Digital Commons Network^™

Guided Pathways: How Early Major Declaration Impacts Student Graduation Rates, Chris Mcbeath

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing graduation rates continues to be a high priority for administrators at community colleges nationwide. While several factors affect graduation rates, many researchers focus on how a student’s status as declared or undecided may impact their likelihood of graduating. This study aims to examine the potential relationship between matriculating with or without a major declared and degree completion. There exists a perception that an early decision about a major is a critical step in ensuring students graduate. Many institutions require or strongly encourage students to declare a major before enrolling in their first semester. Previous research about undeclared students and …

The Effects Of Fermented Vegetables On The Gut Microbiota For Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease, Melissa Baron, Bin Zuo, Jianmin Chai, Jiangchao Zhao, Alireza Jahan-Mihan, Judy Ochrietor, Andrea Y. Arikawa

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated the impact of regular consumption of fermented vegetables (FVs) on inflammation and the composition of the gut microbiota in adults at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Eighty-seven adults ages 35–64 were randomized into an FV group, who consumed 100 g FVs daily at least five times per week for eight weeks, or a usual diet (UD) group. Blood and stool samples were obtained before and after the intervention. Dependent samples t tests and adjusted linear models were used for within- and between-group comparisons. The mean age and body mass index of participants were 45 years and 30 …

Memo: Dataset And Methods For Robust Multimodal Retinal Image Registration With Large Or Small Vessel Density Differences, Chiao-Yi Wang, Faranguisse Kahki Sadrieh, Yi-Ting Shen, Shih-En Chen, Sarah Kim, Victoria Chen, Achyut Raghavendra, Dongyi Wang, Osamah Saeedi, Yang Tao

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The measurement of retinal blood flow (RBF) in capillaries can provide a powerful biomarker for the early diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases. However, no single modality can determine capillary flowrates with high precision. Combining erythrocyte-mediated angiography (EMA) with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) has the potential to achieve this goal, as EMA can measure the absolute RBF of retinal microvasculature and OCTA can provide the structural images of capillaries. However, multimodal retinal image registration between these two modalities remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, we establish MEMO, the first public multimodal EMA and OCTA retinal image dataset. …

Lucy Through The Years -- Temporal Trends In The Australopithecus Dentition, Olivia Ervin

Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Australopithecus afarensis, an extinct human ancestor (ca. 3.75 – 2.95 million years ago) first distinguished in 1978, has a dense fossil record. Until recently, A. afarensis fossils were primarily known from two locations, Laetoli, Tanzania, and Hadar, Ethiopia, that are approximately 1750 kilometers apart. Additionally, there is no temporal overlap between the sites; fossils from Laetoli are older than 3.5 Ma and those from Hadar stretch from 3.4 – 3.0 Ma. For some tooth positions, the Laetoli and Hadar fossils subtly differ in size and shape. Previous research indicated that some of these differences could be attributable to evolutionary change, …

A Sublethal Concentration Of Chlorine Induces Antibiotic Resistance In Salmonella Via Production Of Reactive Oxygen Species, Mohammed Aljuwayd, Israa Abdullah Malli, Steven C. Ricke, Young Min Kwon

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies have shown that the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is triggered by bactericidal antibiotics, which contributes significantly to the killing of bacterial cells and increasing mutations in surviving cells. In this study, we hypothesized that exposure of Salmonella to sublethal concentrations of hypochlorite (NaOCl), a commonly used sanitizer in household and food industries increases mutation rates, leading to the development of antibiotic resistance. We found that a sublethal concentration (20 ppm) of NaOCl increased the mutation rates of S. typhimurium 14028s significantly (p < 0.05), which was prevented by the ROS scavenger thiourea, supporting that the increased mutation was due to NaOCl-triggered ROS production. We further found that the exposure of S. typhimurium 14028s to the same sublethal concentration of NaOCl increases resistance to kanamycin among the 3 antibiotics evaluated. The results of this study suggest that when NaOCl applied as a sanitizer fails to kill Salmonella due to diluted local concentrations or presence of organic materials, it can cause an adverse outcome of developing antibiotic resistance of the pathogen.

