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Using Color And Fluorescent Spectrometry As A New Rapid Cleaning Verification Method In Poultry Processing Plants, Clark Griscom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The poultry industry is expected to be growing at 3% in the total global market with the U.S. being the largest producer of poultry meat. Poultry processing plants are expected to produce 140 birds per minute with the potential of up to 175 birds per minute to meet the market demand. With the growing market and need for faster production, maintaining food safety needs to be a priority to ensure the safety of consumers. Over 9.9 million foodborne illness cases are reported each year in the United States. A change in food safety is needed, and one area lacking is …

Next-Generation Salmonella Inactivated Vaccine Platforms And Phytobiotic-Modulated Immune Responses In Poultry, Santiago Uribe Diaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Here, a comprehensive understanding of immune responses triggered by either a multimeric CD40 receptor-agonistic DNA aptamer-based or mannosylated chitosan-based Salmonella Enteritidis inactivated vaccine platforms, along with phytobiotic supplementation as an immune modulatory strategy in response to Salmonella lipopolysaccharides, is presented. This dissertation supports the development of next-generation Salmonella vaccine platforms that simultaneously stimulate both protective cell-mediated and humoral immune responses, while indicating the potential immunomodulatory effects of phytobiotics supplementation to reduce the immunological impact of Salmonella lipopolysaccharides in chickens. The first chapter describes that both vaccine platforms administered in broiler chickens initiated local inflammatory responses, recruiting heterophils and macrophages from …

Drivers Of Ecosystem Respiration In The Middle Rio Grande Floodplain Aquifer, Eva Tipps

Biology ETDs

Little is known about carbon flux and ecosystem metabolism in river floodplains, despite their potentially large and dynamic contributions to carbon storage and loss. We hypothesized that the region of intermittent saturation (ROIS), which is the subsurface interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, is a biogeochemical ‘hotspot’ for ecosystem respiration and carbon transformation. Groundwater depth and variability in the ROIS facilitate interactions between aquatic and terrestrial processes, but their role in carbon fluxes is poorly understood. We developed a novel method utilizing high-frequency sensors in groundwater wells to capture biogeochemical ‘hot moments’ of ecosystem respiration in the ROIS of the …

Circadian Rhythms And Neuroendocrine Dysregulation In Adhd: Therapeutic Insights From Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Ayesha Zafar Iqbal, Patricia Marest Suwindi, Sunny Yin-Shan Chen, Lindsay Liang-Tien Cho, Kuan-Pin Su, Jane Pei-Chen Chang

BioMedicine

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition often accompanied by circadian rhythm disturbances, particularly delayed sleep phase. These involve superchiasmatic nucleus (SCN) dysregulation, altered melatonin secretion, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which may be exacerbated by artificial light exposure. Genetic studies further implicate circadian mechanisms, linking ADHD with polymorphisms in clock genes such as PER and CLOCK.

Nutraceuticals, particularly omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), have been proposed as modulators of circadian rhythms. N-3 PUFAs are essential for brain health and may influence melatonin synthesis and sleep–wake regulation. Preclinical and clinical findings suggest that supplementation can improve cognitive …

The Integrative Role Of Melatonin In Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review Of Evidence From Circadian Biology, Lifestyle Medicine, And Psychoneuroimmunology, Ho Bao Chau Le, Kollawat Somsri, Thansita Bhunyakarnjanarat, Nattiya Hirankarn, Asada Leelahavanichkul

BioMedicine

Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, is known for regulating circadian rhythms and has emerging therapeutic potential in psychiatric disorders. This systematic review examines evidence from clinical and preclinical studies to assess melatonin’s efficacy in the following conditions: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Beyond its role in circadian regulation, melatonin exhibits antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties, which intersect with nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).

