Digital Commons Network^™

Fenced And Feral: Farming And Spread Of Flowerhorn (Amphilophus Spp.) In Lake Sampaloc, Philippines, Janice A. Ragaza, Hannah Nicole Gasmen

Environmental Sustainability

This study examines the spread and ecological impact of invasive Flowerhorn cichlids (Amphilophus spp.) in Lake Sampaloc, Philippines, driven by both accidental release and intentional aquaculture practices. Field observations and literature reveal that these highly adaptable and aggressive fish outcompete native species, contributing to biodiversity decline amid increasing pollution, eutrophication, and microplastic contamination. Their phenotypic plasticity allows them to thrive in degraded environments, further exacerbating ecological imbalance. While local communities have begun utilizing Flowerhorns for ornamental trade and potential aquafeed production, such practices risk reinforcing their proliferation. The study highlights the need for integrated management strategies combining biosecurity, pollution control, …

Heavy Metal Contamination In Agricultural Soils And Potential Human Health Risks, Debora Michael Mwenda, Leonard Masesa Jumanne, Daudi Salvius Mgaya, Amos Vincent Ntarisa

Tanzania Journal of Science

Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils is a growing concern due to potential human health risks via ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation. However, data on fertiliser-related contamination in rural Tanzanian settings remain limited. This study assessed contamination levels and associated health risks in Kibwabwa village, Iringa, Tanzania. A total of 48 soil samples were collected from eight farms at a depth of 0–15 cm. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, and Pb were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Health risks were evaluated using chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR) models …

Construction Of Emerging Contaminants Risk Governance System, Cheng Li, Mingcheng Wang, Chunlei Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Emerging contaminants pose considerable risks to the ecological environment, human health, and social safety. The establishment of an emerging contaminants risk governance system constitutes a crucial component of the national ecological security strategy and the ecological civilization framework in the new era. When examined through the lens of the holistic view of national security and guided by the ecological civilization philosophy of the new era, China’s current efforts in managing emerging contaminants reveal several shortcomings—including a fragmented and incomplete risk management system, as well as preliminary stages in chemical environmental management policies and related technologies. Therefore, grounded in national conditions …

Research Progress On Economic Impact Of Animal Diseases, Zhen Xu, Haizhao Zhang, Zizhong Shi, Hui Zhou, Xiangdong Hu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Animal diseases not only pose significant challenges to the stable development of related industries such as livestock farming but also adversely affect the broader economic and social landscape. This paper presents the reviews on the current state of research both domestically and internationally, systematically presenting the advancements of the economic impacts of animal diseases. The findings reveal that, (1) the economic impacts of animal diseases can be categorized into direct and indirect effects; however, a unified analytical framework has yet to be established. The “Epidemiology-Economics” approach is the primary analytical method for assessing the economic impacts of animal diseases. (2) …

Targeting Hypothalamic Oxidative Stress And Neuroinflammation: A Novel Neuroprotective Role For Annona Muricata Seed Extract In Aluminium- Induced Alzheimer-Like Neurodegeneration, O. A Bamgbose, O. D Akanji, P. B Fakunle, D. O Taiwo-Ola, K. O Odubela, E. O Olayemi, B. A Akanbi, B. M David

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasingly recognized as a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder involving oxidative stress and neuroinflammation beyond classical hippocampal pathology. The hypothalamus, a key regulator of metabolic and neuroendocrine homeostasis, remains comparatively underexplored in experimental AD models. This study investigated the effects of aqueous Annona muricata seed extract (SSE) on hypothalamic oxidative injury in an aluminium chloride (AlCl₃)-induced Alzheimer's disease–like model in Wistar rats. Adult Wistar rats of both sexes were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 5): control, AlCl₃ (100 mg/kg), SSE alone (200 mg/kg), AlCl₃ + SSE, and AlCl₃ + donepezil (10 …

Immunoregulatory Effects Of Choerospondias Axillaris (Roxb.) B.L.Burtt & A.W.Hill Fruit Extract In Mice With Insights On In Vitro Mechanism, Ravi Gautam, Anju Maharjan, Jaehee Lee, Sujeong Yang, Jihun Jo, Manju Acharya, Daeun Lee, Narayan Prasad Ghimire, Saroj Lamichhane, Byungsun Min, Changyul Kim, Hyoungah Kim, Yong Heo

