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Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, February 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Minutes

• Approval of 6 January 2022 Minutes
  
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews https://usu.curriculog.com/
• College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences ADVS = 8 APEC = 3 ASTE = 11 AVTE = 49 (BCIS & BUSN hold all requests | including BCIS & BUSN all) LAEP = 30 NDFS = 21 OPDD = 1 PSC = 1
• Caine College of the Arts MUSC = 1 THEA = 9
• Jon M. Huntsman School of Business ACCT = 10 ECN = 9 DATA = 35 MSLE = 1
• Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services COMD = 10 HDFS = 1 …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, February 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 6 January 2022 Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn

Hyperspectral Imaging With Machine Learning To Differentiate Cultivars, Growth Stages, Flowers, And Leaves Of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.), Yuzhen Lu, Sierra N. Young, Eric Linder, Brian Whipker, David Suchoff

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

As an emerging cash crop, industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) grown for cannabidiol (CBD) has spurred a surge of interest in the United States. Cultivar selection and harvest timing are important to produce CBD hemp profitably and avoid economic loss resulting from the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration in the crop exceeding regulatory limits. Hence there is a need for differentiating CBD hemp cultivars and growth stages to aid in cultivar and genotype selection and optimization of harvest timing. Current methods that rely on visual assessment of plant phenotypes and chemical procedures are limited because of its subjective and destructive nature. In …

Tremblings, February 2022, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Aspen: A Reason for Hope

Robert A. Andrus

Tens of millions of trees have died in recent decades in subalpine forests in the western US. Much of this tree mortality has been caused by two natural disturbances—wildfires and outbreaks of native insects (i.e., bark beetles). The loss of so many trees has left us wondering what is next for these areas. Will they return to forest and if so, what will they look like?

Sex-Related Differences In Aging Rate Are Associated With Sex Chromosome System In Amphibians, Hugo Cayuela, Jean-François Lemaître, Jean-Paul Léna, Victor Ronget, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Erin Muths, David S. Pilliod, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Jorge Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Graham Pyke, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Jaime Bosch, Karen H. Beard, Lawrence L. Woolbright, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Nathalie Jreidini, Justin M. Garwood, Robert N. Fisher, Kathleen Matthews, David Dudgeon, Anthony Lau, Jeroen Speybroeck, Rebecca Homan, Robert Jehle, Eyup Başkale, Emiliano Mori, Jan W. Arntzen, Pierre Joly, Rochelle M. Stiles, Michael J. Lannoo, John C. Maerz, Winsor H. Lowe, Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, Ditte G. Christiansen, Claudio Angelini, Jean-Marc Thirion, Juha Merilä, Guarino R. Colli, Mariana M. Vasconcellos, Taissa C.V. Boas, Ísis Da C. Arantes, Pauline Levionnois, Beth A. Reinke, Cristina Vieira, Gabriel A.B. Marais, Jean-Michel Gaillard, David A.W. Miller

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Sex‐related differences in mortality are widespread in the animal kingdom. Although studies have shown that sex determination systems might drive lifespan evolution, sex chromosome influence on aging rates have not been investigated so far, likely due to an apparent lack of demographic data from clades including both XY (with heterogametic males) and ZW (heterogametic females) systems. Taking advantage of a unique collection of capture–recapture datasets in amphibians, a vertebrate group where XY and ZW systems have repeatedly evolved over the past 200 million years, we examined whether sex heterogamy can predict sex differences in aging rates and lifespans. We showed …

Parent Perspectives On Preparing Students With Intellectual Disabilities For Inclusive Postsecondary Education, Jefferson Clark Sheen, Ty Aller, Robert L. Morgan, Kayla Currier Kipping

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Using a three-round Delphi survey, researchers explored parent perspectives regarding the personal competencies students with intellectual disabilities (ID) needed to be better prepared for participation in an Inclusive Postsecondary Education program (IPSE). An expert panel comprised of parents of students with ID in IPSE programs participated. Three Delphi rounds consisted of open-ended questions and cycles of subsequent rating scales on identified perspectives to establish a quantitative basis for consensus. The parent panel reached consensus on a list of 30 personal competencies that support student preparation for IPSE. A description of the methodology, results, and implications for practice are discussed.

The Utah Statesman, January 31, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

No abstract provided.

