Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding And Predicting Nematode Damage On Soybean Using Spatially Weighted Analysis, Barry Boney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aerial imagery offers great potential as a predictive scouting method and could allow growers to better understand crop performance over time. Evidence suggests that the seed treatments fluopyram and abamectin result in decreased reproduction and root galling by Meloidogyne incognita, but yield protection in fields with higher or different nematode pressure is unclear. The objective of this work was to determine the efficacy of these seed treatments compared to 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) applied site-specifically and then predict where these might best be applied to other fields. In a soybean field infested with M. incognita, apparent electrical conductivity was highly correlated with …

Interfacial Tailoring Of Lithium-Ion Batteries By Atomic/Molecular Layer Deposition, Qian Sun

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are promising energy storage devices, which play significant roles in addressing problems related to fossil fuels depletion and environmental pollution. Since the 1990s, LIBs have attracted great attention for many applications. Nowadays, LIBs are dominating portable electronics, having several advantages over their forerunners, such as high voltage (3.3~4.2 V) [1,2], low self-discharge (< 5~10 %/month) [3,4], wide operation temperature (-20~60 °C) [5,6], and fast charge/discharge rate [7,8]. However, LIBs deliver an energy density of 100-220 Wh/kg in practice to date, which is far from their theoretical ones, thus hindering their further applications in electric vehicles. Additionally, LIBs have been plagued by other problems, such as intolerance to overcharge/overdischarge, low heat resistance, lithium dendrites growth, large volume change of the silicon anode, large polarization and even safety problems.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) are two important techniques, both proceeding in self-limiting gas-solid reactions and exhibiting excellent capabilities for ultra-thin films, conformal coatings, and controllable growth. They can be employed to address the problems of LIBs mentioned above by …

A Generative Statistical Approach For Data Classification In A Biologically Inspired Design Tool, Marvin Manuel Arroyo Rujano

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research this thesis describes is to find a way to classify text-based descriptions of biological adaption to support Biologically Inspired design. Biologically inspired design is a fairly new field with ongoing research. There are different tools to assist designers and biologists in bio-inspired design. Some of the most common are BioTRIZ and AskNature. In recent years, more tools have been proposed to aid and make research in the field easier, for example, the Biologically Inspired Adaptive System Design (BIASD) tool. This tool was designed with the goal of helping designers in early design stages generate more …

Epidemiological Studies Of Soybean Vein Necrosis Virus And Potential Resistance Mechanisms To Its Vector Neohydatothrips Variabilis (Beach), Jing Zhou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is one the most important crops in global agriculture with annual production of over 260 million metric tons. As the dependence of a growing global population to soybean has increased, so does the importance of soybean diseases and pests. Over 200 pathogens attack soybean; among them, viruses pose a major threat to the soybean industries accounting for approximately 10% of the annual yield reduction caused by diseases in the past two decades. Soybean vein necrosis virus (SVNV) is a relatively newly discovered virus causing the homonymous disease. The widespread occurrence of the disease in major …

Towards Environmentally Sustainable And Cost-Effective Food Distribution In The U.S., Jasmina Burek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distribution centers (DCs) and supermarkets have an important role in food sustainability, but no previous research has accounted for their environmental impact. The purpose of this research was to assess environmental sustainability of grocery, perishables, and general merchandise DCs; to estimate food storing and retailing impact; and to provide cost-effective strategies to reduce DCs’ environmental impacts. The importance and relevance of the research is threefold: improving sustainability of DCs, food storing, and food retailing. The main method used in this research was the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. An initial study calculated environmental impacts of the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. DCs, …

Assessing Biofiltration Without Ozonation For Removal Of Trihalomethane Precursors In Drinking Water At The Beaver Water District Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Sana Ajaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biofiltration without pre-ozonation has the capability to remove natural organic matter (NOM) fractions that serve as precursors of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which include the four regulated trihalomethanes (THMs) and dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN). Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) and Pilot Plant filters operated at empty-bed contact times (EBCTs) of 4, 8, and 16 minutes were used to evaluate the performance of nutrient-amended (free ammonia and phosphorus) biofiltration for THM and DCAN precursor removal, as measured using formation potential (FP) tests. NOM surrogates – which include dissolved organic carbon (DOC), specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254) and fluorescence-PARAFAC components – were measured weekly throughout the …

Controlling Relative Humidity Using Glycerin, Juan Martinez

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A series of tests were conducted to control relative humidity (RH) using a bubbler system that contained a series of glass jars and glass vials filled with different concentrations of glycerin. The relative humidity within the glass jars was measured. The total time interval for each laboratory test was 48 hours. During the first 24 hours a pump was used to bubble air through the glycerin solution. During the second 24 hours, the pump was turned off, and the RH within the system was monitored within the closed system. Target RH measurements from 100% to a 0% were obtained. The …

