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2026

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Articles 211 - 240 of 246

Full-Text Articles in Genetics and Genomics

The Forensic Implications Of Hydrochloric Acid (Hcl) Exposure On Dna Preservation In Human Teeth, Shaelyn Lee Zimmerman Jan 2026

The Forensic Implications Of Hydrochloric Acid (Hcl) Exposure On Dna Preservation In Human Teeth, Shaelyn Lee Zimmerman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Identity is a human right, and forensic anthropological methods are often aimed at returning identity to decedents. Three main pathways are used for the identification of human remains: fingerprints, dental records, and DNA analysis. Identification efforts may be hindered when perpetrators attempt to obscure the victim’s identity. In cases where corrosive substances, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) are used, dental comparison and fingerprinting often fail and genetic analysis becomes the best chance of achieving personal identification.

Previous studies have shown teeth are an excellent source of DNA. Large, multi-rooted teeth, such as molars, are often preferred because they contain the …


Searching For Cause Of Unexplained Protein Interaction With Multiple Assembly Methods, Gavin Anderson Jan 2026

Searching For Cause Of Unexplained Protein Interaction With Multiple Assembly Methods, Gavin Anderson

Master's Projects

Research into colistin adjuvants has identified interactions between a host of proteins and proteins found within certain strains of bacteria. BLAST, a widely adopted local sequence alignment tool, was used to create a database containing the genomes of relevant bacterial strains, which would then be used to query against the previously identified proteins. Many of these strains do not have publicly available assemblies, which makes database construction difficult. CATwalk, a new naïve fragment extender, is first described in this paper and used to extend fragments of interest. BLAST results first identified short fragments with sufficient similarity, which can then be …


Dosage Sensitivity And The Evolution Of Dosage Compensation: Tests Of The Insensitive Sex Chromosome Hypothesis In Flour Beetles, Shana Pau Jan 2026

Dosage Sensitivity And The Evolution Of Dosage Compensation: Tests Of The Insensitive Sex Chromosome Hypothesis In Flour Beetles, Shana Pau

Biology Dissertations

Sex chromosome evolution generates imbalances in gene dosage that can disrupt gene expression and organismal function. These imbalances are often resolved through dosage compensation mechanisms, yet the factors that drive the emergence and diversity of these systems remain poorly understood. This dissertation addresses a central question in evolutionary genomics: what governs the evolution of dosage compensation?

Focusing on dosage sensitivity as a potential driver, I evaluate the Insensitive Sex Chromosome Hypothesis (ISCH), which predicts that chromosome-wide compensation is more likely to evolve in genomic contexts that are not depleted of dosage-sensitive genes. Using flour beetles (Tribolium spp.) as a …


Coordinating The Layers: Regulation Of Peptidoglycan Synthesis And Cell Wall Assembly In Mycobacterium Smegmatis By Murj And Pgfa, Karen Emmanuella Samaga-De-Tembiwa Jan 2026

Coordinating The Layers: Regulation Of Peptidoglycan Synthesis And Cell Wall Assembly In Mycobacterium Smegmatis By Murj And Pgfa, Karen Emmanuella Samaga-De-Tembiwa

Biology Dissertations

The mycobacterial cell envelope consists of three covalently linked layers whose synthesis must be coordinated to maintain structural integrity during polar growth. While the biosynthetic enzymes for each layer are well characterized, the molecular mechanisms that coordinate synthesis across layers have remained poorly understood. This thesis investigates two essential transmembrane proteins, PgfA and MurJ, that regulate peptidoglycan metabolism in Mycobacterium smegmatis and provide new insight into how mycobacteria synchronize cell wall assembly.

