Digital Commons Network^™

Carboxylases Involved In Microbial Acetone And Acetophenone Metabolism, Ameya Mashruwala

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A number of bacteria are capable of growth with acetone and acetophenone as their sole sources of carbon and/or energy. The pathways and enzymes involved in the transformation of these molecules into useable carbon and energy are unique. Among these are two novel enzymes, acetone carboxylase and acetophenone carboxylase, which represent a fundamentally novel classes of carboxylases.

The initial step in acetone metabolism, in X. autotrophicus st Py2, R. capsulatus st B10 and R. rhodochrous, is the thermodynamically unfavorable reaction to yield acetoacetate. This step is catalyzed by the enzyme acetone carboxylase and is coupled with the unprecedented, concomitant hydrolysis …

Keeping Wetlands Wet: The Human Hydrology Of Wetlands In The Bear River Basin, Rebekah Downard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research seeks to understand how wetlands maintain a water supply in the Bear River Basin, where water is generally scarce. Research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with wetland and water experts in the basin and archival research of historical documents and water rights.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages three refuges on the Bear River, and has obtained water rights portfolios for each. Holding water rights does not ensure that there will be water available for refuge wetlands. Instead, position in relation to other powerful water users is the most important factor in determining the security of …

Development Of Novel Methods And Their Utilization In The Analysis Of The Effect Of The N-Terminus Of Human Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 1 Variant 1 On Enzymatic Activity, Protein-Protein Interactions, And Substrate Specificity, Brenda Bienka Suh-Lailam

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are enzymes that catalyze the methylation of protein arginine residues, resulting in the formation of monomethylarginine, and/or asymmetric or symmetric dimethylarginines. Although understanding of the PRMTs has grown rapidly over the last few years, several challenges still remain in the PRMT field. Here, we describe the development of two techniques that will be very useful in investigating PRMT regulation, small molecule inhibition, oligomerization, protein-protein interaction, and substrate specificity, which will ultimately lead to the advancement of the PRMT field. Studies have shown that having an N-terminal tag can influence enzyme activity and substrate specificity. The first …

Evapotranspiration Of Kentucky Bluegrass, Lynda L. Fenton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rapid population growth in arid regions of the western US is placing increased demand on water resources. Variability in precipitation and common occurrence of drought have promoted scrutiny of water use in urban lawns and gardens. However, few reliable measurements of water use of these landscapes exist. Quantifying the amount of water used vs. required by landscapes such as turfgrass would allow significant water conservation. Evapotranspiration (ET) is affected by biophysical factors such as: available energy, turbulent mixing, saturation deficit, soil water, and stomatal conductance. In order to simulate the water use by turfgrass, the relative importance of these processes …

Natural Caregiving Practices And Mothers' Decisions, Shannon L. Searle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mothers care for their infants in various ways, many similar and others more unique, and are influenced by a variety of factors. Influences such as doctors' advice, attending prenatal and child development classes, reading books and magazines, and learning from personal experience contribute to the caregiving decisions mothers make. A type of parenting that focuses on the responsiveness and sensitivity of the mother to the infant's needs is known as natural parenting. Natural parenting involves caregiving practices that are expected to co-occur, such as breastfeeding and frequently maintaining close physical contact with the infant. Two other practices that some mothers …

Coyote Diet And Movements In Relation To Winter Recreation In Northwestern Wyoming: Implications For Lynx Conservation, Jennifer L. Burghardt Dowd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased snowmobile use in mountainous terrain has been highlighted as a conservation concern for some Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) populations. Snow compaction resulting from winter recreation may potentially facilitate access by coyotes (Canis latrans) to habitats used by lynx during winter. Increased interactions could result in either exploitation or interference competition between the two species. Two recent, yet geographically distinct, studies showed contrasting findings regarding coyote movements and their use of snow-compacted trails during the winter. These findings suggest coyote association with snow-compacted trails may be regionally specific and dependent upon ecosystem dynamics and snow characteristics. …

Effects Of Pluronics On A Beneficial Soil Microbe Pseudomonas Putida Strain Kt2440, Priyanka Gajjar

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This report summarizes the effects of a range of Pluronics on cellular responses in bacterial and mammalian cells through a review of published findings. Effects of Pluronics on drug delivery, efflux systems, growth, and nutrition are reported for eukaryotic cells. For microbial cells, their effects on adhesion, movement, biofilm formation, energy status and secondary metabolism are discussed. Guided by findings in the literature, a series of experiments were conducted exploring the responses of a beneficial environmental soil microbe, Pseudomonas putida strain KT2440, to selected Pluronics. These results are presented. The report has four sections: an Introduction 4 that covers published …

Ecology And Seasonal Habitat Use Patterns Of Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse In Northern Utah, Ron D. Greer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus: hereafter sharp-tailed grouse) populations have been declining. These declines have been attributed to a number of factors, including habitat loss due to agriculture, habitat fragmentation, overgrazing by livestock, and the loss to fire.

