The Effects of Water Fountain Filter Status on Microbial Diversity

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have become exceedingly health-conscious. When in public, water fountains such as the Elkay ezH2O have allowed accessibility to filtered water that supposedly minimizes harmful pathogens as well as chemicals. The objective of this experiment was to determine whether the color of the filter status on Elkay ezH2O water fountains makes a difference in microbial diversity in drinking water on campus. After collecting water samples from one green filter status (healthy) and four red filter status (needs replacement) fountains across Carroll College campus, the microbial DNA of each sample was extracted and amplified. Additionally, wastewater was used as a control to compare to the water fountain samples. The microbiome of each fountain and the control was analyzed using Nanopore sequencing, which provided an in depth analysis of the community composition present in the water samples. Based on the results of the microbiome, a comparison between the red and green status water fountains was performed to determine the necessity and effectiveness of new filters on the water fountains around Carroll College

PrP genotypes of captive and free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk (\u3ci\u3eCervus elaphus nelsoni\u3c/i\u3e) with chronic wasting disease

The PrP gene encodes the putative causative agent of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), a heterogeneous group of fatal, neurodegenerative disorders including human Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, ovine scrapie and chronic wasting disease (CWD) of North American deer and elk. Polymorphisms in the PrP gene are associated with variations in relative susceptibility, pathological lesion patterns, incubation times and clinical course of TSEs of humans, mice and sheep. Sequence analysis of the PrP gene from Rocky Mountain elk showed only one amino acid change (Met to Leu at cervid codon 132). Homozygosity for Met at the corresponding polymorphic site (Met to Val) in humans (human codon 129) predisposes exposed individuals to some forms of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. In this study, Rocky Mountain elk homozygous for PrP codon 132 Met were over-represented in both free-ranging and farm-raised CWD-affected elk when compared to unaffected control groups

Nitrogen cycling and budget in crop rotations as influenced by preceding crops and N fertilization

Non-Peer Reviewe

Delineating soil management zones using a proximal soil sensing system in two commercial potato fields in New Brunswick, Canada.

Le rendement de la pomme de terre (Solanum tuberosum L.) dans l’est du Canada stagne et entraîne une réduction de la compétitivité des producteur sur le marché mondial. Par conséquent, il est nécessaire d’étudier le potentiel de l’utilisation des technologies de l’agriculture de précision en vue d’accroître le rendement. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’évaluer l’efficacité d’un capteur proximal mesurant la conductivité électrique apparente du sol (CEₐ) afin d’établir des zones d’aménagement (ZA) dans deux champs commerciaux de pommes de terre au Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada. Les ZA ont été créés en utilisant l’algorithme de classification floue à k-moyennes sans contrainte spatiale. Des échantillons de sol géoréférencés, acquis à une profondeur de 0 à 15 cm, ont été analysés pour déterminer les propriétés physicochimiques. Le rendement en tubercules a été mesuré à l’aide d’un capteur de rendement. Les deux ZA créés avec les données de CEₐ du sol présentaient des propriétés physicochimiques significativement différentes dans les deux champs; cependant, le rendement en tubercules diffère significatives entre les deux ZA seulement dans le champ 1. L’écart de rendement (7,1 Mg ha⁻¹) observé dans le champ 1 résultait d’une variation de la teneur en eau du sol (23,5 vs 28,5 %), elle-même attribuable à une variation de la teneur en argile (141 vs 189 g kg⁻¹). Le rendement qui n’était pas significativement différent entre les ZA du champ 2 pourrait être attribuable à une plus faible variabilité spatiale. Le capteur de CEₐ du sol semble prometteur pour les producteurs commerciaux de pommes de terre du Nouveau-Brunswick, surtout dans les champs présentant une grande variabilité spatiale.AbstractStagnating potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yields in eastern Canada have resulted in loss of competitive advantage in global potato markets. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the potential to increase yield by adopting precision agriculture technology. This study evaluated the efficiency of an apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECₐ) sensor to delineate management zones (MZs) in two commercial potato fields in New Brunswick, Canada, using an unsupervised fuzzy k-means clustering algorithm. Georeferenced soil samples from 0 to 15 cm depth were analyzed for physicochemical properties. Tuber yields were recorded using a yield monitor. The two MZs delineated using soil ECₐ differed significantly in soil physicochemical properties for both fields; however, tuber yield differed significantly between MZs only in Field 1. The yield difference (7.1 Mg ha ⁻¹) in Field 1 was attributed to a difference in soil moisture (23.5% vs 28.5%) resulting from a difference in clay content (141 vs 189 g kg ⁻¹). The lack of a yield difference between MZs in Field 2 may reflect relatively low within-field spatial variability. The soil ECₐ sensor showed promise for use in commercial potato production in New Brunswick, especially in fields with high spatial variability.</p

Greenhouse gas (N2O and CH4) fluxes under nitrogen-fertilised dryland wheat and barley on subtropical Vertosols: risk, rainfall and alternatives

The northern Australian grains industry relies on nitrogen (N) fertiliser to optimise yield and protein, but N fertiliser can increase soil fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). We measured soil N2O and CH4 fluxes associated with wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) using automated (Expts 1, 3) and manual chambers (Expts 2, 4, 5). Experiments were conducted on subtropical Vertosol soils fertilised with N rates of 0-160kgNha-1. In Expt 1 (2010), intense rainfall for a month before and after sowing elevated N2O emissions from N-fertilised (80kgNha-1) wheat, with 417gN2O-Nha-1 emitted compared with 80g N2O-Nha-1 for non-fertilised wheat. Once crop N uptake reduced soil mineral N, there was no further treatment difference in N2O. Expt 2 (2010) showed similar results, however, the reduced sampling frequency using manual chambers gave a lower cumulative N2O. By contrast, very low rainfall before and for several months after sowing Expt 3 (2011) resulted in no difference in N2O emissions between N-fertilised and non-fertilised barley. N2O emission factors were 0.42, 0.20 and -0.02 for Expts 1, 2 and 3, respectively. In Expts 4 and 5 (2011), N2O emissions increased with increasing rate of N fertiliser. Emissions were reduced by 45% when the N fertiliser was applied in a 50:50 split between sowing and mid-tillering, or by 70% when urea was applied with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole-phosphate. Methane fluxes were typically small and mostly negative in all experiments, especially in dry soils. Cumulative CH4 uptake ranged from 242 to 435g CH4-Cha-1year-1, with no effect of N fertiliser treatment. Considered in terms of CO2 equivalents, soil CH4 uptake offset 8-56% of soil N2O emissions, with larger offsets occurring in non-N-fertilised soils. The first few months from N fertiliser application to the period of rapid crop N uptake pose the main risk for N2O losses from rainfed cereal cropping on subtropical Vertosols, but the realisation of this risk is dependent on rainfall. Strategies that reduce the soil mineral N pool during this time can reduce the risk of N2O loss