Digital Commons Network^™

Avian Community Response To Fire In A Gambel Oak Woodland, Andreas Leidolf

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I assessed avian communities of Gam bel oak (Quercus gambelii) woodland and surrounding habitats at Camp W. G. Williams State Military Reservation , Utah, during summer of 1993-1998. I used point counts and incidental observations to compile an avian checklist. I observed 100 species, accounting for one third of all birds known from Utah. Overlap in species composition among habitats was considerable, yet each habitat supported a distinct complement of common species.

I compared bird species composition, abundance, richness, and diversity before and after fire in burned and unburned Gam bel oak woodland using point counts. I also investigated how …

Effects Of Safflower (A Spring Crop), And Wheat Planting Date On Controlling Jointed Goatgrass (Aegilops Cylindrica) In Winter Wheat, Caleb Dale Dalley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To improve management and control of jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica Host.) on traditional winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropland, a better understanding of the effects spring crop and wheat planting date have on weed populations and wheat yield is needed. A study of the effects of safflower (a spring crop) and wheat planting dates (early vs late) was conducted over a 2-yr period. Long term effects will be examined over a 5-yr period. The effects these treatments had on yield, weed seed contamination, jointed goatgrass population density, and soil seedbank concentration were measured. Two identical experiments were initiated, …

Molecular Characterization Of Soil Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria Based On The Genes Encoding Ammonia Monooxygenase, Jose Javier Alzerreca

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are chemolithotrophs that oxidize ammonia/ammonium to nitrite in a two-step process to obtain energy for survival. AOB are difficult to isolate from the environment and iso lated strains may not represent the diversity in soil. A genetic database and molecular tools were developed based on the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) encoding genes that can be used to assess the diversity of AOB that exist in soil and aquatic environments without the isolation of pure cultures. The amo genes have excellent potential as molecular markers; since AMO is only found in the AOB and is essential for their metabolism, …

The Effects Of Salmon Availability, Social Dynamics, And People On Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) Fishing Behavior On An Alaskan Salmon Stream, Danielle K. Chi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary goals of this research were to investigate 3 ecological factors influencing black bear (Ursus americanus) foraging behavior on an Alaskan salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) stream: fish availability, social dynamics, and human activity. Over 900 observation hours were logged at 2 falls from July 1-September 1 1993-1995; the lower falls were open to public for wildlife viewing, but the upper falls were restricted to research personnel.

In general, black bears responded to differences in fish accessibility on both spatial and temporal scales. All years of the study, 3 indices of bear activity (bear minutes, bear numbers, bout …

The Role Of Iron And Reactive Oxygen Species In Particulate Air Pollution-Dependent Biochemical And Biological Activities, Kevin Richard Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Particulate air pollution is known to exacerbate respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in humans. It has been proposed that transition meta ls from inhaled particles may play a role in this exacerbation by generating radical species leading to damage in the lungs.

The aim of this research was to determine the role that iron from particulate air pollution played in the generation of reactive oxygen species and subsequently the induction of inflammatory mediators in cells in culture. The production of reactive oxygen species by particulate air pollution was found to be dependent on the mobilization …

Factors Predictive Of Commitment To Invest In Marriage, Randy A. Gilchrist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research for this thesis investigated factors predictive of how committed married couples are to make positive efforts for their marriage. Respondents consisted of 72 husbands and wives from a semi-urban area. For each gender, correlations were conducted between marital commitment to invest and egalitarian ism, decision-making power, and conflict communication style. Finally, regress ions were conducted with these measures and nine demographic variables.

