Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Utah Nonpoint Source Pollution Education Activities For Grades 1-12, Kitt Farrell-Poe

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Thermally Induced Core-Electron Binding-Energy Shifts In Transition Metals: An Experimentalinvestigation Of Ta(100), D. Mark Riffe, B. Kim, W. Hale, J. L. Erskine

All Physics Faculty Publications

High-resolution photoemission spectra from the 4f_7/2 levels of Ta(100) have been obtained between 77 K and room temperature. The data show an increase in both the surface and bulk core-level binding energies (BE’s) as the temperature is raised: between 77 and 293 K the bulk and surface BE’s increase by 31±3 and 13±2 meV, respectively. A model calculation of the bulk binding-energy increase, which is based upon the lattice expansion of the solid, is in good agreement with the experimental results and indicates that the shifts arise from both initial- and final-state effects that are of comparable magnitude. The …

Auroral Electrojet Irregularity Theory And Experiment: A Criticalreview Of Present Understanding And Future Directions, J. D. Sahr, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

We review the experimental observations of meter scale plasma irregularities in the auroral E region and the status of their theoretical understanding. Most of the experimental data is derived from VHF radar scatter experiments, but sounding rockets also provide crucial information not obtainable from radars. Linear theories correctly predict the altitude of occurence, strong magnetic aspect sensitivity, marginal instability, and typical phase velocities. Subsequent nonlinear theories have been developed to account for other observed features but with less satisfying application. Further understanding of auroral electrojet irregularities is impeded by precision limitations of existing instruments, by radar data which may seem …

Building A Competition Buzzer Set, John R. Dennison, Richard Davis

All Physics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Asymptotic Conservation Laws In Field Theory, Ian M. Anderson, Charles G. Torre

All Physics Faculty Publications

A new, general, field theoretic approach to the derivation of asymptotic conservation laws is presented. In this approach asymptotic conservation laws are constructed directly from the field equations according to a universal prescription which does not rely upon the existence of Noether identities or any Lagrangian or Hamiltonian formalisms. The resulting general expressions of the conservation laws enjoy important invariance properties and synthesize all known asymptotic conservation laws, such as the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner energy in general relativity.

Raman Spectroscopy Of Carbon Materials, John R. Dennison, M. Holtz, G. Swain

All Physics Faculty Publications

Use of carbon materials is no longer limited to diamond jewelry or graphite pencils and lubricants. The last decade has witnessed an explosion of technological applications driven by the development of fabrication methods and the discovery of several new classes of pure carbon. Structural diversity exhibited by the carbon atoms, from local chemical order to long-range crystalline order, is key to understanding their physical and chemical properties and in future materials development. This article summarizes the use of Raman spectroscopy as a principal tool to investigate the vibrational dynamics of carbon materials and to provide indirect structural characterization of their …

Pattern Formation And Evolution Near Autocatalytic Reaction Fronts In A Narrow Vertical Slab, J. Huang, Boyd F. Edwards

All Physics Faculty Publications

Linear analysis and nonlinear numerical simulations of autocatalytic reaction fronts ascending in narrow vertically unbounded slabs describe the growth, development, and annihilation of fingers in the front, the dynamics of edge suppression, and a secondary transition to a two-roll state above the onset of convection. The pattern formation and evolution of the reaction fronts are determined by the horizontal aspect ratio Γ=b/a and the dimensionless driving parameter S=δga³/νD_C, which involve the gap thickness a, the slab width b, the fractional density difference δ between the unreacted and reacted solutions, the gravitational acceleration g, the kinematic viscosity …

Sharing Common Ground On Western Rangelands: Proceedings Of A Livestock/Big Game Symposium, Keith E. Evans, Intermountain Research Station, Usdsa Forest Service, U.S. Department Of Commerce, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This proceedings includes 37 papers and posters presented at the "Sharing Common Ground" symposium. The information represents the progress made in livestock/big game management since the 1991 symposium with the theme of "Seeking Common Ground." The broad range of topics includes the rangeland resource, the science of livestock/big game interactions, the human dimension, and the success stories from the seeking common ground partnership demonstration projects.

