Digital Commons Network^™

The Dock Beetle: Reducing Costs And Pesticides In Irish Agriculture, Bianca Araujo, Daniel P. Fitzpatrick

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of The Nature Restoration Law In The Eu - Pros, Cons And Impossibilities, Emma Mcdonagh, Liam Sunner

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

No abstract provided.

Ireland’S Energy Transition: Unlocking The Potential Of Offshore Renewables, Caoimhe O'Hare, Madjid Karimirad, Gautam Baruah

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

No abstract provided.

From Conflict To Connection: Educators Leading The Shift Towards Restorative Practices (Rp) In Deis Primary Schools, Ellen Slattery, Clara Hoyne

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gap From Preschool To Primary: From Policy To Practice, Aimee O'Connor, Cóilín O’ Braonáin

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Research Report No. 360: Best Practice And Policy In Australian Abalone Stock Enhancement, Frdc Project No. 2019/110, Lachlan W. Strain, Anthony M. Hart

Fisheries Research Reports

This report provides the most comprehensive evaluation of abalone stock enhancement in Australia to date. The review demonstrates the significant advancements in abalone stock enhancement and concludes that the knowledge and expertise to undertake large-scale (commercial) abalone stock enhancement is present within Australia. The development of policy/guidelines on marine stock enhancement has occurred across all jurisdictions but is still limited in abalone specific policy that could facilitate commercial enhancement programs effectively. Unfortunately, there is a high degree of variability between jurisdictions in both capacity and policy, which was reflected in the jurisdictional scoring against current “best practice” on marine stock …

Fisheries Research Report No. 357: Recreational Fishing For Marron In South-West Western Australia In 2025 - Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Eva Lai

Fisheries Research Reports

The smooth marron (Cherax cainii) (‘marron’) is endemic to freshwater dams and rivers of south-west Western Australia. Marron are managed as a single stock within the South-West Recreational Freshwater Resource and are highly vulnerable to over-exploitation due to the biological characteristics of the species (e.g., low fecundity, localised populations) as well as environmental (e.g., habitat loss, reduction in rainfall) and human (e.g., fishing, land clearing) pressures on freshwater ecosystems.

Due to this vulnerability, this species has been the focus of research, monitoring and management since the 1970’s. Since 2000, annual phone-recall (2000 – 2021) and online-recall (2022 – 2025) surveys …

Micronuclei As A Marker Of Genotoxicity In An Urban Songbird., Elise Mittlestat

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

A rise in industry and vehicle emissions in the last 20 years has led to an increase in exposure to air pollution. Air pollution has been identified as a major threat to both human and animal health and it has been linked to elevated oxidative stress. One of the most severe consequences of oxidative stress is genotoxic damage. Birds have been identified as promising sentinels for human health, but the effects of air pollution on genotoxicity in birds is understudied. In this study, I evaluated the association between air pollution and markers of genotoxicity in American Robins (Turdus migratorius) to …

Fisheries Research Report No. 355: Recreational Fishing For Western Rock Lobster In 2024/25: Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Alissa Tate

Fisheries Research Reports

The Western Rock Lobster (WRL) (Panulirus cygnus) is the most commonly caught Rock Lobster (RL) species in Australia. Catches from the commercial and recreational sectors are required to determine and monitor Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC), Total Allowable Recreational Catch (TARC) and the proportion of Allowable Harvest Level (AHL) achieved. The TARC is evaluated annually based on a 5-year average.

