Life Sciences Commons^™

Improving The Economic And Environmental Sustainability Of Tart Cherry Production Through Precision Management, Brent Black

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Utilizing Uas To Support Wildlife Hazard Management Efforts By Airport Operators, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Ryan Wallace

Publications

The FAA requires airports operating under the Code of Federal Regulations Part 139 to conduct a wildlife hazard assessment (WHA) when some wildlife-strike events have occurred at or near the airport. The WHA should be conducted by a Qualified Airport Wildlife Biologist (QAWB) and must contain several elements, including the identification of the wildlife species observed and their numbers; local movements; daily and seasonal occurrences; and the identification and location of features on and near the airport that could attract wildlife. Habitats and land-use practices at and around the airport are key factors affecting wildlife species and the size of …

Evaluation Of The Equivalence Of Different Intakes Of Fruitflow In Affecting Platelet Aggregation And Thrombin Generation Capacity In A Randomized, Double-Blinded Pilot Study In Male Subjects, Ranjit Kumar Das, Tanushree Datta, Dipankar Biswas, Ruedi Duss, Niamh O’Kennedy, Asim K. Duttaroy

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The water-soluble tomato extract, Fruitflow® is a dietary antiplatelet which can be used to lower platelet aggregability in primary preventative settings. We carried out a pilot study to investigate the range of intakes linked to efficacy and to make an initial assessment of variability in response to Fruitflow®.

Methods: Platelet response to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) agonist and thrombin generation capacity were monitored at baseline and 24 h after consuming 0, 30, 75, 150 or 300 mg of Fruitflow® in a randomized, double-blinded crossover study in male subjects 30-65 years of age (N = 12). Results were evaluated for equivalence …

Climate And Agronomy, Not Genetics, Underpin Recent Maize Yield Gains In Favorable Environments, Gonzalo Rizzo, Juan Pablo Monzon, Fatima Amor Tenorio, Réka Howard, Kenneth G. Cassman, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Quantitative understanding of factors driving yield increases of major food crops is essential for effective prioritization of research and development. Yet previous estimates had limitations in distinguishing among contributing factors such as changing climate and new agronomic and genetic technologies. Here, we distinguished the separate contribution of these factors to yield advance using an extensive database collected from the largest irrigated maize-production domain in the world located in Nebraska (United States) during the 2005-to-2018 period. We found that 48% of the yield gain was associated with a decadal climate trend, 39% with agronomic improvements, and, by difference, only 13% with …

Productivity Of Intensive Grazing Systems Based Upon Irrigated Pangola Pastures In The French West Indies, G. Alexandre, M. Mahieu, G. Aumont, M. Naves

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This work deals with the comparison of the productivity of intensive grazing systems (IGS) in the French West Indies, used for meat production with cattle, goat and sheep. IGS are based upon the use of irrigated, fertilized, and high stocked (1.8 to 1.4 t live weight/ha/year) and rotational grazing Digitaria decumbens pastures. They lie upon good performance levels of local breeds, Creole cattle and Creole goats of Guadeloupe and Martinik ewes, and upon improved general husbandry. Both sheep and goat in IGS exhibit high levels of productivity. They reached up to 1000 kg LW of weaned offsprings and 1400 kg …

Potential Of Crop Rotation Using Forages In The Tropics, P. L. Mafongoya

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Soil fertility is a fundamental biophysical root cause of food insecurity sub-Saharan Africa. Low quality crop residues and grasses during the dry season also limit animal productivity. Forage legumes (herbaceous and tree legumes) have great potential to increase crop animal productivity. Technologies have been developed over the past 3 decades to fully integrate forage legumes into farming. Most of these technologies are still on shelves with low adoption by farmers. Rhe role of forage legumes in nutrient cycling is reviewed in this paper. The factor limiting adoption will also be discussed. Innovative dissemination pathways to increase adoption will be suggested.

