Mountains Of Our Future Earth: Defining Priorities For Mountain Research, Erin H. Gleeson, Susanne Wymann Von Dach, Courtney G. Flint, Gregory B. Greenwood, Martin F. Price, Jörg Balsiger, Anne Nolin, Veerle Vanacker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The Perth conferences, held every 5 years in Perth, Scotland, bring together people who identify as mountain researchers and who are interested in issues related to global change in mountain social-ecological systems. These conferences provide an opportunity to evaluate the evolution of research directions within the mountain research community, as well as to identify research priorities. The Future Earth Strategic Research Agenda provides a useful framework for evaluating the mountain research community's progress toward addressing global change and sustainability challenges. Using a process originally set up to analyze contributions to the 2010 conference, the abstracts accepted for the 2015 conference …

Framing The Human Dimensions Of Mountain Systems: Integrating Social Science Paradigms For A Global Network Of Mountain Observatories, Courtney G. Flint

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The Global Network of Mountain Observatories (GNOMO) is an international initiative seeking to increase communication and collaboration and align methodologies to assess commonalities and differences across the world's mountain landscapes. Oriented toward sustainable mountain development, GNOMO requires the integration of social and natural sciences, as well as a diverse array of stakeholder perspectives. This paper highlights challenges associated with integrating social sciences because of the inherent paradigmatic differences within the social sciences. The value orientations of mountain researchers, as well as the divergent societal and institutional values regarding mountains, create a need for new approaches to observing mountain landscapes. A …

Building Capacity And Transforming Lives: Anthropology Undergraduates And Religious Campus-Climate Research On A Public University Campus, Bonnie Glass-Coffin

Interfaith Initiative Research

This paper tells the story of how undergraduate researchers participating in an applied and participatory anthropological research project at Utah State University have used their research experience to help make our campus a more welcoming place for all who orient around religion and spirituality differently. The campus-climate research project described herein was designed to investigate the relationship between diverse religious and spiritual commitments and feelings of discomfort or well-being on our campus. Students who worked on this project gained valuable skills as researchers. Additionally, they became student leaders of a movement to promote a more welcoming climate on campus. Both …

Public Views On Renewable Energy In The Rocky Mountain Region Of The United States: Distinct Attitudes, Exposure, And Other Key Predictors Of Wind Energy, Shawn K. Olson-Hazboun, Richard S. Krannich, Peter Robertson

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Student Research

Renewable energy is often framed by policymakers and the media as an environmental or ‘green’ issue motivated by global climate change and the need for greenhouse gas reductions. However, some researchers studying social responses to renewables have found that factors other than opinions about climate change may be more influential in determining support for renewables. This study analyzes survey data from a study of five communities in the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. experiencing wind energy development to examine the relationship between environmental beliefs, climate change opinions, and support for renewable energy. Results show that views on renewable energy …

Does The Presence Of Oil And Gas Infrastructure Potentially Increase Risk Of Harvest In Northern Bobwhite?, Evan P. Tanner, R. Dwayne Elmore, Craig A. Davis, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, David K. Dahlgren, Eric T. Thacker, Jeremy P. Orange

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Beyond organisms experiencing direct impacts (mortality) from the presence of anthropogenic features, interactive relationships may exacerbate the effects of anthropogenic disturbance within the context of these features. For example, mortality risk may be affected by the road infrastructure associated with energy development by influencing space use of predators including human hunters. To assess these relationships, we conducted research on northern bobwhite Colinus virginianusacross a hunted and non-hunted area of Beaver River Wildlife Management Area, Oklahoma, using radiotelemetry from 2012–2015. We found that bobwhite mortality risk decreased as the distance from primary roads (m) increased across weeks (hazard ratio [HR] …

Ultrasound Imaging In Women's Arm Flexor Muscles: Intra-Rater Reliability Of Muscle Thickness And Echo Intensity, Amilton Vieira, Angelina F. Siqueira, João B. Ferriera-Junior, Paulo Pereira, Dale Wagner, Martim Bottaro

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Different ultrasound parameters have been frequently used to assess changes associated with training, aging, immobilization, and neuromuscular diseases. However, an exploratory reliability analysis of the echo intensity (EI) and muscle thickness (MT) of the forearm flexors is scarce, especially in women.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine the intra-rater reliability of MT and EI assessed by ultrasound in young women.

