Digital Commons Network^™

Parent Management Training In Primary Care: Feasibility, Acceptability, And Preliminary Results, Debbie Gomez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the notion that brief interventions delivered in primary care can lead to positive outcomes in children with externalizing behavior problems. Study aims explored behavioral problem prevalence, whether caregivers found it acceptable to receive brief behavioral interventions following routine pediatric visits for identified behavioral problems, and whether it was feasible to deliver same-day services in a primary care setting. Additionally, preliminary data were provided regarding a small N randomized control trial conducted in a primary care setting. The trial utilized either a one-session intervention comprised of evidence-based Parent Management Training components or a supportive therapy intervention for children …

Influence Of Steroids And Gonadotropins On Reproduction In Beef Cattle, Thomas L. Devine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the influence of steroids and gonadotropins on reproduction in beef cattle. In experiment 1, beef heifers were used to determine the influence of growth-promoting implants on growth, reproductive development, estrous behavior, and pregnancy rate. Heifers were assigned to 1 of 4 implant treatment groups: control (CON); trenbolone acetate (TBA); trenbolone acetate plus estradiol (TBA+E2) or zeranol (ZER). Heifers were implanted once, A.I. and exposed to bull during this experiment. Body weight, BCS, HH, RTS, estrous behavior and pregnancy data were collected throughout this experiment. Average daily gain of heifers was greater for …

Balance And Power In Older Adults With And Without A History Of Falls, Stephanie Michelle Gray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to observe the differences between power and balance in older adults over the age of 65 with and without falls. A total of 62 community dwelling older adults between the ages of 65 and 92 participated in the study. Two groups consisted of 25 fallers and 37 non-fallers. No statistical differences were found between groups on age, height, weight, or BMI. Testing included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to test balance, the Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer (TWA) during a sit-to-stand to test lower body power, and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) to …

Evaluating Green Stink Bug Damage And Insect Abundance In Edamame, Benjamin Carroll Thrash

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Edamame are an emerging crop in Arkansas, with 2013 planting estimates at 680 hectares. Although edamame are the same species as conventional soybeans grown in Arkansas, differences in use, maturity, and harvest may require creation and implementation of insect pest management approaches that differ from those used in conventional soybean production systems in order for a quality crop to be produced. Studies were conducted to determine a green stink bug damage-density relationship for edamame. Cages were used to confine green stink bugs on field-planted edamame at densities of 0, 2, 6, or 12 green stink bugs per cage (0, 0.55, …

The Effect Of Leucine Supplementation On Biomarkers Of Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Protein Synthesis In Soleus Muscle Of Rats Fed A High-Fat Diet, Gina Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a contributing factor to the advancement of various diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Impairment in mitochondria brings about a diminished mitochondrial number and oxidative capacity. Leucine is known to stimulate muscle protein synthesis through transcription and translation of nuclear DNA leading to increases in mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. However, the effects of leucine on anabolic factors of the mitochondrial genome, during catabolic conditions are not known. PURPOSE: To determine if leucine supplementation alters the negative effects of a high fat (60%) diet (HFD) on the mitochondrial genome by measuring the gene expression of …

Tall Tales: Editing Autobiographical Memories, Holly Elizabeth Cole

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The impact of exaggerating when sharing an autobiographical memory with another person was investigated. Literature indicates that sharing an autobiographical memory serves a social function. However no research has investigated the impact that exaggerating when sharing specific memories has on this function. Research on lying suggests that deviating from the truth would cause the listener to like the speaker less. Research on what makes a good story indicates deviating from the truth could enhance the social benefits of sharing specific autobiographical memories by increasing the quality of the story. In Study 1, participants read scenarios of a person telling a …

Correlated Response To Selection And Effects Of Pre-Slaughter Environment On Meat Quality In Broilers Divergently Selected For Muscle Color, Isaac David Harford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two broiler lines divergently selected for high (HMC) and low (LMC) muscle lightness (L*) were formed from a random bred control line (RBC). After eight generations of selection, three experimental trials were conducted to investigate the correlated response to selection and effects of pre-slaughter environment on meat quality in all three lines.

