Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Analyses Of Trophic Linkages Between Basins In The Great Salt Lake, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, David Naftz, Shane Bradt

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Although the Great Salt Lake is frequently treated as if it were a single body of water, the natural bays and transportation causeways have divided it into a system of four bays. The bays, however, do not function independently because water, nutrients and other contaminants flow between them. The purpose of our study was to analyze the water quality in three of the bays (Farmington, Bear River and Gilbert), to determine fluxes of nutrients between them, and to determine how this was influencing brine shrimp populations in the lake. Discharge and nutrient concentrations were measured at constrictions separating the three …

The Offspring/Clutch Size Tradeoff In Mammals, E. L. Charnov, S.K. Morgan Ernest

Biology Faculty Publications

The Smith‐Fretwell model for optimal offspring size assumes the existence of an inverse proportional relationship (i.e., trade‐off) between the number of offspring and the amount of resources invested in an individual offspring; virtually all of the many models derived from theirs make the same trade‐off assumption. Over the last 30 years it has become apparent that the predicted proportionality is often not observed when evaluated across species. We develop a general allometric approach to correct for size‐related differences in the resources available for reproduction. Using data on mammals, we demonstrate that the predicted inverse proportional relationship between number of offspring …

Salinity Controls Phytoplankton Response To Nutrient Enrichment In The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Usa, Amy M. Marcarelli, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, O. Griset

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

To examine how salinity and nutrient supply interact to control phytoplankton community composition, nutrient limitation, and dinitrogen (N2) fixation rates in the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA), we conducted a series of bioassay experiments with plankton from both Gilbert Bay, where salinities are near 160 g·L–1, and Farmington Bay, where salinities range from 10 to 90 g·L–1. Six-day nutrient addition bioassay experiments showed that the extant phyto plankton communities in both bays were limited by nitrogen (N). However, in 28- to 30-day factorial bioassay experiments in which both salinities and nutrient supply were manipulated, phosphorus stimulated chlorophyll a as much …

Potential Predators Of An Invasive Frog (Eleutherodactylus Coqui) In Hawaiian Forests, Karen H. Beard, William C. Pitt

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

In Hawaii, where there are no native reptiles or amphibians, 27 species of reptiles and amphibians have established; however, few have been studied to determine their ecological impacts. For example, little is known about the impacts of the Puerto Rican frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas, that recently invaded (late 1980s), and has established on all four main Hawaiian Islands. However, there are likely to be consequences because E. coqui can attain high densities (20570 frogs ha⁻¹ on average in Puerto Rico) and consume large quantities of invertebrates (114000 prey items ha⁻¹ per night on average in Puerto Rico).

Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (Gifts) Engineering Demonstation Unit (Edu) Overview And Performance Summary, Gail E. Bingham, R. E. Anderson, G. W. Cantwell, D. K. Zhou, D. K. Scott, R. W. Esplin, G. B. Hansen, S. M. Jensen, M. D. Jensen, S. B. Brown, L. J. Zollinger, V. A. Thurgood, M. P. Esplin, R. J. Huppi, H. E. Revercomb, F. A. Best, D. C. Tobin, J. K. Taylor, R. O. Knuteson, W. L. Smith, R. A. Reisse, R. Hooker

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS), developed for the NASA New Millennium Program (NMP) Earth Observing-3 (EO-3) mission, has recently completed a series of uplooking atmospheric measurements. The GIFTS development demonstrates a series of new sensor and data processing technologies that can significantly expand geostationary meteorological observational capability. The resulting increase in forecasting accuracy and atmospheric model development utilizing this hyperspectral data is demonstrated by the uplooking data. The GIFTS sensor is an imaging FTS with programmable spectral resolution and spatial scene selection, allowing spectral resolution and area coverage to be traded in near-real time. Due to funding limitations, …

A Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (Gifts) For Hyperspectral Atmospheric Remote Sensing: Instrument Overview & Preliminary Performance Results, J. D. Elwell, G. W. Cantwell, D. K. Schott, R. W. Esplin, G. B. Hansen, S. M. Jensen, M. D. Jensen, S. B. Brown, L. J. Zollinger, V. A. Thurgood, M. P. Esplin, R. J. Huppi, G. E. Bingham, H. E. Revercomb, F. A. Best, D. C. Tobin, J. K. Taylor, R. O. Knuteson, W. L. Smith, R. A. Reisse, R. Hooker

