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My Pilgrimage In The Church Growth Movement: Empowerment To Lead People To Jesus, Kent R. Hunter

Great Commission Research Journal

As a child, Kent Hunter was a nominal Christian with faithful parents. During surgery for a football injury, God changed Kent from mediocrity to missionary. Kent’s journey through college and seminary provided theology, but little strategy. In search of mission training, he earned a Ph.D. in Theology. It would become the biblical foundation for his future. Kent’s first ministry was to pastor a dying, inner-city, Anglo church surrounded by unchurched African Americans. Humbled and discouraged by failure to effectively reach out, he enrolled in Fuller Seminary. God used that experience to transform his life, his church, and many others on …

Effect Of Feeding Regimen And Age On Lipid Metabolism In Broiler Breeder Hens And Progeny, Nirun Boonsinchai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Age of hens and feed allocation can affect egg yolk lipid compositions which in turn directly relate to chick quality. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the effects of age and feeding programs on lipid metabolism in breeder hens and progeny. In the first trial, the rate of yolk absorption and fatty acid profiles in the yolk were compared among 28, 35, and 49wk old hens. The results revealed that the rate of yolk absorption was higher, but the absolute amount of fatty acids absorbed was lower in young hens than in the old hens. The second trial …

Reducing Nutrient Runoff From Poultry Production Facilities Using Locally-Sourced Iron And Aluminum Byproducts, Sheri Lynn Herron

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phosphorus (P) inputs to fresh waters can accelerate the eutrophication process. Agricultural nutrient runoff has been shown to be a contributor of P and nitrogen (N). Broiler production areas were evaluated for their potential to contribute P and N to runoff. Broiler house dust (BHD) samples were analyzed and compared to broiler litter (BL), rainfall simulations were conducted on plots adjacent to broiler house fans to evaluate nutrient enrichment in runoff from deposited dust, and runoff was automatically sampled at two culverts draining the land around broiler houses. Following this, an on-farm byproduct containment and nutrient removal structure was designed …

Grass Finishing Systems For Lambs, Erin Leigh Smyth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is strong interest in sustainably produced meat. Grass-fed lamb could fulfill this market by reducing off-farm inputs. The objective was to examine the effect of grass-finishing or minimal supplementation on performance of lambs in the southeastern US. Katahdin lambs born in October 2013 and 2014 and February 2014 were weaned in January 2014/2015 and May 2014, respectively. Lambs were blocked by gender (fall; winter included only ram lambs) and randomly assigned to receive no (NON) or grain co-product supplement (SUP; 15% CP) at 0.5% of BW/d. Lambs were rotationally grazed on predominantly grass. Body weight, fecal egg counts (FEC), …

The Spectacle Of Orphanhood: Reimagining Orphans In Postbellum Fiction, Afrin Zeenat

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Orphan iconography has always been deployed in American literature and culture, but nineteenth-century American literature, fiction in particular, abounds in orphans, both real and imaginary. The orphan’s amphibious nature is hailed and demonized as the epitome of individualism and unbridled freedom, and also as the location of society’s anxiety. This complicated and conflicted construction of orphans animates the Social and cultural realm in postbellum America, foregrounding issues of class, race, and gender.

Novel Biomarkers For Calcium And Phosphorus Metabolism In Breeder Hens And Broilers, Andrew Dick Magnuson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broiler breeder hens are subject to the dual expectation to not only maintain a high production of eggs for an extended time period, but to produce eggs which can support the life of chicks which will be used for either meat production or as parent stock. Egg fertility and hatchability are heavily influenced by the thickness of the egg shell, the mineral calcium carbonate shell of the egg necessary for protecting the embryo growing inside. Many factors affect egg shell quality including age of the hen, diet, environmental conditions, genetic strain, stress, disease, and nutrition. Laying hens will mobilize calcium …

