Digital Commons Network^™

Growth Of Endangered Humpback Chub In Relation To Temperature And Discharge In The Lower Colorado River, W. E. Pine Iii, K. Limburg, B. Gerig, Colton Finch, D. Chagaris, L. Coggins, D. Speas, D. A. Hendrickson

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Assessments of growth can provide information needed to understand how fish populations respond to changing environmental conditions and management actions, including ecosystem experimentation. We estimated growth rates and parameter uncertainty from otoliths of endangered Humpback Chub Gila cypha from the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona. We then compared growth of Humpback Chub , age 2 that were 1) occupying the mainstem Colorado River during a period of variable discharge and cooler water temperatures (1980–1998; epoch 1), 2) occupying the Colorado River during a period of moderate discharge variability and warmer water (2001–2011; epoch 2), and 3) occupying the unregulated …

The Relationship Between Species Richness And Ecosystem Variability Is Shaped By The Mechanism Of Coexistence, Andrew T. Tredennick, Peter B. Adler, Frederick R. Adler

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Theory relating species richness to ecosystem variability typically ignores the potential for environmental variability to promote species coexistence. Failure to account for fluctuation-dependent coexistence may explain deviations from the expected negative diversity–ecosystem variability relationship, and limits our ability to predict the consequences of increases in environmental variability. We use a consumer-resource model to explore how coexistence via the temporal storage effect and relative nonlinearity affects ecosystem variability. We show that a positive, rather than negative, diversity–ecosystem variability relationship is possible when ecosystem function is sampled across a natural gradient in environmental variability and diversity. We also show how fluctuation-dependent coexistence …

An Evaluation Of U.S. National Wildlife Refuge Planning For Off-Road Vehicle Use, Robert L. Fischman, Vicky J. Meretsky, Katie Freeman, Alexi Lamm, Leah Missik, Scott Salmon

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Off-road vehicles (hereafter, ORVs) rank high among public-land management challenges because they are popular, often impair environmental conditions, and may cause conflicts with other recreational users. Unit-level planning for federal lands increasingly translates broad, system-wide objectives, such as maintenance of ecological integrity, into place-based limitations on ORV use to minimize and mitigate adverse impacts on wildlife. We reviewed 176 planning documents covering 313 National Wildlife Refuges (hereafter, Refuges) to understand how planning supports or undermines ORV recreation management. These plans offer an important perspective on ORV management because the Refuges are a large, diverse system of conservation lands where recreation …

Noxious Weed Field Guide For Utah, Brenda Jarvis Lowry, Corey Ransom, Ralph Whitesides, Heather Olsen

All Current Publications

Invasive noxious weeds have been described as a raging biological wildfire – out of control, spreading rapidly, and causing enormous economic losses. Millions of acres in North America have been invaded or are at risk of being invaded by weeds, including cropland, pastures, rangelands, forests, wilderness areas, national parks, recreation sites, wildlife management areas, transportation corridors, waterways, wetlands, parks, golf courses, even yards and gardens. Noxious weeds are capable of spreading at rates of up to 60% annually (Smith et al. 1999).

Devastation caused by noxious weeds is enormous. Economic losses from weeds exceed $30 billion (Pimentel et al. 2005) …

Community Supported Agriculture: Legal Concerns, Kenna Mcmurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain

All Current Publications

As with all businesses, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) growers may experience legal concerns. This fact sheet will walk growers through certain steps that may be taken to minimize the liability of your CSA operation and manage possible risks.

Wetland Plants Of Great Salt Lake, A Guide To Identification, Communities, & Bird Habitat, Rebekah Downard, Maureen Frank, Jennifer Perkins, Karin Kettenring, Mark Larese-Casanova

All Current Publications

Wetland Plants of Great Salt Lake: a guide to identification, communities, & bird habitat is a wetland plant identification guide, resulting from collaborative research efforts about Great Salt Lake (GSL) wetland conditions and bird habitat. Dr. Rebekah Downard collected dissertation field data from GSL wetlands during 2012–2015, the majority of which informed this work. Dr. Maureen Frank contributed her guide to GSL wetland vegetation and how to manage native plants as high-quality habitat for birds. The intended purpose in producing this guide was to create an informative source that could assist researchers, land managers, birders, and wetland enthusiasts in identifying, …

Utah Master Naturalist, Mountain Adventures Manual, Mark Larese-Casanova

All Current Publications

The Utah Master Naturalist Mountain Adventures Manual provides a comprehensive view of mountain ecosystems in Utah, from the geology and climate that influence mountain ecosystems, to the plant and animal communities and their unique adaptations for survival. The Manual explores the human perspective from historic peoples to current management.

