Digital Commons Network^™

Controlled Manipulation Of Floating Objects On Deformed Fluid Interfaces And Conditions For Stable Equilibria, Jose M. Carballo, Qi Ni, Jose Vasquez, Nathan B. Crane

Faculty Publications

At the millimeter scale, interactions between floating and semi-immersed objects are significant. The local curvature of the interface is modified by the weight/buoyancy forces of floating objects, and by the surface properties of semi-immersed objects. The curvature changes generate attractive (or repulsive) interactions between floating parts, and semi-immersed objects. This work demonstrates how electrowetting can manipulate these interactions in order to position, align, assemble and transport parts attached to the fluid interface. This demonstrates one way in which fluid interfaces can provide an alternative to standard pick and place technology for part positioning/assembly. Typically, the part/rod forces are purely attractive …

End Matter, Vol. 76 No. 4

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Current Population Status Of A Locally Endemic Springsnail (Hydrobiidae: Pyrgulopsis Bedfordensis) In Montana, David M. Stagliano

Western North American Naturalist

The Bedford springsnail (Pyrgulopsis bedfordensis) is one of only 2 species of the genus Pyrgulopsis discovered east of the northern Continental Divide and appears restricted to one spring in central Montana. Due to its endemism, this species was placed on the Montana Species of Concern list as S1, critically imperiled. Despite the snail’s rarity, nothing was known of this population’s characteristics; it was last sampled in 1999. In 2015, I quantitatively sampled this population using a Hess sampler (n = 3) over a 40-m reach to determine the snail’s benthic density and describe the associated macroinvertebrate community. …

Habitat And Fish Assemblage Associations And Current Status Of Northern Leatherside Chub Lepidomeda Copei In Western Wyoming, Luke D. Schultz, Peter A. Cavalli, Hilda Sexauer, David Zafft

Western North American Naturalist

Human activities have extensively altered native fish assemblages and their habitats in the western United States. Conservation and restoration for long-term persistence of these fishes requires knowledge of their distributional patterns and life history requirements. Northern leatherside chub Lepidomeda copei (hereafter northern leatherside) is a cyprinid native to the Snake and Bear River Basins of Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, and it is believed to have declined in distribution relative to historical records. To address information gaps in the species’ ecology and assess its status in the state, the objectives of this study were first to document the distribution (2010–2011) …

Mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) Of Conservation Concern In Montana: Status Updates And Management Needs, David M. Stagliano

Western North American Naturalist

Montana is home to 133 documented species of mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from 55 genera in 16 families. This study reports on the conservation status, critical habitat, and management needs of 7 mayfly species that are currently listed as Montana species of concern (SOC) and 2 species that are currently listed as potential species of concern (PSOC). Six (67%) of these listed mayflies (Anepeorus rusticus, Analetris eximia, Homoeoneuria alleni, Lachlania saskatchewanensis, Macdunnoa nipawinia, and Raptoheptagenia cruentata) are associated with the sand and gravel benthic habitats of large prairie rivers. Two other mayfly species, Caurinella idahoensis (SOC) and Caudatella edmundsi …

Netleaf Hackberry Seeds Planted Near Boulders In The Foothills Of The Wasatch Mountains: Germination, Survival, And Patterns Of Establishment, Michael T. Stevens, Daniel L. Holland, Nathan V. Tanner

Western North American Naturalist

Netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulata) is a deciduous shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Previous field observations have shown limited numbers of juvenile hackberries in the wild. This could be due to low germination and survival rates, but field germination trials have not been done. In the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, hackberry shrubs have been shown to grow in association with boulders, likely using them as nurse objects. This experimental study field-tested germination and survival rates around boulders in this area. We located 26 boulders and planted 25 hackberry seeds on the …

Record Of A Live Ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis) At La Michilía Biosphere Reserve, Durango, Mexico, Jorge Servín, Luis E. Aguilar-Jiménez, Edgar F. Hernández-Reyes, Joaquín Tinoco, Jesús Sanchez-Robles

Western North American Naturalist

The first confirmed record of a live ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) in the state of Durango, and in La Michilía Biosphere Reserve, is reported here. This record is based on a photograph of an adult taken during a 2015 winter phototrapping survey. This noteworthy record extends the ocelot’s geographic distribution by >120 km from the nearest record in Sinaloa, Mexico. The record locality is also in oak forest at an unusually high altitude of 2750 m asl for an ocelot in Mexico.


