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Classification Of Tactile And Motor Velocity-Evoked Hemodynamic Response In Primary Somatosensory And Motor Cortices As Measured By Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Mohsen Hozan, Jacob Greenwood, Michaela Sullivan, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging technique in studying cerebral hemodynamics; however, consensus on the analysis methods and the clinical applications has yet to be established. In this study, we demonstrate the results of a pilot fNIRS study of cerebral hemodynamic response (HR) evoked by pneumotactile and sensorimotor stimuli on the dominant hand. Our goal is to find the optimal stimulus parameters to maximally evoke HR in the primary somatosensory and motor cortices. We use a pulsatile pneumatic array of 14 tactile cells that were attached to the glabrous surface of the dominant hand, with a patterned stimulus that …

Ultrasmall Mixed Eu−Gd Oxide Nanoparticles For Multimodal Fluorescence And Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Passive Accumulation And Retention In Tbi, Badrul Alam Bony, Hunter A. Miller, Aria W. Tarudji, Connor C. Gee, Anandakumar Sarella, Michael G. Nichols, Forrest Kievit

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. TBI can have a long-term impact on the quality of life for survivors of all ages. However, there remains no approved treatment that improves outcomes following TBI, which is partially due to poor delivery of therapies into the brain. Therefore, there is a significant unmet need to develop more effective delivery strategies that increase the accumulation and retention of potentially efficacious treatments in the injured brain. Recent work has revealed that nanoparticles (NPs) may offer a promising approach for site-specific delivery; however, a detailed understanding of the …

Rapeseed Stand Count Estimation At Leaf Development Stages With Uav Imagery And Convolutional Neural Networks, Biquan Zhao, Chenghai Yang, Yeyin Shi, Qingxi Liao, Guangsheng Zhou, Chufeng Wang, Tianjin Xie, Zhao Jiang, Dongyan Zhang, Wanneng Yang, Chenglong Huang, Jing Xie, Jian Zhang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Rapeseed is an important oil crop in China. Timely estimation of rapeseed stand count at early growth stages provides useful information for precision fertilization, irrigation, and yield prediction. Based on the nature of rapeseed, the number of tillering leaves is strongly related to its growth stages. However, no field study has been reported on estimating rapeseed stand count by the number of leaves recognized with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. The objectives of this study were to provide a case for rapeseed stand counting with reference to the existing knowledge of the number of leaves …

Classification Of Tactile And Motor Velocity-Evoked Hemodynamic Response In Primary Somatosensory And Motor Cortices As Measured By Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging technique in studying cerebral hemodynamics; however, consensus on the analysis methods and the clinical applications has yet to be established. In this study, we demonstrate the results of a pilot fNIRS study of cerebral hemodynamic response (HR) evoked by pneumotactile and sensorimotor stimuli on the dominant hand. Our goal is to find the optimal stimulus parameters to maximally evoke HR in the primary somatosensory and motor cortices. We use a pulsatile pneumatic array of 14 tactile cells that were attached to the glabrous surface of the dominant hand, with a patterned stimulus that …

Review—Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes As Optical Sensors For Biological Applications, Eric M. Hofferber, Joseph A. Stapleton, Nicole M. Iverson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Since the discovery of the band gap fluorescence from single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) many advancements have been made towards the use of these unique fluorophores as optical biosensors in vitro, ex vivo in vivo. Attention has been given to these pure carbon structures due to their photostability, tunable properties, and bright near infrared emission that falls in the tissue transparency window. This review highlights some of the major advancements in the field of SWNT biosensors over the last two decades with a focus given to recent advances in biological applications.

Antibiotic Resistance Gene Profile Changes In Cropland Soil After Manure Application And Rainfall, Morgan A. Meyers, Lisa M. Durso, John E. Gilley, Heidi Waldrip, Lana Castleberry, Amy Schmidt

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Land application of manure introduces gastrointestinal microbes into the environ- ment, including bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Measuring soil ARGs is important for active stewardship efforts to minimize gene flow from agri- cultural production systems; however, the variety of sampling protocols and target genes makes it difficult to compare ARG results between studies. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods to characterize and/or quantify 27 ARG targets in soils from 20 replicate, long-term no-till plots, before and after swine manure application and simulated rainfall and runoff. All samples were negative for the 10 b-lactamase genes assayed. For tetracycline resistance, …

