2020 Abstracts

Jackson, Erin; Root, Jerry; Kelly, Jessen (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Root, Jerry (College of Humanities, Department of World Languages and Cultures) Kelly, Jessen (College of Fine Arts, Department of Art and Art History)

Approximately 250 extant manuscripts of the Romance of the Rose contain illuminations. The depicted scenes and motifs within these works follow established patterns, a notion that created several iconic scenes from the Romance that can be seen in nearly every illuminated manuscript. Issues of representation and interpretation of the Old French text come to light through the depictions in the images. Inversely, the conversation created between these aspects of the manuscripts emphasizes the ways in which the illuminations inform the understanding of the text. Scholarship focuses predominantly on the former of these visual-textual relationships, and considering the influence of the images on textual understanding will provide new insight into the creation of one of the most highly-produced manuscripts of the Medieval period. These relationships are examined through the depictions of the reoccurring Narcissus scene within the Romance. This research will result in the completion of an interdisciplinary Honors Thesis for both French and Art History. The Romance research focuses on the analysis of series of images throughout the manuscripts available in the Digital Library of Medieval Manuscripts run by John Hopkins University. This is accomplished through a combination of literary and art history approaches to form a more holistic understanding of the visual-textual relationship within the Romance of the Rose manuscripts.

Sommers, Taryn; Veon, Raymond (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Veon, Raymond (Caine College of the Arts, Art and Design Department)

A literature search of research and academic journals suggests that there are few critical examinations of LDS visual culture in visual culture research. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the types of gender roles portrayed in contemporary LDS visual culture, the visual codes used to represent these gender roles, and the degree to which the representations of gender used in LDS visual culture align with findings in related visual culture studies. The result of this study will be a description of the current visual strategies used by the LDS church to represent gender roles, a thematic analysis of these visual strategies, and suggestions for future research into the ways that the LDS church visually defines gender in relation to existing trends and themes in visual culture research. The scope will include: “Mormon Ads,” images used in the LDS magazine, “Ensign,” and conference memes used during the years 2016-2019. This will contribute to the field of visual culture and gender studies by examining the visual codes used by the LDS church to portray the role and status of males and females as represented in current LDS visual culture, determining the strategies used in these representations, and discussing the potential research implications of these findings in light of themes in visual culture gender studies. Some research questions are: What visual codes are used in the representation of males, females, and mixed-sex groups in current LDS visual culture? What types of roles and status do these visual codes convey pertaining to the representation of males, females, and mixed-sex groups in current LDS visual culture? What extent do the results of investigating the above research questions align with other research findings in gender and visual culture studies? The methods used in this research will be 1) an inventory of discrete visual codes (e.g. color use, affect/expression, clothing/dress, setting, etc.) used in the LDS visual culture samples, and 2) a separate thematic analysis of the sample will also be conducted. The results of both methods will be compared, analyzed, and discussed in light of current trends in visual culture gender research. While the results of this research are expected to demonstrate that LDS visual culture will emphasize and reinforce traditional gender roles of females as mothers and homemakers and males as leaders and providers, it is hoped that this study will reveal strategies related to gender role representation unique to LDS culture.

Smith, Heather; Chellamuthu, Dr. Vinodh (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University, Mathematics)

The Zero Waste movement aims to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, incinerators, and recycling through education on more sustainable choices. Individuals are educated on how to avoid single-use items, reduce, reuse, and compost as much as possible, and recycle when necessary. Making more sustainable choices on an individual or family level can be a significant part of the solution to plastic pollution and climate change. We developed an individual-based model that shows the relationship between idea dissemination, individual choices, and waste collection. The model is based on statistical data concerning waste, pollution, and idea dissemination to better understand how education about Zero Waste can efficiently reduce landfill contributions and help the local economy. Our results from this model can help policymakers make decisions about waste management, and influencers educate people on the Zero Waste movement.

Jake, Baldauf; Nolan, Cole; Zabriskie, Brinley (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Zabriskie, Brinley (Brigham Young University, Physical and Mathematical Sciences)

Meta-analysis is a statistical procedure that combines data from multiple studies. This is particularly useful in clinical research when multiple studies produce conflicting results or when reaching a definitive conclusion on the effectiveness of a medication. Determining the extent to which these studies differ from one another due to differences in treatment administration and patient populations is key to identifying treatment efficacy. Estimation of the differences the studies demonstrate is known as heterogeneity. Estimating the heterogeneity test statistic tau for meta-analysis is key to ensuring the validity of clinical research. We investigate the ability of available heterogeneity methods for dichotomous data by analyzing data from multiple clinical trials; we have found that specific methods of estimating heterogeneity outperform others while a select few consistently underperform. Understanding which method performs best will allow clinical researchers to better estimate heterogeneity, thereby improving their ability to find new treatments.

