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Cultivate Spring/Summer 2018, Utah State University

Cultivate Magazine

No abstract provided.

Characterizing The Effects Of Radiation On Muscle Cells, Lori Caldwell, Charles Harding, Eryn Hanson, Jr Dennison, Elizabeth Vargis

Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Campus Partnership To Foster Compliance With Funder Mandates, Jeff Broadbent, Andrea Payant, Kevin Peterson, Betty Rozum, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Data from federally funded research must now be made publicly accessible and discoverable. Researchers must adhere to guidelines established by federal agencies, and universities must be prepared to demonstrate compliance with the federal mandate. At Utah State University, the Office of Research and Graduate Studies and the Merrill-Cazier Library partnered to facilitate data sharing and create an audit trail demonstrating compliance with the terms of each researcher’s award. This systematic approach uses existing resources such as the grant management system, the institutional repository (IR), and the Library online catalog. This paper describes our process and the first eight months of …

A Predictive Range Expression: Applications And Limitations, Gregory Wilson, Anne C. Starley, Lisa Phillipps, Jr Dennison

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Preparing The Next Generation Of Sustainability Scientists, Alexander K. Killion, Kelley Sterle, Emily N. Bondank, Jillian R. Drabik, Abhinandan Bera, Sara Alian, Kristen A. Goodrich, Marcia Hale, Rachel A. Myer, Quang Phung, Aaron M. Shew, Anastasia W. Thayer

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Graduate programs emerging in universities over recent decades support the advanced study of sustainability issues in complex socio-environmental systems. Constructing the problem-scope to address these issues requires graduate students to integrate across disciplines and synthesize the social and natural dimensions of sustainability. Graduate programs that are designed to foster inter- and transdisciplinary research acknowledge the importance of training students to use integrative research approaches. However, this training is not available in all graduate programs that support integrative research, often requiring students to seek external training opportunities. We present perspectives from a group of doctoral students with diverse disciplinary backgrounds conducting …

An Analysis Of Student Experiences With Concept Mapping In A Foundational Undergraduate Engineering Course, Ning Fang

Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Concept mapping is a powerful graphical technique for helping learners organize knowledge and visualize connections and relationships between relevant concepts. The present study is an investigation of student experiences with concept mapping in a foundational undergraduate engineering course titled Engineering Dynamics. A total of 165 undergraduate engineering students from two recent semesters participated in the present study. This paper provides representative examples of student-generated concept maps. Student comments collected at the end of each semester were analyzed using content analysis. Students provided positive feedback, for example, concept mapping helped students make connections between concepts; reviewed what students had learned; visualized, …

Cultivate Fall/Winter 2018, Utah State University

Cultivate Magazine

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

Librarians In The Lead: A Case For Interdisciplinary Faculty Collaboration On Assignment Design, Rachel Wishkoski, Kacy Lundstrom, Erin Davis

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Assignment design provides a potential niche for librarians to fill in improving research assignments and in providing opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration on teaching, but this can be difficult work to claim as librarians. In the 2016-2017 academic year, a team of three librarians at Utah State University, a mid-size research university, piloted an assignment design workshop for faculty. Based on a model developed by the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), our workshop’s core component was a structured, librarian-facilitated small group discussion among three to four faculty members from a range of academic departments. Interdisciplinary conversation about teaching research …

The Body Disordered: Diagnosing The Philippine Nation In José Rizal’S Noli Me Tángere (1887), Azariah Alfante

Decimonónica

José Rizal (1861-1896) was a Philippine nationalist, writer, and physician, whose status as national hero is manifest in the mandatory study of his works in educational institutions across the Philippine archipelago since the enactment of the nationalist Rizal Law (Republic Act No. 1425) on 12 June 1956 (Francia, “José Rizal” 44-45). Joan Torres Pou describes Rizal as a “médico oftalmólogo, licenciado en Filosofía y Letras, políglota, filólogo, antropólogo, escritor, agricultor, liberal, asimilacionista, independentista y masón” (7). In his profile of the Filipino polymath, however, Torres Pou omits a salient dimension of Rizal’s identity: his Catholic religion. Although during his life …

Characterizing The Effects Of Radiation On Muscle Cells, Lori Caldwell, Charles Harding, Eryn Hanson, Jr Dennison, Elizabeth Vargis

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Parameterization Of Secondary And Backscattered Electron Yields For Spacecraft Charging, Jr Dennison, Phil Lundgreen, Justin Christensen

Posters

No abstract provided.

