Digital Commons Network^™

Drivers Of Bird Diversity: Human Activity, Distance To Forest Edge, And Canopy Cover, Edwin Ramirez

IdeaFest 2025

This study will look at the abundance and richness of birds on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus and in the Arcata Community Forest. The primary objective is to understand how various environmental factors could influence bird population in these two locations. Studying the abundance and richness of birds in urban environments, forest edges, and forest interiors could provide important insights into conservation and management strategies.

Effects Of Moonlight On Nocturnal Mesopredators Use Of Trails In The Arcata Community Forest, Miranda Jones

IdeaFest 2025

A camera trap study of mesopredator trail use in relation to moonlight in the Arcata Community Forest.

Eschscholzia Californica Shows Evidence Of Fitness Based Local And Home-Site Advantage Regardless Of Morphological Patterns, Soren A. Biel, Sage Brislen, Ernesto Chaves-Velasco, Shannon Still, Kerry Byrne, Justin Luong

IdeaFest 2025

California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the state flower, varies in lifespan and phenotype across its range. It's widely used in restoration, yet local adaptation is poorly understood. We conducted two common garden studies in coastal and inland California using seeds from seven locations. After greenhouse germination, plants were grown in Santa Cruz and Davis. We measured survival, growth, reproduction, and leaf traits. Results show evidence of local adaptation in fitness (survival and seed production), though not always in morphology. This suggests local seed sourcing is crucial for maintaining genetic diversity in restoration amid climate change.

On Emerging Technologies: The Old Regime And The Proactivity, Ran Xi

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

Nowadays, emerging technologies are revolutionizing nearly every facet of human life, shaping legal, cultural, political, and technological landscapes. Despite various breakthroughs, emerging technologies have also brought to society legal and regulatory challenges, such as the pacing problem, regulatory silos, and the black box issue. However, existing state-centric regulation on emerging technologies results in fragmented, inconsistent, and ineffective statutes and policies. The traditional regulatory regime, due to its reactive mindset, incremental approaches, and tools of modest efficacy, fails to mitigate associated risks and harms, sometimes even impeding technological innovation. To tackle this dilemma, this Article proposes a proactive law approach with …

Land Grant Report 2023-2024, Tennessee. Higher Education Commission.

Land Grant Funding Report

No abstract provided.

A Bayesian Complex-Valued Latent Variable Model Applied To Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Chase J. Sakitis, D. Andrew Brown, Daniel B. Rowe

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

In linear regression, the coefficients are simple to estimate using the least squares method with a known design matrix for the observed measurements. However, real-world applications may encounter complications such as an unknown design matrix and complex-valued parameters. The design matrix can be estimated from prior information but can potentially cause an inverse problem when multiplying by the transpose as it is generally ill-conditioned. This can be combat by adding regularizers to the model but does not always mitigate the issues. Here, we propose our Bayesian approach to a complex-valued latent variable linear model with an application to functional magnetic …

Little Lives, Big Challenges: The Nicu's Role In Infant Brain Development, Gerardo Martinez

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Dopamine Hits To Data Bits: Harnessing Brain Chemistry To Drive The Next Generation Of Computing, Keller Bueneman

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Oops! My Brain Did It Again! How Music, Smell, And Sight Rekindle The Past, Lana Hunt

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

The Anatomy Of Art: Visual Art And The Brain, Shea Wilt

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Saying "Goodbye" To The Deficits Of Spinal Cord Injury: Exploring The Inflammatory Mechanisms Underlying Spinal Cord Injury And Related Mood Disorders, Elsie Groebner

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Investigating Relatedness Within Breeding Units Of The Highly Social Bushtit (Psaltriparus Minimus), Fiona Skye Connelly

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Cooperative breeding systems represent an array of varied reproductive strategies and remain a topic of interest in behavioral ecology (i.e., Riehl 2013, Cornwallis et al. 2017). Different manifestations of cooperative breeding, such as cooperative polyandry, no doubt have unique evolutionary pressures tied to local ecologies which have led to their proliferation. Of particular interest are species that show flexibility in their use of reproductive strategies, wherein individuals may choose one strategy over another given a specific circumstance. Here, I used double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (i.e., ddRAD-seq) to investigate bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) reproductive strategies and the relatedness between …

