Life Sciences Commons^™

Krill Watching, Michael J. Leach

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This is a concrete, or visual, found poem about the scientific activity of observing krill in the deep sea. I discovered this concrete found poem in prose that Nicol (2019, p. 200) quoted from Ommanney (1938).

• Nicol, S 2019 ‘Oceans of krill’, in B Nogrady (ed) The best Australian science writing 2019, Sydney: NewSouth Publishing.
• Ommanney, FD 1938 South latitude, London: Longmans, Green & Co.

Can Precision Farming Technologies Be Applied To Grazing Management?, S. Mark Rutter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In arable farming, precision is used to monitor and manage crop variability. The same precision approach can be used to manage grassland, by using crop sensing, targeted fertilizer/herbicide/pesticide application and forage yield measurement when it is harvested mechanically. An additional challenge in grassland agriculture is developing precision approaches to manage the grazing process. This requires technologies to determine where an animal is, when, what and how much it is grazing which the system then needs to use in conjunction with other sources of information to control where the animal grazes next. This paper reviews the existing technologies in these …

Manipulation Of The Spatial Grazing Behaviour Of Livestock In Extensive Grassland Systems, Derek W. Bailey, Mitch B. Stephenson, Milton G. Thomas, Juan F. Medrano, Gonzalo Rincon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Spatial behaviour of livestock is a critical factor in grassland management. Recent and ongoing research suggests that new approaches can be used to manipulate where cattle graze. The combination of strategic supplement placement and low-stress herding can be used to target cattle grazing and potentially may be useful for managing fine fuels. A phenotype to genotype association study of cattle spatial behavior suggests that use of rugged terrain and areas far from water is inherited. Although more research is needed, selection for animals specifically adapted for mountainous terrain or extensive paddocks may be an alternative for managing grasslands in the …

Case Studies Which Demonstrate The Financial Viability Of Precision Dairy Farming, Ian Yule, Hayden Lawrence, Craige Mackenzie, Carolyn Hedley, Miles Grafton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A number of case studies are used to demonstrate the financial viability of precision farming methods for intensively managed pastures. Precision farming has sometimes been criticized as being technology-led where the management goals and desired outcomes are sometimes poorly defined. Case studies presented in this paper demonstrate a strong management approach where appropriate technologies are selected to contribute to the financial success of the farm. The first case study farm has increased milk production by 70% in four years, increased pasture production by 43%, reduced fertilizer costs to 43% of previous levels and has successfully predicted annual production to within …

Perivascular Waste Metabolites Clearance In Central Nervous System (Cns), Yiming Cheng

Dissertations

Efficient clearance of interstitial waste metabolites is essential for normal brain homeostasis. Such effective clearance is hampered by the lack of a lymphatic system in the brain, and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is unable to clear large size waste metabolites in the brain. Here, a novel idea that brain arterial endothelium and smooth muscle cells reactivity regulates the clearance of these water-insoluble large size waste metabolites through the perivascular dynamic exchange, and that low dose ethanol promotes this perivascular clearance is proposed.

In Aim 1, the biodistribution of a large size waste metabolite (Amyloid-β protein mimic) in rat perivascular space …

Amyloid Proteins And Fibrils Stability, Farbod Mahmoudinobar

Dissertations

Compared to globular proteins that have a stable native structure, intrinsically disordered peptides (IDP) sample an ensemble of structures without folding into a native conformation.One example of IDP is the amyloid-beta(Abeta) protein which is the main constituent of senile plaques in the brain of Alzheimer's patients.Understanding the process by which IDPs undergo structural changes to form oligomers that eventually aggregate into senile plaques/amyloid fibrils may significantly advance the development of novel therapeutic methods to treat neurodegenerative diseases, for which there is no cure to date. This dissertation has two main objectives. The first one is to investigate and identify structural …

Mitochondria Imaging And Targeted Cancer Treatment, Tinghan Zhao

Dissertations

Mitochondria are essential organelles as the site of respiration in eukaryotic cells and are involved in many crucial functions in cell life. Dysfunction of mitochondrial metabolism and irregular morphology have been frequently found in human cancers. The capability of imaging mitochondria as well as regulating their microenvironment is important both scientifically and clinically. Mitochondria penetrating peptides (MPPs), certain peptides that are composed of cationic and hydrophobic amino acids, are good candidates for mitochondria targeting. Herein, a novel MPP, D-argine-phenylalanine-D-argine-phenylalanine-D-argine-phenylalanine-NH₂ (rFrFrF), is conjugated with a rhodamine-based fluorescent chromophore (TAMRA). The TAMRA-rFrFrF probe exhibits advantageous properties for long-term mitochondria tracking of …

