UARK (University of Arkansas )
Not a member yet
19829 research outputs found
Sort by
The Switch: Determinants of family school modality choices during the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFThe K-12 system in the United States experienced substantial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to give an overview of public, private, and homeschooling enrollment decisions during the pandemic, the changes families made between types of schooling and identify familial characteristics associated with the probability of switching in and out of public education. Knowing more about the groups exiting and returning to the public school system can help public school districts better tailor policies to attract and retain their students. Socioeconomic factors influencing a change could be signs of increasing segregation. Using a discrete choice duration model, a multinomial logistic model and random forest machine learning algorithms, we find that education, income, and trust in Fox News were among the most important characteristics related to school type decisions throughout the pandemic. We attempt to capture the changes in the importance of these factors through the pandemic
Assessment of Attitudes, Preferences, and Knowledge Regarding Dietary Protein and Health
Get PDFIn the area of nutrition and dietary protein, experts often state that there are several barriers to consumption of dietary protein, however there is a lack of published data supporting these claims. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the attitudes, preferences and knowledge regarding dietary protein to identify potential barriers that would prevent purchasing protein or including protein in the diet. A 38-question Qualtrics survey was distributed via University of Arkansas listservs and on social media for three weeks. Participants (n=866) were asked to answer questions related to general nutrition knowledge and current dietary practices related to protein. Preliminary analyses of the survey population show that 27% of survey participants were between the ages of 18-24 y, 72% were female, and 89% were white. When asked how often they include a protein source when eating a meal or snack, 56% responded sometimes and 40% responded always. Most (82%) participants indicated that they consume protein daily. 88% of the participants are most likely to eat protein at dinner, 56% at lunch and 41% at breakfast. However, of the 82% of participants who indicated that they consume breakfast daily, 31% consume protein at breakfast 5 or more times per week. The primary barriers preventing participants from consuming protein are cost (44%) and convenience (33%). When asked about current research topics related to dietary protein, 100% responded that protein, in general, is good for you. More than 60% responded that higher protein diets have health benefits and 70% think protein burns more calories than carbohydrates and fats. However, participants do not think all protein is nutritionally equal, 82% responded ‘no’ to all protein (plant versus animal sources) providing the same nutrients, 65% think plant protein is healthier. The survey population understands health benefits associated with protein intake; however cost and convenience are barriers to consumption. This highlights the need for nurses to educate patients on cost-effective and convenient ways to incorporate protein into their diets, ensuring they receive adequate nutrition
Assessing the Fate of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Wastewater Treatment Processes
Get PDFThe increasing need for clean water has paved the way for the creation of systems for reusing water, such as wastewater treatment plants (“WWTPs”), to provide potable water. But in recent years, such systems have raised concerns about the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (“ARGs”). Bacteria are adapting to antibiotics by the evolution of resistance mechanisms, such as high mutation rates and horizontal transfer. The presence of ARGs, particularly tetracycline ( tetA ) resistance genes, in wastewater effluents is of concern, as they can survive treatment, spread to bodies of water, and pose a threat to human health. In this study, the impact of treatment processes on the fate of tetA in WWTPs has been analyzed. Five stages were sampled, including grit removal, activated sludge, clarification, granular filtration, and UV treatment. They were then quantified for tetA gene copies by qPCR. The results indicated that clarification had a significant reduction in tetA gene copies, while granular filtration had no reduction. Interestingly, UV exposure increased the number of tetA gene copies, potentially resulting from mutations in DNA or DNA extraction issues. These findings reveal that the current WWTP processes used cannot effectively remove ARGs, suggesting that improvements in treatment processes are necessary. Although wastewater reuse is promising, the presence of ARGs in treated wastewater represents a public health threat as well as a global threat to antibiotic resistance. The treatment strategies should be optimized and targeted to mitigate ARGs to guarantee that the reuse of water does not contribute to the spread of resistant bacteria
Telehealth and Medical Consumerism in the Digital Age
Get PDFThis paper discusses the role of telehealth in medical consumerism. As a cheap and convenient model of healthcare, telehealth enables patients to access healthcare regardless of location, as long as they have the necessary technology.
In the current healthcare landscape, insurance policies and high costs push patients to act as consumers of medical services. With the rise of telehealth as another healthcare option, the medical sector further becomes consumer-oriented. This ultimately changes the way patients interact with healthcare
Understanding the impact of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) feeding, and drought stress on drought-tolerant and drought-resistant soybean (Glycine max).
