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Sustainability Analysis Of Olive Production In Hatay Province, Turkey, Gülșen Keskin, Ahmet Duran Celik, Tugce Sarioglu

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Hatay Province, located in the Southern Mediterranean region of Turkey, contributes approximately 7% of the country’s olive production. This study assessed the sustainability of olive enterprises in the province by interviewing 100 producers across 5 districts. A total of 33 variables (10 economic, 14 social, 9 environmental) were identified and used to evaluate sustainability. Results showed that 76% of the enterprises were considered “fragile”, 14% were considered “good”, and 10% were considered “poor”, with the highest scores obtained for social sustainability (58%), and the lowest obtained for environmental sustainability (7%). Statistically significant relationships were also found between sustainability and the …

Assessing Illegal Take Of Sea Turtle In Bocas Del Toro, Panamanian Caribbean, Daniela Carolina Rojas-Cañizales

Theses and Dissertations

In Bocas del Toro, Panama, sea turtles were exploited for generations to supply local, national, and international markets. Today, sea turtle species are globally protected by different laws, and Panama is no exception. However, the use of sea turtles in Bocas del Toro and local perceptions regarding the consumption of these reptiles are unknown. Accordingly, during May of 2024, I conducted twenty-five semi-structured interviews with key informants selected by targeted and snowball sampling. Sea turtle consumption persists, and there is a clandestine network to sell turtle meat and derived products in Bocas del Toro. This study provides the first assessment …

Digesting The Details: How Cooking Shapes The Microbiome And Influences Obesity, Tracy Lieu

University Honors Theses

Obesity is a growing global health concern linked to chronic diseases and changes in the gut microbiome. While diet is known to affect gut microbes, less attention has been given to how food processing methods, such as heating, fermentation, and cold processing, change food in ways that influence the gut microbiome and health. This thesis reviews research on how different cooking and preparation techniques affect the availability of nutrients for microbial fermentation and the resulting effects on microbial diversity and metabolism. The findings show that fermentation and cold processing are the most supportive of gut health. These methods help preserve …

Woofs And Warbles: The Influence Of Urban Dog Walking On Birdsong, Grace Phillips

University Honors Theses

Recreational activity in natural areas can disrupt songbird singing during critical learning or courtship periods, increasing the risk of fitness and population declines in sensitive species. Local data on birdsong disturbance caused by recreation can guide management efforts protecting wildlife, such as signage, leash laws, and dog walking bans. This study assessed bird vocalization responses to groups with and without dogs in urban greenspaces. Surveys were conducted in Fall 2024 at three parks in Portland, Oregon, with varying rates of dog and human presence. Throughout two-hour observation periods, bird vocalization activity of seven songbirds was recorded at five-minute intervals and …

Correlations Between Social Media, Body Image Perceptions, And Disordered Eating Prevalence In Postpartum Women: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study, Hannah Smith

Master's Theses

Postpartum women are a high-risk population for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior due in part to the plethora of hormonal and physiological changes. Despite this, research examining this issue among postpartum women remains limited.

This pilot cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between social media use, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behavior among women up to 13 months postpartum. For this study, the following research questions were asked: Is high social media usage associated with higher levels of disordered eating among women up to 13 months postpartum? Is the association between social media usage and disordered eating mediated by a …

Evaluating Nanobubble-Enriched Water Treatments For Cleaning Stainless Steel Winery Tanks At The Gallo Winery Research Station In Livingston, California, Edgar Godoy-Garcia

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Evaluating nanobubble-enriched water treatments for cleaning stainless steel winery tanks at the Gallo winery research station in Livingston, California.

Edgar A. Godoy-Garcia

Sanitation of stainless steel wine storage tanks is a critical component of quality control in commercial winemaking operations. Ineffective cleaning can lead to microbial contamination, product spoilage, and safety concerns. Traditionally, wineries rely on manual scrubbing, chemical cleaning agents, and extensive water rinsing cycles to maintain sanitary tank conditions. However, these methods are resource-intensive and may pose risks to both workers and the environment due to chemical exposure and wastewater generation. In response to growing industry interest …

Evaluation Of Nature-Based Engineering Stream Restoration Of Plaster Creek Through Leisure Creek Condominium Association, Julie Wildschut, Rebecca Evenhouse, Andrea Lubberts, Dave Warners, Haley Weesies

