Life Sciences Commons^™

Interdisciplinary Team Addresses Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus In Alabama, Kassie N. Conner, Edward Sikora, Jenny Koebernick, Marcio Zaccaron

Journal of Extension

A multi-state and interdisciplinary team was formed to address the Extension and research needs of CLRDV, an emerging cotton disease with high potential impact for U.S. cotton production. In 2017, CLRDV was identified in AL and Auburn University immediately formed an interdisciplinary working group composed of plant breeders, plant pathologists, entomologists, and agronomists. Since then, scientists from ten other states have joined the CLRDV group. Thus, allowing research to be coordinated efficiently and best deploy limited resources to attend the stakeholder’s needs. The CLRDV group produces and shares new and relevant information with the scientific community and cotton producers alike.

Overweight And Obesity Challenges Among African Americans In Rural Alabama Black Belt, Joel Tumwebaze, Johnpaul Kagulire, Norma L. Dawkins

Journal of Extension

This study aimed at averting challenges of overweight and obesity among African Americans in rural Alabama. Focus group discussions and surveys were used to design a 12-week nutrition education and physical activity program. Results showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) in participants’ knowledge scores. Values for systolic blood pressure significantly reduced (p<0.00). There was an increase in number of participants with normal blood pressure and a reduction in number of participants with stage 2 hypertension. The study highlights that nutrition education and physical activity can lead to improved health outcomes among African Americans in rural Alabama.

Expanding Effective Behavioral Health Literacy Programs To Address Farm Stress, Cheryl L. Eschbach, Courtney Cuthbertson, Gwyn Shelle, Ronald O. Bates

Journal of Extension

Attention to stress and mental health among agricultural producers has increased over recent years, and Cooperative Extension has been active in offering educational workshops and resources to agricultural audiences. This article describes the process and effectiveness of expanding two (university) Extension farm stress management programs to Cooperative Extension in other states through a national Farm Stress Management Summit. The two-day training Summit provided deeper knowledge about farm stress issues and prepared Extension professionals to offer behavioral health programs in their own communities and respective states. Evaluation findings highlight effective aspects of the Summit and next steps.

The Adoption Of Food Safety Practices And The Implications Of Regulation For Small Scale Farms, Elizabeth Canales, Juan Silva, Joy Anderson

Journal of Extension

In this article we examine the adoption of food safety practices among produce growers in the south and discuss implications of food safety regulations in the U.S. Produce growers have adopted standard food safety practices to varying degrees, but there is still an adoption gap, particularly among small scale operations. Market-driven and regulatory food safety enforcement continues to tighten, and this can further hinder market access for small scale producers.

Breeding Biology Of The Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia Melanocephala Melanocephala) In The North-East Of Algeria, Kamel Ramdani, Mohamed Mohamed Kouidri, Mohamed Mohamed Laïd Ouakid, Moussa Houhamdi

Journal of Bioresource Management

This work examined the reproductive phenology of the Sardinian warbler (Sylvia melanocephala melanocephala) in North-eastern Algeria, which is its main geographical nesting area. Twenty-eight (28) nests were studied during two successive seasons (2016 and 2017). The results obtained in this study confirm that the nests were constructed at an average height of (01.97±01.04 m) from the ground. The laying period lasted eight (08) weeks (mid-March to the beginning of the second week of May), so fifty-four (54) days. The mean clutch size is (4.14±0.97) eggs per brood. The recorder traits were previously observed in European populations. The average …

Is Body Composition Or Body Mass Index Associated With The Step Count Accuracy Of A Wearable Technology Device?, Jeffrey Montes, Richard D. Tandy, John C. Young, Szu-Ping Lee, James W. Navalta

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 3: Issue 1, Article 5, 2022. A simple way to gauge daily physical activity levels is to use a wearable technology device to count the number of steps taken during the day. However, it is unknown whether these devices return accurate step counts for persons with different body fat percentages or body mass index scores. The purpose was to determine if there is a correlation between either body fat percentages and/or body mass index values and the percent error calculated between a manual step count and values recorded by a wearable technology device. …

Evidence For Multiple Potential Drivers Of Increased Phosphorus In High-Elevation Lakes, J. Scholz, Janice Brahney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations have increased in many remote mountain waterbodies across the western United States, and reports of algal blooms in these systems have increased in frequency. Explanations for observed TP increases are uncertain, and typical landscape drivers, such as agricultural/urban runoff, are implausible. We investigated multiple atmospheric and terrestrial-P loading mechanisms to explain the observed decadal increase in TP, including a novel hypothesis that warming soils may lead to elevated P fluxes to receiving water bodies. Using northern Utah mountains ranges as a case study, we measured prospective inputs of total and bioavailable P via dust deposition. Terrestrial …