Ripeness Attributes Of Arkansas-Grown Peaches And Nectarines At Harvest And During Postharvest Storage, Mary Siebenmorgen

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Evaluating ripeness attributes of peaches and nectarines helps determine feasibility for commercial markets. Five cultivars (Amoore Sweet, Bowden, Bradley, Effie, and Souvenirs) and five breeding selections (A-663 CN, A-794 CN, A-811 CN, A-819, and A-885) were hand harvested in 2017 from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, AR. The tree-ripened fruit was evaluated at harvest (day 0), and commercially-ripened fruit (ripened during storage) was evaluated at 0, 7 and 14 d storage at 4° C. The attributes of tree and commercially-ripened fruit varied at harvest and included chlorophyll (0.04-0.86 abs), weight (132-264 g), …

Removal Of Carbamazepine From Drinking Water, Thomas Krumpolc, Juan Rodriguez, Jordan Alex Gadberry, Zach Wiese, Paola Marrero-Rivera, Adam Johnson

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects of chronic low-level exposure. According to the World’s Health Organization (WHO), traces of pharmaceuticals products have been reported in different water sources such as surface waters, wastewater, groundwater, and drinking water.^[1] One pharmaceutical of interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a common pharmaceutical prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic pain, and various psychological disorders. …

Optimization Of The Practice Of Slow Cooling Steel Bars: A Redesign And Modernization Of Materials, Eryn Johnston

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the process of steel making, certain grades of steel are a higher risk for defects caused by the inability to quickly diffuse hydrogen through the steel when cooled to room temperature at a normal rate based on the ambient air temperature. To reduce the hydrogen flaking defects that are caused due to hydrogen entrapment in the steel, the process of slow cooling is utilized. This process reduces the cooling rate of steel bars by keeping them at a higher temperature for extended periods and in turn gives the hydrogen a chance to fully dissipate from the steel. In many …

Arkansas Soybean Research Studies 2017, Jeremy Ross

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Soybean Maturity Group And Planting Date In A Soybean-Rice Rotation On Overall Crop Productivity, Carrie Ortel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the effects of soybean (Glycine max L.) management techniques on soil-nitrogen (N) credit development and its impact on the subsequent rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop’s success. This study was conducted to determine how soybean maturity group (MG) and planting date effect overall soybean productivity and its influence on the following rice crop. Various soybean planting dates (optimum and late) and MGs (3.5, 4.7, 5.4, and 5.6) were grown and followed in rotation with a rice crop. Six rates of pre-flood fertilizer-N (0, 44, 89, 134, 179, 224 kg N ha-1) were applied to the rice crop. …

Impedance Sensing Of Cancer Cells Directly On Sensory Bioscaffolds Of Bioceramics Nanofibers, Hanan Alismail

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cell research has been growing for decades. In the field of cancer pathology, there is an increasing and long-unmet need to develop a new technology for low-cost, rapid, sensitive, selective, label-free (i.e. direct), simple and reliable screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of live cancer and normal cells in same shape and size from the same anatomic region. For the first time on using an impedance signal, the breast cancer and normal cells have been thus screened, diagnosed and monitored on a smart bioscaffold of entangled nanowires of bioceramics titanate grown directly on the surface of implantable Ti-metal and characterized by …

Systems To Attract And Feed Pollinators In Warm-Season Lawns, Michelle Wisdom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pollinating insects are responsible for the production of many agricultural crops and they require floral resources to fulfill their life-cycle. Ideally, pollinating insects will encounter a diversity of floral resources across their entire season of activity, and those floral resources can include both herbaceous and woody plant species. Managed turfgrass areas have been identified as potential locations for creating pollinator-friendly habitats. In the transition zone, where both warm- and cool-season turfgrass species are present, the persistence of herbaceous plants in warm-season turfgrasses such as bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) and buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), may be affected not only by the competitive nature …

Microbiota Metabolic Product Deoxycholic Acid Prevents Campylobacter Jejuni Chicken Colonization Through Modulating Ceca Anaerobes, Bilal Ali Alrubaye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter jejuni is a prevalent infectious enteritis mainly foodborne from chickens. Despite of reducing C. jejuni food contamination dramatically decreases campylobacteriosis, few effective approaches are available for the bacterial reduction in chickens. The aim of this study was to use microbial metabolic product deoxycholic acid (DCA) to reduce C. jejuni chicken colonization. Broiler chicks were fed 0 or 1.5 g/kg DCA, lithocholic acid (LCA), or urodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in diets or orally gavaged with cholic acid (CA, 1.5g/kg body weight). Birds were also transplanted with DCA modulated anaerobes (DCA-Anearo) or aerobes (DCA-Aero). Birds were infected with 109 CFU/bird human clinical …

