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Blind Luck: A Narrative Exploration Of French Sayings And Superstitions, Isabella North

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The goal of this Honors Thesis was to explore French superstitions and idioms through a fictional story. To facilitate the inclusion of a range of sayings and superstitious beliefs, the short story “Jamais Deux Sans Trois” is a borderline paranormal piece of fiction which is meant to call into question how the reader interprets the world. The story, written in French, revolves around a pair of best friends and their experiences with a series of events which may or may not be explained through the lens of superstitions, depending on which character is asked at which point in the story. …

Pan-Arctic Soil Moisture Control On Tundra Carbon Sequestration And Plant Productivity, Donatella Zona, Peter M. Lafleur, Koen Hufkens, Beniamino Gioli, Barbara Bailey, George Burba, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Jennifer D. Watts, Kyle A. Arndt, Mary Farina, John S. Kimball, Martin Heimann, Mathias Göckede, Martijn Pallandt, Torben R. Christensen, Mikhail Mastepanov, Efrén López-Blanco, Albertus J. Dolman, Roisin Commane, Charles E. Miller, Josh Hashemi, Lars Kutzbach, David Holl, Julia Boike, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Aram Kalhori, Elyn R. Humphreys, Oliver Sonnentag, Gesa Meyer, Gabriel H. Gosselin, Philip Marsh, Walter C. Oechel

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Long-term atmospheric CO₂ concentration records have suggested a reduction in the positive effect of warming on high-latitude carbon uptake since the 1990s. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the reduced net carbon sink of northern ecosystems with increased air temperature, including water stress on vegetation and increased respiration over recent decades. However, the lack of consistent long-term carbon flux and in situ soil moisture data has severely limited our ability to identify the mechanisms responsible for the recent reduced carbon sink strength. In this study, we used a record of nearly 100 site-years of eddy covariance …

Center For Grassland Studies, March 2023

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

New Assistant Director for The Center for Grassland Studies, David Wedin

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director's Column by Jerry Volesky (Interim Director)

Congratulations December 2022 Graduates

New Grazing Lands Ecologist for Grassland Studies, Nic McMillan

New Administrative Associate for Grassland Studies, Ashley Branting

Apply Now for CGS Scholarships and Assistantship, https://grassland.unl.edu/grassland-systems/grazing-livestock-scholarships

New Guidelines for Reducing Eastern Redcedar in Grasslands by Dillon Fogarty

Year One Barta Brothers Ranch Collaborative Adaptive Management Update by Craig Allen

Nebraska Grazing Conference, August 8-9, 2023 by Daren Redfearn

Forty Years Reflection on Grassland Fire Weather by David Wedin

Nebraska Youth Range …

Predicting Mobility Using Limited Data During Early Stages Of A Pandemic, Michael T. Lash, S. Sajeesh, Özgür M. Araz

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumer behavior substantially. In this study, we explore the drivers of consumer mobility in several metropolitan areas in the United States under the perceived risks of COVID-19. We capture multiple dimensions of perceived risk using local and national cases and death counts of COVID-19, along with real-time Google Trends data for personal protective equipment (PPE). While Google Trends data are popular inputs in many studies, the risk of multicollinearity escalates with the addition of more relevant terms. Therefore, multicollinearity-alleviating methods are needed to appropriately leverage information provided by Google Trends data. We develop and utilize …

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 2, Edition 3, March 2023, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Included in this edition:

K-12 curriculum and resources

Elementary school resources

Middle school resources

High school resources

STEM educational trailers

Career exploration: Pathways for students who like animals and insects

Teacher and student opportunities

Registration open now for Cultivando Caminos

CASNR six interest areas: Analytic investigators, health system innovators, food system futurists, environmental stewards, entrepreneurial designers, community leaders

Environmental careers spotlight: Wildlife careers, …

Simulation Of Monthly Mean And Monthly Base Flow Of Streamflow Using Random Forests For The Mississippi River Alluvial Plain, 1901 To 2018, Benjamin J. Dietsch, William H. Asquith, Brian K. Breaker, Stephen M. Westenbroek, Wade H. Kress

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

Improved simulations of streamflow and base flow for selected sites within and adjacent to the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain area are important for modeling groundwater flow because surface-water flows have a substantial effect on groundwater levels. One method for simulating streamflow and base flow, random forest (RF) models, was developed from the data at gaged sites and, in turn, was used to make monthly mean streamflow and base-flow predictions at 162 ungaged sites in the study area. Daily streamflow observations and computed base flow from 247 streamgages were used as the basis for the development of these RF models. RF …

