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Training Future Agriculture Professionals In Landowner–Tenant Conservation Decision-Making, Andrea Basche, Angie Carter Jan 2020

Training Future Agriculture Professionals In Landowner–Tenant Conservation Decision-Making, Andrea Basche, Angie Carter

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The landowner–tenant relationship is important to the implementation of conser- vation on agricultural lands. Women own or co-own a significant portion of U.S. farmland yet are underrepresented in conservation research. The next generation of agriculture professionals can benefit from first-hand experience in assisting women landowners and their tenants in navigating the complexities of conser- vation decision-making. This article analyzes undergraduate student perceptions of landowner–tenant relationships in conservation management through their engagement in case studies with women landowner–tenant pairs in the Western Corn Belt. Student groups were asked to complete a management improvement plan that both incorporated the agronomic and conservation …


Winter Cover Crop Root Biomass Yield In Corn And Soybean Systems, Sabrina J. Ruis, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Katja Koehler-Cole, Paul J. Jasa, G. Slater, Roger W. Elmore, Richard B. Ferguson Jan 2020

Winter Cover Crop Root Biomass Yield In Corn And Soybean Systems, Sabrina J. Ruis, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Katja Koehler-Cole, Paul J. Jasa, G. Slater, Roger W. Elmore, Richard B. Ferguson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crop (CC) roots are critical for soil ecosystem service delivery including soil stabilization, C and nutrient cycling, soil health improvement, and others. However, most CC studies only evaluate CC aboveground biomass yield, neglecting the belowground portion of the plant. The objectives of this study were to quantify the impacts of (a) CC planting (pre- and post-harvest) dates and (b) early (2–4 wk before main crop planting) and late (at main crop planting) CC termination with and without corn (Zea mays L.) residue removal on root biomass yield. We assessed the effects of CC planting or termination dates on root …


Site-Specific Irrigation Management In A Sub-Humid Climate Using A Spatial Evapotranspiration Model With Satellite And Airborne Imagery, Sandeep Bhatti, Derek M. Heeren, J. Burdette Barker, Christopher M. U. Neale, Wayne Woldt, Mitchell S. Maguire, Daran Rudnick Jan 2020

Site-Specific Irrigation Management In A Sub-Humid Climate Using A Spatial Evapotranspiration Model With Satellite And Airborne Imagery, Sandeep Bhatti, Derek M. Heeren, J. Burdette Barker, Christopher M. U. Neale, Wayne Woldt, Mitchell S. Maguire, Daran Rudnick

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) considers spatial variability in soil and plant characteristics to optimize irrigation management in agricultural fields. The advent of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) creates an opportunity to utilize high-resolution (spatial and temporal) imagery into irrigation management due to decreasing costs, ease of operation, and reduction of regulatory constraints. This research aimed to evaluate the use of UAS data for VRI, and to quantify the potential of VRI in terms of relative crop and water response. Irrigation treatments were: (1) VRI using Landsat imagery (VRI-L), (2) VRI using UAS imagery (VRI-U), (3) uniform (U), and (4) rainfed (R). …


An Automated Seepage Meter For Streams And Lakes, D. Kip Solomon, Eric Humphrey, Troy E. Gilmore, David P. Genereux, Vitaly Zlotnik Jan 2020

An Automated Seepage Meter For Streams And Lakes, D. Kip Solomon, Eric Humphrey, Troy E. Gilmore, David P. Genereux, Vitaly Zlotnik

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

We describe a new automatic seepage meter for use in soft bottom streams and lakes. The meter utilizes a thin‐walled tube that is inserted into the streambed or lakebed. A hole in the side of the tube is fitted with an electric valve. Prior to the test, the valve is open and the water level inside the tube is the same as the water level outside the tube. The test starts with closure of the valve, and the water level inside the tube changes as it moves toward the equilibrium hydraulic head that exists at the bottom of the tube. …


Automatic Wheat Lodging Detection And Mapping In Aerial Imagery To Support High-Throughput Phenotyping And In-Season Crop Management, Biquan Zhao, Jiating Li, P. Stephen Baenziger, Vikas Belamkar, Yufeng Ge, Jian Zhang, Yeyin Shi Jan 2020

