Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization And Application Of Dynamic In Vitro Models Of Human Airway, Hemangkumar J. Patel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, respiratory diseases have emerged as a leading cause of mortality across the globe. In the United States alone respiratory diseases are the fourth leading cause of deaths annually. Moreover, with the rapid increase of industrialization and urbanization, the occurrences of respiratory diseases are expected to remain high with strong chances of increasing in the future. To ameliorate the epidemic of respiratory disease, it is first important to understand its underlying mechanisms.

Respiratory research studies in animals have elucidated the chronological order of the pathological events and systemic responses inside the lung, but understanding the response of individual …

A Study On The Applications And Toxicity Assessments Of Carbon Nanotubes In Tissue Engineering, Rena Baktur

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the most popular nanomaterials. There has been increasing interest in the development and applications of carbon nanotubes due to their huge potential in industrial and medical applications. Recent applications of carbon nanotubes include development of scaffolds and drug delivery systems. Despite rapidly emerging applications of CNTs, little is known about the impact of CNTs on cellular processes, especially mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)'s differentiation. Also, the effects of nanoparticle exposure under different conditions on cellular responses have not been well characterized yet.

To characterize the effects of CNTs on creating nanoscale scaffolds for tissue engineering, …

15n Tracer And Modeling Analyses Of Nutrient Transport Through Lakes In A Subalpine Watershed, David M. Epstein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lakes have historically been overlooked as important nutrient processors within their watersheds. In general ecologists have focused on streams as zones of uptake and transformation, while viewing lakes as simple nutrient traps. However, recent research has highlighted the large influence that lakes may have on water chemistry within their watersheds. Within the field of limnology, researchers have traditionally focused on the pelagic zone for in-lake production. Further research in shallow lakes has highlighted the role benthic production within the littoral zone plays in the lake ecosystem. The greater influence of lakes is highlighted when comparing watersheds containing lakes with watersheds …

Preventative Behavioral Parent Training: A Preliminary Investigation Of Strategies For Preventing At-Risk Children From Developing Later Conduct Problems, Jessica L. Malmberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children exhibiting conduct problems comprise the largest source of referrals to children's mental health services in this county. Significant research has been conducted in an attempt to identify specific risk factors that result in increased vulnerability of a child developing conduct problems. Knowledge of these factors increases our ability to identify young children who are at greater risk for developing conduct problems. The treatment for conduct problems that possesses the greatest amount of empirical support is behavioral parent training. Yet behavioral parent training fails to address behaviors and risk factors that are present during a child's early development. Preventative behavioral …

Basic Concepts In Early Education Programs For Children With Hearing Loss In Listening And Spoken Language Classrooms, Katherine L. Powell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mastery of basic concepts is an academic building block for preschool children in early education programs. Research shows that understanding basic concepts (e.g. top, under, fast, now, all, behind, full and short) is important for academic success and higher order thinking. Experts in the field of concept acquisition agree on six strategies for teaching basic concepts. These strategies include: using positive examples and negative examples, highlighting critical features of concepts through continuous conversion, isolating the concept, the order in which the examples are presented, and teaching generalization. This study investigated the extent to which nine preschool teachers of children with …

Assessing Linkages Among Landscape Characteristics, Stream Habitat, And Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Idaho Batholith Ecoregion, Andrew C. Hill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the composition of lotic communities and the landscape processes and habitat characteristics that shape them is one of the main challenges confronting stream ecologists. In order to better understand the linkages among landscape processes, stream habitat, and biological communities and to understand how accurately our measurements represent important factors influencing biological communities, it is important to test explicit hypotheses regarding these linkages. Increasing our understanding of aquatic communities in a hierarchical context and recognizing how well our measurements represent factors structuring aquatic communities will help managers better evaluate the influence of land management practices on aquatic ecosystems, direct conservation …

