Life Sciences Commons^™

Creative Conversations: The Un-Meeting As An Approach To Agricultural Extension Communication, Jessica R. Spence, Eric K. Kaufman, Megan M. Seibel, Jean A. Parrella, Crystal Tyler-Mackey, Benjamin B. Grove, Bolane Adebayo, Olamide Olowoyo, Sonika Poudel, Stephanie Zhu, Michael Gutter

Journal of Extension

The agricultural industry increasingly faces complex challenges that require diverse stakeholder input, and traditional meeting approaches often limit engagement and perpetuate top-down dynamics that can inhibit effective problem-solving. This article explores the ``un-meeting'' format as an alternative, highlighting its ability to foster inclusive, participant-driven discussions that encourage collaborative brainstorming and actionable outcomes. Based on our experience with a statewide agriculture summit, we discuss the principles underlying un-meetings, the facilitation process, and the practical implications for Extension professionals. Recommendations include the importance of knowledgeable facilitators, a large team for effective management, and limiting session cycles to maintain focus and depth in …

The Weed Flora Of California: A Checklist, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

Building Appreciation For Natural History Collections From Biological Collection Data., Jamie Jensen, Seth Bybee

ScholarsArchive Data

These data represent the pre- and post-survey responses by students in an undergraduate, non-majors biology course given before and after a unit on Natural History Collections. We administered the Revised New Ecological Paradigm (R-NEP; Dunlap et al., 2000) survey which measures pro-environmental attitudes using 15 Likert-scale items.

Vascular Plants With Medicinal Properties, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

A Sneak Peek Into Prehistory: Curating An Interactive Fossil Display To Spark Interest In The Ua Little Rock Natural History Museum, Syd Joheim, Rene Shroat-Lewis

Research and Creative Works Expo

Arkansas does not currently have a dedicated natural history museum, creating a unique opportunity for UA Little Rock following the recent donation of an expansive fossil collection. In response, the university established a natural history museum initiative intended to benefit both the campus community and the broader public across Arkansas. This initiative provides accessible resources for learning about natural science, evolution, and the state’s prehistoric past, areas that are often underrepresented in informal science education. It also serves as a platform for outreach, student engagement, and undergraduate research, strengthening UA Little Rock’s role in science education, workforce development, and community …

Molecular Prevalence And Determinants Of Adenovirus And Norovirus Among Diarrhoeic Children In Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria, Mutiat Busayo Odebisi-Omokanye, Suleiman Muhammed Mustapha, Mariam Kehinde Sulaiman, Augustine Okechukwu Udeze, Abdulbasit Bolaji Ajibade

Maaen Journal for Medical Sciences

Viral gastroenteritis remains a major public health concern and a leading cause of morbidity among children under five worldwide. Adenovirus (Adv) and Norovirus (Nv) are important etiological agents, yet data on their prevalence and determinants in North-central Nigeria are limited. A cross-sectional study involving 100 children under 5 years with acute diarrhoea was conducted at the Children’s Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State between February to December, 2024. Virus detection was performed using qPCR, while a semi-structured questionnaire collected sociodemographic and environmental data. Associations were analyzed using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression. Adenovirus prevalence was high (71%), while Norovirus GI …

Antibiotic Resistance Genes In Diabetic Foot Ulcer Microbiomes: Molecular Mechanisms And Clinical Management Strategies, Fitra Adi Prayogo

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) affect 19-34% of diabetic patients lifetime, representing a major global health burden with over 18 million cases annually. The polymicrobial nature of DFU infections, combined with emerging antibiotic resistance genes, poses unprecedented clinical management challenges. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) prevalence reaches 84% and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae exceeds 50% in some regions, creating urgent therapeutic concerns.

Objective(s): This comprehensive review examines current understanding of microbial communities in diabetic foot ulcers and their associated resistome, analyzing molecular mechanisms underlying antibiotic resistance and clinical implications to identify evidence-based management strategies.