Cerebro-Vascular Disruption Mediated Initiation And Propagation Of Traumatic Brain Injury In A Fluid Percussion Injury Model, Xiaotang Ma

Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem for over 3.17 million people in the US. There is no FDA-approved drug for the treatment because the injury mechanisms have not been clearly identified. The knowledge gap is addressed here by the lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) rat model, through the understanding of layer-structured mechanisms from physical vascular rupture to acute necrosis, as well as biochemical changes in perivascular space as secondary events.

Firstly, the cerebrovascular hemorrhage and related infarct volume are investigated as the primary events in moderate FPI, which is found to be increased with injury severity in …

Cancer Risk Prediction With Whole Exome Sequencing And Machine Learning, Abdulrhman Fahad M Aljouie

Dissertations

Accurate cancer risk and survival time prediction are important problems in personalized medicine, where disease diagnosis and prognosis are tuned to individuals based on their genetic material. Cancer risk prediction provides an informed decision about making regular screening that helps to detect disease at the early stage and therefore increases the probability of successful treatments. Cancer risk prediction is a challenging problem. Lifestyle, environment, family history, and genetic predisposition are some factors that influence the disease onset. Cancer risk prediction based on predisposing genetic variants has been studied extensively. Most studies have examined the predictive ability of variants in known …

Urban Horticulture, From Local Initiatives To Global Success Stories, Roland Ebel, Esmaeil Fallahi, John L. Griffis Jr., Dilip Nandwani, Donielle Nolan, Ross H. Penhallegon, Mary Rogers

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Urban horticulture describes economically viable horticultural production activities conducted in a city or suburb. It is a growing segment of horticulture in the United States as well as in developing countries, where the enormous growth of megalopolis is not backed by a simultaneous increase of farmland or agricultural productivity. Today, urban horticulture includes food sovereignty in underprivileged neighborhoods, increased availability of vegetables and fruits in big cities, healthy and diverse diets, improved food safety, low transportation costs, efficient resource use, and the mitigation of environmental impacts of horticultural production such as the emission of greenhouse gases. The workshop “Urban horticulture: …

Effect Of Imagery On Free-Throw Shooting In Basketball Extracurricular, Novriansyah Novriansyah, Djoko Pekik Irianto, Yurieke Nadiya Rahmat, Fitri Agung Nanda

Jurnal Keolahragaan

The purpose of this study was to find out differences in influence between internal imagery training and external training imagery on the results of free-throw shooting in extracurricular bola basketball, It used an experimental method. The sample was selected by random sampling technique which comprised three schools, SMPN 1 Bantul, SMPN 3 Bantul, SMPN 3 Jetis with a total of 42 bola basketball extracurricular students. An instrument measured the shooting free throw test to measure the free throw from Arianto B. The data were then analyzed using a two-track analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a significant level ofα = 0.05. …

Kinematic Differences On Mid-Range Basketball Jump-Shot Between Experienced And Less-Experienced Collegiate Player, Agam Akhmad Syaukani, Li Chun Yan

Jurnal Keolahragaan

Jump shot in modern basketball is an effective scoring way to overcome pressure of the defender. Fundamental jump shot technique relies on experience and biomechanical analyses. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate kinematic profile of basketball players based on their experience level during mid-range jump shot. Four experienced basketball players and four less-experienced basketball players participated in the experiment. Jump shot phase was classified into 3 categories: preparatory, action, and follow-through. Angular displacement and angular velocity were measured using three-dimension (3D) motion capture technology. One-way Anova analysis indicated significant differences on several kinematic parameters between groups. On preparatory …

Efektifitas Modifikasi Permainan Tradisional Dalam Pengembangan Physical Literacy Anak Taman Kanak-Kanak, Uray Gustian, Eka Supriatna, Edi Purnomo

Jurnal Keolahragaan

Perkembangan gerak merupakan aspek penting dalam lingkup perkembangan anak. Akan tetapi, seiring dengan perubahan pola hidup dan pengaruh gadget yang menyebabkan anak menjadi kurang dalam melakukan gerak. Untuk itu diperlukan suatu usaha untuk menstimulus anak selalu aktif, memiliki keterampilan, pengetahuan, motivasi dan kepercayaan diri melakukan aktivitas gerak (Physical literacy) yang dilakukan sejak taman kanak-kanak. Penelitian menggunakan metode eksperimen dengan mengimplementasikan permainan tradisional yang dimodifikasi pada pembelajaran anak taman kanak-kanak dan partisipan berjumlah 150 anak. Permainan tradisional yang digunakan dalam pembelajaran terdiri atas tujuh permainan tradisional yaitu permainan lempar kaleng, permainan engklek, permainan lempar telur penyu, sumpitan, balap balon, estafet kelereng, …

