Digital Commons Network^™

Teleios, Sandra Edwards

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis is a collection of poetry that mixes formal and free verse in order to convey the speaker’s spiritual journey in content as well as form. The work introduces a speaker who is deeply religious and who expresses her spirituality in the form of formal poetry such as sonnets as she adheres to certain principles of faith. The use of form in the thesis represents her adherence to those principles, while breaking form is symbolic of her breaking away from those principles. Through the work, the speaker experiences a shift from frustration with the world and its apparent obfuscation …

Hay: A Hedonic Study, Chester R. Broadbent

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Hedonic price theory posits that the price of a product is influenced by the values consumers assign to its individual attributes. Hay is a versatile commodity with variation across several attributes helping to cater to diverse needs of consumers. A detailed analysis using hedonic regression techniques within hay pricing can help producers, stakeholders, and educators more fully understand the marginal values consumers place on diverse hay attributes. Previous studies focused on limited scopes within the hay industry or other sectors, allowing room for broader investigation. This study examines qualitative attributes impacting hay pricing, revealing significant influences from factors like location, …

Soil Reclamation Strategies In Construction Disturbed Soil, Alexis Koelling

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The rapid urbanization occurring in arid environments like the Intermountain West region of the U.S. significantly alters soil conditions. Construction of roads, buildings, and other infrastructure leads to the disturbance of soil structure, nutrient depletion, and reduced fertility. This research addresses the need for sustainable soil management practices that may restore soil health post-construction. In this study, the effectiveness of various soil amendments and application methods on specific soil parameters and turfgrass establishment in construction-disturbed soils was evaluated. The study highlights the critical role of soil amendments, particularly municipal solid waste (MSW) compost, in improving soil quality and plant growth. …

Second Language Acquisition In The Era Of Technology And Artificial Intelligence: Exploring New Frontiers, Mimoun Akhiat

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio is the capstone project of the Master of Second Language Teaching program. It offers perspectives and insights into major themes of importance to the writer. It begins with a general introduction pertaining to the writer’s education and teaching background, his goals for joining the program and an overall reflection of this experience. Following this is the writer’s teaching philosophy comprised of a description of professional environment and a teaching philosophy statement centered on the principles of multimodality, authenticity, and collaboration. The second section of this portfolio is entitled hands-on teaching experience where the writer presents and reflects on …

The Role Of Extracellular Vesicles In Immunomodulation During Bovine Pregnancy, Amber E. Thornton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

During pregnancy, the maternal immune system must be altered to protect the partially non-self fetus from attack. Our previous studies show an inflammatory response in the uterus of cows carrying somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), commonly known as cloned, pregnancies due to abnormalities in proteins expressed by placental trophoblast cells. Between 30 and 90 days the rate of pregnancy loss is 50-100% for SCNT compared to 2-10% for artificial insemination (AI) pregnancies. Abnormal communication between the maternal and fetal systems during placentation is a major cause of this loss. The trafficking of extracellular vesicles (EVs), membrane-bound cargo carriers, potentially represents …

Exploring The Connection Between Self-Efficacy And Preparedness Among First-Year College Students, Marianne Hale

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The goal of the American education system is to prepare students for college. I wondered, “Do students feel ready?” That question led me to investigate the literature on the development, implementation, and effectiveness of our current standards. The gap I found was that the standards do not address an important aspect of student achievement, that of student self-efficacy. Self-efficacy in writing helps students have the confidence to engage in the task of writing, regardless of the situation. I focused my study of student writing self-efficacy on one English 1010 class. I administered a self-efficacy evaluation in class and conducted a …

What To Expect When Preparing To Transition For Working Abroad: Exploring Work-Focused Intercultural Transition Training, Hannah Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Despite living in a highly globalized world with increased travels, interactions, and migrations across both physical and mental cultural lines, many individuals are still often unprepared to interact with those who are different successfully (Kupka et al., 2008). With all these increases in travel, interaction, and migrations across cultural lines, it is essential to understand the adjustment process and the potential challenges or barriers that individuals may face when transitioning to a new culture. This project systematically examines literature on intercultural transitions to improve training for individuals traveling to another culture for work. The literature examined includes pre-departure training and …

Drip Irrigation And Water Conservation In Onions; An Economic Analysis, Jenny De Boer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Water diversions for irrigated agriculture have contributed to increased water stress in drought prone areas across the globe. Previous research finds that farmers increase irrigation intensity per unit of product grown, increase total area under irrigation, and switch to more water intensive crops to increase yields and compensate for the cost of drip irrigation installation. Other studies have shown that drip irrigation can produce yields that parity surface irrigated yields or even surpass them using less water and increasing profits. Ultimately this plot trial showed drip irrigated onion yields were 6.31% greater than surface irrigated onion yields using an average …