The Role Of Forages In Sustainable Cropping Systems Of Southern Australia, William D. Bellotti

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The historical context, recent trends, and possible future role of forages in cropping systems are reviewed. Three recent themes will be developed: 1) The successful exploitation of genetic diversity resulting in commercial development of new legume species as pasture cultivars with specific traits better suited to the needs of current farming systems. 2) Improved understanding of key soil processes under grazed pastures, particularly soil water and soil nitrogen, and how these processes impact on indicators of sustainability like deep drainage and nitrate leaching. 3) An emerging capacity for predicting the effect of pasture-crop sequences on soil processes, crop growth and …

Performance Of Millet Cultivars In Succession To Field Crop Of Beans In Southern Portion Of State Of Minas Gerais - Brazil, José C. Pinto, M. C. Maia, A. R. Evangelista, I. F. De Andrade, Joel Augusto Muniz, I. P. A. Dos Santos, E. R. P. Bomfim

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This trial was carried out at the Department of Animal Science - Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), from February to June, 1997. It was evaluated the performance of three millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] cultivars, as a second crop (Common, BN 2 and CMS 02) and four sowing dates (02/22, 03/14, 04/03 and 04/23). The three millet cultivars were sown after a cropping of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by the end of the rainy season, with no additional fertilization. It was used the randomized block design in a split-plot scheme, allocating the sowing dates on the main …

Barriers And Facilitators In Rehabilitation In Chronic Diseases And After Surgery: Is It A Matter Of Adherence?, Elijah E. Sanches, Emily Aupers, Nasser Sakran, James Navalta, Tomasz Kostka, Sjaak Pouwels

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

Although it has been generally acknowledged that participating in rehabilitation programs is better for chronic diseases or post-surgery, the adherence rates of these programs remain lower than expected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adherence has been defined as follows: "the extent to which a person's behavior corresponds with agreed recommendations from a healthcare provider." In general, rehabilitation is well investigated, and in chronic diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease, neuromuscular disease, cancer, and even psychiatric diseases like depression, it has been shown that exercise therapy, in particular, has beneficial effects on morbidity, mortality, and convalescence …

Discovery Of Phosphotyrosine-Binding Oligopeptides With Supramolecular Target Selectivity, Ana S. Pina, Leonor Morgado, Krystyna L. Duncan, Sara Carvalho, Henrique F. Carvalho, Armenio J. M. Barbosa, Beatriz De P. Mariz, Ines P. Moreira, Daniela Kalafatovic, Bruno M. Morais Faustino, Vishal Narang, Tong Wang, Charalampos G. Pappas, Isabel Ferreira, A. Cecılia A. Roque, Rein V. Ulijn

Advanced Science Research Center

We demonstrate phage-display screening on self-assembled ligands that enables the identification of oligopeptides that selectively bind dynamic supramolecular targets over their unassembled counterparts. The concept is demonstrated through panning of a phage-display oligopeptide library against supramolecular tyrosine-phosphate ligands using 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-phenylalanine-tyrosine-phosphate (Fmoc-FpY) micellar aggregates as targets. The 14 selected peptides showed no sequence consensus but were enriched in cationic and proline residues. The lead peptide, KVYFSIPWRVPM-NH2 (P7) was found to bind to the Fmoc-FpY ligand exclusively in its self-assembled state with KD = 74 ± 3 μM. Circular dichroism, NMR and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the peptide interacts with Fmoc-FpY …

Forage Yield And Nutritive Value Of Spring Oats For Various Cultivars And Planting Dates At The Middle Mountain Area, S. Seo, W. H. Kim, D. E. Shin, G. J. Choi, G. J. Park

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The experiment was carried out to determine the optimum cultivars and effects of planting date on growth, forage yield and nutritive value of spring sown oats (Avena sativa L.) at the middle mountainous area, Namwon, NLRI, Korea, 1998. The cultivars used in this study was Cayuse, Swan, Foothill, Cashel, Martlock and Winjardie, and the planting dates were 9, 14, 19, 24 and 29 March, and all the forages were harvested on 9 June. Swan among spring oats was the earliest heading type (21 May), and then Martlock (25 May), Winjardie (27 May), and Foothill was the latest (14 June). …

Performance Of Steers In Brachiaria Decumbens Pastures, Permanent And In Rotation With Soybean, L. A. Z. Machado, A. C. Fabrício, J. C. Salton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The integration agriculture/pasture is an alternative that allows countless benefits to the rural producer. At Embrapa Agricultural West four production systems were studied and two of them involved animal production. The systems Soybean/Pasture Rotation and Permanent Pasture were compared from september/98 to may/99. The availability and residue of dry matter of green leaves blades (DMGLB), stems (SDM) and senescent material, the gain/animal and gain/area was evaluated. The availability was monthly assessed. Herbage residue was higher in the Soybean/Pasture Rotation system. This system allowed gain/animal and gain/ha of 0.814 kg/day and 582 kg/ha, respectively, whereas the Permanent Pasture system the gain …

