Digital Commons Network^™

Specific Bacteria In Commercial Cheddar Cheese Can Cause Rubbery Texture And Poor Taste, Jordan Bond

Research on Capitol Hill

Unexpected pH changes often lead to a rubbery texture, off flavor and poor taste in commercially produced Cheddar, negatively affecting the quality of the cheese. Use of fast-acid producing (thermophilic) starter cultures in cheese manufacture is becoming common. 

Our goal was to discover the cause(s) for this pH variation. Knowing what causes pH changes will save Utah cheese manufacturers’ money, allowing them to pass the savings on to consumers and reduce waste. We posit that excessive use of fast acid producing thermophilic bacteria (S. thermophilus) can be the cause for pH variation.

The Mystery Of Baselevel Controls In The Incision History Of The Central Colorado Plateau, Natalie M. Tanski, Joel L. Pederson, Alan J. Hidy, Tammy M. Rittenour, James P. Mauch

Geosciences Student Research

Erosion can remain active and changing in landscapes long after tectonic drivers have ceased, potentially due to local‐geologic controls, climate changes, or geodynamics. We present new fluvial incision‐ rate histories and terrain analyses of the Colorado River system through the central Colorado Plateau to understand what has caused the variable erosion across this post‐orogenic landscape. Results from new cosmogenic and luminescence dating of fluvial terrace and upland gravel deposits in Glen and Meander Canyons establish incision‐rate histories that are marked by an Early‐Middle Pleistocene erosion hiatus, followed by ∼200 m of rapid incision over the last ∼350 kyr. Projection of …

Exploring The Instructional Effectiveness Of High-Growth K-2 Teacher Teams In Foundational Reading, Jake Downs, Katie Martz, Kathleen Mohr

Teacher Education and Leadership Student Research

This study examined high-performing teacher teams in Title I elementary schools that demonstrated significant student growth in foundational reading skills. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we identified K-2-grade-level teams within a district with the highest growth on Acadience Reading. The study explored (1) student growth and proficiency outcomes in these high-growth teams and (2) how teachers described their instructional practices and outcomes. Focus group interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis revealed key factors, including collaboration, data responsiveness, professional development, and content/pedagogical knowledge. Recommendations and directions for future research are discussed.

Recent Developments In Heterologous Expression Of Cellulases Using The Pichia Pastoris Expression System: A Comprehensive Literature Review, Nazish Muzaffar, Abdur Raziq, Muhammad Waseem Khan, Niaz Muhammad Khan, Bushra Shahid, Anbareen Gul, Hayat Ullah

Biological Engineering Student Research

Cellulosic biomass is considered an important and sustainable source of renewable energy, which needs a complex mixture of different enzymes for its degradation. After amylase, cellulases are the second most important enzymes, gain more importance due to their broad range of applications at the industrial level, and are considered more economical and environmentally friendly; researchers have focused more on the production of cellulase with its higher expression rate and low cost. Pichia pastoris, a methylotrophic yeast strain, has a more effective and well-established system for the production of heterologous proteins, particularly for industrial enzymes. Moreover, its readily achievable high-density …

Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: Iii. Germination, Wesley Crump, Taun Beddes, Michael Caron, Milena Oliveira

All Current Publications

This third fact sheet in this series of four guides you through the actual process of starting seeds indoors. The materials you choose may not precisely match those mentioned here. However, the variables and processes discussed are still applicable.

Modeling Vulnerability Of Juvenile June Sucker To The Piscivore Community In Utah Lake, Austin Garner, Kevin Landom, Rae Fadlovich, Timothy E. Walsworth

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Freshwater fish have experienced the highest extinction among all North American vertebrates, with interactions with introduced species among the leading factors of freshwater fish declines. In Utah Lake, effective hatchery stocking efforts have allowed the spawning abundance of threatened June sucker (Chasmistes liorus) to increase substantially over the past decade. Yet, recruitment of wild-spawned individuals remains very limited. A recent survivorship study of June sucker found individuals < 300mm experienced exceptionally poor survival, indicating a recruitment bottleneck persists despite significant recovery efforts. Current recovery efforts of Utah Lake have broadly targeted habitat improvement; However, prior studies have shown that large predation pressures by nonnatives have achieved recruitment bottlenecks in closely related species, suggesting predation could be limiting recovery efforts. Therefore, failure to address these pressures, if present, would result in overall recovery failure. Furthermore, predator management has focused on targeting Invasive Northern Pike (Esox Lucius) for potential impacts on June sucker. However, the impacts of more abundant nonnative piscivores remain largely unspecified.

