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Gut Bacterial Dysbiosis In Pediatric Severe Malaria Associates With Post-Discharge Mortality, Olivia Bednarski, Sawyer Lehman, David Mzinza, Caroline Kazinga, Ruth Namazzi, Robert Opoka, Jie Ren, Tuan Tran, Terrie Taylor, Karl Seydel

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Gut microbiota have been implicated in severe malaria in murine models, but their contribution to the pathogenesis of severe malaria in children is unknown. Here we show through analysis of gut bacteria in stool samples from two separate African studies enrolling children with severe malaria, and children from local communities, that children with severe malaria have gut bacteria dysbiosis. Among children with severe malaria, there is increased abundance of Enterobacteriaceae that associates with multiple clinical complications of severe malaria. Moreover, increased abundance of Escherichia coli was a predictor of post-discharge mortality. Metagenome analysis identify elevated metabolic pathways and genes supporting …

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter Newsletter, Issue #68 November 2025

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Newsletters

President's message, Deb VanOverbeke
Membership Information
2025 Outstanding Graduate Student Award Nomination Solicitation
2025 Teaching Award nomination solicitation
2025 Research Award nomination solicitation
2025 Extension Award nomination solicitation
2025 Award of Merit nomination solicitation
Gamma Sigma Delta Committees 2025
Annual Dues Notice
Membership Info and Dues
Student Award Fund solicitation
In Memoriam: Wayne W. Oberg (September 8, 1948 - February 21, 2025); Robert M. "Bob" Scriven (June 26, 1936 - August 29, 2025)
Pledge and Honor Cords
Save the Date: Initiation and Awards Reception

Value Of Horticulture From Western Australia 2023–24, Manju Radhakrishnan, Rohan Prince

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

In 2023–24, WA produced approximately $1.92 billion worth of fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables, and amenity horticulture at the wholesale level. The real value of Western Australia’s horticulture sector, as of 2023–24, grew by 9.6% compared to 2020 levels, driving regional economic development.

Investigating The Effect Of Cacl2 Stress In Raphanus Sativus, Justin Contreras-Portillo, Stephanie N. Nelms, Kai Herring, Amanda Munoz, Gisel Cardenas, Grace Cogswell, Tatum Simms, Aniruddha Acharya

Undergraduate Research

Presented by Justin Contreras-Portillo at the Arkansas INBRE Conference on November 7-8, 2025.

Enhancing The Biopreservative Effect Of Non-Starter Lactic Acid Bacteria Using Soluble Fiber During Cheese Ripening, Rakesh Kaushik, Sanjeev Anand

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

Cheddar cheese ripening creates favorable conditions for desired microbial changes but also allows survival and outgrowth of spores like Clostridium tyrobutyricum and Bacillus licheniformis, leading to late-blowing defects. In the first phase of the study, NSLAB dynamics were evaluated in the presence of spores, where pilot-scale cheeses (110 L) were produced in four treatments: control, T1 (BL), T2 (CT), and T3 (BL+CT), each inoculated at 2.0 Log10 CFU/mL with spores. Results showed that SLAB declined from 8.0 to 0.2 Log10 CFU/g, while NSLAB increased from 2.0 to 8.5 Log10 CFU/g by the third month and remained stable thereafter. Spore counts …

Variation In Cycling Exercise Mechanical Efficiency In The Heritage Family Study, Angelo Tremblay, Claude Bouchard, Mark A. Sarzynski Facsm, James S. Skinner, Élisa Marin-Couture, Patrick Schrauwen, Guy Thibault, Marie-Eve Mathieu, Louis Pérusse

Faculty Publications

The objectives of the study were to assess the effects of cycling endurance exercise training and sex on cycling exercise mechanical efficiency (ME) and to explore its associations with body composition, glycemic profile, and skeletal muscle characteristics. Subjects were males (n = 371) and females (n = 465) of European (ED) and African descent (AD) of the HERITAGE Family Study. The measurements were repeated after a 20-week controlled endurance exercise program. A substudy involving 78 participants from 19 ED families was used to evaluate associations between skeletal muscle traits and variations in ME. An increase in ME of …

Single-Fibril Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Imaging And Deep Learning Reveal Concentration Dependence Of Amyloid Β 42 Aggregation Pathways, Sara Sohail, J. Yoo, H. S. Chung

