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Rancher Perceptions Of Ecosystem Services From Rangelands Of The Intermountain West, Elisabeth C. York

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rangelands within the Great Basin are responsible for the provision of multiple resources that humans depend on for a variety of reasons. Ranchers in this region are dependent on public lands to remain economically viable in their cattle operations. As a majority of land in this region is publically owned, there are varying interests at play in what should and could be the focus of management. Ranchers are charged with implementing strategies aimed at conserving these landscapes and their motivations for what to manage may significantly influence resource provision from Intermountain West ecosystem.

In this study, I sought to understand …

Non-Methane Hydrocarbon Source Apportionment And Btex Risk Assessment Of Winter 2015 In Roosevelt, Utah, Jerimiah Lamb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Non-Methane Hydrocarbons (NMHC) monitored in Roosevelt Utah including Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene (collectively known as BTEX) are associated with deleterious effects including cancer. This study was designed to assess the origin and effect of the toxicants and addressed two points: 1) Source identification using the USEPA’s Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and NOAA’s Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model and 2) A human health risk assessment based on ambient concentrations of BTEX collected at the Roosevelt site. Model fit indicated that the primary contributor to total NMHCs was local oil and gas operations and was supported by previous …

The Influence Of Varying Fiber Stacking Sequence On The Tensile, Impact, And Water Absorption Properties Of Unidirectional Flax/E-Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite, Mohammed F. Al-Edhari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis includes the study of the mechanical performance of two different types of fibers reinforced hybrid composites. Two kinds of fibers, natural fiber (flax) and synthetic fiber (E-glass), are used to reinforce epoxy resin. To evaluate the effective properties of the hybrid composites, a micromechanical analysis of the structure genome (SG) of a unidirectional fiber hybrid composites is performed using nite element analysis (FEA). Both fibers are assumed to be circular and packed in a hexagonal pattern. The effects of varying volume fractions and fiber locations, of the two fibers, on the elastic properties of the hybrid composites are …

Direct Effects Of Warming Increase Woody Plant Abundance In A Subarctic Wetland, Lindsay G. Carlson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Climate change is expected to continue to cause large increases in temperature in Arctic and sub-Arctic ecosystems which has already resulted in changes to plant communities; for example, increased shrub biomass and range. It is important to understand how warmer temperatures could affect the plant community in a wetland system because this region provides crucial high-quality forage for migratory herbivores during the breeding season. One mechanism by which warming could cause change is directly, where warming influences the vital rates of a species; these effects may be either positive or negative. Warmer temperatures may also affect a species indirectly, by …

Extracting And Visualizing Data From Mobile And Static Eye Trackers In R And Matlab, Chunyang Li

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eye tracking is the process of measuring where people are looking at with an eye tracker device. Eye tracking has been used in many scientific fields, such as education, usability research, sports, psychology, and marketing. Eye tracking data are often obtained from a static eye tracker or are manually extracted from a mobile eye tracker. Visualization usually plays an important role in the analysis of eye tracking data. So far, there existed no software package that contains a whole collection of eye tracking data processing and visualization tools. In this dissertation, we review the eye tracking technology, the eye tracking …

Toxicity And Mitochondrial Delivery Of Flavonol-Based Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecules, Hector Jose Esquer Heredia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite the reputation of carbon monoxide (CO) as a silent killer, new evidence suggests that this gaseous molecule has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and vasoprotective properties. Unfortunately, little is known about the role of CO in the body. However, proteins present in mitochondria are believed to be important targets. We previously synthesized a class of novel and structurally modifiable flavonol-based CO-releasing molecules (CORMs). Flavonols are commonly found in fruits and vegetables. The base structure, Flav-1, is fluorescent, exhibits low toxicity, and releases CO after exposure to visible light. Previous reports indicate that addition of a triphenylphosphonium (TPP) tail allows chemical structures to …

