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Interactions Of (My) 6 (M = Zn, Cd; Y = O, S, Se) Quantum Dots With N-Bases, Mariusz Michalczyk, Wiktor Zierkiewicz, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

(MY)₆ clusters, with M = Zn and Cd and Y = O, S, Se, form double-layer drum-like structures containing M–Y covalent bonds. The positive regions near the M atoms attract the N atom of both NH₃ and NMe₃ so as to form a noncovalent M···N bond. This bond is quite strong, with interaction energies exceeding 35 kcal/mol. The bond strength diminishes with reduced electronegativity of the Y atom (O > S > Se) and is stronger for M = Zn than for Cd. Trimethylation of the base enhances the bond strength. The interaction is dominated by the electrostatic component …

Usu Engineering Students Showcase Senior Projects | College Of Engineering, Utah State University

College of Engineering News

Students, faculty, staff and the university community are invited to participate in Utah State University’s College of Engineering Senior Design Night. On Wednesday, May 1, Approximately 260 graduating seniors from USU will be on hand to discuss their capstone design projects.

Multi-Trophic Species Interactions Shape Seascape-Scale Coral Reef Vegetation Patterns, Elizabeth M. P. Madin, Kristin Precoda, Alastair R. Harborne, Trisha B. Atwood, Chris M. Roelfsema, Osmar J. Luiz

Ecology Center Publications

How species interactions shape habitat structure is a longstanding question in ecology. A curious phenomenon reflecting ecological self-organization around reef habitat structures exists on coral reefs: large-scale (hundreds to hundreds of thousands of m2) halo-like patterns surrounding patch reefs, i.e., individual coral reefs that are often separated by seagrass or macroalgal meadows. These “halos,” long known to occur in various locations worldwide, reflect a distinct band of unvegetated sediments surrounding coral patch reefs. However, the full suite of mechanisms controlling them have never been rigorously explored, perhaps due to the common assumption dating back nearly 50 years that they arise …

Marine Reserves Shape Seascapes On Scales Visible From Space, Elizabeth M. P. Madin, Alastair R. Harborne, Aaron M. T. Harmer, Osmar J. Luiz, Trisha Brooke Atwood, Brian J. Sullivan, Joshua S. Madin

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine reserves can effectively restore harvested populations, and ‘mega-reserves’ increasingly protect large tracts of ocean. However, no method exists of monitoring ecological responses at this large scale. Herbivory is a key mechanism structuring ecosystems, and this consumer–resource interaction's strength on coral reefs can indicate ecosystem health. We screened 1372, and measured features of 214, reefs throughout Australia's Great Barrier Reef using high-resolution satellite imagery, combined with remote underwater videography and assays on a subset, to quantify the prevalence, size and potential causes of ‘grazing halos’. Halos are known to be seascape-scale footprints of herbivory and other ecological interactions. Here we …

Faculty And Student Awards | College Of Engineering, Utah State University

College of Engineering News

We extend our congratulations to three faculty and one outstanding student for being recognized at two separate awards ceremonies. Please join me in celebrating the recent success of Ryan Berke, Idalis Villanueva, Spencer Wendell, and student Taylor Clegg.

The Nifz Accessory Protein Has An Equivalent Function In Maturation Of Both Nitrogenase Mofe Protein P-Clusters, Emilio Jimenez-Vicente, Zhi-Yong Yang, Julia S. Martin Del Campo, Valarie L. Cash, Lance C. Seefeldt, Dennis R. Dean

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The Mo-dependent nitrogenase comprises two interacting components called the Fe protein and the MoFe protein. The MoFe protein is an α₂β₂ heterotetramer that harbors two types of complex metalloclusters, both of which are necessary for N₂reduction. One type is a 7Fe-9S-Mo-C-homocitrate species designated FeMo-cofactor, which provides the N₂-binding catalytic site, and the other is an 8Fe-7S species designated the P-cluster, involved in mediating intercomponent electron transfer to FeMo-cofactor. The MoFe protein's catalytic partner, Fe protein, is also required for both FeMo-cofactor formation and the conversion of an immature form of P-clusters to the …

