Digital Commons Network^™

Winter Cold Temperate Rangelands: Improvement Strategies For Intensive Rangeland Ecosystems, B E. Allan, D Scott

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Transfer of developed grassland technologies to rangelands is discussed in terms of environmental gradients and the options and constraints they impose. Winier feed limitation can be overcome through conserved feeds and various in situ systems involving special purpose pastures and feed banks. General animal nutrition can be improved through intensive development, low input systems, better control of range utilisation and, where appropriate, correction of mineral deficiencies. The emphasis in seeking quick and easy solutions to rangeland management problems is questioned, A more informed, environmentally sound and sustainable approach to rangeland fanning atlitudes and management is proposed. A stepwise process to …

Editorial: Leveraging Multi-Omics Approaches To Understand And Manage Gastrointestinal And Hepatic Diseases, Isis Trujillo-Gonzalez, Paul G. Thomes, Isin Tuna Sakallioglu, Kusum K. Kharbanda

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

The Research Topic “Leveraging multi-omics approaches to understand and manage gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases” proposed by the Frontiers in Pharmacology has attracted a total of four articles on preclinical studies that were covered in three original research manuscripts and one review article. Two research articles were on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously named non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is now recognized as a predominant cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting over 30% of the adult population (Teng et al., 2023; Miao et al., 2024). Current pharmacological treatments for MASLD are limited and, until a recent FDA-approved …

Engaging Students With Pocketlab Interactive Mobile Technology In A Science Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study, Olha Ketsman, Juan A. Colon Santana

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

This mixed methods study explored the impact of PocketLab interactive mobile sensors on science content knowledge among undergraduate students in an algebra-based physics laboratory course. The study also examined students' perspectives and experiences using PocketLab to learn class concepts. While no statistically significant differences were found between the control and treatment groups for items evaluating definitions and conceptual mastery, the control group outperformed the treatment group on problem-solving items. This difference may be due to the alignment of traditional Vernier technology experiments with the analytical problem-solving approach emphasized in lectures. Despite this, students using PocketLab reported greater flexibility and …

Comparison Of Efficient Deep Learning Architectures For Lactobacillus Species Identification, Dea Aisyah Rusmawati, Ishak Ariawan, Afrinal Firmanda

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Identifying microorganism species, such as Lactobacillus, is essential in ensuring the food products' quality and safety. Traditional laboratory practice requires expert knowledge and experience, but the method is expensive and time-consuming due to complex sample preparation. Faster, more accurate, and cheaper computational methods, such as transfer learning technology, are needed for the Lactobacillus species classification. The technique has been effective in a variety of image recognition contexts. Deep learning architecture can also be applied as an innovative strategy for digital image-based identification. Therefore, this research aims to compare several deep-learning architectures in classifying bacterial strains of Lactobacillus. The four architectures …

Detection Of Pollutants In Soil Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (Libs), Ekhlas Jabir Mahmood, Mithaq Muter Mehdy Al- Sultani

Al-Bahir

The tremendous development in various industrial and agricultural fields has led to an increase in pollution of soil and water bodies, which has been reflected in the quality of agricultural products and their quantity, as well as the damage that this pollution causes to human health and the growth system of other living organisms. Many soils are polluted with heavy metal elements like lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), and mercury (Hg), which makes the environmental situation more difficult. As part of this sensitive stage, monitoring and analysis have become essential to …

Bacterial Cellulose Production From Fermented Fruits And Vegetables Byproducts: A Comprehensive Study On Chemical And Morphological Properties, Yati Maryati, Hakiki Melanie, Windri Handayani, Yasman Yasman

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study aimed to produce α-cellulose from Bacterial Cellulose SCOBY (BCS) using alternative substrates from fermented fruit and vegetable byproducts: katuk leaves (KT), kale leaves (KL), guava (JB), dragon fruit (NG), and banana (PS). BCS production involved juice extraction, SCOBY inoculation, and sucrose addition, followed by 21 days of fermentation. Initially, the NG medium had the highest concentration of Total Reducing Sugars (TRS), but all media showed a decline as sugars were consumed. Fermentation reduced pH and increased total polyphenols, with KL and JB showing the highest rise (0.13-0.15 mg GAE/mL). Flavonoid levels varied, decreasing in KL and PS but …