The Effect Of Relative Humidity On Eddy Covariance Latent Heat Flux Measurements And Its Implication For Partitioning Into Transpiration And Evaporation, Weijie Zhang, Martin Jung, Mirco Migliavacca, Rafael Poyatos, Diego G. Miralles, Tarek S. El-Madany, Marta Galvagno, Arnaud Carrara, Nicola Arriga, Andreas Ibrom, Ivan Mammarella, Dario Papale, Jamie R. Cleverly, Michael Liddell, Georg Wohlfahrt, Christian Markwitz, Matthias Mauder, Eugenie Paul-Limoges, Marius Schmidt, Sebastian Wolf, Christian Brümmer, M. Altaf Arain, Silvano Fares, Tomomichi Kato, Jonas Ardö, Walter Oechel, Chad Hanson, Mika Korkiakoski, Sébastien Biraud, Rainer Steinbrecher, Dave Billesbach, Leonardo Montagnani, William Woodgate, Changliang Shao, Nuno Carvalhais, Markus Reichstein, Jacob A. Nelson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

While the eddy covariance (EC) technique is a well-established method for measuring water fluxes (i.e., evaporation or 'evapotranspiration’, ET), the measurement is susceptible to many uncertainties. One such issue is the potential underestimation of ET when relative humidity (RH) is high (>70%), due to low-pass filtering with some EC systems. Yet, this underestimation for different types of EC systems (e.g. open-path or closed-path sensors) has not been characterized for synthesis datasets such as the widely used FLUXNET2015 dataset. Here, we assess the RH-associated underestimation of latent heat fluxes (LE, or ET) from different EC systems for 163 sites in …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2022, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Robert Matthew Joeckel, Jeffrey Westrop

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Performance Of High Early-Strength Materials Used In Concrete Bridge Repair, Zina Ebrahim, Fray F. Pozo-Lora, Zachary Benson, Mohammad Mastali, Marc Maguire, Jiong Hu

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

High early-strength materials are widely used for rapid concrete patching projects to limit road closure time and traffic obstruction. This research investigated the field performance of multiple high early-strength materials used in maintenance projects across Nebraska. Data from high early-strength products included in the state’s approved product list were collected and compared to field performance. In addition, a survey was prepared and distributed to the surrounding states to understand standard practices related to appropriate specifications of these materials that can be later used to develop specifications for the utilization of high early strength materials in Nebraska based on experimental and …

Uhpc Decked I-Beam For Accelerated Bridge Construction, George Morcous, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) is an excellent material for bridge construction due to its exceptional durability and superior mechanical properties. Several Departments of Transportations (DOTs), including NDOT, have limited the use of UHPC in bridge construction to joints and connections between bridge components due to the relatively high materials cost of commercially UHPC products. Recently, NDOT has sponsored a research project to develop a non-proprietary UHPC using local materials to reduce materials cost and ensure its availability to local contractors and precast producers. The project was completed successfully and an economical UHPC mix that satisfied all workability, durability, and strength requirements …

Airborne Infection Risks From Covid-19 In Meat Processing Plants And Different Solutions To Mitigate The Risks, Debayan Shom

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Meat processing plants are linked to the rapid spread of COVID-19 cases. A related literature review shows a lack of proper ventilation standards for the meat processing plants for workers’ health and safety. Ventilation rates in these plants are considered adequate if the meat products are unadulterated. Thus, the air distribution and ventilation rate experiments were conducted in three meat processing plants. These measured ventilation rates were either compared to ASHRAE Std. 62.1 (2019) for a similar space or the design values provided by the plant’s administration. The measured values were low in common spaces, such as the cafeteria and …

Metabolic Network Modeling To Unravel The Impact Of Copper Deficiency And High-Fat Diet On Liver Metabolism, Naeun Lee

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

Fatty liver disease is a common health problem caused by an imbalance in the intake, utilization, and distribution of energy. High-fat and high-carbohydrate diets have been identified as major risk factors for fatty liver disease. Other contributors and modifiers can also influence the development of liver damage. Intriguingly, inappropriate copper (Cu) levels in the diet and organs are associated with fatty liver disease, though the exact way in which Cu deficiency or toxicity contributes to metabolic issues is not yet clear. Cu is necessary for several biological processes, including energy production and redox balance. Further research should be taken to …

Multifunctional Microgel-Based Cream Hydrogels For Postoperative Abdominal Adhesion Prevention, Bo Liu, Yunfan Kong, Olawale A. Alimi, Mitchell Kuss, Huiyin Tu, Wenfeng Hu, Abu Rafay, Kumar Vikas, Wen Shi, Megan Lerner, William L. Berry, Yulong Li, Mark A. Carlson, Bin Duan

