Life Sciences Commons^™

Radiological And Chemical Safety Assessment Of Drinking Water From Treatment Plants And Rivers In Kut City, Iraq, Ahmed A. Alswaty, Hadi D. Alattabi

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities, particularly wastewater discharge into rivers, have raised pollution levels in the water sources of Kut City, necessitating an assessment of the radiological and chemical safety of drinking water at the city's treatment plants. Thirteen water samples were collected, comprising ten treated and three raw water samples from the source rivers. An HPGe detector was used to measure the radionuclides ²¹⁴Bi, ²¹⁴Pb, ²¹²Bi, ²¹²Pb, ⁴⁰K, and ¹³⁷Cs. All measured radionuclides were below the minimum detectable activity (MDA). ICP-OES analysis supported these findings, as U concentrations in most samples were …

Role Of The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (Ahr) In Cellular Response To Novel Chemotherapeutic Compounds, Alexis Fagg '28, Jacoba Hensley '27, Emma Krsak '28

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women in the United States and around the world, with approximately 320,000 new cases estimated to be diagnosed, and over 40,000 cancer-related deaths estimated in 2026 (American Cancer Society, Key Statistics for Breast Cancer). While cancer treatments have improved significantly in the past decade, particularly in the area of immunotherapy, these therapies are not effective in solid tumors like breast cancer. There are many therapeutic options for early-stage breast cancer, but new therapeutic options continue to be necessary, particularly to prevent progression of cancers and to treat advanced, metastatic tumors. …

Kinetiscan: Evaluating A Browser-Based Monocular System For 3d Gait Analysis, Thu Tran '29, Stephen Agyemang '28, Rueben Addison

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Gait analysis is a useful tool for early detection, diagnosis of neurological and orthopedic conditions, and rehabilitation support. The gold standard for assessment of gait requires laboratory motion capture systems. The system requires calibrated cameras, reflective markers, specialist software, and professionals to operate. For these reasons, gait analysis is expensive and inaccessible in some clinics, schools, and home settings where continuous or early monitoring would have a significant impact. KinetiScan addresses this gap with just a single ordinary camera. This browser-based system uses transformer architecture to perform 2D-to-3D mapping. When provided with distance and height entries, KinetiScan outputs the 3D …

Production And Characterization Of Aav6 Vectors For Psgl-1 Knockdown In T Cells, Uyen Le '27, Eli Vanlal, Gabriele Romano

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Melanoma is commonly treated with the combination of targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors, but treatment resistance or relapse remains a major challenge. P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is a cell-surface glycoprotein expressed on immune cells that can suppress T-cell activity within the tumor microenvironment. Silencing PSGL-1 expression may therefore help improve T-cell antitumor function. This project aimed to produce functional adeno-associated virus serotype 6 (AAV6) vectors carrying short hairpin RNA (shRNA) constructs targeting PSGL-1 and to evaluate their ability to reduce PSGL-1 expression in T cells. AAV6 vectors containing U6 or CD3 based shRNA constructs were produced in HEK293T cells …

Dilution-To-Extinction Reveals Shifts In Carbon Substrate Utilization And Functional Capacity Following Soil Microbial Diversity Loss, Thi Doan '27, Uyen Le '27, Crimson Hickman, Philips Akinwole

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Soil microbial communities play critical roles in ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling and organic matter decomposition, yet it remains unclear how losses in microbial diversity influence these functions independent of total biomass. In this study, we examined how reductions in microbial diversity affect soil metabolic activity while controlling for microbial abundance. We used a dilution-to-extinction approach by inoculating sterilized soil with 10-fold serial dilutions of a soil slurry (10⁰ to 10⁻⁶), followed by a 21-day incubation to allow microbial regrowth. Biomass (measured as phospholipid phosphate), and metabolic activity (measured with BIOLOG EcoPlates) were used to quantify microbial biomass and …

