Life Sciences Commons^™

Comparison Of Methods For Defatted Human Milk And Nutrient Composition: An Experimental Study, Kristin Cheng, Gina O'Toole, Stephanie Chang, Richard Chang, John Miklavcic

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Human milk is considered the gold standard for infant nutrition; however, it is often discontinued in chylothorax and severe very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency. As an alternative to complete human milk restriction, defatted human milk may be fed, though it may not fully support optimal infant growth and development. This study aimed to assess the micronutrient profile of defatted human milk.

Methods

Human milk was obtained from UCSD Human Milk Research Biorepository (San Diego, CA). Thirty samples representing 10 independent expressions in the morning, afternoon, and evening were pooled for analysis. Fat removal was performed by centrifugation at …

Bull’S-Eye On Borrelia: A Commensal And Consequential Pathogen, Alan L. Gillen

Faculty Publications and Presentations

If Lyme disease causes such urgent and chronic disease issues, where do Borrelia bacteria and ticks fit into a very good creation (Genesis 1)? How did bacteria and ticks change to rely on different hosts and blood for survival? And how are these adaptations informing today’s research in bacteriology, immunology, entomology, and disease ecology? The purposeful placement of Borrelia (Fig. 1) is most likely in the gut of wild mice (Fig. 2), not domesticated mice nor man. The bacteria are communalistic in wild mice, where they may be probiotic for mutual good (Fig. 2)—the Creator made it for good at …

Kinds Of Evidence Cited By Councilors In Municipal Council Sessions: The Case Of Santa Fe, Cebu, Philippines, Junald D. Ango

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

This paper explores the practice of evidence-based policymaking (EBPM) in the municipal council of Santa Fe, Cebu, Philippines. Data for this study is based on a content analysis of the minutes of council sessions and committee meetings from July 2022 to August 2024. The use of evidence in policymaking has caught on among policymakers in the Philippines, at both the national and local levels. However, few studies have examined policymakers' use of evidence in municipal governments, especially those in smaller, less urbanized towns. In the case of the Municipality of Santa Fe, at least 13 kinds of evidence were cited …

Mechanistic Determination Of Host Environmental Impacts On Shigella Virulence, Nicholas E. Dickenson

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Transcriptomic And Genomic Insights Into Nutrient Stress Responses And Subgenome Evolution In Chenopodium, Ashley Kathleen Marcheschi

Theses and Dissertations

Chenopodium is a diverse genus of nutritionally and ecologically important species in the Amaranthaceae family. This thesis investigates two outstanding questions in the genus: how Chenopodium quinoa responds transcriptionally to nutrient deficiency and how Australian Chenopodium species are related through their subgenomic ancestry and evolutionary history. First, we characterized transcriptomic responses of C. quinoa to deficiencies of twelve essential macro- and micronutrients across leaf and root tissues using RNA sequencing. Leaves showed the strongest responses under nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and zinc deficiency, while roots responded more evenly across conditions. Recurring responses included suppression of photosynthesis, remodeling of translational machinery, reactive …

Pharky, Phedro, Phractured, And Stagephright: Complete Genome Sequences Of Four Ek2 Cluster Microbacterium Phages, Susan M. R. Gurney, Medha Gupta, Deeksha Reddy, Gloria Zacharias, Aleda S. Jomy, Carly J. Smith, Matthew T. Mcdonald, Brett M. Condon

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

We report the complete genome sequence of four Microbacterium phages, Pharky, Phedro, Phractured, and StagePhright, isolated using the bacterial host Microbacterium foliorum from soil samples collected in Philadelphia. All four phages are genetically very similar and contain a gene of unknown function, which is uncommon in the EK2 cluster.

Deciphering The Potential Of Monopterus Albus Protein Hydrolysate As A Therapeutic Candidate Against Cervical Cancer By Integrating Content Analysis, Network Pharmacology, And Molecular Docking, Okid Parama Astirin, Widya Mega Rahmawati, Elisa Herawati, Tetri Widiyani, Lili Pandan Sari, Sherly Octaviana

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Cervical cancer has a high incidence rate in women, making the development of cancer drugs increasingly urgent. Asian swamp eel protein hydrolysate shows great promise as an anticancer candidate. This study aimed to reveal the potential of Asian swamp eel protein hydrolysate as an anticancer candidate in the cervix. Asian swamp eel protein hydrolysate was produced by hydrolyzing flesh with the enzyme alcalase. Compounds and peptides were identified using LC-HRMS. These compounds and peptides were analyzed using network pharmacology, gene ontology, and molecular docking. The results identified 153 endogenous compounds, including fatty acids and peptides. The key proteins targeted by …

