Digital Commons Network^™

Direct And Cascading Effects Of Sea Star Wasting On Rocky Intertidal Communities, Mack Hughes

Marine Biology

Predation is an important driver of rocky intertidal community structure. Top predators like sea stars often regulate competitive species like barnacles and mussels by preying on them, which maintains ecosystem diversity. Fluctuations of top predators can have cascading effects in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments, often resulting in the restructuring of communities and ecosystems into alternative states. Sea star wasting (SSW) was a large-scale disturbance, starting in 2013 in the East Pacific Ocean and ranging from Alaska to Mexico, that removed sea stars from the rocky intertidal. While recovery has been ongoing in many places, community-wide effects may persist in …

Characterizing Ocean Change Impacts On Three Marine Species Vital To Recreational, Subsistence, And Commercial Fisheries In Alaska, Marina Washburn Alcantar

Marine Biology

Global climate change, facilitated by increased greenhouse gas production, is driving physical and chemical alterations to the marine environment, including a long-term decrease in oceanic pH, referred to as ocean acidification (OA), and an increase in global marine temperature, referred to as ocean warming (OW). Alterations to the chemistry and temperature of the marine environment may result in bottom-up community restructuring mediated by changes in food web dynamics. In Alaska, there are many species-specific knowledge gaps, thus necessitating an assessment of the potential sensitivity of said species to climate change-related conditions. Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula), bidarkis (Katharina tunicata), and …

Sea Otter Interactions With Mariculture Oyster Farms, Emily Reynolds

Marine Biology

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are considered a keystone species and can be found around mariculture oyster farms. While oyster farms and sea otters have been coexisting in some locations, sustaining these farms, and the growing interest in expanding them, necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of potential interactions. Here, sea otter interactions with oyster farms were assessed through behavioral observations (i.e., activity and foraging dives) in oyster farms, adjacent non-farm areas (controls), and bays with no farming activity (references). Behavioral observations, conducted through scan surveys, captured sea otter activities (e.g., resting, grooming, swimming, and foraging). Targeted foraging observations tracked foraging success and …

Towards Reciprocity In Common Ravens, Corvus Corax, Near Anthropogenic Food Sources In Interior Alaska During Winter, Amelia Rose Beausoleil

Biological Sciences

Ravens, Corvus corax, and other corvids are intelligent birds that are the focus of many studies, such as in-depth dives into potential facial recognition and tool use to name a few. Despite these numerous behavioral studies, ravens lack an accessible basic universal ethogram and have rarely been observed in their undisturbed, natural state. Due to this, my study focuses on free-roaming common raven behavior in Fairbanks, Alaska, for which I utilize exploratory analysis to identify patterns in collected data. In doing so, I show how data mining and machine learning can further support behavior research with a systems perspective in …

Lessons From The Old School: Phenological Responses Of The Horsetail Equisetum Arvense To Experimental Air And Soil Warming In Interior Alaskan Boreal Forest, Will Q. Hendricks

Biological Sciences

Although there are many studies on plant phenological shifts due to climate change, few of them focus on the phenological responses of seedless vascular plant species to warming climate. The boreal forest biome contains ~ 30% of the carbon stored by forests globally and horsetails with their circumboreal distribution are abundant in the boreal forest. Understanding the phenological response of horsetails to warming air and the timing of ground thaw is an important component for understanding how much carbon will be fixed by plants in the boreal biome in the future warmer climate. To examine the effects of air and …

Body Condition Of Pacific Common Eiders Breeding Along The Beaufort Sea Coast Of Alaska, Elyssa M. Watford

Biological Sciences

Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum; common eiders) are capital breeding seaducks that fast throughout their ~26 day incubation period. The incubation fast includes three metabolic phases: (I) a transition from feeding to using energy stored during the pre-breeding season, (II) the use of stored lipids for energy, and (III) the use of stored protein for energy as lipid reserves near depletion. With limited energy reserves for incubation, common eiders are more vulnerable to factors that increase the metabolic demands of reproduction, such as climate change or disturbance. We assessed the following metrics of body condition: mass, packed-cell volume, β-hydroxybutyrate, …

Msw Portfolio, Tasha Clark

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Macroalgae Diet On Growth Rate And Nutrition Of The Pinto Abalone, Haliotis Kamtschatkana, James Crimp

Marine Biology

Developing methods for the cultivation of the pinto abalone, Haliotis kamtschatkana, has seen increased attention, both by groups using restoration aquaculture to reestablish endangered populations in Washington and British Columbia, and in the State of Alaska, where pinto abalone are viewed as a promising new species for commercial mariculture. To enhance the viability of cultivating H. kamtschatkana for commercial and restoration purposes, more information is needed on the optimal macroalgal diet that maximizes abalone growth and nutrition. This study compares the suitability of two commonly cultivated species of macroalgae as feed: Saccharina Iatissima, a kelp with relatively low protein content, …

