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Pre-Season Vitamin D And Iron Levels As A Predictor Of Musculoskeletal Injury In Division I Athletes, Mariellen Katherine Veach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Context: Pre-season testing that includes the analysis of micronutrient serum levels in the blood has become a routine part of pre-participation examinations in collegiate football. Objective: Assess the predictability of vitamin D and iron serum levels as indicators of future injury during a subsequent competitive season for lower extremity sprains, strains, and fractures. Additionally, determine the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation on increasing serum 25(OH)D levels and preventing injury. Design: Cohort Study. Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football program. Participants: Football athletes (n=349) who underwent pre-participation examinations and participated in at least one of three competitive football seasons. …

Mitochondrial Mrna Translation Is Required For Maintenance Of Oxidative Capacity, David Lee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oxidative metabolism is required to produce adequate energy to sustain human life. A primary example of deteriorating oxidative capacity is seen in the cardiac musculature during chronic heart failure. This suggests that by improving oxidative potential, chronic heart disease could be mitigated and one approach to accomplish this may be through targeting the mt-mRNA translation system. Purpose: This investigation’s purpose was to characterize disruptions in mt-mRNA translation machinery in multiple forms of cardiomyopathy and to determine if mitochondrial mRNA translation initiation factor (mtIF2) is necessary to maintain oxidative capacity in cardiomyocytes. Methods Using a combination of animal and cell culture …

An Evaluation Of Breeding, Agronomic, And Processing Methodologies Of Vegetable Soybean (Edamame) To Increase Domestic Production In The United States Market, David Octor Moseley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Edamame is a food-grade soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) that is either harvested immature (R6 stage) or after plant maturity (R8 stage). At R6, the premium product will have crescent- shaped large green pods and gray pubescence. At R8, the seed will either have stayed green or will have turned yellow, black, or brown. Edamame is a healthy snack with a sweet flavor and firm texture. The edamame market is growing in the United States, creating a need for more adapted varieties. The genetic diversity is low among adapted large-seeded breeding lines. Finding diverse accessions will help develop larger and …

Soil Properties That Influence The Occurrence Of Hydrogen Sulfide Toxicity In Rice Fields, Julia Marie Fryer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) producers face many challenges throughout each growing season. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) toxicity is a physiological disorder where sulfate (SO42-) is excessively reduced to the toxic gas, H2S. This can reduce yield and, in severe cases, result in crop death. The main research objectives were to: i) understand chemical and physical characteristics in soils prone to H2S toxicity, ii) determine influential soil characteristics on the incidence of H2S toxicity, iii) determine ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) fertilizer additions influence on H2S toxicity, and iv) predict when and where H2S will occur. Three greenhouse experiments were conducted using Arkansas field …

Effect Of A Skating Unit On Fitness In Fifth Grade Students, Eric Lange

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study investigates the effect of a skating unit on factors of cardiovascular fitness, static balance, explosive power, and agility in fifth graders. Methods: During a 6-weeks skating unit (twelve lesson), seventy-one students (ages 10-12; M age = 10.34) participated during regularly scheduled physical education classes. Three separate classes served as control group (C) (n=19; 8 male; 11 female) and two experimental groups: roller skating (RS) (n=26; 11 male; 15 female) and inline skating (IS) (n=26; 10 male; 16 female). Control group had no access to roller or inline skates during class time of study. Control …

A Molecular Diagnostic Survey Of Pathogens And Parasites Of Honey Bees, Apis Mellifera L., From Arkansas And Oklahoma, Dylan Cleary

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The health and viability of colonies of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, in the United States have fluctuated dramatically over the past decade. This poses a substantial threat to agricultural production in this country. Currently, no single factor has been identified for this decline. Rather, it has been suggested that the interaction between multiple biotic and abiotic stressors may be responsible. Among these factors are pesticides, habitat loss, climate and weather, parasites and pathogens, and colony management techniques. For this reason, it is important to examine the prevalence of honey bee parasite and pathogen infection at the state level in …

Effect Of Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Toxins On Growth Performance And The Microbial Community In The Rumen And Feces In Pregnant Ewes, Saleh Alrashedi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fifty pregnant Katahdin ewes grazed pastures with high (HE) and moderate (MI) levels of Neotyphodium coenophialum-infected tall fescue between February 1 and May 24 to determine the impacts of tall fescue toxins on body weight (BW), body condition scores, FAMACHA scores, fecal egg counts (FEC), and serum Cu, Zn, prolactin, and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). Within those 50 ewes, 15 were selected randomly for fecal and rumen sampling to assess the impacts of HE and MI on the microbiome community. Total bacterial DNA was extracted from rumen and fecal samples, and alpha and beta diversities were used to relate microbiome …