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) was developed for the NASA New Millennium Program (NMP) Earth Observing-3 (EO-3) mission. This paper discusses the GIFTS measurement requirements and the technology utilized by the GIFTS sensor to provide the required system performance. Also presented are preliminary results from the recently completed calibration of the instrument. The GIFTS NMP mission challenge was to demonstrate new and emerging sensor and data processing technologies to make revolutionary improvements in meteorological observational capability and forecasting accuracy using atmospheric imaging and hyperspectral sounding methods. The GIFTS sensor is an imaging FTS with programmable spectral resolution and …

Retrieval Of Physical Properties Of Particulate Emission From Animal Feeding Operations Using Three-Wavelength Elastic Lidar Measurements, Vladimir V. Zavyalov, Christian Marchant, Gail E. Bingham, Thomas D. Wilkerson, Jason Swasey, Christopher Rogers, Douglas Ahlstrom, Paul Timothy

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Agricultural operations produce a variety of particulates and gases that influence ambient air quality. Lidar (LIght Detection And Ranging) technology provides a means to derive quantitative information of particulate spatial distribution and optical/physical properties over remote distances. A three-wavelength scanning lidar system built at the Space Dynamic Laboratory (SDL) is used to extract optical parameters of particulate matter and to convert these optical properties to physical parameters of particles. This particulate emission includes background aerosols, emissions from the agricultural feeding operations, and fugitive dust from the road. Aerosol optical parameters are retrieved using the widely accepted solution proposed by Klett. …

General Catalog 2006-2007, Utah State University

University Catalogs

Contains course descriptions, University college calendar, and college administration

How Everything Happens: Notes On May Swenson's Theory Of Writing, Michael Spooner

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The 2006 Orbis Pictus Award Winner And Other Outstanding Nonfiction Books, S. Wilson, C. Avery, K. Ford, M. Hancock, B. Y. Louie, Sylvia Read, E. C. Stephens

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Species-Time Relationship Across Ecosystems And Taxonomic Groups, Ethan P. White, P. B. Adler, W. K. Lauenroth, R. A. Gill, D. Greenberg, D. M. Kaufman, A. Rassweiler, J. A. Rusak, M. D. Smith, J. R. Steinbeck, R. B. Waide, J. Yao

Biology Faculty Publications

The species-time relationship (STR) describes how the species richness of a community increases with the time span over which the community is observed. This pattern has numerous implications for both theory and conservation in much the same way as the speciesarea relationship (SAR). However, the STR has received much less attention and to date only a handful of papers have been published on the pattern. Here we gather together 984 community time-series, representing 15 study areas and 9 taxonomic groups, and evaluate their STRs in order to assess the generality of the STR, its consistency across ecosystems and taxonomic groups, …

A Design-Based Research Strategy To Promote Scalability For Educational Innovations, Jody Clarke-Midura, C. Dede, D. J. Ketelhut, B. Nelson, C. Bowman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article offers insights into how the design of innovations can enhance their “scalability”: the ability to adapt an innovation to effective usage in a wide variety of contexts, including settings where major conditions for success are absent or attenuated. We are implementing the River City MUVE curriculum, a technology-based innovation designed to enhance engagement and learning in middle school science, in a range of educational contexts. Based on our studies of these scaling up activities, we offer examples of design strategies for scalability and describe our plan to develop a “scalability index.”

Comparative Toxicosis Of Sodium Selenite And Selenomethionine In Lambs, A. K. Tiwary, B. L. Stegelmeier, K. E. Panter, L. F. James, Jeffery O. Hall

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Excess consumption of selenium (Se) accumulator plants can result in selenium intoxication. The objective of the study reported here was to compare the acute toxicosis caused by organic selenium (selenomethionine) found in plants with that caused by the supplemental, inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite). Lambs were orally administered a single dose of selenium as either sodium selenite or selenomethionine and were monitored for 7 days, after which they were euthanized and necropsied. Twelve randomly assigned treatment groups consisted of animals given 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 mg of Se/kg of body weight as sodium selenite, or 0, 1, …

