Life Sciences Commons^™

Soil Profile Distribution Of Nutrients In Contrasting Soils Amended With Struvite And Other Conventional Phosphorus Fertilizers, Tatum Simms, Kristofor R. Brye, Trenton L. Roberts, Lauren F. Greenlee

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Phosphorus (P) can be recovered from wastewater and used as an alternative fertilizer, namely, struvite [MgNH₄PO₄·6(H₂O)]. However, the soil mobility of wastewater-derived P and other nutrients needs to be evaluated. The objective of this study was to compare the vertical distribution of water-soluble (WS) soil P and other nutrients from a synthetic-wastewater-derived electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECST) to that from a chemically precipitated struvite (CPST), triple superphosphate (TSP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), and a control in six soils from Arkansas (AR; loam [L] and silt loam [SiL]), Missouri (MO; SiL 1 and SiL 2), and Nebraska …

A Review Of The Interaction Between Potassium Nutrition And Plant Disease Control, C. C. Ortel, T. L. Roberts, J. C. Rupe

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Potassium (K) is an essential macronutrient involved in many physiological and biochemical functions that affect a plant's susceptibility to disease. These processes include stomatal regulation, enzyme activation, and solute transport, each of which is often discussed through the lens of either plant nutrition or plant disease control. However, the interaction between these stresses and the resulting physiological and agronomic impact is an important consideration when managing a cropping system as a whole and is scarcely addressed in the literature. Therefore, a review of the literature was focused on the interaction of K nutrition and the resulting impact on plant disease …

Weed Control And Rice Response To Microencapsulated Acetochlor And A Fenclorim Seed Treatment On A Clay Soil, Tristen H. Avent, Jason K. Norsworthy

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent research has demonstrated the ability of a fenclorim seed treatment to reduce rice (Oryza sativa L.) injury to acetochlor. However, all studies were conducted on silt loam soils and have not evaluated rice tolerance or weed control on clay soils. Experiments were initiated in 2021 and 2022 at the Northeast Research and Extension Center near Keiser, AR, to determine rice response and the effectiveness of delayed-preemergence (DPRE)-applied microencapsulated (ME) acetochlor (1.1, 1.7, and 2.3 lb ai acre⁻¹) when applied to a clay soil with and without a fenclorim seed treatment at 0 or 2.5 lb ai …

Dynamic Responses Of Blood Metabolites To Nutrient Depletion And Repletion In Broiler Chicken Nutrition, A.J. Cowieson, C. A. Phillips, Garrett J. Mullenix, E. S. Greene, E. Papadopoulou, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

A total of 720 male Cobb 500 broiler chicks were used in a 5 treatment and 8 replicate experiment to explore dynamic changes in blood metabolites in response to short-term nutrient depletion and repletion. Day old chicks were offered a corn and soybean meal-based common starter diet from d1 to 14 that was formulated to meet all nutrient requirements of the birds. From d15 to 17, the experimental diets were offered, before returning all groups to a common diet from d18 to 20, at which point the experiment was terminated. A total of 5 experimental diets were designed. A …

Dietary Fiber-Derived Butyrate Alleviates Piglet Weaning Stress By Modulating The Tlr4/Myd88/Nf-Κb Pathway, Weikang Huangfu, Jixiang Ma, Yan Zhang, Mengki Liu, Boshuai Liu, Jiangchao Zhao, Zhichang Wang, Jinghua Shi

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

During weaning, piglets are susceptible to intestinal inflammation and impairment in barrier function. Dietary fiber (DF) plays an active role in alleviating weaning stress in piglets. However, the effects of different sources of dietary fiber on the performance of weaned piglets are inconsistent, and the mechanisms through which they affect intestinal health need to be explored. Therefore, in this study, sixty weaned piglets were randomly divided into three treatment groups: basal diet (control, CON), beet pulp (BP), and alfalfa meal (AM) according to the feed formulation for a 28-day trial. The results showed that both AM and BP groups significantly …

The Effect Of Total Factor Productivity On The Food Security And Livelihood Vulnerability Of Farm Households In Bangladesh, Paresh Kumar Sarma, Mohammad Jahanghir Alam, Ismat Ara Begum, Adam M. Mckenzie

