Digital Commons Network^™

Us Epa Expert Workshop: Nutrient Enrichment Indicators In Streams, Michelle A. Baker, Candice Bauer, Max Bothwell, Don Charles, Betty Fetscher, Stuart Findlay, Terry Fleming, Steve Francoeur, Evelyn Gaiser, Jim Hagy, Anne Hershey, Lisa Huff, Ryan King, Tina Laidlaw, Mark Munn, Greg Pond, Steven Rier, Bob Sinsabaugh, A J. Smith, Nathan Smucker, Jan Stevenson, Mike Suplee

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Phragmites Control At The Urban/Rural Interface, Larry Rupp, Ralph Whitesides, Karin Kettenring, Eric Hazelton

All Current Publications

The non-native version of common reed (Phragmites australis) was introduced to North America from Eurasia in the late 1700s to early 1800s. It is an aggressive, tall, dense wetland grass that crowds out native vegetation. In Utah it has colonized vast acreages around the Great Salt Lake and other wetlands resulting in a loss of habitat for wildlife and access by people. It is also found in smaller wetland areas at the urban/rural interface. Controlling small, urban populations is important to reducing the spread of this weed.

How To Use Anti-Mullerian Hormone Testing To Diagnose Granulosa Cell Tumors In Mares, Dirk K. Vanderwall, Kerry A. Rood

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes how to use Anti-Mullerian hormone testing to diagnose granulosa cell tumors in mares.

Nist Greenhouse Gas And Climate Science Measurements Program Overview, James R. Whetstone

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

NIST has increased its emphasis on measurements and standards research for greenhouse gas and climate science measurements over the last three years by establishing its Greenhouse Gas and Climate Science Measurements Program. This research effort seeks to develop or extend the measurement science underpinning internationally-recognized measurement standards, methodologies, and technologies that can enhance science-based greenhouse gas measurement capabilities and emissions data. This research utilizes expertise found both in the NIST laboratories and in the research capabilities of external partner institutions. NIST research activities include advancing standards capabilities for greenhouse gas composition in the atmosphere, development of high accuracy measurement techniques …

Phoenix And The New Satellite Paradigm Created By Hisat, Talbot Jaeger, Walter Mirczak

Small Satellite Conference

A satlet is a satellite architecture component into which the functional capabilities of a conventional spacecraft are decomposed and can then be aggregated back together to provide desired subsystem capabilities. NovaWurks has successfully developed satlet prototypes for the DARPA Phoenix program. These smaller disaggregated subsystem building blocks are called HISats, or Hyper-Integrated Satlets. By reassembling a sufficient amount of HISats and payloads, a spacecraft with the required capabilities can be formed by aggregation of their resources. HISats are distributed across a platform and interact through a variety of links. Removing some of the physical location dependencies between the resources of …

Biosentinel: Monitoring Dna Damage Repair Beyond Low Earth Orbit On A 6u Nanosatellite, Brian Lewis, Robert Hanel, Sharmila Bhattacharya, Antonio Ricco, Elwood Agasid, Debra Reiss-Bubenheim, Tore Straume, Macarena Parra, Travis Boone, Sergio Santa Maria, Ming Tan, Robert Bowman, Matthew Sorgenfrei, Matthew Nehrenz, Marina Gandlin, Terry Lusby, Vanessa Kuroda, Craig Pires, Abraham Rademacher, Joshua Benton, Shang Wu, Benjamin Klamm, Charles Friedericks, Colleen Hake, Bobbie Gail Swan, Edward Semones, Scott Wheeler, C. Mark Ott, Susan Gavalas, Sarah Castro

Small Satellite Conference

We are designing and developing a “6U” nanosatellite as a secondary payload to fly aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Exploration Mission (EM) 1, scheduled for launch in late 2017. For the first time in over forty years, direct experimental data from biological studies beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) will be obtained during BioSentinel’s 12 to 18-month mission. BioSentinel will measure the damage and repair of DNA in a biological organism and compare that to information from onboard physical radiation sensors. This data will be available for validation of existing models and for extrapolation to humans. The BioSentinel experiment will …

A Further Look At Potential Impact Of Satlets On Design, Production, And Cost Of Satellite Systems, David Barnhart, Lisa Hill, Erin Fowler, Roger Hunter, Lucy Hoag, Brook Sullivan, Peter Will

