Digital Commons Network^™

A Review Of Radiation-Induced Alterations Of Multi-Omic Profiles, Radiation Injury Biomarkers, And Countermeasures, Sushil K. Shakyawar, Nitish K. Mishra, Neetha N. Vellichirammal, Lynnette Cary, Tomáš Helikar, Robert Powers, Rebecca E. Oberley-Deegan, David B. Berkowitz, Kenneth W. Bayles, Vijay K. Singh, Chittibabu Guda

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Increasing utilization of nuclear power enhances the risks associated with industrial accidents, occupational hazards, and the threat of nuclear terrorism. Exposure to ionizing radiation interferes with genomic stability and gene expression resulting in the disruption of normal metabolic processes in cells and organs by inducing complex biological responses. Exposure to high-dose radiation causes acute radiation syndrome, which leads to hematopoietic, gastrointestinal, cerebrovascular, and many other organ-specific injuries. Altered genomic variations, gene expression, metabolite concentrations, and microbiota profiles in blood plasma or tissue samples reflect the whole-body radiation injuries. Hence, multi-omic profiles obtained from high-resolution omics platforms offer a holistic approach …

G-Dam: A Distributed Data Storage With Blockchain Framework For Management Of Groundwater Quality Data, Sukrutha L. T. Vangipuram, Saraju P. Mohanty, Elias Kougianos, Chittaranjan Ray

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Groundwater overuse in different domains will eventually lead to global freshwater scarcity. To meet the anticipated demands, many governments worldwide are employing innovative and traditional techniques for forecasting groundwater availability by conducting research and studies. One challenging step for this type of study is collecting groundwater data from different sites and securely sending it to the nearby edges without exposure to hacking and data tampering. In the current paper, we send raw data formats from the Internet of Things to the Distributed Data Storage (DDS) and Blockchain (BC) edges. We use a distributed and decentralized architecture to store the statistics, …

Effective Medical Waste Management For Sustainable Green Healthcare, Sang M. Lee, Donhee Lee

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

This study examines the importance of medical waste management activities for developing a sustainable green healthcare environment. This study applied a multiple methodological approach as follows. A thorough review of the literature was performed to delineate the factors that have been explored for reducing medical waste; hospital staff who handle medical waste were surveyed to obtain their opinions on these factors; the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to determine the priorities among the identified key factors; and experts’ opinions were consulted to assess the actual applicability of the results derived by the AHP. The study identified the following factors …

Spatiotemporal Metabolic Network Models Reveal Complex Autotroph-Heterotroph Biofilm Interactions Governed By Photon Incidences, Poonam Phalak, Hans C. Bernstein, Stephen R. Lindemann, Ryan S. Renslow, Dennis G. Thomas, Michael A. Henson, Hyun-Seob Song

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Autotroph-heterotroph interactions are ubiquitous in natural environment and play a key role in controlling various essential ecosystem functions, such as production and utilization of organic matter, cycling of nitrogen, sulfur, and other chemical elements. Understanding how these biofilm metabolic interactions are constrained in space and time remains challenging because fully predictive models designed for this purpose are currently limited. Toward filling this gap, here we developed community metabolic network models for two autotroph-heterotroph biofilm consortia (termed UCC-A and UCC-O), which share a suite of common heterotrophic members but have a single distinct photoautotrophic cyanobacterium (Phormidesmis priestleyi str. ANA and …

Bison Influences On Composition And Diversity Of Riparian Plant Communities In Yellowstone National Park, J. Boone Kauffman, Dian Lyn Cummings, Cimarron Kauffman, Robert L. Beschta, Jeremy Brooks, Keeley Macneill, William J. Ripple

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Riparian zones are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the Intermountain West, USA, and provide valuable ecosystem services, including high rates of biotic productivity, nutrient processing, and carbon storage. Thus, their sustainability is a high priority for land managers. Large ungulates affect composition and structure of riparian/stream ecosystems through herbivory and physical effects, via trailing and trampling. Bison (Bison bison) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) have been characterized as “ecosystem engineers” because of their demonstrated effects on phenology, aboveground productivity of grasses, and woody vegetation structure. Bison have greatly increased in numbers during the last two decades …

Cardiac Myosin-Specific Autoimmune T Cells Contribute To Immune-Checkpoint-Inhibitor-Associated Myocarditis, Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School Of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University Whiting School Of Engineering, Ninaad Lasrado, Jay Reddy, Daniela Ciháková

