Digital Commons Network^™

Genetic Characterization Of Two Populations Of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout In Great Basin National Park, Usa, Derek D. Houston, R. Paul Evans, Jared M. Crowley, Dennis K. Shiozawa

Western North American Naturalist

The cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) is a popular sport fish that is native to the waters of western North America. Cutthroat trout comprises many subspecies, each of which has experienced range reduction resulting from anthropogenic activities. Hence, there is a general interest from management agencies to assess the genetic structure of managed populations of cutthroat trout subspecies to ensure that proper conservation plans are implemented. Herein, we utilize microsatellite data to characterize the genetic composition of 2 populations of Bonneville cutthroat trout in Great Basin National Park: Mill Creek and South Fork Big Wash. Mill Creek was used …

Tree Mortality In Mature Riparian Forest: Implications For Fremont Cottonwood Conservation In The American Southwest, Douglas C. Andersen

Western North American Naturalist

Mature tree mortality rates are poorly documented in desert riparian woodlands. I monitored deaths and calculated annual survivorship probability (P_S) in 2 groups of large (27–114 cm DBH), old (≥40 years old) Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontiiWats.) in a stand along the free-flowing Yampa River in semiarid northwestern Colorado. P_S = 0.993 year^–1 in a group (n = 126) monitored over 2003–2013, whereas P_S = 0.985 year^–1 in a group (n = 179) monitored over the same period plus 3 earlier years (2000–2003) that included drought and a defoliating insect outbreak. …

Late-Season Survey Of Bumble Bees Along Canadian Highways Of British Columbia And Yukon Territories, Timothy D. Hatten, James P. Strange, Jill M. Maxwell

Western North American Naturalist

Bumble bees are important pollinators of flowering plants, foraging and providing pollination services throughout the growing season. They are adapted to cool temperatures and are among the most important of all pollinators at high elevations and northern latitudes. Over the past several decades, multiple species of bumble bees have experienced declines in both geographic range and abundance in Europe and North America, while 4 species of the genus Bombus (Bombus) have suffered dramatic declines in the United States. Such declines are not as evident in Alaska, and the status of Bombus remains relatively unknown in the adjacent territories …

Conspecific Pollen Loads On Insects From Prunus Fasciculata (Rosaceae) Female Flowers In Southern Nevada, William D. Wiesenborn

Western North American Naturalist

Desert almond, Prunus fasciculata (Rosaceae), is a Mojave Desert shrub that primarily produces male and female flowers on different plants. I investigated the plant’s pollination by examining pollen loads on insects aspirated from female flowers on 3 dioecious shrubs, growing near male-flowering shrubs, at one locality in southern Nevada during March 2014. Pollen loads were analyzed on 9 species of Diptera in Bombyliidae, Syrphidae, Calliphoridae, and Tachinidae and 4 species of Hymenoptera in Andrenidae (all female Andrena). All but 4 of the 65 flies and 38 bees aspirated carriedP. fasciculata pollen grains, recognized by their tricolpate shape in …

Thermal Ecology, Sexual Dimorphism, And Diet Of Xenosaurus Tzacualtipantecus From Hidalgo, Mexico, Jenny García-Rico, Anibal Díaz De La Vega-Pérez, Geoffrey R. Smith, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Guillermo A. Woolrich-Piña

Western North American Naturalist

Our knowledge of the biology of lizards in the genus Xenosaurus has increased over the past 20 years. Several generalities appear to hold for these lizards; however, some traits appear to vary among populations and species of Xenosaurus. Here we report on the thermal ecology, sexual dimorphism, and diet of a population of the recently describedXenosaurus tzacualtipantecus from Hidalgo, Mexico. The mean body temperature (T_b) of X. tzacualtipantecus in our population (18.1 °C) is the lowest mean T_b yet observed in Xenosaurus. The close relationships between T_b and air temperatures (T_a) …

The Problem Of Low Agreement Among Automated Indentification Programs For Acoustical Surverys Of Bats, Cliff Lemen, Patricia W. Freeman, Jeremy A. White, Brett R. Andersen

