Digital Commons Network^™

Influence Of Smartphone Notifications On Behavior And Eye Movement Parameters Of Emotional Attention, Joshua Daniel Upshaw

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how smartphone notifications interact with emotional facial expressions to influence behavioral and physiological eye movement parameters of attentional orientation. Using a dot-probe paradigm, participants viewed mixed emotional face pairs (angry, happy, or neutral) following an auditory stimulus (smartphone notifications, control tones, or silence). Angry faces elicited greater behavioral accuracy and delayed initial fixations, consistent with heightened threat-related attentional engagement. Notifications disrupted attentional stability, reflected in increased fixations and pupil size variability. The combined effect of smartphone notifications preceding angry faces intensified attentional modulation—evidenced by slower responses, increased blinking, greater pupil constriction, less pupil variability, and faster initial …

Literary Postcritique And American Transcendentalism: Helping Students Practice Community-Building By Rewilding Literature In The Classroom, Tate Aldrich

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literary postcritique is an emergent theoretical approach to literature that has elicited skepticism among many in academia because of its central claim that their unchecked overreliance on suspicious and symptomatic reading styles is diminishing the pedagogical potential of our reading together. To restore this potential, Rita Felski, a champion of literary postcritique, suggests adopting an aesthetic reading style, a mid-level interpretation that neither indulges in the formalists’ habits of close scrutiny nor in the cultural critics’ wider lens of political and social contexts. In The Limits of Critique and Hooked, Felski argues that an aesthetic reading style can develop …

Investigating Evolution Through The Lens Of Ai-Driven Protein Exploration And Phylogenetic Modeling, Mataya Duncan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in computational biology, artificial intelligence, and sequencing technologies have enabled new perspectives for addressing longstanding questions in evolutionary biology. Increased computational power has made large-scale simulations feasible for investigating diverse aspects of evolutionary and phylogenetic modeling. Similarly, deep learning algorithms now allow for the prediction of reasonably accurate tertiary protein structures, unlocking the potential for investigating diversity and evolution of protein structure across a broad range of organisms. This thesis presents two studies that target different aspects of evolutionary inference from unique perspectives. Yet, the share an overarching goal of presenting new perspectives on the evolutionary basis of …

Victims Of Stage And Screen: Parasocial Savior Rhetoric And Coded Social Critique At The Convergence Of Celebrity & Conspiracy Cultures, Amy Whiteside

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis offers a critical rhetorical analysis of what I term parasocial savior conspiracy theories , a unique genre of conspiracy narrative that portrays a public figure as victimized and allows their fans to step into a savior role through their advancement of the conspiracy theory. These narratives, I argue, are both catalyzed by and further insulative to a fan’s parasocial relationship with the public figure in question. Herein, the celebrity acts as a vessel of projection for their fans’ anxieties about control, allowing them to displace their agency panic onto a beloved external party and critique factors that seem …

Implications Of Acetylation And Phosphorylation On Metabolic Enzymes, Nour Fatema

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

All living things depend on glycolysis and the TCA cycle for energy production and metabolic control. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as acetylation and phosphorylation, which can change enzyme activity, substrate binding, and overall metabolic balance, tightly regulate these pathways. Diseases like cancer and metabolic problems are associated with disruptions in these alterations.

Serine phosphorylation and lysine acetylation are two of the many PTMs that are evolutionarily conserved processes that alter protein function. Previously thought to be a static histone alteration, acetylation is now understood to be a dynamic regulator of metabolic enzymes that modifies contacts, charge, and conformation. In response …

Survival Signature Estimation Using Optimization And Monte-Carlo Simulation For K ≥ 3 Classes Of Nodes On Two-Terminal Networks, Md Sazid Rahman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research develops an efficient approach to estimating survival signatures for two-terminal networks with more than two classes of components. Recently, the survival signature has gained substantial attention in the literature on network reliability estimation due to its unique separability property, which enables passing the network topology information independent of the failure distribution of the components. Following recent results from the literature, estimating the two-terminal survival signature by Monte Carlo simulation entails solving a multi-objective maximum capacity path problem on a two-terminal network in each replication. We adapt a multi-objective Dijkstra’s algorithm from the literature to construct the set of …

