Digital Commons Network^™

Unveiling Factors Influencing Extract Yield From Milled Rice In Brewing, Matthew Aitkens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) presents a locally sourced, climate-resistant starch source for the brewing industry. As barley faces increased uncertainty due to rising temperatures, Arkansas-grown rice offers a more stable and cost-effective alternative starch source. However, the use of milled adjunct rice by brewers has remained limited, largely due to knowledge gaps about cultivar-specific properties relative to brewing. Chapter 1 provides an overview of rice as a brewing adjunct, reviewing the physiochemical properties important to brewing success. These properties include kernel size, kernel breakage, amylose content, and gelatinization temperature. Mashing strategies for multiple different brewing layouts are overviewed, showing practical …

From Phenology To Yield Zones: Functional Clustering Of Satellite Time Series For Crop Growth Monitoring, Ikram Morso

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Remote sensing and land surface phenology provide a strong basis for characterizing crop development, but their usefulness for within-field yield-zone delineation depends on whether crop development is analyzed as a phenological trajectory and whether the resulting zones are evaluated with spatially defensible statistics. These questions are especially relevant in soybean production because soybean is one of the most important row crops in the United States and the country’s dominant oilseed crop. This relevance is strong in Arkansas, where soybean is a major component of agricultural production. In soybean production, within-field yield variability reflects the combined influence of soil properties, stand …

“Menopause Is Universal, But No One Prepared Us”: An Inductive Thematic Analysis Of R/Menopause, Alissa Lauren Hardwick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Menopause is a universal biological transition, yet women’s lived experiences of its emotional, cognitive, relational, and healthcare dimensions remain comparatively underrepresented in research. Guided by critical feminist theory and feminist standpoint epistemology, this study examined how women in the r/Menopause online community described experiences of depression and anxiety during the menopausal transition, how they narrated healthcare encounters, and how they made sense of shifting identity and social value. By treating self-authored online narratives as situated forms of knowledge, the study aimed to illuminate how menopausal distress is interpreted and negotiated in everyday discourse. An inductive qualitative reflexive thematic analysis was …

From Data Digitization To Personalized Care: Deep Learning And Decision Analytics In Healthcare Systems, Ahla Ko

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation traces a progression from foundational data infrastructure to individualized clinical decision-making, developing and evaluating three computational frameworks that advance healthcare efficiency and personalization through deep learning and decision analytics. The first study presents an end-to-end pipeline for automated recognition of handwritten medical forms, addressing persistent challenges in health data digitization. Integrating a YOLO-based field detection model, a Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (CRNN) for text transcription, and a confidence-based human-in-the-loop quality assurance framework, the system achieved 99.75\% Exact Match Accuracy and a 0.13\% Character Error Rate on medical forms collected from a tuberculosis research project in Moldova. A GPU-accelerated …

Assessing The Potential Of Taming Chicken Gut Commensal Bacteria Using Random Transposon Mutagenesis, Arjun Chapagain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The chicken gut microbiome comprises hundreds of bacterial species whose functional roles remain largely unknown, in part because the tools needed to experimentally manipulate these organisms in their native community context have not been systematically developed or validated. This dissertation addresses the gap through three connected research chapters that progressively build a framework for transposon-based genetic delivery in the chicken cecal microbiome, moving from community-wide accessibility mapping to vector optimization to library preparation refinement. In Chapter 2, we established the community-level insertion landscape in chicken cecal metagenome using Himar transposon delivery via RP4 conjugation and aligned Tn-seq reads to a …

Effects Of Wetting And Drying On Nutrient Mobilization In Aquatic Systems, Karessa Grace De La Paz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wetting and drying cycles are a fundamental, but underexplored, control on nutrient mobilization and transport in aquatic ecosystems. Such intermittency impacts approximately 60% of the world's streams and rivers, and the extent is expected to increase with future climate change. Additionally, aging reservoir infrastructure is driving restoration efforts, like large-scale drawdowns, that can expose benthic sediments to extended dry periods before refilling. Despite the prevalence of wet-dry cycles, how they influence nutrient transport and mobilization across different aquatic ecosystems remains poorly understood. To address this gap, this thesis presents two complementary studies exploring nutrient dynamics in Arkansas aquatic ecosystems that …