Western North American Naturalist

We compared 4 programs designed to identify species of bats from their echolocation calls (Bat Call ID, EchoClass, Kaleidoscope Pro, and SonoBat) using field data collected in Nebraska, USA (29,782 files). Although we did not know the true identity of these bats, we could still compare the pairwise agreement between software packages when identifying the same call sequences. If accuracy is high in these software packages, there should be high agreement in identification. Agreement in identification by species averaged approximately 40% and varied by software package, species, and data set. Our results are not consistent with the high accuracy often …

Assessment Of The Immediate Impacts Of The 2013–2014 Drought On Ecosystems Of The California Central Coast, Christopher Potter

Western North American Naturalist

A methodology was developed to assess the impacts of the historic 2013–2014 drought on ecosystems of California’s Central Coast region, using a combination of satellite image analysis and in situ measurements of soil moisture in predominant vegetation types of the region. According to differences in Landsat drought indices for plant water stress and vegetation green cover (NDWI and NDVI, respectively), the geographic areas within the study region that were most severely impacted by the 2013 drought were the inland Carmel Valley in northern Monterey County and the coastal zones around San Simeon Point and Cambria in northern San Luis Obispo …

Helminth Communities Of Cyprinodon Atrorus In The Natural Protected Area Of Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila, Northern Mexico, Rogelio Aguilar-Aguilar, Omar Lagunas-Calvo, Gerardo Pérez-Ponce De León

Western North American Naturalist

The helminth fauna of the bolson pupfish Cyprinodon atrorus (Osteichthyes: Cyprinodontidae) consisted of 7 helminth taxa collected from 7 localities of Cuatro Ciénegas, a natural area protected by the Mexican government in Coahuila, northern Mexico. The helminth community is described at the infracommunity and component community levels. The acanthocephalan Atactorhynchus duranguensis was the most prevalent and abundant species. The remaining species were rare and found at low mean abundance values. The observed species richness, individual parasite abundance, and diversity were low at both component community and infracommunity levels. These findings are similar to those found in other freshwater fish species …

Front Matter, Vol. 75 No. 2

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

End Matter, Vol. 75 No. 2

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

After The Bp Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Financial And Health Concerns Among Coastal Residents And Commercial Fishers, Katie E. Cherry, Bethany A. Lyon, Loren D. Marks, Pam F. Nezat, Rachel Adamek, S. Devon Walsh, Kristina B. Fitzgerald, Dina R. Anbinder, Claire V. Bernacchio

Faculty Publications

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill is recognized as the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. In this article, we examine the impact of the BP oil spill on directly affected commercial fishers and indirectly affected residents of the greater New Orleans metropolitan area. A sample of 148 participants responded to an open-ended question on the impact of the oil spill on self, family, and their community at least 12 months after the oil spill began. Content analysis of their narrative text yielded four emergent themes which we present here: 1) Economic Impact on the Seafood Industry and Local …

Vitamin D Deficiency And Infertility: A Systematic Review, Susanne Stoddard Sollis

Student Works

Vitamin D regulates calcium and phosphorus homeostasis in the body. In recent years, studies have been conducted examining the role vitamin D plays in reproduction. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with infertility, decreased pregnancy rates, and hormonal changes. Asians appear to have a reverse correlation with pregnancy rates and vitamin D levels. There are some conflicting studies regarding vitamin D levels in relationship to infertility. This paper reviews the most recent literature focusing on the relationship between vitamin D status and infertility. This review evidences vitamin D levels >30 ng/mL result in improved fertility outcomes.

Cell-Free Synthetic Biology, Bradley Charles Bundy

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Cell-free Research Projects using direct access and Nascent Polypeptide

Education Research In The Life Sciences, Jamie Jensen

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: The development and transferability of scientific reasoning skills; appropriate assessment techniques; effective strategies for constructivist teaching in the STEM classroom; strategies to enhance STEM retention

Helper T-Cell Role In Immunity To Infection, Scott Weber

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: Immunology; Host-pathogen interactions; Molecular Biology; Mechanisms of T Cell Activation and Memory Cell Formation; High Affinity T cell Receptors

Gene Regulatory Networks In The Developing Heart, Jonathon T. Hill

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: understanding how genes are regulated during heart formation; bioinformatics and bench biology to study how gene expression is controlled during this process

