Digital Commons Network^™

Seven-Year Prospective Study On Yearly Incidence Of Orbivirus Infection Of Captive White-Tailed Deer And Potential Culicoides Vectors, Michael Becker, Glen Gentry, Claudia Husseneder, Lane Foil

Faculty Publications

Bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) are arthropod-borne viruses that are transmitted by biting midges in the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and can cause hemorrhagic disease in certain ruminants. The objectives of this study were to measure the incidence of BTV and EHDV infections in captive white-tailed deer herd as well as tissues and corresponding presence of Culicoides midges at a location near Clinton, LA. During a 7-yr study with yearly outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease in the deer herd, 15 species of Culicoides were captured using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) black light traps. Reverse transcriptase quantitative …

Sustainable Sweetpotato Production In The United States: Current Status, Challenges, And Opportunities, Justin George, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Phillip A. Wadl, William Rutter, Julianna Culbreath, Pierre W. Lau, Tahir Rashid, Matthew C. Allan, Suzanne D. Johaningsmeier, Amanda M. Nelson, Ming Li Wang, Augustine Gubba, Kai Shu Ling, Yan Meng, Daniel J. Collins, Sathish K. Ponniah, Prasanna H. Gowda

Faculty Publications

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important staple crop cultivated in over 100 countries, and the storage roots and vines provide food for humans and livestock. Sweetpotato consumption and demand for its value-added products have increased significantly in the last two decades and have led to new cultivar development, expansion in acreage, and increased demand in the United States and its export markets. Despite the known nutritional components and other health benefits, further research is needed to characterize the genetic diversity and chemical composition related to their storage root qualities, essential in developing consumer-preferred cultivars that offer host plant resistance …

Data Augmentation Enhances Plant-Genomic-Enabled Predictions, Osval A. Montesinos-López, Mario Alberto Solis-Camacho, Leonardo Crespo-Herrera, Carolina Saint Pierre, Gloria Isabel Huerta Prado, Sofia Ramos-Pulido, Khalid Al-Nowibet, Roberto Fritsche-Neto, Guillermo Gerard, Abelardo Montesinos-López, José Crossa

Faculty Publications

Genomic selection (GS) is revolutionizing plant breeding. However, its practical implementation is still challenging, since there are many factors that affect its accuracy. For this reason, this research explores data augmentation with the goal of improving its accuracy. Deep neural networks with data augmentation (DA) generate synthetic data from the original training set to increase the training set and to improve the prediction performance of any statistical or machine learning algorithm. There is much empirical evidence of their success in many computer vision applications. Due to this, DA was explored in the context of GS using 14 real datasets. We …

Effects Of Teosinte Flour (Dioon Mejiae) On Selected Physicochemical Characteristics And Consumer Perceptions Of Gluten-Free Cocoa Cookies Formulated With Mung Bean (Vigna Radiata) Flour, Carlos José Rivera, Ricardo S. Aleman, Jorge Ortega, Andrea Muela, Jhunior Marcia, Joan King, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

Dioon mejiae, or teosinte, is a living fossil tree discovered in Olancho, Honduras, whose seeds have a desirable nutritional profile that can provide health benefits. As a result, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of teosinte flour obtained from seeds on selected physicochemical characteristics and consumer perceptions of gluten-free cocoa cookies formulated with mung bean (Vigna radiata) flour. Gluten-free cocoa cookies were prepared with different levels of teosinte flour (0%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% by weight of mung bean flour) in substitution of mung bean flour. The cookies were evaluated for texture hardness, color (L*, …

Association Between Short Birth Spacing And Child Malnutrition In Bangladesh: A Propensity Score Matching Approach, Foyez Ahmmed, Nahid Hasan, Faruk Hossain, Tareq Ferdous Khan

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effects of short birth spacing (SBS), which is defined as a period of less than 33 months between two successive births, on multiple concurrent forms of child malnutrition (MCFCM) and at least one form of child malnutrition (ALOFCM) using propensity score matching (PSM). Methods: This study used data extracted from the 2017- 18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. PSM with four different distance functions, including logistic regression, classification and regression tree, single hidden layer neural network and random forest, were performed to evaluate the effects of SBS on MCFCM and ALOFCM. We also …

Micronutrient Fe And Mn Uptake From Peat By Marigold And Petunia, Amy E. Bestic-Pennings, Paul R. Fisher, Jinsheng Huang

