Iowa State University Research Articles

Interleukin-13 and interleukin-33 mRNA are underexpressed in the duodenal mucosa of German Shepherd dogs with chronic enteropathy.

BackgroundA recent genome‐wide association study in German Shepherd dogs (GSDs) with chronic enteropathy (CE) has identified polymorphisms in the Th2 cytokine genes.Hypothesis/objectiveTo determine if the expression of the Th2 cytokines, interleukin‐13 (IL‐13) and interleukin‐33 (IL‐33), is altered in the duodenal mucosa of GSDs with CE compared to non‐GSDs with CE and healthy dogs.AnimalsTwenty client‐owned dogs diagnosed with CE (10 GSDs and 10 non‐GSDs) at the Bristol Veterinary School and 8 healthy Beagle dogs from the Iowa State University Service Colony.MethodsRetrospective study using archived paraffin‐embedded duodenal biopsy samples. A novel RNA in situ hybridization technology (RNAscope) was used to hybridize IL‐13 and IL‐33 mRNA probes onto at least 10 sections from duodenal biopsy samples for each dog. RNAscope signals were visualized using a microscope and semi‐quantitative assessment was performed by a single operator.ResultsBased on duodenal villus, subvillus, epithelial, and lamina propria average expression scores, GSDs with CE had significantly lower IL‐13 and IL‐33 mRNA expression compared to non‐GSDs with CE (IL‐13, P < .04; IL‐33, P < .02) and healthy Beagle dogs (IL‐13, P < .02; IL‐33, P < .004).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceSimilar to human patients with ulcerative colitis, a subtype of human inflammatory bowel disease, these data indicate that Th2 cytokines may be involved in the pathogenesis of CE in GSDs.

Acute Effects of Whole Egg Consumption on Circulating MicroRNAs in Sprague Dawley Animals (P15-001-19)

ObjectivesMicroRNAs, small ∼22 nt non-coding RNAs, have a functional role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. We have shown that whole egg-based diets reduce weight gain despite increased food intake compared to casein-based diets in Zucker-Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats. We hypothesized that the microRNA content of whole egg may underlie the differential impact on weight gain in ZDF rats.Our first objective was to characterize the circulating microRNA content in response to feeding whole egg-based diets over an 8 hour period. Our second objective was to identify and characterize the microRNAs present in whole egg- and casein-based diets. MethodsMale Sprague Dawley rats (n = 12; 6 weeks of age) were meal-trained to consume 4 grams of feed in one hour. After one week of meal-training, animals were fasted overnight for 10 hours (h) with water ad libitum followed by controlled feeding of either an AIN93G casein-based diet or isocaloric AIN93G diet containing whole egg (20% egg protein, w/w). At 8 weeks of age, serum was collected via the tail vein at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h following refeeding. Serum microRNA was extracted using a RNA SPLIT kit and prepared for sequencing on an Illumina HiSeq 3000 using a smallRNA Library Prep. Five RNA extraction methods were tested on 6 samples of each diet: 1) Trizol (Invitrogen), 2) Trizol + Directzol (Zymogen), 3) Trizol followed by a second extraction using a fatty acid RNA extraction kit (Norgen), 4) mirPremier (Sigma-Aldrich), 5) ISOLATE II RNA (Bioline). RNA 260/280 ratios were assessed via Nanodrop and RNA integrity was assessed on an Agilent Bioanalyzer. ResultsThe greatest total RNA recovery (ng/μL) and most accurate 260/280 absorbance ratios were achieved using Trizol. The following concentrations of extracted RNA and their respective ratios (means ± SD) were achieved for each dietary component: casein diet (460.9 ± 528.1; 1.56 ± 0.12) and whole egg diet (394.3 ± 292.8; 1.55 ± 0.16), whole egg (73.4 ± 20.3; 1.15 ± 0.23), corn oil (67.5 ± 20.0; 1.41 ± 0.04), and cornstarch (247.12 ± 110.34; 1.64 ± 0.13). Total RNA recovered from the diets had an RNA integrity number (RIN) of 0 and microRNA concentrations were undetected. ConclusionsDespite successful total RNA recovery from the diets, all samples had a RIN value of 0, which is not optimal for downstream sequencing. Currently, microRNAs from plasma are being sequenced to determine if varying diets had differential effects on circulating microRNA expression. Funding SourcesPresidential Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant Program, Iowa State University.

