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Utah State University Commencement, 1982 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

Eighty-Ninth Annual Commencement of Utah State University

The Teton Dam Disaster: Tragedy Or Triumph?, F. Ross Peterson

Faculty Honor Lectures

Six years ago, Charles Peterson and I received a carefully wrapped manuscript in the mail. An enclosed letter described in graphic detail the story of the water-stained box and its contents. The letter was from a graduate student who lived and taught in Sugar, . Idaho. This student had written a master's thesis of questionable merit, and we had rejected it in 1975 and had demanded a complete rewrite. The disgruntled and discouraged author had placed the ill-fated work in a box on the desk in his study. It remained there for nearly one year. Then onJune 5, 1976, the …

Experimental Insights On Factors Affecting The Distribution Of Phacelia Cookei Constance And Heckard, A Narrow Endemic, Susan Horner-Till

Biology

The germination and dispersal ecology of Phacelia cookei, an annual plant under review for Federal Endangered plant status, was studied in relation to its occurrence in disturbed habitats. Within the range of disturbed habitats presently available in the study area Phacelia cookei is restricted to sites of visible human disturbance (especially roadbanks and areas of recently cleared vegetation) in field surveys. The natural habitat is an enigma. Animal trails and burned areas represented the only sites of non-human disturbance with which P. cookei may be associated. Seven to eight plants were found at two sites in animal trails. Several plants …

The Ontogeny Of Thermoregulation And Its Relation To Parental Attentiveness In Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo Jamaicensis) And Swainson's Hawks (Buteo Swainsoni), John Stephen Kirkley

Biology

This study examines the development of thermoregulation in nestling Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni). Nestlings raised in captivity were exposed daily for 30 minutes to two sets of cold conditions (16°C and 5.5°C) and for 20 minutes to an artificial radiation load (1cal/cm2/min) plus a gradually rising ambient temperature (12 to 23°C). Body temperature changes during these tests were compared to nestling age, body weight, tarsal length, plumage depth, and the length of the seventh primary feather using stepwise multiple regression analyses. The analyses generally indicated that nestling age was the single most important variable in …

Toxicological Effects Of Extracts Of Cestrum Parqui L'Héritier In Mice, Tomás A. López

Biology

Cestrum parqui L'Heritier is a Solanaceous weed of wide distribution throughout the world. It causes poisoning of animals, particularly cattle and sheep, and constitutes a serious problem for animal production in some countries. The present study was undertaken to develop a biological test for the detection of toxicity of extracts obtained from the plant. This test will be utilized to assess the toxicity of extracts obtained from the plant in future studies. The plant is known to induce poisoning in laboratory animals, but there are no precise references on doses to be utilized and of appropriate routes of dosing. Oral …

The Energetic Cost Of Incubation And Bioenergetics Of The Barn Owl, Kirk L. Hamilton

Biology

The energetic cost of incubation and bioenergetics of barn owls (Tyto alba) were studied at the Welder Wildlife Foundation in southern Texas, in northern Utah, and in the laboratory at Utah State University. Metabolism data of 5 incubating owls were compared to metabolic rates of 6 non-incubating captive owls (4 of which were the same birds) and found not to be significantly different over temperatures that ranged from 2-30 C. Therefore, barn owls appear to conduct incubation with little energetic strain and this may partially be explained by the ameliorating effects of incubating inside of nestboxes. These results support King's …

A Revision Of The North American Species In The Genus Euodynerus (Hymenoptera: Eumenidae), Ali Shallan Moalif

Biology

Twenty-eight species of Euodynerus Dalla Torre are recognized from the Nearctic Region, of which one is Holarctic. Literature on the biology of fourteen species is reviewed and new biological information discussed for four species. The phylogenetic relationships of the genus Euodynerus to other genera and the classification and relationships of the species of Euodynerus are discussed. Seven subgenera are recognized of which four are new: Euodynerus, Pareuodynerus Bluethgen, Leucodynerus Bohart, Annodynerus new subgenus, Gonodynerus n. subgenus, Holodynerus n. subgenus and Plecodynerus n. subgenus. Their comparative morphology, phylogeny, and distribution are discussed. Larval instars of E. hidalgo (Saussure), E. scutellaris (Saussure), …