Grocery Store Transitions To Multi-Ownership: Opportunities And Challenges, Marilyn R. Schlake

Cornhusker Economics

Independent grocery stores, stores whose owners operate fewer than four outlets, play a vital role in Nebraska communities. These stores help ensure food access for residents, particularly in rural areas. The recent decline in Nebraska’s total number of rural grocery stores is attributed to the closure of these independent stores, which are often owned by individuals or small groups. Finding qualified, motivated owners to purchase and operate independent grocery stores presents pressing challenges for many rural communities. Despite challenges, research shows that rural Nebraska communities perceive their independent grocery store to be an important community amenity. This suggests rural communities …

Critical Corridor: Survey Of Predator Occurrence And Habitat Use In A Threatened Rainforest Protected Area: Comatsa-Sud And Marojejy National Park, Madagascar, Patrick H. Ross

Theses

Madagascar is a nation praised for its floral and faunal endemism and biodiversity. Among the island nation’s most emblematic fauna are its native mammalian carnivores; they are members of the threatened and endemic Eupleridae family. The Corridor of Marojejy – Anjanaharibe Sud – Tsaratanana (COMATSA) is a system of forest protected areas in which three large protected areas are connected in northern Madagascar: Tsaratanana Reserve, Anjanaharibe Sud Special Reserve and Marojejy National Park which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. COMATSA is a newly protected and currently threatened corridor system that lacks detailed surveys and assessments of its native …

Improving Growth And Yield Of Sunflower With Integrated Use Of Compost And Pgpr (Variovorax Paradoxus) With Different Levels Of N-Chemical Fertilizer, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Javed Akhtar, Sarmad Frogh Arshad, Muhammad Ashfaq, Muhammad Zeeshan Gulzar, Hafiz Shahzad Ahmad, Kashif Bashir, Zulqurnain Khan, Hasan Riaz, Tanveer Ul Haq

Journal of Bioresource Management

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) stimulate plant growth through their ability, to increasing the root length and growth, by asymbiotic nitrogen fixation, by producing siderophores, solubilization of mineral phosphates and mineralization of other nutrients. Organic waste material of fruits and vegetables was collected and composted in a locally fabricated composting unit. A pot trial was conducted to study the effectiveness of compost and PGPR (Variovorax paradoxus) with recommended rate of PK and with different rates of N fertilizer i.e. 50 %, 75 % and 100 %, on growth and yield of sunflower. Results showed that the integrated use of …

Hepcidin Antimicrobial Peptide (Hamp) Screening For P.Cys70arg Variant And Iron Overload In Β -Thalassemia Major Patients, Ambreen Kanwal, Malik Siddique Mahmood, Saba Irshad

Journal of Bioresource Management

Hereditary Hemochromatosis is a rare genetic iron overload disorder characterized by iron accumulation in vital body organs such as the lungs, liver, and pancreas. HAMP mutations are reported as one of the principal sources for the disturbance of iron homeostasis. This study was designed to screen the involvement of p.Cys70Arg HAMP variant in iron overload in the β-thalassemia patients. For the purpose, bioinformatics tools were used for the structural and functional manifestation of mutated protein which revealed 1.93 kcal/mol energy differences between the wild-type and mutated proteins, causing the stability decline. Following that, clinical data was collected for 106 β-thalassemia …

Deciphering Taxa-Function Relationships In Population-Level Studies Of Human Gut Microbiomes, Quang P. Nguyen

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The human gut microbiome is a complex and dynamic ecosystem, featuring a multitude of microbes all interacting with their hosts in an elaborate manner. Even though this exchange is often mediated through microbial metabolic and functional outputs, such as the production of certain metabolites, environmental exposures, and host lifestyle are highly influential in shaping the presence of microbial species irrespective of their individual roles. As such, a comprehensive understanding of the microbiome requires researchers to examine the relationship between taxonomic abundance and function simultaneously. Assessing microbial contributions to important ecosystem services can enable identification of robust functions supported by a …

Smokejumper Obituary: Tschohl, Lester H. “Les” (Missoula 1966), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Humidity Reduces Rapid And Distant Airborne Dispersal Of Viable Viral Particles In Classroom Settings, Antun Skanata, Fabrizio Spagnolo, Molly Metz, Davida S. Smyth, John J. Dennehy