Setback Distance Impacts On Transport And Antibiotic Resistance Phenotypes Of Fecal Indicators, Morgan A. Meyers, Lisa M. Durso, John E. Gilley, Daniel N. Miller, Xu Li, Amy M. Schmidt Schmidt

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Although the land application of livestock manure has numerous agronomic benefits, runoff from manured fields can degrade water quality. Setbacks instruct a minimum distance be maintained between manure application and surface waters. They are commonly used to manage nutrient contamination of surface waters; however, their utility for reducing microbial inputs remains unclear. Here we evaluated the efficacy of five setback distances in no-till wheat (Triticum aes- tivum L.) residue plots for reducing runoff fecal indicator concentrations from swine manure-amended fields. Also, since there is increasing interest in the use of water quality indicators to monitor antibiotic resistance in environmental sys- …

Calibrating Soybean Parameters In Jules 5.0 From The Us-Ne2/3 Fluxnet Sites And The Soyface-O3 Experiment, Felix Leung, Karina Williams, Stephen Sitch, Amos P.K. Tai, Andy Wiltshire, Jemma Gornall, Elizabeth A. Ainsworth, Timothy J. Arkebauer, David Scoby

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Abstract. Tropospheric ozone (O3) is the third most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas. O3 is detrimental to plant productivity, and it has a significant impact on crop yield. Currently, the Joint UK Land Environment Simula- tor (JULES) land surface model includes a representation of global crops (JULES-crop) but does not have crop-specific O3 damage parameters and applies default C3 grass O3 pa- rameters for soybean that underestimate O3 damage. Physiological parameters for O3 damage in soybean in JULES- crop were calibrated against leaf gas-exchange measure- ments from the Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment (SoyFACE) with O3 experiment in Illinois, USA. Other …

Insufficient Nitrogen Supply From Symbiotic Fixation Reduces Seasonal Crop Growth And Nitrogen Mobilization To Seed In Highly Productive Soybean Crops, Nicolas Cafaro La Menza, Juan Pablo Monzon, John L. Lindquist, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Johannes M.H. Knops, Murray Unkovich, James E. Specht, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen (N) supply can limit the yields of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in highly productive environments. To explore the physiological mechanisms underlying this limitation, seasonal changes in N dynamics, aboveground dry matter (ADM) accumula- tion, leaf area index (LAI) and fraction of absorbed radiation (fAPAR) were compared in crops relying only on biological N2 fixation and available soil N (zero-N treatment) versus crops receiving N fertilizer (full-N treatment). Experiments were conducted in seven high-yield environments without water limitation, where crops received optimal management. In the zero-N treatment, biological N2 fixation was not sufficient to meet the N demand of …

Continuous Cropping Alters Multiple Biotic And Abiotic Indicators Of Soil Health, Pervaiz Ahmad, Javed Iqbal, Qingming Zhang, Dima Chen, Hui Wei, Muhammad Saleem

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The continuous cropping (CC) of major agricultural, horticultural, and industrial crops is an established practice worldwide, though it has significant soil health-related concerns. However, a combined review of the effects of CC on soil health indicators, in particular omics ones, remains missing. The CC may negatively impact multiple biotic and abiotic indicators of soil health, fertility, and crop yield. It could potentially alter the soil biotic indicators, which include but are not limited to the composition, abundance, diversity, and functioning of soil micro- and macro-organisms, microbial networks, enzyme activities, and soil food web interactions. Moreover, it could also alter various …

Use Of Family Structure Information In Interaction With Environments For Leveraging Genomic Prediction Models, Reyna Persa, Hiroyoshi Iwata, Diego Jarquin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The characterization of genomes with great detail offered by the modern genotyping platforms have opened a venue for accurately predicting the genotype-by-environment interaction (GE) effects of untested genotypes in different environmental conditions. Already developed statistical models have shown the advantages of including the GE interaction component in the prediction context using molecular markers, pedigree, or both. In order to leverage the family information of highly structured populations when pedigree data is not available, we developed a model that uses the family membership instead. The proposed model extends the reaction norm model by including the interaction between families and environments (FE). …

Temperature Alters The Shape Of Predator–Prey Cycles Through Effects On Underlying Mechanisms, John P. Delong, Shelby Lyon

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Predicting the effects of climate warming on the dynamics of ecological systems requires understanding how temperature influences birth rates, death rates and the strength of species interactions. The temperature dependance of these processes—which are the underlying mechanisms of ecological dynamics—is often thought to be exponential or unimodal, generally supported by short-term experiments. However, ecological dynamics unfold over many generations. Our goal was to empirically document shifts in predator–prey cycles over the full range of temperatures that can possibly support a predator–prey system and then to uncover the effect of temperature on the underlying mechanisms driving those changes.

