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Technological Modernization And Its Impact On Agriculture, Fisheries And Fossil Fuel Utilization In The Asia Pacific Countries With Emphasis On Sustainability Perspective, Rajee Olaganathan, Kathleen Quigley

Publications

Modernization is a process that moves towards efficiency. This affects most of the fields such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, urban planning, policy, fossil fuel usage, manufacturing, technology, economic growth etc. This process plays a major role in moving forward making things faster, better and basically more efficient. The effects of modernization on all these fields bring about the major changes to aspects such as social, economic and the environment. The level of operation has increased from a domestic level; small family scale business to large commercial levels. As the level of operation increased, the utilization of natural resources increased gradually …

An Examination Of Milk Quality Effects On Milk Yield And Dairy Production Economics In The Southeastern United States, Derek T. Nolan

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Mastitis is one of the most costly diseases to dairy producers around the world with milk yield loss being the biggest contributor to economic losses. The objective of first study of this thesis was to determine the impacts of high somatic cell counts on milk yield loss. To accomplish this, over one million cow data records were collected from Southeastern US dairy herds. The objective of the second study was to determine optimum treatment cost of clinical mastitis by combining two economic modeling approaches used in animal health economics. The last objective of this thesis was to determine how much …

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Synthesized As Adsorbents For Ergot Alkaloids: Characterization And In Vitro And Ex Vivo Assessment Of Effects On Ergot Alkaloid Bioavailability, Manoj B. Kudupoje

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Alkaloid toxicities negatively impact livestock health and production and are of serious economic concern to animal industries. To date, few strategies have been developed to evaluate alkaloid levels in feed or to counteract alkaloid toxicities. The present research evaluated the applicability of imprinting technology to synthesize polymers that have potential to interact with ergot alkaloids and therefore reduce their bioavailability in the GIT. The studies also evaluated applicability of synthesized polymers for use in the ruminal environment using an in vitro ruminal fermentation model, and for the ability to ameliorate vasoconstriction using ex vivo myographic evaluations.

In the first experiment, …

Transcriptomic And Bioinformatics Analysis Of The Early Time-Course Of The Response To Prostaglandin F2 Alpha In The Bovine Corpus Luteum, Heather Talbott, Xiaoying Foote, Fang Qiu, Pan Zhang, Chittibabu Guda, Fang Yu, Robert A. Cushman, Jennifer R. Wood, Cheng Wang, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

RNA expression analysis was performed on the corpus luteum tissue at five time points after prostaglandin F2 alpha treatment of midcycle cows using an Affymetrix Bovine Gene v1 Array. The normalized linear microarray data was uploaded to the NCBI GEO repository (GSE94069). Subsequent statistical analysis determined differentially expressed transcripts ± 1.5-fold change from saline control with P ≤ 0.05. Gene ontology of differentially expressed transcripts was annotated by DAVID and Panther. Physiological characteristics of the study animals are presented in a figure. Bioinformatic analysis by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was curated, compiled, and presented in tables. A dataset comparison with similar …

Rumen Fluid Metabolomics Analysis Associated With Feed Efficiency On Crossbred Steers, Virginia M. Artegoitia, Andrew P. Cederberg, Ronald M. Lewis, Harvey C. Freetly

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The rumen has a central role in the efficiency of digestion in ruminants. To identify potential differences in rumen function that lead to differences in average daily gain (ADG), rumen fluid metabolomic analysis by LC-MS and multivariate/univariate statistical analysis were used to identify differences in rumen metabolites. Individual feed intake and body-weight was measured on 144 steers during 105 d on a high concentrate ration. Eight steers with the greatest ADG and 8 steers with the least-ADG with dry matter intake near the population average were selected. Blood and rumen fluid was collected from the 16 steers 26 d before …

Early Transcriptome Responses Of The Bovine Midcycle Corpus Luteum To Prostaglandin F2Α Includes Cytokine Signaling, Heather Talbott, Xiaoying Artegoitia, Fang Qiu, Pan Zhang, Chittibabu Guda, Fang Yu, Robert A. Cushman, Jennifer R. Wood, Cheng Wang, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In ruminants, prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2α)-mediated luteolysis is essential prior to estrous cycle resumption, and is a target for improving fertility. To deduce early PGF2α-provoked changes in the corpus luteum a short time-course (0.5-4 h) was performed on cows at midcycle. A microarraydetermined transcriptome was established and examined by bioinformatic pathway analysis. Classic PGF2α effects were evident by changes in early response genes (FOS, JUN, ATF3) and prediction of active pathways (PKC, MAPK). Several cytokine transcripts were elevated and NF-kB and STAT activation were predicted by pathway analysis. Self-organizing map analysis grouped differentially expressed transcripts into ten mRNA expression patterns indicative …

