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A Scalable And Participatory Sustainable Rangeland Management Toolkit With A Holistic And Multidisciplinary Approach To Rehabilitate Degraded Rangelands, Mounir Louhaichi, Mouldi Gamoun, Sawsan Hassan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands contribute significantly toward improving livelihoods, offering food security, trade and tourism for pastoral communities. Numerous challenges include poor government policies, loss of indigenous knowledge and top-down approaches toward sustainable rangeland rehabilitation that often fail to consider local development adoption and sustainability. In such situations, effective management is needed for sustainable rangeland ecosystem goods and services in a context characterized by rainfall unreliability, poor soil nutrient status and high uncontrolled grazing. This paper presents a new comprehensive toolkit for identifying and combining suitable and site-specific interventions aimed at reversing the trend of degraded arid rangelands. This toolbox is founded on …

Pastoralist Use Of Reseeded Fields For Additional Resilience To Climate Variability Through Alternate Livelihood Activities, D. W. Githu, J. S. Fehmi, M. Mcclaran, M. Elizabeth, A. Josephson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Land degradation, climate variability, socio-economic changes and population increase are some of the factors that shrink grazing lands making forage availability less predictable and affecting the resilience of pastoralists communities. Reseeding as an intervention can rehabilitate degraded lands for profitable use through offering pastoralists alternative sources of livelihood and encourage livelihood diversification. This study evaluated two pastoral communities, the Tugen and the Njemps from Baringo County, Kenya, who have owned, managed and used reseeded fields to study the dynamics of reseeding land. A total of 193 pastoralist households were interviewed. These two pastoral communities used their fields for: dry season …

Utilizing Perennial Grass Species’ Population Patterns To Detect Looming Desertification Tipping Points In Semi-Arid Regions, F. Munyebvu-Chambara, W. C. Nesongano, M. C. Bilton, A. Linstädter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Namibia is one of the global dryland regions facing desertification threats due to overgrazing and recurrent drought. This has disastrous effects on forage provision and consequently on local livelihoods. Unfortunately, the mechanisms underlying sudden shifts of rangeland ecosystems towards a desertified state are still poorly understood. The ability to predict desertification tipping points with the aid of suitable ecological indicators is critical to ensure sustainable management of rangeland resources, which are a backbone of rural livelihood in drylands worldwide. Accordingly, we aimed to identify key perennial grass species that can be used as early-warning indicators for desertification tipping points; and …

How Much Margin Is Left For Degrading Agricultural Soils? The Coming Soil Crises, Maheteme Gebremedhin, Mark S. Coyne, Karamat R. Sistani

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Agricultural soils are in peril. Multiple lines of observational and empirical evidence suggest that we are losing the world’s fertile soils at an alarming rate, worsening the on-going global food crisis. It is increasingly clear that the risk of soil crises driven by erratic precipitation, warming air, and farming mismanagement is coming sooner rather than later. At this critical time, society cannot avoid looking for ways to curb soil crises. We argue that now is the right time for science-based mitigation strategies and new insights to protect soils. We offer four research priority areas that society needs to address. Arresting …

Spatial And Temporal Variation Of Selected Water Quality Parameters In The Tanzanian Side Of Lake Victoria, Richard Joseph Kimwaga

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Lake Victoria’s water quality is increasingly becoming under heavy pressure mainly due to land based activities and aerial inputs which are taking place within the basin. This study was carried out to assess the spatial, including vertical and temporal, variation of the water quality of Lake Victoria on the Tanzanian side. Historical water quality data for the period from 2000 to 2016 was collected. Temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Turbidity were selected for study since they are the mostly measured and monitored water quality parameters. Land use-land cover changes were analysed using ArcGIS. ILWIS 3.7 software was used to …

Rescuing Calcium Homeostasis With A Little Oil, Ronithe Senatus, Asma Zaidi, Ehab Sarsour

Faculty and Staff Publications

The plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) is a neuronal calcium transporter that plays a critical role in regulating intracellular calcium levels by pumping calcium out of cells, against its 10,000-fold concentration gradient. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that PMCA undergoes a progressive reduction in activity and protein levels with increasing age and in neurodegenerative disorders. We have further demonstrated the unique sensitivity of PMCA to oxidative stress. Loss of PMCA causes dysregulation of calcium homeostasis, creates calcium toxicity, and induces cell death. A mechanism to prevent loss of PMCA and/or boost its activity would serve as a therapeutic …