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Lapsi (Choerospondias axillaris), a plant native to Nepal, has been traditionally used in Asian countries to treat cardiovascular conditions. However, its effects on immune regulatory function remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to in vivo evaluate the immunoregulatory properties of Lapsi fruit extract in mice on immunotoxic responses with analysis on in vitro mechanism for immune suppression, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response. Male Balb/c mice were intragastrically administered various doses of the extract for 21 days. In some mice, immune suppression was induced with cyclophosphamide, and subsequent immune recovery was assessed. In addition, RAW264.7 cells and THP-1-derived macrophages were …

Evaluating Eight Smoking Metrics For Modelling Survival In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Andrew Cl Lam, Yao Li, M Catherine Brown, Yangqing Deng, Katrina Hueniken, Natasha B Leighl, Frances A Shepherd, Kiera Murison, Zhichao Wang, Jui Kothari, Angela S Wenzlaff, Haoran Liu, Takashi Kohno, Angela Cecilia Pesatori, Curtis Harris, Hongxia Ma, Juncheng Dai, Matthew J Barnett, Ryan Diver, Leticia Ferro Leal, Guillermo Fernandez-Tardon, Mónica Pérez-Ríos, Michael Pa Davies, Bernd Holleczek, Paul Brennan, David Zaridze, Ivana Holcatova, Jolanta Lissowska, Beata Świątkowska, Dana Mates, Milan Savic, Hermann Brenner, Angeline S Andrew, Fiona Taylor, John K Field, Alberto Ruano-Ravina, Sanjay S Shete, Adonina Tardon, Ying Wang, Loic Le Marchand, Rui Manuel Reis, Matthew B Schabath, Marian L Neuhouser, Hongbing Shen, Maria Teresa Landi, Kouya Shiraishi, Jie Zhang, Ann G Schwartz, Ming S Tsao, David C Christiani, Ping Yang, Rayjean J Hung, Wei Xu, Geoffrey Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Smoking is a strong modifiable prognostic factor for lung cancer survival. We compared eight smoking metrics to determine which metric best models the relationship between smoking exposure with overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS). These metrics included cigarettes-per-day, smoking duration, pack-years, square-root pack-years, logcig-years, the comprehensive smoking index, age-of-initiation, and years-since-quit.

Materials/methods: This retrospective, pooled analysis included 25 International Lung Cancer Consortium studies between June 1, 1983-December 31, 2019. The performance of smoking metrics for modelling OS was compared based on 1) strength and significance in adjusted Cox-proportional hazard models and 2) linearity based on the goodness-of-fit …

Documenting For Success: A Case Study Of A Graduate Writing Retreat, Elliott Rose, Denise Wetzel, Sara C. Kern, Katie O'Hara-Krebs, Laurin Davis, Salah Seoudi, Carmen Cole

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Graduate students often find themselves balancing the demands of research and writing while managing complex academic and personal needs. Writing retreats provide an intentional space for graduate students to focus on their academic goals while supporting community-building, institutional belonging, and a welcoming environment. This proposal outlines a model for academic librarians and staff to plan and implement an effective graduate writing retreat designed to support graduate student academic activities through intentional collaboration and documentation.

Penn State University’s (PSU) Graduate Student Writing Retreat started as an event housed within the University Library’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) department. The retreat …

Nonnative Crayfish In Türkiye: Presence Records, Invasion Pathways, And Ecological Risks, Muzaffer Mustafa Harlioğlu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The globalization of trade, aquaculture, and the ornamental pet industry has accelerated the transboundary movement of nonnative crayfish species, with significant ecological consequences. Türkiye, a biodiversity-rich country bridging Europe and Asia, has increasingly become a point of concern due to the rising presence of alien crayfish taxa introduced primarily via the aquarium trade and scientific research. This study investigates the presence records of nonnative crayfish species in Türkiye, identifies their likely introduction pathways, and outlines potential future outspread routes across the major freshwater basins of the country. Species such as Procambarus clarkii, Cherax quadricarinatus, C. albertisii, and Cambarellus patzcuarensis have …

