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Notes On Rhopalosomatid Wasps Of Dominican And Mexican Amber (Hymenoptera: Rhopalosomatidae) With A Description Of The First Fossil Species Of Rhopalosoma Cresson, 1865, Volker Lohrmann, Michael Ohl, Peter Michalik, James P. Pitts, Laurent Jeanneau, Vincent Perrichot

Biology Faculty Publications

Rhopalosomatidae are a family of aculeate wasps that are ectoparasitoids of crickets as larvae and are predominantly distributed pantropically. The published fossil record of the family is scarce. Here, we report three new fossil rhopalosomatid wasp specimens from Dominican and Mexican amber. Rhopalosoma hispaniola Lohrmann sp. nov. is described and documented from Dominican amber by two separate inclusions – one of each sex. An additional fossil female Rhopalosoma is described and documented from Mexican amber but is not named due to the insufficient preservation of the fossil. The new fossils, which are morphologically intermediate between Townes' isopus and poeyi species …

Stop-Signal Reaction Time Correlates With A Compensatory Balance Response, Garrett Rydalch, Hayden B. Bell, K. L. Ruddy, David A.E. Bolton

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Background

Response inhibition involves suppressing automatic, but unwanted action, which allows for behavioral flexibility. This capacity could theoretically contribute to fall prevention, especially in the cluttered environments we face daily. Although much has been learned from cognitive psychology regarding response inhibition, it is unclear if such findings translate to the intensified challenge of coordinating balance recovery reactions.

Research question

Is the ability to stop a prepotent response preserved when comparing performance on a standard test of response inhibition versus a reactive balance test where compensatory steps must be occasionally suppressed?

Methods

Twelve young adults completed a stop signal task and …

Validation Of Digital Surface Models (Dsms) Retrieved From Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Point Clouds Using Geometrical Information From Shadows, Mahyar Aboutalebi, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Mac Mckee, William Kustas, Héctor Nieto, Calvin Coopmans

AggieAir Publications

Theoretically, the appearance of shadows in aerial imagery is not desirable for researchers because it leads to errors in object classification and bias in the calculation of indices. In contrast, shadows contain useful geometrical information about the objects blocking the light. Several studies have focused on estimation of building heights in urban areas using the length of shadows. This type of information can be used to predict the population of a region, water demand, etc., in urban areas. With the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the availability of high- to super-high-resolution imagery, the important questions relating to shadows …

The Impact Of Shadows On Partitioning Of Radiometric Temperature To Canopy And Soil Temperature Based On The Contextual Two-Source Energy Balance Model (Tseb-2t), Mahyar Aboutalebi, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Mac Mckee, Hector Nieto, William Kustas, Calvin Coopmans

AggieAir Publications

Tests of the most recent version of the two-source energy balance model have demonstrated that canopy and soil temperatures can be retrieved from high-resolution thermal imagery captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This work has assumed a linear relationship between vegetation indices (VIs) and radiometric temperature in a square grid (i.e., 3.6 m x 3.6 m) that is coarser than the resolution of the imagery acquired by the UAV. In this method, with visible, near infrared (VNIR), and thermal bands available at the same high-resolution, a linear fit can be obtained over the pixels located in a grid, where …

Cultural Models Of Raça: The Calculus Of Brazilian Racial Identity Revisited, Henri J. François Dengah Ii, Jason A. Gilmore, Marcus Brasileiro, Anna S. Cohen, Elizabeth Bingham Thomas, Jenni Budge Blackburn, Mckayle Law, Jae Swainston, Richard Thomas

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Nearly 50 years ago, Marvin Harris published a seminal paper that examined how Brazilians create taxonomic categories of racial identity. In the intervening decades, new cognitive theories and analytical approaches have enabled researchers to investigate cultural domains with increased sophistication and nuance. In this paper, we revisit, replicate, and extend Harris’s research by utilizing modern cognitive anthropological approaches such as multidimensional scaling and cultural consensus analysis. Utilizing the same facial portraits as in the original study, we ask a contemporary sample of 34 Brazilians to identify and sort these images by racial identity. We then compare Harris’s original data, reanalyzed …

Additional Thoughts On Rigor In Wildlife Science: Unappreciated Impediments, John A. Bissonette

