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Effects Of Integrated Biological And Chemical Fertilization On Pecco And Banji Shoot Development In Tea Plants, Intan Ratna Dewi Anjarsari, Muhammad Raihan Abdillah Farros, Santi Rosniawaty

Jurnal Kultivasi

Tea productivity and quality are largely determined by shoot structure, particularly the balance between pecco shoots (tender buds and young leaves) and banji shoots (older, less productive shoots). Conventional reliance on inorganic fertilizers often enhances overall growth but does not necessarily improve shoot structure, while biofertilizers alone provide limited nutrient availability. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of combining microbial-based liquid biofertilizers with inorganic fertilizers on the structure of tea shoots. The experiment was carried out on seed-derived tea plants using a randomized block design with several fertilization treatments, including sole biofertilizer, sole inorganic fertilizer, and their combinations. The …

Heat Increment Of Feeding In The Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Contributes Moderately To Field Metabolic Rate Estimates, Ioulia Koliopoulou, Stacy L. De Ruiter, Jordi Altimiras, Josefin Larsson, Julietta Arenarez, David Rosen, Andreas Fahlman

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Digestion elevates metabolism through the heat increment of feeding (HIF) – the energy expended on mechanical and biochemical processes after eating. Quantifying this cost is essential for bioenergetic models that predict energy flow and prey requirements in populations. Using breath-by-breath respirometry, we measured oxygen consumption (V̇ O2 ) in eight common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) before and after feeding standardized meals (1659–2658 kcal of capelin and herring). Metabolic rate rose by ∼37% above resting levels, peaking 60 min after feeding before returning to baseline within 2 h. When scaled across the day, digestion increased daily metabolic needs by ∼8.2% of …

Agpat2 Acts At The Crossroads Of Lipid Biosynthesis And Drp1-Mediated Er Morphogenesis, Yoshihiro Adachi, Mauricio Torres, Allen H Hunter, Woo Jung Cho, Meixia Pan, Xianlin Han, Guangwei Du, Ling Qi, Miho Iijima, Hiromi Sesaki

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), characterized by central sheets and peripheral tubules, is controlled by membrane-shaping proteins. However, the role of lipids in ER morphogenesis remains elusive, despite the ER being the major site for lipid synthesis. Here, by examining the role of eighteen phosphatidic acid (PA)-generating enzymes in ER morphology, we identify lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase 2 (AGPAT2) as a critical factor in mouse and human cells. AGPAT2 produces PA in the glycerophospholipid/triacylglycerol biosynthesis pathway, and its mutations cause congenital generalized lipodystrophy. We find that AGPAT2-generated PA drives ER tubulation through gene knockout, 3D structural analysis by FIB-SEM, …

Production Analysis Of Seed-Derived Tea Plants (Camellia Sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) Across Two Different Seasons, Nurlita Rahmawati, Yudithia Maxiselly, Intan Ratna Dewi Anjarsari, Heri Syahrian Khomaeni, Gerry Renaldi, Agung Karuniawan

Jurnal Kultivasi

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is a major economic crop in Indonesia, yet its productivity is strongly influenced by environmental variability, particularly rainfall seasonality. Fluctuating yields under dry and wet conditions pose challenges for sustainable tea production. This study aimed to assess the effects of contrasting seasonal rainfall on seed-derived tea plants' yield and yield components. The research was conducted at a seed-derived tea plantation block in IRITC, West Java, across dry and wet seasons using field observations on tea yield, shoot proliferation, plucking quality, and environmental parameters. Statistical analyses included independent t-tests to compare seasonal differences and Pearson …

Revision And Biogeography Of The Tribulus Group (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae, Melanoplus) And Establishment Of The Rusticus Group With A Description Of Four New Species Of West Of Mississippi River, Usa, Jireh Mwamukonda

Theses and Dissertations

The genus Melanoplus represents one of the most diverse groups of acridid grasshoppers in North America, comprising over 430 described species within the subfamily Melanoplinae. Among its various species groups, the Tribulus group consists of flightless grasshoppers typically found in open woodlands and forest margins, primarily in the eastern United States. The Melanoplus tribulus group was first established by Blatchley (1920) as Obovatipennis Group. However, since species groups are informal taxonomic units not governed by nomenclatural rules, the group later became known as the Tribulus group. It currently includes 11 taxa. These brachypterous species occur from New Jersey south Florida …

