Digital Commons Network^™

Science Communication Through Cool Critters: An Informal Learning Experience For Youth, Jamila L. Bajelan, Mary J. Harner

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

There are numerous ways to communicate science and assess the effectiveness of that communication. One approach focuses on increasing awareness, enjoyment, interest, opinion, and/or understanding of science. For this study, we created an informal learning experience for youth to communicate the science of animals in Nebraska. We developed Cool Critters, a weeklong summer camp for elementary school-aged students, to increase participants' enjoyment, interest, and opinion of Nebraska animals. In 2023, Cool Critters was led in three educational settings in central Nebraska and reached sixty-six participants. Surveys were used to determine the camp's success in effective science communication and whether …

Global Mitophagy Inhibition Via Bnip3 Ablation Is Not Sufficient To Alleviate Skeletal Muscle Impairments In Male And Female Tumor-Bearing Mice, Francielly Morena, Ana Regina Cabrera, Toby L. Chambers, Pietier J. Koopmans, Seongkyun Lim, Stavroula Tsitanou, Sabin Khadgi, Calvin Peterson, Eleanor R. Schrems, Ruqaiza Muhyudin, Sepideh Shakeri, Kevin Zhao, Devan Mishra, Tyrone Washington, Kevin A. Murach, Nicholas P. Greene

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cancer cachexia (CC) is marked by severe skeletal muscle loss and dysfunction, associated with mitochondrial degeneration. Our previous studies showed induction of the mitophagy marker BNIP3 3-wk post-Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) induction. We hypothesize that excessive mitophagy contributes to muscle wasting in CC. To test this, we used a Bnip3 knockout (KO) mouse model with LLC-induced CC to assess its impact on muscle outcomes. Eight-wk-old male and female mice were injected with 1 x 10(6) LLC cells or PBS (sham controls). After 4 wk, we assessed muscle function through dorsiflexor electrophysiology, muscle protein synthesis via deuterium oxide labeling, and mitochondrial …

Potential Epigenetic Impacts Of Phytochemicals On Ruminant Health And Production: Connecting Lines Of Evidence, Sebastian P. Schreiber, Juan Villalba, Mirella L. Meyer-Ficca

Wildland Resources Student Research

The once mysterious “dark matter of nutrition”, comprising countless plant derived secondary compounds, also known as phytochemicals, is now understood to have significant and wide-ranging effects on consumers, including myriad health benefits in humans and livestock. The selective consumption of phytochemically rich and diverse plants, in appropriate doses, by ruminants represents an adaptive means of therapeutic and prophylactic self-medication. Due to their chemical structure, phytochemicals have long been recognized as antioxidants. However, the mechanisms that underlie numerous additional phytochemical-based health benefits are generally less understood. These effects (i.e., anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticarcinogenic effects) are likely related to epigenetic processes. Evidence …

Identification Of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Hif1a As A Therapeutic Target During Sars-Cov-2-Associated Lung Injury, Bentley Bobrow, Samuel D Luber, Paul Potnuru, Katherine Figarella, Jieun Kim, Yanyu Wang, In Hyuk Bang, David Robinson, Paulina B Sergot, Steven K Burke, Tingting Mills, Constanza De Dios, Robert Suchting, George W Williams, Adit A Ginde, Yafen Liang, Hongfang Liu, Charles Green, Marie-Francoise Doursout, Alparslan Turan, Daniel I Sessler, Xiaoyi Yuan, Holger K Eltzschig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) promote lung protection and pathogen eradication during acute lung injury. We therefore tested the theory that pharmacologic stabilization of HIFs dampens lung injury during SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Initial studies in murine SARS-CoV-2 models showed improved outcomes after treatment with the FDA-approved HIF-stabilizer vadadustat. Subsequent studies in genetic models implicated alveolar-expressed Hif1a in mediating lung protection. Therefore, we performed a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter phase 2 trial in patients admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection and concomitant hypoxia (SpO2 ≤ 94%). Patients (n=448) were randomized to oral vadadustat (900 mg/day) or placebo for up to 14 days. Safety events were similar between …

Integrative Taxonomy Confirms The Synonymy Of Three Springsnail Species (Hydrobiidae: Pyrgulopsis), Kathryn E. Perez, Megan Solis, Michelle Flores, Chanté Lundskog

