University of Southern Mississippi
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INA Scuba: Mobilization of French West Indies scuba diving clubs to rapidly improve knowledge on threatened marine species. Case of the white-spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari).
No full textThe White—Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari), listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2021, is experiencing alarming population declines, underscoring the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts. This species, which plays a vital ecological role in marine food webs, has biological and ecological characteristics that make it particularly vulnerable to habitat degradation and anthropogenic pressures, particularly fishing, tourism, and maritime traffic. In the French West Indies (FWI), the paucity of data on the White—Spotted Eagle Ray remains a major obstacle to the development of effective, island—specific conservation strategies. To address this gap, the INA Scuba participatory science program mobilized local SCUBA diving clubs across the FWI to collect data. Through this citizen science initiative, unprecedented information on the regional distribution of the species was gathered from over 12,000 daytime dives conducted between 2021 and 2023. Results revealed strong spatial disparities in encounter rates; the species was frequently observed by SCUBA divers in Saint—Barthélemy (31.9%), occasionally in Saint—Martin (13.4%), and rarely in Guadeloupe and Martinique (2.9 % and 1.2%). These findings highlight not only the urgency of strengthening regional protection measures but also the need to continue research into the environmental and anthropogenic factors shaping the species’ distribution in the FWI. Finally, this study emphasizes the value of collaborative approaches that combine local ecological knowledge, community engagement, and scientific research to support the long—term conservation of this vulnerable species
The Effect of an English Mother Tongue on Spanish Language Acquisition
No full textThis study investigates how English influences the Spanish acquisition of English-speaking learners by analyzing written errors, background factors, and interview data. Using two linguistic classification frameworks, it identifies both the types and underlying causes of errors, revealing that gender and plural agreement issues, verb forms, word order problems, and subjunctive misuse are the most frequent difficulties. These errors primarily stem from first-language transfer, overgeneralization, and instructional gaps. The findings highlight the need for targeted practice, contrastive analysis, and greater exposure to authentic Spanish input. Despite limitations such as small sample size and incomplete interview participation, the study offers direction for future research through longitudinal studies, spoken-language analysis, and comparisons across learners with different first-language backgrounds to deepen understanding of interlanguage development
Investigating the Cardiovascular and Autonomic Responses to Energy Drink Consumption: The Role of Energy and Calorie Content
No full textEnergy drinks (EDs) are among the most consumed functional beverages, often marketed to enhance focus, alertness, and physical performance. Despite their popularity, the combined cardiovascular and autonomic effects of caffeine and sugar during exercise remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute cardiovascular, metabolic, and autonomic responses to sugar-sweetened (ED-S), non-nutritive sweetened (ED-NNS), and placebo beverages during submaximal cycling in healthy young males.
Nine male participants (age 22.2 ± 2.4 yrs; BMI 26.2 ± 2.9 kg/m²) completed three experimental visits in a randomized, repeated-measures design. Each visit involved ingestion of one drink (ED-S, ED-NNS, or placebo), followed by a 15-minute rest period and 12 minutes of cycling in a recumbent bike at 20%, 40%, and 60% of predicted VO₂max. Hemodynamic measures, metabolic markers, and autonomic indices were assessed at baseline, post ingestion, and during exercise.
Results indicated significant main effects of workload for HR (p \u3c 0.001), VO₂ (p \u3c 0.001), and RPE (p \u3c 0.001), confirming expected physiological responses to exercise. Blood glucose showed significant main effects of condition (p = 0.020) and a condition by time interaction (p \u3c 0.001), driven by a sharp post-ingestion rise in ED-S. Lactate increased significantly across time (p \u3c 0.001). SBP exhibited significant main effects of condition (p = 0.030) and workload (p = 0.007). No significant differences were observed for DBP, MAP, and PP. Autonomic measures (cBRSup, cBRSdown, cBRSall, HRV total power, LF/HF ratio) remained stable across all conditions (p \u3e 0.10).
