Digital Commons Network^™

Impacts On Climate Change On Multiple Use Management Of Bureau Of Land Management Land In The Intermountain West, Usa, Elaine M. Brice, Brett A. Miller, Hongchao Zhang, Kirsten Goldstein, Scott N. Zimmer, Guenchik J. Grosklos, Patrick Belmont, Courtney G. Flint, Jennifer E. Givens, Peter B. Adler, Mark W. Brunson, Jordan W. Smith

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Although natural resource managers are concerned about climate change, many are unable to adequately incorporate climate change science into their adaptation strategies or management plans, and are not always aware of or do not always employ the most current scientific knowledge. One of the most prominent natural resource management agencies in the United States is the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is tasked with managing over 248 million acres (>1 million km²) of public lands for multiple, often conflicting, uses. Climate change will affect the sustainability of many of these land uses and could further increase …

Genetic Variation At The Species And Population Levels In The Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel (Gonidea Angulata) – Supplementary Material, James A. Walton, Karen E. Mock, Steven F. R. Brownlee, Jon H. Mageroy, Greg Wilson, Ian R. Walker

Browse all Datasets

Freshwater mussels in western North America are threatened by water diversions, climate change, loss of required host fish, and other factors, and have experienced marked decline in the past several decades. All four of the primary lineages (potentially species) of freshwater mussels in the western U.S. and Canada are widespread and have somewhat generalist host fish requirements. Of these lineages, perhaps the most poorly understood and of greatest conservation concern is Gonidea angulata (Rocky Mountain ridged mussel). Gonidea is a monotypic genus occurring only in the western continental U.S. and southern Canada. Here we describe the patterns of genetic variation …

Uwrl Welcomes Two New Faculty Members, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Last spring, the UWRL and USU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering began seeking bright, creative, and interdisciplinary researchers “whose research will yield more holistic approaches to solving water problems in natural, built, and/or agricultural environments” to “lead and develop the next generation of resilient solutions to water problems in these linked environments.” And despite a worldwide pandemic, we were able to welcome two such individuals to the UWRL in time for fall semester!

Lidar Reveals >150 Km Of New Holocene Ruptures And Faults In Northeast Basin-And-Range Province, N Utah And Se Idaho, Susanne U. Jänecke, Nathaniel R. Ellis, Robert Q. Oaks Jr., Carly M. Lee, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Cache Valley is a N-trending graben in N-central Utah and SE Idaho. The East Cache fault zone (ECFZ) appears to be the master fault due to the high mountain in its footwall, its inversion of the Providence thrust fault, and the deep sedimentary basin in its hanging wall. However, trenching in 1990s showed more Holocene ruptures within the West Cache fault zone (WCFZ, 4) than ECFZ (1). We use LIDAR data to document post-Bonneville paleo-earthquakes along known and newly documented normal faults of the WCFZ. New faults with scarps occur throughout the ~105 km long and 5-10 km wide WCFZ. …

General Destabilizing Effects Of Eutrophication On Grassland Productivity At Multiple Spatial Scales, Yann Hautier, Pengfei Zhang, Michel Loreau, Kevin R. Wilcox, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Jarrett E.K. Byrnes, Sally E. Koerner, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Andy Hector, Peter B. Adler, Juan Alberti, Carlos A. Arnillas, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lars A. Brudvig, Miguel N. Bugalho, Marc Cadotte, Maria C. Caldeira, Oliver Carroll, Mick Crawley, Scott L. Collins, Pedro Daleo, Laura E. Dee, Nico Eisenhauer, Anu Eskelinen, Philip A. Fay, Benjamin Gilbert, Amandine Hansar, Forest Isbell, Johannes M.H. Knops, Andrew S. Macdougall, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Joslin L. Moore, John W. Morgan, Akira S. Mori, Pablo L. Peri, Edwin T. Pos, Sally A. Power, Jodi N. Price, Peter B. Reich, Anita C. Risch, Christiane Roscher, Mahesh Sankaran, Martin Schütz, Melinda Smith, Carly Stevens, Pedro M. Tognetti, Risto Virtanen, Glenda M. Wardle, Peter A. Wilfahrt, Shaopeng Wang