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Food security and livelihood vulnerability are important issues for the economic sustainability of developing countries like Bangladesh. This study examines the influence of total factor productivity (TFP) on the livelihood vulnerability and food security of rice farming households in Bangladesh. Data from 1,841 rice farming households were extracted from the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (2015 and 2018) conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Various statistical methods, such as the stochastic frontier model, principal component analysis, path analysis using structural equation modeling, and multivariate regression, were employed to analyze the data. The study utilizes a multivariate modeling approach that …

Evaluating The Safety Of Sous-Vide Cooking For Beef Products Inoculated With Single Strains Of Salmonella Enterica And Escherichia Coli O157, Kavita Patil, Manita Adhikari, Peter M. Rubinelli, Karina Desiree, Kelly R. Vierck, Jennifer C. Acuff

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sous-vide cooking is a growing trend among retailers and consumers. Foodborne pathogens may survive the cooking if nonvalidated parameters are used or if pathogens have enhanced thermal resistance. Pathogen inactivation from sous-vide cooking was determined when introduced directly to beef products or via contaminated spices, and with or without a finishing step. Beef products (ground beef, tenderized, and nontenderized steaks) were inoculated with pathogens (Salmonella Montevideo and Escherichia coli O157:NM) in three ways: 1) directly onto the meat 2) ground black pepper incorporated into the recipe 3) ground pepper equilibrated at 30% RH (4 d) prior to incorporation. Beef …

Diversity Of Cellular Slime Molds (Dictyostelids) In The Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve And Geographical Distribution Comparisons With Other Representative Nature Reserves In Different Climate Zones Of China, Zhaojuan Zhang, Meng Li, Shufei Zhiang, Yue Qin, Jing Zhao, Yu Li, Steven L. Stephenson, Junzhi Qiu, Pu Liu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Protected areas are widely considered an essential strategy for biodiversity conservation. Dictyostelids are unique protists known to have important ecological functions in promoting soil and plant health through their top-down regulation of ecosystem processes, such as decomposition, that involve bacterial populations. But the relationship between dictyostelid diversity within protected areas remains poorly understood, especially on a large scale. Herein, we report data on the distribution of dictyostelids, identified with ITS + SSU rRNA molecular and morphology-based taxonomy, from soil samples collected in the Fanjing Mountain protected area of Guizhou Province, Southwest China. We compared the biodiversity data of dictyostelids in …

Revealing Microbial Community Composition And Disinfection Efficacy Evaluation In Wholesale Pork Markets Through 16s Rdna Sequencing, Miao He, Lingyan Ma, Wentao Lv, Yingping Xiao, Hua Yang, Xiofan Wang, Jiangchao Zhao, Hangzhen Lan, Wen Wang, Xingning Xiao

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study has employed 16S rDNA analysis to elucidate the characteristics of the microbial community in the surroundings, facilities, and meat samples collected from a pork wholesale market with the aim of revealing bacterial contamination. In addition, the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant was assessed by comparing the bacterial communities in the viable samples before and after disinfection. The bacterial abundances in meat, chopping boards, and knives were positively correlated (r > 0.95, p <  .05), suggesting potential cross-contamination risks during market transactions. The species richness indices for the external transport vehicles, pork hooks, and floors were significantly different from those of the samples taken after decontamination (p <  .05). Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) analyses showed that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Chloroflexi were significantly more abundant in the transaction period, whereas Bacteroidetes levels decreased compared to the clean-up period. NaClO disinfection …

Flexible Biosensors For Food Pathogen Detection, Sonatan Biswas, Md Shariful Islam, Fei Jia, Yunteng Cao, Yanbin Li, Changyong Cao

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Food contamination poses a significant threat to public health, the economy, and human health worldwide, occurring at any stage of the food supply chain, from farm to fork. Efficient and effective real-time monitoring methods for the early identification and rapid detection of pathogen contamination are critical to preventing possible food safety issues. In the past decade, flexible electrochemical biosensors have rapidly expanded in the detection of foodborne pathogens, owing to their ability to function well at biological interfaces that may be soft, intrinsically curvy, irregular, or deformable. The most important features of flexible sensors are their flexibility, multifunctionality, low cost, …