Type Ii Diabetes – A Disease Of Unregulated Calcium?, Emily Hagan, Ehab Sarsour, Asma Zaidi

Faculty and Staff Publications

The plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) is a high affinity ion transporter that pumps Ca2+ out of cells to maintain optimal intracellular Ca2+ levels essential for cell function. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown the PMCA to be uniquely sensitive to oxidative stress. Exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) of physiological relevance caused dramatic inactivation, aggregation, and proteolytic degradation of the protein. Type 2 diabetes, an extremely prevalent metabolic pathophysiological condition is associated with oxidative stress. Cellular damage caused by ROS exacerbates diabetes and paves the way for the development of other pathological conditions such as cardiovascular disease and …

Overview Of Cutting-Edge Innovation In Life Sciences: Learning From Perspective Of Broad Institute, Runzhou Zhao, Shu Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Since its establishment in 2004, the Broad Institute in the United States has been dedicated to combination research innovation with management innovation. In less than 10 years, it has been enlisted as one of the world-class life sciences research institutions and become the leader and signpost of cutting-edge innovation in life sciences. Its unique development model is worthy of reference. This study showed that the high-quality innovation and development of the Broad Institute is inseparable from:(1) its focus on the diagnosis and treatment needs of major diseases for scientific research; (2) the opening up of the channel from basic research …

Scientific And Technological Reasons, Contents And Corresponding Policies Of Constructing “Coastal Grass Belt”, Weihua Xu, Jianlin Wang, Xiaojing Liu, Qi Xie, Weicai Yang, Xiaofeng Cao, Zhensheng Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Not only the grain rations must be secured absolutely in China, but also the feed grains. However, the limited arable land resource in China determines that grass planting shall not "compete for land with staple food". Planting high quality salt-tolerant forage grass on the saline wasteland and developing animal husbandry production can not only meet the demand of increasing proportion of animal protein in Chinese diet structure, but more importantly, it can help to solve the problems of insufficient forage planting and import over-dependence. Hence it plays an important role in guaranteeing national food security. Therefore, it is necessary to …

An Inverse Correlation Between Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1Α Expression And Lipid Droplets Associated With A Decline In The Proliferative Index Of Aging Normal Human Fibroblasts, Spoorthi Hiremagalore, Kami Pearson, Jyung Son, Amanda Kalen, Prabhat Goswami, Ehab Sarsour

Faculty and Staff Publications

Aging is a critical risk factor for numerous chronic diseases, and it presents a rising clinical problem as approximately 19 percent of the US population is predicted to be 65 y and older by 2030 (U.S. Census Bureau). However, the mechanisms that regulate the process of aging are still not well understood. Results from RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis showed a significant difference in global gene expression between old (58 - 70 y) compared to young (3 d – 12 y) Normal Human Fibroblasts (NHFs). Gene set enrichment analysis ranked lipid metabolism as the top pathway that is altered in …

Decreases In G0-G1 Switch 2 Expression And Increases In Lipid Peroxidation Impaired Wound Healing In Aging Normal Human Fibroblasts, Kami Pearson, Spoorthi Hiremagalore, Jenna Fussell, Amanda Kalen, Prabhat Goswami, Ehab Sarsour

Faculty and Staff Publications

Human longevity is increasing; in fact, the United States Census Bureau predicts that there will be a 10% increase in individuals 65 y of age and older by 2050. Unfortunately, increases in longevity is also associated with increased risk factors for numerous health issues, and decreased effectiveness of medical interventions. Aging cells lose their ability to renew and repair damage. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of primary cultures of Normal Human Fibroblasts (NHFs) from healthy donors of different ages (3 d – 70 y) ranked lipid metabolism as the number one metabolic process that is significantly altered during aging. Using …

Effects Of Hypoxia And Reperfusion On The Neuronal Plasma Membrane Calcium Pump, Kailey Kowalski, Ehab Sarsour, Asma Zaidi

Faculty and Staff Publications

Stroke is the fifth cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. In an ischemic stroke, blood flow to the brain is blocked, leading to lack of oxygen, ATP, membrane damage and eventual neuronal cell death. Therapies to treat ischemic stroke restore blood flow but cause further neuronal damage by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and creating oxidative stress. The plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) is a high-affinity calcium transporter critical for the maintenance of calcium homeostasis and optimal neuronal function. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown a unique sensitivity of PMCA to ROS. …

