2017 Projects
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Item Open Access Giving dollar$ & $en$e(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Kappeler, Krystal, authorConsumers are faced with a plethora of goods and services to drive their own satisfaction, yet many consciously choose to give their resources away philanthropically. Economists disagree regarding relevant variables for an ideal empirical model of this phenomenon. This research begins with an in-depth literature synthesis investigating factors which drive philanthropy, marrying schools of economic thought and consumer behavior with a review of economic research articles, interviews, and industry reports. This study then utilizes panel data to test theoretical models and inform policy decisions, to ultimately contribute to quantifying the impact of philanthropy on the United States’ capitalist market.Item Open Access Legacies of precipitation change alter ecosystem responses to extreme drought(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Slette, Ingrid, author; Blair, John, author; Hoover, David, author; Smith, Melinda, author; Knapp, Alan, authorGlobal climate change is causing more extreme droughts, as well as subtler chronic changes in precipitation patterns. Both chronic and extreme precipitation change can alter ecosystem structure and function, and these alterations may affect how systems respond to future extreme climatic events. Understanding how legacies of various past precipitation changes may alter the effects of future extreme droughts will be important for predicting ecosystem responses to climate change. We investigated how ecological legacies of experimentally-imposed chronic and extreme precipitation changes altered the impact of an extreme drought on an economically-important grassland ecosystem.Item Open Access Associations between motor cortex inhibition & gait variability(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Swanson, Clayton W., author; Fling, Brett W., authorMotor cortex inhibition is significantly associated with complex bimanual control of the upper extremities. It remains unclear whether this same relationship exists for the lower extremities. We utilized transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess motor cortex inhibition and wireless, inertial sensors to quantify gait variables to assess how cortical inhibition contributes to the control of gait in healthy, young adults. Gait cycle duration variability was significantly correlated to right motor cortex inhibition. The results of this study indicate that motor cortex inhibition may be associated with complex components of gait in a similar fashion to its association with bimanual control.Item Open Access Don't lose focus: critical repeat photography of CSU's campus(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Oldberg, Katherine, authorRepeat photography is an effective way to analyze the built and natural environments in terms of time and space. Not only does critical repeat photography allow for historical analysis, it also requires keeping meticulous records, which can be used in future replication of the photographs and future research. Employing critical repeat photography to examine CSU's architecture tells us about literal snapshots of CSU's history and how these spaces have changed over time. Critical repeat photography of Morgan Library, Lory Student Center, Clark, and Green Hall demonstrates CSU's shift away from its post-war architecture towards a more cohesive vernacular.Item Open Access Educational psychology: teacher-student rapport in the secondary music ensemble(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Adams, Sebastian, authorCritical topics related to the evaluation of secondary music teachers continue to undergo philosophical evolution as perspectives are introduced by experts both in and out of the field. One concern is the role of the secondary music educator in the classroom and the potential impacts of teacher-student rapport on student learning. A synthesis of principles from four schools of educational psychology was made via a content analysis of seminal works to develop an understanding of teacher rapport dispositions. Data is presented to encourage discussion regarding pre-service teacher curriculum and teacher evaluation reformation.Item Open Access Match me if you can! Plant-insect interactions in common cow parsnip Heracleum maximum (Apiaceae)(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Smith, Brittany N., author; Leipzig-Scott, Peter, author; Ode, Paul, authorAnthropogenic climate change is altering the ecology of habitats and the life histories of species that live within it. Not only does climate change influence phenologies and geographic ranges of individual species, but variation in temperature and precipitation can affect how and when species interact. Ecological interactions between plants and their insects, pollinators and herbivores, are affected by abiotic and biotic factors, such as; temperature, allelochemicals, and herbivory. In our study, cow parsnip Heracleum maximum Bartram (Apiaceae), in a changing elevation gradient, may experience fitness differences if its phenology is matched or mismatched with its pollinators and/or herbivores.Item Open Access Identifying a common data model approach for veterinary medical records(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Holbrook, Ellen, author; Strecker, Joseph, author; VandeWoude, Susan, authorObservational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED) are common clinical terminologies used to encode human electronic medical records and allow for modeling of diseases and other factors