Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of Arthropod Assemblages In Great Salt Lake Wetland Habitats: Differences Between Native And Invasive Vegetation And Implications For Restoration, Emily E. Leonard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wetlands provide important habitat for various birds. Invasive plants can disrupt wetland food webs by altering the arthropod assemblages (invertebrate animals such as spiders, mites, insects, centipedes, and millipedes) on which these birds rely. However, differences between the wetland arthropods found in invasive vs. native vegetation are poorly defined. Wetlands are often managed for the creation of bird habitat through invasive species removal and native plant revegetation, yet few studies have examined the effects of these restoration methods on arthropod bird food sources. Phragmites australis (common reed), is an aggressive grass species in wetlands surrounding the Great Salt Lake, Utah, …

The Marshmallow Lab: A Project-Based Approach To Understanding Functional Responses, Melissa Pulley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper presents a three-part lesson plan to improve student’s understanding of Holling’s type II functional response model. This model describes the interaction between a predator and how much it is able to consume given a constant number of prey. According to the model, while increased availability of prey allows predators to consume portionately more prey for low values, after some number of prey, predators will only be able to capture a limited number of prey even as the prey continues to increase. This phenomenon is known as saturation. Holling first develop this important ecological theory through his “disc experiment” …

The Effects Of Electrical Biostimulation And Silver Ions On Porcine Fibroblast Cells, Yuanfeng Zhao

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Electrical biostimulation is surrounding us in the environment, and some forms have been applied to medical therapy and clinical treatment. How electrical biostimulation affects cell function and behavior is for the most part largely unknown. There is some evidence that somatic cells might have the ability to transform to stem cells after exposure to electrical biostimulation in the presence of silver ions, which may have applications to wound healing and tissue regeneration. The use of silver has a long history in jewelry and silverware making, food storage, industrial and household production, and photographic industries. The medical application of silver has …

Forest Grouse Ecology And Management In The Bear River Range Northern Utah, Skyler Y. Farnsworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To better manage dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) and ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), hereafter forest grouse, managers require better information on forest grouse population status and habitat selection. To address this need, from 2015-2017, I conducted research on a sympatric populations inhabiting the Bear River Range of northern Utah to develop a breeding survey protocol, assess habitat selection, evaluate dusky grouse response to livestock grazing, and determine hunter harvest rates.

The breeding census protocol that I developed compared listening intervals with and without electronic playback calls at designated survey stop locations. Using digital mapping software, I plotted …

Effect Of Thermosonication On Viscosity Of Milk Concentrates And Milk Quality And Shelf Life, Vidita Deshpande

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thermosonication is the application of soundwaves at temperatures ≥50°C. It can be used to improve functional properties, overall quality, and shelf life of dairy products. Milk is concentrated before being spray dried and currently milk concentration is limited by increased viscosity. Decreasing the viscosity of concentrates prior to spray drying could be economically beneficial to dairy processors. Results from this study showed that that thermosonication significantly reduced the viscosity of concentrates such as reconstituted milk protein concentrate (rMPC) and reconstituted skim milk powder (rSMP). This would allow for spray drying of these concentrates at a higher total solids with a …

Disease Ecology And Adaptive Management Of Brucellosis In Greater Yellowstone Elk, Gavin G. Cotterill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that primarily affects livestock and can also be transmitted to humans. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), elk (Cervus canadensis) and bison (Bison bison) are habitual carriers of Brucella abortus, which arrived to the region with cattle over a century ago. The disease was eliminated from cattle in the United States through widespread control efforts, but is now periodically transmitted back to cattle on open rangelands where they can come into contact with fetal tissues and fluids from disease-induced abortions that occur among elk during the late winter and spring. …

Crispr/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing In Herda Equine, Joseph R. Hawkes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

HERDA (Heritable Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia) is a genetic skin disease mainly found in Quarter Horses, but also in Appaloosa and American Paint breeds. HERDA is similar to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in humans, with symptoms including stretchy skin, hyperflexible joints, and, unique to HERDA equine, spontaneous skin sloughing. Horses affected by HERDA are not suitable for performing and are oftentimes euthanized. Some carriers for the HERDA-mutation are very competitive in the American Quarter Horse industry, especially in cutting events where it is believed, yet unproven, to give them an advantage with increased flexibility. It is also possible that the genomic locus …

An Exploration Of How Past, Present, And Anticipated Future Identities Shape The Reading Identities And Practices Of Reluctant Male Readers In A Rural Setting, Garret Craig Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many factors can attribute to a working-class, rural, male adolescent reluctant reader. This intersection of social factors warrants research to find out the reading attitudes and identity of adolescents with the aforementioned factors. In order to conduct this research, I interviewed six young men, their parents, and their English teacher. I also observed them in their English classroom and in a venue of their choosing. A major component of this research included looking at their past and present reading identities, along with uncovering how they pictured themselves in the future regarding post high school schooling, career, and family.