Faculty and Professional Research

When land that was once covered with vegetation and soil becomes dominated by impervious concrete and rooftops, the amount of water infiltrated by the ground plumets. As a result, most suburban areas contribute to the impairment of streams by adding excess water, nutrients, and pollutants to nearby waterways each time it rains. One harmful result of this is the erosion of stream banks. The rapid influx of water that occurs after rain events can destabilize and erode stream banks, resulting in excess sediment in the water. One location where this happened very prominently was a section of Plaster Creek which …

The Effects Of Sirulina And Nannochloropsis Supplementation On Broiler Performance, Intestinal Morphology, And Gut Microbiology, Emily Beckerman

Master's Theses

The poultry industry is constantly searching for new nutritional strategies and better feed conversion ratio to enhance broiler growth and productivity. Microalgae have been shown to improve broiler performance and health depending on species and supplementation levels. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Spirulina supplementation (Experiment I) and Nannochloropsis supplementation (Experiment II) on broiler production performance, intestinal morphology, and gut microbiology. In Experiment I, a total of 270 broiler chicks (one-day-old Ross 708) were obtained from a local hatchery after vaccinating against Newcastle, Marek’s disease, and Infectious Bronchitis. They were weighed and sorted into 18 …

Tailoring Evaluations Of Chronic Rhinosinusitis: Understanding Sleep And Its Effect On Memory Through Actigraphy, Donyea Moore, Rachel Nolte, Yitong Pepper Huang, Shreya Maharana, Pavan Nataraj, Bichun Ouyang, Mahboobeh Mahdavinia

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a persistent inflammatory condition of the sinonasal mucosa lasting for at least three months. For patients, CRS-related sleep disturbances can significantly disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to further health complications such as cognitive impairment. Despite the well-documented sleep disturbances associated with CRS, there is limited research on objective assessment methods. Additionally, the severity of these issues can vary among patients. This study aims to assess sleep quality and timing in CRS patients and investigate their impact on cognition, providing guidance for personalized and tailored assessment and management of CRS. Methods: Our case–control study compares sleep patterns …

Elucidating The Functions Of Gut Microbiota From Two Edible Dung Beetle Species: Implications For Waste Management And Food Industry, Syombua S. Mwanza, Cynthia M. Mudalungu, John Mark Makwatta, James Kabii, Njogu M. Kimani, Chrysantus M. Tanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Dung beetle larvae are consumed globally, yet their gut microbiota across different geographical locations remains largely unexplored. This study examined the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota of two edible dung beetle species, Cetonia aurata and Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes sp.), from three sites in Kenya. Using advanced molecular techniques, bacterial and fungal communities were sequenced. The most abundant bacterial phyla in C. aurata were Firmicutes (42.10%) and Bacteroidota (32.50%), while Oryctes sp. had higher levels of Proteobacteria (35.00%), Actinobacteriota (11.40%) and Desulfobacterota (7.40%). Fungal communities were dominated by Lecanoromycetes (92.60%) in Oryctes sp. and Saccharomycetes (92.60%) in C. aurata. …

United Seas For Resilient Reefs: A Blueprint For Coral Conservation Through International Cooperation, John J. Bohorquez, Maoz Fine, Dana I. Grieco, David A. Gill, Ali Al-Swalimih, Jacqueline Padilla-Gamino, Isaiah W. Bolden, Margaux Hein, Callum Backstrom, Melanie Mcfield, Raphael Martinez, Benjamin Midberry, Fahd Al-Guthmy, Ellen K. Pikitch, Natalia Benejam, Chen Azulay, Britt Ronen, Oren Levy, Anne Mcelroy, Karine Kleinhaus

School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral reefs are one of Earth’s most vital and threatened ecosystems. They protect coastlines, generate billions of dollars of tourism revenue, support valuable fisheries, and contribute to the development of vital medicines. Yet half of the world's coral reefs have been lost in the last 50 years, and 90% of remaining reefs are projected to die off by the middle of this century, mainly due to warming seas from climate change.

