Digital Commons Network^™

A Multifunctional Solar Panel Antenna For Cube Satellites, Olutosin C. Fawole

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This work presented the design of a single antenna structure that can perform the functions of about four antennas. The antenna is to be applied on a new kind of very tiny satellites. These satellites are called CubeSats. In contrast to an ordinary antenna that works at a single frequency band, the antenna designed will be able to work at about three different usable frequencies. In addition, it will be possible to make the waves emitted by the antenna to have multiple senses of rotation or no rotation at all. The multiple functional capability of the antenna will lead to …

The Effects Of Bison On Cattle Winter Range In The Henry Mountains Of South Central Utah: Resolving A Conflict, Ian M. Ware

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The American Bison in the Henry Mountains are one of the last free-roaming, genetically pure herds of bison remaining in North America. Over the last decade, the herd has used a cattle winter range during the summer and early fall, creating a conflict between the wildlife officials who manage the bison population, and Bureau of Land Management officials and local ranchers who manage the rangeland. At the heart of this conflict is the question of whether bison are negatively impacting the rangeland resource, potentially reducing the abundance of preferable plant species. Negative impacts could include reduced forage availability in the …

Perspective And Practices To Address Rough-And-Tumble Play In The School Setting: A Survey Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Teams In Utah, Jason C. Basinger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prior research of rough-and-tumble play (RTP) has shown mixed results—different definitions, varying functions, and positive and negative outcomes. Few researchers have studied interventions to address RTP in school settings. With unclear evidence of RTP outcomes and the extent school interventions are addressing RTP in school settings, this study explored the extent and effectiveness of intervention programs being implemented to prevent/reduce negative outcomes of RTP in elementary schools.

A survey was created and conducted with 30 school problem-solving teams in a western state to obtain information concerning RTP in elementary school settings. Teams provided estimated percentages of RTP leading to beneficial …

Equivalent Fraction Learning Trajectories For Students With Mathematical Learning Difficulties When Using Manipulatives, Arla Westenskow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study identified variations in the equivalent fraction learning of students with mathematical learning difficulties when using physical and virtual manipulatives. The study compared three interventions: physical manipulatives, virtual manipulatives, and a combination of physical and virtual manipulatives. The research used a mixed-method approach to collect and analyze data. Two types of learning trajectories were used to compare and synthesize the result. For this study, 43 fifth-grade students with mathematical learning difficulties participated in 10 sessions of equivalent fraction intervention.

Pre- to postdata analysis indicated significant gains for all three interventions. Effect size scores were used to compare the effects …

Closed-Loop Thrust And Pressure Profile Throttling Of A Nitrous Oxide/Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene Hybrid Rocket Motor, Zachary W. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hybrid motors that employ non-toxic, non-explosive components with a liquid oxidizer and a solid hydrocarbon fuel grain have inherently safe operating characteristics. The inherent safety of hybrid rocket motors offers the potential to greatly reduce overall operating costs. Another key advantage of hybrid rocket motors is the potential for in-flight shutdown, restart, and throttle by controlling the pressure drop between the oxidizer tank and the injector. This research designed, developed, and ground tested a closed-loop throttle controller for a hybrid rocket motor using nitrous oxide and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene as propellants. The research simultaneously developed closed-loop throttle algorithms and lab scale …

I Would Teach It If I Knew How: Inquiry, Modeling, Shared Writing, Collaborative Writing, And Independent Writing (Imsci), A Model For Increasing Secondary Teacher Self-Efficacy In Integrating Writing Instruction In The Content Areas, Melanie M. Landon-Hays

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Framed in theories of pragmatism, self-efficacy, and ecology, this design-based research study attempted to make explicit connections between theory and field-based research. The pedagogical goal of this study was to expose in-service teachers to a scaffolded model of professional development for writing (IMSCI) that could be implemented in their own teaching. This model of professional development also served to place research participants in a professional learning community. Teachers worked in focus groups made of another teacher in their own discipline, and a collective focus group, and worked through the steps of the scaffolded model in consideration of their own writing …

Synthesis And Biological Activity Of Aminoglycosides And 1,4-Naphthoquinone Derivatives, Marina Fosso Yatchang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The research described in this dissertation is at the interface of organic chemistry and biology, and it aimed at designing and synthesizing biologically active molecules for the possible development of therapeutic agents.

Spinal muscular atrophy is an incurable disease that affects 1 in every 6000 babies, making it the leading genetic cause of infant mortality. While no treatment is available, efforts are being taken to solve this issue. Part of the work outlined in this dissertation was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of Missouri to investigate a potential therapeutic for this disease.

