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Change In Reference Condition Wetlands And Road Dust Impacts On Spider Mites, Savannah Joy Fritz

Natural Resources Management

Increased disturbance from agriculture and the changing climate in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota may cause shifts in vegetation on wetland systems as well as increases in spider mite populations on soybeans. Part of this study focuses on wetlands functioning at the highest ecological state, or reference condition. Wetland plants serve as a good indicator for assessing wetland condition. The past and present Floristic Quality Index scores at each wetland site were significantly different (p < 0.05), indicating that vegetation at reference wetlands have declined in condition. Increased agriculture also leads to an increase in road dust on soybean fields, which increases the population of spider mites. Three separate experiments were completed on contained plaster arenas. These experiments produced mixed results. Spider mites produced more eggs on dusted arenas (p < 0.05) in experiment one while experiment two and three yielded the opposite result.

Groundwater Quality Vulnerability Assessment In North Dakota, Sharmin Sultana

Natural Resources Management

In North Dakota, arsenic and nitrate are two major groundwater contaminants. These contaminants originate from either natural geologic or anthropogenic sources. Differences in geology, hydrology, geochemistry, and chemical use explain how and why concentrations of these groundwater contaminants vary across the regions. Based on these properties, a research was carried out to identify the potential groundwater quality vulnerable regions. For vulnerability assessment, modified DRASTIC-G and Susceptibility Index model were used for arsenic and nitrate, respectively. Our research showed that approximately 21 and 28 % of the study area fall within high arsenic and nitrate vulnerable areas, respectively. Our study also …

Assessment Of Wetland Water Quality And Plant Species Composition Across The Rural, Peri-Urban, And Urban Gradient, Alexis Steinman

Natural Resources Management

The Prairie Pothole Region, specifically eastern North Dakota, has experienced intense disturbance from agricultural demands and urban sprawl. This study assessed wetlands across the rural, peri-urban, and urban gradient to determine the impacts of urbanization on water quality and vegetation composition. Thirty wetlands were randomly selected and compared based on land use type and the impervious to pervious surface ratio within one mile of each wetland. Water quality samples were taken in 2015 and 2016, and a vegetation assessment was completed at all wetlands. Results indicate disturbance from urbanization impacts wetland water quality and vegetation composition. Rural wetland water quality …

Grassland Birds Community Dynamics, Resource Selection, And Nest Survival On Mixed-Grass Prairie Grazed By Native Colonial And Domestic Herbivores, Wyatt Mackenzie Mack

Natural Resources Management

Investigators surveyed avian and vegetation composition on- and off- black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus; hereafter prairie dog) colonies to gain greater insight into community dynamics of grassland passerines. Few studies have investigated grassland bird community associations with prairie dogs, and of those limited studies aim to quantify nesting passerine habitat selection and nest success. The objective of this study was to identify community associations and factors that shape the community of grassland birds on grazed mixed-grass prairie, both on- and off-prairie dog colonies. Bird and vegetation communities, avian densities, nesting survival, and resource selection was investigated in relativity to a …

Crops In Silico: Generating Virtual Crops Using An Integrative And Multi-Scale Modeling Platform, Amy Marshall-Colon, Stephen P Long, Douglas K Allen, Gabrielle Allen, Daniel A Beard, Bedrich Benes, Susanne Von Caemmerer, A J Christensen, Donna J Cox, John C Hart, Peter M Hirst, Kavya Kannan, Daniel S Katz, Jonathan P Lynch, Andrew J Millar, Balaji Panneerselvam, Nathan D Price, Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz, David Raila, Rachel G Shekar, Stuti Shrivastava, Diwakar Shukla, Venkatraman Srinivasan, Mark Stitt, Matthew J Turk, Eberhard O Voit, Yu Wang, Xinyou Yin, Xin-Guang Zhu

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Multi-scale models can facilitate whole plant simulations by linking gene networks, protein synthesis, metabolic pathways, physiology, and growth. Whole plant models can be further integrated with ecosystem, weather, and climate models to predict how various interactions respond to environmental perturbations. These models have the potential to fill in missing mechanistic details and generate new hypotheses to prioritize directed engineering efforts. Outcomes will potentially accelerate improvement of crop yield, sustainability, and increase future food security. It is time for a paradigm shift in plant modeling, from largely isolated efforts to a connected community that takes advantage of advances in high performance …

