Life Sciences Commons^™

Female Acceptance Of Mates Is Consistent Across Different Sex Ratios And Male Proximities In Wood Frog (Rana Sylvatica) Breeding Aggregations, Alia Kabbaj, Laura Bousaid, Gabriella Lowney, Lindsey Swierk

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Sexual selection plays a crucial role in shaping reproductive strategies. We investigated the influence of sex ratio and male proximity on female acceptance of mates in wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). We hypothesized that females at a more even sex ratio would exhibit higher acceptance of males due to reduced male competition when compared to females at a more male-skewed sex ratio. Using digital video analysis of mating trials (n = 39), we quantified male proximity to females and female acceptance of males at two sex ratios – 1:4 (F:M) and 1:7. Males at a 1:4 sex ratio maintained …

A Comparison Of The Bacterial Communities Of The Yamuna River (India) And Mississippi River (Usa), Jacob Gareis, Osvaldo Martinez, Silas Bergen

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This study compared the bacteria in the Yamuna River in India and the Mississippi River in the USA. Water samples were taken from 11 sites (2 in the Mississippi River and 9 in the Yamuna River). The bacteria were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Some phyla such as Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were seen in abundance regardless of country. However, principal-component analysis showed three distinct groupings: Mississippi/Ganga/Tons and other Yamuna River locations (7 sites), Yamuna River at Delhi (2 sites), Yamuna River below Glacier (2 sites) Additionally, the Yamuna River below Glacier had the highest bacterial diversity, with a Shannon …

The Economic Impact Of The Emerald Ash Borer In Inver Grove Heights Mn, Nicholas Ruch, Noah Anderson

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an insect that bores under the ash tree's bark. This effectively kills the tree by girdling its cambium. In this analysis of EAB, we looked at the financial effect it had on Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Expert Tree Service removed most of their ash trees and provided us with data to help calculate how much it cost. Brian Swoboda, the head forester for Inver Grove Heights, provided us with all of the information about their plan to reforest.

In total, for the years 2022 and 2023, the removals done by Expert Tree Service cost $83,690.68 …

Classification Of Trematode Species Of Wisconsin Ducks Using Morphological And Molecular Methods, Athena B. Lueken, Isabella T. Xiong, William J. Harvey

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Trematoda is a class of flatworms and it encompasses approximately 20,000 species. Trematoda has two subclasses, Digenea and Aspedogastria. The families observed in this study were Echinostomatidae and Strigeidae from the subclass Digenea. Trematoda can be found in most species of animals, usually ingested from their food source. The Trematodes in this study were collected from three different duck species including Aythya affinis (Lesser Scaup,) Anas acuta (Pintail,) and Aix sponsa (Wood Duck) donated by hunters between 2023 and 2024. All ducks were harvested in the state of Wisconsin and the dissections were performed at Winona State University, Winona Minnesota. …

Limb Differences In Hamstring-To-Quadricep Ratio Across Velocities In Collegiate Women’S Soccer Athletes, Nicole Waldo Johnson, Lauren Sanders, Kyle L. Sunderland

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Purpose: This study examined differences in the hamstring-to-quadriceps strength ratio (H:Q) between dominant and non-dominant legs in collegiate women soccer athletes. Methods: Eleven NCAA Division I female soccer players participated; one was excluded due to equipment malfunction. Following a standardized warm-up, athletes completed unilateral isokinetic knee extension and flexion on an isokinetic dynamometer at 60°/s, 180°/s, and 300°/s. For each leg and velocity, athletes performed three submaximal trials followed by five maximal effort repetitions, with 60 seconds of rest between velocities. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess differences in H:Q ratios between the limbs across velocities. Results: …

Investigating Genetic Regulators Of Crystal Cell Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Andrea Feria, Nyla Walbrook, Anisa Turaeva, Rebecca Spokony

Publications and Research

Crystal cells, a subset of Drosophila melanogaster hemocytes, are important for melanization, a crucial immune response. While the genetic regulation of crystal cell develop remains incompletely understood, this study investigates the functions of five candidate genes: ACXB, ACXA, Gp210, CG4390, and Cyp4s3; identidied through previous genome-wide association studies. Using the Gal4/UAS system along with RNA interference (RNAi), we exclusively knocked down each gene in third instar larvae and quantified crystal cell populations following heat shock-induced melanization. Our results imply that the knockdown of ACXB and ACXA significantly increased crystal cell counts in both sexes, suggesting these genes either act as …

