Digital Commons Network^™

The Physicochemical Properties, Biochemical Makeup, And Health Benefits Of Honey Produced From Stingless Bees (Apidae: Meliponini), Belay Gezahegn Gebreyes, Tilahun A. Teka, Yetenayet Bekele Tola, Metekia Tamiru, Nkoba Kiatoko

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This review provides a comprehensive overview of stingless bee honey (SBH), focusing on its physicochemical properties, biochemical composition, and health benefits. SBH exhibits unique characteristics, including color, flavor, texture, and lower thermal stability, influenced by various botanical sources, stingless bee species, and diverse geographic and climatic conditions. These environmental factors, particularly floral diversity and climate, significantly affect SBH’s composition and functional properties, resulting in regional variations that impact its market value and health potential. The review details the composition ranges of SBH, which include moisture content (13.26%–41%), total acidity (12.59–270 meq/kg), reducing sugar (22.44%–78.95%), electrical conductivity (0.11–101.88 mS/cm), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) …

Nature-Based Land Management Practices And Yield Dynamics In Oil Palm Production: Insights From Indonesian Smallholder Growers, Kibrom T. Sibhatu, Martin Paul Tabe-Ojong, Hermanto Siregar

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Nature-based land management (NLM) practices are increasingly promoted for their potential to bridge yield gaps and increase overall crop production. Yet, the extent of NLM adoption, the factors driving it, and its impact on yields remain unknown, particularly among smallholder farmers. This study addresses this knowledge gap using a unique three-round panel dataset from independent smallholder oil palm growers in Indonesia, focusing on three main NLM practices: composting, manual weeding, and organic soil amendments (SA) using lime and gypsum. We employ panel data estimators and a multivariate probit model to examine the yield effects of these practices and assess any …

Comparative Olfactory Anatomy Of Wild And Hatchery-Raised Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Nicole Rahman-Garnier

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are an ecologically and culturally important salmonid species that exhibits diverse life history strategies, including anadromous and resident freshwater life cycles. Though many studies have examined their olfactory morphology, none have directly compared possible olfactory microstructural differences between wild and hatchery-raised populations. Histology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to compare the gross anatomy and ultrastructure of olfactory rosettes in three O. mykiss populations: wild residents from Jacoby Creek (JC), a resident lineage of hatchery fish from Mad River Hatchery (MRH), and an anadromous lineage from the Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) Hatchery. The …

The Impact Of Plant-Based Diets On Erythrocyte Function, Oxidative Stress, And Vascular Inflammation In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Walter G. Craig

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder with diverse etiological contributors, characterized by insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and an increased risk of vascular complications. While much research has focused on plasma and serum markers of metabolic dysfunction, the role of erythrocytes in diabetic pathophysiology remains underexplored. This review examines the impact of dietary macronutrient composition, particularly plant-based diets, on erythrocyte function, oxidative stress, and vascular inflammation in T2DM. Red blood cells (RBCs) are not only oxygen carriers but also dynamic regulators of immune and inflammatory responses, with structural and functional alterations playing a critical role …

A Review Of Contact Dependent Interactions Among Encrusting Bryozoans, Sheena Emily Stephens-Norton

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This review of published literature is focused on bryozoan interactions and discusses overgrowths, “stalemates,” erect bi-laminate growths and fusions. Overgrowths, where one colony grows zooids atop another, have received the most attention in the scientific literature. Stalemates, where two colonies cease growth at the region of contact, have received relatively little research investigating the possible reasons for its occurrence. Erect, bi-laminate growth, following inter- and/or intraspecific contact between colonies, has also received little research, but could reflect mutualistic behavior of encrusting species to increase feeding and reproduction. Fusion of self-self-contacts appears common, yet non-self-fusions to form natural chimeras may also …

Patterns Of Kinship And Sociality In North American River Otters, Whitney E. Vickers

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Previous studies of river otters (Lontra canadensis) in coastal Humboldt County, California have documented varying social group compositions over the last four decades. It has been assumed that otters travel between coastal wetland sites, but the extent of movement has been unknown. Socially, river otters have been observed alone, in small family groups that consisted of an otter mom and pup(s), in larger helper groups that consisted of an otter mom, pup(s), and at least one additional adult or juvenile (helpers), and in all-adult social groups. Until now it was unknown whether the composition of social groups was …

Diversity, Genomics And Antimicrobial Resistance Of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcus: A Literature Review, Kathleen Okeefe

