Digital Commons Network^™

Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Neurocranium, Sophia Oliveira, Charlotte Gifford, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Photo-Oxidized Crude Oil On Gulf Killifish Early Life Stages, Charles Campbell

LSU Master's Theses

Photo-oxidation of spilled crude oil generates polar compounds that can heighten toxicity to marine fish embryos. We investigated the effects of photo-oxidized crude oil on early life stages of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) by exposing embryos under flow-through conditions to water-accommodated fractions of four oil treatments: fresh oil unexposed to either sunlight or weathering referred to as dark control (DC), a UV-light oxidized whole oil (LT), the polar fraction extracted from LT (Pol) and the remnants after extracting the Pol from LT (NP). Oil loadings of 0.38–3.00 g oil/kg water were tested. Total PAH concentrations and chemical profiles …

European Seabass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) Neurocranium, Gianna Dib, Logan A. Murphy, Esmeralda Orozco, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Coryphaena Hippurus (Mahi-Mahi) Neurocranium, Victoria E. Acosta, Margaret L. Mantineo, Sienna Lazar, Loren Hart, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Mmp-7 Expression And Rs11225307 Polymorphism In Breast Cancer And Fibroadenoma: A Molecular Study In Basrah, Iraq, Heba Jassam, Wijdan Nazar Ibraheim, Mazin Hawwaz Abdulridha, Rafid Adil Abood, Karam B. Nanjem

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Breast cancer (BC) progression relies heavily on extracellular matrix degradation, mediated in part by matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7). While overexpression of MMP-7 has been implicated in multiple cancers, data from Middle Eastern populations remain limited.

This study examined MMP-7 gene expression and polymorphism patterns, with emphasis on rs11225307, in breast cancer versus benign fibroadenoma (FA) tissues among women in Basrah, Iraq. Thirty-seven BC and twenty-three FA patients were enrolled. MMP-7 mRNA expression was quantified using qRT-PCR and normalized to β-actin, while polymorphisms were analyzed through Sanger sequencing of eight SNPs and allele-specific PCR for rs11225307. Statistical significance was set at …

Population Structure Analysis Of Four Basal Higher-Attines Using Bioinformatic Approaches, Gabriel Mcdanield

Biology Theses

Metapopulations within the family Formicidae are unique among other animals due to the large colonies they build, and the mating strategies required to fertilize a specialized reproductive caste that will often produce young for the life of the colony. One group of ants, the fungus-gardeners (tribe Attini). The population structure of North American non-leafcutting, fungus-gardening ants has been understudied, especially in the southwest of the United States. Additionally, not much is known about their dispersal biology, so the dynamics of dispersal of these species and how they affect population structure is likewise not well known. To shed light on the …

Warmer Temperatures Increase Egg Laying And Egg Hatching Frequency In The Invasive Freshwater Snail Physa Gyrina From Pennsylvania, Usa, Peter Fong, Morgan Nieman

Biology Faculty Publications

Climate change continues to impact populations of organisms and to affect physiological adaptations to their environments. Freshwater snails have been so impacted globally, not only by climate change, but by the concomitant exposure to environmental pollutants like human antidepressants released from wastewater treatment plants. To test the effect of climate change and antidepressants, we exposed the freshwater snail, Physa gyrina to three temperatures (12 °C, 20 °C, and 25 °C) and to a concentration of the antidepressant fluoxetine, known to modulate snail behavior, and measured time to egg laying and egg hatching. Snails exposed to 20 °C and 25 °C …

Dog Snapper (Lutjanus Jocu) Neurocranium, Camila Avila Escobar, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Black Grouper (Mycteroperca Bonaci) Neurocranium, Layla Lacelle, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Berberine–Piperine Co-Treatment As A Potential Therapeutic Strategy For Triple Negative Breast Cancer: An In Vitro Study, Aysha Suliman Alshamsi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Massive applications were implemented to limit the risks of breast cancer, especially for the aggressive and treatment-resistant subtype triple-negative breast cancer that pose substantial obstacles for conventional approaches; therefore, natural substances have come to light as potential alternatives for anticancer therapy, especially in aggressive subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In this respect, berberine (barberry) and piperine (black pepper) are natural substances found in plants that have received extensive attention for their role as phytotherapeutic agents. Berberine has shown anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Piperine is known to improve the bioavailability of other medications and has its own anticancer …

Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix) Neurocranium, Courtney R. Schober, Alyssa Olmeda, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Adsorptive Removal Of Arsenite And Cobalt By Commercial Sorbents, Sevda Joudiazar, Sushma Yadav, Zhiming Zhang, Anshuman Satpathy, Eustace Fernando, Roxana Rahmati, Junchul Kim, Rupali Datta, Dibyendu Sarkar

Michigan Tech Publications

Despite the prevalence and toxicity of heavy metals in the environment, arsenic and cobalt are of particular concern due to their high mobility and bioaccumulation potential, particularly in contaminated groundwater. Herein, we studied the adsorption behavior of commercially available sorbents, including Fluorosorb-100 (FS-100), Fluorosorb-200 (FS-200), and Filtrasorb-400 (F-400), for the removal of arsenite (As(III)) and cobalt (Co(II)), aiming at the selection of filter media in terms of future groundwater remediation. Kinetic analysis revealed that As(III) adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model, while Co(II) showed mixed first- and second-order behavior, reflecting sorbent-dependent mechanisms. Equilibrium isotherm modeling revealed strong correlations with both Langmuir …

Life As An Intern For Njit Stem For Success, Christopher Tava

STEM Month

I joined the STEM for Success Team in May 2023 with two main goals. The first goal was to reach 100 hours worth of contributions, as part of a mandatory internship requirement to graduate from the Academy for Mathematics, Science, & Engineering (AMSE). I reached that goal by early October 2023, although I have been motivated to continue my work with NJIT beyond that hour target. The second goal was to accomplish something that I was proud of with the resources that the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) provided me. I had heard of former students of AMSE that …

Genomic And Metabolic Network Characterization Of Fusarium Species, Hend Hussain Mueenuddin

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Fusarium covers the wide genus of fungi with over 400 species that are key in agricultural and medical practice. The purpose of the current study was to perform a comprehensive genomic profiling of the 19 Fusarium species that were captured in the National Centre of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. The study was made to make a comparison of the data, based on the descriptive statistics of every species, with graphical representation images enabling clear demonstration of the numbers. The study indicated that the chromosomal numbers were in the range of 0-15, the gene count was roughly 11000 -19000, while that …

The Web Of Tpd Reform: A Reflective Tool For Analyzing And Improving Teaching Professional Development Programs For Teaching Assistants, Adam J. Chouinard, Diyala S. Shihadih, Star W. Lee, Stephanie J. Gutzler, Kaleb K. Heinrich, Mitra Asgari, Erin Shortlidge

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a pivotal role in the teaching mission of higher education, but too often they are asked to do this important job without adequate teaching professional development (TPD). By receiving training in inclusive and evidence-based teaching practices, TAs can in turn help disseminate effective teaching methods for the benefit of students throughout the nation; as future faculty, TPD also better prepares TAs for their careers, helps solve longstanding problems of inclusion and retention in STEM, and reforms disciplinary educational norms through cultural evolution. Thanks to prior research and advocacy efforts, there is a growing awareness that STEM …

Pd-1 Blockade Induced Bone Loss Occurs In A T-Cell Dependent Manner And May Be Mediated By Ifnγ-Driven Osteoclast Activation, Elena Amonette, Paige M. Hill

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

PD-1 Blockade Induced Bone Loss Occurs in a T-Cell Dependent Manner and May Be Mediated by IFNγ-Driven Osteoclast Activation

^†Elena Amonette¹, ^†Paige Hill¹, Gwenyth J. Joseph², Rachelle W. Johnson^2,3

¹Belmont University, Nashville, TN; ²Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; ³Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

^†These authors contributed equally to this work

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the treatment of various cancers due to their ability to reduce tumor mediated T cell death and lengthen the anti-tumor response. One such therapy that is increasingly utilized …

