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Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Mediated Plasmid Dna Delivery In The Model Monocot Brachypodium Distachyon, Kaya İşleyen Bi̇lge, Bahar Soğutmaz Özdemi̇r

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Plant genetic engineering is a valuable approach for improving stress tolerance, crop productivity, and quality traits. However, its progress is limited by the drawbacks of traditional transformation methods. Commonly used techniques, such as Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and biolistics, are restricted by genotype dependency, lengthy tissue culture steps, and low efficiency, particularly in monocot species. Therefore, the development of alternative gene delivery strategies remains an ongoing research focus in plant biotechnology. Nanoparticle-based delivery systems have recently gained attention due to their physiochemical properties, biocompatibility, and potential for alternative gene delivery approaches in plant systems.Materials and methods: We investigated the use of …

On The Transport Of Chloroplast Lipids, Cailin Smith

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Chloroplasts are green, photosynthetically active organelles ubiquitous to the plant kingdom. Owing to their cyanobacterial origin, chloroplasts consist of three membranes: the outer envelope, the inner envelope, and the thylakoid, the latter of which is the site of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. Not only do the lipids that make up these membranes delineate aqueous compartments, but they also respond dynamically to developmental and environmental cues, constitute the matrix that scaffolds protein machinery, and even serve as functional components of some proteinaceous complexes. However, while lipids are of vital importance to the structure and function of the chloroplast, the mechanisms …

New Ways To Address The Plastic Problem, Andrew J. Hanna

The Penguin Review

Since 1950, the world has produced some 9.2 billion metric tonnes of plastic.1 Other sources place the total closer to ten billion metric tonnes Furthermore, nearly 500 million tonnes of new plastic are manufactured each year– a figure that's projected to increase to 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060.2 The environmental effects of all this plastic production and pollution are disturbing. Because most plastics are synthetic–meaning they contain "no molecules found in nature"– they can't decompose. Instead, they just break down into smaller and smaller pieces, becoming microplastics (less than five millimeters (5 million nanometers) across) and then nanoplastics (less than …

Transgenic Plant Cells For The Cost-Effective Production Of Pharmaceutical Proteins, Maria Gambaro

Create@State

Plant-based systems are becoming an important method for producing pharmaceutical proteins because they can be more cost-effective, and safer compared to traditional production methods which commonly use mammalian cells. This project aims to develop a transgenic plant cell system that can produce a pharmaceutical protein using molecular cloning techniques. A transgenic plant cell has the DNA of another plant integrated into its genome, altering its gene expression to produce different proteins. To begin, a plasmid carrying the gene of interest and the DNA components needed for expression will be designed. The plasmid will then be used to introduce the gene …

Inc3vits Model: A Hybrid Architecture To Accelerate And Reduce Complexity For The Deepvariant Model For Variant Calling, Mustafa Al-Saffar, Sura Z. Al Rashid

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Deep learning has revolutionized genomic variant calling, yet the computational cost of current systems continues to limit scalability. We present a controlled efficiency study of DeepVariant-style pileup architectures under identical training and inference conditions, comparing architectural downsizing with a hybrid CNN–local attention design. Inc3ViTs pairs a streamlined InceptionV3 stem with a lightweight local attention head based on patch tokenization and windowed self-attention, enabling a direct comparison with a CNN-only reduced Inception baseline. Across whole-genome and whole-exome short-read datasets, Inc3ViTs reduces training time by ~40–50% and reduces inference runtime relative to the original DeepVariant. The CNN-only baseline indicates that most speedups …

Swosu Research And Scholarly Activity Fair 2026, Swosu Office Of Sponsored Programs

SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair Programs

On behalf of the University Research and Scholarly Activity Committee (URSAC) and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, we are pleased to welcome you to the Thirty-Fourth SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair.

Expanding The Convergence Canon: Indigenous Knowledge Systems And Place-Based Convergence Research In Lake Superior’S Keweenaw Bay, Usa, Melissa Baird, Valoree Gagnon, Judith Perlinger, Noel Urban, Larissa A. Juip, Kelly Kamm, Evelyn Ravindran, Caren Ackley, Cassandra M. Reed-Vandam

Michigan Tech Publications

This study presents results from an NSF-funded convergence research project conducted in partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, USA. While convergence research frameworks often emphasize deep integration, we argue that participatory, place-based, and community-led convergence requires maintaining an integrity of difference. Through a systematic literature review, surveys and semi-structured interviews, we examined how team members operationalized convergence research and the Tribal Landscape System (TLS) framework. Across these data sources, convergence emerged as a negotiated practice shaped by distinct roles, institutional responsibilities, and long-term partnership commitments. Our findings demonstrate that ethical engagement, adaptive collaboration, and …

