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N2-Fixation In Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) Seedlings And Rhizobium Meliloti L. Grown In Vitro Under Salt And Drought Stresses, Ramzi Muhiddin Mohamad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., cultivars, breeding lines and germplasm releases (populations) and Rhizobium meliloti L. strains that exhibit nitrogen fixation efficiency and tolerance to salinity and drought stresses should enhance seedling establishment, increase yields, reduce nitrogen dependency on petroleum-based nitrogen fertilizers, and allow wider use of irrigated lands in semiarid and a rid regions. In vitro experiments were conducted to determine relative salt (sodium chloride -- NaCl) tolerance: l) during germination and early seedling growth of 229 alfalfa populations from North Africa, the Middle East and the United States, 2) survival and growth of 92 rhizobial strains obtained from different …

Effects Of Drought On The Survival Of Rhizobium Leguminosarum Biovar Trifolii And The Nodulation Of Subterranean Clover In An Acid Soil, Carmen Bueno

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty-nine Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii strains were tested for acidity tolerance in acidified liquid medium. Only 41% of the strains grew at pH 4.1. One acid-tolerant strain, USDA 2160, and one acid-sensitive strain, 162-X-103 from Nitragin Co., were inoculated on seeds of 'Nungarin', 'Seaton Park' and 'Clare' subclover cultivars. The inoculated and pelleted seeds were sown in potted Cluff soil with pH 5.7. Three desiccation levels were imposed by delaying watering for 0, 15 or 30 days. Four gravimetric soil water contents (6.0, 6.6, 10.5 and 12.5%) were maintained under a greenhouse line-source sprinkler system for 7 weeks. The desiccation …

Compounds In Bovine Urine Which Change In Concentration During The Estrous Cycle: Possible Pheromones, Scott Kay Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the last thirty years it has become increasingly apparent that pheromones play a major role in animal communication. Of economic interest to agriculturalists is the role pheromones play in signaling the state of estrus. The ability to efficiently detect estrus is becoming increasingly important, especially in the management of dairy and beef herds, where artificial insemination is used extensively. The understanding of pheromones may eventually provide a solution to this problem.

The purpose of this study was to identify one or more compounds in the urine of cattle which undergo a change in concentration during the estrous cycle.

In …

Purification Of Anthrax Toxin Protective Antigen Component And Characterization Of Its Binding Interaction With Bovine Kidney Cells, Daniel Dalton Martin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protective antigen component of B. anthracis toxin was produced and purified to the >99% level. Toxin was purified from culture supernatant utilizing concentration and liquid chromatography techniques. Purity was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The purified protective antigen retained biological and antigenic activity as evidenced respectively by lethality in Fischer 344 rats when injected in combination with lethal factor, and by positive results on the Ouchterlony double diffussion assay.

Radioiodinated protective antigen was used both in the in vivo and the in vitro experiments.

In vivo distribution of labelled protective antigen was determined in Fischer 344 rats. Assay …

Belowground Resource Exploitation In Semiarid Plants: A Comparative Study Using Two Tussock Grasses That Differ In Competitive Ability, David M. Eissenstat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relative competitive abilities of Agropyron desertorum and Agropyron spicatum were compared using Artemisia tridentata transplants as indicator plants. Although these two tussock grasses have similar shoot growth forms and shoot physiological characteristics, they have substantial differences in their competitive abilities. Artemisia had lower survival, growth, reproduction, and water potential when transplanted into neighborhoods of A. desertorum than in neighborhoods of A. spicatum.

Plant attributes associated with the differences in competitive ability were explored. Agropyron desertorum and A. spicatum have remarkably similar potential growth rates at warm soil temperatures. In a prolonged cold soil temperature treatment in the greenhouse, …

Estimating Optimum Overstory Vegetation Reduction For Increasing Understory Production, John A. Tanaka

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate analytical approaches for estimating the optimum (profit maximizing) rate of initial overstory kill for increasing seasonal forage availability on a specific ranch. The models were developed using the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) - crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum, A. desertorum) vegetation type on a Utah cow-calf-yearling operation as an example. The models should be applicable on any ranching situation where understory forage production is constrained by the establishment and growth of undesirable overstory vegetation.

