Life Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Evolution As A Unifying Theme In The General Biology For Majors Course Sequence, While Iteratively Examining Attitudes And Decisions About Learning: An Application Of Lonergan’S Transcendental Method, Christine E. Gray

San Jose - Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy

As I reflect upon my journey as an educator, I recognize it has been shaped, in large part, by my own foundational roots in the Catholic Liberal Arts tradition. As I prepare for another academic year, I find myself, once again, considering how my pedagogical practice can better meet my students “where they are” in my General Biology for Majors I and II courses. Since that “place” is shaped by a student’s prior experiences, both in and out of the classroom, I also recognize that “place” is unique for each student. This is precisely why each term pushes me to …

A New Bubblegum Coral From The Nazca Ridge Reveals Chitin As The Structural Scaffold Of Skeleton-Less Paragorgia Colonies, Juan Armando Sánchez, Erin E. Easton, Nayeli Elizavet Garcia, Yony Román-Ochoa, Julia Kaled Cáceres, Javier Sellanes

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Bubblegum corals (Paragorgia; Corallidae) form among the largest branching colonies in deep-sea environments despite lacking an axial skeleton. How these octocorals maintain structural cohesion using only sub-millimeter sclerites has remained unexplained. Here we describe Paragorgia quitinosa Sánchez & Easton n. sp., collected at 670 m depth on the Nazca Ridge (southeastern Pacific) during the Schmidt Ocean Institute RV Falkor (too) expedition FKt240708, and report the first evidence of visible chitin in octocoral tissues. The new species is diagnosed by autozoids and siphonozoids retracted on prominent, rounded mounds, large 8-derived radiate capstan sclerites (mean 0.095 mm), and canal walls …

High Tunnel Pollinators, Miranda L. Jones, Sheriden Hansen, Kelsey Graham, Robert Nelson Schaeffer, Brent Black

All Current Publications

High tunnels are used to extend the growing season. Unlike greenhouses, high tunnels are semi-permanent and not heated or cooled by a climate-control system. Instead, they use plastic sheeting to trap solar heat, allowing for season extension in temperate climates around spring and fall. Bee pollination can improve yields for several valuable crop species grown in high tunnels. Because high tunnels are largely enclosed, bees are typically released and managed within the structure. This fact sheet provides information on how to obtain and manage bee pollinators in high tunnels.

Field Guide To Common Plant Species Of Uinta Mountain Fens, Samantha Kurkowski, Blake Wellard, Karin M. Kettenring

All Current Publications

Fens are a unique class of wetland that host many specialized plant species globally and, in Utah, occur primarily in the Uinta Mountains. This guide provides an easy-to-use resource for amateurs and professionals who want to identify plants in fens. This guide includes key characteristics for identifying species, details on similar species and how to tell them apart, and information on habitat and frequency of occurrence. Species range from wetland obligates to upland plants that occasionally make their way into fens, with the purpose of including most species that may be encountered in a fen.

Broadening The Community Of Nudibranch Enthusiasts Through Multilingual Educational Programming To Increase Climate Advocacy Engagement, Richelle Li Tanner, Cintya Felix Mendivil, Ashley Lam, Lorena Muñoz, Micah Kim, Elena G. Morales Poot, Gabrielle Keeler-May

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Environmental literacy and advocacy for environmental protections are essential components of responsible stewardship. For coastal communities, stewardship requires knowledge of ocean processes and the biological communities living within these ecosystems. While many studies highlight difficulties in engaging American audiences in environmental concern and stewardship due to hyper-individualistic societal values, tidepooling is one recreational pathway to coastal community engagement that strengthens sense of place, and therefore, responsibility to protect natural resources. We sought to broaden the tidepooling community to include more diverse voices through a participatory science program with inland city-dwelling, multilingual, and non-English speaking adults. Using nudibranchs as an environmental …

Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Maintains Casein Microarchitecture While Modulating Bacterial Growth Kinetics, Vuk Uskoković, Michael Ibba, Lorenzo Eugenio Leiva

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Casein, the primary source of protein in ruminant milk, represents a family of proteins that self-assemble into globules composed of finer spherical subunits and stabilized by calcium phosphate (CP) nanoparticles. These globules act as holdase-type chaperones for unfolded or partially folded proteins, preventing their aggregation. Simultaneously, by integrating CP nanoparticles, they enable the bioavailability of calcium and phosphate beyond their solubility limits, thereby enhancing the nutritional value of milk. Using a range of physicochemical and biological characterization techniques, including scanning and transmission electron microscopy, organic and inorganic elemental analyses, SDS-PAGE, and vibrational, UV/Vis and NMR spectroscopies, it is demonstrated that …