Faculty Publications

Peat substrates have the potential to function as micronutrient sources such as iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn). Typically, when planning fertilization program for crops, the components of peat substrates are not taken into account. The objective was to quantify potentially plant-available micronutrients of Fe and Mn from peat substrates by floriculture species when no additional Fe and/or Mn were applied in the fertilizer solution. Greenhouse experiments were conducted using Tagetes erecta 'Atlantis Primrose' marigold (iron-efficient) and Petunia x hybrida 'Celebrity Pink Morn' petunia (iron-inefficient) to compare extractable Fe and Mn from two peat sources with actual plant uptake of these …

Micronutrient Fe And Mn Uptake From Peat By Marigold And Petunia, Amy E. Bestic-Pennings, Paul R. Fisher, Jinsheng Huang

Faculty Publications

Peat substrates have the potential to function as micronutrient sources such as iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn). Typically, when planning fertilization program for crops, the components of peat substrates are not taken into account. The objective was to quantify potentially plant-available micronutrients of Fe and Mn from peat substrates by floriculture species when no additional Fe and/or Mn were applied in the fertilizer solution. Greenhouse experiments were conducted using Tagetes erecta 'Atlantis Primrose' marigold (iron-efficient) and Petunia x hybrida 'Celebrity Pink Morn' petunia (iron-inefficient) to compare extractable Fe and Mn from two peat sources with actual plant uptake of these …

Food Systems Under Shock: The Evolution Of Food Security Status Of Karantina Residents After The Beirut Explosion, Mariana Makoukji, Nour El Houda Amhez, Abed Al Kareem Yehya, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Yaser Abunnasr, Rami Zurayk

Faculty Publications

Robust food systems are crucial for ensuring access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly in times of crisis. Economic instability, currency devaluation, and political turmoil can disrupt food systems, leading to higher food prices, compromised nutrition, and increased vulnerability. Lebanon is a stark example of this, where a catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s Port in 2020 worsened an existing economic and humanitarian crisis. The depreciation of the Lebanese currency led to soaring food prices, impacting people’s ability to buy food, and pushing many into poverty, illustrating the significant impact of the state food systems during crises (FAO, 2021). In times of …

Children In The Workplace: An Exploration In Library Policy Making, Sharolyn Swenson, Marissa Anne Bischoff, Ryan Lee

Faculty Publications

Children in the workplace are becoming a more common discussion in various work environments, including libraries. Since the university has no policy addressing this issue, a task force was charged to draft a recommended policy for the university library regarding bringing children to the workplace. The task force reviewed existing policies and conducted a survey and interviews with library employees. The resulting policy provided guidelines for employees and their supervisors without being overly prescriptive. This article provides a case study of how the task force used assessment methods and tools to create an appropriate and inclusive policy. While the specific …

The Impact Of Information Presentation On Consumer Perceptions Of Cricket-Containing Chocolate Chip Cookies, Yupeng Gao, Pitchayapat Chonpracha, Bin Li, Ryan Ardoin, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

As a source of protein and other nutrients for a growing population, edible insect production offers environmental and sustainability advantages over traditional meat production. Although around 2 billion people consume insects worldwide, Western consumers are still reluctant to practice entomophagy, hindered largely by neophobia and negative emotions. In addition to sensory quality and safety, an informational component may be crucial to consumers’ decision making involving insect consumption. In this study, three different information types, namely text, image, and a tangible product, were used to convey information about chocolate chip cookies (CCCs) containing cricket flour. The nature of the information was …

Robust Assessment Of Associations Between Weather And Eastern Wild Turkey Nest Success, Wesley W. Boone, Christopher E. Moorman, David J. Moscicki, Bret A. Collier, Michael J. Chamberlain, Adam J. Terando, Krishna Pacifici

Faculty Publications

Temperature and precipitation have been identified as factors that potentially influence eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) reproduction, but robust analyses testing the relationship between weather parameters and turkey nest success are lacking. Therefore, we assessed how weather influenced turkey daily nest survival using 8 years of data collected from 715 nests across the southeastern United States. We also conducted exploratory analyses investigating if weather conditions during or prior to nesting best predicted nest success. We then assessed the possible implications of climate change through 2041–2060 for future eastern wild turkey daily nest survival and nest success for variables determined …