Public Perceptions Regarding The Utah Prairie Dog And It Management: Implications For Species Recovery., R. D. Elmore, Terry A. Messmer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Intra-Guild Compensation Regulates Species Richness In Desert Rodents: Reply, J. R. Goheen, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, J. H. Brown

Biology Faculty Publications

Null models have had a long and contentious history in community ecology (Connor and Simberloff 1979, Harvey et al. 1983, Gotelli and Graves 1996, Graves and Rahbek 2005). Much of this debate has arisen because multiple strategies for null models can be used to address a particular question of interest, and the present exchange is no exception. To assess constancy in species richness through time in a desert rodent community, Nichols et al. (2006) have proposed a Markov Chain model as an alternative to the random-walk model we developed (Goheen et al. 2005). While both null models simulate stochastic local …

Intra-Guild Compensation Regulatesspecies Richness In Desert Rodents: Reply, J. R. Goheen, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, J. H. Brown

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes, December 19, 2005, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• USTAR
• Compensation Package
• Capital Buildings
• Gift Agreement
• Supplemental Money
• Student Aid
• Development Successes
• Critical Issues
• EPC Business
• Retention/Enrollment Management
• Research Council
• Council on Teacher Education
• Scholarship Advisory Committee
• Use of the Nelson Fieldhouse
• Faculty /Staff Annual Fund
• USU Tobacco Coalition
• Fall Break
• PRPC Business

Plant Information Compiled By The Utah Natural Heritage Program: A Progress Report, M. A. Franklin, State Of Utah Department Of Natural Resources

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Utah Natural Heritage Program (UTHP) was initiated in late summer 1988 and has functioned as an ongoing biological survey of the state with an emphasis on rare or declining species. It serves as a centralized data repository, acquiring range wide information regarding rare plant and animal species for use by land managers as well as for the evaluation of conservation needs. As well as being used by government agencies, data are used in responding to requests for information from non-government organizations and private interests. Data can be used in the assessment of species’ conservation status state-wide and, in coordination …

Infection Of An Invasive Frog Eleutherodactylus Coqui By The Chytrid Fungus Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In Hawaii, Karen H. Beard, Eric M. O'Neill

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has contributed to declines and extinctions of amphibians worldwide. B. dendrobatidis is known to infect the frog Eleutherodactylus coqui in its native Puerto Rico. E. coqui was accidentally introduced into Hawaii in the late 1980s, where there are now hundreds of populations. B. dendrobatidis was being considered as a biological control agent for E. coqui because there are no native amphibians in Hawaii. Using a DNA-based assay, we tested 382 E. coqui from Hawaii for B. dendrobatidis and found that 2.4% are already infected. We found infected frogs in four of 10 study sites and …

Mathematical Functions: An Interactive Emodule, Sarah Jean Moody

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM, http://nlvm.usu.edu/) is a widely used and highly praised teaching/learning resource for school mathematics. The NLVM is the result of a four-year USU project, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, Award #9819107, to create a web-based, freely accessible, library of interactive virtual manipulatives to help students learn basic mathematics concepts. During a typical school day, the NLVM server receives more than 3 million hits.

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, December 1, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

College of Business

• Prerequisite Change
• Delete Course

School of Accountancy

• New Course
• Course Number Change
• Prerequisite Change
• Prerequisite Change, Reactivate Course
• Delete Course

Department of Business Administration

• New Course

Department of Economics

• New Course
• Course Number Change
• Prerequisite Change
• Credit Hour Change

Department of Management and Human Resources

• New Course
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Engineering and Technology Education

• New Course
• Title Change

Department of Art

• New Course
• Course Number Change, Prefix Change

Department of English

• University Studies Request
• Course Description Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Add Repeatable for Credit

Department of Music

• Delete Course

Department of Sociology, Social Work …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, December 1, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Syllabus Approval

Agro-Pastoralists’ Wrath For The Prosopis Tree: The Case Of The Il Chamus Of Baringo District, Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, Abdillahi A. Aboud, Phillip K. Kisoyan