Frequencies And Roles Of Plants In The Diet Of Three Mesocarnivores (Canis Lupaster, Genetta Genetta, And Herpestes Ichneumon): Implications For Forest Regeneration In A North African Hot Spot (Algeria), Messaoud Bensidhoum, Abdelkrim Limane, Larbi Khifer, Ania Ben Ammar, Lylia Amrouche

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The Djurdjura National Park (PND, Algeria) is part of one of the world’s 36 biodiversity hot spots, recognised by the United Nations as a national biosphere  reserve. It contains the Darna primary forest, a key habitat for several mesocarnivore  mammals, including the golden wolf (Canis lupaster), the common genet (Genetta  genetta) and the ichneumon mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon). Although their diets  are primarily based on animal prey, these carnivores exhibit both qualitative and  quantitative reliance on plants, a pattern that merits thorough documentation. We  analysed 30 scats per species per month over four years (1440 scats per species).  More than 35% …

Sustainable Guiding Framework Of The Egyptian Rural Development Initiative (Hayah Karima), Eman Badawy Ahmed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The Hayah Karima initiative launches to improve the standard of living for the most needy community groups across the Egyptian countryside, and it also contributes to improving the quality of services provided to the neediest villages. The research aims to propose a guiding framework for sustainability in villages of the Hayah Karima Initiative to achieve Egypt’s Sustainable Vision 2030. To achieve the goal, the research will study the goals, strategies, and principles of the Hayah Karima Initiative, the Egypt Vision 2030, COP 27, the sustainability evaluation criteria, and the Green Villages Initiative. Consequentially, in addition to A questionnaire to measure …

Culvert Retrofit With Green Filter Media For The Removal Of Phosphorus From Stormwater Runoff, Somdipta Bagchi, Zhiming Zhang, Olayinka Olayiwola, Bharadwaj Mandala, Rupali Datta, Subhasis Giri, Richard Lathrop, Dibyendu Sarkar

Michigan Tech Publications

Phosphorus is a ubiquitous contaminant in urban and agricultural landscapes. A retention basin located in the southern part of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, was identified as receiving stormwater runoff with elevated phosphorus concentrations. The basin is surrounded by expanding urban development, contributing to the progressive degradation of water quality in the bay, which is already highly eutrophic. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culvert retrofit with a green filter media composed of granulated-aluminum-based drinking water-treatment residuals (Al-WTR) and granular carbon (5:1 ratio, w/w) for the removal of phosphorus and suspended sediments from stormwater runoff. The performance of the filter …

Genetic Variants And Molecular Components Associated With Metabolic Dysfunctional-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease And Depression: Shared Association Of Adamts7 And Thrap3, Eron G. Manusov, Vincent P. Diego, Marcio A. Almeida, Jacob A. Galan, Kathryn Herklotz, Edwardo Abrego Ii, Habiba Sultana, Luis A. Peña Marquez, Marco Arriaga, Marcelo Leandro, Juan M. Peralta, Ana C. Leandro, Tom Howard, Joanne Curran, Sandra Laston, John Blangero, Sarah Williams-Blangero

Human Genetics Publications

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and depression frequently occur together. Identifying the genes that influence both MASLD and depression may facilitate the discovery of biological pathways associated with disease risk.

Methods: We recruited 525 participants from Mexican American families living in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. We collected clinical data, biometric measurements, hepatic health assessments using Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE), and depression evaluations determined with the Beck Depression Inventory-II. We estimated the heritability (h2) of MASLD-related measures, depression status, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), the AST/ALT ratio, and Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography measurements. For each gene, …

Polθ Activity Modulates Sensitivity To Standard Therapies In Dnmt3a-Deficient Leukemia, Bac Viet Le, Umeshkumar Vekariya, Monika M. Toma, Margaret Nieborowska-Skorska, Marie-Christine Caron, Malgorzata Gozdecka, Zayd Haydar, Martin Walsh, Jayashri Ghosh, Elaine Vaughan-Williams, Paulina Podszywalow-Bartnicka, Anna-Mariya Kukuyan, Sylwia Ziolkowska, Jessica Atkins, Emir Hadzijusufovic, Gurushankar Chandramouly, Reza Nejati, Katarzyna Piwocka, Richard T. Pomerantz, George S. Vassiliou, Brian J.P. Huntly, Peter Valent, Mariusz Wasik, Alfonso Bellacosa, Jean-Yves Masson, Gaorav P. Gupta, Grant A. Challen, Tomasz Skorski

