Life Sciences Commons^™

A Chance-Constrained Linear Model For Beef Policy Analysis, Claudio F. Machado, S. T. Morris, C. Dake, A. Macdonald, I. M. Brookes, F. Di Croce, F. Gonzalez, N. J. Auza

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A simple linear model to evaluate different bull beef policies (BBP) by incorporating the stochastic nature of pasture yield from a database with separate chance constraints (ChC) was developed. A 100 ha farm was used, and the model was run with five different BBP and set to different levels of pasture yield risk to maximise production.ha^-1.year^-1. Summer was the most risky season, and the optimum mix of policies changed at different levels of risk. Chance constraint represents an interesting and simple alternative to include pasture variation into a linear model.

Mapping Nitrogen Fixing Shrubs In Dry Unimproved Tussock Grassland, C. C. Boswell, W. L. Lowther, P. D. Espie

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to both map the positions of individual nitrogen-fixing shrub plants and record individual plant height and breadth dimensions, within a small catchment of dry sub-humid unimproved short tussock grassland. The distributions of different species of shrubs varied with different landscape units within the catchment. The information will provide the base data for a first approximation of the role of the shrubs in the nitrogen balance of the ecosystem, which is pivotal to the sustainability of pastoral farming in the tussock grasslands.

Repeated Measurement Analyses Of Forages In Cropping Systems, A. R. De Freitas, O. Primavesi, L. De A. Corrêa, A. C. Primavesi, E. B. Pott, A. Dos S. Mascioli

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Repeated measurements (RM) are common in forage experiments. The data used in this study were accumulated ammonia losses by volatilization (N) and dry matter production (DM) of Cynodon dactylon cv. Coastcross pasture from an experiment in blocks with five levels of urea: 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 kg of N ha^-1, applied in five periods (cuttings). For N, RM were the averages of cuttings and nine days of observation. The F test for the hypothesis of no effect for Period and Level x Period interaction (DM) and for Days and Level x Days interaction was not affected …

Farmwi$E: A Flexible Decision Support Tool For Grazing Systems Management, A. D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

CSIRO's new FarmWi$e decision support tool provides a framework that permits pasture-livestock systems and management policies of any level of complexity to be simulated. An underlying "modelling protocol" permits other simulation models to be added, further extending its domain of applicability. Management policies are specified in FarmWi$e by means of rules that govern when, whether and how management events take place. An example of the use of FarmWi$e to study lamb production is given.

Sward Height; Visual Estimate Compared With Plate Meter Height, W. B. Bryan, E. C. Prigge, E. L. Nestor, O. J. Gekara, M. A. Schettini

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sward height (SH) is widely used in pasture research and farm practice to evaluate pasture conditions. Visual estimates can take less time than actual measurements. This study compared visually estimated SH, of continuously grazed cool-season permanent pasture with plate meter height. Weekly estimates, by five people, were made on 12, 0.75 to 1 ha fields, grazed at two intensities. Paired data (visual estimate and plate meter height) were subjected to variance and covariance analyses and prediction equations were developed. Average visual height accounted for 86% of the variability in plate meter height. Inclusion of other sources of variability in the …

Application Of Synthetic Peptide Cep1 Increases Nutrient Uptake Rates Along Plant Roots, Sonali Roy, Marcus Griffiths, Ivone Torres-Jerez, Bailey Sanchez, Elizabeth Antonelli, Divya Jain, Nicholas Krom, Shulan Zhang, Larry M. York, Wolf-Rüdiger Scheible, Michael Udvardi

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The root system of a plant provides vital functions including resource uptake, storage, and anchorage in soil. The uptake of macro-nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sulphur (S) from the soil is critical for plant growth and development. Small signaling peptide (SSP) hormones are best known as potent regulators of plant growth and development with a few also known to have specialized roles in macronutrient utilization. Here we describe a high throughput phenotyping platform for testing SSP effects on root uptake of multiple nutrients. The SSP, CEP1 (C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE) enhanced nitrate uptake rate per unit root …

Open Problems In Extracellular Rna Data Analysis: Insights From An Ercc Online Workshop., Roger P Alexander, Robert R Kitchen, Juan Pablo Tosar, Matthew Roth, Pieter Mestdagh, Klaas E A Max, Joel Rozowsky, Karolina Elżbieta Kaczor-Urbanowicz, Justin Chang, Leonora Balaj, Bojan Losic, Eric L Van Nostrand, Emily Laplante, Bogdan Mateescu, Brian S White, Rongshan Yu, Aleksander Milosavljevic, Gustavo Stolovitzky, Ryan M Spengler

