Digital Commons Network^™

Consumers' Perception Of Quality For Ladies' Swimwear Based On Price And Brand, Jennifer Avila, Laurie M. Apple, Lance M. Cheramie, Leigh Southward

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Consumers shop at multiple retailers for different needs, and it is understood that many choose a retailer for an experience and others will shop at another retailer for better savings. In a time where E-commerce is at an all-time high, retailers need to consider how they compare against online retailers in the apparel sector. In this study, three retailers were compared against one another since they are all swimwear competitors. As these retailers adjust to store and production shortages, it is important to understand how the quality of clothing will keep sales consistent. Consumers are likely to keep shopping at …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences- Volume 23 2022, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Featured Faculty Mentor And Student Explore The Dynamics Of This Research Relationship, Matt Bertucci, Gracie Morrison

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Distal Urogenital Anatomy In The Male Wood Frog, Lithobates Sylvaticus (Anura: Ranidae), Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

I investigated the microanatomy of the distal urogenital system of the male Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) from a small sample (n = 6) collected in northern Arkansas in February 2020. Specifically, my primary objectives were as follows: 1) to focus on the histology of the paired Wolffian (urogenital) ducts caudally from the kidneys to their merging with the urodeum of the cloaca, 2) to reveal the structure of the paired seminal vesicles (sperm storage structures), and 3) to compare epithelial morphologies between the distal urogenital tract and its neighboring distal alimentary tract. This information will promote a clearer …

Yellow-Rumped Warblers (Setophaga Coronata) Sipping Sap From Sapsucker Wells, Ragupathy Kannan, Renn Tumlison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) is one of the most ecologically generalized of the warblers. It feeds primarily on invertebrates, but often switches to fruit during winter, utilizing a wide array of foraging maneuvers. It also uses a variety of foraging substrates. Reports of these warblers taking sap from sapsucker wells are rare. Here we report 3 instances of sapsucking Yellow-rumped Warblers from Arkansas. All three observations were immediately preceded by extreme cold weather with snow or ice precipitation. We hypothesize that opportunistic sapsucking from sapsucker holes may be another strategy employed by the species to meet its …

Minimum Dataset And Metadata Guidelines For Soil-Test Correlation And Calibration Research, Nathan A. Slaton, Sarah E. Lyons, Deanna L. Osmond, Sylvie M. Brouder, Steve W. Culman, Gerson L. Drescher, Luciano C. Gatiboni, John Hoben, Peter J.A. Kleinman, Joshua M. Mcgrath, Robert O. Miller, Austin Pearce, Amy L. Shober, John T. Spargo, Jeff J. Volenec

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soil-test correlation and calibration data are essential to modern agriculture, and their continued relevance is underscored by the expansion of precision farming and the persistence of sustainable soil management priorities. In support of transparent, science-based fertilizer recommendations, we seek to establish a core set of required and recommended information for soil-test P and K correlation and calibration studies, a minimum dataset, building on previous research. The Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST) project team and collaborators are developing a national database that will support a soil-test-based nutrient management decision aid tool. The FRST team includes over 80 scientists from 37 land-grant …

The Times, They Are A-Changin': Tracking Shifts In Mental Health Signals From Early Phase To Later Phase Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In Australia, Siqin Wang, Xiao Huang, Tao Hu, Mengxi Zhang, Zhenlong Li, Huan Ning, Jonathan Corcoran, Asaduzzaman Khan, Yan Liu, Jiajia Zhang, Xiaoming Li

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction Widespread problems of psychological distress have been observed in many countries following the outbreak of COVID-19, including Australia. What is lacking from current scholarship is a national-scale assessment that tracks the shifts in mental health during the pandemic timeline and across geographic contexts.

Methods Drawing on 244 406 geotagged tweets in Australia from 1 January 2020 to 31 May 2021, we employed machine learning and spatial mapping techniques to classify, measure and map changes in the Australian public’s mental health signals, and track their change across the different phases of the pandemic in eight Australian capital cities.

