Life Sciences Commons^™

Electronic-Cigarette Vehicles And Flavoring Affect Lung Function And Immune Responses In A Murine Model, Brittany N. Szafran, Rakeysha Pinkston, Zakia Perveen, Matthew K. Ross, Timothy Morgan, Daniel B. Paulsen, Arthur L. Penn, Barbara L. F. Kaplan, Alexandra Noel

Faculty Publications

The use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), also known as electronic-cigarettes (e-cigs), has raised serious public health concerns, especially in light of the 2019 outbreak of e-cig or vaping product use-associated acute lung injury (EVALI). While these cases have mostly been linked to ENDS that contain vitamin E acetate, there is limited research that has focused on the chronic pulmonary effects of the delivery vehicles (i.e., without nicotine and flavoring). Thus, we investigated lung function and immune responses in a mouse model following exposure to the nearly ubiquitous e-cig delivery vehicles, vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), used …

Capsaicin Is A Negative Allosteric Modulator Of The 5-Ht3 Receptor, Eslam El Nebrisi, Tatiana Prytkova, Dietrich Ernst Lorke, Luke Howarth, Asma Hassan Alzaabi, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Frank Christopher Howarth, Murat Oz

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, effects of capsaicin, an active ingredient of the capsicum plant, were investigated on human 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT₃) receptors. Capsaicin reversibly inhibited serotonin (5-HT)-induced currents recorded by two-electrode voltage clamp method in Xenopus oocytes. The inhibition was time- and concentration-dependent with an IC₅₀ = 62 μM. The effect of capsaicin was not altered in the presence of capsazepine, and by intracellular BAPTA injections or trans-membrane potential changes. In radio-ligand binding studies, capsaicin did not change the specific binding of the 5-HT₃ antagonist [³H]GR65630, indicating that it is a noncompetitive inhibitor of …

Aerosol Mass And Optical Properties, Smoke Influence On O3, And High No3 Production Rates In A Western U.S. City Impacted By Wildfires, Vanessa Selimovic, Robert J. Yokelson, Gavin R. Mcmeeking, Sarah Coefield

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Evaluating our understanding of smoke from wild and prescribed fires can benefit from downwind measurements that include inert tracers to test production and transport and reactive species to test chemical mechanisms. We characterized smoke from fires in coniferous forest fuels for >1,000 hr over two summers (2017 and 2018) at our Missoula, Montana, surface station and found a narrow range for key properties. ΔPM2.5/ΔCO was 0.1070 ± 0.0278 (g/g) or about half the age-independent ratios obtained at free troposphere elevations (0.2348 ± 0.0326). The average absorption Ångström exponent across both years was 1.84 ± 0.18, or about half the values …

Modulation Of Escherichia Coli Translation By The Specific Inactivation Of TrnaGly Under Oxidative Stress, Lorenzo Eugenio Leiva, Andrea Pincheira, Sara Elgamal, Sandra D. Kienast, Verónica Bravo, Johannes Leufken, Daniela Gutiérrez, Sebastian A. Leidel, Michael Ibba, Assaf Katz

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Bacterial oxidative stress responses are generally controlled by transcription factors that modulate the synthesis of RNAs with the aid of some sRNAs that control the stability, and in some cases the translation, of specific mRNAs. Here, we report that oxidative stress additionally leads to inactivation of tRNA^Gly in Escherichia coli, inducing a series of physiological changes. The observed inactivation of tRNA^Gly correlated with altered efficiency of translation of Gly codons, suggesting a possible mechanism of translational control of gene expression under oxidative stress. Changes in translation also depended on the availability of glycine, revealing a mechanism whereby bacteria …

Comparative Transcriptomics Of Rice Genotypes With Contrasting Responses To Nitrogen Stress Reveals Genes Influencing Nitrogen Uptake Through The Regulation Of Root Architecture, Prasanta K. Subudhi, Richard S. Garcia, Sapphire Coronejo, Ronald Tapia

Faculty Publications

The indiscriminate use of nitrogenous fertilizers continues unabated for commercial crop production, resulting in air and water pollution. The development of rice varieties with enhanced nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) will require a thorough understanding of the molecular basis of a plant's response to low nitrogen (N) availability. The global expression profiles of root tissues collected from low and high N treatments at different time points in two rice genotypes, Pokkali and Bengal, with contrasting responses to N stress and contrasting root architectures were examined. Overall, the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Pokkali (indica) was higher than in Bengal …

