Digital Commons Network^™

Supplementation Of Martian Regolith Media For Sustained Cyanobacterial Growth, Alix Elliston

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Cyanobacteria have been referred to as the architects of Earth’s atmosphere and are widely credited with being the planet’s first oxygenators. While it is speculated that cyanobacteria could similarly be utilized to oxygenate the atmosphere of Mars, one constraint is resource scarcity on the planet. Studies have shown that certain cyanobacteria can survive at least short term in media comprised of Martian regolith; however, their ability to thrive long term in such nutrient-deprived conditions is questionable. This study aims to investigate whether a cyanobacterial culture grown in a nutrient-deprived medium can be supplemented with urine and certain vitamin-producing bacteria to …

Reducing Carbon Dioxide Levels On Mars Using Cyanobacteria, Lonnie Ernst

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Cyanobacteria are the largest contributor to oxygen production on earth and play a substantial role in making earth a viable place to live. With increasing interest in the colonization of Mars, this project aims to use cyanobacteria to terraform the atmosphere of Mars. Carbon dioxide constitutes 98% of the Martian atmosphere making it uninhabitable for most forms of life. An emulation of the Martian atmosphere will be created using an anaerobic chamber, putting the pressure under vacuum, and supplementing the air with carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas. Cyanobacteria will be grown in a photobioreactor under these conditions and the oxygen …

Utah State University Commencement, 2023 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2023 Commencement Ceremony for the main campus of Utah State University.

Growth, Morphological, And Biochemical Responses Of Four Native Species To Salinity Stress, Asmita Paudel, Youping Sun

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Native plants are of great value in landscape maintenance. Despite their importance in the landscape, the salt tolerance of most native plants has received little attention. The present research was designed to assess morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses of four Utah-native plants [Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick), Cercocarpus ledifolius (curl-leaf mountain mahogany), Cercocarpus montanus ‘Coy’ (alder-leaf mountain mahogany), and Shepherdia ×utahensis ‘Torrey’ (hybrid buffaloberry)] at different salinity levels. Each species was irrigated with a nutrient solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.2 dS·m^-1 (control) or saline solutions at ECs of 5.0 or 10.0 dS·m^-1 for 8 …

The Utah Statesman, May 1, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Effect Of Increasing Levels Of Gossypol And Fatty Acids Coming From Whole Cottonseed On Rumen Fermentation, Nutrient Digestibility And Microbial Community Composition In Continuous Culture Fermenters, Camila Castro Veloz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study we determined the impact of increasing dietary whole cottonseed (WCS) on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, and microbial community composition. This study contributes novel information to the dairy community deepening the understanding of how including different levels of WCS can affect the rumen environment. This research was conducted in continuous culture fermenters. Treatments included a control diet without WCS, or the control diet plus 5, 10, or 15% (dry matter) WCS. The control diet was a 50:50 orchardgrass hay:concentrate mixture fed twice daily. In the second experiment, soybean meal and cottonseed meal (CSM) were included, and rations were …

Association Between Ideal Cardiovascular Health And Multiple Disabilities Among Us Adults, Brfss 2017–2019, Debasree Das Gupta, U. Kelekar, M. Abram-Moyle

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Objectives

Cardiovascular health is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Our objective was to estimate the association between ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) and multiple disabilities among US adults stratified into the three age groups of young (18–44 years), midlife (45–64 years), and older adults (≥65 years).

Study design

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data pooled from the 2017 and 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Methods

Using American Heart Association's seven-component (four ideal behaviors and three ideal health factors) scoring tool, we identified ICVH as a composite score ≥5 and also computed the …

Ars, Virtus, Impetus: Gladiatorial Training And Roman Legionaries, Daniel Porter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 105 BCE, the Roman consul Publius Rutilius Rufus employed gladiatorial training for his legionaries. This thesis examines the physiological and psychological consequences of this style of training on the human body in an effort to understand why these particular soldiers were so effective. I used experiential testing alongside primary and secondary source research to examine how this process better prepared Roman troops for engaging in actual combat.

