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Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis In Broilers: Bacterial Species Involvement And Influence Of Probiotics And Synbiotics, Amer Abdullah Hasan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since 1945, the market for broiler production has evolved from a collection of smallholder poultry farms into an industry worth billions of dollars. Poultry production has not gone without challenges. Lameness in young broilers is presently a serious issue in the poultry industry for reasons of animal health and welfare, as well as significant lost production and revenue. Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is a major form of lameness in broilers. This dissertation contains information about (i) the influence of Staphylococcus agnetis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis on inducing BCO lameness, (ii) evaluation of of probiotics for reducing …

A Comparison Of Relict And Active Terrestrial Patterned Ground As An Analog For Mars, John Paul Knightly Jr.

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Patterned ground is a ubiquitous landform in periglacial regions of Earth and is also present across the mid to high latitudes of Mars. The association of terrestrial patterned ground to the presence of subsurface water ice in the form of permafrost that develops a seasonal ‘wet’ active layer during the summer thaw prompted further investigation of patterned ground on Mars. The Phoenix spacecraft was sent to the surface of the north polar plains of Mars to investigate an area of patterned ground where water ice was predicted to occur. The confirmation of subsurface water ice at the Phoenix landing site …

Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis In Broilers: Genomics, Phylogenomics, And Methods To Detect Specific Pathogens During Outbreaks., Abdulkarim Abdulaziz A. Shwani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lameness is a major issue in animal welfare and the broiler industry. Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is one of the main causes of lameness. Many staphylococcal species, including Staphylococcus agnetis isolate 908, have been isolated from the bones and blood of lame broilers at the University of Arkansas. Staphylococcus agnetis is a coagulase-variable, Gram-positive bacterial species that has been previously associated with subclinical or mild clinical cases of mastitis in dairy cattle. The annotated complete genome of hypervirulent strain 908 was published at NCBI. In this study, it has been compared to nine genomes we assembled for hypervirulent isolates …

Expression Of Claudins In Gill And Opercular Membranes In Relation To Osmoregulation In Euryhaline Atlantic Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Allison Mcfarland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) are euryhaline teleosts, which means they can thrive in environments with varying salinities, ranging from concentrated seawater (SW) to dilute fresh water (FW) and thus survive in estuaries. To be able to maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis in these diverse salinities, osmoregulatory organs like gill and opercular membrane must be able to adjust the permeability and transport of water and ions. The surface epithelia in these organs need to prevent the passive flux of ions and water in a drastically changing environment, while being able to switch between active ion secretion or uptake dependent upon environmental …

The Social Ontology Of Psychiatry: Psychiatric Diagnosis As An Ontogenetic, Interpellative Speech Act, Ashton Sorrels

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatry is the study, evaluation, and treatment of mental disorders – disorders that affect the behavior and cognition of individuals and which are associated with underlying dysfunctions in the brain and nervous system. Though psychiatry is a medical and scientific discipline, it also takes place within a social context that modifies its effects, particularly in its application of diagnostic categories to individuals. In this thesis, I argue that, because of this context, psychiatric diagnosis can be modeled as an ontogenetic, interpellative speech act. A speech act is an utterance or sign that constitutes an action through its performance, called an …

Incorporating Immersive Learning Into Biomedical Engineering Laboratories Using Virtual Reality, Megan Wilkerson, Vitali V. Maldonado, Srikanth Sivaraman, Raj R. Rao, Mostafa Elsaadany

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a sudden shift towards remote learning, moving classes to online formats. Not exempt from this switch, laboratory courses traditionally taught in-person were also moved to remote methods, costing students the opportunity to learn these skills hands-on. In order for instructors to provide course materials effectively and engagingly, non-traditional methods should be explored.