The Relationship Between Light Intensity And Tall Goldenrod Productivity Across Greencastle Fields, Erniya Jean Jacques '29, Rose Keith

Annual Student Research Poster Session

This study investigates the effects of environmental conditions, specifically light availability and climate variation, on the growth and productivity of Solidago altissima (tall goldenrod) across four field sites in Greencastle, Indiana (including sites associated with DePauw University, such as Prindle, Ullem, QA, and NP). By sampling 160 specimens across contrasting light environments (sunny vs. shaded plots) and comparing data between 2024 and 2026, the project evaluates key physical traits including plant height, biomass, and light intensity (μmol). Findings indicate a trade-off in energy allocation: plants in shaded conditions invest more energy into height growth to capture limited sunlight, whereas individuals …

Investigating Factors Of Tree Mortality, Charlie Shivers Iv '28

Annual Student Research Poster Session

In recent decades, there has been a global decline in tree populations, and in this large-scale forest dynamics plot, we observed a change from accruing biomass(the organic material that trees store) to losing it. Many studies suggest that this trend may become more common, but few look for the mechanisms behind it. This study explores how much two factors, trees growing to their maximum size and non-indigenous pests and pathogens, contribute to the observed mortality and loss of biomass. We conducted an annual mortality census of all trees over ten centimeters wide on the plot using ArcGIS fieldmaps to add …

Gall Presence And Herbivory In Goldenrod: Examining Variation In Leaf Damage And Herbivore Communities, Sahit Liyanage '28, Rose Keith

Annual Student Research Poster Session

We examined whether gall presence was associated with herbivory in 28 goldenrod plants at Ullem during summer 2026. We compared 14 galled and 14 ungalled plants for percent leaf damage, herbivore richness, and overall herbivore community composition. Galled plants showed slightly higher leaf damage and herbivore richness, but none of these differences were statistically significant. These results suggest that gall presence alone did not strongly explain variation in herbivory among the plants sampled.

Fisheries Science Update - Pilbara Demersal Scalefish Resource - October 2026, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Science Updates

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) monitors the status of Western Australia’s demersal scalefish resources by undertaking periodic stock assessments on key indicator species.

This summary provides key outcomes of the 2026 Pilbara red emperor stock assessment (Resource Assessment Report No. 12).

Resource Assessment Report No. 12: North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource: Pilbara Red Emperor 2026 Assessment, Fabian I. Trinnie, Rubie Evans-Powell, Brett Crisafulli, S. A. Hesp, Ainslie Denham, Dion Boddington, Craig L. Skepper

Resource Assessment Reports

Executive Summary

The North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource (NCDSR) comprises ecological suites of tropical demersal fish species that occur predominantly in inshore (20–250 m deep) and offshore (> 250 m deep) waters of the North Coast Bioregion (NCB). More than 60 demersal species are landed by fisheries operating in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of the NCB each year, including higher-valued species, such as red emperor (Lutjanus sebae), goldband snapper (Pristipomoides multidens), rankin cod (Epinephelus rankini), and ruby snapper (Etelis boweni), and lower-valued species, such as bluespotted emperor (Lethrinus punctulatus).

The Pilbara Demersal Scalefish Resource (PDSR) is harvested by the …

Investigating The Role Of Gαf In Sperm Storage In The Spermathecae Of Female Drosophila Melanogaster, Aileen Liu

Holster Scholar Projects

Reproductive secretory cells are essential for fertility and have been implicated in diseases such as high-grade serous cancer, yet the molecular mechanisms governing their function remain poorly understood. Using genetic tools available in Drosophila melanogaster, we investigated whether Gαf contributes to reproductive secretory-cell function by examining its role in sperm storage. Gαf is highly expressed in these cells, suggesting a potential role in secretory cell function. Tissue-specific RNAi, trans-heterozygous mutants, and tissue-specific rescue were utilized to examine the role of Gαf in sperm storage. Gαf knockdown consistently reduced sperm storage, supporting a role for Gαf in maintaining normal sperm …

