Digital Commons Network^™

Water Conservation For The Great Salt Lake: Measuring Success And Uncertainty In Utah's Efforts, Sarah E. Witney

Theses and Dissertations

The Great Salt Lake in Utah, United States is one of many saline lakes worldwide that is currently in decline. The shrinkage and collapse of global saline lakes is primarily caused by irrigated agriculture and other human consumptive uses, with secondary contributions from global climate change. Great Salt Lake's area has decreased by more than 50% relative to its long-term natural level. The decline of these lakes triggers serious and long-lasting socioeconomic consequences, including destruction of habitat, degradation of air quality, and damage to the economy. The Utah state government has instituted a variety of programs to conserve water to …

Food & Drugs Unite: Targeting Leukemia With A [6]-Gingerol And 5-Fluorouracil Combination Chemotherapy, Alexa Mazzeo, Samantha Wechsler

Biology Presentations

Leukemia is a cancer found in the blood characterized by rapid growth of blood cells. This study examines the effect of [6]-Gingerol and 5- Fluorouracil (5-FU) on the proliferation of the Jurkat cell line, a cell line that is a model for T-cell leukemia due to similar mechanisms. MTT assay technique was used to measure cell proliferation and viability. We expected to see high cell fractional affect and reduced proliferation as the concentrations of the combinational therapy of [6]-Gingerol and 5-FU increased. These two cell compounds were selected because of their anti-carcinogenic effects: [6]-Gingerol is used aid in the inflammation …

Finding Patterns In Disturbance: Modeling Ecosystem Recovery Using A Machine Learning Approach, Paden D. Allsup

Theses and Dissertations

Some of the most visible effects of Anthropogenic climate change are shifts in resource (water) availability, and disturbance regimes across the world. Ecosystems across the world are now being forced to adapt to amplified disturbances, or in some cases, completely new disturbance types. These shifts have major implications for ecosystem stability and functioning, and more broadly for nutrient cycling across the world. In the western USA, wildfire is playing a larger and more dramatic role than before, altering vegetation communities, landscape stability, and soil and stream chemistry. While fire has always played an important role in semi-arid ecosystems, the scale …

Assessing Innovations In Wildlife Monitoring: Estimating Abundance And Inferring Parturition Of Ungulates With Technology, Elicia Cotcher

Theses and Dissertations

Enhancements in technology are creating opportunities for novel methods of wildlife monitoring. Traditional methods of wildlife monitoring are often costly or time-consuming, and new technological advancements such as remote cameras and GPS collars are creating opportunities for exploration as these technologies become more accessible and reliable. We sought to assess the efficacy of two novel methods of ungulate monitoring. The first is an abundance estimation method using remote cameras termed Instantaneous Sampling (IS). IS seeks to estimate abundance using time lapsed remote cameras on a population of unmarked individuals. Our goal was to compare IS estimations against the true observed …

Functional And Comparative Genomics Of The C.Sojina- Soybean Interaction, Alejandra Maria Vargas Oyuela

LSU Master's Theses

Frogeye leaf spot (FLS), caused by Cercospora sojina, is a significant foliar disease of soybean (Glycine max) and is responsible for substantial yield losses worldwide. While management strategies rely on host resistance and fungicide applications, the emergence of new virulent races and fungicide-resistant isolates necessitates a deeper understanding of C. sojina host interactions and genomic variability. Here, we employed comparative and functional genomic approaches to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying the C. sojina-soybean interaction. A dual RNA sequencing approach was used to identify transcriptomic changes in G. max cultivars Blackhawk (susceptible) and Davis (resistant) across multiple …

Effects Of Novel Fire Regimes On Plant And Animal Communities, Ryan Pienaar

Theses and Dissertations

Human actions are threatening global biodiversity through changes to ecosystems to which species are not well adapted. One of the main pathways by which humans affect change is through altered disturbance regimes. This includes changes in the size, frequency, and severity of wildfires. The impact of wildfires on native plant and animal communities varies across ecosystems as species in a community have adapted relatively predictable fire patterns over time. Changing fire patterns alters successional dynamics that can favor certain species over others and thus have a negative impact on biodiversity. This dissertation evaluates responses of different plant and animal species …

