Digital Commons Network^™

The Thermal And Physical Properties Of Beef From Three Usda-Quality Grades Cooked To Multiple Degrees Of Doneness, Jessica Mcclellan Hadfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of quality grade (QG) and degree-of-doneness (DOD) on thermophysical properties of beef strip steaks. The “Prime” eating experience must be marketed to compete with cheaper protein sources, and so palatability is a major concern with beef products. Thermal and physical properties help shed light on the impacts various components have on beef palatability, mainly tenderness and juiciness. Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and the textural property of springiness are both influenced by a combination of QG and DOD. This is also true for viscoelasticity and the degradation of myosin and sarcoplasmic …

A Narrative Approach To Educational Video Training, Matthew S. Havertz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teachers often use videos to teach their students, but stories are not used as often in educational videos as they could be. Experts tell us that stories are an important part of teaching and learning. Unfortunately, there is only a small amount of research and no definitive expert agreement about stories used in educational videos. This is especially true for videos used with technical education students, like mechanic students or dental assisting students. In this study, dental assisting students learned how to assist a dentist with a standard cavity procedure after watching a video with or without a story. The …

Women In Agriculture: Living In A "Man's World", Ennea A. Fairchild

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite women’s involvement in agriculture, their contributions have been overlooked in society. Women make up at least a third of those involved in agriculture as farmers, landowners, and in agricultural faculty positions. These numbers do not appear to be decreasing. Although there are several agricultural roles, this study focuses primarily on those women who own agricultural land, but do not farm the land themselves. Rather, these women rent it out to a farmer who operates the land for them (women nonoperating landowners or WNOLs, in short). Previous research suggests these women may be facing considerable barriers as an agricultural landowner …

Optimization Of Biogas Production By Use Of A Microbially Enhanced Inoculum, Anna Doloman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A renewable energy source, biogas, comprises of methane (80%) and carbon dioxide (15%), and is a great alternative to the conventional fossil-based fuels, such as coal, gas and oil. Biogas is created during anaerobic biological digestion of waste materials, such as landfill material, animal manure, wastewater, algal biomass, industrial organic waste etc. A biogas potential from organic waste in the United States is estimated at about 9 million tons per year and technology allows capture of greenhouse gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, into a form of a fuel. In the light of global climate change and efforts to …

Using Tree-Ring Growth And Stable Isotopes To Explore Ponderosa Pine Ecophysiological Responses To Climate Variability And The 2012-2015 California Drought, Rachel M. Keen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Climate warming in recent decades has resulted in more frequent and severe drought events in the western United States. These changes are projected to continue, making it exceedingly important to understand how forests respond to severe drought stress, and how we can manage these forests to reduce mortality during future events. The 2012-2015 California drought is a recent example of a severe, multi-year drought that was coupled with an epidemic-scale outbreak of western pine beetle, killing nearly 90% of ponderosa pines in the central and southern Sierra Nevadas. In the first portion of this study, we compared pairs of surviving …

Exploring The Capacity Of Bacteria For Natural Product Biosynthesis, Ozkan Fidan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation is focused on exploring the potential of bacteria for the biosynthesis of natural products with the purposes of generating novel natural product derivatives and of improving the titer of pharmaceutically important natural products.

A wide variety of compounds from various sources have been historically used in the treatment and prevention of diseases. Natural products as a major source of new drugs are extensively explored due to their huge structural diversity and promising biological activities such as antimicrobial, anticancer, antifungal, antiviral and antioxidant properties. For instance, penicillin as an early-discovered antimicrobial agent has saved millions of lives, indicating the …

Eared Grebe Nesting Ecology And Chronology Along The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Leah M. Delahoussaye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) are migratory birds that build their nests over water and in large groups called colonies. Their typical breeding range is in central southern Canada and northern United States; however, a previously uncertain number of Eared Grebes (grebes) also nest around the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, at the southern edge of their breeding range. Little is known about the habitat requirements for grebe nesting colonies at such low latitudes and if they are different from colonies found elsewhere. My objectives for this research were to determine the status of the grebe nesting population as …

Barriers, Roles, And Information Source Preferences For Utilizing Agricultural Science Projects Among Utah 4-H Extension Professionals, Aleigh Aurin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Agriscience is the growing study of biotechnology, business, and economics within the agriculture industry. Through 4-H, youth can experience hands on learning through different program areas. The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers, roles, and how Utah 4-H personnel preferred to learn about new programs. The study showed time and available volunteers were a barrier for 4-H Extension personnel to implement Agriscience projects. Other results included internet and workshops as the top choices for training programs. The Extension personnel agreed it was their job to involve and educate youth. Yet, need training in how to integrate Robotics; …

