Life Sciences Commons^™

Mechanisms And Signal Transduction Pathways Involved In Bovine Oocyte Activation, Ammon Hanson Bayles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Being able to create a genetically identical, living replicate of a prized animal sounds impossible. Through advanced scientific methods and the wonders of mother nature it can be accomplished by a process called cloning. In 2003, the USU Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science department and Dr. Kenneth L. White gained world wide recognition when they, along with a team for Idaho, cloned the first equine species.

Cloning certain animals could be very advantageous to the agricultural industry. Prized animals that have died could be cloned, producing the best meat and milk supply. Animals that are sterile or endangered could be …

Modulation Of The Host Response To Tacaribe Arenavirus Infection In Ag129 Mice By My-24, Eric Sefing

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

MY-24 is a new antiviral compound recently shown to protect immunocompromised mice from lethal challenge with Tacaribe virus (TCRV). Tacaribe virus is incapable of causing disease to humans, but is closely related to the highly pathogenic New World arenaviruses that cause often-fatal viral hemorrhagic fever syndromes. Remarkably, MY-24 prevents mortality without reducing virus burden in the circulation or tissues. To investigate the mechanism by which MY-24 protects AG129 mice against Tacaribe virus infection, we first characterized the natural history of disease in the model with an emphasis on host immune response and blood vessel function to establish the best times …

Effect Of Silicon On Plant Growth And Drought Stress Tolerance, Kaerlek W. Janislampi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Silicone is a silicon-containing synthetic polymer. Silicon is a metalloid chemical element. Silicon is not considered an essential nutrient for plants, but it is typically abundant in soils and can be taken up in large amounts by plant roots. Silicon is known to have beneficial effects when added to the soil in which rice and several other plants are cultivated. These beneficial effects include disease and insect resistance, plant structural fortification, and regulation of the uptake of other plant nutrients. Silicic acid is the form of silicon in soils that is available to plants. In this study, the effect of …

Using Biophysical Geospatial And Remotely Sensed Data To Classify Ecological Sites And States, Carson A. Stam

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Within the Intermountain West, vast expanses of big sagebrush shrubland and steppe are considered emblems of the western range. Currently, there are approximately 60 million hectares of big sagebrush within the 11 western states, four million of which are in the state of Utah. However, the historic distribution of sagebrush has been impacted by conversion to other types of land cover through juniper encroachment, urbanization, invasive weeds, and agricultural expansion. In Utah alone, big sagebrush communities have been reduced to approximately 55% of their historic extent. A primary and current example of the cumulative impact of big sagebrush loss is …

Population Dynamics And Movements Of Translocated And Resident Greater Sage-Grouse On Anthro Mountain, Utah, Natasha W. Gruber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have declined range-wide. Species translocations have been identified as a conservation strategy to augment declining populations in restored habitats. I evaluated protocols previously used to successfully translocate greater sage-grouse in Utah by comparing annual production, survival, habitat use, integration and seasonal movements of translocated birds and their chicks to the resident population. To conduct this study, I translocated 60 greater sagegrouse hens captured and radio-collared on Parker Mountain to Anthro Mountain in the spring of 2009 and 2010. I also captured and radio-collared 19 resident hens to serve as my control group. All …

Factors Influencing Relocation Success Of Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys Parvidens), Rachel Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historic range due to introduced disease, eradication, and habitat destruction. Most of the population lives on private land where animals burrow in lawns and agricultural fields, which keeps this threatened species continually in conflict with landowners. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been relocating prairie dogs from private to public land since the 1970s, but relocations have been largely unsuccessful due to high mortality. Prairie dogs are highly social animals, but they are usually relocated without regard to their family group, or coterie. Coteries typically consist of one reproductive …

Effects Of Sodium Chloride Salting And Substitution With Potassium Chloride On Whey Expulsion Of Cheese, Ying Lu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in America. In 2008, not only are more than 0.6 million people dying of heart disease, but it is estimated that almost 1 in every 4 Americans with heart disease die. Consuming excess salt has been associated with increasing risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke. Americans consume 40% more salt than the USDA recommended level -- 1500 mg. Therefore, it is important to reduce the amount of salt in foods such as cheese to reduce salt consumption that may lead to heart disease.