As projected, commitment to invest in marriage correlated negatively with husband demand-withdrawal communication and positively with husband and wife mutually constructive communication. The stepwise regression predicting husband commitment to invest included demand-withdrawal communication and total months knowing …

Predictively Mapping The Plant Associations Of The North Fork John Day Wilderness In Northeastern Oregon Using Classification Tree Modeling, Alison M. Kelly

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Shifting perspectives on restoration and management of public lands in the inland West have resulted in an increased need for maps of potential natural vegetation which cover large areas at sufficient scale to delineate individual stands. In this study, classification tree modeling was used to predictively model and map the plant association types of a relatively undisturbed wilderness area in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. Models were developed using field data and data derived from a geographic information system database. Elevation, slope, aspect, annual precipitation, solar radiation, soil type, and topographic position were important predictor variables. The model predicted …

Nest Success Of Dabbling Ducks In A Human-Modified Prairie: Effects Of Predation And Habitat Variables At Different Spatial Scales, Jaime E. Jimenez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nest success of dabbling ducks in the Prairie Pothole region of North America has been declining for the past 40 years in parallel with declines in duck populations. Low nest success seems to result from the combination of an extremely fragmented breeding ground in a human-dominated landscape with an abundant and expanding community of generalist nest predators. Studies that examined variables associated with nest vulnerability to predation have produced contradictory results, likely because of simplistic approaches, lack of spatio-temporal replication, use of artificial nests, and the effect of confounding variables. I attempted to clarify the equivocal findings of previous studies …

Influence Of Grazing, Fire, And Rainfall Regime On Plant Species Dynamics In An Ethiopian Perennial Grassland, Michael J. Jacobs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dominant habitat-type of Omo National Park (ONP), Ethiopia, is grassland. This grassland supports a variety of wild herbivores and indigenous people; the latter hunt large herbivores for subsistence or graze their domestic livestock in the Park. Therefore, an understanding of grassland dynamics is a high priority for ONP management. Grazing and fire are major factors influencing species composition and vegetation change in East African grasslands. Rainfall regime, in turn, can influence both grassland response to grazing and fire. The ONP grasslands occur along a rainfall gradient ranging from subhumid to semiarid. Research objectives were to: (1) test the Milchunas, …

The Reproductive Biology And Edaphic Characteristics Of A Rare, Gynodioecious Saxifage: Saxifraga Bryophora Var. Tobiasiae (Saxifragaceae), Kimberly Pierson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I examined the reproductive biology and general ecology of Saxifraga bryophora var. tobiasiae, a rare saxifrage endemic to the West Salmon River Mountains of central Idaho. Saxifraga bryophora var. tobiasiae combines asexual reproduction via bulbils with a sexual mixed-mating system. Flower production occurred in 1996 only, whereas bulbil production occurred in 1995, 1996, and 1997. Bulbil production precedes floral bud formation and is the dominant form of reproduction. When flowering occurs, outcrossing is promoted by protandry and the gynodioecious mating system found in all populations. No autogamous or agamospermous seed set was observed in either female or hermaphrodite flowers, …

The Nixon Environmental Agenda: An Insider's View Of Republican Decision-Making, 1968-1973, David D. Dominick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Richard Nixon, the president, has been given little historical credit for the environmental accomplishments of his administration. Indeed, in his post-presidency memoirs Nixon himself shows no interest in the environment and when he does speak to the issue, it is disparagingly.

But ironically, my thesis shows that no administration, before or since, has brought such progress to the multiple issues of environmental quality. The thesis explores the political, social, and historical factors that contributed to the "environmental revolution" of the late 60s and early 70s. The quality of the leaders chosen within the administration helps explain the dichotomy between a …

Lecture 24: Freedom Crashed Down On Me, Carol A. O'Connor

Last Lectures

No abstract provided.

Marginalia No. 6, Merrill-Cazier Library

Marginalia

Issue Number 6: Winter ’98 / Spring Issue 1999

“GIFTS OF BEAUTY AND KNOWLEDGE”-Rose Milovich, (Spec. Coll) on gifts from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation

*Includes the text of Friends’ President Dr. William F. Lye’s remarks on the contributions of the Caine Foundation

BEAT COLLECTION MAKES THE SCENE AT USU-Introducing a recent gift – a beat poetry collection

USU LIBRARIES 1999 EXHIBITION SCHEDULE-Upcoming Exhibitions featuring USU Libraries collections