Charge Modulation Of Peptide/Nucleic Acid Complexes: An Anionic Additive Enhances Gene Silencing And Crispr/Cas9 Editing By Promoting Intracellular Nucleic Acid Release, Abdulelah Alhazza, Sorour Khayyatnejad Shoushtari, Hasan Uludag, Keykavous Parang, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated Protein 9 (Cas9) complexes are effective approaches to temporarily downregulate protein expression via post-transcription RNA interference or permanently altering protein expression via editing genomic DNA, respectively. However, the efficient delivery of these mediators to targeted cells has been challenging, largely due to their anionic and hydrophilic nature, which hinders their interaction with the cell membrane and cellular internalization. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) exhibit dual characteristics as a carrier for nucleic acid delivery, where positively charged components bind to the negatively charged nucleic acid, and the hydrophobic components …

Genomic Analysis Reveals New Subspecies Of Cercyonis Scudder, 1875 (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Todd L. Stout, Michael S. Fisher, Robb Hannawacker, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Genomic analysis of Cercyonis (Cercyonis) Scudder, 1875 (Nymphalidae Rafinesque, 1815) partitions the subgenus into three species groups and reveals five new subspecies from the USA (type localities in parentheses): Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala koosharem Stout and Grishin, ssp. n. (Utah, Sevier Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala lasala Grishin, M. Fisher, and Hannawacker ssp. n. (Utah, Grand Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala hortoni Grishin, ssp. n. (Arizona, Gila Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) meadii maculana Grishin, ssp. n. (Colorado, Montezuma Co.), and Cercyonis (Cercyonis) meadii rimana Grishin, ssp. n. (Arizona, Yavapai Co.). A neotype is designated for Satyrus boopis Behr, 1864 (USA, California, Contra Costa Co.). …

Skin Carotenoid Scores Reflect Immune Status Among Children Living With Hiv In Tanzania, Wilbert Mbuya, Thobias Boniphace, Michael Mwagala, Peter Agrea, Nazareth M Mbilinyi, Nancy E Moran, Andrew R Dinardo, Mkunde Chachage

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Many individuals living with HIV experience persistent inflammation despite antiretroviral treatment, increasing their risk for cardiovascular diseases, cognitive decline, and other noncommunicable diseases. Carotenoids can inhibit this inflammation by reducing lipid peroxidation. Carotenoid intake and plasma concentrations can be approximated using a noninvasive cutaneous spectrophotometer. This study quantified skin carotenoid levels in Tanzanian children ages 5 to 15 years old (N = 185) both with and without HIV. Over 95% had low to moderate skin carotenoid scores (< 400 units). In children living with HIV, higher viral loads were linked to lower skin carotenoid scores (rho = -0.57, P < 0.001), whereas higher CD4 counts correlated with increased skin carotenoid scores (rho = 0.52, P < 0.001). Overall, carotenoid levels were low and associated with immune status, suggesting that elevated carotenoid scores correlate with lower inflammation in children living with HIV. Future studies investigating dietary carotenoid interventions to support immune function are warranted.

Stress Conditioning Modulates Phenolic Antimicrobial Responses In Salmonella Typhimurium And Listeria Innocua, Titus Puorizaa, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Environmental stress adaptation can alter bacterial responses to antimicrobial interventions used in food processing and preservation. This study evaluated how prior acid, osmotic, and cold conditioning affected the susceptibility and growth behavior of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Listeria innocua during exposure to carvacrol and thymol. Cells were conditioned in acidic tryptic soy broth (TSB, pH 5.5), osmotic (TSB supplemented with 2.5% NaCl), or low temperature (4°C) before antimicrobial treatment. Susceptibility was assessed using modified broth microdilution and minimum bactericidal concentration assays, while recovery was evaluated using 24 h optical-density growth curves and primary growth modeling. Stress conditioning produced modest, …

Cultivating Collaboration In Biomolviz: Key Attributes For Building A Stem Educator Community Of Practice, Pamela S. Mertz, Charmita Burch, Roderico Acevedo, Josh T. Beckham, Didem Vardar-Ulu, Kristin M. Fox, Lauren A. Genova, Rachel M. Mitton-Fry, Swati Agrawal, Daniel R. Dries, Kristen Procko