Data for the recreational sector are obtained using phone-recall surveys to provide annual estimates of participation, fishing effort and retained catch (by numbers) from recreational fishers who hold a RL licence. Average weight, obtained from boat ramp surveys, are used …

Recycling Waste Via Insect Agriculture: Frass Impacts On Soil And Plant Health, Helen C.S. Amorim, Amanda J. Ashworth, Thomas F. Ducey, Valerie B. Brewer-Gunsaulis, Gerson L. Drescher, Philip R. Owens, Alana H. Patterson, Giovanna De Blais, Iris Van Straaten

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Frass-the main by-product of insect rearing for animal feed-is emerging as a promising soil amendment and plant growth promoter. However, basic agronomic information is lacking and prevents frass' widespread use as a biofertilizer. This study assessed impacts of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L. [Diptera: Stratiomyidae]) frass on soil fertility, crop growth, and quality compared to poultry litter (PL). Irrigated and non-irrigated soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) and non-irrigated switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) plots received either PL (5.6 Mg ha(-1)), low frass rate (LF; 5.6 Mg ha(-1)), high frass rate (HF; 11.2 Mg ha(-1)), besides the unamended control (CT). In …

Comparative Analysis Of Citrate Synthase Activity In Skeletal Muscle, Liver, And Adipose Tissue In Beef Cattle, Abigail Webb

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Mitochondrial efficiency plays a central role in determining how cattle partition nutrients toward muscle growth or adipose deposition, yet little is known about tissue-specific differences in mitochondrial density among tissues or among beef cattle. This study aimed to quantify mitochondrial density in muscle, liver, and adipose tissue samples from beef cattle and evaluate its potential relationship with metabolic efficiency. Tissue samples of semitendinosus muscle (ST), liver, and subcutaneous adipose (SC) were collected, homogenized, and analyzed for citrate synthase (CS) activity using a fluorometric assay as a proxy for mitochondrial density. Preliminary analyses revealed that the semitendinosus muscle displayed the highest …

The Consciousness Inherent In Chasing Your Tail, Sergio M. Pellis Dr.

Animal Sentience

Who is conscious and how do we know? Complexity in behavior and cognition is certainly a clue that cannot be ignored in identifying this trait, and as Mather’s target article shows, it is hard not to imagine consciousness arising in cephalopods. But how complex is complex? An alternative may be gleaned from the fact that all living things rely on negative feedback to navigate their worlds, and this requires all sentient beings knowing what is to be stabilized in reflection to themselves. If so, consciousness is a universal trait.

Bull Shark (Carcharihinus Leucas) Chondrocranium, Nicholas Burchett, Michelle Bassali, David W. Kerstetter, Roman Devlin

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Design Of A Snp Panel For Highly Accurate Paternity Identification In Eşme Sheep, Onur Yilmaz, İbrahi̇m Cemal, Orhan Karaca, Cengi̇z Elmaci, Nezi̇h Ata

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

SNP paternity testing panels offer high-resolution capabilities for determining livestock paternity, thereby enhancing the reliability of genetic verification and ensuring pedigree record accuracy. In this study, we aimed to develop a SNP-based paternity test panel utilizing a 50K SNP chip for paternity testing and pedigree verification in the Eşme sheep breed. Additionally, the study sought to validate the paternity test panel. Based on data from 26 rams and 524 lambs of the Eşme sheep breed, the results indicated that the 50K SNP chip used demonstrated a very high genotyping rate, with the majority of its 53,738 SNPs exhibiting significant polymorphism. …

Re-Survey Of Blastocystis Infection In Free-Living Birds From Urban Xinxiang City, Xuehan Liu, Yingying Cao, Di An, Chengshui Liao, Ruibiao Wang, Bo Wen, Chunling Zhu, Huarun Sun, Longfei Zhang, Baoliang Qin, Yanhui Wang, Jianhe Hu, Yueyu Bai, Ke Ding, Lei Wang

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Blastocystis is the most ubiquitous intestinal protozoan parasite found in humans and animals worldwide. Commonly, ST7 and ST6 are the major Blastocystis subtypes reported in birds, and their frequencies fluctuate greatly with various factors. However, little literature is available on the prevalence and subtype characteristics of this parasite in free-living wild birds in the same city. For this purpose, a total of 114 fresh fecal specimens were collected from wild free-living birds in urban districts of Xinxiang city and tested for Blastocystis using PCR of the barcoding region of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. The positive isolates …