We present evidence that PgfA functions as a bifunctional regulator that links peptidoglycan metabolism to the availability of trehalose monomycolate (TMM), a key mycolic acid precursor. Through epistasis …


Characterization Of Microrna Expression In Neuron-Enriched Extracellular Vesicles During Early Life, Allison Molen Jan 2026

Characterization Of Microrna Expression In Neuron-Enriched Extracellular Vesicles During Early Life, Allison Molen

Theses and Dissertations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound sacs released by cells that carry molecular cargo reflective of their cell of origin. EVs enriched using L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) as a marker of putative neuronal origin can cross the blood–brain barrier and provide a minimally invasive window into brain-related processes. Exosomal microRNA (miRNA) regulate gene expression and have been implicated in psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD). However, measuring and analyzing miRNA from L1CAM-positive EVs presents substantial analytical challenges due to low abundance and sparse detection across samples.

Plasma samples from participants recruited through the Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry (MATR) were used …


Impact Of Prostate Cancer Tumor Microenvironment On Alternative Splicing Landscapes In Nk Cells: An Lncap-Based In Vitro Model, Pratham N. Modi Jan 2026

Impact Of Prostate Cancer Tumor Microenvironment On Alternative Splicing Landscapes In Nk Cells: An Lncap-Based In Vitro Model, Pratham N. Modi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

NK cells play a significant role in anti-tumor activity, yet the transcriptomic mechanisms underlying NK cell dysfunction in the prostate cancer tumor microenvironment remain generally poorly characterized. While most transcriptomic studies focus on gene-level expression, alternative splicing and isoform-level analysis may reveal additional levels of regulation not identified in traditional analysis. The overall goal of this study was to characterize gene and isoform-level changes in NK cells exposed to in vitro prostate cancer conditions and to evaluate whether isoform-level analysis could provide additional depth and insights beyond gene-level analyses. NK92-MI cells were co-cultured with LNCaP prostate cancer cells using direct-contact …


Generating Genomic Resources For The Pink Sundew And Its Specialist Herbivore Moth From A Single Gene To Entire Genomes, Kerissa F. Tarpley Jan 2026

Generating Genomic Resources For The Pink Sundew And Its Specialist Herbivore Moth From A Single Gene To Entire Genomes, Kerissa F. Tarpley

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Genomic resources are critical for the conservation of threatened species, providing valuable insights into genetic diversity, population structure, and adaptive potential. This thesis focuses on two ecologically interconnected species: the carnivorous plant pink sundew (Drosera capillaris) and its specialist herbivore the sundew plume moth (Buckleria parvulus). The sundew and plume moth face an uncertain future as their vital bog habitats continue to disappear. The sundew plays a crucial role in the life cycle of the plume moth, which relies on the sundew during its larval stages for survival. To aid in species detections, I first generated …


Assessing The Impact Of Storing Water Samples At Ambient Temperature On Plankton Metabarcoding, Stephanie N. Lievano Jan 2026

Assessing The Impact Of Storing Water Samples At Ambient Temperature On Plankton Metabarcoding, Stephanie N. Lievano

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Increasing incidence of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) has led to fish kills, air quality hazards, and economic impacts. One economic impact is on tourism, one of the main sources of Florida’s income, where billions of dollars are lost to such events. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC-FWRI), with the help of collaborators, collects water samples from across the state for HAB monitoring. These samples are stored at ambient temperature for up to 24 hours which could directly affect data analyses. Here, in collaboration with FWRI-FWC, I investigated whether this storage technique affects plankton …


Recurrence And Co-Occurrence Of Enhancer-Promoter Interactions Across Human Samples, Satvik Gunjala Jan 2026

Recurrence And Co-Occurrence Of Enhancer-Promoter Interactions Across Human Samples, Satvik Gunjala

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Experimental mapping of enhancer-promoter interactions (EPIs) is resource-intensive, and current computational prediction methods struggle with intrinsic genomic complexity and reliance on limited training data. To address this bottleneck and provide insights for improved computational methods, this study systematically analyzed chromatin contact datasets to investigate the recurrence and co-occurrence of enhancer-promoter interactions across human samples. Putative interactions were evaluated across two HiChIP datasets comprising 218 total samples and one Hi-C dataset comprising 266 samples to assess recurrence across samples and assess sequencing depth related to unique EPIs. Additionally, a preliminary item-based collaborative filtering recommender model was developed to assess co-occurrence patterns …


