Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Higher Plant Acclimation To Solar Ultraviolet-B Radiation, Ronald Robberecht

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plant acclimation to natural and intensified solar UV-B irradiance was investigated in three species, Oenothera stricta Ledeb., Rumex obtusifolius L., and R. patientia L. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the relationship between plant sensitivity and epidermal UV attenuation, (2) the effect of phenotypic changes in the leaf epidermis, resulting from UV-B exposure, on plant sensitivity to UV radiation, and (3) the plasticity of these changes in the epidermis leading to plant acclimation to UVB radiation.

Epidermal UV transmittance was found to differ in magnitude and spectral distribution among the three species examined in this study. Epidermal …

Some Morphological And Chemical Responses Of Blackbrush (Coleogyne Ramosissima) To Goat Browsing: Influences On Dietary Blackbrush Selection By Goats And Cattle, Frederick D. Provenza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Domestic goats were used to modify the growth form of blackbrush, a spinescent shrub occurring in nearly monospecific stands on several million hectares of rangeland in the southwestern United States. The objective of this research was to evaluate goat browsing as a means of improving these rangelands for cattle. Winter goat browsing stimulated spring twig growth from basal and axillary buds which resulted in increased production.

Twig production by heavily browsed plants (>95 percent removal of current season's twigs) was a function of precipitation, soil depth, branch location on the plant, and period of rest after browsing. As precipitation …

Natural Pastures Of The Macquarie Region Of New South Wales: Their Origin, Composition And Management, David Leslie Michaelk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two experiments were conducted in the semi-arid (400 millimeter annual rainfall) Macquarie region of New South Wales, Australia, at the Trangie Agricultural Research Station (31° 59'S; 147° S7'E), to examine (a) the way botanical parameters can be used to separate grazing and climatic impacts on range vegetation, and (b) how this delineation affects application of range science tenets (site, condition and trend) to different pasture types.

Two range sites were studied: Site 1, a light soil type, was dominated by annual grasses, legumes and forbs, whereas perennial grasses (mainly Chloris acieularis and Chloris truncata) dominated the heavy soils of …

Effect Of Mild Water Stress And Enhanced Ultraviolet-B Irradiation On Leaf Growth Of Rumex Obtusifolius L. And Rumex Patientia L. (Polygonaceae)., Steve R. Holman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Leaves of Rumex obtusifolius L. and R. patientia L.were exposed to combinations of mild water stress and enhanced ultraviolet-B irradiation during their ontogeny. Two UV-B treatments (enhanced UV-B and control) and three water stress treatments (-0.0 MPa, -0.2 MPa and -0.4 MPa rooting medium matric potentials) were employed. The impact of the stress interaction was assessed on the basis of changes in leaf area, average adaxial epidermal cell size, and total number of adaxial epidermal cells per leaf. Although the level of UV-B irradiation applied was insufficient to significantly alter leaf growth at any given water stress, UV-B did interact …

The Energy Expenditure Of Heifers Grazing Crested Wheatgrass Rangeland In West-Central Utah, Kris M. Havstad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The free-roaming ruminant requires energy for the demands of vii grazing, traveling and thermoregulation that are not required by its confined counterpart. Literature estimates of these additional costs range from 10 to 170 percent above maintenance. The uncertain magnitude of this increased demand and the factors that contribute to it impede the ability of the rangeland ruminant nutritionist to establish guidelines for the energy requirements of the free-roaming herbivore. This study was designed to estimate the energy expenditure of yearling Angus heifers while grazing a declining supply of available crested wheatgrass forage (Agropyron cristatum) on rangeland in west-central …

Lifestyle As A Determinant Of Participation Among Dispersed Forest Recreationists, John R. Butler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study assesses the usefulness of lifestyle as a determinant of outdoor recreation behavior. Two objectives of the study are: (1) develop an operationalized concept of lifestyle that is based on theory, and (2) apply this concept in a model which uses lifestyle as a variable influencing recreation behavior.

The first objective was approached through an integrative review of the literature. Lifestyle was set in context of cultural theory. The basic postulate of the proposed theory of lifestyle is: If an individual's lifestyle is similar to that of another, certain social psychological processes are similar. Therefore, their patterns of needs, …

Relationship Between Rainfall And Storm Runoff For Selected Arizona Watersheds, Robert James Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between rainfall and runoff was examined for twelve selected Arizona watersheds. Expedient runoff volume model coefficients and runoff curve number model parameters were examined using standardized structure, with modifications to adjust the model for small initial abstractions and large watershed storage capacity.

Forest-land management practices were examined for their effects on curve number coefficients. The effects of rainfall characteristics were also evaluated with respect to changes they induce in curve number populations.

Evaluations included a runoff fraction, a simple multiplier of storm volume to produce runoff volume. The accuracy of this model is promising for more permeable watersheds.

