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Aphids In Alfalfa, Erin W. Hodgson

All Current Publications

Aphids belong in the order Hemiptera and family Aphididae. Aphids are common insects in field and forage crops, with at least six kinds in Utah alfalfa.

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, College Of Agriculture And Applied Sciences, June 8, 2007 - Consolidation Of Existing Bachelor Of Science Degrees, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University requests approval to consolidate all BS degrees offered by the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences into a single degree with the name: Bachelors of Science in Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, with emphases in (1) Animal & Dairy Science; (2) Bioveterinary Science; (3) Biotechnology, and (4) Equine Science and Management.

Impact Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Versus Education On Stigma Toward People With Psychological Disorders, Akihiko Masuda, Steven C. Hayes, Lindsay B. Fletcher, Paul J. Seignourel, Kara Bunting, Scott A. Herbst, Michael P. Twohig, Jason Lillis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has previously been shown to alter stigmatizing attitudes and to be relatively useful for psychologically inflexible participants. The present study is the first to bring those two findings together by comparing ACT to an education intervention for reducing stigma toward people with psychological disorders, and examining whether results differ for psychologically inflexible versus flexible individuals. A sample of college students (N=95) was randomly assigned to a 2¹/₂ h ACT or educational workshop. Measures were taken before and after the workshop and at a 1-month follow-up. ACT reduced mental health stigma …

Tumbleweed Exploratory Drilling Environmental Assessment, United States Deparment Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to analyze Stewart Petroleum Corporation’s (Stewart) proposed exploratory natural gas drilling on their Federal leases within the Tumbleweed Oil and Gas Unit (Tumbleweed Unit). This EA is a site-specific analysis of potential impacts that could result with the implementation of Alternative - the Proposed Action; Alternative B – Buried Pipelines; or Alternative C - the No Action Alternative. The EA assists the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in project planning and ensuring compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and in making a determination as to whether any “significant” impacts could result …

Does Removing Coyotes For Livestock Protection Benefit Free-Ranging Ungulates?, Justin L. Harrington, Michael R. Conover

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We studied the effects of coyote (Canis latrans) control for livestock protection on native ungulates during 2003 and 2004 on 7 sites in Utah and Colorado, USA, totaling over 1,900 km2. We found no relationships between coyote control variables and offspring/female deer ratios. However, control effort (no. of hr spent aerial gunning for coyotes) and success (no. of coyotes taken) were positively correlated with numbers of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) observed per kilometer of transect. Our results suggest that coyote control for livestock protection may increase densities of mule deer and pronghorn in areas where it …

Identification And Characterization Of A Carlavirus Causing Veinal Necrosis Of Coleus, Dimitre S. Mollov, Maya C. Hayslett, Kari A. Eichstaedt, Noelle G. Beckman, Margery L. Daughtrey, Ben E. Lockhart

Biology Faculty Publications

A filamentous virus identified in coleus (Coleus x hybrida) in Minnesota and New York was found to cause veinal necrosis in coleus, although this symptom was observed only under certain conditions. The virus was transmitted readily by mechanical inoculation to coleus and Nicotiana spp. and was not transmitted by Myzus persicae. The particles of the coleus virus had a modal length of 640 nm and a single capsid protein with an estimated molecular mass of 34 kDa. The amino acid sequence of the coat protein region of the coleus virus genome had significant similarities only to the …

Sod Webworms, Erin W. Hodgson, Alan H. Roe

All Current Publications

The term “sod webworm” refers to an insect complex of more than twenty different grass-infesting species. Adult sod webworms are pyralid moths, but are more commonly referred to as “snout moths” because their mouthparts are projected forward (Fig. 1). Sod webworms are distributed through the U.S., and at least seven different species occur in Utah (Table 1).

Cranberry Girdler, Erin W. Hodgson, Alan H. Roe

All Current Publications

Cranberry girdler, Chrysoteuchia topiaria, can be found throughout the U.S., but is particularly damaging to turfgrass seed production areas in the Pacific Northwest. This insect was first detected in northern and northeastern Utah during the early 1980’s. Larvae prefer cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, bentgrass and fine-leaf fescues. In addition to causing significant damage to turfgrass, it is recorded as a pest of other grasses, cranberry, Douglas fir, and true firs.

