Digital Commons Network^™

Utilizing Legumes To Improve Production And Nutritive Value Of Intermountain West Pastures, Jacob T. Briscoe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pastures in the Intermountain Western United States mainly consist of cool-season grasses which lack production without supplemental nitrogen. Legumes provide nitrogen at reduced cost compared to nitrogen fertilizer. There is a need for proven methods of inter-seeding legumes into existing cool-season grass pastures as well as knowledge of how animals prefer legumes to grasses and how the nutritive value of forages change throughout the growing season. This research provides a resource for effective integration of legumes into pastures of the Intermountain West. Alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, and cicer milkvetch were inter-seeded into existing cool-season grass pastures following pretreatments of light tillage, …

Using Anthropogenic Risks To Inform Salmonid Conservation At The Landscape Scale, Andrew W. Witt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The expansion and industrialization of humanity has caused many unforeseen consequences to the natural world. Due to the importance of freshwater for people, rivers have been particularly altered to meet human needs, often at the expense of the natural world. Supplying water for farms, industries, and cities has reshaped the natural state of rivers by altering river paths, chemistry, and species compositions. These changes have harmed many species that prospered before widespread human alterations, including the native trout and salmon of western North America. As human populations continue to grow, new threats will surface for rivers, and the trout and …

Understanding Plant Secondary Metabolites; Above And Below Ground, Andrea K. Clemensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plants naturally produce primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites are directly involved with plant growth and metabolic function. Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) were once thought of as metabolic waste products, and more recently viewed as toxins to herbivores. However, ongoing research shows that PSM are beneficial to herbivores at low doses, and PSM aid plants by attracting pollinators, recovering from injury, protecting from ultraviolet radiation, increasing drought tolerance, and aid in defense against pathogens, diseases, and herbivores. Plant secondary metabolites also influence soil nutrient cycling, and can increase the sustainability of agroecosystems. Endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), which …

What Resources Do School Librarians Use When Developing New Programming: A Qualitative Inquiry, Jennifer Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For this qualitative analysis, I analyzed observational and interview data from two middle school librarians setting up new active learning programs. I focused my research by analyzing the preliminary data gathered in field notes from observations at the different library sites to determine what programming resources the librarians were using. A secondary consideration was drawn from preliminary evidence, which indicated the librarians turned to many on and offline information resources, including the social curating site Pinterest. After gathering initial data from observations, I gathered additional data from two interviews: the first interview focused on where the librarians find information and …

Silage Corn Hybrid Response To Row Width And Plant Density In The Intermountain West, Mark A. Pieper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Corn (Zea mays L.) hectarage has increased rapidly in Utah and Idaho in recent years due to expansion of the dairy industry, but little is known about corn production practices that optimize yield and quality of silage corn in semi-arid irrigated cropping systems. The objective of this study was to determine the dry matter yield and quality effects of corn hybrids grown in different plant densities and row widths in the Intermountain West. Field experiments were conducted under irrigation in 2015 and 2016 at locations near North Logan, Utah and Jerome, Idaho. The experimental design was a randomized complete …

Impact Of Basal Diet On Obesity Phenotype Of Recipient Mice Following Fecal Microbiome Transfer From Obese Or Lean Human Donors, Daphne Michelle Rodriguez Jimenez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The composition of the gut microbiome can be affected by environmental factors, such as diet. The Western dietary pattern is associated with microbiome dysbiosis and adverse health outcomes, including obesity and metabolic disorders. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of gut microbiota from lean or obese human donors on metabolism and weight gain in recipient mice fed one of three basal diets: 1) the standard AIN93G diet, which promotes rodent health; 2) the total Western diet (TWD), which mimics the American dietary pattern and promotes inflammation-associated colorectal carcinogenesis; and 3) a 45% high fat diet-induced obesity …

Assessment Of Microchimerism Following Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer And Natural Pregnancies In Goats (Capra Aegagrus Hircus), Kirsten Karen Gash

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a powerful tool for production of transgenic animals for various biomedical and agricultural applications. For instance, our group is using SCNT to produce transgenic goats to study the role of cardiac fibrosis in initiation and progression of atrial fibrillation. There is a possibility of cell transfer from a transgenic fetus to its non-transgenic surrogate mother, known as fetal microchimerism; from a transgenic mother to non-transgenic fetus, maternal microchimerism and from a transgenic twin to non-transgenic twin in utero. Initially, we have assessed the presence of fetal microchimerism in tissue samples from non-transgenic surrogates …

Gene-Environment Interaction: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Bdnf) As A Moderating Factor For The Effects Of Exercise And Diet On Cognitive And Mental Health: The Cache County Study On Memory In Aging, Chelsea L. Sanders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Cache County Study on Memory in Aging, funded by the National Institute on Aging, studied longitudinal changes in memory and aging over 12 years’ follow-up in a population-based sample of 5,092 older adults in semirural Cache County, UT. Among the extensive interview procedures, researchers collected information regarding the participants’ demographics, health, genetic factors, diet, physical activity, and cognitive abilities. This study has allowed researchers to investigate how genetic and modifiable lifestyle factors interact to predict health, cognitive function, and psychological wellbeing in older adults.

