Digital Commons Network^™

Advancing Molecular Tools For The Study Of Rubus Viruses, Andrea Sierra-Mejia

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since blackberry yellow vein disease (BYVD) was first described, the blackberry virome has expanded significantly. BYVD is a complex disease associated with over ten viruses, yet the role of each virus in its etiology remains understudied. Studying the effect of each virus in disease development requires the identification of single infections; however, this task has been difficult for BYVD, with all field collected material over the past two decades consistently found infected by multiple viruses. Given the diversity of viruses associated with the disease and their different modes of transmission, obtaining pure virus cultures necessitate transmission of individual viruses via …

Effects Of Fast And Slow-Wilting Soybean Genotypes On Plant-Herbivore Interactions, Jessica Ayala

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is one of the most important food crops in the world due to its multiple uses in agriculture sector. A major limiting factor in soybean production system is drought stress, causing up to 80% reduction in yield. Due to climate change and associated rise in ambient temperatures, water scarcity is a major concern in crop production, and consequently researchers are turning to soybean accessions that demonstrate better water use efficiency (WUE) traits. However, field grown soybean is also under severe pressure from insect herbivores, often accounting for a 30% reduction in yield. Among these, …

Analyzing Milled Rice Breakage Patterns Under Diverse Environmental Settings, Devisree Chukkapalli

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study comprehensively evaluates the effects of environmental conditions, transportation, and storage practices on the quality of milled rice using three cultivars: CLL16 (long grain pureline), XP753 (long grain hybrid), and Titan (medium grain pureline). Three distinct objectives guided the research: (1) assessing the impact of relative humidity (RH), temperature, and exposure duration on rice quality post-milling and post-storage; (2) analyzing seasonal and locational influences on rice quality during transportation and storage; and (3) investigating the effects of subfreezing storage on key quality attributes.
Under controlled environmental conditions, post-milling exposure (PME) caused significant quality degradation at higher RH (75% and …

Integrating Sustainability And Food Safety Through Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment And Life Cycle Assessment Of Low-Moisture Foods, Jessica Bain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food safety and sustainability are critical concerns in the food industry. However, these areas are often evaluated separately, leading to an incomplete understanding of the overall impact of food production on human health. This dissertation aims to integrate food safety with sustainability to provide a comprehensive assessment of the impact of low-moisture foods on human health, using the almond processing supply chain as a case study.

In addition to conducting life cycle assessments (LCA) of almond processing, wheat flour production, and dried apple processing, this dissertation aims to create a framework to bridge the gap between sustainability and food safety. …

Factors Contributing To Chronic Student Absenteeism In Low Socioeconomic Urban Elementary Schools: An Analysis Of Multiple Stakeholders’ Perspectives, Kellen D. Conaway

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors contributing to chronic student absenteeism in two lower socioeconomic urban elementary schools. This qualitative study was guided by two research questions: 1) What are stakeholders’ perspectives on chronic absenteeism at Mission and Lincoln Elementaries? and 2) What changes to practice or policy could improve attendance at Mission and Lincoln Elementaries? Research question one was answered via data collected from interviews with purposefully selected parents, teachers, administrators, social workers, and nurses. Analysis of interview data led to the identification of three themes which reflect stakeholders’ perspectives on chronic absenteeism at Mission and …

Neural Network Architecture Search Enabled Wide-Deep Learning (Nas-Wd) Integrated Hyperspectral Imaging Understanding For Woody Breast In Poultry Processing, Chaitanya Kumar Reddy Pallerla

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development and implementation of a Wide & Deep (WD) learning model tailored for classification and regression tasks utilizing spectral data provides a robust solution to evaluate woody breast (WB) conditions in poultry fillets. This process begins with thorough data preprocessing, which includes loading spectral and classification datasets, imputing missing values with medians, and splitting the data into training and testing sets to ensure rigorous model evaluation. The WD model architecture integrates wide linear models and deep neural networks to harness the strengths of both approaches. The wide component excels at memorizing sparse feature interactions, while the deep component captures …

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 Inclusion Of Soybean Co-Products In Ruminant Supplements On Health And Reproductive Efficiency, Kirsten Midkiff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybeans are a vital commodity for Arkansas and the United States, with co-products such as soybean meal having wide popularity in animal feeds due to high protein content and palatability. Soybean meal primarily is utilized in diets for swine and poultry operations with a small market in the beef cattle industry, likely due to the increased costs that are associated with the product. On the other hand, soybean oil is a product from the production of soybean meal that is not as widely used in the livestock industry as most of the oil produced is used for industrial purposes. Additionally, …

