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Mole Street Journal, May 2012, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

Partners, June 2012, Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food, And Life Sciences (University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville). Center Of Excellence For Poultry Science

Partners

No abstract provided.

Center For Food Safety, Summer 2012, University Of Arkansas (System). Division Of Agriculture. Center For Food Safety

Center for Food Safety

No abstract provided.

Biocompatible Scaffold For Sensing Proteins, Z. Ryan Tian

Patents Granted

This invention related to a biocompatible scaffold that can detect redox-active chemicals and biomolecules electrochemically. In one embodiment, the biocompatible scaffold includes a substrate, and a conductive layer of TiO2-containing nanowires or nano fibers formed on the substrate, wherein the conductive layer of TiO2-containing nanowires or nanofibers is formed with a pore structure, and wherein when the biocompatible scaffold is in contact with a biological analyte, one or more proteins of the biological analyte are immobilized on a surface of the conductive layer Of TiO2- containing nanowires or nanofibers so as to generate a measurable faradic current signal.

Mole Street Journal, April 2012, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

Facilitating The Parent/Child Bond: The Training, The Role, And The Perceived Self-Efficacy Of Speech-Language Pathologists In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Shanley Taber

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the facilitation of parent/child bonding through the roles, training, and perceived self-efficacy of speech-language pathologists working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as well as to investigate what changes could be made in speech pathology bonding education. Five certified speech-language pathologists currently working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were contacted through an online questionnaire and asked to describe their preferences, beliefs, and practices. While results were variable, the respondents were unified in a belief that there is a connection between feeding disorders and disruption in parent/child bonding. They reported consistently using …

Pragmatic And Semantic Contributions To Social Cognitive Development In Children With Down Syndrome, Jillian Carroll

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study sought to investigate how children with Down syndrome (DS) develop social cognition. This is an important topic because there have been few studies that have examined this as a developmental phenomena. The participants in the study were six families, three of these families had children 8-10 months of age and three had children between 16 and 18 months of age. Three of these infants were diagnosed with Down syndrome and three of them had no developmental issues. Data was collected using the MacArthur-Bates Development Inventories (Fenson, Marchman, Thal, Dale, Reznick & Bates, 2007) and a developmental questionnaire. The …

A Family's View: The Necessity And Effects Of Therapy Throughout Alzheimer's Disease From The Family's Perspective, Kerri Taylor

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine what activities and/ or level of human interaction will prolong language and functionality in Alzheimer’s disease in order to showcase the importance of therapy for those affected with Alzheimer’s. The participants will include 50 Alzheimer’s patients’ family members or close friends. Twenty five of these should have a relative affected by AD and living on their own or with family, and twenty five should have a relative that lives in an assisted living facility or nursing home. Each of the living situations will represent the stage of the disease the patient is …

The Affects That Children Diagnosed With Autism Disorder Have On Their Siblings In The Area Of Behavior Development, Emma Thomas

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the affects that children with Autism Disorder have on their siblings in the area of behavior development specifically pertaining to: social impairment, repetitive behavior, and impaired communication. The following questions have been answered by this study: First, how extensive are the behaviors that occur in younger siblings of children with autism, next, are the same behaviors applicable to older siblings, and finally are the behaviors described simply a part of being a sibling. The participants in this study were 4 families that have a child with autism and a younger sibling, 2 …

Assessment Of Nutritional Knowledge And Eating Behaviors On The Weight And Obesity Of College Students, Britta Thielemann

General Human Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Obesity has become a major nationwide health concern. Negative eating habits and lack of proper nutrition information were highlighted as major aspects of weight gain. This study was conducted in order to understand the relationship between nutritional knowledge and eating behaviors and their impact on the weight and obesity of college students. For this study, an instrument was designed that included survey questions regarding perception of healthy and unhealthy foods, personal consumption, and demographic factors. The instrument was administered to 577 college students. The results indicated a positive relationship between the knowledge of nutrition and eating behavior and the weight …

