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Improving The Nutritional Characteristics Of Plant Feedstuff By-Products Using Fungal Metabolism, Jacob Zahler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plant feedstuff by-products such as soy processing wastewater, guar korma meal, and sorghum hominy are very different, however, all possess a rich nutrient profile. Lessening their value is the presence of lignocellulose, plant anti-nutritional factors, and unfavorable protein profiles. Fungal conversion processes are an attractive approach to improving the value of these by-products by degrading detrimental fractions of each while simultaneously creating nutrient-rich cell mass. The aim of this research was to improve the value of each by-product for potential application in monogastric diets such as fish. Fungal organisms, both yeast and filamentous fungi, were examined for their ability to …

A Quantitative Environmental Assessment Of Incorporating Torrefaction Into Farming Enterprises In Eastern South Dakota, Dinesh Fuyal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of renewable energy sources has been increasing in the recent years due to population growth and environmental concerns. Biomass is a promising energy source that can be used to produce biofuels or torrefied pellets. Torrefied biomass may be used in power plants, industrial and residential heating, feedstocks for gasification, air and water filtrating, and soil amendment. The interest of torrefied pellets as energy sources for various applications has been increased in the recent years due to the concerns about energy security and environmental issues. This study focuses on the economic and environmental assessment of agricultural feedstocks like corn …

Western Prairie Stream Fisheries: An Assessment Of Past And Present Fish Assemblage Structure, Biotic Homogenization, And Population Dynamics In Western South Dakota Streams, Stephen Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is declining globally, especially in in aquatic systems. Prairies are one of the most endangered ecosystem types in North America, and their conversion into agriculture or development as a result of urbanization has had negative effects on prairie stream fish communities. Continued monitoring of fish assemblage change and the population dynamics of prairie stream fishes will provide researchers and managers with valuable information needed to detect and mitigate past and future negative impacts on prairie stream aquatic ecosystems. Sampling was conducted in the mainstem and tributaries of the Grand, Moreau, Cheyenne, Bad, and White rivers within western South Dakota. …

Effect Of Exogenous Amylase And Protease On Ruminal Metabolism, Nutrient Digestibility, Rumen Microbiome, And Lactation Performance Of Dairy Cows Fed Freshly Ensiled Corn Silage Based Diets, Lauren Kaye Shearer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of feeding exogenous amylolytic and proteolytic enzymes on lactation performance of dairy cows fed freshly ensiled corn silage-based diets. We hypothesized that the addition of these enzymes would improve nutrient utilization and consequently lactation performance. Thirty-six Holstein cows [15 multiparous and 15 primiparous; DIM = 132 ± 48 and 6 cannulated (3 multiparous and 3 primiparous; DIM = 164 ± 50] were blocked by milk yield, DIM, parity, and body weights and used in a 9 wk randomized complete block design study.. Treatments were a 40% (DM basis) corn silage …

Engineering Of Two-Color Atp-Binding Cassette Biosensor Proteins For Discovery Of Novel Substrates And Modulators, Bremansu Osa-Andrews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins are a vast, ubiquitous superfamily of proteins most of which unlock the energy from ATP-binding and hydrolysis to influx or efflux a wide spectrum of structurally dissimilar substrates across cell membranes. All eukaryotic ABC transporters including P-gp and MRP1 only exist as efflux pumps whose prominent expression in cells is associated with multidrug resistance of antiretrovirals, antiepileptics, antimalarials and anticancer agents. P-gp and MRP1 reduce the bioavailability and efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs by actively pumping out these drugs, thereby, leading to poor clinical outcomes during chemotherapy. Due to their clinical importance, profiling of the interaction …

Development Of Vegetation Mapping With Deep Convolutional Neural Network, Sae-Han Suh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Precision Agriculture plays a crucial part in the agricultural industry about improving the decision-making process. It aims to optimally allocate the resources to maintain the sustainable productivity of farmland and reduce the use of chemical compounds. [17] However, the on-site inspection of vegetations often falls to researchers’ trained eye and experience, when it deals with the identification of the non-crop vegetations. Deep Convolution Neural Network (CNN) can be deployed to mitigate the cost of manual classification. Although CNN outperforms the other traditional classifiers, such as Support Vector Machine, it is still in question whether CNN can be deployable in …