Despite these challenges there is reason for hope. Some coral reefs – such as in the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba – have demonstrated remarkable resilience to …

Basal Autophagy Promotes Accurate Chromosome Segregation In Drosophila Oocytes And Declines During Oocyte Aging, Diana C. Hilpert

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The frequency of trisomic pregnancies exponentially increases with advanced maternal age, a phenomenon known as the maternal age effect. The majority of these aneuploid pregnancies arise from meiotic segregation errors in the oocyte and premature loss of sister chromatid cohesion is a contributing factor. However, the mechanisms that lead to premature cohesion loss during oocyte aging are not fully understood.

Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, work described in this dissertation demonstrates that basal levels of autophagy, a degradation process for damaged organelles and protein aggregates, are required during meiotic prophase for arm cohesion maintenance and accurate meiotic segregation …

The Sub-Syllabic Symphonies Of Self-Learning: How Do Zebra Finches Sing Them?, Abiesha Abiola Budiman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Learning is a lifelong journey, where the mind and muscle dance to a tune of memory and motion. It begins at infancy and continues throughout life, encompassing everything from singing to achieving peak performance in sports. Complex motor skills involve multiple components and require coordination of several muscles. Humans and animals are extremely adept at learning complex motor skills on their own. However, we do not completely understand how self-directed learning works. One group of animals used to observe self-directed learning are songbirds. Zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, are one of the most studied songbird species due to their well-defined …

Individual, Social, And Environmental Factors Associated With Patterns Of Parasitic Infection In Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Imitator), Megan C. Henriquez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Parasites, and the infectious diseases they carry, are thought to have significantly impacted our evolutionary trajectory for millennia. Exploring how parasites are acquired and transmitted by their hosts in wild, natural populations is integral to understanding how similar processes may have shaped host-parasite co-evolutionary relationships over time. However, parasitological studies in humans and in non-human primates have produced inconsistent results, highlighting the dynamic, nuanced, and unique relationships individual parasites have with their hosts. These relationships are largely regulated by variation in factors at host, social, and environmental levels. Characteristics unique to the host (e.g., age and sex), factors pertaining to …

The Role Of Socioeconomic Status In Shaping Associations Between Sensory Association Cortex And Prefrontal Structure And Implications For Executive Function, Maya L. Rosen, Divyangana Rakesh, Rachel R. Romeo

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with widespread differences in structure of temporal, parietal, occipital, and frontal cortices. Development of sensory processing regions—in particular visual association cortex (VAC) and auditory association cortex (AAC)—may scaffold development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Experiences that correlate with SES like cognitive stimulation and language may influence VAC and AAC development, in turn allowing the PFC to resolve conflicts between similar stimuli. SES-related differences in these regions may partly explain differences in executive function (EF) skills. Here, we use structural equation modeling of longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study to test the …

Computerized Diagnostic Decision Support Systems-Isabel Pro Versus Chatgpt-4 Part Ii

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: Does a Tree-of-Thought prompt and reconsideration of Isabel Pro's differential improve ChatGPT-4's accuracy; does increasing expert panel size improve ChatGPT-4's accuracy; does ChatGPT-4 produce consistent outputs in sequential requests; what is the frequency of fabricated references?

Materials and methods: Isabel Pro, a computerized diagnostic decision support system, and ChatGPT-4, a large language model. Using 201 cases from the New England Journal of Medicine, each system produced a differential diagnosis ranked by likelihood. Statistics were Mean Reciprocal Rank, Recall at Rank, Average Rank, Number of Correct Diagnoses, and Rank Improvement. For reproducibility, the study compared the initial expert panel run …

Associations Between Vitamin D Deficiency And Sociodemographic Factors, Lifestyle Behaviors, And Metabolic Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Study From The Hnnhs In Greece, Asmae Mohamad Sadek

