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Analyzing Milled Rice Breakage Patterns Under Diverse Environmental Settings, Devisree Chukkapalli

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study comprehensively evaluates the effects of environmental conditions, transportation, and storage practices on the quality of milled rice using three cultivars: CLL16 (long grain pureline), XP753 (long grain hybrid), and Titan (medium grain pureline). Three distinct objectives guided the research: (1) assessing the impact of relative humidity (RH), temperature, and exposure duration on rice quality post-milling and post-storage; (2) analyzing seasonal and locational influences on rice quality during transportation and storage; and (3) investigating the effects of subfreezing storage on key quality attributes.
Under controlled environmental conditions, post-milling exposure (PME) caused significant quality degradation at higher RH (75% and …

Integrating Sustainability And Food Safety Through Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment And Life Cycle Assessment Of Low-Moisture Foods, Jessica Bain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food safety and sustainability are critical concerns in the food industry. However, these areas are often evaluated separately, leading to an incomplete understanding of the overall impact of food production on human health. This dissertation aims to integrate food safety with sustainability to provide a comprehensive assessment of the impact of low-moisture foods on human health, using the almond processing supply chain as a case study.

In addition to conducting life cycle assessments (LCA) of almond processing, wheat flour production, and dried apple processing, this dissertation aims to create a framework to bridge the gap between sustainability and food safety. …

Factors Contributing To Chronic Student Absenteeism In Low Socioeconomic Urban Elementary Schools: An Analysis Of Multiple Stakeholders’ Perspectives, Kellen D. Conaway

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors contributing to chronic student absenteeism in two lower socioeconomic urban elementary schools. This qualitative study was guided by two research questions: 1) What are stakeholders’ perspectives on chronic absenteeism at Mission and Lincoln Elementaries? and 2) What changes to practice or policy could improve attendance at Mission and Lincoln Elementaries? Research question one was answered via data collected from interviews with purposefully selected parents, teachers, administrators, social workers, and nurses. Analysis of interview data led to the identification of three themes which reflect stakeholders’ perspectives on chronic absenteeism at Mission and …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Early Life Adversity And Their Effects On Chronic Health: A Literature Review, Ella Weatherford

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

With more than 439,000 annual U.S. deaths associated with childhood adversity, it is important to understand and prevent exposure to Adverse Childhood Events and Early Life Adversity. The purpose of this literature review is to identify and examine the pathophysiology between adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) and their negative effects on health across the lifespan. Fifteen peer-reviewed articles that were published in notable journals were analyzed to include in this review. The results of these articles show that Adverse Childhood Experiences and Early Life Adversity can lead to the development of chronic inflammatory conditions across the lifespan. Using Barker Hypothesis and …

The Impact Of Hospital Protocol For Severe Alcohol Use Disorder, Meredith Jones

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Alcohol use disorder remains a prevalent condition within current society. For a smaller, but ever growing population, alcohol use evolves into a severe, addictive disease process. Individuals managing this disorder can suffer from acute withdrawals and further comorbidities causing eventual detriment. Medical institutions attempt to combat withdrawal with varying forms of treatment, utilized to manage symptoms and further issues “as needed.” As this condition becomes increasingly more pervasive within casual society, hospitals’ fragmented attempts to manage this disease process proves to be ineffective for this patient population.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze current methods …

Compact Solar-Powered Plasma Water Generator: Enhanced Germination Of Aged Seed With The Corona Dielectric Barrier Discharger, Yiting Xiao, Yang Tian, Haizheng Xiong, Ainong Shi, Jun Zhu

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Seed aging adversely affects agricultural productivity by reducing germination rates and seedling vigor, leading to significant costs for seed banks and companies due to the need for frequent seed renewals. This study demonstrated the use of plasma-activated water (PAW), generated by a solar-powered corona dielectric barrier discharger, to enhance germination rates of spinach seeds that had been stored at 4 °C for 23 years. Treating seeds with PAW at 17 kV for 15 min improved germination (by 135%) and seedling growth compared to untreated seeds. Through detailed analysis, beneficial PAW properties for seed development were identified, and a molecular mechanism …

