Digital Commons Network^™

Test Of An Adolescent Anxiety Sensitivity Amelioration Program (Aasap) For At-Risk Youth, Ashley Arehart Knapp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adult research supports the effectiveness of targeting the malleable vulnerability factor of anxiety sensitivity (AS) in terms of preventing panic specifically and anxiety psychopathology generally. Risk factor research suggests AS modification among youth has implications for panic as well as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, very little work has evaluated the impact of AS reduction among youth, which is unfortunate given adolescence is a period of “core risk” in terms of anxiety disorder onset. Further, no work has considered the effect of such a program on GAD-relevant outcomes, nor has any work included family-level intervention factors, despite evidence suggesting parents …

Investigation Of Cnt-Induced Escherichia Coli Lysis And Protein Release, Abdollah Mosleh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a treatment to increase the permeability of a bacterial cell wall. Recombinant Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) containing a plasmid that expressed Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and -lactamase were exposed to CNTs under various levels of agitation for different times. Fluorescence assay for GFP, optical absorbance for -lactamase activity, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were used to determine the amount of released protein, and visually examine the permeability enhancement of the cells, respectively. It was found that more -lactamase was present in the culture fluid after treatment with CNTs in a …

Electrodeionization Versus Electrodialysis: A Clean-Up Of Produced Water In Hydraulic Fracturing, Brigitte Marie Rodgers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrodeionization (EDI) is a widely studied process ranging from applications in wastewater clean-up in the food and beverage industry to purifying organic compounds. To date, there are no apparent studies on applying this technology to produced wastewater recovered from hydraulic fracking sites. Water consumption within hydraulic fracturing sites can reach in the upwards of millions of gallons per site, so a need for a water recycling process becomes necessary within areas where water requirements are scarce. Implementation of an EDI module that is capable of handling high salt solutions from produced wastewater in subsequent fracturing practices will decrease overall water …

Dna-Linked Nanoparticle Building Blocks For Nanostructure Assembly And Methods Of Producing The Same, Jin-Woo Kim, Russell Deaton, Jeong-Hwan Kim

Patents Granted

A method of producing a nanoparticle assembly. The method includes attaching a first DNA molecule to a bead to form a first DNA-bead complex; and combining a nanoparticle with the first DNA-bead complex to form a nanoparticle-DNA-bead complex having one DNA molecule attached to the nanoparticle.

Mole Street Journal, June 2016, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

Sequencing Terrorists' Precursor Behaviors: A Crime Specific Analysis, Brent L. Smith, Jeff Gruenewald, Kelly R. Damphousse, Paxton Roberts, Katie Ratcliff, Brent R. Klein, Ian Brecht

Research Projects

Recently completed research (Smith et al., 2016) suggests that radicalization toward violence is best viewed as a process – a journey that begins with a less-radical identity and moves toward a more radical identity and corresponding orientation. Efforts to test this theoretical assertion revealed that the process of identity construction involves a variety of behaviors that David Snow has referred to as “identify work” (Snow and Machalek, 1983; Snow and McAdam, 2000; Snow, 2004; Cross and Snow, 2011). One type of identity work –demonstration events – appeared to be particularly relevant to our ability to predict radicalization toward violence and …

Bella Vista Lakes Project: Fertility Management, J. Thad Scott

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Systems And Methods For Delivering Dissolved Gases Into Force-Main And Gravity Sewers, Larry K. Linguist, Clay R. Thompson, Christopher B. Milligan, Gregory S. Osborn

Patents Granted

Disclosed are systems and methods for dissolving gases into a fluid that is passing through a force-main and gravity sewer system. The system includes a dissolution tank having a pressure vessel for containing a liquid and for providing a regulated gas head space above the liquid, an inlet that permits passage of wastewater into the gas head space, and an outlet that permits passage of treated wastewater out of the pressure vessel. The system also includes a gas source in communication with the pressure vessel; a pump for supplying wastewater from a force-main or sewer system sump into the pressure …

Perceptions Fathers Have On Time Spent With Preschool Children And Its Impact On Language Outcome Measures, Megan E. Porter

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research has shown there are differences between mother and father language usage with their children. There is no information on language use of fathers who spend a high quality amount of time with their children. This study attempted to identify language characteristics of fathers who report high participation in household and childcare activities.

