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Food System Science Lesson-2 For First Graders. Makhózula Etáŋhaŋ Wiyútapi Ke: From Planting To Eating, Arlene A. Abao, Madhav P. Nepal

iLEARN Teaching Resources

Feeding the Land That Feeds Us In this delicious adventure, kids will trace the journey of their food from the deep, dark soil all the way to their lunch forks! They will discover that the land is like a giant, magical kitchen called Makhózula, where plants cook up energy using sunlight and "vitamins" from the soil. Students will learn that when we eat a crunchy carrot or a sweet berry, we are actually tasting the strength of the Earth and the warmth of the sun. Through stories of Wopila (gratitude), they’ll see that the food system is a big, …

Beyond The Best Fit: Fitting Sir-Style Models To Data While Prioritizing Biological Meaning, Meredith L. Greer

CODEE Journal

Many students find comfort in mathematics because math classes have been a place where they can find the “right answer” to exercises. Modeling courses typically emphasize more nuance, teaching students to try modeling approaches, compare back with real-world mechanisms and data, and then refine their models, in an ongoing cycle. One topic, however, can cause students to quickly revert into “right answer” mode: fitting a model to data. Phrases such as best fit and minimize the distance suggest there is one optimal solution that can be determined by an algorithm, and these algorithms typically have no relationship to the biology …

A Computational Micropatterning Approach To Study Caveolae And Protein Localization In Vascular Biology, Andrew B. Grespin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Caveolae are specialized, flask-shaped membrane invaginations highly expressed in endothelium and dysregulated in atherosclerosis. Caveolae play a central role in buffering membrane tension, yet the principles governing their spatial organization remain elusive. Thus, we sought to generate the most comprehensive and systematic analysis of blood vessel caveolar spatial organization. However, cell culturing, the backbone of human-focused biological research, does not standardly do well to model physiologically relevant cell behaviors such as migration or polarity-based tissue formation, particularly for punctate proteins and structures like caveolae. Micropatterns are cell-adhesive shapes that biophysically confine cell(s) to a user defined geometry which stereotype organelle …

Immunohistochemical Expression Of Lgr5 In The Bovine Ovary, Oviduct, And Uterus, Aytül Kürüm, Yasi̇n Özkabadayi, Hakan Kocamiş, Mustafa Türk, Si̇yami̇ Karahan

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) has recently been considered as a stem cell marker seen especially in mitotically active tissues. The aim of the present study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of LGR5 in the bovine reproductive tract, which is regularly renewed in response to hormonal changes throughout the estrous cycle. The oviduct (ampulla, isthmus, and fimbria), uterus, and ovary tissue samples were collected from 12 cows at a local slaughterhouse. The samples were further identified as follicular (n = 6) or luteal (n = 6), subjected to routine histological procedures, and processed for immunohistochemical expression of …

Comparison Of Bacteriological Culture And A Multiplex Real-Time Pcr Kit For The Detection Of Mastitis Pathogens In Small Ruminants, Ebru Karakaya Bi̇len, Serpi̇l Kahya Demi̇rbi̇lek, Bariş Güner, Öznur Yilmaz Koç, Ali̇ Ünver, Merve Yildiz, İrem Çakmak, Abdulkadi̇r Keski̇n

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of a multiplex real-time PCR (rPCR) kit, originally developed for bovine mastitis, for detecting mastitis pathogens in small ruminants and reducing bacterial identification time compared with conventional bacteriological culture (BC). Milk samples were obtained from 175 sheep and 124 goats and included cases of clinical mastitis (n = 57) and subclinical mastitis (n = 242). With BC, bacterial growth was detected in 125 of 299 milk samples (41.8%), yielding a total of 169 bacterial isolates. The pathogens most frequently isolated by BC were coagulase-negative staphylococci (58.0%), followed by Streptococcus spp. (9.4%), Staphylococcus aureus …

Origins Of Mitochondrial Diversity In Turkish Sheep Breeds: Anatolia As A Contact Zone Or Refugial Center?, Nezi̇h Ata, İbrahi̇m Cemal

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Advances in molecular genetics, especially the integration of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses, have significantly transformed our understanding of the origins, geographical centers, and dispersal dynamics of domestication, a field traditionally based on archaeological and morphological evidence. In this study, the mtDNA control-region sequences of 296 individuals from 15 native Turkish sheep breeds were analyzed to clarify their maternal genetic diversity and evolutionary origins. Sequencing of a 531-bp D-loop fragment revealed 53 polymorphic sites and 78 distinct haplotypes, indicating substantial haplotypic diversity (Hd = 0.918) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.01391) within these populations. All five major ovine mitochondrial haplogroups (A, …