Contractile Vacuoles: A Rapidly Expanding (And Occasionally Diminishing?) Understanding, Kiran J. More, Harpreet Kaur, Alastair G.B. Simpson, Frederick W. Spiegel, Joel B. Dacks

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Osmoregulation is the homeostatic mechanism essential for the survival of organisms in hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic conditions. In freshwater or soil dwelling protists this is frequently achieved through the action of an osmoregulatory organelle, the contractile vacuole. This endomembrane organelle responds to the osmotic challenges and compensates by collecting and expelling the excess water to maintain the cellular osmolarity. As compared with other endomembrane organelles, this organelle is underappreciated and under-studied. Here we review the reported presence or absence of contractile vacuoles across eukaryotic diversity, as well as the observed variability in the structure, function, and molecular machinery of …

My Patient Or Law Enforcement, Who Gets First Say?, Hollis T. Redden

Arkansas Law Notes

Law enforcement is often left struggling with determining how to appropriately respond to nurses who refuse their request to collect a suspect’s blood when that patient is suspected of intoxicated driving and the officer has a valid search warrant. These scenarios trigger compliance issues including a patient’s right to privacy and consent, “particularly when a medical entity’s compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) provisions directly conflicts with law enforcement needs and goals.” Once a suspect becomes a patient, whose interest prevails? Is it healthcare providers’ interest in abiding by the rights, health, and safety …

Exploring Leaf Anthocyanin Concentrations And Light Effects On Lettuce Growth, Peyton Lou Palsha, Marc W. Van Iersel, Ryan Dickson, Lynn Seymour, Melanie Yelton, Rhuanito Soranz Ferrarezi

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Anthocyanins are secondary metabolites classified as water-soluble, non-photosynthetic pigments with the potential ability to shield chloroplasts from excess light energy. This study investigated the morphological and physiological responses of six lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivars with different leaf anthocyanin contents grown in a greenhouse under different supplemental photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD). Cultivars ‘Cherokee’, ‘Teodore’, ‘Rex’, and ‘Rouxai’ decreased in specific leaf area with increasing PPFD, respectively. We observed that growth in cultivars with higher leaf anthocyanin content (‘Cherokee’ and ‘Rouxai’) increased with increasing PPFD. Light use efficiency (LUE) is an important physiological parameter affecting biomass accumulation, and cultivars ‘Cherokee’, ‘Rex’, …

Genomic Insights Into Oxalate Content In Spinach: A Genome-Wide Association Study And Genomic Prediction Approach, Haizheng Xiong, Kenani Chiwina, Waltram Ravelombola, Yilin Chen, Ibtisam Alatawi, Qun Luo, Theresa M. Phiri, Beiquan Mou, Ainong Shi

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Oxalate content in spinach is a key trait of interest due to its relevance to human health. Understanding the genetic basis of it can facilitate the development of spinach varieties with reduced oxalate levels. In pursuit of understanding the genetic determinants, a diverse panel comprising 288 spinach accessions underwent thorough phenotyping of oxalate content and were subjected to whole-genome resequencing, resulting in a comprehensive dataset encompassing 14 386 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Leveraging this dataset, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify noteworthy SNPs associated with oxalate content. Furthermore, we employed genomic prediction (GP) via cross-prediction, utilizing five GP …

Ssnet: Exploiting Spatial Information For Tobacco Stem Impurity Detection With Hyperspectral Imaging, Chao Zhou, Zhenye Li, Dongyi Wang, Sheng Xue, Tingting Zhu, Chao Ni

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tobacco stems are a critical component in cigarette production in China. However, accurately and promptly identifying impurities in tobacco stems remains a challenge with current deep learning methods, often failing to meet industry standards. This study introduces the Spectral-Spatial Network (SSNet), which is specifically optimized for rapid and precise detection of impurities in tobacco stems, leveraging spatial information in hyperspectral imaging. Designed to align with the high-speed requirements of industrial processing, SSNet effectively overcomes the complexities associated with analyzing hyperspectral data. The integration of spatial information particularly enhances recognition accuracy, especially in areas affected by fringe patterns. Our experiments reveal …

Exercise-Induced Myc As An Epigenetic Reprogramming Factor That Combats Skeletal Muscle Aging, Ronald G. Jones Iii, Ferdinand Von Walden, Kevin A. Murach

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

Of the “Yamanaka factors” Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM), the transcription factor c-Myc (Myc) is the most responsive to exercise in skeletal muscle and is enriched within the muscle fiber. We hypothesize that the pulsatile induction of MYC protein after bouts of exercise can serve to epigenetically reprogram skeletal muscle toward a more resilient and functional state.