Characterization Of Human Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Reductase Enzymes Responsible For L-Proline Biosynthesis, Sagar Patel

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductases (EC 1.5.1.2) are important housekeeping enzymes of L-proline biosynthesis, which generate L-proline and influence redox cycling of NAD(P)H/NAD(P)⁺ to support cellular growth in all domains of life. Structural evidence from X-ray crystal structures of HsPYCR1 (PDB codes 5UAT, 5UAU, and 5UAV) shows both NADPH bound in the N-terminal Rao-Rossmann fold motif and an important hydrogen bond or proton donor role for Thr238 with L-P5C. The Thr238Ala mutation results in 10-fold loss in catalytic efficiency with varied L-P5C relative to the wild-type enzyme, thus indicating Thr238’s potential hydrogen bond and proton donation to L-P5C is critical for catalysis. …

Protease Oma1 Modulates Mitochondrial Bioenergetics And Ultrastructure Through Dynamic Association With Micos Complex, Martonio P. Viana

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Remodeling of mitochondrial ultrastructure is a complex dynamic process that is critical for a variety of mitochondrial functions and apoptosis. Although the key regulators of this process - mitochondrial contact site and cristae junction organizing system (MICOS) and GTPase Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1) have been characterized, the mechanisms behind this regulation remain incompletely defined. Here, we found that in addition to its role in mitochondrial division, metallopeptidase OMA1 is required for maintenance of contacts between the inner and outer membranes through a dynamic association with MICOS. This association is independent of OPA1, appears to be mediated via the MIC60 MICOS …

A Novel Serpinb1 Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Associated With Glycemic Control And Β-Cell Function In Egyptian Type 2 Diabetic Patients, Dina H. Kassem, Aya Adel, Ghada H. Sayed, Mohamed M. Kamal

Pharmacy

Aims: Serine protease inhibitor B1 (SerpinB1) is a neutrophil elastase inhibitor that has been proved to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and pancreatic β-cell proliferation. In this study, we investigated 2 SERPINB1 SNPs, rs114597282 and rs15286, regarding their association with diabetes risk and various anthropometric and biochemical parameters in Egyptian type 2 diabetic patients.

Materials and Methods: A total of 160 subjects (62 control and 98 type 2 diabetic patients) participated in this study. Various anthropometric and biochemical parameters were assessed. Genotyping assay for the two SNPs was done using TaqMan genotyping assays. The association of rs15286 variants …

Influence Of Edge Effects On Laser-Induced Surface Displacement Of Opaque Materials By Photothermal Interferometry, G. A. S. Flizikowski, B. Anghinoni, J. H. Rohling, M. P. Belançon, R. S. Mendes, M. L. Baesso, L. C. Malacarne, T. Požar, Stephen E. Bialkowski, N. G. C. Astrath

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We demonstrate the influence of edge effects on the photothermal-induced phase shift measured by a homodyne quadrature laser interferometer and compare the experiments with rigorous theoretical descriptions of thermoelastic surface displacement of metals. The finite geometry of the samples is crucial in determining how the temperature is distributed across the material and how this affects the interferometer phase shift measurements. The optical path change due to the surface thermoelastic deformation and thermal lens in the surrounding air is decoded from the interferometric signal using analytical and numerical tools. The boundary/edge effects are found to be relevant to properly describe the …

The Nitrogen Budget Of Laboratory-Simulated Western Us Wildfires During The Firex 2016 Fire Lab Study, James M. Roberts, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Robert J. Yokelson, Joost De Gouw, Yong Liu, Vanessa Selimovic, Abigail R. Koss, Kanako Sekimoto, Matthew M. Coggon, Bin Yuan, Kyle J. Zarzana, Steven S. Brown, Cristina Santin, Stefan H. Doerr, Carsten Warneke

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Reactive nitrogen (Nr, defined as all nitrogencontaining compounds except for N2 and N2O) is one of the most important classes of compounds emitted from wildfire, as Nr impacts both atmospheric oxidation processes and particle formation chemistry. In addition, several Nr compounds can contribute to health impacts from wildfires. Understanding the impacts of wildfire on the atmosphere requires a thorough description of Nr emissions. Total reactive nitrogen was measured by catalytic conversion to NO and detection by NO-O3 chemiluminescence together with individual Nr species during a series of laboratory fires of fuels characteristic of western US wildfires, conducted as part of …