Virtual reality (VR) has become more accessible in recent years. VR simulations have been used for many years as educational tools in high-risk settings such as flight or medical simulations. Immersive VR videos implemented in a remote laboratory course could provide the students …

Building Communities Of Teaching Practice And Data-Driven Open Education Resources With Neon Faculty Mentoring Networks, Kusum Naithani, Megan Jones, Kristine L. Richmond

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the growing availability and accessibility of big data in ecology, we face an urgent need to train the next generation of scientists in data science practices and tools. One of the biggest barriers for implementing a data-driven curriculum in undergraduate classrooms is the lack of training and support for educators to develop their own skills and time to incorporate these principles into existing courses or develop new ones. Alongside the research goals of the NEON, providing education and training are key components for building a community of scientists and users equipped to utilize large-scale ecological and environmental data. To …

Faculty Promotion Research Profile: Chenguang Fan, Lutishoor Salisbury, Fardy Faustin, Jeremy Smith

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

This poster was compiled to commemorate Dr. Fan’s promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure in the Department of the Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arkansas, July 1, 2022. It provides a summary of his research achievements and his scholarly impact.

In Vitro Blood Clot Formation And Dissolution For Testing New Stroke-Treatment Devices, Kayla Wood, Sam E. Stephens, Feng Xu, Alshaimaa Hazaa, James C. Meek, Hanna K. Jensen, Morten O. Jensen, S. Ranil Wickramasinghe

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Strokes are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Ischemic stroke, due to plaque or other buildup blocking blood flow to the brain, is the most common type. Although ischemic stroke is treatable, current methods have severe shortcomings with high mortality rates. Clot retrieval devices, for example, can result in physically damaged vessels and death. This study aims to create blood clots that are representative of those found in vivo and demonstrate a new method of removing them. Static blood clots were formed using a 9:1 ratio of whole sheep blood and 2.45% calcium chloride solution. This mixture was heated …

Sex Differences In Cancer Cachexia And A Novel Mitochondrial Target For Cancer-Induced Muscle Wasting, Seongkyun Lim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cachexia (CC) is a devastating wasting syndrome characterized by marked weight loss including skeletal muscle atrophy that affects approximately 80% of cancer patients. Current therapeutic treatments including pharmacological and nutritional intervention are insufficient to prevent or reverse it. Prior studies demonstrated lower muscle mass, impaired muscle function, and mitochondrial health in the development of CC. Specifically, mitochondrial fusion protein, Optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) which plays a significant role in skeletal muscle health, is suppressed in the development of CC. Furthermore, most pre-clinical CC studies were mainly focused on males although there are distinct phenotypical differences in skeletal muscle between …

A Snapshot Of Sars-Cov-2 In Wastewater Treatment Plants In Northwest Arkansas, Katie Loethen

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Because SARS-CoV-2, a coronavirus, is released in the fecal shedding of covid-positive patients, the virus enters the municipal waste stream and flows to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The goal of this research is to quantify the effectiveness of wastewater treatment processes at removing SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater and preventing its release into the environment. Sampling at Paul R. Noland and West Side WWTPs in Fayetteville, Arkansas, took place from August 2020 to May 2021, and samples were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 using N1 and N2 primers via RT-qPCR. Sampling days which returned positive detection of one or both of …

Effect Of Irrigation Regime And Fertilization On Recovery Of Dicamba Injured Soybean, Wesley France, Jason K. Norsworthy, Trenton Roberts, Jeremy Ross, L. Tom Barber, Edward E. Gbur

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the release of the dicamba-resistant crop technology and subsequent increase in dicamba off-target movement to non-dicamba-resistant crops, discovering means of mitigating yield loss through studying dicamba injury to soybean and interactions with factors such as irrigation regime and fertilization would prove beneficial. Field experiments were conducted in 2019 in Fayetteville and Colt, Arkansas, to evaluate the effect of irrigation regime to non-dicamba-resistant soybean that was injured by dicamba at a low dose at multiple timings. Another experiment was conducted in Fayetteville in 2019 and 2020 evaluating the impact of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertilization on soybean recovery following …

A Review Of Heat Stress In Chickens. Part Ii: Insights Into Protein And Energy Utilization And Feeding, Jean-Remi Teyssier, Giorgio Brugaletta, Federico Sirri, Sami Dridi, Samuel J. Rochell

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the growing global demand for animal protein and rising temperatures caused by climate change, heat stress (HS) is one of the main emerging environmental challenges for the poultry industry. Commercially-reared birds are particularly sensitive to hot temperatures, so adopting production systems that mitigate the adverse effects of HS on bird performance is essential and requires a holistic approach. Feeding and nutrition can play important roles in limiting the heat load on birds; therefore, this review aims to describe the effects of HS on feed intake (FI) and nutrient digestibility and to highlight feeding strategies and nutritional solutions to potentially …

Method To Reduce Microbial Bloom In Poultry Hatchery, Ross Wolfenden, Jacob David Lum, Billy M. Hargis, Lisa R. Bielke, Lucas Graham

Patents Granted

Spore forming bacteria and Lactic Acid Bacteria for application in poultry hatcher cabinets to alter the bacterial bloom towards a more beneficial microbiota, positively affecting performance parameters such as mortality, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio throughout production.

