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Explainable Process Recommendation Through Multi-Contextual Grounding Of Dynamic Multimodal Process Knowledge Graphs, Revathy Venkataramanan

Theses and Dissertations

Can I eat this food or not? Is this food suitable for diabetes and why? Which AI pipeline is best suited for a given task and dataset? How should an end-to-end pipeline be constructed? These questions differ from factual question-answering tasks. Recipes and AI pipelines are processes consisting of several entities interacting with each other. A recipe consists of ingredients, cooking methods, and their interactions, while an AI pipeline includes datasets, preprocessing techniques, models, hyperparameters, tasks, and results. Each entity must be analyzed individually, and collective inferencing is performed to derive the final decision. This decision-making process, known as compositional …

Behavioral Responses Of The California Two-Spot Octopus Octopus Bimaculoides To Changes In Color And Sound, Sofia I. Ramirez, Nathalie Reyns

McNair Summer Research Program

Recreational and commercial boat activity, military and construction operations, and seismic surveys among other human activities produce excessive sound that is classified as anthropogenic noise. Because the intensity and frequency of anthropogenic noise is often higher than that of natural underwater acoustic stimuli, marine animals may experience physiological damage to their sound-detecting organs which in turn, affects their communication and orientation abilities. In our study, we aimed to analyze the differences in behaviors exhibited by the California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) when exposed to various volumes of noise at 54 Hz. To further investigate behavioral changes under varying conditions, we …

Empowering Weight Loss: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Theory-Driven Self-Regulation Mobile App For Young Adults With Excess Body Weight, H. S. J. Chew, J. W. Ngooi, R. C. Du, P. Z. Chan, M. Jansson, B. Zhu, Y. Cao, Chong-Wah Ngo, R. Foo, A. Shabbir, D. Ho, N. Sevdalis, K. Y. Ngiam

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Background/Introduction: Obesity is projected to affect more than half of the global population by 2035, posing significant health and economic challenges. While lifestyle modification is considered a cornerstone of weight management, its effectiveness often relies on substantial support systems. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week, standalone Temporal Self-Regulation Theory (TST)-based weight loss mobile application, which integrates self-regulation techniques, food logging, and dietary nudging, in promoting weight loss among young adults with excess body weight. Methods: A two-arm, parallel-group, 1:1 randomized controlled trial was conducted, adhering to the CONSORT-Outcomes 2022 Extension guidelines. Participants completed a face-to-face …

Evaluating The Influence Of Carbon Quantum Dots On Starch-Based Bioplastics: Toward Potential Food Packaging Applications, Shima Jafarzadeh, Mitra Golgoli, Zeinab Qazanfarzadeh, Mehrdad Forough, Peng Wu, Wendy Timms, Colin J. Barrow, Minoo Naebe, Masoumeh Zargar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Developing biodegradable food packaging films is crucial for reducing dependence on petroleum-based plastics. In this study, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (CDs) were synthesized from citric acid and ethylenediamine via hydrothermal treatment and incorporated into sago starch films at concentrations of 0.5 %, 1 %, 3 %, and 4 % w/w of total solids using a solution casting method. The effects of CDs on structural, thermal, antioxidant, optical, and physicochemical properties were systematically investigated. CD addition enhanced the UV-shielding ability of the films. At 4 % CD content, UV transmittance decreased by 56.4 % (UVA), 66.7 % (UVB), and 73.9 % …

Nutritional Quality Of Subterranean Clover Cultivars In West Central Spain, B Garcia-Criado, A Garcia-Ciudad, M Rico-Rodriguez, L Garcia-Criado

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The nutritional quality of 61 subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) cultivars was studied, during 1982, in the province of Salamanca (semiarid zone of west central Spain). Plant samples were collected at the late-bloom stage and were analyzed for protein, carbohydrates and digestibility. The levels of all these constituents fluctuated within acceptable ranges. Higher relative variability was observed in respect of hemicellulose, protein and lignin, while the digestibility values presented lower relative variability. The latter ranged from 71.1 to 76.1 % with a mean of 73.3%, while protein values ranged from 11.1 to 19.4% with a mean of 14.0%. Chemical …