Water Consumption Behavior In Broilers, David Harold Mccreery

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A series of trials were conducted to analyze broiler water consumption behaviors under commercial conditions. The first trial was to quantify the number of broilers drinking at times of peak water demand. Birds were evaluated at time intervals of 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes from the start of the light period to establish the percentage birds having consumed water by that point in time. Significant differences were found by bird age in the 5, 10, and 15 minute intervals, however there were no significant differences in the percentage of birds having consumed water in the 30, 45, …

Is The Geriatric Impact Ipad Test A Valid Measurement Of Cognitive Function In Older Adults?, Heather Elise O'Dell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of older adults will rapidly increase within the next generation (Brookmeyer, Johnson, Ziegler-Graham, & Arrighi, 2007). Alzheimer’s disease risk increases with age, especially after age 60 (NIA, n.d.). Aging leads to a decrease in functional independence, and this side effect is exacerbated by cognitive decline (Johnson, Lui, & Yaffe, 2007). Executive function is a predictor of Alzheimer’s disease onset and progression (Zhang, Han, Verhaeghen, & Nilsson, 2007). The Geriatric ImPACTTM test is a potential new and more convenient testing methods than traditional methods used. The purpose of this research is to validate the Geriatric ImPACTTM test by comparing …

A Cradle To Farm Gate Life Cycle Analysis Of Land Use In U.S. Pork Production, William Benjamin Putman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to conduct a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the U.S. live swine production supply chain to quantify land use requirements and to assess the impact associated with various ration compositions. The functional unit was defined as one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of live swine at the farm gate, ready for transport to the abattoir. This assessment focused on the three highest producing USDA regions, which encompassed the Midwest (Regions 5 and 7) and the Southeast (Region 4), representing 86% of U.S. market hog production.

First, a literature review was conducted to summarize the most …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Alternative Swine Management Practices, Prathamesh Avadhut Bandekar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are quantitative analyses of complex systems for evaluation of impacts and risk associated with management decisions. LCAs can be effective tools for determining comparative advantages of management strategies across specific impact concern. In this study, life cycle assessments of pork production management alternatives was performed. The alternative management practices included in this study were production of entire males (boars), use of pens for gestation housing, immunocastration, production without growth promoting antimicrobials, production without growth promoting and preventive antimicrobials, and production without ractopamine. These LCAs evaluated the impact of each management strategy on greenhouse gas emission (GHG), …

Is Chir Pine Displacing Banj Oak In The Central Himalaya? Socioeconomic Implications For Local People And The Conservation Of Oak Forest Biodiversity, Ankush Nautiyal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Various studies have suggested that chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) is replacing banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora) in the Central Himalaya. Five sites with three different types of forests (banj oak, chir pine and mixed oak-pine) were sampled to compare the diversity of their vegetation and to assess the impact of this ongoing conversion on biodiversity. Soil samples collected from oak and pine forests were analyzed and compared. In addition, dendrochronology was used to obtain age estimates of chir pine and to understand the growth response of this species to precipitation. Also, samples of ectomycorrhizal fungi were collected in the form of …

Long-Term Effects Of Alternative Residue Management Practices On Near-Surface Soil Properties And Soybean Production In A Wheat-Soybean, Double-Crop System In Eastern Arkansas, Christopher Ryan Norman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adoption of management practices that maintain or increase soil organic matter (SOM), which contains 58% carbon (C) on average, may help to mitigate climate change by sequestering atmospheric C. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the long-term trends in SOM, soil C and nitrogen (N), bulk density, various soil chemical properties (i.e., pH, electrical conductivity [EC], and Mehlich-3-extractable nutrients) in the top 10 cm, and soybean yield as affected by residue burning (burning and non-burning), tillage (conventional and no-tillage), irrigation (irrigated and non-irrigated), and N-fertilization/residue level (high and low) in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-soybean [Glycine …

