Digital Commons Network^™

Study The Effect Of Climate Change On Barley Crop (Hordeum Vulgare L.) And Improving Its Productivity Through Municipal Treated Wastewater Utilization, Wasef A. Alzayadneh

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Climate change presents a complex risk to crop productivity, with elevated temperatures, rising CO2 and UV-B enhancement profoundly impacting growth. Although the effects of individual stressors are well-documented, limited information is available regarding the combined effects of variables such as elevated CO₂ (eCO2), UV-B radiation, and elevated temperature (eT). This knowledge gap is especially critical for major cereal crops such as barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), which ranks fourth in global production and serves as a valuable source of forage for livestock. However, traditional forage production is unsustainable in arid regions, where water shortage and extreme weather conditions are present, as …

Forest Characteristics And Avian Community Differences Among Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga Cerulea) Use Types, Dustin Kohler

ATU Scholars Symposium

Avian species are often used to measure the health of an ecosystem, in part because the specific forest structure can significantly impact the avian community. A heterogeneous landscape can support a more diverse avian community and benefit specialist species like the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea), a rapidly declining, neotropical migrant that can be found in large deciduous forests. The Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas represent a small core area for the species, but at all sites in the upland Ozarks where Cerulean Warbler research has been conducted, there are fewer individuals than there were twenty years ago; some …

Population Loss And Site Abandonment Of Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga Cerulea) In The Ozarks, Brayden D. Johnson, Dustin Kohler

ATU Scholars Symposium

Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) have declined across their breeding range, including the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, where historically occupied sites have experienced reduced populations or abandonment. Understanding population trends and habitat structure is important for informing forest management and conservation. This study compares historic and current Cerulean Warbler counts at selected upland sites within the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest and evaluates whether differences in canopy composition between abandoned historic sites and foraging sites currently used by Cerulean Warblers can explain site abandonment. Population trajectories varied among sites. Cherry Bend remained consistently occupied from 1998-2004 with 16-24 individuals and supported 17 …

Comprehensive Temporal, Spatial, And Environmental Analysis Of Arkansas Tournament Information Program (Atip) Data With A Lake Dardanelle Case Study., Jeffrey G. Phillips

ATU Scholars Symposium

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) established the Arkansas Tournament Information Program (ATIP) in 1990 to provide a long-term, standardized dataset to describe Black Bass (Micropterus spp.) tournament outcomes, angler performance, and fish size structures across Arkansas, yet most of its analytical potential has not been fully explored beyond yearly summary reports. This project will use ATIP data from 1990 to 2027 and a biological case study from Lake Dardanelle to evaluate long-term trends, compare lake-specific performance, identify environmental drivers of tournament success, access how well tournament data represents true Black Bass populations, and create an “average” year benchmark …

Re-Purposing Pre-Existing Tilapia Aquaculture Open-Design System For Zebrafish Biomedical Research Purposes, Luke Cantu, David Sierra, Skyleigh Curtis, Maya Avila

ATU Scholars Symposium

Title: Re-purposing pre-existing tilapia open-design aquaculture systems for zebrafish biomedical research purposes.

Background: Zebrafish (Danio rerio) models are gaining popularity in biomedical research; however, the high infrastructure cost, at approximately $20,000 per unit, is a significant hurdle for primary undergraduate institutions (PUIs) establishing zebrafish facilities. This study assesses if repurposing existing tilapia open-design aquaculture systems could be a cost-effective method for zebrafish facility establishment.

Methods: Between November-2025 to February-2026, the study used a pre-existing tilapia aquaculture open-design system with personnel modified outlet filters. The water quality of this system was monitored and recorded. The study compared the stabilization phase or …

Grassland Bird Community Responses To Fire Management, Mason H. Dillard

ATU Scholars Symposium

Vegetation structure plays a major role in determining avian community makeup. Controlled burn frequency changes vegetation structure and consequently the makeup of avian communities. To examine this relationship, I surveyed breeding birds in grasslands and savannahs of the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas River Valley, and Northwest Arkansas. I created models to outline the relationship between these three factors (avian community, fire management, and vegetation structure.) I also examined surrounding land cover and patch size as potential variables that may impact avian community structures.

