Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of The Attitude Of Farmers Towards Innovations In The Management Of Grasslands In Poland, P. Goliński, A. Van Den Pol-Van Dasselaar, A. Paszkowski, B. Golińska

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Innovations in the management of grasslands in Poland are important to preserve them as a source of different ecosystem services. In the farmers point of view the most promising is forage production for herbivores, particularly dairy cows. Individual farmers have different opinions about innovations. To stimulate innovations in grassland-based farming systems in Poland, it is important to determine the drivers for their promotion and to define the barriers to overcome problems by their implementation. Analysis of the attitude of Polish farmers towards innovations on grasslands were conducted within the H2020 Inno4Grass project. The majority of respondents were young and had …

Adaptive Rotational Grazing And The Story Of The Regrazed Grass Plant, L. M. Porensky, H. Wilmer, D. J. Augustine, J. D. Derner, M. Fernández-Giménez, David D. Briske, Carm Stakeholder Group

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock stocking rates and decisions about how to move animals in time and space impact plant responses to livestock grazing. We report on a ranch-scale collaborative experiment comparing adaptive rotational grazing management to season-long continuous grazing during a 4.5-month grazing period during the growing season. As part of this project, stakeholders and scientists worked together to articulate their hypotheses about the mechanisms linking rotational grazing with expected vegetation outcomes. Several stakeholders expected rotational grazing to enhance the production and diversity of grazing-sensitive perennial grass species. The main hypothesized mechanism underlying this expectation was that rotation grazing should reduce regrazing of …

Ecology And Diversity Of Culturable Fungal Species Associated With Soybean Seedling Diseases In The Midwestern United States, Mirian F. Pimentel, Ali Y. Srour, Amanda J. Warner, Jason P. Bond, Carl A. Bradley, John Rupe, Martin I. Chilvers, J. Alejandro Rojas, Janette L. Jacobs, Christopher R. Little, Alison E. Robertson, Loren J. Giesler, Dean Malvick, Kiersten Wise, Albert Tenuta, Ahmad M. Fakhoury

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Aims: To isolate and characterize fungi associated with diseased soybean seedlings in Midwestern soybean production fields and to determine the influence of environmental and edaphic factors on their incidence.

Methods and Results: Seedlings were collected from fields with seedling disease history in 2012 and 2013 for fungal isolation. Environmental and edaphic data associated with each field was collected. 3036 fungal isolates were obtained and assigned to 76 species. The most abundant genera recovered were Fusarium (73%) and Trichoderma (11.2%). Other genera included Mortierella, Clonostachys, Rhizoctonia, Alternaria, Mucor, Phoma, Macrophomina and Phomopsis. …

Deep-Precognitive Diagnosis: Preventing Future Pandemics By Novel Disease Detection With Biologically-Inspired Conv-Fuzzy Network, Aviral Chharia, Rahul Upadhyay, Vinay Kumar, Chao Cheng, Jing Zhang, Tianyang Wang, Min Xu

Computer Vision Faculty Publications

Deep learning-based Computer-Aided Diagnosis has gained immense attention in recent years due to its capability to enhance diagnostic performance and elucidate complex clinical tasks. However, conventional supervised deep learning models are incapable of recognizing novel diseases that do not exist in the training dataset. Automated early-stage detection of novel infectious diseases can be vital in controlling their rapid spread. Moreover, the development of a conventional CAD model is only possible after disease outbreaks and datasets become available for training (viz. COVID-19 outbreak). Since novel diseases are unknown and cannot be included in training data, it is challenging to recognize them …

The Echo: February 21, 2022, Taylor University

2021-2022 (Volume 109)

Taylor celebrates Black History Month — Cunningham set to speak at commencement — Presidential Fellows Program starts full year at Taylor — J-term trips abroad remain impactful despite COVID-19 — Global Need-to-Know — Honoring the legacy of Samuel Morris — Looking back before looking forward — Black history February — Chapel speakers need a new intro — “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes stage at Taylor — Students take the stage in Nashville with CMC — Cellar Door — J-Term trips honors Black History Month — Celebrating friendship year-round — Women’s basketball defeats Grace — Competitive cheer competes in year’s first …

Recent Advances In Probiotic Application In Animal Health And Nutrition: A Review, Sarayu Bhogoju, Samuel Nahashon

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Biotechnological advances in animal health and nutrition continue to play a significant role in the improvement of animal health, growth, and production performance. These biotechnological advancements, especially the use of direct-fed microbials, also termed probiotics, those genetically modified and otherwise, have minimized many challenges facing livestock production around the world. Such advancements result in healthy animals and animal products, such as meat, for a growing population worldwide. Increasing demand for productivity, healthy animals, and consumer food safety concerns, especially those emanating from excessive use of antibiotics or growth promoters, are a driving force for investing in safer alternatives, such as …

Friends Helping Friends, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

Kristen Altenau Keen may be a champion for student wellbeing, but “no one thinks I’m cool,” she says with a laugh. "There is immense power in the student voice. Students leading the conversations around education and intervention sometimes have far greater impact than staff.”