The review finds that melatonin improves sleep quality, restores circadian balance, and modulates stress-related neuroimmune pathways. It also supports neuroplasticity and reduces oxidative stress, contributing to resilience against psychosocial and environmental stressors. …

Climate And Non-Genetic Effects On Goat Milk Quality And Casein Prediction Using Machine Learning, Ibrahima Mahamane Abdourhamane, Dilek Arsoy

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Milk quality is becoming more and more crucial for farmers with the increasing use of component-based pricing systems in the sector. This study aimed to investigate the effects of climate-related and non-genetic factors on goat milk quality on the island of Northern Cyprus and to predict casein content using machine learning techniques. An analysis was performed on 21,695 goat milk samples collected between 2012 and 2018. Somatic cell count (SCC), standard plate count (SPC), and key milk components such as protein, casein, lactose, and fat were evaluated for different seasons, regions, farm sizes, and raw milk types. Five machine learning …

Stage- And Smoking-Associated Microrna Expression In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Min Huang, Yimin Ge, Huiqin Chen, Caimiao Wei, David Cogdell, Cristina Ivan, Meng Chen, Wei Zhang, George A Calin, Ming Guo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Altered expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is implicated in lung carcinogenesis, but little research has investigated the association of miRNA alterations with lung cancer stage or smoking status. To identify such alterations in lung adenocarcinoma, we conducted miRNA profiling.

Methods: Lung adenocarcinoma specimens and paired nonneoplastic lung tissues from 58 patients who had received no preoperative therapy and underwent tumor resection from 1991 to 2006 were collected from tumor tissue banks. Thirty (52%) of the tumors were stage I and 28 (48%) stage II or higher. Twenty-five (43%) patients were nonsmokers and 33 (57%) were smokers. To identify miRNAs of …

The Environmental Integration - An Introduction To The Sustainability Of The Urban Heritage Of Nubia (Applied To Gharb Suhail), Ahmed Mohamed Said Elsaadany

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The Nubia region is an important historical and cultural place, as it is distinguished by a unique architectural heritage. The influence of the surrounding environment on the designs of buildings and structures in this region is evident. Traditional architecture arose spontaneously over long periods of time, but it was essentially based on correct scientific concepts. The architecture of Nubia in southern Egypt, which is located on the banks of the Nile River, was a mud architecture that used natural building materials from the environment influenced by Ancient Egyptian architecture, some influences from Islamic architecture represented in privacy and courtyard in …

Radiologist-Validated Automatic Lumbar T1-Weighted Spinal Mri Segmentation Tool Via An Attention U-Net Algorithm, Aryan Kalluvila, Ethan Wang, Michael C Hurley, Colbey Freeman, Jason M Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/Objectives: Spinal MRI segmentation has become increasingly important with the prevalence of disc herniation and vertebral injuries. Artificial intelligence can help orthopedic surgeons and radiologists automate the process of segmentation. Currently, there are few tools for T1-weighted spinal MRI segmentation, with most focusing on T2-weighted imaging. This paper focuses on creating an automatic lumbar spinal MRI segmentation tool for T1-weighted images using deep learning.

Methods: An Attention U-Net was employed as the main algorithm because the architecture has shown success in other segmentation applications. Segmentation loss functions were compared, focusing on the difference between BCE and MSE loss. Two board-certified …

Soluble Immune Factor Profiles In Blood And Csf Associated With Lrrk2 Mutations And Parkinson's Disease, Roshni Jaffery, Yuhang Zhao, Sarfraz Ahmed, Jackson G Schumacher, Jae Ahn, Leilei Shi, Yujia Wang, Yukun Tan, Jiayin Zhang, Ken Chen, Hussein Tawbi, Jian Wang, Michael A Schwarzschild, Weiyi Peng, Xiqun Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mutations in LRRK2, a leading genetic cause of Parkinson's disease (PD), are linked to immune dysregulation, but the immune profiles in the periphery and central nervous system (CNS) remain incompletely defined. This study utilized a large cohort of serum samples (n = 651) and matched CSF samples (n = 129) from LRRK2 mutation carriers and non-carriers, with and without PD, to assess immune regulators using Luminex immunoassay. After correction for multiple comparisons, LRRK2 mutations were associated with significantly elevated serum levels of SDF-1 alpha and TNF-RII, while CSF markers such as BAFF, CD40L, and IL-27 were nominally reduced. Regardless of …