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Amyloid fibril formation is a highly heterogeneous process as evidenced by polymorphism in fibril structure. It has been suggested that different polymorphs are associated with different diseases or disease subtypes. Detailed characterization of this heterogeneity is a key to understanding the aggregation mechanism and, possibly, the disease mechanism. In this work, we develop Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging of amyloid fibril formation in real time and investigate the concentration-dependent heterogeneous fibril formation of amyloid β 42 (Aβ42). We incubated a mixture of unlabeled and labeled (5% donor and 5% acceptor) Aβ42, followed aggregation, and characterized individual fibrils in terms …

Fisheries Research Report No. 357: Recreational Fishing For Marron In South-West Western Australia In 2025 - Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Eva Lai

Fisheries Research Reports

The smooth marron (Cherax cainii) (‘marron’) is endemic to freshwater dams and rivers of south-west Western Australia. Marron are managed as a single stock within the South-West Recreational Freshwater Resource and are highly vulnerable to over-exploitation due to the biological characteristics of the species (e.g., low fecundity, localised populations) as well as environmental (e.g., habitat loss, reduction in rainfall) and human (e.g., fishing, land clearing) pressures on freshwater ecosystems.

Due to this vulnerability, this species has been the focus of research, monitoring and management since the 1970’s. Since 2000, annual phone-recall (2000 – 2021) and online-recall (2022 – 2025) surveys …

A Comprehensive Overview Of Chronic Wound Infections And Current Treatment Methods, Sarah Fakher, David J. Westenberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Chronic wound infections pose significant healthcare challenges due to persistent biofilms, antibiotic resistance, and impaired healing pathways. These wounds are characterized by prolonged inflammation, microbial colonization, and disrupted tissue regeneration, leading to substantial morbidity and healthcare costs. This article reviews current knowledge on chronic wound types, their pathophysiology, and the mechanisms underlying biofilm formation to examine the latest advancements in antimicrobial-based strategies aimed at addressing these challenges. It highlights how diverse materials and technologies have been engineered to improve infection management, enhance tissue regeneration, and overcome the limitations of traditional treatments as well as advances that leverage innovations such as …

Reliability Of Vertical Jump Force-Time Metrics In Collegiate Athletes Compared To Recreationally Active Individuals, Dimitrije Cabarkapa, Robert Smith, Luke Chowning, Tyler Neltner, Quincy R. Johnson, Yang Yang, Thayne A. Munce

Faculty Scholarship

As neuromuscular performance assessment has become a fundamental component of athlete monitoring, ensuring strong measurement reliability is essential for supporting accurate data-driven decision-making. Thus, the purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to examine the reliability of countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) force-time metrics obtained using a portable force plate system (Hawkin Dynamics) and (ii) to determine whether absolute and relative reliability scores differ between well-trained individuals (i.e., athletes) and those less familiar with CMJ force-plate testing (i.e., non-athletes). Seventy-four participants volunteered to take part in this investigation, of whom thirty-nine were NCAA Division-I baseball and track-and-field athletes and thirty-five age-matched …

Klf1 Coordinates Specialized Transcriptional Networks Required To Maintain The Integrity Of Terminal Erythropoiesis, Merlin N. Gnanapragasam, Peng Jiiang, Anita R. Dhara, Parina N. Patel, Mahesh Ramamoorthy, Roberta B. Nowak, Velia M. Fowler, James J. Bieker

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Kru ppel-like factor 1 [KLF1; also known as erythroid Kru ppel-like factor (EKLF)] is a C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor that plays a crucial role in all aspects of erythropoiesis. Mutations in KLF1 lead to diverse phenotypes ranging from mild to severe anemias. Individuals with a (CDA) type IV] exhibit impaired erythroid terminal differentiation and increased presence of binucleate erythroblasts. We have previously shown that KLF1 is necessary for cell cycle exit and enucleation in mouse primary cells. In the present study, we discovered that genes involved in cell motility, cell division and mitotic pathways are all directly regulated by …

Dusky Grouse Seasonal Resource Selection In The Great Basin Isolated Mountain Ranges Of Nevada, Usa, Stephanie Landry, Brian Smith, Erica Stuber, Shawn Espinosa, David Dahlgren

Aspen Bibliography

Dusky grouse Dendragapus obscurus are a montane forest grouse species with a paucity of information regarding their temporal and spatial resource use during critical times of high mortality and reproductive output. This lack of vital data may leave dusky grouse at risk of sub-optimal management in many areas of their distribution, especially in the isolated ‘sky island’ mountain ranges of the Great Basin, where high elevation habitats are surrounded by sagebrush and salt desert shrub land flats. Many of these high elevation habitats are being altered and lost rapidly from increasing disturbance events and effects of climate change. Our objective …

