UARK (University of Arkansas )
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Barriers to Parental Engagement in Early Childhood Education
No full textParental engagement in early childhood education has long been recognized as a foundational contributor to children\u27s academic success. However, many families face persistent barriers that limit their participation. This study examined three primary obstacles to parental engagement: disabilities, socioeconomic status, and underdeveloped parent–teacher relationships. The findings suggested that intentional, community-centered approaches effectively reduce barriers to engagement, strengthen school–family partnerships, and offer replicable models for promoting equitable participation in early childhood education settings. To bring these strategies to life, the study included a family engagement event developed in collaboration with a childcare center serving children with developmental delays, which provided a relaxed and welcoming space for families, educators, and children to connect meaningfully
Influence of Gossypol from Cottonseed Oil on Semen Quality in Domestic Boars as a Model for Feral Hog Control
No full textFeral swine are an invasive species in the United States that negatively impact native ecosystems, agricultural operations, and the national economy, as well as livestock, companion animal, and human health. Despite heavy investments on the individual, state, and national levels, the feral swine population continues to increase annually. Gossypol is a polyphenolic compound found in the cottonseed plant that has been found to negatively impact fertility in males of various species. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of gossypol- containing cottonseed oil supplemented to domestic boars on various semen quality parameters and body weight as a model for feral hog reproductive control. Sexually mature boars (n = 18) were stratified by body weight and parentage into 4 treatment groups. The 4 treatment groups were supplemented with cottonseed oil containing varying concentrations of gossypol: 0 mg/kg of bodyweight (0G), 4 mg/kg of body weight (4G), 8 mg/kg of body weight (8G), or 12 mg/kg of body weight (12G). A mixture of gossypol-free cottonseed oil (Riceland Foods, Inc.; Stuttgart, AR) and gossypol-containing cottonseed oil with known concentrations was prepared for each treatment group. Treatments were administered for a 42-day period, followed by a 70- day recovery period. During the recovery period, all boars were fed a diet that did not contain any cottonseed oil. Semen collections were performed biweekly during both the treatment and recovery periods. Parameters evaluated included sperm motility, sperm progressive motility, concentration of sperm cells per mL of semen, semen weight, semen volume, and body weight. Data analysis showed that percent motility and progressive motility of sperm had a treatment by time interaction (P \u3c 0.01). Percent motility and progressive motility decreased in the 4G, 8G, and 12G treatment groups relative to the 0G treatment group by day 42 of the treatment period and returned to similar percentages as the 0G treatment group by day 70 of the recovery period. Concentration was affected by treatment (P = 0.02) and time (P = 0.01). The 8G treatment group had decreased concentration relative to the 0G treatment group. There was no treatment by time interaction for concentration (P = 0.93). There was a treatment by time interaction (P = 0.02) and effect of time (P \u3c 0.01) for body weight. Boars in the 12G treatment group gained less weight over time relative to the 0G, 4G, and 8G treatment groups, likely due to palatability issues and decreased feed intake associated with the high concentration of gossypol in the diet fed to this group. There was no effect of treatment (P = 0.28) on body weight. There was no effect of time, treatment, or the treatment by time interaction on semen weight (P \u3e 0.05). There were some fluctuations in semen volume over time (P = 0.05). However, there was no effect of treatment (P = 0.27) or a treatment by time interaction (P = 0.44). The results of decreased sperm motility, progressive motility, and concentration in boars supplemented with gossypol-containing cottonseed oil support the potential for gossypol-containing cottonseed oil to be utilized as a contraceptive in feral boars
Performance and Feasibility of Pasture Rangeland and Forage Insurance in the Delta Region
No full textDespite being available nationwide since 2016, enrollment in Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance remains low in many regions of the country. The program\u27s performance also presents regional discrepancies, with loss ratios varying significantly. Studies that have simplified the complexity of interval selection for producers have been shown to positively affect PRF enrollment. Such studies remain limited in several forage-producing areas. This study aims to address the lack of information in Arkansas specifically. Arkansas has among the nation\u27s lowest participation rates and loss ratios. Low loss ratios signal that participants pay more in premiums than received in indemnities and may also drive low enrollment. To determine the cause of these low loss ratios, we first examined how different interval selection strategies, such as consistent enrollment, would affect the program\u27s profitability. These strategies focused on limiting basis risk, historical variation, the impact of rainfall on forage, and simulating rainfall rating discrepancies. Under consistent enrollment and intuitive selection strategies, PRF was found to be profitable at different precipitation levels over time. We also conducted a regression analysis to determine if changes in short-term Rainfall Index trends and variation trends affected loss ratios. Additionally, we examined whether trend adjustments were included in the rating system. Knowledge of changes in both historical variation and Rainfall Index trends was found to be very crucial in raising the low loss ratios in the region. This study, therefore, highlights the complexity of interval selection and offers producers a starting point for making informed decisions about the use of PRF in Arkansas
