Digital Commons Network^™

Blue Jays, Meriam Salo '25, Gabriela Guzman Reyes '24

Biology Student Scholarship

A guide to identifying blue jays, and understanding their common behaviors. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Mallards And Their Interesting Facts, Caitlin Mchugh '24, Jessica Slaton '24

Biology Student Scholarship

A guide on how to differentiate between male and female mallards, where to find these ducks, and their common behaviors. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Identifying The American Goldfinch, Margaret Low '24, Laura Mooney '24

Biology Student Scholarship

An infographic with tips on how to identify a common backyard visitor, the American goldfinch. Animal behavior (BIO 350/350L) final project

Interactions Between Soil Mineral Composition And Particulate Organic Matter Mediate Bioavailable Nitrogen, Andrea Jilling, Marian Carrell, A Stuart Grandy, Rachel Hestrin, Marco Keiluweit, Erik Knatvold, Andrew Whitaker

Faculty Publications

Soil organic matter (SOM) can supply critical quantities of nitrogen (N) to plants, but fundamental questions remain regarding from what pools and by which processes plants and microbes obtain N. The source of bioavailable N is generally assigned to polymeric or particulate organic matter (POM), but in mineral soils, POM is often a minor pool of N and can be a poor predictor of bioavailable N or plant N uptake. Mounting evidence suggests mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is significantly more dynamic than previously assumed and may serve as an important source of N for plants and microbes. The abundance and …

Interactions Between Soil Mineral Composition And Particulate Organic Matter Mediate Bioavailable Nitrogen, Andrea Jilling, Marian Carrell, A Stuart Grandy, Rachel Hestrin, Marco Keiluweit, Erik Knatvold, Andrew Whitaker

Faculty Publications

Soil organic matter (SOM) can supply critical quantities of nitrogen (N) to plants, but fundamental questions remain regarding from what pools and by which processes plants and microbes obtain N. The source of bioavailable N is generally assigned to polymeric or particulate organic matter (POM), but in mineral soils, POM is often a minor pool of N and can be a poor predictor of bioavailable N or plant N uptake. Mounting evidence suggests mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is significantly more dynamic than previously assumed and may serve as an important source of N for plants and microbes. The abundance and …

Assessing Forage Research And Education Needs Of Organic Dairy Farms In The United States, Eric Hatungimana, Heather M. Darby, Kathy J. Soder, Sara E. Ziegler, Andre F. Brito, Lisa Kissing Kucek, Heathcliffe Riday, E Charles Brummer

Faculty Publications

The viability of organic dairy operations in the United States (US) relies on forage production. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess producer and farm information regarding current forage production practices and producer knowledge gaps and (2) identify forage research and educational needs of organic dairy producers across the US. A survey was distributed to 643 organic dairy producers across the US, with 165 respondents (26% response rate). A focus group consisting of extension professionals, university researchers and staff, consultants, dairy industry representatives and organic dairy producers was also consulted for forage research needs. Results showed that approximately …

Assessing Forage Research And Education Needs Of Organic Dairy Farms In The United States, Eric Hatungimana, Heather M. Darby, Kathy J. Soder, Sara E. Ziegler, Andre F. Brito, Lisa Kissing Kucek, Heathcliffe Riday, E Charles Brummer

Faculty Publications

The viability of organic dairy operations in the United States (US) relies on forage production. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess producer and farm information regarding current forage production practices and producer knowledge gaps and (2) identify forage research and educational needs of organic dairy producers across the US. A survey was distributed to 643 organic dairy producers across the US, with 165 respondents (26% response rate). A focus group consisting of extension professionals, university researchers and staff, consultants, dairy industry representatives and organic dairy producers was also consulted for forage research needs. Results showed that approximately …

Testing Hypotheses Of Invasion Pathways Of The Ladybird Harmonia Axyridis Into And Across South Africa, Amy Collop, John S. Terblanche, Susana Clusella-Trullas, Jeff R. Garnas, Pius Bradicich, Minette Karsten

Faculty Publications

Harmonia axyridis is an invasive beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), native to Asia, that has established on four continents beyond its native range and was first observed in South Africa in 2001. Using microsatellite data and a comprehensive geographic coverage of international (17 locations) and South African (14 locations) beetle samples, we inferred the source of colonists invading South Africa and the beetle’s movement within the country. Genetic structure analyses suggest that this species’ populations in South Africa are derived from admixture between beetles originating from eastern North America (which acted as a bridgehead population) and another population not directly sampled in …

Synopsis Of The Genus Cerabilia, André Larochelle, Marie-Claude Larivière

Insecta Mundi

The genus Cerabilia Laporte de Castelnau (Carabidae: Abacetini) is revised for New Zealand. Thirteen species are recognized.

