Digital Commons Network^™

New Records Of Invasive Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) On Garlic Mustard In The Usa, Doris Lagos-Kutz, Rebecah Troutman, Glen L. Hartman

Insecta Mundi

Lipaphis alliariae Müller (Hemiptera: Aphididae) was identified from specimens collected in Lake County, Ohio, on the invasive garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cavara & Grande (Brassicaceae). The identification was performed on apterous viviparae using morphological and molecular data. Body color and shape of the cauda discriminated L. alliariae and L. pseudobrassicae Davis. Measurements of morphological characters of both species were similar, but they have distinct characters distinguishing them from L. erysimi Kaltenbach. Neighbor-joining analysis of cytochrome oxidase 1 (Cox1) barcoding indicated a close relation­ship of the aphids that feed on Brassicaceae, and the range of pair-wise distances for Cox1 barcoding …

Natural History Of Cassida Sphaerula Boheman, 1854 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Cassidini) On Arctotheca Prostrata (Salisb.) Britten (Asteraceae: Arctotidinae) In South Africa, With A Checklist Of South African Cassidinae (Leaf-Mining And Tortoise Beetles), Sally Adam, Mariana Campos, Hugh D.C. Heron, C. L. Staines, Rob Westerduijn, Caroline Simmrita Chaboo

Insecta Mundi

The tortoise beetle, Cassida sphaerula Boheman, 1854 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Cassidini) is endemic to South Africa. Its endemic host, Arctotheca prostrata (Salisb.) Britten (Asteraceae) has been introduced in other countries where it is becoming invasive. Cassida sphaerula could provide a potential biocontrol of Arctotheca weeds as it spends the entire life cycle on this host. An intensive field study, with rearing, photography, and short films of C. sphaerula was conducted in its native habitat to document the life cycle. A checklist of Cassidinae genera in South Africa, along with 19 new host records for Cassidini species in South Africa are …

A New Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) Timida Group Species From Baja California Sur (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), William B. Warner

Insecta Mundi

Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) baja, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), is de­scribed and illustrated. Its relationship to other species in the “timida group” is discussed.

Morón (2002) reviewed the Phyllophaga Harris (Listrochelus Blanchard) species near P. timida (Horn) and included a key to the eight known species of the “timida group.” Many species in this group are difficult to dis­tinguish from one another via external characters; however, the male genital shape is diagnostic for each. Here I describe a new species from Baja California Sur, Mexico, that falls within that group.

Quantification And Machine Learning Based N2o–N And Co2–C Emissions Predictions From A Decomposing Rye Cover Crop, Deepak R. Joshi, David E. Clay, Sharon A. Clay, Janet Moriles-Miller, Aaron L. M. Daigh, Graig Reicks, Shaina Westhoff

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crops improve soil health and reduce the risk of soil erosion. However, their impact on the carbon dioxide equivalence (CO_2e) is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this 2-yr study was to quantify the effect of cover crop-induced differences in soil moisture, temperature, organic C, and microorganisms on CO_2e, and to develop machine learning algorithms that predict daily N₂O–N and CO₂–C emissions. The prediction models tested were multiple linear regression, partial least square regression, support vector machine, random forest (RF), and artificial neural network. Models’ performance was accessed using R², …

Tracking And Estimating The Commingling Of Missing U.S. Service Personnel: A Gis And Forensic Anthropological Approach, Mason Mckinney

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

During times of war, the remains of fallen U.S. military service members overseas are often difficult to track postmortem as they move from their recovery location to a permanent cemetery. After a recovery, remains are typically sent to multiple temporary cemeteries, morgues, and/or identification points before reaching their final resting place. Repeated disinterments and reinterments among vast numbers of remains in multiple temporary locations may lead to unintended commingling. This analysis is meant to examine the postmortem movement of multiple U.S. military members and assess their potential for commingling based on historical records and identification reports supplied by the Defense …

Studies On Air Injection In A Wastewater-Fed Subsurface Drip Irrigation System, Henry A. Gonzalez Hernandez

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2020, the Ogallala High Plains Aquifer supplied irrigation water for approximately 3.6 million hectares in Nebraska, making it the most irrigated state in the United States. Although Nebraska is highly dependent in groundwater, locations included in the Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation District (border of Nebraska and Wyoming) rely on surface water resources. In addition to these conventional water sources, using non-conventional alternatives for crop production can be just as important during water shortage times such as the one that e occurred in 2019 with the collapse of the Goshen/Gering-Fort Laramie Canal. Feedlot runoff presents a great opportunity in Nebraska, but …

Development Of A Decellularized Hydrogel Composite And Its Application In A Novel Model Of Disc-Associated Low Back Pain In Female Sprague Dawley Rats, David Lillyman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain is a global socioeconomic crisis compounded by an absence of reliable, curative treatments. The predominant pathology associated with chronic low back pain is degeneration of intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine. During degeneration, nerves can sprout into the intervertebral disc tissue and be chronically subjected to inflammatory and mechanical stimuli, resulting in pain. Pain arising from the intervertebral disc, or disc-associated pain, is a complex, multi-faceted disorder which necessitates valid animal models to screen therapeutics and study pathomechanisms of pain.

