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Characterization Of Adult Emergence Pattern And Eclosion Behavior Of The Asian Corn Borer, [Ostrinia Furnacalis (Guenée)] (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Under Laboratory And Field Conditions In The Philippines, Marcela M. Navasero, Gelyn D. Sapin, Merdelyn T. Caasi-Lit, Wilson N. De Panis, Randolph N. Candano, Maricon Dp Javier, Jethro M. Navasero, Meijei T. Bangangao

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study focuses on understanding the emergence pattern of Asian Corn Borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenee), in the Philippines vital in crafting integrated pest management schemes, including insect resistance management against pesticides and Bt protein. Although ACB adults are known to be nocturnal and primarily emerge at night, identifying critical windows of emergence for targeted management actions is essential. In the experiments conducted, the scotophase period is the preferred time for adult emergence under laboratory conditions with 248 adults (80.52%) and 60 adults (19.48%) in the photophase period. A similar trend was also observed under field cage conditions with ACB …

Temporal Decline And Spatial Heterogeneity Of Cry1ab Susceptibility In Asian Corn Borer, Ostrinia Furnacalis (Guenée), Populations In The Philippines: A Review And Synthesis Of Monitoring Data (2015–2024) [Review Article], Edwin P. Alcantara

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Transgenic corn expressing the insecticidal Cry1Ab protein has been widely utilized in the Philippines to control the Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée). Continuous, long-term monitoring is critical to detect shifts in baseline susceptibility and mitigate the risk of field-evolved resistance. This study evaluated the spatiotemporal dynamics of ACB susceptibility to Cry1Ab over nine years (2015–2024). Bioassay data were collected from 12 geographically distinct field populations across the Philippines, alongside a susceptible laboratory reference strain (UPLB). To account for spatial hierarchy and temporal variance, data were analyzed using a Bayesian hierarchical multilevel model with a logit link. Baseline assessments …

Movement Of The Different Larval Stages Of Asian Corn Borer, Ostrinia Furnacalis (Guenée), On Conventional Corn Hybrid Under Field Caged Conditions, Merdelyn T. Caasi-Lit, Mark Bryan A. Lontoc, Victor V. Alpuerto, Abigail P. De Leon, Jenifer Bigkas-Naungayan, John David C. Cortez, Edwin A. Benigno

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Larval dispersal is crucial in pest population establishment in crop fields. The movement of Ostrinia furnacalis (ACB) larvae within corn plots was observed to determine which factors affect larval dispersal in the field. Conventional corn plots (3 rows, 0.70 m apart x 9 plants, 0.20 m apart) were artificially infested with different combinations of larval age and pest density. The distributions of larvae were recorded through destructive sampling at 4, 8, 12, and 16 days after infestation (DAI). The behavior of ACB from the time the hatching larvae break open the egg mass shell to ballooning to start actual movement …

Cattlefever: An Automated Cattle Fever Estimation System, Trong Thang Pham, Ethan Coffman, Beth Kegley, Jeremy G. Powell, Jiangchao Zhao, Ngan Le

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Farmers face the critical challenge of monitoring cattle well-being for both ethical and economic success, relying on signals like body temperature and facial expressions to assess their animals' health. However, these indicators have traditionally relied on human observation with manual measurement, which is time-consuming and subjective. Despite this clear need, no automated system currently exists for monitoring cattle body temperature, and available datasets remain limited in scope. To address these challenges, we make two key contributions: (i) We introduce CattleFace-RGBT, a novel RGB-Thermal (RGB-T) Cattle Facial Landmark dataset consisting of 2,300 paired RGB and thermal images (4,600 images in total), …

Advancing The Virus Diagnostic Toolkit: Development Of Accurate And Reliable Artificial Virus-Mimicking Positive Controls And Crispr-Based Detection, Habeeb Yinka Atanda

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accurate and reliable detection of plant viruses is critical for protecting berries and other economically important crops. Yet diagnostic programs face persistent challenges with positive control availability, biosafety concerns, and specificity limitations. This thesis advances the diagnostic toolkit for berry viruses through three complementary innovations that address fundamental gaps in current detection methodologies. First, this research developed and validated virus-mimicking artificial positive controls (ViMAPCs) for diverse viruses affecting berry crops for endpoint PCR applications. ViMAPCs incorporate size differentiation, which enables immediate visual gel band discrimination between control and natural infection signals. Amplification efficiency analysis demonstrated close correspondence with true-positive controls …

Integrated Pest Management Adoption, Pesticide Handling And Knowledge Gaps Among Cotton Farmers In Tanzania: Implications For Human And Environmental Health, Sospeter Jibunge Charles

