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Understanding Support For Former Foster Youth: Independent Living Coordinators Perspectives On Resiliency For Foster Youth In Higher Education, Aaron Abbott

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the resilience of former foster youth in higher education, focusing on the perspectives of Independent Living Coordinators (ILCs) in Arkansas. The study explores the support systems and challenges that foster youth encounter, assessing factors that contribute to or hinder their educational success. Using a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews, it identifies key protective factors such as emotional support, stable mentorship, and institutional programs that promote resilience among foster youth. The findings suggest that tailored interventions and a strengths-based approach can significantly improve outcomes for this vulnerable student population. This research contributes to existing literature by offering insights …

Exploring The Interplay Between Testosterone Levels And Gender Role Attitudes, Arial Bloshinsky

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditional gender role attitudes align men with resource management and women with nurturing. The Challenge Hypothesis proposes that resource management is associated with higher testosterone levels, whereas nurturing is associated with lower testosterone levels. Therefore, traditional gender role attitudes may be associated with people’s testosterone levels. Furthermore, during the transition to parenthood, traditional gender role attitudes may become particularly salient, as shifting biological, social, and cultural roles during this transition make these attitudes an integral part of daily life. In this longitudinal study of expectant couples, participants completed a baseline survey and baseline session, during which they completed measures and …

Cognitive Bias, Memory, And Fearfulness Of Red Jungle Fowl And Athens Canadian Random Bred Chickens, Victor Juwon Oyeniran

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our understanding of how poultry perceive and interpret their environment is essential to enhancing their welfare; over the years, animal welfare science has relied on measures of the behavioral and physiological components of affective states (positive and negative) as welfare indicators. There is an increasing interest in the study of chicken’s affective states using the Judgment bias test (JBT) as a tool for assessing welfare through their responses to ambiguous cues. This study investigates the cognitive performance of two chicken breeds with different evolutionary histories: Red Junglefowl (RJF), the primary ancestor of modern chickens, and Athens Canadian Random Bred (ACRB), …

Locating Health Inequities: Understanding The Dynamic Role Of ‘Place’ In The Social Determinants Of Health And Healthcare Accessibility, Abbie Sudduth Page

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective. The social determinants of health (SDH) are various non-medical factors that influence health behaviors and health outcomes, and they are measured in variety of different ways. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the relationship SDH items that may group to form a new domain and may be associated with outcomes of health care accessibility. This dissertation seeks to explain a novel understanding of social determinants of health and healthcare accessibility through the lens of the socioecological model and place-based SDH items.
Methodology. This retrospective study design utilized data from the baseline survey and year-22 wave of the …

White Hall Green Roof Proposal, Hope Dwyer

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project will propose designs for a GR system while determining the potential cost, the feasibility of the system implementation, as well as potential psychological and educational benefits of a GR system. These factors will be examined and evaluated with regard to two different proposed GR designs: extensive and intensive.

Enhancing Selection Intensity With High-Throughput Phenotyping Data In Plant Breeding, Ashmita Upadhyay

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genomic prediction (GP) has proven to be an essential tool to accelerate the cultivar development pipeline by predicting the performance of un-phenotyped lines in the field of plant breeding. However, the prediction accuracy is bounded by the heritability of the target trait, limiting the efficiency of the single-trait GP model. To overcome the limitation, a multi-trait genomic prediction model using high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) data can be used to leverage secondary traits to boost the predictive ability of the target trait. This study aimed to assess the efficiency of the multi-trait (MT)- GP model powered by HTP derived secondary traits in …

The Relationship Between Chute Behavior And Morbidity In Cattle, Andrea Rankin

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Most cattle see a handling chute at least once in their lives. Handling plays a huge role in cattle management, whether it’s for transportation, auction sales, deworming, medical treatments, or AI purposes. Morbidity related to Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is one of the biggest causes of economic loss for ranchers and can be related to handling stress. Auction-derived calves (ADC; n=92) were brought to the University of Arkansas Savoy Research Facility for processing and monitoring for behavioral cues and disease. The objective of this study was to find a relationship between the calves’ behavior in the chute and morbidity. The …