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Members of the gram-positive bacterial genus Staphylococcus have historically been classified into coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CoPS) and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS). This classification is based on the ability of clotting of plasma by the coagulase enzyme, which converts fibrinogen to fibrin. CoNS species are ubiquitous commensals that frequently colonize the skin and mucosal surfaces. They are also opportunistic pathogens implicated in many human and animal infections. The evolutionary history of CoNS has generally been overlooked because of the historical lack of recognition for their clinical importance and poor taxonomic sampling. They are often perceived as being less or non-pathogenic, especially compared to …

Antibody-Induced Multicellular Behaviors Of Salmonella Typhimurium, Samantha K. Lindberg

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Salmonella enterica is a globally distributed bacterial pathogen that is commonly acquired through consumption of contaminated food and water. The enterica subspecies includes over 1500 unique subvariants, or serovars, that are classified by antigen presentation. Due to its global environmental prevalence, broad host range, and increasing pathogenicity, serovar Typhimurium is of particular concern for human and animal health, as well as food safety. Once in the gastrointestinal tract, Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) exploits host immune mechanisms, implements an arsenal of virulence factors, and outcompetes the microbiota to invade the intestinal epithelium. While STm infections are generally self-limiting and relatively mild, emerging …

Investigating Rna Dysfunction Of Inherited Neuromuscular And Neurodevelopmental Disease, Jacob H. Schroader

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

ITPase deficiency is a rare but fatal, autosomal recessive enzyme deficiency involving encephalopathy, microcephaly, congenital cataracts, hypotonia, developmental delay, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Within a decade since the original description of the severe form in humans, there are huge gaps in the field regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms driving pathogenesis resulting from ITPase deficiency. Past studies have focused on characterization of the organism level ITPase-deficient phenotype, but the molecular and cellular characterization remains to be fully described. Due to the biochemical function and established biological role of the ITPase enzyme, investigation into the consequences of inosine accumulation and misincorporation into RNA …

Heterospecific Coprophagy In The White-Tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780) In Costa Rica, Mora Manuel Jose, Juan De Dios Astorga-Acuña

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Animals may engage in coprophagy, including heterospecific coprophagy, where they consume the feces of other species. The white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, primarily feeds on plant material, such as tender forbs and shrub shoots. This report documents a case of heterospecific coprophagy by the white-tailed deer in Costa Rica, where two individuals were observed consuming domestic horse feces. The reasons for heterospecific coprophagy in ruminants like the white-tailed deer are unclear. Nutritional supplementation, microbial transfer, or other ecological factors may play a role in this behavior. However, such a behavior also poses risks, including the transmission of diseases and parasites from …

Wasting Disease Of A Marine Foundation Species Links Community Interactions To Disease Dynamics, Lillian R. Aoki, Olivia J. Graham, Reyn M. Yoshioka, Rebecca Maher, Lindsay Alma, Eileen E. Hofmann, Colleen A. Burge, Drew Harvell, Maya L. Groner

CCPO Publications

Infectious disease plays a key role in shaping marine communities, including in seagrass meadows, which form biodiverse coastal habitats. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is the most widespread seagrass species and is susceptible to seagrass wasting disease, caused by the protist Labyrinthula zosterae. As a foundation species, eelgrass strongly influences ecosystem structure, function and services; recent work has begun to explore the links between critical community interactions and seagrass wasting disease. Here, we highlight recent advances about how the eelgrass community regulates and responds to seagrass wasting disease, from the microbiome to herbivores and filter feeders. We further show …

Spatial And Temporal Shifts In Bacterial Communities And Nutrient Removal In Two Springfield Wastewater Facilities, Rubina Sherchan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Bacterial communities play a central role in the biological nutrient removal and overall performance of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, very few is known about the spatial and seasonal dynamics of these communities. This study explores the spatial and seasonal variations in bacterial community composition across multiple treatment stages in two municipal WWTPs—Southwest (SWTP) and Northwest (NWTP)—in Springfield, Missouri. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, I analyzed 87 samples collected during summer and winter of 2024 from influent, sludge, aeration basins, clarifiers, and final effluent stages. I retrieved 16.4 million (summer) and 3.2 million (winter) sequences. Proteobacteria dominated both seasons …