An Exploration Of Plasticity In Apocynum Cannabinum, Mia Moore 28, Rose Keith

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum Cannabinum) is a perennial plant native to the United States known for being extremely plastic, meaning its morphological traits adapt to its environment. This study explores how dogbane adapts to microgeographic variance and how its morphological traits are influenced by its genetics vs. the environment. We conducted various experiments over the summer. The first was a large census at the beginning of the summer where we measured several morphological traits of dogbane from the quarry bottom of the DePauw Nature Park (DNP) and various other locations in or adjacent to the DNP. We repeated this census at …

The Β2Αb Loop Determines Nad(P) Cofactor Specificity And Kinetics In Trypanosomal D-3-Hydroxybutyrate Dehydrogenases, Hideharu Hashimoto, Ian H. Mawn, William Escobar-Arrillaga, Linh Nguyen, Laura A. Madigan, Gina Antuono, Tatiana Rossy, Jorna Sojati, Anna Mienko, Erik W. Debler, Jennifer B. Palenchar

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Bacterial d-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenases (HBDHs) catalyze the conversion between d-3-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate with NAD as the cofactor but not with NAD 2'-phosphate (NADP). However, HBDHs of the early-branched eukaryotic genus Trypanosoma utilize both NAD and NADP (T. brucei) or exclusively NADP (T. cruzi). Here we reveal that NADP specificity of T. cruzi HBDH arises from stabilization of the flexible β2αB loop by the 2'-phosphate interaction. Stabilization of this loop by a nearby C64Y mutation enables T. cruzi HBDH to use NAD in addition to NADP; thus, the Cys/Tyr residue is critical for determining cofactor specificity in trypanosomal HBDHs, suggesting that most …

First Evaluation Of Contrast-Enhanced Micro-Xct As A Tool For Organismal And Reproductive Trait Observations In Corals Based On Scans Of Thesea Nivea Deichmann, 1936, Erin E. Easton

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Micro-X-ray computed tomography (micro-XCT) with contrast enhancement is considered a non-destructive tool that is increasingly being applied to explore the internal and external structures of vertebrates and invertebrates. Although micro-XCT has been applied to corals to study skeletal features, contrast enhancement has not been applied to evaluate the utility for visualization of soft tissue structures in corals. This study is the first to evaluate the utility of contrast enhancement to visualize internal and external features, including soft tissue features, of octocorals. Contrast staining of a Thesea nivea specimen with 2.5% Lugol's iodine permitted visualization of soft tissues with sufficient density …

Forestry And Wildfire Research Needs In Utah: Insights From A Statewide Survey, Catrin Edgeley, Larissa Yocom, Lucy Nelson

Reports

This survey underscores the time-sensitive nature of investment in forest and fire science in Utah to protect the public and improve landscape functioning. Practitioners statewide seek improved availability of place-specific science across a wide range of topics that can inform forest management decisions.

Blue Carbon Ecosystems As Climate Solutions: Sequestration Across Coastal And Marine Environments, Allison K. White, Richard J. Kline, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, sequester significant amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. These ecosystems capture and store carbon in biomass and sediments over long periods. Other marine ecosystems, including the open ocean, kelp forests, bivalve reefs, and coral reefs, have been excluded from the BCEs, but they have the potential to serve as crucial blue carbon sinks or to support adjacent BCEs. Climate change, however, poses severe threats to these ecosystems. Rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, and ocean acidification can lead to habitat loss, reduced biodiversity, and impaired carbon sequestration capacity. Consequently, anthropogenic …

A Geothermal Amoeba Sets A New Upper Temperature Limit For Eukaryotes, H. Beryl Rappaport, Natalie A. Petek-Seoane, Tomas Tyml, Jessica K. Niblo, Felix Mikus, Naomi E. Gilbert, Kurt Labutti, Godwin Ani, Ethan Macvicar, Rachel M. Shepherd, Ignacio De La Higuera, Samuel J. Lord, Gautam Dey, Kenneth M. Stedman, Multiple Additional Authors