Se informa del primer registro confirmado de Ocelote vivo (Leopardus pardalis) en el estado de …

Survey Of The Bat Fauna, Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, Thomas J. O'Shea, Christy Klinger, Lindsay A. Smythe, Laura Wilkinson, John P. Dumbacher

Western North American Naturalist

We conducted a survey of the bat fauna of Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) in Nevada during 2008–2014. Our objectives were (1) to determine the species present at DNWR by mist-netting at likely bat drinking areas; (2) to compare the bat fauna at White Spot Spring at DNWR to the fauna documented there in 1962–1967; and (3) to assess the possible importance of artificial water sources to bats on this highly arid landscape in relation to an ongoing drought. We captured 480 bats of 10 species in mist nets over drinking water sources; species identifications are documented by voucher specimens. …

Front Matter, Vol. 76 No. 4

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Ecology Of American Pikas (Ochotona Princeps) At Mono Craters, California: Living On The Edge, Andrew T. Smith, John D. Nagy, Constance I. Millar

Western North American Naturalist

The behavioral ecology of the American pika (Ochotona princeps) was investigated at a relatively hot south-facing, low-elevation site in the Mono Craters, California, a habitat quite different from the upper montane regions more typically inhabited by this species and where most prior investigations have been conducted. Mono Craters pikas exhibited a behavioral profile that contrasted significantly with that of pikas found in upper montane regions. Mono Craters pikas were less surface active than pikas in studies at high-elevation sites, although their rate of short-call vocalizations was similar. Mono Craters pikas did not exhibit typical foraging behavior: they fed …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Brood Flush Counts: A Case Study In Two Quail Species, Jeremy P. Orange, Craig A. Davis, R. Dwayne Elmore, Evan P. Tanner, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Eric T. Thacker

Western North American Naturalist

Taking brood flush counts is a common sampling method that has been used for decades to estimate brood and chick survival in many gallinaceous bird species. However, brood survival estimates based upon flush counts may be biased because of low detection probabilities, occurrence of brood amalgamations, brood abandonment, and brooding adult mortality. Given that brood flush counts are still commonly used to estimate brood survival, and in some cases extrapolated to provide an estimate of chick survival, it is important to evaluate biases associated with this method. Therefore, we evaluated the use of brood flush counts to estimate brood survival …

Development Of A Stream Water Temperature Model As A Component Model For Openmi Based Integrated Modelling Of River Zenne, Belgium., Narayan Kumar Shrestha, Olkeba Tolessa Leta, Jiri Nossent, Ann Van Griensven, Willy Bauwens

Open Water Journal

In 2000, the European Union launched the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (EU, 2000), which calls to achieve a good ecological status of all water bodies by 2015 through integrated river basin management. Integrated models are therefore necessary to serve as tools for river basin management in the scope of the WFD. Despite large investments made for the management of the Brussels’ sewer systems, the Zenne river still receives high loads of pollutants, especially considering the small size of this receiving water body. An interuniversity, multidisciplinary research project ‘Good Ecological Status of the river Zenne (GESZ)’ was therefore launched to evaluate …

Adding The Influence Of A Shallow Water Table On Hydrology, Sediment And Pesticide Transport In A Vegetative Filter Strip Model : Development Of A Mechanistic Algorithm, Coupling, And Global Sensitivity Analysis To Evaluate This New Version Of The Open Source Model Vfsmod, Claire Lauvernet, Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, Nadia Carluer

Open Water Journal

A shallow water table can significantly affect soil infiltration and surface runoff during a rainfall event. Simple and robust models used as components of larger scale hydrological models are needed to analyze the impacts of shallow water table in the landscape. Salvucci and Entekhabi (1995) and Chu (1997) proposed an approximate non-uniform Green-Ampt time-implicit integral form solutions to the infiltration case for ponded soils bounded by a water table under initial hydrostatic equilibrium.