Three model forms were developed and compared for their applicability to on-the-ground investment decision …

Clostridium Perfringens: An Adjunctive Indicator In Nonpoint Pollution, Steven G. Eberl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Clostridium perfringens (CP) was evaluated as an additional indicator in assessing impacts and sources of microbial pollution in the Idaho-Utah Cache Valley. Point, nonpoint, river water, and animal fecal samples were analyzed for CP, total coliforms, fecal collforms, and fecal streptococci.

Monthly river samples consistently contained < 20 CP/100 mL, but concentrations of the other indicators varied significantly by location and date. Two sample stations consistently had CP concentrations greater than 20/100 mL. One of these stations was influenced by an upstream wastewater discharge. Chlorinated effluent from this trickling filter plant contained greater than 10³ CP/100 mL, but met a 400 FC/100 mL discharge standard. A consistent decrease in CP concentrations in samples taken downstream from this wastewater source were found, despite significant impact from adjacent nonpoint pollution. Lagoon and oxidation ditch wastewater effluents sampled contained < 20 CP/100 mL.

Nonpoint sources sampled (e.g., cattle feedlot runoff) contained < 20 CP/100 mL and 10²-10⁴/100 …

Aspects Of The Feeding Ecology Of The Bonneville Cisco Of Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, David C. Lentz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Bonneville cisco (Prospium gemmiferum), a small planktivorous whitefish, is an important part of the distinctive fish community of Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho. The Bonneville cisco plays a key role in the trophic structure by converting zooplankton to fish biomass and providing a major forage source for cutthroat and lake trout. Aspects of cisco feeding ecology studied include characterization of the zooplankton community composition and dynamics and cisco feeding habits and prey selection.

Composition and seasonal dynamics of the zooplankton community were determined for a fifteen month period during 1981-1982. The community was dominated by a calanoid copepod, Epischura …

Teaching Minimum Based Competency Test Skills To Secondary-Aged Learning Disabled Students Through The Use Of Precision Teaching, Michael E. Byrnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project investigated whether a precision teaching method used with learning disabled high school students (grades 9-12) could give them the skills needed to pass a minimum based competency test in the area of local, state and national government. The specific objective of this project was to determine if the use of precision teaching enabled the students to retain the facts needed to pass a competency test required for graduation. A multiple-baseline design across behaviors was used to show the effect of precision teaching in mastering the needed facts. The data from each baseline improved and surpassed the set criteria …

Diagenesis And Water Chemistry Of The Woodbine Group In The East Texas Basin, Helmuth Victor Wuerch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Petrographic and SEM study of flu vial-deltaic sections of the Woodbine Group in the East Texas Basin indicates that authigenic mineral suites are controlled, in part, by the presence of organic-rich matrix.

During early, precompaction diagenesis, organic matter supplied the metabolic fuel required by sulfate-reducing bacteria to reduce sulfate in depositional waters ultimately to pyrite. With burial the sulfate supply was ultimately exhausted, and bicarbonate activity thereafter controlled the precipitation of siderite and Fe-calcite.

Matrix material supplied the components and reaction sites for the most import ant porosity-occluding reaction: kaolinite --> Fe,M g chlorite. Matrix physically inhibited the growth of …

Detection Of Abnormal Milk With Impedance Microbiology Instrumentation, Fahad Ali Abdulghany Khayat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mastitic milk was detected by obtaining conductance measurements using an impedance microbiology Bactometer® 120 SC instruments. Conductance readings taken after 30 min at 25'C separated normal and abnormal milks when readings differed by more than 3% from the variance among instrument module wells. Samples blended from four quarters of a cow indicated milk from one quarter was abnormal if the salt level in the abnormal quarter raised the blend conductivity above that of normal samples and variance among the wells. Either solid or liquid substrates that contained bacterial stimulants could be used to accelerate bacterial acid production or to reduce …

