Midwestern Research Articles

Contrasting corn acreage trends in the Midwest and Southeast: The role of yield, climate, economics, and irrigation

The US corn area footprint has changed significantly since the 20th century, declining in the southeastern states while exhibiting an increase or stable variations in the Midwest. As harvested acreage directly impacts the total corn production, understanding the influencing factors is crucial. This study assesses the role of potential drivers on the contrasting trajectories of harvested corn acreage between midwestern and southeastern US. Profit-acreage analysis reveals that antecedent profits/losses have a statistically significant influence on corn acreage changes, with southeastern US, which experienced more loss-making years, also experiencing more frequent reductions in corn acreage. The high number of loss-making years in the Southeast is primarily attributed to the region's low corn yield, influenced by climate and other agro-environmental factors. Using a panel regression model, we find that the loss-making years in the Southeast could have reduced to fewer than 26 out of the considered 45 years, or almost similar to the average in the Midwest, by just increasing the irrigated corn area to 50 %, a realistic irrigated corn area fraction already achieved in several Georgia counties. This underscores the potential for early policy interventions like irrigation facilitation to sustain and expand cropped acreage. However, we also find that this would only be economically feasible with incentives for both the installation and sustained operation of irrigation infrastructure.

"I Can Feel It in My Spine": Indigenous Women's Embodied Experiences of Violence and Healing.

This article draws on the stories told by Indigenous women in the midwestern United States to explore embodied experiences of violence and how they conceptualize healing in the aftermath of violence. Two focus groups-conducted as talking circles-were completed with 16 Indigenous women. Findings highlight four salient themes: embodied impacts of violence; normalization of violence; (im)possibilities of healing; and strategies for healing. In particular, the women highlighted embodied practices like collective storytelling as a means of healing. This study deepens our understanding of violence against women by promoting Indigenous ways of knowing and uplifting the voices of Indigenous women.

Estimating erosion vulnerability within agricultural fields by downscaling the Daily Erosion Project (DEP): the OFEtool

AbstractAgriculture continues to be one of the most important sources of nonpoint source pollution to surface water bodies. Consequently, it is critical to identify and prioritize high‐contributing agricultural fields and sub‐field areas for reducing soil erosion and sediment delivery by implementing best management practices (BMPs). Current erosion risk assessment tools are either complex modelling approaches or rely on a simplified reality and generalized assumption. The Daily Erosion Project (DEP) is a daily estimator of precipitation, hillslope runoff, detachment and soil loss covering ~630 000 km2 across the Midwest United States. These estimations are reported daily and publicly at the hydrologic unit code 12 watershed resolution (approximately 100 km2). The main objective of this study was to develop a new tool (named Overland Flow Element tool [OFEtool]) that downscales the watershed scale of DEP to estimate average runoff and soil displacement within a field, helping to locate erosive hotspots at multiple scales. We also demonstrated the applicability of OFEtool in Bennet Creek‐Sugar Creek in East Central Iowa (the United States) and compared its results with other erosion vulnerability tools such as the Soil Vulnerability Index for Cultivated Cropland (SVI‐cc) and a GIS‐based Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The same erosion risk classes and ranges (low, moderate, moderately high and high) were implemented for all indexes. The advantages of the OFEtool compared to the SVI‐cc and RUSLE models are related to the use of an event‐based modelling approach, such as DEP, with updated soil loss estimates based on temporal changes in climate inputs and land use and management. The OFEtool uses a 6‐year time frame and a more up‐to‐date field inputs, while RUSLE provides a long‐term average and SVI‐cc only considers soil and topographical factors for risk assessment. Results indicated that the spatial distribution of vulnerable fields (and parts of the fields) followed a similar trend as other tested indices. However, the risk level associated with each tool differed (SVI‐cc > RUSLE > OFEtool). These differences could arise from intrinsic disparities within the tools (inputs, timing, processes considered, assumptions). While currently limited to the DEP domain and relying on the DEP random sampling scheme, further research is warranted to validate the tool at other Midwest locations and ensure it captures the watershed's landscape variability (combination of terrain, soil, land use and management) required to identifying critical erosion hotspots.