Effects Of Frequency And Height Of Defoliation On Forage Yield And Crude Protein Content Of Flemingia Macrophylla (Flemingia), E O. Asare

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Defoliation studies were conducted over a period of 3 years on the same stands to determine the effects of 3 heights 5, 20 and 35cm and 3 intervals, 8, 12 and 14 weeks of cutting on leaf dry matter (DM) yield and nutritive value of Flemingia macrophylla (Flemingia) a potential fodder shrub. Both height and interval of cutting had significant effect on leaf DM yield. There was significant interaction between frequency and height of cutting. Leaf DM yield decreased with lowering of cutting height and increased through increasing interval between cuts. The 14-week cutting interval and 35cm cutting height treatment …

A Study Of Phenology, Herbage Yield And Crude Protein Content Of Native Ecotypes Of Red Bromegrasses (Bromus Tomentellus Boiss.) Of Iran, B Peymani-Fard

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This research was conducted on ten ecotypes of red bromegrasses of Iran at Homand Range Experiment Station, near Damavand, Iran to asses: (a) the differences in phenological characteristics, (b) to evaluate differences in herbage yield, and (c) determine the crude protein percentage Parameters measured include duration of vegetative, heading, maturity stages, herbage yields, and crude protein. Variation in vegetative growth, heading and seed maturity stages among the ecotypes under study was very small

Therefore, there are no prefences in selection of a specific ecotype from the standpoint of utilization and harvesting time. There was a great fluctuation in annual herbage …

A Battle Of Armies: Massive Attack Of Natural Enemies To The True Armyworm Mythimna Unipuncta (Haworth, 1809) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In Forage Crops, Armando Falcon-Brindis, Raul T. Villanueva

Insecta Mundi

Understanding the interactions between plant-host-parasitoid plays a major role in insect pest management. Farmers in the southeastern United States rely on pasture systems for cattle milk and beef production, but the benefits of parasitoids and predators on major lepidopteran pests on pasture lands are still overlooked. Here, we aimed to identify and quantify the effect of parasitism on the true armyworm Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth, 1809) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) attacking teff grass Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter (Poaceae) and crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (Poaceae) in western Kentucky. In early August of 2023, 547 larvae of M. unipuncta were collected from experimental …

Chemical And Physical Characterization Of Verbenaceae Essential Oils Using Modern Analytical Methods And Chemometrics, Aleksandra N. Hilliard

Master's Theses

Essential oils have been used for generations to treat various health issues, including mitigating insomnia, reducing stress, inflammation, and preserving foods, to mention a few. Essential oils have complex chemistry, which defines the essence of the host plant. Recently, increased commercial uses of essential oils have prompted attention at the governmental level to monitor the chemical, physical, or biological activity of essential oils. This study is an attempt to add new information for consumers to the understanding of the composition of essential oils.

Modern analytical techniques including FTIR-ATR, GC-MS, LC-MS-MS, multivariate analysis statistics, and physio-chemical techniques (electrochemistry, DPPH, TRC, and …

The Growth Of White Clover (Trifolium Repens L.) In Field Swards In Wales. A Review., D Wilman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The purpose of the paper is to review some studies of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) growth in field swards in Wales, which were supervised by the author in the period 1976-88. White clover is a valuable species, from the point of view of both nitrogen fixation and animal nutrition, but it is used successfully on only a small proportion of farms in the United Kingdom. Studies such as those reviewed should contribute to greater success in white clover use.

Evaluation Of Mixed Pastures Including Trifolium Pratense Under Grazing, L A. Romero

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The feeding system for milk and beef production in the Cen­tral Region of Santa Fe province (Argentine) is based on semi­permanent and seasonal pastures along with conserved forage. Generally, legumes and grasses mixtures are used, the more usual species being lucerne (Medicago sativa), red clover (Tri­folium pratense), prairie grass (Bromus catharticus), and also chicory (Cichorium intibus). These mixtures produce high amount of dry matter (DM) with a high nutritive value and an useful life span of three to five years. The objective of this research was to evaluate three mixed pastures with red clover …

