Digital Commons Network^™

Power Ultrasonication Improves Tenderness And Proteolysis In Beef Steak During Aging, Chandler Stafford

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Among the eating qualities attributed to cooked meat, tenderness is considered an essential factor in dictating consumers' overall satisfaction and future purchase. Tenderness can be influenced by several extrinsic and intrinsic factors; however, the extent of postmortem proteolysis that occurs during meat aging is the main contributor to end-product tenderness. The process involves enzymatic degradation of key cytoskeletal proteins and the signaling of cellular apoptosis, which ultimately leads to the breakdown of muscles structural integrity, resulting in tenderization. The calcium-dependent calpain system, specifically calpain-1, has been recognized as the main protease involved in postmortem tenderization. In the presence of calcium, …

2020-12-10_Michigandaily_Covidmap, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Daily Michigan COVID-19 Update

The "WHERE WE STAND WITH COVID-19" map was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily at 3p.m., Monday - Saturday.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled.

The image contained a map, indicating total cases by county, and also provides statistics on Total Confirmed Cases, Total COVID-19 Deaths, Daily Confirmed Cases, and Daily COVID-19 Deaths. There …

2020-12-10_Michiganoverview_Covidstats, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Cumulative Michigan COVID-19 Data

The COVID Overview page was obtained from Michigan's main COVID-19 page: https:/www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98163-520743--,00.html.

The State of Michigan is working around the clock to test and treat COVID-19 patients. Below is the most recent data healthcare experts across the state have compiled. It is updated Monday - Saturday.
This report is provisional and subject to change. City of Detroit and Wayne County are reported separately. MDHHS began tracking probable cases April 5, 2020. FCI indicates federal correctional institute. MDOC indicates Michigan Department of Corrections. Diagnostic tests, including nucleic acid amplification/real-time polymerase chain reaction (NAAT/RT-PCR) and rapid virus antigen detection point of …

Motivations And Needs Of Volunteers Within School-Based Agricultural Education (Sbae) Programs, Jocelyn Bandley

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Motivations and Needs of Volunteers within School-Based Agricultural Education Programs. A critical shortage of well-trained agriculture teachers has plagued the profession for decades (Smith et al., 2019), with teacher turnover and excessive work hours being cited as contributing factors (Sorensen et al., 2016). School-based agricultural education (SBAE) is a demanding profession (Torres et al., 2008), but one way to relieve the excessive workload and possibly prevent turnover among agriculture teachers is through the utilization of volunteers. Understanding the motives for why people volunteer in SBAE programs can provide insights and recommendations for preservice teacher training, inservice teacher professional development, and …

Furries: The Emergence Of The Modern-Day Anthropomorphism Culture, Nate Bee

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

A brief contextualization of what a furry is, and potential origins/explanations for the emergence of the modern-day furry.

Are Utah Consumers Interested In Using Reusable Bags?, Melyna Bencosme

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

This research will explore the intent and current need for Utah consumers to limit their plastic bag usage. Currently, many cities and state officials are attempting to pass a plastic bag ban. This ban would decrease plastic bags by 71% in just one year.

The Use Of Dogs In Therapeutic Practices, Brynli Bleak

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Dogs are becoming more and more involved in the health, mental health and educational sectors. In recent years they have been trained to assist individuals and groups in various therapies. Although the use of therapy and service dogs has become more popular in recent years, there is a long history of involving dogs in treatments. This research was targeted at discovering more about the history of therapy and service dogs, the differences between them, and the benefits that they produce for individuals.

The Earliest Drawings Of Dogs, Myles Bradley

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The oldest depictions of dogs ever found are over 8,000 years old, found carved into a cliff in the desert of Saudi Arabia. Studies show, however, that dogs are found coexisting with humans as far back as 30,000 years ago. If this is the case, "Why does it take so long for dogs to appear in human artwork?" Dogs have certainly been an integral part of human society for almost as long as they've been around, so what do these early images reveal about the ancient relationship between dogs and man? This paper explores possible answers to both of these …

Effective Use Of Service Dogs For Veterans With Ptsd, Sarah Brinck

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

A comparative study of various experiments designed to determine a correlation between service dogs and effective use of managing symptoms of PTSD. The topic of interest was to see if there is ample information to either prove or disprove a correlation between the use of service dogs as a successful treatment for PTSD. Initial conclusions from various studies are seeing positive results, however, more studies with larger numbers of participants need to take place in order to secure a more definitive conclusion.

