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Elk Female Age, Brucellosis Status, And Pregnancy Status Collected Over >20 Years At Winter Feedgrounds In Wyoming, Johan Du Toit, Gavin Cotterill

Browse all Datasets

We investigated the impacts of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) on elk (Cervus canadensis) productivity using serological data from over 6000 captures since 1990 in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA. Over 1000 of these records included known age and pregnancy status. Using Bayesian multilevel models, we estimated the age-specific pregnancy probabilities of exposed and native elk. We then used repeat-capture data to investigate the full effects of the disease on life history. Brucellosis exposure reduced pregnancy rates of elk captured in mid- and late-winter. In an average year, we found 60% of exposed 2-year-old elk were pregnant compared to 91% …

Continuous Nicotine Exposure Does Not Affect Resurgence Of Alcohol Seeking In Rats, Charles C. J. Frye, Jillian M. Rung, Rusty W. Nall, Ann Galizio, Jeremy M. Haynes, Amy L. Odum

Psychology Faculty Publications

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the United States and alcohol abuse can lead to alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder is a persistent condition and relapse rates following successful remission are high. Many factors have been associated with relapse for alcohol use disorder, but identification of these factors has not been well translated into preventative utility. One potentially important factor, concurrent nicotine use, has not been well investigated as a causal factor in relapse for alcohol use disorder. Nicotine increases the value of other stimuli in the environment and may increase the value of alcohol. If nicotine …

Early Events In Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection: Viral Entry, Sang-Im Yun, Young-Min Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne zoonotic flavivirus, is an enveloped positive-strand RNA virus that can cause a spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from mild febrile illness to severe neuroinvasive disease. Today, several killed and live vaccines are available in different parts of the globe for use in humans to prevent JEV-induced diseases, yet no antivirals are available to treat JEV-associated diseases. Despite the progress made in vaccine research and development, JEV is still a major public health problem in southern, eastern, and southeastern Asia, as well as northern Oceania, with the potential to become an emerging global pathogen. In …

Functional Genomics And Immunologic Tools: The Impact Of Viral And Host Genetic Variations On The Outcome Of Zika Virus Infection, Sang-Im Yun, Byung-Hak Song, Jordan C. Frank, Justin G. Julander, Aaron L. Olsen, Irina A. Polejaeva, Christopher J. Davies, Kenneth L. White, Young-Min Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) causes no-to-mild symptoms or severe neurological disorders. To investigate the importance of viral and host genetic variations in determining ZIKV infection outcomes, we created three full-length infectious cDNA clones as bacterial artificial chromosomes for each of three spatiotemporally distinct and genetically divergent ZIKVs: MR-766 (Uganda, 1947), P6-740 (Malaysia, 1966), and PRVABC-59 (Puerto Rico, 2015). Using the three molecularly cloned ZIKVs, together with 13 ZIKV region-specific polyclonal antibodies covering nearly the entire viral protein-coding region, we made three conceptual advances: (i) We created a comprehensive genome-wide portrait of ZIKV gene products and their related species, with several previously …

Spilled Blood In The Bloodline: The Ethics Of Using Genealogy To Catch Criminals, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

On April 24th 2018, authorities arrested 72- year-old Joseph James DeAngelo. Investigators had compelling evidence to suggest that DeAngelo committed at least 12 murders, 50 rapes, and over 100 burglaries throughout California in the 70s and 80s, earning him the monikers “The East Area Rapist” and “The Golden State Killer.” DeAngelo might have lived out his life without being caught were it not for the existence of a genealogy website.

