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To meet the projected food requirements of the growing population, the world needs to significantly increase its output of meats by 2050 (4). Currently, fertilization rates for first service AI [...]

Participation in risky lifestyles is a well-established predictor of victimization. Several variables have been identified as key predictors of risky activities (e.g., low self-control) but there may be additional sources not considered in the literature to date. We argue that perceptions of procedural unfairness represent a break in social control, thereby opening the door for participation in risky lifestyles that are conducive to victimization. Using three waves of data from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, we demonstrated that police procedural injustice was positively associated with risky lifestyles, which partially mediated the relationship between procedural injustice and violent victimization. This study advances the literature by demonstrating that our understanding of victimization is enhanced by including procedural injustice into its explanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security of the northern leopard frog ( Rana pipiens) varies spatially with populations east and west of North Dakota considered as secure and at risk, respectively. We used genetic markers to characterize the conservation status of northern leopard frog populations across North Dakota. We used multiple regression analyses and model selection to evaluate correlations of expected heterozygosity ( H ) with the direct and additive effects of: i) geographic location, ii) wetland density and iii) average annual precipitation. There was lower genetic diversity in the western portion of the state due to lower levels of diversity for populations southwest of the Missouri River. This may reflect a refugial/colonization signature for the only non-glaciated area of North Dakota. Genetic diversity was also positively associated with wetland densities which is consistent with the reliance of this species on a mosaic of wetlands. Our findings suggest that populations in the southwestern part of North Dakota are of higher conservation concern, a finding consistent with the higher risk noted for northern leopard frog populations in most states west of North Dakota. Our findings also pose the hypothesis that climate change induced changes in wetland densities will reduce genetic diversity of northern leopard frog populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides the use of coal FA for construction purposes, soil amendments are the most extensively studied reutilization option (1). Several studies have shown the usefulness of FA as a soil [...]

A vegetative cover is a remedial technique utilized on coal FA landfills for soil stabilization and for the physical and chemical immobilization of contaminants (1, 2, 3, 4). Many herbaceous [...]

Existing literature demonstrates a clear connection between perceptions of procedural injustice and offending behaviors. Despite this connection, the mechanisms through which procedural injustice influences offending remain theoretically underdeveloped. To address this gap, the current study proposes that techniques of neutralization can be used to further develop our understanding of the connection between procedural injustice and criminal behavior. Using longitudinal data from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, the links between procedural injustice, techniques of neutralization, and offending are explored. Results show that the effect of procedural injustice on offending is partially mediated by individuals’ neutralization attitudes. This finding expands the scope of procedural justice theory by demonstrating that procedural injustice is associated with attitudes conducive to criminal behavior rather than only the behavior itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategicsupply chain optimization (SCO) problems are often modeledas two-stage optimization problems, in which the first-stage variablesrepresent decisions on the development of the supply chain and thesecond-stage variables represent decisions on the operations of thesupply chain. When uncertainty is explicitly considered, the problembecomes an intractable infinite-dimensional optimization problem,which is usually solved approximately using a scenario or a robustapproach. This article proposes a novel synergy of the scenario androbust approaches for strategic SCO under uncertainty. Two formulationsare developed, namely, naïve robust scenario formulation andaffinely adjustable robust scenario formulation. It is shown thatboth formulations can be reformulated into tractable deterministicoptimization problems if the uncertainty is bounded by the infinitynorm and the uncertain equality constraints can be reformulated intodeterministic constraints without any assumption about the uncertaintyregion. Case studies of a classical farm planning problem and an energyand bioproduct SCO problem demonstrate the advantages of the proposedformulations over the classical scenario formulation. The proposedformulations not only can generate solutions with guaranteed feasibilityor indicate infeasibility of a problem, but also can achieve optimalexpected economic performance with smaller numbers of scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A