Comparative Efficacy Of Controlled Internal Drug Release And Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Sponges On Ovulatory Follicle Growth In The Ovsynch Protocol During The Breeding Season In Cyclic Nili Ravi Buffaloes, Muhammad Binyameen, Ali Husnain, Saba Anwar, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Saleem

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The objective of the experiment was to compare the dominant follicle size, growth rate of the dominant follicle, estrus response, plasma progesterone concentration, and pregnancy in Nili Ravi buffaloes synchronized by controlled internal drug release (CIDR; 1.38 g) and medroxyprogesterone acetate sponge (MPAS; 250 mg) in the ovulation synchronization (OvSynch) protocol. The experiment had a randomized complete block design. Buffaloes (n = 42) were blocked by parity, body weight, body condition score, and ovarian status, and, within the block, they were randomized to receive either CIDR or MPAS and that day was considered day 0 of the experiment. On days …

The In Vitro Feeding Of Hyalomma Marginatum (Koch, 1844), Nesli̇han Ölmez, Bariş Sari, Zati̇ Vatansever

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that play a major role in the transmission of pathogens affecting both animals and humans. Investigations into tick biology, pathogen transmission, and the development of effective control strategies have traditionally depended on the extensive use of laboratory animals. Consequently, the development of reliable in vitro feeding systems is a valuable alternative approach with the potential to reduce animal use in tick research. In the present study, a previously described silicone membrane artificial feeding system was modified and applied for the in vitro feeding of Hyalomma marginatum (Koch, 1844). Feeding units were prepared using bovine blood …

1 Billion Birds Lost: Mechanisms Of Window Collisions And Possible Mitigation Strategies At Lawrence University, Shoshana Schmit

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Windows are currently the largest killer of birds on the planet, with an estimated 1 billion birds dying from collisions annually. If birds that hit windows do not die on impact, they may either die elsewhere shortly afterwards, resulting in the number of carcasses at collision sites being a conservative estimate of the actual number of fatalities. During the day, proximity to foraging sites and reflectivity play crucial roles in the danger of windows, and during the night, artificial illumination emitting from windows disorients and inhibits navigational cues. To explore this topic on campus, I documented bird collisions at Lawrence …

Unveiling The Complexity Of Post-Roman Polity Formation In Pannonia Using Ancient Dna, Yijie Tian, István Koncz, Norbert Faragó, Corina Knipper, Ronny Friedrich, Deven N. Vyas, Levente Samu, Olga Spekker, Tamás Szeniczey, Tamás Hajdu, Balázs Gusztáv Mende, Péter Tomka, Ildikó Katalin Pap, Dávid Czigány, Rita Radzeviciute, Luca Traverso, Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone, Paolo Francalacci, Bernd Schöne, Gábor Tóth, Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Petrus Le Roux, Kurt W. Alt, Zuzana Hofmanová, Walter Pohl, Johannes Krause, Tivadar Vida, Patrick J. Geary, Krishna R. Vereramah

Ecology & Evolution Faculty Publications

The transformation of the Roman world [fourth to ninth centuries common era (CE)], culminating in the Western Roman Empire’s fall, marked a fundamental transition in European history. Key questions persist regarding the regionally specific nature of this transformation. We generated a paleogenomic dataset to reconstruct post-Roman organizations in the Little Hungarian Plain at microregional resolution. Genetic and archaeological analyses of two Roman (n = 68) and five post-Roman (n = 246) sites reveal a rise in Northern European ancestry, reflecting large-scale population movements into this region. Moreover, despite post-Roman sites sharing similar genetic profiles, material culture, and burial …

Metal Oxide Nanoparticle‑Integrated Phema Hydrogels: Morphology, Chemical Properties, And Biological Interaction, Venkateswar Rao, Collin Cox, Brandon Clark, Arushi Rai, Erick S. Vasquez-Guardado, Madhuri Kango-Singh, Soubantika Palchoudhury

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Hydrogels offer attractive matrices for incorporating inorganic metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) to generate multifunctional hybrid materials, but challenges remain in scalable synthesis and correlating their properties to bio-interaction. Therefore, we report the synthesis and characterization of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) hydrogels, and pHEMA hydrogels encapsulating iron oxide or zinc oxide NPs, using a modified free-radical polymerization. Dose-dependent survivorship studies on Drosophila melanogaster revealed that both NP-embedded hydrogels are tolerated over a wide dose range (e.g., 50–200 mg), although ZnO NP-gels exhibit lower survivorship at some concentrations due to their inherent composition and a wider size distribution of iron oxide NPs.