Are Killer Bees Good For Coffee? The Contribution Of A Paper's Title And Other Factors To Its Future Citations, Mark J. Costello, Karen H. Beard, Richard B. Primack, Vincent Devictor, Amanda E. Bates

Ecology Center Publications

How can the title of a paper affect its subsequent number of citations? We compared the citation rate of 5941 papers published in the journal Biological Conservation from 1968 to 2012 in relation to: paper length; title length; number of authors; paper age; presence of punctuation (colons, commas or question marks); geographic and taxonomic breadth; the word ‘method’; and the type of manuscript (article, review). The total number of citations increased in more recently published papers and thus we corrected citation rate (average number of citations per year since publication) by publication age. As expected, review papers had, on average, …

Microsats And Moby Dick: Microsatellite Support To Whale Science And Conservation, Matt Bille, Rachel Dendiu, Kirk Borne, Laurie Baker, Steve Brune, Ian Byrnes, Chris Round

Small Satellite Conference

Scientists who study the 92 species of whales and dolphins (aka cetaceans) know that many populations are endangered. There may be only 12 vaquita porpoises left, and the ~450 North Atlantic Right whales are being decimated by ship collisions and fishing gear. Conservation efforts rely on implanted radio tags and satellite transponders to track cetaceans in 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of ocean. These efforts, however, are handicapped by technology and the limits of available satellite support. Leading cetologists surveyed in Booz Allen Hamilton’s Project WHALES (Whale/Habitat and Location/Environment Smallsats) agreed there are simply not enough tracking assets in space. The …

Climatically Driven Changes In Primary Production Propagate Through Trophic Levels, David C. Stoner, Joseph O. Sexton, David M. Choate, Jyoteshwar Nagol, Heather H. Bernales, Steven A. Sims, Kirsten E. Ironside, Kathleen M. Longshore, Thomas C. Edwards Jr.

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Climate and land‐use change are the major drivers of global biodiversity loss. Their effects are particularly acute for wide‐ranging consumers, but little is known about how these factors interact to affect the abundance of large carnivores and their herbivore prey. We analyzed population densities of a primary and secondary consumer (mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, and mountain lion, Puma concolor) across a climatic gradient in western North America by combining satellite‐based maps of plant productivity with estimates of animal abundance and foraging area derived from Global Positioning Systems telemetry data (GPS). Mule deer density exhibited a positive, linear relationship with plant …

A Population-Based Model Of The Temporal Memory In The Hippocampus, Sorinel A. Oprisan, Mona Buhusi, Catalin V. Buhusi

Psychology Faculty Publications

Spatial and temporal dimensions are fundamental for orientation, adaptation, and survival of organisms. Hippocampus has been identified as the main neuroanatomical structure involved both in space and time perception and their internal representation. Dorsal hippocampus lesions showed a leftward shift (toward shorter durations) in peak-interval procedures, whereas ventral lesions shifted the peak time toward longer durations. We previously explained hippocampus lesion experimental findings by assuming a topological map model of the hippocampus with shorter durations memorized ventrally and longer durations more dorsal. Here we suggested a possible connection between the abstract topological maps model of the hippocampus that stored reinforcement …

Tsat4: A Modular 3u Cubesat Characterizing Anabaena Cylindrica In Low Earth Orbit, Matthew Driedger, Morgan Taverner, Valorie Platero

Small Satellite Conference

TSAT4 is the fourth iteration of the University of Manitoba Space Applications and Technology Society’s 3U nanosatellite design with a decentralized modular systems architecture that supports a biological payload. The payload tests the effects of exposure to a low earth orbit (LEO) environment on the growth cycle of Anabaena cylindrica bacteria. In addition to providing a potential base tropic layer for more advanced biological experiments, Anabaena cylindrica has shown potential for use in bioreactors for spacecraft life support and food production. As such, detailed characterization of how their lifecycle is affected by the LEO environment will be an important factor …

Meznsat: A Cubesat For Greenhouse Gases Monitoring And Algal Blooms Prediction, Abdul-Halim Jallad, Zulkifli Aziz, Aisha Allam, Prashanth Marpu, Alexandros Tsoupos, Abdulla Marar

Small Satellite Conference

MeznSat is a 3U CubeSat that will carry a Short-Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) spectrometer as its primary payload, with the aim of deriving Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) and concentrations in the atmosphere by making observations in the 1000–1650 nm wavelength region. The satellite is planned for launch in the end of 2019. The primary payload is Argus 2000 which is a miniature, low-cost, space-qualified SWIR spectrometer that operates in the SWIR bands and showcases flight heritage. The secondary payload will be an RGB camera with SXGA resolution that will allow post-processing to achieve the high geolocation accuracy required for …

