Digital Commons Network^™

Excavations At The Nabatean Site Of ‘En Tamar (Pp. 49–71), Tali Erickson-Gini

'Atiqot

A structure was uncovered at ‘En Tamar, located south of the Dead Sea. Most of the ceramic finds and the glass material from the structure date to the Late Roman period (second–early third centuries CE). Earlier ceramic material, dated to the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods (second century BCE–early first century CE), along with Nabatean coins from these periods, were also found. The abandonment of the site in the early third century CE fits a pattern of abandoned sites that was observed in a number of sites in the Negev, possibly due to the spread of epidemic.

Subterranean Complex 147 At Maresha: The Construction Phases Of The Columbarium (Pp. 37–48), Ian Stern, Bernie Alpert, Amos Kloner

'Atiqot

Excavations in Subterranean Complex 147 in Maresha revealed several building phases of the large columbarium. The fill within the installation consisted of pottery ranging in date from the Iron Age II through the Hellenistic period, mainly from the second century BCE. Columbaria had an important function in the lifestyle of the local population in the Judean Shephelah in general, and at Maresha in particular. This is connected with fact that pigeons were a source of food, a cultic offering, and their droppings were used as fertilizer.

A Chalcolithic Settlement At Tel Shevaʻ (Hebrew, Pp. 43*–69*; English Summary, P. 106), Yael Abadi-Reiss

'Atiqot

Salvage excavations at Tel Shevaʻ uncovered the remains of a Chalcolithic-period settlement. The architectural remains consisted mainly of pits of different sizes and types, which were dug into the loess soil; they served as refuse pits in their final stage of use. The fill within the pits comprised soil and ash accumulations, mixed with potsherds, flints and animal bones, reflecting a broad range of domestic activities that had once been carried out on surface level. The site appears to have been the largest of the Ghassulian-culture sites in the Be’er Shevaʻ Valley.

Remains From The End Of The Early Chalcolithic And The Late Chalcolithic Periods At Kaukab Springs In The Western Galilee (Hebrew, Pp. 1*–41*; English Summary, P. 103–105), Nimrod Getzov

'Atiqot

Excavations at the Kaukab Springs site revealed two Chalcolithic-period strata: one from Early Chalcolithic 3 (Stratum III) and the other from the Late Chalcolithic (Stratum II). The site is important for the study of the transition between the Early Chalcolithic 3 and the Late Chalcolithic periods. The architectural traditions and the finds from each of these periods indicate a clear relationship between the Galilee sites and ‘En ‘Esur, as well as local variations in the region between the Sharon plain and the Galilee. After its abandonment in the Late Chalcolithic period, the site was reoccupied in the Intermediate Bronze Age.

Pulsating Drought And Insect Herbivory Cause Differential Effects On Soybean (Glycine Max) Genotypes That Vary In Canopy Wilting Speed, Jessica Ayala, Manish Gautam, Adrianna Peissel, George Justin, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a result of climate change, global temperatures are increasing, and water scarcity is on the rise. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] is one of the most important crops in the world due to its importance as food and feed. One of the major limiting factors for soybean production is drought, which can cause up to 80% reduction in yield. Therefore, growers and plant breeders are turning to soybean accessions that demonstrate better water use efficiency (WUE). However, in addition to drought, insect herbivory by soybean looper (Chrysodeixis includens, SBL) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, FAW) can also reduce soybean …

The Role Of Biofilm Matrix On The Growth, Survival, And Diagnosis In Enterobacteriaceae, Kavi Bharathi R

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria in nature live together encased in a matrix creating community ecosystems called biofilms, this structured space protects them from hostile environments. This study aimed to understand the role of the biofilm matrix in the growth and survival of Enterobacteriaceae. Our hypothesis proposes that subgroups of individuals within a biofilm can specialize in the production of different matrix components.