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

BioMolViz is an educational community of practice (CoP) focused on creating resources to improve biomolecular visual literacy instruction and assessment. The community of life science instructors developed in three phases, beginning with a small Core Team that emerged from a conference session and established the domain of interest for the CoP. In-person workshops, supported by short-term funding, drove the initial expansion of the community and the development of shared activities in Phase 2. This CoP was sustained through intentional choices about how members interact, collaborate, and share work. As the community matured in Phase 3, it was supported by longer-term …

Ai-Supported Analysis Of Jury Deliberation Impact Factors, Jennifer Siciliani Phd

Generative AI Teaching Activities

Students conduct a controlled, two-run generative AI jury simulation to examine how a single socio-legal variable affects simulated jury deliberation. They compare and manually code the AI-generated outcomes against peer-reviewed human jury research to evaluate the model’s accuracy, limitations, and potential biases.

A Brief History Of Irrigation In Utah, Burdette Barker, Reagan Wytsalucy

All Current Publications

Irrigation is essential for most crop production in Utah. With an ever-increasing population, regular drought cycles, and environmental concerns, there is a public discourse about agricultural irrigation water use. This fact sheet is an effort to step back in time to consider the heritage of irrigated agriculture in Utah, from prehistory to the present, and the modernization of irrigation driven by global industrialization and the information age.

Irrigation Management With A Field Water Balance And Virus Incidence In Dahlia Cut Flowers, Chloe Seeborg, Melanie Stock, Claudia Nischwitz, Xin Dai, Cambry Adams, Burdette Barker

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Irrigation guidelines are needed for the field production of emerging specialty crops to support the sustainability and economic viability of small farms. The goal of this study was to establish crop coefficients (K_c) of dahlia (Dahlia × hybrida), a popular, profitable cut flower crop, while documenting virus infection. A two-year field study was conducted with two industry-important cultivars that vary in production timing and bloom: ‘Boom Boom White’, an earlier and mid-sized formal decorative, and ‘Café au Lait’, a later and large informal decorative bloom type. A field water balance was used to evaluate five irrigation …

Variability In Nutrient And Carbon Cycling Of Constructed Marshes, Alyssa Leclaire, Jenny Davis, Molly Bost, David De La Garza

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Salt marshes provide valuable ecosystem services, including filtering nutrients and trapping sediments from the water column, but are increasingly threatened by sea-level rise and coastal development. Constructed marshes offer a potential pathway to offsetting marsh loss, but the extent to which they can replace the ecosystem services provided by mature natural marshes is not well understood. Using a chronosequence of constructed marshes (1, 21, and 44 years old) and a natural reference marsh (>100y old) in Beaufort, NC, we assessed the development of plant communities, sediment characteristics, and nutrient and carbon cycling over time. We compared aboveground biomass, surface …

Patterns Of Autonomous And Conditional Neural Specification For The Brain And Ventral Nerve Cord In Annelida, Nicole B. Webster, Johnny A. Davila-Sandoval, Allan M. Carrillo-Baltodano, Skyler Duda, B. Duygu Özpolat, Neva P. Meyer

Biology

Evolution of central nervous systems is a long-debated topic. Similar mechanisms of conditional neural specification linked to dorsal-ventral (D–V) axis formation have been used to support homology across several taxa. We tested for autonomous versus conditional neural specification in two distantly related annelids, Capitella teleta and Platynereis dumerilii, using blastomere isolations and ablations. Our results demonstrate autonomous specification of anterior neural tissue in isolated first-quartet (1q) micromeres for both annelids. In both annelids, partial larvae derived from isolation of the somatoblast, micromere 2d, also resulted in the formation of trunk neural tissue (ventral nerve cord or VNC), suggesting that this …

Waste Streams From Next Generation Molten Salt Reactors: The Challenge Of Creating An Insoluble Ceramic For Chloride Salt Waste, Alevtina A. Maksimova, Jake W. Amoroso, Matthew Page, Gregory Morrison, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) design development is of interest to many research groups and companies. Waste management for MSRs is one of the most important issues that needs to be resolved due to its impact on environmental safety, primarily via the dissolution of radionuclides in water. Furthermore, the waste treatment strategy will have a significant influence on the operating cost of MSRs, which is why a reliable process for the immobilization, transportation, storage and disposal of MSR waste must be addressed. This work presents a new approach for the immobilization of chloride salts from molten salt reactors in stable oxyhalide …

Organic Pesticides: A General Overview, Marion Murray, Ann Mull

All Current Publications

Organic pesticides are naturally occurring, nonsynthetic, or minimally processed substances that control unwanted organisms in the environment. Categories include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and miticides.