Regrowth Of The Components Of Two Legume/Grass Associations Following Grazing On Acid Soils Of The Eastern Plains Of Colombia, J Fischer, D Thomas

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The low nutritive status of the neotropical savannas may be improved by using a forage legume, either to supplement the savanna, or as a component of a grass-legume pasture to replace it. The two stoloniferous legumes Arachis pintoi and Desmodium ovalifolium form promising associations with various species of Brachiaria (Grof, 1985; Thomas and Grof, 1986), but there are very few data on their reaction to grazing. The relation between growth rate and the amount of leaf material is central to understanding how systems of grazing management influence plant relations. Because the palatability of the two legumes above differ, under contrasting …

Effect Of Regrowth Interval Upon Canopy Structure And Utilization Of Aeschynomene-Limpograss Pastures, J E. Moore, L E. Sollenberger, K A. Albrecht, P T. Beede, W F. Brown

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

During mid-summer through early autumn, limpograss ( Hemarthria altissima) herbage may have crude protein con­centration below 7 %, and performance of growing cattle on limpograss pasture is often low (Sollenberger et al., 1988). Overseeding with Aeschynomene americana may improve for­ age intake and nutritive value. Deferred grazing of an aeschynomene-limpograss association has potential to provide high-quality forage into mid-autumn. Because grass and legume do not have similar growth rates, changes in canopy structure may occur during late season which influence forage utilization by grazing cattle. The objective was to compare plant canopy characteristics to diet composition and ingestive behavior of …

Effects Of Variation In Seasonal Grazing Pressure And Mechanisms Of Adaptation To Grazing In Lotononis Bainesii, H Fujita, L R. Humphreys

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lotononis bainesii is valued for its ready acceptance by stock, high nutritive value and cold tolerance, but its utility has been limited by the inexplicably high year to year variation in its contribution to the farm feed supply. Pott et al. (1983) showed that lotononis is short-lived; the persistence of yield depends more upon seedling regeneration than upon vegetative replace­ment through nodal rooting. No continuous fixed stocking regime from 7 to 28 sheep ha-1 favoured lotononis (Poot and Humphreys, 1983), and this paper discusses the effects of vari­ations in seasonal stocking rate and of factors influencing the development of a …

Dynamics Of A Tropical Grass-Legume Sward In The Subtropics And Its Effect On Animal Performance, M J. Williams, A C. Hammond, W T. Butts, W E. Kunkle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rhizoma perennial peanut ( Arachis glabrata Benth.) is a for­age legume species adapted to the well-drained soils of subtropical United States (Prine et al., 1981). Management studies with perennial peanut have concentrated on hay pro­duction and animal performance based on pure stands (Prine, 1981 ; Sollenberger et al., 1987). Mixtures of perennial peanuts and various tropical grasses have performed well in small plot studies, but the interrelationship of grass and perennial peanuts under grazing and the consequence this relationship has on stand productivity and animal performance has not been investigated. The summer grazing phase of a backgrounding systems trial, which …

Hay Quality And Marketing Improved With Wyoming Hay Evaluation And Listing Service, A M. Gray

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Hay production in the United States of America (US) is about 140 million metric tons/year. In 1987 most US hay producers had fewer marketing opportunities because of surplus production and lower demand due to a continuing national decline in livestock numbers. In Wyoming, marketing hay on the basis of forage quality is becoming critical for the economic survival of many hay­growers, particularly in years of low demand for hay. Demand for high quality hay by specialty markets (dairy and horse hay) is greater than supply throughout the US. However, buyers for such markets insist that quality hay is difficult to …

Effects Of Ammoniation Of Rice Straw On Its Feeding Value For Lambs, J Q. Ferreira, R Garcia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Great quantities of crop residues are produced in Brazil at harvest time. The production of rice straw reachs approxi­mately ten million of tons each year and very small quantity is used for animal feeding. The interest on utilization of rice straw increased in the last years mainly due to possibility of ammonia use for improvement of nutritive value of crop residues (Sund­stol el al., 1978 ; Saenger el al., 1983 ; Herrera-Saldana el al., 1982; Streeter and Horn, 1984; Grotheer el al., 1986; Horton and Steacy, 1979). The objective of this study was to measure the effect to ammoniation on …

