Life Sciences Commons^™

Meat, The Future: The Role Of Regulators In The Lab-Grown Revolution, Joseph B. Davault, Michael S. Sinha

All Faculty Scholarship

The United States is one of the largest consumers of meat globally. The production of meat contributes substantially to climate change due to the levels of greenhouse gasses emitted and the amount of land, water, feed, and other natural resources required to raise animals used for meat. Traditional meat production is another major source for the emergence of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. Nevertheless, Americans consume more meat now than at any time in the nation’s history.

Advocates for policy change aimed at addressing the risks associated with meat production have typically focused on reducing meat consumption, alternatives to meat, …

Comparative Accumulation And Effects Of Microplastics And Microplastic-Associated Pcb-153 In The White Hard Clam (Meretrix Lyrata) And Giant River Prawn (Macrobrachium Rosenbergii) Following Chronic Exposure, Bao-Son Trinh, Lien Thi Le, Loc Minh Tran, Gunther Rosen, Robert C. Hale

VIMS Articles

Global environmental abundance of microplastics (MPs) is increasing. MPs may sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs), accumulate in and cause deleterious effects on exposed organisms. This study investigated and compared the accumulation and effects of MPs and MP-associated PCB in the two indigenous aquatic organisms in Viet Nam, the white hard clams, Meretrix lyrata, and the giant river prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. The test organisms were exposed to either polyethylene microbeads (PEMBs), waterborne polychlorinated biphenyl 153 (PCB-153), or PEMB-associated PCB-153 (PEMB-PCB) over 28 days. Organismal MP accumulation, survival, and weight gain were examined at various sampling intervals. In general, MP …

Cocoa Polyphenols Modulate The Fecal Microbiome In A Mouse Model Of Colitis, Independent Of Basal Diet And Colon Inflammation, Abby D. Benninghoff

Browse all Datasets

Chronic inflammation increases the risk of developing multiple chronic diseases, including cancer. The risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) specifically is increased in individuals who suffer from colitis, a characteristic of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Diet is another risk factor for developing CRC, particularly an inflammation-promoting Western-type diet. Thus, supplementing a Western diet with functional foods containing anti-inflammatory polyphenols is a potential approach to decreasing CRC risk by reducing gut inflammation and altering gut microbiome profile. This study aimed to determine the effects of cocoa polyphenol (CP) supplementation on inflammation status and microbiome profile before, during, and after colitis when …

Grazing On The Arizona Strip: Catchment History And Repair, Melanie Heaton

All Current Publications

Water, not forage, is the limiting factor for wildlife and livestock grazing the Arizona Strip, a nearly 3-million-acre piece of land located north of the Grand Canyon and south of the Utah border. Since springs and groundwater are rare or absent, harvesting of natural precipitation is the main source of water for animals. Catchment systems, which capture precipitation on a sloped rubber apron and contain it in a large tank or lined pond, are used by government agencies and grazing permittees to efficiently provide water for wildlife and livestock. As catchments reach the end of their useful lives, tank replacement …

First-Time Market Goat, Ashley Longmore, Cheyenne Reid

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is 4-H youth who are thinking about or have recently purchased their first 4-H goat. This fact sheet is a simple outline that provides information on selection, feeding, housing, basic care, and grooming.

First-Time Market Lamb, Ashley Longmore, Cheyenne Reid

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is 4-H youth who are thinking about or have recently purchased their first 4-H lamb. This fact sheet is a simple outline providing more information on selection, feeding, housing, basic care, and grooming.

First-Time Market Hog, Ashley T. Longmore, Cheyenne A. Reid

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is for 4-H youth who are thinking about or have recently purchased their first 4-H hog. This fact sheet is a simple outline that will give them more information on selection, feeding, housing, basic care, and grooming.

First-Time Market Steer, Ashley T. Longmore, Cheyenne A. Reid

All Current Publications

The target audience for this fact sheet is 4-H youth who are thinking about or have recently purchased their first 4-H steer. This fact sheet is a simple outline that will give them more information on selection, feeding, housing, basic care, and grooming.

Bull Production: Breeding Soundness Exam And Expected Progeny Differences, Ethan Gilliam

All Current Publications

This fact sheet defines a breeding soundness exam (BSE) for a breeding bull and reviews the meaning of expected progeny differences (EPDs). Acronyms used and depended on by livestock producers are reviewed. Understanding the meaning of livestock acronyms is commonly overlooked. Highlights include how a producer makes financial decisions throughout the year in relation to their livestock.

