Digital Commons Network^™

Climate Change, Snow Mold And The Bromus Tectorum Invasion: Mixed Evidence For Release From Cold Weather Pathogens, Danielle M. Smull, Nicole Pendleton, Andrew R. Kleinhesselink, Peter B. Adler

Ecology Center Publications

Climate change is reducing the depth and duration of winter snowpack, leading to dramatic changes in the soil environment with potentially important ecological consequences. Previous experiments in the Intermountain West of North America indicated that loss of snowpack increases survival and population growth rates of the invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum; however, the underlying mechanism is unknown. We hypothesized that reduced snowpack might promote B. tectorum population growth by decreasing damage from snow molds, a group of subnivean fungal pathogens. To test this hypothesis, we conducted greenhouse and field experiments to investigate the interaction between early snowmelt and either …

Exercise Tips For Chronic Pain Management, Hayley Loos, Sandra H. Sulzer, Kandice Atisme

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes chronic pain, who has it, and the best exercises for relief.

High Tunnel Strawberry Production For Early Spring Harvest, Tiffany Maughan, Brent Black, Daniel Rowley

All Current Publications

Utah State University Extension researchers have developed two systems for high tunnel strawberry production. This fact sheet details a fall-planted, spring-harvested system.

Intermountain Beef Cow/Calf Management Calendar, C. Kim Chapman, Matthew D. Garcia, Ryan Larsen, Kerry A. Rood

All Current Publications

This calendar gives beef cow/calf management tips for nutrition, animal health, finance, and public lands information for each month of the year.

Sweet As . . . Sucralose: The Pros And Cons Of Artificial Sweeteners, John Pettit, Carrie Durward, Heidi Wengreen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is a basic overview of artificial sweeteners, including what they are, why they are popular, and how they affect health. It is specifically intended for people with diabetes, individuals interested in lowering caloric intake, and other consumers wondering whether or not they should be worried about using artificial sweeteners.

Development Of A Recommender System For Dental Care Using Machine Learning, Man Hung, Julie Xu, Evelyn Lauren, Maren Wright Voss, Megan N. Rosales, Weicong Su, Bianca Ruiz-Negrón, Yao He, Wei Li, Frank W. Licari

Extension Research

Resource mismanagement along with the underutilization of dental care has led to serious health and economic consequences. Artificial intelligence was applied to a national health database to develop recommendations for dental care. The data were obtained from the 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to perform machine learning. Feature selection was done using LASSO in R to determine the best regression model. Prediction models were developed using several supervised machine learning algorithms, including logistic regression, support vector machine, random forest, and classification and regression tree. Feature selection by LASSO along with the inclusion of additional clinically relevant variables identified …

Microstructure And Fracture Properties Of Semi-Hard Cheese: Differentiating The Effects Of Primary Proteolysis And Calcium Solubilization, Prabin Lamichhane, Prateek Sharma, Deirdre Kennedy, Alan L. Kelly, Jeremiah J. Sheehan

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The individual roles of hydrolysis of αS1- and β-caseins, and calcium solubilization on the fracture properties of semi-hard cheeses, such as Maasdam and other eye-type cheeses, remain unclear. In this study, the hydrolysis patterns of casein were selectively altered by adding a chymosin inhibitor to the curd/whey mixture during cheese manufacture, by substituting fermentation-produced bovine chymosin (FPBC) with fermentation-produced camel chymosin (FPCC), or by modulating ripening temperature. Moreover, the level of insoluble calcium during ripening was quantified in all cheeses. Addition of a chymosin inhibitor, substitution of FPBC with FPCC, or ripening of cheeses at a consistent low temperature (8 …

Consumption Of Black Raspberries Altered The Composition Of The Fecal Microbiome In Mice Fed A Western Type Diet (Or04-01-19), Abby D. Benninghoff, Sumira Phatak, Korry Hintze

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Dietary strategies to reduce colonic inflammation and promote gut homeostasis may markedly reduce the risk of colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Previously, we showed that dietary supplementation with black raspberries significantly suppressed colitis and colon tumorigenesis promoted by the consumption a Western type diet in mice. In this study, our goal was to assess the impact of consumption of the TWD with and without black raspberry supplementation on the composition of the fecal microbiome over the course of disease development.

