Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Wood Chips As A Component Of Soilless Media On Growth And Nutrition Of Food And Ornamental Crops, Kristen Bullough

Student Research Symposium

Peat is the central component of the soil-less media mix that is used in all greenhouse crop production but it is harvested in Canada and shipped to greenhouses across North America. Wood chips provide a local, low-cost alternative to peat, but observations by growers indicate potential growth reductions from the addition of wood to peat-based media. Here I report the effects of the addition of wood chips to peat-based media. The study included four treatments: two standard controls (peat/vermiculite: 50/50 and 75/25) and two treatments with wood chips (peat/wood chips: 50/50 and 75/25). Each media treatment included three species (sunflowers, …

Unrealistic Expectations Of Women In The Media, Dayley Williams

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of my study is to look at how media portrays unrealistic expectations/perfectionism of the ideal body for women in the world today and if it could lead to mental illness. The theories that I am going to focus on are: how society has constructed the ideal body through media compared to the real healthy proportions a woman should be at in addition to looking at conflict theory and how there is a conflict between the media/ads with reality and the realistic reality women are facing currently. The methods that I am going to use are: multidimensional perfection scale …

Micropropagation Of Ceanothus Velutinus: Stage I, Nathan Snow

Student Research Symposium

Plant tissue culture is the growth of plant organs or tissues in aseptic culture where the environment as well as nutrient and hormone levels are tightly controlled. Tissue culture, or micropropagation, is useful for propagating plants that are difficult or slow to propagate with other approaches. Micropropagation consists of four stages. stage I: establishment of explants, stage II: shoot multiplication, stage III root formation, and stage IV: acclimatization. The goal of stage I is to place an explant into aseptic culture which provides an environment that promotes shoot production, while avoiding contamination. The objective of this experiment is to establish …

The Effect Of Aging On Angiogenesis In Rpe Cells, Kara Swenson

Student Research Symposium

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)is the leading cause of blindness in adults. There are two types of AMD, wet and dry. Wet AMD, also known as neovascular macular degeneration, occurs when vascular cells beneath the retina begin to grow, disrupting the nutrient supply chain to the photoreceptors, essentially starving and killing them. The exact cause of the abnormal growth of the new vascular cells, known as neovascularization or angiogenesis, is still unknown. However, this disease usually occurs in adults, which indicates that the cause is related to aging. Therefore, it is very important to discover the role that aging plays …

The Treatment Of Mining Disasters In Utah, Why Don't We Care Anymore?, Christopher Harris

Student Research Symposium

If you have done some research into the history of the state of Utah, you learn that while religion was the basis of many things in state history, mining was one of the first industries. From the rich mineral deposits in Bingham canyon that still is a driving force in the state's economy, to the Potash, Coal and Uranium deposits in Central and Southern Utah, mining has been a part of this state from the beginning. You'd also find out that Utah was home to two of the worst disasters in U.S. history in terms of loss of life. But …

Mitigation Of Methane Emissions From Septic Systems, Jace Parkinson, Katelyn Ellis

Student Research Symposium

Global warming and the greenhouse effect has been a growing issue in recent years. Greenhouse gases (GHG) have been linked to increasing global temperatures. While the leading greenhouse gases are water vapor and CO2, methane has been reported to be the 3rd largest contributing factor to the greenhouse effect, contributing 4-9% of the overall greenhouse effect. Methane has also been reported to have global warming potential of 21-23 times that of CO2. Septic tanks and onsite wastewater treatment facilities are one of the major man-made producers of methane, along with landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that about 76% …

Exterior Products Of Linear Pdes And Geometry Of Calabi-Yau Manifolds, Michael Schultz

Student Research Symposium

Given two linear differential equations of finite rank (i.e., the dimension of the solution space) defined on the same space, one may define their tensor product, symmetric product, and exterior product. In this talk, I will discuss a 3-parameter rank-5 system of linear partial differential equations that arises from the exterior product of the connection forms of two Pfaffian systems; this differential system governs the periods of the Jacobian of a generic smooth genus-two elliptic curve. I will explain the connection of this differential system to the Picard-Fuchs system of a family of lattice polarized K3 surfaces of Picard-rank 17.

