Digital Commons Network^™

Efficacy Of Baits And Lures For Weasel Detection, Scott M. Bergeson, Roland Kays, David S. Jachowski, Courtney D. Anderson, Chad R. Williamson, Ashley Burket, Joseph W. Butfiloski, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Stacy Cotey, Catherine C. Dennison, John D. Erb, Zach J. Farris, Michael L. Fies, Michael J. Joyce, Colleen Olfenbuttel, Blake Sasse, Lisa M. Smith, Joshua A. Tabora, Marketa Zimova

Michigan Tech Publications

Small mustelids are difficult to survey due to their low density and cryptic nature. Population status of North American weasels (Mustela erminea, Mustela nivalis, and Neogale frenata) are believed to be in decline, but there are no standardized monitoring protocols to evaluate their status. To support weasel monitoring, we compared the attractiveness of various combinations of baits and lures to weasels in sites located throughout the eastern and central USA. We baited a total of 122 clusters of 4 camera traps, across 14 states, with random combinations of 4 baits and 3 scent lures in the winters of 2022 and …

Rheological, Interfacial, And Filtration Behavior Of Lignocellulosic Nanomaterials In Suspension And Emulsion Drilling Fluids, Meen Sung Koo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In recent years, the rheological aspects of suspensions/emulsions applied by cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs) have been gained considerable interests due to high gel-forming properties ascribed by hydrophilicity, crystallinity, ease functionalization, and high aspect ratio. Introducing residual lignin in CNMs (LCNMs) seemed to be capable of achieving various advantages in the application of CNMs ascribed by hydrophobicity, binding effects, and abundant aromatic groups derived from complexity of lignin. This dissertation dedicates to the characterizations of (L)CNMs, and rheological properties of (L)CNMs applied fluids (i.e., suspension and emulsion). In the suspension system, the presence of lignin in LCNMs decreased gel strength, viscosity, and …

Barriers And Breakthroughs In The Evolution Of Aggregative Multicellularity, Israt Jahan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The evolution of multicellular organization represents a key innovation in the history of life, yet fundamental questions remain about the evolutionary mechanisms that allowed some lineages to achieve remarkable complexity, while constrained others in their elaboration. The widely accepted single-cell bottleneck model provides a compelling explanation for the success of clonal multicellularity by reducing internal conflict and facilitating developmental integration. However, this perspective does not fully account for the stability and repeated evolution of aggregative multicellularity, where cooperation emerges among previously independent cells that may not be genetic relatives. Aggregative multicellularity demonstrates that the evolution of multicellularity is not a …

Barriers And Breakthroughs In The Evolution Of Aggregative Multicellularity, Israt Jahan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The evolution of multicellular organization represents a key innovation in the history of life, yet fundamental questions remain about the evolutionary mechanisms that allowed some lineages to achieve remarkable complexity, while constrained others in their elaboration. The widely accepted single-cell bottleneck model provides a compelling explanation for the success of clonal multicellularity by reducing internal conflict and facilitating developmental integration. However, this perspective does not fully account for the stability and repeated evolution of aggregative multicellularity, where cooperation emerges among previously independent cells that may not be genetic relatives. Aggregative multicellularity demonstrates that the evolution of multicellularity is not a …

Contrasting Effects Of Climate Warming On Hosts And Parasitoids: Insights From Rocky Mountain Aspen Leaf Miners And Their Parasitoids, Alisha A. Shah, Emily Hamant, Juan G. Rubalcaba, Beau Larkin, Andrew A. Forbes, H. Arthur Woods

Aspen Bibliography

Because temperature has pervasive effects on biological rates, climate warming may alter the outcomes of interactions between insect hosts and their parasitoids, which, for many host species, constitute the single largest source of mortality. Despite growing interest in parasitoid-host responses due to climate change, there are few empirical tests of thermal tolerance differences between non-model lepidopteran hosts and their parasitoids and almost none from mountain ecosystems where warming is occurring more rapidly. We examined the thermal ecology of a host–parasitoid interaction in the Rocky Mountains using the wild populations of the aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella) and a …

Murine Studies On Ketogenic Modulation Of Metabolism And Epigenetics In Olfaction- Based Learning, Lps Inflammatory Response, And Sex Dimorphisms In Dietary Response, Sara E. H. Moss