Horizontal Transmission Of Helicoverpa Armigera Nucleopolyhedrovirus (Hearnpv) In Soybean Fields Infested With Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie), Joseph Lee Black

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Helicoverpa armigera Nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) is a commercially available viral biopesticide that targets Heliothines, including Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the most damaging pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) in the Mid-South. Previous formulations of HearNPV have been well studied; however, no research has been published on current formulations. The first objective of this thesis was to assess the rate of horizontal transmission of HearNPV in a soybean field infested with H. zea when HearNPV was applied as a bio-insecticide, and to identify arthropods that are important obligate carriers in dissemination. HearNPV spread 200 feet in 3 fields, and was …

In The Field The Women Saved The Crop: The Women’S Land Army Of World War Ii, Denna M. Clymer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Women’s Land Army brought together rural and urban sectors of the United States in a climate of national and regional crisis. By the time the country was cast into war, the agricultural sector was already caught in a downward economic spiral that drove away laborers. With demand falling, and farms propped up only by experiments in subsidy and parity, when military and industrial jobs emerged in urban areas, farm laborers became scarce. At the same time the war created jobs for men outside of the agricultural sector, farm prices recovered and demand soared, forcing farmers to look to women …

Fall Risk In Sedentary, Recreationally Active, And Masters Athlete Older Adults, Felicia Elizabeth Squires

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether different habitual activity levels may affect balance ability in older adults. Balance must be studied as poor balance increases likelihood of falls. This study examined activity levels in older adults and effect on balance ability. Fifty-nine older adults aged 66.5 ± 9.5 participated. Three groups were separated by physical activity level. First group had 13 masters athletes, older adults performing least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week and competing in nationally sanctioned event within the last six months. Twenty-seven older adults comprised recreationally active group performing at least 150 minutes …

A Study Of The Prevalence Of Gastrointestinal Nematodes In Goats Obtained From Northwest Arkansas, Christine Rose Weingartz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parasitic helminths have always been an issue in small ruminant production; pathogens that pose great negative impact on goat health and productivity. Insufficient work has been done to document the prevalence of parasitic helminths in the United States, especially in the south and southeast, where the largest goat populations are found.

The aim of this study was to survey the prevalence of infections by gastrointestinal nematodes in goats in Northwestern Arkansas. Gastrointestinal tracts were examined from 41 goats of various locations around Northwest Arkansas. Worm species were identified and population burdens were determined. Coprology was correlated with the actual worm …

Shallow Aggregate Ebb-And-Flow System For Greenhouse Lettuce Production, Joseph Chidiac

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel soilless technique for the production of lettuce was developed and evaluated for its viability for ornamental greenhouse growers adapting their ebb-and-flood irrigation benching systems to diversify into growing lettuce, without having to purchase the conventional nutrient film technique (NFT) or deep flow technique (DFT) hydroponic systems. The experimental design was a three by four factorial, with three treatments for aggregate depth (19, 38, and 57 mm) and four treatments for irrigation frequency (once every 1, 2, 4, or 8 hours), for a total of twelve treatment combinations. Each treatment was replicated three times in a randomized complete block …

Transcriptome-Based Gene Networks For Systems-Level Analysis Of Plant Gene Functions, Chirag Gupta

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Present day genomic technologies are evolving at an unprecedented rate, allowing interrogation of

cellular activities with increasing breadth and depth. However, we know very little about how the

genome functions and what the identified genes do. The lack of functional annotations of genes

greatly limits the post-analytical interpretation of new high throughput genomic datasets. For plant

biologists, the problem is much severe. Less than 50% of all the identified genes in the model plant

Arabidopsis thaliana, and only about 20% of all genes in the crop model Oryza sativa have some

aspects of their functions assigned. Therefore, there is an …

Identifying Genetic Factors Influencing Sperm Mobility Phenotype In Chicken Using Genome Wide Association Studies, Primordial Germ Cell Transplantation, And Rnaseq., Sohita Ojha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sperm mobility is a major determinant of male fertility in chicken. In spite of low heritability of reproductive traits, sperm mobility has high heritability index which suggests presence of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) governing the trait. Our research focused on three objectives: i) to identify the QTLs affecting low mobility phenotype in chicken, ii) to understand the impact of Sertoli-cells and germ cells interactions in influencing the mobility phenotype and iii) to identify the genes and gene networks differentially expressed in male and female PGCs. To detect the QTLs, genome wide association studies (GWAS) was conducted which revealed the presence …

Determination Of The Effects Of Different Maillard Reaction Products On The Taxonomic Composition Of The Gut Microbiota, Nesreen Hamdan Aljahdali