Exploring Ddr2’S Role In Caf Extracellular Matrix Production And Tumor Progression, Favour Ayomide Akinjiyan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer has poor survival outcomes particularly for advanced stage, metastatic disease. Metastasis is promoted by interactions of stromal cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), with tumor cells. CAFs play a key role in tumor progression by remodeling the TME and extracellular matrix (ECM) to result in a more permissive environment for tumor progression. It has been shown that fibroblasts, in particular myofibroblasts, utilize metabolism to support ECM remodeling. However, the intricate mechanisms by which CAFs support collagen production and tumor progression are poorly understood. In this study, we show that the fibrillar collagen receptor, …

Droughts, Destruction, And Displacement: How Climate Change Exacerbates Violence In The Sahel, Stevi Dugas

Osmosis Magazine

February 2023 through January 2024 marked the first 12- month period that global average temperatures exceeded the 1.5°C benchmark proposed in the Paris Climate Agreement, indicating early signs of coming dangerously close to exceeding a permanent 1.5°C increase in global average temperatures. Permanently exceeding the 1.5°C benchmark is expected to lead to increasingly frequent and dangerous extreme weather events such as droughts and wildfires, while also increasing the risk of climate tipping points such as collapse of coral reef systems (UN, n.d.). Though no place is safe from the effects of climate change, few places on Earth will be hit …

The Neurobiology Of Schizophrenia: Reduced Brain Volume And Its Implications, Erlinda Sali

Osmosis Magazine

Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder that is highly complex and often misunderstood. Characterized by hallucinations and delusions, disorders of thought and speech, behavior, and emotions, schizophrenia is more complex than how the media portrays it.

Methamphetamine Effects On The Striatal Neuroimmune System, Hillary Adelaide Wadsworth

Theses and Dissertations

Dopamine is thought of as the reward molecule of the brain, and while it does deal with reward, it is also associated with motivation and crucial for controlled movement. There are two main dopaminergic systems in the brain, the nigrostriatal system, which originates in the substantia nigra compacta and projects dopamine into the dorsal striatum; and the mesolimbic system, which originates in the ventral tegmental area and projects dopamine into the nucleus accumbens. While the mesolimbic dopamine system deals with motivation and reward, the nigrostriatal pathway underlies movement. Microglia are the immune cells of the brain and are incredibly dynamic. …

Maximizing Germination Of Three Native Plants For Rangeland Restoration And Urban Landscapes Through Seed Enhancements, Janetta Teichert

Theses and Dissertations

Native plants offer numerous ecological benefits and opportunities for both rangeland restoration and urban landscaping, making their integration essential for building sustainable ecosystems. They enhance soil health, promote pollinator activity, increase microbial diversity, and support both wildlife and livestock, all of which contribute to overall ecosystem resilience. A promising strategy to improve the use of native plants is the application of seed enhancement technologies, which can optimize seed germination, improve seedling establishment, and enhance overall plant success in challenging environments. These post-harvest seed treatments incorporate materials that improve seed performance, often through coatings composed of binders, fillers, and active ingredients. …

Phytochemistry, Antioxidant And Cytotoxic Activities Of Hibiscus (Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis) Extract On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells, Ade Arsianti, Isma Zahira Suhaima, Steven Gill, Ajeng Megawati Fajrin, Lince Dameria Nadapdap, Norma Nur Azizah, Hiroki Tanimoto, Shun Hirota

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women with a very high mortality rate. This cancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of breast cells. Treatments for this malignancy are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, however those methods can cause adverse effects and quite expensive. Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are also used to support those main treatments, one of them is herbal medicine. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is known to have various phytochemical components with antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, and analgesic activities. This study is aimed to determine the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis extract towards …

Nature’S Menu: The Science Behind The Raw Dog Food Movement And How To Safely Add Raw Meat To Your Dog’S Diet, Finn Bush, Kate Padilla, Grace Mynatt