causative agent of human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. The malaria parasite is under intensive attack from the mosquito's innate immune system during its sporogonic development. We have used genetic engineering to create immune-enhanced Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes through blood meal-inducible expression of a transgene encoding the IMD pathway-controlled NF-kB Rel2 transcription factor in the midgut and fat-body tissue. Transgenic mosquitoes showed greater resistance to Plasmodium and microbial infection as a result of timely concerted tissue-specific immune attacks involving multiple effectors. The relatively weak impact of this genetic modification on mosquito fitness under laboratory conditions encourages further investigation of this approach for malaria control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein supplementation to replacement heifers is utilized to reach targeted body weights, which may affect the animal's gut and reproductive microbiomes and potentially impact breeding outcomes. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of protein supplementation on the ruminal and uterine bacterial communities of developing heifers. Thirty-nine pre-pubertal commercial Angus heifers were blocked by body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to one of three supplementation groups: 10% crude protein (CP), 20% CP, or 40% CP. Supplements were provided four times weekly for 140d. Blood and BW were taken every 14d to monitor development. Every 56d, uterine flushes and rumen content were collected for bacterial identification. Uterine flushes were collected via 20 mL sterile saline flushed through a Foley catheter, and rumen content by esophageal tubing. Bacterial DNA was extracted and amplified targeting the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Microbiome analyses were performed in R 4.1 with dada2 and phyloseq packages. Statistical analyses were performed in R and SAS 9.4. The GLIMMIX procedure was used including fixed effects of protein, month, and pubertal status. Random effects included BW, interaction of BW and protein, and heifer within the interaction, with repeated measures of month. Alpha diversity differed by month in the rumen, and by month and pubertal status in the uterus (P < 0.05). Bray Curtis analyses indicated clustering by month and pubertal status (P < 0.001) in the uterus, and by month in the rumen (P < 0.001). Multiple uterine and ruminal bacteria abundances differed over time and by protein supplementation and pubertal status (P < 0.05). The impact of pubertal status and month of development may indicate maturation of the uterine bacterial communities through development. Protein supplementation affecting the uterine bacterial communities may provide opportunity to manipulate the uterine microbiome, potentially affecting future reproductive success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The embryo must create an immunotolerant uterine environment via cytokine signaling to prevent rejection and facilitate embryo attachment. Cytokines have a variety of roles in both reproductive and pregnancy-related processes. Cytokines and chemokines are important in inflammatory pathways for uterine remodeling and recruitment of immune cells during pregnancy. Interferon-γ (INFγ) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNFα) influence T-helper cell immune responses, which can assist in early pregnancy establishment. Therefore, we hypothesized that INFγ and TNFα concentrations following breeding will be differentially expressed based on mating type, time, and pregnancy outcome. To test this, we completed two experiments in which INFγ and TNFα were quantified in vaginal fluid samples on d 0, d 7, d 14, d 21, d 28, and d 35 following mating. In experiment one, Angus heifers (n = 9) were used to determine cytokine concentrations in the vaginal environment between d 0 to d 35, and between artificial insemination (AI) and natural mating. In experiment 2, lactating dairy cows (n = 88) were used to determine if cytokines could be used as a potential biomarker for successful pregnancy. All vaginal flush samples were collected via Foley catheter in 20 mL of sterile saline. Statistical analysis was completed in SAS 9.4 to determine differences in cytokine concentrations based on day of gestation, mating type, and pregnancy outcome. In experiment 1, vaginal concentrations of TNFα were least (P = 0.05) in AI-bred heifers on d 35 (1.15 ± 2.97 pg/mL) and intermediate in non-pregnant heifers (4.39 ± 2.97 pg/mL) compared with natural service-bred heifers on d 7 (18.09 ± 2.97 pg/mL). INFγ was increased (P = 0.05) on d 7 following natural service (3.86 ± 0.76 pg/mL) compared with AI (0.86 ± 0.76 pg/mL). TNFα was increased (P = 0.02) on d 7 following natural service (18.09 ± 2.89 pg/ mL) compared with AI (1.93 ± 2.89 pg/mL) and was increased (P = 0.02) by d 7 after a natural mating compared with a pregnancy resulting from AI mating. In experiment two, concentrations of IFNγ were greater (P = 0.04) on d 7 (1.36 ± 0.57 pg/mL) compared with d 8 (0.24 ± 0.57 pg/mL) of gestation. There was also a tendency for TNFα concentrations to decrease (P = 0.09) from d 7 (60.06 ± 26.94 pg/mL) to d 8 (19.67 ± 26.94 pg/mL) of gestation. In conclusion, concentrations of INFγ and TNFα may not be indicative