Digital Commons Network^™

Remapping The Cliff Chipmunk (Neotamias Dorsalis) Distribution And Creating A Habitat Association Model In Southern Idaho, Masako Niwa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The distribution of the cliff chipmunk in Idaho was previously considered to include only the Raft River Valley and the Goose Creek Basin. A pilot study was conducted in 2003 and 2004. Thirty-five cliff chipmunk presence locations and 124 absence locations were recorded. Habitat variables of elevation, slope, deviation from south, distance to water, and vegetation type were extracted for all of the absence and presence points by means of GIS analysis. The data were analyzed by implementing a classification tree, and a "GIS habitat association model" was created. The model was tested in 2005, and the overall model accuracy …

History Of The Logan Bluff Landslide Zone, Seth P. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On September 10, 2005, a landslide occurred to the south of Utah State University Campus and Highway 89. This landslide did considerable damage to the Logan and Northern canal, which is cut into the slope, and to a residence at the toe of the slope. This event brought many parties together to collaborate on possible solutions to the immediate fix of the slide as well slides that could occur in the future. The purpose of this report is to compile information useful to the study of the area and the possible solutions and/or risk assessment of the Logan Bluff Landslide …

The Labour Of Her Own Hands: Nineteenth Century Gardening Discourses And The Work Of Jane Webb Loudon, Kelli Lee Towers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Jane Webb Loudon, wife of eminent horticulturist and landscape architect John Claudius Loudon, has been largely ignored by historians and literary critics. Yet in her brief career she produced some of the most practical and influential gardening works of the early nineteenth-century. Beginning with Gardening for Ladies in 1840, Loudon published seventeen books and edited two magazines on gardening, botany, and natural history, most of them specifically directed to a female audience. These books would educate an entirely new class of gardeners, and allow women in particular to engage not only with gardening, but also with aesthetics, social reform, morality, …

Uncovering The Key Of Success In The Utah Medicaid Work Incentive Program: A Grounded Theory Study, Renee H. Nolan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this grounded theory research was to determine what differentiates people with disabilities who leave Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits due to increased income from those who cannot. Fifteen individuals, former and current participants in a Medicaid Buy-In program, were interviewed. Within the context of health and disability, four theoretical propositions were identified: education, opportunity to work, interpersonal support, and secure housing. Higher benefit levels were also found to be an effective barrier for many.

Cultural Analysis Of The Indian Women's Festival Of Karvachauth, Puja Sahney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The festival of Karvachauth is celebrated by upper class married women of North India and occurs in the month of October or early November. On this day married women fast to ensure the long lives of their husbands. They wake up before dawn and eat a meal. After sunrise they do not drink water or eat any food until they see the moon at night. The moon is watched through a sieve and prayed to before breaking the fast. An important part of Karvachauth is a ritual that is performed by women in the afternoon. This ritual is hosted by …

The Integration Of The Nutrition Screening Tool With The Interdisciplinary Plan Of Care Form, Beth Hyatt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Literature Review

Undernutrition in the hospital setting has been shown to cause adverse outcomes. Screening for nutritional risk assists in the detection of undernutrition with subsequent early intervention to prevent further decline. While many nutrition screening tools exist, none are proven to detect undernutrition. Furthermore, many barriers exist for utilizing nurses as primarily responsible for screening patients for nutritional risk.

Background

A hospital reviewed the nutrition screening process and found that the form used and screening factors were insufficient to adequately detect undernutrition and appropriate referrals for dietitians.

Objectives

1) Determine if nursing compliance improved when the nutrition screening form …

Couples In Great Marriages With A Traditional Structure And Egalitarian Relationship, Pamela Kandior Morrill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study researched the possibility of an egalitarian relationship coexisting with a traditional role-structured marriage. Qualitative methods were used to gather data from a national sample using a 31-page questionnaire. Out of the larger Great Marriage Research Study of 130 respondents (65 couples), 14 couples fit the criteria for this study in that they had a traditional structure to their marriage and both felt their was a balance of power between them. Their stories were analyzed to discover what their marriages were like and how they talked about and operationalized an egalitarian relationship. Findings from this research indicated that it …

Defining Predatory Mortgage Lending In Utah: A Professional's Perspective, Luke V. Erickson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to define and describe the nature of predatory mortgage lending in the state of Utah. Twelve professionals from the state who work in the mortgage lending market participated. Data consisted of interviewee comments and were analyzed qualitatively using a multi-step method of coding for concepts and themes.

