Life Sciences Commons^™

Phytoremediation Is An Important Tool For Reducing Mining Pollution, Sabrina Allen

Research on Capitol Hill

In 2019, community fishponds were established near two towns in Eastern Uganda by Ideal Life Vision Uganda with the support of Rotary International. The ponds are stocked with African Sharp-tooth Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and are used as a source of both nutritious food and income for the local communities. Unfortunately, commercial and artisan gold mining in the surrounding regions have led to high amounts of mercury pollution within the ponds, negatively impacting both fish production and overall community health, presenting a major threat to the success and functionality of the ponds and the well-being of …

Developing Cancer Treatments With A One-Two Punch Of A Metal And Carbon Monoxide, Joel Ashton

Research on Capitol Hill

Carbon monoxide (CO) has unique therapeutic properties including anti-cancer effects. Flavonols such as 3-hydroxyflavone can release CO upon exposure to visible light. Gallium(III) also has anti-cancer properties and can replace Fe(III) in biological processes. This research was focused on synthesizing a family of complexes with gallium(III) bound to 3-hydroxyflavone and similar ligands which can hopefully combine the anti-cancer properties of both gallium and CO. These complexes follow a simple synthesis and the flavonols are easily modified to optimize their properties. Several of these complexes have been made with varying degrees of solubility. Each of these complexes have been confirmed to …

A Utah-Native Plant Can Be Used To Promote Low-Impact Landscaping, Macie Booth

Research on Capitol Hill

Ceanothus velutinus Douglas ex Hook. (snowbrush ceanothus) is a native evergreen species that possesses significant potential for use in urban landscapes. Ceanothus velutinus fixes nitrogen in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria and plays an important soil-building role. However, it is unclear how to effectively induce nodules in C. velutinus using soil containing Frankia bacteria. The purpose of this study was to understand plant growth and nodulation of C. velutinus in different soilless substrates. Ceanothus velutinus seedlings were transplanted in cone-shaped containers with calcined clay, peat moss, or perlite and inoculated with 30 ml of native soil containing Frankia bacteria. Seedlings were …

To Better Engage Students, Instructors Should Create Lab Exercises With Real-World Examples., Autumn Kelsch

Research on Capitol Hill

USU senior Autumn studies biology here in Logan and led and funded this project herself through a student grant. ‘Elementary Microbiology’ is a required course for many medical fields, and traditionally relies on several pre-determined research projects in class. However, educators suggest that students gain more from open-ended projects where the answer is unknown and the students’ findings contribute to our knowledge on the subject. When Autumn was hired as a teaching assistant for this course at USU, she developed and created a project where students look for bacteria in soil samples that may help fight infections. She now hopes …

Altered Neural Drive From An Acl Injury May Lead To Re-Injury, Hunter Horsley

Research on Capitol Hill

USU senior Hunter, born and raised here in Logan, is a research assistant studying kinesiology. In sports, military action, and manual-labor jobs, many injuries affect not only the site of the injury but also the brain’s ability to receive communication from that site. Hunter’s project focuses on how people with and without ACL prior tears perform certain movement actions. This is the first study that simultaneously observes the physical response of the body as well as the brain activity during the tests, and may lead to more effective rehabilitation of such injuries in the future. Hunter found his passion for …

Test-Driving The Next Generation Of Crispr Gene Editing, Olivia Gornichec, Kailey Mayer

Research on Capitol Hill

USU team Kailey, recent graduate of animal science, and Olivia, senior in biochemistry, have led and funded this project through a student grant. CRISPR has been making waves in the scientific community for its potential to help us edit genomes. However, that is just one of the known types of CRISPR, and other types aren’t in forms that are accessible to study. Kailey and Olivia have successfully cloned Type IV-B into a plasmid that can now be used to perform further research into what this system does. The two students never expected that, as undergrads, they would make a foundation-level …

Understanding The Decline In Successful Cattle Pregnancies, Andre Tu Nguyen

Research on Capitol Hill

USU junior Andre, a local Loganer, studies computer science and biology.He has been working in an animal science lab. Over time, we have seen a decline in successful dairy cattle pregnancies. This is a huge cause for concern for Utah, with milk sales at an estimated value of $405 million in 2020. Andre’s work has been in studying a certain protein in pregnant cattle; now that he has determined there is a decrease in this protein over the course of the pregnancy, he hopes to see whether that might impact its viability. Andre got involved in research in a high …