Methods: We …

The Globin Gene Family In Arthropods: Evolution And Functional Diversity, Andreas Prothmann, Federico G. Hoffmann, Juan C. Opazo, Peter Herbener, Jay F. Storz, Thorsten Burmester, Thomas Hankeln

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Globins are small heme-proteins that reversibly bind oxygen. Their most prominent roles in vertebrates are the transport and storage of O2 for oxidative energy metabolism, but recent research has suggested alternative, non-respiratory globin functions. In the species-rich and ecologically highly diverse taxon of arthropods, the coppercontaining hemocyanin is considered the main respiratory protein. However, recent studies have suggested the presence of globin genes and their proteins in arthropod taxa, including model species like Drosophila. To systematically assess the taxonomic distribution, evolution and diversity of globins in arthropods, we systematically searched transcriptome and genome sequence data and found a conserved, widespread …

A High-Throughput Method To Quantify Feeding Rates In Aquatic Organisms: A Case Study With Daphnia, Jessica L. Hite, Alaina C. Pfenning-Butterworth, Rachel E. Vetter, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

1. Food ingestion is one of the most basic features of all organisms. However, obtaining precise—and high-throughput—estimates of feeding rates remains challenging, particularly for small, aquatic herbivores such as zooplankton, snails, and tadpoles. These animals typically consume low volumes of food that are time-consuming to accurately measure.

2. We extend a standard high-throughput fluorometry technique, which uses a microplate reader and 96-well plates, as a practical tool for studies in ecology, evolution, and disease biology. We outline technical and methodological details to optimize quantification of individual feeding rates, improve accuracy, and minimize sampling error.

3. This high-throughput assay offers several …

Production Of Isoprene By Methane - Producing Archaea, Nicole Roswitha Buan Murphy, Karrie A. Weber, Jared T. Aldridge, Robert Carr

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Plasmid vectors and use of plasmid vectors in methods for producing methane and isoprene using Archaea are disclosed . Particularly, plasmid vectors that express isoprene synthase ( ispS ) are prepared and inserted into methanogens, such as Methanosarcina acetivorans, to allow for co - production of methane and isoprene. In one embodiment , the methods of the present disclosure can be used for wastewater management.

Trade-Offs Between Morphology And Thermal Niches Mediate Adaptation In Response To Competing Selective Pressures, Stella F. Uiterwaal, Ian T. Lagerstrom, Thomas M. Luhring, Miranda E. Salsbery, John P. Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Abstract

The effects of climate change—such as increased temperature variability and novel predators—rarely happen in isolation, but it is unclear how organisms cope with multiple stressors simultaneously. To explore this, we grew replicate Paramecium caudatum populations in either constant or variable temperatures and exposed half to predation. We then fit thermal performance curves (TPCs) of intrinsic growth rate (r_max) for each replicate population (N = 12) across seven temperatures (10°C–38°C). TPCs of P. caudatum exposed to both temperature variability and predation responded only to one or the other (but not both), resulting in unpredictable outcomes. These changes in …

Functional Responses Are Maximized At Intermediate Temperatures, Stella F. Uiterwaal, John Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Functional responses describe how consumer foraging rates change with resource density. Despite extensive research looking at the factors underlying foraging interactions, there remains ongoing controversy about how temperature and body size control the functional response parameters space clearance (or attack) rate and handling time. Here, we investigate the effects of temperature, consumer mass, and resource mass using the largest compilation of functional responses yet assembled. This compilation contains 2,083 functional response curves covering a wide range of foragers and prey types, environmental conditions, and habitats. After accounting for experimental arena size, dimensionality of the foraging interaction, and consumer taxon, we …

Engineered Clostridium Botulinum Toxin Adapted To Deliver Molecules Into Selected Cells, Benjamin J. Pavlik, Paul H. Blum, Kevin Van Cott

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

An engineered payload-delivery system includes a target cell binding unit, covalently bound to a pore forming unit, and a payload portion adapted with a region capable of non-covalently binding to the pore forming unit. The pore forming unit is derived from a particular sub-serotype of Clostridium toxin, while the payload region is derived from a different sub-serotype of Clostridium toxin. The disclosed chimeric protein-based composition is capable of specifically delivering payload to neural cells.