A Comparative Expression Analysis Of Selected Genes Involved In Secondary Metabolites Biosynthesis Among Three Alfalfa Cultivars Grown In Iraq, Izdehar Yahia Obaid, Bushra M. J. Alwash

Al-Bahir

Because of its abundance in proteins, vital amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that promote balanced nutrition, Medicago sativa L., also known as alfalfa, is regarded as a nutritionally excellent forage crop. In addition to its nutritional value, alfalfa produces a range of bioactive secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenolic acids, further supporting its use in medicinal and nutritional applications. Three alfalfa cultivars grown in Iraq were examined for gene expression levels of the primary genes involved in secondary metabolite biosynthesis (PAL, COMT, CHS, and OMT). Among these cultivars are Victoria (VC), Green Gold (GC), and a local cultivar (LC). …

Nonmarine Ostracods Of Northern Cyprus: Diversity, Ecology, And Global Island Comparisons, Ahmet Özdi̇lek, Okan Külköylüoğlu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

There is a notable paucity of detailed information regarding the distribution and ecological characteristics of nonmarine Ostracoda in Northern Cyprus. Furthermore, a comprehensive assessment of their distribution across islands in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is incomplete. To advance our understanding of ostracod diversity, distribution, and ecological preferences, a total of 79 aquatic sites in Northern Cyprus were randomly sampled between 18 May and 12 August 2022. A total of 64 ostracod taxa were identified, comprising 28 living species and 36 subfossils, with 18 species representing new records for the island. Additionally, five ostracod species were reported for the first …

Dietary Stability Of The Eurasian Beaver Revealed By Hair Stable Isotopes, Linas Balčiauskas, Rasa Vaitkevičiūtė Koklevičienė, Andrius Garbaras, Inga Garbarienė, Laima Balčiauskienė

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is a keystone ecosystem engineer whose expanding populations increasingly occupy agricultural landscapes. Hair stable  isotope analysis was applied to reconstruct assimilated diet in 56 legally  hunted beavers in Lithuania in 2024–2025. Stable carbon isotope values were tightly  clustered (–25.53 ± 0.10‰ SE), while those for nitrogen showed greater variability (5.38 ± 0.20‰ SE), indicating limited interindividual dietary differentiation.  Generalized linear models revealed no significant effects of sex, year, or month, and  age-related differences were limited to the youngest individuals. Comparison with  published Polish data showed no significant differences in mean isotope values.  Overall, the results …

From Introduction To Biomass Dominance: The Invasive Fish Striped Piggy (Pomadasys Stridens) Reshaping Demersal Assemblages In The Eastern Mediterranean, Mehmet Cengi̇z Deval

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Rapid increases in the abundance and biomass of nonindigenous species have the potential to profoundly reshape demersal fish assemblages in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, yet quantitative evidence from long-term standardized surveys remains scarce. In the present study, temporal changes in biomass dynamics and community structure were assessed using fishery-independent trawl surveys conducted on the continental shelf of Antalya Bay (GSA 24) during two periods a decade apart (2009–2010 and 2020–2021), with particular focus on the Lessepsian striped piggy Pomadasys stridens. Based on the second survey, in which both daytime and nocturnal sampling were conducted, the biomass index (BI) differed significantly …

Comparative Cytogenetics Of Four Phelsuma Species: Insights Into Chromosome Evolution In Malagasy Gekkonidae, Marcello Mezzasalma, Gaetano Odierna, Fabio Maria Guarino, Elvira Brunelli

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Karyotype diversification and chromosome mutations (or macromutations) such as  inversions, fusions, and fissions represent understudied factors of biological evolution.  We present in this study one of the first experimental cytogenetic analyses  on the Malagasy day geckos of the genus Phelsuma. A molecular analysis was  performed using a trait of the mitochondrial 12S and a comparative chromosome  study with traditional Giemsa coloration, Ag-NOR staining and sequential C-banding  (C-banding + Giemsa + fluorochromes) on nine individuals of Phelsuma from different  localities. The molecular analysis allowed unambiguous identification of  three species (P. lineata, P. laticauda, and P. standingi), while two additional samples  likely …

Resource Assessment Report 9: South Coast Crustacean Resource 2045-25 Assessment, Emma-Jade Tuffley, Simon De Lestang

Resource Assessment Reports

The South Coast Crustacean Resource (SCCR) comprises southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii), western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus), crystal crab (Chaceon albus), giant crab (Pseudocarcinus gigas), and champagne crab (Hypothalassia acerba). The resource is accessed primarily by the South Coast Crustacean Managed Fishery (SCCMF), which operates between Augusta in the west and the South Australian border in the east. Since the 2022–23 season, the SCCMF has been managed under an Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system with Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACs) set for four quota zones. Recreational fishing retains a small quantity of rock lobster only.

