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Research Note: Carcass Yield And Meat Quality In High- And Low-Water Efficient Broiler Lines Exposed To Heat Stress, Sara Orlowski, Elizabeth Greene, Kentu Lassiter, Travis Tabler, Walter Bottje, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Heat stress (HS) and water scarcity are significant challenges to sustainable poultry production worldwide. It is, therefore, critical to identify effective strategies to prevent, withstand, or adapt to these challenges. After four generations of divergent selection for water efficiency, the present study was undertaken to determine the effect of HS on meat quality and muscle myopathy incidences in high (HWE)- and low (LWE)-water efficient broilers. Day-old male chicks (240 chicks/line) were allotted randomly by line and body weight-matched groups to 12 controlled-environmental chambers (2 pens/chamber). At d29, birds were exposed to 2 environmental conditions …

Titration Of Dietary Histidine During A 15 To 35 D Feeding Period In Male Cobb 500 Broilers, K. B. Nelson, S. C. Wells-Crafton, M. F. Costa, B. L. Angel, S. K. Rao, G. J. Mullenix, C. W. Maynard, Michael T. Kidd

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dietary CP reductions in broilers can result in increased FCR when 6 or 7 feed-grade amino acids are allowed to enter formulation, and a partial explanation may be a dietary limitation of His. Histidine requirement data are sparce in the current body of literature, especially beyond 3 wk post-hatch. Therefore, a His dose-response experiment (expressed as a percentage of Lys) was conducted with male Cobb 500 broilers from 15 to 35 d post-hatch. A His deficient test diet was formulated to contain a digestible His to digestible Lys (dHis:dLys) ratio of 28.0%. Graded increments of L-His were added to the …

Glycine, Serine, And Arginine Additions To Cobb 500 Female Broilers Fed Dietary Variations In Crude Protein, M. A. Anas, N.S.B.M. Atapattu, K. B. Nelson, S. W. Crafton, Michael T. Kidd

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated the effects of supplemental Gly, Ser, and Arg on growth performance, carcass traits, footpad dermatitis, and litter ammonia emission of broilers fed low-protein diets from 18 to 42 d of age. A total 576 one-day-old female Cobb 500 broilers were divided into 6 dietary treatments: 1) control, high CP (HCP 20%), 2) medium CP (MCP 18%), 3) low CP (LCP 16%), 4) LCP + 0.20% Gly+Ser, 5) LCP + 0.20% Arg, and 6) LCP + 0.20% Gly+Ser + 0.20% Arg. Although BW gain and feed intake were not affected by treatments, reducing CP to LCP (16% CP) …

Early 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3-Glycosides Supplementation: An Efficient Feeding Strategy Against Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness In Broilers Assessed By Using An Aerosol Transmission Model, Andi Asnayanti, Khawla Alharbi, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Layla Al-Mitib, Kathrin Buhler, Jan Dirk Van Der Klis, Javier Gonzalez, Michael T. Kidd, Adnan A. Alrubaye

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness is a leg disorder in broilers leading to huge economic losses, food safety concerns, and animal welfare issues in the poultry industry. The active metabolite of vitamin D₃, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃, plays pivotal roles in mineral homeostasis, bone health, and immune systems which are essential for protection against BCO. Thus, we hypothesized that supplementation with a Solanum glaucophyllum-derived source of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (1,25(OH)₂D₃-glycosides) would be an effective measure to control lameness. Here, we report the optimum concentration of 1,25(OH)₂D₃-glycosides …

Hexarelin Modulates Stress Effects On Ghrelin System Activity In Growing Lambs, Krystina Pierzchała-Koziec, C. G. Scanes, Alina Gajewska

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hexarelin modulates stress effects on ghrelin system activity in growing lambs. Folia Biologica (Kraków) 72 : 87-96. Hexarelin is a synthetic ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR-1a), also known as the ghrelin receptor. Ghrelin and hexarelin have been observed to influence the HPA axis by increasing the circulating concentrations of both adrenocorticotropin and adrenal glucocorticoid in rats and humans. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of hexarelin on the ghrelin system and the growth hormone (GH)–insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) axis in lambs stressed by an emotional factor – isolation. The isolation stress …