Causes of mortality in farmed white-tailed deer in the midwestern United States, 2004-2023.

Farmed cervids are of growing economic importance in the midwestern United States. Although diseases of wild and captive cervids have been examined in more northerly climates, little information exists on the health challenges of deer in the Midwest. We characterized and summarized the causes of mortality in farmed white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) submitted to the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Columbia, MO, USA) over a 19-y period (2004-2023). Of 388 cases examined, 253 (65%) were carcasses submitted for autopsy, and 135 (35%) cases were tissue samples harvested by field veterinarians. Infectious disease was the most common cause of mortality (n = 335; 86.3%). Of infectious causes, primary pneumonia was most common (n = 140; 41.7%), followed by septicemia (n = 68; 20.1%), and primary enteritis (n = 64; 19.1%). Viruses were detected in 18% of pneumonia cases. The most common non-infectious diagnoses were emaciation and trauma (both 4 each; 1%). Thirteen animals (3.4%) died of unknown causes. Forty-nine percent of cases were juvenile deer <1-y-old. Most cases were received in the summer (212; 54.6%). Infectious diseases, particularly bacteria and viruses, pose a significant health challenge to farmed deer in the midwestern United States.

The Unraveling Anthropocene: Exploring Murky Geographies

Many markers have been proposed for the onset of the Anthropocene. One possibility, anthroturbation, involves humankind’s excavation of tunnels, mines, and boreholes—the trace fossils of our civilization. This article explores the potential for anthropogenic sandstone caves to help refine the concept of the Subterranean Anthropocene in terms of anthroturbation. In friable sandstones such as the St. Peter Sandstone of the American Midwest, anthroturbation triggers runaway natural processes analogous to that of anthropogenic greenhouse gases which trigger uncontrollable warming in the atmosphere. Using Levi-Strauss’ A World on the Wane to contextualize the geology, and drawing from autoethnography, murky psychogeography, and the embodied experience of historical travel narratives, I propose a critical interdisciplinary framework for thinking about the Subterranean Anthropocene in terms of anthroturbation, emphasizing the role of dynamic processes and unraveling, rather than static markers.

Black youths' ethnic and racial identity development from childhood to emerging adulthood.

This qualitative study employed a retrospective inquiry design to trace changes in the course of ethnic and racial identity (ERI) development of 20 African American college students (18-22 years old) attending a large, predominantly White university in the Midwestern United States. Through interviews, participants recalled life experiences that they considered crucial to their understanding of their own ERI in childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Using longitudinal qualitative analysis, three distinct pathways of ERI development were identified: consolidating (no change to the understanding they developed earlier in life), cumulative (successive additions or expansions to their current understanding of their own ERI), and transformative (their ERI trajectory is qualitatively altered by a turning point event). Results revealed that the development of ERI components is influenced by the interplay of contextual, individual, and developmental factors, along with the ongoing meaning-making of identity-relevant experiences. Findings lend empirical support for adopting a lifespan approach to ERI development, demonstrating ERI development as a dynamically interactive and continuous process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sex differences in physical activity of US children at age 13 months: child and Mother Physical Activity Study (CAMPAS)

