Digital Commons Network^™

Timber Use And Forest Management In The Ancient Mediterranean, Tobey Russell

Undergraduate Papers

No abstract provided.

The Ecological Consequences Of Horizontal Transmission Of Symbionts, Bibek Singh Parajuli

Biology Dissertations

Most multicellular organisms depend on their microbial symbionts for various functions, such as digestion, nutrient supplementation, pesticide degradation, and defense. While many insects acquire their symbionts vertically from their parents, thousands of species of true bugs (Hemiptera) across different families acquire their microbial symbiont, Caballeronia, from the environment each generation. Acquiring symbionts from the environment (horizontal transmission) has various ecological consequences for the host. In this study, I used the bug-Caballeronia model 1) to understand whether the free-living symbionts benefit from association with multicellular hosts, 2) to evaluate whether host specialization on symbiont strains varies across taxonomic levels, …

Effects Of Fermented Soybean Products On The Human Gut Microbiome, Microbial Metabolism, And Host Physiology, Shannon Moncier

Biology Dissertations

Fermented soybean products (FSPs) contain soybean-derived substrates, fermentation-associated microorganisms, and bioactive compounds that may interact with the human gut microbiome and host physiology. However, despite the growing interest in FSPs, longitudinal human studies specifically evaluating traditional Korean-FSPs (K-FSPs), particularly among United States-based populations, remain limited. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of three K-FSPs, including Cheonggukjang, Gochujang, and Doenjang, on host physiological responses, gut microbial community structure, predicted microbial functional potential, and fecal butyrate responses in healthy adults. Three independent dietary intervention cohorts were conducted using FSP formulations produced either by traditional artisan methods (Product A) …

Identifying Relevant Covariates In Rna-Seq Analysis By Pseudo-Variable Augmentation, Yet Nguyen, Dan Nettleton

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology allows for the identification of differentially expressed genes, which are genes whose mean transcript abundance levels vary across conditions. In practice, RNA-seq datasets often include covariates that are of primary interest in addition to a set of covariates that are subject to selection. Some of these covariates may be relevant to gene expression levels, while others may be irrelevant. Ignoring relevant covariates or attempting to adjust for the effect of irrelevant covariates can compromise the identification of differentially expressed genes. To address this issue, we propose a variable selection method that uses pseudo-variables to control the expected …

Investigation Of Genx Exposure To Pathways Associated With Colorectal Cancer Risk, Emily J. Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants widely detected in drinking water and food sources, resulting in chronic human exposure. Among these compounds, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), commonly known as GenX, has been introduced as a short-chain replacement for legacy PFAS such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Although GenX is believed to be a safer alternative, emerging research suggests it can still affect human health.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, highlighting the need to better understand environmental …

Uncovering The Mechanism Of Reep2-Mediated Emt-Driven Membrane Trafficking In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Kevin Fulp

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Membrane trafficking is frequently disrupted during cancer progression, and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Currently, no effective drugs target dysregulated membrane trafficking for cancer treatment. Recent evidence has demonstrated that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) employs a membrane trafficking program to coordinate cancer cell invasion and immunosuppression. To further dissect the pro-tumorigenic membrane trafficking program, we initiated an in vivo CRISPRi screen to assess more than 2,000 membrane trafficking-related genes in a syngeneic mouse LUAD model. We identified REEP2, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping protein, as a novel regulator of EMT-driven membrane trafficking. High REEP2 expression is …

Reep2-Driven Pro-Metastatic Secretion Promotes Lung Cancer Progression, Oluwafunminiyi E. Obaleye

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Membrane trafficking plays a critical role in cellular function and is frequently dysregulated in cancer to promote metastasis. In lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activating transcription factor, ZEB1, drives a pro-metastatic membrane trafficking program; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using a CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) in vivo screen of 2,099 membrane trafficking regulators in a syngeneic mouse model of EMT-driven LUAD, we identified REEP2 — an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping protein — as a critical regulator of tumor progression. REEP2 mRNA expression correlates with poor prognosis, EMT signatures, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in LUAD patients. …

31p Solution Nmr Investigation Of Abasic Dna, Clarissa R. Krimmel

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Base excision repair (BER) mechanisms fix single base lesions in DNA, such as T:G mismatches. During the base excision repair mechanism, an abasic site (AP site) is formed as an intermediate. AP sites are unstable and highly mutagenic; they can stop DNA replication. This research investigates how the conformational properties of abasic sites in DNA affect the binding recognition of enzymes involved in DNA repair mechanisms, including BER. Three different abasic sequences are being analyzed for this research project. A second project looks at the effects of a naturally occurring purine derivative, hypoxanthine, on the DNA backbone. These hypoxanthine lesions …