Edible Insects but Not Solanum Torvum Improved Body Composition and Iron Status in Protein and Iron Deficient Rats (P24-007-19)

ObjectivesNutritious underutilized foods (NUFs) such as Solanum torvum (STO) and edible insects are potential sustainable dietary approaches to prevent malnutrition and improve food security. However, little is known about nutrient bioavailability from NUFs. This study determined the effect of STO and insect powders on improving nutritional status of malnourished rats. MethodsMalnutrition was induced in weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats by feeding 5% protein with low Fe (LPI) diet for 21 days. During 14-day repletion, 5 groups of rats (n = 8) were fed the LPI diet supplemented with cricket, palm weevil larvae, STO, cricket + STO and casein + ferrous sulfate (HPI, positive control) while another group remained on the LPI diet (negative control). Repletion diets contained 15% protein and 20 ppm Fe, but palm larvae diet contained only 10 ppm Fe. Body composition was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Hemoglobin (Hb) repletion method was used to compare relative bioavailability (RBV) of the HPI group to the other groups. ResultsCollectively, there were no differences in improved growth rate and body composition measures in groups repleted with edible insects and HPI (P = 0.08). Growth rate was 7.9 times higher in HPI compared to STO and 4.2 times higher in HPI compared to LPI (P < 0.0001). Changes in body composition were similar in STO and LPI but significantly different from HPI. Increase in Hb Fe with cricket (2.00 ± 0.90 mg) and palm weevil larvae (1.17 ± 0.75 mg) was comparable to HPI (1.94 ± 0.74 mg) (P = 0.27). Compared to HPI, there were significant differences in Hb Fe with STO (−0.08 ± 0.37 mg) and LPI (0.55 ± 0.18 mg). When RBV was calculated based on Hb Fe and food intake, RBV was 1.3 for palm weevil larvae but this was not significantly different from HPI (RBV = 1.00) and cricket (RBV = 0.99) (P = 0.83). RBV was similar in STO and LPI, and 100 times lower compared to HPI (P < 0.0001). ConclusionsThough other benefits of STO may be plausible, no nutritional benefits were found in this study, but cricket and palm weevil larvae could be excellent alternative sources of protein and bioavailable Fe and can be sustainable, cheap and locally available foods to prevent malnutrition in humans in countries where they are culturally accepted. Funding SourcesDoris A. Adams endowment funds from the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State University, Ames.

The Impact of Compulsive Ethanol Consumption on Gut and Brain Neurochemicals (P14-003-19)

ObjectivesBinge drinking is a significant problem costing the United States 191 billion dollars annually and is also a significant risk factor for many dietary (e.g., diabetes) and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease). Interestingly, the gut-brain axis has been implicated in the development of neurodegenerative and dietary-related diseases, thus, may mediate the harmful consequences of alcohol abuse on the brain and body. However, the mechanisms are not well understood. We hypothesize that compulsive ethanol consumption will alter the expression of neurochemicals in the mouse gut in a manner that will be correlated to changes in the expression of brain neurochemicals. MethodsWe examined catecholamines and structurally similar metabolites following repeated bouts of “Drinking in the Dark”- a mouse model of compulsive alcohol-seeking during which mice reliably reach blood ethanol concentrations greater than 100 mg/dL. Adult female and male C57BL/6 J mice received access to either 20% ethanol (n = 12 male, n = 12 female) or water (n = 12 male, n = 12 female) for a two-hour period during the dark cycle over three consecutive days. On the fourth day, mice received access to ethanol or water for four hours, and samples of the intestine, intestinal contents, liver, and brain subregions were analyzed for tissue-specific neurochemical concentrations using UHPLC. ResultsEthanol consumption data indicate that binge-drinking female mice consume 36% more ethanol than female water controls and consume 32% more ethanol than binge-drinking male mice on day 4 of the “Drinking in the Dark” protocol. Preliminary neurochemical data indicate compulsive ethanol drinking contributes to trending increases in norepinephrine (17% striatum; 18% hypothalamus) in males whereas females have trending decreases in striatal L-DOPA (15%), 5-HIAA (14%), and 27% more hypothalamic L-DOPA and 5-HIAA when compared with water controls. ConclusionsBinge drinking may contribute to region- and sex-specific neurochemical differences in the brain, thus, further neurochemical analyses on the gut could provide insight into the etiology of neurodegenerative and dietary diseases following alcohol abuse. Funding SourcesSupported from Iowa State University start-up funds.