of a viable embryo or pregnancy outcome but do differ based on day of gestation and mating type, which may aid in understanding the role these cytokines play during early gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the anticipated population growth by 2050, the demand for high-quality protein for human consumption is set to rise. To enhance the sustainability of U.S. cattle production, producers and researchers have traditionally concentrated on improving the feed efficiency of steers through advancements in genetics, nutrition, and microbiome tools, resulting in a more marketable beef product. However, without successful pregnancies, there would be no marketable animals to feed. Despite extensive research on hormonal impacts on cattle physiology, including nutrition and reproduction, there is limited knowledge about how the rumen microbial environment is impacted by pregnancy and feed efficiency in female beef cattle. Understanding the rumen microbiome's role in feed efficiency and its response to hormonal changes during pregnancy is crucial for advancing sustainable beef cattle production. Therefore, this review highlights the importance of understanding the microbial dynamics in the rumen of pregnant beef females. Although progress has been made, gaps remain in understanding how varying nutritional requirements throughout pregnancy affect the rumen microbiome, highlighting the need for continued research. Addressing these areas will lead to more efficient and sustainable cattle production practices, benefiting beef production and contributing to global food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heifer development is the foundation of performance in breeding herds. Growth rate during development may alter uterine immune responses impacting reproductive efficiency and, thus, productivity of that animal. Angus-cross heifers (n = 48) were blocked by BW [4 blocks; weight class (WC)], placed in pens (4 heifers per pen), and pens (n = 12) were randomly assigned treatments (4 pens per treatment): 1) control; targeted 0.68 kg/day, 2) high; targeted 1.25 kg/day, and 3) low; targeted 0.11 kg/day. A randomized complete block design with pen as the experimental unit utilized mixed model ANOVAs to determine if treatment influenced BW, BCS, and uterine cytokines. Beginning at the start of treatment (d 0) BW and BCS were taken every 2 weeks. Uterine flushes were performed at d 0 and d 57. Cytokine concentrations above the detectable limit were categorized into a quartiles (1=0-25%; 2=25-50%; 3=50-75%; 4=75-100%). Samples that were below the detection limit were assigned a category value of 0. At the end of the study high treatment pens had greater BW compared to control and low pens (P = 0.01). Concentrations of MCP-1, TNFa, IL-17A, IL-8, and VEGF-A decreased from d 0 to d 57 (P < 0.05). Pens on the high treatment tended to have IL-17A concentrations in the upper quartiles compared to control and low (P = 0.06). Pens in WC 1 and 2 tended to be in the lower quartile score for VEGF-A compared with WC 4 (P = 0.07) and WC 3 was intermediate. In conclusion, these data show that growth rate and size during heifer development may impact cytokine profiles in the uterine environment of nulliparous heifers. This may impact the ability to conceive early in the first breeding season, thus potentially altering long-term reproductive efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hydrogeologic setting and climate greatly influence wetland hydrology and community composition. • Aquatic-invertebrate communities shift in response to climate-driven changes in open-water area. • Biotic interactions had minimal effect on aquatic-macroinvertebrate community composition. • Climate change will likely lead to significant shifts in the communities of depressional wetlands. Interactions between climate and hydrogeologic settings contribute to the hydrologic and chemical variability among depressional wetlands, which influences their aquatic communities. These interactions and resulting variability have led to inconsistent results in terms of identifying reliable predictors of aquatic-macroinvertebrate community composition for depressional wetlands. This is especially true in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America where, in addition to pronounced climate variability, studies are often confounded by fish introductions. We used environmental monitoring data collected over a 24-year period from a complex of sixteen depressional wetlands and structural equation modeling techniques that incorporated theoretical and empirical relationships outlined in the Wetland Continuum to identify key environmental (climate and hydrogeologic setting) and biotic (competition and predation) drivers of aquatic-macroinvertebrate community composition for prairie-pothole wetlands. Uplands in the study area were primarily native prairie, thus, embedded wetlands were impacted minimally by agricultural influences. Additionally, study wetlands were predominately fishless. In the absence of the overwhelming influence of fishes, major drivers influencing aquatic-macroinvertebrate communities were revealed through the use of data spanning multidecadal-long climate cycles. We found variables related to the placement of wetlands along axes of the Wetland Continuum, e.g., hydrogeologic setting (relative wetland