Remediation Impacts Metal Concentrations And Metal Tolerant Bacteria In Soils Of The Missouri Tri-State Mining District, Ophelia R. Pettington

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

After over 100 years of Zn and Pb mining in the Tri-State mining district (TSMD), former mines continue to be sources of metals. Metal contaminated soils can be remediated using plant-microbe interactions. Plants manipulate their microbiome and recruit microbes to increase metal tolerance. Remediating bacteria are site-specific and identifying native microbes can accelerate remediation efforts. Studies relating microbes and metal concentrations in remediated areas in the TSMD are scarce. I collected root and bulk zone soils associated with Andropogon virginicus from remediated and non-remediated sites in Webb City, MO. I used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to evaluate the bacterial …

Assessing The Impact Of Local–State Revenue Shares And Property Tax Structure On Effective Farmland Tax Rates: Panel Evidence From Seven Midwestern States, 2009–2022, Imtiaz Amin Chy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Property taxes are the primary revenue instrument of local governments in the United States, yet the burdens they impose are distributed unevenly. Farmland, because it cannot be relocated, often absorbs a disproportionate share. This paper examines two related questions: what fiscal factors determine how heavily agricultural land is taxed, and do those tax rates capitalize into farmland asset values? Using an annual panel of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin from 2009 to 2022, we first document how each state allocates property tax revenue across four major spending categories (education, public welfare, health, and utilities) finding that all …

Accelerating The Discovery Of The Genetic And Molecular Bases Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders In Vivo Using Breasi-Crispr, Claire Mae Kittock

Dissertations and Theses

Many neurodevelopmental disorders occur due to perturbations in prenatal brain development. More genetic variants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders are continuously being identified. However, there is a lack of understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms. Here, we describe a novel application of the technique Breasi-CRISPR in modeling specific patient variants in the embryonic mouse brain. Breasi-CRISPR is a highly efficient system combining in utero electroporation with CRISPR-CAS9 genome editing. We hypothesized that Breasi-CRISPR would be sufficient at inserting patient analogous variants into endogenous loci to be used as a new paradigm for modeling neurodevelopmental disorders. We aimed to test if Breasi-CRISPR could …

The Effect Of Different Nutrient Concentrations For Hydroponically Grown Pothos, Keaton Roether

A with Honors Projects

An experiment where Pothos plants are grown in three different solutions of water, NPK diluted into water, tap water, and distilled water. Data is recorded for multiple weeks and is then compiled into a comprehensible lab report of a minimum of 1000 words with graphs and data.

Ion-Imprinted Polymer-Based Sensors For Toxic Metal-Ion Detection In Water: Coordination Chemistry, Transduction Strategies, And Environmental Applications, Ghita Yammouri, Gymama Slaughter

Center for Bioelectronics Publications

Toxic metal contamination in aquatic environments remains a persistent threat to human health and ecosystems. Yet, the high cost, infrastructure demands, and centralized nature of conventional analytical methods constrain routine monitoring. Ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs), a subclass of molecularly imprinted polymers, have emerged as promising synthetic recognition materials for metal-ion sensing because they generate coordination-defined binding sites with high selectivity, chemical stability, low cost, and reusability. This review summarizes recent advances in Ion-imprinted polymer (IIP)-based sensing technologies for toxic metal-ion detection in water from 2016 to 2026. It examines the fundamental recognition chemistry of IIPs, major synthesis strategies used to generate …

Crispr-Cas9: Transforming Biomedical Technology Through Gene Editing, Zaina Issa

A with Honors Projects

The research paper describe the gene editing technique CRISPR-Cas9 and the implications of its use in different fields, including medicine and agriculture.

Rail Sign By Doppler Ultrasound As A Predictor Of Outcome Of Placenta Accreta Spectrum, Ola Khaled Mosaad El Malahy, Mohammed Nezar El Shahat, Lotfy Sherif Sherif, Khaled Samir, Amany A Makroum, Alhussein Ahmed Mohamed

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) involves abnormal placental invasion into uterine wall and is associated with life-threatening maternal complications. Doppler ultrasound is the primary diagnostic tool, though its ability to determine invasion depth and predict outcomes remains uncertain. Multidisciplinary management improves safety, and treatment often requires planned cesarean hysterectomy, or conservative management. The aim of this work was to correlate rail signs by Doppler US as a predictor of deep villous invasion and to detect whether rail signs can predict maternal and fetal outcomes.

Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on 59 patients aged > 20 years old, with PAS …

The Neuroprotective And Synergistic Effects Of Carbamoylated Erythropoietin And Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 In Alzheimer's Disease, Morgan Jean Rothschadl

Dissertations and Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prominent neurodegenerative disease characterized by a decline in cognitive functioning. While current FDA-approved therapeutics exist, they fall short in creating significant and long-lasting improvements to cognition. A newer approach using neurotrophic factors has shown promising effects on improving cognition in clinical trials. Neurotrophic factors are secreted proteins that have multimodal effects in the brain, including supporting cell survival and functioning. Two neurotrophic factors of interest are carbamoylated erythropoietin (CEPO) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and the goal of this study was to understand the synergistic and neuroprotective effects of CEPO and IGF-1 in AD. We …

Avian Use Of Early Successional Riparian Forest Along The Missouri River: What Do We Lose By Managing For Plovers And Terns?, Stephanie Nefas

Dissertations and Theses

Riparian ecosystems provide habitat for birds throughout their annual cycle, yet flow regulation along major rivers like the Missouri River has reduced early successional riparian forests. Following historic flooding in 2011, set-aside areas within the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR) were established to allow natural riparian vegetation succession on newly created sandbars. I evaluated the value of these early successional forests for birds over three breeding seasons (2018–2020) and four migration periods (2020–2021). During migration, standardized point counts documented 7,462 individual birds representing 114 species across 828 surveys. Avian diversity was positively correlated with vertical habitat complexity, with the canopy …

Forage News [2026-04], University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Forage News [2026-02], University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Forage News [2026-01], University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Long Acting Beta2-Adrenergic Receptor Agonists Reverse Diabetic Nephropathy And Liver Steatosis In Murine Models Of Diabetes And Are Associated With Protection In Retrospective Human Studies, Brennan Winkler

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) affects 13.9% of men and 14.3% of women worldwide, a total of approximately 828 million people. Patients with diabetes are at risk of several complications including diabetic nephropathy (DN) and metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). These diseases eventually lead to end stage kidney disease (ESKD) and liver failure requiring dialysis and organ transplantation. In addition, diabetes exacerbates disease severity of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the most common potentially lethal genetic disease to affect humans with a prevalence of 1 in 500-1000. Therefore, a therapeutic approach that can attenuate organ damage and restore function in patients with DM, …

The Impact Of The Different Vdac Isoforms On Hbv Replication And Hbx Localization, Cody Mcumber

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Despite the availability of a preventative vaccine, there are approximately 254 million people living with a chronic HBV infection. There are 9 known HBV genotypes, each with their own clinical impacts and manifestation in infected patients. HBx is the only regulatory protein encoded by the HBV genome and is required for efficient viral replication. HBx has many effects in infected hepatocytes besides known effects on HBV replication, such as localization to the mitochondria. HBx is also known to have impacts on mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial permeability …

Effect Of Corn Harvest With A Chopping Head On Performance Of Cattle Grazing Corn Residue, Conner K. Biehler, Mary E. Drewnoski, Jim C. Macdonald

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

The effects of harvesting corn using a chopping vs a standard, non-chopping combine head on steer performance when grazing corn residue were evaluated. Steers were supplemented with dry distillers grains at 0.6% of initial body weight. The amount of corn residue mass and the quality of the husk did not differ between harvest methods. Steer gains were over twice as high in year 2 (2.10 lb/d) than year 1 (0.76 lb/d), potentially due to greater husk digestibility and milder winter conditions. Corn residue harvested with a standard combine head resulted in a slightly higher average daily gain …

Artificial Insemination Of Beef Heifers With Multi-Sire Semen, Dempster M. Christenson, Jordan M. Thomas, Daniel J. Kelly, Rick N. Funston

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

This study compared pregnancy rates of beef heifers artificially inseminated with multi-sire semen to single-sire semen. It was hypothesized pregnancy rates resulting from multi-sire semen would be increased compared to single-sire semen. Heifers were artificially inseminated with semen from one of three sires or semen from a combination of the same three sires. Pregnancy rates did not significantly differ. Paternity testing suggests sire parentage can be unequal when semen is mixed from multiple sires. In summary, similar pregnancy rates were observed using single-sire and multi-sire semen, but progeny may have unequal sire representation.