Notes On Reproduction, Seasonality, And Roost Sites For Silver-Haired Bats (Lasionycteris Noctivagans) In Western Nebraska, Joseph W. Paysen, Dawson V. Kosmicki, Keith Geluso

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Silver-haired Bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are a migratory species found throughout the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Throughout their range, Silver-haired Bats roost in various tree species, generally within decaying features like cavities and exfoliated bark. Herein we report on additional reproductive and seasonal data as well as the first data on trees used as roost sites by Silver-haired Bats in Nebraska. We captured individuals along a small tributary of the North Platte River at Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Garden County, Nebraska, and tracked bats to their roosts. At this location, we documented lactation on 17 …

Attributes Of Artificial Wetlands Colonized By Ambystoma Maculatum On A Virginia Surface Mine, Hunter Hill, Garrett Stiltner, Walter H. Smith

Virginia Journal of Science

Landscapes impacted by surface mineral extraction present a range of artificial wetland habitats potentially useable by pool-breeding amphibians, although little information exists in the literature detailing which attributes influence breeding site selection by wetland amphibian specialists in post-mined landscapes. We compared attributes of artificial wetlands consistently used and unused as oviposition sites by Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) over a six-year period on a 120-ha former surface mine in Wise County, Virginia, USA. Salamanders non-randomly selected wetlands as oviposition sites, with one-third of available wetlands within the study area showing evidence of ovipositioning. Wetlands used as breeding sites were …

Fisheries Research Report No. 354: Recreational Fishing For Abalone In Western Australia In 2024/2025 - Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Lachlan W. Strain

Fisheries Research Reports

The Western Australian Recreational Abalone Fishery (RAF) operates in shallow coastal waters as a hand collection fishery while wading or diving. Three species of abalone are allowed to be caught. Roe’s abalone (Haliotis roei) are generally collected while wading from the shore in accessible nearshore reef complexes along the West and South Coast Bioregions. Greenlip abalone (H. laevigata) and Brownlip abalone (H. conicopora) are collected while wading (including snorkelling and freediving) and diving (using compressed air) predominantly along the South Coast Bioregion.

Recreational fishing for the three abalone species is licensed and highly regulated, especially in the Western Zone (which …

Mhc Gene Analysis And Immune Variation In Lepidodactylus Lugubris (The Mourning Gecko), Helen T. Vu

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a central role in vertebrate immune defense by enabling pathogen recognition and initiating adaptive immune responses. While MHC diversity has been extensively studied in sexually reproducing species, comparatively little is known about its evolution in asexual lineages. The parthenogenetic gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris provides a unique opportunity to investigate how clonality and hybrid origins influence immune gene diversity. By leveraging whole-genome data, this study overcomes the limitations of previous transcriptome-based analyses and provides a more comprehensive view of MHC diversity in a clonal vertebrate. As the first step towards understanding MHC evolution in parthenogenetic lizards, …

Growing South Dakota (Fall 2025), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Mesonet at SDState: A benefit to every South Dakotan
[Page] 6 Governor’s Ag Ambassador — Glenn Muller
[Page] 8 Precision agriculture cooperative agreement signed with University of Debrecen
[Page] 10 Students experience international agriculture, culture in Vietnam, New Zealand
[Page] 12 Legen-dairy! SDSU students claim national judging awards
[Page] 13 SDSU Rodeo Team continues storied rodeo tradition at nationals
[Page] 14 SDSU wheat breeders helping feed the world
[Page] 20 SDSU drone holds promise for soil, leaf sampling
[Page] 22 Don't be a fish out of water
[Page] 24 A passion for academic advising
[Page] 25 One takeaway …

Bone Mineral Density Of Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus Lagopus) As A Potential Taphonomic Factor In Skeletal Part Attrition, Frank J. Dirrigl Jr., Samuel R. Buchanan