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Postoperative abdominal adhesions are a common problem after surgery and can produce serious complications. Current anti-adhesive strategies focus mostly on physical barriers and are unsatisfactory and inefficient. In this study, we designed and synthesized advanced injectable cream-like hydrogels with multiple functionalities, including rapid gelation, self-healing, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-cellular adhesion. The multifunctional hydrogels were facilely formed by the conjugation reaction of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and hyaluronic acid (HA)-based microgels and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based on the dynamic boronic ester bond. The physicochemical properties of the hydrogels including anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities were systematically characterized. A mouse cecum-abdominal wall adhesion model …

Viscoelastic Properties Of Human Facial Skin And Comparisons With Facial Prosthetic Elastomers, Mark W. Beatty, Alvin G. Wee, D. B. Marx, Lauren Ridgway, Bobby Simetich, Thiago Carvalho De Sousa, Kevin Vakilzadian, Joel Schulte

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Prosthesis discomfort and a lack of skin-like quality is a source of patient dissatisfaction with facial prostheses. To engineer skin-like replacements, knowledge of the differences between facial skin properties and those for prosthetic materials is essential. This project measured six viscoelastic properties (percent laxity, stiffness, elastic deformation, creep, absorbed energy, and percent elasticity) at six facial locations with a suction device in a human adult population equally stratified for age, sex, and race. The same properties were measured for eight facial prosthetic elastomers currently available for clinical usage. The results showed that the prosthetic materials were 1.8 to 6.4 times …

An Older Diabetes-Induced Mice Model For Studying Skin Wound Healing, Carlos Poblete Jara, Guilherme Nogueira, Joseane Morari, Thaís Paulino Do Prado, Renan De Medeiros Bezerra, Lício A. Velloso, William Velander, Eliana Pereira De Araújo

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Advances in wound treatment depend on the availability of animal models that reflect key aspects of human wound healing physiology. To this date, the accepted mouse models do not reflect defects in the healing process for chronic wounds that are associated with type two diabetic skin ulcers. The long term, systemic physiologic stress that occurs in middle aged or older Type 2 diabetes patients is difficult to simulate in preclinical animal model. We have strived to incorporate the essential elements of this stress in a manageable mouse model: long term metabolic stress from obesity to include the effects of middle …

An Innovative Approach To Improve Oil Production And Quality Of Mustard (Brassica Juncea L.) With Multi-Nutrient-Rich Polyhalite, Biswajit Pramanick, B.S. Mahapatra, Debarati Datta, Prithwiraj Dey, S.P. Singh, Ajay Kumar, Bappa Paramanik, Neeraj Awasthi

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Polyhalite popularly known as POLY4 is a multi-nutrient fertiliser containing K, S, Mg, Ca, and micronutrients. POLY4 has a low carbon footprint, is certified for organic agriculture, and has the potential to improve crop productivity and quality attributes Indian mustard which often faces challenges due to imbalanced nutrition supplied in the current fertilisation schedule. The hypothesis of the study was that the multi-nutrient fartiliser POLY4 can ensure balanced nutrition for Indian mustard. Considering this, a field experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of 2017–18 and 2018–19 to evaluate the effect of POLY4 on Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) …

Gloria - A Globally Representative Hyperspectral In Situ Dataset For Optical Sensing Of Water Quality, Moritz K. Lehmann

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The development of algorithms for remote sensing of water quality (RSWQ) requires a large amount of in situ data to account for the bio-geo-optical diversity of inland and coastal waters. The GLObal Reflectance community dataset for Imaging and optical sensing of Aquatic environments (GLORIA) includes 7,572 curated hyperspectral remote sensing reflectance measurements at 1nm intervals within the 350 to 900nm wavelength range. In addition, at least one co-located water quality measurement of chlorophyll α, total suspended solids, absorption by dissolved substances, and Secchi depth, is provided. The data were contributed by researchers affiliated with 59 institutions worldwide and come from …

Importance Of Snowmelt On Soil Nitrate Leaching To Groundwater – A Model Study, Sahila Beegum, Arindam Malakar, Chittaranjan Ray, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The movement of nitrate to surface water bodies during snow accumulation and melting has been extensively studied, but there are only limited studies on the influence of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater. The present study investigated the impact of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater based on a simulation modeling approach using HYDRUS-1D. HYDRUS-1D model has a temperature threshold-based snow model in addition to water, solute, and heat simulation components. The snow component in HYDRUS-1D was previously not applied to snow simulation studies since the method does not consider a detailed physical and process-based representation of snow …