Environmental Assessment Bird Damage Management In The Wyoming Wildlife Services Program, United States Department Of Agriculture, Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Wildlife Services (WS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), and Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) propose to continue the current bird damage management program in Wyoming. WS, USFWS, FAA, WGFD, and WDH use an adaptive integrated wildlife damage management (IWDM) approach to reduce bird damage to property, agricultural resources, natural resources, and to protect human health and safety. In addition, under the current program, the USFWS would continue to issue depredation permits based on need and …

A Historic Perspective: The Response Of Breeding Passerines To Rangeland Alteration In Rich County, Utah, Lindsay J. Brown

Biology

Shrub-dominated ecosystems on private lands are important rangeland resources through much of the western U.S., including Rich County, Utah. Because of its important role in livestock production, this shrubsteppe ecosystem has been exposed to a variety of sagebrush removal methods. Little is known about the relative effects of chemical, mechanical, or burn treatments on breeding passerine communities. Furthermore, most studies address only short-term effects. We studied breeding passerine communities and vegetation on 17 untreated sites and 49 range sites treated between 1962 and 2004 to examine the effects of treatment type and treatment age. The sagebrush treatments produced considerable changes …

Effects Of Environmental Conditions And Insect Life Stages On Performance Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes For Suppression Of Plum Curculio, Conotrachelus Nenuphar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), In Northern Utah, Hong Geun Kim

Biology

In a series of field and laboratory experiments, I tested two entomopathogenic nematode species, two nematode concentrations, and three life stages of the economically damaging insect pest, Contrachelus nenuphar, to support the development of a biological control program for this pest in northern Utah. Two entomopathogenic nematodes, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema feltiae, were tested for their virulence. The population of H. bacteriophora tested was collected from soil infested with plum curculio in Brigham City, UT in 2002. The S. feltiae population was obtained from a commercial source. In temperature bioassays, the two nematodes species exhibited different thermal ranges. …

Structural Evolution Of Fern Chloroplast Genomes, Jessie M. Roper

Biology

The circular chloroplast genome map of land plants is generally conserved with respect to gene content and organization. However, sufficient variation also exists to allow phylogenetic information to be gleaned from the molecule. The ferns exhibit a highly rearranged gene order in and around the inverted repeat which appeared to hold phylogenetically useful information. To test the usefulness of these rearrangement events I first sequenced the complete plastid genome sequence of the marratioid fern Angiopteris. I then used the complete chloroplast genome sequences of the ferns Adiantum and Angiopteris to design alternative sets of Long-PCR primers within genes contained …

Screening Candidate Fungicides For Control Of Chalkbrood Disease In Alfalfa Leafcutting Bees, Megachile Rotundata (F.) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), Craig Huntzinger

Biology

Pollination of alfalfa seed crops is done primarily by managed populations of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (F.). One of the biggest problems associated with managing M. rotundata on a commercial scale is a fungal disease called chalkbrood, caused by Ascosphaera aggregata Skou. The disease infects larvae that have consumed pollen and nectar contaminated with fungal spores. The spores germinate in the bee's gut, spreading hyphae throughout the host and killing the bee. Mortality from chalkbrood is regularly 10% to 35% in the northwestern United States, and infection levels in excess of 50% are not uncommon. As a consequence, …

The Role Of Individual-Level Behavior: From Safe Passage To Self-Organization, Bertrand H. Lemasson

Biology

A considerable amount of research in fisheries exists to assess and predict the success rate of fish attempting to navigate through artificial barriers in their environment. Such barriers typically include dams, culverts, power plants, and pumping stations. This dissertation contributes to fisheries science, and general ecology, by determining how individual-level behavior affects the movement decisions of solitary fish and how simple inter-individual interactions can generate complex forms of collective behavior. The current research improves our ability to model small-scale movement patterns, such as those expected within the artificial restrictions of a water diversion facility, and provides insight into the communication …

Escalante Valley - Iron County, Utah, Rapid Watershed Assessment - 8 Digit Huc #16030006, Usda-Nrcs

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This rapid assessment is designed to gather and display information specific to the basin identified. This summary will highlight the natural and social resources present in the basin, detail specific concerns, and aid in resource planning and target conservation assistance needs. This document is dynamic and will be updated as additional information is available through a multi-agency partnership effort.

