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Validation Of A Novel Genomic Biomarker Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Scalability And Evaluating Genotype Implications On Cellular Senescence, I Kade Karisma Gita Ardana

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The market demand for hMSCs continues to increase along with the increasing popularity of hMSCs used in the research, medical and industrial fields. This increase has an impact on the need for good quality MSCs. This quality is determined by the ability of MSCs to proliferate and their resistance to senescence. Donor dependent heterogeneity may affect MSC qualities from one individual to another; therefore, a specific biomarker with the ability to identify individuals with desirable hMSC qualities is required. The GSTT1 gene has been found to be associated with hMSC scalability. This gene is deleted in about 38% of the …

Racialized Identity And Teacher Preparation: A Case Study Of Teacher Candidates Of Color, Karmen V. Bell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the problem concerning the lack of Teacher Candidates of Color (TCOCs) in teacher education. It examines recruitment, support, and retention by identifying promises and pitfalls of diversifying the teacher pipeline through the voices of Students of Color (SOCs) who are already enrolled in teacher education. How race and racialization processes influence TCOCs was salient to the study. Through qualitative case study, the researcher explored the lived experiences of teacher candidates with racialized identities being prepared to teach within one Predominately White Institution (PWI). Using a Critical Race Theory framework, four research questions guided this study: (1) What …

Cartographic Analysis Of Earth-Sun Relationships In Ancient Amazonia, Jackson Bennett Critser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The alignments of ancient man-made earthworks across the Amazon Basin, known as geoglyphs, have recently been discovered to predate early societal dates. Although much research indicated that the Amazon was uninhabitable until the last 1000 years (Meggers 1971), new evidence suggests this is not the case. The application of advanced cartographic and GIS technologies were implemented to link solar ‘marker’ days (e.g. solstices, equinoxes) with the alignment of geoglyphs, megaliths, stone architecture, and broader city forms to discover and analyze previously unknown Earth-Sun relationships across the Amazon Basin to conceivably sophisticated urban and architectural plans. The study of these geoglyphs …

Polymeric Biomaterials Approaches For Engineering The In Vitro Cellular Microenvironment For Mscs, Mahsa Letter-Mahsa Haseli

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cell therapy is a technology that relies on replacing diseased or dysfunctional cells with healthy functioning ones. One of the cells used for such advanced therapies are stem cells, owing to their ability to differentiate into specific cells required for repairing damaged or defective tissues or cells. The majority of cell-based products are intended to transiently persist in the patient, secreting factors which then allow the patient’s body to heal; in these products, the cells are subsequently eliminated from the body. Furthermore, unique manufacturing platforms, in addition to novel commercialization strategies, will be required to create a successful, sustainable cell …

Investigation The Plugging Behavior Of Virus Filters, Iman Abdulqader Saab

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A virus filtration step is integral to the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals to ensure viral safety. A virus filter is a single-use device that uses a size-based separation process and has a unique structure with minimal defects, so that contaminating virus particles cannot pass through the membrane pores, while therapeutic molecules can. The development of novel antibodies (Abs), including significant increases in product titers, is frequently challenged by virus filter fouling, making a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms essential. This thesis focused investigating of the effect of prefilter types, buffer type and salt content on virus filtration performance. The impact …

Unveiling The Ancestral Function Of A Neuroendocrine Regulator, Pou-I/Pit1: Insights From Gene Expression Analysis In The Sea Anemone Nematostella Vectensis, Miguel Agostinho Pina Da Silva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cnidaria (i.e., sea anemones, jellyfish, corals) and Bilateria (i.e., vertebrates, sea stars, fruit flies), are sister groups that diverged around 600 million years ago. Despite the long evolutionary time, many cellular differentiation mechanisms, cell types, tissues and behaviors are conserved. Such as neurons, mechanosensory hair cells, feeding behaviors, peristaltic movements, and sleep. Recent advances in genomics, molecular biology and microscopy have fueled an increased interest in understanding cnidarian nervous and neuroendocrine systems. Understanding the developmental mechanisms and the mode of operation of Cnidarian nervous systems helps to reconstruct the ancestral nervous system of the last common ancestor of Cnidaria and …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Different Types Of Databases Reveals That Cdh1 Mrna And E-Cadherin Protein Are Not Downregulated In Most Carcinoma Tissues And Carcinoma Cell Lines, Brihget Sicairos, Shorna Alam, Yuchun Du

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

The CDH1 gene codes for the epithelial-cadherin (E-cad) protein, which is embedded in the plasma membrane of epithelial cells to form adherens junctions. E-cad is known to be essential for maintaining the integrity of epithelial tissues, and the loss of E-cad has been widely considered a hallmark of metastatic cancers enabling carcinoma cells to acquire the ability to migrate and invade nearby tissues. However, this conclusion has come under scrutiny.