Factors Affecting The Expression Of Resistance In The Sugarbeet To The Sugarbeet Root Maggot Tetanops Myopaeformis (Von Röder), Glenn G. Mahrt

Biology

This study was initiated to determine some of the biological and environmental factors affecting the expression of resistance in beet breeding lines to the sugarbeet root maggot. Findings will help to define the most appropriate conditions for testing and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in resistance. Laboratory and field studies were conducted to (1) determine the effect of plant age, soil type, soil nutrition, and soil moisture on larval development and oviposition; (2) determine the effects of these conditions on the expression of resistance; and (3) search for possible morphological or physiological root characteristics related to plant …

A Revision Of The North American Species In The Genus Euodynerus (Hymenoptera: Eumenidae), Ali Shallan Moalif

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty-eight species of Euodynerus Dalla Torre are recognized from the Nearctic Region, of which one is Holarctic. Literature on the biology of fourteen species is reviewed and new biological information discussed for four species. The phylogenetic relationships of the genus Euodynerus to other genera and the classification and relationships of the species of Euodynerus are discussed. Seven subgenera are recognized of which four are new: Euodynerus, Pareuodynerus Bluethgen, Leucodynerus Bohart, Annodynerus new subgenus, Gonodynerus n. subgenus, Holodynerus n. subgenus and Plecodynerus n. subgenus. Their comparative morphology, phylogeny, and distrubution are discussed. Larval instars of E. hidalgo (Saussure), E. scutellaris …

Petrology Of The Middle Cambrian Blacksmith Formation, North-Central Utah, Howard William Hay Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dolostones and dolomitic limestones of the Middle Cambrian Blacksmith Formation were studied in the Bear River and Malad Ranges and the Wellsville Mountains of north-central Utah. The depositional textures and sedimentary structures retained within the rocks form the basis of subdivisions of measured sections, interpretation of depositional paleogeography, and reconstruction of environments.

Other studies of modern carbonate environments and their ancient analogues provided the basis for interpretation of the depositional textures found within the rocks of the Blacksmith Formation. Four identifiable lithofacies were recognized within the study area. These facies include: (1) oolite shoal; (2) restricted lagoon; (3) low- …

Religious Activity And Time Use Of 149 Utah Husbands, Gayleen Wayman Thalman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to analyze 149 Utah L.D.S. husband/father's time spent in various activities by their level of religious activity, and to relate their organization participation time to their household work time. Data for this study came from the Utah portion of the "Interstate Comparison of Urban/Rural Families' Time Use." This study used a sub-sample of the original Utah sample. Data used were collected through church affiliation and activity questionnaires and time diaries.

Level of religious activity in the L.D.S. Church was considered along with husbands' time allocated to organization participation, social and recreational activities, and household …

Plant Spacing: A Size Sensitive Model With Implications For Competition, Robert L. Bayn Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An algorithm is presented which partitions space among mapped plants according to their relative sizes and positions using one of eight rules for locating boundaries between individuals. The performance of those rules is examined using several natural and artificial data sets with diverse measures of individual size. The relative performance of the rules was the same for all natural data sets examined. The best rule, as measured by a high correlation between individual size and assigned space, placed the boundary at a distance between neighbors proportional to the relative sizes of neighbors as long as a maximum distance (also a …

Autonomic Self-Control Of Clinical Relaxation As A Function Of Imagery, Dean G. Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this dissertation was to test the significance of objectively measured imagery ability on the learning of self-controlled relaxation of autonomic nervous system activity. Imagery is discussed in terms of its interaction with Autogenic vs. Jacobsonian methods of training clinical relaxation.