Quick Response Codes In Extension Outreach Communications: Insights From A Visual Content Analysis And Educators’ Perceptions, Kobina Danful Fanyinkah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increased smartphone use presents an opportunity to enhance the creative inclusion of Quick Response (QR) codes in extension outreach efforts. Tailoring extension programs to communicate with specific audiences has been identified as essential, highlighting the need for targeted and context-specific strategies. The development of QR code technology has provided a unique approach that allows extension professionals to target clientele with specific extension messages and programs. While extension has a commendable record in educational delivery through traditional forms of outreach, research on how best to employ digital tools with extension audiences is thin at best. Though the rising popularity of QR …

Exploring The Role Of Influencer Marketing In The Animal Health Industry: A Content Analysis Of Strategies And Impact, Haylee Henry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A review of literature revealed a lack of peer-reviewed research on influencer marketing within the animal health and nutrition industry, specifically within the livestock sector. This study aimed to address this gap by analyzing how animal health and nutrition companies of different sizes utilized influencer marketing and how consumers interacted with content tailored to influencer marketing. A content analysis was conducted. This study collected and analyzed social media influencer posts from eight North American animal health and nutrition companies, three small, three medium, and two large, between January 2023 and December 2024. Influencer content included posts by individuals, partner organizations, …

The Evolving Changes In The Regionalization Of Export Bans On U.S. Poultry Trade From The 2015 And 2022 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Events, Kylie A. Roesler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As food security becomes a growing concern worldwide in a trading system dominated by globalization, the safeguarding of a bio-secure food system is at risk. One of the greatest risks to this stability of the system is, highly pathogenic avian influenza or HPAI which is growing in frequency and impact. Therefore, the global response to disease events is evolving into a newfound understanding of disease prevalence across the animal protein industries. This study will analyze the 2022 HPAI event in the United States regarding the regionalization of restrictions imposed by trading partners accounting for trade agreements executed. The examination of …

Physiological And Molecular Responses Of Diverse Rice Genotypes Under Drought Stress, Huda Mohmmed Alshaya

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change-induced drought stress is a significant constraint on global rice (Oryza sativa L.) production, threatening food security. This study evaluated the drought resilience of 15 diverse rice genotypes from the USDA mini-core collection under field, greenhouse, and osmotic stress conditions. Field trials assessed reproductive-stage drought tolerance based on panicle length (PL), number of spikelets per panicle (NSP), and spikelet sterility (SS). Greenhouse experiments examined moisture retention at the vegetative stage. Significant genotypic variation was observed, with genotypes 310724, 310779, 311181, 311603, 311793, and Vandana exhibiting drought tolerance through stable PL and SS. Additionally, genotypes 310100, 310428, 311255, N22, …

Women’S Participation In Homegrown And Domestic Terrorism Plots, Caroline Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The 21^st century ushered in major social, political, and cultural changes in the United States, including a new era of homeland security and new forms of domestic terrorism. Little is known about how such shifts may have impacted women’s participation in terrorism plots. In response, data from the American Terrorism Study (ATS) are used to comparatively examine the involvement of women in homegrown and domestic terrorism plots before and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Findings of similarities and differences in women’s involvement in terrorism across time periods are presented and contextualized.

Lgbtq+ Childhood Abuse, Reporting, & Parental Rights, Meagan Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate LGBTQ+ childhood maltreatment, its reporting generally, and the impact of religion on reporting. It was hypothesized that LGBTQ+ youth will experience more maltreatment than their non-LGBTQ+ peers; among those who experienced maltreatment, LGBTQ+ youth will be less likely to receive help or have reports made; and those from more religious families will be less likely to have received help or had their maltreatment reported. A sample of individuals between the ages of 18 and 35, currently living in the states of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma, or Texas, was recruited to complete a cross-sectional survey. …

Examining The Impact Of The Executive Healthcare Leadership Institute On Faculty Readiness To Lead, Blythe Eggleston