Facebook Live’S Violence Problem, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

On the evening of Easter Sunday, 74-year-old Pennsylvania resident Robert Godwin was enjoying a walk through his neighborhood after a holiday meal with his family when he was approached, at random, by self-described “monster” Steve Stephens. Stephens, who was given the moniker “The Facebook Killer” by the media, blamed what was about to happen to Godwin on his broken relationship with his girlfriend, before shooting Godwin in the head, killing him instantly.

Volume 71 Issue 1 (Spring/Summer 2017)

Utah Science

2: Social vs. Solitary Bees

Social bees are celebrated for their cooperative industry, but how did their innovative division of labor evolve? A starting point for examining this question may be study of their solitary cousins, say Utah State University biologists.

5: Getting to the Root of the Problem

In terms of plant systems, roots are the under-appreciated, behind-the-scenes hard workers. Despite being vital to a plant's survival, surprising little is understood about how roots interact with the water and soil around them. But researchers are developing techniques to understand the interactions that take place underground.

8: Large Animal Genetic …

Gene-Specific Histone Acetylation And Dna Methylation Changes In Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (Scnt) Embryos, Kenneth L. White

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, College Of Agriculture And Applied Sciences, May 19, 2017, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University requests approval to offer the following Minor: Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies effective Fall 2017.

Using Formative Research To Develop A Hospital-Based Perinatal Public Health Intervention In The Us: The Thirty Million Words Initiative Newborn Parent Education Curriculum, Eileen Graf, Livia Garofalo, Alison C. Hundertmark, Glenda L. Montague, Nicole M. Polash, Elizabeth Suskind, Kristin R. Leffel, Robert J. Webber, Dana L. Suskind

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Parents and caregivers do not exist in a vacuum, and with regard to crafting impactful interventions, it is increasingly being recognized that there are no one-size-fits-all approaches to behavior change. Implementing research to practice is a complex endeavor and requires the adaptation of basic research findings to different cultural and environmental contexts of intended beneficiaries (Sepinwall, 2002; Weisner & Hay, 2014). The practice of formative research allows for the systematic assessment of diverse implementation contexts and provides insights into responsive adaptations of content and delivery. In this study, we detail the use of formative testing to inform the development of …

The Journal Of Early Hearing Detection And Intervention: Volume 2 Issue 1

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

In The News Spring 2017, Jason Matthews, Joe N. Caudell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Mpb Spot Infestation Data, James A. Powell

Browse all Datasets

This folder contains ASCII text raster files describing the pine density model and yearly aerial detection survey (ADS) data for three study areas: Sawtooth (central Idaho, USA), Chelan (north-central Washington, USA) and Northern Colorado (USA). These data supported analyses presented in

Powell, J.A., M.J. Garlick, B.J. Bentz and N.A. Friedenberg. (2017) Differential Dispersal and the Allee Effect Create Power-Law Behavior: Distribution of Spot Infestations During Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks. Journal of Animal Ecology.

