Digital Commons Network^™

Water Management Decision Making In The Face Of Multiple Forms Of Uncertainty And Risk, Morey Burnham, Zhao Ma, Joanna Endter-Wada, Tim Bardsley

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In the Wasatch Range Metropolitan Area of Northern Utah, water management decision makers confront multiple forms of uncertainty and risk. Adapting to these uncertainties and risks is critical for maintaining the long‐term sustainability of the region's water supply. This study draws on interview data to assess the major challenges climatic and social changes pose to Utah's water future, as well as potential solutions. The study identifies the water management adaptation decision‐making space shaped by the interacting institutional, social, economic, political, and biophysical processes that enable and constrain sustainable water management. The study finds water managers and other water actors see …

A Novel Qtl Associated With Dwarf Bunt Resistance In Idaho 444 Winter Wheat, Jianli Chen, Mary J. Guttieri, Junli Zhang, David Hole, Edward Souza, Blair Goates

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Dwarf bunt [Tilletia controversa J.G. Kühn [as ‘contraversa’], in Rabenhorst, Hedwigia 13: 188 (1874)] is a destructive disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that reduces grain yield and quality. A number of distinct genes conferring resistance to dwarf bunt have been used by breeding programs for nearly 100 years. However, few markers were identified that can be used in selection of dwarf bunt resistance. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the bunt-resistant germplasm, Idaho 444 (IDO444), and the susceptible cultivar, Rio Blanco, was evaluated for phenotypic reaction to dwarf bunt inoculation in four trials in …

A Novel Benzodiazepine Compound Inhibits Yellow Fever Virus Infection By Specifically Targeting Ns4b Protein, Fang Guo, Shuo Wu, Justin Julander, Julia Ma, Xuexiang Zhang, John Kulp, Andrea Cuconati, Timothy M. Block, Yanming Du, Ju-Tao Guo, Jinhong Chang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Although a highly effective vaccine is available, the number of yellow fever cases has increased over the past 2 decades, which highlights the pressing need for antiviral therapeutics. In a high-throughput screening campaign, we identified an acetic acid benzodiazepine (BDAA) compound which potently inhibits yellow fever virus (YFV). Interestingly, while treatment of YFV-infected cultures with 2 MBDAA reduced the virion production by greater than 2 logs, the compound was not active against 21 other viruses from 14 different viral families. Selection and genetic analysis of drug-resistant viruses revealed that replacement of the proline at amino acid 219 (P219) of the …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, September 19, 2016, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Items - September 2016
• Honors Program
• Libraries Advisory Council
• Parking Committee
• Student Code of Conduct

Large Animal Genetic Engineering Summit 2016 Proceedings, Utah State University

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the first Large Animal Genetic Engineering (LAGE) Summit. Our objectives for the summit are twofold: 1) to provide an update on new approaches to the genetic modification of large animal species for development of better animal models for biomedical research, biomanufacturing, and improved agricultural production; and 2) to provide a forum for discussions on funding mechanisms and regulations effecting development of genetically engineered large animals. Our first summit is being held in Bethesda, Maryland, to facilitate participation by representatives from various federal agencies who either fund or regulate the production of …

Using Modeled Writing To Support English-Only And English-Learner Second-Grade Students, Kathleen A. J. Mohr

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study compared 70 English learners (ELs) and English-only (EO) second-grade students’ writing samples before and after a yearlong writing program. The school utilized Write From the Beginning (J. Buckner, 2006) and focused on personal narratives. A subgroup of students also participated in an intervention supporting expository writing on curricular topics. Sociocognitive theory framed the Modeled Writing (MW) used in this study. An analysis of covariance used prescores on 2 writing assessments to compare students’ writing achievement at the end of the year, and t tests compared students’ writing by gender, language, and group on various pre- and posttest scores. …

Convergence In Nitrogen Deposition And Cryptic Isotopic Variation Across Urban And Agricultural Valleys In Northern Utah, Steven J. Hall, E. M. Ogata, Samantha R. Weintraub, Michelle A. Baker, James R. Ehleringer, C I. Czimczik, David R. Bowling