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Maillard Reaction (MR) is a non-enzymatic chemical reaction which results in linkage between the amino group of amino acids and the carbonyl group of reduced sugars. This reaction generates Maillard reaction products (MRPs) which are not present naturally in foods, and are responsible for a range of colors, odors, flavors, and other sensory properties. Conflicting reports of MRPs impacts on human health are probably due to the fact that bioconversion of these digestible molecules by the gut microbiota has been marginally taken into account. This study aimed to determine the effects of different MRPs on rodent’s gut microbiota through16S …

Piglet Gut Microbiota Responses To Exposure To Outdoor Simulated Environment And Formula Feeding, Nguyen Vo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Several lines of evidence suggest that early-life gut microbiota composition is a crucial determinant of the susceptibility to diseases later in life. Understanding the evolution of early-life gut microbiota and critical factors that can modify this microbial community will espouse the prevention or reversion of health risk originating from dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in the early stage. In this research, we hypothesized that alterations in the environment (simulation of rural conditions by soil exposure) and feeding mode (breastmilk versus formula milk) will have significant impacts on the establishment of the gut microbiota in early life. At first, in literature …

Time Series Forecast Analysis In Wholesale Broiler Markets, Christopher R. Sims

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2016 the chicken industry provided nearly 1.2 million jobs, 68 billion dollars in wages, 313 billion dollars in economic activity and 24 billion dollars in government revenue (John Dunham & Associates, Inc., 2016). Broiler production has changed dramatically from the early 90’s to the turn of the 21st century. Technological advancements, continuous improvements, production efficiencies and industry changes have made the industry the global market it is today. The poultry industry is an extremely volatile market with prices constantly fluctuating in response to input price volatility and demand and supply changes. These changes are often driven by world economic …

Bacterial And Archaeal Nitrifier Communities After Seven Years Surface Ground Cover And Nutrient Management In An Orchard Soil, Mashael Albalawi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nitrification is oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and subsequently to nitrate. The rate limiting step of nitrification, ammonia oxidation to nitrite, was thought for many years to be carried out primarily by ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). However, using molecular techniques and investigating the amoA gene, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were discovered. Understanding how long-term application of surface ground covers and organic fertilizers to perennial systems affect microbial communities is critical for sustainable soil management. An organically managed experimental apple orchard soil received seven years (2006 – 2013) of annual, surface applications of poultry litter or commercial fertilizer compared to no fertilizer …

Animal Welfare Frames: How Social Media Messages Bridge The Gap Between The Protein Industry And Consumers, Olivia Norton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The two articles in this thesis used content analysis to analyze and compare animal welfare related website and Twitter content of the top five animal protein producing companies in the United States. In the first article, the animal welfare website content of Cargill, Tyson Foods Inc., Smithfield, JBS® and Sysco were analyzed for persuasive frames, common topics, and key terminology to describe their corporate positions on animal welfare. Sysco’s main page devoted to animal welfare dominated the word count with 1,045 words, while JBS®’s main animal welfare page used only 265 words to communicate the company’s views. The most commonly …

Detection Of Survival And Proliferation Of Sulfate Reducers Under Simulated Martian Atmospheric And Soil Conditions, Sergio Mosquera Mora

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have tried to determine the survivability and proliferation of microorganisms under simulated Martian conditions. Furthermore, most of them have been focused on the ability of these microbes to cope with high brines’ salt (NaCl) concentrations inherent of the Martian surface. However, there are not studies related to the ability of bacteria to survive on subsurface environments that have increasing concentrations of sulfate compounds. For this research, a group of microorganisms known as sulfate-reducing bacteria or simply sulfate reducers were chosen due to their ability to use sulfate compounds as terminal electron acceptors to produce metabolic energy, their tolerance …

The Effect Of Preflood Nitrogen And Flood Establishment Timing On Rice Development, Nitrogen Uptake And Grain Yield, Tyler Richmond

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urea-N fertilizer is typically applied at the 5-leaf stage to rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown in a dry-seeded, delayed-flood production system. How long the preflood-N can be delayed without adverse effects on yield potential is poorly understood. The research objective was to determine the effects of preflood-N application and flood establishment timing on aboveground-N content, 50% heading, yield components, and grain yield. Trials were established on silt loam soils at the Pine Tree Research Station (PTRS) and Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC) during 2015 and 2016. Urea-N was applied at 0, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg N ha-1 …