Diet and exercise are important lifestyle factors in maintaining cognitive health and psychological wellbeing throughout …

Development And Characterization Of Reporter-Expressing Zika Viruses, Michael E. Woolley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, Zika virus (ZIKV) has garnered worldwide attention due to its epidemic spread throughout the Americas and due to the newly recognized link between ZIKV infection and neurological diseases, including microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. ZIKV is a mosquito-borne member of the genus Flavivirus, which includes the other prominent human pathogens Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. Many questions about the biology of ZIKV and how it causes disease remain unanswered. Furthermore, there currently are no vaccines or licensed antiviral drugs available to treat ZIKV infection. The goal of this study was to …

Evaluation Of Therapeutics For An Enterovirus 71 Infection In An Ag129 Mouse Model, Christopher Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Discovered in 1969 in California, enterovirus 71 (EV-71) is a serious cause of disease in young children. It is one of the major causative agents of hand, food, and mouth disease (HFMD), and can produce neurological complications, such as meningitis, encephalitis, and an acute flaccid paralysis. For serious cases, the fatality rate can be up to 26%, almost exclusively in young children.

While the virus was initially discovered in the United States, it was soon detected in the Eastern hemisphere, causing outbreaks in Europe and Asia. The largest outbreak occurred in Taiwan in 2008, with approximately 490,000 cases and 128 …

Investigations Of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Secretion And Production Using Sustainable Carbon Sources, Chad L. Nielsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a type of biologically-produced plastic known for their biocompatibility and biodegradability. They have the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics as an environmentally-friendly alternative. This is beneficial because the release of plastics into environments such as the ocean and the buildup of plastics in landfills are major concerns facing society today. Currently, however, PHAs are significantly more expensive than their petroleum-based counterparts. This is largely due to the cost of carbon sources and of extracting the bioplastics from bacteria. The goal of these studies was to examine replacing traditional carbon sources used in PHA production like sugar and …

Effect Of Silicon On Wheat Growth And Development In Drought And Salinity Stress, Spencer A. Tibbitts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Silicon is a major component of most soils, and is found in significant concentration in plant tissue. Plants vary widely in the amount of silicon they take up, with some plants excluding it, and others using transporters to move the silicon from the soil into their roots. Early plant physiology studies were unable to determine conclusively whether silicon was essential to plant growth, but for some plants, most notably rice, it has proved to be important enough to justify fertilizing silicon deficient fields.

Researchers at the USU Crop Physiology Lab tested the effect of silicon on wheat growth and seed …

Breeding Season Ecology And Demography Of Lesser Scaup (Aythya Affinis) At Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Jeffrey M. Warren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is hypothesized that individuals make reproductive decisions based on current assessments of their physiological condition and environmental conditions. For female lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), breeding occurs after an energetically costly spring migration. Increasing fat reserves (i.e., ‘body condition’) prior to breeding allows a female to produce a larger clutch of eggs, but time spent gaining body condition is costly in terms of time allowed to raise ducklings before freezing conditions in the fall. In Chapter 2 I explored rate of pre-breeding body condition gain in female lesser scaup, and how that rate influenced clutch size. Spring phenology, …

Targeted-Grazing As A Fuels Reduction Treatment: Evaluation Of Vegetation Dynamics And Utilization Levels, Travis Decker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildfires have caused concern as they have increased in severity and intensity over the last few decades. Land managers have sought management actions to mitigate the risk of wildfire by reducing fuel loads, thus decreasing wildfire intensity. Camp Williams is a National Guard camp near Bluffdale, Utah, where small arms and artillery training occurs. Managers at Camp Williams have created fuel breaks by implementing targeted sheep and goat grazing to remove fine fuel and thin brush. Management objectives set utilization of fine fuels (herbaceous) at 80% by weight. Questions arose regarding the ecological impact of the prescribed grazing rates in …

Evaluating Water Filtration And Disinfection For Household, Using Slow Sand Filters Plus Solar Disinfection, Mariana Demitry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this research, a household water treatment system was built and evaluated as a trial for improving the drinking water quality of the Nile River for the low-income communities. The system consisted of household-scale slow sand filters, and transparent polyethylene terephthalate-bottles for solar disinfection. The evaluation of the system depended on the removal/inactivation of some surrogates for the reference pathogens, and turbidity. The reference pathogens are pathogens specified by the World Health Organization to evaluate the efficiency of the household water treatment options. They were chosen to represent the classes of pathogens in water (bacteria, viruses, protozoa). The surrogates used …

Using Remotely Piloted Aircraft And Infrared Technology To Detect And Monitor Greater Sage-Grouse, Thomas R. Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In wildlife management, using cutting edge technology and science to monitor greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) populations, enables land managers to better assess the impact of their management decisions. Having precise counts of sage-grouse lek attendance, and specifically male lek attendance, is an important metric used to evaluate population status and response to conservation actions (Gifford et.al, 2013, Dahlgren et al., 2016). Leks are seasonal breeding sites where males perform a ritualistic courtship dance for females.