of interest. However, veterinary medical records have vastly lacked this level of organization. In partnership with UC Denver's Anschutz Medical Campus and other institutions with a similar medical-veterinary school partnership, this project aims to determine a database structure to align veterinary records with OMOP's Common Data Model and enhance One Health and translational medicine concepts by establishing encoding and modeling procedures applicable to both human and veterinary medicine.Item Open Access Kyle V Singer - drawing and new media(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Kyle, Singer, authorI highlight the importance of flaws, trauma, and repression by evoking concepts of “the unconscious” through surrealist methodologies. Considering all that is suppressed/repressed within my psyche to form the culturally accepted version of myself, and by examining the distance between my identity, and the repressed self. Engaging the viewers through superabundance, tackling issues of consumerism with construction that grapples with the excess of daily life. I question aesthetic value, moral responsibility, and political agency in my efforts to sublimate the abject. The abject touches on the fragility of our boundaries and the spatial distinction between our interiority and exteriority. My art stems from an insatiable appetite for new materials and compulsive ways I can explore new methods and processes. The impetus for my work is a cultural and political critique imbued with my own flavor of cynicism and disillusionment. I endeavor to destabilize perceptions by creating overwhelming masses of matter and meaning; meant to be all-consuming. This non-hierarchical kind of making causes a slow unraveling of my work allowing for an unpredictable composition and use of materials.Item Open Access Insects role changes in streams under shifting environment and climate(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Gutiérrez, Carolina, author; Harrigton, Rachel, author; Kondratieff, Boris, author; Webb, Colleen, author; Ghalambor, Cameron, author; Poff, N. LeRoy, authorFunctional diversity quantifies the value and range of organismal traits influencing species roles and performance in ecosystems. Aquatic insect functional diversity has been examined previously, but not in the context of strong environmental and climate gradients. We quantified and tested differences in three primary components of functional diversity of stream insects along an altitude gradient: Functional Richness (FRic), Functional Evenness (FEve) and Functional Divergence (FDiv). 24 small streams in three adjacent basins were studied; spanning an elevational range of 2000-3500 m. Our results showed that only FRic differs significantly with altitude, and this pattern of change remains constant across basins.Item Open Access Metagenomic approaches to determine soil microbial communities associated with Armillaria root disease(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Lalande, Bradley, author; Abdo, Zaid, author; Hanna, John, author; Page-Dumroese, Deborah, author; Warwell, Marcus, author; Tirocker, Joanne, author; Kim, Mee-Sook, author; Klopfenstein, Ned B., author; Stewart, Jane, authorArmillaria root disease causes extensive damage to tree roots throughout the world and lacks successful management practices. Soil metagenomics and metatransciptomics may unlock the ability to understand how soil microbial communities interact with root pathogens, which may inhibit or facilitate the pathogenicity of disease. A western white pine (Pinus monticola) seed provenance plantation located within the Priest River Experimental Forest in northern Idaho provides the ability to sample numerous Armiilaria species along with bulk density soil cores. The basis of the research is to identify how soil microbial communities differ between different Armillaria species. Sixty-three trees were chosen with preference to trees that were previously identified to be infected with either A. solidipes or A. altimontana, and split between healthy and dead trees. At each tree, we sampled DBH, tree health, bulk density soil cores, and sampled for rhizomorphs. Soil samples are used to extract DNA and RNA to identify microbial communities involved with Armillaria species. Each DNA sample was amplified at the ITS-2 and 16S rDNA region to determine what microbes were present at each tree. Rhizomorphs were isolated and amplified using the translation elongation factor-1α locus to identify Armillaria species present within sampled trees. The ITS-2 and 16S microbial communities will be analyzed to show how they differ between each Armillaria species, tree health status, seed provenance, and soil properties. If microbial communities differ between species and tree health, this may unlock a new means of management for root diseases in a forest setting.Item Open Access The influence of hydrologic regime, vegetation, and land use on carbon dynamics of Northern Sierra Nevada fens(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Flett, Dana, author; Cooper, David, authorFens are a type of wetland meadow supported by ground water and are important carbon reservoirs. However, many factors can impact these ecosystems. I measured water table dynamics, vegetation composition, CO2 fluxes, and impacts due to cattle trampling at four fens in the northern Sierra Nevada of California. My goal was to understand the natural functioning of fens and the effects of cattle grazing and drainage. Untrammeled areas were carbon accumulating while cattle trampling had a negative effect on carbon sequestration. Any amount of cattle trampling negatively affected carbon accumulation and greater