Economically Optimal Soil Sampling Density And Application Technology For Potassium Fertilizer For Soybean In The Mid-Southern Us, Bayarbat Badarch, Aurelie Poncet, Shelby Ridar, Nathan Slaton, Michael Popp

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

To maximize beneficial potassium (K) fertilizer use in irrigated soybean (Glycine max. (L.) Merr.) fields with spatially varying soil-test K (STK), the value of added information from more precise STK maps must be greater than the associated information collection costs. In eleven fields, we modeled the impact of soil sampling densities (SD) ranging from 2.2 samples ha-1 in the largest field (41.2 ha) to 13.59 samples ha-1 in the smallest field (7.4 ha) on STK maps with 0.4 ha grid size. The accuracy of profit-maximizing fertilizer rate prescription maps varied by SD and subsequent yield estimates using either uniform …

Dna Extrusion Size Determines Pathway Choice During Cag Repeat Expansion, Mayuri Bhatia, Ashutosh S. Phadte, Anna Lakhina, Anthony R. Monte Carloi Iii, Sarah Barndt, Anna Pluciennik

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

DNA triplet repeat expansion causes several primarly neurological disorders like Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy type 1, and fragile-X related disorders. There is general consensus that recognition of extrahelical extrusions or hairpin-loop structures (formed by strand slippage) by the DNA mismatch repair protein MutSβ leads to repeat expansion by a mutagenic process. By contrast, the FAN1 nuclease attenuates triplet repeat expansion, the molecular basis of which was explained by our recent finding that FAN1 nuclease cleaves and initiates removal of extrahelical extrusions. Here we show that extrusions containing two or more triplet repeats are subject to recognition and processing by either …

Effects Of Rehabilitative Device On Parkinsonian Gait, Brooke N. Ray, Ksenia I. Ustinova, Joseph E. Langenderfer

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 18(7): 1422-1440, 2025. https://doi.org/10.70252/TGOI6101 Parkinson’s disease (PD) is second in occurrence among neurodegenerative disorders after Alzheimer’s disease and significantly impacts gait and mobility. This research tested the effect of the NewGait rehabilitative device in PD impaired individuals. Twenty individuals with PD participated in this study. Walking gait for three conditions were analyzed: Normal, wearing NewGait and Post-NewGait. Standard spatial and temporal analysis measures as well as nonlinear measures from recurrence quantification were compared to determine any effects of the device on walking gait. NewGait was perceived to be both comfortable to wear as well as …

Rapid Epigenetic Response To Salinity Stress In An Invasive Mussel, Mytilus Galloprovincialis, Andrzej Furman, Açelya Eren, İbrahi̇m Raşi̇t Bi̇lgi̇n, Hati̇ce Aygün Karaçay

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The Mediterranean blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is a well-known invasive species recognized for its remarkable ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. Here, we investigated DNA methylation changes in M. galloprovincialis exposed to a rapid water salinity decrease. Methylation profiles in M. galloprovincialis were recorded before salinity stress was applied (at 35‰), and then at 3, 9 and 24 h following the stress (at 25‰). We monitored these changes using the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) method. Methylation levels continued to vary over the 24 h period following stress exposure, indicating that the underlying physiological processes may have changed …

Phylogenetics Of Cyrtodactylus In West Nusa Tenggara: A New Distribution Record Of Cyrtodactylus Jatnai From Lombok Island And A Cryptic Species From Sumbawa Island, Sandra Rafika Devi, Rury Eprilurahman, Tuty Arisuryanti, Yuliadi Zamroni, Imran Sadewo, Windi Edriyanti, Maulana Faiz Ilham Kholiq, Evelyn Elvira

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Cyrtodactylus is one of the most diverse vertebrates of the Gekkonidae family, first described by Gray in 1827 and widely distributed in Asia, Northern Australia, and the Pacific Islands including Wallacea. The biodiversity in West Nusa Tenggara—a region in Wallacea—has been underestimated despite high fauna endemicity. Conservation strategies are needed to maintain the stability of Cyrtodactylus populations in their habitat. Therefore, this study aims to enhance the understanding of cryptic species and potential new distribution records of the genus Cyrtodactylus in West Nusa Tenggara. Molecular character identification was carried out by isolating the ND2 gene in liver tissue using polymerase …

