Research Methods in Life Sciences Commons^™

Microbial Metabolite Regulation Of Microglial Ahr Signaling In Alzheimer’S Disease, Ghalya E. Alrousan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid-β plaque accumulation, neuroinflammation, and cognitive decline. Recent evidence suggests that systemic factors, particularly the gut microbiota and its metabolites, play a significant role in shaping brain immune responses, including microglial activation. However, the mechanisms linking gut dysbiosis to microglial dysfunction in AD are poorly understood. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor responsive to tryptophan metabolites, has recently gained attention as a key regulator of neuroinflammation and microglial function. I hypothesize that the loss of beneficial microbial AHR ligands, specifically indole derivatives, during aging and AD …

Agent-Based Model Outputs Regarding Error Associated With Drone-Based Animal Surveys, Emma Schultz, Natasha Ellison-Neary, Landon R. Jones, Kristine O. Evans, Raymond B. Iglay

Research Data

Count results from different scenarios of an agent-based model simulating various drone flight patterns across a survey area with differing animal distributions (clumped, random, uniform). Each Excel worksheet contains count results from surveys with specific numbers of animals (n = 4, 9, 25, 49, 100) programmed within the agent-based model survey area.

Role And Electrophysiological Properties Of Sexually Dimorphic Oxytocin Receptor Expressing Neurons In The Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Of The Female Mice, Armita Abdollahi Govar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Oxytocin is a neurohypophyseal hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating mother-infant bonding and maternal behavior. Oxytocin modulates sex-specific parental behaviors by binding to the oxytocin receptor (OXTR)-expressing neurons in the brain. This study investigates the sexually dimorphic OXTR neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) to understand how oxytocin modulates behavior in females. Specifically, we explored the behavioral roles, neural projections, and intrinsic electrophysiological characteristics of these neurons in the female mice. Using immunohistochemistry revealed that the number of OXTR-expressing neurons was enhanced in postpartum females compared with virgin females, suggesting that these neurons are involved in female-specific …

Participatory Science Newsletter Vol. 4 2025_07_15, Mairi Poisson, Malin Clyde, Alyson L. Eberhardt

Participatory Science News

In this edition of the UNH Participatory Sciences Newsletter, we offer news and resources on Learning From Each Other. Articles include one student's reflection on attending the national conference for the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences in Portland, Oregon in May, 2025. UNH PhD student Mairi Poisson was both a presenter and a booth exhibitor, and shares her reflection on the people and topics that excited her during the conference. Additionally, this edition describes the upcoming opportunity to study participatory science as a topic at the UNH graduate school, as well as a winter, 2026 offering for a professional development …

Cilia In The Brain Display Region-Dependent Oscillations Of Length And Orientation, Roudabeh Vakil Monfared, Sherif Abdelkarim, Pieter Derdeyn, Kiki Chen, Hanting Wu, Kenneth Leong, Tiffany Chang, Justine Lee, Sara Versales, Surya M. Nauli, Kevin Beier, Pierre Baldi, Amal Alachkar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, we conducted high-throughput spatiotemporal analysis of primary cilia length and orientation across 22 mouse brain regions. We developed automated image analysis algorithms, which enabled us to examine over 10 million individual cilia, generating the largest spatiotemporal atlas of cilia. We found that cilia length and orientation display substantial variations across different brain regions and exhibit fluctuations over a 24-h period, with region-specific peaks during light-dark phases. Our analysis revealed unique orientation patterns of cilia, suggesting that cilia orientation within the brain is not random but follows specific patterns. Using BioCycle, we identified rhythmic fluctuations in cilia length …

Western Australia’S Agricultural R&D Ecosystem, Ross Kingwell

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

• Decades ago, the agricultural R&D ecosystem in Western Australia (WA) was fairly simple with few funders and some key providers of R&D services such as the Department of Agriculture, CSIRO and the University of Western Australia.
• Since then, the agricultural R&D ecosystem in WA has increased in complexity with more R&D providers and a greater injection of industry and private funding.
• These changes have occurred against a backdrop of the total investment in agricultural R&D declining as a share of agriculture’s gross value of production.
• State and federal governments have reduced their share of the total investment in agricultural R&D. …