Seven species are described as new: Cerabilia (Cerabilia) cordata Larochelle and Larivière new species, Cerabilia (Cerabilia) kaihoka Larochelle and Larivière new species, Cerabilia (Cerabilia) laevis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Cerabilia (Cerabilia) motunau Larochelle and Larivière new species, Cerabilia (Cerabilia) rugosa Larochelle and Larivière new species, Cerabilia (Cerabilia) takaka Larochelle and Larivière new species, Cerabilia (Cerabilia) willi Larochelle and Larivière new species. …

Modeling Archaic Land Use And Mobility In North-Central Belize, Marieka Brouwer Burg, Eleanor Harrison-Buck

Faculty Publications

The Archaic period has not been as widely studied in Mesoamerica as it has been in other parts of the Americas. This problem stems from intractable issues such as low archaeological visibility and high post-depositional disturbance. And, while existing Archaic data from northern Belize indicates that foraging groups practiced diverse adaptations, little theoretical effort has been dedicated toward developing frames of reference for understanding the coupled human-landscape interactions ongoing during this period. Here, we outline a multi-method approach for situating hunter-gatherer-fisher-emergent horticultural land use behaviors, including comparative ethnographic data, extant archaeological information, and geospatial modeling. We set out a series …

Modeling Archaic Land Use And Mobility In North-Central Belize, Marieka Brouwer Burg, Eleanor Harrison-Buck

Faculty Publications

The Archaic period has not been as widely studied in Mesoamerica as it has been in other parts of the Americas. This problem stems from intractable issues such as low archaeological visibility and high post-depositional disturbance. And, while existing Archaic data from northern Belize indicates that foraging groups practiced diverse adaptations, little theoretical effort has been dedicated toward developing frames of reference for understanding the coupled human-landscape interactions ongoing during this period. Here, we outline a multi-method approach for situating hunter-gatherer-fisher-emergent horticultural land use behaviors, including comparative ethnographic data, extant archaeological information, and geospatial modeling. We set out a series …

Gamma Delta T Cells In Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Biology And Emerging Therapeutic Strategies, Adishwar Rao, Akriti Agrawal, Gautam Borthakur, Venkata Lokesh Battula, Abhishek Maiti

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

γδ T cells play an important role in disease control in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and have become an emerging area of therapeutic interest. These cells represent a minor population of T lymphocytes with intrinsic abilities to recognize antigens in a major histocompatibility complex-independent manner and functionally straddle the innate and adaptive immunity interface. AML shows high expression of phosphoantigens and UL-16 binding proteins that activate the Vδ2 and Vδ1 subtypes of γδ T cells, respectively, leading to γδ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Insights from murine models and clinical data in humans show improved overall survival, leukemia-free survival, reduced risk of …

What Diameter? What Height? Influence Of Measures Of Average Tree Size On Area-Based Allometric Volume Relationships, Yilin Wang, John A. Kershaw, Mark J. Ducey, Yuan Sun, James B. Mccarter

Faculty Publications

Volume is an important attribute used in many forest management decisions. Data from 83 fixed-area plots located in central New Brunswick, Canada, are used to examine how different measures of stand-level diameter and height influence volume prediction using a stand-level variant of Honer's (1967) volume equation. When density was included in the models (Volume=f(Diameter,Height,Density)) choice of diameter measure was more important than choice of height measure. When density was not included (Volume=f(Diameter,Height)), the opposite was true. For models with density included, moment-based estimators of stand diameter and height performed better than all other measures. For models without density, largest tree …

What Diameter? What Height? Influence Of Measures Of Average Tree Size On Area-Based Allometric Volume Relationships, Yilin Wang, John A. Kershaw, Mark J. Ducey, Yuan Sun, James B. Mccarter