In the first experiment, a total of 100 birds from each line were bled for blood chemistry analysis and were evaluated for meat quality the following day. The HMC line had higher fillet drip loss (DL), L*, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H:L), and platelet count (Plt), and lower …

Paws In Prison: A Second Chance, Tiffany King

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The documentary film Paws in Prison: A Second Chance takes an in-depth look at a program that has been incorporated in seven Arkansas prisons since 2011. Select inmates housed in these prisons are chosen to learn how to become dog trainers during their sentences. They spend 24 hours a day with dogs that were rescued from shelters where they may have been euthanized. This project incorporates interviews with inmates in the Paws in Prison program, wardens at the Maximum Security Unit and the Tucker Unit, and volunteers who spend time teaching inmates how to train and socialize their dogs. The …

Effects Of Large Scale Growing Season Prescribed Burns On Movement, Habitat Use, Productivity, And Survival Of Female Wild Turkey On The White Rock Ecosystem Restoration Project Of The Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Henry Tyler Pittman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Restoration of woodland and savanna ecosystems has become a common management strategy in the Central Hardwoods region. Over the past two decades forest managers have implemented woodland and savanna restoration at the landscape level (≥10,000 ha), especially using early growing season prescribed fire. The implementation of the restoration strategy has coincided with declines of Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in many treated areas causing concern that early growing season prescribed fire was impacting wild turkey. We initiated our study to examine the effect of woodland and savanna restoration on the ecology and habitat of wild turkey in the Ozark …

Time-Space Analysis Of Terrorist Planning Cycles, Michael Stephen Gerald Eastham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Terrorism is among the largest threats to national and international security in today's global community. Acts of terrorism have resulted economic and societal impacts throughout the world. Improvements in technology have increased the capacity of terrorists to maximize the impact of their actions. The increasing influence and prevalence of terrorist activity has demanded research focused on the prevention of terrorist acts. A known method of terrorism prevention is uncovering a plot during its planning and preparation phase. Terrorist planning can be evaluated based on how actors move through space and time prior to the execution of their attack. General patterns …

Essays In Pro-Social Behavior, Joshua R. Foster

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines individuals' actions to improve social outcomes when unrecoverable investments are necessary. Situations involving non-pecuniary and pecuniary investments are considered. In the former, the prerequisite of real effort - a non-pecuniary, unrecoverable investment - is examined when said effort determines an individual's ability to procure their preferred social outcome. Theoretical predictions over an individual's effort provision are based on their revealed preferences for the social distribution of wealth according to the general axiom of revealed preference (GARP). Laboratory experiments reveal that individuals' effort provisions do not support the assumption of stable preferences (transitivity) of wealth distribution. Specifically, individuals …

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci / Genes For Low-Stachyose And High-Sucrose Content In Soybean Seeds, Sandra Liliana Florez Palacios

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Seed carbohydrate content is an important aspect in breeding for food-grade soybeans commercialized in the soyfood market. Sucrose and stachyose are the primary carbohydrates in soybean seed. Sucrose affects the quality and taste of various soyfoods such as tofu, soymilk, and natto; however, consumption of soy-based products with high stachyose concentrations can cause diarrhea and flatulence. A mutant line (V99-5089) with high-sucrose and low-stachyose has been identified. The objectives of this research were: 1) to identify sucrose QTLs in a F2-derived mapping population; 2) to investigate the genetic relationship between two low-stachyose sources, V99-5089 and the germplasm line PI200508; and …

Millennial Alumni Perceptions Of Communications Media Utilized By The Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences, Amanda Nicole Anthony

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alumni relationship cultivation serves as the foundation of higher education and must be maintained to keep graduates and alma maters connected. To evaluate the success of communications media in reaching recent graduates, classified as Millennials, this study sought to determine Millennial alumni perceptions of media distributed by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (Bumpers College) from 2012 through 2014. Assessed communications media included The Graduate and AR Culture magazines, The Graduate e-newsletter, tailgate and mocktail party invitations, College website, and social media presences. Active and inactive Millennial alumni (N = 20) responses were gathered through …

Liminal River: Art, Agency And Cultural Transformation Along The Protohistoric Arkansas River, Leslie Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For nearly a century, ceramic vessels looted from Protohistoric Native American Graves in the Central Arkansas River Valley have raised questions about the ethnic identity of the inhabitants of the region and their relationship to their neighbors in time and space. This analysis combines careful documentation of 1198 of these vessels with excavated sherds and other data from the Carden Bottoms site (3YE0025) and adjacent rock art sites in the Arkansas River Valley to provide a context for these vessels and, in so doing, defines the Dardenne Style of artistic production. Comparing motifs, and the manner in which they are …

Identification And Development Of The Support Needs In Nematology For Arkansas Cooperative Extension Personnel, Mia Gentry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

County extension agents are vital to the land-grant university system and are responsible for transferring current, research-based knowledge from the university to the community. In-service training allows agents the means to maintain a current, sound knowledge base. Needs identified by leading nematologists led the researcher of this study to assess if nematology education was a topic that warranted in-service training development for Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents. The researcher also assessed agents' comfort level with job related technology. Of the respondents, 67% identified general knowledge of plant parasitic nematodes necessary to meet the needs of their clientele. Findings from …

