Life Sciences Commons^™

Norfolk Flooding And Its Effect On Nutrient And Enterococcus Levels, Malachi R. Stephens

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Tidal flooding is common in the City of Norfolk, VA due to high rates of sea rise in the region, as well as the region’s subsidence. This has led to increases in flooding at high tide, especially during the spring tide portion of the tidal cycle.  At high tide water from the Elizabeth and Lafayette Rivers can flood the landscape directly or can rise out of storm drains. This floodwater often stays on land for long periods of time and can deliver contaminants back into the rivers. To determine the amounts of nutrients and Enterococcus, a fecal indicator, delivered to …

Fortification Of Flour Cultivated In The Territory Of The Republic Of Uzbekistan With Own Iron And Zinc, Nodira B. Kurbanova, Gulnoza Z. Djakhangirova, Bakhtiyar I. Kurbanov, Dase D. Klava

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The aim of the study is to investigate the regional characteristics of iron and zinc content in wheat and flour produced in Uzbekistan using instrumental neutron activation analysis, and on this basis to provide a scientific justification for effective approaches to flour fortification and the preservation of micronutrients during grain processing. The study analyzed wheat flour produced from grain grown in five regions of Uzbekistan (Khorezm, Surkhandarya, Bukhara, Tashkent, and Fergana). Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was applied for the first time in Uzbekistan to comprehensively assess the microelement composition of flour. It was found that fortification using natural sources …

Preparation Of Semi-Hard Cacciota Cheese From Local Milk And Analysis Of Its Physicochemical And Microbiological Properties, Shahnoza U. Yuldasheva, Dilshod P. Rakhimov, Dilrabo Q. Maksumova, Shahlo I. Akhmedova, Asaloy U. Narimonova

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Including cheese products in daily diet will give tangible results, enriching body with nutrients rich in high-quality proteins. The aim of the research is to create an Italian semi-hard cheese, caciotta, from local cow's milk. In the experiment, pepsin of the CHY-MAX® Powder Plus NB brand was used. The resulting product contained 1.46 mg/kg zinc (Zn), which is approximately 34 times lower than the permissible limit (50 mg/kg), which is considered a high quality indicator. From a biological safety point of view, no aflatoxin M1 was detected in the cheese (0.0 mg/kg), indicating the absence of mycotoxin contamination of cow's …

Effect Of Variety And Seaweed Extract Spray In The Content Of Some Medically Active Phenolic Compounds In Grape Fruits, Ali Ahmed Hussein Almyali, Salim Kadhim, Ali S. Hassoon, Ameer Al Fatlawy

Al-Bahir

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most economically significant fruit crops which has a large adaptive range, nutrition and medicine effect. A variety of 70 types of grapes are planted on more than 11.6 million plants in Iraq, generating a total annual output of more than 421,000 tons. Increasing grape quality, and particularly the phenolic composition recently has been of major interest. Leaf nutrition – particularly seaweed extracts, being rich in amino acids, trace elements and growth promoting substances – has proved to be a potential tool to enhance plant growth and fruit biochemical quality. The …

3'Utr Mapping Reveals Alternative Polyadenylation In Right Ventricular Failure, Rahul Neupane, Kartiga Natarajan, Erik E Suarez, Henry J Pownall, Kai-Lieh Huang, Eric J Wagner, Ajay Kumar Verma, Rambabu Majji, Hari Krishna Yalamanchili, Ashrith Guha, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