Iron Supplementation Confers Protection on Disease Severity in Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-Induced Colitis in Rats (OR15-05-19)

ObjectivesKoji iron, enriched with FeSO4 (Ultimine®; ULT), is a novel source of supplemental iron. Previously, we reported ULT had similar absorption as ferrous sulfate (FeSO4), while resulting in less reported adverse effects in women. Iron deficiency anemia is a common manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to malabsorption and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Therefore, the objective of our study was to identify the efficacy of 2 forms of iron supplementation on impaired GI integrity and anemia caused by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. MethodsSix wk old Sprague Dawley rats (n = 40) were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups (n = 10/group): 1) Control with no DSS; 2) Control + DSS only (Nfe); 3) DSS + ULT; 4) DSS + FeSO4. Animals were maintained on the AIN-93 G diets for 7 d. Colitis was induced by administering fresh 3.5% (w/v) DSS ad lib throughout the study. Daily iron supplementation (6 mg Fe/kg BW) was provided in a pulverized treat, and disease activity indices were observed (gross bleeding, stool consistency and weight loss). Histological scoring of colonic ulcerations, inflammation and grade were assessed. Iron status indicators and liver hepcidin were detected using ELISA and qRT-PCR, respectively. ResultsThe severity score of IBD was significantly higher in the animals without iron supplementation than those treated with iron (P < 0.0001). Moreover, iron supplementation protected against diminished hemoglobin and hematocrit levels as a result of DSS treatment (P = 0.001 and P = 0.03, respectively); whereas, these parameters were not significantly (NS) different between ULT and FeSO4. Improvement was found with post mortem disease score of DSS-induced rats with ULT compared to FeSO4 and Nfe by 14% and 39%, respectively (NS). Compared to healthy controls, FeSO4 resulted in a 3.5-fold increase in liver hepcidin gene expression, whereas ULT caused no change. ConclusionsThe results of this study highlight the beneficial effects iron supplementation has on the disease activity evoked by severe GI inflammation. Furthermore, this data suggests ULT attenuates the progression of IBD by supporting iron homeostasis. Additional analyses will explore the possible mechanisms of these results by identifying the systemic inflammation. Funding SourcesCollege of Human Sciences, Iowa State University Collaborative Seed Grant Program.

Low Food Security and Diet Quality Among Midwest University Students (P04-051-19)

ObjectivesRecent reports indicate US students in higher education experience greater levels of food insecurity than the general populace. Chronic food insecurity can adversely affect health, dietary quality, and academic performance. The study objective was to describe student’s food security level and diet, and determine associations with demographic characteristics, BMI, living arrangements, employment, year in school, and campus college. We hypothesized that: 1) students with high food security are consuming less healthy foods because of the price, availability and convenience of unhealthy options; 2) students living on campus are more food secure than those living off campus; 3) students who are employed are more likely to be food insecure than those unemployed. MethodsAn online survey with questions on demographics, food security, dietary intakes, purchasing habits, and shopping patterns was developed. All students in the College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, aged 18–34, were sent a direct email invitation to participate in the Survey Monkey (Palo Alto, CA) survey. ResultsOf the 946 responses received, 684 (72.3%) had complete data on the variables of interest. Few meet daily dietary recommendations for fruit and vegetable servings (11%), fiber (27%), and eating less than 36% of total calories from fat (50%). Over 31% of participants reported low or very low food security in contrast to 11.8% nationally. Significant findings include: students who are employed are more likely to be in the low and very low food secure category (P = .006), and those students with a higher BMI had lower food security (P = .030). Students using the university meal plans had higher fat diets than those students not using a meal plan (P = .001). Over 32% of students on campus have not, but are interested in receiving information on budgeting, and 16.2% would like to know who to talk to if they are facing problems accessing enough food. ConclusionsThe majority of Iowa State University students consume too much dietary fat and do not meet fruit/vegetable, or fiber recommendations. There is a need to provide information, resources, and food options to students having difficulty accessing food. Funding SourcesPartial research support for the project was provided by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Project Number IOW04002, Ames, Iowa.

