Digital Commons Network^™

Lifetime Stressor Exposure, Race And Ethnicity, And Habitual Stress Processes: An Evaluation Of Repetitive Negative Thinking And Hair Cortisol Concentration, Harrison Dickens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Habitual stress processes are thought to influence acute stress reactivity and stress-related disease. Habitual stress processes have been shown to adapt in response to stressor exposure experienced across the lifespan. The current study seeks to explore whether two habitual stress processes, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and repetitive negative thinking (RNT), were associated with lifetime stressor exposure (self-reported and objective neighborhood-level stressors). Additionally, the current study attempts to quantify how this process may be moderated by race and ethnicity. Participants (N = 134, Mage = 18 [SDage= 1.69], 56.7% female) consisting of White (N = 52), Black (N = 37 ), …

Improved Autofluorescence Lifetime Decay Analysis For Identification Of Cellular Autofluorescence Biomarkers For Label-Free, Single-Cell Assessment Of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential, Olivia Isabel Kolenc

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Optical imaging of metabolism using the autofluorescence of the metabolic cofactors NADH, NADPH, and FAD has a wide range of sensitivities and the capability to collect a great deal of metabolic information. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) is a non-invasive, label-free optical imaging technique capable of performing fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) using time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). However, autofluorescence FLIM presents a challenge in collecting sufficient photons to provide adequate signal to noise ratios (SNR) for analysis. Additionally, the specificity of autofluorescence biomarkers of metabolism has not been well-defined. Contextualizing these autofluorescence measures using established functional biomarkers can improve interpretability of …

The Upcoming Moral Crisis In Primitive Artificial Intelligence, Justin E. Edens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As we continue to develop artificially intelligent systems, there is an increasingly high chance that we will develop a system that is both conscious and capable of suffering. Furthermore, it is likely that the development of this conscious machine will be entirely unintentional. While this machine will have moral status, identifying it will be extremely difficult, leading to it being treated the same as its inert predecessors. For these reasons I believe that a crisis in ethics is looming. This paper aims to argue that it is possible for a machine to have moral status, that the first such machine …

End Times: American Mortality, Death Materiality, And Social Death In The 1990s, Jordan A. Savage

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States in the 1990s was marked by pervasive representations of death in popular culture. As death imagery became increasingly visible in entertainment, there was a growing detachment from the embodied, biological realities of death, a tension intensified by the ongoing AIDS crisis. This project explores how death is politicized and how decisions about who lives and dies are shaped by power. I draw on a constellation of theoretical frameworks that collectively illuminate the operations of state-sanctioned death and social abandonment. These include Michel Foucault’s concept of biopolitics, which examines the management of life by state power; Giorgio Agamben’s …

The Influence Of Retail Display Conditions On Ground Beef Quality And Palatability, Sarah Lynn Shoup

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of these studies were to evaluate the impact of retail display case type and muscle type on meat quality attributes, including color, lipid oxidation, texture, and volatile compound profiles, as well as to assess economic implications based on retail color degradation. Case type effects were further evaluated by considering environmental factors such as temperature, air velocity, and relative humidity and their influence on the shelf life of beef patties. An economic analysis was also conducted to estimate the value of patties based on a* (redness) scores at different points during retail display. In Study 1, differences in L* …

Freezing And Shipping Optimization To Increase Quality And Profitability Of Meat E-Commerce, Paul Olaoluwaniyi Dahunsi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Freezing remains one of the most reliable methods for preserving meat quality and extending shelf life. However, quality deterioration can still occur due to structural and biochemical changes activated during freezing, thawing, and distribution. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers’ preference for bulk purchasing and online meat shopping has increased, raising questions about the best strategies to balance both quality maintenance and profitability. This thesis aimed to evaluate two key stages where frozen beef is most vulnerable to quality degradation: consumer-level freezing and post-purchase shipping. The objectives were (1) to determine the effects of product size and subsequent consumer freezing practices …

Impact Of Lighting Wavelength On Broiler Behavior, Health, And Performance, Angela Perretti

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lighting influences broiler production, health, and behavior. Due to their advanced visual system, avian species perceive a wide spectrum of light. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of white (W, 350 to 780 nm) blue (B, 450 nm), and green (G, 560 nm) light on broiler production, processing performance, activity, fear, stress, blood cell profiles, tibiotarsi (tibia) morphology, and depth perception. Day-of-hatch by-product chicks from a Cobb 500 female line (N=600) were randomly assigned to 12 pens (N=4 treatment replicates). Body weight and feed consumption were recorded on day (D) 0, 14, 28, and 41, and …