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Agents of taphonomy can bias skeletal parts and the frequency of bones in archaeological sites. An important factor to consider is the possible effect of bone density-mediated attrition on archaeornithological assemblages. We scanned willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) specimens using a Lunar iDXA and an enCcore small animal body add-on to develop a rank-order scheme based on the volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) of skeletal parts. Our results identified the tibiotarsus and femur to be the least dense bones, while carpometacarpus, 3rd digit, and coracoid were the densest. This novel scheme allowed us to evaluate a sample of 22 …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Bridge Grate And Pipe Cattle Guard Designed To Mitigate Ocelot Road Mortality On Texas State Highway, Rupesh Maharjan, John H. Young Jr., Kevin W. Ryer, Md. Saydur Rahman, Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The mitigated and fenced section of State Highway 100, extending from Laguna Vista to Los Fresnos, includes five wildlife crossing structures and 16 modified cattle guards (also called wildlife guards) installed to mitigate ocelot road mortality. Bridge grate and pipe wildlife guards were deployed at vehicle entries, and we evaluated their effectiveness in preventing meso-carnivores and ungulates from entering the roadway through the fence gaps from April 2020 to 2024. Wildlife guards collectively were >82% effective in repelling ungulate attempts to enter the roadway, while only 16.64% of meso-carnivore attempts were repelled. The pipe wildlife guard (PWG) design repelled 86.79% …

Efficiency And Clinical Outcomes Of Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy On Canine Coxofemoral Osteoarthritis, Patama Arunrattanakul, Kumpanart Soontornvipart

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The purpose of this study was to find out the optimal technique to prepare plasma with the highest platelet concentration in platelet rich plasma (PRP), as well as determine the result of autologous PRP from the dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) condition. It was shown that the PRP could reduce inflammation, cell regeneration and enhance angiogenesis to support the injured tissue. This study was composed of two phases; the first phase aimed to find the best centrifugation speed and time that could be able to produce the plasma with the highest platelet concentration by conducting the experiment from a total of …

Review On Exploring The Potential Of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens) As A Novel Feed Ingredient For Poultry, Muhammad Naeem Jan, Nasir Rajput, Muhammad Naeem, Sher Ali, Ghulam Shabir Barham, Tehseen Fatima Miano

Journal of Bioresource Management

Poultry provides both direct and indirect employment opportunities to individuals. Every farm owner desires a reduced investment with more earnings. Over 50 % of the overall cost of chicken rearing is allocated to feed stuff. Among all feed ingredients, protein sources are the most expensive, yet protein is essential for production and growth. This exorbitant price cannot be sustained by the small-scale farmers. Consequently, contemporary scientists are attempting to substitute the protein supply with black soldier fly in their formulations. This review study examines the advantageous effect of utilizing Black Soldier Fly powder, larvae or oil, as demonstrated in scientific …

Diversity Of Butterflies (Lepidoptera) In Kanju, District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Said Miraj Ud Din, Khushbakht Asad, Hamid Ur Rahman, Attiya Iqbal

Journal of Bioresource Management

Butterflies are one of the most beautiful creatures on earth. They belong to the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, and order Lepidoptera. Butterflies play an important role in the ecosystem, contributing significantly to pollen transfer. They play an important role in pollination, and their foraging behavior enhances the genetic diversity. Additionally, they also play an important role in the food chain and serve as prey for birds, reptiles, and other insectivore organisms. The current study was conducted to find out the diversity and distribution of butterflies in Kanju district Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A total 203 specimens were collected from August …

Seroprevalence, Risk Factors, And Diagnostic Accuracy Of Brucellosis In Upper Dir District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Sidra Sanam, Kamran Khan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the gram-negative, intracellular bacterium Brucella. Although it is endemic in Pakistan, comprehensive data on its prevalence, risk factors, and diagnostic accuracy remain limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess these parameters in local communities of District Dir Upper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A total of 345 individuals suspected of brucellosis were investigated. Blood samples and structured questionnaires were collected to determine prevalence and identify associated risk factors. Additionally, 50 culture-confirmed positive cases and 50 negative controls were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Serum Plate Agglutination Test …