Removal Of Carbamazepine From Drinking Water, Adam Johnson, Thomas Krumpolc, Jordan Gadberry, Juan Rodriguez, Paolo Marrero-Rivera, Zachary Wiese

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few

decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a

public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects

of chronic low-level exposure. According to the World’s Health Organization (WHO),

traces of pharmaceuticals products have been reported in different water sources such as

surface waters, wastewater, groundwater, and drinking water.[1] One pharmaceutical of

interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine is a

common pharmaceutical prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic

pain, and various psychological disorders. It’s mechanism …

Removal Of Carbamazepine From Drinking Water, Juan Rodriguez, Tom Krumpolc, Adam Johnson, Paola Marrero-Rivera, Alex Gadberry, Zach Wiese

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects of chronic low-levelexposure. According to the World’s Health Organization (WHO), traces of pharmaceuticalsproducts have been reported in different water sources such as surface waters, wastewater, groundwater, and drinking water.[1] One pharmaceutical of interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a common pharmaceutical prescribedfor the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic pain, and various psychological disorders. It’s mechanism of action …

Efficacy Of Antimicrobial Mitigation On Escherichia Coli Cfu And Growth And Development Of Hydroponic Leafy Greens, Nathan J. Eylands

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have set new standards that apply to agriculturalists producing crops eaten fresh and/or raw by consumers. This new produce safety rule, known as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), has established science-based standards for all areas of production in agriculture with regards to microbial contamination. Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 is a particular bacterium of concern under FSMA guidelines. Grower compliance is mandatory and therefore vital to the continuation of any farm. Greenhouse hydroponic growers have shown advantages in efficiency when compared to conventional farming methodology. Those, however, with recirculating hydroponic systems face unique …

The Endurance Of Tell Qarqur: Settlement Resilience In Northwestern Syria During The Late Bronze And Iron Ages (Ca. 1200 – 700 Bc), Eric Robert Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the material culture, paleobotanical, and faunal remains excavated at the site of Tell Qarqur, Syria, recovered from occupational levels dating from the end of the Late Bronze Age to the Iron II period (from approximately 1200 to 700 BC). Based on archaeological evidence and ancient textual sources, many ancient Near Eastern kingdoms and polities endured social and political turmoil during the late 13th and early 12th centuries BC. Most likely caused by an unknown hostile group or groups, the destruction of monumental scale architecture and the disruption to the people of Qarqur’s agricultural and animal husbandry practices …

Genetic And Genomic Analyses Of Bacterial Responses To Different Stress Environments, Sakshi Rampal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria encounter a plethora of environmental stresses and have evolved different mechanisms to recognize and respond to various harmful conditions. Understanding and elucidating common themes as well as unique aspects of the molecular mechanisms underlying stress adaptation is important and can provide valuable strategies for applications. This study focuses on stress responses in three different bacteria, namely, Acidothermus cellulolyticus, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Escherichia coli. The thermophilic and acidophilic organism A. cellulolyticus was used as a model system to understand the effects of lignin phenolic acids on cellulolytic bacteria. Lignin phenolic acids pose a significant challenge to microbial deconstruction of lignocellulosic …

Classifying Interdependencies In The Food And Agriculture Critical Infrastructure Sector, John Doerpinghaus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work classifies examples of infrastructure interdependencies found in the food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector. Interdependencies are identified through an examination of rice and poultry agriculture throughout the state of Arkansas. The subtleties of interdependence examples in the food and agriculture sector are inadequately captured by the well-studied interdependence classification taxonomies. Through 39 interviews, we develop an understanding of the subtle temporal, geographic, and productivity scales of interdependence in over 100 examples and present five new, distinct classifications of interdependence: (1) dynamic physical, (2) dynamic geographic, (3) deadline, (4) delay, and (5) human, economic, and natural resource interdependencies. An …

Budget-Constrained Regression Model Selection Using Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming, Jingying Zhang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Regression analysis fits predictive models to data on a response variable and corresponding values for a set of explanatory variables. Often data on the explanatory variables come at a cost from commercial databases, so the available budget may limit which ones are used in the final model.

In this dissertation, two budget-constrained regression models are proposed for continuous and categorical variables respectively using Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) to choose the explanatory variables to be included in solutions. First, we propose a budget-constrained linear regression model for continuous response variables. Properties such as solvability and global optimality of the proposed …

Spatio-Temporal Reconstruction Of Remote Sensing Observations, Kamrul Khan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The USDA Forest Service aims to use satellite imagery for monitoring and predicting changes in forest conditions over time within the country. We specifically focus on a 230, 400 hectares region in north-central Wisconsin between 2003 - 2012. The auxiliary data collected from the satellite imagery of this region are relatively dense in space and time and can be used to efficiently predict how the forest condition changed over that decade. However, these records have a significant proportion of missing values due to weather conditions and system failures. To fill in these missing values, we build spaciotemporal models based on …