Protein Nutrition And Immunity In Male Bumblebees (Bombus Impatiens), Carson Stoker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Male bumble bees play a vital but understudied role in their colonies. They are essential to colony reproduction and success, despite not emerging until the end of the colony's life cycle. Even so, the biology of male bumble bees is not well understood, which leaves our understanding of colony health incomplete. This knowledge gap is important because bumblebee populations are declining, which threatens the ecosystems and industries which rely on them for pollination. This study aimed to understand how two understudied factors of bumble bee health—diet and immunity—are related in males. Pollen, a bee’s main source of protein, has been …

Working Like A Dog: Literary Analysis Of Multifactorial Service Dog Outcomes., Sarah Brinck

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

What makes a service dog successful? Whether it is genetics or the environment they are raised in, the definition of a successful service dog is complicated. Organizations that set out to train service dogs depend on successful outcomes to continue operating. That makes it particularly important to determine and understand the primary factors that impact the success or failure of dogs bred and/or trained for service dog programs. Given the complexity of the requirements for effective service dogs, it can be costly for an individual or an organization to neglect any factors that contribute to success. Individual components of what …

Becoming “Living Matter”: Alive Things In Octavia Butler’S Xenogenesis Series, Zackary Gregory

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

This project seeks to explore the ways Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy complicates humans' understandings of subjectivity and human exceptionalism by challenging the concept of Otherness. Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis series focuses on adaptability and acceptance of the nonhuman Other by depicting a forced encounter between humans and an alien species called the Oankali. Characters within the series grapple with a dynamic understanding of themselves, having to renegotiate the concept of the Other as they deal with intelligent nonhuman Beings and animate objects. Further, characters in the series are coerced into accepting the transformation of humanity into something other than human as …

Assessing Stream Ecosystem Structure And Function In An Urban Canal And Logan River In Logan, Utah, Ellie Smith-Eskridge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Humans have constructed canals to support agriculture, to mitigate flooding, and to discharge stormwater, especially in the Intermountain West. These canals are common in Cache Valley, where they receive flows from the Logan River during summer months. However, the ecological structure (e.g., water quality, freshwater invertebrates) and function (e.g., leaf decomposition) of these canals remains largely unknown. Studying ecosystem structure and function of these urban waterways is important because it can inform us of the health of these waterways.

My research had three objectives. First, I compared water chemistry, invertebrate assemblages, and leaf decomposition in an urban canal and the …

Opportunities And Challenges For Cooperative Extension Becoming A Major Actor In Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation, Dakoeta R. Pinto

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Addressing climate change in the United States is an increasingly complex issue that requires social and technological changes throughout the country, which the Cooperative Extension System (Extension) can influence. Based at land-grant universities, their goals are to bring relevant science and innovation to the people of the United States. For a successful low-carbon transition, there are certain elements of society that must be influenced by innovators like Extension. Extension’s historical roots in agriculture prevail today with most of their programming focusing on this sector. However, there is a movement within Extension to expand their programmatic efforts to address more contemporary …

Status And Enhancement Of Trissolcus Japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) For Biological Control Of Halyomorpha Halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) In Northern Utah, Kate V. Richardson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a major insect pest that invades human structures causing nuisance issues and attacks numerous fruit and vegetable crops in Northern America. As this pest threatens $23 billion worth of specialty and agricultural crops in the U.S. and is difficult to manage due to insecticide resistance, control practices such as the use of biological control through egg parasitoid wasps are critical. In its native range of Asia, BMSB populations are controlled primarily by members of the Trissolcus genus such as the samurai wasp, but U.S. native wasps have demonstrated low success of BMSB …

Consequences Of Host Life Cycles For Symbiont Genome Evolution, Ashley Elizabeth Dederich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Aphids are small insects that feed exclusively on plant sap, a notoriously low source of nutrients due to the high sugar content and low amino acid content. To make up for these deficiencies in nutrition, aphids harbor Buchnera aphidicola, a bacterial endosymbiont that resides in a specialized organ called the bacteriome. B. aphidicola provides essential amino acids and vitamins for the aphid in exchange for a safe place to live. Over the course of the symbiosis (established 160 million years ago), B. aphidicola has lost much of its genome, including essential genes for cell envelope synthesis, DNA replication and …

