Life Sciences Commons^™

Farmers’ Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices (Kap) On Production Of African Indigenous Vegetables In Kenya, Donatien Ntawuruhunga, Hippolyte D. Affognon, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, Mary O. Abukutsa-Onyango, Losenge Turoop, Beatrice W. Muriithi

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Local knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) among local growers are required to design effective vegetable productivity-enhancing interventions. However, limited studies have been conducted in Kenya to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices on production performance of AIVs. A survey was conducted among 600 AIV growers in Busia, Nyamira and Machakos Counties of Kenya to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding AIVs and their contribution on output/yield. Primary data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire supplemented with key informant interviews. Results showed significant knowledge and positive attitude of farmers regarding AIVs, but insignificant use of …

The Comparative Virulence Of An Atoxigenic Strain Of Aspergillus Flavus (Eurotiales: Trichocomaceae) And The Commercial Icipe 69 Metarhizium Anisopliae (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) To The Bean Leaf Beetle Ootheca Mutabilis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Julius Mugonza, Michael H. Otim, James P. Egonyu

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The recent isolation of an atoxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus (Link) (Eurotiales: Trichocomaceae), which was virulent to all stages of Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has generated interest to investigate virulence of the entomopathogenic fungus against other crop pests, and how it compares with established commercial biopesticides. In this study, we tested the pathogenicity and virulence of the atoxigenic A. flavus strain to Ootheca mutabilis (Sahlberg) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the laboratory compared to the commercial Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff Sorokin) (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae; OD®, ICIPE 69). Serial dilutions of both entomopathogenic fungi (1 × 106–1 × 109 conidia/ml) were evaluated against adult …

Exploiting Insect-Specific Viruses As A Novel Strategy To Control Vector-Borne Disease, Edward I. Patterson, Jandouwe Villinger, Joseph N. Muthoni, Lucien Dobel-Ober, Grant L. Hughes

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Novel insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are being discovered in many important vectors due to advances in sequencing technology and a growing awareness of the virome. Several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that ISVs are capable of modulating pathogenic arboviruses. In addition, there is growing evidence that both vertical and horizonal transmission strategies maintain ISVs in vector populations. As such there is potential to exploit ISVs for stand-alone vector control strategies and deploying them in synergy with other symbiont control approaches such as Wolbachia-mediated control. However, before the applied potential can be realized, a greater understanding of their basic biology …

Prevalence And Parasite Load Of Nematodes And Trematodes In An Invasive Slug And Its Susceptibility To A Slug Parasitic Nematode Compared To Native Gastropods, Henrik Antzée-Hyllseth, Nina Trandem, Torfinn Torp, Solveig Haukeland

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The invasive slug Arion vulgaris (Gastropoda: Arionidae) is an agricultural pest and serious nuisance in gardens of Central and Northern Europe. To investigate if the success of A.vulgaris in Norway can be attributed to a release from parasites, we compared the prevalence and parasite load of nematodes and trematodes in A. vulgaris to that of three native gastropod species, A. circumscriptus, A. fasciatus and Arianta arbustorum, in SE Norway. We found A. vulgaris to have the highest prevalence of both parasite groups (49% nematodes, 76% trematodes), which does not support the parasite release hypothesis, but rather points to A. vulgaris …

Potato Cyst Nematodes: A New Threat To Potato Production In East Africa, Harrison Mburu, Laura Cortada, Solveig Haukeland, Wilson Ronno, Moses Nyongesa, Zachary Kinyua, Joel L. Bargul, Danny Coyne

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Potato cyst nematodes (PCN), such as Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida, are quarantine restricted pests of potato causing major yield and financial losses to farmers. G. rostochiensis was first reported from Kenya’s key potato growing area in 2015. We sought to determine the diversity, prevalence and distribution of PCN species across the country by conducting a country-wide survey between 2016 and 2018, which included a more focused, follow-up assessment in three key potato growing counties. A total of 1,348 soil samples were collected from 20 potato growing counties. Information regarding local potato farming practices, potato cultivar use, their diversity and …

Spreading Mechanics And Differentiation Of Astrocytes During Retinal Development, Tracy Stepien, Timothy W. Secomb