Each raster is at 30m resolution, and each pixel is a density in a space-separated ascii file. The top five rows of each file are commented using …

An Efficient Linear Octree-Based Grid Toward Magnetic Fluid Stimulation, Sean Flynn, Parris Egbert

Utah Space Grant Consortium

An Eulerian approach to fluid flow provides an efficient stable paradigm for realistic fluid simulation. However its reliance on a fixed-resolution grid is not ideal for simulations that exhibit both large and small-scale fluid phenomena. A coarse grid can efficiently capture large-scale effects like ocean waves, but lacks the resolution needed for small-scale phenomena like droplets. On the other hand, a fine grid can capture these small-scale effects, but is inefficient for large-scale phenomena. Magnetic fluid, or ferrofluid, illustrates this problem with its very fine detail centered about a magnet and lack of detail elsewhere. Our new fluid simulation technique …

Animating Chinese Cinemas: A Preface, Li Guo, Jinying Li

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

This preface by the guest editors provides a situated overview of the purpose, structure and methodologies of the contributing articles on Chinese animations in this special issue. Aiming to reconfigure Chinese film studies through historical and theoretical inquiries about the relationship between the animated and the cinematic, the special issue introduces a nascent perspective on Chinese animations by offering rigorous and stimulating studies on the forms, genres and materiality of animation, as well as on the technological and ontological conditions of animated moving images in the age of digital new media. The preface also provides a brief historical overview of …

Undergraduate Examination Of Pollutant Aerosols In Earth's Atmosphere, Matthew Toon, Tyler Weenig, Zach Collins, Fred Davis, Christopher Maughan, Kyle Strong, Kim Nielsen

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Air pollution can result from both natural and human-caused actions. Natural pollutants may result from events like: forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, natural radioactivity, etc. Human pollutants can result from: toxic emissions from vehicles or manufacturing plants, burning fossil fuels, household or farming chemicals released into the air, second hand smoke from tobacco users, etc.

Pollution can obviously have an extremely negative effect on the air quality that we as humans, as well as all living creatures, breathe and depend on for life. Pollution can also negatively impact water and soil by introducing toxins into these resources needed for …

Serum Biochemistry Panels In African Buffalo: Defining Reference Intervals And Assessing Variability Across Season, Age And Sex, Johanna Rigas, Claire E. Couch, Morgan A. Movius, Anna E. Jolles, M Elena Gorman, Brianna R. Beechler

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Serum biochemical parameters can be utilized to evaluate the physiological status of an animal, and relate it to the animal’s health. In order to accurately interpret individual animal biochemical results, species-specific reference intervals (RI) must be established. Reference intervals for biochemical parameters differ between species, and physiological differences including reproductive status, nutritional resource availability, disease status, and age affect parameters within the same species. The objectives of this study were to (1) establish RI for biochemical parameters in managed African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), (2) assess the effects of age, sex, pregnancy, and season on serum biochemistry values, and (3) compare …

Homelessness In Utah, Desperately Seeking A Backyard, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

For more than 60 years, the sprawling Utah State Prison sat nestled at the base of the Wasatch Mountain range in Draper, Utah. The prison was home to such notorious inmates as serial killers Ted Bundy and Gary Gilmore, and serial pedophile and cult leader Warren Jeffs. Utah was the first state to reinstitute the death penalty after the Supreme Court’s moratorium ended in 1973, and the state has since executed 51 people. In 2015, the Utah legislature made the decision to relocate the prison to West Salt Lake City. In its place, Draper Mayor Troy Walker proposed to house …

Effects Of Integrating Mathematical Concepts Into A Nutrition Unit In The Animal Science Curriculum, Andrea R. Gardner, Brian K. Warnick, Rebecca G. Lawver

Applied Sciences, Technology and Education Faculty Publications

Achievement test scores in mathematics have been a concern among educators for many years. Teaching contextualized mathematics has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles in isolation. This study measured the effects of integrating mathematical skills in one instructional unit in an animal science curriculum. Students from eight schools participated in the research study. Students completed a pretest measuring their existing mathematical skills and self-efficacy in math. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a …

Homo Faber Juvenalis: A Multidisciplinary Survey Of Children As Tool Makers/Users, David F. Lancy

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The overall goal of this paper is to derive a set of generalizations that might characterize children as tool makers/users in the earliest human societies. These generalizations will be sought from the collective wisdom of four distinct bodies of scholarship: lithic archaeology; juvenile chimps as novice tool users; recent laboratory work in human infant and child cognition, focused on objects becoming tools and; the ethnographic study of children learning their community’s tool-kit. The presumption is that this collective wisdom will yield greater insight into children’s development as tool producers and users than has been available to scholars operating within narrower …

“Speed-Faithing” Engages “Big Questions” And Builds Bridges Of Empathy And Connection, Bonnie Glass-Coffin

Interfaith Initiative Research

An article about how various Interfaith activities can help campus become a safer place for students in the wake of the 2016 Presidential Election.