Thirty-six female subjects from a college population, representing extreme highs and lows on "spatial ability" tests were given a series of three six-session sequences of Baseline, Treatment 1, and Treatment 2, which contained silent relaxation as a control, plus Jacobsonian and Autogenic relaxation. High and low spatial ability subjects were divided into split groups (A & B) …

Word Associations And The Bilateral Electrodermal Responses Of High And Low Repressive Females As Measured By The Mmpi R Factor Scale, Peggy J. Poe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On the basis of the MMPI R Factor Scale, 16 subjects were classified as high repressed and 14 as low repressed. Subjects were compared on patterns of bilateral differences in skin conductance as a function of three cognitive tasks intended to produce specific manipulations in the relative activation of the two cerebral hemispheres. Tasks 1 and 2 examined the effects of Verbal (left hemisphere) and Spatial (right hemisphere) tasks on amplitudes of electrodermal responses. Task 3 examined the effects of the presentation of double-entendre and asexual stimulus words (designed to produce an emotional stimulus) on the high and low repressed …

Images And Sequences: A Demonstration Project On The Use Of Photography As A Tool For Academic Motivation In Logan Junior High School, H. Gordon Hilden

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

This is a report of an after-school, non-credit, photo-enrichment course that was developed and offered to students at the Logan Junior High School during the period March 30 through May 6, 1981.

The artistic intent of this course was to teach students how to see with a camera, recording images on transparency film, and later arranging transparencies into idea-development or story-telling sequences.

The educational intent was to see if such a course would motivate students to perform better in other classes and improve their school relationships in general.

The course was of too short a duration to develop any hard …

Scanning Electron Microscopic (Sem) Studies On Range Grasses And Their Resistance To Black Grass Bugs, Yun-Hwa Ling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Large populations of black grass bugs, Labops hesperius Uhler, have been observed on extensive acreages of range lands. These bugs cause severe damage to the range grasses, lowering their palatability and productivity. This study was to determine whether morphological differences among breeding lines of grass species or interspecific hybrids could be correlated with the feeding behavior of black grass bugs. If so, plant breeders should be able to develop resistant cultivars. To explore this possibility, cultivars and synthetics of range grasses, representing the genera, Agropyron, Dactylis, Phalaris and Poa, were exposed to different instar stages (II and …

The Influence Of Winter Social Behavior On The Habitat Selection And Reproductive Success Of The Black-Billed Magpie, Kerry P. Reese

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the influence of winter social behavior, particularly dominance relationships, on the subsequent nesting habitat selection and reproductive success of Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica hudsonia) on 2 areas in northern Utah. Hierarchical cluster analysis ordinated the habitats available to breeding birds and Chi-square and Bonferoni-z statistics were used to determine those habitat types the magpies seemed to prefer. Social status was determined by observing color-banded birds engaged in agonistic encounters at winter bait stations. Social dominance was evaluated by % dyads won, not by total % victories. Relationships between winter social status of magpies and their …

An Anatomical Investigation Of Roots From C3 And C4 Grasses With Emphasis On Phloem Organization, Eric A. Rechel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Root phloem structure was researched in taxonomically related C3 and C4 grass species. The functional aspect of phloem unloading in the root was then discussed in terms of this observed structure. In Triticum aestivum L. (C3) each phloem bundle consists of one protophloem sieve-tube element, two companion cells, and one metaphloem sieve-tube element. Protophloem sieve-tube elements and companion cells are contiguous with the pericycle. Centripetally the companion cells are in contact with the metaphloem sieve-tube element. All are separated from tracheary elements by stelar parenchyma. Eighty-four percent of the lateral connections observed in protophoem sieve-tube elements are associated with the …

The Impact Of Performance Testing On Production Selection, Ross A. Jacobson

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

Performance testing data from a registered herd of Hereford cattle in Northern Utah for the years 1974 through 1980 were analyzed in this study. The cattle consisted of a spring calving herd, approximately 440 cows, and a fall calving herd, approximately 120 cows. Five weaning traits (weaning weight, weight per day of age, 205-day weaning weight, 205-dat adjusted weaning weight, weaning index) and four yearling traits (yearling weight, average daily gain, 365-day adjusted yearling weight, yearling index) were computed on the offspring from both herds, for the years mentioned, to test the influence of a performance testing program on the …