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Americans living in rural communities face significantly poorer health outcomes compared to those in urban areas. Academic medical centers (AMCs), such as the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), play a critical role in addressing these disparities by incorporating rural health improvement into their mission. UAMS has committed to mitigating adverse health outcomes through targeted initiatives. However, AMCs operate within highly complex environments, balancing their tripartite mission of teaching, research, and clinical care, which demands exceptional leadership. These institutions also face unique organizational and economic challenges, compounded by personal and professional pressures on faculty members. To enhance leadership capacity …

The Uneven Disruptions Covid-19 Caused To Scholars’ Publication: A Preregistered Study, Marco De Prosperis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This proposed, preregistered study investigates the uneven impacts of COVID-19 on scholarly productivity among University of Arkansas faculty, focusing on how demographic and professional factors—such as gender, ethnicity, academic rank, tenure status, field of study, and the presence of children—may have moderated productivity during the pandemic. Utilizing a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, this research will collect data from 160 full-time faculty members through an online survey. Grounded in Role Theory, the study will examine role conflict and enrichment as faculty navigated shifting responsibilities in research, teaching, and caregiving during remote work. This study is particularly relevant as many assistant professors who …

In Vitro Investigation Of Macrophage Functional And Metabolic Modulation, Shelby Nicole Bess

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Macrophages are a subset of immune cells with a variety of functions that are abundant in numerous tumor types such as colorectal and breast cancer. It has been suggested that macrophages may serve an important function as immune mediators in tumor behavior; however, macrophage activity is complex and remains not completely understood. The overall goal of this dissertation was to explore and exploit tumor-associated macrophage phagocytic function and the changes in their interactions with cancer cells in an in vitro mouse model and in 2D and 3D in vitro culture models. First, we wanted to better understand macrophage behavior under …

Vision-Based Multimodal Frameworks For Human Behavioral Analysis: Applications In Group Activity Understanding And Public Health, Naga Venkata Sai Raviteja Chappa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Group Activity Recognition (GAR) has emerged as a crucial problem in computer vision, with wide-ranging applications in sports analysis, video surveillance, and social scene understanding. Unlike traditional action recognition focused on individuals, GAR requires understanding complex spatiotemporal relationships between multiple actors, their interactions, and the broader context in which these activities occur. This complexity introduces unique challenges, including the need for accurate actor localization, modeling of inter-actor dependencies, and understanding of temporal evolution in group behaviors. While recent advances have shown promise, existing approaches often rely heavily on extensive annotations such as ground-truth bounding boxes and action labels, creating significant …

Quantifying The Effects Of Urbanization On Stream Nutrient Loads And Decomposition, Caroline Anscombe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urban stream syndrome (USS) refers to the common symptoms of degradation in urban streams globally. Two symptoms of USS are increased nutrient and salt concentrations in streams, affecting ecosystem structure and function. Excess nutrients negatively impact freshwater ecosystems, placing downstream habitats at risk of eutrophication and harmful algal blooms. Excess salt runoff, derived from road salt application, is toxic to freshwater organisms and affects leaf litter decomposition, the base of aquatic food webs. Here, I aimed to quantify the effects of nutrient pollution and salinization on urban water quality and ecosystem function. Despite the widespread consequences of nutrient pollution, most …

Exploring Latent Mediation Through Bayesian Regularization Methods Of Lasso, Ridge, Horseshoe, Spike-And-Slab, Ethan Harris

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Regularization is a powerful tool to combat overfitting and drive sparsity in complex models. Regularization was initially applied in regression modeling but has been increasingly utilized in structural equation modeling where its utility in identifying the essential components has helped improve modeling. As structural equation models have increased in complexity both in the number of indicators but also the number of latent factors, researchers have begun to investigate how applying Bayesian regularization to these systems can further push the limits on modeling complex models with limited sample sizes. One area where research is limited is the application of Bayesian regularizations …

