SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and detection in wild, captive, and domesticated animals in Nebraska: 2021-2023.

Widespread surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 was conducted across wildlife, captive animals in zoological collections, and domestic cats in Nebraska from 2021 to 2023. The goal of this effort was to determine the prevalence, phylogenetic and spatial distribution characteristics of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants using various diagnostic methodologies that can utilize both antemortem and postmortem samples, which may be required for wildlife such as white-tailed deer. Statewide surveillance testing revealed high variation in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence among species, with white-tailed deer identified as the primary reservoir.

Dietary inclusion of high Amylose cornstarch increased Lactobacillus and Terrisporobacter and decreased Streptococcus in the cecal digesta of weanling pigs.

The study investigated the effect of dietary inclusion of high amylose cornstarch (HA-starch) on cecal microbiota composition and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in weanling pigs fed high levels of cold-pressed canola cake (CPCC). Weaned pigs (240 mixed sex; 7.1 ± 1.

Similar Conditions With Opposite Effects: Predation-Risk Effects on Prey Abundance Are Highly Contingent.

Experiments have shown that predation-risk effects on prey fitness can be highly contingent on environmental conditions, suggesting a potential difficulty in generalizing risk effects on prey abundance in natural settings. Rather than study the influence of a particular controlled factor, we examine the problem with a novel approach. We examined the influence of risk effects in multiple experiments performed under similar study conditions.

Advances in our understanding of the estrous cycle and applications for improving targeted reproductive management in livestock.

The scientific discipline of endocrinology has been invaluable to our understanding of the estrous cycle. In the second half of the twentieth century the development of immunoassay technologies provided a rapid and sensitive method to quantify circulating concentrations of reproductive hormones and relate them to stage of the estrous cycle and physiological status of the animal. Ovarian ultrasonography provided the ability to track the growth and regression of ovarian structures within the same animal across the estrous cycle in real time and, in combination with hormonal profiling, accurately identify mechanisms regulating the estrous cycle and early pregnancy.

colonization is not mediated by bile salts and utilizes Stickland fermentation of proline in an model.

Treatment with antibiotics is a major risk factor for infection, likely due to depletion of the gastrointestinal microbiota. Two microbiota-mediated mechanisms thought to limit colonization include the conversion of conjugated primary bile salts into secondary bile salts toxic to growth and competition between the microbiota and for limiting nutrients. Using a continuous flow model that simulates the nutrient conditions of the distal colon, we investigated how treatment with 6 clinically used antibiotics influenced susceptibility to infection in 12 different microbial communities cultivated from healthy individuals.

Building a near-infrared (NIR) soil spectral dataset and predictive machine learning models using a handheld NIR spectrophotometer.

This near-infrared spectral dataset consists of 2,106 diverse mineral soil samples scanned, on average, on six different units of the same low-cost commercially available handheld spectrophotometer. Most soil samples were selected from the USDA NRCS National Soil Survey Center-Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (NSSC-KSSL) soil archives to represent the diversity of mineral soils (0-30 cm) found in the United States, while 90 samples were selected from Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria to represent available African soils in the same archive. All scanning was performed on dried and sieved (<2 mm) soil samples.

Comparing simulated aerial and chemigation insecticide applications to manage western bean cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in corn.

The efficacy of aerial application and chemigation of insecticides is not well explored for western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith), management in corn. In the short term, inadequate application of insecticides can lead to control failures when insect pests are not effectively targeted. In the longer term, exposure to sublethal insecticide concentrations can contribute to the evolution of insecticide resistance.

Unveiling shared genetic regulators of plant architectural and biomass yield traits in sorghum.

Sorghum is emerging as an ideal genetic model for designing high-biomass bioenergy crops. Biomass yield, a complex trait influenced by various plant architectural characteristics, is typically regulated by numerous genes. This study aimed to dissect the genetic regulators underlying fourteen plant architectural traits and ten biomass yield traits in the Sorghum Association Panel across two growing seasons.

Beyond Trial Counts: Considerations for Measuring Play and Engagement During Early Intervention for Autistic Children.

Play is critical to child development. In early childhood, object play evolves from exploratory behavior to complex symbolic play. Engagement during play, particularly joint engagement, is essential for learning and social interaction.

Development and use of DJ-1 affinity microcolumns to screen and study small drug candidates for Parkinson's disease.

Background: DJ-1 is a protein whose mutation causes rare heritable forms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and is of interest as a target for treating PD and other disorders. This work used high performance affinity microcolumns to screen and examine the binding of small molecules to DJ-1, as could be used to develop new therapeutics or to study the role of DJ-1 in PD. Non-covalent entrapment was used to place microgram quantities of DJ-1 in an unmodified form within microcolumns, which were then used in multiple studies to analyze binding by model compounds and possible drug candidates to DJ-1.

Woody plant reinvasion shortens the lifespan of grassland restoration treatments.

An important question in restoration ecology is whether restored ecological regimes are more vulnerable to transitions back to a degraded state. In woody-invaded grasslands, high-intensity fire can collapse woody plant communities and induce a shift back to a grass-dominated regime. Yet, legacies from woody-dominated regimes often persist and it remains unclear whether restored regimes are at heightened vulnerability to reinvasion.