Effect Of Three Methods Of Processing Barley On Intake And Production Of Lactating Cows, Carlos Garcia Jauregui

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty-four lactating cows were randomly assigned to three treatments within eight each 3 x 3 latin squares with three periods of 21 days duration. Three processing treatments of barley were 1) steam-rolled, 2) ground (fine), and 3) soak-rolled (soaked in water for appr. 24 hours, rolled, and fed within 48 hours). All rations were fed ad libitum and were comprised of 24% alfalfa hay, 16% corn silage, 35.5% barley, 12% whole cottonseed, 12% wheat bran, 0.3% salt, and 0.3% dicalcium phosphate on a dry matter (DM) basis. Electronic doors were used to collect individual feed intake data. Rations and feces …

Nutrient Requirements Of Ruminants In Developing Countries, Leonard C. Kearl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This book was assembled using the latest information for compiling the nutrient requirements of sheep, goats, cattle and water buffalo. Because of the complexity of the interactions between an animal, its diet, its physiological state, and the environment; the values depicting the nutrient requirements are estimates and not absolutes. These values, however, are considered to be adequate to meet the minimum requirements of healthy animals maintained in a thermoneutral environment.

The mean energy and protein values used in the nutrient tables were arrived at from combining values found in the literature and those provided in personal communication with animal nutritionists …

Toxicologic Effects Of Extracts Of Cestrum Parqui L'Héritier In Mice, Tomás A. López

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cestrum parqui L'Héritier is a Solanaceous weed of wide distribution throughout the world. It causes poisoning of animals, particularly cattle and sheep, and constitutes a serious problem for animal production in some countries.

The present study was undertaken to develop a biological test for the detection of toxicity of extracts obtained from the plant. This test will be utilized to assess the toxicity of extracts obtained from the plant in future studies.

The plant is known to induce poisoning in laboratory animals, but there are no precise references on doses to be utilized and of appropriate routes of dosing. Oral …

The Isolation And Characterization Of A Novel Iron Protein From Desulfovibrio Gigas, Alan Kay Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The isolation, purification, and partial characterization of a novel iron-containing protein from the sulfate-reducing anaerobic bacterium, Desulfovibrio gigas, is described. The highly insoluble protein was isolated from the cell debris following osmotic shock of the bacteria. The insoluble fraction consistently contained about 90% of the cell-associated iron. This protein was treated with acid, chelating agents, detergents and proteases in order to study their effect on the iron solubility. The results of elemental analysis of a crude protein preparation were 5.3% iron, 2.9% sulfur and 11 .9% nitrogen. An independent colorimetric iron analysis showed 6.4% iron. The iron could be …

Western White Pine: The Effect Of Clone And Cone Color On Attacks By The Mountain Pine Cone Beetle, Michael J. Jenkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between clone and cone color in western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas, to attack by the mountain pine cone beetle, Conophthorus monticolae Hopkins, was studied in the Sandpoint Seed Orchard, Idaho. A positive relationship was shown to exist during a 5 year field evaluation. Cone beetles were found to prefer dark colored cones and to attack certain clones at a higher rate than others.

Laboratory dissections did not indicate that cone color affected oviposition, brood development or brood mortality.

Olfactometer experiments demonstrated that olfactory stimuli are involved in the cone beetle attack sequence. Visual cues relating to cone …

The Characterization Of Carbamate Resistance In The Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa Decemlineata (Say), In Comparison With The House Fly, Musca Domestica (L), Randy L. Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Resistant and susceptible populations of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), and the house fly, Musca domestica (L), were compared with respect to carbofuran and carbaryl toxicity in the presence and absence of the synergist, piperonyl butoxide. Resistance levels of the New Jersey population when compared with the susceptible Logan population by topical application of carbaryl and carbofuran were > 833 and 820, respectively. A resistance level of 583 was determined from carbofuran bioassays of Rutgers and NAIDM house flies. Similar levels of resistance development between these species suggests the possibility that similar resistance mechanisms may be involved.

