Digital Commons Network^™

Loss Of Developmental Diapause As Prerequisite For Social Evolution In Bees, Priscila Karla Ferreira Santos, Maria Cristina Arias, Karen M. Kapheim

Biology Faculty Publications

Diapause is a physiological arrest of development ahead of adverse environmental conditions and is a critical phase of the life cycle of many insects. In bees, diapause has been reported in species from all seven taxonomic families. However, they exhibit a variety of diapause strategies. These different strategies are of particular interest since shifts in the phase of the insect life cycle in which diapause occurs have been hypothesized to promote the evolution of sociality. Here we provide a comprehensive evaluation of this hypothesis with phylogenetic analysis and ancestral state reconstruction (ASR) of the ecological and evolutionary factors associated with …

Temperature Triggers A Non-Linear Response In Resource–Consumer Interaction Strength, Gustavo S. Betini, Tal Avgar, Kevin S. Mccann, John M. Fryxell

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Although temperature is recognized as a major determinant of many ecological processes, it is still not clear whether temperature increase caused by climate change will strengthen or weaken species interactions. One hypothesis is that interactions will respond non‐monotonically to temperature because thermal performance curves, which determine the strength of these interactions, are also non‐monotonic. To evaluate this hypothesis, we developed a temperature‐dependent consumer–resource model and tested predictions from this model in large freshwater mesocosms populated with green algae (Chlorella vulgaris) and herbivorous zooplankton (Daphnia magna). We found both in the model simulations and empirical investigations that …

Monitoring Silane Sol-Gel Kinetics With In-Situ Optical Turbidity Scanning And Dynamic Light Scattering, Abul Bashar Mohammad Giasuddin, David W. Britt

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Organosilanes (e.g., R’-SiOR₃) provide hydrophobic functionality in thin-film coatings, porous gels, and particles. Compared with tetraalkoxysilanes (SiOR₄), organosilanes exhibit distinct reaction kinetics and assembly mechanisms arising from steric and electronic properties of the R’ group on the silicon atom. Here, the hydrolysis and condensation pathways of n-propyltrimethoxy silane (nPM) and a tri-fluorinated analog of nPM, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl trimethoxy silane (3F), were investigated under aqueous conditions at pH 1.7, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. Prior to hydrolysis, 3F and nPM are insoluble in water and form a lens at the bottom (3F) or top (nPM) of the solutions. This …

A Structural Based Feature Extraction For Detecting The Relation Of Hidden Substructures In Coral Reef Images, Mahmood Sotoodeh, Mohammad Reza Moosavi, Reza Boostani

Computer Science Student Research

In this paper, we present an efficient approach to extract local structural color texture features for classifying coral reef images. Two local texture descriptors are derived from this approach. The first one, based on Median Robust Extended Local Binary Pattern (MRELBP), is called Color MRELBP (CMRELBP). CMRELBP is very accurate and can capture the structural information from color texture images. To reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector, the second descriptor, co-occurrence CMRELBP (CCMRELBP) is introduced. It is constructed by applying the Integrative Co-occurrence Matrix (ICM) on the Color MRELBP images. This way we can detect and extract the relative …

Synthesis Paper: Targeted Livestock Grazing: Prescription For Healthy Rangelands, Derek W. Bailey, Jeffrey C. Mosley, Richard E. Estell, Andres F. Cibils, Marc Horney, John R. Hendrickson, John W. Walker, Karen L. Launchbaugh, Elizabeth A. Burritt

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Targeted livestock grazing is a proven tool for manipulating rangeland vegetation, and current knowledge about targeted livestock grazing is extensive and expanding rapidly. Targeted grazing prescriptions optimize the timing, frequency, intensity, and selectivity of grazing (or browsing) in combinations that purposely exert grazing/browsing pressure on specific plant species or portions of the landscape. Targeted grazing differs from traditional grazing management in that the goal of targeted grazing is to apply defoliation or trampling to achieve specific vegetation management objectives, whereas the goal of traditional livestock grazing management is generally the production of livestock commodities. A shared aim of targeted livestock …

Poo Power: Revisiting Biogas Generation Potential On Dairy Farms In Texas, Justin R. Benavidez, Anastasia W. Thayer, David P. Anderson

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Biogas created from anaerobic digestion on dairy farms can be used to generate electricity, produce coproducts, and reduce reliance on off-farm inputs. We incorporate risk into simulation models representing dairy farms in Texas and demonstrate the profitability of new anaerobic digester installation. Based on this market, results indicate projects that have low investment costs, receive grant support for construction, utilize coproducts, or have some combination of these factors have higher net present value at the end of the study period; however, even with generous grant support and high electricity prices, projects with average investment costs remain unprofitable.