Interacting With Ideas: How To Engage Stem Students In Active Learning Of Theory Using Technology, Jessica Elizabeth Whitney, Keith Brian Morris Jan 2026

Interacting With Ideas: How To Engage Stem Students In Active Learning Of Theory Using Technology, Jessica Elizabeth Whitney, Keith Brian Morris

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Concurrent Session Papers

STEM education in the modern age has been subject to much reform – from the integration of technology to an emphasis on student-centered teaching strategies, such as active learning. However, in the wake of virtual and blended-learning environments, student engagement and teacher assessment of student success have been challenged. Tools such as KAHOOT! and iClicker have been promoted to foster an active learning environment while sometimes falling short in regards to student retention of course material. In light of this technological educational revolution, instructors need to be able to determine the most effective tools for their discipline to aid in …


Data From: Complete Mitochondrial Genomes Of The Spring Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma Alabamae), Kayla M. Fast, David Lee Pounders, Mayah P. Peterson, Michael W. Sandel Jan 2026

Data From: Complete Mitochondrial Genomes Of The Spring Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma Alabamae), Kayla M. Fast, David Lee Pounders, Mayah P. Peterson, Michael W. Sandel

Research Data

The Spring Pygmy Sunfish, Elassoma alabamae (Mayden, 1993), is a small species of sunfish (Centrarchiformes) endemic to tributaries to the middle Tennessee River in north Alabama. Elassoma alabamae is the most geographically restricted member of Elassoma and the only species found above the fall line. This species was twice considered extinct and was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as threatened in 2013. To date, surveys for this species have been limited to traditional invasive methods using dipnets and seines. In order to reduce impacts on sensitive populations, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome with the intent of developing a …


Microbial Community Structure In Global Soils, Matthew Jabro Jan 2026

Microbial Community Structure In Global Soils, Matthew Jabro

CMC Senior Theses

Soil harbors the most diverse microbial communities on Earth, yet whether predictable community types exist across biomes and whether taxonomic composition encodes habitat of origin remain open questions at global scale. This thesis addresses both questions by applying unsupervised clustering and supervised classification to transformed 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) amplicon profiles from two independent datasets: the global topsoil survey of Bahram et al. (193 samples) and the Earth Microbiome Project (EMP) soil subset of Thompson et al. (2,209 samples). Application of a sample clustering method based on a mixture of Gaussian Graphical Models (MixGGM) identified 19 clusters in the topsoil …


Genomic Signatures Of Decline And Recovery In An Endangered Bat, Myotis Grisescens, Marxe Altman-Orbach Jan 2026

Genomic Signatures Of Decline And Recovery In An Endangered Bat, Myotis Grisescens, Marxe Altman-Orbach

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Tremendous population declines may result in the loss of genetic diversity, which can, in turn, lead to reduced adaptive potential, overexpression of deleterious phenotypes, and further population declines. In this way, genetic drift from a severe demographic decline may ultimately lead to an extinction vortex. However, populations that avoid the loss of genetic diversity may remain viable, despite demographic crashes. Therefore, understanding genetic diversity is vital for assessing the conservation status of species that have undergone declines, and can even reflect the effectiveness of management actions. I investigated signatures of genetic bottlenecks in the gray bat (Myotis grisescens), …


Sex In Plants: Birth, Death, And Trying To Survive In Changing Climates, Elena M. Meyer Jan 2026

Sex In Plants: Birth, Death, And Trying To Survive In Changing Climates, Elena M. Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