Effects Of Bovine Maternal Nutrient Restriction On Offspring Microrna And Mrna Expression And Muscle Fiber Type, Nikole E. Ineck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For producers in more temperate areas, such as the Intermountain West, poor nutrition during the second trimester of gestation is common due to seasonal changes in forage and nutrient availability. The majority of muscle fibers are formed and adipogenesis is initiated in the second trimester, making it a critical time for skeletal muscle and adipose development in beef cattle. However, the extent to which these changes persist in the offspring postnatally is unknown. In this study, maternal nutrition was restricted during the second trimester in order to analyze the effects of maternal nutrient restriction on offspring skeletal muscle growth. Offspring …

Human-Wildlife Interactions In Bryce Canyon National Park, Chad H. Wildermuth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Public lands such as National Parks protect some of America’s most spectacular and iconic natural, cultural, and historic landscapes. These lands are managed with a goal of preserving their unique features for the recreational use of the public. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects, if any, that public visitation has on these natural systems. This study investigated human-wildlife interactions in Bryce Canyon National Park (BRCA), Utah in order to better understand factors that lead to human-wildlife conflicts and how the attitudes and perceptions of visitors affect their actions towards wildlife.

Observations of human-wildlife interactions were observed and measured …

Accessing Healthy Food: Behavioral And Environmental Determinants Among Low-Income Populations, Abiodun Tolulope Atoloye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On average, low-income individuals have poorer diet quality compared to their high-income counterparts. However, improved food access may offer opportunities to improve diet among this population. This study examines how the low-income population navigates between barriers, resources, and opportunities to acquire healthy foods in different settings.

Chapter 3 examined how the use of a farmers’ market incentive program among the low-income population impacts F&V consumption. We observed no effect on F&V consumption due to program participation but users of the program have a significantly higher F&V consumption than non-users. Chapter 4 identified transportation difficulties as a barrier to the uptake …

Preschool Science: An Examination Of Classroom And Teacher Predictors, Donna S. Blaylock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Science experiences during the preschool years is important because it helps build brain development in children, and improves school readiness. This exploratory study examined several characteristics of teachers and classrooms to see if any factors predicted time spent on science. Over 120 teachers participated, with teachers from Head Starts, university child development laboratories, home-based preschools, and other private preschool programs.

Findings suggest that preschool teachers are quite comfortable with teaching science, but science activities are reported to occur infrequently—one to three times a month. Teachers with higher levels of education and comfort levels with science are reported to be more …

The Response Of Utah Lake's Plant And Algal Community Structure To Cultural Eutrophication, Leighton R. King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Human activities have long had a negative impact on the water quality of freshwater lakes around the world. Utah Lake, located in north-central Utah, has been a subject of such impacts, as the lake experiences recurrent harmful algal blooms during the summer months. Lake warnings and closures have made the public increasingly aware of the ecological and economic impact of these blooms. The objectives of this study were to: 1) compare historical and present-day water quality and ecosystem conditions using environmental data contained in sediment cores, 2) identify whether, and when, Utah Lake transitioned from clearwater to turbid conditions, and …

Investigating The Roles Of Bacterial Endosymbionts In The Evolution Of Adelgidae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha), Kathryn M. Weglarz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Insects form close partnerships, or symbioses, with bacteria. These partnerships allow the insects to use resources that would be unavailable to them otherwise. Certain insects, hemipterans, are able to feed on nutrient-poor plant-sap because these bacteria supplement their diets. While this association is beneficial for both the insect and bacteria, it also comes with consequences: the genomes of bacterial symbionts typically undergo extreme degradation, becoming small and lacking many genes necessary for typical bacterial functioning. In the Hemiptera, aphids, mealybugs, cicadas, true bugs, and their relatives, these bacterial partnerships tend to be stable over millions of years. However, adelgids (Aphidoidea: …

Herbage Characteristics Affecting Intake By Dairy Heifers Grazing Grass-Monoculture And Grass-Birdsfoot Trefoil Pastures, Marcus F. Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pasture-based dairies have become more prevalent in recent years due to a higher proportion of organic milk demand and production. Organic certification requires that animals must graze at least 120 days in each growing season. However, dry matter intake is often limited when dairy animals receive most of their herbage from pasture, resulting in lower animal performance and milk production. The purpose of this study was to analyze the complimentary effect of high energy grasses with birdsfoot trefoil (BFT) tannins to improve intake of dairy heifers. Jersey heifers were rotationally grazed for 105 days in 2017 and 2018 on eight …

