Digital Commons Network^™

Corporate Archives In Silicon Valley: Building And Surviving Amid Constant Change, Paula Jabloner, Anna Mancini

Journal of Western Archives

An historical understanding of the phenomenon that is Silicon Valley requires the collection and preservation of original records. With the rapid pace of change in the technology industry, how can archivists and their institutions preserve this corporate history? Two archivists address how they were able to found an archives at Cisco Systems and maintain another at Hewlett-Packard. Two common elements emerged: 1) the formation of a licensed limited company (LLC) as the legal structure for the archival repository, and 2) the use of outsourcing to staff both repositories. Outsourcing via a non-profit, in this case the Computer History Museum, or …

Influence Of Total Western Diet On Docosahexaenoic Acid Suppression Of Silica-Triggered Lupus Flaring In Nzbwf1 Mice, Kristen N. Gilley, Kathryn A. Wierenga, Preeti S. Chauhaun, James G. Wagner, Ryan P. Lewandowski, Elizbeth A. Ross, A. L. Lock, Jack R. Harkema, Abby D. Benninghoff, James J. Pestka

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Lupus is a debilitating multi-organ autoimmune disease clinically typified by periods of flare and remission. Exposing lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mice to crystalline silica (cSiO₂), a known human autoimmune trigger, mimics flaring by inducing interferon-related gene (IRG) expression, inflammation, ectopic lymphoid structure (ELS) development, and autoantibody production in the lung that collectively accelerate glomerulonephritis. cSiO₂-triggered flaring in this model can be prevented by supplementing mouse diet with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A limitation of previous studies was the use of purified diet that, although optimized for rodent health, does not reflect the …

Steam Maker Education: Conceal/Reveal Of Personal, Artistic And Computational Dimensions In High School Student Projects, Lindsay Lindberg, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Much of maker education’s expansion has focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning, leaving out equally promising opportunities for integrating arts learning. In this paper we share findings from a project in which high school students created electronic-textiles-based art representing features of a community important to them as a part of an elective high school computer science class. We addressed the following research questions: (1) What kinds of personal and community meanings did students convey through their maker projects? (2) How did students engage with artistic dimensions in their projects? (3) How did coding interactive features support students’ artwork? …

The Comparative Cytotoxicity Of Riddelliine In Primary Mouse, Rat And Chick Hepatocytes, Bryan L. Stegelmeier, William S. Resager, Steven M. Colegate

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid (DHPA) producing plants commonly poison livestock, wildlife and humans. Poisoning occurs when DHPAs are ingested as feed or food, or when they contaminate medicinal or herbal products. Direct toxicologic comparison of individual DHPAs is essential to estimate their actual health risks. This has been problematic due to varying models and difficulties in DHPA isolation or synthesis. In contrast, the macrocyclic DHPA riddelliine is readily isolated and it has been used as a benchmark to characterize different models of toxicity and carcinogenicity. Following earlier work with immortalized cell lines, the objective of this study was to characterize the effect …

Plagas Frutales: Manzana, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

El fuego bacteriano es causado por una bacteria llamada Erwinia amylovora. Algunas variedades de manzanas son muy susceptibles a esta enfermedad, como Jonathan, Jonagold y Gala. Flores, ramitas terminales, y a veces ramas enteras o árboles mueren.

Plagas Frutales: Ciruela, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

Causada por un organismo parecido a un hongo de suelo (Phytophthora), ésta enfermedad se produce en todo el mundo en casi todos los árboles frutales. Phytophthora está presente en la mayoría de los suelos, pero sólo causa infección en circunstancias óptimas, las cuáles son alta humedad del suelo o agua estancada, y un huésped susceptible.

The Status Of Women And Entrepreneurship In Utah: A 2020 Update, April Townsend, Susan R. Madsen, Ann Marie Wallace

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Throughout the nation, women are building and running successful businesses. In 2016, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) asked whether Utah was a good place for women to start and run businesses. The answer to that question was released in a research and policy brief titled, “The Status of Women and Entrepreneurship in Utah,” which became part of a series that focused on understanding the status of women’s leadership in Utah’s politics, education, nonprofits, business, government, and other settings.

Sink Hollow Volume 9

Sink Hollow

Our world experiences radical change every day. With this change, things that used to make us feel grounded in our lives may not translate. Our realities may not hold true anymore. Through artistic expression, whatever form that takes, we re-examine what it means to be human after change.