Dynamic Volunteer Engagement And Impactful Educational Outreach Taking Us Into The Next 50 Years Of The Extension Master Gardener Program, Heather Kirk-Ballard, Kristine M. Lang, Esther Mcginnis, Kerry Smith, Lucy Bradley

Faculty Publications

According to the 2021 Extension Master Gardener (EMG) National Summary, the EMG Volunteer Program had an estimated 84,700 volunteers throughout the United States. These volunteers helped communities garden and grow food, provided opportunities to engage in activities that improved physical and mental health, and worked on projects that addressed environmental issues. In total, these programs contributed 3.1 million hours of education to local communities and $88 million dollars in value to the public. However, the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges for the program, with many states implementing reduced requirements and increased flexibility for volunteers. The workshop “Dynamic Volunteer Engagement and Impactful …

Irrigation Of Sand-Based Creeping Bentgrass Putting Greens With Nanobubble-Oxygenated Water, Eric J. Deboer, Michael D. Richardson, John H. Mccalla

Faculty Publications

Cultural and environmental factors can place creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) under extreme stress during the summer months. This stress, coupled with the growth adaptation of creeping bentgrass, can result in shallow, poorly rooted stands of turf. To enhance root zone oxygen and rooting of creeping bentgrass, golf courses use methods such as core and solid-tine aerification, and sand topdressing. An additional method of delivering oxygen to the soil could be irrigation with nanobubble-oxygenated water. The properties of nanobubbles (NBs) allow for high gas dissolution rates in water. Irrigating with NB-oxygenated water sources may promote increased rooting of creeping bentgrass putting …

Ras/Mapk Signaling Mediates Adipose Tissue Control Of Ovarian Germline Survival And Ovulation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Tancia Bradshaw, Chad Simmons, Rachael Ott, Alissa Richmond Armstrong

Faculty Publications

From insects to humans, oogenesis is tightly linked to nutritional input, yet little is known about how whole organism physiology matches dietary changes with oocyte development. Considering that diet-induced adipose tissue dysfunction is associated with an increased risk for fertility problems, and other obesity-associated pathophysiologies, it is critical to decipher the cellular and molecular mechanisms linking adipose nutrient sensing to remote control of the ovary and other tissues. Our previous studies in Drosophila melanogaster have shown that amino acid sensing, via the amino acid response pathway and mTOR-mediated signaling function within adipocytes to control germline stem cell maintenance and ovulation, …

The Nitrogen Footprint Of Ukraine: Why Personal Consumption Matters, Sergiy Medinets, Allison M. Leach, Tetiana Pavlik, Volodymyr Medinets, James N. Galloway

Faculty Publications

Unintended reactive nitrogen (N) losses from agriculture, energy and transportation pose significant environmental hazards, including eutrophication, acidification, water and air pollution, biodiversity loss, human health risks and climate change. The concept of a nitrogen footprint (NF) emerges as a pivotal metric, reflecting potential N losses in the entire production-consumption chain of goods and services used by an individual within a defined timeframe.In a pioneering assessment of per capita NF in Ukraine, key factors, such as the food production chain, consumption patterns, connection to wastewater treatment (WWT) system and the efficacy of WWT facilities, were identified as critical components. Addressing specific …

The Cetacean Sanctuary: A Sea Of Unknowns, Jason N. Bruck

Faculty Publications

Housing cetaceans in netted sea pens is not new and is common for many accredited managed- care facilities. Hence, the distinction between sanctuary and sea pen is more about the philosophies of those who run these sanctuary facilities, the effects of these philosophies on the animals’ welfare, and how proponents of these sanctuaries fund the care of these animals. Here, I consider what plans exist for cetacean sanctuaries and discuss the caveats and challenges associated with this form of activist-managed captivity. One goal for stakeholders should be to disregard the emotional connotations of the word “sanctuary” …

An Empirical Investigation Of Online Grocery Shopping Behaviors Based On Different Generations, Jung-Im Seo

Faculty Publications

The Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted on consumers’ grocery shopping habits and lifestyles. Online grocery shopping is one of the promising ways to have little contact as well as increase convenience. For this reason, the sales and revenues of online grocery shopping have been dramatically increasing during the pandemic. The purpose of this study to explore online grocery shopping behaviors of different generations and their shopping intentions toward online grocery shopping during and after the pandemic. Data were collected from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and Southeast region in U.S.A with convenience sample. All Generations know that online grocery …

