Digital Commons Network^™

Postharvest Degradation Of Microalgae: Effect Of Temperature And Water Activity, Jacob A. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Though usually a nuisance in swimming pools and ponds, algae has the potential to be a valuable commodity for use as food and fuel. But before algae butter and biofuel become commonplace, issues with harvesting and storing this new crop need to be overcome. Though there has been ample research into how to grow and use algae, scientists have spent little time figuring out what to do after you pull it out of the water and before you eat it (or turn it into biodiesel). Algae, like all food products, starts to spoil as soon as it is harvested.

This …

Potential Of Forage Kochia And Other Plant Materials In Reclamation Of Gardner Saltbush Ecosystems Invaded By Halogeton, Rob C. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gardner saltbush ecosystems are increasingly being invaded by halogeton, a competitive annual weed that increases soil surface salinity and reduces plant biodiversity. This study was established on the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, in the Ashley National Forest near Manila, UT to evaluate the ability of forage kochia, Russian wildrye, tall wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass and Gardner saltbush, in monocultures and binary mixtures with Gardner saltbush, to establish and compete in ecosystems dominated by halogeton. A dormant seeding, with and without prior disking, was conducted to determine the ability of plant materials to establish. A spaced-plant evaluation was used to determine …

Greater Sage-Grouse Seasonal Habitat Models, Response To Juniper Reduction And Effects Of Capture Behavior On Vital Rates, In Northwest Utah, Avery Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) is a species of conservation concern in Utah and across their range throughout the western US and southern Canada. Sage-grouse decline is primarily a result of declines in sagebrush habitat on which sage-grouse depend for winter, summer, nesting, and brood habitat. Detailed site-specific knowledge of sage-grouse ecology and distribution in needed to effectively conserve the species. To expand knowledge of local populations within the West Box Elder Sage Grouse Management Area (SGMA) in NW Utah and gain insights into the effectiveness of vegetation treatments intended to benefit sage-grouse, I radio marked and …

Analysis Of Portfolio Diversification And Risk Management Of Livestock Assets In The Borana Pastoral System Of Southern Ethiopia, Medhat Ibrahim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ethiopia is one of the poorest and most populated countries in the world. It is also one of the largest receivers of foreign aid in the world. The Borana Plateau in the Oromia region is one of the poorest regions in southern Ethiopia. The local population in this region has relied on livestock for their livelihood for many generations. The growing number of humans and livestock on the Borana Plateau has caused the rangeland to be degraded. Coupled with more frequent and severe droughts, this growth can cause the loss of a large number of the livestock in this region …

Effects Of Plant Stress On Facultative Apomixis In Boechera (Brassicaceae), Mayelyn Mateo De Arias

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In flowering plants, apomixis is asexual reproduction by seeds. Apomixis allows the production of offspring with the same genetic characteristics as the mother plant. Fertilization is not required. Apomixis could become a tool for naturally cloning high-yielding crop hybrids through their own seed. However, apomixis does not occur in major crop plants, except for citrus. In the present study, genes that might cause apomixis in naturally occurring apomictic plants were investigated. Sexual and apomictic species of the genus Boechera were exposed to stressed and non-stressed conditions. Effects of these treatments on the expression of apomixis was then measured. Stress triggered …

Relationship Of Nutritional Factors To Cognitive Decline In The Progression Of Dementia: The Cache County Dementia Progression Study, Chelsea Sanders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Cache County Memory Study at Utah State University studied longitudinal changes in memory and aging in a population-based sample of 5,092 older adults in semirural Cache County, UT. Three hundred twenty-eight participants with dementia were identified through a multi-staged screening and assessment protocol and visited semiannually for up to 8 years in the Dementia Progression Study (DPS). The current project reviews data from the first 6 years due to attrition in later years. Researchers collected information regarding the participants’ demographics, health, lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity), cognitive abilities and neuropsychiatric symptoms as well as their caregivers’ demographics, health, and …