Supplementing Monensin And Rumen Undegradable Protein To Late-Gestation Heifers, Dempster M. Christenson, Rick N. Funston

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

This study evaluates the effects of supplementing late-gestation heifers with rumen-undegradable protein and monensin on weight gain, feed efficiency, and reproductive performance, and subsequent impact on progeny. We hypothesized that supplementation would enhance growth and feed efficiency, ultimately improving cow and calf performance. Previously synchronized artificially inseminated heifers were fed ad libitum hay for 89 d prior to calving. Feed was top dressed with chelated mineral with or without monensin, dried distillers’ grains, or dried distillers’ grains and monensin. Supplementation with rumen undegradable protein increased growth rate and decreased calving difficulty with no further effects on cow …

Effect Of Feeding Whole Soybeans, Roasted Soybeans, Or Distillers Grains In Silage-Based Growing Beef Diets, Melissa K. Bausch, Rebecca Mcdermott, Jim C. Macdonald, Pablo L. Loza, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

An individual feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding raw whole soybeans (WSB), roasted whole (RSB) soybeans or distillers grains (MDGS) at three inclusions (7%, 14%, or 21% of diet dry matter) on growing performance, compared to a common control diet (0%) with urea. The greater inclusions of roasted soybeans or distillers grains increased gain and efficiency in growing cattle. Cattle fed the 21% inclusion of roasted soybeans were the most efficient, likely due to the protected protein increasing rumen undegradable protein content, and the additional energy from the higher levels of fat and …

Live Biomass Estimation With Canopeo In Rangeland Systems, Hannah K. Allen, Mitchell B. Stephenson, Daniel R. Uden

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

This project evaluated Canopeo, a free smartphone app that estimates fractional green canopy cover (FGCC), as a tool for monitoring aboveground biomass in Nebraska Sandhills rangelands. Live biomass was significantly higher in August than in June with some variability by year. FGCC showed a moderately strong relationship with current-year live biomass collected in either June or August. These results indicate that, in addition to producers’ field knowledge, Canopeo images taken with a smartphone or digital camera can offer a quick, visual estimate of forage conditions. This method may help reduce the need for labor intensive and destructive …

Effect Of An Accelerated Adaptation Protocol On Performance And Health Of Feedlot Steers Drenched With Lactipro, Rebecca L. Mcdermott, Samuel E. Loy, Isaque F. Vicci, Mark Corrigan, Braden C. Troyer, Galen E. Erickson, Jim C. Macdonald

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

A finishing study evaluated the effects of an accelerated adaptation protocol in conjunction with Lactipro on performance and health of steers. Five adaptation programs were evaluated with steers adapted to a finishing diet in 21, 14, 7, or 0 days. An additional accelerated adaptation program provided intensive feed delivery with 0-d adaptation. Cattle assigned to the 21-d and 0-d adaptations gained faster and consequently had greater HCW compared to the 7-d and 14-d adaptation, resulting in a quadratic response for ADG and HCW. The 0-d adaptation with intensive feed delivery had similar ADG and HCW compared to …

Energy Value Of High-Moisture Corn In Feedlot Cattle Diets Derived Through Meta-Analysis, Alfredo Dicostanzo

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

Cattle feeders or their nutritionists who rely on high-moisture corn (HMC) use a standard adjustment to energy content of the diet based on observation or previous research reports. Because moisture content of HMC is the result of many field and harvest factors, a common adjustment to the energy value of HMC applied to all conditions may not be appropriate. The hypothesis that moisture content of HMC determines its energy concentration was tested. Through a meta-analysis, it was determined that feed intake was depressed while energy content of HMC increased at greater moisture content. A simple method to …

Effects Of Feeding Raw Soybeans Or Roasted Soybeans To Feedlot Steers, Melissa K. Bausch, Jim C. Macdonald, Pablo L. Loza, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

A feedlot study compared feeding raw or roasted soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers grains to a dry-rolled corn with urea control on finishing cattle performance and carcass traits. Cattle fed roasted soybeans had improved marbling and gained more weight over the feeding period than cattle fed whole soybeans. Feed conversion was improved in the steers fed the roasted and whole soybean containing diets over steers that consumed the distillers grains diet. Cattle fed soybean meal and distillers grains had similar performance and carcass characteristics in this experiment. Cattle fed soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers had better gains …