Characterization Of An Acetogenin-Carrying Nanosuspension And Its Effect On Bacteria Of Interest In The Poultry Industry, Brandon A. Lopez-Romero, Gabriela Aguilar-Hernandez, Billy M. Hargis, Maria De Lourdes Garcia-Magana, Ulises M. Lopez-Garcia, Rosa I. Ortiz-Basurto, Adalberto Zamudio-Ojeda, Juan D. Latorre, Efigenia Montalvo-Gonzalez

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This work aimed to develop a nanosuspension (NSps) as an acetogenin (ACGs) carrier, using soy lecithin (SL) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (βCD) named NSps-βCDSL-ACGs. It was characterized by various spectroscopic techniques (DLS, FTIR, UV-vis diffuse reflectance). Moreover, the NSps morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, the antibacterial activity of NSps-βCDSL-ACGs was evaluated against strains of interest in the poultry sector. NSps-βCDSL-ACGs presented nanometric size (207–239 nm), acceptable polydispersity index (PDI) values (0.13–0.17) and a high Z potential value (−47.17–50.36 mV), demonstrating high stability. The presence of ACGs in NSps-βCDSL-ACGs was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The nanoparticles had a spherical …

Evaluation Of Industrial Hemp Cultivar And Biochar Rate To Remediate Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Soil From The Tar Creek Superfund Site, Usa, Dietrich V. Thurston, Kristofor R. Brye, David M. Miller, Philip A. Moore Jr., Donald M. Johnson, Mike Richardson

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soil contamination by cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) at the Tar Creek superfund site in northeast Oklahoma, United States, remains a threat to the environment and local ecosystem. Phytoremediation with industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and the use of biochar (BC) have been independently shown to be effective methods to remediate heavy-metal-contaminated soils. The objective of this greenhouse study was to evaluate the effects of industrial hemp cultivar (‘Carmagnola’ and ‘Jinma’), biochar rate (0, 2, 5, and 10% by volume), soil contamination level (low, medium, and high), and their interactions on above- (AG) and belowground dry matter …

Rice Response To Struvite And Other Phosphorus Fertilizers In A Phosphorus-Deficient Soil Under Simulated Furrow-Irrigation, Jonathan B. Brye, Diego Della Lunga, Kristofor R. Brye

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wastewater-recovered phosphorus (P), in the form of the mineral struvite (MgNH₄PO₄⋅6H₂O), may provide a sustainable alternative to decreasing rock-phosphate reserves. Struvite can be generated via precipitation methods, potentially reducing the amount of P runoff to aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this greenhouse tub study was to evaluate the effects of chemically- and electrochemically precipitated struvite (CPST and ECST, respectively) on above- and belowground plant response in a hybrid rice (Oryza sativa) cultivar grown using furrow-irrigation compared to other common fertilizer-P sources [i.e., triple super phosphate (TSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP)]. Rice was …

Anthocyanin Extraction Methods: Synthesis Of Morpho-Anatomical Knowledge For Decision-Making Based On Decision-Tree, Gabriel Laquete De Barros, F.T.S. Silva, R.S. Teixeira, J.G. Wagner, C.V. Rombaldi, M. Vizzotto, A. Ubeyitogullari, L. Nora

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Efficient anthocyanin extraction from emerging food matrices is essential in food technology and requires a precise, consistent, and clear extraction method. This study aimed to develop a decision-tree tool for selecting the optimal anthocyanin extraction technique. A comprehensive data synthesis covering the years 2018 to 2023 was conducted using leading academic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, and SciELO. A combination of systematic and non-systematic approaches was employed to guide the decision-making process. The keywords used included “anthocyanin extraction methods,” and studies with more than 10 citations were prioritized, along with recent and relevant publications. Thirty-six articles were analyzed …

