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You Can't Take It With You [01]
No full textJohn Fiske, playing Grandpa, refusing to pay his rent to Judy Chavez, playing Penelope. Jim Bateman, playing the son-in-law, and Kenton Bird, playing the iceman Mr. DePinnna, listening in on the conversation during the Moscow Community Theatre production of 'You Can't Take it with You.
You Can't Take It With You [02]
No full textJudy Chavez, playing Penelope Sycamore, painting a portrait of Kenton Bird, playing Mr. DePinna, during the Moscow Community Theatre production of 'You Can't Take it with You.
Dr. William A. Foskett Folder
No full text2 pages of family history documents containing and related to Doctor William "Dee" Foskett, - including: Slate Creek; Incredible Idaho articl
On the Role of Zirconium Hydrides and Hydride Rim Features in Causing Low Strain Ruptures in Stress Relieved Zirconium Alloy Cladding Tubes in Pulse Reactor Tests
No full textStress relieved zirconium alloys are the most prevalently used material to construct light water reactor fuel cladding tubes. Circumferential zirconium hydride features form in the metal matrix because of waterside corrosion, and at high exposures thick, ‘rim’ like features form on the cladding outer surface. During transient reactor pulse tests on high exposure fuel rods, they are prone to rupture at low cladding strain. These low strain ruptures are currently the most limiting failure mode for light water reactor fuel rods. The objective of this dissertation work is to better quantify the role of circumferential hydrides and hydride rim structures in causing these low strain ruptures. A novel way of artificially creating these prototypic hydride structures is developed and described. A novel method for creating a uniform, bi-axial, and strain-controlled load in the cladding tubes was achieved by programming an in-situ cladding hoop strain measurement into a feedback loop with a high-pressure pneumatic regulator on an internal pressure test. When these strain-controlled pressure tests were conducted on cladding tubes with hydride rims at low cladding temperatures, less than 150 C, the stress relieved zirconium alloy cladding tubes begin rupturing at very low strain with even modest concentrations of cladding hydrogen,. However, at higher temperatures of 150 C and above cladding ductility is remarkably improved and only cladding tubes with ~500 ppm of hydrogen or higher experience low strain ruptures. Another significant finding from the strain-controlled pressure testing is that the hydride rims always fractured at hoop stress levels below that which would have caused cladding yielding in a non hydrided sample.doctoral, Ph.D., Nuclear Engr & Industrial Mgmt -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2023-0
Transcriptional Heterogeneity and Plasticity in Cone Photoreceptors
No full textPhotoreceptors are the light-sensing neurons in the vertebrate retina. While rod photoreceptors are responsible for low-light, low-acuity vision, cone photoreceptors mediate high-acuity color vision. The presence of multiple cone subtypes, each expressing a unique opsin protein and sensitive to particular wavelengths of light, serves as the basis of color vision. Humans possess three cone subtypes (red-, green-, and blue-sensing) which express long wavelength sensitive (LWS), middle wavelength sensitive (MWS), and short wavelength sensitive (SWS) opsins, respectively. Zebrafish possess eight cone types, including LWS1 and LWS2. While much is known about transcriptional regulation in cones, more remains to be uncovered, especially the mechanism by which opsin genes located in tandem arrays are regulated. Expanding our knowledge of how gene expression in cone subtypes is regulated represents an important step in improving treatments for retinal diseases. This dissertation begins with an overview of retinal development, emphasizing factors involved in retinal cell type patterning. In Chapter 2, I present my accepted manuscript that explores the transcriptional heterogeneity between and within the LWS cone subtypes in zebrafish beyond opsin expression. The LWS cone subtypes express the opsin genes lws1 and lws2, which are tandemly replicated opsin genes that are regulated by thyroid hormone. In Chapter 3, I introduce my unpublished manuscript in which we investigate the extent of transcriptional plasticity in zebrafish cones, determining whether gene expression remains plastic to thyroid hormone treatment in adult fish. Chapter 4 is an update on our progress in determining how thyroid hormone and retinoic acid regulate opsin expression in three-dimensional, human induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal organoids. We also propose a multicomponent strategy for rigorous analysis of opsin expression in retinal organoids. Overall, the work presented here expands scientific knowledge of gene expression in cones and how it can be altered.doctoral, Ph.D., Biological Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2023-0
Economic Impacts of Grazing Production Systems on Cow-Calf Ranches in Southern Idaho under Market Variability