Small Satellite Conference

For the past 50 years, the morphology for satellites has remained fundamentally unchanged despite evolutions in manufacturing, communications, and software occurring in other industries. Primary spacecraft support systems—power, attitude control, and others—are designed in the same way, whether in space telescopes, large communications satellites, interplanetary spacecraft, or Cubesats. This paradigm has been the status quo in spacecraft design and construction and has precluded any industry-wide, large-scale cost savings while maintaining performance. To change this trend and ensure performance and utility at low cost, that can scale, DARPA postulated the concept of a cellularized satellite, or “satlet,” as a satellite architectural …

E. Coli Antimicrobial Satellite (Ecamsat): Science Payload System Development And Test, Travis Boone, Aaron Cohen, Matthew Chin, Tori Chinn, Charlie Friedericks, Evan Jackson, Mahmonir Keyhan, Matthew Lera, Ac Matin, David Mayer, Christopher Middour, Macarena Parra, Antonio Ricco, Stevan Spremo

Small Satellite Conference

The E. coli AntiMicrobial Satellite (EcAMSat) mission will investigate space microgravity e_ects on the dose-dependent antibiotic response and resistance of wildtype and mutant strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli, a bacterial pathogen responsible for urinary tract infection in humans and animals. EcAMSat is the _rst biological science CubeSat built by NASA in the 6U con_guration, and it will feature the _fth biological CubeSat payload developed by the NASA/Ames Research Center and the fourth mission to conduct a peer-reviewed biological science experiment. Building on the hardware ight heritage of GeneSat, PharmaSat-1, and O/OREOS, EcAMSat features a uidics payload that can create and …

Identifying Priority Species And Conservation Opportunities Under Future Climate Scenarios: Amphibians In A Biodiversity Hotspot, Kyle Barrett, Nathan P. Nibbelink, John C. Maerz

All Publications

Climate change is driving shifts in the distribution of plants and animals, and prioritizing management actions for such shifts is a necessary but technically difficult challenge. We worked with state agencies in the southeastern United States to identify high-priority amphibian species, to model the vulnerabilities of those species to regional climate change, and to identify long-term climatic refugia within the context of existing conservation lands. Directly interfacing with state natural resource experts ensured that 1) species prioritization schemes extend beyond political boundaries and 2) our models resulted in conservation-relevant applications. We used a correlative model to project midcentury distributions of …

2014 Utah State University Student Orientation Guide, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

A special supplemental magazine provided by The Utah Statesman to take a closer look at some of the services and departments available at Utah State University.

Practicing Environmental Etiquette In Utah’S Deserts, Jordan Burningham, Roslynn Brian

All Current Publications

World-renown for its desert climate and recreational opportunities, Utah’s southern desert attracts millions of visitors each year.

Backyard Beekeeping, Rachelle Messner, James Strange, Roslynn Brain

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In an effort to become more sustainable, small-scale backyard operations by private citizens have become increasingly popular. This fact sheet provides a basic guideline for those interested in backyard beekeeping, whether just for the enjoyment of tending the bees, or the reward of the delicious honey produced. With proper care, management, and harvesting, backyard beekeeping can provide health, economic, and environmental benefits.

Backyard Beekeeping, Rachelle Messner, James Strange, Roslynn Brian

All Current Publications

In an effort to become more sustainable, small-scale backyard operations by private citizens have become increasingly popular. This fact sheet provides a basic guideline for those interested in backyard beekeeping, whether just for the enjoyment of tending the bees, or the reward of the delicious honey produced.

Cloning And Expression For The Future Characterization Of The Air2 Protein, Emily Sue Frampton

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Air2 is a eukaryotic protein involved in multiple biological processes including protein-protein interactions as well as RNA binding. Air2 plays a critical role in RNA quality control and also helps regulate post-translational modification of various proteins. Although previous studies have revealed information regarding Air2's roles within a cell, the molecular and structural basis for Air2 function is unclear. Using a codon-optimized version of the Air2 gene, various constructs were created that improved the expression and solubility of Air2. Additionally a co-expression complex of Air2 with a PRMTI mutant, K13S, was made to obtain the Air2 protein with a native binding …

Pathway Pioneer: Heterogeneous Server Architecture For Scientific Visualization And Pathway Search In Metabolic Network Using Informed Search, Vipul Kantilal Oswal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

PathwayPioneer is a website to visualize the biological models. The complex metabolic models are hard to perceive when read through text format. It is even more difficult to understand the flow of network and different subsystem or pathways. PathwayPioneer organizes different subsystems into simple graphical representation. We simplify the complex network based on subsystem and compartment. Users can do computation (flux balance analysis) through the user interface and perceive the changed model visually. Our system is one of its kind to handle large model files with quick response time.