Method: Ultrasonographic MT and EI were acquired in the forearm flexors of 41 young women (22±2 yrs). Reliability was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1), standard error of measurement (SEM), coefficient of variation (CV), smallest …

Multiplex Social Ecological Network Analysis Reveals How Social Changes Affect Community Robustness More Than Resource Depletion, Jacopo A. Baggio, Shauna B. Burnsilver, Alex Arenas, James S. Magdanz, Gary P. Kofinas, Manlio De Domenico

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Network analysis provides a powerful tool to analyze complex influences of social and ecological structures on community and household dynamics. Most network studies of social–ecological systems use simple, undirected, unweighted networks. We analyze multiplex, directed, and weighted networks of subsistence food flows collected in three small indigenous communities in Arctic Alaska potentially facing substantial economic and ecological changes. Our analysis of plausible future scenarios suggests that changes to social relations and key households have greater effects on community robustness than changes to specific wild food resources.

“Whatdunit?” Developmental Changes In Children’S Syntactically-Based Sentence Interpretation Abilities And Sensitivity To Word Order, James W. Montgomery, Julia L. Evans, Ronald B. Gillam, Alexander V. Sergeev, Mianisha C. Finney

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Aim 1 of this study was to examine the developmental changes in typically developing English-speaking children’s syntactically-based sentence interpretation abilities and sensitivity to word order. Aim 2 was to determine the psychometric standing of the novel sentence interpretation task developed for this study, as we wish to use it later with children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Children listened to semantically implausible sentences in which noun animacy and the natural affordance between the nouns were removed, thus controlling for event probability. Using this novel “whatdunit?” agent selection task, 256 children 7-11 years listened to two structures with canonical word order …

Psychological Stress Among Risks For Alzheimer's Disease, Maria C. Norton, Elizabeth B. Fauth

All Current Publications

This fact sheet defines stress, stressors and reaction to them, what stress does to our brain and body, and how stress effects can accumulate over time. It also includes tips on reducing the effects of stress on the brain.

2016 Distinguished Executive Alumnus, Usu Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business News Collection

The idea for HealthEquity, one of the nation’s largest health savings custodians, was germinated in a class at USU during Steve Neeleman’s sophomore year. “I took this class, medical sociology, taught by Reed Geertsen, and it really opened my eyes to the cost of healthcare and our system of health insurance,” recounted Neeleman. After graduating from Utah State, where he also played football, he went on to the University of Utah Medical School. After juggling two careers, as a surgeon and running HealthEquity for more than a decade, Steve gave up practicing surgery about 18 months ago to focus his …

The Utah Statesman, October 31, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Nutrition And Dietetic Students' Vitamin And Mineral Knowledge And Concurrent Learning And Retention Strategies, Katie Nicole Brown, Jenna Ellis, Dana Ogan, Heidi Wengreen

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The functions, food sources, deficiency symptoms, and toxicity symptoms are important for dietetic professionals to know and apply to community, food service, and clinical settings. Purpose: To assess nutrition and dietetic students' knowledge of vitamins and minerals and identify students' strategies for learning and retaining vitamin and mineral information. Methodology: Students from three universities in the western United States were invited to participate in cross-sectional study. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included multiple choice and short answer questions to assess their knowledge of a representative list of 8 vitamins and minerals. The questionnaire also included free-response questions about …

H.O.P.E. For Indigenous People Battling Intergenerational Trauma: The Sweetgrass Method, Mark Standing Eagle Baez, Patricia Isaac, Carla Allison Baez

Journal of Indigenous Research

H.O.P.E. for Indigenous People Battling Intergenerational Trauma: The Sweetgrass Method

The Sweetgrass Method, when applied to practitioners/clinicians, embraces the three strands. The first strand in the braid (Introspection) focuses one’s mental state by grounding the self to the present moment with healthy/healing approaches, in addition to recognizing and reflecting on one's thoughts, emotions and actions. The second strand in the braid (Collaboration) weaves the importance as professionals in the area consultation (with other professionals or traditional practitioners) for support on services that are working for the client, as well as receiving feedback on services that may need to be tailor-made …