Journal Of Dairy Science® 2022 Editorial Report, Paul J. Kononoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In 2022, the 105th volume of the Journal of Dairy Science was published. As we review the journal’s last year, it may be useful to reflect on the purpose of scientific publishing. This can be simply stated as the dissemination of results that extends knowledge to open the door for new concepts or advances in the field (Chan, 2018). Similar to other journals, in addition to original research articles, Journal of Dairy Science also publishes invited reviews and other paper types to pursue this purpose. The journal also has other valuable roles. For example, scientific journals actively support authors in …

Sugars And Cuticular Waxes Impact Sugarcane Aphid (Melanaphis Sacchari) Colonization On Different Developmental Stages Of Sorghum, Juan David Betancurt Cardona, Sajjan Grover, Michael J. Bowman, Lucas Busta, Pritha Kundu, Kyle G. Koch, Gautam Sarath, Scott E. Sattler, Joe Louis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Sugarcane aphid (SCA; Melanaphis sacchari) is a devastating pest of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) that colonizes sorghum plants at different growth stages. Leaf surface characteristics and sugars often influence aphid settling and feeding on host plants. However, how changes in cuticular waxes and sugar levels affect SCA establishment and feeding at different development stages of sorghum have not been explored. In this study, two- and six-weekold BTx623 plants, a reference line of sorghum, was used to evaluate plant-aphid interactions. Monitoring aphid feeding behavior using Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG) technique revealed that aphids spent more time in the sieve …

Search For The Higgs Boson Decay To A Pair Of Electrons In Proton-Proton Collisions At √S = 13 Tev, A. Tumasyan

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

A search is presented for the Higgs boson decay to a pair of electrons (e⁺e⁻) in proton-proton collisions at √ s = 13 TeV. The data set was collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC between 2016 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb⁻¹. The analysis uses event categories targeting Higgs boson production via gluon fusion and vector boson fusion. The observed upper limit on the Higgs boson branching fraction to an electron pair is 3.0 × 10⁻⁴ (3.0 × 10⁻⁴ expected) at the 95% confidence level, which …

A Highly Efficient Broadband Multi-Functional Metaplate, Azhar Javed Satti, Muhammad Ashar Naveed, Isma Javed, Nasir Mahmood, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Qasim Mehmood, Yehia Massoud

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Due to the considerable potential of ultra-compact and highly integrated meta-optics, multi-functional metasurfaces have attracted great attention. The mergence of nanoimprinting and holography is one of the fascinating study areas for image display and information masking in meta-devices. However, existing methods rely on layering and enclosing, where many resonators combine various functions effectively at the expense of efficiency, design complication, and complex fabrication. To overcome these limitations, a novel technique for a tri-operational metasurface has been suggested by merging PB phase-based helicity-multiplexing and Malus's law of intensity modulation. To the best of our knowledge, this technique resolves the extreme-mapping issue …

Advancing Ionomer Design To Boost Interfacial And Thin-Film Proton Conductivity Via Styrene-Calix[4]Arene-Based Ionomers, Shyambo Chatterjee, Oghenetega Allen Obewhere, Ehsan Zamani, Rajesh Keloth, Seefat Farzin, Martha D. Morton, Anandakumar Sarella, Shudipto Konika Dishari

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Sub-micrometer-thick ion-conducting polymer (ionomer) layers often suffer from poor ionic conductivity at the substrate/catalyst interface. The weak proton conductivity makes the electrochemical reaction at the cathode of proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells sluggish. To address this, here we report on a class of polystyrene-based ionomers having sub-nanometer-sized, sulfonated macrocyclic calix[4]arene-based pendants (PS-calix). In films with thickness comparable to that of ionomer-based binder layers, the conductivity of PS-calix film (∼41 mS/cm) is ∼13 times higher than that of the current state-of-the-art ionomer, Nafion. We observe a similar improvement in proton conductivity when PS-calix interfaces with Pt nanoparticles, demonstrating the potential of PS-calix in …

Secreted Metabolome Of Porcine Blastocysts Encapsulated With In In Vitro 3d Alginate Hydrogel Culture Systems Under Going Morphological Changes Provides Insights Into Specific Mechanisms Involved In The Initiation Of Porcine Conceptus Elongation, Sophie C. Walsh, Jeremy R. Miles, Corey D. Broeckling, Lea A. Rempel, Elane C. Wright-Johnson, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Context. The exact mechanisms regulating the initiation of porcine conceptus elongation are not known due to the complexity of the uterine environment. Aims. To identify contributing factors for initiation of conceptus elongation in vitro, this study evaluated differential metabolite abundance within media following culture of blastocysts within unmodified alginate (ALG) or Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified alginate hydrogel culture systems. Methods. Blastocysts were harvested from pregnant gilts, encapsulated within ALG or RGD or as non-encapsulated control blastocysts (CONT), and cultured. At the termination of 96 h culture, media were separated into blastocyst media groups: non-encapsulated control blastocysts (CONT); ALG …