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ketogenic diets are well-established therapeutic interventions for epilepsy, with documented neuroprotective effects arising from their metabolic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Beyond epilepsy, ketogenic therapies are under investigation for various conditions including Alzheimer disease, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. These diets suppress insulin levels and shift metabolic physiology toward fat and ketone body metabolism. This elevates circulating levels of ketone bodies, namely beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, and acetone, which serve as both energy substrates and signaling molecules. The state of elevated ketone bodies (ketosis) can be achieved with various formulations of a ketogenic diet as well as exogenous ketone supplementation, though the signaling …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (Pfas) Degradation In Water And Soil Using Cold Atmospheric Plasma (Cap): A Review, Victor Somtochukwu Mbanugo, Boluwatife Stephen Ojo, Ta Chun Lin, Yue-Wern Huang, Marek Locmelis, Daoru Han

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent organic chemicals found in numerous industrial applications and everyday products. The excessive amounts of PFASs in water and soil, together with their link to severe health issues, have prompted substantial public concerns, making their removal from the environment a necessity. Existing degradation techniques are frequently lacking due to their low efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and potential for secondary contamination. Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) technology has emerged as a promising alternative, utilizing energized reactive species to break down PFASs under ambient conditions. Therefore, this review examines the efficacy and effectiveness of CAP in degrading PFASs by …

Defining B Cell Responses To Emerging Viral Pathogens, Wafaa Al Soussi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The primary series of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines greatly reduced the burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and saved millions of lives. However, waning levels of circulating neutralizing antibodies and the continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with increasing numbers of mutations in the spike (S) protein have decreased vaccine effectiveness and led to a recommendation for booster immunizations. In addition, new vaccines based on circulating variants have been developed to enhance the ability of induced antibodies to combat such variants. However, a critical unanswered question was how prior exposure to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain …

Defining B Cell Responses To Emerging Viral Pathogens, Wafaa Al Soussi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The primary series of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines greatly reduced the burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and saved millions of lives. However, waning levels of circulating neutralizing antibodies and the continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with increasing numbers of mutations in the spike (S) protein have decreased vaccine effectiveness and led to a recommendation for booster immunizations. In addition, new vaccines based on circulating variants have been developed to enhance the ability of induced antibodies to combat such variants. However, a critical unanswered question was how prior exposure to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain …

New Drainage Records And Revised Ranges For Sympatric Pirate Perch Species In Alabama, Florida, And Georgia, Tyler Muller, Bryson Hilburn, Lily Hughes

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

We report updated ranges for four sympatric species of Pirate Perches following a recent taxonomic revision of Aphredoderus. Using observations from recent sampling by the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences and reidentifying cataloged specimens from the Georgia Museum of Natural History and Auburn University Museum collections, we were able to refine the distributions of four species throughout a complicated sympatric zone spanning coastal plain drainages in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. We find that A. gibbosus is present in low numbers in the Flint, Escambia, Choctawhatchee, and Chattahoochee basins. These additional records nearly link the previously reported disjunct …

Characterizing The Effects Of Rage Upregulation In Lung Development, Derek Michael Clarke

Theses and Dissertations

The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) is a transmembrane, multi-ligand cell surface receptor highly expressed in pulmonary tissue, where it plays a critical role in mediating inflammatory responses. Under chronic toxicant exposure, often associated with cigarette, e-cigarette, and diesel particulate, RAGE transitions from a protective to a deleterious state, contributing to pathological processes. In adult models, RAGE's role in the development of lung disease has been well studied, yet in the context of lung development RAGE has not been well studied with a small number of clinical papers finding increased levels of RAGE in bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD) and respiratory distress …

Impact Of Glufosinate On Sugarcane Yield And Yield Components When Applied Post-Directed And Its Efficacy In Controlling Emerged Itchgrass (Rottboellia Cochinchinensis), Warner R. Simon