Silver Screens & Canines, Lauren Christensen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Why do we all know a "sad movie where the dog dies?" Why do film production companies continue to make this type of movie? What is so special about dogs we'll dedicate whole movies to them?In this project, I attempt to answer two questions. 1) are there any major themes shared between well-known "dog movies", and 2) how do these themes reflect our connections with dogs and ourselves? Through my research, I found three common themes that can be traced to basic human desires, including love, loyalty, and devotion. This is the reason they are desired by audiences; they capture …

Hardware Verification Of Lunar Terrain Relative Navigation, Sam Christensen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Autonomous delivery to the lunar surface requires proven, cost-effective navigation techniques, especially during the final descent. Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) is a compelling solution because it has no infrastructure requirements, such as beacons on the lunar surface. However, previous validation of this technique has relied on software simulation of image acquisition and vehicle state estimation. This research leverages the autonomous drone facilities at USU to validate the TRN technique in a hardware system. A hardware demonstration will verify the effectiveness of the TRN technique in a realistic environment simulating the final descent of a lunar lander. This environment will provide …

Can Buying Meatless Products Decrease Climate Change?, Nicole Christiansen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

In this study we researched the power that consumers have to decrease climate change through the consumption of meat. Using literature and studies that have already been conducted, we compared the inputs of meat production to those of other crops. We also studied the role that raising livestock has on climate change. We found that livestock raising has a more significant impact on climate change than transportation in terms of greenhouse gasses. Livestock also uses far more land and water resources than raising crops. In this study we also analyzed the types of realistic changes that consumers can make in …

A Closer Look At The Modern Bond Between Dogs And Humans, Mallory Colwell

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

For this project, I wanted to take a closer look at a human's bond with their dog. This bond has been there for centuries, but recently has produced some distinct phenomenon. I believe that dog movies, dog birthdays, and dog social media showcase the modern human to dog relationship. Looking at these occurrences can give a better picture our bonds with our pets. It can also provide insight for ourselves as people.

Stated And Revealed Preferences For Supporting Endangered Species At Mammoth Cave National Park, Erin Crump, Whitney Yardley

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

When asked to put a value on unique and endangered species that live in US national parks, many people say they would be willing to pay to help conserve species. But it can be difficult to assess whether an individual's stated preferences match up with their actual preferences towards donating to preserving these species. The purpose of this study is to measure whether stated preferences about hypothetical giving match up with revealed preferences about actual giving for how much individuals are willing to pay to help conserve endangered species in Mammoth Cave National Park. To do this, we distributed a …

The Pekingese Dog Breed And Their Influence In China, Lauren Cunningham

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The Pekingese were a revolutionary dog breed that changed how dogs as a whole were perceived, treated, and used by humans. The breed began in China and that is where they gained popularity and new function. The Pekingese are unlike anything the world had seen at this point in history. The Pekingese bridge the gap between dog and human in terms of a leisurely relationship.

Early Social-Emotional Development In Children Of Mothers With Psychological Risk, Haylie Demercy

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Healthy child development depends on the ability of parents to put in necessary involvement and attention to respond to children's emotions and communication cues (Roggman, 2016). Maternal depression (Paulson et al., 2006) and parenting stress (Coyl et al., 2002) can reduce maternal responsiveness and is a risk factor for negative child social-emotional outcomes (El-Sheikh et al., 2009). The purpose of this study is to investigate how participation in Early Head Start (EHS), an early intervention program that provides families with individualized intervention services, affects social-emotional development for children of mothers with high and low psychological risk. Extant longitudinal data from …

Why Dogs Are Feared, Hannah Ericson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

From German Shepherds to Pit bulls, a specific breed of dog is often singled out as being more dangerous than the others. There are stories and myths behind the behavior of such breeds, as well as simply looking scary. In this presentation, I will discuss why certain traits in dogs promote fear (such as dark coloring) and why certain breeds promote fear - such as a modern day prejudice that is quite similar to racism in the human society.

How Dogs Representation In Cinema Reflects How They Are Seen In The Real World, Arden Fayard

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Dogs were introduced very early into the movie industry, just as they were to every other aspect of our lives. Over the decades, the way we used and represented dogs in movies changed. This research stems from an interest in seeing if representation of dogs in movies changed in response to their roles in people's lives.

From The Mouth Of The Tunnel: How The Shape Of Place Molds The Shape Of Art, Jordan Forest

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Creative Nonfiction writer Philip Gerard, in researching for an essay on the Gettysburg Address, decided to personally walk the path of Pickett's charge. He said that only in feeling the route for himself, in losing his breath and trudging through mud, did he realize the trek was uphill. Gerard said, "You have to see the thing itself, not merely a representation of the thing." For the creative nonfiction writer, site visit serves to imbue art with nuance and complexities of meaning. While writing a research-based creative nonfiction essay focused on Nancy Holt, I visited her land art installation Sun Tunnels …

Dogs And Death: A Changing Association, Andrea Giles

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Dogs have always been associated with death. However, these associations have changed as our relationship with them has changed. In the beginning of our relationship dogs were often associated with evils and devils, then evolved to become our protectors, and now are viewed as family and loyal companions. Dogs have not changed, though - they have always been our companions and protectors. Rather, their associations with death tell us about ourselves and how we view the world.