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The small, spring-dwelling snails, Pyrgulopsis Call & Pilsbry, 1886, form a diverse radiation in Western North America. In this study, we examine the validity of three species of Pyrgulopsis, Pyrgulopsis pilsbryana (Baily & Baily, 1952), P. nonaria Hershler, 1998, and P. transversa Hershler, 1998. These three species of Pyrgulopsis are found primarily in Utah, with ranges extending into Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada. They were originally diagnosed primarily on the number and position of penial glands, but subsequent examination with mitochondrial DNA data suggested they should be synonymized. Here, we incorporate additional mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data, increased geographic sampling, …

Using Lrr Standard Deviation As A Genotype Quality Control Measure And Its Downstream Effect On Cnv Calling., Adam Dunne

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background:

Log R Ratio (LRR) is a genotype intensity measurement returned alongside routine genotype results and used to detect structural variation in the genome known as copy number variation (CNVs). Although LRR standard deviation (SD) is commonly applied as a quality control measure in CNV studies, limited research has explored its effect on genotype quality and the potential impact on CNV calling.

Methods:

A total of 720,152 genotypes were available on 716,234 cattle. Among these were 1,044 cattle that had duplicate genotype samples where one sample was considered gold standard (LRR SD < 0.3, Call Rate ≥ 0.95). Genotype concordance was calculated for all duplicates. PennCNV was used to call CNVs and concordance among CNV calls per duplicate animal was determined using the Jaccard index.

Results:

Across all 720,152 cattle samples, the mean …

Selecting For Less: How Much Methane Can We Truly Breed Away?, Sean B. Crowley

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background

Genetic selection has potential to reduce enteric methane emissions from cattle, but a key challenge is determining how much of the genetic variation in methane traits is independent of traits already targeted in breeding programs, such as feed intake and growth.

Methods

Methane and carbon dioxide emissions were recorded in 1,700 crossbred, indoor-fed beef cattle using Greenfeed systems. Performance data included feed intake, metabolic liveweight, average daily gain, carcass weight, and ultrasound and skeletal traits. Genetic parameters and correlations among traits were estimated using animal linear mixed models to quantify the independence of methane-related genetic variation.

Results

Daily methane …

Exploiting Genomics To Advance Genetic Gain For Reproductive Traits In Sheep, Mujibur Rahman

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Poor reproductive performance has a negative impact on the profitability of sheep production systems with the number of lambs reared highlighted as a key driver of farm profitability. Nevertheless, the genetic improvement of reproductive traits in sheep has been constrained by their low heritability and pleiotropic nature. Understanding the underlying genetic architecture can improve genomic prediction estimates and enhance genetic gain.

This study will utilize large-scale genomic and phenotypic datasets to enhance genetic gain in sheep reproductive traits through four approaches: 1) to determine the effect of inbreeding depression on reproduction, 2) to identify causal variants impacting reproductive performance through …

Dna-Damaging Chemotherapy Reshapes The Immune Landscape Of The Heart, Ruijun He

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Heart failure and ischemic heart disease represent the most common causes of death among cancer survivors. With the tremendous progress in last few decades that empowered early cancer diagnosis and treatment, the population of cancer survivors has been rapidly growing and by 2040, the number is projected to be 26 million. However, despite extensive studies on chemotherapies, there exists a limited understanding of how exposure to chemotherapy reagents impacts heart function in the long term. Moreover, while the roles of immune landscape in heart diseases have recently been revealed, how chemotherapy reagents influence the cardiac immune cells is poorly understood. …

The Tumor Suppressor Hnrnpk Induces P53-Dependent Nucleolar Stress To Drive Ribosomopathies, Pedro Aguilar-Garrido, María Velasco-Estévez, Miguel Ángel Navarro-Aguadero, Álvaro Otero-Sobrino, Marta Ibáñez-Navarro, Miguel Ángel Marugal, María Hernández-Sánchez, Prerna Malaney, Ashley Rodriguez, Oscar Benitez, Xiaroui Zhang, Marisa Jl Aitken, Alejandra Ortiz-Ruiz, Diego Megías, Manuel Pérez, Gadea Mata, Jesús Gomez, Miguel Lafarga, Orlando Domínguez, Osvaldo Graña-Castro, Eduardo Caleiras, Pilar Ximénez-Embun, Marta Isasa, Paloma Jimena De Andres, Sandra Rodríguez-Perales, Raúl Torres-Ruiz, Enrique Revilla, Rosa María García-Martín, Daniel Azorín, Josune Zubicaray, Julián Sevilla, Oleksandra Sirozh, Vanesa Lafarga, Joaquín Martínez-López, Sean M Post, Miguel Gallardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The nucleolus is a membraneless organelle and an excellent stress sensor. Any changes in its architecture or composition lead to nucleolar stress, resulting in cell cycle arrest and interruption of ribosomal activity, critical factors in aging and cancer. In this study, we identified and described the pivotal role of the RNA-binding protein HNRNPK in ribosome and nucleolar dynamics. We developed an in vitro model of endogenous HNRNPK overexpression and an in vivo mouse model of ubiquitous HNRNPK overexpression. These models showed disruptions in translation as the HNRNPK overexpression caused alterations in the nucleolar structure, resulting in p53-dependent nucleolar stress, cell …