Prediction Of Soil Water Content And Electrical Conductivity Using Random Forest Methods With Uav Multispectral And Ground-Coupled Geophysical Data, Yunyi Guan, Katherine R. Grote, Joel Schott, Kelsi Leverett

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The volumetric water content (VWC) of soil is a critical parameter in agriculture, as VWC strongly influences crop yield, provides nutrients to plants, and maintains the microbes that are needed for the biological health of the soil. Measuring VWC is difficult, as it is spatially and tempo-rally heterogeneous, and most agricultural producers use point measurements that cannot fully capture this parameter. Electrical conductivity (EC) is another soil parameter that is useful in agricul-ture, since it can be used to indicate soil salinity, soil texture, and plant nutrient availability. Soil EC is also very heterogeneous; measuring EC using conventional soil sampling …

Single-Cell Transcriptome And Network Analyses Unveil Key Transcription Factors Regulating Mesophyll Cell Development In Maize, Shentong Tao, Peng Liu, Yining Shi, Yilong Feng, Jingjing Gao, Lifen Chen, Hairong Wei, Et, Al,

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

BACKGROUND: Maize mesophyll (M) cells play important roles in various biological processes such as photosynthesis II and secondary metabolism. Functional differentiation occurs during M-cell development, but the underlying mechanisms for regulating M-cell development are largely unknown. RESULTS: We conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profile transcripts in maize leaves. We then identified coregulated modules by analyzing the resulting pseudo-time-series data through gene regulatory network analyses. , , , and () families were highly expressed in the early stage, whereas () and families were highly expressed in the late stage of M-cell development. Construction of regulatory networks revealed that these transcript …

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Reviewer: Karen Glumm
A Sociology of Mental Illness
Mark Tausig, Janet Michello, and Sree Subedi

Reviewer: Susan L. Schrader
Intersections: Readings in Sociology
Ralph B. McNeal, Jr., and Kathleen A. Tiemann, Eds.

Reviewer: Tracy B. Citeroni
White Saris and Sweet Mangoes: Aging, Gender, and Body in North India
Sarah Lamb

Reviewer: Michele Lee Chesser
Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, & Future Reparations
Joe R. Feagin

Reviewer: Annette Prosterman
Environmentalism Unbound: Exploring New Pathways for Change
Robert Gottlieb

Reviewer: Jack Niemonen
Tripping on the Color Line: Black-White Multiracial Families in a Racially Divided World
Heather M. Dalmage

Reviewer: Scott London
Colonizing …

Stepmothers' Preparation For Remarriage: Influence On Spouse And Stepchildren Relations, Cindi Penor Ceglian, Donald Arwood, Renee Oscarson, Jason Karsky

Great Plains Sociologist

Role theory suggests that preparation for one's role contributes to clearer guidelines and less ambiguity about role performance, which in turn contribute to unity and stability of family life (Cherlin, 1978). The purpose of this study was to examine if stepmothers preparation for remarriage (observation, reading, educational programs, or talking to their spouses) influenced their relationships with stepchildren and spouses. The results indicate that stepmothers who prepare for remarriage are more involved with their stepchildren, have higher levels of communication with the children's fathers regarding child rearing issues, and have positive relationships with their stepchildren.

Stepmother Self-Role Incongruency In The Newly Formed Family: An Analysis Of Stepmothers In The Great Plains, Jason L. Karsky, Donald E. Arwood, Cindi Penor Ceglian

Great Plains Sociologist

This study is a cross-sectional analysis of stepmothers from a Midwestern community in South Dakota. In this study, the relationships among six sets of variables are analyzed. The dependent variable is stepmother self-role incongruence index. The independent variables along with the strength of relationship in regards to stepmother self-role incongruence, are as follows; role ambiguity index (.393), anticipatory socialization index (-.203), wicked stepmother index (494), stepfamily/stepparent unfavorability index (.288), and a spousal disagreement index (.241). Hypothesis testing supported the hypotheses introduced in this study. Multiple regression analysis identified wicked stepmother beliefs as the best predictor of stepmother self-role incongruence (Beta …

Three Theories Of The Future Of The Great Plains, Scot A. Stradley

Great Plains Sociologist

The purpose of this paper is to present three theories of the future of the Great Plains. The theories consist of two extremes, based on the differences between supply and demand. Two of the three theories of the future of the Great Plains are supply side. One is a demand side theory. One or more of these theories can be found in public policy debates affecting the Plains.

