Life Sciences Commons^™

Louisiana Graduate Network In Applied Evolution (Lagniappe): 2024-2025 End-Year Report, Kristina G. Little, Samuel B. Robison, Bret Blackmon

Reports

The Louisiana Graduate Network in Applied Evolution (LAGNiAppE) is a post-baccalaureate program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and hosted by the LSU Department of Biological Sciences. In its second year, the program provides recent college graduates with a structured, immersive research experience designed to prepare them for graduate education and careers in STEM. This report presents findings from the 2024–2025 program year (cohort 2) and is based on comprehensive evaluation data collected from Scholars, mentors, and co-mentors. The 2024–2025 cohort engaged in a wide range of activities, including intensive bootcamp training, independent research projects, scientific presentations, weekly seminars, …

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Winter 2025, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

LSU AgCenter nutrition education programs have always aimed to support the health and well-being of Louisianans. Helping residents eat healthier, be more physically active and maintain a healthy weight are important parts of disease prevention. Building healthy, thriving communities across Louisiana can support reduced healthcare costs, improved workforce productivity and an enhanced quality of life for everyone in our state.

Adaptation For Whom? Understanding The Impacts Of Dyke Policies On Small-Scale Farmers In Ca Mau Province Of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Quang, Nguyen Van Minh, Nguyen Vo Chau Ngan, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Low-lying deltas worldwide are extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise. As the risks of climate-induced flooding become increasingly clear, the thirst for infrastructure-driven adaptation increases. This highlights a patent need to understand the impacts of engineering adaptation solutions, especially those targeting built structures such as dykes and sluices, on farmers from a bottom-up, farmer-centred perspective. The study addresses this call by examining cases where dyke policies, while successful in some dimensions, have undermined small-scale farmer livelihoods in Ca Mau ― Vietnam’s southernmost rural province. It identifies areas in need of attention and adds empirical data related to this group of farmers. …

Identifying Intangible And Biocultural Heritage Elements Toward Environmental Understanding: Engaging Stakeholders Through Art, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Grounded in a case study in Barbuda in the Caribbean, this research examines sustainability from the perspective of what arts and heritage can contribute to community engagement and local and broader understandings about the environment. This article documents a growing body of literature recognizing the role of arts and culture, including local knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), in climate change endeavors. Art and TEK present expansive world views. Contextual information situates research done on the island of Barbuda pre- and post-Hurricane Irma. Visual arts workshops engaged community members in mixed methods research. Results documented cultural elements, particularly intangible and …

Evaluating The Success Of The Rev It Up! Curriculum Training On The Self-Efficacy Of Sdsu Extension Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program (Efnep) & Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education (Snap-Ed) Paraprofessional Educators In Teaching Adolescents, Oluwatemilorun Akinsanya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Evaluate self-efficacy changes among Extension paraprofessional nutrition educators after receiving an adolescent curriculum (Rev It Up!) training. Methods: Paired t-tests on three adapted scales measured changes at pre- (T1), post- (T2), and 1 yr post-intervention (T3): the Teacher Interpersonal Self-Efficacy Scale (TISS), Nutrition Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (NTSES), and Self-Efficacy and Nutrition Teaching Methods scale (SNTMS). Results: Six educators completed the TISS and NTSES; 5 completed the SNTMS. The TISS showed significant improvement from T1 to T2 only (p= 0.03); the NTSES showed improvement between T1 and T2 (p= 0.01) and T1 and T3 (0.01); and there were no significant …

Evaluation Of Established Perennial Clover Living Mulch And Soil Management Effects On Weed Suppression, Soil Health, And Broccolini Production For The Northern Great Plains, Connor Ruen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vegetable cropping systems have long been reliant on the use of tillage to prepare favorable seedbeds and manage weed pressure. Tillage degrades soil structure, decreases water infiltration and leads to compaction. Due to recent droughts across the central United Stated, it is important for water conservation to improve infiltration and avoid run off and erosion. Changes in weather patterns not only influence drought conditions but bring heat waves that have made early and late planted cool season crops in the brassica family prone bolting, leading to unmarketable produce and economic losses for farmers. This 2023 and 2024 study was designed …