Assessment Of The Quality, Practicality, And Economic Viability Of Malted Rice, Bernardo Pontes Guimaraes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change threatens the global supply of malting barley, creating a need for sustainable, climate-resilient alternative grains for the brewing industries. This dissertation investigated the chemical, sensorial, practical, and economic viability of using rice as a malting material. First, the malting and brewing qualities of 20 rice samples were evaluated. Results indicated malted rice (MR) had good malting and brewing qualities, including adequate levels of free amino nitrogen (FAN), high amyloglucosidase and limit dextrinase activities. Furthermore, pigmented rice varieties displayed a novel reddish-purple wort color. To identify rice cultivars suited for malting and brewing, the relationship between starch chemistry and …

Religion, Crime, And The Mediating Effects Of Social Control And Self-Control, Parker Bowman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Past research on the relationship between religion and crime has found the two variables have a significant negative correlation. Currently, there are two main mechanisms used to explain this relationship: social control and self-control. Social control theorists argue that participation in religious organizations decreases criminal behaviors by increasing social bonds. Self-control theorists argue that religious norms and values decrease criminal behavior by increasing an individual's self-control. While both mechanisms have been well supported by research, there remains the question of which is the stronger mediator of the religion-crime relationship. This study seeks to answer this question by comparing the effects …

2026 Spring Commencement Program, The University Of West Alabama

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Shark Size And Species Responsible For Bite Marks On Sarasota Bay Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Sydney Haas

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Environmental Factors, Predation Risk, And Population Density On Neuromast Morphology And Distribution In Heterandria Formosa, Brielle Spencer

Theses & ETDs

Sensory systems play a crucial role in how fish respond to the environment, however variation in these systems are not well studied. This study examined how ecological factors influence neuromast morphology and distribution in the least killifish, Heterandria formosa. I tested the hypothesis that individuals from low density, high predation, low vegetation environments would show larger neuromast number and size than fish from high density, low predation, high vegetation populations. Neuromasts were stained and imaged in 140 fish, 10 males and 10 females from 7 different populations from northwest Florida. I stained the neuromasts using 4-Di-2-ASP and used a fluorescent …

Geospatial Science And The Changing Environment: Applied Methods For Sustainable Agriculture And Landscape Management, Harrison Wakefield Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid environmental change is disrupting agricultural productivity, ecological function, and the long-term resilience of managed landscapes. At the same time, the rapid growth of geospatial data science has improved our understanding of environmental change and increasingly is being used to improve sustainability in agricultural and environmental management. However, critical gaps remain that limit the applicability of data-driven insights in landscape management. This dissertation investigates the potential of geospatial analytics for sustainable agriculture and landscape management, with a focus on applied methods that operate across spatial and temporal scales. Using field, landscape, regional, and national datasets, it explores the capabilities and …

Association Between Cholinesterase Inhibitor-Overactive Bladder Antimuscarinic Prescribing Cascade And Risk Of Delirium And Falls Among Individuals Living With Dementia, Sarah Beth Tucker, Bryan L. Love Pharm D., Chijoke M. Okeke, Erin D. Zwick, Chengwen Teng Pharm.D., Ph.D., Jingkai Wei, Ibraheem M. Karaye, Saud Alsahali, Krithika Rajagopalan, Ismaeel Yunusa Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Background

Prescribing cascades occur when cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI)-induced urinary incontinence is misinterpreted as a new condition, leading to overactive bladder (OAB) antimuscarinic initiation. We evaluated whether the ChEI-OAB antimuscarinic prescribing cascade was associated with delirium or falls compared with mirabegron in older adults living with dementia.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Anlitiks All-Payor Claims database (2015–2020). Participants were adults aged ≥ 65 years with dementia newly prescribed a ChEI with no prior ChEI or OAB therapy (180 days). A 60-day window identified OAB treatment initiation after ChEI therapy. Exposures were OAB antimuscarinics or mirabegron. Outcomes were …

Genome-Wide Phenotypic Characterization Of Mycobacteriophage Mercurio, Tyler Downs

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Bacteriophages, or phages, are being piloted as a supplemental or alternative therapeutic to antibiotics against drug-resistant Mycobacterium pathogens, such as M. tuberculosis, which pose a global public health crisis.  Characterizing bacteriophage genomes can provide insights into efficacy in phage therapy before implementation or elucidate new targets to manipulate bacterial growth.  Overexpression of individual phage genes is useful to study a gene product’s function independent of others.  Here, the results of phage Mercurio plasmid library overexpression in plate-based assays are described.  Mercurio infects nonpathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis and is genetically related to bacteriophages infecting pathogenic Mycobacterium species.  Eleven gene products of …