The Association Of Dietary Antioxidants And The Inflammatory Potential Of The Diet With Poor Physical Function And Disability In Older Australian Men: The Concord Health And Ageing In Men Project, Daniela Wizgier, Ying Meng, Arpita Das, Vasi Naganathan, Fiona Blyth, David G. Le Couteur, David J. Handelsman, Louise M. Waite, Rosilene V. Ribeiro, Nitin Shivappa, James Hébert Scd, Vasant Hirani

Faculty Publications

Our objective was to evaluate the association of antioxidant intake and the inflammatory potential of the diet with functional decline in older men. A diet history questionnaire was used to collect dietary intake data from men aged ≥ 75 years (n 794) participating in the Concord Health and Aging in Men Project cohort study. Intake of vitamins A, C, E and Zn were compared with the Australian Nutrient Reference Values to determine adequacy. The Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DIITM) was used to assess the inflammatory potential of the diet. Physical performance data were collected via handgrip strength and walking speed …

Indigenous Peoples And Local Communities Report Ongoing And Widespread Climate Change Impacts On Local Social-Ecological Systems, Victoria Sharakhmatova, Victoria Reyes-García, David García-Del-Amo, Santiago Álvarez-Fernández, Petra Benyei, Laura Calvet-Mir, André B. Junqueira, Vanesse Labeyrie, Xiaoyue Li, Sara Miñarro, Vincent Porcher, Anna Porcuna-Ferrer, Anna Schlingmann, Christoph Schunko, Ramin Soleymani, Adrien Tofighi-Niaki, Mariam Abazeri, Emmanuel M.N.A.N. Attoh, Ayansina Ayanlade, Julia Vieira Da Cunha Ávila, Daniel Babai, Rodrigo C. Bulamah, Joao Campos-Silva, Rosario Carmona, Julián Caviedes, Rumbidzayi Chakauya, Mouna Chambon, Zhuo Chen, Fasco Chengula, Esther Conde, Aida Cuní-Sanchez

Faculty Publications

The effects of climate change depend on specific local circumstances, posing a challenge for worldwide research to comprehensively encompass the diverse impacts on various local social-ecological systems. Here we use a place-specific but cross-culturally comparable protocol to document climate change indicators and impacts as locally experienced and analyze their distribution. We collected first-hand data in 48 sites inhabited by Indigenous Peoples and local communities and covering all climate zones and nature-dependent livelihoods. We documented 1,661 site-agreed reports of change corresponding to 369 indicators. Reports of change vary according to climate zone and livelihood activity. We provide compelling evidence that climate …

Evaluating Climate Change Hazards Within The Us Midwest Zone, Yaw Twumasi, E. C. Merem, S. Fageir, D. Olagbegi, J. Wesley, R. Coney, Y. Babalola, T. Thomas, A. Hines, G. Hirse, G. S. Ochai, E. Nwagboso, M. Crisler, S. Leggett, J. Offiah, S. Emeakpor

Faculty Publications

The US Midwest region known for its web of lakes, rivers and vast swaths of farmland ranks high as the nation’s food basket. Being a huge agricultural hub tied to global markets, the region’s immediate influence spans across multiplicity of states supported by a flourishing supply chain network sustained by farming centers and activities in and outside of the Midwest. Notwithstanding the region’s place as an active farm hub, it is slowly emerging as an epicenter of changing climatic hazards with the manifestations evident in different forms over the years. With many of the risks and recurrent changes now a …

Exploring Shifts In Yam Production Trends Along Nigeria’S Southern Region, Yaw Twumasi, E. C. Merem, S. Fageir, D. Olagbegi, J. Wesley, R. Coney, Y. Babalola, T. Thomas, A. Hines, G. Hirse, G. S. Ochai, E. Nwagboso, M. Crisler, S. Leggett, J. Offiah, S. Emeakpor

Faculty Publications

Yam as a staple commodity in Nigeria, remains generally grown in different places within the ecological zones and food hubs in the nation. Notwithstanding all that, being integral part of the nation’s food security in a setting where Nigeria ranks high as the largest producer globally. Still, yam continues to find ample use with essential role for numerous purposes. Classified as an important food crop, the use of yam runs deeper, given its high demands for religious, socio-cultural practices, the economy, industries, and the marketplace. Even at that and considering the vast presence of yams over large swaths of land …