Nutrition Knowledge Of Pre-Medical Students, Jennifer Newcome

General Human Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nutrition knowledge has been shown to be increasingly critical in physician practice. Therefore, education has also become very critical. Medical schools have been working over the last few decades to include nutrition education in their curriculum, but due to many barriers, it is difficult to measure up to requirements. It is the purpose of this descriptive study to determine the nutrition knowledge of pre-medical students at the University of Arkansas and see if suggesting a nutrition class for these students would be beneficial. The average score was 11.2 ± 3.04 out of a possible 23. Because the literature provides reason …

Testing The Efficiency Of Vertically Aligned Gold Nanowires On A Titanium Needle Implantable Neural Electrodes In The Rattus Norvegicus Hippocampus, Lauren Kegley

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Miniaturized multi-electrode arrays are MEMS devices that have found use as neural prosthetics (Neuro-MEMS). As implants they can interface with neurons as sensors or actuators and help compensate for loss of sensory input, motor control, or cognitive function. The micro-electrodes, studied here, were developed in-house. They have a vertically aligned gold nanowire array and are mounted on a sturdy fine gauge titanium needle. Hence, the bill of materials and design characteristics encourage its use as neural probe. For this study, a probe was tested in vivo for signal acquisition in the hippocampus of a Rattus Norvegicus (Sprague Dawley Rat). Using …

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Teaching Practices To Foster Creative Thinking In Their Students, Jessica Roy

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Divergent thinking is a 21st century skill that allows individuals to create innovative ways to alleviate some of the burdens on society by finding new solutions to old problems. However, creativity is often overlooked or ignored in the classroom environment because the rigid atmosphere of authority does not allow for the simultaneous use of multiple cognitive abilities. What can teachers do, or are they doing, to ensure that divergent thinking is fostered in their classrooms? Three surveys were administered to 32 elementary school teachers to determine if there is a disconnect between what teachers believe fosters creativity in relation to …

Genotypic And Phenotypic Diversity Of Pyricularia Oryzae In The Contemporary Rice Blast Pathogen Population In Arkansas, Lu Zhai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae (teleomorph: Magnaporthe grisea), is one of the most economically important diseases of rice worldwide, including Arkansas. Rice blast has been severe the past few years on conventional cultivars and, more recently, has been observed on hybrid rice cultivars. The first objective of the current research was to examine the genotypic and phenotypic variation in the P. oryzae population in Arkansas during the 2009, 2010, and 2011 growing seasons and compare isolates from conventional cultivars with those from and hybrids. A total of 904 isolates were recovered from symptomatic rice cultivars in Arkansas and …

The Use Of Diatoms To Infer Environmental Change Of The Lower White River, Southeastern Arkansas, Ruchi Bhattacharya

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the limnology of the lower White River oxbow lakes in southeast Arkansas, inundated by the major 2008 spring flood. The flood water and sediment deposited in oxbow lakes were analyzed for water chemistry, sediment geochemistry and diatom assemblages and used as an analogue for past floods. The 2008 spring flood inundated and homogenized the entire floodplain; also represented by the predominantly planktonic diatom assemblage suggesting riverine input. Indicator species for eutrophication were also recorded consistent with the high nutrient content in the lakes. However, the variance in the surface diatom assemblage was best explained by the lake …

Integrating Human Variables In Cross-Boundary Monitoring Of Aberdare Preserves In Kenya, Peter K. Njuguna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research critically examines extant data systems and their linkage of scientific research to policy and public education in east African highland forest conservation preserves. The research indicates that the current state of data and monitoring systems in the region imposes substantial limitations on the ability to manage these preserves. Major outcomes of those constraints manifest in unprecedented cross-boundary pressure such as encroachment and conversion of forest to agriculture, increased human-wildlife conflicts, and constrained relations among primary stakeholders. Current monitoring is biodiversity focused within preserves and fails to capture human dimensions in adjoining areas across preserve boundaries. This study proposes …

Synergy Of Alum And Chlorine Dioxide For Curbing Disinfection Byproduct Formation Potential At Central Arkansas Water, Corey W. Granderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Central Arkansas Water (CAW), the water utility for Little Rock, AR, draws their source water from Lake Maumelle and Lake Winona. To curb disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation, CAW has begun retrofitting their two plants to use chlorine dioxide as an alternative primary disinfectant followed by free chlorine secondary disinfection in the distribution system. In this study, fluorescence parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis was combined with free chlorine simulated distribution system (SDS) tests and DBP formation potential (DBPFP) tests to study the benefit of chlorine dioxide primary disinfection (CDPD) with alum coagulation. Of the DBPs screened, trichloromethane (TCM) was formed in highest …