Effect Of Oxidation-Reduction Potential On Hemochrome Formation And Resultant Pink Color Defect Of Cooked Turkey Rolls, Farzaneh Vahabzadeh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A pink color defect is commonly observed in freshly cut surfaces of cooked turkey rolls and fades rapidly upon exposure to air. The non uniform pink color makes the product appear undercooked, and the product must be discounted. The oxidation-reduction potential of the meat is important in development of pink defect. A pink color similar to that of commercial product was observed when the cooked meat was treated with either sodium nitrite or sodium dithionite. The pink color in nitrite treated meat was due to nitroso pigment formation, but in samples treated with dithionite the pink color was due to …

The Psychological And Social Consequences Of Htlv-Iii Infection: Homosexuals In Orange County, Ca, Kenneth Burton Kaisch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychological and social consequences experienced by homosexual men who learn that they have positive results on the HTLV-III antibody test, but who have not yet developed AIDS or ARC. Employing a census survey of the membership of three California homophile organizations (n=1905), 30 HTLV-III positives and 55 negatives completed a biographical questionnaire, the IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire, the IPAT Depression Scale, and the Coping Strategies Inventory. Results indicate that HTLV-III positives show considerable disorganization after hearing test results, have clinically high levels of anxiety (n=10), and clinically high levels of depression …

The Effect Of Geographical Setting, Duration In A Single Parent Family, Sex And Dethronement On Stepsibling Relationships After Parental Remarriage, Sharon D. Cannon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This exploratory study investigated how four independent variables, namely post-marital residence, length of time in a single parent family, gender and change in relative age position in the family, affect the closeness of stepsibling relationships. This research focused primarily on families in which stepsiblings lived together in the same household; however, individuals who had stepsiblings living in another location were also included in the study.

A sample of 139 people was generated through a purposive method of requesting names of eligible persons from county extension agents in four Western states (Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Arizona), and from ten introductory classes …

The Effects Of A Social Skills Training Program On Interpersonal Communications In Parent Adolescent Dyads, Patrick Sean Noble

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis was two fold. First, there was an experiment in which the independent variable was the behavioral skill levels of parents and their adolescents on a social skills training program and the dependent variable was the parent and adolescent perceptions of their interpersonal relationship regarding communication and problem solving. Second, there was an experiment comparing instructional styles wherein the independent variable was the length of time used to present the social skills training program and the dependent variable was the resulting scores on the behavioral measures of the program. A modified pretest -post-test control group design …

Carnivore Competition And Resource Use In The Serengeti Ecosystem Of Tanzania, George Walter Frame

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Coexisting ungulate-eating carnivores--lion, spotted hyena, cheetah, leopard, African wild dog, black-backed jackal, common jackal, and six species of vulture--are examined in East Africa's Serengeti ecosystem. Niche similarities year-round, by season, and by location are described using food, habitat, time of hunting, and other variables. Intraspecific niches of cheetah sex, age, and social groups show that male coalitions differ most from the others in hunting behavior and habitat use. Tests using the carnivore data failed to support hypotheses about niche breadth variation, niche overlap variation, range of food items, and niche inclusion. Densities of the five largest Carnivora in the 35,500 …

Vulnerability Of Cougars To Hunting, Dan Barnhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forty radio-collared cougars (Felis concolor) were monitored for 630 cougar months. Track searches were conducted and tracking information was gathered over a 20-month period. Vulnerability was estimated to be greatest for 0 to 6-month-old kittens. This age class is the most susceptible to starvation after being orphaned, or being killed by hounds when the hunter is unaware of their presence, since their tracks were found with their mother's tracks only 19 percent of the time. Tracks of 7 to 12-month old kittens were found with their mother's tracks 43 percent of the time. Relative road-crossing frequencies of seven …

