bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SIENA MCGOVERN*, JORDAN GIBSON*, EMILY YOUNG, and DEANNA M. SCHMITT, Department of Biological Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV 26074. Stability of resazurin in solution and in bacterial growth media.
Authors: Gibson Jordan Faith , McGovern Siena , Young Emily , Schmitt Deanna 
Published: May 2022

Resazurin has been identified as a novel antibiotic against the human pathogens, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Francisella tularensis. During routine antibiotic susceptibility assays, variations in in vitro efficacy of resazurin have been noted, particularly in the minimal inhibitor concentration (MIC). The stability of this compound in aqueous solution is not known therefore, we hypothesize degradation of the antibiotic occurs during prolonged storage resulting in inconsistent MIC measurements. To test this hypothesis, solutions of resazurin at 22mM (5.5 mg/ml) were stored at 4°C for up to three months. At different time points, these solutions were then used in broth microdilution assays to determine the MIC of resazurin. The average MIC of resazurin was measured to be 0.69 µg/ml, only varying by a factor of two over the three-month period. Next, we sought to measure the stability of resazurin in chocolate agar, growth media commonly used for the cultivation of N. gonorrhoeae and F. tularensis. Here, we prepared chocolate agar plates supplement with increasing concentrations of resazurin and stored these plates for up to three months prior to performing standard agar dilution assays to determine the MIC. The MIC of resazurin in chocolate agar was 2-4 fold higher than the MIC calculated in broth with more variability observed. Based on this data, nutrient media composition influences the efficacy of resazurin, however, resazurin appears to be stable in aqueous solution and in bacterial growth media for up to three months. Further investigation is needed to determine what factors in the nutrient media limit the efficacy of resazurin.
Specific microhabitat utilization and resource partitioning of the federally protected species of crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) Cambarus callainus and the sympatric Cambarid species Cambarus hatfieldi
Authors: Scott Katie , Loughman Zachary 
Published: May 2022

Following the description of Cambarus callainus, a range-wide survey was completed to determine the current distribution and conservation status for the species, resulting in federal protection enforced by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. While significant efforts evaluating physiochemical and physical habitat associations for C. callainus have been completed, a more specific analysis of microhabitat utilization, habitat preference, resource partitioning, and movement patterns remains incomplete. We aim to resolve these unknowns for C. callainus as well as the sympatric species Cambarus hatfieldi byobserving potential species interactions regarding habitat preference and individual movement patterns, assessed via radiotelemetry. Ten adult C. callainus individuals at each of two selected sites will be fitted with transmitters, as well as ten adult C. hatfieldi individuals from a single collection site. Tracking will occur hourly over the course of ten days of varying lunar luminosity during the summer and repeated the following year. Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index forms and hydrology datawill be documented for observed microhabitat. Efforts will also include attempting to locate young of the year and determine movement patterns within the stream, as that has not yet been observed and would be beneficial to designing and implementing appropriate conservation protocols.
Preliminary Analysis of Morphometric Data for an Ongoing Autecological Study of the Northern Watersnake, Nerodia sipedon sipedon, in a West Virginia stream.
Authors: Ringhiser Brian , Loughman Zachary 
Published: May 2022

The northern watersnake, Nerodia sipedon, is a natricid ubiquitous across aquatic habitats of the eastern United States and is often found in high abundance. The prevalence of N. sipedon has garnered extensive research, much of which concerns its reproduction. However, thorough, long-term studies on the biology and ecology of N. sipedon in stream ecosystems, especially within Appalachia, are lacking. The purpose of this study is to analyze autecological data from ongoing research on a N. sipedon sipedon population within Short Creek, a rural stream in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Morphometric, dietary, thermal, habitat and movement data were recorded for each capture. This analysis primarily focuses on morphometric data in an attempt identify any potential variation from data collected in past studies concerning different habitats. Future research will use neonate morphometrics as baseline data for growth estimations, employ mark-recapture data to estimate a population size, and build upon the established data set.
Temperature-induced alteration of the extracellular matrix in the tropical sea anemone, Exaiptasia pallida
Authors: Hays Logan , McGeeney Dalton , Sawyer Sara 
Published: May 2022