Using Genome Analysis Methods To Screen Lactococcus Starter Cultures For Bitter‐Related Genes And Establish A Differentiation Method Using Qpcr For Lactococcus Lactis And Lactococcus Cremoris Species In Cheddar Cheese, Brantzen R. Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Consumers of Cheddar cheese expect consistent flavor and texture in the cheese they eat. Cheese flavor and texture is highly influenced by the bacteria cheese makers add during cheese production. These bacteria are generally responsible for the flavors and textures consumers associate with Cheddar cheese and are referred to as starters.

Sometimes during cheese manufacture off-flavors and textures can arise that make the cheese unappealing to eat. One such flavor that is off putting is bitterness. The bitter taste in cheese arises while the cheese is aging and is largely due to the same flavor producing starters added to the …

Use Of Protective Lactic Acid Bacteria Adjunct Cultures To Decrease The Incidence Of Gas Defects In Cheddar Cheese, Rhees T. Crompton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gas production in cheese making is becoming increasingly prevalent in the dairy industry. This gas is produced by microbes that are naturally found in the cheese, and when they metabolize sugar or other sources of energy, they can produce gas. This gas causes slits and cracks in the cheese, which causes the cheese to be worth less and causes issues during slicing and shredding. There are many microbes that cause unwanted gas in cheese, this research focuses on four know gas producers and five other protective microbes that use the same energy sources or have the ability to inhibit the …

Young Children's Nutrition, Growth, And Cognitive Development In The Ecuadorian Amazon, Kristin N. Murphy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The first few years of life are viewed as a critical period for development. Children who do not grow and develop well in these early years can experience life-long negative implications. Many children under the age of five in Ecuador suffer from high rates of malnutrition, stunting (low height-for-age), and delayed cognitive development. This dissertation aims to better understand why children from Ecuador, specifically from the Amazon region, are experiencing such high rates of delayed development. Fifty children and their mothers living in the Amazon region of Ecuador participated in this research study.

First, interviews were conducted by an Ecuadorian …

Selenium Removal By Sediments And Plants At The Constructed Pariette Wetlands, Utah (Usa), Colleen P. Jones, Michael Amacher, Paul R. Grossl, Astrid R. Jacobson

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Selenium (Se) contamination of public lands and water is a result of irrigated agriculture and mining activities in areas rich in Se geologic deposits. Pariette Draw is part of the northern Colorado Plateau and is an area of concern for Se contamination in the Pariette Wetlands. Pariette Wetlands, a wetland built in the 1970s to provide wildlife habitat, is distinguished by its arid climate and a short growing season of hot dry summers followed by cold winters with several months below freezing. An understanding of how Se is mobilized and removed within the wetland will provide management strategies that minimize …

Nematocidal And Bactericidal Activities Of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Mediated By Ficus Sycomorus Leaf Extract, Dina Elkobrosy, Abdulaziz A. Al-Askar, Hamada El-Gendi, Yiming Su, Rokaia Nabil, Ahmed Abdelkhalek, Said Behiry

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Nanoparticles effectively control most plant pathogens, although research has focused more on their antimicrobial than their nematocidal properties. This study synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) through a green biosynthesis method using an aqueous extract of Ficus sycomorus leaves (FS-Ag-NPs). The nanoparticles were characterized using SEM, TEM, EDX, zeta sizer, and FTIR. The TEM results showed that the synthesized NPs were nanoscale and had an average particle size of 33 ± 1 nm. The elemental silver signal at 3 keV confirmed the formation of Ag-NPs from an aqueous leaf extract of F. sycomorus. The FTIR analysis revealed the existence of several …

The Utah Statesman, April 24, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Impacts Of Irrigation Technology, Irrigation Rate, And Drought-Tolerant Genetics On Silage Corn Production, Tina Sullivan, Matt Yost, Dakota Boren, Earl Creech, Boyd Kitchen, Randall Violett, Burdette Barker