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The global demand for cotton has risen significantly due to its extensive use in the textile and manufacturing industries, making it one of the most valuable cash crops worldwide. However, this growing demand for cotton production is severely threatened by the currently emerging pests which are intensified by the occurring of climate change and variability. As a result, many smallholder farmers have increasingly turned to chemical pesticides use to control the pests and maintain cotton production. But, while pesticides are effective in controlling pests and improving yields, their improper use and mismanagement pose serious risks to human health and the …

Investigating Nutrient Management & The Impacts Of Nitrogen On Blackberries Across Arkansas And The Southeast, Amanda Michelle Lay-Walters

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current blackberry (Rubus subgenus Rubus) research on nutrient needs, monitoring practices, and dynamics in the United States has primarily been conducted on cultivars popularly grown in the Pacific Northwest. Thus, regional research is required to understand the needs of blackberry cultivars grown in the southeastern U.S., with southeastern U.S. production practices. In 2022 and 2023, 12 cultivars of blackberry, across seven states, were leaf tissue sampled across multiple phenological stages for nutrient analysis. In Clarksville, AR from 2022 to 2024, six rates of N were applied to established ‘Ouachita’ blackberry plants. During the trial, plant yield, post-harvest fruit quality, fruit …

Citrullus Amarus Drought Tolerance: An Above And Below Ground Analysis, Ben A. Hyland

All Theses

Ever rising environmental temperatures threaten global food security by worsening severity and increasing the occurrence of drought. Commercially cultivated watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), have reduced drought tolerance due to a narrow genetic base caused by breeding for desirable traits such as sweetness, size, and flesh/rind color. Comparatively, the crop wild relative desert watermelon variety (Citrullus amarus), while more drought tolerant than their commercially cultivated relatives (C. lanatus), still require large amounts of water to grow and produce reliable fruit yields. Watermelon root morphology plays a key role in their ability to tolerate drought, with more …

Anti-Inflammatory Effects In Apio Tuber, Jeehye Seo, Oluwatobi Amusat, Yu-Yun Wang, Annegret Jannasch, Sun-Ok Lee

Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Inflammation is a crucial component of the body’s defense system but can lead to chronic diseases when uncontrolled. Diets rich in anti-inflammatory compounds are recognized as an effective strategy for mitigating chronic inflammation. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of Apio (Arracacia xanthorrhiza), an underutilized Andean tuber. The goal of this study was to explore the health-promoting properties of Apio tuber, which could expand its commercial value to support local farmers and contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices.

Phenolic compounds were extracted from white (WAT) and yellow Apio tuber (YAT), and Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity …

Patch Mow Grazing: Investigating The Effects Of Mowing On Forage Nutritive Value, The Biomass–Nutritive Value Relationship, And Herbivore Selection, Trace R. Stauble

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Herbivore foraging behavior plays a critical role in shaping grassland structural heterogeneity, with selection often driven by forage biomass and nutritive value. Currently, it is thought that herbivores primarily select areas that are greater in nutritive value, and low in biomass. More specifically, disturbances like fire and grazing have been thoroughly studied showing that recently burned and grazed areas are not only higher in nutritive value but disproportionately selected by herbivores in comparison to undisturbed areas. However, most studies address only narrow ranges of defoliation, comparing intensely defoliated sites (< 10 cm) to those that are either not defoliated or have experienced a much longer time since defoliation, thereby decreasing grazing pressure as biomass increases. However, one of the most widely used methods of defoliation in grasslands, mowing, hasn’t been thoroughly studied for its effects on nutritive value, and how it impacts herbivore selection. Our study aimed to (1) evaluate how mowing treatments—i.e., short (5 cm), medium (18 cm), and tall (>30 cm, unmown)—affect nutritive value and herbivore selection, (2) assess …

Cover Crop Influence On Arthropod Biodiversity And Soil–Water Dynamics In A Semi-Arid Maize–Soybean Sequence Of The Nebraska High Plains, Carlos Eduardo De Oliveira Martins

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With the expansion of cover crop (CC) use in semi-arid regions, producers in the Nebraska High Plains are increasingly interested in understanding how CCs influence both beneficial arthropods and soil-water within maize-soybean (Zea mays L., Glycine max [L.] Merr.) rotations. Integrating CCs in these systems can enhance soil water availability and beneficial insect activity, but potential trade-offs include higher early-season water use by CCs and the risk of increasing potential pest populations. This thesis addresses these questions through two complementary studies conducted under field conditions near Brule, Nebraska. The first study evaluated the effects of a multi-species CC mixture …

