Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Thresholds, Control, And Behavioral Responses Of Tobacco Thrips, Frankliniella Fusca (Hitch), And Tarnished Plant Bugs, Lygus Lineolaris (Beauvoris), In Thryvon Cotton, Adam Young Whitfield

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco thrips are an important pest in Mid-South cotton production. Thrips are a pest of seedling cotton, feeding on the leaf tissue of plants which can result in stunted growth, delayed fruiting, loss of apical dominance, and possible stand loss. Field studies were conducted in 2021 and 2022 to evaluate Thryvon, a new transgenic trait in cotton that produces the Bt toxin Cry51Aa, for control of tobacco thrips. Thryvon cotton was tested at three locations in Arkansas: Marianna, Tillar, and Keiser. These studies evaluated thrips control on ThryvOn vs non-ThryvOn cotton and the effect of insecticide seed treatments on ThryvOn …

Evaluation Of Bt Cotton Cultivar Efficacy And Economic Impact On Cotton Yield With And Without A Foliar Insecticide Application, Zackary Murray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Helicoverpa zea is the second most damaging insect pest of cotton in Arkansas. It is becoming more difficult to control in the United States due to recently documented resistant to dual gene cultivars. The objective of this thesis was to develop a better understanding of the efficacy of several Bt cotton technologies and foliar insecticides used to manage H. zea. Experiments examined damage in current commercial non-Bt, dual gene, and three gene cotton cultivars. Other experiments evaluated if H. zea could detect concentrations of chlorantraniliprole and residual of chlorantraniliprole in cotton for an extended period after application. These studies suggest …

Fatty Liver Disease, Ramzi Daki '23, Breena Bulthuis, Zander Davidson, Dammy Tabiti, Adelyn Kobayashi

Human Diseases Graphic Novels

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of The Evolution And Structural Basis Of Caspases: Insights Into Conformational Dynamics, Stability And Allostery, Isha Joglekar

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Caspases, a class of cysteinyl proteases, are well known for their roles in apoptosis or programmed cell death. However, at lower levels of activation in the body, they also play other non-apoptotic roles in cell proliferation, cell differentiation, neuronal development, cell migration and motility, and embryonic development, all of which are poorly understood. Caspases provide an excellent model to study protein evolution since, they evolved from a common ancestral state into two subfamilies having different oligomeric properties: initiators, which exist as monomers, and effectors, which exist as dimers, under physiological conditions in a cell. However, the evolutionary basis for the …

Perspectives Of Dairy Employees At The Beginning Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Survey Of Health Risks And Educational Needs, Fernanda Ferreira, Maristela Rovai, Mireille Chahine, Mario E. De Haro-Martí, John Wenz, Joseph Dalton, Noelia Silva-Del-Rio

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

Our objective was to understand dairy employees' perceptions and educational needs at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A bilingual (English and Spanish), anonymous survey targeted at dairy employees was circulated nationwide via university and allied industry media outlets. Responses (n = 63) from 11 states were received (May–Sep. 2020). Respondents worked in herds ranging from 50 to 40,000 animals in size. Dairy managers (33%) responded mostly to the English survey (52%), whereas entry-level workers (67%) chose the Spanish format (76%). Survey results highlighted different perspectives, educational needs, and preferred sources of information between English- and Spanish-speaking dairy workers. Overall, …

The Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Ant Community Composition In A Temperate Deciduous Forest., Emma Jones

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Prescribed fire is a tool commonly used in land management to decrease wildfire frequency and promote plant diversity. However, the effects of prescribed fire on invertebrate communities, especially those within temperate deciduous forest, are poorly understood. I measured the response of epigeic ant communities in mixed mesophytic forest in Berea, Kentucky following prescribed burning. I used pitfall traps to repeatedly sample epigeic ants in replicate burned and unburned plots for up to 21 months postburn following two separate (2021 and 2022) prescribed fires. Ant species richness was similar between treatments (burn vs. control) and by burn year. Ant community composition …

Root Traits Of Perennial C4 Grasses Contribute To Cultivar Variations In Soil Chemistry And Species Patterns In Particulate And Mineral-Associated Carbon Pool Formation, Megan J. Kelly-Slatten, Catherine E. Stewart, Malak M. Tfaily, Julie D. Jastrow, Abigail Sasso, Marie-Anne De Graaff

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent studies have indicated that the C₄ perennial bioenergy crops switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) accumulate significant amounts of soil carbon (C) owing to their extensive root systems. Soil C accumulation is likely driven by inter- and intraspecific variability in plant traits, but the mechanisms that underpin this variability remain unresolved. In this study we evaluated how inter- and intraspecific variation in root traits of cultivars from switchgrass (Cave-in-Rock, Kanlow, Southlow) and big bluestem (Bonanza, Southlow, Suther) affected the associations of soil C accumulation across soil fractions using stable isotope techniques. Our …