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Of Pmv Neuronal Circuitry In Adaptive Changes Of Energy Balance, Pilhwa Lee, Cristina Saenz De Miera, Nicole Bellefontaine, Kevin W. Williams, Renata Frazao, Carol Elias

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Switching Off The Pancreatic Islet: Complex Network Analysis Of Multicellular Clusters, Janita Patwardhan

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Ability Of Thaumoctopus Mimicus To Be Operantly Conditioned To A Sound Stimulus, Stephanie Wittman

Honors Projects

This paper focuses on the ability of the mimic octopus Thaumoctopus mimicus to be operantly conditioned to an auditory stimulus. The octopus is known to be the most advanced of the invertebrates and has learning abilities that are comparable to vertebrates in spite of their differences in brain structure. These animals have been shown to react to visual and tactile stimuli and can be operantly conditioned to perform behaviors to obtain a food reward. The goal of this experiment is to determine whether the octopus can be operantly conditioned to swim into a box on the side of its tank …

Plasmid Dna Upstream Manufacturing Process Development, Shaquil Janif

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The need to develop a robust method to produce large quantities of plasmid DNA has become vital due to the strides made in the field of gene therapy. More and more biopharmaceutical companies are starting to produce gene therapeutics to treat diseases at the molecular level. While the technology has been proven to work and success at treating disease using gene therapeutics have been made in clinical trials, a method to produce large quantities of DNA still remains a challenge. In this presentation, I will go over some of the current challenges associated with producing high copy numbers of plasmid …

Cerebrovascular Function In Adults With Depression, Rauchelle Richey

Kinesiology Theses - Archive

Cerebral vasodilatory responsiveness is blunted in older adults (~45-70 yrs) with depressive disorders and thought to contribute to the link between depressive symptomology and increased risk for neurocognitive (e.g., dementia) and cerebral vascular (e.g., stroke) diseases. In young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD), peripheral vascular endothelial dysfunction is evident; however, to date, limited investigations have examined cerebral vasodilatory function in young healthy adults with MDD. We tested the hypothesis that cerebral vasodilatory responsiveness to a hypercapnic stimulus would be blunted in healthy young adults with MDD compared to healthy non-depressed adults (HA). Fourteen HA (22 ± 3yrs) and 14 …

Widespread Army Ant Aversion Among East African Jumping Spiders (Salticidae), Ximena J. Nelson, Samuel Aguilar-Arguello, Robert R. Jackson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Jumping spiders (Salticidae) typically prey on a variety of arthropods of similar size to themselves, but rarely on ants. Using 28 salticid species from East Africa, we first investigated vision-based aversion to ants by recording latency to enter a transparent sealed chamber flanked by chambers containing living army ants (Dorylus sp.) or tsetse flies (Glossina pallidipes) of comparable size. For all species, entry latency was significantly longer when the stimuli were ants. In another experiment, we used dead ants and tsetse flies mounted in a life-like posture as stimuli; except for Goleba puella, a species with unusual retinal ultrastructure, we …

Prevalence Of Trypanosomes Associated With Drug Resistance In Shimba Hills, Kwale County, Kenya, Benard W. Kulohoma, Sarah A.O. Wamwenje, Ibrahim I. Wangwe, Nicodemus Masila, Caroline K. Mirieri, Lillian Wambua

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Objective: Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is a life-threatening vector-borne disease, caused by trypanosome parasites, which are principally transmitted by tsetse flies. In Kenya, the prevalence of drug-resistant trypanosomes in endemic regions remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to establish AAT point prevalence, drug susceptibility of associated trypanosomes, and measure infectivity by multiple AAT mammalian hosts to tsetse flies in Shimba hills, a resource-poor region with high bovine trypanosomiasis prevalence and morbidity rates at the coast of Kenya. We collected tsetse flies using traps (1 Ngu and 2 biconical), and then sorted them on sex and species. Trypanosomes …

Profiling Of Small Non-Coding Rna In Bovine Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos During Early Development Through The Maternal-To-Embryonic Transition, Abby D. Benninghoff, Jocelyn Cuthbert

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Supplementary File 1. Read lengths and annotation summaries of sncRNA: Microsoft Excel document with information from small RNA sequencing on the aligned, annotated reads.