LSU Master's Theses

Weed control is extremely important in the Louisiana sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) industry, as it is a perennial crop that grows back after each harvest. Fields are kept weed free using mechanical and chemical methods to prevent weed-crop competition and further establishment of weed populations. The weed itchgrass (Rottboellia cochinchinensis) has become problematic for Louisiana sugarcane producers. Sometimes, itchgrass can still emerge after farmers have made a pre-emergence (PRE) herbicide application. These weeds are usually controlled using the herbicide paraquat dichloride (paraquat) in post-emergence (POST) directed applications. In recent year, 2016-2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency …

The Tumor Microenvironment Is An Ecosystem Sustained By Metabolic Interactions, Emily Jane Kay, Sara Zanivan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and immune cells make up two major components of the tumor microenvironment (TME), contributing to an ecosystem that can either support or restrain cancer progression. Metabolism is a key regulator of the TME, providing a means for cells to communicate with and influence each other, modulating tumor progression and anti-tumor immunity. Cells of the TME can metabolically interact directly through metabolite secretion and consumption or by influencing other aspects of the TME that, in turn, stimulate metabolic rewiring in target cells. Recent advances in understanding the subtypes and plasticity of cells in the TME both open up …

Developmental Differentiation Of Mouse Inner Ear Neuron Subpopulations Resolved With A Peripherin-Promoter Reporter Within The Grm8 Locus, Lily J Pearson, Jeremy L Pinyon, Jennie M E Cederholm, Georg Von Jonquieres, Florence Bartlett, Xabier Vázquez-Campos, Fabien Delerue, Lars M Ittner, Gary D Housley

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Molecular profiling of inner ear neurons has broadened the classification of the primary afferents that support neural coding for hearing and balance. To extend spatiotemporal characterization of auditory and vestibular neuron diversity, we established a transgenic reporter mouse model (Prphp-mCherry), where elements of the peripherin promoter (Prphp) drive expression of the mCherry fluorescent reporter. Type III intermediate filament protein peripherin expression is a marker for type II spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) that innervate the cochlear outer hair cells, and the small diameter 'bouton' vestibular ganglion neurons (VGN) innervating the type II vestibular hair cells. Using Nanopore genome sequencing, the integration …

Canada Thistle (Cirsium Arvense) Identification And Control, Caitlin Henderson, Robert Nelson Schaeffer, Corey Ransom

All Current Publications

Cirsium arvense is an invasive perennial weed adaptable to a wide range of habitats. Since its arrival in North America in the 1600s, it has spread throughout much of the country. It has become prevalent in rangelands and disturbed areas in the Intermountain West, displacing native plant species, reducing crop yields, and affecting pasture quality. This fact sheet outlines how to identify Canada thistle, its life cycle, and how to manage it through cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical control.

Rapid Laser Ablation-Based Fabrication Of High-Density Polymer Microwell Arrays For High-Throughput Cellular Studies, Desh Deepak Dixit, Kavya L Singampalli, Amit S Niyogi, Amanda Montoya, Alexandre Reuben, Peter B Lillehoj

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Polymer-based microwell platforms have garnered much interest due to their usefulness in culturing and analyzing small quantities of biological cells and spheroids. Existing methods for fabricating polymer microwell arrays involve complex fabrication processes and/or are limited in their ability to create dense arrays of very small (< 50 μm in diameter) microwells. Here, we present a simple and rapid technique for fabricating high-density arrays of microwells ranging from 20 to 160 μm in diameter on a variety of polymer substrates. In this approach, a polymer surface is ablated using a CO2 laser that is rastered over a stainless steel mesh, which serves as a shadow mask. A theoretical laser-polymer interaction model was developed for predicting the microwell volume based on the substrate properties and laser settings. Microwell volumes predicted by the model were within 5.4% of fabricated microwell volumes determined experimentally. Cellulose acetate microwell arrays fabricated using this technique were used to culture Lewis lung carcinoma cells expressing ovalbumin (LLC-OVA), which were maintained for up to 72 h with a negligible (< 5%) loss in viability. As a second proof of principle demonstration, LLC-OVA cells grown in microwell arrays were co-cultured with OT-I T cells and measurements of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), a marker for T cell activation, were performed which revealed a positive correlation between LLC-OVA cell-T cell interaction time and T cell activation. These two in vitro demonstrations showcase the capability of this technique in generating polymer microwell arrays for high-throughput cellular studies, including cell growth dynamics studies and cell interaction studies. Furthermore, we envision that these platforms can be used with different cell types and for other biological applications, such as spheroid formation and single cell analysis, …

