Mountain Scholar (Digital Collections of Colorado and Wyoming)
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Savannah Martinez: capstone
No full text2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: Being a plus size woman of color comes with many challenges, so one thing that drives my creative process is the experiences I've had. I try to use the base of those experiences when creating some of my projects. I've done multiple projects centered around the ideas of fatphobia, body image/self love, and technology/mental health. These topics are important to me because they are things that occur in my everyday life and have a big impact on me as a person. For my work, I mainly use programs like Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate, etc. When beginning a new piece, I like to start out by sketching in my notebook or on Procreate and come up with a plan on how I want to further enhance the piece before I bring it into something like Photoshop or Illustrator
Impacts of black soldier fly larval frass on vegetable crop production
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.2023 Spring.The "insects as food and feed" movement is gaining considerable momentum as a novel way to provide protein to human and animal diets. Insects require significantly fewer resources, such as water and land, to produce, process and distribute as a food source. Food, service, and restaurant partners often donate their waste to insect producers. This converts landfill destined waste into high protein food sources. The left-over waste product from mass rearing insects, known as frass, creates a problem for insect producers. However, across the food system numerous industries are involved, and this research examines how waste from the hospitality and insect industries can be utilized in vegetable crop production. Peat is the most common medium for plant growth in greenhouse and gardening operations; however, peat extraction has severe environmental consequences for marsh ecosystems, surrounding environments, and climate change. Partially replacing peat with insect frass could reduce industrial waste from insect and food producers and decrease peat consumption. Greenhouse studies were designed to investigate the use of frass in vegetable production. In pot studies with arugula, lettuce, and tomato different ratios of peat and vermicompost and peat and insect frass were compared to a 100% peat control. Arugula and lettuce grown in distillery grain frass, all BSFL treatments were equal or better in yield than the 100% peat control, regardless of season. For brewery grain frass, most treatments in arugula and lettuce were worse or comparable to the peat control in yield, regardless of season. The diet of the larvae (distillery grain vs. brewery grain) was a significant factor in determining the impacts on vegetable yield. Arugula and lettuce leaf tissues were analyzed for nutrient concentrations. Primary macronutrient (NPK) concentrations were higher in frass treatments for both crops. Secondary macronutrients and micronutrients did not show clear trends on the effect of distillery or brewery grain frass. Tomatoes did not produce any significant differences across insect frass treatments, though average individual fruit weight was significantly higher in low percentages of vermicompost. Emergence, germination, and seedling vigor of arugula, lettuce, and tomato seeds were negatively impacted by brewery grain frass in the absence of vermicompost. In the presence of vermicompost, low concentrations of insect frass in a germination mixture produced comparable results to a 100% peat control. There are many components of insect frass yet to be fully explored, such as the impact on cation exchange capacity and microbial activity. More research to understand the physical, chemical, and microbial components of the medium will be essential in pushing the field forward, improving the material as an amendment, and closing gaps in the cycle of production
SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA biology and its impact on the infected cell
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.2023 Spring.The fine-tuning of the replication and transcription of RNA viruses often requires the interaction of viral RNAs with cellular RNA binding proteins. This project addresses fundamental knowledge gaps on the molecular mechanisms that underlie SARS-CoV-2 gene expression, regulation, and viral RNA-host interactions. After infection, SARS-CoV-2 generates a large set of sub-genomic mRNAs, each containing an identical ~70 base 'leader' region in their 5'UTR (from position 14 to position 75 in RefSeq NC_045512) and a 229 base region at the 3'UTR (from position 29,675 to position 29,903 in RefSeq NC_045512) generated by discontinuous transcription. The accumulation of a considerable amount of these leader/3'UTR regions during the infection represents a possible sink for cellular RNA binding proteins. We demonstrated that PTBP1, a cellular protein involved in the regulation of alternative splicing, binds to the SARS-CoV-2 leader region. SARS-CoV-2 infection critically impacted the splicing of several cellular pre-mRNAs that are normally regulated by PTBP1. Mechanistically, we suggest that SARS-CoV-2 sequesters and influences the re-localization of shuttling splicing factors like PTBP1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm resulting in significant effects on the host cell splicing machinery leading to changes in cellular mRNA splicing patterns during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Given the current extensive interest in epigenetic methylations of both cellular and viral RNAs, our study also explored the role of post-transcriptional RNA modifications on viral mRNAs. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 can usurp the cellular enzyme, namely PCIF1, to place the m6Am modification at the cap proximal position in its mRNAs. This double methylation is usually found on all host mRNAs that initiate with an adenosine residue, and thus SARS-CoV-2 likely installs this modification on its mRNAs to avoid host immune recognition. Interestingly, we also discovered that capping and m6Am modification are tightly regulated throughout the infection. The highest levels of these 5' end RNA modifications were observed at 12 hours post infection, correlating with the full establishment of viral gene expression in infected cells. These findings indicate that 5' end modification of SARS-CoV-2 transcripts is not simply a default process but rather undergoes unanticipated regulation throughout the infection. Collectively, the data presented provide not only new insights into the complex interactions that SARS-CoV-2 has with the RNA biology of the cell during infection, but also identify attractive potential targets for developing novel anti-coronavirus drugs to treat future emerging coronavirus diseases
Ben Haney: capstone
No full text2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: Design can be found in many forms, and I like to convey that through my work. Using a variety of media such as photography, videography, and visual design allows me to tell stories and create cohesive messages for an audience. My goal is to combine influence and personal style to create creative projects that inform and inspire
Suka Vo: capstone
No full text2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: As a graphic designer, design is not just about making things look appealing but communicating a visual language. My goal as a designer is to create aesthetically pleasing and meaningful work. I also strive to understand my audience’s perspectives, motivations, and desires to create compelling designs. Good design should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background or experience. In this field, I am constantly learning and exploring new techniques and approaches to design. I believe staying curious and open-minded is essential to being a successful designer. Whether it's experimenting with new software or exploring different design disciplines, I'm committed to furthering my skills and passion for design
Meg Robinson: capstone
No full text2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: I'm a graphic designer, illustrator, and communicator. My body of work represents sparks of connection within people and places that feel child-like or romantic, but guaranteed are always 100% genuine. Skills such as being adaptive, observant, and curious bolster me, but being continually open to learn allows me to thrive. In the professional experience I've gathered thus far the most fun I have is always in the process. I love watching a question getted picked and prodded at. I investigate using a variety of materials, but have found a home in graphic design, brand identity, and community engagement. Fiber Art continues to capture my heart from time to time and helps me remember to never fear a new material or method. If anything, I'll always be curiously investigating a new infatuation. My background in graphic design, art history, and journalism becomes intertwined in my career often because of the valuable skills gained in those fields. Those skills include creative problem solving, honed research methods, navigating design systems, and concise language. Aside from excelling in these areas, I have a true passion for the ways in which design, history, and communication coincide
Charleston Ducote: capstone
No full text2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: As both a biochemist and graphic designer, it is my calling to form bridges between seemingly disparate fields; science and art. Through visual communication, I aim to create new pathways of investigation and collaboration. I am a multimedia artist. I use everything from soft pastels to illustrator programs, to analogue video in order to communicate ideas and cultivate meaningful, interactive experiences. Good design can be the difference between exposure and obscurity for scientific publications. I use clean typesetting and concise imagery which convey complexity and beauty of my clients' work in an elegant, approachable way