Biology Faculty Publications

The extent to which atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition reflects land use differences and biogenic versus fossil fuel reactive N sources remains unclear yet represents a critical uncertainty in ecosystem N budgets. We compared N concentrations and isotopes in precipitation-event bulk (wet + dry) deposition across nearby valleys in northern Utah with contrasting land use (highly urban versus intensive agriculture/low-density urban). We predicted greater nitrate (NO3−) versus ammonium (NH4+) and higher δ15N of NO3− and NH4+ in urban valley sites. Contrary to expectations, annual N deposition (3.5–5.1 kg N ha−1 yr−1) and inorganic N concentrations were similar within and between valleys. …

Secondary Structure Adopted By The Gly-Gly-X Repetitive Regions Of Dragline Spider Silk, Geoffrey M. Gray, Arjan Van Der Vaart, Chengchen Guo, Justin A. Jones, David Onofrei, Brian R. Cherry, Randolph V. Lewis, Jeffery L. Yarger, Gregory P. Holland

Biology Faculty Publications

Solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are presented to help elucidate the molecular secondary structure of poly(Gly-Gly-X), which is one of the most common structural repetitive motifs found in orb-weaving dragline spider silk proteins. The combination of NMR and computational experiments provides insight into the molecular secondary structure of poly(Gly-Gly-X) segments and provides further support that these regions are disordered and primarily non-β-sheet. Furthermore, the combination of NMR and MD simulations illustrate the possibility for several secondary structural elements in the poly(Gly-Gly-X) regions of dragline silks, including β-turns, 310-helicies, and coil structures with a negligible population of α-helix observed.

Faculty Senate Agenda, September 12, 2016, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Faculty Forum–November 14, 2016
• Presidential Search
• 369.2.3 Special Leave
• 402.12.1 –402.12.8 Senate Standing Committees
• Honors Call for Courses
• Research and Graduate Studies
• 406.1 –406.6 Financial Integrity (to be sent to PRPC)

Fire-Induced Negative Nutritional Outcomes For Cattle When Sharing Habitat With Native Ungulates In An African Savanna, Wilfred O. Odadi, Duncan M. Kimuyu, Ryan L. Sensenig, Kari E. Veblen, Corinna Riginos, Truman P. Young

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Prescribed burning is used in tropical savannas to improve habitat conditions for domestic and wild herbivores, but its effects on the ecological interactions between these herbivore guilds have never been assessed experimentally. Understanding such effects will contribute towards more informed management of both guilds in landscapes where they share habitats.

An Iterative Approach To Large-N Case Studies: Insights From Qualitative Analysis Of Quantitative Inconsistencies, Allain J. Barnett, Jacopo A. Baggio, Hoon C. Shin, David J. Yu, Irene Perez-Ibarra, Cathy Rubiños, Ute Brady, Elicia Ratajczyk, Nathan Rollins, Rimjhim Aggarwal, John M. Anderies, Marco A. Janssen

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Large-N comparative studies have helped common pool resource scholars gain general insights into the factors that influence collective action and governance outcomes. However, these studies are often limited by missing data, and suffer from the methodological limitation that important information is lost when we reduce textual information to quantitative data. This study was motivated by nine case studies that appeared to be inconsistent with the expectation that the presence of Ostrom’s Design Principles increases the likelihood of successful common pool resource governance. These cases highlight the limitations of coding and analysing Large-N case studies. We examine two issues: 1) the …

The Utah Statesman, September 8, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

How Do Children Become Workers? Making Sense Of Conflicting Accounts Of Cultural Transmission In Anthropology And Psychology, David F. Lancy, Christopher A.J. Little

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This article uses children’s work as a lens to examine methodological concerns in the study of cultural transmission and children’s learning of useful domestic and subsistence skills. We begin by providing a review of the relevant literature concerning cultural transmission in the context of the ethnographic record, as well as more recent studies originating largely from psychology. We then offer an ethnographic case study concerning Asabano (PNG [Papua New Guinea]) childhood to make an important methodological contribution in the interdisciplinary study of cultural transmission. The case study centers on the paradox that Asabano parents, in interviews, claim that their children …