Puccinellia (Puccinellia Ciliata) For Dryland Salinity Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Puccinellia (Puccinellia ciliata) is a potentially valuable fodder on waterlogged saline land. Puccinellia, Distichlis and marine couch are the most salt tolerant of the commercially available grasses. It is best suited to areas with more than 400mm annual rainfall and where the watertable is shallow over summer.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends that any dryland salinity management is part of a whole farm, and preferably a whole catchment, water management plan.

Guide To Supplementary Feeding And Budgeting, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Supplementary feeding of sheep, with grain, hay or silage is necessary when pastures or stubbles are deficient in energy and protein.

A good supplementary feeding program will ensure sheep utilise as much dry paddock feed as possible as well as provide sufficient supplementary feed for maintenance or growth.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends supplementary or confined paddock feeding to maintain livestock productivity and avoid animal welfare and soil erosion problems.

Natural Revegetation And No Grazing, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

The department recommends that any dryland salinity management is part of a whole farm, and preferably a whole catchment, water management plan.

Natural revegetation and no grazing are only recommended for sites that are too saline, waterlogged and/or inundated for other treatments to succeed in the south-west of Western Australia. It is also the preferred option for the lowest possible cost.

Improving Lambing Rates And Changing Turnoff Times To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Mandy Curnow, Sud Kharel, Claire Macleay

Animal production and livestock research reports

Running a flock of sheep and raising lambs generates both direct (enteric fermentation) and indirect (lime, fertiliser, fuel, production of feed) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There are ways to reduce emissions through sheep reproduction.

Ipydisp V2 Alias Dudutracker: A Web-Based Version, Komi Mensah Agboka, Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman, Samira A. Mohamed, Sunday Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This study presents the updated version v2 of IpyDisp named DuduTracker which improves on the window-only-requirement of IpyDisp. The updated version is web-based that can be used in alternative operating systems like Ubuntu, Mac, Linux, and others. The update's effectiveness was also evaluated using a survey involving a diverse range of users including students, data analysts, and academic researchers from different age groups, geographical locations, and computer literacy levels. Areas for future enhancement were identified, primarily focused on making the software responsive to various screen types and improving certain interface aspects.

A Liquid Crystal-Based Biomaterial Platform For Rapid Sensing Of Heat Stress Using Machine Learning, Prateek Verma, Elizabeth Adeogun, Elizabeth S. Greene, Sami Dridi, Ukash Nakarmi, Karthik Nayani

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Novel biomaterials that bridge the knowledge gap in coupling molecular/protein signatures of disease/stress with rapid readouts are a critical need of society. One such scenario is an imbalance between bodily heat production and heat dissipation which leads to heat stress in organisms. In addition to diminished animal well-being, heat stress is detrimental to the poultry industry as poultry entails fast growth and high yields, resulting in greater metabolic activity and higher body heat production. When stressed, cells overexpress heat shock proteins (such as HSP70, a well-established intracellular stress indicator) and may undergo changes in their mechanical properties. Liquid crystals (LCs, …

Targeted Study Of The Effect Of Yeast Strain On Volatile Compounds Produced In Sorghum Beer, Drew Budner, Joseph Carr, Brett Serafini, Samantha Tucker, Elisabeth Dieckman-Meyer, Lindsey Bell, Katherine A. Thompson-Witrick

Chemistry

An increase in the consumer demand and the availability of gluten-free products has led to several brewers investigating brewing with grains other than barley. The primary grain of choice has been sorghum. These new gluten-free beers have a unique flavor and aroma, which previous research has shown is the result of differences in concentration for key chemical compounds, including ethyl butyrate, butyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl caproate, hexyl acetate, 1-octanol, nonanal, ethyl octanoate, and ethyl decanoate. This study focused looked at the influence different strains of yeast had on the concentration of these key compounds. Beer was brewed using either …