Bonita - Euthynnus Alletteratus Neurocranium, Daniella M. Acosta Reyes, Matthew Mcmanus, Morgan Michalek, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Trapping Reveals Differences In Small Mammal Diversity And Community Composition Between Agriculture And Shortgrass Prairie, Trevor Pellerite, Han Li

Biology Faculty Publications

Grasslands in the Great Plains face threats such as agriculture conversion, yet the long-term impacts of this shift on small mammal communities remain underexplored. Using a decade of trapping data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), we compared small mammal diversity and community composition between a native shortgrass prairie site and an active agricultural site in Colorado, United States. We found no significant difference in species richness between the two habitats; however, the shortgrass prairie exhibited significantly higher diversity. Community composition diverged substantially between sites. The prairie site was characterized by species such as Perognathus flavus, Reithrodontomys megalotis …

Seagrass Persistence In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly Kibler, Melinda Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_seagrasspersistence_IRL_LWL.shp was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL). The dataset presented herein represents persistence of seagrass throughout waters of the IRL and LWL.

[Kyda] The Behavioral Spillover Effect: Modeling Behavioral Interdependencies In Multi-Pathogen Dynamics, Leah Lejeune, Omar Saucedo, Lauren M. Childs, Navid Ghaffarzadegan

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Self-Assembly And Self-Folding Models Of Viral Capsids, John R Jungck

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

[Kadel] Modular Control Of Boolean Network Models, Elena Dimitrova, David Murrugarra

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Organ-Specific And Extraction-Dependent Metabolite Profiles In Endemic Tajik Species Ferula Violacea Korovin, Sylhiya Mavlonazarova, Kenneth Acosta, Rinat Abzalimov, Saidbeg Satorov, Vyacheslav Dushenkov

Publications and Research

Ferula violacea Korovin, an endemic Tajikistani plant with purported medicinal properties, remains understudied. This study employs untargeted metabolomics to characterize the metabolite profiles of ethanol extracts and juices from F. violacea roots and seeds. In total, 540 distinct metabolites are putatively identified, 419 of which are previously unreported in the Ferula genus, representing a substantial expansion of its known chemical diversity. The most abundant metabolites are terpenoids, amino acid derivatives, and alkaloids. A particularly abundant group of daucane sesquiterpenoids, sharing a common (6-methyl-azulen-4-yl) cyclohexanecarboxylate substructure, is identified, including known metabolites such as ferutidin and ferutinin. Comparative analysis reveals organ-specific metabolic …

Dissolved Organic Matter Composition Differs Across Water Types In Mid-Atlantic And Great Lakes Coastal Regions, Jesse Alan Roebuck, Allison N. Myers-Pigg, Peter Regier, Nicholas D. Ward, Matthew J. Cooper, Kenneth M. Kemner, Amy Marcarelli, Elizabeth C. Minor, Michael Philben, Bongkeun Song, Rodrigo Vargas, Jianqiu Zheng

Michigan Tech Publications

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in coastal surface waters influences local water quality and is an important component of biogeochemical cycling in coastal systems. Many studies have highlighted transformations of DOM along longitudinal river to estuary transects; however, processes that alter DOM composition along lower reaches of rivers and nearshore estuarine waters is poorly understood. The high productivity of coastal environments and their limited representation in Earth System Models further highlights a need for better understanding of DOM transformations along coastal reaches. We leverage a spatially distributed community sampling effort that spans coastal ecosystems across two regions to identify broad spatial …

Khsrp-Mediated Decay Of Axonally Localized Prenyl-Cdc42 Mrna Slow Nerve Regeneration, Matthew D. Zdradzinski, Lauren S. Vaughn, Samaneh Matoo, Kayleigh Trumbull, Terika P. Smith, Davis Noblitt, Courtney N. Buchanan, Ashley Loomis, Elizabeth Thames, Seung Joon Lee, Nora Perrone-Bizzozero, Qun Lu, Jessica M. Larsen, Jeffery L. Twiss