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study of temperature limits has transformed our understanding of life’s boundaries but has focused on bacteria and archaea. For decades after their discovery, no eukaryote was shown to replicate above 60◦C. We isolated a geothermal amoeba, Incendiamoeba cascadensis, that divides at 63◦C and is motile up to 64◦C. We identified an enrichment of genes related to proteostasis and environmental sensing relative to mesophilic amoebae. Comparative RNA sequencing of I. cascadensis revealed upregulation of pathways related to proteostasis, DNA repair, and membrane trafficking at high temperatures. Predicted proteins of I. cascadensis have distinct biophysical properties, including enrichment of positively charged …

Growing South Dakota (Fall 2026), College Of Agriculture, Food And, Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Support from donors helping set SDSU dairy graduates above the rest
[Page] 4 A decade of impact: Celebrating 10 years of cow-calf, swine education and research facilitates
[Page] 8 98-year-old donor keeps decades-long scholarship going in honor of late husband
[Page] 11 Looking back at Michele Dudash's tenure in academia
[Page] 12Giving students opportunities, experience to build their futures
[Page] 16 A Jackrabbit's journey in growing agricultural leadership
[Page] 18 Building South Dakota's next generation of rural veterinarians
[Page] 19 Conservation: A family affair
[Page] 20 South Dakota Water Resources Institute finds solutions to South Dakota's water challenges …

Beyond Nutrients: Frass Fertilizer Legacy Effects For Sustainable Nematode Management In Potato–African Nightshade Rotation Systems, Emmanuel O. Anedo, Dennis Beesigamukama, Benson Mochoge, Nicholas K. Korir, Solveig Haukeland, Xavier Cheseto, Moses Nyongesa, Patrick Pwaipwai, Sevgan Subramanian, Abdou Tenkouano, Chrysantus M. Tanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The utilization of insect frass fertilizer in crop production systems has recently gained significant global interest, but there has been limited evidence of its residual benefits in rotational cropping systems. The legacy effects of black soldier frass fertilizers (BSFFF), conventional organic fertilizer (SAFI), inorganic fertilizer (NPK), synthetic nematicide, and their combinations on potato cyst nematode (PCN) management under potato-African nightshade rotational farming systems were investigated. Eight treatments were evaluated: BSFFF, SAFI, chitin-fortified BSFFF (BSFFF+5chitin), NPK + nematicide, combination of BSFFF and NPK so that each supplies 50% of the nitrogen required by potato (50BSFFF+50NPK), combination of SAFI and NPK so …

Risks Of Mercury Release From Disturbance Of Blue Carbon Ecosystems, Fan Zhang, Jingrou Hu, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández, Christian J. Sanders, Xinxin Li, Ruotong Chen, Kunshan Bao, Bigyan Neupane, Aidah Baloch, Yanhui Zheng, Oscar Serrano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) function as dual repositories of organic carbon and legacy contaminants. While BCEs are recognized carbon sinks, their role as mercury (Hg) sinks and the risk of their conversion into sources due to human and climatic disturbances remain unexplored. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the drivers and risks of contaminant remobilization from threatened BCEs, with a primary focus on mercury. We explore how natural and human disturbances influence Hg storage, release, and bioavailability, while evaluating the risks posed to ecosystems and human health. Through a three-level meta-analysis, we show that physical disturbance remobilizes approximately 54% (95% …

Grains, Seeds And Hay Industry Funding Scheme: 2026-29 Strategic Plan, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Industry Funding Schemes (IFS) are a powerful effort fuelled by industry support and steered by industry stakeholders. The Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS addresses pest and disease threats that pose a high risk to profitability or production into the grains, seed and hay industry in Western Australia.

The Grains, Seed and Hay IFS is managed by an Industry Management Committee, composed of dedicated producers and growers. As a crucial link between industry and government, our IFS collaborates closely with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) who manage the BAM regulation list and deliver impactful programs.