Predictive Model For Listeria Monocytogenes In Rte Meats Using Exclusive Food Matrix Data, N.A. Nanje Gowda, Manjari Singh, Gijs Lommerse, Saurabh Kumar, Eelco Heintz, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Post-processing contamination of Listeria monocytogenes has remained a major concern for the safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products that are not reheated before consumption. Mathematical models are rapid and cost-effective tools to predict pathogen behavior, product shelf life, and safety. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a comprehensive model to predict the Listeria growth rate in RTE meat products as a function of temperature, pH, water activity, nitrite, acetic, lactic, and propionic acids. The Listeria growth data in RTE food matrices, including RTE beef, pork, and poultry products (731 data sets), were collected from the literature …

Measuring Palatability Of Pet Food Products: Sensory Components, Evaluations, Challenges, And Opportunities, Natalia Calderon, Brittany L. White, Han-Seok Seo

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The pet food industry is a growing business launching a variety of new products in the market. The acceptability or preference of pet food samples has traditionally been measured using either one-bowl or two-bowl tests. Academic researchers and professionals in the pet food industry have explored other methods, including the cognitive palatability assessment protocols and the ranking test, to evaluate more than two samples. A variety of approaches and perspectives were also utilized to predict palatability and key sensory attributes of pet foods, including descriptive sensory analysis by human-trained panelists and pet food caregivers’ perceptions of pet food. This review …

The Relationship Between Chute Behavior And Morbidity In Cattle, Andrea Rankin

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Most cattle see a handling chute at least once in their lives. Handling plays a huge role in cattle management, whether it’s for transportation, auction sales, deworming, medical treatments, or AI purposes. Morbidity related to Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is one of the biggest causes of economic loss for ranchers and can be related to handling stress. Auction-derived calves (ADC; n=92) were brought to the University of Arkansas Savoy Research Facility for processing and monitoring for behavioral cues and disease. The objective of this study was to find a relationship between the calves’ behavior in the chute and morbidity. The …

Blend Matters: Interactions Of Rice Cultivars On Milling, Physico-Chemical & End Use Traits, Bindu Regonda

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice blending or mixing of different rice cultivars, a common practice in the industry, significantly impacts processing efficiency and end-product quality, yet its effects on end products remain understudied. This research investigated the implications of blending contemporary Arkansas rice cultivars through two comprehensive studies focusing on milling yields and physicochemical properties, instantization, and parboiling processes. Five long-grain cultivars, including hybrids (RT 7521 FP, RT 7321 FP, XP 753) and purelines (Ozark, CLL 16), were blended in various combinations and different drying.

The first study revealed that blending significantly affected milling yields and physicochemical attributes. Pre-drying blending yielded better results compared …

Rice Response To Struvite And Other Phosphorus Fertilizers In A Phosphorus-Deficient Soil Under Simulated Furrow-Irrigation, Jonathan B. Brye, Diego Della Lunga, Kristofor R. Brye

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wastewater-recovered phosphorus (P), in the form of the mineral struvite (MgNH₄PO₄⋅6H₂O), may provide a sustainable alternative to decreasing rock-phosphate reserves. Struvite can be generated via precipitation methods, potentially reducing the amount of P runoff to aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this greenhouse tub study was to evaluate the effects of chemically- and electrochemically precipitated struvite (CPST and ECST, respectively) on above- and belowground plant response in a hybrid rice (Oryza sativa) cultivar grown using furrow-irrigation compared to other common fertilizer-P sources [i.e., triple super phosphate (TSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP)]. Rice was …

Bactericidal Mechanism Of Peracetic Acid Against Salmonella Mediated By Reactive Oxygen Species, Mohammed Khalid Wheib Al-Doury

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peracetic acid (PAA) is extensively used as a bactericidal agent in poultry processing to reduce foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). Despite its widespread application, the exact mechanisms underlying its bactericidal effects, particularly the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), remain incompletely understood. This dissertation examines the role of ROS in PAA-mediated bacterial killing and explores both genetic and metabolic factors that influence bacterial susceptibility to PAA. Findings from these studies have implications for enhancing the efficacy of PAA, thereby improving food safety practices in the industry.