However, simply reducing salt level …

Continental-Scale Characterization Of Molecular Variation In Quaking Aspen, Colin M. Callahan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quaking aspen has the largest natural distribution of any tree native to North America, ranging from Alaska through the breadth of Canada and south to mid-Mexico. Recent studies suggest a general decline of aspen throughout much of the range since at least the mid-20th century, though these findings remain inconclusive. Regardless, factors such as climate change, periods of drought, soil nutrient deficiencies, pathogens, insects, and encroachment by other tree species all pose risks to the health and maintenance of aspen across the continent. This situation is exemplified in the western United States where climate change is forecasted to have an …

Characterization Of The Involvement Of Integrins, Focal Adhesion Kinase, And Phospholipase C Enzymes Endogenous To The Oocyte In Bovine Fertilization And Oocyte Activation, Benjamin Rand Sessions

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Center for Integrated Biosystems (CIB) and Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences (ADVS) Department at Utah State University propose a multi-year molecular study of cattle gamete interactions to improve our basic understanding of fertilization. The CIB and ADVS will utilize existing collaborations in addition to recruiting state and federal funding sources to complete the extensive project.

Various laboratory techniques will be used to discover the molecular players of fertilization in hopes of shedding light on a variety of human infertility issues due to problems at the gamete level. A more complete understanding of fertilization could also lead to the development …

Genetic Characterization Of Fine-Leaved Festuca Valesiaca Germplasm And Evaluation Of Their Relationship To The Festuca Ovina Complex, Yingmei Ma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fine-leaved Festuca valesiaca has stress tolerance. However, its agronomic performance in the western United States and its genetic relationship to species of the Festuca ovina complex has not been investigated. Also, natural hybridization makes them difficult to identify. Given the species' potentials, our project was designed to identify Festuca valesiaca accessions that possess high biomass and seed yield and to examine their relatedness with the Festuca ovina complex.

The Festuca valesiaca accessions examined produced many small seeds. Seed production was correlated with the total biomass, plant height, and plant vigor. The Festuca valesiaca accessions examined were shorter than the control …

The Effects Of Habitat Manipulations On Utah Prairie Dogs (Cynomys Parvidens) And Their Habitat On The Awapa Plateau Recovery Area In South-Central Utah, Gretchen Elizabeth Caudill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah prairie dogs have been listed, in some capacity, under the Endangered Species Act since 1972. The lack of suitable habitat, particularly cool season grass cover,
has been identified as the primary factor impeding species recovery. Due to reproduction costs, Utah prairie dogs require a large quantity of cool season grasses. Lack of recovery has also been attributed to poor juvenile survival. Increased resources have been shown to increase weights, which would increase survival through the winter.

Beneficial habitat management techniques for Utah prairie dogs have yet to be determined for the Awapa Plateau recovery area. Utah prairie dogs require …

The Role Of Fine-Scale Habitat Associations In Structuring Spider Assemblages: Determinants Of Spatial Patterns In Community Composition, Stephanie M. Cobbold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ecologists strive to identify the mechanisms that drive the identity and abundance of species in different locations, because a better understanding of such factors enables them to better predict the effects of habitat modification on organisms, and to identify landscapes in which species are likely to benefit from conservation interventions. However, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms behind geographical variation in species diversity. The primary objective of this dissertation was to focus on spider assemblages to investigate how the fine-scale habitat associations of organisms may drive the composition of their communities at larger scales. Research was conducted in …

Clark's Nutcracker Seed Harvest Patterns In Glacier National Park And A Novel Method For Monitoring Whitebark Pine Cones, Monika E. Maier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) is the primary seed disperser of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), which is in decline throughout its range. There is concern that a decline in whitebark pine will lead to a subsequent decline in local populations of Clark's Nutcracker. Because natural regeneration depends on the presence of Clark's Nutcracker, the process of harvesting whitebark pine seeds needs to be fully understood. In addition, resource managers need a cost-effective method for monitoring nutcracker occurrence in whitebark pine stands during the seed harvest season. I visited eleven study sites in Glacier National Park, Montana, where …

Genetic Diversity And Genetic Structuring At Multiple Spatial Scales Across The Range Of The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens, Ryan P. O'Donnell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Genetic diversity is the raw material for evolution: evolution cannot happen without genetic diversity, and the ability of a population to respond to a changing environment depends directly on how diverse its genes are. Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity is important for many reasons, including predicting whether species will be able to adapt to climate change and predicting the spread of invasive species. Information about the distribution of genetic diversity across the range of the Northern Leopard Frog, a declining species, will not only help us to ensure that the species can continue to evolve in response to changing …

Avian Response To Post Wildland Fire Reseeding Treatments In Great Basin Shrubsteppe, Adam B. Brewerton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildfire is often considered a destructive force. However, we have learned that fire is a natural part of many ecosystems and can even be productive by recycling nutrients, and allowing for regrowth. A natural pattern of fire frequency allows for native plants and animals to recover from its destructiveness and capitalize on its benefits. Environmental changes, such as exotic invasive species, like cheatgrass, and livestock grazing, can make recovery less likely. Cheatgrass also promotes fire. As cheatgrass establishes, fires become more frequent and larger, making it hard or impossible for native plants to recover. Land managers often reseed to restore …

Acute Effects Of Antagonist Stretching On Jump Height And Knee Extension Peak Torque, John B. Sandberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There has been a great deal of research investigating the effects of stretching preceding strength training, jumping and running. Static stretching, as the name implies, involves stretching a muscle and holding the stretch with minimal or no movement for a given duration. Several studies have shown that static stretching before strength training or jumping can actually result in poorer performances. Static stretching may reduce the nervous system’s ability to recruit muscles or it may reduce the ability of the muscle to produce force directly.

