Digital Commons Network^™

Cobra Jiboia (Boa Constrictor), Gianna Patchett

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

I heard a story about a snake that can control people with its stare. When it is looking at you, you walk in circles until you get tired and sit, at which point the snake eats you. If you notice that you are walking in circles, you have to break the snake’s concentration somehow, such as by taking your shirt off and putting it back on inside out or shooting a gun.

Expanding Instream Flows To Protect Ecosystems In Overallocated River Basins, Belize A. Lane, David E. Rosenberg

Reports

Utahns are expressing a rapidly growing interest in protecting and enhancing instream flows for outdoor recreation and environmental benefits (Endter-Wada et al. 2015). However, many Utah rivers are already over-allocated for agricultural, municipal, hydropower and other water uses, making it difficult to procure additional water for instream flows. ‘Use it or lose it’ western water law and mentality encourages Utahns to use water rather than return it to rivers and ecosystems.

This briefing reviews existing instream flow practices allowed by the Utah water rights system and the challenges to implementation. We suggest key technical and legislative opportunities within and outside …

Collaborative Research: The Interplay Between Host Diet, Immunity, Reproduction, And The Microbiome Across An Anthropogenic-Disturbed Landscape, Susannah S. French

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Why Stress Management Strategies Work, Jennifer Viveros, David G. Schramm

All Current Publications

Stress is a universally-experienced phenomenon. Although there are myriad causes, the methods of effectively managing the stress are generally the same. Why do these strategies work though? This fact sheet addresses this question, citing what research has found about why these commonly suggested stress management strategies work. They are divided into physical, mental, and social categories of stress relievers.

Is Mycoplasma Bovis In Sand Bedding Infectious To Dairy Calves?, David J. Wilson, Thomas J. Baldwin

All Current Publications

Mycoplasmas are unusual bacteria that can infect all ages of cattle, and can cause arthritis, pneumonia, and death. Infected dairy cows may also contract mastitis, metritis, or virtually cease milk production. The most common mycoplasma affecting cattle is M. bovis; there are several other Mycoplasma spp. as well. Because standard microbial culture methods do not isolate Mycoplasma spp., special laboratory methods are needed for diagnosis. Mycoplasma spreads by inhalation and respiratory secretions and also at milking time via contaminated inflations in milking units. Mycoplasma spp. have also been detected in straw, sand, recycled manure, and other bedding, often associated …

Local Food Entrepreneurship Support, Needs And Gap Analysis, Karin E. Allen, Ruby Ward

All Current Publications

This study looks at the current needs as well as resources available to identify gaps in services and provide recommendations about how programs could be improved or added in support of the Utah food production system. An in-depth background on FICs is presented, followed by a brief description of Utah’s food climate. The methodology used and the analysis, followed by .final recommendation is included.

Evolution Of Nuchal Glands, Unusual Defensive Organs Of Asian Natricine Snakes (Serpentes: Colubridae), Inferred From A Molecular Phylogeny, Hirohiko Takeuchi, Alan H. Savitzky, Li Ding, Anslem De Silva, Indraneil Das, Tao Thien Nguyen, Tein-Shun Tsai, Teppei Jono, Guang-Xiang Zhu, Dharshani Mahaulpatha, Yezhong Tang, Akira Mori

Biology Faculty Publications

A large body of evidence indicates that evolutionary innovations of novel organs have facilitated the subsequent diversification of species. Investigation of the evolutionary history of such organs should provide important clues for understanding the basis for species diversification. An Asian natricine snake, Rhabdophis tigrinus, possesses a series of unusual organs, called nuchal glands, which contain cardiotonic steroid toxins known as bufadienolides. Rhabdophis tigrinus sequesters bufadienolides from its toad prey and stores them in the nuchal glands as a defensive mechanism. Among more than 3,500 species of snakes, only 17 Asian natricine species are known to possess nuchal glands or …

Incorporating Social System Dynamics In The Columbia River Basin: Food-Energy-Water Resilience And Sustainability Modeling In The Yakima River Basin, Jennifer E. Givens, Julie Padowski, Christian D. Guzman, Keyvan Malek, Rebecca Witinok-Huber, Barbara Cosens, Michael Briscoe, Jan Boll, Jennifer Adam