Plant mating systems are key determinants of fitness. Angiosperms exhibit a wide variety of reproductive strategies, including self-fertilization (or selfing), outcrossing, and mixed mating. It has been estimated that up to 43% of plant species are capable of selfing, and selfing has been hypothesized to provide reproductive assurance where opportunities for mating may be limited, such as in marginal environments. However, questions regarding the overall distribution of selfing rates across angiosperms, the maintenance of mixed mating in the face of inbreeding depression, and the impact of self-fertilization on diversification rates remain incompletely resolved. Here, we explore the dynamics of self-fertilization …


Epigenetic Modifications In Dedifferentiated Liver Cells To Restore Lost Liver Function, Shreya Sharma Jan 2026

Epigenetic Modifications In Dedifferentiated Liver Cells To Restore Lost Liver Function, Shreya Sharma

Masters Theses

The goal of the study is to investigate whether the epigenetic modifications can enhance the restoration of liver gene expression in dedifferentiated hepatoma cells or not. For the study, we used dedifferentiated H11 hepatoma cell lines which overexpress one of a panel of introduced candidate liver-enriched transcription factors H11-HNF1a, H11-CREB3L3, H11-CREG1, H11- HHEX, H11-HNF6, and H11-IGFBP1. The cells were treated with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-azacytidine and the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate, both individually and in combination. Gene expression analysis was determined by RT-qPCR, which revealed that while transcription factor overexpression alone produced limited activation, epigenetic modulation, particularly Histone …


A Complete Diploid Human Genome Benchmark For Personalized Genomics, Nancy F. Hansen, Nathan Dwarshuis, Hyun Joo Ji, Arang Rhie, Hailey Loucks, Glennis A. Logsdon, Mitchell R. Vallger, Jessica M. Storer, Juhyun Kim, Eleni Adam, Nicolas Alternose, Dmitry Antipov, Mobin Asri, Sofia Barreira, Stephanie C. Bohaczuk, Andrey V. Bzikadze, Sara A. Carioscia, Andrew Carroll, Kuan-Hao Chao, Yanan Chu, Arun Das, Peter Ebert, Adam English, Mark Fleharty, Laura E. Fleming, Giulio Formenti, Andrea Guarracino, Gabrielle A. Hartley, Katharine Jenike, Jenna Kalleberg, Yu Kang, Robert King, Josipa Lipovac, Mira Mastoras, Matthew W. Mitchell, Shloka Negi, Nathan D. Olson, Keisuke K. Oshima, Luis F. Paulin, Brandon D. Pickett, David Porubsky, Jane Ranchalis, Desh Ranjan, Mikko Rautiainen, Harold Riethman, Robert D. Schnabel, Fritz J. Sedlazeck, Kishwar Shafin, Mile Sikic, Steven J. Solar, Alexander P. Sweeten, Winston Timp, Justin Wagner, Dongahn Yoo, Ying Zhou, Erik Garrison, Evan E. Eichler, Michaeel C. Schatz, Andrew B. Stergachis, Rachel J. O'Neill, Karen H. Miga, Steven L. Salzberg, Sergey Koren, Justin M. Zook, Adam M. Phillippy Jan 2026

A Complete Diploid Human Genome Benchmark For Personalized Genomics, Nancy F. Hansen, Nathan Dwarshuis, Hyun Joo Ji, Arang Rhie, Hailey Loucks, Glennis A. Logsdon, Mitchell R. Vallger, Jessica M. Storer, Juhyun Kim, Eleni Adam, Nicolas Alternose, Dmitry Antipov, Mobin Asri, Sofia Barreira, Stephanie C. Bohaczuk, Andrey V. Bzikadze, Sara A. Carioscia, Andrew Carroll, Kuan-Hao Chao, Yanan Chu, Arun Das, Peter Ebert, Adam English, Mark Fleharty, Laura E. Fleming, Giulio Formenti, Andrea Guarracino, Gabrielle A. Hartley, Katharine Jenike, Jenna Kalleberg, Yu Kang, Robert King, Josipa Lipovac, Mira Mastoras, Matthew W. Mitchell, Shloka Negi, Nathan D. Olson, Keisuke K. Oshima, Luis F. Paulin, Brandon D. Pickett, David Porubsky, Jane Ranchalis, Desh Ranjan, Mikko Rautiainen, Harold Riethman, Robert D. Schnabel, Fritz J. Sedlazeck, Kishwar Shafin, Mile Sikic, Steven J. Solar, Alexander P. Sweeten, Winston Timp, Justin Wagner, Dongahn Yoo, Ying Zhou, Erik Garrison, Evan E. Eichler, Michaeel C. Schatz, Andrew B. Stergachis, Rachel J. O'Neill, Karen H. Miga, Steven L. Salzberg, Sergey Koren, Justin M. Zook, Adam M. Phillippy

