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Comparison Of Chikungunya Virus Strains In Disease Severity And Susceptibility To T-705 (Favipiravir), In Vitro And In Vivo, Makda Gebre

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chikungunya is a mosquito-transmitted disease caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Symptoms of Chikungunya include debilitating joint pain and swelling, fever and rash. CHIKV was first discovered in 1953 in Tanzania, and has since caused periodic outbreaks of disease. The virus reemerged recently in 2004 and has since spread around the world affecting more than 3 million people. The different strains of CHIKV have been grouped into three phylogenetic clades: West African, Asian and East/Central/South African (ECSA). There are no FDA approved medicines or vaccines used to treat or prevent CHIKV infection. The antiviral drug, T-705 (commercially known as Favipiravir), has …

From "Struggling" To "Example": How Cross-Age Tutoring Impacts Latina Adolescents' Reader Identities, Dustin H. Drake

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Educators and policy makers have shown a consistent concern over the achievement gap. In academic assessments, Latino students have demonstrated lower achievement than their peers, particularly in reading scores. Many researchers attribute the existence of the achievement gap to a school system that ignores Latino culture or perpetuates struggles in Latino students’ reading by being culturally insensitive. Multiple theorists suggest that school systems that better understand Latino identities will be better at instructing Latino students. Many programs, including Latinos in Action, have been implemented in attempts to close this gap. The Latinos in Action program utilizes Latino adolescents as peer …

A Comparison Of Five Statistical Methods For Predicting Stream Temperature Across Stream Networks, Maike F. Holthuijzen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The health of freshwater aquatic systems, particularly stream networks, is mainly influenced by water temperature, which controls biological processes and influences species distributions and aquatic biodiversity. Thermal regimes of rivers are likely to change in the future, due to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts, and our ability to predict stream temperatures will be critical in understanding distribution shifts of aquatic biota. Spatial statistical network models take into account spatial relationships but have drawbacks, including high computation times and data pre-processing requirements. Machine learning techniques and generalized additive models (GAM) are promising alternatives to the SSN model. Two machine learning …

The Same Ten People (Stps) Of Rockville: Volunteerism, Preservation, And Sense Of Community In Small-Town Southern Utah, Tori Edwards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis examines the central role that volunteerism plays in creating a strong sense of sense of place and community within the town of Rockville, Utah, located 4.7 miles from Zion National Park. Rockville has no commercial businesses within its boundaries and relies heavily upon the volunteer efforts of its residents to carry out the majority of civil services within the town. Drawing from interviews of the STP’s (a group of Rockville residents who volunteer on a regular basis), this thesis highlights how the act of volunteerism helps residents feel membership within their community. This thesis also looks at how …

Maternal Diabetes, Related Biomarkers And Genes, And Risk Of Orofacial Clefts, Tiwaporn Maneerattanasuporn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are among the most common congenital birth defects and are characterized by incomplete development of the lip or the palate or both. The lip and palate develop separately at different times during the first trimester of pregnancy. The etiology of OFCs is multifactorial and includes a combination of genetic and environmental factors. This project aims to examine role of maternal diabetes mellitus in orofacial clefts through studies of medical histories, biomarkers, and genes.

In a study of Utah birth certificates, mothers with pre-existing diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) had an increased risk of OFCs, and obese …

Nutritional, Endocrine, And Social Influences On Reproductive Physiology At The Origins Of Social Behavior, Karen M. Kapheim

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding the evolutionary origins of social behavior in insects requires understanding the physiological basis for reproductive plasticity. Solitary bees and wasps or those living in small, flexible societies will be key to understanding how conserved pathways have evolved to give rise to reproductive castes. Nutrient-sensing and endocrine pathways are decoupled from reproduction in some life stages of social insects. Heterochrony, particularly as it is related to diapause physiology, may be an important mechanism by which this decoupling occurs. Additional research is needed to understand how these pathways became sensitive to cues from the social environment. Future research targeting species with …

Preserving Venison, Margie P. Memmott, Brian Nummer, Charlotte Brennand

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information of preserving venison.