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In the face of climate change, achieving resilience of desirable aspects of food-energy-water (FEW) systems already strained by competing multi-scalar social objectives requires interdisciplinary approaches. This study is part of a larger effort exploring “Innovations in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus (INFEWS)” in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) through coordinated modeling and simulated management scenarios. Here, we focus on a case study and conceptual mapping of the Yakima River Basin (YRB), a sub-basin of the CRB. Previous research on FEW system management and resilience includes some attention to social dynamics (e.g., economic and governance systems); however, more attention to social drivers and …

Synchronization Of Energy Consumption By Human Societies Throughout The Holocene, Jacob Freeman, Jacopo A. Baggio, Erick Robinson, David A. Byers, Eugenia Gayo, Judson Byrd Finley, Jack A. Meyer, Robert L. Kelly, John M. Anderies

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

We conduct a global comparison of the consumption of energy by human populations throughout the Holocene and statistically quantify coincident changes in the consumption of energy over space and time—an ecological phenomenon known as synchrony. When populations synchronize, adverse changes in ecosystems and social systems may cascade from society to society. Thus, to develop policies that favor the sustained use of resources, we must understand the processes that cause the synchrony of human populations. To date, it is not clear whether human societies display long-term synchrony or, if they do, the potential causes. Our analysis begins to fill this knowledge …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, September 17, 2018, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Monthly Report - September 6, 2018
• EPC Annual Report
• Honors Annual Report
• Faculty Senate Meeting Time Change
• Code 403.3.1 Standards of Conduct-Faculty Responsibilities to Student
• Code 403.3.2 Standards of Conduct-Professional Obligations
• Code 407.1.1 Non-punitive Measures
• Code 407.11.2 Inquiry into Allegations of Violation Policies 407.8 and/or 407.9
• Code 407.11.3 Protection of Complainant and Others

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes, September 17, 2018, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Monthly Report – September 6, 2018 - Ed Reeve
• EPC Annual Report - Ed Reeve
• Honors Annual Report - Kris Miller
• Faculty Senate Meeting Time Change - Becki Lawver
• Nominating Committee Code
• Code 403.3.2 Standards of Conduct-Professional Obligations
• Code 407.1.1 Non-punitive Measures
• Code 407.11.2 Inquiry into Allegations of Violation Policies 407.8 and/or 407.9
• Code 407.11.3 Protection of Complainant and Others

Cannibal Fork, Sierra Mackelprang

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

Ryeanna: “So umm This happened to my friend, well it’s my best friend, we’ve been friends since like… I don’t even remember we met, before… since like, intermediate school, is what it’s called, that’s where we met. Umm she got married like two years ago and her husband is like a marine, and he went and got deployed but he didn’t go to Afghanistan or anything like that…he went to like these islands off the coast of Australia or something like that. And he was doing humanitarian work down there, and in their free time they could go through the …

Cry Baby Bridge, Sierra Mackelprang

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

“Ok so in the town I grew up,…so I grew up in like Tremonton area and there’s like a lot of little towns surrounding it and there’s this town called Bear River City…and over there they have this like…really old bridge, and this bridge used to be an actual functioning bridge, that people would drive over, but it was like getting so old like, if you walk on it-… you can still walk on it, but if you look down there’s like holes through because it’s like so old, it’s like…so old they like blocked it off so you can’t …

Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Prevents Silica-Induced Development Of Pulmonary Ectopic Germinal Centers And Glomerulonephritis In The Lupus-Prone Nzbwf1 Mouse, Melissa A. Bates, Peyman Akbari, Kristen N. Gilley, James G. Wagner, Ning Li, Anna K. Kopec, Kathryn A. Wierenga, Daven Jackson-Humbles, Christina Brandenberger, Andrij Holian, Abby D. Benninghoff, Jack R. Harkema, James J. Pestka

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) consist of B-cell and T-cell aggregates that are initiated de novo in inflamed tissues outside of secondary lymphoid organs. When organized within follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks, ELS contain functional germinal centers that can yield autoantibody-secreting plasma cells and promote autoimmune disease. Intranasal instillation of lupus-prone mice with crystalline silica (cSiO₂), a respirable particle linked to human lupus, triggers ELS formation in the lung, systemic autoantibodies, and early onset of glomerulonephritis. Here we tested the hypothesis that consumption of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties, influences the temporal profile …

The Influence Of Political Ideology And Socioeconomic Vulnerability On Perceived Health Risks Of Heat Waves In The Context Of Climate Change, Matthew J. Cutler, Jennifer R. Marlon, Peter D. Howe, Anthony Leiserowitz