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Human genome sequencing typically relies on mapping reads to a reference genome to call variants, but this approach introduces technical biases, excluding duplicated and structurally polymorphic regions of the genome. To overcome this, we present a telomere-to-telomere genome benchmark with near-perfect accuracy across 99.4% of the diploid HG002 genome. This benchmark adds 701.4 Mb of autosomal sequence and both sex chromosomes (216.8 Mb), which were absent from prior benchmarks. We annotated genes and repeats on both haplotypes, including 19,956 protein-coding genes on the maternal haplotype and 19,190 on the paternal haplotype, and developed new methods to measure the accuracy of …


Chromnet: A Multi-Task Learning Framework For Cross-Cell Type Prediction Of 3d Chromatin Interactions Using Epigenetic Signals, Bin Wang, Shaokai Wang, Liqing Ding, Hongdong Li, Yaohang Li, Jianxin Wang Jan 2026

Chromnet: A Multi-Task Learning Framework For Cross-Cell Type Prediction Of 3d Chromatin Interactions Using Epigenetic Signals, Bin Wang, Shaokai Wang, Liqing Ding, Hongdong Li, Yaohang Li, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The 3D organization of chromatin plays a fundamental role in gene regulation, cellular function, and disease mechanisms. However, current experimental techniques, such as Hi-C, remain costly and labor-intensive, limiting their application in large-scale and disease-related studies. To address this challenge, ChromNet is presented, a multi-task learning framework that integrates epigenetic signals across diverse cell types to enable high-precision prediction of chromatin architecture. By incorporating noise perturbation and auxiliary classification tasks, ChromNet improves the identification of topologically associating domains (TADs) and cell-type-specific chromatin structures, demonstrating superior generalization performance. Notably, ChromNet accurately predicts chromatin interactions in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) samples by …


Attention-Based Multi-Omics Fusion For Drug Synergy Prediction, Kusal Debnath, Pratip Rana, Preetam Ghosh Jan 2026

Attention-Based Multi-Omics Fusion For Drug Synergy Prediction, Kusal Debnath, Pratip Rana, Preetam Ghosh

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Drug combination therapy in disease management gained popularity in the last few decades. Computational modeling of such combinations is an active area of research in the drug discovery domain. While earlier approaches solely emphasized on the structural features of participating drugs for designing synergistic models, they lack other crucial factors directly linked with drug administration - omics expressions. As differential omics expression is a downstream consequence of the administered drug combinations, utilizing such expressions while designing synergistic models promises robust and dynamic modeling. In this work, we propose SynergyLM that fuses multi-omics features with drug embeddings to build an omics-aware …


Identifying Rna Splicing Changes During Alcohol Withdrawal Using An Optimized Rna-Seq Analysis Pipeline, Yasaswi Veera, Luana Martins De Carvalho, Amy Lasek Jan 2026

Identifying Rna Splicing Changes During Alcohol Withdrawal Using An Optimized Rna-Seq Analysis Pipeline, Yasaswi Veera, Luana Martins De Carvalho, Amy Lasek

UROP Posters

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) causes long-lasting changes in brain gene expression and RNA splicing, particularly in the ventral hippocampus. This study analyzes RNA-Seq data from rats exposed to chronic alcohol and withdrawal to identify transcript-level and splicing alterations. An optimized RNA-Seq pipeline using STAR, FeatureCounts, edgeR, and WGCNA improved efficiency by 25-40% while maintaining consistency across 25 datasets. Results reveal changes in neural signaling and stress-response pathways associated with withdrawal. This work provides both biological insight into AUD and a reproducible computational framework for transcriptomic analysis.