Ant Colony Optimization For Continuous Spaces, Rachel Findley

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is an optimization algorithm designed to find semi-optimal solutions to Combinatorial Optimization Problems. The challenge of modifying this algorithm to effectively optimize over a continuous domain is one that has been tackled by several researchers. In this paper, ACO has been modified to use several variations of the algorithm for continuous spaces. An aspect of ACO which is crucial to its success when optimizing over a continuous space is choosing the appropriate object (solution component) out of an infinite set to add to the ant's path. This step is highly important in shaping good solutions. Important …

Improving Electroencephalography-Based Imagined Speech Recognition With A Simultaneous Video Data Stream, Sarah J. Stolze

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Electroencephalography (EEG) devices offer a non-invasive mechanism for implementing imagined speech recognition, the process of estimating words or commands that a person expresses only in thought. However, existing methods can only achieve limited predictive accuracy with very small vocabularies; and therefore are not yet sufficient to enable fluid communication between humans and machines. This project proposes a new method for improving the ability of a classifying algorithm to recognize imagined speech recognition, by collecting and analyzing a large dataset of simultaneous EEG and video data streams. The results from this project suggest confirmation that complementing high-dimensional EEG data with similarly …

A Support Vector Machine Base Model For Predicting Heparin-Binding Proteins Using Biological Metrics And Xb Patterns As Features, Joseph W. Sirrianni

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heparin is a highly sulphated and negatively charged polysaccharides belonging to the glycosamino- glycans(GAGs) family. It is widely used in medical treatments as an injectable anticoagulant. Although many heparin-binding proteins have been identified through experimental studies, there are still many proteins needing to be classified as heparin-binding or not. Many studies have been aimed at prediction of heparin binding patterns or motifs in the primary structure of proteins. For example XBBXBX and XBBBXXBX are two well-known patterns or motifs. In spite of intensive studies, still no good model has emerged which reasonably predicts proteins in the protein database as heparin-binding …

Inferring Intrinsic Beliefs Of Digital Images Using A Deep Autoencoder, Seok H. Lee

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Training a system of artificial neural networks on digital images is a big challenge. Often times digital images contain a large amount of information and values for artificial neural networks to understand. In this work, the inference model is proposed in order to absolve this problem. The inference model is composed of a parameterized autoencoder that endures the loss of information caused by the rescaling of images and transition model that predicts the effect of an action on the observation. To test the inference model, the images of a moving robotic arm were given as the data set. The inference …

History And Current Status Of The Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadicus) In Arkansas, Mitchell L. Pruitt

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The secretive Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is believed to be much more widespread during fall and winter than previously thought. Of the few places in the southern United States conducting research on this species, all have been successful at capturing birds. A total of 12 historic records existed for Arkansas until my work began in fall of 2014. The first confirmed record was in 1959 and the most recent was in 2010. Over the course of two field seasons, I captured and banded 24 saw-whet owls in rural Madison County. All birds were mist-netted along a trail, in …

Evaluation Of Protein Source At Breakfast On Energy Metabolism, Metabolic Health, And Food Intake: A Pilot Study, Lauren A. Cambias

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Over 30% of adults in the US are obese. A primary contributor to obesity is an unhealthy diet related to imbalanced macronutrients. Diets higher in protein (PRO) are associated with increased energy expenditure (EE) and reduced food intake. The objective of this pilot study was to determine if protein source at breakfast influences EE in young men (n=4; ages 18-35). Participants consumed three isocaloric (whey (WP), pea (PP), beef (BP); 275 kcal, 62% PRO, 23% CHO, 15% Fat) drinks in randomized, crossover design with a one-week washout period. Each test day EE, appetite, and cravings were assessed at 0, …

Fragmentality, Elena Volkova

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary art is dedicated to the conversation between the past and the present, the established and the experimental; it becomes more and more trans-border, as life itself. Nowadays, people live in the world, where their beliefs, ideas, politics, and religion are constantly colliding. The more people expand boundaries and develop connections, the more complex and tangled our society becomes as a system.

FRAGmentality presents a set of mixed media pieces incorporating painting, weaving, embroidery and three-dimensional elements dedicated to these contradictions in the modern society. It deals with structures within Social relations and human nature.

