Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Soil Health In Zero-Grade, Flood-Irrigated Rice In Eastern Arkansas, Hannah Elizabeth Vickmark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to build and maintain soil health and sequester soil C, many producers and researchers are turning towards regenerative management practices in agricultural systems, such as reduced tillage or no-tillage (NT), the implementation of winter cover crops (CC), and the use of organic or green manures, such as biochar. However, little research is being conducted on the long-term soil health and agronomic benefits of these practices in a flood-irrigated rice (Oryza sativa L.) production system. Three replications of seven treatment combinations were applied to 6.1 x 30.5 m rice plots. Baseline soil health properties were quantified at six …

Using Color And Fluorescent Spectrometry As A New Rapid Cleaning Verification Method In Poultry Processing Plants, Clark Griscom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The poultry industry is expected to be growing at 3% in the total global market with the U.S. being the largest producer of poultry meat. Poultry processing plants are expected to produce 140 birds per minute with the potential of up to 175 birds per minute to meet the market demand. With the growing market and need for faster production, maintaining food safety needs to be a priority to ensure the safety of consumers. Over 9.9 million foodborne illness cases are reported each year in the United States. A change in food safety is needed, and one area lacking is …

Work-Related Pathology At Tell El-Amarna: The Physical Cost Of Building A New Capital City In The New Kingdom, Egypt, Heidi Suzanne Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines patterns of work-related indicators of physical stress in a skeletal sample from the non-elite adult population of the South Tombs Cemetery (STC) of Amarna, Egypt. Assessing work-related pathology using an integrative model of physical stress, this study considers the interactions of demographic parameters of age, sex, and injury recurrence, along with archaeological and documentary data to provide a biocultural contextual approach to physical stress in this population. The STC sample is compared to other samples from Egyptian and Nubian sites as well as historical samples believed to be under high physical demands and stressful conditions. The STC …

Micro-Greens, Not Micro-Yellows: Evaluating Dehydration-Based Preservation Techniques For Reducing Foodborne Pathogens And Quality Preservation On Microgreens, Travis S. Sananikone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microgreens are increasingly popular among consumers due to their high nutritional value. However, their limited shelf-life remains a significant challenge. To extend their usability, small-scale growers increasingly apply home preservation methods like warm air drying or freeze-drying. However, the effects of these methods on common foodborne pathogens are not well understood. Radish and alfalfa microgreens were inoculated with cocktails of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes 4b (ca. 8.0 log CFU/g). Treatments included dehydration in a commercial dehydrator, freeze-drying (-20°C, 24 h), and convective drying in an oven (60°C for 4 h), and convective drying in an oven …

Consequences Of Secondary Traumatic Stress On Individuals Without Formal Psychological Training Working With Trauma-Exposed Children, Juan F. Valdez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Literature has suggested that secondary traumatic stress could cause various adverse effects for individuals working with trauma-exposed populations. However, direct care workers performing in shelters designed to serve unaccompanied immigrant children are faced with the task of caring for these minors who may have been exposed to trauma in their home countries, while traveling to the United States, or after arriving in the country. This qualitative case study was conducted to understand and describe the experiences of 15 current employees and five ex-employees who have worked with unaccompanied children for at least a year. These individuals participated in in-depth personal …

Environmental Beliefs Among Evangelical Leadership, Jeffrey Stark

Dissertations

There has been consensus among climate scientists for over a decade about the reality of human caused climate change. Even with this consensus, the public understanding of this issue remains divided based on factors generally unrelated to the science. Evangelical Protestants are one group which consistently polls as more skeptical of climate change. This is true not only when compared to the general population but also when compared to other religious demographics. Most large-scale surveys of evangelicals assume the demographic to be a monolith and do not attempt to break the demographic down further. In this mixed methods study, we …

Judicial Ethics, The Supreme Court, And The Rule Of Law, Charles G. Geyh

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This Essay begins with a short history of judicial ethics regulation in the United States, ending with the adoption of codes of conduct by every state and federal judicial system except the Supreme Court of the United States. It then turns to a series of ethics controversies encircling the Supreme Court and its justices, which culminated in the Supreme Court adopting a Code of Conduct in 2023. Tapping into the social science literature, it argues that for codes to improve the ethical climate of an institution they must encourage psychological ownership of and “buy-in” to a code by those subject …