Characterization Of Carbonaceous Fault Rocks, Pioneer Fault Zone, South-Central Idaho, Genna Baldassarre

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Differing crystallinities of carbonaceous material are common in fault rocks across a range of geologic settings and spatial scales and may provide constraints on strain rate, the nature of fault slip, fluid-rock interactions, and temperature variations over the earthquake cycle. The Pioneer fault at Little Fall Creek in south-central Idaho provides an excellent opportunity to study nanostructure changes of carbonaceous matter as a function of fault deformation. At this location, the Pioneer Fault exhibits a well-defined principal slip zone (PSZ) composed of multi-layered white siliceous mineralization and black carbon to graphite with a continuously exposed adjacent damage zone that includes …

Efficacy Of Depth Jump Parameters As A Recovery Monitoring Tool, Lane Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Background: Fatigue monitoring is an important aspect for athletic coaches to monitor the level of readiness of an athlete. Monitoring of an athlete’s fatigue status helps identify the need to adjust one’s training program, identify injury risk, and help attain an athlete’s peak performance when it is most advantageous for them. More research is warranted that examines the effects of a comprehensive set of jump parameters to track recovery from muscle impairing exercise. This study focused on the onset of muscle soreness through eccentric resistance exercise. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to examine the efficacy of force plate …

Effects Of Blood Flow Restriction During Acute Multi-Joint Eccentric Exercise On Muscle Recovery, Cody Fisher

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise has become an increasingly common modality due to evidence that it may yield positive muscle-related effects from low-intensity exercise. However, eccentric-only exercise in a multi-joint format has not yet been investigated in regard to the BFR influence on muscle recovery characteristics. The purpose of this study was to assess muscle recovery responses via isometric peak force (PF), soreness (i.e., VAS, PPT, PPD), and functional power (i.e., SLHD) following a 5-minute low-load multi-joint eccentric exercise bout with or without blood flow restriction. Thirty participants were randomly assigned into either an eccentric-only (CON) or an eccentric BFR …

Asymmetries In Ncaa Division I Tennis Players Compared To An Athletic Control Group, Elizabeth Cafferty

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Limb asymmetries are an expected adaptation to years of training for athletes participating in dominant-sided sports. Previous research on this topic lacks an athletic control group. PURPOSE: To determine the magnitude of upper limb asymmetries in dominant-sided athletes (tennis players) compared to nondominant-sided athletes (cross-country runners). METHODS: Male and female NCAA Division I athletes (10 tennis, 11 cross-country) participated. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and lean mass (LM) of the whole body, upper extremities, and forearms. Circumference measurements were taken at mid-biceps and the widest part of the forearms. …

“Singular And Beautiful City”: Nineteenth Century English Travel Literature And Venice, John Sheehan

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Joseph Mallord William Turner was one of England’s most noteworthy artists in the early nineteenth century. Turner’s works, which included both domestic and foreign views, are known for expressing light and atmosphere in a unique way unlike other artists of the time. Turner took liberties with the topographic arrangements of the cities and landscapes that he painted, which again differed from many of the artists who preceded him. His foreign works were especially well received by critics and buyers alike in England. In 1815, many English artists including Turner set out for the newly reopened continent, with the intent of …

Tasks For Learning Trigonometry, Sydnee Andreasen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Many studies have been done using task-based learning within different mathematics courses. Within the field of trigonometry, task-based learning is lacking. The following research aimed to create engaging, mathematically rich tasks that meet the standards for the current trigonometry course at Utah State University and align with the State of Utah Core Standards for 7th through 12th grades. Four lessons were selected and developed based on the alignment of standards, the relevance to the remainder of the trigonometry course, and the relevance to courses beyond trigonometry. The four lessons that were chosen and developed were related to trigonometric ratios, graphing …

Exploring Application Of The Coordinate Exchange To Generate Optimal Designs Robust To Data Loss, Asher Hanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the coordinate exchange (CEXCH) algorithm in the generation of robust optimal designs. The assessment involves a comparative analysis, wherein designs produced by the Point Exchange (PEXCH) Algorithm are employed as benchmarks for evaluating the efficiency of CEXCH designs. Three modified criteria, selected from the traditional alphabet criteria pool, are utilized to score each algorithm. To enhance the reliability of the comparative analysis, multiple rounds of validation are conducted, focusing on visual assessments, design scores, and criteria efficiencies. The findings from each round of validation contribute to a comprehensive …