Scientific Note: Garden Loosestrife (Lysimachia Vulgaris, Primulaceae), An Emerging Invasive Plant Species Of Riparian Corridors In The Mid-Atlantic Region, Christopher T. Martine, Amy L. Jewitt, Claire M. Ciafre, Kaitlin G. Henry, Elizabeth H. Williams, Pj Newhart, Melody P. Sain

Faculty Journal Articles

Lysimachia vulgaris (garden loosestrife, Primulaceae) is an herbaceous perennial native to Europe that has been identified as an aggressive invasive species in parts of North America. The status of the species in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, however, is poorly determined. Using recent field observations (from iNaturalist, iMapInvasives, and EDDMapS records) we here report localized incursions of L. vulgaris in the Susquehanna River Valley of central Pennsylvania, along with notes on its ecology, threats to native plant communities, and broader distribution in the state.

Murine Tbk1 Regulates Mpp3-Type Hspcs And Circulating Leukocytes In Normal Hematopoiesis And Flt3+ Lscs In Mll-Af9-Driven Leukemia, Austin P. Runde, Joseph Cannova, Ryan Mack, Kanak Joshi, Mark Sellin, Rohit Thalla, Allan Youmaran, Mattias Lenz, Peter Breslin, Wei Wei, Jiwang Zhang

School of Medicine

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic cancer with a notoriously bleak prognosis; for non-M3 AML, the overall 5-year survival rate is ∼30%. While 60-70% of newly diagnosed AML patients will achieve complete remission (CR), half of these patients will experience relapse (secondary resistance) by three years from their diagnosis. Moreover, 30-40% of AML patients present with refractory disease (primary resistance) and cannot respond to frontline treatments. Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are implicated in both primary and secondary resistance, and their eradication is necessary to maintain CR. LSCs have unique transcriptomes and immunophenotypes, thus can be identified relatively …

Arts-Based Sustainability: From New York To Malawi, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Recognizing that libraries serve multiple constituencies and subject areas, this chapter documents and advocates for development of transdisciplinary arts-based research (ABR) and culture-related projects linked to environmental challenges. Libraries contribute collections and spaces, as well as the research of library and information scientists. Libraries are currently among invisible contributors to sustainability planning and services. The chapter will link this invisibility to the value of what visual arts refer to as negative space elements in subjects ranging from traditional ecological knowledge to environmental science. Library collections, projects, and research contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD) as required to achieve the …

The Role Of G6pd Variants And 3d Genomic Structure In The Development Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Christina M. Signoretti Ph.D.

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Pulmonary hypertension is an under-recognized global health epidemic which is estimated to affect 1% of the population. It is associated with sustained mean pulmonary artery pressure greater than 20 mmHg, pulmonary artery remodeling, smooth muscle and endothelial cell proliferation and subsequent increased right ventricle hypertrophy due to increased afterload. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is one of the key enzymes in the pentose phosphate pathway and has been previously linked to the development of pulmonary hypertension. G6PD deficiency is the most common human enzymopathy which affects approximately 400 million people worldwide and is a result of agricultural and epidemiological evolution in different …

Mechanisms Of Placental Impairment And The Upregulation Of Fetuin-B During Maternal Undernourishment, Mia Camilliere

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Proper nutrition is crucial during pregnancy to support fetal and placental development. Failure to meet these nutritional needs can result in adverse health outcomes for both mother and baby. Despite its high prevalence in underdeveloped countries, maternal undernourishment is a public health issue worldwide. There are several possible causes of maternal undernourishment, and these can occur alone or in combination, such as poor access to nutrition, hyperemesis gravidarum, and drug use. This condition can adversely affect placental development and function to the extent of placental insufficiency, perturbing the entire pregnancy. The placenta is responsible not only for hormonally and physically …

Ammonia Regulation In Aedes Taeniorhynchus, A Salt-Water Mosquito, Joseph Edmonds

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The salt tolerant mosquito species Aedes taeniorhynchus has been observed in high salinity and ammonia conditions. Previous studies indicate Na+/K+ ATPase (NKA), the proton pump vacuolar-type H+ ATPase (VHA) and sodium-dependent cation-chloride cotransporters (NKCC’s) in sodium secretion in larval Aedes taeniorhynchus. However ammonia transporter such as Rh-protein, Amt1, and Amt2 have only been characterized in Aedes taeniorhynchus’s fresh water relative Aedes aegypti. Our research exhibits the expression of these transporters in A.taeniorhynchus using immunohistochemistry techniques. Evidence of VHA and NKA function in ammonia transport was characterized in vivo using drug antagonists in varying saline and ammonia concentrations. Ammonia flux rates …