An experimental study on the dynamic ice accretion processes on bridge cables with different surface modifications

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the dynamic ice accretion processes on bridge cables with different surface modifications (i.e., 1. Standard plain, 2. Pattern-indented surface, and 3. Helical fillets). An Icing Research Tunnel available at Iowa State University (i.e., ISU-IRT) was used to generate two typical icing conditions (i.e., dry rime icing vs. wet glaze icing). During the experiments, while a high-speed imaging system was used to capture the transient behaviors of surface water transport and dynamic ice accretion processes over the surfaces of the cable models, a high-accuracy force measurement system was utilized to quantify the dynamic aerodynamic loadings acting on the cable models under different icing conditions. It was found that the addition of surface features (i.e., pattern-indented surface and helical fillets) could dramatically influence the dynamic ice accretion process and the final topology of the ice structures accreted on the cable surfaces. While the ice accretion on the standard plain cable and the cable with helical fillets was found to reduce the drag forces by about 25%, the ice accretion on the pattern-indented cable model would induce about 30% greater aerodynamic drag force acting on the cable model.

A Conversation with Noel Cressie

Noel Cressie, FAA is Director of the Centre for Environmental Informatics in the National Institute for Applied Statistics Research Australia (NIASRA) and Distinguished Professor in the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics at the University of Wollongong, Australia. He is also Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri (USA), Affiliate of Org 398, Science Data Understanding, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (USA), and a member of the Science Team for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite. Cressie was awarded a B.Sc. with First Class Honours in Mathematics in 1972 from the University of Western Australia, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Statistics in 1973 and 1975, respectively, from Princeton University (USA). Two brief postdoctoral periods followed, at the Centre de Morphologie Mathématique, ENSMP, in Fontainebleau (France) from April 1975–September 1975, and at Imperial College, London (UK) from September 1975–January 1976. His past appointments have been at The Flinders University of South Australia from 1976–1983, at Iowa State University (USA) from 1983–1998, and at The Ohio State University (USA) from 1998–2012. He has authored or co-authored four books and more than 280 papers in peer-reviewed outlets, covering areas that include spatial and spatio-temporal statistics, environmental statistics, empirical-Bayesian and Bayesian methods including sequential design, goodness-of-fit, and remote sensing of the environment. Many of his papers also address important questions in the sciences. Cressie is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the American Statistical Association, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and the Spatial Econometrics Association, and he is an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. Noel Cressie’s refereed, unrefereed, and other publications are available at: https://niasra.uow.edu.au/cei/people/UOW232444.html.

Advancing Knowledge of Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management—Leo Walsh Lectureship

Advancing Knowledge of Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management—Leo Walsh Lectureship

Retrospective study of lameness cases in growing pigs associated with joint and leg submissions to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory

Objective: The objective of this study was to categorize and quantify the most common causes of joint- or leg-associated lameness by summarizing available information from cases presented to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU VDL) between 2010 and 2015. Materials and methods: All cases of lameness or locomotor dysfunction in 7- to 40-week-old pigs submitted to the ISU VDL between May 1, 2010 and April 30, 2015 were retrieved. After removing cases that did not meet the inclusion criteria, the remaining cases were individually reviewed and assigned a primary and secondary diagnosis. Results: Of the 1847 cases retrieved, 464 met the inclusion criteria. The 4 most common primary diagnosis categories were Mycoplasma hyosynoviae (93 cases; 20%), metabolic bone disease (86 cases; 18.5%), infectious arthritis due to non-Mycoplasma bacterial infection (81 cases; 17.5%), and lameness with inconclusive findings (101 cases; 21.8%). There were 23.3% of the cases (108 of 464 cases) that had a secondary diagnosis with metabolic bone disease (28.7%; 31 of 108 cases) identified as the most common secondary diagnosis. Implications: This study reinforces the importance of careful clinical examination, proper sampling, and confirming causes with appropriate diagnostic testing for accurate diagnosis of lameness.

Taming Active Material-Solid Electrolyte Interfaces with Organic Cathode for All-Solid-State Batteries

Summary Attaining stable active material-solid electrolyte interfaces is a great challenge in sulfide-based all-solid-state sodium batteries (ASSSBs). A resistive layer forms at the interface upon charging above the anodic stability potential of sulfide electrolytes. In addition, contact failure at the interface during cycling is long known, but a fundamental solution is not yet available. Herein, we use an organic cathode material, pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PTO), to enable high-performance ASSSBs. We report, for the first time, a reversible active material-electrolyte interfacial resistance evolution during cycling. We further show for the first time that a low-modulus cathode material such as PTO maintains intimate interfacial contact with solid electrolytes during cycling, thus improving cycle life. The PTO-based cells exhibit a high specific energy (587 Wh kg−1) and a record cycling stability (500 cycles) among ASSSBs. This work reveals an effective cathode material design strategy toward compatibility with solid electrolytes and thus high-performance ASSSBs.