The Power Of Environmental Observatories For Advancing Multidisciplinary Research, Outreach, And Decision Support: The Case Of The Minnesota River Basin, K. B. Gran, C. Dolph, A. Baker, M. Bevis, S. J. Cho, J. A. Czuba, B. Dalzell, M. Danesh-Yazdi, A. T. Hansen, Sara A. Kelly, Z. Lang, J. Schwenk, Patrick Belmont, J. C. Finlay, P. Kumar, S. Rabotyagov, G. Roehrig, Peter Wilcock, E. Foufoula-Georgiou

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Observatory‐scale data collection efforts allow unprecedented opportunities for integrative, multidisciplinary investigations in large, complex watersheds, which can affect management decisions and policy. Through the National Science Foundation‐funded REACH (REsilience under Accelerated CHange) project, in collaboration with the Intensively Managed Landscapes‐Critical Zone Observatory, we have collected a series of multidisciplinary data sets throughout the Minnesota River Basin in south‐central Minnesota, USA, a 43,400‐km2 tributary to the Upper Mississippi River. Postglacial incision within the Minnesota River valley created an erosional landscape highly responsive to hydrologic change, allowing for transdisciplinary research into the complex cascade of environmental changes that occur due to hydrology …

Abiotic And Landscape Factors Constrain Restoration Outcomes Across Spatial Scales Of A Widespread Invasive Plant, Christine B. Rohal, Chad R. Cranney, Karin M. Kettenring

Ecology Center Publications

The natural recolonization of native plant communities following invasive species management is notoriously challenging to predict, since outcomes can be contingent on a variety of factors including management decisions, abiotic factors, and landscape setting. The spatial scale at which the treatment is applied can also impact management outcomes, potentially influencing plant assembly processes and treatment success. Understanding the relative importance of each of these factors for plant community assembly can help managers prioritize patches where specific treatments are likely to be most successful. Here, using effects size analyses, we evaluate plant community responses following four invasive Phragmites australis management treatments …

Phenological Mismatch Between Season Advancement And Migration Timing Alters Arctic Plant Traits, Ryan T. Choi, Karen H. Beard, A. Joshua Leffler, Katharine C. Kelsey, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey M. Welker

Ecology Center Publications

1. Climate change is creating phenological mismatches between herbivores and their plant resources throughout the Arctic. While advancing growing seasons and changing arrival times of migratory herbivores can have consequences for herbivores and forage quality, developing mismatches could also influence other traits of plants, such as above‐ and below‐ground biomass and the type of reproduction, that are often not investigated.
2. In coastal western Alaska, we conducted a 3‐year factorial experiment that simulated scenarios of phenological mismatch by manipulating the start of the growing season (3 weeks early and ambient) and grazing times (3 weeks early, typical, 3 weeks late, or no‐grazing) …

Life‐History Differences Across Latitude In Common Side‐Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana), Geoffrey D. Smith, Peter A. Zani, Susannah S. French

Biology Faculty Publications

1. Life‐history strategies are known to shift with latitude in many species. While life‐history variation related to body size, reproductive investment, and behavior has been studied for years, another crucial life‐history component is the immune system, which can influence an animal's survival.
2. We measured selected life‐history traits in side‐blotched lizards in southern Utah and Oregon in the field for two consecutive years and conducted a common‐garden experiment in the laboratory to determine how organisms from different latitudes optimize either immunity or reproduction. We observed lizards from southern populations, which are known to be shorter‐lived, had lower immune function during reproduction when …

Engineering Education Students Present Research At The Aera Annual Meeting | College Of Engineering, Utah State University

College of Engineering News

Theresa Green and Darcie Christensen, two doctoral students in the Department of Engineering Education, presented research at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association (AERA) held on April 5-9 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On The Capability Of Metal-Halogen Groups To Participate In Halogen Bonds, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