Network Analysis Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus: Characterization Of Hub Genes And Their Functional Implications, Md Imran Hasan, Davida Smyth, Jeong Yang, Ashley Teufel

Masters Theses (Archived)

Antimicrobial resistance is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with S. aureus infections. In this study, we analyzed genes, molecular mechanisms, and pathways driving drug resistance in S. aureus using network analysis. Using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and systems biology approaches, we identified 229 AMR-associated genes and constructed a protein-protein interaction network among these genes. Through network topology and functional enrichment analyses, we not only confirmed their association with resistance, but also highlighted the central roles of these genes in resistance pathways, such as efflux, target replacement, and target protection, which are directly linked to multiple drug …

Participatory Science Newsletter 2025_05_20, Mairi Poisson, Malin Clyde, Alyson L. Eberhardt

Participatory Science News

In this edition of the UNH Participatory Sciences Newsletter, we offer news and resources on The Power of Participatory Sciences. These include a story about UNH graduate student Lauren White's work using participatory science data about horseshoe crab spawning in the Great Bay. Another story highlights UNH's Coastal Research Volunteers Beach Profiling Project and another outlines how many UNH researchers at UNH are working with local communities to find solutions to environmental problems. A final article shares information about the 2025 conference for the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences and the poster presented by scholars and students from UNH.

Plastic In The Pack: Assessing Microplastic Risk To Urban Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The San Francisco Bay Area, Elaina E. Herrmann

Master's Projects and Capstones

Microplastics are an emerging concern worldwide. However, their impact on terrestrial mammals, such as Canis latrans (coyotes), has yet to be extensively studied. Coyotes are unique in their ability to adapt to urban environments and have recently begun bridging the gap between marine and terrestrial food webs. This research examines the potential sources and impact of microplastic exposure in urban coyotes in the San Francisco Bay Area and possible food web impacts through literature synthesis and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping. This research examined potential mechanisms for direct and trophic microplastic uptake by coyotes resulting from the anthropogenic, terrestrial, and …

Sickle Cell Mice Exhibit Elevated Plasma Bilirubin And Altered Intracranial Cerebral Blood Velocities That Are Exacerbated By Hypoxia-Reoxygenation, Francisco J. Nunez, Ashraf M. Mohieldin, Amy Y. Pan, Sean P. Palecek, Rahima Zennadi, Ramani Ramchandran, Kevin R. Rarick, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder characterized by sickle red blood cells (RBCs). Sickle RBCs cause cerebral vasculopathies including vaso-occlusive events, leading to ischemia-reperfusion injury and hypoxic tissue environment. To date, the physiological blood flow velocities in cerebral vessels of preclinical SCD models has not been evaluated under hypoxic-reoxygenation. In our study, we used transcranial ultrasound techniques to measure abnormal blood flow velocities in the internal carotid (ICA) and middle cerebral arteries (MCA) of transgenic sickle cell mice (SS) challenged with hypoxia-reoxygenation. Our study showed that SS mice that underwent hypoxic stress exhibited lower relative mean velocities in …

Peripheral Neuroimmune Mechanisms Of Chronic Back Pain, Aleyah Esther Goins

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Chronic back pain (CBP) affects 1 in 10 people worldwide, reducing mobility, productivity, and quality of life. Despite its prevalence, non-addictive treatments remain limited due to an incomplete understanding of chronic pain mechanisms. This dissertation examines peripheral neuroimmune interactions in CBP using a urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)-induced mouse model (uPA-CBP). uPA, a pro-inflammatory serine protease, was injected into the L2/L3 lumbar spinous ligament, inducing prolonged mechanical and cold hypersensitivity. Flow cytometry of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) showed increased CD45+CD11b+ myeloid cells in males and CD45+CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes in females. DRG neurons from male uPA-CBP mice exhibited heightened action potential firing. Pharmacological …

Impacts Of Polyploidization On Endocrine Regulation And Vocalization In The Gray Treefrog Complex, Avery Thigpen