Through coding and analysis it was determined that the term predatory mortgage lending is defined as an act of abuse that is targeted towards a borrower with one or more vulnerable characteristics. It was also found that users of this term do not always adhere to this …

Culture, Gender, Identity, And Adolescents' Niche-Building Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, Archana Singh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A cross-cultural examination of a selected group of Indian and American adolescents was conducted to understand the influence of cultural expectations, gender, and identity on adolescents' niche-building behavior. For the purpose of the present study, adolescents' niche was limited to their bedrooms. Data were collected from 285 American adolescents of which 151 were females and 134 were males. The Indian sample consisted of 198 adolescents of whom 75 were females, 118 were males, and 5 adolescents who did not mention their gender. Participants from both cultures were from eighth and ninth grades, with an age range of 12.17 to 16.50 …

Juvenile Drug Courts: Using Participant Characteristics To Predict Outcome, Sara M. Boghosian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Juvenile drug courts are becoming an increasingly popular answer to rising rates of substance use-related crime among adolescents in the U.S. However, outcome evidence for the efficacy of juvenile drug courts is limited at this time. Currently, approximately 50% of juvenile drug court participants do not graduate from drug court programs nationwide. However, the nongraduates are believed to have a poor prognosis following termination from drug court. The purpose of this study was to determine if participant characteristics are related to outcome in juvenile drug courts. Neither demographic variables (age, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status) nor substance use variables (age at …

Expressive Writing And Breast Cancer: Outcomes And Linguistic Analyses, Kelly N. Hughes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project examined the imp act of an expressive writing intervention as compared to a general health in formation control on breast cancer patients' postradiation treatment. It further examined the content of the expressive writing narratives. The sample included women who were completing radiation treatment for breast cancer at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and City of Hope hospital. The measures utilized in this study were self-report instruments targeting psychological distress (PANAS, JES) and general functioning (SIP), as well as demographic questionnaires. Results revealed the expressive writing intervention significantly impacted positive affect over time. Furthermore, participants from both the treatment and …

Tapirs And Rhinoceroses In Captivity: An Examination Of The North American Captive Populations And Their Husbandry, Lisa A. Nordstrom

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

All species of Tapiridae and Rhinocerotidae are threatened or endangered in the wild. Captive populations have been established for most of these species, but successful management has proved challenging. Effective ex situ conservation strategies, however, rely on the ability of zoological institutions to maintain and breed these endangered species. In this study, I examined the captive environment to identify the factors associated with reproduction, mortality, and health of rhinos and tapirs. Zoological institutions in the North American region that currently housed rhinos and/or tapirs were surveyed in 2003. Attaining an approximately 90% response rate, I compiled information on the following …

Highway Effects On Small Mammal Communities And Effectiveness Of A Deer-Vehicle Collision Mitigation Strategy, Silvia A. S. Rosa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My work focused on the study of road effects and mitigation of negative impacts of roads on wildlife. Two different studies were conducted on Interstate 15, in southern Utah. My first study reported on road effects on small mammal communities. The results suggested that overall, there was no clear effect on small mammal populations relative to distance from the road. Most small mammal species did not appear to be negatively affected by the presence of the road. Instead, the road seemed to have either a neutral or a positive effect. The abundance and diversity of small mammals responded more markedly …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Telepresence-Enabled Cognitive Apprenticeship Model Of Teacher Professional Development, R. Shawn Edmondson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This exploratory research used a mixed-methods design to compare the effectiveness of a telepresence-enabled cognitive apprenticeship model of teacher professional development (TEAM-PD) to that of a traditional workshop model by examining outcomes in teacher pedagogy and student achievement. Measures of the degree to which teachers in both groups enacted mathematics pedagogy provided mixed results. Both groups demonstrated similar patterns of behavior and cognition, indicating modest levels of pedagogy implementation. Although the experimental group demonstrated higher levels of enactment of the mathematics pedagogy, the comparison group demonstrated a faster rate of growth. Student outcome data were clear: students of teachers in …

Vascular Plant Species Richness And Distribution In A Heterogeneous Landscape, Kelly J. Mccloskey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The distribution of vascular plant species and species richness in a mid-elevation Rocky Mountain landscape can be attributed to a number of variables. The distribution of species with respect to physiognomic type, patch size, shape, and environmental heterogeneity was assessed for a mosaic landscape comprised of conifer forest, deciduous forest, and shrub-steppe physiognomic types in the southwest comer of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. This vegetation is representative of that found in other montane landscapes of the central Rocky Mountains. The vegetation was mapped to physiognomic type; distinct vegetation patches were sampled using one or more small (50 m^{2 …}

Environmental, Chemical, And Genetic Reduction Of Ethylene Sensitivity In Crop Plants, Timothy J. Hudelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ethylene is an endogenously synthesized plant hormone that dissipates quickly in field conditions and seldom exceeds five nmol mol^-1. Ethylene can accumulate to 1000 times this level in closed environments. The best-known effects of ethylene are its impacts on fruit ripening and senescence, yet ethylene influences growth and development throughout the plant life cycle. At low, continuous concentrations (20 to 50 nmol mol^-1), ethylene reduces yield of many plants. Clean-air treatment during critical stages of floral development, silver thiosulfate (STS), and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) may delay flower senescence and reduce the detrimental effects of ethylene on peas …

