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: Medicinal Plants and Overharvesting; Natural or plant-based medicine provides an important link to resilience in a changing world and climate. With an ever-increasing demand for natural medicine, our wild medicinal plants, both globally and locally, are at risk of extinction. Due to discoveries of wild plants for our commercial drug and supplement use, wild populations are under increasing stress. Without international and local harvest standards, both large pharmaceutical companies and individual collectors could wipe out remaining threatened species. This research aims to describe the scale of overharvesting, specific plants at risk, an evaluation of case studies for success of conservation implementation strategies, and possibilities of small to large-scale cultivation of some species. Domestic plants researched include Echinacea, American ginseng, and Goldenseal. International case studies include implementation efforts in the Himalayas, Argentina, and Czech Republic. Cultivation, however successful it may be, still does not necessarily protect the wild population stands from individual harvesting nor does it guarantee equal medicinal properties. Economic, cultural, and biological evaluations are needed for the effected species to determine cultivation success and possible substitutions for more abundant medicinal plants.

: Melodic Alleviation: Disrupting Alzheimer's Through Song; The current presentation reviews studies of music as it relates to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Damage to the brain caused by AD and the loss of memory through that damage are discussed. Music has shown to evoke autobiographical memories in patients with AD, and a review of these studies sheds light on underused treatments and how they can be applied. Everyday life for these patients can also be enhanced through the use of music, which may even lead to the retention of new information for a short period of time. Implications of these findings are discussed as well as new directions for the future of those with AD.

: Memetics, Terror Management Theory, and Female Mate Selection; Memes are theoretical cultural replicators. Memetics as a discipline may offer insights into human evolution, particularly as a biological explanation for culture. If memes are real, they should have played a large role in human evolution and should matter with regards to sexual selection. Terror Management Theory (TMT) offers insights into culture as well, positing that humans under fear of death will invest more heavily within their cultural icons. This experiment sought to discover the degree to which memes might influence mate selection in females. Participants were 56 women of mixed age and race from Fort Lewis College. TMT components were added to see whether or not a mortality salience (MS) prime would influence mate selection. Experiment was conducted through survey. Women were exposed to a MS prime (or a dental pain control) and then asked to rate the perceived attractiveness of three male profiles constructed by the experimenter. Results supported the Memetics component of the experiment. There were no significant results for TMT.

: Mexican Free-Tailed Bats: A Possible Transmission Vector for White-Nose Syndrome?; Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) is the fungus responsible for causing white-nose syndrome (WNS), a newly emerging disease that has killed more than six million hibernating bats since 2006. Despite its dramatic impact on global bat populations, little is known about the mechanism of transport or transmission of this fungal pathogen. The Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis, is a non-hibernating, long-distance migrant that congregates in roosting sites shared by hibernating bats susceptible to Pd. Given their large migratory range and frequent contact with other bat species, Tadarida may serve as an important vector in the transmission of Pd. However, because fungal spore dispersal via Tadarida has not been studied, this possibility is difficult to evaluate. The purpose of our study was to determine whether Tadarida is a transmission vector for cold-tolerant fungi including Pd. We sampled Tadarida from the Orient Mine in south-central Colorado in June and August of 2014. In this process, body surfaces of Tadarida were swabbed for fungal spores, and spores were cultured at 20 C and 6 C to determine whether Tadarida are capable of transmitting viable spores, including cold-tolerant spores including Pd. Our preliminary results indicate that at least 10 unique fungal genera are transported on Tadarida capable of growing at 20 C. We have also identified 7 fungal species cultured at 6 oC, which is considered to be the optimal temperature for Pd growth. These results demonstrate that Tadarida are capable of harboring viable psychrophilic fungal spores and provide a basis for potential transmission of WNS.

: Mickens - Consent Form; Consent form for "Synthesis of Diarylmethanes Similar to the Norjuliol Complex" by Kenneth W. Mickens

: Micro-Hydroelectric System Design; A design review was conducted for the possible implementation of a hydroelectric power generating facility on private property north of Cortez, CO. The landowner stated a power need of 3 kilowatts (kW) and a maximum project cost of $25,000. The results of the study show that hydropower is a viable option for the site under a limited range of conditions. An analysis of different turbines resulted in the selection of a cross flow turbine. A computer model was designed to compute the geometry of the cross flow turbine for a range of flow rates and turbine rotational speeds. A prototype of the turbine was designed using the model and was constructed for testing. Testing was conducted under varying head and flow conditions. A turbine operating efficiency of 60% was achieved, which was less than a target efficiency of 75%. Factors that may be responsible for this are discussed. Based on an assumed turbine operating efficiency of 60%, 4.65 meters of head on the property and an design flow rate of 0.1 m3/s, a system design was prepared for the client which is estimated to produce 1.76 kW (includes all component efficiencies) at a projected cost of $18,000. A payback analysis was conducted on this proposed system, and it would pay for itself in approximately 12.2 years, based on residential electricity rates. The design includes an inlet structure, piping system, and turbine. The project will require permits and licensing from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Dolores Division of Water Resources.