Exploring the physiological, biochemical, and enzymatic responses of Vigna mungo varieties to Mungbean Yellow Mosaic India Virus (MYMIV) infection.

This study aims to enhance sustainable disease management in black gram by identifying varieties resistant to Mungbean Yellow Mosaic India Virus (MYMIV). We screened sixteen black gram genotypes, assessing physiological, biochemical and enzymatic basis. Results revealed a range of resistance levels, with PANT URD-19 showing the highest resistance (PDI 0.

Mechanical Stretch Control of Adipocyte AKT Signaling and the Role of FAK and ROCK Mechanosensors.

Adipose tissue in vivo is physiologically exposed to compound mechanical loading due to bodyweight bearing, posture, and motion. The capability of adipocytes to sense and respond to mechanical loading milieus to influence metabolic functions may provide a new insight into obesity and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here, we evidenced physiological mechanical loading control of adipocyte insulin signaling cascades.

Social-Emotional Competence for Children with Identified Developmental Concerns: The Impact of Parenting and Executive Function.

Social-emotional competence and executive function at preschool are critical for children's school readiness. Unfortunately, young children with the dual risk of low-income status and identified developmental concerns are more likely to have lower social-emotional learning. This study examines (a) bidirectional associations between dyadic parenting behaviors, executive function, and social-emotional competence; and (b) executive function as an explanatory mechanism for the predictive relationship between specific parenting behaviors and children's social-emotional competence.

Evaluation of Potential Developmental Precursors to Executive Function in Young Children with Motor Delays: Exploratory Study.

This study aimed to explore whether early developmental abilities are related to future executive function (EF) in children with motor delays. Fourteen children with motor delays ( = 10.76, = 2.

Shining a Light on Spectrophotometry in Bacteriology.

Spectrophotometry is widely used in biological sciences. In bacteriology, spectrophotometric monitoring of cell numbers during cultivation provides a rapid assessment of growth. Unfortunately, familiarity with this technique has led scientists to become complacent in its usage.

The Rodent Electronic Nicotine Delivery System: Description and Validation of an Apparatus for Nose-Only E-Cigarette Aerosol Inhalation in Freely Moving Rats.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of death globally and in the U.S. After decades of decline, driven by decreases in combusted tobacco use, nicotine product use has increased due to Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), also known as e-cigarettes or vapes.

Divergence of gut bacteria through the selection of genomic variants implicated in the metabolism of sugars, amino acids, and purines by small extracellular vesicles in milk.

Here, we report that small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in milk mediate the communication between bacteria and animal kingdoms, increase the divergence of bacteria in the intestine, and alter metabolite production by bacteria. We show that bovine milk sEVs select approximately 55,000 genomic variants in 19 species of bacteria from the murine cecum . The genomic variants are transcribed into mRNA.

miRNA-1 regulation is necessary for mechanical overload-induced muscle hypertrophy in male mice.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that play a critical role in regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. They are involved in various developmental and physiological processes, and their dysregulation is linked to various diseases. Skeletal muscle-specific miRNAs, including miR-1, play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of skeletal muscle.

Heat Tolerance Assays Using the Drosophila Activity Monitor System: A Guide to an Executable Application for Data Analysis.

The study of heat tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster has been of particular interest to researchers for decades, with a common approach to assessing heat tolerance being to monitor the time to knockdown (TKD) after exposure to an elevated temperature. Classically, flies are housed in individual vials and placed inside a heated water bath. TKD is then monitored manually by researchers.

Student comprehension of biochemistry in a flipped classroom format.

Unlabelled: Concept-heavy courses such as Biochemistry in life and physical science curricula are challenging for many college-aged students. It is easy for students to disengage in a lecture and not learn the subject matter while in class. To improve student learning participation, we employed a flipped format for the first half of the course and compared learning outcomes and attitudes with the traditional lecture in the second half of the course.

A national survey of the gastrointestinal nematode control practices used by goat producers in the United States.

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites are a major constraint to goat production. GIN parasite control has relied primarily on the use of anthelmintic drugs. A major issue in goat operations globally, including in the United States (U.

Exploring chilling stress and recovery dynamics in C4 perennial grass of Miscanthus sinensis.

The increasing cultivation of perennial C4 grass known as Miscanthus spp. for biomass production holds promise as a sustainable source of renewable energy. Unlike the sterile triploid hybrid of M.

Benchmarking performance in Targhee sheep in development of a genetic reference flock.

The Targhee breed is important to range sheep production in the Western United States. The objective of this research was to integrate industry sires participating in national genetic evaluation through the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP) into the U.S.

A thermodynamic bottleneck in the TCA cycle contributes to acetate overflow in .

During aerobic growth, relies on acetate overflow metabolism, a process where glucose is incompletely oxidized to acetate, for its bioenergetic needs. Acetate is not immediately captured as a carbon source and is excreted as waste by cells. The underlying factors governing acetate overflow in have not been identified.