Faculty Publications

The small GTPase CDC42 promotes axon growth through actin filament polymerization and this growth is driven by axonal localization of the mRNA encoding the prenylated CDC42 isoform (Prenyl-Cdc42). Here, we show that axonal Prenyl-Cdc42 mRNA levels and the mRNA’s translation are decreased by growth-inhibiting stimulation and increased by growth-promoting stimulation. In contrast, axonal RhoA mRNA transport and translation are increased by growth-inhibiting but unaffected by growth-promoting stimuli. Localized increase in KHSRP in response to growth inhibitory stimulation, through elevation of intracellular Ca²⁺, promotes decrease in axonal levels of Prenyl-Cdc42 mRNA. Distinct 3’UTR motifs regulate transport and …

Screening Of Potential Plant Growth‐Promoting Rhizobacteria (Pgpr)-Assisted Phytoremediation To Mitigate Lead Toxicity In Uae Soils, Zeinab A. Mohamed

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Plant growth-promoting actinobacteria can enhance plant resilience to heavy metal contamination. This study evaluated the effects of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCD)-producing rhizosphere-competent (RC) and non-rhizosphere-competent (NRC) actinobacterial strains on corn growth and lead (Pb) tolerance. A greenhouse experiment was conducted under Pb stress [1000 mg/kg soil as Pb(NO₃)₂] to compare the two isolates. Inoculated plants performed better than uninoculated controls, particularly in non-contaminated soils. Under Pb stress, the isolates #22 (NRC) and #30 (RC) significantly enhanced plant height, dry weight, and chlorophyll content, with RC isolate #30 exhibiting the most pronounced effects. Identified as Streptomyces mirabilis UAE2, isolate #30 reduced electrolyte …

Isolation And Characterization Of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria From Soils In The Uae And Their Effect On Plant Salt Tolerance, Layla Zayed Almazrouei

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Plants are constantly challenged by environmental stresses that restrict their growth and productivity. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), soil salinity is a critical barrier to agriculture, particularly for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), which is highly sensitive to moderate salinity levels (>2.5 dS m⁻¹). This study explored the potential of plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), especially actinobacteria, to enhance salt tolerance in tomato. The objective was to evaluate the effeccts of rhizosphere-competent (RC) and non-rhizosphere-competent (NRC) PGPR on plant physiology and yield in saline sandy soils. Actinobacterial strains were isolated from the tomato rhizosphere were screened for the production of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic …

Analysis Of An Effective Training Curriculum: Solutions Toincrease Participants' Interest In Training Teachingmaterials, Maulidya Husnul Khatimah, Yoto Yoto

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This research is important because it analyzes the curriculum as a primary tool for generating and maintaining participant interest. Curricula that are irrelevant, monotonous, or misaligned with participant needs are often the main causes of low motivation and participation. Furthermore, this research encourages the exploration and implementation of more innovative teaching methods and materials in training curricula. External pressure in the form of demands or instructions, rather than internal motivation, drives most training activities. This can reduce engagement and learning effectiveness. To overcome this, training institutions need to design programs that are relevant, flexible, and able to encourage participants' intrinsic …

Augmented Reality-Assisted E-Module On Temperature Andheat Content (Emarks), Tetri Sabrina, Ika Mustika Sari, Dedi Sasmita

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

Temperature and heat content (calor) material in physics often involves concepts and phenomena that are difficult to observe directly or are abstract (such as energy transfer, particle movement, and changes in state). EMARKS (AR-based E-modules) are important because Augmented Reality (AR) allows the visualization of these abstract concepts in the form of interactive 3D models in the user's real environment. This helps students understand the concepts more concretely and easily. The development of E-modules is an innovation in learning media that is relevant to the demands of the digital era and the needs of modern students. The use of advanced …

The Effect Of Guided Inquiry Model With Deep Learningapproach On Student’S Hots In Elements, Compounds,And Mixtures At Junior High School, Friska Pakpahana, Retno Dwi Suyanti

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

The current education curriculum places a strong emphasis on developing HOTS skills (such as analyzing, evaluating, and creating) to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. School learning often focuses on lower-level cognitive domains (memorizing and understanding). This research seeks to address this gap by offering a potentially effective learning model. The guided inquiry model positions students as active participants in learning, encouraging them to investigate, discover, and formulate concepts independently with teacher guidance. This strongly supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of the guided inquiry model …