Honors Theses

Comparative genomics data suggest that vertebrates are descendants of ancestral polyploids and that historical polyploidization events fueled evolutionary innovations. For example, polyploidization can modify gene expression patterns and/or increase gene mutation rates to alter the phenotype. While considerable emphasis has been placed on the evolutionary impact of ancient polyploidization events, less is known regarding phenotypic modifications in extant polyploids. I examined circulating levels of adrenal glucocorticoids and gonadal steroids in the diploid-tetraploid gray treefrog complex to understand how polyploidization has impacted hormonal regulation. Furthermore, I examined the relationships between levels of these hormones and acoustic signals to examine if and …

Rapid Identification Of Ambystoma Mexicanum Genotype Using Pcr Techniques, Elizabeth C. Dean

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Ambystoma mexicanum is an aquatic salamander species, commonly known as the axolotl, native to Mexico that is widely researched all over the world. In the wild, these salamanders have brown/black colored skin due to the presence of melanophores and xanthophores with shiny spots due to iridophores. In captivity, however, there are multiple different color morphs (phenotypes) of axolotls including leucistic, melanistic, and copper. Melanoid axolotls have black skin made by mostly melanophores, little xanthophores, and no iridophores. Melanistic genotypes such as melanoid and wild type color morphs are thought to be controlled by a single gene called Leukocyte Tyrosine Kinase …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Exoy Enzymatic Activity Inhibits Exos-Induced Caspase-3/7 Activation But Not Cytotoxicity In Pmvecs, Connor Holm

Poster Presentations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aer.) is the most common cause of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in ICU patients. Different combinations of exoenzymes (S, T, Y, and U) are found in P. aer. strains. ExoY is most often associated with VAP in ICU patients. ExoY infection of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) induces cell rounding but does not activate intracellular caspase-3/7 or cause cell death. ExoS and ExoT infection of epithelial cells leads to caspase-3/7 dependent cell death. Previous studies using epithelial cells show that ExoY alleviates the cytotoxic effects of ExoS and ExoT. Here, we sought to determine whether ExoY inhibits …

Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs (Ocypode Quadrata) As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish

Poster Presentations

Coastal erosion is heavily impacting coastal ecosystems across the Gulf. For instance, the state of Louisiana loses a football field worth of land every 100 minutes (Couvillion, 2017). The drastic loss of coastline highlights the dire need for restoration in the Northern Gulf Coast. An unexpected solution to this sediment loss may solve two major environmental issues at once by diverting millions of tons of glass waste from entering America’s landfills each year. By crushing glass to create sand and gravel for coastal restoration, we may generate a consistent and sustainable source of substrate. Our goal is to determine the …

Effects Of Novel Dopamine D4 Receptor-Targeted Compounds On Locomotor Activity And Anxiety-Like Behavior In Male And Female Sprague Dawley Rats, Samantha Alyse Walkow, Noah A. Ivak, Daniel Chandler, John Tkaczynski, Thomas M. Keck, Comfort A. Boateng, Eleni Papadopoulos, Barry D. Waterhouse, Rachel L. Navarra

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The consequences of modulating subtypes of G protein coupled dopamine receptors are broadly studied for their role in decision making behavior, specifically in situations involving uncertain risk and reward. The actions of dopamine D4 receptors (D4Rs) on these complex processes are the least understood, particularly due to a lack of available compounds with suitable selectivity for D4Rs. Further, current research often fails to evaluate how modulating specific dopamine receptor subtypes may affect locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior as confounding factors prior to assessing their function in behavioral assays of higher order decision making. The goal of the current study was …

Decoding Bacterial Resilience: Srnas And Sigma Factors In Stress Adaptation And Persistence Of Salmonella, Anita Nguyen

Honors Theses

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are noncoding RNA molecules in bacteria that function primarily to regulate gene expression, including those associated with stress. The Borchert Lab has identified 173 sRNAs and > 500 sRNAs that are responsive to desiccation and carbon starvation (c-starvation), respectively. Prokaryotic transcription involves an RNA Polymerase (RNAP) that transcribes DNA into RNA. RNAP involves sigma factors, which recognize promoters for the initial steps of RNA synthesis. The Borchert Lab has determined that there are significant overlaps between sRNAs expressed in cells subjected to both short-term durations and long-term durations of carbon starvation. Salmonella enterica serovars can have outbreaks associated …

Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish

Honors Theses

Over 60% of the Gulf of Mexico coastline is actively eroding, which has resulted in thousands of miles of lost coastline over the last 100 years. This drastic loss of coastal land highlights the dire need for coastal restoration across the entirety of the Gulf Coast. A vital aspect of restoring these eroded areas is replenishing eroded substrate, traditionally conducted through offshore dredging of substrates which comes with high economic and ecological costs. Recycled glass sand may be able to fill this role and reduce our reliance on dredging while lowering the amount of glass waste entering landfills each year. …