Coastal Consumption: Diet And Social Organization At Four Postclassic Sites In The Yucatán Peninsula, Paramita Choudhury

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines Postclassic Maya food practices during CE 1200–1600 to understand how eating behaviors reflect systems of social hierarchy, political economy, and cultural identity. The investigation focuses on four archaeological sites in the northern Yucatán Peninsula—Tulum, El Rey, El Meco, and San Miguelito—to examine dietary behaviors through dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA), oral pathology, and stable isotope data within a biocultural framework. The research aims to identify whether elite and non-elite individuals exhibited notable variations in food texture consumption, access to resources, and nutritional health. High-resolution 3D surface metrology enabled DMTA to assess the mechanical properties of consumed foods, …

Synthesis, Structural Characterization And Optical Studies Of Silver-Indium-(Zinc)-Chalcogenide Fluorescent Quantum Dots, Sujal Acharya

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Developing a non-toxic, high-performance fluorescent nanomaterial is crucial for overcoming the environmental and health restrictions of current cadmium, and lead based quantum dots (QDs), which limit the application of quantum dots in optoelectronics and bioimaging. In this thesis, we synthesized environmentally friendly AgInS2 QDs by a colloidal method, systematically altering the In/Ag precursor ratio from 2 to 6 to study the impact on their optical and photophysical properties. Our goals were to find the optimal stoichiometry for maximum quantum efficiency and stability. We also investigated further improving optical and photophysical properties through shelling with ZnS. The emission spectra appeared broad, …

Cotton Yield And Tissue-Potassium Response To Potassium Fertilization, Maria Paula Ramos Do Prado

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Potassium (K) deficiency is a common yield-limiting factor in cotton (Gossypium hirsu tum L.) production across the U.S. Cotton Belt. Adequate fertilizer-K management is paramount to ensure optimum plant growth and development, minimizing yield losses. Currently, fertilizer K recommendations for cotton in Arkansas are derived from expected yield responses of other crops, with no calibrated fertilizer-K rates or critical tissue-K concentrations defined to maxim ize crop yield. Our research objectives were i) to investigate cotton yield response and fiber qual ity to K fertilization on soils with different K availability; ii) to correlate relative yield with tis sue-K concentrations at …

Resilience Redefined: Exploring The Impact Of Childhood Trauma On The Value Systems Of High-Achieving Corporate Men, Lana B. Henry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study employed Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how childhood trauma influences the value systems of high-achieving corporate men. In contemporary corporate culture, where stoicism, performance, and independence are often rewarded, little attention is paid to how early adversity informs internal frameworks of meaning, leadership, and success. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six high-achieving men, all executives and leaders in high-performing industries, who self-identified as having experienced childhood trauma. Data were analyzed using a six-step IPA process and interpreted through the lens of Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values and social constructivism. Findings revealed that childhood trauma deeply …

End Times: American Mortality, Death Materiality, And Social Death In The 1990s, Jordan A. Savage

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States in the 1990s was marked by pervasive representations of death in popular culture. As death imagery became increasingly visible in entertainment, there was a growing detachment from the embodied, biological realities of death, a tension intensified by the ongoing AIDS crisis. This project explores how death is politicized and how decisions about who lives and dies are shaped by power. I draw on a constellation of theoretical frameworks that collectively illuminate the operations of state-sanctioned death and social abandonment. These include Michel Foucault’s concept of biopolitics, which examines the management of life by state power; Giorgio Agamben’s …

Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Of High And Low Water-Efficient Broiler Lines Under Heat Stress, Maria Fernandez Cuadrado

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat stress (HS) is one of the most critical environmental challenges negatively impacting global poultry production, significantly compromising broiler performance, welfare, and economic viability. Specifically, heat stress profoundly disrupts physiological and metabolic processes, including hepatic lipid metabolism. Two broiler lines were divergently selected for high (HWE) or low (LWE) water efficiency. Heat-stressed HWE birds showed reduced fat content compared to their LWE counterparts, and HS reduced abdominal fat content in both lines. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in underlying molecular mechanisms involved in this divergent fat content between the lines. Day-old chicks were placed in …

The Utilization And Deterioration Of Travertine In Classical, Baroque, And Fascist Architecture: A Case Study From Rome, Italy, Kaitlyn V. Fitzgerald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Travertine limestone has formed the resilient backbone of Roman architecture for over two millennia and across several cultural periods. This study identified the leading causes of travertine decay in Rome across Ancient, Baroque, and Fascist periods in order to efficiently prioritize conservation and restoration efforts across the city. The methodology developed here can then be utilized in other urban settings. Rome’s iconic landmarks such as the Flavian Amphitheater, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Spanish Steps all owe their existence to this local limestone. High rates of urbanization now dictate how architectural travertine interacts with its surrounding environments and landscapes. Grand …

Mandatory Bliss, Jocelyn Reid

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mandatory Bliss is an exhibition of sculptural objects that discuss value, feminism, material hierarchy, and societal expectation. Using mundane structures and objects, this installation aims to frustrate and dissect the significance of the tangible items that we interact with every day.