Genetic Differentiation Of Two Species Of Buckwheat (Eriogonum), Jenessa Blotter Lemon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Limestone mining in the San Franicso Mountain Range of west central Utah threatens the survival of a rare endemic species of buckwheat (Eriogonum soredium). This species is an edaphic endemic, only found growing on the outcrops of the Ordovician limestone mines in the area. Eriogonum soredium is a candidate for governmental protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, a common, widespread buckwheat (Eriogonum shockleyi) appears to be closely related to the narrow endemic. The genetic relatedness of the rare and and common species will greatly influence the decision of United States Fish and Wildlife Service …

Nitrogen Availability And Use Efficiency In Corn Treated With Contrasting Nitrogen Sources, Avneet Kakkar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The plant-soil nitrogen cycle plays a significant role in allocation of available N to plants, and improved understanding of N cycling helps sustainably increase fertilizer use efficiency. There are various processes (nitrogen mineralization and nitrification) involved in the availability and mobility of nitrogen in the soil. The primary objective of this study was to determine the NUE under contrasting nitrogen treatments over a period of five years. Additionally, we examined the effect of different N treatments on N mineralization and nitrification in conventional and organic farming systems.

This project was funded by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program …

Behavior Of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles In Soil Pore Waters As Influenced By Soil Characteristics, Bacteria, And Wheat Roots, Joshua Hortin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of this project was to study the behavior of copper oxide nanoparticles in soil environments. Copper oxide nanoparticles have antimicrobial properties and may also be used in agricultural settings to provide a source of copper for plant health, but accidental or misapplication of these nanoparticles to soil may be damaging to the plant and its associated bacteria.

Dissolved soil organic matter that is present in soil pore waters dissolved nanoparticles, but did not dissolve the expected amounts from a geochemical model because the geochemical model did not take into account surface chemistry or coating of the nanoparticles by …

Exploring And Describing The Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Medusahead In The Channeled Scablands Of Eastern Washington Using Remote Sensing Techniques, Timothy M. Bateman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Medusahead is a harmful weed that is invading public lands in the West. The invasion is a serious concern to the public because it can reduce forage for livestock and wildlife, increase fire frequency, alter important ecosystem cycles (like water), reduce recreational activities, and produce landscapes that are aesthetically unpleasing. Invasions can drive up costs that generally require taxpayer’s dollars. Medusahead seedlings typically spread to new areas by attaching itself to passing objects (e.g. vehicles, animals, clothing) where it can quickly begin to affect plants communities. To be effective, management plans need to be sustainable, informed, and considerate to invasion …

From Eden To Dystopia: An Ecocritical Examination Of Emergent Mythologies In Early Los Angeles Literary Texts, Jaquelin Pelzer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In From Eden to Dystopia: An Ecocritical Examination of Emergent Mythologies in Early Los Angeles Literary Texts, ecocriticism and critical regionalism were utilized alongside other American Studies practices to analyze nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century depictions of nature in Los Angeles. Specifically, these tools were applied to travel guides and narratives of the 1870s and 1880s, the turn-of-the-century magazine The Land of Sunshine, Upton Sinclair’s Oil! (1926) and Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep (1939), and other non-fiction publications of the 1920s and ’30s to track an evolving narrative of Los Angeles as a paradise and later as a place perched …

Seasonal Distribution Of Sage-Grouse In Hamlin Valley, Utah And The Effect Of Fences On Grouse And Avian Predators, Heather Hedden Mcpherron

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) numbers have declined throughout the western US and are considered a species of concern in most of the eleven states that are within their range. Sage-grouse habitats have been reduced by approximately 44% since European settlement of the Western United States began (Miller et al. 2011). Loss of habitat has contributed to an average decline of sage-grouse populations by 33% across the range (Connelly and Braun 1997). To expand our knowledge of this species, I monitored 16 radio-collared sage-grouse captured from four leks in Hamlin Valley, Utah, USA in 2011 and 2012 …

Acculturation And Language Use In Intimate And Sexual Relationships Among Chinese Bilinguals, Tianyi Xie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