Effects Of Fast And Slow-Wilting Soybean Genotypes On Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Growth And Development, Jessica Ayala, Alejandro Vasquez, Devi Balakrishnan, Evelyn Madrigal, Justin George, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soybean (Glycine max) is the most important plant protein source, and Fall Armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is considered a major pest. This study aimed to examine the impact of FAW feeding on soybean accessions that vary in their water use efficiency (WUE) traits, by examining FAW growth and life history parameters along with plant growth response to pest damage. Soybean accessions were grown in a greenhouse and exposed to FAW larval feeding for 48 h at three different soybean growth stages: V3, R3, and R6. The growth and development of the FAW and soybeans were monitored. Results showed that faster …

Duck Gut Metagenome Reveals The Microbiome Signatures Linked To Intestinal Regional, Temporal Development, And Rearing Condition, Lingyan Ma, Wentao Liu, Tao Zeng, Wen Wang, Qu Chen, Jiangchao Zhao, Guolong Zhang, Lizhi Lu, Hua Yang, Yingping Xiao

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The duck gastrointestinal tract (GIT) harbors an abundance of microorganisms that play an important role in duck health and production. Here, we constructed the first relatively comprehensive duck gut microbial gene catalog (24 million genes) and 4437 metagenome-assembled genomes using 375 GIT metagenomic samples from four different duck breeds across five intestinal segments under two distinct rearing conditions. We further characterized the intestinal region-specific microbial taxonomy and their assigned functions, as well as the temporal development and maturation of the duck gut microbiome. Our metagenomic analysis revealed the similarity within the microbiota of the foregut and hindgut compartments, but distinctive …

Characterization Of Zmsnrk1 Genes And Their Response To Aphid Feeding, Drought And Cold Stress, M. Aydin Akbudak, Kubra Yildiz, Durmus Cetin, Utka Yukselbaba, Vibha Srivastava

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The SnRK1 complex in plants regulates metabolism in response to environmental stresses and glucose depletion, for stress adaptation and energy homeostasis. Through phosphorylation of various targets, SnRK1 orchestrates intricate regulatory mechanisms involved in autophagy, nutrient remobilization, and TOR activity inhibition, showcasing its pivotal role in coordinating plant metabolism and stress responses. The present study aimed to identify members of the SnRK1 gene family in the maize genome and characterize them using bioinformatics and expression analyses under aphid feeding, drought, and cold stress. The focus of the study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis towards determining gene diversity of ZmSnRK1 genes, …

Does Rural Transformation Affect Rural Income Inequality? Insights From Cross-District Panel Data Analysis In Bangladesh, Al Amin Al Abbasi, Subrata Saha, Ismat Ara Begum, Maria Fay Rola-Rubzen, Andrew M. Mckensie, Mohammad Janghir Alam

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rural transformation plays a crucial role in enhancing the income and employment prospects of the rural labor force. We investigate the effects of rural transformation on rural income inequality at the district level in Bangladesh using data from five years of nationally representative Household Income and Expenditure Surveys. The Gini coefficient is used to measure rural income inequality. In contrast, the share of high-value agricultural outputs and the share of rural non-farm employment are used as indicators of rural transformation. We find that rural income inequality is positively associated with the share of high-value agricultural outputs and the share …

Economic Contribution Of Agriculture And Food To Arkansas' Gross Domestic Product 2017-2022, Leah English, Jennie S. Popp

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

In this report, Arkansas agriculture is presented in a historical context. These data are available for 2017 through 2022. Throughout the report, agriculture is defined in terms of agricultural sectors, North American Industry Classification Scheme (NAICS) sectors, industries, and general descriptive terms that can be applied to agriculture.

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2022, Leah English, Jennie S. Popp

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

This report is the seventeenth in a series that examines agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value added, employment, and labor income was estimated with the Impact Analysis for Planning System (IMPLAN) for the most recent year available, 2022.

International Rice Outlook: International Rice Baseline Projections 2023-2033, A. Durand-Morat, W. Mulimbi

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

No abstract provided.