Faculty Publications

Volume is an important attribute used in many forest management decisions. Data from 83 fixed-area plots located in central New Brunswick, Canada, are used to examine how different measures of stand-level diameter and height influence volume prediction using a stand-level variant of Honer's (1967) volume equation. When density was included in the models (Volume=f(Diameter,Height,Density)) choice of diameter measure was more important than choice of height measure. When density was not included (Volume=f(Diameter,Height)), the opposite was true. For models with density included, moment-based estimators of stand diameter and height performed better than all other measures. For models without density, largest tree …

Novel Ancestry-Specific Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Loci And Shared Biology With Vascular Mechanisms And Cell Proliferation, Valeria Lo Faro, Arjun Bhattacharya, Wei Zhou, Dan Zhou, Ying Wang, Kristi Läll, Masahiro Kanai, Esteban Lopera-Maya, Peter Straub, Priyanka Pawar, Ran Tao, Xue Zhong, Shinichi Namba, Global Biobank Meta-Analysis Initiative, Serena Sanna, Ilja M Nolte, Yukinori Okada, Nathan Ingold, Stuart Macgregor, Harold Snieder, Ida Surakka, Jonathan Shortt, Chris Gignoux, Nicholas Rafaels, Kristy Crooks, Anurag Verma, Shefali S Verma, Lindsay Guare, Daniel J Rader, Cristen Willer, Alicia R Martin, Milam A Brantley, Eric R Gamazon, Nomdo M Jansonius, Karen Joos, Nancy J Cox, Jibril Hirbo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), a leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, shows disparity in prevalence and manifestations across ancestries. We perform meta-analysis across 15 biobanks (of the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative) (n = 1,487,441: cases = 26,848) and merge with previous multi-ancestry studies, with the combined dataset representing the largest and most diverse POAG study to date (n = 1,478,037: cases = 46,325) and identify 17 novel significant loci, 5 of which were ancestry specific. Gene-enrichment and transcriptome-wide association analyses implicate vascular and cancer genes, a fifth of which are primary ciliary related. We perform an extensive statistical analysis of …

Micronutrient Fe And Mn Uptake From Peat By Marigold And Petunia, Amy E. Bestic-Pennings, Paul R. Fisher, Jinsheng Huang

Faculty Publications

Peat substrates have the potential to function as micronutrient sources such as iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn). Typically, when planning fertilization program for crops, the components of peat substrates are not taken into account. The objective was to quantify potentially plant-available micronutrients of Fe and Mn from peat substrates by floriculture species when no additional Fe and/or Mn were applied in the fertilizer solution. Greenhouse experiments were conducted using Tagetes erecta 'Atlantis Primrose' marigold (iron-efficient) and Petunia x hybrida 'Celebrity Pink Morn' petunia (iron-inefficient) to compare extractable Fe and Mn from two peat sources with actual plant uptake of these …

Micronutrient Fe And Mn Uptake From Peat By Marigold And Petunia, Amy E. Bestic-Pennings, Paul R. Fisher, Jinsheng Huang

Faculty Publications

Peat substrates have the potential to function as micronutrient sources such as iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn). Typically, when planning fertilization program for crops, the components of peat substrates are not taken into account. The objective was to quantify potentially plant-available micronutrients of Fe and Mn from peat substrates by floriculture species when no additional Fe and/or Mn were applied in the fertilizer solution. Greenhouse experiments were conducted using Tagetes erecta 'Atlantis Primrose' marigold (iron-efficient) and Petunia x hybrida 'Celebrity Pink Morn' petunia (iron-inefficient) to compare extractable Fe and Mn from two peat sources with actual plant uptake of these …

Drivers Of Anticoagulant Rodenticide Exposure In Fishers (Pekania Pennanti) Across The Northeastern United States, Georgianna Silveira, Jacqueline L. Frair, Lisa Murphy, Julie C. Ellis, David Needle, Stephanie A. Cunningham, Amanda Watson, Aaron Facka, Patrick Tate, Shevenell Webb, Kim Royar, Chris Bernier, Thomas Keller, Krysten Schuler

