predictor of subsequent superovulatory response and embryo production in 79 beef cows. Before initiation of superovulation, ultrasonography was used to scan the ovaries of each donor cow to record the number of 3 to 5 mm follicles present, and a blood sample was collected for measure of serum AMH. At the time of embryo collection, the ovaries of donor cows were palpated to estimate the number of corpora lutea (CL) present on each ovary. Recovered embryos were evaluated for stage of development and morphological quality. Across …

Direct Fermentation Of Sweet Potato Starch Into Lactic Acid By Lactobacillus Amylovorus: The Prospect Of An Adaptation Process, Winifred Akoetey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have verified that lactic acid bacteria are capable of directly producing lactic acid from starch. One of these bacteria, L. amylovorus, has been studied using corn, potato, and cassava starches. However, the use of sweet potato starch, a widely available starch, has not been considered. Furthermore, there exists the possibility that the efficiency of lactic acid production can benefit from the systematic exposure of bacteria to increasing concentrations of a particular starch. In this work, fermentation studies were conducted to understand the adaptation of L. amylovorus to rising concentrations of sweet potato starch. L. amylovorus was cultured in …

Effects Of Chemical And Enzymatic Modifications On The Starch-Inclusion Complex Formation, Emily Arijaje

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Starch-inclusion complexes have been proposed as delivery tools for bioactive molecules; however complexation yield is generally low with low solubility, which may limit the bioavailability of the included molecule. It was proposed that chemical (acetylation) and/or enzymatic (isoamylase and beta-amylase) modifications of starches prior to complex formation with fatty acids of different structures, including stearic, oleic and linoleic acid, may help increase complexation yield and solubility of the resulting starch complexes. Potato starch had a significantly higher complexation yield than common corn and high amylose (~70%) corn starches after debranching combined with a beta-amylase treatment. Debranched waxy maize starch and …

Transformation Of Swine Manure And Algal Consortia To Value-Added Products, Mahmoud A. Sharara

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The swine production sector is projected to grow globally. In the past, this growth manifested itself in increased herd sizes and geographically concentrated production. Although economically sound, these trends had negative consequences on surrounding ecosystems. Over-application of manure resulted in water quality degradation, while long-term storage of manure slurries was found to promote release of potent GHG emissions. There is a need for innovative approaches for swine manure management that are compatible with current scales of production, and increasingly strict environmental regulations.

This study aims to investigate the potential for incorporating gasification as part of a novel swine manure management …

A Microhabitat Assessment Of Five Species Of Invasive Plants In The Ozarks And Appalachians, Eric Hearth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species present a threat to native communities and their introduction and expansion can alter community structure and dynamics. Multiple approaches can be employed for invasive species management including prevention and detection. In this study, microhabitat assessments were conducted on colonies of five species of invasive plants, Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb.) Cavara & Grande, Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don, Lonicera japonica Thunb., Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus, and Rosa multiflora Thunb. in the Ozark Plateau and Appalachians. Elevation, soil moisture, soil pH, light ratio, slope, aspect, distance to disturbance, as well as soil nutrient levels were recorded for each …

Efficacy Of Beta-Resorcylic Acid To Reduce Campylobacter Jejuni In Pre-Harvest And Post-Harvest Poultry, Basanta Raj Wagle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacteriosis is one of the leading foodborne illnesses in United States, and is associated with the consumption of poultry and poultry products. Reducing Campylobacter in these species will reduce the burden of this disease. Unfortunately, most strategies employed to reduce Campylobacter in poultry have either not been successful or produced inconsistent results. One potential control strategy is the use of β-resorcylic acid (BR), a phytophenolic compound classified by the US FDA as "Everything Added to Food in the United States" (EAF 3045) and is therefore deemed safe for consumption. This compounds has antibacterial activity against Salmonella, however, its efficacy to …

Dlipin-A Link Between Lipid Metabolism, Glucose Homeostasis And Growth In Drosophila Melanogaster, Sandra Schmitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lipins are a family of highly conserved proteins found from yeasts to humans. Lipins have dual functions, serving as phosphatidate phosphatase enzymes (PAP) in the synthesis of neutral fats (triacylglycerols, TAG) and as transcriptional co-regulators that affect the expression of genes involved in lipid and fatty acid metabolism. Thus, they play central roles in metabolic control. Disruption of Lipin function has been implicated in lipodystrophy, obesity and insulin resistance. Using dLipin, the Drosophila homolog of Lipin, as a model, I aimed to elucidate the relationship between the two biochemical functions of Lipin and metabolic homeostasis. I discovered there is a …

Divergent Selection For Four-Day Relative Breast Yield And The Effect Of Thermal Manipulations On Growth Characteristics On Lines Selected For Different Processing Dates., James Grant Mason

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genetic selections currently utilized in the poultry industry have been highly successful in promoting broiler growth rate and yield. However, these selections may have come at the expense of broiler physiology, as evidenced by an increase in physiological disorders. To address this experimentation was undergone to develop a novel method of selection to promote growth with minimal physiological impact and to assess how a new embryonic technique affects growth in broiler lines exhibiting different growth rates.