elevation) and hydroclimatic setting (proportion of wetland ponded), to be influential drivers of within-wetland habitat characteristics, such as the proportion of open-water area, which in turn was the strongest predictor of macroinvertebrate community composition. In contrast, predatory invertebrate and salamander abundance and non-predatory invertebrate biomass (i.e., predation and competition) were found to have minimal influence on community composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaria parasites have a complex life cycle that includes specialized stages for transmission between their mosquito and human hosts. These stages are an understudied part of the lifecycle yet targeting them is an essential component of the effort to shrink the malaria map. The human parasite Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the majority of deaths due to malaria. Our goal was to generate transgenic P. falciparum lines that could complete the lifecycle and produce fluorescent transmission stages for more in-depth and high-throughput studies. Using zinc-finger nuclease technology to engineer an integration site, we generated three transgenic P. falciparum lines in which tdtomato or gfp were stably integrated into the genome. Expression was driven by either stage-specific peg4 and csp promoters or the constitutive ef1a promoter. Phenotypic characterization of these lines demonstrates that they complete the life cycle with high infection rates and give rise to fluorescent mosquito stages. The transmission stages are sufficiently bright for intra-vital imaging, flow cytometry and scalable screening of chemical inhibitors and inhibitory antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Transposon Mutagenesis Identifies Genes Essential for Plasmodium Falciparum Gametocytogenesis" by Hiromi Ikadai, Kathryn Shaw Saliba, Stefan M. Kanzok, Kyle J. McLean, Takeshi Q. Tanaka, Jun Cao, Kim C. Williamson, and Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena is presented.

Estimating organisms' responses to environmental variables and taxon associations across broad spatial scales is vital for predicting their responses to climate change. Macroinvertebrates play a major role in wetland processes, but studies simultaneously exploring both community structure and community trait responses to environmental gradients are still lacking. We compiled a global dataset (six continents) from 756 depressional wetlands, including the occurrence of 96 macroinvertebrate families, their phylogenetic tree, and 19 biological traits. Using Bayesian hierarchical joint species distribution models (JSDMs), we estimated macroinvertebrate associations and compared the influences of local and climatic predictors on both individual macroinvertebrate families and their traits. While macroinvertebrate families were mainly related to broad‐scale factors (maximum temperature and precipitation seasonality), macroinvertebrate traits were strongly related to local wetland hydroperiod. Interestingly, macroinvertebrate families and traits both showed positive and negative associations to the same environmental variables. As expected, many macroinvertebrate family occurrences were positively associated with temperature, but a few showed the opposite pattern and were found in cooler or montane regions. We also found that wetland macroinvertebrate communities would likely be affected by changing climates through alterations in traits related to precipitation seasonality, temperature seasonality, and wetland area. Temperature increases may negatively affect collector and shredder functional groups. A decrease in precipitation could lead to reductions in wetland area benefiting drought‐tolerant macroinvertebrates, but it may negatively affect macroinvertebrates lacking those adaptations. Wetland processes may be compromised through broad‐scale environmental changes altering macroinvertebrate family distributions and local hydroperiod shifts altering organism traits. Our complementary family‐based and trait‐based approaches elucidate the complex effects that climate change may produce on wetland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood chemistry may provide indicators to greater feed efficient cattle. As a side objective to previous research, 17 Angus heifers approximately two years old underwent a feed efficiency trial to determine residual feed intake (RFI) and identify variation in blood chemistry in beef cattle divergent in feed efficiency. Heifers were categorized as high- or low-RFI based ± 0.25 standard deviations around mean RFI. Blood samples were analyzed using an i-STAT handheld blood analyzer to measure sodium, potassium, glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, hematocrit, and hemoglobin. BUN was greater in high-RFI heifers (µ = 8.7 mg/dL) contrasted to low-RFI heifers (µ = 6.5 mg/dL; P = 0.01), whereas glucose was greater in low-RFI heifers (µ = 78.1 mg/dL) contrasted to high-RFI heifers (µ = 82.0 mg/dL; P = 0.05). No other blood chemistry parameters differed by RFI. The greater abundance of BUN in high-RFI heifers may indicate inefficient utilization of protein or mobilization of tissue protein for non-protein use. Greater blood glucose concentrations in low-RFI heifers may indicate greater utilization of energy precursors, such as volatile fatty acids, or metabolites. These data suggest there