The Psychological Skills Of Basketball Athletes: Are There Any Differences Based On The Playing Position?, Fitri Agung Nanda, Dimyati Dimyati

Jurnal Keolahragaan

Player-based psychological skills are an important factor that any coach should understand. Unfortunately, up to date there has not been any study that deals with the disclosure of player-based psychological skills especially for basketball athletes. Therefore, through the conduct of the study the researchers would like to identify the psychological skills of basketball athletes based on the playing position namely forward, guard and centre. The nature of the study is a quantitative-descriptive research with the retrospective causal-comparative design or ex-post factor design. Then, during the conduct of the study the researchers selected 24 basketball athletes who consisted of 11 forwards, …

Baseball And Biomechanics: Injury Prevention For Baseball Pitcher, Fajar Awang Irawan, Chuang Long-Ren

Jurnal Keolahragaan

Pitching was the fastest motion in baseball. Upper extremity has important roles especially in shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers. The purpose of this study was to integrate the information in a resume of biomechanical pitching and baseball pitcher's injuries. The data base used refers to PubMed, SAGE, and Elsevier and several relevance journals related to baseball and injuries. Source refers to the data since December 2017 to the oldest 2000 to get data source in baseball pitcher injuries. Upper arm has the prominent role when pitching to get maximum motion and joints stabilize. Rotator cuff muscle generate rotation in the …

Remediating Soil For Successful Vegetation Establishment Along Nebraska Highways, Shad Mills, Martha Mamo, Walt Schacht, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Vegetation along roadsides is important to prevent soil erosion, provide habitat, and filter water running off the road. Vegetation close to the pavement along highways in Nebraska does not readily establish and persist. It is thought that the sodium and bulk density are the driving factors behind the lack of vegetation. After a construction project the shoulder is seeded into the compacted soil, and during winter salts can accumulate in the soil because of deicing agents being used. The purpose of our study was to determine if the sodium and bulk density are the driving factors of the vegetation cover. …

Do Coffee Agroforestry Systems Always Improve Soil Carbon Stocks Deeper In The Soil?—A Case Study From Turrialba, Costa Rica, Nilovna Chatterjee, P. K. Ramachandran Nair, Vimala D. Nair, Abhishek Bhattacharjee, Elias De Melo Virginio Filho, Rheinhold G. Muschler, Martin R.A. Noponen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Shaded perennial agroforestry systems (AFS) are regarded as desirable land‐use practices that improve soil carbon sequestration. However, most studies assume a positive correlation between above ground and below ground carbon without considering the effect of past and current land management, textural variations (silt and clay percentage), and such other site‐specific factors that have a major influence on the extent of soil C sequestration. We assessed SOC stock at various depths (0–10, 10–30, 30–60, and 60–100 cm) in shaded perennial coffee (Coffea arabica L.) AFS in a 17‐ year‐old experimental field at the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, (9°53′44′′ …

Response Of U.S. Rice Cultivars Grown Under Non-Flooded Irrigation Management, Anna M. Mcclung, Jai S. Rohila, Christopher G. Henry, Argelia Lorence

Arkansas Biosciences Institute

Achieving food security along with environmental sustainability requires high yields with reduced demands on irrigation resources for rice production systems. The goal of the present investigation was to identify traits and germplasms for rice breeding programs that target effective grain production (EGP) under non-flooded field systems where the crop can be subjected to intermittent water stress throughout the growing season. A panel of 15 cultivars was evaluated over three years regarding phenological and agronomic traits under four soil moisture levels ranging from field capacity (29% volumetric water content; VWC) to just above the wilting point (16% VWC) using subsurface drip …

Coal Mining Sector Contribution To Environmental Conditions And Human Development Index In East Kalimantan Province, Kunny Izza Indah Afkarina, Sindhung Wardana, Poerborini Damayanti