All major skeletal muscles have an opposing or antagonist muscle that acts in opposition to it. …

Ensuring Microbial Safety In Food Product/Process Development: Alternative Processing Of Meat Products And Pathogen Survival In Low-Salt Cheddar Cheese, Subash Shrestha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States occur as a result of improper food-handling and preparation practices in homes or food establishments. The lack of food-safety knowledge is one of the several reasons for this. However, researchers also suggest that food-operators and consumers with adequate food-safety knowledge, attitudes, and intentions do not always follow the food-safety recommendations because not all recommendations are easy to put into practice. Therefore, the first part of this study sought to establish safe alternative processing of meat products that can be easily practiced by food-operators and consumers. In Chapter 3, a novel method …

Increasing The Retention Of Lipid-Soluble Components In A Curd Matrix, Megan Tippetts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Megan Tippetts, under the direction of Dr. Silvana Martini at Utah State University, proposes to demonstrate that it is possible to increase the retention of lipid-soluble components (e.g. vitamin D) in a curd matrix (e.g. Cheddar cheese). This project was coordinated with the Western Dairy Center for the initial phase of the project.

The initial phase used vitamin D₃ fortified emulsions stabilized with a dairy-based emulsifier. The objective was to determine if vitamin D₃ delivered in an emulsion form to the milk before cheesemake would have higher retention in the cheese versus vitamin D₃ oil added directly …

Integration Of Nutrition Education Classes Into English As Second Language Classes For Refugees, Sarah Gunnell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Each year approximately 73,000 refugees are resettled into the United States because it is unsafe for them to return to their country of origin. Resettlement agencies help refugees learn about their new environment and provide assistance with housing, food, English classes, and job skills training. The goal of resettlement programs is to help refugees become self-sufficient as quickly as possible.

Recently resettled refugees face many challenges that make it difficult to eat healthy food. Transportation, English skills, and conflicting work hours are some of the barriers to receiving nutrition education. This research evaluated the integration of nutrition lessons into English …

Isolation And Purification Of Anthocyanins From Black Bean Wastewater Using Macroporous Resins, Xiaoxi Wang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Isolation and purification of anthocyanins from black bean canning wastewater by column chromatography with macroporous resins were investigated in this study. Different adsorption materials and adsorption conditions were compared and the most effective material and adsorption conditions were selected to purify anthocyanins. Purified anthocyanins then were identified by high performance liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The most effective macroporous resin was selected by comparing the adsorption performance of five different types of macroporous resins (Diaion Hp20, Sepabeads Sp70, Sepabeads Sp207, Sepabeads Sp700, and Sepabeads Sp710). Equilibrium adsorption isotherms of five resins with wastewater were measured and analyzed using Langmuir …

Characterization Of The Function And Interaction Of Proteins Involved In Exopolysaccharide Synthesis In Streptococcus Thermophilus, Streptococcus Iniae, And Lactococcus Lactis Subsp. Cremoris, Angela D. Cefalo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many microorganisms produce capsules of repeating sugar units that surround the cell called exopolysaccharides. The synthesis of these capsules is a complex process that involves numerous protein components. A better understanding of the way these proteins function and interact with one another will benefit many industrial processes by aiding in the construction of bacterial strains with enhanced properties and could also lead to new treatment strategies against microbial pathogens in which capsule production is important in their ability to cause disease. In this study, the function of one of the proteins involved in the regulation of capsule synthesis in the …

1. Improving The Yield Of Biodiesel From Microalgae And Other Lipids. 2. Studies Of The Wax Ester Biosynthetic Pathway And Potential Biotechnological Application, Bradley D. Wahlen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The production of biofuels and oleochemicals from renewable sources offers an opportunity to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. The work contained in this dissertation has focused on developing and improving methods for the production of biodiesel from non-traditional feedstocks and understanding biosynthetic pathways that result in the production of oleochemicals and fuels.

