Digital Commons Network^™

Dual Mechanisms Of Salinity Tolerance In Wheat Germplasm Lines W4909 And W4910, Richard R.-C. Wang, Steven S. Xu, Thomas A. Monaco, Matthew D. Robbins

Forage and Range Research Laboratory Publications

Soil salinity adversely affects plant growth and development, reducing the yield of most crops, including wheat. The highly salt-tolerant wheat germplasm lines W4909 and W4910 were derived from a cross between two moderately salt-tolerant lines, the Chinese Spring (CS)/Thinopyrum junceum disomic addition line AJDAj5 (AJ) and the Ph-inhibitor line (Ph-I) derived from CS/Aegilops speltoides. Molecular markers for gene introgressions in W4909 and W4910 were not reported. Four sequence-tagged site (STS) molecular markers of Ph-I were developed and tested in the above-mentioned lines and the F₂ progenies of the two crosses, Anza (AZ) x 4740 (sib of …

The Utah Statesman, November 25, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Understanding The Teen Brain And Building Strong Relationships: A Foundation For Supporting Healthy Decisions, Josie Hatch, Ashley Yaugher, Christina Pay, Cris Meier

All Current Publications

This fact sheet overviews the importance of strong caregiver relationships with youth to support healthy decision-making.

Revisiting Charles Perrault’S Iconic “Bluebeard” Serial Killer In Modern French Variants, Christa Catherine Jones

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

“Bluebeard” (ATU 321: Maiden-Killer), a fairy tale about a wealthy noble man and serial killer, is the most gruesome of Charles Perrault’s fairy tales. Bluebeard epitomizes evil and horror. In Perrault’s tale, Bluebeard’s evilness is linked to patriarchy and power, as symbolized by the villain’s iconic blue beard. Historically linked to Henry VIII (1491–1547), King of England, Bluebeard has also been associated with Breton commander Gilles de Rais who was hanged for sorcery and satanic abuse. This article examines how contemporary francophone “Bluebeard” variants refashion and redefine evil and whether they contain any new morals linked to evilness. Do …

Body Condition Scoring For Sheep, Abigail Johnson, Reganne K. Briggs, Chad Page

All Current Publications

Body condition scoring is a helpful tool for sheep producers to use to evaluate the status of their flock. This fact sheet illustrates how to condition score sheep and the importance of condition scoring on production.

Fact Sheet For Parents: What You Need To Know About Adderall, Aaron Hunt, Gabriela Murza, Alyssa Ferrin

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information about what Adderall is used for, how it can be misused, and what parents can do to talk to their kids about appropriate use.

The Utah Statesman, November 18, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Unlocking Stem Pathways: Revealing Stem Choices And Science Teachers Empowering Black Queer Students, Arsene Frederic Jr., Madison Fitzgerald-Russell, William Shelton, Mario I. Suárez, Jason C. Garvey

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Despite efforts to address racial disparities in STEM fields, little attention has been paid to the experiences and aspirations of queer and trans Black (QT Black) students in grades K-12. This study explored whether there were any significant differences in the choice of STEM majors between QT Black students and non-QT Black students. We found that Black QT students are less likely to choose STEM majors. Additionally, we found significant differences in science teachers’ perceptions of teaching, comparing between QT Black and non-QT Black students. Finally, we found that several factors predicted science-teacher perception of collective responsibility, perceptions of content …

The Effects Of Intersectional Identity Affirmation On The Relationship Between Racist Or Heterosexist Microaggressions And Mental Health For Lgbtq+ People Of Color, Kevin J. Chi, Joshua G. Parmenter, Renee V. Galliher

Psychology Student Research

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people of colour (POC) live at the intersection of multiple marginalised statuses. While previous literature has linked positive, affirmed identity with better mental health for LGBTQ+ individuals, identity affirmation may be compromised by intersecting systems of oppression. This study 1) investigated how multiple intersecting forms of oppression (i.e. racism within LGBTQ+ communities and heterosexism within ethnoracial communities) relate to anxiety and depression for LGBTQ+ POC, and 2) examined the indirect effects of intersectional microaggressions on mental health through identity cohesion. A subsample of participants who identified as both a member of the LGBTQ+ …