Mindful Symbiotic Ecosystems. Designing For Women In Remote Workspaces, Andrea Guevara Araujo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women represent 61% of designers in the workforce but hold only 29% of leadership roles. This disparity highlights a critical need for an ecosystem that removes barriers and cultivates mentorship, community, and leadership among women (Bolt, 2020). Even though women have proven their ability to succeed in male-dominated corporate cultures, the real question is not about capability but sustainability. Driven by overwork, competition, and burnout, the workplace does not just push women out; it leads to long-term instability for the entire organization (Krivkovich et al., 2024). In the workplace, a culture of masculinity reinforces harmful, outdated mindsets and glorifies aggressive, …

Adult Effects And Affects: Dialogic Reflections And Theoretical Analysis Of Systemic Led Education, Early Childhood Education, And Art Education, Katherine Galaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Through self-exploration, reflexive dialogue, and literature review I look to the grey areas, contradictions, and margins of hegemonic educational practices. I highlight the ways in which the standard of education is structured in opposition to how children seek to understand and make sense of the world. In my analysis of early childhood settings and art education under the umbrella of the U.S. education system, I approach historical antecedents involving colonialism and systemic injustice. Within the field of art education, I specifically look at the artistic and imaginative ways that children resist societal norms in early childhood education. As such, I …

Flexible Microelectrode-Based Impedance Immunosensor For Rapid Detection Of E. Coli O157:H7, Sonatan Kumar Biswas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Food contamination poses a significant threat to public health, the economy, and human health worldwide, occurring at any stage of the food supply chain, from farm to fork. Escherichia coli 0157:H7, recognized as one of the principal causes of foodborne illness, poses a considerable risk to food safety. The primary objective of this investigation is to devise a flexible microelectrode-based immunosensor capable of swiftly identifying E. coli O157:H7 cells without the need for incubation in a pure culture environment. In the development of the biosensor, the gold electrode (composed of 50% Au) underwent an initial coating process involving 2-aminoethanethiol/cysteamine, …

Shaping Minds, Shaping Future: Analyzing K-12 Climate Change Education Policy Preferences In Arkansas, Nataliia Borozdina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change education in K-12 public schools is a highly debated and divisive policy issue, particularly in politically conservative states such as Arkansas, where ideological divisions often dominate and shape public attitudes and policy preferences. This dissertation examines the attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions of three key stakeholder groups, namely the policy elites, general public, and educators toward climate change education policies in K-12 public schools in the state of Arkansas. While political party affiliation is an important factor, this study explores a more nuanced relationship by considering the interplay of Cultural Theory, risk perception, trust in government, climate change …

Atomic Level Characterization For The Transport Cycle Conformational Pathways Of Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (Mrp1), Samuel Wamwere Mwatha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1/ABCC1) is an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter that mediates the cellular efflux of endogenous and xenobiotic substrates, including therapeutic drugs. Its overexpression is a major contributor to multidrug resistance in cancer, which tends to result in negative clinical results. Even with considerable progress made in structural biology, the intricate details of how membrane lipid composition affects the conformational changes and functional switches of MRP1 still lack explanation.

This thesis employs long-timescale, all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the influence of various lipids on MRP1 lipid bilayer environments. Both inward-facing and outward-facing conformations of MRP1 …

Exploring 2slgbtqia+ Parenting In Northwest Arkansas, Bailey Mason

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the U.S. Census Bureau first published data on “same-sex” households in 2011, research has repeatedly indicated the majority of 2SLGBTQIA+ parents (here on referred to as “queer parents”) reside outside of major cities in heavily populated regions of the country. However, due to widespread metronormative narratives about the queer experience, the experiences of queer parents in less-populated regions are rarely studied. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of queer parents in Northwest Arkansas, a region of the politically and religiously conservative Southern U.S. with areas both urban and rural. Applying grounded theory and drawing from queer theory to …