While many research teams have created animal models of disc degeneration, the translation of these platforms …

Efficiency Of Bank Filtration In The Removal Of Cyanotoxins Under Different Levels Of Nutrients, Luke Walkenhorst

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are an increasing concern not only in Nebraska, but across the world. Increasing global temperatures in conjunction with overuse of synthetic fertilizers are leading causes to the increasing frequency and concern of HABs. In the present work, the effectiveness of simulated bank filtration (BF), as an economical water treatment option, to remove cyanotoxins under different levels of nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) was investigated. Vertical flow-through columns pre-acclimated with two levels of nutrients (e.g., nitrate and phosphate—10 vs. 50 mg/L) were exposed to two different levels of cyanotoxins (10 vs. 75 μg/L). Results from the study confirmed …

Haemosporidian Parasite Diversity In An Under-Surveyed Australian Avifauna, Ian R. Hoppe, Allison E. Johnson, Elizabeth Vanwormer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Haemosporidian parasites of birds are geographically widespread, have been detected in a phylogenetically diverse array of hosts, and have been the focus of extensive research due to both their impacts on birds and their similarity to vector-borne diseases of humans. Advances in molecular diagnostic tools have created a greater awareness of the genetic diversity of haemosporidian infections. Yet in spite of their more or less global distribution, comparatively little is known about the haemosporidians affecting birds in Australia. We screened blood from 889 birds (23 species) for haemosporidian blood parasite infections during the 2019 breeding season at Brookfield Conservation Park, …

The Diatom Dark Ages: Identification Of Mid-Cretaceous Arctic Platform Diatoms From The Basal Transgression Of The Kanguk Formation, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, Megan Heins

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The lower part of the mid-Cretaceous Kanguk Formation (Lower Turonian interval) contains an important paleontological record crucial to the characterization of a poorly known interval of fossil marine diatoms history. Kanguk Formation mudstones are exposed in a ~200 m-thick section on Devon Island, Nunavut, Canadian High Arctic. Diatoms at this location are well-preserved due to shallow burial on this Arctic Platform site. The rock sequence was protected from glacial erosion that removed much of the Cretaceous record by being down-faulted in a linear graben. Study of these well-preserved fossil diatoms allows for a documentation of the assemblage, identification of potentially …

Coupling Dendrochronology And Remote Sensing Techniques To Assess The Biophysical Traits Of Juniperus Virginiana And Pinus Ponderosa Within Grassland Communities In The Semi-Arid Grasslands Of The Nebraska Sandhills, Reece Allen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Woody species encroachment is occurring within the sandhills region in Nebraska, primarily driven by Juniperus virginiana and Pinus ponderosa, altering ecosystems and the services they provide. Effective, low cost, and cross-scale monitoring of woody species growth and performance is necessary for integrated grassland and forest management in the face of climate variability and change. In this study, we sought to establish a relationship between remote sensing-derived vegetation indices (VIs) and dendrochronological (raw and standardized tree ring width) measurements to assess the performance of encroaching woody J. virginiana and P. ponderosa located within the Nebraska National Forest in the sandhills. …

The Intersections Of Migration And Identity In Young Adult Literature Of The French-Speaking World, Kaitlyn Waller

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Both young adult literature and novels of migration frequently deal with the construction of identity, from coming-of-age stories to narratives of intercultural exploration and hybridization. Young adult narratives of migration, then, represent a fascinating intersection of two literary traditions for the exploration of questions of identity. However, young adult literature and its varied subgenres are often overlooked among the broader critical scholarship of migration narratives. Indeed, the genre is often critiqued as too simplistic or pedagogical to truly merit consideration among adult readers and academics. Through an in-depth analysis of nine novels, however, I explore questions of identity development in …

Registration Of Lcs ‘Valiant’ Hard Red Winter Wheat, P. Stephen Baenziger, S. D. Masterson, J. D. Boehm Jr., Vikas Belamkar, M. D. Barnett, Devin J. Rose, Lan Xu, Stephen N. Wegulo, T. Regassa, Amanda Easterly, Cody F Creech, Dipak K. Santra, G. R. Kruger, G. W. Hergert, R. N. Klein, J. Kolmer, J. Kolmer, M.-S. Chen, Gary L. Hein, R. L. Bowden, M. J. Guttieri, G. Bai, El-Basyoni Salah, J. Poland