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

The transmission of airborne pathogens is considered to be the main route through which a number of known and emerging respiratory diseases infect their hosts. While physical distancing and mask wearing may help mitigate short-range transmission, the extent of long-range transmission in closed spaces where a pathogen remains suspended in the air remains unknown. We have developed a method to detect viable virus particles by using an aerosolized bacteriophage Phi6 in combination with its host Pseudomonas phaseolicola, which when seeded on agar plates acts as a virus detector that can be placed at a range of distances away from …

Mirnas Levels In A Streptozocin Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Nada Moustafa

Theses and Dissertations

Dementia entails a progressive decrease in cognitive functions, with 50%-75% of cases attributed to Alzheimer’s disease (AD); an aging-associated condition characterized by the build-up of tangled phosphorylated Tau (p-Tau) protein and beta-amyloid (Aβ) depositions. Sporadic AD (sAD) is multifactorial in nature, resulting from a combination of environmental and genetic predisposing factors. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a leading risk factor for dementia, and deregulation of brain glucose metabolism is associated with early cognitive affection in sAD. Thus, the diabetogenic agent Streptozotocin (STZ) is used to experimentally create an AD model in animals (STZ-induced sAD), in which abnormalities in cerebral …

Stat3 Activates The Pentraxin 3 Gene In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells, Uri Rozovski, Ivo Veletic, David M Harris, Ping Li, Zhiming Liu, Taghi Manshouri, Jan A Burger, Prithviraj Bose, Phillip A Thompson, Nitin Jain, William G Wierda, Srdan Verstovsek, Michael J Keating, Zeev Estrov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pentraxin-related protein 3 (PTX3), commonly produced by myeloid and endothelial cells, is a humoral pattern recognition protein of the innate immune system. Because PTX3 plasma levels of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are high and most circulating cells in patients with CLL are CLL cells, we reasoned that CLL cells produce PTX3. Western immunoblotting revealed that low-density cells from seven of seven patients with CLL produce high levels of PTX3, flow cytometry analysis revealed that the PTX3-producing cells are B lymphocytes coexpressing CD19 and CD5, and confocal microscopy showed that PTX3 is present in the cytoplasm of CLL cells. …

Real-World Use Of Palbociclib Monotherapy In Retroperitoneal Liposarcomas At A Large Volume Sarcoma Center, Elise F Nassif, Brandon Cope, Raymond Traweek, Russell G Witt, Derek J Erstad, Prapassorn Thirasastr, Joseph Ludwig, Robert Benjamin, Andrew J Bishop, B Ashleigh Guadagnolo, Davis Ingram, Khalida Wani, Wei-Lien Wang, Alexander J Lazar, Keila E Torres, Kelly K Hunt, Barry W Feig, Christina L Roland, Neeta Somaiah, Emily Z Keung

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Palbociclib has been evaluated in early phase trials for well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS) and dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) patients, with reported median progression-free survival (PFS) of 18 weeks. Here, we report on real-world use and surgical outcomes associated with palbociclib treatment. We retrospectively reviewed 61 consecutive patients with retroperitoneal WDLPS (n = 14) or DDLPS (n = 47) treated with palbociclib monotherapy between 1 March 2016 and 28 February 2021 at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. At palbociclib initiation, median age was 64 (interquartile range [IQR] 56-72). In WDLPS and DDLPS cohorts, the median number of prior systemic treatments …

Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Across Cancers: Meeting Report From The Immunotherapy Bridge-December 1st–2nd, 2021, Elizabeth M Burton, Rodabe N Amaria, Tina Cascone, Myriam Chalabi, Neil D Gross, Richard A Scolyer, Paolo A Ascierto

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

After the success of immunotherapy in the treatment of advanced metastatic cancer, further evaluation in earlier settings, including high-risk, surgically-resectable disease is underway. Potential benefits of a neoadjuvant immunotherapeutic approach include presurgical tumor shrinkage, reduced surgical morbidity, early eradication of micrometastases and prevention of distant disease, and greater antigen-specific T cell response. For some cancers, pathologic response has been established as a surrogate measure for long-term outcomes, therefore offering the ability for early and objective assessment of treatment efficacy and the potential to inform and personalize adjuvant treatment clinical decision-making. Leveraging the neoadjuvant treatment setting offers the ability to deeply …