Coral bleaching results from the loss of the endosymbiotic dinoflagellate the cells of coral. The symbionts provide photosynthetic products for nourishment of the coral, and loss of the symbiont can result in death of the coral. Many stressors can cause coral bleaching, but we are focusing on the effect of increased water temperature in this research because of rising oceanic temperatures. We are how investigating how increased temperature affects the extracellular matrix (ECM) using the tropical sea anemone, Exaiptasia pallida as our model organism, since this anemone has similar physiological characteristics and similar symbionts as coral. Research on the effects of a heat-shock (from 25°C to 30°C) in anemones embedded, sectioned, and then stained with the Russel-Movat Pentachrome stain showed that the mesoglea of the anemone, was altered after a 12 hour heat-shock compared to control anemones. To confirm these findings, staining with an additional ECM stain, Masson’s Trichrome, will be conducted. Additionally, we are investigating how alteration in the ECM because of increased temperature affects apoptosis to determine if there is a positive correlation between temperature-induced changes in the ECM and loss of cells through apoptosis. Results from these experiments will help us better understand the timing and consequences of temperature-induced breakdown of the coral-algal symbiosis.
A combinatorial anti-CTLA antibody and radiation therapy on metastatic lung cancer
Authors: KOUADIO JEAN-EMMANUEL , Wang Qing 
Published: May 2022

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is an inhibitory receptor that regulates T-cell activation and transmits signals that suppress T-cell activation and proliferation through the depletion of CD8+ T cells. Antibodies targeting CTLA-4 can selectively deplete regulatory T cells by antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity mechanisms. However, CTLA-4 as a single treatment is not effective for against immunogenic diseases like metastatic cancers. Radiation therapy (RT) on the other hand is a longstanding pillar of cancer treatment, historically utilized to treat a discrete target and provide local tumor control. Recent studies demonstrated that RT is synergistic with anti-CTLA antibody and enhanced systemic anti-tumor responses. In order to better understand the effect of the combination therapy, we developed an impulsive ODE model to describe the interaction between tumor cells and the immune system. The model variables were coupled with published experimental data. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive simulation platform to improve cancer management by manipulating dose and fractionation schedule of the combination therapy. This project is supported by NIH Grant P20GM103434 to the West Virginia IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence.
Teaching nutrition concepts using pop culture: why zombies crave brains.
Authors: Popovich Greg Edward , Henson Kristy 
Published: May 2022

Recently, the allure of zombie culture has found its way into innovative teaching of biology and medical courses. In the current example, zombies are used to facilitate understanding of applied nutritional biochemistry. Our purpose is to evaluate the benefit of incorporating zombie lore into the delivery of a lecture on the inflammatory cascade as it relates to the essential fatty acids. We hypothesize that given the popularity of zombies and dystopian/apocalyptic environments, that intertwining nutritional concepts with these scenarios will enhance interest and attention, hence improving learning. The presentations were offered in nutrition or anatomy and physiology. The class compositions represented a breadth of majors. This audience was selected to assure minimal baseline knowledge on the topic of essential fatty acids and thusly maximize potential learning effect. Half of the students received a normal (i.e., non-zombie) lecture while half received the same information but as it relates to zombies and a zombie apocalypse. Learning was assessed using a five-question pre-test and post-test. Content-related questions were multiple choice with four options each. Preliminary findings were as follows: the pooled pre-test average for both groups was 34%; the post-test average was 90%. The mean score increase pre- versus post-test in both groups was dramatic and comparable (57% non-zombie vs 51% zombie). The vast majority of students (approximately 75%) in both groups indicated a moderate or higher level of interest in zombies. Following testing of additional groups, further analysis will test for significance between groups and correlations based upon basic demographics and interest in nutrition and zombie lore.
PdpC, a Type Six Secretion System Substrate, is Required for Erythrocyte Invasion in Francisella tularensis LVS
Authors: Cantlay Stuart , Horzempa Joseph , Kaftanic Christian 
Published: May 2022

Francisella tularensis is an intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of tularemia. The F. tularensis type six secretion system (T6SS) is required for phagolysosomal escape and invasion of erythrocytes. An effector of the T6SS, PdpC, is required for phagosomal escape and we wanted to test if PdpC was also required for erythrocyte invasion. We constructed a pdpC-null mutant in the live vaccine strain, F. tularensis LVS. The pdpC-null strain is required for invasion of both human and sheep erythrocytes and reintroduction of a copy of pdpC, in trans, rescues this phenotype. Differential Immuno-Fluorescence Microscopy (DIFM) showed that the pdpC-null strain is affected in attachment as well as invasion. Further, a fluorescently labelled pdpC-null strain of F. tularensis LVS was unable to proliferate in THP-1 human peripheral blood monocyte cells. Finally, we constructed a fluorescent fusion of pdpC to emgfp and the resulting PdpC-EmGFP fusion protein localizes as discrete foci in a subset of broth cultured F. tularensis LVS cells. Our results confirm previous observations that PdpC is required for infection and virulence in phagocytic host cells and are the first description of an effector of the Type Six Secretion System that is required for erythrocyte invasion. The pdpC-emgfp strain will be a useful tool to further characterize the role of PdpC in both macrophage infection and red blood cell invasion. (This research was made possible by NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium Training Grant #NNX15A101H and by NIH Grant P20GM103434 to the West Virginia IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence).
Synchronizing the Teaching Resources of Energy Conservation Principle in Mechanical Engineering Courses
Authors: Panta Yogendra M , Church William 
Published: May 2022