Effects Of Gibberellin On Mutant Dwarf Setaria Viridis Height, Myles Petty, Breslin Clark, Caden Post, Shai Steineger, Hailey Moore, Andrew Thompson, Callie Demarest, Peyton Willeford

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Over the course of 16 weeks, three genotypes of Setaria viridis, two of which display dwarfism and one wildtype, were subjected to 100 micromole solution of gibberellic acid. This was done in order to identify how the height of dwarf mutant millets would change in reaction to gibberellic acid. A total of 216 plants were looked at. 72 of each genotype were used and split between two different treatments, one with gibberellic acid and one without.

You Are What You Eat: Bioaccumulation Of Microplastics In The Food Chain, Audrianna Torrey

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Over the last century, the use and production of plastic has surged as demand for cost-effective alternatives to traditional materials has grown. While plastic has been extremely beneficial in reducing the cost of production while expanding the market, it has also created a global pollution crisis. By 2015, an estimated 6,300 million tons of plastic waste had been generated with nearly 80% accumulating in landfills and the environment. Over the last couple decades, researchers have begun to study the effects of plastic waste and its breakdown into microplastic on aquatic environments. Although not all organisms reside in water, every living-being, …

Efficiency Versus Quality: A Reflection On Making A Children’S Book, Elizabeth Diehl

Honors Projects

When first looking at a children’s book, it appears to be a simple creative project. However, when one finds out the components that go into making one, it becomes clear that simplicity is deceiving. Research, ideation, rough drafts, and scripts are just a few of the necessary components for the finished product, and each one of these components can take multiple days or weeks to complete. This essay is a reflection on my experience of creating a picture book in one semester as I attempt to answer the questions “What if the most efficient process for creating a children's picture …

Trace Element Contamination In The Coastal Gray Wolves Of Southeast Alaska, Miranda Brohman

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Gray wolves (Canis lupus), northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris) and salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) play vital roles in southeast Alaska, yet all are exposed to trace element (TE) bioaccumulation. This study examines dietary patterns and TE accumulation in four northern Lynn Canal wolf populations (Douglas Island, Juneau, Gustavus, and Pleasant Island) using stable isotope analysis (SIA) (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) and TE assessments. SIA revealed that wolves in Juneau and Douglas Island primarily consumed terrestrial prey, whereas wolves in Gustavus and Pleasant Island exhibited enriched isotopic signatures indicative of a marine-based diet, particularly …

Meta-Transcriptomes Of The Microbial Communities Of The Different Developmental Life Stages Of Anastrepha Ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae), Erin L. Schuenzel

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, is a polyphagous pest that is a constant threat to US agriculture because of its proximity to citrus production in border region of the United States and Mexico. Sterile Insect Technique has been used to manage and eradicate of the Mexican Fruit Fly. SIT, however, requires millions of sterile male flies to be released each week from mass-rearing facilities. The mass-reared colonies must deal with microbial infections that reduce survivorship, fecundity and male-male competition. Meta-transcriptomics joins culturing and next generation DNA sequencing techniques to understand these changing microbial communities. This study uses advances …

Seasonal Improvements In Lower-Body Power In Collegiate Women’S Ice Hockey Athletes, Molly K. Henderson, Olivia J. Grabianowski, Quinn M. Mclaren, Kyle Sunderland

2025 Student Academic Showcase

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in lower-body power from pre- to post-season in a women’s ice hockey team using broad jump (BJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) assessments. Fifteen NCAA Division I athletes completed BJ and CMJ tests within a month prior to the competitive season and within a month following the final game. All tests were conducted at a consistent time of day and began with a standardized warmup, followed by the CMJ testing using dual force plates and BJ on a marked flat surface. CMJ metrics included in the analysis were jump height, relative peak …

Investigating The Effects Of Gibberellin Treatments On Different Dwarf Millet Genotypes And Identifying The Mechanism Responsible For Genetic Dwarfism, Macie Mccarty, Audrie Miller, Quinn Calvert, Abi Waters, Dania Creary, Justin Coleman