Alternative Cropping Systems With Self Reseeding Annual Legumes In A Mediterranean Environment, E. Campiglia, F. Caporali, R. Mancinelli

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Self-reseeding winter annual legumes (subclover and snail medic) have the potential to induce a significant shift towards a less energy-intensive and more environmentally friendly management in the modern and specialized cereal cropping systems. Nevertheless their use is practically unknown in mixed stands with winter cereals, where they can contribute to supply nitrogen and to reduce herbicides input. We conceived an alternative cropping system where an annual legume performs, respectively, as living mulch in a winter cereal (winter wheat), as a cover crop after reseeding and as dry mulch for the succeeding summer cereal (corn). Trials carried out at the Tuscia …

Integration Of Cattle And Improved Pastures Under Coconuts In Southern Luzon, Philippines, F. A. Moog, H. E. Diesta, A. G. Deocareza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Results of two studies involving 1) grazing of Signalgrass (Brachiaria decumbens) pastures at different stocking and 2) cut-and-carry forages in smallholder farms for cattle under coconuts are presented. Grazing at 3 AU/ha and 2 AU/ha gave significantly higher LWG/ha (P 0.05) over 1 AU/ha but highest financial return was obtained from 2 AU/ha. Productivity of cattle on cut-and-carry forages in small farms varies among farmers with better animal performance directly related to quantity and quality of feeds offered and industriousness of individual farmers. Both studies showed the benefits derived from integration of cattle with improved pastures under coconuts.

Legumes For Organic Cropping Systems, F. Caporali, R. Mancinelli, E. Campiglia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A field experiment which focuses on the yield performance of both durum wheat and sunflower included in a twoyear rotation between wheat/subterranean clover and sunflower was carried out in an organic farm in Central Italy. Three factors were included in the experiment according to a factorial design: a) two different previous crop sequences (four years of alfalfa, four years of annual crops); b) three fertilization levels (without and with animal manure incorporated at 15 or 40 cm depth); c) three durum wheat genotypes (Appulo, Arcangelo and Daunia cvs). The results obtained show that a previous alfalfa meadow allows the succeeding …

Effects Of Preservation With Pre-Fermented Green Juice (Fgj) On Fermentation Quality And Energy And Nitrogen Utilization Of Round-Baled Alfalfa Silage By Dairy Cattle, Li-Man Cao, Yoshitaka Deguchi, M. Mizutani, M. Goto, Y. Yamamoto, S. Urakawa, Y. Yamada, M. Matsui, T. Masuko, Yasuhiro Kawamoto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This study was conducted to examine the effects of pre-fermented green juice (FGJ) of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the fermentation quality and animal performance of round-baled alfalfa silage (Medicago stativa L.,cv. Dupuits). Ensiling treatments of wilting and FGJ additives (WFGJ) and direct-cut and FGJ additives (DFGJ) improved the fermentation quality of alfalfa silage more than that of wilting (W). Enhanced fermentation in the WFGJ and DFGJ silage was also associated with the increases of energy and nitrogen utilization of the silage by dry Holstein dairy cattle, as fed on diets formulated with alfalfa silage, oat …

Effect Of Application Of Farmyard Manure To Ley On Forage Yield And Quality Of Grass Silage, T. M. Pauly, L. Rodhe

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A two-year field trial was performed on ley near Uppsala, Sweden, with the following treatments (3 plots/treatment): A, no manure or fertiliser; B, manure applied in Oct.; C, manure applied in Oct. followed by rolling plots in May; D, manure applied in May; E, mineral fertiliser only. Apart from cattle manure, plots allocated to treatments B, C and D received the same amount of mineral nutrients as treatment E. The objective of this experiment was to get an indication of how different times of manure application (before or after the growth period) affected forage yields and the quality of the …

The Effects Of Cellulase On Cell Wall Structure And The Rumen Digestion Of Alfalfa Silage, T. Ishida, A. Aisan, K. Tomiyama, T. Watanabe, H. Terui, E. No, K. Ataku

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

First- and second-cut alfalfa (Medicago sativa) was ensiled with no additive, microbial (Lactobacillus casei) inoculant, cellulase derived from Acremonium celluloytics Y-94, co-addition of inoculant and cellulase, and formic acid. The resultant silages were digested in the rumen of a dairy cow. The alfalfa and the silages were then examined with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and their chemical characteristics analyzed to evaluate the effects of cellulase on the quality of alfalfa silage and its cell wall structure.

