Digital Commons Network^™

Animal Performance In Signalgrass Monoculture Or In Silvopastoral Systems, I. A. Gomes Da Silva, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., A. C. L. De Melo, Márcio V. Da Cunha, Mércia V. F. Dos Santos, V. X. O. Apolinário, Erinaldo Viana De Freitas, S. B. M. Costa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Silvopastoral systems (SPS) can increase overall productivity and long-term income due to the simultaneous production of trees, forage, and livestock. This 2-yr study evaluated animal performance and herbage responses in C4-grass monoculture or in SPS in the sub-humid tropical region of Brazil. The experimental design was randomized complete block with three replications. Treatments were: Urochloa decumbens (Stapf.) R. Webster (Signalgrass) + Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth (SPS-Mimosa); Signalgrass + Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp (SPS-Gliricidia); and Signalgrass monoculture (SM). Response variables included herbage and livestock responses. Cattle were managed under continuous stocking with variable stocking rate. There was interaction between treatment …

Legume And Nitrogen Fertilization Affect Animal Performance And Enteric Methane Emission Of Nellore Heifers, B. G. C. Homem, I. B. G. Lima, P. P. Spasiani, José C. B. Dubeux Jr., A. Berndt, D. R. Casagrande

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Methane emission from livestock operation is an important source of greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming. Forage legume secondary compounds may mitigate methane emissions by reducing methanogenic population in the rumen. This study evaluated animal performance and methane emission from beef cattle grazing either a mixed pasture [Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu (palisadegrass) and Arachis pintoi (forage peanut) cv. BRS Mandobi] or a palisadegrass monoculture with or without nitrogen (N) fertilisation. A 2.5-yr continuous stocking experiment was carried out in southeast Brazil, on a randomized complete block design with three treatments and four replicates. Two Nellore heifers were used …

People-Environment Trade-Offs In Managing Communal Rangelands Of South Africa, J. E. Bennett, S. Lemke, T. Marandure

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Communal rangelands in South Africa support a range of ecosystem services including water provision, carbon sequestration and livestock production for different stakeholders. Delivering these in a sustainable and socially appropriate manner necessarily requires trade-offs to be made between the different environmental and social outcomes required. We draw on empirical fieldwork and a two-day participatory stakeholder workshop to report on the early stages of a project evaluating these trade-offs in communal rangelands of the uMzimvubu catchment in Eastern Cape Province. Our findings suggest that trade-offs will be necessary at a variety of different levels within this system. For example, a key …

Programs Committee Approved Programs 2-8-22, Angela Brock

Programs Committee (PC)

No abstract provided.

Parasite Dynamics In Untreated Horses Through One Calendar Year, Ashley E. Steuer, Haley P. Anderson, Taylor Shepherd, Jessica A. Scare, Holli S. Gravatte, Martin K. Nielsen

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background: Horses are host to a plethora of parasites. Knowledge of the seasonality of parasite egg shedding and transmission is important for constructing parasite control programs. However, studies describing these patterns are sparse, and have largely been conducted only in the United Kingdom. This study evaluated strongylid egg shedding patterns and transmission dynamics of Strongylus vulgaris in naturally infected and untreated mares and foals through one calendar year in Kentucky, USA. The study also investigated the existence of a peri-parturient rise (PPR) in strongylid egg counts in foaling mares and collected information about Strongyloides westeri and Parascaris spp. in the …

Harnessing The Four-Dimensional Ecology Education Framework To Redesign An Introductory Ecology Course In A Changing Higher Education Landscape, Nathan Ruhl, Patrick Crumrine, Jennifer Oberle, Courtney Richmond, Shelly Thomas, Sara Wright

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

As higher education undergoes rapid and fundamental change, eco-educators need to be prepared to promote the inclusion of the ecological sciences in the biological sciences curriculum of the future. Here, we present an instructional alignment for an introductory ecology course, which is informed by and integrated with the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework. Our instructional alignment was created collaboratively among faculty involved in teaching the course and emphasizes the relevance and utility of the ecological sciences. We believe that this approach positions the ecological sciences for continued success and inclusion in the biological sciences curriculum of tomorrow.