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Karen Heil Borchert, reviewer
Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System: An Ethnography
Neil Websdale

Jerome R. Rosonke, reviewer
The Hutterites: Lives and Images of a Communal People
Paul Cloke and Jo Little, editors

Elizabeth Evenson Williams, reviewer
The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado
Elliott West

Carol Cumber, reviewer
Capital Culture: Gender at Work in the City
Linda McDowell

Don Robertson, reviewer
Who Rules America? Power and Politics in the Year 2000
William Domhoff

Glenda Sehested, reviewer
Formations of Class and Gender: Becoming Respectable
Beverley Skeggs

Annette Prosterman, reviewer
White Men Falling: Race, Gender, and White …

The Not So Wonderful World Of Disney: An Exploratory Content Analysis Of Gender Themes In Disney Full Length Animated Feature Films, Beth Wiersma

Great Plains Sociologist

Research has focused on the gender messages portrayed in television programs, cartoons, advertisements, literature, picture books, and fairy tales. One venue not included in the research is the Disney full-length animated feature films. The initial research on which this article is based was an exploration of the themes of gender, violence and anthropomorphism in Disney films. Emergent themes include heterosexual couplings, family constellations, good versus evil, and villains. This article will cover only the gender themes. Five areas were used to code gender content which include: physical appearance, personality traits, in-home labor, out of home employment, and societal and familial …

The Impact Of Water Scarcity On The World's Future: An Analysis, Laura Colmenero

Great Plains Sociologist

The issue of water, or a lack of it, is predicted to have profound transformational effects on the world in the coming century. Robert Kaplan, Ann Baer, and Thomas Franklin Homer-Dixon provide us with common scenarios of this near future focusing on issues of conflict, control, manipulation, violence, and power. This article will review the scenarios presented by them and then present their findings within a sociological framework.

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Diane Kayongo-Male, reviewer
Gendered Fields: Rural Women, Agriculture, and Environment
Carolyn Sachs

Henry B. Sirgo, reviewer
Green Culture: Environmental Rhetoric in Contemporary America
Carl G. Herndl and Stuart C. Brown

Janet Kelly Moen, reviewer
New Government for Rural America: Creating Intergovernmental Partnerships
Beryl A. Radin, Robert Aganoff, Ann O'M Bowman, C. Gregory Buntz, Steven Ott, Barbara S. Romzek, and Robert H. Wilson

Jon Flanagin, reviewer
Wanted Dead or Alive: The American Westin Popular Culture
Richard Aquila, editor

Laura Colmenero, reviewer
Contented Among Strangers: Rural German-Speaking Women and Their Families in the Nineteenth-Century Midwest
Linda Schelbitzki Pickle

Elizabeth Evenson Williams, reviewer …

Vaccinia Virus Arrests And Shifts The Cell Cycle, Caroline K. Martin, Jerzy Samolej, Annabel T. Olson, Cosetta Bertoli, Matthew S. Wiebe, Robertus A. M. De Bruin, Jason Mercer

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Modulation of the host cell cycle is a common strategy used by viruses to create a proreplicative environment. To facilitate viral genome replication, vaccinia virus (VACV) has been reported to alter cell cycle regulation and trigger the host cell DNA damage response. However, the cellular factors and viral effectors that mediate these changes remain unknown. Here, we set out to investigate the effect of VACV infection on cell proliferation and host cell cycle progression. Using a subset of VACV mutants, we characterise the stage of infection required for inhibition of cell proliferation and define the viral effectors required to dysregulate …

Study Of The Mechanical And Thermal Properties Of Refractory Mortars From Kaolin And Bentonite, Faten Gata, Enas Muhi Hadi

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

In this paper, Mortar was prepared from medium alumina refractory grog, bricks crashed as a mean material to a particular size, and Iraqi raw (kaolin or bentonite) as binding materials. Refractory bricks were crushed, milled, then sieved to three particle sizes: fine as (1.18 >fine> 0) mm, medium as (2.36 > medium > 1.18) mm, crushed as (400 > coarse > 2.36) mm. Then these particle sizes were mixed with Iraqi raw kaolin or bentonite with selected ratios (10,15,20,30 and 40) %. Specimens were formed by the wetting method, then drying it at laboratory temperature for one day, followed by firing it at 1200 …

Current And Future Approaches To Classify Vuss In Lgmd-Related Genes, Chengcheng Li, Gabe Haller, Conrad C Weihl

Open Access Publications

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revealed large numbers of genetic variants in LGMD-related genes, with most of them classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUSs). VUSs are genetic changes with unknown pathological impact and present a major challenge in genetic test interpretation and disease diagnosis. Understanding the phenotypic consequences of VUSs can provide clinical guidance regarding LGMD risk and therapy. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the subtypes of LGMD, disease diagnosis, current classification systems for investigating VUSs, and a potential deep mutational scanning approach to classify VUSs in LGMD-related genes.

