Life Sciences Commons^™

The Practical And The Possible: How Research Informs Policy And Management For Land, Forest, And Water Management, Charlie Luce

Spring Runoff Conference

The practical and the possible: How research informs policy and management for land, forest, and water resources.

What Does Our Water Year Look Like?, Candice Hasenyager

Spring Runoff Conference

Drip Drip Drop: Water in Utah

In Utah, we are either in drought or preparing for the next one

We Shall Have A Seat At The Table, Yanna Liang

Spring Runoff Conference

Uniqueness of ESE 

• The only environmental BS program in the nation that has “Sustainable” in its title.
• Sustainability in water treatment, air pollution control, energy production, resource re-utilization 

The Once And Future Variability Of Colorado River Water Resources, Balaji Rajagopalan

Spring Runoff Conference

The Plot – “Millennium Drought” Since 2000 

• Current Water Crisis 

Harvest Management And Regrowth Of Trifolium Alexandrinum, R E. Joost, J D. Mooso

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Adaptation of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) beyond the coastal regions of the southeastern United States was limited by a lack of cold tolerance prior to the release of 'Bigbee', a selection from a stand of 'Sacromonte' subjected to temperature of -15 and -18 Con successive nights in 1972. The release of Bigbee in 1985 expanded the range of berseem clover adaptation to include the entire Southeast, as far north as Oklahoma (Knight, 1985). It is known that annual clovers do not rely on root reserve carbohydrates, but rather on residual leaf area and rapid leaf regeneration from active …

Impacts Of Changing Temperatures On The Water Budget In The Great Salt Lake Basin, Grace Affram, Jihad Othman, Reza Morovati, Saddy Pineda Castellanos, Sajad Khoshnoodmotlagh, Diana Dunn, Braedon Dority, Katherine Osorio Diaz, Cody Ratterman, Wei Zhang

Spring Runoff Conference

Temperature affects precipitation phases and the evolution of snowpack.

The Anorexigenic Peptide Nesfatin-1 Dampens The B Cell Response To Receptor-Mediated Stimulation Through Inhibition Of Nf-Kb Signaling, Tara L. Steffen, Joshua D. Stafford, Colleen R. Boche, Willis K. Samson, Gina Yosten

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nesfatin-1, a posttranslational product of the protein encoded by the nucleobindin 2 gene (NUCB2), was functionally identified as an appetite regulatory molecule in rat hypothalamic nuclei. In the years following the discovery, those findings have been corroborated and expanded upon, and we now know that nesfatin-1 is expressed throughout peripheral tissues and exerts physiological effects beyond feeding control. Literature indicates that adipose tissue is one of the peripheral sources of NUCB2/nesfatin-1, and in this setting, it has anti-inflammatory effects that have recently been implicated in regulating chronic inflammation associated with diet-induced obesity. Currently, there are gaps in our understanding of …

Marine Heatwave Conditions In Western Australia Marine Waters - 26th March 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Marine Heatwave Notification Reports

Marine heatwave (MHW) conditions across the state have persisted. Category 1 – Moderate conditions continue for the Gascoyne and South Coast Bioregions. The North Coast Bioregion has returned to Category 1 – Moderate conditions. The West Coast Bioregion remains warm but is not categorised as experiencing MHW conditions.

Contrasting Effects Of Climate Warming On Hosts And Parasitoids: Insights From Rocky Mountain Aspen Leaf Miners And Their Parasitoids, Alisha A. Shah, Emily Hamant, Juan G. Rubalcaba, Beau Larkin, Andrew A. Forbes, H. Arthur Woods

Aspen Bibliography

Because temperature has pervasive effects on biological rates, climate warming may alter the outcomes of interactions between insect hosts and their parasitoids, which, for many host species, constitute the single largest source of mortality. Despite growing interest in parasitoid-host responses due to climate change, there are few empirical tests of thermal tolerance differences between non-model lepidopteran hosts and their parasitoids and almost none from mountain ecosystems where warming is occurring more rapidly. We examined the thermal ecology of a host–parasitoid interaction in the Rocky Mountains using the wild populations of the aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella) and a …

Goose Herbivory Effects On Early-Stage Litter Decomposition In Coastal Alaskan Wetlands, Taylor Saunders, Jaron Adkins, Trisha B. Atwood, Karen H. Beard

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Aims

Herbivores create large differences in litter decomposition rates, but identifying how they do this can be difficult because they simultaneously influence both biotic and abiotic factors. In the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) River Delta in western Alaska, geese are dominant herbivores in wet-sedge meadows, where they create ‘grazing lawns’ that have nutrient-rich litter and an open habitat structure. To understand how geese affect decomposition, we tested the effects of litter quality and habitat type on litter decomposition over one year.