The Bacteria Who Lived: Uncovering and Mitigating the Persistence of Pathogens in Low-Moisture Food Processing
No full textLow-moisture food (LMF) processing environments pose a persistent food safety risk due to Salmonella survival and harborage on surfaces. This work investigates persistent bacterial populations (PBPs) in LMF production environments, focusing on identifying a suitable surrogate and evaluating sanitation strategies. Three potential surrogates, Escherichia coli MP 26, Enterococcus faecium, and Pediococcus acidilactici, were compared to Salmonella PBPs formed in nonfat dry milk (NFDM) on stainless steel coupons stored at 25°C under 30% or 70% relative humidity (RH) using two different inoculation methods. E. faecium showed survival patterns most similar to Salmonella, with no significant differences in log reductions (p \u3e 0.05), while the others were significantly more sensitive to the desiccation (p \u3c 0.05). Additionally, impacts of the same environmental factors on cross-contamination potential were evaluated for high (7–8 log CFU) or low (3–4 log CFU) Salmonella Tennessee inocula in a PBP on stainless steel. After storage, coupons were vortexed with 10 g of non-inoculated NFDM. The highest transfer (5.3 log CFU/g) occurred with the slurry method at 30% RH after 7 days in the high-inoculum group, while transfer of 3.5 log CFU/g was observed in the low-inoculum group. Transfer was significantly affected by RH, inoculum level, and inoculation method (p \u3c 0.05). Finally, sanitation efficacy was assessed using dry (i.e., manual scraping to remove visible debris without water) and wet cleaning (application of sanitizer followed by manual scraping) followed by quaternary ammonium compound (QAC), isopropyl alcohol (IPA), or thermal treatment. IPA alone reduced Salmonella by 0.2 log CFU/cm² in a powdered peanut butter (PB) matrix; this increased to 3.0-log and 4.8-log reductions with dry or wet cleaning, respectively (p \u3c 0.05). Thermal treatment (135°C, 30 min) achieved up to 8-log CFU/cm² reduction when preceded by dry cleaning (scraping). QAC showed lower efficacy than other treatments. Matrix composition strongly influenced outcomes, with PB offering the most protection against sanitizing treatments. E. faecium broadly mirrored Salmonella trends but was often more sensitive to certain treatments, making it a practical but occasionally non-conservative surrogate
Multivariate Optical Imaging of the Oxygen-Metabolism Axis
No full textMetabolic reprogramming is a characteristic hallmark of multiple pathologies and promotes disease progression, survival, and severity. Current methods to investigate metabolic reprogramming, however, require reductions of dimensionality both because of instrumentation limitations and analysis tools. This work aims to define a blueprint for high dimensional study of the oxygen metabolism axis to enable more sensitive study metabolic reprogramming. We hypothesized (1) multivariate imaging of metabolic and oxygenation metrics in ex vivo tissue sections would elucidate differences in resistant and sensitive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) xenografts that traditional uni-variate methods miss and (2) an engineered hyperspectral darkfield microscopy (HSDFM)–autofluorescence intensity (AFI)–fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) microscopy platform would enable longitudinal in vivo study of oxygenation and metabolism directly, without the use of exogenous labelling. In Chapter 3, we performed metabolic autofluorescence intensity (AFI) imaging and FLIM on unlabeled tissue sections and followed on with multiplexed immunohistochemistry (IHC) for hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) to investigate multivariate relationships on both sides of the oxygen–metabolism axis. We detected significant and non-canonical changes in the optical redox ratio (ORR) and HIF-1α of radiation resistant tumor sections. Notably, we observed increased ORR associated with sections of low hypoxia and elevated HIF-1α following therapy, supporting HIF-1α-mediated treatment resistance, possibly through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated stabilization of HIF-1α (p ≪ 0.0001 at 24 hours post-treatment (hr) and p = 0.03 at 48 hr). We also detected a strong trend at the sub-population level—notably, decreased ORR associated with increased HIF-1α at baseline in the resistant tumors (p = 0.0583)—supporting this histogram-based analysis and motivating future work. Toward the goal of engineering a label-free capable system, in Chapter 4, we engineered the first prototype of a combined HSDFM–MPM. Despite meeting many translation challenges from theory, the system showed promise to be sensitive to multivariate changes along the oxygen—metabolism axis. We provide a loose framework for simulation of and in silico validation of custom Monte Carlo lookup table (MCLUT), for robust FLIM phasor analysis with Monte Carlo-based testing of parameter extraction, and for multivariate analysis of label-free oxygenation and metabolism end points provided from this system. The new instrument achieved \u3c 2 µm resolution, while resolving absorption differences in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, all with total image set acquisition times between of around 3 minutes (including HSDFM, AFI, and FLIM). Together, these findings make significant headway in both hardware and software tools to investigate metabolic programming with enhanced sensitivity in vivo, minimizing reductive assumptions, instrumentation, or analysis