Expression Systems For Synthetic Spider Silk Protein Production, Michaela R. Hugie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider silk is a biodegradable and biocompatible natural material that is stronger than steel and more elastic than nylon. These properties make spider silk a desirable material for many commercial products, ranging from textiles to biomedical materials. Due to spiders’ cannibalistic and territorial nature it is impossible to farm them to produce spider silk at a high enough yield to meet product demands. Therefore, a bioengineered synthetic process is necessary to produce spider silk. Synthetic spider silk has been produced in bacteria, goats, yeast, plants, mammalian cells and silkworms, but none of these processes provided a commercially viable yield or …

Effects Of Soil-Borne Pathogens On Seedling Establishment Patterns In Forest Systems, Eric P. Sodja

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Janzen-Connell mechanism is proposed to maintain plant diversity: predators and diseases of seeds reduce the number of seeds that survive near a parent tree, but allow seeds far from the parent tree to grow into adulthood. In the area where seeds don’t survive, seedlings from other tree species which are not affected by the seed consumer can grow. At large scales, this effect is thought to increase overall plant diversity. Soil-borne pathogens can contribute to seed mortality in this way, but we don’t know how important different parts of their lifecycle are in creating Janzen-Connell patterns. To determine the …

Evaluating Relationships Of Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perception Between Ranchers And Bureau Of Land Management Professionals, Calee L. Garn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages approximately 245 million acres in the U.S., the majority of which are in the western half of the country. There have been several conflicts in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Arizona, since 2010 that have resulted in a fatality, armed militias, several incarcerations, and lawsuits facing the federal government. Following a preliminary needs assessment conducted in Box Elder County, Utah, and a comprehensive review of the literature, further research was needed to understand BLM professional (BLM managers or BLM specialists) and rancher perceptions regarding BLM policies and procedures. The study specifically looked at attitudes, …

Enteric Methane And Nitrogen Emissions In Beef Cattle Grazing A Tannin-Containing Legume Relative To Feedlot And Traditional Pasture-Based Production Systems, Raúl David Guevara Ballesteros

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Beef cattle production is highly criticized because of the high use of land and water resources, and by the pollution (e.g., the gas methane in a cow’s breath and nitrogen in urine) produced by cows fed in feedlots. In contrast to feedlots diets and grasses, some plants (e.g., legumes) contain bioactive compounds (condensed tannins) that reduce pollution and enhance animal nutrition. In my research, I observed that cows grazing a tannin-containing legume (birdsfoot trefoil; BFT) had methane emissions similar to cows fed a feedlot ration with comparable weight gains. Cows in the BFT treatment gained more weight than cows grazing …

The Farm As Place In A Changing Climate: Capturing Women Farmers' Experiences In Idaho, United States And Victoria, Australia, Tagen Towsley Baker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Australia and the US, women play a vital role in the agricultural sector. However, historically farmwomen’s contributions to agriculture as well as their individual knowledge and social resilience to stressors like climate and climate change have been unrecognized and rendered invisible. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship from geography and the humanities, this dissertation explores the farm as place in a changing climate, drawing on women farmers’ experiences, under three distinct themes: identity, place, and photography. The dissertation research includes three distinct parts. First, incorporating non-fiction writing and photography, I explore my agricultural and religious heritage, as well as familial connections …

Boundaries And Bridges In Rangeland Social-Ecological Systems: Studies Of Collaboration, Innovation, And Information Flow, Gwendŵr R. Meredith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Public rangelands are managed by a mixture of federal, state, and local governments. Often, these groups are charged with managing adjacent lands that are part of the same greater landscape. To do this effectively, communication and collaboration is required. This dissertation examines federal, state, and local agencies’ level of communication through three projects.

The first project examined barriers to agencies adopting management tools from each other. I found that individuals within agencies were mainly staying within their own agency when seeking advice, so individuals were not communicating about tools or their findings across agencies. Furthermore, agency policies and fear of …

Cost-Effective Synthesis, Bioactivity And Cellular Uptake Study Of Aminoglycosides With Antimicrobial And Connexin Hemichannel Inhibitory Activity, Yagya P. Subedi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Amphiphilic kanamycin is one of the promising class of compounds for the treatment of fungal infections in plants and animal. Factor that lead to the restricting of compounds for commercialization includes, the higher cost of production and poor stability of the compound. However, the new lead, identified from the synthesis and biological testing, can be synthesized on a large scale with a cost comparable to commercial antifungals. The newly reported lead is stable at the acidic and basic conditions. Additionally, this compound has an excellent activity towards Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant superbug.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death …

Finding The Time: Age-Depth Models In Rockshelters And Their Paleoenvironmental Implications, Caleb E. Ferbrache