From Fair To Cure: Guidelines For Computational Models Of Biological Systems, Herbert M. Sauro, Eran Agmon, Michael L. Blinov, John H. Gennari, Joseph L. Hellerstein, Adel Heydarabadipour, Bartholomew E. Jardine, Elebeoba May, David P. Nickerson, Lucian P. Smith, Gary D. Bader, Frank T. Bergmann, Patrick M. Boyle, Andreas Dräger, James R. Faeder, Song Feng, Juliana Freire, Fabian Fröhlich, James A. Glazier, Thomas E. Gorochowski, Tomas Helikar, Henning Hermjakob, Stefan Hoops, Peter Hunter, Princess I. Imoukhuede, Sarah M. Keating, Matthias König, Reinhard Laubenbacher, Leslie M. Loew, Carlos F. Lopez, William W. Lytton, Rahuman S. Malik-Sheriff, Andrew Mcculloch, Pedro Mendes, Lealem Mulugeta, Chris J. Myers, Jerry G. Myers, Anna Niarakis, David D. Van Niekerk, Brett G. Olivier, Alexander A. Patrie, Ellen M. Quardokus, Nicole Radde, Johann M. Rohwer, Sven Sahle, James C. Schaff, Falk Schreiber, T. J. Sego, Janis Shin, Jacky L. Snoep, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, H. Steven Wiley, Dagmar Waltemath, Ion I. Moraru

Computational Medicine Center Faculty Papers

Guidelines for managing scientific data have been established under the FAIR principles, requiring that data be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. In many scientific disciplines, especially computational biology, both data and models are key to progress. For this reason, and recognizing that such models are a very special type of "data", we argue that computational models, especially mechanistic models prevalent in medicine, physiology and systems biology, deserve a complementary set of guidelines. We propose the CURE principles, emphasizing that models should be Credible, Understandable, Reproducible, and Extensible. We delve into each principle, discussing verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification for model …

Assessing The Impact Of Lampenflora Growth On Invertebrate Distribution And Food Resource Use In Ryusen-Do Cave, Japan, Kazuhide Nakajima, Kanato Ando, Shuji Watanabe, Masuo Komukai

International Journal of Speleology

Subterranean spaces, such as caves with openings to the surface, represent unique environments characterized by limited resources derived from photosynthetic primary production. Consequently, organic inputs from organisms inhabiting above- and belowground habitats, such as bats, play a crucial role in maintaining cave ecosystems. However, in show caves converted into tourist attractions, environmental changes have progressed without sufficient ecological assessment. One important factor is the impact of photosynthetic organisms colonizing around artificial lights, known as lampenflora, on cave ecosystems. Lampenflora growth may influence invertebrate distribution and resource use; however, its impact on both aspects has been poorly evaluated. In this study, …

Comparative Effect Of Mineral, Organic, And Mixed Sunscreens Formulations On The Life History Of A Benthic Marine Invertebrate, Jacob Anthony Fox, Courtney Lott, Araceli Rodriguez-Romero, Gloria Massamba N'Siala

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Mineral and organic sunscreens are emerging anthropogenic pollutants in coastal marine waters and have been shown to affect marine invertebrates via genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, and impacts on life-history traits, such as reduced survival, growth, and fecundity. Most experiments expose marine organisms to isolated UV filters, with fewer studies testing complete formulations, co-occurring exposure to organic and mineral sunscreens, or the modulating influence of format type on toxicity. In this experiment, we tested the impact of organic sunscreens (3% Avobenzone, 15% Homosalate, 5% Octinoxate, and 10% Octocylene) and 24% zinc oxide mineral sunscreens on the survival and fecundity of …

Effects Of Alk2 Deficiency On T Cell Fate And Regulatory T Cell Populations, Jalyn Reeves, Afia Salsabil Alam

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are central to immune tolerance, and their lineage stability is established during thymic development and maintained in the periphery through tightly regulated signaling networks. Members of the BMP receptor family have been implicated in T-cell differentiation, yet the specific role of the type I receptor ALK2 in shaping cell fate and sustaining the regulatory program remains unclear. To examine how ALK2 contributes to T-cell development, we generated ALK2-knockout murine chimeras and analyzed lymphoid populations from the thymus, spleen, and peripheral tissues. Thymocytes and lymphocytes were isolated and stained with antibody panels to identify developmental subsets and …

Interview With Orca Award Winner David Hage, Unl Chemistry; Drug-Protein Interactions, Mark Griep, David Hage