Reducing Dna Extraction Costs Through Factorial Design For The Dnadvance Kit, Carson J. Neal, Zachery D. Zbinden, Michael E. Douglas, Marlis R. Douglas

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective

Extracting DNA is essential in wildlife genetic studies, and numerous methods are available. However, the process is costly and time-consuming for non-model organisms, including most wildlife species. Therefore, we optimized a cost-efficient protocol to extract DNA from the muscle tissue of White-tailed Deer using the DNAdvance kit (Beckman Coulter), a magnetic-bead-based approach. We devised a 3 × 3 factorial design using combinations of tissue mass (10 mg, 50 mg, or 100 mg) and reaction volume (25%, 33%, and 50% of the manufacturer's recommended volumes). DNA was extracted for N = 81 tissue sub-samples (9 replicates/treatment).

Results

Our target yield …

Precision And Efficacy Of Rna-Guided Dna Integration In High-Expressing Muscle Loci, Made Harumi Padmaswari, Gabrielle Bulliard, Shilpi Agrawal, Mary S. Jia, Sabin Khadgi, Kevin A. Murach, Christopher E. Nelson

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Gene replacement therapies primarily rely on adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for transgene expression. However, episomal expression can decline over time due to vector loss or epigenetic silencing. CRISPR-based integration methods offer promise for long-term transgene insertion. While the development of transgene integration methods has made substantial progress, identifying optimal insertion loci remains challenging. Skeletal muscle is a promising tissue for gene replacement owing to low invasiveness of intramuscular injections, relative proportion of body mass, the multinucleated nature of muscle, and the potential for reduced adverse effects. Leveraging endogenous promoters in skeletal muscle, we evaluated two highly expressing loci using homology-independent …

Compact Solar-Powered Plasma Water Generator: Enhanced Germination Of Aged Seed With The Corona Dielectric Barrier Discharger, Yiting Xiao, Yang Tian, Haizheng Xiong, Ainong Shi, Jun Zhu

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Seed aging adversely affects agricultural productivity by reducing germination rates and seedling vigor, leading to significant costs for seed banks and companies due to the need for frequent seed renewals. This study demonstrated the use of plasma-activated water (PAW), generated by a solar-powered corona dielectric barrier discharger, to enhance germination rates of spinach seeds that had been stored at 4 °C for 23 years. Treating seeds with PAW at 17 kV for 15 min improved germination (by 135%) and seedling growth compared to untreated seeds. Through detailed analysis, beneficial PAW properties for seed development were identified, and a molecular mechanism …

Interpreting The Spatial Distribution Of Soil Properties With A Physically-Based Distributed Hydrological Model, Zamir Libohova, Marcelo Mancini, Hans Edwin Winzeler, Quentin D. Read, Ning Sun, Dylan Beaudette, Candiss Williams, Joshua Michael Blackstock, Sergio H.G. Silva, Nilton Curi, Kabindra Adhikari, Amanda Ashworth, Joshua O. Minai, Phillip R. Owens

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Digital soil maps are commonly data-driven as the development of physically-based models for soil mapping is difficult due to the complexity of soils. However, physically-based hydrologic models have been successful in simulating water dynamics. Since water movement is a major driver of pedogenesis, the physical rules that govern water movement might help explain and predict the spatial variation of soil properties. Here, we demonstrate the novel use of a physically-based, distributed hydrologic model to inform the spatial distribution of soil properties. The Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) was utilized to simulate soil moisture content (SM) and water table …

Effective Nutrient Management Of Surface Waters In The United States Requires Expanded Water Quality Monitoring In Agriculturally Intensive Areas, Christopher Oates, Hactor Fajardo, Khara Grieger, Daniel Obenaur, Rebecca Muenich, Natalie G. Nelson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The U.S. Clean Water Act is believed to have driven widespread decreases in pollutants from point sources and developed areas, but has not substantially affected nutrient pollution from agriculture. Today, the highest nutrient concentrations in surface waters are often associated with agricultural production. In this Perspective, we explore whether challenges stemming from the Clean Water Act’s inability to mitigate agricultural nutrient pollution are also exacerbated by coarse nutrient monitoring. We evaluate the current state of nutrient monitoring in surface waters of the contiguous U.S. relative to agricultural nutrient inputs to assess how monitoring effort varies across agriculturally intensive areas. The …