Calcium Amelioration Of Salinity (Sodicity) On Nitrogen Fixation, Stomatal Resistance, Potassium/Sodium Ratio And Total Nitrogen Of Phaseolus Vulgaris L., Mahmood Akhavan-Kharazian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Extreme salinity is one of the most common environmental constraints with which legume/rhizobia symbionts must deal in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. In some areas, with good management, it has been economically possible to ameliorate the saline soil with calcium. The objective of this study, therefore, was to investigate calcium amelioration of salinity (sodicity) on nitrogen fixation, stomatal resistance, potassium/sodium ratio, and total nitrogen of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Seeds of snapbeans were grown in pots under green house conditions and were irrigated with NaCl concentrations of 0, 0.4, 0.8 or 1.2 S m^-1 combined with CaS0_{4 …}

Manganese Toxicity In Mice: Evaluation Of Neruochemical And Immunologial Alteration, Benjamart Srisuchart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Neurochemical and immunological effects of manganese chloride (MnCl₂) were evaluated using young male CD-1 mice as the animal model. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of MnCl₂ (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) daily for 4 weeks did not produce mortality or overt signs of toxicity in any of the treated animals. Manganese treatment increased the thymidine uptake of cultured splenic cells and the selective lymphoproliferative response to T-cell mitogens, phytohaemagglutinin and concanavalin A, in all the treated groups. No difference in the response to B-cell mitogen, lipopolysaccharide was observed. A dose of 10 mg/kg MnCl₂ increased the mixed lymphocyte …

Lodgepole Pine Susceptibility Rating Of Mountain Pine Beetle Through The Use Of A Density Management Diagram, John Albert Anhold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ninety-four unmanaged lodgepole pine stands were examined to evaluate the relationship between stand density and susceptibility to mountain pine beetle attack. Sample included stands from a broad geographical range in the western United States.

Beetle population trends were not significantly related to variation in stand density as measured by stand density index (SDI). The percentage of trees killed per acre by the mountain pine beetle in stands with greater than eighty percent lodgepole pine did vary significantly with changes in SDI. From these data three SDI zones were identified: 1) stands with SDI's of less than 125 showed low potential …

Investigation Of Host Selection By Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Ponderosae) Hopk. In Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta) Dougl., Thomas James Eager

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lodgepole pines Pinus contorta (Douglas) were treated by girdling to assess the response by an endemic population of mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae (Hopkins) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Capture in 'sticky traps' indicated that the beetles were attracted while in flight towards the wounded trees. A significant difference in the landing rates of bark beetles between the treated and untreated trees indicated that the beetles were able to distinguish wounded from non-wounded trees while still in flight. Pressure chamber readings demonstrated that water stress developed in the girded trees when compared to the non-girdled trees.

Impact Of The Western Spruce Budworm On Buds, Developing Cones And Seeds Of Douglas-Fir In The Intermountain Region, Charles Joseph Frank

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a serious defoliator of conifers in the western U.S. and western Canada. In 1985 epidemic levels of the budworm caused average tree defoliation in west-central Idaho to increase to 83%, up substantially from the 35% average tree defoliation of 1984. Associated with this increase in defoliation was a change in the relative stand defolation ranking between the two years. found to damage all types and In 1985 the budworm was developmental stages of reproductive structures of Douglas- fir, including: seedcone buds, pollen-cones buds, maturing cones, and seeds. Differential selection of …

Capitol Reef: The Forgotten National Park, Jonathan Scott Thow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the changing relationship between the National Park Service and the residents of Wayne County, Utah. In 1937, Capitol Reef National Park was created as a result of the efforts made by local residents looking for a solution to their economic problems. Over the next five decades, the anticipated economic upturn spurred by the National Park did not develop. Instead, the relationship between the parties involved underwent a radical change because of conflicts over private landholdings, grazing and mineral rights, expansion, development, and road building. While this study does trace the growth of …

The Effects Of Recreation Specialization And Motivations On The Environmental Setting Preferences Of Backcountry Hikers, Randy J. Virden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored how recreation specialization and different types of motivations were related to environmental settings preferred by backcountry hikers. A questionnaire was developed that measured the level of hiking specialization, desired psychological outcomes, and preferred environmental setting attributes. Questionnaires were mailed to 619 backcountry hikers from three Intermountain West hiking areas; a response rate of 68 percent was attained.