Erratum: Measurement Of Prompt And Nonprompt Charmonium Suppression In Pbpb Collisions At 5.02 Tev, A. Tumasyan

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

In Fig. 3, the y axis titles were mistakenly written showing a single-differential cross section in either dimuon p_T or rapidity, when in fact the cross section is normalized by both the p_T and rapidity ranges used for a given measurement point. The corrected version is shown in the new Fig. 3 provided below.

A Monographic Revision Of The Jewel Scarabs Genus Chrysina From Panama, Colombia, And Ecuador (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), Manuel D. Barria

Zea E-Books Collection

The work is a taxonomic revision of 28 species of the genus Chrysina Kirby (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini) found in Panama (25), Colombia (2), and Ecuador (3). Chrysina tricolor (Ohaus), Chrysina chalcothea (Bates), and Chrysina cupreomarginata (F. Bates) are new re­cords for Panama. A new country record from northern Colombia is confirmed for Chrys­ina mercedesae Barria. Chrysina gaitalica Curoe and Hawks and Chrysina galbina Hawks are discovered at new localities in Panama; females of both species are discovered and described. Chrysina aurora (Bates) known from other localities in the west of the country, is rediscov­ered in Veraguas province 147 years after …

Pearl Millet Response To Drought: A Review, Nikee Shrestha, Hao Hu, Kumar Shrestha, Andrew N. Doust

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The C4 grass pearl millet is one of the most drought tolerant cereals and is primarily grown in marginal areas where annual rainfall is low and intermittent. It was domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa, and several studies have found that it uses a combination of morphological and physiological traits to successfully resist drought. This review explores the short term and long-term responses of pearl millet that enables it to either tolerate, avoid, escape, or recover from drought stress. The response to short term drought reveals fine tuning of osmotic adjustment, stomatal conductance, and ROS scavenging ability, along with ABA and ethylene …

Drought Stress Prediction And Propagation Using Time Series Modeling On Multimodal Plant Image Sequences, Sruti Das Choudhury, Sinjoy Saha, Ashok Samal, Anastasios Mazis, Tala Awada

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The paper introduces two novel algorithms for predicting and propagating drought stress in plants using image sequences captured by cameras in two modalities, i.e., visible light and hyperspectral. The first algorithm, VisStressPredict, computes a time series of holistic phenotypes, e.g., height, biomass, and size, by analyzing image sequences captured by a visible light camera at discrete time intervals and then adapts dynamic time warping (DTW), a technique for measuring similarity between temporal sequences for dynamic phenotypic analysis, to predict the onset of drought stress. The second algorithm, HyperStressPropagateNet, leverages a deep neural network for temporal stress propagation using hyperspectral imagery. …

Expression Of Malic Enzyme Reveals Subcellular Carbon Partitioning For Storage Reserve Production In Soybeans, Usda Agricultural Research Service, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Thomas E. Clemente, Hanh T. Nguyen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

• Central metabolism produces amino and fatty acids for protein and lipids that establish seed value. Biosynthesis of storage reserves occurs in multiple organelles that exchange central intermediates including two essential metabolites, malate, and pyruvate that are linked by malic enzyme. Malic enzyme can be active in multiple subcellular compartments, partitioning carbon and reducing equivalents for anabolic and catabolic requirements. Prior studies based on isotopic labeling and steady-state metabolic flux analyses indicated malic enzyme provides carbon for fatty acid biosynthesis in plants, though genetic evidence confirming this role is lacking. We hypothesized that increasing malic enzyme flux would alter carbon partitioning …

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Leaf-Counting In Monocot Plants Using Deep Regression Models, Xinyan Xie, Yufeng Ge, Harkamal Walia, Jinliang Yang, Hongfeng Yu

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Leaf numbers are vital in estimating the yield of crops. Traditional manual leaf-counting is tedious, costly, and an enormous job. Recent convolutional neural network-based approaches achieve promising results for rosette plants. However, there is a lack of effective solutions to tackle leaf counting for monocot plants, such as sorghum and maize. The existing approaches often require substantial training datasets and annotations, thus incurring significant overheads for labeling. Moreover, these approaches can easily fail when leaf structures are occluded in images. To address these issues, we present a new deep neural network-based method that does not require any effort to label …