Digital Commons Network^™

Confined Disposal Facility Improved Weir Designs, C. K. Maglio, B. M. Scully

International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures

One of the initial constraints of any dredging project is deciding where to place dredged material. When placed upland, materials can be used beneficially, as beach nourishment or for habitat restoration, or can be placed in an upland confined disposal facility (CDF). Several times the solids volume in water is required to fluidized and hydraulically pump the materials. Once in the CDF, materials settle out of suspension, with clarified water decanted. This paper describes in general a current weir design used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and illustrates the innovations of the new Jacksonville District standard weir. …

Baffle Designs To Facilitate Fish Passage In Box Culverts: A Preliminary Study, H. Chanson, W. Uys

International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures

Waterway culverts and road crossings are very common design in water systems, ranging from rural roads to national highways and urban drainage networks. Engineers and biologists need better, more reliable prediction 'tools' during the design stages to compare the bio-engineering performances of a range of design options. Present expertise in environmental hydraulics of culverts is deficient because of the many empirically-based design guidelines which are sometimes outdated and often inadequate for fish passage. In all the cases, the turbulence of the flowing waters must be optimised efficiently to maximise fish migration. This project focused on the development of simple solutions …

Farewell To A Mentor | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

June 24, 2016 – After 22 years of service to Utah State University, College of Engineering Dean Dr. Christine Hailey will step down to begin a new leadership role in Texas and to be closer to family.

Nx∙∙Y Halogen Bonds. Comparison With Nh∙∙Y H-Bonds And Cx∙∙Y Halogen Bonds, Binod Nepal, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Quantum calculations examine how the NH∙∙Y H-bond compares to the equivalent NX∙∙Y halogen bond, as well as to comparable CH/CX donors. Succinimide and saccharin, and their corresponding halogen-substituted derivatives, are chosen as the prototype NH/NX donors, paired with a wide range of electron donor molecules. The NH∙∙Y H-bond is weakened if the bridging H is replaced by Cl, and strengthened by I; a Br halogen bond is roughly comparable to a H-bond. The lone pairs of the partner molecule are stronger electron donors than are π-systems. Whereas Coulombic forces represent the largest fraction of the attractive force in the H-bonds, …

Addressing Cultural Humility And Implicit Bias In Information Literacy Sessions, Twanna Hodge, Alfred Mowdood

Library Instruction West 2016

Learning cultural humility and bias-reducing strategies for those who work with diverse populations is critical for students and librarians. Our profession can play an important role in introducing these concepts and strategies. However, addressing implicit bias and cultural humility in information literacy classes can be difficult. Library staff may be unfamiliar with the concepts or uncertain about how to incorporate them into classes, have little control over class content, or have little time to address these topics. In this session, we describe how we incorporated concepts of cultural humility and implicit bias over five information literacy sessions per course in …

New Studies Of Children’S Work, Acquisition Of Critical Skills, And Contribution To The Domestic Economy, David F. Lancy

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In spite of the fact that the very earliest ethnographers who paid any attention to children took note of the “precocity” displayed by children in both learning the household (e.g., caring for a younger sibling) and subsistence (harvesting and processing grain), tasks characteristic of the societies under investigation, the first synthesis and cross-cultural compilation of this large body of descriptive material is quite recent. This first, introductory, article in this collection reviews those efforts to systematize the study of children’s work and leads the reader through a catalog of the major conclusions or generalizations that have emerged from this analysis. …

Utah State Magazine, Summer 2016, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

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

The Plight Of Aspen: Emerging As A Beneficiary Of Wolf Restoration On Yellowstone’S Northern Range, John Klaptosky

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Sage Grouse Groceries: Forb Response To Piñon-Juniper Treatments, Jonathan D. Bates, Kirk W. Davies, April Hulet, Richard F. Miller, Bruce Roundy

Articles

Juniper and piñon coniferous woodlands have increased 2- to 10-fold in nine ecoregions spanning the Intermountain Region of the western United States. Control of piñon-juniper woodlands by mechanical treatments and prescribed fire are commonly applied to recover sagebrush steppe rangelands. Recently, the Sage Grouse Initiative has made conifer removal a major part of its program to reestablish sagebrush habitat for sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and other species. We analyzed data sets from previous and ongoing studies across the Great Basin characterizing cover response of perennial and annual forbs that are consumed by sage grouse to mechanical, prescribed fire, …

Water Wave Measurements At Bellsund In The Western Spitsbergen, D. Majewski, W. Sulisz, M. Paprota, M. Szmytkiewicz

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

No abstract provided.