The addition of cellulase lend to both a greater loss of parenchymal tissue and decrease in digestibility during rumen degradation …

Small Mammal Community Ecology And Ectoparasite Dynamics In A Tamaulipan Thornscrub Habitat, Brandi Giles

Theses and Dissertations

Small mammals play many roles in ecosystems and are known as great indicators of overall ecosystem function and health, but they are also highly competent hosts for ticks and tick-borne disease. In this study, I gathered data on small mammal community ecology and species diversity, abundance, and overall ectoparasite (i.e., ticks) dynamics in a south Texas Tamaulipan thornscrub habitat. I also assessed differences in these parameters in edge versus interior habitats across a gradient of habitat fragmentation and species assemblage. Lastly, I assessed which host and environmental factors can be utilized for predicting parasitization of small mammals in this habitat. …

Smokejumper Obituary: Hall, Dann Jay (Anchorage 1972), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Policy Implications Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Food Security In Rural America: Evidence From Appalachia, Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily M. Dewitt, Rachel Gillespie, Rachel Hogg-Graham, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Janet T. Mullins

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Rural communities are disproportionally affected by food insecurity, making them vulnerable to the consequences of supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While access to food was initially diminished due to food supply disruptions, little is known about the mechanisms through which federal emergency assistance programs impacted food access in rural populations. Through a series of five focus groups in spring 2021, we examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in a rural Appalachian community in Kentucky. Data were analyzed using a Grounded Theory Approach. Findings revealed the following four primary themes: food scarcity in grocery stores; …

Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) Ecology In Nebraska Agroecosystems, Blessing Ademokoya

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) have gained considerable attention in Nebraska in the last decade due to increasing densities of native stink bug and spread of invasive species in the Midwest. Little is known about stink bug dynamics in Nebraska cropping systems. Based on data from a recent field survey, specimens at the University of Nebraska State Museum and the diagnostic lab of the Entomology Department at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, as well as published literature, we present a checklist of 72 species and subspecies of Pentatomidae (55 Pentatominae, 13 Asopinae, 3 Podopinae and 1 Edessinae) that occur in …

The Mineral Composition Of Date Palm Fruits (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Under Low To High Salinity Irrigation, Rania Dghaim, Zied Hammami, Rola Al Ghali, Linda Smail, Dalia Haroun

All Works

Adaptability to salinity varies between different varieties of date palm trees. This research aims to explore the long-term impact of different salinity irrigation levels on the mineral content of 13 date palm varieties grown in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Date varieties were grown using three irrigation water salinity levels of 5, 10 and 15 dS m-1. The mineral composition (B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P and Zn) of date palm fruits was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). High salinity levels showed no effect on the mineral content of Ajwat AlMadinah, Naghal, Barhi, Shagri, Abu …

Mechanical Overload-Induced Muscle-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote Adipose Tissue Lipolysis, Ivan J. Vechetti Jr, Bailey D. Peck, Yuan Wen, R Grace Walton, Taylor R. Valentino, Alexander P. Alimov, Cory M. Dungan, Douglas W. Van Pelt, Ferdinand Von Walden, Bjorn Alkner, Charlotte A. Peterson, John J. Mccarthy

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

How regular physical activity is able to improve health remains poorly understood. The release of factors from skeletal muscle following exercise has been proposed as a possible mechanism mediating such systemic benefits. We describe a mechanism wherein skeletal muscle, in response to a hypertrophic stimulus induced by mechanical overload (MOV), released extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing muscle-specific miR-1 that were preferentially taken up by epidydimal white adipose tissue (eWAT). In eWAT, miR-1 promoted adrenergic signaling and lipolysis by targeting Tfap2α, a known repressor of Adrβ3 expression. Inhibiting EV release prevented the MOV-induced increase in eWAT miR-1 abundance and expression of …

Self-Extending Symbiosis In Symbiodinium Microadriaticum And The Effect Of Endosymbiotic / Horizontal Gene Transfer On Dinoflagellates And The Tree Of Life, Maha Kadry Ahmed Fathy

