Life Sciences Commons^™

A Middle Bronze Age Ii Site West Of Tell Qasille (Pp. 65–128), Raz Kletter

'Atiqot

The site remains comprise a cemetery, two pottery kilns and a settlement dating to Middle Bronze Age II. Ten burials were excavated, all except one (T800) were rectangular pit-graves dug into kurkar sandstone. Each grave contained one to three individuals; T800, which was round, contained seven individuals in secondary deposition. The average grave assemblage comprised about ten pottery vessels, which were usually placed in a row next to one long side of the burial. The pottery kilns are almost identical in size, direction and structure. They are of the vertical type, with two main superimposed parts: a combustion chamber and …

Chalcolithic Burial Sites At Ma‘Abarot And Tel Ifshar (Pp. 45–63), Yosef Porath

'Atiqot

The two burial sites are located in the Sharon plain, south and north of Naḥal Alexander. The kidney-shaped cave at Ma‘abarot was hewn in the kurkar sandstone. All the burials in the cave were secondary. Of the 63 burials identified, 42 were placed in three types of ceramic vessels—house-shaped ossuaries, chest-shaped ossuaries and large domestic kraters—and 21, in ‘bone heaps’. The finds consisted of pottery vessels typical of the Chalcolithic period, e.g., V-shaped bowls and fenestrated bowls and bottles, and a flake from a flint digging tool. At Tel Ifshar, two burial places were discovered, both damaged by infrastructure work. …

A Chalcolithic Burial Cave At Eṭ-Ṭaiyiba (Pp. 1–44), Eli Yannai, Yosef Porath

'Atiqot

The cave, hewn in soft limestone, is of an irregular oval shape, with high margins that served as benches. A minimum of 38 ossuaries were found in the cave, some open and box-shaped, others closed and house-shaped; ossuary jars and kraters were also found. The ossuaries were decorated with plastic ornamentation, depicting pegs, noses, eyes and rope decoration, as well as painted ornamentation in various patterns, e.g., triangles, lines and arches. Funerary goods included only pottery vessels characteristic of the Chalcolithic period: V-shaped bowls, cornets, amphoriskoi, fenestrated pedestal bowls and cylindrical stands. It seems that the people buried in the …

The Evolution Of Regulatory Architectures Underlying Phenotypic Plasticity, Shweta Agarwal

Biology ETDs

Phenotypic plasticity refers to a mechanism where a single genotype results in distinct phenotypes in response to distinct environments, making it a key mechanism for persistence under environmental change. Phenotypic plasticity can arise from two distinct regulatory architectures: epistatically regulated plasticity or environmentally sensitive loci. The evolutionary forces shaping these architectures remain unclear. I use the recombination modifier framework to explore how the regulatory architecture of plasticity evolves across a range of selection regimes, including the rate of environmental change and the costs and benefits of plasticity. I find that the evolution of the regulatory architecture of phenotypic plasticity requires …

Finding Fish Families: Movement And Demography Of Loach Minnow (Tiaroga Cobitis) Inferred From Gt-Seq-Enabled Kinship Analysis, Patrick C. Baca

Biology ETDs

River fragmentation poses major threats to freshwater biodiversity by reducing connectivity and limiting persistence of imperiled desert fishes. Connectivity in streams is impaired by anthropogenic changes, including road crossings, prompting the installation of engineered fish passage structures at low-water road crossings and raising questions about the dispersal of aquatic species across these structures. This thesis investigates the movement of the threatened Loach Minnow (Tiaroga cobitis) by applying a close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) framework in a restored stream (including a fish passage) and a stream without rehabilitation efforts. We developed and optimized a GT-seq panel for relatedness analysis and used it to …

How To Measure A Carnivore: Understanding The Scaling Of Cranial And Postcranial Elements With Body Mass, Marina Casiano Ruiz

Biology ETDs

Body size is a fundamental predictor of ecological function, life history, and population dynamics in mammals. However, direct measurements of body mass remain unavailable for many rare or extinct species, particularly within the order Carnivora. Allometric relationships between skeletal dimensions and body mass provide a tractable solution; however, previous studies have been limited in their taxonomic scope or trait diversity. Here, we quantify the scaling of 82 cranial and postcranial traits across 97 species from 11 carnivoran families spanning four orders of magnitude in body mass (20g to >500kg). Additionally, we examine the influence of phylogenetic relatedness, dietary specialization, and …