What We (Don’T) Know About Global Plant Diversity, William K. Cornwell, William D. Pearse, Rhiannon L. Dalrymple, Amy E. Zanne

Ecology Center Publications

The era of big biodiversity data has led to rapid, exciting advances in the theoretical and applied biological, ecological and conservation sciences. While large genetic, geographic and trait databases are available, these are neither complete nor random samples of the globe. Gaps and biases in these databases reduce our inferential and predictive power, and this incompleteness is even more worrisome because we are ignorant of both its kind and magnitude. We performed a comprehensive examination of the taxonomic and spatial sampling in the most complete current databases for plant genes, locations and functional traits. To do this, we downloaded data …

Computing Observation Geometry For Small Satellites, Charles H. Acton

Small Satellite Conference

Most solar system science missions need a variety of observation geometry–quantities such as position and velocity; range and altitude; viewing latitude and longitude; and lighting angles–to support mission engineering, science planning, and science data analysis activities. NASA's "SPICE" system offers one popular, multi-mission means for doing just that. SPICE comprises both data files, called kernels, and a SPICE software. A mission operations center produces the SPICE kernel files. Scientists and engineers write their own applications programs to address some need, and they include a few SPICE subroutines within that code to do the needed geometry computations. The SPICE system has …

Amazon Web Services (Aws) Cloud Platform For Satellite Data Processing, Richard Baker, Peter Macharrie, Hieu Phung, Jonathan Hansford, Jakku Reddy, Stephen Causey, John Sobanski, Steven Walsh, Ronald Niemann, Daniel Beall

Small Satellite Conference

As part of NOAA’s Environmental Satellite Processing and Distribution System (ESPDS) program, Solers created a cloud platform for satellite data management and processing. It consists of Enterprise Data Management (EDM) and Enterprise Product Generation (EPG) services, hosted in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environment, leveraging AWS cloud services and existing NOAA product generation algorithms. While this cloud platform was developed in the context of NOAA/NESDIS satellite data management and processing requirements, it also has tremendous applicability and cost effectiveness for small satellite data management and processing needs. An attractive method for ingesting data from small satellites is the AWS …

Design Of An In-Situ Sensor Package To Track Cubesat Deployments, Aaron P. Aboaf, Nicholas W. Renninger, Lara C. Lufkin

Small Satellite Conference

Currently, radar measurements of low-earth-orbit CubeSats are only possible during a small portion of a CubeSat’s orbit – typically long after the CubeSat’s deployment – making near real-time space situational awareness (SSA) difficult. The CU Boulder Smead Aerospace Engineering Department has developed a concept to monitor CubeSat deployments from the deployer itself and provide relative position and velocity measurements of deployed payloads to provide faster orbital parameter estimation. Teaming with NanoRacks LLC, the VANTAGE team (Visual Approximation of Nanosat Trajectories to Augment Ground-based Estimation) has developed an innovative sensor package prototype consisting of an Infra-red (IR) Time of Flight (ToF) …

“How Long Must We Wait?” Lessons From The History Of The Animal Welfare Movement, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In a series of boxes in the D.H. Hill Library at North Carolina State sit scores of historical pamphlets and newspaper articles advocating an end to cruelty toward animals. The documents date back to the nineteenth century, and provide an undeniable record of the history of strong public sentiment against the mistreatment of animals. The collection preserves the stories of countless activists who opposed inhumane treatment in slaughterhouses, research labs, the entertainment industry, transport, and sport, among other endeavors. These activists dedicated inspiring amounts of time, energy, and resources to a cause that is seldom given the attention that it …