Selective Elimination Of Pluripotent Stem Cells By Pikfyve Specific Inhibitors., Arup R Chakraborty, Alex Vassilev, Sushil K Jaiswal, Constandina E O'Connell, John F Ahrens, Barbara S Mallon, Martin Pera, Melvin L Depamphilis

Faculty Research 2022

Inhibition of PIKfyve phosphoinositide kinase selectively kills autophagy-dependent cancer cells by disrupting lysosome homeostasis. Here, we show that PIKfyve inhibitors can also selectively eliminate pluripotent embryonal carcinoma cells (ECCs), embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells under conditions where differentiated cells remain viable. PIKfyve inhibitors prevented lysosome fission, induced autophagosome accumulation, and reduced cell proliferation in both pluripotent and differentiated cells, but they induced death only in pluripotent cells. The ability of PIKfyve inhibitors to distinguish between pluripotent and differentiated cells was confirmed with xenografts derived from ECCs. Pretreatment of ECCs with the PIKfyve specific inhibitor WX8 suppressed their …

Classics And Social Media, Owen Ewald

Speakers & Events

The 2022 Marston Lecture will focus on the creations and curations of Classics students — memes, red-pill communities, and the dark academia aesthetic. This lecture will discuss these groups and themes for educational purposes only, not for advocacy or endorsement.

Harnessing The 4dee Framework To Redesign An Introductory Ecology Course In A Changing Higher Education Landscape, Nathan Ruhl, Patrick Crumrine, Jennifer Oberle, Courtney Richmond, Shelly Thomas, Sara Wright

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

As higher education undergoes rapid and fundamental change, eco-educators need to be prepared to promote the inclusion of the ecological sciences in the biological sciences curriculum of the future. Here, we present an instructional alignment for an introductory ecology course, which is informed by and integrated with the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework. Our instructional alignment was created collaboratively among faculty involved in teaching the course and emphasizes the relevance and utility of the ecological sciences. We believe that this approach positions the ecological sciences for continued success and inclusion in the biological sciences curriculum of tomorrow.

Spring Migration Behavior And Summer Habitat Associations Of Female Indiana Bats (Myotis Sodalis) In Arkansas, Heather N. Custer

Student Theses and Dissertations

Since 1967, the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) has been federally listed. Range-wide research continues to expand our understanding of the behaviors of the species, but knowledge gaps still remain. Specifically, information regarding spring migration behavior and associated summer habitat of female Indiana bats that overwinter in Arkansas is lacking. Accordingly, objectives of this research included determining direction and distance of migrating female Indiana bats, locating maternity colonies and roosts, estimating maternity colony size, home ranges, and core areas. Migration directions and distances varied among bats, and a maternity colony was located in Arkansas in 2019 that subsequently used artificial roosts …

Investigation Of The Methylome Pattern Changes In Phytophthora Sojae Infected Soybean (Glycine Max), Shyaron Poudel

Student Theses and Dissertations

Phytophthora stem and root rot (PSR), a soybean disease causes annual losses of up to $250 million in the United States alone. Using the Rps (resistant to Phytophthora sojae) gene in soybean is the main management technique. However, Rps genes are only effective until 8-15 years in the field. Therefore, further understanding of the Rps gene regulation and immune response in soybean is desperately needed. In this study, first, three commercial DNA methylation detection kits were examined on soybean (cultivar Williams 82,which carries Rps1k) DNA samples. All three kits provided libraries with excellent quality and coverage. Secondly, the differential DNA …

Unraveling The Anti-Inflammatory And Cardioprotective Mechanism Of Prenylated Stilbenoids From Peanut Hairy Root Cultures In Vitro And In Vivo, Md Rokib Hasan

Student Theses and Dissertations

Stilbenoids are a non-flavonoid class of polyphenols that are important for their potential medicinal applications. Resveratrol, ione of the most well-studied compounds of this group, has various medicinal properties including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer and many other properties. Prenylated stilbenoids which include arachidin-1 and arachidin-3 are produced as a defense response to biotic and abiotic stresses in peanut (Arachis hypogaea). Prenylation has been shown to enhance the biological activities of polyphenolic compounds and thus arachidins may have higher anti-inflammatory activity than resveratrol in addition to many other potential health applications. However, the molecular mechanism of the arachidins as an anti-inflammatory and …

Programs Agenda 2-8-22, Angela Brock

Programs Committee (PC)

No abstract provided.

