Digital Commons Network^™

Soil Health, Phosphorus And Carbon Dynamics In Response To A One-Time Compost Application And Cover Crops In Organic Dryland Winter Wheat, Idowu Ademola Atoloye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Organic dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) growers in the U.S. are faced with high interannual variability in yields. This is related to the low annual precipitation and low soil fertility on the cultivated soils. Improving soil health is the key to increasing and maintaining crop yields. In this study, we compared the effects of different rates (0, 12.5, 25 and 50 Mg DW ha^-1 compost and 2 Mg ha manure^-1) of large quantities of steer manure compost and the inclusion of cover crops versus fallow on soil health and on carbon and phosphorus dynamics in …

Understanding The Microbial Population Of Lactococcus Lactis. Subsp. Strains During Cheese Making And Initial Storage, Rhitika Poudel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cheddar cheese is manufactured by fermenting milk with lactic acid bacteria added as Lactococcus lactis. The two major subspecies used are lactis and cremoris. Starter culture for this study was prepared and donated by Vivolac Cultures Corporation, Greenfield, Indiana. Cheddar cheese was made in duplicate using two strains of lactis and cremoris. Milled curd was salted with 2.0, 2.4, 2.8, 3.2 and 3.6% salt, pressed for 3 h and stored at 6¬∞C. The curd was sampled during cheese making and after 6d storage. Two different methods of enumeration were employed. One method involved plate counting which only …

Effects Of Short Season Irrigation On Pasture Yield And Predicting Yield With Sentinel-2 Satellite, Ihsan Bugra Bugdayci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Deficit irrigation can reduce agriculture water use making additional water available for other uses. This study looked at multi-year impacts of deficit irrigation on pasture yield. The results show that that early irrigation provides the most benefit to cool season pastures and late season irrigation only had small impacts on yield. According to this research, irrigation water can be saved without impacting the yield importantly.

Remote sensing techniques are becoming a part of agriculture. Yield predictions are important for the farmers and others involved with agriculture. In this research, relationships between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) calculated from remotely …

Demographics, Accuracy, And Impact Of Feed Laboratories In The United States, Jerald H. Severe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Feed analysis is very important to modern society. In the United States feed analysis is used to optimize production of food animals. Feed analysis is also used as a tool to place value on crops. As important as feed analysis is to society, little research has been done that describes which feed laboratories are the most popular and why people use them. It has been thought by some patrons that different results from the same feed sample are obtained by different laboratories. Is this true? If so, what is the effect on those that use feed laboratories to produce animals, …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Adverse Childhood Experiences And Health Outcomes In Adulthood, Sallie Mack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to many negative physical and mental health disorders in adulthood. Many individuals in the United States have ACEs, and rates are higher among people of color. Less is known about how to prevent these physical and mental health disorders and symptoms for individuals with ACEs. Five different factors may help in intervening on the negative effects of ACEs. These include: mental wellness, healthy relationships, physical activity, sleep and nutrition (Burke Harris, 2018). This study investigated how these factors influence health in adulthood for individuals with ACEs. The current researcher used data from the …

Development Of Molecular Sensor And Imaging Analysis Techniques For Improving Life Quality, Wei Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As life science advances, we are getting closer and closer to understanding the truth about life. Some specific cell types or molecules play a vital role in regulating routine functions of life. The imperceptible changes of these critical components can lead to serious diseases. Traditionally, histopathological techniques are widely employed to study and diagnose human diseases. However, these methods are time consuming and invasive. Herein, we introduce multiple types of biosensors that are sensitive, easy to use and most importantly non-invasive. First, I developed a smartphone based colorimetric sensor for detection of water hardness in a convenient way by introducing …

Automation Of Feature Selection And Generation Of Optimal Feature Subsets For Beehive Audio Sample Classification, Aditya Bhouraskar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The last couple of decades have witnessed an abnormal phenomenon of reduction in the bee population, this is a serious matter of concern as three out of four crops available globally have honey bee as their sole pollinator causing significant economic losses and an unbalance in the ecosystem. There have been many theories about the cause of bee colony collapses such as parasites, pesticides and poor nutrition however conclusive evidence of this phenomenon is yet to be identified.