The Role Of Dopamine In Resistance To Change Of Operant Behavior, Stacey L. Quick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Psychological disorders such as autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, drug addiction, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder involve atypically persistent behavior and atypical activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Behavioral momentum theory states that the persistence of behavior in a context is determined by the reinforcement received previously in that context. Contexts previously associated with higher rates of reinforcement yield greater persistence of behavior than contexts previously associated with lower rates of reinforcement. According to a prominent hypothesis in behavioral neuroscience, dopamine mediates the incentive salience of a stimulus. A synthesis of behavioral momentum theory and the incentive salience hypothesis proposes similar roles for dopamine activity …

Interclonal Variation Of Primary And Secondary Chemistry In Western Quaking Aspen And Its Influence On Ungulate Selection, Damon A. Winter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones within close proximity to one another can exhibit drastically different levels of browsing by ungulates. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine interclonal differences in plant chemistry between adjacent clones exhibiting different degrees of herbivory which may influence the browsing behavior and patterns of ungulates, and (2) determine if correlation exists in the levels of salicortin and tremulacin between current year's suckers and current year's growth on older trees. This second objective was meant to indicate a protocol for land managers for identifying clones meriting increased protection from herbivory after treatment …

Enhancing Out-Of-Season Production Of Tomatoes And Lettuce Using High Tunnels, Britney L. Hunter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The growing season for vegetable crops is limited by freezing temperatures in arid high elevation climates such as northern Utah. Logan, Utah (41.73 N, 111.83 W, 1382 m elevation) has a short, variable growing season with an average frost-free period of 135 days. Extending the growing season provides growers with an opportunity to extend revenue into a normally unproductive period and benefit from out-of-season price premiums. High tunnels have been used to effectively extend the growing season for numerous crops by providing cold temperature protection. However, limited high tunnel research has been performed in arid high elevation regions that experience …

Conservation From The Bottom-Up: Human, Financial, And Natural Capital As Determinants Of Resilient Livelihoods In Kigoma Rural, Tanzania, Yared J. Fubusa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rhetoric of "community-based conservation" has gained prominence among development specialists and environmentalists, yet such projects are often implemented from the top-down in Africa. This dissertation contends that only a bottom-up approach can foster resilient livelihoods and environmental stewardship.

This study focused on determinants of household resilience within a poverty-stricken agricultural community near Gombe Stream National Park (GSNP) in western Tanzania. The research purpose was to explore: 1) relationships between villagers and GSNP management; 2) how groups and individuals view priority livelihood problems and solutions; 3) various attributes of households; and 4) perceived trends for household resilience and how these are …

Worry And Rumination: Measurement Invariance Across Gender, Janet A. Carter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study examined the factor structure of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Student Worry Questionnaire-30 (SWQ-30), the Anxious Thoughts Inventory (AnTI), the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS), and the Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ). The present study also examined the measurement invariance between men (n = 186) and women (n = 316) in a university sample. Different models for each measure were identified through a review of the literature, and the models were examined through confirmatory factor analyses. The best-fitting models for each measure were retained for subsequent model modification to improve fit and for invariance testing across …

The Status Of Dwarfed Populations Of Short-Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma Hernandesi) And Great Plains Toads (Anaxyrus Cognatus) In The San Luis Valley, Colorado, Megan E. Lahti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The San Luis Valley is a large valley formation in Colorado surrounded on either side by mountain ranges exceeding 4,267 m. Within the Valley, two of the 14 amphibian and reptile species are dwarfed: the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and the Great Plains toad (Anaxyrus cognatus). Since its initial reporting in 1968 and confirmation in 1981, no research further investigating this dwarfism has been conducted. I collected morphological measurements to determine the extent and patterns of dwarfism of both species. I then investigated the genetics of both species using mitochondrial DNA to determine whether they are …

Retrieval Of Aerosol Mass Concentration From Elastic Lidar Data, Christian C. Marchant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Agricultural aerosol sources can contribute significantly to air pollution in many regions of the country. Characterization of the aerosol emissions of agricultural operations is required to establish a scientific basis for crafting regulations concerning agricultural aerosols. A new lidar instrument for measuring aerosol emissions is described, as well as two new algorithms for converting lidar measurements into aerosol concentration data. The average daily aerosol emission rate is estimated from a dairy using lidar.