Genome-Wide Association Study For Feed Efficiency And Growth Traits In U.S. Beef Cattle, Christopher M. Seabury, David L. Oldeschulte, Mahdi Saatchi, Jonathan E. Beever, Jared E. Decker, Yvette A. Halley, Eric K. Bhattarai, Maral Molael, Harvey Freetly, Stephanie L. Hansen, Helen Yampara-Iquise, Kristen A. Johnson, Monty S. Kerley, Jaewoo Kim, Daniel D. Loy, Elisa Marques, Holly L. Neibergs, Robert D. Schnabel, Daniel W. Shike, Matthew L. Spangler, Bob Weaber, D. J. Garrick, Jeremy F. Taylor

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays for domestic cattle have catalyzed the identification of genetic markers associated with complex traits for inclusion in modern breeding and selection programs. Using actual and imputed Illumina 778K genotypes for 3887 U.S. beef cattle from 3 populations (Angus, Hereford, SimAngus), we performed genome-wide association analyses for feed efficiency and growth traits including average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI), mid-test metabolic weight (MMWT), and residual feed intake (RFI), with marker-based heritability estimates produced for all traits and populations.

Results: Moderate and/or large-effect QTL were detected for all traits in all populations, as jointly …

Evaluation Of The National Research Council (2001) Dairy Model And Derivation Of New Prediction Equations. 1. Digestibility Of Fiber, Fat, Protein, And Nonfiber Carbohydrate, R. R. White, Y. Roman-Garcia, J. L. Firkins, M. J. Vandehaar, L. E. Armentano, W. P. Weiss, T. Mcgill, R. Garnett, M. D. Hanigan

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Evaluation of ration balancing systems such as the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirementsseries is important for improving predictions of animal nutrient requirements and advancing feeding strategies. This work used a literature data set (n = 550) to evaluate predictions of total-tract digested neutral detergent fiber (NDF), fatty acid (FA), crude protein (CP), and nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC) estimated by the NRC (2001) dairy model. Mean biases suggested that the NRC (2001) lactating cow model overestimated true FA and CP digestibility by 26 and 7%, respectively, and under-predicted NDF digestibility by 16%. All NRC (2001) estimates had notable mean and …

The Effect Of Regular Or Reduced-Fat Distillers Grains With Solubles On Rumen Methanogenesis And The Rumen Bacterial Community, E. Castillo-Lopez, C. J. R. Jenkins, N. D. Aluthge, W. Tom, P. J. Kononoff, S. C. Fernando

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Aims: The effect of feeding dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) or reduced-fat DDGS (RFDG) on ruminal methanogenesis and the rumen bacterial community of dairy cattle was evaluated. Methods and Results: Treatments were CONT, a diet with no distillers grains; DG, inclusion of 20% DDGS; rfDG, inclusion of 20% RFDG; and MIX, inclusion of 10% DDGS and 10% RFDG. Methane emission was measured; rumen bacterial community was evaluated by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Total methane production remained unaffected. However, feeding distillers grains tended to reduce methanogenesis per unit of feed intake, decreased the abundance of …

Record Breaking Achievements By Spiders And The Scientists Who Study Them, Stefano Mammola, Peter Michalik, Eileen Hebets, Marco Isaia

Eileen Hebets Publications

Organismal biology has been steadily losing fashion in both formal education and scientific research. Simultaneous with this is an observable decrease in the connection between humans, their environment, and the organisms with which they share the planet. Nonetheless, we propose that organismal biology can facilitate scientific observation, discovery, research, and engagement, especially when the organisms of focus are ubiquitous and charismatic animals such as spiders. Despite being often feared, spiders are mysterious and intriguing, offering a useful foundation for the effective teaching and learning of scientific concepts and processes. In order to provide an entryway for teachers and students—as well …

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2017, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Fences and Water Points: Where They Should Go by Jim Gerrish

