Digital Commons Network^™

The Utah Statesman, February 14, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Houston College Sport Programs’ Hurricane Harvey Communication: A Twitter Content Analysis, Chris Hanna, Robert Thompson, James T. Morton

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

This study provides a Twitter content analysis of tweets by Houston-based Division I college sport programs during Hurricane Harvey. A content analysis was performed on the tweets appearing on the main intercollegiate athletics Twitter pages of University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, Prairie View A&M University, Rice University, and Texas Southern University in response to Hurricane Harvey. The researchers based their study on grounded theory informed by a study conducted by Inoue and Havard (2015). While this study examined tweets rather than newspaper and magazine articles like Inoue and Havard (2015), this study confirmed the theme findings in Inoue and …

Connecting Inquiry, Research, And Technology: The Multigenre Digital Inquiry Project, Marla K. Robertson, Amy Piotrowski, Jennifer M. Smith

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This article describes research on a Multigenre Digital Inquiry Project (MDIP), a technology-infused project designed to provide an opportunity for students to inquire about a topic of interest and share their research using 21st century technologies. Instead of composing a research paper or literature review, students designed a website with pieces written in multiple genres to share their learning, including at least two pieces created using digital tools. In this article, the authors share the design of the MDIP and how it was implemented in three teacher education courses. Data analysis aimed to understand how pre-service teachers engaged in this …

The Utah Statesman, February 7, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Utilizing Nasa-Funded Biotechnology To Improve Resource Management On Earth And In Space, Tyler Wallentine

Research on Capitol Hill

USU senior Tyler is a Peak Summer Research Fellow studying biological engineering. Nitrogen, essential in soil fertilizer for crops, is produced traditionally in a way that uses natural gas and produces CO2. Tyler’s project has been to apply methods developed by NASA for astronauts to conserve and reuse resources to create nitrogen using wastewater and bacteria. Using this method would not only take advantage of waste we already have, but doesn’t produce CO2 and contribute to pollution. Tyler hopes to become a chemical engineer in the space industry and credits his undergraduate research experience. “There’s something about having to obtain …

Phosphomimetic Tyrosine Mutations In Spa47 Inhibit Type Three Secretion Atpase Activity And Shigella Virulence Phenotype, Koleton D. Hardy, Nicholas E. Dickenson

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Shigella is a highly infectious human pathogen responsible for 269 million infections and 200,000 deaths per year. Shigella virulence is absolutely reliant on the injection of effector proteins into the host cell cytoplasm via its type three secretion system (T3SS). The protein Spa47 is a T3SS ATPase whose activity is essential for the proper function of the Shigella T3SS needle-like apparatus through which effectors are secreted. A phosphoproteomics study recently found several Shigella T3SS proteins, including Spa47, to be tyrosine phosphorylated, suggesting a means of regulating Spa47 enzymatic activity, T3SS function, and overall Shigella virulence. The work presented here employs …

The Status Of Women In Utah Politics: A 2022 Update, Hannah Payne, Marin Christensen, Susan R. Madsen, Kim Buesser, Lindsey Palmer

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Although Utah has a rich heritage of women’s involvement in voting, advocacy, and various types of political involvement, Utah has lagged behind most states in terms of women running for and serving in elected political roles for decades. To track progress, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) began reporting on the status of women in Utah politics in 2014, with updates in 2017, 2021, and now 2022. Although strides have been made in increasing the number of women serving in political roles in recent years, there is still work to be done. Research continues to confirm that when both …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, February 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Minutes

• Approval of 6 January 2022 Minutes Minutes approved as distributed.
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Matthew Sanders Course Approvals – 280
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Lee Rickords)
• Other Business

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, 2022 Special Issue (Vol. 5, Iss. 3)

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length 2022 Special Issue (Volume 5, Issue 3) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

Enhancing Technology-Based Distance Education Delivery Using Collaborative Team-Teaching Methods, Susan Egbert, Sean Camp

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Present pandemic-related circumstances have created unique challenges for educators and students alike. Information and communication technology (ICT) based team-teaching and collaborative course design can effectively mitigate feelings of isolation and disconnection, and enhance student engagement within a remote education context. This article presents a theory-driven framework and ‘how-to’ practical strategies for utilizing team-teaching methodology through web-based delivery platforms. Content focuses on student participation and active learning, curriculum- and technology-related issues, and challenges inherent in synchronous web-based course delivery.