Faculty Publications

Studies in parts of Europe, New Zealand, and North America indicate uptake of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) by predatory mammals to be widespread and common, with proximity to urban and agricultural areas being an important driver of exposure. Yet, little is known regarding the patterns and drivers of AR exposure in predatory mammals within more forest-dominated landscapes. Across the forest-dominated northeastern United States (US), a region spanning Pennsylvania to Maine, we tested livers from 597 fisher (Pekania pennanti) obtained from the legal harvest for 11 anticoagulant rodenticide compounds. We used kriging to determine potential hot zones (within or among states) and …

Drivers Of Anticoagulant Rodenticide Exposure In Fishers (Pekania Pennanti) Across The Northeastern United States, Georgianna Silveira, Jacqueline L. Frair, Lisa Murphy, Julie C. Ellis, David Needle, Stephanie A. Cunningham, Amanda Watson, Aaron Facka, Patrick Tate, Shevenell Webb, Kim Royar, Chris Bernier, Thomas Keller, Krysten Schuler

Faculty Publications

Studies in parts of Europe, New Zealand, and North America indicate uptake of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) by predatory mammals to be widespread and common, with proximity to urban and agricultural areas being an important driver of exposure. Yet, little is known regarding the patterns and drivers of AR exposure in predatory mammals within more forest-dominated landscapes. Across the forest-dominated northeastern United States (US), a region spanning Pennsylvania to Maine, we tested livers from 597 fisher (Pekania pennanti) obtained from the legal harvest for 11 anticoagulant rodenticide compounds. We used kriging to determine potential hot zones (within or among states) and …

Impact Of Neighborhood Disadvantage On Tumor Biology And Breast Cancer Survival, Neha Goel, Alexandra Hernandez, Deukwoo Kwon, Michael H Antoni, Steve Cole

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between neighborhood disadvantage and Oncotype DX score, a surrogate for tumor biology, among a national cohort.

Background: Women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods have shorter breast cancer (BC) survival, even after accounting for individual-level, tumor, and treatment characteristics. This suggests unaccounted social and biological mechanisms by which neighborhood disadvantage may impact BC survival.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included stage I and II, ER + /HER2 - BC patients with Oncotype DX score data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004 to 2019. Multivariate regression models tested the association of …

Genetic Architecture And Biology Of Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes, Soo Heon Kwak, Shylaja Srinivasan, Ling Chen, Jennifer Todd, Josep M Mercader, Elizabeth T Jensen, Jasmin Divers, Amy K Mottl, Catherine Pihoker, Rachelle G Gandica, Lori M Laffel, Elvira Isganaitis, Morey W Haymond, Lynne L Levitsky, Toni I Pollin, Jose C Florez, Jason Flannick, Progress In Diabetes Genetics In Youth (Prodigy) Consortium

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The prevalence of youth-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) and childhood obesity has been rising steadily1, producing a growing public health concern1 that disproportionately affects minority groups2. The genetic basis of youth-onset T2D and its relationship to other forms of diabetes are unclear3. Here we report a detailed genetic characterization of youth-onset T2D by analysing exome sequences and common variant associations for 3,005 individuals with youth-onset T2D and 9,777 adult control participants matched for ancestry, including both males and females. We identify monogenic diabetes variants in 2.4% of individuals and three exome-wide significant ( …

The Biology Of Hope: Inflammatory And Neuroendocrine Profiles In Ovarian Cancer Patients, Susan K Lutgendorf, Rachel M Telles, Brendan Whitney, Premal H Thaker, George M Slavich, Michael J Goodheart, Frank J Penedo, Alyssa E Noble, Steven W Cole, Anil K Sood, Benjamin W Corn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Although the concept of hope is highly relevant for cancer patients, little is known about its association with cancer-relevant biomarkers. Here we examined how hope was related to diurnal cortisol and interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine previously associated with tumor biology and survival in ovarian cancer. Secondly, we examined whether hope and hopelessness are distinctly associated with these biomarkers.