Large Effect Quantitative Trait Loci For Salicinoid Phenolic Glycosides In Populus: Implications For Gene Discovery, Scott A. Woolbright, Brian J. Rehill, Richard L. Lindroth

Aspen Bibliography

Genomic studies have been used to identify genes underlying many important plant secondary metabolic pathways. However, genes for salicinoid phenolic glycosides (SPGs)—ecologically important compounds with significant commercial, cultural, and medicinal applications—remain largely undescribed. We used a linkage map derived from a full‐sib population of hybrid cottonwoods (Populus spp.) to search for quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the SPGs salicortin and HCH‐salicortin. SSR markers and primer sequences were used to anchor the map to the V3.0 P. trichocarpa genome. We discovered 21 QTL for the two traits, including a major QTL for HCH‐salicortin (R2 = .52) that colocated …

The Impact Of Reconstructed Soils Following Oil Sands Exploitation On Aspen And Its Associated Belowground Microbiome, Franck Stefani, Nathalie Isabel, Marie-Josee Morency

Aspen Bibliography

Oil sands surface mining in the Athabasca region of northern Alberta (Canada) is a significant anthropogenic disturbance that resets boreal forest development and succession to early stages. During surface mining, the vegetation is cleared, the topsoil is salvaged, and the overburden (the layer of sand and clay in between the topsoil and the oil sands) is piled (see Fig. 2 in Audet et al.1 for an explanation of the land-reclamation procedure). After mining is finished, the landforms (composed of overburden and tailings sand) are capped with organic matter-rich soil covers made of either upland-derived forest floor-mineral mix (FFMM) or a …

Hart Prairie Preserve Site Visit To Assess Aspen Health Nature Conservancy, Flagstaff, Az, Amanda Grady

Aspen Bibliography

On June 11, 2018, Amanda Grady, Entomologist, Arizona Zone, Forest Health Protection, performed a site visit to evaluate aspen health on the Nature Conservancy lands at Heart Prairie Preserve (HPP) near Flagstaff. Specifically, the evaluation was to determine whether or not the aspen within exclosures on Fern Mountain have symptoms or signs of Oystershell scale (OSS), an emergent forest pest contributing to aspen decline in northern Arizona.

Effects Of Climate Change On Forest Vegetation In The Northern Rockies Region, Robert E. Keane, Mary Frances Mahalovich

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Climate-Induced Gradients Of Populus Sp. Forest Biomass On The Territory Of Eurasia, Usoltev Vladimir Andreevich, Omid Shobairi, Chasovskikh Viktor Petrovich

Aspen Bibliography

On the basis of the compiled database in a number of 413 sample plots with determinations of forest biomass of the genus Populus sp. on the territory of Eurasia from France to southern China and Japan statistically significant transcontinental decreasing of stem, above ground and total biomass as in the direction from northern temperate to subequatorial zonal belt and in the direction from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to the continentality pole in Siberia is established. Unlike wood story, understory biomass in these directions has not decreased, and increasing. The root: shoot ratio increases in the range between northern temperate …

Bioproducts From Bacteria: A Synthetic Biology Approach, Andrew Walters, Ron Sims, Charles Miller

Research on Capitol Hill

What can synthetic biology do?

Synthetic biology can solve many of Utah's problems:

1. Health: generate better medicines and treatments

- Insulin, Artemisinin (anti-malaria drug), Cancer

2. Fuel: augment petroleum with biofuels and biogas

3. Electricity: directly generate electricity from waste

4. Food: engineer more nutritious food with higher yields

- Golden rice, Arctic Apples, Corn, Soybeans, Cotton

5. Products: generate necessary products renewably

- Bioplastics, Spider silk, Adhesives, Pigments, Perfumes

Motor Affordance For Grasping A Handrail, D. Mcdannald, M. Mansour, Garrett Rydalch

Research on Capitol Hill

Mere observation of objects around us can potentiate motor action by priming specific areas in the brain. This concept, referred to as the affordance effect, suggests that humans put viewed objects into motor terms automatically. Such automated linking of observations to action offers potential advantages to interact with our environment quickly and efficiently when producing goal-directed movements.

