Digital Commons Network^™

Design Of A Constructed Wetland For Wastewater Treatment And Reuse In Mount Pleasant, Utah, Yue Zhang

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

Municipalities in the Intermountain West are facing water shortages based on their current population growth projections. Utah has the second highest per-capita culinary water use in the United States. Among other cities, Mount Pleasant, Utah, is seeking innovative and cost-effective ways to reduce culinary water use. This study presents a feasibility analysis of and a design for using a free water surface constructed wetland system to treat the city’s wastewater. The study further presents a cost-benefit assessment of using the treated water for landscape irrigation in the city. The study is based on an analysis of existing wastewater quality, local …

Problem Solving Communication And Interpersonal Power Among Latino Adolescent Couples, Annel Cordero

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Few studies exist that examine Latino romantic relationships; even fewer assess interpersonal power among romantically involved Latino adolescent couples. This observational study investigated interaction, negotiation of power, and communication styles of Latino adolescents in current romantic relationships. Twenty-nine participating couples (ages 14-21) were recruited from a small Rocky Mountain community; all identified as being of Latino decent. Couples were digitally videotaped during problem solving conversations and completed a video recall procedure administered directly following the recording. The Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI) was completed by all couple members as a measure of their overall relationship quality. In addition to this, …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Three Utah Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Removing Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products, Oksana Roth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in surface waters has become a growing concern within the last decade although the first mention of human PPCPs in the environment goes back to late 1970s. Pharmaceuticals include prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and veterinary drugs. Personal care products include products such as lotions, fragrances, and soaps. In addition to traditional personal care products, the term PPCPs has been adopted to represent a wide variety of chemicals used in consumer products including plasticizers and fire retardants. Wastewater effluents are thought to be the main source of PPCPs in surface waters since …

Caddisfly Larvae (Limnephilidae) As Predators Of Newt (Taricha Granulosa) Eggs: Another Player In The Coevolutionary Arms Race Revolving Around Tetrodotoxin?, Brian G. Gall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Some populations of newts (Taricha granulosa) possess large quantities of the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) in their skin and eggs. Many populations of garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) are resistant to this toxin and can consume large numbers of newts with no negative effects. Despite the wealth of information acquired on the interaction between newts and their predator, garter snakes, very little research has been conducted on possible interactions between newts and other predators. I conducted a suite of experiments examining for the presence of other predators on newts, specifically focusing on predators of their eggs and larvae. …

Raman Microspectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, And Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing For Characterization Of Bio-Interfaces: Molecular, Bacteria, And Mammalian Cells, Gerald Dustin Mcewen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding bio-interfaces will help improve the design and application of biomaterials that can interact with biological objects like nucleic acids, molecules, bacteria, and mammalian cells. Currently, there exist instruments to investigate material properties for the electrical, chemical, physical, and mechanical nature of biomaterials or biological samples. Our goal is to use advanced spectroscopic methods and data analysis to find specific properties of biological objects and see how these properties show the biological object’s response to their environment.

My studies of interfacial electron transfer (ET) of DNA coated gold electrodes aided to understand that the density of DNA on the surface …

Clark's Nutcracker Seed Harvest Patterns In Glacier National Park And A Novel Method For Monitoring Whitebark Pine Cones, Monika E. Maier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) is the primary seed disperser of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), which is in decline throughout its range. There is concern that a decline in whitebark pine will lead to a subsequent decline in local populations of Clark's Nutcracker. Because natural regeneration depends on the presence of Clark's Nutcracker, the process of harvesting whitebark pine seeds needs to be fully understood. In addition, resource managers need a cost-effective method for monitoring nutcracker occurrence in whitebark pine stands during the seed harvest season. I visited eleven study sites in Glacier National Park, Montana, where …

Drivers Of Nest Success And Stochastic Population Dynamics Of The Common Eider (Somateria Mollissima), David Thomas Iles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Human-caused climate alterations to Arctic ecosystems have resulted in a constellation of impacts on the biological relationships within them, yet the consequences of these changes on the population dynamics of many species are poorly understood. Thus, an understanding of the drivers of variation in population performance is needed to inform the management and conservation of imperiled species. Here, we use a long-term dataset for the common eider, an Arctic-breeding sea duck, to examine the drivers of annual variation in nest survival, and evaluate the effects of variation in vital rates on population growth. Our chapter 2 results suggested that increased …