: Microbial Carbonate Buildups of the Basal Akah Salt Interval, Western Paradox Basin; Within the deeply incised canyon of southeastern Utah's San Juan River, six stromatoform carbonate buildups are exposed in the lower Akah interval of the Middle Pennsylvanian, (Desmoinesian) Hermosa Group of the western Paradox Basin. The buildups appear in 5- 20 meter thick sequences below a major regional unconformity within the Akah Interval of the Paradox Formation (Gianniny 1995). Restricted circulation leading to elevated salinity conditions may have controlled buildup composition on this low relief shelf margin. As evidence to this, evaporates were deposited several kilometers to the northeast during the following lowstand. Above the depositional shelf edge, parasequences and sequences in this section of the upper shelf Akah show a shallowing upward trend with a coarsening upward carbonate facies, grading from mudstones to boundstones and grainstones. The orientation of the lower Akah buildups is possibly due to filling in accommodation space adjacent to the topography created by older Barker Creek chaetetid and phylloid algal bioherms and biostromes. Akah buildups can be observed in offset stacks or satellites around the Barker Creek buildups. Alternately, the orientation of the buildups perpendicular to the regional basin shelf and evidence of mound growth progradation, suggests that the buildup orientation may have developed due to tidal currents or trade wind driven waves. Mound facies successions, like the facies trend locally, coarsen upward from wackestone to grainstone dominated by encrusting foraminifera, ramose bryozoan, ostracod, brachiopod, and peloids. The top of the buildups are draped by a prograding bryozoans-rich grainstone, which is truncated on top of several of the buildups by a siliclacstic rich mudstone, marking the regional uncomformity. The dominate mound core facies are alternating cm scale layered thromboltic- textured peloid- rich grain and boundstones, with encrusting foraminifera occurring more than any other fauna. Thin section scale microbial fabrics appear exclusively in these thromboltic facies as micritic crusts binding peloids and as micritic rims around grain clusters. The thrombolitic texture is common in thin section, while stromatolitic laminae are more distinguished in hand sample on a cm scale.

: Microhydroelectric Resource Development; The goal of this project is to assess the feasibility of developing hydroelectric resources in the rural community of Chimborazo, Ecuador, and to provide a future design team with the methodology required to develop them. Since design-level site data is currently unavailable, the project provides a thorough review of parameters associated with designing and implementing a micro hydroelectric system. Parameters discussed include hydraulic infrastructure, turbine selection, generator style, and power transmission and distribution. Two case studies of existing micro hydroelectric systems are investigated to illustrate real-world application. The first case study is a stand-alone system installed in the rural village of Long Lawen in Sarawak, Malaysia; population 350. The project meets requirements similar to those in Chimborazo: the project is micro-scale (8.2 kW) and installed in a rural area in the developing world. The second case study is a grid-tied system installed in the Red Mesa area of Southwest Colorado. Analysis of the two cases revealed the costs of varying equipment selection and infrastructure, as well as important factors to consider while comparing power costs in widely varying situations. For example, the Long Lawen case appeared to have a very high upfront cost, but included in those costs were building a grid in the village, as no infrastructure existed prior to the project, and international travel expenses for technical consultants. These expenses were not associated with the project on Red Mesa. Furthermore, each case may have increased efficiency and decreased costs by installing different turbines and / or generators.

: Millennial-Scale Climate Variability During Warm and Cold Periods of the Late-Pleistocene (~250-350 Ka) in the Subtropical North Atlantic; We use planktonic foraminiferal, Globigerinoides ruber, oxygen isotope analyses (δ18O) to complete a high resolution reconstruction of millennial-scale climate variability in sea surface hydrography during marine isotope stages (MIS) 8-10 (~250-350 ka) from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 172 Site 1056 on the Blake-Bahama Outer Ridge in the subtropical North Atlantic. We compared our record from Site 1056 to benthic carbon isotope (δ13C) records from subtropical Sites 1056 and 1063 and sub-polar Site 980. Overall trends in climate variability were similar between low-latitude and high-latitude Sites, but fluctuations were not as measurable in the sub-polar region as in the subtropical North Atlantic. During MIS 10, excursions toward δ18O maxima are evident at Site 1056, which is most likely due to large ice volumes, with glacial Termination IV (~333 ka) being the most pronounced excursion at both sites. During MIS 9, our record approaches minima δ18O values during the peak warm period, but is followed by repeated short-term excursions between high and low δ18O values until reaching a sustained peak cold interval. The transitional interval of MIS 9 is marked by instabilities not associated with orbital forcing, which may be indicative of the role Northern Hemisphere ice sheet size, greenhouse gases and thermohaline circulation play in millennial-scale climate variability. MIS 8.5 is marked by a pronounced deviation from the cooling trend toward δ18O-minima before returning to a cooling trend. Glacial Stage 8 is marked by an excursion toward maxima δ18O values, signifying the onset of another glacial stage. This study suggests that the subtropical North Atlantic is more sensitive to millennial-scale changes than sub-polar regions in the North Atlantic. Links between δ13C records from the subtropical and sub-polar North Atlantic, signifying enhanced North Atlantic Deep Water formation, were identified at four time intervals (~285, 295, 310, and 330 ka). The Vostok Ice Core displays that MIS 9 had high concentrations of CO2, which can impact climate variability. Millennial-scale climate variability was relatively small for most of interglacial MIS 9, though still displaying intervals of pronounced instabilities, lending some insight into short term climate change due to oceanic and atmospheric forcing.

