Digital Commons Network^™

A Flexible Consent Management System For Master Person Indices, Aditya Pakalapati

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In healthcare, a Master Person Index (MPI) is a system that integrates information of individual from multiple data sources. To ensure confidentiality, such systems, particularly in healthcare, need to respect individual and organizational constraints on the sharing of data. This report describes a reusable consent management system that enforces such constraints and how it has been tested in the context of the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) MPI for public health.

Hydraulic Modeling: Pipe Network Analysis, Trevor T. Datwyler

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Water modeling is becoming an increasingly important part of hydraulic engineering. One application of hydraulic modeling is pipe network analysis. Using programmed algorithms to repeatedly solve continuity and energy equations, computer software can greatly reduce the amount of time required to analyze a closed conduit system. Such hydraulic models can become a valuable tool for cities to maintain their water systems and plan for future growth. The Utah Division of Drinking Water regulations require cities to maintain hydraulic models of their culinary water systems, and before additional connections can be made to the water system, a licensed professional engineer must …

Effective Use Of Interactive Learning Modules In Classroom Study For Computer Science Education, Goldee Jamwal

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is spending substantial resources to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. The ultimate goal of these programs is to produce students with a better knowledge of math and science and who are more likely to pursue careers in STEM fields. Interactive learning modules can be used in the classroom environment for effective learning.

This study examines the learning preferences of Logan High School (located in Logan, Utah) students and evaluates the impacts of using interactive learning modules with classroom lectures compared to other traditional methods of teaching.

Effects Of Training Peer Tutors To Deliver Praise Statements, Prompts, And Correction Procedures On Academic Skills Of Students Who Have Severe To Moderate Disabilities, Lyndi Brooks

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Peer tutors have been utilized in many settings to work with various individuals, including those with disabilities. There has not been considerable research into the training of peer tutors for students who have severe disabilities in the junior high setting and the effect the training has on the performance of students with disabilities. The purpose of this project was to determine whether training junior high school-­‐aged peer tutors on the use of praise statements, a prompt hierarchy, correction procedures, and data collected to track tutee performance increased academic skills of students with disabilities. Seven peer tutors participated. Five students (i.e., …

Learning: A Teaching Philosophy, Stephen Allen Warren

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio presents the author’s current understanding of second language teaching. The main section of the portfolio consists of a teaching philosophy that expresses the author’s believe that definitions of learning direct second language teaching. Three artifacts explore language, culture, and literature and express the development of the author’s teaching philosophy. An annotated bibliography covers the essential readings done in the course of study and provides the foundations for the author’s ontological arguments.

Folding Forms, Susan Tibbitts

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

“Folding Forms” is a creative research project that examined the process of converting two-dimensional graphics into three-dimensional forms for architectural and interior use. The work required a non-linear, design process involving hand sketching, digital graphics, printing, scoring, cutting and folding, resulting in conceptual, folded paper forms. Extensive prototype and exploratory models were built to achieve the desired outcome. The seemingly simple graphics produce complex forms.

Effects Of Flooding And Tamarisk Removal On Habitat For Sensitive Fish Species In The San Rafael River, Utah: Implications For Furture Restoration Efforts, Daniel Louis Keller

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Part I of this report is focused on assessment of habitat changes on the San Rafael River after the abnormally high water year in 2011. Having habitat data and aerial imagery collected in 2010 (pre-flood) provided an opportunity to assess how a flood of this magnitude changed river habitat. In 2011 we commissioned a second aerial flight of the San Rafael River to serve as post flood imagery, then used Geographic Information Systems (GIS, ArcMap 10) to analyze river changes due to tamarisk removal and flooding. Our tamarisk removal project appears to have increased the potential for spring floods to …

Web Based Virtual Environment For Education - S'Cape, Atul Thapliyal

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Simulations provide an environment to experiment safely, openly, and repeatedly for learning mastery. However, many simulation environments experienced within a classroom fail to include automated assessment components or automated data collection. Even when assessments are included, often they fail to account for the unpredictable nature of decision-making within a complex, 3D, open-ended simulation environment. Embedding assessments within a virtual simulation environment poses several challenges. First, the program must provide assessments aligned with educational requirements that will not take the learner cognitively “away” from their activities. Second, the program must not detract from the game-like experience that learners find engaging. Third, …