One possible application of this affordance effect includes the rapid balance reactions needed to avoid a fall. In reactive balance control, movements must be extremely fast yet simultaneously appropriate for a given environment (e.g. quickly grasping a nearby handrail to avoid a fall). …

Testing Rearing Diets For A New Invasive Insect Pest In Utah, The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, James Withers, Loren Linford

Research on Capitol Hill

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive insect from Asia. It has caused millions of dollars in damage to fruit, vegetable, ornamental, and field crops since its arrival in North America, and can be a severe nuisance pest when it congregates on human structures to overwinter. The BMSB caused $37 million of apple crop damage in the Mid-Atlantic Region in 2007 to 2010. To study the insect, effective rearing methods are needed. Previous research (Funayama 2004 & 2006; Medal et al. 2012) showed that carrot, raw peanut and soybean increased rearing efficiency. Recent lab experience …

The Effect Of Gender And Socioeconomic Factors On Reporting Of Concussions Among Ncaa Student-Athletes, Joshua Hansen

Research on Capitol Hill

Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that result from “brain shaking” as a result of transmit force to the head. Concussions result in immediate and transient post-traumatic impairment of neural functions which lead to both psychological and physiological symptoms.

As knowledge of the long-term implications of these injuries grows, concussions are becoming an increasing health concern worldwide. One subset, sports-related concussions, are receiving an increasing amount of attention from scientists and health-care practitioners.

More than 3.8 million sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States alone, and some studies suggest that up to 43% of these go unreported and untreated.

A Collaborative Solution To Harmful Algal Blooms In Utah, Kyle Hillman, Bethany Jensen, Ammon Balle

Research on Capitol Hill

Harmful algal blooms (HABs)…

• affect Utah Lake, Scofield Reservoir, Jordanelle Reservoir, Mantua Lake, and other water bodies throughout Utah
• are toxic to public health, the environment, and the economy

How Pesticide Additives Alter Feeding Behavior And Viral Infections In Honey Bees, Matthew Thompson

Research on Capitol Hill

Honey bees are vital to agriculture; the decline of honey bee populations in Utah and worldwide is concerning. Several factors can reduce honey bee health and when they interact can increase in magnitude (Fig. 1). We are investigating the interactions of a pesticide ingredient, organosilicone surfactant (OSS), and viral pathogens.

Goals

• Determine if OSS exposure alters honey bee feeding behavior.
• Determine if OSS synergizes with and increases the negative impact of viruses on honey bees.

Does Requiring Participation In Research Have A Positive Effect On Students’ Perception Of Undergraduate Research?, Mikayla Austin

Research on Capitol Hill

Undergraduate research is not only beneficial to the university and community for all the new ideas it brings to light, but plays an important role in student development.

Studies have shown that students who are involved in research as undergraduates are proficient in:

• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Confidence
• Problem solving

There have been many studies conducted on the best ways to get students involved in research in order to gain these benefits, most of which are based around increasing awareness.

My research is focused on the impact of bringing research into the classroom and requiring students to participate. Will this increase …

Transplanting A Bacterial Immune System: Determining The Function Of A Novel Crispr System, Riannon Smith, Melena Garrett

Research on Capitol Hill

CRISPR (Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) loci and cas (CRISPR-associated) genes provide adaptive immunity (see panel below) in bacteria and have recently been repurposed for genome editing.

Systems are structurally and functionally diverse.

