Digital Commons Network^™

Updates On And Advances In Therapeutic Strategies For Traumatic Brain Injury, Samantha M. Portis, Paul R. Sanberg

Neurosurgery and Brain Repair Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Taking A Community Approach To Curriculum Change, Sarah E. Dalrymple, Anna Jo Auerbach, Elisabeth E. Schussler

CTL Teaching Gallery

Many undergraduate institutions are reforming their courses to increase student engagement. A critical challenge in these efforts is to engage the academic community beyond the instructors in the process of change. At our university, we embraced this challenge by creating a volunteer community of faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates to design the discussion curricula for a new introductory biology sequence. We report on this process of curriculum development using a case study approach and describe how the community created the new curriculum and how they perceived the outcomes of the process. Our findings indicate that this curriculum design approach …

Transcriptomic And Bioinformatics Analysis Of The Early Time-Course Of The Response To Prostaglandin F2 Alpha In The Bovine Corpus Luteum, Heather Talbott, Xiaoying Foote, Fang Qiu, Pan Zhang, Chittibabu Guda, Fang Yu, Robert A. Cushman, Jennifer R. Wood, Cheng Wang, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

RNA expression analysis was performed on the corpus luteum tissue at five time points after prostaglandin F2 alpha treatment of midcycle cows using an Affymetrix Bovine Gene v1 Array. The normalized linear microarray data was uploaded to the NCBI GEO repository (GSE94069). Subsequent statistical analysis determined differentially expressed transcripts ± 1.5-fold change from saline control with P ≤ 0.05. Gene ontology of differentially expressed transcripts was annotated by DAVID and Panther. Physiological characteristics of the study animals are presented in a figure. Bioinformatic analysis by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was curated, compiled, and presented in tables. A dataset comparison with similar …

Rumen Fluid Metabolomics Analysis Associated With Feed Efficiency On Crossbred Steers, Virginia M. Artegoitia, Andrew P. Cederberg, Ronald M. Lewis, Harvey C. Freetly

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The rumen has a central role in the efficiency of digestion in ruminants. To identify potential differences in rumen function that lead to differences in average daily gain (ADG), rumen fluid metabolomic analysis by LC-MS and multivariate/univariate statistical analysis were used to identify differences in rumen metabolites. Individual feed intake and body-weight was measured on 144 steers during 105 d on a high concentrate ration. Eight steers with the greatest ADG and 8 steers with the least-ADG with dry matter intake near the population average were selected. Blood and rumen fluid was collected from the 16 steers 26 d before …

Early Transcriptome Responses Of The Bovine Midcycle Corpus Luteum To Prostaglandin F2Α Includes Cytokine Signaling, Heather Talbott, Xiaoying Artegoitia, Fang Qiu, Pan Zhang, Chittibabu Guda, Fang Yu, Robert A. Cushman, Jennifer R. Wood, Cheng Wang, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In ruminants, prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2α)-mediated luteolysis is essential prior to estrous cycle resumption, and is a target for improving fertility. To deduce early PGF2α-provoked changes in the corpus luteum a short time-course (0.5-4 h) was performed on cows at midcycle. A microarraydetermined transcriptome was established and examined by bioinformatic pathway analysis. Classic PGF2α effects were evident by changes in early response genes (FOS, JUN, ATF3) and prediction of active pathways (PKC, MAPK). Several cytokine transcripts were elevated and NF-kB and STAT activation were predicted by pathway analysis. Self-organizing map analysis grouped differentially expressed transcripts into ten mRNA expression patterns indicative …

Genome-Wide Association Study For Feed Efficiency And Growth Traits In U.S. Beef Cattle, Christopher M. Seabury, David L. Oldeschulte, Mahdi Saatchi, Jonathan E. Beever, Jared E. Decker, Yvette A. Halley, Eric K. Bhattarai, Maral Molael, Harvey Freetly, Stephanie L. Hansen, Helen Yampara-Iquise, Kristen A. Johnson, Monty S. Kerley, Jaewoo Kim, Daniel D. Loy, Elisa Marques, Holly L. Neibergs, Robert D. Schnabel, Daniel W. Shike, Matthew L. Spangler, Bob Weaber, D. J. Garrick, Jeremy F. Taylor

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays for domestic cattle have catalyzed the identification of genetic markers associated with complex traits for inclusion in modern breeding and selection programs. Using actual and imputed Illumina 778K genotypes for 3887 U.S. beef cattle from 3 populations (Angus, Hereford, SimAngus), we performed genome-wide association analyses for feed efficiency and growth traits including average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI), mid-test metabolic weight (MMWT), and residual feed intake (RFI), with marker-based heritability estimates produced for all traits and populations.

