Digital Commons Network^™

Translocation Of The Endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox, Vulpes Macrotis Mutica: A Retrospective Assessment, Jerry H. Scrivner, Thomas P. O'Farrell, Kristie Hammer, Brian L. Cypher

Western North American Naturalist

In 1988, a study of federally endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) was initiated to develop techniques for translocating kit foxes onto Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 (NPR-1) in California. Our objective is to review the translocation program and provide recommendations for future efforts. There were no problems trapping, translocating, and maintaining foxes in captivity. We released 12 foxes onto NPR-1 in 1989 and 28 foxes in 1990. Of the 12 foxes released in 1989, 10 died within 1 year. Of 28 foxes released in 1990, 1 was still alive, 24 were dead, and the fate …

Conspecific Pollen Loads On Insects Visiting Female Flowers On Parasitic Phoradendron Californicum (Viscaceae), William D. Wiesenborn

Western North American Naturalist

Desert mistletoe, Phoradendron californicum (Viscaceae), is a dioecious parasitic plant that grows on woody legumes in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, produces minute flowers during winter, and is dispersed by birds defecating fruits. Pollination of desert mistletoe has not been examined despite the species’ reliance on insects for transporting pollen from male to female plants. I investigated the pollination of P. californicum parasitizing Acacia greggii (Fabaceae) shrubs at 3 sites at different elevations in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada during February 2015. I examined pollen from male flowers, aspirated insects landing on female flowers, and counted pollen grains in …

Temporary Communal Brooding In Northern Bobwhite And Scaled Quail Broods, Jeremy P. Orange, Craig A. Davis, R. Dwayne Elmore, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf

Western North American Naturalist

Communal brooding, which can occur as a result of brood amalgamation or communal parental care, is a common alternative brooding strategy observed in many precocial bird species. Although the occurrence of long-term communal brooding has been documented in numerous waterfowl species, and to a lesser extent in gallinaceous species, the occurrence and mechanisms facilitating temporary or short-term communal broods is less understood. During the 2013 and 2014 breeding seasons, we anecdotally observed temporary communal brooding in 3 Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) broods and one Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) brood. We present 3 mechanisms that may explain …

Identification Of Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse Lek Sites In South Central Wyoming, Kurt T. Smith, Jeffrey L. Beck, Tony W. Mong, Frank C. Blomquist

Western North American Naturalist

The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus; hereafter CSTG) occupies approximately 10% of its historic range and is a species of conservation concern in 7 U.S. states and British Columbia. Because little is known about the status of CSTG in Wyoming, we sought to model the relative probability of lek site occurrence within the known distribution of CSTG in the state to identify areas that contained previously undocumented lek sites. The proximity of nesting and brood-rearing habitats to leks advocates their use as a focus of conservation for prairie grouse, including CSTG. We modeled a resource selection function (RSF) …

Neofunctionalization Of Dual-Targeted Plant Organelle Dna Replication Proteins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Neofunctionalization is the process by which genes gain a new or modified function as a result of gene duplication and modification of one or more of the new genes. This exciting area of research helps explain the diversification of protein functions in cells. The number of documented examples has increased in recent years in all classes of organisms (Deng et al., 2010; Han et al. 2011; Cannela et al. 2014; Sakuma et al. 2013; Zhang et al. 2014). In some cases a protein that was previously thought to function in only one cellular compartment has been shown to also function …

Examining The Relative Contributions Of Genes, Diet, And The Gut Microbiome To The Development Of Obesity And Diabetes, Laura C. Bridgewater

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project began as a collaboration with Dr. Julianne Grose in MMBIO to study the effect of PAS kinase on diabetes and obesity in a mouse model system. Due to our initial findings, the study has grown to include Dr. Ben Bickman in PDBIO (an expert in metabolism) and Dr. Scott Weber in MMBIO (an immunologist). We have found that PAS kinase knockout mice have an increased metabolic rate—not only in their overall system but also specifically in skeletal muscle. Metabolic rate can have a profound influence on the immune system, so we began working with Dr. Weber to measure …

Analysis Of The Kinetics And Recombinatorial Mechanisms Of Hiv-1 Evolution In Vivo In Humanized Mice, Bradford Berges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Several of my students have moved on to future positions, as follows: Medical school: Sterling Adams, German Cuadra, Art Lee (still interviewing), and Tyler White (still interviewing) Graduate school: Steve Hallam

See below in the ‘academic deliverables’ section for further details on presentations, grant funding awarded directly to students, and publications.