Development Of Tissue-Engineered Model Of Fibrotic Scarring After Spinal Cord Injury To Study Astrocyte Activation And Neurite Outgrowth In Vitro, Nikolas Ala-Kokko, Inha Baek, Younghye Song

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) are debilitating injuries affecting twenty-seven million people worldwide and cause functional impairments. Despite decades of research and medical advancements, current treatment options for SCI remain limited, in part due to the complex pathophysiology of spinal cord lesions including cellular transformation and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Recent studies have increased focus on fibrotic scarring after SCI, and yet much remains unclear about the impact of fibrotic scarring on SCI lesion progression. Here, using collagen and decellularized spinal cord-based composite hydrogels, a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture model mimicking the fibrous core of spinal cord lesions was implemented …

Modern Building Structures Are A Landscape-Level Driver Of Bat–Human Exposure Risk In Kenya, Tamika Lunn, Reilly T. Jackson, Paul W. Webala, Joseph G. Ogola, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Identifying the locations and drivers of high-risk interfaces between humans and wildlife is crucial for managing zoonotic disease risk. We suggest that continent-wide improvements to residential housing in Africa are inadvertently creating artificial roosting habitat for synanthropic free-tailed bats (family Molossidae), and that improved buildings are a rapidly accelerating exposure interface that needs urgent research attention and investment. Along a residential gradient in rural southern Kenya, we mapped building use by free-tailed bats in 1109 buildings. We show that bats often roost in human-occupied buildings, with almost one-in-ten buildings exhibiting evidence of bat occupation (9.2%) and one-in-13 found to contain …

Balancing Ecology And Practicality To Rank Waterbodies For Preventative Invasive Species Management, Caleb P. Roberts, William E. Grant, Matthew L. Horton, Lindsey A.P. Labrie, Miranda R. Peterson, Jane S. Rogosh, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

• ‘Early detection and rapid response’ (EDRR) is the most successful framework for preventative invasive species management, but prioritizing localized EDRR actions with limited resources is challenging. An approach that ranks individual locations, such as waterbodies, for EDRR by combining an invasive species' establishment risk with the practicality of managing it could help set reasonable priorities.
• Here, we worked with regional practitioners in Arkansas, USA, and the broader Southeastern USA to co-produce a workflow for preventative aquatic invasive species management that (1) estimates establishment risk under current and future climates with a species distribution model, (2) scores waterbodies according to difficulty …

The Effects Of Online Chemistry-Themed Design-Based Stem Education On Preservice Science Teachers’ Stem Awareness, Emine Sahin Topalcengiz, Burcin Acar-Sesen

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study investigated the impact of Chemistry-Focused Online Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teacher education on the awareness of STEM among preservice science teachers. A one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental weak design was used to determine changes in preservice teachers’ STEM awareness. During the study, a 14-week Chemistry-Focused Online STEM course was provided to preservice science teachers. As part of this course, the theoretical knowledge about STEM was explained to students, and afterward, they completed two modules. Furthermore, preservice teachers also developed their chemistry-themed STEM lesson plans at the beginning of the course, after explaining theoretical knowledge about STEM at the …

Identifying Student Profiles In A Digital Mental Rotation Task: Insights From The 2017 Naep Math Assessment, Xin Wei, Susu Zhang, Jihong Zhang

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mental rotation (MR), a key aspect of spatial reasoning, is highly predictive of success in STEM fields. This study analyzed strategies employed by 27,600 eighth-grade students during a digital MR task from the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics. Utilizing K-means cluster analysis to categorize behavioral and performance patterns, we identified four distinct profiles: Cognitive Offloaders (15% of the sample), Internal Visualizers (55%), External Visualizers (5%), and Non-Triers (25%). Cognitive Offloaders, skilled at minimizing cognitive load by eliminating incorrect options, demonstrated the highest MR accuracy rates at 45%. Internal Visualizers, relying less on digital tools and more …

Meta-Analytical Evidence For Frequency-Dependent Selection Across The Tree Of Life, Miguel Gomez-Llano, Ronald D. Bassar, Erik I. Svensson, Simon P. Tye, Adam M. Siepielski