Student And Instructor Perceptions Of Online Teaching Related To Covid-19: The Need For Reflective Practices, Mary Bowne, Melissa Wuellner, Jessie H. Hendricks, John Howard

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Although online learning has been in existence for over 20 years, not all instructors have been trained to teach online or had the desire to teach online. The recent COVID-19 pandemic quickly changed typical face-to-face instruction and disrupted the current educational system by requiring all college courses be delivered online, either asynchronous or synchronous using various software platforms. This paper investigated both instructors’ and students’ perceptions of faculty online teaching preparedness as well as their thoughts related to various technological resources and issues that arose during this time period. Results indicated …

Using ‘How To …’ Videos In Feedforward Practices To Support The Development Of Academic Writing, Sally Quinn Dr

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

The transition to Higher Education is full of new challenges for students not least the challenge to develop a style of writing expected within one’s discipline of study at the HE level. Feedback on students’ assessments can be one way that guides students to focus on the aspects of their writing that they should aim to improve at different points of their study but often students report difficulty in understanding markers’ comments and exactly how to improve on these skills. We developed a library of 27 five minute ‘How to…’ videos …

Hyperspectral Imaging With Machine Learning To Differentiate Cultivars, Growth Stages, Flowers, And Leaves Of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.), Yuzhen Lu, Sierra N. Young, Eric Linder, Brian Whipker, David Suchoff

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

As an emerging cash crop, industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) grown for cannabidiol (CBD) has spurred a surge of interest in the United States. Cultivar selection and harvest timing are important to produce CBD hemp profitably and avoid economic loss resulting from the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration in the crop exceeding regulatory limits. Hence there is a need for differentiating CBD hemp cultivars and growth stages to aid in cultivar and genotype selection and optimization of harvest timing. Current methods that rely on visual assessment of plant phenotypes and chemical procedures are limited because of its subjective and destructive nature. In …

Tremblings, February 2022, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Aspen: A Reason for Hope

Robert A. Andrus

Tens of millions of trees have died in recent decades in subalpine forests in the western US. Much of this tree mortality has been caused by two natural disturbances—wildfires and outbreaks of native insects (i.e., bark beetles). The loss of so many trees has left us wondering what is next for these areas. Will they return to forest and if so, what will they look like?

The Utah Statesman, January 31, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

No abstract provided.

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, February 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 2 December 2021 Minutes. Minutes approved as distributed.
• Subcommittee Reports
• a. Curriculum Subcommittee
• b. Academic Standards Subcommittee
• c. General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business (USHE)

Temperaturas Críticas De Primavera Para Yemas De Los Árboles Frutales, Michael Pace, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

Esta publicación enumera las temperaturas primaverales críticas para las yemas de árboles frutales cuando el 10% y 90% de las yemas mueren en diferentes etapas de desarrollo después de 30 minutos de exposición.

Robust Plant Segmentation Of Color Images Based On Image Contrast Optimization, Yuzhen Lu, Sierra N. Young, Haifeng Wang, Nuwan Wijewardane

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Plant segmentation is a crucial task in computer vision applications for identification/classification and quantification of plant phenotypic features. Robust segmentation of plants is challenged by a variety of factors such as unstructured background, variable illumination, biological variations, and weak plant-background contrast. Existing color indices that are empirically developed in specific applications may not adapt robustly to varying imaging conditions. This study proposes a new method for robust, automatic segmentation of plants from background in color (red-green-blue, RGB) images. This method consists of unconstrained optimization of a linear combination of RGB component images to enhance the contrast between plant and background …

The Los Seis De Boulder Sculpture Project: A Case Study Of Socially Engaged Archivist/Artist Collaboration At The University Of Colorado Boulder, Megan K. Friedel, Jasmine Baetz

Journal of Western Archives

As academic institutions and archivists around the nation grapple with the question of how to address existing monuments to racist histories at their institutions, how can archivists support the creation of new monuments on college and university campuses that reflect suppressed or oppressed histories of people of color? This case study explores the Los Seis de Boulder Sculpture Project, a socially engaged art project at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), in which archivists in the CU Boulder Libraries' Archives supported and collaborated with a student artist and community members to create a public monument commemorating the deaths of …