Two Unique Cases Of Ponderosa Pine Needle-Induced Abortions, Kevin D. Welch, Megan A. Dietz, Steven E. Edmonds, Dale R. Gardener, Daniel Cook

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) needles can induce abortions in cows when consumed during the last trimester of pregnancy. Traditionally pine needle-induced abortions occur in areas where cattle are forced into a stand of ponderosa pine trees to seek shelter and feed during a winter storm that is either very cold, has heavy snow or high winds. However, here we report two incidences of pine needle-induced abortions in cattle that were unique. In one case, there was no weather-related event that forced the cattle into the stand of pine trees, rather the cattle went into the pine trees seeking …

The Design, Construction, And Testing Of Mrna Vaccine Against Equine Herpes Virus, Bhawana Devkota

LSU Master's Theses

Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV 1) is a worldwide significant pathogen that causes respiratory illness, abortion, and neurological disorders in equine. Current vaccines, including live attenuated, inactivated, and subunit platforms, do not prevent viral latency, mucosal shedding, or cross-strain immunity, requiring alternative approaches. To address these gaps, this project explores the design, synthesis, and in vitro testing of an mRNA vaccine targeting immunogenic EHV 1 glycoprotein (gB, gC, gD, gG, and gM). Epitopes were computationally predicted using the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB), codon-optimized for Bos taurus, and cloned into pUCIDT vectors using SP6/T7 promoters. In vitro transcription (IVT) used nucleotide modifications …

Genomic-Transcriptomic Analysis Identifies The Syrian Hamster As A Superior Animal Model For Human Diseases, Chuchu Wang, Zhenguo Cheng, Jinxin Miao, Xia Xue, Yunshu Dong, Li Zhao, Haoran Guo, Jianyao Wang, Zhizhong Wang, Shuangshuang Lu, Guangming Fang, Ying Peng, Yafei Zhai, Zhongxian Zhang, Dongling Gao, Zhimin Wang, Pengju Wang, Lirong Zhang, Louisa S. Chard Dunmall, Jun Wang, Wenxue Tang, Xiaowei Li, Zhongren Ding, Xiaoyan Zhao, Ling Li, Nicholas R. Lemoine, Zhongde Wang, Daniel Tonge, Wenjie Tan, Jianzeng Dong, Yaohe Wang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Background The Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) has shown promise as a human diseases model, recapitulating features of different human diseases including COVID-19. However, the landscape of its genome and transcriptome has not been systematically dissected, restricting its potential applications.

Results Here we provide a complete analysis of the genome and transcriptome of the Syrian hamster and found that its lineage diverged from that of the Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) around 29.4 million years ago. 21,387 protein-coding genes were identified, with 90.03% of the 2.56G base pair sequence being anchored to 22 chromosomes. Further comparison of the …

Elevated Extinction Risk In Over One-Fifth Of Native North American Pollinators, Tara Cornelisse, David W. Inouye, Rebecca E. Irwin, Sarina Jepsen, Jonathan R. Mawdsley, Margaret Ormes, Jaret Daniels, Diane M. Debinski, Terry Griswold, John Klymko, Michael C. Orr, Leif Richardson, Nicole Sears, Dale Schweitzer, Bruce E. Young

Biology Faculty Publications

Pollinators are critical for food production and ecosystem function. Although native pollinators are thought to be declining, the evidence is limited. This first, taxonomically diverse assessment for mainland North America north of Mexico reveals that 22.6% (20.6 to 29.6%) of the 1,579 species in the best-studied vertebrate and insect pollinator groups have elevated risk of extinction. All three pollinating bat species are at risk and bees are the insect group most at risk (best estimate, 34.7% of 472 species assessed, range 30.3 to 43.0%). Substantial numbers of butterflies (19.5% of 632 species, range 19.1 to 21.0%) and moths (16.1% of …