Quantifying Costs And Benefits Of Alternative Overwintering Strategies In A Southeastern Population Of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), John Powers, Amber Stubbs, Alfred J. Mead, Dominic L. Desantis

Graduate Research Showcase

Temperate reptile populations are under strong selective pressure to minimize the costs of extreme winter temperatures. For high latitude and high elevation snake populations, this has often favored communal overwintering behavior, wherein large numbers of conspecifics aggregate at optimal sites given the limited availability of such features in the environment. Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) are distributed across a wide latitudinal gradient in North America, and therefore represent ideal models for exploring how variable winter selective regimes might favor different strategies. Here, we leverage a unique intermediate population of C. horridus from central Georgia, USA, that exhibits both communal …

Distribution Of Shell-Boring Polychaetes At Shellfish Aquaculture Sites Along The Northeast Coast Of The Us, Samantha Silverbrand

Honors College

Coastal shellfish aquaculture has expanded substantially in recent years in Maine and New England as traditional wild fishery stocks have declined. As shellfish aquaculture has expanded, producers have become more concerned about marine worm pests (i.e., polychaetes) that infest cultured bivalves. In particular, worms from the genus Polydora (also known as “polydorids”) burrow into oyster and scallop shells where they feed and deposit mud. Bivalves cover over the muddy burrows creating blisters that can decrease their market value and hinder growth. Farmers and researchers have identified methods to control infestations of P. websteri, one common species of shell-boring worm. However, …

Climate Change-Associated Declines In Water Clarity Impair Feeding By Common Loons, Walter H. Piper, Max R. Glines, Kevin C. Rose

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Climate change has myriad impacts on ecosystems, but the mechanisms by which it affects individual species can be difficult to pinpoint. One strategy to discover such mechanisms is to identify a specific ecological factor related to survival or reproduction and determine how that factor is affected by climate. Here we used Landsat imagery to calculate water clarity for 127 lakes in northern Wisconsin from 1995 to 2021 and thus investigate the effect of clarity on the body condition of an aquatic visual predator, the common loon (Gavia immer). In addition, we examined rainfall and temperature as potential predictors …

Value Of Gain In The Lamb Feeding Industry, Jay Parsons

Cornhusker Economics

Value of gain (VOG) is a term in the livestock feeding industry that refers to the average value of a pound of gain. It is the most appropriate revenue value to use in comparison to the cost of gain to determine profit margin.

A Dietary Variety: Analyzing The Impacts Of Diverse Vs Worm-Exclusive Diets On The Blanding’S Turtle (Emydoidea Blandingii), Caitlin F. Copenhaver

Honors Theses

The endangered Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) is a species with a generally diverse diet in their freshwater wetland habitats; they consume prey such as crayfish and snails. In captivity, these options often become more limited due to logistical reasons. As ex situ conservation efforts such as captive rearing and head-starting are becoming more popular for this species, it will be important to gain more insight on how these more limited diets might affect these turtles. This study describes a comparison between diets in six captive Blanding’s turtles from September to November of 2023, with three turtles receiving only …

Different Levels Of Single-Strain Probiotic (Bacillus Subtilis) With Proteolytic Enzyme (Serratiopeptidase) Can Be Used As An Alternative To Antibiotic Growth Promoters In Broiler, Muhammad Mushtaq, Baseerat Ali, Majid Ali, Neelam Bibi, Rabin Raut, Gamaleldin M. Suliman, Ayman A. Swelum

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

In the current study, the proteolytic enzyme (serratiopeptidase) was used to enhance the efficacy of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) probiotic as a growth promotor in broiler chicken. The effects of serratiopeptidase on the efficacy of different levels of B. subtilis as a growth promotor in broiler chicks were evaluated regarding growth performance traits, villus histomorphometric characterization, and intestinal microbiota count. Day-old broiler chicks (n = 120) were allocated into 4 groups having 3 replicates/group. In the control group (C), the basal diet was kept without supplementation. In treatment groups (P100, P150, and P200), the basal diet was supplemented with 100, …

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Western Australian Cephalopod Resource, Cameron J. Desfosses, Kimberley A. Smith, Lachlan W.S. Strain, Dave Murphy, Keyley Hogan-West, Daniel Yeoh, Shannon Burchert, Linda Wiberg, Bec Oliver, Brett M. Crisafulli, Gabby E. Mitsopoulos

Fisheries research reports

On 27 October 2023, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, Department) convened an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the fisheries that access the statewide Cephalopod Resource (Resource), which comprises a range of octopus, squid and cuttlefish species. This document contains the background information used to support the ERA risk scoring process, and a summary of the workshop discussions that were relevant to the risk scoring. The background information includes an overview of Western Australian commercial fisheries that access the Resource, focusing primarily on the Octopus Interim Managed Fishery (OIMF), Cockburn Sound Line and Pot Managed Fishery (CSLPMF), …

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Western Australian Large Pelagic Fish Resource, Kimberley A. Smith, Paul Lewis, Kendra Travaille, Brett M. Crisafulli, Liv Rynvis, Gabby E. Mitsopoulos