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Gibberellins (GAs) are essential plant hormones involved in regulating growth and development, particularly in stem elongation, seed germination, and flowering. In cereal crops like millet, dwarf genotypes are of agricultural interest due to their potential for increased stability and yield efficiency. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying dwarfism in millet remain unclear. This study investigates the response of various dwarf millet genotypes to gibberellin treatments and seeks to determine the genetic basis of their dwarfism. We hypothesize that genotypes with gibberellin biosynthesis deficiencies will exhibit increased stem elongation when treated with gibberellin, while genotypes with signal transduction defects will show minimal …

The Effect Of Gibberellins On Dwarf Millet Growth, Rylee Deckard, Reed Morrison, Chase Christopher, Amy Brice, Sanduni Galbokka Hewa, Malina Roberson, Matthew Palmer

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Dwarf and semidwarf variants of agricultural plants are used to decrease lodging without decreasing crop yield. Some dwarf genotypes lack the ability to produce the growth hormone gibberellin, and others lack complete receptor pathways. Exogenous gibberellic acid (GA) was applied to four dwarf millet genotypes over the course of six weeks to determine what pathway for dwarfism each dwarf genotype was. Statistical analysis was done to analyze the relationship between GA applications and increased plant growth. It was found that all genotypes had some response to the treatment, though some were more extreme than others. Additionally, the treatment group had …

Physical Attributes Of Competitive Collegiate Co-Ed Men, Base/Backspots, Flyers, And Tumblers, Grace M. Liebhart, Harry P. Cintineo

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Cheerleading is a demanding sport often overlooked in research. This study examined physical attributes of 41 collegiate cheerleaders representing co-ed men, base/backspots, flyers, and tumblers. Participants underwent body composition, relative countermovement and squat jump, isometric mid-thigh pull, and 1RM seated military press assessments. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with gender adjustment followed by Bonferroni-adjusted post-hoc tests (α=0.05). Analyses showed significant positional differences for body fat percentage (P< 0.003), lean mass (P< 0.001), squat jump (P=0.034), and 1RM strength (P< 0.001). Bases/backspots had higher body fat percentage than flyers (P=0.016) with no other differences (P>0.110). Lean mass and 1RM strength were highest in co-ed men (P< 0.018) followed by bases/backspots and tumblers than flyers (P< 0.073). Post-hoc analysis revealed no differences in squat jump (P>0.052). These findings highlight unique physical characteristics of cheerleading positions and suggest implementation of specific strength training programs. Future investigations should …

The Application Of Gibberellin On Dwarf Mutant Millet Plant (Setaria Viridis), Catherine Philipps, Desirae Snyder, Elizabeth Dill, Joselyn Wood, Kaneez Moughal, Katherine Kellner, Rachel Wilson

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Gibberellin is a hormone found in many plants whose purpose is to promote the growth of stems and leaves. The application of gibberellin in differing concentrations was applied to different strains of dwarf mutant millet plants and was compared to a control of nonmutant wild-type millet plants. After the initial sprouting of each seed, 4 different concentrations of gibberellin: 0g gibberellin/1L water, 0.02g/L, 0.05g/L, and 0.15g/L, were applied to the stem of each plant. A regression analysis was performed on the heights of each plant to determine the effectiveness of the varying gibberellin concentrations on the growth of millet plants. …

Maintenance Of Anaerobic Power Across A Competitive Season In Collegiate Women’S Ice Hockey Playersquinn, Quinn M. Mclaren, Olivia J. Grabianowski, Molly K. Henderson, Kyle Sunderland

2025 Student Academic Showcase

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in anaerobic power and capacity in women’s college ice hockey players from pre-season to post-season. Fourteen NCAA Division I female ice hockey players performed a 30-second Wingate test (WAnT) two weeks prior to the start of the competitive season and three weeks following the final game. Athletes completed a standardized warm-up including a short sprint on the cycle ergometer to prepare for the maximal effort test. The WAnT began from a rolling start, with the athlete pedaling at 100–110 RPM. Athletes then completed a 30-second all-out sprint against 9% body weight …

Adverse Cognitions: The Impact Of Childhood Trauma On Brain Development, Faith Salamone