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, February 3, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 2 December 2021 Minutes. Minutes approved as distributed.
• Subcommittee Reports
• a. Curriculum Subcommittee
• b. Academic Standards Subcommittee
• c. General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business (USHE)

Robust Plant Segmentation Of Color Images Based On Image Contrast Optimization, Yuzhen Lu, Sierra N. Young, Haifeng Wang, Nuwan Wijewardane

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Plant segmentation is a crucial task in computer vision applications for identification/classification and quantification of plant phenotypic features. Robust segmentation of plants is challenged by a variety of factors such as unstructured background, variable illumination, biological variations, and weak plant-background contrast. Existing color indices that are empirically developed in specific applications may not adapt robustly to varying imaging conditions. This study proposes a new method for robust, automatic segmentation of plants from background in color (red-green-blue, RGB) images. This method consists of unconstrained optimization of a linear combination of RGB component images to enhance the contrast between plant and background …

Bottom-Up Drivers Of Future Fire Regimes In Western Boreal North America, Adrianna C. Foster, Jacquelyn K. Shuman, Brendan M. Rogers, Xanthe J. Walker, Michelle C. Mack, Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Sander Veraverbeke, Scott J. Goetz

Aspen Bibliography

Forest characteristics, structure, and dynamics within the North American boreal region are heavily influenced by wildfire intensity, severity, and frequency. Increasing temperatures are likely to result in drier conditions and longer fire seasons, potentially leading to more intense and frequent fires. However, an increase in deciduous forest cover is also predicted across the region, potentially decreasing flammability. In this study, we use an individual tree-based forest model to test bottom-up (i.e. fuels) vs top-down (i.e. climate) controls on fire activity and project future forest and wildfire dynamics. The University of Virginia Forest Model Enhanced is an individual tree-based forest model …

Threats To Internal Validity In Multiple-Baseline Design Variations, Timothy A. Slocum, Sarah E. Pinkelman, P. Raymond Joslyn, Beverly Nichols

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Multiple baseline designs—both concurrent and nonconcurrent—are the predominant experimental design in modern applied behavior analytic research and are increasingly employed in other disciplines. In the past, there was significant controversy regarding the relative vigor of concurrent and nonconcurrent multiple baseline designs. The consensus in recent textbooks and methodological papers is that nonconcurrent designs are less rigorous than concurrent designs because of their presumed limited ability to address the threat of coincidental events (i.e., history). This skepticism of nonconcurrent designs stems from an emphasis on the importance of across-tier comparisons and relatively low importance placed on replicated within-tier comparisons for addressing …

Identification Of A Novel Glucuronyltransferase From Streptomyces Chromofuscus Atcc 49982 For Patural Product Glucuronidation, Jie Ren, Caleb Don Barton, Kathryn Eternity Sorenson, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Glycosylation is an effective way to increase the polarity of natural products. UDP-glucuronyltransferases (UGTs) are commonly observed and extensively studied in phase II drug metabolism. However, UGTs in microorganisms are not well studied, which hampered the utilization of this type of enzyme in microbial glucuronidation of natural products. Screening of five actinomycete strains showed that Streptomyces chromofuscus ATCC 49982 can convert diverse plant polyphenols into more polar products, which were characterized as various glucuronides based on their spectral data. Analysis of the genome of this strain revealed a putative glucuronidation gene cluster that contains a UGT gene (gcaC) …

The Utah Statesman, January 24, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Detection Of Crop Diseases Using Enhanced Variability Imagery Data And Convolutional Neural Networks, Shai Kendler, Ran Aharoni, Sierra N. Young, Hanan Sela, Tamar Kis-Papo, Tzion Fahima, Barak Fishbain

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The timely detection of crop diseases is critical for securing crop productivity, lowering production costs, and minimizing agrochemical use. This study presents a crop disease identification method that is based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) trained on images taken with consumer-grade cameras. Specifically, this study addresses the early detection of wheat yellow rust, stem rust, powdery mildew, potato late blight, and wild barley net blotch. To facilitate this, pictures were taken in situ without modifying the scene, the background, or controlling the illumination. Each image was then split into several patches, thus retaining the original spatial resolution of the image …

