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Reproductive Success Is Secured By A Rapidly-Evolving Short Peptide In Female Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Priyanka Lakhiani

Student Theses and Dissertations

The mosquito lineage spans hundreds of millions of years of evolution, and this period has honed the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, into a precise and expert predator. While nectar and plant-derived carbohydrates are sufficient sources of nutrition to maintain energy and metabolism, female mosquitoes must acquire multiple ingredients to successfully reproduce and produce offspring. Healthy, motile sperm from a conspecific male and a complete blood meal from a human host are required for females to develop viable eggs, and thus ensure species survival. What are the internal mechanisms that coordinate the acquisition of these key elements with the maturation, …

Ancient Immune Systems: Sensing And Signaling In Bacterial-Phage Conflict, Cameron Grace Roberts

Student Theses and Dissertations

Viruses are among the most significant selective pressures shaping the evolution of life on Earth. In the microbial world, bacteriophages (phage) are bacterial viruses and drive a continuous evolutionary arms race that has led to an extraordinary diversity of bacterial defense mechanisms [1]. These systems are thought to have provided the evolutionary foundation for numerous eukaryotic immune strategies [2]. Experimental studies have validated many of these anti-phage defense systems and revealed the mechanisms by which they disrupt phage infection [3]. Nonetheless, major gaps persist in our understanding of how bacterial immune systems recognize bacteriophage infection to trigger immunity. This dissertation …

The Influence Of Dna Methylation On Both H2a.Z Nucleosome Dynamics And The Zinc Finger And Homeoboxes Transcription Factor Family, Rochelle M. Shih

Student Theses and Dissertations

DNA methylation represents a widespread and heritable modification that exerts substantial influence on chromatin organization and function in many eukaryotic genomes. The presence of DNA methylation has been strongly linked to transcriptional regulation, in both activating as well as repressive ways, though exactly how a small chemical mark can enact such drastic and seemingly opposing effects on gene expression remains an open question. In my thesis work, I describe the influence DNA methylation has on two classes of chromatin proteins, the histone variant H2A.Z and the Zinc Finger and Homeoboxes (ZHX) family of transcription factors. DNA methylation and H2A.Z preferentially …

The Reinnervation Of Sensory Hair Cells Following Lesion Of The Lateral Line Cranial Nerve, Rohan S. Roy

Student Theses and Dissertations

Loss of hearing is a prevalent sensory pathology in the United States and worldwide. A significant proportion of deafness is attributed to sensorineural hearing loss, which often involves damage and retraction of the nerve fibers that relay auditory information between the mechanosensitive hair cells of the inner ear and the brain. The restoration of physiologic hearing would require the regeneration of nerve fibers back into the sensory epithelium of the cochlea, followed by the reinnervation of appropriate hair cell targets. Nerve regeneration studies in humans and other mammalian models are lacking due to the limited accessibility of the inner ear. …

Structural And Functional Studies Of The Sars-Cov-2 Niran Domain, Gabriel I. Small

Student Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic was a dramatically disruptive event, wreaking devastation across the globe and radically impacting nearly every facet of human life. For the first time, a significant amount of global money and attention was directed at coronavirus (CoV) research, propelling the field to the forefront of biomedical research. This allowed for the rapid development of a suite of vaccines and antivirals targeting SARS-CoV-2 that aided in ameliorating the effects of the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 was the third CoV zoonosis of the 21st century and is now endemic. Global understanding of the threats posed by CoVs circulating among animals in the …

Dining In The Dark Atp Sensing In The Female Aedes Aegypti Mosquito, Katherine Adriana Rosas Villegas

Student Theses and Dissertations

Blood feeding is fundamental for female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which require this protein-rich meal for egg development. After being attracted to a human host by sensory cues such as body odor, body heat, and carbon dioxide exhaled in human breath, the mosquito lands and probes under the skin to feed on blood. Probing uses the stylet, a sharp appendage ensheathed in the mosquito labium that punctures the skin and is highly specialized for blood ingestion. Previous work from the lab with GCaMP calcium imaging of stylet neurons showed that approximately 50% of stylet neurons respond to blood, and that these …