New leaders at 3 firms

New leaders are taking their places at the head of three chemical concerns over the next 4 months. At Celanese, Lori Ryerkerk will succeed Mark Rohr as CEO on May 1. Ryerkerk joins Celanese from Shell, where she was executive vice president of global manufacturing with responsibility for the firm’s chemical and refining assets. A chemical engineer with a BS from Iowa State University, she worked at ExxonMobil between 1986 and 2010. Rohr will remain as executive chairman. At Shell Chemicals, Thomas Casparie will succeed Graham van’t Hoff as executive vice president on July 1. Casparie has been in charge of Shell Chemicals’ Americas region business since 2017. Van’t Hoff has led Shell Chemicals since 2013 and will become a special adviser for Shell downstream projects. And at specialty chemical firm Dixie Chemical, William H. Doherty is the CEO, effective immediately. He fills a spot that has been vacant since

Making Crops Climate Ready

Making Crops Climate Ready

Editors' Introduction

We have several announcements to make in this issue. First, Mary Holcomb, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Transportation Journal, has finished her term and will be stepping down soon. Mary served as the Industry Note Editor for three years prior to being appointed as the co-editor of the journal. We very much appreciate her long-time service commitment to this journal. She has made a number of improvements for the journal. During her time as co-editor, the journal's statistics, including paper submissions and impact factor, have improved considerably. She has done a great job for the journal, and she will be missed by all of the editorial team members. We wish her the best for the next chapter of her career.Second, David Swanson, a faculty member at University of North Florida, will be joining the journal's editorial team as the new Co-Editor-in-Chief, replacing Mary. David is a well-known transportation scholar, and we are delighted to have him join the board. He will be working closely with Mary for the next few months.Third, Carrie Ann Johnson, Assistant Editor of Transportation Journal, will be finishing her two-year term and will be stepping down soon. Carrie Ann has done a great job of assisting the editors for handling papers. After completing her term, she will be concentrating on her Ph.D. program at Iowa State University to finish her degree. We thank Carrie Ann for her help during the last two years, and we wish her the best for her future career. Fourth, Michael Belding, a Ph.D. student in history at Iowa State University, will be joining the editorial team as the new Assistant Editor. Michael will be working closely with Carrie Ann over the next few months to ensure a seamless transition. Michael is expected to serve in this role until summer of 2021. We welcome Michael to the editorial team.Fifth, it is time again to report the acceptance rate of the journal for the calendar year 2018. Our method of calculating the acceptance rate is to simply divide the total number of articles published in the year (2018) by the total number of papers submitted during the year (2018). Submissions of revisions are not counted as separate submissions to produce conservative acceptance rates. Using this method, the acceptance rate of research papers for 2018 was computed as 18.6%, or equivalently, rejection rate of 81.4%. In the past two years, the acceptance rates were 13.2% (2016) and 13.6% (2017), so the journal's acceptance rate seems to have increased slightly. This is mainly due to the fact that we published a larger number of articles in 2018 than in previous years. Had we published about the same number of articles in 2018 as the previous two years, the journal's acceptance rate would have been close to 13%. We understand that this may not be the most accurate way of calculating the acceptance rate, as this does not reflect the proportion of papers submitted in 2018 that survived to acceptance. However, this allows us to compute the acceptance rate relatively easily, and we believe that, in the long run, this rate will reflect the correct acceptance rate.Finally, the due date of the Special Issue: “Transportation Challenges and Solutions for 2020 and Beyond” has been extended. The new submission deadline is May 31, 2019. Please submit your paper by this date for full consideration.Respectively,Yoshi Suzuki, Mary Holcomb, and David Swanson, Co-EditorsIn the previous issue, Transportation Journal 58.1, the guest editor's introduction was not included in the final issue. We have reproduced it on the following pages, before the articles for 58.2 begin. The editors and the press regret this oversight.