Here, we use a simulation approach based on empirical data to …

Atsubp-2.0: An Integrated Web Server For The Annotation Of Arabidopsis Proteome Subcellular Localization Using Deep Learning, Naveen Duhan, Rakesh Kaundal

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

The organization of subcellular components in a cell is critical for its function and studying cellular processes, protein–protein interactions, identifying potential drug targets, network analysis, and other systems biology mechanisms. Determining protein localization experimentally is time-consuming and expensive. Due to the need for meticulous experimentation, validation, and data analysis, computational methods provide a quick and accurate alternative. Arabidopsis thaliana, a beneficial model organism in plant biology, facilitates experimentation and applies to other plants. Predicting its proteins' subcellular localization can improve our understanding of cellular processes and have applications in crop improvement and biotechnology. We propose AtSubP-2.0, an extension of …

Education Policy Committee Agenda February 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - January 2, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Determining Spatial Responses Of Fishers (Pakania Pennanti) To Mechanical Treatments Of Forest Stands For Fuel Reduction, Tessa R. Smith, Eric M. Gese, R. David Clayton, Patricia A. Terletzky, Kathryn L. Purcell, Craig M. Thompson

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Historical forestry practices (e.g., fire suppression, heavy timber logging) have contributed to a discernable change in stand composition of western forests in the U.S., which now comprise a tinderbox mixture of increased surface and ladder fuels, dense stands, and fire-intolerant species. Forest managers are mitigating this concern by implementing silviculture practices (e.g., selective logging, thinning, prescribed burning) to reduce fuel loads and improve stand resiliency. Concern for habitat specialists, such as the fisher (Pekania pennanti), have arisen as they may be negatively influenced in the short-term by modifications to their environment that are needed to ensure long-term habitat …

The Utah Statesman, February 3, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

“It Was Oddly Cathartic And Just Good - Freeing”: An Adaptation Of A Cognitive Restructuring Task For Non-Binary People Experiencing Sexual Objectification, Lee R. Pradell, Joshua G. Parmenter, Renee V. Galliher, Elizabeth Grace Wong, Kevin Chi, Hanna Huenemann, Lindsey Rowley, Sadie South

Psychology Student Research

The present study uses action research and critical trans theory frameworks to adapt a cognitive restructuring task to assist non-binary people in minimizing internalization from sexual objectification experiences (SOEs). Nine non-binary participants completed process charts documenting their experiences with SOEs. Participants also completed interviews about their experience with the process chart. Findings explored the nine categories of the process chart and the process of completing the process charts, highlighting the power participants reclaimed by interrogating objectifying sentiments and managing their environments in the wake of SOEs. We discuss utilizing our study’s process chart to better support marginalized people through SOEs.

Iterative Refinement Of Arbitrary Micro-Optical Surfaces, Megan Plummer, Stephen Taylor, Matthew Marshall, David Brown, Robert Leonard, Seth Hyra, Spencer E. Olson

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

We introduce an adaptive optical refinement method enabling ultra-precise micro-milling of arbitrary surfaces. Through repeated iteration, our method reduces surface error without requiring significant specific surface engineering. This remediates the long sample preparation times and lack of refinement capability that previously reported methods suffer from. The iterative refinement milling method was used to produce spherical mirrors with small radii of curvature and low surface roughness for use in micro Fabry-Perot cavities. We demonstrate the use of this adaptive process to produce a variety of arbitrary surface geometries on both optical fiber tips as well as optical flats. We additionally discuss …

Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Chlorophyll-A Concentration In A Hypersaline Lake Using High Temporal Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery, R. Douglas Ramsey, Soren M. Brothers, Melissa Cobo, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The Great Salt Lake (GSL) is the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere. It supports billion-dollar industries and recreational activities, and is a vital stopping point for migratory birds. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal variation of phytoplankton biomass in the lake that supports these resources. Spectral reflectance provided by three remote sensing products was compared relative to their relationship with field measurements of chlorophyll a (Chl a). The MODIS product MCD43A4 with a 500 m spatial resolution provided the best overall ability to map the daily distribution of Chl a. The imagery indicated significant spatial …

Academic Standards Subcommittee Minutes January 24, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• COMMITTEE BUSINESS
• Committee Discussion
• Motion: Peter Howe, Second: Mateja Savoie-Roskos (Approved)
• Committee Discussion
• Motion: Tim Chenette, Second: Mateja Savoie-Roskos (Approved)
• Definition of Academic Grievance
• Academic Grievance Process
• New Topics
• ACTION ITEMS