Structure-Based Discovery Of Malate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors With Efficacy Against C. Parvum Oocysts, Ankita Bharatbhai Kheni

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Cryptosporidium parvum, the etiological agent of Cryptosporidiosis (diarrheal illness) represents a significant global health burden, particularly affecting immunodeficient and pediatric populations. Since the parasite has a highly reduced mitochondrion and relies on glycolysis, enzymes such as C. parvum malate dehydrogenase (CpMDH), which are believed to be indispensable for parasite viability due to their pivotal roles in NAD⁺ regeneration and redox balance, remain largely unexplored as therapeutic targets. The present study employed a multifaceted experimental and computational strategy to evaluate the inhibitory activity of two lead-like and drug-like small molecules, referred to as compound 1.8 and compound 1.5, against the cofactor …

Determinants Of Corporal Punishment And Severe Physical Punishment In Egypt: A Mixed-Methods Analysis For Child Protection Policy, Marwa Moustafa Nassef

Theses and Dissertations

Corporal punishment (CP) and severe physical punishment (SPP) remain a major public health, child rights, and child protection policy concern. In Egypt, despite legislative reforms, survey-weighted analysis of the 2021 Egypt Family Health Survey (EFHS) 2021 (CAPMAS, 2022) reveals prevalence rates of 60.5% for CP and 27.4% for SPP among children aged 1–14 (author’s calculations using EFHS-2021, n=7623), yet evidence distinguishing the determinants of routine corporal punishment from escalation to severe physical punishment remains limited in low- and middle-income contexts. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, this mixed-methods study identifies key drivers of CP and its escalation to SPP among Egyptian …

Mapping The Neuroexposome: Integrative Analysis Of Dementia Risk Factors Through Multi-Omics And Environmental Profiling In The Egyptian Population., Mai Ahmed Saadzaghloul Othman

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Dementia represents one of the most pressing public health challenges of the twenty-first century, with the global burden projected to reach 153 million cases by 2050. Egypt, as the most populous Arab nation, faces a corresponding rise in age-related diseases, yet comprehensive data from low- and middle-income countries remain severely limited. The neuroexposome framework, integrating genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, and metabolic alterations, offers a powerful strategy to characterize the complex interplay between internal and external risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Alzheimer's disease Related Dementias (ADRD).

Objectives: This thesis aimed to: (1) examine the distribution of APOE alleles …

Defining Replication-Driven Vulnerabilities In High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancers, Natasha Maya Ramakrishnan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

High grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is an aggressive, highly lethal subtype of ovarian cancer. These cancers are typically diagnosed in later stages and are associated with poor patient prognosis. Additionally, HGSOC is characterized by numerous markers of genomic instability and defects in DNA repair pathways, vulnerabilities which have been exploited by the advancement of chemotherapy. Despite these clinical advancements, HGSOC remains a significant therapeutic challenge due to emergence of chemoresistance and limited targeted treatment options. Taken together, these factors highlight an ongoing need to study the development of HGSOC and its progression to identify more effective treatment opportunities. We …

Colostrum Management For Dairy Calves: Technical Guidelines For Consultant Evaluation And Implementation, Drew Swartz, Jacob Hadfield, Kalen Taylor, Maggi Mathews

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides a technical overview of colostrum management in dairy calves, including evaluation methods and evidence-based recommendations for consultants, educators, and students.

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Managing Rainwater, Lawrence Krissek, Kathy Cabe Trundle

All Current Publications

Rainscaping can help solve drainage problems, reduce erosion, improve water quality, and conserve soil by effectively managing rainwater movement across the landscape. It can also provide environments with increased biodiversity while reducing the need for supplemental watering.  The details of rainscaping your garden are very site-specific, affected by the amount of space and money available, your garden’s physical and weather/climate characteristics, and your garden goals. This resource sheet addresses the use of natural methods to ensure efficient rainwater management.