To gather information about their status in northern Utah, I radio-marked sharp-tailed grouse in 2003 (n=15) and 2004 (n=20) in two research areas. The study areas were located on the south end of Cache County and in eastern Box Elder County. In the Cache study area, I monitored 7 males and 1 female in 2003, and 6 males and …

Taiwanese Adolescent Psychosocial Development In Urban And Rural Areas, Chien-Ti Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate Taiwanese adolescent psychosocial development (i.e., autonomy and identity development) based on psychosocial theoretical models developed in western societies. Data were collected from both public senior high and vocational high schools in both urban and rural areas in Taiwan. Adolescent participants, with an average age of 17 years old, included 447 (about 54% were females) from urban areas, and 702 (62% were females) from rural areas. The results of this study revealed that Taiwanese adolescents from both urban and rural areas were similar to adolescent developmental ranges suggested in western theories. There were …

Reproductive Ecology Of Astragalus Filipes, A Great Basin Restoration Legume, Kristal M. Watrous

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Astragalus filipes Torrey ex. A. Gray (Fabaceae) is being studied and propagated for use in rangeland restoration projects throughout the Great Basin. Restoration forbs often require sufficient pollination services for seed production and persistence in restoration sites. Knowledge of a plant's breeding biology is important in providing pollination for maximal seed set.

Reproductive output from four manual pollination treatments (autogamy, geitonogamy, xenogamy, and distant xenogamy) was examined in a common garden. Pod set, seed set, and seed germination were quantified for each of the treatments. Seed set from four wild populations was compared to that of an openly visited common …

Distributed Hydrological Modeling Using Soil Depth Estimated Based On Landscape Variables From Enhanced Terrain Analysis, Teklu K. Tesfa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The spatial patterns of land surface and subsurface characteristics determine the spatial heterogeneity of hydrological processes. Soil depth is one of these characteristics and an important input parameter required by distributed hydrological models that explicitly represent spatial heterogeneity. Soil is related to topography and land cover due to the role played by topography and vegetation in affecting soil-forming processes. The research described in this dissertation addressed the development of statistical models that predict the soil depth pattern over the landscape; derivation of new topographic variables evaluated using both serial and parallel algorithms; and evaluation of the impacts of detailed soil …

Plastic And Genetic Determination Of Population, Community, And Ecosystem Properties In Freshwater Environments, Leigh C. Latta Iv

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The hierarchy of biological organization, from molecules to ecosystems, describes the relationships among various biological systems. Of particular interest is assessing how the factors that primarily determine the nature of one hierarchical level also have transcendent qualities that affect the ecology and evolution of higher hierarchical levels. The goal of this dissertation was to use a bottom-up approach to examine the transcendent effects of two factors that strongly determine the nature of their associated level of biological organization. The first, phenotypic plasticity, is a primary factor that determines the phenotype of an individual. The second factor, genetic diversity, largely determines …

Funding Sustainable And Humanitarian Architectural Projects, Joslyn R. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this project is to identify sources of funding for sustainable building projects and create a catalog of the findings. This study targeted the nonprofit, humanitarian, and private organization sectors with the goal to encourage subsequent projects that may positively impact the quality of life for people in need.

It has been predicted that in the next 25 years 75% of America's built environment will be either new or renovated. The downside is that new buildings cause substantial ecological damage due to the extraction of materials and account for as much as 40% of all greenhouse gases. As …

Resident Attitudes Toward Community Development Alternatives, Chih-Yao Chang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utilizing survey data collected in four communities in the State of Utah, this study examined the extent to which rural resident perceptions and attitudes toward local community circumstances influence their own expectations and attitudes subjectively toward future community development alternatives. Understanding perceptions of community and community development, as well as the patterns of localized community development, is crucial and needs to consider residents' opinions and attitudes toward unique rural economic, environmental, and social conditions in order to help preserve the unique characteristics of the way of life while continuing economic improvement and social betterment in rural areas.