Shunk Papers, Harold W., Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The Harold W. Shunk Papers document the career and historical interests of an educator, public servant, and historian active in South Dakota during the mid to late twentieth century. The collection focuses on Native American history, particularly the Dakota and Lakota tribes, and includes newsletters, manuscripts, notebooks, transcripts, and historical lists. Prominent materials include Wahehe Heirship hearing transcripts, personal histories connected to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, writings on the Dakota tiospaye system, and documentation related to military posts such as Fort Laramie and Fort Totten. The papers also address significant historical events and individuals, including Wounded Knee and tribal …

Popowski Papers, Bert, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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Bert John Popowski (1904–1982) was a nationally recognized outdoor writer, photographer, and authority on hunting and wildlife whose career spanned more than fifty years. A graduate of South Dakota State College, he authored over 2,300 articles and numerous books that influenced mid-twentieth-century hunting practices, firearms knowledge, and conservation awareness. His writings appeared widely in leading American sporting publications and were also translated for international audiences. This collection reflects Popowski’s sustained impact on outdoor literature and hunting culture, documenting his role in popularizing varmint hunting, advancing hunting techniques and safety, and contributing to broader discussions of wildlife management and conservation during …

Kuehn Papers, Frank Charles William, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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This collection documents the life and professional work of architect Frank Charles William Kuehn (1884–1970), whose career was centered in Huron, South Dakota. Materials date from 1883 to 1970 and include architectural drawings, blueprints, specifications, maps, photographs, and related printed and ephemera materials. The records reflect Kuehn’s extensive architectural practice, particularly his work designing schools, churches, municipal buildings, commercial structures, and residences throughout South Dakota and neighboring states. Also represented are his Standard Rural School Plans, long association with the South Dakota Department of Public Instruction, and his later county and highway map publishing business serving South Dakota, North Dakota, …

South Dakota Farmer's Alliance Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The South Dakota Farmers Alliance Records reflect the early organization of farmers in Dakota Territory during the 1880s in response to declining wheat prices and opposition to railroad monopolies. The collection includes an 1887 address by Alliance president H. L. Loucks, proceedings from an annual convention, and an undated agricultural advertisement, illustrating the Alliance’s advocacy for economic reform and practical agricultural education. Together, these materials provide insight into the leadership, priorities, and strategies of the Farmers’ Alliance during a formative period of agrarian activism in South Dakota.

Sexauer Papers, Elmer And Cecile, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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This collection documents the personal, educational, and professional lives of Elmer Sexauer and Cecile Welch Sexauer from the late nineteenth through the mid twentieth century. Materials include essays, family papers, scrapbooks, agricultural reports, photographs, and certificates, along with handwritten travel diaries and more than four hundred postcards. Together, the materials reflect family life, education, professional involvement with the Grain and Feed Dealers National Association, and extensive travel within the United States and abroad, including Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Japan.

Pyle, Gladys - The Inceredible Gladys Pyle Collection, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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Gladys Pyle (1890–1989) was a pioneering South Dakota politician and the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without prior appointment. A graduate of Huron College, she taught high school before becoming the first woman elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives (1923–1927) and later serving as Secretary of State (1927–1931). She was also active in the women’s suffrage movement. In 1938, Pyle won a special election to the U.S. Senate, serving briefly from November 9, 1938, to January 3, 1939. Researchers Jeanette Kinyon and Jean Walz, known for their historical and biographical work, began compiling materials for a …

South Dakota Humanities Council Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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This collection documents the history and activities of the South Dakota Humanities Council, founded in 1972 to support and deliver humanities programming across the state. The records span from the Council’s origins as the South Dakota Committee on the Humanities through the early twenty-first century and include administrative correspondence, meeting files, financial records, grant proposals, publications, program documentation, and audiovisual materials. The collection provides detailed evidence of governance, fiscal management, and grant administration, including partnerships with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Program and project files document statewide initiatives in literature, history, Native American language and cultural preservation, media, and …

Johnson Papers, Donald D., Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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Donald Dale Johnson (1925– ) of Brookings, South Dakota, contributed family and local history materials to South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections. The Donald D. Johnson Papers include a translated narrative recounting the experiences of his grandfather, Johan Peter Johnson, a Swedish immigrant in South Dakota during the 1870s, and The Quill, a Marion High School publication issued in memory of Johnson’s parents. The collection highlights Swedish immigration to South Dakota and the preservation of family history through translation.