Impact Of Climate Change On Agricultural Production In The North China Plain And Adaption Strategies, Yanjun Shen, Ying Guo, Chuanwei Zhang, Yaning Chen

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Over the past century, global warming has posed significant challenges to the North China Plain (NCP), a core region for grain production, where resource-induced water scarcity now coincides with complex meteorological disasters. In recent years, the NCP has exhibited new climatic characteristics, notably the transition from a “warm-dry” to a “warm-wet” pattern accompanied by asymmetric warming, leading to an increased frequency of extreme events such as droughts, abrupt dry-flood alternations, and temperature extremes. These shifts pose a grave threat to regional grain stability. Currently, critical gaps remain in the understanding of the underlying disaster mechanisms, as well as in predictive …

Impact And Countermeasures Of Climate Change On Grain Production In Northwest China, Qin’Ge Dong, Jianqiang He, Yi Li, Ning Yao, Xiang Li, Haolei Zhang, Shengnan Wang, Tengcong Jiang, Baiqing Chen, Chunrui Gao, Chao Liang, Guiyuan Zhang, Lei Gong, Jinxuan Zhao, Qiang Yu, Hao Feng

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Global climate change is reshaping the agricultural production patterns of grain crops in Northwest China. As an important reserve region for national grain production, Northwest China faces multiple uncertainties and compound risks in food security. This study analyzes the current status and limiting factors of grain production, along with regional climate change trends, and systematically evaluates the impacts of climate change and its associated disasters on the spatial distribution, cropping systems, and yield formation of major crops such as wheat, maize, and potato. Over the past 60 years, the region has experienced a warming rate of approximately 0.32℃ per decade …

Accelerating Marine Science And Technology Innovation Under Great Power Competition: Challenges And Recommendations, Qingbin Guo, Yongsha Xiong, Shifang Sun

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of intensifying great-power competition, the core issues of global technological competition and cooperation are increasingly converging on the marine domain. The oceans are progressively becoming a critical strategic sphere for national development and security. At present, China is steadily advancing towards its goal of becoming a maritime power, achieving historic leaps in technological innovation such as shipbuilding and deep-sea exploration. Nevertheless, the path ahead for China’s marine science and technology innovation will inevitably face severe international circumstances and competition from established global maritime powers. Based on a review of global and Chinese progress in marine science and …

The Impact Of State And Federal Policies On Academic Researchers: Findings From A National Survey, Dylan Ruediger, Chelsea Mccracken, Jonathan Barefield

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Key findings

● State and federal policies targeting divisive concepts or DEI are shaping research agendas at scale and across disciplines. Twenty percent of all respondents, and 29 percent of researchers working in states with divisive concepts or similar laws, reported having avoided certain research topics because of state laws and policies.

● Eight percent of respondents representing a wide range of disciplines reported having had a federal grant cancelled in 2025.

● Eleven percent of respondents reported that federal and state policies restricting research activities are compelling them to seek employment out of state, to leave the academy, or …

Uptake And Fate Of Silver And Zinc Engineered Nanoparticles In Maize Under Single And Binary Dosing Soil Ecosystems, Lei Xu, Qingbo Yang, Xingmao Ma, Honglan Shi, John Yang, Hu Yang, Samira Mahdi, Ying Wang, Young Shin Jun

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recent agricultural applications of engineered metallic nanoparticles (ENPs) have raised concerns about their uptake and fate in plants. To understand this critical issue, this study investigated the fate and uptake of silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) ENPs in maize (Zea mays L.) after single or binary ENP exposure in soil. Results indicated that both Zn and Ag elemental concentrations in roots increased with increasing ENP dosage. Ag NPs in the tissues were detected, but not Zn NPs. Ag NP concentration was 3 times higher in the roots than in the shoots at low Ag NP dosing, while Ag NP …

Evaluating The Impact Of Residential Landscape Audits Using 5-Second Water Use Data, Mahmud Aveek, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco, David E. Rosenberg, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Kelly Kopp, Belize A. Lane