Human inspection of beehives requires precision. It takes an experienced beekeeper to determine the health of a hive by the sounds generated …

The Effects Of Milk Phospholipids On Functional Properties Of Anhydrous Milk Fat And Oil Structured Gel Systems, Zachary Cooper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lecithin is an ingredient commonly used in foods composed of high concentration of phospholipids. Phospholipids are a type of fat that can mix with both water and oil. In the current food industry, most lecithins come from sunflower, egg, and soybean sources. An additional source of phospholipids can be the waste streams from the dairy industry, such as the whey protein and butter making processes, since these contain a high concentration of phospholipids. Dairy phospholipids have been isolated in the past, but their traits as a functional ingredient are still unknown. In addition, most isolated dairy phospholipids still contain protein, …

Impacts Of Tourism On The Ecophysiology Of The Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Alison C. Webb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased interest in ecotourism over recent years has led to more direct human-animal interactions and a striking concomitant increase in the provisioning of non-natural food, that may have unintended consequences for the wildlife involved. The critically endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana provides a valuable model to address the potential impact of food provisioning on health as there are populations that represent a graded variation in human presence, with sites experiencing high, low, or no tourism. To assess the potential impacts of tourism on iguana physiology I first reviewed the relevant literature on iguana physiology and then performed three investigations focusing …

Influence Of Forage Diversity And Condensed Tannins On Livestock Foraging Behavior, Production And Environmental Impact, Sebastian P. Lagrange

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating a combination of forages with different chemistries (i.e., nutrients, beneficial compounds such as tannins) may enhance ruminant nutrition and reduce environmental impacts relative to eating single forages. I explored the influence of offering sheep and cattle all possible combinations of tanniferous (i.e., plants with tannins; birdsfoot trefoil, sainfoin) and non-tanniferous legumes (i.e., plants without tannins; alfalfa) or their monocultures on animal performance, behavior, and methane and nitrogen (N) emissions. Offering choices among these legumes to penned sheep improved intake and diet digestibility relative to feeding monocultures. Mixtures selected by sheep were better digested than mixtures containing equal parts of …

The Effects Of Different Organic Pastures On Dairy Heifer Growth And Development, Jacob A. Hadfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Raising dairy heifers in a certified organic setting can be difficult for producers. Conventionally, heifers are raised in a confined setting, and fed a total mixed ration (TMR) that is balanced daily to contain all the needed nutrients for developing heifers. Organic producers can use a TMR in their operations, but due to high organic feed costs, many choose to raise their heifers in pasture-based systems. While pasture-based systems may lower costs, heifers on pasture commonly have lower rates of gain, which can be financially burdensome to producers. Grass-legume pastures may help improve rates of gain in heifers on pasture-based …

Evaluation Of Enrichment And Identification Media For Isolation Of Common Bovine Salmonella Serotypes, Katie Irene Swanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Salmonellosis is an important cause of diarrhea in humans and animals, which can lead to death in severe cases. Rapid and efficient detection of Salmonella spp. is essential to limit the spread of disease. Many enrichment procedures have been described for the isolation of Salmonella, and often include variations on Rappaport-Vassiliadis medium, which is recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The current procedures vary in incubation temperature, incubation time, and type of media used for identification of Salmonella. This project compared four procedures for enrichment and identification of common bovine Salmonella serotypes. We determined the best …

Characterization Of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Performance With Pentanoic Acid And N-Acetyl Cysteine Treatment, Joseph Camire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To improve the cost of producing protein therapeutics manufacturers can attempt to increase the amount of protein produced per unit volume. Some small fatty-acids have shown the ability to increase protein concentrations in some manufacturing systems. An example system is in the industrially important cell line derived from a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO). A drawback of adding these fatty-acids is they can increase the rate of cell death.

A potential way to minimize the cell death rate, caused by adding fatty-acids, is to also add additional anti-oxidants. Through a series of studies, we demonstrate production with different fatty-acids, butanoic acid …

Effect Of Long Pasteurization Run Times On Bacterial Numbers In Milk, Brynli Tattersall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project was funded by the Western Dairy Center to understand how long a milk pasteurizer can be operated before increases in bacterial numbers are observed in the pasteurized milk. While pasteurization kills pathogenic bacteria there are some non-pathogenic bacteria that can survive and have the ability to become attached to the surfaces in the cooling sections of the pasteurizer. Some bacteria can also produce spores that survive pasteurization even if the bacterial cells are killed. Temperatures in the cooling section remain in a range suitable for growth of these heat-tolerant bacteria and can allow germination of bacterial spores. While …

Trisiloxane Surfactant Adjuvants In Pollen, Autumn Slade

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chemicals are often added to agricultural pesticide mixes to help increase the efficiency of the field spray solution, and one of the main groups of chemicals used for this purpose are trisiloxane surfactants (TSSs). Normally TSSs are considered non-toxic, but recent studies have shown TSSs to have negative impacts on organisms like honey bees. Though TSSs have recently been found in environmental sources like water, pollen, and beeswax, little is known about how TSSs behave in the environment or affects active ingredients, like pesticides.