Larsen, Aaron; Chow, Sum (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Chow, Sum (Brigham Young University, Mathematics)

Many definitions and fractional derivative operators are used in the application of mathematics. This paper analyzes a newly presented definition of the fractional derivative by R. Khali, el al. Numerical methods, specifically the finite difference method using boundary conditions, are applied to the Bagley-Torvik equation. This equation is used to describe the motion of a rigid plate in a Newtonian fluid. This results of using this new definition are then compared to those of the known fractional derivative operators of Riemann-Liouville and Caputo.

Islam, Mohammad; Heiny, Erik; Robles, Francisco; Ram, Trevor (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Islam, Mohammad (Utah Valley University, Mathematics); Heiny, Erik (Utah Valley University, Mathematics)

In this project, we investigate two methods to detect trend in the time series data, of which one proposed method what we call it "ADM- Average Difference Method" gives the estimate of trend , and the other method what we call it "AMD-Absolute Max Difference" determines if there is any trend in the time series data. Both methods are applicable to linear and nonlinear time series data. We assess the quality of our proposed methods and compare our methods with nonparametric Mann-kendall test through Monte Carlo simulation by calculating the power of the tests. The power comparisons show that ADM- Average Difference Method performs better than Mann-Kendall test when there is no autocorrelation in the time series observations and non-monotonic autocorrelated series. However, absolute max difference method works well compared to Mann-Kendall test for detecting the trend when data are autocorrelated. Finally, we use our proposed method along with those in use to detect trend in two standard datasets -Alta Snowfall data and Nile river water flow data. ADM was able to detect trend in the Nile water flow data as did MK test, which is supported by the visual identification. On the other hand, AMD method failed to detect the trend in the Nile data. For Alta snowfall data, our proposed methods and MK test didn't find any trend over time as supported by visual inspection result.

Taylor, Ammon; Otterson, Jisun; Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University, Mathematics)

Dengue fever is one of the most common mosquito borne infections, and it is commonly spread in tropical climates. It can only be spread from the bite of a female Aedes aegypti mosquito. Wolbachia is a natural bacteria found in around 60% of all mosquito species, but it is not found naturally in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the mosquito primarily responsible for the spread of Dengue virus. By infecting the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, it will slow the growth of any viruses the mosquito may carry, including Dengue. One of the objectives of the proposed project is to develop a temperature-dependent mathematical model in order to predict the spread of the Dengue virus between mosquitoes and humans. Moreover, to make our simulation show the optimal range of temperature as well as what times during the year Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes should be released in order to be as cost-effective as possible. Furthermore, we will design a robust GUI that could be used by mosquito abatement centers in order to determine optimal strategies in order to most efficiently mitigate the disease outbreaks.

Jones, Gerald; Zhao, Jia; Ellis, Dylan; Sims, Ronald (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Zhao, Jia (College of Science, Mathematics and Statistics Department); Sims, Donald (College of Engineering, Biological Engineering Department)

Algal blooms are a worsening issue across the United States. Algal blooms are formed by an overabundance of nutrients in the water such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus. To combat this, Utah State University is collaborating with the Central Valley Water Reclamation Center, the largest water treatment plant in Utah, with innovating ways to reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus levels in wastewater before being discharged into the local bodies of water.

One process shows promise. The Rotating Algae Biofilm Reactor (RABR) consists of an attached biofilm growth that rotates through a growth substrate. As the biofilm grows, it assimilates the nutrients in the water, thereby transferring them from the water into the biofilm algae.

No referred literature exists on mathematically connecting RABR biofilm productivity with actual data. The purpose of this research is to formulate a model of the mass production of the RABR as a function of sunlight and rate of exposure. This process is done by combining an analytical and data-driven approach to discover the equation. Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics (SINDy) is a data-driven approach that represents a potential breakthrough in being able to identify and quantify the most important parameters influencing algae biofilm yield and productivity. This study will go through the process of creating an analytical model and then scrutinizing said model with real data and make necessary adjustments.