The Drosophila Dbf4 Ortholog Chiffon Forms A Complex With Gcn5 That Is Necessary For Histone Acetylation And Viability, Eliana F. Torres-Zelada, Robert E. Stephenson, Aktan Aksoy, Benjamin D. Anderson, Selene K. Swanson, Laurence Laurence Florens, Emily C. Dykhuizen, Michael P. Washburn, Vikki M. Weake

Department of Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Metazoans contain two homologs of the Gcn5-binding protein Ada2, Ada2a and Ada2b, which nucleate formation of the ATAC and SAGA complexes respectively. In Drosophila melanogaster, there are two splice isoforms of Ada2b: Ada2b-PA and Ada2b-PB. Here we show only the Ada2b-PB isoform is in SAGA; in contrast, Ada2b-PA associates with Gcn5, Ada3, Sgf29 and Chiffon forming the Chiffon Histone Acetyltransferase (CHAT) complex. Chiffon is theDrosophila ortholog of Dbf4, which binds and activates the cell cycle kinase Cdc7 to initiate DNA replication. In flies, Chiffon and Cdc7 are required in ovary follicle cells for gene amplification, a specialized form of DNA …

The Gcn5 Complexes In Drosophila As A Model For Metazoa, Eliana F. Torres-Zelada, Vikki M. Weake

Department of Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 is conserved throughout eukaryotes where it functions as part of large multi-subunit transcriptional coactivator complexes that stimulate gene expression. Here, we describe how studies in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster have provided insight into the essential roles played by Gcn5 in the development of multicellular organisms. We outline the composition and activity of the four different Gcn5 complexes in Drosophila: the Spt-Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA), Ada2a-containing (ATAC), Ada2/Gcn5/Ada3 transcription activator (ADA), and Chiffon Histone Acetyltransferase (CHAT) complexes. Whereas the SAGA and ADA complexes are also present in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ATAC has only been …

Comparison Of Accelerated Solvent Extraction (Ase) And Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (Edge) For The Analysis Of Pesticides In Leaves, Ashlie D. Kinross, Kimberly J. Hageman, William J. Doucette, Alexandria L. Foster

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Various techniques have been evaluated for the extraction and cleanup of pesticides from environmental samples. In this work, a Selective Pressurized Liquid Extraction (SPLE) method for pesticides was developed using a Thermo Fisher Scientific Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) system. This instrument was compared to the newly introduced (2017) extraction instrument, the Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (EDGE) system, which combines Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) and dispersive Solid Phase Extraction (dSPE). We first optimized the SPLE method using the ASE instrument for pesticide extraction from alfalfa leaves using layers of Florisil and graphitized carbon black (GCB) downstream of the leaf homogenate in …

Nobiletin Affects Circadian Rhythms And Oncogenic Characteristics In A Cell-Dependent Manner, Sujeewa S. Lellupitiyage Don, Kelly L. Robertson, Hui-Hsien Lin, Caroline Labriola, Mary E. Harrington, Stephanie R. Taylor, Michelle E. Farkas

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The natural product nobiletin is a small molecule, widely studied with regard to its therapeutic effects, including in cancer cell lines and tumors. Recently, nobiletin has also been shown to affect circadian rhythms via their enhancement, resulting in protection against metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that nobiletin’s anti-oncogenic effects, such as prevention of cell migration and formation of anchorage independent colonies, are correspondingly accompanied by modulation of circadian rhythms. Concurrently, we wished to determine whether the circadian and anti-oncogenic effects of nobiletin differed across cancer cell lines. In this study, we assessed nobiletin’s circadian and therapeutic characteristics to ascertain whether these …

Structure Function Relationship In Hexacoordinate Heme Proteins: Mechanism Of Globin X Interactions With Exogenous Ligands And Ligand Accessiblity In Cytoglobin And Neuroglobin, Ruipeng Lei