Suppression And Control Of Field Bindweed - (Perennial Morning Glory) In Residential Areas, Taun Beddes, Michael Caron, James Barnhill, Kelly Kopp

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes field bindweed (perennial morning glory). It tells how to identify it, its life cycle, suppression and control options, including prevention, non-herbicide options, and herbiicide options.

Collection Of Biological Material For Commercial Genomic Testing In Beef, Matthew D. Garcia, Kevin Heaton, Linden Greenhalgh

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes collecting biological material for commercial genomic testing of beef cattle. It includes a description of materials needed, methods of collecting including blood, ear notching, or tissue collection, and how to ship and store samples.

Taking Stock Of Solitary Confinement’S Mental Toll, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In prisons throughout the United States, a total of somewhere around 80,000 prisoners are isolated from human contact for 22 to 24 hours a day. These prisoners are kept in very small cells—spaces of roughly 80 square feet. In the cell is a bed, a toilet, and very little else. Prisoners in solitary are fed three meals a day and are often allowed outside every day for an hour, with no contact with other prisoners. The practice, commonly known as “solitary confinement” has come to be known by a number of euphemisms, including “restrictive housing” and “segregation.”

Students Are The Engine Of Swbec | Sustainable Waste-To-Bioproducts Engineering Center, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

More than 10 projects for 2017 include 20 students total with 6 graduate students and 14 undergraduate students.

Pre-Dispersal Seed Predators And Fungi Differ In Their Effect On Luehea Seemannii Capsule Development, Seed Germination, And Dormancy Across Two Panamanian Forests, Pimonrat Tiansawat, Noelle G. Beckman, James W. Dalling

Biology Faculty Publications

Pre-dispersal seed predation can greatly reduce crop size affecting recruitment success. In addition, non-fatal damage by seed predators may allow infection by fungi responsible for post-dispersal seed losses. The objectives of this study were (1) to quantify pre-dispersal seed predation and fungal infection in a Neotropical tree species, Luehea seemannii, that produces dehiscent fruits and wind-dispersed seeds, and (2) to link pre-dispersal effects on seed quality to seed survival in the soil. To examine how seed predators and fungi influence seed losses, mesh exclosures, fungicide, and the combination of both treatments were applied to separate branches in the canopy …

Utah State Magazine, Summer 2017, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

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

Return To Fort Rock Cave: Assessing The Site's Potential To Contribute To Ongoing Debates About How And When Humans Colonized The Great Basin, Thomas J. Connolly, Judson Byrd Finley, Geoffrey M. Smith, Dennis L. Jenkins, Pamela E. Endzweig, Brian L. O'Neill, Paul W. Baxter

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Oregon’s Fort Rock Cave is iconic in respect to both the archaeology of the northern Great Basin and the history of debate about when the Great Basin was colonized. In 1938, Luther Cressman recovered dozens of sagebrush bark sandals from beneath Mt. Mazama ash that were later radiocarbon dated to between 10,500 and 9350 cal B.P. In 1970, Stephen Bedwell reported finding lithic tools associated with a date of more than 15,000 cal B.P., a date dismissed as unreasonably old by most researchers. Now, with evidence of a nearly 15,000-year-old occupation at the nearby Paisley Five Mile Point Caves, we …

To Stress Or Not To Stress: Physiological Responses To Tetrodotoxin In Resistant Garter Snakes Vary By Sex, Lorin A. Neuman-Lee, Edmund D. Brodie Jr., Tyler Hansen, Edmund D. Brodie Jr., Susannah S. French

Biology Faculty Publications

The activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis is one of the most important physiological processes in coping with any deviation in an organism’s homeostasis. This activation and the secretion of glucocorticoids, such as corticosterone, allow organisms to cope with perturbations and return to optimal physiological functioning as quickly as possible. In this study, we examined the HPA axis activation in common gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) as a response to a natural toxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX). This neurotoxin is found in high levels in the Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa), which is a prey item for these snakes. …

Cache Valley Resident Exposure To Pm2.5, Kristina Krepinski

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Air pollution poses one of the largest environmental risks to human health, and greatly contributes to increased mortality within populations. Of the different types of pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has the most adverse health effects. Long-term exposure to PM_2.5 is known to have serious health outcomes; however, evidence has indicated that even short-term exposure to moderate concentrations of PM_2.5 is detrimental to human health. While PM_2.5 does contribute to various respiratory conditions by affecting lung function, it also significantly affects the cardiovascular system. Elevated PM_2.5 exposure increases risk for cardiovascular disease, congestive heart …