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Eutrophication is a widespread environmental change that usually reduces the stabilizing effect of plant diversity on productivity in local communities. Whether this effect is scale dependent remains to be elucidated. Here, we determine the relationship between plant diversity and temporal stability of productivity for 243 plant communities from 42 grasslands across the globe and quantify the effect of chronic fertilization on these relationships. Unfertilized local communities with more plant species exhibit greater asynchronous dynamics among species in response to natural environmental fluctuations, resulting in greater local stability (alpha stability). Moreover, neighborhood communities that have greater spatial variation in plant species …

“Bottled” Spiro-Doubly Aromatic Trinuclear [Pd2ru]+ Complexes, Maksim Kulichenko, Nikita Fedik, Anna Monfredini, Alvaro Muñoz-Castro, Davide Balestri, Alexander I. Boldyrev, Giovanni Maestri

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Following an ongoing interest in the study of transition metal complexes with exotic bonding networks, we report herein the synthesis of a family of heterobimetallic triangular clusters involving Ru and Pd atoms. These are the first examples of trinuclear complexes combining these nuclei. Structural and bonding analyses revealed both analogies and unexpected differences for these [Pd₂Ru]⁺ complexes compared to their parent [Pd₃]⁺ peers. Noticeably, participation of the Ru atom in the π-aromaticity of the coordinated benzene ring makes the synthesized compound the second reported example of ‘bottled’ double aromaticity. This can also be referred …

Tdim Ionospheric Model Tec, Hmf2, And Nmf2 At Mid-Latitude Northern Hemisphere, Used In The Paper Titled "Is Tec A Viable Servo Input?", Jan J. Sojka

Browse all Datasets

The externally imposed vertical drift in the F region is an extremely important driver of ionospheric dynamics but is very difficult to measure or map. Ionospheric servo algorithms have used hmF2 as F-region observable to infer the vertical drift. However, an even more plentiful observable is the total electron content (TEC) whose coverage over northern mid-latitudes has both spatial and temporal availability that matches those of the probable mechanisms responsible for vertical drift dynamics.

This ionospheric, first principle physics, study shows that TEC is a viable servo parameter at mid-latitudes in the noon sector. The servo relationship is shown to …

On Correctness, Precision, And Performance In Quantitative Verification: Qcomp 2020 Competition Report, Carlos E. Budde, Arnd Hartmanns, Michaela Klauck, Jan Křetínský, David Parker, Tim Quatmann, Andrea Turrini, Zhen Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantitative verification tools compute probabilities, expected rewards, or steady-state values for formal models of stochastic and timed systems. Exact results often cannot be obtained efficiently, so most tools use floating-point arithmetic in iterative algorithms that approximate the quantity of interest. Correctness is thus defined by the desired precision and determines performance. In this paper, we report on the experimental evaluation of these trade-offs performed in QComp 2020: the second friendly competition of tools for the analysis of quantitative formal models. We survey the precision guarantees - ranging from exact rational results to statistical confidence statements - offered by the nine …

A Sandwich-Type Cluster Containing Ge@Pd3 Planar Fragment Flanked By Aromatic Nonagermanide Caps, Hong-Lei Xu, Nikolay V. Tkachenko, Zi-Chuan Wang, Wei-Xing Chen, Lei Qiao, Alvaro Muñoz-Castro, Alexander I. Boldyrev, Zhong-Ming Sun

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Sandwich-type clusters with the planar fragment containing a heterometallic sheet have remained elusive. In this work, we introduce the [K(2,2,2-crypt)]₄{(Ge₉)₂[η⁶-Ge(PdPPh₃)₃]} complex that contains a heterometallic sandwich fragment. The title compound is structurally characterized by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which reveals the presence of an unusual heteroatomic metal planar fragment Ge@Pd₃. The planar fragment contains a rare formal zerovalent germanium core and a peculiar bonding mode of sp²-Ge@(PdPPh₃)₃ trigonal planar structure, whereas the nonagermanide fragments act as capping ligands. The …

2020 Data Visualization Challenge, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Utah Water Research Lab Faculty Dr. Jeff Horsburgh, an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Utah State University, recently issued a challenge to USU students called the Cyberinfrastructure for Intelligent Water Supply (CIWS) Data Visualization Challenge.

