Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of Human Muscle Extracellular Matrix, Lauren Klaire Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The performance of extracellular matrix (ECM) biological scaffolds for the treatment of volumetric muscle loss (VML) has shown promising results with regenerating native muscle in animal models and human patients. However, the limitations of these scaffolds include non-specific characteristics based on the original parameters of the muscle that is lost and this is why our group chose to characterize human skeletal ECM. By understanding the characteristics of the native human skeletal ECM, more desired queues for the biological scaffolds being used to treat VML can be provided. Upper limb and lower limb skeletal muscles were commercially obtained, decellularized using common …

Paleoclimate Implications From Stable Isotope Analysis Of Sedimentary Organic Carbon And Vertebrate Fossils From The Cedar Mountain Formation, Ut, U.S.A., Garrett Andrew Hatzell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of fossilized vertebrate teeth and bone were analyzed to determine isotopic values of vertebrate faunal diet from the early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah. Results for δ18O of PO4 (δ18Op) (Suarez et al., 2014) from the same data set have been compared to the δ18O of CO3 (δ18Oc) portion of teeth and turtle shell to determine if diagenetic alteration of the isotopes has occurred by plotting the line of best fit equation that models the relationship between unaltered δ18OP and δ18OC of modern mammals from Iacumin et al., 1996. Results indicate slight diagenesis of …

Annual Report, 2014-2015, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Office Of The Vice Provost For Research And Economic Development

Research and Innovation Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Mole Street Journal, June 2015, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

How Can We Accurately Measure Whether Students Are Gaining Relevant Outcomes In Higher Education?, Tatiana Melguizo, Gema Zamarro, Tatiana Velasco, Fabio Sanchez

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The main objective of this study is to empirically test a number of theory-based models (i.e. fixed effects (FE), random effects (RE), and aggregated residuals (AR)) to measure both, the generic knowledge as well as the degree attainment rates and early labor outcomes, gained by students in different programs and institutions in higher education. There are four main findings: First, the results of the paper confirm the need of using models that address the issue of student selection into programs and institutions in order to avoid biased estimates. Second, our findings provide suggestive evidence in favor of using FE models. …

Journal Assessment Is Not All About Counter Statistics, Lutishoor Salisbury

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

User Engagement And Outreach In Scholarly Communication Issues In The Stem, Education And Behavioral Sciences, Lutishoor Salisbury, Julie Speer, Mel Desart, Brian Quinn

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Anti-(+)--Methamphetamine Monoclonal Antibodies, S. Michael Owens, Ralph Henry, Alicia D. Brown

Patents Granted

Compositions and methods for effectively treating at least one symptom or sign of methamphetamine use, or for slowing the rate of (+) methamphetamine entry into the brain of a subject are described. The method comprises administering an effective amount of an anti-(+) methamphetamine antibody to a subject.

Nonverbal Interaction Between Adults And Young Children During Digital And Real Object Play, Breanne M. Witherspoon

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study explored the developmental play behaviors and use of nonverbal communication of children that are raised in homes that differ in the amount and kind of digital exposure they have experienced within the first three years of life. Thirty minute videotaped play sessions of seven different children ranging in age from 20 to 30 months who were categorized as having low digital exposure in the home, TV exposure only, or high digital exposure based on a digital use questionnaire completed by parents were coded for the contribution of eye gaze, body positioning, and hand movement engagement to negotiate play …

Constituent Load Estimation In The Lower Ouachita-Smackover Watershed, Zach P. Simpson, Erin E. Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Water quality was monitored at 21 sites in the Lower Ouachita‐Smackover Watershed from 2013 November through 2014 September. The U.S. Geological Survey maintains discharge monitoring stations at two of these sites, Moro Creek (USGS 07362500) and Smackover Creek (USGS 07362100), which were sampled during base flow and storm event conditions, whereas the other sites were only sampled during baseflow. The Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) estimated constituent loads for nitrate‐N (NO₃‐–N), total nitrogen (TN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) using the U.S. Geological Survey LOADEST software. LOADEST creates regression models between constituent concentrations …

Using Genetic Learning In Weight-Based Game Ai, Dylan Anthony Kordsmeier

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human beings have been playing games for centuries, and over time, mankind has learned how to excel at these fun competitions. With the ever-growing interest in the field of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI), developers have been finding ways to let the game compete against the player much like another human would. While there are many approaches to humanlike learning in machines, this article will focus on using Evolutionary Optimization as a method to develop different levels of pseudo-thinking inan AI used for ato effectively play the Connect Four game.