Theses

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a widespread global health concern associated with various sociodemographic, lifestyle, dietary, and metabolic factors. While previous studies examined VDD in Greece, few provided a comprehensive analysis across multiple determinants using representative national data. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of VDD among Greek adults and to examine its associations with sociodemographic, dietary, behavioral, and metabolic variables using data from the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS). A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 978 adults (≥19 years) from the HNNHS. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations < 20 ng/mL were defined as deficient and ≥20 ng/mL as normal. The median age of participants was 40.2 years, and 62.0% were female. The overall prevalence of VDD was 46.0%, with the highest rate observed among adults aged ≥60 years (62.2%). VDD was significantly associated with older age (p < 0.001), retirement status (62.9% among retired; p < 0.001), low and sedentary physical activity (32.7% and 32.6% vs. 50.8% among highly active; p < 0.001), higher HDL (median 52.0 vs. 49.0 mg/dL among VDD vs Normal; p = 0.001), elevated serum calcium (median 9.4 vs. 9.2 mg/dL among VDD vs Normal; p = 0.020), and lower insulin levels (median 7.5 vs. 8.0 μIU/mL among VDD vs Normal; p = 0.044). Dietary intake (total energy and macronutrients) and body composition were not significantly associated with VDD. In the multivariate model, significant independent predictors of VDD included being retired (AOR = 2.383; 95% CI: 1.596–3.558; p < 0.001), having higher serum calcium levels (AOR = 1.563; 95% CI: 1.078–2.266; p = 0.019), and higher HDL levels (AOR = 1.016; 95% CI: 1.005–1.027; p = 0.001). Physical activity level was also a key determinant; participants classified as sedentary or low active had significantly higher odds of deficiency compared to highly active individuals (AOR = 0.468; 95% CI: 0.319–0.690; p < 0.001). This counterintuitive result may be influenced by factors such as increased indoor physical activity, and warrants further investigation. Dietary intake and body composition were not significantly associated with VDD. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating sociodemographic and lifestyle factors into prevention strategies. Interventions should particularly focus on older adults, retired individuals, even if they have higher HDL and calcium levels, and are physically active.

Electrospun Membranes From Bio-Renewable Poly (Ethylene Furanoate)/Poly (Ethylene Teraphthalate) (Pef/Pet) Blend For Emulsification Application, Aya Ismat Sayed

Theses

This thesis focuses on manufacturing electrospun fibrous membranes from a blend of poly (ethylene terephthalate) and poly (ethylene furanoate) and using in premix emulsification. Poly (ethylene furanoate), which is a 100% bio-renewable polymer being blended with synthetic poly (ethylene terephthalate) for membrane fabrication contributes towards sustainability in the production of food and pharmaceutical emulsions. The primary objective of this research is to optimize the fabrication conditions of poly (ethylene terephthalate)/poly (ethylene furanoate) porous membranes, characterize their properties, and evaluate their performance in emulsification. This study compares poly (ethylene terephthalate) / poly (ethylene furanoate) blend membranes with individual poly (ethylene terephthalate) …

Comparing Stroke Risk Factors Among Sexual Minority Groups In Texas, Brittany Krenek, Samuel Tundealao, Jennifer E S Beauchamp, Sean I Savitz, Irene Tamí-Maury

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Knowledge gaps remain on stroke risk and disparities between sexual minority (SM) subgroups. In this study, stroke risk between SM subgroups, specifically gay/bisexual men and lesbian/bisexual women (G/BM and L/BW), was assessed.

Method: Data were collected in June 2022 using a bilingual (English and Spanish) cross-sectional paper-and-pen survey distributed among 183 SM individuals attending the 2022 Houston Pride Parade and Festival, as well as across Texas via phone call or online format. Relevant sociodemographic and stroke risk factors were compared between G/BM and L/BW using chi-square (or Fisher's exact, when appropriate) and two-sample t-tests. Sexual orientation was used to …

Dynamic Environments Generate Geographic Fluctuations In Population Structure Of An Inland Shorebird, Andrea Contina, Scott W. Yanco, Allison K. Pierce, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Craig A. Stricker, Gabriel J. Bowen, Michael B. Wunder

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Species distributions depend on fine-scale ecological processes and population growth trajectories and are influenced by climate and weather changes. However, the characterization of inter-population dynamics underlying the geographic distributions of migratory organisms remains challenging. We adopted a stable isotope approach to investigate the dynamic population geography of a terrestrial migratory bird across multiple generations. We found that the age-specific geographic source of Mountain Plovers sampled during winter shifted over four years across a latitudinal gradient. Moreover, our results show that differential effects of climate on the probability of occurrence at the wintering ground could be a driver of population turnover …

An Eco-Epidemiological Model For Malaria With Microsporidia Mb As Bio-Control Agent, Charlène N.T. Mfangnia, Henri E.Z. Tonnang, Berge Tsanou, Jeremy Keith Herren