How The Intake Of Pulses May Impact Metabolic Disorders And Dementia Risk: A Narrative Review, Lisa Michelle Belzer Salinas, Maricarmen Marroquin, Mariana Mendez, Isabel Omaña-Guzmán, Juan Carlos López-Alvarenga

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

We present a narrative review focusing on pulses’ geographical origin and distribution, their impact on human evolution and history, and their influence on human health. Pulses, including dry peas, beans, and lentils, are renowned for their richness in chemical antioxidants. Despite containing antinutrients, processing techniques preserve their health advantages. Epidemiological research has consistently demonstrated that the consumption of pulses is associated with favorable effects on metabolism. This evidence is further supported by molecular and clinical research, which has elucidated potential nutrigenomic mechanisms and effects on gut microbiota composition underlying their health benefits. However, the literature lacks randomized controlled clinical trials …

Understanding Outer Membrane Vesicle Biogenesis In Bacteroides Thetaiotaomicron, Evan J. Pardue

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are small proteoliposomes generated by active protrusion of the outer membrane (OM) in Gram-negative bacteria during growth. Over 60 years of experimentation has ascribed numerous functions to OMVs produced by different bacteria. However, the mechanism(s) by which OMVs are produced is poorly understood. Due to this, the field remains controversial because many regard OMVs as byproducts of cell lysis and question their physiological relevance. Previous studies in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and related species confirmed that these microbes undergo programmed cell death that results in the stochastic release of vesicles and cellular contents. On the contrary, Bacteroides spp. …

The Role Of Toll-Like Receptors In Tributyltin, Dibutyltin, And Pentachlorophenol Stimulation Of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production By Human Immune Cells, Latoya Michelle Daniel

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Tributyltin (TBT), Dibutyltin (DBT), and Pentachlorophenol (PCP) are persistent environmental contaminants that have been shown to increase immune-cell production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and thus have the capacity to cause chronic inflammation and its associated pathologies such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and autoimmune conditions. TBT has been detected in human blood at concentrations up to 260 nM, DBT up to 0.3 µM, and PCP between 0.15 and 5 µM. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by immune cells in response to pathogen- or damage-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/DAMPs) via Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Dysregulated TNF-α production contributes to chronic inflammatory …

Tennessee’S Green Industry: An Economic Impact Assessment, Savannah R. Lewis

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This study estimates the economic contributions of the greenhouse and nursery industry, commonly known as the "green industry," in Tennessee for 2023. Utilizing data on employment, labor income, value added, and industry output, alongside economic multipliers generated from the Input-Output modeling software, IMPLAN (Impact Analysis for Planning), we provide a comprehensive analysis of the green industry's impact on the state's agricultural economy. The findings are presented in 2025 dollars, highlighting the industry's significance for informing future policy decisions. The primary objectives were to assess total contributions at the state, regional, and county levels. Direct employment across all sectors was estimated …

Structural Basis Of Panx1 Permeation And Positive Modulation By Mefloquine, Yangyang Li, Zheng Ruan, Junuk Lee, Ian Orozco, Edward Zhou, Juan Du, Wei Lü

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Purinergic signaling relies on ATP release through exocytosis and large-pore channels. Large-pore channels permeate both small anions like chloride and large signaling molecules like ATP, but how this broad cargo selectivity is structurally controlled remains elusive. Here we investigate PANX1, a prototypical large-pore channel, and uncover structural plasticity at the extracellular entrance formed by seven tryptophan (W74) residues. The W74 sidechains are flexible, sampling conformations that range from a constricted state permissive only to chloride to a dilated state compatible with ATP. These states are coupled to variable cation-π interactions between W74 and arginine 75 (R75), suggesting a mechanism for …

Role Of Cellular Stress Responses In Innate Immune Defense Against Acute Respiratory Infections, Amit Sharma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) is an important regulator of innate immune cells. However, its role in pulmonary innate host defenses remains poorly understood. This dissertation elucidates the dual, context-dependent role of IRE1α in host defense against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia. We demonstrate IRE1α’s function as both a detrimental mediator of acute pathology and an essential facilitator of innate immune memory. Our work revealed that acute IRE1α activation during primary MRSA infection is detrimental. In lungs and alveolar macrophages (AMs), IRE1α is activated in response to MRSA infection. Consequently, IRE1α activation triggers a hyperinflammatory …

High School Science Experience For Students With Cognitive Disabilities: A Pilot Study, Cassandra Wychers