Efficacy Of Seed Treatments, Microbial And Biochemical Pesticides For Managing Early Tan Spot And Stripe Rust Diseases Of Wheat, Collins Bugingo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wheat is a major cereal crop in the U.S.A and in the world. However, its production is hampered by a number of factors both biotic and abiotic. Foliar diseases like tan spot caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and stripe rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, are economically important diseases causing over 5-55 % yield loss. To assess the efficacy of fungicide seed treatments in the management of early tan spot, two hard red spring wheat cultivars “Select” and “Brick” were treated with seedapplied commercially available combo fungicides metalaxyl + pyraclostrobin + triticonazole and difenoconazole + mefenoxam + sedaxane …

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Ludovicianus) State-And-Transition Model For Loamy Ecological Sites In Mlra 62 In Custer State Park, South Dakota, Mark R. Hendrix

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are native burrowing rodents that occupy large areas in the shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies of the Northern Great Plains. They are an important component of these prairie systems due to their impacts on plant communities. Currently State-and-Transition models (STMs) for grassland Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) address grazing by livestock as a major factor affecting states and phases within states. Impacts from other grazers, such as prairie dogs, are either not addressed directly, or are included only in a transition to a generalized early seral state. There are, however, dramatic differences in plant communities …

Role Of Bovine Ileal Sub-Epithelial Myofibroblasts And Epithelial Cells In Innate Immunity, Tirth Uprety

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gastro-intestinal (GI) tract harbors largest number of microbiota as well as the largest number of immune cells for a given tissue. The host needs to mount an effective immune response against invading pathogens and tolerance against commensals. Thus, regulatory mechanism and barrier function of the GI tract are of utmost importance for appropriate host microbe interaction and gut homeostasis. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) act as the first line of defense against invading pathogens. IECs recognize pathogens and commensals and mount an effective innate immune response. Such recognition of pathogens is mediated through germ line encoded pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Intestinal …

Development Of Polylactic Acid (Pla)-Based Nanocomposite Films For Smart Food Packaging Applications, Zeyad Albahr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most of current food packaging resources are non-renewable and nonbiodegradable. The use of these materials has resulted in serious environmental issues. In recent years, the recognition of waste disposal problems and their impacts on the environment has risen the demand for packaging manufactured from renewable materials. However, there are some limitations of using biopolymers for food packaging applications. These limitations include unreliable mechanical and barrier properties. These issues may be addressed by combining biopolymers and nanotechnologies. Nanotechnologies are expected to improve the performance of biopolymer-based packaging materials for food packaging applications. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) has shown a potential to be …

Impacts Of Diverse Crop Rotations And Integrated Crop-Livestock System On Soil Quality In South Dakota, Atilla Polat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crop diversification can be beneficial in improving soil quality parameters. Diverse crop rotations and integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS), are two examples of crop diversification used in this study to assess soil quality. The objectives of this study were to: (i) assess the impacts of diverse rotations on soil quality parameters, and (ii) assess the impacts of low and high stocking density on soil quality parameters. Both of the studies were conducted separately and are presented as two different chapters. To accomplish objective (i), a long-term experiment was selected which was established near Brookings, South Dakota, USA at USDA-ARS lab in …

Soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis: Quantitative Trait Locus Validation And Grain Yield Evaluation, Ahmed Charif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean production in most of the Northern Great Plain area has been challenged by iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC), which is a physiological problem with a plant grown in high pH, calcareous soil. Developing IDC-resistant cultivars is the best approach to meet this challenge. Currently, this approach is limited by lack of knowledge about genetic resources and mechanisms for resistance to IDC. The objectives of this research were to validate quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with IDC and to evaluate the effect of IDC on yield in soybean cultivars. To validate the QTL, a population of 201 recombinant inbred lines, which …

Evaluation Of An Essential Oil Blend And A Novel Soybean Variety As Alternatives To Preventative Antibiotic Use In Monogastrics, Samantha Tauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing consumer pressure to minimize antibiotic use and the implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive in 2017 has increased research on alternatives to preventative antibiotics. This thesis focuses on evaluation of Ralco’s Microfused™ Essential Oils (MEO) fed to broilers and soybean meal from low allergenicity soybeans fed to weaned pigs and their potential use as alternatives to antibiotics. Essential oils are known to have antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, and digestive stimulant effects. Low allergenicity (LA) soybeans were bred to contain significantly lower concentrations of the following anti-nutritional factors and allergenic proteins: Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, soybean agglutinin (lectin), and P34 (Gly m …

