Biology Commons^™

Effectiveness Of Seed Treatments In Reducing Tmv Infection, Tanner A. Robison

Biology Posters

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), named for the plant it was first discovered in, can infect hundreds of different species. It has no known invertebrate vectors, but TMV is spread mechanically through contact with other plants, clothes, tools, contaminated soil and seed borne. While TMV is known to be exceptionally stable, it has been reported that treatment of tools with powdered milk can significantly reduce the infection rate of the virus. While there is a seed treatment available for conventional agriculture, there is no seed treatment available for organic production. Organic growers, who grow heirloom tomatoes experience the highest rates of …

Arenavirus Glycoprotein-Host Cell Receptor Interactions, Brayden L. Stembridge, Jonna B. Westover, Brady T. Hickerson, Brian B. Gowen

Biology Posters

Pichinde virus (PICV) is an enveloped single-stranded RNA New World arenavirus. The new world arenaviruses are divided into three separate clades designated as A, B, and C. The clade B arenaviruses are known to cause severe viral hemorrhagic fever. The clade A PICV is prevalent in the rodent population of Colombia. PICV is currently designated as a biosafety level-2 (BSL 2) pathogen due to its low pathogenicity in humans. Efforts have been made to identify the cellular receptors utilized by the virus glycoproteins to enter the host cell. Clade B arenaviruses utilize various species-specific forms of Transferrin Receptor 1 to …

Development Of Archaeal And Algalytic Bacteria Detection Systems, Andrew Walters, Anna Doloman, Charles Miller

Biology Posters

Natural gas (methane) is emerging as a viable power source for many industrial, commercial, and domestic applications. Bio-methane provides a promising replacement for mined natural gas. Methanogenic bacteria produce this bio-methane. These anaerobic bacteria pertain to the Domain Archaea, and are found in extreme environments where few other bacteria survive. They are employed by Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors in the digestion of wastes to a marketable product (methane). The genome of methanogenic bacteria can be amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a synthetic DNA replication system. This system employs specific sequences of DNA called primers. The primers employed …

Floral Developmental Stages And Stress-Induced Reversions From Asexual To Sexual Seed Formation In Boechera (Brassiccaceae), Devin Wright

Biology Posters

In the apomictic process, plants produce a genetic copy of themselves by forming genetically-unreduced eggs (2n instead of 1n) that produce embryos parthenogenically, i.e., without fusion of egg and sperm nuclei.

• In some plants such as the Boechera species studies have shown that stressing the apomictic plants caused a reversion from apomeiosis to meiosis1.

• The object of my study is to more fully understand the stage of floral development at which an apomictic plant must be exposed to a stress signal in order to revert from apomictic to sexual reproduction or vice versa.

• Apomixis could be used …

Resistive Behaviors Of Spider Silk Nanofibers In Humidity Controlled Environments, Jesse Steadman, Nader Shehata, Ishac Kandas, Ibrahim Hassounah, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silk is becoming more useful for its desired properties as more information about the nanostructure is discovered. Due to the fact that this protein is nearly impossible to mass produce directly from the spider, the protein coding gene has been duplicated from the spider genome and inserted into the E. coli, goat, alfalfa, and silkworm genomes. This has allowed us to extract the produced protein from the transgenic hosts at a larger scale than the spiders offer. Spider silk is one of the strongest and most elastic fibers found in nature and these two characteristics, along with others others, …

Origin And Dynamics Of Adaption In Schizosaccharomyces Pombe: Standing Genetic Cariation Vs. De Novo Mutation, Alexandre Rego

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Construction Of Synthetic Genes Of The Acinoform Spider Silk Protein (Acsp1), P. Tate Weller, Samuel T. Briggs, Paula F. Oliveira, Fernando A. Agarraberes

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Willow Park Zoo Internship, Lynnessa Zika

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

From Spider To Silk: Constructions Of Synthetic Genes Of The Acinoform Spider Silk Protein (Acsp1), P. Tate Weller, Samuel T. Briggs, Paula F. Oliveira, Fernando A. Agarraberes, Randy V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silks have remarkable physical properties due to a combination of strength and elasticity. In addition, spider silks are biocompatible and biodegradable. Our laboratory has shown that the strength products, such as fibers, produced with other silk proteins correlates with the size of the silk protein. The aciniform silk (AcSp1), has been shown to produce the thinnest and strongest fibers of all the natural spider silks. Aciniform silk is composed of a nonrepetitive amino-terminal region, 14 repeats of approximately 200 amino acids each, and a nonrepetitive carboxy-terminal region. We have been able to produce different versions of these genes encoding …

Optimal Fish Feed Quantity For Leatherside Chub Fry, Tyrel Hanson, Eric Wagner

Biology Posters

Leatherside chub are a threatened species and little has been studied concerning how to optimally raise them in a controlled environment. Leatherside’s are susceptible to fungal growth. This makes it difficult to balance how much feed to give the fry for their optimal development. Giving them an excess of feed can cause fungal blooms, which can kill the fry. Our goal was to better understand how much feed fry will eat at different stages of development without creating an excess of feed leading to fungal growth.