Issue 9 takes a journey of re-examination during times of radical- and sometimes harsh- change. The collage of pieces we have curated re-examine so much of what I thought I knew and give an entirely new meaning to my reality. I would challenge you as you read this issue to re-examine change …

Isolation And Selective Glycosylation Of Antisalmonellal Anthraquinones From The Stem Bark Of Morinda Lucida Benth. (Rubiaceae), Napoleon A. Mfonku, James A. Mbah, Norbert Kodjio, Donatien Gatsing, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

In this work we report the isolation, identification and antibacterial activity of two anthraquinones, 2-hydroxy-1-methoxyanthraquinone (1) and 2,5-dihydroxy-1-methoxy-6-methoxymethylanthraquinone (2), from the stem bark of Morinda lucida. These two natural products were selectively converted into two new glycosylated derivatives, 2-hydroxy-1-methoxyanthraquinone-4′-O-methyl-2-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3) and 2,5-dihydroxy-1-methoxy-6-methoxymethylanthraquinone-4′-O-methyl-2-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (4) by the filamentous fungus Beauveria bassiana ATCC 7159. Structure elucidation was accomplished based on the 1D and 2D NMR, IR and mass spectra. The glycosylated compounds 3 and 4 showed higher in vitro antibacterial activity against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica sérovars Typhimurim (MIC of 8 μg/mL each) than the corresponding aglycons 1 and 2 (MIC of …

Building Adaptive Capacity In Tribal Communities Of The Missouri River Basin To Manage Drought And Climate Extremes: A Case Study From The Wind River Indian Reservation, Crystal J. Stiles, Natalie A. Umphlett, Mitch Cottenoir

Journal of Indigenous Research

Native American peoples of the Northern and Central Plains have long endured harsh climate conditions, such as floods and droughts, and they possess valuable traditional knowledges that have enhanced their resilience to these extreme events. However, in recent times, limited capacity to adapt to a rapidly changing climate combined with a lack of resources have increased tribes’ vulnerability to climate extremes and their associated impacts. In response, a number of projects have been developed to assist tribes with their self-identified climate- and drought-related needs, particularly in the context of on-reservation decision-making. In this case study, we present an engagement strategy …

Tremblings, May 2020, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Looking ahead at Hart Prairie Preserve

Steve Kinback

Can we strive to be as resilient as the places, ecosystems, and species we are trying to protect and manage? I ask myself this as I make the first rounds of the year with the new seasonal staff at Hart Prairie Preserve (HPP). And my answer is yes. We must do so during these trying times, to continue to carry on with our mission and implement best management practices to give our special places a fighting chance.

Bad Puns: It’S How Eye Roll: Humor Writing As A Technique To Engage And Strengthen Writers, Hala Louviere

Tutor's Column

Much research has been done on why to use humor writing, but a lack of research on when to use humor writing exists. The researcher argues that when humor writing is used in scholarly and analytical writing, it can engage uninterested students and improve their writing through authorial voice. Previous studies support the researcher’s thesis; young adults, who frequently consume humor through social media and other modes, can appreciate writing more by combining it with a technique they are familiar with and enjoy. This appreciation also motivates students to insert more of their voice, which then improves their writing.

Sagestep News, Spring 2020, No. 36, Sagestep

Newsletters

Seasonal newsletter of SageSTEP.

Utah State University Commencement, 2020 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

133rd Annual Commencement of Utah State University

Perceptions And Behavioral Intentions Of Utah 4-H Equine Program Leaders In Teaching Equine Safety To Youth, Katelyn M. Huffman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is an inherent risk associated with working with youth and large equine. The Utah 4-H Equine program is a volunteer-based program that seeks to properly educate youth on equine husbandry, this includes the topic of safe equine handling practices. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and behavioral intentions of Utah 4-H Equine Program leaders about teaching equine safety, including attitudes, perceived behavioral controls and subjective norms. The survey instrument consisted of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and six-point Likert scale questions regarding personal demographics, experience teaching equine safety, attitudes towards safety, perceived behavioral controls, …

Advancing Space Flight Medical Care Through On-Demand Protein Therapeutic Production Capabilities, Emily Long Zhao

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is an in vitro protein synthesis system that provides a uniquely adaptable platform for protein production. In recent years, lyophilization of CFPS have expanded the capabilities of this system by improving reagent stability outside of cold-chain storage. This project sought to utilize lyophilized CFPS reagents to develop a convenient, shelf-stable, on-demand therapeutic protein production platform. The therapeutic protein production potential of this novel platform was demonstrated by the successful expression of an FDA approved therapeutic protein. With the advancement of shelf-stable, on-demand protein therapeutic production platforms comes the potential to provide point-of-care medical treatment for space-flight …