2025 Student Academic Showcase

The effect of adverse experiences in childhood have been known to create lasting difficulties, even in adulthood. While it can be hard to determine the effects of childhood trauma on the brain, many studies have identified areas that appear to be negatively impacted by these adverse childhood experiences. This paper is a meta-analysis of eight articles that have attempted to investigate the effects of childhood trauma on the developing brain. These articles are specifically investigating the effects of childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. The areas that will be discussed in this paper are the prefrontal cortex, corpus callosum, the limbic …

Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge And Body Composition Changes Across A Season In Collegiate Women’S Soccer, Emily M. Mowbray, Harry P. Cintineo, Kyle Sunderland

2025 Student Academic Showcase

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between athlete preseason nutrition knowledge and changes in body composition over a competition season. METHODS: Twenty NCAA Division I women’s soccer athletes (20 ± 2 y, 167.8 ± 6.5 cm, 64.4 ± 7.2 kg) participated. Before fall training, athletes completed the Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire (A-NSKQ) to assess nutrition knowledge. Body composition was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) pre-season and one week post-season. Spearman's rank correlations examined relationships between A-NSKQ scores and DEXAderived measures (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Total A-NSKQ score showed a significant positive correlation with change in % body fat …

Dietary Preferences And Food-Seeking Behavior Of Discoid Cockroaches, Blaberus Discoidalis, Claire O'Brien, Darcci Freie, Robert Larson

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Blaberus discoidalis, commonly known as discoid cockroaches, are native to South American tropics where they consume leaf litter and decaying organic matter on forest floors. This experiment expands upon previous research concerning the diet preference of discoid cockroaches based on their loitering time when presented with different food types. Utilizing their preferred foods, peanuts, leaf litter, and banana, this experiment aims to determine how much of each food is being consumed to further support their diet preferences.

Gibberlin In Millet Physiology, Torrie Ens, Bella Reaka, Claire Albrecht, Hannah Smallwood, Will Graham, Adam Staley, Garrett Steger, Erin Strong

2025 Student Academic Showcase

Gibberellin is a hormone in plants that affects growth. Gibberellin works to begin germination in grass seeds by stimulating amylase production. It may be possible to use gibberellin to understand why different millet variants exhibit dwarf growth. We grew and treated 4 different dwarf variants with a gibberellic acid solution to identify the ability of each plant to utilize gibberellin. We compared the growth in millet grown both with and without the solution to see the effects of gibberellin on each variant. Dwarf millets may not produce their own gibberellin, or they may lack the receptors to utilize gibberellin. Our …

Analysis Of Differentially Expressed Genes (Degs) Related To Interleukin-17 Signaling For Biomarker Identification And Therapeutic Targets In Atopic Eczema, Siva Fauziah, Weri Veranita, Siti Nurbaya, Puji Sari

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Atopic eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by itchy, red, and swollen skin. It is often associated with other atopic diseases such as asthma and hay fever. Interleukin-17 (IL-17), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, plays a crucial role in various inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including atopic eczema. This study aims to identify potential therapeutic targets for managing atopic eczema based on the analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The expression of these gene targets was subsequently validated for their potential as biomarkers. Additionally, upstream regulator protein (URP) searches for the resulting DEGs were conducted. DEG …

Idh Status Dictates Ohsv Mediated Metabolic Reprogramming Affecting Anti-Tumor Immunity, Upasana Sahu, Matthew P Mullarkey, Sara A Murphy, Joshua C Anderson, Vasanta Putluri, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, Jun Hyoung Park, Tae Jin Lee, Alexander L Ling, Benny A Kaipparettu, Ashok Sharma, Nagireddy Putluri, Pamela L Wenzel, Christopher D Willey, E Antonio Chiocca, James M Markert, Balveen Kaur

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Identification of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations has uncovered the crucial role of metabolism in gliomagenesis. Oncolytic herpes virus (oHSV) initiates direct tumor debulking by tumor lysis and activates anti-tumor immunity, however, little is known about the role of glioma metabolism in determining oHSV efficacy. Here we identify that oHSV rewires central carbon metabolism increasing glucose utilization towards oxidative phosphorylation and shuttling glutamine towards reductive carboxylation in IDH wildtype glioma. The switch in metabolism results in increased lipid synthesis and cellular ROS. PKC induces ACSL4 in oHSV treated cells leading to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. Ferroptosis is critical to launch an …