Fossil Leaf Cuticle: Best Practices For Preparation And Paleo-Co2 Analysis, Xiaoqing Zhang, Dana L. Royer, Carina E. Colombi, Juan Martin Drovandi, Jennifer C. Mcelwain, Gaëtan Guignard, Qin Leng, Barry H. Lomax, Nathan D. Sheldon, Rebekah A. Stein, Garland R. Upchurch, Yongdong Wang, Hong Yang, Richard S. Barclay, Ying Cui, Wolfram Kürschner, Joseph N. Milligan, Isabel Montañez, Jon D. Richey, Tammo Reichgelt, Gongle Shi, Selena Y. Smith, Margret Steinthorsdottir

Biological and Biomedical Sciences Department Faculty Journal Articles

Leaf cuticle is the waxy envelope that protects leaves from desiccation, UV damage, and abrasion. The cuticle encodes information about a plant's chemistry and leaf epidermal and stomatal cell morphology. Fossil leaf cuticle has been used to determine taxonomic affinities for almost two centuries and recognized in recent decades for its value in reconstructing paleoenvironments and paleoclimates, especially atmospheric CO2. Fossil leaf cuticle preparation techniques are typically reported as single workflows tied to individual studies, starting with finding fossils in the field through the steps of preparing cuticle for chemical and morphological analysis, including decisions about type of microscopy and …

Effect Of Chronic Alcohol Feeding Using The Lieber-Decarli Diet On Alzheimer’S Disease Pathology In Tg2576 Mice, Devaraj V. Chandrashekar, Nataraj Jagadeesan, Tamara Abdullah, Rudy Chang, Ross A. Steinberg, Frankey Sanchez, Elias Khal, Joshua Yang, David H. Cribbs, Derick Han, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Chronic alcohol drinking is a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Most studies of alcohol feeding to AD mice have utilized young mice and delivered alcohol in drinking water without controlling nutritional intake.

Objective: To study the impact of Lieber-DeCarli (LDC) liquid alcohol diet, which balances nutritional intake, on AD pathology of aged Tg2576 and wild-type (WT) mice, which is unexplored.

Methods: 13-month-old male and female Tg2576 or WT mice were fed LDC diet (5% ethanol or control) for six weeks (n = 11-13/group). Exploration (open-field test) and spatial reference memory …

Antibiotic Resistance Profile Of Enterobacteriaceae Isolated From Healthy Pigs In The Republic Of Armenia, Yura Shirvanyan, Irma Artushyan, Lilit Hovsepyan, Ashkhen Shirvanyan, Elmira Ghazaryan, Tigran Markosyan

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The rising prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Enterobacteriaceae in livestock presents a significant threat to both animal and human health. This study investigates the antibiotic resistance profiles of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from 160 samples collected from the lymph nodes of healthy pigs in Armenia. Fifty isolates were identified, including Escherichia coli (24), Klebsiella spp. (10), Salmonella spp. (6), Raoultella ornithinolytica (4), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4), and Proteus mirabilis (2). Resistance was evaluated using the disk diffusion method against 22 antibiotics from nine classes. Alarmingly, 94.5% of isolates were resistant to clarithromycin and 90.3% to erythromycin, while resistance to cephalothin and amoxicillin …

Radial Glia Integrin Avb8 Regulates Cell Autonomous Microglial Tgfβ1 Signaling That Is Necessary For Microglial Identity, Gabriel Mckinsey, Nicolas Santander, Xiaoming Zhang, Kilian Kleemann, Lauren Tran, Aditya Katewa, Kaylynn Conant, Matthew Barraza, Kian Waddell, Carlos Lizama, Marie La Russa, Ji Hyun Koo, Hyunji Lee, Dibyanti Mukherjee, Helena Paidassi, E. S. Anton, Kamran Atabai, Dean Sheppard, Oleg Butovsky, Thomas Arnold

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Microglial diversity arises from the interplay between inherent genetic programs and external environmental signals. However, the mechanisms by which these processes develop and interact within the growing brain are not yet fully understood. Here, we show that radial glia-expressed integrin beta 8 (ITGB8) activates microglia-expressed TGFβ1 to drive microglial development. Domain-restricted deletion of Itgb8 in these progenitors results in regionally restricted and developmentally arrested microglia that persist into adulthood. In the absence of autocrine TGFβ1 signaling, microglia adopt a similar phenotype, leading to neuromotor symptoms almost identical to Itgb8 mutant mice. In contrast, microglia lacking the canonical TGFβ signal transducers …