Fisheries research reports

In December 2023, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, the Department) convened an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the fisheries that access the Statewide Large Pelagic Fish Resource (Resource). This Resource comprises a range of tropical and temperate species including mackerels, billfish, kingfish, cobia, mahi mahi and tunas. This document contains the background information used to support the ERA risk scoring process, scoring from the workshop and a summary of the workshop discussions that were relevant to the risk scoring. This includes an overview of Western Australian commercial fisheries that access the Resource, with a focus on …

Cook2024_Influence Of Planting Depth Data, Kyle A. Cook, Brad Geary, Phil S. Allen, April Hulet, Kevin Gunnell, Melissa Landeen, Shannon V. Nelson, Matthew D. Madsen

ScholarsArchive Data

This file contains the data description for the Cook2024_1_Influence of Planting Depth… Supplementary File.

The excel file contains two worksheets: 1) Lab Trial Data, and 2) Field Trial Data.

1) Lab Trial Data

A) Block: block (rep) of the sample

B) Soil Type: soil type for that sample- loam, sandy-loam, or loamy-sand

C) Seed Treatment: seed treatment, control or coated

D) Seeding Depth (mm): depth, in mm, the seeds were planted- 0, 3.2, 6.3, 12.7

E) Week 1 Emerge: total number of seedlings emerged in Week 1

F) Week 2 Emerge: total number of seedlings emerged in Week 2 (includes …

Physical Properties Of Odorants Affect Behavior Of Trained Detection Dogs During Close-Quarters Searches, Daniel Mejia, Lydia Burnett, Nicholas Hebdon, Peter Stevens, Alexis Shiber, Clay Cranston, Lauryn Degreeff, Lindsay D. Waldrop

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Trained detection dogs have a unique ability to find the sources of target odors in complex fluid environments. How dogs derive information about the source of an odor from an odor plume comprised of odorants with different physical properties, such as diffusivity, is currently unknown. Two volatile chemicals associated with explosive detection, ammonia (NH₃, derived from ammonium nitrate-based explosives) and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (2E1H, associated with composition C4 plastic explosives) were used to ascertain the effects of the physical properties of odorants on the search behavior and motion of trained dogs. NH₃ has a diffusivity 3.6 times that of …

Maine Lobstermen's Association Whale Update, Amber-Jean Nickel, Maine Lobstermen's Association

Fisheries

The Maine Lobstermen's Association “has been closely following the death of Right Whale 5120 found dead on Martha’s Vineyard on January 28th. The MLA was shocked and dismayed when NOAA Fisheries announced on February 14th that the rope removed from the deceased whale 'is consistent with the rope used in Maine state water trap/pot buoy lines.’”

“Maine lobstermen have made many changes to how we fish to avoid harming a Right whale which makes this news hard to believe. As we move forward, MLA will push back on NOAA’s finding until the industry’s questions about the entanglement and how NOAA …

Relevance Of Individual Data When Assessing The Gastrointestinal Nematode Infection Level, Nutritional And Productive Variables In A Tropical Farm Context: The Median Isn’T The Message, Gabriel Andrés Ortíz-Domínguez, Pedro Geraldo González-Pech, Juan Felipe De Jesús Torres-Acosta, Javier Ventura-Cordero, Juan Villalba, Carlos Alfredo Sandoval-Castro

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We evaluated the relationship between individual and herd GIN infection level, nutrition, production performance and anemia parameters in a tropical farm context. Fifty-four female goats were monitored to assess their body condition score (BCS, nutritional status indicator), live weight (LW) and LW gain (LWG, both used as production level indicators), FAMACHA© and hematocrit (HT, both used as anemia indicators). Goats browsed for 4 h in a tropical forest and received balanced feed and chopped grass. The eggs per gram of feces (EPG) indicated the GIN burden, with fecal samples obtained at 7:00 (AM) and 15:00 h (PM.) from each goat …

Are Animals Capable Of Using Human Language?, Shiree Karim, Elyse C. Tancini

CAFE Symposium 2024

A study focusing on animals' capability to learn and use human language for communication, understanding the process of language acquisition, the history and evolution of language, alongside findings from experiments involving gorillas, bonobos, parrots and horses.