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Myeloid malignancies carrying somatic DNMT3A mutations (DNMT3Amut) are refractory to standard therapy. DNMT3Amut leukemia cells accumulate toxic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and stalled replication forks, rendering them dependent on DNA damage response (DDR). We report here that DNA polymerase theta (Polθ), a key element in DSB repair by end-joining (Polθ-mediated end-joining [TMEJ]) and in fork restarting, promotes survival and proliferation of DNMT3Amut leukemia cells. Polθ is overexpressed in DNMT3Amut leukemia cells due to abrogation of PARP1 PARylation-dependent UBE2O E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of Polθ. In addition, PARP1-mediated recruitment of the SMARCAD1-MSH2/MSH3 repressive complex to DSBs is diminished in …

Primary School Physical Activity Culture In The Uk: Findings From A Four-Month Rapid Ethnography In Three Schools, Robert Walker, Lydia Emm-Collison, Danielle House, Simoona Kent-Saisch, Ruth Salway, Alice Porter, Abi Howard, Tom Reid, Michael Beets Med, Mph, Phd, Frank De Vocht, Russell Jago

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Physical activity is fundamental for children’s health and well-being, yet most children are not active enough. School-based interventions aiming to increase children’s physical activity have largely been ineffective, perhaps due to a lack of consideration of the unique culture within each school. The aim of this paper is to understand the key aspects of physical activity culture in English primary schools using the organizational culture framework.

Methods: A four-month rapid ethnography study was conducted within three primary schools in Bristol, UK, between March and July 2024. The findings draw on observations, interviews, documentary data, photo elicitation, informal conversations and …

Exploring The Influence Of Environmental Motivations On Consumer Attitudes And Purchase Intentions Toward Upcycled Foods, Peng Lu, Jennifer Waldeck, Keith Weber, Hualu Zhou

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Food loss and waste (FLW) present pressing environmental and economic challenges. Upcycling technologies provide a sustainable pathway by transforming food by-products into value-added products; however, consumer acceptance remains a critical barrier. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study investigates how environmental motivations influence consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward milk enriched with upcycled peanut skins. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 1488 U.S. adults. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test hypothesized relationships among motivational constructs, and cluster analysis was used to identify consumer segments based on motivational profiles. The results show that intrinsic motivation and …

Is The Long-Horned Grasshopper Ruspolia Differens (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) A Novel, Nutritious, Functional, And Safe Alternative Food Product? A Review, Margaret Kababu, Collins Mweresa, Dorothy Nakimbugwe, Geoffrey Ssepuuya, Karlmax Rutaro, Nicodemus Matojo, Faith Nyamu, Robert Mbeche, Sevgan Subramanian, Sunday Ekesi, Chrysantus Tanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Ruspolia differens Serville (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) is among the most widely consumed edible insect in Eastern and Central Africa, where it contributes to both household nutrition and income generation. As a nutrient-dense food source, it offers a promising alternative to curb food insecurity and malnutrition. Despite this, the consumption and use of the grasshopper is limited to its seasonal availability when it is collected from the wild. Coupled with this, is limited evidence on its domestication despite research advances to optimize conditions for mass production. This review was conducted to highlight research advances and gaps on production, processing, nutritional profile, and …

Visdb 20: A Manually Curated Resource Of Viral Integration Sites And Their Regulatory Maps In Human Diseases, Citu Citu, Ajeet Singh, Xinyi Liu, Mounika Ashannagari, Rinki Ratnapriya, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The integration of viral sequence into the human genome plays critical role in the onset of various diseases, especially cancers. To facilitate systematic analysis of these events, we present VISDB 2.0, an expanded and updated database of human viral integration sites (VISs). The current release contains more than 270,000 manually curated VISs derived from 209 peer-reviewed publications, covering 11 viruses, including four retroviruses and seven DNA viruses. This represents a 3.5-fold increase in VIS entries compared with the previous version. Each VIS record includes standardized genomic coordinates and annotations describing local genomic context, CpG islands, repetitive elements, chromosomal fragile sites, …