Characterization Of Human Muscle Extracellular Matrix, Lauren Klaire Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The performance of extracellular matrix (ECM) biological scaffolds for the treatment of volumetric muscle loss (VML) has shown promising results with regenerating native muscle in animal models and human patients. However, the limitations of these scaffolds include non-specific characteristics based on the original parameters of the muscle that is lost and this is why our group chose to characterize human skeletal ECM. By understanding the characteristics of the native human skeletal ECM, more desired queues for the biological scaffolds being used to treat VML can be provided. Upper limb and lower limb skeletal muscles were commercially obtained, decellularized using common …

Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) Detection Strategies With Formalin-Fixed Stec Cells, Christopher Adam Baker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Certain pathogenic Escherichia coli known as Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are commensals in cattle, and typically cause bloody diarrhea in humans once the Stx toxin is secreted in invaded intestinal epithelial cells. Infections with STEC cells can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is commonly associated with kidney failure. Several STEC serogroups have been declared adulterants in raw, non-intact ground meat, and future regulations could potentially lead to a higher number of STEC serogroup detection strategies for these pathogenic microorganisms. Microbiological research laboratories may benefit from formalin-fixed STEC cells for periodic (daily, weekly, monthly, among others) instrument validation/calibration …

Paleoclimate Implications From Stable Isotope Analysis Of Sedimentary Organic Carbon And Vertebrate Fossils From The Cedar Mountain Formation, Ut, U.S.A., Garrett Andrew Hatzell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of fossilized vertebrate teeth and bone were analyzed to determine isotopic values of vertebrate faunal diet from the early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah. Results for δ18O of PO4 (δ18Op) (Suarez et al., 2014) from the same data set have been compared to the δ18O of CO3 (δ18Oc) portion of teeth and turtle shell to determine if diagenetic alteration of the isotopes has occurred by plotting the line of best fit equation that models the relationship between unaltered δ18OP and δ18OC of modern mammals from Iacumin et al., 1996. Results indicate slight diagenesis of …

The Technological Singularity: An Ideological Critique, Phillip Stephens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Technological Singularity represents a confluence of techno-cultural narratives of progress in which the projected exponential growth of artificial intelligence and nanotechnology will usher in a moment of irrevocable change for the human race – a change that many claim is scant decades away. Although the concept saw its modern clarification by science fiction author Vernor Vinge, the Singularity sits astride both fictional and nonfictional narratives of the future. It is the aim of this study to explore the ideological discourses that emerge from texts on the Singularity and the unfathomable posthuman future it ushers in. Doing so reveals how …

The Longitudinal Effects Of Beta-Alanine Supplementation On Isometric Strength, Time To Exhaustion, And Lower-Body Isometric Torque In Female Masters Athlete Cyclists, Jordan Mckenzie Glenn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the population of aging individuals exists a subset of competitive seniors or masters athletes (MA). As masters-level competition increases in popularity, MA must find methods to enhance individual athletic performance. Beta-alanine (BA) is an amino acid used to enhance physical capability based on ability increase intramuscular carnosine concentrations. Older adults and females have naturally lower carnosine levels compared to age- and gender-matched counterparts and may experience enhanced benefits from BA supplementation. Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the longitudinal effects of BA supplementation on isometric handgrip strength (HG), time to exhaustion (TTE), total work completed …

A Social Marketing Plan For The Arkansas Miracle League, Abby Stuart

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Miracle League is a baseball league specially designed to allow disabled children, teens, and adults have the same opportunity to play baseball as able-bodied individuals on a field specifically designed to accommodate all disabilities. This thesis offers the Miracle League of Arkansas a specified Social marketing plan. In order to assist Miracle League in the acquisition of new players, volunteers, and donors, research was compiled and conducted to implement a successful Social marketing plan for the spring 2016 Miracle League season. This Social marketing plan gives Miracle League recommendations on how to appeal to parents of potential Miracle League players, …

Phenology And Diversity Of Arthropod Communities In Leaf Litter, Fredericka Hamilton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Temperate deciduous forests produce a layer of leaf litter on the forest floor annually. This layer is dynamic, and both the composition and depth change throughout the year. The leaf litter layer is an important habitat to many arthropods since they utilize it for food, shelter from adverse environmental conditions, and protection from predators.

