South Dakota State University

Our previous preclinical studies demonstrated that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and naproxen significantly inhibited prostate tumorigenesis in a TMPRSS2-ERG fusion-driven model compared to non-fusion models. Since TMPRSS2-ERG fusion-positive tumors display heightened inflammatory signaling and substantial immune infiltration, we hypothesized that the differential efficacy of NSAIDs may arise from their ability to remodel the tumor immune microenvironment. Accordingly, in the present study, we systematically profiled innate and adaptive immune-cell populations: F4/80⁺ macrophages, mast cells, neutrophils, CD3⁺ T cells, CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells, FoxP3⁺ regulatory T cells, CD20⁺ B cells, IgKC⁺ plasma cells, and Granzyme B⁺ effector cells in highly infiltrated dorso-lateral prostate regions of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion-driven and non-fusion PCa models, with and without NSAID intervention. Our analyses revealed pronounced macrophage infiltration in TMPRSS2-ERG. Ptenflox/flox and Hi-Myc+/ - model, which was further augmented by NSAIDs. Importantly, NSAID intervention shifted macrophage polarization toward an M1-like, pro-inflammatory state, contrasting with the M2-dominant phenotype characteristic of untreated tumors. NSAID treatment reduced mast cell density within the stromal compartment, suggesting suppression of mast cell-mediated tumor-promoting signals. In the fusion model, infiltration of total T cells and CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells decreased following NSAID exposure, whereas FoxP3⁺ Tregs remained largely unaffected. Both models showed increased B-cell infiltration independent of NSAID efficacy, and no clear correlation was observed between plasma-cell presence and treatment response. Collectively, our findings offer new insight into NSAID-mediated immunomodulation in TMPRSS2-ERG fusion-driven PCa; however, further in-depth immune subtyping and spatial mapping could fully delineate the immunological mechanisms driving NSAID responsiveness.

To extend the literature on the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-reported levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among veterinary medicine students across universities in the Midwestern US. A cross-sectional survey was distributed via email to individuals enrolled in veterinary medicine programs in the Midwestern US. Participants completed a 57-item survey, which included demographic information as well as targeted psychological variables of stress, anxiety, depression, and emotional intelligence. The survey was open for a 1-month collection period and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and independent-samples t tests. Key findings from 184 completed surveys included self-reports of moderate to high levels of stress (89.1%), anxiety (58%), and depression (29.8%) in veterinary medicine students. Additionally, negative relationships were found between reported levels of stress and emotional intelligence (r [182] = -0.362; P < .01) as well as screening positive for depression and emotional intelligence levels (r [182] = -0.349; P < .01). This study supports the hypothesis that emotional intelligence is negatively correlated with stress and depression among veterinary medicine students. Further research into this correlation is warranted as well as exploration of a possible causal relationship between emotional intelligence and reduced self-reports of stress and depression. Considering these findings, veterinary medicine programs may consider using emotional intelligence as a means to identify at-risk students and get them needed support and as a guide to including mental health curriculum into their curriculum.

Background/Objectives: Evidence indicates that aberrant glutamate transporter function and expression are linked to the pathophysiology of comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) and pain. We have previously reported that cefepime (CFP) attenuates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-evoked pain and depression by regulating hyperglutamatergic activity in male mice. However, the effects of CFP on LPS-evoked pain, depression-related anxiety, and cognitive impairment in female mice regarding sex-specific glial mechanisms remain unknown. Methods: Using behavioral paradigms, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of CFP in mitigating LPS-evoked pain, depression-related anxiety, and cognitive impairment in female mice. Furthermore, we used Western blot analysis to examine the effects of CFP on ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) and glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) protein levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HPC). We also measured tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) concentrations in the HPC and PFC after CFP treatment using ELISA. Results: Pretreatment with CFP significantly increased the mechanical threshold and withdrawal latency in female mice. Additionally, systemic treatment with CFP markedly reduced immobility during the forced swim and tail suspension tests. Moreover, pretreatment with CFP remarkably augmented the open arm time during elevated plus maze test and spontaneous alternation between arms during Y-maze test. Western blot analysis indicated that systemic administration of CFP significantly reversed the downregulation of astroglial GLT-1 expression and reduced the microglial Iba-1 protein levels in the HPC and PFC. Furthermore, pretreatment with CFP significantly attenuated the LPS-evoked increase in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the HPC and PFC. Conclusions: These results represent the novel inaugural report of a combined pain-MDD phenotype in female mice. The findings imply that positive glutamate transporter modulator CFP could be a novel treatment for comorbid pain and MDD in female patient population.