No full textLivestock and land management decisions made by ranchers in the Mountain West have current impacts on ranch profitability as well as long-run impacts on sustainability of the operation. As a result, it is critical for ranchers to understand the economic impacts of management decisions to choose strategies that minimize economic and operational risk. Here, we use a multi-period mathematical optimization model to estimate the economic outcomes of two summer grazing management practices- non-irrigated range land and irrigated pasture grazing, given cattle price projections over a 40-year planning horizon. The model is parameterized for 150- and 300- head operations, using enterprise budgets for Lemhi County, Idaho, and grazing and animal outcome data from the Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center. We also simulated 40-year price trends using historical cattle price data. We find that simulated operations that utilize summer grazing of range lands result in the highest overall profit, regardless of ranch size. We also find that the average annual returns for large ranches that only utilize irrigated pasture are negative. While the average annual returns for small ranches utilizing irrigated pasture are positive, the returns are significantly lower than ranches that use range lands for summer grazing. Our results indicate the economic significance of range land grazing and forage production for the profitability of ranch operations and their resilience to exogenous impacts on production.masters, M.S., Agricultural Economics & Rural Soc -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2023-0
Characterization of Fusarium Dry Rot Pathogens of Potato and Fusarium Dry Rot Disease Management in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
No full textFusarium dry rot is a worldwide fungal disease of potato causing seed decay at planting and postharvest tuber decay in storage with lesions appearing as sunken, wrinkled, darkened areas on the periderm and dry, crumbly decayed tissue internally. With average yield losses of 6 to 25%, Fusarium dry rot is one of the most important postharvest potato diseases worldwide. The disease is managed through cultural practices such as wound management and crop rotation, chemical fungicides and use of less susceptible potato varieties. Recently, an increase of Fusarium dry rot has been observed by growers in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of the United States, a major potato production region of the world where the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington collectively produce around 11.3 million metric tons of potatoes annually. The reported increase in the disease justified an investigation of potential contributing factors. This study characterized Fusarium diversity associated with Fusarium dry rot of potato in the PNW using molecular and phylogenetic techniques, confirmed pathogenicity of PNW Fusarium isolates to potato, assessed relative aggressiveness of prevalent PNW Fusarium dry rot pathogens to selected potato varieties, screened Fusarium species in vitro for sensitivity to fungicides typically used for dry rot management and investigated fungicide efficacy in both seed treatment application and a field trial.Fusarium isolates were recovered from tuber samples from seed and commercial storages using standard isolation and culturing techniques and single-spored to obtain pure cultures. Isolates were identified to species or species complex by sequencing portions of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) and/or phosphate permease (PHO) genes, and identification was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of selected isolates. For Fusarium species not previously reported as dry rot pathogens in the PNW or worldwide, whole asymptomatic tubers were wounded, inoculated, and incubated, with lesion presence or absence used to determine pathogenicity. The relative aggressiveness of four prevalent PNW Fusarium species on seven potato varieties important to the PNW was determined by wounding, inoculating and incubating whole asymptomatic tubers and then comparing lesion size among both species and varieties. The sensitivity of PNW Fusarium isolates to difenoconazole, fludioxonil and thiabendazole was assessed via three different methods: laboratory sensitivity screening tests using on fungicide-amended agar plates, laboratory tests of fungicide effectiveness as a seed treatment and a field trial testing effectiveness of fludioxonil against Idaho F. sambucinum isolates. Twenty Fusarium species were recovered in this survey of PNW tubers, with F. sambucinum the most prevalent species in Idaho and F. oxysporum the most prevalent in Washington. Both species combined accounted for approximately 50% of isolates recovered from each state. Pathogenicity to potato tuber was confirmed for 14 Fusarium species (F. acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. cerealis, F. culmorum, F. equiseti, F. flocciferum, F. graminearum, F. oxysporum, F. redolens, F. sambucinum, F. solani, F. sporotrichioides, F. stercicola and F. venenatum) including eight species not previously reported as Fusarium dry rot pathogens in the PNW. More severe Fusarium dry rot was observed with certain combinations of Fusarium species and potato variety, e.g., Umatilla Russet infected with F. sambucinum and Dark Red Norland infected with F. oxysporum. For main effects, F. sambucinum was determined to be the most aggressive of all tested species, followed by F. avenaceum and F. oxysporum. Fusarium redolens and F. culmorum were least aggressive. Results of the fungicide sensitivity experiments indicate that difenoconazole remains a viable dry rot management fungicide. In vitro resistance of F. sambucinum was found in 67% of isolates tested while 43% of F. oxysporum isolates tested were resistant to the fungicide. However, in an experiment testing efficacy of fludioxonil as a seed treatment, in vitro resistance of F. oxysporum to fludioxonil had much less impact on disease levels in fludioxonil-treated seed tubers than F. sambucinum. Data from the two-year field trial indicated fludioxonil-resistant F. sambucinum isolates may increase dry rot incidence and severity in the field and decrease marketable and overall yield when a fludioxonil seed treatment is used. Thiabendazole resistance was found to persist in PNW F. sambucinum isolates, with 71% of isolates tested considered resistant. These findings emphasize the importance of variety selection and fungicide resistance management plans when addressing problems associated with Fusarium dry rot.doctoral, Ph.D., Plant Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2023-0