A number of halogen (X) atoms were covalently attached to a metal (M) and the ability of the X atom to act as electron acceptor in a halogen bond to nucleophile NCH was assessed. Both Cl and Br were considered as halogen atom, with NH3 and CO as other ligands attached to the metal. Metals tested were Ti, Mn, and Zn in various combinations of oxidation state, coordination, and overall charge. In the majority of cases, the strong electron-releasing power of the metal imbues the halogen atom with a high negative partial charge and minimizes the development of a σ-hole. …

Plant Community Responses To Stand‐Level Nutrient Fertilization In A Secondary Tropical Dry Forest, Bonnie G. Waring, Daniel Pérez-Aviles, Jessica G. Murray, Jennifer S. Powers

Ecology Center Publications

The size of the terrestrial carbon (C) sink is mediated by the availability of nutrients that limit plant growth. However, nutrient controls on primary productivity are poorly understood in the geographically extensive yet understudied tropical dry forest biome. To examine how nutrients influence above‐ and belowground biomass production in a secondary, seasonally dry tropical forest, we conducted a replicated, fully factorial nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization experiment at the stand scale in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The production of leaves, wood, and fine roots was monitored through time; root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi and the abundance of N‐fixing root nodules …

Sampling Ecological Diversity And Process Across Scales Using Fractal Triads, Elizabeth Simpson

Student Research Symposium

Ecological assembly processes, such as environmental filtering, competition, and facilitation drive plant community phylogenetic structure. Detecting the relative influence of these processes, which are known to vary across spatial scales, has proven difficult. We present and test a multi-scale, fractal sampling design, that allows flexible, straightforward sampling of assemblages and the environment they live in, at multiple scales. We use a simulation to demonstrate that our design provides more comparisons between sampling locations (and thereby statistical power) across many scales and especially at smaller and larger scales than a random design. We implemented our design along the Right Hand Fork …

Impact Of The Total Western Diet For Rodents On Colon Mucosal Gene Expression In A Multigenerational Murine Model Of Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer, Sumira Phatak

Student Research Symposium

A Western type dietary pattern is a major risk factor for colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). Observations from transgenerational studies suggest that epimutations may be inherited, resulting in persistent aberrant gene expression in offspring. Previously, our group reported that ancestral exposure to the total Western diet (TWD) increased CAC incidence and disease severity in F3 offspring. Moreover, exposure to TWD over multiple generations exacerbated disease in F3 offspring as compared to those fed TWD directly. For the present work, we hypothesized that ancestral or cumulative exposure to TWD will result in differential expression of cancer critical genes, explains the greater tumor …

Prediction Of Host-Pathogen Protein-Protein Interactions Using Machine-Learning, Cristian Loaiza

Student Research Symposium

Host-pathogen protein-protein interactions (HPIs) plays vital roles among several biological processes. Furthermore, there is an interest in those interactions that are related with infectious diseases, which seems crucial to understand the mechanism behind the infection process per se and therefore, unravel potential targets to develop therapeutic approaches. Recently, efforts have been made to collect most of the data present in the literature about HPIs and algorithms to transfer that knowledge into unknown systems has been implemented. Although, beyond intra-species PPIs there is not information about modeling those wide-range databases using machine learning techniques, which have been proved ideal to summarize …

Computational Prediction Of Host-Pathogen Protein Interactions Between Melioidosis Pathogen Burkholderia Pseudomallei And Human, Chathumadavi Ediriweera

Student Research Symposium

Background:

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is a critical biothreat agent, causes Melioidosis: a disease associated with high case-fatality rates in animals and humans; even with treatment, its mortaility is up to 50%. It also infects plants. Yet few effector proteins have been functionally characterized to date and little work has been carried out to understand the host-pathogen protein-protein interactions (PPI) which are important to develop efficient prevention measures. To address these issues, we deployed diverse in-silico methodologies to identify virulence factors and their interactions with host proteins to characterize bacterial infection mechanisms.