Assessing Sleep Quality In A Preclinical Model Of Low Back Pain Through Novel Noninvasive Methods, Lydia C. Saltz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain (LBP) has widespread negative impacts on quality of life. Current treatments for chronic LBP fail to provide long-term efficacy and motivate the need to understand key drivers of poor patient outcomes. Mounting evidence indicates that sleep disturbances and chronic LBP have a strong reciprocal relationship. Women may be particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of the sleep-pain axis, exhibiting greater prevalence in both conditions. However, the relationship between sleep, pain, and sex remains understudied. Preclinical models can be used to parse out characteristic sleep features that degrade with pain, which can be further broken out by …

The Role Of Ucp2 In Pancreatic Cancer Metabolism And Its Potential As A Radiosensitizer, Emily Rieff

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a mitochondrial protein that regulates the flow of protons down the gradient established by the electron transport chain (ETC) without generating ATP, thus uncoupling the proton gradient from ATP generation. In tumors, specifically pancreatic cancer (PDAC), the ETC is highly stimulated to generate the copious ATP needed by the tumor to grow. However, extended ETC use increases reactive oxygen species (ROS), and if left unchecked, results in cell death. To evade this, PDAC employs antioxidant strategies, including upregulating UCP2 in tumor cells. In addition to its uncoupling function, UCP2 indirectly controls ROS levels by maintaining …

Impact Of Tumor Cell Expressed Cd38 On Metastasis And Immune Evasion In Breast Cancer, Tanvi Visal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly metastatic breast cancer subtype. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells is a key feature of the metastatic cascade and is not a binary process but often generates malignant cells with both epithelial (E) and mesenchymal (M) traits known as hybrid EM cells. Recent studies highlight the enhanced metastatic potential of the hybrid EM cells. However, molecular insights and targetable vulnerabilities within hybrid EM remain elusive. We discovered that hybrid EM murine tumors are enriched in CD38, an immunesuppressive molecule associated with worse clinical outcomes in liquid malignancies but relatively understudied in solid …

Investigating The Role Of The Hypocretin/Orexin System In A Novel Model Of Polysubstance Dependence, Tyler Zarin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance use disorders (SUD) in the United States are steadily increasing. Potent and dangerous substances such as methamphetamine (MA) and fentanyl (FEN) are often co-used as a polysubstance (POLY), either intentionally or unknowingly as FEN is a common adulterant. SUD is characterized by physiological and psychological dependence involving the negative reinforcement of anhedonia and withdrawal which drive hypermotivated drug-taking behaviors. Current theory suggests that recruitment of hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) neuropeptide in reward and stress associated brain regions contributes to drug dependence. Despite strong evidence for HCRT’s role in mono-drug dependence, a relevant model for POLY dependence has yet to be developed, …

Assessing The Behavioral Impact Of Pyridostigmine Bromide In Rats, Noah A. Martin

Honors Theses

Pyridostigmine bromide (PB) is an organophosphate (OP) nerve agent prophylactic used to protect warfighters against chemical warfare agents. OPs inhibit the neural enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the brain. This leads to the buildup of acetylcholine, causing respiratory failure, seizures, and death. PB functions by inhibiting ~30% of peripheral AChE temporarily, protecting the enzymes so that the body is able to restore sufficient cholinergic function post-exposure. PB does not cross the blood-brain barrier, though it may still indirectly affect toxicity in the brain due to repeated AChE inhibition throughout treatment, or by inhibition of non-target ChE’s in the blood. The aim …

Passive Integrated Transponders: An Effective Marking Technique For Individual Identification Of Anaxyrus Fowleri?, Emily Leprell

Honors College Theses

With the rise of fungal disease such as Chytridiomycosis, known as chytrid, causing massive population declines for many species of frogs and toads (order Anura), specific conservation strategies are needed now more than ever. In many cases, being able to mark and identify individuals is a necessary step in developing an effective conservation plan. Individual identification allows researchers to obtain accurate population estimates, which are needed to test the progress and validity of conservation management decisions. However, due to their unique life history, including cutaneous respiration and a dichotomous lifestyle, anurans are among the most difficult wildlife species to …