• 2 classes, 6 types, 33 subtypes
• Very few have been studied experimentally
• None of the Type IV systems have been characterized

An Examination Of The Prevalence Of Intimate Partner Violence Training In U.S. Medical School Curriculum, Tyson Lumbreras

Research on Capitol Hill

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men living in the United States experience some form of Intimate Partner Violence or IPV (Black, et al. 2011).
• Although there is some research that examines the role health care professionals play in identifying IPV (Richardson, et al. 2002), there is less research on how effectively they are trained to handle it.
• My research will determine whether medical students are receiving adequate IPV training through comprehensive data on the quality of IPV training across U.S. schools.

Scaling Out Evidence-Based Interventions Outside The U.S. Mainland: Social Justice Or Trojan Horse?, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Ana A. L. Baumann, Alejandro L. Vázquez, Nancy G. Amador-Buenabad, Natalie Franceschi Rivera, Nydia Ortiz-Pons, J. Rubén Parra-Cardona

Psychology Faculty Publications

Global health disparities continue to widen as professional standards for effectiveness of mental health services provision become more precise and difficult to achieve across varied economic and social contexts. Within the U.S., health disparities are evident in Latinx populations. Globally, the health disparities are also evident in Latin America as compared to the U.S. and other economically affluent nations. The diversification of psychology in content and persons has led to a unique opportunity to build bridges that can help reduce disparities in- and outside of the U.S. mainland. Collaborations can be of great use in addressing health disparities internationally but …

Human–Black Bear Conflicts: A Review Of Common Management Practices, Carl W. Lackey, Stewart W. Breck, Brian F. Wakeling, H. Bryant White

Human–Wildlife Interactions Monographs

The objective of this monograph is to provide wildlife professionals, who respond to human–bear conflicts, with an appraisal of the most common techniques used for mitigating conflicts as well as the benefits and challenges of each technique in a single document. Most human–black bear conflict occurs when people make anthropogenic foods like garbage, dog food, domestic poultry, or fruit trees available to bears. Bears change their behavior to take advantage of these resources and may damage property or cause public safety concerns in the process. Managers and the public need to understand the available tools to stop human–bear conflict and …

Data Use By Middle And Secondary Students In The Digital Age: A Status Report And Future Prospects, Victor R. Lee, Michelle H. Wilkerson

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

What it means to work with data has changed significantly since the preparation and publication of America’s Lab Report(Singer, Hilton, & Schweingruber, 2006)in ways that are impacting students, educators, and the very practice of science. This change is expressing itself most obviously in the abundance of data that can be collected and accessed by students and teachers. There are also notable changes in the types of data (e.g., GPS data, network data, qualitative/verbal data) that are now readily available, and the purposes for which data are collected and analyzed. These shifts have both generated enthusiasm and raised a number …

Twenty Years Of Spayvac® Research: Potential Implications For Regulating Feral Horse And Burro Populations In The United States, Ursula S. Bechert, Mark A. Fraker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

There are currently >75,000 feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) and burros (E. asinus ) on U.S. public lands, yet the Appropriate Management Level (AML) is set at just under 27,000. Wildlife managers, conservation biologists, and livestock ranchers are concerned about the impacts that these free-ranging horses have on shared rangelands. Immunocontraceptive vaccines may have the greatest potential to regulate horse population numbers once AML is reached; however, the vaccine must have multi-year efficacy to be both technically feasible and cost-effective. Immunocontraception based on porcine zona pellucida (PZP)-specific antigens is highly tissue-specific, targeting the ova, and blocking sperm binding through antibody …

Livestock Depredation By Bengal Tigers At Fringe Areas Of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam, India: Implications For Large Carnivore Conservation, Jimmy Borah, Pranab Jyoti Bora, Amit Sharma, Soumen Dey, Anupam Sarmah, Niranjan Kumar Vasu, Nadisha Sidhu

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) have cohabited with humans in India for centuries. However, with increasing human populations, human-tiger conflicts (HTC) have increased. Impacts of such conflicts are loss of human life, livestock depredations and retaliatory killings of tigers. Considering that Bengal tiger populations are in decline throughout their range, accurate information regarding the magnitude of the impacts of HTC is needed for tiger conservation. We analysed livestock depredation data collected over three years (April 2008 through March 2011) from villages near the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve (KTR) to determine impacts of HTC. During the study period, we documented 518 …