Results: Moderate and/or large-effect QTL were detected for all traits in all populations, as jointly …

Evaluation Of The National Research Council (2001) Dairy Model And Derivation Of New Prediction Equations. 1. Digestibility Of Fiber, Fat, Protein, And Nonfiber Carbohydrate, R. R. White, Y. Roman-Garcia, J. L. Firkins, M. J. Vandehaar, L. E. Armentano, W. P. Weiss, T. Mcgill, R. Garnett, M. D. Hanigan

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Evaluation of ration balancing systems such as the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirementsseries is important for improving predictions of animal nutrient requirements and advancing feeding strategies. This work used a literature data set (n = 550) to evaluate predictions of total-tract digested neutral detergent fiber (NDF), fatty acid (FA), crude protein (CP), and nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC) estimated by the NRC (2001) dairy model. Mean biases suggested that the NRC (2001) lactating cow model overestimated true FA and CP digestibility by 26 and 7%, respectively, and under-predicted NDF digestibility by 16%. All NRC (2001) estimates had notable mean and …

The Effect Of Regular Or Reduced-Fat Distillers Grains With Solubles On Rumen Methanogenesis And The Rumen Bacterial Community, E. Castillo-Lopez, C. J. R. Jenkins, N. D. Aluthge, W. Tom, P. J. Kononoff, S. C. Fernando

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Aims: The effect of feeding dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) or reduced-fat DDGS (RFDG) on ruminal methanogenesis and the rumen bacterial community of dairy cattle was evaluated. Methods and Results: Treatments were CONT, a diet with no distillers grains; DG, inclusion of 20% DDGS; rfDG, inclusion of 20% RFDG; and MIX, inclusion of 10% DDGS and 10% RFDG. Methane emission was measured; rumen bacterial community was evaluated by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Total methane production remained unaffected. However, feeding distillers grains tended to reduce methanogenesis per unit of feed intake, decreased the abundance of …

Establishing Biological Plausibility For Cognitive Frailty, Lana Jean Sargent

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive frailty is considered a potentially reversible age-related condition characterized by the simultaneous presence of both physical frailty and cognitive decline. The concept of cognitive frailty existing in older adults is indisputable, although the mechanisms and the directional relationship behind the dynamic association remain unexplained. Mechanisms have been suggested, often linking cognitive frailty to cognitive impairment or as a component of frailty but without an understanding of the biological bases for these associations we cannot not move forward with intervention trials. This dissertation examines the biological mechanisms for cognitive frailty. The study is the first to use a large number …

2017 Scholarly Productivity Report, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Scholarly Productivity Reports

No abstract provided.

Record Breaking Achievements By Spiders And The Scientists Who Study Them, Stefano Mammola, Peter Michalik, Eileen Hebets, Marco Isaia

Eileen Hebets Publications

Organismal biology has been steadily losing fashion in both formal education and scientific research. Simultaneous with this is an observable decrease in the connection between humans, their environment, and the organisms with which they share the planet. Nonetheless, we propose that organismal biology can facilitate scientific observation, discovery, research, and engagement, especially when the organisms of focus are ubiquitous and charismatic animals such as spiders. Despite being often feared, spiders are mysterious and intriguing, offering a useful foundation for the effective teaching and learning of scientific concepts and processes. In order to provide an entryway for teachers and students—as well …

Curriculum Implementation: A Phenomenological Study Of A Reading Curriculum Adoption And Power Relationships In One School District, Lester Culver Sharon Jr.

