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Studies Of Selected Predators Of Black Grass Bugs (Labops Hesperius Uhler And Irbisia Brachycera Uhler) On Ranges Of Utah, Jaime Eduardo Araya

Biology

The activity of selected arthropod predators on both immature and adult black grass bugs, Labops hesperius Uhler and Irbisia brachycera Uhler, in infested Utah ranges was investigated. Adult Nabis alternatus was found to the most important predator of black grass bugs, especially in early spring, when nabids were the most abundant predaceous species. Immature nabids consumed the bugs but because of their smaller size they preyed mostly on leafhoppers, smaller plant bug nymphs and other immature nabids. A shortwinged species of Nabis (probably N. vanduzeei) showed good potential as a predator of adult Labops and Irbisia in laboratory feeding tests. …

Locomotion Of Rock Squirrels (Spermophilus Variegatus), Awadh Al-Johny

Biology

Locomotion and climbing ability of rock squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus) were studied in an outdoor enclosure from June 15 to July 30, 1981, and in an indoor enclosure from October 1981 to June 1982. Dowels and tree branches of different diameters were used to test the animals' climbing ability and movements. Uinta ground squirrels (Spermophilus armatus) and red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) were used for comparison. Animals were filmed with a 16 mm camera and a videotape earners. Films were analyzed using a slow motion projector, and drawings were made directly from the films. Speed in m/s and kph and maximum horizontal …

Avian Resource Partitioning Along A Montane Sere, Kimberly Gray Smith

Biology

Avian vegetation-use and foraging behavior were studied along a spruce-fir sere in the Bear River Mountains of northern Utah and southern Idaho from 1976 to 1978 on four 10 ha plots--one each in meadow, aspen, fir and spruce. A total of 71 species were encountered, of which 43 bred in at least one of three breeding seasons. Avian vegetation-use was quantified on the 3 forested plots by sampling a total of 197 (0.05ha) plots around singing male birds of 15 species. Also, 75 random plots (25 in each seral stage) were sampled to characterize the available vegetation. Principal component analysis …

Studies On Rotavirus Growth In Cell Culture And Various Aspects Of Replication, Scott M. Clark

Biology

The effect of trypsin on the infectivity and cultivation of rotaviruses has been studied. It was found that trypsin increases the infectivity of bovine, simian and porcine rotaviruses from 10 to 400-fold and that the enzyme increases the yield of bovine rotavirus in cell culture up to 1000-fold. Studies on the mechanism of trypsin enhancement of rotaviral infectivity indicate that the enzyme facilitates the uncoating of parental virus in the infected cell. Studies on the involvement of two particle types in bovine rotavirus replication indicate that the yield of light (L) infectious virions and dense (D) non-infectious particles in various …

Factors Determining The Abundance And Distribution Of Rodents In A Shrub-Steppe Ecosystem: The Role Of Shrubs, Robert R. Parmenter

Biology

This study addressed the relative importances of shrub "resources" on a rodent community in a sagebrush dominated shrub-steppe ecosystem in southwestern Wyoming. Direct effects of shrubs (i.e., providing rodents with "food and cover") were assessed by removing shrubs from a 1.25 ha study plot and monitoring both rodent populations and their food resources. Shrub-related "food and cover" was found to be unimportant to deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus), Great Basin pocket mice (Perognathus parvus), northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster) and Uinta ground squirrels (Speromphilus armatus), as shrub removal caused no significant changes in population sizes, sex ratios or age structure. Least chipmunks …

Utah State University Commencement, 1982 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

Eighty-Ninth Annual Commencement of Utah State University

The Teton Dam Disaster: Tragedy Or Triumph?, F. Ross Peterson

Faculty Honor Lectures

Six years ago, Charles Peterson and I received a carefully wrapped manuscript in the mail. An enclosed letter described in graphic detail the story of the water-stained box and its contents. The letter was from a graduate student who lived and taught in Sugar, . Idaho. This student had written a master's thesis of questionable merit, and we had rejected it in 1975 and had demanded a complete rewrite. The disgruntled and discouraged author had placed the ill-fated work in a box on the desk in his study. It remained there for nearly one year. Then onJune 5, 1976, the …

Experimental Insights On Factors Affecting The Distribution Of Phacelia Cookei Constance And Heckard, A Narrow Endemic, Susan Horner-Till

Biology

The germination and dispersal ecology of Phacelia cookei, an annual plant under review for Federal Endangered plant status, was studied in relation to its occurrence in disturbed habitats. Within the range of disturbed habitats presently available in the study area Phacelia cookei is restricted to sites of visible human disturbance (especially roadbanks and areas of recently cleared vegetation) in field surveys. The natural habitat is an enigma. Animal trails and burned areas represented the only sites of non-human disturbance with which P. cookei may be associated. Seven to eight plants were found at two sites in animal trails. Several plants …