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Many studies have examined individual water-saving management practices for corn (Zea mays L.), but few studies have looked at how combinations of practices might further enhance water optimization. The research objectives of this paper were to evaluate the impact of irrigation technology, irrigation rate, and crop genetics, as well as their interactions, on silage corn yield and forage quality. Trials were conducted in three Utah locations from 2019 through 2021. The results from five site-years indicated that the best water optimization practices varied by site-year. Low-elevation sprinklers commonly applied water more efficiently, with four of the five site-years having …

Utah State University Commencement, 2023 – Kaysville Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2023 Commencement Ceremony for the Kaysville campus of Utah State University.

Implementing Bos Indicus-Influenced Cattle In Utah For Hybrid Vigor, Reganne K. Briggs, Matthew D. Garcia

All Current Publications

Crossbreeding is a tool that cattle producers have used for decades. Hybrid vigor is one of the products of crossing breeding. One way to maximize hybrid vigor is by introducing Bos indicus genetics in a herd. Santa Gertrudis cattle are a great option for introducing Bos indicus genetics.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes April 15, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

No abstract provided.

Does Fiber Reduce Weight Gain And Improve Metabolism?, Sky Jones

Student Research Symposium

Dietary fiber has a large impact on the microbiota composition and metabolic activity via the provision of fermentable substrates, yet, to date, there has been very little attention paid to modeling the fiber composition of rodent diets to that of humans. We propose to use nutrient density, a form of allometric scaling, to formulate metabolically stressful diets with fiber intake levels at the US average (50% AI), the IOM recommended level (100% AI), and a higher level (150% AI). The primary endpoint we focus on in this study is oral glucose tolerance, as high-fiber diets have been shown to prevent …

Strawberry Ability To Take Up Nitrogen From Compost, Mark Kindred

Student Research Symposium

Strawberries could become a popular crop to grow in the intermountain west. To help promote this crop in organic systems, growers should know what cultivars grow the best on organic fertilizers such as compost. The main nutrient tested was nitrogen. To see how much nitrogen strawberry plants were taking up, we collected the dry weights and chlorophyll measurement at the end of the experiment. In addition, nitrogen content in the plants and in the leachate will be measured.

Protein Nutrition And Immunity In Male Bumblebees Of Bombus Impatiens, Carson Stoker

Student Research Symposium

Male bumblebees play a vital but undervalued role in their colonies. They are important to colony reproduction and success despite not emerging until the end of the colony's life cycle. Little research has been conducted on the biology and the role of male bumblebees. Further understanding could lead to heightened colony success in agricultural and environmental conditions. The objectives of this study are to 1) understand the effect of protein nutrition on the melanization responses of male bumblebees, 2) measure gene expression of various immune genes after an immune challenge with different diet conditions, and 3) further scientific knowledge about …

Microclimate Variability Between Coop Weather Station And Proposed Site For Relocation, Ashley Butikofer

Student Research Symposium

The Utah Climate Center has contributed to the Cooperative Observer Program associated with the National Weather Service since 1893. This consistent 130-year climate record of precipitation and temperature is important for studying the changing climate in Logan as well as contributing to a national network of weather data used to verify weather forecasting models. The COOP station is currently located to the Northeast of the Nutrition and Food Science building on USU’s campus. In recent years, there has been concern of bias in the data due to the proximity of the station to highly impervious surfaces including campus buildings, parking …

Natural Sugar Substitutes In Sugar Free Ice Cream, Avery Lawes, Cheyenne Davies, Catherine Breitweiser

Student Research Symposium

Artificial sweeteners have become increasingly more popular over the years as good sucrose substitutes but how do these sweeteners affect ice cream? As most of the population is struggling with obesity and diabetes, is there a way to make an ice cream that is both high in nutritional content and tastes good? The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect on volume, texture, flavor, aftertaste, and meltability when substituting naturally occurring sugar substitutes for liquid Stevia in vanilla ice cream. This was done by mixing 4 different batches of ice cream using different naturally occurring sweeteners (honey, agave, …