Parasite Dynamics In Untreated Horses Through One Calendar Year, Ashley E. Steuer, Haley P. Anderson, Taylor Shepherd, Morgan Clark, Jessica A. Scare, Holli S. Gravatte, Martin K. Nielsen

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Horses are host to a plethora of parasites. Knowledge of the seasonality of parasite egg shedding and transmission is important for constructing parasite control programs. However, studies describing these patterns are sparse, and have largely been conducted only in the United Kingdom. This study evaluated strongylid egg shedding patterns and transmission dynamics of Strongylus vulgaris in naturally infected and untreated mares and foals through one calendar year in Kentucky, USA. The study also investigated the existence of a peri-parturient rise (PPR) in strongylid egg counts in foaling mares and collected information about Strongyloides westeri and Parascaris spp. in the …

Effects Of Silica Nanoparticle Liquid Fertilizer On Germination And Yield In Various Plant Species, Morgan Brittany Lowe

Student Theses and Dissertations

Silicon (Si), the second most abundant element on earth, has many unique qualities that have led to advances in medicine, computer technology, mechanics, and cosmetics. Awareness of Si deficiency in soil has recently become recognized as being a limiting factor for crop production; particularly in Si-accumulating plants and in soils that are low or limited in its availability. Increasing interest in the effects of differing nanoparticles on plant growth and yield has led to the production of Si nanoparticle (Si-NP) fertilizers. This research attempted to compare the effects of different Si-NP fertilizers on the growth, development, and yield of industrial …

Ucc Minutes 2-8-22, Angela Brock

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.

A Cysteine Variant At An Allosteric Site Alters Mif Dynamics And Biological Function In Homo- And Heterotrimeric Assemblies, Erin Skeens, Georgios Pantouris, Dilip Shah, Ramu Manjula, Michael J. Ombrello, N. Karl Maluf, Vineet Bhandari, George P. Lisi, Elias J. Lolis

Pacific Faculty Work

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory protein with various non-overlapping functions. It is not only conserved in mammals, but it is found in parasites, fish, and plants. Human MIF is a homotrimer with an enzymatic cavity between two subunits with Pro1 as a catalytic base, activates the receptors CD74, CXCR2, and CXCR4, has functional interactions in the cytosol, and is reported to be a nuclease. There is a solvent channel down its 3-fold axis with a recently identified gating residue as an allosteric site important for regulating, to different extents, the enzymatic activity and CD74 binding and signaling. …

Cryo-Et Of Toxoplasma Parasites Gives Subnanometer Insight Into Tubulin-Based Structures, Stella Y Sun, Li-Av Segev-Zarko, Muyuan Chen, Grigore D Pintilie, Michael F Schmid, Steven J Ludtke, John C Boothroyd, Wah Chiu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tubulin is a conserved protein that polymerizes into different forms of filamentous structures in Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasite in the phylum Apicomplexa. Two key tubulin-containing cytoskeletal components are subpellicular microtubules (SPMTs) and conoid fibrils (CFs). The SPMTs help maintain shape and gliding motility, while the CFs are implicated in invasion. Here, we use cryogenic electron tomography to determine the molecular structures of the SPMTs and CFs in vitrified intact and detergent-extracted parasites. Subvolume densities from detergent-extracted parasites yielded averaged density maps at subnanometer resolutions, and these were related back to their architecture in situ. An intralumenal spiral …

Regulation Of The Double-Stranded Rna Response Through Adar1 Licenses Metaplastic Reprogramming In Gastric Epithelium, José B. Sáenz, Nancy Vargas, Charles J. Cho, Jason C. Mills