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

We used 5-s water use data to evaluate the effectiveness of residential landscape water audits in summer 2022. Fifty-nine households in two northern Utah cities were monitored for 2–5 weeks before and 3–10 weeks after an audit. We found that the distribution of weekly irrigation volumes postaudit was statistically less than the distribution preaudit (significant at the 1.9E10-5 level). Collectively, the participants reduced their landscape irrigation water use by approximately 379,000 L per week (100,300 gal per week; 0.3 acre-feet per week). We also analyzed changes in irrigation event volume, duration, frequency, and the number of days between events at …

Mental Gymnastics: How Misconceptions Drive Unstable Forms Of Scientific And Religious Reconciliation, Jamie Jensen, Jade Sorensen, Andrea Phillips, Mackay Strong, Isaac A. Woolley, Spencer M. Johanseon, Afton Fillmore, Luke N. Noakes

ScholarsArchive Data

Interview transcripts of introductory biology students attempting to reconcile evolutionary science with religious faith.

Identification Of Sex Chromosomes In The Genus Lepidodactylus, Zuleihat Yusuf Idris

Master's Theses (2009 -)

ABSTRACT IDENTIFICATION OF SEX CHROMOSOMES IN THE GENUS LEPIDODACTYLUS Zuleihat Y. Idris, M.S Marquette University, 2026 Sex determination in vertebrates is remarkably diverse and is characterized by frequent evolutionary transitions between genetic sex determination (GSD) and environmental sex determination (ESD). Within reptiles, geckos (Gekkota) exhibit the most diverse sex determination mechanism in vertebrates. Although geckos are the target of more recent research, most lineages still lack identifiable sex-determining mechanisms. This gap in knowledge has limited the understanding of the diversity and evolution of sex determination in vertebrates. In this study, an automated pipeline (FnPiPER) and whole-genome resequencing from male and …

Tracing Microplastics From Polymer-Coated Urea: Urban To Agricultural Pathways And Environmental Fate, Caden Joseph Seely

Theses and Dissertations

Polymer-coated urea (PCU) is widely used as a slow-release nitrogen (N) fertilizer because it improves N use efficiency and reduces losses through leaching, denitrification, and volatilization. However, the polymer coating raises concerns about potential microplastic (MP) transport to surface waters following fertilizer application. This thesis evaluates the off-site transport of MPs and associated nutrient and sediment losses from PCU in both urban landscape and agricultural systems. In the urban landscape study, treatments included sod, mulched beds, and water-efficient ground cover receiving uncoated urea, PCU, or liquid slow-release N at 225 kg N ha⁻¹ (with reduced rates for beds and ground …

Unraveling The Role Of The C-Terminal Intrinsically Disordered Linker In The Bacterial Cell Division Protein Ftsz, Jessica Louise Bullock

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

FtsZ is a highly conserved cytoskeletal protein that is essential for organizing the cell division machinery in bacteria. The first observable step in cytokinesis, FtsZ forms a ring at the future division site. The FtsZ ring serves as a platform for recruitment of other division proteins. FtsZ has three major domains: a tubulin-like GTP binding core domain, an intrinsically disordered C-terminal linker (CTL), and a conserved ~11-residue motif known as the C-terminal peptide (CTP). The core domain is sufficient for head-to tail assembly of FtsZ polymers in vitro. The CTP interacts with modulatory proteins to coordinate division, while the CTL …

The Genetics Of Sex, Fortis Brown

The Agora

Sex is a complex biological process that begins in the womb and lasts into puberty and beyond. It is often presented to society as a binary, chromosome-based system where XX means female and XY means male. In reality, chromosomes are just the beginning of a lifelong process involving hormones that influence biological changes. This process becomes apparent with its errors, known as Differences in Sexual Development (DSDs). DSDs can be caused in two main ways: through changes in either meiosis or in gene expression. While many consider these changes as ‘errors’, the processes that cause them to have been intentionally …

Optimizing Seedling Emergence In Sagebrush-Steppe Restoration: The Role Of Sowing Depth, Seed Coatings, And Microsite Amendments, John Thomas Stromberg

Theses and Dissertations

Seedling survival of fall-sown seeds over the winter and subsequent emergence in spring is a major demographic bottleneck limiting recruitment in dryland restoration. Deeper sowing can place seeds in a more favorable soil environment with more stable moisture and moderated temperatures, but emergence from these depths is often constrained by the greater distance seedlings must grow to reach the surface and by mechanical resistance in the upper soil layer. In the first chapter of this thesis, we evaluated the use of a slow-release gibberellic acid (GA₃) polymer seed coating to aid in seedling emergence from deeper sowing depths. We compared …