The Aglite Lidar is a portable scanning lidar for mapping the concentration of particulate matter from agricultural and other sources. The instrument is described and performance and …

Phenotypic And Genetic Characterization Of Wildland Collections Of Western And Searls Prairie Clovers For Rangeland Revegetation In The Western Usa, Kishor Bhattarai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Western prairie clover [Dalea ornata (Douglas ex Hook.) Eaton & J. Wright] is a perennial legume that occurs in the northern Great Basin, Snake River Basin, and southern Columbia Plateau, whereas Searls prairie clover [Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby], also a perennial legume, occurs in the southern Great Basin and surrounding areas. Understanding the genetic and ecotypic variation of these prairie clovers is a prerequisite for developing populations suitable for rangeland revegetation in the western USA. DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS/5.8S) and trnK/matK were used to study the phylogeny of these species. The species were distinguished …

The Effects Of Pedagogical Agents On Listening Anxiety And Listening Comprehension In An English As A Foreign Language Context, Young-Ah Ko

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aimed to explore the impact of pedagogical agents in computer-based listening instruction on EFL students' listening anxiety levels and listening comprehension skills. A total of 66 Korean college students received computer-based listening instruction. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: American agent condition, Korean agent condition, or no-agent condition. Additional data sources were included in the experimental design in order to investigate students' learning experience more thoroughly.

Results indicated that there were no statistical differences in listening anxiety levels and listening comprehension skills between students who worked with the agent and students who worked without the …

Fat Taste Transduction In Mouse Taste Cells: The Role Of Transient Receptor Potential Channel Type M5, Pin Liu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A number of studies have demonstrated the ability of free fatty acids to activate taste cells and elicit behavioral responses consistent with there being a taste of fat. Here I show for the first time that long chain unsaturated free fatty acid, linoleic acid, depolarizes taste cells and elicits a robust intracellular calcium rise via the activation of transient receptor potential channel type M5. The linoleic acid-induced responses depend on G protein-phospholipase C pathway indicative of the involvement of G protein-coupled receptors in the transduction of fatty acids. Mice lacking transient receptor potential channel type M5 exhibit no preference for …

Dietary Milk Fat Globule Membrane Reduces The Incidence Of Aberrant Crypt Foci In Fischer-344 Rats And Provides Protections Against Gastrointestinal Stress In Mice Treated With Lipopolysaccharide, Dallin R. Snow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Milk fat globule membrane surrounds the fat droplets of milk. It is a biopolymer containing primarily membrane glycoproteins and polar lipids which contribute to its properties as a possible neutraceutical. The aims of the studies were to determine if dietary milk fat globule membrane: (1) confers protection against colon carcinogenesis; and (2) promotes gut mucosal integrity while decreasing inflammation compared to diets containing corn oil or anhydrous milk fat.

Aim 1. Three dietary treatments differing only in the fat source were formulated: (1) AIN-76A, corn oil; (2) AIN-76A, anhydrous milk fat; and (3) AIN-76A, 50% milk fat globule membrane, 50% …

An Investigation Of The Utilization Of Soil Water And Nitrogen Among Diverse Forage Plant Species And Mixtures, Sallee Reynolds

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Species diversity achieved by adding novel functional groups (warm-season grasses and non-leguminous forbs) to pasture land, along with traditional grasses and legumes, could aid in the capture of nutrients and water in pasture systems by offering complementary rooting architecture to aid in water and nitrogen uptake and decrease nitrogen leaching. Because these species may differ from commonly used grasses and legumes in their seasonal pattern of productivity, they could also extend or enhance growing-season productivity. The goal of this project is to better understand the role of plant diversity in 1) nitrogen use and 2) distribution of rooting dynamics and …

Maporal Hantavirus Β-Integrin Utilization And Sensitivity To Favipiravir, Kristin K. Buys