Supplementary File 2. Normalized and variance-stabilized values for annotated sncRNAs: Microsoft Excel document with normalized and variance-stabilized reads generated by RNA sequencing of small non-coding RNA from cattle embryos.

Supplementary File 3. Results of DESeq2 analyses for miRNAs, tRNA fragments and piRNAs: Microsoft Excel document with results of DESeq2 differential expression analysis comparing scNT vs IVF embryos at each developmental stage and sequential comparisons of developmental stage for both IVF and scNT embryos.

Supplementary File 4. …

Mapping Transcriptional Changes Associated With The Maternal-To-Embryonic Transition In Bovine Embryos To Small Non-Coding Rna Profiles In Both In Vitro-Fertilized And Scnt Cattle Embryos, Abby D. Benninghoff, Jocelyn Cuthbert

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Supplementary File 1. Normalized reads for annotated mRNA transcripts. Microsoft Excel document providing normalized sequencing reads per sample.

Supplementary File 2. Results of DESeq2 analyses for annotated mRNAs. Microsoft Excel document with results of DESeq2 differential expression analysis comparing scNT vs IVF embryos at each developmental stage and sequential comparisons of developmental stage for both IVF and scNT embryos.

Supplementary File 3. Results of Metascape ontology analyses for differentially expressed mRNAs. Microsoft Excel document with results of Metascape ontology analyses for biological processes associated with predicted mRNA targets of differentially expressed miRNAs.

Supplementary File 4. Cytoscape networks for differentially expressed …

Spread And Impact Of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda J.E. Smith) In Maize Production Areas Of Kenya, Hugo De Groote, Simon C. Kimenju, Bernard Munyua, Sebastian Palmas, Menale Kassie, Anani Bruce

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Fall armyworm (FAW), one of the most important pests of maize in Latin America, suddenly appeared in Africa in 2016 and spread rapidly. Estimates of crop losses due to FAW are essential in order to compare the impact of these losses with the cost of controlling FAW and advise appropriate technology dissemination and policy. In this study, therefore, crop losses due to FAW in 2017 and 2018 were estimated in all the maize production areas of Kenya. Data were collected during June and July 2018 through 121 group discussions with 1439 farmers, separately with men (697) and women (742), in …

Music And Exercise On Brain With Dementia, Claudio Otero Iii

Student Scholar Showcase

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Personal Protection Afforded By Repellent-Treated Sandals Against Mosquito Bites In South-Eastern Tanzania, Onyango P. Sangoro, Tegemeo Gavana, Marceline Finda, Winfrida Mponzi, Emmanuel Hape, Alex Limwagu, Nicodem J. Govella, Prosper Chaki, Fredros O. Okumu

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Background: Outdoor and early evening mosquito biting needs to be addressed if malaria elimination is to be achieved. While indoor-targeted interventions, such as insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying, remain essential, complementary approaches that tackle persisting outdoor transmission are urgently required to maximize the impact. Major malaria vectors principally bite human hosts around the feet and ankles. Consequently, this study investigated whether sandals treated with efficacious spatial repellents can protect against outdoor biting mosquitoes. Methodology: Sandals affixed with hessian bands measuring 48 cm2 treated with 0.06 g, 0.10 g and 0.15 g of transfluthrin were tested in large cage semi-field …

Science-Based Decision Support For Formulating Crop Fertilizer Recommendations In Sub-Saharan Africa, Jairos Rurinda, Shamie Zingore, Jibrin M. Jibrin, Tesfaye Balemi, Kenneth Masuki, Jens A. Andersson, Mirasol F. Pampolino, Ibrahim Mohammed, James Mutegi, Alpha Y. Kamara, Bernard Vanlauwe, Peter Q. Craufurd

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In sub-Saharan Africa, there is considerable spatial and temporal variability in relations between nutrient application and crop yield, due to varying inherent soil nutrients supply, soil moisture, crop management and germplasm. This variability affects fertilizer use efficiency and crop productivity. Therefore, development of decision systems that support formulation and delivery of site-specific fertilizer recommendations is important for increased crop yield and environmental protection. Nutrient Expert (NE) is a computer-based decision support system, which enables extension advisers to generate field- or area-specific fertilizer recommendations based on yield response to fertilizer and nutrient use efficiency. We calibrated NE for major maize agroecological …