Being a representative of a …

Void Loop ( ) {, Jonathan Barrett Cromer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Void loop is an exhibition that addresses the dynamics of survival through an investigation of power, predation, migration, destruction, and renewal. As an installation of sculpture, video, and sound, the work on display explores associations between the human and natural worlds that inform who we are as individual, Social and biological beings. The repeated code surrounding the “void loop” title is a basic call and response serial communication between the microcontroller and the sensors. It commands the microcontroller to infinitely loop all code following the function, mimicking the repetitions of a pulsing heart. For the exhibition each piece is based …

Quantifying, Assessing, And Mitigating Methane Emissions From Super-Emitters In The Oil And Gas Supply Chain, David Richard Lyon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methane emissions from the oil and gas (O&G) supply chain reduce potential climate benefits of natural gas as a replacement for other fossil fuels that emit more carbon dioxide per energy produced. O&G facilities have skewed emission rate distributions with a small fraction of sites contributing the majority of emissions. Knowledge of the identity and cause of these high emission facilities, referred to as super-emitters or fat-tail sources, is critical for reducing supply chain emissions. This dissertation addresses the quantification of super-emitter emissions, assessment of their prevalence and relationship to site characteristics, and mitigation with continuous leak detection systems. Chapter …

Algal Wastewater Treatment And Biofuel Production: An Assessment Of Measurement Methods, And Impact Of Nutrient Availability And Species Composition, John F. Chamberlin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to move towards a more sustainable future, human civilization will need to decrease its impacts on air and water quality and minimize consumption of fossil fuels. Using algae for wastewater treatment and biofuel production offers one approach to progress towards these goals simultaneously. Algae are capable of removing nutrients from wastewater and carbon dioxide from the air, and the biomass formed in that process can be used to generate a wide-range of products including fertilizer or fuels that could power combustion engines, power plants, or zero-emission fuel cell vehicles. Using wastewater for biofuel production has the potential to …

Nanofiltration Rejection Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern From Municipal Water Resource Recovery Facility Secondary Effluents For Potable Reuse Applications, Steven Michael Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As reuse of municipal water resource recovery facility (WRRF) effluent becomes vital to augment diminishing fresh drinking water resources, concern exists that conventional barriers may prove deficient and the upcycling of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) could prove harmful to human health and aquatic species if more effective and robust treatment barriers are not in place.

There are no federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations in place specifically for direct potable reuse (DPR) of WRRF effluent. Out of necessity, some states are developing their own DPR reuse regulations. Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) is the default full advanced treatment (FAT) …

Genetic Determinism Of Xanthomonas Arboricola Pv. Pruni (Xap) Resistance, Fruit Quality, And Phenological Traits In Peach And Incorporation Of Marker-Assisted Selection (Mas) In The University Of Arkansas Peach And Nectarine Breeding Program, Terrence James Frett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For over two decades the incorporation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) has been discussed as an innovative approach to increase peach breeding efficiency. Although hundreds of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have been identified, only a few have been converted into usable MAS tools. This highlights a disconnect between genomic discoveries and practical application in breeding programs, which has delayed use of MAS.

In this dissertation, three sequential steps were performed with the objective to bridge this gap and develop breeding-relevant DNA tests for MAS of fruit bacterial spot resistance (Xap1 and Xap6), fruit quality [blush (Rf), acidity (D), and acidity and …

Relationships Between Nutrients, Periphyton Abundance, And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Scrapers In Ozark Highland Streams, Harrison Smith

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

We collected samples from seven Arkansas streams during the months of August 2014 and February 2015 with the objective of determining possible relationships between nutrients, periphyton abundance and benthic macroinvertebrates. We hypothesized that periphyton would be positively associated with nutrients, and that increases in periphyton biomass would increase the abundance and diversity of benthic scraper families. Samples were collected from three transects at each site. The periphyton was analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and ash free dry mass and Chl-a content. Macroinvertebrates families belonging to the feeding group of grazers/scrapers were compared with water column and periphyton nutrient concentrations, as …

Aging American Prisons: Length Of Stay, Dying Behind Bars, And Implications For Public Health, Stephanie G. Barger