They Forgot We Were Seeds: Critical Counter-Narratives Supporting Culturally Informed Community Seed Work, Florentina Rodriguez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This Professional Innovation dissertation utilizes Critical Counter-Narrative both as research methodology to generate narrative reflections and as praxis for liberatory transformation. Through research vignettes adapted from the author’s experience with critical collaborative autoethnographic seed work, this study produced critical counter-narratives aimed at addressing inequities in small-scale seed systems. These counter-narratives were incorporated into curriculum materials synthesized as an educational toolkit for a professional research

sister-project: the new Culturally Informed Community Seed Pledge and Code of Ethics (CICSP/COE). This project seeks to address disparity and extractive practices; outline relational pathways for reciprocity and respecting communities of origin; and provide evaluation metrics …

Becoming The Donkey Derby’S ‘Karen’: A Humane Educator’S Autoethnographic Journey Toward Anti-Speciesist Communication, Jesika Keener

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Language not only carries oppression as an educative force, but research indicates that language is inherently speciesist and highly pervasive (Ethical Globe, 2021; Guevara Labaca, 2017; Hamlett, 2024; Leach et al., 2023). However, the ontological commitment to speciesism is historically foundational, which makes the total eradication of speciesist communication only viable through an unemerged hypothetical future society (Kahn, 2011). For the possibilities of such a world to come into being, pivotal steps must first be taken to critically engage with the communicated forms of speciesism in order to better understand it and actively resist its reproduction—with the aspiration for this …

The Role Of Floodplain Complexity In Wood Turtle Habitat Use, Laura S. Deming

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Wood turtles occupy cold, low-gradient riverine habitat throughout the northeastern United State and southeastern Canada. Stream alterations, such as dams, channel straightening, and floodplain development have diminished the natural hydrologic and sedimentation regimes that result in complex channel and floodplain geomorphology. Studies throughout the species’ range have quantified many aspects of their habitat, but none have quantified components of geomorphology of wood turtle sites. The goal of this study was to explore the role of stream channel and floodplain geomorphology in wood turtle habitat use, with specific objectives to (1) quantify components of stream channel and floodplain geomorphic complexity, (2) …

Pick Up A Frog, Or Pet A Dog; Animals Are Our First Teachers, Allison Ratner

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation’s goal was an attempt to answer the question: What are the emotional, cognitive, and/or spiritual effects of children’s relationships/interactions with animals that potentially impact their development? By utilizing autoethnography, I analyzed instances from my own life where interacting with animals changed me permanently; my thinking, my knowing, my feeling, my judgement, my empathy, my attitude, and my ethics. With a standpoint rooted in the research of experts from the fields of psychology and education, I combined my personal knowledge gained over a lifetime, to grant merit to the profundity of children’s relationships with animals. With the analyzed data, …

Behavioral Response Of Wild Greater Caribbean Manatees (Trichechus Manatus Manatus) To Playbacks Of Conspecifics In Maya Beach, Belize, Phoebe Sonia Hodson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The behavioral response of the wild Greater Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) to the acoustic vocalizations of their closely related subspecies, the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), was examined for the first time in Placencia Lagoon, Maya Beach, Belize. The main goal of this study was to determine how vocalizations from conspecifics influence the behavior of the wild Greater Caribbean manatee and how this behavioral change may give insight into the functionality of manatee vocalizations. Three call types (squeak, squeal and high squeak) and chewing sounds were played to varying size aggregations of manatees. Broad behavioral …

Distribution And Ecology Of The Cedar Keys Mole Skink (Plestiodon Egregius Insularis), Kevin M. Enge, Louis A. Somma, Paul E. Moler, Travis M. Thomas, Matthew T. Fedler, John M. Matter, Dennis C. Haney

Papers in Herpetology

We conducted surveys for the Cedar Keys Mole Skink, Plestiodon egregius insularis (Mount), during 1989– 1999 and 2015–2024, examined museum vouchers, and compiled personal observations from others to determine the status and distribution of this subspecies, which has the smallest geographic distribution of the five subspecies and is being considered for federal listing. We observed Cedar Keys Mole Skinks on Airstrip Island, Atsena Otie, Cedar Point, Deer Island, North Key, Scale Key, Seahorse Key, Snake Key, and possibly Dog Island. We have anecdotal reports of Mole Skinks on Way Key, which contains the most potential habitat and is the main …

Environmental And Climate Change Dictionary: Part Ii, Fozia Parveen

Books

When we published our first environment and climate change dictionary in 2023 at IED (https://ecommons.aku.edu/books/117/), I was surprised by the response we received. Many people reached out to us to tell us how they hear these terms in their workplaces and how our dictionary helps them understand the words better. I wanted to make sure that we continue to add words to the dictionary in order to increase the understanding of others but also our own understanding of many terms we hear on a day-to-day basis. This year with the participants of “Introduction to Climate Change” course at FAS we …