Unlocking The Next Generation Of Nano-Satellite Missions With 320 Mbps Ka-Band Downlink: On-Orbit Results, Kyle Leveque, Louis Carleton, Jan King, Zach Cuseo, Russell Babb

Small Satellite Conference

Relatively low downlink data rates have historically limited the scientific and commercial return from CubeSats and SmallSats. As the capability of payloads for these satellites continues to increase, high-speed downlink capability is required to realize the increasing potential from these systems. In this paper we present the on-orbit results of our high-speed Ka-band transmitter operating aboard the twin Corvus-BC3 and Corvus-BC4 6U CubeSats. The 1-U form factor Ka-band system enables the unprecedented data return from a multi-spectral imager in this class of spacecraft. We highlight the spacecraft design and operational challenges that have been overcome on these missions that will …

Optical Communications Crosslink Payload Prototype Development For The Cubesat Laser Infrared Crosslink (Click) Mission, Paul Serra, Ondrej Cierny, Rodrigo Diez, Peter Grenfell, Grant Gunnison, Will Kammerer, Joe Kusters, Cadence Payne, Joseph Murphy, Tao Sevigny, Paula Do Vale Pereira, Laura Yenchesky, Kerri Cahoy, Myles Clark, Tyler Ritz, Danielle Coogan, John Conklin, David Mayer, John Hanson, Jan Stupl

Small Satellite Conference

The Cubesat Laser Infrared CrosslinK (CLICK) mission is a technology demonstration of10 Mbps downlink. On the second flight, with two identical 3U CubeSats, CLICK-B/C, a >20 Mbps crosslink will be demonstrated in addition to downlinks. In this paper representative link budgets for the crosslink are presented, including both communications and beacon lasers. The payload Pointing, Acquisition and Tracking (PAT) system is introduced, and the performance of the second stage closed loop tracking signal processing is assessed. Errors below 1 urad are reported from test and simulation. The communication detector of the payload is a 200 um InGaAs Avalanche PhotoDetector (APD), …

Raincube, The First Spaceborne Precipitation Radar In A 6u Cubesat, Eva Peral, Simone Tanelli, Shannon Statham, Jonathan Sauder, Shivani Joshi, Douglas Price, Travis Imken, Nacer Chahat, Austin Williams

Small Satellite Conference

RainCube (Radar in a CubeSat) is a technology demonstration mission to enable Ka-band precipitation radar technologies on a low-cost, quick-turnaround platform. The RainCube instrument concept was conceived at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Initial technology development and demonstration paved the way to a mission concept to validate two key technologies in the space environment – a miniaturized Ka-band precipitation profiling radar that occupies ~3U and a 0.5m Ka-band deployable parabolic antenna stowed within 1.5U. RainCube was selected within NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science 2015 In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies solicitation. The …

Cnes Miniaturization Policy: An Answer To Nanosatellites Challenges, Clement Dudal, C. Laporte, T. Floriant, Philippe Lafabrie

Small Satellite Conference

The reduction of mass and size with improvement of the performance of a device is a permanent challenge for the space industry. The French National Space Agency has funded hundreds of R&D activities in the past, in all dedicated technical areas to facilitate these kind of technological evolution. Miniaturization efforts have, more recently, encountered a growing field of application, the one of Nanosatellites. For these applications, performance/cost trade-off is largely dominated by full cost, that is to say the cost including the entire satellite system development, from the initial idea to the end of life, including operations, data processing and …

The Canop Cubesat Mission, Andrew Santangelo, Kevin Crosby

Small Satellite Conference

The CaNOP Cubesat Mission is a student based cubesat mission based out of Carthage College. The purpose of the mission is to test a method for multispectral imaging, image changes in the rain forest on Earth, and visualize changes in urban night lighting due to the growth in low power LED street lights. The 3U Cubesat camera system is designed to replicate early Landsat remote sensing capabilities. For this mission CaNOP is using a commercial four-band multispectral push-broom imager designed for precision agriculture applications. This imaging system reproduces a subset of the visible and near-IR Landsat and MODIS spectral imaging …