New Frontiers In Stand-Alone Digital Obesity Treatment, Delia West, Rebecca A. Krukowski

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Phylogenetic Comparative Vocal Evolution, Casper W. Buchanan

Master's Theses

Vocal learning is a trait unique to humans, bats, cetaceans, primates, and birds (Jarvis & Nottebohm, 1997; McComb & Semple, 2005; Wilbrecht & Nottebohm, 2003). Although there has been extensive research on vocal learning in songbirds, parrots are an even closer proxy to human learning, as they are social, intelligent, and lifelong learners, with some having repertoires of over 300 sounds (Benedict et al., 2022; Péron et al., 2011; Thomsen et al., 2019; Toft & Wright, 2015). Elevated vocal learning can be attributed to the need for parrots to have strong communication skills through the sharing of information over foraging, …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Extension Services On Aquaculture Development In Ashanti Region, Ghana, Bismark Essel

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Fisheries Observer Program Of Guyana’S Seabob Trawl Fishery : Insights Into Scientific Aspects And Onboard Working Conditions, Kadesha Shawyana Nedd

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Micronuclei As A Marker Of Genotoxicity In An Urban Songbird., Elise Mittlestat

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

A rise in industry and vehicle emissions in the last 20 years has led to an increase in exposure to air pollution. Air pollution has been identified as a major threat to both human and animal health and it has been linked to elevated oxidative stress. One of the most severe consequences of oxidative stress is genotoxic damage. Birds have been identified as promising sentinels for human health, but the effects of air pollution on genotoxicity in birds is understudied. In this study, I evaluated the association between air pollution and markers of genotoxicity in American Robins (Turdus migratorius) to …

Consumers Stabilize Grassland Ecosystem Functions By Destabilizing Belowground Communities Under Abiotic Stress, Jane M. Lucas, Michelle L. Budny, Nathan P. Lemoine

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Consumers play a critical role in mediating plant and ecosystem responses to abiotic stress, yet their influence on belowground processes under changing environmental conditions remains underexplored. Insect consumers are vital components of grassland ecosystems that can shape ecosystem function and stability by mitigating how plant and microbial communities respond to abiotic stress, like drought. This study investigates how small-bodied consumers influence the magnitude and stability of grassland belowground functions across gradients of abiotic stress. We conducted a fully factorial field experiment manipulating consumer presence and induced drought over a growing season. Our results reveal that the presence of consumers stabilizes …

Fisheries Research Report No. 355: Recreational Fishing For Western Rock Lobster In 2024/25: Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Alissa Tate

Fisheries Research Reports

The Western Rock Lobster (WRL) (Panulirus cygnus) is the most commonly caught Rock Lobster (RL) species in Australia. Catches from the commercial and recreational sectors are required to determine and monitor Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC), Total Allowable Recreational Catch (TARC) and the proportion of Allowable Harvest Level (AHL) achieved. The TARC is evaluated annually based on a 5-year average.

Data for the recreational sector are obtained using phone-recall surveys to provide annual estimates of participation, fishing effort and retained catch (by numbers) from recreational fishers who hold a RL licence. Average weight, obtained from boat ramp surveys, are used …

Age- And Step-Length-Dependent Alterations In Muscle Synergies And Joint Coordination During Unexpected Gait Termination, Woohyoung Jeon, Ashley Dalby, Xuanliang Neil Dong, Melinda Hermanns

Health & Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Falls in older adults often occur during unexpected gait termination, when rapid deceleration is required. Age-related declines in strength, proprioception, and coordination impair efficient distal-to-proximal braking, raising fall risk. Variable step lengths, ranging from “normal” steps to larger “big” steps used when hurrying, better reflect real-world walking demands and pose greater mechanical and neuromuscular challenges. This study investigated how age and step length affect muscle synergy complexity and joint coordination during unexpected gait stops.

Methods: Twelve healthy younger and twelve healthy older adults performed normal- and big-step stops in response to random visual cues during walking. Surface EMG from …

Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia Annual Report 2024-25, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Established in 2008, the Biosecurity Council of Western Australia (Council) is a specialist advisory group to the Minister for Agriculture and Food (Minister), the Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC and Director General (DG) of Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

The Council operates at a strategic level, with a long-term vision for effective biosecurity in Western Australia (WA) for the protection of WA’s environment, agriculture and aquaculture industries, social amenity, and economic development.