Association Mapping For Water Use Efficiency In Soybean Identifies Previously Reported And Novel Loci And Permits Genomic Prediction, Siva K. Chamarthi, Larry C. Purcell, Felix B. Fritschi, Jeffrey D. Ray, James R. Smith, Avjinder S. Kaler, C. Andy King, Jason D. Gillman

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soybean is a major legume crop cultivated globally due to the high quality and quantity of its seed protein and oil. However, drought stress is the most significant factor that decreases soybean yield, and more than 90% of US soybean acreage is dependent on rainfall. Water use efficiency (WUE) is positively correlated with the carbon isotopic ratio ¹³C/¹²C (C13 ratio) and selecting soybean varieties for high C13 ratio may enhance WUE and help improve tolerance to drought. Our study objective was to identify genetic loci associated with C13 ratio using a diverse set of 205 soybean maturity …

An Integrative Approach Clarifies Species Delimitation And Biogeographic History Of Debregeasia (Urticaceae), Amos Kipkoech, Ke Li, Richard I. Milne, Oyetola Olesegun Oyebanji, Moses C. Wambulwa, Xiao-Gang Fu, Dennis A. Wakhungu, Zheng-Yuan Wu, Jie Liu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Integrative data from plastid and nuclear loci are increasingly utilized to resolve species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within major angiosperm clades. Debregeasia (Urticaceae), an economically important genus, presents challenges in species delimitation due to its overlapping morphological traits and unstable taxonomic assignments. Here, we analyzed 14 morphological traits and generated 12 data matrices from the plastomes and nrDNA using genome skimming from the nine recognized morphospecies to clarify species boundaries and assess barcode performance in Debregeasia. We also used a universal set of 353 nuclear genes to explore reticulate evolution and biogeographic history of Debregeasia. Plastomes of Debregeasia …

Genome-Wide Association Analysis And Genomic Prediction Of Salt Tolerance Trait In Soybean Germplasm, Rongqing Xu, Qing Yang, Zhi Liu, Xiaolai Shi, Xintong Wu, Yuenhan Chen, Xingyu Du, Qiqi Gao, Di He, Ainong Shi, Peijun Tao, Long Yan

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction:

Soybean is an important protein and oil crop, and improving yield has traditionally been a major breeding goal. However, salt stress is an important abiotic factor that can severely impair soybean yield by disrupting metabolic processes, inhibiting photosynthesis, and hindering plant growth, ultimately leading to a decrease in productivity.

Methods:

This study utilized phenotypic and genotypic data from 563 soybean germplasms sourced from over 20 countries. Employing four distinct models—we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using four models, including MLM, MLMM, FarmCPU, and BLINK in GAPIT 3, we conducted a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) to identify single nucleotide …

Identifying Hidden Factors Influencing Soil Olsen-P In An Alkaline Calcareous Soil Using Machine Learning And Geostatistical Techniques, Moussa Bouray, Mohammed Bayad, Adnane Beniaich, Ahmed G. El-Naggar, Rebecca Muenich, Kahlil El Mejahed, Abdallah Oukarroum, Mohamed El Gharous

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is one of the major constraints for sustainable crop production in calcareous soils. This study aimed to elucidate the key soil characteristics modulating the variability of soil Olsen P in these typical soils. A comprehensive soil sampling initiative (1.5 samples per hectare) was conducted on a 100-ha farm, considering 31 attributes that included soil physical and chemical properties, and geographic attributes. Three machine learning algorithms—partial least squares regression (PLSR), random forest (RF), and cubist regression (CR)—were employed to understand key variables controlling soil Olsen P. Furthermore, the same data set was used to spatially map the …