Faculty Research 2022

We now know RNA can survive the harsh environment of biofluids when encapsulated in vesicles or by associating with lipoproteins or RNA binding proteins. These extracellular RNA (exRNA) play a role in intercellular signaling, serve as biomarkers of disease, and form the basis of new strategies for disease treatment. The Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium (ERCC) hosted a two-day online workshop (April 19-20, 2021) on the unique challenges of exRNA data analysis. The goal was to foster an open dialog about best practices and discuss open problems in the field, focusing initially on small exRNA sequencing data. Video recordings of workshop …

Toward A Multimodal Computer-Aided Diagnostic Tool For Alzheimer’S Disease Conversion, Danilo Pena, Jessika Suescun, Mya Schiess, Timothy M. Ellmore, Luca Giancardo, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Publications and Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It is one of the leading sources of morbidity and mortality in the aging population AD cardinal symptoms include memory and executive function impairment that profoundly alters a patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living. People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) exhibit many of the early clinical symptoms of patients with AD and have a high chance of converting to AD in their lifetime. Diagnostic criteria rely on clinical assessment and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Many groups are working to help automate this process to improve the clinical workflow. Current …

Conservation, Restoration, And Monitoring Plan For The Lower White River, Utah, Casey A. Pennock, William W. Macfarlane, Phaedra Budy, Justin Jimenez, Jerrad Goodell

Ecology Center Publications

In this report we present a conservation, restoration and monitoring plan for the lower White River, a major tributary of the Green River. The plan is intended to help guide conservation, restoration and management of the lower White River over the next several decades and is also developed as an adaptive management plan to facilitate learning. The recommended conservation and restoration actions are intended to maintain and enhance native riparian vegetation and instream habitat for native desert fishes including federally endangered Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), federally endangered Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), Speckled Dace (Rhinichthys osculus …

Nutritional Support And Prophylaxis Of Azithromycin For Pregnant Women To Improve Birth Outcomes In Peri-Urban Slums Of Karachi, Pakistan-A Protocol Of Multi-Arm Assessor-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial (Mumta Pw Trial), Ameer Muhammad, Zoha Zahid Fazal, Benazir Baloch, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Fyezah Jehan, Yasir Shafiq

Medical College Documents

Background: Maternal undernutrition is critical in the etiology of poor perinatal outcomes and accounts for 20% of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births. High levels of food insecurity, antenatal undernourishment, and childhood undernutrition necessitate the supplementation of fortified balanced energy protein (BEP) during pregnancy in low-income settings especially with scarce literature available in this subject. Hence, this paper extensively covers the protocol of such a trial conducted in an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: The trial is community-based, open-labelled, four-arm, and randomized controlled that will include parallel group assignments with a 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio in low-income squatter settlements in urban Karachi, Pakistan. …

Clinical Performance Of The Xpert® Ct/Ng Test For Detection Of Chlamydia Trachomatis And Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: A Multicenter Evaluation In Chinese Urban Hospitals, Fred C. Tenover, Yan Han, Mei-Qin Shi, Qing-Ping Jiang, Wen-Jing Le, Xiao-Lin Qin, Han-Zhen Xiong, He-Ping Zheng, Yi-Wei Tang, Yue-Ping Yin

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: We aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of the GeneXpert® (Xpert) CT/NG assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) using urine and cervical swabs collected from patients in China.

Methods: This study was conducted from September 2016 to September 2018 in three Chinese urban hospitals. The results from the Xpert CT/NG test were compared to those from the Roche cobas® 4800 CT/NG test. Discordant results were confirmed by DNA sequence analysis.