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Coal mining has been one of the issues that led to pros and cons in Indonesia. Research shows that mining activities are one of the factors that affect people’s incomes and local and national economic development. However, mining is a lucrative activity that leads to construction booms that attract population growth and lead to deforestation, thus affecting the environmental conditions of a region. The coal mining industry of Indonesian province of East Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, provides most of the economic base needed to build the infrastructure and provide energy of the country. Kalimantan Province accounts for approximately …

Altitudinal Distribution And Monthly Occurrence Of Butterflies In The Kihansi Gorge Forest, Tanzania, With A Checklist Of Species, Devolent Mtui, Colin Congdon, Ivan Bampton, Parson Kalenga, Haule Leonard

Tanzania Journal of Science

The goal of this project was to establish a checklist of butterflies occurring in Kihansi gorge to serve as baseline for monitoring of gorge ecosystem health. The key questions were what and how many species of butterflies occur in the gorge with respect to time and space. The study was conducted between October 2005 and February 2007. Butterflies were recorded twice a week, along a walking trail, using malaise traps and sweep net. The traps were located at upper (> 750 – 1100 m), mid (> 580 – 750 m) and lower (300 – 580 m) gorge. A total of …

Reintroduction Of The Kihansi Spray Toad Nectophrynoides Asperginis Back To Its Natural Habitat By Using Acclimatizing Cages, Charles A. Msuya, Nassoro Mohamed

Tanzania Journal of Science

The Kihansi Spray Toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis) is considered to be extinct in the wild. Captive breeding populations exist in Bronx and Toledo zoos in USA and in two captive breeding facilities in Tanzania. Efforts to reintroduce the species back to its natural habitat at Kihansi Gorge wetlands have become a long process. Both ex-situ and in-situ experiments have revealed promising outcomes but when the toads are freely (hard) released in the wetlands they disperse widely and detection becomes difficult.  Cages for acclimatising the toads before hard release have been constructed in two of the Kihansi Gorge spray wetlands. Factors such …

Mammals Inventory Of The Kihansi River Gorge In Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, Dennis K. Ikanda, Samuel N. Mtoka, Mustafa Hassanali, Anna Mshanga

Tanzania Journal of Science

The Kihansi gorge montane forest in Udzungwa Mountains forms part of the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) which contain some of the most biologically diverse and endemic montane ecosystems in all of Africa. The Kihansi river gorge was opened up for hydroelectric development in the late 1990s, attracting hundreds of farming communities whose activities lead to environmental degradation and hence presumed biodiversity loss in the montane forest which is not understood. Using camera traps, an inventory of mammals of the area was conducted for 24 consecutive days. About 14 mammal species were photo captured, indicating diverse assemblage of large and medium …

Morphological Diversity Of Wild Coffee (Coffea Kihansiensis) A Potential Coffee Species For Genetic Improvement, Paul M Kusolwa, Faraja Makwinja, Jackson Nashon, Mayomba Marianna, Amina Kibola

Tanzania Journal of Science

Coffee belongs to the genus Coffea in the Rubiaceae family, and is mostly grown in the tropical and subtropical regions. The Coffea genus comprises 103 species, of which Coffea arabica L. (Arabica coffee) and Coffea canephora P. (Robusta coffee) are the two most important commercial species. C. Arabica is a commercially important high quality coffee with low genetic diversity, while C. canephora is cultivated mostly in the northwestern region of Tanzania. Of recent, a discovered wild coffee (Coffea kihansiensis) in Tanzania may be a genetic resource for improvement of cultivated coffee.  Morphological descriptors from accessions evaluated in different sites at …

Crop Pests, Control Measures And Potential Impacts In Kihansi Catchment Area, Beatrice Pallangyo, K. Mdily, C. Mkondo, A. Kibola

Tanzania Journal of Science

A baseline survey which covered 349 households in Bomang’ombe and Masisiwe (Kilolo district), Kibengu and Mapanda (Mufindi district) and Chita and Chisano (Kilombero district) was conducted to identify major pests, control measures and potential impacts in Kihansi catchment area. Maize was the most predominant crop being cultivated by 55% of the total respondents in all the study districts. Pests and diseases were the major constraints to crop production, whereby cereal stem borers were the most serious pests being reported by 88.2% of respondents. Application of synthetic pesticides was the major pest control measure, being applied by 66% of the respondents. …

Understorey Bird Communities 8 And 18 Years After River Diversion In Kihansi Gorge, Udzungwa Mountains In The Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania, Chacha Werema, Charles A. Msuya