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Microsporidia MB is an endosymbiont which naturally infects Anopheles mosquitoes. Due to its ability to block Plasmodium transmission, it shows potential as a bio-based agent for the control of malaria. Its self-sustainability is promising, as it can spread through both vertical and horizontal transmissions. However, its low prevalence in mosquito populations remains a challenge. We develop an eco-epidemiological mathematical model describing the co-dynamics of Microsporidia MB (within mosquito population) and malaria (within human population). The model is used to assess the potential of Microsporidia MB-infected mosquitoes on the control of malaria infection. The results on the basic reproduction numbers, the …

Desert Locust (Schistocerca Gregaria) Flour As An Emerging Functional Ingredient For Baking Flavorful And Nutritious Whole Wheat Bread, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Antonny M. Nzomo, Paul N. Ndegwa, Sunday Ekesi, Fathiya M. Khamis, Komivi S. Akutse, George Ong'amo, Brian O. Ochieng, Margaret Kababu, Dennis Beesigamukama, Shaphan Y. Chia, J․Ghemoh G. Changeh, Sevgan Subramanian, Thomas Dubois, Segenet Kelemu

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Increasing interest in consuming insects is accelerating the expansion of the fortified snacks market. However, there is limited knowledge of the drivers of consumers to appreciate the role of desert locust [DL] Schistocerca gregaria Forskål as emerging functional ingredient for use in the food industry. Here, we evaluated the nutrient profile and functional properties of wheat breads fortified with powder from captive mass reared DL. The crude protein values of processed DL meal fed on three different food plants ranged between 40 and 56 %. The specific volume and firmness of the breads correlated positively and negatively, respectively, with incremental …

Modelling The Environmental And Terrestrial Drivers Of The Spread Of The Invasive Fall Armyworm Spodoptera Frugiperda In Africa, Marian Adan, Henri E.Z. Tonnang, Klaus Greve, Christian Borgemeister, Georg Goergen

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lep.: Noctuidae) a destructive invasive pest, poses a significant threat to maize cultivation in Africa, highlighting the need for a better understanding the factors affecting its prevalence. In this study we utilized the Maxent modelling approach to assess the impact of environmental and terrestrial parameters on the spread of FAW in Africa. We compared four different models based on their predictive accuracy: the most comprehensive model, which included bioclimatic factors, landscape structure, and FAW phenology, achieved an accuracy of 0.902. In contrast, models using only single categories of variables yielded lower accuracies, …

One Health Interventions And Challenges Under Rural African Smallholder Farmer Settings: A Scoping Review, Evanson R. Omuse, Honest Machekano, Bonoukpoè M. Sokame, Daniel M. Mutyambai, Thomas Dubois, Sevgan Subramanian, Frank Chidawanyika

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The global human population is rapidly increasing, escalating interactions of people, animals and the environment. This has led to more convoluted health challenges, for which African smallholder farmers bear the brunt. The One Health (OH) approach recognises the interconnectedness of these health challenges and thus follows a transdisciplinary approach involving diverse stakeholders to address them. Although there have recently been global concerted efforts and studies on OH, an information gap exists in Africa, particularly regarding smallholder farmers and their needs. Additionally, evaluation frameworks and outcome metrics for OH initiatives are still unclear. Thus, this study was conducted to critically map …

Adoption Of Sustainable Land And Water Management Practices And Their Impact On Crop Productivity Among Smallholder Farmers In Sub-Saharan Africa, Cool Dady Mangole, Charles Mbogo Maina, Kelvin Mulungu, Maurice Tschopp, Nichole Harari, Roopa Suresh, Menale Kassie

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Land degradation and water challenges threaten sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural productivity and food security. This study uses panel secondary data from the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study—Integrated Surveys on Agriculture project to evaluate land degradation variations, the adoption of sustainable land and water management (SLWM) practices, and their impacts on crop yields among smallholder farmers in four sub-Saharan African countries: Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, and Ethiopia. The study used a high-dimensional fixed effects model to control for time-invariant unobserved and time-varying observed household and plot-level confounders. The results indicate that while many households experienced land degradation and water problems, SLWM adoption …