Morphological Variability And Systematics Of Ponto-Caspian Cladocerans Of The Genus Cercopagis Sars, 1897 (Branchiopoda: Onychopoda: Cercopagidae), Larisa F. Litvinchuk, Spartak N. Litvinchuk

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In recent decades, significant changes have occurred in the composition of zooplankton, especially in the Ponto-Caspian Basin. An important component of zooplankton in this region is cladocerans of the genus Cercopagis. However, the introduction of invasive species means that many species of this genus have probably become extinct. Because their disappearance molecular study of these organisms is no longer possible. Therefore, a comparative analysis of morphological variability has become more important. We studied the morphological variability of all 12 currently known species of the genus. Samples from the Caspian, Azov, Black, and Baltic Seas were analyzed. The number of species …

Immunological Surveillance Against Cancer Across Mammals, Orsolya Vincze, Piotr Minias, Alexandre Corthay, Fernando Colchero, Jean-François Lemaître, Louise Maille, Tamás Malkócs, Justus Hagemann, Dalia A. Conde, Samuel Pavard, Antoine M. Dujon, Beata Ujvari, Frédéric Thomas, Amy M. Boddy, Carlo C. Maley, Damien Chevallier, Tuul Sepp, Thomas Pradeu, Mathieu Giraudeau

Presidential Fellows Articles and Research

Contrary to expectations based on their higher cell numbers, larger and longer-lived species do not face dramatically increased risk of cancer. This strongly suggests that evolution has fashioned natural cancer resistance mechanisms, yet our knowledge remains limited on what these mechanisms might be. The cancer immunological surveillance hypothesis, proposed by Burnet and Thomas in the 1950s, highlights immunity as a key factor determining species-specific cancer resistance. Here we address the original, evolutionary interpretation of this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between cancer mortality risk and markers of efficient antigen presentation. Our results show that the expansion of the MHC class …

A Geothermal Amoeba Sets A New Upper Temperature Limit For Eukaryotes, H Beryl Rappaport, Natalie A. Petek-Seoane, Tomáš Tyml, Felix Mikus, Kurt Labutti, Godwin Ani, Jessica K. Niblo, Ethan Macvicar, Rachel M. Shepherd, Ignacio De La Higuera, Samuel J. Lord, Kenneth M. Stedman, Multiple Additional Authors

Center for Life in Extreme Environments Publications

The study of temperature limits has transformed our knowledge of the boundaries of life but has been largely focused on bacteria and archaea. We isolated a novel geothermal amoeba, , that divides at 63°C (145.4°F), establishing a new record for the upper temperature limit across all eukaryotes. We demonstrated cellular proliferation with growth experiments and visualized mitosis expansion microscopy. Using high-temperature live-cell imaging, we quantified movement up to 64°C. We assembled the genome of and using comparative genomics found an enrichment of genes related to proteostasis, genome stability, and sensing the external environment. Taken together, our findings challenge the current …

Stiefel Md Anderson Oropharynx Cancer (Mda-Opc) Cohort: A Single-Institution, Prospective Longitudinal Outcomes Study, Amy Moreno, Ariana J Sahli, Faye Johnson, Xiaowen Sun, Carly Barbon, Waree Rinsurongkawong, Wenye Song, Flavie M Luciani, Han Liang, Jun Li, Wei Liu, J Jack Lee, S J Frank, Stephen Lai, Clifton Fuller, Katherine Hutcheson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: The MD Anderson Oropharynx Cancer (MDA-OPC) cohort is a unique single-institution, prospective longitudinal cancer cohort. The cohort aims to enhance the therapeutic index of OPC management by supporting data needs for independent investigators to conduct rigorous observational studies examining exposures and factors associated with acute and late toxicities, cancer progression, recurrence, new malignancies and quality of life in OPC survivors.