During the 2024–25 fishing season, …

Fly Density At Trash Disposal Sites As An Environmental Bioindicator Using Fly Grill, Fly Spot Card, And Fly Sticky Paper, Tri Ilmanisa, Susi Soviana, Supriyono Supriyono

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Flies are synanthropic insects of public health importance commonly found at trash disposal sites (TDS). Poor waste management promotes fly breeding, increases the risk of disease transmission, reflects low sanitation, and serves as an environmental bioindicator. Studies on flies at TDS in university campus environments in West Java, Indonesia, remain limited, particularly with respect to species composition, fly density, and the use of different density measurement methods. Fly density monitoring in Indonesia still relies on the fly grill method under Ministry of Health Regulation No. 2 of 2023, although alternative tools, such as fly spot cards and fly sticky paper …

Determinants Of Home Composting Behavior In Supporting Sustainable Agriculture Among Smallholder Farmers: A Case Study In The Thai Nguyen Province Of Vietnam, Bac Ho Van, Hien Vu Thi, Xinh Ho Luong

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Home composting is a practical and sustainable approach for the management of organic waste generated in the home and agricultural production that contributes to both organic waste management and soil fertility enhancement. In the northern mountainous regions of Vietnam, smallholder farmers face limited adoption of sustainable waste management practices due to behavioral constraints, limited technical knowledge, and resource constraints affecting agricultural productivity.  This study applies and extends the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by integrating behavioral and contextual determinants to examine home composting adoption among smallholder farmers in rural Vietnam. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to reduce and structure …

Homocysteine Thiolactone From Translation Proofreading Is An Endogenous Ligand For Cell-Cell Signaling By The Receptor Sdia, Lorenzo Eugenio Leiva, Roberto A. Zúñiga, Gregory J. Phillips, Michael Ibba

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Several widespread mechanisms enable cellular communication and coordinate the behavior of bacterial populations. The modules responsible for cellular communication are often found in matching pairs: an enzyme that synthesizes a signal molecule and a specific receptor that decodes it. A notable exception is Escherichia coli SdiA, a homolog of known N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) receptors, for which no corresponding AHL synthase exists. SdiA is an orphan receptor that enables cross-talk by sensing AHLs from other bacterial species. In this work, we investigated whether homocysteine thiolactone (HTL), an AHL-like molecule arising from a proofreading reaction of methionyl tRNA synthetase (MetRS) to correct …

Harmful Algal Blooms: Risks For Food In Utah, Jose Brandao, Sarah Erwin, Stephanie Vaughn, Clare Entwistle

All Current Publications

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a problem because they can produce toxins that make water unsafe for people, animals, and the environment. In recent years, HABs have emerged as a growing concern in freshwater systems throughout Utah, including irrigation canals, reservoirs, and livestock ponds. HABs in freshwater are caused by cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae. These microorganisms can release dangerous toxins that can harm swimmers, pets, and the food supply. Unlike foodborne pathogens, these toxins cannot be removed by boiling, cooking, or washing the food. Therefore, regular monitoring is essential to detect HABs early and reduce exposure risks. This fact …

From Insight To Impact: Segmenting Consumers By Their Regenerative Agriculture Priorities, Lourival Carmo Monaco Neto, Gustavo Stevanin De Souza, Owen Jerome Zakrzewski, Allan Wayne Gray

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Regenerative agriculture is gaining traction in agrifood value chains, yet its definitional ambiguity and the heterogeneity of consumer priorities create strategic challenges for commercialization. Firms commonly assume a homogeneous ‘sustainable consumer’ motivated by environmental outcomes, but research on consumer food values suggests that economic attributes often outweigh environmental concerns when trade-offs are required. This study segments U.S. consumers based on how they prioritize seven core attributes of regenerative agriculture: soil health, biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, food prices, crop yield, and farmer profitability. Using forced-ranking data from 1231 nationally representative U.S. consumers surveyed in August 2024, we apply a …