Understanding Early Intervention Services For Hispanic Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Valeria Font Zorrilla

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Clear communication between speech-language pathologists and their clients and client’s families is essential for the success of therapy. A common language between therapist and client also facilitates the exchange of information, however this is not always possible. The purpose of this study was to develop a Fotonovela as an informative tool for Hispanic parents with children in the autism spectrum to use as an early intervention guide, to provide information on therapy services and to promote the understanding between professionals and culturally diverse populations. A Fotonovela is a pamphlet with photographs in the comic-book format that usually depicts a story …

The Inclusion Of Music Therapy In Speech-Language Interventions, Torry Farnell

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the inclusion of music in speech-language therapy. One hundred practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs) participated in the study. There was no control for geographic location, length of time as an SLP, or work setting. A questionnaire devised from the research literature that gathered demographic information and the integration of music into speech-language therapy practices was used to gather data. It was electronically distributed via social media by means of a link that remained active for approximately six weeks. Data from the questionnaire was used descriptively to answer the questions of the study. The …

Self-Healing Tile Sets: Rates Of Regrowth In Damaged Assemblies, Kevin Rogers

Mathematical Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis looks into rates of growth within holes in self-assembled tile structures. Specifically, we are interested in whether the hole will regrow or decay further under a certain set of conditions. Tile sets have the ability to assemble themselves (including regrowing damaged sections of an assembly) when under good conditions, chiefly whether the ratio of monomer concentration to bond strength is below a certain threshold. Inside a hole, however, regrowth may or may not occur even when this threshold is exceeded.

The Life You've Seen: The Search For Feminine Identity Ruined My Life, Cambry Lace Pierce

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Life You've Seen: The Search For Feminine Identity Ruined My Life is a video installation created through the exploration for the search for identity, specifically female, in my personal work and in the art world for over sixty years. The videos, depicting myself in costume, display twenty different personas and scenarios created to expose the futility of this ongoing search through exposing the traditional ways in which forces such as nature, biology, heredity, and cultural constructs have been used in attempts to define "self." The installation format of the work, a wall of decades old television sets, and the …

Biofilm-Related Materials As Total N-Nitrosamine (Tono) Precursors And Hydroxylamine-Based Interferences In Tono And N-Nitrosodimethylamine (Ndma) Measurements, David Allen Meints

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, a chemiluminescence-based total N-nitrosamine (TONO) assay was adapted to include a solid-phase extraction (SPE) step to assess the role of biologically derived materials as N-nitrosamine precursors. Methanol was determined to be a suitable solvent for the SPE-TONO assay, with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) losses estimated to be 30% by SPE alone and an additional 15% from concentration of the methanol extracts by N2-gas blowdown. Three biofilm-derived materials - poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and tryptophan - were individually chloraminated and dose-response relationships were observed with the SPE-TONO assay, indicating biofilm are potential N-nitrosamine precursors. The role of hydroxylamine - a …

Breaking Wind, Todd William Pentico

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breaking Wind is a research project and thesis exhibition composed of a series of ceramic objects in conjunction with paintings that explore the systems that dictate belief, the motives that drive curiosity, and biological connection to our surroundings. The work uses the context of the gallery and devices used in museums such as plinths, shelves, and wall text to reinforce the idealized and fictive into something believable.