In addition, the continuous …

Examination Of Nonpoint Source Nutrient Export From A Snowfall-Dominated Watershed, Lindsey Deboer Carrigan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined nonpoint source pollution via tributaries to Pineview Reservoir. Since few literature values of export coefficients are available for snowfall-dominated watersheds such as Pineview, locally scaled rates were quantified using an upstream-downstream bracketing technique. Nitrogen and phosphorus grab samples were manually collected and discharge measurements were conducted during the annual study period. Additionally, high-frequency monitoring sensors that measured EC, temperature, turbidity, and water level were deployed at the up- and downstream sites to represent short-duration transport events and to examine watershed processes on a more representative time scale.

Daily nutrient loads were estimated from grab samples and flow …

Visual Data Mining Techniques For Functional Actigraphy Data: An Object-Oriented Approach In R, Abbass Sharif

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Actigraphy, a technology for measuring a subject's overall activity level almost continuously over time, has gained a lot of momentum over the last few years. An actigraph, a watch-like device that can be attached to the wrist or ankle of a subject, uses an accelerometer to measure human movement every minute or even every 15 seconds. Actigraphy data is often treated as functional data. In this dissertation, we discuss what has been done regarding the visualization of actigraphy data, and then we will explain the three main goals we achieved: (i) develop new multivariate visualization techniques for actigraphy data; (ii) …

Flow Characteristics Of Arced Labyrinth Weirs, Nathan A. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The need to accommodate larger reservoir discharge events has prompted the improvement or replacement of existing spillways. One possible spillway modification is the use of an in-reservoir arced labyrinth weir in place of a linear weir. Arced labyrinth weirs can increase crest length (more cycles) and have improved hydraulic efficiency in non-channelized approach flow applications, compared to traditional labyrinth weir applications.

In this study, arced labyrinth weir flow characteristics were observed for eleven different laboratory-scale model geometries at the Utah Water Research Laboratory. Rating (C_d vs. H_T/P) data and observations were recorded for each configuration, and discharge …

The Application Of Tomographic Reconstruction Techniques To Ill-Conditioned Inverse Problems In Atmospheric Science And Biomedical Imaging, Vern Philip Hart Ii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tomography is an imaging technique in which 3D models of objects are created from several 2D projections viewed at different angles. When the number of available projections is limited, the resulting data are said to be sparse. This restriction is often a direct result of the imaging geometry used to acquire the data. One-sided views and a small number of receivers can reduce the range of available projections, which makes the object more difficult to reconstruct. Approximate solutions to difficult imaging problems can be obtained using a class of iterative algorithms known as the algebraic reconstruction techniques (ARTs). The presented …

Performance Characterization Of Complex Fuel Port Geometries For Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grains, Andrew Bath

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Extensive research in hybrid rocket motors has taken place at the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at USU (Utah State University) in the last several years. USU has one of the few facilities in the country capable of static-test firing rocket motors on-campus, which allows for fast-paced testing and development not available elsewhere. Research has involved investigating propulsion devices for a range of applications, including micro-satellite thrusters, hot-gas generators, and even jet-assisted takeoff kick motors. Hybrid motors have the advantage of safety over any other chemical propulsion. Since the fuel and oxidizer are stored seperately, they are relatively inert …

Effect Of Silicon On Plant Growth And Drought Stress Tolerance, Kaerlek W. Janislampi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Silicone is a silicon-containing synthetic polymer. Silicon is a metalloid chemical element. Silicon is not considered an essential nutrient for plants, but it is typically abundant in soils and can be taken up in large amounts by plant roots. Silicon is known to have beneficial effects when added to the soil in which rice and several other plants are cultivated. These beneficial effects include disease and insect resistance, plant structural fortification, and regulation of the uptake of other plant nutrients. Silicic acid is the form of silicon in soils that is available to plants. In this study, the effect of …

Factors Influencing Relocation Success Of Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys Parvidens), Rachel Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historic range due to introduced disease, eradication, and habitat destruction. Most of the population lives on private land where animals burrow in lawns and agricultural fields, which keeps this threatened species continually in conflict with landowners. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been relocating prairie dogs from private to public land since the 1970s, but relocations have been largely unsuccessful due to high mortality. Prairie dogs are highly social animals, but they are usually relocated without regard to their family group, or coterie. Coteries typically consist of one reproductive …

Space Plug-And-Play Architecture Networking: A Self-Configuring Heterogeneous Network Architecture, Jacob Holt Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In spacecraft engineering, the time and money involved in satellite construction is largely spent on design and integration of custom hardware and software. These efforts are duplicated for nearly every satellite with little to no reuse between spacecraft. There is a huge potential for cost savings in removing the duplication of work. However, there is a lack of standardization in the spaceflight community, causing soaring costs and delayed schedules as each component of a spacecraft is individually designed and custom built.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has developed the Space Plug-and-Play Architecture (SPA) to address this problem. SPA provides …