Parents Don’T Dictate The Menu: Lack Of Strong Host-Specific Parental Effects May Help Maintain Dietary Generalism, Emma J. Sellers, Mayra C. Vidal, Dhaval K. Vyas, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Gina M. Wimp, Mattheau S. Comerford, Mariana Abarca, Shannon M. Murphy

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The environment or experiences of a parent generation can impact the fitness of the next generation, a phenomenon known as parental effects. While a high-quality diet can directly benefit an individual and a low-quality diet can reduce fitness, a parental effect occurs only when there is a transgenerational response to these stimuli that manifests in the individual’s offspring. In dietary generalists, a parental effect could play an important role for offspring performance if the species experiences considerable variation in quality across host plants; posi- tive parental effects may result from host matching between parents and offspring on high-quality host plants, …

Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum Elaeagnifolium) Undergoes Guild-Specific Transcriptomic Reprogramming Against Chewing Versus Piercing Sucking Herbivory, Arunsaikumar Karrem, Matthew Terry, Jagdish Jaba, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Solanum elaeagnifolium (silverleaf nightshade, SLN) is a globally invasive perennial weed with reproductive plasticity and complex defence systems that significantly impact crop yields by invading fields of staple, commercial and ornamental crops. Despite being a host to multiple insect herbivores, the molecular programming enabling its rapid adaptation to defend against diverse feeding guilds remains poorly resolved. Here, we report a comprehensive de novo transcriptomic assembly and comparative analysis of S. elaeagnifolium challenged by two distinct herbivores: the piercing-sucking generalist cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora and the chewing specialist tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. Differential gene expression analysis revealed a massive difference …

Exploring The Significance Of Kenya's Indigenous And Emerging Blue Foods For Sustainable Aquaculture Development. A Review, Jonathan Munguti, Mavindu Muthoka, Domitila Kyule, Esther Magondu, Kevin Obiero, Jimmy Mboya, Menaga Meenakshisundaram, Tanga M. Chrysantus, Gerald Kwikiriza, Francis K. Njonge

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Kenya's aquaculture sector is at a pivotal stage, transitioning from a historical reliance on Nile tilapia and African catfish toward a more diversified production portfolio that integrates indigenous and emerging freshwater and marine species. This shift is increasingly recognized as essential to enhance climate resilience, food security, and ecosystem health. This systematic review synthesizes more than two decades (2000 to 31st January, 2026) of peer-reviewed literature to evaluate the biological suitability, culture performance, and socio-ecological roles of underutilized native taxa, including Ningu (Labeo victorianus), Jipe tilapia (Oreochromis jipe), freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp.), rabbitfish (Siganus sutor), marine-acclimatized Nile tilapia, mud crab …

Genomic Vulnerability Of A Threatened Possum In A Biodiversity And Climate Change Hotspot, Grace I. Marsh, Sean James Buckley, Daniel J. White, Adrian F. Wayne, Bryony J. Palmer, Nicola J. Mitchell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Spatial variation in the magnitude and pace of climate change impacts means some species will be more affected than others. This includes those occurring within global biodiversity hotspots, regions with exceptional concentrations of endemic species that have often been shaped by long-term climatic stability. Disproportionate levels of human-induced pressure in these areas are threatening much of the biodiversity values that make these biodiversity hotspots exceptional. Southwest Western Australia is a highly fragmented temperate biodiversity hotspot experiencing rapid climate change and supporting many species of threatened mammals. One Critically Endangered arboreal folivore, the western ringtail possum (ngwayir; Pseudocheirus occidentalis), has contracted …

Keys To The Families Of Vascular Plants In Northwestern California, James P. Smith Jr, John O. Sawyer Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

A Checklist Of Vascular Plants Endemic To California, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

An Annotated List Of The Native And Naturalized Grasses Of Hawaii, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

The Grasses Of Oklahoma, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

Poisonous And Mechanically Injurious Grasses, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.