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cytoglobin (Cygb), neuroglobin (Ngb), and globin X (GbX) belongs to recently discovered members of the vertebrate globin family, they carry a heme prosthetic group that can reversibly bind exogenous ligands such as CO, NO and O₂. Although the physiological functions of Cygb, Ngb and GbX are still under debate, several possible physiological functions for these proteins were proposed. Cytoglobin was reported to participate in lipid-based signaling and to stabilize the tumor suppressor p53 upon DNA damage, which imply its anti-cancer role. Neuroglobin was shown to interact with α-subunit of the heterotrimeric G protein as well as cytochrome c …

Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Evaluation Of Cancer Variants Through Virtual Molecular Tumor Boards Informs Local Clinical Practices., Shruti Rao, Beth Pitel, Alex H Wagner, Simina M Boca, Matthew Mccoy, Ian King, Samir Gupta, Ben Ho Park, Jeremy L Warner, James Chen, Peter Rogan, Debyani Chakravarty, Malachi Griffith, Obi L Griffith, Subha Madhavan

Biochemistry Publications

PURPOSE: The cancer research community is constantly evolving to better understand tumor biology, disease etiology, risk stratification, and pathways to novel treatments. Yet the clinical cancer genomics field has been hindered by redundant efforts to meaningfully collect and interpret disparate data types from multiple high-throughput modalities and integrate into clinical care processes. Bespoke data models, knowledgebases, and one-off customized resources for data analysis often lack adequate governance and quality control needed for these resources to be clinical grade. Many informatics efforts focused on genomic interpretation resources for neoplasms are underway to support data collection, deposition, curation, harmonization, integration, and analytics …

Unpacking Pi Stacking: How Electrostatic Interactions And Aromaticity Can Be Utilized To Aid Triplex Formation In Double Helical Rna, John M. Talbott

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

No abstract provided.

Leaf Traits Can Be Used To Predict Rates Of Litter Decomposition, Marc Rosenfield, Jennifer L. Funk, Jason K. Keller, Catrina Clausen, Kimberlee Cyphers

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Strong relationships exist between litter chemistry traits and rates of litter decomposition. However, leaf traits are more commonly found in online trait databases than litter traits and fewer studies have examined how well leaf traits predict litter decomposition rates. Furthermore, while bulk leaf nitrogen (N) content is known to regulate litter decomposition, few studies have explored the importance of N biochemistry fractions, such as protein and amino acid concentration. Here, we decomposed green leaves and naturally senesced leaf litter of nine species representing a wide range of leaf functional traits. We evaluated the ability of traits associated with leaf and …

Heterometallic Multinuclear Nodes Directing Mof Electronic Behavior, Otega A. Ejegbavwo, Anna A. Berseneva, Corey R. Martin, Gabrielle A. Leith, Shubham Pandey, Amy J. Brandt, Kyoung Chul Park, Abhijai Mathur, Sharfa Farzandh, Vladislav V. Klepov, Brittany J. Heiser, Mvs Chandrashekhar, Stavros G. Karakalos, Mark D. Smith, Simon R. Phillpot, Sophya Garashchuk, Donna A. Chen, Natalia B. Shustova Prof. Dr.

Faculty Publications

Metal node engineering in combination with modularity, topological diversity, and porosity of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) could advance energy and optoelectronic sectors. In this study, we focus on MOFs with multinuclear heterometallic nodes for establishing metal−property trends, i.e., connecting atomic scale changes with macroscopic material properties by utilization of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, conductivity measurements, X-ray photoelectron and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies, and density functional theory calculations. The results of Bader charge analysis and studies employing the Voronoi–Dirichlet partition of crystal structures are also presented. As an example of frameworks with different nodal arrangements, we have chosen MOFs with mononuclear, …

In Vivo Biosynthesis Of Inorganic Nanomaterials Using Eukaryotes - A Review, Ashiqur Rahman, Julia Lin, Francisco E. Jaramillo, Dennis A. Bazylinski, Clayton Jeffryes, Si Amar Dahoumane

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Bionanotechnology, the use of biological resources to produce novel, valuable nanomaterials, has witnessed tremendous developments over the past two decades. This eco-friendly and sustainable approach enables the synthesis of numerous, diverse types of useful nanomaterials for many medical, commercial, and scientific applications. Countless reviews describing the biosynthesis of nanomaterials have been published. However, to the best of our knowledge, no review has been exclusively focused on the in vivo biosynthesis of inorganic nanomaterials. Therefore, the present review is dedicated to filling this gap by describing the many different facets of the in vivo biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) using living eukaryotic …