Dietary Intervention With Black Raspberries To Reduce Colitis Symptoms In Mice Fed Either Standard Ain93g Diet Or The Total Western Diet (P05-021-19), Daphne Michelle Rodriguez Jimenez, Michaela Brubaker, Elizabeth Park, Canyon Neal, Korry Hintze, Abby D. Benninghoff

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Approximately 1.4 million people suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which is a major risk factor for developing colitis associated colorectal cancer (CAC). Dietary interventions with the goal to reduce colon inflammation and encourage gut microbiome homeostasis may be a strategy to reduce the risk of CAC. The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds present in black raspberries (BRB) have demonstrated protective effects in the colon epithelium and may alter the composition of the gut microbiome. Previously, we showed that dietary supplementation with black raspberries significantly suppressed colitis and colon tumorigenesis promoted by the consumption of a Western type diet in mice. The …

Foraging Economics Of The Hunt Bumble Bee, A Viable Pollinator For Commercial Agriculture, Abby Baur, James P. Strange, Jonathan B. Koch

All PIRU Publications

Globally, there are only five bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Bombus) species that have been successfully commercialized for agriculture. The Hunt bumble bee, Bombus huntii Green, 1860, has been recognized as a suitable pollinator of crops and has a broad distribution in western North America, making it a viable candidate for commercialization. In this study, our goal was to characterize the foraging dynamics of B. huntii female workers under open field conditions. To accomplish this goal, we monitored three B. huntii colonies over an 8-wk period in the summer of 2012 in northern Utah. Using marked bees, we studied the …

Pasture Chemoscapes And Their Ecological Services, Juan J. Villalba, Karen A. Beauchemin, Pablo Gregorini, Jennifer W. Macadam

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Ruminant livestock-production systems are between a rock and a hard place; they are experiencing increasing societal pressure to reduce environmental impacts in a world that demands increased food supply. Recent improvements in the understanding of the nutritional ecology of livestock by scientists may help livestock producers respond to these seemingly contradictory demands. Forages are nutrition and pharmacy centers with primary (nutrients) and plant secondary compounds (PSC; pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals), which can provide multiple services for the proper functioning of agroecosystems. Legumes with lower contents of fiber and higher contents of nonstructural carbohydrates, coupled with different types and concentrations of PSC (e.g., …

The Slow Displacement Of Smallholder Farming Families: Land, Hunger, And Labor Migration In Nicaragua And Guatemala, Lindsey Carte, Birgit Schmook, Claudia Radel, Richard Johnson

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Smallholders worldwide continue to experience processes of displacement from their lands under neoliberal political-economic governance. This displacement is often experienced as “slow”, driven by decades of agricultural policies and land governance regimes that favor input-intensive agricultural and natural resource extraction and export projects at the expense of traditional agrarian practices, markets, and producers. Smallholders struggle to remain viable in the face of these forces, yet they often experience hunger. To persist on the land, often on small parcels, families supplement and finance farm production with family members engaging in labor migration, a form of displacement. Outcomes, however, are uneven and …

The Dieting Dilemma, Cindy Nelson, Kierstin Harris

All Current Publications

This fact sheet discusses dieting and why some diets don't work. People who want to lose weight, and keep it off, will need to make permanent life changes. Losing weight is not just something that you can do for a couple weeks, it is a lifestyle that you must be willing and able to keep and work hard at to be successful.

Setting Up Your Hive And Installing Bees, Andree Walker-Bravo, Sheriden M. Hansen, Jaydee Gunnell

All Current Publications

Getting your hive set up and your bees installed is an exciting first step for a beekeeper. However, it can also be a confusing and anxious time if it is your first experience. As there are many different methods for installing bees, this fact sheet provides a guide for the first time beekeeper. As you become more comfortable and experienced with your bees, you may modify these recommendations and methods to you own preferences.