An analytical model using Bara and Bonneford's work on photoinhibition is provided as a baseline for this study. Some data-driven results will also be presented to address the fundamental characteristics of biofilm growth.

The biofilm harvested from the RABR has significant potential for bioproducts such as biofuel, medicine, bioplastics, and livestock feed. Across different industries, this robust model describing algae biofilm growth will provide a mathematical foundation for future algae-based biofilm technologies.

Esplin, Rylee: Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University, Mathematics)

The Zika Virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne disease that inhabits Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. This disease can be passed to humans three different ways: first, through the bite of an infected mosquito; second, sexual transmission between humans who are already infected with the disease; and finally, from humans to their unborn children through vertical transmission. Several studies have shown the dynamics of ZIKV and its dependency on temperature. We developed a temperature-dependent mathematical model using systems of first order differential equations to analyze the spread of the ZIKV in an effort to control the mosquito population. Our model explicitly incorporates the temperature dependency of the vital rates of the mosquito population. Furthermore, our model will also take into account the local environmental data to show the effects of seasonality within the transmission of ZIKV. Our simulation results show the importance of temperature and its impact on the mosquito-human interaction.

West, Noelle; Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University, Mathematics)

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a vector-borne illness that has circulated among birds, eventually spreading across the globe. This disease has resulted in thousands of infections and deaths. Several studies suggest that passive immunity in birds and vertical transmission in mosquitoes play a crucial role in the spread of the disease. We have developed a mathematical model to investigate the effects of passive immunity and vertical transmission within the disease dynamics. Our simulation results suggest that passive immunity increases bird resistivity to WNV and that vertical transmission among mosquitoes increases the spread of WNV. Moreover, we expect this model to be used by mosquito abatement centers to estimate the populations of immune birds and to simulate disease outbreaks in the local community.

Desdames, Chloe; Smith, Mick (Salt Lake Community College)
Faculty Advisor: Seaboch, Melissa (Salt Lake Community College, Anthropology)

Spider monkeys (genus Ateles) is one of the many endangered species in Costa Rica and they can now only be found in very few places due to deforestation. It is important for conservation reasons to know what forest types spider monkeys prefer. According to prior research in Surinam, Mexico, and Bolivia, Ateles prefers primary forests (undisturbed, high canopy) over secondary forests (degraded, lower canopy). Ateles are frugivores and their habitat preference depends highly on fruit availability. Fruit is more abundant in primary over secondary forests. This goal of this study was to determine whether spider monkeys in Costa Rica have a similar habitat preference. I hypothesize that spider monkeys will be found more often in high canopy primary forests compared to secondary forests. This research was conducted at La Selva Biological Station in northeastern Costa Rica. La Selva is a protected lowland tropical rainforest consisting of both primary forest (55%) and secondary forest in various stages of regeneration. I conducted a census of Ateles geoffroyi by walking established trails, with markers every 50 meters, in May 2019. Whenever a spider monkey was spotted, the trail name, nearest meter marker, and forest type were recorded. On a census of 9 trails, five Ateles groups were located, with four of the sightings being in primary forests. My hypothesis, that Ateles geoffroyi would be found in primary over secondary forests, was supported because 80% of the sightings were in primary forests. This is especially significant because, of the 20.5 kilometers censused, only 4.6 km censused (22%) were in primary forests with the remaining 15.9 km (78%) in secondary forests. This preference for primary forests agrees with prior studies on Ateles in other Neotropical forests. This highlights the importance of conserving primary forest for the well-being of spider monkeys.

Bursell, Madeline; Dikow, Rebecca; Johnson, Warren; Koepfli, Klaus-Peter; Frandsen, Paul (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Frandsen, Paul (Life Sciences, Plant and Wildlife Sciences)

Due to decreasing costs in genome sequencing, conservation genomics is a field that has experienced immense growth over the last few years. By comparing whole genome data within threatened and endangered populations, we can estimate important elements in conservation such as levels of homozygosity and demographic histories that reveal the level of endangerment of a species. This information informs conservation priorities and captive breeding programs. In the present study, we focus on two species of clouded leopards: Neofelis nebulosa and Neofelis diardi. N. nebulosa is a species of clouded leopard that lives in mainland southeast Asia. N.diardi inhabits the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. While these two species were initially thought to be a single species, evidence, such as differences in fur color and sizes of cloud markings, hint that they have diverged into two species. To shed more light on the genomic differences between them, we sequenced, assembled, and annotated whole genomes from both species. With genomes, we will explore differences in demographic histories, variation in blocks of homozygosity, and generate a whole genome phylogeny with other large cat species. Using these analyses, we share insights that will inform the conservation status of the two species.