Collectively, these results indicate that acute ED consumption did not significantly alter cardiovascular or autonomic function during moderate-intensity exercise in young males. Future research should evaluate chronic consumption, habituation patterns, and include a larger and more diverse cohort of participants. Lastly, alternative ingestion-to-exercise timings would better characterize the physiological effects of ED
Oyster Horizons: Spatial Prioritization for Oyster Restoration at Alabama Living Shorelines
No full textExpression, Purification and Characterization of full length TDP-43
No full textTAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is a 43 kDa RNA-binding protein linked to several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Alzheimer’s disease. 5-7,28,30,33 Studying full-length TDP-43 has been difficult because of its intrinsic instability and tendency to aggregate.19,25,28,33,36 In this study, we focused on overcoming the difficulties to express full-length TDP-43 in E. coli recombinantly. We focused on expressing full-length TDP-43 as a fusion construct with a maltose-binding protein (MBP) to improve solubility and stability. Our strategy was to purify TDP-43-MBP fusion and make biomolecular condensates with RNA before cleaving the tag with thrombin protease. We successfully expressed the fusion construct and purified it using nickel affinity and size-exclusion chromatography. The protein showed high purity, confirmed by the expected molecular weight by MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry. Turbidity assays indicated the formation of a condensate containing RNA via liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS).12-15,19,25 However, confocal microscopy did not reveal visible droplets, suggesting that the in vitro conditions may not be optimal. Thrombin digestion efficiently removed the MBP tag, as confirmed by MALDI-ToF spectra showing a 42.8 kDa peak, but a low signal suggested that the cleaved protein aggregated or precipitated, a behavior commonly observed in previous findings where MBP-free TDP-43 is highly unstable.19,25,28,33 Further studies are ongoing to find optimal conditions for tag-free TDP-43 purification. But this study has developed a reproducible approach for expressing and purifying full-length TDP-43
Using Environmental DNA Surveys to Assess Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Presence in Mississippi and Louisiana
No full textThe green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is listed as Endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, largely due to anthropogenic impacts. In Mississippi and Louisiana, it is known that C. mydas occur in these areas, yet the comprehensive spatial and temporal presence of this species is not well understood. Traditional methods of studying C. mydas are challenging due to their evasive and migratory nature. Therefore, previously collected environmental DNA (eDNA) water samples (N=112) from Mississippi and Louisiana were screened to assess C. mydas seasonal presence. A species-specific quantitative PCR assay targeting a 130-base pair portion of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene was modified for use on the Droplet Digital™ PCR (ddPCR™) platform. The modified ddPCR™ assay was validated in-vitro with genomic DNA and in-situ via a tank experiment with a C. mydas individual. Locations of C. mydas strandings were also compared to locations of eDNA sampling sites. Zero eDNA field samples met any of the three criteria defined for positive samples, but the in-situ sample met all three positive criteria. The rare occurrence of C. mydas in Mississippi and Louisiana combined with the low shed rate of reptiles supports the negative eDNA results of this study. While C. mydas strandings were reported in Mississippi during eDNA sampling times, strandings were too far from sampling sites to be detected. Future use of the ddPCR™ C. mydas assay should consider passive sampling alongside aerial surveys and statistical modeling
Seagrass Carbon Standing Stock in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: The Role of Seagrass Beds in Mississippi as Potential Blue Carbon Sinks
No full textOrganic carbon stored in marine ecosystems is known as blue carbon. Seagrass beds have the ability to contribute to global blue carbon standing stocks through the uptake and sequestration of carbon from the water column. Through coastal management and conservation best practices, blue carbon habitats have the potential to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Although widely studied, knowledge gaps exist on the sediment carbon standing stock of seagrasses. I aim to better understand how persistent seagrass meadows surrounding barrier islands in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico contribute to long-term blue carbon standing stocks. Subaqueous sediment cores were collected to 1-m depth in seagrass meadows and bare sediment habitats surrounding Cat Island, Mississippi to characterize the carbon storage capacity of these habitats. Sediment