Improving Technologies In Anesthesia, Patrick Kolbay, Joseph Orr

Utah Space Grant Consortium

General anesthesia is well known to offer physicians access to a broad variety of invasive procedures otherwise deemed too risky. Anesthesia machines provides the means for anesthetizing patients safely in the hospital operating room. However, these devices are increasingly unable to meet the demands and needs outside of the hospital. Developing countries struggle to purchase and maintain these costly devices, leading to a 40-fold increase in anesthesia-related deaths compared to developed countries. Small-office practices in the United States experience significantly poorer anesthesia outcomes and increased legal claims versus their larger hospital counterparts, resulting in 60% more anesthesia-related deaths. Environmental impacts …

Model Reference Predictive Adaptive Control For Large Scale Soft Robots, Phillip Hyatt, Curtis Johnson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Past work has shown Model Predictive Control (MPC) to be an effective strategy for controlling continuum joint soft robots using rudimentary models, however the in-accuracies of these models often mean that an integration scheme must be combined with MPC. Presented in this work is a novel dynamic model formulation for continuum joint soft robots which is more accurate than the authors’ previous models yet remains fast enough for MPC. This model is based on the Piecewise Constant Curvature (PCC) assumption and a relatively new configuration representation and allows for computationally efficient simulation. Due to the difficulty in determining model parameters …

Mineralogy Of Great Salt Lake: An Analogue For Martian Evaporites, Calli B. Cahill, Adrik Z. Da Silva

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Gypsum (CaSO₄ · 2H₂O) and mirabilite (Na₂SO₄ · 10H₂O) are common precipitates at the Great Salt Lake (GSL). NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, found veins of gypsum deposited by water in 2011 and gypsum has been detected on Mars as early as 2005 by the ESA’s Mars Express Orbiter. On Earth, gypsum is formed in hypersaline environments, in minerals left behind when water evaporates, trapping microorganisms in fluid inclusions. Likewise, GSL mirabilite develops when mineral-rich groundwater meets cold winter air to create crystalline structures. While there is no physical evidence of mirabilite …

Development And Validation Of A Synchronous Model To Simulate Skeletal Muscle Damage Due To Spaceflight Ionizing Radiation And Microgravity, Lori M. Caldwell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Astronauts traveling or researching in space are subject to a harsh environment that includes high levels of ionizing radiation and microgravity. Ionizing radiation is dangerous to overall health because it causes double-stranded DNA breaks, increases the production of free radicals or reactive oxygen species, and leads to an enhanced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer over a person’s lifetime. Similarly, microgravity is hazardous to astronaut health because humans require gravity to maintain a healthy heart and muscular and vascular systems.

Both ionizing radiation and microgravity have been studied individually in previous research, but there is a lack of information on …

Building Engagement In Facebook: A Case Study With Utah State University Extension Sustainability, Kenna Kesler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore how Utah State University (USU) Extension Sustainability uses Facebook to engage followers. The researcher conducted a quantitative content analysis of 504 messages posted to the USU Extension Sustainability Facebook page. Graphics and links were the most common post characteristics used. Text-only posts and posts containing videos were used the least. Food was the most common area of sustainability discussed on the page. Posts containing videos, shared content, or that tagged other pages in Facebook messages experienced statistically significantly higher user engagement than posts without those characteristics. Posts containing hashtags experienced statistically significantly …

Characterization Of Rhodopseudomonas Palustris Strains For The Production Of Fixed Nitrogen Fertilizer For Mars, Andrew James Walters

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to characterize the potential of various strains of purple non-sulfur bacteria for the production of fixed nitrogen fertilizers for the manned Mars missions. Six strains of Rhodopseudomonas palustris (CGA009, CGA010, TIE-1, NifA*, and PB23) were all investigated. Through initial growth trial experiments, R. palustris NifA* and PB23 were selected for their engineered nitrogen fixation and rapid growth respectively. Growth curves and ammonium concentrations were collected over time in pilot scale batch photobioreactors (200 mL). Biomass production was then scaled up to benchtop photobioreactors (1.5 L). Fourteen liters of both NifA* and PB23 were then …