Catalytic Pyrolysis Of Olive Mill Wastewater Sludge, Hamza Abdellaoui

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

From 2008 to 2013, an average of 2,821.4 kilotons/year of olive oil were produced around the world. The waste product of the olive mill industry consists of solid residue (pomace) and wastewater (OMW). Annually, around 30 million m³ of OMW are produced in the Mediterranean area, 700,000 m³ year⁻¹ in Tunisia alone. OMW is an aqueous effluent characterized by an offensive smell and high organic matter content, including high molecular weight phenolic compounds and long-chain fatty acids. These compounds are highly toxic to micro-organisms and plants, which makes the OMW a serious threat to the environment if …

Synthesis Of Fluorogenic Probes For Studying Biomass Degradation And Synthesis Of New Antifungal Aminoglycosides, Qian Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For the first project, a library of fifteen commercially purchased and synthetic fluorogenic probes were employed for the investigation of biomass degradation using extract of white-rot fungi. These discoveries prove that it is possible to employ fungi for selective degradation or release of hemicelluloses from biomass. This work is supported by Sun Grant Western Regional Center/DOT "Bioprospecting for Enzymes to Break Lignin-Hemicellulose Bond" ($300,000,09/01/2011-08/31/2013)

The second project is focused on synthesizing new aminoglycoside analogs and exploring the potential to revive traditional antibacterial kanamycin as new type of antifungal agents. Although aminoglycosides antibiotics are mainly used as antibacterial agents, this project …

Effects Of Beef Finishing Diets And Muscle Type On Meat Quality, Fatty Acids And Volatile Compounds, Arkopriya Chail

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Consumer evaluation, proximate data, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), fatty acid (FA) composition and volatile compounds were analyzed from the ribeye steaks (LT) finished on conventional feedlot (FL) and forages, including a perennial legume, birdsfoot trefoil (BFT; Lotus corniculatus), and a grass, meadow brome (Bromus riparius Rehmann, Grass). Representative retail forage (USDA Certified Organic Grass-fed, COGF) and conventional beef (USDA Top Choice, TC) were investigated (n = 6) for LT. Additionally, the effects of diet on round (GM) and chuck (TB) muscles FL, BFT and Grass were explored. Forage-finished beef was less liked in most of the affected …

Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Algal Biomass And A Supplemental Carbon Source Material To Produce Methane, Yousef Soboh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The demand on alternative energy is rapidly increasing because the reserves of conventional fuel are decreasing and their impacts on the environment are increasing.
Developing renewable energy sources should receive utmost attention. The production of biofuels like methanol, biodiesel, and methane from various kinds of abundant biomass represents a very attractive energy source that can reduce the dependence on conventional fossil fuels energy.

Since algae contains high amounts of nitrogen and low carbon content, this research focused on anaerobic fermentation of algae to produce methane by blending algae with a supplemental carbon source material, sodium acetate. This was done to …

The Role Of Diet, Erythrocyte Membrane Fatty Acid Composition, And Alzheimer's-Related Genes In Systemic Inflammation In The Cache County Memory Study, Rola Adnan Jalloun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 60 to 80% of all dementia cases. It affects 5.2 million Americans and 44 million worldwide. This project examines the association between dietary patterns, erythrocyte membrane fatty acids concentration, and AD-related genes in systemic inflammation as indicated by serum C-reactive protein (CRP). All studies performed in this project used the data collected in the Cache County Memory Study (CCMS).