Dental Microwear Texture Analysis Of Pliocene Bovids From Four Early Hominin Sites In Eastern Africa: Implications For Paleoenvironmental Dynamics And Human Evolution, Jessica Renee Scott

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many researchers have suggested that Plio-Pleistocene climate change was a motive force for human evolution. The basic idea was that a shift toward drier, more open settings, led to adaptations for bipedality and the consumption of savanna resources, including large grazing mammals. However, more recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that Pliocene hominins occupied variable or mosaic habitats including both open and closed settings. Many techniques have been used to refine our understanding of the paleoenvironments of eastern Africa; however these have not led to consensus reconstructions. At Kanapoi, ecological diversity analysis indicates that at least part of the site was composed …

Response Strategies For Critical Supply Shortages In Healthcare, Christopher Adkins

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The shortage of critical medical supplies in healthcare facilities is of obvious concern to both medical professionals and patients. Speci cally, the growing concern in this area is motivated, at least in part, by our dependence on generic pharmaceuticals. In the absence of FDA restrictions on the production of critical generic goods (e.g. morphine), manufacturers possess little financial incentive to produce numerous products whose patents have expired, but remain critical to patient care. Therefore, faced with crippling shortages, hospitals are left seeking ad-hoc solutions for meeting patient demand of these items. This work considers quantitative response strategies to mitigate the …

The Effects Of Varying Levels Of Perchlorate On The Metabolism Of Methanogens, Chris Hearnsberger

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The search for life on Mars has been one of the more intriguing pursuits of NASA and astrobiologists over the last fifteen years. With the help of NASA’s Martian landers and orbiters, discoveries about the red planet have narrowed the range of possible known organisms that could survive on its surface or beneath its icy crust. The discoveries of water ice, methane, and perchlorate on Mars have excited astrobiologists and prompted experimentation on Earth to help determine whether life could exist on Mars. Methanogens seem an ideal candidate to be the organism responsible for biological production of methane on Mars, …

Formation Of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Matrices Using, William Erwin

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study serves as a proof of concept that a poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) may be used to form an chiral selective polymer membrane for discrimination of L-tryptophan from racemic tryptophan. Due to the unavailability of necessary equipment, a polymer membrane was not tested, rather, two experiments were run in conjunction; (1) A membrane of L-tryptophan imprinted P(AN-co-AA) was cast and tested on a scanning electron microscope to determine the membrane density, and (2) Imprinted polymer was ground and tested for absorption of L-Tryptophan by finding circular dichroism and concentration for different samples. It was found that it is feasible that P(AN-co-AA) …

Green Ro Pretreatment, Elizabeth Fullerton

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The use of sea water desalination to produce potable water for maritime vessels is essential for eliminating storage of potable water. Reverse osmosis (RO) is the technology of choice for desalination purposes; however, raw seawater must undergo pretreatment to avoid rapid fouling and plugging of RO membranes and modules. Current pretreatment technology is effective in the open ocean but in coastal regions involves frequent replacement of filter cartridges and increased maintenance costs. The standard pretreatment process consists of 20 μm cartridge filters and 3 μm cartridge filters in series. Several technologies were considered as options for improving the current pretreatment …

Establishment Method And Cultural Practice Effects On Sports Turf, Josh Anderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of soil-based sod on sand-based rootzones for the establishment of sports fields and golf courses is a common occurrence. Furthermore, the use of soil-based sod on sand-based rootzones can lead to potential problems associated with decreased water infiltration, gas exchange, rooting, and turfgrass quality caused by soil layering. Core-aerification and sand topdressing may help alleviate the problems associated with soil layering from the use of soil-based sod on sand-based rootzones. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to evaluate the effects of sod establishment methods and post- establishment cultural practices on the infiltration rate, moisture content, divot resistance, …