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug [Halyomorpha Halys (Stal)], Mark Cody Holthouse, Diane G. Alston, Lori R. Spears, Erin Petrizzo

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes the brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive insect pest from eastern Asia. It includes a description of where it is found in Utah, host plants, crop injury and plant damage, general description of life stages, agricultural risks, monitoring, management, insecticides, and what to do if you find it.

Almonds In The Home Garden, Teryl R. Roper, Rick Heflebower

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes growing almonds in Utah. It includes how to select plantings, site preparation, planting, pruning, irrigation, pest management, and some reasons why almond trees fail to bear.

Intraspecific Variation And Ecosystem Function: Implications For More Effective Post-Restoration Monitoring, Donald J. Benkendorf, Howard H. Whiteman

Watershed Sciences Student Research

The effectiveness of stream restoration is often measured by the recolonization of certain focal species. However, important information regarding intraspecific variation (e.g. size structure) of these species is often ignored. Recent research suggests that intraspecific variation such as body size can have profound effects on food web dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Specifically, intraspecific predator size variation has been posited as a major determinant of a species’ ability to control lower trophic levels and even has the potential to alter trophic cascade intensity. The importance of predator feeding strategy (e.g. omnivory) and changes with body size may also be an important …

Movement Of Cryptosporidium Parvum Oocysts Through Soils Without Preferential Pathways: Exploratory Test, Christophe J.G. Darnault, Zhenyang Peng, Chan Yu, Biting Li, Astrid R. Jacobson, Philippe C. Baveye

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Groundwater contamination by oocysts of the waterborne pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant cause of animal and human disease worldwide. Although research has been undertaken in the past to determine how specific physical and chemical properties of soils affect the risk of groundwater contamination by C. parvum, there is as yet no clear conclusion concerning the range of mobility of C. parvum that one should expect in field soils. In this context, the key objective of this research was to determine the magnitude of C. parvum transport in a number of soils, under conditions in which fast and preferential …

Evolution Of Mammalian Migrations For Refuge, Breeding, And Food, Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan, William D. Pearse, Allison K. Shaw

Biology Faculty Publications

Many organisms migrate between distinct habitats, exploiting variable resources while profoundly affecting ecosystem services, disease spread, and human welfare. However, the very characteristics that make migration captivating and significant also make it difficult to study, and we lack a comprehensive understanding of which species migrate and why. Here we show that, among mammals, migration is concentrated within Cetacea and Artiodactyla but also diffusely spread throughout the class (found in 12 of 27 orders). We synthesize the many ecological drivers of round-trip migration into three types of movement—between breeding and foraging sites, between breeding and refuge sites, and continuous tracking of …

Interacting Stressors And The Potential For Adaptation In A Changing World: Responses Of Populations And Individuals, Gareth R. Hopkins, Susannah S. French, Edmund D. Brodie Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

To accurately predict the impact of environmental change, it is necessary to assay effects of key interacting stressors on vulnerable organisms, and the potential resiliency of their populations. Yet, for the most part, these critical data are missing. We examined the effects of two common abiotic stressors predicted to interact with climate change, salinity and temperature, on the embryonic survival and development of a model freshwater vertebrate, the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) from different populations. We found that salinity and temperature significantly interacted to affect newt embryonic survival and development, with the negative effects of salinity most pronounced …

Data On The Effect Of In Utero Exposure To Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons On Genome-Wide Patterns Of Dna Methylation In Lung Tissues, Trevor J. Fish, Abby D. Benninghoff

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Data in this article depict patterns of methylation in lung tissues obtained from the offspring of B6129SF1/J dams and 129S1/SvImJ sires exposed in utero to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) or dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) as compared to non-exposed offspring. Genome-wide methylation of lung tumors in adult offspring was determined using methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) with the NimbleGen mouse DNA methylation CpG island array. This data article refers to the research article “DNA methylation in lung tissues of mouse offspring exposed in utero to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,” in which comprehensive data interpretation and analysis are provided.