The Nighthawk Review, 2007, Usu Eastern English Department

Nighthawk Review

An annual publication featuring student work from Utah State University Eastern Campus.

Sagestep News, Spring 2007, No. 3, Sagestep

Newsletters

Seasonal newsletter of SageSTEP.

Utah State University Commencement, 2007 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

117th Annual Commencement of Utah State University

The Pollination Ecology Of Hedysarum Boreale Nutt. (Fabaceae) And Evaluation Of Its Pollinating Bees For Restoration Seed Production, Katharine A. Swoboda

Biology

Federal land managers desire a consistent and cost-effective source of Hedysarum boreale Nutt. seed for rangeland restoration in the Great Basin and adjacent ecosystems. The breeding biology of H. boreale was assessed via hand pollination experiments at 2 sites in Cache County, Utah, USA in 2003. H. boreale was found to be self-compatible, but did not produce fruit and seeds in the absence of bee visitors. Xenogamy (out-crossing) treatments resulted in increased seed viability and decreased predispersal reproductive attrition. H. boreale was found to be homogamous during 2004 experiments designed to determine the timing and duration of stigma receptivity. H. …

Identification Of Factors Affecting Bovine Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Efficiency And Characterization Of Transcriptional Profiles Of Nuclear Transfer Embryos And Cotyledons, Kenneth Ivan Aston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since the production of the first sheep by somatic cell nuclear transfer a great deal of effort has been made to improve efficiency and to understand nuclear reprogramming mechanisms. Unfortunately efficiency remains low, and nuclear reprogramming mechanisms remain uncharacterized. The objectives of this research were to identify factors associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer efficiency and to analyze the transcriptome of blastocyst-stage clone and control embryos and cotyledonary tissue in an effort to elucidate mechanisms responsible for the low developmental efficiency and high post-implantation losses.

The experiments reported here identify factors including oocyte source and timing of activation following nuclear …

Effects Of Ph On Human Cardiac And Neuronal Sodium Channels, William James Israelsen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Voltage-gated sodium channels are large transmembrane proteins that selectively allow the passage of sodium ions across the cell membrane in response to membrane depolarizations (Yu and Catterall, 2003). The resulting influx of positive charge further depolarizes the membrane and is responsible for the upstroke of the action potential. Voltage-gated sodium channels are vital to the initiation and propagation of action potentials in excitable cells such as neurons and myocytes. In vertebrates, there are many different tissue-specific sodium channel isoforms; these include the neuronal (Na_v1.2) and cardiac (Na_v1.5) isoforms. Although very closely related in structure and functional …

Child Sexual Abuse: Development Of Psychiatric Disorders And Interventions, Toshikazu Kuroda

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Child sexual abuse has become a serious social concern due to the recent report of its higher incidence rate than commonly believed. This form of child abuse has been proposed to bring about adverse effects on children's development since more than one century ago. However, research over past decades reveals that effects of sexual abuse are extremely complex and diverse. Particularly, there appear to be many unclear factors increasing the probability for the development of psychiatric disorders in sexually abused children. The present paper investigated how child sexual abuse creates diversity over the course of the victims' development from multiple …

Enhanced Biological Control Of The Cereal Leaf Beetle, Melody Rose Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many biological and environmental interactions can affect the biological control of the cereal leaf beetle (CLB; Oulema melanopus [L.]). We studied the biological control potential of predatory lady beetles and a parasitoid wasp in fall wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Lady beetles were surveyed in grain fields with high CLB density (up to 50 CLB larvae per 0.09m²). The effects of sugar applied to wheat as an additional food source for Tetrastichus julis (Walker) were also measured. The CLB population followed the typical pattern of high adult and egg numbers in May, peak larval numbers in late May, …

Difficulties Associated With Stepparenting As Predictors Of Remarital Satisfaction And Adjustment, Aaron I. Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As a result of high divorce and remarriage rates, stepfamilies have become commonplace in society. Researchers and clinicians have suggested that stepchildren can positively and negatively affect remarriage quality. Despite the increasing literature on stepfamilies, few studies have comparatively researched specific stepparenting difficulties as they affect marital satisfaction. Utilizing a sample of newlyweds, this study examines fourteen stepparenting related issues, as measured by the stepparenting subscale of the Questionnaire for Couples in Stepfamilies, and their relationship to marital satisfaction and adjustment.