Scenario Setup And Forcing Data For Impact Model Evaluation And Impact Attribution Within The Third Round Of The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (Isimip3a), Katja Frieler, Jan Volkholz, Stefan Lange, Jacob Schewe, Matthias Mengel, María Del Rocío Rivas López, Christian Otto, Christopher P.O. Reyer, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Johanna T. Malle, Simon Treu, Christoph Menz, Julia L. Blanchard, Cheryl S. Harrison, Colleen M. Petrik, Tyler D. Eddy, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Camilla Novaglio, Yannick Rousseau, Reg A. Watson, Charles Stock, Xiao Liu, Ryan Heneghan, Derek Tittensor, Olivier Maury, Matthias Büchner, Thomas Vogt, Tingting Wang, Fubao Sun, Inga J. Sauer, Johannes Koch, Inne Vanderkelen, Jonas Jägermeyr

Faculty Publications

This paper describes the rationale and the protocol of the first component of the third simulation round of the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP3a, http://www.isimip.org, last access: 2 November 2023) and the associated set of climate-related and direct human forcing data (CRF and DHF, respectively). The observation-based climate-related forcings for the first time include high-resolution observational climate forcings derived by orographic downscaling, monthly to hourly coastal water levels, and wind fields associated with historical tropical cyclones. The DHFs include land use patterns, population densities, information about water and agricultural management, and fishing intensities. The ISIMIP3a impact model simulations driven …

Urban School Neighbourhoods Dominated By Unhealthy Food Retailers And Advertisements In Greater Tunis: A Geospatial Study In The Midst Of The Nutrition Transition, Christelle Akl, Nehmat El-Helou, Gloria Safadi, Aline Semaan, Aya El Sammak, Tarek Trabelsi, Sonia Sassi, Chaza Akik, Jalila El Ati, Pierre Traissac, Hala Ghattas Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Objective:

Food environments are a major determinant of children’s nutritional status. Scarce evidence on food environments exists in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). This study aims to fill this gap by documenting the obesogenicity of food environments around schools in Greater Tunis, Tunisia – an LMIC of the Middle East and North Africa region with an ongoing nutrition transition and increasing rates of childhood obesity.

Design:

In this cross-sectional study, we assessed built food environments around fifty primary schools. Ground-truthing was performed to collect geographic coordinates and pictures of food retailers and food advertisement sets within an 800-m road network …

Medical Authority And The Right To Life, B. Jessie Hill

Faculty Publications

This essay briefly explores this relationship between the understandings—existing and potential—of the right to “life” and the role of medical authority in constitutional abortion rights litigation. It proceeds as follows. Part I describes the dichotomy between two different understandings of “life” in U.S. legal discourse, with a particular focus on cases dealing with the so-called “right to die.” Part II then explains why this dichotomy is relevant in the post-Dobbs abortion rights context, as it holds the promise of an alternate path to protection for abortion rights at the federal and state levels. Part II also discusses how and why …

Image Processing Of Big Data For Plant Diseases Of Four Different Plant Categories: Represented By Rice, Banana, Sunflower, And Potato, Richard S. Segall, Prasanna Rajbhandari

Faculty Publications

In this research, plant pathogens are considered as big data because of the numerical counts for high intensity pixels in the images. The research presents an automated approach for early detection of plant diseases using image processing techniques. By analyzing the color features of leaf areas, the k-means algorithm for color segmentation and the Gray-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM) are used for disease classification. A novelty of this research is that it illustrates four categories of plants to analyze and compare: (1.) Grain, represented by Rice Plant Leaf Data; (2.) Fruit, represented by banana plant leaf data, (3.) Flower, represented by …

Relationship Between Genotype And Disease Phenotype For Gluten-Related Disorders, Michael Roberts, Nadine Grzeskowiak, Stephen Bricher