Towards Understanding Factors Influencing The Benefit Of Diversity In Predator Communities For Prey Suppression, Amanda N. Laubmeir, Richard Rebarber, Brigitte Tenhumberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

It is generally assumed that high biodiversity is key to sustaining critical ecosystem services, including prey suppression by natural predator guilds. Prey suppression is driven by complex interactions between members of predator and prey communities, as well as their shared environment. Because of this, empirical studies have found both positive and negative effects of high predator diversity on prey suppression. However, we lack an understanding of when these different prey suppression outcomes will occur. In this work, we use a mechanistic, trait-based model to unravel how intraguild interactions, species body mass, predator foraging area, and ambient temperature can combine to …

How Demographic Processes Shape Animal Social Networks, Daizaburo Shizuka, Allison E. Johnson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Invited review

Demographic processes play a key role in shaping the patterns of social relations among individuals in a population. Social network analysis is a powerful quantitative tool for assessing the social structure formed by associations between individuals. However, demographic processes are rarely accounted for in such analyses. Here, we summarize how the structure of animal social networks is shaped by the joint effects of social behavior and turnover of individuals and suggest how a deeper understanding of these processes can open new, exciting avenues for research. Death or dispersal can have the direct effect of removing an individual and …

Invited Commentaries On Shizuka & Johnson 2020, & Response From The Authors, Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro, Damien R. Farine, Amiyaal Ilany, Orr Spiegel, Noa Pinter-Wollman, Ipek G. Kulahci, Eric Vander Wal, Quinn M.R. Webber, Daniel I. Rudenstein, Daizaburo Shizuka, Allison E. Johnson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro and Damien R. Farine, Demographic processes in animal networks are a question of time

Amiyaal Ilany, Complex societies, simple processes

Orr Spiegel and Noa Pinter-Wollman, Placing the effects of demography on networks in ecological context

Ipek G. Kulahci, Individual differences can affect how networks respond to demography

Eric Vander Wal and Quinn M.R. Webber, Density dependence and eco-evolutionary dynamics of animal social networks

Daniel I. Rubenstein, On assessing the importance of demographic change for social structure

Daizaburo Shizuka and Allison E. Johnson, The long view on demographic effects on social networks: A response to comments on Shizuka …

Evolutionary Origin And Genetic Diversity Of Ring‐Necked Pheasants In The Upper Midwest United States, Hernán Vázquez-Miranda, Magdalena Jean Olson, Robert M. Zink

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

We compared mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences of ring‐necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) from Midwestern United States (SD and NE, USA) to a molecular phylogeographic hypothesis of pheasants in the native Eurasian range to understand which subspecies are represented by wild and captive released birds. We found that these birds represent 2 Eurasian lineages, which we refer to generally as northern Eurasian (Colchicus group) and eastern China (Torquatus group). These mitochondrial DNA lineages occur in different frequencies in the wild, with the latter being 3 times more common. This suggests that 1) the eastern China lineage is either …

Invasive Wild Pigs As Primary Nest Predators For Wild Turkeys, Heather N. Sanders, David G. Hewitt, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan P. Snow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Depredation of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) nests is a leading cause of reduced recruitment for the recovering and iconic game species. invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are known to depredate nests, and have been expanding throughout the distributed range of wild turkeys in north America. We sought to gain better insight on the magnitude of wild pigs depredating wild turkey nests. We constructed simulated wild turkey nests throughout the home ranges of 20 GPS-collared wild pigs to evaluate nest depredation relative to three periods within the nesting season (i.e., early, peak, and late) and two nest densities (moderate = 12.5-25 …

Effect Of Vaccination With A Novel Gnrh-Based Immunocontraceptive On Immune Responses And Fertility In Rats, Giovanna Massei, D. Cowan, Douglas C. Eckery, Richard E. Mauldin, M. Gomm, P. Rochaix, Fergal Hill, R. Pinkham, Laura A. Miller

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. As human-wildlife conflicts increase worldwide, novel methods are required for mitigating these conflicts. Fertility control, based on immunocontraceptives, has emerged as an alternative option to lethal methods for managing wildlife.