Decoding Generation Z: A Perceptions Content Analysis, Olivia Larson

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the multifaceted nature of Generation Z through a content analysis, aiming to identify the range of characteristics and preferences within this cohort. By delving beyond prevalent stereotypes, this study addresses the gap in understanding regarding Generation Z's learning styles, communication preferences, work ethics, and personal values. Through examination, this research provides insights crucial for marketers and educators seeking to engage and educate Generation Z effectively.

Evaluating The Effect Of Garden-Based Education On Young Learners’ Preferences For And Willingness To Try Healthy Food, Sierra Gregory

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

Childhood obesity in American children has tripled in the last 20 years, and 85% of current healthcare spending is linked to diet-related diseases. The consumption of highly processed foods is linked to these trends and makes up more than half of an average American youths’ diet. Reducing the consumption of highly processed foods in children’s diets can be addressed, in part, by addressing childhood neophobia (willingness to try new foods) associated with whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Influence over behavioral areas such as nutrition and in early childhood is essential to long-term sustained health, and garden-based interventions shows promise …

Evaluation Of The Efficiency Of Muscle-Specific Promoters To Express Non-Endogenous Proteins In Skeletal Muscle, Gabrielle Bulliard, Made Harumi Padmaswari, Christopher E. Nelson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Gene therapies are emerging as powerful tools for treating genetic diseases and cancers, offering the potential for a permanent cure. Hemophilia B, affecting approximately 6,000 men in the U.S., results from a deficiency in coagulation factor IX protein (FIX), which is crucial for blood clotting. A substantial portion of patients, over 40%, suffer from severe hemophilia B, experiencing spontaneous, prolonged bleeding. Current prophylactic treatments involve frequent coagulation factor infusions, yet a curative approach would alleviate this burden. Gene editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas systems show promise for correcting genetic mutations, but the diverse nature of factor IX gene (F9) …

Perceptions Of School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers Toward Promoting Agricultural Education Teaching As A Career, Emmanuel Kwadwo Sekyere

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School-based agricultural education has experienced a scarcity of qualified teachers over the years. To reduce the prevalence of school-based agricultural teacher shortages, research has led to the adoption of several approaches in schools across the country. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of school-based agricultural education teachers toward promoting agricultural teaching as a career. The theoretical framework for this research was based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The research objectives were to determine the perceived importance of career promotion activities, the frequency of career promotion activities, the perceived job satisfaction of SBAE teachers, and the …

Turfgrass Soil Surfactants: Examining Active Ingredients, Application Strategies, And The Structure–Function Relationship In Sand-Based Putting Greens, Daniel O'Brien

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soil surfactants, commonly referred to as wetting agents, are a leading water management strategy for golf courses. Non-ionic block copolymers are the most common type of turfgrass soil surfactant. However, differences in the registration process and labeling requirements allow soil surfactants to enter the marketplace accompanied by far-less data compared to other products used on golf courses. This has led to considerable confusion among golf course superintendents. Three primary sources of confusion are: (i) the widely-used marketing terminology of “penetrants” and “retainers” to classify wetting agents; (ii) active ingredients which in some cases are not disclosed at all; and (iii) …

Utilizing Biomimicry To Design Sustainable Architecture, Virginia Hammond

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nature has an integral relationship with architecture and serves as a sustainable role model and inspiration for designers. The process of biomimicry in architecture has the potential to produce more sustainable design solutions and foster a connection between humans and nature. Existing biomimetic design projects have varying strengths and weaknesses as examples of the process. Utilizing guidelines and references from key leaders in biomimetic design consultancy (Biomimicry 3.8), selected case studies are assessed for their ability to demonstrate the benefits of this design strategy. Using these evaluations, the case studies are diagrammed and critiqued to determine how new projects could …

Transcriptomic Profiling Of Engineered Human Gene Integration In The Mouse Genome Following In Vitro Gene Editing, Ethan Potts, Made Harumi Padmaswari, Christopher Nelson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Gene replacement is a promising method of therapy for genetic diseases. However, safety and efficacy are areas that need more research. This experiment aims to use RNA sequencing and bioinformatic techniques to provide answers to these questions and provide direction to future studies to develop a gene replacement therapeutic. C2C12 mouse myoblast cells were transfected with a vector containing a CRISPR-Cas9 system and the Human Factor IX (hF9) gene in order to hijack target genes and integrate the hF9 gene. The two target genes, myoglobin (Mb) and creatine kinase (Ckm), were chosen for their high rate of expression and low …