A Review On The Ethnozoological Remedies With The Help Of Animal Body Parts And Its Impact On Their Conservation Status, Minahal Fatima, Bushra Nisar Khan, Mudasser Hasan, Amina Tufail, Farhat Batool, Majida Maqbool, Fakhra Nazir

Journal of Bioresource Management

The use of wildlife in biomedical science has had a long history as it has been used as experimental animals, Sources of unusual physiology, and of bioactive compounds on which life-saving medicines are based. Amphibians are a Source of antimicrobial peptides, analgesic alkaloids, and regeneration. Immune adaptations and venoms of reptiles have produced cardiovascular medications, anti-clotting solutions and diabetes treatment. Birds serve as models of zoonotic diseases and provide immunological tools e.g. IgY antibodies and support embryology and neurobiology. Advanced studies on human disease, vaccines, cancer resistance and hypoxia tolerance have been facilitated by mammals such as rodents, primates, bats, …

Trophic Niche Overlap Between Native And Alien Fish Species: A Challenge For The Aquatic Ecosystems, Rana Manzoor Ahmad, Abdul Majid Khan, Mariya Basharat, Muhammad Rizwan, Neelam Shahzadi, Muhammad Imran

Journal of Bioresource Management

The different physiological and biological challenges are introduced not only on land but also in aquatic ecosystems due to increasing climatic changes and human needs. One of these challenges is the introduction of invasive alien species to the native freshwater ichthyofauna. These species not only disturb the ecological balance of the native water bodies but can also be a vector for parasitic diseases. The current study is designed to disclose the trophic niche overlap among exotic (Cyprinus carpio and Oreochromis mozambicus) and indigenous fish species (Labeo calbasu and Cirrhinus mrigala) from Head Baloki (Ravi River), Punjab, …

Comparative Transcriptomics Reveals Novel And Differential Circular Rna Responses Underlying Interferon-Mediated Antiviral Regulation In Porcine Alveolar Macrophages, Jiuyi Li, Oluwaseun Adeyemi, Laura C. Miller, Yongming Sang

Food and Animal Sciences Faculty Research

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) causes significant economic losses in the swine industry. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of stable non-coding RNAs, are increasingly recognized as regulators in immune responses and host–virus interactions. This study investigated the genome-wide circRNA responses in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), key cell targets of PRRSV, following treatment with a modified live virus (MLV) vaccine or two interferon (IFN) subtypes (IFN-α1, IFN-ω5). Using RNA sequencing, we identified over 1000 differentially expressed circRNAs across treatment groups, revealing both conserved and distinct expression profiles. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analyses indicated that circRNA-associated genes are significantly enriched …

Organic Glycinate Trace Minerals Improve Hatchability, Bone And Eggshell Breaking Strength, And Mineral Uptake During Late Laying Cycle In Layer Breeders, Mujtaba Akram Jahangir, Muhammad Muneeb, Muhammad Farooq Iqbal, Syeda Maryam Hussain, Syed Sohail Habib, Sohail Ahmad, Kasim Sakran Abass, Nasir Mukhtar, Rashed A. Alhotan, Ali R. Al Sulaiman, Ala E. Abudabos

Food and Animal Sciences Faculty Research

This study evaluated the effects of replacing inorganic trace minerals with organic glycinate forms at two inclusion levels in layer breeders during the late laying cycle over 6 weeks (66 to 72 weeks of age). For this, a total of 180 layer breeders (162 hens and 18 males; Lohmann LSL Ultralite) were randomly divided into three treatment groups having six replicates of nine hens each and one male for each replicate following a completely randomized design (CRD). The dietary treatments included: (1) Basal diet + inorganic trace minerals at breed recommended levels (ITM100), (2) Basal diet + organic trace minerals …