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hantaviruses are members of the Bunyaviridae family of viruses. Pathogenic hantaviruses are the etiologic agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), a disease principally endemic in the Old World, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a disease primarily restricted to the Americas. Maporal virus (MPRLV), a recently isolated hantavirus, has been found to cause disease in hamsters that resembles HPS in humans. However, the virus has not been linked to human cases of HPS. Considerable evidence suggests that β-integrin usage mediating infection may serve to distinguish hantaviruses pathogenic to humans from nonpathogenic, but this receptor usage pattern information is not …

Establishment And Aesthetic Value Of Native Grass, Legume, And Forb Species For Grassland Restoration In The Northern Intermountain West, Bridget M. Atkin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Interest in the restoration of landscapes native to the Intermountain West is growing as the value of these arid ecosystems is increasingly recognized. Many landscapes within the Intermountain region have been impacted by grazing, development, recreation, and other human-caused disturbances. The complex relationships within the native plant communities of these arid landscapes need to be well-understood biologically, while considering their aesthetic contribution, if restoration efforts are to succeed. Although the use of ecologically appropriate native species is increasing in popularity, there is discontinuity between aesthetics and meaningful ecological contributions. A series of studies was designed to aid in the restoration …

Ecology And Management Of A High Elevation Southern Range Greater Sage-Grouse Population: Vegetation Manipulation, Early Chick Survival, And Hunter Motivations, Michael R. Guttery

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My research provided new information concerning the management, ecology, and conservation of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). I report the results of an experiment using strategic intensive sheep grazing to enhance the quality of greater sage-grouse brood-rearing habitat. Although forb cover, an important component of brood-rearing habitat, responded positively to the grazing treatment, the response of other habitat variables was suppressed because the plots were not protected from domestic and wild herbivores during the years following the treatments. Measurements taken in grazing exclosures confirmed that herbivory by both large and small animals had significant impacts on vegetation. However, despite …

Historical Biogeography Of Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) In The North American Deserts And Arid Lands, Joseph S. Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For centuries, scientists have been intrigued by the high amount of biodiversity that is found in the deserts of North America. Recently, several studies have investigated the causes of the high diversity found in desert-dwelling mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. These studies have found that many of these organisms seem to have diversified in response to the same historical events. Little work has been done, however, on diverse desert-dwelling insect groups. In this dissertation, I investigate the patterns of genetic diversity in four groups of nocturnal wasps called velvet ants. I compare the patterns of genetic diversity to the historical events …

Kinetic, Mechanistic, And Structural Investigation Of Features Controlling Stereoselectivity Of (R)- And (S)-Hydroxypropyl Com Dehydrogenases From Xanthobacter Autrophicus Strain Py2, Dariusz Adam Sliwa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Enantiopure alcohols are valuable intermediates in fine organic synthesis, in particular for preparation of biologically active compounds. The necessity of preparing single enantiomer drugs in an optically pure form has triggered much research, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. The biocatalytical production of chiral alcohols by alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes is characterized by the asymmetric reduction of the corresponding ketones, usually with high degree of stereoselectivity. The commercial value of the enzymes as stereoselective biocatalysts has been a significant driving force in understanding features that control their mechanism of catalysis and stereoselectivity. This work focuses on two enantiocomplementary dehydrogenase enzymes ((R …

Correspondence Of Job-Preference And Job-Matching Assessment With Job Performance And Satisfaction Among Youth With Developmental Disabilities, Julie Hall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the effects of job preference and job match on job performance among four 19-to 20-year-old young adults with developmental disabilities placed in community-based job conditions. Prior studies have examined the effects of job preference on community-based job performance without the job-matching component. The researcher identified high-preference, high-match and low-preference, low-match job conditions and tasks using a video web-based assessment program. Each participant was subsequently placed in a randomized sequence of 30-min sessions on one high-preference, high-match job condition performing a preferred task and one low-preference, low-match job performing a non preferred task. Job coaches instructed and prompted …

