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Soil Fertility Status And Degradation Of 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene Contaminated Soils, Chelsea Kae Katseanes

Theses and Dissertations

Current models for predicting the environmental fate of munitions constituents (MC) in soils are based mostly on chemical distribution parameters and neglect the larger considerations of other soil parameters. We are working towards a new approach based on the whole soil activity for predicting the long-term residence time and fate of MC in soils with connection to agronomic soil fertility concepts. These relationships are demonstrated by correlating experiments involving full physical and chemical characterization of eight taxonomically distinct soils, with batch reactor studies determining MC degradation potential. Soils were incubated in a slurry for 10 days in a closed reactor …

Wet-Thermal Time And Plant Available Water In The Seedbeds And Root Zones Across The Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem Of The Great Basin, Nathan Lyle Cline

Theses and Dissertations

Following wildfires, plant materials are direct-seeded to limit erosion and annual weed invasion. Seedlings often fail to establish because selected plant materials are not always well adapted to local soil moisture and temperature conditions. In an effort to help improve plant materials selection and to evaluate sites potential revegetation, we have worked toward developing methodology to predict germination and root growth based on site specific soil moisture and temperature conditions. First, we characterized the seedbed environment of 24 sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe sites throughout the Intermountain West to determine the wet-thermal time of five temperature ranges relevant to germination …

Post-Den Emergence Behavior And Den Detection Of Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus) In Northern Alaska And The Southern Beaufort Sea, Rusty Wade Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Pregnant polar bears (Ursus maritimus) construct maternal dens out of snow in the autumn where they give birth to and raise altricial young. In recent years, there has been a decrease in polar sea ice extent and thickness, which has led to changes in denning behavior. One such change in the southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) is that polar bears are selecting maternal den sites on land, rather than on unstable sea ice. This change, coupled with expanding petroleum exploration along Alaska's North Slope, heightens the likelihood of bear-human interactions at maternal den sites. The purpose of this research …

The Effects Of Aging On Skeletal Muscle Ampk Activation And An Analysis Of Chronic Aicar Treatment On The Aging Phenotype, Shalene E. Hardman

Theses and Dissertations

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic regulator, acts in opposition to many of the effects of aging and may provide insights into the development of sarcopenia. However, the effect of aging on AMPK activation is unclear. The purpose of this dissertation was to: 1) clarify the controversy concerning the activation of AMPK in response to endurance-like exercise in aged skeletal muscle; 2) address mechanisms for the age-associated alterations in AMPK activation; and 3) address the known benefits of chronic AICAR treatment in aged skeletal muscle. First, to clarify the effect of age on AMPK activation, young adult (YA) (8 mo.) …

Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzyme Mrna: Patterns Of Expression In Hippocampus And Ventral Tegmental Area And Effects On Synaptic Plasticity, Collin Brutch Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are lipophilic signals that are produced by postsynaptic neurons in an activity-dependent manner, and signal in a retrograde fashion to modulate neurotransmitter release. As such, eCBs are highly involved in synaptic plasticity, a process that strengthens or weakens synapses. eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity is involved in many brain processes including learning, short-term memory, and adaptive reward, which are processed in the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area (VTA), respectively. However, the expression of eCB biosynthetic enzyme mRNA within hippocampal and VTA neurons, as well as the relationship between these mRNA species and the occurrence of synaptic plasticity, remains unclear. The …

Accumulation Of Divine Service, Blaine Lee Atwood

Theses and Dissertations

Accumulation of Divine Service is a ceramic installation referencing the sublime attribute of service, and how it relates to our temporal existence. Many aspects of the sublime are implemented into the contemporary art world today. The sublime can refer to ideas from terror to joy, and all across the spectrum of human emotions. The unifying element that seems to tie them together is a quality of awe-inspiring greatness, or the metaphysically divine. These attributescan inspire the mind and often lead one to dwell on the existence of a Supreme Being or Deity,what His purposes are, and how we as mortals …

Morphological Divergence Driven By Predation Environment Within And Between Species Of Brachyrhaphis Fishes, Spencer J. Ingley, Eric J. Billman, Mark C. Belk, Jerald B. Johnson