Radical Antiracism And Anti-Queerphobia In Politicised Education Environments Through Critical Race Theory And Queer Theory, Mina Aubrey Weeks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In 2023, the Utah legislature passed bills that alter how secondary education teachers can talk about “divisive topics,” usually referring to topics of race, LGBTQ, or other systemic topics like classism and nationalism. Many teachers committed to anti-racism and anti-queerphobia do not want to water down topics of race and LGBTQ, but they also do not want to lose their jobs for teaching race and LGBTQ in a way that the law restricts. Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory have typically been framed as anti-White, anti-cishet, or overall divisive by State critics due to their radical ideologies, but this comes …

Water Data Science: Data Driven Techniques, Training, And Tools For Improved Management Of High Frequency Water Resources Data, Amber Spackman Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Electronic sensors can measure water and climate conditions at high frequency and generate large quantities of observed data. This work addresses data management challenges associated with the volume and complexity of high frequency water data. We developed techniques for automatically reviewing data, created materials for training water data managers, and explored existing and emerging technologies for sensor data management.

Data collected by sensors often include errors due to sensor failure or environmental conditions that need to be removed, labeled, or corrected before the data can be used for analysis. Manual review and correction of these data can be tedious and …

Revegetation Strategies For Native Wetland Plant Restoration In The Face Of Phragmites Australis Reinvasion And Hydrologic Extremes, Maddie Houde

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Reestablishing native plant communities in degraded habitats through seeding or planting ("revegetation") is a necessary step to restore ecosystems and their functions (e.g., supporting biodiversity, nutrient cycling, etc.). Globally, wetlands have suffered high rates of degradation and also experience numerous invasions. Invasive species are those that cause environmental, economic, or societal harm. Phragmites australis is a widespread invasive species that outcompetes native plants and reduces habitat diversity. Reestablishing native plant communities can limit P. australis invasion, yet effective methods to do so remain somewhat untested in wetlands. Additionally, stressful environmental conditions can increase plant mortality in revegetation efforts. In semi-arid …

Understanding Peer Interactions In Undergraduate Engineering Education, Jack C. Elliott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Whether they occur inside or outside the classroom, social interactions between undergraduate students play a key role in student success. As a result, engineering education researchers have sought to understand why students interact with certain peers, and which types of interactions relate to positive student outcomes. While existing studies show promising results for formal group assignments, most have been conducted in a single undergraduate course. Because important student interactions occur outside and inside courses, more research is needed to fully understand (a) why students choose to, or not to, interact with other students, and (b) how these interactions relate to …

Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Disease: Social And Environmental Drivers Of Movement, Connectivity, And Disease Transmission In Bighorn Sheep, Lauren E. Ricci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Movement is a fundamental component of animal ecology. Animals move in order to access resources and avoid risk. Movement decisions aggregated across time determine how individuals use space, contact dynamics between individuals within a population, and connectivity across a species range. These patterns that emerge from movement decisions have downstream implications for many ecological processes and a mechanistic understanding of movement can help answer broader questions about ecology.

Disease dynamics are intrinsically tied to movement. Understanding the mechanisms that drive movement can elucidate how disease will spread and impact host populations. In this vein, I employed a suite of movement …

Evaluating An Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math/Computational Thinking Professional Development Program For Elementary Level Paraprofessional Educators, Aubrey A. Rogowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

For my dissertation, I looked at a training program one Utah school district used to teach paraprofessional educators science, technology, engineering, math, and computational thinking. Specifically, the program taught them about what computational thinking is and how they could use it when teaching science, technology, engineering, and math to students from kindergarten to sixth grade. While reviewing this program, I evaluated 1) The experiences the paraprofessionals had with the program, 2) Whether the paraprofessionals understood computational thinking, and 3) Whether the program prepared them to teach computational thinking to K-6 students.

I worked with eight paraprofessionals who participated in this …

Achieving Responsible Anomaly Detection, Xiao Han

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In the digital transformation era, safeguarding online systems against anomalies – unusual patterns indicating potential threats or malfunctions – has become crucial. This dissertation embarks on enhancing the accuracy, explainability, and ethical integrity of anomaly detection systems. By integrating advanced machine learning techniques, it improves anomaly detection performance and incorporates fairness and explainability at its core.