To help determine the environmental prevalence and fate of TSSs, several studies were performed. Pollen was …

Effect Of Plant Derived Tannins On Nitrogen And Carbon Cycling In Pasture Soils, Kathryn A. Slebodnik

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pasture-finished beef has become increasingly popular, but nitrogen losses from these pastures are of concern. Legumes containing condensed tannins such as birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) may serve as environmentally and economically viable alternative forages in pasture finishing systems while reducing soil nitrogen loss. The goal of this project was to understand how tannin type and concentration affects soil nitrogen cycling both in the lab and the field. This thesis: 1) compared the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil samples obtained from grazed grass and tannin and non-tannin containing legume pastures, 2) …

Novel Three-Dimensional Scaffold For Skeletal Muscle Tissue, Matthew H. Clegg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cells are traditionally grown on a flat, plastic surface that has been optimized for cell attachment. While this is appropriate for growing and maintaining cells, this two-dimensional cell culture model is not an adequate representation of a three-dimensional body. Creating three-dimensional lab models is an important step to model diseases and damage to the skeletal muscle system.

To create this three-dimensional environment, a plastic frame was designed to support silkworm fibers. Skeletal muscle cells were then grown along the silkworm fibers and the growth of these cells in a three-dimensional environment was compared to cells grown on a flat, two-dimensional …

Reusable Light-Activated Antimicrobial Materials Prepared With Food Ingredients, Andrew T. Gagon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Microbial contamination and proliferation in food processing, distribution and storage continues to be a real risk in spite the wide variety of food processing and preservation techniques available. Some of these techniques (such as heat treatments and the use of chemical preservatives) may require substantial amounts of energy and their effects in the general population and the environment may be harmful. This has generated an interest over alternative methods of food preservation. The use of reusable light-activated materials may represent an effective approach. In this study, a polypropylene plastic was modified with either zein, which is found in corn, or …

Response Of Glyphosate-Resistant Alfalfa To Glyphosate Application In The Intermountain West, Logan Chet Loveland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) has been widely adopted in the Intermountain West United States, where alfalfa plays an important role in agriculture. Exceptional tolerance to glyphosate application has been a reported strength of this technology; however, growers have recently reported potential crop injury under certain environmental conditions. The purpose of this study was to document and characterize the injury, identify local conditions that may have contributed to crop injury, and determine best management practices for avoiding injury to GR alfalfa in the Intermountain West. The effects of glyphosate rate and application timing were investigated at 24 sites …

Enhancing The Production And Sustainability Of Pasture-Fed Beef Using Non-Traditional Legume Forages, Andrea I. Bolletta

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite the increasing worldwide demand for beef as a protein source, consumers are concerned about the sustainability of ruminant production systems. Their main concerns are animal welfare for feedlot-fed animals, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, global warming and worker safety. Traditional feedlot-based beef production systems have been associated with locally greater levels of soil, water and air contamination, as well as the overuse of antibiotics and growth hormones. The use of legume pastures such as cicer milkvetch (CMV) and birdsfoot trefoil (BFT), which fix their own nitrogen (N) and often contain beneficial secondary compounds such as tannins and provide for rapid …

Interactions Between Water-Stress And Maize Resistance To Spider Mites With Varied Host Specialization, Gunbharpur S. Gill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider mites are well-documented pests of many agricultural crops including cereals such as maize. In hot and dry conditions, when crop plants are under water-stress, spider mite populations can rapidly increase within weeks and can cause severe yield losses. One approach to manage pests, such as spider mites, is through the development and selection of plants that can resist pests. Screening of maize lines has provided evidence of spider mite resistance; however, it is unclear how plant water-stress may affect the ability of maize to sustain spider mite resistance. In addition, it is important to understand how plants respond to …

Exploring The Connection Between Acid Exposure And Virulence In Listeria Monocytogenes, Minghao Li