Survival, Harvest, And Abundance Of Waterfowl Populations Using Tag-Recoveries, Harvest Data, And Bayesian Estimation, Cody Deane

Biological Sciences

Annual harvest, survival, and abundance are three of the most monitored vital rates of waterfowl populations in North America. Annual harvest and survival probabilities are estimated from harvest tag-recovery data, which is a form of capture-mark-recapture data, while abundance estimation varies with species. While tag-recovery models were parameterized over 30 years ago, modern applications of these models often estimate harvest and survival probabilities as random effects drawn from Normal distributions. We evaluated tag-recovery models for reliable parameter estimation relative to different 1) monitoring scenarios varying by total individuals tagged annually, 2) prior distributions for the standard deviations of random effects, …

Divergence And Adaptation In Beringian Birds, Caitlyn C. Oliver Brown

Biological Sciences

Beringia is a high-latitude hotspot of avian divergence and speciation. The unique biogeography of Beringia impacted avian speciation in two ways: through the cyclic appearance of the land bridge between the Asian and North American continents and through glacial refugia. These cyclic processes repeatedly split and connected avian populations, alternately reducing and increasing opportunities for gene flow between populations. In this thesis, I examine how this dynamic system impacted Beringian avian taxa using population genomic analyses. First, I examine broad patterns of divergence and gene flow across 11 lineages of birds using ultraconserved elements (UCEs), which are a multi-locus subsampling …

Synergistic Activation By Glass And Pointed Promotes Neuronal Identity In The Drosophila Eye Disc, Hongsu Wang, Komal Kumar Bollepogu Raja, Kelvin Yeung, Carolyn A Morrison, Antonia Terrizzano, Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, Phoenix Chen, Ashley Jordan, Cornelia Fritsch, Simon G Sprecher, Graeme Mardon, Jessica E Treisman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The integration of extrinsic signaling with cell-intrinsic transcription factors can direct progenitor cells to differentiate into distinct cell fates. In the developing Drosophila eye, differentiation of photoreceptors R1-R7 requires EGFR signaling mediated by the transcription factor Pointed, and our single-cell RNA-Seq analysis shows that the same photoreceptors require the eye-specific transcription factor Glass. We find that ectopic expression of Glass and activation of EGFR signaling synergistically induce neuronal gene expression in the wing disc in a Pointed-dependent manner. Targeted DamID reveals that Glass and Pointed share many binding sites in the genome of developing photoreceptors. Comparison with transcriptomic data shows …

Immunoregulatory Properties Of Immune Cells That Associate With The Lens Capsule Surface During Acute And Resolution Phases Of Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis, Phuong M. Le, Mary J. Mattapallil, Rachel R. Caspi, Mary Ann Stepp, A. Sue Menko

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Inflammation in the eye is tightly regulated to prevent vision impairment and irreversible blindness. Emerging evidence shows that immune cells are specifically recruited to the lens capsule in response to autoimmune uveitis, yet the potential that they have a role in regulating this inflammatory disease remained unexplored. Here, an immunolocalization approach combined with high-resolution confocal microscopy was used to investigate whether the immune cells that become stably associated with the lens capsule in the eyes of C57BL/6J mice with experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) have an immunoregulatory phenotype. These studies revealed that during the acute phase of uveitis, at day 18 …

Exploring The Covid-19 Infodemic In Alaska, Emily Maxwell

Interdisciplinary Studies

The onset of the COVID-19 global health crisis coincided with an unprecedented rise in health misinformation and false narratives related to the disease. This simultaneous spread of accurate and inaccurate information, referred to as an infodemic, has had observable impacts on the trajectory of the pandemic and the future of public health. While health misinformation has been a factor in previous outbreaks, the increased prominence of social media as an information platform allowed misinformation to spread more widely and rapidly than ever before. This investigation aims to assess the impacts of COVID-19 misinformation in Alaska using a mixed methods approach. …

Unlocking Over A Decade Of Insights: Large Bull Shark (Carcharhinus Leucas) Movement Behaviors In The Western North Atlantic Ocean, Jasmine D. Nyce

Fisheries

Marine predators, particularly elasmobranch species like bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), play crucial roles in maintaining marine ecosystems but face threats due to anthropogenic impacts and global climate change. Management and conservation of these species incorporate an understanding of their movement behaviors and spatial distribution, which is currently understudied for large bull sharks in the Western North Atlantic (WNA). Therefore, this thesis focuses on understanding bull shark movement patterns in the WNA, including pregnant females. We first examine the movement behaviors of bull sharks from 2009 to 2023 using extensive passive acoustic telemetry data from the Bimini Biological Field Station (BBFS) …