METHOD: Participants were 292 high-grade ovarian cancer patients who completed surveys and provided saliva samples 4x/daily for 3 days pre-surgery to assess diurnal cortisol. Blood (pre-surgery) and ascites were assessed for IL-6. Hope and hopelessness were assessed using standardized survey …

The Nitrogen Footprint Of Ukraine: Why Personal Consumption Matters, Sergiy Medinets, Allison M. Leach, Tetiana Pavlik, Volodymyr Medinets, James N. Galloway

Faculty Publications

Unintended reactive nitrogen (N) losses from agriculture, energy and transportation pose significant environmental hazards, including eutrophication, acidification, water and air pollution, biodiversity loss, human health risks and climate change. The concept of a nitrogen footprint (NF) emerges as a pivotal metric, reflecting potential N losses in the entire production-consumption chain of goods and services used by an individual within a defined timeframe.In a pioneering assessment of per capita NF in Ukraine, key factors, such as the food production chain, consumption patterns, connection to wastewater treatment (WWT) system and the efficacy of WWT facilities, were identified as critical components. Addressing specific …

Making The Connection: How Membrane Contact Sites Have Changed Our View Of Organelle Biology, G. Voeltz, E. Sawyer, G. Hajnóczky, W. Prinz

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The view of organelles and how they operate together has changed dramatically over the last two decades. The textbook view of organelles was that they operated largely independently and were connected by vesicular trafficking and the diffusion of signals through the cytoplasm. We now know that all organelles make functional close contacts with one another, often called membrane contact sites. The study of these sites has moved to center stage in cell biology as it has become clear that they play critical roles in healthy and developing cells and during cell stress and disease states. Contact sites have important roles …

Zooming In On Zebrafish Findings, Lydia Post

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Female Biology, Jennifer Dever

All USF Faculty Authored Books

Over twenty years ago I developed a course for the upper- level biology major at the University of San Francisco called

Female Biology. This was from what I perceived as a gap in the undergraduate biology curriculum- students were not learning about the evolutionary aspects of being female and studying the specific health-related issues unique to women. The information in the most widely used general biology textbooks written from a male perspective, focuses on research gained from male models by work conducted in male-led laboratories. There still exists a problem with a lack of adequate representation of women in biomedical …

Investigating Scube3 Nuclear Localization In Presence Of Doxorubicin Treatment In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Lillian Ergle

Merge

Signal peptide-CUB-EGF-like domain-containing protein 3 (SCUBE3) is a glycosylated secreted protein. Prior to its secretion, SCUBE3 localizes in the cytoplasm. We observed that SCUBE3 protein trans-localized to the nucleus following Doxorubicin (DOX) treatment. DOX is one of the strongest chemotherapeutic agents and the first-line drug used in breast cancer treatment. SCUBE3 structural analysis showed that it lacks a DNA binding domain. Based on this observation and other preliminary data, we hypothesized that nuclear SCUBE3 protein promotes the survival of cells against Doxorubicin treatment. To investigate this hypothesis, we made a wild-type construct and three constructs with mutated nuclear localization sequences …

Lifelines Winter 2024, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Spring 2023 issue of Lifelines contains articles on an alumni spotlight, department events, biology and allied health graduates, and Ann Foster.

The Influence Of Abiotic Stress And Cultivar Variation On Plant Defenses And Resistance To Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis) In Cultivated Olive (Olea Spp), Idris B. Elesin

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an invasive pest that significantly impacts olive trees (Olea europaea). This study aimed to assess the role of abiotic stress factors such as drought and salinity in influencing plant defenses and resistance to EAB, while also examining cultivar variation in resistance. The study specifically aimed to address: (1) What effects do varying degrees of abiotic stress (drought, salinity) have on olive trees' antioxidant and peroxidase activity in olive tree? (2) Do distinct olive cultivars exhibit varying levels of resistance to EAB under various stressors? We used a controlled experimental design with two stress …

An Expository Analysis Of Textbook Usage In Classical Settings For High School Biology, Kristen Bissontz

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

AN EXPOSITORY ANALYSIS OF TEXTBOOK USAGE IN CLASSICAL SETTINGS FOR HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY

Kristen Bissontz

Southeastern University, Lakeland FL

The classical model of education has reemerged as a viable alternative to the modern education system. Many of the disciplines taught in a classical school, program or home education scenario appear to align with the classical philosophy with the exception of the sciences. This paper serves to uncover if textbooks are the primary source in classical settings, what resources are utilized, and offers suggestions to better align with the classical pedagogy.

A small sample of classical schools and programs in a …