Precipitation Is A Strong Predictor Of Airborne Ammonia Levels., Bridger Jorgensen, Casey Olson, Connor Snow

Research on Capitol Hill

USU senior Connor has lived in the Uintah Basin all his life and studies kinesiology. Senior Casey, a Cache Valley native, studies climate science and works at the Utah Climate Center. Junior Bridger, also of Cache Valley, studies nutrition science. They led and funded this project through a student grant. Casey was alarmed by the ammonia data he was collecting at the Climate Center. “I immediately began to wonder how this issue would evolve over the coming decades.” The three teamed up to take a look at how Logan’s record-breaking amount of ammonia in our air is impacting those who …

Germ Cell-Depleted Ovaries Improve Metabolic Health In Post-Reproductive Mice, Kyleigh Tyler

Research on Capitol Hill

Reproductive senescence is correlated with many deleterious heath conditions. In human females, the decline of health associated with reproductive function is termed “menopause.“ One of the declining health factors is metabolism.

In order to understand how ovaries contribute to metabolic health, we further studied the structure of ovaries. Within ovaries, there are two main types of cells:

• Germ Cells (oocyte): Play a central role in reproduction (egg)
• Somatic Cells: Supporting cells for germ cells

This study aimed to understand the relationship between germ cells and somatic cells and how this relationship influenced metabolism.

Molecular Relatedness Of Two Distinct Type Iv Crispr-Associated (Cas) Proteins, Matt Armbrust

Research on Capitol Hill

CRISPR-Cas systems are prokaryotic adaptive immune systems. Bacteria use CRISPR systems as a defense against foreign nucleic acid invasion such as phage infection.

Inducing Reversions Between Asexual And Sexual Reproductive Strategies In Daphnia, Alex Braeger

Research on Capitol Hill

We are testing the effects of numerous treatments (both chemical and non-chemical) on crustaceans, with the goal of controlling the male to female ratio and the method of reproduction they use (sexual or asexual).

High Tunnel Greenhouse Produces Higher Cut Flower Yields In Utah, Maegen Lewis

Research on Capitol Hill

• Utah State University is performing research to develop management guidelines for cut flower production.
• High tunnels, simple inexpensive greenhouses, moderate temperatures. This allows cut flowers to be grown despite unfavorable conditions.
• Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) and sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) were selected as cool season annual crops to evaluate high tunnel benefits during cool spring temperatures.
• Research will be used to develop crop management guidelines for cut flower growers in Utah.

Survey Of Bird/Window Collisions At Utah State University-Brigham City, Spencer Smith

Research on Capitol Hill

When birds fly at full speed into the highly reflective glass windows of human structures, death is often the outcome. This research investigates the impact of architecture on bird population through a specific case study. Bird/window collisions claim from around 350 million to over 1 billion birds per year (Kahle, Flannery, & Dumbacher, 2016). Studies have shown that window surface area (Borden, Lockhart, Jones, & Lyons, 2011) can increase incidents of bird-window collisions. In 2015, Utah State University –Brigham City campus finished their new Classroom and Student Services building which features large windows and an interior tree that can be …

Environmental Insights From A Utah Pilot Study On Well-Being, Casey Trout

Research on Capitol Hill

This project focuses on the importance of the natural environment to the well-being of those surveyed during a 2018 pilot study. The pilot study marked the beginning of the Utah Well-being Project, a 5-year study to assess well-being across Utah communities.

The survey asked participants questions about their overall well-being and their well-being in relation to twelve commonly articulated “domains”, including those that are listed in Figures 1 and 2.

Establishment Of Fuel Breaks To Protect Sage-Grouse Habitat In Northwest Utah, William Price

Research on Capitol Hill

One of the largest threats to greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus ursophasianus) is habitat loss due to wildfire. Cheatgrass is an invasive annual grass that increases the frequency and severity of wildfire, creating an even larger threat to sage-grouse.

One approach to protect sage-grouse habitat is to implement fuel breaks of perennial grasses to slow the spread of wildfire. Perennial grasses are used in these fuel breaks because they stay green longer into the summer and are more resistant to the spread of fire.

The fuel breaks were implemented in Dry Basin in 2016 and Badger Flat in 2011 by …

Fermentation Of Prebiotics In Whole Food Powders By Probiotic Bacteria Strains, Michaela Brubaker, Sumira Phatak

Research on Capitol Hill

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Modification of the gut microbiome offers potential for CRC prevention.