The Rs16906252:C>T Snp Is Not Associated With Increased Overall Survival Or Temozolomide Response In A Han-Chinese Glioma Cohort., Kuo-Chen Wei, Chia-Yuan Chen, Li-Ying Feng, Wei-Tzu Huang, Chia-Hua Chen, Peng-Wei Hsu, Kai Wang, Leroy Hood, Leslie Y Chen

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The methylation status of O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is associated with the prognosis in gliomas and in other cancers. Recent studies showed that rs16906252, an SNP in the MGMT promoter, is associated with promoter methylation and is a predictor of the overall survival time (OST) and the response to temozolomide (TMZ) treatment. However, these findings haven't been systematically investigated in the Han-Chinese population. We analyzed the relevance between rs16906252 polymorphisms, the MGMT methylation status, and the OST in 72 Han-Chinese gliomas patients. The MGMT promoter methylation was measured by bisulfite conversion followed by pyro-sequencing, while rs16906252 was measured by restriction endonuclease …

Attachment And Biofilm Formation Of Foodborne Pathogens, Sara Jean Smith

Microbiological Sciences

Outbreaks of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli are increasingly attributed to fresh produce. Current control measures have been assessed for decades, with no alternatives adopted. Sources were identified, reducing flhD transcription and biofilm amounts nearly 2-fold. β-phenylethylamine (PEA), reduced growth and biofilm 96% and 70%, respectively. Curli production was assessed and found to be microorganism-, strain-, and/or serotype-dependent. Reporter fusions were constructed, evaluating expression of Listeria cellulose protein (Lcp). Plcp was not impacted by conditions used. Conditions were then used in attachment of L. monocytogenes to stainless steel. Attachment was significantly reduced by 5 ppm chlorine and 2% lysate. …

Prognostic Value Of Multiple Draining Lymph Node Basins In Melanoma: A Matched-Pair Analysis Based On The John Wayne Cancer Institute Experience., J Harrison Howard, Junko J Ozao-Choy, Jason M Hiles, Myung-Shin Sim, Mark Faries

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of multiple draining basins is controversial in melanoma because analyses have not adequately controlled for standard prognostic variables. We hypothesized that an analysis based on prognostically matched pairs of patients with multiple versus single drainage basins would clarify any independent role of basin number.

STUDY DESIGN: We identified patients in our 40-year prospective database, who underwent preoperative lymphoscintigraphy, intraoperative sentinel node biopsy and wide local excision for cutaneous melanoma. Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared in patients with multiple versus single drainage basins after matching by age, sex, Breslow depth, …

Protein-Ligand Docking Application And Comparison Using Discovery Studio And Autodock, Qi Wang

Plant Sciences

Protein-ligand docking is a structure-based computational method, which is used to predict the small molecule binding modes and binding affinities with protein receptors. The goals of this study are to compare the docking performances of different software and apply the docking method to predict how protein fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) interact with ligands. Two docking software, Discovery Studio and AutoDock, are used for docking comparison of 195 protein-ligand complexes from PDBind dataset. AutoDock performs a little bit better than Discovery Studio on the docking percentage, which is the percent of the docked complexes out of 195. On the other …

Evaluation And Propagation Of Carex Species For Use In Rain Gardens, Randy Scott Nelson

Plant Sciences

A study was conducted to evaluate cyclical flood and drought on the growth of seven sedge species. A second study was conducted to determine if perigynia removal would accelerate germination for four sedge species. Results suggested plains oval sedge (Carex brevior Dewey), yellow fox sedge (C. annectens E.P. Bicknell), and Gray’s sedge (C. grayi Carey) may be planted at any elevation in the rain garden. Sprengel’s sedge (C. sprengelii Dewey ex Spreng) should be planted at higher elevations. Pennsylvania sedge (C. pensylvanica Lam.) should be planted on the highest elevation of the rain garden. Porcupine sedge (C. hystericina Muhl. Ex …

Genetic Diversity Of The Guatemalan Climbing Bean Collections, Maria Gabriela Tobar Pinon

Plant Sciences

Since common bean is the most important legume crop for human consumption around the world, bean breeders are challenged to increase production of beans while facing new problems like climate change. Guatemalan climbing beans have been suggested to represent race Guatemala, a newly identified race in the Middle American gene pool that may represent an untapped source of alleles for bean improvement. This study confirmed the existence of race Guatemala in the Middle American gene pool and its differentiation from other races. The low population structure found within these Guatemalan beans also makes this population ideal for discovery of candidate …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Timing, Rate, And Source Effects On Corn And Wheat Production In The Red River Valley, Tracy Hillenbrand