Vitamin D And Cognition: Demographic Disparities In Memory Recall And Word Intrusion In A Multiethnic Cohort, Juan Lopez-Alvarenga, Isabel Omaña-Guzmán, Oscar Rosas-Carrasco, Jose E. Cavazos, Michael C. Mahaney, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Background

Vitamin D3 is essential for calcium metabolism and exerts pleiotropic effects, including neuroprotective activities in cognition. Its insufficiency has been linked to dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive impairments. The association between vitamin D3 and particular cognitive functions, including memory recall and word intrusion, remains imprecise, particularly among diverse ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Objective

To examine the relationship between vitamin D3 levels with memory recall and word intrusion in individuals aged 60 and above, emphasizing demographic differences.

Methods

Data was collected from 2759 individuals in the NHANES 2011–2014 surveys. Cognitive performance was evaluated with the CERAD Word Learning, Animal Fluency, …

Association Of Glucose Kinase (Gck) Rs1799884 And Glucokinase Regulatory Protein (Gckr) Rs780094 Gene Polymorphism And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2dm) Susceptibility In Asian Population: A Meta-Analysis, Sharon Benita Stephen, Jayakanthan Saravanan, Gowtham Kumar Subbaraj

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a condition where the body struggles to regulate blood sugar levels. The GCK (Glucose kinase) and GCKR (Glucokinase regulatory protein) genes play a crucial role in glucose metabolism. GCK produces an enzyme essential for glucose sensing and insulin production, while GCKR regulates this enzyme's activity.

Objective: The meta-analysis aimed to investigate GCK rs1799884 and GCKR rs780094 gene polymorphisms and their association with T2DM in an Asian population.

Methods: Researchers observed articles for two genetic variations (GCK rs1799884 and GCKR rs780094) and their link to type 2 diabetes. We searched online databases like Scopus …

The Factors Affecting The Distribution Of Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpions) In Iran, Hassan Nasirian

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: The distribution of scorpions is influenced by various factors that determine their presence and abundance in different regions. Understanding these factors is crucial for comprehending scorpion ecology and predicting their potential impact on ecosystems. Objective: These subtopics aim to provide an overview of the distribution of scorpions within Iran and the factors affecting their distribution, highlighting their ecological preferences and adaptations to different regions.

Methods: Forty-nine documents were collected from well-known indexing services, including Elsevier, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Springer, and Web of Science. After carefully studying the documents, they were classified into specific topics and discussed.

Results: …

Research Progress In The Application Of Tea Polyphenols In Meat Processing And Preservation, Yanting Gao, Huanhuan Li, Teng Xu, Ke Zhao, Mingwei Su, Liwen Wu, Honggang Tang

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

Tea polyphenols are the general term for polyphenols in tea,mainly including catechins,flavonoids,and anthocyanins,which have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.The author reviewed the structural characteristics and the antioxidant and antibacterial mechanisms of tea polyphenols.Additionally,the application of tea polyphenols in the processing and preservation of meat products is summarized,providing a theoretical basis for their use in meat products.Studies have shown that tea polyphenols can achieve anti-oxidation by scavenging free radicals,chelating metal ions,and inhibiting oxidase activity.Moreover,tea polyphenols can inhibit cell growth and proliferation by inhibiting the activities of enzymes involved in cell metabolism and damaging the cell membrane system.As natural antioxidants,tea polyphenols can significantly …

Construction , Structural Characterization , And Antioxidant Activity Evaluation Of Yam Polysaccharide-Selenium Nanoparticle Complexes, Yidong Xiao, Lanmei Ou, Mengmeng Zhao