Please Understand My Disability: An Analysis Of Youtubers’ Discourse On Disability Challenges, Shuo Niu

Computer Science

Video-sharing platforms offer a unique avenue for people with disabilities (PWDs) to highlight their experiences, including the challenges and accessibility barriers they face. While creators with disabilities effectively use these platforms to share their life struggles and advocate for societal changes, the scope of research exploring the nature of the discourse activities related to disability challenges remains limited. Our study addresses this gap by conducting a comprehensive qualitative content analysis of 468 videos posted by YouTubers with a range of disabilities, including vision, speech, mobility, hearing, and cognitive and neural impairments. Our findings reveal a predominant discussion on stigma and …

Toward A Responsible Future: Recommendations For Ai-Enabled Clinical Decision Support, Steven Labkoff, Bilikis Oladimeji, Joseph Kannry, Anthony Solomonides, Russell Leftwich, Eileen Koski, Amanda L Joseph, Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, Lee A Fleisher, Kimberly Nolen, Sayon Dutta, Deborah R Levy, Amy Price, Paul J Barr, Jonathan D Hron, Baihan Lin, Gyana Srivastava, Nuria Pastor, Unai Sanchez Luque, Tien Thi Thuy Bui, Reva Singh, Tayler Williams, Mark G Weiner, Tristan Naumann, Dean F Sittig, Gretchen Purcell Jackson, Yuri Quintana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare settings has the potential to benefit clinical decision-making. Addressing challenges such as ensuring trustworthiness, mitigating bias, and maintaining safety is paramount. The lack of established methodologies for pre- and post-deployment evaluation of AI tools regarding crucial attributes such as transparency, performance monitoring, and adverse event reporting makes this situation challenging.

OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to make practical suggestions for creating methods, rules, and guidelines to ensure that the development, testing, supervision, and use of AI in clinical decision support (CDS) systems are done well and safely for patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In May …

Confined Paddock Feeding And Feedlotting Of Sheep, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Confinement feeding (also referred to as lot feeding or feedlotting) is an intensive feeding system in a confined area where all, or the majority of, feed and water is supplied to the contained animals. The department recommends using confinement feeding as part of a whole farm livestock, pasture and erosion management program.

We recommend having a confinement feeding system as an integral part of a whole farm livestock, pasture and erosion management program. Guides and resources that provide more detailed information are listed at the bottom of this fact sheet.

Sheep Feed Value Guide, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Sheep are supplementary fed for either survival or production purposes. Efficient supplementary feeding should aim to supply sheep with a diet that is sufficient in digestible energy and protein. We recommend testing feedstuffs, although the feed tables supplied here can be used to help roughly estimate the amount of grain and fodder required.

Knowing the value of different feedstuffs is critical when making decisions about livestock nutrition, for survival, maintenance and growth.

Supplementary feeding is a key part of a Western Australian (WA) sheep enterprise because most sheep systems are on annual pasture which is dry over the Mediterranean summer. …

Food Computing: Domain Adaptation And Causal Inference, Qing Wang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation addresses two challenges in food computing: food recognition and food image-to-recipe retrieval. The main research ideas are: (1) leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) to augment food image representations to mitigate the combined challenges of domain gaps and data imbalance in fine-grained food recognition; (2) proposing a causal-theory inspired cross-modal representation learning formulation for reducing the bias caused by the emphasis on certain ingredients for cross-modal recipe retrieval; and (3) extending the framework to incorporate multiple confounding factors, particularly ingredients and cooking actions, allows for more comprehensive modeling of the food image-torecipe retrieval problem.