Honors Theses

Although education has become more adaptive, inclusive of all students who learn differently including for people with cognitive disabilities, closer examination may reveal that high school science classrooms are still challenging learning spaces. Science is an important part of the school curriculum as it teaches students about engaging in the world around them while also encouraging skills involving evidence, inquiries, and critical thinking. All students are entitled to learn science in their classrooms even if they have a cognitive disability (Apanasionok, et al. 2019). Although there are many complexities to defining disability in the world and in education, this study …

Seed Amplification Of Msa Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates Preserves The Biological And Structural Properties Of Brain-Derived Aggregates, Fei Wang, Victor Banerjee, Carla Barria, Santiago Ramirez, Tyler Allison, Damian Gorski, Haley Evans, Quynh Nguyen, Danielle Harrison, Rabab Al-Lahham, Nicole De Gregorio Carbonell, Michelle Pinho, Sanne Kaalund, Jonas Folke, Susana Aznar, Luis Concha-Marambio, Mohd Ishtikhar, Venkata Kps Mallampalli, Sandra Pritzkow, Mohammad Shahnawaz, Matthew L Baker, Irina Serysheva, Claudio Soto

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Parkinson's disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA), are characterized by the misfolding and aggregation of alpha-synuclein (αSyn). Compelling evidence showed that αSyn aggregates exist as distinct conformational strains in different synucleinopathies. Recently, we reported that the αSyn Seed Amplification Assay (αSyn-SAA) can amplify and distinguish αSyn strains from PD and MSA. In this study, we investigate whether MSA-seeded, SAA-amplified αSyn fibrils retain the biological and structural properties of the αSyn seeds present in MSA brains. We study the biological activities of both brain-derived and SAA-amplified αSyn aggregates using an αSyn "biosensor" cell model and …

Ifnγ-Driven Skewing Towards Th1 Over Th17 Differentiation Underlies Crs And Neutropenia In Car-T Therapy, Payal Goala

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

CAR-T therapy has improved overall and complete response rates, andprolonged progression free survival of patients with relapsed/refractory hematological malignancies. The short-term and long-term impacts of anti-CD19 CAR-T products on the immune landscape of B cell malignancies has garnered considerable attention in recent years. Most notably, a subset of patients experience high-grade cytokine toxicities, including cytokine release syndrome and immune cell-associated hematologic toxicity that manifest as prolonged cytopenia. Whereas etiology of CRS is more well established, the mechanisms leading to CAR-T associated cytopenia remains elusive. Rejeski et. al. showed that severe cytopenia in patients post CAR-T treatment led to frequent infections …

Book Of Abstracts, Seton Hall University

2025 Augustine Undergraduate Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Interview With Orca Award Winner John J. Janovy, Jr., Unl Biological Sciences; Parasitologist And Author, Mark Griep, John J. Janovy Jr.

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Professor John Janovy, Jr., was awarded the ORCA in 1998. John was born in Louisiana, but his family moved to Oklahoma, where he grew up in Tulsa and then Oklahoma City. Something in his youth must have sparked an interest in science because he earned three degrees from the University of Oklahoma in Norman: a bachelor of science in math in 1959, a master of science in zoology in 1962, and doctoral degree in zoology in 1965. Next, he ventured 1400 miles east to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he did post-doctoral work for about a year. …

Electrochemical Sensors For In Situ Monitoring Of Reactive Species During Cold Atmospheric Plasma-Based Therapies, Jonathan Thomas, Suneel Kumar, Gagana Karkada, Julia Sutter, Kristina Pattison, Jason Rainone, Dhruv Patel, Shashank Madhavan, Fred Krebs, Francois Berthiaume, Vandana Miller, Katharina Stapelmann

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) is emerging as a clinically relevant therapy for dermatological conditions such as actinic keratosis, warts, and chronic wounds. However, these therapies lack strategies to monitor CAP delivery in situ and to ensure delivery of an effective CAP dose without unwanted toxicity. CAP acts as a therapeutic agent in these biomedical applications primarily (but not solely) through reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) generated at transiently high local concentrations. Here we demonstrate the use of bio-electrochemical sensors capable of real-time measurements of key CAP RONS: hydrogen peroxide and oxidation-reduction-potential (ORP). In in vitro scratch assays and …

The Effectiveness Of Telemedicine As A Pivotal Tool In Providing Accessible Medical Care, Peyton Wilt

Honors Theses

Telemedicine has emerged as one of the most transformative innovations in modern healthcare, offering new opportunities to bridge long-standing gaps in access, quality, and continuity of care. Rural and underserved communities in the United States face persistent barriers to healthcare, including provider shortages, geographic isolation, limited access to specialty services, transportation challenges, and socioeconomic disparities. These structural barriers often delay diagnosis, disrupt chronic disease management, and worsen overall health outcomes. Telemedicine provides a mechanism to address many of these obstacles by enabling remote consultations, real-time monitoring, follow-up appointments, and access to specialty providers through digital platforms.