BackgroundLower physical activity (PA) has been observed in females compared to males among preschool-aged and older children. However, the timing of when the sex gap emerges is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether females have lower PA levels than males in the early toddler age and to explore whether gross motor competency and PA parenting practices might explain a sex difference in PA.MethodsThe study design was cross-sectional. Participants were a community-based sample of 137 children aged 10–16 months residing in US Midwest urban/suburban area. Participants’ mothers completed a survey that contained a demographic questionnaire, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire gross motor competency subscale, and a PA parenting practices questionnaire. Participating children wore an ActiGraph accelerometer on their hip for 7 days. Accelerometer-measured time spent in moderate- and vigorous intensity PA (MVPA; minutes/day) and in total PA (minutes/day) were calculated. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to predict MVPA and total PA by sex, gross motor competency, PA parenting practices, and socioeconomic status.ResultsAmong 137 participants (54.0% female), average age was 13.6 months (SD = 1.7). MVPA was 72 ± 25 and 79 ± 26 min/day for females and males, respectively (p = 0.14). Total PA was 221 ± 48 and 238 ± 47 min/day for females and males, respectively (p = 0.04). Both gross motor competency and PA-encouraging parenting practices were positively associated MVPA (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively) and total PA (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively); however, these relationships did not differ by sex (p = 0.11 and p = 0.89, respectively). After accounting for gross motor competency and PA parenting practices, total PA was 15 min/day lower among females than males (p = 0.04).ConclusionsThis cross-sectional study of US children observed a sex gap in total PA at 10–16 months of age. Gross motor development and PA parenting practices did not differ by child sex nor explain the sex difference in PA. A longitudinal investigation should follow to further narrow down when sex differences in PA emerge and to determine the factors that lead to this difference.

Symptom Burden Contributes to Sleep Problems Through Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged and Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Multigroup Analysis.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between symptom burden and sleep problems and the role of depressive symptoms on these relationships in middle-aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes. The study employed a cross-sectional, correlational design with secondary analysis. De-identified data sets from three original studies were combined. A total of 189 men and women with type 2 diabetes were recruited using convenience sampling in midwestern United States. Symptom burden, sleep impairment and sleep disturbance, depressive symptoms, demographics, and diabetes-related variables were assessed. The participants were grouped into glucose-controlled and -uncontrolled groups to examine a multigroup effect. Multigroup path analyses were conducted. The results indicated that symptom burden had direct and indirect effects through depressive symptoms on sleep disturbance in the controlled group, whereas only a direct effect was found in the uncontrolled group. For sleep-related impairment, significant direct and indirect effects of symptom burden were found via depressive symptoms in both groups, and the strength of the effects on each path differed between the groups. Diabetes symptom burden was associated with sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment in middle-aged and older adults with diabetes. A different approach should be considered for sleep management according to their A1C levels, and depressive symptoms can be a therapeutic target to treat sleep problems in the population.

Exploring Virus Diversity in the Potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae), an Economically Important Agricultural Pest.

The potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae, PLH) is a serious pest that feeds on a wide range of agricultural crops and is found throughout the United States but is not known to be a vector for plant-infecting viruses. We probed the diversity of virus sequences in field populations of PLH collected from four Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota. High-throughput sequencing data from total RNAs extracted from PLH were used to assemble sequences of fifteen positive-stranded RNA viruses, two negative-stranded RNA viruses, and one DNA virus. These sequences included ten previously described plant viruses and eight putative insect-infecting viruses. All but one of the insect-specific viruses were novel and included three solemoviruses, one iflavirus, one phenuivirus, one lispivirus, and one ambidensovirus. Detailed analyses of the novel genome sequences and their evolutionary relationships with related family members were conducted. Our study revealed a diverse group of plant viruses circulating in the PLH population and discovered novel insect viruses, expanding knowledge on the untapped virus diversity in economically important crop pests. Our findings also highlight the importance of monitoring the emergence and circulation of plant-infecting viruses in agriculturally important arthropod pests.

Associations of cumulative exposure to extreme heat and precipitation with dementia related emergency department visits in the Midwestern United States 2006-2013

Associations of cumulative exposure to extreme heat and precipitation with dementia related emergency department visits in the Midwestern United States 2006-2013

Laboratory Testing for Powassan Virus: Past, Present, and Future.

Powassan virus is a tick-borne flavivirus that can cause severe neuroinvasive disease, with areas of endemicity in the Northeast and Midwest United States, Canada, and Russia. Diagnosis is challenging and relies on a high index of suspicion and choosing the right test based on duration of infection and the patient's immune status. This review covers laboratory testing for Powassan virus, including historical considerations, modern options, and methods being developed in the research space.