Arkansas Wheat Performance Tests 2025-2026, J. F. Carlin, R. D. Bond, J. C. Mccoy, C. J. Bullock

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Wheat variety performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. The tests provide information to companies developing cultivars and marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating cultivar recommendations for small-grain producers. The tests were conducted at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center at Harrisburg, the Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser, the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station near Marianna, the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt, and the Rohwer Research Station near Rohwer. Specific location and cultural practice …

Individualized Bayesian Inference Identifies Novel Genetic Variants For Parkinson's Disease, Jin Ren, Yasaman J. Soofi, Md Asad Rahman, Qing Lu, Jinling Liu

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder with a significant genetic component. While genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been instrumental in identifying genetic variants associated with PD, the reliance on large sample sizes and population-level analyses may overlook variants with lower minor allele frequencies or individual-specific relevance. Individualized Bayesian Inference (IBI) offers a promising method to complement GWAS by identifying and prioritizing candidate genetic markers at both the individual and patients-like-me subgroup levels. This study evaluates the application of IBI to PD genetics, using GWAS as a baseline for comparison. We analyzed genetic data from the Fox Insight online …

Skin Carotenoid Scores Are A Valid Approximation Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among Adults With Obesity, Stephanie B Jilcott Pitts, Qiang Wu, Elizabeth Gates, Melissa N Laska, Andrew R Dinardo, Nancy E Moran

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Skin carotenoid score (SCS) as measured using pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy has been validated among adults with normal and overweight body mass index, with little validation research among adults with obesity. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the validity of SCS as an approximation of fruit and vegetable intake among adults with obesity. We used samples from adults with obesity from three prior studies: The first study examined the validity of SCS among 213 adults, 34 with obesity; the second, examined sensitivity of SCS to a β-carotene-rich juice intervention among 162 adults, 14 with obesity; the third …

An Observational Study Of The Effect Of Concomitant Levetiracetam On Apixaban Concentrations In A Hospital Cohort, Chazmyn Riley, Kevin Lam, Cristina Micale, Lynda Thomson, Douglas F. Stickle, Walter K. Kraft

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Despite the lack of evidence of a mechanism-based drug interaction, some professional organizations have advised caution coadministering apixaban and levetiracetam. Eligible patients taking apixaban with or without levetiracetam for any indication for at least 72 h were screened from the electronic medical records. Plasma samples from 77 patients were retrieved from salvaged clinical blood collections. Apixaban minimum and maximum concentrations (Cmin and Cmax) were compared using descriptive statistics in R. While the median Cmin and Cmax appear to be marginally elevated, there were no apparent differences relative to apixaban alone. These findings suggest no apparent interaction of levetiracetam and support …

Bathurst Burr And Its Control, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Bathurst burr (Xanthium spinosum) is a declared pest in Western Australia (WA). This factsheet describes the nature of the plant, requirements land owners/occupiers must adhere to, control methods, and how to search, detect, and report it.

Bathurst burr is a summer growing annual shrubby plant originating in South America. In south west Australia, some mature plants survive well into winter, with the result that burrs may be found for most of the year. The weed spreads entirely by burrs, which are usually carried by people or animals, attached to clothes, fur, or other fibre by their hooked spines. They may …

Noogoora Burr And Its Control, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Noogoora burr, also known as cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), is a declared pest in Western Australia (WA). This factsheet describes the nature of the plant with links to requirements that land owners/occupiers must adhere to and control methods.

Native to western United States of America. Locally abundant in parts of the Kimberley, especially near water courses. Occasionally found in the South West region of WA.

Characterization Of Mettl3/14-Mediated M6a Modification In Human Transcriptome Using Nanopore Direct Rna Sequencing, Emily Kurtyan, Andrew J. Stein, Kelly J. Abdalla, Zhangerjiao Yuan, Miten Jain, Fadia Ibrahim

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Post-transcriptional RNA modifications modulate diverse aspects of RNA metabolism. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), one of the most abundant internal RNA modifications, is deposited by the core methyltransferase complex, METTL3 and METTL14. Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platform permits direct, single RNA molecule sequencing while preserving native modifications. However, without rigorous benchmarking, the accuracy and reproducibility of modification detection remain uncertain. Here, we leveraged ONT to comprehensively profile bona fide m6A modifications in cellular RNAs at single-nucleotide resolution by integrating two direct RNA sequencing chemistries (RNA002 and RNA004) with the m6Anet and Dorado modification-detection models. We independently depleted METTL3 and METTL14 in human cells …