Faculty Publications

We investigated gluten-related disorders (GRD) in intestinal biopsy-proven subjects to determine the relation between genotype (i.e., Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) DQ alleles) and phenotype (i.e., antibody levels and clearly defined symptoms). Subjects had known DQ genotypes, information on IgA anti-Endomysial antibodies (EMA) and/or anti-tissue Trans Glutaminase (tTG) antibodies (tTGA). Subjects also answered a survey characterizing gastrointestinal, skin, and neural symptoms. Though all were biopsy-proven, HLA genotypes included all combinations of DQ2.5, DQ2.2, DQ8, DQ7.5, DQ5, and DQ6. Subject antibody levels were proportional to the number of DQ2.5 haplotypes, and subjects with non-CD-associated haplotypes did not have positive antibody scores (despite …

The New Marshmallow: The Effects Of Screen Use On Children's Ability To Delay Gratification, Benjamin Richardson, P. Thomas Fife, Joseph Steed, Caroline Crane, James Gaskin

Faculty Publications

In a digital age where screens are as ubiquitous as crayons once were, the relationship between screen use and a child’s development necessitates examination. This study investigates the effect of screen use—both by children and their parents—on children’s ability to delay gratification, a key predictor of future success. Utilizing an experimental design modeled after the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, we found that children’s screen use did not significantly affect their ability to delay gratification. However, parental screen use for entertainment purposes was negatively associated with children’s capacity to delay gratification. Additionally, screens proved to be a more potent temptation than traditional …

The Effects Of A Brand-Specific, Hemp-Derived Cannabidiol Product On Physiological, Biochemical, And Psychometric Outcomes In Healthy Adults: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial, Gianna F. Mastrofini, Bridget A. Mcfadden, Alexa J. Chandler Ph.D., Blaine S. Lints, Harry P. Cintineo, Nathaniel D. Rhoades, Caroline S. Vincenty, Sten O. Stray-Gundersen Ph.D., Abbi D. Lane, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak

Faculty Publications

Background: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive phyto-cannabinoid derived from the Cannabis sativa plant. CBD exhibits various interactions at receptor sites, prompting the research of its potential anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, psychological, and pain-relieving effects. This study aimed to investigate the physiological, biochemical, and psychometric effects of a brand-specific, hemp-derived CBD product in healthy adults over a 12-week observation period. Methods: 54 healthy males and females (age = 25 ± 7y; BMI = 24.82 ± 3.25 kg/m2) recruited from a large Southeastern University completed the study. Participants arrived at the laboratory after > 8 h of fasting, and > 48 h without alcohol consumption and …

Common Questions And Misconceptions About Caffeine Supplementation: What Does The Scientific Evidence Really Show?, Jose Antonio, Daniel E. Newmire, Jeffrey R. Stout, Brandi Antonio, Maureen Gibbons, Lonnie M. Lowery, Joseph Harper, Darryn Willoughby, Cassandra Evans, Dawn Anderson, Erica Goldstein, Jose Rojas, Matías Monsalves-Álvarez, Scott C. Forbes, Jose Gomez Lopez, Tim Ziegenfuss, Blake D. Moulding, Darren Candow, Michael Sagner, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak

Faculty Publications

Caffeine is a popular ergogenic aid that has a plethora of evidence highlighting its positive effects. A Google Scholar search using the keywords “caffeine” and “exercise” yields over 200,000 results, emphasizing the extensive research on this topic. However, despite the vast amount of available data, it is intriguing that uncertainties persist regarding the effectiveness and safety of caffeine. These include but are not limited to: 1. Does caffeine dehydrate you at rest? 2. Does caffeine dehydrate you during exercise? 3. Does caffeine promote the loss of body fat? 4. Does habitual caffeine consumption influence the performance response to acute caffeine …

Spatiotemporal Patterns For Agroforestry Tree Crops In The U.S. Corn Belt For Usda Census Of Agriculture Periods 2012–2022, Andria Caruthers, Justin Dijak, Robin M. Rotman

Faculty Publications

Within the U.S., there is a growing need to integrate environmentally friendly practices into conventional agriculture. Agroforestry enhances environmental and resource stewardship in agricultural landscapes while offering potential economic benefits to farmers. Despite rising interest, limited information on its application in the U.S. hinders development efforts. A spatiotemporal analysis of current farm operations can provide crucial insights. This study examined patterns of agroforestry and tree crop adoption in the U.S. Corn Belt using USDA Census data (2012, 2017, and 2022) and spatial tools (Global Moran’s I, Local Moran’s I, and Moran scatterplots). The tree crops included in the analysis were …