Automatic Wheat Lodging Detection And Mapping In Aerial Imagery To Support High-Throughput Phenotyping And In-Season Crop Management, Biquan Zhao, Jiating Li, P. Stephen Baenziger, Vikas Belamkar, Yufeng Ge, Jian Zhang, Yeyin Shi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Latest advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) allow us to detect crop lodging in a more precise and accurate way. However, the performance and generalization of a model capable of detecting lodging when the plants may show different spectral and morphological signatures have not been investigated much. This study investigated and compared the performance of models trained using aerial imagery collected at two growth stages of winter wheat with different canopy phenotypes. Specifically, three CNN-based models were trained with aerial imagery collected at early grain filling stage only, at physiological maturity only, and at …


Introducing An Optimization- And Explicit Runge-Kutta- Based Approach To Perform Dynamic Flux Balance Analysis, Wheaton L. Schroeder, Rajib Saha Jan 2020

Introducing An Optimization- And Explicit Runge-Kutta- Based Approach To Perform Dynamic Flux Balance Analysis, Wheaton L. Schroeder, Rajib Saha

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

in this work we introduce the generalized optimization- and explicit Runge-Kutta-based Approach (oRKA) to perform dynamic flux Balance Analysis (dfBA), which is numerically more accurate and computationally tractable than existing approaches. oRKA is applied to a four-tissue (leaf, root, seed, and stem) model of Arabidopsis thaliana, p-ath773, uniquely capturing the core-metabolism of several stages of growth from seedling to senescence at hourly intervals. Model p-ath773 has been designed to show broad agreement with published plant-scale properties such as mass, maintenance, and senescence, yet leaving reaction-level behavior unconstrainted. Hence, it serves as a framework to study the reaction-level behavior necessary for …


Attributions Of Blame In A Hypothetical Child Sexual Abuse Case: Roles Of Behavior Problems And Frequency Of Abuse, Kate Theimer, David J. Hansen Jan 2020

Attributions Of Blame In A Hypothetical Child Sexual Abuse Case: Roles Of Behavior Problems And Frequency Of Abuse, Kate Theimer, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Youth who are blamed for their sexual abuse may experience increased negative outcomes, such as amplified self-blame. Similarly, blaming nonoffending parents can impede their ability to support their child following disclosure. Understanding the factors that influence how people perceive victim, caregiver, and perpetrator responsibility is imperative for the protection and treatment of families who have experienced sexual abuse. Little research has explored victim and abuse characteristics that influence the perception of sexual abuse. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the roles of behavior problems and frequency of abuse in the attribution of blame in a hypothetical …


R-Α-Lipoic Acid And 4-Phenylbutyric Acid Have Distinct Hypolipidemic Mechanisms In Hepatic Cells, Bo He, Régis Moreau Jan 2020

R-Α-Lipoic Acid And 4-Phenylbutyric Acid Have Distinct Hypolipidemic Mechanisms In Hepatic Cells, Bo He, Régis Moreau

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The constitutive activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) leads to the overproduction of apoB-containing triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins in HepG2 cells. R-α-lipoic acid (LA) and 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) have hypolipidemic function but their mechanisms of action are not well understood. Here, we reported that LA and PBA regulate hepatocellular lipid metabolism via distinct mechanisms. The use of SQ22536, an inhibitor of adenylyl cyclase, revealed cAMP’s involvement in the upregulation of CPT1A expression by LA but not by PBA. LA decreased the secretion of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) in the culture media of hepatic cells and increased …


Soldiers To Scientists: Military Service, Gender, And Stem Degree Earning, Christina Steidl, Regina E. Werum, Sela R. Harcey, Jacob Absalon, Alice Millermacphee Jan 2020

Soldiers To Scientists: Military Service, Gender, And Stem Degree Earning, Christina Steidl, Regina E. Werum, Sela R. Harcey, Jacob Absalon, Alice Millermacphee

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The authors use 2014–2018 data from the American Community Survey to answer two questions: To what extent is military service associated with higher rates of earning a bachelor’s degree in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field (vs. a non-STEM field)? To what extent is this relationship gendered? The findings suggest that military service is associated with higher odds of completing a STEM degree and that this association is particularly strong for female veterans. Comparison across multiple STEM definitions suggests that military service does not simply channel women into traditionally female-dominated STEM fields. Instead, the findings show the biggest …


Transitions From Telephone Surveys To Self-Administered And Mixed-Mode Surveys: Aapor Task Force Report, Kristen M. Olson, Jolene Smyth, Rachel Horwitz, Scott Keeter, Virginia Lesser, Stephanie Marken, Nancy A. Mathiowetz, Jaki S. Mccarthy, Eileen O'Brien, Jean D. Opsomer, Darby Steiger, David Sterrett, Jennifer Su, Z. Tuba Suzer-Gurtekin, Chintan Turakhia, James Wagner Jan 2020