Plant Sciences

Experiments were conducted in 2015-2016 to determine if yield and protein concentration in corn (Zea mays L.) and hard red spring wheat (HRSW) (Triticum aestivum L.) could be enhanced through different nitrogen (N) fertilizer application timings, rates, and sources when compared to urea applied pre-plant and to quantify the dissolution rate of a controlled release fertilizer (CRF). The CRF effectively released N slowly over time. Placement depth did not impact the rate of release. Soil NH4+-N and NO3--N levels differed in diverse environments when different fertilizer sources were applied. Corn grain yield was not impacted by N application treatments in …

Identification Of New Sources Of Resistance To Anthracnose In Climbing Bean Germplasm From Guatemala, Carlos Raul Maldonado Mota

Plant Sciences

Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. and Magnus) Briosi and Cavara is a fungal disease that affects common bean worldwide. Seed yield loses sometimes reach 100% when the seed is infected and environmental conditions favor the disease. Climbing beans in Guatemala represent the main source of protein for the habitants of this region (9.4 kg/person/year). Unfortunately, anthracnose threatens climbing bean production in the region. Six races were found among samples collected in Guatemala Highlands using the standard common bean differential lines. Also, a germplasm collection from ICTA Guatemala was evaluated for resistance to C. lindemuthianum race 73, which is the …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Types And Application Timing On Hard Red Spring Wheat Productivity And Grain Protein, Calli Feland

Plant Sciences

The balance of improving hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend Thell) yield while maintaining grain protein concentration continues to be a challenge in agriculture. The objective of the field research was to evaluate N fertilizer types, additives, rates, and application timing to find N management strategies that improved the efficiency of the applied N with regards to both grain protein and yield. Another aspect of this study was to determine if ground-based active sensor data can predict grain yield and/or protein content. Fertilizer treatments consisted of 2 application timings, 3 sources of N, 3 rates of N, and …

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Affecting The Survival Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Prairie Pothole Soils And Sediments, Nicholas Stephen Dusek

Plant Sciences

The diversity-invasion relationship states that more diverse communities are more resistant to invasion. Listeria monocytogenes – a gram-positive facultative anaerobe, soil saprotroph, and opportunistic human pathogen – is capable of surviving in a diverse range of habitats, including soil, and several recent studies have shown that the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in soil increases with proximity to surface water. In addition, L. monocytogenes resides frequently in the guts of ruminants and poultry, creating many opportunities for deposition in soil. However, little work has been done to examine the effects of native soil microbiota on the survival of the pathogen. This …

Kentucky Bluegrass Growth And Performance As Affected By Salinity And Salt Composition, Liqi Yang

Plant Sciences

Turfgrass growth, development, and functionality are adversely affected by high soil salinity. Most of the previous salinity tolerance research involved NaCl-induced saline conditions. However, there are regions such as California and North Dakota where the predominant cation and anion is Mg2+ and SO42-, respectively. The objective of this research was to determine the salinity tolerance of ‘Kenblue’ and ‘Moonlight’ Kentucky bluegrass as affected by NaCl, Na2SO4, MgCl2, and MgSO4 at four saline levels at early growth and vegetative stages. The results showed that shoot and root dry weight, root length, and turfgrass performance decreased with increasing salinity levels at both …

Environmental Conditions, Variety, And Application Timing Influence On S-Metolachlor Sugarbeet Crop Safety, Andrew Lueck

Plant Sciences

Glyphosate-resistant weeds in North Dakota and Minnesota sugarbeet growing regions have necessitated research on S-metolachlor. S-metolachlor can be applied early-postemergence in sugarbeet but has not been labeled preemergence as reductions in sugarbeet safety have been observed. Field and growth chamber experiments were conducted to determine crop safety from S-metolachlor applied preemergence. S-metolachlor readily bonds to soil clay and organic matter. High clay and organic matter soils buffer S-metolachlor from soil solution and increase crop safety. Sugarbeet emergence was affected by soil series, temperature, and soil water, but was not affected by S-metolachlor or S-metolachlor rate. S-metolachlor affected sugarbeet growth, but …

Strategies For Weed Management In Organic Production Systems In The Northern Great Plains, Samantha Kay Hogstad