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rockshelters are capable of preserving excellent environmental records within their sediments. But the matter of interpreting an environmental record from rockshelter sediments presents a significant hurdle in the form of dating. An “age-depth model” is typically used to estimate the age of environmental information extending through the deposit. An age-depth model calculates the changes in time between direct ages (like a radiocarbon age) and can provide an estimated age for any depth. While radiocarbon dating can provide an age for organic remains, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) can provide a direct age on quartz sand deposition and is particularly effective when …

In Defense Of The Modern Company Town: Wyoming's Uranium Communities, Zachary R. Larsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most people are at least aware that, in the past, companies that owned mines, lumber mills, and other large-scale industrial projects in isolated areas also ran company towns. For many people, such towns conjure up images miserable working conditions, exploitative company stores, and inadequate shacks for most workers, while managers live in relative luxury up on “snob knob.” Most people are also fairly certain that such towns, at least in the United States, died out about the same time as the horse and buggy. Several industries in Wyoming, however, continued to support company towns through the end of the 20th …

A Model Explaining Medusahead Invasion And Novel Targeted Grazing Approaches Of Control, Casey N. Spackman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski) is currently one of the biggest threats to rangelands and livestock operations in the Western US. High silica concentrations in medusahead contribute to its invasiveness. I developed a model to explain how silica is involved in the invasion process, and attempted to manipulate silica to increase use of the grass by livestock. Experiments were conducted to determine: 1) whether rotational grazing on established forages of improved nutritional quality would provide supplemental nutrients to increase cattle use of medusahead; 2) evaluate intake of and preference for medusahead treated with a glyphosate herbicide at different rates …

Evaluation Of A Proprietary Slow-Release Oxytocin Therapy And Return Of The Luteolytic Mechanism In Mares, Brendan Andrew Sarnecky

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prolonging function of the corpus luteum (CL) is a method of suppressing estrus that maintains secretion of endogenous progesterone to keep mares out of heat naturally. The use of oxytocin to prolong CL function is becoming more popular. In these therapies, upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 is inhibited, which impairs prostaglandin F2α ( PGF2α) production. Intramuscular (IM) administration of 60 IU of oxytocin once daily from 7 to 14 days after ovulation is currently the most common treatment protocol. Although that protocol is efficacious in ≥70% of treated mares, the need for daily administration is a drawback to its use. A proprietary …

Adapting Environmental Ethics And Behaviors: Toward A Posthuman Rhetoric Of Community Engagement, Beth J. Shirley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

What persuades people one way or another to accept or deny climate change? More importantly, what persuades people to act on, ignore, or even be defiant of climate change? We would like to think that people are motivated when they hear the science explained clearly and when they are presented with a clear understanding of how their actions have a lasting impact. Yet the science on climate change has been made clear for some time, and doubt in climate change science is rampant (at least in the United States).

This dissertation seeks to answer these questions and develop a new …

Linkage Of Climate Diagnostics In Predictions For Crop Production: Cold Impacts In Taiwan And Thailand, Parichart Promchote

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research presents three case studies of low temperature anomalies that occurred during the winter–spring seasons and their influence on extreme events and crop production. We investigate causes and effects of each climate event and developed prediction methods for crops based on the climate diagnostic information. The first study diagnosed the driven environmental-factors, including climate pattern, climate change, soils moisture, and sea level height, associated with the 2011 great flood in Thailand and resulting total crop loss. The second study investigated climate circulation and indices that contributed to wet-and-cold (WC) events leading to significant crop damage in Taiwan. We developed …

Urban Alaskan Moose: An Analysis Of Factors Associated With Moose-Vehicle Collisions, Lucian R. Mcdonald

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As human populations continue to grow and encroach into wildlife habitats, instances of human-wildlife conflict are on the rise. Increasing numbers of reported wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) provide tangible evidence of anthropogenic impacts on wildlife as well as increasing threats to human health and safety. Increasing WVCs are of particular concern, especially those involving large-bodied ungulates such as moose (Alces spp.), because of the increased risk of property damage, personal injuries, and human fatalities. Motorists directly involved in a WVC are at risk of injury or mortality, but other motorists are also put at risk due to road obstructions and traffic …

Effect Of Supplemental Prebiotics, Probiotics And Bioactive Proteins On The Microbiome Composition And Gut Physiology In C57bl6/J Mice, Ye Li

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The composition and metabolic activity of the microbiome affect many aspects of health, and there is current interest in dietary constituents that may affect this system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a mix of probiotics, a mix of prebiotics and a bioactive protein fraction on the microbiome, when fed to mice individually and in combination. Mice were fed the total western diet (TWD) supplemented with prebiotics, probiotics, and Tri-Factor (bioactive proteins) individually and in combination for four weeks. Subsequently, effects on the composition of gut microbiome, gut short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentration, gut …