Lower Paleozoic Sequence Stratigraphy, Deposystems And Paleogeography Of Northwestern Ordos Basin, North China, Benjamin J. Kessel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Ordos basin rests upon the North China Block and is one of the largest sedimentary basins in north China, with more than 15 km of Phanerozoic strata. Published estimates suggest that over 2000 m of carbonates and lesser amounts of siliciclastics were deposited on the North China Carbonate Platform (NCCP) from the Lower Can1brian through the Middle Ordovician. However, lower Paleozoic facies successions and deposystems of northwestern Ordos basin remain poorly represented in western literature. This paper constrains depositional environments, lithologies, facies relationships and sea-level history of the northwestern part of the North China block (NCB) in an effort …

The Evolution From Late Miocene West Salton Detachment Faulting To Cross-Cutting Pleistocene Oblique Strike-Slip Faults In The Sw Salton Trough, Southern California, Alexander N. Steely

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Field studies in the southwest Salton Trough between Yaqui Ridge and Borrego Mountain show that the West Salton detachment fault was active during the Pliocene and may have initiated during the latest Miocene. At Yaqui Ridge dominantly east-directed extension is recorded by slickenlines on the NW-striking detachment fault, and shows that the fault is actually a low-angle dextral oblique strike-slip fault. Crustal inheritance is responsible for the position of the fault at Yaqui Ridge, which reactivates a late Cretaceous reverse-sense mylonite zone at map scale.

Late Miocene to Pliocene basin fill deposits at Borrego Mountain display progressive unconformities, contain detritus …

Model-Centered Instruction: A Design Research Study To Investigate An Alternative Approach To Patient Education, Mary Ann Parlin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While medical technology, intervention, and treatment continue to advance, patients often find themselves involved in an increasingly complex healthcare system. Because of this, many patients lack access to the knowledge to facilitate successful navigation or participation in healthcare systems to their best advantage. Patient education that provides experiential information has been shown to reduce anxiety levels and increase patient health outcomes and compliance with medical instructions or recommendations. Given the demonstrated effectiveness of experiential instruction in patient education, Model-Centered Instruction (MCI) has the potential to be an effective instructional design for patient education because it affords the learner experience with …

Wavelet Techniques In Time Series Analysis With An Application To Space Physics, Agnieszka Jach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several wavelet techniques in the analysis of time series are developed and applied to real data sets.

Methods for long-memory models include wavelet-based confidence intervals for the self-similarity parameter in potentially heavy-tailed observations. Empirical coverage probabilities are used to assess the procedures by applying them to Linear Fractional Stable Motion with many choices of parameters. Asymptotic confidence intervals provide empirical coverage often much lower than nominal and it is recommended to use subsampling confidence intervals. A procedure for monitoring the constancy of the self-similarity parameter is proposed and applied to Ethernet data sets.

A test to distinguish a weakly dependent …

Minimal Nodal Domains For Strictly Elliptic Partial Differential Equations With Homogeneous Boundary Conditions, Charles E. Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This work presents a proof of the dependence of the first eigenvalue for uniformly elliptic partial differential equations on the domain in a less abstract setting than that of Ivo Babušhka and Rudolf Výborný in 1965. The proof contained here, under rather mild conditions on the boundary of the domain, ∂Ω, demonstrates that the first eigenvalue of elliptic partial differential equation

{Lu + λu = 0 in Ω

{u = 0 on ∂Ω

depends continuously on the domain in the following sense. If a sequence of domains is such that Ω_i → Ω in …

Antimicrobial Properties Of Syringopeptin 25a And Rhamnolipids, Prerak T. Desai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The increasing bacterial resistance to available antibiotics requires the search for new antibacterial compounds to be broadened. This study investigated the antimicrobial properties of two secondary metabolites from fluorescent pseudomonads -- syringopeptin 25A, a lipodepsipeptide produced by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, and a rhamnolipid mixture produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The rate of antimicrobial action was determined by monitoring the rate of uptake of propidium iodide during exposure to the compounds. Inhibition was also confirmed by the microbroth dilution method to determine the MI Cs. Both the compounds inhibited growth of Gram-positive organisms, including Mycobacterium smegmatis, staphylococci, and …

Type 2 Diabetes And The Risk Of Osteoporotic Hip Fracture In Utah Men And Women, Megan Bunch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prior studies have unequivocally established a consistent association between osteoporotic hip fracture risk and type 2 diabetes mellitus. One reason this association still remains unclear is primarily due to the limited amount of research conducted in this area. The Utah Study of Nutrition and Bone Health (USNBH) is a case-control study conducted in Utah during the period of 1997-2001 to determine risk factors for osteoporotic hip fracture. All study participants (n = 2590) were determined from Utah residents 50-90 years of age. Cases were determined from 18 Utah hospitals during 1997-2001. Age and gender-matched controls were randomly selected from the …