Are Cattle Surrogate Wildlife? Savanna Plant Community Composition Explained By Total Herbivory More Than Herbivore Type, Kari E. Veblen, Lauren M. Porensky, Corinna Riginos, Truman P. Young

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The widespread replacement of wild ungulate herbivores by domestic livestock in African savannas is composed of two interrelated phenomena: (1) loss or reduction in numbers of individual wildlife species or guilds and (2) addition of livestock to the system. Each can have important implications for plant community dynamics. Yet very few studies have experimentally addressed the individual, combined, and potentially interactive effects of wild vs. domestic herbivore species on herbaceous plant communities within a single system. Additionally, there is little information about whether, and in which contexts, livestock might functionally replace native herbivore wildlife or, alternatively, have fundamentally different effects …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, September 1, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Program Proposals

• Changing the name from Agricultural Economics to Applied Economics
• Offering a Minor in Residential Landscape Design
• Adding a Forest Ecology Specialization to the MS and PhD programs of the Department of Wildland Resources

Other

• Approving Prerequisites
• Curriculog updates and site changes

Weather-Related Sales Of Livestock, Jc Hobbs

Rural Tax Education

There are two provisions in tax law that attempt to cushion producers from the consequences of adverse weather-related livestock sales. Under the first provision, livestock held for draft, breeding, or dairy purposes and sold due to adverse weather are provided a two-year reinvestment period. This replacement period can be extended if weather conditions persist for more than three years. The second provision, which applies to all livestock (other than poultry), allows cash basis taxpayers whose primary trade or business is farming to defer receipt from sales in excess of normal business practices due to weather-related conditions that result in a …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, September 1, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, September 1, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Program Proposals

• Changing the name from Agricultural Economics to Applied Economics
• Offering a Minor in Residential Landscape Design
• Adding a Forest Ecology Specialization to the MS and PhD programs of the Department of Wildland Resources

Other

• Approving Prerequisites
• Curriculog updates and site changes

Improving Organic Peach Orchard Fertility With Nitrogen-Fixing Ground Covers In Capitol Reef National Park: A Case Study, Esther Thomsen

All Current Publications

A USDA organic research grant provided funding for Utah State University researchers to collaborate with CRNP orchard managers to explore options to improve tree health and fruit quality using organic management techniques while maintaining historical and cultural mandates of the National Park Service.

Establishing Birdsfoot Trefoil In The Mountain West, Joe E. Brummer, Jennifer W. Macadam, Glenn Shewmaker, M. Anowarul Isllam

All Current Publications

This bulletin describes birdsfoot trefoil in the Mountain West, and why it should be considered for planting. It includes cultivar selection and seeding rate, establishment considerations, and interseeding methods. Its high nutritive value and ruminant-friendly tannins will support livestock production without risk of bloat, while it fixes nitrogen to increase production in the entire pasture.

Voles [Microtus Spp.], Ryan Davis

All Current Publications

This fact sheet focuses on the meadow vole and includes a description, how to identify voles, their biology, activity and damage, and how to manage them.

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, September 1, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, August 29, 2016, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• FSEC Role
• Research and Graduate Studies
• Financial integrity: Section 406.1 through 406.6: Program Discontinuance, Financial Exigency and Financial Crisis
• Where do we stand with left over items at PRPC?
• Modification of Policy 369.2.3. under proposed change, this will affect non-tenured faculty

Complete Genome Sequences Of Three Historically Important, Spatiotemporally Distinct, And Genetically Divergent Strains Of Zika Virus: Mr-766, P6-740, And Prvabc-59, Sangim Yun, Byunghak Song, Jordan C. Frank, Justin G. Julander, Irina A. Polejaeva, Christopher J. Davies, Kenneth L. White, Youngmin Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Here, we report the 10,807-nucleotide-long consensus RNA genome sequences of three spatiotemporally distinct and genetically divergent Zika virus strains, with the functionality of their genomic sequences substantiated by reverse genetics: MR-766 (African lineage, Uganda, 1947), P6-740 (Asian lineage, Malaysia, 1966), and PRVABC-59 (Asian lineage-derived American strain, Puerto Rico, 2015).