Experimental Approaches To Understand And Control Salmonella Infection In Poultry, Yichao Yang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella is a major foodborne pathogen around the world and chickens are the major reservoir to transmit Salmonella into the human food chain. For decreasing the infection of Salmonella, we developed six attenuated live vaccines based on Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) and Typhimurium (ST) for testing the cross-serovar and cross-serogroup protection from the challenge of Salmonella Heidelberg and Campylobacter jejuni. One of the constructed vaccine strain showed ability to protect against challenge from Salmonella Heidelberg. Even though some preventive approaches are able to decrease Salmonella colonization in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens or other farm animals, Salmonella transmission mechanisms remain unclear. …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Tart Cherries Polyphenols On The Human Gut Microbiota And Phenolic Metabolites In Vitro And In Vivo, Alba Claudia Mayta-Apaza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tart cherries are polyphenol abundant stone fruits claimed to exert health benefits further of its nutritional properties. The abundant phytochemicals content in tart cherries also referred as dietary polyphenols have been considered as an effective natural antioxidant when added in daily diet. However, it has been hypothesized the intervention of gut microbiota on the overall functionality of such compounds. This thesis contains a wide-ranging literature review focused on tart cherry as a crop, current market, functional food, and several health benefits. Furthermore, the research done describes and in vitro and in vivo assays of a short-term dietary intervention of tart …

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Nutritionally Equivalent Meals With And Without Pork, Kelli Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following report details a life cycle assessment of several dietary and meal scenarios with and without pork. The goal of the LCA was to identify the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use of pork containing and porkless diets and meal plans in a field-to-fork analysis. The dietary and meal plan scenarios are iso-caloric meaning they contain the same number of calories. The first set of diets is based on a USDA consumption pattern, 2000 kcal per day. This diet was used to create three other dietary scenarios with and without pork. The USDA recommended food …

Characterization And Mechanisms Of Anthocyanin Degradation And Stabilization, Nathan Blaine Stebbins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anthocyanins (ACYs) are polyphenol compounds found in nature, which contribute vivid colors to many fruits and vegetables, while also possessing significant health benefits. These pigments range in color from orange-red to blue-violet and could serve as natural colorants to replace artificial additives. There is a great demand from consumers to have fewer artificial compounds in their foods. However, the relatively instability of ACYs must be further understood in order to limit color degradation before they can completely replace synthetic colorants.

ACYs slowly degrade over time, but there is a knowledge gap on their fate and mechanisms causing degradation. In order …

Economic And Policy Evaluations And Impacts Of The National Rice Development Policy Strategies In Malaysia: Self-Sufficiency, International Trade, And Food Security, Roslina Binti Ali

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the fact that the recent rice policy has been moving to a strategy of self-sufficiency while the status quo of the national rice economy remains ambiguous, Malaysia has made an extreme policy decision to pursue an autarky economy in its rice sector, thus closing borders from the international markets in the future. The goal of this dissertation research is to comprehensively evaluate a deep-rooted rice policy in Malaysia and analyze the holistic impacts of the self-sufficiency and international trade policies at the national and farm-household levels, utilizing economic frameworks. The protectionist policy measures using a Policy Analysis Matrix reveals …

Exploring The Empirical Relationship Between Civic Agriculture And Community Resilience, Beth Joanna Person-Michener

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smaller-scale, qualitative and mixed method studies indicate that civic agriculture generates positive, local-level social change, specifically by increasing social, human and economic capital. These social benefits are also identified as some of the crucial components needed for community resilience to disasters. However, literature directly linking civic agriculture to community resilience is sparse and there is little if any research explicitly examining a relationship between civic agriculture and community resilience. This study lends national scope and an empirical examination of evidence for a positive relationship between civic agriculture and community resilience along the applicable domains of social, human and economic capital …

Noninvasive Measures Of Stress And Lameness In Broilers, Shawna L. Weimer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concept of broiler chicken welfare has evolved from a component of animal husbandry to a label on a chicken product package. Recent attention from the public has led to the need for higher welfare standards for animal production. A primary concern of broiler production is low activity/locomotion attributed to fast growth rates leading to poor leg health. To collect the scientific data necessary to determine conditions providing the best welfare for the bird, multiple methods of assessment are required. Stress is influenced by external (temperature, humidity, lighting, stocking density) and internal (metabolism, thermoregulation, hormonal balance) factors. This series of …

Membranes For Food And Bioproduct Processing, Alexandru Marius Avram

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modified membranes for process intensification in biomass hydrolysis

Production of biofuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is one of the leading candidates for replacement of petroleum based fuels and chemicals. However, conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fuels and chemicals is not cost effective compared to the production of fuels and chemicals from crude oil reserves. Some novel and economically feasible approaches involve the use of ionic liquids as solvents or co-solvents, since these show improved solvation capability of cellulose over simple aqueous systems. Membranes offer unique opportunities for process intensification which involves fractionation of the resulting biomass hydrolysate leading to …

Swedish Social Welfare And Its Application To American Welfare Systems, Ben Wilson Galloway

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Swedish Social Welfare and its Application to American Welfare Systems concerns itself with the issue of determining the origins of the modern Swedish social welfare system. Additionally, the causes behind the formation of the system are evaluated for their relevancy concerning the formation of the American welfare system. Multiple areas of study are considered, including racial impacts, economic factors, sociological impactors, and demographic variables.