Three conceptual frameworks …

Stormwater Monitoring And Resident Behavior In A Semi-Arid Region, Jennifer Abraham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The combined effect of land-use alterations and introduced diffuse anthropogenic pollutants to the earth's surface in suburban/urban zones often sparks a decrease in stormwater quality in the area, and contributes to nonpoint source pollution in receiving waters. The ponds at the Utah Botanical Center (UBC) located in Kaysville, UT, regularly experience algal blooms, which in turn cause low dissolved oxygen levels in the waters, indicating high concentrations of inflowing pollutants. The goal of this thesis paper was to describe the findings from the water quality monitoring implemented at both the inlet and outlet of the UBC ponds in order to …

Development Of An Innovative Statewide Population Monitoring Program For Mule Deer, Heather H. Bernales

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Monitoring population trend and estimating vital demographic parameters are essential for effective management of a mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) population. Because of financial constraints, many wildlife agencies use computer models to obtain indirect indices of population size and trend as an alternative to annual field-based estimates of population size. These models are based primarily on herd composition counts and harvest rates from hunter-harvest surveys, and are rarely field validated. I developed an alternative method for monitoring population dynamics of wintering populations of mule deer. I designed a hybrid monitoring program that combined annual vital rate monitoring to track changes in …

Changes In Hybrid Poplar Endophytic Microbial Diversity In Response To Trichloroethylene Exposure, Jared S. Ervin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Remediation of trichloroethylene (TCE) is a major priority for many contaminated sites all over the industrialized world including Hill Air Force Base, UT (HAFB). Phytoremediation as part of a cleanup strategy is an appealing option, and trees at HAFB have been studied to this end. Trees have also been used to delineate groundwater plumes because the passive uptake of organic contaminants by trees generally results in a direct relationship between tree and groundwater TCE concentrations if the trees are using the contaminated groundwater. However, the concentrations of plant-produced TCE metabolites can vary greatly. It was hypothesized that the endophytic microbial …

Transesterification And Recovery Of Intracellular Lipids Using A Single Step Reactive Extraction, Daniel R. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A single-step, extractive reaction for extraction of lipids such as biodiesel components, omega-3 fatty acids, or other triglycerides from microbial cells was examined. Conventional methods for lipid extraction use toxic solvents, and require multiple steps and long processing times. When the goal is to produce fatty acid methyl esters or FAMEs, the extracted lipids are subjected to a separate transesterification reaction with simple alcohols in the presence of an acid or base catalyst. A simplified, single-step reactive extraction method can be applied that combines the sequential extraction followed by transesterification using acidified alcohols - a process known as in situ …

Critique Of A Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Method Applied To Residential Open Space, Sarah Rigard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To this date, little research has been done evaluating the quality of wildlife habitat provided by open space in residential areas. Quality wildlife habitat for the purposes of this study is defined as those areas which contain the physical and biological characteristics necessary to support native wildlife species of the region. This thesis critiqued a wildlife habitat assessment method used in a nationwide study of residential open space for the purpose of better understanding the research conducted by the study and to inform similar, future habitat evaluations of landscapes altered by human activity to accommodate residential land use. The methodology …

The Effects Of Spruce Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) On Fuels And Fire In Intermountain Spruce-Fir Forests, Carl Arik Jorgensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In spruce-fir forests, there are many biotic and abiotic disturbances that can alter stand structure and composition. Many of these disturbances can produce high percentages of tree mortality at different scales. Spruce beetle has been considered a devastating disturbance agent, capable of creating high levels of mortality that will alter fuel complexes that may affect fire behavior. For comparison, stand data were gathered in endemic (near Loa and Moab, UT), epidemic (near Loa and Fairview, UT), and post-epidemic (near Salina and Loa, UT) condition classes of spruce beetle activity. Generally, fine fuels were higher during the epidemic and returned to …

Comparative Ecology Of Narrowly Sympatric Horned Lizards Under Variable Climatic Conditions, Kevin V. Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We studied the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma mcallii, and the Sonoran Horned Lizard, P. goodei, in an area of narrow sympatry near Yuma, Arizona, and found they overlapped broadly in use of available food resources, body size, and growth rates. We compared diet (Chapter 2), growth and reproduction (Chapter 3), and survivorship (Chapter 4) of P. mcallii and P. goodei during two years of drought followed by a year of higher-than-average rainfall. We predicted that P. mcallii would be more tolerant of drought conditions than its congener, since P. mcalliiis found only in an extremely arid region while …

Decentralized Coordination Of Multiple Autonomous Vehicles, Yongcan Cao

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation focuses on the study of decentralized coordination algorithms of multiple autonomous vehicles. Here, the term decentralized coordination is used to refer to the behavior that a group of vehicles reaches the desired group behavior via local interaction. Research is conducted towards designing and analyzing distributed coordination algorithms to achieve desired group behavior in the presence of none, one, and multiple group reference states.

