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Skin-To-Skin Education For Operating Room Staff, Ann Callie Landwehr

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Skin-to-skin contact has many benefits to both a new mother and her infant after birth. Maintaining body warmth, better bonding for both mother and infant, and increased duration of breastfeeding are a few of the many benefits of this practice. Although skin-to-skin contact is a common practice at birth, it has been utilized almost exclusively in vaginal births. It has not been widely or routinely practiced when a baby is delivered by caesarean section. This study evaluated an educational program for operating room staff regarding the benefits of skin-to-skin contact and how best to implement this practice in the operating …

Impact Of Professional Learning Community Design On Teacher Instruction, Carol Jeanette Turner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive case study closely examined a professional learning community in an Arkansas middle school. The site was selected because the school was removed from the state's school improvement list after implementing professional learning communities. The purpose of the study was to determine how the design of a professional learning community impacts teacher instruction in a middle school setting. The literature reviewed included historical perspective, definitions and characteristics of professional learning communities, teacher professional development, and teacher effect on student achievement. Eight teachers, one principal, and one instructional facilitator were interviewed about the professional learning communities in their school. The …

Monitoring Abundance Of Ips Bark Beetles And Determining Related Tree Mortality In Arkansas And Texas, Chandler Stefan Barton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The abundance of the southern pine engraver beetles, Ips avulsus (Eichhoff), I. grandicollis (Eichhoff), and I. calligraphus (Germar), was monitored with pheromone-baited traps in 2012 and 2013 in Arkansas and eastern Texas. Additionally, vehicle-based and comprehensive ground-based surveys were used to estimate and confirm the amount of dead and fading trees in each trapping site. Pine engraver beetles have historically been recognized as secondary invaders of healthy trees, but observations of pine mortality in Texas and Arkansas appeared to correspond with high population densities of Ips spp. Forest sites exhibiting subjectively high or low incidence of Ips-associated mortality in Arkansas …

Effects Of Landscape Disturbances On Autotrophic Processes Within Arkansas Ozark Streams, Bradley J. Austin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Land-use change is one of the most widespread human impacts and can influence abiotic and biotic processes within surrounding streams. For example, streams in agricultural and urban watersheds receive greater light and nutrient inputs that can promote increased algal growth and primary production. Natural gas (NG) infrastructure development, a recent land use change in many regions, may also stimulate forested stream primary production, by reducing forest cover and increasing sediments and nutrient transport. I sampled streams across a NG activity gradient for algal biomass and gross primary production (GPP) to assess potential effects of this emerging land-use type. Algal biomass …

The Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Via A Hybrid Biological/Chemical Process, Thomas Melvin Potts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biobutanol use as a fuel began in the late 19th century. Problems remain in economic viability. A review of the state of the art and need for technical advances is presented.

The technical potential of producing biofuel from a naturally occurring macroalgae was studied. The algae grow in Jamaica Bay, New York City, in contaminated water. The process consisted of mechanical harvesting, drying, grinding, and acid hydrolysis to form an algal sugar solution. Clostridium beijerinckii and C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum were used in an acetone butanol ethanol (ABE) fermentation to make butanol. Fermentation was followed by distillation Butanol concentrations during fermentation reached …

Mirror Buckling Transitions In Freestanding Graphene Membranes Induced Through Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, James Kevin Schoelz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graphene has the ability to provide for a technological revolution. First isolated and characterized in 2004, this material shows promise in the field of flexible electronics. The electronic properties of graphene can be tuned by controlling the shape of the membrane. Of particular interest in this endeavor are the thermal ripples in graphene membranes. Years of theoretical work by such luminaries as Lev Landau, Rudolf Peierls, David Mermin and Herbert Wagner have established that 2D crystals should not be thermodynamically stable. Experimental research on thin films has supported this finding. Yet graphene exists, and freestanding graphene films have been grown …

Analytical Comparison Of Contrasting Approaches To Estimating Competing Risks Models, Brian Stephen Rickard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Survival analysis is a commonly used tool in many fields but has seen little use in education research despite a common number of research questions for which it is well suited. Researchers often use logistic regression instead; however, this omits useful information. In research on retention and graduation for example, the timing of the event is an important piece of information omitted when using logistic regression. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate four methods of analyzing competing risks survival data, Cox proportional hazards regression, Weibull regression, Fine and Gray's Method, and Cox proportional hazards regression with frailty. College student …

A Comparison Of Infant And Toddler Reactions To Strangers Who Have Similar Attributes To An Established Attachment Figure Vs. Strangers Who Have Different Attributes, Jessica Hamilton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A child's early attachment experiences can have a lasting impact on later development. Early attachment relationships often result in greater Social and cognitive skills, as well as better school performance (Peisner et al., 1999). For these reasons, it is important to address those components that may contribute to secure attachments with care givers in the child care setting. The current study looked at the reactions of infants and toddlers when presented with two previously unknown individuals: one who physically resembled an established caregiver with whom they had already established attachment and one who looked different from this caregiver. The study …