Recurringly Hypoxic: Bottom Water Oxygen Depletion Is Linked To Temperature And Precipitation In A Great Lakes Estuary, Nathan M. Dugener, Anthony D. Weinke, Ian P. Stone, Bopaiah Biddanda

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Hypolimnetic hypoxia is expanding globally due to anthropogenic eutrophication and climate warming. Muskegon Lake, a Great Lakes estuary, experiences annually recurring hypoxia, impairing ecological, social, and economic benefits. Using high-frequency, time-series Muskegon Lake Observatory (MLO) data, we quantified the dynamics of hypoxia and developed a hypoxia severity index to estimate the spatiotemporal extent of hypoxia during 2011–2021. We also analyzed United States Geological Survey’s temperature and discharge data on the Muskegon River to explain the annual variability in the hypoxia severity index. Severe hypoxia occurred in warmer years with greater stratification, fewer wind mixing events, warmer winter river temperatures, and …

Effect Of Nanobubble-Oxygenated Water For Irrigation Of Sand-Based Golf Course Putting Greens, Eric Deboer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanobubbles (NBs) are sub-micron, stable cavities of gas. The properties of NBs theoretically allow long bubble residence times and high gas dissolution rates resulting in the supersaturation of oxygen in water. Adequate soil aeration is a constant concern for producers of agricultural and horticultural crops. Because of their unique properties, NBs have been investigated for oxygenating water used in the irrigation of various agricultural and horticultural crops to increase soil oxygen concentration. Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) is the most widely used turfgrass for golf course putting green surfaces. Golf course superintendents use various methods to increase soil oxygen in …

Nutritional Ecology Of The Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon Piscivorus Leucostoma), Jason Ortega

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nutritional ecology aims to understand the factors that shape the diets of animals, how these ingested meals are processed, and how the assimilated nutrients are used to shape an organism’s interactions with its environment. As environmental parameters are altered due to anthropogenic changes, the availability and quality of prey may be altered. The alteration of the nutritional landscape can be devastating to nutritional specialists, yet generalist predators may be able to cope with these changes. The western cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma) is a unique semiaquatic pitviper that can both forage along the land-water interface and in upland habitat when faced …

Exploring The Relationship Between Dreissenids And The Deep Chlorophyll Layer In The Laurentian Great Lakes, Lara E. Hargrave

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

In the Laurentian Great Lakes, two invasive bivalves Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis have induced a number of changes, including increased water transparency, alterations in nutrient cycling, decreased chlorophyll concentrations, and changes in phytoplankton community composition and structure. These changes are likely to have implications for the deep chlorophyll layer (DCL), a feature characterized by phototrophic organisms reaching abundance at light levels far below ideal for photosynthesis. Though the impacts of D. polymorpha and D. r. bugensis in the Great Lakes have been studied for at least the last three decades, little is known about how these ecosystem engineers …

The Study Of A Generalized Fitness Education Program's Effect On Personality Traits, Garrett Schliep

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This longitudinal study was to measure the influence of a generalized fitness education program on the percentile of individuals’ personality traits in college aged individuals. The personality traits are those determined in the Five Factor Model of Personality. The Five Factor Model of Personality is a beneficial tool used in exercise psychology that refers to a broad domain of personality traits often referred to as the “Big Five”. The findings reject the hypothesis that a fitness education program would shift an individual’s personality a statistically significant amount.

Gaze During Turning In Older Adults, Kalina Mavrov

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

To navigate complex environments, our gaze needs to attenuate to locomotor tasks, such as walking and turning. Shifting gaze (i.e., rotation of the eyes and head), is important when moving through different environments. The aim of this study was to compare gaze anticipation during clinical tests and complex real-world locomotion. I hypothesized that older adults would shift their gaze in a new heading direction in anticipation of turns. I further predicted increased gaze anticipation in tasks that have a high demand for spatial orientation. Participants were asked to complete clinical tasks consisting of a 2-minute walk, figure-8, and 360-turning in …

Seasonal Phenology And Starch Allocation Patterns Of Cuban Bulrush (Oxycaryum Cubense) Growing In Mississippi, Usa, Madeline Clarke, Ryan M. Wersal, Gray Turnage

Biological Sciences Department Publications

Seasonal patterns of biomass and starch allocation for the aquatic invasive species (AIS) Cuban bulrush were quantified in populations from Lake Columbus on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Mississippi. Monthly samples of Cuban bulrush were harvested from five plots from May 2019 to April 2021. During each sampling event, water pH, water temperature, air temperature, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were recorded. Average peak total biomass was 309.0 g DW m−2, 290.0 g DW m−2, and 129.3 g DW m−2 in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively and usually occurred in late fall or early winter months (November to January). Biomass allocation …