The Utah Statesman, November 11, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Relationships Matter: Unpacking Personal And Professional Grief In Archival Labor, Caroline Kinsley, Molly Stothert-Maurer

Journal of Western Archives

Archival donations are often triggered by critical transitions in donors' lives, like the end of a career, the selling of a family home, or the death of a loved one. Because donors approach archives during these transitions, archivists often find themselves in the middle of emotionally charged relationships with donors working through feelings of grief and loss. However, archivists are often unprepared and untrained for this emotionally demanding labor. A literature review reveals that while this is a common experience among archivists, there is very little guidance on how to approach this aspect of donor relations. Other fields that provide …

Leveraging The Power Of Storytelling To Encourage And Empower Children Towards Strong Passwords, Rizu Paudel, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

With the increasing use of computer and smartphones by children, their online safety has been of major concern due to their limited security knowledge and skills. User authentication is pivotal for their security protection, where a body of work focused on children’s password practices. The insights from these studies highlight children’s lack of awareness and skills in creating a strong password. However, there is a dearth in existing literature to understand the scopes of designs for encouraging and empowering children towards strong passwords. As we begin to address this gap, we leveraged the power of storytelling to foster user attachment, …

Education Policy Committee Agenda November 07, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Other Business
• Adjourn

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda November 7, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:30pm

Cronica, June Parry, Sydney Nolan, Tyler Godfrey, Mason Rigby, Austin Peterson

Student Spanish Newspapers Collection

A Spanish magazine made with real and fictitious interviews, chronicles, news articles, and a personal opinion essay.

Imitasd: Imitation Assessment Model For Children With Autism Based On Human Pose Estimation, Hany Said, Khaled Mahar, Shaymaa E. Sorour, Ahmed Elsheshai, Ramy Shaaban, Mohamed Hesham, Mustafa Khadr, Youssef A. Mehanna, Ammar Basha, Fahima A. Maghraby

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Autism is a challenging brain disorder affecting children at global and national scales. Applied behavior analysis is commonly conducted as an efficient medical therapy for children. This paper focused on one paradigm of applied behavior analysis, imitation, where children mimic certain lessons to enhance children’s social behavior and play skills. This paper introduces IMITASD, a practical monitoring assessment model designed to evaluate autistic children’s behaviors efficiently. The proposed model provides an efficient solution for clinics and homes equipped with mid-specification computers attached to webcams. IMITASD automates the scoring of autistic children’s videos while they imitate a series of lessons. The …

Prediction Of Turfgrass Quality Using Multispectral Uav Imagery And Ordinal Forests: Validation Using A Fuzzy Approach, Alexander Hernandez, Shaun Bushman, Paul Johnson, Matthew D. Robbins, Kaden Patten

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Protocols to evaluate turfgrass quality rely on visual ratings that, depending on the rater’s expertise, can be subjective and susceptible to positive and negative drifts. We developed seasonal (spring, summer and fall) as well as inter-seasonal machine learning predictive models of turfgrass quality using multispectral and thermal imagery collected using unmanned aerial vehicles for two years as a proof-of-concept. We chose ordinal regression to develop the models instead of conventional classification to account for the ranked nature of the turfgrass quality assessments. We implemented a fuzzy correction of the resulting confusion matrices to ameliorate the probable drift of the field-based …

When Connecting With Lgbtq+ Communities Helps And Why It Does: A Meta-Analysis Of The Relationship Between Connectedness And Health-Related Outcomes, G. Tyler Lefevor, Sydney A. Sorrell, Samuel J. Skidmore, Kiet D. Huynh, Rachel M, Golightly, Elanor Standifird, Kyrstin Searle, Madelyn Call