Two commonly encountered and diverse taxa found in the litter layer are the ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and the ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Carabidae and Gnaphosidae were collected and identified on a monthly basis from April 2014 to March 2015 from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas …

In Vitro Microdialysis Sampling Collection Of Volatile Organic Compounds (Voc's), Dodecafluoropentane (Ddfp) And Isoflurane, Valerie Shannon Mckinney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Death by stroke occurs every four minutes to human beings. Strokes cause necrosis within the tissue of the brain due to deprivation of oxygen. Perfluorocarbons have the ability to transport oxygen to tissue and in return decrease cell death. Dodecafluoropentane (DDFP) is a volatile fluorocarbon and collection in vivo can be a challenge since this compound evaporates at room temperature. There is currently not an efficient collection method in vivo for compounds that are volatile. Without a method to collect DDFP it is impossible to be approved for clinical use since exact concentrations of the drug within the body will …

Science And Charity: Rival Catholic Visions For Humanitarian Practice At The End Of French Rule In Cameroon, Charlotte Walker-Said

Publications and Research

This paper explores the conflict between local expressions of Christian charity and new theories of scientific humanitarianism in the final years of French rule in Africa. Compassionate phenomena inspired by Catholic social organizing had transformed everyday life throughout French Cameroon’s cities and villages in the interwar and postwar years, and yet, in 1950, poverty, crime, poor public health, and social tensions remained prevalent. Seeking a more deeply transformative approach to social rehabilitation, ecclesiastical leaders in the Catholic Church in Europe and French foreign missionary societies in Africa partnered with international medical and scientific organizations in order to invigorate charity with …

Ecotone Conditions Along Pinon-Juniper And Ponderosa Pine Elevational Ranges, Jemez Mountains, Nm, Christopher Lawrence Sanderson

Architecture and Planning ETDs

While climate variability is endemic to Southwest North America (SWNA), mounting evidence indicates the region is undergoing significant warming and becoming increasingly arid. Species are at or near their physiological limits at ecotone boundaries and are therefore particularly sensitive to climate change. Drought and warming associated tree mortality has been particularly acute in the semiarid forests and woodlands of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA, where ponderosa pine forests (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum) and piñon--juniper woodlands (Pinus edulis and Juniperus monosperma) have been subject to cambium-feeding pine beetle (Dendroctonus spp., Ips spp) attacks and increased wildfire activity and severity. Grazing …

Into The Tropics: A Quantitative Study Of Mammals In The Great American Biotic Interchange, Winifred S. B. Whiteman-Jennings

Biology ETDs

For almost 100 million years, North and South America were isolated from each other. This long period of geologic separation led to the evolution of strikingly different mammalian faunas: marsupials were prevalent in South America, while ecosystems in North America were composed of placental mammals. Roughly 3 Mya, a land bridge formed between the two continents leading to an accelerated exchange of mammalian fauna. The Great American Biotic Interchange (or GABI, as this has come to be called,) led to the successful colonization of many North American species, but few South American species. The highly asymmetrical nature of the faunal …

Inhibition Of Virulence As Treatment Strategies For Staphylococcus Aureus Infection, Seth Michael Daly

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Staphylococcus aureus is a global health threat due to its ability to cause significant morbidity and mortality and the exceptional capacity to acquire antibiotic resistance. One method to combat antibiotic resistance, proposed by the NIAID, is anti-virulence strategies focused on bacterial disarmament. S. aureus regulates over 200 virulence factors with the accessory gene regulator (agr) operon, which encodes a quorum sensing (QS) system, and many of the agr-regulated virulence factors are required for invasive infection. Therefore, we hypothesized that bacterial disarmament through the inhibition of agr quorum sensing will both complement immune function and mitigate the severity of S. aureus …

Characterization Of R-Ketorolac As A Single Enantiomer Selective Inhibitor Of Cdc42 And Rac1 In Ovarian Cancer, Shelby Ray Kenney Jr.