Closing Yield Gaps In Oil Palm Production Systems In Ghana Through Best Management Practices, Tiemen Rhebergen, Shamie Zingore, Ken E. Giller, Charles Adu Frimpong, Kwame Acheampong, Francis Tetteh Ohipeni, Edward Kofi Panyin, Victor Zutah, Thomas Fairhurst

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The area under oil palm in Ghana has expanded but average fruit bunch yields remained low, resulting in large yield gaps. This study assessed the potential for increasing yield with 'Best Management Practices (BMP)' on plantations and smallholder farms in southern Ghana, compared with current standard practices, i.e. reference (REF) yield. We evaluated short-term (≤1 year) yield increases with 'yield taking' (improved crop recovery), and long-term increases (>1 year) with 'yield making' (better agronomy) practices and identified the factors that contributed most to yield improvements. Average fruit bunch yield increases with BMP were 2.1 t ha−1 (+19%) and 4.7 …

Modelling The Effect Of Temperature On The Biology And Demographic Parameters Of The African Coffee White Stem Borer, Monochamus Leuconotus (Pascoe) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Abdelmutalab G.A. Azrag, Abdullahi A. Yusuf, Christian W.W. Pirk, Saliou Niassy, Ephantus K. Guandaru, Guillaume David, Régis Babin

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The African coffee white stem borer Monochamus leuconotus (Pascoe) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a destructive insect pest of Arabica coffee trees in African highlands. Our study aims to provide information on the pest biology as influenced by temperature, determine thermal thresholds, and provide life table parameters for M. leuconotus reared in the laboratory. The life cycle of M. leuconotus was studied at seven constant temperatures in the range 15–35 °C, with 80 ± 5% RH and a photoperiod of L:D 12:12. Linear and nonlinear models were fitted to laboratory data to describe the impact of temperature on M. leuconotus development, mortality, …

Performance Of Elite Maize Genotypes Under Selected Sustainable Intensification Options In Kenya, Leonard Rusinamhodzi, Dan Makumbi, James M. Njeru, Fred Kanampiu

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Combining different cropping and tillage systems with different genotypes across several cropping seasons can reveal opportunities for sustainable intensification (SI). The objective of this study was to assess the performance of six maize genotypes under intercropping with conservation tillage (no-till) – two promising options for SI. The experiment was carried out over three years (or six cropping seasons) at Kiboko Research Station, Kenya with sole cropping and mouldboard ploughing as baseline production systems. Results showed that maize genotypes and cropping systems had a significant effect on yield, but the effect of tillage was not significant. Moreover, there was no significant …

Temperature-Dependent Development And Survival Of Immature Stages Of The Coffee Berry Borer Hypothenemus Hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), A. G.A. Azrag, A. A. Yusuf, C. W.W. Pirk, S. Niassy, K. K. Mbugua, R. Babin

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Although the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is the most destructive insect pest of coffee worldwide, there is much to learn about its thermal biology. This study aimed to develop temperature-based models for H. hampei development and to provide the thermal requirements of immature stages in the laboratory. Using a new observation method, larval development and survival were monitored daily on fresh Arabica coffee seeds, under seven constant temperatures in the range 15-35°C, with 80 ± 5% RH and 12:12 L:D photoperiod. Linear and non-linear functions were fitted to the development data plotted against temperature, using …

Dataset For "Attributes Of Phragmites Australis In Response To Climate Change Using A Common Garden Study", Stephen L. Young

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The response of plant species to environmental change, including climate, is based on phenotypic plasticity. Empirical research can help in understanding how invasive plants adapt to changing conditions for successful establishment. Our goal was to assess the effect of environment of origin and ecotypic variation on phenotypic response of native and invasive Phragmites australis using morphological and ecophysiological measurements. We established a common garden study using seeds collected from Southwest, Midwest, and Great Lakes regions that crossed longitudinal and latitudinal gradients of the US. Within and end of growing season measurements were made for morphological (e.g., height, leaf size, inflorescence) …