Climate change is rapidly altering high-latitude coastal wetlands through increasing temperatures, more frequent flooding, and changing herbivore abundance and distribution. Examining plant functional trait responses to these drivers provides insight into how plant communities are shaped by climate change. We used a one-year full-factorial mesocosm experiment in coastal Alaska to assess immediate responses of two size-related traits (vegetative height and leaf area) and two leaf economics traits (specific leaf area [SLA] and leaf dry matter content [LDMC]) to warming, flooding, and goose herbivory in three dominant species across two wetland communities (Lowland and Upland) differing in landscape position. We sampled different sedges (Carex rariflora and Carex lyngbyei) and the same deciduous dwarf-shrub (Salix fuscescens) in the two wetlands. Warming increased plant size for the sedge (leaf area: + 15%) and the shrub (height: + 15%; leaf area: + 19%) in the Lowland wetland only. Flooding promoted acquisitive trait values for the Lowland sedge (SLA: + 8%; LDMC: - 6%) and conservative values for the Upland shrub (SLA: - 9%; LDMC: + 11%). The shrub thus showed clear wetland-specific responses to warming and flooding. Herbivory triggered coordinated responses across all three species, consistently decreasing size-related trait values (height: - 17-35%; leaf area: - 33-50%) and promoting acquisitive trait values (SLA: + 14-40%; LDMC: - 12-23%). Despite the absence of interactions, each driver contributed significantly to trait variation, underscoring the value of multifactorial approaches. The combination of consistent (herbivory) and context-dependent (flooding and warming) responses highlights the complexity of trait responses and improves predictions of rapid phenotypic adjustments in coastal high-latitude wetlands.

Bioretention cells are a popular type of green stormwater management infrastructure. In urban catchments, they reduce the 'flashiness' and volume of surface flow resulting from storms by promoting storage, groundwater infiltration, and evapotranspiration. Although they can also remove pollutants from stormwater runoff, their effectiveness in reducing phosphorus (P) loads is highly variable, in part because of the complex biogeochemical cycling of P in bioretention cell systems. Using time series solid-phase P concentrations measured over a 9-year period on the filter medium from a multi-cell bioretention system in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, we estimated average total P (TP) accumulation rates of 88mg Pkg⁻1y⁻1 in the top 10cm and 33 mg Pkg⁻1y⁻1 at depths of 25-45 cm. These accumulation rates translate into a net sequestration of TP by the filter medium across the entire system of roughly 4 kg per year. The linear TP concentration versus time trends further imply that the filter medium has yet to reach P saturation. The system can, therefore, be expected to continue reducing stormwater runoff P loads in the foreseeable future. On cores collected in 2019 and 2021 (7 and 9 years post-construction), the depth-dependent solid-phase P chemical speciation was analyzed using an established sequential chemical extraction protocol. The more reactive P fractions and organic P compounds were generally enriched in the upper 10 cm of the filter medium. Accumulation of P associated with organic matter contributed most to the net TP accumulation on the filter medium. Non-metric dimensional scaling (NMDS) further indicated that variations in the concentrations of TP and the P fractions among filter media samples were mainly linked to variations in the concentrations of the redox-sensitive metals iron and manganese and that of organic carbon. Overall, our study highlights that the spatial and temporal distributions and chemical speciation of P can help unravel the mechanisms controlling P abatement of urban stormwater by bioretention systems.