Using Temporal Genomic Data To Uncover Patterns Of Genetic Diversity And Signatures Of Selection For Management Of A Threatened Minnow Species, Erika A. Dunn

Biology ETDs

The Little Colorado River (LCR) spinedace persists only in three isolated watersheds within the LCR Basin in Arizona. This imperiled minnow faces ongoing pressure from habitat alteration, climatic shifts, and invasive non-native predators. Over the past two decades, managers have translocated spinedace within watersheds to increase abundance and expand habitat occupancy. We sequenced a reference genome and analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 475 individuals over their geographic range. DNA samples were obtained from a previous study in the mid-1990s and compared with samples from 2024 and 2025, allowing us to track genetic diversity, effective population size, population structure, and …

Elucidation Of Micro/Nanoplastic Signature Of Human And Murine Lung Tissue Utilizing Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Aerlin D. Decker

Pharmaceutical Sciences ETDs

Micro-and Nanoplastics (MNPs) are ubiquitous biological pollutants that have been identified throughout a variety of biological samples. MNPs have been detected in several human tissues, such as the brain, kidneys, and liver. Lung tissue remains understudied for MNP accumulation despite the large surface area and clear path for exposure. Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), human lung tissue was evaluated for 12 different polymers, enabling quantification of total plastic per gram of tissue to be identified. Further analysis was performed with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to investigate heavy metal accumulation in human lung samples and determine whether a …

De Novo Pyrimidine Synthesis Controls Germinal Center B Cell And Plasma Cell Fates And Systemic Autoimmunity, Julia L. Weber, Tien Bui, Keomonyroth Nuon, Adam J. Fike, Sophia M. Crocker, Kristen N. Bricker, Anju Maharjan, Wujuan Zhang, Aaron R. Goldman, Sathi Babu Chodisetti, Ziaur S. M. Rahman

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Whether and how pyrimidine metabolites promote systemic autoimmunity is unknown. Here, metabolomics and 15N-amide glutamine tracing show enhanced flux through de novo pyrimidine synthesis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-prone B cells. Temporal inhibition of pyrimidine synthesis dampens SLE-prone but not foreign antigen-specific germinal center (GC), plasma cell (PC), and antibody responses. Uridine monophosphate synthase (UMPS) conditional deletion, however, reveals a B cell-intrinsic requirement of de novo pyrimidine synthesis in foreign antigen-driven and SLE-prone GC, PC, and antibody responses and kidney immune complex deposition. Metabolomics, mitochondrial stress test, metabolic flow cytometry, glycolytic rate assay, and RNA sequencing highlight the importance of …

Uv Damage Mapping Reveals Different Impacts Of Xpd Mutations On Global Genomic And Transcription-Coupled Dna Repair, Allyson Hoag

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) is a fundamental cellular process that removes bulky and helical distorting lesions from the genome through the separate responses of its two subpathways – global genomic (GG-NER) and transcription coupled (TC-NER) DNA repair. The pathways converge with the recruitment of the TFIIH complex, a key step that is mediated by the translocase and helicase activities of  its XPD subunit. Germline mutations in XPD result in the clinical disorders, Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) and XP combined with Cockayne Syndrome (XP/CS). The goal of this thesis was to understand if XPD XP and XP/CS mutations differentially impact GG-NER and …

Mapping And Modeling Threat-Evoked Brain States After Early Life Adversity, Taylor W. Uselman

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Early life adversity (ELA) increases lifelong neuropsychiatric vulnerability. Yet how ELA reorganizes brain-wide activity and circuit coordination across later experience remains unclear. This dissertation tests the hypothesis that ELA alters adult brain-wide activity and responses to threat through disrupted coordination among neural systems that regulate emotional experience, including prefrontal-limbic and monoaminergic systems. Longitudinal manganese-enhanced MRI of adult mice exposed to standard or fragmented early care, combined with computational processing and statistical modeling, quantified brain states before, during, and long after innate predator threat. These studies established that acute threat evokes large-scale, distributed brain activity that evolves over time. ELA potentiates …

Haptic Portable Robotic Device For Automated Guidewire Or Catheter Navigation In Endovascular Procedures, Vahid Mohammadi, Jason Mactaggart, Majid Jadidi, Alexey Kamenskiy

Journal Articles

Purpose

Endovascular therapy is preferred over open surgery due to its minimally invasive nature, faster recovery, and lower perioperative risk; however, fluoroscopy guided procedures are limited by radiation exposure, high equipment costs, and reliance on highly skilled operators. This study aims to develop and evaluate a lightweight, portable robotic system for autonomous guidewire navigation to improve safety, accessibility, and operator independence.