Using Animal-Assisted Therapy To Treat Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mary Strong

Student Research Symposium

This paper looks at the studies of the relationship between those with autism spectrum disorder and therapy animals in order to determine how effective therapy animals are in reducing problem behaviors and increasing social interaction. For this literature review, nine different studies have been reviewed to answer the research question over a variety of settings. In the nine different studies that were reviewed the animals used were either dogs, horses, or guinea pigs. These studies were used to determine which of these animals were more effective in a therapeutic setting, and more effective in the improvement of the symptoms in …

Mountain Lakes: Eyes On Global Environmental Change, K. A. Moser, J. S. Baron, Janice Brahney, I. A. Oleksy, J. E. Saros, E. J. Hundey, S. A. Sadro, J. Kopáček, R. Sommaruga, M. J. Kainz, A. L. Strecker, S. Chandra, D. M. Walters, D. L. Preston, Et Al.

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Mountain lakes are often situated in protected natural areas, a feature that leads to their role as sentinels of global environmental change. Despite variations in latitude, mountain lakes share many features, including their location in catchments with steep topographic gradients, cold temperatures, high incident solar and ultraviolet radiation (UVR), and prolonged ice and snow cover. These characteristics, in turn, affect mountain lake ecosystem structure, diversity, and productivity. The lakes themselves are mostly small, and up until recently, have been characterized as oligotrophic. This paper provides a review and update of the growing body of research that shows that sediments in …

Decline Of An Ecotone Forest: 50 Years Of Demography In The Southern Boreal Forest, Joseph D. Birch, James A. Lutz, E. H. Hogg, Suzanne W. Simard, Rick Pelletier, George H. Laroi, Justine Karst

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Variation in tree recruitment, mortality, and growth can alter forest community composition and structure. Because tree recruitment and mortality events are generally infrequent, long‐time scales are needed to confirm trends in forests. We performed a 50‐yr demographic census of a forest plot located on the southern edge of the Canadian boreal forest, a region currently experiencing forest die‐back in response to direct and indirect effects of recent severe droughts. Here, we show that over the last 30 yr biomass, basal area, growth, and recruitment have decreased along with a precipitous rise in mortality across the dominant tree species. The stand …

A Revised Method For Calculating Phytochrome Photo-Equilibrium, Paul Kusuma

Student Research Symposium

Phytochrome is a photoreceptor that provides information to a plant about its environment. Its two interconvertible forms are tuned on (Pfr) or off (Pr) depending on the quality of light. The ratio of active phytochrome to total phytochrome (also known as phytochrome photo-equilibrium or PPE) is predicted by measurements of spectral distribution and weighting factors published by Sager et al. (1988), Gardner and Graceffo (1982), Kelly and Lagarias (1985) or Lagarias et al. (1987). This estimation is often well correlated with plant morphology under a spectral distribution that only changes quantities of far-red. However, it is unreliable when changing ratios …

Augmenting Anaerobic Digestion Of Microalgal Biomass, Anna Doloman

Student Research Symposium

Anaerobic digestion of microalgal biomass cannot be achieved without specialized hydrolytic microorganisms. Potentially algalytic bacteria belonging to Citrobacter and Alcaligenes species were isolated from a wastewater lagoon system. A combination of two potentially algalytic bacteria was successfully incorporated into the granular anaerobic consortia. A series of anaerobic cultures were prepared with different microbial combinations to test the methane production from algal biomass collected from a local wastewater treating trickling filter. The anaerobic microbial community mixed with two algalytic bacteria produced 10% more methane when compared to the methane produced by a native granular consortium. The presence of the algalytic bacteria …

Effects Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles On Drought Tolerance In Winter Wheat, Justin Deakin

Student Research Symposium

Drought commonly reduces crop yields in agricultural production systems located in semi-arid regions around the world. Commonly, wheat (Triticum aestivum) is grown in these regions. The goal of this study was to determine if zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) applied as a soil amendment reduces drought stress in wheat seedlings grown in the presence of Pseudomonas chloraphis isolate O6 (PcO6), a beneficial root colonizer. To show a nanoparticle-specific benefit, ZnO NP treatments were compared with bulk zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) and ZnO, the most commonly applied Zn amendments. Wheat was grown in a controlled environment, using sand amended with 5 mg/kg …