3d Printed Microfluids, Gregory P. Nordin

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: 3D printed microfluidics, biological and chemical sensors, nanophotonics and integrated optics, micro- and nanofabrication, MEMS, and microfluidics

Byu Mri Research Facility, Neal Bangerter, C. Brock Kirwan, Erin Bigler, Jonathan Wisco

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Capabilities and limits of the BYU MRI Research Facility

Conserved Pathways Involved In Regulating Central Metabolism, Julianne Grose

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: Regulation of metabolism in response to the availability of nutrients and other factors affecting growth, the study of PAS kinase, control of NAD and NADP levels within the cell

Ribosome Component Turnover Kinetics Describes A Two-Pool Kinetic Model In Dietary Restriction That Suggests Rpl10 Is Exchanged During Ribosome Lifespan, Andrew David Mathis

Theses and Dissertations

The eukaryotic ribosome is a large molecular machine consisting of ~80 ribosomal proteins and 4 rRNAs. The 40S and 60S ribosomal subunits are assembled in the nucleolus by ~200 helper proteins then shipped into the cytoplasm or to the endoplasmic reticulum where protein translation takes place. Eventually ribosomes are removed from the cytoplasm and recycled through ribophagy, however, very is little is known about ribosomal protein exchange after assembly but before ribophagy. Using kinetic turnover measurements of ribosomal proteins and rRNA in vivo we determined ribosomal protein replacement rates are diverse suggesting ribosomal components may be replaced without destruction of …

Design, Fabrication, And Optimization Of Miniaturized Devices For Bioanalytical Applications, Suresh Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation work integrates the techniques of microfabrication, micro/nanofluidics, and bioanalytical chemistry to develop miniaturized devices for healthcare applications. Semiconductor processing techniques including photolithography, physical and chemical vapor deposition, and wet etching are used to build these devices in silicon and polymeric materials. On-chip micro-/nanochannels, pumps, and valves are used to manipulate the flow of fluid in these devices. Analytical techniques such as size-based filtration, solid-phase extraction (SPE), sample enrichment, on-chip labeling, microchip electrophoresis (µCE), and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) are utilized to analyze biomolecules. Such miniaturized devices offer the advantages of rapid analysis, low cost, and lab-on-a-chip scale integration …

Alternative Preprocessing Of Rna-Sequencing Data In The Cancer Genome Atlas Leads To Improved Analysis Results, Mumtahena Rahman, Laurie K. Jackson, W. Evan Johnson, Dean Y. Li, Andrea H. Bild, Stephen R. Piccolo

Faculty Publications

Motivation: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) RNA-Sequencing data are used widely for research. TCGA provides ‘Level 3’ data, which have been processed using a pipeline specific to that resource. However, we have found using experimentally derived data that this pipeline produces gene-expression values that vary considerably across biological replicates. In addition, some RNA-Sequencing analysis tools require integer-based read counts, which are not provided with the Level 3 data. As an alternative, we have reprocessed the data for 9264 tumor and 741 normal samples across 24 cancer types using the Rsubread package. We have also collated corresponding clinical data for these …

Drought And Nitrogen Effects On Maize Canopy Temperature And Stress Indices, David A. Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

Increased water scarcity due to changing climate, population growth, and economic development is a major threat to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the Western United States and other regions around the world. Management practices, such as controlled deficit irrigation, that seek to maximize the productivity of a limited water supply are critical. When using controlled deficit irrigation, remote sensing of crop canopy temperature is a useful tool for assessing crop water status and for more precise irrigation management. However, there is potential that nutrient deficiencies could compound the interpretation of water status from leaf temperature by altering leaf color …

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Ferritin Bio Minerals For Photovoltaic, Nanobattery, And Bio-Nano Propellant Applications, Trevor Jamison Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Material science is an interdisciplinary area of research, which in part, designs and characterizes new materials. Research is concerned with synthesis, structure, properties, and performance of materials. Discoveries in materials science have significant impact on future technologies, especially in nano-scale applications where the physical properties of nanomaterials are significantly different than their bulk counterparts. The work presented here discusses the use of ferritin, a hollow sphere-like biomolecule, which forms metal oxo-hydride nanoparticles inside its protein shell for uses as a bio-inorganic material.Ferritin is capable of forming and sequestering 8 nm metal-oxide nanoparticles within its 2 nm thick protein shell. A …