Genetic Diversity And Genetic Structuring At Multiple Spatial Scales Across The Range Of The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens, Ryan P. O'Donnell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Genetic diversity is the raw material for evolution: evolution cannot happen without genetic diversity, and the ability of a population to respond to a changing environment depends directly on how diverse its genes are. Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity is important for many reasons, including predicting whether species will be able to adapt to climate change and predicting the spread of invasive species. Information about the distribution of genetic diversity across the range of the Northern Leopard Frog, a declining species, will not only help us to ensure that the species can continue to evolve in response to changing …

A Demographic Evaluation Of Increasing Rates Of Suicide Mortality In Japan And South Korea, Sun Young Jeon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

According to a World Health Organization report, about one million people die by suicide each year. Fortunately, rates of suicide mortality have been decreasing
among most of the OECD countries, but Japan and South Korea are the only two exceptions to this trend, which has shown increasing suicide rates over the last 25
years. A number of studies have focused on psychological motives and individual-level causes of suicide, such as depression, mental disorder, and disability. However,
as Durkheim pointed out, suicide in a society does not have any obvious relationship to the prevalence of mental disorder. With his theory indicating …

Avian Response To Post Wildland Fire Reseeding Treatments In Great Basin Shrubsteppe, Adam B. Brewerton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildfire is often considered a destructive force. However, we have learned that fire is a natural part of many ecosystems and can even be productive by recycling nutrients, and allowing for regrowth. A natural pattern of fire frequency allows for native plants and animals to recover from its destructiveness and capitalize on its benefits. Environmental changes, such as exotic invasive species, like cheatgrass, and livestock grazing, can make recovery less likely. Cheatgrass also promotes fire. As cheatgrass establishes, fires become more frequent and larger, making it hard or impossible for native plants to recover. Land managers often reseed to restore …

The Relationship Of Outdoor Recreation And Gardening With Depression Among Individuals With Disabilities, Justin Floyd Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Activities involving natural environments have positive psychological impacts on participants. Both outdoor recreation and gardening have been shown to reduce feelings of depression. However, the effects of these activities on the depression levels of individuals with disabilities have not yet been studied. In order to better understand the relationship between these activities and depression among individuals with disabilities, two separate studies were conducted.

The first study seeks to better understand the relationship between outdoor recreation participation and depression among Montana residents with disabilities using publicly available Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. It hypothesizes that depression would be negatively …

Water Infrastructure Challenges In Urbanizing Environments: A Case Study Of The 2009 Logan Canal Landslide, Kathryn Davis Henderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In July, 2009 in Logan, Utah, a wet, steep hillside failed, leveling a home below and destroying an irrigation canal that ran along the hill. Three people were killed. The event and the resulting policy changes present an opportunity to uncover how frames, or social constructions, play into the policy development cycle. This case also uncovers the nuances involved when old infrastructure takes on new social meanings. Planners and policymakers that pay attention to frames and social dimensions may be able to minimize conflict.

The landslide received immediate media attention and spurred state legislation on canal safety. The event had …

Using Relevance Vector Machines Approach For Prediction Of Total Suspended Solids And Turbidity To Sustain Water Quality And Wildlife In Mud Lake, Hussein Aly Batt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The main objective of the research is the development of Multivariate Relevant Vector Machine (MVRVM) to predict suspended fine sediment, water quality constituents, and provide an understanding for the practical problem of determining the amount of data required for the MVRVM. MVRVM is a statistical learning algorithm that is based on Bayes theory. It has been widely used to predict patterns in hydrological systems and other fields. This research represents the first known attempt to use a MVRVM approach to predict transport of very fine sediment and water quality constituents in a complex natural system.