From Molecules To Models: A Holistic Review Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Mechanisms And Research Tools, Sriya Gullapalli, Lois Baldado, Megan W. Szobody, Anesu K. Murambadoro, Kevin Garcia Valdez, Arjun Bellamkonda, Daniela Gonzalez, Usman Ghumman, Nikhilesh Anand, Kelsey A. Potter-Baker, Bharathi Gadad

School of Medicine Publications

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These features are associated with atypical early brain development and connectivity. While ASD has been traditionally associated with molecular genetic alterations, recent research highlights the significant contribution of various environmental factors to the pathophysiology of the disorder. Pathogenic genetic variations in key regulatory genes remain central to ASD risk; however, environmental influences such as advanced maternal or paternal age, poor maternal health during pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, alterations in the early-life …

Administration Plan For Use Of Hippotherapy In Occupational Therapy, Ryanna Blake

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The intention of this capstone experience was to promote the use of hippotherapy as a treatment strategy in the occupational therapy profession from an administrative and educational standpoint. Hundreds of research studies have indicated the effectiveness of hippotherapy for a variety of ages and diagnoses. However, there are still barriers that prevent hippotherapy from being more accessible and well-known, both by practitioners, client families, and the community. The project was executed at a startup psychotherapy clinic preparing to offer equine-assisted services in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The mutually beneficial partnership led to the creation of a generalized administration plan for an occupational …

A Morphological Cell Atlas Of The Freshwater Sponge Ephydatia Muelleri With Key Insights From Targeted Single-Cell Transcriptomes, Sally P. Leys, Lauren Grombacher, Daniel Field, Glen R.D. Elliott, Vanessa R. Ho, Amanda S. Kahn, Pamela J. Reid, Ana Riesgo, Emilio Lanna, Yuriy Bobkov, Joseph F. Ryan, April L. Horton

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

How animal cell types, tissues, and regional body plans arose is a fundamental question in EvoDevo. Many current efforts attempt to link genetic information to the morphology of cells, tissues and regionalization of animal body plans using single-cell sequencing of cell populations. However, a lack of in-depth understanding of the morphology of non-bilaterian animals remains a considerable block to understanding the transitions between bilaterian and non-bilaterian cells and tissues. Sponges (Porifera), one of the earliest diverging animal phyla, pose a particular challenge to this endeavour, because their body plans lack mouths, gut, conventional muscle and nervous systems. With a goal …

Safe-Sora: Safe Text-To-Video Generation Via Graphical Watermarking, Zihan Su, Xuerui Qiu, Hongbin Xu, Tangyu Jiang, Jun-Hao Zhuang, Chun Yuan, Ming Li, Shengfeng He, Fei Yu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The explosive growth of generative video models has amplified the demand for reliable copyright preservation of AI-generated content. Despite its popularity in image synthesis, invisible generative watermarking remains largely underexplored in video generation. To address this gap, we propose Safe-Sora, the first framework to embed graphical watermarks directly into the video generation process. Motivated by the observation that watermarking performance is closely tied to the visual similarity between the watermark and cover content, we introduce a hierarchical coarse-to-fine adaptive matching mechanism. Specifically, the watermark image is divided into patches, each assigned to the most visually similar video frame, and further …

Stableguard: Towards Unified Copyright Protection And Tamper Localization In Latent Diffusion Models, Haoxin Yang, Bangzhen Liu, Xuemiao Xu, Cheng Xu, Yuyang Yu, Zikai Huang, Yi Wang, Shengfeng He

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The advancement of diffusion models has enhanced the realism of AI-generated content but also raised concerns about misuse, necessitating robust copyright protection and tampering localization. Although recent methods have made progress toward unified solutions, their reliance on post hoc processing introduces considerable application inconvenience and compromises forensic reliability. We propose StableGuard, a novel framework that seamlessly integrates a binary watermark into the diffusion generation process, ensuring copyright protection and tampering localization in Latent Diffusion Models through an end-to-end design. We develop a Multiplexing Watermark VAE (MPW-VAE) by equipping a pretrained Variational Autoencoder (VAE) with a lightweight latent residual-based adapter, enabling …