Assessment Of Ruminal Fermentation Characteristics Of Condensed Tannin-Containing Forages Using Continuous Cultures, Christina Marie Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two independent studies were conducted to assess the effects of feeding condensed tannin (CT)-containing forages to continuous cultures to evaluate their impacts on ruminal fermentation and digestibility, with an emphasis on methane (CH4) and ammonia-N (NH3-N) production. In Chapter 3, treatments consisted of: 1) 100% alfalfa hay (AH), 2) 50% AH and 50% birdsfoot trefoil hay (dry matter (DM) basis; AHBFTH), and 3) 100% birdsfoot trefoil hay (BFTH). Three replicated runs lasted 8 d each, with the first 5 d allowed for microbial adaptation to the diets, and 3 d for data collection and sampling. Methane, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) …

Cougar Resource Selection In Two Mountain Ranges In Utah: A Study On Scale And Behavior, Wendy R. Rieth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An understanding of habitat relationships is essential for managing hunted species, such as cougar, that are difficult to census. In the first phase of this study, I used aerial telemetry data to examine diurnal cougar resource selection at 2 scales, and compared results between 2 study sites, the Oquirrh Mountains and Monroe Mountain, Utah. In the second phase of this study, I used conditional logistic regression models and GPS collar data from the Oquirrh Mountains to determine whether cougar resource selection varied over 3 behaviors (prey caching, resting at a daybed site, and nocturnal activities) and 2 scales.

Results from …

Comparative Performance Of Fluorometry And High Performance Liquid Chromatography In The Detection Of Aflatoxin M1 In Two Commercial Cheeses, Gustavo Peña

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM₁) is frequently found in milk and dairy products. It is a metabolite formed in cows from aflatoxin B1 (AFB₁), contained in animal feeds. In cheese production AFM₁ distributes between curds and whey. In this study, cows were fed 64 µg/AFB₁/d for the high treatment, and 5 µg/AFB₁/d for the low treatment, to obtain milk contaminated with AFM1 over the 0.5 µg/L and under 0.05 µg/L restrictions, respectively. Cheese was manufactured with milk contaminated with AFM₁ at 0.8 and 0.03 ìg/kg by the higher and lower …

Perilous Pilgrimage: A Lady’S Flight Into The Rocky Mountain Wilderness, Jane Koerner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

“Perilous Pilgrimage: A Lady’s Flight into the Rocky Mountain Wilderness” is comprised of four thematically linked essays set in the Colorado Rockies. In these essays I probe my fascination with masculinity at an early age, the impact of my rape at age twenty-two, the dependency and resentment that undermined my marriage after the rape, and my quest after my divorce fifteen years later to define myself on my own terms. The link joining these strands is the tension between my drive for independence and my disassociation from my mind and body as a result of the rape.

“Perilous Pilgrimage” revisits …

Comparative Studies On Oxygen Mass Transfer For The Design And Development Of A Single-Use Fermentor, Kristan L. Sorenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Accurate experimental oxygen mass transfer coefficient, a measure of how quickly oxygen travels from a gas bubble to the bulk liquid, is important for comparing performance and for evaluating the oxygen transfer capability of a fermentor. Delays in probe response and changing gas volumes upon start-up of gassing affect the accuracy of oxygen transfer measurements. To mitigate these inaccuracies, a standard correction procedure for oxygen mass transfer data was established for highly oxygenated, well-mixed fermentation systems. Probe response time correction was generated by applying a second-order response model to dissolved oxygen probes and shown to be effective within 4%. By …

A Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Landscape Change Within The Eastern Terai, India: Linking Grassland And Forest Loss To Change In River Course And Land Use, Tanushree Biswas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Land degradation is one of the most important drivers of landscape change around the globe. This dissertation examines land use-land cover change within a mosaic landscape in Eastern Terai, India, and shows evidence of anthropogenic factors contributing to landscape change. Land use and land cover change were examined within the Alipurduar Subdivision, a representative of the Eastern Terai landscape and the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area nested within Alipurduar through the use of multi-temporal satellite data over the past 28 years (1978 – 2006).

This study establishes the potential of remote sensing technology to identify the drivers of landscape …