University of Arkansas

About: University of Arkansas is a education organization based out in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 17225 authors who have published 33329 publications receiving 941102 citations. The organization is also known as: Arkansas & UA.

Salmonella Pathogenicity and Host Adaptation in Chicken-Associated Serovars

Abstract: Enteric pathogens such as Salmonella enterica cause significant morbidity and mortality. S. enterica serovars are a diverse group of pathogens that have evolved to survive in a wide range of environments and across multiple hosts. S. enterica serovars such as S. Typhi, S. Dublin, and S. Gallinarum have a restricted host range, in which they are typically associated with one or a few host species, while S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium have broad host ranges. This review examines how S. enterica has evolved through adaptation to different host environments, especially as related to the chicken host, and continues to be an important human pathogen. Several factors impact host range, and these include the acquisition of genes via horizontal gene transfer with plasmids, transposons, and phages, which can potentially expand host range, and the loss of genes or their function, which would reduce the range of hosts that the organism can infect. S. Gallinarum, with a limited host range, has a large number of pseudogenes in its genome compared to broader-host-range serovars. S. enterica serovars such as S. Kentucky and S. Heidelberg also often have plasmids that may help them colonize poultry more efficiently. The ability to colonize different hosts also involves interactions with the host's immune system and commensal organisms that are present. Thus, the factors that impact the ability of Salmonella to colonize a particular host species, such as chickens, are complex and multifactorial, involving the host, the pathogen, and extrinsic pressures. It is the interplay of these factors which leads to the differences in host ranges that we observe today.

Assimilation of Interorganizational Business Process Standards

Abstract: Organizations have not fully realized the benefits of interorganizational relationships (IORs) due to the lack of cross-enterprise process integration capabilities Recently, interorganizational business process standards (IBPS) enabled by information technology (IT) have been suggested as a solution to help organizations overcome this problem Drawing on three theoretical perspectives, ie, the relational view of the firm, institutional theory, and organizational inertia theory, we propose three mechanisms---relational, influence, and inertial---to explain the assimilation of IBPS in organizations We theorize that these mechanisms will have differential effects on the assimilation of IBPS in dominant and nondominant firms Using a cross-case analysis based on data from 11 firms in the high-tech industry, we found evidence to support our propositions that relational depth, relationship extendability, and normative pressure were important for dominant firms while relational specificity and influence mechanisms (coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures) were important for nondominant firms Inertial mechanisms, ie, ability and willingness to overcome resource and routine rigidities, were important for both dominant and nondominant firms

Innovative Data Collection Strategies in Qualitative Research

Abstract: Introduction In many disciplines and fields representing the social and behavioral sciences, the quantitative research paradigm, which has its roots in (logical) positivism, marked the first methodological wave (circa the 19th century), inasmuch as it was characterized by a comprehensive and formal set of assumptions and principles surrounding epistemology (e.g., independence of knower and known, objectivism, real causes determining outcomes reliably and validly, time- and context-free generalizations), ontology (e.g., single reality), axiology (e.g., value-free), methodology (e.g., deductive logic, testing or confirming hypotheses/theory), and rhetoric (e.g., rhetorical neutrality, formal writing style, impersonal passive voice, technical terminology). The years 1900 to 1950 marked what could be termed as the second methodological wave, in which many researchers who rejected (logical) positivism embraced the qualitative research paradigm (1). Denzin and Lincoln (2005a) refer to this era as the first historical moment or The Traditional Period for qualitative research. Vidich and Lyman (2000) describe earlier forms of ethnography that took place prior to the 17th century. However, Denzin and Lincoln's (2005a) The Traditional Period represents the first organized qualitative research movement. Although this moment was characterized by qualitative researchers attempting to write reliable, valid, and objective accounts of their field experiences (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005a), it paved the way for the eight subsequent qualitative moments (see Table 1) that have incorporated paradigms that are extremely far removed from positivism. For example, in stark contrast to positivism, constructivism has been characterized by a different set of epistemological (e.g., subjectivist, knower and known are inseparable), ontological (e.g., relativism), axiological (e.g., value-bound), methodological (e.g., dialectical, hermeneutical), and rhetorical (e.g., informal writing style using personal voice and limited definitions) assumptions. From Table 1, it can be seen that Denzin and Lincoln (2005a) predict that in the seventh and eighth moments, "methodological contestation will continue within and among the many disciplinary communities of qualitative research--business, marketing, nursing, psychology, communications studies, cultural studies, education, sociology, anthropology, medical clinical practice and epidemiology, and others" (p. 1117). As noted on Table 1, Denzin and Lincoln (2005a) elaborate further upon the dichotomous nature of research by predicting that in the ninth moment, methodologists form two opposing camps (i.e., "gold standard" of scientific research vs. socially, culturally, ethnically, and racially responsive, communitarian, justice-oriented research). However, in this article, we discuss the various ways that qualitative researchers might transcend this methodological contestation and methodological divide by taking advantage of the innovative approaches to reflexivity (i.e., "the process of critical self-reflection on one's biases, theoretical predispositions, preferences, and so forth" [Schwandt, 2007, p. 260]; "inspection of potential sources of bias and their control [and] critically inspecting the entire research process" [Schwandt, p. 260]); and the latest technology and computermediated communication. As such, we call for a 10th moment, which we label as the period of Methodological Innovation, in which qualitative researchers go beyond the traditional ways of collecting primary and reflexive data. With this in mind, in this article, we provide an innovative meta-framework comprising strategies designed to guide qualitative data collection in the 21st century. We call our framework a meta-framework because it incorporates several new and existing frameworks. We begin by presenting various frameworks for collecting data in qualitative research. Specifically, we present strategies for collecting data from interviews, focus groups, observations, and documents/material culture--which represent four major sources of data in qualitative research (cf. …

Empty container management for intermodal transportation networks

Abstract: We present a computational analysis of the effect of planning horizon length on empty container management for intermodal transportation networks. The analysis is based on an integer program that seeks to minimize total costs related to moving empty containers, subject to meeting requirements for moving loaded containers. A case study of potential container-on-barge operations within the Mississippi River basin illustrates the effects of planning horizon length on mode selection. A longer planning horizon can encourage the use of inexpensive, slow transportation modes, such as barge. The impact depends on the number and location of container storage pools.

Herbicide Resistance: Toward an Understanding of Resistance Development and the Impact of Herbicide-Resistant Crops

Abstract: This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the Weed Science Society of America and can be found at: http://wssajournals.org/loi/wees. To the best of our knowledge, one or more authors of this paper were federal employees when contributing to this work.