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are an effective therapy for various cancers; however, they can induce immune-related adverse events (irAEs) as a side effect. Myocarditis is an uncommon, but fatal, irAE caused after ICI treatments. Currently, the mechanism of ICI-associated myocarditis is unclear. Here, we show the development of myocarditis in A/J mice induced by anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) administration alone without tumor cell inoculation, immunization, or viral infection. Mice with myocarditis have increased cardiac infiltration, elevated cardiac troponin levels, and arrhythmia. Anti-PD-1 mAb treatment also causes irAEs in other organs. Autoimmune T cells recognizing cardiac myosin are activated and increased …

Cardiac Myosin-Specific Autoimmune T Cells Contribute To Immune-Checkpoint-Inhibitor-Associated Myocarditis, Taejoon Won, Hannah M. Kalinoski, Megan K. Wood, David M. Hughes, Camille M. Jaime, Paul Delgado, Monica V. Talor, Ninaad Lasrado, Jay Reddy, Daniela Čiháková

Jay Reddy Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are an effective therapy for various cancers; however, they can induce immune-related adverse events (irAEs) as a side effect. Myocarditis is an uncommon, but fatal, irAE caused after ICI treatments. Currently, the mechanism of ICI-associated myocarditis is unclear. Here, we show the development of myocarditis in A/J mice induced by anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) administration alone without tumor cell inoculation, immunization, or viral infection. Mice with myocarditis have increased cardiac infiltration, elevated cardiac troponin levels, and arrhythmia. Anti-PD-1 mAb treatment also causes irAEs in other organs. Autoimmune T cells recognizing cardiac myosin are activated and increased …

A Novel Vaccine Candidate Against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (Rhdv2) Confers Protection In Domestic Rabbits, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, Bethany Cominsky, Stephanie Porter, J. Jeffrey Root, Amber Schueler, Gary Anderson, Sara Vanderwal, Andy Benson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

OBJECTIVE To evaluate efficacy of a novel vaccine against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) in domestic rabbits.

ANIMALS 40 New Zealand White rabbits obtained from a commercial breeder.

PROCEDURES Rabbits were vaccinated and held at the production facility for the duration of the vaccination phase and transferred to Colorado State University for challenge with RHDV2. Rabbits were challenged with oral suspensions containing infectious virus and monitored for clinical disease for up to 10 days. Rabbits that died or were euthanized following infection were necropsied, and livers were evaluated for viral RNA via RT-PCR.

RESULTS None of the vaccinated animals …

The “Big Six”: Hidden Emerging Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens, Mona G. Alharbi, Rashad R. Al-Hindi, Ahmed Esmael, Ibrahim A. Alotibi, Sheren A. Azhari, Mazen S. Alseghayer, Addisu D. Teklemariam

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are emerging serogroups that often result in diseases ranging from diarrhea to severe hemorrhagic colitis in humans. The most common non-O157 STEC are O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. These serogroups are known by the name “big six” because they cause severe illness and death in humans and the United States Department of Agriculture declared these serogroups as food contaminants. The lack of fast and efficient diagnostic methods exacerbates the public impact of the disease caused by these serogroups. Numerous outbreaks have been reported globally and most of these outbreaks were caused by …

Genome‑Wide Association Analyses Of Leaf Rust Resistance In Cultivated Emmer Wheat, Dhondup Lhamo, Qun Sun, Qijun Zhang, Xuehui Li, Jason D. Fiedler, Guangmin Xia, Justin D. Faris, Yong‑Qiang Gu, Upinder Gill, Xiwen Cai, Maricelis Acevedo, Steven S. Xu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina (Pt), constantly threatens durum (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) production worldwide. A Pt race BBBQD detected in California in 2009 poses a potential threat to durum production in North America because resistance source to this race is rare in durum germplasm. To find new resistance sources, we assessed a panel of 180 cultivated emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum) accessions for seedling resistance to BBBQD and for adult resistance to a mixture of durum-specific races BBBQJ, CCMSS, and MCDSS in the field, and genotyped …

The Stockholm Paradigm: Lessons For The Emerging Infectious Disease Crisis, Daniel R. Brooks, Walter A. Boeger, Eric P. Hoberg

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The emerging infectious disease (EID) crisis represents an immediate existential threat to modern humanity. Current policies aimed at coping with the EID crisis are ineffective and unsustainably expensive. They have failed because they are based on a scientific paradigm that produced the parasite paradox. The Stockholm paradigm (SP) resolves the paradox by integrating four elements of evolutionary biology: ecological fitting, sloppy fitness space, coevolution, and responses to environmental perturbations. It explains why and how the EID crisis occurs and is expanding and what happens after an EID emerges that sets the stage for future EIDs. The SP provides a number …