The Agora

The raw dog food movement has become increasingly popular among the dog owner community, gaining attention primarily on social media platforms. This article discusses the motivations, ethics, and proper food safety involved in feeding canines raw meat. Despite common belief, dogs have deviating needs from their wolf ancestors, therefore, while feeding a raw meat diet looks more “natural” there are serious unintended consequences of improperly utilizing raw meat. This article takes a comprehensive look into what the benefits and drawbacks of raw feeding may be, how to be responsible if choosing to convert to the raw feed method, and overall …

Genetic Regulation Of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis In Flower Color In Gilia, Veronica Mosquera

Theses and Dissertations

Gilia was the model species in this research to study the genetic regulation of flower color. I generated an F2 population from a cross of two closely related leafy-stemmed Gilia: G. capitata with blue and G. yorkii with white flowers, to obtain the fertile F1, which was selfed. The F2 population showed a segregation ratio between pigmented versus white flowers 3:1, suggesting a single locus with a major effect on the regulation of flower color. Then, the G. yorkii genome was assembled and annotated to become the reference genome to genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) 189 F2 individuals. The Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) …

Emergence Of Heterogeneity In Bacteria During Antibiotic Exposures, Mirjana Stevanovic

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Bacterial populations exposed to antibiotics often exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity, with individual cells displaying distinct responses with fates ranging from survival to arrest or death. The emergence of this heterogeneity is largely driven by feedback mechanisms mediated by the interactions between antibiotic action, gene regulation, and cellular metabolism. These responses unfold in dynamic environments where conditions such as nutrient availability and drug concentration fluctuate over time and space. Yet, these complex interactions and their role in shaping population-level outcomes during drug responses remain poorly understood. Using tetracycline resistance in E. coli as a model system, this thesis focuses on how these …

Differential Binding Of Host Cell Proteins By Vpr Mutant R77q Compared With Wild Type Vpr, Madison C. Wagley

Theses and Dissertations

HIV Viral protein R (Vpr) is a multifunctional accessory protein which plays a role in nuclear import of the pre-integration complex, transactivation of HIV LTR promoter, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis during HIV infection. R77Q is an HIV Vpr mutant which is associated with long-term non-progressor phenotypes, and which has previously been connected to higher levels of apoptosis compared to wild type Vpr in vitro. There are observable differences in host binding partners with HIV Vpr between wild type and R77Q strains as shown via coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry. In one run R77Q samples showed binding to histone 1.2, 1.3, …

Development Of Raman Spectroscopic Methods To Analyze Chemical, Biological, And Physical Constituents For Food Safety And Quality, Hannah C. Broadbent

Theses and Dissertations

Ensuring food safety and quality is crucial for consumer health, satisfaction, and regulatory compliance. This study aims to develop rapid, reliable methods for detecting food constituents (i.e. lactose), pathogens (i.e. Listeria monocytogenes), and contaminants (i.e. micro- and nano-plastics) using Raman spectroscopy. With advantages like high specificity, minimal sample preparation, and fast analysis, Raman spectroscopy offers a promising alternative to traditional methods. This research explores its application in assessing chemical, biological, and physical properties of food to enhance safety and quality monitoring. Lactose-free products are increasingly popular due to the global prevalence of lactose intolerance, creating a need for effective verification …

The Effect Of Lithium On Intracellular Myo-Inositol Levels In Human Lymphoblasts Of Bipolar Disorder Patients, Ntakirutimana Francine

Honors Theses

Bipolar disorder is a chronic disorder characterized by mood swings of mania and depression. Bipolar I is characterized by intense mania, while bipolar II is characterized by hypomania and depression. Currently, there is no cure for bipolar disorder; however, one mainstay of treatment is lithium, which is hypothesized to alleviate symptoms by reducing myo-inositol.

In this study, the effect of lithium on intracellular myo-inositol was determined in lymphoblasts derived from bipolar disorder patients and compared to that of lymphoblasts from a neurotypical individual. At 1mM lithium, the data showed increased myo-inositol levels across cell lines; however, the results were not …

2025 Academic Conference Program

Holy Cross Undergraduate Academic Conference

No abstract provided.