2. Immunocontraceptives are vaccines that generate an immune response to key components of an animal's reproductive system. Some of these vaccines target the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and have been used successfully as contraceptives for many wildlife species. However, the need to capture animals for treatment limits the field applications of injectable vaccines. The availability of orally delivered immunocontraceptives would increase the breadth of applications of fertility control for wildlife …

Ecological Drivers Of African Swine Fever Virus Persistence In Wild Boar Populations: Insight For Control, Kim M. Pepin, Andrew J. Golnar, Zaid Abdo, Tomasz Podgórski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Environmental sources of infection can play a primary role in shaping epidemiological dynamics; however, the relative impact of environmental transmission on host-pathogen systems is rarely estimated. We developed and fit a spatially explicit model of African swine fever virus (ASFV) in wild boar to estimate what proportion of carcassbased transmission is contributing to the low-level persistence of ASFV in Eastern European wild boar. Our model was developed based on ecological insight and data from field studies of ASFV and wild boar in Eastern Poland. We predicted that carcass- based transmission would play a substantial role in persistence, especially in low-density …

Influenza A Viruses In Peridomestic Mammals, J. Jeffrey Root, Susan A. Shriner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

During recent years, serological evidence has shown that a number of peridomestic mammals (e.g., those commonly found in or around human structures) are naturally exposed to influenza A viruses (IAVs). In addition, experimental studies have demonstrated that many of these species can successfully replicate several different IAVs, including IAVs of high consequence to public or agricultural health. The replication of some IAVs within this group of mammals could have implications for biosecurity associated with poultry production and live bird markets in some regions of the world. Given this evidence, the need for further study and understanding of the role that …

Invasive Rat Establishment And Changes In Small Mammal Populations On Caribbean Islands Following Two Hurricanes, Aaron B. Shiels, Claudia D. Lombard, Laura Shiels, Zandy Hillis-Starr

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive mammals, particularly black rats (Rattus rattus), house mice (Mus musculus), and mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) are established on many tropical islands and threaten natural resources such as native birds, sea turtles, lizards, invertebrates, and plants. St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean) has a diversity of natural resources being protected from invasive mammals by U.S. conservation agencies. Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge and Buck Island Reef National Monument receive among the highest density of nesting sea turtles in the region, including annual nesting populations of 50e250 leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), 25e80 hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata), and 100e250 green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Buck Island …

Effects Of Wild Pig Disturbance On Forest Vegetation And Soils, Steven M. Gray, Gary J. Roloff, Daniel B. Kramer, Dwayne R. Etter, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Robert A. Montgomery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In North America, wild pigs (Sus scrofa; feral pigs, feral swine, wild boars) are a widespread exotic species capable of creating large‐scale biotic and abiotic landscape perturbations. Quantification of wild pig environmental effects has been particularly problematic in northern climates, where they occur only recently as localized populations at low densities. Between 2016 and 2017, we assessed short‐term (within ~2 yrs of disturbance) effects of a low‐density wild pig population on forest features in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan, USA. We identified 16 8‐ha sites using global positioning system locations from 7 radio‐collared wild pigs for sampling.Within each …

Placebo Oral Rabies Vaccine Bait Uptake By Small Indian Mongooses (Herpestes Auropunctatus) In Southwestern Puerto Rico, Are R. Berentsen, Richard B. Chipman, Kathleen M. Nelson, Kenneth S. Gruver, Frank Boyd, Steven F. Volker, Amy J. Davis, Ad Vos, Steffen Ortmann, Amy Gilbert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is a rabies reservoir in areas of the Caribbean including Puerto Rico, but no rabies vaccination program targeting this host exists. We used two derivatives of iophenoxic acid (IPA) to evaluate placebo oral rabies vaccine bait uptake by mongooses in southwestern Puerto Rico. We hand-distributed baits at an application rate of 200 baits/km² at three, 400 ha, sites during autumn 2016 and spring 2017. Each site contained 90–100 cage traps in a 100 ha central trapping area. We used ethyl-IPA as a biological marker during the autumn and methyl-IPA during the …

Bird-Livestock Interactions Associated With Increased Cattle Fecal Shedding Of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia Coli Within Feedlots In The United States, James C. Carlson, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Bledar Bisha, Jeffrey T. Lejeune, Thomas E. Wittum

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This research study was conducted to determine if bird depredation in feedlots is associated with the prevalence of ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli in cattle and to determine if removal of invasive bird species could be an effective management strategy to help reduce ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coliin cattle within the United States. european starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were collected from feedlots within multiple geographic regions within the United States and european starlings within all regions tested positive for ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli, but prevalence differed by region. Total number of birds on feedlots were positively associated with increased cattle fecal shedding of ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli. …