Beef Systems Initiative by Archie Clutter

Grass-based Health and the Ruminant Revolution by Peter Ballerstedt

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Weedy Plants by Chris Helzer

2016 Leopold Conservation Award Winner by Nancy Peterson

Managing Grassland Vegetation to Benefit Livestock and Wildlife by Patricia Johnson

What is Plant Cover, and How Can We Manage it for Wildlife Needs? by Dwayne Elmore

Producer Panel: Annual Forages vs Row Crops Under Irrigation moderated by John Maddux

Producer Panel: Economics of Grazing Strategies moderated by Jim Jankins

It Costs How Much!? by …

Ammonia And Carbon Dioxide Emissions Of Three Laying-Hen Housing Systems As Affected By Manure Accumulation Time, Timothy A. Shepherd, Hongwei Xin, John P. Stinn, Morgan D. Hayes, Yang Zhao, Hong Li

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Laying-hen housing design and management are the most significant factors affecting the generation and release of gaseous ammonia to the atmosphere. Transitioning the hen housing type from traditional high-rise (where manure is stored within the house for about one year) to modern manure-belt style (where manure is removed every 1 to 4 d and placed into long-term storage) has significantly improved in-barn air quality and reduced farm-level ammonia emissions. As a direct result of the advantages, 100% of new construction for U.S. egg production incorporates manure-belt systems that regularly remove manure from the houses. However, manure-belt system designs (e.g., active …

Evaluating Ventilation Rates Based On New Heat And Moisture Production Data For Swine Production, Yanxi Lu, Morgan D. Hayes, John P. Stinn, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Hongwei Xin

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Heat and moisture production (HMP) rates of animals are used for calculation of ventilation rate (VR) in animal housing. New swine HMP data revealed considerable differences from previously reported data. This project determined new design VRs and evaluated differences from previously recommended VRs. The swine production stages evaluated included gestation, farrowing, nursery, growing, and finishing. The ranges of ambient temperature and ambient relative humidity (RH) evaluated for VR were -25°C to 15°C in 10°C increments and 15% to 75% in 15% increments, respectively. Indoor set points for temperature and RH were, respectively, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C and 60%, 70%, 80% for …

Redd Habitat Selection For Brook Trout In The Necktie River Bemidji, Mn, William Varela, Zachary Buckley

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The presence of quality suitable habitat is important for the success of naturally reproducing Brook Trout populations. Therefore, measuring redd habitat Brook Trout select for was the focus of this study. Brook Trout redds were observed during the spawning season of 2016. We identified a total of 18 redds in the Necktie River in late October and early November. Specific environmental variables associated with redd selection were measured: velocity, in-stream cover, canopy cover, bank overhang, river width, substrate type and size, temperature, and max-depth. The same environmental variables were measured for 30 randomly selected sites. Redds were distributed in riffles …

Medical Subject Heading (Mesh) Annotations Illuminate Maize Genetics And Evolution, Timothy M. Beissinger, Gota Morota

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: High-density marker panels and/or whole-genome sequencing, coupled with advanced phenotyping pipelines and sophisticated statistical methods, have dramatically increased our ability to generate lists of candidate genes or regions that are putatively associated with phenotypes or processes of interest. However, the speed with which we can validate genes, or even make reasonable biological interpretations about the principles underlying them, has not kept pace. A promising approach that runs parallel to explicitly validating individual genes is analyzing a set of genes together and assessing the biological similarities among them. This is often achieved via gene ontology analysis, a powerful tool that …

Production Of A Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone 2 Receptor Knockdown (Gnrhr2 Kd) Swine Line, A. T. Desaulniers, R. A. Hou, G. A. Mills, C. A. Lents, Brett R. White

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Swine are the only livestock species that produce both the second mammalian isoform of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GNRH2) and its receptor (GNRHR2). Previously, we reported that GNRH2 and GNRHR2 mediate LH-independent testosterone secretion from porcine testes. To further explore this ligand-receptor complex, a pig model with reduced GNRHR2 expression was developed. Small hairpin RNA sequences targeting porcine GNRHR2 were subcloned into a lentiviral-based vector, lentiviral particles were generated and microinjected into the perivitelline space of zygotes, and embryos were transferred into a recipient. One GNRHR2 knockdown (KD) female was born that subsequently produced 80 piglets from 6 litters with 46 hemizygous …