Exploring Definitions Of Daily Enteric Methane Emission Phenotypes For Genetic Evaluations Using A Population Of Indoor-Fed Multi-Breed Growing Cattle With Feed Intake Data, Clodgah V. Ryan, Thierry Pabiou, Deirdre C. Purfield, Donagh P. Berry, Stephen Conroy, Craig P. Murphy, Ross Evans

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Genetic selection has been identified as a promising approach for reducing enteric methane (CH₄) emissions; a prerequisite for genetic evaluations; however, these are estimates of the necessary genetic parameters based on a population representative of where the genetic evaluations will be used. The objective of this study was, therefore, to derive genetic parameters for a series of definitions of CH₄, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and dry matter intake (DMI) as well as genetic correlations between CH₄, CO₂, and DMI in a bid to address the paucity of studies involving methane emissions …

Dietary Shifts And The Need For Increased Sustainability Approaches In The Global Aquaculture Seafood System, Darien D. Mizuta

VIMS Articles

Recent shifts in the global dietary preferences have indicated the fast-growing choice for plant-based, or meat-reduced diets. Among the motivations for such choices, which are increasingly advocated by nations and environmental institutions, is the major concern with global environmental sustainability and impacts of food production systems. Incontestably, the animal food source industry is extremely diverse, and seafood production through the aquaculture value chain remains unfamiliar to key stakeholders possibly leading to an uncomprehensive view and often biased perception of the farming industry within the environmental context. Accordingly, I discuss the importance of seafood production systems, such as the fastest seafood …

The Status Of Virginia'a Public Oyster Resource 2023, Melissa Southworth, Roger L. Mann

Reports

No abstract provided.

Preferential Binding Of Polyphenols In Blackcurrant Extracts With Milk Proteins And The Effects On The Bioaccessibility And Antioxidant Activity Of Polyphenols, Ting Mao, Fnu Akshit, Iresha Matiwalage, Subha Sasidharan, Caren Meyn Alvarez, Philip Wescombe, Maneesha S. Mohan

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

Milk proteins are well-known delivery agents; however, there is no clear understanding of the competitive interactions of milk proteins with polyphenols in mixed complex systems. Here, we investigate the preferential competitive interactions of different polyphenols present in blackcurrant extract with milk proteins by quantifying the protein-bound polyphenols and comparing the factors affecting these interactions. In addition, bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity were studied after in vitro gastric digestion. Our results indicated that polyphenols from blackcurrant extracts were preferentially bound to caseins more than whey proteins, with noncovalent interactions causing secondary structural changes in the protein. The hydrophobicity and the charge of …

Therapeutic Potential Of Snake Venom: Toxin Distribution And Opportunities In Deep Learning For Novel Drug Discovery, Anas Bedraoui, Montamas Suntravat, Salim El Mejjad, Salwa Enezari, Naoual Oukkache, Elda E. Sanchez, Jacob Galan, Rachid El Fatimy, Tariq Daouda

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Snake venom is a rich source of bioactive molecules that hold great promise for therapeutic applications. These molecules can be broadly classified into enzymes and non-enzymes, each showcasing unique medicinal properties. Noteworthy compounds such as Bradykinin Potentiating Peptides (BPP) and Three-Finger Toxins (3FTx) are showing therapeutic potential in areas like cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and pain-relief. Meanwhile, components like snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMP), L-amino acid oxidases (LAAO), and Phospholipase A2s (PLA2) are paving new ways in oncology treatments. The full medicinal scope of these toxins is still emerging. In this review, we discuss drugs derived from snake venoms that address …

Effects Of Beauveria Bassiana On The Mortality And Thorax Width Of Bombus Impatiens Colonies, Bri Petty

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Pesticides are widely used to protect against unwanted insects, but risk assessments of the effects on pollinators have traditionally only been applied on an individual level, not a population level. This has allowed many pesticides to be approved without the knowledge of sub-lethal effects, such as life history characteristics and population structure to name a few. The biopesticide BotaniGard, containing the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, has previously been thought to be safe for non-targeted insects, but recent studies have found it to have significant negative effects on pollinators. Such negative effects can include decrease in longevity and odorant responsiveness with …

Animal Conservation In St. Louis, Kate O'Sullivan

Undergraduate Research Symposium

St. Louis has a multitude of organizations involved in the natural sciences. But how many of them actually contribute towards animal conservation? The St. Louis Zoo is an organization that focuses a lot of its effort on presentation, so how does that impact the funds that go towards actually saving the animals? I plan to dive into the different animal-based organizations in St. Louis and its surrounding areas, as well as discuss the positives and negatives of each organization. Furthermore, I will provide examples from several sources that I have been reviewing all year to support my claims. I plan …

Surveys Of Aphonopelma Hentzi In Missouri: Conservation Efforts Through Population, Genetics, And Habitat Studies, Anderson B. Spencer Mr., Becky Hansis-O'Niell

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Aphonopelma hentzi and other tarantula species are greatly understudied organisms. In the Missouri regions there is little knowledge on their mating patterns, gene diversity, or population sizes. The focal glades in this experiment display regional fragmentation, which could prevent tarantulas from traveling and mating between regions of their glades. Due to the lack of knowledge surrounding them, methods for determining gene diversity are harmful to the organism. Our recent work has shown that it is possible to extract genetic information from the molts of burrowing tarantulas. This will allow us to safely determine the lineages and interbreeding patterns of the …