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Historically cultivars developed jointly by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and USDA-ARS wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) improvement project tend to be late and better adapted to the northern Great Plains. LCS ‘Valiant’ (Reg. no. CV-1196, PI 693223; tested as NE10478-1) was released based on the merits of its earliness, agronomic performance, relevant disease resistances, and end-use quality characteristics and its adaptation to the central Great Plains. As such, the line was licensed to Limagrain Cereal Seeds for their ability to market outside of Nebraska. LCS Valiant hard red winter wheat was released in March 2020 by the developing institutions and …

Simulating Sub-Threshold Communication Channels Through Neurons, Richard Maina

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Molecular Communication is an emerging paradigm with the potential to revolutionize the technology behind wearable and implantable devices and the broad range of functions they support, from tracking physical activity to medical diagnostics. This can be achieved through intra-body communication networks that take advantage of natural biological processes as a means of transmitting, propagating and receiving information. In this thesis we focus particularly on using the neuron as a means to facilitate information transfer for interconnected wearable or implantable devices through a technique known as sub-threshold electrical stimulation. We develop upon a prior work by introducing a linear model of …

Understanding The Role Of Antioxidant Nanoparticles In Improving The Outcome Of Secondary Injury In Traumatic Brain Injury, Aria W. Tarudji

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other free radicals are released, inducing the cascade of secondary injury that exacerbate the outcomes of TBI. Antioxidant nanoparticles (ANPs) have shown promising outcomes in reducing the progression of TBI, which may be due to the higher accumulation and retention of ANPs in the injured brain. However, there is limited knowledge of: 1) antioxidant activities needed in TBI treatment, 2) correlation between longer retention, bioavailability, and target engagement with antioxidant treatments, and 3) sexual dimorphism to ANP treatments.

This dissertation assesses multiple ANPs with various scavenging activities and durations …

Stabilization By Adaptive Feedback Control For Positive Difference Equations With Applications In Pest Management, J. Edholm, C. Guiver, Richard Rebarber, Brigitte Tenhumberg, S. Townley

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

An adaptive feedback control scheme is proposed for stabilizing a class of forced nonlinear positive difference equations. The adaptive scheme is based on so-called high-gain adaptive controllers and contains substantial robustness with respect to model uncertainty as well as with respect to persistent forcing signals, including measurement errors. Our results take advantage of the underlying positive systems structure and ideas from input-to-state stability from nonlinear control theory. Our motivating application is to pest or weed control, and in this context the present work substantially strengthens previous work by the authors. The theory is illustrated with examples.

Association Analyses Of Host Genetics, Root-Colonizing Microbes, And Plant Phenotypes Under Different Nitrogen Conditions In Maize, Michael A. Meier, Gen Xu, Martha G. Lopez-Guerrero, Guangyong Li, Christine Smith, Brandi Sigmon, Joshua R. Herr, James R. Alfano, Yufeng Ge, James C. Schnable, Jinliang Yang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The root-associated microbiome (rhizobiome) affects plant health, stress tolerance, and nutrient use efficiency. However, it remains unclear to what extent the composition of the rhizobiome is governed by intraspecific variation in host plant genetics in the field and the degree to which host plant selection can reshape the composition of the rhizobiome. Here, we quantify the rhizosphere microbial communities associated with a replicated diversity panel of 230 maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes grown in agronomically relevant conditions under high N (+N) and low N (-N) treatments. We analyze the maize rhizobiome in terms of 150 abundant and consistently reproducible …

Long-Distance Vocalizations Of Spotted Hyenas Contain Individual, But Not Group, Signatures, Kenna D.S. Lehmann, Frants H. Jensen, Andrew Gersick, Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin, Kay E. Holekamp

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In animal societies, identity signals are common, mediate interactions within groups, and allow individuals to discriminate group-mates from out-group competitors. However, individual recognition becomes increasingly challenging as group size increases and as signals must be transmitted over greater distances. Group vocal signatures may evolve when successful in-group/out-group distinctions are at the crux of fitness-relevant decisions, but group signatures alone are insufficient when differentiated within-group relationships are important for decision-making. Spotted hyenas are social carnivores that live in stable clans of less than 125 individuals composed of multiple unrelated matrilines. Clan members cooperate to defend resources and communal territories from neighbouring …

Spatial Stream Modeling Of Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla) Foraging Substrate And Aquatic Prey In A Watershed Undergoing Shale Gas Development, Mack W. Frantz, Petra B. Wood, Steven C. Latta