Methods: A narrative review approach was …

Association Of Vegf Gene Polymorphisms And Breast Cancer Susceptibility: An Updated Systemic Review And Meta-Analysis, Dr.Santhosh Kumar Y, Sushma Sree Kintali, Vignesh N

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Breast cancer is among the most common malignancies in women worldwide with genetic predispositions and environmental factors and identified low-penetrance genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 with implications in breast cancer susceptibility. Vascular endothelial growth factor polymorphisms of VEGF coding for VEGF protein that plays an important part in carcinogenesis through angiogenesis required for tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. There are five polymorphisms associated with the VEGF gene; 936 C > T, 2578 C > A, 634 G > C, 460 T > C, and 405 C > G which have been linked to altered risks in cancer. Despite inconsistency in many results ascribed to …

Multiple Insights Into Affective Sentience, Jon Mallatt, Todd E. Feinberg

Animal Sentience

We discuss some of the many valuable insights into affective sentience from Birch’s The Edge of Sentience, such as its eight criteria for determining which entities have sentience (e.g., emotions) and its insights into the difficulty of testing whether an Artificial Intelligence system has attained sentience. We add our own perspectives on why the eight criteria are valid, on the difficulty of using behavioral trade-offs to determine whether an animal has sentience, and why evolutionary theory says consciousness is not an epiphenomenon.

The Economics Of Calving Interval, David Secrist

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information on cow reproductive efficiency to increase ranch profitability. It discusses monitoring the herd, heifers, mature cows, and calf prices.

Appraising The Monetary Value Of Trees, Miles Becker, Mark Malmstrom

All Current Publications

Trees have economic value like other property items. Permanently rooted in the ground, trees are considered real property, just as a house on a fixed foundation is real property. Damage or loss of a tree incurs a loss in value to its owner, who may be legally entitled to monetary compensation. This fact sheet discusses tree appraisals by a qualified professional to determine the cost to repair or replace a tree.

Bioactive Potential Of Microbial Isolates From Yoluja Cave And Jepirramüin Rock Shelter, Cabo De La Vela (Colombia), Juan Sebastián López Caro, Virginia Patricia Roa Angulo, Alex Alberto González Vargas

International Journal of Speleology

Subterranean environments harbor diverse microbial communities with significant potential for the production of bioactive compounds. This study evaluated the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of microbial isolates obtained from Yoluja Cave and the Jepirramüin rock shelter, located in the coastal region of La Guajira, Colombia. Field sampling was conducted during three campaigns in July, September, and November 2025, including soil and surface samples collected along environmental gradients within each site. Microorganisms were isolated using selective culture media and identified through morphological and biochemical characterization. Selected strains were subjected to liquid fermentation and organic solvent extraction to obtain crude metabolites. Analysis of …

Risk Factors Associated With Hair Loss Severity Among Female University Students: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Study, Roaa Mohammed Jabbar, Rusul Mahdi Abid

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Hair loss is a frequent health problem of women and can have an adverse impact on physical appearance, body image and quality of life. Its development has been attributed to a number of demographics, lifestyle and clinical factors, but which factors have the greatest influence on its development is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the demographical, lifestyle and clinical parameters with hair loss severity among female university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among female university students', and data collected using a structured questionnaire, and statistical analysis was performed using chi-square, one-way ANOVA and Tukey post …

Updated Records And Confirmed Colonies Of The Asian Needle Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Brachyponera Chinensis) In Mississippi, Joseph A. Macgown, Kaitlin M. Baudier, Santos Portugal

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract, this is a short communication.

Time-Normalized Evapotranspiration Reveals Substantial Nighttime Water Loss In A Controlled-Environment System, Claudia Garrido-Ruiz, Bruce Bugbee, Juan D. González-Teruel, Sarah Schreck, Scott B. Jones

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Efficient water management in closed-loop plant production systems requires accurate characterization of evapotranspiration (ET), because crop water loss influences atmospheric moisture conditions within the controlled environment. Day–night ET dynamics were quantified in the Engineering Development Unit of the Utah Reusable Root Module, a zero-discharge system for controlled-environment crop production.