Higher levels of accordance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean dietary (MED) patterns were associated with consistently lower levels of CRP in …

Relative Toxicity Of Select Dehydropyrrolizidine Alkaloids And Evaluation Of A Heterozygous P53 Knockout Mouse Model For Dehydropyrrolizidine Alkaloid Induced Carcinogenesis, Ammon W. Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids (DHPAs) are toxins produced by approximately 3% of the world’s flowering plants that can be present naturally or as contaminants in animal feed and the human food supply. Many of these compounds have been determined to cause cancer in animals and probably also cause cancer in humans. Due to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient amounts of pure DHPAs most toxicity research has been done via injection of a small amount into the abdomen of a rodent, although natural exposure is exclusively oral. For the same reason, cancer research is limited to a handful of the hundreds of known …

Analysis Of Quality Of Two Different Varieties Of Peaches With Respect To Organic And Conventional Cultivation Techniques, Shruti D. Sawant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The worldwide demand for organic produce has been on the rise in recent years. This is a result of consumer concerns about the environment and chemicals used in food production. In addition, consumers have demonstrated that they are willing to pay premium prices for organic produce based on the general assumption that organic produce is more nutritious, environmentally friendly, and better-tasting. There have been several studies that have reported significant differences with organic and conventionally grown produce. Organic fruits and vegetables have been shown to have higher dry matter, antioxidants. In addition, it has also been shown to be smaller …

Pregenomic And Genomic Effects Of 24,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3, Yang Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the United States, the major dietary source of protein is poultry meat, particularly chicken. Phosphorus absorption in chickens is a critical problem in poultry production. It therefore is important to understand the cellular and molecular regulation of phosphorous absorption in intestine to increase efficiency of the process. This would provide the benefits of reducing feed costs and reducing phosphorous excretion, thereby contributing to the sustainability of agriculture in the United States. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is determining the effect of vitamin D metabolites involved in phosphate homeostasis using the chicken as a model.

Validation Of Tissue Nutrient Status For Tart Cherry (Prunus Cerasus) And Peach (Prunus Persica) In Utah, Emily Tsai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fruit tree nutrition requirements change during the growing season as buds form, shoots grow, fruit sets, and internal reserves are filled. Nutrient concentrations in plant tissues are directly correlated with the nutritional status and productivity of fruit trees. Plant tissue testing is used to effectively and accurately determine the nutritional status of perennial plants. Tissue test analyses were performed on tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) and peach (Prunus persica) leaves to validate tissue sufficiency levels used in Utah and to determine optimal timing of tissue sampling for prediction of harvest nutrient status, focusing on phosphorus (P), potassium …

The Effects Of Social Norms Feedback On Fruit And Vegetable Consumption And Skin Carotenoids Among College Students, Troy A. Bailey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fruit and vegetable consumption, which has been shown to have a protective effect against chronic diseases, often decreases during the first few years of college. Implementing public health interventions to improve consumption of these foods may be time-consuming, costly and burdensome. The aim of this study was to determine if a social norms intervention, examining the effects of normative and manipulated feedback of participants’ carotenoid scores compared to a no-norm control, could increase fruit and vegetable consumption among college students. Such a strategy could be a cost-effective method for promoting healthy diets in this population.

While self-reported increases in fruit …

Beef Average Daily Gain And Enteric Methane Emissions On Birdsfoot Trefoil, Cicer Milkvetch And Meadow Brome Pastures, Lance R. Pitcher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Conventional production of meat products from ruminant animals in the United States requires inputs including the cultivation and nitrogen fertilization of annual grains such as corn and barley, and transportation of cattle and grain to feedlots. Consumers have concerns about the impact of feedlot conditions on animal health, and about the implications of pharmaceutical inputs such as growth hormones and antibiotics on the environment and human health. These concerns have led to a growing interest in pasture-finished meat production by consumers. Such smaller-scale livestock production systems can be healthier and lower-stress for animals, are integrated into local food systems and …

The Fate Of Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Conventional And Engineered On-Site Wastewater Drain Fields, James Beardall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah State University Division of Environmental Engineering student, under the direction of Ms. Judith L. Sims, has investigated the fate of six pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in conventional and engineered on-site wastewater drain fields. The presence of PPCPs in the environment, especially in aquatic environments, has raised awareness to the effects of PPCPs on aquatic life and the fate of these PPCPs, and has caused regulators to become more involved in setting requirements for the removal of PPCPs from wastewater.