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Explaining the maintenance of genetic variation in fitness-related traits within populations is a fundamental challenge in ecology and evolutionary biology. Frequency-dependent selection (FDS) is one mechanism that can maintain such variation, especially when selection favours rare variants (negative FDS). However, our general knowledge about the occurrence of FDS, its strength and direction remain fragmented, limiting general inferences about this important evolutionary process. We systematically reviewed the published literature on FDS and assembled a database of 747 effect sizes from 101 studies to analyse the occurrence, strength, and direction of FDS, and the factors that could explain heterogeneity in FDS. Using …

Empowering Ugandan Women Smallholder Farmers: Documenting Her Mighty Hands Agriculture Extension Nonprofit, Anna Mathis

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women smallholder farmers in East Africa, including Uganda, provide the majority of agriculture labor. However, women are significantly less productive than men due to extreme barriers such as their lack of decision-making rights, inability to solely own land, and familial responsibilities. The purpose of this project was to create a full integrated communications and fundraising campaign for Her Mighty Hands, an agriculture extension nonprofit whose mission is to connect Ugandan women subsistence farmers to technology and knowledge which empower them to advance their agricultural business; enabling them to improve the quality of life for themselves, their families, and communities. Photos …

Enhancing Visitor Experience Through Marketing For The Mayflower Bocawina National Park, Samantha O'Flaherty

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis outlines a summer internship in Dangriga, Belize, where the author worked with Mayflower Bocawina National Park facilitated by Dr. Amy Farmer and Steve Darr. Dangriga faces challenges in the tourism industry due to competition from larger entities who have more resources and infrastructure. The author and their partner developed a marketing strategy for the park's new glamping experience and mountain bike trail, evolving into a comprehensive plan encompassing SEO, website management, and operational optimization. The project aimed to enhance the park's competitiveness, generate sustainable revenue, and support its growth and improvement initiatives.

Self-Reflections: A Journey Of Practice In Art Education, Lucienne R. Cape

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This self-study explores the convergence of Culturally Sustaining Teaching within the realm of art education, focusing on the author’s journey as a white, middle-aged, cisgender, southern American woman teaching art in a parochial school environment. The study investigates the dynamics between cultural responsiveness and the acknowledgement of material agency in art classrooms. By integrating principles of culturally sustaining teaching into the art curriculum, the author aims to honor students’ cultural backgrounds while fostering critical consciousness and earthly sustainability awareness. The research questions delve into the connections between culturally sustaining teaching and how the author’s personal identity impacts choice in …

Diseases Of Cannabis Sativa And The Epidemiology And Molecular Diversity Of Neofusicoccum Parvum, Hannah V. Zima

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis sativa has been an underutilized agricultural resource in the United States, largely due to federal regulations distinguishing marijuana from hemp. In 2018, Congress passed a Farm Bill, which defined hemp as C. sativa containing a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level of no more than 0.3%. As a result, commercial hemp production began in most states in 2019, including Arkansas, and was accompanied by numerous challenges like diseases and pests. The research on the epidemiology of diseases affecting C. sativa is limited, and understanding the pathogens is in its early stages in the U.S. For this study, an initial disease survey was …

Ecopedagogy In Action: The Landfill Project, Marriah Geels

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This is an art education action research project that analyzes how an interdisciplinary ecopedagogical curriculum experience may impact student perspectives on waste (specifically trash) and the human impact on the environment. The four-week curriculum incorporated choice-based art education, place-based education, and slow pedagogy to better understand how students’ perspectives changed or remained constant throughout. This curriculum was taught to four class periods in a high school setting with about 34 students in 9-12th grade. Qualitative data collection included a pre and post-survey, visual journals, classroom observations, artist statements, and artwork. Through the analysis of Pre/Post Surveys by utilizing hybrid coding …

Interactive Effects Between Bluetongue Virus Infection And Insecticide Exposures In Culicoides Sonorensis, Parker Mullins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Culicoides biting midges are common pests around the world of humans, livestock, and wildlife. In addition to nuisance blood feeding, they are also able to transmit pathogens to their hosts like bluetongue virus (BTV) and African horse sickness virus, which can be damaging in terms of both production economics and animal welfare. In order to protect humans and livestock from biting pests like Culicoides, a wide array of interventions is recommended, but chemical insecticides and repellent use are ubiquitous. For a multitude of reasons ranging from natural weathering of applied insecticides to the increase in resistance-associated mutations and behaviors in …