An Initial Examination Of Designed Features To Support Computational Thinking In Commercial Early Childhood Toys, Megan Hamilton

Student Research Symposium

A number of commercial toys have been developed and marketed for young children that purportedly support the development of computational thinking and coding skills. However, we have yet to specify how these toys are supposed to support computational thinking. In this poster, we provide an initial examination of designed features in 20 commercial toys marketed to 5 and 6-year-old children.

The Utah Statesman, April 10, 2018, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Aggie Engineers Receive Nsf Graduate Research Fellowships, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A Utah State University College of Engineering student will receive the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award.

Usu Electrical Engineer Receives Major Grant For 'Smart’ Antenna Design | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A professor of electrical engineering at Utah State University received a $750,000 grant to further develop an antenna technology that could revolutionize the mobile communications industry.

Usu Soapbox Derby Returns For A Second Year | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The 2nd Annual USU Soapbox Derby is coming back to Cache Valley on April 21.

Green Competition, Hybrid Equilibrium, And Establishment Of A Resale Market, Arthur J. Caplan, Reza Oladi

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This paper investigates competition between firms whose choices of how much "green effort" to devote to building their reputations as socially responsible producers are determined in the contexts of simultaneous-move and hybrid simultaneous/sequential-move Bertrand equilibria. We derive conditions under which (1) the inter-temporal, green-effort reaction function of the firm with the less-aggressive green strategy is non-monotonic, (2) the level of green effort chosen by the firm with the more-aggressive green strategy increases when it views itself as the leader in a hybrid game rather than moving concurrently in a simultaneous-choice game, and (3) the establishment of a resale market by …

Routes Of Pesticide Exposure In Solitary, Cavity-Nesting Bees, Andi M. Kopit, Theresa L. Pitts-Singer

Biology Faculty Publications

Declines of pollinator health and their populations continue to be commercial and ecological concerns. Agricultural practices, such as the use of agrochemicals, are among factors attributed to honey bee (Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)) population losses and are also known to have negative effects on populations of managed non-Apis pollinators. Although pesticide registration routinely requires evaluation of impacts on honey bees, studies of this social species may not reveal important pesticide exposure routes where managed, solitary bees are commonly used. Studies of solitary bees offer additional bee models that are practical from the aspect of availability, known rearing …

The Utah Statesman, April 3, 2018, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Hanging By A Thread: Why Bent Fibers Hold More Water | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

On your next stroll through the woods, take a look at the dew droplets hanging from the leaves.

Responses Of Marigold Cultivars To Saline Water Irrigation, Youping Sun, Genhua Niu, Christina Perez, H. Brent Pemberton, James Altland

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Marigolds (Tagetes sp.) are ornamental plants with fine-textured, dark green foliage, and yellow, orange, or bicolored flowers. The relative salt tolerance of eight marigolds [‘Discovery Orange’, ‘Discovery Yellow’, ‘Taishan Gold’, ‘Taishan Orange’, and ‘Taishan Yellow’ African marigold (Tagetes erecta); ‘Hot Pak Gold’, ‘Hot Pak Orange’, and ‘Hot Pak Yellow’ French marigold (Tagetes patula)] was evaluated in a greenhouse experiment. Plants were irrigated weekly with nutrient solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.2 dS·m⁻¹ (control) or saline solutions at an EC of 3.0 or 6.0 dS·m⁻¹ (EC 3 or EC 6). Marigold plants …

Utah State Magazine, Spring 2018, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

The quarterly magazine for friends and alumni of Utah State University.

Pros And Cons Of Online Dating In Later Life, Jennifer Viveros, David G. Schramm

All Current Publications

In later life, as with most things, there are both positives and negatives associated with online dating. It is important to be aware of them in order to make an informed decision of whether to use or not use Internet sites to cultivate new relationships. This fact sheet outlines the pros and cons.

Finding Peace By Staying Present, Jennifer Viveros, David G. Schramm

All Current Publications

There are several ways to increase one’s mindfulness, including learning to incorporate the concept of flow, limiting technology, meditating, and noticing nature. This fact sheet gives ideas on how to stay present by applying these principles.