Physically Adjusted Neutral Detergent Fiber System For Lactating Dairy Cow Rations. I: Deriving Equations That Identify Factors That Influence Effectiveness Of Fiber, Robin R. White, Mary Beth Hou, Jeffrey L. Firkins, Paul J. Kononoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF) is the fraction of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) that stimulates chewing activity and contributes to the floating mat of large particles in the rumen. Multiplying dietary NDF by particle size has been used as an estimate of peNDF. In re-evaluating the concept of peNDF, we compared the use of peNDF as dietary NDF × particle size with the use of individual NDF and particle size descriptors (physically adjusted NDF; paNDF) when used with other physical and chemical diet descriptors to predict dry matter (DM) intake (DMI), rumination time, and ruminal pH in lactating dairy …

Expression Of Cytokine Genes And Receptors In White Blood Cells Associated With Divergent Body Weight Gain In Beef Steers, Amanda K. Lindholm-Perry, Virginia M. Cederberg, Jeremy R. Miles, Andrew P. Foote

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Previous work examining the transcriptome of steer tissue samples from animals with divergent gain have shown a relationship with the expression of genes with functions in immune and inflammatory pathways. The process of mounting an immune or inflammatory response is energetically expensive and variation in cytokine responses may affect cattle production traits. In addition, a previous study has identified variation in the transcript abundance of numerous genes, including the cytokine gene IL6ST, in the circulating white blood cells of pigs associated with high and low residual feed intake (RFI) lines. The aim of this study was to determine whether …

Economic Selection Index Development For Beefmaster Cattle I: Terminal Breeding Objective, Kathleen P. Ochsner, M. D. Macneil, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to develop an economic selection index for Beefmaster cattle in a terminal production system where bulls are mated to mature cows with all resulting progeny harvested. National average prices from 2010 to 2014 were used to establish income and expenses for the system. Phenotypic and genetic parameter values among the selection criteria and goal traits were obtained from literature. Economic values were estimated by simulating 100,000 animals and approximating the partial derivatives of the profit function by perturbing traits one at a time, by 1 unit, while holding the other traits constant at their …

Genomics Symposium: Using Genomic Approaches To Uncover Sources Of Variation In Age At Puberty And Reproductive Longevity In Sows, Hiruni R. Wijesena, Clay A. Lents, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Melanie D. Trenhaile-Grannemann, Jennifer F. Thorson, Brittney N. Keel, Phillip S. Miller, Matt Spangler, Stephen D. Kachman, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Genetic variants associated with traits such as age at puberty and litter size could provide insight into the underlying genetic sources of variation impacting sow reproductive longevity and productivity. Genomewide characterization and gene expression profiling were used using gilts from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln swine resource population (n = 1,644) to identify genetic variants associated with age at puberty and litter size traits. From all reproductive traits studied, the largest fraction of phenotypic variation explained by the Porcine SNP60 BeadArray was for age at puberty (27.3%). In an evaluation data set, the predictive ability of all SNP from highranked 1-Mb …

The Roles Of Age At Puberty And Energy Restriction |In Sow Reproductive Longevity: A Genomic Perspective, Hiruni R. Wijesena, Clay A. Lents, Melanie D. Trenhaile-Grannemann, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Brittney N. Keel, Jennifer F. Thorson, Phillip S. Miller, Rodger K. Johnson, Matthew L. Spangler, Stephen D. Kachman, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Approximately 50% of sows are culled annually with more than one-third due to poor fertility. Our research demonstrated that age at puberty is an early pre-breeding indicator of reproductive longevity. Age at puberty can be measured early in life, has a moderate heritability, and is negatively correlated with lifetime number of parities. Detection of age at puberty is tedious and time consuming and is therefore not collected by the industry, which limits genetic progress. Genomic prediction is a viable approach to preselect gilts that will express puberty early and have superior reproductive longevity. The hypothesis that genetic variants explaining differences …

Economic Selection Index Development For Beefmaster Cattle Ii: General-Purpose Breeding Objective, Kathleen P. Ochsner, M. D. Macneil, Ronald M. Lewis, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

An economic selection index was developed for Beefmaster cattle in a general-purpose production system in which bulls are mated to a combination of heifers and mature cows, with resulting progeny retained as replacements or sold at weaning. National average prices from 2010 to 2014 were used to establish income and expenses for the system. Genetic parameters were obtained from the literature. Economic values were estimated by simulating 100,000 animals and approximating the partial derivatives of the profit function by perturbing traits 1 at a time, by 1 unit, while holding the other traits constant at their respective means. Relative economic …