A hybrid strategy combining minimized leading-edge electric-heating and superhydro-/ice-phobic surface coating for wind turbine icing mitigation

A hybrid anti-icing strategy that combines minimized electro-heating at the blade leading edge and a superhydro-/ice-phobic coating to cover the blade surface was explored for wind turbine icing mitigation. The experimental study was conducted in an Icing Research Tunnel available at Iowa State University (ISU-IRT) with a turbine blade model with DU91-W2-250 airfoil in the model cross-section exposed under different icing conditions. While a superhydro-/ice-phobic surface coating was used to cover the entire blade surface, a strip of electric heating film was used to wrap around the leading edge of the blade model. By using the superhydro-/ice-phobic coating to cover the entire blade surface, the hybrid strategy with the electric heating element covering only 5%–10% of the blade front surface would be able to keep the entire blade surface ice free under both rime and glaze icing conditions. In comparison to the conventional strategy to brutally heating the entire hydrophilic blade surface to keep the blade ice free, the hybrid strategy was found to be able to achieve the same anti-/de-icing performance with substantially less power consumption (i.e., up to ∼90% saving in the required power consumption), making it a very promising strategy for wind turbine icing mitigation.

Mempelajari Tegangan pada Balok dengan Bantuan Software Berbasis Perhitungan Matematis dan Visualisasi 3 Dimensi

Penelitian pada mahasiswa Jurusan Teknik Sipil U.K.Maranatha menunjukkan sebagian besarkecenderungan gaya belajar mahasiswa adalah active–sensing (41,38%) serta visual (68,97%), kondisiini rupanya sejalan dengan penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Richard Felder sebagai pengembang ILS(Index Learning Style) terhadap mahasiswa teknik Iowa State University yang menyatakan bahwa63% mahasiswa adalah active learners, 67 % sensing learner dan 85% visual learners, kemudianpenelitian terhadap mahasiswa Michigan Tech. menunjukkan bahwa 56% active leaners, 63% sensingleaners, dan 74% visual leaners. Secara umum hasil penelitian Felder menunjukkan bahwa 64%active leaners, 63% sensing leaners, dan 82% visual leaners. Penemuan ini setidaknya bisa memberigambaran yang cukup umum bahwa mahasiswa teknik memiliki kecenderungan gaya belajar yanghampir sama dibeberapa perguruan tinggi.Mahasiswa dengan gaya belajar active-sensing-visual learners memiliki kecenderungan belajarmelalui metode praktis problem-solving, penggunaan banyak gambar, grafik, sketsa sederhana sertaaktivitas kelompok dimana mereka diberi kesempatan untuk bertukar pikiran dan bereksperimen.Hambatan pemahaman akan materi yang disampaikan terjadi ketika para mahasiswa dengankecenderungan gaya belajar seperti ini menghadapi materi mekanika rekayasa yang sulit untukdibayangkan perilakunya, bahkan untuk materi yang didalamnya terdapat persamaan-persamaanmatematis yang sederhana.Salah satu materi dasar yang diberikan pada matakuliah mekanika bahan adalah tegangan pada balokatau kolom (lentur, aksial, geser, dsb) akibat beban merata, terpusat sentris, terpusat eksentris yangmengakibatkan lentur biaksial, dsb. Penggunaan suatu software komputer berbasis perhitunganmatematis dan mampu memvisualisasikan persamaan-persamaan matematik dalam bentuk grafik baik2D atau 3D seperti MatCad atau MatLab akan sangat membantu mahasiswa memahami konsep danperilaku tegangan pada balok/kolom.Beberapa keuntungan penggunaan alat bantu ini adalah secara umum mahasiswa dapat memahamidasar teori, penurunan rumus, perilaku tegangan pada balok dengan lebih baik. Kedua, mahasiswadapat melihat suatu eksperimen sederhana mengenai perilaku tegangan pada balok dengan visualisasiyang menarik karena kemampuan software ini untuk mengupdate hasil serta tampilan grafiknya secara3 dimensi secara langsung. Ketiga, seluruh proses mulai dari dasar teori, penurunan rumus sertalatihan soal serta visualisasi grafik dapat terdokumentasi dengan baik. Keuntungan-keuntungan diatassangat membantu mahasiswa dengan gaya belajar active-sensing-visual learners yang mayoritasdimiliki oleh mahasiswa teknik sipil untuk memahami pelajaran mekanika bahan.

The impact of an introductory animal handling course on undergraduate students who lack previous livestock handling experience.

