National Research Initiative (NRI)
National Impacts

NRI National Impacts document some of the many impacts of NRI-funded research, illustrating the value of the fundamental and mission-oriented research funded by the NRI. The former NRI Highlights and NRI Cover Stories have been incorporated into National Impacts. Highlights and Cover Stories are still listed below.

 

• Tree — Heal Thyself
  (Printable Version)
  
• Enhancing the Efficiency of Small and Mid-Sized Dairy Farms
  (Printable Version)
  
• Poultry Vaccines May also Improve Human Health
  (Printable Version)
  
• The Green Industrial Revolution – Making Biorefineries More Efficient
  (Printable Version)
  
• Plant Genetic Transformation Mechanisms Emerge
  (Printable Version)
  
• Selecting the Perfect Insect Pest
  (Printable Version)
  
• Lesquerella: The Next Source of Biofuel
  (Printable Version)
  

• From Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Mealss
  (Printable Version)
  

• Scientists Unlock the Key to Rice Nutrition
  (Printable Version)
  

• Scientists Discover a New Way to Fight Tooth Decay
  (Printable Version)

• Scientists Find Genes to Lower Saturated Fats in Beef
  (Printable Version)
  

• Countering Insect Resistance with Designer Bt Toxins
  (Printable Version)
  

• The Healthy Grown Label: Healthy Food and Healthy Land
  (Printable Version)
  

• Scientists Examine Chicken Fertility
  (Printable Version)
  

• Researchers Find Link Between Insects and Treatments for High Blood Pressure
  (Printable Version)
  

• Exploring How Growth Hormones are Released in Animals
  (Printable Version)
  

• Why Does Antibiotic Resistant Campylobacter Persist in Poultry?
  (Printable Version)
  

• Fresh Food Program Promotes Healthy Eating Habits Among Children
  (Printable Version)
  

• Fragmented Forests Could Lead to Habitat Disaster
  (Printable Version)
  

• Research Increases Success of In Vitro Fertilization
  (Printable Version)
  

• Researchers Try to Balance Rural Economies with Sustainable Forests
  (Printable Version)
  

• Healthy, Low-Calorie Foods Cost More on Average
  (Printable Version)
  

• Holistic Approach to Land Management Benefits Society and the Environment
  (Printable Version)
  

• Chicken Genome Leads to New Vaccine to Fight Poultry Disease
  (Printable Version)
  

• Farmland Values Project Measures Economic Importance of Rural Land
  (Printable Version)
  

• Healthy Lifestyles Focus of Obesity Prevention Program
  (Printable Version)

• New Farmers Given Resources Needed to Succeed
  (Printable Version)

• Radio Waves May Offer a New, Environmentally Safe Pest Control Method
  (Printable Version)

• Scientists Look for Clues into How Tree Populations Become Invasive
  (Printable Version)

• Scientists Address a Burning Question
  (Printable Version)

• Modified Diet May Increase Swine Birthrate
  (Printable Version)

• Researchers Unmask How Harmful Soybean Parasite Operates
  (Printable Version)

• Algae Opens Door to Producing Healthier Food
  (Printable Version)

 

2007

Highlights

• Genetic Diversity May Be the Key to New Honey Bee Colony Success - Heather R. Mattila and Thomas D. Seeley, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University
• Breakthrough Technology to Detect Lame Cows Early , Parimal Rajkondawar, Bill Nelson, Roger Erdman, David Johnson, Diane Bustamante, Uri Tasch, Nagaraj Neerchal, and Robert Dyer.
• Soil Erosion and Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration - Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Margaret S. Torn, Jennifer W. Harden, and John Harte.
• Reaching Out: Dietary Bioactive Components in Foods and Supplements - Glen Cameron, Charles Santerre, Susan Kundrat, Marjorie Whitman, Anna-Sigrid Keck, and Elizabeth Jeffery.
• The Ecological Genetics of Plant Invasion: Range Expansion of Reed Canarygrass into North America - Jane Molofsky, University of Vermont, and Sebastien Lavergne, Universite Joseph Fourrier.
• Enhancing Antioxidant Availability in Wheat-Based Foods for Improving Human Health - Dr. Liangli (Lucy) Yu, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
• Large-Scale DNA Analysis of Bumble Bees: Worldwide Phylogeny Points to Commonality in the Decline of North American Species - Sydney Cameron, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
• Novel Climate Change Experiment Predicts Grass­lands Future - Alan K. Knapp, Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO.
• Research on the Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharide Pectin Leads to the Identification of a Gene Family that Impacts Plant Biomass and Plant-Based Products - Debra Mohnen, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, GA.
• A Regional Assessment of Agricultural Land Use on Grassland Birds - Kimberly A. With, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
• Controls on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Managed Grasslands - Bryan Foster and Kelly Kindscher, University of Kansas.