Methods

To assess how CDH1 and E-cad expression changes during cancer progression, we analyzed multiple large transcriptomics, proteomics, and immunohistochemistry datasets on clinical cancer samples and cancer cell lines …

The Effects Of Essential Oil From Lippia Origanoides And Herbal Betaine On Performance, Intestinal Integrity, Bone Mineralization And Meat Quality In Broiler Chickens Subjected To Cyclic Heat Stress, Roberto Señas-Cuesta, Andressa Stein, Juan D. Latorre, Clay J. Maynard, Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco, Victor Petrone-Garcia, Elizabeth Greene, Makenly Coles, Latasha Gray, Lauren Laverty, Kristen Martin, Ileana Loeza, Alvaro J. Uribe, Blanca C. Martinez, Jaime A. Angel-Isaza, Danielle Graham, Casey M. Owens, Billy M. Hargis, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Essential oils (EO) affect performance, intestinal integrity, bone mineralization, and meat quality in broiler chickens subjected to cyclic heat stress (HS). Day-of-hatch Cobb 500 male broiler chicks (n = 475) were randomly divided into four groups. Group 1: No heat stress (Thermoneutral) + control diets with no antibiotics; Group 2: heat stress control + control diets; Group 3: heat stress + control diets supplemented with thymol chemotype (45 ppm) and herbal betaine (150 ppm) formulation EO1; Group 4: heat stress + control diets supplemented with phellandrene (45 ppm) and herbal betaine (150 ppm) formulation EO2. From day 10–42, the …

Fulfilling Koch’S Postulates And Evaluation Of Different Administration Routes In Poults Challenged With Streptococcus Gallolyticus, Latasha Gray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus gallolyticus (SG) is a Gram-positive found as commensal gut flora in animals and humans. SG has been associated with acute mortality in poults 2 to 3 weeks of age, with lesions mainly consisting of splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and pericarditis. The objective of this thesis was to reproduce disease in poults caused by SG recovered from clinical field isolates and evaluate different routes of administration. Three field isolates from geographically disparate areas in Arkansas and Missouri were used for the experiments contained in this thesis. Antibiotic sensitives of the three field isolates revealed sensitivity to penicillin as well as a wide …

Ecological, Evolutionary, And Temporal Dynamics Of Animal Mortality Events, Simon Patrick Tye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global declines of animal abundances are emblematic of the Anthropocene. Recent animal declines have increasingly involved more frequent and intense die-offs within populations, or mass mortality events (MMEs). These extreme demographic events can lead to rapid changes in biological communities, either by imperiling the affected population or influencing populations remaining within communities. To date, there is still limited information about the effects of predator MMEs on immediate ecological dynamics within communities and rapid evolutionary dynamics within remaining populations that may ensue. Moreover, few approaches exist to predict future occurrences of predator MMEs across broad spatial scales. To address these gaps, …

Early Solid Diet Supplementation Influences The Proteomics Of Rumen Epithelium In Goat Kids, Yimin Zhuang, Xiaokang Lv, Kai Cui, Jianmin Chai, Naifeng Zhang

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is well known that solid diet supplementation in early life can significantly promote rumen development and metabolic function in young ruminants. However, the changes in the expressed proteome and related metabolism in rumen epithelium in response to a supplemented solid diet remain unclear. In this study, rumen epithelial tissue from goats in three diet regimes including milk replacer only (MRO), milk replacer supplemented concentrate (MRC), and milk replacer supplemented concentrate plus alfalfa pellets (MCA) were collected for measurement of the expression of epithelial proteins using proteomic technology (six per group). The results showed that solid diet significantly improved the …