are readily measurable indicators of physiological variation in nutrient utilization; however, this warrants additional studies to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Replacement heifer development is a critical component in beef production. The identification of the ideal uterine environment will greatly benefit reproductive efficiency. Additionally, the elucidation of how diet can influence this environment could alter management strategies. Therefore, our hypothesis was that different levels of protein supplementation would affect the uterine environment of beef heifers without inhibiting development or the ability to conceive. Supplemental protein did not greatly affect the uterine environment as it pertained to amino acid concentrations. However, uterine amino acid concentrations did change throughout development, and protein supplementation can influence uterine luminal fluid composition on d 14 post-insemination, which may affect conception rates. Replacement heifer development is one of the most critical components in beef production. The composition of the ideal uterine environment could maximize fertility and reproductive efficiency. Our hypothesis was that protein supplementation would affect the uterine environment of beef heifers without inhibiting development or reproduction. To test the effects of dietary supplementation on these outcomes, a randomized complete block design with repeated measures was implemented. Angus heifers (n = 60) were blocked by body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to one of three supplemental protein treatment groups (10% (CON), 20% (P20), and 40% (P40)). Mixed model ANOVAs were used to determine whether protein supplementation treatments, time, and the interaction or protein supplementation, semen exposure, and the interaction influenced uterine luminal fluid (ULF) and pregnancy outcomes. Amino acids (AAs) were impacted (p < 0.001), specifically, the essential AAs: Arg, Iso, Leu, Val, His, Lys, Met, Phe, Trp. Protein supplementation influenced multiple AAs post-insemination: Arg (p = 0.03), CC (p = 0.05), 1-MH (p = 0.001), and Orn (p = 0.03). In conclusion, protein supplementation did not affect the reproductive development via puberty attainment or the timing of conception even with alterations in growth. However, uterine AA concentrations did change throughout development and protein supplementation influenced ULF d 14 post-insemination, which may affect the conception rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk production has doubled from 1970 to 2009 but has been associated with a decline in fertility. Around 25% of failed pregnancies in dairy cattle are due to embryonic loss. Mineral bioavailability may affect embryonic retention, so we hypothesized that Zn, Cu, and Mn sources will influence systemic immunological status, which affects early embryonic retention. Holstein cows (n = 58) were randomly assigned to one of two daily oral drench trace mineral (Zn, Cu, and Mn) treatments 30 d before breeding (d -30): 1) Inorganic (ITM) or 2) Metal Methionine Hydroxy Analog Chelate (MMHAC). Before treatments began, cows were assigned to a semen type, beef vs. Holstein, equally, across treatments. All cows underwent a double Ovsynch protocol and were artificially inseminated on d 0. Humoral immunological status was assessed in serum samples taken on d 0 and d 7. Immune activity was quantified via a D2Dx systemic immunity score, which assesses samples for the presence of IgG, IgM, cytokines, and complement proteins. Ultrasonography was utilized for pregnancy confirmation on d 35, classifying cows as pregnant (P) or open. Progesterone analysis from d 21 plasma was used to categorize open cows as either non-pregnant (NP) or early embryonic loss (EEL). Statistical analyses in R Studio were completed, in two models based on pregnancy (P vs EEL and NP vs EEL), to determine the effects of mineral treatment, pregnancy status, semen type, and all interactions on humoral immune status. In the P vs EEL model, there were no effects (P > 0.30) of semen type, mineral treatment, pregnancy status, or any interactions on systemic immunity score on the day of breeding (d 0) or d 7. On d 0, cows provided MMHAC had a systemic immunity score of 0.073 ± 0.008 but were not different (P > 0.34) from ITM cows (0.063 ± 0.006). This trend continued on d 7 with systemic immunity scores of MMHAC cows not differing (P > 0.32) from ITM cows (0.055 ± 0.004 and 0.061 ± 0.003; respectively). There was a tendency (P = 0.10) for the three-way interaction of semen type x pregnancy x treatment to influence the immunity score change from d 0 to d 7. Pregnant cows on ITM treatment bred with beef semen had a positive change in immunity score (0.020 ± 0.0085). Whereas ITM cows bred with Holstein semen that underwent EEL had a negative change (-0.015 ± 0.0085); all other means were intermediate. In the NP vs EEL model, there were no effects (P > 0.14) of semen type, treatment, pregnancy status, or any interactions on systemic immunity score on d 0, d 7, or the change between d 0 and d 7. In summary, trace mineral bioavailability tended to affect systemic immunological status in P vs EEL cows but not in NP vs EEL cows, which may allow for the elucidation of immunological status differences during pregnancy establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]