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Traditionally, most scientists accepted reductionist and mechanistic approaches as the rigorous way to do science. Sells et al. (2018) recently raised the argument about reliability in wildlife science. Chamberlin (1890), Platt (1964), Romesburg (1981, 1991, 2009), and Williams (1997) were rightly referenced as very influential papers. My intention in this letter is not to refute the essence of the Sells et al. (2018) commentary but to add seldom addressed but important aspects that influence the attainment of rigor and certainty in wildlife studies. The elements of …

On The Ability Of Pnicogen Atoms To Engage In Both Σ And Π-Hole Complexes. Heterodimers Of Zf2C6H5 (Z = P, As, Sb, Bi) And Nh3, Wiktor Zierkiewicz, Mariusz Michalczyk, Rafał Wysokiński, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

When bound to a pair of F atoms and a phenyl ring, a pyramidal pnicogen (Z) atom can form a pnicogen bond wherein an NH₃ base lies opposite one F atom. In addition to this σ-hole complex, the ZF₂C₆H₅ molecule can distort in such a way that the NH₃ approaches on the opposite side to the lone pair on Z, where there is a so-called π-hole. The interaction energies of these π-hole dimers are roughly 30 kcal/mol, much larger than the equivalent quantities for the σ-hole complexes, which are only 4–13 kcal/mol. On …

Communicating Computational Concepts And Practices Within High School Students’ Portfolios Of Making Electronic Textiles, Debora Lui, Justice T. Walker, Sheri Hanna, Yasmin B. Kafai, Deborah A. Fields, Gayithri Jayathirtha

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Portfolios have recently gained traction within computer science education as a way to assess students’ computational thinking and practices. Whereas traditional assessments such as exams tend to capture learning within artificial settings at a single point in time, portfolios provide more authentic opportunities to document a trajectory of students’ learning and practices in everyday contexts. Furthermore, because communication itself has been defined as an important computational thinking practice, portfolios give students a place to practice this skill in the classroom. In this study, we report on the implementation of a digital portfolio with a class of 21 high school students …

Congratulations 2019 Graduates | College Of Engineering, Utah State University

College of Engineering News

The College of Engineering at Utah State Univerisity congratulates all students who graduated May 2.

Microfluidic Temperature Behavior In A Multi-Material 3d Printed Chip, Derek Sanchez, Greg Nordin, Troy Munro

Utah Space Grant Consortium

As analysis systems shrink in size to microfluidic scales and devices, there is a need to improve temperature control in the microscale for temperature sensitive processes. Technology that combines accurate temperature measurement and 3D spatial control of the temperature distribution is limited by common 2D layer-based microfluidic fabrication techniques but can be realized with 3D printed microfluidic chips. This work presents an iterative process to create a microfluidic chip using multi-material 3D printing to improve temperature sensing and create an even temperature around a target volume. Through an iterative process, verification is presented of fluorophore viability (specifically CdTe quantum dots) …

Hotspot Analysis Reveals Large Landscape Controls Over Cheatgrass (Bromus Tectorum) Persistence Across Arid Landscapes, Tara B.B. Bishop, S. Munson, R. A. Gill, S. L. Petersen, J. Belnap, S. B. St. Clair

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The invasion of exotic annual grasses during the last century has transformed plant habitats and communities worldwide. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is a winter annual grass that has invaded over 100 million acres of the western United States (Pellant and Hall, 1994. Pellant, 1996). Cheatgrass has relatively rapid growth rate and has been shown to invade particularly in post-disturbance landscapes (Germino 2016). A major impact of invasion is the increased frequency in fires (D’Antonio and Vitousek, 1992). Cheatgrass’ prolific seed production and flammability allows it to competitively exclude native plant species (Seabloom et al., 2003). The successful life strategy of cheatgrass …

A 10-Bit Sar Adc With An Ultra-Low Power Supply, Alexander Petrie, Wood Chiang

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This paper presents a successive approximation analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) design, which operates with a 0.2 V power supply. The design utilizes a dynamic bulk biasing scheme to dynamically adjust the relative NMOS and PMOS strengths, which are very sensitive to temperature, process, and mismatch variations at low supply voltages. The design achieves a very low power consumption due to the 0.2 V supply. Several circuits in the design are optimized for full functionality at 0.2 V. Extracted simulations show a total power consumption of 9 nW with a peak SNDR of 61.3 dB and a Walden Figure of Merit …