Decentralized coordination in the absence of any group reference state is a very active research topic in the systems and controls society. We first focus on studying decentralized coordination problems for both single-integrator kinematics and …

Maternal Effects In Transmission Of Self-Medicative Behavior From Mother To Offspring In Sheep, Udita Sanga

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mammals begin learning food preferences in utero and maternally mediated influences early in life help offspring develop their feeding habits. Mammals also learn by individual experience to ingest medicinal compounds such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), which attenuates the negative post-ingestive effects of tannins, a group of potentially toxic plant secondary compounds. The objective of this study was to investigate the transmission of acquired self-medicative behavior from mother to offspring using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a medicine to relieve malaise caused by tannins. I hypothesized that: 1) mothers trained to associate the beneficial effects of PEG while consuming tannins will pass …

Identifying And Understanding The Spatial Distribution Of Bobcat And Coyote Behavior, Ryan Radford Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A common observation in animal space use studies is that animals do not use space uniformly, but rather use some areas of their home ranges and territories with much higher intensity than others. Numerous methods have been developed to estimate these "core areas"; however, all of the current methods available are based on arbitrary rules. Additionally, most studies do not attempt to understand what behavioral processes lead to the observed patterns of non-uniform space use. This study has four main objectives: 1) to develop an objective and more precise method for estimating core areas, 2) to understand the processes leading …

Evaluating Native Wheatgrasses For Restoration Of Sagebrush Steppes, Jayanti Ray Mukherjee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus wawawaiensis are two native perennial bunchgrasses of North America's Intermountain West. Frequent drought, past overgrazing practices, subsequent weed invasions, and increased wildfire frequency have combined to severely degrade natural landscapes in the region, leading to a decline in the abundance of native vegetation. Being formerly widespread throughout the region, P. spicata is a favorite for restoration purposes in the Intermountain West. Elymus wawawaiensis, which occupies a more restricted distribution in the Intermountain West, is often used as a restoration surrogate for P. spicata. However, since most restoration sites are outside the native range of …

A Comparative Analysis Between A Preacher's Practice And Homiletic Theory, Curtis Castillow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative research compared the practice of an expert preacher to core concepts in homiletic theory (the art and craft of preaching), searching for discrepancies between what theory suggested and what the preacher practiced. It also sought to validate that the preacher practiced what homiletic theorists prescribed and to inform homiletic theory by describing strategies he employed unlike those espoused in homiletic theory.

To discover whether the participant's practice was congruent with theory, I first identified seminal theories. They were classified into the following modified version of Broadus's categories of ideal preaching: (a) content, (b) arrangement, (c) introduction,transition, and conclusion, …

Genomic Perspectives On Evolution In Bracken Fern, Joshua P. Der

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The fern genus Pteridium comprises a number of closely related species distributed throughout the world. Collectively they are called bracken ferns and have historically been treated as a single species, Pteridium aquilinum. Bracken is notorious as a toxic weed that colonizes open fields and poisons livestock. Bracken is also easily cultured and has become one of the most intensively studied ferns. Bracken has been used as a model system for the study of the fern life cycle, fern gametophyte development, the pheromonal mechanism of sex determination, toxicology, invasion ecology, and climate change. This dissertation places bracken within a global …

Nutrient Utilization From Anaerobic Digester Effluent Through Algae Cultivation, Shantanu Wahal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nutrients present in digested animal waste can be utilized for algae cultivation under suitable conditions. Algal growth, however, depends on the chemical forms and speciation of these nutrients. In this study a chemical equilibrium model was first used to describe nutrient speciation and predict conditions that enhance the solubility of nutrients in anaerobic digester effluent. Dilution with water and separation of large particulates greatly improved nutrient availability and light penetration - conditions favorable for algal cultivation. Algae growth was tested using three strains - Scenedesmus dimorphous (UTEX # 417), Chlorella vulgaris (UTEX# 265), and an algal isolate (designated as LLAI …

Optimal Sensing And Actuation Policies For Networked Mobile Agents In A Class Of Cyber-Physical Systems, Christophe Tricaud

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The main purpose of this dissertation is to define and solve problems on optimal sensing and actuating policies in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs). Cyber-physical system is a term that was introduced recently to define the increasing complexity of the interactions between computational hardwares and their physical environments. The problem of designing the "cyber'' part may not be trivial but can be solved from scratch. However, the "physical'' part, usually a natural physical process, is inherently given and has to be identified in order to propose an appropriate "cyber'' part to be adopted. Therefore, one of the first steps in designing a …

A Synthetic Biological Engineering Approach To Secretion- Based Recovery Of Polyhydroxyalkanoates And Other Cellular Products, Elisabeth Linton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The costs associated with cellular product recovery commonly account for as much as 80% of the total production expense. As a specific example, significant recovery costs limit commercial use of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), which comprise a class of microbially-accumulated polyesters. PHAs are biodegradable compounds that are of interest as a sustainable alternative to petrochemically-derived plastics. Secretion-based recovery of PHAs was studied to decrease PHA production costs. Type I and II secretory pathways are commonly used for the translocation of recombinant proteins out of the cytoplasm of E. coli. Proteins were targeted for translocation using four signal peptides (HlyA, TorA, GeneIII, …