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding the underlying issues that drive the success or failure of curriculum enactments is an important step in redesigning school reform efforts. This paper describes a phenomenological study of five elementary teachers as they participated in the selection and enactment of a new reading curriculum for a period of two and a half years. Steven Searle’s theory on status functions and the role that binding operational decisions and language play within social systems describes the process by which attenuating mythologies arise and ultimately threaten the viability of curriculum initiatives. The connection between status functions, the leaders that declare them and …

Quorum Sensing In Candida Albicans: Farnesol Versus Farnesoic Acid, Wayne R. Riekhof, Kenneth Nickerson

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida albicans is a clinically important dimorphic fungus that exhibits either a budding yeast or a mycelial-hyphal or pseudohyphal growth, depending on environmental conditions. The yeast-to-mycelia morphologic transition, which is generally regarded as an important virulence determinant, depends on the inoculum size of liquid cultures. The yeast form is favored when cultures are inoculated at > 10⁶ cells∙mL^–1, whereas the mycelial form is favored at inoculum densities < 10⁶∙mL^–1. Farnesoic acid (FA) and farnesol (FOH) are two related sesquiterpene quorum- sensing molecules that, upon accumulation, prevent the yeast-to-mycelial conversion. Oh et al. showed that C. albicans …

Spring Commencement, April 22, 2017, Eastern Michigan University

Commencement Programs and Materials

No abstract provided.

A Review Of The Neuroscience Of Second Language Acquisition, Adrienne Cruz

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

In exploring the neuroscience of second language acquisition, this literature review draws on published studies to discuss whether there is a "best" age to acquire a second language based on its impact on brain activity and structures of the brain. This project examines whether an individual's age of second language acquisition makes a significant impact on the brain that would impact other areas of that bilingual individual's life. This project then makes a connection to the topic's relevance in speech-language pathology through issues of referral and identification.

Orda Weekly Update, 2017 06 26, Office Of Research Development And Administration

ORDA Weekly Update

No abstract provided.

Orda Weekly Update, 2017 07 10, Office Of Research Development And Administration

ORDA Weekly Update

No abstract provided.

Orda Weekly Update, 2017 10 23, Office Of Research Development And Administration

ORDA Weekly Update

No abstract provided.

Ord A Weekly Update, 2017 07 03, Office Of Research Development And Administration

ORDA Weekly Update

No abstract provided.

Mcnair Challenger, February 2017, Mcnair Scholars Program

EMU McNair Challenger

No abstract provided.

Rag1 Soybean Photosynthetic Response To Biotype 2 Aphid Colonization And Feeding, Katy Hillard

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Over the past ten years, the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), has been one of the principal insect threats to commercial soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., production in the United States. Resistance genes identified from native soybean have been incorporated into commercial varieties to provide protection against aphid feeding damage. The biology of the pest lends itself to rapid buildup of biotypes capable of overcoming host plant resistance. Single gene resistance sources have displayed low levels of durability against aphids. The first aphid resistant commercial soybean line released in the United States contained the Rag1 gene, which was …

Interdependent Relationships And Biodiversity, Lena Teselle

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

This project is a composite of three Next Generation Science Standard(NGSS) aligned lessons aimed at middle school science students. Three E-Learning modules have been developed and uploaded to www.DiscoverEntomology.comto supplement the classroom lessons in a flipped model, whereby students complete the online lesson prior to attending class, application of concepts are explored through activity. Over the course of five to six class sessions and a field trip, students will build their understanding of interactions within ecosystems, the interdependent relationships that form between and among organisms, and the importance of biodiversity, using insects as model study subjects. This project serves to …

Use Of Baited Attract And Kill Stations As Ipm Alternative To Control Invasive Drosophila Suzukii Matsumura (Spotted Wing Drosophila), Timothy Lampasona

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

The newly invasive Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Spotted Wing Drosophila, SWD) is an economically significant pest of berries and other small fruit in the Northeast United States. Methods of controlling this insect typically consist of frequent sprays of conventional insecticide, often with long pre-harvest intervals. This experiment is intended to determine the efficacy of a unique Attract and Kill (AtK) design using super-absorbent gelatinous media saturated with highly attractive SWD bait adhered to durable netting, sprayed regularly with a range of insecticides. Our lab and field studies determined that presence of AtK stations treated with insecticides placed in vicinity of raspberries …