Exploring The Microbiomes Of Camel Ticks To Infer Vector Competence: Insights From Tissue-Level Symbiont-Pathogen Relationships, Rua Khogali, Armanda Bastos, Dennis Getange, Joel L. Bargul, Shewit Kalayou, Nehemiah Ongeso, Joost Theo Petra Verhoeven, James Kabii, John Ngiela, Daniel Masiga, Jandouwe Villinger

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Ticks are blood-feeding ectoparasites that harbor diverse pathogens and endosymbionts. Their microbial communities vary based on tick species, stage, sex, geographical location, surrounding environment, and tissue type. Understanding tick microbiota at the tissue level is crucial for unraveling how microbiomes are distributed in tick tissues and influence pathogen transmission. We used V1-V2 16 S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze tissue-specific bacterial compositions (hemolymph, saliva, salivary glands, and midgut) of Amblyomma gemma, Rhipicephalus pulchellus, Hyalomma dromedarii, and Hyalomma rufipes ticks collected from camels in Marsabit County, northern Kenya. The V1-V2 region of the 16 S rRNA gene effectively differentiated 43 Rickettsia …

Assembling Life From Death: Examining The Archaeological Fauna Of Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse’S Past To Preserve Biodiversity For The Future, Victoria Sherwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This project utilizes an assemblage of faunal remains from a precontact midden at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse archaeological site in northern Palm Beach County, Florida. The assemblage was identified and analyzed through the lenses of resource use and paleoenvironmental changes. The Indigenous groups in the area heavily utilized estuarine resources such as fish and marine turtles. The archaeological assemblage was compared to a modern survey of species present at the site. The species identified in the precontact collection are present in the surrounding area today. The archaeological assemblage matching up with modern species speaks to the success of Loxahatchee River …

Mitochondria-Mediated Epigenetic Transfer Between Chondrosarcoma And Wild-Type Cells, Caleb C. J. Wyckoff

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Glioblastoma (GB), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), cholangiocarcinoma, and chondrosarcoma (CS) cancers all contain mutations in the gene isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2). The mutant IDH2 enzyme exhibits transformation of alpha-ketoglutarate (αKG) into the oncometabolite D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D2HG) in the mitochondria of these cancers. Mitochondrial-mediated transfer between cancer cells and recipient cells is a significant event that impacts the physiology of the receiving cell, specifically the epigenetic landscape. Previous experiments indicating increased DNA methylation in mesenchymal stem cells exposed to IDH1 or IDH2 conditioned medium underscore the potential role of D2HG to alter methylation states. Additionally, the presence of …

Comparative Analysis Of Emergent Behaviors Of Three Drone Swarm System Models For Targeting Using Agent-Based Modeling And Simulation, Arsenio T. Gumahad Ii

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation introduces a novel computational simulation framework for evaluating the emergent behaviors of three swarm drone models using Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS). The three swarm models are a Leader-Follower swarm model based on Bruckstein's antline theory, a Flocking model based on a simplified Reynolds 'Boids’ model, and a Stigmergic model with pheromone-based coordination. The primary objective of the simulation is to evaluate the performance of these models in delivering a user-defined number of drones of each type to a target area of interest in four separate scenarios, resulting in 50,000 separate simulation trials. Each scenario was structured to …

Process Optimization And Cost Reduction For Cellulose Nanocrystals For Metal Removal From Rendered Fat, Sheikh Abdur Rehman

All Theses

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) coupled with polymers featuring a high density of amine functional groups, such as polyethylenimine (PEI), exhibit significant metal-capturing capabilities. Rendered animal fat has applications in a vast number of industries, with the potential to be used as a feedstock for the biodiesel/renewable diesel industries. Nevertheless, rendered fat samples occasionally contain concentrations of metals/inorganic contaminants above the suitable threshold for use in this application. Thus, a cost-effective solution to remove light metal/inorganic contaminants from rendered fat samples is desirable.