The results demonstrate the ability …

Homogenization Of Large-Scale Movement Models In Ecology With Application To The Spread Of Chronic Wasting Disease In Mule Deer, Martha J. Garlick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that affects deer, elk, and moose. TSEs are prion diseases which include mad cow disease and scrapie in sheep and goats. The disease agent is a misshapen protein called a prion, which causes lesions in the brain, and to date, there is no cure. CWD is a slow-developing, fatal disease, which is rare in the free-ranging mule deer population of Utah. Infected deer shed prions into the environment through saliva, feces, and decaying carcasses. These prions remain infective in soils for many years and healthy deer may contract CWD by …

Integrating Remote Sensing And Ecosystem Models For Terrestrial Vegetation Analysis: Phenology, Biomass, And Stand Age, Gong Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Terrestrial vegetation plays an important role in global carbon cycling and climate change by assimilating carbon into biomass during the growing season and releasing it due to natural or anthropogenic disturbances. Remote sensing and ecosystem models can help us extend our studies of vegetation phenology, aboveground biomass, and disturbances from field sites to regional or global scales. Nonetheless, remote sensing-derived variables may differ in fundamental and important ways from ground measurements. With the growth of remote sensing as a key tool in geoscience research, comparisons to ground data and intercomparisons among satellite products are needed. Here I conduct three separate …

Factors Influencing The Distribution Of Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) In A Mountain Stream: Implications For Brown Trout Invasion Success, Christy Meredith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Brown trout (Salmo trutta), one of the world’s most successful introduced species in river and lake systems, negatively impacts native species through predation, competition, and systemwide effects. Thus, there is a need to understand factors controlling the distribution of brown trout, in order to prioritize and develop conservation and management strategies. Within the context of invasion success, I investigated how the physical characteristics of the Logan River influence the distribution of brown trout, as well as the potential for brown trout predation on a native fish, the mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi).

In chapter 1, I evaluated …

The Influence Of Geology And Other Environmental Factors On Stream Water Chemistry And Benthic Invertebrate Assemblages, John R. Olson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Determining if a stream has been degraded by human activities requires knowing what that stream’s natural water quality and freshwater species composition would likely be without any alteration. However stream natural conditions vary greatly from stream to stream, making predicting natural conditions difficult. To determine natural stream conditions, I developed models to predict natural stream water chemistry at individual streams across the western USA. Specifically, the models predict a stream’s electrical conductivity (a measure of the amount of solids dissolved in water), acid neutralization capacity, and concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sulfate, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen. These models predict chemistry …

Production Of Biodiesel From Oleaginous Organisms Using Underutilized Wastewaters, Valerie Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As part of the BioEnergy Team at Utah State Univeristy, my research objectives have been centered around the common theme of innovating new methods and
technology for producing biological compounds and, by means of chemical conversion and/or extraction, isolating new forms of biodiesel available for transportation fuel.
Within the broad scope of this project, I focused on the replacement of freshwater in cultivating such biological systems with wastewaters. If accomplished and correctly
applied, such research would reduce the environmental impact of biodiesel production by reducing the demand for freshwater. It also would reduce production costs by reducing the amount of …

An Investigation Into Delta Wing Vortex Generators As A Means Of Increasing Algae Biofuel Raceway Vertical Mixing Including An Analysis Of The Resulting Turbulence Characteristics, Aaron H. Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current standards of living and future prosperity are closely tied to the availability of sufficient and inexpensive energy resources. Currently society is fueled primarily by some form of fossil fuel. By their very nature these fuel sources are non-renewable, thus our current energy habits are unsustainable. Among the various renewable energy technologies is the capability to produce diesel fuel by colonies of algae. While this technology has many positive features it remains too expensive to be a realistic fuel source. The current work performed analysis using computer simulation of an aquatic environment commonly used to grow algae for the purposes …

Chemical Characterization Of Meat Related To Animal Diet, Rossarin Tansawat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is currently much interest in increasing health benefits from consuming nutritious food, including beef. Plant secondary compounds (PSC) such as tannins or saponins in various forages have an influence on animal nutrition and health, depending on the type of PSC and the amount consumed. However, relatively little is known about effects of PSC on meat color, flavor, and nutritional value. Thus, additional information is needed to better understand and to develop new animal feeding regimes for optimum animal growth, meat flavor, and meat nutritional quality.