Results: In this study, 619 first void urine (FVU) specimens and 1,042 cervical swab specimens were included in the final dataset. There were …

Acute Kidney Injury Biomarkers And Hydration Outcomes At The Boston Marathon, Whitley C. Atkins, Cory L. Butts, Melani R. Kelly, Chris Troyanos, R. Mark Laursen, Andrew Duckett, Dawn M. Emerson, Megan E. Rosa-Caldwell, Brendon P. Mcdermott

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of our field study was to investigate the effects of running the Boston Marathon on acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarkers. We hypothesized that biomarker values would be elevated immediately post-marathon but would resolve in the 24-h post-marathon. Secondarily, we sought to identify sex differences related to renal stress. Participants were 65 runners who completed the Boston Marathon (46 ± 9 years, 65.4 ± 10.8 kg). Urine samples were collected at three different time points (pre-marathon, post-marathon, and 24-h post-marathon). Blood samples were collected post-marathon and 24-h post-marathon. Urine specific gravity (USG) and AKI biomarkers were evaluated. Pre-marathon USG …

Investigation Of Metastable Low Dimensional Halometallates, Navindra Keerthisinghe, Matthew S. Christian, Anna A. Berseneva, Gregory Morrison, Vladislav V. Klepov, Mark D. Smith, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

The solvothermal synthesis, structure determination and optical characterization of five new metastable halometallate compounds, [1,10-phenH][Pb_3.5I₈] (1), [1,10-phenH₂][Pb₅I₁₂]·(H₂O) (2), [1,10-phen][Pb₂I₄] (3), [1,10-phen]₂[Pb₅Br₁₀] (4) and [1,10-phenH][SbI₄]·(H₂O) (5), are reported. The materials exhibit rich structural diversity and exhibit structural dimensionalities that include 1D chains, 2D sheets and 3D frameworks. The optical spectra of these materials are consistent with bandgaps ranging from 2.70 to 3.44 eV. We show …

Scavenger Receptors In Host Defense: From Functional Aspects To Mode Of Action, Qamar Taban, Peerzada Tajamul Mumtaz, Khalid Z. Masoodi, Ehtishamul Haq, Syed Mudasir Ahmad

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Scavenger receptors belong to a superfamily of proteins that are structurally heterogeneous and encompass the miscellaneous group of transmembrane proteins and soluble secretory extracellular domain. They are functionally diverse as they are involved in various disorders and biological pathways and their major function in innate immunity and homeostasis. Numerous scavenger receptors have been discovered so far and are apportioned in various classes (A-L). Scavenger receptors are documented as pattern recognition receptors and known to act in coordination with other co-receptors such as Toll-like receptors in generating the immune responses against a repertoire of ligands such as microbial pathogens, non-self, intracellular …

Venetoclax Plus Azacitidine In Japanese Patients With Untreated Acute Myeloid Leukemia Ineligible For Intensive Chemotherapy, Kazuhito Yamamoto, Atsushi Shinagawa, Courtney D Dinardo, Keith W Pratz, Kenichi Ishizawa, Norio Komatsu, Chikashi Yoshida, Noriko Fukuhara, Kensuke Usuki, Takahiro Yamauchi, Noboru Asada, Norio Asou, Ilseung Choi, Yasushi Miyazaki, Hideyuki Honda, Sumiko Okubo, Misaki Kurokawa, Ying Zhou, Jiuhong Zha, Jalaja Potluri, Itaru Matsumura

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The phase 3 VIALE-A trial (NCT02993523) reported that venetoclax-azacitidine significantly prolonged overall survival compared with placebo-azacitidine in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. Herein, efficacy and safety of venetoclax-azacitidine are analyzed in the Japanese subgroup of VIALE-A patients.

Methods: Eligible Japanese patients were randomized 2:1 to venetoclax-azacitidine (N = 24) or placebo-azacitidine (N = 13). Primary endpoints for Japan were overall survival and complete response (CR) + CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi). Venetoclax (target dose 400 mg) was given orally once daily. Azacitidine (75 mg/m2) was administered subcutaneously or intravenously on …

Sources Of Error For Ultrasonic Measurements Of Steer Compositional Traits In Grazing Studies, Glen E. Aiken, F. M. Rouquette Jr., A. H. Brown Jr.