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 …

Blend Matters: Interactions Of Rice Cultivars On Milling, Physico-Chemical & End Use Traits, Bindu Regonda

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice blending or mixing of different rice cultivars, a common practice in the industry, significantly impacts processing efficiency and end-product quality, yet its effects on end products remain understudied. This research investigated the implications of blending contemporary Arkansas rice cultivars through two comprehensive studies focusing on milling yields and physicochemical properties, instantization, and parboiling processes. Five long-grain cultivars, including hybrids (RT 7521 FP, RT 7321 FP, XP 753) and purelines (Ozark, CLL 16), were blended in various combinations and different drying.

The first study revealed that blending significantly affected milling yields and physicochemical attributes. Pre-drying blending yielded better results compared …

Bactericidal Mechanism Of Peracetic Acid Against Salmonella Mediated By Reactive Oxygen Species, Mohammed Khalid Wheib Al-Doury

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peracetic acid (PAA) is extensively used as a bactericidal agent in poultry processing to reduce foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). Despite its widespread application, the exact mechanisms underlying its bactericidal effects, particularly the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), remain incompletely understood. This dissertation examines the role of ROS in PAA-mediated bacterial killing and explores both genetic and metabolic factors that influence bacterial susceptibility to PAA. Findings from these studies have implications for enhancing the efficacy of PAA, thereby improving food safety practices in the industry.

The first study investigates ROS as a central component …

Utilization Of Prosur Phr As A Novel Phosphate Alternative In Tumble, Inject, And Tumble Injection Marinated Chicken Breast, Sarah E. Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry is the most widely consumed meat protein worldwide for its health consideration, affordability, and versatility. Historically, the poultry industry has utilized numerous methods to improve meat quality most significantly, marination. Marination is practice commonly used in the industry by imparting various chemical functional ingredients that are known to enhance sensory characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Various marination methods used in the industry including tumble, injection, and soaking. Ingredients, such as sodium chloride and phosphates are commonly used in the marination process. In recent years the industry has witnessed a shift in consumer preferences to “clean-label”. This trend …

Diseases Of Cannabis Sativa And The Epidemiology And Molecular Diversity Of Neofusicoccum Parvum, Hannah V. Zima

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis sativa has been an underutilized agricultural resource in the United States, largely due to federal regulations distinguishing marijuana from hemp. In 2018, Congress passed a Farm Bill, which defined hemp as C. sativa containing a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level of no more than 0.3%. As a result, commercial hemp production began in most states in 2019, including Arkansas, and was accompanied by numerous challenges like diseases and pests. The research on the epidemiology of diseases affecting C. sativa is limited, and understanding the pathogens is in its early stages in the U.S. For this study, an initial disease survey was …

Interactive Effects Between Bluetongue Virus Infection And Insecticide Exposures In Culicoides Sonorensis, Parker Mullins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Culicoides biting midges are common pests around the world of humans, livestock, and wildlife. In addition to nuisance blood feeding, they are also able to transmit pathogens to their hosts like bluetongue virus (BTV) and African horse sickness virus, which can be damaging in terms of both production economics and animal welfare. In order to protect humans and livestock from biting pests like Culicoides, a wide array of interventions is recommended, but chemical insecticides and repellent use are ubiquitous. For a multitude of reasons ranging from natural weathering of applied insecticides to the increase in resistance-associated mutations and behaviors in …

Fungal Pathogen Control And Microbial Ecology: Insights From Soybean Seed Production, Samantha Rigo Segalin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the effects of planting date (PD), seed vigor, and chemical seed treatments on the plant stand and yield of two soybean cultivars with different maturity groups (MGs) across four locations in Arkansas from 2018 to 2021. Early planting in early May (early PD) led to higher plant stands and yields compared to late planting in early June (late PD). The interaction between planting date and cultivar was significant, with both cultivars showing higher plant stands on early planting dates. Seed vigor and seed treatment also significantly impacted plant populations; high-vigor seeds planted early resulted in better stands …

Use Of Herbicides Coated Onto Fertilizer And Applied Over-The-Top Of Cotton, Summer Linn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production faces numerous challenges, many related to weed management. A herbicide application method that focuses on combing resources that producers already have access to, such as herbicide-coated fertilizers, could be a practical approach for addressing late-season control of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats) and other problematic weed species. Two main factors would potentially impact the efficiency of utilizing this method: cotton tolerance to the application and weed control provided by the herbicide-coated fertilizers. Some considerations could affect the efficacy of these applications, such as when the treatments are applied and when they are activated by …