Transitions Into Freezing Environments Linked With Shifts In Phylogenetic Integration Between Vitaceae Leaf Traits, Charles Tomo Parins-Fukuchi, Gregory W. Stull, Jun Wen, Jeremy M. Beaulieu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding how the intrinsic ability of populations and species to meet shifting selective demands shapes evolutionary patterns over both short and long timescales is a major question in biology. One major axis of evolutionary flexibility can be measured by phenotypic integration and modularity. The strength, scale, and structure of integration may constrain or catalyze evolution in the face of new selective pressures. We analyze a dataset of seven leaf measurements across Vitaceae to examine how correlations in trait divergence are linked to transitions between freezing and nonfreezing habitats. We assess this by applying a custom algorithm to compare the timing …

Crosslinked Colloidal Cellulose Nanocrystals And Methods Of Preparation And Use Thereof, Jin-Woo Kim, Joseph N. Batta-Mpouma, Joshua Sakon

Patents Granted

This invention relates generally to covalently crosslinked colloidal cellulose nanocrystals (xCNC) and methods of preparation and use thereof. The colloidal cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are covalently crosslinked in aqueous suspension to generate a network showing tunable physicochemical properties. The xCNC structures are tunable in terms of their physicochemical properties and arrangement within the hydrogel network. The covalent crosslinking of solitary sulfonated (—OSO.sub.3) CNCs can be accomplished without prior hydroxyl replacement or functionalization.

Integrating Ecophysiology And Omics To Unlock Crop Response To Drought And Herbivory Stress, Insha Shafi, Manish Gautam, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Plants are constantly exposed to a diverse spectrum of environmental stressors that typically occur concurrently as multifactorial challenges, both spatially and temporally (Joshi et al., 2024). These stressors include abiotic stresses, such as drought, flooding, salinity, nutrient deficiencies, metal toxicity and extreme temperatures, as well as biotic pressures such as herbivory, pathogen attacks, and inter and intraspecific competition (Porter et al., 2020; González Guzmán et al., 2022). Drought and herbivory are arguably among the most critical factors that limit crop productivity in agricultural settings (Gautam et al., 2024), making it imperative to understand plant responses to their combined effects. …

Electron-Beam-Killed Staphylococcus Vaccine Reduced Lameness In Broiler Chickens, Anna L.F.V. Assumpcao, Komala Arsi, Andi Asnayanti, Khawla Alharbi, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Quentin D. Read, Ruvindu Perera, Abdulkarim Shwani, Amer Abdullah Hasan, Suresh D. Pillai, Robin C. Anderson, Annie M. Donoghue, Douglas D. Rhoads, Palmy R.R. Jesudhasan, Adnan A. Alrubaye

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Broiler chicken lameness caused by bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is presently amongst the most important economic and animal welfare issues faced by the poultry industry, and the estimated economic loss is around USD 150 million. BCO lameness is associated with multiple opportunistic bacterial pathogens inhabiting the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. In cases of immune deficiency resulting from stress, injury, or inflammation of the tissue, opportunistic pathogens, mainly Staphylococcus spp., can infiltrate the respiratory or gastrointestinal mucosa and migrate through the bloodstream to eventually colonize the growth plates of long bones, causing necrosis that leads to lameness. This is the …

Lithicone-Protected Lithium Metal Anodes For Lithium Metal Batteries With Nickel-Rich Cathode Materials, Ridwan A. Ahmed, Kevin V. Carballo, Krishna P. Koirala, Qian Zhao, Peiyuan Gao, Ju-Myung Kim, Cassidy S. Anderson, Xiangbo Meng, Chongmin Wang, Ji-Guang Zhang, Wu Xu