Effects Of Host Plant Patch Size And Surrounding Plant Type On Insect Population Dynamics, Lynn A. Maguire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the present study was to investigate how plant spatial patterns and insect behavior interact to influence the population dynamics of insects using the plants. The study included three phases: l) field experiments using collards (Brassica oleracea) and the crucifer insect fauna; 2) simulation models representing the population dynamics of an insect herbivore as functions of insect dispersal behavior and host plant patch size; and 3) model-field syntheses integrating model predictions and field variability estimates to choose an appropriate spatial scale for future field experiments or applications.

In field experiments on surrounding plant type, collards were …

Effects Of Pesticides On Immune Competency: Influence Of Methyl Parathion And Carbofuran On Immunologic Responses To Salmonella Typhimurium Infection, Anna M. Fan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Immunologic competence is correlated with resistance to infectious disease which may be affected by exposure to certain compounds. Methyl parathion (MP) and carbofuran (CF) have been reported to affect the development of active immunity in the rabbit and the present research was conducted to quantify the dosage relationships of these two pesticides to both host resistance and acquired resistance in the mouse.

Preliminary study was made on the virulence of Salmonella typhimurium in mice. Mortality rates among infected animals fed Purina Laboratory Chow diet providing 0.08, 0.7 3.0 mg MP/kg/day or 0.1, 0.6, 1.0 mg CF/kg/day along with untreated controls …

A Confidence Interval Estimate Of Percentile, How Coung Jou

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The confidence interval estimate of percentile and its applications were studied. The three methods of estimating a confidence interval were introduced. Some properties of order statistics were reviewed. The Monte Carlo Method -- used to estimate the confidence interval was the most important one among the three methods. The generation of ordered random variables and the estimation of parameters were discussed clearly. The comparison of the three methods showed that the Monte Carlo method would always work, but the K-S and the simplified methods would not.

Evaluation Of Multivariate Homogenous Arma Model, Lucy Chienhua Tseng

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to study a restricted multivariate AFRMA model, called the Homogeneous Model. This model is defined as one in which each univariate component of the multivariate model is of the same order in p and q as it is in the multivariate model.

From a mathematical respect, multivariate ARMA model is homogeneous if, and only if, its coefficient matrices are diagonal. From a physical respect, the present observation of a phenomenon can be modeled only by its own past observation and its present and past "errors."

The estimation procedures are developed based on maximum likelihood …

Exact Analysis Of Variance With Unequal Variances, Noriaki Yanagi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper was to present the exact analysis of variance with unequal variances. Bishop presented the new procedure for the r-way layout ANOVA. In this paper, one and two way layout ANOVA were explained and Bishop's method and Standard method were compared by using a Monte Carlo method.

Determining Initial Values For Stiff Systems With Incomplete Initial Data, Yech-Kuang Ning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Stiff differential equations frequently arise in physical problems due to the existence of greatly differing time constants. One way of solving stiff differential equations is taking the step size very small, another way is using an A-stable or stiffly stable implicit method. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the method of determining initial values for stiff systems. The algorithm was motivated by a problem from ionospheric physics in which some of the initial values are unknown. If we give those unknown initial values an arbitrary number and integrated with those values, we have an initial transient. However, if …

Structure And Petrology Of Tertiary Volcanic Rocks Near Etna, Utah, Kent W. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three volcanic domes and related volcanic rocks of Tertiary age are located near Etna, Utah, in Box Elder County. The domes follow a north-south trend and are fault controlled. Flow structure indicates a change from a less viscous, flow-forming lava which produced an exogenous dome to a more viscous lava which formed endogenous domes. Associated pyroclastic deposits are negligible. The volcanic rocks are composed of porphyritic rhyolite and rhyolitic vitrophyre having phenocrysts of quartz, sanidine, plagioclase and biotite with minor amounts of Fe-Ti oxides, hypersthene, allanite and calcic amphibole. Quartz and sanidine phenocrysts are generally embayed whereas plagioclase phenocrysts are …

Geology, Characteristics, And Resource Potential Of The Low Temperature Geothermal System Near Midway, Wasatch County, Utah, James F. Kohler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent awareness of the finite nature of fossil-fuel resources has resulted in an increased interest in alternate sources of energy such as geothermal. To evaluate the geothermal energy potential of the hot-springs system near Midway, Wasatch Co., Utah, consideration was given to heat flow, water chemistry, and structural controls.