To address this problem, a cellulose nanocrystal coupled with polyethylenimine, i.e., CNC-f-PEI, was developed by previous …

Plant Community Responses To Wildfire, Timber Thinning, And Bison Reintroduction On The Northern Great Plains, Ethan H. Van-Derpoel

All Theses

The Northern Great Plains (NGP) is one of the largest intact grasslands remaining in the world. These two studies examine a few of the ecological concerns on the NGP today. First, the woody encroachment of conifers into grasslands and the effects of wildfires. Second, the effects of bison (Bison bison) reintroduction on plant communities. In Chapter 1, this study aims to examine the effects of wildfire and mechanical timber thinning, using a two-by-two factorial design, on plant community responses and forage quality in the Bull Mountains area of central Montana, USA. We found that our treatments had varying …

Unloved Ecologies, Ellen Griffin

All Theses

Unloved Ecologies is an exhibition of ceramic sculptures that stage encounters between human and nonhuman bodies. Through it, I investigate the intersections of queer identity and ecology to reevaluate what society often deems “unlovable.” By working with the language of Queer Ecology, I explore the tensions between protection and vulnerability, as well as between cultivated order and wild resistance. Ceramic sculpture is my mode for examining moments of transformation, repair, and growth, and natural processes function as metaphors for the ways external pressures shape individuals. My overall goal is to explore the ecological processes of change and examine how our …

Locomotion And Balance Control In A Biped Robot With Continuum Legs And A Kangaroo-Inspired Tail, Gavin A. Platt

All Theses

This thesis work presents the design, testing, and validation of a continuum-legged biped robot equipped with a kangaroo inspired tail for enhanced stability and adaptability. Unlike traditional rigid link robots, this one expands on soft-legged robots and utilizes tendon-driven continuum robots to mimic octopus and kangaroo behavior for locomotion. The robot uses a hierarchical hybrid control framework to implement walking, obstacle avoidance, vaulting, and push recovery behaviors. To test the performance of the robot four sets of experiments were conducted to validate these systems and evaluate how they performed. The results demonstrate stable walking with rhythmic tail load transfer, effective …

Tools Of The Trade: Exploring Precision Agriculture, Social Media, And Support Services In Modern Farming, Virginia Wayt

All Theses

We need to know more about farmers’ relationships to tools that can help them, including Precision Agriculture (PA) tech from within the field, human service providers (SPs), and social media (SM). To evaluate these relationships, three research projects were conducted. Two were surveys focusing on perceptions - one was on technology and the other was on social media. The technology survey was on vegetable growers and aimed to understand how open and interested they were in PA, which are agricultural technologies that use data to make life easier. They could monitor soil or weather, steer vehicles, limit water, and more …

Freshwater Turtle Assemblages And Densities In Agricultural Ditches And Aquaculture Ponds Of Eastern Arkansas, Andrhea D. Massey, John D. Willson, Brett A. Degregorio

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) of Arkansas is a landscape where many wetlands have been altered for use as aquaculture ponds or agricultural ditches. Commercial harvest of freshwater turtles within the MAP is not restricted or limited, with reported harvest numbers for 2019 alone exceeding 4000 for spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera) and 39,000 for red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans). Herein, we attempt to provide baseline estimates of freshwater turtle densities and community composition in aquaculture ponds and agricultural ditches of eastern Arkansas, the habitat types most frequently trapped by commercial harvesters. We used a capture-mark-recapture approach over 3 summers …

Wellspring: Visual Development For An Animated Series, Jane Anderson

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This paper delves into the interconnected stages of worldbuilding and storytelling for animation. Beginning with a single character sketch, the project explores and reports multiple phases that investigate how ideas take shape across different artistic mediums. Both visual and narrative processes are analyzed, including character and environment design, comic creation, and the production of hand-drawn animation tests. Each stage functions not only as a method of artistic study but also as a means of refining the story’s tone, themes, and visual identity. These explorations inform the final component of the project - a comprehensive show pitch package. This pitch synthesizes …

Script To Animatic: Reading Between The Lines, Kallie Jenkins

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This capstone describes the foundational steps created as a process for developing three scripts of varying genres into full animatics. This project guides you through the process of adapting a script written by an outside author and visually developing it to represent the story being told. Looking past the script, this project explains how to add depth to the characters in ways that shape their visual direction. It shows how those character choices influence body language, acting, and the environments around them, emphasizing the importance of composition, camera work, and the way a scene’s framing depends on the personality and …

Neuroprotection Of Paeoniflorin As Antidepressant Candidate, Yuh-Fung Chen, Yi-Jui Chen, Jai-Sing Yang, Min-Min Lee, Huei-Yann Tsai