South Dakota Farmers Union Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The South Dakota Farmers Union traces its origins to the national Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union, founded in Texas in 1902 and introduced to South Dakota around 1914 by former Nebraska members. The organization was formally established as a state unit at its first convention in Mitchell on March 16, 1917, with 268 delegates representing 14 counties and more than 130 local chapters. Education, cooperative enterprise, and legislative advocacy quickly became central to its mission, including early collective purchasing efforts that supported family farmers.

The South Dakota Farmers Union Records document the organization’s activities from the early twentieth century through …

Loucks, H. L. Correspondence With R. F. Pettigrew, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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Henry Langford Loucks (1846–1928) and Richard F. Pettigrew (1848–1926) were prominent figures in the agrarian, populist, and progressive movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Loucks, a farmer, organizer, publisher, and political reformer, played a central role in the Farmers’ Alliance and the Populist Party, advocating cooperative economics, direct democracy, and farmer-led reform in South Dakota and nationally. Pettigrew, a lawyer, territorial legislator, and U.S. Senator from South Dakota, was instrumental in securing statehood and later emerged as a leading critic of corporate power and political conservatism within the Republican Party. The collection documents correspondence between Loucks and …

Grewing "In The Blizzard" Manuscript, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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This collection centers on Im Schneesturm (In the Blizzard), an undated manuscript originally written in 1882 by Louis Grewing (1843–1908) and later copied by his son, Frederick Grewing (1867–1937), whose editorial role shaped the document’s preservation and later dissemination. Although the original manuscript is now lost, Frederick’s copy survived and became the basis for multiple published translations beginning in 1949. The materials document the manuscript’s transmission, translation, and publication history, including efforts by South Dakota State University faculty to translate the handwritten German text into English with institutional research support. Supplementary newspaper accounts, photographs, and background materials illuminate …

Cuneiform Tablet Collection, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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This collection consists of five Cuneiform Tablets, one Egyptian Tablet, and research and manuscript material created by Crystal J. Gamradt.

Continuing And Extended Education Office Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The Office of Continuing and Distance Education offers undergraduate and graduate courses using various distance education technologies. This collection is composed of general office material conference and workshop materials, University Week for Women records, and distance education records.

Academic Affairs Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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Prior to 1960, the administration of academic programs at South Dakota State College was managed independently by departments and offices. As administrative responsibilities expanded, the position of Dean of Academic Affairs was established in 1960 to centralize oversight, later becoming the Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1973. This role, reporting directly to the university president, oversees college deans and plays a key role in curriculum development, faculty governance, accreditation, and institutional planning. The office has been instrumental in shaping academic policies, managing faculty development, and ensuring compliance with higher education standards.

The Academic Affairs Records Collection (1902–2018) documents the …

Administration Office Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The Vice President for Administration oversees campus support, service, and administrative units, ensuring efficient operations and strategic direction. Responsibilities include financial management, personnel services, facilities maintenance, student services, legal affairs, public relations, policy development, campus planning, and alumni and foundation support. This role is vital to the university’s stability, growth, and ability to serve students and faculty effectively.

This collection includes a file on South Dakota State University’s 1987-1989 strategic plan, offering insights into institutional priorities and administrative decisions during that period. It serves as a resource for understanding past strategies and their long-term impact. Additionally, the collection contains an …

Administrative Council Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The Administrative Council, established in 1942, succeeded the Council of Deans, which had been in place since 1923. The Council of Deans consisted of college deans and was responsible for overseeing campus regulations, course approvals, student absences, disciplinary actions, and other administrative matters. In the mid-1950s, faculty representatives joined the council, and by 1955, it met weekly with the university president to discuss administrative and policy issues. The council remained in place until 1970, when the Academic Senate assumed its decision-making and policymaking roles.