Abnormal heat flow was indicated qualitatively by snow-melt patterns and quantitatively by heat-flow measurements that were obtained from two of four temperature-gradient wells drilled in the area. These measurements indicated that the area north of the town of Midway is characterized by heat flow equal to 321.75 mW/m², which …

Growth, Morphology, Habit And Habitat Of Selected Brachiopod And Mollusc Species From The Meade Peak Member Of The Phosphoria Formation, Permian, Northeastern Utah - Southeastern Idaho - Southwestern Wyoming, Scott Lewis Russell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Permian Meade Peak Member of the Phosphoria Formation was examined at four localities in this investigation. Fossils were collected at each locality. The four collecting localities visited in this investigation are: Brazier Canyon, Utah, Montpelier Canyon, Idaho, Coal Canyon, Wyoming, and Cokeville, Wyoming.

The environment of deposition of the Meade Peak Member in the study area is inferred to have been an outer shelf or basin characterized by moderately deep and quiet water. This has aided reconstruction of life habits, population dynamics, and growth characteristics of the examined species.

The articulate brachiopod Leiorhynchoidea weeksi is inferred to have attached …

Characteristics And Genesis Of Certain Soils In The Southern Foothills Of Central Alborz, Iran, Firouz Rooyani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Characteristics and genesis of five pedons representing some of the soils of the central Alborz mountain northeast of Tehran were investigated. The present climate of the area is similar to the Mediterranean climate. The parent materials for the soils under study have apparently been derived from the Ecocene Alborz Green Beds (a thinly bedded light green mudstone), the Pliocene Hezardareh Formation (a poorly-cemented conglomerate) and Recent alluvium and colluvium. Pedons 2 and 4 are located at lower elevations (plain and river terraces) on 1 to 2 percent slopes. Pedons 3 and 5 are located at higher elevations (hills that surround …

Extreme Value Distribution In Hydrology, Bill (Tzeng-Lwen) Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The problems encountered when empirical fit is used as the sole criterion for choosing a distribution to represent annual flood data are discussed. Some theoretical direction is needed for this choice. Extreme value theory is established as a viable tool for analyzing annual flood data. Extreme value distributions have been used in previous analyses of flood data. However, no systematic investigation of the theory has previously been applied. Properties of the extreme value distributions are examined. The most appropriate distribution for flood data has not previously been fit to such data. The fit of the chosen extreme value distribution compares …

Resource Partitioning In Breeding Populations Of Marsh Hawks And Short-Eared Owls, Susan C. Linner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the 1979 breeding season four pairs of northern harriers, or marsh hawks (Circus cyaneus) and four pairs of short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) were studied in Cache Valley, Utah. The study was concerned solely with diurnal resource utilization, and did not examine the owls' nocturnal activities. The home range of each harrier pair overlapped substantially with that of an owl pair. Percent habitat overlap for hawk-owl pairs varied from 39 percent to 72 percent. Observations were made to determine if differences existed in their utilization of habitat and food resources, or in their daily and seasonal …

Chlorophyll Fluorescence Probe Of Ultraviolet-B Photoinhibition Of Primary Photoreactions In Intact Leaves, Robert S. Nowak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Damage to primary photosynthetic reactions caused by environmental stress can be assessed by measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence induction in intact leaves. This approach was applied in studies of ultraviolet-B photoinhibition of photosynthesis in Pisum sativum L. and Rumex patientia L. leaves. At ultraviolet-B dose rates insufficient to cause inhibition of net photosynthesis, changes in the magnitude of fluorescence transients did occur, which suggested direct effects on chloroplast pigments in Pisum and inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport between the photosystems in both species. Leaves of these two species subjected to a much higher dose rate had a significant reduction of net …

Production Of Mountain Whitefish (Prosopium Williamsoni) In Altered And Unaltered Reaches Of Two Intermountain Streams In Their Alluvial Flood Plains, Michael J. Ottenbacher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Estimates of production and related parameters (growth rate, density, standing crop) were made for populations of mountain whitefish in altered and "unaltered" areas of the Blacksmith Fork and Logan River, Utah from spring 1975 through summer 1976. Capture records of marked whitefish were also analyzed to describe fish movement and check on assumptions implicit in the population estimator.

Mean weights and instantaneous growth rates of whitefish were similar at all sites for comparable size/age groups. Among sites, differences in production per sampling interval and annual production were due mainly to differences in standing crop and/or age structure.