Bottom-Up Drivers Of Future Fire Regimes In Western Boreal North America, Adrianna C. Foster, Jacquelyn K. Shuman, Brendan M. Rogers, Xanthe J. Walker, Michelle C. Mack, Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Sander Veraverbeke, Scott J. Goetz

Aspen Bibliography

Forest characteristics, structure, and dynamics within the North American boreal region are heavily influenced by wildfire intensity, severity, and frequency. Increasing temperatures are likely to result in drier conditions and longer fire seasons, potentially leading to more intense and frequent fires. However, an increase in deciduous forest cover is also predicted across the region, potentially decreasing flammability. In this study, we use an individual tree-based forest model to test bottom-up (i.e. fuels) vs top-down (i.e. climate) controls on fire activity and project future forest and wildfire dynamics. The University of Virginia Forest Model Enhanced is an individual tree-based forest model …

Identification Of A Novel Glucuronyltransferase From Streptomyces Chromofuscus Atcc 49982 For Patural Product Glucuronidation, Jie Ren, Caleb Don Barton, Kathryn Eternity Sorenson, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Glycosylation is an effective way to increase the polarity of natural products. UDP-glucuronyltransferases (UGTs) are commonly observed and extensively studied in phase II drug metabolism. However, UGTs in microorganisms are not well studied, which hampered the utilization of this type of enzyme in microbial glucuronidation of natural products. Screening of five actinomycete strains showed that Streptomyces chromofuscus ATCC 49982 can convert diverse plant polyphenols into more polar products, which were characterized as various glucuronides based on their spectral data. Analysis of the genome of this strain revealed a putative glucuronidation gene cluster that contains a UGT gene (gcaC) …

The Utah Statesman, January 24, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Landscape Dynamics (Landdx) An Open-Access Spatial-Temporal Database For The Kenya-Tanzania Borderlands, Peter Tyrrell, Irene Amoke, Koen Betjes, Femke Broekhuis, Robert Buitenwerf, Sarah Carroll, Nathan Hahn, Daniel Haywood, Britt Klaassen, Mette Løvschal, David Macdonald, Karen Maiyo, Hellen Mbithi, Nelson Mwangi, Churchil Ochola, Erick Odire, Victoria Ondrusek, Junior Ratemo, Frank Pope, Samantha Russell, Wilson Sairowua, Kiptoo Sigilai, Jared A. Stabach, Jens-Christian Svenning, Elizabeth Stone, Johan T. Du Toit, Guy Western, George Wittemyer, Jake Wall

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The savannas of the Kenya-Tanzania borderland cover >100,000 km² and is one of the most important regions globally for biodiversity conservation, particularly large mammals. The region also supports >1 million pastoralists and their livestock. In these systems, resources for both large mammals and pastoralists are highly variable in space and time and thus require connected landscapes. However, ongoing fragmentation of (semi-)natural vegetation by smallholder fencing and expansion of agriculture threatens this social-ecological system. Spatial data on fences and agricultural expansion are localized and dispersed among data owners and databases. Here, we synthesized data from several research groups and conservation …

Community Based Engineering Design Challenges For Adolescent English Learners, Amy Wilson-Lopez

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

The Utah Statesman, January 17, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Assessing Leachable Cytotoxicity Of 3d-Printed Polymers And Facile Detoxification Methods, Venkatakrishnan Rengarajan, Angela Clyde, Jefferson Pontsler, Jonathan Valiente, Adreann Peel, Yu Huang

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing of polymers is gaining momentum in health care industries by providing rapid 3D printing of customizable designs. Yet, little is explored about the cytotoxicity of leachable toxins that the 3D printing process introduced into the final product. We studied three printable materials, which have various mechanical properties and are widely used in stereolithography 3D printing. We evaluated the cytotoxicity of these materials through exposing two fibroblast cell lines (human and mouse derived) to the 3D-printed parts, using overlay indirect contact assays. All the 3D-printed parts were measured toxic to the cells in a leachable manner, with flexible materials …

The Utah Statesman, January 10, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, January 6, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

No abstract provided.

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, January 6, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 2 December 2021 Minutes
• Curriculum Subcommittee Report
• General Education Subcommittee Report
• Other Business

Our Potential: A Collection Of Essays From Aggie First Scholars, Volume 2, Aggie First Scholars

Our Potential

A collection of essays from first-generation college students at Utah State University.