BioMedicine

Background: Depression is one of the common mental disorders worldwide, and currently used antidepressants have undesirable effects; therefore, the development of new antidepressants without side effects is urgently needed. Paeoniflorin (PF) exhibits various pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. NMDA receptors in the hippocampus play a vital role in the pathophysiology of depression. Due to the scarcity of reports on the neuroprotection of PF on NMDA-induced excitotoxicity in the hippocampus, the present study aims to investigate the effects of PF on NMDA-mediated EPSP and calcium influx in the hippocampus to evaluate the potential of PF as an antidepressant. …

Circadian Rhythms And Neuroendocrine Dysregulation In Adhd: Therapeutic Insights From Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Ayesha Zafar Iqbal, Patricia Marest Suwindi, Sunny Yin-Shan Chen, Lindsay Liang-Tien Cho, Kuan-Pin Su, Jane Pei-Chen Chang

BioMedicine

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition often accompanied by circadian rhythm disturbances, particularly delayed sleep phase. These involve superchiasmatic nucleus (SCN) dysregulation, altered melatonin secretion, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which may be exacerbated by artificial light exposure. Genetic studies further implicate circadian mechanisms, linking ADHD with polymorphisms in clock genes such as PER and CLOCK.

Nutraceuticals, particularly omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), have been proposed as modulators of circadian rhythms. N-3 PUFAs are essential for brain health and may influence melatonin synthesis and sleep–wake regulation. Preclinical and clinical findings suggest that supplementation can improve cognitive …

The Integrative Role Of Melatonin In Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review Of Evidence From Circadian Biology, Lifestyle Medicine, And Psychoneuroimmunology, Ho Bao Chau Le, Kollawat Somsri, Thansita Bhunyakarnjanarat, Nattiya Hirankarn, Asada Leelahavanichkul

BioMedicine

Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, is known for regulating circadian rhythms and has emerging therapeutic potential in psychiatric disorders. This systematic review examines evidence from clinical and preclinical studies to assess melatonin’s efficacy in the following conditions: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Beyond its role in circadian regulation, melatonin exhibits antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties, which intersect with nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).

The review finds that melatonin improves sleep quality, restores circadian balance, and modulates stress-related neuroimmune pathways. It also supports neuroplasticity and reduces oxidative stress, contributing to resilience against psychosocial and environmental stressors. …

Climate And Non-Genetic Effects On Goat Milk Quality And Casein Prediction Using Machine Learning, Ibrahima Mahamane Abdourhamane, Dilek Arsoy

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Milk quality is becoming more and more crucial for farmers with the increasing use of component-based pricing systems in the sector. This study aimed to investigate the effects of climate-related and non-genetic factors on goat milk quality on the island of Northern Cyprus and to predict casein content using machine learning techniques. An analysis was performed on 21,695 goat milk samples collected between 2012 and 2018. Somatic cell count (SCC), standard plate count (SPC), and key milk components such as protein, casein, lactose, and fat were evaluated for different seasons, regions, farm sizes, and raw milk types. Five machine learning …

Prosperando Con Otros: Paisajes Multiespecie Y Producción De Alimentos En El Caribe Colombiano, América Larraín

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Este artículo es resultado de un proyecto de investigación asociado a la producción de alimentos en una comunidad arhuaca en las tierras bajas de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Se describen algunas experiencias de la implementación del proyecto, destacando los aspectos relacionados con la articulación entre las técnicas derivadas de la agroacuicultura integrada y la cosmovisión arhuaca. Con este artículo, se espera contribuir a la reflexión sobre cómo las cosmologías indígenas se materializan en prácticas concretas, que en este caso específico podrían pensarse en el marco de lo que se ha llamado el Buen Vivir.

The Two Hungers: Food Security, Morality, And Cash Transfer Policies For Canela Apanjekra People In Indigenous Central Brazil, Bruno Nogueira Guimarães

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This article examines how the Canela Apanjekra (Porquinhos Indigenous Land, Maranhão, Brazil) engage with conditional cash transfer policies aimed at combating hunger—especially the Bolsa Família Program—and how these policies are interpreted through Indigenous moral economy. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research (2011–2019) and a household survey conducted in 2019, it argues that “hunger” is not a unitary condition measurable solely through individual consumption, but a relational and ecological experience shaped by obligations to share, by shame/respect (paham), and by shifting conditions of subsistence. The analysis develops the notion of “two hungers”: in the village, hunger is commonly articulated as …