Achieving Flexible Fairness And Privacy In Federated Learning, Alycia N. Carey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Having access to large, high-quality datasets is crucial for training machine learning models that achieve satisfactory performance. Unfortunately, it is common that a single entity (e.g., mobile device or organization) does not have access to such datasets due to monetary or resource constraints. Traditional machine learning requires that all training data reside in a centralized location during the entire duration of model training, however, in many circumstances it is difficult or even impossible (e.g., due to governmental regulations) for multiple parties to combine their data to meet this constraint. Federated learning is a machine learning paradigm that facilitates the joint …

Identifying Predictors Of Student Success During Occupational Therapy Level Ii Fieldwork, Melissa R. Foster

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The training paradigm for new occupational therapy (OT) practitioners includes both didactic classroom learning and clinical fieldwork experiences in order for them to establish clinical competency. However, many students struggle with the theory-to-practice gap of translating classroom knowledge to clinical experiences. When students struggle in this manner, it causes stress for all stakeholders involved, including the fieldwork educator, clinic managers, OT program faculty, as well as the student.

This study aims to avoid this stress by identifying predictors of student success by analyzing data from recent graduates of the University of Arkansas/University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences OT program through …

An Instructional Remodel: How Adopting A Unifying Model-Of-Instruction Impacted Teacher Self-Efficacy And Teacher Development And Evaluation Efforts In A Midwestern High School, Charles D. Patterson Carpenter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study sought to determine the effect of adopting a unifying model-of-instruction on teacher self-efficacy and the development and evaluation processes of administrators. By assessing the level of teacher self-efficacy (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001) in the nascent stages of the instructional model’s implementation, then reassessing it after a multiple-month sequence of professional learning, the researcher provides a judgment on statistical significance concerning the two measurements and conjectures the extent to which the instructional model impacted any differences in self-efficacy levels. Using two separate “before and after” interviews with purposefully selected administrators, the researcher explored how the unification of …

Crispr-Cas9 Integration Of Salmon Elovl2 In Zebrafish Enhances Lc-Pufa Biosynthesis And Growth Across Diets, Waleed Sami J. Al-Bachry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fish are a rich source of EPA and DHA, which are well-known long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). The sustainable production of these essential fatty acids poses significant challenges, mainly due to our dependence on marine fish and certain nuts. CRISPR-Cas system was utilized to insert the elongation of long-chain fatty acids-like2 (Elovl2) gene from Salmo salar into Danio rerio. Elovl2 was introduced at 10-15-minute post-fertilization, and successful integration confirmed by PCR genotyping, sequencing and expression of EGFP. Approximately 67% of injected embryos successfully exhibited EGFP and sequence results verified the gene integration of Salmo salar Elovl2 at the first start …

Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of Corrective And Developmental Feedback For Teachers, John Kimball Emett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores why the current structures of systematic, comprehensive, instrument-driven, and inter-rater reliable teacher evaluation may oversimplify the multi-dimensionality of teaching and minimize practitioner voices in the field. A framework for teaching complexity is presented with descriptions of effective school culture and connectivity, educator well-being, connected relationships, reflection for continual improvement, and positive learning environments. Through a mixed method, bounded multiple case study, and descriptive survey research, I sought to understand principal and teacher perceptions along inquiry lines of feedback going well and not going well in both corrective and developmental settings. I probed reflexively with purposive sampling, five …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Postsecondary Education And Earnings In The Architectural Woodworking Industry, Christopher J. Wernimont

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The architectural woodworking industry offers a potential option to job seekers who are looking for alternatives to a formal 4-year postsecondary education. This preregistered quantitative study explores the relationship between postsecondary education and earnings for employees within the architectural woodworking industry. Framed by Human Capital Theory, the research investigates three questions: (1) do postsecondary credentials account for additional variance in income within the industry, (2) is the relationship between postsecondary education and income moderated by whether the credential is related to woodworking, and (3) do individuals with specific types of postsecondary credentials earn higher incomes than those without postsecondary credentials? …

Design And Implementation Of Asynchronous Communication In Multi-Chiplet Systems: A Comparative Study Of Pseudo-Crossbar And Bus Architectures, Matthew Clemence