The research tackles performance enhancement in anomaly detection by leveraging few-shot learning, demonstrating how systems can effectively identify anomalies with minimal training data. This approach overcomes data scarcity challenges. Reinforcement learning is employed to iteratively refine models, enhancing decision-making processes. Transfer learning enables the …

A Review Of Student Attitudes Towards Keystroke Logging And Plagiarism Detection In Introductory Computer Science Courses, Caleb Syndergaard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The following paper addresses student attitudes towards keystroke logging and plagiarism prevention measures. Specifically, the paper concerns itself with changes made to the “ShowYourWork” plugin, which was implemented to log the keystrokes of students in Utah State University’s introductory Computer Science course, CS1400. Recent work performed by the Edwards Lab provided insights into students’ feelings towards keystroke logging as a measure of deterring plagiarism. As a result of that research, we have concluded that measures need to be taken to enable students to have more control over their data and assist students to feel more comfortable with keystroke logging. This …

Experimental Nonnative Wood Addition Enhances Instream Habitat For Native Fishes And Investigating Dryland River Alterations, Benjamin J. Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The rivers of the Colorado River Basin (CRB) have been degraded by human activities such flow regulation, water overallocation, and the introduction of invasive riparian vegetation (primarily tamarisk tamarix spp. and Russian olive Elaeagnus angustifolia). These stressors have resulted in widespread habitat loss and simplification, which is a major contributor to the endangerment of native fishes in the CRB.

The objectives of this study were to 1) assess the effectiveness of enhancing native fish habitat by experimentally adding cut wood from nonnative Russian olive to the San Juan River, a highly degraded dryland river, and 2) determine the …

Online Deception: The Impact Of Language In Text-Based Deception Detection, Stephanie Dayle Avila

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In today’s digital age, spreading false information online can have serious consequences, from affecting elections to undermining public health efforts. Despite the issue's importance, there’s been relatively little research into better understanding how people make decisions about lies and misinformation online. My project dives into this challenge by exploring how specific language cues, like grammar errors or unusual word choices, influence people’s perception of statements in terms of deceit online. I examined how people react to these cues through three separate but related studies when reading truthful and deceptive statements. The first two studies showed that true statements with grammatical …

A Content Analysis On Emotions Presented In Preschool Children's Television, Sarah Austin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Learning about emotions is an essential aspect of early childhood. Because of the increasing access to screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, children have more resources in their environment to learn from. However, before more can be known about whether children are learning about emotions during their screen time, it is important to know how emotions are being presented to them in their online content. Therefore, this study sought to gather data regarding how four emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear) are portrayed verbally and nonverbally among three types of preschool television shows (entertainment, balanced, educational). A sample of 60 preschool …

On The Existence Of Periodic Traveling-Wave Solutions To Certain Systems Of Nonlinear, Dispersive Wave Equations, Jacob Daniels

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

A variety of physical phenomena can be modeled by systems of nonlinear, dispersive wave equations. Such examples include the propagation of a wave through a canal, deep ocean waves with small amplitude and long wavelength, and even the propagation of long-crested waves on the surface of lakes. An important task in the study of water wave equations is to determine whether a solution exists. This thesis aims to determine whether there exists solutions that both travel at a constant speed and are periodic for several systems of water wave equations. The work done in this thesis contributes to the subfields …

Collective Teacher Efficacy And Effective Title I Eligible Schools: A Mixed Methods Approach, Donald R. Mendenhall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Students living in poverty have historically scored lower than more affluent peers. However, research suggests that collective teacher efficacy (CTE) may be more strongly associated with student academic success than socioeconomic background. Therefore, this study identifies successful Title I eligible schools that also have high levels of collective teacher efficacy to identify methods for increasing CTE in schools. A mixed methods research study model is used to explain how two successful Title I schools were able to achieve academic success and high levels of CTE. The study finds some of the perceptions of school staff, and the actions and processes …

Morphological And Physio-Biochemical Responses And Gene Expression Analyses Of Landscape Plants Under Salinity Stress, Asmita Paudel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Soil salinity is a significant global issue that adversely impacts the growth and development of landscape plants. One of the effective strategies to prevent salinity damage to landscape plants is to cultivate species that are tolerant to the prevailing salinity levels. Salinity tolerance varies among plant species and cultivars. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the salinity tolerance of nine landscape plants [Albizia julibrissin (mimosa tree), Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick), Cercocarpus ledifolius (curl-leaf mountain mahogany), Cercocarpus montanus ‘Coy’ (alder-leaf mountain mahogany), Penstemon barbatus ‘Novapenblu’ (rock candy blue^® penstemon), Penstemon strictus ‘Rocky Mountain’ (rocky mountain beardtongue), Punica granatum ‘Wonderful’ (pomegranate), …

Exploring Farmers' Willingness To Accept Payment For Agricultural Conservation In Utah, Asif Ahmed Khan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In view of Utah’s drought situation and the need for conservation of water use, this thesis tries to calculate the compensation required for farmers to switch from cultivating alfalfa-which requires a lot of water, to less water-consuming crops like wheat, hay and even pasture. It proposes a new technique for this calculation using big data, including satellite images from National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), agricultural statistics from National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), climate data from Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climate group and land use data from the state of Utah. These data are integrated into a …