Our case study examined if a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) was effective in detecting, and counting, sage-grouse during the lek season (early …

Effect Of High Intensity Ultrasound On The Crystallization Behavior Of Interesterified Fats, Jeta Vijay Kadamne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The process of partial hydrogenation produces trans fats and the fats that undergo this process are called partially hydrogenated fats (PHF). Clinical studies have shown a strong association between PHF and coronary heart diseases. In 2015 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed the Generally recognized as safe or "GRAS" status of PHF. These fats were used in confectionary, margarines, shortenings, doughnuts, cookies, cakes, etc. The PHF serve a function in food by providing a higher shelf life and a desired harder structure due to their higher melting point. Hence, the food industry is currently looking for PHF alternatives which …

Learning Logic: A Mixed Methods Study To Examine The Effects Of Context Ordering On Reasoning About Conditionals, Christina W. Lommatsch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Logical statements are prevalent in mathematics, the sciences, law, and many areas of everyday life. The most common logical statements are conditionals, which have the form “If H..., then C...,” where “H” is a hypothesis (or condition) to be satisfied and “C” is a conclusion to follow. Reasoning about conditionals is a skill that is only superficially understood by most individuals and depends on four main conditional contexts (e.g., intuitive, abstract, symbolic, or counterintuitive). The purpose of this study was to test a theory about the effects of context ordering on reasoning about conditionals. To test the theory, the researcher …

Characterization Of Black Walnut Genotypes For Resistance To Thousand Cankers Disease, Frost Hardiness And Other Desirable Horticultural Traits, J. Elisa Lauritzen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The black walnut, Juglans nigra L., is native to the United States (USA) and is a valuable timber and nut tree. Just before the beginning of the 21st century, several western states observed a decline in the health and, later, death of black walnut trees. The pathogen-vector complex now known as thousand cankers disease (TCD) was shown to be the cause. The disease, caused by Geosmithia morbida Kolařik, is vectored by the walnut twig beetle (WTB), Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman. Thousands of WTB will swarm and enter a tree vectoring the fungus at each entry point where cankers then develop, quickly …

Changing Nonhuman Impulsive Choice, C. Renee Renda

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Preference for smaller-sooner over larger-later rewards characterizes one type of impulsivity—impulsive choice. Impulsive choice is related to a number of maladaptive behaviors including substance abuse, pathological gambling, and poor health behaviors. As such, interventions designed to reduce impulsive choice may have therapeutic benefits. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore two methods to change nonhuman impulsive choice. In doing so, we hope to provide a baseline that future research can use to assess variables that are less amenable to human research (e.g., drug self-administration following reductions in impulsive choice). In Chapter 2, we failed to reduce nonhuman impulsive choice …

Characterization Of Lactose Fatty Acid Esters For Their Microbial Growth Inhibitory Activity And Emulsification Properties, Seung-Min Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sugar esters, substances made from bonding fatty acid tails to a sugar head, can play a number of key roles in food systems from antimicrobial agents to emulsifiers. These unique and very useful properties result from their water-loving and water-avoiding ends. Lactose, a sugar found in milk, based esters are important, as they are environmentally friendly and inexpensive, however, they are not very well understood. I created four different types of lactose esters: lactose monooctanoate (LMO), lactose monodecanoate (LMD), lactose monolaurate (LML) and lactose monomyristate (LMM), and then compared them to each other to see which would be the best …

Silane Modulation Of Protein Conformation And Self-Assembly, Abul Bashar Mohammad Giasuddin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research focused on development of nanoparticle- based therapeutics against amyloid fibrils. Amyloid fibrils are associated with various diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, mad cow disease, Alzheimer’s, and cataracts. Amyloid fibrils develop when proteins change their shape from a native form to a pathogenic “misfolded” form. The misfolded proteins have the ability to recruit more native proteins into the pathogenic forms, which self-assemble into amyloid fibrils that are hallmarks of the various protein-misfolding diseases listed above. Amyloid fibrils are highly resistant to degradation, which may contribute to the symptoms of amyloid diseases. Synthetic drugs, natural compounds, and antibodies are widely …

Ph Effects On The Sorption Of Fluoxetine And Sulfamethoxazole By Three Powdered Activated Carbons, James D. Schneider