How Vegetation Around Usu Main Campus Impacts Bird-Window Collisions, Brooklyn J. Atkinson, Kimberly A. Sulivan

Biology Posters

A poster detailing the issues and potential solutions for bird-window collisions on USU Main Campus.

Antiviral Drug Sensitivity Of Influenza Virus Isolates Collected From Migratory Birds, Justin D. Moscon, Bart Tarbet

Biology Posters

Aquatic birds are the natural reservoirs of a wide variety of influenza A viruses. Novel influenza strains occasionally emerge from wild bird populations and spread to other species. Historically, pandemic influenza strains crossing over to humans have led to serious outbreaks. The rapid evolution of influenza strains in birds presents a major public health concern. Globalization and intensified agriculture have increased human contact with avian influenzas in the past century. Antiviral drugs effective against influenza are an important part of preparing for outbreaks, as well as common seasonal flu’s. Two major classes of antiviral drugs widely used against influenza are …

Windows: The Number One Killer, Lynnessa Zika

Biology Posters

Windows are the number one killer of birds in America. Following a large number of bird window collisions in the fall of 2015, Utah State University created a committee to decrease the bird window collisions on campus. The BNR building was identified as a building with frequent collisions.

Detecting Fitness Trade-Offs Using A Reversion Experiment, Kemyla Sacre, Frank Messina

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Analyses Of Bordetella Isolates Collected From Turkeys With Respiratory Disease Using Maldi-Tof Mass Spectroscopy And Comparison To A Bordetella Avium Vaccine, Bart Tarbet, J. Barney, L. Mcmillan, A. Mason, E. Gonder, L. Temple, D. Frame

Biology Posters

Bordetella avium has been isolated from turkeys showing clinical signs of respiratory disease and increased mortality in Sanpete County Utah, despite receiving the B. avium vaccine. To determine if recent B. avium isolates are related, or unrelated to the vaccine strain, twenty-five isolates from different time periods and different locations in the U.S. were collected for comparison by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy. Spectra were evaluated by MALDI Biotyper software (Bruker Co.) to determine relationships among the clinical isolates. Cluster analysis of the spectra showed four major clusters using the principle component scores for the three spectral peaks in highest abundance. These …

Tag-Team Takeover: Usurpation Of Woodpecker Nests By Western Bluebirds, Sammy Cowell, Hannah Domgaard, Phil Fischer, Teresa Lorenz, Sara Lorscheider, Mariah Panoussi, Lindsey Parrish, Taryn Rodman, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Thermoregulatory Responses In Lamprophis Fuliginosis, Michael Ryan

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Social Environment Relationship To Ovary Development Of B.Impatiens, Andy Nguyen, Mariah Panoussi

Biology Posters

Ovary development measures showed that, among pairs of bees isolated from the nest, one female became reproductively dominant and the other bee was reproductively subordinate. There was statistical significance in the difference in average length of the terminal oocytes between the pairs within a petri dish.

Conductive Ink Meets Spider Silk, Jay Merrill, Amir Ghazi, Thomas I. Harris, Ibrahim Hassounah, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silk proteins can be created synthetically and are highly valued for their strength, durability, and flexibility. By altering the genome of goats, silk worms, and the bacteria E. coli we are able to manufacture spider silk products in lab. The production and manipulation of these ‘recombinant spider silk proteins’ along with the process of aqueous solubilization can yield many useful spider silk materials such as films, fibers, gels, coatings, and more. Conductive ink is a recent and popular scientific discovery that let’s you create flexible working circuits. This product has many applications including RFID tags, circuit boards, and printers. …

Initiating A Bird Window Collision Survey On The Logan Main Campus Of Utah State University, Eliza Browning, Kimberly Sulivan

Biology Posters

Bird deaths resulting from window collisions are responsible for over 1 billion deaths annually and are ranked the number one threat to bird populations across the country.

Dna Methylation And Stress-Induced Reversions From Asexual To Sexual Seed Formation In Boechera (Brassicacea), Landon Watts

Biology Posters

Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that occurs in many plants and animals. Eggs of apomictic plants and animals form by apomeiosis, which means they do not become genetically reduced. Furthermore, these eggs develop into embryos without fertilization. Apomictic plants and animals generally reproduce quickly by making genetic copies of themselves, a trait that would be economically beneficial for perpetuating hybrid vigor if introduced into major seed crops. Metabolic stress induces a reversion from apomixis to sex in many apomicts, and this was recently shown to occur in species of the plant genus Boechera. 1 Transcriptome studies strongly suggest …

An Environmentally Friendly Conductive Ink Made Using Transgenic Spider Silk Protein And Silver Salts, Amir Ghazi Tabatabaei, Jay Merrill, Randolph V. Lewis, Ibrahim Hassounah

Biology Posters

The goal of this study was to demonstrate that it is possible to formulate an electrically conductive, stretchable and environmentally friendly ink or coating. This is made possible by harnessing the properties of biomimetic spider silk obtained from transgenic goats. In this experiment we formulated four inks using spider silk, silver trifluoroacetate and carbon nanotubes (CNT). We utilized Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), spider silk, natural rubber (Latex) and polystyrene-block-isobutylene-block-styrene(SIS) as substrates to demonstrate the flexible nature of the ink/coating. We then conducted surface characterization using FTIR and SEM to verify the presence of our coating and quantified the thickness of our …