Transitions From Telephone Surveys To Self-Administered And Mixed-Mode Surveys: Aapor Task Force Report, Kristen M. Olson, Jolene Smyth, Rachel Horwitz, Scott Keeter, Virginia Lesser, Stephanie Marken, Nancy A. Mathiowetz, Jaki S. Mccarthy, Eileen O'Brien, Jean D. Opsomer, Darby Steiger, David Sterrett, Jennifer Su, Z. Tuba Suzer-Gurtekin, Chintan Turakhia, James Wagner

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Telephone surveys have been a ubiquitous method of collecting survey data, but the environment for telephone surveys is changing. Many surveys are transitioning from telephone to self-administration or combinations of modes for both recruitment and survey administration. Survey organizations are conducting these transitions from telephone to mixed modes with only limited guidance from existing empirical literature and best practices. This article summarizes findings by an AAPOR Task Force on how these transitions have occurred for surveys and research organizations in general. We find that transitions from a telephone to a selfadministered or mixed-mode survey are motivated by a desire to …


Competing Forces Of Withdrawal And Disease Avoidance In The Risk Networks Of People Who Inject Drugs, Elspeth Ready, Patrick Habecker, Roberto Abadie, Bilal Khan, K. Dombrowski Jan 2020

Competing Forces Of Withdrawal And Disease Avoidance In The Risk Networks Of People Who Inject Drugs, Elspeth Ready, Patrick Habecker, Roberto Abadie, Bilal Khan, K. Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We analyze a network of needle-sharing ties among 117 people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural Puerto Rico, using exponential random graph modeling to examine whether network members engage in partner restriction to lower their risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis C (HCV), or in informed altruism to prevent others from contracting these infections. Although sharing of used syringes is a significant risk factor for transmission of these diseases among PWID, we find limited evidence for partner restriction or informed altruism in the network of reported needle-sharing ties. We find however that sharing of needles is strongly reciprocal, and individuals …


Prospects And Challenges Of Population Health With Online And Other Big Data In Africa; Understanding The Link To Improving Healthcare Service Delivery, Rowland Edet, Bolarinwa Afolabi Jan 2020

Prospects And Challenges Of Population Health With Online And Other Big Data In Africa; Understanding The Link To Improving Healthcare Service Delivery, Rowland Edet, Bolarinwa Afolabi

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Big data analytics offers promises to many health care service challenges and can provide answers to many population health issues. Big data is having a positive impact in almost every sphere of life in more advanced world while developing countries are striving to meet up. Even though healthcare systems in the developed world are recording some breakthroughs due to the application of big data, it is important to research the impact of big data in developing regions of the world, such as Africa and identify its peculiar needs. The purpose of this review was to summarize the challenges faced by …


Are Biological Consequences Of Childhood Exposures Detectable In Telomere Length Decades Later?, Blakelee R. Kemp, Kenneth F. Ferraro Jan 2020

Are Biological Consequences Of Childhood Exposures Detectable In Telomere Length Decades Later?, Blakelee R. Kemp, Kenneth F. Ferraro

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Negative early-life exposures have been linked to a host of poor adult health outcomes, but are such early exposures associated with cellular senescence decades later? This study uses data from the Health and Retirement Study to examine the association between six childhood exposure domains (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, risky parental behavior) and a biomarker of aging, telomere length, among 4,935 respondents. Telomere length is obtained from DNA of cells found in saliva and is measured as the telomere repeat copy number to single gene copy number ratio (T/S). Men who as children were exposed to risky parental …


A New Spin On Gender: How Parents Of Male Baton Twirlers (Un)Do Gender Essentialism, Trenton M. Haltom Jan 2020

A New Spin On Gender: How Parents Of Male Baton Twirlers (Un)Do Gender Essentialism, Trenton M. Haltom

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Families and sports are spaces for “doing” and “undoing” gender. The author presents qualitative interviews with 30 American men who recall their parents’ involvement in the gender atypical sport of baton twirling. The author analyzes the data using “doing” and “undoing” gender as well as “hard” and “soft” essentialism frameworks. Mothers are often supportive of their sons’ twirling, contributing to “undoing” gender and relaxing “soft essentialism.” Fathers do not see baton twirling as a normative pathway to manhood or masculinity, thus reinforcing “hard essentialism.” Fathers often take on an absentee role in their sons’ twirling. In rare cases, fathers “do” …