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Symbiodinium microadriaticum is a dinoflagellate that lives in a mutualistic relationship with the coral Stylophora pistillata in the Red Sea. Symbiodinium microadriaticum is divided into several clades and the A1 clade of Symbiodinium microadriaticum lives in shallow waters and is resilient to thermal stress. The association between Symbiodinium microadriaticum A1 and Stylophora pistillata enables Stylophora pistillata to tolerate the rise in the sea surface temperature caused by global warming and climate change. Here, the first completely sequenced dinoflagellate genome is explored to answer two questions: The first question is whether self-extending symbiosis has a role in the ability of Symbiodinium …

Enrichment Of Extremophilic Bacteria From Atlantis Ii Deep Brine Sediments Using Various Electron Donors & Acceptors, Nelly Abu Alkheir

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The Atlantis II Deep is the most studied and largest brine pool in the Red Sea. It is an active hydrothermal habitat with unique physical conditions. Its unique characteristics (70°C temperature, 26% salinity, pH 5.2) caused it to be a very attractive marine ecosystem for microbiological and metagenomics studies. Sediments of the Atlantis II Deep brine were investigated for the presence of extremophilic bacteria using a cultivation approach combined with phylogenetic analysis. Two different cultivation methods were utilized: substrate gradient cultures and minimal salts medium supplemented with various combinations of electron donors and acceptors. A bacterial culture enriched from the …

Metagenomic Assessment Of The Mobilomes Of Red Sea's Atlantis Ii, Discovery And Kebrit Deeps, Mohamed Mohamed El Rifai

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Mobile genetic elements in microbial communities are mainly composed of plasmids, transposons and viruses. They are collectively referred to as the mobilome and serve as agents that facilitate horizontal gene transfer, which plays an important role in evolution and adaptation of microorganisms. In order to study the abundance and distribution of mobile genetic elements in different marine environments and to clarify whether certain environmental conditions could explain such distribution, sequence similarity searches using protein family signatures against diverse marine metagenomic datasets were used to determine the relative frequency of coding sequences associated with transposases, integrases, plasmids and viruses, or phages. …

E2 Evolutionary Motif Prediction And Identification Of Drug Candidates To Prevent Hepatitis C Virus Cellular Entry, Shairy Azmy Danial

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection causes around three quarters of worldwide chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Interferon and ribavirin combination therapy is not effective with all HCV genotypes, and has serious side effects that may result in discontinuation of treatment. The aim of our work is to design inhibitors against HCV envelope glycoprotein E2 to prevent its binding to CD81 surface receptor and the consequent viral entry into hepatocytes. Currently, no crystal structure is constructed for E2. However, a model of E2 is available, Yagnik et al. model, which served as the starting point for the structure-based inhibitor …

Exploring The Aerobic Methanotrophs Community In The Red Sea Atlantis Ii Deep Brine Area, Rehab Abdallah

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Methane represents one of the most abundant hydrocarbons on earth and a powerful greenhouse gas. Methane oxidation by microbial consortia contributes positively to the environment by decreasing methane emission to the atmosphere from different ecosystems. Aerobic methanotrophic bacteria are considered one of the main groups involved in methane oxidation. Brine pools are dynamic habitats for microbial cycling of carbon. Atlantis II Deep is the largest brine pool in the Red Sea. The pool is well known for its elevated temperature, salinity and methane concentration. Methane seeps from the deep brine to the overlying brine seawater interface layer, providing a suitable …

Impacts Of Deepwater Horizon On Fish And Fisheries: What Have We Learned About Resilience And Vulnerability In A Coupled Human-Natural System?, S.A. Murawski, C.B. Paris, Tracey Sutton, M. Cockrell, S. O'Farrell, J. Sanchirico, E. Chancellor, L. Perruso

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill occurred in a region of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) supporting abundant, diverse and valuable communities of fishes and fishers. The economy of the northern GoM is inextricably tied to the natural resource bases of the region (tourism, fishing, oil and gas, etc.) and thus the coupling between the human and ecological systems is tight and subject both feed-back and, to some extent, feed-forward controls. Management actions taken during the 87-day DWH spill incident included the closure of over 280,000 km² of productive fishing area (about 1/3 of USA federal waters in the …