Map Kinases Differentially Bind And Phosphorylate Nos3 Via Two Unique Nos3 Sites, Xzaviar K. Solone, Amber L. Caldara, Brady Wells, Hao Qiao, Lydia R. Wade, John C. Salerno, Katy A. Helms, Katherine E. Smith, Jonathan L. Mcmurry, Carol A. Chrestensen

Faculty Articles

Nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) is a major vasoprotective enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of l-arginine to nitric oxide (NO) in response to a significant number of signaling pathways. Here, we provide evidence that NOS3 interactions with MAP kinases have physiological relevance. Binding interactions of NOS3 with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK1_α1), p38α, and ERK2 were characterized using optical biosensing with full-length NOS3 and NOS3 specific peptides and phosphopeptides. Like p38α and ERK2, JNK1_α1 exhibited high-affinity binding to full-length NOS3 (K_D 15 nm). Rate constants exhibited fast-on, slow-off binding (k_on = 4106 m^{−1 …}

Dietary Patterns Are Associated With Improved Ovarian Reserve In Overweight And Obese Women: A Cross-Sectional Study Of The Lifestyle And Ovarian Reserve (Lore) Cohort, Ashley M Eskew, Bronwyn S Bedrick, Jorge E Chavarro, Joan K Riley, Emily S Jungheim

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests that adherence to certain dietary patterns is associated with improved fecundity and reproductive outcomes in the general population and infertile couples assisted reproductive treatments. The objective of this study was to assess if dietary patterns are associated with ovarian reserve in reproductive age women without a history of infertility.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 185 women in the Lifestyle and Ovarian Reserve (LORe) cohort. Women aged 18-44 without a history of infertility were recruited from the local community at an academic medical center. Subjects completed validated food frequency and physical activity questionnaires to assess …

The Social Cerebellum: A Large-Scale Investigation Of Functional And Structural Specificity And Connectivity, Athanasia Metoki, Yin Wang, Ingrid R Olson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The cerebellum has been traditionally disregarded in relation to nonmotor functions, but recent findings indicate it may be involved in language, affective processing, and social functions. Mentalizing, or Theory of Mind (ToM), is the ability to infer mental states of others and this skill relies on a distributed network of brain regions. Here, we leveraged large-scale multimodal neuroimaging data to elucidate the structural and functional role of the cerebellum in mentalizing. We used functional activations to determine whether the cerebellum has a domain-general or domain-specific functional role, and effective connectivity and probabilistic tractography to map the cerebello-cerebral mentalizing network. We …

The Role Of Improved Forages In Solving The Water Scarcity Issue Of 4 Billion People, S. Douxchamps, A. Notenbaert, J. A. Cardoso, M. Romero, M. Peters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Global animal production requires about 2422 Gm³ of water per year. Most of this volume is used by cattle, with 30% used in the beef sector and another 19% in the dairy sector. At the same time, four billion people suffer from severe water scarcity, raising the flag on diverting an important part of the water globally to livestock production. Livestock-water interactions have therefore gained a prominent profile and fuelled discussions on the water footprint of livestock. A series of studies on the most important components of the livestock water footprint have shown that globally more than 90% of …

Spring Forage Stash Module To Prevent Forage Crisis On Uruguayan Livestock Systems: An Evaluation Based On Model Simulations, M. Pereira Machín, F. Dieguez Cameroni

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Uruguay, rangeland cattle production systems support national economy by beef exportation chain and economic inputs to the country. Soil hydric stress episodes results to forage crisis on grassland-based production systems, having high impact on its trajectory and leaving sequels at several farm levels mainly on rearing cattle systems in drought sensitive regions of the country. In that context, the proposal is to create a spring forage stash module, with a simple management rules as a mechanism to build stability to farms and to buffering drought impact. The concept is to differ spring forage (season with low variation coefficient on …