Principles, Applications, And Biosafety Of Plant Genome Editing Using Crispr-Cas9, Kaoutar El-Mounadi, María Luisa Morales-Floriano, Hernan Garcia-Ruiz Jan 2020

Principles, Applications, And Biosafety Of Plant Genome Editing Using Crispr-Cas9, Kaoutar El-Mounadi, María Luisa Morales-Floriano, Hernan Garcia-Ruiz

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The terms genome engineering, genome editing, and gene editing, refer to modifications (insertions, deletions, substitutions) in the genome of a living organism. The most widely used approach to genome editing nowadays is based on Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9). In prokaryotes, CRISPR-Cas9 is an adaptive immune system that naturally protects cells from DNA virus infections. CRISPR-Cas9 has been modified to create a versatile genome editing technology that has a wide diversity of applications in medicine, agriculture, and basic studies of gene functions. CRISPR-Cas9 has been used in a growing number of monocot and dicot …


Mixed Ancestry From Wild And Domestic Lineages Contributes To The Rapid Expansion Of Invasive Feral Swine, Timothy J. Smyser, Michael A. Tabak, Chris Slootmaker, Michael S. Robeson Ii, Ryan S. Miller, Mirte Bosse, Hendrik-Jan Megens, Martien A.M. Groenen, Samuel Rezende Paiva, Danielle Assis De Faria, Harvey D. Blackburn, Brandon S. Schmit, Antoinette J. Piaggio Jan 2020

Mixed Ancestry From Wild And Domestic Lineages Contributes To The Rapid Expansion Of Invasive Feral Swine, Timothy J. Smyser, Michael A. Tabak, Chris Slootmaker, Michael S. Robeson Ii, Ryan S. Miller, Mirte Bosse, Hendrik-Jan Megens, Martien A.M. Groenen, Samuel Rezende Paiva, Danielle Assis De Faria, Harvey D. Blackburn, Brandon S. Schmit, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive alien species are a significant threat to both economic and ecological systems. Identifying the processes that give rise to invasive populations is essential for implementing effective control strategies. We conducted an ancestry analysis of invasive feral swine (Sus scrofa, Linnaeus, 1758), a highly destructive ungulate that is widely distributed throughout the contiguous United States, to describe introduction pathways, sources of newly emergent populations and processes contributing to an ongoing invasion. Comparisons of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes for 6,566 invasive feral swine to a comprehensive reference set of S. scrofa revealed that the vast majority of feral swine were …


The Role Of European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris) In The Dissemination Of Multidrug- Resistant Escherichia Coli Among Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Jennifer E. Anders, Nicolas A. Blouin, James C. Carlson, Jeffrey T. Lejeune, Lawrence D. Goodridge, Baolin Wang, Leslie A. Day, Anna M. Mangan, Dustin A. Reid, Shannon M. Coleman, Matthew W. Hopken, Bledar Bisha Jan 2020

The Role Of European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris) In The Dissemination Of Multidrug- Resistant Escherichia Coli Among Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Jennifer E. Anders, Nicolas A. Blouin, James C. Carlson, Jeffrey T. Lejeune, Lawrence D. Goodridge, Baolin Wang, Leslie A. Day, Anna M. Mangan, Dustin A. Reid, Shannon M. Coleman, Matthew W. Hopken, Bledar Bisha

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Antimicrobial use in livestock production is a driver for the development and proliferation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Wildlife interactions with livestock, acquiring associated AMR bacteria and genes, and wildlife’s subsequent dispersal across the landscape are hypothesized to play an important role in the ecology of AMR. Here, we examined priority AMR phenotypes and genotypes of Escherichia coli isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of european starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) found on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). European starlings may be present in high numbers on cAfos (>100,000 birds), interact with urban environments, and can migrate distances exceeding 1,500 km in North …


Reporting The Limits Of Detection And Quantification For Environmental Dna Assays, Katy E. Klymus, Christopher M. Merkes, Michael J. Allison, Caren S. Goldberg, Caren C. Helbing, Margaret E. Hunter, Craig A. Jackson, Richard F. Lance, Anna M. Mangan, Emy M. Monroe, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Joel P. Stokdyk, Chris C. Wilson, Catherine A. Richter Jan 2020