The Red Front Door, A Memoir, Camila B. Sanabria

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This is a creative thesis that contains two components: 1) a critical introduction that defends the representation of mixed-status families and deportation narratives, and 2) a memoir that depicts my experience with deportation and as a member of a mixed-status family. The second component of this thesis will consist of the first four chapters of my memoir, with the remaining chapters to be completed post-graduation. These chapters take place the years before my parents’ deportation and the year immediately after. The memoir is a coming-of-age story that explores my ethnic identity, along with themes such as insider versus outsider. This …

Genetic Mapping Of Grass Monoculture And Grass-Legume Mixture Compatibility Qtls In Intermediate Wheatgrass, John Mortenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to increased environmental stewardship and fertilizer prices, there is increased interest in using legume mixes in perennial croplands. The objective of this study was to compare quantitative genetic parameters and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) when grown in 1) a non-competitive spaced environment, 2) a polyculture with alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and 3) a monoculture with crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum). Traits evaluated include plant growth characteristics (Zadok’s maturity, height, and tiller count), biomass, and forage nutritive value (CP, NDF, ADF, ADL, IVTD, NDFD, NFC, ME, RFQ). A linkage map …

Teachers' Conceptions Of Mathematics And Intelligent Tutoring System Use, Andrew R. Glaze

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ conceptions of mathematics and their use of intelligent tutoring systems for mathematics instruction. Intelligent tutoring systems are adaptive computer programs which administer mathematics instruction to students based on their cognitive state. A conception is a mixture of beliefs and knowledge. The participants in this study were 93 junior high school mathematics teachers from three school districts in the Midwest. Data were gathered using a two-part online survey. The first part of the survey contained questions about their use of intelligent tutoring systems, graphing calculators, Desmos and dynamic …

Query Autoawesome, Chetna Suryavanshi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research investigates how to improve legacy queries. Legacy queries are queries that programmers have coded and are used in applications. A database application typically has tens to hundreds of such queries. One way to improve legacy queries is to add new, interesting queries that are similar to or based on the set of queries. We propose Query AutoAwesome, a tool to generate new queries from legacy queries. The Query AutoAwesome philosophy is taken from Google’s AutoAwesomizer tool for photos, which automatically improves a photo uploaded to Google by animating the photo or adding special effects. In a similar …

Investigation Of The Molecular Determinants And Extrinsic Factors That Regulate Prmt Product Specificity, Tamar B. Cáceres

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protein arginine methylation is an important modification of proteins, involved in many cellular processes. Some examples are transcription, RNA editing, cellular communication, DNA repair, viral replication and chromatin remodeling. In recent years, the significance of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) in human diseases has been increasingly studied, especially in cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although the importance of these enzymes is recognized, the understanding of how exactly PRMTs function is still limited. Very little information is available to explain how or why any of the different PRMTs interact with other proteins or, what determines where in that protein to place their methyl …

Resurgence Of Cocaine-Seeking In Rats Following Long Access And Punishment, Rusty W. Nall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Strategies that provide access to alternative non-drug rewards are among the most effective at reducing substance use in individuals with substance use disorders, but relapse often occurs when alternative rewards are removed. Relapse induced by the loss of alternative rewards is called resurgence, and represents a challenge to otherwise effective strategies for reducing drug use. An animal model has been useful for studying resurgence, but the extant model has two limitations. First, humans usually refer to the negative consequences of drug use as the reason they stop taking drugs, but the extant model uses drug unavailability to reduce drug seeking. …

Dementia Caregiver Coping Strategies And Caregiver-Care Recipient Relationship Closeness: Associations With Care-Recipient Outcomes, Stephanie Behrensberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project used data from the Dementia Progression Study, a longitudinal, population-based study based out of Cache County, Utah. Statistical models were used to examine the association between caregiver factors, the care environment, and cognitive outcomes in persons with dementia. Mediational analyses were also used to examine if the care environment, inferred for nutritional status, engagement in physical and cognitively stimulating activities, mediated the relationship between the closeness/caregiver coping strategies and cognition in persons with dementia. Results showed that closer caregiver-care recipient relationships were associated with better nutritional status and more engagement in number of cognitively stimulating activities as well …

Thylacine Dreams: The Vernacular Resurrection Of An Extinct Marsupial, Daisy M. Ahlstone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis explores the folk resurrection of the thylacine through artwork and symbolic interaction. The thylacine, better known as the Tasmanian tiger, is a marsupial that suffered a government-sanctioned massacre leading to its extinction in 1936. The thylacine’s status as a hidden animal has inspired what folklorists call “ostensive practice”; people not only actively seek out the thylacine in the wilderness of Tasmania today and share their sightings online, but they have also incorporated the thylacine as a symbol of hope and perseverance into various forms of folk art.