disturbance resulted in greater carbon loss. Trampling had a greater negative effect on carbon sequestration than water table drawdown.Item Open Access Using needs analysis as a tool for ESP curriculum alignment(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Alqarni, Hanan, author; Ali, Halo, author; Garrison, Pete, author; Pourdastmalchi, Ali, authorIn spite of growing attention to the needs of post-secondary English language learners, many of these students continue to struggle with their university coursework. According to Hyland, (2002) gaps in school curricula may be one of the factors contributing to this phenomenon. To address this issue, scholars have suggested that course designers employ Needs Analysis to improve the alignment between curricula at the university level (Zohrabi, 2010). However, without a concrete example of how a needs analysis is conducted, many instructors may be reluctant to take on such a project. The purpose of this panel poster is to provide EAP instructors and course designers with a first-hand account of an actual needs analysis project, and to demonstrate how data from this project was used for curriculum alignment. In this poster, the panelists will begin by introducing the concept of needs analysis, and explaining its relevance to the EAP context. Next, the panelists will discuss how they applied this concept in order to determine the needs of a population of international students at a public university. Participants will learn specifically how data was collected and analyzed using Present Situation Analysis, Target Situation Analysis, and Discourse Analysis methods. They will also learn how the research findings were used to redesign the curriculum of a foundational EAP course, in order to better prepare students for future university coursework. Participants will be given an opportunity to ask questions to the panelists about their work. They will also receive handouts with information about designing, implementing, and applying the results of a needs analysis, with references to sources of additional information.Item Open Access Obesity-induced lymph node dysregulation - a TEM analysis(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Solt, Claudia M., author; Vanderpool, Kim G., author; Foster, Michelle T., authorExcess adiposity has been demonstrated to induce a chronic low grade inflammatory state, increasing disease susceptibility. Our previous studies demonstrated that mice fed a high fat diet exhibited greater collagen accumulation in the visceral lymph nodes than a CHOW fed group. In our present experiment, TEM is used to closely explore and elucidate the mechanisms by which fibrosis influences lymph node microarchitecture and cellular communication. Taken together this data can help support the development of preventative measures to reduce susceptibility to immune dysregulation associated with obesity.Item Open Access Modeling HIV evolution from SIV using a humanized mouse model(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Curlin, James, author; Schmitt, Kimberly, author; Remling-Mulder, Leila, author; Stenglein, Mark, author; O'Connor, Shelby, author; Marx, Preston, author; Akkina, Ramesh, authorHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is believed to have arisen in humans as a result of multiple independent cross-species exposures to Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses. Here the serial passaging of SIV in humanized mice across several generations recapitulates the genetic changes that make have facilitated such cross-species transmissions. Viral adaptation to the hu-mice was determined via qRT-PCR analysis of plasma viral loads and observation of CD4+ T-cell depletion. SIVs at various stages of adaptation from different generations were analyzed through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Many non-synonymous mutations were observed across each passage that may be responsible for improved cross-species transmission and adaptation.Item Open Access Fine-scale genetic structure analysis of Bos taurus and Bos indicus adaptability(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Krehbiel, B. C., author; Thomas, M. G., author; Hay, E. H., author; Blackburn, H. D., authorEnvironmental impacts have varying effects on animal agriculture and genetic adaptability is necessary for livestock to continue production in adverse conditions. Genetic diversity within a population enables genetic adaptability for livestock to withstand issues that may be altering production. Previous research revealed that genetic structure exists among Hereford cattle sampled from climate zones within the U.S. The cattle genetic structure was identified in allele frequencies of SNP that were associated with traits responsive to climate. Results revealed partitioning of the breed based on cool, warm, humid, and dry climates. Subsequently, the objective of this research was to use similar methods to identify genetic structure in seven cattle breeds (Hereford, Angus, Salers, Braford, Brahman, Simmental, and Nelore) in relation to SNP within genes associated with high altitude disease. Three-hundred and eight-eight cattle were genotyped using the BovineHD BeadChip (777,962 SNP). Seven genes were identified in literature that had been associated with high altitude disease in humans, poultry, swine, sheep, and cattle. Subsequently, SNP within the seven genes were queried from NCBI dbSNP database. Four hundred and fifty-one SNP located within high altitude genes were located on the BovineHD BeadChip. Twenty-seven SNP were removed due to low call rate on the animals. Genetic structure using the 424 SNP and principle component analysis was