Delimiting Species And Varieties Of Cycladenia Humilis (Apocynaceae), Holly Kathryn Brabazon

Student Works

Taxonomic delimitation of rare species is vital for accurate assessments of diversity and for their conservation. Cycladenia humilis, the sole species of Cycladenia, is an enigmatic perennial widely dispersed across the western United States. Within this species there are three currently recognized varieties: C. humilis var. humilis in Northern California, C. humilis var. venusta in Southern California, and C. humilis var. jonesii in Utah and Northern Arizona. Some populations occur geographically in areas between the typical distribution of each variety and the presently accepted taxonomy inadequately addresses these populations. Using five nDNA regions, we seek to clarify relationships between current …

Analytical Approaches In Investigating The Kinetics Of Water-Molecule Complexes In Tropospheric Reactions, William J. Keeton

Theses and Dissertations

Ozone is a heavily monitored pollutant. Ozone is not directly emitted into the atmosphere, but rather the product of chemical reactions. Ground level ozone occurs when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react with each other in the presence of sunlight. The primary precursors of ozone are anthropogenically emitted, and as a result, tropospheric ozone has cost millions of dollars in damages and has hurt the health of countless people. This dissertation is a collection of work that aims to provide insight into atmospheric reactions that result in tropospheric ozone and the instrumentation to study such reactions. While …

Discovering Self: Childbearing Adolescents' Maternal Identity, Janelle L. B. Macintosh, Lynn Clark Callister

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Adolescent pregnancy and motherhood have long been a topic of interest for many healthcare professionals. However, there are limited data on how childbearing adolescents incorporate motherhood identity into their sense of self. The purpose of this study was to explore how childbearing adolescents perceive motherhood as becoming part of their personal identity.

Study Design: This qualitative study using ethnographic data collection involved 7 months of observation, interaction, and interviews.

Methods: Data were collected from nine expectant adolescents during in-depth interviews. All participants were patients at a teen mother and child clinic staffed by certified nurse midwives and a pediatrician. …

Mating-Type Locus Characterization And Variation In Pyrenophora Semeniperda, Julie Leanna Henry

Theses and Dissertations

Pyrenophora semeniperda is a generalist fungal pathogen that occurs primarily on monocot seed hosts. It is in the phylum Ascomycota, which includes both self-compatible (homothallic) and self-incompatible (heterothallic) species. Homothallic fungal species contain complementary mating-type (MAT) idiomorphs in a single unikaryotic strain, while heterothallic strains contain a single MAT idiomorph requiring interaction between strains of complementary mating-types for sexual reproduction to occur. Because the majority of P. semeniperda strains contained either MAT1 or MAT2, this species was provisionally categorized as heterothallic. However, many strains contain both MAT idiomorphs and appear to be homothallic. These results warranted a closer look at …

Describing Spiritual Growth In An Online Religious Education Course: A Phenomenological Perspective, Benjamin Trevor Fryar

Theses and Dissertations

An estimated 33% of all college students take at least one online class (Allen & Seaman, 2013). Online classes are offered across a wide range of domains, including courses designed for spiritual development. Little research exists examining students' experiences in these types of classes. The purpose of this research is to help address this gap by describing the phenomenon of spiritual growth in an online religious education course. Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-Idaho) offers online courses designed to help students grow spiritually. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten students who took one of these classes and who reported positive gains in …

Evaluation Of A Combination Approach To Pedagogy In A Soil Science Laboratory Classroom And An Environmental Site Assessment Sample, Emily Linda Gervais

Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1 of this study explores research that has shown that the use of technology in the classroom can be beneficial to student learning. Additionally, a need for Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) instruction in university level core environmental science classrooms has been demonstrated. This study includes an investigation of the potential benefits of using a combination of pedagogies: web-based teaching tools and ESA instruction in a laboratory classroom. The research design included two class formats, one that employed web-based tools (PowerPoint and video) and ESA instruction, and one that did not, with four class sections. All classes were taught by …