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Prof. David Hage was awarded the ORCA in 2018. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and earned a bachelor’s in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse. Next, he earned a doctorate from Iowa State University and did postdoctoral work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In 1989, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of chemistry and quickly rose through the ranks. He has won many awards and, for the past 13 years, has been the James Hewet University Professor of Chemistry. Allow me to share some remarkable facts about Dave before we get into …

Variable Responses To Surface Washing Methods Used On Euplatypus Compositus (Curculionidae: Platypodinae) Prior To Fungal Isolation, Connor Biser, Jiri Hulcr, Miranda Barnes, Seth Bybee

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Ambrosia beetles (Platypodinae and Scolytinae) are a group of weevils that burrow into the xylem of trees and inoculate symbiotic fungi. These fungi grow in the walls of their galleries and serves as the beetles’ food source.1 [Fig. 1] This system of symbiotic interaction is highly convergent, and some beetles carry plant pathogens.2 Understanding the community of fungi associated with ambrosia beetles can help us assess forest risks and describe evolutionary patterns. When isolating fungi from beetles, researchers often include a preliminary surface washing step to limit superficial contaminants from the surface of the beetle. There have been no comparisons …

Unlikely Relationships: Plant Growth Promotion With Fish Waste Microbes, Thomas W. Scharf, Brad Geary

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

1st Place - Open House Presentation

• Aiding plant growth is becoming more important as climate conditions continue changing in key wildlands and farmlands.
• Future Fresh Farms has created a product from fish waste, addressing this need.
• This study aimed to compare the outcomes of plants grown with MicroRevive, derived from fish waste, against plants grown with other growth promoting bacteria (PGPB).

Uncovering The Roles Of Environment And Phylogeny In The Expression Of A Shared Morphological Trait In Squamates, Austin Rejcek, Dylan Mcmullen, Logan Gren, Randy L. Klabacka

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Addressing the roles of adaptive and nonadaptive processes in trait evolution is a major focus of evolutionary biology

Recently, we observed an undescribed morphological trait on the eyelids of squamate lizards - AKA ''Palpebral combs'' (See photos)

This trait appears to be widespread within lguania, although there is consistent morphological variation between species of varying ecologies

Uav Imaging: Reliability Of Drone-Captured Images In Ecological Work, Andrew Sevy, Steven L. Petersen, Russell Torgersen, Otto De Grof, Austin Housley

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based imagery offers a scalable, repeatable method for surveying large landscapes, with the potential to reduce field effort while increasing detection consistency.

Despite growing interest in UAV applications, the accuracy of drones in identifying small, irregular features like stud piles remains poorly quantified, creating uncertainty about their reliability for management decisions.

Three Lower Extremity Muscle Volumes Predict Countermovement Jump Height In Collegiate Basketball Players, Josh Vandenakker, Jacob Green, Malorie Wilwand, Micahel Davie, Steven D. Arnold, A. Wayne Johnson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

The countermovement jump (CMJ) is an essential ability in basketball, and increased jump height provides players with a competitive advantage.

Sport-specific data connecting MRI-derived muscle volumes to CMJ mechanics and height remains limited.

Our aim: To examine correlations between CMJ height and the muscle volume of the soleus, quadriceps, and gluteus maximus in collegiate basketball players.

The Web Hunter: Gut Metabarcoding Of Thread Legged Assassin Bugs (Emesinae; Reduviidae), Julia Fordham, Samantha Standring

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Thread-legged assassin bugs (Emesine) have frequently been observed on Baguada giganteus spider webs and have specialized morphology thought to evolve from hunting spiders. There is little to no research regarding the diet preferences for the majority of Emesinae species, and it remains unclear to what extent their diet consists of spiders. This research project utilized gut metabarcoding techniques to better understand the dietary behaviors of four emesine species: Emesa annulata, Polauchenia schubarti, Tagalis dichroa, and Bagauda giganteus.

The Role Of Nmda And Mglur5 Receptors On Hippocampal Depotentiation, J.H. Cummings, E. Sandberg, J.G. Edwards

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Depotentiation of LTP, the cellular mechanism of learning and memory, is thought to be the primary mechanism of forgetting.