A Mixed Methods Approach Of Communication Campaign Development And Assessment: Identifying The Needs Of An Audience And Determining The Value In Evaluation, Tara Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The two articles presented in this thesis used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine two distinct stages of communication campaigns: research and evaluation. In the quantitative study, students (n = 440) at the University of Arkansas were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC), water resources, and water issues. A questionnaire was developed from an existing instrument, reviewed by a panel of experts, pilot tested, and revised. The researchers found participants were most aware (M = 3.23, SD = 1.14), concerned (M = 4.07, SD = 0.86), and interested (M = 4.10, SD …

Tempo And Mode Of Domestication During The Neolithic Revolution: Evidence From Dental Mesowear And Microwear Of Sheep, Melissa Zolnierz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Neolithic Revolution marked a dramatic change in human subsistence practices. In order to explain this change, we must understand the motive forces behind it. Researchers have proposed many different stimuli, with most theories invoking environmental dynamics, human population density increases beyond environmental carrying capacity, and the natural outgrowth of human and plant/animal interactions. However, unanswered questions remain concerning the mechanics of animal domestication. Traditional studies of changing faunal morphology and skeletal population profiles offer some clues, but such research has had limited success identifying stages intermediate between wild and domesticated forms, which makes it difficult to discern initial attempts …

Impedance Biosensors For The Rapid Detection Of Viral And Bacterial Pathogens Using Avian Influenza Virus Subtypes H5n1 And H7n2 And Escherichia Coli O157:H7 As Model Targets, Jacob David Lum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated impedance biosensors for the rapid detection of viral and bacterial pathogens using avian influenza virus (AIV) subtypes H5N1 and H7N2 and Escherichia coli O157:H7 as the model targets, which were chosen due to their impact on the agricultural and food industries. For the detection of AIV H7N2, a single stranded DNA aptamer was selected using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). The selected aptamer and a previously selected aptamer against AIV H5N1 were used in a microfluidics chip with an embedded interdigitated array microelectrode to fabricate an impedance biosensor for specific detection of AIV H7N2 …

3-D Morphometric Analysis Of The Primate Elbow Joint, Seth Brockman Boren

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Large body size requires limb joints capable of supporting said weight, and a species exhibiting sexual size dimorphism may necessitate joint size differences between the sexes of the species. If habitual behavior differs with body size, one may expect to see significant variation in joint morphology between species and the sexes within species. The following analysis tests two hypotheses: (1) that significant differences in joint size between males and females correlate with the magnitude of sexual dimorphism and (2) that there is significant interspecific variance in joint shape between males and females of the same species. The first hypothesis is …

Construction Of 3d Biomimetic Tissue Niches For Directing Pancreatic Lineage Differentiation Of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Weiwei Wang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to differentiate into insulin producing beta cells offers great hope for cell-based therapy for diabetes treatment. However, in vitro pancreatic differentiation of hESCs remains challenging. In the past decade, most protocols for differentiating pancreatic cells have been focused on the use of signaling molecule cocktails on 2D substrates. Studies on embryonic development biology strongly suggest that extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role on hESCs behavior. In this work, we first established a 3D collagen scaffold culture system for hESCs differentiating into definitive endoderm (DE), which is the first and most important …

How Microlending Affects Innovation And Entrepreneurship: Evidence From Ethiopia, Robert Hirth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advocates of microlending suggest it is a sustainable intervention that reaches the poor directly and offers them the means to invest and improve their incomes (Khavul, 2010; Morduch, 1999; Yunus, 2007); yet, impact studies of these interventions have suggested they often have little or even a detrimental impact on borrowers (Van Rooyen, Stewart & De Wet, 2012). This dissertation examines the efforts to promote entrepreneurship and alleviate poverty in developing countries through microlending. I begin by reviewing the microlending literature, and in particular, impact studies of the effect microlending is having in developing countries. Next, I review theory and empirical …

Overcoming Roadblocks In Introducing Virtual World Technology To High Schools, Casey Dylan Bailey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The EAST (Environmental And Spatial Technology) Initiative is a non-profit educational organization that provides students in over two hundred schools in eight states with access to advanced computing technologies for the purpose of enabling students to develop technical skills early and to produce solutions to local community problems. Although many high-end technologies are available through EAST, they are desktop solutions that individual students use and there are none that enable students within a school or between schools to collaborate.

This thesis is a saga that documents the identification and removal of many roadblocks to introducing a 3D multi-user virtual simulation …

Software Porting Of A 3d Reconstruction Algorithm To Razorcam Embedded System On Chip, Kevin Curtis Gunn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A method is presented to calculate depth information for a UAV navigation system from Keypoints in two consecutive image frames using a monocular camera sensor as input and the OpenCV library. This method was first implemented in software and run on a general-purpose Intel CPU, then ported to the RazorCam Embedded Smart-Camera System and run on an ARM CPU onboard the Xilinx Zynq-7000. The results of performance and accuracy testing of the software implementation are then shown and analyzed, demonstrating a successful port of the software to the RazorCam embedded system on chip that could potentially be used onboard a …

Essays On Smallholder Farmers In Jamaica: Context-Specific Evidence For Food Security Policymaking, Deborah Evadne Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of three essays that examined the experiences and welfare of traditional food crop farmers in Western Jamaica. It systematically analyses the interplay between smallholder farmers and often overlooked variables in society. The study used qualitative interviewing, field observations and discourse analysis techniques to generate context-specific evidence for food security policymaking.

