• Assessing the Genetic Diversity of Nymphoides peltata in the Native and Adventive Range Using Microsatellite Markers

    Abstract: Nymphoides peltata (yellow floatingheart), native to Eurasia, is an invasive plant in the USA, where it grows in relatively isolated but widespread populations. The species is capable of sexual reproduction by seed and asexual reproduction through fragmentation. Although N. peltata is recognized as a noxious weed, little is known about its geographic region of origin or its dispersal mechanisms and relative amount of genetic variation in its adventive range. We conducted a genetic analysis of N. peltata by studying 68 localities across the native range and 47 localities in the adventive range, using microsatellite markers to determine genetic variability within and among populations, and to infer regions in the native range from which invasive plants originated. A large number of sites in the USA were genetically identical to one another, and there were two predominant multilocus allele phenotypes that were distributed in the northern and southern latitudes, respectively. Additional USA sites were similar to one of the predominant genetic profiles, with greater genetic diversity in southern populations. The genetically identical sites are consistent with asexual spread, potentially via anthropogenic mechanisms. Plants across the USA range were observed to produce viable seeds, and some genetic variation could be explained by sexual reproduction. All USA plants were more similar to plants in Europe than they were to plants in Asia, indicating that the plants likely were introduced originally from Europe. The existence of two genetic clusters and their similarity to plants in different parts of Europe constitute evidence for at least two N. peltata introductions into the USA.
  • Deep Learning Methods for Omics Data Imputation

    Abstract: One common problem in omics data analysis is missing values, which can arise due to various reasons, such as poor tissue quality and insufficient sample volumes. Instead of discarding missing values and related data, imputation approaches offer an alternative means of handling missing data. However, the imputation of missing omics data is a non-trivial task. Difficulties mainly come from high dimensionality, non-linear or non-monotonic relationships within features, technical variations introduced by sampling methods, sample heterogeneity, and the non-random missingness mechanism. Several advanced imputation methods, including deep learning-based methods, have been proposed to address these challenges. Due to its capability of modeling complex patterns and relationships in large and high-dimensional datasets, many researchers have adopted deep learning models to impute missing omics data. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the currently available deep learning-based methods for omics imputation from the perspective of deep generative model architectures such as autoencoder, variational autoencoder, generative adversarial networks, and Transformer, with an emphasis on multi-omics data imputation. In addition, this review also discusses the opportunities that deep learning brings and the challenges that it might face in this field.
  • Public crossing at Little Goose Dam limited through Feb. 25

    STARBUCK, Wash. – Public crossing at Little Goose Lock and Dam will be limited to passenger vehicles only (no trailers) until Feb. 25.
  • A Comprehensive Review on Wood Chip Moisture Content Assessment and Prediction

    Abstract: Wood chips are the primary sources of raw materials for numerous industries, including pelleting mills, biorefineries, pulp-and-paper industries, and biomass-based power generation facilities. Unfortunately, when wood chips are utilized as a renewable and environmentally friendly resource, industries are constantly challenged by the consistency of the wood chip qualities (e.g., moisture/ash contents, size distributions) - a historically recognized problem on a global scale. Among other wood chip quality attributes, the moisture content is considered the most pressing one as it directly impacts the energy content, storage stability, and handling properties of the raw and finished products. Therefore, accurate wood chip moisture content prediction can help optimize the drying process and reduce energy consumption. In this review, a survey was conducted on various techniques and models employed for predicting wood chip moisture content. The advantages and limitations of these approaches, as well as their potential applications and future directions were also discussed. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art in wood chip moisture content prediction and to highlight the challenges and opportunities for further research and development in this field.
  • Public Meetings scheduled for Mississippi River study

    Update: Virtual Meetings added
  • Marvels of Muskingum

    Scott Kraynak, the Environmental Compliance Coordinator for the Muskingum Area, wrote this amazing
  • Full Circle Moments: An Interview with Vanessa Pellegrino-Badell

    As a project engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vanessa Pellegrino-Badell has coordinated many construction projects, but none as close to her heart as the U.S. Air Force’s Airman Training Centers located at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Growing up, Pellegrino-Badell always had a passion for service, and when faced with the opportunity to enlist in the Air Force, she felt it was a natural step toward this. Her military service opened her eyes to new levels of possibilities and gave her the tools to be prepared for any challenges that lie ahead. We sat down with Pellegrino-Badell to discuss joining the Air Force, and how her training and military service prepared her for a new chapter in her career of becoming a project engineer for USACE.
  • Leaders with Corps, city meet to discuss next steps on San Clemente Beach Nourishment project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District commander met with the mayor of San Clemente Feb. 9 to discuss the San Clemente Beach Nourishment project. The two leaders — Col. Andrew Baker and Mayor Victor Cabral — walked along the project site near the San Clemente Pier, while discussing the way forward and addressing some of the city’s concerns. They were accompanied by LA District Project Manager Doland Cheung and San Clemente Coastal Administrator Leslea Meyerhoff.
  • Trunkline rehabilitation contract awarded for Cahokia Heights

    A construction contract for Sanitary Sewer Trunkline Rehabilitation was awarded to Insituform Technologies USA, LLC on February 9 for $4,628,116.00. This project is cost shared with the city of Cahokia Heights, Illinois and will rehabilitate approximately 17,000 lineal feet of the main sanitary sewer trunkline by utilizing the minimally invasive Cured-In-Place Pipe liner technology on the existing trunkline.
  • USACE to host open house to share info on Draft Blue Marsh Lake Master Plan

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will host an open house on Feb. 29, 2024, to share details on a draft revision of the Blue Marsh Lake Master Plan. The open house will be held from 5-7 p.m. at the Berks County Agricultural Center, 1238 County Welfare Road, Leesport, PA 19533.