Bap1 Loss Links Myc Activation, Stress Response Vulnerability, And Disease Progression In Kidney Cancer, Ilya Strunilin

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

BAP1, a chromatin modifier, is a frequently mutated tumor suppressor in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Mutations in BAP1 are associated with a more aggressive and lethal disease. However, the downstream mediators of BAP1 loss in ccRCC oncogenesis are not well understood. To better understand mechanisms of BAP1-mediated tumor suppression, I have extensively characterized the very early transcriptional mediators of BAP1 loss in a postnatal kidney-specific genetic knockout model. Because VHL loss is the initiating event in ccRCC, we modeled Bap1 loss in a Vhl-deficient background. I have found that Vhl/Bap1 double-knockout cells of PT segment S2 strongly activate …

The Gut Microbiome, The Gut-Brain Axis, And College Student Well-Being, Idi Mckay

University Honors Theses

This literature review examines how diet, stress, environmental exposure, and food accessibility may influence college students' mental health and academic performance through the gut microbiome and the Gut-Brain Axis (GBA). Current microbiome research often focuses on early childhood development, clinical disease populations, or older adults, while overlooking college-age students who experience significant social, environmental, and biological transitions. College students frequently face food insecurity, irregular eating patterns, chronic stress, inconsistent sleep schedules, and reduced access to nutrient-dense foods, all of which may influence microbial diversity and overall gut health.

This thesis explores how modern campus environments and lifestyle factors may contribute …

Effect Of Temperature On The Defensive And Predatory Behavior Of The Scorpion Hadrurus Obscurus (Scorpiones: Hadruridae), Zia Nisani, Megan Bennett, Audrey Enriquez, Mel Iniquez, Emilia Martinez Rios, Brooklyn Stone

Euscorpius

Scorpions employ their stinging mechanism both for defense and predation, and being ectothermic, temperature influences their physiology and behavior. As such, we hypothesized that temperature both affects defensive stinging and prey-capture behavior in scorpions. We tested the effects of body temperature on these behaviors in the desert hairy scorpion, Hadrurus obscurus Williams, 1970. In the first experiment, scorpions were placed in temperature-controlled chambers with either high (26-28°C) or low (21- 22°C) temperatures and probed to elicit a defensive sting. We recorded the reaction time and the number of probes needed to elicit a sting. In the second experiment, we observed …

Level Of Nitrogen Fertilizer In Annual Winter Pasture (Oats-Ryegrass) And Summer Pasture (Millet): Effects On Milk Production, C J. Olivo, I L. Barreto, D A. Stiles

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Two experiments were conducted with lactating Holstein cows to study the effects of different levels of nitrogen fertilizer (urea) on annual pasture: experiment 1, oats (Avena byzantina K. Koch) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.); experiment 2, millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.] Leche). Base fertilizer (8-28-18) was applied, and at the five-leaf stage three levels of nitrogen (N) (75, 150, and 225 kg/ha) were applied. The millet pasture followed the oat + ryegrass pasture, with the N treatments being maintained in the same areas. Two ha were planted for each treatment (total, 6 ha). In experiment 1, twelve lactating cows were randomly …

Effect Of Sheep And Cattle Grazing On A Mixed Pasture Of Perennial Ryegrass, Kikuyu, And White Clover, G J. Goold

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Mixed pastlkes of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. ), kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum Hochst. ), and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) are commonly found within warm-zone areas of New Zealand but are frequently disliked because of prob­lems associated with kikuyugrass dominance. A grazing experiment was conducted to provide basic information on the response of such swards to grazing by cattle and sheep. The pastures were rotationally grazed with young sheep or cattle at two stocking levels each year from 1970 to 1975, with stocking rates adjusted twice yearly according to seasonal pasture growth. The pastures grazed by cattle …

A Comparative Evaluation Of Six Ryegrass Cultivars Under Grazing And Conservation Managements, M Ryan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Meat and dairy products command overriding importance in the Irish agricultural economy. They are derived primarily from Irish grasslands, which occupy 89% of the arable land area. Use of improved grass cultivars is probably the best means of increasing grassland output once the basics, optimal fertilizer use, and high stocking rates have been met. Objective identification of superior cultivars is the responsibility of state agencies. A recommended list, published annually in Ireland, presently contains 47 ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cultivars. There is some doubt, however, that results from small-plot cutting trials can be extrapolated to equivalent performance by grazing …