Bone Metabolite Profile Differs Between Normal And Femur Head Necrosis (Fhn/Bco)-Affected Broilers: Implications For Dysregulated Metabolic Cascades In Fhn Pathophysiology, Alison Ramser, Rachel Hawken, Elizabeth Greene, Ron Okimoto, Brenda Flack, Courtney J. Christopher, Shawn R. Campagna, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Femur head necrosis (FHN), also known as bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), has remained an animal welfare and production concern for modern broilers regardless of efforts to select against it in primary breeder flocks. Characterized by the bacterial infection of weak bone, FHN has been found in birds without clinical lameness and remains only detectable via necropsy. This presents an opportunity to utilize untargeted metabolomics to elucidate potential non-invasive biomarkers and key causative pathways involved in FHN pathology. The current study used ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC–HRMS) and identified a total of 152 metabolites. Mean intensity …

Preparing Homogenous Composites Of Collagen And Cellulose Nanocrystals For Tissue Engineering Research, Zachary Stanley

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Advancements in medicine and our understanding of stem cells have led to a greater emphasis on further developing research focused on tissue engineering. This research has led to the rise of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional scaffolds that can be utilized to repair bone, skin, vascular, and potentially even nervous tissue. One of the prominent compounds used in modern scaffolds is collagen-based hydrogels due to their low antigenicity and ability to provide structure to cells. There is potential to further improve upon this three-dimensional scaffold by incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into a composite hydrogel with collagen. The addition would increase the …

Analyzing Energy Use From Arkansas Public School Buildings, Oscar Morton

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Energy is a key global resource in society and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the consumption of energy have detrimental effects on the planet. With energy consumption increasing, exponential population growth, and diminishing natural resources necessary for energy production, the relevance of energy efficiency is dramatically increasing. In this project, I analyzed energy usage data from a set of public school buildings from one school district in northwest Arkansas from 2018, before targeted energy efficiency practices were implemented, through 2022 to see if energy usage changed over this short period. The objectives of analyzing energy data were to determine …

The Scaling Method: Body Mass Reconstruction Of East African Hominins, Julianna Rose

Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis details a series of novel methods developed to estimate body masses of hominin fossils using 3-D point cloud registration software. All analyses were conducted through 3-D modeling software that supported the remote study of five fossil femora from East Africa. The fossil computer models were repeatedly aligned with anatomically modern human femora to determine their scaling relationship with the objective of using the scaling factor of the human references to estimate the body mass of the fossils, on the basis of the femoral head breadth. Body mass estimates obtained through this technique were compared to estimates using more …

Fatty Females And Muscular Males: Investigating Human Sexual Dimorphism Across The Upper And Lower Skeleton, Brooklin Edwards

Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses

The sexual dimorphism profile of human body composition produces a unique pattern. Compared to other primates, humans have a mild size dimorphism; however, human males have a particularly muscular upper body and human females have a permanent fatty composition. These findings have resulted in varying interpretations related to sexual selection, mating systems, and male competition. Using humerus and femur measurements collected from 9 primate species, we investigated how the pronounced sexually dimorphic tissue composition of humans influences skeletal elements compared to the other primates. We hypothesized that over the course of human evolution, human females developed a body composition that …

Fast Five With The Tfsc, April 2023, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Wally Cordes Teaching And Faculty Support Center

Fast Five with the TFSC

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville--Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center newsletter

Dipole Cooperativity And Polarization Frustration Determine The Secondary Structure Distribution Of Short Alanine Peptides In Water, Ying Yuan, Feng Wang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The physical driving forces for secondary structure preferences of hydrated alanine peptide are investigated with B3LYP-D3(BJ) and the adaptive force matching (AFM) method. The AFM fit to the DFT surface, ALA2022, provides excellent agreement with the nuclear magnetic resonance scalar coupling constants from experiments. In turn, the model is used to gain insight into the physical driving forces behind secondary structure preferences of hydrated peptides. DFT calculations with and without the Conductor-like Screening Model (COSMO) show that the α helix is stabilized by solvent polarization due to dipole cooperativity. The two adjacent amide groups in β strand form a near-planar …

Comparative- And Network-Based Proteomic Analysis Of Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lesions In Broiler's Proximal Tibiae Identifies New Molecular Signatures Of Lameness, Jennifer Cook, Elizabeth Greene, Alison Ramser, Garrett J. Mullenix, Jalila S. Dridi, Rohana Liyanage, Robert F. Wideman Jr., Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO) is a specific cause of lameness in commercial fast-growing broiler (meat-type) chickens and represents significant economic, health, and wellbeing burdens. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis remain poorly understood. This study represents the first comprehensive characterization of the proximal tibia proteome from healthy and BCO chickens. Among a total of 547 proteins identified, 222 were differentially expressed (DE) with 158 up- and 64 down-regulated proteins in tibia of BCO vs. normal chickens. Biological function analysis using Ingenuity Pathways showed that the DE proteins were associated with a variety of diseases including cell death, organismal …