The Full Professor: Stories from the Past, Guiding the Future
No full textThe gaps in the literature necessitated an examination of what is known and should be known about career advancement to full professor at the university level. The literature revealed that more research was needed to guide those who mentor faculty to meet the needs of those pursuing future careers in academia. This dissertation is a qualitative case study that investigates commonalities in the career journeys of 21 full professors at land-grant universities in the Northwest. Each participant was asked, “What is your story?” and based on individual interviews, common themes emerged from the career stories. Participants revealed common performances, dispositions, inspirations, and knowledge bases despite a scarcity of information about the promotional process to full professor. These commonalities, among others, were list making, relationships with mentors and bosses, networking and collaboration, insatiable curiosity in pursuit of knowledge, and involvement with music. This study highlights the need for further research to illuminate the lack of clarity and transparency regarding gender and race inequities in advancement to full professor. Through analysis of the interviews, this dissertation provides insights regarding career paths to full professor so that emergent scholars seeking leadership careers in academia are better equipped to adapt, serve, and work toward advancement.doctoral, Ph.D., Education -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2023-0
Effects of Livestock Grazing and Habitat on Predator-Specific Nest Mortality and Spatiotemporal Activity Patterns of Sage-Grouse Nest Predators
No full textQuantifying how anthropogenic land use affects wildlife communities is critically important for balancing socioeconomic activities with wildlife conservation and management. Wildlife often perceive human activity as a risk and respond by increasing anti-predator behaviors (e.g., vigilance or fleeing) and/or partitioning themselves in space or time. Alternatively, some species may be drawn to human activities and benefit from anthropogenic subsidies such as food, water, or habitat features. Regardless, shifts in animal behavior and spatiotemporal activity patterns can alter key ecological processes that help maintain wildlife communities. For example, human activities can impact predator-prey interactions by altering spatiotemporal overlap of predators and prey or by altering predator foraging efficiency. Predation can shape the structure and function of wildlife communities and regulate prey populations via top-down processes. Thus, quantifying how human activities influence predator-prey interactions enhances our ability to make well-informed decisions regarding wildlife management. However, quantifying the consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predators on prey and factors that influence patterns of predation is challenging because most prey have to contend with multiple predators with different functional traits. Each species of predator may respond to human activity differently and, hence, predator-specific approaches are necessary to fully understand predator-prey dynamics and how humans affect those dynamics. Therefore, identifying the explicit predator species within ecological communities and determining rates of predator-specific mortality can help elucidate the functional role specific predators play within ecological communities and how human land use influences predator-specific patterns of predation. For the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse), nest predation is the primary cause of nest failure and can influence population dynamics. A diverse suite of predators are known to predate sage-grouse nests and thus, generalizing about how specific habitat, landscape characteristics, and human land use influence nest fate has been challenging. Greater sage-grouse populations have declined across their range in western North America and declines have been attributed to habitat loss, habitat degradation, and land use. Many land use activities thought to be responsible for sage-grouse population declines are assumed to increase nest predation, yet few studies have evaluated the effects of land use activities on explicit sage-grouse nest predators (e.g., the effects of land use on abundance and nest foraging behavior of specific predators). Domestic cattle (Bos taurus) grazing is often assumed to increase nest predation by reducing grass height (and hence nest concealment) and thereby facilitates nest detection by predators. Grass height is lower on actively grazed areas (hereafter pastures), but sage-grouse nest success appears to be similar on pastures grazed at varying intensities. The structural effects of livestock grazing (i.e., reduced nest concealment) could be offset by a numerical response of one or more sage-grouse nest predators to the presence of cattle (i.e., cattle may cause a localized numerical response in some nest predators). A reduction in the number of nest predators at the pasture scale could explain similar patterns of nest success on pastures grazed at varying intensities. That is, the effects of the two mechanisms (i.e., reduced nest concealment and a numerical response) could counteract each other if both were valid. Chapter 1 evaluates one prediction of the numerical response hypothesis: a decreased probability of at least one sage-grouse nest predator predating sage-grouse nests in pastures with cattle relative to pastures without cattle present during the nesting season. Cameras placed at nest sites are often used to identify nest predators. However, deploying cameras