Observationsof Inner-Plasmasphere Irregularities With A Satellite Beacon Interferometer Array, A. R. Jacobsen, G. Hogeveen, R. C. Carlos, G. Wu, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley

Bela G. Fejer

A radio-interferometer array illuminated by 136-MHz beacons of several geosynchronous satellites has been used to study small (≥ 1013 m−2) transient disturbances in the total electron content along the lines of sight to the satellites. High-frequency (ƒ> 3 mHz) electron content oscillations are persistently observed, particularly during night and particularly during geomagnetically disturbed periods. The oscillations move across the array plane at speeds in the range 200–2000 m/s, with propagation azimuths that are strongly peaked in lobes toward the western half-plane. Detailed analysis of this azimuth behavior, involving comparison between observations on various satellite positions, indicates compellingly that the phase …

Application Of (E,2e) Spectroscopy To The Electronic Structure Of Valence Electrons In Crystalline And Amorphous Solids, John R. Dennison, A. L. Ritter

All Physics Faculty Publications

This review presents theoretical and experimental aspects of (e,2e) spectroscopy specific to the study of crystalline and amorphous solids. The cross section for (e,2e) scattering is proportional to the spectral momentum density of the ejected electron under certain approximations. The theoretical framework for interpreting (e,2e) measurements is summarized here and general properties of the spectral momentum density of solids are discussed. Different designs of the (e,2e) spectrometer are described and sample preparation techniques are briefly reviewed. A summary of (e,2e) experiments on the electronic structure of valence electrons in graphite, ion sputtered and evaporated amorphous carbon, aluminum/aluminum oxide composites, amorphous …

Incoherent Scatter Radar, Ionosonde,And Satellite Measurements Of Equatorial F Region Vertical Plasma Drifts In The Evening Sector, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, L. Scherliess, I. S. Batista

Bela G. Fejer

Studies of equatorial F region evening vertical plasma drifts using different measurement techniques have produced conflicting results. We examine the relationship of incoherent scatter radar and ionosonde drift observations over the Peruvian equatorial region, and AE-E satellite drifts for different geophysical conditions. Our data show that there is large day-to-day variability on the ratios of radar and ionosonde drifts, but on the average the measurements from these two techniques are in fair agreement during low and moderate solar flux conditions. For high solar activity, however, the Jicamarca evening drifts during equinox and December solstice are significantly larger than the ionosonde …

Regional Standards For Rangeland Health And Guidelines For Livestock Grazing Management ... A Progress Report

Range Management

In August 1995, new BLM regulations for rangeland administration went into effect. The new regulations require BLM to establish regional standards for rangeland health and guidelines for grazing management. This publication is a report on the alternatives being considered for the Montana/Dakotas Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines process.

Thermodynamics And Kinetics Of Small Molecule Binding To [Cyclopentadienyl-Ru-No] And [Rh-Co] Electrophilic Centers, Anna Svetlanova

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This work is concentrated on the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of water, alcohols, alkyl halides, ethers, and lactones bound and activated by the electrophilic [Cp'Ru(N0)]⁺² and [Cp’Ru (NO)(CH₃)] + centers (Cp' = cyclopentadienyl group). Counterions in these systems include OSO₂CF₃- (OTf`) and [(3, 5-(CF₃)₂C₆H₃)₄B]- ([BAr₄']-). The displacement of OTf- in Cp'Ru(N0) (0Tf)2 by H20 in dichloromethane is exothermic but entropically unfavorable due to the required reorganization of the solvent cage around released triflate ions. Thermodynamic parameters are also determined for OTf …

Paleoenvironmental And Stratigraphic Interpretation Of The Middle Cambrian Ute Formation, Northern Utah, Keith E. Eagan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Middle Cambrian Ute Formation includes some 200 m of cyclically alternating carbonates and mud rocks. These are arranged in eight to nine, meter-scale, shallowing-upwards packages, representing deposition under predominantly subtidal conditions. The packages consist of vertical sequences of shale, silty limestone, oncolitic packstone, and oolitic grainstone that exhibit little variance in this general pattern. Small-scale unconformities separate the packages. The inferred depositional environment consists of an intrashelf basin that has a peritidal platform near its margins. The craton, which supplied most of the terrigenous sediment, was situated to the south (Cambrian orientation), and located near the equator. One cycle …

Structural Analysis Of The Mitten Park Reverse Fault And Related Deformation In Dinosaur National Monument, Northwestern Colorado And Northeastern Utah, Clint M. Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An integrated field and structural analysis of the Mitten Park fault-fold structure, northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah, examines its structural origin. The Mitten Park structure is a modified fault-propagation-fold. This new model incorporates faulting, folding, and fracturing in one deformational event to produce the Mitten Park fault and associated monocline.