Adolescent Seizure Impacts Oligodendrocyte Maturation, Neuronal-Glial Circuit Formation, And Myelination In The Mammalian Forebrain, Kylie Foutch, Iris Tilton, Aundrea Cooney, Cole Bender, Collin Licharz, Megan Baldemor, Caitlyn Rock, Atehsa Asal Sahagun, Robert Brock, Chloe Franzia, Mary Francis Garcia, Raghav Gupta, Christopher Arellano Reyes, Mariyam Lokhandwala, Daniela Moura, Hirofumi Noguchi, Laura Cocas

Biology

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells differentiate into oligodendrocytes, which myelinate axons during development and following demyelinating injury. However, the mechanisms that drive the timing and specificity of developmental myelination are not well understood. We hypothesized that oligodendrocyte progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation would be affected by pathological neuronal activity during adolescent development when developmental myelination is occurring and that this would also impact neuron-to-oligodendrocyte progenitor cell connectivity and myelination. We used kainic acid to induce a seizure in mice, treating equal numbers of males and females, in sample sizes of at least five animals. We found that the seizures led to increased …

Potential Of Using Trembling Aspen To Make Structural Engineered Wood Products, Dawei Wang

Aspen Bibliography

Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) is abundant in Canada but is widely considered an underutilized species. This study was aimed at evaluating the potential of using aspen lumber to produce cross-laminated timber (CLT), glued-laminated timber (glulam), and wood I-joists. The key mechanical properties of these engineered wood products, which were fabricated using a modified grading criterion, were examined. It was found that 1) The mean effective bending stiffness and characteristic bending moment resistance of 5-layer CLT specimens in the major-strength direction were 5,069x10⁹ N·mm²/m and 97.65x10⁶ N·mm/m; 2) The mean apparent MOE and characteristic modulus …

Dataset For "The Role Of Metacognition And Confidence In Quantitative Reasoning In College Biology Courses", Joseph Dauer, Anum Khushal, Brian A. Couch, Robert L. Mayes, Kent Rittschof

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Quantitative modelling is a fundamental skill for biology students with performance determined by a host of cognitive and metacognitive resources and requiring instructors to integrate key quantitative dimensions into teaching biology. Using an assessment of quantitative modelling in biology, we explored biology students’ (n = 930 higher education students) modelling practices (i.e., abilities to create, test, revise), metacognition about the nature of models and confidence in their capabilities to model. Students performed best on items related to understanding variables used in models and performed more poorly on items related to interpreting, creating, and using models to understand biological phenomena. …

Lead Bioaccessibility And Commonly Measured Soil Characteristics (Detroit, Mi, Usa) Phase Ii, Conor T. Gowan, Sabrina R. Good, Allison R. Harris, Patrick Crouch, Shawn P. Mcelmurry

Open Data at Wayne State

Urban soil contaminated with anthropogenic sources of Pb is a major contributor to child Pb exposure. To assess the Pb risk in urban areas, composite samples were collected from 142 voluntary privately owned 142 residential parcels in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park, Michigan. Samples were collected at two time periods, before and after treatment applied for those denoted as treatment sites. Samples were collected from areas covered with turf grass on the parcels from the front, middle and rear sections. Soils were collected with a bulb planter at approximately 10cm depth and were cleaned with a tap water-Liquinox detergent solution …

Ovarian Response, Endocrine Environment, And Pregnancy-Associated Glycoproteins In Beef Cows Using The 7 & 7 Synchronization Protocol, Hunter Haberman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Review aims to provide an overview of the bovine estrous cycle and pregnancy establishment, beginning with follicular development, luteolysis, maternal recognition of pregnancy and early embryonic development. Manipulating the estrus cycle with synchronization protocols is a critical aspect of the beef industry and has greatly improved the efficiency of artificial insemination. This review will evaluate various strategies to synchronize estrus from the very basic to more advanced synchronization protocols. There are many factors that affect the success of the protocol, and many studies have been done to evaluate the estrus cycle to reach the highest level of success from …