A Report On The Scenic Design For Seussical The Musical, The Scenic Design For The Three Musketeers, And The Costume Design For Step On A Crack, Andrea Lyman Burdzy

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

It isn't often that a man as beloved as Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, comes along. Dr. Seuss wrote more than 60 books in his lifetime, many of which have become classics in the world of children’s literature. His poetic tongue twisters and inventive illustrations have become iconic to several generations of children all over the world. Dr. Seuss' books are not only fun and full of imagination, but more often than not they teach powerful lessons of self-confidence, kindness, and even political awareness.

In April 2010, I was asked to design the set for Seussical the …

A Study Of The Bioherms Of The Early Ordovician Garden City Formation And A Literature Review Of Early Ordovician Organic Buildups, Heidi Pearce

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

During the Early Ordovician organic buildups formed in shallow seas across the world. This project contains a literature review on these organic buildups with a focus on those occurring in the warm, shallow seas of North America, but also includes a study on organic buildups formed in the cold water region of Russia. The goal of the study was to characterize these Early Ordovician organic buildups in order to identify similarities and differences in their occurrence. The second part of this project is a preliminary study on organic buildups occurring in the Early Ordovician Garden City Formation in Boss Canyon, …

Geomorphic Changes Following Beaver Dam Failure And Abandonment, Sonya Britt Welsh

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Beaver, their dams and associated networks of dens, side-channels and pools have a profound influence on habitat heterogeneity and the complexity of the environments they occupy. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the hydrologic and geomorphic interactions between beaver dam establishment and the greater ecosystem as well as quantify the potential geomorphic changes following beaver dam failure and the influence those changes have on the riparian and fluvial ecosystem in a semi-arid environment.

I use a case study of beaver dam breaches in a small unregulated stream, Bridge Creek, in eastern Oregon to illustrate the concepts. Dam breaches …

The Effects Of The High-Probability Procedure On Compliance When Paired With Precision Commands, Whitney Teter

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Noncompliance to teacher directions is an issue in nearly every early childhood classroom. It is necessary for young children to comply with directions so that teachers may assess their knowledge and their progress in the curriculum. Three preschool aged children (N = 3) with developmental delays participated in this study. The high probability command procedure was used with two children and was shown to be successful at increasing compliance. The third child did not show an increase in compliance when the high probability command procedure was used, nor did compliance increase when precision commands (escape extinction) were paired with the …

Effects Of Choice Of Reinforcement On The On-­Task Behavior Of Kindergarten Students With Developmental Delays, Karen Binette

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A high degree of external control is maintained in classrooms serving students with behavioral and developmental disabilities. However, decision making is an important developmental objective related to personal control and dignity. Choice making and discriminating preferred over less preferred outcomes is an important skill that is seldom taught to students with developmental disabilities. Previous research includes studies conducted in clinical settings or with populations with severe disabilities.

Investigation Of The Noise Floor Of The Standard Piv Cross-Correlation Algorithm, Kyle L. Jones

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a powerful measurement technique used to acquire instantaneous measurements of entire flow fields at a given instant in time. Quantifying the uncertainty and error in PIV is a critical part of realizing the full potential of PIV as a flow measurement technique.

The noise floor of PIV is the minimum amount of random error that can be achieved for a particular standard cross-correlation (SCC) algorithm. The noise floor of the SCC used by DaVis in correlating image pairs is explored. Two methods for creating image pairs for correlation are compared, namely pseudo image pairs and …

Tarp Repayment, Lobbying And Political Connectivity, Ian Simmons

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In their paper "Corporate Lobbying, Political Connections, and the Bailout of Banks," Blau, Brough, and Thomas (2012) present significant evidence that firms that engaged in lobbying and maintain political connection with the federal government were more likely to receive funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), received more funds on average, and received the funds earlier than those firms that did not lobby or maintain political connections. These results fit into a large body of work showing similar results showing that lobbying has positive economic benefits to lobbying firms (Chen and Yang, 2010; Cooper and Ovtchinnikov, 2010; Faccio, 2010; …

Towards A Classroom Community: Interaction, Culture And Mindfulness In Second Language Learning, Janae Suzanne Hollenback