Fungal Pathogen Control And Microbial Ecology: Insights From Soybean Seed Production, Samantha Rigo Segalin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the effects of planting date (PD), seed vigor, and chemical seed treatments on the plant stand and yield of two soybean cultivars with different maturity groups (MGs) across four locations in Arkansas from 2018 to 2021. Early planting in early May (early PD) led to higher plant stands and yields compared to late planting in early June (late PD). The interaction between planting date and cultivar was significant, with both cultivars showing higher plant stands on early planting dates. Seed vigor and seed treatment also significantly impacted plant populations; high-vigor seeds planted early resulted in better stands …

Letters To Whiteness: Reflections On A White Artist-Educator Identity Through Dialectical Materialism, Richard Peterson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I reflect on my identity and experience as a white male and an artisteducator through a lens of critical whiteness and dialectical materialism. I utilize creative writing, and storytelling to speak more metaphorically about my own experiences and feelings in relation to whiteness to understand how I now operate as an artist-educator. Through dialectical materialism, I break down the social change described within the stories of growing up in the United States and intergenerational relationships with other white male figures, displaying more intricate ways I understand how similarities and differences change over time within the white identity …

Reflecting On Being Good Enough: Tracing A Journey Of Identifications And Unraveling Denial Of The Queer Self, Lucero Aguirre

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

“Good Enough” is a thesis written to unpack reflection on assimilatory forces during early life experiences in education. By documenting self-reflections, utilizing arts-based research methods, and examining theory relative to theories of identity formation, I use a screenplay in the format of a fictional talk show where three golden retrievers are interviewed from notable Disney films Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (Dunham, 1993), Air Bud (Smith, 1997), and UP (Docter, 2009). I connect the golden retriever as a symbol representing aspects of the American dream, an influence shaping my identity and merit-focused alliance with dominant identities. The fictional plot of …

Diatom Abundance In The Polar Oceans Is Predicted By Genome Size, Wade R. Roberts, Adam M. Siepielski, Andrew J. Alverson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

A principal goal in ecology is to identify the determinants of species abundances in nature. Body size has emerged as a fundamental and repeatable predictor of abundance, with smaller organisms occurring in greater numbers than larger ones. A biogeographic component, known as Bergmann’s rule, describes the preponderance, across taxonomic groups, of larger-bodied organisms in colder areas. Although undeniably important, the extent to which body size is the key trait underlying these patterns is unclear. We explored these questions in diatoms, unicellular algae of global importance for their roles in carbon fixation and energy flow through marine food webs. Using a …

Friendship Intimacy: A New Approach To Valuing Friendship, Benjamin Lugo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a tradition in moral theory that holds that friendship is necessary for living well. That is, if our aim is to live a good life or a flourishing life, then that life will include building and maintaining friendships. Aristotle and Plato both share this view and express similar claims about the necessity of friendship for the pursuer of a good life. Contemporaries of both have spent time interpreting their claims and have long commented on the intrinsic value of friendship. I pick up on a strand of the debate by exploring the purported value of friendship. While considerable …

What Is A Person? How Does One Become A Morally Good Person? The Intuitive View!, Tancredo Tivane

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis centers around two philosophical problems: the concept of a person and the process by which one becomes a morally good person. Drawing on the works of philosophers such as Harry Frankfurt, Strawson, and A.J. Ayer, it begins with an inquiry into what it means to be a person. It argues that while humanhood, with its rational capacities, is a contingent rather than a necessary condition, it can serve as an accurate predictor of personhood. The thesis posits that personhood is an achievement rather than an inherent state, facilitated by interactions within a social framework that refine these rational …

Understanding The Livelihood Diversification Of Arkansas Women Involved In Agricultural Production, Oluwatoyin Elizabeth Abati

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Agriculture as a livelihood activity entails significant risks and uncertainties, which expose agricultural households to a low standard of living, poverty, and a lowering of their food security status. Women's responsibilities in agriculture are expanding and becoming more critical, and farm women are now broadening their duties to include roles off-farm. More research is needed in Arkansas about agricultural women's roles, challenges, and essential job characteristics. Using a quantitative survey, this research aimed to provide a resource on how women involved in agricultural production diversify their livelihoods. Participants were asked to describe their livelihood diversification by identifying their activities on …