An Embodied Agent Helps Anxious Students In Mathematics Learning, Yanghee Kim, Jeffrey L. Thayne, Quan Wei

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Mathematics anxiety is known to be detrimental to mathematics learning. This study explored if an embodied agent could be used to help alleviate student anxiety in classrooms. To examine this potential, agent-guided algebra lessons were developed, in which an animated agent was equipped with prescriptive instructional guidance and anxiety treating messages. The lessons were deployed in regular mathematics classrooms, one lesson per day over a week, with 138 boys and girls in the 9th grade in the United States. After taking the weeklong agent-based lessons, students decreased in their mathematics anxiety (p = .042) and increased in mathematics learning …

Powercell Payload On Eu:Cropis - Measuring Synthetic Biology In Space, Griffin Mccutcheon, Ryan Kent, Ivan Paulino-Lima, Evlyn Pless, Antonio Ricco, Edward Mazmanian, Steven Hu, Bruce White, Dzung Hoang, Elizabeth Hyde, Earl Daley, Greenfield Trinh, Brett Pugh, Eric Tapio, Karolyn Ronzano, Charles Scott Richey, Lynn J. Rothschild

Small Satellite Conference

NASA’s PowerCell payload, as part of the German Space Agency’s (DLR’s) Eu:CROPIS (Euglena Combined Regenerative Organic-food Production In Space) mission, will compare the effect of multiple simulated gravity regimes on basic processes required for synthetic biology in space including growth, protein production, and genetic transformation of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. In addition, it will pioneer the use of a cyanobacterially-produced feedstock for microbial growth in space, a concept we call “PowerCell.” The PowerCell experiment system will be integrated on the DLR's compact satellite as a secondary payload to be launched during the summer of 2017. In order to …

Fiber Optic Gyro-Based Attitude Determination For High-Performance Target Tracking, Elias F. Solorzano, Robert E. Zee

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellite-enabled terrestrial target tracking applications from low-Earth orbit are demanding stringent pointing performance, prompting the need for developing high-precision attitude estimation and control systems that adhere to cost and mass constraints. The attitude determination and control system onboard the Space Flight Laboratory’s NEMO-class satellite platforms uses an extended Kalman filter and low-cadence (1Hz) star-tracker measurements to constrain the attitude and rate estimation errors to within 0.05° and 0.04°/s (2-σ), respectively. In addition, the pointing error of this satellite platform is constrained to below 0.3° (2-σ) for ground target tracking applications. However, in order to meet the stability requirements of …

Mitigating The Risk: Identifying Strategic University Partnerships For Compliance Tracking Of Research Data And Publications, Andrea Payant, Betty Rozum, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Phytochemicals In Animal Health; Diet Selection And Trade-Offs Between Costs And Benefits, Juan J. Villalba, Morgane Costes-Thire, Cecile Ginane

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Many plant tissues contain plant secondary compounds (PSC), which have long been recognised as defensive chemicals that deter herbivory via their toxic effects. However, herbivores may also benefit from including PSC into their diets. Plant-derived phenolics, terpenes and alkaloids have antiparasitic properties and sesquiterpene lactones have antibacterial, antifungal and antiparasitic properties. These actions are in part a consequence of the negative actions that PSC exert across several trophic levels, including the bacteria, parasites and fungi that inhabit herbivores’ bodies. Given the dual action, toxin and medicine, it is possible to hypothesise that self-selection of PSC by herbivores should occur when …

High Deltav Solid Propulsion System Fort Small Satellites, Bryce C. Tappan, Nicholas A. Dallmann, Alan M. Novak, Joseph P. Lichthardt, Narendra N. De, Eva V. Baca, David M. Oschwald, Daniel N. Seitz

Small Satellite Conference

Safe propulsion for orbit adjustment and de-orbit is a critical capability for the deployment of large constellations of small satellites. ‘Rideshare,’ in which a CubeSat or other small satellite is provided a ride to orbit on a large launch vehicle, is the primary method of getting CubeSats into orbit; however, when riding as a secondary payload, there is little or no influence on the final orbit. Therefore, a high Δ V, high thrust propulsion system is an enabling technology permitting the CubeSat to be redirected to a desired orbit, after the initial insertion. End of life deorbiting of small satellites …