Model-Based Propofol Dosing To Improve Control Of Patient Eeg Dynamics, Jason C. Huang, Scott C. Tadler, Brian J. Mickey, Kai Kück

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Propofol is a common anesthetic, which is being investigated as an antidepressant alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Propofol can induce similar EEG effects to that of ECT, and has also demonstrated similar improvements in depression scores. However, propofol dosing is challenging because patients differ in their required drug doses. A model of the relationship between administered propofol and monitored EEG can be used to improve the accuracy and reliability of this treatment. Our objective is ultimately to automate processes in propofol’s dose determination. A summary of patient-system modeling in anesthesia will be discussed, along with preliminary results from recent open-label …

Great Salt Lake Halophilic Archaea: A Model For Mineral Entrapment Of Life, Adrik Z. Da Silva, Jessie Kochaver, Bonnie K. Baxter

Utah Space Grant Consortium

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, found veins of gypsum and layer of salt deposited by water in 2011(Figure 7). Gypsum has been detected on Mars as early as 2005 by the ESA’s Mars Express Orbiter, which later found evidence of chloride salts in 2008. On Earth, gypsum is formed in hypersaline environments, in minerals left behind when water evaporates. During evaporation, gypsum deposits and salt crystals can trap microorganisms in fluid inclusions. Gypsum obtained from Great Salt Lake, along with salt crystals collected from the salt glands of pelicans, were used to develop a method to extract halophilic archaea and …

Use Of Machine Learning For Non-Invasive Identification Of Tumors, Mason Acree, Gunnar Jensen, Ryan Rainey, Vern Hart

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Under Utah Valley University (UVU) Physics Department the Center for Imaging and Biophotonic Experiments Advancing Medicine. (CIBEAM) is focused on techniques for early cancer detection. The undergraduate based research project with the instruction of Dr. Vern Hart has developed a methodology using the scattering profile of a laser through a specimen to classify between different cancer cell types with machine learning algorithms. This technique works by passing a near-infrared (NIR) laser through a cell monolayer and collecting the scattering profile. Thousands of images are collected for the purpose of training a artificially intelligent convolution neural network as well as to …

Advancing Space Flight Medical Care Through On-Demand Protein Therapeutic Production Capabilities, Emily Zhao, Bradley C. Bundy

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is an in vitro protein synthesis system that provides a uniquely adaptable platform for protein production. In recent years, lyophilization of CFPS have expanded the capabilities of this system by improving reagent stability outside of cold-chain storage. This project sought to utilize lyophilized CFPS reagents to develop a convenient, shelf-stable, on-demand therapeutic protein production platform. The therapeutic protein production potential of this novel platform was demonstrated by the successful expression of an FDA approved therapeutic protein. With the advancement of shelf-stable, on-demand protein therapeutic production platforms comes the potential to provide point-of-care medical treatment for space-flight …

The Polygraph: A Data Structure For Genome Alignment And Variation Detection, M. Stanley Fujimoto, Cole Lyman, Mark Clement

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Comparing whole genomes and finding variation is an important and difficult bioinformatic task. We present the Polygraph, a data structure for reference- free, multiple whole genome alignment that can be used to identify genomic structural variation. This data structure is built from assembled genomes and preserves the genomic structure from the assembly. It avoids the \hairball" graph structure that can occur in other graph methods such as de Bruijn graphs. The Polygraph can easily be visualized and be used for identification of structural variants. We apply the Polygraph to Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae for finding Structural Variants.

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 …

Administering Model-Based Patient-Specific Supplemental Oxygen Therapy, Kyle M. Burk, Joseph A. Orr

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Purpose: The oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve describes the relationship between the partial pressure of oxygen and the percent of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen and varies with chemical and physical factors that differ for every patient. If variability could be determined, patient specific oxygen therapy could be administered. We have developed a procedure for characterizing variations in the oxygen dissociation curve. The purpose of this study was to validate this procedure in surgical patients. Methods: The procedure uses an automated system to alter oxygen therapy and Hill's equation to fit measurements. Once measurements are gathered, the procedure uses an iterative least-squares method …

High Sensitivity Bio-Sensing Via Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Focusing, Erik Hamilton

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Integrated optofluidics are ideal for high sensitivity detection due to the small size of device features being near the scale of sample particles. A novel integrated optofluidics design enables single molecule detection through hydrodynamic focusing, making it ideal for low concentration biosensing. Detection was enhanced as observed by a decrease in the coefficient of variance by 4 and a mean signal increase by a factor of 1.64. Greatly improved designs promise further enhancement.

