Life Sciences Commons^™

Polymer Coated Urea: Microplastics In The Urban Landscape, C. J. Seely, B. T. Geary, Bryan G. Hopkins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Polymer Coated Urea (PCU) is an effective fertilizer.

Microplastics, from a wide range of waste materials, pollute water bodies.

One potential source of microplastics are from PCU fertilizers if the coatings are transported overland into water bodies.

Various urban landscape systems vary in the potential for surface runoff.

Valproic Acid Affects Neuronal Specification And Differentiation During Early Optic Tectum Development Of Zebrafish, Sierra C. Dixon, Bailey J. Calder, Shane M. Lilya, Brandon M. Davies, Annalie Martin, Maggie Peterson, Jason M. Hansen, Arminda Suli

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

The mammalian superior colliculus and its non-mammalian homolog, the optic tectum (OT), are midbrain structures that integrate multimodal sensory inputs and guide non-voluntary movements in response to prevalent stimuli. Recent studies have implicated this structure as a possible site affected in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Interestingly, fetal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) has also been associated with an increased risk of ASD in humans and animal models. Therefore, we took the approach of determining the effects of VPA treatment on zebrafish OT development as a first step in identifying the mechanisms that allow its formation. We describe the normal OT …

Comorbid Mental Illness In Adults Correspond With Certain Demographics And Higher Rates Of Injuries And Poisoning, Mckay A. Ashton, Ray M. Merrill

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

• Mental illness is a common problem among adults aged 18 years and older in the United States, with approximately 21% (15.8% men and 25.8% women) of the population living with a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder.
• Comorbidity is the presence of at least one other mental health disorder in relation to the index disorder, and has been found to be present in 45% to 54% of those with a mental health disorder
• Although it is well understood that the prevalence of comorbid mental health disorders is common, there is less known about which conditions most commonly occur together and how …

Do Cross Sectional Area And Muscle Stiffness Of The Gastrocnemius Muscle Of Senior Athletes Correlate With Each Other?, Aunika M. John, Matthew Nelson, Braxton Felix, Joshua Sponbeck, J. Brent Feland

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Shear wave elastography (SWE) provides a way to objectively measure the stiffness of tissue. Traditionally used to assess stiffness of the liver or kidney for diseases, it is a relatively new area of research for muscle. Muscles atrophy (get smaller) and decrease in stiffness with age due to fatty deposition and disuse. Senior athletes are highly active, but no studies have reported on the relationship between muscle size and stiffness in this population.

Characterization Of Potent Antibiotic Compounds Produced By Bacteria Found In The Soil Around Byu Campus, Michael Moran, Hogan Turner

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Preliminary data suggest that Paenibacillus species found around BYU campus produce novel antibiotic compounds.

Exploration Of The Mechanisms Underlying Cortical Spreading Depolarizations Associated With Familial Hemiplegic Migraines, Brit Hepworth, Ryley Parrish

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Cortical Spreading Depolarization (CSD) - wave of cellular depolarization followed by wave of depression/inhibition • Familial Hemiplegic Migraine (FHM3) - monogenic subtype of migraine with aura; caused by Scn1A mutation, leading to gain-of-function of Nav1.1 (voltage gated sodium channel) • Hm1a - compound which potentiates the persistent current in Nav1.1; mimics the Scn1A gain-of-function mutation observed in patients with FHM3 • It is commonly hypothesized that CSDs are triggered via raised extracellular potassium, threshold for induction ~12mM • Modifications of Hm1a compound in development for treatment of Dravet Syndrome, but has been shown in a few cases to induce CSDs.

Investigation Of The Utility Of Various Detergents To Disrupt Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms, Jocelyn Wells, Aleksi Solorio, Lucy C. Bowden, Bradford K. Berges Ph.D.

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

3rd place poster design

Staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous human pathogen that causes about 20,000 deaths per year in the US1

S. aureus forms biofilms (surfaceassociated complexes of bacteria) and bacterial clusters, both of which complicate treatment and experimentation

We hypothesized that we could use a chemical surfactant in combination with mechanical agitation to break up biofilms and bacterial clusters

Identifying Deep Brain Photoreceptors In The Larval Zebrafish Optic Tectum, Emalie A. Christensen, Allison G. Pickens, Sarah Y. Jarrett, Maurice Hunt, Arminda Suli

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Deep brain photoreceptors (DBPs) are light sensing neurons present in mammals and non-mammalian vertebrates. In non-mammalian vertebrates, studies have shown DBP involvement in various time and light dependent behaviors including circadian rhythm, phototaxis, and seasonal reproduction. In adult teleosts, DBPs are present throughout the brain, including the optic tectum (OT). While their approximate location in teleosts is known, DBP’s function is relatively unknown. In this study, we focused on DBPs present in the larval zebrafish OT, a multilaminated midbrain structure responsible for multisensory integration. Single-cell RNA sequencing of the larval zebrafish OT showed the presence of several opsins. We focused …

Salty Genes: Rapid Discovery Of Salt Tolerance Genes In The Bacteria Kushneria, Andrew Jenkins, Brent Nielson, Jonathon T. Hill

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

1st place poster design

Global rising levels of soil salinity have led researchers to seek microbial solutions to increase agricultural plant viability in high salt soils.