 

Cover Stories

• Genome Plasticity a Key Factor in the Success of Polyploid Wheat Under Domestication . J. Dubcovsky and J. Dvorak. 2007, Science , 316 (5833) 1862-1866.
• B Lymphocytes from Early Vertebrates Have Potent Phagocytic and Microbicidal Abilities , Jun Li, D. R. Barreda, Y. Zhang, H. Boshra, A. E. Gelman, S. LaPatra, L. Tort, and J.O. Sunyer, 2006, Nature Immunology , 7(10), 1116-1124.
• Maize pollen coat xylanase facilitates pollen tube penetration into silk during sexual reproduction , D. Suen and A.H.C. Huang, 2007, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282(1): 625-636.
• Nuclear Import and Export of Plant Viral Proteins and Genomes , Krichevsky, A., S.V. Kozlovsky, Y. Gafni, and V. Citovsky, 2006, Molecular Plant Pathology, 7, 131-146.
• tie-dyed1 Regulates Carbohydrate Accumulation in Maize Leaves , Braun, D.M., Y. Ma, N. Inada, M. G. Muszynski, and R. F. Baker, 2006, Plant Physiology , 142 (4), 1511-1522.
• A Case of Promiscuity: Agrobacterium's Endless Hunt for New Partners , Lacroix, B., T. Tzfira, A. Vainstein, and V. Citovsky, 2006, Trends in Genetics, 22, 29-37.
• Capture and Retention of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms , Searcy, K.E., Packman, A.I., Atwill, E.R., and Harter, T., 2006, Applied and Environmental Microbiology , 72(9), 6242–6247.
• DEMETER DNA Glycosylase Establishes MEDEA Polycomb Gene Self-Imprinting By Allele-Specific Demethylation . Gehring, M., Huh, J. H., Hsieh, T.-F., Penterman, J., Choi, Y., Harada, J.J., Goldberg, R.B., Fischer, R.L. 2006. Cell 124:495-506.
• The Populus Homeobox Gene ARBORKNOX1 Reveals Overlapping Mechanisms Regulating the Shoot Apical Meristem and the Vascular Cambium. A. T. Groover, S. D. Mansfield, S. P. DiFazio, G. Dupper, J. R. Fontana, R. Millar, and Y. Wang. 2006. Plant Molecular Biology 61: 917-932.
• The Wheat and Barley Vernalization Gene VRN3 is an Orthologue of FT. Yan , L., D. Fu, C. Li, A. Blechl, G. Tranquilli, M. Bonafede, A. Sanchez, M. Valarik, and J. Dubcovsky. 2006. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 103: 19581-19586.
• Biosynthesis of Plant Volatiles Nature's Diversity and Ingenuity. Eran Pichersky, J.P. Noel, N. Dudareva. Science 311:808-811 (2006)
• Lipid-Rich Tapetosomes in Brassica Tapetum Are Composed of Oleosin-Coated Oil Droplets and Vesicles, Both Assembled in and then Detached from the Endoplasmic Reticulum. K. Hsieh and A. H. C. Huang. 2005. Plant Journal 43(6): 889-899.
• Insights into Social Insects from the Genome of the Honeybee, Apis mellifera , Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium. 2006. Nature 443: 931-949.