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are widely used throughout the world. PPCPs are emerging as pollutants of concern and may pose a risk in the future to drinking water supplies. Two such compounds are sulfamethoxazole (SMXL) and fluoxetine (FLX). These ionizable compounds are not readily removed from water by conventional water treatment technologies. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) is a useful material for removing contaminants from water and is currently used in many water treatment applications. PACs may carry either a net positive or negative surface charge depending on the pH of solution. This study examined the hypothesis that the …

Understanding The Late Mesoproterozoic Earth System From The Oldest Strata In Grand Canyon: C-Isotope Stratigraphy And Facies Analysis Of The 1254 Ma Bass Formation, Grand Canyon Supergroup, Az., Usa, Erin C. Lathrop

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rocks provide insight into ancient times before complex animals existed. The oldest sedimentary rocks in Grand Canyon (the Bass Formation) allow us to glimpse into what things might have been like over a billion years ago. These rocks record the time known as the Mesoproterozoic Era (1.6 to 1.0 billion years ago), otherwise known as the ‘boring billion’. These rocks are thought to be the right age to indicate the end of an oddly stable world when continents were quiet and life was calm, yet they predate younger rocks that record extreme events. The Bass Formation, some of the only …

Modernizing Composition With An Online Photography-Themed Course, Sharolyn Richards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this thesis, I argue that it is important for students in a Freshman English Composition class to learn to compose with images and text. This builds on what other research and professors have done in having students turn in multimedia compositions. Since there is opportunity for students to compose with images and text in print as well as online, it is important for them to know how images and text work together. This thesis includes the research I did and lesson modules for an example semester.

They Have No Ears To Hear My Pleas: Short Stories Of The Post-Apocalypse, Keoki W. Kemp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This is a creative thesis consisting of two short stories in the post-apocalyptic genre. A genre that highlights suffering, societal trauma, and the effects of trauma and loss on the human psyche. This genre asks the reader to be sympathetic to these extreme plights. Post-apocalyptic narratives also feature classic heroes who come out on top, despite the genre’s harrowing settings. The two stories featured in this creative thesis are an answer to my inquiry into the genre and seeks not only to show what makes post-apocalyptic literature entertaining but also worthy of literary merit.

The two short stories that constitute …

Modeling The Spread Of Alfalfa Stem Nematodes: Insights Into Their Dynamics And Control, Scott G. Jordan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alfalfa is a major cash crop in the western United States, where fields that are infested with the alfalfa stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci) can be found. With no nematicides available to control alfalfa stem nematode spread, growers can use nematode resistant varieties of alfalfa to manage nematode populations in a field. A deterministic, discrete-time, host-parasite model is presented that describes the spread of alfalfa stem nematodes on resistant hosts that was fit to experimental data obtained in Weber County, Utah. Numerical results obtained from simulations with the model are used to compare how varying levels of resistance can affect …

Lifetime Estrogen Exposure And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: Implications For Cognitive Decline In Late Life, Joshua M. Matyi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Cache County Study on Memory in Aging (CCSMA) is a longitudinal population-based study which took place in Cache County, Utah. The study followed 5092 older-adult residents (aged 65+) for approximately 12 years to examine risk and protective factors for dementia. Participants completed dementia screening and follow-up assessments across four triennial visits. Additionally, researchers gathered information regarding demographics, reproductive history (e.g. age of menopause; hormone replacement therapy [HRT]) and other health-related factors, such as physical activity. Genotyping of DNA was completed for a genetic variation of genes for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein found in the brain associated with …

Bovine Mastitis Resistance: Novel Quantitative Trait Loci And The Role Of Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells, Jacqueline P. Kurz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bovine mastitis, or inflammation of the mammary gland, has substantial economic and animal welfare implications. A genetic basis for mastitis resistance traits is recognized and can be used to guide selective breeding programs. The discovery of regions of the genome associated with mastitis resistance, and knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible, can facilitate development of efficient mastitis control and therapeutic strategies. The objectives of this dissertation research were to identify sites of genetic variation associated with mastitis resistance, and to define the contributions of the milk-secreting epithelial cells to mammary gland immune responses and mastitis resistance. Twenty seven regions …

Evaluation Of Oocyte Developmental Competence And Potential Strategies To Improve Oocyte Quality, Min Yang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have now been extensively used to promote reproductive efficiency as a fertility treatment not only in human medicine but also animal reproduction. ARTs serve as an important tool to advance the fundamental knowledge of reproductive processes. The quality of female’s eggs defines its ability to undergo maturation, fertilization, and development. This quality is determined by various factors and is crucial for the success of ARTs. Any alternations happening during the egg growth and maturation process can result in the decreased quality, which could have long-lasting effects on development. Improving the developmental efficiency of the egg is …