Stability Analysis Of Immunogenic Gliadin Accumulation In Hard Red Spring Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.), Stacy Lindblom-Dreis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Misconceptions regarding plant breeding objectives have led to speculation regarding the increasing prevalence of gluten intolerance, wheat allergy, and celiac disease. It is thought that contemporary wheat cultivars accumulate more immunogenic proteins than older cultivars because of supposed genetic changes effected through plant breeding strategies. This study evaluated the stability of gliadin accumulation in 191 hard red spring wheat cultivars grown in 12 location-years. Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed. A paired t test (N = 34) failed to find a statistically significant difference between the experimental ELISAs and the commercial R5 assay measures of mean gliadin (t = …

Expression Analyses And Identification Of Key Molecular Participants In Plant Responses To Environmental Cues, Praveena Kanchupati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plants constantly engage and interact with the environment and respond to the changes in conditions like temperature, water, and photoperiod, by regulating expression of genes of multiple regulatory and signaling pathways. Insight into these pathways and their participants has provided and will provide candidates to improve various agronomically important traits in crops through marker-assisted breeding and genetic manipulation. With this aim in mind, in the present study, I attempted to identify key candidate genes that are involved in the regulation of; i) plant response to low temperature stress, ii) plant roots’ response to soil moisture content and iii) flowering time. …

The Role Of Genomic Versatility In Multi-Niche Preferences Of Escherichia Coli, Gitanjali Nandakafle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Escherichia coli strains are naturally present as either commensals or pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals and some other vertebrates. Until recently, it was assumed that E. coli are solely associated with the gut and are unable to survive outside of a host for a long period of time, the basis of its use as an indicator organism. Recent reports suggest that E. coli can become naturalized to several tropical, subtropical or temperate soils and aquatic environments, where they have been isolated repeatedly. Several studies have shown that these strains are capable of surviving and proliferating in the environment …

Walleye Fishery Ecology In Lake Oahe Of The Dakotas, Eli Felts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Walleye Sander vitreus is among the most popular sport fishes in North America and is the most sought-after fish in both South Dakota and North Dakota. Lake Oahe, a large main stem Missouri River reservoir, spans state boundaries and provides one of the most popular and productive Walleye fisheries in both Dakotas. The Walleye population of Lake Oahe has experienced wide fluctuations in abundance and size structure over the last 25 years which has caused high variability in angler use and satisfaction. Much of this variation is thought to be driven by Rainbow Smelt Osmserus mordax, which are the dominant …

Fast Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (Firms): A Tandem Mass Spectrometry Technique For The Rapid And Semi-Comprehensive Evaluation Of Isotope Ratios, Fredrick Ochieng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Isotope ratios (IRs) are a measure of the variation in abundance of light isotopes versus heavy isotopes of an element, e.g. ¹H/²H,¹²C/¹³C, and ¹⁴N/¹⁵N. Because IRs change as a molecule undergoes certain chemical and physical processes, they represent unique fingerprints that can be used to trace the source of a chemical compound. Current techniques for determination of IRs each have major limitations, such as loss of structural information, vulnerability to contamination, high cost, large sample size requirements, low precision, limited applicability, and lengthy analysis. Fast Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (FIRMS) …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Internal And External Nutrient Removal To Control Algal Bloom In Eutrophic Lakes, Sepideh Sadeghi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication is one of the most widespread water quality problems in lakes and reservoirs. Frequent cyanobacterial blooms resulting from eutrophication can greatly damage aquatic ecosystems and pose a high risk to human health. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are the major causes for eutrophic conditions and can enter to the aquatic ecosystem via different sources. The combination of phosphorus precipitation and sediment capping are promising technologies to minimize internal P loading and control harmful algal blooms in eutrophic lakes. Denitrification bioreactors have emerged as an important edge-of-field treatment technology to reduce nitrate-nitrogen loads from external sources. The objective of this …

#Rest In Digital Peace: Examining Attachment Dimensions' Relationship To Grief Messages On Facebook, Kendall Uhrich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grief is a natural reaction to loss that can include behaviors and thoughts that are emotional, physical, and spiritual (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015). With the rise of social media, grief is now performed in a different and more public manner. The current literature has established the connection between how one grieves and their attachment dimension of either attachment anxiety or attachment avoidance (Bowlby, 1980; Schenck, Eberle, & Rings, 2016; Waskowic & Chartier, 2003; Worden, 1983). Attachment dimensions have also been correlated with social media usage, primarily the use of Facebook (Hart, Nalling, Bizer, & Collins, 2015; Lin, 2015). Findings from …