Temporal Dynamics Of Programmed Genome Rearrangement In Sea Lamprey Embryogenesis: A Deep Learning & Lightsheet Imaging Approach To Studying Early Developmental Transitions, Kasturi Rajandran

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Programmed genome rearrangement (PGR) in the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) leads to the elimination of ~0.5Gb (20%) of the germline genome during early embryogenesis, yet its timing relative to the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) remains unclear. In this study, we imaged embryos cleared at 3-hour intervals (up to 72 hours post fertilization (hpf)) using high-resolution lightsheet fluorescence microscopy and a custom deep-learning image-analysis pipeline (~80% accuracy) to quantify nuclei and micronuclei counts. Micronuclei, which are the hallmarks of PGR first appear between 24 to 27hpf (vs ~36hpf previously reported) indicating PGR starts earlier than previously reported in the sea …

The Role Of Metabolic Gate Keepers In Cell Fate Decision Making, Brian Kelly

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Maintaining cellular energy balance and redox stability is crucial to cell survival, with glutamine metabolism playing a central role. While extensively studied in cancer, where it supports biosynthesis and reduces oxidative stress to promote tumor growth, its function in non-cancerous contexts like tissue development and muscle regeneration remains less understood. A key aspect of stem cell biology is quiescence, a metabolically dormant state that preserves the stem cell pool, yet the mechanisms regulating this state are not fully clear. Here, we identify glutamine metabolism as a critical factor governing myoblast proliferation and quiescence through a metabolic program distinct from that …

A Vicious Cycle: An Intersectional Analysis Of Black Women’S Legal And Socio-Economic Vulnerability In The Hiv/Aids Epidemic, Summer Bell

Emory International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ai Think, Therefore, Ai Am?, Bineth Abeysekera

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Please, Put Away That Plastic! A Plea From Your Grandchildren, Finn Anders

Scientific Kenyon: The Neuroscience Edition

No abstract provided.

Design And Synthesis Of Crosslinkable Amphiphilic Pegylated Poly(Amino Acid) Copolymers For Spion Encapsulation, Adekunle Titus Akinmola

Dissertations

The development of polymeric micelles for biomedical applications has been of significant interest due to their potential for targeted delivery for therapeutic and diagnostic agents. This dissertation focusses on the synthesis, characterization, and application of amphiphilic PEGylated poly(amino acid) block copolymers as nanocarriers for superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in magnetic particle imaging (MPI). Series of novel diblock and triblock copolymers were synthesized through ring-opening polymerization of amino acid N-Carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) to afford HO-PEG77-b-p(L-Leu)m and HO-PEGx-b-p(Allyl-L-Gly)10-b-p(L-Leu)n. These polymers were further functionalized to yield their folate conjugates through dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) coupling. NMR and FTIR were used to verify the chemical structures …

Insights Into How A C. Elegans Neural Circuit Transitions Between Two Internal States To Produce Egg-Laying Behavior, Shavanie Prashad

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

A challenge in neuroscience is understanding how neural circuits generate and sustain behavior over time. Neural circuits consist of interconnected groups of neurons that process and integrate sensory information to perform specific tasks and behaviors. These circuits organize behaviors by maintaining internal states—stable neural activity patterns influenced by sensory and physiological contexts, as discussed in Chapter One.

To understand how neural circuits generate internal states, we examined how the well-characterized C. elegans egg-laying circuit transitions between inactive and active states to produce egg-laying behavior. The active internal state lasts approximately 2 to 3 minutes, during which one or more eggs …

Identifying How Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Cells Become Primed For Expression Of Type Iii Secretion System Genes, Kristen Alicia Ramsey

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen known to cause acute infections in individuals with epithelial damage or medically placed devices, leading to sepsis or death in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Like many other Gram-negative bacteria, P. aeruginosa uses a Type III Secretion System (T3SS) to intoxicate eukaryotic cells. This T3SS is essential for P. aeruginosa to establish an infection and avoid clearance by immune cells and is also linked to increased morbidity and mortality in infections. Despite this necessity, activation of the T3SS slows P. aeruginosa’s cell growth and permits innate immune system detection and resulting inflammation. To balance …