Professional Development For Early Career Dber Scholars Through In-Person And Virtual Career Panel Workshops, Miranda M. Chen Musgrove, Elizabeth Genné-Bacon, Kelsey Gray, Ashley B. Heim, Anupriya Karippadath, Rita Margarida Magalhães, Brie Tripp, Anna J. Zelaya

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In discipline-based education research (DBER), early career scholars, such as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, observe a slew of possible career pathways. Yet, there is a lack of opportunities to learn about such pathways, particularly when transitioning from traditional science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) disciplinary training into a DBER position. Thus, the DBER Scholars-in-Training Professional Development subcommittee was created within the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) community to develop a collection of workshops that would serve the greatest professional development needs of early career scholars entering DBER. Through a series of surveys disseminated over multiple …

15th Annual Research In The Capitol [Program], February 21, 2022, University Of Northern Iowa. University Honors Program., Iowa State University. Honors Program., University Of Iowa. Honors Program.

Research in the Capitol Programs

Program of research presentations given at the Capitol by students from the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa.

The Role Of Place Attachment And Situated Sustainability Meaning-Making In Enhancing Student Civic-Mindedness: A Campus Farm Example, Brandon H. Sorge, Francesca A. Williamson, Grant A. Fore, Julia L. Angstmann

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This research explores the role that place attachment and place meaning towards an urban farm play in predicting undergraduate students’ civic-mindedness, an important factor in sustainability and social change. In 2017 and 2018, three STEM courses at a private university in the Midwest incorporated a local urban farm as a physical and conceptual context for teaching course content and sustainability concepts. Each course included a four to six-week long place-based experiential learning (PBEL) module aimed at enhancing undergraduate STEM student learning outcomes, particularly place attachment, situated sustainability meaning-making (SSMM), and civic-mindedness. End-of-course place attachment, SSMM, and civic-mindedness survey data were …

Understanding Information Needs And Barriers To Accessing Health Information Across All Stages Of Pregnancy: Systematic Review, Yu Lu, Laura A Barrett, Rebecca Z Lin, Muhammad Amith, Cui Tao, Zhe He

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Understanding consumers' health information needs across all stages of the pregnancy trajectory is crucial to the development of mechanisms that allow them to retrieve high-quality, customized, and layperson-friendly health information.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify research gaps in pregnancy-related consumer information needs and available information from different sources.

METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of CINAHL, Cochrane, PubMed, and Web of Science for relevant articles that were published from 2009 to 2019. The quality of the included articles was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program. A descriptive data analysis was performed on these articles. …

Four Faces Of Cell-Surface Hla Class-I: Their Antigenic And Immunogenic Divergence Generating Novel Targets For Vaccines, Mepur H Ravindranath, Narendranath M Ravindranath, Senthamil R Selvan, Edward J Filippone, Carly J Amato-Menker, Fatiha El Hilali

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Leukocyte cell-surface HLA-I molecules, involved in antigen presentation of peptides to CD8+ T-cells, consist of a heavy chain (HC) non-covalently linked to β2-microglobulin (β2m) (Face-1). The HC amino acid composition varies across all six isoforms of HLA-I, while that of β2m remains the same. Each HLA-allele differs in one or more amino acid sequences on the HC α1 and α2 helices, while several sequences among the three helices are conserved. HCs without β2m (Face-2) are also observed on human cells activated by malignancy, viral transformation, and cytokine or chemokine-mediated inflammation. In the absence of β2m, the monomeric Face-2 exposes immunogenic …

Eml1 Is Essential For Retinal Photoreceptor Migration And Survival, Deepak Poria, Chi Sun, Andrea Santeford, Michel Kielar, Rajendra S Apte, Oleg G Kisselev, Shimming Chen, Vladimir J Kefalov