Rice Grain Yield And Nitrogen Uptake And Ammonia Volatilization From Urea As Affected By Urea Amendment And Simulated Rainfall, Randy Dempsey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effect of rainfall between urea application and flood establishment on N loss and grain yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) has not been studied. The first research objective was to compare the effects of simulated rainfall amounts and N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) urease inhibitor rate on NH3 volatilization and rice growth. Three field experiments were conducted and NH3 volatilization was measured in two experiments for 11 days after urea application (DAU) in semi-open chambers. Urea or NBPT-treated urea (NBPT-Urea) was subjected to six simulated rainfall amounts (0-25 mm) applied 5 to 15 h after urea application and flooded 7 …

The Role Of Attention In Ego-Depletion, Garrett Pollert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The resource model of ego-depletion is unable to account for the results of several ego-depletion studies, whereas a recent mechanistic revision by Inzlicht and Schmeichel (2012) has focused on the role of attention and motivation in an effort to explain the phenomenon. Assessment of attention's role in restrained and unrestrained eaters may provide evidence that motivation and attention work in tandem to affect one's ability to exert self-control. In this experiment, college-aged females participated in two studies to examine the role of attention in ego-depletion effects. Study 1 evaluated the effect of ego depletion on attention via a dot probe …

Physiological And Nutritional Characterization Of High Yield Soybean, Ryan John Van Roekel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain yields greater than three times the national average have been reported in yield contests. Characterization of soybean in a maximum yield environment is necessary to provide empirical data to support those yield claims and to provide an understanding of the physiological processes at that yield level. From 2011 to 2013, research characterized biomass and N accumulation rates, radiation use efficiency (RUE), leaf N dynamics, the rate of harvest index increase (dry matter allocation coefficient, DMAC), seedfill period (SFP), and grain yield components from Mr. Kip Cullers' contest fields and in small plots at the …

Landscape Visibility And Prehistoric Artifact Distribution At Pea Ridge National Military Park, Jake Lee Mitchael

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pea Ridge National Military Park, in the north east corner of Benton County, Arkansas, is the 4,300 acre site of a crucial Civil War Battle. Human occupation of the Ozark Highland landscape, however, extends far into pre-history. A 2005 report to the National Park Service details the findings of a four year cultural resource survey of the park. The sampling strategy employed in the research design (random sample site selection and 2.5% park coverage) provides an excellent dataset to assess prehistoric land use. This dataset is not dependent on artificially defined sites, representing singular activity in a limited geographical space. …

Stand Strong, Stand Proud: Alternative And Pariah Femininities In San Diego's Punk Rock Community, Steve Moog

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, punk rock has often been understood as a Social space for rebellion and resistance to dominant cultural norms. As such, punk rock culture becomes fertile ground for explorations of subversive constructions of genders. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the San Diego punk rock community, this thesis unpacks the construction, embodiment and enactment of alternative and pariah forms of femininities and examines their impact on gender dynamics within the scene. Ultimately, this thesis argues that (1) the San Diego punk rock community is a space where alternative and pariah femininities can be embodied …

Addressing Genetic Pollution From Pollen Drift On A Heterogeneous Landscape, Mattia Ciro Mancini

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genetically modified (GM) crops are crops in which single or multiple genes have been introduced artificially in order to obtain certain characteristics that are difficult to obtain through conventional breeding. Even though farmers have the right to freely choose what types of crops to grow, pollen mediated gene flow from GM crops to non-GM crops can limit the possibility for crops to coexist on a same landscape, resulting in economic losses that depend on the institutional arrangements and the type of property rights in place. Although it is well known that spatial variability affects the degree of cross-contamination between GM …

Rescuing The Missing: A Study Of Prospective Person Memory On Missing Persons, Brandon Spillar

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

An average of 1,700 missing persons cases are filed everyday in the United States (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013). With such a large number of people placed in potential danger, their security is the utmost concern to families, communities, and consequently our society (Spilman, 2006). In response to people going missing, police departments often use news teams and photos to exhort the public to be on the lookout for these missing persons (Tarling & Burrows, 2004). As a result, people practice what is called Prospective Person Memory. Prospective person memory is a cognitive process involving people correctly identifying a face …

Understanding Adolescent Posttraumatic Stress: The Roles Of Biological Sex And Anxiety Sensitivity, Sophia K. Pawlewicz