Reporting The Limits Of Detection And Quantification For Environmental Dna Assays, Katy E. Klymus, Christopher M. Merkes, Michael J. Allison, Caren S. Goldberg, Caren C. Helbing, Margaret E. Hunter, Craig A. Jackson, Richard F. Lance, Anna M. Mangan, Emy M. Monroe, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Joel P. Stokdyk, Chris C. Wilson, Catherine A. Richter

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is increasingly being used to detect the presence and relative abundance of rare species, especially invasive or imperiled aquatic species. The rapid progress in the eDNA field has resulted in numerous studies impacting conservation and management actions. However, standardization of eDNA methods and reporting across the field is yet to be fully established, with one area being the calculation and interpretation of assay limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ).

Aims: Here, we propose establishing consistent methods for determining and reporting of LOD and LOQ for single‐species quantitative PCR (qPCR) eDNA studies.

Materials …


Safety, Immunogenicity, And Efficacy Of Intramuscular And Oral Delivery Of Era-G333 Recombinant Rabies Virus Vaccine To Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus Fuscus), Amy T. Gilbert, Xianfu Wu, Felix R. Jackson, Richard Franka, Gary F. Mccracken, Charles E. Rupprecht Jan 2020

Safety, Immunogenicity, And Efficacy Of Intramuscular And Oral Delivery Of Era-G333 Recombinant Rabies Virus Vaccine To Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus Fuscus), Amy T. Gilbert, Xianfu Wu, Felix R. Jackson, Richard Franka, Gary F. Mccracken, Charles E. Rupprecht

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Attenuated strains of rabies virus (RABV) have been used for oral vaccination of wild carnivores in Europe and North America. However, some RABV vaccines caused clinical rabies in target animals. To improve the safety of attenuated RABV as an oral vaccine for field use, strategies using selection of escape mutants under monoclonal antibody neutralization pressure and reverse genetics–defined mutations have been used. We tested the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of one RABV construct, ERA-g333, developed with reverse genetics by intramuscular (IM) or oral (PO) routes in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Twenty-five bats received 5×106 mouse intracerebral …


Psychological Drivers Of Risk-Reducing Behaviors To Limit Human–Wildlife Conflict, Stacy A. Lischka, Tara L. Teel, Heather E. Johnson, Courtney Larson, Stewart Breck, Kevin R. Crooks Jan 2020

Psychological Drivers Of Risk-Reducing Behaviors To Limit Human–Wildlife Conflict, Stacy A. Lischka, Tara L. Teel, Heather E. Johnson, Courtney Larson, Stewart Breck, Kevin R. Crooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Conflicts between people and wild animals are increasing globally, often with serious consequences

for both. Local regulations or ordinances are frequently used to promote human behaviors that minimize these conflicts (risk-reducing behaviors), but compliance with ordinances can be highly variable. While efforts to increase compliance could be improved through applications of conservation psychology, little is known about the relative influence of different factors motivating compliance. Using concepts from psychology and risk theory, we conducted a longitudinal study pairing data from mail surveys with direct observations of compliance with a wildlife ordinance requiring residents to secure residential garbage from black bears …


Genomic-Based Identification Of Environmental And Clinical Listeria Monocytogenes Strains Associated With An Abortion Outbreak In Beef Heifers, Katherine J. Whitman, James L. Bono, Michael L. Clawson, John D. Loy, Joseph M. Bosilevac, Terrance M. Arthur, Jeff D. Ondrak Jan 2020

Genomic-Based Identification Of Environmental And Clinical Listeria Monocytogenes Strains Associated With An Abortion Outbreak In Beef Heifers, Katherine J. Whitman, James L. Bono, Michael L. Clawson, John D. Loy, Joseph M. Bosilevac, Terrance M. Arthur, Jeff D. Ondrak

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: In a beef cattle facility an outbreak of abortions occurred over a 36-day period and included samples from two aborted (non-viable) fetuses and 21 post-abortion clinical cases. There are numerous etiologies, including clinical listeriosis. At the species level, Listeria monocytogenes is ubiquitous in cattle production environments, including soil, feed, and occasionally water sources, and is a common enteric resident of cattle and other mammals. There are four genetically distinct lineages of L. monocytogenes (I-IV), with most lineage III and IV isolates obtained from ruminants. Definitive diagnosis of L. monocytogenes as a causative agent in disease outbreaks relies upon case …


