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Major Lower Paleozoic Horizons Of The Southern Illinois Basin, John B. Hickman

Report of Investigations--KGS

The geology exposed at the surface in the southern Illinois Basin has been mapped in great detail by countless workers over the past century. With the exception of limited and scattered exposures in incised river valleys, the oldest rocks exposed outside of the Jessamine, Nashville, and Ozark Domes surrounding the Illinois Basin are Mississippian in age. Extensive deposits of Cambrian–Devonian sediments occur in the subsurface above crystalline basement in this region, however. All available data for the region were analyzed to produce a single, comprehensive set of interpretations. The data used in this study include 1:24,000-scale geologic quadrangle maps, oil …

Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralisation Across Global Grasslands, A. C. Risch, S. Zimmerman, R. Ochoa-Hueso, M. Schütz, B. Frey, J. L. Firn, P. A. Fay, F. Hagedorn, E. T. Borer, E. W. Seabloom, W. S. Harpole, J. M. H. Knops, Rebecca L. Mcculley, A. A. D. Broadbent, C. J. Stevens, M. L. Silveria, P. B. Adler, S. Báez, L. A. Biederman, J. M. Blair

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Soil nitrogen mineralisation (N_min), the conversion of organic into inorganic N, is important for productivity and nutrient cycling. The balance between mineralisation and immobilisation (net N_min) varies with soil properties and climate. However, because most global-scale assessments of net N_min are laboratory-based, its regulation under field-conditions and implications for real-world soil functioning remain uncertain. Here, we explore the drivers of realised (field) and potential (laboratory) soil net N_min across 30 grasslands worldwide. We find that realised N_min is largely explained by temperature of the wettest quarter, microbial biomass, clay content and bulk density. …

Co2-Enhanced Gas Recovery In Shale: Lessons Learned In The Devonian Ohio Shale Of Eastern Kentucky, Brandon C. Nuttall

Report of Investigations--KGS

The Kentucky Geological Survey tested CO₂-enhanced gas recovery in the Devonian shale in Johnson County, in response to a directive from the Kentucky General Assembly in 2007; the study site included a fracture-stimulated shale-gas well. To supplement a standard suite of open-hole logs acquired when the well was drilled, a well-logging program was designed to identify open perforations, construct a flow profile, and acquire pre-injection baseline data to characterize the Devonian Ohio Shale for a pressure falloff test. Tubing and packer were installed, with gel and brine filling the annulus between the tubing and packer to block flow-through …

Climate Change Impacts On Winter Wheat Yield In Northern China, Xiu Geng, Fang Wang, Wei Ren, Zhixin Hao

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Exploring the impacts of climate change on agriculture is one of important topics with respect to climate change. We quantitatively examined the impacts of climate change on winter wheat yield in Northern China using the Cobb–Douglas production function. Utilizing time-series data of agricultural production and meteorological observations from 1981 to 2016, the impacts of climatic factors on wheat production were assessed. It was found that the contribution of climatic factors to winter wheat yield per unit area (WYPA) was 0.762–1.921% in absolute terms. Growing season average temperature (GSAT) had a negative impact on WYPA for the period of 1981–2016. A …

Mineralogy And Chemistry Of Rare Earth Elements In Alkaline Ultramafic Rocks And Fluorite In The Western Kentucky Fluorspar District, Warren H. Anderson

Report of Investigations--KGS

Rare earth elements, or REE, are used in modern society in televisions, computers, cellphones, military equipment, and smart weapons systems. These metals are also used by the medical industry in magnetic resonance imaging and in medical products.

The igneous rocks in the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District of the New Madrid Rift System are considered alkaline ultramafic rocks that are slightly enriched in REE. These rocks are rare and only occur in several hundred locations in the world. They have a complex history of emplacement, fractionation, metasomatism, and alteration, and are overprinted with Mississippi Valley-type mineralization. They are classified as lamprophyres …

Root Hair Single Cell Type Specific Profiles Of Gene Expression And Alternative Polyadenylation Under Cadmium Stress, Jingyi Cao, Congting Ye, Guijie Hao, Carole Dabney-Smith, Arthur G. Hunt, Qingshun Q. Li

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Transcriptional networks are tightly controlled in plant development and stress responses. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) has been found to regulate gene expression under abiotic stress by increasing the heterogeneity at mRNA 3′-ends. Heavy metals like cadmium pollute water and soil due to mining and industry applications. Understanding how plants cope with heavy metal stress remains an interesting question. The Arabidopsis root hair was chosen as a single cell model to investigate the functional role of APA in cadmium stress response. Primary root growth inhibition and defective root hair morphotypes were observed. Poly(A) tag (PAT) libraries from single cell types, i.e., root …

Gamete Nuclear Migration In Animals And Plants, Umma Fatema, Mohammad F. Ali, Zheng Hu, Anthony J. Clark, Tomokazu Kawashima