The conservation of energy, the conservation of mass, and the conservation of momentum are three fundamental concepts (or laws) of physics that are regularly reviewed in several undergraduate engineering courses. Mechanical energies in the form of kinetic and potential forms are the most easily understood forms of energy in engineering dynamics courses. Fluid flow energies related to pressure, velocity, elevation, fluid friction, pump, and turbine are covered in a fluid mechanics course. In a thermodynamics course, the first law deals with heat transfer and work done that causes a change of internal energy in a system. Aerospace engineers normally simplify a thermodynamic analysis by using intensive variables also called specific variables. In all these courses, the conservation of energy states that the amount of energy remains constant, that means that energy is neither created nor destroyed but transferable from one form to another, keeping the total energy same within a fixed domain.
In several instances, students are either misunderstood or unclear about energy and its conservation concepts, however those very concepts are reviewed over and over in multiple courses. Through an integrative teaching approach that maps the smooth flow of energy and its conservation concepts in several undergraduate mechanical engineering courses, we are relating our shared teaching resources of the energy conservation principle. In this session, we present our pilot study on the synchronization of resources teaching the energy conservation principle in a sequence of undergraduate courses and our mitigation plan to clear up students’ misunderstanding on the energy conservation.
Particle Focus in Prep Chem
Authors: Ratcliff Betsy 
Published: May 2022

WVU students who do not meet the pre-requisites for first semester general chemistry (Chem 115) are placed in prep chem (Chem 110). A minimum grade of C- in Chem 110 is the effective pre-requisite to Chem 115. For decades, an expectation that the same collection of assessments would be administered to all Chem 110 students obligated our instructors were to follow a relatively uniform course presentation across all sections. This practice was justified by our data that indicated Chem 110 “graduates” passed first semester general chemistry at the same rate as those entering directly. Unfortunately, the Chem 110 pass rate was consistently low. In an effort to boost prep chem student success, we developed an alternative prep chem course pedagogy. This course possesses a strong focus on presenting and testing students’ understanding of the particulate nature of matter. Our premise was that particulate understanding was a more meaningful focus to carry forward to future chemistry courses than our prior emphasis on significant figures. The content was reduced and new assessment questions were written to target and test a single topic at a time. Graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants facilitated in-class problem-solving using both Socrative and Chem101 online platforms. We report on initial prep chem class data in the preparatory chemistry course and student success in the subsequent first-semester general chemistry course.
Identifying Positive Cases in an Avian Model of Induced-Thyrotoxicosis
Authors: Hill Tyler , Racine Holly 
Published: May 2022

Thyrotoxicosis is a condition of excess circulating thyroid hormones. Maternal thyrotoxicosis has been related to the development of craniosynostosis (CS) in approximately 3% of births. CS occurs when the cranial sutures of the skull fuse prematurely. However, the mechanism for thyroid hormone-induced CS in those cases is unclear. Currently, we are establishing an avian model of thyroxine-induced CS to study these mechanisms. Two groups of fertilized chicken eggs were injected with saline or 25 ng T4 (thyroxine) on embryonic days 11 and 15 and collected on 19 prior to hatching. Data were collected from each group including: body mass and length, tibia and femur length, liver and heart mass, and circulating T4 concentrations. Our study aimed to characterize all possible physiological changes associated with our treatment and determine the subset of positive cases. Following thyroxine exposure, 19-day old embryos were 4% shorter (p<0.05) with a corresponding 8% decrease in tibia length (p<0.01) and 9% decrease in femur length (p<0.01) compared to the controls. Measured T4 concentrations were 88% higher in serum samples following thyroxine-exposure compared to the controls (p<0.01). Body, heart, and liver mass were not different between groups. We were then able to isolate positive cases from correlation plots based on clustering observed in anticipated regions. In conclusion these results support that there is a subset of samples within the treatment group that display the expected phenotypes. It is in this subgroup of data that our focus can be shifted to study the mechanism of thyroxine-induced CS.
Acknowledgment of NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium (Grant #80NSSC20M0055) and the Genomics Core Facility and WV-INBRE (NIH grant P20GM103434).
Analysis of the effects of UVB radiation on bone density and behavior of hatchling false water cobras, Hydrodynastes gigas.
Authors: Gemberling Alison , Loughman Zachary 
Published: May 2022