Ins And Outs Of Rocker Switch Mechanism In Major Facilitator Superfamily Of Transporters, Stephanie Sauve, Joseph Williamson, Adithya Polasa, Mahmoud Moradi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) of transporters consists of three classes of membrane transporters: symporters, uniporters, and antiporters. Despite such diverse functions, MFS transporters are believed to undergo similar conformational changes within their distinct transport cycles, known as the rocker-switch mechanism. While the similarities between conformational changes are noteworthy, the differences are also important since they could potentially explain the distinct functions of symporters, uniporters, and antiporters of the MFS superfamily. We reviewed a variety of experimental and computational structural data on a select number of antiporters, symporters, and uniporters from the MFS family to compare the similarities and differences …

Bioavailability Of Citrulline In Watermelon Flesh, Rind, And Skin Using A Human Intestinal Epithelial Caco-2 Cell Model, Inah Gu, Olugbenga Balogun, Cindi Brownmiller, Hye Won Kang, Sun-Ok Lee

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Watermelon produces many byproducts (watermelon rind and skin) even though those components contain various bioactive compounds, including citrulline. This study evaluated the citrulline concentration, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP assays) of different parts of watermelon and investigated the bioavailability of citrulline from different parts of watermelon using an in vitro human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cell monolayer model. Solid-phase extracted watermelon flesh, rind, and skin samples were treated on a Caco-2 cell monolayer for 1, 2, and 4 h. The collected basolateral solution at each time point was analyzed for the percentage of citrulline transport. Watermelon flesh …

Simulating A Flexible Water Model As Rigid: Best Practices And Lessons Learned, Raymond Weldon, Feng Wang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two ways to create rigid versions of flexible models are explored. The rigid model can assume the Model’s Geometry (MG) as if the molecule is not interacting with any other molecules or the ensemble averaged geometry (EG) under a particular thermodynamic condition. Although the MG model is more straightforward to create, it leads to relatively poor performance. The EG model behaves similarly to the corresponding flexible model (the FL model) and, in some cases, agrees even better with experiments. While the difference between the EG and the FL models is mostly a result of flexibility, the MG and EG models …

Effects Of Habitat Management On Rodent Diversity, Abundance, And Virus Infection Dynamics, Nathaniel Mull, Amy Schexnayder, Abigail Stolt, Tarja Sironen, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

As anthropogenic factors continue to degrade natural areas, habitat management is needed to restore and maintain biodiversity. However, the impacts of different habitat management regimes on ecosystems have largely focused on vegetation analyses, with limited evaluation of downstream effects on wildlife. We compared the effects of grassland management regimes (prescribed burning, cutting/haying, or no active management) on rodent communities and the viruses they hosted. Rodents were trapped in 13 existing grassland sites in Northwest Arkansas, USA during 2020 and 2021. Rodent blood samples were screened for antibodies against three common rodent-borne virus groups: orthohantaviruses, arenaviruses, and orthopoxviruses. We captured 616 …

Metagenomic And Meta-Transcriptomic Analysis Reveal The Colonization And Expression Profile Of Probiotic Strains In Humans And Animals, Yunjuan Peng, Routing Chen, Zhihao Zhang, Rui Jin, Ting Xe, Xinting Liu, Jianmin Chai, Samantha Howe, Jiangchao Zhao, Ying Li, Feilong Deng

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In humans and animals, probiotics are widely accepted as crucial for host health and growth. The investigation of the probiotic colonization and expression of probiotics in the host is beneficial for proper usage of probiotics and isolation of indigenous probiotics. In this study, we analyzed commonly used probiotic strains in the intestines/rumen of humans and animals by analyzing metagenomic and paired meta-transcriptomic data from the gut or rumen microbiome of humans (n = 13), pigs (n = 6), chickens (n = 6), cattle (n = 14), sheep (n = 10), and mice (n = …

#Blackatuark: Digital Counterpublic Memories Of Anti-Black Racism On Campus, T. Jake Dionne, Joe Hatfield, Gabrielle Willingham