Borreliosis And Doxycycline Treatment Disrupt Gut Microbiota And Immune Responses In Nonhuman Primates, Ethan G. Napier, Isaac R. Cinco, Sheridan B. Wagner, Ethan V. Stuart, Qi Qiao, Joshua Taylor, Brian Stevenson, Ilhem Messaoudi

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is the spirochete that causes Lyme disease (LD). Transmission to humans occurs via bites of infected Ixodes spp. ticks. Doxycycline is often used to treat LD patients, which is sometimes delayed due to current diagnostic challenges. Recently, several lines of evidence show dysbiosis of the gut microbiome in LD patients, which may be a host factor contributing to pathogenesis and symp tomology but is still an understudied area in the field. To address this knowledge gap, we longitudinally compared the immune response and gut microbial composi tion of Japanese macaques after intradermal infection with Bb strain 297 …

Racial Health Disparities Among Pregnant Women Of Color In New York City: Biological And Systemic Impacts, Kaylin Peña

Pitzer Senior Theses

Racial Health Disparities Among Pregnant Women of Color in New York City: Biological and Systemic Impacts

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore how racial health disparities, underrepresentation in gynecology, and socioeconomic barriers contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes among women of color in New York City. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines resources from medical anthropology and human biology, this research will examine the biological implications of chronic stress, specifically HPA axis dysregulation, and its role in maternal health outcomes. With the idea of intersectionality, as conceptualized by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the study analyzes the various effects of systemic inequities and social …

Identification Of Host-Pathogen Protein Interactions: Yeast Two-Hybrid Analysis Of Sars-Cov-2 Nsp10 And Human Cellular Proteins, Antonios Argyriou

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in over 774 million cases and 7 million deaths worldwide, establishing it as one of the most devastating pandemics in recorded history. While current therapeutic approaches primarily target viral entry mechanisms and specific enzymes, the limited understanding of non-structural protein functions hinders the development of comprehensive antiviral strategies. This research focuses on Nsp10 (non-structural protein 10), a highly conserved 139-amino acid protein essential for viral mRNA capping and replication. Nsp10 serves as a critical cofactor in the formation of methyltransferase complexes with Nsp14 and Nsp16, playing a vital role in viral …

Coordinating The Energetic Strategy Of Glia And Neurons For Memory, Hannah Shoenhard, Amita Sehgal

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Memory consolidation requires rapid energy supply to neurons. In a recent study, Francés et al revealed the signal by which a neuron commands glia to limit fatty acid synthesis in favor of metabolite export during memory formation in Drosophila melanogaster. This mechanism coordinates just-in-time glial energy delivery in response to dynamic neuronal needs.

Periconceptual Nutrition And The Preimplantation Embryo: Approaches For Intervention And Generational Health, Abigail Klein

Dissertations and Theses

The typical American diet exceeds dietary fat recommendations, contributing to the rising rates of obesity. This negatively impacts fertility, pregnancy and fetal growth, and lifelong offspring health. During pregnancy, this also increases risk of co-morbidities like gestational diabetes. Despite this, lipids are not screened during pregnancy and limited research exists evaluating these co-exposures on offspring health. Our lab used a rat model of maternal high fat (HF) diet with late-gestation diabetes (DM) to demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress incite lifelong cardiometabolic disease risk in offspring. To determine the timing of damage, we hypothesized that maternal overnutrition incites mitochondrial …

Dr. Richard B. Pearce Flora Of The Driftless Area: A Biography, Cory Ritterbusch

Richard B. Pearce Archival Documents

Dr. Richard Bowman Pearce (1950-2018) was a cell biologist, immunologist, writer, and botanist with a particular focus on documenting plants in the southern Driftless Area and pioneering the use of a high-resolution scanner for image production.

This biography of Dr. Richard B. Pearce written by Cory Ritterbusch.

The Design Of A Bioinspired Impact Mitigation System Towards The Prevention Of Brain Injuries, Bryce H. Reimer

Master’s Theses

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), remain a major concern across contact sports, military operations, and transportation. Despite advancements in protective equipment, current strategies often fall short in preventing the mechanical conditions that contribute to long-term neurological damage. This thesis presents the design and validation of a bioinspired impact mitigation system modeled after bighorn sheep horn structures, which have evolved to endure high-energy collisions without apparent brain injury.