Response Inhibition And Reactive Balance In Older Adults, Derek England

Student Research Symposium

Response inhibition involves stopping undesired and automatic actions allowing for behavioral flexibility. This ability is theoretically able to contribute to fall prevention, which older adults are known to have difficulty with. Although much has been learned from cognitive psychology regarding response inhibition, translation to the challenge of balance recovery is unclear. Recently a correlation has been found between performance on a standard test of response inhibition called the Stop Signal Task (SST) and a balance test that required inhibition of a reactive step in young adults. This highlights a neural mechanism for stopping action across different behavioral contexts in young …

Increased Dust Deposition In New Zealand Related To Twentieth Century Australian Land Use, Janice Brahney, Ashley P. Ballantyne, Marcus Vandergoes, Troy Baisden, Jason C. Neff

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Mineral aerosols (dust) generated in the dryland regions of Australia have the potential to reach New Zealand through atmospheric transport. Although a large portion of dust in New Zealand originates in Australia, little is known about how dust deposition has varied over time in New Zealand or what may have caused this variation. We used geochemical dust proxies to examine the recent history of dust deposition to two alpine lakes in Kahurangi National Park, South Island, New Zealand. Geochemical indicators suggest that dust deposition began to increase around 1900, with the greatest deposition rates occurring from ~1920 to ~1990. In …

Hemp Research Underway At Utah State University, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Scientists at Utah State University are studying cultivation practices to optimize the yield and quality of hemp for botanical medicines.

Documenting Disasters: A Focus On Floods, Patricia J. Rettig

Journal of Western Archives

A more thorough understanding of disasters can help archivists assemble and acquire collections of depth that will be of wide use to scholars, survivors, and others. To investigate the broader context of disasters, the focus of this article is on natural disasters, looking at floods in particular, with the hope that the information can be applied to other tragedies. The article includes an in-depth examination of disaster studies literature of assistance to archivists, along with accounts of experiences working with flood collections.

Faculty Promotions 2019 | College Of Engineering, Utah State University

College of Engineering News

The College of Engineering at Utah State University extends its congratulations to six newly-promoted faculty members. On April 5, these faculty members received official word from the USU Board of Trustees of their rank promotions:

Tree Resprout Dynamics Following Fire Depend On Herbivory By Wild Ungulate Herbivores, Eric M. Lamalfa, Duncan M. Kimuyu, Ryan L. Sensenig, Truman P. Young, Corinna Riginos, Kari E. Veblen

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Savanna tree cover is dynamic due to disturbances such as fire and herbivory. Frequent fires can limit a key demographic transition from sapling to adult height classes in savanna trees. Saplings may be caught in a ‘fire trap’, wherein individuals repeatedly resprout following fire top-kill events. Saplings only rarely escape the cycle by attaining a fire-resistant height (e.g. taller than the minimum scorch height) during fire-free intervals.
2. Large mammalian herbivores also may trap trees in shorter size classes. Browsing herbivores directly limit sapling height, while grazing herbivores such as cattle facilitate sapling growth indirectly via grass removal. Experimental studies investigating …

Use Of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (Sers) Probes To Detect Fatty Acid Receptor Activity In A Microfluidic Device, Han Zhang, Wei Zhang, Lifu Xiao, Yan Liu, Timothy A. Gilbertson, Anhong Zhou

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA)-Au nanorods conjugated with a GPR120 antibody were developed as a highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) probe, and were applied to detect the interaction of fatty acids (FA) and their cognate receptor, GPR120, on the surface of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293-GPRR120) cultured in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device. Importantly, the two dominant characteristic SERS peaks of the Raman reporter molecule MBA, 1078 cm⁻¹ and 1581 cm⁻¹, do not overlap with the main Raman peaks from the PDMS substrate when the appropriate spectral scanning range is selected, which effectively avoided the …