Role Of The Endocannabinoid System And Medical Cannabis, Sabrina Jarvis, Sean Rasmussen, Blaine Winters

Student Works

Our bodies produce substances called endocannabinoids which attach to receptors within the endocannabinoid system (ECS) impacting physiological processes on a daily basis. The cannabis plant contains over 100 different cannabinoids which also manipulate the ECS. Knowledge about these interactions have led to an increase in cannabis based pharmacological studies. Providers should have a basic understanding about how the ECS works and how cannabis is being used to treat certain illnesses. This article presents what is currently known about the ECS and how cannabis based medicines impact it, as well as the current laws providers need know regarding cannabis use.

A Cloud-Based Workflow To Quantify Transcript-Expression Levels In Public Cancer Compendia, P J. Tatlow, Stephen R. Piccolo

Faculty Publications

Public compendia of sequencing data are now measured in petabytes. Accordingly, it is infeasible for researchers to transfer these data to local computers. Recently, the National Cancer Institute began exploring opportunities to work with molecular data in cloud-computing environments. With this approach, it becomes possible for scientists to take their tools to the data and thereby avoid large data transfers. It also becomes feasible to scale computing resources to the needs of a given analysis. We quantified transcript-expression levels for 12,307 RNA-Sequencing samples from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and The Cancer Genome Atlas. We used two cloud-based configurations and …

Health-Related Quality Of Life In Older Coastal Residents After Multiple Disasters, Katie E. Cherry, Laura Sampson, Sandro Galea, Loren D. Marks, Kayla H. Boudoin, Pamela F. Nezat, Katie E. Stanko

Faculty Publications

Objective: Exposure to multiple disasters, both natural and technological, is associated with extreme stress and long-term consequences for older adults that are not well understood. In this article, we address age differences in health-related quality of life in older disaster survivors exposed to the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the role played by social engagement in influencing these differences.

Methods: Participants were noncoastal residents, current coastal residents, and current coastal fishers who were economically affected by the BP oil spill. Social engagement was estimated on the basis of disruptions in charitable …

Influence Of Seasonality On Salmonella Concentration And Dynamics In Khartoum Wastewater Stabilization Station, Ayman A. Elshayeb, Abdelazim A. Ahmed, Adil A. El-Hussien

Open Water Journal

Introduction: Seasonal weather variables are universal and can obviously affect different Salmonella sp populations’ dynamics in wastewater influencing their fluctuations.

Objectives: This work was conducted to create a predictive mathematical model for Salmonella spread, distribution and outbreak in local wastewater resources with understanding the mechanisms and impacts of seasonal environmental drivers.

Methods: Empirical models were developed to solve several biologically distinct mechanisms of Salmonella sp by which seasonality can impact their interactions, including seasonal changes in replication, distribution and mortality rates.

Results: Mathematical models and field observations show that the strength and mechanisms of seasonality can alter the spread and …

Does Depth And Sanitation Type Affect The Quality Of Faecal Sludge In The Tropics? The Case Of Yaoundé, Cameroon, W.A. Letah Nzouebet, I. M. Kengne, A. Rechenburg

Open Water Journal

Background: Faecal sludge (FS) management is a challenging problem in low-income countries where large parts of the urban population rely on onsite sanitation systems (Koné, 2010; Strande et al., 2014). In these countries, the discharge of raw faecal sludge directly into the environment is a common practice that threatens environmental and public health, because pollution of water resource. To avoid this situation, characterization of faecal sludge for adequate treatment before discharge into the environment is needed. Many studies were carried out on the faecal sludge characterization and treatment (Kengne, 2008; Bassan et al., 2013). Cameroon like other sub-Saharan countries lack …

Establishing Sediment Concentration Rating Curves In The Upper Blue Nile Basin, Mamaru A. Moges, Fasikaw A. Zemale, Muluken L. Alemu, Getaneh K. Ayele, Dessalegn C. Dagnew, Seifu A. Tilahun, Tammo S. Steenhuis