Biologists are often interested in knowing different alternative pathways targeting a …

An Exploration Of Object And Scientific Skills-Based Strategies For Teaching Archaeology In A Museum Setting, Candice L. Cravins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A pilot study conducted at the Utah State University Museum of Anthropology explores the most engaging strategies for teaching archaeology to children in a museum setting. During a week-long summer workshop event in June 2013, two styles or modes of teaching archaeology were contrasted and evaluated: object-based teaching and scientific-skills based teaching. The teaching styles are evaluated based on third and fourth grade students' level of excitement and engagement with various archaeology activities - which activities are the most interesting and engaging to children while they are in the museum? The first mode of teaching archaeology focuses on object-based learning. …

Multi-Scale Modeling Of Microbial Defection In The Presence Of Antibiotics, Darshan Dilip Nahar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Limited environmental resources push life into competition. In terms of microbes, we assume that the only goal is to grow and competition means to grow faster than the peers. Organisms tend to adapt to their environmental conditions and improve their efficiency in using the common resources to grow faster. While different organisms compete they engage into various social behaviors like cooperation to work together towards a common goal, e.g., production of public goods that benefits the entire population. Hence a part of the resources at hand is dedicated to participate in cooperative activities if the cost-to-benefit ratio is less than …

The Utah Statesman Presents: Aggie Guide 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

A special supplemental magazine provided by The Utah Statesman to take a closer look at some of the services and departments available at Utah State University.

An Exploration Of Fern Genome Space, Paul G. Wolf, Emily B. Sessa, D. Blaine Marchant, Fay-Wei Li, Carl J. Rothfels, Erin M. Sigel, Mathew A. Gitzendanner, Clayton J. Visger, Jo Ann Banks, Douglas E. Soltis, Pamela S. Soltis, Kathleen M. Pryer, Joshua P. Der

An Exploration of Fern Genome Space

Ferns are one of the few remaining major clades of land plants for which a complete genome sequence is lacking. Knowledge of genome space in ferns will enable broad-scale comparative analyses of land plant genes and genomes, provide insights into genome evolution across green plants, and shed light on genetic and genomic features that characterize ferns, such as their high chromosome numbers and large genome sizes. As part of an initial exploration into fern genome space, we used a whole genome shotgun sequencing approach to obtain low-density coverage (1X to 2X) for six fern species from the Polypodiales (Ceratopteris …

Hunter-Gatherer Inter-Band Interaction Rates: Implications For Cumulative Culture, Kim R. Hill, Brian M. Wood, Jacopo A. Baggio, A. Magdalena Hurtado, Robert T. Boyd

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Our species exhibits spectacular success due to cumulative culture. While cognitive evolution of social learning mechanisms may be partially responsible for adaptive human culture, features of early human social structure may also play a role by increasing the number potential models from which to learn innovations. We present interview data on interactions between same-sex adult dyads of Ache and Hadza hunter-gatherers living in multiple distinct residential bands (20 Ache bands; 42 Hadza bands; 1201 dyads) throughout a tribal home range. Results show high probabilities (5%–29% per year) of cultural and cooperative interactions between randomly chosen adults. Multiple regression suggests that …

A Feedback Loop Links Brownification To Anoxia In A Temperate, Shallow Lake, Soren Brothers, J. Kohler, K. Attermeyer, H. P. Grossart, T. Mehner, N. Meyer, K. Scharnweber, S. Hilt

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

This study examines a natural, rapid, fivefold increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in a temperate shallow lake, describing the processes by which increased DOC resulted in anoxic conditions and altered existing carbon cycling pathways. High precipitation for two consecutive years led to rising water levels and the flooding of adjacent degraded peatlands. Leaching from the flooded soils provided an initial increase in DOC concentrations (from a 2010 mean of 12 ± 1 mg L−1 to a maximum concentration of 53 mg L−1 by June 2012). Increasing water levels, DOC, and phytoplankton concentrations reduced light reaching the sediment surface, …

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, Emma Eccles Jones College Of Education And Human Services, July 18, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University seeks approval for the formation of a new Department of Nursing and Health Professions within the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.