Landscape Dynamics (Landdx) An Open-Access Spatial-Temporal Database For The Kenya-Tanzania Borderlands, Peter Tyrrell, Irene Amoke, Koen Betjes, Femke Broekhuis, Robert Buitenwerf, Sarah Carroll, Nathan Hahn, Daniel Haywood, Britt Klaassen, Mette Løvschal, David Macdonald, Karen Maiyo, Hellen Mbithi, Nelson Mwangi, Churchil Ochola, Erick Odire, Victoria Ondrusek, Junior Ratemo, Frank Pope, Samantha Russell, Wilson Sairowua, Kiptoo Sigilai, Jared A. Stabach, Jens-Christian Svenning, Elizabeth Stone, Johan T. Du Toit, Guy Western, George Wittemyer, Jake Wall

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The savannas of the Kenya-Tanzania borderland cover >100,000 km² and is one of the most important regions globally for biodiversity conservation, particularly large mammals. The region also supports >1 million pastoralists and their livestock. In these systems, resources for both large mammals and pastoralists are highly variable in space and time and thus require connected landscapes. However, ongoing fragmentation of (semi-)natural vegetation by smallholder fencing and expansion of agriculture threatens this social-ecological system. Spatial data on fences and agricultural expansion are localized and dispersed among data owners and databases. Here, we synthesized data from several research groups and conservation …

Which Exercise Interventions Can Most Effectively Improve Reactive Balance In Older Adults? A Systematic Review And Network Meta-Analysis, Youngwook Kim, Michael N. Vakula, David A. E. Bolton, Christopher J. Dakin, Brennan J. Thompson, Timothy A. Slocum, Masaru Teramoto, Eadric Bressel

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Reactive balance is the last line of defense to prevent a fall when the body loses stability, and beneficial effects of various exercise-based interventions on reactive balance in older adults have been reported. However, their pooled evidence on the relative effects has yet to be described. Objective: To review and evaluate the comparative effectiveness of various exercise-based interventions on reactive balance in older adults. Methods: Nine electronic databases and reference lists were searched from inception to August 2021. Eligibility criteria according to PICOS criteria were as follows: (1) population: older adults with the mean age of 65 years or …

Examining Alternative Water Management Strategies To Support Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Conservation Within And Across Years, Timothy E. Walsworth, Phaedra Budy

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Rio Grande Silvery Minnow (RGSM) are currently constrained to only 5% of their historic range, and their persistence is threatened by highly altered and impaired habitat conditions (Bestgen and Platania 1991). These habitat conditions have resulted from reduced spring and summer flows due to natural variability and anthropogenic water development and extraction, which have resulted in substantial geomorphic changes (Swanson et al. 2011). Successful conservation of this endangered species will require determination of how available flows can be managed to provide conditions supporting growth, reproduction, and survival of RGSM within and across a variety of water years. Previous research has …

The Utah Statesman, January 17, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Hysteretic Transition Between States Of A Filled Hexagonal Magnetic Dipole Cluster, Andrew D. P. Smith, Peter T. Haugen, Boyd F. Edwards

All Physics Faculty Publications

By minimizing the magnetostatic potential energy and by finding zeros in the sum of the squares of the torques, we find the equilibrium states of six dipoles of identical strength at the vertices of a regular hexagon and a variable-strength dipole at the center. The seven dipoles spin freely about fixed axes that are perpendicular to the plane of the hexagon, with their dipole moments directed parallel to the plane. When the central dipole is weak compared with the perimeter dipoles, a ‘‘circular’’ state applies in which the perimeter dipole moments circle around the central dipole, which points toward a …

Spatial Personalities: A Meta-Analysis Of Consistent Individual Differences In Spatial Behavior, Erica F. Stuber, Ben S. Carlson, Brett R. Jesmer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Individual variation in behavior, particularly consistent among-individual differences (i.e., personality), has important ecological and evolutionary implications for population and community dynamics, trait divergence, and patterns of speciation. Nevertheless, individual variation in spatial behaviors, such as home range behavior, movement characteristics, or habitat use has yet to be incorporated into the concepts or methodologies of ecology and evolutionary biology. To evaluate evidence for the existence of consistent among-individual differences in spatial behavior – which we refer to as “spatial personality” – we performed a meta-analysis of 200 repeatability estimates of home range size, movement metrics, and habitat use. We found that …