Bindley Bioscience Center Technical Overview, Natasha Nikolaidis

University General Facility Boilerplate Descriptions

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Two Desensitizing Agents In Treatment Of Dentin Hypersensitivity In Cervical Lesions (A Randomized Clinical Trial), Hend Sayed Ahmed, Mohamed Fouad Haridy, Hoda Fouda, Sara Katarya, Youssef M. Haridy

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Aggregation And Collation Of Texas Crayfish Museum Specimens To Determine Their Current Conservation Statuses, Adrian Alvarez

Biology Theses

Crayfish account for over half of the macroinvertebrate biomass in many ecosystems and serve as crucial bioindicators because of their behavioral and physiological adaptability to environmental changes. Despite being home to approximately 52 native crayfish species, Texas currently lacks protective regulations. This gap is primarily because of insufficient information regarding their distribution and occurrences within the state, including their statuses as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). This study focuses on compiling and comparing crayfish museum records with current iNaturalist field survey data across Texas to address these knowledge gaps and recommend updates to SGCN statuses. Five species not currently …

Cis-Variant Gene-Expression Association Analysis: A Targeted Approach To Identify Functional Cis-Regulatory Variation, Sofiya Arora

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phenotypic diversity in plants is largely driven by changes in gene function arising from mutations in both the coding and regulatory regions. Regulatory variation is particularly pervasive because it can fine-tune gene expression without disrupting protein function and is therefore less likely to be strongly selected against in natural populations. As a result, it has played a central role in evolution and domestication. In our previous genome-wide eQTL mapping study in maize, nearly two-thirds of the expressed genes were found to harbor detectable cis-expression quantitative trait loci (cis-eQTLs) with strong local effects on gene expression. Though these cis-variants are widespread, …

Quantitative Genetics, Genomics, And Phenomics In Maize And Sorghum, Nikee Shrestha

Complex Biosystems Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Generating the best crop varieties and hybrids requires identifying genes associated with the phenotype of interest and screening thousands of varieties across multiple locations. Quantitative genetics, along with comparative genomics, phenomics, and machine learning approaches, can help us identify target genes associated with the phenotype of interest to develop the right genotypes. Satellite platforms offer logistical and technical advantages in scalability and accessibility and could facilitate plot-level predictions, especially with steadily improving spatial resolution, thereby empowering the large-scale screening of thousands of genotypes across diverse locations. In the first chapter, I evaluated over 20,000 plot-level images of over 80 hybrid …

Eat, Move, Sleep: How Everyday Habits Support Your Mental Health, University Of Dayton

University Libraries Blog Archive

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Learn about some of the science behind three fundamental habits of everyday life that can make a difference in how you feel, plus resources to help.

Influence Of Increased Supplementation Of Organic-Complexed Zinc To Beef Cows During Gestation: Effects On Preweaning Health Of Offspring, Naija N. Sharpley

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of increasing zinc supplementation from organic-complexed sources to beef cows during gestation on calf performance. In May 2025, during gestation, Angus crossbred cows were confirmed pregnant with female sexed semen (n = 83) and enrolled in the current study. Cows (4.7 ± 2 years of age and 531 ± 84.4 kg body weight, mean ± standard deviation) were allotted to 4 groups (20 to 21 cows/group) based on, sire of heifer calf, cow age, and cow body weights taken at weaning. Assigned groups received 1 of 2 treatments (2 groups/treatment): …

Void, Voidable, And The Limits Of Finality: Reconciling Equity And Public Policy In Illinois Child Support Orders, Julie M. Pirtle

Northern Illinois University Law Review

What happens when a 2012 agreed order, which dismisses a 2009 paternity finding, waives child support, and sets no parenting time, is challenged as void twelve years later and now Mother says Father has a $63,219.60 arrearage? My client, the Father and payor of support, was facing just that scenario. It is common knowledge that an out of court agreement to modify/terminate child support is not enforceable unless it is reduced to writing and approved by the courts. However, a party to a litigation should be allowed to rely on the orders the court enters. Father has every right to …

Identifying The Role Of Human Dna Polymerase Delta During Human Cytomegalovirus Genome Synthesis, Rachel Laree Dansereau

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a large double stranded DNA virus and member of the Herpesviridae family. Like all herpesviruses, HCMV presents with characteristics of persistent, lifelong infections that transition between lytic and latent states. The replication of the viral genome is traditionally thought to occur by a rolling circle mechanism, but this model is supported by little evidence. It is known that HCMV actively recruits several host proteins to viral replication compartments (RCs), including proteins involved in the DNA damage response (DDR). The exact mechanisms of how these proteins are used and in what ways they help the virus remain …