Application Of A Modified Backwards Lagrangian Stochastic Model To Estimate Particulate Matter Emissions From A Dairy, Kori Moore, Michael Wojcik, Randy Martin, Richard Pfeiffer, John Prueger, Jerry Hatfield

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Background

• SDL, USU, and ARS have assembled sensors to measure PM and NH₃ concentrations around area sources
• Point and remote sensors, including a PM calibrated scanning lidar
• Emissions estimated using concentration measurements
• Mass balance (lidar only)
• Inverse modeling

Most Soil Trophic Guilds Increase Plant Growth: A Meta-Analytical Review, Andrew Kulmatiski, Andrew Anderson-Smith, Karen H. Beard, Stephen Doucette-Riise, Michael Mazzacavallo, Nicole E. Nolan, Ricardo A. Ramirez, John R. Stevens

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Trophic cascades are important drivers of plant and animal abundances in aquatic and aboveground systems, but in soils trophic cascades have been thought to be of limited importance due to omnivory and other factors. Here we use a meta-analysis of 215 studies with 1526 experiments that measured plant growth responses to additions or removals of soil organisms to test how different soil trophic levels affect plant growth. Consistent with the trophic cascade hypothesis, we found that herbivores and plant pathogens (henceforth pests) decreased plant growth and that predators of pests increased plant growth. The magnitude of this trophic cascade was …

Utah State Magazine, Summer 2014, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

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

Marginalia No. 35, Merrill-Cazier Library

Marginalia

Marginalia no.35 Summer 2014

Happy Trails... Farewell to Richard W. Clement, Dean of Libraries at USU

17^th Annual May Swenson Poetry Award goes to Luisa A. Igloria

2013 Arrington Writing Award Winners: Scott Marianno, Chad Nielsen, and Joshua Hortin

Merrill Cazier Faculty Award goes to Patricia Moyer-Packenham

Library Service Award to USU’s Composition Program

Friends Spring Lecture: Students and the Art of Research by Prof. Leonard Rosenband

10^th Annual Research Week: Library hosts lectures, symposia, workshops, and receptions

“Goodbye, she said. I’m off to join the Gypsies” … Ann Buttars (Special Collections & Archives) and Cheryl Walters (Head …

An Examination Of The Changes In Science Teaching Orientations And Technology-Enhanced Tools For Student Learning In The Context Of Professional Development, Todd Campbell, Rebecca Zuwallak, Max Longhurst, Brett E. Shelton, Paul G. Wolf

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This research examines how science teaching orientations and beliefs about technology-enhanced tools change over time in professional development (PD). The primary data sources for this study came from learning journals of 8 eighth grade science teachers at the beginning and conclusion of a year of PD. Based on the analysis completed, Information Transmission (IT) and Struggling with Standards-Based Reform (SSBR) profiles were found at the beginning of the PD, while SSBR and Standards-Based Reform (SBR) profiles were identified at the conclusion of PD. All profiles exhibited Vision I beliefs about the goals and purposes for science education, while only the …

Stream Side Science: Lesson Plans And Water Related Activities, Nancy Mesner

All Current Publications

The 12 activities in Stream Side Science bring a water focus to standards and objectives in the Utah Core Curriculum for Junior High and High School math, science and social studies courses. These hands-on activities help students learn basic concepts while exploring watershed and water quality issues.

Links Between Plant And Fungal Communities Across A Deforestation Chronosequence In The Amazon Rainforest, Babur S. Mirza, R. C. Mueller, F. S. Paula, J. L.M. Rodrigues, K. Nusslein, B. J.M. Bohannan

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding the interactions among microbial communities, plant communities and soil properties following deforestation could provide insights into the long-term effects of land-use change on ecosystem functions, and may help identify approaches that promote the recovery of degraded sites. We combined high-throughput sequencing of fungal rDNA and molecular barcoding of plant roots to estimate fungal and plant community composition in soil sampled across a chronosequence of deforestation. We found significant effects of land-use change on fungal community composition, which was more closely correlated to plant community composition than to changes in soil properties or geographic distance, providing evidence for strong links …

Stream Side Science Lesson Plan: Appendices, Nancy Mesner

All Current Publications

Appendices