Methods

A compact 400 g robotic device was designed with millimeter scale positioning accuracy, servo current-based real-time haptic feedback, precise axial rotation, automated retraction advance control, and compatibility with standard endovascular tools. Miniature linear actuated servomotors replicate skilled manual …

Vines In The Landscape: Japanese Wisteria, Saroj Burlakoti, Youping Sun, Shital Poudyal

All Current Publications

Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) is a vigorous, woody, deciduous climbing vine known for its spectacular, drooping (pendulous) clusters of pea-like flowers. This fact sheet provides information on planting and management guidelines, as well as its landscape performance in Utah.

Scale-Dependent Drivers Of Demographic Change For American Pikas (Ochotona Princeps) In Glacier National Park, Montana: Local Habitat Characteristics Vs. Regional Climate Trends, Danielle M. Owens

Biology ETDs

Climate change is shifting thermal environments globally, driving range contractions, upslope movement, and poleward shifts across taxa. However, these changes are not uniform: microclimates, shaped by topography, can amplify or decouple operative temperatures from regional trends. The American pika is an ideal model for studying climate-driven population change given its strong site fidelity and thermal sensitivities. We re-surveyed 173 sites in Glacier National Park, originally surveyed in 2007-2010, using an AIC-based model selection to test competing local and regional hypotheses driving three demographic processes: persistence, colonization, and within-patch density change. Pika occupancy increased over the 15-year period, with a net …

Autotrophic And Heterotrophic Contributions To Soil Co2 Fluxes And Variability In A Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Savannah B. Sanchez

Biology ETDs

Drylands are major drivers of interannual variability in the global terrestrial carbon sink, and their influence is expected to increase as climate change promotes the expansion of hotter and drier regions. Predicting the consequences of these shifts remains challenging because ecosystem models are largely developed for mesic systems, which differ from drylands in water and nutrient availability, decomposition rates, respiration dynamics, and microbial communities. Improving our understanding of carbon cycling in drylands is therefore critical. This research focuses on soil CO₂ efflux, a major pathway of terrestrial carbon release driven by plant root respiration and microbial decomposition. I investigated the …

From Chromosomes To Precision Therapy: Clinical Cytogenetics And Cytogenomics In The Era Of Genomic Medicine, Jinglan Liu

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Analysis Of Cryptoprocta Ferox At The Central Florida Zoo And Botanical Gardens, Rita R. Albert

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The fossa, Cryptoprocta ferox, is the largest carnivorous mammal endemic to the island of Madagascar. C. ferox is currently listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List (2015) due to deforestation. Most fossas are now located in zoos for breeding and repopulation purposes, but research on captive mating has been limited due to the low numbers of successful breeding attempts in captivity. The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is home to two fossas, one male and one newly introduced female. This study notes behavioral changes in captive mating fossas, with a focus on the male fossa …

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Framework For Enhancing Risk Management In The Architectural Design Process In Egypt, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Nadia Mohamed Algheetany, Fatma Othman Alamoudy

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The construction industry is crucial for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, it faces significant risks during the Architectural Design Process (ADP) that affect project quality, cost, schedule, and sustainability. Due to its limitations, traditional risk management (RM) is often inadequate for addressing these challenges. This study aims to develop a novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven framework to enhance RM practices in Egyptian Architectural Design Firms (ADFs) through proactive RM and improved data-driven decision making. A mixed methods research approach was adopted to achieve the research objectives. A comprehensive literature review examined RM, ADP, and AI applications …

Toxic Relationships: Characterization Of A Putative Virally Encoded Toxin In The Thermophilic Archaeal Fusellovirus Ssv1, Jonathan C. Abshier, Patrizia L. Alpapara, Guasåli Tomokane, Kenneth M. Stedman