This research investigated the fate of caffeine, acetaminophen, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, progesterone, and fluoxetine in laboratory scaled columns that …

Self-Learning, Dvd-Based Education Versus Traditional Education Approaches To Improve The Safety Of Warfarin Use Among Patients With Atrial Fibrillation, Jessica Oliver Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia that requires extensive medical and pharmaceutical management. The coagulation antagonist warfarin is commonly prescribed to reduce AF-associated stroke. Although warfarin effectively mediates thromboembolitic risk, its management is complex as many factors influence its therapeutic range including: genetics, diet, medication, and herbal and dietary supplement (HDS) interactions. Lack of patient knowledge regarding these factors contributes to poor patient outcomes. With the emerging epidemic of AF, readily available educational tools are necessary to improve patient outcomes while reducing clinician burden.

The purpose of this study was to develop both a self-learning, DVD-based and one-on-one …

Contribution Of A Novel Obligatory Heterofermentative Nonstarter Lactobacillus Species To Late Gassy Defect In Cheddar Cheese, Fatih Ortakci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cheddar cheese is usually aged for 3 to 24 months at temperatures ranging from 5 to 13°C. Ripening at elevated temperatures hastens the process, reducing manufacturing costs and enabling manufacturers to bring the product to market more quickly. However, cheeses ripened at elevated temperatures sometimes exhibit late gassy defect that may cause a textural defect, commonly referred to as slit defect. This results in crumbling and
losses during cutting of as much as 50%, making slit defect a major economic issue in the cheese industry. Moreover, loose or blown cheese packages are unsuitable for sale in the supermarkets due to …

Implementation Of Online Tutoring Program To Increase University Student Information Retention, April Litchford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis discusses an online tutoring program, MasteringNutrition©, that was implemented as a required portion of an entry level collegiate nutrition course. The tutoring program was introduced to test the ability of the program to improve memory of nutrition information taught during the course. The MasteringNutrition© program combines various teaching techniques that have been successful in increasing student learning. The major techniques discussed include: Socratic questioning, metacognition, and problem based learning. These techniques are incorporated into the MasteringNutrition© program.

To test the effect of the Mastering© tutoring program, ten questions specific to course learning objectives were asked of students in …

Effect Of High Intensity Ultrasound On Crystallization Behavior And Functional Properties Of Lipids, Yubin Ye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The elimination of trans-fatty acids from food formulations has resulted in the search of new lipids and novel processing conditions that can provide optimum functional properties in fats while providing good nutritional properties. High intensity ultrasound (HIU) has been extensively studied on sonocrystallization of lipids since early 2000. Sonocrystallization refers to the induction of crystallization by HIU without generating any chemical changes. This dissertation aims to provide information on the effects of HIU on crystallization behavior and physical properties of different shortenings based on previous sonocrystallization research. Results in this dissertation showed that HIU successfully induced the crystallization of …

Improvement Of Nutrient Utilization Efficiency, Ruminal Fermentation And Lactational Performance Of Dairy Cows By Feeding Birdsfoot Trefoil, Rachael G. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Condensed tannins (CT) are compounds that have shown potential to reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming waste products. In two live animal studies and a continuous culture study, it was hypothesized that feeding birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus, BFT), a CT-containing legume, would improve nutrient utilization, milk, and component yield of dairy cows compared with feeding alfalfa hay or grass pasture in two studies, while feeding BFT forage would decrease methane production and improve rumen fermentation in addition to concentrate supplementation was the hypothesis of the third study. Reduction in milk urea nitrogen (MUN) and …

Price Slides Within Cattle Markets Over Time And Space, Justin Edward Dickamore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The production of cattle in the United State is a very large business. Production begins at the cow-calf level, where a calf is born and raised to a specific weight. This weight is the weaning weight and averages between 300-600 pounds. The calf is then typically shipped to a feedlot, where it is fed a high corn ration which increases the weight of animal quickly and cost effectively to reach a sufficient slaughter weight. Cattle production takes place primarily in 5 different geographical locations which include the North Central, Southeast, Northern Plains, Southern Plains, and West regions. Due to the …