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cells recognize both foreign and host-derived double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) via a signaling pathway that is usually studied in the context of viral infection. It has become increasingly clear that the sensing and handling of endogenous dsRNA is also critical for cellular differentiation and development. The adenosine RNA deaminase, ADAR1, has been implicated as a central regulator of the dsRNA response, but how regulation of the dsRNA response might mediate cell fate during injury and whether such signaling is cell intrinsic remain unclear. Here, we show that the ADAR1-mediated response to dsRNA was dramatically induced in 2 distinct injury models of …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, February 14, 2022, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

Agenda

• Call to Order- Boyd Edwards
• Approval of Minutes – January 18, 2022
• University Business- Noelle Cockett, President | Frank Galey, Provost
• Information
• Education Policies Committee – February 3, 2022- Paul Barr
• USU Internal Audit Services- Jodi Bailey
• Micromobility Policy- Dwight Davis
• Reports
• Parking and Transportation Committee Annual Report- Tracy Hulse
• Sustainability Council Annual Report- Alexi Lamm
• Old Business
• Faculty Code 402 Track Changes | Final Version (second reading)- Scott Hunsaker
• New Business
• Faculty Code 401 Track Changes | Final Version (first reading)- Scott Hunsaker
• Faculty Senate President Elect Process and Nominee Submissions- Boyd Edwards

Hippocampal Ensembles Represent Sequential Relationships Among An Extended Sequence Of Nonspatial Events, Babak Shahbaba, Lingge Li, Forest Agostinelli, Mansi Saraf, Keiland W. Cooper, Derenik Haghverdian, Gabriel A. Elias, Pierre Baldi, Norbert J. Fortin

Faculty Publications

The hippocampus is critical to the temporal organization of our experiences. Although this fundamental capacity is conserved across modalities and species, its underlying neuronal mechanisms remain unclear. Here we recorded hippocampal activity as rats remembered an extended sequence of nonspatial events unfolding over several seconds, as in daily life episodes in humans. We then developed statistical machine learning methods to analyze the ensemble activity and discovered forms of sequential organization and coding important for order memory judgments. Specifically, we found that hippocampal ensembles provide significant temporal coding throughout nonspatial event sequences, differentiate distinct types of task-critical information sequentially within events, …

Helminths Of Thomomys Species (Rodentia: Geomyidae) Of Oregon, Malorri Rene Hughes

Dissertations and Theses

Although often viewed as inconsequential, parasites have significant ecological and evolutionary importance, and studying them can generate knowledge regarding their environments and their hosts. Helminths (intestinal parasites) infecting Western pocket gophers (Thomomys species) in Oregon had been documented based only on morphology prior to this study. Basing parasite identification solely on morphology is problematic because the characteristics used to identify species can be vague or similar, leading to misidentification or obscuring the true biodiversity present. Using molecular markers to verify species present not only is more reliable but also can be informative in terms of the host-parasite association. To …

Combatting Climate Change Through Conservation Easements, Claire Wright

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Survey And Diet Analysis Of Anurans In The Riparian Zone Of Calayagon Watershed, Agusan Del Norte, Philippines, Jenessa Verna B. Salo, Chennie L. Solania

Journal of Bioresource Management

Watersheds are critical habitats for a diverse array of organisms. Among all the fauna, anurans are excellent biological indicators of environmental health. The community structure is often associated with a relationship between species diversity and diet. An anuran survey was conducted along riparian zones of three selected barangays of Calayagon Watershed (Guinabsan, Rizal, and Malpoc), Philippines. Extensive opportunistic methods for a total of 480 man-hours were spent traversing the area. A total of 195 individuals, consisting of seven species from four families, were recorded. Seventy-two percent of the individual species were regarded as Least concern, and 14 % were Near-threatened. …

Mosquito Survey In Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria Northern): Updated Inventory With New Reports, Soumeya Chahed, Hania Belkacem, Lynda Boukhari, Karima Brahmi