Manipulation of Farmed Wetlands Increases use by Migrating Shorebirds and Ducks

The Drift Prairie, in central North America, has been largely converted from grasslands to croplands, but still contains thousands of wetlands used by shorebirds and waterfowl during breeding and migration periods. Consequently, many of the remaining wetlands are situated within cropland where disturbance regimes (i.e., fire, grazing, and water-level dynamics), which occurred naturally prior to agricultural development, have been highly altered by landscape fragmentation from agriculture practices. Currently, smaller wetlands within crop fields are subject to disturbances stemming from agricultural practices (i.e., manipulations), such as burning, disking, harvesting, and mowing. We evaluated vegetation structure of idled (i.e., not recently manipulated by farming practices) and manipulated agricultural wetlands to investigate whether management method or resulting vegetation structure had greater influence on occurrence probabilities and densities of dabbling ducks and shorebirds during spring. All manipulation methods reduced vegetation heights compared to idled wetlands and most manipulations reduced the proportion of vegetation cover in inundated areas. Wetland manipulations generally increased shorebird occurrence compared to idled wetlands, whereas vegetation variables better explained duck occurrence probabilities. Duck occurrence peaked in wetlands with lower vegetation coverage (32%), and duck densities decreased as vegetation coverage increased beyond 10%. While more studies are needed to understand underlying mechanisms driving these outcomes, our results indicate that including periodic disturbances that reduce dense vegetation within wetlands in agricultural fields would increase their use by migrating and breeding shorebirds and dabbling ducks.

What does a history teacher do? Knowing, understanding, and enacting the work of teaching history

This study considers the questions, “How do teacher candidates conceptualize the relationship among historians, history teachers, and history students?” and “How is this understanding revealed in candidates’ representation of the work they do in classrooms as history teachers?” Using a case study approach, researchers gathered data from fifteen teacher candidates in a teacher preparation program in the Midwestern United States. The data consisted of participants’ responses to three questions (What do historians do? What do history teachers do? What do history students do?) and their selections of and rationale for including artifacts in a portfolio designed to showcase “who they are” as history teachers as represented by their developing pedagogical content knowledge in history. The researchers’ findings reveal a discrepancy exists between teacher candidates’ emerging beliefs about their responsibilities as teachers and the work that they chose to highlight after having completed clinical experiences. Specifically, the findings suggest a critical disconnect exists between what teacher candidates are taught about teaching history, what they believe about teaching history, and the opportunities that they have in clinical experiences to enact these ideas. This research highlights the central yet often unexamined role of emerging teachers’ epistemic understandings in shaping opportunities for pedagogical reform in history.

Effects of prescribed fire on planted oak growth and survival in restored savannas

Most oak savannas in the Midwestern United States have been lost to agriculture and habitat degradation. Because of their rarity and high plant and animal diversity, savannas are often a target for restoration, which frequently relies on the direct planting of oak seedlings to establish the necessary canopy. Returning fire to the system is critical to the herbaceous component, but with planted seedlings, managers risk damaging or killing trees if burning is introduced too soon. We studied the growth and physiological responses of three oak species (Quercus alba, Quercus macrocarpa, and Quercus velutina) to prescribed fire to determine impacts on planted trees. This study utilized two restored oak savanna units that were planted in 1995 and 1998, each with burned and unburned areas. We tracked trees ranging from 0.9 to 29.8 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH) to determine the size threshold above which top kill is unlikely and documented differences in leaf structure and extension growth between the burned and unburned areas. There was no mortality observed. Moreover, no trees larger than 4 cm DBH were top killed by the fire. Fire responses in leaf mass per unit area and chlorophyll content were small and inconsistent across species. However, all oak species grew more in burned areas than trees in adjacent unburned areas. Therefore, the addition of low‐intensity prescribed fire to an oak savanna planting may increase the growth rate of planted trees with minimal risk of mortality once trees have reached sufficient size.

Sibling disclosure and adolescents' coping from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study.