Matrix expression is metabolically costly, despite its unicellular simplicity, microbes can coordinate complex behaviour like sharing of matrix between producers and non-producers as an adept evolutionary strategy. Their resilience to stress during biofilm formation was studied to assess their abilities to …

Online Media Sentiment Analysis Of Shrimp And Salmon In The United States, Jingjing Tao, Kwamena K. Quagrainie

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

There is a growing interest in the U.S. seafood and aquaculture market; however, studies utilizing online information to understand this market are limited. This study employs online media analytics to obtain insights into consumer perceptions and potential demand signals for shrimp and salmon in the U.S. Our results show that platform X is the preferred medium for shrimp and salmon discussions, with shrimp's physical quality and salmon's environmental impact being the two major perception drivers. Additionally, autoregressive modeling is conducted to explore the dynamics of net sentiments. Farmed shrimp and salmon consistently exhibit lower net sentiments compared to their wild …

Molecular Modification Of Queen Bee Acid And 10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid With Specific Tripeptides: Rational Design, Organic Synthesis, And Assessment For Prohealing And Antimicrobial Hydrogel Properties, Song Hong, Sachin B. Baravkar, Yan Lu, Abdul Razak Masoud, Qi Zhao, Weilie Zhou

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Royal jelly and medical grade honey are traditionally used in treating wounds and infections, although their effectiveness is often variable and insufficient. To overcome their limitations, we created novel amphiphiles by modifying the main reparative and antimicrobial components, queen bee acid (hda) and 10-hydroxyl-decanoic acid (hdaa), through peptide bonding with specific tripeptides. Our molecular design incorporated amphiphile targets as being biocompatible in wound healing, biodegradable, non-toxic, hydrogelable, prohealing, and antimicrobial. The amphiphilic molecules were designed in a hda(hdaa)-aa1-aa2-aa3 structural model with rational selection criteria for each moiety, prepared via Rink/Fmoc-tBu-based solid-phase peptide synthesis, and structurally verified by NMR and LC–MS/MS. …

Distinguishing Classes Of Neuroactive Drugs Based On Computational Physicochemical Properties And Experimental Phenotypic Profiling In Planarians, Danielle Ireland, Christina Rabeler, Sagar Rao , '22, R. J. Richardson, Eva-Maria S. Collins

Biology Faculty Works

Mental illnesses put a tremendous burden on afflicted individuals and society. Identification of novel drugs to treat such conditions is intrinsically challenging due to the complexity of neuropsychiatric diseases and the need for a systems-level understanding that goes beyond single molecule-target interactions. Thus far, drug discovery approaches focused on target-based in silico or in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) have had limited success because they cannot capture pathway interactions or predict how a compound will affect the whole organism. Organismal behavioral testing is needed to fill the gap, but mammalian studies are too time-consuming and cost-prohibitive for the early stages of …

Microbiome Metabolic Capacity Is Buffered Against Phylotype Losses By Functional Redundancy, Kayla Cross, Noelle Beckman, Benjamin Jahnes, Zakee L. Sabree

Biology Faculty Publications

Many animals contain a species-rich and diverse gut microbiota that likely contributes to several host-supportive services that include diet processing and nutrient provisioning. Loss of microbiome taxa and their associated metabolic functions as result of perturbations may result in loss of microbiome-level services and reduction of metabolic capacity. If metabolic functions are shared by multiple taxa (i.e., functional redundancy), including deeply divergent lineages, then the impact of taxon/function losses may be dampened. We examined to what degree alterations in phylotype diversity impact microbiome-level metabolic capacity. Feeding two nutritionally imbalanced diets to omnivorous Periplaneta americana over 8 weeks reduced the diversity …

Identification Of Diverse Bacteriophages Associated With Bees And Hoverflies, Rohan A. Bandoo, Simona Kraberger, Cahit Ozturk, Michael C. Lund, Qiyun Zhu, Chelsea N. Cook, Brian Smith, Arvind Varsani

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Bacteriophages are the most numerous, ubiquitous, and diverse biological entities on the planet. Prior studies have identified bacteriophages associated with pathogenic and commensal microbiota of honeybees. In this study we expand on what is known about bacteriophages from the lineages Caudoviricetes, Inoviridae, and Microviridae, which are associated with honeybees (Apidae, Apis mellifera), solitary bees of the genus Nomia (Halictidae, Nomia), and hoverflies (Syrphidae). The complete genomes of seven caudoviruses, seven inoviruses, and 288 microviruses were assembled from honeybees (n = 286) and hoverflies in Arizona (n = 2). We used bacterial host predictive …