Remote, Rugged Field Scenarios For Archaeology And The Field Sciences: Object Avoidance And 3d Flight Planning With Suas Photogrammetry, Carla Klehm, Malcolm D. Williamson, Leland C. Bement, Brandi Bethke

Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies Publications and Presentations

Advances built into recent sUASs (drones) offer a compelling possibility for field-based data collection in logistically challenging and GPS-denied environments. sUASs-based photogrammetry generates 3D models of features and landscapes, used extensively in archaeology as well as other field sciences. Until recently, navigation has been limited by the expertise of the pilot, as objects, like trees, and vertical or complex environments, such as cliffs, create significant risks to successful documentation. This article assesses sUASs’ capability for autonomous obstacle avoidance and 3D flight planning using data collection scenarios carried out in Black Mesa, Oklahoma. Imagery processed using commercial software confirmed that the …

Brainlife.Io: A Decentralized And Open-Source Cloud Platform To Support Neuroscience Research, Soichi Hayashi, Bradley A. Caron, Anibal Solon Heinsfeld, Sophia Vinci-Booher, Brent Mcpherson, Daniel N. Bullock, Giulia Berto, Guiomar Niso, Sandra Hanekamp, Daniel Levitas, Kimberly Ray, Anne Mackenzie, Paolo Avesani, Lindsey Kitchell, Josiah K. Leong, Filipi Nascimento-Silva, Serge Koudoro, Hanna Willis, Jasleen K. Jolly, Derek Pisner, Taylor R. Zuidema, Jan W. Kurzawski, Kyriaki Mikellidou, Aurore Bussalb, Maximilien Chaumon, Nathalie George, Christopher Rorden, Conner Victory, Dheeraj Bhatia, Dogu Baran Aydogan, Fang-Chen F. Yeh, Franco Delogu, Javier Guaje, Jelle Veraart, Jeremy Fischer, Joshua Faskowitz, Ricardo Fabrega, David Hunt, Shawn Mckee, Shawn T. Brown, Stephanie Heyman, Vittorio Iacovella, Amanda F. Mejia, Daniele Marinazzo, R. Cameron Craddock, Emanuale Olivetti, Jamie L. Hanson, Eleftherios Garyfallidis, Dan Stanzione, James Carson, Robert Henschel, David Y. Hancock, Craig A. Stewart, David Schnyer, Damian O. Eke, Russell A. Poldrack, Steffen Bollmann, Ashley Stewart, Holly Bridge, Ilaria Sani, Winrich A. Freiwald, Aina Puce, Nicholas L. Port, Franco Pestilli

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Neuroscience is advancing standardization and tool development to support rigor and transparency. Consequently, data pipeline complexity has increased, hindering FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) access. brainlife.io was developed to democratize neuroimaging research. The platform provides data standardization, management, visualization and processing and automatically tracks the provenance history of thousands of data objects. Here, brainlife.io is described and evaluated for validity, reliability, reproducibility, replicability and scientific utility using four data modalities and 3,200 participants.

Investigation Of Potential Gut Health Biomarkers In Broiler Chicks Challenged By Campylobacter Jejuni And Submitted To A Continuous Water Disinfection Program, Tilemachos Mantzios, Despoina E. Kiousi, Georgia D. Brellou, Georgios A. Papadopoulos, Vangelis Economou, Marili Vasilogianni, Elisavet Kanari, Evanthia Petridou, Ilias Giannenas, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, Aglaia Pappa, Alex Galanis, Vasilios Tsiouris

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The exploration of novel biomarkers to assess poultry health is of paramount importance, not only to enhance our understanding of the pathogenicity of zoonotic agents but also to evaluate the efficacy of novel treatments as alternatives to antibiotics. The present study aimed to investigate potential gut health biomarkers in broiler chicks challenged by Campylobacter jejuni and subjected to a continuous water disinfection program. A total of 144 one-day-old hatched broiler chicks were randomly allocated to four treatment groups with four replicates each, according to the following experimental design: Group A received untreated drinking water; Group B received drinking water treated …