Effect Of Ammonia Level, Time Of Exposure To Ammonia And Period Of Storage On Chemical Composition And Digestibility Of Two Tropical Grasses Hay, R A. Reis, R Garcia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The production of good quality hay in Central Brazil has been limited by the nature of cultivated species and constant presence of rainfalls. However, at the end of summer and part of fall seasons the environmental conditions are adequate for hay making but the forages show lower nutritive value. An alternative to improve the quality of tropical grasses hay would be the use of ammonia. Several studies (Buettner et al., 1982; Grotheer et al., 1986; Brown et al., 1987; Moore and Lechtenberg, 1987), showed decreases in NDF and hemicellulose on forages treated with ammonia. The influence of levels of ammonia …

Haymaking From Tropical Grasses, J L. Costa, J A. Gomide

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Haymaking from pasture growth surplus is an alternative way to provide winter feeding to cattle. Some interest has recently been developed toward making hay from tropical grasses in their vegetative stage. The main hazard with this approach being the occurence of likely rains during field dry­ing. This can be helped by shortening drying time through the use of appropriate harvester (Savoie et al., 1982) as well as selection fo species with higher drying rate (Morris, 1972; Per­son and Sorenson, 1970).

Hayval : A Microcomputer Program For Evlauting The Winter Feeding Needs Of Beef, Sheep, And Horses, D B. Hannaway, S A. Dahl, P J. Ballerstedt, P E. Shuler, W Rogers, F Shafabakhsh, J Smith, M Lawyer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

HA YV AL is a microcomputer programm which was developed to teach concepts of hay quality and animal nutrition. HA YV AL answers the question, 'Will the hay I have available meet the nutritional needs of the animals I am feed­ing ?'. It does so by using an interactive teaching technique ; asking questions about the animals and the hay being fed.

Increasing The Contribution Of Grass Silage For Milk Production, C Thomas, A Reeve

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The conservation of grass as silage rather than hay has become increasingly popular in Northern Europe. The increase in silage making has been associated with the increased intensi­fication of animal production and improvements in our knowl­edge of the fermentation process. Despite the ability to produce grass silages with consistently high metabolisable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) contents it has been calculated that on UK dairy farms silage barely meets the maintenance require­ment of the cow (Phipps, 1986). The objective of the work reported here is to devise methods to increase the contribution of silage in the diet of the …

Chemical And Nutritive Values Of Three Ensiled Residues (Broad Beans, Peas And Soybean) In Comparison With Yellow Lupin Silage, J Efe Serrano

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The agro-industrial residues of legumes in Portugal has increased recently in animal feeding, but with little information about the nutritive values of these diets. The few values from literature (Economides and Had­jidemetriou, 1974; Boza and Guerreiro, 1981 ; Escandon et al., 1983) or in Tables of Food Composition are quite different. In south of Portugal, the yellow lupin is an expanding forage used in sheep diets as hay or silage. The purpose of this work, and others in progress, was to compare the feeding value of silages made from three important residues with the yellow lupin silage.

Effects Of Wilting And Formic Acid On The Chemical Composition And Nutritive Value Of Elephant Grass Silage Pennisetum Purpureum Schum) Purple Cultivar, W Lavezzo, Otavia E.N.M Lavezzo, C Rossi, I A. Bonassi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

At the beginning of the growth the Elephant grass had a good dry matter production and a good nutritive value and due to this it is often used for ensilage in Brazil. However, when best suited age for ensilage (50-60 days), its water content is high making normally difficult to get suitable silages. Although reasonable silages of Elephant grass have been obtained with no additives (Tosi et al., 1983), the wilting and formic acid utili­zation during the ensilage have resulted in good quality silages (Silveira et al., 1979) with good nutritive value (Lavezzo et al., 1984). The purpose of this …