Open Access Publications

Calcium regulates the response sensitivity, kinetics and adaptation in photoreceptors. In striped bass cones, this calcium feedback includes direct modulation of the transduction cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels by the calcium-binding protein CNG-modulin. However, the possible role of EML1, the mammalian homolog of CNG-modulin, in modulating phototransduction in mammalian photoreceptors has not been examined. Here, we used mice expressing mutant Eml1 to investigate its role in the development and function of mouse photoreceptors using immunostaining, in-vivo and ex-vivo retinal recordings, and single-cell suction recordings. We found that the mutation of Eml1 causes significant changes in the mouse retinal structure characterized by …

Synthesis, Characterization, Photocatalysis, And Antibacterial Study Of Wo3, Mxene And Wo3/Mxene Nanocomposite, Al-Zoha Warsi, Fatima Aziz, Sonia Zulfiqar, Sajjad Haider

Faculty Journal Articles

Tungsten oxide (WO3), MXene, and an WO3/MXene nanocomposite were synthesized to study their photocatalytic and biological applications. Tungsten oxide was synthesized by an easy and cost-effective hydrothermal method, and its composite with MXene was prepared through the sonication method. The synthesized tungsten oxide, MXene, and its composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) for their structural, morphological, spectral, elemental and surface area analysis, respectively. The crystallite size of WO3 calculated from XRD was ~10 nm, the particle size of WO3 was 130 nm, …

Synthesis, Characterization And Host-Guest Complexation Of Asplatin: Improved In Vitro Cytotoxicity And Biocompatibility As Compared To Cisplatin, Sherif Ashraf Fahmy, Fortuna Ponte, Giulia Grande, Iten M. Fawzy

Faculty Journal Articles

Para-sulfocalix[n]arenes are promising host molecules that can accommodate various chemotherapeutic drugs. Pt(IV)-based complexes, including satraplatin and asplatin, are promising alternatives that overcome the shortcomings of Pt(II) complexes. In this study, asplatin has been synthesized by fusing acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and cisplatin. Furthermore, it has been characterized using 1H NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and UHPLC. A host-guest complex of asplatin and p-sulfocalix[4]arene (PSC4) has been developed and characterized using UV, Job’s plot analysis, HPLC, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The experimental and computational investigations propose that a 1:1 complex between asplatin and PSC4 is formed. The stability constant of …

Crow's Nest, February 21, 2022, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The February 21, 2022, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Establishment Of Common House Geckos, Hemidactylus Frenatus Duméril & Bibron, On Saint Lucia, Aaron H. Griffing, David H. Griffing, Stephen Lesmond, Tony Gamble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 (Nfe2)-Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) Activation In Preclinical Models Of Peripheral Neuropathic Pain, Paramita Basu, Dayna L. Averitt, Camelia Maier, Arpita Basu

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

Oxidative stress, resulting from an imbalance between the formation of damaging free radicals and availability of protective antioxidants, can contribute to peripheral neuropathic pain conditions. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, as well as products of the mitochondrial metabolism such as superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals, are common free radicals. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NFE2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor encoded by the NFE2L2 gene and is a member of the cap ‘n’ collar subfamily of basic region leucine zipper transcription factors. Under normal physiological conditions, Nrf2 remains bound to Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 in the cytoplasm …

Recent Advances In Probiotic Application In Animal Health And Nutrition: A Review, Sarayu Bhogoju, Samuel Nahashon

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Biotechnological advances in animal health and nutrition continue to play a significant role in the improvement of animal health, growth, and production performance. These biotechnological advancements, especially the use of direct-fed microbials, also termed probiotics, those genetically modified and otherwise, have minimized many challenges facing livestock production around the world. Such advancements result in healthy animals and animal products, such as meat, for a growing population worldwide. Increasing demand for productivity, healthy animals, and consumer food safety concerns, especially those emanating from excessive use of antibiotics or growth promoters, are a driving force for investing in safer alternatives, such as …

Effects Of Three Different Modes Of Resistance Training On Appetite Hormones In Males With Obesity, Ali Ataeinosrat, Marjan Mosalman Haghighi, Hossein Abednatanzi, Mohammad Soltani, Abbass Ghanbari-Niaki, Akbar Nouri-Habashi, Sadegh Amani-Shalamzari, Ali Mossayebi, Mitra Khademosharie, Kelly E. Johnson, Trisha A. Vandusseldorp, Ayoub Saeidi, Hassane Zouhal