Call For Pre‑Proposals For Water‑Related Research Benefiting Utah, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

The Utah Center for Water Resources Research (UCWRR) at the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) is currently inviting pre-proposals from faculty members or affiliates at Utah’s institutions of higher education for Plan Year 2021–22 of the Utah grant program funded through an annual grant award from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the federal Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (Program 104b), as amended. This program targets applied research that addresses water problems in Utah.

Indigenous Guardianship And Moose Monitoring: Weaving Indigenous And Western Ways Of Knowing, Jesse N. Popp, Pauline Priadka, Megan Young, Kevin Koch, James Morgan

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Increasing global rates of wildlife species extinctions, extirpations, and declines warrant improvements to population monitoring and management approaches. To address regional environmental and wildlife issues, Indigenous communities globally are re-establishing traditional roles as stewards of the land through emerging Indigenous Guardianship Programs (IGPs). By providing the opportunity for community-level participation in monitoring and management, IGPs help foster cohesive solutions for long-term conservation of species while promoting environmental stewardship at the community level. Addressing challenges in monitoring and management of wildlife is especially critical for species that are of cultural and ecological importance at both community and distribution-wide scales. Herein, we …

Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Human–Wildlife Conflicts In The Kenya Greater Tsavo Ecosystem, Joseph M. Mukeka, Joseph O. Ogutu, Erustus Kanga, Eivin Røskaft

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Biodiversity conservation in developing countries is faced with many and mounting challenges, including increasing human–wildlife conflicts (HWCs). In Africa and other developing countries, increasing HWCs, particularly those adjacent to protected areas, can adversely affect local stakeholder perceptions and support for conservation. We analyzed HWC reports for multiple wildlife species compiled >23 years (1995–2017) from the Greater Tsavo Ecosystem (GTE) in Kenya to determine HWC trends. The GTE is the largest protected area in Kenya, covering 22,681 km². Overall, 39,022 HWC incidents were reported in 6 GTE regions (i.e., Taveta, Mutomo, Kibwezi, Rombo, Galana, Bachuma). The 5 wildlife species …

Aggieair Demonstrates New Greatblue Aircraft At "Drones In Ag" Day, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

USU AggieAir, a research lab at the Utah Water Research Laboratory, and USU Aviation Technology recently held their "Drones and Ag" demonstration day at the USU Agricultural Experimentation Center. The event, which invited members of the public to attend with proper COVID-19 precautions, featured a demonstration of AggieAir's newest aircraft, GreatBlue, and showcased the future of drones in agriculture.

Advancing Best Practices For Aversion Conditioning (Humane Hazing) To Mitigate Human–Coyote Conflicts In Urban Areas, Lesley Sampson, Lauren Van Patter

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are now recognized as a permanent feature in urban environments across much of North America. Behavioral aversion conditioning, or humane hazing, is increasingly advocated as an effective and compassionate alternative to wildlife management strategies, such as trap and removal. Given a growing public interest in humane hazing, there is a need to synthesize the science regarding methods, outcomes, efficacy, and other relevant considerations to better manage human–coyote conflicts in urban areas. This paper was prepared as an outcome of a workshop held in July 2019 by Coyote Watch Canada (CWC) to synthesize the literature on …

Versatility Of The Cyano Group In Intermolecular Interactions, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Several cyano groups are added to an alkane, alkene, and alkyne group so as to construct a Lewis acid molecule with a positive region of electrostatic potential in the area adjoining these substituents. Although each individual cyano group produces only a weak π-hole, when two or more such groups are properly situated, they can pool their π-holes into one much more intense positive region that is located midway between them. A NH₃ base is attracted to this site, where it forms a strong noncovalent bond to the Lewis acid, amounting to as much as 13.6 kcal/mol. The precise nature …

Recognition Through Awards: A Source Of Gender Inequality In Science?, Helga Van Miegroet, Christy Glass