Using biomimetic principles, the research integrates experimental and computational methods to evaluate how horn-like geometries reduce impact-induced accelerations. A custom drop tower was built to test dynamic …

Swansea Waterways Plan, Kimberly Starbuck, Kristin Uiterwyk, Shannon Hogan, Allison Novelly

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

UHI worked with the Town of Swansea to engage members of the public in waterways planning activities. The plan covered a wide range of topics including public access, water quality, natural resources, commercial and recreational uses, and climate change.

Collaborative Wildfire Governance Within The Southwest Idaho Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape: Survey Results 2025, Mahmood Muttaqee, Cody R. Evers, Lindsay K. Campbell, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Olivia Awbrey, Kathryn Hixson, Michelle Johnson, Erika Svendsen

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Collaboration plays a critical role in wildfire risk mitigation efforts. This study examines collaborative wildfire governance networks within Southwest Idaho, a priority landscape designated in 2022 under the USDA Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy (WCS). Through survey data from 64 respondents, the Fueling Adaptation study aimed to identify the structure, capacity, and gaps in governance networks addressing wildfire risk in Southwest Idaho and understand how WCS investments have influenced wildfire management in the area. The findings reveal a growing governance network centered on the USDA Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands and supported by numerous non-governmental organizations and …

Development Of A Stable Isotope Method To Measure Protein Fractional Synthesis Rate In Equine Skeletal Muscle, Antoinette E. Foliart

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Muscle mass is regulated by the balance between muscle protein synthesis and degradation. Previous research in horses has shown that the signaling pathway that regulates protein synthesis is upregulated with increasing protein intake; however, whether this corresponds to an increase in muscle protein synthesis rates had not been previously explored. The objective of this study was to develop an isotopic method to measure muscle protein fractional synthesis rate (FSR) in horses following graded protein intake. Eight mature Thoroughbred horses were studied using a randomized cross-over design. Horses consumed meals containing 0 (No), 0.125 (Low), 0.25 (Med), or 0.5 (High) g …

Bioremediation In The Chesapeake Bay: Anthropogenic Ocean Acidification Mitigation In An Interactive Multi-Trophic Ecosystem, Cree Taylor

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Zostera marina is a species of marine macrophyte that has been largely prioritized in past submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) restoration initiatives within the Chesapeake Bay because of its 1) previous abundance, 2) demonstrated carbon burial abilities, and 3) observed ability for meadows of Z. marina to ameliorate low pH conditions. Due to the temperature variability and poor water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, Z. Marina beds have experienced several die-off events with limited capacity for regrowth. Ruppia maritima, an opportunistic species with tolerance to temperature shifts within the bay, may have the potential to maintain SAV coverage in areas …

Rejuvra's Effect On Soil Seed Banks, Blake J. Roeslein, Bryan Endress, Abby Mcmurtry, Akasha Faist

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Invasive annual grasses are a major driver of grassland degradation globally. In perennial grasslands, invasion can heavily impact biodiversity, including potential changes to the soil seed banks. Seed banks, the living seeds stored in the upper soil column, play an important role in healthy systems, or can harbor invasive species. To reduce negative invasion outcomes, whether in the seed bank, or aboveground vegetation, pre-emergent herbicides are a commonly used tool for land managers. Pre-emergent herbicides work by targeting seeds as they germinate and begin emerging from the soil. Thus, our study asks 1) how does pre-emergent herbicide influence germination and …

Promoting Acorn Survival Using Capsaicin Seed Coatings Is Strengthened By The Removal Of Invasive Shrubs, Mark Fuka, Brian M. Connolly, John L. Orrock

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Promoting regeneration of native trees, like Quercus spp., is a priority for land managers given the ecological and economic importance of oak woodlands. Although direct seeding may promote recruitment of Quercus spp., the effectiveness of direct seeding may be greatly reduced in environments where the activity of granivorous rodents is high. Importantly, the activity of granivorous rodents may be highest in environments where oak restoration is most desired, such as habitats invaded by non-native woody shrubs. Implementing chemical deterrents to granivory should promote direct seeding success; yet it is essential to understand if those deterrents are effective in challenging restoration …