This paper addresses the data poisoning attack in smart agricultural systems using federated unlearning, where the contribution of compromised field devices must be removed from the global model under communication constraints. We propose FedSCAN, a three-phase framework that identifies critical layers based on parameter sensitivity, classifies active neurons within these layers through relative weight change analysis, and performs unlearning via sparse low-rank adaptation to active neurons while freezing base model parameters. FedSCAN limits computational overhead to a compact parameter subset, enabling devices to participate in a communication-efficient manner. Experimental results on common datasets demonstrate that FedSCAN achieves up to 426.3× communication cost reduction compared to retraining while maintaining remaining accuracy within 3% of the retraining baseline. Compared with state-of-theart methods, FedAU and FedEraser, on the agricultural dataset, FedSCAN reduces communication overhead up to 196.2× while achieving up to 16.4% higher remaining accuracy than FedAU and 13.1% than FedEraser.

Global agriculture faces the critical challenge of feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050, while minimizing environmental harm and preserving the socioeconomic stability of the world.Biochar, a carbon-rich material with unique physicochemical properties like surface area and pore space, has been proven to be go for soil amendment by improving nutrient retention, water-holding capacity, and microbial activity while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.However, its inherent nutrient deficiency limits its use as a standalone fertilizer.Integrating biochar with nutrientrich organic and inorganic materials to produce biochar-based fertilizers (BBFs) offers a promising path toward sustainable crop production.Evidence from recent studies indicates that BBFs can increase crop yield by up to 94%, reduce nitrate leaching by 68%, and enhance soil phosphorus availability by 45%, supporting soil health and nutrient efficiency.However, BBFs performance depends strongly on biochar type used, enrichment materials, production methods, and soil conditions.Despite these benefits, high production costs, scalability constraints, and a lack of standardization hinder widespread adoption.Beyond these facts, this review identified trends in the types of biochar used for BBF production and a gap in studies that critically evaluate biochar choice in the overall performance of BBFs for sustainable crop production, considering agronomic, environmental, and economic indices.The analysis highlights critical gaps, including inconsistent yield responses in fertile soils and the uncertain long-term behavior of heavy metals in manurederived biochar.To address these, we propose that future studies should focus on direct performance comparisons of different biochars when utilized for BBF production, a framework for standardized evaluation of biochar feedstocks, regional field validation, and life-cycle economic assessment to accelerate BBFs adoption as a nutrient-efficient, climate-resilient alternative to conventional fertilizers.

Here, we present the results of a combined computational and experimental study of electronic, magnetic, and structural properties of V2CoGa, a Heusler alloy that exhibits high spin polarization values in an ordered crystal structure. Our calculations indicate that this compound crystallizes in an inverted cubic structure. The magnetic alignment is ferrimagnetic, due to the anti-aligned magnetic moments of two vanadium sub-lattices. The calculated magnetization value for the ordered structure is 1.97 μB/f.u. at the equilibrium lattice constant of 5.898 Å. Our calculations indicate that V2CoGa in its ordered crystal structure retains high spin polarization values of around 90% under mechanical pressure. At the same time, this material exhibits a strong tendency toward A2-type atomic disorder, which has a detrimental impact on spin polarization values. In addition, the magnetization magnitude for the disordered cell is 0.38 μB/f.u. Experimentally, arc-melted samples crystallize in the predicted inverted cubic structure with A2-type disorder. To optimize the crystal structure, the samples were annealed at various temperatures. The cubic phase is preserved up to 700 °C, while annealing above this temperature leads to phase separation. X-ray diffraction patterns, analyzed using Rietveld refinement for a cubic crystal structure (space group F-43m), yields a lattice parameter of 5.929 Å, consistent with theoretical predictions. Thermomagnetic measurements reveal a magnetic transition near room temperature (295 K). Above the transition, the DC susceptibility follows Curie–Weiss behavior, with a calculated effective magnetic moment of 3.6 μB per formula unit. Given the detrimental effect of A2 disorder on spin polarization, minimizing this disorder is essential to realize the full potential of V2CoGa as a high-spin-polarization material.