Observation Of Fertilized Bovine Oocytes, Tyce Addley, Kenneth Campbell

Biology Posters

Oocytes were extracted from bovine ovaries by perforation of the follicle wall. Oocytes extracted were chosen for culture based on the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC), graded by the density of cumulus cells on a scale of A-D, in vitro fertilization (IVF) was performed on COC’s rated A or B. Healthy COC were placed into a maturation media for incubation at 29 degree C with a 5 percent CO2 air mixture for twenty four hours. After the maturation period the chosen oocytes were fertilized by IVF using frozen/thawed semen from one bull.

The Effects Of Wound Healing On Innate Immune Function In Grass Lizards (Takydromus Viridipunctatus), Julianne Wood, Alison Webb, Lorin A. Neuman-Lee, Susannah S. French

Biology Posters

To better understand how an animal’s physiological regulation of the immune system can shift in response to a physical stressor, we investigated changes in immune function and circulating plasma testosterone in response to a cutaneous wound in male grass lizards (Takydromus viridipunctatus).

Purification Of Recombinant Spider Silk Protein From Escherichia Coli., Randolph V. Lewis, Justin Jones, Todd Brown

Biology Posters

Spider silk has many applications including human health (sutures, vaccine encapsulations, i.e.) and military usage (underwater Velcro-type fasteners). In order to test these applications, we need large quantities of spider silk protein to use in our experiments. One way to make spider silk is by using Escherichia coli (E. Coli) to produce the protein. E. Coli has many advantages: it can be produced in larger amounts, it is inexpensive to grow, and it can be easily transported. We usually start with a culture mass weighing 4 kg but we are scaling up to produce even greater amounts of product. The …

Geographic Patterns And Possibility Of Predation, Jennica Blasi

Biology Posters

A poster documenting if lizard and feral cats inhabit the same areas in the St. George, UT region.

Fluorescent Nanocomposite Of Embedded Ceria Nanoparticles In Crosslinked Pva Electrospun Nanofibers, Nader Shehata, Soha Gaballah, Effat Samir, Aya Hamed, Marwa Saad

Biology Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a new fluorescent nanocomposite of electrospun biodegradable nanofibers embedded with optical nanoparticles. In detail, this work introduces the fluorescence properties of PVA nanofibers generated by the electrospinning technique with embedded cerium oxide (ceria) nanoparticles. Under near-ultra violet excitation, the synthesized nanocomposite generates a visible fluorescent emission at 520 nm, varying its intensity peak according to the concentration of in situ embedded ceria nanoparticles. This is due to the fact that the embedded ceria nanoparticles have optical tri-valiant cerium ions, associated with formed oxygen vacancies, with a direct allowed bandgap around 3.5 eV. In addition, the impact of …

Diagnostic Doses And Times For Phlebotomus Papatasi And Lutzomiya Longipalpis Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phleboominae) Using The Cdc Bottle Bioassay To Assess Insecticide Resistance, David S. Denlinger, Joseph A. Creswell, J. Laine Anderson, Connor K. Reese, Scott A. Bernhardt

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Insecticide resistance to synthetic chemical insecticides is a worldwide concern in phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae), the vectors of Leishmania spp. parasites. The CDC bottle bioassay assesses resistance by testing populations against verified diagnostic doses and diagnostic times for an insecticide, but the assay has been used limitedly with sand flies. The objective of this study was to determine diagnostic doses and diagnostic times for laboratory Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Nieva) and Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) to ten insecticides, including pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, and DDT, that are used worldwide to control vectors.

Methods: Bioassays were conducted in 1,000-ml …

Metabolism, Gas Exchange, And Carbon Spiraling In Rivers, Robert Ogden Hall, Jennifer L. Tank, Michelle A. Baker, Erin R. Hotchkiss, Emma J. Rosi-Marshall

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecosystem metabolism, that is, gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), controls organic carbon (OC) cycling in stream and river networks and is expected to vary predictably with network position. However, estimates of metabolism in small streams outnumber those from rivers such that there are limited empirical data comparing metabolism across a range of stream and river sizes. We measured metabolism in 14 rivers (discharge range 14–84 m³ s⁻¹) in the Western and Midwestern United States (US). We estimated GPP, ER, and gas exchange rates using a Lagrangian, 2-station oxygen model solved in a Bayesian framework. …

Comparing Process-Based And Constraint-Based Approaches For Modeling Macroecological Patterns, Xiao Xiao

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecological patterns arise from the interplay of many different processes, and yet the emergence of consistent phenomena across a diverse range of ecological systems suggests that many patterns may in part be determined by statistical or numerical constraints. Differentiating the extent to which patterns in a given system are determined statistically, and where it requires explicit ecological processes, has been difficult. We tackled this challenge by directly comparing models from a constraint-based theory, the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology (METE) and models from a process-based theory, the size-structured neutral theory (SSNT). Models from both theories were capable of characterizing the …