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

[Objective ] This study explored the structural characteristics and in vitro antioxidant activity of yam polysaccharide-selenium nanoparticle (YP-SeNPs ) complexes.[Method ] Yam polysaccharide (YP) were obtained through hot water extraction and then purified by purification,diethylaminoethyl cellulose 52 (DEAE-52) column chromatography,and dialysis.With YP as a template,YP-SeNPs were prepared with different Se/YP mass ratios (1∶3,1∶1,and 4∶3) in an oxidation-reduction system comprising ascorbic acid (VC) and sodium selenite (Na 2SeO 3）.The complexes were characterized via multiple techniques,including visual observation of solution color,ultraviolet-visible absorption (UV-vis ) spectroscopy,particle size measurement,transmission electron microscopy (TEM ),scanning electron microscopy (SEM ),atomic force microscopy (AFM ),Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR …

Research Progress In Biological Activities , Mechanisms Of Action , And Applications Of Antimicrobial Peptides, Yuxin Jiao, Ruolan Shan, Xufeng Wang, Maolong Chen, Li Wen, Yunhui Cheng, Hao Wu

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

The widespread abuse of traditional antibiotics has led to the emergence and development of antimicrobial peptides due to the resultant bacterial resistance.Antimicrobial peptides demonstrate high efficacy in combating infectious pathogens and possess unique antimicrobial mechanisms and biocompatibility,effectively reducing the bacterial resistance rate.The high structural adaptability endows antimicrobial peptides with multiple biological activities,enabling targeted action against diverse types of pathogens and abnormal cells.Accordingly,antimicrobial peptides exhibit a promising development prospect.Enhanced stability contributes to prolonging the in vivo half-life and improving the bioavailability of antimicrobial peptides,which holds crucial importance for improving the clinical translation value of antimicrobial peptides.The author summarizes the research progress …

Determination Of Microorganisms And Analysis Of Factors Influencing Osmophilic Yeasts In Apis Cerana Honey, Mei Song, Hongxia Li, Zhaolong Liu, Dong Qiao, Na Li, Lanzhen Chen

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

[Objective ] This study determined the mold count,total plate count,and osmophilic yeast count in Apis cerana honey and explored the correlations of osmophilic yeasts with quality parameters and storage conditions of the honey.[Method ] A total of 105 Apis cerana honey samples were used for the determination of mold count,total plate count,and osmophilic yeast count,as well as odor,moisture,phenolic acids,and carbohydrates.The correlations between quality indexes and osmophilic yeasts and the effects of different storage conditions on osmophilic yeast count were explored.[Result ] Among the 105 samples,1,1,and 67 samples showed the mold count,total plate count,and osmophilic yeast count exceeding the national standards.All …

Rapid Determination Of Vitamin B 1 In Infant Formula Milk Powder By Fluorescent Microsphere Immunochromatographic Assay, Qianqian Lu, Ting Yang, Yongwei Feng, Jialin Hu, Hua Kuang, Chuanlai Xu, Lingling Guo

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

[Objective ] A fluorescent immunochromatographic assay was established based on vitamin B 1 monoclonal antibody to measure the vitamin B 1 in infant formula milk powder.[Method ] The performance of vitamin B 1 monoclonal antibody was evaluated.On this basis,a highly sensitive fluorescent immunochromatographic test strip was developed.[Result ] The vitamin B 1 monoclonal antibody showed high sensitivity,affinity,and specificity.The fluorescent immunochromatographic test strip showed a visual limit of detection (vLOD ) of 10 μg/kg,a cut-off value of 200 μg/kg,and a calculated limit of detection (cLOD ) of 2.056 μg/kg.In addition,the recovery rate of this method was 97.3%~115.4%.The test results of the …

Colloidal Carbon-Labelled Immunochromatographic Assay For Rapid Detection Of Marbofloxacin Residues In Animal-Derived Foods, Xiujin Chen, Biao An, Jian Tao, Xinhao Yin, Yao Wang, Huawei Niu, Zhaozhou Li, Min Zhang

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

[Objective ] A colloidal carbon-labelled immunochromatographic assay with competitive inhibition was developed for the detection of marbofloxacin (MBF ) residues in milk powder and chicken.[Method ] The anti-MBF polyclonal antibody prepared in the author 's laboratory was employed to produce the colloidal carbon-labelled immunoprobe.The effects of pH of reaction system,resuspension solution,treatment solution of sample pad,standard dilution buffer,mass concentration of colloidal carbon,mass concentration of primary antibody,mass concentration of coating antigen,and mass concentration of secondary antibody on the MBF colloidal carbon-labelled immunochromatographic assay were investigated.The sensitivity,specificity,stability,and accuracy of the method were determined.[Result ] Under optimal conditions,the cut-off value of the method was …