A Hypothesis-Based Hop Microbiology Laboratory Module Testing The Plausibility Of The Mythical Origin Of The India Pale Ale, Julio Molina Pineda, Amanda N. Scholes, Jeffrey A. Lewis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

As one of the most famous fermented drinks in the world, beer is an especially relatable topic for microbiology courses. Here, we describe a short and easily adaptable module based on the antibacterial properties of hops used in brewing. By the 15th century, beer recipes included hops (the flower of the Humulus lupulus plant) as a bittering agent and antimicrobial. By the 19th century, the highly hopped Indian Pale Ale (IPA) became popular, and a modern myth has emerged that IPAs were invented to survive long ocean voyages such as from Britain to India. With that myth in mind, we …

Phenotypic And Functional Characterization Of Bovine Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, Vitali V. Maldonado, Sriya Pokharel, Jeremy G. Powell, Rebekah M. Samsonraj Dr.

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are increasingly trialed in cellular therapy applications in humans. They can also be applied to treat a range of diseases in animals, particularly in cattle to combat inflammatory conditions and aging-associated degenerative disorders. We sought to demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining MSCs from adipose tissue and characterizing them using established assays. Methods: Bovine adipose MSCs (BvAdMSCs) were isolated using in-house optimized tissue digestion protocols and characterized by performing a colony formation assay, cell growth assessments, cell surface marker analysis by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry, osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation, and secretion of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenease (IDO). Results: …

Linear Enamel Hypoplasia In Homo Naledi Reappraised In Light Of New Retzius Periodicities, Mark Fretson Skinner, Lukas Kyle Delezene, Matthew M. Skinner, Patrick Mahoney

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives

Among low-latitude apes, developmental defects of enamel often recur twice yearly, linkable to environmental cycles. Surprisingly, teeth of Homo naledi from Rising Star in South Africa (241–335 kya), a higher latitude site with today a single rainy season, also exhibit bimodally distributed hypoplastic enamel defects, but with uncertain timing and etiology. Newly determined Retzius periodicities for enamel formation in this taxon enable a reconstruction of the temporal patterning of childhood stress.

Methods

Using high resolution casts of 31 isolated anterior teeth from H. naledi, 82 enamel defects (linear enamel hypoplasia [LEH]) were identified. Seventeen teeth are assigned …

Novel 4th-Generation Phytase Improves Broiler Growth Performance And Reduces Woody Breast Severity Through Modulation Of Muscle Glucose Uptake And Metabolism, Carrie L. Walk, Garrett J. Mullenix, Craig W. Maynard, Elizabeth S. Greene, Clay Maynard, Nelson Ward, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of a novel (4th generation) phytase supplementation as well as its mode of action on growth, meat quality, and incidence of muscle myopathies. One-day old male broilers (n = 720) were weighed and randomly allocated to 30 floor pens (24 birds/pen) with 10 replicate pens per treatment. Three diets were fed from hatch to 56- days-old: a 3-phase corn-soy based diet as a positive control (PC); a negative control (NC) formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous to the PC and with a reduction in Ca and available P, …

Market Assessment Of Fortified Parboiled Rice In Burkina Faso, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Ya-Jane Wang, Imael H.N. Bassole, Lilian Nkengla-Asi, Wei Yang

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Micronutrient deficiency remains a daunting issue in many parts of the world. Effective interventions are needed to deal with the problem, which should consider production and consumption traditions and trends to improve their success. Parboil rice is a growing staple in Burkina Faso, where micronutrient deficiency remains high. This paper assesses the market feasibility of fortified rice through parboiling using a limited-water soaking method. Our findings suggest that consumers are willing to pay a premium for fortified rice versus conventional parboiled rice after they are informed about the importance of the problem and the potential benefits of fortified rice. A …

Target-Site Mutations Ile1781leu And Ile2041asn In The Accase2 Gene Confer Resistance To Fluazifop-P-Butyl And Pinoxaden Herbicides In A Johnsongrass Accession From Arkansas, Usa, Fidel Gonzalez-Torralva, Jason K. Norsworthy