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over 60% of adolescents are exposed to a traumatic event, and a significant minority goes on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is important to understand factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of this debilitating condition. Anxiety sensitivity (AS), defined as the fear of the consequences of anxiety, correlates positively with increased posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Research also suggests that females are more likely to develop PTSS. There are a number of limitations of this literature, however, including a lack of laboratory-based assessment of the relation between AS and biological sex on PTSS among adolescents. The current …

Prevalence Of Neurocognitive Test Failure Following Exertion In Athletes Recovering From Concussion, Caitlin Laura Zaring

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

The current return-to-play (RTP) protocol in place for an athlete recovering from a concussion is based on the subjective measure of self-report rather than more objective tools such as computerized neurocognitive testing. Because of this, it is possible that athletes downplay or lie about symptoms they are experiencing in order to expedite the RTP process. The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequency of post-exertional neurocognitive test failure in a sample of high school athletes recovering from concussion that underwent a standardized exertional RTP protocol. This research project used a de-identified medical records review of neurocognitive data …

A Study On The Be2100 Noninvasive Biomass Sensor As An Instrument For Measuring Optical Density During Fed-Batch Fermentation At Various Stir Rates, Hannah Moreland

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fusion proteins, engineered proteins that combine the DNA sequences and therefore properties of two different proteins, can be used in a variety of therapeutic purposes. One example of a therapeutic fusion protein is collagen binding domain-parathyroid hormone glutathione-S-transferase (CBD-PTH-GST), which can combat osteoporosis by binding specifically to collagen in the vertebral column and promoting bone growth through the release of calcium. This fusion protein is being expressed with Escherichia coli at the University of Arkansas through fed-batch fermentation, a method that produces large volume of cells through fermentation in a controlled environment in a bioreactor. It is necessary to track …

The Investigation Of Chitosan-Based Hydrogels For Intratumoral Delivery Of Immunotherapeutic Cytokines, Ethan Drew Lowry

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Controlled and localized delivery of Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is critical to effective and non-toxic cancer immunotherapy. Current delivery protocols for pre-clinical anti-tumor trials utilize solutions of chitosan, a mucoadhesive and bioeliminable biopolymer, to slow the release of IL- 12 into the tumor microenvironment. In order to further increase IL-12 retention, we have developed and characterized two chitosan-based in situ gelling hydrogels for IL-12 immunotherapy. One hydrogel, composed of heparin and chitosan, is herein described from initial conception through multiple stages of characterization including isolation of a range of suitable hydrogel formulations and observational physical and chemical properties. A second hydrogel …

Fluorescent Imaging On A Microfluidics Chip For Quantification Of Leukocyte Count, Aneeka Majid

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

We have demonstrated a method for conducting a leukocyte count in whole blood using a microfluidics chip and epi-fluorescence setup. Leukocyte counts provide physicians with a wealth of information about a patient’s medical condition and as such are routinely completed for many hospital visits. Miniaturization of this diagnostic tool may enable physicians to provide healthcare in resource-limited settings, where patients would otherwise not receive this test. The microfluidics chip was fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using soft-film lithography. Following further processing and cleaning, the PDMS mold is exposed to UV-ozone for surface activation, and then sealed with a glass coverslip to …

Development Of An In Vitro Myogenesis Assay, Anna Arnaud

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to explore the interaction between mouse C2C12 cells and the extracellular matrix, particularly the process of myoblasts converting to myocytes. This study aimed to create a myogenesis assay that presents a process to effectively monitor the development of mouse C2C12 myoblasts into differentiated skeletal myotubes through detection of the protein MyoD. Myogenesis, the development of muscle tissue, occurs when muscle progenitor cells, myoblasts, fuse to form multinucleated myotubes, followed by cell fusion and resulting in a myofiber capable of contraction. An in vitro myogenesis assay would enable further research to efficiently test the effect …

Hormonal Effects On Expression Of Osmoregulatory Genes In The Gill Of Japanese Medaka (Oryzias Latipes), Peter Justin Reed

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) are euryhaline teleost and evolved divergently from the well-studied model organism zebrafish (Danio rerio). Claudins (cldns) are tight junction proteins known to regulate the permeability of the paracellular space, but little is known about the influence of the endocrine system on their regulation. In this study, in vitro gill culture model was used to test the effect of three osmoregulatory hormones (cortisol, growth hormone, and prolactin) on eight cldns previously identified in the gills of medaka. The stress hormone cortisol generally up-regulated the genes studied from 1.2- to 5-fold at the exceptions of cldn-28a and -28b. …

The Future Of Shrimp: Why Indoor Tank Farming Could Revolutionize The Industry, Nicole M. Daniels