The first study investigates ROS as a central component …

Genetic Diversity And Population Structure Of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) From The Usda-Grin Germplasm Collection, Ibtisam Alatawi, Haizheng Xiong, Hanan Alkabkabi, Kenani Chiwina, Qing Luo, Kai-Shu Ling, Yuejun Qu, Renjie Du, Ainong Shi

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

The genetic diversity and population structure of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) were investigated to support breeding strategies and germplasm conservation. A total of 276 accessions from the USDA-GRIN collection were analyzed using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated through genotyping by sequencing (GBS). After stringent filtering, 5162 high-quality polymorphic SNPs were retained for analysis. Population structure analysis revealed three distinct genetic groups (Q1, Q2, and Q3) among the accessions. Accessions from the USA, Asia, and Central and South America were assigned to all three groups, while accessions from Europe and Oceania were predominantly clustered within Q2. Genetic diversity indices, including major …

Neural Network Architecture Search Enabled Wide-Deep Learning (Nas-Wd) Integrated Hyperspectral Imaging Understanding For Woody Breast In Poultry Processing, Chaitanya Kumar Reddy Pallerla

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development and implementation of a Wide & Deep (WD) learning model tailored for classification and regression tasks utilizing spectral data provides a robust solution to evaluate woody breast (WB) conditions in poultry fillets. This process begins with thorough data preprocessing, which includes loading spectral and classification datasets, imputing missing values with medians, and splitting the data into training and testing sets to ensure rigorous model evaluation. The WD model architecture integrates wide linear models and deep neural networks to harness the strengths of both approaches. The wide component excels at memorizing sparse feature interactions, while the deep component captures …

Enhancing Selection Intensity With High-Throughput Phenotyping Data In Plant Breeding, Ashmita Upadhyay

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genomic prediction (GP) has proven to be an essential tool to accelerate the cultivar development pipeline by predicting the performance of un-phenotyped lines in the field of plant breeding. However, the prediction accuracy is bounded by the heritability of the target trait, limiting the efficiency of the single-trait GP model. To overcome the limitation, a multi-trait genomic prediction model using high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) data can be used to leverage secondary traits to boost the predictive ability of the target trait. This study aimed to assess the efficiency of the multi-trait (MT)- GP model powered by HTP derived secondary traits in …

Utilization Of Prosur Phr As A Novel Phosphate Alternative In Tumble, Inject, And Tumble Injection Marinated Chicken Breast, Sarah E. Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry is the most widely consumed meat protein worldwide for its health consideration, affordability, and versatility. Historically, the poultry industry has utilized numerous methods to improve meat quality most significantly, marination. Marination is practice commonly used in the industry by imparting various chemical functional ingredients that are known to enhance sensory characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Various marination methods used in the industry including tumble, injection, and soaking. Ingredients, such as sodium chloride and phosphates are commonly used in the marination process. In recent years the industry has witnessed a shift in consumer preferences to “clean-label”. This trend …

The Inclusion Of Soybean Co-Products In Ruminant Supplements On Health And Reproductive Efficiency, Kirsten Midkiff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybeans are a vital commodity for Arkansas and the United States, with co-products such as soybean meal having wide popularity in animal feeds due to high protein content and palatability. Soybean meal primarily is utilized in diets for swine and poultry operations with a small market in the beef cattle industry, likely due to the increased costs that are associated with the product. On the other hand, soybean oil is a product from the production of soybean meal that is not as widely used in the livestock industry as most of the oil produced is used for industrial purposes. Additionally, …

Locating Health Inequities: Understanding The Dynamic Role Of ‘Place’ In The Social Determinants Of Health And Healthcare Accessibility, Abbie Sudduth Page

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective. The social determinants of health (SDH) are various non-medical factors that influence health behaviors and health outcomes, and they are measured in variety of different ways. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the relationship SDH items that may group to form a new domain and may be associated with outcomes of health care accessibility. This dissertation seeks to explain a novel understanding of social determinants of health and healthcare accessibility through the lens of the socioecological model and place-based SDH items.
Methodology. This retrospective study design utilized data from the baseline survey and year-22 wave of the …