Summer Camp As A Force For 21st Century Learning: Exploring Divergent Thinking In A Residential Camp Setting, Myles L. Lynch, C. Boyd Hegarty, Nate E. Trauntvein, Jonathan Plucker

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

This study investigated change in divergent thinking (DT), an indicator of creative potential, at two gender-specific residential summer camps. Additionally, this study examined whether the change in DT varied by gender and by the type of activities campers self-select. Quantitative methods, using a quasi-experimental design was used in order to understand differences in camper scores. A total of 189 youth, 100 girls, 89 boys, between the ages of 9 and 14 years participated in the current study. Participants were administered a modified version of Guilford's (1967) alternate uses task, a measure of DT, in which respondents were asked questions such …

Rethinking Behavior - Spring 2018, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Spring 2018, Volume 1, Issue 3

Introducing And Evaluating A Knowledge Transfer Approach To Support Problem Solving In And Around Protected Areas, Brady J. Mattsson, Marie Fischborn, Mark W. Brunson, Harald Vacik

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Protected areas (PAs) can generate many benefits inside and outside their borders, and achieving objectives for diverse stakeholders raises many challenges. There are many examples of successful PA management around the globe, although a systematic and comprehensive approach to developing and sharing these solutions has been lacking. We present “solutioning” as a structured process of peer-learning, which can inform management strategies in and around protected areas. We explain how the PANORAMA—Solutions for a Healthy Planet initiative has put solutioning into practice through an interactive community and web portal to learn about protected area solutions around the globe. Unlike other web …

Food In The West: Using Timelinejs In The Classroom, Julia Gossard

Spark - Empower Teaching Scholarship Collection

“Never underestimate the ‘hangry.’” This might as well be one of the learning objectives in my Foundations of Western Civilization course at Utah State University. Whether the bread riots of the 1790s in France, the “Hungry 1840s,” or the starvation of Russian citizens after the conclusion of World War II, food (and access to it) has continued to be a mobilizing factor in history. By examining what people ate and how they ate at different points in time, we can know a lot about a particular era’s economic conditions, social mores, political conflicts, religious issues, and nutrition. For the past …

Mxin Differentially Regulates Monomeric And Oligomeric Species Of The Shigella Type Three Secretion System Atpase Spa47, Heather B. Case, Nicholas E. Dickenson

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Shigella rely entirely on the action of a single type three secretion system (T3SS) to support cellular invasion of colonic epithelial cells and to circumvent host immune responses. The ATPase Spa47 resides at the base of the Shigella needle-like type three secretion apparatus (T3SA), supporting protein secretion through the apparatus and providing a likely means for native virulence regulation by Shigella and a much needed target for non-antibiotic therapeutics to treat Shigella infections. Here, we show that MxiN is a differential regulator of Spa47 and that its regulatory impact is determined by the oligomeric state of the Spa47 ATPase, with …

The Utah Statesman, March 27, 2018, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Nasa Launches Usu Student-Built Experiment Into Space | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

After long delays caused by storms and rough seas, NASA on Sunday launched a rocket into space carrying an experiment built by students at Utah State University.

Red Hot: Researchers Develop Imaging Test For Glowing Rocket Engines | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Researchers at Utah State University are learning more about how extreme temperatures affect the structural integrity of rocket engines.

Trident: A Comprehensive Timing Error Resilient Technique Against Choke Points At Ntc., Aatreyi Bal, Sanghamitra Roy, Koushik Chakraborty

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Near Threshold Computing (NTC) systems have been inherently plagued with heightened process variation (PV) sensitivity. Choke points are an intriguing manifestation of this PV sensitivity. In this paper, we explore the probability of minimum timing violations, caused by choke points, in an NTC system and, their non-Trivial impacts on the system reliability. We show that conventional timing error mitigation techniques are inefficient in tackling choke point induced minimum timing violations. Consequently, we propose a comprehensive error mitigation technique, Trident, to tackle choke points, at NTC. Trident offers a 1.37x performance improvement and a 1.1x energy efficiency gain over Razor at …

State Immigration Policies: The Role Of State Compacts And Interest Groups On Immigration Legislation, Erin Trouth Hofmann, Paul D. Jacobs, Peggy Petrzelka

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

US states are active in enacting immigration policies, which vary widely and have substantial impact on the lives of immigrants. Our understanding of what produces these divergent state laws remains limited. Qualitative research demonstrates the importance of a 2010 immigration compact, supported by a powerful religious organization, in shaping immigration policies in Utah, and the Utah Compact was held up as a model for other states. But is the experience of Utah applicable across other states? We test the effects of compacts and interest groups on immigration policy adoption across all 50 states between 2005 and 2013. Our findings suggest …