Proximal Remote Sensing: An Essential Tool For Bridging The Gap Between High-Resolution Ecosystem Monitoring And Global Ecology, Zoe Amie Pierrat, Troy S. Magney, Will P. Richardson, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Jen L. Diehl, Xi Yang, William Woodgate, William K. Smith, Miriam R. Johnston, Yohanes R. S. Ginting, Gerbrand Koren, Loren P. Albert, Christopher L. Kibler, Bryn E. Morgan, Mallory Barnes, Adriana Uscanga, Charles Devine, Mostafa Javadian, Karem Meza, Tommaso Julitta, Giulia Tagliabue, Matthew P. Dannenberg, Michal Antala, Christopher Y. S. Wong, Andre L. D. Santos, Koen Hufkens, Julia K, Marrs, Atticus E. L. Stovall, Yujie Liu, Joshua B. Fisher, John A. Gamon, Kerry Cawse-Nicholson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

A new proliferation of optical instruments that can be attached to towers over or within ecosystems, or ‘proximal’ remote sensing, enables a comprehensive characterization of terrestrial ecosystem structure, function, and fluxes of energy, water, and carbon. Proximal remote sensing can bridge the gap between individual plants, site-level eddy-covariance fluxes, and airborne and spaceborne remote sensing by providing continuous data at a high-spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we review recent advances in proximal remote sensing for improving our mechanistic understanding of plant and ecosystem processes, model development, and validation of current and upcoming satellite missions. We provide current best practices for data availability …

The Utah Statesman, January 20, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Influence Of Process Parameter And Build Rate Variations On Defect Formation In Laser Powder Bed Fusion Ss316l, Tasrif Ul Anwar, Patrick Merighe, Rahul Reddy Kancharla, Boopathy Kombaiah, Nadia Kouraytem

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing process that has gained interest for its material fabrication due to multiple advantages, such as the ability to print parts with small feature sizes, good mechanical properties, reduced material waste, etc. However, variations in the key process parameters in LPBF may result in the instantiation of porosity defects and variation in build rate. Particularly, volumetric energy density (VED) is a variable that encapsulates a number of those parameters and represents the amount of energy input from the laser source to the feedstock. VED has been traditionally used to inform the quality …

Refurbishing Used Gps Transmitters Improves Performance For Subsequent Deployments On Greater Sage-Grouse, Melissa S. Chelak, Michel T. Kohl, Justin R. Small, Kurt T. Smith, Aaron C. Pratt, Jeffrey L. Beck, Codi R. Backen, M. Brandon Flack, Hailey P. Wayment, Jason A. Wood, Ryan Howell, Trevon D. Strange, Lucian R. Mcdonald, Kezia R. Manlove, Shandra N. Frey, Randy T. Larsen, Brian A. Maxfield, David K. Dahlgren, Terry A. Messmer, David C. Stoner

Wildland Resources Student Research

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) radio transmitters are increasingly used across taxa to monitor animal populations. However, GPS transmitters can be susceptible to malfunctions that may result in location errors or data loss causing potential inferential bias that can have important implications for monitored species. Research using GPS transmitters on greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) has increased, but few sage-grouse studies have evaluated GPS performance. Because sage-grouse management has been subject to intense legal and political scrutiny with consequential economic implications, reliable data acquisition is central to informed decision-making for the species. We evaluated differences in the performance of …

Impact Of Arctic And Antarctic Sudden Stratospheric Warmings On Thermospheric Composition, Jiarong Zhang, Jens Oberheide, Nicholas M. Pedatella, Guiping Liu

All Physics Faculty Publications

Using the Global‐scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) and the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI), we examine the impact of sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) on the changes of thermospheric composition during the 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 Arctic SSWs and the 2019 Antarctic SSW. Contributions of planetary waves, gravity waves, and migrating tides are assessed by performing numerical experiments with the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) vertically extended version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM‐X). The variations in the column integrated O and N2 density ratio (∑ O/N₂) are generally similar among WACCM‐X, GOLD, …

Selectivity Of Invasive Species Suppression Efforts Influences Control Efficacy, Rae Fadlovich, Kevin Landom, Timothy E. Walsworth

Watershed Sciences Student Research

1. Highly fecund invaders and size-selective suppression efforts often limit the effectiveness of invasive species control programs, as compensatory processes can allow suppressed populations to recover. While population models have long explored how demographic characteristics impact management feasibility, there is a growing need to evaluate how the selectivity of suppression efforts might impact the long-term feasibility of control.
2. We use a simulation framework that integrates age-based selectivity to evaluate the effect of increasing the range of ages selected for during harvest-based invasive species control. We applied this approach to common carp in Utah Lake, the location of one of the world's …