In herpetoculture, there is debate as to whether ultraviolet-B, UVB, lighting is required for providing adequate welfare for snakes in human care. Many believe this supplemental lighting is unnecessary and is not utilized by the snakes, stating that snakes survive and breed in its absence. Previous studies using pythons and corn snakes have demonstrated that offering UVB lighting appears to have a significant effect on their physiology. These studies focused on the increase of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations in the blood after UVB exposure. In the present study, false water cobras, Hydrodynastes gigas, were chosen because they are active, diurnal snakes and are therefore more likely to seek out UVB in the wild in comparison with other fossorial snakes. The level of UVB that will be provided is based on the tropical climate of the range for H. gigas. Twelve hatchling H. gigas will be divided into two groups with Arcadia T5 14% UVB lights provided for one group and LED lights provided for the other. The behavior of the snakes will be monitored through video recording to determine the effects of UVB lighting on basking behavior and total time exposed to the UVB lighting. To identify physiological effects, radiographs will be taken to determine any change in bone density. This study aims to find if offering UVB lighting promotes basking behavior and affects bone density in H. gigas. The results of this study can be used to further increase welfare standards for snakes in captivity.
Assessing the Effect of Diet on Reproductive Output, Nutritional and Health Status in Eastern Indigo Snakes (Drymarchon couperi)
Authors: Jackson Peyton , Bogan James , Dierenfeld Ellen , Loughman Zachary 
Published: May 2022

The federally threatened eastern indigo snake (EIS; Drymarchon couperi) is an active ophiophagus snake native to the southeastern United States. The Orianne Society built the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation (OCIC) to establish a captive breeding and head-start program in collaboration with other conservation-focused organizations. EIS are housed in indoor or outdoor enclosures and given whole prey diets rotating between domestic rodents, chicks, and freshwater fish. While outdoor enclosures alleviated a drop in female fecundity associated with indoor enclosures, there are still concerns regarding the occurrence of dystocia in the OCIC’s colony, where females are unable to finish laying a clutch of eggs. A retrospective study by Bogan et al. (2021) identified virgin breeding as one contributing factor, but recent studies on elephants and swine indicate that the nutritional status of an animal could correlate with reproductive health and output. We aim to assess baseline levels of fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E) and minerals of EIS consuming mixed whole prey diets and develop a diet that replicates the nutritional profile of free-range EIS diets. We hypothesize that consumption of lower fat, higher vitamin A and E diets will improve reproductive output and health status compared with snakes fed high-fat, commercially bred rodents.
In a Degraded Stream, Increased Salt Concentration is Correlated with Decreased EPT Diversity
Authors: Fonner Montana , Gebhardt Cassidy , Ritchea-Yoho Mycah , Wood James , Wood James 
Published: May 2022

Many streams in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia are biologically impaired due to historical and concurrent anthropogenic activities, including mining, agriculture, and urbanization. These activities alter water chemistry which affects the benthic macroinvertebrate communities. While taxa like Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT taxa) are sensitive to water pollution, other taxa like tipulids, beetles, and chironomid midges are more pollution tolerant. However, responses to specific chemical pollutants are taxa specific and even some EPT are relatively pollution tolerant. We investigated how increases in chloride (Cl) and specific conductance (SPC) affected the macroinvertebrate community in a stream already heavily impacted by mining, urbanization and agriculture. Five upstream sampling sites were placed in a degraded stream above the outfall of an active coal mine, while five additional sites were placed downstream of the discharge. Water chemistry was measured in each site, and macroinvertebrates were collected with kick nets, leaf packs and a visual collection of unique habitats following the Stream Monitoring Information Exchange (SMIE) protocol. We found that temperature, SPC, and Cl were significantly higher downstream of the mine outfall with SPC and Cl more than doubling. SMIE water quality scores and whole community Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index scores were not significantly different between upstream and downstream sites but EPT diversity was significantly higher upstream of the mine. This data helps determine taxa specific responses to changes in water chemistry, specifically SPC and Cl, and highlights how streams already afflicted with poor water quality can lose additional taxa when the concentrations of salts increases.
FORTY-YEARS OF FIELD NOTES THE CHEAT MOUNTAIN SALAMANDER (PLETHODON NETTINGI)
Authors: Pauley Thomas Kyle 
Published: May 2022

In the following pages, I describe 40 years of field observations on the Cheat Mountain Salamander (Plethodon nettingi), a federally threatened species. This is not a research paper in that I do not attempt to analyze data, but rather it is a means to share information I have collected during my time in the field with this species. Cheat Mountain Salamanders are found in just five counties in the high elevations of the Allegheny Mountains in eastern West Virginia. I have searched over 1,300 sites in these five counties and determined that its range extends from Blackwater River Canyon (Tucker County) in the north to Thorny Flat (Pocahontas County) in the south, a linear distance of about 92 km. Within this range, I observed over 2,000 Cheat Mountain Salamanders in 81 populations. Data collected in these 81 populations include habitat characteristics, elevational ranges, mountain aspects, cover objects, food items, sympatric species, syntopic events, phenology, reproduction, conservation issues, and status of populations. It is my hope that information presented herein will be useful to biologists who will be studying this species in future years.