Post-Fire Soil Health Assessment Of The Grasslands And Woodlands In The Semi-Arid Nebraska Sandhills, Stephanie M. Lugo

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Grasslands in the Nebraska Sandhills are shaped by natural wildfires, which help maintain the structure and function of native grasslands. In recent decades, afforestation with ponderosa pine and eastern redcedar has introduced new woodlands that altered the region’s fire dynamics and raised important questions about the effects of wildfire on different vegetation types. As wildfires become more frequent, understanding their impacts on soil health in grasslands and woodlands becomes increasingly important. This study examines the short-term effects of the 2022 Bovee Fire on physical, chemical, and biological soil properties in native grasslands and ponderosa pine and eastern redcedar afforested woodlands. …

Functional Characterization Of The Hssb1 K94q Mutation, Isaiah Singleton

All Theses

Genome stability depends on precise DNA repair pathways such as homologous recombination (HR), where human single-stranded DNA-binding protein 1 (hSSB1) stabilizes single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) intermediates and recruits repair complexes. Post-translational modifications, including acetylation, are known to regulate hSSB1 activity, but their molecular effects remain poorly defined. This study examined the role of lysine 94 (K94) acetylation using a glutamine substitution mutant (K94Q) that mimics the acetylated state. Recombinant hSSB1 wild type (WT) and hSSB1_K94Q were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using Ni–NTA affinity chromatography. Biochemical analyses, including electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), single-strand annealing assays, and displacement loop …

Environmental Sanitation In Long-Term Care Facilities: A Focus On Regulations And Implementations, Ruwan Dissanayake Dissanayake Mudiyanselage

All Theses

Environmental sanitation is a fundamental component of infection prevention in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), where residents are at increased risk due to advanced age, underlying health conditions, and communal living arrangements. Despite its critical role, significant gaps remain in implementing environmental sanitation procedures and the regulatory frameworks that guide them.

This study combines two components: (1) an across-state regulatory review of environmental sanitation in LTCF regulations and (2) a cross-sectional survey assessing environmental sanitation characteristics of nursing homes (NHs) and assisted living facilities (ALFs) and Rural and Urban LTCF observation study in South Carolina (SC) . For the regulatory review …

Plant Community Responses To Wildfire, Timber Thinning, And Bison Reintroduction On The Northern Great Plains, Ethan H. Van-Derpoel

All Theses

The Northern Great Plains (NGP) is one of the largest intact grasslands remaining in the world. These two studies examine a few of the ecological concerns on the NGP today. First, the woody encroachment of conifers into grasslands and the effects of wildfires. Second, the effects of bison (Bison bison) reintroduction on plant communities. In Chapter 1, this study aims to examine the effects of wildfire and mechanical timber thinning, using a two-by-two factorial design, on plant community responses and forage quality in the Bull Mountains area of central Montana, USA. We found that our treatments had varying …

Freshwater Turtle Assemblages And Densities In Agricultural Ditches And Aquaculture Ponds Of Eastern Arkansas, Andrhea D. Massey, John D. Willson, Brett A. Degregorio

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) of Arkansas is a landscape where many wetlands have been altered for use as aquaculture ponds or agricultural ditches. Commercial harvest of freshwater turtles within the MAP is not restricted or limited, with reported harvest numbers for 2019 alone exceeding 4000 for spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera) and 39,000 for red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans). Herein, we attempt to provide baseline estimates of freshwater turtle densities and community composition in aquaculture ponds and agricultural ditches of eastern Arkansas, the habitat types most frequently trapped by commercial harvesters. We used a capture-mark-recapture approach over 3 summers …

Characterization Of Water Intake And Water Conversion Ratio For Male And Female Broilers From Four Commercial Broiler Lines Reared To Eight Weeks Of Age, J.Z. Hiltz, C.W. Maynard, T.W. Tabler, M.A. Maquesda, K.M. Shafer, K.B. Nelson, M.T. Kidd, N.B. Anthony, S.K. Orlowski-Workman

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increased interest and investigation into the sustainability of broiler production has led to a need for reliable and repeatable means to measure water intake and its conversion rate into salable meat. Therefore, a study was conducted to characterize the water intake and water conversion ratio (WCR) of male and female broilers from four modern broiler strains. Two of these lines represented fast growing broiler strains (FGB A and FGB B) targeting a small bird market and two represented high yielding broiler strains (HYB A and HYB B). Three replicates of 25 sexed broilers from each line were placed into 24 …