Small Satellites Contribute To The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Danielle Wood

Small Satellite Conference

The United Nations (UN) led the countries of the world to define and commit to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which identifies 17 goals toward improving life on Earth. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the high-priority challenges for our generation in areas such as access to clean water, food security, poverty alleviation, health care, environmental sustainability and urban development. Space technology, including small satellites, can play a role in helping countries pursue the SDGs. Each goal includes a set of Targets countries are working to achieve by 2030. Each Target includes a set of indicators that define the …

Gw-Sat: Gw's First Satellite With Propulsive 3-Axis-Stabilization, Jonathan Kolbeck, Michael Keidar

Small Satellite Conference

The George Washington University’s proposed satellite mission, GW-Sat, was one of the 34 missions selected by NASA as part of the CubeSat Launch Initiative program. The CubeSat will be built entirely by students from different departments and schools at the university. GW-Sat is a 3 U CubeSat and its primary mission is to validate its propulsion system based on in-house built Micro-Cathode Arc Thrusters. The thrusters will be used to provide the spacecraft with 3-axis stabilization and the ability to perform station-keeping maneuvers, and therefore, increase the mission’s lifetime. In addition to this, the CubeSat will be used to perform …

Adcs At Scale: Calibrating And Monitoring The Dove Constellation, Lawrence Leung, Vincent Beukelaers, Simone Chesi, Hyosang Yoon, Daniel Walker, Joshua Egbert

Small Satellite Conference

The Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) is considered one of the most critical subsystems of a spacecraft, and must be carefully calibrated and monitored to ensure mission success. Many emerging small satellite missions feature large constellations, creating a need for new design philosophies and operational approaches to accommodate the management of many ADCS subsystems simultaneously. Planet currently operates approximately 190 Dove Cubesats for Earth Observation, with only a small team of ADCS engineers and satellite operators responsible for the performance of the entire constellation. Since Planet’s first launches in 2013, on-orbit data and diverse experiences have contributed to the …

Predators Shape Sedimentary Organic Carbon Storage In A Coral Reef Ecosystem, Trisha Brooke Atwood, Elizabeth M. P. Madin, Alastair R. Harborne, Edd Hammill, Osmar J. Luiz, Quinn R. Ollivier, Chris M. Roelfsema, Peter I. Macreadie, Catherine E. Lovelock

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Trophic cascade theory predicts that predator effects should extend to influence carbon cycling in ecosystems. Yet, there has been little empirical evidence in natural ecosystems to support this hypothesis. Here, we use a naturally-occurring trophic cascade to provide evidence that predators help protect sedimentary organic carbon stocks in coral reef ecosystems. Our results show that predation risk altered the behavior of herbivorous fish, whereby it constrained grazing to areas close to the refuge of the patch reefs. Macroalgae growing in “riskier” areas further away from the reef were released from grazing pressure, which subsequently promoted carbon accumulation in the sediments …

Immunogenicity And Protection After Vaccination With A Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara-Vectored Yellow Fever Vaccine In The Hamster Model, Justin G. Julander, Marco Testori, Cédric Cheminay, Ariane Volkmann

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The highly efficacious live-attenuated 17D yellow fever (YF) vaccine is occasionally associated with rare life-threatening adverse events. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), a non-replicating poxvirus, has been used as a vaccine platform to safely deliver various antigens. A MVA-based YF vaccine (MVA-BN-YF) was tested with and without a non-mineral oil adjuvant in a hamster model of lethal YF disease and protective efficacy of this vaccine was compared with the 17D vaccine. The vaccine candidate MVA-BN-YF generated a protective response in hamsters infected with YFV that was comparable to protection by the live 17D vaccine. Similar levels of neutralizing antibody were …

2018 Utah State University Student 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.

Tremblings, August 2018, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Beaver are coming for your aspen — are you ready?