Top

2006

Highlights

• Damage Control: Bioengineering Root-knot Nematode Resistant Plants - Richard Hussey and Guozhong Huang, University of Georgia.
• Phosphorus (P) Feeding Programs For Dairy Cows: Impacts On Manure Composition, P Runoff, and Farm Sustainability - Andrew Sharpley, Zhiguo Wu, Al Rotz, Peter Kleinman, and Ann Wolf, USDA-ARS, Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research Unit University Park, PA, and Department of Dairy and Animal Science, Pennsylvania State University.
• Mechanism Revealed for Sustaining Milk Production in Dairy Cows - Darryl Hadsell, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
• Biohazard Detection Made Simple with a Newly Developed Cloth - Margaret W. Frey, Y. L. Joo, and A. J. Baeumner, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
• High-Throughput Gene Expression Studies Provide Clues For How Cereal Crops Grow - Roger P. Wise (USDA-ARS), Iowa State University and Gary Muehlbauer, University of Minnesota.
• Ground Penetrating Radar used to Guide Precision Viticulture – Yoram Rubin and Susan Hubbard, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
• New Mechanism of Carbon Sequestration in Soils – John F. McCarthy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.
• Sperm Mobility Determines Fertility in Roosters – David Froman, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.
• Study of Plant Disease Uncovers New Class of Bacterial Enzyme Which May Lead to Useful New Products – Rosemary Loria, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
• Increasing the Nutritional Quality of Corn – Daniel Gallie, University of California, Riverside, CA.

Cover Stories

• Mutations Within the Nuclear Localization Signal of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Nucleocapsid Protein Attenuate Virus Replication. C. Lee, D. Hodgins, J. G. Calvert, S. W. Welch, R. Jolie, and D. Yoo.2006. Virology 346 (1): 238-250.
• Redox Window with Minimum Global Warming Potential Contribution from Rice Soils . K. Yu and W. H. Patrick, Jr. 2004. Soil Science Society of America Journal 68(6):1807-2094.
• A Single Amino Acid Substitution In The Sixth Leucine-Rich Repeat Of Barley MLA6 And MLA13 Alleviates Dependence OnRAR1 For Disease Resistance Signaling. D. Halterman and R. P. Wise. 2004. The Plant Journal38 (2): 215-226.
• A Highly Efficient Transient Protoplast System for Analyzing Defense Gene Expression and Protein–Protein Interactions in Rice. S. Chen, L. Tao, L. Zeng, M. E. Vega-Sanchez, K. Umemura and G-L. Wang. 2006. Molecular Plant Pathology 7(5): 417 – 428.
• Hierarchical Action and Inhibition of Plant Dicer-Like Proteins in Antiviral Defense. A. Deleris, J. Gallego-Bartolome, J. Bao, K. D. Kasschau, J. C. Carrington, and O. Voinnet. 2006. Science 313(5783): 68-71.
• Rapid Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Quorum Signal Biodegradation in Diverse Soils. Y. Wang and J. R. Leadbetter. 2005. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71(3): 1291-1299.
• pSAT Vectors: A Modular Series of Plasmids for Autofluorescent Protein Tagging And Expression of Multiple Genes in Plants. T. Tzfira, G. Tian, B. Lacroix, S. Vyas, J. Li, Y. Leitner-Dagan, A. Krichevsky, T. Taylor, A. Vainstein, and V. Citovsky. 2005. Plant Molecular Biology 57(4): 503-516.
• Complex Social Behavior Derived from Maternal Reproductive Traits. G. Amdam, A. Csondes, M. Kim Fondrk, and R. E. Page Jr. 2005. Nature 439: 76-78
• Arabidopsis IQD1, a novel calmodulin-binding nuclear protein stimulates glucosinolate accumulation and plant defense. M. Levy, Q. Want, R. Kaspi, P.P. Parrella, and S. Abel. 2005. The Plant Journal 43(1):79-96
• Expression and Proteasomal Degradation of the Major Vault Protein (MVP) in Mammalian Oocytes and Zygotes. P. Sutovsky, G. Manandhar, J. Laurincik, J. Letko, J.N. Caamaño, B.N. Day, L. Lai1, R. S. Prather, K.L. Sharpe-Timms, R. Zimmer, and M. Sutovsky. 2005. Reproduction 129(3):269-282