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The high energy density advantage of lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) makes them increasingly desirable; however, problems such as strong reactivity and dendrite growth of Li metal anode limit their practical uses. In this work, a novel Li-containing glycerol (LiGL) or lithicone protection layer on a 50 μm thick Li metal anode is employed for improving the performance of LMBs. This LiGL layer was accurately deposited via a molecular layer deposition (MLD) process at 150°C, using lithium tert-butoxide and glycerol as precursors. The as-formed LiGL coating layer is highly tunable in its thickness by simply adjusting MLD cycles and shows …

Integrating Ecophysiology And Omics To Unlock Crop Response To Drought And Herbivory Stress, Insha Shafi, Manish Gautam, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article is part of the Research Topic: Plant Ecophysiology: Responses to Climate Changes and Stress Conditions

Physiochemical, Bio, Thermal, And Non-Thermal Processing Of Major And Minor Millets: A Comprehensive Review On Antinutritional And Antioxidant Properties, Suhan Bheemaiah Balyatanda, N.A. Nanje Gowda, Jeyamkondan Subbiah, Snehasis Chakraborty, P.V. Vara Prasad, Kaliramesh Siliveru

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Millets are recognized as future foods due to their abundant nutrition and resilience, increasing their value on the global stage. Millets possess a broad spectrum of nutrients, antinutrients, and antioxidants, making it imperative to understand the effects of various processing methods on these components. Antinutritional factors interfere with the digestibility of macro-nutrients and the bioavailability and bio accessibility of minerals. This necessitates methods to reduce or eliminate antinutrients while improving nutritive and antioxidant value in food. This review aims to elucidate the rationale behind processing choices by evaluating the scientific literature and examining the mechanisms of processing methods, categorized as …

A Liquid Crystal-Based Biomaterial Platform For Rapid Sensing Of Heat Stress Using Machine Learning, Prateek Verma, Elizabeth Adeogun, Elizabeth S. Greene, Sami Dridi, Ukash Nakarmi, Karthik Nayani

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Novel biomaterials that bridge the knowledge gap in coupling molecular/protein signatures of disease/stress with rapid readouts are a critical need of society. One such scenario is an imbalance between bodily heat production and heat dissipation which leads to heat stress in organisms. In addition to diminished animal well-being, heat stress is detrimental to the poultry industry as poultry entails fast growth and high yields, resulting in greater metabolic activity and higher body heat production. When stressed, cells overexpress heat shock proteins (such as HSP70, a well-established intracellular stress indicator) and may undergo changes in their mechanical properties. Liquid crystals (LCs, …

Advancing Crispr-Based Solutions For Covid-19 Diagnosis And Therapeutics, Roaa Hadi, Abhishek Poddar, Shivakuma Sonnaila, Venkata Suryanarayana Murthy Bhavaraju, Shilpi Agrawal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of diagnostic approaches, including RT-qPCR, RAPID, and LFA, have been adopted, with RT-qPCR emerging as the gold standard. However, a significant challenge in COVID-19 diagnostics is the wide range of symptoms presented by patients, necessitating early and accurate diagnosis for effective management. Although RT-qPCR is a precise molecular technique, it is not immune to false-negative results. In contrast, CRISPR-based detection methods for SARS-CoV-2 offer several advantages: they are cost-effective, time-efficient, highly sensitive, and specific, and they do not require sophisticated instruments. These methods also show promise for scalability, enabling diagnostic tests. …

Molecular Dynamics Investigation Of The Influenza Hemagglutinin Conformational Changes In Acidic Ph, Shadi A. Badiee, Vivek Govind Kumar, Mahmoud Moradi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The surface protein hemagglutinin (HA) of the influenza virus plays a pivotal role in facilitating viral infection by binding to sialic acid receptors on host cells. Its conformational state is pH-sensitive, impacting its receptor-binding ability and evasion of the host immune response. In this study, we conducted extensive equilibrium microsecond-level all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the HA protein to explore the influence of low pH on its conformational dynamics. Specifically, we investigated the impact of protonation on conserved histidine residues (H106₂) located in the hinge region of HA2. Our analysis encompassed comparisons between nonprotonated (NP), partially protonated …