Effective Nutrient Management Of Surface Waters In The United States Requires Expanded Water Quality Monitoring In Agriculturally Intensive Areas, Christopher Oates, Hactor Fajardo, Khara Grieger, Daniel Obenaur, Rebecca Muenich, Natalie G. Nelson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The U.S. Clean Water Act is believed to have driven widespread decreases in pollutants from point sources and developed areas, but has not substantially affected nutrient pollution from agriculture. Today, the highest nutrient concentrations in surface waters are often associated with agricultural production. In this Perspective, we explore whether challenges stemming from the Clean Water Act’s inability to mitigate agricultural nutrient pollution are also exacerbated by coarse nutrient monitoring. We evaluate the current state of nutrient monitoring in surface waters of the contiguous U.S. relative to agricultural nutrient inputs to assess how monitoring effort varies across agriculturally intensive areas. The …

Association Mapping For Water Use Efficiency In Soybean Identifies Previously Reported And Novel Loci And Permits Genomic Prediction, Siva K. Chamarthi, Larry C. Purcell, Felix B. Fritschi, Jeffrey D. Ray, James R. Smith, Avjinder S. Kaler, C. Andy King, Jason D. Gillman

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soybean is a major legume crop cultivated globally due to the high quality and quantity of its seed protein and oil. However, drought stress is the most significant factor that decreases soybean yield, and more than 90% of US soybean acreage is dependent on rainfall. Water use efficiency (WUE) is positively correlated with the carbon isotopic ratio ¹³C/¹²C (C13 ratio) and selecting soybean varieties for high C13 ratio may enhance WUE and help improve tolerance to drought. Our study objective was to identify genetic loci associated with C13 ratio using a diverse set of 205 soybean maturity …

Genome-Wide Association Analysis And Genomic Prediction Of Salt Tolerance Trait In Soybean Germplasm, Rongqing Xu, Qing Yang, Zhi Liu, Xiaolai Shi, Xintong Wu, Yuenhan Chen, Xingyu Du, Qiqi Gao, Di He, Ainong Shi, Peijun Tao, Long Yan

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction:

Soybean is an important protein and oil crop, and improving yield has traditionally been a major breeding goal. However, salt stress is an important abiotic factor that can severely impair soybean yield by disrupting metabolic processes, inhibiting photosynthesis, and hindering plant growth, ultimately leading to a decrease in productivity.

Methods:

This study utilized phenotypic and genotypic data from 563 soybean germplasms sourced from over 20 countries. Employing four distinct models—we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using four models, including MLM, MLMM, FarmCPU, and BLINK in GAPIT 3, we conducted a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) to identify single nucleotide …

Editorial: Predicting, Managing, And Minimizing Mycotoxicosis In Farm Animals, Jesus Adonai Maguey-Gonzalez, Juan D. Latorre, Sergio Gomez-Rosales, Abraham Mendez-Albores

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Editorial on the Research Topic: Predicting, managing, and minimizing mycotoxicosis in farm animals

A Liquid Crystal-Based Biomaterial Platform For Rapid Sensing Of Heat Stress Using Machine Learning, Prateek Verma, Elizabeth Adeogun, Elizabeth S. Greene, Sami Dridi, Ukash Nakarmi, Karthik Nayani

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Novel biomaterials that bridge the knowledge gap in coupling molecular/protein signatures of disease/stress with rapid readouts are a critical need of society. One such scenario is an imbalance between bodily heat production and heat dissipation which leads to heat stress in organisms. In addition to diminished animal well-being, heat stress is detrimental to the poultry industry as poultry entails fast growth and high yields, resulting in greater metabolic activity and higher body heat production. When stressed, cells overexpress heat shock proteins (such as HSP70, a well-established intracellular stress indicator) and may undergo changes in their mechanical properties. Liquid crystals (LCs, …

Geosciences Affiliated Publications: Snapshot Of The Research Publications 2018-2023, Danna Jaimes-Fajardo, Jeremy J. Smith, Lutishoor Salisbury

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report provides a snapshot of the research publications for authors affiliated with the Geosciences department at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, for the period 2018-2023. It includes publications by material type; co-author characteristics; ranking of journals according to journal citation reports.