Results of the study revealed significant associations between the level of hiking specialization and the psychological states desired by backcountry hikers. In general, increased hiking specialization served to increase the importance of specific psychological outcomes such as autonomy, exercise, achievement …

The Redevelopment Of Plant Community Diversity On A Surface Coal Mine In Southwestern Wyoming, Thomas Joseph Hatton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was initiated in 1981 to investigate the redevelopment of plant communities on a recontoured, surface-mined site in southwestern Wyoming. The landscape pattern of vegetation was compared with topographic position, the initial topsoil pattern, and cultural practices including shrub planting density, shrub planting pattern and topsoil treatments for the years 1982-1985. In addition, differences in vascular plant species diversity within these various factors and treatments were determined, along with the trend in intracommunity (alpha), intercommunity (beta) and landscape (gamma) diversity for the entire study area.

The influence of site factors and tested cultural practices on the differentiation of the …

A Market Analysis For Adult Outdoor Education In Five Western States, Karla Joy Vanderzanden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Organizations that offer Outdoor Education programs for adults are concerned with how to best attract people to their programs. Effective program design begins with a clear understanding of the people to be served. A marketing orientation--meeting the needs of participants--has begun to pervade non-profit management; specific information on the adult market for Outdoor Education remains limited. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize segments based upon the benefits people seek from such an experience. Secondly, this analysis describes current programs 1n a five state region and identifies discrepancies between available and needed services.

A mail survey of …

Intercept Feeding As A Means Of Reducing Deer-Vehicle Collisions, Peggy Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Intercept feeding was tested for its efficacy in reducing deer-vehicle collision frequency by diverting deer movement patterns away from highways using alfalfa hay as an attractant. Ratios of roadkills in control vs. treatment zones of three highway segments indicated that feeding reduced collision frequency. Spotlighting counts of live deer were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the control than in the treatment zone, supporting the effectiveness of feeding in keeping deer distant from the highway. In a benefit:cost analysis, the benefits accrued by reducing collision frequency exceeded the costs of feeding on each highway both years, with one exception: in 1986 one of the highways demonstrated that particular features of an area may not be conducive to effectively attracting deer away from a highway. I recommend intercept feeding be used with alternate techniques, so that the most appropriate technique is applied in each situation to reduce collision risk.

Effect Of Short Duration Grazing On Soil Moisture Depletion And Plant Water Status In A Crested Wheatgrass Pasture, Jon M. Wraith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A short duration grazing system was utilized to determine the effects of intensive periodic defoliation during spring on soil moisture depletion patterns and plant water status in a crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum and A. desertorum) pasture in central Utah. Exclosures were constructed to compare grazed and ungrazed responses. Soil moisture was monitored to a depth of 193 cm at one to two week intervals from mid-April to late-September using a neutron moisture gauge. Predawn and midday leaf water potentials were estimated using a pressure chamber technique. The two paddocks included in the study were grazed three times between …

Animal Nutritional Response To Sward Structure Under Short Duration Grazing Management, Kenneth C. Olson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A ten-paddock short duration grazing cell was stocked with yearling heifers at a stocking rate of 0.7 ha per animal unit month and a stocking density of 0.14 ha per animal unit. A continuously-season- long-grazed (CSLG) pasture was used as a control. It was stocked at the same stocking rate, but at a stocking density of 1.4 ha per animal unit. Grazing periods in SDG paddocks were two or three days. Dietary quality was assessed by crude protein · content and in vitro digestibility of esophageal fistula estrusa samples. Three variables of ingestive behavior were measured, including ingestion rate, biting …

The Classroom Modification Of Children's Gender Stereotyping Of Careers, Paul Vance Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research tested the use of non-sexist occupational modules of teaching activities and toys for preschool, second grade and fourth grade classes. In addition to brief descriptions of biological, cognitive development and social learning theories of gender role development, the literature review also focuses on factors which contribute to gender stereotyping in schools: teachers, teacher training, toys, teaching materials and activities. Several hypotheses were tested comparing project members as presenters of modules versus module use by regular classroom teachers and a module-free control group in each grade. Also, second graders were tested in third grade to assess persistence of module …