Faculty Publications

Natural selection often results in profound differences in body shape among populations from divergent selective environments. Predation is a well-studied driver of divergence, with predators having a strong effect on the evolution of prey body shape, especially for traits related to escape behavior. Comparative studies, both at the population level and between species, show that the presence or absence of predators can alter prey morphology. Although this pattern is well documented in various species or population pairs, few studies have tested for similar patterns of body shape evolution at multiple stages of divergence within a taxonomic group. Here, we examine …

Inhibition Of Pim And Axl Kinases As Potential Treatments For A Variety Of Hematological Malignancies And Solid Tumors, Kent James Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is divided into three chapters. In each case, the goal is to achieve inhibition of a growth kinase (PIM or AXL) and subsequent arrest of cell growth and induction of apoptosis (in vitro cell culture models) or decrease in tumor volume (in vivo xenograft studies). Chapter one and chapter two discuss inhibition of proviral integration site for Moloneymurine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases. The three PIM kinases, PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3, are a subfamily of serine/threonine kinases that are known to be involved in signaling pathways as downstream effectors of signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (STAT5) signaling and …

The Role Of The Kshv Lana Protein In Development Of Persistent Infections In Vivo, Bradford Berges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Several of my students have moved on to future positions, as follows: Medical school: Marshall Sheide, Stanton Nielsen, German Cuadra Graduate school: Jamie Gardiner, Steve Hallam (still interviewing) Currently employed: Joel Gardner, Wittnee Estes

Meg Final Report, Jeff Edwards, John Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objectives of this award were met, especially in regard to the mentoring focus of the award. The students have been mentored and trained in an effective manner as outlined in my Mentoring Plan (see below). This includes mentoring students in research, writing, publishing, presenting at conferences, acceptance to professional schools, etc. Indeed, all the students graduating from my lab during this time were accepted to the professional school of their choice (see students listed below). Research, especially where the students are actually involved in all aspects of it including data collection and analysis, as well as publishing can play …

Mentoring Nursing Students In A Nutritional Improvement Study In Ecuador, Sheri P. Palmer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The nutritional improvement study in Ecuador has been a worthwhile endeavor that has enabled many nursing students to participate. Students have been able to participate in actual data collection and data entry, as well as seeing and discussing results from previous years of the study. Students work with the schoolchildren with whom this study affects and can be a vital link in the progress of the research. The mentoring of these students in this important research work has helped them realize the significance of improving global health.

Mentoring Nursing Students In A Nutritional Improvement Study In Ecuador, Sheri P. Palmer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The nutritional improvement study in Ecuador has been a worthwhile endeavor that has enabled many nursing students to participate. Students have been able to participate in actual data collection and data entry, as well as seeing and discussing results from previous years of the study. Students work with the schoolchildren with whom this study affects and can be a vital link in the progress of the research. The mentoring of these students in this important research work has helped them realize the significance of improving global health.

The Flea Family Tree: Phylogeny Of The Order Siphonaptera Based On 18s Rdna, 28s Rdna, Elongation Factor-1alpha, And Cytochrome Oxidase Ii Gene Regions, Alison Swindle, Dr. Michael F. Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Fleas are laterally compressed, wingless insects with small helmet shaped heads, and mouthparts specialized for feeding on the blood of their hosts. These morphological specializations make it possible for fleas to be entirely ectoparasitic, but they also make it difficult to find distinguishing characters on which to base taxonomy above the generic level (Holland, 1964). The highly derived state of flea morphology has resulted in questionable classification within the order, and lack of solid support for any group as the sister taxon to fleas. To this point there has been no molecular study that has considered fleas below the ordinal …

Summary Of Creative Research Grant Results And Artistic Statement, Marguerite Mcquarrie Whitley, Bruce Hixon Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The outcome of my final show was different than what I had originally proposed when I applied for an ORCA grant. I began as I had planned, studying the figure in sessions at the Springville art museum, and I had started and nearly completed 15 smaller paintings with the largest dimension being 15 inches. In these paintings I used images from magazines and sketches in a collage approach. With these paintings I made the mistake of wanting to include everything: environment, objects, and people. Upon showing these images to a couple of professors working with me on my final show …

Educational Technology: Evaluation Of An Interactive Cd-Rom For Teaching And Learning Organic Reactions, Loranna K. Kitchen, Dr. Edward E. Green