Water Homeostasis Gene Expression In The Kidney Of Broilers Divergently Selected For Water Conversion Ratio, Kentu Lassiter, Loujain Aloui, Elizabeth S. Greene, Maricela A. Maqueda, Travis Tabler, Sami Dridi, Robert F. Wideman Jr., Sara Orlowski, Walter G. Bottje

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Divergent selection of broilers for water conversion ratio has established and high-(HWE) and low- water efficient (LWE) broiler lines. Two 2 × 2 factorial experiments were conducted to assess the gene expression profile of systems involved in renal water homeostasis. In Exp. 1, male and female HWE and LWE broilers were individually phenotyped between 4 and 6 wks of age to determine growth performance and water conversion ratio (g water intake/g body weight gain). Kidney samples were obtained from 5 males and 5 females from each line. In Exp. 2, HWE and modern random bred …

Research Note: Increased Lipid Accumulation Within Broiler Preadipocytes During Differentiation In Vitro At Atmospheric Oxygen Tension, Jessica Moraes Cruvinel, Elizabeth S. Greene, Rachel W. Read, Kichoon Lee, Sami Dridi, Paula R. Chen

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the broiler industry, intensive genetic selection has been placed on muscle growth which has undesirably led to increased fat accretion. Models of chicken preadipocyte differentiation in vitro have conventionally used incubators without the ability to control oxygen (O₂) tension; thus, the cells are exposed to atmospheric (∼20-21%) O₂, which is supraphysiological compared to the O₂ tension within adipose tissue. The objective of this study was to investigate embryonic broiler preadipocyte differentiation at different O₂ tensions, including atmospheric (20%), physiological (5%), and hypoxic (1%). Culture at 1% O₂ resulted in increased …

Characterization Of Adaptive Quorum Sensing In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Kayla Simanek

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is highly antibiotic resistant and causes tens of thousands of infections each year. It persists in hospitals by forming biofilms on medical equipment like ventilators and catheters, making it difficult to eradicate. Biofilm formation, among other virulence factors of P. aeruginosa, is regulated through quorum sensing, a mechanism of bacterial communication. Quorum sensing is primarily coordinated through LuxI-R type systems comprised of an autoinducer synthase and receptor, respectively. Canonically, the first system to be expressed is LasI-R, and LasR upregulates the second arm of the quorum sensing network, the RhlI-R system. Research …

Hippocampal Insulin Exists! In Vivo Sampling Methods, Basal Concentrations, Recurrent Hypoglycemia, And Behavioral Extracellular Insulin Responses, Starlette R. Douglass

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Insulin has widespread actions within the brain, including energy homeostasis, modulation of feeding, and as a key component of memory processes. Further, brain insulin dysfunction correlates with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. To this point, measurement of hippocampal insulin has been limited. Determining in vivo hippocampal insulin levels both at a healthy baseline and after, e.g., induction of a disease state or in response to cognitive challenge, is essential to advance our understanding of both insulin's procognitive actions and to guide potential therapeutic interventions.

We first sought to establish a sampling technique for insulin within awake and moving rats …

Adaptive Evolution Shapes The Transmissibility Of West Nile Virus In New York State, Sean M. Bialosuknia

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), which are maintained in nature in complex transmission cycles involving hematophagic invertebrates and their vertebrate hosts, are the cause of a significant and expanding global health burden. Defining arbovirus-host interactions is necessary if we are to understand the adaptive and epidemiological potential of arboviruses. The results presented with West Nile virus (WNV Flaviviridae: Orthoflavivirus), are a compilation of such studies. WNV is the most prevalent arboviral pathogen in the U.S. and the most geographically distributed arbovirus in the world. Despite the evolutionary potential of these RNA viruses, WNV and other arboviruses have experienced only limited …

Heterogeneous Being: The Inhumanities And The Creative-Scientific Aesthetic, Steven L. Ogden

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Heterogeneous Being attempts to set the often-disunited aspects of the sciences and humanities in congruence and to extol and advance a hybrid creative-scientific aesthetic that moves beyond any restricted dimensions of its previously segregated fields of study. It likewise expresses the need to perpetuate that hybrid form of inquiry and representation to successfully address or convey the precarious realities of Earth’s ecological and environmental conditions. Heterogeneous Being asks readers to observe the inexhaustible proofs of our pluralized configurations with the nonhuman world, to recognize the agentic potentialities nonhuman subjects may hold both in and outside of those inhuman enmeshments, and …