People of Chinese heritage often face complex challenges because of the conflicting values from China and America, especially on sexuality. Through two thousand years of socialization, Chinese culture grew to endorse conservative sexual values and gender roles. In traditional Chinese culture, women are expected to remain chaste and play submissive roles in marriage. Sexuality is treated as a taboo topic that should not be discussed directly. Asian American youth who endorse less traditional Chinese values experience lower sexual satisfaction, lower confidence in their own abilities, and higher adherence to traditional gender roles. Language has also been found to potentially influence …

Development Of An Animal Model For Enterovirus For Evaluation D68 For Screening Of Antiviral Therapies, W. Joseph Evans

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) virus has become more prevalent over the last 15 to 20 years. EV-D68 attacks the respiratory system and can cause severe disease in individuals who have underlying respiratory problems. There have also been reports of individuals with EV-D68 showing signs of neurological system problems and acute flaccid paralysis. Because of the increase in patients with EV-D68 and also the potential for neurological disease, an animal model is needed to study the disease and to evaluate experimental therapies for EV-D68 infection.

To develop the animal model, 4-week old AG129 mice that lack alpha and beta interferon receptors, making …

Preparing Soil For Turfgrass Establishment - Southern Utah, Michael Caron, Candace Schaible, Rick Heflebower, Grant Cardon, Taun Beddes, Kelly Kopp

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information for successfully establishing a lawn including planning, soil preparation, appropriate seed or sod choice, and an understanding of turfgrass requirements in southern Utah.

The Money Mentors Program: Increasing Financial Literacy In Utah Youths, Zurishaddai A. Garcia, Dave Francis, Amanda Christensen, Stacey S. Macarthur, Margie Memmott, Paul A. Hill

All Current Publications

Utah 4-H and Fidelity Investments collaborated on a program for increasing the financial literacy of teens and children. The collaboration resulted in positive impacts for both Extension and Utah youths. Extension benefited through partnership with a corporation that provided content expertise, volunteers, and funding for a financial literacy program. Youths benefited from improved financial literacy. A Teens Reaching Youth (TRY) team approach was used for the training of 81 teens, who then taught 530 youths statewide. The curriculum addressed research-based financial concepts through activities and technologies that were interactive, appealing, and engaging. The program development and implementation processes may serve …

4-H Agricultural Systems Technology, Joshua Dallin

All Current Publications

4-H gives youth an opportunity to explore different career paths, learn and practice new skills, and experience what a career in agricultural systems technology might be like.

Utah 4-H, County Contests, Joshua Dallin, Kelsey W. Romney

All Current Publications

This manual gives information for conducting succesdsful county contests.

The Goat Ate The Butter, Nicole Pope

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

Ok, so you know we had goats that were about you know we had some billy goats and I think we had at least one you know female goat and you know and we and they you know anyway one time my one of my brothers or maybe it was me you know we went out and did our chores and we didn't get the gate out in the field shut all the way and so well it didn't latch. the gate was shut but it didn't get latched so the goat was able to nudge the gate with its …

Invasive Coqui Frogs Are Associated With Greater Abundances Of Nonnative Birds In Hawaii, Usa, Robyn L. Smith, Karen H. Beard, David N. Koons

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The global spread of invasive species has created significant challenges for avian conservation. Introduced predators and pathogens have long been recognized for their direct negative effects on birds, but introduced amphibians can reach high densities on islands with no native amphibians, where they interact with native species. The coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui), introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1980s, could have significant impacts on birds because it is fully terrestrial and achieves high densities. Coquis have been hypothesized to compete with native birds for invertebrate prey, but could also serve as a novel food resource for birds that …

Curriculum: Careers In Urban Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

Browse all Datasets

Materials were created for school-based agricultural educators (7th-12 grade) to use for students in Utah. This curriculum covers multiple days of instruction but 3-5 (50-minute sessions) days is what it is intended for. Includes a unit plan for the instructor, presentation slides (PPT and PFD), worksheets, and other materials. This curriculum focuses on careers in urban agriculture.