Carbon Control On Terrestrial Ecosystem Function Across Contrasting Site Productivities: The Carbon Connection Revisited, Nicholas C. Dove, John M. Stark, Gregory S. Newman, Stephen C. Hart

Ecology Center Publications

Understanding how altered soil organic carbon (SOC) availability affects microbial communities and their function is imperative in predicting impacts of global change on soil carbon (C) storage and ecosystem function. However, the response of soil microbial communities and their function to depleted C availability in situ is unclear. We evaluated the role of soil C inputs in controlling microbial biomass, community composition, physiology, and function by (1) experimentally excluding plant C inputs in situ for 9 yr in four temperate forest ecosystems along a productivity gradient in Oregon, USA; and (2) integrating these findings with published data from similar C‐exclusion …

Multilevel Analysis Of Socio-Demographic Disparities In Adulthood Obesity Across The United States Geographic Regions, Baksun Sung, Amin Etemadifar

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Student Research

Objectives

The objective of this study was to examine the socio-demographic disparities in obesity among US adults across 130 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.

Methods

This study used data from the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trend of 159,827 US adults aged 18 years and older. Data were analyzed using the multilevel linear regression models.

Results

According to individual level analyses, socio-demographic disparities in obesity exist in the United States. Individuals with low socioeconomic status were associated with a higher body mass index. The participants from the Midwest United States tend to have higher …

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, College Of Agriculture And Applied Sciences, May 17, 2019 – Discontinue Bachelor Of Science In Nutrition, Dietetics And Food Sciences, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

The Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences (NDFS) request discontinuation of the Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences. The various emphasis areas with the degree have been approved and replaced by three separate Bachelor of Science degrees including: (1) BS in Nutrition; (2) BS in Dietetics, and; (3) BS in Food Science. The requirements for the new degrees are exactly the same as for the corresponding emphasis areas found under the to-be-discontinued degree.

Genome To Phenome: Improving Animal Health, Production, And Well-Being – A New Usda Blueprint For Animal Genome Research 2018–2027, Caird Rexroad, Jeffrey Vallet, Lakshmi Kumar Matukumalli, James Reecy, Derek Bickhart, Harvey Blackburn, Mark Boggess, Hans Cheng, Archie Clutter, Noelle Cockett, Catherine Ernst, Janet E. Fulton, John Liu, Joan Lunney, Holly Neibergs, Et Al.

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

In 2008, a consortium led by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) published the “Blueprint for USDA Efforts in Agricultural Animal Genomics 2008–2017,” which served as a guiding document for research and funding in animal genomics. In the decade that followed, many of the goals set forth in the blueprint were accomplished. However, several other goals require further research. In addition, new topics not covered in the original blueprint, which are the result of emerging technologies, require exploration. To develop a new, updated blueprint, ARS and NIFA, along with scientists in the …

The Utah Statesman, May 14, 2019, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Gas Production Kinetics And In Vitro Degradability Of Tannin-Containing Legumes, Alfalfa And Their Mixtures., Sebastian Lagrange, S. Lobón, Juan J. Villalba

Wildland Resources Student Research

The aim of this study was to determine in vitro ruminal degradability and gas production kinetics of sainfoin (Onobrichis viciifolia; SF), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus; BFT), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.; ALF) and their binary or trinary mixtures using the gas production technique. The proportions in the mixtures represented: (1) those selected by lambs in a free-choice experiment (70:30 and 50:35:15 ratios for binary and trinary combinations, respectively), or (2) equal proportions (50:50 or 33:33:33 ratios for binary or trinary mixtures, respectively). Organic matter digestibility was greater in ALF and BFT than in SF (0.791 and 0.796 vs …

Addressing The Issue Of Food Insecurity On College Campuses, Linda L. Thompson, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Alisha R. Farris, Kristin Riggsbee, Sa'nealdra Wiggins