Top

2005

Cover Stories

• Redox Window with Minimum Global Warming Potential Contribution from Rice Soils. K. Yu and W. H. Patrick Jr. 2004. Soil Science Society of America Journal 68(6):1807-2094

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2004

Highlights

• Delivering Crop Genomics to Farmers' Fields - Project Partners: California State University, Fresno (J.P. Prince); Cornell University (A. Rangarajan, J. Rose); Northeast Organic Farming Association of NY (M. Glos and S. Johnston ); the Farmers' Cooperative Genome Project/Oregon Tilth (J.J. Haapala), and USDA (J. Giovannoni, L. Robertson, J. Thies).
• Bringing Genomics to the Wheat Field - Jorge Dubcovsky, University of California-Davis.
• New Fertility Test Yields Practical and Research Benefits - David Miller, University of Illinois-Champagne-Urbana, Urbana, IL.

Cover Stories

• Seasonal Plasticity within the Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GNRH) System of the Ewe: Changes in Identified GNRH Inputs and Glial Association. Heiko T. Jansen, Christopher Cutter, Steven Handy, Michael N. Lehman, and Robert L. Goodman. 2003. Endocrinology 144(8):3663-3676
• The First Generation Whole Genome Radiation Hybrid Map in the Horse Identifies Conserved Segments in Human and Mouse Genomes. Ghanu P. Chowdhary, Terje Raudsepp, Srinivas R. Kata, Glenda Goh, Lee V. Millon, Veronica Allan, Francois Piumi, Gerard Guerin, Jane Swinburne, Matthew Binns, Teri L. Lear, Jim Mickelson, James Murray, Douglas, F. Antczak, James E. Womack, and Loren C. Skow. 2003. Genome Research 13(4):742-751.
• The Arabidopsis ATK1 Gene is Required for Spindle Morphogenesis in Male Meiosis. Changhin Chen, Adam, Marcus, Wuxing Li, Yi Hu, Jean-Phillippe, Vielle Calzada, Uli Grossniklaus, Richard J. Cyr and Hong Ma. 2002. Development 129(10): 2401-2409.
• Non-degradative Dissolution and Acetylation of Ball-milled Plant Cell Walls: High-resolution Solution-state NMR. Fachuang Lu and John Ralph. 2003. The Plant Journal 35(4):535-544.
• The Actin Cytoskeleton is a Target of the Self-incompatibility Response in Papaver rhoeas. C. J. Staiger and V. E. Franklin-Tong. 2003. Journal of Experimental Botany 54(380): 103-113.
• Actions of Tumor Necrosis Factor-a on Oocyte Maturations and Development in Cattle. P. Soto, R. P. Natzke, and P. J. Hansen. 2004. 50:380-388.
• XANES Determination of Absorbed Phosphate Distribution between Ferrihydrile and Boehmite in Mixtures. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 2004. 68(2):460-469.
• Maternal Nutrition and Fetal Development. Guoyao Wu, Fuller W. Bazer, Timothy A. Cudd, Cynthia J. Meininger, and Thomas E. Spencer. 2004. Journal of Nutrition. 134(9):2169-2172.
• Senescence-induced Expression of cytokinin Reverses Pistil Abortion During Maize Flower Development. T. E. Young, J. Geisler-Lee, D. R. Gallie. 2004. Plant Journal 38(6):910-922.
• Proteasomal Interference Prevents Zona Pellucida Penetration and Fertilization in Mammals. P. Sutovsky, G. Manandhar, T. C. McCauley, J. N. Caamoño, M. Sutovsky, W. E. Thompson, and B. N. Day. 2004. Biology of Reproduction 71(5):1614-1624.

 

Top

2003

Highlights

• Sequencing the Rice Genome and How this Will Change Agriculture - Rod A. Wing, The University of Arizona; Robin Buell, The Institute for Genomic Research; William R. McCombie; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Richard Wilson, Washington University.