In the first study, grain- vs. pasture-fed beef rib steaks were evaluated. The objective …

Environmental Assessment Of Streams: Linking Land Use, Instream Stressors, And Biological Indices To Infer Likely Causes Of Ecological Impairment, Jacob J. Vander Laan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To protect and restore stream biota, managers need to be able to both detect biological degradation and infer likely causes of impairment. Managers commonly develop indices based on stream biota to assess the biological condition of streams. However, the performance of these indices dictates the ability to detect degradation, and although index performance varies widely, the sources of this variation are often unclear. In addition, bioassessments do not identify causes of impairment. My thesis research had two general goals: 1) develop indices to measure biological condition in Nevada streams and 2) quantify relationships between land uses, stressors, and biological condition …

Father-Child Interactions At 24 And 36 Months And Developmental Outcomes At Prekindergarten, Shareesa L. Mcmurdie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study looked at father teaching interactions and singing in toddlerhood as predictors of child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten in a low-income, ethnically diverse sample. Results found that, overall, father teaching interactions in toddlerhood predicted child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten and father singing in toddlerhood predicted language outcomes. Fathers provided slightly more teaching interactions at child age 24 months than at 36 months, and sang more frequently at 36 months.

Within ethnic groups, father teaching interactions were statistically significant in predicting cognitive and language development outcomes for children of African American (approached significance for language outcomes) …

Effects Of Cache Valley Particulate Matter On Human Lung Cells, Todd L. Watterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the wintertime, residents of the Cache Valley are very aware of the poor air quality that occurs during cold-air inversion episodes. If one somehow avoids the radio and television announcements as well as the electronic roadside signs indicating poor air quality and encouraging less driving, one need only to look upward toward the mountains that surround the valley and notice the lack of daytime visibility. This lack of visibility and health warnings are due to particulate air pollution or particulate matter (PM). PM is only one of many types of regulated air pollution but is the one that occurs …

Preventative Behavioral Parent Training: Demonstration Of The Immediacy Effects Of An Innovative Conduct Problem Prevention Program In Young At-Risk Children, Alexis Bolton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers propose to administer preventative behavioral parent training (PBPT) to young children who are displaying developmentally typical conduct problems (i.e., noncompliance and tantrums), with the intent of contributing valuable knowledge for preventing the development of chronic conduct problems in children.

Preventative behavioral parent training is an innovative model designed for conduct problems prevention. The scope of this study will be limited to demonstrating the immediate effects of PBPT. Given the nature and origins of PBPT, immediacy effects are expected and should be relevant to the maintenance of effects over time.

It is predicted that participation in PBPT would yield positive …

Using Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry To Quantify And Optimize Mixing In An Algae Raceway Using Delta Wings, Blake W. Lance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biofuel research has been continually growing over the past six decades. Of the potential sources for biofuels, microalgae is the most promising, and circulating (raceway) ponds are the most cost-effective method for growing microalgae in abundance. Nevertheless, biofuel production from algae must be more efficient to be competitive with traditional fuels. Previous studies using several airfoils, triangles, and squares at high angles to the flow direction (angle of attack) show an increase in mixing in raceways and can improve productivity by up to a factor of 2.2. Researchers show that increasing growth by increasing mixing is a repeatable effect that …

The Role Of Fine-Scale Habitat Associations In Structuring Spider Assemblages: Determinants Of Spatial Patterns In Community Composition, Stephanie M. Cobbold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ecologists strive to identify the mechanisms that drive the identity and abundance of species in different locations, because a better understanding of such factors enables them to better predict the effects of habitat modification on organisms, and to identify landscapes in which species are likely to benefit from conservation interventions. However, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms behind geographical variation in species diversity. The primary objective of this dissertation was to focus on spider assemblages to investigate how the fine-scale habitat associations of organisms may drive the composition of their communities at larger scales. Research was conducted in …

Forest Grazing: Managing Your Land For Trees, Forage, And Livestock, Olivia Salmon, Chad Reid, Darren Mcavoy

All Current Publications

This fact sheet gives an overview of the relationships between trees and forage and provides suggestions on managing your land for forest grazing.

Root-Knot Nematodes In Golf Course Greens Of The Western United States, Claudia Nischwitz

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Preparing Animals For Moving Day, Beth Burritt

All Current Publications

Think for a moment how you react when you visit or move to a new place. Are you disoriented and maybe even a little frightened? Do you prefer to go to new places alone or with friends? Where do you eat?

Common Weeds Of Utah Forests, Morgan Mendenhall

All Current Publications

The invasion of introduced plants into our forests is an ever-increasing threat. Every year, weeds are responsible for millions of dollars in losses of land production and control expenses. Weeds typically are spread easily and place the land into a state of unbalance due to their lack of natural predators