This collection contains meeting minutes and limited correspondence from both the Administrative Council and the Council …

Dakota Territory Living History Museum, Inc. Collection, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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This collection highlights the Dakota Living History Museum concept, created by Mel Thorne, to interpret the lives of American Natives and Dakota Frontier settlers from 1600 to 1890. It includes resources on living history presentations, pioneer life, and historical activities like oxen-drawn wagon trains, alongside modern data on Brookings County traffic patterns. Together, it offers a comprehensive look at Dakota Territory's history and culture.

Harding, A. S., Papers, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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A.S. Harding was professor and head of the history and political sciences department at SDSC. He taught courses in history, political science, sociology, and economics. This collection consists mostly of material compiled by Harding while researching the history of South Dakota State University. Includes correspondence, research notes and finished writings.

Hansen, N. E., Papers, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The N.E. Hansen papers represent a comprehensive archive chronicling the career of Niels Ebbesen Hansen. The collection encompasses a diverse range of materials, including authored articles, bulletins, and circulars from Hansen's tenure at the South Dakota Experiment Station, as well as field notebooks, and ledgers from the South Dakota Horticultural Society.

Contributions from Helen Hansen Loen, Hansen's granddaughter, further enrich the collection with addresses, correspondence, journals, and travel documents, offering a deeper understanding of his professional and personal life. Notable highlights include addresses delivered by Hansen at prestigious events like the International Congress of Genetics in Berlin, underscoring his scholarly …

Harding, Neva Whaley Papers, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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Neva Marie Whaley Harding, born in 1872 in Illinois and later settling in South Dakota, lived a life marked by community engagement and cultural contribution. After she married Albert S. Harding, the couple became an integral part of Brookings, South Dakota, with Neva notably founding the Brookings Women's Club and contributing to St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Jane Alexander was born in Brookings, South Dakota to Ruth Ann and William Alexander. She began her journey of community engagement during her high school years, forming a lasting friendship with Neva Harding. This connection inspired her to delve into Neva's life, eventually leading …

Brookings Reconciliation Council Records, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The Brookings Reconciliation Council Records document the work of a community-based organization in Brookings, South Dakota, dedicated to fostering reconciliation and improving relations between Native American and non-Native communities. Dating primarily from the early 1990s through the early 2000s, the collection includes correspondence, meeting minutes, conference materials, publications, and topical files addressing civil rights, education, land and sovereignty issues, cultural representation, and community dialogue. Together, the records illustrate local responses to broader reconciliation initiatives in South Dakota and provide insight into grassroots efforts to address historical injustice and promote cross-cultural understanding at the community level.

Berg, Donald, Papers, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The papers of Professor Donald Berg document his career as a geographer and historian at South Dakota State University and his sustained engagement with American Indian history and regional issues. The collection primarily consists of records from the Conference on American Indian History and Culture, including materials from the first through eighteenth annual conferences held between 1993 and 2010.

Additional materials include Berg’s research files on the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad, focusing on railroad safety, environmental impact, and proposed expansion projects in South Dakota and the upper Midwest. Together, the papers reflect Berg’s application of historical and geographic research …

Gray's Watercolor Collection, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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Founded in 1965, the College Watercolor Group emerged from Paul McConaughy’s search for an economical way to produce limited-edition watercolor prints. Beginning with a popular series depicting Cornell University buildings, the group expanded nationwide, producing affordable watercolor images of college campuses across the United States. Using a process inspired by nineteenth-century Currier and Ives prints, each work began as a pen-and-ink drawing reproduced as a lithograph on watercolor paper and then hand-colored by artists. The business evolved into Gray’s Watercolors, a name derived from the shared artist surname “Gray,” adopted by multiple contributors as the studio grew in size and …

Johnson: Henry And Inez Johnson Papers, Sdsu Archives And Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library

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The Henry M. and Inez O. Johnson Diaries document more than seven decades of rural life in eastern South Dakota, spanning 1924 to 1998. The collection consists of seventy one handwritten journals maintained primarily by Henry M. Johnson, with contributions from Inez O. Johnson, chronicling daily activities on the Johnson family farm near Baltic, South Dakota. The diaries record agricultural work, livestock care, crop conditions, weather observations, farm management decisions, and the rhythms of planting and harvest that shaped the family’s livelihood.

Beyond agricultural operations, the journals provide insight into family life, community relationships, church involvement, and local events in …