Open Water Journal

Because of scarcity of continuous sediment data for rivers, methods have been developed to predict sediment loads based on few discontinues measurements. Traditionally, loads are predicted using rating curves that relate sediment load to discharge. The relationship assumes inherently a unique relationship between concentration and discharge and therefore although performing satisfactorily in predicting loads, it may be less suitable for predicting concentration. This is especially true in the Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia where concentrations decrease for a given discharge with the progression of the rainy monsoon phase. The objective of this paper is to improve the sediment concentration predictions …

Ecological Status Of Hot Springs In Eastern Amhara Region: Macroinvertebrates Diversity, Sisay Derso, Adebe Beyene, Melaku Getachew, Argaw Ambelu

Open Water Journal

Springs are the places where ground water is discharged at specific locations. They vary dramatically as to the type of water they discharge. Hot springs are having the temperature of the water lies significantly above the mean of annual air temperature of that region. Temperature is one of the most important factors that govern species abundance and distribution. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between biological parameters (macroinvertebrate diversity) with physicochemical water and habitat quality of hot springs in Easter Amhara Region. A cross-sectional study of physical, chemical and biological components of the hot springs were …

Economic Valuation On Participatory Gully Rehabilitation In The Ethiopian Highlands, Getaneh K. Ayele, Azalu A. Gessess, Meseret B. Addisie, Seifu A. Tilahun, Tigist Y. Tebebu, Daregot B. Tenessa, Eddy J. Langendoen, Charles F. Nicholson, Tammo S. Steenhuis

Open Water Journal

The current severity of gully erosion is a major cause of increased sediment loads in rivers, but gully rehabilitation has proven to be challenging, with limited success. This paper describes gully rehabilitation efforts in the Ene-Chilala in the Blue Nile basin begun in early 2013, where low-cost gully rehabilitation has been effective with community participation. Initially farmers were reluctant to participate for religious reasons but with the aid of local priests and respected elders, community discussions and a visit to a rehabilitated gully, a consensus was reached to rehabilitate a 0.71-ha upland gully. The gully cut the foot path of …

Icp-Ms Determination Of Potentially Toxic Trace Elements In Little Akaki River Of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Journal Of Environmental Toxicology, Communicated, Minbale Aschale, Yilma Sileshi, Mary Kelly Quinn

Open Water Journal

In this study, river water samples taken from 26 different locations in along the route of the river of Addis Ababa, were analyzed to determine potentially toxic trace elements (Fe, Co, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn, Sb, Cu, Ba, B, As, Ni, Sr, Cr, Mn and V) using ICP-MS. The concentrations in μg L^-1 ranged between for Mn 38-3950, Fe 175-4800, B 0.5-6135, Sr 92-465, Ba 55.5-280, Cr 1.25-485, Sb 9.45-66.5, Zn 8.35-77.5, Ni 2.85-14, Cu 2.1-11.55, V 1.5-10.9, Pb 1.15-11.35, Co 0.5-8.85, As 0.5-3.05, Cd 0.03-0.12 and Hg Fe > B > Sr > Ba > Cr > Sb > Zn > Ni > Cu > V > Pb …

Uric Acid Levels In Relation To Progression Of Multiple Sclerosis, Alexander A. Gosch, Mary F. Davis, Joshua C. Denny

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2017

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by demyelination in the central nervous system. In previous studies, serum uric acid (UA) levels have been implied as a useful biomarker in understanding MS disease progression and development. The majority of previous studies have found MS patients have a lower UA level than healthy controls, however some studies have found higher UA levels with MS patients. Previous studies have compared UA levels between subtypes of MS, but have not produced conclusive data. To better understand the correlation between UA levels and MS patients, we compared UA levels between our set of …

Focusing On Men And Fathers: A Challenge For Social Work Research And Practice, Kevin Shafer, Jennifer L. Bellamy