Volumetric water content was monitored at high temporal resolution using two electromagnetic sensors installed at different depths within five independent root modules with different surface-containment configurations. Hourly ET was derived from water-content depletion and cross-checked against irrigation inputs. Following seedling emergence, system ET increased from < 1 L d⁻¹ to approximately 3 L d⁻¹ by day 12. During rapid growth, defined as the four consecutive days when system ET exceeded this threshold, hourly ET differed significantly among four light-period categories, with daytime ET highest, followed by night-transition, day-transition, and nighttime ET.

Although the cumulative daily nighttime-to-daytime ET …

Integrating Technologies For Synthetic, Systems, And Spatial Approaches In Cancer Research, Karmella A. Haynes, Kolade Adebowale, Belinda S. Akpa, Joel S. Bader, Trisha Bansal, Joshua Breunig, Ran Brosh, Lukasz J. Bugaj, George M. Burslem, Awalpreet Chadha, Moumita Das, Tara Deans, Cole A. Deforest, Lawrence J. Dooling, Zev Gartner, Laura M. Heiser, Alex Hughes, Melissa L. Kemp, Kirill S. Korolev, Chunru Lin, Timothee Lionnet, Xin Lu, Alison P. Mcguigan, Hamid Reza Mirzaei, Ajit J. Nirmal, Marina Pasca Di Magliano, Alexandros Poulopoulos, Kunal Rai, José Reyes, Dagan Segal, Mary Kathryn Sewell-Loftin, Evegeniya V. Shmeleva, Adam Stevens, Subbaya Subramanian, Thea Tlsty, Jennifer Totonchy, Alexander Vlahos, Pei Wang, Ioannis K. Zervantonakis, Yanding Zhao

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Emerging tools for spatial analysis, systems biology, and synthetic biology offer opportunities to observe, dissect, and perturb cancer mechanisms, to design strategies for the prevention of oncogenesis, and to identify therapies that lead to durable tumor control. Here, we summarize perspectives from the virtual Innovation Lab on “Synthetic and Systems Approaches to Interrogate Spatiotemporal Processes in Cancer” (S3) hosted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which assembled interdisciplinary experts to discuss cancer spatial organization and dynamic cellular interactions and how they can be addressed by leveraging novel synthetic and systems biology approaches. These discussions focused especially on cancer initiation, …

Development Of Gluten-Free Cookies Produced From Blends Of Chickpea Flour And Soybean Flour With Rice Flour, Cao Thi Bich Thao, Diana Widiastuti, Chau Minh Thuan, Nguyen Ngoc Thanh Tien, Pham Van Hung

Chimica et Natura Acta

The incorporation of chickpea and soybean flours may improve the nutritional quality of gluten-free cookies, particularly their protein and resistant starch contents. This study investigated the effects of various levels of chickpea or soybean flour (10%, 30%, and 50% w/w) substituted to rice flour on the physicochemical and pasting properties of composite flours, and cookie quality, resistant starch, and sensory properties of gluten-free cookies were evaluated. Proximate analysis revealed that fortification increased the protein from 6.8% to 22.36% in the composite flours. The composite flours showed lower swelling index and higher water absorption capacity than rice flour and both peak …

Community-Based Well Testing And Outreach To Mitigate Human Health Risk From Unsafe Drinking Water, W. Adam Sigler, Katharine Sutphen, Margaret J Eggers, Kaleena Miller, Michelle Grocke-Dewey

Journal of Extension

Twenty-two percent of groundwater wells tested nationwide have one or more contaminants above a health threshold, yet many private well owners are unaware of these risks because they have not tested their water. Researchers piloted a community well testing clinic for education/outreach and surveyed participants about outcomes. Two months later, 75% of participants with high or intermediate health risk water quality results had taken action or intended to, indicating that community private well testing clinics can be effective in mitigating human health risks from contaminated drinking water.

Educating Livestock Producers And Monitoring The Ecological Health Of Grazing Spaces, Morgan Mathisonslee, Matt R. Raven, Crista Derry

Journal of Extension

Addressing the climate catastrophe requires a systems approach with a focus on regenerating agricultural landscapes. To address these complex problems, we offered a monitoring training focused on a systems approach to livestock stewardship using the Savory Institute's Ecological Outcomes Verification protocol to monitor ecosystem health. The training encouraged producers to use systems-based management practices to promote ecological regeneration. We found that despite producers not adopting the monitoring protocol, there were increases in the ecological health of their farms. We suggest Extension professionals consider teaching similar ecological monitoring protocols to benefit producers and support claims about regenerative agriculture.