Insect Monitoring Without Pitfalls: Seven Steps For Robust Insect Sensing Systems, Jamie Alison, Luca Pegoraro, Jarrett Blair, Yuval Cohen, Birgen Haest, Jacob Idec, Jacob Kamminga, Jenna Lawson, Meng Li, Leandro Aparecido Do Nascimento, Charlotte L. Outhwaite, Benjamin Rutschmann, Maximilian Sittinger, Mariana Abarca, Et Al

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

1. Data shortages fuel controversy about an ongoing insect biodiversity crisis. Insects are immensely diverse and functionally critical for ecosystems, yet data on their trends remain patchy and biased. Sensors, ranging from camera traps and acoustic recorders to weather radar stations, are set to transform data collection in entomol- ogy. Meanwhile, AI models that extract biological information from sensors are improving at a startling rate.

2. Realising the potential of automated monitoring means progressing from proof- of-concept studies to scalable insect sensing systems. However, stakeholders face severe operational challenges when adopting a growing suite of sensors, models and protocols for …

Genomic Investigation Of Population Structure In A Secretive, Semi‐Fossorial Snake (Colubridae: Tropidoclonion Lineatum) Across The Great Plains, Taylor Probst, Cameron D. Siler, Drew R. Davis

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

With advances in genomic technologies, it has become increasingly feasible to generate large numbers of loci to address population genetic and phylogeographic questions. Nevertheless, many widespread and relatively abundant species remain unsampled using molecular approaches. The lined snake ( Tropidoclonion lineatum ), a semi‐fossorial snake distributed across the Great Plains, is one such example. Despite the historical recognition of multiple subspecies based on noted variation in morphological characters, no formal molecular investigation of population structure has been conducted to date due to a paucity of vouchered genetic samples. Here, we present the first genomic assessment of range‐wide population structure in …

Co-Speech Gestures Destabilize Posture Via Shared Motor-Cognitive Resources, Sasha Lifton Lewis, Weina Lu, Ingo Helmich

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

Speaking and gesturing are fundamental aspects of human communication that commonly occur while main- taining upright posture. Although speech and postural control are known to compete for shared motor-cognitive resources, it remains unclear how co-speech gestures affect balance control and their underlying neural mecha- nisms. Using combined behavioral and neuroimaging approaches, we investigated whether co-speech gestures interfere with concurrent postural control, whether this interference depends on the spatial reference frame (egocentric vs. allocentric), and whether dual-task costs arise from competing motor demands, overlapping cog- nitive processes, or both. Forty-one right-handed adults (25.9 ± 6.8 years) maintained posture—monitored via a wearable …

Guide To The Crawford-Beck Vineyard Collection, Linfield University Archives

Linfield Archives Finding Aids

In 2005, David Beck and Jeanne Crawford purchased Casa-Blanca Vineyard and renamed it as Crawford-Beck Vineyard and owned it for 17 years. This collection focuses on the evolution of Crawford-Beck Vineyards from 2005 to 2023. It contains multiple business documents and records, such as expansion plans, invoices, and LIVE evaluation records. The collection also explores the personal growth and achievements of David and Jeanne Beck, the owners of Craw-Beck Vineyard. This includes their enrollment at Chemeketa Community College, their involvement in the wine industry in Oregon, and their personal assortment of books and articles. The collection also contains material outside …

Collecting Holistic Evidence On Agroecology Performance To Accelerate Sustainable Food System Transitions, Sarah K. Jones, Andrea Cecilia Sánchez, Chris Dickens, Matthias S. Geck, Chaturangi Wickramaratne, Veronique Alary, Peter Bolo, Dennis Junior Choruma, Somphasith Douangsavanh, Modou Gueye Fall, Gatien Falconnier, Shweta Gupta, Chris Kettle, Smitha Krishnan, Sylvia Nyawira, Guillermo Orjuela-Ramirez, Boko Michel Orounladji, Piedad Pareja, Telma Sibanda, Christine Lamanna

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A growing body of research shows the potential of agroecology for enabling a shift to planet-friendly and socially just agrifood systems through context-specific transition pathways. We conduct a scoping review to identify and evaluate the potential of 42 existing agroecology adherence and/or agricultural performance assessment tools to generate credible, legitimate, salient and transferable evidence to inform these transitions. Results show that while multiple relevant tools exist, each of them can be strengthened in at least one area. While most tools are transferable (low time and resource requirements) and have legitimacy (open access with transparent methods), tools have variable saliency (holistic …