Toxicological Effects Of Extracts Of Cestrum Parqui L'Héritier In Mice, Tomás A. López

Biology

Cestrum parqui L'Heritier is a Solanaceous weed of wide distribution throughout the world. It causes poisoning of animals, particularly cattle and sheep, and constitutes a serious problem for animal production in some countries. The present study was undertaken to develop a biological test for the detection of toxicity of extracts obtained from the plant. This test will be utilized to assess the toxicity of extracts obtained from the plant in future studies. The plant is known to induce poisoning in laboratory animals, but there are no precise references on doses to be utilized and of appropriate routes of dosing. Oral …

The Energetic Cost Of Incubation And Bioenergetics Of The Barn Owl, Kirk L. Hamilton

Biology

The energetic cost of incubation and bioenergetics of barn owls (Tyto alba) were studied at the Welder Wildlife Foundation in southern Texas, in northern Utah, and in the laboratory at Utah State University. Metabolism data of 5 incubating owls were compared to metabolic rates of 6 non-incubating captive owls (4 of which were the same birds) and found not to be significantly different over temperatures that ranged from 2-30 C. Therefore, barn owls appear to conduct incubation with little energetic strain and this may partially be explained by the ameliorating effects of incubating inside of nestboxes. These results support King's …

Factors Affecting The Expression Of Resistance In The Sugarbeet To The Sugarbeet Root Maggot Tetanops Myopaeformis (Von Röder), Glenn G. Mahrt

Biology

This study was initiated to determine some of the biological and environmental factors affecting the expression of resistance in beet breeding lines to the sugarbeet root maggot. Findings will help to define the most appropriate conditions for testing and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in resistance. Laboratory and field studies were conducted to (1) determine the effect of plant age, soil type, soil nutrition, and soil moisture on larval development and oviposition; (2) determine the effects of these conditions on the expression of resistance; and (3) search for possible morphological or physiological root characteristics related to plant …

Magazine Training Trials And Context Effects On Autoshaping, Fernando G. Oberdieck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the autoshaping preparation subjects are exposed to magazine training (US-only trials) prior to the conditioning phase in which a stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS) predicts the delivery of a response independent reinforcer (unconditioned stimulus, US). Two experiments examined the hypothesis that irrespective of the number of US-only trials administered the magazine training and autoshaping contexts interact to determine conditioning, as measured by contact responses to the CS. The contexts employed were houselight on (light, L) and houselight off (dark, D).

In Experiment I pigeons were exposed to 1, 20, 100, or 900 US-only trials in a D, or L, context …

A Study Of Drought Effects On Livestock Feeds And Products In The Western United States, Robert E. Blakeslee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Through the use of a regionalized Linear Programming model, a profit maximized optimal solution was obtained for livestock feed and product production for a selected base year (1979). Production data, seasonality, transfer activities, and herd liquidation are developed for ten feeds and seven livestock products and incorporated within the model. Two drought induced simulations were imposed affecting feed production and feed prices, procuring new optimal results. Drought is simulated by the use of crop-weather indexes and range response equations.

Results are discussed and presented in tables for the base year and drought simulations. Results include profits, costs, feed and livestock …

Religious Activity And Time Use Of 149 Utah Husbands, Gayleen Wayman Thalman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to analyze 149 Utah L.D.S. husband/father's time spent in various activities by their level of religious activity, and to relate their organization participation time to their household work time. Data for this study came from the Utah portion of the "Interstate Comparison of Urban/Rural Families' Time Use." This study used a sub-sample of the original Utah sample. Data used were collected through church affiliation and activity questionnaires and time diaries.

Level of religious activity in the L.D.S. Church was considered along with husbands' time allocated to organization participation, social and recreational activities, and household …

An Approach To Selection Of Variety And Planting Date In Corn Silage Production, Carlos A. Luna-Gonzalez

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The major purpose of this study is to make additional information available to the farm manager to improve the decision-making process relating to corn silage production. This study is primarily concerned with factors that influence planting date and variety selection. With-in the framework of decision theory analysis, a Bayesian approach is employed to calculate the best time to plant and the best variety to plant. The approach is used both with and without the possible occurrence of harmful spring frosts. The "seventy growing degree day" method is employed as a criterion for planting date selection. The planting dates are matched …

The Impact Of Performance Testing On Production Selection, Ross A. Jacobson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Performance testing data from a registered herd of Hereford cattle in Northern Utah for the years 1974 through 1980 were analyzed in this study. The cattle consisted of a spring calving herd, approximately 440 cows, and a fall calving herd, approximately 120 cows. Five weaning traits (weaning weight, weight per day of age, 205-day weaning weight, 205-dat adjusted weaning weight, weaning index) and four yearling traits (yearling weight, average daily gain, 365-day adjusted yearling weight, yearling index) were computed on the offspring from both herds, for the years mentioned, to test the influence of a performance testing program on the …