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Drawing from Acker’s gendered organizations perspective, this study analyzes the gender distribution of research and non-research awards in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) colleges at a mid-size public doctoral university in the western U.S. This analysis is complemented with a faculty survey (2016) elucidating faculty perceptions of the nomination process and their standing within their department and college. Despite an increase in the number of women among STEM faculty over time, women remain underrepresented among research award recipients, especially at the university level. The ratio of research to nonresearch awards for men is 3 to 6 times that of women …

Instability Of Glucocorticoid Metabolites In Coyote Scats: Implications For Field Sampling, Erika T. Stevenson, Eric M. Gese, Lorin A. Neuman-Lee, Susannah S. French

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Studying physiologic stress responses can assist in understanding the welfare of animals. One method of measuring the physiologic stress response is evaluating concentrations of glucocorticoid metabolites in feces. Previously, using an adrenocorticotropic hormone challenge, we found fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were a reliable indicator of physiologic stress response in coyotes (Canis latrans). We determine whether glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations remain stable when collecting feces over a 2-week period, a timeframe commonly used in scat surveys for wild canids. We collected feces from 6 captive coyotes maintained at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Predator …

Connections Impact On Student Persistence: Impact Report Spring 2015 To Fall 2018, Amanda M. Hagman, Heidi Kesler, Matt Sanders, Mitchell Colver

Publications

Connections is Utah State University's (USU) first-year seminary. A primary objective of Connections is student persistence. It is designed to help students become learners. While being a learner is not synonymous with being a college student, it aligns students’ expectations with what is required to succeed in college and at USU. This impact report explores the influence of Connections participation on student persistence to the next term. Participation in Connections is associated with a 1.4% increase in persistence to the next term. The positive impact of Connections is increasing with strategic programmatic changes.

Writing Fellows: Impact Analysis Fall 2015 To Spring 2019, Amanda M. Hagman, Julie Foust, Erik Dickamore, Hayden Hoopes

Publications

The Writing Fellows program strategically places high performing writing mentors in courses with rigorous writing requirements. Writing Fellows work with each student in a course by reviewing their writing and offering mentoring to improve their written communication skills. Persistence is a secondary objective of the Writing Fellow program. As such, an impact evaluation on persistence should only be used as part of an evaluation of the influence of the Writing Fellows program on student wellbeing. This impact evaluation on student persistence found that students in courses with a Writing Fellow experienced a significant increase in persistence to the next term …

New Student Orientation: Impact Analysis Fall 2017 To Spring 2019, Amanda M. Hagman, Jacob Van Den Akker, Erik Dickamore, Lisa Simmons

Publications

The transition to university represents a major life change more incoming students. To facilitate this transition, USU adopted a phased-orientation system that provides students information justin- time for use. Currently, Module 3 can be completed either in-person or online. This analysis explores both the impact of the phased-orientation modules and the impact of completing Module 3 online verse in-person on student persistence to the next term. METHODS: First students who completed Module 3 online were compared to students who completed Module 3 in-person. Next students who completed all 5 modules were compared to students who only completed the required modules. …

Writing Center: Impact Analysis Fall 2014 To Fall 2018, Amanda M. Hagman, Kendall Becker, Susan B. Andersen, Star Coulbrooke, Erik Dickamore, Jasilyn Heaps

Publications

The Utah State University (USU) Writing Center is dedicated to empowering students to express their knowledge and ideas in writing. Their approach promotes academic inquiry, critical thinking, and expressions of diversity. While research and evaluation suggest that the Writing Center significantly impacts student academic performance, the impact on student persistence is not yet clear. This report explores the association between USU’s Writing Center and students’ persistence toward graduation. METHODS: Students’ Writing Center use was captured through student log-ins at writing appointments. Students who had a record of using the Writing Center were compared to similar students who did not have …

Passport Experience: Impact Analytics Fall 2014 To Fall 2018, Amanda M. Hagman, Nate Jensen, Lisa Simmons, Janet Anderson, Erik Dickamore