I See Molasses, Elise Teichert

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

It was the first morning of spring and there were a bunch of moles that were getting ready for the spring, and they were lined up in the hole to come up to the ground. The first one sticks his head out of the hole and the bottom two yell to the top one, “What can you see?” And the first mole yells back down, “I see green hills and flowers, and a blue sky.” The second one sticks his nose up and the bottom one asks, “What do you smell?” And he says, “I smell clean air and fresh …

Curriculum: Alternative Animals In Agriculture (Grades 7-12), Tyson Sorensen, Kelsey Hall, David Francis, Joshua Dallin

Browse all Datasets

Materials were created for school-based agricultural educators (7th-12 grade) to use for students in Utah. This curriculum covers multiple days of instruction but 3-5 (50-minute sessions) days is what it is intended for. Includes a unit plan for an instructor, presentation slides (PPT and PFD), worksheets, and other materials.

Phenology Largely Explains Taller Grass At Successful Nests In Greater Sage-Grouse, Joseph T. Smith, Jason D. Tack, Kevin Doherty, Brady W. Allred, Jeremy D. Maestas, Lorelle I. Berkeley, Seth J. Dettenmaier, Terry A. Messmer, David E. Naugle

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Much interest lies in the identification of manageable habitat variables that affect key vital rates for species of concern. For ground-nesting birds, vegetation surrounding the nest may play an important role in mediating nest success by providing concealment from predators. Height of grasses surrounding the nest is thought to be a driver of nest survival in greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse), a species that has experienced widespread population declines throughout their range. However, a growing body of the literature has found that widely used field methods can produce misleading inference on the relationship between grass height and nest success. Specifically, …

The Utah Statesman, November 28, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Houseboat Story, Kelsey Lund

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

Jeff: Fourscore and forty years ago..

Me: [laughing]

J: No, we went down to Lake Powell, and we were all done with our Lake Powell trip but we had to take the boat in and when you take the boat in you have to gas it up. So, we go in and the boat was probably a, 48-foot boat. Maybe. Maybe 45-foot boat. So then Uncle Dougy, he’s giving it gas and we go past a wakeless thing, Uncle Dougy’s still going fast, and I was sitting in the back, standing in the back, with my hand against a fiber, …

Proctor And Gamble Is Owned By Satanists, Thomas Lee

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

While I was working at Proctor and Gamble, there was the story that the founder of the company worshipped Satan. They said that the P&G logo with the sun, moon, and stars was satanic. Apparently, he talked about it on Phil Donahue’s talk show, but I think that was just part of the story too. One day I was talking to my mom on the phone and she had heard the story and asked me about it. She was worried, but told me that I should try to make some money then get a better job [laughs]. I though it …

"Suck" Legend, Elise Teichert

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

Text: We, Mom [paused to start over] I was in Junior High, and Uncle Larry’s house was being built in West Jordan. And as we were pulling up, um, Mom had for a long time hated the word suck. But we were driving up to see Dad who was working at the house (yeah, I’m watching her) and as we were pulling up into the driveway I had said ”somethin sucks”. And Mom stopped the car, and it was kinda, it was cloudy out, it was like getting really stormy, but Mom started yelling at me as she pulls into …

Ghost Bites, Nicole Pope

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

[Kay]: Ok so when I was younger and my grandparents still raised me there was a saying where when we wake up to random bruises it's called ghost bites in translation and basically we don't know where the bruises come from and so that's why we call it ghost bites because you sleep and then you wake up with bruises like somewhere strange so that's our thing about ghost bites

[Me]: Was it just your grandparents or your parents that said it or do you know if other families said it?

[Kay]: I asked my friend about it too and …

Ghost Warnings, Nicole Pope

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

[Kay]: Ok so this next story is basically an eerie type of ghost story which um my grandparents told me. a lot of things come from my grandparents because they're freakin cool [smiles] anyway um so we have a saying where if you ever see a ghost or a relative like especially like a dead relative as a ghost ever in your life that means that they are warning you or you're life is near end. it's just kind of creepy and the eery thing about it is that they will just look at you I don't know I think …