Efficacy Of Botanical Plant Extracts On The Population Dynamics Of Cotton Aphid, Aphis Gossypii Glover (Hemiptera; Aphididae), Habib Ali, Salma Ameer, Muhammad Qasim, Sajid Fiaz, Shahbaz Ali, Adnan Noor Shah, Saqlain Zaheer, Basharat Ali, Muhaamad Nawaz, Yasir Ali, Nazir Ahmad

Journal of Bioresource Management

Synthetic pesticides are excessively consumed to control crop pests but abundant use of chemicals may implicate the whole ecosystem badly in the end. Despite the growing concern, few natural products are commercialized for pest control whilst on-farm use of existing botanically-based pesticides remains a small, but growing, component of crop protection practice. The experiment was conducted to assess the potential trade-offs of using botanical extracts (Neem leaf extract, NLE, and Moringa leaf extract, MLE) along with synthetic insecticide, Confidor 200 SL, against Aphis gossypii Glover. Meanwhile, impact of these insecticides on natural enemies were also determined in the field experiment. …

A Comprehensive Investigation Of Novel Ber (Ziziphus Mauritiana) Products From South Punjab, Pakistan, Misbah Sharif, Ambreen Naz, Umar Farooq, Kashif Razzaq, Muhammad Ali Sher, Mahmood Alam Khan, Ummara Waheed, Waqas Hayder, Nosheen Naz, Shabbir Ahmad, Nighat Raza

Journal of Bioresource Management

Ber also known as jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana) is an evergreen shrub and known as poor man’s apple belongs to the Rhamnacae family. It is a minor fruit of Pakistan with short post-harvest shelf life. The present study was planned to develop jujube products such as jam, syrup, jelly, dehydrated jujubes, pickle, and candied jujube from Dil Bahar cultivar followed by a shelf-life study based on TSS, Ascorbic acid, total sugars, moisture and crude fiber content at prescribed intervals. Results showed higher total phenolic content in Dil Bahar (144.38 mgGAE/100g) cultivar as compared to other cultivars. Shelf life study …

Toxicity Of Four New Chemistry Insecticides Against Spodoptera Litura (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions, Ali Ahmad, Nawwal Kaleem Butt, Muhammad Aqib Idrees, Najmul Hassan, Muhammad Raheel Saleem, Muhammad Umair Ali, Muhammad Ramzan, Ali Asnan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Leaf worm, Spodoptera litura is one of the most destructive insect pests of several agricultural and horticultural crops all over the world including Pakistan. Insecticides have been widely used against different instar larvae of S. litura to minimize the pest population on various crops. New chemistry insecticides were tested to check their toxicity against S. litura on cabbage under laboratory conditions during 2019. Emamectin benzoate was highly toxic followed by chlorantraniliprole, flubendiamide and fipronil. LC₅₀ and LC ₉₀ values of emamectin benzoate were 30.54, 19.73 ppm and 459.07 and 275.65ppm after 24 and 48 h, respectively. 100% mortality of …

Determination Of Crop Coefficient Of Hybrid Wheat Under Arid Climate: A Pot Study, Saba Wajid, Muhammad Imran, Hafiz Shahzad Ahmad, Muhammad Zeeshan Gulzar, Tanveer Ul Haq, Abdul Ghaffar, Sarmad Frogh Arshad, Zulqurnain Khan, Kashif Bashir, Hasan Riaz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Climate change increases vulnerabilities for crop productivity in Pakistan. Water crises are increasing with an increase in temperature and change in precipitation patterns due to climate change which ultimately imposed a threat to the food security of the country. Water is indispensable for all plants to complete life cycle as the unavailability of water at critical growth stages drastically affects the development of the plant. The present pot study was conducted for the estimation of crop coefficient of hybrid wheat for irrigation scheduling at Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan during two growing seasons 2018-19 and 2019-20. In this …

An Investigation Of Weeds In The Wheat Crops In Tehsil Paharpur District Dera Ismail Khan, Nazish Akhtar, Samreen Afzal

Journal of Bioresource Management

Weed infestation is a serious problem for crop yield. It causes a huge yield loss. A comprehensive study to investigate the main wheat weeds within Tehsil Pharpur (Dhakki, Headbilot, Dhupsari, Malakheil, Kalapani, Laar, Rakh Bandkura) in the Dera Ismail Khan region was conducted during the 2020-21 harvest. About 21 species were collected and the weeds competed with the wheat crop for nutrients, water, and light and disrupted the wheat crop. Data was collected in a weed growth phase and a quadratic method was used. Homophobic (RD), relative frequency (RF), relative coefficient (RCC), and value index (IVI) were recorded. It was …