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States and is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage with multiple metastases. Rho family GTPases contribute to metastasis through regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, cell motility, cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and these GTPases are altered in a number of human cancers. High throughput screening and in silico modeling identified the R-enantiomer, but not S-enantiomer, of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketorolac as a novel inhibitor of Rac1 and Cdc42. Ketorolac is administered as a racemic mix of both enantiomers and is used clinically for surgical …

Signaling Instructional Video For Mathematics, Kimberly W. Milner

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Video provides an increasingly valuable medium for delivery of instruction in a growing number of content areas. Growth of online instructional applications has been prompted by expansion of the Internet and video streaming technology, adding to the need for design practices that produce more effective and efficient instructional videos. This study examined the use of signaling for multimedia to reduce cognitive overload and increase mental effort when learning mathematical concepts and procedures from instructional video. Signaling addresses the issue of directing the learner's attention by using visual or verbal cues that stress importance and organization (Mayer, 2009). Effectively signaled instructional …

Water, Agriculture, And Drought In The West Under Changing Climate And Policy Regimes, George B. Frisvold

Natural Resources Journal

Agriculture is the largest water user in the West, and it will play a central role in balancing water supplies with competing water demands in light of climate change. Water resources that are already over allocated face competing demands from growing urban populations, unresolved tribal water claims, and for maintenance of riparian habitats. While many believe we can meet these demands by reallocating water from agriculture, climate change complicates this calculus. Warmer temperatures and longer droughts will reduce regional water supplies and increase agricultural water demands, making transfers more costly. Hydrological-economic modeling studies suggest agricultural water use will decline, leaving …

Connecting Schools And Communities: A Spatial Approach To Social Capital And Student Performance In The Albuquerque Public School District, Steven T. Bishop

Architecture and Planning ETDs

Locating services and accesses to opportunities is a growing trend in community schools. Having on-site health services, employment programs, after-school programs, and other social services for students, parents, and members in a community surrounding a school, strengthens the relationships between schools and the communities they serve. These relationships foster increased stocks of social capital in a community and with parents, and the link between parental and community social capital and student performance is strong. In order to make the most of limited resources, schools and school districts implementing community school models must identify which services and accesses to opportunities help …

Macroecology And Sociobiology Of Humans And Other Mammals, Joseph Robert Burger

Biology ETDs

Despite being the most studied species on the planet, ecologists typically do not study humans the same way we study other organisms. My Ph.D. thesis contributes to scientific development in two ways: i) synthesizing our understand of the inter and intraspecific variation in social behavior in an understudied rodent lineage, the caviomorphs, providing a comparative context to understand social evolution in general, and 2) developing a macroecological approach to understand the metabolic trajectory of the human species. Through comparative analysis, chapter 2 synthesizes the available information on the diversity of sociality in the caviomorph rodents, both within and across species. …

Diversity Of Understudied Archaeal And Bacterial Populations Of Yellowstone National Park: From Genes To Genomes, Daniel Robert Colman

Biology ETDs

Yellowstone National Park (YNP) thermal springs have been a crucial resource for the discovery and characterization of microbial biodiversity. The use of cultivation-independent methods has documented many new phyla of uncultured Archaea and Bacteria within thermal springs. Here, I describe the phylogenetic diversity and distribution of Archaea within the YNP thermal spring ecosystem and the phylogenetic and physiologic characterization of novel, uncultured hyperthermophilic bacterial lineages from metagenomic data. In chapter two, I evaluated the efficacy of commonly used, 'universal' archaeal-specific 16S rRNA gene PCR primers in detecting archaeal phylogenetic diversity. In chapter three, using the PCR primers that would provide …