Stephen Bennett

Regulations and management of riparian corridors has improved greatly over the last few decades, but there remains a deficit of structure such as beaver dams and woody debris (e.g., logjams). Beaver dams and accumulations of wood alter the stream flow and create more complex stream habitats. Beaver populations were decimated in the 1800’s as trappers and settlers spread across western North America. Continued settlement and development left many streams without beavers (and the dams they build) and greatly reduced wood in streams. As a result, the form of …

Silage Corn Hybrid Response To Row Width And Plant Density In The Intermountain West, Mark A. Pieper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Corn (Zea mays L.) hectarage has increased rapidly in Utah and Idaho in recent years due to expansion of the dairy industry, but little is known about corn production practices that optimize yield and quality of silage corn in semi-arid irrigated cropping systems. The objective of this study was to determine the dry matter yield and quality effects of corn hybrids grown in different plant densities and row widths in the Intermountain West. Field experiments were conducted under irrigation in 2015 and 2016 at locations near North Logan, Utah and Jerome, Idaho. The experimental design was a randomized complete …

Ask A Catbrarian: Marketing Library Services Using A Cat, Teagan Eastman, Jennifer Saulnier, Kati Richardson

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

This case study aims to describe how employees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Undergraduate Library (UGL) utilized a cat mascot as part of a marketing campaign to promote awareness of library resources and services and to overcome undergraduate students’ library anxiety. The authors describe how the idea of a cat mascot emerged, how librarians determined campaign objectives, and the process they undertook for developing videos, social media posts, events and displays for the campaign. This article also describes how the campaign was able to build a sense of community not only among the large university library system but …

Investigations Into Factors Affecting The Wpd-Loop In The Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases Yoph And Ptp1b, Gwendolyn Moise

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The research in this dissertation documents connections between the primary amino acid sequence of proteins, the dynamics of proteins, and their catalytic function. This research project studied two proteins called protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs): the human enzyme PTP1B, and the bacterial enzyme YopH. PTP1B is a human enzyme that down regulates the insulin receptor on the outer cellular membrane, and causes the insulin receptor to be less responsive to insulin. A deeper knowledge of how PTP1B is different from other human PTPs might be useful in designing drugs to increase insulin sensitivity in diabetics. Yersinia Pestis is the bacteria that caused …

Texas In The Southwestern Fur Trade, 1718-1840., J. Ryan Badger

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

Much has been written about the North American trade dealing in beaver and otter pelts. The drive to acquire valuable hides drove the early colonial economy and served as one of the industries which pushed Americans to expand their national reach beyond the Rocky Mountains, the British, Scots, and Russians to move southward from Canada and Alaska, and the Spanish to assert their claim to the North. Admittedly, the Spanish were latecomers to the fur trade and often lacked the population and practical experience to pursue trapping as a nationalized industry, however, the portion of North America they laid claim …

The Perception Of Utah Division Of Wildlife Resource’S Law Enforcement By Local, County And Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies, Wyatt Bubak

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

Like most states throughout the nation, Utah’s population has continually grown since settlement. In 2014 Utah’s population was estimated at 2.95 million and between 2015-2016 Utah had the highest percentage growth rate of any state in the nation. This profound amount of growth can be attributed to many factors that are unique to Utah; two of which are the aesthetic and recreational opportunities available to Utah residents.

Due to population growth and urban sprawl, areas commonly patrolled by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) conservation officers are now located closer to urban populations. Previously rural or backcountry areas are seeing …

Commuter Rail And The Landscape: Alternative Futures For Planning In Southeastern Box Elder County, C. Michael Gottfredson

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

This thesis analyzes the impact the FrontRunner commuter-rail service would have on Southeastern Box Elder County, Utah, using both anticipated future and alternative future scenarios created in a geographic information system (GIS). These alternative future scenarios include having the FrontRunner developed at anticipated stops and a transit-oriented development (TOD) scenario. Using techniques and methods developed by scholars in the bioregional planning field, these alternative future scenarios were compared against impact-data models addressing residential land-use suitability and landscape risk.