From Exile To Eden Confronting Myth And Water Crises In A Desert Landscape, Erica Cottam

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Citizens of Washington County are about to face serious water shortages that time-honored myths imposed on the landscape during the pioneer era will make difficult to confront. Biblical views of the desert as undesirable wilderness drove early Mormon settlers to create an Edenic oasis. Twenty-first century residents believe the desert has been conquered and no longer poses a threat, a myth that allows for aesthetic appreciation of the landscape but also supports extravagant use of water for recreation and development. To admit that the desert is still a formidable opponent is to deny the achievement of previous generations and question …

Hezbollah - Terrorist Or Not?, Erin E. Forsberg

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Determining whether or not an organization such as Hezbollah is or is not a terrorist group is a rather arduous process, especially since the international community can not agree. However, due to the reasons why Hezbollah was first organized and the group's involvement in the Lebanese political system, along with its network of social services, Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization. In order to prove such a bold statement, the first step must undoubtedly be to come up with a workable and effective definition of terrorism that is hopefully free from moral implications. The second step would be to see …

The Association Between Sleep And Body Mass Index (Bmi) In College Freshmen At Utah State University, Mary-Marie Austin Sullivan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Background: Obesity has become a major health problem with increasing prevalence in the United States. Cases of obesity have increased at alarming rates and have almost doubled over the past 40 years. During this same period of time, sleep duration for all age groups has significantly declined. Because sleep duration is a potential mediator of energy metabolism and body weight, it is an important aspect of health. An association between short habitual sleep time and increased body mass index (BMI) has been reported in large population studies for US young adults. Freshmen college students may encounter many environmental and emotional …

A Formal Approach To Specifying And Verifying Spacecraft Behavior, Allan I.S. Mcinnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Process algebra can provide spacecraft designers with a mathematical formalism for specifying, understanding, analyzing, and verifying spacecraft system behavior. Although it is standard practice to mathematically model and analyze the subsystems of a spacecraft to ensure that they will function correctly when built, the system-level behavior of the spacecraft is generally understood in much less rigorous terms. This leaves the spacecraft system vulnerable to design errors which may not become apparent until the integration and test phase, when design changes are most expensive. In this dissertation, we develop a formal approach to engineering spacecraft behavior, based on mathematical models of …

Design Of A Low-Power Automatic Wireless Multi-Logger Networking Device, Kelly S. Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Virtually every industry and discipline (e.g., mining, pharmaceutical, construction, agriculture, reclamation, etc.) is finding applications for wireless data acquisition for monitoring and managing processes and resources. Two sectors, namely agriculture and environmental research, are seeking ways to obtain distributed soil and plant measurements over larger areas like a watershed or large fields rather than a single site of intensive instrumentation (i.e., a weather station). Wireless sensor networks and remote sensing have been explored as a means to satisfy this need. Commercial products are readily available that have remote wireless options to support distributed senor networking. However, these systems have been …

A Method For Finding Standard Error Estimates For Rma Expression Levels Using Bootstrap, Gabriel Nicholas

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

Oligonucleotide arrays are used in many applications. Affymetrix GeneChip arrays are widely used. Before researchers can use the information from these arrays, the raw data must be transformed and summarized into a more meaningful and usable form. One of the more popular methods for doing so is RMA (Robust Multi-array Analysis).

A problem with RMA is that the end result (estimated gene expression levels) is based on a fairly complicated process that is unusual. Specifically, there is no closed-form estimate of standard errors for the estimated gene expression levels. The current recommendation is to use a naive estimate for the …