Adolescents With Family History Of Alcohol-Use Disorders Have Reduced Structural Coherence Of Anterior Insula To Nucleus Accumbens Tract, Grace Wood

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Genetics play a significant role in predisposition towards alcohol use disorders. Analyzing the neural phenotypes related to alcohol use disorder development could allow researchers to predict one’s predisposition. The anterior insula (AIns) contributes to binge drinking tendencies while exhibiting downstream signaling towards the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Recent research has examined this relationship simultaneously with alcohol consumption, but the genetic effect of the AIns and NAcc functional relationship prior to alcohol consumption has yet to be examined. In this study, we used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to analyze the structural coherence of the AIns to NAcc …

Optimum Time To Add The Feed Additive Availa-Zmc To Reduce The Incidence Of Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness In Broiler Chickens, Ashley Ault

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lameness is a health condition threatening the welfare of broiler chickens in the poultry industry. It can be caused by a bacterial infection called Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO). Zinpro has created Avalia-ZMC, a feed additive that has been proven to reduce lameness by 20% in wire-flooring pens and 25% in litter-flooring pens (Alrubaye et al., 2020). This experiment focuses on the optimal time to add Availa-ZMC to the diet of the broiler chickens to help reduce the incidence of lameness. This trial took 56 days with 26 pens at the University of Arkansas Poultry Research Farm. At the start …

Measuring Energy Demands Of Dynamic Remodeling Events During Embryogenesis In Live Drosophila Embryos, Grayson Young

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Embryonic development is a complex process requiring dynamic cell movements to create complex tissue structures. We assume that these embryonic dynamic remodeling events are highly energy intensive and that this energy expenditure is mediated by mitochondria. However, this has been difficult to demonstrate in live embryos. Convergent extension of the Drosophila neuroectoderm is a promising system to study the bioenergetics of tissue remodeling because it changes from a static to a dynamically remodeling tissue with temporal precision. We hypothesize that the switch from static to dynamic development at the onset of convergent extension will be accompanied by an increase in …

Prevalence Of Ehrlichia And Rickettsia Within Ticks In Arkansas State Parks, Haley Stanton

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Within the past few decades, the number of diagnoses of tick-borne diseases – such as spotted fever rickettsiosis and ehrlichiosis – has steadily increased throughout the United States, with Arkansas having one of the highest rates in the country. These diseases pose a risk to both humans and animals, as both can acquire these infections from ticks. Due to the increasing geographic range of ticks, rise in cases, and likely underdiagnosis of these diseases, this study aimed to identify the infection rate of ticks themselves in multiple state parks in Arkansas. Four Arkansas state parks were each visited once a …

Evolution Of Allostery And Conformational Dynamics Of Caspases Involved In The Extrinsic Pathway Of Apoptosis, Mithun Nag Karadi Giridhar

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Caspases are a class of cysteine proteases that play a crucial role in programmed cell death (apoptosis). We complete an evolutionary picture of folding of caspases in the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. The folding models show that the conformational free energy of the monomeric fold is conserved in the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. In addition, with molecular dynamics and mass spectrometry we also show that the small subunit is less stable than the large subunit and charges destabilize allosteric regions in caspases allowing for dynamics. In order to gain insight into the evolution of allostery in caspases across different species, …

Endophytic Bacteria Isolated From Aeschynomene Indica Plants And Their Role In Nod-Factor Independent Nodule Formation And Nitrogen Fixation, Meaghan Alyssa Rose

Biology Dissertations - Archive

The formation of specialized root organs known as nodules is the most defining characteristic of leguminous plants due to the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen to bioavailable forms enabled by rhizobial endosymbionts. This relationship has played an integral role in the agricultural practice of using such crop plants as biofertilizers to reduce the use of and dependency on synthetic chemical fertilizers. Tropical legumes, such as members of the genus Aeschynomene, are particularly recognized for their ability to form stem nodules through an unknown mechanism independently of the canonical Nod Factor signaling pathway used in standard root nodulation. The works in this …

Cell Division In Mycobacteria: The Role Of Sepiva, Angela H. Freeman

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Today, about a quarter of the world’s population are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and therefore, are at risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) disease. Tuberculosis, on average, takes about six months to treat, and even longer for those with drug resistant Mtb infections (World Health Organization, 2022). Extended treatment times for these infections are caused by the inherent tolerance to antibiotics conveyed by mycobacteria’s distinct cell wall. Mycobacteria have a wide variety of cell wall regulators that help the cell adapt to stress, such as antibiotics. By understanding how these regulators work, we can learn how mycobacteria evade killing by …