Synthetic Protein Mimetic Based Therapies For Neurodegeneration, Nicholas H. Stillman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are crucial for the regulation of a majority of, if not every fundamental cellular process. Despite their role in regular biological processes, dysregulated and/or aberrant protein-protein interactions (aPPIs) are often related to the onset of disease including cancer, viral infection, and amyloid diseases. aPPIs have historically been deemed ‘undruggable’ due to their large surface area and lack of a binding cavity; however, today, more than 40 disease-related aPPIs have been targeted with small molecules and several of those have reached clinical trials.

A class of synthetic protein mimetics called oligopyridylamides (OPs) has been shown to inhibit disease-related …

Multi-Sensor Integration And Machine Learning For High-Resolution Classification Of Herbivore Foraging Behavior, Bashiri Iddy Muzzo, Kelvyn Bladen, Andres Perea, Shelemia Nyamuryekung’E, Juan J. Villalba

Wildland Resources Student Research

This study classified cows’ foraging behaviors using machine learning (ML) models evaluated through random test split (RTS) and cross-validation (CV) data partition methods. Models included Perceptron, Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, KNearest Neighbors, Random Forest (RF), and XGBoost (XGB). These models classified activity states (active vs. static), foraging behaviors (grazing (GR), resting (RE), walking (W), ruminating (RU)), posture states (standing up (SU) vs. lying down (LD)), and posture combinations with rumination and resting behaviors (RU_SU, RU_LD, RE_SU, and RE_LD). XGB achieved the highest accuracy for state classification (74.5% RTS, 74.2% CV) and foraging behavior (69.4% CV). RF outperformed XGB in …

Session Iib: Natural Sciences Presentation 3 - The Effects Of Human Umbilical Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Treating Premature Ovarian Failure, Lainey Proffitt

Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference

Short lit review of the factors in using human mesenchymal stems cells to treat premature ovarian failure.

Regeneration In Planarians Modifies Behavioral Switching, N. S. Tellakula, Eva-Maria S. Collins, W. B. Kristan Jr.

Biology Faculty Works

The planarian Dugesia japonica responds differently to localized stimuli: anterior regions turn, middle regions elongate, and posterior regions contract. If cut into several pieces, each piece immediately produces the same three responses. Over several days, each piece regenerates all transected body parts. This study tested how the pieces coordinate behavioral responses during regeneration. We first determined the locations of the turning/elongation and elongation/contraction behavioral switches. Immediately, all transections moved both switching sites away from the cut sites so that the worm pieces produced the same three responses as intact worms. During regeneration, the sites of behavioral switching moved progressively closer …

Environmental Conditions Explain Variability In Concentrations Of Nutrients But Not Emerging Contaminants, Megan L. Fork, Jerker Fick, Alexander J. Reisinger, Peter M. Groffman, Emma J. Rosi

Biology Faculty Publications

Aquatic ecosystems are subjected to many chemical stressors, including nutrients and emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals. While pharmaceutical concentrations in streams and rivers are often below the thresholds for acute toxicity, they nonetheless disrupt ecology through changes to organisms’ physiology, metabolism, and behavior. However, analyzing samples for the wide range of manufactured pharmaceuticals is often prohibitively expensive for many monitoring efforts. As such, the ability to predict pharmaceutical concentrations over space and time using easier-to-monitor water quality parameters would expand our understanding of the scope and consequences of pharmaceutical contamination in aquatic ecosystems. We applied random forest models to data from …

Islet Single-Cell Transcriptomic Profiling During Obesity-Induced Beta Cell Expansion In Female Mice, Peter M Masschelin, Scott A Ochsner, Sean M Hartig, Neil J Mckenna, Aaron R Cox

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Targeting beta cell proliferation is an appealing approach to restore glucose control in type 1 diabetes. However, the underlying mechanisms of beta cell proliferation remain incompletely understood, limiting identification of new therapeutic targets. Obesity is a naturally occurring process that potently induces human and rodent beta cell replication, representing an ideal model to study mechanisms of beta cell proliferation. We showed previously acute whole-body