Understanding Personal Data In The World Of Social Media, Nicholas Scott Rodgers

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Personal data is behind many of the online interactions that people have through social media and other online sites and services. This data allows sites to understand their users, which in turn allows them to provide better content for their users. This data is also used to determine user interests, which these online services use to target more relevant advertising to their users, and share the information that they collect about their users with third parties. It is only recently that this personal data is being regulated by lawmakers, the businesses running these sites are held accountable for managing the …

Get Out, Hiroki Tanaka: Asian-American Characters In Black Films And Black Activism, Naomi Yoko Ward

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship Asian-Americans have with black Americans in order to determine how Asian Americans navigate their role in American racial discourse. Additionally, this study considers the causes and effects of Asian-American participation in movements like Black Lives Matter (BLM). This topic is explored through the analysis of Asian-American characters in black stories told through four films: Fruitvale Station, Get Out, The Hate U Give, and Sorry to Bother You. To narrow the scope of this research, I placed focus on characters in works that have been published since 2013, when the …

'Queertility', Daniel Thomas Bixby Sykes

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Daniel Sykes, an Anthropology student at Utah State University used his Honors Capstone opportunity to understand the evolution of reproduction over the course of two semesters. During Fall of 2019, he focused on overviewing what Biological Archaeologists, Biologists, and Chemists understand of the evolution of various forms of reproduction from the distant past. During the Spring, he focused on the cutting edge allopathic research in fertility treatments and some of the social implications. Sykes posits that human society has the opportunity to treat infertility in the queer (lgbtqia+) community, given these up-and-coming treatments, even those forms of infertility that arise …

The Impact Of University And Atelier Instruction On Classical Realism Art In America, Rebecca Chyenne Brock

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Students who aspire to become realism artists are faced with a difficult decision about where to learn classical drawing and painting skills. Where should they study and what type of education should they pursue? These students can attend a college or university and obtain a traditional contemporary art education. This choice will provide young artist with a basic education in painting and drawing. Students will also receive an education across different areas of art as well as a liberal arts education. However, students may select to attend an atelier, fashioned after the 19th century pattern for training classical artists. This …

The Effectiveness Of Education Aid In Kenya: Using Women's Access To Education As An Indicator Of Welfare, Dawn Dimick

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Global Journal reported an estimated 10 million NGOs worldwide and in Kenya alone, the number rose to 11,262 by June 2019 (Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Board, 2019). Though committed to alleviating the same issues, the existence of so many organizations breeds vast differences in approaches. Are the issues simply too complex for a handful of organizations to fix or are the organizations themselves becoming an integral part of the problem? Most organizations fall short in evaluating their effectiveness, partly because there is no standard model by which to measure success. While it would be nearly impossible to design a perfect …

Characterization Of Rhodopseudomonas Palustrus Strains For The Production Of Fixed Nitrogen Fertilizer For Mars, Daniel Kade Derrick

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to characterize the potential of various strains of purple non-sulfur bacteria for the production of fixed nitrogen fertilizers for the manned Mars missions. Six strains of Rhodopseudomonas palustris (CGA009, CGA010, TIE-1, NifA*, and PB23) were all investigated. Through initial growth trial experiments, R. palustris NifA* and PB23 were selected for their engineered nitrogen fixation and rapid growth respectively. Growth curves and ammonium concentrations were collected over time in pilot scale batch photobioreactors (200 mL). Biomass production was then scaled up to benchtop photobioreactors (1.5 L) and then 14 L total volume for both NifA* …

The Art Of Seduction: Male Perceptions Of Sexual Willingness, Lisa Starrett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The body of sexual assault research historically focuses on survivors, specifically female survivors. Examining male perpetrators is an important gap in the literature. Research demonstrates that men often misperceive the sexual willingness of female partners. Additionally, men predominantly react with guilt, shame, and depression when accused of sexual assault (Brennan, Swartout, Cook, & Parrot, 2018). The current study examined men’s perceptions of non-consensual dating advice as provided by a best-selling men’s dating book. We found several factors that related to higher endorsement of the non-consensual tactics, including past or present involvement in a fraternity, knowing a sexual assault perpetrator, living …

Disease Ecology And Adaptive Management Of Brucellosis In Greater Yellowstone Elk, Gavin G. Cotterill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that primarily affects livestock and can also be transmitted to humans. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), elk (Cervus canadensis) and bison (Bison bison) are habitual carriers of Brucella abortus, which arrived to the region with cattle over a century ago. The disease was eliminated from cattle in the United States through widespread control efforts, but is now periodically transmitted back to cattle on open rangelands where they can come into contact with fetal tissues and fluids from disease-induced abortions that occur among elk during the late winter and spring. …