Utah State University Commencement, 2017 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

130th Annual Commencement of Utah State University.

Currere And Prolepsis: A Literary Analysis, Kristin Kristner Hall, Mario Itzel Suárez, Sungyoon Lee, Patrick Slattery

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Literary scholars and English teachers will recognize the word prolepsis as a term describing the moment in a short story or novel when the reader becomes fully cognizant of past, present, and future events all in one instant. This is a moment of heightened insight, transcending historical sedimentation. " A proleptic moment is any experience " of a text that shifts the reader/viewer/listener outside of " linear segmentation of time and creates a holistic understanding of the past, present, and future simultaneously " (Slattery, 2013, p. 305). Prolepsis is the moment when all of the events of the narrative coalesce. …

Paws And Breathe: How Pet Therapy Thrives In An Academic Library, Pamela N. Martin, Andrea Krebs, William Rozum

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Since the spring of 2014, the Merrill-Cazier library has offered stress-relieving activities during finals week to help students cope with their heavy workloads. The most popular activity offered (by far) is pet therapy. In the past, the library offered two sessions during finals week, but because of positive feedback and the huge student turnout at these sessions, the library has started to make pet therapy a weekly occurrence. Thanks to the kindness of our volunteer handlers, the therapy dogs have started to come to the library every Tuesday, and the feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive.

Pet therapy does …

To What Extent Might Beaver Dam Building Buffer Water Storage Losses Associated With A Declining Snowpack?, Konrad Hafen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dams built by North American Beaver create natural water storage and slow water as it moves through streams. In portions of streams with beaver dams, these effects have been observed to decrease the peak magnitude of floods and increase base flow during annual summer droughts. In the western United States changes to streamflow patterns have been observed in recent decades with large spring floods coming earlier in the year, causing annual summer droughts to start earlier and last longer. These changes are linked to decreasing snowpack which acts as the most significant natural water storage reservoir by holding onto precipitation …

Effects Of Gestational Dietary Intake On Calf Growth And Early Feedlot Performance Of Offspring, Jose M. Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fetal programming is a relatively new and quickly growing field of research in the livestock industry. The concept of fetal programming is simply defined as the effects a change in maternal nutritional intake has on offspring, whether it be a genetic or physical change. The intention of this study was to specifically look at the effects of nutrient restriction of cows during the second trimester of gestation on the growth and performance of the resulting calves.

In this study, thirty-two cows of predominantly angus influence from the Utah state university herd were chosen, naturally bred to a pure bred angus …

A Comparison Of Statistical Methods Relating Pairwise Distance To A Binary Subject-Level Covariate, Rachael Stone

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

A community ecologist provided a motivating data set involving a certain animal species with two behavior groups, along with a pairwise genetic distance matrix among individuals. Many community ecologists have analyzed similar data sets with a method known as the Hopkins method, testing for an association between the subject-level covariate (behavior group) and the pairwise distance. This community ecologist wanted to know if they used the Hopkins method, would their results be meaningful? Their question inspired this thesis work, where a different data set was used for confidentiality reasons. Multiple methods (Hopkins method, ADONIS, ANOSIM, and Distance Regression) were used …

The Revival Of America's First Genre: Exploring The Panther Narrative's Feminist Principles In Post-Revolutionary War America, Abigail Bentley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

America’s victory in the War of Independence posed new challenges for the men who drafted the Constitution. Gender roles shifted dramatically during the war, creating a new attitude about women’s roles in the new republic. Before the Constitution was ratified, women like Abigail Adams advocated for women to have a more active role in the new nation. Radical literature regarding women’s roles also became a driving force in the movement. The Panther Narrative used the resurgence of America’s first genre, the captivity narrative, to combine the new republic’s obsession with personal freedom and radical ideas about gender spheres. The anonymous …