Recent Wetland Elevation Dynamics In Coastal Louisiana, Usa, Elizabeth Harris

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal marshes globally are increasingly vulnerable to accelerating relative sea-level rise (RSLR), which threatens their capacity to maintain elevation through feedbacks among sediment supply, vegetation productivity, hydrology, and soil processes. Although many marshes can persist under moderate rates of sea-level rise through vertical accretion and belowground biomass production, this resilience is strongly constrained by sediment availability and subsurface processes such as autocompaction and organic matter decomposition. High accretion is often assumed to confer marsh resilience; however, subsurface processes, particularly autocompaction driven by surface loading, can substantially offset elevation gains. Coastal Louisiana experiences among the highest rates of RSLR worldwide due …

Toward A Local Governance Model For Green Building Regulation: Lessons From A Philippine City, Mikaela Amihan S. Arrosa, Aileen V. Lapitan

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The study analyzed local governance in implementing green building regulations in a city in Metro Manila, Philippines, through a case study. Compliance rates were calculated by comparing projects with Green Building Compliance Certification to those with Green Building Pre-Compliance Certification issued by the city. The Delphi method explored environmental sustainability implications of compliance, while key informant interviews and policy landscape analysis identified the factors affecting Green Building Code management. Fewer than half of the pre-compliance and construction permit holders also received occupancy certificates. Three rounds of the Delphi method were conducted, resulting in consensus on recommendations to enhance governance mechanisms …

Housing System And Gender Effect On Carcass And Meat Quality Characteristics In Turkish Pekin Ducks, Hasan Önder, Uğur Şen, Mi̇ne Yilmaz, Si̇bel Bozkurt, Eli̇f Ci̇lavdaroğlu, Di̇lek Gökçek, Ahmet Uçar, Kadi̇r Erensoy, Burcu Kurnaz

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Improving meat quality is one of the most important aims for scientists and breeders. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of housing system (indoor vs. free-range) and gender on carcass and meat quality traits in Pekin ducks. The animal material consisted of 20 male and 20 female birds in each housing system. Our results show cold carcass weights of 3174.10 ± 80.65 g and 2672.60 ± 59.63 g for male and female birds in the indoor housing system and 2821.10 ± 50.53 g and 2306.90 ± 43.32 g for male and female birds in the free-range housing system. The …

Effects Of Preslaughter Fasting On Ph And Bacterial Contamination In Akkaraman And Anatolian Merino Sheep, Sai̇m Boztepe, Özcan Şahi̇n, Talha Demi̇rci̇, Gi̇zem Coşkun, İbrahi̇m Ayteki̇n, İsmai̇l Keski̇n

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The present study investigates the effects of the preslaughter fasting on pH and bacterial contamination in Akkaraman and Anatolian Merino sheep. Included in the study were 10 Akkaraman and 10 Anatolian Merino sheep (n = 20) that were fasted for 24 h prior to slaughter, and a further 10 Akkaraman and 10 Anatolian Merino sheep (n = 20) that continued to be fed until slaughter as a control group. The total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB) measured at 0 and 24 h in the fasting Akkaraman and Anatolian Merino sheep were 4.87/4.79 and 4.75/5.57 log CFU/g, respectively, and the corresponding Enterobacteriaceae …

Characterizing The Macroinvertebrate Community In Crissy Lake, An Impounded Reach Of The Pomme De Terre River, Prior To Channel Modification, Max Lundgren

Undergraduate Research Symposium (2026- )

The aging Crissy Lake Dam, on the Pomme de Terre River in Morris, has altered natural stream flow and impeded upstream passage of several fish species since 1939. In late 2026 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will replace the dam with stone arch rapids and facilitate river channel formation upstream of the dam. In order to evaluate the river modification project, we characterized the macroinvertebrate community in Crissy Lake, the impoundment upstream of the dam before implementation of channel modification. In September 2025 we collected benthic macroinvertebrates from two sets of Ekman grab samples. We found 12 taxa (average …

Biophysical Insights Into A Cryptic, Hydrophobic Binding Site On Pcna, Alexis Dispensa