Get PDFDrought and insect herbivory are two major stressors on high-value crops like soybean (Glycine max). However, few studies have explored how these stressors interact, despite their presence in tandem under field conditions. We investigated how drought stress and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) caterpillar herbivory impact Magellan (drought-tolerant) and Blackhawk (drought-susceptible) soybean cultivars. The soybean plants were subject to four treatment groups (1. Drought 2. Herbivory 3. Drought + Herbivory 4. Well-Watered) during a treatment period of 7 days in a greenhouse. We then measured plant height, physiological traits, trichome density, soil moisture, and larval mass gain. Our results show that drought significantly reduced photosynthesis, transpiration, and growth (p \u3c 0.001), and the plants experienced the most substantial effects under combined drought and herbivory. Magellan maintained more stable photosynthetic performance and gradually increased trichome density over time, while Blackhawk showed an early but inconsistent trichome response. Larval mass gain was not significant on either cultivar or treatment, but fall armyworm generally had greater mass gain on the drought-susceptible Blackhawk cultivar. These results highlight the importance of considering cultivar-specific stress responses in selecting soybean varieties that may better maintain defensive plasticity under varying climatic conditions. Our results also show how biotic and abiotic stressors in combination lead to strong physiological and defense responses in plants
Lawyers, Trauma, and Professional Well-Being: How the Legal Community Takes Back its Mental Health
Get PDFAccompanying a notable shift in the legal academy to being more attentive to our students’ mental health, there must be an equal (or even greater) shift to focusing on trauma, mental health, and well-being in the broader profession. Significantly, trauma and its effects are compounded when combined with the challenges faced by underrepresented populations within the profession. To date, these challenges have been greeted by an ad hoc, piecemeal reaction to stress and trauma,10 which only inhibits wellness in the profession. Part I explores the current literature in both the humanities and the legal profession, beginning with a brief discussion about trauma to explain what it is and its impacts on the legal profession. Part II then takes a didactic look at the legal profession and what makes it so vulnerable to trauma, discussing some of the societal and economic drivers that make trauma so prevalent in the profession, especially amongst minoritized populations. Next, in Part III, this Article discusses the legal profession’s current siloed efforts to understand trauma in the profession and to improve well-being, and its need to better strategize a solution that ensures more effective results. Finally, in Part IV, lies the bedrock of my thesis—that though trauma cannot be avoided in this profession (or anywhere), the best course of conduct is to embrace the new conversations about “human behavio[]r (including biases) and emotions” and how they affect the law
This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land: The Keys to Unlocking Eight Million Acres of Checkerboarded Public Land
Get PDFThe term “checkerboarded land” has become associated with alternating public and private square-mile lots in Western states such as Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. In the mid-19th century, the United States was in the throes of Manifest Destiny. President Abraham Lincoln signed the 1862 Pacific Railway Act which aimed to connect the eastern United States with the newly acquired western territories by developing the Transcontinental Railroad. As an incentive for building the rail line, the federal government granted the even-numbered one-square-mile sections of land to the railroad companies, while retaining the odd-numbered one-square-mile sections for itself. The Federal Land & Management Act of 1976 makes public land, specifically land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), accessible to the public for recreation. Of the 2.4 billion acres of land in the United States, the BLM manages over 240 million surface acres and roughly 60% is privately owned.
Before analyzing the legal problems and recent developments on checkerboarded land, it is essential to understand how these sections of land came to be and why they exist in this way. Section II will briefly discuss the history of the property landscape and the conflicting interests of private landownership versus publicly accessible land. It will then delve into the landmark case of Iron Bar Holdings, LLC. v. Cape, a case of first impression that may be the first of many corner-crossing cases. Subsequently, I will address some of the primary conflicting interests in this decision and the key legal principles undermining this area of the law. Following that, I will discuss outcomes from the case, outlining the current state of the law and identifying its pitfalls. In Section III, I will then explore where the law should progress and offer solutions to resolve the problem of checkerboarded lands
ChatGPT Didn’t Write This . . . or Did It? The Emergence of Generative AI in the Legal Field and Lessons from Mata v. Avianca
Get PDFIt’s no secret: Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), for better or worse, is revolutionizing the world. The legal field and legal education at large are not immune to this explosion of possible uses for AI technology. However, as with any technological advancement, AI and Generative Language Models bring with them many challenges, including the implications of their use. One such challenge was vividly presented in the case of Mata v. Avianca, often referred to as “The ChatGPT Case.” Mata is a cautionary tale of the potential missteps that can trip up the unwitting user who naively relies on the lofty promises of programs like ChatGPT without exercising the due diligence and competence required of a legal professional. The core objectives of this Comment are three-fold. First, to identify some of the many ethical pitfalls that can emerge from the marriage of AI and the law, highlighting examples on display in Mata v. Avianca––the landmark case revolving around the misuse of generative AI. Second, to acknowledge the inevitable role AI is poised to play in legal practice and outline some basic guidelines that may help ensure the integration and use of AI in the legal field is responsible, fair, and ethically sound. Third, from the perspective of a law school student, to address the importance of implementing AI into legal education and the imperative of properly equipping future generations of legal professionals. Through an examination of the evolution of Artificial Intelligence in the legal field and lessons from Mata v. Avianca, this Author aims to shine a light on the nuances of AI’s ethically ambiguous landscape and provide a helpful roadmap for its responsible adoption into legal education and practice
Insert Creation to Mimic Blood Vessels in Gel Phantoms
No full textGel phantoms are commonly used in research settings due to their ability to mimic soft tissue. Creating these phantoms usually involves 3D printing an insert, embedding it in gel, and then washing the insert out. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is typically used as the insert material, but it often swells and deforms the gel during the washout process. Aquapour, a water-soluble material, was investigated as a potential replacement for PVA. Unlike PVA, Aquapour comes in a powdered form that can be mixed with water to create a castable slurry. To create molds to cast Aquapour, SolidWorks was used to design two models. The insert geometry that was desired was transected into two different models and 3D printed using PLA. Two different types of silicone molds were created, one with 10A shore hardness and another with 30A shore hardness. The softer silicone mold ended up not working as expected, so the harder silicone mold was used primarily. Trials were set up with low and high water factors, as well as low and high drying temperatures. From these trials, it was concluded that using a lower water factor and drying it at a lower heat worked the best for the Aquapour inserts. The main problem that had to be addressed was cracking during the drying process. To minimize the risk of cracking, air drying before oven drying was proven to be helpful. Allowing the insert to cool in the oven also prevented the risk of thermal shock. Overall, Aquapour has the potential to be a suitable replacement for PVA, but it may be suited to less complex geometries that have a lower risk of cracking