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Vulnerability and resilience to extreme weather hazards are a function of diverse physical, social, and psychological factors. Previous research has focused on individual factors that influence public perceptions of hazards, such as politics, ideology, and cultural worldviews, as well as on socioeconomic and demographic factors that affect geographically based vulnerability, environmental justice, and community resilience. Few studies have investigated individual socioeconomic and racial/ethnic differences in public risk perceptions of the health hazards associated with extreme heat events, which are now increasing due to climate change. This study uses multilevel statistical modeling to investigate individual- and geographic-level (e.g., census tract level …

Conservation Of Aquatic Biodiversity In The Context Of Multiple-Use Management On National Forest System Lands, Brett B. Roper, James M. Capurso, Yvette Paroz, Michael K. Young

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) manages 193 million acres of public lands across 43 states and Puerto Rico. The original intent behind reserving lands managed by the USFS was to improve and protect forests, secure favorable conditions for water flows, and furnish a continuous supply of timber for the nation. Through time national forests have evolved, so they are managed for a broad array of uses. Differing expectations have led to conflicts between aquatic conservation and other aspects of the USFS’ mandate. In the 1990s, these conflicting goals came to a head with the listing of the …

Waterfall Formation At A Desert River-Reservoir Delta Isolates Endangered Fishes, Charles N. Cathcart, Casey A. Pennock, Christopher A. Cheek, Mark C. Mckinstry, Peter D. Mackinnon, Mary M. Conner, Keith B. Gido

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Unforeseen interactions of dams and declining water availability have formed new obstacles to recovering endemic and endangered big-river fishes. During a recent trend of drying climate and declining reservoir water levels in the southwestern United States, a large waterfall has formed on two separate occasions (1989-1995 & 2001-present) in the transition zone between the San Juan River and Lake Powell reservoir because of deposited sediments. Because recovery plans for two large-bodied endangered fish species, razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) and Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), include annual stockings in the San Juan River, this waterfall potentially blocks upstream …

The Importance Of Marine Predators In The Provisioning Of Ecosystem Services By Coastal Plant Communities, Trisha B. Atwood, Edd Hammill

Ecology Center Publications

Food web theory predicts that current global declines in marine predators could generate unwanted consequences for many marine ecosystems. In coastal plant communities (kelp, seagrass, mangroves, and salt marsh), several studies have documented the far-reaching effects of changing predator populations. Across coastal ecosystems, the loss of marine predators appears to negatively affect coastal plant communities and the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we discuss some of the documented and suspected effects of predators on coastal protection, carbon sequestration, and the stability and resilience of coastal plant communities. In addition, we present a meta-analysis to assess the strength and direction of …

An Efficient Process For Co-Production Of Γ-Aminobutyric Acid And Probiotic Bacillus Subtilis Cells, Hongbo Wang, Jinge Huang, Lei Sun, Fuchao Xu, Wei Zhang, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

This study was to establish an integrated process for the co-production of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and live probiotics. Six probiotic bacteria were screened and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051 showed the highest GABA-producing capacity. The optimal temperature and initial pH value for GABA production in B. subtilis were found to be 30 °C and 8.0, respectively. A variety of carbon and nitrogen sources were tested, and potato starch and peptone were the preferred carbon and nitrogen sources for GABA production, respectively. The concentrations of carbon source, nitrogen source and substrate (sodium L-glutamate) were then optimized using the response surface methodology. The …

An Investigation Into Tetrodotoxin (Ttx) Levels Associated With The Red Dorsal Spots In Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus Viridescens) Efts And Adults, Mackenzie M. Spicer, James P. Strange, Trevor L. Chapman, Edmund D. Brodie Jr., Edmund D. Brodie Jr., Brian G. Gall

Biology Faculty Publications

We investigated the concentration of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in sections of skin containing and lacking red dorsal spots in both Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) efts and adults. Several other species, such as Pleurodeles waltl and Echinotriton andersoni, have granular glands concentrated in brightly pigmented regions on the dorsum, and thus we hypothesized that the red dorsal spots of Eastern newts may also possess higher levels of TTX than the surrounding skin. We found no difference between the concentrations of TTX in the red spots as compared to neighboring skin lacking these spots in either efts or adults. However, …

Rocky Mountain Trefoil Beef, Kailie Leggett, Roslynn Mccann, Jennifer W. Macadam, Juan J. Villalba

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes Rocky Mountain trefoil beef and how researchers at USU are exploring the use of tannin-containing legumes as a method fr finishing cattle to address environmental and efficiency concerns associated with the most common current beef production systems.