The Writing And Production Of A Series Of Mini-Documentary Radio Programs On Animal Control And Care In Logan, Camille Cornish-Dryden

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Human beings have for ages domesticated animals which they have kept for companionship as pets. Originally man and his animals lived on scattered farms and ranches where pets had plenty of room to roam. As human social structures changed and people crowded into towns and cities, the matter of controlling one's pets in order to prevent their becoming the neighbor's pests became a serious concern. Next to fights over water rights in the west, perhaps the most frequent cause for contention was the control of one's pets.

Images And Sequences: A Demonstration Project On The Use Of Photography As A Tool For Academic Motivation In Logan Junior High School, H. Gordon Hilden

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This is a report of an after-school, non-credit, photo-enrichment course that was developed and offered to students at the Logan Junior High School during the period March 30 through May 6, 1981.

The artistic intent of this course was to teach students how to see with a camera, recording images on transparency film, and later arranging transparencies into idea-development or story-telling sequences.

The educational intent was to see if such a course would motivate students to perform better in other classes and improve their school relationships in general.

The course was of too short a duration to develop any hard …

Visual Assessment Of Rivers And Marshes: An Examination Of The Relationship Of Visual Units, Perceptual Variables And Preference, John C. Ellsworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship of two approaches to visual assessment of landscape--the qualitative descriptive inventory and the theoretically-based empirical perceptual preference approach. Three levels of landscape visual units based on bio-physical similarities (landscape units, setting units, and waterscape units) were identified in a marsh (CUtler Reservoir, Cache County , Utah), and its tributary streams. Color slide photographs were taken from five of the visual units. These slides were rated on a 5- point scale by panels of judges for the expression of four perceptual variables--coherence, complexity, mystery, and legibility. The same slides were rated …

The Relative Roles Of Initial And Residual Sodium Nitrite On Germination Of Clostridium Botulinum Spores In Meat, Orchid Mettanant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Four levels of NaNO₂ (0 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 156 ppm) were tested for antibotulinal activity in ground pork inoculated with spores of Clostridium botulinum either at the time of formulation or after cooking. Samples formulated with less than 156 ppm sodium nitrite received additional nitrite to adjust the residual nitrite equal to that found after cooking in samples formulated with 156 ppm nitrite. All samples were subjected to abusive storage at 27 C. Inoculating the spores at the time of formulation resulted in a faster rate of swelling. Heating C. botulinum spores for 30 min. at …

Pharmacokinetic Assessment Of The Influence Of Dietary Fiber On The Absorption And Disposition Of Selected Model Xenobiotics As It Relates To Colon Cancer, Joseph Donald Debethizy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Selected drugs are being utilized as models of putative colon carcinogens in a study of the influence of major types of dietary fiber upon drug pharmacokinetics. Adult, male Wistar rats were pretreated with standardized, isocaloric hydrated gelatin diets containing no fiber or 15% (w/w) cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose (metamucil), or pectin for 30 days. An additional group was fed lab chow ad libitum as a reference control.

The pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen, FD & C Red No. 2 and mirex were examined following oral administration in three separate experiments. Among fiber types, pectin and hemicellulose (Metamucil) caused higher peak plasma concentrations of …

Use And Evaluation Of The Nutrient Density Concept For Assessing The Impact Of Socioeconomic Factors On Nutritional Quality Of Diets, Carol Thompson Windham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Data from 7285 individual participants in the USDA Spring Nationwide Food Consumption Survey were analyzed using the nutrient density concept and multiple regression procedures to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic status on the nutritional quality of foods consumed. For each socioeconomic group the average daily amount of nutrients consumed per 1000 kcal of food consumed were computed and compared with the Recommended Dietary Allowances which had been converted to single-value nutrient allowances per 1000 kcal. This nutrient density approach identified qualitative patterns of food consumption for selected income, region, urbanization, household size, race, employment and education groups as well as …

Evaluation Of Heme And Free Iron Binding Agents As Substitutes For Sodium Nitrite In Cured Meat, Farzaneh Vahabzadeh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) gases, alone or with oxalate, phytate, or ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) were tested for antibotulinal activity as substitutes for sodium nitrite in ground pork inoculated with spores of Clostridium botulinum, then abused by storage at 277°C. Nitric oxide with 250 ppm oxalate or phytate was most inhibitory, while NO alone was as effective as 156 ppm sodium nitrite for inhibition of gas and botulinal toxin production in the meat system. All swollen samples contained very low levels of residual nitrite, but nitroso heme and soluble iron content did not change compared with unswollen samples …