A Population Study Of The Freshwater Turtles Of The Recently Expanded Lake Hydaway In Campbell County, Virginia, Joshua Sorenson

Senior Honors Theses

Freshwater turtles are an important part of the ecological systems in central Virginia. At the recently expanded Lake Hydaway, there are several turtle species for which their population characteristics were unknown, especially the prolific Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) and Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris). For five weeks, the lake was surveyed for turtles using hoop nets, and the turtles were marked and measured. Population characteristics such as carapace length and sex ratio for the Eastern Painted Turtle and Red-bellied Cooter were calculated, as well as population estimates for those two species. The Red-eared Slider ( …

Dual Targeting Of Ezh2 And Ezh1 Drives Exit Of Leukemia Stem Cells From Quiescence And Potentiates Chemotherapy In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Hiroki Akiyama, Yuki Nishida, Kyung Hee Chang, Andrea D Bedoy, Muharrem Muftuoglu, Wencai Ma, Mahesh Basyal, Zoe Hirschi, Daisuke Honma, Shinji Tsutsumi, Jing Wang, Weiguo Zhang, Xuelin Huang, Raajit K Rampal, Olalekan O Oluwole, Dale Lee Bixby, Naval G Daver, Michael Andreeff

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

High-Grade Astrocytoma With Piloid Features: A Single-Institution Case Series And Literature Review, Eric A Goethe, Subhiksha Srinivasan, Swaminathan Kumar, Sujit S Prabhu, Maria A Gubbiotti, Sherise D Ferguson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

High-grade astrocytoma with piloid features (HGAP) is a recently described primary brain tumor and the first requiring a specific methylation pattern for diagnosis, as its histologic features are often compatible with other tumors such as glioblastoma (GBM). Characterized by molecular alterations in CDKN2A/B, NF1, BRAF, FGFR1, and ATRX, they may be located anywhere in the CNS but show a predilection for the posterior fossa. Reports are limited to retrospective case series, and the standard of care is not yet established. We performed a retrospective review of electronic medical records of all patients with HGAP at our institution. Records were queried …

Survey And Analysis Of Rumen Microbiota In Yaks At Different Growth Stages, Shengwei Jin, Xinyue Liu, Yin-Cang Han, Yong-Gang Sun, Wei-Qin Ding, Ya-Qian Liu, Fa-Jie Gou, Jian-Yu Chen

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

This study investigated changes in the richness and composition of the rumen microbiome in yaks at various developmental stages. Eighteen healthy male yaks at the ages of 5 months (M5), 12 months (M12), and 24 months (M24) had samples of their rumen digesta taken for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The 11087 amplicon sequence variations (ASVs) in total were found; the M5, M12, and M24 groups had 3585, 1146 and 5545 distinct ASVs, respectively. Alpha diversity indices Chao, Shannon, Sobs, and ace indicated significant differences among the groups. The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) indicated significant changes in microbial community composition across …

2025 Acssc Program, Acssc Planning Committee

Annual Celebration for Student Scholarship and Creativity

No abstract provided.

Args & Chronic Disease: How Antibiotic Resistance Genes Impact The Progression Of Type Ii Diabetes, Paige Imperato

Thinking Matters Symposium

Antibiotics are typically offered to patients with no warning of long-term consequences, though increasing evidence suggests this may not be entirely true. When antibiotics enter the body, they kill both good and bad bacterial populations in the gut - collectively known as the human microbiome. Repeated use of these drugs encourages mutations in this bacterial population [2]. This leads to the creation of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB). The causal relationship between antibiotic use and bacterial resistance is well established. However, recent research suggests a newly discovered relationship between the presence of specific ARGs in the microbiome …

A Redescription Of Leiurus Libycus (Birula, 1908), Stat. N. (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Ersen A. Yağmur, František Kovařík, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

Buthus quinquestriatus libycus was described by Birula (1908) from the Libyan Desert, based on a subadult male specimen. This taxon was later synonymized with Leiurus quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1828) by Vachon (1949). In this study, we re-evaluate this taxon and recognize it as Leiurus libycus (Birula, 1908), stat. n., providing a redescription based on the holotype. The type locality of this species is clarified as western Egypt (between Alexandria and Fayum). We synonymize Leiurus aegyptiacus Lourenço & El-Hennawy, 2021 with L. libycus, stat. n., syn. n.