Methods

We performed a litter bag study in which we collected two litter types representing grazed and ungrazed vegetation conditions (high …

Murine Studies On Ketogenic Modulation Of Metabolism And Epigenetics In Olfaction- Based Learning, Lps Inflammatory Response, And Sex Dimorphisms In Dietary Response, Sara E. H. Moss

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ketogenic diets are well-established therapeutic interventions for epilepsy, with documented neuroprotective effects arising from their metabolic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Beyond epilepsy, ketogenic therapies are under investigation for various conditions including Alzheimer disease, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. These diets suppress insulin levels and shift metabolic physiology toward fat and ketone body metabolism. This elevates circulating levels of ketone bodies, namely beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, and acetone, which serve as both energy substrates and signaling molecules. The state of elevated ketone bodies (ketosis) can be achieved with various formulations of a ketogenic diet as well as exogenous ketone supplementation, though the signaling …

Nebraska Women In Agriculture Conference Marks 40 Years, Lindsey Mckeever, Sarah Sivits, Jessica J. Groskopf

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program marked 40 years of educating and empowering females in farming, ranching, and agribusiness, with nearly 370 people attending its annual conference on February 20 and 21, 2025, in Kearney.

Draft Genome Data Including Functional Annotation Of An Emerging Fungal Pathogen (Neodothiora Populina) Causing A Canker Disease Of Trembling Aspen In Interior Alaska, Ursel M. E. Schütte, Mace Wages, Aaron Buechlein, Jorda P. Kovash, Danielle C. Wrenn, Tereza Smrhova, Andrea Zubrova, Doug B. Rusch, Loretta M. Winton, Gerard C. Adams, Roger W. Ruess, Mary Beth Leigh, Devin M. Drown

Aspen Bibliography

Neodothiora populina is a black yeast-like fungus in the family Dothioraceae. It causes an aggressive canker disease of trembling aspen that results in widespread mortality of aspen across the boreal forest of Interior Alaska. Here we report a high-quality draft genome including functional annotation of this emerging fungal pathogen based on Oxford Nanopore Technologies long-read sequences. Our initial genome assembly totaled 23,960,169 bp and contained 18 contigs, and we identified 7,343 genes. This resource announcement provides new genomic data that are useful long term for improving our understanding of forest health in Alaska.

Barriers To Engagement Of Care For Patients Presenting With Comorbid Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) And Major Depression Or Anxiety Disorder Diagnoses, Rachel C. V. Kingsley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite significant global advancements in HIV care, engagement in continuous HIV care remains a challenge, particularly for individuals living with comorbid HIV and mental health disorders. This dissertation examines the barriers to continuous HIV care for those individuals living with comorbid HIV and depression and/or anxiety in the Tampa Bay area. This dissertation argues that dual health challenges are dually challenging. This study highlights how structural vulnerabilities, how feelings of inclusion and exclusion impact engagement in care, and socioeconomic challenges intersect to shape patient experiences and impact adherence to treatment. Drawing on critical medical anthropology, structural violence, embodied belonging, and …

Domain Communication In Bifunctional Proline Utilization A From Sinorhizobium Meliloti, Emma Bitterman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The reduction potential of flavin bound to Sinorhizobium meliloti proline utilization A (SmPutA) is beneficial in providing vital information on enzyme activity and the active site environment. Flavin is crucial in biological metabolism such as aerobic respiration and other important processes like oxygen activation that are catalyzed by flavin-dependent enzymes. (4). In this study, we seek to determine whether the redox potential of SmPutA-bound flavin can be used to characterize potential long-distance communication and analyze the possibilities of inactivation reversibility. SmPutA is a large bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the overall oxidation of proline to glutamate via two catalytic domains (1). …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (Pfas) Degradation In Water And Soil Using Cold Atmospheric Plasma (Cap): A Review, Victor Somtochukwu Mbanugo, Boluwatife Stephen Ojo, Ta Chun Lin, Yue-Wern Huang, Marek Locmelis, Daoru Han

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent organic chemicals found in numerous industrial applications and everyday products. The excessive amounts of PFASs in water and soil, together with their link to severe health issues, have prompted substantial public concerns, making their removal from the environment a necessity. Existing degradation techniques are frequently lacking due to their low efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and potential for secondary contamination. Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) technology has emerged as a promising alternative, utilizing energized reactive species to break down PFASs under ambient conditions. Therefore, this review examines the efficacy and effectiveness of CAP in degrading PFASs by …

Defining B Cell Responses To Emerging Viral Pathogens, Wafaa Al Soussi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The primary series of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines greatly reduced the burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and saved millions of lives. However, waning levels of circulating neutralizing antibodies and the continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with increasing numbers of mutations in the spike (S) protein have decreased vaccine effectiveness and led to a recommendation for booster immunizations. In addition, new vaccines based on circulating variants have been developed to enhance the ability of induced antibodies to combat such variants. However, a critical unanswered question was how prior exposure to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain …

Defining B Cell Responses To Emerging Viral Pathogens, Wafaa Al Soussi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The primary series of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines greatly reduced the burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and saved millions of lives. However, waning levels of circulating neutralizing antibodies and the continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with increasing numbers of mutations in the spike (S) protein have decreased vaccine effectiveness and led to a recommendation for booster immunizations. In addition, new vaccines based on circulating variants have been developed to enhance the ability of induced antibodies to combat such variants. However, a critical unanswered question was how prior exposure to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain …

Drug Targets Illumination: An Evidence-Based Data Analytics & Informatics Approach To Hypothesis Generation Through Clinical Trials And Genomic Variants, Jeremiah I. Abok

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

DRUG TARGETS ILLUMINATION: AN EVIDENCE-BASED DATA ANALYTICS & INFORMATICS APPROACH TO HYPOTHESIS GENERATION THROUGH CLINICAL TRIALS AND GENOMIC VARIANTS

Target Illumination Clinical Trial Analytics with Cheminformatics (TICTAC) introduces a scalable data integration pipeline that aggregates multivariate clinical trial evidence to systematically rank disease–target associations. By harmonizing metadata from AACT and employing confidence-scoring techniques, TICTAC facilitates hypothesis-driven target selection for drug discovery, enabling a data-driven approach to therapeutic development. In parallel, a bioinformatics-driven analysis of gnomAD exome mutations in the ZPR1 gene highlights the broader role of genetic variants in disease association. By employing variant effect predictors, protein stability modeling, and …

Bh3 Mimetics Augment Cytotoxic T Cell Killing Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Via Mitochondrial Apoptotic Mechanism, Kapil Saxena, Shao-Hsi Hung, Esther Ryu, Shailbala Singh, Qi Zhang Tatarata, Zhihong Zeng, Zhe Wang, Marina Y Konopleva, Cassian Yee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) can address an unmet clinical need for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but its effect is often modest in the setting of high tumor burden. In this study, we postulated that strategies to lower the AML apoptotic threshold will augment T cell killing of AML cells. BH3 mimetics, such as venetoclax, are a clinically approved class of compounds that predispose cells to intrinsic apoptosis by inhibiting anti-apoptotic mitochondrial proteins. We explored the anti-leukemic efficacy of BH3 mimetics combined with WT1-specific CD8+ T cells on AML cell lines and primary samples from patients with a …

Β-Catenin Drives The Foxc2-Mediated Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Acquisition Of Stem Cell Properties, Maria Castaneda, Petra Den Hollander, Steve Werden, Esmeralda Ramirez-Peña, Suhas V Vasaikar, Nick A Kuburich, Claire Gould, Rama Soundararajan, Sendurai A Mani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Aggressive forms of breast cancer, such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), are associated with an increase in cancer cells that exhibit stem cell properties. The activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program, mediated by the transcription factor FOXC2, generates these stem-like cells. FOXC2 is linked to poor prognoses across various cancer types and is notably upregulated in TNBC, where it establishes and sustains these stem-like cells within the tumor population.

Methods: Here, we decode the pathways regulating FOXC2 activation using EMT-enriched cell line models. Stemness was assessed using mammosphere assays and mesenchymal markers by western blot. Expression …

Canal Improvements: Balancing Piping And Automation, Trevor Nielson

Spring Runoff Conference

Factors to Consider 

- Piping 

• Size/Cost 
• Loss saved per mile 
• Longer Lifespan 
• Safety Benefits 

- Automation 

• On-going Cost 
• Cover Existing O&M Costs 
• More Skilled Staff 
• Higher Quality of Life for Field Employees 
• Safety Benefits 

Box Elder County - Countywide Water Master Plan, Quinn Dance

Spring Runoff Conference

Box Elder County Water Master Plan.

Project Background: 

Pre-Project Planning 

• Box Elder County General Plan Update 
• Steering Committee Organization 

Soil Health And Water Conservation, Tony Richards

Spring Runoff Conference

What are Healthy Soils? 

• Stable 
• Functional 
• Productive 
• Resilient 

Great Salt Lake Model Depletion, Katherine Wright

Spring Runoff Conference

When does water leasing make sense? Using New Information to Make Better Leases.

Lease, but only if it makes sense.

• Farmers have a legal right to use water on their farms for agriculture.
• Leasing might be a good economic decision for you, but not your neighbor.
• Leasing is voluntary, the purpose of this presentation is to explain the benefits of leasing and give you the information you need to decide if it is right for you. 

Utah Water Research Lab, David Tarboton

Spring Runoff Conference

The concept of a dedicated water research laboratory evolved over years, with significant contributions from Vaughn E. Hansen, Dean F. Peterson, and George D. Clyde. The UWRL represents the culmination of a long-held vision at USU to advance water research.

Legislative Updates Panel, Casey Snider, Brian Steed, Kelly Pehrson, Joel Ferry

Spring Runoff Conference

Legislative Updates Panel

Water Rights Update, Teresa Wilhelmsen

Spring Runoff Conference

State Engineer's Update:

2024-2025 Strategic Action Plan

2024 Updates by functional section:

• Adjudication
• Applications & Records
• Dam Safety & Stream Alterations
• Data Services
• Field Services
• Technical Services

Northern Utah Gaging And Measurement Infrastructure Needs And Updates, Beth Neilson

Spring Runoff Conference

We can’t manage what we don’t MEASURE. We can’t manage what we don’t UNDERSTAND.

Great Salt Lake: What’S Next?, Brian Steed

Spring Runoff Conference

Water security is key to living in the West.