Community-Based Water Management Through Cultural Ecosystem Services: Traditional Wisdom And Modern Adaptation In Senjoyo Spring, Indonesia, Puji Winarti, Sri Haryani, Sri Wardani, Langlang Handayani

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Small-scale freshwater ecosystems play vital ecological and cultural roles. However, community-based water management (CBWM) often lacks a clear analytical approach to integrating cultural ecosystem services (CES) and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), limiting the practical understanding of culturally grounded governance. To address this gap, this qualitative study explores the interactions between CES and TEK, analyzes their roles within CBWM, and identifies their implications for sustainable water governance. The integration between cultural value and local ecological knowledge makes Senjoyo Spring an appropriate location for this study. Data were collected through interviews with 20 key informants, field observations, forum group discussions (FGDs), and …

Market Trends And Challenges For Alabama's Emerging Oyster Aquaculture Industry, Taryn M. Garlock, Quinn Lafontaine, Russell Grice, Andrea M. Tarnecki

Journal of Extension

Different marketing channels influence farm profitability by affecting the costs that producers incur and the prices they receive. This article quantifies oyster sales volume and price by market channel in Alabama's commercial oyster aquaculture sector and assesses challenges to expanding farm businesses. The results show that many oyster producers are selling exclusively through one channel, which raises questions about their resiliency and their capacity to adapt to a dynamic single market. The two most common market channels were processors and distributors. Most growers had a positive outlook on sales growth and showed the greatest interest in expanding sales to distributors, …

Pi3kδ Inhibition Alters Cd8 T Cell Differentiation And Reprograms The Tumor Microenvironment Following Adoptive Immunotherapy, Alexandrea Joy Turnquist

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

T cell exhaustion remains a significant barrier to effective adoptive cell therapy in solid tumors. Here, we demonstrate that in vitro treatment with the PI3Kδ inhibitor CAL-101 generates T cells with enhanced stemness and metabolic fitness, though the stemness of these cells is not dependent on HIF-1α -dependent mechanisms. These cells show increased mitochondrial dependence and spare respiratory capacity while maintaining normal basal metabolism. Under chronic antigen stimulation, CAL-101-treated T cells, including human T cells, resist terminal exhaustion and maintain stem-like properties. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics of B16 melanoma tumors, we found that CAL-101-treated T cells preferentially …

Marine Spatial Planning In The Asean Countries: Lesson Learned For Future Ocean Governance In Malaysia, Husni Alhan Md Salimun, Mohd Fadzil Akhir, Nazli Aziz, Che Din Mohd Safuan, Wan Izatul Asma Wan Talaat

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has emerged as an important governance instrument for balancing ecological protection, economic development, and social inclusion amid the rapidly intensifying blue economy in Southeast Asia. Although several ASEAN Member States (AMS) have initiated MSP processes, the existing literature on MSP governance in this region  remains fragmented and largely descriptive, limiting systematic cross-country comparison and evidence-based lessons. This study addresses this gap by assessing MSP governance performance across ASEAN countries and againts internationally recognized MSP governance benchmarks. A structured narrative review was conducted using selected PRISMA-informed procedures for literature identification and screening. Academic publications from 2003 to …

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Gardening Indoors, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle

All Current Publications

Extending your growing season is a great way to produce more food earlier in spring, later in fall, or even during winter. One of the best ways to do this is to use indoor gardening and greenhouse systems, which let you grow plants beyond what is possible outdoors or alongside outdoor growing. This guide focuses on soil-based indoor gardening.