Tanzania Journal of Science

On the most south-western slopes of the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania lies Kihansi River. The river was diverted underground in 2000 to run electric turbines for electricity generation. Using mist netting, pre-diversion (in 1998 and 1999) and short term post-diversion (in 2001) effects of the river diversion on understorey birds were undertaken before and year after river diversion, respectively. Intermediate and long-term effects of river diversion on understorey birds at the same transects are non-existent. In September 2008 and August and September 2018, using mist nets, birds were surveyed at the same transects  to assess whether or not there have …

Land Use–Land Cover Change And Implication To Biodiversity In Kihansi Catchment, Phillip K. Mwanukuzi

Tanzania Journal of Science

Land cover-land use (LC-LU) change has significant impact on wetland ecosystem. This study examined the impacts of LC-LU change on spray wetland ecology at Kihansi Gorge and implications to conservation of fragile biodiversity. Remote sensing methods were used to asses land cover changes from 1990 to 2015 and to forecast change in 2035. It was revealed that forests decreased from 28,454 to 10,897 ha and woodland from 26,903 to 19,914 ha. In 1990, woody cover dominated with a total cover of 38% of the entire catchment. The cropland that included grassland and bushland with scattered crops has been on the …

Management And Population Status Of Kihansi Spray Toad Nectophrynoides Asperginis In Captive Breeding Facilities In Tanzania, Cuthbert L. Nahonyo, Ezekiel M. Goboro, Richard S. Ugomba, Emmanuel S. Nkombe, Severinus Mutagwaba, Hussein Adam, Juma I. Kimera, Person Kalenga, Wilirk Ngalason

Tanzania Journal of Science

Kihansi spray toad Nectophrynoides asperginis was discovered in 1996 in Kihansi gorge. The toad was declared extinct in the wild in 2009 due to habitat alteration. Before its extinction, 499 individuals were flown to the United States of America zoos in 2000 for captive breeding. In 2010, the University of Dar es Salaam, and in 2011 the Kihansi captive breeding facilities were established in Tanzania. The intention was to breed, and reintroduce the toad back to the natural environment in the gorge. The founder populations for the two facilities were sourced from the USA zoos. This study addresses captive management …

The Dynamics Of Re-Introduced Kihansi Spray Toad Nectophrynoides Asperginis And Other Amphibians In Kihansi Gorge, Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, Wilirk Ngalason, Cuthbert L. Nahonyo, Charles A. Msuya

Tanzania Journal of Science

The dynamics of the reintroduced Kihansi spray toad Nectophrynoides asperginis and other amphibian species that occur in the Kihansi gorge, Udzungwa Mountains were studied. The area is a home for the endemic toad that became extinct before individuals bred in captivity were reintroduced. Previous studies on the biology of amphibians conducted in the gorge focused on a few aspects but none has dealt with the dynamics of both the reintroduced Kihansi spray toad (KST) and other amphibians. Information on species richness and the abundance of amphibian species occurring in the gorge have not been dealt with in depth. Time-constrained audio-visual …

Some Histopathological Findings In Dead Kihansi Spray Toads In Captivity, Joshua J Malago

Tanzania Journal of Science

Raising of Kihansi spray toad (KST), Nectophrynoides asperginis, in captivity is associated with disorders that can be fatal. Since diagnosis of these disorders cannot be confirmed grossly, the current study was aimed at exploring histopathological findings in dead KSTs kept under captivity in Tanzania. Dead KSTs were immediately recovered, observed for gross changes, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, processed routinely, and stained sections reviewed for histological changes. Observed infectious agents were strongyloides (25.3%), ciliates (1.7%), lungworms (0.6%), fungi (3.4%) and bacteria (5.1%) or mixed infections (9%) of these agents. Noted histopathological lesions in affected organs included infiltration of inflammatory …

Abundance And Distribution Of Afrosteles Distans An Indicator Of Food Availability For The Kihansi Spray Toad (Nectophrynoides Asperginis) In The Kihansi Gorge, Lulu T Kaaya, Rashid A Tamatamah, Timoth B Suya

Tanzania Journal of Science

Survivorship of the Kihansi Spray Toad in the wild depends on various factors such as environment, habitat, food availability, diseases and predation. This study assessed the abundance of Afrosteles distans Linnavuori 1959 as an indicator of food availability for the Kihansi Spray Toad. Samples were collected from sprinkled (A, B, C, D, E and F) and non-sprinkled (G and H) plots in the upper spray wetland in the Kihansi gorge during the dry period in 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016 and 2018. There was a significantly higher abundance of A. distans in sprinkled than non-sprinkled plots. ANOVA showed significant differences in …