The Persistence Of The Past Into The Future: Indigenous Futurism And Future Slave Narratives As Transformative Resistance In Nnedi Okorafor's The Book Of Phoenix, Ellen Eubanks

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, a number of authors have written science fiction works that express the concerns and experiences of marginalized people groups, including those in postcolonial societies, Indigenous/First Nations peoples, and other racial minorities. These works provide counter narratives to that of much canonical science fiction, which developed from narrative forms that often explicitly and implicitly supported colonial ideologies, and still often includes these ideologies today. This thesis analyzes the way The Book of Phoenix (2015) by the NigerianAmerican speculative fiction author Nnedi Okorafor uses a combination of the forms of Indigenous futurism and what Isiah Lavender terms meta-slavery narratives …

Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila Suzukii) In Arkansas: Winter Morphs, Wild Hosts, And Fungal Control, Rosalee Knipp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), or spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is an invasive fruit fly pest that was first found in the United States in 2008. Unlike native Drosophila, SWD females have a serrated ovipositor that allows them to attack ripening fruit. Since its introduction, it is unclear how and where they overwinter in Arkansas, what local hosts they utilize and what potential alternative tactics can be used to combat this pest. In states north of Arkansas, winter morphs (WM) of SWD are larger, darker pigmented, and can survive colder temperatures than SWD flies found in the summer. These WM were found …

Methanogens, Plausible Extraterrestrial Life Forms On Mars, And Their Tolerance To Increasing Concentrations Of Illite Clay, Chandler Kern

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Methanogens, some of Earth’s most primitive prokaryotic organisms, are candidates for possible life forms capable of inhabiting Mars. Specifically, four different species (Methanobacterium formicicum, Methanococcus maripaludis, Methanosarcina barkeri, Methanothermobacter wolfeii) were analyzed for their tolerance to the presence of illite clay. Illite is a crystalline mineral that has been identified from regions of Mars’s surface. Results indicated that all four species grew with some success in the illite at different concentrations. This experimentation with methanogens’ abilities to survive and reproduce in the presence of illite allows for a more accurate understanding of the potential capability of microbial …

Assessment Of Salmonella Enterica Biofilms And Expression Differences Among Serovars, Zhaohao Shi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms associated by a matrix of extracellular polymers. In this state, microorganisms occupy an ecological niche distinct from their free-floating, planktonic counterparts. Also, biofilm bacteria become biologically unique as they form communities and lose motility. The acquisition of these physiological attributes enables the biofilm to persist through harsh environmental conditions, including antimicrobial induced stress and to resist sanitization efforts. Because of these features, biofilms can rapidly disseminate across numerous surfaces and as they establish, become challenging to remove. This is a particular issue for the food industry as processing plants offer favorable conditions for biofilm formation …

Aqueous Ozone Inactivation Of Viruses And Bacteria On Biotic And Abiotic Surfaces, Cailin Dawley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Produce is susceptible to contamination by foodborne pathogens. Food service establishments utilize sanitizing agents to reduce microbes on produce surfaces. The research objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of aqueous ozone 1) on the inactivation of viruses and bacteria on produce; 2) on the inactivation of viruses on stainless steel; and 3) against viruses in association with bacteria on produce surfaces. For objective 1, Boston bibb lettuce and cherry tomatoes were spot inoculated with a cocktail of viruses (murine norovirus (MNV) and MS2 bacteriophage) or bacteria (Enterobacter cloacae and Bacillus cereus) and washed for 40 min with samples taken every …

Development Of A Methodology For Predicting Consumer Acceptance And Preference Toward Beverages, Shilpa Shailesh Samant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Consumer behavior toward food/beverages is influenced by multisensory attribute perceptions as well as emotional experiences. Traditional methods of sensory testing lack the ability to capture emotional responses and as a result, measuring food/beverage-evoked emotions remains a research challenge. There were three objectives of this dissertation study. Firstly, this study aimed to develop prediction models of acceptance of and preference for basic taste solutions using sensory attribute intensities and emotional responses. Secondly, this study aimed to extend the findings of the first objective to develop prediction models of commercially-available vegetable juice products in terms of (a) acceptance and preference under blind-tasting …

Molecular Dynamics Investigation Of The Thermodynamics Of Nanoscale Droplets And Kinetics Of Weakly Correlated Systems, Kai Yang Leong

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The surface tension of nanoscale droplets of water was studied with molecular dynamics simulations using the BLYPSP-4F water potential. The internal pressure of the droplet was measured using a correlation between the pressure and density, established through a series of bulk simulations performed at pressures from 1 to 1000 bar. Such a procedure allows for reliable determination of internal pressure without the need to calculate the local Virial. The surface tension, estimated with the Young-Laplace relation, shows a good agreement with the Tolman equation with a Tolman length of -0.48 Å. The interface of a liquid water droplet is shown …