We first explore the challenges …

Navigating Weight Prediction With Diet Diary, Yinxuan Gui, Bin Zhu, Jingjing Chen, Chong-Wah Ngo, Yu-Gang Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Current research in food analysis primarily concentrates on tasks such as food recognition, recipe retrieval and nutrition estimation from a single image. Nevertheless, there is a significant gap in exploring the impact of food intake on physiological indicators (e.g., weight) over time. This paper addresses this gap by introducing the DietDiary dataset, which encompasses daily dietary diaries and corresponding weight measurements of real users. Furthermore, we propose a novel task of weight prediction with a dietary diary that aims to leverage historical food intake and weight to predict future weights. To tackle this task, we propose a model-agnostic time series …

Improving Rice Yield Using Sensor Based Nitrogen Application And Best Management Practices (Bmps) In Rice-Soybean And Rice-Crawfish Rotational Systems, Charles Darnall

LSU Master's Theses

Sustainable rice farming requires effective nutrient management and conservation practices to maintain high yields and minimize environmental impact. Implementing best management practices (BMPs) promotes lower fertilizer application rates, increased N use efficiency, improves soil health, and water quality. Demonstration fields established in two different rotational cropping systems (rice-soybean and rice-crawfish) in Kaplan, LA in 2023. In each rotation system, the benefits of BMPs (sensor based mid-season N management and cover cropping) compared to farmer’s practice (FP) were evaluated using yield, yield components, soil and water quality as metrics. The rice-soybean fields in 2023 and 2024 were both planted with PVL03 …

Enhancing Soil Texture And Bulk Density Mapping Using Soil Grids And Machine Learning: A Comparative Analysis With Observed Data, Aram Ali, Ismael O. Ismael, Hewa T. Mustafa, Diman Krwanji, Akram O. Esmail

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Digital soil mapping plays a crucial role in understanding soil variability and informing sustainable land management practices. This study focuses on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), evaluating the accuracy of SoilGrids, a global-scale soil mapping initiative, and exploring the efficacy of machine learning algorithms in refining soil properties estimations. The aim of this research was to assess and represent the physical parameters of soils effectively by comparing ground truth soil sampling data with data obtained from SoilGrids regarding clay, silt, and sand fractions and bulk density. Comparative analyses were conducted between ground truth soil sampling data and SoilGrids predictions, …

Removal Of Selenium Ions From Contaminated Aqueous Solutions By Adsorption Using Lemon Peels As A Non-Conventional Medium, Alanood A. Alsarayreh, Suha Anwer Ibrahim, Salem Jawad Alhamd, Thekra Atta Ibrahim, Mohammed Nsaif Abbas

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The disposal of heavy metals from various activities has become a pervasive issue. The investigation of sustain-able, low-cost adsorbents for the remediation of these hazardous pollutants has been widely disregarded. This research emphasizes the recovery of selenium ions from contaminated water using lemon peels as a cost-effective adsorbent. The adsorption was explored in a batch unit under various operational parameters, including initial selenium concentration (1-90 ppm), pH (1-11), agitation speed (100-500 rpm), adsorbent dose (0.4-5.5 g), contact time (5-180 minutes), and temperature (25-55 °C). The BET surface area of the lemon peels was found to be 27.86 m²/g before adsorption …

13th International Conference On Business, Technology And Innovation 2024, University For Business And Technology - Ubt

UBT International Conference

Welcome to IC – UBT 2024

UBT Annual International Conference is the 13th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make …

Leveraging Large Language Models For Enhancing Literature-Based Discovery, Ikbal Taleb, Alramzana Nujum Navaz, Mohamed Adel Serhani

All Works

The exponential growth of biomedical literature necessitates advanced methods for Literature-Based Discovery (LBD) to uncover hidden, meaningful relationships and generate novel hypotheses. This research integrates Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly transformer-based models, to enhance LBD processes. Leveraging LLMs’ capabilities in natural language understanding, information extraction, and hypothesis generation, we propose a framework that improves the scalability and precision of traditional LBD methods. Our approach integrates LLMs with semantic enhancement tools, continuous learning, domain-specific fine-tuning, and robust data cleansing processes, enabling automated analysis of vast text and identification of subtle patterns. Empirical validations, including scenarios on the effects of garlic on …

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Gc-Ms), Computational Analysis, And In Vitro Effect Of Essential Oils From Two Aromatic Plants, Bubonium Graveolens And Launaea Arborescens Growing In Southwest Algeria Against Potato Cyst Nematodes, Souad Ziane, Chaouki Selles, Khaldun M. Al Azzam, Bounoua Nadia, Belal O. Al-Najjar, Ali Al-Samydai, Obada A. Sibai, El-Sayed Negim