Kinesiology

Purpose: This study explored the effect of three different modes of resistance training on appetite hormones [leptin, ghrelin, cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and peptide tyrosine–tyrosine (PYY)], cardiometabolic and anthropometric measures in males with obesity. Methods: Forty-four males with obesity (age: 27.5 ± 9.4 yrs.; mean weight: 93.2 ± 2.2 kg, body mass index: 32.9 ± 1.2 kg/m²) were randomized to traditional resistance training (TRT, n = 11), circuit resistance training (CRT, n = 11), interval resistance training (IRT, n = 11) or control (C, n = 11) groups. All resistance training groups received 50 min of supervised …

Imaging Techniques For Aortic Aneurysms And Dissections In Mice: Comparisons Of Ex Vivo, In Situ, And Ultrasound Approaches, Sohei Ito, Hong S. Lu, Alan Daugherty, Hisashi Sawada

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Aortic aneurysms and dissections are life-threatening conditions that have a high risk for lethal bleeding and organ malperfusion. Many studies have investigated the molecular basis of these diseases using mouse models. In mice, ex vivo, in situ, and ultrasound imaging are major approaches to evaluate aortic diameters, a common parameter to determine the severity of aortic aneurysms. However, accurate evaluations of aortic dimensions by these imaging approaches could be challenging due to pathological features of aortic aneurysms. Currently, there is no standardized mode to assess aortic dissections in mice. It is important to understand the characteristics of each approach for …

Covid-19 And Myocarditis: A Brief Review, Fatma Taher, Athar Eysa, Dalia Fahmy, Ahmed Shalaby, Ali Mahmoud, Moumen El-Melegy, Ahmed Abdel Khalek Abdel Razek, Ayman El-Baz

All Works

Cardiovascular complications (especially myocarditis) related to COVID-19 viral infection are not well understood, nor do they possess a well recognized diagnostic protocol as most of our information regarding this issue was derived from case reports. In this article we extract data from all published case reports in the second half of 2020 to summarize the theories of pathogenesis and explore the value of each diagnostic test including clinical, lab, ECG, ECHO, cardiac MRI and endomyocardial biopsy. These tests provide information that explain the mechanism of development of myocarditis that further paves the way for better management.

Changes In Apolipoprotein Abundance Dominate Proteome Responses To Prolonged Fasting In Elephant Seals, Jane I. Khudyakov, Rachel R. Holser, Craig A. Vierra, Serena T. Ly, Theron K. Niel, Basma M. Hasan, Daniel E. Crocker, Daniel P. Costa

Pacific Faculty Work

Unlike many animals that reduce activity during fasting, northern elephant seals (NES) undergo prolonged fasting during energyintensive life-history stages such as reproduction and molting, fueling fasting energy needs by mobilizing fat stores accrued during foraging. NES display several unique metabolic features such as high fasting metabolic rates, elevated blood lipid and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, efficient protein sparing and resistance to oxidative stress during fasting. However, the cellular mechanisms that regulate these adaptations are still not fully understood. To examine how metabolic coordination is achieved during prolonged fasting, we profiled changes in blubber, skeletal muscle and plasma proteomes of …

The Ability Of Resveratrol To Attenuate Ovalbumin-Mediated Allergic Asthma Is Associated With Changes In Microbiota Involving The Gut-Lung Axis, Enhanced Barrier Function And Decreased Inflammation In The Lungs, Prakash Nagarkatti, Esraah Alharris, Hasan Alghetaa, Juhua Zhou, Mitzi Nagarkatti

Faculty Publications

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease highly prevalent worldwide. Recent studies have suggested a role for microbiome-associated gut–lung axis in asthma development. In the current study, we investigated if Resveratrol (RES), a plant-based polyphenol, can attenuate ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine allergic asthma, and if so, the role of microbiome in the gut–lung axis in this process. We found that RES attenuated allergic asthma with significant improvements in pulmonary functions in OVA-exposed mice when tested using plethysmography for frequency (F), mean volume (MV), specific airway resistance (sRaw), and delay time(dT). RES treatment also suppressed inflammatory cytokines in the lungs. RES modulated lung …

Pathological Human Tau Induces Alterations In The Brain Insulin Signaling Cascade, Abdeslem El Idrissi, Alejandra Del Carmen Alonso

Publications and Research

The process of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease has been associated with a disruption of insulin signaling cascade in neurons, and to insulin resistance. T2DM correlates with Alzheimer’s disease, but mechanisms of interaction are unknown. We have developed a mouse model of tau induced neurodegeneration expressing pseudo-phosphorylated tau [Pathological Human Tau (PH-Tau)] in neurons. This model (PH-Tau-Tg) recapitulated cognitive decline and neurodegeneration observed in AD. In this study we examined if expression of PH-Tau could affect neuronal excitability and insulin receptor signaling. Neuronal excitability was investigated using intracerebral recordings of extracellular field potentials from prefrontal cortex after insulin and kainic acid …