Filifactor Alocis Disrupts Efferocytosis To Sustain Inflammation In Periodontitis, Ella Dye, Silvia Uriarte, Ruth Idowu

The Cardinal Edge

Background: Filifactor alocis is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobe that has emerged as a diagnostic marker of periodontitis. Neutrophils and macrophages are key players in oral immune homeostasis. Neutrophils are short-lived cells and constitutively undergo apoptosis. This apoptotic program can be accelerated or delayed by bacterial interactions. Macrophages clear apoptotic neutrophils via “efferocytosis,” a crucial mechanism for resolving inflammation and preventing tissue damage. The efferocytic process downregulates the expression and release of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-23 while promoting anti-inflammatory responses. Our previous findings demonstrated that F. alocis delays neutrophil apoptosis, with fewer apoptotic cells observed after 18 …

Egf Enhances Re-Epithelization In Our Ex-Vivo Pig Eye Model, Andrew D. Le, Lisandra Plana-Ramos, Kate Tarvestad, Brian Ceresa

The Cardinal Edge

The cornea, the foremost anterior portion of the eye, plays a critical role in vision by refracting light and serving as a protective barrier. Its three distinct layers—the outermost epithelial layer, the thick stromal layer, and the innermost endothelial layer work together to maintain corneal transparency and function. The epithelial layer is particularly susceptible to damage, which can compromise the eye’s defense against foreign particles such as bacteria and viruses, potentially leading to infection and blindness. In this study, we established an ex vivo porcine corneal model to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate corneal re-epithelialization. Using adult pig eyes sourced from …

Hsp90 Inhibitor In Reducing Integrated Stress Response In An Experimental Mouse Model Of Spinal Cord Injury, Yousef Abozaid, Aditya Sarkar, Lukasz P. Slomnicki, Michal Hetman

The Cardinal Edge

Spinal cord injury (SCI) initiates a complex cascade of molecular events, including protein misfolding and neuroinflammation, contributing to neural damage and impaired functional recovery. Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90), a critical molecular chaperone involved in cellular stress responses, emerges as a promising therapeutic target to mitigate secondary damage after SCI. This study was designed to validate the in-vivo effects of different doses of HSP90 inhibitor, HSP990-i, administered acutely after moderate T9 SCI mouse model. The level of HSP70 protein level is measured through western blot from the injury epicenter. Adult mice underwent experimental contusive SCI at the T9 level, followed …

Effects Of Phosphorus Addition On Fungal Colonization In Little Bluestem, Isabel M. Zanartu, Alexx Nicholas, Mckenzie Goodwyn, Connor Morozumi

The Cardinal Edge

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a North American perennial grass that is able to tolerate high heat and droughts. This is possible by its extensive underground root network that taps deep into the ground for resources. Within the same soil systems are fungal endophytes, which are symbionts that live within plant tissues including roots. Fungal endophytes can affect host growth and nutrient acquisition, but the functional role these endophytes play in plant health may be dependent on the abiotic conditions the plant is facing. In the modern era, one large driver of abiotic conditions is synthetic fertilizer use which alters …

Light As An Environmental Toxin: Impacts Of Temporal Circadian Misalignment On Physiology, Behavior, And Lifespan In Drosophila, Aubrey Reitzel, Krish Patel, Breanna Beard, Dae-Sung Hwangbo

The Cardinal Edge

In the modern world, we are exposed to irregular light patterns, which can disturb circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are patterns of behavior that operate on a 24-hour cycle and are regulated by the interactions between external signals and the internal circadian clock, which regulates sleep/wake patterns, feeding and sleep behavior, and resistance to starvation. Little is known about the impact of misalignment of these circadian rhythms as related to dietary composition on the lifespan, behaviors, and physiological changes of Drosophila. We hypothesized that circadian misalignment would significantly reduce lifespan and alter behaviors and physiologies. In this study, mated female …

The Effect Of Prenatal Cigarette Smoke Exposure And Adult High-Fat/High-Fructose Diet On Liver Triglyceride Levels, Toni A. Adedokun, Isaiah Burciaga, Megan Jacobs, Katelyn Chism, Anna-Lee Harris, Kristen Overton, Selma Podbicanin, Andrew Potts, Rachel Neal, Cynthia Corbitt