Time-Transgressive Microbial Diversity In A Tropical Bat Guano Accumulation, Deer Cave, Mulu, Borneo, Joyce Lundberg, Donald A. Mcfarlane

International Journal of Speleology

Bat guano accumulations in caves can constitute large deposits of organic material, particularly chitin and its degradation products, that host a diverse microbiome. Previous microbiological studies have not addressed the stratified nature of these deposits in the context of the timeframe of the decomposition process. We present such data (temperature, pH, DNA sampling of eight carbon-dated strata) for a 75 cm-deep tropical guano accumulation that undergoes complete decomposition over a timescale of ~120 years. The aerobic, surface layer of freshly-fallen guano has the greatest diversity of taxa, with Bacteroidota co-dominant with Pseudomonadota, and includes many taxa unique to this …

Companion Dogs And Depression, Anxiety, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Adult Icu Survivors: A Scoping Review, Lindsey Nelson, Sue Lasiter, Amanda Emerson

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Intensive care unit (ICU) survivors are at risk for developing persistent psychological sequelae that have been linked to decreased quality of life and increased mortality after hospital discharge. Standardized evidence-based treatments are lacking, mainly focus on physical rather than psychological recovery, and often occur in formal settings. Benefits of human– companion dog relationships have not been explored in the ICU survivor population before. Thus, the purposes of our review were to summarize the literature focused on the influence of companion dogs on depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); identify what is known about the potential role companion dogs play …

Effect Of 90-Day Oral Administration Of Ginger Extract On Hormonal, Haematological And Biochemical Parameters Of Wistar Rats: A Toxicity Study, Musa I. Yakubu, Abdulfatai A. Jimoh, Iliyasu K. Uwais, Ahmed A. Danbala, Micah Timothy, Medinat Y. Abbas, Ben A. Chindo

Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University

The study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term consumption of high doses of ginger extract on various parameters in Wistar rats. The study followed OECD 408 testing guidelines and administered oral aqueous ginger extract at doses of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg body weight to the rats for 90 days. The rats were euthanized on the 91st day, blood samples collected for biochemical analysis. The ginger extract did not significantly affect haematological, endocrine and oxidative stress parameters. In conclusion, the extract did not result in haematological or endocrine toxicity in rats but positively reduced body weight and cholesterol levels.

Thoughts On The Architecture Of Freedom Of Religion And Freedom Of Speech, Perry Dane

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

This symposium was convened to explore the rights of businesses and employees to invoke freedom of religion or freedom of expression to resist certain forms of state regulation. The most immediate occasions for that discussion, at least for my purposes, are cases such as 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, in which the Supreme Court upheld the right of a website designer to refuse to design a wedding website for a same-sex couple. These sorts of cases, which pit the religious or expressive rights of conscientious believers against the equality rights of others, have proliferated in recent years.

I have …

Ordinary Conscience And Pretend Offenses: Protecting Those Left Out Of Title Vii After Groff, Robin Fretwell Wilson, Michael J. Petersen

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

Part I reviews America’s foundational commitment to fairness and transparency by government, as well as the deep respect the Founders believed should be accorded to conscience specifically.

Part II applauds the unanimous decision in Groff to walk back the Supreme Court’s grievous error in Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison. We canvas illustrative cases pre-Groff in which employees, notwithstanding Hardison’s “de minimis” burden standard, proceeded to trial, and instances in which employees did not. We also illustrate how, post-Groff, employees are, rightfully, having an easier time getting to trial.

Even as Groff makes actual Title …

Research Update - August 2024, Office Of Research

Research Update

No abstract provided.

Sex- And Age-Specific Differences In Mice Fed A Ketogenic Diet, Kenyon W. Sprankle, Mya Knappenberger, Erica J. Locke, Jack Thompson, Madison Vinovrski, Kaylin Knapsack, Stephen C. Kolwicz Jr.

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that results in the elevation of serum ketone bodies, known as ketosis. This metabolic consequence has been suggested as a method for treating neurological conditions, improving exercise performance, and facilitating weight loss for overweight individuals. However, since most research primarily uses male populations, little is known about the potential sex differences during the consumption of the KD. In addition, the effects of the KD on aging are relatively unexplored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore sex- and age-specific differences in mice fed the KD. Male and female C57BL/6N …

2024 Convocation, Evan M. Glazer, Katie Berger, Emma Li '25, Dr.Michael Hancock, Mr. Martin Torres, Dr. Angela Rowley,

Convocation

Welcome: Ms. Katie Berger, Chief Student Affairs Officer

Pledge of Allegiance and student welcome: EmmaLi Isham ‘25, Student Council president.