A Novel 3d Imaging Approach To Study Evolutionary Innovations In Solanaceae Inflorescences, Devin L. Jackson, Joonseog Kim, Wenheng Zhang Dr. Jan 2026

A Novel 3d Imaging Approach To Study Evolutionary Innovations In Solanaceae Inflorescences, Devin L. Jackson, Joonseog Kim, Wenheng Zhang Dr.

UROP Posters

Understanding the relatedness of angiosperms and the evolution of their inflorescence remains challenging, as these structures are highly modified and prone to convergent evolution. The current research describing inflorescence architecture, whether genetically or morphologically focused, typically relies on text based explanations, 2D images, or 3D based models created with CAD modeling software. This creates a disparity in the reader's understanding of these models since descriptions rely heavily on the author's interpretation of the inflorescence. The goal of our study is to bridge this disconnection by producing anatomically and color-correct 3D inflorescence models using Solanaceae flowers that readers can explore directly, …


Determining Genes Involved In Recovery From Chemotherapy In 4t1, Emt6, And Eo771 Breast Cancer Cells, Akash Jagdeesh, Joseph Landry Ph.D. Jan 2026

Determining Genes Involved In Recovery From Chemotherapy In 4t1, Emt6, And Eo771 Breast Cancer Cells, Akash Jagdeesh, Joseph Landry Ph.D.

UROP Posters

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and often has poor prognosis. Traditional treatments for breast cancer include chemotherapy, which involves a chemical attack on all growing cells within the body. However, these treatments are not 100% effective, and patients might experience recurrence in their cancer months or years after achieving remission. Cancer cells can evade chemotherapy through five mechanisms: senescence, quiescence, cytoprotective autophagy, and apoptosis/necroptosis suppression. Prior studies have conducted CRISPR screens and experiments involving inhibition of epigenetic regulators, to alter the regulation of genes that can contribute to breast cancer chemotherapy resistance. This study …


Fluorescent Protein Imaging Approaches Uncover Dynamic Subcellular Distribution Of Core Clock Proteins In Neurospora Crassa, Ziyan Wang Jan 2026

Fluorescent Protein Imaging Approaches Uncover Dynamic Subcellular Distribution Of Core Clock Proteins In Neurospora Crassa, Ziyan Wang

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Circadian clocks are endogenous self-sustained timekeeping systems that allow organisms to anticipate and adapt to daily environmental cycles. Found in diverse forms of life, these molecular clocks regulate the expression of ~ 40% of the genome in animals, fungi, and plants. In animals and fungi, circadian oscillators are built on transcription-translation feedback loops (TTFLs), in which positive regulators drive the expression of negative regulators which, once synthesized and imported into the nucleus, inhibit their own activators. This precisely regulated negative feedback incorporates multiple steps of delays that are essential for generating ~24-hour rhythms. Through these mechanisms, circadian clocks temporally coordinate …


Genomic Determinants Of Appetite Regulation And Their Role In Obesity Risk, Timothy J. Renier Jan 2026

Genomic Determinants Of Appetite Regulation And Their Role In Obesity Risk, Timothy J. Renier

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Over 40% of US adults and 20% of children live with obesity. It is related to increased risks of diseases including type II diabetes and cancer, is a source of harmful stigma, and impairs child development. Appetitive traits describing patterns of food approach and avoidance behaviors may serve as windows into the underlying pathophysiology of obesity. As both obesity and appetitive traits are heritable, common genetic drivers of obesity may lead to phenotypic obesity through appetitive traits as a disease mechanism. Additionally, GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been shown to exert their profound clinical effects in part by modulating appetite. …