Studies Evaluating Practices For Water Conservation: In-Situ Sensors For Determining Soil Field Capacity And Water Application Savings From Rebate-Driven Residential Landscape Transformations, Madison E. Martini

Theses and Dissertations

Water conservation is a critical issue that requires solutions to address growing water scarcity. In both agricultural and urban settings, targeting conservation efforts is essential for lasting progress as well as protection of communities and ecosystems. This research focuses on identifying practical means to reduce water use by studying separate conservation strategies in urban and agricultural contexts. Given their interdependence, addressing water use in both sectors is essential for achieving meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. Agricultural water conservation relies on efficient irrigation practices, which depend on accurately determining soil field capacity (FC)--the amount of water soil can retain after excess …

Enriched Pathways In Gut Microbiome Predict Response To Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment Across Demographic Regions And Various Cancer Types, Xunhui Cai, Jennifer Y Cho, Lijun Chen, Yufeng Liu, Fenghu Ji, Katia Salgado, Siyi Ge, Dehua Yang, Hui Yu, Jianbo Shao, P Andrew Futreal, Boris Sepesi, Don Gibbons, Yaobing Chen, Guoping Wang, Chao Cheng, Meng Wu, Jianjun Zhang, Ansel Hsiao, Tian Xia

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Understanding the effect of gut microbiota function on immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) responses is urgently needed. Here, we integrated 821 fecal metagenomes from 12 datasets to identify differentially abundant genes and construct random forest models to predict ICI response. Gene markers demonstrated excellent predictive performance, with an average area under the curve (AUC) of 0.810. Pathway analyses revealed that quorum sensing (QS), ABC transporters, flagellar assembly, and amino acid biosynthesis pathways were enriched between responders (R) and non-responders (NRs) across 12 datasets. Furthermore,

We Are Our Brains: Disembodied Brain Films In 1950s Cold War America, David P. Pierson

Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Books

Personified Body Parts in Cinema, Literature, and Visual Culture investigates the power of personifying body parts in cinema, television, visual culture, literature, erotica, folklore, and mystique.

Culturally, socially, and poetically exposing hidden aspects and subtleties of human existentialism, this book vigorously questions and problematizes numerous artistic, aesthetic, technological, naïve, and macabre manipulations of body parts for various purposes. A diverse team of authors explore how scribing human traits to limbs, eyes, brains, genitalia, hearts, and other inner organs is grotesque and aesthetic, repealing and appealing, intimidating and intimate, rude and enjoyable, material and spiritual, surprising and mundane. Personified organs are …

The Roles Of Cup1, Ssu1, And Mitochondrial Dna In Copper Tolerance In Wild Yeasts, Madeleine Panek

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Understanding the genetic basis of complex traits remains a central challenge in biology. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, copper resistance is a multifactorial trait shaped by both genetic and environmental influences, yet its underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The genes CUP1 and SSU1 are known to influence copper resistance, though how these genes interact with each other and with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in wild yeast populations is unknown. I hypothesized that the genes CUP1 and SSU1 and variation in mtDNAs contribute to copper resistance in wild yeasts independently and through genetic interactions. To test this, I measured copper resistance …

Humanized Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Provides A Facile And Effective Tool To Identify Damaging Human Variants That Cause Exosomopathies, Khondakar Sayef Ahammed, Milo B Fasken, Anita H Corbett, Ambro Van Hoof

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The RNA exosome is an evolutionarily conserved, multiprotein complex that is the major RNase in 3' processing and degradation of a wide range of RNAs in eukaryotes. Single amino acid changes in RNA exosome subunits cause rare genetic diseases collectively called exosomopathies. However, distinguishing disease-causing variants from nonpathogenic ones remains challenging, and the mechanism by which these variants cause disease is largely unknown. Previous studies have employed a budding yeast model of RNA exosome-linked diseases that relies on mutating the orthologous yeast genes. Here, we develop a humanized yeast model of exosomopathies that allows us to unambiguously assess damaging effects …

Senescent Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Mediate Immunosuppression And Promote Breast Cancer Progression, Jiayu Ye