Pure vegetable oil can account for 70-80% of the total cost of biodiesel production. Many low-cost oils contain high amounts of free fatty acids, which are unsuitable for base-catalyzed transesterification. Herein an approach is described that efficiently accomplishes the simultaneous esterification and transesterification of both free fatty …

Effects Of Cache Valley Particulate Matter On Human Lung Cells, Todd L. Watterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the wintertime, residents of the Cache Valley are very aware of the poor air quality that occurs during cold-air inversion episodes. If one somehow avoids the radio and television announcements as well as the electronic roadside signs indicating poor air quality and encouraging less driving, one need only to look upward toward the mountains that surround the valley and notice the lack of daytime visibility. This lack of visibility and health warnings are due to particulate air pollution or particulate matter (PM). PM is only one of many types of regulated air pollution but is the one that occurs …

Assessments Of An Exogenous Proteolytic Enzyme In Beef Steer Diets To Improve Growth Performance And Ruminal Fermentation, Juan Manuel Vera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of adding an exogenous proteolytic enzyme (EPE) on growth performance and ruminal fermentation characteristics of beef steers fed growing and finishing diets containing 30% dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).

In the first experiment, 48 beef steers were divided into two treatments: DDGS diets with and without EPE. Dry matter intake (DMI) was increased (P = 0.02) by the addition of EPE, but neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility was decreased on the growing phase. For the finishing phase, average daily gain ( …

Coping Mechanisms And Level Of Occupational Stress Among Agriculture Teachers And Other Teaching Populations, Kasee L. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher stress has been a concern in educational research for several decades. This research sought to identify the specific coping methods which Utah agriculture and non-agriculture teachers utilize to manage potentially stressful events, and to determine if differences exist in the coping mechanisms used between agriculture teacher and non-agriculture teacher groups.

Results showed that agriculture teachers showed a greater level of occupational stress than non-agriculture teachers. It was also concluded that occupational stress for the two teaching groups came from different sources. In regard to the agriculture teacher group, certain demographic characteristics that led to a higher frequency of use …

Structural And Mechanistic Investigations Of Phosphothreonine Lyase Class Of Enzymes, Alok Gopalkrishna Shenoy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are a highly pervasive mechanism in biology that is used by the cell to modulate enzymes and proteins. The presence of a phosphate group can activate or deactivate an enzyme. The phosphate group is linked to a protein by a phosphoester bond that is known to be highly stable in cytoplasmic pH range. Thus the breaking and formation of these bonds need to be effected by enzymes.

Recent discovery of the activity carried out by certain virulence related proteins (OspF released by Shigella and SpvC released by Salmonella) have resulted in a necessity to create a new …

Performance Characteristics Of Rayon From Bamboo In Bed Sheets Through Laundering, Jennifer Kohler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, consumers have been encouraged to purchase bamboo fabric for various applications, including bed sheets. A variety of claims and marketing campaigns have stated that the benefits of rayon from bamboo result in this fiber being a suitable option for bed sheets and other clothing and household products. The purpose of this study was to test the performance characteristics of rayon from bamboo to determine if it is an appropriate textile for the bed sheet application. To identify the performance characteristics of this fiber, three tests were conducted (a) dimensional stability; (b) fabric hand; (c) the weight, thickness, …

A Coupled Human And Natural Systems Approach To Understanding An Invasive Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, In Hawaii, Emily A. Kalnicky

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Human activities worldwide have altered nature in ways that create new combinations of species and environmental processes. To understand so-called "novel ecosystems" it is important to consider both the natural and the societal factors that shape them, and how those factors are interconnected or "coupled." We used such an approach to explore options for managing a non-native invasive frog, the coqui, which has become established on the island of Hawaii and threatens to spread to other parts of the state.

The nighttime calls of the coqui create a nuisance for property owners when populations become dense enough, as often occurs …

A Baseline Study Of Biofuel Feedstock Growth On Non-Traditional Agronomic Land In Utah, Dallas A. Hanks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nearly all highway, airport, and military areas in Utah cost money to maintain and are often safe harbor for noxious weeds and pests. This project hypothesized that money could be saved and biofuel feedstocks could be grown in these areas, improving sustainability. Agronomic conditions and growth methods were tested to determine if biofuel feedstock production could occur on these marginal, non-traditional plots of land. Models developed illustrate that maintenance costs for these areas can be nullified if oilseed crops grown yield 600 pounds/acre and are used for biodiesel production. This feedstock yield would result in approximately 25 gallons of biodiesel …

Determining Compost Carryover For Optimal Use In An Organic Corn Squash Rotation, Davey J.R. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 2008–2011 a graduate project was undertaken by Davey Olsen under the supervision of Utah State University (USU) Plant, Soils and Climate professors, Drs. Jennifer Reeve, Dan Drost, and Astrid Jacobson. The project investigated a new way of measuring the benefits of applying compost to organically certified horticultural crops. In particular, the carryover of these benefits in the three years following a one-time application was studied. A field trial at the USU Organic Farm modeled the carryover of nitrogen and phosphorus in a corn and squash rotation, while laboratory analysis investigated aspects of nitrogen availability and compost decomposition over time. …