Prior research in our lab investigated metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and its role in depotentiation and noted differences between males and females.

Preliminary data on NMDA receptors using AP5 (an antagonist) identified interesting findings, though n values are too low currently to draw conclusions.

The Impact Of Social Media On Attention And Memory, Jared Mcfarlane, Nathan Mangum, Ryan Ensign, Andrew Lloyd, Samuel Storm, Jared Nielsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Social media has become nearly ubiquitous in recent years. However, relatively little is known about how its use is related to cognition. This study investigates the potential connection between our social media use habits and our cognitive abilities, specifically sustained attention and episodic memory.

The Fungi Behind The Forest: How Mycorrhizal Diversity Changes In Great Basin Bristlecone Pine In Response To Tree Age And Resource Availability, Zeb M. Mendenhall, Otto W. Groff, Austin J. Housley, Steven L. Petersen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

2nd Place - Open House Presentation

Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva, hereafter bristlecone) is one of the longest living organisms on the planet1 (Fig.1).

Bristlecone form symbiotic relationships with Ectomycorrhiza (ECM) to gain important resources in dry, nutrient poor soils2 (Fig. 2).

Very little research exists on the relationship between bristlecone and ECM, limiting our understanding of how these trees survive.

This project investigates how ECM diversity changes in bristlecone with age and different resource availabilities.

Species Dynamics And Potential Invasion In The Restored Streams Of East Maui, Hannah Breinholt, Isabelle Hunter, Sarah Cole, Seth M. Bybee, Rachel L. Wood

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

100+ years of water diversions in East Maui disrupted this connectivity, threatening native species and their habitat

In 2018, stream flow was restored to 22 streams

Endemic amphidromous fish in East Maui streams depend on intact flow from mountains to sea (mauka-to-makai) and are especially vulnerable to habitat disruption and isolation [1]

Has stream restoration enabled native fish species to recolonize or has it created openings for non-native species?

Shoot Apical Meristem Size And Inflorescence Morphology In Gilia, Madeleine Glover, Clinton Whipple

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Gilia, a genus of wildflower native to the western United States, is a promising new model for evolutionary developmental biology. Two closely related Gilia species, G. capitata and G. yorkii, are able to produce a fertile hybrid, though they differ in many morphological features, including inflorescence architecture. G. capitata has a tight capitate inflorescence with a high solitary flower number, while G. yorkii has a much more open inflorescence, with a solitary flower number of one. Analysis of shoot apical meristem (SAM) size in relationship with solitary flower number (SFN) will provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of this …

Self-Reported Longest-Held Occupation Type In Relation To Epilepsy In Late Life: A Pooled Cohort Analysis Of Incidence And Prevalence, Daniel Guerrero Gutierrez, Sofia Pelagalli Maia, Hyunmi Choi, Jose Gutierrez, Natalie Bello, Mary L. Biggs, Emily M. Briceño, James F. Burke, Lisandro D. Colantonio, Mitchell S.V. Elkind, Annette L. Fitzpatrick, Christopher Gonzalez, Alden L. Gross, Lei Huang, Emily L. Johnson, W. Craig Johnson, Cheng-Shiun Leu, Deborah A. Levine, Minghua Liu, W.T. Longstreth Jr., Richard P. Mayeux, Sylwia Misiewicz, Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer, Tatjana Rundek, Danurys Sanchez, Steven J. Shea, Tian Wang, Carolyn W. Shu, Evan L. Thacker

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Epilepsy in late life is influenced by biological, behavioral, social and environmental factors

Lifetime occupation type may capture socioeconomic, environmental, and long-term physical exposures relevant to brain health (e.g., manual labor, stress levels, neurotoxic exposures) that could influence neurological aging

Seizure Propagation And How Ketones May Help Mitigate Harmful Effects, Jacob Wassmer, Melissa L. Blotter, Isaac Stubbs, R. Ryley Parrish