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of the author’s works while a student in the Master of Second Language Teaching Program at Utah State University. The core of this work is the Teaching Philosophy, which is prefaced with the author’s observations of “what works” and “what doesn’t work” in education based on her experience as a student. This is followed by a brief description of the author’s intended professional environment. The Teaching Philosophy itself explores various research and other influences which have inspired the author’s direction and preferences for effective language teaching. The three artifacts in this portfolio constitute the author’s …

Curriculum Design For An Integrated Language Arts Class At The High School Level Utilizing A Multi-Genre American Studies Approach, Susan K. Biddulph

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Curriculum integration and multi-genre approaches to education are acknowledged to be beneficial to both student learning styles and skill development; however, due to time and budget constraints, many teachers do not implen1ent these approaches. This language arts curriculum utilizes a theme-centered approach that smoothly integrates many subject areas and encourages skill development while adhering to the Utah Common Core Curriculum and incorporating multiple lean1ing styles. The theme of the curriculum is gender role expectations throughout history. While the units primarily rely on primary texts, they also incorporate numerous secondary texts in multiple subject areas and require both formal and informal …

Western Legacy, Jeremiah M. Watt

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A selection of photos portraying Western Legacy.

Behavioral Life-Cycle Models Under Alternative Demographic Regimes, Timothy F. Harris

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Social security in the United States will encounter financial strains due to an aging population. The decreasing worker to retiree ratio will reduce retirement benefits relative to today’s benefits so long as the tax rate and eligibility age are not altered. Policy makers assume that they should make policies to maintain the current benefit levels.

In contrast to this assumption, this paper does not presume that policy makers should preserve current benefits. An analysis of the required tax rate to maintain lifetime utility across the current and future demographic regimes is undertaken rather than just a calculation of the tax …

Urban Trail System Planning In The Western United States: An Analysis Of The Trail-Specific Planning Efforts Of Four Cities That Have Implemented Urban Trail Systems, Kenneth C. Richley

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

States in the Western United States are growing at rates outpacing the rest of the nation. This growth is placing pressure on communities to develop their current open space for residential or commercial use. As cities develop a comprehensive open space plans, several elements arise. One critical element is connectivity. This connectivity is most often realized in the form of greenways. In many cities these greenways contain urban trail systems that provide significant recreation and connectivity benefits.

This thesis investigates the current recommended models used to plan for greenway, synthesizes them into a recommended model process, and analyzes case studies …

Comparative Analysis Of Healthcare Expenditure In The United States And Canada, Chris N. Anazia

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Total healthcare expenditures and expenditures as a percentage of GDP have been substantially higher in the U.S. than in Canada between 1975 – 2008. Hospitalcare, physician and clinical services, and drug prescription expenditures have been the principal components contributing to growth in healthcare expenditures in the U.S. compared to Canada. This study reviews the literature on increasing healthcare costs and establishes some comparative and descriptive analysis for high healthcare costs in the two countries during this time period. The study also analyses and compares the growth of healthcare costs.

A Classroom Experiment: Implementing A Math-Talk Environment In A University Setting, Janice Bodily

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A need for reform in teaching mathematics has long been recognized. The traditional classroom with the sage on the stage lacks a higher level of engagement for the students and therefore, produces a lower level of student satisfaction. The math-talk classroom is one attempt to engage students and to raise the level of interaction and discussion, thus enabling students to increase their level of comprehension. In an effort to create a math-talk experience in my Calculus II course, I applied the methodology of Thinking Through a Lesson Protocol (TTLP) to test its effectiveness in assisting the instructor in creating an …

Interactions Between Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Ovis Canadensis Canadensis And Domestic Sheep Ovis Aries And The Biological, Social, Economic, And Legal Implications Of These Interactions On Usda Forest Service Lands In The Evanston/Mt. View Ranger District, Ashly Nicole Herrera

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Strong evidence exists indicating domestic sheep (Ovis aries) can infect Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis), a United States Forest Service (USFS) Region 4 sensitive species, with pneumonia (Callan 1991; Foreyt 1989, 1992, 1994; Foreyt and Lagerquist 1996; George et al 2008; Wehausen et al. 2011). Since the transmission of the pneumonic bacteria between the domestic and wild sheep is a result of bighorn sheep coming into contact with the bacteria carried in the mucous membranes of the domestic sheep, bighorn sheep at risk of initially contracting the bacteria are those individuals that enter areas currently being grazed or …