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The migration of male and female gamete nuclei to each other in the fertilized egg is a prerequisite for the blending of genetic materials and the initiation of the next generation. Interestingly, many differences have been found in the mechanism of gamete nuclear movement among animals and plants. Female to male gamete nuclear movement in animals and brown algae relies on microtubules. By contrast, in flowering plants, the male gamete nucleus is carried to the female gamete nucleus by the filamentous actin cytoskeleton. As techniques have developed from light, electron, fluorescence, immunofluorescence, and confocal microscopy to live-cell time-lapse imaging using …

Trans-Cinnamic Acid-Induced Leaf Expansion Involves An Auxin-Independent Component, Jasmina Kurepa, Jan A. Smalle

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The phenylpropanoid pathway, the source of a large array of compounds with diverse functions, starts with the synthesis of trans-cinnamic acid (t-CA) that is converted by cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H) into p-coumaric acid. We have recently shown that in Arabidopsis, exogenous t-CA promotes leaf growth by increasing cell expansion and that this response requires auxin signaling. We have also shown that cell expansion is increased in C4H loss-of-function mutants. Here we provide further evidence that leaf growth is enhanced by either t-CA or a t-CA derivative that accumulates upstream of C4H. We also show that …

A Historical Sedimentary Record Of Mercury In A Shallow Eutrophic Lake: Impacts Of Human Activities And Climate Change, Hanxiao Zhang, Shouliang Huo, Kevin M. Yeager, Beidou Xi, Jingtian Zhang, Fengchang Wu

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Mercury and its derivatives are hazardous environmental pollutants and could affect the aquatic ecosystems and human health by biomagnification. Lake sediments can provide important historical information regarding changes in pollution levels and thus trace anthropogenic or natural influences. This research investigates the 100-year history of mercury (Hg) deposition in sediments from Chao Lake, a shallow eutrophic lake in China. The results indicate that the Hg deposition history can be separated into three stages (pre-1960s, 1960s–1980s, and post-1980s) over the last 100 years. Before the 1960s, Hg concentrations in the sediment cores varied little and had no spatial difference. Since the …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Suppresses Mineralization Of Soil Organic Matter In Maize Agroecosystems, Navreet K. Mahal, William R. Osterholz, Fernando E. Miguez, Hanna J. Poffenbarger, John E. Sawyer, Daniel C. Olk, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Michael J. Castellano

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The possibility that N fertilizer increases soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization and, as a result, reduces SOM stocks has led to a great debate about the long-term sustainability of maize-based agroecosystems as well as the best method to estimate fertilizer N use efficiency (FNUE). Much of this debate is because synthetic N fertilizer can positively or negatively affect SOM mineralization via several direct and indirect pathways. Here, we test a series of hypotheses to determine the direction, magnitude, and mechanism of N fertilizer effect on SOM mineralization and discuss the implications for methods to estimate FNUE. We measured the effect …

Using Watershed Pour-Point Elevations To Evaluate The Base Of Fresh Groundwater In The Cumberland Plateau Of Eastern Kentucky, Ethan S. L. Davis, Thomas M. Parris, Jerrad Grider

Report of Investigations--KGS

Horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing at shallow depths (less than 2,200 ft) in the Devonian Berea Sandstone oil and gas play, along with the potential for high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the nascent Cambrian Rogersville Shale gas play, have generated a renewed interest in protecting groundwater quality in eastern Kentucky. A critical component of protection is an accurate understanding of the distribution of fresh water in the subsurface. The “Fresh-Saline Water Interface Map of Kentucky” by H.T. Hopkins, published by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kentucky Geological Survey in 1966, has been a critical reference for assessing the maximum depth of …

Mississippian-Devonian Black Shales Of Kentucky: East-West Transect In Five Cores From The Appalachian Basin To The Illinois Basin, Patrick J. Gooding, Frank R. Ettensohn

Map and Chart--KGS

Devonian-Mississippian black shales are widespread across North America and underlie nearly 70 percent of Kentucky (Kepferle and Roen, 1981; Ettensohn and others, 1988). These black-shale units are among the most thoroughly investigated format ions in the commonwealth, because t hey have sourced most of t he conventional hydrocarbons (Gooding and Ettensohn, 2008; Gooding, 2013), have been major producers of gas in both the Illinois and Appalachian Basins, and have major potential as unconventional producers in both basins. In fact, maturation indicators such as vitrinite reflectance and total organic carbon, from both basins, show that the shales are most ly mature …

Assessing Variation In Us Soybean Seed Composition (Protein And Oil), Yared Assefa, Larry C. Purcell, Montse Salmeron, Seth Naeve, Shaun N. Casteel, Péter Kovács, Sotirios Archontoulis, Mark Licht, Fred Below, Herman Kandel, Laura E. Lindsey, John Gaska, Shawn Conley, Charles Shapiro, John M. Orlowski, Bobby R. Golden, Gurpreet Kaur, Maninderpal Singh, Kurt Thelen, Randall Laurenz, Dan Davidson, Ignacio A. Ciampitti