I will outline the role fire management plays in determining the makeup of breeding bird communities in grasslands, …

Incorporating Local Expertise Into Environmental Research And Management, Jessica Black, Amy E. Scaroni, Stefanie L. Whitmire

Forestry and Natural Resources

This article is for researchers, government staff, land planners, and natural resource managers. In this paper, we will outline why incorporating local expertise works to scale down national or regional research to make it more useful for local communities. We will also provide examples of how a community’s knowledge about their local ecosystem, referred to as local ecological knowledge (LEK), can fill data gaps and contribute to improved land and wildlife management.

Fish Community Assessment Of Goose Pond Natural Area, Macy Sparks

ATU Scholars Symposium

Natural areas play an integral role in the preservation and conservation of unique ecosystems (i.e., natural wetlands). However, many natural areas have never had a biological inventory of species utilizing these areas. Goose Pond Natural Area (Conway County and Pope County, Arkansas) is one of those natural areas lacking species occurrence data. We addressed this data gap by sampling fish species across multiple habitat types (shallow woody wetland, open grassy wetland, and stream). We employed multiple gear types (mesh umbrella minnow traps, seines, gill nets, mini-fyke nets, and backpack electrofishing) in hopes of increasing species detection. Sites within the natural …

The Influence Of Fairytales On American Children’S Literature, Victoria Gómez

Research Days

Fairy tales have played a crucial role in children's literature, shaping cultural narratives and imparting moral lessons to young readers. This research examines how traditional European fairy tales, particularly those from the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, have been adapted within American children's literature. This study explores the significant role of Disney in reshaping these narratives for mass audiences and analyzes how core fairy tale themes persist in contemporary children's books. Through literary analysis, this study investigates how European originals, such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast, have evolved in American adaptations. Additionally, historical research will trace …

The Courier, Summer 2024, Tennessee. Historical Commission.

Tennessee Historical Commission

No abstract provided.

Building Community Through Service Learning: Textual Analysis Of Students’ Blogs In Pr Education, Mark Borchert

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Bluebird Bait: Quantifying The Attraction Of Ectoparasites To Nestling Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Ella Grace Bollinger

ATU Scholars Symposium

Ectoparasites, such as mosquitoes (Culicidae), blackflies (Simuliidae), and biting midges (Ceratopogonidae), have been shown to reduce population viability by lowering post-fledging survival and decreasing the lifetime reproductive success of adult birds. This issue is particularly concerning for songbirds such as the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) because their nestlings are relatively naked and have limited mobility, making them highly vulnerable to attacks by biting flies. However, the specific mechanisms attracting ectoparasites to nests remain understudied. We hypothesized that biting fly and mosquito abundance would be significantly higher at active Eastern Bluebird nests than that of empty boxes and would increase with …

Assessing The Effect Of A Human-Made Reservoir On The Mussel Community In Caney Creek, Trakker Estes

ATU Scholars Symposium

Freshwater mussels are one of the most threatened taxonomic groups globally, with less than 32% of North American taxa considered secure. In Arkansas, over half of the state’s 85 species are endangered, threatened, or of special concern. Small impoundments may contribute to these declines through reduced hydrological connectivity and the resulting decline of fish community movement. This study examines the effects of Tri-County Lake, a small impoundment of Caney Creek in southern Arkansas, on mussel abundance and diversity. In total, eight sites were surveyed upstream, within, and downstream of the impoundment across various habitat types. A timed-search approach utilizing scuba …

Use Of Basal Tree Cavities By Sylvilagus Aquaticus In Central Arkansas, Heath R. Williams