Journal of Bioresource Management

Mosquitoes play an important role in public health, they are responsible for the transmission of pathogens that cause infectious diseases to both humans and animals. The study of this fauna biodiversity is necessary to determine the vector species of diseases. Our inventory of mosquitoes in Tizi-Ouzou province has been updated in this study, it was carried out from April to September, 2021 at 43 breeding sites, spread over ten different communes. The inventory was based on the sampling of larvae and the capture of adults on human bait. The identification of Culicidae inventoried revealed the presence of 14 species belonging …

Fracturing The Rule Of Capture: The Improper Application Of The Rule Of Capture To Subsurface Intrusions Resulting From Hydraulic Fracturing, Alexis K. Désiré

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

Imagine that during the course of hydraulically fracturing a tract of land—a process used to extract gas from low-permeability rock formations —a drilling company causes fractures, as well as some of the materials necessary to the fracturing process, to cross the boundary of its property line and enter an adjoining property—that is, it makes a subsurface intrusion onto a neighbor’s property. Assume further that, because the company’s fractures have extended into the neighbor’s property, oil and gas from the neighboring land travels to the company’s wellbore, causing the neighbor to bring a tort action against the company for harms related …

Ddr1 Contributes To Kidney Inflammation And Fibrosis By Promoting The Phosphorylation Of Bcr And Stat3, Corina M. Borza, Gema Bolas, Fabian Bock, Xiuqi Zhang, Favour C Akabogu, Ming-Zhi Zhang, Mark De Caestecker, Min Yang, Haichun Yang, Ethan Lee, Leslie Gewin, Agnes B Fogo, W Hayes Mcdonald, Roy Zent, Ambra Pozzi

Open Access Publications

Discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), a receptor tyrosine kinase activated by collagen, contributes to chronic kidney disease. However, its role in acute kidney injury and subsequent development of kidney fibrosis is not clear. Thus, we performed a model of severe ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury that progressed to kidney fibrosis in WT and Ddr1-null mice. We showed that Ddr1-null mice had reduced acute tubular injury, inflammation, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis with overall decreased renal monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) levels and STAT3 activation. We identified breakpoint cluster region (BCR) protein as a phosphorylated target of DDR1 that controls MCP-1 production in renal proximal …

Stromal Architecture Directs Early Dissemination In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Arja Ray, Mackenzie K. Callaway, Nelson J. Rodríguez-Merced, Alexandra L. Crampton, Marjorie Carlson, Kenneth B. Emme, Ethan A. Ensminger, Alexander A. Kinne, Jonathan H. Schrope, Haley R. Rasmussen, Hong Jiang, David G. Denardo, David K. Wood, Paolo P. Provenzano

Open Access Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an extremely metastatic and lethal disease. Here, in both murine and human PDA, we demonstrate that extracellular matrix architecture regulates cell extrusion and subsequent invasion from intact ductal structures through tumor-associated collagen signatures (TACS). This results in early dissemination from histologically premalignant lesions and continual invasion from well-differentiated disease, and it suggests TACS as a biomarker to aid in the pathologic assessment of early disease. Furthermore, we show that pancreatitis results in invasion-conducive architectures, thus priming the stroma prior to malignant disease. Analysis in potentially novel microfluidic-derived microtissues and in vivo demonstrates decreased extrusion and …

Breakthrough Medicines During The Covid-19 Pandemic Era, Eswara Naga Hanuma Kumar Ghali, Vijian Dhevan, Shravan K. Narmala, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

Unravelling Causes Of Poor Crop Response To Applied N And P Fertilizers On African Soils, Gudeta W. Sileshi, Job Kihara, Lulseged Tamene, Bernard Vanlauwe, Elijah Phiri, Bashir Jama

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A number of studies across sub-Saharan Africa have recently reported poor crop responses and low agronomic use efficiencies of applied nitrogen (AEN), phosphorus (AEP) and potassium (AEK). However, the conditions under which non-responsiveness occurs, its underlying causes and its probability of occurrence on different soil types are not well understood. Using data from 542 sites and 14 soil types in 23 African countries, we provide novel insights into the linkage between lack of response to applied N, P and K, the mineralogy of soils and their resilience to erosion. We estimated mean responses as well as the probabilities (φ) of …