Utilization of …

Reproductive Behavioral And Physiological Traits In Domestic, Wild, And Hybrid Ovis, Kara-Lynn Crocker-Bedford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was part of a program to develop new genotypes of sheep (Ovis spp.) and goats (Capra spp.) which are more useful for food and fiber production. The study examined the influence of domestication on behavioral and physiological traits of ewes and lambs, the influence of a single or twin offspring on ewe and lamb behaviors, and general relationships between ewes and lambs during the lambs' first month of life.

Domestication has caused the intensities of observed traits to diverge greatly from the tendencies shown by wild populations. Domestication has produced increases in measurements associated with maternal …

Cougar Predation And Ecological Energetics In Southern Utah, Bruce Bennet Ackerman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Diet of cougars (Felis concolor) was studied from December 1978 to August 1981, on a 4500 km2 study area near Escalante, Utah. Prey eaten was determined from analysis of 112 animals consumed as prey, and from 239 cougar scats. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) were the major prey item, comprising 81% of biomass consumed. Lagomorphs, large rodents, and smaller predators were also important components. Cattle comprised <1% of the diet, although commonly grazed on the cougar's summer range. Adult male and juvenile (<1yr) mule deer were killed more often than expected, in fall (P<0.10) and in winter (P<0.005). Cougars were a major cause of mortality of adult deer (41% of all adult female deaths, 35% of male), but only 6% of mortality of juveniles. Selection of prey seemed to be a function of prey vulnerability, rather than one of active choice by the predator.

Motion-sensitive radio-transmitters were placed on 15 cougars, from 3 months to 7-9 years of age. Three parameters of the radio signal were used to determine activity levels during 6843 …

Influence Of Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density On Uv-Binduced Photoinhibition In Soybean Leaves: Comparison Of Preconditioning And Concomitant Light Treatments, Charles W. Warner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous studies indicate that the degree of UV-Binduced photosynthetic inhibition may be highly dependent upon the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD, total quantum flux in the waveband 400-700 nm) incident on a plant. This study illustrates that Essex soybean leaves (Glycine max) preconditioned under high PPFD suffered less UV-B-induced photoinhibition than when preconditioned under low PPFD. However, sensitivity to UV-B increased when soybean leaves received high-PPFD as a concomitant treatment.

The relative msgnitude of UV-B-induced damage was similar for both light-limited and light-saturated photosynthesis. This probably indicates that UV-B is inhibiting fundamentally different photosynthetic processes.

Soybean leaves preconditioned …

The Pathogenicity Of Blue-Stain Fungi On Lodgepole Pines Attacked By Mountain Pine Beetle, Richard Grant Ballard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the western regions of North America, mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk., infestations take a tremendous toll of pines , especially lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.. Mass attack by the beetles is a devastating event for the trees. As well as girdling the tree, a massive inoculation of blue stain fungus "complex" (composed of several species of Ceratocystis, numerous yeasts and other mycelial fungi) is made beneath the bark. These fungi colonize and destroy the parenchyma tissue system of the host sapwood, primarily the ray parenchyma and resin duct epithelium.

A blue stain is produced …

The Visual Decision Making Process As A Technique For Redistributing Outdoor Recreation Use, Martha Gail Hahn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The demand for recreation on public lands has been growing steadily, resulting in undesirable impacts on certain resources as well as recreation experiences. The problem addressed by this research is the uneven distribution of recreational use that causes a concentration of impacts. This thesis describes the development and testing of a method to reduce the uneven/concentrated recreation use occurring on the public lands.

The basic objectives of the study were to determine the effectiveness of redistributing recreationists by the use of photographs and a decisional process using photographic information and to identify its potential as a tool in meeting management …