Transplanting A Bacterial Immune System: Determining The Function Of A Novel Crispr System, Riannon Smith, Melena Garrett

Research on Capitol Hill

CRISPR (Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) loci and cas (CRISPR-associated) genes provide adaptive immunity (see panel below) in bacteria and have recently been repurposed for genome editing.

Systems are structurally and functionally diverse.

• 2 classes, 6 types, 33 subtypes
• Very few have been studied experimentally
• None of the Type IV systems have been characterized

Effects Of Seed Coating And Water Level On Alkali Bulrush Germination And Biomass, Anders Hart, Emily Martin

Research on Capitol Hill

Alkali bulrush (Bolboschoenus maritimus) is an important plant species in Great Salt Lake (GSL) wetlands. GSL managers are interested in restoring alkali bulrush following the removal of the invasive grass Phragmites australis. However, low moisture availability may hinder alkali bulrush germination, especially in light of continuing water diversions from GSL tributaries and ongoing climate change.

Surfactant seed coatings have aided the germination of upland plant species in restoration projects by increasing the water available for seeds. However, these coatings have not been tested on wetland species. In the project, we tested the effect of a surfactant seed …

Great Basin Forb Restoration: Lupine Response To Altered Precipitation Predicted By Climate Change, Andrea Jo Johnson, Kristin Hulvey, Scott Jensen, Tom Monaco

Research on Capitol Hill

Abundance of native forb species is declining, leading to degraded ecosystems within the Great Basin.

Forbs provide many ecosystem functions, including wildlife habitat for species such as Sage Grouse, increased biodiversity, resistance to erosion, and protection from invasive plant species.

Climate change is predicted to affect timing, frequency, and intensity of precipitation within the Great Basin. During the fall season, precipitation is expected to increase by 30%.

Changes in precipitation will likely affect fall emergence of forbs, which is essential for overwintering and establishment.

Learning how precipitation affects forb emergence could lead to new methods that increase fall emergence and …

Decreasing Blue Light From Led Increases Growth In Four Diverse Species, Boston Swan

Research on Capitol Hill

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) facilitate research into the effects of light quality and quantity because of their narrow band wavelength and the ability to control the quantity of light output.

•Light Quantity: Light intensity, measured as µmols m2s-1 •Light Quality: Light wavelength, measured as nm, indicates light color.

In some crops, decreasing blue light (400-500 nm) has been shown to increase growth. For this research, I studied four crops; kale, lettuce, tomato and cucumber. These crops were chosen because of commercial interest in light sensitivity.

The system included 16 chambers with eight unique spectral outputs (Table 1).

Motor Affordance For Grasping A Handrail, D. Mcdannald, M. Mansour, Garrett Rydalch

Research on Capitol Hill

Mere observation of objects around us can potentiate motor action by priming specific areas in the brain. This concept, referred to as the affordance effect, suggests that humans put viewed objects into motor terms automatically. Such automated linking of observations to action offers potential advantages to interact with our environment quickly and efficiently when producing goal-directed movements.

One possible application of this affordance effect includes the rapid balance reactions needed to avoid a fall. In reactive balance control, movements must be extremely fast yet simultaneously appropriate for a given environment (e.g. quickly grasping a nearby handrail to avoid a fall). …

The Effect Of Gender And Socioeconomic Factors On Reporting Of Concussions Among Ncaa Student-Athletes, Joshua Hansen

Research on Capitol Hill

Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that result from “brain shaking” as a result of transmit force to the head. Concussions result in immediate and transient post-traumatic impairment of neural functions which lead to both psychological and physiological symptoms.

As knowledge of the long-term implications of these injuries grows, concussions are becoming an increasing health concern worldwide. One subset, sports-related concussions, are receiving an increasing amount of attention from scientists and health-care practitioners.

More than 3.8 million sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States alone, and some studies suggest that up to 43% of these go unreported and untreated.

How Pesticide Additives Alter Feeding Behavior And Viral Infections In Honey Bees, Matthew Thompson

Research on Capitol Hill

Honey bees are vital to agriculture; the decline of honey bee populations in Utah and worldwide is concerning. Several factors can reduce honey bee health and when they interact can increase in magnitude (Fig. 1). We are investigating the interactions of a pesticide ingredient, organosilicone surfactant (OSS), and viral pathogens.

Goals

• Determine if OSS exposure alters honey bee feeding behavior.
• Determine if OSS synergizes with and increases the negative impact of viruses on honey bees.