Mental Health Calls For Service During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Examining The Geographic Distribution And Correlates Of Service Requests In Little Rock, Arkansas, Mckayla Bishop

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to the Covid-19 global crisis, the United States implemented social interaction restrictions to curb the infection rate amongst citizens, affecting residents' mental health by adding strain from daily routine change. This study examines how mental health has changed during the pandemic by focusing on geospatial differences of volume and concentration within 311 calls in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2018 and 2020. Our data comes from the City of Little Rock’s open database to construct geospatial maps (n= 155 block groups), along with Census survey data logistic regression models to show differences in community characteristics. Overall, mental health worsened …

Instrument Not Ornament: Exploring Women’S Experiences Of Body Objectification And Belonging To An All-Women’S Mountain Biking Group In The Ozarks, Katherine Ketchum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Description: Despite the attention given to body positivity, body neutrality, and body appreciation, women are consistently and overwhelmingly experiencing body objectification and its harmful effects being normalized by society and internalized individually (Shorter et al., 2008). At the same time, the popularity of mountain biking for women and all-women's mountain biking groups in the Ozarks has grown exponentially in recent years, yet gender stereotypes and disparities for women remain (Irvin et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to make meaning of (1) women’s experiences of body objectification and (2) women’s experiences belonging to an all-women's mountain biking group …

Play Therapists Attitudes, Knowledge, And Skills In Identifying Disordered Eating In Children And Adolescents., Hailey Thomas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of disordered eating among children and adolescents has been steadily increasing, posing an increase in the need for treatment. Recognizing and addressing disordered eating in childhood and adolescence is critical to fostering a healthy relationship with food and body image and ensuring the overall well-being of youth. Play has long been considered an important factor in understanding children's lives and experiences and is the recommended counseling approach for children and adolescents (Landreth, 2012). Play therapy is grounded in the fundamental understanding that play is children's and adolescents' natural mode of expression, where toys are their words, and play …

Alternative Methods For Finishing Beef Cattle: Effects On Performance, Carcass Quality, And Meat Characteristics, Michelle Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effects of alternative finishing methods on the live performance, carcass quality, and meat characteristics of beef steers. In study 1, treatments consisted of a conventional feedlot finishing diet with roughage included in the ration (FDLT); a high starch diet fed at 2-2.25% of BW with ad libitum access to bermudagrass pastures (STCH); or a high by-product diet fed at 2-2.25% of BW with ad libitum access to bermudagrass pastures (BYPD). Steers were fed their respective diets once daily and weighed every 28 days until deemed finished. Cattle were then transported and …

Smartphone Gaming And International Students: Exploring The Experiences Of Hypercasual Gameplay For Practicing English Vocabulary And Learning About The United States Culture In Mediated Action, Se He Hwang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of smartphones in everyday settings is widespread, and people around the world use smartphones not only for making phone calls and sending text messages but also as a tool for searching for information and playing smartphone games during their free time. Since people around the world have easy access to smartphones regardless of their physical locations, smartphones can function as a tool for learning purposes, and playing games for learning purposes also supports the students to learn information in less stressful settings since playing games is predominantly for entertainment. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study in mediated …

L-Arabinose Induced Overexpression For Crystallographic Analysis Of The Spoiie Protein From Clostridioides Difficile, Danielle M. Maynard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The SpoIIE protein plays a crucial role in the sporulation process of Clostridioides difficile, a pathogen responsible for severe gastrointestinal diseases. Understanding the structural and functional aspects of SpoIIE is pivotal for deciphering its role in sporulation and exploring its potential as a therapeutic target. This study investigates the impact of varying concentrations of L-arabinose on the overexpression of SpoIIE in C. difficile, aiming to optimize protein yield and purity for subsequent crystallization and structural determination via X-ray crystallography. Using a recombinant expression system in Escherichia coli, different concentrations of L-arabinose were employed to induce SpoIIE overexpression. Protein purification was …

Assessment Of The Drivers Of Adoption Of Climate Smart Agriculture Practices Among Field Crop Farmers In Zambia, Faindani Nyirenda