Human Resource Development In Africa, Shinsaku Nakamura, Kazuyo Hirose, Tomomi Takeda, Takayoshi Fukuyo

Small Satellite Conference

SMART Africa Manifesto was endorsed by all countries of African Union in 2014. African countries have cooperated to enable innovation, communication and advocacy, capacity building and resource mobilization through ICT. SMART Africa Steering Committee recommended that African space program proposal with Japan was implemented in cooperation with African Union on space developments for achieving Sustainable Development Goals continuously and synergistically in February 2018. The University of Tokyo and Japan Space Systems have cooperated to provide capacity building programs about micro-satellite developments and Earth observation satellite data analysis techniques to African young engineers. 2 optical cameras as a pseudo-multi-spectral were loaded …

The Itasat – The Lessons Learned From The Mission Concept To The Operation, Lidia Hissae Shibuya Sato, Luis Eduardo Vergueiro Loures Da Costa, Jonas Bianchini Fulindi, Helio André Dos Santos, Linélcio Dos Santos Paula, Emerson Henrique Silva De Oliveira, Jéssica Garcia De Azevedo, Breno Aparecido Crucioli, Denis Guilgim Vieira, Valdemir Carrara, Ana Carolina Di Iorio Jeronymo, Rafael Barbosa Januzi, Daniel Hideaki Makita, Willer Gomes Dos Santos, Pedro Kukulka De Albuquerque, Maria De Fátima Mattiello-Francisco

Small Satellite Conference

The ITASAT Project was initiated as an effort of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) and the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) to train human resources to the Aerospace sector due to the lack of experience of the students in practical projects in the aerospace segment in Brazil. In this effort students were challenged to design, build and operate a satellite in a hands-on project. Along the project years several changes happened on the satellite configuration, going through a 100 kg satellite to a 6U CubeSat and this last configuration was designed, assembled and …

Application Of Micro-Scale 3d Printing In Pharmaceutics, Andrew Kjar, Yu Huang

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

3D printing, as one of the most rapidly-evolving fabrication technologies, has released a cascade of innovation in the last two decades. In the pharmaceutical field, the integration of 3D printing technology has offered unique advantages, especially at the micro-scale. When printed at a micro-scale, materials and devices can provide nuanced solutions to controlled release, minimally invasive delivery, high-precision targeting, biomimetic models for drug discovery and development, and future opportunities for personalized medicine. This review aims to cover the recent advances in this area. First, the 3D printing techniques are introduced with respect to the technical parameters and features that are …

Cloud Cover And Delayed Herbivory Relative To Timing Of Spring Onset Interact To Dampen Climate Change Impacts On Net Ecosystem Exchange In A Coastal Alaskan Wetland, A. Joshua Leffler, Karen H. Beard, Katharine C. Kelsey, Ryan T. Choi, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey M. Welker

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Rapid warming in northern ecosystems over the past four decades has resulted in earlier spring, increased precipitation, and altered timing of plant–animal interactions, such as herbivory. Advanced spring phenology can lead to longer growing seasons and increased carbon (C) uptake. Greater precipitation coincides with greater cloud cover possibly suppressing photosynthesis. Timing of herbivory relative to spring phenology influences plant biomass. None of these changes are mutually exclusive and their interactions could lead to unexpected consequences for Arctic ecosystem function. We examined the influence of advanced spring phenology, cloud cover, and timing of grazing on C exchange in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta …

2019 Utah State University Orientation Guide, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

A special supplemental magazine provided by The Utah Statesman to take a closer look at some of the services and departments available at Utah State University.

Ant Diversity Patterns Across Tropical Elevation Gradients: Effects Of Sampling Method And Subcommunity, John T. Longino, Michael G. Branstetter, Philip S. Ward

All PIRU Publications

Local diversity may be influenced by niche assembly processes involving competition for limited resources, or by niche conservatism and the length of time clades have had to diversify. Mid‐elevation peaks in ant diversity on wet forest elevational gradients are most consistent with niche conservatism effects. However, it is possible that subsets of the ant community vary in the degree to which niche assembly processes are important, and this may be revealed by sampling methods that bias toward particular subsets. A previous study of ant‐elevation patterns in Middle American wet forest relied on Winkler sampling, a method that samples much of …