Dynamics Of Herbage Growth And Senescence In A Mixed-Species Temperate Sward Continuously Grazed By Sheep, J S. Bircham, J Hodgson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Four perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)-Poa annua L.-white clover (Trifolium repens L.) swards with herbage mass rang­ing from 500 to 1,700 kg organic matter (OM)/ha were established and maintained in as near a steady state as possible by con­tinuous but variahle stocking with sheep in order to study the influence of herbage mass on rates of herbage growth (G), senescence (S), and net production (NP), and on species balance. Estimates ofG, S, and NP were derived from measurements on individual grass tillers and clover stolon growth sites. The mean contributions to total G were 54, 20, and 4 ( ± …

Chinas Grassland Types: Their Locality And Improvement, Chia Shen-Siu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

China's natural grassland is mainly distributed over the temperate zone to the west and north of the isohyet of 400 mm annual rainfall and over the hilly subtropical areas in the southern part of the country, amounting to 3 7 % of the country's total land area. Since 1949, comprehensive surveys have been conducted on several occasions in Tibet, Neimenggu Autonomous Region (Inner Mongolia), Xinjiang, and other regions. The resource of forage plants and grassland productivity has been studied. There are about 20 types and eight regions of grassland in China. On the natural steppe of the northern part of …

Production Response Of Russian Wildrye (Elymus Junceus Fisch.) To Fertilizer And Clipping, L Hofmann, J F. Karn

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Experiments were conducted on nitrogen (N) fertilization of long-term Russian wildrye (RWR) (E?Jimus junceus Fisch.) pasture and the effect of simulated spring grazing on quantity of forage available for fall use. A stand of RWR that had been fer­tilized with 45 kg N/ha and grazed annually for 10 years at Mandan, North Dakota, was divided into two experiments in 1978. The first evaluated effects from all combinations of 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, and 225 kg N/ha; 0, 45, and 90 kg phosphorus (P)/ha; and 0 and 135 kg potassium (K)/ha on dry-matter (DM) yields, whereas the second compared ten …

Changes In Quality And Composition Of Alfalfa During Autumn, S C. Fleming, M Collins, N A. Jorgensen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Autumn harvest of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) offers a potential for obtaining additional forage production during a particular season. Little is known about the quality or changes in the chemical composition of this forage. The objective of this research was to examine changes in chemical composition, dry-matter intake (DMI), and apparent digestibility of alfalfa during autumn in Wisconsin. An established stand of Vernal alfalfa, early bud to midbud, was harvested using a flail harvester on 5 and 20 October and 5 and 18 November 1979. The forage was dried at 55°C for 72 to 96 hours in burlap bags. A …

Stockpiling Of Cool-Season Grasses In Autumn, C T. Dougherty

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The practice of accumulating growth of cool-season grasses in the late summer and early autumn for subsequent grazing in late autumn and winter, known as stockpiling, has been widely accepted by beef cow-calf producers. The objectives of our study were to determine the growth characteristics of cool-season grasses in the autumn under nitrogen (N) fertilization and to in­vestigate utilization of stockpiled forages. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) has many attributes that make it highly suited to stockpiling. On Maury silt loams, Kentucky 31 tall fescue accumulated 6,500 kg/ha of dry matter from 16 August 1979 to 12 December 1979 …

Potential Grass Production In Ireland, A J. Breeton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Variation in weather geographically and between years can have a significant impact on intensive animal production systems dependent on grass as feed. This work was undertaken to quantify the effect of weather variations on grass production. The first objective was to relate grass growth quantitatively to radiation and temperature. These relationships are obscured by large changes in sward growth potential within the season, which are related to changes in the physiological status of the crop. Therefore, it was necessary to quantify this physiological effect. Production data were drawn from production experiments, and weather data were drawn from the published records …

Ladino Clover Persistence As Affected By Physical Management And Use Of Pesticides, D S. Chamblee, L T. Lucas, W V. Campbell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Stand persistence is a major weakness of the widely used Ladino clover (Trifolium repens L.) in the U.S.A. The objective of these studies was to determine the influence of physical management practices and selected pesticides on longevity of Ladino clover stands. Ladino grown alone and in mixture with tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) was subjected to varying physical management regimes ( clipping, grass density, and spacing) and insecticide and fungicide applications in two tests for 5 to 6 years. By the fall of the third year, the percentages of clover (average of two tests) in the Ladino clover-tall fescue untreated …