This thesis examines the …

Circulating Tumor Dna Refines Risk Stratification Of Neoadjuvant Therapy-Resistant Breast Tumors, Mark Jesus M Magbanua, Nayelis A Manon, Denise M Wolf, Samuel Rivero-Hinojosa, Ziad Ahmed, Rosalyn W Sayaman, Antony Tin, Derrick Renner, Ekaterina Kalashnikova, Lamorna Brown-Swigart, Gillian L Hirst, Christina Yau, Wen Li, Claudine Isaacs, Rebecca A Shatsky, Amy S Clark, Alexandra Zimmer, Amy L Delson, Angel Rodriguez, Minetta C Liu, Paula R Pohlmann, Laura J Esserman, Hope S Rugo, Angela Demichele, Laura Van 'T Veer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Early-stage breast cancers resistant to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT), characterized by high residual cancer burden (RCB) after treatment, have an increased risk of metastatic recurrence. Here, we show that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detected using a tumor-informed test (1) can improve risk stratification of patients with NAT-resistant tumors (RCB-II/RCB-III) and (2) predict response to NAT. Stratification using ctDNA status at pretreatment or post-NAT and ctDNA dynamics identified NAT-resistant tumors with a significantly decreased risk of metastatic recurrence. ctDNA clearance as early as week 3 across receptor subtypes predicted favorable responses to NAT, including immunotherapies. Interestingly, less than a fifth of patients …

Single Cell Spatial Profiling Of The Matrisome Identifies Region-Specific Adhesion And Signaling Networks In Glioblastoma, Arpan De, Santiago A Forero, Ali Pirani, John E Morales, Marisol De La Fuente-Granada, Sumod Sebastian, Jason T Huse, Leomar Y Ballester, Jeffrey S Weinberg, Frederick F Lang, Kadir C Akdemir, Joseph H Mccarty

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The human brain contains a milieu of extracellular matrix (ECM) components that promote normal development and physiology. ECM signaling pathways are often dysregulated in brain pathologies including the malignant cancer glioblastoma (GBM). Here, we used single-cell spatial transcriptomic platforms to map the expression of nearly 400 ECM genes in matching non-cancerous brain and GBM samples. At least four different GBM cell populations have been identified that show unique ECM expression profiles and spatial enrichment in distinct intratumor regions. Spatial mapping demonstrates largely non-overlapping expression signatures of ECM components in GBM stromal cell types, particularly in vascular endothelial cells and microglia/macrophages. …

Analysis Of Source–Sink Organ Dynamics In Kaffir Lime (Citrus Hystrix Dc.) At Different Plant Ages, Siti Auliya Rahma, Rahmat Budiarto, Syariful Mubarok

Jurnal Kultivasi

Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix DC.) is a leafy spice commodity widely used as a culinary ingredient, in bio-pharmaceuticals, and as a raw material for essential oil production. Despite its high demand, leaf productivity remains relatively low, highlighting the need for improved cultivation practices. A better understanding of source–sink dynamics is essential, as leaf production is strongly influenced by the balance between assimilate-producing and assimilate-consuming organs. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the source-sink capacity of kaffir lime plants of different ages as a preliminary step toward identifying cultivation strategies to enhance leaf production. The experiment was conducted at Bale Tatanen …

Geoscience Letters: From Founding Vision To Shaping The Future Of Geoscience, James Terry, Cheng‐Ku Yu

All Works

No abstract provided.