Using Deep Learning And Two-Photon Excitation Fluorescence Microscopy To Predict Breast Cancer Recurrence And Response To Chemotherapy, Nicholas Powell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accurate prediction of breast cancer recurrence plays a critical role in guiding treatment decisions, particularly regarding the use of systemic therapy for patients. While genomic assays such as the Oncotype DX Recurrence Score offer valuable prognostic information, they are limited in accessibility and application. The work presented in this thesis explores an imaging-based approach for the prediction of breast cancer recurrence that combines multiphoton microscopy (MPM) with deep learning to classify individual breast cancer biopsy samples by risk of recurrence. Genomic differences in tumors with different recurrence potentials may translate to distinct optical and structural information that can be captured …

Fish Cultivation In Fallow Season Rice Fields: Effects On Landscape Methane Emissions, Samuel Carroll

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Co-cultivation of aquatic animals and rice in the same field is a fairly common practice in various parts of the world, with a number of well-established agro-ecological benefits, such as decreasing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers, increasing soil organic matter, and reducing the land area needed for agricultural production. One area of environmental concern in rice production is greenhouse gas emissions. Rice production contributes about 10% of global anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions. Currently around 27.5% of Arkansas rice fields are flooded in the winter, which can increase CH₄ emissions in the fallow season by 45% …

What's Love Got To Do With It? A Content Analysis Of Romantic Depictions In Tween Television Programming, Laura Workman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the streaming era of entertainment, television programming is available at the touch of a fingertip to any pre-adolescent tween (those between the ages of 8-13) with a smartphone. Previous content analyses have examined romantic relationship content on television programming in a limited manner, covering mostly teen shows and sexual behavior, rather than tween shows and romantic relationship behavior. And so, despite the fact that tweens tend to use media as a socializing agent for learning acceptable romantic relationship norms, not much is known about how television programs likely watched by this age demographic are depicting romantic relationships. Therefore, it …

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 …

Sanctuary Of The Voiceless: Examining Tik-Tok As A Political Landscape, Quentin Key

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While studies of social media as a political landscape often focus on established platforms like Twitter. They neglect emerging spaces like TikTok, the short-form video app, which has become an unexpected hub for political discourse. This study test Melissa Harris-Perry's "everyday talk" framework to analyze the political utility of this new digital space. Through analysis of 271 posts across TikTok, Twitter/X, and Truth Social, the research reveals how platforms simultaneously enable and constrain political discourse. Findings show verified accounts post political content 3.2 times more often than regular users, while political posts receive 167% more reposts, demonstrating how algorithms amplify …

Exploration Of Polymorphic Gate-Based Watermarking In Asynchronous Circuits, Stephanie Stock

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing demand for new state-of-the-art integrated circuits (ICs), intellectual property (IP) reuse has become more commonplace to both accelerate the design process and lessen the non-recurring engineering costs of a design. Reuseable IP poses significant security risks, not only to the creator of the IP, but also to the consumer purchasing the IP. For an IP vendor, this risk can come from illegal distribution, cloning, or overuse. For the purchaser, counterfeit IPs may be purchased from an unvetted vendor, leading to a substandard design, malfunctions, IP infringement, or security vulnerabilities. Hardware watermarking is a method to protect designers …

The Efficacy Of Foam-Based Hand Sanitizers For The Control Of Enveloped And Non-Enveloped Virus Transmission, Francis Torko

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infectious disease transmission due to viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza virus, human noroviruses (HuNoV), and hepatitis A, can occur via person-to-person contact or contaminated surfaces. Effective hand hygiene, including hand washing and use of hand sanitizers, is considered a critical tool for the control of infectious disease transmission, as recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. However, while research on hand washing efficacy is well-documented, research on hand sanitizer efficacy, particularly for foam-based products, remains limited. This research addressed critical gaps in the area of …

Examining Stable Isotope Variation Of Herbivores In South Luangwa Valley In The Context Of Anthropogenic Influences, Taylor Hubbard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stable isotopes are an effective tool for inferring mammalian behavior. Though there are multiple factors that can influence mammalian diets, anthropogenic influence is one that is often overlooked. For example, it is important to consider how wildlife living in areas where there are frequent, documented human-wildlife interactions will modify behavior. National Parks (NPs) are a great example of this because of the common misconception that since there are protections in place, that means it is devoid of anthropogenic influence. South Luangwa National Park contradicts this misconception. Though there are protections for wildlife in place within the park, it is unfenced …

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. …