Participants: A total of 1811 patients with OPC with a minimum follow-up of 6 months have been consented to our prospective registry between 18 March 2015 and 29 December 2023. Clinical and treatment (Tx) data are available on all …

Mycobacterium Chelonae Outbreak Investigation At A Quaternary Pediatric Hospital Following The Opening Of A Leed-Certified Critical Care Tower: Where Does Water Sustainability Intersect With Infection Control?, Andrea L Ankrum, Silvia M Caceres, Michael Torsell, Elaine Epperson, Vinicius Calado Nogueira De Moura, Jennifer J Gilick, Michael Strong, Qingyun Liu, Matthew J Strand, Rachel N Wilsey, Jennifer R Honda, Jane E Gross, Felicia A Scaggs-Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Investigate the increased incidence of Mycobacterium chelonae positive respiratory cultures in hospitalized patients.

Design: Apply the Healthcare-Associated Links in Transmission of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (HALT NTM) toolkit to an outbreak investigation of M. chelonae.

Setting: Quaternary-care pediatric hospital and medical center in the United States with a recently opened LEED-certified critical care tower.

Patients: Adult and pediatric patients with M. chelonae positive respiratory cultures between June 2022 and January 2024.

Methods: An epidemiological investigation involving clinical and laboratory practices, water management, building construction and renovation projects. Environmental sampling of air vents, water sources and endoscope reprocessing equipment was performed. M. …

Fish-Spec: Fast Identification System For Handheld Spectroscopy And Species Classification, Mitchell Sueker, Nicholas Mackinnon, Gregory Bearman, Amanda Tabb, Diane Kim, Rosalee S. Hellberg, Alireza Akhbardeh, Hamid Reza Marateb, Jianwei Qin, Moon Kim, Fartash Vasefi, Hossein Kashani Zadeh

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Accurate fish species identification is critical to prevent mislabeling and fraud in the seafood industry. We present a handheld multi-mode point spectroscopy system that combines fluorescence (365 and 395 nm excitation) and reflectance measurements in the visible to near-infrared (∼350–900 nm) and short-wave infrared (∼900–1700 nm) regions for rapid, non-destructive classification of fish fillets. Tissue spectra were acquired at 25 positions on 68 fillets from 11 species, in both frozen and thawed states. Feature-level fusion across all four modes enabled higher classification accuracy than any single mode alone. A global machine-learning model classified all species with 85 ± 2.8 %, …

Harnessing Hyperspectral Imaging And Deep Learning For Terrestrial Habitat Mapping In Arid Landscapes: A Case Study In Saudi Arabia, Ali Elgendy, Hesham Morgan, Brandon Tran, Rejoice Thomas, Tamer Ismail, Yehya Kh. Shehadeh, Ahmed Elgharib, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Dughairi, Ali El Muburak, Khaled Allam Harhash, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Arid ecosystems remain under-mapped at actionable scales despite their ecological importance. Decision makers lack reliable, high-resolution habitat maps in drylands to prioritize protection and target restoration. This research integrates spaceborne hyperspectral imaging from the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) with deep learning semantic segmentation models to produce an updated level of habitat classification based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for part of the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve, Saudi Arabia. Using ground control points and the full EnMAP spectral cube without band selection, U-Net and DeepLabV3+ architectures were each implemented with VGG19 and ResNet-101 …

Divergent Prefrontal Cortex Circuits Regulate Cued Food Seeking Under Distinct Metabolic Or Emotional States, Xu O Zhang, Guillermo Aquino-Miranda, Claire E Cho, Yongzhe Wang, Duy Hoang Ha, Nikita Elinson-Watson, Allen Dong, Caleb Kemere, Fabricio H Do-Monte

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Flexibly adjusting food-seeking behaviour in response to food-associated cues and internal states is crucial for animals' survival. However, the neural mechanisms that modulate cued food-seeking behaviour during varying metabolic (i.e., hungry vs. satiated) and emotional (i.e., safe vs. threatened) states remain elusive. Here, we show that the encoding of metabolic or threat states in projection-defined neurons in the prelimbic cortex (PL) mediates cued food-seeking responses in rats. Using microendoscopic imaging, we demonstrate that neural population dynamics in PL consistently represent food cues, task-relevant behaviours, and internal state changes by recruiting distinct subsets of cue-responsive neurons at each state. Single-unit recording …