Extracellular Vesicles Released By All Patients Contain Hne-Adducted Proteins: Implications Of Collateral Damage, Jenni Ho, Suriyan Sukati, Tamara Taylor, Sherry Carter, Brittany Fuller, Amy Marmo, Caryn Sorge, John A. D'Orazio, D. Allan Butterfield, Subbarao Bondada, Heidi Weiss, Daret K. St. Clair, Luksana Chaiswing

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Off-target neuronal injury is a serious side-effect observed in cancer survivors. It has previously been shown that pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors have a decline in neurocognition compared to healthy age-matched counterparts. Elevated oxidative stress has been documented to be a mediator in off- target tissue damage in cancer survivors. Early detection of oxidative stress markers may provide an opportunity to prevent off-target tissue damage. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have surfaced as a potential diagnostic tool due to molecular cargo they contain. We investigated the potential for EVs to be a sensitive indicator of oxidative stress and off-target tissue damage …

Pharmacological Or Genetic Inhibition Of Ltcc Promotes Cardiomyocyte Proliferation Through Inhibition Of Calcineurin Activity, Lynn A. C. Devilée, Abou Bakr M. Salama, Jessica M. Miller, Janice D. Reid, Qinghui Ou, Nourhan M. Baraka, Kamal Abou Farraj, Madiha Jamal, Yibing Nong, Todd K. Rosengart, Douglas A. Andres, Jonathan Satin, Tamer M. A. Mohamed, James E. Hudson, Riham R. E. Abouleisa

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost during ischemic cardiac injury cannot be replaced due to their limited proliferative capacity. Calcium is an important signal transducer that regulates key cellular processes, but its role in regulating CM proliferation is incompletely understood. Here we show a robust pathway for new calcium signaling-based cardiac regenerative strategies. A drug screen targeting proteins involved in CM calcium cycling in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiac organoids (hCOs) revealed that only the inhibition of L-Type Calcium Channel (LTCC) induced the CM cell cycle. Furthermore, overexpression of Ras-related associated with Diabetes (RRAD), an endogenous inhibitor of LTCC, induced CM cell cycle …

The Adiponectin-Pparγ Axis In Hepatic Stellate Cells Regulates Liver Fibrosis, Shangang Zhao, Qingzhang Zhu, Wang-Hsin Lee, Jan-Bernd Funcke, Zhuzhen Zhang, May-Yun Wang, Qian Lin, Bianca Field, Xue-Nan Sun, Guannan Li, Mbolle Ekane, Toshiharu Onodera, Na Li, Yi Zhu, Christine M. Kusminski, Terry D. Hinds Jr., Philipp E. Scherer

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are key drivers of local fibrosis. Adiponectin, conventionally thought of as an adipokine, is also expressed in quiescent HSCs. However, the impact of its local expression on the progression of liver fibrosis remains unclear. We recently generated a transgenic mouse line (Lrat-rtTA) that expresses the doxycycline-responsive transcriptional activator rtTA under the control of the HSC-specific lecithin retinol acyltransferase (Lrat) promoter, which enables us to specifically and inducibly overexpress or eliminate genes in these cells. The inducible elimination of HSCs protects mice from methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced liver fibrosis, confirming their causal involvement in fibrosis development. We generated …

Urobilin Derived From Bilirubin Bioconversion Binds Albumin And May Interfere With Bilirubin Interacting With Albumin: Implications For Disease Pathology, Kevin I. Williams, Priyanka Suryadevara, Chang-Guo Zhan, Terry D. Hinds Jr., Zachary A. Kipp

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Bilirubin is a hydrophobic molecule that binds the carrier protein albumin for transport through systemic circulation. Bilirubin is cleared from the body through the liver and excreted into the intestines, where the microbiota modifies the chemical structure, forming urobilin, which can be reabsorbed into circulation by the hepatic portal vein. Urobilin has no known function. It is also unknown whether urobilin binds albumin for transport in circulation. We hypothesized that because of the likeness of their chemical structures, urobilin would also bind albumin like bilirubin does. Methods: First, we used in silico docking to predict if urobilin would bind …

Dissecting The Biophysical Mechanisms Of Oleate Hydratase Association With Membranes, William A. Lathram, Robert J. Neff, Ashley N. Zalla, James D. Brien, Vivekanandan Subramanian, Christopher D. Radka