Phylogenomic Analyses Of Three Distinct Lineages Uniting Staphylococcus Cohnii Snd Staphylococcus Urealyticus From Diverse Hosts, L. Caroline House, Amer Hasan, Andi Asnayanti, Adnan A. Alrubaye, Jeff Pummill, Douglas Rhoads

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

We sequenced and assembled genomes for 17 isolates of Staphylococcus cohnii isolated from osteomyelitis lesions in young broilers from two separate experiments where we induced lameness using a hybrid wire-litter flooring system. Whole genome comparisons using three different methods support a close relationship of genomes from both S. cohnii and Staphylococcus urealyticus. The data support three different lineages, which we designated as Lineage 1, Lineage 2, and Lineage 3, uniting these two species within an evolving complex. We present evidence for horizontal transfer between lineages of genomic regions from 50–440 kbp. The transfer of a 186 kbp region from …

The Relationship Between Phosphorus Retention And Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 In Broiler Breeders, A. D. Magnuson, N. Boonsinchai, J. Caldas, J. England, C. Coon

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Previous studies with broiler breeders indicate a P retention threshold when fed daily dietary levels of non-phytate P (NPP) exceeding 320 mg. Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a hormone secreted by osteocytes which modulates P retention and could be the biological agent which controls the P threshold in breeders. To evaluate the relationship between FGF23 and the P retention threshold, a 4 -wk study with 32 -wk -old breeders was conducted with 6 dietary treatments with daily NPP intake of 216 to 576 mg/d/h with increments of 80 mg/kg diet. The goals were 1) to …

Partial Immunity To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum After An Initial Infection Is Long-Lasting And Reduces Transmission In Flocks Of Canaries, Madeline Sudnick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pathology during a second infection can be influenced by immunity and an increase in resistance or tolerance of individuals. Population-level differences in the ability to maintain immunity can lead to contrasting survival outcomes between groups and determine how future outbreaks will spread. However, long term wildlife disease surveillance can be challenging due to lack of infrastructure and host-pathogen specific tests. Calculating disease transmission likelihood requires understanding individual-level heterogeneity in pathology and behavior, and there is limited knowledge in understanding how populations in different stages of an epidemic will transmit disease. In Chapter I, we aim to help fill a gap …

Desire Lines: Reading Queerly Through The Forests Of Medieval Love Literature, Brianna Skye Oliver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation conducts queer eco-sensitive readings of a selection of medieval love texts in Middle English and Old French. Informed in turns by the works of feminist, queer, and ecocritical scholars, each chapter engages with a different iteration of literary queerness by bringing the representation of natural spaces and objects (especially the forest) to the fore and reading through nature depicted in the texts. The readings all share a broad goal of inviting modern audiences to play with desire and its manifestations within each text to make meaning and compel intimacy between the work and its current audience. Chapter 1 …

Effects Of Land Cover And Land Change On Monarch Butterfly Presence Across The Conus, Chris R. Burkhart

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The decline of monarch butterfly populations (Danaus plexippus L.) over the past four decades, particularly in their overwintering habitats, has raised concerns about the species' conservation. Habitat loss and modification, particularly within the contiguous United States, are attributed as one of the key drivers of this decline. However, the specific impact of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on monarch distributions remains inadequately documented. This study integrates monarch observations from multiple sources spanning 2008 to 2019 with LULC data to analyze the relationship between habitat configuration and monarch presence. Using a randomized grid sampling approach, habitat configuration metrics were …

Influence Of Invasive Species, Drought, And Stream Permanence On Stream Crayfish Species With A Focus On The Imperiled Mammoth Spring Crayfish (Faxonius Marchandi), Leah Marie Bayer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Freshwater crayfish constitute one of the most-threatened taxonomic groups in North America. Invasion by other crayfish species as well as habitat degradation through alteration of natural flow regime are two of the most prominent threats to crayfish persistence. Additionally, extreme weather events like droughts can amplify threats posed by other stressors on crayfish populations and are expected to increase in frequency, magnitude, and/or duration in the future, which may negatively influence narrow-ranged endemic crayfish populations typical of the Southeast. The Mammoth Spring Crayfish, Faxonius marchandi, is a narrow-ranged endemic that occurs in the Spring River drainage of Arkansas and Missouri …