Ground And Aerial Robots For Agricultural Production: Opportunities And Challenges, Santosh Pitla, Sreekala Bajwa, Santosh Bhusal, Tom Brumm, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Dennis R. Buckmaster, Isabella Condotta, John Fulton, Todd J. Janzen, Manoj Karkee, Mario Lopez, Robert Moorhead, Michael Sama, Leon Schumacher, Scott Shearer, Alex Thomasson Jan 2020

Ground And Aerial Robots For Agricultural Production: Opportunities And Challenges, Santosh Pitla, Sreekala Bajwa, Santosh Bhusal, Tom Brumm, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Dennis R. Buckmaster, Isabella Condotta, John Fulton, Todd J. Janzen, Manoj Karkee, Mario Lopez, Robert Moorhead, Michael Sama, Leon Schumacher, Scott Shearer, Alex Thomasson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Crop and animal production techniques have changed significantly over the last century. In the early 1900s, animal power was replaced by tractor power that resulted in tremendous improvements in field productivity, which subsequently laid foundation for mechanized agriculture. While precision agriculture has enabled site-specific management of crop inputs for improved yields and quality, precision livestock farming has boosted efficiencies in animal and dairy industries. By 2020, highly automated systems are employed in crop and animal agriculture to increase input efficiency and agricultural output with reduced adverse impact on the environment. Ground and aerial robots combined with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques …


Simulating A Computational Biological Model, Rather Than Reading, Elicits Changes In Brain Activity During Biological Reasoning, Caron Clark, Tomáš Helikar, Joseph T. Dauer Jan 2020

Simulating A Computational Biological Model, Rather Than Reading, Elicits Changes In Brain Activity During Biological Reasoning, Caron Clark, Tomáš Helikar, Joseph T. Dauer

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The creation and analysis of models is integral to all scientific disciplines, and modeling is considered a core competency in undergraduate biology education. There remains a gap in understanding how modeling activities may support changes in students’ neural representations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of simulating a model on undergraduates’ behavioral accuracy and neural response patterns when reasoning about biological systems. During brief tutorials, students (n = 30) either simulated a computer model or read expert analysis of a gene regulatory system. Subsequently, students underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while responding to system-specific questions and …


Field Efficacy Of Soil Insecticides On Pyrethroid-Resistant Western Corn Rootworms (Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Leconte), Dariane Souza, Julie A. Peterson, Robert Wright, Lance Meinke Jan 2020

Field Efficacy Of Soil Insecticides On Pyrethroid-Resistant Western Corn Rootworms (Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Leconte), Dariane Souza, Julie A. Peterson, Robert Wright, Lance Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Field-evolved pyrethroid resistance has been confirmed in western corn rootworm (WCR) populations collected from the United States (US) western Corn Belt. Resistance levels of WCR adults estimated in lab bioassays were confirmed to significantly reduce the efficacy of foliar-applied bifenthrin. The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of WCR pyrethroid resistance levels on the performance of common soil-applied insecticide formulations (23.4% tefluthrin, 17.15% bifenthrin, and 0.1% cyfluthrin+2.0% tebupirimphos). Field trials were conducted in 2016 and 2017 in three Nebraska, US, counties (Saunders, Clay, and Keith) where distinct levels of WCR susceptibility topyrethroids (susceptible, moderately resistant, …


Description Of The Immature Stages Of Stenocrates Agricola Dechambre & Hardy (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) With Redescription Of The Adult And Discussion Of Its Tribal Position, Mario G, Ibarra-Polesel, Jhon C. Neita-Moreno, Brett Ratcliffe Jan 2020

Description Of The Immature Stages Of Stenocrates Agricola Dechambre & Hardy (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) With Redescription Of The Adult And Discussion Of Its Tribal Position, Mario G, Ibarra-Polesel, Jhon C. Neita-Moreno, Brett Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The enigmatic genus Stenocrates Burmeister has 52 species that are widely distributed from Mexico to Argentina, but mainly in South America. In the present study, the larva of the third instar and pupa of Stenocrates agricola Dechambre & Hardy, 2004 are described and illustrated based on specimens from Argentina, this being the first description of immatures for the genus. The adult is also redescribed, significantly expanding the number of characters and providing information on the natural history of this species. In addition, 28 species of Cyclocephalini and 20 species of Pentodontini are morphologically compared, emphasizing the most useful larval characters …


Methods For Surveying Stable Fly Populations, David B. Taylor, Kyle Harrison, Junwei J. Zhu Jan 2020