The Ethics Of Amateur Podcast Sleuthing, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In late 2016, Up and Vanished, a podcast produced and hosted by independent filmmaker-turned-podcaster Payne Lindsey, released its first episode. The topic of the podcast is the until recently cold murder case of Georgia eleventh-grade history teacher Tara Grinstead. Grinstead went missing, presumably from her home in Ocilla, Georgia, in October 2005.

The Utah Statesman, June 14, 2017, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Relative Selection Strength: Quantifying Effectsize In Habitat- And Step-Selection Inference, Tal Avgar, Subhash R. Lele, Jonah L. Keim, Mark S. Boyce

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Habitat-selection analysis lacks an appropriate measure of the ecological significance of the statistical estimates-a practical interpretation of the magnitude of the selection coefficients. There is a need for a standard approach that allows relating the strength of selection to a change in habitat conditions across space, a quantification of the estimated effect size that can be compared both within and across studies. We offer a solution, based on the epidemiological risk ratio, which we term the relative selection strength (RSS). For a "used-available" design with an exponential selection function, the RSS provides an appropriate interpretation of the magnitude of the …

Representational Precision In Visual Cortex Reveals Outcome Encoding And Reward Modulation During Action Preparation, Henk Van Steenbergen, Christopher M. Warren, Simone KüHn, Sanne De Wit, Reinout W. Wiers, Bernhard Hommel

Psychology Faculty Publications

According to ideomotor theory, goal-directed action involves the active perceptual anticipation of actions and their associated effects. We used multivariate analysis of fMRI data to test if preparation of an action promotes precision in the perceptual representation of the action. In addition, we tested how reward magnitude modulates this effect. Finally, we examined how expectation and uncertainty impact neural precision in the motor cortex. In line with our predictions, preparation of a hand or face action increased the precision of neural activation patterns in the extrastriate body area (EBA) and fusiform face area (FFA), respectively. The size of this effect …

Body Condition Of Endangered Humpback Chub In Relation To Temperature And Discharge In The Lower Colorado River, Forest P. Hayes, Michael J. Dodrill, Brandon S. Gerig, Colton Finch, William E. Pine Iii

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Determining the population status of endangered Humpback Chub Gila cypha is a major component of the adaptive management program designed to inform operation of Glen Canyon Dam upstream from Grand Canyon, Arizona. In recent decades, resource managers have identified a portfolio of management actions (with intermittent implementation) to promote population recovery of Humpback Chub, including nonnative fish removal, changes in water release volumes and discharge ramping schedules, and reductions in hydropower peaking operations. The Humpback Chub population in Grand Canyon has increased over this same period, causal factors for which are unclear. We took advantage of unusual hydrology in the …

Students’ Perceptions Of Using A Course Management System To Supplement Traditional Advising, Kelsey L. Hall, Rebecca G. Lawver, Kenna Mcmurray, John L. Hawley

Applied Sciences, Technology and Education Faculty Publications

Few universities have adapted their course man­agement systems to serve as an advising tool. The purpose of this qualitative study was to use focus group interviews to explore undergraduate students’ experi­ences and perceptions of using Canvas, a course man­agement system, to supplement face-to-face advising in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences at Utah State University. Forty students representing all college academic departments participated in eight focus groups. Most participants indicated they were unaware of Canvas’s advising features, thinking the tool was pri­marily used to send announcements and respond to stu­dents’ e-mails. Participants enjoyed receiving announce­ments about club activities, internships, …

Characterizing Growth And Condition Of Endangered Humpback Chub In The Lower Colorado River, William E. Pine Iii, Brandon S. Gerig, Colton Finch

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper is a preface to the two papers that follow in this issue. The two papers (by Pine et al. and Hayes et al.) use long-term fish sampling data from ongoing Humpback Chub monitoring efforts and archival otolith samples (from museums) collected in the lower Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers during periods of both cold- and warm-water conditions to assess whether Humpback Chub growth characteristics may have responded to changes in water temperature. Growth patterns are often of interest to resource managers because growth integrates a large range of environmental and ecological factors, including habitat conditions. Together, these papers …