Allen, Sierra; Meyer-Ficca, Mirella; Wandersee, Miles (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Meyer-Ficca, Mirella (College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences; Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences Department)

Niacin, a component of vitamin B3, is necessary for the synthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). NAD+ is an essential coenzyme in several metabolic processes, including those that regulate glucose and fat homeostasis in the body. Niacin is available to humans in its dietary form through foods such as meat, various legumes, nuts and vegetables. Niacin deficiency has been linked to health problems including age-related decline of cognitive abilities, as seen in Alzheimer's disease, and impaired dermal repair. In cases of extreme niacin deficiency, individuals may even develop pellagra, a disease characterized by dermatitis, diarrhea and dementia. Recent studies in niacin deficient mice indicate that niacin deficiency impairs proper glucose metabolism. Compared to mice with adequate niacin levels, niacin deficient mice experience a significant loss of total body weight and body fat and have impaired glucose regulation in response to insulin. We hypothesize that these metabolic defects result from inadequate levels of NAD+ preventing the conversion of lactate to pyruvate in the gluconeogenesis pathway, which in turn results in decreased blood glucose levels. Another potential explanation is that niacin deficiency results in decreased glycogen stores in the liver, also impeding glucose production. To test these hypotheses, we are studying the relationship between dietary niacin and glucose metabolism in a transgenic mouse model with acquired niacin dependency that accurately represents human niacin metabolism. Results of this study will contribute to better understanding of niacin's role in proper glucose metabolism, with important implications for diabetes and other glucose-related diseases, particularly in populations with limited access to quality food.

Garg, Varun (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Balagurunathan, Kuberan (University of Utah, College of Pharmacy; Medicinal Chemistry)

Heparin is a widely-used blood anticoagulant medicine that is used in surgeries and in treatment of circulatory system illnesses. Heparin is currently harvested from live pigs before they are slaughtered. There are many problems with the current production process of heparin. On a chemical level, the drug can be easily and accidentally altered due to its complex chemical nature. In addition, the environmental impact of the pigs that need to be raised on farms and fed is immense. These reasons and more are why bioengineering approaches towards the artificial synthesis of Heparin need to be researched. One of the major obstacles in the synthesis of heparin is the production of Low Molecular Weight (LMW) Heparosan, a chemical precursor. The research goal is to find methods to increase LMW Heparosan yields to a point where those same yields can be used to conduct further exploration into Heparosan oligosaccharide precursors. These oligosaccharides are useful in further understanding heparin structure-function relationships and will eventually help in the goal to find a commercially viable, cost and time effective method of heparin production. Using shake flask bacterial cultures, LMW Heparosan was produced while adjusting variables such as bacterial density at induction and incubation time to maximize yield. Once a sufficient yield was obtained, oligosaccharide structures spliced from the LMW Heparosan were classified for further research. The initial shake flask experiments showed increased yield and purity of Heparosan for each successive trial. Further work is required to scale up production of LMW Heparosan to a mass-market synthetic Heparin but the research conducted shows a promising method to synthesize and improve yields to make that possible.

Bonnie K. Baxter (Westminster College)
Faculty Advisor: Baxter, Bonnie (Westminster College, Biology)

Gypsum is a calcium sulfate mineral in a hydrated form. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, found veins of gypsum deposited by water in 2011(Figure 7), and gypsum has been detected on Mars as early as 2005 by the ESA's Mars Express Orbiter. On Earth, gypsum is formed in hypersaline environments, in minerals left behind when water evaporates and it can trap microorganisms in fluid inclusions. Gypsum obtained from Great Salt Lake was used to develop a method to extract halophilic archaea and culture it in the lab. Our studies show that the mineral was difficult to dissolve in aqueous microbiological media. We tested various methods of dissolution involving mechanical crushing and tested solvents including microbiological media. We also employed a variety of cultivation methods. We will present data on best practices for obtaining halophilic microorganisms from gypsum samples. The method obtained could be used to isolate potential microorganisms present in gypsum samples from Mars.