Estimates of mountain …

Effects Of Forage Availability On Voluntary Intake And Feeding Behavior Of Grazing Heifers, Anastasios S. Nastis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forage intake by animals is an important factor in determining production of livestock products from rangelands. However, relatively little is known of effects of such forage variables as availability and distribution in space upon intake. Even less is known about how the grazing animal modifies its feeding tactics when confronted with diminishing or limited supplies of available forage and how such altered behavior may affect the animal's energetic cost for existence. Forage intake, body weight gain, grazing time and biting rate of Angus heifers was related to forage availability and plant height on semiarid crested wheatgrass rangeland during the late …

Spectral Signature Studies For Application In Deer Census Using Remote Sensing Techniques, Maran C. Pate

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was performed to determine the spectral signatures of deer and their natural background elements for censusing purposes. Consideration was given to atmospheric transmittance, acceptable flying weather, and terrain. Possible spectral bands between 0.3 and 14.0 μm were obtained (over a pathlength of 1500 feet at an altitude of 5000 feet) based upon atmospheric transmittance using the LOWTRAN 3B computer program. They are: 0.30 - 1.33, 1.49 - 1.79, 2.00 - 2.50, 3.00 - 3.16, 3.38 - 4.10, 4.59 - 5.05, and 8.00 - 13.33 μm, for transmittance greater than 75%. Weather conditions are favorable for flying and taking …

Structural Geology Of Eastern Part Of James Peak Quadrangle And Western Part Of Sharp Mountain Quadrangle, Utah, Steven L. Rauzi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A detailed study was made of the James Peak-Sharp Mountain area, in the southern part of the Bear River Range, Utah. The mapped area is located in north-central Utah between lat. 41°22'30" N. and lat. 41°30' N. and long. 111°42'30" W. and long. 111°46' W. It measures about 3.8 miles in the east-west direction and 8.7 miles in the north-south direction. The area is centered about 22 miles south-southeast of Logan, Utah.

Stratigraphic units of late Precambrian to Mississippian age underlie the mapped area. The Precambrian units include the Mutual and Browns Hole Formations. The Brigham, Langston, Ute, Blacksmith, Bloomington, …

Interrelationships Between Benthic Macroinvertebrates And Habitat In A Mountain Stream, John M. Payne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study to determine habitat differences of benthic macroinvertebrates was conducted on the upper Strawberry River, Utah. The investigation was part of a large scale project to determine minimum stream flow requirements for trout. The effects of time, habitat, depth and velocity on the distribution of benthic fauna were evaluated.

Samples of benthic invertebrates (146 total) were collected every 2 months at 8 stations on the river from November, 1975 through August, 1976. Representatives of 59 taxa were collected. Eight taxa comprised 90 percent of the mean annual community standing crop in numbers. Biomass was not dominated by any group …

A Μ-Model Approach On The Cell Means: The Analysis Of Full, Design Models With Non-Orthogonal Data, Richard Van Koningsveld

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This work considers the application of a µ-model approach on the cell means to a special yet important class of experimental designs. These include full factorial, completely nested, and mixed models with one or more observations per cell. By limiting attention to full models, an approach to the general data situation is developed which is both conceptually simple and computationally advantageous.

Conceptually, the method is simple because the design related effects are defined as if the cell means are single observations. This leads to a rather simple algorithm for generating main effect contrasts, from which associated interaction contrasts can also …

Reproductive Modes Of The Least Chub (Iotichthys Phlegethontis - Cope), Marianne Crawford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The reproductive biology of the least chub Iotichthys phlegethontis (Cope) was studied from June 1976 to March 1978. Fish from both field and laboratory populations of the Leland Harris Spring Complex, Juab Co., Utah were utilized in the study. Reproduction in 1977 occurred from April to July in the field population and from April through August in the laboratory population.

Reproduction was determined from gross examination and weight measurements of testes and ovaries, breeding coloration in males and diameter measurements of ova.

Males and females matured at about the same size, 28 to 30 mm TL. The number of mature …

The Qr Algorithm, Hsiao-Yin Edith Chu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this section, we will consider two methods for computing an eigenvector and in addition the associated eigenvalue of a matrix A.

The Prior Distribution In Bayesian Statistics, Kai-Tang Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A major problem associated with Bayesian estimation is selecting the prior distribution. The more recent literature on the selection of the prior is reviewed. Very little of a general nature on the selection of the prior is formed in the literature except for non-informative priors. This class of priors is seen to have limited usefulness. A method of selecting an informative prior is generalized in this thesis to include estimation of several parameters using a multivariate prior distribution. The concepts required for quantifying prior information is based on intuitive principles. In this way, it can be understood and controlled by …

Petrology And Mineralogy Of Quaternary Basalts, Gem Valley And Adjacent Bear River Range, Southeastern Idaho, William D. Perkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quaternary basalts of Gem Valley, Idaho, are present as valley fill (Group 1) and as well defined flows in the Bear River Range (Group 2) east of Gem Valley. Minerals present in both groups of basalts include olivine (Fo₇₃ -Fo₃₉), augite (Wo₄₁ En₃₉ Fs₂₀), plagioclase (An₇₅ -An₄₀), and Fe-Ti oxides. Coexisting pairs of magnetite and ilmenite, and olivine and clinopyroxene in several samples indicate temperatures of crystallization from 958°c to 1167°c. The Group 2 basalts exhibit a cumulate texture with abundant large (2 cm) phenocrysts of plagioclase.

Chemically, the Gem …