Center for Life in Extreme Environments Publications

Mechanisms for the maintenance of chronic viruses are poorly understood, particularly for archaeal viruses. Here, we identify the product of Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus 1 (SSV1) ORF a291 as a putative virally encoded toxin required for growth inhibition but dispensable for viral replication and virion production. Viruses lacking ORF a291 replicated their genomes and formed morphologically normal spindle-shaped particles, yet failed to inhibit the growth of uninfected Saccharolobus solfataricus. Substitution of residues at a predicted N-terminal signal peptide cleavage site abolished growth suppression without affecting replication, suggesting that secretion is essential for toxin function. Despite primary sequence divergence among fusellovirus …

Effects Of Variable Light On Sexual Competition In Kelp Species, Jaycee Lanza

Master's Theses

As foundation species, kelps significantly influence the structure and composition of their surrounding habitat by modifying environmental conditions, including light levels, currents, nutrient availability, sedimentation, and seawater chemistry. Light, in particular, is a critical resource that varies greatly within kelp forests, affecting kelp reproductive processes such as gametogenesis, fertilization, and recruitment, which are vital to population persistence. Biological factors, such as density-dependent competition for resources and sexual competition with other kelps, can also affect such processes. To understand how environmental variables influence kelp populations, it is crucial to recognize their combined effects. This study investigated the impacts of light levels …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Alpine Smelowskia (Smelowskia Ovalis), Lindsey K. Wise

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Alpine smelowskia (Smelowskia ovalis) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

In Silico Analysis Of Vaginal Microbiota In Female Reproductive Health Using Ncbi Database And Blast, Arleni Bustami, Ariyani Kiranasari, Engla Merizka

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Background: The vaginal microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining female reproductive health. Beneficial bacteria, particularly Lactobacillus species, contribute to vaginal homeostasis, whereas dysbiosis-associated bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Prevotella bivia have been linked to bacterial vaginosis and reproductive tract disorders. Publicly available nucleotide databases and bioinformatic tools provide accessible resources for studying microbial species associated with vaginal health. Objective: This study aimed to perform a simple in silico analysis of representative vaginal microbiota using publicly available 16S rRNA gene sequences retrieved from the NCBI database and analyzed using BLAST and phylogenetic approaches. Methods: Representative 16S rRNA gene sequences …

Effect Of Cultivation Methods On Volatile Components In Morchella Esculenta, Liu Ni, Jiang Bo, Li Lang

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To comprehensively reveal the flavor and quality characteristics, and differences of Morchella esculenta under different cultivation methods, and systematically evaluate their volatile aroma components. [Methods] Qualitative and quantitative analyses are conducted on volatile aroma components in M. esculenta cultivated in greenhouses, under forests, and in caves in the vicinity of FAST by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. The contribution of different components to the overall flavor is assessed by the relative odor activity value (ROAV) method. Based on this, principal component analysis and cluster analysis are conducted, achieving a comprehensive evaluation of the flavor …

Determination Of Migration Level Of 4-Methyl- 1-Pentene And 1-Decene From Food Contact Materials Using Headspace-Gas Chromatography, Liu Afang, Chen Ranbing, Li Zheng, Kang Feng, Zhao Jinyao

Food and Machinery

[Objective] This study aims to establish an analytical method for detecting the migration levels of 4-methyl-1-pentene and 1-decene monomers from food contact materials into four food simulants, including 4% acetic acid, 10% ethanol, 20% ethanol, and 50% ethanol. [Methods] Chromatographic columns of different polarities and specifications are compared to select the optimal column. The headspace equilibrium temperature and equilibrium time are optimized using peak area as the evaluation index. Methodological validation is performed by conducting recovery experiments at low, medium, and high spiking levels using the soaking solutions of the negative sample of the four food simulants as the matrix, …

A Surface Defect Detection Model For Fused Images Of Fruits Based On Improved Resnet 18, Si Haiping, Zhao Wenrui, Zhao Yuyang, Li Tingting, Fernado Bacao, Li Yanling