Comparative Efficacy Of Insecticides Against Cabbage Aphid Brevicoryne Brassicae, A Pest Of Oilseed Rape, Brassica Napus (L.) Under Controlled Conditions, Hassoba Hira, Habib Ali, Arbab Ihsan, Zunnu Raen Akhtar, Salma Ameer, Muhammad Yasin, Asim Ali, Shanzay Nawaz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Rapeseed and mustard is the same group of oilseed crops (Brassica sp.) as well as a significant source of edible oil in Pakistan. The cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae is considered a major insect pest of oilseed rape, Brassica napus L. and causes significant yield loss. An experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of four insecticidal treatments i.e. Confidor 200 SL (imidacloprid), Mospilan 20 SP (acetamiprid), Arrivo (cypermethrin), Triazophos 40 EC (triazophos) at low to high concentrations along with control treatment to estimate the efficacy of canola leaves against aphid population. Among all insecticide applications …

A Simplified Model For The Intermediate Structure Of Strong Fire Whirls, Forman A. Williams

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

A model is described for the overall structure of intense fire whirls, based on a spatially evolving vortex, with circulation enhancement driven by the axial acceleration of low-density gas in the core through the axial pressure gradient. The axial acceleration increases the entrainment rate into the core which, through mass conservation, increases the circulation if the angle between the tangential and radial velocity components remains fixed. The two-zone model employs general balance equations for regions inside and outside a cylinder of fixed radius, each inviscid, the inside region being presumed to have a constant density small compared with the (constant) …

Bio-Vascular 3d, Wisdom Shadrach

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity across the world and according to the world health organization account for 32% of mortality rate globally. There still remain a need to develop better in vitro vascular models that would aid further in-depth understanding of cardiovascular pathogenesis and proposed therapeutic intervention.

This study intends to characterize four novel medically relevant synthetic polymer scaffolds, and one hydrogel, for their biocompatibility and potential application in a tissue engineered blood vessel (TEBV). A primary human endothelial cell line derived from the vein of the umbilical cord (HUVEC), and a human primary smooth …

Dairy By-Product Derived Cardioprotective Lipids, Hannah Ring

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder, characterised by the accumulation of plaque on the walls of the arteries. Rupture of this plaque often results in life threatening clinical complications such as heart attack and stroke, which currently are the two leading causes of global mortality. Dietary guidelines usually condemn the consumption of whole fat dairy products due to their saturated fat content and this ingredient’s association with cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. This viewpoint however, is dated and controversial as much data is emerging on the cardiometabolic benefits of polar lipids found in dairy products which are …

Investigating The Antagonistic Activity Of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Against Uropathogenic E. Coli., Ciara Kenneally

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is the presence of bacteria in urine, resembling a state of commensalism. Bacteria are characterised as ABU when they have been isolated from two consecutive urine samples (≥ 10⁵ CFU/ml) from individuals, but without symptoms attributable to a urinary tract infection (UTI). ABU Escherichia coli strains have evolved from uropathogenic ancestors and lack virulence factors associated with uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC). UPEC are the main etiological agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs), attributable to > 80% of cases. The frequency at which multidrug-resistant UPEC are isolated is affecting guidelines for use of former first-line antibiotics for UTIs, …

Biowill - Characterising Willow Bark Bio-Actives For Skin Therapies, Arnold Marisa

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Willow bark is considered as a disposable by-product when processing willow for biomass. Willow (Salix) is known to contain high value bioactive compounds which include salicin and its derivatives, and other phytochemicals of interest such as polyphenols and flavonoids. The plant is historically known as the primary source of salicylates to which the well-known drug aspirin is derived from. The work forms part of the Interreg project BioWILL, which is focused on integrated “Zero Waste” biorefinery utilising all fractions of willow feedstock for the production of biochemicals and renewable energy. This project aims to investigate the crude and …

Clearing The Air Between Methane And Commercial Beef Cattle In Ireland, Clodagh V. Ryan

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background

Rumen methanogenesis is the single most significant source of anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions. This research aimed to analyse CH₄ data recorded by GreenFeed systems by assessing the repeatability of such phenotypic measures, estimating the heritability of CH₄, and generating CH₄ estimated breeding values (EBVs) for inclusion in the national breeding index_.

Methods

CH₄ measurements were recorded on 979 cattle for 20 to 83 days using GreenFeed machines, resulting in 211,136 individual CH₄ observations. The phenotypic repeatability of CH₄ was estimated for six different averaging periods using a linear mixed …