From Molecules To Minds: Integrative Multi-Omics In Psychiatry, Hossein Abbasi, Sage E. Hawn, Arash Javanbakht, Soraya Seedat, Kyle Bourassa, Sinead M. Sinnott, Antonia V. Seligowski, Sian Hemmings, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Alicia K. Smith, Leslie Brick, Divya Mehta Jan 2026

From Molecules To Minds: Integrative Multi-Omics In Psychiatry, Hossein Abbasi, Sage E. Hawn, Arash Javanbakht, Soraya Seedat, Kyle Bourassa, Sinead M. Sinnott, Antonia V. Seligowski, Sian Hemmings, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Alicia K. Smith, Leslie Brick, Divya Mehta

Psychology Faculty Publications

Psychiatric disorders are biologically complex conditions arising from interactions across genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and metagenomic layers. Single-omics approaches rarely capture more than a fraction of the variance in complex conditions, underscoring the importance of integrative multi-omics frameworks. This mini-review summarizes key methodologies and their application in psychiatric research, with a focus on systems-level integration of genomic risk scores, transcriptomic networks, and neuroimaging data to advance biological understanding of disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. We also outline the infrastructural requirements for effective multi-omics research, including standardized biobanking, Laboratory Information Management Systems, adherence to FAIR data principles, …


Regulation And Localization Of Urease In Sporosarcina Pasteurii: Implications For Coastal Protection, Amar Kosovac Jan 2026

Regulation And Localization Of Urease In Sporosarcina Pasteurii: Implications For Coastal Protection, Amar Kosovac

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal erosion is a persistent problem exacerbated by global warming. As the climate changes, the southeastern coast is likely to experience an increased frequency and intensity of storms, which can significantly damage the coastline. The coast is crucial as it serves as a habitat for numerous animals, supports tourism, and underpins infrastructure. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a novel method to enhance erosion resistance in sandy soils using the non-pathogenic bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii. S. pasteurii produces urease to catalyze urea into bicarbonate, which drives the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Maximal expression of urease is a limiting factor for …


Comparative Analysis Of Six New Chloroplast Genomes In Platanthera (Orchidaceae) Enhances Understanding Of Its Diversification, Lisa E. Wallace, Martin I. Batalla, Matthew Maisonave Jan 2026

Comparative Analysis Of Six New Chloroplast Genomes In Platanthera (Orchidaceae) Enhances Understanding Of Its Diversification, Lisa E. Wallace, Martin I. Batalla, Matthew Maisonave

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Platanthera is among the most diverse genera of orchids in north temperate regions, with high species diversity in Asia and North America. Despite many ecological studies in this group, little is known about its genomic diversity. Here, we report the newly annotated chloroplast genomes from six species in subgenus Limnorchis from North America and compare them with plastomes published for Platanthera species from Asia and Europe. We found that the plastomes of species in subg. Limnorchis are among the smallest reported for Platanthera thus far. While major structural differences were not detected in the newly sequenced species, ndh genes were …


Acute Fatty Liver Of Pregnancy And Fetal Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders: A Systematic Review, Dante Varotsis, Sarah Araji, Rebecca Horgan, Jennifer E. Powel, Rodney Mclaren Jr., Brian Kirmse, Mona Makhamreh, Huda B. Al-Kouatly Jan 2026

Acute Fatty Liver Of Pregnancy And Fetal Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders: A Systematic Review, Dante Varotsis, Sarah Araji, Rebecca Horgan, Jennifer E. Powel, Rodney Mclaren Jr., Brian Kirmse, Mona Makhamreh, Huda B. Al-Kouatly

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between maternal acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) and fetal fatty acid oxidation (FAO) disorders and to define the clinical and genetic characteristics of mothers with AFLP and their fetuses affected by FAO disorders, we performed a systematic literature review of all reported cases of AFLP that underwent genetic testing for FAO disorders.