There have been upwards of five thousand documented sightings of the …

Nest-Site Selection Of Golden Eagles And Ferruginous Hawks And Diet Composition Of Sensitive Raptor Species Using Metabarcoding Analysis In The Uinta Basin And Ashley National Forest, Ut, Usa, Dylan J. Hopkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Development and climate change in the sagebrush habitats are causing population declines of North American hawks and eagles. For these species, understanding the landscape features that are preferred for nesting and the prey they consume in sagebrush habitats are important in developing conservation plans. Specifically, we know little of the preferred nest-sites and diet of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) and Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) many locales. In our study, we determined the landscape characteristics associated with nest sites for these two raptor species in the Uintah Basin, UT to predict where nests may occur in our …

The Vulnerability Of Littoral Structures Under Multiyear Drought Conditions, Jenna M. Keeton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Climate change is associated with altered environmental conditions and shifting mosaics of suitable habitats for organisms. Climate change in the form of drought can shift important lake shoreline habitats downslope, altering the lakes chemistry and habitat availability. Additionally, negative biological consequences can occur after a loss of submerged habitat along shorelines, hereafter littoral habitat. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether littoral habitat is lost (cobble, coarse woody habitat (fallen trees; CWH), and aquatic vegetation) under drought conditions across the United States. I used the National Lakes Assessment physical habitat data collected in summer 2012, when 75% of …

"There Should Be No Tolerance For Intolerance": Internal Antagonism In Online Fan Communities, Michelle W. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis focuses on exploring cases of internal antagonism in fan communities, with a specific focus on the Steven Universe (2013 -) and Undertale (2015) communities present on Tumblr and Twitter. Internal antagonism is a phenomenon that occurs when a community targets a member within itself instead of outside itself, often as a way to mediate and regulate the community and reinforce its values. This thesis considers three case studies of internal antagonism with both physical and digital implications in order to better understand the role it plays in shaping and sustaining online fan communities as well as mediating the …

The Factors Affecting Wind Erosion In Southern Utah, Mehmet Ozturk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wind erosion is a global issue and affecting millions of people in drylands by causing environmental issues (acceleration of snow melting), public health concerns (respiratory diseases), and socioeconomic problems (costs of damages and cleaning public properties after dust storms). Disturbances in drylands can be irreversible, thus leading to natural disasters such as the 1930s Dust Bowl. With increasing attention on aeolian studies, many studies have been conducted using ground-based measurements or wind tunnel studies. Ground-based measurements are important for validating model predictions and testing the effect and interactions of different factors known to affect wind erosion. Here, a machine-learning model …

Biophysical And Structural Characterization Of Shigella Atpase Spa47 Oligomerization Provides Insight Into Type Three Secretion System Activation And Virulence, Jamie L. Burgess

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several bacterial pathogens including Shigella (shigellosis), Escherichia coli (urinary tract infections), Pseudomonas (lung infections), Salmonella (food poisoning), and Yersinia (plague) critically rely on a complex type three secretion system (T3SS) for infection. With the rise in multi-antibiotic resistant strains of several of these pathogens, we turn to the T3SS as a promising target for the development of novel therapeutics. The Dickenson lab at Utah State University has been the first to identify and characterize the ATPase Spa47, the energy source of the Shigella infection system. We show that Spa47 is necessary for proper T3SS formation and function, being ultimately responsible …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Livestock Guardian Dogs: Loss-Prevention, Behavior, Space-Use, And Human Dimensions, Daniel Kinka

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Livestock guardian dogs – or “LGDs” – are commonly used by domestic sheep ranchers and reduce the need for killing wild carnivores to protect livestock. LGDs are mostly used in the United States to reduce the number of livestock killed by coyotes, but whether they can prevent killing by larger carnivores like wolves and grizzly bears is unclear. It is important to identify which behavioral traits and LGD breeds work best for guarding livestock so that ranchers can protect their stock and environmentalists can enjoy a greater number of wild animals on the landscape. This study investigated the effectiveness of …

Ecosystem Functioning Of Great Salt Lake Wetlands, Maya Cassidy Pendleton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Great Salt Lake (GSL) wetlands account for ~75% of all Utah wetlands and provide not only critical habitat for millions of migratory birds, but also provide valuable ecosystem functions and services as well as economic benefits to Utahns. However, these wetlands are facing an aggressive invader, Phragmites australis, that has spreading across the GSL wetlands and replacing native wetland habitats. Wetland managers have spent countless resources and time trying to control the spread of P. australis and restore GSL wetlands. However, we do not fully understand how these wetlands functions and services are being altered with this habitat …