Kushneria increases growth of inoculated alfalfa in high salt soils, but little is known about how Kushneria survives in these environments1 or how it can be used to reduce the economic burden of salted soil.

Coloration Strategies In Sympatric Vietnamese Damselflies, Eva J. Driggs, Seth M. Bybee

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) have evolved vibrant coloration for various reasons. Odonates use color signals to identify their own species from others and potential mates. Some Odonates use blue color to blend into the water while others are only active when their color can best be seen. Different selective pressures will evolve a specific color strategy. Color is a key to understanding the evolutionary pressures for damselflies. Color has not been studied in depth for Vietnamese Odonates, even though Vietnam is a top 15 biodiversity hotspot. We hope to better understand color evolution in Vietnamese damselflies and the role …

Characterization Of E. Coli Specific, Fhua Dependent Bacteriophage, Colton B. Hansen, Jessica M. Lewis, Kathryn E. Janda, Ian W. Bateman, William R. Mccleary

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

The extensive use of antibiotics since their discovery has led to the selection of antibiotic resistant pathogenic strains to become more common. This has increased the interest in bacteriophages to be used to fight these resistant bacteria. In Dr. McCleary's lab we have been investigating the relationship between Escherichia coli and some novel bacteriophage dependent on the ferrochrome hydroxamate transporter FhuA. These iron siderophore transporters allow E. coli to flourish in competitive low iron environments. Using an abundant transport protein such as FhuA likely confers an evolutionary advantage to phage that can target this with their receptor binding protein. This …

Effects Of Post-Translational Histone Modifications On Transcription Rate, Aaron Bohn, Sarah Hodson, Sarah Ricks, David Bates Ph.D, Steven M. Johnson Ph.D

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

The structural organization of DNA in eukaryotic cells is greatly implicated in the regulation of gene expression and thus cellular properties and behavior. At the most fundamental unit of this organization, ~147 bp of DNA wraps 1.7 times around a histone octamer core, forming a collective unit called the nucleosome. The positioning and occupancy of these nucleosomes around the promoter elements of genes is known to be a strong regulator of transcription in eukaryotic nuclei, and post-translational modifications (PTM’s) to the protruding N-terminal tails of histone proteins are known to influence chromatin structure and thus gene expression; however, relatively little …

Sperm Dna Damage Shown To Correlate With Dna Alterations, Hailey E. Johnson, Chad Pollard, Timothy Jenkins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

DNA methylation is a biological process where methyl groups are added to the DNA molecule, changing the physical structure

Sperm DNA methylation has shown to predict pregnancy outcomes for those with infertility

DNA damage can happen through single and double stranded breaks. The Comet and TUNEL assay are two different and common ways to quantify levels of sperm DNA damage.

It is suggested DNA damage might relate with global DNA methylation patterns in sperm genome, however regional differences have been overlooked.

We wanted to assess the relationship between sperm DNA damage and regional DNA methylation, and compare the outcomes of …

Find Gene Expression Data Quickly, Grace Salmons, Aaron Joyce Fabelico, James Wengler, Stephen R. Piccolo

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Public repositories are:

• vital for validating studies

• incredible for addressing novel hypothesis.

However, it can be difficult to find data related to discrete topics due to:

• large quantity of data

• heterogeneity in how researchers describe their data and study designs.

Manual annotation of data cannot keep pace with the rapid pace of science. We turned to Natural Language Processing (NLP) for a solution!

Effect Of Carpobrotus Edulis Invasion History On Plant Communities, Claire Savage, Kelly Savage, Kane R. Keller

Western North American Naturalist

Invasive species can cause drastic changes to plant communities. In many cases, removal of invasive species fails to reverse these changes, perhaps due to side effects of removal strategies, changes that co-occurred with invasion, or legacy effects. Carpobrotus edulis is a notorious invasive species in Mediterranean-type climates around the world that alters plant communities and may generate legacy effects. We investigate the impact of C. edulis invasion, removal, and potential legacy effects on coastal plant communities. We assessed community composition, species richness, diversity, and native and exotic species cover at 5 sites differing in C. edulis invasion and removal history. …

Developing Improved Water Catchment Systems To Benefit Rangeland Restoration, Ethan Ostraff, Kevin Steele, Ezekiel Jensesn, Matthew Madsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

1st place open house

Restoring damaged and disturbed lands can be difficult and expensive with increasing drought and changing climatic conditions. Wicking boxes or other irrigation forms can improve restoration efforts' success. These technologies provide a consistent water supply, which often enhances seedling growth and survival in dry conditions. However, current water catchment technologies are limited and often difficult to use. Factors such as production costs, size, and labor needed to install these devices typically make current water catchment technologies inefficient for large-scale use.