The largest structure in the study area is the Mitten Park fault and associated monocline. The Mitten Park fault has approximately 127 meters (415 feet) of net slip, strikes S28°W and dips 55°WNW. In the footwall, net shortening was accommodated by reverse and normal faulting. Faulting was the result of …

Pre-Late-Wisconsin Glacial History Of The Naknek River Valley, Southwestern Alaska, Caleb H. Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The lower Naknek River in southwestern Alaska dissects thick (~20m) exposures of Pleistocene glaciogenic sediments. The stratigraphy of the deposits and their physical, geochemical, mineralogical, and geochronological properties were studies to determine the number and timing of glacial advances represented. Multivariate data reduction methods (cluster and principal component analyses) were applied to the data to differentiate diamicton beds. The results show a clear separation of drift of the lower Naknek River valley from drift of northern Bristol Bay and from younger, moraine-comprising drift up valley. Within the Naknek River valley, however, there is no stratigraphic trend to the clusterings. The …

Aminostratigraphy Of Thatcher Basin, Se Idaho: Reassessment Of Pleistocene Lakes, Amy Hochberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Quaternary geologic history of Lake Thatcher, southeastern Idaho, is pivotal in determining when the Bear River carved its through-flowing channel into the Bonneville Basin. Bright's reconstruction of the history of Lake Thatcher was based on ¹⁴C dates that are now known to be inaccurate. Lava Creek B ash found interbedded with lacustrine sediment suggests that Thatcher Basin contained a lake well before Bright's original estimate of 34 ka.

D/L ratios, which measure the extent of racemization in fossil gastropods, in conjunction with paleosols and tephra, were used to correlate between four localities across Thatcher Basin to reassess lake-level …

Habitat Selection And Movement Of A Stream-Resident Salmonid In A Regulated River And Tests Of Four Bioenergetic Optimization Models, Mark D. Bowen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A bioenergetics model was constructed for stream-resident drift-feeding salmonids. Model predictions of surplus power (energy available per unit time for growth and reproduction) were not statistically distinguishable from observations of surplus power in three laboratory studies. Of 40 experimental trials in these three studies, the model correctly predicted surplus power in 39 cases (p < 0.05).

I collected observations of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) focal velocity and physical habitat availability in the Green River of northeastern Utah, USA (1988-1990). In the winter of 1988, Flaming Gorge Dam generated hydropower and delivered an lJDStable discharge regime with a higher mean discharge …

The Effect Of Salinity Level Upon The Yield, Root Growth, And Water Extraction Of Contrasting Rooting Subpopulations Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) Under Conditions Of Zero Leaching, Laura A. Vincent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A major problem in irrigated agriculture in the Western U.S. is the gradual accumulation of salinity in the plant root zone. These nonuniformly saline soils contain increasing amounts of salinity with depth, and salt accumulation is accelerated in situations where leaching is minimized. Root growth and thus plant yield is limited in these soils due to decreased water uptake. We studied the root growth of two subpopulations of alfalfa differing in their ability to produce fibrous roots to determine if altering root morphology would increase plant yield and water extraction, in an irrigated saline soil.

Soil profiles for a control …

Mule Deer Highway Mortality In Northeastern Utah: An Analysis Of Population-Level Impacts And A New Mitigative System, Mark E. Lehnert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rerouting highways to accommodate construction of the Jordanelle Reservoir in northeastern Utah caused a dramatic increase in vehicle collisions with mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). I evaluated the effectiveness of a new system of highway crosswalk structures installed to reduce deer losses and preserve seasonal migrations. In addition, I constructed computer simulation models to investigate how highway mortality has impacted the Jordanelle deer population.

The crosswalk system restricted deer crossings to specific, well-marked areas along highways where motorists could anticipate them. Subsequent to installation, mortality declined 42.3% and 36.8% along a four-lane and two-lane highway, respectively. I was unable …

An Ecological History Of Tintic Valley, Juab County, Utah, Jeffrey A. Creque

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This work was a case study of historical ecological change in Tintic Valley, Juab County, Utah, an area historically impacted by mining and ranching activities common to much of the American West. The temporal framework for the study was approximately 120 years, the period of direct Euroamerican influence. In recognition of the ecological implications of cultural change, however, the impacts of prehistoric and protohistoric human activity on study area landscape patterns and processes were also explicitly addressed.

The study included a narrative description of historic land uses and ecological change in Tintic Valley, and examined the changes in landscape patterns …

An Instrument For Experimental Secondary Electron Emission Investigations, With Application To The Spacecraft Charging Problem, Robert Davies

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Secondary electron emission (SEE) and incident-particle backscattering are important processes accompanying the impact of energetic electrons and ions on surfaces. The phenomena play a key role in the buildup of electrical charge on spacecraft surfaces. and are therefore of particular interest to scientists attempting to model spacecraft charging. In response to a demonstrated need for data, techniques for determining total secondary electron (SE) and backscatter (BS) yields S and n, and associated scattering-angle-resolved, scattering-energy-resolved, and simultaneous angle-energy-resolved yields have been developed. Further, an apparatus capable of making the necessary measurements for experimental determination of these quantities-for conducting materials in …

Livestock As Seed Disseminators For Reseeding Degraded Rangelands: The Role Of Dung In Gap Formation And Plant Establishment, Brian S. Auman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Livestock (cattle and sheep) were examined as seed disseminators for reseeding degraded Intermountain rangelands. "Hycrest" crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult. X A. cristatum (L.) Gaert.] seed was fed to yearling Holstein steers and Suffolk ewes. Dung was collected from each animal type and deposited on plots of high and low densities of an annual [cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.)] and perennial [squirreltail (Sitanion hystrix Nutt.)] grass species. The experiment evaluated the ability of the dung to suppress the resident vegetation, and the recruitment and establishment of Hycrest seedlings emerging from the dung.