ATU Scholars Symposium

Basal tree cavities are hollow structures at the base of tree trunks utilized by many wildlife species, including small mammals, furbearers, and bats. Dumyahn and Zollner (2010) demonstrated that swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) use basal tree cavities and speculated that they may be used for thermoregulation at the northern limits of their geographic range or as alternative escape routes. To further investigate swamp rabbit use of basal tree cavities, we placed camera traps approximately 1 m from the entrance of the cavities (n = 43) in various Wildlife Management Areas in central Arkansas. Along with control sites without cavities (n=25), …

Academic Proposal Management: Expanding The Impact Of Research Development, Faye Farmer, Kellianne Lauer, Tobin Spratte, Huguette Albrecht, Megan Blease

Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal

As a practice, research development encompasses activities that expand innovation and discovery for individuals in academia and industry. Within the research development framework, proposal development refers to activities that support individuals and teams in pursuing funding opportunities. Proposal management encompasses a specific suite of rigorous, reproducible, and structured activities dedicated to preparing a persuasive, coherent, and compliant proposal in response to a funding opportunity. While the approach is scalable, the presence of a skilled professional proposal manager is often reserved for multi-institutional, multi-million-dollar proposals. Proposal management is a well-established profession outside of higher education. Proposal management as a profession has …

The Form Of Mekakat Junggring Salaka Mantra In Character Education Of The Tengger Tribal Community, Aullina Luizzahro, Imam Suyitno, Moch. Syahri

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This research aims to describe and explain the relationship of Mekakat mantra Junggring Salakan with the role of character education in the Tengger tribe community. The approach used in this research uses a qualitative descriptive approach and this type of research uses discourse analysis research. The source of data in this research is in the form of excerpts from the Mekakat Junggring Salaka mantra that can describe character education that emerges in the Tengger tribe community. The data source in this research is a collection of Tengger tribal mantras. In this research, the researcher acts as a key instrument (human …

Analyzing Cognitive Development In Elementary-Aged Children And Its Implications For Teaching And Learning Strategies, Hardita Amalia Sri Ayu Lestari, Rinnanik Rinnanik, Evy Ramadina, Febi Nur Biduri

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

The acceleration and optimization of an individual's development can surpass that of their peers, with disparities emerging from age-related, genetic, dietary, and environmental factors. A profound understanding of human development serves as a crucial foundation for comprehending an individual's needs and character, particularly among elementary-aged children. Defined as those aged 7-12 years or encompassed within the educational system, this demographic necessitates a thorough examination of their cognitive development. Cognitive development constitutes an extensive domain that encompasses various thinking abilities, such as reasoning, memory, problem-solving, ideation, and creativity. Consequently, the present study embarks on a substantive and comprehensive analysis of the …

Development Of Prototype Of The Japa Tech Culture Application (Java Phonetic Alphabet) As A Media For Digitizing Javanese Phoneme Pronunciation Based On Android, Cicik Tri Jayanti, Dwi Sulistyorini, Febri Taufiqurrahman, Afifah Fitri Wahyuningtyas, Rayhan Rizky Fadhillah, Reynaldi Januar Hudayanto, Sindy Firnanda

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This study aims to develop an android-based Javanese phoneme pronunciation tech culture application for learning Javanese at the sound level. This research uses a simplified research and design (R&D) research method of the Borg & Gall model. The research stages include the pre development, development, and post-development stages. The data in this study are in the form of vowel phonemes, consonants, and Javanese language clusters and their realization in Javanese words. The source of research data is in the form of literature related to Javanese phonology as well as phonologists and linguists.