Development Of An Objective Feet And Leg Conformation Evaluation Method Using Digital Imagery In Swine, J. D. Stock, J. A. Calderon Diaz, C. E. Abell, T. J. Baas, M. F. Rothschild, B. E. Mote, K. J. Stalder

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background:The objectives of this study were to create an objective measurement method of joint angles for knee, hock, front and rear pasterns and a rear stance position in swine using digital imaging technology and to assess the repeatability of the objective measurement process. Methods and Findings: Forty-five multiparous sows (average parity 6.7 ± 2.5; parity range 5 to 14) from two commercial farms (n=21 farm 1 and n=24 farm 2) were used. Sows were moved to a pen where digital images of the profile and rear stance were captured. On average, 5.2 (± 2.6) profile and 2.6 (± 1.0) …

Local Scale Comparisons Of Avian And Woody Vegetation Communities Within Four Arkansas State Parks, Bennett P. Grooms, Rachael E. Urbanek

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Measuring the spatial distribution of biotic communities can provide useful data to wildlife managers on how and why species assemblages differ across a landscape. During 18 May – 7 August 2015, we conducted avian point counts and collected vegetation data in nested subplots at 4 Arkansas state parks. We then used a series of one-way ANOVAs and Kruskal-Wallis tests to examine differences in species richness, Simpson’s evenness, Simpson’s diversity, and Bray-Curtis similarity across the 4 parks. Mount Magazine State Park had the lowest avian evenness (F_3,22 = 9.57 P = 0.003) and diversity (F_3,22 = 17.8 …

Geographic Distribution Records Of Macracanthorhynchus Ingens (Archiacanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae) From The Raccoon, Procyon Lotor In North America, Dennis J. Richardson, A. Leveille, A. V. Belsare, H. S. Al-Warid, M. E. Gompper

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Central Nests Are Heavier And Have Larger Clutches Than Peripheral Nests In Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon Pyrrohonota) Colonies, S. Osborne, D. R. Leasure, S. Huang, Ragupathy Kannan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Anatomical Distribution Of Clinostomum Metacercariae In The Tissues Of Pond-Raised Channel Catfish (Ictaluris Puctatus), J. Singleton, James J. Daly Sr., K. Wagner

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Pelagic Fish Diversity And Density On And Off Restored Oyster Reef Habitat, Danielle Mcculloch

Theses and Dissertations

The heterogeneity provided by structured habitats is important in supporting diverse and dense fish communities. The biogenic reefs created by the native Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, were once the dominant structural habitat in Chesapeake Bay, and have since declined to less than 1% of historic estimates. Conflicting results on the effects of oyster reef restoration on pelagic fish assemblages make further investigation necessary. Incorporating multiple sampling strategies may help elucidate oyster reef habitat influence on fish assemblages. This study used multi-panel gillnets, hydroacoustic technology, and day-night sampling to describe pelagic fish assemblages on and off oyster reef habitat in the …

Low Cost, Multi-Purpose Genotyping Panels For Dairy And Beef Cattle, Michelle Judge

Theses

rhe selection of animals based on DNA has revolutionised animal breeding, but the associated high cost of obtaining genotypes has limited its uptake. The objective of this thesis was to develop a low-cost, low-density, multi-purpose genotyping panel for the procurement of reliable genotype information, and to quantify the long-term consequences of using such low-density genotype panels in breeding programs. The objectives were achieved through a combination of real-life cattle genotype data and simulations to mimic a cattle population. The in-silico development of genotype panels was based on actual genotypes from up to 58,705 beef cattle. Alternative novel strategies were used …

Improving Survey Methodology To Monitor Rare Grassland Birds In South Dakota, Kassondra Hendricks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data for grassland bird species has shown the most rapid population decline of any other bird group. Current roadside survey techniques, however, may fall short of providing accurate numbers of rare grassland bird species such as chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus), lark bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys), Sprague’s pipit (Anthus spragueii), and Baird’s sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii). Trends resulting from roadside data for grassland birds are oftentimes determined to be statistically insignificant because many grassland bird species occur on too few routes, occur in low numbers per route, and show high annual fluctuations in number. It is possible roadside surveys …