Stress-Induced Executive Dysfunction In Gdnf-Deficient Mice, A Mouse Model Of Parkinsonism, Mona Buhusi, Kaitlin Olsen, Benjamin Z. Young, Catalin V. Buhusi

Psychology Faculty Publications

Maladaptive reactivity to stress is linked to improper decision making, impulsivity, and discounting of delayed rewards. Chronic unpredictable stress alters dopaminergic function and re-shapes dopaminergic circuits in key areas involved in decision making, and impairs prefrontal-cortex dependent response inhibition and working memory. Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is essential for regulating dopamine release in the basal ganglia and the survival of dopaminergic neurons, and GDNF-deficient mice are considered an animal model for aging-related Parkinsonism. Recently, GDNF expression in the striatum has been linked to resilience to stress. Here we investigated the effects of chronic unpredictable stress on decision making in GDNF-heterozygous …

Collybolide Is A Novel Biased Agonist Of Κ-Opioid Receptors With Potent Antipruritic Activity, Achla Gupta, Ivone Gomes, Erin N. Bobeck, Amanda K. Fakira, Nicholas P. Massaro, Indrajeet Sharma, Adrien Cavé, Heidi E. Hamm, Joseph Parello, Lakshmi A. Devi

Biology Faculty Publications

Among the opioid receptors, the κ-opioid receptor (κOR) has been gaining considerable attention as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of complex CNS disorders including depression, visceral pain, and cocaine addiction. With an interest in discovering novel ligands targeting κOR, we searched natural products for unusual scaffolds and identified collybolide (Colly), a nonnitrogenous sesquiterpene from the mushroom Collybia maculata. This compound has a furyl-δ-lactone core similar to that of Salvinorin A (Sal A), another natural product from the plant Salvia divinorum. Characterization of the molecular pharmacological properties reveals that Colly, like Sal A, is a highly potent and selective …

Nutrient Recycling By Eared Grebes In The Great Salt Lake, Anthony J. Roberts, Michael R. Conover

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling in lakes can be impacted by numerous abiotic and biotic factors. Large animals, such as birds and mammals, may recycle nutrients within a system or bring them in from surrounding habitats or different landscapes. Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) congregate in large numbers in the fall on the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, and may have an important role in recycling nutrients from macroinvertebrates back into the water column. We evaluated the role of Eared Grebes in N and P cycling within the GSL by estimating the magnitude of their nutrient recycling capacity. We estimated …

Stem School Discourse Patterns, Colby Tofel-Grehl, Carolyn M. Callahan

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

In a cross case analysis of six specialized STEM schools across the United States selected on the basis of varied geographic location and school model type, the authors explore the ways in which classroom discursvive strutures established by teachers impact students' perceptions of their own agency and authority as relates to their science learning within specialized STEM schools. As national interest in specialized STEM schools grows, a deep need to understand the instructional practices that impact students motivation and interest has arisen. By better understanding how teachers drive classroom discourse through questioning techniques, student responses and reflections can be understood …

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, Emma Eccles Jones College Of Education And Human Services, May 20, 2016 – Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology; School Psychology, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

The Department of Psychology at Utah State University requests to restructure its current specialization within the Psychology PhD program in Professional Scientific Psychology to two separate specializations: 1) Combined Clinical / Counseling Psychology and 2) School Psychology.

A Proof Of Concept Study Of Function-Based Statistical Analysis Of Fnirs Data: Syntax Comprehension In Children With Specific Language Impairment Compared To Typically-Developing Controls, Matthew D. Meng, Nicholas J. Wan, Joseph M. Baker, James Montgomery, Julia L. Evans, Ronald Gillam

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging techonology that enables investigators to indirectly monitor brain activity in vivo through relative changes in the concentration of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. One of the key features of fNIRS is its superior temporal resolution, with dense measurements over very short periods of time (100ms increments). Unfortunately, most statistical analysis approaches in the existing literature have not fully utilized the high temporal resolution of fNIRS. For example, many analysis procedures are based on linearity assumptions that only extract partial information, thereby neglecting the overall dynamic trends in fNIRS trajectories. The main goal of …