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

After #BlackLivesMatter protests in summer 2020, many leaders in the US South reevaluated monuments dedicated to the confederate and segregation eras. Black affiliates of the University of Arkansas used the Twitter hashtag #BlackatUARK to demand the removal of memorials commemorating a segregationist senator and share their experiences of anti-Black racism on campus. We argue that #BlackatUARK provides a counterpublic memorial of campus life that opposes and transforms dominant public memories, geographies, and subjectivities. Our analysis of the hashtag expands the conceptual boundaries of the kairos/metanoia partnership to show how digital counterpublic memories gain momentum and produce tangible rhetorical effects across …

Morphological Characterization Of Intraspecific Variation For Trichome Traits In Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum), Satinderpal Kaur, Neetu Khanal, Robert Dearth, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Trichomes, the hairlike protuberances in plants, have been well known to act as the first line of defense against herbivores, and abiotic stresses, along with other structural defenses such as spines, thorns, and waxes. We previously reported the tremendous variation in trichome traits among different wild and cultivated Solanum species and demonstrated that trichomes types and density are traditionally miscalculated and often misnamed. However, intraspecific variation in trichome traits is poorly understood, although this has implications for stress tolerance and resistance breeding programs in economically important crop species and can also mediate ecological interactions at multiple trophic levels in their …

Cholesterol In Class C Gpcrs: Role, Relevance, And Localization, Ugochi H. Isu, Shadi A. Badiee, Ehsaneh Khodadadi, Mahmoud Moradi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), one of the largest superfamilies of cell-surface receptors, are heptahelical integral membrane proteins that play critical roles in virtually every organ system. G-protein-coupled receptors operate in membranes rich in cholesterol, with an imbalance in cholesterol level within the vicinity of GPCR transmembrane domains affecting the structure and/or function of many GPCRs, a phenomenon that has been linked to several diseases. These effects of cholesterol could result in indirect changes by altering the mechanical properties of the lipid environment or direct changes by binding to specific sites on the protein. There are a number of studies and …

Fenclorim Rice Safening And Weed Control With Fall-Applied Acetochlor And Pyroxasulfone, Tristen H. Avent, Jason K. Norsworthy, Thomas R. Butts, Trenton Roberts, Nicholas R. Bateman

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Applications of very long-chained fatty acid elongase (VLCFA)-inhibiting herbicides are currently not labeled within U.S. rice (Oryza sativa L.) production but have been used in Asian rice production to suppress weedy rice and control other annual grasses and small-seeded broadleaves. Therefore, separate experiments were initiated in the fall of 2019 and 2020 to evaluate rice tolerance and weedy rice (O. sativa L.) control with acetochlor and pyroxasulfone in the following spring. A three-factor experiment within a randomized complete block design was implemented with the factors being (1) herbicide choice (acetochlor or pyroxasulfone), (2) a low or high herbicide …

Early Introduction Of 3d Modeling Modules Promotes The Development Of Simulation Skills In Downstream Biomedical Engineering Curricula, Mary S. Jia, Raj R. Rao, Mostafa Elsaadany

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Recent advancements in additive manufacturing have made 3D design a desirable skill in combating the historically slow development of biomedical products. Due to the broad applicability of additive manufacturing to biomedical engineering, 3D design and 3D printing are attractive educational tools for biomedical engineering students. However, due to the multidisciplinary nature of biomedical engineering, finding a suitable spot in the curriculum to teach students basic and application-based skills for 3D manufacturing is difficult. Furthermore, prior training in fundamental 3D design skills may be needed to support the use of application-based supplementary content.

Results

We designed a SolidWorks Simulations toolkit …

Identification Of Genomic Regions Associated With The Plasticity Of Carbon 13 Ratio In Soybean, Siva K. Chamarthi, Avjinder Kaler, Hussein Abdel-Haleem, Felix B. Fritschi, Jason D. Gillman, Jeffery D. Ray, James R. Smith, Sarah Purcell

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Improving water use efficiency (WUE) for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] through selection for high carbon isotope (C13) ratio may increase drought tolerance, but increased WUE may limit growth in productive environments. An ideal genotype would be plastic for C13 ratio; that is, be able to alter C13 ratio in response to the environment. Our objective was to identify genomic regions associated with C13 ratio plasticity, C13 ratio stability, and overall C13 ratio in two panels of diverse Maturity Group IV soybean accessions. A second objective was to identify accessions that differed in their C13 ratio plasticity. Panel 1 …