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Status epilepticus (SE) is a seizure state characterized by continuous ictal activity lasting over 5 minutes. SE frequently becomes unresponsive to frontline antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), resulting in refractory status epilepticus (RSE), a neurological medical emergency with a mortality rate as high as 38% in some studies. To assess how SE develops over time, we have characterized an ex vivo brain slice SE model using a high-resolution multi-electrode recording system. The system contains over 4000 electrodes with less than 60μM of space in between each electrode. With this unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, we have identified key features of SE that …

Research Process Toward The Creation Of Transgenic Beetles, Abraham B. Alton, Nathan Dauk, Jonah Jex, Brian D. Jensen, Sandra Hope

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Honorable Mention - Poster Design

Create a generalizable, reliable, and efficient procedure for insect genetic modification.

Insects born parasitic diseases such as malaria cause hundreds of millions of deaths each year. Many of these diseases could be eliminated if we had a reliable method for genetically modifying insects.

Rapid Kitchen Compost As A Growing Media, Rebecca Kerr, Shannon V. Nelson, Bryan G. Hopkins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

ReencleTM composters decompose most food waste within 24 hours (~90% reduction).

Compost can be an excellent source of nutrients for plants and improve soil structure and water retention.

Objective: Determine the effectiveness of kitchen compost as a soil amendment for growing lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Potential Role Of Atr In Slower Aids Progression Associated With Hiv-1 Vpr Mutant R77q, Ava Wilstead, Sidney T. Sithole, Bradford K. Berges

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

HIV-1 typically induces necrotic T cell death, resulting in chronic inflammation that drives Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) progression. However, mutations in viral protein R (Vpr) are associated with altered disease outcomes. The HIV-1 Vpr mutant R77Q is linked to individuals that do not progress to AIDS without treatment, termed a longterm non-progressor (LTNP). The Berges lab has shown that R77Q infection results in reduced overall cell death compared to wild-type (WT) virus, while inducing increased apoptotic cell death.

Nest-Site Selection Of Chukar (Alectoris Chukar) In Western Utah, Julyn S. Robinson, Jacob T. Barnes, Heather L. Talley, Randy T. Larsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Fitness for species in arid systems is strongly influenced by reproductive success, particularly in ground nesting birds. Chukar (Alectoris chukar), an introduced and popular game bird throughout the west, provide recreational hunting and ecological value, yet the habitat features influencing their nest placement and nesting success remain poorly understood.

Muscle Transplants: Science Fiction Or Modern Medicine?, Erastus Evans, Mason Kephart, Benjamin Long, Jake Sorensen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

The loss of skeletal muscle from trauma or surgery results in limited regeneration and long-term dysfunction. Muscle transplants replenish lost cellular and structural tissue to improve healing and recovery of strength. Juvenile tissue offers a promising alternative to adult tissue due to the increased satellite cell and myofiber content.

Meta Analysis Of The Riverine Barrier Hypothesis In Mainland Southeast Asia, Gavin Kohl, Christian Furness, Eleanor Savage, Perry Van Wagoner, Randy Klabacka

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Understanding the drivers of biodiversification is an important objective in evolutionary biology

Yet much is still unknown regarding the mechanisms that drive biodiversity in species

Identifying barriers between lineages is a viable approach to discovering potential drivers

Ketone Bodies May Mitigate Metabolic Dysfunction In A Model Of Migraine, T. Luke Shafer, Dallin S. Nevers, Rachel Ricks, Clayton Dunford, Tyler Poulos, Isaac Stubbs, Coleson Cheney, Benjamin T. Bikman, R. Ryley Parrish

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Honorable Mention - Open House Presentation

• Spreading depolarization (SD) is a slow-moving wave of ionic redistribution.
• SDs propagate through cortical tissue in patients experiencing migraine with aura, as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI), ischemic stroke, and seizure.
• Recovery of ionic homeostasis following SD is metabolically taxing; an energetic deficit is associated with long-term mitochondrial damage.
• Ketone body supplementation is a promising therapeutic for epilepsy and migraine, although its mechanisms are not fully understood.