Soybean Aphid Biotype 4 Resistance In Soja And Soybean Plant Introductions, Sophia R. Conzemius

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, is a major pest to soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Host plant resistance is a management tactic that uses naturally occurring soybean plant defenses to limit soybean aphid pest damage. Virulent soybean aphid biotypes are able to successfully colonize on certain aphid resistant soybean. Soybean aphid biotype 4 is most virulent, overcoming all commercially available soybean aphid resistant soybeans (Rag1, Rag2, and Rag1+Rag2). Additional sources of resistance to avirulent biotypes have been identified in soja and soybean plant introductions (PIs). This study examined those resistant soja and soybean for resistance to the newly found soybean …

A Study Of African Savanna Vegetation Structure, Patterning, And Change, Christoffer R. Axelsson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African savannas cover roughly half of the continent, are home to a great diversity of wildlife, and provide ecosystem services to large populations. Savannas showcase a great diversity in vegetation structure, resulting from variation in climatic, edaphic, topographic, and biological factors. Fires play a large role as savannas are the most frequently burned ecosystems on Earth. To study how savanna vegetation structure shifts with environmental factors, it is necessary to gather site data covering the full gradient of climatic and edaphic conditions. Several earlier studies have used coarse resolution satellite remote sensing data to study variation in woody cover. These …

Evaluation Of Berberine As An Alternative To Antibiotics In Nursery Pig Diets, Emily Scholtz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pig weaning process results in reduced growth performance and gut health of weaned pigs. Antibiotics can be added in diets for weaned pigs to improve growth performance and gut health, but their use is being discouraged because they can lead to development of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms. Thus, there is need for alternatives to antibiotics in diets for weaned pigs. The overall goal of this thesis research was to determine the effects of plant extracts (berberine, quercetin, and allyl isothiocyante [AITC]) as alternatives to antibiotics in weaned pig diets. The first objective of the research was to determine in vitro antimicrobial …

What Is The Value Of Corn Residue To Grazing Cattle?, Emily Ann Petzel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States produces over 370,840,000,000 kg of corn grain and concomitantly more than 303,410,000,000 kg DM of non-grain corn residues (i.e., leaves, husks and stalk) from grain production annually. Although there is an abundance of available corn residue, only 12% of land planted to corn is grazed after harvest (Schmer, 2017), and based on current estimates of nutrient composition (NASEM, 2016), while 30% of available corn residues could maintain the entire United States cow herd. Grazing cattle often select diets with greater nutrient density and digestibility in comparison to the overall biomass available; however, most estimates of nutrient density …

Noise Mapping Of An Educational Environment: A Case Study Of South Dakota State University, Sujan Parajuli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sound is the subjective dimension of what we hear when vibrations reach our ears. Noise, or unwanted sound (mostly human caused), is an objective function of the pressure of those vibrations and is often measured using decibels (dB). Noise is a type of pollution that has both direct and indirect negative impacts on humans, with significant implications for public health plus social, economic, and environmental well-being. Mapping the acoustic landscape (i.e., soundscape) using noise and sound data provides important insights for evaluating, interpreting, understanding, and managing environmental noise. The objectives of this research are threefold; to map the spatial and …

Impacts Of Altered Precipitation Frequency, Clipping, And Competition On Perennial Grasses Mediated Through Belowground Bud Bank In Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie, Surendra Bam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perennial grasslands are remarkably resilient to severe natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Such resiliency largely depends on successful tiller recruitment and establishment from belowground bud banks. In the northern Great Plains, introduced perennial smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) has been rapidly invading and transforming larger tracts of native prairies by replacing native perennial species, such as western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), reducing biodiversity and quality of habitats, and increasing vulnerability of grasslands to other environmental disturbances. In this study, we evaluated the response of belowground bud production, tiller and rhizome recruitment, and plant establishment between the native P. smithii …