Watershed Prioritization To Reduce Nutrient Export: A Framework For The State Of Arkansas Based On Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Data, Erin Grantz, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The annual formation of the Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone is driven by nutrient loading from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Member States of The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task have developed statewide strategies to identify priorities and opportunities for nutrient export reduction in the MARB. In 2014, the State of Arkansas joined the Task Force and initiated an Arkansas Nutrient Reduction Strategy (ANRS), which currently prioritizes ten Hydrologic Unit Code 8 (HUC-8) watersheds (ANRD, 2014). These priority watersheds were not selected based on measured in-stream nutrient concentrations or trends, which impedes quantitative assessment, goal setting, and linking …

Spiking Neural Networks And Their Applications: A Review, Kashu Yamazaki, Viet-Khao Vo-Ho, Darshan Bulsara, Ngan Le

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The past decade has witnessed the great success of deep neural networks in various domains. However, deep neural networks are very resource-intensive in terms of energy consumption, data requirements, and high computational costs. With the recent increasing need for the autonomy of machines in the real world, e.g., self-driving vehicles, drones, and collaborative robots, exploitation of deep neural networks in those applications has been actively investigated. In those applications, energy and computational efficiencies are especially important because of the need for real-time responses and the limited energy supply. A promising solution to these previously infeasible applications has recently been given …

Classification Of Twitter Vaping Discourse Using Bertweet: Comparative Deep Learning Study, William Baker, Jason B. Colditz, Page D. Dobbs, Huy Mai, Shyam Visweswaran, Justin Zhan, Brian A. Primack

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background:

Twitter provides a valuable platform for the surveillance and monitoring of public health topics; however, manually categorizing large quantities of Twitter data is labor intensive and presents barriers to identify major trends and sentiments. Additionally, while machine and deep learning approaches have been proposed with high accuracy, they require large, annotated data sets. Public pretrained deep learning classification models, such as BERTweet, produce higher-quality models while using smaller annotated training sets.

Objective:

This study aims to derive and evaluate a pretrained deep learning model based on BERTweet that can identify tweets relevant to vaping, tweets (related to vaping) of …

Defining Critical Or Hydrologic Conditions As Sampled During The Joint Study, Brian E. Haggard, Erin Grantz, J. T. Scott

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The “Joint Study” was conducted to fulfill the obligations of the second “Statement of Joint Principles and Actions” agreed to by the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The “Joint Study” affirmed the magnitude of Oklahoma’s Scenic River total phosphorus (TP) criteria (i.e., 0.037 mg/L), but it added the new caveat of applying the criteria to “critical conditions.” The primary purpose of this paper was to define “critical conditions” based on the range in base flow proportions (BFP) of total streamflow on days that were sampled in the “Joint Study,” where BFP is base flow discharge divided by total stream flow …

Genome-Wide Characterization Of Salmonella Typhimurium Genes Required For The Fitness Under Iron Restriction, Sardar Karash, Tieshan Jiang, Young Min Kwon

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Iron is a crucial element for bacterial survival and virulence. During Salmonella infection, the host utilizes a variety of mechanisms to starve the pathogen from iron. However, Salmonella activates distinctive defense mechanisms to acquire iron and survive in iron-restricted host environments. Yet, the comprehensive set of the conditionally essential genes that underpin Salmonella survival under iron-restricted niches has not been fully explored.