Catalase Activity Mediates The Inhibitory Actions Of 24,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D3, Sven L. Peery

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The steroid hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ [1,25(OH)₂D₃] rapidly stimulates the uptake of phosphate in isolated chick intestinal cells, while the steroid 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ [24,25(OH)₂D₃] inhibits the rapid stimulation by 1,25(OH)₂D₃. Earlier work in this laboratory has indicated that a cellular binding protein for the 24,25(OH)₂D₃ is the enzyme catalase. Since binding resulted in decreased catalase activity and increased H₂O₂ production, studies were undertaken to determine if pro-oxidant conditions mimicked the inhibitory actions of 24,25(OH)₂D₃, and anti-oxidant conditions …

Use Of Natural Antioxidants To Control Oxidative Rancidity In Cooked Meats, Mihir Vasavada

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The research in this dissertation focused on determining antioxidant effects of various natural antioxidants in cooked meat systems. Milk mineral (MM), spices, and raisin paste were used in cooked meat systems to verify their potential antioxidant properties.

The MM study determined the antioxidant activity of 1.5% MM added to uncured cooked beef meatballs, and possible additive effects of MM in combination with 20-ppm or 40-ppm sodium nitrate in cooked beef sausages. There was no additive inhibition of lipid oxidation in samples containing 20-ppm or 40-ppm sodium nitrite plus 1.5% MM. Cooked meat yield was not different between control meatballs and …

Microbial Ecology Of An Animal Waste-Fueled Induced Blanket Reactor, Steven C. Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Use of an induced blanket reactor (IBR) to break down organic matter into methane is a financially attractive method to reduce the environmental impact of animal or industrial waste. In order to better understand the biological processes involved with the conversion of waste to biogas by an IBR, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of the microorganisms and their roles in the reactor. Molecular techniques based on the isolation of 16S rDNA were used in order to avoid the limitations posed by conventional culture-based techniques. Total DNA was extracted and amplified using universal primers specific to eubacteria and …

Milk Intake In Early And Late Adulthood And Risk Of Osteoporotic Hip Fractures In Utah, Melanie Jean Slavens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between milk intake and risk of osteoporotic fractures is uncertain. Associations between milk intake and milk avoidance in relation to osteoporotic hip fracture were examined in the Utah Study of Nutrition and Bone Health (USNBH), a statewide case-control study. Cases were ascertained at Utah hospitals treating 98 percent of hip fractures during 1997-2001 and included 1188 men and women aged 50-89 years. Age- and gender-matched controls were randomly selected from Utah driver's license and Medicare databases (N= 1324). In-person interviews were conducted and participants reported frequency of milk intake per week at age 18 and during pregnancy among …

Addition Of Three Dietary Fibers In An Extruded Whey And Cornstarch Expanded Snack Food, Alisha M. Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Different fiber types were incorporated in an extruded expanded high-protein snack food. Three dietary fibers (powdered cellulose, wheat fiber, and oat fiber) were selected based on ease of extrusion, percent total dietary fiber, visible expansion, and commercial availability. A high-fiber, high-protein snack food containing whey protein, normal cornstarch, and pregelatinized waxy cornstarch was extruded using the three selected fibers. The fibers replaced the normal cornstarch at 30, 60, and 80% yielding extrudates with three fiber levels (18, 36, and 48%). Each treatment or combination of fiber type and extrudate fiber level was extruded in triplicate. A control with no fiber …

Smoking, Anemia, And Risk Of Oral Clefts In Utah, Melinda Michelle Moss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cigarette smoke contains sufficient carbon monoxide to induce maternal and fetal hypoxia. Hypoxia is a known teratogen, and consequently maternal smoking has been the focus of many studies on adverse birth outcomes, including cleft lip and palate. Current literature of epidemiological studies on smoking and clefts suggests a modest but statistically significant increase in risk of clefting associated with maternal smoking. A biological condition that may also contribute to hypoxia is anemia. Data from the Utah Child and Family Health Study was used to assess the effects of hypoxia-inducing conditions, maternal smoking, anemia, and their interaction, on the risk of …

Therapeutic Processes In A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment For Depressed Adolescents With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Meredith Brent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have higher rates of depression than healthy youth. A cognitive-behavioral treatment, primary and secondary control enhancement training-physical illness (PASCET-PI), for depressed adolescents with IBD was associated with reductions in depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the salience of nonspecific processes (factors inherent in any human relationship) and specific processes (factors related to therapy content) during PASCET-PI sessions and their association with improvements in psychological functioning.

Participants included 10 adolescent patients with IBD with mean illness duration of 31.9 months. At intake, eight participants qualified for a diagnosis of major depressive …