The Dama Protocol, An Introduction: Finding Pathogens Before They Find Us, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Orsolya Molnár, Gábor Földvári, Scott L. Gardner, Alicia Juarrero, Vitaliy A. Kharchenko, Eloy Ortiz, Wolfgang Preiser, Valeria Trivellone, Daniel R. Brooks

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Globally, humanity is coming to recognize the magnitude of the interactive crisis for emerging infectious disease (EID). Strategies for coping with EID have been largely in the form of reactive measures for crisis response. The DAMA protocol (Document, Assess, Monitor, Act), the operational policy extension of the Stockholm paradigm, constitutes a preventive/proactive dimension to those efforts. DAMA is aimed at focusing and extending human and material resources devoted to coping with the accelerating wave of EID. DAMA is integrative, combining efforts to strategically document the distribution of complex pathogen and host assemblages in the biosphere in the context of dynamic …

Injection Of Electron Beams Into Two Laser Wakefields And Generation Of Electron Rings, Q. Chen, Dominika Maslarova, J. Wang, S. Li, Donald Umstadter

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Mutual injection of electron beams into two laser plasma wakefields was observed experimentally when driving laser pulses interfered in plasma at a small crossing angle and were slightly relatively delayed, approximately by one pulse duration. Particle-in-cell simulations revealed that the mutual injection was sensitive to the spatial overlap of the laser pulses, which therefore could be used to control the mutual injection. The dual synchronized, femtosecond electron beams are potentially useful for pump-probe experiments in ultrafast science. In addition, out-of-axis ring-shaped electron beams were detected in both experiments and simulations.

Landscape-Level Long-Term Biological Research And Monitoring Plan For The Crane Trust, Andrew J. Caven, Joshua D. Wiese, Bethany L. Ostrom, Kelsey C. King, Jenna M. Malzahn, David M. Baasch, Brice Krohn

Zea E-Books Collection

Our obligation is to make sure we are effectively utilizing science to meet the objectives of the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust (1981) laid out in its charter “to rehabilitate and preserve a portion of the habitat for Whooping Cranes and other migratory birds in the Big Bend reach of the Platte River between Overton and Chapman (i.e., Central Platte River Valley), Nebraska”. The original declaration is aimed at maintaining “the physical, hydrological, and biological integrity of the Big Bend area as a life-support system for the Whooping Crane and other migratory species that utilize it.” It was clear …

Uses And Benefits Of Algae As A Nutritional Supplement For Honey Bees, Benjamin J. Nichols, Vincent A. Ricigliano

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Honey bees are essential agricultural pollinators that are threatened by various interacting stressors, posing risks to beekeeping industries and human food security. Malnutrition is a major factor underlying managed bee colony losses that can be countered by feeding artificial diets, which aim to deliver essential macro- and micronutrients. Current bee nutritional supplements show room for improvement and require resources that compete with human food production. Algae and microalgae in particular have been gaining traction in the literature as alternative feed sources and nutritional supplements for livestock, including honey bees. Herein, we review the current literature and categorize the effects of …

Do Pharmaceuticals In The Environment Pose A Risk To Wildlife?, Thomas G. Bean, Elizabeth A. Chadwick, Marta Herrero‐Villar, Rafael Mateo, Vinny Naidoo, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The vast majority of knowledge related to the question “To what extent do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife?” stems from the Asian vulture crisis (>99% decline of some species of Old World vultures on the Indian subcontinent related to the veterinary use of the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug [NSAID] diclofenac). The hazard of diclofenac and other NSAIDs (carprofen, flunixin, ketoprofen, nimesulide, phenylbutazone) to vultures and other avian species has since been demonstrated; indeed, only meloxicam and tolfenamic acid have been found to be vulture‐safe. Since diclofenac was approved for veterinary use in Spain and Italy in …

Exceptional Larval Morphology Of Nine Species Of The Anastrepha Mucronota Species Group (Diptera: Tephritidae), Erick J. Rodriguez, Gary J. Steck, Matthew R. Moore, Allen L. Norrbom, Jessica Diaz, Louis A. Somma, Raul Ruiz-Arce, Bruce D. Sutton, Norma Nolazco, Alies Muller, Marc A. Branham