Methods For Surveying Stable Fly Populations, David B. Taylor, Kyle Harrison, Junwei J. Zhu

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Stable flies are among the most important pests of livestock throughout much of the world. Their painful bites induce costly behavioral and physiological stress responses and reduce productivity. Stable flies are anthropogenic and their population dynamics vary depending on agricultural and animal husbandry practices. Standardized sampling methods are needed to better identify the factors controlling stable fly populations, test novel control technologies, and determine optimal management strategies. The current study reviewed methods used for a long-term study of stable fly population dynamics in the central Great Plains. An additional study compared the relative size of flies sampled from the general …


Terpenoid-Induced Feeding Deterrence And Antennal Response Of Honey Bees, Nicholas R. Larson, Scott T. O'Neal, Ulrich R. Bernier, Jeffrey R. Bloomquist, Troy D. Anderson Jan 2020

Terpenoid-Induced Feeding Deterrence And Antennal Response Of Honey Bees, Nicholas R. Larson, Scott T. O'Neal, Ulrich R. Bernier, Jeffrey R. Bloomquist, Troy D. Anderson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Multiple interacting stressors negatively affect the survival and productivity of managed honey bee colonies. Pesticides remain a primary concern for beekeepers, as even sublethal exposures can reduce bee immunocompetence, impair navigation, and reduce social communication. Pollinator protection focuses on pesticide application guidelines; however, a more active protection strategy is needed. One possible approach is the use of feeding deterrents that can be delivered as an additive during pesticide application. The goal of this study was to validate a laboratory assay designed to rapidly screen compounds for behavioral changes related to feeding or feeding deterrence. The results of this investigation demonstrated …


Ento(O)Mics: The Intersection Of ‘Omic’ Approaches To Decipher Plant Defense Against Sap-Sucking Insect Pests, Prince Zogli, Lise Pingault, Sajjan Grover, Joe Louis Jan 2020

Ento(O)Mics: The Intersection Of ‘Omic’ Approaches To Decipher Plant Defense Against Sap-Sucking Insect Pests, Prince Zogli, Lise Pingault, Sajjan Grover, Joe Louis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Plants are constantly challenged by insect pests that can dramatically decrease yields. Insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts, for example, aphids, whiteflies, and leaf hoppers, seemingly cause less physical damage to tissues, however, they feed on the plant’s sap by piercing plant tissue and extracting plant fluids, thereby transmitting several plantpathogenic viruses as well. As a counter-defense, plants activate an array of dynamic defense machineries against insect pests including the rapid reprogramming of the host cell processes. For a holistic understanding of plant-sap-sucking insect interactions, there is a need to call for techniques with the capacity to concomitantly capture these dynamic changes. …


Phenology And Dispersal Of The Wheat Stem Sawfly (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) Into Winter Wheat Fields In Nebraska, Chris T. Mccullough, Gary L. Hein, Jeff Bradshaw Dr. Jan 2020

Phenology And Dispersal Of The Wheat Stem Sawfly (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) Into Winter Wheat Fields In Nebraska, Chris T. Mccullough, Gary L. Hein, Jeff Bradshaw Dr.

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Historically, the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton was a pest in spring wheat-growing regions of the northern Great Plains. However, in the 1980s, it was found infesting winter wheat fields in Montana. Infestations were first detected in western Nebraska in the 1990s, and have since spread throughout the Nebraska Panhandle. Larval damage occurs from stem-mining, but stem girdling that results in lodged stems that are not harvested results in the greatest yield losses.The biology and phenology of the wheat stem sawfly are well described in the northern portion of its range, but they are lacking in Colorado, southeast Wyoming, …


Genome Sequence Of A Small Rna Virus Of The Southern Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica Undecimpunctata Howardi Barber (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Sijun Liu, Arnubio Valencia-Jiménez, Molly Darlington, Ana M. Vélez, Bryony C. Bonning Jan 2020

Genome Sequence Of A Small Rna Virus Of The Southern Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica Undecimpunctata Howardi Barber (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Sijun Liu, Arnubio Valencia-Jiménez, Molly Darlington, Ana M. Vélez, Bryony C. Bonning

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The genome sequence of a novel small RNA virus, tentatively named Diabrotica undecimpunctata virus 1 (DuV1), was discovered from the transcriptome of the southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber. DuV1 has a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome that encodes a single polyprotein of 3,401 amino acids with limited similarity to other viruses.