Novel Approaches To Disinfecting Poultry Processing Wastewater For Reuse, Seth Olorunmijuwonlo Adesope

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water is an essential resource used in poultry processing, generating large volumes of foodborne pathogen-rich wastewater posing treats to public health. Treating poultry processing wastewater (PPW) is crucial for safe water reuse and sustainable development. Conventional disinfection methods like aerobic digestion and chlorination, although effective, impose considerable operational cost and generate harmful by-products. Integrated recycling systems such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) which destroy micro-organisms through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) present a promising opportunity for enhancing resources and sustainability. This study investigated the use of photo-electrochemical (PEC), specifically by combining electrochemical (EC) and photochemical (PC; Photosensitizer and …

Solar Powered Conservation: The Effects Of Solar Photovoltaic Facilities On Avian Community Composition, Michael Christopher Ferrara

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The expansion of solar photovoltaic energy infrastructure is transforming landscapes worldwide. Increasingly, facilities are planted with native vegetation, yet how vegetation characteristics and landscape variables shape wildlife communities in solar facilities remains poorly understood. Because avian populations have been in decline and are sensitive to habitat changes, understanding how solar facilities influence avian communities is important. In Chapter 1, we used autonomous recording units, local vegetation measurements, and land use and land cover data to quantify how avian community occupancy is influenced by solar cover in solar facilities and comparable reference sites. We used a Bayesian multi-species occupancy model to …

Establishment Of Native Warm-Season Forages Using Organic Practices, Kolten Ray Wright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Grassland agriculture is seen as a particularly sustainable form of agriculture. Many opportunities are known to use organic production methods or incorporate native warm-season grasses (NWSG) to accomplish both production goals and environmental or social outcomes. Environmental concerns have led some practitioners to question the use of organic methods to establish NWSG. As limited work has been accomplished in the northern bermudagrass belt, this project sought to compare organic establishment strategies for common NWSG species. A field trial conducted at the USDA ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville, AR found that NWSG establishment success in the …

Multiple Aspects Of Environmental Temperature Have Complex Interactions With Avian Parental Behavior To Influence Offspring Outcomes, William H. Kirkpatrick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic climate change is projected to shift not only average temperatures across the globe, but also the amount of thermal variation experienced in the natural environment. Exposure to shifts in averages and a wider range of thermal experiences will cause shifts in wildlife behavior. In avian species, behaviors exhibited during reproduction have implications for the well-being of their offspring. Here, I explore specific incubation behaviors in four species: Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata), Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus), Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), and Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). I examined constancy, or the percentage of time on the nest, and off-bout duration, …

Using Color And Fluorescent Spectrometry As A New Rapid Cleaning Verification Method In Poultry Processing Plants, Clark Griscom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The poultry industry is expected to be growing at 3% in the total global market with the U.S. being the largest producer of poultry meat. Poultry processing plants are expected to produce 140 birds per minute with the potential of up to 175 birds per minute to meet the market demand. With the growing market and need for faster production, maintaining food safety needs to be a priority to ensure the safety of consumers. Over 9.9 million foodborne illness cases are reported each year in the United States. A change in food safety is needed, and one area lacking is …

Next-Generation Salmonella Inactivated Vaccine Platforms And Phytobiotic-Modulated Immune Responses In Poultry, Santiago Uribe Diaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Here, a comprehensive understanding of immune responses triggered by either a multimeric CD40 receptor-agonistic DNA aptamer-based or mannosylated chitosan-based Salmonella Enteritidis inactivated vaccine platforms, along with phytobiotic supplementation as an immune modulatory strategy in response to Salmonella lipopolysaccharides, is presented. This dissertation supports the development of next-generation Salmonella vaccine platforms that simultaneously stimulate both protective cell-mediated and humoral immune responses, while indicating the potential immunomodulatory effects of phytobiotics supplementation to reduce the immunological impact of Salmonella lipopolysaccharides in chickens. The first chapter describes that both vaccine platforms administered in broiler chickens initiated local inflammatory responses, recruiting heterophils and macrophages from …

Micro-Greens, Not Micro-Yellows: Evaluating Dehydration-Based Preservation Techniques For Reducing Foodborne Pathogens And Quality Preservation On Microgreens, Travis S. Sananikone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microgreens are increasingly popular among consumers due to their high nutritional value. However, their limited shelf-life remains a significant challenge. To extend their usability, small-scale growers increasingly apply home preservation methods like warm air drying or freeze-drying. However, the effects of these methods on common foodborne pathogens are not well understood. Radish and alfalfa microgreens were inoculated with cocktails of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes 4b (ca. 8.0 log CFU/g). Treatments included dehydration in a commercial dehydrator, freeze-drying (-20°C, 24 h), and convective drying in an oven (60°C for 4 h), and convective drying in an oven …

Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy-Derived Oxygen Desaturation Rates During Post-Exercise Circulatory Occlusion As Predictors Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Markers, Carstell Lee

Honors Theses

Cardiorespiratory fitness, measured as maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max) is a critical predictor of all-cause mortality and overall cardiovascular health. Metabolic carts are the current gold standard for evaluation of VO₂max, but are inaccessible to most facilities and individuals, and are expensive ($20,000+). Near-Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has emerged as an accessible and affordable ($5,000-$10,000) alternative for evaluating skeletal muscle oxygenation kinetics and mitochondrial oxidative capacity. However, there is limited research in examining whether NIRS-derived oxygen desaturation rates can be a predictor of cardiorespiratory fitness markers (such as VO₂max and peak power output [PPO]), and whether these measurements show a superior predictive …

Investigating The Cardiovascular And Autonomic Responses To Energy Drink Consumption: The Role Of Energy And Calorie Content, Sophia Schmidt

Honors Theses

Energy drinks (EDs) are among the most consumed functional beverages, often marketed to enhance focus, alertness, and physical performance. Despite their popularity, the combined cardiovascular and autonomic effects of caffeine and sugar during exercise remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute cardiovascular, metabolic, and autonomic responses to sugar-sweetened (ED-S), non-nutritive sweetened (ED-NNS), and placebo beverages during submaximal cycling in healthy young males.

Nine male participants (age 22.2 ± 2.4 yrs; BMI 26.2 ± 2.9 kg/m²) completed three experimental visits in a randomized, repeated-measures design. Each visit involved ingestion of one drink (ED-S, ED-NNS, or …

Expression, Purification And Characterization Of Full Length Tdp-43, Danya Abouzaid

Honors Theses

TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is a 43 kDa RNA-binding protein linked to several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Alzheimer’s disease. 5-7,28,30,33 Studying full-length TDP-43 has been difficult because of its intrinsic instability and tendency to aggregate.19,25,28,33,36 In this study, we focused on overcoming the difficulties to express full-length TDP-43 in E. coli recombinantly. We focused on expressing full-length TDP-43 as a fusion construct with a maltose-binding protein (MBP) to improve solubility and stability. Our strategy was to purify TDP-43-MBP fusion and make biomolecular condensates with RNA before cleaving the tag with thrombin protease. …

Neural Rrp6 Depletion Drives Circrna Accumulation And Motor Impairment In Drosophila Melanogaster Neurons, Joseph Serio

Honors Theses

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of ubiquitous eukaryotic RNAs created by back splicing. These noncoding RNAs can modulate gene expression and are implicated in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. To limit the contribution of circRNAs to aging and pathobiology, it is essential to understand how turnover of these molecules is regulated, as it is not clear which enzymes are chiefly responsible for degrading circRNAs in neurons. This study evaluates the roles of ribonucleases potentially involved in neural circRNA turnover using the model fly Drosophila melanogaster. A mifepristone-activated GAL4/UAS GeneSwitch expressed RNAi transgenes and inactivated the ribonucleases. Flies were evaluated on …

Defining The Causal Contribution Of The Gut Microbiota To Cardiomyopathy Pathogenesis As A Basis For Developing Microbiome-Targeted Therapies, Xu Shi

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, placing substantial clinical and economic burdens on society. Although advances in therapy have improved patient outcomes, the biological mechanisms that drive HF onset and progression remain incompletely understood. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota, the trillions of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract, plays a key role in some forms of heart disease, especially cardiovascular disease. Moreover, gut microbial dysbiosis has been associated with systemic inflammation, metabolic imbalance, and immune dysregulation, all of which contribute to the pathophysiology of HF. Cardiomyopathy, a primary disorder of the heart …

Age, Growth, Diet And Reproduction Of African Pompano (Alectis Ciliaris), Clinton J. Moran, Jonathan Tucker, Callie H. Crawford

Biology

Understanding the life history traits of ecologically and economically important fish species is critical for effective management. This study provides the first detailed analysis of age, growth, diet and reproductive characteristics of African pompano (Alectis ciliaris) from the southeastern United States, expanding upon prior work from the Western Arabian Gulf. A total of 54 specimens were collected off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina when they were available during the 2024 fishing season (May–October). Age was determined via otolith sectioning, and growth was modelled using the von Bertalanffy growth function (L∞ = 96.61 cm, K = 0.689, t0 = …