A majority of animal science undergraduates have limited livestock handling experience when they come to college. To address this issue, a course based on livestock handling, safety and welfare was implemented in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. This study aimed to 1) determine if the course was effective at improving the comfort level of a student while handling livestock and 2) to identify demographic factors that contributed to student performance in the course. The course was delivered as an 8-week, lecture-laboratory format. Each semester, a pre-course survey and pre-course exam were administered during the first class period (N=87). The survey collected self-reported demographic information, prior livestock handling experience, and comfort level by specie. The exam tested the prior knowledge of each student. At the semester conclusion, a post-course survey and post-course exam were given to determine if the course was effective at improving comfort and knowledge levels of each student, respectively (N=75). Students from farm backgrounds outscored urban students by 5.56 ± 2.96% on the pre-course exam (P=0.06). Cumulative grade point average at the time of the course (GPA) had a role in the pre-exam score (P=0.003) while gender, semester, involvement in 4H or FFA, and high school or collegiate judging were not factors in the pre-exam score (P>0.10). Background and student rank did not have an effect on the post-course exam score (P=0.96 and P=0.58, respectively). As expected, GPA was significant when fit as a covariate (P<0.001) in the post-course exam model. Upon course completion, students reported that their comfort level while handling livestock had increased for all livestock species. The largest increases were observed with poultry (37.8 to 66.9%) and dairy (49.3 to 84.3%). Of the 75 students polled, 96% felt that the hands-on approach was beneficial at reinforcing lecture material, and 100% reported that they were more likely to voluntarily interact with livestock inside or outside of the classroom setting after course completion. In conclusion, some demographic attributes play a role in student performance at the beginning of the course, but these factors are no longer significant after completion of the course. In addition, the level of comfort with and knowledge of livestock handling, safety and welfare all improved, which shows that the course was successful at achieving the intended learning outcomes.

An experimental study on the thermal effects of duty-cycled plasma actuation pertinent to aircraft icing mitigation

An experimental study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing the thermal effects induced by duty-cycled dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuation for aircraft icing mitigation. The experimental study was carried out in the unique Icing Research Tunnel available at Iowa State University (i.e., ISU-IRT) with a NACA0012 airfoil model embedded with DBD plasma actuators exposed under a typical glaze icing condition. During the experiments, the DBD plasma actuators were operated in two different modes for a comparative study, i.e., in duty-cycled actuation mode vs. in conventional continuous actuation mode as the comparison baseline. While the anti-/de-icing performances of the DBD plasma actuators under different actuation modes were revealed clearly based on the snapshot images acquired by using a high-speed imaging system, an infrared (IR) thermal imaging system was also used to map the corresponding surface temperature distributions over the ice accreting airfoil surface in order to characterize the thermal effects induced by the plasma actuations. It was found that, with the same power input, the plasma actuation in duty-cycled mode would have a higher instantaneous voltage during the “on” periods, resulting in much stronger thermal effects for an improved anti-/de-icing performance, in comparison to the case in the continuous actuation mode. The thermal effects induced by the duty-cycled plasma actuation were found to be further enhanced by increasing of the modulating frequency of the duty cycles, which is a very promising approach to further improve the anti-/de-icing performance of DBD plasma actuation. The findings derived from the present study could be used to explore/optimize design paradigm for the development of novel DBD-plasma-based anti-/de-icing strategies tailored specifically for aircraft icing mitigation.

Cooperative Extension and Practicing Anthropology: A Natural Fit

Abstract The Cooperative Extension System's mission to “put scientific knowledge into practice” is a natural fit for practicing anthropologists. Two extension anthropologists present their work with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach programs, Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks!, as a case study for how anthropological practice can be used to develop and implement successful extension programs. Added to the conversation is the element of advocacy in anthropological practice, with an examination of how using anthropological research and evaluation methods to understand targeted program audience perspectives better enables practitioners to advocate for environmental improvements and better meet the primary extension program objective of bringing practical, science-based solutions to real world problems.

Robert V. Villwock

Robert V. Villwock, 81, died on Dec. 4, 2018, in Westerville, Ohio. “Bob retired to his hobby as a jazz musician. His last 20 years were spent playing music all over the greater Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, cities. He loved science and he loved music. He loved the accolades his music brought, but one of his proudest moments was being recognized as a 50-year member of the American Chemical Society. It was as if he finally realized that it was all right to do both!”—Maxine Villwock, wife Most recent affiliation: Van den Bergh Foods/Unilever Education: BS, chemistry, Iowa State University, 1961; MBA, systems management, Baldwin-Wallace College, 1980 Survivors: Wife, Maxine; sons, Robert, V. Kurtis, and David; five grandchildren To recognize your late loved one or colleague, submit obituary information at cenm.ag/obits.