performed. The cattle were partitioned based on indicine or taurine descent. Also, breeds were partitioned based on high altitude structure. A separate SNP validation panel was used to determine whether differences observed in breeds was due to breed differences or high altitude structure. One-hundred SNP were randomly selected from the BovineHD BeadChip. Principle component analysis was performed and revealed partitioning between taurine and indicine cattle. However, the cattle genotypes partitioned differently compared to previous principle component analysis on the 424 SNP associated with high altitude disease. Preliminary analysis showed that genetic structure exists among the seven cattle breeds due to high altitude impacts. Therefore, cattle breeders can utilize this information to select cattle tolerant of high altitudes.Item Open Access A new stock price prediction method using covariance information(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Ghorbani, Mahsa, author; Chong, Edwin, authorStock price prediction is one of the most challenging problems in finance and is receiving considerable attention from researchers. The literature provides strong evidence that prices can be predicted from past price data as well as other fundamental and macroeconomic variables. We propose a filtering operation using covariance information in order to predict future stock prices. We use daily historical price data for Generals Electric Company to illustrate our method, which shows promising results in terms of the estimation performance and volatility.Item Open Access Wet, wetter, wettest: Amazon rainforest responsiveness to short-term drought(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Gallup, Sarah, author; Baker, Ian, author; Denning, A. Scott, author; Cheesman, Michael, author; Haynes, Katherine, authorThe Amazonian rainforest’s massive gas exchanges with the atmosphere strongly affect CO2 concentrations globally. Dry periods in the Amazon are expected to become more common and could hinder vegetation. We compare a proxy measure of photosynthetic rate, solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) satellite, to rainfall in the previous 30 days. In the climatologically wettest regions, photosynthesis barely responded or even increased in response to short-term drying. In rainforest areas with longer dry seasons, photosynthesis weakly declined after reduced rain. The finding is consistent with and more precise than earlier studies, and offers a metric for evaluating photosynthesis projections for the Amazon.Item Open Access Why did you do that?: luxury brands surviving economic crisis(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Worrell, Jennifer, authorThe Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2010 shook the world. The luxury sector was previously thought to be impervious to economic decline because of its non-cyclical nature (Som & Blanckaert, 2015). However, research has shown that the luxury market was not immune to economic downturn (Halliburton & Kellner, 2011). Relatively few studies have been done about the luxury market brand management during times of economic crisis (Cavender & Kincade, 2014). This exploratory multiple-case study will seek to uncover how and why luxury fashion brand leaders choose brand management strategies during economic crisis.Item Open Access Identification of gene regulation models from single-cell data(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Weber, Lisa, author; Raymond, Will, author; Munsky, Brian, authorIn quantitative biology, one may use many different model scales or approaches to match models to experimental data. We use a simplified gene regulation model with a time-dependent input signal to illustrate many concepts, including ODE analyses of deterministic processes; chemical master equation and finite-state projection analyses of heterogeneous processes; and stochastic simulations. We consider several model hypotheses and simulated single-cell data to illustrate mechanism and parameter identification as precisely as possible, while exploring how approach or experiment design affect parameter uncertainty. Our approach is based upon previous investigations to explore signal-activated gene expression models in yeast and human cells.Item Open Access Tomographic event reconstruction with the MicroBooNE LArTPC(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Caro Terrazas, Ivan, author; Mooney, Michael, authorNeutrino event reconstruction in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) involves both the imaging of particle interactions and the subsequent performance of pattern recognition on the images to reconstruct particle tracks and electromagnetic showers in the detector. The imaging makes use of the charge and time information associated with ionization electron signals measured at the wire readout of the induction planes and collection plane. Wire-Cell, a novel approach to neutrino event reconstruction in LArTPCs that uses tomographic techniques for imaging of the event, has been developed recently for use at LArTPC neutrino experiments such as MicroBooNE (Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment) and DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment). In this approach, the trajectories of particles in the event are mapped directly to a 3D image by matching local charge depositions across both the induction and collection planes. Using data from the MicroBooNE detector, we highlight the intricacies of signal processing in LArTPCs and demonstrate for the first time successful LArTPC induction plane calorimetry, the cornerstone of the Wire-Cell approach to neutrino event reconstruction.