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Advances in computer technology have affected many parts of our lives. The field of education is no exception. Increasingly, technology is used in schools to enhance students’ learning. Computer based learning programs offer students an opportunity for self-directed study to complement the instruction they receive in class. Teachers may also use educational technology in the classroom to more effectively teach students who respond to a wide variety of learning styles. With so many products on the market, both teachers and students need to know how to decide which products can help them in their teaching and learning. They must then …

The Effects Of Interleukin-1a, Interleukin-6 And Tumor Necrosis Factor- A On The Growth Of Human H295r Cells, Tara Leigh Nelson, Dr. Allan M. Judd

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cytokines are extracellular signaling proteins or peptides that act as local mediators in cell-cell communication. They regulate several endocrine systems and function in the immune process. These agents mediate cellular proliferation within endocrine tissues, regulate hormone secretion, and control aspects of inflammation (1). Interleukin-1a (IL- 1a), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) are present in normal adrenal glands of rats, bovine and humans. They stimulate and inhibit adrenal hormones. Growth and differentiation of the adrenal gland may also be affected by cytokines. The study of the effects of these cytokines is important because adrenal tumors may cause hypersecretion of the …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Crayfish Using Astacin, Crystal Komm, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Astacin is a zinc-endopeptidase, originally described as a unique enzyme and first sequenced from the crayfish Astacus astacus (Geier 97). This project aimed to gather several Astacin gene sequences from multiple taxa of crayfish and to submit them to phylogenetic analysis using PAUP (Swofford 98). PAUP would then generate trees displaying the most probable evolutionary relationships among taxa based on variation in the Astacin gene sequences.

Report On The Tullis Ranch Investigation, Margaret Parnell Grindstaff, Dr. Joel Janetski

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With the grant provided by the Office of Research and Creative activity, I was able to conduct a survey of the Tullis Ranch. The ranch is located northeast of Spring City, UT and is owned by Marta and Lamond Tullis. After purchasing the land in 1997, Dr. Tullis came upon an unusual circular structure, which appeared to be a dwelling of some kind. This grant provided the money to do two sample excavations in this dwelling. The purpose was to discover whether the structure had been built by early pioneer settlers in the Sanpete County or whether the structure predated …

Independent Murine Biosynthesis Of Threonine: Expression Of A Complete Bacterial Biosynthetic Pathway In Mice, Ryan D. Mcallister, Dr. David Kooyman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Threonine is one of the 20 common amino acids found in nature. It is a limiting factor for the growth of many non-ruminant animals such as swine and mice and must be obtained from their diet. When threonine is absent from the diet of these animals, the other amino acids present cannot be fully utilized. The result is poor conversion of plant to animal protein (1). We proposed producing transgenic mice using the genes from the known five-step bacterial pathway for threonine synthesis (2). The introduction of these bacterial pathways to mice would eliminate the need for dietary supplementation of …

The Cloning Of The Utx Homeotic Gene In Tribolium Castaneum, Laura F. Newell, Dr. Randy L. Bennett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recently, considerable emphasis has been placed on the similarity, or homology, of genes in different organisms. By comparing gene sequences, one can see that a large proportion of genes in a fly, for example, has unequivocal homologues in vertebrates, and vice versa. Homologies have been found in many genes involved in the development of all organisms, including the homeotic genes, a class of developmental genes which are conserved throughout the animal kingdom.

Molecular Evolution Among Populations Of The Silky Pocket Mouse (Parognathus Flavus), Taylor Maxwell, Dr. Duke Rogers

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mexico is classified as a “megadiversity” country, which means that it has more species of plants and animals than the vast majority of other countries in the world. For example, there are ca. 4,750 species of mammals known to science, and more than one of every seven can be found in Mexico. The reasons that Mexico has so much biodiversity are complex, but in part, it is due to the fact that the region is climatically and topographically diverse. Habitats range from lowland tropical rain forest in the south to dry deserts in the north with a multitude of intervening …

Irrigating Deserts With Just Sentiments: C.S. Lewis On Education, Jennifer L. King, Dr. O. Glade Hunsaker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst” (C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, p. 37).