DATA SOURCES:

We searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL (EBSCO), Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Terms included were related to AFLP and FAO testing.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION:

We conducted a systematic literature review from inception through May 18, 2025, to evaluate the …


Building A Cell Specific System For In Vivo Rna Imaging Of The Endogenous Actin Gene In C. Elegans, Jasmine A. Huerta Canete Jan 2026

Building A Cell Specific System For In Vivo Rna Imaging Of The Endogenous Actin Gene In C. Elegans, Jasmine A. Huerta Canete

Theses and Dissertations

Messenger RNA (mRNA) plays a crucial role in protein synthesis and cellular processes, important for the development of cells such as neurons. When dysregulation occurs, it can lead to outcomes such as aberrant translation, causing neurodegenerative conditions to arise. Unfortunately, the localization of mRNA in an in vivo cell specific manner is still not understood. To address this, we decided to develop a cell-specific system to image RNA in vivo, within the organism known as C. elegans with a focus on the actin gene. The Actin gene encodes for an important cytoskeleton protein expressed ubiquitously, vital for the cell …


Microarray Analysis Of Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm With Emphasis On Cardiovascular Genes Revealed Differentially Expressed Genes, Song Lu, Li Ping Li, John V. White, Xiaoying Zhang, Ifeyinwa Nwaneshiudu, Adaobi Nwaneshiudu, Nectaria Ntaoula, John Gaughan, Dimitri S. Monos, Wan-Lu Lin, Charalambos C. Solomides, Emilia L. Oleszak, Chris D. Platsoucas Jan 2026

Microarray Analysis Of Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm With Emphasis On Cardiovascular Genes Revealed Differentially Expressed Genes, Song Lu, Li Ping Li, John V. White, Xiaoying Zhang, Ifeyinwa Nwaneshiudu, Adaobi Nwaneshiudu, Nectaria Ntaoula, John Gaughan, Dimitri S. Monos, Wan-Lu Lin, Charalambos C. Solomides, Emilia L. Oleszak, Chris D. Platsoucas

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background/Aim: We examined gene expression profiles in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) lesions vs. normal aortas by cDNA microarray and real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Materials and Methods: Phosphorus (32P)-labeled cDNA from AAA specimens (mean AAA size 6.65 cm) and normal aortas were hybridized with a 588-gene microarray primarily of the cardiovascular system. The results were validated by qRT-PCR.

Results: A total of 35 out of the 588 genes were differentially expressed, with either log2 ratio of AAAs/controls ≥1 (upregulated; 20 genes) or ≤−1 (downregulated; 15 genes) in AAA lesions vs. normal aorta, and 25 of these were significantly …


Rapid Urbanization Reduces Genetic Diversity And Increases Genetic Differentiation Of A Lynx Spider Oxyopes Sertatus In Central Taiwan, Ying-Yuan Lo, Chi Wei, Wan-Jyun Chen, Chung-Ping Lin Jan 2026

Rapid Urbanization Reduces Genetic Diversity And Increases Genetic Differentiation Of A Lynx Spider Oxyopes Sertatus In Central Taiwan, Ying-Yuan Lo, Chi Wei, Wan-Jyun Chen, Chung-Ping Lin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Urbanization is a dominant force driving destructive and irreversible changes of natural habitats in modern times. While the effects of urbanization on community composition and phenotypic responses are well-documented, its influence on genetic diversity and population structure remains understudied, particularly for invertebrates in subtropical regions. This study tested the hypothesis that urbanization reduces genetic diversity and increases population differentiation in the lynx spider Oxyopes sertatus, a common foliage-dwelling spider in Taiwan. We sampled 245 individuals from 17 sites distributed along an urban-rural gradient and quantified urbanization intensity using land-use composition at both landscape (4 km²) and local (0.25 km²) …