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Real-time ultrasound technology has potential use for measuring compositional traits in grazing studies. Sources of error with this application must be identified for designing experiments with adequate precision to determine treatment effects. A study was conducted to evaluate breed type (Angus x Brahman, AB; Simmental x [Angus x Brahman], SAB; Simmental x [Brahman x Hereford], SBH), initial body weight, and initial ultrasonic measures as sources of experimental error in the analyses of external fat (EF) depths and longissimus dorsi (ribeye) areas (LDA). Steers were ultrasonically scanned at the initiation and conclusion of a grazing study that examined stocking rate effects …

Grassland Management And Animal Product Quality, G. W. Sheath, J. B. Coulon, Q. A. Young

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The expectations of consumers ultimately determine the specification of product quality; and grassland systems produce a wide range of animal-based products. Therefore, to provide focus, this paper deals only with food products that are destined for markets that exhibit strong discretionary choice. Quality expectations of consumers have traditionally been based on product attributes such as taste, freshness, nutritional value and appearance, but customer expectations are expanding to encompass food safety, environmental care, animal welfare and biotechnologies.

Grassland forages and their management influence the intrinsic sensory properties of food. A dairy products case study is presented, indicating that pasture species and …

Priority Setting And Funding Of Agricultural Research, M. Petit

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Agricultural research funding amounts and modalities have been profoundly transformed in recent years in many countries. For instance, competitive funding has become the norm rather than the exception in most countries and funding sources have been greatly diversified. In addition, in some major countries, the private sector has become a major actor In agricultural research, both as a funder of research and as a provider research results. This poses a major challenge to public research institutions, which remain the major agricultural research actors and employers of researchers in most countries. With these changes in funding, formal procedures for research priority-setting …

Implementation Of A Program To Support Direct Support Professionals To Promote A Healthy Lifestyle For People With Moderate To Profound Intellectual Disabilities, A. Overwijk, Thessa Hilgenkamp, C. P. Van Der Schans, W. P. Krijnen, K. Vlot-Van Anrooij, A. A.J. Van Der Putten, A. Waninge

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Background: There is a lack of theory-based interventions for direct support professionals (DSPs) to support a healthy lifestyle for people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities (ID) despite their major role in this. This study aims to evaluate the preparation, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of a theory-based training and education program for DSPs to learn how to support these individuals. Methods: The program consisting of e-learning, three in-person sessions, and three assignments was implemented. The implementation process was evaluated with a mixed method design with the following components: preparation phase, implementation phase, and the outcomes. These components were measured with …

The Last Continuous Grasslands On Earth: Identification And Conservation Importance, Rheinhardt Scholtz, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Grasslands are the most threatened and least protected biome. Yet, no study has been conducted to identify the last remaining continuous grasslands on Earth. Here, we used World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifications to measure the degree of intactness remaining for the world's grassland ecoregions. This analysis revealed three findings of critical conservation importance. First, only a few large, intact grasslands remain. Second, every continent with a grassland ecoregion considered in this study contains at least one relatively intact grassland ecoregion. Third, the largest remaining continuous grasslands identified in this analysis have persisted …

Dilemma: Increase In Human Food Production Or Use Of Grasslands For Environmental And / Or Social Purposes, A. D. Meister

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the title for this paper we find three major objectives: to feed the world, sustain the environment and provide resources for social purposes, and a dilemma. Even though the word ‘dilemma’ usually implies choice between undesirable alternatives, it is obvious that the alternatives here are not undesirable. Is the dilemma then, that we can only do one at the time, or that the consequences of favouring one over the other can lead to undesirable outcomes? It is my opinion that we are talking about the latter interpretation. It is the foreclosing of options by allowing one objective to dominate …

The Development And Prospect Of Chinese Grassland Economic System, Fuzeng H.

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

China is a country with an old agriculture civilization of the world. The arrangement of the crop and pasture area had developed from Han and Tang dynasty. (From A.C 206.to AD 907). Chinese livestock economic had undergone the winding development for a thousand years of feudal society, however, It still belong to a phase of the loose private ownership. From 1949 when The People's Republic of China was founded, the pasture was nationalized and collective management. Since 1980s, the planned economic changed into the market economic gradually. The pasture was public ownership, but management by contract, paid utilization and unchanged …

Contextual Factors In The Management Of Common Grazing Lands: Lessons From Mongolia And Northwestern China, R. Mearns

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Seen in a global perspective, pastoral development is now increasingly motivated by social and environmental objectives rather than by production- or output-orientated objectives. Attention is shifting towards a broader concern with sustainability, both of grasslands, and of the livelihoods of those who rely on them (de Haan et al, 1997, Fratkin and Mearns forthcoming). Quite how these twin sustainability objectives may be achieved in particular contexts, however, is an empirical question. Drawing on examples from a diverse range of natural grassland-based livestock production systems under economic transition in Mongolia and northwestern China, this summary paper aims to show how an …