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive food-borne pathogen that is widely dispersed in the environment and can cause listeriosis with high fatality rates when consumed in contaminated food products. They are capable of growing over a wide range condition. Listeria is also able to tolerate adverse conditions which allows the bacterium to survive in unfavorable environments. The ubiquitous nature of L. monocytogenes makes it difficult to eliminate from food systems. One major problem in the food industry is the survival of L. monocytogenes under sublethal low pH-environment since organic acids are widely used as food decontaminants. Prior research has suggested that …

Protecting Crops From Abiotic Stress: Copper Oxide Nanoparticle Effects On Wheat And A Beneficial Rhizobacterium, Matthew Potter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nanoparticles (NPs) are defined as particles less than 100 nm in at least one dimension. CuO NPs have possible applications in agriculture as micronutrient sources, pesticides, and enhancers of crop stress tolerance. Here, three aspects of CuO NP agricultural applications are studied: 1) the potential of CuO NPs to prevent wheat lodging-when crops irreversibly fall over; 2) CuO NP-induced drought tolerance in wheat seedlings; and 3) the effects of CuO NPs on outer membrane vesicle (OMV) production by Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6 (PcO6), a plant-health promoting bacterium.

Wheat grown 7 d exposed to CuO NPs in the growth matrix …

The Influence Of Protein Concentration And Homogenization On Moisture Content, Curd Yield, And Fat Retention Of Model Cheese Made From Microfiltered Skim Milk Recombined With Cream, Richard Byron Geslison

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project was funded by the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University as part of a multi-pronged approach to improve the current understanding of using concentrated milks in cheese making. Concentrated milk for this study was provided by South Dakota State University.

This study compared the effect of different concentration factors of milk on curd moisture levels, fat content, and cheese curd yields. To see if these results could be improved (i.e. remove more moisture and retain more fat) milk samples were also subjected to limited pressure homogenization (microfluidization) treatments.

It was found in the course of this study …

Salinity Tolerance In Kentucky Bluegrass Hybrids, Paul G. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Diminishing water sources in the Intermountain West have led to increased use of alternative sources of water. These sources, such as reclaimed water, generally have elevated salinity levels that may slow growth, and cause a decline in turfgrass quality. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is sensitive to salt stress, but is otherwise very well adapted to many turfgrass areas because of its dark color, durability, ability to recover from wear, and soft texture. Because of these positive traits, it has been the subject of selection for salt tolerance. This study was designed to evaluate the salt tolerance of hybrids …

Perceptions And Behavioral Intentions Of Utah 4-H Equine Program Leaders In Teaching Equine Safety To Youth, Katelyn M. Huffman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is an inherent risk associated with working with youth and large equine. The Utah 4-H Equine program is a volunteer-based program that seeks to properly educate youth on equine husbandry, this includes the topic of safe equine handling practices. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and behavioral intentions of Utah 4-H Equine Program leaders about teaching equine safety, including attitudes, perceived behavioral controls and subjective norms. The survey instrument consisted of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and six-point Likert scale questions regarding personal demographics, experience teaching equine safety, attitudes towards safety, perceived behavioral controls, …

North Dakota Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) Recovery Project: Using Translocation To Prevent State-Wide Extirpation And Develop Rangewide Protocols, Kade D. Lazenby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocurcus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) are the largest grouse species in North America. Sage-grouse occupy 11 western states, extending into North Dakota. North Dakota sage-grouse population is part of the Great Plains Management Zone. Conservation of sage-grouse has been on the forefront of conservation management 1990s. In 2015 the USFWS declared sage-grouse were not warranted for listing based on significant management efforts. Translocations of sage-grouse to prevent populations from extirpation are an example of these efforts.

Translocations have been described as movement and release of animals into a novel environment. There have been more than 7200 sage-grouse …

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

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

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

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

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

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

A Case Study Comparing The Life Skills Development And Knowledge In Youth Participants Of Horseless And Traditional Horse Programs In Utah, Haley M. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Traditional horse 4-H programs develop life skills and knowledge in youth. Horseless horse programs lack evaluation for the same benefits. This study evaluated and compared four horseless and seven traditional horse participants from Washington County 4-H in Utah for gains in horse knowledge and development of 10 life skills that are commonly found in 4-H curriculum today: leadership, teamwork, self-responsibility, personal safety, problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, goal setting, communication, and concern for others.

The researcher conducted interviews to learn about life skill experiences of the horse program participants and discover what barriers prevented horseless youth from participating in …