Matters the Council may provide advice on include, but are not limited to:

• the requirements of a comprehensive and effective biosecurity system for WA

• …

Biophysical Processes Of Morphogenesis In Lizard Lungs, Kaleb Hill, Aaron H. Griffing, Michael A. Palmer, Bezia Lemma, Aria S. Lupo, Tony Gamble, Natalia A. Shylo, Andrej Kosmrlj, Paul A. Trainor, Celeste M. Nelson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background

The lungs of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) are highly diverse, exhibiting single chambers, multiple chambers, transitional forms with two to three chambers, along with a suite of other anatomical features, including finger-like epithelial projections into the body cavity known as diverticulae. During embryonic development of the simple, sac-like lungs of anoles, the epithelium is pushed through the openings of a pulmonary smooth muscle mesh by the forces of luminal fluid pressure. This process of stress ball morphogenesis generates the faveolar epithelium typical of squamate lungs.

Results

Here, we compared embryonic lung development in brown anoles, leopard geckos, and …

Small For Gestational Age Subgroups Have Differential Morbidity, Growth, And Neurodevelopment At Age 2: The Interbio-21st Newborn Study, Aris T. Papageorghiou, María C. Restrepo-Ménde, Rose Mcgready, Fernando C. Barros, Francois Nosten, Shama Munim, Roseline Ochieng, Rachel Craik, Hellen C. Barsosio, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Background: Small for gestational age is a complex perinatal syndrome associated with increased neonatal morbidity, mortality, and impaired childhood growth and neurodevelopment. Current classifications rely primarily on birthweight, which does not capture the heterogeneity of the condition nor predict long-term health outcomes. Here we aim to identify and characterize distinct small for gestational age subgroups and assess their neonatal and early childhood health trajectories.
Objective: To refine the classification of small for gestational age by identifying subgroups based on maternal, fetal, and environmental factors and evaluating their associations with neonatal morbidity, growth, and neurodevelopment at age 2.
Study design: Prospective …

Effects Of Neurocognitive Multitask Activities On A Novel Lower Extremity Functional Performance Test, Sidney M. Stoddard, Logan Hill, Bryan L. Riemann, George J. Davies

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine the effects of incorporating (1) a neurocognitive reactive component and (2) a neurocognitive multitask component on performance degradation of a single-limb hop functional performance test.

Design: Randomized within-subject design of 32 healthy young adults.

Methods: Participants performed 3 randomly assigned variations of the single-limb T-Drill Hop Test (TDHT). The time to complete each test was recorded. The reactive TDHT (R-TDHT) consisted of the TDHT with a flashing light, indicating the "T" intersection hop direction. The neurocognitive reactive-recall TDHT (RR-TDHT) incorporated the R-TDHT and required participants to observe 5 flashing light colors. Participants then recalled the colors in …

Hand Swelling And Other Non-Raynaud Phenomenon Symptoms As The Initial Presentation Of Systemic Sclerosis: Prevalence And Clinical Associations In Two Us Cohorts, Iqtidar Hanif, Shervin Assassi, Maureen D Mayes, Zsuzsanna H Mcmahan, Meng Zhang, Julio Charles, John M Vanburen, Jessica S Alvey, Kimia Ghaffari, Elana J Bernstein, Flavia V Castelino, Lorinda Chung, Luke Evnin, Tracy M Frech, Jessica K Gordon, Faye N Hant, Laura K Hummers, Dinesh Khanna, Kimberly S Lakin, Dorota Lebiedz-Odrobina, Yiming Luo, Ashima Makol, Jerry A Molitor, Duncan F Moore, Carrie Richardson, Nora Sandorfi, Ami A Shah, Ankoor Shah, Victoria K Shanmugam, Virginia D Steen, Elizabeth R Volkmann, Carleigh Zahn, Brian Skaug

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Raynaud phenomenon (RP) is often the initial clinical manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc), but some patients develop other manifestations first. To help elucidate the diversity of SSc presentation in its early stages, we describe the initial clinical manifestations and antinuclear antibody (ANA) profiles of patients in two early SSc cohorts.

Methods: All patient data in the Genetics vs Environment in Scleroderma Outcomes Study (GENISOS) and Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER) cohorts were reviewed. Both studies enrolled patients within five years of the first non-RP symptom.