Development Of Interface-Specific Two-Dimensional Vibrational-Electronic (I2d-Ve) Spectroscopy For Vibronic Couplings At Interfaces, Yuqin Qian, Zhi-Chao Huang-Fu, Jesse B. Brown, Yi Rao

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Bulk 2D electronic–vibrational (2D-EV) and 2D vibrational–electronic spectroscopies (2D-VE) were previously developed to correlate the electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom simultaneously, which allow for the study of couplings between electronic and vibrational transitions in photo-chemical systems. Such bulk-dominated methods have been used to extensively study molecular systems, providing unique information such as coherence sensitivity, molecular configurations, enhanced resolution, and correlated states and their dynamics. However, the analogy of interfacial 2D spectroscopy has fallen behind. Our recent work presented interface-specific 2D-EV spectroscopy (i2D-EV). In this work, we develop interface-specific two-dimensional vibrational–electronic spectroscopy (i2D-VE). The fourth-order spectroscopy is based on a …

Supplementary Files For: "Structure Identification For High-Dimensional Data In The Vicinity Of Bear Lake", Ben Shaw, Haley Burger, Brennan Bean, Kevin Moon

Browse all Datasets

This report focuses on seven water quality measurements taken at 43 different depths on the Bear Lake for the months of June - November in the years 2018 - 2023. These measurements create a high-dimensional dataset on which we apply state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) techniques to look for low-dimensional structure in the data. A similar effort was made for weather measurements taken near the lake. Our analysis revealed that water quality measurements tend to cluster (i.e., group together) by year, while weather measurements tend to cluster by time of the year. This suggests that the structure observed in the water …

Evaluation Of Stability And Controllability Of The Multiple Trim Solutions For A Bio-Inspired Rotating Empennage Fighter Aircraft, Benjamin C. Moulton, Christian R. Bolander, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Aircraft with non-traditional actuators tend to have multiple or infinite trim solutions for a single flight condition. For a given flight condition the bio-inspired rotating empennage fighter aircraft has multiple distinct trim solutions with varying tail rotation angles. In the present work these trim solutions are evaluated from various perspectives including: minimum drag, dynamic stability, controllability, and degree of controllability. The results of these analyses can be used to further constrain a trim solver routine such that a trim solution is found meeting a desired criterion. The purpose of the present paper is to evaluate the multiple trim solutions for …

Education Policy Committee Agenda January 2, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda January 02, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn

Effect Of Ph And Iron Chelate On The Growth Of Basil And Soybean In Soilless Media, Christian Baker, Bruce Bugbee

Nutrients

Iron (Fe) deficiencies are common in alkaline root zones and can cause chlorosis and reduce growth. The most common approach to prevent deficiency is using synthetic chelates that keep iron in solution at high pH. Here we report the effects of pH and chelate type on the development of chlorosis and biomass in soybeans and basil. We grew the plants at a pH ranging from 6.0-7.8. Fe was chelated with either a less expensive EDTA chelate or a more expensive EDDHA chelate. There was no significant difference between chelates at pH 6.0 in either soybeans or basil. In soybeans, there …

Umschreiben: A Lesson Plan For Introducing Circumlocution Skills In A German Classroom, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce ways to handle communication breakdown
• Create authentic representations of our personalities: this is something we often do in our first language when we forget a word
• Increase social competence and increase willingness to communicate (will and skill, p. 82)

Idioms Are Indeed The Yellow Of The Egg: A Lesson Plan For Introducing German Idioms, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce the linguistics of idioms.
• Assist students in identifying the appropriate situation to use a given idiom, contributing to students’ social linguistic and social competence (Parks, p. 82).
• Assist students in crossing the threshold of being an observer of the language and associated cultures, into being a participant. They will be able to “press their thumbs” for luck and understand more than just train station.

Deutscher Patriotismus?: Lesson Plan For Exploring German Patriotism, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Compare and contrast the differences in expressing patriotism between the US and Germany
• Introduction to the involvement soccer has in Germany’s culture, even for non-soccer fans

Give Your Data A Glow-Up: Data Visualization With Tableau For Non-Programmers, Rachel Blume, Cameron Nielsen

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

A well-designed data visualization can be a huge boost in effectively communicating your research findings. Tableau is the most popular, most powerful software for creating custom visualizations from complex datasets without requiring coding skills. This hands-on workshop will walk you through the basics of getting your data loaded into Tableau, choosing the right chart or graph type to best show off your findings, and customizing the results to look professional and aesthetically pleasing.