Profiling The Circulating Mrna Transcriptome In Human Liver Disease, Aejaz Sayeed, Brielle E Dalvano, David E Kaplan, Usha Viswanathan, John Kulp, Alhaji H Janneh, Lu-Yu Hwang, Adam Ertel, Cataldo Doria, Timothy Block

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

The human circulation contains cell-free DNA and non-coding microRNA (miRNA). Less is known about the presence of messenger RNA (mRNA). This report profiles the human circulating mRNA transcriptome in people with liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to determine whether mRNA analytes can be used as biomarkers of liver disease. Using RNAseq and RT-qPCR, we investigate circulating mRNA in plasma from HCC and LC patients and demonstrate detection of transcripts representing more than 19,000 different protein coding genes. Remarkably, the circulating mRNA expression levels were similar from person to person over the 21 individuals whose samples were analyzed by …

Translational Regulation Of Environmental Adaptation In Bacteria, Rodney Tollerson Ii, Michael Ibba

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Bacteria must rapidly respond to both intracellular and environmental changes to survive. One critical mechanism to rapidly detect and adapt to changes in environmental conditions is control of gene expression at the level of protein synthesis. At each of the three major steps of translation—initiation, elongation, and termination—cells use stimuli to tune translation rate and cellular protein concentrations. For example, changes in nutrient concentrations in the cell can lead to translational responses involving mechanisms such as dynamic folding of riboswitches during translation initiation or the synthesis of alarmones, which drastically alter cell physiology. Moreover, the cell can fine-tune the levels …

A Highly Elastic And Fatigue-Resistant Natural Protein-Reinforced Hydrogel Electrolyte For Reversible-Compressible Quasi-Solid-State Supercapacitors, Jingya Nan, Gaitong Zhang, Tianyu Zhu, Zhongkai Wang, Lijun Wang, Hongsheng Wang, Fuxiang Chu, Chunpeng Wang, Chuanbing Tang

Faculty Publications

Compressible solid-state supercapacitors are emerging as promising power sources for next-generation flexible electronics with enhanced safety and mechanical integrity. Highly elastic and compressible solid electrolytes are in great demand to achieve reversible compressibility and excellent capacitive stability of these supercapacitor devices. Here, a lithium ion-conducting hydrogel electrolyte by integrating natural protein nanoparticles into polyacrylamide network is reported. Due to the synergistic effect of natural protein nanoparticles and polyacrylamide chains, the obtained hydrogel shows remarkable elasticity, high compressibility, and fatigue resistance properties. More significantly, the supercapacitor device based on this hydrogel electrolyte exhibits reversible compressibility under multiple cyclic compressions, working well …

A Simple Method For Sphingolipid Analysis Of Tissues Embedded In Optimal Cutting Temperature Compound, Timothy Rohrbach, April E. Boyd, Pamela J. Grizzard, Sarah Speigel, Jeremy Allegood, Santiago Lima

Richard Bland Faculty Works

MS-assisted lipidomic tissue analysis is a valuable tool to assess sphingolipid metabolism dysfunction in disease. These analyses can reveal potential pharmacological targets or direct mechanistic studies to better understand the molecular underpinnings and influence of sphingolipid metabolism alterations on disease etiology. But procuring sufficient human tissues for adequately powered studies can be challenging. Therefore, biorepositories, which hold large collections of cryopreserved human tissues, are an ideal retrospective source of specimens. However, this resource has been vastly underutilized by lipid biologists, as the components of OCT compound used in cryopreservation are incompatible with MS analyses. Here, we report results indicating that …

Evidence Of Pathogen-Induced Immunogenetic Selection Across The Large Geographic Range Of A Wild Seabird, Hila Levy, Stephen R. Fiddaman, Julianna A. Vianna, Daly Noll, Gemma Clucas, Jasmine K. H. Sidhu, Michael J. Polito, Charles A. Bost, Richard A. Phillips, Sarah Crofts, Gary D. Miller, Pierre Pistorius, Francesco Bonnadonna, Celine Le Bohec, Andres Barbosa, Phil Trathan, Andrea Raya Rey, Laurent A. F. Frantz, Tom Hart, Adrian L. Smith