Construction Of Staphylococcus Aureus Detection Method Based On, Silver Nanoclusters Dna, Xiaotong Lu, Jinzhao Li, Xinjun Du

Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology

[Objective ] A simple and sensitive detection method for Staphylococcus aureus is established for the efficient detection of this pathogen in food.[Method ] Targeting Staphylococcus aureus,a simple and sensitive fluorescent detection method for Staphylococcus aureus,EXPAR-P-AgNCs,was developed based on exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR ) combined with DNA silver nanoclusters (P-AgNCs ).A recognition probe was designed to initiate EXPAR in the presence of Staphylococcus aureus,generating a large amount of target DNA(T).The binding of T to hairpin P displaced the G-rich strand from P-AgNCs,resulting in a decrease in the relative fluorescence intensity of P-AgNCs and enabling the detection of Staphylococc us aureus.[Result ] …

Removal Of Fluoroquinolones From Water Systems Employing Rice Husk Composited Sponges Via Nanoadsorption, Dalia Kanaa

Theses and Dissertations

A novel nanocomposite of polyvinyl alcohol formaldehyde (PVF) sponge loaded with green zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) and referred to as (NP-PVF) was fabricated as a potential adsorbent of ciprofloxacin from water. A simple mechanical foaming process was used to synthesize the adsorbent. Rice husk extract was used to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) for its phytochemicals as reducing agents. A facile and low-energy-dependent extraction method was used that did not require the use of high-temperature annealing. The synthesized nanoparticles showed a maximum UV absorption at 347 nm, which corresponds to a 3.58 eV band gap energy. FTIR confirmed the successful …

Design And Evaluation Of An Innovative Biomimetic Coral Transport Container, John-Christopher L. Calulo, Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, Leah D. Madrazo, Dana Isabelle P. Villano, Angel Nicole B. Villanueva

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Coral reefs are vulnerable to disruptive human activities such as pollution, overfishing, and coastal development—degrading water quality and reef structures. Active reef restoration entails temporarily relocating several corals to aquaculture facilities to achieve successful rehabilitation; however, current coral transport methods pose certain risks, such as stress-induced mortality, which can result from physical damage during transportation. Existing studies on coral transport have explored various techniques for collecting, shipping, and maintaining live coral specimens. The design consists of petal-shaped areas where the waves gather, akin to a coral reef’s grooves, separated by wedges—the spurs—that cause waves to divide. The different design modifications …

Macrophage Heterogeneity And Function In The Lung, Xin Li

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Macrophages are critical custodians of the lung, orchestrating immune surveillance, maintaining tissue homeostasis, and coordinating both innate and adaptive responses. This dissertation examines their heterogeneity and specialized functions, focusing on IMs, which reside in the lung interstitium, and AMs, which occupy the airspace. Through comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic profiling of murine and human samples, we identify multiple IM and AM subsets defined by distinct chemokine, cytokine, receptor, and innate immune gene signatures. These subsets display clear divisions of labor, contributing to immune cell recruitment, tertiary lymphoid structure formation, and alveolar homeostasis.

In IMs, coordinated chemokine programs not only recruit inflammatory cells …

Type I Interferon Protects Against Bone Loss In Periodontitis By Mitigating An Interleukin (Il)-17-Neutrophil Axis, Jinmei Zhang, Qiong Ding, Angela X Wang, Maoxuan Lin, Ning Yu, Kevin Moss, Megumi A Williamson, Di Miao, Julie T Marchesan, Erliang Zeng, Wei Shi, Hongli Sun, Yu Leo Lei, Shaoping Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Type I interferons (IFNs-I), a group of pleiotropic cytokines, critically modulate host response in various inflammatory diseases. However, the role of the IFN-I pathway in periodontitis remains largely unknown. In this report, we describe that the IFN-β levels in the gingival crevicular fluid of human subjects were negatively associated with periodontitis and clinical gingival inflammation. Disruption of IFN-I signaling worsened alveolar bone resorption in a ligature-induced periodontitis murine model. Deficiency of the IFN-I pathway resulted in an exaggerated inflammatory response in myeloid cells and drastically increased the interleukin-17 (IL-17)-mediated neutrophil recruitment in the gingiva. We further identified that the myeloid …