Faculty Publications

In introducing this special issue of Social Work Research, we feel it is important to discuss why social work practice and research with men and fathers is of critical importance and deserving of specific attention. Social work researchers and practitioners need to focus on men and fathers, both as a special population and as subpopulations of other groups. A focus on men and fathers is critical because (a) it is a social justice issue for men, women, and children; (b) men are underserved by helping professionals, including social workers, particularly in certain contexts and programs; (c) social workers are uniquely …

Reproductive Ecology Of Greater Sage-Grouse In Strawberry Valley, Utah, Jared Jeffrey Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) are a species of conservation concern in the rangelands of western North America due to their dramatic decline over the last half century. Effective conservation and management of sensitive species requires an understanding of how species respond to management actions. We examined two aspects of the reproductive phases of sage-grouse: nest predation, and habitat selection by female sage-grouse with chicks. In Chapter 1, we developed resource selection functions to assess the influence of mechanical treatments of mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata vaseyana) on habitat selection by greater sage-grouse with chicks. …

Comparison Of Simulation And Hands-On Labs In Helping High School Students Learn Physics Concepts, Matthew Charles Rytting

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to determine whether PhET simulation labs or hands-on labs were more effective in helping students learn physics concepts. This measure was done by comparing quiz scores using recall, calculation, and transfer questions. Additionally, student perceptions of learning from both hands-on and simulation lab experiences were measured. Six labs were conducted with high school physics students on the topics of momentum, energy, circuits, angular momentum, pendulums, and friction. It was found that PhET simulation labs were as effective at creating student understanding, and sometimes more effective, as measured by quizzes given after the labs. Additionally, …

The Role Of Viral Interleukin-6 In Tumor Development Of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Lymphomas, Rebecca A. Fullwood

Theses and Dissertations

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is a cancer-causing virus, primarily affecting AIDS patients. KSHV is found in 3-10% of the U.S. population and can cause a range of cancers in the highly immunosuppressed; these cancers include Kaposi's sarcoma, pleural effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). The current techniques for treating these cancers are relatively ineffective, largely due to their inefficiency at targeting tumors formed by the infection. One protein produced by KSHV, the viral homolog of interleukin-6 (vIL-6), is thought to play a major role in tumor development post-infection. Here a novel animal model is implemented to study the …

Nanoemulsions Within Liposomes For Cytosolic Drug Delivery To Multidrug-Resistant Cancer Cells, Jacob Brian Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cells that survive chemotherapy treatment often develop resistance to the administered chemotherapeutics, as well as to many other types of drugs, because the cancer cells increase their production of efflux pumps in the cell. This undesired phenomenon of resistance to cancer drugs is known as multidrug resistance. This work uses a novel drug carrier, called an eLiposome, to achieve cytosolic drug delivery to kill multidrug-resistant cancer cells. An eLiposome consists of a perfluoropentane (PFC5) emulsion droplet inside of a liposome. Folate attached to the eLiposome facilitates uptake into the cell. The PFC5 droplet is metastable at body temperature, but …

Topic Manipulation In Five Children With Language Impairment In Response To Topic Probes, Kimberly Kasey Baker

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes a series of case studies on topic management patterns of five children (ages 5 to 10 years) with language impairment. The children participated in semi-structured topic tasks that assessed conversational abilities on topics that were verbally introduced and topics that were introduced both verbally and with an object. Although there was considerable variability among participants, the children generally responded to most introductions by acknowledging and maintaining the topic. With the exception of one child, however, the children in this study demonstrated immature topic manipulation patterns that could be expected to have negative social ramifications.

Parental Experience-Based Change: Positive And Negative Changes In Monitoring, Expectations, Nurturing, And Discipline, Joseph S. Rand

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to create a measure of parent's perceptions of parental experience-based change (PEBC), or parents' perceptions of the changes they make to their parenting of secondborn children as a result of experiences with firstborn children. The measure assessed PEBC in the domains of monitoring, expectations, nurturing and discipline. Participants were 401 mothers or fathers of 2 or 3 adolescent children. Factor analyses revealed an 8 factor solution that assessed increasing and decreasing in each of the 4 domains. Criterion validity was evaluated using regression analyses to examine the relationships between each factor and parenting outcomes thought to be …