Opening Remarks :Dr. Evan M. Glazer, President

Special Address :Mr.Martin Torres, Deputy Governor

Featured Musical Selection :“Violin Concerto No. 1” by Max Bruch

Keynote Address :Dr. Michael Hancock ‘89

Closing Remarks: Dr. Angela Rowley, Principal and Chief Academic Officer

Cell Based Sodium Alginate Microcapsules Within Ocular Disease: A Proof Of Concept, Chelsea Marie Zizzi

Theses and Dissertations

Sodium alginate is a natural polymer that has been widely used as a drug delivery system due to its controlled-release qualities and low cellular toxicity. These capsules are effective at transporting therapeutics in various diseased animal models. Retinitis Pigmentosa is an incurable genetic disease affecting the retina, which causes gradual blindness as the disease progresses. In our study, we injected cell-based sodium alginate capsules into the vitreous cavity of C57BL/6 and Pde6b^rd10/J mice to observe the migration of these capsules in both wildtype and diseased mouse models over a course of 2 weeks. Our intention was …

Local Antibiotic Infusion In Periprosthetic Joint Infection Following Total Hip Arthroplasty, Atthakorn Jarusriwanna, Wenbo Mu, Javad Parvizi

Rothman Institute Papers

Local antibiotic infusion has emerged as a promising adjunctive therapy, delivering high concentrations of antibiotics directly to the infection site. This approach aims to enhance eradication of pathogens while minimizing systemic side effects associated with prolonged antibiotic use. This narrative review encompassed 10 articles focused on all three procedures of surgical intervention for periprosthetic joint injection (PJI) following total hip arthroplasty (THA): debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR), single-stage revision arthroplasty, and two-stage revision arthroplasty. Recent studies report success rates ranging from 90 to 100% in patients undergoing DAIR, 82 to 100% in single-stage revision arthroplasty, and 80% in two-stage …

Alaska’S Flora As A Treatment For Cancer, Vasiliki Papakotsi, Ashley Murphy, Madeline Vagts, Emma Arsenault, Colin Mcgill, Brian Barth

Faculty, Staff, and Students

Cancer is an extraordinarily complex illness, with many tumors ultimately developing resistance to the currently available therapeutics. This highlights a need for the discovery of new anticancer medicines. Natural products have been utilized for centuries by the indigenous people of Alaska for both spiritual and medicinal purposes and have traditionally been administered as medicine for a wide range of ailments from the common cold to cancer. These plants, including Devil’s club, Labrador tea, Western skunk cabbage, and various species of wild berries such as blueberries, lingonberries, salmonberries, and high-bush cranberries, contain a wide variety of natural compounds with therapeutic potential. …

Farm Animal To Animal Farm: The Legal Implications To Human-Pig Chimeras And Xenotransplantation, Nicholas A. Schwarz

Health Law Outlook

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents - Volume 14, Issue 1 2024

Health Law Outlook

No abstract provided.

The Experience Of Homelessness And Its Effects On Gut Eubiosis, Kamerin Villagomez

University Honors Theses

Microorganisms which populate the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) have a profound effect on overall human health. The relationship between host health and eubiosis, or balance, of the GIT microbiome is symbiotic and can have reciprocal relationships with quality of sleep, quality of diet, stress and mental health, and the experience of pain. These specific aspects of health are unique in populations experiencing homelessness due to the multi-dimensional and complex nature of their lived experience. Very few studies explore populations experiencing homelessness, with even fewer investigating the intersection between this population and the human GIT microbiome. It is important to do …

Modulation Of Neurodegenerative Disease Progression By Antioxidant Status, Elena Kelety

Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, profoundly impact the brain and nervous system. In 2019, the United States reported the highest global prevalence of neurological disorders. This thesis approaches neurodegenerative diseases by emphasizing the critical role of a well-maintained antioxidant system, its intricate relationship with dietary patterns, and proposes an alternative fate of the antioxidant urate.

Neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, misfolded proteins, and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress arises from an imbalance in the antioxidant defense system and the production of reactive oxygen species. Synergistic antioxidant interactions are vital …

Native American Nationalism: Chickasaw Identity And The Music Of Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Austin Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Native American nationalism in classical music has yet to be seriously researched and is not taught in music academia. One of the more well-known contemporary Native American composers is Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate (b. 1968). Throughout his career, Tate has explored and expressed his identity as a Native American and Chickasaw citizen through his music. As a result, his compositional output is a rich resource for examining what Native American nationalism in classical music looks like and how it is utilized in his works.

In this document, I analyze three of Tate’s pieces written for orchestra: Tracing Mississippi, Ghost …