Clarke, Eliza; Williams, Stephanie; Payne, Andrew; Obray, J Daniel; Yorgason, Jordan; Steffensen, Scott (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Steffensen, Scott (Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology)

Dopamine (DA) transmission is a key player in the rewarding aspects of ethanol as well as ethanol dependence. The current dogma is that DA transmission is increased during ethanol exposure via the inhibition of ventral tegmental area (VTA) GABA neurons and that excitation of VTA GABA neurons during withdrawal results in decreased DA transmission. Microglia, the major neuroimmune effector in the brain, may be a key mediator in this process by releasing cytokines following activation. It is also thought that BDNF may mediate this effect. We evaluated the effect of ethanol on cytokine concentrations in the VTA and nucleus accumbens (NAc), and found that low dose ethanol (1.0 g/kg) decreased interleukin (IL)-10 levels, but high dose ethanol (4.0 g/kg) increased IL-10 levels. We also used standard cell-attached mode electrophysiological techniques to evaluate the effects of select cytokines and BDNF on VTA neuron firing rate in vitro. We found no change in firing rate in response to IL-6 and BDNF, but an increase in firing rate in VTA DA neurons in response to IL-10. Consistent with the changes in firing rate, optically-evoked IPSCs were also found to be decreased in response to IL-10. Ex vivo voltammetry and in vivo microdialysis were done to determine whether IL-10 can directly result in an increase in DA release. Although ex vivo voltammetry showed no change in DA release, IL-10 increased DA release in vivo. These findings suggest that the rewarding and/or addictive effects of ethanol may be mediated by cytokines, specifically the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.

Lemmon, Skyler; Chaston, John (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Chaston, John (Life Sciences, Plant and Wildlife Sciences)

Over the course of the last year, I have dedicated most of my time in the lab to learning about CRISPR/Cas9 and practicing the laboratory techniques that are necessary to make genetic changes in Drosophila melanogaster. Here I aim to expand on that expertise by applying CRISPR to study a genetic question: how the microbial composition of the D. melanogaster microbiome is affected by the modification of 4 specifically selected genes in flies from Florida and Maine. For each of the selected genes, the Florida fly allele will be put into the Maine fly genome and the Maine fly allele will be put into the Florida fly genome. The microbiome composition of these two new flies will be compared against the original lines in a factorial design. Embryos will be injected with the necessary plasmids for a double-stranded cut to take place. After injection, homology dependent repair that will incorporate the new allele. Sanger sequencing will be used to screen for successful knock-in of the allele. Finally, the concentrations of each type of bacteria found in the microbiota of the flies will be measured and compared against the flies from which the allele came from.

Marchant, Nathan; Marchant Erik; Elison, Weston; Herring, Jacob; Yang, Haokun; Tessem, Jeffrey; Hancock, Chad (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Hancock, Chad (Brigham Young University; Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science); Tessem, Jeffrey (Brigham Young University; Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science)

Purpose: To analyze the effect of the Nr4a3 gene on respiratory capacity of mitochondria in skeletal muscle of mice on a normal or high fat diet.

Methods: Nr4a3-/- and WT mice were fed a normal chow (NC) or high fat diet (HF) for at least 20 weeks. After euthanasia, soleus muscle was harvested and wet weight was measured and prepared for respirometry. Mitochondrial respiration was evaluated using an Oroboros Oxygraph Respirometer. Respiratory capacity comparisons were made with a two-way ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparison test.

Results: Oxygen consumption is reported as pmol/(s*mg wet tissue) and statistics are represented as mean ± SEM. In the WT male mice there was a decrease in coupled complex I supported respiration in HF vs. NC diet (25.9 ± 7.3 vs. 64.5 ± 5.0, p=0.004). In the HF WT group there was also a decrease in uncoupled respiration (61.4 ± 15.0 vs. 107.8 ± 7.1, p=0.0004) compared to NC WT. In female mice there was also a decrease between HF WT and NC WT in complex I (28.2 ± 3.7 vs. 57.4 ± 5.7, p=0.0005) and uncoupled respiration (87.1 ± 7.1 vs. 119.4 ± 8.9, p=0.0001). However, there was no significant difference between the WT NC mice and either of the Nr4a3-/- groups. Coupled complex I and uncoupled respiration states in both Nr4a3-/- groups were not significantly different from WT.

Conclusion: Feeding mice a high fat diet impairs proper mitochondrial function in muscle when compared to a normal chow diet. The decrease in respiration from the HF diet is dependent upon the function of the Nr4a3 gene, as no decrease was observed in Nr4a3-/- mice.