Detection And Quantification Of Gas-Phase Oxidized Mercury Compounds By Gc/Ms, Colleen P. Jones, Seth Lyman, Daniel A. Jaffe, Tanner Allen, Trevor L. O'Neil

USU Uintah Basin Faculty Publications

Most mercury pollution is emitted to the atmosphere, and the location and bioavailability of deposited mercury largely depends on poorly understood atmospheric chemical reactions that convert elemental mercury into oxidized mercury compounds. Current measurement methods do not speciate oxidized mercury, leading to uncertainty about which mercury compounds exist in the atmosphere and how oxidized mercury is formed. We have developed a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based system for identification and quantification of atmospheric oxidized mercury compounds. The system consists of an ambient air collection device, a thermal desorption module, a cryofocusing system, a gas chromatograph, and an ultra-sensitive mass spectrometer. It …

The Utah Statesman, May 18, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

A Multiple‐Scale Assessment Of Long‐Term Aspen Persistence And Elevational Range Shifts In The Colorado Front Range, Mario Bretfeld, Scott B. Franklin, Robert K. Peet

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen forests and woodlands are some of the most species‐rich forest communities in the northern hemisphere. Changing climate, altered disturbance regimes, land use, and increased herbivore pressure threaten these forests both in Eurasia and North America. In addition, rapid mortality dubbed “Sudden Aspen Decline” is a concern for aspen's long‐term presence in the western United States, especially Colorado and Utah. Yet it is still unclear whether aspen is persistent or declining at the landscape scale. We assessed aspen persistence at different spatial scales in the Colorado Front Range by resampling 89 plots containing aspen from among 305 vegetation plots sampled …

Benthic Algae Compensate For Phytoplankton Losses In Large Aquatic Ecosystems, Soren Brothers, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Paul Sibley

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic activities can induce major trophic shifts in aquatic systems, yet we have an incomplete understanding of the implication of such shifts on ecosystem function and on primary production (PP) in particular. In recent decades, phytoplankton biomass and production in the Laurentian Great Lakes have declined in response to reduced nutrient concentrations and invasive mussels. However, the increases in water clarity associated with declines in phytoplankton may have positive effects on benthic PP at the ecosystem scale. Have these lakes experienced oligotrophication (a reduction of algal production), or simply a shift in autotrophic structure with no net decline in PP? …

Threatened And Invasive Reptiles Are Not Two Sides Of The Same Coin, Reid Tingley, Peter J. Mahoney, Andrew M. Durso, Aimee G. Tallian, Alejandra Moran-Ordonez, Karen H. Beard

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The ‘two sides of the same coin’ hypothesis posits that biological traits that predispose species to extinction and invasion lie on opposite ends of a continuum. Conversely, anthropogenic factors may have similar effects on extinction and invasion risk. We test these two hypotheses using data on more than 1000 reptile species.

In Vitro Modeling Of Microgravity-Induced Muscle Atrophy And Spaceflight Radiation, Charles Harding, Jon Takemoto, Elizabeth Vargis

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Muscular atrophy, defined as the loss of muscle tissue, is a serious issue for immobilized patients on Earth and in human spaceflight, where microgravity prevents normal muscle loading. A major factor in muscular atrophy is oxidative stress, which is amplified not only by muscle disuse, but also by the increased levels of ionizing radiation in spaceflight. Additionally, elevated radiation exposure can damage DNA, increasing cancer risk.

To model oxidative stress and DNA damage generated by conditions on the International Space Station, murine C2C12 myoblasts were cultured in a rotary cell culture system irradiated by cesium-137. Changes due to the spaceflight …

Multivariate Spatial Mapping Of Soil Water Holding Capacity With Spatially Varying Cross-Correlations, Rachel M. Messick, Matthew J. Heaton, Neil Hansen

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Irrigation in agriculture mitigates the adverse effects of drought and improves crop production and yield. Still, water scarcity remains a persistent issue and water resources need to be used responsibly. To improve water use efficiency, precision irrigation is emerging as an approach where farmers can vary the application of irrigation according to within field variation in soil and topographic conditions. As a precursor, methods to characterize spatial variation of soil hydraulic properties is needed. One such property is soil water holding capacity (WHC). This analysis develops a Bayesian multivariate spatial model for predicting WHC across a field at various soil …