Assessing Leachable Cytotoxicity Of 3d-Printed Polymers And Facile Detoxification Methods, Venkatakrishnan Rengarajan, Angela Clyde, Jefferson Pontsler, Jonathan Valiente, Adreann Peel, Yu Huang

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing of polymers is gaining momentum in health care industries by providing rapid 3D printing of customizable designs. Yet, little is explored about the cytotoxicity of leachable toxins that the 3D printing process introduced into the final product. We studied three printable materials, which have various mechanical properties and are widely used in stereolithography 3D printing. We evaluated the cytotoxicity of these materials through exposing two fibroblast cell lines (human and mouse derived) to the 3D-printed parts, using overlay indirect contact assays. All the 3D-printed parts were measured toxic to the cells in a leachable manner, with flexible materials …

Identifying Conifer Tree Vs. Deciduous Shrub And Tree Regeneration Trajectories In A Space-For-Time Boreal Peatland Fire Chronosequence Using Multispectral Lidar, Humaira Enayetullah, Laura Chasmer, Christopher Hopkinson, Dan Thompson, Danielle Cobbaert

Aspen Bibliography

Wildland fires and anthropogenic disturbances can cause changes in vegetation species composition and structure in boreal peatlands. These could potentially alter regeneration trajectories following severe fire or through cumulative impacts of climate-mediated drying, fire, and/or anthropogenic disturbance. We used lidar-derived point cloud metrics, and site-specific locational attributes to assess trajectories of post-disturbance vegetation regeneration in boreal peatlands south of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada using a space-for-time-chronosequence. The objectives were to (a) develop methods to identify conifer trees vs. deciduous shrubs and trees using multi-spectral lidar data, (b) quantify the proportional coverage of shrubs and trees to determine environmental conditions driving …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, January 6, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

No abstract provided.

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, January 6, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

No abstract provided.

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, January 6, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 2 December 2021 Minutes
• Curriculum Subcommittee Report
• General Education Subcommittee Report
• Other Business

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, January 6, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 2 December 2021 Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business

Ten Simple Rules For Researchers Who Want To Develop Web Apps, Sheila M. Saia, Natalie G. Nelson, Sierra N. Young, Stanton Parham, Micah Vandegrift

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Web applications, also known as web apps, are increasingly common in the research communication portfolios of those working in the life sciences (e.g., [1]) and physical sciences (e.g., [2–4]). Web apps help disseminate research findings and present research outputs in ways that are accessible and meaningful to the general public—from individuals, to governments, to companies. Specifically, web apps enable exploration of scenario testing and policy analysis (i.e., to answer “what if?”) as well as coevolution of scientific and public knowledge [5,6]. However, the majority of researchers developing web apps receive little formal training or technical guidance on how to develop …

Data From: Glucose Tolerance Of Iguanas Is Affected By High Sugar Diets In The Lab And Supplemental Feeding By Ecotourists In The Wild, Susannah S. French

Browse all Datasets

Physiological responses to both natural and anthropogenic perturbations involve changes in glucose use and metabolism to enable animals to respond to challenges. The responses are at least partially mediated via the glucocorticoids, and the proper functioning of these systems are critical to animal health. Prolonged high-sugar diets in humans can compromise physiological functions and lead to a range of diseases including diabetes. Such outcomes are less common in natural, non-human systems, likely because of evolutionarily based balances between sugar intake and the ability to process it. Due to both landscape changes and human feeding of wildlife, the introduction of unnatural …

Conservation, Restoration, And Monitoring Plan For The Lower White River, Utah, Casey A. Pennock, William W. Macfarlane, Phaedra Budy, Justin Jimenez, Jerrad Goodell

Ecology Center Publications

In this report we present a conservation, restoration and monitoring plan for the lower White River, a major tributary of the Green River. The plan is intended to help guide conservation, restoration and management of the lower White River over the next several decades and is also developed as an adaptive management plan to facilitate learning. The recommended conservation and restoration actions are intended to maintain and enhance native riparian vegetation and instream habitat for native desert fishes including federally endangered Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), federally endangered Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), Speckled Dace (Rhinichthys osculus …

[Letter From Lianna Etchberger, Associate Vice President And Professor], Lianna K. Etchberger

Moab Time Capsule 2022

Greetings from 2022! I hope the campus is thriving and folks are excited to retrieve the time capsule.