Assessing The Impact Of Spraying An E. Faecium Probiotic At Hatch And Supplementing Feed With A Triple-Strain Bacillus-Based Additive On Bco Lameness Incidence In Broiler Chickens, Khawla Alharbi, Anh Dang Trieu Do, Abdulaziz Alqahtani, Ruvindu Perera, Alexa Thomas, Antoine Meuter, Adnan Ali Khalaf

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is a major cause of lameness in broiler chickens. This condition arises when bacteria from the gastrointestinal or aerosol tract migrate to infect bone microfractures, often exacerbated by rapid growth, reduced blood flow, and mechanical stress. As concerns about antibiotic resistance grow, probiotics have gained attention for their potential to improve gut health and reduce systemic bacterial load. This study evaluated the efficacy of a probiotic program comprising an Enterococcus faecium-based spray (2 x 10(9) CFU/bird at hatch) and a triple-strain Bacillus-based feed additive (B. subtilis 597, B. subtilis 600, and B. amyloliquefaciens 516 at …

Is Anoxia Tolerance A Common Trait In Fish Cell Lines?, Lori Tran

University Honors Theses

Most vertebrates need a constant supply of oxygen to sustain life, with disruption to O₂ supply or delivery quickly leading to cell and tissue damage and death. Many aquatic species are able to withstand long periods without O₂ due to evolving to survive the regular periods of hypoxia and anoxia in their natural habitat. The Austrofundulus limnaeus, or the annual killifish, in particular have shown the highest anoxia tolerance in all vertebrates and is a promising model for developing effective treatments for anoxia-related damage, such as heart attacks and strokes. The A. limnaeus are not the only …

Support For The Us Endangered Species Act Is High And Steady Over The Past Three Decades, John Vucetich, Jeremy T. Bruskotter, Robyn Wilson, L. Mark Elbroch, Adam Feltz, Thomas Offer-Westort

Michigan Tech Publications

Conservation professionals expect increased attempts to weaken the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) during the second Trump administration. As such, it is important to understand Americans’ level of support for the ESA. Prior research indicates that support for the ESA remained consistently strong across four studies conducted over a two-decade period, 1996–2015. The research presented here extends those observations to six studies conducted over a three-decade period, 1996–2025. We find that support of the ESA over that period has remained consistently high, at about 84%, and opposition has remained consistently low, at about 12%. We also report on other trends …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Artificial Agents: Exploration And Learning In Games, Brian Mintz

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The natural world abounds with examples of complex behavior in humans and many other species. Evolutionary game theory is a powerful mathematical framework to understand the origins of many such behaviors like cooperation. Since these behaviors are often selected against initially, understanding why they are so widespread has been a longstanding question. Rather than assuming agents' rationality, like in traditional game theory, this approach studies the mutation and selection of strategies themselves. However most behavior is neither perfectly rational nor entirely determined by genetics. This dissertation works to bridge the gap between these two perspectives by analyzing models where individuals …

Analyzing Human - Nonhuman Primate Conflict Mitigation Techniques In Mto Wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, Lil Adams

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Human-wildlife conflict is a widespread challenge faced by those living in regular contact with wildlife that can have profound impacts on livelihood outcomes for humans, wildlife, and their shared environment (Barua et al., 2013; Blackie, 2023). Human – non-human primate conflict is particularly crucial due to primates’ high capacity to live among human populations (Chapman & Chapman, 1990; Alberts & Altmann, 2006; Reader et al., 2011; Sinha & Vijayakrishnan, 2017), and is currently on the rise due to increasing contact between human and non-human primates (Hockings, 2016; Uddin et al., 2020). To characterize and analyze techniques currently being used to …

Virus Against Cancer: Paradigm-Shifting Biological Concepts, Dong Ho Shin, Marta M Alonso, Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, Juan Fueyo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose of review: Virotherapy has emerged as a promising approach to cancer treatment. Over the past two decades, early-phase clinical trials have demonstrated the safety and promising efficacy of virotherapy in subsets of cancer patients. However, a significant knowledge gap needs to be filled to propel the field further and achieve substantial anti-cancer benefits for more than the current 10-20% of treated patients. This article reviews the most relevant current challenges in cancer virotherapy.

Recent findings: Recent clinical observations suggest that patients who respond to virotherapy experience a shift in their immune response from an initial or concomitant response against …