Sheep dung had …

Geršgorin And Beyond•••, Jason Knight Belnap

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Eigenvalues are useful in various areas of mathematics, such as in testing the critical values of a multi variable function to see if it is a local extrema. One of the more common ways to define eigenvalues is:

Definition (1): Given that A is an n by n matrix, λ is an eigenvalue of A if and only if det(A - λI_n) = 0. Any nonzero vector in Null(A - λI) is called an eigenvector associated with λ.

Evaluation Of The Delta Waterfowl Foundation's Adopt-A-Pothole Project, Daniel S. Vice

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The establishment of dense nesting cover (DNC) for breeding waterfowl is a common management practice on large blocks of former agricultural land. The Delta Waterfowl Foundation's Adopt-A-Pothole (AAP) program establishes DNC adjacent to small wetland complexes to increase waterfowl use and productivity. I evaluated waterfowl use and nesting success on AAP lease sites in southwestern Manitoba in 993- 94 and compared the relative amount and success of overwater and upland nesting by mallards using these sites.

Diving duck breeding pair densities were higher on treatment sites in both 1993 and 1994 (P = 0.02 and 0.02, respectively). Dabbling duck …

History Of Fermat's Last Theorem, Amanda Brown

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Around 1637, Pierre de Fermat made a now-famous mathematical conjecture. However, Fermat's conjecture neither began nor ended with him. Fermat's last theorem, as the conjecture is called, has roots approximately 3600 years old. The proof of the theorem was not realized until 1994, over 350 years after it was proposed by Fermat.

Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Plant Populations In Salt-Desert Shrub Vegetation Grazed By Sheep, Humberto Alzérreca-Angelo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I studied the effect of moderate sheep grazing on a shadscale plant community at the Desert Experimental Range, southwestern Utah, USA, using a 61-yr data set with two grazing treatments (yes vs. no), two seasons (spring vs. winter), and two soil types (loamy-skeletal vs. coarse-loamy). I studied precipitation, total species cover, annuals, shrub survival, seedling recruitment, plant succession, and plant spatial relationships.

Precipitation showed high variability (CV=31%) masking on short-term cycles, resulting in study intervals with average (1935-58), dry (1958-69), driest (1969-75), and wet (1980-94[5]) regimes. Total cover in both grazed and ungrazed pastures increased between 1935 and 1975 before …

Hydrochemical Definition Of Ground Water And Surface Water, With An Emphasis On The Origin Of The Ground-Water Salinity In Southern Juab Valley, Juab County, Utah, Heidi K. Hadley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As part of a U.S. Geological Survey study in Juab Valley in central Utah from 1991 to 1994, the chemistry of ground - and surface -water samples was determined. Total dissolved solids in the ground water of southern Juab Valley have historically been higher, in general, than ground water in other areas of Utah. Total dissolved solids for ground-water samples from this study ranged from 623 to 3,980 milligrams/liter. High-sulfate chemical data of previous studies suggested that the major source of ground-water salinity is the dissolution of gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate ) from the Arapien Shale. Sulfur-34 to sulfur-32 isotopic …

A Study Of The Gradient Drift Instability In The High-Latitude Ionosphere Using The Utah State University Time Dependent Ionospheric Model, Mahesh Subramanium

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research over the years has established that the Gradient Drift Instability process causes small-scale irregularities, mostly along the edges of the high-latitude polar cap patches. Studying these irregularities will help in the development of a Global Scale Ionospheric model, which is a central part of a global space weather forecast system. Much theoretical work has been done with varying degrees of complexity to study this instability in the high latitude patches.

In this work we have used the Utah State University Time Dependent Ionospheric Model to model the high-latitude patches, calculate the growth rate of the instability, and perform a …

Second Growth Forest As Potential Marten Habitat In Western Newfoundland: An Examination Of Forest Habitat Structure And Microtine Abundance, Brian R. Sturtevant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The American marten (Martes americana) is associated with large tracts of relatively undisturbed, mature coniferous forests. I examined coarse woody debris (CWD) structure and small mammal abundance with respect to forest age and stem structure within second-growth forests, in comparison with old-growth stands in western Newfoundland. Results suggest that a critical change in marten habitat quality may occur at stand senescence, due to decreased tree competition, more complex subcanopy structure, and increased meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) abundance.

Analysis of stem structure within a chronosequence of 19 second-growth stands indicated high intertree competition, with dense canopy closure …