Papers in Evolution

Anastrepha is the most diverse and economically important genus of Tephritidae in the American tropics and subtropics. The striking morphology of the third instars of Anastrepha caballeroi Norrbom, Anastrepha crebra Stone, Anastrepha haplacantha Norrbom & Korytkowski, Anastrepha korytkowskii Norrbom, Anastrepha nolazcoae Norrbom & Korytkowski, and three newly discovered and as yet formally unnamed species (Anastrepha sp. Peru-82, Anastrepha sp. nr. protuberans, and Anastrepha sp. Sur-16), and the more typical morphology of Anastrepha aphelocentema Stone, are described using light and scanning electron microscopy. To contribute to a better understanding of the interspecific and intraspecific variation among species in the mucronota …

Strategies Of Protected Area Use By Asian Elephants In Relation To Motivational State And Social Affiliations, Anastasia E. Madsen, Christin Minge, T.V. Pushpakumara, U. Sameera Weerathunga, U. K. Padmalal, Devaka K. Weerakoon, Shermin De Silva

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Animals’ space requirements may vary according to life-history and social considerations. We observed 516 wild adult Asian elephants from both sexes, over 9 years, to investigate how life-history traits and social behavior influence protected-area (PA) use at Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka. Male PA-use, quantified in terms of average between-sightings-interval (BSI), was significantly influenced by the interaction of age class and motivational state (i.e. reproduction vs. foraging). Musth lengthened with age, with a median of 24.5 days for ages 21–30, 32.5 days for ages 31–40, and 45 days for those > 40. A minority (11%) used it exclusively during musth, while …

Threonine Phosphorylation Of An Electrochemical Peptide-Based Sensor To Achieve Improved Uranyl Ion Binding Affinity, Channing C. Thompson, Rebecca Lai

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

We have successfully designed a uranyl ion (U(VI)-specific peptide and used it in the fabrication of an electrochemical sensor. The 12-amino acid peptide sequence, (n) DKDGDGYIpTAAE (c), originates from calmodulin, a Ca(II)-binding protein, and contains a phosphothreonine that enhances the sequence’s affinity for U(VI) over Ca(II). The sensing mechanism of this U(VI) sensor is similar to other electrochemical peptide-based sensors, which relies on the change in the flexibility of the peptide probe upon interacting with the target. The sensor was systematically characterized using alternating current voltammetry (ACV) and cyclic voltammetry. Its limit of detection was 50 nM, which is lower …

Strategies Of Protected Area Use By Asian Elephants In Relation To Motivational State And Social Affiliations, Anastasia E. Madsen, Christin Minge, T. V. Pushpakumara, U. Sameera Weerathunga, U. K. Padmalal, Devaka K. Weerakoon, Shermin De Silva

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Animals’ space requirements may vary according to life-history and social considerations. We observed 516 wild adult Asian elephants from both sexes, over 9 years, to investigate how life-history traits and social behavior influence protected-area (PA) use at Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka. Male PA-use, quantified in terms of average between-sightings-interval (BSI), was significantly influenced by the interaction of age class and motivational state (i.e. reproduction vs. foraging). Musth lengthened with age, with a median of 24.5 days for ages 21–30, 32.5 days for ages 31–40, and 45 days for those > 40. A minority (11%) used it exclusively during musth, while …

Neotype Designation For Papilio Fulgerator Walch, 1775 (Hesperiidae: Eudaminae), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Gerardo Lamas, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The discovery that a skipper butterfly Telegonus fulgerator (Walch, 1775), previously placed in the genus Astraptes Hübner, [1819], is a complex of many similar-looking species-level taxa with different COI barcodes, caterpillar foodplants, and body patterns, and subtle differences in adult phenotypes raised a question about which species is the original T. fulgerator. To answer this question, being unable to locate its holotype, we designate the neotype of Papilio fulgerator Walch, 1775, a female specimen from Suriname in the Zoological State Collection, Munich, Germany. This neotype will form the foundation for a comprehensive revision of the T. fulgerator complex based …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Subscription And Organization Information (December 2022)

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101 (or at the email address listed below).

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active …

Fall Field Report, August-November 2022, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

All in all, this was a fairly uneventful fall season, although even uneventful seasons have their share of oddities and variations from the norm. A noteworthy event was a fire that took out much of the brushy habitat in Carter Canyon, Scotts Bluff Co (see photo on following page). It will be interesting to read upcoming spring reports to see what effect the fire might have had on numbers of birds that frequent brushy areas, like towhees and buntings. Optimistically, fires have attracted rare woodpeckers, with first to arrive Black-backed, which would be a first documented Nebraska record, and typically …