Analysis Of Electromyographic Effects Of Peripheral Sensory Stimulation On Essential Tremor In Tremor Suppression Study, Christian Jakob Metzner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Electrical stimulation of peripheral muscles below motor neuron threshold (sensory stimulation) has shown potential as an effective, low-cost, and minimally invasive treatment for Essential Tremor (ET), one of the most common movement disorders. Past studies have shown that asynchronous sensory stimulation of antagonist muscles out of phase with tremor can suppress ET. Synchronous sensory stimulation, which stimulates antagonists simultaneously and is easier to implement, has yielded mixed results. To optimize available therapies and to understand tremor suppression mechanisms better, I investigated the effects of synchronous sensory stimulation with different stimulation frequencies on electromyographic tremor-band power and frequency in ET patients, …

Territorial Intrusion By Resident Male Wilson's Warblers: Breeding Stages Of The Intruders And Distances They Travel, William M. Gilbert

Western North American Naturalist

It now is generally recognized that genetic monogamy is the exception in birds, and that extrapair paternity in territorial species requires that one or the other sex involved in such an extrapair mating travel off its own territory to obtain an extrapair copulation. However, which sex or sexes travel off their home territories, the distances they might travel to obtain extrapair copulations, and the breeding stages during which they might make such off-territory forays are poorly understood for most species. I explored these issues in Wilson’s Warblers (Cardellina pusilla) in central, inner-coastal California. Male Wilson’s Warblers frequently intruded …

Horizontal Gene Transfer Of Antibiotic Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms, Elisa Mcrae, Ashley Ball, Brad Berges

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Staphylococcus aureus is known to acquire much antibiotic resistance (AR), though the mechanisms by which AR is conferred between bacteria is still unknown. Many theories propose that biofilms play a role in the sharing of genetic information between bacteria, or horizontal gene transfer (HGT 1,2 . However, studies have yet to confirm under what conditions HGT is most likely to occur, as well as when it is most efficient. Analyzing HGT will contribute to a fuller understanding of how antibiotic resistance is conferred and how to combat this issue in our society.

The Effect Of Alcohol On Lipid Membrane-Membrane Fusion And Snare Proteins, Robert E. Coffman

Theses and Dissertations

Currently the treatment of alcohol use disorder is very difficult and often requires the combination of therapy and medications, with many who undertake treatment experiencing relapse over time. There is also no treatment in use to prevent the development of alcohol use disorder. It is the aim of this work to provide information that may be useful for the development of a preventative treatment for developing alcohol use disorder by elucidating more of the acute effects of alcohol use. It is known that these effects originate in the brain. Within the brain are circuits made up of neurons that communicate …

Habitat Suitability Models For Endangered Hawaiian Flora, Bronwyn Meldrum, Richard Gill

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

Hawaii contains the highest percentage of endangered and threatened flora in the United States. Restoration is expensive and time-consuming, and most replanting failures are mainly due to incorrect habitat. Without understanding the ideal habitat of endangered plants such as ohai (Sesbania tomentosa) and aweoweo papa (Chenopodium oahuense), it is impossible to know what areas the Molokai Land Trust should prioritize in conservation and restoration.

Do Regional Dna Barcode Databases Lead To More Efficient Specimen Identification?, Michael Kerr, Steven D. Leavitt

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

DNA barcoding is a method for identifying specimens from specific regions of DNA. 1 Metabarcoding focuses on large, multi specimen scales. 2 These approaches rely on DNA databases for sequence identification, 2 but these databases often lack data from many species, 3 especially from poorly studied groups such as fungi 4 and lichens, which can lead to failure in specimen identification.

Neuroimmune-Mediated Alteration Of Acute Alcohol Exposure In The Mesolimbic Dopamine System, William T. Harris, P. E. Williams, Scott C. Steffensen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

2nd place open house

Dopamine (DA) transmission is a key player in the rewarding aspects of ethanol (EtOH) as well as EtOH dependence.

The current dogma is that DA transmission is increased during acute EtOH exposure via the inhibition of ventral tegmental area (VTA) GABA neurons and that the excitation of VTA GABA neurons during withdrawal results in decreased DA transmission.

Much recent evidence indicates that neuroimmune interactions may mediate this process. •

Microglia, the major neuroimmune effector in the brain, may be a key mediator in this process by releasing cytokines following activation.