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2002

Highlights

• Seed Dormancy May Hold Key to Improved Weed Management - Michael E. Foley, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Fargo, ND Shahryar Kianian, North Dakota State.
• Soybean Researchers Pin Hopes on Disease Resistance Genes - Nevin Young, University of Minnesota.
• Nematode Resistance Genetics Should Boost Tomato Health - Isgouhi Kaloshian and Philip A. Roberts, University of California, Riverside.
• Natural Antibiotics Help Aid Swine Health and Food Safety - Frank Blecha and Chris Ross, Kansas State University.
• Vaccine Against Horn Flies Could Curb Economic Losses - Ed Cupp, Mary Cupp, and Dunhua Zhang, Auburn University.
• Discovering the Genetics of Wood Leads to Quality Improvement - David B. Neale, Institute of Forest Genetics, USDA Forest Service, University of California at Davis.
• Feedlot Sampling Study Measures Resistance to Antimicrobial Drugs - M.D. Salman, Colorado State University.

Cover Stories

• Mitochondrial Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity Is Required for Male Fertility in Maze. Feng Liu, Xiangqin Cui, Harry T. Horner, Henry Weiner, and Patrick S. Schnable. 2001. The Plant Cell 13(5):1063-1078
• Rds and Rih Mediate Hypersensitive Cell Death Independent of Gene-for-Gene Resistance to the Oat Crown Rust Pathogen, Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae. Gong-Xin Yu, Ed Braun, and Roger P. Wise. 2001. Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions 14(12):1376-1383.
• The Arabidopsis thaliana ABC Protein Superfamily: A Complete Inventory. Sánchez-Fernández, R., T.G.E. Davies, J.O.D. Coleman, and P.A Rea. 2001. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276(32): 30231-30244.
• A Putative, Ubiquitin-Dependent Mechanism for the Recognition and Elimination of Defective Spermatozoa in the Mammalian Epididymis. Peter Sutovsky, Ricardo Moreno, Joao Ramalho-Santos, Tanja Dominko, Winston E. Thompson and Gerald Schatten. 2001. Journal of Cell Science. 114(9): 1665-1675.
• The Arabidopsis Compact Inflorescence Genes: Phase-specific Growth Regulation and the Determination of Inflorescence Architecture. Goosey, L., and R.A. Sharrock. 2001. The Plant Journal 26(5): 549-559.
• ABP1 is Required for Organized Cell Elongation and Division in Arabidopsis Embryogenesis. Chen, J.-G., H. Ullah, J.C. Young, M.R. Sussman, and A.M. Jones. 2001. Genes & Development 15(7): 902-911.
• Optical Biosensors for Food Pathogen Detection. A. Garth Rand, Jianming Ye, Chris W. Brown, and Stephen V. Letcher. 2002. Food Technology 56(3): 32-39.
• Wheat Puroindolines Enhance Fungal Disease Resistance in Transgenic Rice. Krishnamurthy, K., C. Balconi, J.E. Sherwood and M. Giroux. 2001. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 14(10):1255-1260.
• The Use of Two Flourescent Dyes to Identify Sperm in a Competitive Binding Assay to Oocytes. D.J. Miller, J.M. Demers, A.G. Braundmeier, M.L. Behrens. 1998. Journal of Andrology 19(6): 650-656.

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2001

Highlights

• Mice Serve as Research Models to Study Mechanisms of Obesity - Thomas W. Gettys, Louisiana State University.
• Antioxidants Protect Turkeys Against Toxicity of Aflatoxin - Roger A. Coulombe, Jr., Utah State University.
• Boosting Lysine Improves Nutritional Value of Corn - Brian A. Larkins, University of Arizona.
• Crop, Forestry Residues Used as New Sources to Produce Ethanol - Lonnie Ingram, University of Florida.
• Plant Gene Cloning May Lead to Better Timing of Flowering - Jorge Dubcovsky, University of California at Davis.
• Researchers Study Genetics to Prevent Cereal Diseases - Roger P. Wise (USDA-ARS), Iowa State University.