Development And Validation Of An Agricultural Literacy Instrument Using The National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes, M. Rose Judd-Murray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to develop a standardized agricultural literacy assessment using the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) as benchmarks. The need for such an assessment was born out of previous research, which found that despite numerous programs dedicated to improving agricultural literacy, many students and adults remain at low or very low levels of literacy. Low literacy levels lead to negative associations with the production and processing of food, clothing, and shelter, as well as misinformed public perceptions and policies. Agricultural literacy researchers recognized that the development of a standardized assessment for post-12^th grade, or equivalent, could unify …

Epigenetic Reprogramming, Apoptosis, And Developmental Competence In Cloned Embryos, Laura A. Moley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cloning through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) remains highly inefficient twenty years after the first demonstration of the technology with the birth of Dolly. By increasing efficiency by selecting the embryos early in development that are most likely to succeed following transfer into a surrogate mother, the technology could be more routinely utilized to enhance animal agriculture production. SCNT is believed to be highly inefficient as a result of incorrect DNA methylation and gene expression that are accumulated because of the SCNT technique. We proposed the use of a non-toxic, non-invasive detector of cell death, to quantitatively assess embryo competency …

The Effect Of Lactation And Energy Status On Gene Expression In The Main Reproductive Tissues Of Lactating Dairy Cattle, Sameer M. Alhojaily

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Modern high-yielding dairy cows are currently producing far more milk than their ancestors due to a prolonged and intensive genetic selection for milk production trait accompanied by the revolutionary improvement in technology, management, and nutrition. On the other hand, a noticeable decline in fertility and reproductive performance was undeniably consistent with the increase in milk yield. This decline in fertility and reproductive performance are recognized worldwide and well documented in several studies. Dairy cows typically experience a period of energy deficit during the first few months of lactation due to the rapid increase in milk production and limited feed intake. …

Subsistence Strategy Tradeoffs In Long-Term Population Stability Over The Past 6,000 Years, Darcy A. Bird

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I conduct the first comparative analysis of long term human population stability in North America. Questions regarding population stability among animals and plants are fundamental to population ecology, yet no anthropological research has addressed human population stability. This is an important knowledge gap, because a species’ population stability can have implications for its risk of extinction and for the stability of the ecological community in which it lives. I use archaeological and paleoclimatological data to compare long term population stability with subsistence strategy and climate stability over 6,000 years. I conduct my analysis on a large scale to better understand …

Death Ends A Life Not A Relationship: The Embodied Mourning And Memorializing Of Pets Through Material Culture, Gemma N. Koontz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many individuals develop strong bonds with their pets, viewing them as close “furry” friends or family. When these beloved companions die, both their relational and physical absences are deeply felt. Lacking socially recognized rituals to mourn and memorialize their pets, owners turn to and adapt traditional “human practices,” primarily that of keeping meaningful or significant items of the deceased.

Using both personal experiences and perspectives from multiple fields, this thesis discusses the life-cycle of the human-animal bond, examines the types of items owners keep or create, and how these are used to facilitate both mourning (the outward expression of grief) …

Male Reproductive Infection And Sexual Transmission Of Zika Virus In An Immunocompromised Mouse Model, Chad S. Clancy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a sexually transmitted viral infection most frequently transmitted by mosquitoes. The source of infectious virions in the male reproductive tract has yet to be elucidated. The goals of the studies included developing and characterizing two mouse models for reproductive transmission studies and demonstration of sexual transmission of virus via artificial insemination. The mouse strains used in the study lacked receptors to interferon molecules, key signaling proteins of the host immune response. Inflammation severity was assessed during acute disease, 5-11 days after infection using a novel histopathology grading system. ZIKV proteins and genome were initially detected in …

Impacts Of Cattle Grazing As A Tool To Control Phragmites Australis In Wetlands On Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Carbon, Brittany L. Duncan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Phragmites australis is a plant that is causing problems in wetlands by outcompeting native plants that provide food and shelter for millions of migratory birds. Currently, managers try to control Phragmites australis by spraying herbicide, burning, and mowing, but these methods are costly, time consuming, and have low levels of success. Adding grazing as a tool to control Phragmites australis provides a cheap and low labor alternative. However, there are many concerns regarding if grazing will cause nutrient loading in our wetlands that will decrease water quality and alter beneficial functions of wetlands.

To better understand the effects of grazing …