Perspectives On Design Education, Object-Based Learning, And 4e-Cognition, Arlene Oak

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Using The Flexon Approach To Rnai For Analysis Of Gene Function In Gonadal Development In C. Elegans, Andrew D. Spalding

Undergraduate Theses

C. elegans, a nematode worm, was used as a model organism to analyze the developmental effects of knocking down the expression of genes that are both essential to worm viability and highly enriched in reproductive tissues. In earlier research, approximately 70 C. elegans genes were identified that are both gonad-enriched and essential. To prioritize which genes should be the focus of future studies, a new strain of C. elegans was produced with three specific genetic variations that: 1) silence essential, somatic gonad-enriched gene expression, 2) limit the effects of this gene silencing to the gonad, and 3) yield a …

How Astroworld’S “Blame Game” Prevented The Formation Of Institutional Public Memory, Vedant Patil

RhetTech

This paper looks at why the 2021 Astroworld tragedy in Houston did not become institutional public memory despite its scale and impact. Institutional public memory refers to the formal recognition of collective trauma through memorials. Drawing on media analysis and Vilanova’s (2025) study, this paper argues that the absence of an official memorial stems largely from racialized media narratives that placed disproportionate blame on the predominantly Black audience and hip-hop culture. This framing took attention away from structural failures such as poor crowd control and event planning, which reduced institutional pressure to memorialize the victims. While spontaneous community memorials demonstrated …

Eugenics Rhetoric In C.S. Lewis’S That Hideous Strength And Essays, Michelle Griffin

RhetTech

In the book That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis depicts the National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.) as an exclusive organization dominated by scientists, academics, and state authorities, mirroring the professional middle class that shaped British eugenics in the 20th century. Throughout the book there is evidence of eugenics discourse relating to human experimentation, feeblemindedness, sterilization of the “unfit,” as well as the role of power dynamics, all of which points to That Hideous Strength being an intentional representation of the eugenics discourse happening in Britian around the same time in which Lewis wrote the book. There is substantial evidence …

The Investigation Of The Digital Divide: Government Literacy With African American Seniors, Jenettie Pirtle

Theses

My thesis, The Great Divide: An Investigation of Digital Literacy with African American Seniors, explores how race, age, and income shape access to technology and digital learning. Many African American seniors continue to face barriers to digital literacy due to limited resources, lack of exposure, and social inequalities. Using a qualitative approach, I conducted a focus group to hear directly from seniors about their experiences with technology, what challenges they face, how they feel about using it, and what support they need. Guided by Critical Race Theory and the concept of digital inequality, my analysis highlights the gap between access …

Reclaiming Suppressed Symbols: Yoruba Iconography And Nuyorican Identity In The Art Of Nitza Tufiño, Ariana Williams

Theses

This thesis examines the work of Afro-Puerto Rican artist Nitza Tufiño through Yoruba iconography, diasporic memory, and gendered Nuyorican identity. Grounded within the cultural and political context of the Nuyorican Movement of the 1960s and 1970s and, this study argues that Tufiño’s visual practice reframes suppressed African spiritual symbols through a woman-centered perspective, positioning Black femininity and spiritual labor as sites of resistance to colonial erasure and racial marginalization. Drawing upon Yoruba-derived cosmologies, Santería, and processes of visual syncretism, Tufiño integrates African, Indigenous Taíno, and Caribbean traditions to articulate a gendered visual language rooted in care, ritual, and collective memory. …

Gli2-Mediated Regulation Of Immunoglobulin Class Switching And Heavy Chain Locus Activity, Casey Paige Baumann

Master's Theses and Capstones

Class switch recombination (CSR) enables B cells to generate antibodies with diverse effector functions through recombination at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus. This process requires coordinated transcriptional activation and DNA repair, yet its regulation remains incompletely defined. The transcription factor GLI2, a mediator of Hedgehog signaling, has been implicated in transcriptional control, but its role in CSR and IGH regulation is not well understood. To investigate the contribution of GLI2 to CSR, splenocytes from WT and hematopoietic-specific Gli2-deficient (H-Gli2-/-) mice were stimulated ex-vivo to induce switching to IgG1. Analysis of germline transcription, DNA repair enzyme expression, and post-switch transcripts …