In the first experiment, a random bred control (RAN) broiler line was divergently selected for four-day relative breast yield (BY4) resulting in the high …

Investigations Into The Incidence And Control Of Selected Parasites And Pathogens Which Infect Arkansas Horses, Stephanie Ann O'Berg Rainbolt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parasite control is an important aspect of health management of horses, particularly the control of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites. Recently, treatment recommendations have involved selective use of anthelmintics in horses with fecal egg counts (FEC) greater than a specified threshold. The objectives of this study were; (1) to determine the prevalence of helminths in our area by egg and L3 determinations, (2) to determine if certain horses maintained low FEC, therefore eliminating the need to treat them on a year-round basis and (3) to determine the effectiveness of four common treatments (moxidectin, ivermectin (pioneer and generic), fenbendazole and pyrantel tartrate) via …

(Re)Animating The Horror Genre: Explorations In Children's Animated Horror Films, Megan Estelle Troutman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks to define the subgenre of children's animated horror film by examining its classification within the children's film genre and its use of generic conventions of horror. While this project does not aim to conflate children's film as a genre and animation as a medium, the scope of this project will be limited to children's animated horror films from 1993 - present day. In order to explore the subgenre of children's animated horror films from 1993-present, I will focus specifically on the following films: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were …

Methane Emissions From Direct-Seeded, Delayed-Flood Rice Grown On A Clay Soil, Alden Daniel Smartt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to the production of methane (CH4) under flooded-soil conditions, rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation is a major contributor to agricultural CH4 emissions. Studies examining CH4 emissions from rice have only recently been initiated in Arkansas and no data have been collected from rice produced on clay soils in Arkansas. Therefore, research was conducted in 2012 and 2013 at the Northeast Research and Extension Center in Keiser, Arkansas to examine the factors affecting CH4 emissions from rice produced on a Sharkey clay (very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquerts). The objectives of this study were to determine: 1) the effect of vegetation …

A Descriptive Study Of The Use Of Neurofeedback In Counseling, Khwlah Jamil Al-Ansari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines neuro-counseling in the mental health field and the concept of neurofeedback training (NFB) as an intervention in the counseling profession. Numbers of studies have indicated that NFB may be effective in the field of counseling. The purpose of this survey study is to explore the use of neurofeedback in the field of counseling.

Additionally, the study used a quantitative descriptive survey research method and descriptive statistics. The survey was sent to members of the American Counseling Association (ACA), and 93 professionals participated. The majority of the sample was licensed professional counselors, professionals with a degree in counseling, …

Hand Pattern Recognition Using Smart Band, Theerth Raj Munusamy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Importance of gesture recognition has widely spread around the world. Many research strategies have been proposed to study and recognize gestures, especially facial and hand gestures. Distinguishing and recognizing hand gestures is vital in hotspot fields such as bionic parts, powered exoskeleton, diagnosing muscle disorders, etc. Recognizing such gesture patterns can also create a stress-free and fancy user interface for mobile phones, gaming consoles and other such devices.

The objective is to design a simple yet efficient wearable hand gesture recognizing system. This thesis also shows that by taking both EMG and accelerometer data into account, can improve the …

Analytical Comparison Of Contrasting Approaches To Estimating Competing Risks Models, Brian Stephen Rickard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Survival analysis is a commonly used tool in many fields but has seen little use in education research despite a common number of research questions for which it is well suited. Researchers often use logistic regression instead; however, this omits useful information. In research on retention and graduation for example, the timing of the event is an important piece of information omitted when using logistic regression. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate four methods of analyzing competing risks survival data, Cox proportional hazards regression, Weibull regression, Fine and Gray's Method, and Cox proportional hazards regression with frailty. College student …

Enhancement Of The Performance Of Gaas Based Solar Cells By Using Plasmonic, Anti-Reflection Coating And Hydrophobic Effects, Yahia Fayiz Makableh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigation of renewable energy resources is gaining huge momentum in recent years due to the limited fossil fuels, and their detriment impact on the environment. Solar energy is promising to meet the increased energy demand. In order to achieve this goal, solar energy has to be harvested efficiently at low cost. Therefore, higher efficiency solar cells are the primary focus of research worldwide. Photovoltaics based on InAs/GaAs intermediate band solar cells and their device performance enhancements are investigated in this dissertation. The device enhancement is carried out by surface modification methods. The dissertation work is inspired by the need of …