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We demonstrate the use of spatial stream network models (SSNMs) to explore relationships between a semiaquatic bioindicator songbird, Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), and stream monitoring and benthic macroinvertebrate data in an area undergoing shale gas development. SSNMs allowed us to account for spatial autocorrelation inherent to these environmental data types and stream properties that traditional modeling approaches cannot capture to elucidate factors that affect waterthrush foraging locations. We monitored waterthrush along 58.1 km of 1st- and 2nd-order headwater stream tributaries (n = 14) in northwestern West Virginia over a two year period (2013–2014), sampled benthic macroinvertebrates in waterthrush …

Sweet Taste Signaling: The Core Pathways And Regulatory Mechanisms, Sunil Kumar Sukumaran, Salin Raj Palayyan

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sweet taste, a proxy for sugar-derived calories, is an important driver of food intake, and animals have evolved robust molecular and cellular machinery for sweet taste signaling. The overconsumption of sugar-derived calories is a major driver of obesity and other metabolic diseases. A fine-grained appreciation of the dynamic regulation of sweet taste signaling mechanisms will be required for designing novel noncaloric sweeteners with better hedonic and metabolic profiles and improved consumer acceptance. Sweet taste receptor cells express at least two signaling pathways, one mediated by a heterodimeric G-protein coupled receptor encoded by taste 1 receptor members 2 and 3 (TAS1R2 …

Optimising Response To An Introduction Of African Swine Fever In Wild Pigs, Kim M. Pepin, Vienna R. Brown, Anni Yang, James C. Beasley, Raoul Boughton, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Ryan S. Miller, Sarah N. Bevins

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

African swine fever virus (ASFv) is a virulent pathogen that threatens domestic swine industries globally and persists in wild boar populations in some countries. Persistence in wild boar can challenge elimination and prevent disease-free status, making it necessary to address wild swine in proactive response plans. In the United States, invasive wild pigs are abundant and found across a wide range of ecological conditions that could drive different epidemiological dynamics among populations. Information on the size of the control areas required to rapidly eliminate the ASFv in wild pigs and how this area should change with management constraints and local …

Nmr And Metabolomics—A Roadmap For The Future, David S. Wishart, Leo L. Cheng, Valérie Copié, Arthur S. Edison, Hamid R. Eghbalnia, Jeffrey C. Hoch, Goncalo J. Gouveia, Wimal Pathmasiri, Robert Powers, Tracey B. Schock, Lloyd W. Sumner, Mario Uchimiya

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Metabolomics investigates global metabolic alterations associated with chemical, biological, physiological, or pathological processes. These metabolic changes are measured with various analytical platforms including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). While LC-MS methods are becoming increasingly popular in the field of metabolomics (accounting for more than 70% of published metabolomics studies to date), there are considerable benefits and advantages to NMR-based methods for metabolomic studies. In fact, according to PubMed, more than 926 papers on NMR-based metabolomics were published in 2021—the most ever published in a given year. This suggests that NMR-based metabolomics …

Replacing Fallow With Field Pea In Wheat Production Systems Across Western Nebraska, Samuel T. Koeshall, Amanda Easterly, Rodrigo Werle, Strahinja Stepanovic, Cody F. Creech

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Integration of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) (FP) into dryland cropping systems has increased due to ecological and economic benefits, paired with a growing market for pea-derived products. Challenges exist in the High Plains that limit the integration of crop rotations to replace fallow periods with FP in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)- based systems. This experiment compares chemical summer fallow to FP in a fallow– wheat rotation at two locations in western Nebraska. Soil water content, soil fertility, N mineralization, FP yield, and subsequent hard red winter wheat (HWW) yields were recorded. Subsequent HWW yields were not different …

Profiling A Community-Specific Function Landscape For Bacterial Peptides Through Protein-Level Meta-Assembly And Machine Learning, Mitra Vajjala, Brady Johnson, Lauren Kasparek, Michael Leuze, Qiuming Yao

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Small proteins, encoded by small open reading frames, are only beginning to emerge with the current advancement of omics technology and bioinformatics. There is increasing evidence that small proteins play roles in diverse critical biological functions, such as adjusting cellular metabolism, regulating other protein activities, controlling cell cycles, and affecting disease physiology. In prokaryotes such as bacteria, the small proteins are largely unexplored for their sequence space and functional groups. For most bacterial species from a natural community, the sample cannot be easily isolated or cultured, and the bacterial peptides must be better characterized in a metagenomic manner. The bacterial …

The Future Of Synbiotics: Rational Formulation And Design, David Fabian Gomez Gomez, Car Reen Kok, Robert Hutkins