Results

Here, we employed transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) method for high-resolution elucidation of the genes in Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) 14028S strain required for the growth under the in vitro conditions with four different levels of iron …

Toxicity Of Formulated Systemic Insecticides Used In Apple Orchard Pest Management Programs To The Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera (L.)), Sarah Heller, Julia Fine, Ngoc B. Phan, Edwin G. Rajotte, David J. Beddinger, Neelendra K. Joshi

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are one of the most important pollinating species of flowering plants. Recently, populations of honey bees have been declining due to a combination of factors, including the widespread use of agricultural pesticides. Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the acute oral toxicity of different formulated pesticides to honey bee adults. In particular, we assessed the acute oral toxicity of two neonicotinoids (acetamiprid, Assail 30SG and thiamethoxam, Actara 25WDG) and two other systemic insecticide products (sulfoxaflor, Closer 2SC and flupyradifurone, Sivanto 200SL), all of which are generally used in pest management programs in commercial apple …

Differential Impacts Of Hhv-6a Versus Hhv-6b Infection In Differentiated Human Neural Stem Cells, Elham Bahramian, Mercede Furr, Jerry T. Wu, Ruben Michael Ceballos

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Within the family Herpesviridae, sub-family β-herpesvirinae, and genus Roseolovirus, there are only three human herpesviruses that have been described: HHV-6A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7. Initially, HHV-6A and HHV-6B were considered as two variants of the same virus (i.e., HHV6). Despite high overall genetic sequence identity (~90%), HHV-6A and HHV-6B are now recognized as two distinct viruses. Sequence divergence (e.g., >30%) in key coding regions and significant differences in physiological and biochemical profiles (e.g., use of different receptors for viral entry) underscore the conclusion that HHV-6A and HHV-6B are distinct viruses of the β-herpesvirinae. Despite these viruses being …

Differentiation And Temperature Adaptation Of Pampus Echinogaster Based On Genome-Wide Snps, Yuan Li, Fangrui Lou, Shigang Liu, Hai Li, Jiali Xiang, Binbin Shan, Longshan Lin, Xuan Zhuang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate change and overfishing have led to the degradation of the quality and stock of Pampus echinogaster. Exploring the genetic structure and local adaptive evolutionary mechanisms of P. echinogaster is crucial for the management of this species. This population genomic study of nine geographical populations of P. echinogaster in China was conducted by specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq). A total of 935,215 SLAF tags were obtained, and the average sequencing depth of the SLAF tags was 20.80×. After filtering, a total of 46,187 high-consistency genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected. Based on all SNPs, the population size of the …

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Research Studies 2021, Victor Ford, Jason Kelley, Nathan Mckinney Ii

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2021 edition of the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Research Studies Series includes research results on topics pertaining to corn and grain sorghum production, including weed, disease, and insect management; economics; sustainability; irrigation; post-harvest drying; soil fertility; mycotoxins; cover crop management; and research verification program results. Our objective is to capture and broadly distribute the results of research projects funded by the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board. The intended audience includes producers and their advisors, current investigators, and future researchers. The Series serves as a citable archive of research results.

Electrospun Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (Hic) Membranes For Protein Purification, Shu-Ting Chen, Sumith Ranil Wickramasinghe, Xianghong Qian

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Responsive membranes for hydrophobic interaction chromatography have been fabricated by functionalizing poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) ligands on the substrate of electrospun regenerated cellulose nanofibers. Both static and dynamic binding capacities and product recovery were investigated using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) as model proteins. The effects of ligand chain length and chain density on static binding capacity were also studied. A static binding capacity of ~25 mg/mL of membrane volume (MV) can be achieved in optimal ligand grafting conditions. For dynamic binding studies, protein binding capacity increased with protein concentration from 0.1 to 1.0 g/L. Dynamic binding capacity increased …

Unraveling The Mechanism Of Resistance In A Glufosinate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus Palmeri) Accession, Pamela Carvalho-Moore, Jason K. Norsworthy, Fidel Gonzalez-Torralva, Jeong-In Hwang, Jinesh D. Patel, L. Tom Barber, Thomas R. Butts, J. Scott Mcelroy

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glufosinate resistance in Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) was recently detected in three accessions from Arkansas, USA. Amaranthus palmeri is the first and only broadleaf weed species resistant to this herbicide, and the resistance mechanism is still unclear. A previous study characterized the glufosinate resistance level in the accessions from Arkansas. A highly glufosinate-resistant accession was further used to investigate the mechanism conferring glufosinate resistance in A. palmeri. Experiments were designed to sequence the herbicide target enzyme cytosolic and chloroplastic glutamine synthetase isoforms (GS1 and GS2, respectively) and quantify copy number and expression. Absorption, translocation, and metabolism of glufosinate …