Results Australians’ …

"Blazing The Trail" For The Future: Bipoc Students' Experiences With Colleges Of Agriculture, Logan Moss

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since its founding, the United States has faced a constant turmoil surrounding the equitable treatment of people from non-Caucasian backgrounds, especially regarding education. This study sought to examine BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students experiences prior to entry and during their studies in colleges of agriculture within the State of Arkansas. Research has shown that across the country there are discrepancies between the percentage of BIPOC students in the State, university, and colleges of agriculture. This study used a qualitative interview method to determine the factors influencing minority students to enter and stay within a program of study …

Evaluation Of Essential Oil Products On Performance, Intestinal Permeability, Bone Mineralization, And Oxidative Stress Parameters On Broiler Chickens Under Heat Stress Conditions, Jared Ruff

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to show how dietary supplementation of three different formulations of essential oils (EO) affected the performance of broiler chickens during heat stress (HS). Day-of-hatch Cobb 500 chicks (n = 500) were randomly divided into four groups: 1. HS control + control diets; 2. HS + control meals supplemented with 37 ppm EO of Lippia origanoides (LO); 3. HS + control diets supplemented with 45 ppm LO + 45 ppm EO of Rosmarinus officinalis (RO) + 300 ppm red beetroot; 4. HS + 45 ppm LO + 45 ppm RO + 300 ppm natural betaine. …

Examining Risks To Honey Bee Pollinators Foraging In Agricultural Landscapes, Jon Zawislak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bee pollinators provide essential ecological services to wild plant communities, and addtremendous economic value to agriculture by improving both the quality and quantity of crop yield. Beekeepers are often contracted by growers to provide colonies of honey bees for pollination of high-value produce (fruits, vegetables and nuts). Many of the major commodity crops produced in the central and mid-southern United States are wind-pollinated (rice, corn, grain sorghum, wheat), or are sufficiently self-fertile (soybeans, cotton), and so do not require bee pollination in order to produce yield. Beekeepers still rely on these agricultural landscapes to support honey bee colonies when not …

Stress As A Contributing Factor For Pediatric Obesity: Literature Review And Internship Experience, Jessica Handley

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article is an examination of how stress drives diet and physical activity behaviors that contribute to pediatric obesity in the United States. An increasing rate of childhood obesity is being reported in the United States and therefore a multitude of studies and reviews have been conducted on the topic. This review of the literature systematically analyzes how stress, diet, and physical activity behaviors contribute to this rising rate of pediatric obesity. An analysis of the chosen articles for review indicates that stress and its counterpart (resilience) tend to be driving forces in how American children and adolescents participate in …

The Right To Food Comes To America, Wendy Heipt

Journal of Food Law & Policy

The people of Maine recently exercised an opportunity no citizen of this country has ever had before: the ability to vote on whether to enshrine a right to food in their state constitution. This Essay provides an overview of Maine’s experience with food rights in order to explain how the state came to occupy this unique position.

France's Organisme De Défense Et De Gestion: A Model For Farmer Collective Action Through Standard Development And Brand Management, Christopher J. Bardenhagen, Philip H. Howard, Marie-Odile Noziéres-Petit

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Quality-based food production, often with a regional dimension, can provide farmers with new, value added markets. It can also provide consumers with access to place based high-quality products, and may benefit local economies through increased commerce. French Organismes de Défense et de Gestion (ODGs) illustrate a mode of quality-based agri-food business organization. ODGs focus on the development of production standards, as well as management of the intellectual property related to those standards. This mode, which is commonly used in Europe, has not often been used in the United States, despite its potential for regional food system development. The ODG mode …

China's Food Pagodas: Looking Forward By Looking Back?, Yifei Li, Dale Jamieson

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In this Article we provide a close analysis of the Chinese Dietary Guidelines – the Food Pagoda. Our focus on the dietary guidelines is motivated by two main considerations. First, the guidelines represent the most comprehensive, nationwide, state sponsored effort to educate the people of China about food. Like citizens in most countries, Chinese people are presented with numerous, often competing, messages from scientists, food gurus and online influencers. The dietary guidelines are different in that they are backed by an entire suite of governmental resources for nationwide dissemination through hospitals, schools, public billboards, TV and radio ads, among others. …

Journal Of Food Law & Policy - Fall 2021, Journal Editors

Journal of Food Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Implementing 2nd Milk’S Use Of The World Health Organization Standardized Growth Charts To Better Track The Growth And Development Of The Malnourished And Orphaned Infants In Their Supplemental Nutrition Program In Malawi, Allie Wycoff

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article considers the history and implications of the World Health Organization (WHO) standardized growth charts as well as the significant impact that growth chart utilization may have on 2^ndMilk’s ability to understand and track the nutritional status of the malnourished orphaned infants in their formula program. Specifically, this literature review examines whether or not the WHO growth charts are a meaningful tool for 2^ndMilk to adopt into their monthly baby assessments. The WHO growth charts are calibrated to express an accepted international “norm” for what an adequately nourished child looks like. In a recent service-learning …

Greenhouse Tomatoes: Process Simulation, Juan Gabriel Marin Jr.