Out Of This World: An Exoplanetary Workshop, Monica Storss, Bart Kuipers

ELO (un)supervised 2026

The workshop investigates how scientific constraints can productively defamiliarize human experience and create new frameworks for creativity and expression. Participants will produce original work while considering broader questions about environment, perception, and cultural formation in speculative contexts, and how the arts, sciences, and technology inform each other in relational multiplicities. This generative workshop explores how astronomical data from confirmed exoplanets can generate new poetic forms and linguistic constraints. Participants will examine how exoplanetary conditions can shape language, metaphor, and narrative structure. We'll develop from writing exercises that respond to non-terrestrial physical parameters: alternative light spectra, gravitational variations, and atmospheric compositions. …

Lowland Tropical Forests Remain A Methane Sink Under Warming And Long-Term Hurricane Disturbance Recovery, Gabriele Larocca Conte, Lucia Zuvela, Rachel Cruz-Pérez, Tatiana Barreto-Vélez, Nibia Becerra-Santillan, Sophia F. Campbell, Molly A. Cavaleri, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas, and tropical forests account for roughly one–third of global atmospheric CH4 uptake by soils. Projected warming and more frequent hurricanes in these ecosystems may alter soil CH4 sink strength, as warmer and wetter soils enhance methanogenesis activity. We measured soil CH4 and CO2 efflux during the calendar summer months of 2023 and 2024 alongside continuous records of soil moisture, soil and air temperature, and precipitation in an in–situ warming experiment (TRACE) located in a lowland tropical forest in Puerto Rico, six to seven years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017). The realized warming …

Estimating A Model Of Forward-Looking Behavior With Discrete Choice Experiments: The Case Of Lifetime Hunting License Demand, Matthew Gibson, Marina Sundiang, Daniel Mason-D’Croz, Thais Diniz Oliveira, Felicitas Beier, Lauren Benavidez-Brouk, Astrid Bos, Maksym Chepeliev, Jonathan Doelman, Shahnila Dunston, Shinichiro Fujimori, Tomoko Hasegawa, Petr Havlik, Jordan Hristov, Jonas Jägermeyr, Marta Kozicka, Marijke Kuiper, Page Kyle, Thijs De Lange, Benjamin Leon Bodirsky, Hermann Lotze-Campen, Hermen Luchtenbelt, David Meng-Chuen Chen, Abhijeet Mishra, Christoph Müller, Gerald Nelson, Amanda Palazzo, Ignacio Perez Dominguez, Alexander Popp, Ronald Sands, Marco Springman, Elke Stehfest, Timothy B. Sulser, Kiyoshi Takahashi, Gianmaria Tassinari, Ferike Thom, Philip Thornton, Kazuaki Tsuchiya, Willem-Jan Van Zeist, Hans Van Meijl, Dominique Van Der Mensbrugghe, Detlef Van Vuuren, Hannah H.E. Van Zanten, Isabelle Weindl, Keith Wiebe, Xin Zhao, Mario Herrero

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Food systems are a major contributor to exceeding planetary boundaries1,2,3 and poor quality diets are a key mortality risk globally4. Projected population and income growth could exacerbate these challenges5. In response, there are calls for transformation towards healthy and sustainable food systems6,7,8. However, the scale and distribution of the impacts of this transformation on agriculture are underexplored. Here we show that, by 2050, the transformation of food systems towards healthy diets (adoption of the EAT–Lancet reference diet), improved productivity and halving of food waste results in a fundamental restructuring of global agriculture, aspects of which break with historical trends. Scenario …

Aquaponics: Farming Fish And Growing Greens For Grades 9–12, Amy M. Shambach,, Rebecca M. Ward, J. Stuart Carlton, Kwamena K. Quagrainie, Tomas O. Höök

Purdue University Press Books

Aquaponics: Farming Fish and Growing Greens for Grades 9–12 teaches STEM-related course material through aquaponics, a water-based agricultural system that combines aquaculture (fish production) and hydroponics (soilless vegetable production) systems. This curriculum is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and designed to be used with an onsite aquaponics system. Topics include an introduction to aquaculture, fundamental parts of an aquaponics system, the nitrogen cycle, water quality, population dynamics, our modern food system, and more. The ten lessons presented build on each other and are intended to be delivered in sequential order. Alternatively, lessons may also be utilized as stand-alone units …

The Tagmatized Echinoderm, Richard L. Turner

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Synopsis Tagmosis is a derived condition of metamerism in annelids, arthropods, and chordates in which groups of adjacent segments are modified to perform specific functions. Examples are the clitellum of earthworms, the carapace of lobsters, and the sacrum of tetrapods, to mention a few. The argument is advanced here that examples of tagmosis are not hard to find among echinoderms, a fourth major group of metameric animals; but the degree of tagmosis is weak in most cases. The first few segments of the axial skeleton are often conjoined as a perioral tagma (e.g., the jaws and other parts of the …

Euscorpius Emae Sp. N. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), A New Scorpion Species From Montenegro, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

A new species Euscorpius emae sp. n. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) from Montenegro is described, fully complemented with color photographs. E. emae sp. n. is morphologically unique by yellow to orange color, very narrow metasoma and enlarged chela. Pedipalp patella external trichobothria numbers are 4eb, 4eb_a, 2esb, 4em, 4est, 5et, and ventral aspect of patella with 9 trichobothria.