The extraordinary disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique context to investigate the links between family communication and adolescent adjustment. Given that widespread stay-at-home orders increased time spent in the family setting, the present study examined reciprocal links between older and younger adolescent siblings' disclosure toward each other and concurrent and prospective links between those disclosures and their own and their siblings' coping from before to during the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were two adolescent-aged siblings (older siblings: 51% female, M = 15.67 years; younger siblings: 48% female, M = 13.14 years) and one parent (85% mothers, M = 45.15 years) from 682 families (N = 2,046) in five Midwestern states in the United States. Participants completed web-based assessments on three occasions: Time 1 (March 2019-February 2020), Time 2 (May 2020-June 2020), and Time 3 (July 2020-February 2021). Using structural equation modeling, results revealed that the prospective reciprocal linkages between older and younger siblings' disclosures were often moderated by the gender composition of the sibling dyad. Further, older and younger siblings' disclosures were both concurrently associated with their own coping during the pandemic but not prospectively associated with later perceived coping. There were mixed findings regarding the actor and partner associations between siblings' disclosure and adolescents' perceived coping. Results emphasize the complexity and bidirectional nature of sibling disclosure and the potential protective effects of disclosing to siblings in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Influence of Catalyst Surface Structure on the Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Cis,Cis-Muconic Acid

Adipic acid (AA) production from petroleum-based cyclohexane is one of the largest chemical processes in terms of annual volumetric turnover accounting for 3 million tons as of 2022. The current commercial approach to synthesize AA is through the oxidation of petroleum-derived cyclohexane using nitric acid. The release of N2O in stoichiometric amounts makes it one of the most significant greenhouse gas (GhG) emitting processes. The abundance of biomass in the Midwestern United States has driven significant research efforts to synthesize bio-derived and sustainable commodity products and lower the chemical industry’s carbon footprint.1 cis,cis-Muconic acid (ccMA), a biobased C6 diunsaturated diacid platform molecule can be transformed to commodity chemicals like caprolactam, adipic acid, and terephthalic acid, with AA being of particular interest for the synthesis of nylon 6,6.2 For the first time in literature, we demonstrate appreciable production of AA (conversion: 91%, selectivity: >95%) through electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of ccMA on PGM catalysts. Carbon-supported palladium (Pd/C) and platinum (Pt/C) selectively produced AA while bulk Pd and Pt yielded the monounsaturated trans-3-hexenedioic acid (t3HDA) intermediate and H2 under all tested conditions. Such an influence of surface structure on the electrochemistry of organics is not unprecedented. Koper et. al3 studied Pt single crystals for the electrochemical hydrogenation of acetone and showed how activity, selectivity, and extent of catalytic poisoning are highly sensitive to the Pt surface structure. Similarly, we used density functional calculations to elucidate the structure-sensitive nature of ccMA ECH and its intermediates by identifying thermodynamically preferred reaction pathways as a function of surface geometry (terrace vs steps). The energetics coupled with experimental observations suggest that the reduction of ccMA to t3HDA occurs through an outer sphere proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism, while the reduction of HDA to AA preferentially occurs on Pd and Pt (111), the most abundant facet in Pd/C and Pt/C. Our calculations also explain the exceptional performance of Pd/C compared to Pt/C by the weaker binding of Pd terrace sites compared to Pt. Overall, combining renewable electricity, in-situ hydrogen generation from water, and a biologically-produced intermediate enabled us to open a sustainable route for bio-adipic acid production. This allows us to further design and optimize the catalyst for the selective production of biobased AA.

The effect of fluralaner treatment of small mammals on the endemic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi in a natural environment.

Among approaches aimed at reducing Lyme disease risk in the environment, those targeting reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferiJohnsonare promising because they have the potential to reduce both the density of questing Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidea)ticks and the prevalence of B. burgdorferi in the tick population. In this 4-yr field study, we treated a population of wild small mammals with 2 densities of fluralaner baits and investigated the effect of thetreatment on 3 parameters of the endemic cycle of B. burgdorferi: (i) the prevalence of infected Peromyscus mice (PIM), (ii) the density of questing nymphs (DON), and (iii) the prevalence of infected questing nymphs (NIP). We demonstrated that fluralaner baiting is effective at reducing tick infestation of Peromyscus mice, the main reservoir of B. burgdorferi in central and northeastern North America, in the laboratory and the field. Results from this study showed a significant decrease in B. burgdorferi infection in mice (odds ratio: 0.37 [CI95: 0.17 to 0.83]). A reduction in the DON between 45.4% [CI95: 22.4 to 61.6] and 62.7% [CI95: 45.9 to 74.2] occurred in treated area when compared with control areas. No significant effect was reported on the NIP. These results confirm the hypothesis that fluralaner baits have an effect on B. burgdorferi endemic cycle, with the potential to reduce the density of B. burgdorferi-infected ticks in the environment. Further studies performed in various habitats and public health intervention contexts are needed to refine and operationalize this approach for reducing Lyme disease risk in the environment.