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, and aging is the largest risk factor for breast cancer development. The process of aging is typically accompanied by a progressive accumulation of senescent cells, which are characterized by a series of markers such as p16INKA4 (p16) positivity and a distinctive profile of secretory factors including mitogens, cytokines, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins that are collectively recognized as senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Numerous data so far have shown that senescent stromal cells play critical roles in modulating tumor microenvironment and progression. For example, senescent fibroblasts induced in vitro could …

Durability And Steel Corrosion Resistance Of Fly Ash Concrete Exposed To Groundwater, Mohamed Ahmed Bayomy, Khaled M. Osman, Hala Emad Elden Fouad

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This article proposes replacing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with a fly ash (FA)-based geopolymer (GP) material, activated by a chemical activator, as the binding material. A 90-day study was conducted to evaluate the performance of fly ash geopolymer concrete (GPC) in a corrosive environment (groundwater). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), compression testing, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to assess the toughness of the samples. Additionally, the linear polarization resistance (LPR) method was employed to measure the corrosion of steel embedded in the concrete structures. The comparison shows that increasing the fly ash (FA) content in geopolymer concrete (GPC) enhances …

Investigating The Effect Of Soil Origin On Antibiotic Production In Streptomyces, Emu Suzuki

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2025

Streptomyces bacteria produce antibiotics that inhibit competing microorganisms. We hypothesized that Streptomyces from the rhizosphere (around plant roots) would be more likely to produce antibiotics than those from bulk soil (further away from roots). Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere and bulk soils in transitional and long-term organic fields of corn and alfalfa. Streptomyces from these soils were cultured on glucose-asparagine agar media. Their antibiotic production was evaluated by testing whether they could inhibit the growth of two target Streptomyces strains. No significant effects of soil type (rhizosphere vs. bulk), crop, or management on antibiotic production were observed for one …

The Effects Of Diverse Bitter Gourds On Newly Formed Mcf-7/G1p3 And Mcf-7/Vector Cancer Cells, Eder Colmenero

Honors Theses

Breast cancer has become one of the deadliest cancers to affect women worldwide. Although treatments have been developed, no cure has been found for this disease. An emerging field with cancer treatments shows how isoflavones can be critical to limiting hormone-related cancers. In this study, the effects of Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) extracts will be investigated in two separate cell lines. These cell lines include MCF-7 and G1P3 with the G1P3 cell line being the more aggressive cancer. Bitter gourd, which is mainly harvested in Asia, has been shown to display apoptotic features when contracting cancer. Although it is unknown …

Exploring The Acute Effects Of Sedentary Behaviors On Cardiometabolic Risk In Hispanic Adolescents With Obesity: A Randomized Crossover Study, Erica G Soltero, Osamah Salim, Yiming Mirabile, Salma M Musaad

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background/Objectives: Time spent in sedentary pursuits is associated with adverse metabolic profiles. Adolescents spend 65-75% of their day in sedentary pursuits; however, evidence among youth is less conclusive. This study examined the effects of an acute 4 h bout of sedentary behaviors on cardiometabolic outcomes and energy expenditure in Hispanic adolescents (12-16 years old) with obesity (BMI% ≥ 95th).

Methods: This study used a randomized cross-over design to engage participants (N = 12) in two sedentary conditions, an active condition where youth were engaged in two hours of 'active' sitting activities (e.g., reading and puzzles) and two hours …

The Effects Of Maclura Pomifera On Mcf-7/Vector And Mcf-7/G1p3 Breast Cancer Cells, Khushi Bhatt

Honors Theses

Breast cancer is considered one of the most common types of cancer, mainly affecting women worldwide. The most aggressive type is Triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for approximately 10-15% of the total amount of breast cancer cases. The majority of breast cancer cases are regarded as estrogen receptor-positive, accounting for 70% of the total number. Current treatment options consist of immunotherapy, surgery, endocrine therapy, and chemotherapy. Research in breast cancer treatment has been a topic of interest in recent years, as the rate of individuals becoming diagnosed is increasing. The Osage orange, or Maclura pomifera, is a fruit native to …