Converting Cover Crop Biomass to Biogas and Volatile Fatty Acids

Cover crops are commonly used for their environmental benefits, including improved soil health and reduced soil erosion. However, there is limited use for the aboveground biomass, except for oilseed crops. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize the selected winter cover crop biomass at three growth stages, (2) evaluate the biogas and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) yield, and (3) examine the concurrent alkali pretreatment and ensiling effects on biogas yield. Wild pennycress, golden pennycress, CoverCressTM, annual ryegrass, cereal rye, pea, and clover biomass were harvested at three growth stages. Results showed that biogas yield increased with maturity. The third-harvest wild pennycress biomass had a methane yield of 171.80 ± 4.82 L/kg-VS while after alkali pretreatment and ensiling, a methane yield of 270.4 ± 3.10 L/kg-VS was obtained from the second-harvest biomass, representing a significant 5.9-fold increase relative to the untreated biomass. Since the first-harvest of wild pennycress biomass had a lower biogas yield, it was incorporated as a feedstock in AAD to produce VFAs. Gas Chromatography was used to analyze the concentration of acetic, butyric, propionic, hexanoic, and valeric acids. Among the tested cover crops, pea biomass had the highest VFAs yields of 0.304 g/g-VS. VFAs concentration and yield differed by crop and harvest stage, except for pennycress, which showed consistent VFAs trends across stages. VFAs produced from cover crops generated estimated revenues ranging from $92 to$800 per acre. This study demonstrates that the selected winter cover crops have the potential for sustainable bioenergy production

An Agent-Based Model of Microglia and Neuron Interaction: Implications in Neurodegenerative Disease

Whether immune cells protect or harm the brain is an open question depending on context, and their role is implicated in multiple diseases such as Alzheimer\u27s disease, dementia, and other neurological disorders. Microglia, a specific type of immune cell in the central nervous system, play a key role in homeostasis, and genes associated with an elevated risk of Alzheimer\u27s disease correspond with deficiencies in their behavior. We created an agent-based model that incorporates inflammatory signaling, chemotaxis, and phagocytosis of damaged neurons and allows the exploration of crucial pathways in the maintenance of brain health. We specifically investigated pathways related to Alzheimer\u27s risk variants of the gene TREM2, which results in impaired microglia phagocytosis and sensing

Spore Sacs Undergo Sk-3-Based Spore Killing After Deletion of Neurospora crassa DNA Interval v382

Spore killer-3 (Sk-3) is a genetic element transmitted to offspring through spore killing in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. Sk-3 requires two genes for spore killing. These two genes are the poison gene, for killing, and the antidote gene, for resistance to killing. While the resistance gene has been identified, the killer gene has not. The goal of this study was to determine if a DNA interval, referred to as v382, contains the killer gene. Interval v382 was deleted from an N. crassa strain and the deletion strain was tested for spore killing. The spore-killing phenomenon in N. crassa allows genetic conflict, evolutionary biology, and environments pertaining to agriculture to be understood. Spore killing takes place within spore sacs, which can be dissected from fruiting bodies and imaged under a microscope. Spore sacs that have undergone spore killing contain four black, viable spores and four white spores, the latter of which are inviable. An image of spore sacs that were dissected from a v382 deletion strain is shown.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2025/1014/thumbnail.jp

The Little Things Don\u27t Go Unnoticed

This is an image of a glacial stream near Kverkfjöll Volcano in Iceland, where I participated in a geological research field school. The bright green moss grows around the creeks in this area and is hydrophobic, therefore water droplets rest on top of the plant. I passed this stream every day on my way to hike the mountain to our research location. It is a reminder that amongst all the gray and black tones of basalts and andesites lies bright colors similar to the safety vest of my peer.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/ior2025/1012/thumbnail.jp

I’ll Wait Zero Seconds : Faculty Perspectives on Serials Access, Sharing, and Immediacy

This study explores how faculty across disciplines access and share scholarly serial content and what expectations they have for immediacy. The authors conducted twenty-five in-depth, semi-structured interviews with faculty of various ranks representing all Illinois State University (ISU) colleges. The findings, presented in the words of participants and triangulated with data from local sources, suggest that faculty use a variety of context-specific mechanisms to access and share serial literature. Participants discuss how they use library services such as databases, subscriptions, interlibrary loan, and document delivery, coupled with academic social networks, disciplinary repositories, author websites, and other publicly available sources to obtain the full text of articles along with their manifold considerations for sharing and requesting content. The urgency with which faculty need to gain access to scholarly literature is dependent on intersecting elements of discipline, current projects, how the resource will be used, the perceived competitiveness of the field, career stage, and personal practices. The findings reiterate that scholarly literature remains integral to the research and teaching of faculty even as needs and practices for accessing and sharing it grow more individualized and distributed