A Comparative Study Of Seizure Susceptibility And Serum Calcium, Magnesium And Phosphorus Profiles Of Magnesium Deficient Rats, Nicole H. Bernhard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Magnesium deficiency in rats is known to precipitate audiogenic seizures. An unknown mineral factor in a diet mixture was found to substantially reduce the seizure occurence in magnesium deficient vii animals. This was corrected when the same mineral mixture was remade. Subsequently the faulty mineral mixture was discarded. This research .. as aimed at determining the mineral factor responsible for the observed changes in seizure occurence, and also aimed at investigating the relationships of serum calcium, magnesium and phosphorus concentrations to seizure susceptibility. Treatments to change the serum concentrations of these minerals included dietary manipulation, subcutaneous injection of calcitonin, of …

A Nutrition Education Componenet For Migrant Children Based On The K-6 Nutrient-Density Curriculum, Sandra Beadleson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A nutrition education component was developed, implemented, and evaluated for integration into the Title I migrant education program. The component was based on an evaluated nutrition education curriculum implemented by Brown in the elementary school. The nutrition education program was developed on the concept of nutrient density which measures the ratio of a food's nutrient contribution to its caloric contribution on a constant caloric basis. The nutrition component was modified to include behavioral objectives and concepts that partially met the needs of a migrant population in Utah.

The program was evaluated in the Title I programs in Corrine and Smithfield, …

Improved Fermentation Process For Producing Methane From Cheese Whey, Abdulraman Y. Awad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two methods of single-stage fermentation were used to produce methane from whey. The first method involved batch fermentation in which the pH was automatically controlled at 7.0. In addition to pH control, the second method was characterized by introducing the substrate continuously into the fermenter along with dilution water to keep the organic acids at a non-toxic level.

The first method did not improve the production of methane compared to the batch fermentation in which a pH control system was not used (41). However, the second method showed that the concentration of organic acids has a major effect on limiting …

Variations In The Coagulation Properties Of Milk From Individual Cows, Leslie M. Okigbo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Milk samples from fifty individual Holstein cows at the Utah State University Dairy Farm were tested monthly for 10 months for total protein, casein, fat, somatic cells and pH. A new instrument (Foss Formagraph) was used to measure the coagulation properties of the samples. Simulated cheese making procedures were utilized to measure recovery of fat and protein. All the data were statistically analyzed in relation to individual animals, stage of lactation, number of lactation and milk yield.

Significant variations in clotting time and curd firmness were observed in relation to period of lactation, season, individual cow difference, and milk pH. …

Assay, Purification, And Characterization Of A Pantetheine Hydrolyzing Enzyme From Pig Kidney, Carl Thomas Wittwer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A microsomal glycoprotein hydrolyzing pantetheine to pantothenate and cysteamine has been solubilized and purified to homogeneity as determined by sodium dodecylsulfate electrophoresis. Four rapid, independent assays of pantetheine hydrolysis are described and compared along with a method for localizing enzymatic activity on polyacrylamide gels. The enzyme is solubilized on exposure to butanol and purified by heat treatment, (NH4)₂SO₄ fractionation, hydrophobic chromatography, and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The glycoprotein, purified 5600-fold in 22% yield, has a specific activity of 14 μmoles pantothenate produced/min/mg of protein, 35 times that previously reported. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 9.0-9.5 and a …

The Derivation And Validation Of A Workable Food Listing System For Use In Evaluation Of Food Consumption, Georgia C. Lauritzen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three separate food grouping systems were derived for diet evaluation by utilizing a computer clustering program. System 1 was based on grouping of foods according to nutrient quality and quantity, system 2 was based on nutrient quality and frequency of consumption and system 3 was based on nutrient quality and kilocalories consumed. Defendable nutritional principles as well as knowledge of present nutritional concerns and eating habits of the U.S. population underpinned the derivation of the three systems. Over 4,000 individual foods were condensed to approximately 325 groups.

The three food grouping systems which were developed were compared for accuracy by …

Human-Bear Interactions In The Backcountry Of Yosemite National Park, Bruce Charles Hastings

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to quantitatively document interactions between black bears and backcountry visitors, and to identify the factors affecting those encounters. Fine hundred and ninety-two interactions were observed. The most common responses of visitors to bears were to watch, walk toward, and talk to others and/or point at the bear. Bears responded to humans largely by walking away, watching, traveling around, walking toward, and running away from people.

Each behavior for both species was categorized into one of four response classes: (1) fear/avoidance, (2) neutrality, (3) approach, or (4) aggression. Over 65 percent of visitor responses were …