Real-Time Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Using A Graphics Processing Unit, Phillip Hyatt

Utah Space Grant Consortium

In robotics applications, Model Predictive Control (MPC) has been limited in the past to linear models and relatively short time horizons. In recent years however, research in optimization, optimal control, and simulation has enabled some forms of nonlinear model predictive control. The limiting factor for applying nonlinear MPC for robotics remains the computation necessary to solve the optimization, especially for complex systems and for long time horizons. This paper outlines and applies several methods in order to address the computational concerns related to nonlinear MPC. The dynamic model of the system to be controlled is approximated using a Deep Neural …

Third-Person Autonomous Control Using Deep Rc, Jaron Ellingson, Kameron Eves, Nick Walton, Cameron Peterson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The ability to fly a remote control (RC) aircraft from a third-person perspective is a skill that many hobbyists and enthusiasts enjoy. With a little practice, an RC pilot can sense the aircraft’s orientation and apply the correct inputs for it to orbit, achieve specific mission objectives, or line-of-sight waypoints. The work done in [1] proved that third-person sensing of an aircraft’s attitude is possible. This work seeks to improve the deep learning methods, increase hardware capabilities through the addition of a turret and motion capture validation, and add control algorithms for complete autonomous flight. While the results are not …

Structures Of Clusters Surrounding Ions Stabilized By Hydrogen, Halogen, Chalcogen, And Pnicogen Bonds, Steve Scheiner, Mariusz Michalczyk, Wiktor Zierkiewicz

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Four H-binding HCl and HF molecules position themselves at the vertices of a tetrahedron when surrounding a central Cl-. Halogen bonding BrF and ClF form a slightly distorted tetrahedron, a tendency that is amplified for ClCN which forms a trigonal pyramid. Chalcogen bonding SF2, SeF2, SeFMe, and SeCSe occupy one hemisphere of the central ion, leaving the other hemisphere empty. This pattern is repeated for pnicogen bonding PF3, SeF3 and AsCF. The clustering of solvent molecules on one side of the Cl- is attributed to weak attractive interactions between them, including chalcogen, pnicogen, halogen, and hydrogen bonds. Binding energies of …

The Effects Of A Yoga Intervention On Reactive Balance In Older Adults, Haley M. Hayes

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

Research into successful aging has shown that the ability to control balance is a key part of maintaining an independent lifestyle. Given the increased proportion of older adults in society, the development of effective strategies to promote successful aging are critical. One promising form of activity that could effectively sustain and/or improve balance in addition to other health markers is yoga. Although studies have been done showing yoga's benefits on mobility, mood and cognition the vast majority of these studies lack scientific rigor. The main purpose of this thesis project was to examine the efficacy of a 6-week yoga intervention …

Utah State Magazine, Spring 2019, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

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

A Science Writing Center As A Catalyst For Improving Undergraduate Writing Skills In The Sciences, Andrew J. Felton

Tutor's Column

Having earned a PhD in the sciences, I am keenly aware that writing skills are at the core of being a successful scientist. Undergraduate students in the sciences not only face the immediate demands of complex course material, but in many cases the prospect of a career in which writing skills can determine professional success. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of science course material, writing assignments, revisions, and feedback to students are given relatively little attention. The Utah State University Science Writing Center is unique platform in its ability to address this limitation; bringing together a diverse pool of …

Cultivate Spring/Summer 2019, Utah State University

Cultivate Magazine

Bi-annual magazine for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences.

Alternative Futures For Dalton Wells, Mary Oliver

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

Visitation to the Moab region has increased significantly in recent years, causing campgrounds near town to be consistently full. The Dalton Wells area, a recreation area off Highway 191 just north of Moab, has become an especially popular place for dispersed camping, as it is free and in close proximity to town. Dalton Wells does not have the infrastructure or management necessary to support the current number of visitors, straining the site’s fragile desert ecosystem. The site also hosts a dinosaur quarry and the foundations of a historic CCC camp. These resources are unmaintained and at risk of pillaging and …

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.