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

One notable consequence of mass incarceration is the growing population of elderly prison inmates in the U.S. This growth raises questions concerning the causes and implications of such a change, as housing older prisoners places a financial strain on state and federal correctional systems. Because this added cost is largely a result of medical needs, the growing elderly inmate population has raised questions about the impact of incarceration on health. This study investigates the causes of this “graying” of American prisons and its potential effects on correctional and community health. Using National Corrections Reporting Program data from 1990 to 2009, …

Statistical Learning Tools With Food Science, Jessica C. Hacker

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The food science discipline has many issues requiring research within academia in order to protect the food that gets distributed from industry. The team within the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture has been studying the gastrointestinal microbial community in broiler chickens in order to control pathogenic bacteria and improve gut health within the chickens to promote a healthy adult microbiota. This has many positive effects on the quality of the chickens. The team performs a standard method of analysis on every experiment run within a software called QIIME to determine if a treatment …

Engineering A Mutation In The Heparin Binding Pocket Of The Human Fibroblast Growth Factor, Roshni Patel

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are family of proteins that belong to a group of growth factors that are found in mammals and play an important role in angiogenesis, differentiation, organogenesis, and tissue repair. In summary, their main functionality is involved in cell division and proliferation. Because FGFs plays such a vital role in cell proliferation, they are mainly involved in the process of wound healing and injuries. FGF binds to its ligand, heparin—a heavily sulfated glycosaminoglycan. The binding of heparin to FGF occurs through electrostatic interactions, specifically between the negatively charged sulfate groups on heparin and positively charged residues such …

Isolation Of Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes For Electrically Conductive Tissue Engineering Scaffolds, Jakob Hockman

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (m-SWNTs) were separated from pristine SWNTs using affinity chromatography for use in electrically conductive tissue engineering scaffolds. Approximately one third of SWNTs have metallic properties. Separations were achieved using a protocol modified from Liu & coworkers (2011) in order to improve the method for cell culture environments. Samples enriched in m-SWNTs were isolated and characterized. However, challenges still remain for the complete separation of m-SWNTs from their semiconducting counterpart (s-SWNTs) using this protocol. Approaches to improve separation and reduce the difficulties associated with processing the nanotubes were suggested. One of the ultimate destinations of these nanotubes …

Stream Benthic Algal Relationships With Multi-Metric Indices Of Sensitivity, Exposure, And Vulnerability To Watershed Land Use Change, With An Emphasis On Unconventional Natural Gas Development, Hannah J. Verkamp

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Unconventional natural gas (UNG) is harvested using a unique fossil fuel extraction method that uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques. The combined methods have expanded the industry both nationally and globally, and development has the ability to transform landscapes and impact freshwater resources. Natural gas wells are often near streams, yet substantial knowledge gaps remain as to how and the extent to which development affects surface waters. Stream algal biomass can respond positively to anthropogenic stressors associated with different types of land use, including agriculture. Benthic algal biomass can also positively correlate with UNG well density and proximity to …

Removal Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds From Secondary Municipal Wastewater, Dustin R. Resz

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply.1 Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Many …

Breastfeeding Rates In Marshallese Mothers; A Needs Assessment, Olivia N. Pennington

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

Background. Multiple health disparities are associated with the Marshallese population in Northwest Arkansas. Childhood obesity, linked to a decrease in exclusive breastfeeding, is one of the predominant issues. Since their migration to the United States, exclusive breastfeeding rates of Marshallese mothers have steadily declined throughout the years. Little research has been conducted to help combat this growing health disparity. Due to the increased growth in this population in Northwest Arkansas, it is imperative that measures are taken to decrease these disparities to improve the overall health of the future generations.

Objective: To determine the relationship between maternal age, …

Measuring Teacher Effectiveness: A Comparison Across Va Models Utilizing Arkansas Data, Kelli Lane Blackford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A shift in accountability systems from No Child Left Behind to a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act redefined the mandate of classroom teachers from being highly qualified to highly effective. Whereas previously, a teacher was deemed highly qualified for having a bachelor’s degree, full state certification, and demonstrated knowledge of subject matter in the field they teach, a highly effective teacher had to demonstrate their abilities to move a student at an acceptable rate of student growth (one grade level in an academic year). To provide this evidence, student assessment data was now going to be a …