Faculty Publications

Over evolutionary time, pathogen challenge shapes the immunepheno type of the host to better respond to an incipient threat. The extent and direction of this selection pressure depend on the local pathogen composition, which is in turn determined by biotic and abiotic features of the environment. However, little is known about adaptation to local pathogen threats in wild animals. The Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) is a species complex that lends itself to the study of immune adaptation because of its circumpolar distribution over a large latitudinal range, with little or no admixture between ''different clades. Inthis study, we examine the …

Role Of The Hyaluronan Receptor, Stabilin-2/Hare, In Health And Disease, Edward N. Harris, Erika Baker

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Stabilin-2/HARE is the primary clearance receptor for circulating hyaluronan (HA), a polysaccharide found in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of metazoans. HA has many biological functions including joint lubrication, ocular turgor pressure, skin elasticity and hydration, cell motility, and intercellular signaling, among many others. The regulatory system for HA content in the tissues, lymphatics, and circulatory systems is due, in part, to Stabilin-2/HARE. The activity of this receptor was discovered about 40 years ago (early 1980s), cloned in the mid-1990s, and has been characterized since then. Here, we discuss the overall domain organization of this receptor and how it correlates to …

Protonic Capacitor: Elucidating The Biological Significance Of Mitochondrial Cristae Formation, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

For decades, it was not entirely clear why mitochondria develop cristae? The work employing the transmembrane-electrostatic proton localization theory reported here has now provided a clear answer to this fundamental question. Surprisingly, the transmembrane-electrostatically localized proton concentration at a curved mitochondrial crista tip can be significantly higher than that at the relatively flat membrane plane regions where the proton-pumping respiratory supercomplexes are situated. The biological significance for mitochondrial cristae has now, for the first time, been elucidated at a protonic bioenergetics level: 1) The formation of cristae creates more mitochondrial inner membrane surface area and thus more protonic capacitance for …

Analysis And Exploration Of Novel Antibiotic-Producing Streptomyces Spp. In Spokane County, Washington, Kyle S. Kramer, Jenifer B. Walke Ph.D

2020 Symposium Posters

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a US citizen is infected by an antibiotic-resistant pathogen every 11 seconds, and every 15 minutes, a patient dies as a result of these infections. Due to the increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microbes, the study and exploration of novel antibiotics from novel environments are imperative as infectious diseases are the second leading cause of death in the United States. The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze antibiotic-producing soil microbes in Spokane County, WA, with hopes of discovering novel antibiotic-producing microbes, specifically Streptomyces species, and explore some of …

Strong Temporal Variability In Methane Fluxes From Natural Gas Well Pad Soils, Seth N. Lyman, Huy N. Q. Tran, Marc L. Mansfield, Ric Bowers, Ann Smith

Bingham Research Center

We measured methane and carbon dioxide fluxes at natural gas well pad soils and undisturbed soils in the Rocky Mountain and Gulf Coast regions of the United States, including producing and gas storage wells. We collected both short-term (15 min) and multi-day (between 3 and 8), continuous measurements at 47 well pads and two undisturbed locations. Methane fluxes varied by more than an order of magnitude over periods as short as 30 min (e.g., 19–593 mg m⁻² h⁻¹ in one instance), and diurnal and seasonal variability was also significant (e.g., spring-to-fall change from 509 to 14174 mg m …

Influence Of Adjuvants On Pesticide Soil-Air Partition Coefficients: Laboratory Measurements And Predicted Effects On Volatilization, Supta Das, Kimberly J. Hageman

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

A solid-phase fugacity meter was used to measure the soil–air partition coefficients of three semivolatile pesticides (chlorpyrifos, pyrimethanil, and trifluralin) in the absence of additional adjuvants (K_{soil–air,AI}), as part of commercial formulations (K_{soil–air,formulation}), and as formulation mixtures with an additional spray adjuvant added (K_{soil–air,formulation+spray adjuvant}). Chlorpyrifos K_{soil–air,formulation} values were also measured over 15–30 °C, allowing for the change in internal energy of the phase transfer reaction (Δ_soil–airU) to be calculated and compared to the Δ_soil–airU for K_{soil–air,AI} from the literature. Measured K_soil–air values …