Old Ephraim Booklet: The Legendary Grizzly Of The Bear River Range, Alyson Griggs, Clint Pumphrey, Shay Larsen

Old Ephraim Exhibit

The story of Old Ephraim has circulated since the early twentieth century, when the legendary grizzly preyed upon sheep grazing in the Bear River Range. Frustrated herders, hoping to limit losses to their flocks, pursued the elusive bear, but he remained largely unseen and unheard for many years. The only trace of Old Ephraim was his distinctive tracks, which exhibited only three toes on one foot—hence the nickname, “Old Three Toes.” In August 1922, after attempting for more than nine years, sheepherder Frank Clark finally trapped and killed Old Ephraim.

Nearly a century later, the story of Old Ephraim has …

Utah State Magazine, Fall 2019, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

The quarterly magazine for friends and alumni of Utah State University.

Tremblings, August 2019, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Climate's Cascading Effects In Aspen Systems

Thomas E. Martin

Aspen is an unusually important resource for wildlife. It is associated with high primary productivity providing abundant resources that support high biodiversity. It is especially important because its soft inner core that often contracts heart rot provides a favored resource for cavity-nesting organisms. The abundance and diversity of cavity-nesting species using aspen stands exceeds any other habitat type. As a result, maintenance and expansion of aspen stands is important for conservation of biodiversity.

Genetic Mapping Of Grass Monoculture And Grass-Legume Mixture Compatibility Qtls In Intermediate Wheatgrass, John Mortenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to increased environmental stewardship and fertilizer prices, there is increased interest in using legume mixes in perennial croplands. The objective of this study was to compare quantitative genetic parameters and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) when grown in 1) a non-competitive spaced environment, 2) a polyculture with alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and 3) a monoculture with crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum). Traits evaluated include plant growth characteristics (Zadok’s maturity, height, and tiller count), biomass, and forage nutritive value (CP, NDF, ADF, ADL, IVTD, NDFD, NFC, ME, RFQ). A linkage map …

Query Autoawesome, Chetna Suryavanshi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research investigates how to improve legacy queries. Legacy queries are queries that programmers have coded and are used in applications. A database application typically has tens to hundreds of such queries. One way to improve legacy queries is to add new, interesting queries that are similar to or based on the set of queries. We propose Query AutoAwesome, a tool to generate new queries from legacy queries. The Query AutoAwesome philosophy is taken from Google’s AutoAwesomizer tool for photos, which automatically improves a photo uploaded to Google by animating the photo or adding special effects. In a similar …

"There Should Be No Tolerance For Intolerance": Internal Antagonism In Online Fan Communities, Michelle W. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis focuses on exploring cases of internal antagonism in fan communities, with a specific focus on the Steven Universe (2013 -) and Undertale (2015) communities present on Tumblr and Twitter. Internal antagonism is a phenomenon that occurs when a community targets a member within itself instead of outside itself, often as a way to mediate and regulate the community and reinforce its values. This thesis considers three case studies of internal antagonism with both physical and digital implications in order to better understand the role it plays in shaping and sustaining online fan communities as well as mediating the …

Discovery And Engineering Of An Endophytic Pseudomonas Strain From Taxus Chinensis For Efficient Production Of Zeaxanthin Diglucoside, Ozkan Fidan, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Endophytic microorganisms are a rich source of bioactive natural products. They are considered as promising biofertilizers and biocontrol agents due to their growth-promoting interactions with the host plants and their bioactive secondary metabolites that can help manage plant pathogens. Identification of new endophytes may lead to the discovery of novel molecules or provide new strains for production of valuable compounds.

Results

In this study, we isolated an endophytic bacterium from the leaves of Taxus chinensis, which was identified as Pseudomonas sp. 102515 based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and physiological characteristics. Analysis of its secondary metabolites revealed …

General Catalog 2019-2020, Utah State University

University Catalogs

This catalog contains information on the Academic Departments and Programs as well as Course Descriptions for the above school year at Utah State University. To avoid large file downloads, the Academic Departments and Programs information is located in this file. The Course Description information is located in the secondary file.