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Indigenous to Peru, Chile, and Argentina, the woody plant called Prosopis juliflora (also known by the American common name of “Honey Mesquite”) has spread world-wide in recent decades, including rangelands throughout Latin America, North America, south and central Asia, Australia, and sub-Saharan Africa. A species known for rapid establishment, high adaptability, and fast rates of growth, its dispersal has primarily been a consequence of intentional introduction by well- meaning “technical experts” who wanted to provide a new source of fodder, fuel wood, or a means to combat desertification in arid and semi-arid lands. One problem, however, is that unless Prosopis …

Linking Pastoralists And Exporters In A Livestock Marketing Chain: Recent Experiences From Ethiopia, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Getachew Gebru, Seyoum Tezera

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Boran of southern Ethiopia have been traditionally viewed as unwilling or unable to engage in large scale, commercialized livestock trade. Here we report on the creation of a new livestock marketing chain from the Borana Plateau to export outlets largely serving the Gulf States. Since 2003 various meetings and exchange tours were organized by collaborating agencies and PARIMA to directly link pastoral producers with livestock exporters and policy makers. This occurred against a backdrop of growing export demand for small ruminants, rapid development of private export industry, formation of well-trained pastoral marketing groups (often dominated by women), and provision …

Degree Of Sedentarization Affects Risks And Conflicts For The Waso Boran In Northern Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, Abdullahi D. Jillo, Mark N. Mutinda, Abdilla A. Aboud

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Waso Borana have lived for over a century in northern Kenya. In the last few decades, however, their ability to maintain their traditions has been severely challenged. Here we report survey results from 540 households in Isiolo District, stratified among three groups differing in terms of lifestyle: sedentary, semi-sedentary, and mobile. In some cases these groups vary with respect to important perceived risks, causes of natural-resource related conflict, and possible solutions to conflict. For example, sedentary respondents often noted concerns over land tenure problems, human diseases, and political incitement. Mobile respondents, in contrast, often noted primary concerns over drought, …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, November 3, 2005, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

General Education

• Change to PF grade

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education

• Prerequisite Change

Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences

• Change Multiple List

Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences

• New Course
• Change Multiple List

School of Accountancy

• Delete Course

Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education

• Credit Hour Change

Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development

• New Course
• Delete Course

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• Delete Course

Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation

• Credit Hour Change
• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Delete Course

Department of Psychology

• Delete Course

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• University Studies …

Utah Pandemic Influenza Response Plan, David Sundwall, Robert T. Rolfs

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

An influenza pandemic has the potential to cause widespread illness and death. Planning and preparedness before the next pandemic strikes are critical for an effective response. Utah’s Pandemic Influenza Response Plan describes a coordinated strategy to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. Influenza causes seasonal worldwide epidemics of disease that result in an average of 36,000 deaths each year in the United States. A pandemic – or global epidemic – occurs when there is a major change in the influenza virus so that most or all people in the world’s population have no immunity against the virus. Three …

Southern Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan Environmental Assessment, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) documents results of an analysis of proposed changes to the current management of wildland fire and hazardous fuels for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southern Utah Support Area (SUSA) planning area. Proposed revisions of the SUSA Fire Management Plan (FMP) serve as the Proposed Action for this EA. The revised FMP incorporates current planning requirements associated with fire management on public lands, including wildland fire suppression and fuel treatments. The EA analysis is designed to ensure compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It allows determinations to be made as to whether any “significant” impacts, …

Salt Lake Fire Management Plan Environmental Assessment, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to document the results of an analysis of proposed changes to the current management of wildland fire and hazardous fuels for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Salt Lake Field Office. Proposed revisions of the Salt Lake Fire Management Plan (FMP) serve as the Proposed Action Alternative for this EA. The revised FMP incorporates current planning requirements associated with fire management on public lands, including wildland fire suppression and fuel treatments. The EA analysis is designed to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It allows determinations to be made as …

Moab Fire District Fire Management Plan: Environmental Assessment, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to document results of an analysis of proposed changes to current management of wildland fire and hazardous fuels for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Division of Fire Management. The Division of Fire Management oversees all fire-related activities for the Moab, Monticello, and Price Field Offices, referred to in this document as the Moab Fire District. Proposed revisions of the Moab Fire District Fire Management Plan (FMP) serve as the Proposed Action for this EA. The revised FMP incorporates current planning requirements associated with fire management on public lands, including wildland fire suppression …