Insights Into Female Urinary Microbiota Through Long-Read 16s Rrna Sequencing, Jerrin John

Dissertations

The human urinary microbiome—once thought to be sterile—is now recognized as a dynamic, low-biomass microbial community with potential implications for urinary tract health. Conventional short-read 16S rRNA gene sequencing targeting individual variable regions often lacks the taxonomic resolution needed to distinguish closely related species, while culture-based methods may miss fastidious or low-abundance taxa. We applied full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing across all nine variable regions to daily urine samples collected from asymptomatic premenopausal female participants. Sequence data were processed with a modified DADA2 pipeline optimized for long reads to generate exact sequence variants. We compared species-level community profiles against both …

Physiological Responses And Plant Trait Interactions With Coastal Dune And Swale Development, Emily C. Riffe

Theses and Dissertations

Vegetation is crucial to coastal ecosystems experiencing climate change and storm-induced disturbance. Plant species interact with the physical environment and are considered “ecosystem engineers.” Sand dunes and barrier islands are at the forefront of climate change impacts as they are barriers that protect landward habitat and communities. Nature based solutions are utilized to protect infrastructure on developed coastlines. Understanding how dominant plant species interact with and alter the physical environment enhances our understanding of the mechanisms of change and consequences to the system. The goal of this research was to quantify physiological and functional trait differences in dominant species found …

Program And Proceedings: Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2025, 145th Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program

Aeronautics and Space Science

Biological and Medical Sciences

Biology

Chemistry

Earth Sciences

Science Education

Anthropology

Applied Science and Technology

Physics and Engineering

Forensic Sciences

Ecology, Sustainability, and Environmental Science

Maiben Lecture: Mary Ann Vinton, "State of the Academy"

Friends of Science Awards: David Crouse and Daniel Sitzman

Quantifying The Vulnerability Of Smooth Dogfish And Winter Skate To Electromagnetic Fields From Offshore Wind Transmission Cables In The Mid-Atlantic Shelf, Rachel A. Sechrist

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The development of offshore wind structures in the northeastern U.S. will contribute to renewable energy goals, but will overlap with many marine species as well as economically important fisheries. High voltage transmission cables from offshore wind farms emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs) that elasmobranchs may detect using sensory organs known as ampullae of Lorenzini. However, sensitivity to EMFs varies by species due to differences in the number and arrangement of pores, the length of subdermal canals within the ampullae of Lorenzini sensory network, and the habitats they reside and regions they forage. For species who reside or forage in benthic regions, …

Neuroimmune Toll-Like Receptor Signaling Modulates C. Elegans Feeding Behavior In A Hunger State-Dependent Manner, Retwika Ganguly

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Animals face the risk of encountering pathogenic microbes while searching for nutritive resources. Assessing the interplay between the benefits of nutrition vs. the risk of infection might influence the behavioral regulation of immune processes. In Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a nematode roundworm, behavioral immunity is partially regulated by the innate immune molecule TOL-1: a homolog of vertebrate Toll-like Receptor (TLR) proteins. TOL-1 influences C. elegans pathogen avoidance behaviors by promoting the development of CO2-detecting chemosensory neurons, which detect a signal linked to the presence of harmful pathogens. While TOL-1′s role in pathogen avoidance is well established, its impact in an …

Zinc Or Swim: Investigating Zinc Pollution From Restoration Materials, Megan R. Jensik

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Zinc is an essential nutrient, but can be toxic at high concentrations, negatively affecting various biological functions. Gabions are galvanized metals coated in zinc that are used for many human purposes, including coastal restoration efforts attempting to avoid using plastic materials. However, gabions can degrade in marine environments, potentially leaching metal into the water and soil. There is a knowledge gap regarding the occurrence and impacts of zinc pollution in the areas where these gabions are deployed, including the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). To address this, sediment samples were collected from the IRL and analyzed for their physical and chemical …