In his The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis lays out the foundations of his philosophy on education. While many of Lewis’s writings on Christianity are well read and accepted by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his writings on education are not as often explored both in and out of the Church, probably because they are generally less accessible to the …

Photodynamic Therapy As A Cure For Ick, Spencer C. Davis, Dr. James Thorne

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a new technique currently used to treat malignant cancer tumors in humans. This treatment uses the principles of light in a manner similar to types of radiation therapy. In PDT a photosensitizing dye is injected intraveneously diffusing to all cells. Tumor cell absorption of the dye is targeted by tailoring chemical properties of the photosensitizer, concentrating it in the tumor. The sensitizers absorb light energy, producing an excited singlet oxygen that readily reacts with double bonds and oxidizes adjacent molecules. PDT is very effective because the extremely reactive singlet oxygen travels only a short distance before …

Brain Aromatase And 5a-Reductase, Regulatory Behaviors And Testosterone Levels In Adult Rats On Phytoestrogen Diets, Scott Weber, Dr. Edwin Lephart

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In certain brain regions, brain cell differentiation is influenced by hormones present at the time of development. Two hormones, estrogen (estradiol) and testosterone, play significant roles in male and female brain structure differentiation. The major androgen (testosterone) metabolizing enzymes, aromatase cytochrome P450 and 5a-reductase, play critical roles in the conversion of testosterone into estradiol and 5a-dihydrotestosterone, respectively.1

The Effects Of Combining Ultrasonic Frequency And Antibiotics To Escherichia Coli Biofilms In An In Vivo System, Rachel L. Robison, Dr. William G. Pitt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prosthetic devices are commonly used in modern medicine. There are two types of prosthetic devices, implanted and transdermal. Implanted devices such as vascular grafts, heart valves, and prosthetic joints frequently become colonized by bacteria due to improper surgical techniques or post-operative infections.2 Transdermal devices such as catheters or electrical leads often become infected when bacteria from the patient’s skin migrates along the transdermal device and gains entrance into the body.1 If this occurs, microorganisms can cause serious infection at the site of the prosthetic device.

An Efficient Reductive Amination Protocol Using Benzylamine-Borane As Reducing Agent, Adam M. Bowman, Dr. Matt A. Peterson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Reductive amination is an important method used to generate amines from aldehydes or ketones. This process occurs in a two-step in situ reaction. First, an iminium intermediate is formed when the carbonyl compound condenses with ammonia or a primary or secondary amine. This intermediate is then reduced by a reducing agent already present in the reaction mixture (Scheme 1).

Scandinavian Fishermen On Utah Lake, Leland Harrison

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This honors thesis studied the history of the Scandinavian immigrants engaging in commercial fishing practices on Utah Lake during the 1850s to the 1930s. I chose this important topic in Utah and Mormon history due to its originality; local location, which made the records easily accessible; familial connections, since I am related to some of the fishermen; and due to my Scandinavian emphasis within the history department.

Perpetuated Inferiority: A Comparative Analysis Of The Freedmen’S And Mcguffey Readers, Kristine Ashton, Mary Stovall Richards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Racial prejudice failed to dissipate after Confederate soldier stacked their rifles at Appomattox. Blacks were predominantly viewed as backward, indolent, child-like people, incapable of the new responsibilities of freedom. The historian John David Smith explained, “After slavery whites continued to perceive blacks as marginal men and women. . . . Blacks were to be acted upon. . . . Decisions were to be made for them, not by them.” (1) Although Northern and Southern views differed on blacks’ place in American society, they both relied on common assumptions of black inferiority. Most Northern and Southern whites agreed that blacks were …

Prey Life History Variation Across A Predation Gradient, Matthew Baker, Dr. Mark Belk

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Research exploring the effects of predation on life history evolution has focused almost exclusively on geographically disjunct populations subjected to discrete differences in mortality. Sampling only the ends of a predation continuum left to guess how prey life histories in the live bearing fish Brachyrhaphis rhabdopora vary by sampling at points along the entire predation gradient.

Ultrastructural Analysis Of Cartilage Matrix Fibrils, Niloufar Tabatabaei

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Pulmonary Hypoplasia is a lethal neonatal disorder associated with the reduction of thoracic volume due to skeletal dysplasia.’ The homozygous recessive chondrodysplasia (cho/ cho) in mice serves as our model enabling us to demonstrate how the cartilage matrix is tied together on a molecular level. Atypically wide type II collagen fibrils have been observed in the cartilage of cho/ cho fetuses. This suggests that the mutation has altered the process by which collagen is assembled into fibrils in the extracellular matrix. Recently the cho mutation was mapped to chromosome 3 which is linked to a! (XI) collagen. Based upon this …