Spike Timing Depended Plasticity Produces Unsupervised Learning Of Synergistic Muscle Feedback In A Synthetical Neural Network, Mark Allen Pupkiewicz

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates how type Ia feedback from muscle spindles can be organized into groups representing agonistic muscle pairs through Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP). A single degree of freedom joint is actuated with four biologically modeled muscles forming two agonistic pairs. In order to emulate the sensory dynamics of biological muscle spindles, sensors in the model record the active length and velocity states of each muscle, the two primary factors eliciting type Ia afferent responses. In biological networks, synapses from Ia sensory neurons frequently activate interneurons representing agonistic muscle sources. This research investigates whether this organization can emerge in …

Precise Diagnosis Of Small Invasive Pulmonary Nodules Driven By Single-Cell Immune Signatures In Peripheral Blood, Yang Xia, Yin Zhu, Sai Zhang, Mo Zhou, Jiaqi Zhou, Guanxin Xu, Baiqin Zhao, Guofei Zhang, Qiyuan Wang, Bin Wang, Zexin Chen, Hongyu Shi, Xiuning Le, Tony Mok, Wei Chen, Junqiang Fan, Weiwei Yin, Wen Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Early detection of lung cancer is crucial for improving patient outcomes. However, accurately diagnosing invasive pulmonary nodules and predicting tumor invasiveness remain major clinical challenges. Given the established role of immune dysfunction in cancer development, we hypothesize that peripheral immune profiling could provide a strategy for managing pulmonary nodules. In this multi-center, prospective study, we combine peripheral immune profiling via mass cytometry with machine learning algorithms to develop an integrated pulmonary nodule management platform. This platform accurately distinguishes invasive from non-invasive pulmonary nodules (AUC = 0.952), outperforming established clinical and radiomics-based models. Furthermore, it effectively predicts tumor invasiveness, differentiating minimally …

A Framework For Improving Analysis And Modeling Of Earth System And Intersectoral Dynamics At Regional Scales, Shih-Yu Wang

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Research: Seed-Fungal Interactions: Uncovering Functional Specificity And Primary Symbionts As Key Drivers Of Tropical Tree Recruitment, Noelle Beckman

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Exploration Of The Microbiome Of Native Plants For Plant Growth-Promoting Microbes To Mitigate Effects Of Abiotic Stresses In Crop Plants, Amita Kaundal

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Thriving Hives: The Apiary - Beekeeping Essentials, Joseph Okoh, Andree' Walker Bravo

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is designed to help honey bee producers optimize their beekeeping practices and improve management systems. It offers essential guidance on selecting an ideal apiary location, choosing the right beehive, and ensuring efficient colony management. Additionally, this document serves as a valuable training resource for aspiring beekeepers.

An Updated Annotated Checklist Of The Mammals Of The Crane Trust, Hall County, Nebraska, Bethany L. Ostrom, Amanda H. Medaries, Andrew J. Caven, Jenna M. Malzahn, Alexa Rojas, Matthew R. Schaaf, David M. Baasch, Thomas E. Labedz, Greg D. Wright

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The Crane Trust is a regional nonprofit conservation organization that has protected land in the biologically important Central Platte River Valley for over four decades. A mammal inventory was conducted on the Crane Trust’s main habitat complex in 1980. Since, a variety of environmental conditions have shifted locally, regionally, and globally. An analysis of the mammal community was conducted using past and recent data to determine how species composition and relative abundance have shifted categorically from 1980 to 2021. We used all available data to categorize relative abundance during two distinct time periods per a modified “DAFOR” scale including 7 …

Proteome-Wide Association Study Of Prostate Cancer Risk Across Populations, Hua Zhong, Jingjing Zhu, Shuai Liu, Chong Wu, Liang Wang, Seamus P Whelton, Catherine H Marshall, Michael J Blaha, Peter Durda, Xiuqing Guo, Craig W Johnson, Henry J Lin, Kent D Taylor, Russell P Tracy, Ronit I Yarden, Ani W Manichaikul, Stephen S Rich, Jerome I Rotter, Rajat Deo, Ruth F Dubin, Peter Ganz, Lang Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

There is insufficient understanding of the molecular basis of prostate cancer (PCa) across different populations. We perform a large-scale proteome-wide association study (PWAS) to identify proteins with genetically regulated expression in plasma to be associated with PCa risk across populations. We develop genetic prediction models for expression of 1578, 1993, 1218, and 1390 proteins for African (n = 450), European (n = 758), Asian (n = 289), and Hispanic/Latino (n = 474) males, respectively, and evaluate associations of genetically regulated protein expression with PCa risk in 19,391 PCa cases and 61,608 controls of African population, 122,188 cases and 604,640 controls …