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To enhance the accuracy of detecting fruit surface defects caused by minor mechanical friction during transportation. [Methods] A surface defect detection model for fused images of fruits based on improved ResNet 18 is proposed. To address the challenge of multi-scale feature extraction, the model incorporates a MELA module designed to capture image details more comprehensively. Additionally, an energy function-based regularization loss function is introduced to collaboratively optimize the training process alongside the cross-entropy loss function. Furthermore, a transfer learning strategy is employed to mitigate overfitting. [Results] Experimental results demonstrated that the improved model exhibits exceptional performance in fruit surface …

Non-Destructive Detection Of Pork Loin Freshness Based On The Yolo V 11 Model, Deng Zhonghui, Xie Wei

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To develop an intelligent method for non-destructive recognition of pork loin freshness based on computer vision technology, which is to be achieved by establishing a classification model for accurate, fast, and non-destructive detection of pork freshness in the cold chain industry. [Methods] A classification detection model is proposed based on the YOLO v11 architecture. First, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content and pH values are measured before the meat samples are divided into three categories: "fresh", "less fresh", and "spoiled". A dataset of 4 680 high-resolution images is constructed (generated from 1 247 original images enhanced through operations such …

Extraction Process Optimization Of Dunaliella Spp. Protein And Its Physicochemical Properties, Wang Xiaochen, Zhang Wei, Jing Yongkang, Xing Fengjie, Zhang Guodong, Zheng Xin

Food and Machinery

[Objective] Using Dunaliella spp. powder as the raw material, to explore the effect of pH value, alkali dissolution temperature, alkali dissolution time, and solid-liquid ratio on Dunaliella spp. protein extraction. [Methods] The optimal conditions are screened by single-factor experiments. Response surface experiments are designed by the Box-Behnken method to determine the optimal extraction process parameters for Dunaliella spp. protein with the Dunaliella spp. protein extraction rate as the indicator. Additionally, the group composition, secondary structure, amino acid composition, and functional properties of Dunaliella spp. protein are determined. [Results] The optimal extraction process conditions for Dunaliella spp. protein is pH 10.54, …

Effects Of Various Extraction Methods On The Performance Of Corn Fiber Gum-Pea Protein Composite Gels, Wu Chenglong, Jiang Zhili, Huang Lilin, Tang Leiming, Sun Xiaohong

Food and Machinery

[Objective] This study aims to investigate the effects of three extraction methods - alkaline extraction, enzymatic extraction, and acid extraction - on the properties of corn fiber gum (CFG)-pea protein composite gels. [Methods] CFG was extracted from corn bran using the three methods. The gel strength, water-holding capacity, rheological properties, and microstructure of the CFG-pea protein composite gels are evaluated. [Results] The CFG extracted by enzymatic extraction increases the gel strength of pea protein gels from (27.20±2.45) g to (65.80±2.67) g, and the water-holding capacity from (40.60±3.40)% to (75.80±5.10)%. Additionally, it forms a more compact and ordered network structure with …

Numerical Simulation Of Humidity Field In Baijiu Fermentation Rooms And Influencing Factors, Hao Qi, Shi Yan, Yang Zhengquan, Lin Chunsong, Xu Guangqi, Wen Enhan

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To investigate the effects of ventilation conditions and Daqu stacking methods in the fermentation room on the humidity levels at various points within the room. [Methods] A three-dimensional unsteady gas-solid coupling model of a small-scale fermentation room is established. Then, the humidity field variation patterns in the room are analyzed using the height of the humidifying air supply outlet (H), the interlayer spacing of fermentation racks (h), and the gap between fermentation piles (δ) as variables. Additionally, multi-objective optimization is performed based on response surface methodology (RSM) and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II). [Results] H, h, and …

Research Progress In The Extraction And Purification Processes And Biological Activities Of Flavonoids From Cuscutae Semen, Li Renxin, Xiong Ying, Song Hui

Food and Machinery

Cuscutae Semen is a Chinese herbal medicine and a raw material for health foods in China, with flavonoids being a group of its main functional components. This article provides a systematic review of the extraction and purification techniques - reflux, ultrasonic, Soxhlet, microwave-assisted, flash, enzymatic hydrolysis, and supercritical CO2 extraction methods - of flavonoids from Cuscutae Semen. Furthermore, it elaborates on the biological activities such as reproductive protection, anti-tumor effect, anti-oxidative stress effect, liver and kidney protection, and immune regulation of flavonoids from Cuscutae Semen, as well as their related mechanisms. Moreover, this paper makes an outlook on the development …