Evaluation Of Microbially-Converted Soybean Meal As An Alternative To Fishmeal In Weaned Pig Diets, Sue Sinn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digestibility values determined in growing pigs may not apply to nursery pigs; thus, standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in MCSBM and fishmeal (FM) were determined using 30 ± 1.6 kg BW ileal-cannulated barrows (n = 6) and 9.8 ± 1.2 kg BW barrows (n = 37; serial slaughter). Experimental diets included MCSBM, FM, and nitrogen-free where FM and MCSBM were included as the sole protein source. The SID of AA was 3-5% lower in MCSBM than FM when fed to 30 kg pigs. The SID of Arg and Met was greater (P < 0.05) in MCSBM than FM when fed to 10 kg pigs. The SID of AA was 12-20% lower in FM when fed to 10 versus 30 kg pigs but only 3-9% lower in MCSBM. A total of 336 barrows and gilts were weaned at 21 d of age (initial BW 6.1 ± 0.8 kg) and used in a performance trial. Pens of pigs were assigned to one of 6 experimental diets (8 pens/diet in two blocks). Treatment diets were fed in Phase I (7 d) and Phase II (14 d) with all pigs fed a common Phase III diet (14 d). Experimental diets included: 1) negative control (NEG) containing corn, soybean meal and whey, 2) NEG + acidifier (NEGA), 3) NEG + FM (POS), 4) POS + acidifier (POSA), 5) NEG + MCSBM (MCSBM), and 6) MCSBM + acidifier (MCSBMA). The FM and MCSBM were included at 7.5% and 5.0% in Phase I and II diets, respectively. Diets were formulated to meet the standard nutrient requirements for weaned pigs. Pig BW and feed disappearance was measured weekly and fecal scores were measured daily for the first 14 d postweaning as an indicator of PWDS. Performance (BW, ADG, ADFI, and G/F) was not significantly different among treatments. Treatment for PWDS occurred on different days in each block. Analysis of fecal score was completed separately by block. Pigs fed the NEG diets had higher (P = 0.02) fecal scores than pigs fed the POS diets on d 2 and 3 (block 1) and higher (P < 0.05) than pigs fed MCSBM or POS diets and diets with dietary acidifier on d 6 and 3 (block 2). At the end of Phase I and II, one pig/pen was humanely euthanized for digesta and tissue collection. Digesta pH was measured in the pyloric region of the stomach, duodenum, middle jejunum, ileum, cecum, and middle colon. There was an effect of location (P < 0.0001), where the pH was lowest in the stomach and increased until the ileum with a slight dip in the cecum and increased in the colon. There was no effect of ingredient, dietary acid, or their interaction within the gastrointestinal tract. At the end of Phase I, pigs fed NEG and POSA diets had similar pH (P > 0.10) from the stomach to the duodenum, …

Southeast South Dakota Experiment Farm Annual Progress Report: 2018, Southeast South Dakota Research Farm

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

Introduction by Pete Sexton, Farm Supervisor.

This report provides summaries of most of the research trials done at the SDSU Southeast Research Farm in 2018. The overall objective of the farm is to contribute to the public welfare for folks in southeast South Dakota by conducting unbiased agricultural research. The farm’s strategic goals as set by our Farm Board continue to be:

1. Improve character of the soil (soil quality);
2. Achieve grain yield goals and optimize cost of production and profitability;
3. Optimize livestock production including use of novel approaches in integrating livestock and crop production;
4. Increase association membership and improve public …

Aspects Of White-Tailed Deer Ecology And Management: Effects Of Imidacloprid And An Evaluation Of Management At Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Elise Hughes Berheim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

White-tail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an economically and recreationally important species throughout their range, and understanding their ecology to implement beneficial management techniques is invaluable. This thesis focused on two studies 1) the effect of Imidacloprid on adult female and fawn physiology and 2) an evaluation of techniques to monitor white-tailed deer at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (GSNWR). Imidacloprid, a widely-used pesticide, has been linked to lethal and sub-lethal effects in insects and small vertebrates, however, no research has been conducted on white-tailed deer. Twenty captive pregnant adult female and subsequent fawns housed at the South Dakota …

Impacts On Salmonid Rearing Performance With Use Of Dietary Bioprocessed Plant-Based Protein And Water Velocity, Jill Voorhees

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The inclusion of bioprocessed soybean (Glycine max) meal was evaluated in five experiments using either Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) or Brown Trout (Salmo trutta). In the first experiment, adult Erwin x Arlee strain Rainbow Trout were fed diets formulated so that bioprocessed soybean meal (BSM) replaced 0, 60, or 80% of the dietary fishmeal. There were no significant differences in gain, percent gain, feed conversion ratio, specific growth rate, intestinal morphology, relative fin lengths, or organosomatic indices. In the second experiment, juvenile Plymouth strain Brown Trout were fed diets formulated so that BSM replaced 0, 60, 80, or 100% of …