Population Dynamics And Movements Of Translocated And Resident Greater Sage-Grouse On Anthro Mountain, Utah, Natasha W. Gruber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have declined range-wide. Species translocations have been identified as a conservation strategy to augment declining populations in restored habitats. I evaluated protocols previously used to successfully translocate greater sage-grouse in Utah by comparing annual production, survival, habitat use, integration and seasonal movements of translocated birds and their chicks to the resident population. To conduct this study, I translocated 60 greater sagegrouse hens captured and radio-collared on Parker Mountain to Anthro Mountain in the spring of 2009 and 2010. I also captured and radio-collared 19 resident hens to serve as my control group. All …

In Situ Measurements Of Electron-Beam-Induced Surface Voltage Of Highly Resistive Materials, Joshua Hodges

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Surface charging and subsequent electrostatic discharge due to interactions with the space environment is one of the primary concerns of spacecraft charging studies. Laboratory measurements of the evolution of surface voltages and dissipation currents under simulated space conditions are the primary method used to determine the response of key spacecraft materials to diverse incident fluxes. Increasing the database of information for the electronic properties of insulating materials can assist spacecraft designers in mitigating the harsh effects of the space environment.

The Utah State Materials Physics Group, with the funding of the NASA James Webb Space Telescope project and personnel support …

Developing A Framework To Analyze The Effect Of Mobile Technology Within A Department Of Transportation, Devin Squire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mobile technology has the potential to have a substantial impact on governmental agencies. In order to understand the effects of mobile technology within an agency, an analysis has to be performed. This thesis presents two mobile applications that were developed to address specific areas of concern within the Utah Department of Transportation. It then, using mobile-technology specific surveys, provides a framework for effect analysis following application implementation. This framework employs both user and developer surveys to obtain data necessary to, through statistical methods, determine either a positive or a negative application induced effect. The analysis process and survey development used …

Modulation Of The Host Response To Tacaribe Arenavirus Infection In Ag129 Mice By My-24, Eric Sefing

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

MY-24 is a new antiviral compound recently shown to protect immunocompromised mice from lethal challenge with Tacaribe virus (TCRV). Tacaribe virus is incapable of causing disease to humans, but is closely related to the highly pathogenic New World arenaviruses that cause often-fatal viral hemorrhagic fever syndromes. Remarkably, MY-24 prevents mortality without reducing virus burden in the circulation or tissues. To investigate the mechanism by which MY-24 protects AG129 mice against Tacaribe virus infection, we first characterized the natural history of disease in the model with an emphasis on host immune response and blood vessel function to establish the best times …

A Study Of Utah’S New Century Scholarship (Ncs) Program, Christine Kearl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This was a study about the New Century Scholarship (NCS) program offered to Utah high school students at commencement for earning an AA degree by the time of high school graduation. The scholarship paid 75% of the remaining 2 years of tuition over a 5-year period. The goal of the program was to assist students to bachelor degree completion faster than the traditional time.

This program has been in Utah for the past 20 years, but little to no information about the program exists. Annually, the cost to taxpayers is approximately $2 million dollars. This study was conducted to determine …

Laboratory Modeling Of Critical Hydraulic Conditions For The Initiation Of Piping, Mandie Swainston Fleshman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this research is to provide fundamental understanding of the piping phenomenon. This will lead to practical solutions to the critical hydraulic conditions for piping that account for soil properties, direction of flow, stress condition and exit face conditions. In current geotechnical engineering practice, these factors are generally not considered. The critical hydraulic gradient is assumed to be only a function of the soil buoyant unit weight. In recent analyses, laboratory experiments, and field observations indicate that piping can be initiated at gradients much lower than the values predicted by the current practice. The current practice may be …

Teaching Accessibility And Design-For-All In The Information And Communication Technology Curriculum: Three Case Studies Of Universities In The United States, England, And Austria, Paul Ryan Bohman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Digital technologies allow people with disabilities to participate independently in society in ways they never could before. The full realization of these new opportunities remains elusive, though, because working professionals in the information and communication technology (ICT) field rarely receive adequate training in how to make digital ICT accessible to people with disabilities. Adding accessibility to the university ICT curriculum can help create a critical mass of ICT professionals with accessibility awareness and expertise to finally realize the full accessibility potential of digital technologies. This dissertation provides a rich informational context from which ICT curriculum leaders can decide how to …

Biodiesel Production From Mixed Culture Algae Via A Wet Lipid Extraction Procedure, Ashik Sathish

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Development of renewable sources of energy has received significant interest due to the rising costs of energy and the environmental impact of using fossil fuels. Biodiesel production from renewable sources of oil has shown promise of helping to replace or reduce dependence on petroleum based diesel thereby reducing demand for crude oil. Microalgae have been considered as a strong candidate for the production of large quantities of renewable oil for biodiesel production.