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

“The United States is currently importing 1.2 billion pounds of shrimp a year from Asia. It is cheap to U.S. consumers, but it’s being produced in an unsustainable way. It will stop…and when it does stop there has to be an alternative way to produce seafood” (Hourigan, 2013, p.1). Because the shrimp supply crisis is growing exponentially, it is the job of countries like the United States, who have resources and technology that less economically developed countries do not, to find a sustainable alternative to the current destructive farming practices that are rapidly damaging ecosystems and endangering human health. In …

The Role Of Landscape Architecture In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nell Mary Patterson

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Landscape architecture is an emerging practice in the developing world. It is not, however, an established and well known profession. Developing countries, such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa, could benefit from the services that landscape architects provide for society and the built environment. This research addresses where the profession of landscape architecture currently is in Sub-Saharan Africa and speculates where it could go in the future. The International Federation of Landscape Architects held the 2008 Africa Forum in Dubai in order to record the observations of several prominent landscape architecture professionals and students. This research expands on those observations and …

Fluorescent Cell Imaging Studies Of Antitumor Natural Macrocycle Ipomoeassin F, Margaret Grace Oliver

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Ipomoeassin F is one member of a family of macromolecules isolated from the leaves of the morning glory flower, ipomoea squamosa, which has been used as a homeopathic cancer remedy for centuries (Zhu, Huang, Zheng, Zhu, & Yang, 2013). It has been proven to be highly cytotoxic to many cancer cell lines, but nothing is yet known of its mode of action in the cell (Cao, et al., 2007). To begin progress towards understanding the mode of action of ipomeoassin F, this study aimed to perform fluorescence imaging studies for the ultimate purpose of determining its cellular localization in MDA-MB-231 …

Posttraumatic Stress And Emotion Recognition, Rachel Woody

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

People with PTSD have problems with interpersonal relationships, but the maintaining mechanisms are not well studied. One potential mechanism relating PTSD and interpersonal difficulties is an inability for people with PTSD to recognize another’s emotion, preventing them from taking their perspective or reacting empathetically. This study aimed to experimentally test the effects of trauma cue exposure on participants with subthreshold PTSD’s accuracy in identifying emotions depicted by peoples’ eyes. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control (i.e., neutral script) or experimental condition (i.e., traumatic event script) prior to completing the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” task to measure …

Assessment Of Stabilization And Muscle Recruitment In Amputees Following Sit-To-Stand Transfer, Elizabeth Terran Jones

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Standing from a seated position is a task of daily living that is essential for independence relying heavily on balance and lower-extremity muscle strength and coordination (Whitney et al., 2005). With age, many once healthy individuals lose this ability and are institutionalized or find themselves reliant on others for care due to the development of balance disorders or loss of muscle mass. The majority of research present today on transitional movements affected by balance disorders, such as the sit-to-stand transition, has been focused on the elderly population. A correlation has been established between the Sit-To-Stand Test and factors such as …

Examining The Relationship Between Neurocognitive Performance And Functional Fitness Levels Among Older Adults, Kristen J. Holmes

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis was to examine the relationship between neurocognitive performance and functional fitness levels among older adults. This is important because the geriatric population is the fastest growing demographic in the United States (USDHHS, CDC & Prevention, 2012). By 2030, the older adult population is expected to double. With the cumulative health effects associated with aging and pathological disease, adults typically experience a normal decline in cognitive function termed age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) (Kramer, Colcombe, McAuley, Scalf, & Erickson, 2005; O’Brien, 1999). It is believed to be a non-progressive disorder. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), on the other …

The Essential Nutrients For Methanococcus Maripaludis: Growth On Montmorillonite, Hunter William Waddell

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

When the topic of life on Mars gets brought up, our minds automatically jump to thinking of the definition of life as any advanced creature. But I am looking at life on a much smaller scale. A group of Archaea called methanogens live on Earth in some very normal as well as extreme conditions, and in the last few decades scientists have been questioning if they could even be found on the planet Mars. These microbes use hydrogen gas as their energy source and produce methane as a byproduct, which has been found in relatively significant amounts on Mars. It …

Effects Of Dehydration On Changes In Arterial Stiffness With Passive Heating, Az Satterfield

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Context: There is an inverse relationship between baseline arterial stiffness and the change in arterial stiffness with passive heating. However, it is unknown whether this relationship is affected by dehydration. Objective: To investigate the effect of acute dehydration on arterial stiffness during passive heat stress. Design: Two randomized counter-balanced trials. Setting: Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Eleven healthy males (age=24.5 ± 2.8 years, body mass=76.6 ± 9.1 kg, body fat=16.8 ± 6.4%). Interventions: In one trial subjects were dehydrated (DE) and in another euhydration (EU) was maintained during passive heating to a 1.5°C increase in body temperature. Subjects were euhydrated …