Sanitation Assessment Of Food Contact Surfaces And Lethality Of Moist Heat And A Disinfectant Against Listeria Strains Inoculated On Deli Slicer Components, Sabelo Muzikayise Masuku

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall objectives of this study were to: evaluate the efficacy of different cleaning cloth types and cloth-disinfectant combinations in reducing food contact surface contamination to acceptable levels; determine the optimum moist heat and moist heat + sanitizer treatments that can significantly reduce the number of Listeria strains on deli slicer components; and investigate if the moist heat treatment used in this study induced the viable-but-non-culturable (VBNC) state in Listeria cells. The efficacy of wiping cloths was measured using ATP-bioluminescence and total plate count methods using four different wiping cloths and silver dihydrogen citrate sanitizer on food contact surfaces. The …

Aptamer-Based Spr Biosensor For Detection Of Avian Influenza Virus, Hua Bai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid and specific detection of avian influenza (AI) virus is urgently needed with the concerns over the outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in animal and human infection. Aptamers are artificial oligonucleic acid that can specifically bind to target molecules. They show comparable affinity for target virus and better thermal stability than monoclonal antibodies. Those advantages make aptamers promising candidates in diagnostic and detection applications. The goal of this research was to use DNA&ndashaptamer as the specific recognition element in a portable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for detection of AI H5N1 virus in poultry.

A SPR biosensor was …

The Evolution Of Rural Farming In The Scottish Highlands And The Arkansas Delta: Investments And Inequalities, Madalyn Watkins

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The development and evolution of an agricultural system is influenced by many factors including binding constraints (limiting factors), choice of investments, and historic presence of land and income inequality. This study analyzed the development of two farming systems: mechanized, “economies of scale” farming in the Arkansas Delta and crofting in the Scottish Highlands. The study hypothesized that the current farm size in each region can be partially attributed to the binding constraints of either land or labor. In Scotland, it was found that the continuous binding constraint was the availability of arable land. In Arkansas, the binding constraint began as …

Identification And Confirmation Of Ssr Markers And Qtl For Seed Calcium Content And Hardness Of Soybean, Moldir Orazaly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The health benefits and the nutritional values of soyfood products have expanded the demand for food-grade soybean varieties. For whole soyfood products such as natto, small seeded varieties with proper texture are essential. Seed calcium content and hardness are main factors in determining the seed texture. Utilizing molecular markers associated with quantitative trait loci (QTL) for marker assisted selection (MAS) has been an efficient technique for breeders. To find molecular markers associated with a trait is an initial step. The confirmation of QTL in different environments and in different genetic backgrounds is important for MAS. The objectives of this research …

The Effect Of Natural Antioxidants On Cla Yield During The Photoisomerization Of Soy Oil Linoleic Acid, Camille Schaffner

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is known to be effective in avoiding many obesity related diseases. Conjugated linoleic acid is a product of ruminant fermentation and 3.4g/day are needed to obtain the clinical benefits. However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient CLA to realize these benefits from a healthy diet containing dairy and beef products, without increasing levels of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. A 20% CLA soy oil with low saturated fat and no cholesterol has been produced by the photoisomerization of linoleic acid in the triacylglyceride oil. Further increasing the CLA yields has been possible by addition of …

The New American Landscape: Beyond Bollards And Barricades, William Towle

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

The object of this thesis is to develop landscape architecture design guidelines that aid in the protection of people in public spaces while reducing security concerns on commercial properties. The integration of existing guidelines that come from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), and the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) will create a new standard of guidelines to be used for security credits within SITES. These guidelines will be developed through an analytical method. These new guidelines will be added to SITES for security and then tested against a local site, in Rogers, …

The Recession Of 2008: For Better Or For Worse, Kelsy Litchenburg

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

With nonstop discussion about the current recession in the government, news, classroom, social media, and any other type of communication outlet, there is seldom a minute that Americans are not impacted by our current economic condition. Constantly, we are faced with pitfalls of the recession, like job loss and a declining house market, but who is to say that the motion of our economy doesn't follow Newton's third law stating that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction? Meaning that for each negative this recession brings, might there also be a positive social effect as well? After …