The first essay examined smallholder farmers' motives for farming. This formed the basis for a farmer typology that provides a portrait of the participants, and was used to inform findings in subsequent essays in this dissertation. The theory of planned behavior provided the conceptual grounding and …

A Novel Cell Based Assay For Mmp Inhibitor Screening, Pantrika Krisanarungson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Up to date, a plethora of protein based materials are used as implants to stimulate tissue regeneration or fillers to alleviate tissue or organ impairment. This includes glottal insufficiency, urinary bladder incontinence and especially in cosmetic industrial to improve facial contour. Once in vivo, protein-based materials are decomposed by cell secreted matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and lose their volume within months. By introducing MMP inhibitor (MMPI), the extent of material degradation over time may be reduced. In this dissertation, the development of cell-based assay capable of identifying MMPI candidates for protein-based implant lifetime prolongation is described. To visualize the degradation, DQ-gelatin, …

Ethnocultural Differences In Motivations For Sex, Arthur Robert Andrews Iii

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Motivations for sex are numerous and varied (Browning, 2004; Meston & Buss, 2007). Using exploratory factor analytic methods, 21 theoretically distinct motivations have been proposed (Browning, 2004; Meston & Buss, 2007). A comprehensive number of motivations for sex has yet to be examined with confirmatory techniques. Theoretical work related to the treatment of sexual dysfunction has suggested that motivations focused on individual and partner pleasure would positively relate to sexual functioning (e.g., Leiblum & Rosen, 1992). Motivations for sex also appear to vary as a function of ethnocultural factors, as some motivations have only been uncovered utilizing qualitative methods with …

Biology And Control Of Rice False Smut Caused By Ustilaginoidea Virens (Teleomorph Villosiclava Virens), Andrew Clayton Jecmen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice false smut (FS), a disease caused by Ustilaginoidea virens (Cke.) Takahashi (1896), was first reported in northeastern Arkansas counties in 1997. The first objective of this research was to establish a collection of U. virens isolates from geographically diverse regions of Arkansas. Three U. virens isolates and chlamydospores from `Templeton' and `Clearfield-151' rice cultivars were used to determine the effects of temperature and pH on mycelial growth and germination. A nested-PCR protocol and histological methods were used to determine if U. virens infects and colonizes rice seedlings and spikelets on panicles. The sensitivity of three U. virens isolates was …

Rapid Condition Assessment Of Bridges By Falling Weight Deflectometer, Jeremy David Rawn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of using a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) as an impact source to rapidly assess the condition of an in service bridge through the evaluation of its modal properties. Tests were conducted on two bridges, a Parker Pony Truss and a modern concrete deck on rolled steel beam bridge. Two full tests were performed on these structures with a hand held impact hammer and a falling weight deflectometer as sources for excitation. The advantage of using a FWD is that many transportation agencies already use these machines for pavement testing and …

Taxonomic And Seasonal Variation Among Extant Hyracoids Based On Dental Microwear Texture Analysis, Ann Marie Walcutt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A number of works have been published on habitats and diets of living hyraxes but much remains to be learned about the paleoenvironment contexts of the much larger, more dominant but now extinct forms of the order. Here, I analyze the dental microwear of modern hyraxes to assess dietary and ecological relationships among the four extant species of Procaviidae: Heterohyrax brucei, Procavia capensis, Dendrohyrax arboreus, and Dendrohyrax dorsalis. The purpose of this study was to establish an extant baseline series for the interpretation of microwear texture patterns, and inference of diets, of extinct members of the …

Health, Nutrition, And Disease In Rural Northern Jordan: A Study Of Enamel Defects Related To Childhood Stress In Skeletal Samples From The Bronze Age To The Byzantine Period, Teresa Veronica Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Northern Jordan has seen periods of climate change, political transformation, and economic prosperity between the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Byzantine period. This research tests the assumption that the rural agricultural communities of this region were undernourished by examining the dentition for periodic childhood stress. Canine teeth from five sites (Ya'amun, Sa'ad, Yasileh, Natfieh, and Waqqas) that covered the time periods in question were collected to study overall quality of life.

The teeth were thin-sectioned and examined under a light microscope. Digital micrographs were made of the thin-sectioned teeth in order to record the number and location …