can increase nest abandonment and affect nest fate by providing predators with olfactory and visual cues of nest locations. We leveraged the power of molecular methods to identify sage-grouse nest predators via predator DNA collected from eggshells from predated sage-grouse nests. We then used this information to evaluate the influence of habitat, nest-site characteristics, and grazing on predator-specific nest mortality. We also deployed artificial nests with trail cameras to determine the accuracy of our molecular method by comparing the predator species captured via trail camera with our molecular results. Our proof-of-concept study showed that non-invasive, molecular methods provide an accurate method for identifying nest predators. Our molecular analyses detected the species captured via trail camera at 95% of our artificial nests. We collected samples from 114 predated sage-grouse nests and detected predator DNA from 76 (67%) of those nests. We did not find evidence that domestic cattle grazing influenced predator-specific nest mortality. We found a negative relationship between shrub canopy cover and the probability of coyote (Canis latrans) predation and a negative relationship between ambient temperature and the probability of both coyote and corvid (Corax spp. and Pica hudsonia) predation. Our study highlights that management efforts to increase sage-grouse nest success may vary spatially depending on the predominant predator within the system and that non-invasive genetic methods to determine predator-specific nest mortality can mitigate problems and biases associated with nest cameras. Chapter 2 evaluates a second prediction of the numerical response hypothesis: one or more nest predator species avoid cattle by partitioning themselves in space and thus, are unavailable to consume sage-grouse nests on pastures with cattle. Additionally, the effects of grazing (i.e., reduced concealment at nests) could be offset if one or more nest predators partition themselves temporally to avoid cattle. Altering diel activity patterns could result in increased nest predator activity during portions of the day when they are less efficient at locating sage-grouse nests. We deployed motion-sensor cameras across six pastures to evaluate whether coyotes (a primary sage-grouse nest predator) altered spatiotemporal activity patterns in response to cattle. Contrary to the numerical response hypothesis, the probability of detecting coyotes was positively associated with cattle detections at camera sites. Moreover, coyotes did not shift their diel activity patterns in response to cattle being in the pastures. Thus, in our system, similar patterns of sage-grouse nest success in grazed and non-grazed pastures cannot be explained by the numerical response hypothesis or by a temporal avoidance of cattle by coyotes. Our study did not find evidence to support the numerical response hypothesis. In our system, the presence of cattle did not influence predator-specific nest mortality. Further, the presence of cattle did not result in coyotes (the predominant nest predator in our system) altering their spatiotemporal activity patterns. In fact, we found that the probability of detecting coyotes increased with cattle detections suggesting that certain habitat characteristics (e.g., a relationship between increased forage quality for cattle and increased prey availability for coyotes) may offset any perceived risk that coyotes may have of cattle. Regardless, similar patterns of sage-grouse nest success on pastures with varying grazing intensity cannot be explained by the numerical response hypothesis. Current grazing practices (e.g., the number of cattle within a pasture and duration of grazing) may provide sage-grouse with areas of nesting refugia (i.e., areas within a pasture with adequate nest concealment) which could explain similar patterns of nest success on pastures grazed at varying intensities. However, continued research evaluating explicit mechanisms that link domestic cattle grazing to sage-grouse demographics is needed.masters, M.S., Fish & Wildlife Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2023-0
Market Class Differences in Response to Applied Nitrogen in Spring Barley
No full textNitrogen (NI) is essential for tiller formation and development of kernels in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare). In order to address the issue of growing N fertilizer prices and better N management practice field trials were conducted in three locations at the University of Idaho R&E centers for two growing seasons (2021-2022). Three classes of spring barley i.e., feed, malt, and food were planted at 50, 101, 151, 202 kg N per hectare for feed and malt barley and 0, 34 67, 101, 134 kg N per hectare for food barley. It measured the effect of N fertilizer rates on Grain Yield (GY), Nitrogen Uptake (NUp) and Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE). Nitrogen rate and variety had a highly significant effect on grain yield. A higher N rate was also associated with a bigger N uptake. In two of the three locations, significant differences in N uptake for all the varieties were observed. N rate affected NUE in one of the three locations for both trial periods. Another study utilized ground sensors and aerial sensors to predict GY and NUp. Normalized vegetative differences index (NDVI) and Chlorophyll Content Index (CCI) were recorded at tillering and flowering stage using GreenSeeker (GS), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mounted sensor, SPAD meter, and MC-100 meter respectively. We observe a highly significant effect of the N rate on GS NDVI readings. GS was also found to be better than SPAD meter, MC-100 and UAV at predicting Grain Yield (GY) and Nitrogen Uptake (NU).masters, M.S., Plant Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2023-0