Activation Of Ras/Mapk Pathway Confers Mcl-1 Mediated Acquired Resistance To Bcl-2 Inhibitor Venetoclax In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Qi Zhang, Bridget Riley-Gillis, Lina Han, Yannan Jia, Alessia Lodi, Haijiao Zhang, Saravanan Ganesan, Rongqing Pan, Sergej N Konoplev, Shannon R Sweeney, Jeremy A Ryan, Yulia Jitkova, Kenneth Dunner, Shaun E Grosskurth, Priyanka Vijay, Sujana Ghosh, Charles Lu, Wencai Ma, Stephen Kurtz, Vivian R Ruvolo, Helen Ma, Connie C Weng, Cassandra L Ramage, Natalia Baran, Ce Shi, Tianyu Cai, Richard Eric Davis, Venkata L Battula, Yingchang Mi, Jing Wang, Courtney D Dinardo, Michael Andreeff, Jeffery W Tyner, Aaron Schimmer, Anthony Letai, Rose Ann Padua, Carlos E Bueso-Ramos, Stefano Tiziani, Joel Leverson, Relja Popovic, Marina Konopleva

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite high initial response rates, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with the BCL-2-selective inhibitor venetoclax (VEN) alone or in combinations commonly acquires resistance. We performed gene/protein expression, metabolomic and methylation analyses of isogenic AML cell lines sensitive or resistant to VEN, and identified the activation of RAS/MAPK pathway, leading to increased stability and higher levels of MCL-1 protein, as a major acquired mechanism of VEN resistance. MCL-1 sustained survival and maintained mitochondrial respiration in VEN-RE cells, which had impaired electron transport chain (ETC) complex II activity, and MCL-1 silencing or pharmacologic inhibition restored VEN sensitivity. In support of the importance …

Environmental Effects Of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion, Uv Radiation, And Interactions With Climate Change: Unep Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2021, Laura S. Bruckman

Faculty Scholarship

The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol under the United Nations Environment Programme evaluates effects on the environment and human health that arise from changes in the stratospheric ozone layer and concomitant variations in ultraviolet (UV) radiation at the Earth’s surface. The current update is based on scientific advances that have accumulated since our last assessment (Photochem and Photobiol Sci 20(1):1–67, 2021). We also discuss how climate change affects stratospheric ozone depletion and ultraviolet radiation, and how stratospheric ozone depletion affects climate change. The resulting interlinking effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and climate change are assessed …

Dose-Intensified Stereotactic Ablative Radiation For Localized Prostate Cancer, Lily Chen, Bhavani S. Gannavarapu, University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center At Dallas, Michael R. Folkert, Michael Dohopolski, Ang Gao, Chul Ahn, Jeffrey Cadeddu, Aditya Bagrodia

School of Medicine Publications

Purpose: Stereotactic ablative radiation (SAbR) has been increasingly used in prostate cancer (PCa) given its convenience and cost efficacy. Optimal doses remain poorly defined with limited prospective comparative trials and long-term safety/efficacy data at higher dose levels. We analyzed toxicity and outcomes for SAbR in men with localized PCa at escalated 45 Gy in 5 fractions.

Methods and Materials: This study retrospectively analyzed men from 2015 to 2019 with PCa who received linear-accelerator-based SAbR to 45 Gy in 5 fractions, along with perirectal hydrogel spacer, fiducial placement, and MRI-based planning. Disease control outcomes were calculated from end of treatment. Minimally …

Natural Biomaterial Honey-Based Resistive Switching Device For Artificial Synapse In Neuromorphic Systems, Brandon Sueoka, Kuan Yew Cheong, Feng Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Resistive switching is a promising technology for artificial synapses, the most critical component and building block of a neural network for brain-inspired neuromorphic computing. The artificial synapse is capable of emulating a signal process and memory functions of biological synapses. The artificial synapse fabricated by natural bioorganic materials is essential for developing soft, flexible, and biocompatible electronics and sustainable, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly neuromorphic systems. In this work, a natural biomaterial - honey based resistive switching device - was demonstrated to emulate some important functionalities of biological synapses, including synaptic potentiation and depression, short-term and long-term memory, spatial summation, and …

Everyday Creativity: Singing Goddesses In The Himalayan Foothills, Nadia Chana

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

A book review is presented for Kirin Narayan, Everyday Creativity: Singing Goddesses in the Himalayan Foothills (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016).