Theses and Dissertations

Proteins are dynamic molecules whose functional landscapes extend beyond static structural representations. Transient cryptic pockets (buried cavities that emerge through protein motion) represent underexplored targets for allosteric regulation and drug discovery. General anesthetics are small, lipophilic, weakly polar molecules that are well suited to partition into such hydrophobic sites. In this work, environment-sensitive fluorescence, photoaffinity labeling, mass spectrometry, mutational analysis, and microsecond molecular dynamics simulations were integrated to discover and characterize a cryptic, highly apolar binding site within the hydrophobic core of human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a central scaffold in DNA replication and repair. Using the solvatochromic fluorescent …

Quantitative Proteomics For The Investigation Of Phosphoprotein Phosphatase 1 And 3 Substrate Specificities, Galini Poimenidou

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Reversible phosphorylation is a crucial post-translational modification (PTM) that modulates a variety of signaling pathways intracellularly, with aberrant protein phosphorylation being a hallmark of many human diseases. Kinases, which catalyze phosphorylation of their substrates, have been extensively studied in the context of the signaling pathways they regulate and their effects on cellular processes. In contrast, phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPPs), which catalyze the removal of phosphate groups from substrate proteins, have only recently come to the research spotlight. For a long time, protein phosphatases were deemed unspecific housekeeping enzymes, but they are now known to display exquisite substrate specificity. Phosphoprotein phosphatase 1 …

Semiochemicals And Odorant Receptors Underlying Potato Cultivar Susceptibility And Resistance To Potato Tuber Moth, Ruipeng Chen, Wangtao Hu, Qin Hu, Junjie Yan, Jiao Yin, Fathiya M. Khamis, Yulin Gao, Walter S. Leal

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Infestation of potato by the potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) varies markedly among cultivars, yet the chemical and molecular mechanisms underlying this variation remain poorly understood. Here, we combine field surveys, chemical ecology, functional genomics, and structural modeling to reveal how cultivar-specific volatile profiles shape moth oviposition behavior and pest outcomes. Field and laboratory assays identified marked differences in adult attraction, oviposition, and larval damage among potato cultivars, which correlated with distinct blends of emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Behavioral analyses revealed that among other VOCs, trans-nerolidol and β-ionone act as attractants, whereas 3-carene and benzyl tiglate function as oviposition …

Interest In Training Certifications Within The Horticulture Industry, Bradley S. Peiffer

Scholars Week

When it comes to post-secondary education, less than half of Americans hold a college degree. While certain industries don’t necessarily need college-level education, they can still have a lot to learn beyond hands-on education and training. Horticulture, for example, can have a large knowledge gap from people with a secondary education only. Oftentimes, a certificate in a field of work can significantly improve knowledge in the workforce without such an extreme time or cost expense. This study investigates whether there is a potential interest in training certifications within the Horticulture Industry. Specifically, this research was conducted to determine if Horticulture …

Evaluating Ai-Driven Sustainable Neuro-Urbanism Through A Human-Centered Framework: The Case Of Ras Elbar City, Egypt, Esraa Elazab, Ahmed Eltawil

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This study applies and evaluates a previously developed human-centered framework for AI-driven sustainable neuro-urbanism through a case study of Ras Elbar City, Egypt. Building on earlier conceptual research that integrated artificial intelligence (AI), neuroscience-informed design, and sustainability principles, this paper seeks to test the framework’s practical relevance in the context of a developing coastal city. Using qualitative evaluation methods, including field observation and spatial assessment, the research examines twelve key urban design elements such as green spaces, mobility networks, lighting, and soundscapes. Each element is analyzed across three dimensions: neuro-urbanism goals, AI integration, and sustainability outcomes. The findings show that …

Roles Of Mads-Box Transcription Factors In Plant Responses To Abiotic And Biotic Stresses, Na Liu, Zihao Liu, Guangxiang Tian, Shijia Zhao, Hao Chu, Yiheng Hu, Yingfan Zhao, Yanyan Zhang, Kun Cheng, Daowen Wang, Wenming Zheng, Zhengqing Fu, Xu Wang

Faculty Publications

Plants deploy sophisticated adaptive mechanisms to mitigate the detrimental effects of abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, temperature extremes, and heavy metals) and biotic stresses (pathogens and senescence) on growth and productivity. Central to these responses are transcription factors (TFs) that orchestrate stress-responsive gene networks. Among TF families, MADS-box proteins, characterized by their evolutionarily conserved DNA-binding domain, function as pivotal regulators of developmental plasticity and stress adaptation. While recent advances have clarified their roles in abiotic stress tolerance, a systematic integration of their functions in biotic stress responses has yet to be achieved. This review synthesizes current knowledge on how MADS-box TFs …