Swine First Aid, Basic Care, And Common Diseases In Show Hogs, Flip Booklet, Karah Nay, Dennis Worwood, Kerry A. Rood

All Current Publications

This flip book provides guidelines for swine first aid, basic care, and common diseases of show hogs.

Nurudea Zhengii Ren, A New Species Of The Rhus Gall Aphids (Aphididae: Eriosomatinae: Fordini) From Eastern China, Zhu-Mei Ren, Xu Su, Carol D. Von Dohlen, Jun Wen

Biology Faculty Publications

A new Rhus gall aphid species Nurudea zhengii Ren, sp. nov. collected from the Mountain Qixing in Shangrao County, Jiangxi Province, China is described and illustrated from alate viviparous female. The new species differs from the other Nurudea species in the length and proportion of antennal segments, the structure of antennal secondary sensilla, and the flower-like shape of the galls that are formed on its primary host. Its primary host plant is Rhus hypoleuca, whereas other Nurudea species are on R. chinensis.

Effects Of Stand Structure, Browsing, And Biophysical Conditions On Regeneration Following Mountain Pine Beetle In Mixed Lodgepole Pine And Aspen Forests Of The Southern Rockies, Kristen A. Pelz, Frederick W. Smith

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen (Populus tremuloides) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) co-occur in the southern Rocky Mountains (USA), where mountain pine beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae) has caused extensive lodgepole pine mortality since the late 1990s. Both species excel in post-disturbance high-light environments, but lodgepole pine has generally been thought to establish poorly on undisturbed seedbeds, and aspen suckering may be inhibited by intact aspen overstory. We ask whether lodgepole pine and aspen will regenerate in sufficient quantities to revegetate these forests. We visited a random sample of aspen and lodgepole pine stands across the affected landscape …

Intramammary Infusion Of Casein Hydrolysate For Involution Of Single Mastitic Mammary Quarters Elevating Cow-Level Somatic Cell Count, Justine Britten, Kerry A. Rood, David J. Wilson

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Mastitis in a single quarter can cause high somatic cell counts (SCC), clinical mastitis, and death in dairy cows. Currently, management of these mastitic quarters presents a problem for the dairy industry. Casein hydrolysate (CH) is an intramammary (IMM) infusion treatment reported to induce mammary involution. The primary objectives of this study were to investigate whether IMM CH treatment of single high SCC quarters, followed by cessation of quarter milk production for the remainder of lactation, was effective in reducing cow–level SCC and whether that quarter resumed milk production following calving. Three treatment groups were used: CH, non-hydrolyzed casein (NHC), …

The Utah Statesman, August 28, 2018, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

A Digital Dilemma | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

In the United States, we’ve accumulated an estimated 500 million specimens of animals, plants, bugs and mushrooms.

Transnational Civic Education And Emergent Bilinguals In A Dual Language Setting, Marialuisa Di Stefano, Steve P. Camicia

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Inclusion is a fundamental aspect of social studies education in general and democratic education in particular. Inclusion is especially important when we consider the possibilities for transnational civic culture and education. The theoretical framework of this study is based upon concepts of positionality, identity, and belonging as they are related to student understanding of communities. A dual-language, third-grade classroom provided the site for this ethnographic study. Data included participant observations, interviews with the teacher and students, and artifacts of student work. Findings illustrate how the students in the study understood the complexity of their identities at a young age and …

Student Wins The “Earth Champions Contest” Video Contest | Sustainable Waste-To-Bioproducts Engineering Center, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Biological Engineering student video of capstone design project won the “Earth Champions Contest” sponsored by the Resources for Future Generations (RFG).

Usu Student Organic Farm, Usu Student Organic Farm

USU Student Organic Farm Newsletter

Fall crops are coming up, and they’re amazing. We started digging up the potatoes today and it is so crazy to see how many potatoes can grow from planting a chunk of potato with a couple of eyes on it! Some of these plants have two pounds of potatoes growing off of them. The pumpkins are already enormous, and the butternut squash are still ripening but are really good-sized already. The melons are taking longer than expected, but look great. Our one warm-season failure seems to be the eggplant- but watch them produce like crazy now that I’ve said that. …