LOCAL AUTHOR IS ROYAL HISTORIAN OF OZ- Editor Liz Evans on Gina Warwick’s prize-winning new Oz book

FACULTY SURVEYED ON ELECTRONIC DATABASES-Liz Evans reports on Reference survey

FRIENDS OF USU LIBRARIES SUMMER …

Final Environmental Impact Statement Related To Reclamation Of The Uranium Mill Tailings At The Atlas Site, Moab, Utah, Division Of Waste Management, Office Of Nuclear Material Safety And Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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

This Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been prepared by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, to address potential environmental impacts associated with a request by Atlas Corporation to amend its existing NRC License no. SUA-917 to reclaim in place an existing uranium mill tailings pile near Moab, Utah. The proposed reclamation would allow Atlas to (1) reclaim the tailings pile for permanent disposal and long-term custodial care by a government agency in its current location on the Moab site, and (2) prepare the 162-ha (400-acre) Moab site for closure. the FEIS describes and …

A Study On The Status Of Women Faculty In Science At Mit, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology

ADVANCE Library Collection

Special issue of the MIT Faculty Newsletter on women faculty in science. How a Committee on Women Faculty came to be established by the Dean of the School of Science, what the Committee and the Dean learned and accomplished, and recommendations for the future.

Classification Of Great Basin Plant Communities Occurring On Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, Vel Emrick, Alison Hill

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

No abstract provided.

Over The Rim, William B. Smart, Donna T. Smart

All USU Press Publications

Over the Rim is the first book about an important but little-known expedition sent by Brigham Young to explore southern Utah. Led by Mormon apostle Parley P. Pratt, the party traveled from Salt Lake City south across the rim of the Great Basin to the Virgin River near future St. George. They brought back to Mormon leaders their first detailed portrait of the country to the south that the church planned to settle. By 1849, the new Mormon settlement at Great Salt Lake City was taking on an air of permanence as companies of Latter-day Saints continued to arrive. Brigham …

Pesticide Transportation, Storage And Fire Prevention, Richard Beard, Howard M. Deer

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Banded Ash Borer, Jay B. Karren

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Tomato And Tobacco Hornworms, Jay B. Karren

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Utah Pesticide Applicator Training, Howard M. Deer

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Analysis Of The Management Situation Summary, Wasatch-Cache National Forest, April 1999, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 (NFMA P.L. 94-588) required each National Forest to develop National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans), and to update or "revise" them when conditions have significantly changed or at least every 15 years. The Wasatch-Cache National Forest completed its current Forest Plan in 1985 (USDA Forest Service 1985). To comply with NFMA a revision needs to be completed by the end of 2000. In 1997, Congress prohibited expenditure of funds on formal Forest Plan revision. In 1998 prohibitions were lifted for 14 national forests nationwide. The Wasatch-Cache National Forest was …

Fungus Gnats, Jay B. Karren

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Oligopsony With Fixed Market Supply, Leslie J. Reinhorn, Quinn Weninger

Economic Research Institute Study Papers

This paper analyzes oligopsonistic price competition under a fixed input supply constraint. Firms simultaneously and noncooperatively choose input prices. A "highest offer first" allocation rule determines each firm's share of the fixed supply. Under this rule, if a firm offers a particularly low price, then it may be shut out of the market. Moreover, low offer prices cannot be sustained in the market as a whole since firms have an incentive to outbid their rival(s) and increase individual market share. A pure strategy Nash equilibrium exists if the number of competing firms is sufficiently large. When this condition is satisfied, …

The Role Of Surface Roughness For Implant Incorporation In Bone, A. Wennerberg

Cells and Materials

A careful topographical characterization is important for reliable interpretation of the role of implant surface roughness in bone incorporation. In this paper, the currently available measuring instruments and evaluation techniques are described and discussed first, than literature on the role of surface roughness for cell and bone tissue reactions in vitro and, with special emphasis, the in vivo studies are reviewed. Finally, the results from a series of the authors own animal studies evaluating screw-shaped implants with different surface roughnesses are summarized. The results demonstrated firmer bone fixation for blasted implants than for turned ones. A blasted surface with an …