In the work, Breaking Wind refers to a clumsy breakdown and rethinking of the seemingly simple natural phenomenon, wind. Wind is understood as a natural occurrence that has no origin or any innate …

Stable Isotopes As A Tool To Characterize Carbon Cycling And Develop Hydrologic Budgets In Mantled Karst Settings, Katherine Knierim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isotopes of water (δ2H/δ18O), carbon dioxide (δ13C-CO2), and dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13C-DIC) were used to explore water quality, trace carbon cycling, and quantify recharge sources through mantled karst and into Blowing Spring Cave (BSC). Of the possible sources of contamination in the BSC recharge area, septic-tank effluent was hypothesized to degrade water quality at the spring outlet of BSC because of the dominance of septic tanks for waste treatment, unsuitable topography and soil for septic-tank absorption fields, increased nitrate and chloride concentrations concomitant with increased urbanization, and increased Escherichia coli with discharge. Carbon cycling between the soil and BSC was …

Noise., Laura Katherine Polaski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research is in the realm of the psychological, the emotional and way these drives manifest physically. The works in Noise. aims to give a physical representation to the non-physical. Research on Affect Theory and the teachings of Silvan Tomkins were paramount to understanding emotional drives and the ways in which they manifest.

The purpose of this research is to understand how emotions are generated and communicated and to ask if specific emotions can be generated upon viewing inanimate objects. I create abstract figurative sculpture, which imitate emotion that has no specific physicality. These works exist with one foot in …

Achieving Enhanced Treatment Of Produced Fluids Using Ozone, Hydrogen Peroxide And Electrochemical Oxidation: Full Scale Evaluations, Jamar Willis Blackmon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main focus of the present work was to expand the existing knowledge in using an advanced oxidation process for produced water treatment. Produced water is a phrase used in the oil and gas industry to describe water that is produced as a waste byproduct together with oil and gas. Historically produced water was pumped down disposal wells as a waste product. Due to increasing demand, limited supply and stricter regulation on fresh water sources, exploration and production companies have been compelled to recycle produced waters in many parts of their operations around the world.

Produced water quality varies dramatically …

Growth Of Breast Tumors In Vitro To Characterize A Terahertz Imaging Platform, Scarlett-Marie Acklin

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this research, different methods were investigated to grow in-vitro breast cancer tumors embedded in gel using the 4T1 cell line. The goal of this research was to test a new medical imaging modality available at the University of Arkansas using terahertz (THz) waves. The THz imaging and spectroscopy system has shown capability of high-resolution imaging and characterization of human breast tumors fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. In order to further examine this new imaging system in a laboratory environment, attempts to grow breast tumors in-vitro were conducted. Results were produced in two different environments, flat-bottomed plates and …

Use Of Endocrine And Immune Responses As Predictors Of Bull Sperm Motility, Lydia Mitchener

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research has shown that immune cells increased from an immune response, and endocrine concentrations directly affect sperm characteristics (Jones and Mann, 1976; Hansson et al., 1989; Grattan et al., 2007). Previous findings show a negative relationship between leukocytes and sperm function (Jones and Mann, 1976) and prolactin and fertility (Grattan et al., 2007). On the other hand, research has shown a positive relationship between insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and sperm characteristics (Hansson et al., 1989). The objective of this study is to identify biomarkers for yearling bull sperm associated with endocrine response and activation of the immune system. Seventeen Brahman-influenced …

Labor Force Commute Mode Preferences And The Natural Environment, Brandon Killen

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

In commuting to work, commuters select from a limited variety of transportation modes, including alternative modes like cycling and walking, based on needs and preferences. Understanding these needs and preferences, and how the conditions of the immediate environment can influence them can benefit both businesses and local governments in their efforts to accommodate the commute needs of their workers and better serve their communities. Though the body of commute preference research has grown significantly over recent decades, the study of the effects of the natural environment has remained mostly overlooked. In my research, I examined the relationships between selected weather …

Sensitivity Analysis Of Dredge Fleet Scheduling, Kaitlin Denny

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Each year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is tasked with conducting maintenance dredging at hundreds of project sites throughout the country. The USACE must take into account factors such as environmental windows, increased transportation distances, increased operational time because of reduced vessel speeds, and personnel availability constraints. Environmental windows are intended to minimize the environmental impact of dredging while protecting biological resources and their habitats from potentially detrimental effects. The objective of this research is to perform sensitivity analysis of the performance of this model (cubic yards dredged) and how it is impacted by individual environmental window elimination …