Corn Crop Grown With And Without Tropical Legumes For Silage Making, J A. Obeid, M E. Cruz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Under Brasilian conditions the beef and milk production rely almost exclusively upon the use of natural or cultivated pastures. However, due to the characteristics of the climate with a warm and rainy season and a cool and dry season, the forage growth rate and animal production presents both high and low peaks, resulting in slaughtering age of 4-5 years and a low average milk production (Pedreira, 1973). Improvement of forage production has been one approach for increasing animal production. However, the above measure brings a higher attention to the feeding of the animals in the dry season. Most often, use …

Changes In The Chemical Composition Of Wheat For Silage During Development In A Warm Climate, G Ashbell, Z G. Weinberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Wheat for silage in Israel is usually grown as a winter crop in a double-cropping system. In such a system, the wheat is harvested before it reaches maturity and the land is then ready for the summer crop. The periods between the various matu­ration stages of wheat are relatively short, especially in a warm climate. Ash bell (1984) and Ashbell et al. (1985) found that the greatest changes in nutritive components of the whole wheat plant occurred between the flowering and the milk ripening stages. During that period there is an increase in dry matter (DM) and water soluble carbohydrates …

Fire Effects On Herbage Yield And Nutritive Value Of Natural Grasslands In Uganda, E N. Sabiiti, R W. Wein

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fire has long influenced the development, maintenance and productivity of nearly 80% of the Uganda natural grasslands which are important for livestock grazing. However, tra­ditional burning appears to reduce the productivity of these natural pastures, especially in the Acacia/savanna grassland since there is no proper fire regime (fire intensity, severity and frequency) used by these pastoralists/as there is limited research that gives reliable data on how to use prescribed fires on these pastures lands (Sabiiti et al., 1986; Sabiiti and Wein, 1987; Harrington, 1974). Consequently, most of these pastures have been invaded by coarse and less nutritive grass species …

Variability Of A Tropical Savannah And Its Influence On Management Practices And Animal Weight Gains, R R. Vera, B Rivera, J H. Weniger

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The savannah of the Colombian and Venezuelan plains have been relatively well studied from a floristic point of view and several major plant communities are recognized (Blydenstein, 1967). Nevertheless, the potential contribution of these plant communities to ruminant production have not been studied, except for the largest of these associations, that of the well­drained high savannah. Paladines and Leal (1979) have shown that it has low carrying capacity and sustains low levels of ani­mal production both per head and per animal, despite moder­ate levels of primary productivity. In effect, animal weight gains range from 70-90 kg head-1 and 18-40 kg …

Yield And Quality Of Signal Grass Stockpiled At Different Dates, E A. Pizzaro, R R. Vera

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The savannas of the 'Cerrado' region of Brazil extend over 20 % of the brazilian territory, supporting over 50 % of the beef cattle industry (Kornelius et al., 1979). During the long dry season there is a pronounced deficit of quality in the natural savannas; conserved and standing crops (Pizarro and Vera, 1980; Paiva et al., 1978; Vera et al., 1981) pure legumes stands have been tested successfully to supplement the native veg­etation (Tergas et al., 1983). Large leafy yields have been reported during the second half of the dry season (Vera et al., 1981 ; Pizarro et al., 1985). …

Distributions Of Yields And Nutritional Value In Native Pastures In South China, Zhiqiang Lai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are about 40 millions ha of gqtzeable hill tussocky pastures in south China, generally with an elevation below 500 m and slopes between 6 to 30°. They are suited to ruminant animal husbandry with good rainfall, long growth period and a variety of high yielding plants. But most of the swards are improperly used and managed. This damages the pasture resources, and causes erosion due to overgrazing resulting in ecological unbalances and eventually, hazards the development of ruminant husbandry. The aim of this trial was, by studying the growth rhythm, seasonal distributions of the yield and nutritional value of …

Year Round Protein Of Native Grasses Of Lesotho, C J. Goebel, G Seutloal, V Ramakhula

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands of Lesotho are primarily located in the "sour veld " region of southern Africa. Percentagewise, the lands are cxtc11sive and furnish large quantities of forage for various type, of grazing animals. Detailed information upon nutritive qua I I ty of the native grasses would be of major benefit to assist in planning rotation grazing programs during critical periods or the year. In addition, there is a need for information of the nutrttional quality of introduced grasses to Lesotho's rangelands.