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

This study investigates the dynamics of oleate hydratase (OhyA), a bacterial flavoenzyme from Staphylococcus aureus, and its interactions with lipid membranes, focusing on the factors influencing membrane binding and oligomerization. OhyA catalyzes the hydration of unsaturated fatty acids, playing a key role in bacterial pathogenesis by neutralizing host antimicrobial fatty acids. OhyA binds the membrane bilayer to access membrane-embedded substrates for catalysis, and structural studies have revealed that OhyA forms oligomers on membrane surfaces, stabilized by both protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions. Using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), we examined the effects of membrane curvature and lipid availability on OhyA binding to …

Advances In Magnetic Nanoparticles For Molecular Medicine, Xiaoyue Yang, Sarah E. Kubican, Zhongchao Yi, Sheng Tong

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are highly versatile nanomaterials in nanomedicine, owing to their diverse magnetic properties, which can be tailored through variations in size, shape, composition, and exposure to inductive magnetic fields. Over four decades of research have led to the clinical approval or ongoing trials of several MNP formulations, fueling continued innovation. Beyond traditional applications in drug delivery, imaging, and cancer hyperthermia, MNPs have increasingly advanced into molecular medicine. Under external magnetic fields, MNPs can generate mechano- or thermal stimuli to modulate individual molecules or cells deep within tissue, offering precise, remote control of biological processes at cellular and molecular …

Mir-27a-3p Regulates Intestinal Cell Proliferation And Differentiation Through Wnt/Β-Catenin Signalling, Chang Li, Yuning Zhou, Yinping Jiang, Zhijie Yin, Heidi L. Weiss, Qingding Wang, B. Mark Evers

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Intestinal stem cells differentiate into absorptive enterocytes, characterised by increased brush border enzymes such as intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), making up the majority (95%) of the terminally differentiated cells in the villus. Loss of integrity of the intestinal epithelium plays a key role in inflammatory diseases and gastrointestinal infection. Here, we show that the intestinal microRNA (miR)-27a-3p is an important regulator of intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and enterocyte differentiation. Repression of endogenous miR-27a-3p leads to increased enterocyte differentiation and decreased intestinal epithelial cell proliferation in mouse and human small intestinal organoids. Mechanistically, miR-27a-3p regulates intestinal cell differentiation and proliferation at …

Association Between Education And Allostatic Load With Risk Of Cancer Mortality Among Hispanic Women, Melissa Lopez-Pentecost, Cynthia Li, Marlo Vernon, Sydney P. Howard, Jessica Amezcua, Justin Xavier Moore

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Purpose: Cancer remains the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the US. While social determinants of health, such as educational attainment, have been linked to negative health outcomes, their biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. We evaluated the association between educational attainment and allostatic load (AL), a measure of chronic physiologic stress, with risk of cancer mortality in Hispanic women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis among 5637 Hispanic women in NHANES from 1988 to 2010 with follow-up data through 2019. Educational attainment was categorized into a two-level variable: less than …

Tracking Community Outreach And Engagement Activities Among National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers, Todd Burus, Caree R. Mcafee, Pamela C. Hull, Amy E. Leader, Christopher Mcnair

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant mandates that NCI-designated cancer centers establish a Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) component to help direct efforts at reducing cancer burden within their catchment areas. Despite the critical role of COE offices, little is known about how they track and evaluate outreach activities and outcomes. We gathered information on current practices from representatives of 40 out of 65 COE offices using an online survey. Although nearly all responding centers (97.5%) tracked COE activities, no consensus existed on resources used, and satisfaction with current solutions was mixed (51.0% not satisfied). Respondents expressed …

Biparental Inheritance Of Germline-Specific Chromosomes In The Sea Lamprey And Their Roles In Oocytes, Vladimir A. Timoshevskiy, Nataliya Timoshevskaya, Kaan İ. Eşkut, Kasturi Rajandran, Jeramiah J. Smith

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Many eukaryotic species undergo programmed elimination of specific chromosomes during embryogenesis, typically retaining these chromosomes only in their germ cells. In some species, programmatic elimination of GRCs, or sex chromosomes, also occurs in a sex-specific manner, with specific chromosomes being transmitted or eliminated by only one sex. As such, these chromosomes provide a unique perspective on the evolution of gene functions that are advantageous to the germline and genetic tradeoffs between somatic vs germline or oocyte vs sperm biology. While GRCs have been extensively characterized in male sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus), the status of GRCs in females has not yet …