Does Requiring Participation In Research Have A Positive Effect On Students’ Perception Of Undergraduate Research?, Mikayla Austin

Research on Capitol Hill

Undergraduate research is not only beneficial to the university and community for all the new ideas it brings to light, but plays an important role in student development.

Studies have shown that students who are involved in research as undergraduates are proficient in:

• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Confidence
• Problem solving

There have been many studies conducted on the best ways to get students involved in research in order to gain these benefits, most of which are based around increasing awareness.

My research is focused on the impact of bringing research into the classroom and requiring students to participate. Will this increase …

Can Adding Black Raspberries To The Western Diet Reduce Factors That Lead To Colorectal Cancer?, Tess Armbrust, Canyon Neal

Research on Capitol Hill

• Americans with leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, often develop chronic inflammation (colitis) and are at a greater risk for developing colorectal cancer (CRC).
• A poor diet, high in processed foods but low in fruits and vegetables, is another notable risk factor for CRC.
• Micronutrient supplementation reduces colitis and prevents progression to colitis associated colorectal cancer (CAC).
• Due to their high concentration of anthocyanins, black raspberries have demonstrated protective effects against inflammation in the body.
• Certain antibodies are indicative of inflammation which leads to CRC.

An Examination Of The Prevalence Of Intimate Partner Violence Training In U.S. Medical School Curriculum, Tyson Lumbreras

Research on Capitol Hill

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men living in the United States experience some form of Intimate Partner Violence or IPV (Black, et al. 2011).
• Although there is some research that examines the role health care professionals play in identifying IPV (Richardson, et al. 2002), there is less research on how effectively they are trained to handle it.
• My research will determine whether medical students are receiving adequate IPV training through comprehensive data on the quality of IPV training across U.S. schools.

Testing Rearing Diets For A New Invasive Insect Pest In Utah, The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, James Withers, Loren Linford

Research on Capitol Hill

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive insect from Asia. It has caused millions of dollars in damage to fruit, vegetable, ornamental, and field crops since its arrival in North America, and can be a severe nuisance pest when it congregates on human structures to overwinter. The BMSB caused $37 million of apple crop damage in the Mid-Atlantic Region in 2007 to 2010. To study the insect, effective rearing methods are needed. Previous research (Funayama 2004 & 2006; Medal et al. 2012) showed that carrot, raw peanut and soybean increased rearing efficiency. Recent lab experience …

Identifying Multiple Predictors Of Physical Rehabilitation Outcomes, Jacklyn M. Sullivan, Elizabeth B. Fauth, Sydney Y. Schaeffer

Research on Capitol Hill

Previous studies have suggested that disability in activities of daily living (ADLs) is an outcome of cognitive impairment, physical limitations, psychosocial factors, and environmental constraints. We hypothesis that cognitive abilities and psychosocial factors measured at admission can be used to predict a patients physical therapy progression in a transitional care facility. Environmental conditions were held constant for all patients and physical limitations were not used as a predictor of therapy progression, as the test for therapy progression is based on physical ability. In a sample of adults (n=93) aged 38-98 receiving physical rehabilitation treatment, we collected Minimum Data Set (MDS) …

Plant Diseases And Pests In Utah Raspberries, Sean Christensen

Research on Capitol Hill

Very little information exists on pathogens and pests that affect Utah raspberry production. In fact a survey of Utah raspberry growers at the 2015 USU Urban and Small Farms conference showed that 72% said the largest problem they had was with diseases and pests, and 71% of those did not know what the diseases actually were.

Several viruses, bacteria, pests, and nutrient deficiencies can have a large influence on raspberry yield. This survey was designed to raise awareness among Utah raspberry growers, help them to better prepare for, and manage these possible disease problems. This will be increasingly more important …

Potential Regulation Of Deadly Water-Borne Shigella Bacteria Pathogenesis Through The Shigella Infection Protein Spa47, Jamie Kingsford

Research on Capitol Hill

• Shigella is a gram-negative, bacterial pathogen typically found in contaminated water sources.
• Each year, Shigella is responsible for over 90 million infections and 100,000 deaths stemming from symptoms of severe dysentery, fever, nausea and vomiting.
• A needle-like apparatus found on the surface of Shigella allows the bacterium to infect host cells.
• Each needle-apparatus has an associated ATPase, a protein that can hydrolyze ATP into ADP and P_i.
• The Shigella needle-apparatus ATPase Spa47 is predicted to provide the energy for infection.
• Spa47 has been shown to be essential for infection – without Spa47, no infection will occur.
• We were …