Emergence Activity At Hibernacula Differs Among Four Bat Species Affected By White-Nose Syndrome, Reilly T. Jackson, Emma V. Wilcox, John M. Zobel, Riley F. Bernard

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prior to the introduction of white-nose syndrome (WNS) to North America, temperate bats were thought to remain within hibernacula throughout most of the winter. However, recent research has shown that bats in the southeastern United States emerge regularly from hibernation and are active on the landscape, regardless of their WNS status. The relationship between winter activity and susceptibility to WNS has yet to be explored but warrants attention, as it may enable managers to implement targeted management for WNS-affected species. We investigated this relationship by implanting 1346 passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in four species that vary in their susceptibility …

Transitioning To Sustainable Healthy Diets: A Model-Based And Conceptual System Thinking Approach To Optimized Sustainable Diet Concepts In The United States, Prince Agyemang, Ebenezer M. Kwofie, Jamie Baum

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Food production and consumption are essential in human existence, yet they are implicated in the high occurrences of preventable chronic diseases and environmental degradation. Although healthy food may not necessarily be sustainable and vice versa, there is an opportunity to make our food both healthy and sustainable. Attempts have been made to conceptualize how sustainable healthy food may be produced and consumed; however, available data suggest a rise in the prevalence of health-related and negative environmental consequences of our food supply. Thus, the transition from conceptual frameworks to implementing these concepts has not always been effective. This paper explores the …

Wild Bees Respond Differently To Sampling Traps With Vanes Of Different Colors And Light Reflectivity In A Livestock Pasture Ecosystem, Roshani S. Acharya, Joan M. Burke, Timothy Leslie, Kelly Loftin, Neelendra K. Joshi

Entomology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wild bees are important pollinators and monitoring their abundance and diversity is necessary to develop conservation protocols. It is imperative to understand differences in sampling efficiency among different trap types to help guide monitoring efforts. This study used a new vane trap design to collect bees in a livestock pasture ecosystem and examined the impact of six different vane colors on wild bee sampling. We recorded 2230 bees comprising 49 species and five families. The most abundant species were Augochlorella aurata (25.8%), Lasioglossum disparile (18.3%), Lasioglossum imitatum (10.85%), Agapostemon texanus (10.8%), Melissodes vernoniae (9.9%) and Halictus ligatus (4.7%). Traps with …

Genetic Correlation, Pleiotropy, And Molar Morphology In A Longitudinal Sample Of Australian Twins And Families, Kathleen S. Paul, Christopher M. Stojanowski, Toby Hughes, Alan H. Brook, Grant C. Townsend

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study aims to expand our understanding of the genetic architecture of crown morphology in the human diphyodont dentition. Here, we present bivariate genetic correlation estimates for deciduous and permanent molar traits and evaluate the patterns of pleiotropy within (e.g., m1–m2) and between (e.g., m2–M1) dentitions. Morphology was observed and scored from dental models representing participants of an Australian twin and family study (deciduous n = 290, permanent n = 339). Data collection followed Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System standards. Genetic correlation estimates were generated using maximum likelihood variance components analysis in SOLAR v.8.1.1. Approximately 23% of deciduous variance …

Cumulative Lifetime Acute Stressor Exposure Interacts With Reward Responsiveness To Predict Longitudinal Increases In Depression Severity In Adolescence, Kreshnik Burani, C. J. Brush, Grant S. Shields, Daniel N. Klein, Brady Nelson, George M. Slavich, Greg Hajcak

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Life stress and blunted reward processing each have been associated with the onset and maintenance of major depressive disorder. However, much of this work has been cross-sectional, conducted in separate lines of inquiry, and focused on recent life stressor exposure, despite the fact that theories of depression posit that stressors can have cumulative effects over the lifespan. To address these limitations, we investigated whether acute and chronic stressors occurring over the lifespan interacted with blunted reward processing to predict increases in depression over time in healthy youth. Method

Participants were 245 adolescent girls aged 8–14 years old (M …