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

System-on-Chip (SoC) complexity continues to present challenges in global clock distribution and power management. The Globally Asynchronous Locally Synchronous (GALS) approach addresses these issues by enabling asynchronous communication between locally synchronous chiplets. This thesis details the design and implementation of two GALS architectures employing asynchronous handshaking protocols through Multi-Threshold CMOS NULL Convention Logic (MTNCL). The first architecture, a pseudo-crossbar, uses arbiters and multiplexers/demultiplexers (MUX/DEMUX) for prioritized and dynamic communication between chiplets. The second, a bus-based approach, employs D-latches to manage communication sequentially with predetermined interrupts. This research explores the detailed implementation, functional distinctions, scalability, and integration trade-offs inherent to each …

Exploring The Relationship Between Novice Teacher Autonomy And Workplace Engagement, Burnout, And Intentions To Remain In The Teaching Profession, Bryce Bennett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Administrators and experienced faculty frequently disagree on the degree of autonomy that should exist for classroom teachers. Administrators seeking to make adjustments to the levels of autonomy experienced by their teachers may struggle to account for differences between novice teachers and their more seasoned counterparts. This study applies researched-based models for exploring the relationship between various job resources and demands and their ultimate impact on workers. A mixed method designed employing a survey across three large school districts in Arkansas asked participants questions intended to uncover the degree of autonomy novice teachers typically experience, levels of burnout & workplace engagement, …

Gender Craze: Framing Policy Discrimination Against Transgender Students In K-12 Education, Quinette Rogers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transgender youth in K-12 public education have been systematically marginalized through state-sanctioned violence and discriminatory policies, often portrayed as societal "boogeymen." They face exclusion and othering due to restrictive state legislation, such as bathroom bans, sports participation restrictions, and limited access to gender-affirming care. Current research lacks a comprehensive analysis of how state-level legislation affects transgender students. This study addresses that gap by employing qualitative thematic coding to examine the language, framing, and impact of state education policies on transgender students. By analyzing how these policies are framed around themes such as protecting family, safeguarding children, individual liberty, constitutional rights, …

The Role Of Arkansas Rural Libraries In Cultural Capital Development, Callie Spear Embry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the role of rural public libraries in Arkansas in fostering cultural capital development among youth. By employing a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis from the 2022 Arkansas Public Library Survey and qualitative insights gathered from semi-structured interviews with rural librarians, the research investigates three core questions: (1) How do rural libraries impact youth cultural capital development? (2) In what ways can these libraries enhance their effectiveness in this area? (3) How do librarians perceive their roles in this developmental process?

Findings indicate that rural libraries serve as pivotal cultural coordinators and community hubs, positively affecting youth engagement …

Exploring Hybrid Cohort-Based Doctoral Program Features That Support Nontraditional Doctoral Students’ Persistence: A Preregistered Case Study., Glenda Winborn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the rise of hybrid learning models, non-traditional learners have greater access to doctoral education. However, attrition rates from doctoral programs remain high, ranging from 40% to 50% across all doctoral programs and exceeding these levels in online non-traditional programs. Numerous causes of attrition or persistence in doctoral studies have been researched and can affect the student, the academic institution, and the broader academic society. This qualitative case study will explore adult and lifelong learning doctoral students' perceptions of the programmatic and instructional support resources that have helped improve persistence in their program. Two of the important programmatic features of …

The Role Of Mental And Physical Health On Fear Of Crime, Macky Ann Hurst

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fear of crime is a significant social issue that affects quality of life, often leading to behavioral changes and increased anxiety. While prior research has explored the link between fear of crime and health, notable gaps remain – particularly regarding how distinct dimensions of health influence fear of crime. This study addresses these gaps by examining the effects of perceived health and depressive symptoms on fear of crime. Data were drawn from the Arkansas Crime, Public Safety, and Health Survey (ACPSHS), an online, opt-in survey of approximately 2,300 non- institutionalized adults in Arkansas. Ordinary least squares regression models were used …