: Mind, Body, Strength; With every life comes conflict, with every conflict there comes a solution. From this solution we can continue to live our lives with meaning and purpose, but only if this solution is obtained in a flourishing manner. Fairly recently I experienced an internal conflict that not only affected me, but my family and friends as well. By overcoming this conflict I have learned what it means to have a flourishing life and how to live for other people. If I had handled this conflict differently and "was better than just strong" (Greitens 11) perhaps the outcome would have been different. Through evaluating a conflict in my life using Eric Greitens paradox of being strong to do good, and doing good to be strong, from The Heart and the Fist, I have learned how resolving difficult conflicts can create new meaning in one's life (Greitens 11).

: Mine Site Remediation by Good Samaritans in the Animas Watershed; This paper exposes the need to give greater attention to the correlation between past mining activities and the degraded water quality in the Animas watershed. An amendment to section 402 of the CWA would serve as a means to create a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit specifically for accomplishing the partial cleanup of abandoned mines by third-party volunteers seeking to improve watershed quality in areas such as Silverton and San Juan County. By drafting a bill that addresses the concerns of various interest groups such as environmentalists, mining corporations, and state and local agencies, an amendment to section 402 of CWA would serve in the remediation of several major draining mines that drain up to 800 gallons a minute of heavy metals such as, iron, zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, mercury and manganese into Cement Creek, a tributary to the Animas River. Such remediation action would go a long way to improve water quality, yet until the liability issues faced by Good Samaritans are addressed and resolved, all action is on hold.

: Minimal RNA Sequence Requirement of the HTLV-1 Gag-Pro RNA Frameshift Site; Human T-cell leukemia Virus Type I (HTLV-1) was the first identified human retrovirus, identified in 1980 (1). Infection with HTLV-1 results in adult T-cell leukemia with 5-10% incidence. An estimated 15-20 million individuals worldwide are infected with HTLV-1 (2). Replication of retroviruses, such as HTLV, is dependent upon synthesis of viral structural and enzymatic proteins. Synthesis of HTLV's enzymatic proteins is dependent upon two -1 programmed ribosomal frameshift (PRF) events. PRF is defined as a programmed change in the ribosome's reading frame during translation. During a -1 PRF, the ribosome shifts one nucleotide in the 5' direction along the RNA when it is positioned on a "slippery sequence." Slippery sequences have a consensus sequence of XXXYYYZ, where X can be any nucleotide, Y can be A or U, and Z cannot be G. This sequence of nucleotides allows favorable tRNA anticodon:codon base-pairing between the tRNAs and mRNA in both the original (0) or alternate (-1) reading frames. In this work, the HTLV-1 gag-pro -1 frameshift site requirements are investigated. The gag-pro frameshift site consists of a heptanucleotide slippery sequence (AAAAAAC), followed by a downstream structure. A stem-loop structure is predicted downstream of the slippery sequence (3). We are investigating the minimal RNA sequence required for frameshifting. To determine the minimal sequence requirements, we designed two variant frameshift sites. The extended sequence has an additional 126 nucleotides upstream and downstream of the frameshift site. In contrast, the minimal sequence only includes 30 upstream and downstream of the frameshift site. We used cloning techniques to ligate a DNA insert coding for each frameshift site into the p2luc vector between the regions coding for two luciferase proteins - Firefly (fluc) and Renilla (rluc). In the p2luc vector, fluc is in the -1 reading frame relative to rluc. At this time, we have cloned the extended frameshift site into the p2luc vector. In order to sequence the plasmid DNA, we amplified a 700 nucleotide section of the plasmid using a method called "Slowdown PCR." This allowed the DNA polymerase to properly amplify the GC rich region within the frameshift site sequence. This method, used in cis with a decreased denaturation temperature of 90 degrees Celsius for the sequencing reaction, allowed us to sequence the 700 nucleotide PCR product. These results were compared to our intended plasmid sequence and we were able to verify successful plasmid DNA cloning. In future experiments, we will amplify this DNA, use it to synthesize RNA, and then measure the in vitro frameshift efficiency for the extended frameshift site in triplicate. These experiments will be repeated for the minimal frameshift site discussed above. Frameshift efficiencies will be compared to published values for the HTLV-II gag-pro frameshift site. Based on the results, the effect of the upstream and downstream sequence on frameshift efficiency can be determined.

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