A Prototype Automated Resolution Service For Public-Health Master Person Index, Sarvesh Jain

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A Master Person Index (MPI) is a software system that links together the records about individuals from a diverse set of data sources and that allows data consumers to ¬¬retrieve correlated data for a given person. The Utah Department of Health recently contracted with Utah State University to build an MPI that links data from four initial data sources, and with enough extensibility that it will eventually handle dozens. This MPI, called the Utah Public-health Master Person Index or phMPI, was to include a special software component that automatically computed the “best version of truth” about each individual using correlated …

Development Of A Ripple Rejection Controller For Dc Commutated Motors, Spencer M. Atkin

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The requirement of modern systems to be quiet and run smoothly increases production costs. The manufacture and purchase of high quality motors that meet these demands becomes increasingly costly. By using the ever increasing computer power available in micro-controllers, at the same costs, it is possible to use current sensing to develop control adjustments which decrease power ripples caused by the commutators of basic DC commutated motors. These ripples if left unmitigated propagate through to torque ripples which then increase the acoustic noise level present.

Maternal Language During Book-Sharing: Wordless Verses Print, Jessica Nielsen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The importance of adult linguistic responsiveness in facilitating language development in young children is well documented (e.g. Cross & Morris, 1980; Snow, 1994; Tamis-LeMonda, Bornstein, & Baumwell, 2001; Yoder, Warren, McCathern, & Leew, 1998). Research has shown that the use of responsive language by parents in the context of play is associated with greater child language productivity (Girolametto, Hoaken, Weitzman, & van Lieshout, 2000). Rocissano and Yatchmink (1983) found that when mother-child dyads utilized more joint attention, the toddlers demonstrated higher language skills and syntax abilities. Research has also shown that parent-child shared book reading contexts can be very beneficial …

Assessing Changes In The Abundance Of The Continental Population Of Scaup Using A Hierarchical Spatio-Temporal Model, Beth E. Ross

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In ecological studies, the goal is often to describe and gain further insight into ecological processes underlying the data collected during observational studies. Because of the nature of observational data, it can often be difficult to separate the variation in the data from the underlying process or 'state dynamics.' In order to better address this issue, it is becoming increasingly common for researchers to use hierarchical models. Hierarchical spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal models allow for the simultaneous modeling of both first and second order processes, thus accounting for underlying autocorrelation in the system while still providing insight into overall spatial …

Metabolic-Cost Comparison Of Running On An Aquatic Treadmill With Water-Jets And Land Treadmill With Incline, Ryan R. Porter

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Purpose: This study investigated whether running on a land treadmill (TM) at specific inclines corresponded to an equivalent metabolic cost (MC, oxygen consumption, VO2) using water-jets on an aquatic treadmill (ATM) at equivalent running speeds. Methods: Sixteen participants completed two trials on separate days on a TM and ATM. For each trial subjects performed eighteen, 3-4 min submaximal runs at three self selected speeds (slow, medium, and fast) with either water-jet resistances of 0-100% of maximum jet flow capacity in 20% increments during ATM or inclines of 0-10% in 2% increments during TM. Trials were separated by at least 48 …

Value At Risk In Dominican Banking: Evaluating The Regulatory Method, Jonathan Medina

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Financial institutions in the Dominican Republic, since 2004, have used the regulatory Value at Risk to measure market risk. This method is subject to criticism. The purpose of this study is to compare the regulatory VaR method against the Historic Simulation, Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity, and Monte Carlo approaches. The latter is more conservative and its assumptions are more realistic.

Plants Search Engine, Purnachandra Kanagala

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project presents a Web search engine for North American plant species that provides easy and fast access to plant information from multiple data sources. This project’s overarching goal is to integrate plant information from different sources under a single interface to allow any user to search said information from a universal portal rather than searching in several places. The user interface was designed and customized to help the user search for anything related to North American plants and get the required information within few clicks with the help of the faceted browsing. The user experience is more enhanced by …