Cloning Type Iv-B Crispr System Into A Plasmid, Olivia Gornichec, Kailey Welch

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems have recently been repurposed as RNA-guided genome editors in research labs across the world. Yet CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems are very diverse and many systems remain uncharacterized. Discovering the structure and function of newly discovered and uncharacterized systems may further advance existing genome editing technologies, or lead to new ones. To better understand the function of the little-researched Type IV-B system we cloned the genes of a Type IV-B system from Mycobacterium J623 into a plasmid containing a target sequence of a Type IV-A and Type V system. The Type IV-B system was placed on the target …

The Ideal Dog, Owen Graham

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The goal of this project was to look into all of the different jobs or tasks that we as humans have dogs perform and try to pinpoint what exactly it is that makes a dog ideal for each task. After identifying desirable characteristics, I considered physical traits in order to create an ideal dog that would be able to perform the greatest number of jobs possible.

Vegetation Green Up: Ground-Truthing Ndvi Data Using Wildlife Cameras, Steven Handtke

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Plant phenology in mountainous areas follows elevation gradients, with spring green-up beginning in low elevations and increasing in elevation as the season progresses. This green-up is an important ecological event as studies have shown ungulates sync their spring migration to this green wave for maximum nutrition consumption at the beginning of the season. This correlation is useful when studying habitat use of ungulates. The current standard for tracking this green-up uses the normalized difference vegetation index, or NDVI. This index tracks changes in vegetation using satellite imaging every eight days and assigns a value on a greenness scale that correlates …

Hr Machine Learning On Social Media Data, Jake Harrison

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Human resource departments gather data from various sources to help make effective decisions related to recruitment, selection, strategic planning, and employee management. Social media profiles (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) are one recent source that many companies are turning to in order to gather unique information about current and prospective employees. The increasing abilities of artificial intelligence and machine learning may have an impact on the ease and validity of using social media information from applicants and employees to make employment decisions. In this research, we use previously published scholarly and trade sources to explain how HR personnel could use social …

The Effects Of Estrogen And Arousal On Latent Inhibition, Michael Herron

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The behaviors of humans and animals are dependent on neurotransmitters and hormones that affect attention, alertness, and associative learning. These include the hormone estrogen (which plays an interesting role in cognition and attentional processes) and the neurotransmitter orexin (involved in wakefulness, arousal and goal-directed behaviors). Here we evaluated the roles of orexin receptors and estrogen in Latent Inhibition (LI), a measure of attention and associative learning. Latent inhibition is a behavioral phenomenon in which an organism's ability to associate new meaning to a familiar previously inconsequential (pre-exposed) stimulus is reduced when compared to associating meaning to a novel stimulus (non …

Crowdsourced Conservation, Emmy Heywood

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Since the 1800s, America has been known for its massive conservation projects–setting aside huge swaths of land in public parks and passing legislation like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Now, new technologies are making a different type of conservation project possible, and conservationists are capturing massive amounts of data to inform conservation efforts through community involvement. These crowdsourced projects harness knowledge and skills of large groups of people who can contribute to conservation goals. For example, the internet platform Sciestarter connects 100,000 registered citizen scientists plus millions of onsite visitors with over 3,000 individual conservation projects. The global …

Associations Between Parental Attachment, Peer Attachment, And Moral Disengagement, Jonah Hickman

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The goal of this study was to understand whether quality of attachment relationships with parents and peers affects moral disengagement. Attachment styles, founded in our parent's responsiveness to us in early childhood (Bowlby, 1973) carry into adulthood and predict relational functioning throughout development (Simpson & Rholes, 2017). Early attachment generalizes to peer relationships in childhood and in adolescence (Dykes et al., 2008). Moral disengagement, justification of actions contrary to the character of the perpetrator, is a form of anxious and dysfunctional behavior (Bandura, 2016). It is used to preserve self-concept while violating core values (Bandura, 2016). There is evidence that …

Pure Breeding At Its Finest, Justin Hunter

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

This is a poster of my research on the affects pure breeding has on dogs and their health. There is a focus as well on the focus on neoteny and its affects on dogs.

How English Teachers Use Instagram And Other Social Media Platforms As Professional Development And Emotional Encouragement, Katharine Jenkins

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

How are high school English teachers using Instagram and other social media platforms as professional development and encouragement? This question is essential because the amount of information about education and teaching is constantly expanding, and through the use of social media platforms, teachers are now more readily able to communicate with each other. The widespread nature of social media has also created a new type of professional development through the past decade. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Teachers Pay Teachers, Twitter, and personal blogs offer professional development through the sharing of classroom materials, advice, and the collaboration …

Mitochondrial Pyruvate Consumption Decreases Glycolytic Flux In Postmortem Muscle, Natalie Keele

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Mitochondrial pyruvate consumption decreases glycolytic flux in postmortem muscleColor, water-holding capacity and tenderness are important aspects of meat quality that are impacted by pH. The pH of meat is primarily determined by the amount of anaerobic glycolysis that occurs postmortem. As glycogen is degraded, it will produce ATP, pyruvate and hydrogen ions that acidify the meat, and this acidification process is essential for proper meat quality development. In the absence of oxygen, pyruvate is converted to lactate to restore NAD+ necessary for further glycolysis. In this state of anoxia, mitochondria are often ignored due to their reliance on oxygen to …