Soil Quality And Phosphorus Status After Nine Years Of Organic And Conventional Farming At Two Input Levels In The Central Highlands Of Kenya, C. Von Arb, E. K. Bünemann, H. Schmalz, M. Portmann, N. Adamtey, M. W. Musyoka, E. Frossard, A. Fliessbach

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Under temperate climate conditions, organic farming systems show improved soil quality compared to non-organic systems, whereas little long-term research on the impact of organic farming on soil quality has been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Within the system comparison (SysCom) project, two long-term field experiments were set up in 2007 in the sub-humid Central Highlands of Kenya to compare organic and conventional farming at two input levels (high input systems with recommended rates of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and pesticides and with irrigation vs. rain-fed low input systems with low N, P and pesticides), with a similar design at both sites. …

Seed Size And Germination, Meredith Cobb, Michaela J. Woods, Ryan W. Mcewan

Five Rivers MetroParks Collaboration Data Archive

This dataset encompasses information related to predictors of seed germination from the species Carya laciniosa, Juglans cinerea, and Quercus rubra. Seed sizes were recorded prior to incubation in sand, vermiculite, or without media. Seeds were then germinated with time to germination recorded in this dataset.

End-Grain Of 10 North American Hardwoods, Lopes Dercilio Verly Junior, Greg W. Burgreen, Edward D. Entsminger

CFR Publications

This technical note determines the feasibility of using an InceptionV4_ResNetV2 convolutional neural network (CNN) to correctly identify hardwood species from macroscopic images. The method is composed of a commodity smartphone fitted with a 14× macro lens for photography. The end-grains of ten different North American hardwood species were photographed to create a dataset of 1709 images. The stratified 5-fold cross-validation machine-learning method was used, in which the number of testing samples varied from 341 to 342. Data augmentation was performed on-the-fly for each training set by rotating, zooming, and flipping images. It was found that the CNN could correctly identify …

Immunocompetence Of Gynaikothrips Uzeli (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) Populations From Different Latitudes Against Beauveria Bassiana (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), Deyi Yu, Peng Huang, Yongwen Lin, Jinai Yao, Yanyang Lan, Komivi Senyo Akutse, Xiangyu Hou

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Gynaikothrips uzeli gall thrips are protected from insecticide exposure by their leaf gall habitat. A biocontrol strategy based on entomopathogenic fungi is an alternative approach for the control of G. uzeli. Higher temperatures can promote the reproduction and spread of pests; however, the impact of higher temperatures on biological control is unclear. We studied the immunocompetence of thrips from different latitudes and determined the effect of degree days on thrips immunity. We examined the potential impact of temperature on the biocontrol provided by entomopathogenic fungi. Beauveria bassiana pathogenicity against thrips increased with decreasing latitude, suggesting that immunity of thrips increased …

Is It Possible To Discern Striga Weed (Striga Hermonthica) Infestation Levels In Maize Agro-Ecological Systems Using In-Situ Spectroscopy?, Bester Tawona Mudereri, Timothy Dube, Saliou Niassy, Emily Kimathi, Tobias Landmann, Zeyaur Khan, Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman

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The invasion by Striga in most cereal crop fields in Africa has posed a significant threat to food security and has caused substantial socioeconomic losses. Hyperspectral remote sensing is an effective means to discriminate plant species, providing possibilities to track such weed invasions and improve precision agriculture. However, essential baseline information using remotely sensed data is missing, specifically for the Striga weed in Africa. In this study, we investigated the spectral uniqueness of Striga compared to other co-occurring maize crops and weeds. We used the in-situ FieldSpec® Handheld 2™ analytical spectral device (ASD), hyperspectral data and their respective narrow-band indices …

Influence Of Seeing A Red Face During The Male–Male Encounters Of Mosquito-Specialist Spiders, Fiona R. Cross, Robert R. Jackson, Lisa A. Taylor

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Males of Evarcha culicivora, an East African jumping spider (Salticidae), have bright red faces. Here, we investigated how seeing a red face might influence a male’s behaviour during encounters with another male. We applied black eyeliner to conceal the red on a male’s face and measured the spectral properties of male faces with and without the eyeliner. Only the faces without eyeliner reflected in the long-wavelength range corresponding to red. In experiments over 2 days, where eyeliner was absent on the first day and present on the second, we compared how two groups of males responded to their mirror images. …