Psychology Faculty Publications

We conducted a multilevel meta-analysis of 390 effect sizes from 167 studies with 157,923 participants examining the relationship between connectedness with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) communities and health-related outcomes, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We conducted our initial search in January 2023 in APA PsycInfo, ERIC, Medline, and Open Dissertations, selecting studies that (a) measured LGBTQ+ community connectedness, (b) measured health, and (c) provided an estimate of the relationship between LGBTQ+ community connectedness and health. We found that connectedness with LGBTQ+ communities promotes mental health (r = .11), well-being (r …

Socio-Demographic Disparities In Diet Quality Among Utah Residents, Palak Gupta, Lendel K. Narine

Transforming Communities

Diet quality significantly influences health outcomes, with socio-demographic factors playing a crucial role in shaping dietary behaviors. This study aims to investigate the dietary behaviors and socio-demographic characteristics of Utah residents, highlighting disparities in diet quality and the underlying factors contributing to these differences. Using a sample of 1,522 adults, data on socio-demographic characteristics, diet quality, and food expenditure were collected via an online survey in April and May 2023. The modified Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants-Shortened Version (REAP-S) was used to assess diet quality. Results indicate that respondents spent about 30% of their monthly income on food, reflecting a …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda November 7, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - October 3, 2024
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda November 7, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - October 3, 2024
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews: https://usu.curriculog.com/
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Zoographics In The Journal Of The Experimental Analysis Of Behavior: Increasing Inclusion Of Female Animals, Amy L. Odum, Kiernan T. Callister, Mariah E. Willis-Moore, Daniel S. Da Silva, David N. Legaspi, Lucy N. Scribner, Josephine N. Hannah

Psychology Faculty Publications

We examined the zoographics, or the characteristics of nonhuman animal subjects, reported for the entirety of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB) through the most recent complete year (1958–2023). Animal sex in particular was evaluated to determine whether the lack of inclusion of female subjects in other disciplines extends to JEAB. Through systematic coding of all nonhuman empirical articles, we found consistent underreporting of most zoographics and a disproportionate use of male subjects relative to female subjects. Additionally, animal sex was commonly unreported and the inclusion of both male and female subjects was sparse. …

Cannabinoid-Inspired Inhibitors Of The Sars-Cov-2 Coronavirus 2′ -O-Methyltransferase (2′ -O-Mtase) Non-Structural Protein (Nsp10–16), Menny M. Benjamin, George S. Hanna, Cody F. Dickinson, Yeun-Mun Choo, Xiaojuan Wang, Jessica A. Downs-Bowen, Ramyani De, Tamara R. Mcbrayer, Raymond F. Schinazi, Sarah E. Nielson, Joan M. Hevel, Pankaj Pandey, Robert J. Doerksen, Danyelle M. Townsend, Jie Zhang, Zhiwei Ye, Scott Wyer, Lucas Bialousow, Mark T. Hamann

Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Research

The design and synthesis of antiviral compounds were guided by computationally predicted data against highly conserved non-structural proteins (Nsps) of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Chromenephenylmethanone-1 (CPM-1), a novel biphenylpyran (BPP), was selected from a unique natural product library based on in silico docking scores to coronavirus Nsps with high specificity to the methyltransferase protein (2′ -O-MTase, Nsp10–16), which is responsible for viral mRNA maturation and host innate immune response evasion. To target the 2′ -O-MTase, CPM-1, along with intermediate BPP regioisomers, tetrahydrophenylmethanones (TPMs), were synthesized and structurally validated via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data and DP4+ structure …

The Utah Statesman, October 28, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Climate Change And The Logan River: Past, Present, And Future, Mercy Smith, Kendall Becker, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

The Logan River runs through Idaho and northern Utah, beginning in the Bear River Mountains and flowing through Logan Canyon to Cutler Reservoir. The river is socially and ecologically significant to the Cache Valley community. Throughout its history, the Logan River’s water and energy have sustained life within the valley. However, climate change is threatening the Logan River’s support of both human and animal communities. Rising water temperatures and reduced flow caused by declining snowpack may impair the river’s ability to maintain healthy ecosystems.