Outcomes: from this analysis, the TOD alternative future scenario had the least impact on landscape risk impact-data model. The TOD model …

A Framework For Assessing Natural Lands And Finding Common Ground In The Bear River Range, Scott Mccomb

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

Forests, wetlands, grasslands, lakes and deserts make up the natural lands that humans and nature rely on. In the Bear River Range, these lands are becoming smaller and more disconnected due to residential and commercial development, agriculture, energy production and transportation corridors. In addition, natural lands are owned and managed by a variety of groups representing different values, priorities and traditions. For large-scale conservation to be successful, it needs to incorporate multiple priorities. The purpose of this study was to provide a process for identifying the remaining network of natural lands within the Bear River Range that indicate high ecological …

Biomass And Phycocyanin From Oil And Natural Gas Extraction Produced Water Utilizing A Cyanobacteria Dominated Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactor (Rabr), Jonathan L. Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The production of cyanobacterial biofilm biomass and phycocyanin from Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactors utilizing undiluted produced water from oil and natural gas extraction as a culture medium was investigated in this study. Produced water is the largest waste stream generated by the oil and natural gas industries and represents a large volume of non-potable water that may be available for algae culture with minimal impact on freshwater resources. Combining the use of produced wastewater as culture medium with the production of high value algal pigments, such as phycocyanin, may increase the economic viability of algae culture and wastewater purification. High …

Self-Reliance, Social Welfare, And Sacred Landscapes: Mormon Agricultural Spaces And Their Paradoxical Sense Of Place, Anthony Ross Garner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

What is the sense of place of Mormon agricultural landscapes? That is to say, what makes an LDS Church-owned welfare farm or a Mormon family garden meaningful to those who interact with it? In formulating a partial answer to this question, this thesis demonstrates how religious ideals of self-reliance and social welfare explicitly define Mormon agricultural landscapes, providing a sacred sense of their purpose to those who work and benefit from them. However, these sacred landscapes are complicated by developments of industrial agricultural equipment, corporate institutions, and urban demographics, which tend to isolate people from each other and the land …

Changing Delay Discounting: Identification And Evaluation Of Ecologically Valid Methods For Reducing Impulsive Choice, Jillian M. Rung

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Impulsivity takes many forms, one of which is termed impulsive choice. Impulsive choice entails preference for an outcome due to its immediacy relative to more optimal outcomes that take longer to come to fruition. For example, one may wish to have another serving of a decadent dessert after dinner—but doing so may undermine a longer-term goal of improved health and nutrition. If having the extra serving becomes a habit, the consequences of that choice compound and may lead to, for example, obesity. A high degree of impulsive choice such as this is indeed related to issues such as obesity, …

Utilizing Legumes To Improve Production And Nutritive Value Of Intermountain West Pastures, Jacob T. Briscoe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pastures in the Intermountain Western United States mainly consist of cool-season grasses which lack production without supplemental nitrogen. Legumes provide nitrogen at reduced cost compared to nitrogen fertilizer. There is a need for proven methods of inter-seeding legumes into existing cool-season grass pastures as well as knowledge of how animals prefer legumes to grasses and how the nutritive value of forages change throughout the growing season. This research provides a resource for effective integration of legumes into pastures of the Intermountain West. Alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, and cicer milkvetch were inter-seeded into existing cool-season grass pastures following pretreatments of light tillage, …

"Full On Toy Story": Exploring The Belief In Object Sentience In Western Culture, Amelia Mathews-Pett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis considers, from a folklorist’s perspective, the people in Western society who believe that everyday objects have feelings. It establishes these people as a cohesive group for study, referred to as “people to experience the belief in object sentience,” then analyzes their personal accounts of the experience to find both commonalities and differences. From this analysis and discussion of folkloristic perspectives on belief, the main argument is established: people in this group have generally been marginalized and could benefit from a more careful consideration of their beliefs.