Physiochemical, Bio, Thermal, And Non-Thermal Processing Of Major And Minor Millets: A Comprehensive Review On Antinutritional And Antioxidant Properties, Suhan Bheemaiah Balyatanda, N.A. Nanje Gowda, Jeyamkondan Subbiah, Snehasis Chakraborty, P.V. Vara Prasad, Kaliramesh Siliveru

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Millets are recognized as future foods due to their abundant nutrition and resilience, increasing their value on the global stage. Millets possess a broad spectrum of nutrients, antinutrients, and antioxidants, making it imperative to understand the effects of various processing methods on these components. Antinutritional factors interfere with the digestibility of macro-nutrients and the bioavailability and bio accessibility of minerals. This necessitates methods to reduce or eliminate antinutrients while improving nutritive and antioxidant value in food. This review aims to elucidate the rationale behind processing choices by evaluating the scientific literature and examining the mechanisms of processing methods, categorized as …

Electron-Beam-Killed Staphylococcus Vaccine Reduced Lameness In Broiler Chickens, Anna L.F.V. Assumpcao, Komala Arsi, Andi Asnayanti, Khawla Alharbi, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Quentin D. Read, Ruvindu Perera, Abdulkarim Shwani, Amer Abdullah Hasan, Suresh D. Pillai, Robin C. Anderson, Annie M. Donoghue, Douglas D. Rhoads, Palmy R.R. Jesudhasan, Adnan A. Alrubaye

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Broiler chicken lameness caused by bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is presently amongst the most important economic and animal welfare issues faced by the poultry industry, and the estimated economic loss is around USD 150 million. BCO lameness is associated with multiple opportunistic bacterial pathogens inhabiting the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. In cases of immune deficiency resulting from stress, injury, or inflammation of the tissue, opportunistic pathogens, mainly Staphylococcus spp., can infiltrate the respiratory or gastrointestinal mucosa and migrate through the bloodstream to eventually colonize the growth plates of long bones, causing necrosis that leads to lameness. This is the …

Economic Considerations Of In-Season Potassium Applications To Soybean Using Payoff Matrices, Carrie Ortel, T. L. Roberts, M. Popp, W. J. Ross, N. A. Slaton, M. R. Parvej

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Potassium (K) deficiency is a common yield-limiting factor in Arkansas soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) production that can be addressed with innovative supplemental fertilizer application. An established leaf sampling protocol and dynamic critical concentration allow accurate diagnosis of K deficiency with corresponding recommendations for corrective, in-season K fertilizer applications at site-specific rates and times to reach anticipated yield goals. However, the profitability of in-season K fertilizer applications to irrigated soybean remains unclear. Research was conducted in Arkansas from 2021 to 2023 to evaluate multiple rates of in-season applications of muriate of potash to soybean at 15 and 30 days …

Shell Translucency: A Novel Eggshell Quality Parameter In Broiler Breeders, Duarte Neves, Austin Jasek, Colwayne Morris, Raquel Burin, Kevin Stephens, Marco Rebollo

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

In the United States, nearly 240 million commercial broiler breeder eggs are incubated weekly with an average hatchability of 79.1% (Third Party Reporting). Between 160 eggs/hen and 125 chicks/hen the loss is considerable. In 2007, an estimated 1% improvement in hatchability would escalate profits by over $25 million to hatcheries and markedly increase profitability in broiler operations (Schaal and Gherian, 2007). In order to tap into top hatchability performances, egg management in commercial hatcheries such as egg storage time and conditions, incubation temperature and humidity, as well as turning frequency are of utmost importance (Vick et al., 1993; Reis et …

Food Science Affiliated Publications, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville: Snapshot Of The Research Publications, Jeremy J. Smith, Lutishoor Salisbury

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report provides a snapshot of the research publications for authors affiliated with the Food Science department at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, for the period 2018-2023. It includes publications by material type; co-author characteristics; ranking of journals according to journal citation reports.

Blend Feeding Broilers To Daily Nutrient Requirements, J.T. Pope

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Broiler producers and nutritionists have used phase feeding as a practical means to define broiler feeding programs. Each feed phase has discreet nutrient definitions intended to be fed for a defined number of days based on a feed mass delivered per broiler. A typical broiler feeding program would consist of three to five feed phases over the production cycle that intend to address the changing nutrient requirements as broilers age. Phase feeding programs are easily defined, practical to manage, and provide a predictable cost structure for broiler producers. Despite the practicality of phase feeding, there are inherent flaws that will …