Computer Problems? Must Have Been The Sun How Solar Particles And Cosmic Rays Affect The Future Of Computing, Ned Markham

Osmosis Magazine

Imagine playing your favorite video game, when suddenly, your character teleports to the top of the level. One may be quick to blame the software for faulty code, clueless that this error may have originated from an unlikely source: the sun. That’s right, during a speed run of Nintendo’s Super Mario 64, one stray cosmic ray flipped a single bit (a bit is the most basic unit of information inside a computer, storing one of only two possible values of 0 and 1), causing a streamer’s character to glitch in front of him and a live audience. This phenomenon, however, …

My Roman Empire: The Mystery Of Roman Concrete, Lilly Cashen

Osmosis Magazine

After the fall of an empire and millennia of conflict and decay, most structures crumble. Yet the monumental dome of the Pantheon, the towering ruins of the Colosseum, and the sprawling miles of aqueducts still stand today, two thousand years later, as testaments to Roman engineering brilliance. The survival of these ancient structures was made possible by one of Rome’s greatest innovations: Roman concrete, or opus caementicium.

Trouble-Making Teens: Can They Control Their Impulses?, Natasha Troike

Osmosis Magazine

Teenagers can be moody, irritable, and defiant; they may snap at their parents and make risky decisions that they regret. Decisions such as having unprotected sex or taking harmful, illegal substances can be drastically life-changing. Are these risky decisions acts of purposeful defiance, or is there more to it? Are teens truly in charge of their impulses, or are they victims of their developmental biology?

To Q-Tip Or Not To Q-Tip, Ainsley Coleman

Osmosis Magazine

If you are one of the many people on this earth lucky enough to have wet earwax and use earbuds, you have likely experienced some sort of discomfort at some point in your ears. Maybe it’s a slight itch, or a feeling of build-up, and so you reach for a q-tip. And, maybe as you reach for that cotton swab, you feel nagged by a reminder that q-tips are not to be put in your ears! But still, you use one to relieve that discomfort.

Osmosis.

Osmosis Magazine

Science Magazine

Liver-Directed Base Editing Of Abcc6 Prevents Ectopic Calcification In A Variant-Humanized Mouse Model Of Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum, Lauren C. Testa, Dora Obiri-Yeboah, Hooda Said, Ping Qu, Michael A. Levine, Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Kiran Musunuru, Qiaoli Li, Xiao Wang

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder characterized by ectopic calcification of elastic fibers throughout the skin, retina, and arteries. It is caused by pathogenic variants in ABCC6 , which encodes a transmembrane transporter that primarily localizes to hepatocytes. Loss of ABCC6 function in hepatocytes leads to systemic deficiency of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), a potent inhibitor of calcification; such depletion of PPi from the circulation is responsible for multisystemic ectopic calcification seen in PXE. Therefore, liver-targeted variant correction by genome editing and subsequent restoration of systemic PPi may offer a one-and-done therapeutic approach for PXE. The ABCC6 …

First Report Of A Bat Guano Fire From A Cave In Southeast Asia, Sopark Jantarit, Martin Ellis, Pruet Kalasuwan, Neeranuch Phusunti, Pimonsri Mittraparp-Arthorn, Jiranan Pattano, Arnon Chukamnerd, Turdtun Tong-In, Natthawut Khrueaaunruean

International Journal of Speleology

Fires occurring in cave guano are a rare and unusual phenomenon and the occurrence of such events in Southeast Asia is particularly novel. In this study, we document the first recorded instance of a bat guano fire in a tropical cave at Tham Chao Ram in Sukhothai province, northern Thailand. A bacteriological analysis was made of the guano at the fire site and from a control site within the cave. We give a comprehensive review of global reports on bat guano fires in caves, conduct an initial investigation of the physical factors at the fire site and discuss the potential …