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growing population demand and challenges brought on by climate change have spurred the need for more resilient fruit and vegetable supply chains. One agricultural technology of significant interest is the use of greenhouses for food production. Greenhouses create a stable and adaptable environment for crops such as tomatoes to grow year-round. Fresh tomatoes are the second most consumed vegetable per capita in U.S. diets, currently averaging 20.7 pounds. The growing consumption of fresh tomatoes has been the result of increasing cultural diversity in the United States.

To meet the growing demand, Venlo-type greenhouses have been frequently used by growers. It …

Multifunctional Programmable Self-Assembled Nanoparticles In Nanomedicine, Yoshie Sakamaki

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Developing methodologies to control the architecture of nanoparticles (NPs) at the atomic level prevents their inhomogeneity and leads to a variety of expected functions. Rationally designed nanoparticles can either be programmed or crystallized structures into pre-determined structures achieving tunable particle pore size and physiochemistry. In this dissertation, two broad classes of multifunctional nanoparticles are developed, metal-organic frameworks and DNA-NP aggregates.

Metal-organic frameworks are a novel class of highly porous crystalline materials built from organic linkers and metal cluster-based secondary building units. However, applications in bioremediation have not been developed very well especially in applications regarding drug delivery systems (DDS). The …

Efficacy Of Spirulina (Arthrospira Platensis) Utilization In Broiler Diets, Garrett James Mullenix

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is a cyanobacteria microalgae that has potential as an animal feed ingredient. Five experiments were conducted to further assess its ability to serve as a protein source in broiler diets. Experiment 1 consisted of an amino acid digestibility and apparent metabolizable energy assay. The results indicated that the standardized ileal amino acid levels of spirulina are comparable with typical soybean meal. Experiment 2 assessed the performance and processing parameters of broilers fed 10% spirulina in low crude protein diets, using published digestibility coefficients. Spirulina inclusion improved footpad quality and increased redness and yellowness of the breast, skin …

Divergent Selection For Water Conversion Ratio In Broiler Populations, Joseph Hiltz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity is a global reality and with the anticipated population growth, freshwater resources will be further strained to meet both human needs and agriculture applications. To ensure a water sustainable and food secure future, all aspects of agriculture must become more efficient. Two strategies were explored. The potential of improving water efficiency in broilers was examined. The first strategy was to develop a more efficient and accurate method for measuring water consumption/inputs in agriculture. To date, water measuring technology has lacked the necessary sophistication to assure accuracy and repeatability of low flow water usage.

After establishing a low flow …

Data-Driven Statin Initiation Evaluation And Optimization For Prediabetes Population, Muhenned A. Abdulsahib

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops quantitative models to support medical decision making of statininitiation considering the uncertainty in disease progression for prediabetes patients. A mathematical model is built to help medical decision-makers take action of statin initiation under uncertainty in future prediabetes progressions. The association between cholesterol drug use, such as statin, and elevating glucose level attracted considerable amounts of attention in the literature. Statin effects on glucose vary with respect to different levels of glucose. The first chapter of this dissertation introduces the problem and an overview of the tools that will be used to solve it. In the second chapter …

Body Mass And Body Condition Variation Of Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) Within And Among Winters Within The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, John Thompson Veon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most North American waterfowl overwinter in southern North America before migrating back to breeding grounds in the northern US and Canada. These species face the challenge of needing to maintain or increase their body mass during an environmentally difficult winter period. Successful body mass maintenance during the winter period has major ramifications not only for their winter survival but for their fitness across the entire year. Recent research in Europe and the western United States suggests that the body mass of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) has increased from the late 1960s to early 2000s. However, the factors responsible for increases in …