Pest Management: The Historical Management And Developed Resistance Of Western Corn Rootworm, Insect Resistance Management, And The Future Of Control, Mollie Mcmahon

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte, is a corn pest in the United States that has demonstrated overwhelming success an overcoming pest management strategies. Whether it is cultural, chemical, or transgenic control, western corn rootworm has managed to adapt, develop resistance, and create chaos among farmers and agriculture industries. Insect Resistance Management is a component of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Excellence Through Stewardship global organization. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates resistance through laws and regulations and with the help of other government organizations. The goal is to delay resistance, extend trait durability, and protect the environment …

Undergraduate Symposium, 2017, College Of Arts & Sciences

Undergraduate Symposium Programs

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2017, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Fences and Water Points: Where They Should Go by Jim Gerrish

Beef Systems Initiative by Archie Clutter

Grass-based Health and the Ruminant Revolution by Peter Ballerstedt

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Weedy Plants by Chris Helzer

2016 Leopold Conservation Award Winner by Nancy Peterson

Managing Grassland Vegetation to Benefit Livestock and Wildlife by Patricia Johnson

What is Plant Cover, and How Can We Manage it for Wildlife Needs? by Dwayne Elmore

Producer Panel: Annual Forages vs Row Crops Under Irrigation moderated by John Maddux

Producer Panel: Economics of Grazing Strategies moderated by Jim Jankins

It Costs How Much!? by …

Identifying Possible Alternative Rodenticide Baits To Replace Strychnine Baits For Pocket Gophers In California, Gary W. Witmer, Roger A. Baldwin, Rachael S. Moulton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rodents cause substantial damage to crops in California and rodenticides have been major tools for reducing that damage. While strychnine has been heavily relied upon to control pocket gophers in California, its future availability is in question because of increased import costs. We conducted efficacy trials with captive, wild-caught Botta's pocket gophers to identify potential alternative rodenticides to strychnine. The rodenticide baits tested included three categories: acute rodenticides, first generation anticoagulant rodenticides, and combination rodenticides (containing an acute toxicant and an anticoagulant). There was a wide range of efficacies (0e100%) with these rodenticides. The first generation anticoagulants performed poorly, while …

Sugar Versus Lipid For Sustainable Biofuels, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Introduction

First‐generation biofuels, namely, ethanol and biodiesel, have led to far reaching impact on the peoples’ life world‐wide.[1] However, they inter-fere with the food supply chain and may not be sustainable although some of the biomass are converted to biofuels after those biomasses have met the human needs. Still, the first‐generation–based biofuels have proved that sugar and lipid platforms can be an answer to energy security and global warming concerns without the need for new infrastructure for feedstock delivery as well as for biomass‐to‐biofuel conversion tech-nologies. At the same time, we are discovering and assessing the long‐term environmental im-plications on …

College Of Agricultural Sciences And Natural Resources: 24th Annual Report August 1, 2016-July 31, 2017

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR): Annual Reports

Covers administration and staff, academic unit administrators, standing committees, ad hoc committees, academic unit and program news and events, student Leadership, student organizations, honors, Dean's list, degrees conferred, graduate fellowships, scholarship report, alumni, Curriculum Committee actions, substitutions and waivers, CASNR online education programs, recruitment, retention, and placement, international engagement, faculty awards and recognitions, faculty publications, grants funded, teaching faculty, faculty appointments, and enrollment charts.

Mexican-Origin Youth's Risk Behavior From Adolescence To Young Adulthood: The Role Of Familism Values, Lorey A. Wheeler, Katharine H. Zeiders, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Sue A. Rodriguez De Jesus, Norma J. Perez-Brena

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Engagement in risk behavior has implications for individuals' academic achievement, health, and well-being, yet there is a paucity of developmental research on the role of culturally-relevant strengths in individual and family differences in risk behavior involvement among ethnic minority youth. In this study, we used a longitudinal cohort-sequential design to chart intraindividual trajectories of risk behavior and test variation by gender and familism values in 492 youth from 12 to 22 years of age. Participants were older and younger siblings from 246 Mexican-origin families who reported on their risk behaviors in interviews spaced over eight years. Multilevel cohort-sequential growth models …