Changing Ocean Chemistry: Impacts Of Ocean Deoxygenation And Acidification From Benthic Iron Fluxes To Fisheries, De'marcus Robinson

DoMES Seminar Series

Ocean deoxygenation and acidification are impacting marine ecosystems, contributing to changes in ocean biogeochemical cycling and fisheries across the U.S. West Coast and northern Gulf of America/Mexico. Using spatially and temporally resolved observations, numerical modeling, and biogeochemical analyses, this seminar examines how changing ocean conditions influence processes from water-column oxygen dynamics to marine organisms. In the Santa Barbara Basin, observations of dissolved O₂ reveal persistent decadal hypoxic and anoxic conditions and changes in deep-water ventilation associated with high benthic iron fluxes (0.23–4.9 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹). Combining benthic iron flux measurements with numerical simulations demonstrates how iron availability can enhance surface …

Does Farm Size Matter In Agricultural Extension Programs? Insights From Us Agriculture Census Data, Pilja Vitale, Joshua Campbell, Jeffrey Vitale, Michael Patrick, John Garlisch

Journal of Extension

This commentary examines how farm size influences agricultural Extension programs in the United States, highlighting disparities between large and small farms. While large farms dominate production through advanced technologies and economies of scale, small farms are vital for food security, community well-being, and cultural preservation. Key differences include water use, labor, machinery, marketing, financial management, and food safety practices. Extension programs address these disparities through tailored initiatives such as financial literacy training for small farms and technology adoption workshops for large ones. This analysis emphasizes the need for targeted and inclusive Extension programming to enhance sustainability and equity across farm …

Decentralized Renewable Energy And Sustainability By Integrating Solar Ovens Into Urban Living, Nuno Soares Domingues

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Urban households account for a substantial share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, with domestic cooking representing an often-overlooked component of residential energy demand. Low-cost solar cooking technologies offer a promising pathway towards urban decarbonization by harnessing renewable solar energy while reducing dependence on grid electricity and promoting circular resource use. This study evaluates the contribution of two experimentally developed low-cost solar box ovens to urban sustainability under Mediterranean climatic conditions in Lisbon, Portugal. A recycled cardboard prototype and a timber-based prototype were assessed through controlled outdoor experiments involving thermal performance, cooking capability, energy savings, and environmental evaluation. …

Improving Market Acceptance Of Agrivoltaic Implementation In Japan, Divya Suresh, Yuxin Qin, Kenichiro Hiramoto, Takuma Otaki, Abhishek Choudhury, Xiao Chen, Rajib Shaw

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Agrivoltaics (AV) enables the simultaneous use of land for solar energy generation and agricultural production. While AV has been widely studied from technical and economic perspectives, limited attention has been paid to market acceptance among farmers, particularly in Japan, where adoption remains constrained despite policy interest in renewable energy and rural revitalization. Existing studies identify regulatory, financial, and technical barriers, but insufficiently explain how farmer-level acceptance is shaped across different agricultural contexts or how project co-benefits can support adoption. This study examines farmers’ market acceptance of AV in Japan through a multi-case analysis of six projects in rice-cultivation areas, mountainous …

Good Governance In The Concept Of Climate Justice: Decarbonisation Policies In Economic Considerations Of Losses And Sacrifices, Daryanti Daryanti, Albertus Sentot Sudarwanto, Erna Dyah Kusumawati, Rosita Candrakirana

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Projections of losses resulting from the impacts of climate change in Indonesia are estimated to reach USD 30.5 million, affecting four key sectors: agriculture, water supply, health, and the maritime sector. This study shows that good governance based on climate justice in the implementation of decarbonization policies is the most important factor in avoiding long-term economic losses caused by the adverse impacts of climate change or investing in climate resilience. This study employed a normative methodology using a statutory approach to examine efforts related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The findings of this research indicate that regulations in Indonesia, …

Climate Change Mitigation And Forest Conservation: A Sdg-Aligned Framework For Malaysia, Hui Nee Au Yong, Chuan Chew Foo, Maryam Kalhoro, Irfan Rashdi

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Climate change and biodiversity loss are interlinked global crises that require integrated governance approaches, particularly in biodiversity-rich countries such as Malaysia. This study develops and empirically tests a climate biodiversity sustainable development goal (SDGs) nexus model that integrates forest governance, carbon sequestration, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK), and sustainable practices to explain climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation outcomes. Survey data were collected from 412 respondents across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships. The analysis examines direct, mediating, and moderating relationships among governance, social, technological, and policy factors. Forest governance …