Minor League: The Journey to the Show
No full textWhen thinking about the path an athlete takes to get to the major leagues, many think of the same process: High School, College, Professional. However, the professional level includes is more than just the MLB or NBA that people would assume. Almost all professional U.S. sports leagues have a minor league system associated with them that nearly all players pass through at one point or another. Through the lens of a documentary, this portion in an athlete’s journey will be spotlighted to show what these leagues do for them, how they help them improve, and how they prepare them to take the final step to playing on sporting’s’ biggest stage. This research will be used to bring attention to this crucial stage of every athlete journey
Bilingual Program Implementation and Programming in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States: Lessons Learned for Application in Arkansas
No full textAs of 2025, the state of Arkansas has no state-approved bilingual or dual-language education programs, despite passing legislation in 2021 to allow for their creation. This literature review synthesizes findings from recent empirical studies conducted in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States—regions with demographic and policy contexts more similar to Arkansas than states with long-time bilingual programs. This literature review explores both beneficial and complicating factors in bilingual program implementation, addressing themes such as policy, leadership, stakeholder involvement, program design, and prevailing ideological mindsets, before summarizing lessons learned from these studies. The implications are clear: effective bilingual programming requires intentional, collective investment across classroom, district, and community levels. This literature review offers the start of a roadmap for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to translate legislative potential into equitable and sustainable educational practice, with the goal of improving outcomes for multilingual learners across the state
This Is Fine: A Reflexive Case Study on Beliefs, Institutional Rhetoric, and the Quiet Despair of Capstone Completion
No full textFor graduate students, capstone writing is often a stressful process that involves significant obstacles to progress. This dissertation presents an exploratory multi-case study of four graduate capstone writers to examine how institutional contexts and rhetoric shape students’ beliefs and related emotions and behaviors during the high-stakes, low-structure settings of capstone research projects. Data for this study was collected through interviews and reflexively compared with reflections from the principal researcher. To gather insights into the relationship between writers’ internal beliefs and institutional contexts, interview excerpts were analyzed according to both cognitive behavioral coaching and institutional critique frameworks. Findings indicated that students relied on limited institutional information to build schemas of their capstone projects, resulting in knowledge gaps and negative beliefs that inhibited progress, highlighting the critical connection between capstone writers and their educational contexts. These insights suggest a need for developing more intentional institutional structures during capstone projects. Additionally, this case study provides a foundation for future research on institutional patterns and power dynamics in graduate capstone writing
A Pastoral River: Reimagining the Narrative of Buffalo National River
No full textThis thesis examines the creation of Buffalo National River (BNR) from the perspective of dispossessed landowners. A unit of the National Park Service in the Arkansas Ozarks, BNR has garnered little scholarly attention in this light, despite present-day resentment of the federal government by locals. The park was signed into law in 1972, capping a years-long debate about the fate of the river. Some had supported a tenacious U.S. Army Corps of Engineers effort to dam the river, others backed a well-organized, preservationist-led campaign to create a park, while on-the-river landowners typically preferred the status quo of private ownership. Many of these landowners – who often had ancestral ties to the area and an agricultural relationship with the land – were ultimately dispossessed of their property in a drawn-out phase of land acquisition. The present narrative reflects the dominance of preservationists, particularly via Neil Compton’s The Battle for the Buffalo River, published in 1992. Compton was the preservationist Ozark Society’s leading activist, and thus the book privileges their campaign for a park; landowner voices during the debate and their experiences negotiating with the federal government are largely ignored in Compton’s work and elsewhere. Drawing heavily from National Park Service documents, newly-conducted oral history interviews with landowners and park employees alike, newspapers, and correspondence, this thesis explains landowner grievances both in the debate years and in the land acquisition phase. Beyond providing an administrative history of BNR that privileges the landowner perspective, this thesis builds upon novel frameworks that emphasize the interrelated nature of agriculture, landscape, and identity, contextualizing many landowners’ desire to remain on their land. It also demonstrates that while the National Park Service has made strides in ameliorating relations with locals, particularly through a land-exchange program that returned land to private ownership in the park’s Private Use Zone, present-day economic interests perceived by locals as “outsiders” echo the dispossessing power that changed the lives of many on the Buffalo River not long ago