The Role Of The Nasal Migratory Mass In Olfactory Bulb Formation And Fertility, Charisse Martin

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The olfactory migratory mass plays an essential role in the development of the olfactory bulb by facilitating the migration of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons from the olfactory placode to the pre-optic hypothalamic area in the brain. In mammals, the migration of GnRH neurons is critical for establishing the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG axis), which regulates reproductive function through the production and secretion of gonadotropins. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) instruct the gonads to function appropriately, ensuring sexual maturation and fertility. Disruptions in this migratory pathway have been linked with Kallmann syndrome, a condition characterized by low levels of GnRH, …

Sulfur Chemistry For Protein Synthesis And Modification: From Thiolactone To Bicyclic Sulfoxide Frameworks, Yuming Wen

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation explores two intersecting themes in modern chemical biology: (1) the design of novel ligands for transition-metal catalysis, and (2) the development of thiolactone-mediated strategies for protein synthesis and modification in aqueous media. Together, these studies advance chemical methods for precise molecular transformations under mild, biocompatible conditions.

In the first chapter, a geometrically constrained bicyclic [3.3.1] sulfoxide framework was developed as a new class of bissulfoxide ligands for palladium-catalyzed C–H functionalization. The ligand was synthesized concisely from thiophenol through a three-step sequence and shown to promote allylic C–H amination and alkylation reactions with high efficiency. The catalytic system tolerated …

Bat Genomes Illuminate Adaptations To Viral Tolerance And Disease Resistance, Ariadna E. Morales, Yue Dong, Thomas Brown, Kaushal Baid, Dimitrios Georgios Kontopoulos, Victoria Gonzalez, Zixia Huang, Alexis Walid Ahmed, Arkadeb Bhuinya, Leon Hilgers, Sylke Winkler, Graham Hughes, Xiaomeng Li, Ping Lu, Yixin Yang, Bogdan M. Kirilenko, Paolo Devanna, Tanya M. Lama, Yomiran Nissan, Martin Pippel, Liliana M. Dávalos, Sonja C. Vernes, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Stephen J. Rossiter, Yossi Yovel, Joseph B. Prescott, Andreas Kurth, David A. Ray, Burton K. Lim, Eugene Myers, Emma C. Teeling, Arinjay Banerjee

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Zoonoses are infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans. Bats have been suggested to harbour more zoonotic viruses than any other mammalian order1. Infections in bats are largely asymptomatic2,3, indicating limited tissue-damaging inflammation and immunopathology. To investigate the genomic basis of disease resistance, the Bat1K project generated reference-quality genomes of ten bat species, including potential viral reservoirs. Here we describe a systematic analysis covering 115 mammalian genomes that revealed that signatures of selection in immune genes are more prevalent in bats than in other mammalian orders. We found an excess of immune gene adaptations in the ancestral chiropteran branch and …

From Wind To Whales: Potential Hydrodynamic Impacts Of Offshore Wind Energy On Nantucket Shoals Regional Ecology, Eileen E. Hofmann, Jeffrey R. Carpenter, Qin J. Chen, Josh T. Kohut, Richard L. Merrick, Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod, Douglas P. Nowacek, Kaustubha Raghukumar, Nicholas R. Record, Kelly Oskvig

OES Faculty Publications

The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a committee in June 2023 to assess the potential hydrodynamic and ecological impacts from offshore wind energy development in the Nantucket Shoals region, with particular attention to impacts on the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) that forages on zooplankton aggregations in the region. The assessment suggested that the effects of offshore wind energy development will be difficult to distinguish from the effects of natural variability and climate change in this region. The Consensus Study Report recommendations highlight observational and modeling studies that will advance understanding of …

Successful Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) Recruitment On Intertidal Artificial Substrates In Virginia, Usa, Rochelle D. Seitz, Kathleen E. Knick, Emily Suchonic, Amanda Pysher

OES Faculty Publications

Declines of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations and scarcity of natural oyster shell necessitate quantifying the effectiveness of artificial oyster reef substrates over varying environmental conditions. Oyster castles are often used in intertidal areas with moderate wave energy; however, new concrete, natural-looking substrates, GROW Reef Tiles, are now available. Eastern oyster recruitment and size on oyster castles (OC) and GROW Reef Tiles (GT), with 27% higher surface area on OC, were assessed three times over 25 months in locations with varying salinity. Four sites in the Chesapeake Bay region were examined: Cherrystone Inlet, Mockhorn Bay, Elizabeth River, and …