Plant Sciences

Two field studies were conducted in North Dakota to explore methods to facilitate weed management in organic production systems. No-till farming is gaining popularity in conventional systems; however, organic producers often rely on tillage for weed control. We hypothesized that the addition of sheep grazing into an organic no-till annual production system with roller crimped cover crops would aid weed management. Despite the grazing treatment, the no-till system resulted in greater weed biomass and increased yield loss compared to a tilled system. Weed community composition differed between no-till and conventionally tilled treatments. A second study was conducted to explore alternatives …

Biology And Management Of Fusarium Species On Sugar Beet, Xiao Lai

Plant Pathology

Minnesota and North Dakota together produce about 51% of the beet sugar in the United States of America. Fusarium diseases caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. betae and F. secorum on sugar beet cause significant reduction in both root yield and sucrose concentration. This research was conducted to determine the best inoculation methods to induce Fusarium diseases on sugar beet seeds and plants and to evaluate fungicides for their efficacy at controlling Fusarium diseases in greenhouse conditions. The use of Fusarium colonized barley seeds in close proximity to sugar beet seeds and seedlings caused similar level of disease severity as …

Genetic Mapping Of Resistance To Bacterial Leaf Streak In Triticale, Malini Anudya Jayawardana

Plant Pathology

Bacterial leaf streak (BLS), caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtu), is an important disease of wheat worldwide. The best way to control this disease in the field is the use of resistant cultivars. Although source of resistance is lacking in wheat, several triticale accessions have high levels of resistance. However, resistance in triticale has not be investigated. The main objective of this project was to map the BLS-resistance gene in triticale. A high density genetic linkage map was constructed in a triticale recombinant inbred line population covering all wheat and rye chromosomes. QTL mapping revealed a single locus on …

Augmenting Fungicidal Activity Of Tetraconazole With Chemosensitization Agents For Cercospora Leaf Spot Management, Nicholas James Metz

Plant Pathology

Cercospora beticola (Sacc.) is the causal agent of Cercospora leaf spot (CLS). CLS is considered to be one of the most destructive foliar diseases of sugar beet in the world. CLS is managed in part through resistant cultivars, crop rotation, and cultural practices, but timely fungicide applications are necessary to manage disease effectively. Heavy reliance on fungicides to manage CLS has led to the development of resistance to multiple classes of fungicides. The most widely used class of fungicides is the demethylation inhibitors (DMIs). DMI-resistant C. beticola isolates have been increasing in incidence over the past decade. Chemosensitization agents (CAs) …

Genetics Of The Host-Pathogen Interaction In The Barley-Net Form Net Blotch System, Vaidehi Mohit Koladia

Plant Pathology

Pyrenophora teres f. teres is a fungal pathogen that causes barley net form net blotch. To evaluate the genetics of resistance in barley, a RIL population was developed using resistant barley lines CI5791 and Tifang and tested against a global collection of nine P. teres f. teres isolates. QTL analysis indicated that CI5791 resistance mapped to chromosome 6H and was effective against all isolates. Additionally, CI5791 harbored resistance on chromosome 3H effective against two Japanese isolates. Tifang also had resistance that mapped to 3H and was effective against four of the isolates. To evaluate the genetics of virulence in P. …

Evaluation Of Field Pea Varieties For Resistance To Fusarium Root Rot Pathogens, Jennifer Lorraine Odom

Plant Pathology

Fusarium root rot is one of the most important diseases of pulse crops, with numerous Fusarium spp. comprising the disease complex. Fusarium solani and F. avenaceum have been reported to be major pathogens in the pea root rot complex, and all commonly grown varieties are susceptible. Greenhouse methods to evaluate peas for resistance to Fusarium root rot resulted in inconsistent disease severity across varieties. In 2015, F. avenaceum infested field plots were more heavily damaged based on emergence and yield than F. solani infested plots, and opposite trends were observed in 2016. Differences in root rot severity between years could …

Parasitic Fitness Of Sdhi-Sensitive And -Resistant Isolates Of Alternaria Solani, Mitchell James Bauske

Plant Pathology

Early blight of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is caused by Alternaria solani Sorauer. The single-site mode of action chemistries of the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) and quinone outside inhibitors (QoIs) have been widely used for early blight control but resistance has developed rapidly to a number of fungicide chemistries. QoI resistance in A. solani has been attributed to the F129L mutation, or the substitution of phenylalanine with leucine at position 129. Resistance to SDHI fungicides in A. solani is conferred by five known point mutations on three AsSdh genes. Over 1,300 A. solani isolates collected from 11 states in 2013 …