Microalgae are single cell photosynthetic organisms that posses the capability to produce renewable oil at rates much faster than land based plants and crops. In addition, microalgae can …

Utah Angler Specialization And Its Relationship To Environmental Attitudes And Angler Motivations, Joseph W. Unger Iii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For this research, I sampled 10,000 anglers who purchased a Utah fishing or fishing/hunting combination license from January through November, 2011. An online survey link was provided to the potential participants during November-December, 2011, to determine levels of specialization, motivations for fishing, and environmental awareness/concern. Anglers were also compared to a sample from the general public to compare the two groups’ feelings toward several practices taking place on public lands. Finally, anglers were divided into consumptive and nonconsumptive subgroups to compare the environmental attitudes of these two groups.

Three angler specialization groups were identified from the sample of respondents. Anglers …

Design And Construction Of A Tunable Light Source With Light Emitting Diodes For Photosynthetic Organisms, Nathan Phillipps

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis describes and documents the design and construction of a light source which is tunable and has the ability to mimic the spectral output of the sun in the photosynthetic active radiation range (400 - 700 nm). To adjust the spectral output at different wavelengths different types of LEDs were chosen and combined. This thesis describes the design, construction, testing, and suggestions for further improvements to this light source. The light source is comprised of 900 LEDs with 26 different peak wavelengths within the photosynthetically active radiation range. The light source is made tunable through the use of a …

Relationships Between Classroom Schedule Types And Performance On The Algebra I Criterion-Referenced Test, Gregory V. Murray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Public education has options with regard to educational settings and structures. States and school districts may select varying lengths for the school year, lengths for the school day, and lengths for individual class periods. In Utah, one measure of students' achievement is scores on the State's end-of-level criterion-referenced test (CRT) for Algebra I. Additionally, an option regarding educational structures is the schedule type used to deliver Algebra I classes. This study examined the relationship between student achievement as measured by Algebra I CRT scores, and the schedule type used to deliver Algebra I classes. The schedule types compared were the …

Process Variation Aware Dram (Dynamic Random Access Memory) Design Using Block-Based Adaptive Body Biasing Algorithm, Satyajit Desai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Process variation can be defined as the deviation of process parameters from its nominal specifications. Variation is induced by several fundamental effects resulting from inaccuracies in the manufacturing equipment. It is a combination of systematic effects (e.g., lithographic lens aberrations) and random effects (e.g., dopant density fluctuations). The effect of process variation becomes particularly important at smaller process nodes, where the variation accounts for a major percentage of nominal length or width of the device. Process variations translate to a wide range in performance metrics of current designs. As technology scales, these die variations are getting larger, significantly affecting performance …

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Faculty Inservice In Latter-Day Saint (Lds) Seminaries, Mark A. Mathews

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of professional development in the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) through a descriptive analysis of the processes and outcomes of faculty inservice. To accomplish this purpose, 140 randomly selected LDS seminary teachers completed a survey measuring the processes and outcomes of faculty inservice training. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency and variation that teachers reported five features of effective professional development (content focus, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective participation) as being part of seminary faculty inservice …

Modeling Lithospheric Rheology From Modern Measurements Of Bonneville Shoreline Deformation, Eric P. Beard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Here I develop a new method for estimating differences in elevation between pairs of paleo-lake shoreline features. This method is applied to Lake Bonneville, a large lake that inundated nearly 1/3 of the state of Utah as well as parts of Nevada and Idaho from 34 to 11.5 thousand years ago. Under the weight of the lake water load, the surface of the Earth was depressed by up to 75 m. This occurred as Earth mantle rock at depth flowed outward in response to the weight of the lake. I use this new methodology to compile here a denser sample …

An Analysis Of Traffic Sign Performance For The Establishment Of A Maintenance Plan, Wesley Bill Boggs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For a variety of reasons both within and outside the control of transportation agencies, there is a higher frequency of fatalities during nighttime hours than during daytime hours. In an effort to enhance visual cues for nighttime motorists, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established the minimum maintained retroreflectivity levels. This retroreflective mandate required agencies or public officials that have jurisdiction over a traffic sign population to implement maintenance methods that would ensure signs were performing at or above the minimum levels. Retroreflectivity is a unique type of reflection that distinguishes itself by reflecting light back in the direction of the …