Results: In GENISOS and CONQUER, respectively, 194 (44.2%) of 439 and 292 …

Genomic And Metabolic Network Characterization Of Fusarium Species, Hend Hussain Mueenuddin

Theses

Fusarium covers the wide genus of fungi with over 400 species that are key in agricultural and medical practice. The purpose of the current study was to perform a comprehensive genomic profiling of the 19 Fusarium species that were captured in the National Centre of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. The study was made to make a comparison of the data, based on the descriptive statistics of every species, with graphical representation images enabling clear demonstration of the numbers. The study indicated that the chromosomal numbers were in the range of 0-15, the gene count was roughly 11000 -19000, while that …

Catalytic Removal Of Synozol Blue Dye From Aqueous Solution Through Green Synthesized Iron Nps With H2o2: With Addition Of Ecosar And Biological Investigation, Rabiya Kousar, Zia Ul Haq Khan, Jingyu Sun, Sana Sabahat, Noor Samad Shah, Jibran Iqbal, Mahmood M.S. Abdullah, Rabia Naz, Zia Ullah Khan

All Works

This bioinspired study explores the fascinating realm of clean and green chemistry by unveiling the potential of FeO NPs fabricated by taking advantage of botanical extract obtained from the leaves of Justicia adhatoda as a reducing agent because it reduced Fe (II) to Fe (0). FeONPs have been fabricated successfully with distinctive structural and morphological features that have been characterized through multiple analytical techniques, like UV/Vis, FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, and Zeta potential. The surface plasmonic resonance peak appeared at 268 nm, which was measured through the UV/Vis spectra of synthesized NPs. XRD analysis discovered the crystalline nature of …

Western Australia’S Primary Industries: 2021-22 Economic Overview, D. Maharjan, S. Akbari, A K. Abadi Ghadim, P. Mattingley, I. Wilkinson, J. Tan, J. Van Staden, M. Radhakrishnan

All other publications

The Western Australia’s Primary Industries: 2021-22 Economic Overview (WAPIEO) is developed by DPIRD in partnership with the Forest Products Commission.

The WAPIEO has a trade focus and provides a single source for consistent statistics and insights on observed industry trends.

The WAPIEO is based primarily on 2021-22 economic indicators from the Department of Treasury, DPIRD data, and statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in line with the release cycle dates of final ABS data.

Enhancement Of Antimicrobial Activity Of Truncated Cecropin B Peptides With The Substitution Of Tryptophan Residues, Sarah Smith, Christopher Feudale, Josephina R. Vermillion, Joseph Feudale, Joshua Do, Sabrina Arroyo, Juan Barrera, Madeleine Whitsitt, Marion Duval, Colby Grames, Bret Hatzinger, Makenzie Hilling, Tia Kean, Jasayle Rivera, Mia Shum, Hannah Zyra, David Rovnyak, Moria C. Chambers

Faculty Journal Articles

Cecropins are a class of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) expressed by insects that have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and low cytotoxicity. However, cecropins are also long (40–45 amino acids) peptides, making their adaptation for therapeutic use challenging. Here, we present a series of 16 amino acid-long peptides derived from cecropin B from Drosophila melanogaster. The native truncated peptide is cationic and expected to form an amphipathic α-helix, but does not have antimicrobial activity. The incorporation of two Trp residues, depending on the position in the peptide backbone, results in antibacterial activity compa-rable to that of full-length cecropin B against the gram-negative bacteria …

Mortality Among Transgender Persons: A Taiwan Matched-Population And Sibling-Comparison Cohort Study, Chih-Wei Hsu, Yang-Chieh Brian Chen, Liang-Jen Wang, Mu-Hong Chen, Yao-Hsu Yang, Chih-Sung Liang, Po-Yen Chen, Edward Chia-Cheng Lai

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Transgender persons have been reported to experience excess mortality, but evidence is dominated by Western cohorts and seldom addresses familial confounding.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective cohort study using two prespecified comparison designs: matched population controls (1:4, matched on legal sex and birth date) and within-family cisgender sibling comparisons. Transgender persons were identified by ≥2 psychiatrist-recorded gender identity disorder diagnoses during 2001-2021; cohort entry required age ≥6 years. Participants were followed until death or December 31, 2022. We compared all-cause, external-cause (suicide and accidents), and internal-cause mortality using Cox regression adjusted for sociodemographics and medical comorbidity.

Findings: Among …