Currently, climate change is expected to include not only increases in average temperature, but additionally increased temperature variation. Because temperature is known to impact a number of characteristics relevant to fish fitness, we examined the effect of variation in temperature on fish growth, swimming performance, and feeding performance in the sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus). We found that temperature changes did not influence the rate of growth or swimming performance. Although overall feeding rate did not vary with temperature regime, we found that the feeding rate of only the fish that fed varied with temperature regime. These findings demonstrate the high temperature tolerance of the sheepshead minnow and suggest that this species may be only slightly affected by temperature variation within the range we examined.

Doxorubicin, a potent chemotherapeutic agent, is widely used in the treatment of various cancers. However, its clinical application is often limited due to its cardiotoxic side effects. This study investigates the potential cardioprotective role of LS1, a Topoisomerase 2 poison, when used in combination with doxorubicin. Our findings suggest that LS1 not only enhances the anticancer efficacy of doxorubicin but also mitigates its cardiotoxicity. In H9c2 (2-1) cells, co-treatment with LS1 significantly reduced doxorubicin-induced cell death. However, in HASMC cells, the protective effect of LS1 was not significant, suggesting that a higher concentration of LS1 might be required. Interestingly, LS1 alone did not impact cell viability, indicating its selective toxicity towards cancer cells. These findings introduce a novel concept that LS1 can enhance doxorubicin's cytotoxicity to cancer cells while offering protection to healthy cells, presenting a promising direction for future cancer therapeutics. Further research is needed to optimize the concentration of LS1 for maximum cardioprotection and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying its dual role.

Riparian areas offer a unique environment to study energy transfers between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Emergent aquatic macroinvertebrates link terrestrial and aquatic habitats and bats have high foraging activity in riparian habitats and consume aquatic insects. Several studies have found correlations between aquatic insect emergences and bat foraging activity, however, conclusions as to the strength of such interactions vary. Limited research exists on these interactions in the United States, particularly in Minnesota. Emergent aquatic macroinvertebrates and ultrasonic bat calls were collected over 20 nights from 8 riffle sites along Gilmore Creek in Winona, Minnesota. Multiple linear regression was used to determine if: aquatic insect abundance influenced bat activity levels, aquatic insect richness and diversity influenced bat activity levels, and the emergence of any specific aquatic insect taxa predicted bat activity levels. It was determined that bat populations were not responsive to emergent aquatic insect abundance, richness, diversity, or particular insect taxa. The lack of such relationships may be due to several factors including: a low abundance of nocturnal and late season insect emergences, bats preferring terrestrial food sources, or minimal foraging over riffles by bats. Due to limited data obtained here, it is recommended that long-term, cross-seasonal studies be conducted.

In the current study, we hypothesized that circadian preferences, sleep quality, academic motivation and the academic success of college students (n 5 34) would be associated. Data was gathered from each subject by using a Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), five consecutive nights of the Sleep Cycle App (SCA), Academic Motivation Scale (AMS-C) and by examining the final grade achieved in a General Biology II course and cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). The results of the MEQ indicated that the overwhelming majority of subjects reporting no preference (68%) while 27% reported a “Morning” preference and only 5% reported a “Evening” preference. Analysis found no significant difference between subjects based on their M-E Preference or AMS-C results for GPA or General Biology grade. Sleep duration and PSQI score were correlated (r 5 -0.45; p 5 0.02) indicating that those that slept more hours/night tended to rate their sleep quality highly as were sleep duration, quality and efficiency. Students that slept between 2-6 hours/night had a significantly lower grade in a general biology course compared with students that slept >6 hours/night (75.57% vs 85.79%; p 5 0.01) and a similar pattern was observed when examining hours of sleep and cumulative GPA (3.17 vs 3.50 GPA; p 5 0.19). Taken as a whole these results indicate while our subjects did not have a strong M-E preference and that this preference did not seem to relate to academic performance, more and/or improved sleep was associated with better academic performance.

Coral form the basis of the most productive marine ecosystems on earth, but their health is threatened by numerous local and global factors. The repeated assessment of coral health can serve as a baseline against which to detect ecosystem changes and from which to craft appropriate interventions. In January 2022, the health of coral at five sites within and around the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, Belize was assessed using six aspects of coral ecosystem health: percent hard coral coverage; hard coral species richness and diversity; percent macroalgae coverage; the average color or bleaching-level of hard coral measured using CoralWatch color-matching cards, and the difference between the darkest and lightest colors on each coral. Across all sites, hard coral species richness ranged from 4 to 12 different species, while species diversity ranged from 0.42 to 1.63. Median percent coral coverage, average hard coral species diversity, and median percent macroalgae coverage were generally highest (∼10% coverage) at two well-studied sites, Tobacco Caye and Carrie Bow; intermediate (∼5%) at two other sites, Bread & Butter and Garden Patch; and lowest (<5%) at a previously unmonitored site, Emily's Split. All sites exhibited coral that were generally healthy based on median coloration scores of 3, and no site exhibited significant evidence of stress, based on a median difference in color scores greater than 2. Based on estimated percent hard coral coverage, these results suggest that, as of January 2022, the coral reefs at these five sites range from “Critical” to “Fair” status.

The efficacy of traditional chemotherapeutics is often hindered by the acidic, hypoxic, and inflamed environment that characterizes solid tumors. These treatments focus on limiting cancerous cell growth without focusing on treating the hypoxia that helps the tumor flourish. The harsh microenvironment leads to genetic instability, mutagenesis, and abnormal angiogenesis. We employ perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoemulsions, a soft nanomaterial originally FDA approved as a blood substitute, to deliver oxygen to hypoxic cells, decreasing hypoxia.