Stress Response Pathways And The Origins Of Novelty: How Snakes Regenerate Organs And Regulate Venom, Aundrea Kristene Westfall

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Snakes have captured evolutionary biologists’ attention for decades as extreme examples of adaptive evolution models for studying how novel and extreme traits evolve in nature, but research has long overlooked or been unable to determine the molecular and genomic bases of these traits, and their underlying mechanisms. Here, I dissect the molecular mechanisms and associated signaling pathways underlying two such extreme traits – extreme intestinal regenerative capacity and the evolution of venom regulation – using functional genomics approaches to understand the conserved and non-canonical gene regulatory cascades that drives them. I first combined physiological data with RNA sequencing, proteomics, and …

Special Issue: Hunger, Nutrition, And Health, Susan Rice

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Everyday millions of Americans face barriers to accessing food, housing, and other supports–––making the impossible decision of whether to put food on the table or cover other essential needs. Food insecurity and diet-related diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, affect people of all ages and in all communities. It was for this reason that the Biden-Harris Administration hosted the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. As the President said at the Conference, “No child should go to bed hungry. No parent should die of a disease that can be prevented.” It will require all …

Climate Change, Food Security, And The Myth Of Unlimited Abundance, Susan A. Schneider

Journal of Food Law & Policy

The Biden-Harris White House can be commended for convening the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health highlighting the critical connections between access to healthy food and sustaining a healthy population. This article explores the impact of climate change and seeks to fill a critical gap in the national discussion. It argues that dramatic changes are needed in the way we think about domestic food security and that meaningful change will be required to assure an adequate supply of healthy food, as envisioned by the White House Conference. It explores the impact of the changes to the climate …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 03 - May 2023, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic, Alan Lord, Andrea Hills, Jean Galloway, Rebecca Severtson

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 3 - May 2023 contents:

• Identifying weevils
• Downy mildew in canola
• Meet PestFacts WA team member, Bec Severtson

Pestfacts Wa Issue 05 - May 2023, Benjamin S. Congdon, Cindy L. Webster, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 5 - May 2023 contents:

• Early season aphid and virus risk in cereals and canola
• Black and white tiger moth caterpillars
• Lupinosis risk this season

Characterization Of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps In Naked Mole-Rats: A Step Towards Cancer Resistance, Thomas Abraham Smith

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease. One of every five deaths in the United States is due to cancer. A growing area of research involves the analysis of cancer resistant traits in other species to understand their biological mechanisms and eventually make translations to human cancer research and clinical treatment. Because of their remarkable cancer resistance, the naked mole-rat (NMR) is a prime subject for this research, and various studies have already suggested that the immune mechanisms of the NMR might be harnessed for human cancer therapies^1-4,7. …

Applying The Extended Parallel Process Model To Climate Change Communication, Mikenna Renee Debruin

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Whereas over 99% of the scientific community believes in the concept of anthropogenic climate change, lay support is still lagging behind. I suggest three key factors to lagging lay support: 1) complexity, 2) manufactured scientific controversy, and 3) doom-and-gloom framing. Because of these factors, individuals are less willing believe in the prevalence of human-induced climate change, nonetheless do something about it. The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), however, presents a model to assuage eco-anxiety and counter psychological distance from the problem. The EPPM, proposed by Kim Witte in the 1990s, combines appeals to threat and appeals to efficacy to contextualize …

Protein Nutrition And Immunity In Male Bumblebees (Bombus Impatiens), Carson Stoker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Male bumble bees play a vital but understudied role in their colonies. They are essential to colony reproduction and success, despite not emerging until the end of the colony's life cycle. Even so, the biology of male bumble bees is not well understood, which leaves our understanding of colony health incomplete. This knowledge gap is important because bumblebee populations are declining, which threatens the ecosystems and industries which rely on them for pollination. This study aimed to understand how two understudied factors of bumble bee health—diet and immunity—are related in males. Pollen, a bee’s main source of protein, has been …

Working Like A Dog: Literary Analysis Of Multifactorial Service Dog Outcomes., Sarah Brinck

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

What makes a service dog successful? Whether it is genetics or the environment they are raised in, the definition of a successful service dog is complicated. Organizations that set out to train service dogs depend on successful outcomes to continue operating. That makes it particularly important to determine and understand the primary factors that impact the success or failure of dogs bred and/or trained for service dog programs. Given the complexity of the requirements for effective service dogs, it can be costly for an individual or an organization to neglect any factors that contribute to success. Individual components of what …