Efforts In Increasing Microdialysis Recovery Rates By Utilizing Bidirectional Flow Capabilites, Jacob Taylor Needham

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Microdialysis sampling involves the collection of biological fluids from tissues or fluid-filled cavities in vivo via diffusion through a semipermeable membrane probe. In order to increase the recovery of fluids for analysis from this process, a new regime was attempted that would allow perfusion fluids to make multiple passes through the probe in order to collect more analyte with each additional pass. This was dubbed the Bidirectional Flow Technique. Dextran-70 solution was used as the perfusion fluid while 100μM Methyl Orange solution was used as the analyte. The experiments were performed in vitro using a fully automated microdialysis ePump capable …

Percent Recovery Of Various Analytes Using A Wick Method, Patrick A. Naeger

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Finding alternate methods to measure and isolate interstitial fluid in vivo has become a consequence of the limited recovery of analytes when using a probe.1 These probes consist of an inlet constantly bringing perfusate into a semi-permeable membrane where the perfusate is replace with dialysate containing numerous analytes. The dialysate leaves the semi-permeable membrane via an outlet. A wick technique has been shown to be useful in analytical chemistry because it can be used to effectively isolate interstitial fluid and accurately measure the concentrations of various analytes. For long-term applications, wicks can be used to measure the concentrations of cytokines …

Nutrient Competition Between Algae And Juncus Effusus In The Lake Fayetteville Artificial Wetland, Toryn D. Jones

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The effect of N and P availability on macrophyte and algal growth has been extensively documented. The same is true for research regarding competition between wetland macrophytes. However, there is considerably less research focusing exclusively on how nutrient competition between algae and wetland macrophytes affects the growth of these plants. This study examined the relationship between nutrient concentrations (N and P), algal concentrations, and the growth of Juncus effusus, or soft rush. Juncus effusus growth in the Lake Fayetteville Spiral Wetland was monitored over a four month period during the prime growing season. Towards the end of the growing season, …

Earthworm Populations In A Wheat-Soybean Double-Crop System Under Seven Years Of Established Residue Management Practices, Jill Elizabeth Thomason

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Earthworms improve soil structure, distribute litter and microbes, stimulate microbial activity, facilitate decomposition, and increase nitrogen (N) availability for plant growth. Earthworm density is often reduced in low organic matter soils that are intensively managed to grow row crops. This study was designed to relate earthworm density and community composition to residue management after seven years of established management practices in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) double-crop system maintained in Marianna, AR. Residue management practices included conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), N fertilization to produce high and low wheat residue amounts left in the field, …

Music, Emotion Regulation, & Distress Tolerance: Investigating How Music May Influence Distress Tolerance In College Students, Marie Jaedee Wood

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although music has been studied in the context of emotion regulation, there has been little or no research between the relationship between music and distress tolerance. In this study, participants were brought into the lab to fill out surveys, listen to positive, negative, or neutral music, and complete an emotional distress tolerance task while music was still playing. Positive and negative affect was evaluated throughout the study. Positive Affect was not directly influenced by music but was decreased during the distress tolerance task. The neutral and positive music both lowered negative affect while the distress tolerance task significant increased positive …

Comparing Access To Medical Homes For Children Aged 6-17 Years With Add/Adhd And Autism In Arkansas, Marie Mackenzie Plum

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

A growing number of children are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD) and autism in Arkansas. These developmental disorders necessitate comprehensive, holistic, effective and well-coordinated care, and require a complex treatment regimen. Lack of access to coordinated care creates a real impediment for these children as they are in constant need for medical services. Pediatric care provided within a medical home has been suggested to improve health outcomes of children with special health care needs. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine access to a medical home among children aged 6-17 years with ADD/ADHD, autism, …