Preliminary In Vivo Studies Of A New Injectable Bone Substitute, F. Millot, G. Grimandi, P. Weiss, G. Daculsi

Cells and Materials

Calcium-phosphate materials have been increasingly employed in orthopedic and dental applications in recent years and are now being developed for use in noninvasive surgery or as carriers for drug delivery systems. We developed an injectable bone substitute (IBS) for percutaneous orthopedic surgery which uses a biphasic calcium-phosphate (BCP) mixture composed of hydroxyapatite (60%) and ß-tricalcium phosphate (40%), together with a polymer (hydroxy-propyl-methyl-cellulose, HPMC) as a carrier. The best BCP/polymer ratio was determined to achieve the highest mineral phase in the composite and provide the rheological properties required for injectable material.

The in vivo biocompatibility and biofunctionality of IBS were …

X-Ray Diffraction And Scanning Electron Microscopy Analyses Of A Gallium-Based Dental Restorative Alloy, Randa E. Shaker, William A. Brantley, Qiang Wu, John C. Mitchell

Cells and Materials

Specimens of a gallium-based dental alloy were prepared with different condensation techniques, with and without the removal of a surface layer, and after aging for 2 hours at 50°, 100° and 150°C. X-ray diffraction at times ranging from 10 minutes to 1 day showed the development of the four matrix phases (ß-Sn, CuGa₂, Ga₂₈Ag₇₂, and In₄Ag₉) during the setting reaction. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination of specimens loaded to failure revealed brittle fracture, with greater porosity for hand-condensed specimens, and provided insight into crack propagation processes. Aging increased …

Formation Of Cement Lines, But Not Laminae Limitantes, Requires Contact Of Differentiating Osteogenic Cells To Solid Surfaces, M. M. Hosseini, A. Shiga, J. E. Davies

Cells and Materials

We designed in vitro experiments to address the hypothesis that cement lines and laminae limitantes are structurally distinct as a result of cell contact, or absence of cell contact, during their elaboration. We subcultured young adult primary rat bone marrow cells in well inserts with polycarbonate membranes of 0.45 µm pore size, which allowed protein but not cell passage. The cells, extracellular matrix, lower side of the membrane and the surface of the polystyrene culture well were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The cells elaborated a bone-like matrix on top of the membrane. In such cultures the …

Behavior Of Melanoma Cells In Cell And Organ Cultures: Use Of Biomaterials To Activate Cells, J. L. Duval, N. Faucheux, R. Warocquier-Clérout, M. D. Nagel

Cells and Materials

It is well known that cell behaviors such as adhesion, proliferation and various synthesis are initiated from transmembrane signals. This study uses biomaterials as primary messengers of the cell activation pathways, and we have analyzed the effects of two biomaterials on highly metastatic tumor cells. B16F10 melanoma cells formed heterogeneous populations whose size varied with cell differentiation. In long-term organ cultures grown comparatively on AN 69 and Cuprophan (a biomembrane known to activate cells), we found that Cuprophan increased both adhesion and proliferation of small melanin-rich cells which represented differentiated melanocyte&. In dissociated cell cultures, the rate of early cell …

In Vitro Comparative Biocompatibility Testing Of Carbofilm Coated And Uncoated Polyetherimide For Cardiovascular Application, M. Bosetti, S. Mazzarelli, L. Nicolais, L. Ambrosio, M. Cannas

Cells and Materials

When blood contacts the surface of a material, several processes take place including the activation of coagulation and immune systems. The aim of this work is to study in vitro the biological reactions seen from the point of view of hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility of a new polymer suggested as an artificial surface for cardiovascular applications: Carbofilm® coated polyetherimide (C®PEI) in comparison to polyetherimide (PEI), the uncoated form. PEI and C®PEI showed no signs of acute cytotoxicity although following long term incubation with PEI cytotoxicity was somewhat increased; both materials supported good endothelial cell adhesion with a higher level of cell …