The Utah Statesman, October 27, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

A Balancing Act: Integrating Evidence-Based Knowledge And Cultural Relevance In A Program Of Prevention Parenting Research With Latino/A Immigrants, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Gabriela López-Zerón, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Ana Rocío Escobar-Chew, Michael R. Whitehead, Cris M. Sullivan, Guillermo Bernal

Psychology Faculty Publications

Family therapists have a unique opportunity to contribute toward the reduction of widespread mental health disparities impacting diverse populations by developing applied lines of research focused on cultural adaptation. For example, although evidence-based prevention parent training (PT) interventions have been found to be efficacious with various Euro-American populations, there is a pressing need to understand which specific components of PT interventions are perceived by ethnic minority parents as having the highest impact on their parenting practices. Equally important is to examine the perceived cultural relevance of adapted PT interventions. This qualitative investigation had the primary objective of comparing and contrasting …

The Utah Statesman, October 25, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Common Genetic Variants Found In Hla And Kir Immune Genes In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anthony R. Torres, Thayne Sweeten, Randall C. Johnson, Dennis Odell, Jonna B. Westover, Patricia Bray-Ward, David C. Ward, Christopher J. Davies, Aaron J. Thomas, Lisa A. Croen, Michael Benson

Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice Publications

The “common variant—common disease” hypothesis was proposed to explain diseases with strong inheritance. This model suggests that a genetic disease is the result of the combination of several common genetic variants. Common genetic variants are described as a 5% frequency differential between diseased vs. matched control populations. This theory was recently supported by an epidemiology paper stating that about 50% of genetic risk for autism resides in common variants. However, rare variants, rather than common variants, have been found in numerous genome wide genetic studies and many have concluded that the “common variant—common disease” hypothesis is incorrect. One interpretation is …

The Utah Statesman, October 20, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Cache Water District: Risks And Opportunities: Research And Policy Analysis Report On Formation Of A Water Conservancy District In Cache County, Utah, Lisa Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In the November 2016 election, Cache County residents will vote on Proposition #11, Formation of the Cache Water District. The question before voters is: Should the Cache Water District be created? Voters can respond “yes” or “no.” The Cache County Water Master Plan was released in 2013. Discussion and analysis conducted through that planning effort suggested that a water conservancy district would be the best organizational structure for Cache County and its municipalities to collectively and cooperatively manage water. Cache County created the Bridgerland Water Conservancy Work Group (BWC Work Group) to draft a purpose statement and bylaws for the …

By Means Of Human Selection: The Birth Of Three Parent Babies, Rachel Robinson-Greene

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In the late 1990’s, doctors at the St. Barnabus Institute in New Jersey developed a groundbreaking new technique—they successfully produced a child using the genetic material of three different donor parents. The motivation for the innovation was to help certain at-risk couples have healthy biological children of their own. The procedure, if successful, blocks the spread of disease that is sometimes passed through mitochondrial DNA—a genetic contribution passed to children by their biological mothers. Some women pass on mitochondrial DNA that causes muscular dystrophy or respiratory problems. Leigh Syndrome, a fatal disease, is also passed through mitochondrial DNA.

Volume 70 Issue 1 (Fall/Winter 2016)

Utah Science

2: What's on Your Plate?

When studying cancer in mice, USU researchers are starting with a “Western diet” and finding more connections between diet and health… good and bad.

5: Uncommon Hamsters Helping Fight Common Viruses

New genetically modified hamsters play an important role in studying human diseases caused by adenovirus, and may also be valuable in studies of Ebola, dengue and hanta viruses.