Publications

Utah State University (USU) dedicates substantial resources to support student transition to higher education. The Passport Experience cuts across all university domains to support early student participation in curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities. Students are invited to attend a variety of events, when milestones are reached, students are rewarded. Persistence is a primary objective of the Passport Experience. The Passport Experience helps students develop an increased awareness of campus events, broad their engagement in the university experience, and become more involved in the University community. This report explores the association between the Passport Experience and students’ persistence toward graduation. METHODS: …

Technology Belmont Data, Christopher Monz, Vera Hausner, Jennifer Schmidt

Browse all Datasets

The data is based on semi-structured household interviews conducted in Noatak (n = 12), Noorvik (n = 11), and Brevig Mission (n = 12) in the March of 2017. Information gathered consists of individuals use of technology, perceptions about how technology has helped or hindered their ability to do subsistence and address the changing climate, and the role of technology in the community. Demographic information includes gender, race, education, household size, and employment status. Individuals who were particularly knowledgeable and amendable participated in a q-sort exercise to assess values and beliefs regarding technology in their community. Individual records are confidential …

Fraternity & Sorority Life: Impact Analysis Spring 2016 To Fall 2019, Erik Dickamore, Paige Eidenschink, Amanda M. Hagman

Publications

Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) is a valued part of the USU community It connects students with leadership and philanthropic opportunities throughout their time at university. Many students cite their time spent associated with FSL as one of the biggest contributing factors of their university experience. METHODS: Student’s membership in a FSL is recorded each semester on rosters. These rosters were used in identifying which students participated in FSL. Students were compared using prediction-based propensity score matching. Students who participated in FSL were matched with non-participating students based on their persistence predication and their propensity to participate. FINDINGS: Students were …

Mapping The Immediate And Prolonged Impacts Of, And Adaptations To, Fire In The Kenai River Fishery, Jordan Smith

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Determining The Structure And Function Of Newly Discovered Immune Systems, Ryan N. Jackson

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

An Experimentally Evaluated Thermodynamic Approach To Estimate Growth Of Photoheterotrophic Purple Non-Sulfur Bacteria, Anna Doloman, Lance C. Seefeldt

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Distribution of energy during the growth and formation of useful chemicals by microorganisms can define the overall performance of a biotechnological system. However, to date, this distribution has not been used to reliably predict growth characteristics of phototrophic microorganisms. The presented research addresses this application by estimating the photon-associated Gibbs energy delivered for the photoheterotrophic growth of purple non-sulfur bacteria and production of dihydrogen. The approach is successfully evaluated with the data from a fed-batch growth of Rhodopseudomonas palustris nifA∗ fixing N2 gas in phototrophic conditions and a reliable prediction of growth characteristics is demonstrated. Additionally, literature-available experimental data is …

Leveraging Local Resources And Contexts For Inclusive Computer Science Classrooms: Reflections From Experienced High School Teachers Implementing Electronic Textiles, Mia S. Shaw, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and context

Promoting open-ended projects presents new opportunities and challenges for inclusive teaching in CS classrooms. While efforts have been made to develop inclusive curricula, little research has focused on ways teachers apply curricula in their classrooms to promote inclusion.

Objective

To understand the challenges faced in facilitating an open-ended unit and the pedagogical strategies enacted to address those challenges, we analyze the self-reported teaching practices that experienced teachers developed in their implementation of a constructionist electronic textiles unit in Exploring Computer Science.

Method

We inductively analyzed and coded 17 experienced teachers’ weekly surveys and post-interviews.

Findings

Teachers …

“Scientists Can’T Really Talk To People”: Unpacking Students’ Metacommentary On The Racialized And Gendered Science Nerd Trope, Sarah K. Braden

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Mass-media representations of the stereotypical science nerd position scientists as white, male, and largely English-speaking. Teachers and students who state a desire to work in equitable science learning communities may nonetheless reproduce inequities through their classroom practices which either embody or validate the science nerd stereotype. This study compares secondary students’ metacommentary on the science nerd trope in a mass-media representation to their metacommentary on their own and their peers’ classroom practices and sheds light on design elements for Critical Race Media Literacy (Yosso, 2002) tasks that may promote equity in science education spaces.