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.] is a troublesome weed species in different agricultural and non-agricultural areas. Because of its biology, reproductive system, and seed production, effective management is challenging. An accession with low susceptibility to the acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibiting herbicides fluazifop-p-butyl (fluazifop) and pinoxaden was collected in eastern Arkansas. In this research, the molecular mechanisms responsible for ACCase resistance were investigated. Dose–response experiments showed a resistance factor of 181 and 133 for fluazifop and pinoxaden, respectively. Molecular analysis of both ACCase1 and ACCase2 genes was researched. Nucleotide comparison of ACCase1 between resistant and susceptible accessions showed no single nucleotide …

Assessment Of The Impact Of Humic Acids On Intestinal Microbiota, Gut Integrity, Ileum Morphometry, And Cellular Immunity Of Turkey Poults Fed An Aflatoxin B1-Contaminated Diet, Jesus A. Maguey-Gonzalez, Jing Liu, Guolong Zhang, Juan D. Latorre, Juan O. Hernandez-Ramirez, Maria De Jesus Nava-Ramirez, Roberto Señas-Cuesta, Sergio Gomez-Rosales, Maria De Lourdes Angeles, Andressa Stein, Bruno Solis-Cruz, Daniel Hernandez-Patlan, Ruben Merino-Guzman, Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco, Inkar Castellanos-Huerta, Santiago Uribe-Diaz, Alma Vazquez-Duran, Abraham Mendez-Albores, Victor Petrone-Garcia, Guillermo Tellez Jr., Billy M. Hargis, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

A recent study published data on the growth performance, relative weights of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, liver histology, serum biochemistry, and hematological parameters for turkey poults fed an experimental diet contaminated with aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and humic acids (HA) extracted from vermicompost. The negative effects of AFB₁ (250 ng AFB₁/g of feed) were significantly reduced by HA supplementation (0.25% w/w), suggesting that HA might be utilized to ameliorate the negative impact of AFB₁ from contaminated diets. The present study shows the results of the remaining variables, as an extension of …

Effect Of Heat Stress On The Hypothalamic Expression Profile Of Water Homeostasis-Associated Genes In Low- And High-Water Efficient Chicken Lines, Loujain Aloui, Elizabeth S. Greene, Travis Tabler, Kentu Lassiter, Kevin Thompson, Walter G. Bottje, Sara Orlowski, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

With climate change, selection for water efficiency and heat resilience are vitally important. We undertook this study to determine the effect of chronic cyclic heat stress (HS) on the hypothalamic expression profile of water homeostasis-associated markers in high (HWE)- and low (LWE)-water efficient chicken lines. HS significantly elevated core body temperatures of both lines. However, the amplitude was higher by 0.5–1°C in HWE compared to their LWE counterparts. HWE line drank significantly less water than LWE during both thermoneutral (TN) and HS conditions, and HS increased water intake in both lines with pronounced magnitude in LWE birds. HWE had better …

Considering The Lessons Of Curriculum Studies In The Design Of Science Instruction: Varieties Of Meaning And Implications For Teaching And Learning, William F. Mccomas

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article is an introduction to the rich domain of curriculum studies with specific reference to science teaching and learning. It is designed not as a systematic review or theoretical treatise but rather as an overview for those charged with transforming science content and processes into a classroom curriculum. In other words, while written from the scholarly perspective of curriculum studies, the hope is that it will be seen by teachers as a set of possibilities rather than recommendations while reminding educators that what happens in classrooms to students and their parents is the curriculum, but it is only one …

Evaluation Of Fall And Winter Trinexapac-Ethyl Applications On Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Putting Green Color, Quality, And Green Cover, J. C. Booth, W. J. Hutchens, S. D. Askew, J. M. Goatley, X. Zhang, D. S. Mccall

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ultradwarf bermudagrass (UDB) putting greens grown in subtropical and temperate climates can face elevated risk of winter injury from cold temperatures. Trinexapac-ethyl (TE) inhibits UDB growth potentially reducing spring green-up and overexertion of carbohydrate reserves for UDB during the cold de-acclimation period. A field study was conducted to determine the effect of fall and winter TE applications on the visual quality and color of UDB putting greens in Virginia from the cold acclimation phase through the cold de-acclimation phase. A second controlled-environment study was conducted to determine how TE applications to UDB during cold acclimation affected UDB cold tolerance. In …