A Guided Chatbot Learning Experience In The Science Classroom, Jennifer Davis

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This dissertation describes a practitioner’s design-based development of a prototype chatbot to guide students in learning biological concepts of genetic mutations and protein synthesis. This chatbot’s architecture provides learning activities, feedback, and support throughout a series of short, connected lessons. The chatbot is designed to scaffold learners through a predict, observe, explain model of inquiry learning. It utilizes real-world phenomena to lead students through biology core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. Results of prototype testing include survey results in support of the proof of concept among both students and teachers, as well as accuracy measurements of chatbot …

Why I Keep Doing Science Fair: Using Constructivist Grounded Theory To Study Out-Of-School-Time Science Learning Among Females And Underrepresented Minorities, Justin Andersson

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Science education in the United States has endured substantial reform due to national needs for a bolstered, more diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. Recent reform efforts call for students to be engaged in scientific inquiry through the practices of scientists and engineers. Opportunity gaps exist in science education and in the STEM pipeline for those who have traditionally been underrepresented, especially females and minorities. Research highlights the potential of science fair experiences to engage students in inquiry learning that could meet the needs of updated standards. Furthermore, students from diverse backgrounds might benefit from out-of-school time science learning …

Development Of A Targeted Mass Spectrometry Method For The Detection And Quantification Of Peanut Protein In Incurred Food Matrices, Sara Schlange

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

The unintentional presence of peanut in food products through allergen cross-contact is a considerable safety concern for peanut-allergic individuals. The food industry monitors for this contamination using immunoassays; however, these detection methods demonstrate issues with recovery and accurate quantification of allergenic protein when analyzing processed, complex food matrices. Of particular concern is the deficit in immunoassay-based detection and quantification of peanut in cookie and dark chocolate matrices, as the unintentional presence of peanut has been observed in these food products. A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the detection and quantification of peanut protein in cookie and …

Safety Assessment Of Novel Foods And Food Proteins, Niloofar Moghadam Maragheh

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

The global food market needs to grow and supply food demand to feed the growing world population. Alternative food proteins, including novel sources of safe foods and ingredients, are the candidates that could provide more environmentally sustainable choices, animal welfare, and consumers health. Novel foods and food proteins must undergo premarket safety evaluations including allergenicity assessment to reduce the risk of cross-reactivity with known allergens and uncharacterized risk to food allergic individuals. This research addressed the safety assessment of some novel foods and food ingredients using the study of stability of proteins in pepsin and sequence identity analysis in the …

Identification Of Gut Microbiome Composition Responsible For Gas Production, Erasme Mutuyemungu

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

Gas production remains a significant barrier to increasing intake of dietary fiber-containing foods for many consumers. Therefore, this thesis is comprised of two studies focusing on the role of the gut microbiome in contributing to gas production during fermentation of dietary components. Previous studies have reported significant correlations between Megasphaera elsdenii and gas production during fermentation of pulses. Therefore, the objective of the first study was to determine the role of M. elsdenii in gas production by the microbiome during fermentation of foods commonly associated with gas production. Human fecal microbiomes were separated based on the presence (Me+) or absence …

The Intersecting And Additive Nature Of Vulnerability: Dehumanizing Or Protecting?, Megan Berry-Cohen

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recent research has examined how extra-legal factors such as emotions and stereotypes impact legal judgment decisions regarding traditionally vulnerable populations. Less work has explored not only what makes a group vulnerable, but how people perceive, interpret, and apply that vulnerability. The current research therefore integrates psychological theory and legal models to understand vulnerability and its implications. Three studies examined the roles of various factors, including dehumanization and empathy, in understanding how people respond to vulnerable individuals in general and then to women who have survived sexual violence.

In Experiment 1, I manipulated sex (female vs. male), age (older: 60 years …

Removal Of Redox-Sensitive Rubisco Activase Does Not Alter Rubisco Regulation In Soybean, Christopher M. Harvey, Amanda P. Cavanagh, Sang Yeol Kim, David A. Wright, Ron G. Edquilang, Kayla S. Shreeves, Juan Alejandro Perdomo, Martin H. Spalding, Donald R. Ort, Carl J. Bernacchi, Steven C. Huber

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Rubisco activase (Rca) facilitates the catalytic repair of Rubisco, the CO2-fixing enzyme of photosynthesis, following periods of darkness, low to high light transitions or stress. Removal of the redox-regulated isoform of Rubisco activase, Rca-α, enhances photosynthetic induction in Arabidopsis and has been suggested as a strategy for the improvement of crops, which may experience frequent light transitions in the field; however, this has never been tested in a crop species. Therefore, we used RNAi to reduce the Rca-α content of soybean (Glycine max cv. Williams 82) below detectable levels and then characterized the growth, photosynthesis, and Rubisco activity of the …