Macrophages, a major immune effector in …

Variation In The M-Opioid Receptor (Oprm1) And Offspring Sex Are Associated With Maternal Behavior In Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Zachary Baron

Theses and Dissertations

A m-opioid receptor (OPRM1) single-nucleotide-polymorphism, found in both humans and rhesus macaques mediates the mother-infant attachment bond. Because mothers treat their sons and daughters differently, it is somewhat surprising that the role of infant sex has not been assessed in the context of a maternal-OPRM1-genotype-by-infant-sex interaction. The present study investigates the effect of maternal-OPRM1-genotype and infant sex on mother-infant behaviors. Over the first six months of offspring life, mother-infant behavioral data assessing attachment quality was collected twice weekly from a large number of rhesus monkey mother-infant pairs (N=161 dyads; n=64 female infants, n=97 male infants). Mothers were genotyped for OPRM1 …

The Influence Of Predation Environment On The Sensory Ecology Of Brachyrhaphis Rhabdophora, Alexandra Grace Duffy

Theses and Dissertations

Across the animal kingdom, predation is a ubiquitous and omnipresent selective agent for a variety of traits. I aimed to address gaps in our knowledge pertaining to how predation shapes animal behavior. Many species of fish naturally occur in drainages that differ in the density of predators and exhibit obvious population divergence, making them ideal study organisms to investigate predator-driven behavioral evolution. In Chapter 1, I conducted a systematic review of the literature. The purpose of this review was to determine if predation acted as a stronger or weaker selective agent on particular behavioral traits (e.g., foraging, mating, antipredator etc.) …

Understanding The Ahupua'a: Using Remote Sensing To Measure Upland Erosion And Evaluate Coral Reef Structure, Logan Kalaiwaipono Ellis

Theses and Dissertations

Under ever intensifying pressures from land use, climate change, and erosion, tropical islands are among the most vulnerable systems in the world. Terrestrial systems are weakened by intensifying land use patterns, the weakening of which is highlighted when high intensity rainfall events erode sediment and leads to sediment deposition on the marine system. The deposition of sediment on the marine system is a major stressor that can lead to weakened coral reefs and a decrease in marine resources commonly gathered for food. These interactions have led to the emergence of biocultural resource management strategies, one of which is the ahupua'a …

Of Bugs And Wildfires: Tracing The Impacts Of Changing Wildfire Regimes On Aquatic Bacteria And Macroinvertebrates Using Edna, Isabella M. Errigo

Theses and Dissertations

Human disruption of climate, habitat, and ignition has altered the behavior of wildland fire at local to continental scales. In many regions, novel fire regimes are emerging that threaten to exceed the capacity for local management to protect human wellbeing and ecosystem function. Simultaneous changes in climate, species composition, and fire management have resulted in extreme fire behavior in many regions. For the Western United States, the emerging novel fire regime consists of more frequent, severe, and intense wildfires, with annual area burned by wildfire having doubled and high-severity wildfire area having increased 8-fold since the 1980s. The impacts of …

Effect Of Climate History On The Genetic Structure Of An Antarctic Soil Nematode, Abigail C. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Historical climate disturbances such as glacial cycling and fluctuating stream, lake, and sea levels strongly influence the distribution and evolutionary trajectories of Antarctic terrestrial species. Antarctic invertebrates, with limited long-range mobility, including the ubiquitous sentinel nematode species Scottnema lindsayae, are especially sensitive to climate disturbances. We tested hypotheses associated with the historical geographic and population genetic structure of this species as it occurs across the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica. In order to reconstruct the influence of climate disturbance and ecological conditions on this species, partial mitochondrial COI gene sequences were sequenced and analyzed from individual S. lindsayae collected …

Core Microbiome To Fingerprint Dust Emission Sources Across The Western United States Of America, Detiare Lisa Leifi

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past century, dust emissions have increased in frequency and intensity due to anthropogenic influences and extended droughts. Dust transports microbes, nutrients, heavy metals and other materials that may then change the biogeochemistry of the receiving environments. The purpose of this study was to find whether unique bacterial communities may provide distinct fingerprints of dust sources in the Western USA. We collaborated with the National Wind Erosion Research Network (NWERN) to identify bacterial core communities (core) of dust from ten NWERN sites, and compared communities to location, soil, and regional characteristics. In order of importance, precipitation levels (F = …

The Effect Of Gut Microbiota On Overwintering Success In Mule Deer, Emma Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

Mule deer are an important rangeland grazer, large prey species, and game animal for the state of Utah, so herd size is monitored and managed actively. A significant cause of population decline is poor overwintering survival, including from the lack of available forage during winter months. Mule deer energy storage is correlated with greater overwintering success, so physical estimates of energy storage including body condition score (BCS), rump fat (RF), and loin thickness (LT), can be used to track and predict a herd's health. Current methods of collecting deer information are costly, time consuming, and cause physical stress to deer, …