Enhancing Immunotherapy Efficacy With Synergistic Low-Dose Radiation In Metastatic Melanoma: Current Insights And Prospects, Zahid Rafiq, Mingyo Kang, Hampartsoum B Barsoumian, Gohar S Manzar, Yun Hu, Carola Leuschner, Ailing Huang, Fatemeh Masrorpour, Weiqin Lu, Nahum Puebla-Osorio, James W Welsh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent advances in oncology research have highlighted the promising synergy between low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) and immunotherapies, with growing evidence highlighting the unique benefits of the combination. LDRT has emerged as a potent tool for stimulating the immune system, triggering systemic antitumor effects by remodeling the tumor microenvironment. Notably, LDRT demonstrates remarkable efficacy even in challenging metastatic sites such as the liver (uveal) and brain (cutaneous), particularly in advanced melanoma stages. The increasing interest in utilizing LDRT for secondary metastatic sites of uveal, mucosal, or cutaneous melanomas underscores its potential efficacy in combination with various immunotherapies. This comprehensive review traverses …

Animal Bones From ‘En Marzev (Pp. 23–25), Shlomo Hellwing, Nurit Feig

'Atiqot

The bones retrieved from the Early Islamic building at ‘En Marzev were in a good state of preservation. The most abundant animal in the sample is the gazelle, followed by the horse, with a remarkably smaller amount of domesticated animals, such as sheep, goat and cattle. It seems that gazelles formed a main dietary component at this settlement, indicating that hunting played an important role there.

A Mamluk-Period Settlement And Cemetery At Ge’Alya, Near Yavne (Pp. 69–110), Amir Gorzalczany

'Atiqot

Excavations east of Moshav Ge’alya uncovered a cemetery and a habitation site dating to the Mamluk period. Within the cemetery, four types of burial tombs, oriented in a general west–east axis with the deceased facing Mecca, were found. These were individual cist burials, which were covered with ceramic vessels that were used in place of covering slabs. The covering vessels belong to three well-known, Mamluk-period ceramic types (mid-thirteenth–early sixteenth centuries CE): bag-shaped jars, water lifting devices (antiliya) and beehive containers. Other finds include meager glass finds, coins, iron horseshoes, square-sectioned iron nails, a bronze arrowhead, jewelry, spatulas, a buckle and …

Archaeozoological Finds From The Abbasid Period, From Danny Mass Street, Ramla (Hebrew, Pp. 129*–131*; English, P. 121), Moshe Sade

'Atiqot

The excavation on Danny Mass Street, Ramla yielded faunal remains dating to the Early Islamic period, comprising domesticated, as well as wild animal bones. Pig bones found in the assemblage probably attest to the existence of a Christian population in the city.

An Early Islamic-Period Structure On Danny Mass Street, Ramla (Hebrew, Pp. 99*–126*; English, Pp. 118–119), Oren Shmueli

'Atiqot

A salvage excavation within the boundaries of the ancient city of Ramla revealed four strata. The earliest, Stratum IV, comprised an earthen fill, containing potsherds—including imports from Egypt and China—stone and glass vessels, dating from the mid-eighth to the tenth centuries CE. Stratum III included three architectural phases: fragmentary remains of installations and a wall foundation (Phase IIIc); remains of a large building, which was erected upon three terraces (Phase IIIb); and an ashlar-built, paved circular installation (Phase IIIa). The finds from Stratum III date from the mid-eighth to the eleventh centuries CE, and include potsherds and animal bones. The …

An Early Islamic Installation At Ramla (Pp. 27–39), Oren Shmueli

'Atiqot

An excavation at the Ramlod Interchange exposed a subterranean circular, plastered installation, with one course of its vaulted roof still extant and two rectangular openings. The fill in the upper part of the installation consisted of animal bones, pottery sherds and fragments of glass vessels, and in the lower part were complete pottery and glass vessels, roof tiles and ceramic tiles mixed with charcoal and animal bones. It seems that the assemblage was discarded into the pit between the second half of the eighth and the first half of the ninth centuries CE. The installation, built on the hill at …

Lod (Newe Yaraq): A Late Roman Pottery Kiln And Pottery Neolithic A (Jericho Ix/Lodian) Remains (With Contributions By Anat Cohen-Weinberger, Tamar Schick, Hamoudi Khalaily And Moshe Sade)(Pp. 1–36), Edwin C.M. Van Den Brink, Catherine Commenge