Microbial Composition And Bioremediation In Frass Fertilizers From Insect-Based Agri-Food Waste Valorization, María Gómez-Brandón, Dennis Beesigamukama, Maraike Probst, Thomas Klammsteiner, Jian Qiang Su, Yong Guan Zhu, Chrysantus Mbi Tanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Insect frass fertilizer is emerging as a sustainable and novel input for improving soil health and crop production; however, research attention on its safety and microbial properties remains limited. Here, we evaluated the levels of heavy metals, pathogens, diversity, abundance, composition and functional roles of bacteria and fungi in frass fertilizer produced by eight edible insect species. Our results revealed the absence of Salmonella spp. In the frass fertilizers produced by all insect species, while the levels of other pathogens and heavy metals were within permissible limits for organic fertilizers. We found that 79–86 % of the variations in bacterial …

State And Transition Models For Mulga Rangelands Of Western Australia, Alison O'Donnell, Anna E. Richards, Suzanne Prober, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Sarah Luxton, Ian Watson, Brett Abbott, Philip Thomas, Joshua E. Foster

Natural resources published reports

This report details a collaborative project between the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and CSIRO that focused on developing State and Transition Models (STMs) for mulga rangelands in Western Australia. The overarching aim of the project was to improve the common understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of mulga rangeland ecosystems and the expected impacts of management. Specifically, the project aimed to collate expert knowledge and monitoring information using a nationally consistent framework to develop quantitative and dynamic STMs. The geographic scope of the project covers the extensive mulga rangelands of Western Australia, particularly the Gascoyne …

Encoding 3d Information In 2d Feature Maps For Brain Ct-Angiography, Uma M Lal-Trehan Estrada, Sunil Sheth, Arnau Oliver, Xavier Lladó, Luca Giancardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We propose learnable 3D pooling (L3P), a CNN module designed to compress 3D information into 2D feature maps using anisotropic convolutions and unidirectional max pooling. Specifically, we used L3P followed by a 2D network to generate predictions from 3D brain CT-Angiography (CTA) in the context of large vessel occlusion (LVO). To further demonstrate its versatility, we extended its application to 3D brain MRI analysis for brain age prediction. First, we designed an experiment to classify the LVO-affected hemisphere (left or right), projecting the input CTA into the sagittal plane, which allowed to assess the ability of L3P to encode the …

Changes In The Fxr-Cistrome And Alterations In Bile Acid Physiology In Wilson Disease, Clavia Ruth Wooton-Kee, Hari K Yalamanchili, Islam Mohamed, Manal Hassan, Kenneth D R Setchell, Monica Narvaez Rivas, Ayse K Coskun, Vasanta Putluri, Nagireddy Putluri, Prasun Jalal, Michael L Schilsky, David D Moore

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder that results in excessive hepatic copper, causing hepatic steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Previous studies have revealed dysregulation of many farnesoid X receptor (FXR) metabolic target genes in WD, including the bile salt exporter pump, the major determinant of bile flow.

Methods: We tested the hypothesis that the FXR-cistrome is decreased in Atp7b-/- mice in accord with dysregulated bile acid homeostasis.

Results: FXR binding within Atp7b-/- mouse livers displayed surprising complexity: FXR binding was increased in distal intergenic regions but decreased in promoter regions in Atp7b-/- versus wild-type mice. …

Re-Evaluating The Host Specificity Of Thirteen Eimeria Species That Infect Galliform Birds: Cross-Infection Experiments In Chukar Partridges (Alectoris Chukar), Northern Bobwhites (Colinus Virginianus) And Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo), Jessica L. Rotolo, A. Leveille, Rachel K. Imai, Elizabeth G. Zeldenrust, Billy M. Hargis, Elijah G. Kiarie, John R. Barta

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The commercial poultry industry has expanded and profited from intensively rearing birds, but it is not without consequences. Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease caused by Eimeria species that is well recognized by poultry producers because of the resulting health implications that often contribute to reduced welfare of birds, meat production and profitability. Strict host specificity of these parasites (infection of one host species only) is often assumed; however, examples of Eimeria spp. capable of infecting multiple galliform hosts have been described. Despite the relevance of coccidiosis in commercial poultry production, the number and extent of such crossinfections remain poorly understood, …