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate smart agriculture (CSA) practiced has been promoted in Zambia since the 1980s to address the declining crop productivity due to increased occurrence of drought or dry spells caused by climate change. Despite considerable research indicating that CSA practices have many potential benefits such as increased yield and income, the adoption rate in southern Africa is still low especially where farmers have stable off farm income. This might be because most of the research and promotion has been directed to the main staple crop maize and other context specific impacts related to agroecological and socioeconomic heterogeneity. In this study we …

Consumer Perceptions Of Hemp-Fed Aquaculture, Jillian Hyink

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global demand for seafood has increased significantly over the past several decades and is projected to continue rising in the future. The volume of aquaculture production has also particularly increased to meet this demand in the United States and globally, offering a relatively sustainable supplement to wild fish supplies. However, conventional fish farming uses unsustainable quantities of fishmeal and fish oil as feed inputs, which raises the cost of production and introduces safety concerns associated with fish consumption. One currently underexplored potential alternative to fishmeal is hemp grain, which can provide an affordable and nutritious feed for carnivorous fish and …

The Impact Of Reactive Oxygen Species On Bactericidal Activity And Drug Resistance In Salmonella Typhimurium Upon Chlorine And Eugenol Exposure, Mohammed Aljuwayd

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella Typhimurium (S.T) is a foodborne pathogenic bacterium which causes salmonellosis in human beings. Chicken is the most common source of S.T contamination. In chapter I, I discuss the growth of the poultry industry, the role chickens play as Salmonella reservoirs, the spread of drug-resistant strains caused by chicken husbandry and antibiotic use, and how eugenol can be used in poultry feed to decrease Salmonella infections and improve intestinal health. In chapter Ⅱ, I summarize the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bactericidal activity. In chapter Ⅲ, I describe the killing mechanism of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and identify the …

Cobblestone Farms, Fayetteville: A Study Of A Non-Profit Teaching Farm’S Volunteer Management Programs, Ariel Scholten

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Non-profit teaching farms (NPTFs) represent a unique intersection of mission-driven non-profits, agricultural education, and sustainable food production. Despite their growing presence, research on NPTFs, particularly regarding volunteer management, remains limited. This thesis examines volunteer management practices at Cobblestone Farms (CF), a prominent NPTF in Northwest Arkansas, focusing on its strategies to engage and retain volunteers. Through qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews with staff and volunteers, the study identifies, describes, and evaluates key components of CF's volunteer management program. Major findings reveal that CF leverages digital media, online platforms like Give Pulse, and strategic partnerships to recruit and maintain volunteers. The …

Atypical Responses To Sensory Stimuli Or Eating Environments In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lydia Rockers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often encounter challenges in processing sensory inputs. Children with ASD may experience feeding difficulties and over- or under- stimulation during food-related activities such as eating or shopping. These have impacts on the health and well-being of individuals with ASD in childhood and throughout their lives. Further research is needed to address the impact of ambient sound levels in a retail or restaurant setting. The main objective of this thesis was to address these gaps by identifying responses to various environmental and food related stimuli. The findings of this research addressed differences in responses between …

Evaluating Margin Protection (Mp) Crop Insurance As A Risk Management Tool For Rice Producers In Arkansas, Kaleem Azmat Chattha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural producers bear many risks, including production risks stemming from uncertainty in weather and pest pressure and price risks arising from market volatility. Federal Crop Insurance has become one of the most popular tools to manage these risks. While yield and revenue crop insurance tend to be the most popular production and price risk management tools provided by the government, participation in Margin Protection insurance lags far behind despite providing production, crop price, and input price risk protection. This study aims to uncover whether Margin Protection crop insurance is an effective risk management tool by estimating the optimal coverage level …

The Effects Of Cover Crop Adoption On Yield Distributions Under Extreme Drought, Emory Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change negatively impact agriculture output. Of particular concern is the adverse impact of droughts on corn and soybean yields, as these crops represent a significant portion of cash crop receipts in the United States. Cover crops are one practice that has gained attention due to their agronomic benefits and their potential to reduce downside production risk for producers. This study focuses on the impact of cover crop adoption on corn and soybean yields during drought conditions. We use cover crop adoption data from the Operational Tillage Information System, RMA …

Sincerely, Regan Leigh Chrisman-Boman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sincerely is a compilation of diaristic narratives depicted through the lens of a distorted reality. This distortion is manifested through the influence of social norms placed on me and my gendered experience of this world. The stories I tell through my work deal with the mind, body and daily life. My images within this body of work are sourced from my written journal, and creating a visual diary. I provide a space of relatability for the viewer to feel seen and not alone through the discussion of personal experiences that are both unique and not unique to myself. The work …