'Atiqot

Salvage excavations in the neighborhood of Newe Yaraq, Lod exposed the remains of a Late Roman pottery kiln of the vertical or up-draft type. Seven to eight mud-brick courses of the circular outer wall of the lower chamber (firebox) survived. A round, mud-brick column in its center supported a mud-brick vaulted ceiling that served as the floor of the upper stacking chamber. Associated ceramics, including kiln wasters and slags, were encountered on the fire-chamber’s floor. Most common in the assemblage are sherds belonging to a single type of storage jar, dating to the second–fourth centuries CE. Pottery of the Pottery …

A Mosaic Floor In The Church Of Bishop Johannes At Ḥorbat Barqa, Gan Yavne (Hebrew, Pp. 89*–126*; English Summary, Pp. 129–132), Lihi Habas

'Atiqot

Mosaic pavements were uncovered in the nave and in the atrium of the Church of Bishop Johannes at Ḥorbat Barqa. Of the mosaic carpet in the nave nine rows were preserved; a large central medallion containing a circle of harmony and another large medallion with a dedicatory inscription emphasize its main axis. The mosaic is decorated with vine scrolls populated with still life objects, fauna, birds and daily scenes, alongside motifs with of religious significance. The mosaic floor, made in a flat, schematic style, is similar in style, composition and iconography to mosaic floors from the early sixth century CE …

The Agricultural Landscape Of The ‘Zippor Compound’ In Modi‘In (Hebrew, Pp. 25*–60*; English Summary, Pp. 123–124), Uzi Ad

'Atiqot

Three excavation areas were opened, exposing terraces, enclosure walls, dams, stone-clearance heaps, cairns, watchman’s booths, roads, winepresses, fence walls, caves or rock shelters, limekilns, cup marks and cisterns. The excavation recovered very little pottery. The site probably began to be intensively farmed in the Iron Age and Persian period. It reached its peak in the Late Hellenistic–Early Roman periods, when almost all the features in the compound were in use. A limited activity in the compound took place during the Byzantine period, continuing into the Early Islamic period.

Two Seasons Of Rescue And Exploratory Excavations At Ḥorbat ‘Avot, Upper Galilee (With A Contribution By Orit Shamir) (Pp. 1–66), Eliot Braun

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Genetic Variation Of Rice Stink Bugs, Oebalus Spp. (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) From Southeastern United States And Cuba, Allen Szalanski, Raymond Hix, Dylan Cleary, N. Bateman, Richard Adams, Ronald Cherry

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The rice stink bug, Oebalus pugnax (F.; Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) has been a pest of rice in the United States since the 1880s. Besides this species, there now are two invasive Oebalus species, O. ypsilongriseus (De Geer) and O. insularis St & aring;l, which are found in Florida. Genetic variation of these economically important species is unknown, limiting our understanding of Oebalus evolution and demography. Here we provide the first population-level investigation of genetic diversity in these species. Ninety two adult stink bugs were collected from the southeastern United States (Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida), and Cuba. A region of the mitochondrial DNA …

Population Variability Across Geographical Ranges: Perspectives And Challenges, Cleber Ten Caten, Tad Dallas

Faculty Publications

Populations fluctuate over time and across geographical space, and understanding how different factors contribute to population variability is a central goal in population ecology. There is a particular interest in identifying trends of population variability within geographical ranges as population densities of species can fluctuate substantially across geographical space. A common assumption is that populations vary more near species geographical range edges because of unsuitable environments and higher vulnerability to environmental variability in these areas. However, empirical data rarely support this expectation, suggesting that population variability is not related to its position within species geographical ranges. We propose that performance …

Spatiotemporal Variability And Functional Redundancy Obscure Effects Of Urbanization On Strawberry Pollinators, Kyla D. Schulte, Caleb J. Wilson, Anna Tawril, Mary A. Jamieson

Entomology Faculty Publications

Pollination services across rural–urban gradients may vary as land cover and other environmental attributes differentially influence pollinators. Most studies examining crop pollination, however, have been conducted in rural environments, while research in urban areas has lagged behind despite growing interest in urban agriculture. In this study, we hypothesized that increased urbanization would alter pollinator community composition due to a reduction in natural areas within the surrounding landscape, potentially decreasing pollinator abundance. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a three-year study using strawberries as a focal study crop. We characterized the abundance, diversity, and community composition of bees across 10 farms …