Near-Surface Soil Property Change Over Time In Two Native Tallgrass Prairies In The Arkansas River Valley, Katie Jansson

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

One climate-change mitigation pathway is soil carbon (C) sequestration, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores C in various forms in the soil. Native prairie soils have long been known for their soil C sequestration abilities, but the full extent of their sequestration capacity is not completely understood. This study evaluated the effect of soil depth and soil map unit/prairie combination on changes in various soil properties over time from 2018 to 2022 in the top 20 cm of two native tallgrass prairie soils in the Arkansas River Valley in west-central Arkansas. Soil samples were collected from the …

Towards Understanding The Function Of An Ets-Like Gene In Nematostella Vectensis: Generation Of A Knockout Mutant Line And A Transgenic Reporter Line, Emily Bullock

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to their unique phylogenic position as sister to Bilateria, Cnidaria are often credited with the utility of allowing for reconstruction of ancestral biology based on characteristics shared with bilaterians and other animals. This factor makes investigation into the nervous systems of cnidarians critical in understanding early neural evolution. Wamides, a class of neuropeptides, have been shown to play a regulatory role in life cycle transitions across many different species. The cnidarian specific Wamide neuropeptide, GLWamide, has previously been identified to play an accelerator role in the metamorphic timing of a specific species of sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. However, …

Establishing An Objective, Quantifiable Method For Detecting Erosive Tooth Wear, Camille Kita

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study aims to monitor and evaluate erosive tooth wear (ETW) by measurement of enamel surface thickness and texture in a clinical setting. The objective approach is fundamentally different from the standard subjective visual assessment that professionals in the dental field using the Basic Erosive Wear Evaluation (BEWE) method.

Twenty-nine hyposalivation and three control subjects were used in this longitudinal study, for a total of 597 samples (only 577 teeth were eligible for surface texture analysis) evaluated in a longitudinal study including both baseline and 12 month follow up surfaces. Each participant’s buccal surface of the tooth was first analyzed …

Characterization Of Mitochondrial Morphology In Drosophila: Early Embryogenesis Description Via Confocal Microscopy, Kendall Miller

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mitochondria are not static organelles, but instead are dynamic networks that undergo rapid changes in subcellular distribution, organization, and activity in response to external stimuli. Notably, mitochondria can undergo fission and fusion, collectively known as mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondrial fusion creates assembled networks of mitochondria that are maximally efficient at generating ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Conversely, mitochondrial fission leads to network fragmentation and a shift towards glycolysis, which is the dominant mode of ATP generation in oxygen-limiting and stressed conditions. While mitochondrial dynamics have been intensively studied in isolated cells under stressful conditions, much less is known about how mitochondria behave …

Assessment Of Culture Media Conditions For Bacteria/Macrophages Co-Cultures, Sage M. Luebbert

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Co-cultures are utilized as a tool in biology to measure immune responses to pathogens. This method involves a coordinated reaction between two populations, a bacterial biofilm of S.aureus and macrophages derived from THP-1 cells. The current state of the art prevents the continuous supply of nutrients and removal of waste products which causes macrophage death. This limits the time to collect samples and therefore the ability to measure proteins within the innate immune response. The time constraint is a major issue for long term co-culturing. This thesis aims to optimize the co-culturing process by developing a two-pump system to …

Thematic Mapping Of Apidae Holdings Within The University Of Arkansas Arthropod Museum, Baylie Lenora Day

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Museum biological collections store species data that can be utilized in research on biodiversity, environmental change, invasive species, public health, and disease. The University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum, which began in 1905, houses over 750,000 specimens and has not yet been digitized. Making data publicly accessible via the internet makes the data available to the entire scientific community. The goal of this project was to create a digital resource to allow greater access to the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum holdings. To do so, data from Bombus (bumble bee) and Xylocopa (carpenter bee) specimens were databased in Excel and displayed …