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The study tested the nematicidal effects of essential oils from Bubonium graveolens and Launaea arborescens on the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiens. The chemical composition of the essential oils was analyzed using GC-MS. To determine the concentration that killed 50% of the nematode population (LC50), five concentrations of the essential oils were applied to the tested organisms. The effects of essential oils on the hatching of cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis sp.) eggs in vitro demonstrated a wide variety of effects ranging from no impact to mild, moderate, and strong effects, which increased dramatically with exposure duration and concentration. All the …

Skin Microbiome: Current Target For Cosmeceuticals, Priyanka Kakkar, Neeraj Wadhwa

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Skin acts as a barrier to the external environment and perform various functions like maintaining internal homeostasis, sensations to touch based stimuli, vitamin D production and defence against foreign pathogens, prevent dehydration. Skin has its own diverse microbiota like bacteria, virus, fungi that is collectively called as skin microbiome. Skin microbiome balance is disturbed (condition called dysbiosis) by both internal and external factors which lead to skin problems like acne, psoriasis, dandruff. It is important to maintain the healthy skin ecosystem. Cosmeceuticals i.e., combination of cosmetic and pharmaceuticals, is a recent trend in the skin care industry where we add …

Achieving Potential Herbage Seed Yields In Species Of Temperate Regions, Franco Lorenzetti

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The potential seed yield (PSY) of a crop is represented by the total number of ovules present at anthesis in a unit area and is very high for nil forage species. However, seed yield or the agricultural realised seed potential (ARSP) is very low especially if compared with major grain crops (e.g., 15% vs 40% of PSY, respectively). The need for obtaining primarily high yield of high quality forage indicates that seed yield should be increased by improving the efficiency of the reproductive system rather than increasing its size. Seed setting and development and seed shattering are the characters to …

Productivity And Nutritive Value Of Coastal And Valley Bottom Plant Communities In The Falkland Islands, J A. Kerr, J H. Mcadam

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the Falkland Islands, short dense grassland communities ("greens") in valley-bottoms, and in coastal areas often associated with dense populations of seabirds, are selectively grazed by livestock and wild geese within the extensive grazing systems. Annual and seasonal herbage productivity, botanical composition, digestibility and utilisation, of greens were experimentally assessed at 6 sites on Bast Falkland. Herbage productivity, digestibility and utilisation were higher than reported for the dominant Cortaderia communities and compared favourably with Improved pastures. Botanical composition of green types were similar. Despite their uneven distribution and low area, greens are an important forage resource and could be used …

Effect Of Nitrogen Fertilizer On Dairy Farm Productivity And Viability In The Subtropics, G K. Reason, J Chaseling

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nitrogen fertiliser as urea was applied to dryland grass pastures in south east Queensland to improve the quantity and quality of feed on offer to grazing dairy cows. Milk production per cow and reproductive performance data suggest that the groups of cows that benefited most were the winter calvers, which calved at significantly higher live weights and were therefore better able to overcome short periods of nutritional stress due to feed shortages in winter. Whole farm input• output data suggests that a reasonable whole farm production model relating milk produced from paddock feed and nitrogen fertiliser use is feasible. The …

Inter-Provincial Spatial Coupling Of Paddy Fields In China Has Accelerated The Water Consumption, Wenguang Chen, Wencai Zhang, Ming Lei, Ruqian Zhang, Zhenting Zhao, Enyi Xie, Jing Zhao, Xiangbin Kong

I-GUIDE Forum

Rice trade has played a significant role in ensuring global rice consumption security. However, the spatial coupling of paddy fields based on rice trade can also transfer ecological environmental effects and threaten the sustainability of local systems. As the largest rice producer and consumer in the world, as well as one of the countries with the lowest per capita water resources, studying the inter-provincial rice flow in China and its water resource utilization efficiency is of great significance for ensuring national rice security and water resource security. Research has found that, China's rice consumption decreased by 11.97 Mt from 2000 …