The Cardinal Edge

Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) is associated with chronic metabolic disease in adulthood, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease. Maternal cigarette smoking reduces uterine and placental blood flow, limiting nutrients and oxygen supply to the fetus. According to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis, these conditions may cause developmental adaptations that are maladaptive in calorie-rich environments. We hypothesized that gestational CSE would sensitize affected offspring to the effects of an adulthood high-fat (40 kcal%), high fructose (20 kcal%) diet. C57BL/6J mice were exposed either to filtered room air (sham) or the smoke generated …

Hallucinogens For Mood And Anxiety Disorders: A Critical Review Of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies, Georgia Chlebek

The Cardinal Edge

In quite a few people worldwide, there are several mental disorders that prevent the brain from operating in the “proper” way, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being among the most common. Luckily, there are several medications that are produced and used to treat these disorders, but some medications are hard to access, and others simply don’t help the patient. Firstly, these medications take time to study and prove safe for public use, though in some cases time is not readily available. In other cases, these medications are going through shortages and becoming increasingly difficult for patients to access …

Leaf Droppage Delayed In Sugar Maple Trees On An Urban To Rural Gradient, Isabella S. Bastien, Isabella Bastien

The Cardinal Edge

This study investigates the timing of leaf abscission in Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) trees along an urban-to-rural gradient in Louisville, Kentucky, to determine how proximity to urban environments influences leaf drop. We hypothesized that urban trees would retain their leaves longer than suburban or rural trees due to environmental stressors and tested this using weekly leaf collection and canopy cover measurements from three locations—urban, suburban, and rural. Results showed that urban trees exhibited delayed leaf drop and slower canopy opening compared to suburban and rural trees. These findings suggest that urban stressors significantly alter tree phenology, which may signal underlying …

Disrupted Nuclear Function And Nucleocytoplasmic Transport In Parkinson’S Disease, Ichiro M. Matoba

The Cardinal Edge

No abstract provided.

Asimina Triloba (L.) Dunal: The Complete Story Of America’S Forgotten Fruit, Autumn M. Howard

The Cardinal Edge

Asimina triloba, commonly known as the pawpaw, is a unique and historically significant native fruit tree of the eastern United States. This research paper explores the taxonomy, botanical description, distribution, habitat requirements, ecological interactions, economic importance, and reproductive biology of A. triloba. The species is distinguished by its tropical-flavored fruits, adaptation to temperate climates, and reliance on clonal reproduction and specific insect pollinators. While offering promising opportunities for sustainable agriculture and riparian restoration, A. triloba faces challenges related to limited seed dispersal, susceptibility to certain pests and diseases, and the presence of neurotoxic compounds. Despite its historical importance …

Lamin A/C And Linc Complex Expression Affects Nuclei's Mechanical Properties And Functions In Osteosarcoma, Shridha Rajeswar

The Cardinal Edge

The nucleus has long been simplified in the field of biology, despite being an important organelle. Until recently, it has been commonly depicted as a simple sphere located at the center of a cell, responsible mainly for regulating protein synthesis. However, current research indicates that the linkers of the nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complexes, the pillars of nuclear architecture, play a critical role in maintaining nuclear integrity and function. These complexes interact with proteins, such as Lamins, that modulate responses to biomechanical stimuli through the regulation of gene expression. As such, when these structures are downregulated, they can contribute to …

Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale (Acanthococcus Lagerstroemiae) And Sooty Mold (Capnodium Sp.) Decrease Bloom And Fruit Number In ‘Natchez’ Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia Xfauriei ‘Natchez’), Derald A. Harp, Beatriz Ruiz, Kara Bailey, Pedro Castillo, Phoebe Alvarez

Faculty Publications

Crepe myrtle bark scale (CMBS) (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae) is an important pest of crepe myrtle in Texas, and infestations are accompanied by excessive growth of sooty mold (SM) that will cover stems, and, in severe cases, leaves. These combine to create significant stress on the plant, and anecdotal evidence suggests a decrease in bloom number under heavy infestation. In an existing planting of 24 ‘Natchez’ crepe myrtle in four blocks, three trees were randomly chosen in each block and treated with either a dinotefuran (year 1) or imidicloprid (year 2) drench. The three remaining trees were untreated. In February of year …