Genome-Wide Analyses Of Genomic Variation Regulating Differential Stress Responses In Japanese Quail, Steven Anthony Shumaker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As consumer demands for poultry grow, producers work to improve bird productivity in both meat and egg production. This endeavor is multifaceted, as many different factors play a part in influencing the productivity of birds, including environmental conditions, overall health, and genetic potential. One aspect controlled for in all aspects of poultry production optimization is stress management. Mitigation of stress is of primary concern to producers, as improper stress management can have many deleterious effects on chickens. Stress management requires an understanding of poultry stress responses and their physiological mechanisms, which can be more deeply understood through genomic analysis. Chapter …

Reducing Dietary Crude Protein: Characterization Of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Antagonism In Modern Broiler Chickens, Craig William Maynard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reducing the crude protein content of broiler diets while maintaining performance has been a primary research area in nutrition. During the late 20th century, the bulk of this research has involved supplementing broiler diets with feed-grade amino acids and proving the economic benefits of their additions. To date, widespread adoption of feed-grade amino acids is limited to methionine, lysine, threonine, and to some extent valine. With valine and isoleucine gaining prevalence in commercial formulation, classic data on the antagonisms associated with the branched-chain amino acids has returned to the forefront of practical broiler nutrition research. Therefore, a series of 23 …

Sensitivity Of Soybean And Rice To Dicamba, Owen Wesley France

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although the integration of dicamba as a postemergence (POST) herbicide has proven useful in controlling many herbicide-resistant weeds, its damage to soybean at low rates, such as supplied by drift and volatility, has been well-documented. Injury to other crops, such as rice, from off-target movement of dicamba and other commonly used herbicides, such as glyphosate, may also occur. Practical options for mitigating injury and yield loss to soybean and other crops from dicamba off-target movement could prove beneficial if dicamba continues to be used during summer months. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of multiple agricultural practices, including cultivar …

Dollar Stores And Supermarket Survivability In Non-Metropolitan Us Communities, Cami Farmer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the growing popularity of dollar stores, concerns have surfaced over the potential relationship between dollar stores and the closures of grocery stores. Healthy food accessibility for consumers, particularly those in rural areas, has additionally become of great interest. This thesis aims to investigate the potential relationship of dollar store presence and grocery store closures. Data used included County Business Patterns, Rural Urban Continuum Codes, American Community Survey, and authorized SNAP retailer data. The spatial distance between grocery stores and the number of dollar stores at various radii were calculated. Following the computation of the number of dollar stores surrounding …

The Relationship Between Gestational Diabetes And Stress: A Literature Review, Morgan Mcgrath

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The incidence of gestational diabetes has been increasing over the past ten to twenty years. The purpose of this literature review is to gather existing literature to examine the relationship between gestational diabetes and oxidative stress. Twenty peer-reviewed articles from two databases were selected to be examined in this review. From these studies, it was found that oxidative stress was higher in women who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and supplementation with vitamins and minerals was beneficial in decreasing stress in these women. While these studies can help healthcare providers in educating women who have been diagnosed, more research should …

Cultural Impact On Identity And How It Is Expressed Through Dress, Jenifer Thao

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examined how students at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Arkansas incorporate their cultural background into their clothing as a form of self-expression. The study included an online survey platform, Qualtrics, created with a series of Likert-type and open-ended response questions to gather data regarding student opinions on clothing impacts. Results indicated that there were no significant associations when it comes to cultural influences on identity and how it is expressed through dress.

Winter Cover Crop Mixes: Effects On Strip-Tilled Plasticulture And No-Till Watermelon Production In Arkansas, Alden Neil Hotz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, producers in Arkansas grow watermelons in either plasticulture or bare-ground systems. Both systems can benefit from the use of winter cover crops for weed control and to supply nitrogen (N) to the watermelon crop. Currently, the use of cover crops in watermelon production in AR is mostly limited to either cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) or winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L). The objective of this research is to evaluate the potential benefits of growing a mix of a legume and grass cover crops before watermelon production in both a strip-till plasticulture and a …

Rice Quality And Its Impacts On Food Security And Sustainability In Bangladesh, Indrani Saha, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Lawton Lanier Nalley, Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr.

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rice market efficiency is important for food security in countries where rice is a staple. We assess the impact of rice quality on rice prices, food security, and environmental sustainability in Bangladesh. We find that while price varies as expected for most quality attributes, it is unaffected by a broken percentage below 24.9 percent. This reveals a potential inefficiency, considering the average 5 percent broken rate observed in the market. An increase in the broken rate of milled rice within the limits supported by our findings can, ceteris paribus, increase rice rations by 4.66 million a year, or conversely, …