Chemical And Biological Characteristics Of Thermally And Chemically Disturbed Soil In Northwestern North Dakota, Samantha Susan Ritter

Soil Science

Thermal desorption (TD) remediates hydrocarbon-contaminated soil by heating the soil (200 to 500 °C) to volatilize the hydrocarbons, effectively removing the contaminant from the soil. If the soil is then used for agricultural production, reclamation success can be determined by quantifying aspects of soil health. Cation exchange capacity (CEC), cation selectivity and Gibbs free energy (ΔGex) of TD-treated and untreated soil were compared. Although CEC and ΔGex differed, cation selectivities were not altered suggesting that alternative fertility management to retain previous soil productivity may not be needed. From field plots, N-transforming genes were lowered in contaminated and TD-treated soils as …

Impact Of Wetlands Loss On The Long-Term Flood Risks Of Devils Lake In A Changing Climate, Sergey Gulbin

Theses and Dissertations

Endorheic (terminal) lakes with no water outlets are sensitive indicators of changes in climate and land cover in the watershed. Since 1990 Devils Lake watershed in North Dakota experienced a dramatic change of local climate: wet phase. This change yielded in a 10-m water level rise in just two decades. The Lake’s water level increase caused flooding of adjacent areas, including towns, agriculture fields and houses of Native Americans, costing over $1 billion in mitigation.

While the climate change contribution to flooding has been established, the role of large scale land conversion to agriculture has not been researched. The purpose …

Precipitation Of Synthetic Dolomite At Low Tempearures With The Influence Of Microbes, Sreeram Jambulapati

Theses and Dissertations

New approaches in carbonate geochemistry are aiding geoscientists in

understanding dolomite formation. Dolomite is largely absent in modern depositional

environments but is present in ancient rocks. The current problem is the inability to

synthesize it under low-temperature conditions in the laboratory. Until recently

laboratory preparation of dolomite required elevated temperatures (<100oC) to overcome

kinetic barriers. One novel approach involves using bacteria to overcome the kinetic

barriers that have frustrated efforts to synthesize dolomite at near surface temperatures.

This study presents preliminary results of experiments in which three strains of bacteria

were used to inoculate a magnesium deficient amorphous calcium carbonate (Mg-ACC)

medium …

Mechanistic Insights Into Neutrophil Turnover During Gram-Negative Pneumonic Sepsis, Christopher Jondle

Theses and Dissertations

Sepsis is one of the oldest and most elusive syndromes in medicine. It is characterized by a systemic inflammatory response leading to acute organ dysfunction. In the United States alone there are over 750,000 cases of sepsis each year, with a mortality rate between 20-50%. Sepsis is the second leading cause of death in the ICU and the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States. Over half of all ICU resources are consumed in the treatment of sepsis. There are currently no effective therapies available against sepsis, all attempts to develop an effective therapy have failed. Respiratory …

Functionalization Of Cyclopalladated Ligands Using Secondary Phosphines And Meta-Chloroperoxybenzoic Acid, Jonathan Kukowski

Theses and Dissertations

Cyclopalladation of organic ligands followed by reactions at the C–Pd bond with MPR2 (M = Li, K, or H) or other reagents (e.g. oxidants) is a desirable strategy for the synthesis of hemilabile bidentate ligands due to the large library of known cyclopalladated complexes (CPCs). This dissertation is composed of three projects on the functionalization of cyclopalladated ligands.

In the first study, a new method for (sp3)C–P bond formation using diphenylphosphine was studied. Conditions for the synthesis of aminophosphines were optimized for the reactions of dinuclear chloro-bridged (sp3)C–Pd CPCs and HPPh2. The best yields were obtained with 9 equivalents of …

Working And Providing Care: Increasing Student Engagement For Part-Time Community College Students, Daniel Leingang

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among external time obligations of work and care giving by part-time students, their participation within structured group learning experiences, and student engagement. The Structured Group Learning Experiences (SGLEs) explored within this study include community college programming activities of orientation, accelerated developmental education, first-year experience courses, student success courses, and learning communities. Student engagement was measured by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) Benchmark values. The focus of this research was to explore how differing levels of time spent working for pay and in providing care for dependents impacted …