Local Tissue Damage Treatment Of Snake Venom, Suchitra Khunsap

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Local tissue damage caused by snake envenomation was a medical problem that caused morbidity and mortality for more than a decade, with no defined treatment guidelines. Nowadays, antivenom is the primary treatment for snakebite, which substantially reduces systemic venom but not significantly reducing local symptoms. We compiled a list of local damage therapies, including antivenom medication, surgery and skin grafting, small molecule medicines, and alternative therapies. Although each was not approved as a standard treatment, it may be a treatment option for tissue damage caused by snake venom. However, antivenoms and most resistant compounds may not be the best strategy …

Metabolic Effects Of R-1,3-Butanediol (Ketone-Iq) During Aerobic And Anaerobic Exercise Bouts, Mathew C. Soto, Andrew J. Jakiel, Latt Mansor, Jenica D. Alvarez, Ashley M. Bruce, Blake Podsen, Sabrina R. Fordham, Parker N. Hyde

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 6: Issue 1, Article 1, 2025. BACKGROUND: Current evidence demonstrates the efficacy of low carbohydrate/high fat ketogenic diets as it related to exercise. Exogenous ketone supplements have made it possible to ingest ketone molecules, elevating blood b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) despite consuming carbohydrates (CHO). The purpose of this investigation was to determine both metabolic and performance effects of R-1,3-butanediol (BDO). METHODS: A randomized repeated measures placebo-controlled design was used to compare BDO and placebo (PLA). Each phase of testing utilized two primary testing days: 1) a dose exposure day designed to determine blood metabolite changes …

Animal Science News (January 28, 2025), Department Of Animal Science

Animal Science Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Cd226-Related Immune Evasion In Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Cd38 Car-Engineered Nk Cells, Luciana Melo Garcia, Achintyan Gangadharan, Pinaki Banerjee, Ye Li, Andy G X Zeng, Hind Rafei, Paul Lin, Bijender Kumar, Sunil Acharya, May Daher, Luis Muniz-Feliciano, Gary M Deyter, Gabriel Dominguez, Jeong Min Park, Francia Reyes Silva, Ana Karen Nunez Cortes, Rafet Basar, Nadima Uprety, Mayra Shanley, Mecit Kaplan, Enli Liu, Elizabeth J Shpall, Katayoun Rezvani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

CD226 plays a vital role in natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity, interacting with its ligands CD112 and CD155 to initiate immune synapse formation, primarily through leukocyte function-associated-1 (LFA-1). Our study examined the role of CD226 in NK cell surveillance of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NK cells in patients with AML had lower expression of CD226. CRISPR-Cas9 deletion of CD226 led to reduced LFA-1 recruitment, poor synapse formation, and decreased NK cell anti-leukemic activity. Engineering NK cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor targeting the AML antigen CD38 (CAR38) could overcome the need for CD226 to establish strong immune synapses. LFA-1 …

Erk Activation Dynamics In Maturing Oocyte Controls Embryonic Nuclear Divisions In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Han Bit Baek, Debabrata Das, Shin-Yu Chen, Hongyuan Li, Swathi Arur

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

ERK activity oscillates between sustained activation during oocyte formation and transient inactivation during oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early embryogenesis. Consequences of ectopic ERK activity upon oocyte maturation and in early embryogenesis are unknown. We show, in Caenorhabditis elegans, that ectopic ERK activity upon oocyte maturation (metaphase I oocytes) results in embryos with abnormalities in nuclear divisions leading to embryonic death. We uncover that ERK directly phosphorylates Polo-like kinase I (PLK-1), on Serine 404, to inhibit nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD) in early embryogenesis. The RAS/ERK/PLK-1 pathway poisons zygotic NEBD and inhibits the merging of parental genomes, underlining the importance of turning …

Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Chlorophyll-A Concentration In A Hypersaline Lake Using High Temporal Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery, R. Douglas Ramsey, Soren M. Brothers, Melissa Cobo, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The Great Salt Lake (GSL) is the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere. It supports billion-dollar industries and recreational activities, and is a vital stopping point for migratory birds. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal variation of phytoplankton biomass in the lake that supports these resources. Spectral reflectance provided by three remote sensing products was compared relative to their relationship with field measurements of chlorophyll a (Chl a). The MODIS product MCD43A4 with a 500 m spatial resolution provided the best overall ability to map the daily distribution of Chl a. The imagery indicated significant spatial …