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Synbiotics, mixtures of live microbes and substrates selectively utilized by host organisms, are of considerable interest due to their ability to improve gastrointestinal health. However, formulating synbiotics remains challenging, due in part, to the absence of rational strategies to assess these products for synbiotic activities prior to clinical trials. Currently, synbiotics are formulated as either complementary or synergistic. Complementary synbiotics are made by combining probiotics and prebiotics, with each component acting independently and with the combination shown to provide a clinical health benefit. Most commercial synbiotics as well as those used in clinical trials have been of the complementary type. …

Immobilization Of A Bifidobacterial Endo-Ss-N-Acetylglucosaminidase To Generate Bioactive Compounds For Food Industry, Burcu Pekdemir, Hatice Duman, Ayşenur Arslan, Merve Kaplan, Melda Karyelioğlu, Tolgahan Özer, Hacı Mehmet Kayılı, Bekir Salih, Bethany M. Henrick, Rebbeca M. Duar, Sercan Karav

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Conjugated N-glycans are considered next-generation bioactive prebiotic compounds due to their selective stimulation of beneficial microbes. These compounds are glycosidically attached to proteins through N-acetylglucosamines via specific asparagine residue (AsN-X-Ser/Thr). Certain bacteria such as Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis (B. infantis) have been shown to be capable of utilizing conjugated N-glycans, owing to their specialized genomic abilities. B. infantis possess a unique enzyme, Endo-ß-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EndoBI-1), which cleaves all types of conjugated N-glycans from glycoproteins. In this study, recombinantly cloned EndoBI- 1 enzyme activity was investigated using various immobilization methods: 1) adsorption, 2) entrapment-based alginate immobilization, …

Construction And Operation Of A Pilot-Scale Odor Control Device, Brendan Bunker

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a naturally occurring by-product of anaerobic digestion and causes an odor that can be a nuisance and a public health risk at higher concentrations. This compound can be treated through various means, but one of particular interest is a biotrickling filter (BTF). Such devices have excellent H₂S treatment efficiencies, but start-up costs can be steep. The primary goal of this study is to explain the design and operation of a low-cost odor control device for improving environmental air quality in Nebraska using a BTF. This device has the potential for application as …

Non-Destructive Classification And Quality Evaluation Of Proso Millet Cultivars Using Nir Hyperspectral Imaging With Machine Learning, Laruen E. Doyle, Julia R. Loeb, Nader Ekramirad, Dipak K. Santra, Akinbode A. Adedeji

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Millet is a small-seeded cereal crop with big potential and remarkable characteristics such as high drought resistance, short growing time, low water footprint, and the ability to grow in acidic soil. There is a need to develop nondestructive methods for differentiation and evaluation of the quality attributes of different of proso millet cultivars grown in the U.S. Current methods of cultivar classification are either subjective or destructive, time consuming, not allowing for the whole population to be tested, and requiring trained operators and special equipment. In this study, the feasibility of using near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging (900-1700 nm) to predict …

Development An Edge-Computing Sensing Unit For Continuous Measurement Of Canopy Cover Percentage Of Dry Edible Beans, Wei-Zhen Liang, Joseph Oboamah, Xin Qiao, Yufeng Ge, Robert M. Harveson, Daran R. Rudnick, Jun Wang, Haishun Yang, Angie Gradiz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Canopy cover (CC) is an important indicator for crop development. Currently, CC can be estimated indirectly by measuring leaf area index (LAI), using commercially available hand-held meters. However, it does not capture the dynamics of CC. Continuous CC monitoring is essential for dry edible beans production since it can affect crop water use, weed, and disease control. It also helps growers to closely monitor “yellowness”, or senescence of dry beans to decide proper irrigation cutoff to allow the crop to dry down for harvest. The goal of this study was to develop a device – CanopyCAM, containing software and hardware …

Application Of Digital Twin In Evaluating Quality Changes In Tomato Value-Chain In Nigeria, Charles Nwaizu, Taofiq Olayinka Olanrewaju, Iluno Christiana

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Cooling tomatoes after harvesting and keeping them refrigerated during their transportation is a key step toward preserving the quality attributes of tomatoes. This is a challenging task to accomplish in Nigeria, mainly because shipments of tomatoes from the tomato-producing states in northern Nigeria to the non-producing states in southern Nigeria were predominately not transported in a refrigerated ambient condition. To minimize postharvest losses of tomatoes during transportation, quantification of changes in quality would be extremely valuable. For this purpose, a digital tomato twin was developed based on mechanistic physics-based modeling. This digital twin simulated the actual thermal profile of tomatoes …