A Short-Term, Randomized, Controlled, Feasibility Study Of The Effects Of Different Vegetables On The Gut Microbiota And Microrna Expression In Infants, Lynn E. Ferro, Kyle Bittinger, Sabrina P. Trudo, Kaleigh E. Beane, Shawn W. Polson, Jae Kyeom Kim, Jillian C. Trabulsi

General Human Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The complementary diet influences the gastrointestinal (gut) microbiota composition and, in turn, host health and, potentially, microRNA (miRNA) expression. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of altering the gut microbial communities with short-term food introduction and to determine the effects of different vegetables on the gut microbiota and miRNA expression in infants. A total of 11 infants were randomized to one of the following intervention arms: control, broccoli, or carrot. The control group maintained the milk diet only, while the other groups consumed either a broccoli puree or a carrot puree on days 1–3 along with their milk diet …

Toxicity And Risk Of Biopesticides To Insect Pollinators In Urban And Agricultural Landscapes, Joshua Chavana, Neelendra K. Joshi

Entomology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pollinators play important roles in providing pollination services, maintaining biodiversity, and boosting crop production. Even though pollinators are essential to the environment and agriculture, their decline has been noted across multiple studies in the recent past. Both natural and anthropogenic factors have contributed to their decline. Much of the focus has been placed on climate change, habitat loss, pests and pathogens, and synthetic pesticides, but relatively little is known about the effects of biopesticides. Biopesticides are biological control agents derived from living organisms and are classified into three groups: microbial, biochemical, and plant-incorporated protectant-based products. Biopesticides are formulated similarly to …

Resolution Of Respect: Conrad Alan Istock (1936–2023), Steven Hecht Orzack, Julia Bell, Judith Bronstein, William Etges, Shripad Tuljakpurkar

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Conrad Istock was an important contributor to the emerging field of evolutionary ecology starting in the 1960s. His best-known work in this area blended theory and field and laboratory studies of pitcher-plant mosquitoes. Conrad died March 8, 2023, in Ithaca, New York, USA.

Quantifying Wildfire Drivers And Predictability In Boreal Peatlands Using A Two-Step Error-Correcting Machine Learning Framework In Tefire V1.0, Rongyun Tang, Mingzhou Jin, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Anping Chen, Yulong Zhang

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wildfires are becoming an increasing challenge to the sustainability of boreal peatland (BP) ecosystems and can alter the stability of boreal carbon storage. However, predicting the occurrence of rare and extreme BP fires proves to be challenging, and gaining a quantitative understanding of the factors, both natural and anthropogenic, inducing BP fires remains elusive. Here, we quantified the predictability of BP fires and their primary controlling factors from 1997 to 2015 using a two-step correcting machine learning (ML) framework that combines multiple ML classifiers, regression models, and an error-correcting technique. We found that (1) the adopted oversampling algorithm effectively addressed …

Kenyan Free-Tailed Bats Demonstrate Seasonal Birth Pulse Asynchrony With Implications For Virus Maintenance, Tamika J. Lunn, Reilly T. Jackson, Paul W. Webala, Joseph Ogola, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ecological information on wildlife reservoirs is fundamental for research targeting prevention of zoonotic infectious disease, yet basic information is lacking for many species in global hotspots of disease emergence. We provide the first estimates of synchronicity, magnitude, and timing of seasonal birthing in Mops condylurus, a putative ebolavirus host, and a co-roosting species, Mops pumilus (formerly Chaerephon pumilus). We show that population-level synchronicity of M. condylurus birthing is wide (~ 8.5 weeks) and even wider in M. pumilus (> 11 weeks). This is predicted to promote the likelihood of filovirus persistence under conditions of bi-annual birthing (two births …

Achieving Wheat Self-Sufficiency In Brazil, Rogerio De S. Noia Junior, Maicon Nardino, Elvis F. Elli, Diego Pequeno, Clyde Fraisse

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Brazil is a leading grain producer and exporter, producing on average 6.6 million tons (Mt) of wheat per year from 2013 to 2023. However, to meet its average annual domestic consumption of 11.1 Mt over the same period, the country continued to rely on imports of 4.5 Mt of wheat each year. This dependency on imports leads to high wheat prices in Brazil compared to the global average.