Allowing time for 8+ hours of sleep: identification and validation of important beliefs using the reasoned action approach.

The present studies advance research using the Reasoned Action Approach to understand sleep behavior. Identification of the modal salient beliefs that individuals hold regarding their sleep habits is necessary to understand the attitudes, perceived normative pressure, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) that individuals hold. Belief elicitation (Study 1) and follow-up validation (Study 2) studies of undergraduates at a Midwestern USA university were conducted to identify readily accessible and important beliefs regarding allowing time for 8+ hours of sleep each night. Important attitude relevant beliefs included positive effects on mood, thinking, health, and productivity. Important normative beliefs were perceived injunctive pressure from family, health professionals, and significant others. Because of the strong influence of PBC on intentions/behavior, most important were control beliefs about the need for good time management. The present studies increased our understanding why many individuals do not allow time to obtain adequate sleep. Identification of the beliefs that distinguish between those who intend to allow time for adequate sleep and those who do not is a necessary step toward the design of effective interventions to improve sleep duration. The results indicate that a focus on increasing time management skills and PBC may be an effective approach for sleep interventions.

A human-animal problematic and the production of pedagogical clearings in the classroom

This paper springboards from entanglements involving humanisms, classroom teaching, and eco-disaster. Drawing on Derrida’s l’animot, Marchesini’s theriomorphism and animal epiphany, and Rice and Rud’s blurring, we mine the deep potentials in postfoundationalist approaches to distinction-making and violence in regard to a human-animal problematic. The approaches taken via these different “theoretical” engagements suffuse autoethnographic-style accounts of two classroom-based instances in an upper elementary school in the midwestern United States. These instances introduce the notion of pedagogical clearings, challenging fixed and power-laden notions of “self.” Students’ responses, issues of representation (-isms of humanism), and “multispecies” insights that co-presenced in instructional spaces are discussed. We argue that a static-circular economy of [“human”] self that underwrites eco-crises can be temporarily decentered and deferred per Derrida and blurred and suspended per Marchesini and Rice and Rud, experienced as glimpses of “non-anthropocentric” possibilities, offering fleeting, significant instances of l’animot.

Prevalence and Characterization of Salmonella during Pork Sausage Manufacturing.

Pork carcasses and meat may harbor Salmonella and may contaminate other products during harvest and fabrication. Sources of contamination include manure on hides, environmental contamination, ingredients from external sources, and lymph nodes. Swine lymph nodes are often incorporated into ground meat, as their anatomical location makes removal labor prohibitive. A sausage processing plant in the midwestern United States was sampled monthly (except for December) from May 2021 to April 2022 to enumerate Salmonella and Enterobacteriaceae (EB) throughout the sausage manufacturing process to determine high-risk stages and efficiency of existing in-plant interventions. Salmonella serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility were evaluated on a subset of isolates recovered at the end phases of sausage production. In each collection, samples were taken from the carcasses of eight sows through 11 stages of sausage manufacturing. A total of 830 samples were cultured. Thirty-four Salmonella were isolated from the final three production stages; of these, there were eleven serotypes. Three isolates displayed resistance to ampicillin, whereas the remainder of the isolates were pan-susceptible to the antimicrobials tested. Salmonella and EB were significantly reduced (p < 0.001) by acid washes at different stages of production, and the results point to the beneficial effects of interventions to lessen Salmonella concentrations in retail products.