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Food insecurity among college students is becoming a more widely recognized issue across the country. Recent studies report between 30-50% of college students experience some level of food insecurity, a rate that is nearly two-fold higher than the general public. Although food insecurity has likely existed among this population for many years, it has recently become more intensely studied potentially due to the changing demographic characteristics of the average student. More than ever before, students are single parents, full-time employees, and/or first generation college students. These nontraditional students often experience financial obligations that can impact their ability to access an …

Optimizing Concentrating Mirrors And Fiber Optics For Food Production On Mars, Paul Kusuma, Bruce Bugbee

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Growing food on Mars for long-term space exploration has many benefits including reduced costs and fuel requirements for lift-off, increased nutrition and psychological benefits for astronauts, and oxygen and water regeneration. However, there are also many complication including potential threats caused by the thinner atmosphere, which would force production underground or into a heavily armored base. Fiber optics and concentrating mirrors for photon delivery provide a more efficient system than more traditional electric systems. This technology transmits solar radiation, and the spectra can be altered by tuning the mirrors to only transmit photosynthetic photons. In order to reduce heat loads …

A Rolling Perspective: What's On The Menu?, Jennifer Holland

Blog Posts

The blog post is about a perspective on eating out.

Utah State Magazine, Spring 2019, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

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

Altruism Or Self-Interest? Exploring The Motivations Of Open Access Authors, Robert Heaton, Dylan Burns, Becky Thoms

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

More than 250 authors at Utah State University published an Open Access (OA) article in 2016. Analysis of survey results and publication data from Scopus suggests that the following factors led authors to choose OA venues: ability to pay publishing charges, disciplinary colleagues’ positive attitudes toward OA, and personal feelings such as altruism and desire to reach a wide audience. Tenure status was not an apparent factor. This article adds to the body of literature on author motivations and can inform library outreach and marketing efforts, the creation of new publishing models, and the conversation about the larger scholarly publishing …

Utah State University Commencement, 2019 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

132nd Annual Commencement of Utah State University.

Children With Autism In The Somali Population: Exploring The Inter-Relatedness Of The Somali Immigrant And Refugee Experience Navigating Speech-Language Pathology Resources, Rebecca Houston

Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities (URCO) Grant Program

Approximately 15,711 Somali immigrants resettled in Minnesota in 2016 (Rush, 2016). According to the Rochester Post Bulletin, the Med City ranks fourth place in number of Somali immigrants, 333, behind Minneapolis at 3,450, St. Cloud at 1,393, and St. Paul at 960 (Post Bulletin, 2017). In a study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health in 2008, the most common services needed by Somali families was first housing, followed by speech therapy second (Minnesota Department of Health, 2014). In a study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health in 2008, the most common family or individual challenges associated with late …

Children With Autism In The Somali Population: Exploring The Inter-Relatedness Of The Somali Immigrant And Refugee Experience Navigating Speech-Language Pathology Resources, Rebecca Houston

Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities (URCO) Grant Program

Approximately 15,711 Somali immigrants resettled in Minnesota in 2016 (Rush, 2016). According to the Rochester Post Bulletin, the Med City ranks fourth place in number of Somali immigrants, 333, behind Minneapolis at 3,450, St. Cloud at 1,393, and St. Paul at 960 (Post Bulletin, 2017).

In a study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health in 2008, the most common services needed by Somali families was first housing, followed by speech therapy second (Minnesota Department of Health, 2014).

The Impact Of Master’S Level Education On The Assessment And Intervention Of Pediatric Swallowing, Andrea Seagren

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Purpose: Pediatric swallowing disorders is increasing in prevalence as medical advancements are made. This increase raises the need for more speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to be involved in the assessment and intervention of pediatric swallowing. However, discrepancies exist in the amount and level of education being provided during academic coursework in the area of pediatric swallowing.

Method 1: The investigation had a two-tier approach. Part one included a survey specifically targeting SLPs who graduated within the most recent accreditation standards (2014 to present) and masters level students in their second year of graduate school (n=100). Part two explored academic courses offered …

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, Emma Eccles Jones College Of Education And Human Services, May 1, 2019, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

The Department of Nursing and Health Professions in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services proposes offering an online Bachelor of Science Nursing degree completion.