Effects Of Blue And Green Light On Plant Growth And Development At Low And High Photosynthetic Photon Flux, Michael Chase Snowden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research in photobiology dates back over 200 years with studies using primitive light sources. This early research identified photoreceptors and action spectra for specific regions of the light spectrum that are paramount for photosynthesis as well as growth and development that are still topics of interest today.

Photobiological research has become an area of increasing interest since the introduction of light-emitting diodes which allow for evaluating endless combinations of light spectra. Red light-light emitting diodes were the first to be introduced that had an electrical efficiency comparable to existing light sources. The research found that red light alone was not …

Ego-Identity And Long-Term Moratoria: Associations With College Attendance And Religious Volunteerism, Mark A. Jackson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which college experiences and participation in religious missionary service for an extended period were associated with ego-identity development, specifically in terms of identity exploration and commitment. A sample of late adolescents (N = 425), all of whom had participated in at least some college and of whom 122 had volunteered as LDS missionaries, provided information about their college/missionary experiences that could be related to identity development and reported levels of identity exploration and commitment.

Results indicated that LDS postmissionaries and LDS non-postmissionaries differed significantly only in the variables …

Exploring Extension Faculty Members' First-Time Experiences With Funded Couple Relationship Education, Jacquelyn M. Alderete

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension faculty members are increasingly involved in offering couple and relationship education (CRE), but some have limited background in this format of family life education. This study used a phenomological approach to examine the experiences of Extension faculty members who offered CRE in their respective counties for their first time. Data were collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews. Four themes emerged from the interview data. First, considerations for offering this type of education included valuing CRE, having sufficient and specific knowledge about the needs of the county for CRE, and access to other forms of …

Inhibition Of L. Monocytogenes Growth In Dairy Products With Lactose Monolaurate, Yao Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Foodborne illness is a very severe problem, and it is now a serious issue throughout the world. Within the 5 pathogens that cause more than 90 percent of foodborne illnesses, Listeria monocytogenes ranks the third. L. monocytogenes causes the highest death rate among all foodborne pathogens, and it represents high risks to pregnant women, fetuses and people with weak immune systems. Therefore, inhibition of Listeria in food becomes a relevant topic in food industry and scientific field nowadays.

Adding antibacterial agents into food products is considered as an effective method to inhibit Listeria growth. My research was focused on characterization …

Dramatic Play Affordances Of Natural And Manufactured Outdoor Settings For Preschool-Aged Children, Kimberly K. Cloward Drown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Concern for child wellness has led play professionals to explore natural playscapes as a means to enhance free play and consequently child development. For preschool children, dramatic or make-believe play is particularly beneficial for enhancing cognitive, social, and emotional skill. Dramatic play in collaboration with other children (sociodramatic play) and, surpassing that, complex socio-dramatic play (group make-believe with a sustained theme that uses sophisticated symbolism) are most valuable for development.

This study compared natural and manufactured outdoor play settings to determine which provided the most opportunity for quality dramatic play. Twenty-four 3- to 5- year olds were observed during daily …

The Impact Of Participation In The Food Dudes Healthy Eating Program On Dietary Habits In Fourth And Fifth Grade Students In Cache County Utah After One Year, Amanda B. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescents are not meeting the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables (FV). The Food Dudes Healthy Eating Program (FD), developed by researchers in the UK, has previously been shown to increase lunch time and overall FV intake in elementary school aged children. The aim of this study was to test if participation in the FD program during late elementary school could prevent decreases in FV intake and increases in junk food intake during the transition from elementary school into middle school.

A decrease in average lunchtime FV intake was seen at the beginning of the transition into middle school. …