8: Science vs. Viruses

When viruses cause enough damage to make the news, it’s rarely “news” to scientists at the Institute for Antiviral Research. Learning how viruses work, and testing drugs to stop them, is what …

Better Late Than Never: Effective Air-Borne Hearing Of Toads Delayed By Late Maturation Of The Tympanic Middle Ear Structures, Molly C. Womack, Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard, Kim L. Hoke

Biology Faculty Publications

Most vertebrates have evolved a tympanic middle ear that enables effective hearing of airborne sound on land. Although inner ears develop during the tadpole stages of toads, tympanic middle ear structures are not complete until months after metamorphosis, potentially limiting the sensitivity of post-metamorphic juveniles to sounds in their environment. We tested the hearing of five species of toads to determine how delayed ear development impairs airborne auditory sensitivity. We performed auditory brainstem recordings to test the hearing of the toads and used micro-computed tomography and histology to relate the development of ear structures to hearing ability. We found a …

The Utah Statesman, October 17, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, October 17, 2016, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Items (October) and Annual Report
• Athletic Council
• Faculty Evaluation Committee
• Election of Honorary Degree and Awards Committee Member

Calf And Yearling Prices In California And The Western United States, Tina Saitone, Larry C. Forero, Glenn A. Nader, Leslie A. Forero

Wildland Resources Student Research

This paper investigates spatial, quality and temporal factors impacting the pricing of calves and yearlings in the western United States using data from a satellite video auction and a hedonic regression framework. Results suggest that spatial price discounts received by western ranchers closely match reported shipping costs and, thus, are consistent with free-on-board pricing and competitive procurement. This study also identifies the presence of temporal price premiums, on average, for seller-offered forward contracts at video auctions. With respect to quality attributes, this study provides estimates of the marginal value associated with various quality attributes and management practices, including vaccination protocols, …

Cs Alum Turned Google Engineer Pays It Forward | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Published in Creating Tomorrow – Oct. 15, 2016 – Just one year after graduating from USU with a master’s degree in computer science, Subash Gutala donated funding for a scholarship that would give future students the same quality experiences he had.

The computer science alumnus came to Logan from a small town near Hyderabad, India and instantly connected with new friends, colleagues and the faculty and staff of the Computer Science Department.

Cultural Competence In Pas: Baseline And Correlates, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Cathleen Tarp, Paula Phelps, Alan Mirly

Psychology Faculty Publications

There is little empirical information on the levels of cultural self-awareness, knowledge, and skills for PA trainees. We present data documenting the relationship between important variables to advance cultural competence and burnout prevention in PA education.

The Power Of Hope For Māori Youth Suicide Prevention: Preliminary Themes From The Aotearoa/New Zealand Hope Studies, Keri Rose Lawson-Te Aho Dr

Journal of Indigenous Research

Hope is considered a protective factor for suicide prevention in Māori communities. In this small study, twenty-one Māori youth in four at risk communities participated in a digital media project on the constituents of HOPE. The preliminary results show that a positive relationship with peers and family is critical for the maintenance of hope in the lives of these Māori youth. The constituents of HOPE identified in this study include; a supportive non-judgmental family, particularly important for queer/LGBTI Māori youth; stable family relationships; knowledge of one’s cultural identity, exposure to opportunities to learn about being Māori; faith and capacity to …

Cognitive Functioning Of Akwesasne Mohawk Adolescents Exposed To Pcbs, Joan Newman 4425055, Mia Gallo, Akwesasne Task Force On The Environment, Lawrence M. Schell

Journal of Indigenous Research

This study was carried out in partnership with Akwesasne Mohawks whose environment has been polluted with PCBs from industrial effluent. Using three cognitive tests (Woodcock Johnson Revised, Test of Memory and Learning, and Ravens Progressive Matrices), we investigated the cognitive functioning of 269 adolescents and related their scores to PCBs in their blood. Although the group of adolescents performed as the standardization sample of other adolescents of the same age in North America, we found that scores on three of their subtests (all involving memory) were negatively related to PCB body burden. There was an especially robust association of PCBs …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, October 6, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Program Proposals

• Offering a Minor in Applied Economics/Small Firm Management
• Changing the name from AAS-Business Administration to AAS-Small Business Operations
• Offering a Graduate Certificate in Archiving and Public Programming
• Changing the name from Literary Studies to Literature
• Offering a Minor in Native American Studies
• Offering a Minor in Yoga Studies
• Offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Changing the name form Wildlife Science to Wildlife Ecology
• Changing the name from Rangeland Resources to Rangeland Ecology and Management
• Changing the name from Forestry to Forest Ecology and Management
• Adding five areas of emphasis in the Management and …