Differential Hepatic Expression Of Mirna In Response To Aflatoxin B1 Challenge In Domestic And Wild Turkeys, Kade Jorud, Kristelle M. Mendoza, Thomas Kono, Roger A. Coulombe, Kent M. Reed

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB₁) is a major foodborne mycotoxin that poses a significant economic risk to poultry due to a greater degree of susceptibility compared to other agricultural species. Domesticated turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are especially sensitive to AFB₁; however, wild turkeys (M. g. silvestris) are more resistant. A lack of functional isoforms of hepatic glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), an enzyme that plays a role in the detoxification of aflatoxin, is suspected as the reason for the increased sensitivity. Previous studies comparing the gene expression of domesticated and wild turkeys exposed to AFB₁ identified …

The Utah Statesman, October 21, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Critical Comparison Of Potential Machine Learning Methods For Lightning Thermal Damage Assessment Of Composite Laminates, Juhyeong Lee, Scott L.J. Millen, Xiaodong Xu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The present study assesses the potential of using machine learning (ML) methods to predict the extent of lightning thermal damage in fiber-reinforced composite laminates using three supervised machine learning (SML) algorithms: (1) linear regression (LR), (2) decision tree (DT)-based, and (3) MLP models. These models were based on the 10 most significant factors that influence the severity of lightning damage, including three current waveform parameters, four material configurations, and three orthogonal electrical conductivities of each composite. All models demonstrated good performance with coefficient of determination (R²) values between 0.84 ~ 0.96. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) regression model trained …

Water Use Efficiency In Rice Under Alternative Wetting And Drying Technique Using Energy Balance Model With Uav Information And Aquacrop In Lambayeque, Peru, Lia Ramos-Fernández, Roxana Peña-Amaro, José Huanuqueño-Murillo, David Quipse-Tito, Mayra Maldonado-Huarhuachi, Elizabeth Heros-Aguilar, Lisveth Flores Del Pino, Edwin Pino-Vargas, Javier Quille-Mamani, Alfonso Torres-Rua

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In the context of global warming, rising air temperatures are increasing evapotranspiration (ET_c) in all agricultural crops, including rice, a staple food worldwide. Simultaneously, the occurrence of droughts is reducing water availability, affecting traditional irrigation methods for rice cultivation (flood irrigation). The objective of this study was to determine ET_c (water use) and yield performance in rice crop under different irrigation regimes: treatments with continuous flood irrigation (CF) and irrigations with alternating wetting and drying (AWD₅, AWD₁₀, and AWD₂₀) in an experimental area in INIA–Vista Florida. Water balance, rice physiological data, …

Differences In Susceptibility To Sars-Cov-2 Infection Among Transgenic Hace2-Hamster Founder Lines, Scott A. Gibson, Yanan Liu, Rong Li, Brett L. Hurst, Zhiqiang Fan, Venkatraman Siddharthan, Deanna P. Larson, Ashley Y. Sheesley, Rebekah Stewart, Madelyn Kunzler, Irina A. Polejaeva, Arnaud J. Van Wettere, Stefan Moisyadi, John D. Morrey, E. Bart Tarbet, Zhongde Wang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Animal models that are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and develop clinical signs like human COVID-19 are desired to understand viral pathogenesis and develop effective medical countermeasures. The golden Syrian hamster is important for the study of SARS-CoV-2 since hamsters are naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. However, infected hamsters show only limited clinical disease and resolve infection quickly. In this study, we describe development of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transgenic hamsters as a model for COVID-19. During development of the model for SARS-CoV-2, we observed that different hACE2 transgenic hamster founder lines varied in their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 lethal infection. The …