cores were analyzed for grain size, bulk density, total organic carbon, organic matter, and total seagrass biomass. While both seagrass and bare sediment habitats contained stored carbon, the sediment cores associated with seagrass had a significantly higher sediment percent Corg content (mean 0.214 ± 0.031%) than cores collected from bare sediment habitats (mean 0.102 ± 0.007%). The sediment Corg standing stocks at 30 cm (seagrass 7.22 Mg Corg ha-1; bare sediment 4.35 Mg Corg ha-1) depths and 100 cm (seagrass 42.6 Mg Corg ha-1 ; bare sediment 21.0 Mg Corg ha-1) depths for seagrass and bare sediment were not significantly different and tended to be an order of magnitude less than global values. These findings align with prior studies and support the idea that seagrass beds can create and maintain substantial blue carbon standing stocks. This is the first known quantification of sediment carbon sequestration potential of subtidal habitats surrounding the Mississippi barrier islands
The Impact of Scientific Journal Reading in the High School Classroom
No full textThe absence of primary scientific literature in the high school classroom is an oversight that deserves to be addressed to increase familiarity in students before they begin college and career routes. Using Alexander’s Model of Domain Learning, this quasi-experimental study introduces high school students to scientific journal reading with the hopes of raising STEM career awareness and STEM identity. Using a pre- and post-survey design, the students establish baselines that are then compared to end results to show if the readings are impactful. The survey measures the students\u27 outlook on science, as well as their ability to name careers in STEM. Four readings, one from each discipline of STEM, are read over four days. These scientific journals were chosen to foster dialogue and intrigue in the students to want to know more about the possibilities that are available to them in STEM. The results revealed that this approach impacts students positively on the number of STEM careers they can name compared to where they began on the pre- survey. While the results did not show a positive correlation between STEM identity and the number of STEM careers a student can name, the research begins a discussion of the importance of students being aware of all their career options. By introducing them to primary scientific literature, the research provides a direct connection into the work of real-world scientists. This can help students discover career paths they did not even know existed
Advancing Anesthesia Provider Proficiency in Airway Assessment Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound: An OSCE-Based Educational Initiative
No full textAirway management is one of the fundamental pillars of anesthesia. Traditionally, tools such as the Mallampati classification and the thyromental distance are used for airway assessment in the perioperative area. However, often, these methods fail to reliably predict difficult intubations. The use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a valuable adjunct in airway assessment. However, a knowledge deficit exists among anesthesia providers regarding its application in airway assessments for perioperative adult patients. This doctoral project addressed the knowledge deficit in POCUS airway assessment among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) through the development and implementation of an evidence-based educational intervention.
This doctoral project was supported by Adult Learning Theory and Miller’s Framework for Clinical Assessment, which provided the foundation for its design. A structured educational module was developed and paired with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to evaluate competency in ultrasound-based airway assessment. Eight participants engaged in a didactic module followed by a hands-on OSCE that was focused on anatomical identification, preoperative airway assessment, such as the distance from skin-to-epiglottis (DSE) and the hyomental distance ratio (HMDR), and endotracheal tube (ETT) confirmation. Pre- and post-test surveys were completed before and after the training.
Statistical analysis indicated significant gains in participants’ knowledge, confidence, and practical skills, with improvements reaching significance across all measured domains (p \u3c .01). Importantly, none of the participants reported prior formal instruction in POCUS airway assessment, underscoring the effect of the intervention. Following the training, participants reported higher confidence in recognizing airway anatomy, conducting ultrasound-based measurements, and confirming endotracheal tube placement.
These findings highlight the effectiveness of structured, competency-based ultrasound education in anesthesia training. Broader adoption of POCUS training has the potential to reduce airway-related complications, strengthen patient safety, and enhance provider confidence. Collectively, the results support the integration of POCUS airway training into anesthesia education