A Comparative Study Of Shirin And Layla In Khamsa Of Nizami Ganjavi: Perspective On Literature In Higher Education, Alireza Dastmalchi

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Lyrical literature is one of the most important and famous types in Persian literature, hich is used to express romantic themes and it has been common in various forms such as ghazal and masnavi (double-rhymed verses). The fifth century poet Unsuri’s Vāmiq u ‘Adhrā, Ayyuqi’s Varqa wa Golshāh, Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani’s Vis and Rāmin are among the famous works in this type of literature. However, this type of literature reached its height in the sixth century in the form of masnavi by Nizami Ganjavi, who among lyrical and romantic poets, according to the masters of speech, no poet has ever …

Colostrum Fatty Acid Composition And Its Association With Reproductive Traits In Sows Under Tropical Conditions, Dwi Sunu Datrianto, Kunaporn Homyog, Surasak Jittakhot, Padet Tummaruk

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Colostrum provides essential nutrients and immune factors that newborn piglets can absorb only within the first 24 h after birth. Fatty acids are essential for neonatal physiology, supporting thermoregulation, neurodevelopment, and immune function, and serving as a key energy source to reduce hypothermia and mortality in piglets. However, information on the fatty acid composition of sow colostrum under tropical conditions and its relationship with reproductive performance remains limited, warranting further investigation to improve piglet survival. This study evaluated the fatty acid profile of sow colostrum under tropical production conditions and examined its associations with reproductive traits. Colostrum samples were collected …

History Students Access Air Force Museum Archives At Wright-Patt For The First Time, Lauren Mccarty

College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

The visit was made possible by UD alumnus Samuel Lynch ’25, a museum curator.

Reirradiation Treatment Effects In The Clinic (Retec) Proposal - Proof Of Concept Based On Spinal Cord Dose Tolerance For Reirradiation With Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy, Jimm Grimm, Anand Mahadevan, Olusola Obayomi-Davies, Scott G. Soltys, Arjun Sahgal, Kristin J. Redmond, Michael T. Milano, Wolfgang A. Tomé, Kenneth Brooks, Scott Dodd, John Austin Vargo, Gopal Subedi, Jinyu Xue, Bisher Ebid, Felix Ehret, Byung-Han Andrew Rhieu, Christoph Fürweger, Rachel Grimm, Alexander Muacevic, Vitali Moiseenko, Shalom Kalnicki, Mark Mclaughlin, Lawrence R. Kleinberg, John R. Adler, Iris C. Gibbs

College of Health Professions Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Since the inception of spinal radiosurgery decades ago, the factors influencing spinal cord recovery have remained unclear. Elucidating these factors would aid in reirradiation planning and delivery. We describe modeling reirradiation normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCP) from compiled published data, akin to the collaborative Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (QUANTEC) and High Dose per Fraction, Hypofractionated Treatment Effects in the Clinic (HyTEC) projects.

PURPOSE: Simple dose-time recovery factors for the spinal cord serve as a basis to propose the Reirradiation Treatment Effects in the Clinic (ReTEC) project. ReTEC aims to define human organ recovery factors …

Interview With Orca Award Winner Paul Olson, Unl English; Literature, Curricular Reform, Great Plains Studies, Mark A. Griep, Paul A. Olson

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Paul Olson was awarded the ORCA in 1984. He was born in 1932 in Washburn, Wisconsin. During his youth, his family also farmed in Nebraska and South Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Next, he earned a master’s in English from the University of Nebraska, had a Fulbright fellowship to spend a year at London University in England, and earned his doctorate in medieval and Renaissance studies from Princeton University in New Jersey. In 1957, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of English and was soon promoted to full professor. One of his …

Development And Application Of A Multiplex Bead-Based Platform For Quantifying Host-Pathogen Protein-Protein Interactions, Larah Gorayeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Host-pathogen protein-protein interactions are the key drivers of infectious diseases, where events such as pathogen adhesion and signaling are directly associated with disease severity. One example of this is Malaria, in which the Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes adhere to endothelial receptors to avoid splenic clearance. This study investigated interactions between PfEMP1 CIDR1 field domains and host receptor CD36 using a multiplex platform to quantitatively determine binding affinities. Variants RP18 and RP27 exhibited strong affinity, suggesting a role in cytoadherence and disease severity. To evaluate broader applicability, the platform was expanded to the interaction between host protein SIVA1 and Helicobacter pylori …

From Survival To Significance: The Unfinished Work Of Pediatric Surgery, Ed Barksdale

Grand Rounds

ACCME Objectives

1. Describe the case definition of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome according to the 2015 Institute of Medicine case definition.
2. Describe the epidemiology and impact of pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
3. Describe the modern management of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in light of research advances over the past 3 decades.