Assessment of Graduate Admission Requirements Aimed at Predicting Student Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to measure the appropriateness of the existing admissions requirements as related to the likelihood of graduation. We employ a five-year sample of students admitted into the graduate program and selected a cutoff date to allow sufficient time for most of each cohort to complete their studies. Following the general structure of Pratt (2015) this study assesses the appropriateness of criteria employed to evaluate graduate program applicants. The findings of our study demonstrate that undergraduate performance, GPA, and work experience can provide sufficient information for qualifying candidates into a graduate business program. Furthermore, our findings reveal that if undergraduate GPA does not convey sufficient information to qualify a candidate, a GMAT score may be a useful contingency qualifier, but not necessary if undergraduate GPA provides sufficient information

Exploration of Differential Equation Models for Phage-Bacteria Population Dynamics

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria. Lytic phages cause the bacterial cell to burst, killing the bacteria. These types of phages can be used to treat patients with antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. As a step in developing successful treatment protocols, we aim to understand the population dynamics of phages and bacteria using an in vitro model. We model the dynamics using the Campbell model, which consist of a delay differential equation (DDE), as a base model. We extended the model by including the emergence of phage resistance. We then compared the DDE model with a parallel ordinary differential equation (ODE) model. We applied several parameter estimation methods to the ODE model, such as local sensitivity analysis, sensitivity-based identifiability, and a local optimization method to fit experimental data. We compared the ODE model to the DDE model and found that the ODE model better captures the data, allowing us to move forward with the ODE formulation

Spirituality, Social Work Practice, and Sustainable Development

Based on human experience and history we know faith and culture are distinct and different. Cultural expression is a fundamental aspect of one’s identity and a human right that must be protected. Culture is a universal phenomenon, that is shaped primarily by one’s socialization. All people have a culture and may belong to a particular faith/spiritual tradition. They may also relate to others who belong to a cultural group or identify with a particular faith/spiritual tradition. To live peacefully we must strive to understand each other’s cultural, faith-based, spiritual realities as well as methods of conflict resolution and survival stories. These are challenges inherent in having awareness of faith, spirituality, cultural dimensions, and competent communication. It is imperative that we mobilize our inner spiritual wisdom and life-enhancing aspects of culture and leverage them for change. This is urgent when considering sustainability and development. The authors propose a transactional model of faith, spirituality, culture, and development and provide a context for understanding of pursuit of sustainable development. With increased awareness of the implications of a globalized world, encouraging transformation of social development, social work practice, and knowledge building of the field is critical. Case scenarios included are guided by the transactional model presented in the paper

Personalized Learning in a Pediatric Speech Sound Disorders Seminar

This paper highlights the utility of personalized learning (PL) embedded into an on-campus graduate seminar focused on pediatric speech sound disorders (PSSD). The example showcases six key PL features described from an autoethnographic lens. These include: (a) context-specific positionality viewpoints (i.e., instructor, student, discipline, and university); (b) PL-adapted course learning outcomes; and (c) PL-style instructional resources, (i.e., diverse and efficient elicitation study questions, intentionally introspective in-class activities, and a menu of student- and discipline-centric topics conveyed in varied instructional formats). Evidence of students’ PSSD accomplishments are shared via personalized proof portfolios, and links to entry level national certification benchmarks. Closing thoughts identify multiple presumptive factors and forward-facing steps that characterize PL’s relevance for the PSSD seminar context

Centering Users by Design: Implementing an Iterative Usability Testing Program

Libraries are increasingly employing usability testing to inform the design of their websites, discovery layers, and digital services, but designing and facilitating testing can be intimidating for libraries without UX expertise or designated staff. This poster will explain how a librarian designed and facilitated an iterative seven-test Usability Testing Program over one academic year and outline how librarians new to UX can implement a similar program. Results from each test will be shared, demonstrating how the collected data was used to improve the library’s website and discovery layer and center the user experience