Measuring And Mapping Spatial Distributions Of Soil Lead Concentrations Along Chicago Parkways: West Ridge And Near South Side, Alyssa M. Kain

DePaul Discoveries

Lead is a heavy metal that can be found in every part of our planet. Human activities like the extraction of fossil fuels and degradation of construction materials can release lead into the environment, where it travels and accumulates in places like our soil or water. Despite efforts to lower the use of lead-based materials within the last fifty years, lead contamination remains as a threat to public health and safety. Elevated blood lead levels are known to cause a variety of health issues particularly for young children and pregnant women. This study aims to measure, map, and analyze the …

Healthcare Access And The Persistent Racial Disparities In Low Birth Weight, Zaheda A. Hussain, Yadanar Moe

DePaul Discoveries

Low birth weight (LBW), defined as less than 2,500 grams, is an influential factor contributing to infant mortality in the United States, with significant racial disparities between Black and White mothers. This study analyzed data from 3,054 Black and White mothers collected from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey to explore the association between access to medical care and LBW within different racial groups. The prevalence of LBW was 8.0%. Overall, mothers without a usual place of medical care had, on average, an 18% higher risk of LBW than those with a usual place (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.80–1.74). …

From Landfill To Ladle: Using Open Lca To Calculate Food Diversion Impacts, Samantha Rodriguez

DePaul Discoveries

Food waste contributes to climate change because discarded food results in wasting embodied carbon from producing food. In addition to wasting embodied carbon, food that ends up in landfills emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. This life cycle assessment quantifies the carbon equivalent footprint of food donations from Costco to the Seton Soup Kitchen using OpenLCA. Two functional units were analyzed in this study. The first functional unit is one meal consisting of 500 grams of donated food that would otherwise be landfilled served to a Seton Soup Kitchen patron during one meal service. The …

Fish Tissue Digestion And Microplastic Polymer Identification Protocol Using Open-Source Ftir Database, Shawn L. Kissinger, Vick-Ariel Privert, Jason Bystriansky, Kyle A. Grice

DePaul Discoveries

Microplastic (MP) contamination in aquatic ecosystems poses significant concerns for environmental and public health, as seafood represents a critical food source worldwide. Despite increasing evidence of MP presence in marine organisms, efficient and accessible detection methods remain essential for characterizing contamination patterns and informing regulatory frameworks. This study extracted MPs from brain, gill, intestine, liver, and muscle tissues of gilt-head bream (Sparus aurata) and European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), two commercially important species from the Gulf of Cádiz, Spain, using a NaOH–HNO₃ chemical digestion protocol. Isolated particles were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, with …

Crystal Structural Analysis Of Medieval Human Bones Using Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering, Selly Altangerel, Leslie Gracia

DePaul Discoveries

Female human second metacarpal (mc2) bones from a medieval cemetery at Wharram Percy, England, were studied using high-energy Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) at beamline 1-ID of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. The age-at-death of 33 samples was determined from molar wear and classified into 3 groups:  18-30, 30-50, and 50+ years old.  Rietveld refinements of the WAXS data were performed to obtain lattice parameters of the hexagonal carbonated apatite phase (cAp). Individual fittings for cAp peaks 00.2, 00.4, and 31.0 were performed to obtain their widths and correlate them to collagen retention. For the three samples described …

Clearing The Air: Tracking Spatial And Temporal Pm2.5 Variability Along A Biking Transect In Chicago, Beau R. Rass

DePaul Discoveries

Fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) poses significant risks to human health and disproportionately affects marginalized communities in urban environments (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021; Tessum et al., 2021). Using low-cost mobile sensors, this study explored spatiotemporal PM₂.₅ concentration patterns along a north–south transect of Halsted Street in Chicago. A 2B Technologies Portable Aerosol Monitor (PAM) mounted on a bicycle was used to continuously record PM₂.₅ concentrations with associated GPS coordinates at approximately two-second intervals during 16 sampling events between 08-12-2025 and 10-05-2025. PM₂.₅ concentrations did not differ significantly among the South Side, West Loop, and North Side regions, contrary to the …