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed composition and yield are a function of genetics (G), environment (E), and management (M) practices, but contribution of each factor to seed composition and yield are not well understood. The goal of this synthesis-analysis was to identify the main effects of G, E, and M factors on seed composition (protein and oil concentration) and yield. The entire dataset (13,574 data points) consisted of 21 studies conducted across the United States (US) between 2002 and 2017 with varying treatments and all reporting seed yield and composition. Environment (E), defined as site-year, was the dominant …

Effect Of Stoniness On The Hydraulic Properties Of A Soil From An Evaporation Experiment Using The Wind And Inverse Estimation Methods, Nerea Arias, Iñigo Virto, Alberto Enrique, Paloma Bescansa, Riley Walton, Ole O. Wendroth

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Stony soils are distributed all over the world. The study of their characteristics has gained importance lately due to their increasing use as agricultural soils. The effect that rock fragments exert on the soil hydraulic properties is difficult to measure in situ, and is usually derived from the fine earth properties. However, the corrections used so far do not seem accurate for all types of stony soils. Our objective was to assess the adequacy of estimating the hydraulic properties of a stony soil from the fine earth ones by correcting the latter by the volume occupied by rock fragments. To …

Genome-Wide Association Studies For Yield-Related Traits In Soft Red Winter Wheat Grown In Virginia, Brian P. Ward, Gina Brown-Guedira, Frederic L. Kolb, David A. Van Sanford, Priyanka Tyagi, Clay H. Sneller, Carl A. Griffey

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Grain yield is a trait of paramount importance in the breeding of all cereals. In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), yield has steadily increased since the Green Revolution, though the current rate of increase is not forecasted to keep pace with demand due to growing world population and increasing affluence. While several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on yield and related component traits have been performed in wheat, the previous lack of a reference genome has made comparisons between studies difficult. In this study, a GWAS for yield and yield-related traits was carried out on a population of 322 soft red …

Carboxylic Acids Accelerate Acidic Environment-Mediated Nanoceria Dissolution, Robert A. Yokel, Matthew L. Hancock, Eric A. Grulke, Jason M. Unrine, Alan K. Dozier, Uschi M. Graham

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Ligands that accelerate nanoceria dissolution may greatly affect its fate and effects. This project assessed the carboxylic acid contribution to nanoceria dissolution in aqueous, acidic environments. Nanoceria has commercial and potential therapeutic and energy storage applications. It biotransforms in vivo. Citric acid stabilizes nanoceria during synthesis and in aqueous dispersions. In this study, citrate-stabilized nanoceria dispersions (∼4 nm average primary particle size) were loaded into dialysis cassettes whose membranes passed cerium salts but not nanoceria particles. The cassettes were immersed in iso-osmotic baths containing carboxylic acids at pH 4.5 and 37 °C, or other select agents. Cerium atom material …

Seismic Monitoring And Baseline Microseismicity In The Rome Trough, Eastern Kentucky, N. Seth Carpenter, Andrew S. Holcomb, Zhenming Wang, John B. Hickman, Edward W. Woolery

Report of Investigations--KGS

In the central and eastern United States, felt earthquakes likely triggered by fluid injection from oil and gas production or wastewater disposal have dramatically increased in frequency since the onset of the unconventional shale gas and oil boom. In the Rome Trough of eastern Kentucky, fracture stimulations and wastewater injection are ongoing and occur near areas of historical seismic activity. Unlike in surrounding and nearby states (Ohio, West Virginia, and Arkansas), in Kentucky, no seismic events related to subsurface fluid injections have been reported as felt or detected by regional seismic networks, including the Kentucky Seismic and Strong-Motion Network.

Oil …

An Update Of Seismic Monitoring And Research In The Vicinity Of The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant: January 2013–December 2017, Zhenming Wang, Edward W. Woolery, N. Seth Carpenter

Report of Investigations--KGS

From January 2013 to December 2017, the Kentucky Geological Survey monitored earthquakes and conducted research on seismic hazards in the vicinity of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a former uranium enrichment facility, in western Kentucky. Fifteen earthquakes with magnitude greater than 3.0 occurred in the area during this period, and data were collected from the Central U.S. Seismic Observatory and the vertical seismic array at the gaseous diffusion plant. This monitoring improved our understanding of seismic-wave propagation through thick sediments and ground-motion site effects, as well as fault locations in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, ground-motion attenuation, and seismic-hazard assessment. …

The Undeniable Attraction Of Lunar Swirls, Dany Waller

Posters-at-the-Capitol Presentations

Lunar swirls are complex patterns on the Moon with distinct brightness signatures and magnetic characteristics. Current research has suggested that the formation of lunar swirls relies on local magnetic fields to shield impinging solar wind, based on a shift in electromagnetic wavelength peaks related to solar radiation and space weathering. Our research combined recent models and methods to characterize these anomalies at the surface of the Moon, exploring the effects of field strength and position. We have produced a high resolution map of a famous swirl named Reiner Gamma using magnetic dipole modeling. These maps and models are considered when …