De-Intensification Of Grasslands: Understanding The Processes To Find The Balance, K. C. Hodgkinson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There is a growing trend in Australia and other developed countries for deintensification of animal production from grasslands and for grasslands to be used for purposes other than livestock grazing. These shifts are occurring for a variety of reasons including unsustainable land management practices, environmental pollution, loss of conservation value, poor commodity prices and declining rural infra-structure and communities. In Australia, the shifts are under way in agricultural grasslands, where sown pastures occur in a matrix of semi-natural woodlands, but less so in the other three major natural grasslands that forms the arid and semi-arid rangelands.

The conversion of natural …

De-Intensification Of Grasslands: Current State And Trends, Michael Duru, Bernard Hubert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

De-intensified use of grasslands, and more generally of the livestock systems they support, has been triggered by a growing sensitivity of citizens to environmental quality (nitrogen) and quality of animal products, and by the warnings addressed to political authorities by scientists about the environmental consequences of economic imbalances (decreasing biodiversity, drop in soil fertility, greenhouse effect), and in particular of food overproduction in Europe.

From an ecological standpoint, grassland de-intensification must be envisaged whenever the techniques implemented disrupt resource sustainability. The grassland resource itself may be at risk when a rate of vegetation offtake by herbivores that is incompatible with …

Effects Of Increasing Dietary Zinc Sulfate Fed To Gestating Ewes: Ii. Milk Somatic Cell Count, Microbial Populations, And Fatty Acid Composition, C. M. Page, R. M. Knuth, T. W. Murphy, D. C. Rule, B. Bisha, J. B. Taylor, W. C. Stewart

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Objective: The objective of the research was to evaluate the effects of increasing dietary Zn sulfate concentration for primiparous gestating ewes on subsequent milk SCC, intramammary microbial identifications, and fatty acid composition.

Materials and Methods: Commercial white-face (WF; n = 27) and black-face (BF; n = 24) ewes (age ≈18 mo; BW = 87.48 ± 8.37 kg) were sorted into breed-type groups and within groups ranked by BW, and then, they were randomly divided into 3 dietary supplement treatment groups: CON (n = 13; 40 mg/kg Zn; ≈1 × NASEM recommendations), Zn500 (n = 21; 500 mg/kg Zn; …

Effects Of Harvest Season On Carcass Characteristics Of Lambs In The Intermountain West, J. R. Whaley, T. W. Murphy, C. L. Gifford, W. J. Means, J. P. Ritten, H. N. Mckibben, C. M. Page, W. C. Stewart

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Objective: The objectives of this study were to survey characteristics including hot carcass weight (HCW), 12th rib fat thickness (RFT), body-wall thickness (BWT), longissimus muscle area (LMA), USDA yield grade (USDA YG), percentage closely trimmed retail cuts (RC), and calculated yield grade (Calc YG) of lamb carcasses in the Intermountain West to determine the effects of season of slaughter and interrelationships among carcass characteristics.

Materials and Methods: Lamb carcass characteristics were evaluated in 2 commercial Intermountain West processing plants over one year (n = 10,027). Carcasses were evaluated by season: spring (December–April, n = 2,322) and summer (May–August, n …

Aging Precision Using Sectioned Pectoral Fin Rays From Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix, Timothy Spier, Jessica Morris, Josh Tompkins

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Many structures are used to age Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, but no consensus had been obtained concerning which structure is best. Previous studies have used sections from the pectoral spine, but some of those studies have used transmitted light to illuminate the annuli of the sectioned pectoral spine. We used reflected light to enhance the contrast of annuli in sectioned pectoral spines and compared the aging precision obtained from this method among 6 readers who varied in their aging experience. Overall precision as measure by the mean coefficient of variation (CV) was 5.23 ± 0.76SE, which compares well with …

Addressing Stigma And False Beliefs About Mental Health: A New Direction For Mental Health Parity Advocacy, Claire Sontheimer, Michael R. Ulrich

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Lactobacillus Spp Isolates From Human Urinary Bladder, Tatyana Sysoeva

Summer Community of Scholars (RCEU and HCR) Project Proposals

No abstract provided.