ANCC Learning Outcomes

1. Maintain and advance knowledge and skills related to pediatric conditions seen in our region.
2. Increase collaboration across professions of the healthcare team.

Quaker Campus, April 9, 2026 (Vol. 24, Issue 11), Whittier College

Quaker Campus

No abstract provided.

Identifying Major Sources Of Leptospira Interrogans In San Juan Bay And Río Grande De Loíza Estuaries Of Puerto Rico, Logan Mccullers, Dave Bachoon

Biology Theses

This study evaluated the presence of pathogenic Leptospira interrogans, potential carriers, and environmental factors influencing their occurrence in the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) and Río Grande de Loíza (RGDL) watersheds of Puerto Rico from 2024–2025. Detection of this pathogen from water samples was performed using the lipL32 PCR assay. The likely hosts of L. interrogans were determined using fecal source tracking (FST) assays for human (HF-183), canine (BacCan-UCD), equine (HoF597), and rat mitochondrial DNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (RatMt) markers. In 2024, 91 samples were collected (March: 50; June: 41), and in 2025, 124 samples were collected …

Β-Glucan Mitigates Valproic Acid-Induced Hepatorenal Toxicity In Rats, Maha Mohammad Almutairi, Hussein Mohammad Ali, Mohamed Abdelbakky, Ahmad Hamad Alhowail

Saudi Toxicology Journal

Valproic acid (VPA) is a common medication used to treat epilepsy, known for its broad-spectrum efficacy but also associated with hepatotoxicity and metabolic disturbances. β-glucan, a natural polysaccharide with hepatoprotective properties, may mitigate druginduced liver damage. The study sought to assess hepatorenal toxicity of VPA and investigate the potential protective and therapeutic effects of β-glucan. Forty male rats were randomly distributed into four groups. The treated group received VPA (500 mg/kg), β-glucan (50 mg/kg), or combinations for 14–21 days via intraperitoneal injection. Serum biochemical parameters (ALT, AST, ALP, urea, creatinine, lipids) were measured. Histopathological evaluation of hepatic tissue was performed. …

2026 Creepy Crawlers Challenge, Alison Coleman

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Evapecognition: An 18-Year Dataset Of Great Ape Cognition, Alejandro Sánchez-Amaro, Sonja J. Ebel Van Wijk, Carin Molenaar, Akzira Abuova, Lizbeth Mujica-Manrique, Sarah M. Leisterer-Peoples, Bret Beheim, Luke Maurits, Anna Albiach-Serrano, Matthias Allritz, Nazli Altınok, Federica Amici, Alice M.I. Auersperg, Filippo Aureli, Elisa Bandini, Jochen Barth, Leïla Benziad, Bettina E. Bläsing, Manuel Bohn, Marie Bourjade, Juliane Bräuer, Marie Hélène Broihanne, Sarah F. Brosnan, Nereida Bueno-Guerra, Thomas Bugnyar, David Buttelmann, Frances Buttelmann, Trix Cacchione, Malinda Carpenter, Fernando Colmenares

School of Psychology

The study of great ape cognition offers insights into the evolutionary origins of human intelligence, but is hindered by small sample sizes and restricted access to data. To address this, we present the EVApeCognition Dataset, a publicly available resource comprising 262 experimental datasets from 150 scientific publications from the Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center (2004–2021) in Leipzig, Germany. Eighty-one apes participated in 150 studies, with a majority (N = 78) participating in more than one study. Publication of the dataset aims to make these unique datasets accessible for future meta-analyses and correlational analyses, helping us better understand how our great …