Structural Variations In Articular Cartilage Associated With Osteoarthritis., David Kooyman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Thank you for this MEG award. It led to important research performed primarily by undergraduate students in my laboratory. Our work resulted in some molecular pathways leading to OA that can be exploited by pharmacologic intervention. We exceeded our stated goals for the project. Work from this MEG has already resulted in 2 publications (see below; undergraduate students are in yellow). In addition, we have another paper in review at this time and three others that will be submitted within the next 3-4 months. Besides those students listed as co-authors below, other students that participated in the project are Joshua …

The Neuroprotective Effect Of Exercise On Memory Impairment Induced By Stress, Jeff Edwards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objectives of this award were met, especially in regard to the mentoring focus of the award. The students have been mentored and trained in an effective manner as outlined in my Mentoring Plan (abbreviated below). This includes mentoring students in research, writing, publishing, presenting at conferences, etc. Indeed, one measure of the success of mentoring is demonstrated by the fact that all the students graduating from my lab during this time were accepted to the professional school of their choice (see students listed below). Research, especially where the students are actually involved in all aspects of it including data …

Development Of The First High-Density Physical Maps Of Amaranthus – Genome Sequencing And Insights Into Speciation, Peter J. Maughan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Amaranthus hypochondriacus is an emerging pseudo-cereal native to the New World which has garnered increased attention in recent years due to its nutritional quality, in particular its seed protein, and more specifically its high levels of the essential amino acid lysine. It belongs to the Amaranthaceae family, is an ancient paleopolyploid that shows disomic inheritance (2n=32), and has an estimated genome size of 466 Mb. Here we present a highquality draft genome sequence of the grain amaranth A. hypochondriacus. The genome assembly consisted of 377 Mb in 3,518 scaffolds with an N50 of 371 kb. Repetitive element analysis predicted …

Early American Need For Christ, Baylee S. Vasquez 6161151

BYU English Symposium

A war torn land of the early Americas created a want for the relief that Christian sects sought when originally retreating from Europe. These early colonists relied on the belief of savior that would redeem them in an eternal sphere, but the absence of an immediate savior in the midst of terror inspired the idea of characters that could act as flawed, yet effective Christ-like figures in the present moment. Mary Rowlandson, Hannah Dustan, and Olaudah Equiano each follow a path that mimics that of Christ’s: death, resurrection, and providing the redemption of others through their tribulation. Dustan redeemed fellow …

Return To Virtue: Defining Moral Strength, Melissa A. Weigeshoff

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Influential Herbal And Botanical Texts From The 16th Through 18th Centuries, Michael C. Goates

Faculty Publications

Humans have always had an intimate and complex relationship with plants. Plants provide many of the basic necessities for survival, such as food, clothing, and shelter. Plants also play an important and rich part in human culture. This fascination with plants has led to detailed studies of their natural history as well as explorations into their unique and useful properties. Throughout recorded history, philosophers, herbalists, botanists, and others have captured their observations about plants. From the Middle Ages through the Early Modern Period, herbalists compiled these collective observations into large printed volumes, referred to as herbals. With the Scientific Revolution …

Violence And Identity In Native Son, Anna M. Gee

BYU English Symposium

Abstract: “Violence and Identity in Native Son” examines the cycle of violence that begins with white objectification of blacks and ultimately results in extralegal black violence and legislated white violence. Richard Wright’s Native Son details this cycle as it is initiated by white objectification of blacks, creating owner-object relationships between members of the two races. Objectification leads to loss of identity and blindness, cultivating indifference and shame among members of black society. For the novel’s main character Bigger, shame produces violence. Violent acts become acts of creation that enable him to formulate identity in meaningful ways. This new understanding …

Fat Fairies: Stereotype, Body Type, And Personality Of Tv Godmothers, Ariel Peterson

BYU English Symposium

ABC’s Once Upon a Time introduced Catherine Lough Haggquist as Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Instead of playing Disney’s classically oversized, bumbling, air-headed godmother, Haggquist appeared cool and collected, dressed like a princess. And ABC killed Haggquist off in the very same episode. Was she too fit and smart for the godmother stereotype? Haggquist is not the only fairy to suffer for body type. Jeana Jorgensen and other feminist writers have seen the danger of age and body stereotyping entails. Adding to these arguments, I propose we approach fairy tale bodies as a spectrum where personality is attached to body type. Princesses …

Cinderella: The Significance And Timeless Nature Of A Folkloric Costume Narrative, Hayley C. Campbell

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Children's Book Review

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Refugee Boy, Sandra L. Tidwell

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Bring The Children Home, Elizabeth Moss

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Kenneth Grahame's The Wind In The Willows, Elizabeth Moss

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

The Short Tree And The Bird Who Could Not Sing, Rebecca Hixson

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Children's Book Review

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Duke Kahanamoka Vs. The Surfnappers, John D. Newman

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Big Book Of Knowledge, Annmarie Hamar

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Tree Girl, Sandra L. Tidwell

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Dr. Dolittle, Lena Wagner

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Frog's Best Friend, Devi Chitrapu

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Alice In Wonderland, Lena Wagner

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Timothy's Tales From Hilltop School, Jan Staheli

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.

Giggle, Giggle, Quack, Nancy C. Evensen

Children's Book and Media Review

No abstract provided.