Dna Detection In Salt, Edgar Chavez, Brett Denney, Bonnie Baxter

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Biological material surviving in modern halite (salt) on Earth may point to a method for detection of potential or former life in salt deposits on Mars. This project attempts to find an efficient method extracting cells and DNA from modern halite crystals to gain more insight into efficient method of extracting DNA from ancient salt. Our method considers the limitations of Mars Rover techniques in terms of reagents and simplicity. Halite was collected from the north shore of Great Salt Lake, Utah. Through direct experimentation, we designed a filtration system to isolate DNA from salt samples and refined this process …

Microbial Diversity Of Culinary Salts, Galen Muske, Bonnie Baxter

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Extremophiles are exceptional microorganisms that live on this planet in extraordinarily harsh environments. One such extremophiles are Halophiles, salt-loving microorganisms that can survive in extreme salinity levels, and have been found to survive inside salt crystals. We were curious is about the potential diversity of halophiles surviving in salts harvested from around the world. For this experiment various culinary salts were suspended in a 23 % NaCL growth media broth and allowed to grow for 4 weeks. Afterwards, the individual strains were isolated on 23 % NaCl growth media agar plates. The colonies observed were visually diverse in color and …

Direct Optical Detection Of Microorganisms In Exoplanet Atmospheres: Models & Results, Ryker Eads, Caitlin Murphy, Natalie Sullivan, Joseph Burton, Timothy Doyle

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This poster will focus on the analysis of extinction spectra obtained from simulations of exoplanet atmospheres; these spectra have been simulated using a variety of particle types and size distributions. To simulate these spectra, we have created a MATLAB program that uses mathematical models and complex algorithms to model Mie and spherical scattering. This scattering of light from aerosols has been modeled in the ultraviolet to near infrared band (200-1100 nm). We have modeled atmospheric compositions that are typical of Jovian planets, using known information about the atmosphere of Jupiter (see our first poster, entitled “Direct Optical Detection of Microorganisms …

Direct Optical Detection Of Microorganisms In Exoplanet Atmospheres: Methods, Caitlin Murphy, Ryker Eads, Natalie Sullivan, Joseph Burton, Timothy Doyle

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The purpose of this project is to develop an optical method for detecting the presence of life, specifically microorganisms, in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. We are developing algorithms that distinguish between aerosols of biological origin (microorganisms) from aerosols of non-biological origin (dust, hydrosols, etc.) using analysis of their respective and combined extinction spectra. The method uses large databases of computer-modeled spectra to analyze optical measurements and identify biological aerosols. Whereas most exoplanet researchers focus on detecting molecular spectral signatures, we are focusing on detecting the microorganisms directly rather than their molecular by-products. This method holds significant potential for detecting …

Using Remote Sensing And Detection Of Early Season Invasives (Desi) To Analyze The Temporal Dynamics Of Invasive Cheatgrass (Bromus Tectorum), Tara Bishop, Sam B. St. Clair, J Belnap, S Munson, R A. Gill

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 quickly utilizes available resources especially after a disturbance to the landscape. A major impact of invasion is the increased frequency in fires (D’Antonio and Vitousek, 1992). As cheatgrass is highly successful at invading open and disturbed landscapes at a rapid pace it increases the frequency and severity of fires in arid landscapes (Brooks, 2005). …

Growth Of Cyanobacteria Anabaena Variabilis On Jsc-1a, A Martian Regolith Simulant, Stewart Morely

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Mars is a planet. Freezing temperatures, harsh solar, and a lack of water have left the surface of the planet sterile with no hope for even the hardiest of life forms to emerge. However, if Mars was warmer and had an atmosphere; could life emerge? In this project, we study how a martian regolith analog affects the growth of the cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis. Our results indicate that in appropriate quantities, the martian material may aid growth by providing extra minerals in the growth media, however at higher concentrations these minerals become chemotoxic. We also test whether the martian regolith simulant …

Improved Platform Design For Organic Particle Detection Using Buried Channel Waveguides, Thomas Wall

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This paper discusses the ARROW biosensor fabricated at Brigham Young University. The biosensor is integrated optofluidic device that is capable of individual organic particle detection. The biosensor was included in the Biological and Life Detection (BOLD) mission to Mars proposal for use in sensing any organic material left in the soil on Mars. The paper discusses the need for a high sensitivity for the biosensor and discusses on major design change that will improve the biosensor’s performance – changing the ridge waveguide used historically to a buried channel waveguide. The buried channel waveguide protects the waveguide from any detrimental water …